When Micah stopped watching him, that was when Oliver would worry. He pushed to his feet, walking from the parking lot. He could feel Micah following, so Oliver stopped, allowing his mate to walk with him.
“I’m not my father’s son.”
“No,” Micah agreed. “You are not. You are a very intelligent, strong man who fears so very little. You’re facing this, and it’s painful, but if you need, I’ll help guide you through this and get rid of all your pain.”
Oliver loved Micah so much. It hurt that Kota had kept what had happened a secret, and it was going to take Oliver some time to forgive him, but Micah was right. He would get through this. Micah was like a little piece of heaven. Oliver knew the man would help him get rid of his pain, little by little, day by day.
He felt compelled to apologize to Kade. The man had suffered so much because of the monster who had fathered Oliver. The snow leopard had lost a good portion of his life, and Oliver would never forget the debt he owed the man.
What he was feeling now wasn’t sadness that his father was dead. He was mourning the loss of what the man should have been to him and Blair, of what their relationship should have been.
Sliding his arm around Micah, Oliver leaned in, taking comfort from his one steady rock through all these years. Micah was quiet, patient, and never let him hurt, not even when the dreams of his past sometimes haunted him.
Micah was always there.
He had stayed on his feet, although in the beginning, there were days when it felt like he was crawling.
With all the new problems and all the new pain, he was glad he didn’t have to walk this alone.
Because in his heart and mind and soul, he knew that he would never be alone. Not when he had Micah.
His mate leaned in, giving him a touch, a smile, and a kiss on the cheek. Yeah, Oliver was going to be okay.
* * * *
Keaton stared at the dark streets, terrified as he watched a vampire move in on a human. He wanted to shout for the human to run, but Kade had told him the vampires were here to wipe the humans’ memory of what had happened earlier today.
It was still some scary shit. Keaton stood rooted to the spot as a vampire walked casually down the street, lifting his hand as he passed the human, swiping his palm across the human’s head, never breaking his stride. The human looked dazed, smiled, and then began to walk again.
Super creepy.
“Can we get home now?” Keaton asked, wanting to be as far away from the undead as he could possibly get. He still hadn’t forgotten the night he was attacked. Kade had told him that the vampire had been a rogue. That didn’t matter to Keaton. Fangs were fangs.
They had gone to Maverick earlier and cleared the whole fight thing up with the cops. No charges were pressed so they let it go. Keaton was extremely thankful they hadn’t been locked up.
“Just stay close to me,” Kade said as he curled his arm around Keaton’s shoulder. “They know who to touch and who to leave alone.”
It was still a surreal sight. He knew what those men were—“Kevin,” Keaton said with a gasp. “What about Kevin?”
“The kid from the art festival?” Kade asked,
his brows rising inquiringly. “What about him?”
Keaton swallowed, but his mouth had gone bone-dry. Panic and alarm washed over him. “We can’t let the vampires touch him. He has this gift, Kade. He can see people for what they truly are. He saw your leopard today at the festival.” An oddly primitive warning sounded in his brain, telling him that the vampires couldn’t, shouldn’t be allowed to touch the gifted young man.
Kade drew his lips in thoughtfully. “He did?”
“We have to stop them.”
His mate
inclined his head in compliance. “I’ll call—”
Keaton leaned back his head back and gazed into Kade’s eyes. “There’s no time. We have to help him.”
“But, Keaton, we don’t even know where he lives.”
Kade was right. Keaton wasn’t thinking clearly right now. If they were going to stop Kevin’s mind from being messed with, then they needed help. Taking
a deep, unsteady breath, he took a step back. “Make the call. Do whatever you have to do in order to save Kevin from getting his mind messed with.”
Kade’s fingers wrapped around the dark, sleek cell phone and called for help. Meanwhile, Keaton
worked off his excess energy by pacing manically and with deep thought. When Kade got off the phone,
his eyes held Keaton’s, bleak with understanding. “Maverick said he’ll try his best to get to Kevin before the vampires. But he did tell me where the young man lives.”
