Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
“Maybe a bit. I’m getting my car back.” Nolan squeezed Sky’s shoulders again, drawing the smaller man’s eyes to him. “At least we know that some kind of authority figures in the vampire world are trying to do something. I didn’t know they had a king, though.”
“Mn.” Sky nodded, his fingers tightening on his phone. “It’s a relatively recent thing. There are rumors and whispers about the power struggle that went on, but the vamps don’t like to share stories outside their own kind, so you never know what you can believe.”
“And maybe not all vampires are dangerous assholes?”
That had Sky’s head snapping up, his eyes wide. “All assholes? No, definitely not. But they are all dangerous. Don’t ever forget that. I think Gideon is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, but he’s still a vampire. They’re predators, and their only proper source of sustenance comes from humans. Because of that, they are all dangerous.”
“Got it.”
Sky instantly relaxed. He slumped on the sofa and leaned his head on Nolan’s shoulder. “But I’ll keep you safe. Don’t worry about that.”
Nolan believed him, which helped to ease some of the pain in his heart. His bigger concern right now was for his brother. No matter how he attacked this problem, there was one thing that he couldn’t deny—there was a very good chance he wouldn’t be able to save Owen.
Chapter 7
Skylar Wallace
The phone was ringing.
Whoever was calling was a dead man.
Or at the very least, he was going to find this person and hand him over to the underworld minions to play with for a few decades.
He cracked one eye open and glanced around the dimly lit living room. The TV was off, and everything was quiet except for the phone. But that wasn’t his ringtone. It had to be Nolan’s phone.
That got his sluggish brain to switch on.
He and Nolan had gotten comfy on the couch to watch Practical Magic. Nolan had thought he was being funny, picking something about witches, but the joke had been on him. Practical Magic was one of his favorite movies because it had introduced him to the idea of midnight margaritas.
They’d both apparently fallen asleep since Sky was now cuddled against the man with his head on his gently rising chest and his arm stretched across Nolan’s slender waist. He might have felt guilty about clinging to him if it weren’t for Nolan’s arm on his shoulders, tucking him close. A soft snore rose from Nolan and he was so comfy, Sky could have drifted back to sleep so easily.
The ringing had stopped briefly, only to begin again.
Who the fuck was calling so early? It couldn’t even be dawn yet.
Just as Sky was thumbing through the catalogue of curses he’d memorized when he was an angry teenager, his brain coughed up something important.
The one person who would likely call so early was Nolan’s very desperate brother, Owen.
“Shit!” Sky lurched upright, pulling free of Nolan. The movement woke Nolan on a gasp, leaving him rubbing his eyes with both hands.
“What happened?” Nolan’s voice was blissfully rough and deep with sleep. Sky wanted to roll in it like a cat who’d stumbled across a field of catnip.
“Your phone is ringing. It could be your brother.”
“Shit!” Nolan swore and jumped for his phone, while maybe hearts were exploding over Sky’s head. See! Meant to be together! They’d had the same first reaction.
“Owen!” Nolan said as he answered the phone and put it on speaker for Sky’s benefit. “Where are you?”
“What the fuck took you so long to answer?” Owen snarled at him.
“I fell asleep! It’s…” Nolan paused, glanced at the time in the upper corner of his screen and swore. “It’s five in the morning. Where are you?”
“Taylor’s Crossing.”
Sky met Nolan’s surprised look. “That’s close to here,” Sky murmured. Owen had found a way to get closer to them.
“Where are you exactly?” Nolan demanded as he pushed to his feet. He was already walking toward the front door, likely to shove his feet into his shoes. Sky grabbed his phone off the charger and moved to locate his wallet and keys.
“Hiding out in an empty house on Janet Drive. I need you to get your ass here now before the fucking bloodsuckers find me.”
Why did that address sound familiar?
Sky’s steps slowed as he wracked his brain. He’d been to Taylor’s Crossing a few times for jobs. It was a small, sleepy community to the northwest of Hartford. That’s right!
Sky raced over to the phone, practically bursting out of his skin. “Owen, can you get to the cemetery about two blocks from where you are? It’s on Grand Avenue.”
“Who the hell is that?” Owen snapped.
“Sky. A friend who’s helping to protect me and trying to save your ass,” Nolan barked into the phone. He turned his attention to Sky, his voice instantly gentling. “Can the vampires not go inside the cemetery?”