EPILOGUE || BRYAN
“ W hat the fuck are you two doing here?” Michael demanded, two months later. His eyes widened in surprise when he and Danny piled into the hospital room and caught sight of Tobias and I wrapping up our healing of Thomas Beyer, the forty-five-year-old happily married father of three who, up until five minutes ago, had been dying. The nurses and doctors couldn’t explain it, but his immune system had been in a freefall for days, every organ in his body shutting down. He had been comatose for the past twenty-four hours.
“I could say the same to you,” Tobias’s eyes narrowed at the hunters. “Try any bullshit and I won’t hesitate to set both of you on fire.”
“Try it,” Michael glared back at him. “I dare you.”
“Jeez, Michael. Seriously, chill,” Danny gave Michael some next-level side-eye. “None of us are enemies here.” Then, to us, he added, “We’ll be peaceful, I promise.”
“Right. As soon as you two explain what the hell you’re doing here,” Michael snapped.
“I think you guys ought to hit the road,” Thomas said to the hunters from between Tobias and I, opening his eyes for the first time. To us, he said, “I’m not sure how to thank you for this. You saved my life.”
Michael’s eyes widened and his jaw fell open as he took in both Thomas’s words and the obvious improvement to his condition. “Wait. They did what ? How are you even talking ?”
I ignored him, my attention focused on Mr. Beyer. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. This is what we do.”
“It’s what ?” Michael demanded, sounding outright scandalized.
“Also, there are going to be a lot of questions,” Tobias told Mr. Beyer, pointedly ignoring Michael. “But we were never here. You made a miraculous recovery, and that’s it. No one needs to know how it happened.”
Mr. Beyer nodded solemnly at that, meeting Tobias’s gaze and then mine.
“The nurses said you were unconscious,” Danny put in. He looked less surprised by all of this than Michael did. He added, “They said that you were dying.”
“Well, I feel fine now, thanks to these two,” Mr. Beyer told them. He seemed to size the hunters up. Then he frowned. “Not sure what you two are doing in my hospital room, though.”
“We were—” Michael started, before immediately breaking off.
He and Danny exchanged glances, both of them clearly at a loss for words.
I understood immediately. They had probably been planning to search Mr. Beyer for any markings that might suggest what had attacked him. Meaning that his illness hadn’t been ordinary in the slightest.
I knew it was supernatural, Tobias told me triumphantly, speaking the words into my mind clearly and easily, as though he’d said them aloud. There was nothing mundane about what was happening to him.
Well, sure. But not everything is paranormal. You also said that about the last three cases we worked on, none of which were caused by things that go bump in the night. Sometimes people just get sick or have accidents.
Still. You gotta admit it. I totally called that shit.
“These two are here to help,” Tobias said grudgingly, shooting Michael and Danny a dark look. And I knew from the bond Tobias and I shared that it pained him to do anything to help either of them out. He added, “And we’ve done what we came here to do. So, we’ll be leaving now.”
Without another word, we both brushed past Danny. We left Michael standing at the foot of Mr. Beyer’s bed, apparently rendered speechless.
I hope we never see those guys again, Tobias told me through the bond. They’re dicks. He paused, shooting me a mischievous look. Another hopeless case, handled by the dynamic—
Don’t say it. It takes another year off my life every time.
Good thing you live forever. Anyway, I still think we need a superhero name, Tobias said, taking my hand. Please?
Look, I love you something fierce, but that’s never gonna happen.
It would make me so happy, though. Tobias punctuated it by looking at me with puppy dog eyes.
I sighed, annoyed with myself but giving in immediately. Even though Tobias could no doubt sense that, I still pursed my lips and gave him a sideways look. Okay, maybe. But we’d need something really cool. It might take us a super long time to come up with something that works.
How about the midnight team?
No. I rolled my eyes a little at that, but I couldn’t help smiling. Just no.
He batted his eyes innocently. How does the justice duo sound?
I scoffed at that one, but it was playful, and we both knew it. I shook my head in amazement. How are you such a nerd?
We made it all the way down to the hospital lobby before Danny and Michael caught up with us. They were both out of breath, so they must have literally run after us to catch up.
