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

15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

Morgan

T his was an excellent, if rather impulsive, idea. Ned deserves to be dated properly. Wined and dined. And not just pawed at on the sofa the minute the kids are asleep.

I’m so glad I managed to persuade him. Now I’m walking out of the cinema with him. The city lights are bright and there is a bite to the October air. It feels terribly romantic.

“Any messages?” asks Ned anxiously.

I chuckle and shake my head. “The kids are fine, Ned. You said you liked the babysitter after grilling the poor girl for twenty minutes.”

Ned stares at me and bites his bottom lip. I can all but see the gears turning in his head, probably thinking about whether he gave the babysitter enough instructions.

“It’s a very reputable agency,” I remind him.

We both wince as memories of the Grindr incident hit us. Silently, with nothing more than a shared look, we agree to not speak of it, not now, and not ever.

I puff out a tiny huff of relief. It is an embarrassing memory, but further proof that we are meant to be together. The universe was trying to give us a helping hand that night. But we got there in the end.

“The restaurant is this way,” I say. It’s as good a way to backpedal out of an awkward conversation as any.

Ned nods and turns with me. Phew. Crisis averted.

We walk in comfortable silence for a bit. The streets are busy, but not overwhelmingly so. The sound of distant traffic, the occasional snippet of conversation from a passerby, the clinking of glasses from a nearby café.

I’d like to take his hand, but his are shoved deep into his jeans pockets. Holding his hand in the cinema was incredible. He was freezing, though. Does Lupus affect circulation that badly? If not, should I gently encourage Ned to get a checkup? It can’t be healthy to be that cold.

“What did you think of the film?” I ask, because bringing up health concerns is not a date night topic of conversation.

Ned rolls his eyes. “CGI nonsense and no heart. I knew when they brought color out, filmmaking was going to go downhill.”

I laugh, but before I can voice a response, Ned abruptly shoves me behind him. It happens so fast I don’t have time to react. One second we’re walking down the street, the next there’s a young man, maybe mid-twenties, scruffy, disheveled, and running up to us, looking wild-eyed and sweaty. He drops to his knees on the sidewalk and stares up at Ned like he’s just seen a god.

I try to move in front of Ned, protective instincts kicking in, but Ned’s hand clamps down on my arm, holding me in place with surprising strength. It’s adorable that he wants to protect me, but let’s be real, he’s five foot nothing and as slender as a ballet dancer. I’m the one who should be doing the protecting.

“Master! Feed from me!” says the stranger on his knees, his voice desperate and fervent.

Yep. Just what I thought. Crazy or a junkie. Possibly both. But there’s something off about the way he says it, the way he’s looking at Ned. He’s not just some random guy on a bender. There’s a seriousness in his eyes that makes my skin crawl.

“Where is Baltazar?” hisses Ned at the man, his voice low and dangerous.

Wait? What? Baltazar? Wasn’t that the cult leader that wanted Ned to join him? Shit, I can’t believe I forgot all about that. Poor Ned, he really does have the misfortune to attract crazy people. Well, he has me to protect him now.

“He cast me off for being too clingy!” wails the man. “I won’t be too clingy with you!” he implores with fever-bright eyes and something disturbingly eager in his expression.

Ned looks around nervously. “Come on, let’s take this off the main road.”

I hesitate for a second, glancing between the two of them. But Ned’s already moving, leading the man toward a dimly lit alley, and I follow, my heart racing. This isn’t good. I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a bad feeling about this.

The man shuffles after Ned. Following him to a dimly lit alley. Just like I have. But I don’t fall to my knees again.

“Please!” he sobs.

Ned’s back is to me now, and I can’t see his face. I have no idea what he’s thinking, but I’m presuming he knows this man. He has to, right? I mean, this is all crazy, but if anyone can handle it, it’s Ned. Still, I can’t shake the growing sense of unease crawling up my spine. But I trust that Ned knows his capabilities. I’ll let him take the lead and I’ll only jump in if things get physical.

The man whimpers. “You are so hungry, master. I can feel it. You have left it far too long.”

“No,” whispers Ned, but his voice sounds strained, like he’s holding something back.

Right, that’s enough. I’m dragging Ned out of here. I’m sorry for whatever this guy is going through, I truly am. But Ned is not going to be the one to deal with it.

Something glints in the man’s hand as he brings it up to his throat. I blink, then dark stuff is spurting out of the man’s neck. Spraying out in an arch.

Holy shit! Is that blood? Did this crazy person just cut their own neck open? Does it look black because there is not enough light in the alley to see red? Fuck. This guy is going to bleed to death right in front of us.

My hand scrambles in my pocket for my phone. I really don’t think an ambulance will get here in time, but we have to try.

But before I can even unlock my phone, Ned swears, and then he moves. Faster than I’ve ever seen anyone move. One second he’s standing next to me, the next his mouth is on the man’s neck.

I blink again. My mind is breaking, trying to piece together what I’m seeing. The blood isn’t spraying anymore. It’s pouring into Ned’s mouth, disappearing, and the man looks… calm. Blissed out, like he’s in some sort of euphoric trance.

I cannot believe what I am seeing. My mind makes me check again. Looking for tricks of the light or hallucinations. But no, everything is exactly as I first thought. Ned’s mouth really is over the man’s wound. Blood is no longer spurting out into the alley, therefore it has to be pouring into Ned’s mouth. Even though none of that makes any sense at all.

The man’s eyes are closed. His shoulders relaxed. He looks almost serene. All his agitated energy has gone. He seems at peace.

Ned is licking the guy’s neck now. My mind is shattering and splintering. This new development is not making things any clearer. I still cannot piece together what is happening. Nothing is making any sense.

Ned steps back and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. In the dim light of a street lamp, the crazy person’s pale neck looks fine. I cannot see a cut at all.

My phone is still in my numb hand. Guess I don’t need it now.

The man sways drunkenly. His eyes are half-lidded. He looks up at Ned with an expression of sheer devotion.

“I’m not helping you with the aftermath, you are on your own there, you stupid motherfucker!” snaps Ned.

The man climbs to his feet, nods in eager agreement and starts to stagger out of the alley.

“Try that again and I’ll let you die!” Ned snarls after him.

The stranger turns out of sight, out back onto the main road, giving no sign that he has heard Ned.

And now it’s just us. Me and Ned.

Slowly, I turn back to Ned. He is staring at me intently. His eyes are dark and glistening. His face is pale. Something about the way he is holding himself is making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It is like I am looking at something pretending to be Ned.

Except I’m not. I’m looking at Ned. For the first time. Because normally when I do, he is pretending to be human. This is the real Ned.

Ned, short for Edmund, an old-fashioned name. Ned who can’t go out in the sun. Who loves old films and whisky. Who sometimes uses old phrases when he talks. Who thinks being in your forties isn’t old.

Ned, who often feels freezing cold.

Who I just witnessed drinking blood and healing a mortal injury.

I force a swallow down my tight throat. It seems so utterly implausible, so very ridiculous, yet I’m not one to deny evidence. Not when it is all stacked up so neatly. There really is only one possible conclusion.

“So…you are a vampire?”