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

18. Chapter 18

Chapter eighteen

Ned

I have never been more nervous in my life. It’s ridiculous. Morgan is coming to the house to pick me up for a date, and he wants to meet the boys. It’s hardly a dangerous or life-threatening situation. Hell knows I’ve suffered far worse.

So why does this feel intolerable? Why the fuck are my palms sweaty? I didn’t even know my palms could get sweaty. It has never happened to me before. I must be having some sort of breakdown.

“It’s going to be fine, Ned.” says Lello. “Everybody is going to love him and he is going to love everybody.”

Lello’s blue eyes are wide and utterly earnest. I sigh and pat him on the shoulder. How anyone is so damn sweet is completely beyond me.

Jade and Pink walk into the dining room and quietly take their seats. A dining room is a strange place for what is supposed to be an informal meeting, but it is one of the few rooms big enough to comfortably hold everyone, so it is going to have to do.

My gaze locks with Jade. His expression is strange and I can’t read it. Shit. Please don’t tell me he knows that Baltazar has ordered me to kill him if he goes loopy again.

“We are happy for you, Ned. We really are,” says Pink, snatching my attention away from Jade.

There is something in his gentle tone that sets my teeth on edge. I’m pretty sure there is a ‘but’ coming.

“But…”

See! I knew it! I knew they couldn’t resist meddling in my business.

“Shouldn’t you tell Morgan that you are his great-grandfather?”

“I’m not!” I snap.

Jade fixes me with a glare. “No, you’re his dead wife’s great-grandfather.”

I open my mouth to defend myself, despite the horrendous guilt coiling low in my belly, but the doorbell rings. Talk about being saved by the bell.

“He’s here!” I announce unnecessarily as I turn and sprint for the door.

I fling open the door and grin at Morgan like a maniac. He has dressed up for our date and looks absolutely stunning. He is wearing a tie and everything. Before I can say a word, Lello comes out of nowhere and throws himself at Morgan, wrapping him in a tight hug.

Lello untangles himself, grabs Morgan’s hand and tows him to the dining room, all while talking ten to the dozen about everything and nothing.

Morgan looks back over his shoulder at me, and I give him an apologetic shrug. He smiles warmly and turns back to Lello. Seemingly completely unphased .

A warm, tingly feeling washes over me. My boyfriend likes my best friend. It’s wonderful. As for my best friend liking my boyfriend, that’s a given. Lello likes everyone. He is daft like that.

We reach the dining room. A quick glance confirms that everyone is here now. Well, everyone apart from Gray and Mal. But that’s not surprising. They are often late. Too busy going at it like rabbits. All the frigging time. It would be alarming if Gray wasn’t an incubus.

“Everyone, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is everyone,” I say lamely.

It would take a thousand years to name everyone individually, and there is no way Morgan could remember all that.

“Hi everyone!” says Morgan cheerfully.

At the back of the room, Blue pales. I watch helplessly as Sammy whispers something to him, and then they both slip out of the room. My heart sinks, but I understand. The only mundane humans Blue has ever known were the men who used us in the harem.

It may be a little mean of me not to class Sammy as a man, but the cute little twink is the most unthreatening person in the world and really not in the same category. Whereas Morgan is a manly man. Tall, broad shouldered, deep voiced. The works. I totally understand Blue’s fear, but it still hurts.

Red intercedes smoothly and distracts Morgan from Blue and Sammy’s abrupt departure. I huff out a small sigh of relief and let Red take the lead. The omega is good at this shit. People and conversations and making things comfortable. It’s really not my wheelhouse .

While Red engages Morgan in polite conversation, I look at Pink and Jade. Pink keeps giving me concerned looks. While Jade is positively glaring. What’s got in to him? I know this great-grandfather stuff isn’t the best, but I’m not sure why Jade has his knickers in a twist about it.

Before I can puzzle it out, the door opens and Gray and Mal finally make an appearance. Gray is wearing his stupid white fluffy bathrobe again, but he is covered up at least. I don’t think Morgan is ready for casual nudity just yet.

