Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
W hen Collin opened his eyes again, he had no idea where he was or how long he’d been out. The room he found himself in was unfamiliar to him. A strange ceiling greeted him when he looked up, white and sterile, almost like a hospital room, except that it wasn’t as bright.
He blinked, trying to clear his vision. He felt tired and out of breath, as if he’d just run a marathon without any preparation.
Slowly, memories returned to him.
He remembered being at that club, dancing with Zelos. Then, Mikael appearing out of nowhere, leading him outside.
Fuck, Mikael…
The vampire had bitten him and… what had happened after that? Collin tried to recall more details, but it all grew hazy in his mind. He could remember Mikael sucking at his neck and how incredibly good it had felt, but after that… nothing.
Had he passed out?
He must have, because now he was lying on a bed somewhere, hooked up to an IV drip.
Collin swallowed, his throat dry.
Where was he?
More importantly, how long had he been here?
Had his scent blockers worn off yet?
“You’re awake.”
Startled, Collin’s gaze darted to the door that had just opened–and his heart skipped several beats when his eyes found Mikael, standing in the doorway, watching him. He held something in his hand. A bottle of water.
“I thought you might want some when you wake up,” he said softly and walked up to Collin’s bed, placing the bottle within easy reach on the bedside table before sitting down in the chair next to Collin’s head.
“Thank you,” Collin croaked. He wanted a drink, and he wanted an explanation, but first things first, he supposed. Reaching for the bottle of water, he sat up, ignoring the slight dizziness that accompanied the movement.
As he drank, he became aware of the fact that he didn’t feel nearly as weak as he had expected, considering he’d apparently passed out from a lack of blood earlier. His head was still swimming a little, but that might just be due to his nerves rather than anything else. He took another sip before he lowered the bottle and looked at the vampire again. “Where am I?”
“My coven’s infirmary,” Mikael explained. “You got a blood transfusion. How are you feeling? We didn’t know what kind of blood to give you, so you got mage blood.”
Mage blood… was that what was causing the funny spots in his vision? He’d heard mage blood could do that to people, make them see rainbows or hear music. That effect was going to fade, though, right?
Besides, he had bigger problems than that.
Mikael had said this was his coven’s infirmary. As in, a place infested with vampires.
Oh god. Had anyone realized that he was a mortal?
Before he knew what he was doing, he raised his wrist to his nose and sniffed himself. He didn’t know what exactly he was smelling for, though. The cologne was definitely still there, but would a vampire’s nose detect something underneath that? He couldn’t say.
Mikael watched him with a curious expression. “The doctor said you might feel a little loopy.”
Great.
So he probably looked crazy, checking himself for his scent.
Collin let his hand fall into his lap and took another deep breath.
Mikael didn’t look like he knew what Collin was. “I’ll go let the doctor know that you’re up.”
“No, wait,” Collin said quickly because that doctor was sure to be a vampire himself, and Collin did not need any more vampires in this room. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours.”
Collin’s throat tightened. If his scent blockers hadn’t fallen of yet, they were sure to wear off soon–and then what? He needed to get out of here before anyone noticed that he was a mortal.
He rose from the bed, ignoring Mikael, who stood as well but stayed by his side. His legs felt shaky and unsteady, but not as bad as expected. “I should be going home now,” Collin said, hoping that he sounded casual.
“Are you sure?” Mikael asked. “I don’t think you should be walking around yet.”
He was probably right. Collin felt like he might pass out again at any second, but he couldn’t stay here. Really, there was no way, so he forced himself to stand straight and not to look too wobbly, despite the fact that his knees felt like jelly. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I have to get home and take care of my pet.”
It was a lame excuse, but it was also true. Luna was waiting for him back home.
He started for the door, and Mikael followed him, catching up with Collin and grabbing his arm to keep him from falling. Collin wanted to pull back, but the vampire’s grip on his elbow was surprisingly steady, and his touch felt strangely comforting. Collin’s heart warmed, and he had to remind himself that Mikael had bitten and nearly killed him earlier–and that there were many more vampires in this coven who would probably kill him once the scent blockers wore off, which could happen any minute.