“So, what, you guys heal people now?” Michael demanded, falling into step beside us.
“Is that a problem?” I shot back, not slowing down.
“What? No, of course not!” Michael said, back-peddling at once. He put his hands up in a time-out gesture, turning around so he could face us while he walked backward. “Look, can you guys please just stop for a second? We want to talk.”
Tobias scoffed at that. He gestured to the hospital lobby we stood in, surrounded by dozens of hurried mundane folks who weren’t paying us any mind. Yet.
“Is this a conversation you really want to have here?”
Michael looked around, seemed to take in the fact that we were, indeed, in a very public place. His expression went sheepish.
“Fair point. Beer, then?” he suggested, as if it were the most ordinary idea in the whole world. “And then maybe a game of pool, afterward?”
Tobias and I exchanged baffled looks.
Is he for real? Tobias wondered.
It would seem so, I replied. But I couldn’t help but feel more than a little curious as to what the hunters could want to talk to us about. Maybe we ought to hear them out. At least they’re asking nicely this time. And if we can call a real truce with them, it’s one less thing for us to worry about later, right?
He frowned a bit, but after a moment, he nodded. I could sense that he didn’t like the idea of us all being in the same room one bit, but he caved almost instantly. We had an awfully hard time saying no to each other now. It was the side-effect of being so casually in each other’s heads all the time. Or maybe it was just the mate bond. Or it could have been love.
One of those things. Or maybe all of them.
I promise, if they try anything else, I’ll drop a house on both of them.
“It had better not be shitty beer,” Tobias warned them, stopping dead in his tracks so abruptly that Danny literally slammed into Michael and staggered back. “And you guys better fucking believe that you’re buying the first round. And if you two even so much as look at us the wrong way, I swear that there won’t be enough left of you to pick up with a dustpan.”
“You keep saying that,” Michael replied, his sudden grin stretching from ear-to-ear and lighting up his whole face. “Is it wrong that I’m kind of looking forward to the day where I get to see you try?”
Danny rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his partner, shook his head, then turned back to us. “What he means to say is that we’d be happy to buy the first round. And we know a quiet place nearby with good beer and a couple pool tables.” He paused, considering us. “It seems like we might have an awful lot to talk about.”
*
“What you’re suggesting is insane. You do realize this?” Tobias breathed, almost two hours later, over our second pitcher of beer. True to Danny’s promise, the beer wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t half-good either.
“Look, I’m not suggesting we become best buds or whatever,” Michael replied, sitting back in his seat. “I mean, you guys seem cool enough, for being what you are.” He looked at me when he said that part. I actively tried not to take offense. Then he added, “But if you’re already going around healing people, we might as well work together.”
“You said that. But… why ?” I demanded, feeling completely mystified.
“We hunt supernatural bad guys. And in our line of work, we run across a lot of messed up stuff,” Danny supplied. “Like with Thomas Beyer. He would have died for sure if you guys hadn’t helped him. And there wouldn’t have been a goddamn thing we could’ve done to stop that. He was attacked by a banshee.”
“A banshee,” I repeated, incredulous. Every time I thought I understood how strange the world was, I learned something new that made it even weirder. “Like the wailing woman from Irish folklore?”
“Well,” Danny exchanged a glance with Michael. “I mean, we’re not really sure if they’re actually the same thing or not. It might be a situation where there’s the same name for different types of beings that seem similar on the surface, but really aren’t. But what we’re talking about is a type of fey creature—a really bad one—that hunts mortal men and siphons their life force away with its wailing. Generally, if you hear a banshee, you’re doomed. Unlike most malevolent fey creatures, it preys on the most powerful members of society. It enjoys making them weak.”
“Why do I feel like you’re basically a walking encyclopedia of supernatural baddies?” Tobias asked, raising an eyebrow at Danny.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Michael muttered, giving Danny a look that was equal parts annoyed and bemused. “But we wouldn’t get very far without him. He’s also a pretty badass hacker.”
Danny glared at him. “Michael. We don’t tell people how our operation runs. Remember Memphis, when you got way too gabby with that wendigo?”