“Then let’s go!” Keaton spun around and began to race back to building that was going to house Kade’s business. He had left his car there early this morning. The thought of vampires was no longer on his mind as far as them coming after him. Keaton had to get to Kevin.
“Let me drive,” Kade said when they reached Keaton’s car. “I can get us there faster.”
Keaton’s steps slowed as he asked,
“Have you driven since you’ve been out?”
“It’s like riding a bike,” Kade replied.
“Have you ever ridden a bike before?”
Kade inclined his handsome head. “Once.”
He bit his lip to stifle a grin at the way Kade had stated that fact proudly. He was standing there looking at Keaton like the question was utterly pointless. “Give me the keys.”
Tossing the keys at his mate, Keaton slipped into the passenger’s side and buckled himself in…and then pulled the belt tight for good measure.
“Will you stop,” Kade said, emphasizing each word. “You act like I’ve never driven a car in my life.”
“And how am I supposed to know what you did before I met you?” Keaton asked as Kade climbed into the driver side. Wait, Keaton didn’t know what Kade had done before they met. Did he know how to drive?
Before he could ask, Kade started the car and pulled out of the drive that led to the back of the shop. His fingers curled around his seat belt and Keaton sent up a prayer as Kade took the corner too sharply, the tire running over the curb.
“Sorry about that,” Kade said as he settled back in his seat. “I’m a little rusty. But I have it now.”
Keaton sure as shit hoped so. He was more concerned with bodily injury than Kade putting a dent in the car. It already had enough dents. A few more weren’t going to matter. “Do you know the way?”
Kade gave him a droll stare. “I grew up in this town. I could navigate these back roads in my sleep.”
“Let’s hurry up and get to Kevin’s before it’s too late.” Anxiety balled up in Keaton’s stomach. He really liked Kevin and Keaton knew that the young man was already confused about his gift. He had seen things around town, and nothing had been explained to him. Keaton wouldn’t be surprised if the young man thought he was losing his mind.
But after what he had seen today, watching Maverick shift, Kevin would now know that he wasn’t crazy. Keaton was just afraid that if the vampire had wiped the young man’s mind already, Kevin would think he was crazy all over again.
Plus, the vampire’s touch just might screw up Kevin’s gift—and Keaton viewed it as a gift. He wasn’t sure what it was for, but no one should tamper with it.
“Shit.”
That did not sound good. “Why are you shitting?” Keaton asked.
Kade cut a glance at him and Keaton knew right away. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”
“No,” Kade said as he gripped the wheel tighter. “We are just momentarily misplaced.”
“Momentarily—” Keaton gave a strangled laugh of disbelief. “I thought you said you knew these roads.”
“It’s been a while,” Kade defended. “Just give me a minute and it’ll all come back to me.”
“We might not have a minute. The vampires are sweeping through this town at a rapid rate. Minutes may be the difference between helping Kevin or letting his gift be taken from him.”
Kade reached over and wrapped his hands around Keaton’s. “We don’t even really know what his gift is. The only thing we know for certain is that he can see people for who they truly are. A vampire’s touch may not do anything to him.”
That was true, but Keaton didn’t want to take that chance. He was becoming increasingly frustrated until Kade made a small noise that indicated he remembered where he was. “I knew I would remember!”
“Fantastic, now can we get there?”
“You don’t have to be so bitchy. I’m only trying to help.”
Now Keaton felt like shit. He had not meant to become snarky. “I’m sorry, Kade. I’m just worried. I know I just met the kid today, but I don’t know, it’s like we clicked.”
Kade squeezed his hand tightly. “We’ll get to him.”
After five more minutes of driving, Kade pulled into a long driveway. He parked the car next to a beat-up old truck. The two hurried out of the car and ran toward the front door. Keaton knocked as hard as he could, hoping they made it on time.
Kade glanced through one of the front windows and then turned toward Keaton, shaking his head. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Well then”—Keaton waved frantically toward the front door—“break it down.”
“You want me to break into their home?” Kade asked in a tense voice. “Are you trying to send me back to prison?”
