Hunting His Vampire Mate (Blood Bonded Mates #4)

CHAPTER TWELVE || MICHAEL

“ N ot that I quite mind, but perhaps you two should get dressed. Put on pants, at least.” The vampire gave Danny and then me a once-over, utterly shameless. Then his gaze landed on the Glock I held in my hands. I still had it aimed directly at his chest. He raised his eyes to mine and said, with an air of exasperation, “And for the love of all that is sacred, I’m here to help . Do you mind not pointing a gun at me?”

“You’d better start fucking talking, buddy,” I ground out.

“I’m Thierry,” the vampire said, sighing. He literally rolled his eyes heaven-ward and shook his head. “Look, I’m here because your friends are annoyingly well-connected and every vampire in Seattle is a bloody bleeding heart.” He heaved a sigh and added, “Now would you please stop pointing the gun at me? I rather like this suit and I’ll be testy with you if you ruin it by shooting me.”

“Wait, Bryan and Tobias sent you?” Danny asked, shooting me a baffled look. “They said they were sending a friend.”

“They apologized for it too,” I muttered.

“I was sent here by the king of Seattle himself,” Thierry drawled. “His husband is rather fond of the young warlock. Therefore, a friend of his is a friend of theirs. Or something like that.”

“What do you mean ‘king?’” I demanded.

“You wish for me to explain vampire political structures to you in this moment?” He sighed, but it was clear from the way his expression hardened that he was rapidly losing patience. “Get dressed, hunter. And put down the gun. I will not ask again.”

I shot Danny a questioning look. He was always the cooler-headed one of the two of us. What did he think?

He’s got to be telling the truth. He wouldn’t know we had called for help otherwise, right?

I scowled. Even though I didn’t much like it, Danny was right. I lowered the gun to my side. When the blond vampire didn’t immediately attack, I forced myself to put it onto the ground, near my feet. I felt even more naked without it.

“Was that truly so hard?”

“Look, can you give us some privacy?”

The blond vampire arched a brow again. “So that your friend can tear out your throat and feast on your blood when I’m not looking? Hardly. It’s only a small miracle he has not done so yet.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Danny scoffed, snatching his underwear off the floor and yanking them on.

“When a newborn vampire first wakes, they crave two things,” the blond replied, frowning at him. “Sex. And blood. I’m afraid it’s all you will be able to think about for a good long while, before your humanity reasserts itself. And since you have so clearly satisfied one of those urges already, it is only a matter of time before the other drives you to do things you might otherwise find… distasteful.”

I could quite literally peer into Danny’s head to see that he wasn’t even the tiniest bit overcome by bloodlust or anything of the sort. He was more worried about my safety than anything else. In fact, a cold dread had seized him the moment the other vampire had walked into the room. After all, we both knew how quickly a vampire could move. And, because he was still coated in powdered silver, Danny was at an extreme disadvantage. He wouldn’t be able to protect me.

“At least turn around,” I told the blond. “Or stop staring.”

He snorted. “You two have already ruined my evening. I should be enjoying a glass of wine, after a warm and delicious meal. Instead, I am here, in this… place.” He gestured vaguely to the mildewing living room. His lips curled with distaste. “I would have arrived much sooner, but I had to rob a blood bank on the way here. Which was positively unseemly, I might add.”

“Gee, that does sound hard,” I hissed. “But we’re not actually in any trouble. You can go right back the way you came, asshole.”

The vampire ignored me. “I have certainly had worse nights, but none immediately come to mind. Therefore, I deserve a bit of entertainment, don’t I?”

I had to literally bite my lower lip to stop myself from saying something we’d probably all regret. Instead, I started snatching my clothing off the ground and pulling it on. Danny had already finished dressing. Given our line of work, both of us were capable of getting ready to cut and run in record time.

I didn’t miss the way that Danny stepped between the blond and I while I finished yanking my jeans back on. I could sense from his mind, pressed right against mine seamlessly, that he didn’t like the way Thierry watched me dress. The way he’d been staring at me. Not with vampiric hunger, but with the more ordinary interest that any man who liked guys well enough might have felt.

Are you sure I can’t shoot him?

Danny’s lips twitched as he glanced my way for an instant. We’ll see where the evening takes us.

I smiled a little at that. Though, ‘evening’ had probably been the wrong word. The world was getting a subtly brighter on the other side of the windows. Which meant that dawn was fast- approaching. We had to get Danny somewhere dark, away from the sun. Daylight wouldn’t kill him, but it wouldn’t be pleasant, either. The idea of him suffering, even a little, set my teeth on edge.

To punctuate that thought, Danny yawned.

“Now, then,” the blond said, once we’d both finished dressing. “I am Thierry. Let me begin by starting things off properly. I am not your friend. I am here because I have little choice in the matter.” He fixed me with a surprisingly fierce glare. “The newborn—”

“Danny,” I growled.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, you’re feeling quite protective in your post-coital bliss. It’s all very charming, I’m sure.” He paused. “ Danny was supposed to be bound with silver until I arrived. It is a small wonder that he didn’t kill you, hunter.”

“I untied him.”

“I see,” Thierry flashed me a mocking smile, his eyes glinting dangerously. “That explains so much. You’re deeply stupid. And you’re supremely lucky that Danny’s first impulse was to satisfy his lust, rather than his hunger.”

“I won’t hurt him!” Danny snapped. “And I don’t feel hungry.”

Thierry’s eyebrows knitted together at that. He pursed his lips, studying Danny for a long moment. “The sun is about to rise. We will stay here until nightfall. After that, you’re coming to Seattle with me.”

Danny froze and alarm crashed through him. Or maybe it was only alarm crashing through me. It was hard to tell where he ended and I began.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I will become deeply unpleasant company, young one.” He nodded in my direction. “Might I assume you don’t wish for me to harm your friend?”

“We’re not friends,” I breathed. “We’re—”

“Please don’t make the mistake of thinking I care,” Thierry interrupted me. “Nor that your input is in any way required. I am speaking with Danny at the moment, hunter.”

“You’re one of the good guys,” Danny told him. “You wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Not a brush stroke I’ve often been painted with. Just because I do not kill, does not mean that I am nice. Nor am I soft. I would gladly break the hunter’s bones, one by one, until you agree to come with me.” He paused, perhaps letting that sink in. His lips curved into a dangerous smile. “Or perhaps I will simply snap your neck and then you will wake back up in Seattle. One way or another, you will come with me. And you will leave your partner behind.”

“Look, we’re fine, asshole. And it was a false alarm,” I glared daggers at him, wishing I had my gun in my hand. It was still on the ground, at my feet. No way I could reach it before he would move to stop me. “Danny is doing okay. You’re not needed here.”

Thierry frowned at me, but his electric-blue eyes locked with mine with surprising intensity. “Perhaps I should apologize. My temper has gotten the better of me and we have clearly gotten off on the wrong foot in this little exchange.” He paused, considering me. “Would it be easier if you believed that I am trying to protect you both? You truly have no idea what it is like to love someone and then watch them lose any trace of what once made them human. It is a pain I would not wish upon anyone.” A trace of raw emotion flitted across his expression, then was gone, but I saw it plainly. He clearly had lost someone like that at some point. He added, “I am trying to spare you that agony, hunter. Because, soon enough, Danny will get hungry enough that he will not be able to stop himself. And then you will have little choice but to kill him, before he kills you.”