“Well, I didn’t know he was a wendigo, did I?” Michael protested, immediately going on the defensive. He gave a shrug and chugged his beer. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He set his glass down and poured himself a refill. “He seemed like a nice enough guy.”
“Right, because you wanted to bang him.”
“What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants.” Michael turned back to us, clearly not catching the way Danny’s expression froze for an instant, like Michael had just struck him. “Anyway, that’s why we’re here. We were hoping to confirm what type of bad guy was offing some of the most successful businessmen in town. We never figured we’d have a chance to just talk to the victim directly.”
Danny, apparently unable to help himself, added, “Because banshees leave marks. Usually, its bruising around the throat and sometimes even bleeding from the ears.”
Tobias and Michael exchanged a knowing glance and smiled at the same time. Through the bond, I could feel Tobias’s amusement. Despite his best intentions to the contrary, I knew that Michael was beginning to grow on him.
Danny caught it and shot Michael a betrayed look. “How many times has my research saved our asses?”
“I still have an ass to save because of you,” Michael agreed solemnly.
Danny couldn’t seem to think of anything to say to that, but his eyes narrowed at his partner in obvious suspicion.
“So,” Michael said brightly, clearly intent upon steamrolling ahead at full speed. “Here’s the deal: when Danny and I run across folks who have been harmed by the supernatural, we’ll give you two a call. We can run the offensive and you guys can make everything all sunshine and rainbows afterward. What do you say?”
I don’t get the game they’re playing. Tobias told me, his mental voice filled with suspicion. Is this some kind of weird trap? It doesn’t seem like it, but they can’t really be serious, can they?
I think they are serious, I replied.
I bit my lip, considering it.
Surprisingly, their suggestion made sense. Even if they found it distasteful to have a vampire and his warlock mate in their orbit, they probably really had seen some pretty awful stuff in their line of work. Stuff that left innocent people completely wrecked and broken, like how Lisa had been. I supposed that if you saw that type of thing often enough—or stuff even worse than that—and you felt helpless to put a stop to any of it, you’d probably be willing to do something insane. Like hatch a plan to work with the guys who almost killed you, for instance.
At least we all had that in common.
I’m… well, I think I’m kind of tempted to give it a try, actually.
If they try anything, anything at all, we’re completely done with them. Tobias told me. Agreed?
Agreed.
Tobias sighed, turning back to the hunters. “Fine. We’ll try this out. On a temporary basis. Like, for a couple of cases. Then we’ll revisit how it’s going in another couple of months. And we’re not following you around the country like we’re your fucking groupies. You text us an address and how bad things are, and then we’ll show up to help, provided we’re able to. That’s the deal. That’s going to be how this will work.”
Danny and Michael traded surprised glances. Which meant they clearly hadn’t expected us to say yes.
Danny recovered first. “Yeah. That works for us.”
“Awesome,” Michael grinned at us, seeming abruptly more at ease than Danny. Then his gaze landed on me, and, after a pause, he added, “Now that we’ve got all that settled, I’m dying to know… are there any other nice vampires out there, or is it just you?”
“Michael, we talked about this,” Danny protested. “Remember how sometimes stuff that’s on the inside should stay that way? This is one of those times.”
“Well, excuse me for being curious!” Michael snapped. He gestured at Tobias and I. “These two come along and blow all of my beliefs about the supernatural world to smithereens. So, yeah, I have a few questions. I think that’s pretty fucking reasonable, given the circumstances.”
“How do you guys usually run across vampires?” Tobias asked.
I could tell from the bond that he was more curious than alarmed. Somehow, Michael’s bald admission that his worldview had changed drastically since crossing paths with us had caused my mate to relax, believing for the very first time that there was a solid chance Michael truly didn’t intend on harming us.
Which meant… well, it meant that their offer really was serious.
And that they were now our allies. Sort of. Ish.
Heavy emphasis on the ish .
