His to Protect (APS 1) Page 3

  "It's not a problem," Adrian said touching the young man's shoulder gently as he took a seat beside him on the sofa. "I'd be more worried if you hadn't reacted the way you did. It's a very normal response to what you've been through tonight."

  Tyler gave him a sad smile and took a sip of the ginger ale.

  "It's okay, Tyler, really. I'm just glad you waited until we got out of the car."

  Tyler glanced at him, blushed slightly, and dipped his head again. "Now that would have been mortifying," he said with a soft, embarrassed-sounding laugh. "I usually wait at least until the third date before throwing up in the car."

  Adrian touched his face softly, smiling at the joke Tyler had just made, even as he tried to hide his inappropriate reaction to the suggestion that this was some sort of date. In his head he knew that wasn't what Tyler meant, but his stupid cock clearly had a mind of its own.

  "You should get some sleep."

  "I don't want to leave Logan alone," Tyler said, giving Adrian a pleading look.

  Making a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret, Adrian nodded and slid toward the end of the sofa. Tyler seemed to realize what he wanted—or perhaps wanted it himself—and moved so that he was lying on his side with his head resting on Adrian's thigh. He couldn't resist the need to run his fingers through Tyler's hair. The young man sighed softly as he slowly relaxed.

  "Will he be okay?" Tyler asked a few minutes later. Adrian was a bit startled to realize he was still awake so he was a little slow in replying. Tyler cut him off before he could say something reassuring. "Don't give me the answer I want to hear. Give me the truth."

  Adrian breathed out, wanting to protect Tyler, but realizing that the man needed to know what might happen. It was clear that Tyler would be devastated if he lost his friend now, but he should at least be aware of the possibilities.

  Despite Adrian's instinct to protect, he knew keeping the realities from Tyler was an unfair thing to do. Tyler was an adult and had a right to know the details.

  "The truth is I don't know. Even under ideal conditions making a vampire is dangerous." Adrian felt Tyler's reaction but the man stayed calm and waited for Adrian to explain. "Logan's change was traumatic and rushed and his sire isn't here to help him through it, so the chances of success are probably lower. We'll know more when he wakes this evening." Adrian caressed Tyler's face softly as a tear slid from his closed eye and rolled down the side of his nose. "Sweetheart, I don't think William would have tried it if he didn't think it would work. His age made his blood stronger."

  Tyler nodded, his eyes still closed as tears continued to fall.

  "Try and get some sleep. Logan will need to feed several more times before the sun comes up."

  Tyler nodded again and Adrian watched as he exhaled a deep breath, apparently trying to relax enough to follow Adrian's order. He stayed there, watching Tyler sleep as he tried to go over the details of the latest vampire homicide to land on his desk without letting his own emotions overwhelm him.

  ~*~

  "Sorry, sweetheart," Adrian said as he lifted Tyler into his arms. Tyler snuggled against the big man feeling safe here, feeling cared for, feeling loved.

  That last thought jerked him awake. He wasn't loved by this man. Good grief, he barely knew the guy. Adrian's reason for being here quickly followed and Tyler turned his head, frantically searching for his friend. Thankfully, Logan was on the bed sleeping soundly, his features still pale and drawn.

  "It doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon, but he needs to feed."

  "Of course," Tyler said, expecting Adrian to put him down. Instead he sat on the edge of the bed and held him on his lap. "There are sterile wipes and single-use medical lances in the first aid kit behind you."

  Tyler turned his head and reached out for the tin box.

  His fingers shook as he tried to pry the lid off. Without a word, Adrian took over, unwrapping the lance and wiping over the tip of Tyler's finger with the sterile wipe as he sat there quietly. He didn't give Tyler a chance to protest, just squeezed his finger until the build up of blood at the end made it throb, and then very quickly stabbed the tiny blade into his skin.

