Adopt a Vampire
: Chapter 4

As the sunlight filtered in through the bedroom window, I gradually awoke with it, staring at the slate blue wall in front of me with growing confusion. Where was I, again? Walls that color…no, hang on, what state was I in?

Arizona. Right? Right, Flagstaff. I remembered that. But my apartment walls were white, not slate blue, so where—? Oh. Like a flood of information, the scenes of yesterday came pouring through my mind’s eye and I took a deep breath. Right. I was now in werewolf territory.

I moved a lot at ten-years-old. My parents had divorced, careers taking them to several different cities, and that meant a lot of houses. I didn’t do much better as an adult, at least not until six years ago, when I landed in Flagstaff. You’d think with all my moving experience, I’d be accustomed to waking up in strange places.

Instead, it seemed to just confuse me further.

Seriously, how the hell did I end up here?

Abruptly, I remembered the attack yesterday, and my hand flew to my throat immediately, like it had to verify the wound had closed. It had, seamlessly, which was reassuring. Realizing I’d almost died yesterday was a strange feeling. Like, part of my brain wanted to panic, but I was totally fine? So there was nothing to panic about?

I swear to the god of gay porn, I didn’t know how to feel about any of this. Well, except maybe relief in surviving yesterday and being in a safe place. And knowing I’d been accepted by a pack of werewolves after the whole almost-dying thing? Well, that was just icing on the figurative cake.

Flopping onto my back, I took in a deep breath. The sheets smelled freshly laundered, which was nice. The guest bedroom had obviously not been used much, as it had nothing in it aside from a queen-sized bed, a nightstand, and a single landscape on the wall of a twilight forest. The house had at least five bedrooms in it, which seemed a little strange at first glance. I mean, Barrett wasn’t married and had no kids, so why so many bedrooms? But I suspected he had them in case something happened—like with me—and people needed to stay under his eye for a while. Part of me liked the fact Barrett wasn’t married or with anyone, but that was mostly libido talking. Damn thing was all interested because, to be honest, I really liked the look of Barrett.

I hadn’t been with anyone since I being changed—partially because I was afraid of breaking them. Vampire strength was no joke, and it took almost a full year of practice before I stopped accidentally destroying things.

Cars, for instance. Cars were very breakable.

ANYWAY, by the time I’d gotten a handle on my strength, I’d lost a lot of weight and muscle tone because of the not eating thing. At that point, I hadn’t even felt attractive, and I was more worried about my health and possibly accidentally killing someone than getting laid, which might be why my libido perked up hopefully now. Barrett was very much my type. He had the warm, charming personality I liked in my boyfriends, plus he was strong enough I wouldn’t have to check my strength—I had no reason to hide my vampireness from him. Really, Cupid couldn’t have put together a more tempting package if he tried.

But seriously, me, let’s not go all damsel for my hero, okay? He probably wasn’t even attracted to me. I looked like a walking skeleton right now, after all, and was just a pet project he’d selflessly taken on.

I shook off the brief longing and what-ifs. No, what I needed to focus on right now wasn’t Barrett’s sexiness but fitting into this pack. And just letting them take care of me didn’t sit well. Barrett had made it clear he thought my lawyer skills would come in handy. It was time to figure out how I could be helpful in return.

First, shower.

Barrett had shoved clothes at me last night, so I had something fresh to wear this morning. The jeans and Henley shirt might look odd with my dress shoes, but I wasn’t complaining. I hopped into the shower, lathered up, and let the hot water blissfully wash away the bloodstains and stress from the day before. Then I went to pull on the clothes and quickly discovered I had a problem.

Barrett and I were nowhere near the same size. He had five inches of height on me, at least, and was much more muscular. I was emaciated, no other word for it, and the jeans did not want to stay up. I pulled my waistband out a full five inches and frowned. Maybe I should stick with my dress pants this morning.

I moved on to shave, and while staring at myself in the mirror, I noticed some serious changes. For one, the wound across my throat was a healthy pink and closing up faster than I’d have thought possible. Looked like Hector was right, it would be gone completely in no time. I also noticed my overall health bar had definitely improved. My skin no longer looked like a dried-up sponge abandoned in a desert, for one thing, and the sunken look under my eyes had improved by a lot. Wow, who knew just drinking some blood could revive me so quickly?