“It’s news articles and social media posts, usually,” Danny explained. “It’s how we find most of our cases. I wrote a computer program that alerts us whenever someone posts content containing certain combinations of keywords. Most of the time, it’s not real—just people being spooky on the internet or else it’s clickbait. But when it’s vampires, we look for patterns. Victims turning up with neck wounds. Bodies drained of blood. That sort of thing.” He paused. “Most vamps we’ve run across live in small nests with three or four others. And they’re nomadic. So we check for similar incidents in nearby cities, especially those along major interstates. Killing sprees, animal attacks, missing people, that sort of thing.”
“So, the only vampires you guys run across are the feral ones, then,” Tobias said, sounding satisfied. I could sense from his thoughts that Danny had just confirmed his suspicions.
Michael and Danny exchanged surprised glances.
“There are feral vampires?” Danny asked. “As opposed to… what? Vampires like Bryan?”
“Well, they’re not technically ‘feral,’ exactly,” Tobias explained. “No one really calls them that or anything. But when someone is first turned into a vampire, the time right after is especially delicate. If the newbie kills people in the first couple of months afterward, their vampiric instincts typically take over completely and suppress their humanity. They become psychopaths with an insatiable appetite for blood and violence. Thankfully, that’s not very common. Most vampires prevent that sort of thing from happening with the people they turn. You guys probably hunt the outliers who didn’t have the benefit of an experienced maker.”
“And it’s permanent?” Danny asked, seeming to want to reassure himself. “Is there any way to fix it, once someone loses their humanity?”
I figured it made sense, now that I considered it, that he and Michael really must have been questioning literally everything after meeting us. No wonder they wanted a sit-down with us. We’d probably sent them both into a tailspin. The fact that they cared one way or the other that the creatures they hunted were actually evil probably also meant that they were better people than we’d thought they were.
Danny confirmed that when he added, “So, uh, you’re saying is that the person they were before is just gone? There’s no fixing it? There’s no hope of the vampire ever regaining their humanity? They’re just… murderers?”
“There’s no hope, as far as I’m aware,” Tobias replied. “Not even with magic. Or, at least, no magic my coven knows how to do. We’ve tried before, but mostly it just drives the vampire crazy. Real Jekyll and Hyde type stuff. Once the darkest parts of the vampire’s nature take over, the person they were is just gone.”
Danny nodded, relaxing. But then his eyebrows drew together, and he shook his head a little. “Look, it’s pretty weird to me that we’re just now learning any of this. I’ve been a hunter all my life. And my dad and older brother were both hunters. They raised me to be one, too.”
The past-tense he used there definitely lingered for way longer than it should have.
I watched their expressions carefully. “I’m guessing you guys don’t usually hunt any vampires in big cities. Probably not many cases of vampire attacks in places like Los Angeles or Detroit.”
“Vamps avoid cities,” Danny said automatically. “Civilization, in general. They prefer small towns. Out of the way places.”
“We’ve never hunted a single vampire in a town with more than three Starbucks to its name,” Michael added. “We’ve always figured it was because there’s fewer witnesses in rural places.”
Tobias and I exchanged a knowing look. Wait until they find out that there are whole societies of civilized vampires. Should you tell them, or should I?
Go for it, babe. The look on their faces is going to be epic.
“That’s because the types of vampires you two hunt don’t last long in cities.” Tobias told them, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Hold on to your hatchets fellas, because I’m about to blow your fucking minds.”
*
Two hours and two more pitchers of beer later—the hunters were going to be a bad influence, I could tell—and Tobias and Michael were off happily playing a game of pool. Danny and I were still sitting at the table, nursing our drinks. Well, I was nursing my drink. Danny was packing it away like beer was on the verge disappearing for good. The hunter was looking increasingly glassy-eyed and happy, which was further evidence that he had begun to actually trust me. I strongly doubted that getting drunk with a potentially dangerous supernatural creature was in the hunter playbook.
They’d taken the news that they didn’t know nearly as much about the supernatural world as they thought they did with surprising grace.
In fact, Michael in particular seemed floored to find out that I wasn’t an outlier. And when Tobias started talking about the philanthropic efforts taking place in Seattle to end poverty and homelessness, run by all the factions of the supernatural community in the city, including the vampires, a strange sort of light had entered his face. I felt like I was watching years of hatred and fear being stripped away from him in a matter of minutes.