“You’ve still got the IV attached to your arm,” Mikael pointed out. “And I think you should keep it. You’re not fit to go anywhere.”
Collin gritted his teeth and pulled his arm away, ignoring the sting where the IV needle was inserted. “I’m fine . And I don’t need your help.”
“At least let Sterling look at you first.”
Collin’s stomach dropped. He didn’t want any vampire doctor near him. “I don’t want anyone looking at me.”
“Collin…” Mikael reached out to grab his arm again. “I get that you want to get away from me. I know that I fucked up, and I’m sorry. But please, stay here and rest. I can leave. If you don’t want to see me again, I promise I won’t come back in here. I only needed to apologize to you. I never meant to take so much blood.”
Collin’s heart clenched. Mikael thought that Collin just wanted to get away from him?
Collin chewed his lip, torn between wanting to reassure Mikael and the urge to escape this coven and get home as soon as possible so he wouldn’t expose his identity to everyone here. “It’s not your fault that you couldn’t resist my blood.”
Mikael’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Collin swallowed. He hadn’t meant to say that. It just slipped out.
Mikael stared at him, eyes narrowing as if he was studying a complicated puzzle that he wanted to figure out before someone else could. “Your blood tasted special,” he murmured, and Collin tensed, holding his breath.
Was Mikael figuring it out?
Collin couldn’t wait around to hear what conclusion Mikael came to. He removed the IV line from his arm and tossed it aside. “I really have to go.”
Mikael moved in front of him and blocked the exit. “What are you hiding?” he asked. “What are you?”
Collin’s pulse skyrocketed. “I have to go.”
Mikael’s frown deepened, and Collin thought he saw his nostrils flare for a moment, as if he caught a whiff of something.
His eyes flashed with hunger.
“Oh God. You’re a–”
Collin didn’t hear the rest of the words because the panic that rushed through him overwhelmed his senses, drowning out all other sounds. He shoved past Mikael and ran out of the room, sprinting down the hallway, hoping to find the exit. Behind him, he heard Mikael shout something that sounded like “Wait!” and then, the vampire was in front of him again, using supernatural speed.
Collin crashed right into him. He stumbled backward, losing his balance. His foot slipped on the smooth tile floor, and before he knew it, he landed hard on his butt.
Mikael dropped down beside him and reached to steady his body, but Collin scrambled backward, trying to get as far away from Mikael as possible, his heart hammering in his chest.
Mikael stopped, holding his hands up in surrender. “I won’t harm you, I swear. I just want to understand what happened. You’re… mortal, aren’t you?”
Shit. He really had figured it out.
Collin squeezed his eyes shut. This was it.
This was the end.
He waited for Mikael to grab him and drag him off to the other vampires. Or to sink his teeth into him and drain him again.
Except… nothing happened. Collin slowly opened his eyes again, only to find Mikale staring back at him, an unreadable expression on the man’s face. “You do need to get out of here,” he said after a moment, rising to his feet and offering a hand to Collin. “Come on.”
Collin hesitated but eventually reached for Mikael’s hand and let himself be pulled up.
His legs still wobbled, and Mikael put a steadying arm around his waist, pulling Collin against his side to support him. “I know you probably don’t trust me after what happened, but I won’t let anyone harm you. Just let me make sure you get home safely.”
Collin bit his lip. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Mikael. He didn’t blame the vampire for what had happened. It was, after all, exactly what he’d always expected would happen if he offered his neck to a bloodsucker.
Really, it was his own recklessness that had gotten him into his mess. “Lead the way,” he said to Mikael without commenting further.
Mikael nodded and helped him down the hall toward a set of stairs with an ‘emergency exit’ sign above them. “We can’t walk through the club,” Mikael said. “Too many people there who’d ask too many questions, but there are other ways out of the building.”