  Adrian had Tyler's finger against Logan's lips before the first drop fell. He seemed concerned when Logan didn't wake up, so Tyler leaned over and used his other hand to squeeze his finger hard, letting more blood flow into his friend's mouth. It seemed such a strange thing to do and, if he hadn't witnessed Logan's rebirth as a vampire, it was probably the last thing he would ever have considered doing for anyone.

  But he had seen it, and thanks to Adrian's honest answers to his questions Tyler knew that his blood could very well be the difference between Logan living as a vampire or dying as half a human.

  Thankfully, after several tense moments, Logan swallowed, his mouth opening a little wider as the drops continued to fall onto his tongue.

  "That should be enough for now," Adrian said a few moments later, reaching over to wrap a wad of soft gauze around the end of Tyler's finger.

  "That wasn't very much," Tyler said worriedly as visions of what he'd seen in the movies played through his mind.

  Adrian held him close, refusing to let him down as he moved them both back onto the sofa. "Vampires don't need the copious amounts of blood that popular entertainment suggests. A few sips a day is enough to get them through. As he changes Logan will need a little more than older vampires, but it still won't be more than about an eighth of a cup."

  "Oh," Tyler said feeling a little silly. Everything Adrian had told him was pretty much the opposite of what he'd thought he knew, so why he'd chosen to still think otherwise was a mystery. "I guess I have a lot to learn."

  "I'm sorry you're learning it under such horrible circumstances."

  "How long have you been doing this?" Tyler asked, suddenly wanting to know more about everything—especially this man.

  "Most of my life. It's kind of the family business."

  "Alateeka?" Tyler asked as the familiarity of the name finally locked into place. "As in APS? Alateeka Protection Services?"

  "Yes," Adrian said holding him close.

  Tyler should probably insist that he be allowed to sit anywhere else besides on the man's lap, but he truly felt too comfortable right where he was. "I thought it was a security firm."

  "Technically it is," Adrian said as he started to filter his fingers through Tyler's hair once more. He'd always enjoyed having his hair played with, so Adrian's gentle touch was proving very distracting. "We provide protection and security services to both human and non-human clients, but mostly we try very hard to keep the secret of paranormals away from humans."

  "Paranormals?" he asked. He'd heard the word used in fiction and mythology but he was trying not to make assumptions. "As in vampires and…other creatures?"

  Adrian laughed softly. "God, I hate television. Yes, 'paranormals' as in vampires and other non-human people."

  "Sorry," Tyler said quickly, suddenly realizing the insult in his wording. "I didn't mean to be rude."

  "It's okay, sweetheart. Most paranormals are used to humans being frightened of them." Adrian continued to filter his fingers through Tyler's hair as he spoke. "You're coping much better than most humans would."

  "If you say so," he said quietly.

  "I say so," Adrian said. "Now, get some sleep."

  ~*~

  Adrian woke Tyler and Logan several more times during the night. Each time Logan grew a little stronger, opened his mouth a little wider, and seemed more likely to survive. The biggest test would be if he woke tonight when the sun went down. Adrian felt confident that if Logan woke after another day sleep that his chances of survival were much higher.

  Keeping Tyler close, Adrian watched Logan's body slowly change from what appeared to be a sleeping human to a vampire in day sleep. Logan stopped breathing, his metabolism shutting down as his body quickly fell into a type of extreme hibernation. In a vampire as young as Logan everything stopped—everything, including
the flow of his blood—leaving him in a state of suspended animation.

  As vampires got older the shut down of their body's systems was less extreme. It was likely why William had been able to turn Logan during the day, but it was also what had killed him.

  As with the other murders, the attacker had tried to slice open every major artery so that when night fell and the vampire woke, their metabolism started and they bled out almost immediately. But Logan had interrupted the killer and William had been older and able to move enough to help him. Judging by the huge amounts of blood at the scene, when William had woken his heart had started pumping as well.

  It was very likely that the killer had run from the scene in panic. The other murders would have been similar to an autopsy—no flowing blood, no victim response, plenty of time to do what they'd planned without the chance of being interrupted. It was one of the reasons Adrian and his siblings were having trouble tracking down the killer. With such control over the murder scene it was far easier to cover one's tracks than what had happened at William Danker's home.