Danny, however, had seemed increasingly nervous by the direction our conversation had taken. Maybe the idea of Michael losing his hatred and fear of the supernatural frightened him. Maybe he was scared that, without it, Michael might leave and go off and do something besides kill monsters for a living. Or maybe it was about something more than just losing his partner.
“So,” I said, leaning forward and glancing over at Tobias and Michael, across the bar, to make sure they weren’t paying attention—and that they were still playing nice with each other, of course. “You said you were in love with Michael. In the factory.”
Danny’s expression darkened and his jaw tightened a little at my words. “Yeah, I did say that.”
“Was it just a heat of the moment thing, or…?”
“No.” He sighed, running his hands through his hair. He downed the rest of his beer, then refilled the glass from the pitcher between us on the table. How he was still sitting upright was beyond my comprehension. He must’ve caught my look, because he added, “And yeah, I’m going to need more beer if we’re going to have some real talk about this.”
“Fair.”
He chugged half his glass, then grimaced. “Well, it’s official, I’m going to regret my fucking choices in the morning.” When I didn’t reply to that, instead choosing to wait him out, he chewed on his lower lip for a long moment and added, “Look, I’m pretty sure I’ve been at least a little bit in love with Michael for years. I didn’t see it for what it was until recently, though. But it’s not like it’s a secret. We haven’t talked about it or anything. But we both know what’s what.”
“And he doesn’t feel the same way?”
Danny shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “He used to, I’m pretty sure. Back when we first met, I think he had feelings at first. But I’d thought I was completely straight at the time. And I shut that shit down. Repeatedly. So, we both knew it couldn’t happen.” He paused, then added, “It still can’t happen.”
“Why not?” I asked. “I mean, if you guys were both into it, what’s the big deal? You’re both consenting adults. Workplace romances happen all the time, right?”
He rubbed his temples with his fingertips, looking frustrated.
“Because I’m still straight. Or, well, okay. So, I guess I don’t know what the fuck I am. Because completely straight guys probably don’t feel like this about other men.” He paused, dragged in a ragged-sounding breath, and then let it out slowly between his clenched teeth. “It’s like my head and my heart are saying one thing. But my body hasn’t gotten the fucking memo.”
“You’re not sexually attracted to him?”
“Not even a little.” He stared at his half-consumed glass of beer but didn’t seem to really be seeing it. His eyes were shiny and I wasn’t sure if it was the beer or not. “It’s completely fucked up. And Michael’s not much of a talker when it comes to stuff like this.”
“He’s into guys, though?”
“Oh, yeah. Every single town we pass through, he’s constantly finding some random guy to hook up with. It’s been like that for years, off and on.” He swallowed, his gaze returning to his drink. His cheeks darkened and he blinked a few times, rapid-fire. “But it’s gotten a lot more often since I said I was in love with him. It’s pretty much every night, now.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied, feeling sympathy twist my chest up into knots.
In that moment, I completely forgot that I had been afraid of Danny and Michael only a couple of months ago. That I had been the one who almost killed Michael and forced Danny’s confession in the first place. In fact, I completely forgot that they were supposed to be the bad guys for Tobias and I.
Is everything okay, babe?
I glanced up and found Tobias watching me with a concerned look on his face.
My emotions must have translated loud and clear through the bond. We were getting better at communicating on purpose with each other—and limiting what we didn’t want to share—but it was a work in progress.
Yeah, we’re doing okay. Uh—do you get the impression that these guys really just kind of need a friend to talk to?
Yup. I sure do. I started talking about cars and I swear to you, Michael looked like he was about ready to pop the question.
You belong to me, I reminded him.
Fuck yeah, I do. From across the bar, Tobias grinned wolfishly at me. But these two are definitely in need of other people besides each other. Is it weird that Michael is sort of… growing on me?
It’s not weird at all. Danny is too.
“Uh, you got really quiet,” Danny said. “I now realize that was a fuck of a lot more than I should’ve said.”
When I glanced back over at him, I saw that he had stopped making eye-contact with his beer and was now watching me with rapidly mounting unease clearly visible on his face.