He guided Collin up one flight of steps, supporting his weight, and then opened the door to another corridor. This one was empty and quiet, and they didn’t encounter anyone else as they walked.
Finally, Mikael led him out of a small door and into an alley. Collin inhaled the fresh air deeply and straightened as much as he could while Mikael let go of him, closing the door behind them.
“Do you live far from here?” Mikael asked. “I’ll take you home.”
“No,” Collin said. “You’ll get in trouble.”
Mikael raised an eyebrow at him, so Collin explained. “The neighborhood where I live, where all the mortals live, is guarded by dragon-shifters. I doubt they’ll look kindly at a vampire trying to waltz in.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Mikael smiled. “You know how my ‘special power’ is that I can make myself visible to the camera?”
Collin nodded.
“It’s not just that. I have complete control over who or what perceives me.”
As Collin watched, Mikael seemed to blink out of existence.
One second he was there, and the next, he had vanished. Collin stared, eyes widening. When he reached out to touch Mikael, though, an invisible hand closed around his wrist. “I’m still here.” Mikael’s voice whispered into his ear.
Holy shit, that was weird.
Mikael appeared before him again with a grin. “Let’s get a cab.”
The trip back to Collin’s place was rather uneventful. They couldn’t talk much because Mikael was trying to hide that he existed to the cab driver and anyone who might be looking at the car, but he sneakily handed Collin the money to pay for the ride and reappeared right next to him when he stepped into the building that housed Collin’s apartment.
“I’m safe now,” Collin said to the vampire by his side. “You can go back to your coven.”
“Are you sure?” Mikael asked.
Collin felt like an ass for sending Mikael away like this after the trouble he’d gone through to see Collin home safe, but what choice did Collin have? The longer the vampire stayed with him, the more likely it was that Collin was going to do something stupid again.
Honestly, his ‘accident’ earlier tonight should have put him off the idea of making out with a vampire forever. It hadn’t, though. He was still thinking about kissing Mikael, about touching him and having those strong arms around him. Mikael’s bite had caused him to pass out, yes, but up until that point? It had been fucking amazing.
And Collin was a total nutcase for thinking that way.
He should be slamming the door in Mikael’s face, but here he was, fantasizing instead.
“Collin?” Mikael prompted. His hand settled on Collin’s arm. It was warm. Comforting.
Collin swallowed thickly. “Sorry, I’m… distracted, I guess. But yes. You’ve seen me home now. It’s safe. Thank you.”
“All right.” Mikael turned to glance out through the window above the door. When Collin followed his gaze, he noticed that the sky wasn’t as dark as it had been a moment ago.
Would Mikael even make it home in time if he left now?
“Will you be okay?” Collin asked.
Mikael shrugged. “I’ll find somewhere to hole up.”
No, that was not happening. Not because of Collin, anyway.
“Why don’t you stay here?” He blurted. “You can sleep on my couch. I’ll close the shutters.”
Mikael blinked at him, obviously surprised.
Collin was surprised at himself too, but damn it, he couldn’t send Mikael out there when he didn’t know what would happen to the vampire.
Mikael’s lips curled into a smile that made Collin’s stomach flutter and his thoughts stray. “I’d love to.”
Collin turned away from the sight of his smile before he lost his resolve. “Follow me,” he said as he climbed a flight of stairs. “I live on the second floor.”
Luna hopped toward him excitedly when he unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. She rubbed her head against his leg as if she wanted to make sure he was really there.
Smiling fondly, Collin knelt down and stroked his hands through her long fur. “I’m home, girl,” he whispered as he picked her up and cuddled her against his chest for a moment, breathing in her familiar scent, letting Luna’s warmth and affection soothe him.
She squirmed in his grip and he laughed quietly, putting her down again before straightening. Only to realize that Mikael was watching him with an amused expression.
A blush crept up Collin’s cheeks. “Sorry, I…” Fuck, why was he blushing? He wasn’t ashamed of loving his pet bunny. He just wasn’t used to having a stranger around when he was with Luna.
