Chapter Four #2
Logan forced himself still, one hand cradling the back of his mate’s head while the other gripped the couch. Blood flowed steadily, each pull making his head swim slightly. Nick made soft, desperate sounds as he fed, his fingers clutching at Logan’s shirt.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmured, stroking Nick’s hair. “Take what you need. I’ve got you.”
Nick’s throat worked as he swallowed, each pull sending sparks through Logan’s nervous system. His mate’s body gradually relaxed, the desperate edge fading into something almost peaceful. Logan kept petting his hair, murmuring to him, ignoring his arousal.
The only priority right now was feeding his mate, giving him the nourishment Nick hadn’t known he needed.
Nick’s entire body went rigid. His grip loosened, the pull of his lips abruptly ending.
No!” Logan shouted the same time Nick yanked his mouth away, tearing the puncture wounds wider. Blood ran down Logan’s neck, soaking into his collar.
Nick scrambled backward off the couch, eyes wide with panic, blood staining his mouth crimson. Logan yanked his shirt over his head in one motion, pressing the fabric against his neck to staunch the flow.
Fuck, his neck hurt.
For one frozen moment, Nick stared at him, his expressions cycling through horror, disgust, and naked fear. He wiped at his mouth, leaving a smear of red across his cheek.
“Nick—”
His mate turned and bolted down the hallway, feet slapping against hardwood, and then he slammed his bedroom door with enough force to shake the apartment.
A vampire.
Something Nick clearly hadn’t known about himself.
Logan sat there in the quiet, chest heaving, blood seeping into the wadded shirt pressed against his neck. He wanted to go after his mate, but Nick needed time to process. Sometimes the kindest thing was being given space to fall apart before having to face reality.
Instead, Logan grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He needed to call his alpha.
Zeppelin picked up on the second ring, his voice alert even though Logan knew he’d been asleep. “What’s going on, Logan?”
“Found my mate tonight.” He pulled his shirt away from his neck, thankful he hadn’t lost a pint of blood. From the way Nick had torn away from him, Logan thought he’d need to shift in order to heal.
“Am I congratulating you or sending help?”
That actually made Logan smile. More than once Zeppelin had to send help when a pack member found his mate. Like when Chase had found Jalen, because a vampire had also found Jalen.
Or when Quinn had found Sasha. Two coyotes had thought it would be fun to try and kill the wolf and… Logan didn’t want to think what they would’ve done to Sasha if they’d succeeded.
“Gotta bit of a situation with my mate.”
Zeppelin growled. “It’s three in the morning, Logan. Point. Make it.”
“I want da fuzzy peaches,” Preston, Zeppelin’s mate, mumbled in the background, no doubt dreaming. The human loved fresh fruit, especially from the farmer’s market.
“My mate just found out, in his sleep, he’s a vampire.”
There was an edge to Zeppelin’s voice, not outright cruel but sharp enough to make you feel the danger it carried. Not a good sign. “If this is a prank, you are going to feel my displeasure, painfully.”
A bedroom door opened. Logan glanced up, thinking it was Nick.
“Did you say vampire?” Myron squeaked. The guy had to be part mouse. Logan’s lips parted as he stared incredulously at the roommate. This could not be his life right now.
“I thought your mate had a slumbering revelation already,” Zeppelin said.
“Different guy.” Logan pressed his thumb and index finger into his eyelids, feeling as if he’d only dig himself deeper if he kept talking.
“You have two mates?”
“Only one.” Shut up, Logan. Just shut up.
“I swear to fucking god, if you make me drag this shit out of you…” Zeppelin warned, his voice dangerously low.
“Mack’s in town.” Why did that feel like the safer topic?
Zeppelin cursed.
Maybe it wasn’t safer after all.
“Get your ass home now,” Zeppelin ordered. “Bring your mate. Keep him secure in your room since we have a fae under our goddamn roof.” He hung up.
Fuck. How had Logan forgotten about Newt? Fae blood was ambrosia to vampires. Vaughn would go scorched earth if a single hair on his mate’s head was touched.
Or Nick could multiply if Newt used his magic. Newt’s magic was about as reliable as a broken watch.
“Fuck my life,” Logan murmured, tossing aside his phone.