“No, it’s good,” I replied. “I was just making sure Michael and Tobias are still playing nice. So far it doesn’t look like they’re killing each other. Yet.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Danny rolled his eyes, a little smile twisting on his lips. “He hasn’t shut up about you guys since we met you. You kind of blew his mind. And he already pretty much wanted to be friends with Tobias.”
“Strange way to show it, by kidnapping him.”
“Sorry about that. We both had a hard time believing that a vampire could still be…” He grimaced and flashed me an apologetic look. “Well, a person . But, for what it’s worth, I’m glad we were wrong.”
“And are we friends now?”
“Well, we’ve had a couple pitchers of beer, and we haven’t tried to murder each other yet. Plus, I just shared all my deep dark secrets. So, I can safely say that this is a new personal best for me in the friendship department.” Danny flashed me a quick smile and downed the last of his glass. “Next, we’ll be braiding each other’s hair and talking about boys.”
“We are talking about boys,” I pointed out.
“Maybe I ought to make you a friendship bracelet,” he suggested, grinning. “Make this shit official. My new vampire bestie.”
“Don’t fucking push it, hunter.”
*
“Well, that was interesting,” Tobias said, hours later, cuddling me close to him. “I would not have guessed this was how today was going to go.”
“Me either,” I said, smiling a little. “But I don’t know if I mind it.”
“Me either,” Tobias admitted.
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment. “The equinox is coming up…”
He went stiff beside me. “Yeah. It is.”
“Your coven is having a celebration, right?”
“They are,” he allowed. I felt his unease through the bond. And his quickly tamped-down desire to see his friends and family again. It was something he tried not to show me. I knew he didn’t want me to feel guilty. “It’s usually a whole weekend of partying.”
“I want to go.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.” I met his gaze and, though I still felt a trace of fear about the prospect of returning to Seattle, I added, “I’m going to work through everything. This is me trying to do that. Besides, you still haven’t met my family. My sister is going to love you. Once she stops kicking my ass for disappearing.”
Tobias nodded, still looking concerned. “We can wait longer, if you need that. Poppy will understand. It’s not like we don’t see her often enough as it is.”
Poppy had ‘popped in’ on us more than a few times to catch up. She was getting good enough with the bilocation spell that she could actually pick up physical objects and interact with them just as if she was actually there. She did have the decency to text us first—most of the time, at least—so we could be sure we were actually dressed and appropriate before she stopped by. But since she was now officially dating Simone—it was getting much more serious, according to her—I was betting she understood firsthand why she needed to text us .
“You haven’t seen Ethan in months,” I reminded him. “And he’s your best friend. Besides, I need to rip the band-aid off. I can’t miss out on the people I care about just because I’m afraid. I need to fight to be better. I want to.”
“I love you,” Tobias told me, pulling me in for a kiss. When he pulled back, he added, “And if it’s too much, we’ll just leave. Everyone will understand.”
“I know, babe,” I replied, feeling something in my chest unclench at his words. Just like I had since the day I met him, I trusted him completely. I couldn’t believe I had ever entertained any notions that I could spend even a day without him. Because with each passing moment at his side, I became more and more convinced that I would love him forever.
I’ll love you forever, too. Tobias replied flashing me a tender smile, catching the thought easily from my mind.
Don’t make me put my walls back up, I threatened, not really meaning it. I hadn’t felt the need to shut him out of my head in months.
Any time you need to, babe, he assured me, flashing me a wide smile, and I could feel his easy amusement. I’m in this thing for the long-haul. So, if you need a little privacy now and then, I don’t mind.
I smiled back, feeling a swelling of gratitude well up in my chest. How on earth had I gotten so lucky? I still wasn’t sure I deserved this kind of happiness, but I felt better about it now that we were spending pretty much every day we had setting what little right in the world that we could. And I knew that we’d keep on doing that for a very, very long time, with or without the hunters.
Tobias gave me a look that was filled with such tenderness and devotion that it made my heart ache. We’ll keep doing this for as long as you want, I promise. We’ve got an eternity, after all.
Good, I told him happily. Then forever it is.
THE END