  His brothers, Gavin and Derek, had gathered as much evidence as they could from the crime scene before calling in a discreet cleaning crew. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was necessary to ensure the safety of thousands of other paranormals living in this town. If the human population ever learned who was really living next door, history suggested that the reaction wouldn't be pretty.

  Protecting their secret took priority over preserving the scene where a paranormal had been murdered. It was very handy having the sheriff's department aware of their presence, but Sheriff Lansdowne and his dispatcher were the exceptions to the rule. The more humans who knew, the less safe the paranormal community became.

  Unfortunately Adrian had too many years behind him to know that was true.

  He glanced at the man sleeping in his arms. Tyler had been truly amazing in the way he'd handled everything in the past ten hours, but now he was essentially one more link in an ever weakening chain. With the advent of modern technology it was becoming harder and harder to live in plain sight. Sooner or later things were going to change. The only question was: Would paranormals survive it?

  Chapter Four

  Tyler startled awake as Logan groaned loudly. He seemed to be in terrible pain.

  "Tyler?" Logan asked breathlessly as he tried to sit up. "Where are we?"

  "At Adrian's place," Tyler said as he moved closer to the bed. "It's okay, Logan. Lie back down. Don't push yourself." Tyler leaned closer, trying to assess if Logan's color was healthy for a vampire or not. "Are you hungry?"

  His best friend licked his lips, but shook his head in seeming embarrassment.

  "Why are we here?"

  "We're staying with Adrian while he figures out what happened."

  "Adrian?" Logan shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Who's he?"

  "Do you remember what happened four nights ago?" Tyler asked. Right at this very moment he'd rather ask questions than answer them.

  "Four?" Logan glanced around the room apparently finding nothing familiar. "What time is it?" He reached up to rub a hand over his eyes, still looking very tired.

  "Judging by the fact that you're awake, I'd guess it's about sundown."

  "Sundown?" Logan asked frantically as he tried to get off the bed. Tyler moved to stand in his way, refusing to let him up. The guy was still as white as new snow. Chances were he'd fall on his face long before he reached the door.

  "Tyler, I need to get home. William will be…" Logan's words trailed off and a sob escaped his throat. Tears filled his eyes as he apparently remembered part of the discussion they'd had last night and the night before and the night before that.

  "It's okay, Logan. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you."

  "William?"

  "He didn't make it," Tyler said quietly as Logan moved back onto the bed and curled into himself, holding his arms across his stomach as grief overwhelmed him once again. It seemed so cruel that he was going through this experience every night.

  "Oh, god, I failed him." Logan dragged in a shuddering breath. "I promised to keep his secret and…and…and I failed." He closed his eyes and dragged in another deep breath. "Somebody killed him because he was a vampire, didn't they?"

  "We believe so," Adrian said from the doorway. "How are you feeling, Logan?"

  It was obvious that he didn't remember meeting this man. Hell, was Logan doomed to relive the same day over and over? It was an exceedingly cruel outcome for a man who'd been so vibrant, so alive.

  "I'm fine," Logan said primly. Tyler no longer smiled at his friend's typical reaction. This was the fourth time they'd been through this. It was painful to watch.

  Logan had never been very comfortable around good looking men but, with his emotions so close to the surface, he'd sounded downright rude. Apparently Tyler wasn't the only one to notice. Logan tried a small smile—that still came off as stiff and unfriendly—and tried to moderate his tone. "I'm fine, thank you."

  "I seriously doubt that," Adrian said as he came into the room with a large mug full of coffee and handed it to Tyler. He smiled his thanks and gratefully lifted the caffeine dose to his lips to sip at the steaming brew. It was rather strange trying to sleep during the day and be awake all night. Judging by how tired he was, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

  Logan wrinkled his nose in distaste as he glared at the mug in Tyler's hand. "What is that?"

  Tyler glanced at Adrian before answering. "Just coffee." He was quite confused by his friend's reaction. Logan was even more addicted to the beverage than Tyler was.

