Unfettered Vampire (Found & Freed: The Unfettered #5)

13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

Ned

I made out with Morgan. My boss. My great-grandson in law. The man whose wife is dead because of my actions. A human who knows nothing about the paranormal.

And it was wonderful.

I guess that means I’m going to hell. But I was probably headed there already, purely on account of being a vampire.

Besides, I’d have to actually die, and stay dead, first. Add in the fact that I’m friends with a demon, who is in hell right now, visiting family, and all in all, going to hell doesn’t seem that terrifying.

But fear of punishment should not be the only reason not to do shitty things.

Okay, now my thoughts are truly spinning. Get it together, Ned.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and focus on the road. It is late and there are hardly any other cars around. Just how I like it.

Leaving Morgan’s was a good idea. No matter how much my long dead heart is protesting. If I had stayed, we would have done far more than make out. I’m not a saint and I don’t profess to having that level of self-control. No, leaving was the right thing to do. We need to take it slow. For both our sakes.

And in case my morality wakes up and decides I’m not a shitty person, and puts a stop to this.

That thought makes me grimace. I shudder and put it aside. Adding it to my towering pile of angst that needs to be dealt with at some point. Right now, there are other things to focus on, because the house has come into view and I need to check on Jade.

As I pull into the driveway, a warm tingly feeling washes over me. At first I think it is magic, then I realize it’s worse. It’s happiness because I’m home. This house of delinquents feels like home, and isn’t that just the sappiest, cheesiest shit ever to exist. Goddamnit.

I stomp to the front door, let myself in, and then stomp up the stairs. I pause outside Jade’s door and listen carefully for a moment. He is still awake, reading a book by the sounds of it.

Time to take a deep breath and get rid of my grumpiness. Jade can normally handle me at my worst. But I’m pretty sure he is not at his best right now.

I knock softly.

“Come in.”

Moss green eyes greet me as I walk in, but they quickly look away. His shoulders drop. My stomach clenches. The poor boy.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“Much better, thank you. I’m so very sorry for all the trouble I caused.”

Damn it. It looks like he is about to cry. Shame always was Jade’s response in the harem. Apparently it is his go to emotion. Shitty things that are out of his control happen, and he feels guilty about it.

Whereas I respond by being a grumpy, nasty asshole.

Where are the nice boys? Lello, Pink or Red, should be here. Comfort is much more their wheelhouse than mine. I could run away and find one of them. Turn around and walk out.

I suck in a breath. I really am a dickhead. What if I was standing by Noah, Oscar, or Lottie’s bed, and they were really upset? I wouldn’t have any problem with it at all.

Jade is practically a kid too, and I’m perfectly capable of being nice. Cantankerous Ned was a shield I wore in the harem. It was what got me through. But we are not in the harem anymore. I’m free, unfettered, and in love with a wonderful man. A wonderful man, who, for some bizarre reason, seems to have feelings for me in return.

There is more than enough warmth within me to share with Jade in his hour of need.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” I say.

Jade’s eyes stay firmly fixed on his lap. He looks like a picture of misery and not at all convinced by my words.

“It was a little bit of excitement in my boring life,” I try.

My terrible attempt at humor earns me nothing more than the very slightest of nods. It’s fitting. And no less than I deserve. Hells, I truly suck at this.

What would I do if it was one of the kids, or Morgan, who needed me?

“Can I give you a hug?” I ask.

Startled green eyes lift up to look at me. He blinks and then gives me a tiny nod .

“Scoot up then,” I say brightly as I climb into his bed.

Jade makes room for me and I pull him down into a spoon, wrap my arms around him, and hold him tightly. He is ramrod straight for a moment, and then he sighs before deflating like a balloon.

“Thanks,” he breathes softly.

“It really was no bother,” I say.

I mean, I had to abandon the kids, so I thought I was going to lose my job, so I had to confess my dark past to Morgan in the hopes he’d understand and allow me to continue being a part of the children’s lives.

Which then led to me having a freak out and crying in Morgan’s arms all night. Which definitely brought us closer together and probably led to the whole kissing and making out thing that happened tonight. Which is hopefully going to lead to a relationship.

