Chapter Eleven
“What does someone do with a mate?” Ant and Viktor were standing outside the academy, letting Able do his business. While Ant was bubbling with the idea that Viktor hadn’t thrown his blood away but instead had clearly taken it, sampled it, and enjoyed it enough to come after him, his ideas on mates were sadly limited. Bridget’s mood hadn’t improved much after she’d eaten her breakfast sandwiches earlier, and she had left for her appointments before he’d had a chance to ask.
“Is this something that you usually do – ask questions outright?” Viktor was a lot like Able usually was – standing upright, alert, scanning their surroundings.
“Yes. I usually find that’s the best way. I’m prone to misunderstanding things. It’s just the way my mind works. You’re answering a question with a question. Don’t you know either?” Ant glanced up at his new mate, noticing he was watching a small group of people over the corner of the grass area where Able was enjoying his moment.
The three people weren’t students. Ant could tell that from their clothes, which spoke more of them being businessmen than magical students and one of the people had gray hair. Not that a younger person couldn’t have gray hair, but Ant was fairly sure from body posture and the way the group was huddled that they weren’t students planning to break out in dance for a social media skit.
“I was taught mating, or being with a fated one was an intense form of intimate relationship – if I die, you die, we always want to be together, that type of thing.” Viktor glanced down at him, but just as quickly he was watching those people again. “If you imagine any previous relationships you’ve had and then magnify those feelings by a hundred, apparently that’s what being a mate is all about.”
That could be a problem. I’ve never had a relationship before – especially not an intimate one. But Ant could tell Viktor was distracted. “Are those people bothering you?”
“I thought I knew them.” Viktor was definitely distracted. “Will you be all right here a minute? I just need to check. My car is the black SUV over there.” He pointed to a big black vehicle with tinted windows. “Once Able’s finished, go and wait in the car if I’m not back by then.” He thrust a set of keys in Ant’s direction. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“I can’t drive. I never learned how. I take a taxi everywhere, or Bridget takes me places.” Ant took the keys gingerly.
“You don’t have to drive anywhere, just sit in the car, so you’re comfortable. I’ll be back in two ticks.” Viktor’s body blurred as he sprinted across the wide expanse of grass.
“Tick…tick... Isn’t that two ticks?” Ant frowned, turning the keys over in his hand. “I do hate it when people say things like that and they don’t mean it. If you can’t give a definitive time, then don’t mention it at all.” His head shot up as Able started to bark. Surely he’s not barking at Viktor.
But no. Able was over near a group of trees on the academy side of the grass area, no more than twenty yards from the parking lot. “Able come.” Ant clicked his fingers, but something was clearly distracting his companion. Able wouldn’t stop barking, prancing two steps one way and two steps the other, totally focused on something hidden by the trees.
“Darn it.” Ant stepped off the pavement, making his way across the grass. He was physically exhausted. The lack of sleep he’d had over the past two days was catching up with him. Viktor taking his blood – while a very enjoyable experience – hadn’t helped. “I might have to seriously increase the amount of red meat in my diet,” he muttered, knowing no one could hear him. With the amount of noise Able was making, it would be impossible for anyone to hear anything else.
“What is it, Able?” Ant had reached his dog, quickly checking over his shoulder to see where Viktor had gone. But neither the vampire nor the people he was so focused on could be seen. He focused back on the trees in front of him. “What’s got you so agitated?”
“Woof.”
“Able, we’ve talked about this. My skills don’t include speaking dog.” Ant peered through the trees. “I need more than that.”
“Woof. Woof. Woof.” Able moved forward a few steps and then backed up again.
“I’m sure there’s nothing there that shouldn’t be.” With one hand on Able’s neck, Ant raised his other one, creating an energy charged field in front of his face. It was an effective way of letting a magic user see the energies of the objects in front of them, which was useful if someone or something was trying to stay hidden from the human eye.
It was prudent for Ant to check for things like that, because Able’s training included not approaching a deceased body and the way he was bounding from side to side without moving forward was usually a body indicator. Ant attended far too many crime scenes to have his dog go blindly into a situation where he could mess with any evidence.