But Mikael wasn’t really a stranger either, was he, when he’d had his fangs in Collin’s neck mere hours ago?
“She’s beautiful,” Mikael said, stepping closer to take a better look at the moon bunny. Luna tilted her head at the new arrival curiously. “Can I pet her?”
“Of course.”
“What’s her name?”
“Luna.” Collin smiled as he watched Luna approach Mikael, sniffing cautiously at his hand before pressing her nose into the palm of his hand, allowing the vampire to scratch her ears.
“Nice to meet you, Luna,” he said, and Collin swore the man had the most charming smile in the world. He was glad that Luna was keeping his attention for now because Collin needed to calm down. He shouldn’t get so excited just because Mikael had met his pet rabbit.
“You know, I’m pretty sure that if she were a dog, she’d be wagging her tail at you right now,” Collin said. “I haven’t seen her so happy in a while.” The tumor had taken a toll on his usually energetic pet, but now he could see some of her old spirit return.
“Well, I’m honored then.”
Collin cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m going to close the shutters.” He walked over to the window that faced east and closed it before moving on to the next. By the time he was done, the room was completely dark with the only source of light being Luna’s shining fur.
“She’s magical, isn’t she?” Mikael asked, and Collin heard the unspoken, “unlike you,” that followed the sentence.
“Yes.” In the dark, Collin slowly made his way over to the couch and turned on the small lamp that stood on his side table, allowing him to see more easily. “I found her in the woods one night and she’s refused to leave my side ever since.” The memory put a smile on his face. “My mom was not amused at the time, but there was nothing anyone could do to keep Luna away from me.”
Mikael petted the bunny once more. “Sounds like a stubborn creature.”
“I seem to have a knack for running into those.”
For a moment, both of them were silent, and Collin found himself unable to look away from Mikael’s eyes, which were glowing softly, like red coals in the dim lighting.
Eventually Mikael spoke again, “I truly am sorry about what happened tonight.”
Collin shook his head. “I knew what I was getting into.” That was the thing. He’d always known that this might happen, that it would happen if he met up with Mikael in real life.
“I didn’t.”
The words caught Collin off guard.
He looked at the vampire, who sat down on the couch and leaned forward, resting one elbow on his knee as he looked up to meet Collin’s gaze. “If I’d known what you were…” He shook his head. “Maybe I could have prepared myself. Or maybe not.” His lips curled ever so slightly. “I thought I caught a whiff of your scent back at the club, but it was still mostly hidden then. Now…” he trailed off and inhaled. “You smell good enough to drive any vampire wild, to drive me wild.”
Collin’s heart stuttered and sped. Was Mikael going to bite him again?
Would Collin stop him if he tried?
The answer was a definite no, which was as terrifying as it was exciting.
Why could Collin not be rational around this vampire?
“Don’t worry.” Mikael smiled, and it wasn’t the kind of sharp grin Collin was used to associating with vampires. No, this was a softer expression and not one Collin had seen on Mikael’s face before. Certainly not during his streams. “I’m not going to repeat my mistake,” the vampire said earnestly. “I won’t make you regret that you offered me shelter.”
Collin forced a smile on his face because, in a way, he already did regret his offer. Having Mikael here, on his couch, was hard. He wanted to touch. Wanted to sit next to Mikael and lean into him, to touch him everywhere, to feel Mikael’s hands and lips on his skin again. He wanted Mikael to fuck him until neither of them could move anymore.
He didn’t say anything, though. Because he had a brain. Somewhere.
Probably buried under layers of hormones and idiocy.
Mikael looked around the living room, gaze traveling over Collin’s bookshelf and stopping at the gaming console on top of the TV. “You play?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Collin shrugged. “When I started streaming I tried to just stream games, but I sucked too hard at everything I tried.” He scratched the back of his neck. “When I looked into it, it turned out it was easier to make money streaming other things.”
Mikael nodded while taking in the rest of the room. “You’ve filmed yourself in here, haven’t you?”