Suddenly, Morgan startles like a deer hearing gunshot. He jumps and flounders backwards until his back hits the wall. His eyes are enormous, fixed on Gray in absolute terror, and he has turned a very unhealthy pale color. I’m not sure he is even breathing.

Crap.

“Gray! Cut it out!” I snap.

Gray stares at me with wide, confused, and utterly bewildered eyes. Oh for fuck’s sake.

I take Morgan’s hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. Gray is a demon. The reaction you are feeling is a perfectly healthy human response. Demons usually shield their energy, but Gray is not right in the head and has apparently forgotten how to.”

Behind me, Gray sucks in a sharp breath. I turn around just in time to see his anguished expression before he sobs and clings to Mal, burying his face in the man’s broad chest.

Mal’s arms wrap around him. Then he glares at me. His dark eyes flash red and all the vacant chairs in the room slide across the floor towards me. And Morgan .

Motherfucker! Okay, I was rude and I upset his mate. There is no need to get physical and attack. He could hurt Morgan. Humans are incredibly weak and vulnerable.

I snarl and show my fangs. “You really want to try it, motherfucker!”

There is a reason vampires are feared. We are fucking deadly. Strong and powerful.

“No! No fighting!” wails Lello as he steps in between us.

Red joins him. The omega crosses his arms over his chest. “Lello is right. This is stopping right now. Ned, take your boyfriend and go on your date.”

What the fuck? My hands lift as rage seethes through me. Red is taking Mal’s side? Mal wasn’t in the harem, I was. Red’s loyalty should be to me.

A tug on my sleeve snatches my attention. “Come on, Ned let’s go. We don’t want to miss our dinner reservation.”

I blink. I see Lello’s wide and worried blue eyes. I hear Gray’s soft sobs.

My anger dissipates. Leaving me feeling worn and dejected. My shoulders slump. That all got rather out of hand. And so quickly. It has left me feeling a little dizzy.

“Sorry, everyone.”

I turn and lead Morgan away. Red is right, us leaving is the quickest way to cool everyone down. And we were going out anyway.

The cool night air knocks further sense into me. What was I thinking? Gray is a frigging ancient demon. He could wipe me out with a snap of his fingers.

And I shouldn’t have been so nasty to him. It’s not his fault he is a little crazy. Being tortured by humans for a hundred years is bound to do that to you. He is a little sweetie when he is lucid, and he wouldn’t have wanted to scare the crap out of Morgan on purpose.

It was just shitty timing. He has never seemed to have much problem with his shielding before. Or, I guess Morgan could be extra sensitive to demonic energy? Whatever caused it, it’s a fucking mess, that’s for sure.

We get in the car, and the slam of the doors is soothing. I groan and cover my face with my hands.

“That could have gone better,” I sigh.

Morgan chuckles. His warm hand rests on my knee. “Meeting the family is always intense.”

I lower my hands from my face and stare at him. “There is intense, and there is that frigging disaster.”

Morgan chuckles again. I scrutinize him intently, but he seems fine. Has he really recovered so quickly?

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He gives me a rueful smile. “Apparently so. It seems demons stop being so terrifying when they start crying.”

I wince. I did that. I made Gray cry. I’m such an asshole.

I stare at Morgan some more. “I’m sorry you had to see me lose my shit.”

It is one thing knowing your boyfriend is a vampire, it is quite another seeing it. Though I suppose he has already seen me drink blood. Perhaps getting arsey and confrontational pales in comparison to that?

Morgan squeezes my knee. “You were protecting me. It was fucking hot.”

In the dark car, his pupils widen. The scent of his desire coils lazily around me. He is telling the truth. He really did find me vamping out hot. Oh my god.

My heart thumps. And thumps again. Morgan being able to accept what I am, was wonderful enough. But finding it a turn on? Oh hells, that is a whole new level of awesome.

I lick my lips. “How about we skip dinner and book a hotel instead?”

Morgan’s sharp little inhale is music to my ears.

“That’s the best idea I have ever heard,” he says with a grin.

I grin back at him. I have to agree with him. It’s the best idea I’ve had for a century.