“Do you think they did something to you?”
“No,” Kit said, short and vehement. “They’re not like the other vampires. They wouldn’t hurt me.”
Quin let out a sigh of relief. If Kit’s friends had been involved in anything nefarious, it would have crushed him. “I wish you’d told me you were dealing with this, but I’m glad you have now. You don’t have to do this by yourself anymore.”
When Kit spoke, sleep muffled his voice. “I’m glad, too.”
Quin held Kit until he fell into a deep slumber. Quin had to pick Mabel up at midday, but he didn’t want to leave the bed until the last second. He needed to keep Kit close.
Every time he opened his eyes, his gaze flicked over to the window, heart in his throat as he expected to see the shape again.
There was no sign of anything—or anyone—but them in the room. Still, Quin hadn’t ever felt so uneasy in his own space. It was like every shadow hid an intruder.
He didn’t get a wink of sleep.
Mabel danced around Quin’s feet when he arrived to pick her up from Louie’s. He invited him inside for a cup of tea, as usual, but Quin was anxious to get home to Kit. Leaving him alone at all made his skin itch with uneasiness, and he didn’t know how he’d feel about letting Kit go back to his own little flat once night fell. Perhaps he’d convince him to stay longer term, at least until they figured out what was going on.
“Quin?” Louie must have tried to get his attention more than once, judging by his expectant look.
Quin blinked. “Uh-huh?”
“Are you okay? Everything all right with your guy?” Mortification crashed across Louie’s face the second the words left his mouth. “Sorry, that was so inappropriate. You don’t have to tell me a damn thing about your relationship. You just look a bit sad.”
Quin touched his own face, as if he might verify the expression he wore. “I’m all right. Thank you, though. It’s nice of you to care enough to notice.”
“If I’m honest, I was planning to invite you in for something harder than a cuppa, but I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression.”
Quin managed a smile at that. “How about we take a rain check on the drink, and next time I’ll introduce you to my boy?”
“Boy?” Louie asked in a faux-scandalised tone.
“Uh…” Quin was so knackered from his scant few minutes of sleep that he hadn’t realised what he was saying.
“Oh my god, your face,” Louie said, grinning. “That’s cute, Quin. I’d love to meet him. You get back. I can tell you’rechamping at the bit for it.” He reached out and petted Mabel. “I’ll see you next month, little lady.”
Quin set off with a wave. “Cheers, Louie.”
It was a bank holiday weekend, so the crowds were thick. Quin fought his way through dozens of families and couples munching on their fish and chips and dodging the seagulls. Mabel seemed to sense Quin’s urgency, as she didn’t let even the prospect of pats from enthusiastic children distract her from leading them straight to the house.
When they got in, Quin went straight up to the bedroom. Relief surged through him at the sight of Kit exactly where he’d left him; curled under the duvet, looking peaceful.
Quin checked his watch. It was hours until they could be together again. Quin hated that they couldn’t be in each other’s company during the day, but he accepted it as a necessary part of a relationship with a vampire.
It might have been a Saturday, but he spent the rest of the afternoon getting caught up on work. He’d been sleeping for most of the days during the full moon cycle, so needed to ensure he’d deliver ahead of deadlines.
Instead of working at his desk with his extra-wide monitor, he brought his laptop through to the bedroom and camped out on the bed. It wasn’t great for his posture, or the speed at which he worked, but today he didn’t mind. Being close to Kit was paramount. Quin even let Mabel jump up onto the end of the bed. She lay flat out on her belly and looked pleased with herself for wangling the invite.
He left the bedroom only a few more times that day, once to run out and get some milk and bread from the corner shop, and another to take Mabel out on a walk. Despite brief breaks from coding to give Mabel some attention and to order a takeaway, the day dragged on. He tracked the hours and minutes till sundown as avidly as he’d watch the live feed of the rugby scores.
Around an hour before dark, Quin’s phone vibrated. He picked up the call without tearing his eyes away from his laptop screen, assuming it was Sage, given that his cousin was the only person who ever called him without prior warning.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hello, Daddy.”
It wasnotSage.
Quin pulled the phone down. Despite knowing exactly who it was, he looked at the caller ID to confirm, and then shoved the phone back against his ear. “Lark, what the fuck? You can’t just?—”