Heat rose to Collin’s cheeks. He usually streamed from his bedroom these days. Only his earliest streams had been filmed in the living room, and the fact that Mikael had seen those amateur productions… “I have, yeah.” He paused. “Those streams weren’t very good.”
“I loved them.” Mikael grinned at him. “It was obvious that you were just starting out, and you were so cute and shy. It was adorable.”
“Thanks,” Collin muttered. “You were my inspiration, though, I have to admit that.” He swallowed, his mouth growing dry as images of Mikael’s streams flashed through his mind, reminding him of all the times he’d jerked himself while watching Mikael get himself off.
Was this a weird conversation to have? Probably, but everything about tonight was weird, so what did it matter?
“I’m flattered.” Mikael’s gaze lingered on Collin’s face, and Collin’s pulse quickened under the scrutiny. “Did you think about me when you touched yourself on camera?”
The question made Collin’s stomach flip, and his cock twitched, already half-hard just because of the way Mikael was looking at him. “Yes,” he confessed, not even trying to lie. There was no point in that, considering that Mikael knew that he liked to watch his shows. “A lot.”
Mikael’s eyes glinted with desire, and for an instant Collin wondered if he should run–or if he would let Mikael catch him again, just like last night. “I think about you a lot too.” Mikael rose from his seat on the couch and stepped up to Collin, reaching out with one hand, fingers brushing over the side of Collin’s neck as if he wanted to trace the marks he’d left there earlier. “I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone so badly. If I thought I could control myself…” He lowered his hand with a sigh, and Collin’s skin tingled, missing the vampire’s touch after it was gone.
“Aren’t you still full from earlier?” Collin asked because he didn’t want Mikael to step away now.
“You don’t understand.” Mikael gazed into his eyes. “I could drain a room full of people and still want your blood. I will always want your blood. If I kiss you…” he licked his lips. “I’ll want to bite you too.”
Collin’s hands curled into fists.
Fuck.
He’d known this would be a problem. They were predator and prey. They couldn’t ever be lovers.
It wasn’t safe.
The way Mikael was looking at him, though…
Collin didn’t want to run from him. “What if it was just one kiss?” he asked. “Do you think you could control yourself for one kiss? I’ve still got some of the scent blocker left. If I spray myself again–”
He was cut off by the press of lips against his, firm and hot. Mikael’s hand tangled in his hair, tugging, and Collin gasped, allowing Mikael to lick into his mouth, to taste him, to possess him.
He gripped Mikael’s shirt, hanging on to the other man for dear life.
God, he’d never felt this desperate to be kissed in his entire life.
He melted against Mikael’s body, reveling in the feel of Mikael’s warm hand cradling his head and the scent of his skin as he drew back for air, only to press forward again.
It was like they couldn’t stop, couldn’t hold back now that they’d finally crossed this line. Collin couldn’t keep himself from moaning, his cock growing hard in an instant. His entire body burned with arousal, and he wanted to push himself up against Mikael, rub against the other man, feel him…
Fangs nipped lightly at Collin’s lower lip, and his body went rigid.
He pulled back abruptly and stared into Mikael’s eyes, breathing hard as he took in Mikael’s expression.
His eyes were burning, the pupils dilated so far that the iris was barely visible, and his mouth was open, showing the tips of his fangs.
He looked hungry, dangerous, like the predator he was.
Collin’s heart skipped several beats.
“Sorry,” Mikael whispered. “I didn’t mean to…”
“I know.” Collin’s voice wavered, but he couldn’t take his eyes of Mikael, mesmerized by the raw hunger and need in the man’s expression. “I know.”
He took a deep breath and stepped away, putting some distance between himself and the vampire. “I think you should stay on the couch.”
Mikael closed his eyes, and for a moment he looked like he was in pain, but he didn’t argue.
When he opened his eyes again, his expression had softened, and he looked at Collin almost ruefully. “I’ll be gone as soon as the sun sets. I promise.”