I gave up on my hair since I had no product to keep it styled and called it good. Heading downstairs, I found the house strangely empty. Well, maybe not so strange. Everyone was likely having breakfast at their own place and getting ready for work. Only Barrett was at the kitchen bar, on a stool, a half-devoured plate of breakfast in front of him and a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked up and smiled as I came down the stairs. “Hey.”

“Morning,” I returned, coming to sit next to him.

His brown eyes, slightly golden in the morning light, flicked over me. “Jeans didn’t work?”

“Not without a belt,” I answered wryly.

“Ah. Should have thought of that.” He waved off the concern with a flick of his fingers. “How are you feeling?” His eyes lingered on my throat for a moment, tightening in an unhappy way before his gaze met mine again. Uh oh, was that a look of guilt?

“I’m quite happy with how quickly it’s healing.” I tried to sound nonchalant, hoping he realized I didn’t blame him for what happened, not after he saved and fed me.

“I am too. I’m still mad it happened on my watch, but since you’re okay now…” He sighed, and I could see him try and switch mental tracks. “We’ll go to your apartment next.”

“You’re taking me personally?”

“Yeah, figured that was best.”

It pleased me to have his focus, and I knew exactly which part of me was pleased about it and mentally smacked it. Down, boy. “And when do you tell me how I can actually pull my weight around here?”

“Today, if you’d like.” It was obvious the question made him happy, his mouth curving up in a smile and his eyes tilting up into fine crow’s feet. “You know anything about wills?”

“Sure. You can’t do tax law without knowing something about inheritance law. They go hand in hand more often than not.”

“Good. Then you’ll understand when I say we have to change identities every ten to fifteen years, and doing so means we have to set it up so our properties and bank accounts can be inherited”—he put air quotes around the word—“by ourselves?”

It made perfect sense to me. “I’ve actually started doing that for myself. If you set it up far enough in advance, no one looks at it sideways. The age of the paper trail is what helps make it convincing. Who do I start with?”

“Hector needs help first. He’s more complicated because of his doctor’s license, and we don’t even have a new identity set up for him yet that he can transition into.”

That…would take a little research on my part. I didn’t know how to transfer a doctor’s license or fake it or whatever it was going to take. “Gotcha. I’ll have to look up a few things and do some research, but we’ll be able to figure it out. Arizona’s laws aren’t likely to be too different from Virginia’s.”

His head cocked in curiosity. “You think not?”

“State to state, there’s always differences,” I admitted easily. “But the bulk of them tend to be the same. Laws are based off precedent and common sense for the most part, and they all came from the same original law book, too. It means there’s not a ton of variation. Some, and I always double-check something if I’m in a different state, but I’m not usually too surprised.”

“Good. That was one of the things I worried about when we pulled up stakes to move here.” Barrett went back to his eggs, forking them into his mouth.

The back door abruptly opened without warning and Luis strolled in. “I’m here.”

So he was my first donor, eh? I stood almost automatically. “Thanks for this, Luis.”

“No prob,” he assured me, closing the door behind him. “Where do you want me?”

Good question.

“Sit at the bar,” Barrett directed, scraping up the last bite from his plate.

Both of us sitting seemed a good idea, and the bar would even out our height to not make the angle awkward. I grabbed some napkins from a decorative wooden box nearby just in case, then sat. Luis wore short sleeves—nothing to impede me—and he handed me his wrist without any fanfare. I took it, then stared at the skin with something akin to panic. Last night, they’d used a scalpel to open their skin for me, but I’d been too weak to make any other option viable. But did I just…I mean, biting in seemed like it would hurt.

A warm hand pressed between my shoulder blades and Barrett’s voice rumbled low in my ear as he said, “Breathe. Jesse, breathe.”

I sucked in a breath and felt foolish almost instantly. “Sorry. I just realized I have no idea how to do this.”

“You really haven’t fed from anyone before last night.” Luis said it as a statement more than a question. I looked up to replace him watching me steadily, his hazel eyes not judging, but thoughtful. “Dude, your willpower must be something else.”

