Chapter One #2
At least he didn’t have to be afraid of being attacked again.
He’d watched the fight between the two dragons.
He was glad that Merrick had won and that he hadn’t had to watch a man he considered his brother die with his throat torn out.
It hadn’t been a pretty sight, even though Harmon was used to dealing with blood.
“Hey there,” someone said.
Harmon rolled his head against the trunk of the tree he was leaning on. It scratched his skull and stung, but compared to the pain pulsing in his arm, it was nothing.
He stared at the tall man standing in front of him for a second. His sluggish brain was trying to make sense of what he was seeing and fit a name with the face, but it was taking him longer than it normally would have.
The man was tall and slender. His dark hair was messy, but his dark eyes were soft as they watched Harmon. The man’s shirt was torn and missing a piece at the bottom, and there was blood on his hands, but he seemed to be okay.
Good.
The man crouched next to Harmon and reached for him, but he stopped before touching him. “I’m Rex. My brother Alpin is dating Merrick.”
Harmon smiled. “I like Alpin.”
Rex snorted. “Everyone does, which is why it was so funny that Merrick initially hated him on sight. Alpin really has a knack for getting everyone to love him, though.”
“Merrick does love him a lot.”
“That’s what I said.”
He raised something he was holding, and Harmon blinked at it. His stomach growled, and he reached for the blood bag before he could even think about it. Rex pulled it back, causing Harmon to growl at him.
“You can have it,” he quickly said. “I’m just going to help you sit up a bit. I don’t want you to choke. You’re already in bad shape, you don’t need to add that to your problems.”
He wasn’t wrong. Harmon had been sliding down more and more as time passed. He wouldn’t be surprised to find himself flat on his back in five minutes. He was just so tired that he didn’t have the energy to keep himself up.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to do anything. Rex moved him gently, but it still hurt. Harmon told himself not to complain. The man was helping him, after all. It would’ve been easy for him to turn his attention to his family and ignore Harmon, but instead, he was here, offering him a blood bag.
“There,” Rex murmured as he held out the bag.
Harmon stared at it. He wanted to grab it, but he wasn’t sure he could raise his hands. Thankfully, Rex seemed to understand. He tore into the bag with his fangs before holding it up to Harmon’s lips.
Harmon felt better as soon as the blood hit his tongue.
He drank it down greedily, knowing his body needed it.
He wasn’t dying, but he might if he didn’t replenish the blood he’d lost. He’d been wondering how he was supposed to do that when he could barely move, and he was grateful for Rex’s help. He hadn’t expected it.
The blood helped. Harmon couldn’t say that he felt like new once he was done drinking, but he did feel better. It would take a few days and several more bags of blood to heal, but at least he didn’t feel like he was about to die on the forest ground anymore.
He’d been lucky. The wound was deep, but he could’ve been hurt in many different other ways that would have killed him sooner.
He also could’ve been ignored until he died.
He was pretty sure that was what would’ve happened if Rex hadn’t stepped in.
Everyone was busy checking on their loved ones, and the only person Harmon was close to here was Merrick.
Right now, he was getting fussed over by his boyfriend, and while he would have noticed that Harmon was down eventually, Harmon was glad his condition wouldn’t take Merrick away from Alpin.
“Better?” Rex asked as he lowered the now-empty blood bag.
Harmon nodded. “Much.” His mind was clearer, and even though he still felt a bit sluggish and weak, blood had stopped trickling from his wound. It would heal, just slowly.
But Harmon couldn’t wait for it to heal while sitting on the ground. He put his hands down and tried to push himself up, but a hand landed on his shoulder and pushed him right back down. He blinked up at Rex, who was looking at him like he was nuts.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rex asked.
“Getting up. There are other wounded to check on, and I’m sure Kieran wants to start cleaning up.
” Harmon wasn’t quite sure what they were going to do with the dead dragons, but he was glad it wouldn’t be his headache to deal with.
He was willing to help Kieran and his pack, but the solution would have to come from the alpha.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Rex said. “You can barely keep your head up.”
“I feel better now that I’ve had blood.”
“Better, but not up to getting to your feet and walking around as if nothing happened.”
“I’m very much aware that something happened. It doesn’t mean I can’t deal with this.”
“I never said you couldn’t deal with it.”
“You just told me that I was weak.”
Rex arched a brow. “Is it a lie?”