“Trees, grass, bushes. Oh, is it that coat that’s bothering you?” Ant sighed. “A coat is a coat, my furry friend. Doesn’t mean there’s actually a person in the coat, and in this case there isn’t one. It was probably discarded by a couple of students who’ve been making out.”
Snapping his energy bubble away, Ant wandered into the trees, Able brushing against his left leg. Reaching down, he noticed the coat was black and covered in mud. It had probably been there for some time. It was partially covered with leaves and debris, which was why Ant hadn’t been able to see it properly.
“See, it’s just a coat. Nothing to bother you. There’s not a body attached to it.”
But even as he said it, his awareness pushed through and when he looked down at the coat again it was rumpled but with none of the mud and rotting leaves on it.
“Oh, no. Not now.” But it was no good. His awareness shifted completely, ridding Ant’s eyes of the sunlight and plunging him into a nightscape from goodness knows when. “Able. On guard. Vision,” he whispered, blindly reaching for his dog’s collar as he sank to his knees. “This isn’t good.” With Ant’s exhaustion taking a toll on his body, a vision was only going to make it worse.
But there was no stopping it.
It was a warm night. Most of the grass area was lit up thanks to the security lights from the academy, but in the trees the shadows offered privacy for two young men. They were inebriated, stumbling over roots and twigs on the ground, laughing loudly as they clung to each other in an effort to stay upright.
“It’s no good. I can’t go on.” The blond of the pair threw his large coat to the ground and fell to his knees on it, flinging his arm across his brow in a dramatic fashion. “Leave me. Save yourself, my love. I will hold them off for as long as I can.”
“You damn fool.” The auburn haired man’s tone was fond as he dropped down beside his friend. “I don’t know how many times we’ve discussed this. There are no such things as zombies. You might dream of playing the hero and saving me from having my brain consumed, but I’m more worried about my exam scores. I don’t think I did well at all. Dad’s going to kill me if I don’t get a good result.”
“Hey, Ray, it’s going to be all right.” The blond cuddled his friend close. “Your parents adore you, and if you don’t do well with the magic, you know your dad’s gonna just insist you study law instead. He was gutted when you tested with any magical ability at all. We can go to the same college, take some similar classes…”
“I really wanted to do something meaningful with my life, you know?” Ray was smiling though. “Break the mold. Go in a radical direction that didn’t involve an office and a desk.”
“It’s not too late for us to run away. I’ve got money saved. We could buy a bus. Go somewhere sunny and become beach bums. We’d get amazing tans and workout with all the muscle guys every day.”
“You have the gift of making me laugh, Toby.” Ray was laughing. He was still laughing when two quick zings came from the left of them, causing both men to slump to the ground, a dart sticking out of each of their backs.
Ant watched as one man came into view – another new heavy coat, the same beanie and scarf. He could do nothing as he watched the man retrieve his darts, putting them into his pocket before he dragged the young men away through the trees - one by one - leaving Toby’s coat behind. The man did not look back.
“Ant. Ant? Damn it. Is this another one of those reading things?” Viktor’s voice intruded, barely heard over Able’s growling. “I’m not touching him, you noisy dog, I just want to know he’s all right.”
“Able hush.” Ant slid his hand down to Able’s fur, the sensation of the fur on his palm grounding him back into the present the way it always did. He looked up at his mate. Viktor’s hair was mussed, and there was a scratch on his face. “Viktor, I can’t touch you right now or I’ll end up reading you, too. You’ve been hurt. It would be automatic for me. I have to… Details. I have to record the details and preserve this coat.”
“Use your phone.” Viktor crouched down, keeping his distance but at least they were eye level. “I can see whatever you saw upset you, so record the details on your phone and then let me carry you out of here. You’re wiped out.”
“Sometimes I get so tired of seeing only the bad things.” Ant’s eyes filled with tears, and he tried to blink them away as he slumped against Able’s shoulder. “Or maybe I’m just exhausted.”
Viktor pulled out his own phone and pressed a few buttons before holding it up. “Speak, Ant. Get the details down while they’re still fresh and then we’ll work on making things right for you.”
“I can do that. I’m sure I can do that much at least.” Ant could barely keep his eyes open. “It was nighttime…”