Chapter 34 Devlin
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
DEVLIN
It’s been months since I went home. While I don’t want to leave Noah, I know I should head back. I’m going to miss him deeply, but I don’t have to worry for too much longer.
Love takes time.
The difficult journey makes it that much sweeter.
Soon I’ll be waking up next to a boy with freckles, green eyes, and a gorgeous smile. We’ll spend our days lounging by the lake, with him reading in my arms. Nights by the fire while I make sweet, slow, and sensual love to him. I will worship every inch of his body.
He’ll never want for a thing.
I walk into the bakery and find Noah sitting at a table reading.
My little bookworm.
My smile stretches.
Then falls when I see Jamie talking with Aiden on the couch. His head lifts, and his eyes zero in on me. That’s right. Drink it in. He’ll be mine soon enough. I’ll take him far away from the suffering he must experience.
I walk up to Noah and ignore Jamie standing up to join us.
Noah’s head lifts from the book. “Oh. Um, hi.”
“Hello, beautiful.” Noah blinks. “What are you reading?”
“It’s about a female vampiress living in a house with ten male half humans who service her nightly and let her feed from them.” He smiles then goes back to his book. “Girl power for the win.”
“What’s going on?” Jamie steps up to us.
I ignore him. “I have to head back now. I wanted to say goodbye.” Noah lifts his angelic face to me.
Stunning.
“If you need anything, I’m only one phone call away.”
“You live two hours from here!”
I ignore Jamie. “Just one call.” I reach a finger to smooth along his cheek. Noah pulls away, looking back at his book. Smart. Be subtle. Don’t let Jamie know about us.
“It was nice to meet you, Dante.” His thick lashes flutter.
“Dan—” This rascal. “Devlin.”
“Isn’t that what I said?” He goes back to his book.
“Cheeky.”
“You can leave now.” Jamie steps closer to him.
Soon.
Soon, Noah will be mine.
My truck bumps along as I drive up the mountainous rocky roads to my cabin. I dread a little bit each time I go to Lia’s house. Not that I don’t want to see her, but I feel I owe her more than I can ever repay.
That woman is an angel and she saved my life.
Jamie was wrong. I don’t live two hours away.
Up through the mountains, it’s only about a forty-minute drive.
It’s hell in the winter, but then I usually stay up here alone until the weather clears.
Plow trucks don’t make it up this way, so I’ll have to stock up on supplies soon before the bad weather really hits.
I’m so ready to go home.
Maybe I’ll call Noah when I get there.
No. Don’t smother him.
The roads are slick from the thunderstorm that rolled through last night, and up ahead I can see something in the road. It takes a minute to realize what I’m looking at. There’s a biker down up ahead. I pull over to the side of the road.
Fuck, there’s no service up here.
I get out of my truck and run over to the bike on its side, where I crouch down, looking at the unconscious man. He’s wearing a hoodie, jeans, and fucking sneakers. On a bike?
He’s breathing, though. I don’t see any visible wounds or bleeding. The bike is small. I don’t even think you could call it a motorcycle. A scooter?
I inspect his neck. I think he’s just unconscious.
I take his helmet off carefully, and oh!
Pretty.
Okay, let’s get him help, dumbass, stop gawking. I inspect him and don’t see any broken bones. I’ll have to call Elijah when I get to my cabin. I’m almost there. I pick him up gently and listen to his chest. He’s breathing easily. No rattling.
So he’s passed out. Probably from the impact.
I carry him over to my truck and lay him down in my back seat, then I grab his bike and lift it into the cab.
Once I’m back at my cabin, I walk inside and grab my phone, twirling the landline in my fingers.
“Devlin?” Elijah sounds as pleased as ever to hear from me.
“Yeah, hey. Sorry to bother you. Are you working?”
“Um, no?”
“Can you come up to the cabin? It’s an emergency.” The closest hospital is about an hour from here. It’d be faster if Elijah could come up. Then, if he needs medical attention, I’ll take him to the hospital. “I have an issue.”
“You know I’m moving next month. You’re going to have to get someone else to do this. You know that, right?”
Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m going to miss him. “Please?”
“What is it?”
“I found a man by my cabin on the mountain. He toppled his bike. I think he’s just passed out.” I know how to inspect for wounds, but Elijah’s more skilled than I am. He’s also discreet, and sometimes I need a little of that. Maybe not a friend. Elijah is something, though.
And yeah, I’m sad he’s moving.
“Devlin, take him to a hospital!”
“You’re closer. Please? Then if he needs help, we’ll wee-woo his ass to the hospital.”
“Wee-woo? I have my truck, Devlin.”
“Please?”
He sighs. “You’re impossible. I’m coming now. Check to see if he has an ID on him.” I hear Elijah get in his car, which means he doesn’t have the ambulance.
“Sorry. Day off?”
“Not any more it seems. Check his ID. I’ll be right there. Search his name to see if anyone’s reported him missing.” Elijah hangs up and I look in his pockets, finding a wallet in his jeans.
The man groans. Good. Making noise is always good. “Hey.” He groans a little more, squirming on the bed. I watch him slowly blink open his soft eyes. One a pale green, the other brown. Striking.
It makes me smile.
“What’s going on?” He blinks a few times, his voice dragging a bit.
“Shh, relax. You’re safe.” I grab his wallet and open it up to find his ID.
Liam?