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

16. Chapter 16

Chapter sixteen

Ned

M organ’s kitchen feels different. Everything feels different. Because everything has changed. And nothing will ever be the same again.

Morgan knows I am a vampire.

I stare at him intently, but all he is doing is sitting there with his gaze fixed on the table and his large, gentle hands cupping the sweet, milky tea I made him. He has already had a stiff drink, so tea is going to have to do the rest.

The clock in the hallway ticks. It’s super late, but I don’t think anyone is going to be sleeping tonight. Well, apart from the kids who are all tucked up, safe and sound. The babysitter was trustworthy, after all.

She looked a little startled when we arrived home early and all but shoved her out of the door. I’m sure I’ll feel bad about it later, but right now, there are other, far more pressing things on my mind.

“Are aliens real too?” asks Morgan.

The sound of his rumbling voice makes me jump. It is the first thing he has said for a while.

“Umm…as in little green men in flying saucers? Not as far as I know. ”

Morgan nods slowly. He still has a dazed look on his face.

“What about witches?”

“Yeah, they are real.”

Morgan’s eyes widen, and he gulps down some tea. “The Loch Ness monster?”

My eyebrows rise. “Umm…I don’t think so, But I’ll check with Lello. He is a kelpie from the Scottish Lochs. He will know.”

Morgan’s face pales even more and he looks back down at the table. Poor man. He is taking it well, all things considered. I still remember the shock of discovering the paranormal world was real, and it’s been eighty years for me.

I really don’t want Morgan to fall apart. I especially don’t want him to start throwing garlic and crucifixes and stakes at me. None of that will hurt me, except for my heart. But that is the worst pain of all. Being hated by someone you love.

I take a deep, shuddery breath. Morgan looks dazed and shocked. He doesn’t look like he is about to fly into a murderous rage.

“All the men who were imprisoned in the harem with you…the people you live with…they are all paranormal too?”

“Yes.”

I’m not going over it again, or giving him a list of names and species. Morgan’s poor mind is trying to process, he doesn’t need to be further overwhelmed with additional information. What he needs is time for it all to sink in.

“And that’s why it was never in the news?”

“Yes. ”

The sudden sound of the doorbell makes us both jump. Even though I had been dimly aware of the approaching car and then the footsteps.

“That will be my friend Sammy,” I say as I turn towards the front door.

Morgan nods blankly. I’m not sure if he has even heard me. Or if he even registered that I said I was inviting over a human new to the paranormal world.

I open the door and Sammy bounds in. His blue eyes are bright and his blond hair all messy. He all but barges past me and makes a beeline for the kitchen. By the time I’ve caught up with him, he is bent over with his arms wrapped around Morgan, who is still sitting. And now looking even more bewildered than before.

Oh crap. As well as being an overly exuberant ball of energy, Sammy still dresses like a sex worker. I don’t think Morgan is judgemental in any way, shape or form. But having Sammy bounce into your home, in the middle of the night, and drape himself over you, has to be a little disconcerting.

“Welcome to the family!” exclaims Sammy brightly.

I reach out to yank him away from Morgan, but the cheeky little shit steps back of his own accord.

“I’ve heard so much about you!” he gushes.

Morgan looks up at him in surprise. “You have?”

Sammy’s grin is positively malicious. “Oh yes! Ned keeps a framed photo of you by his bed. It is the cutest thing ever!”

Morgan’s dark eyes flick to me. I open my mouth to form some sort of denial, but damn it. My cheeks are burning. I can feel it. My traitorous face is landing me right in it .

The corners of Morgan’s mouth twitch. Then they curl up in a smirk. My heart thuds, a hollow sound in my chest.

Then the sound of a chair dragging across the floor makes me wince. Sammy plonks himself next to Morgan.

“So, finding out the paranormal world is real? Quite the head fuck, isn’t it?”

Oh balls. This was a terrible idea. But it is not as if I know any other humans who have recently discovered the paranormal world and who would be willing to drop everything and come over in the middle of the night.

“Are you going through everything you thought was make believe and wondering which ones are true?” asks Sammy.

“Yes!” agrees Morgan passionately. “I’m down to cartoon characters now!”

Sammy laughs.

Okay. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. They seem to be building up a rapport. Which should not be surprising, since Sammy, while being a lot to handle, is also warm and lovely. And could probably charm a snake. He might just be exactly what Morgan needs.

Quietly, I slip away. The whole point of asking Sammy to come over was so that Morgan can ask him questions. Especially ones he might not want to ask me. So there is no point in lurking.

I head outside and then slide into the passenger seat of Blue’s car. When I called, I suspected that he’d drive his mate here, since Sammy is such a terrible driver. So I’m not surprised to see him.

“Thanks for this,” I say .

The siren nods. He is still far too quiet. All that time being masked and muted has really done a number on his head. I swear he forgets he is free to talk now.

“You can come in if you like?” I say gently.

Blue stares at the house, and then at me. And then back at the house.

“Morgan is a good man,” I assure him.

Blue swallows. “I…um…I…”

My hand reaches for his knee, but I remember just in time and pull it back. Blue hates being touched. Another terrible thing the harem did to him.

“It’s okay. I just wanted to make sure you knew you were welcome,” I say.

Blue nods and flashes me a tiny smile. Then his expression falters and turns somber.

“You’ll have to report this to the Council,” he whispers quietly.

I groan and thump my head against the back of the seat. “Yeah, I know. But since it is all fucking Baltazar’s fault for letting his blood slave go all crazy like that, and Baltazar is on the Council, it should all be fine.”

Blue nods, but his eyes still look worried. He has a point. Humans discovering the paranormal is real, is always a big deal and a big pain in the ass. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to sort out the paperwork for Sammy. It was Mal and Gray who blew cover in front of him, so it was their problem.

Nice for some. This is very much my issue to deal with. No matter how much Baltazar is to blame.

So I need to stop hiding out here and deal with it. Morgan and Sammy should have had enough time to cover any awkward questions by now. All I’m doing by lingering is being a coward.

Sighing heavily, I open the car door. “You all good out here? Need anything?”

Blue smiles again at points at the car stereo. Sammy has him hooked on modern music. I’m not sure Blue deserves that fate, but it seems to make him happy.

“Alright then. Hopefully I won’t be keeping Sammy from you for too long.”

I slip out of the car and back into the house. I find Morgan and Sammy chatting away like best friends. And Sammy has found the vodka. I frown, but maybe it is for the best. Alcohol eases most things.

“You know,” says Sammy. “With all the weirdos I’ve met and the crazy shit I’ve seen, knowing that paranormal stuff is real means the world makes more sense. Not less.”

Morgan nods in agreement, but I don’t understand how he can relate to that. He is not a survivor of the care system, or an ex rent boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Morgan’s life was perfectly normal and nice.

Until his wife committed suicide.

I wince and close my eyes. The ways in which I have destroyed this wonderful man’s life are unforgivable. If I had a single decent bone in my body, I’d walk away. I’d leave him in peace. I’d stop being a wrecking ball to everything he knows and holds dear.

I open my eyes. I watch Morgan and Sammy share the vodka. Then my heart starts to clench painfully as the full implications of the situation finally sink in. Morgan seems like he is going to cope with learning the world is not what he thought it was. He is strong and tough and able to adjust. He is going to accept that paranormal beings are real.

But that doesn’t mean he is going to want to date one.

I might not need to be decent. Morgan might save himself. He might want nothing to do with me. I could lose him. I could lose the children. I could lose everything.

And it would be exactly what I deserve.