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” My eyes closed as I sought my equilibrium. I couldn’t begin to describe how I loathed the thought of hurting someone, even by accident, but especially in cases like this, when the person was trying to help me.

“You’re worried about biting in?” Barrett asked gently.

Nodding, I gestured helplessly to his wrist. “I could do muscle damage if I go too deep.”

“Even if you use a knife to open a vein, it’ll still smart,” Luis said in a very practical tone. “It’s okay, man. Werewolves heal fast, and I’m tougher than most if you do go too deep. Think of me as your guinea pig, okay?”

I might owe this man dinner later. Scratch that, I knew I did. I gathered up my courage from somewhere and lifted his wrist to my mouth. It smelled good, like a delectable dessert or a roast slowly cooking. Instinct made me lick the skin, and it tasted good too, but frustrating, as it blocked me from what I really wanted. Carefully, I sank my canines into his flesh, a little alarmed by how easily the skin gave under the pressure. Then sweet warmth flooded my mouth, and I stopped worrying about it for a moment.

“Huh. You’re right, Barrett,” Luis observed to his alpha, “this kinda feels good. Maybe the orgy party stories aren’t too far off.”

“You would say that.” Barrett sounded half amused, half exasperated. “I assume there’s some kind of vampire chemistry going on to make it pleasant for us.”

Good to hear. I’d forgotten to tell him to let me know if he felt lightheaded—I would stop if so—but surely he had the common sense to tell me.

It felt incredibly nice to eat and fill my stomach without that vaguely dissatisfied gnawing sensation. Still, I was cautious about eating too much at once. I didn’t want to cause trouble for Luis. When I felt mostly satisfied, I stopped and pulled back, licking any trace of blood from his skin before withdrawing entirely. Then I grabbed the napkins, cleaning him up better.

“That couldn’t have been enough.” Luis had the same squinty-eyed look on his face Barrett had worn last night. Hell, Barrett sported it now.

“I’m actually full,” I assured them both, meaning it. “I think my appetite shrunk over the years. It’ll take a while to build it back up.”

“Four ounces of blood and he’s full,” Barrett grumbled to no one in particular. “Damn, I’m glad we stumbled across you when we did. All right, Luis, you handle things at the site today. Call me if there’s a problem, and I can swing by.”

“Sure thing.” Luis hopped off the stool and gave me a firm look. “And you, don’t faint.”

“Excuse you,” I retorted without heat, “I have never fainted in my life. Except yesterday, when I was stabbed, and being stabbed is a perfectly valid excuse to lose it for a few minutes.”

Barrett shook his head as he exchanged a look with Luis that communicated volumes, although I couldn’t unpack it all.

“Good call,” Luis told him.

“Yup. See you tonight.” Barrett waved him out, already in motion to wash up breakfast dishes.

Okay, seriously, what had I just missed? The door opened and closed as Luis left, leaving just the two of us in the kitchen. “I take it you two don’t agree about the stabbing-fainting thing.”

“You never should have been so easy to take down,” Barrett explained as he soaped up a sponge, his eyes on his hands. “Hector had some really choice words after you went to bed last night about how malnourished you are.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and wondered how to respond.

“But what Luis really meant,” Barrett continued, washing out his coffee mug, “was that you’re too gentle by nature. I’m not actually sure you’d survive well in a vampire clan. You don’t have the ruthless nature to climb on top of people.”

“There’s a reason why I went into the part of law that doesn’t require court appearances,” I agreed with a shrug. I wasn’t actually good at arguing with people. I lost steam before I could get a full argument out. Could I stand my ground if I needed to? Of course, I wasn’t a doormat, but I tended to avoid conflict if I could replace a more peaceful way out. “Is that really what vampire clans are like, though? Dog eat dog?”

“Every vampire I’ve ever met was cutthroat, let me put it that way. Oscar is by far the most laid back of them, and even he’s callous.” Rinsing the plate, he put it on the rack to dry before toweling his hands.

I studied him carefully. I instinctively sensed something about this man, even if I couldn’t put my finger it. “Barrett, answer me honestly. Did I trigger your protective instincts?”