Harmon huffed. He didn’t care if people thought he was weak, especially when he was. He just hated feeling useless. “I’m here to help Kieran and his pack, and I’m not going to do that by sitting on the ground.”
“You’re not going to do that if you faint, either. Besides, Merrick would have my head if he found out I let you do anything.”
“He’s not my keeper,” Harmon grumbled.
“He doesn’t have to be. He’s my brother-in-law, so he probably wouldn’t hurt me too badly, but I’m not risking it. Besides, I don’t want Kieran to have to deal with what would happen if you died here and he had to tell your coven about it.”
“I’m not going to die.”
“Not if you stay down. I’ll try to find more blood.”
“I don’t need more blood.”
“Sure you don’t. You’re going to stay there and not try anything because I’ll sit on you if you do.”
Harmon narrowed his eyes at Rex, then slowly reached behind himself for the tree. Rex seemed amused more than angry, which was good because even though Harmon wouldn’t mind having Rex sitting on him, he’d enjoy it more if the circumstances were different. Rex was a handsome man, after all.
Harmon used the tree to get to his feet.
His knees wobbled, and he glanced at Rex, who’d crossed his arms over his chest and was staring as if waiting for Harmon to admit that he’d been right.
Harmon gritted his teeth and let go of the tree, but his knees buckled as soon as he attempted to take a step forward.
Luckily for him, Rex was there. He caught Harmon before he could face-plant and make an even bigger fool of himself. Harmon found himself engulfed in strong arms and pressed against a warm chest that smelled of soot, sweat, and blood.
“So fucking stubborn,” Rex murmured.
Harmon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was stubborn, but it had landed him in a place he didn’t mind at all—Rex’s arms.
* * * *
REX WAS GLAD HE’D CAUGHT Harmon. He’d been able to tell that the man would be stubborn by the tight set of his jaw, so he hadn’t been surprised when Harmon had tried getting to his feet. For a moment, he’d even succeeded.
Until he’d tried walking.
It was clear from how pale he still was that he needed more blood.
His arm had stopped bleeding, but considering how much blood was on the ground, one blood bag wouldn’t be enough.
Harmon felt better—good enough to attempt walking—but it would take longer for him to heal and be able to stand on his own two feet.
Harmon snuggled against Rex’s chest, giving Rex pause.
He hadn’t expected it, but it felt nice, even though both of them smelled of sweat and blood.
He tightened his arms around Harmon and felt Harmon sigh.
He also wobbled, which wasn’t a good sign, so Rex moved to gently lower him back to the ground.
“I can admit that was a bad idea,” Harmon said.
“You could have hurt yourself.”
“I’m already hurt.” Harmon gestured at his arm. “At least it’s not bleeding anymore.”
Rex eyed the wound. He had no idea what he was looking at since he wasn’t a healer, but the fact that it had stopped bleeding was good, right?
He glanced around. Harmon needed a healer and more blood, but for now, it didn’t look like either was available. The healers were scrambling to help people in worse shape than Harmon, and the person from whom Rex had gotten the blood earlier was nowhere to be seen.
“You can go if you want,” Harmon said. “I promise I won’t try getting up again.”
Rex wasn’t sure he could believe him. Even if he did, he didn’t want to leave Harmon alone.
He dropped down and sat next to the other vampire.
Harmon blinked at him, clearly not having expected that.
Rex hadn’t, either. He was supposed to help people, and there were plenty of them who needed him, but he didn’t want anything to happen to Harmon.
The fight was over, but that didn’t mean that Harmon couldn’t get himself into more trouble.
Merrick would never forgive Rex if that happened.
“What are you doing?” Harmon asked.
“I thought it was obvious. I’m sitting with you. “
“Why? I just told you that I won’t try getting up again. You don’t believe me?”
“I don’t know if I do, but even if I did, I wouldn’t risk Merrick’s wrath.” It was an excuse, but it was a good enough excuse. Harmon knew Merrick. He’d believe that this was why Rex was sitting with him.
Harmon stared at Rex for a moment. Rex expected him to call him out on his bullshit, but instead, Harmon nodded and leaned back against the tree. Rex had sat closer than he would have with anyone else, and Harmon’s body pressed heavily against his shoulder.
That was okay with Rex.
They stayed silent for a moment. Rex wasn’t sure what had made him sit down beyond the fact that Merrick considered Harmon his brother and that Harmon was hot, even all bloody and weak. It wasn’t like Rex would try to seduce him or anything like that. He just wanted to comfort Harmon.