But Jade does not need to know any of that. He can remain in ignorant bliss of that convoluted chain of events. It all worked out wonderfully in the end, and that is all that really matters. But it definitely was a bother and I’m lying my ass off for saying it wasn’t.

“You’d do the same for me,” I say softly.

Jade nods frantically. “One hundred percent! I’d do anything for you, for any of the boys!”

My heart stirs and that gross, warm tingly feeling returns. Apparently, having a found family is incredibly pleasant. Look at me, two whole families and a home. I’m quite sure I don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it nonetheless.

“Well, there you go then,” I say. “I’m just glad you are feeling better.”

Jade lets out a huge sigh and sags even further into the mattress. I can feel all the pent up tension leaving his body .

A few minutes later, he starts snoring softly. Chuckling, I slide out of his bed, place his book on the nightstand, and flick the lamp off. Then I quietly head to the kitchen. The actions of making a warm cup of milk always seem to trick my brain into thinking it is time to sleep. Despite me being a vampire.

I can’t hear anyone else about, so I’ll be able to make my nighttime beverage in peace, free from teasing. Not that I care that they think making warm milk before bed is an old man thing to do. I am an old man. And a product of my time.

When I was human, everyone had warm milk before bed. It helped keep you warm in houses with no central heating. And it was filling and relatively cheap. These youngsters don’t know what they are missing.

I walk into the kitchen and yelp. Baltazar looks up from his seat at my frigging kitchen table, and grins.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snap.

“Visiting my friend,” he smirks.

“I’m not your fucking friend.”

My outburst earns me an even wider grin from the motherfucker sitting across from me. Uninvited. Unwelcome and very much unwanted.

“We need to talk about Jade,” Baltazar says calmly.

My throat tightens as panic floods my body. “Why?”

The piece of shit vampire gestures at the chair opposite him. “Take a seat.”

I grind my teeth and sit down. Baltazar is a flight leader, as well as a member of the Council. He is used to obedience and respect. Showing him a little of both is probably good for my health. Especially since I piss him off all the time by refusing to swear allegiance to him .

“Your friend is part fey.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“I suspect that is what caused his recent incident.”

I stare at the vampire and concentrate hard on my poker face. I don’t want to give a single thing away. Not until I know what the fuck is going on and if Baltazar means any harm to Jade.

“Jade is not the only part fey we are keeping tabs on. And he is not the only one who has had an incident recently.”

The Council are keeping tabs on Jade? Fuck. That cannot be good news. At all. Why would they do such a thing? Jade is a sweetie who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

“The fey have long wanted to come back to Earth. Their recent ploy appears to be whispering to their descendents to open a portal from this end,” says Baltazar, answering my unvoiced question.

Oh. Oh Lord. That is what’s going on. Well, that’s not good. And that’s the understatement of the century. All the rumors say the fey were evil, twisted motherfuckers. Stealing babies. Destroying crops. Making shady deals and disappearing people who stepped into toadstool rings.

I force a swallow down my tight throat. “Jade is not that good at magic. There is no way he could open a portal to the fey realm.”

Baltazar calmly steeples his fingers.

“He is not good at wielding his innate fey magic because he has never received instructions on how to use it.”

Behind Baltazar, a drop of water drips from the tap and hits the stainless steel basin of the sink. The noise ricochets around the dimly lit room.

Bollocks. If the fey whisper instructions to Jade on how to open a portal, and he does it and the fey invade our world, that would be deeply shitty. As in really, really shitty. This keeps getting worse and worse. And now my nerves are completely shot.

“What the fuck do you want me to do about it?” I snarl.

This old bastard must want something from me. He is not here to gossip. And I have a terrible, sinking feeling that whatever it is, I’m not going to like it.

The flight leader smirks and sits up straighter. His blue eyes gleam eerily in the light.

“Keep an eye on him, of course.”

I narrow my eyes. Nothing is ever as simple as that. As much as I hate it, Baltazar has a great deal of power over me, so I don’t believe for one minute he’d be all benign and assign me an easy task.

Baltazar stands. “And kill him if you have to.”

Oh fuck.

Double fuck. Triple fuck. I should have known that life was treating me too kindly. Turns out that bitch is just a tease.

Because seriously, fuck my life.