  "Just coffee? Coffee made from what? Ground up rabbit shit?"

  "Logan!" Tyler said in the same shocked tone of voice his mother might have used.

  Adrian smiled tightly as Tyler tried to figure out why his friend had been so rude. True he'd been through an awful experience, but even in times of great stress, Logan had always been polite—especially in front of strangers. At least tonight he was behaving differently than he had in the past three nights.

  "Are you hungry?" Adrian asked without reacting to Logan's words or Tyler's tone.

  Logan shook his head. "How can anyone be hungry with that smell in the air? And, oh yuck, how could anyone drink it?" He actually gagged as he watched Tyler lift the cup to his lips to take another sip.

  "I never realized," Adrian said speculatively, watching Logan's reactions closely. Logan was obviously in a strange mood because he raised an eyebrow aggressively as he waited for Adrian to explain. "I never realized that a vampire's sense of smell changed so quickly."

  "Vampire?" Logan asked, his gaze bouncing between Adrian and Tyler. "You're a vampire?"

  Tyler wasn't certain which one of them the question was aimed at, but he chose to answer it anyway. Logan at least deserved to hear such distressing news from a friend—even if this was the fourth time he'd been told.

  "You are, Logan. You're a vampire now."

  Logan was silent as he absorbed that little piece of life-altering news. After what felt like several minutes, but was probably much shorter, he turned his gaze to Adrian. "William gave his life to save me, didn't he?" he asked quietly, his lips quivering as tears started to fall from his eyes. "Why did he do that?"

  "You know why," Adrian said, smiling sympathetically. "You gave your life to save his. Why would you expect any less from him?"

  "What happens now?" Logan asked, shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe everything he was being told.

  "Until we can catch and stop whoever killed William, I'd like for you to both stay with me."

  "What about work?" Logan asked.

  "I um…" Tyler said, hesitating. This was one piece of information he truly didn't want to deliver.

  "You um...what?" Logan asked, his annoyance obviously rising once more.

  "You resigned."

  "What?" Logan screeched in a voice so high pitched that it made Tyler's ears ring. Judging by Adrian's wince Tyler wasn't
the only one to feel pain. "Why would I do that?"

  "Relax, Logan," Adrian said, his voice very stern, almost as if he were talking to a recalcitrant child.

  "Why the fuck should I relax?" He turned angry eyes on Tyler. "You destroyed my career while I was sleeping!"

  "That's not fair, Logan." Adrian's tone of voice brooked no argument. "When you calm down you'll realize that Tyler did the only thing for you that he could under the circumstances."

  "But—"

  Adrian cut him off before he could argue further. "You can't go out in the sunlight. You know that. At least by putting in your resignation Tyler made it possible for you to stay in town for a few more years."

  "He should have waited."

  "For what?" Adrian asked in a perfectly reasonable tone. "For you to not be a vampire?"

  Logan shook his head, tears beginning to stream down his face as he mumbled an apology. "What's wrong with me?" he asked suddenly. It was clear that he realized this wasn't his normal behavior, which in turn just seemed to make him angrier.

  "It's mostly from the change," Adrian said, touching Tyler's shoulder comfortingly as he moved closer to look at Logan's eyes. "I believe it's kind of like a hormone imbalance. Your body is going through a rather traumatic experience, so it's reasonable to assume it will affect your moods for a while, too."

  "Vampire PMS?" Logan asked in a sulky tone of voice.

  "That would be my guess," Adrian said with a soft laugh, still studying Logan's eyes the way a doctor might. "You're probably hungry, as well. Tyler has agreed to be your donor, but until you've figured out how to use your fangs correctly, I suggest you let him choose where and how you bite him."

  "What?" Logan asked in a small voice.

  "I…If you don't want…We can maybe find you someone else," Tyler said unsteadily. "I just…It's important for us to keep your condition quiet."

  "Huh?" It apparently took a few moments for Logan to understand that Tyler thought his offer to help was being rejected.