“Well, no,” Keaton said as he glanced at the door. “Then you might want to take the car and go because I’m about to break this door down. You standing here next to me is only going to incriminate you.” Keaton opened the screen door and turned the knob, not surprised at all that it was unlocked.
People who lived in such rural areas tended to keep things unlocked. He eased the door open and stuck his head inside. “Hello?” he whispered loudly. When he didn’t hear a response, Keaton walked in.
Kade was standing outside cursing before he hurried inside and close the door behind them. “I am highly protesting this.” Kade grabbed Keaton’s hand and led him up a set of stairs. “They’re probably asleep in their bed. That’s where we need to check.”
As they ascended the stairs, Keaton’s nose began to twitch. “What on earth is that smell?” He was still getting used to his shifter form. Hell, it’d only been a few hours since he had changed. Everything was so new to him, images sharper, scents stronger, and he felt like he could take on the world.
Keaton loved feeling strong, but right now he was more concerned with that overwhelming stench. It was starting to burn his nose.
Kade stiffened beside him and then pulled Keaton back. His teal-colored eyes narrowed as he glanced at one of the bedroom doors. “What you smell is vampire blood.”
Keaton was confused. If the vampire was only coming here to wipe a mind, why would he be smelling blood? A foreboding feeling began to pull at Keaton’s chest. Something wasn’t right.
Kade pulled his hand free and pressed it into Keaton until his back was against the wall. “Stay right here,” Kade demanded quietly. He didn’t say a word as his mate crept toward the bedroom door. He wanted to follow. God, how he wanted to follow, but Keaton was terrified of what he would see.
He wanted to shout for Kade to hurry up and check, but he also wanted to shout for Kade to get away from the door. Neither of them had any idea what was beyond it. What if it was something so heinous that it would give Keaton nightmares for years to come? But what if Kevin was hurt?
It took everything in Keaton to stay rooted to the spot.
Kade listened at the door, pressing his ear into the wood. Keaton strained to listen as well, but he didn’t hear anything. He sucked in his bottom lip and began to chew on it when Kade reached for the door handle.
As his mate turned the knob, Keaton’s anxiety began to build higher. He watched, his breath frozen in his lungs as Kade slowly opened the bedroom door. The door creaked as it slowly moved inward. All of the sudden Keaton felt as if he was in the middle of some horror movie.
He glanced over his shoulder but all he saw was an empty hallway. Seeing no one there did not stop him from worrying. His eyes swept back over to Kade and saw that his mate had gone inside.
Now Keaton was standing all alone in the dark hallway. He wasn’t sure what he was more afraid of, being left out here when he had no clue what was going on, or what was in the room with his mate.
Unable to stand it anymore, Keaton crossed the hallway, creeping close to the room. He knew that Kade had told him to stay where he was, but Keaton was starting to freak himself out. His life had never been this exciting before, nor had it ever been this scary.
His goddamn nerves were frazzled.
Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, Keaton leaned his head inside the bedroom. He saw Kade standing there, his head lowered. Keaton couldn’t understand why his mate wasn’t moving.
Taking another step, Keaton was now standing in the bedroom.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait outside?” Kade asked, his voice…off. He didn’t sound mad. His tone sounded more like he was tired.
Not understanding what was going on, Keaton glanced around the room. His breath left his lungs in a whoosh. His heart began to hammer at a fast pace as his mind tried to understand what his eyes were seeing.
“Kevin?” Keaton said the young man’s name in a soft tone. “What’s going on?”
Kade turned his head and glanced at Keaton, his eyes filled with something close to fear. Keaton didn’t like this. He wanted to get out of here. Keaton had no clue what was going on, but his mind was telling him that it was bad.
Real bad.
The vampire lay at Kevin’s feet and he was—oh god, Keaton was going to be sick. He had no head. The vampire’s body lay there, headless. Keaton stumbled backward, his back hitting the wall as he stared from the dead body to Kevin.
“He was a bad man,” Kevin whispered. “He wanted to hurt my dad.”