He stopped dead, head coming up sharply in surprise. “How did you know?”

“Alpha of a pack of wolves, of course your protective instincts run high.” Bracing my forearms against the bar, I leaned against it, meeting his eyes and feeling my mouth curl up in amusement. “Anyone you think of as ‘yours’ will automatically fall under that need to protect. I realized last night I must have done so—you’d never have extended the offer to join your pack otherwise—although I’m not quite sure why you took a liking to me so quickly. Unless, of course, this is another instinctual thing where you looked at me as a potential threat that you can neutralize by turning me into an ally instead.”

He stared at me hard, expression not giving anything away, for several taut seconds. Then he blew out a breath. “Yeah, you’re a lawyer, all right.”

I grinned at him cheekily. “Legal training makes you think from both perspectives. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Dead on,” he agreed, shaking his head, more amused than offended. “Did you agree because you realized all of that?”

“Partially. And also because I was afraid of what would happen to me if I stayed out there on my own without allies.” Perhaps I should have said more about my past earlier. In my defense, a lot had happened last night, and I’d been reeling and trying to keep up with it all. Still, this man had opened his home up to me, and that was owed some consideration. “I…think I should tell you something. I’m sure you wondered how a rogue turned me. Why he stayed and taught me anything afterward.”

Barrett came around the bar to stand next to me, close enough his body heat radiated and warmed me in return. I wondered what it was about werewolves having no concept whatsoever of personal space. His concern was an open thing across his face, drawing his brows and mouth together into taut lines. “I have wondered, but you don’t have to relive bad memories.”

Shaking my head, I whispered past a constricting throat, “This might tie in to today. I don’t know for sure, but you deserve to be forewarned. And forearmed. A group of black witches had captured Huxley for some sort of ritual, but he grew too weak to survive the full rite, so they captured me to feed him, to keep him alive. I’d had a flat tire and no spare and was walking to a gas station for help when they nabbed me off a dark country road. It was a shock to me, to learn that the supernatural world was all too real—and then realizing I was to be the vampire’s snack? It was…not a feeling I like to remember. Anyways, neither of us liked the idea of me being Huxley’s snack and then a corpse, and to make a very long story short, he decided to turn me instead, so I could break us both out. It worked, we escaped, and he stayed with me for two days to gather his strength. During bouts of consciousness, he taught me the basics. I woke up one morning to replace him gone.”

Those expressive eyes of Barrett’s closed as he hissed out a few choice words. For the black witches or for the rogue vampire, I wasn’t sure which. I cursed them both frequently.

I sketched on a smile, but it felt so unnatural I let it drop again. “Six years ago, I didn’t know enough to question matters and could barely focus beyond learning to survive. But if there’s more witches in this area? If there’s the possibility of dark practitioners here, then you should know. They don’t always play by the rules.”

Without warning, Barrett hauled me into a hug. He meant to be supportive, but on some level, I suspected he wanted to keep me close. I sort of just melted because dammit, I needed a hug. For six years, I’d never told another soul what happened to me, had never truly grieved for myself. Barrett’s warm embrace was solid and grounding and precisely what my heart needed.

“Damn, Jesse. Just damn. Thank you for telling me. You’re right, I can take better precautions knowing this. I don’t know much about the witches who recently moved in, but apparently I need to rectify this pronto.”

It felt liberating to have my story out. I felt more relaxed now that he knew, although I didn’t fully understand why. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I think you can access more information than me at the moment. You have access to the court system’s records, right?”

I nodded in confirmation he didn’t need. “Sure. When we get my laptop, I’ll dive in and do some research.”

“Let’s head to your apartment, then. I’d prefer to be in and out quickly, so just get what you need for the next two weeks or so. We’ll take you moving in with us in stages.”

That went without saying. I mean, where would they even put me long term? Every house in the subdivision had its own family, or so I’d been led to understand, except the three still needing repairs. I could certainly stay in Barrett’s guest bedroom for a while, but clearing out my apartment would mean I needed more space than just one room. I’d been through so many transitional phases in my life, I decided not to question this one too much. It would work out, things always did.