“Because you know me?”
“Where are we meeting this guy, anyway? Are you just cruising every spot sex workers frequent in the city?” Rafe asked as Emmy slowed down to peer at the shadowy figures leaning against the brickwork in the alley nearby.
“He didn’t answer my text. I suspect his pimp confiscated his phone. So, yeah.”
Emmy pulled the car into a park. “If he’s not here, we might be able to get one of the others to talk,” he said, gesturing toward the handful of scantily clad people nearby—a mixture of genders and mostly human, but all with an air of desperation. This wasn’t the kind of area someone worked if they had any choice in the matter.
From far away, they looked alluring, but the closer they got, the more signs of illness and abuse Rafe could sense. It was enough to distract his wolf from pining for their mate. They wanted toheal every one of these people and take them home to feed them a hot meal.
“Vampire territory. You can’t,” Emmy reminded him, sensing the turn of his thoughts.
“Iknowthat,” Rafe said, teeth gritted in frustration as he watched a young woman nearby hide a shiver. None of them were dressed for the winter weather.
Continuing their search of the dirty streets, they walked briskly so they wouldn’t get caught in an interaction with anyone. They’d question these people if they needed to, but it was better if they could leave as little trace as possible of the Lunetti Pack’s interest in Emmy’s informant.
“Looking for something special, gentlemen?” a soft voice called from nearby.
Emmy spun, a flash of relief crossing his features. “Thank fuck,” he murmured, before calling out louder to Seth—“What are you offering, sweet thing?”
Even Rafe’s shifter vision struggled to pierce the shadows to see the young vampire as his pupils adjusted from the sharp white glare of the streetlights to the darkened alley he was waiting in. When he finally came into focus, a growl left Rafe’s throat.
“What the fuck?”
The young vampire was wearing not much more than a head-to-toe, wide-fishnet body stocking. A scanty metallic jockstrap was the only thing stopping him from flashing them. That wasn’t what had caught Rafe’s eye, though. He’d never seen a vampire so emaciated. His eyes were sunken in dark shadows like he hadn’t slept in weeks, and the lines of bruises stretched aroundhis neck like a collar should never have remained with even a baby vamp’s healing ability. Rafe could make out the outline of each thick finger of whoever had choked him out.
“Seth…” Emmy said, his voice trailing off into fuming concern.
The young vampire took one look at their looming worry and looked like he wanted to bolt. Rafe scanned the alleyway behind him, relieved to see it was a dead end. There was no way this guy could outrun them in his current condition.
“What do you want?” Seth hissed, his eyes darting to the street in hypervigilance.
“To get you away from your fucking asshole of a pimp,” Emmy snapped. “Get in our car and don’t come back.”
Seth scoffed. “Yeah, that’s not why you came looking for me. Everyone wants something.”
Emmy shrugged. “It can be both.”
“I can’t hide on the pack lands for the rest of my life. I need to earn my place as a vampire with my own kind, and it’s not like shifters aren’t just as violent.” The words sounded like something that had been beaten into him. A refrain from whatever evil fuck had turned him that had eroded at Seth’s sense of self until he truly couldn’t see any other way out. Rafe had seen it before. Too many times. It also sounded like the coven had seeded some pre-emptive messages about the other supernaturals to ensure Seth didn’t go running to the other families for help. The poor guy sounded terrified.
Gripping Emmy’s shoulder before he drove Seth away with his need to protect him, Rafe reached for his power. “Let me heal you, at least.”
Seth staggered back two steps, panic in his eyes as his voice grew too loud. “No!” Swallowing hard as his eyes kept scanning their surroundings, he murmured the rest of his reply almost too softly for Rafe to make out. “It’ll be worse if the marks aren’t still there when I go back.”
Rafe dropped his arm back to his side, his hands closing into fists. “Fine, but I can at least help with your energy levels.”
Stepping forward slowly so he didn’t startle the skittish vampire, he reached out to cup his face, running a thumb under those dark bruises beneath his eyes. His power flowed through him without thought. It was all he could do to stop it from healing the poor guy. Instead, he let magic take the place of nutrition and sleep, feeding Seth just enough of his own energy so he would at least be able to run if someone less well-meaning cornered him in an alley later.
“What—oh,” Seth said, eyes widening in surprise as he felt the effects of Rafe’s magic.
Rafe crossed his arms tight over his chest before he healed too much, forcing his magic back inside his skin. “My clinic is in the neutral zone on the south edge of the ring road. When you need me again, come there. Don’t wait.”
Seth seemed to shake himself out of his shock, stepping in closer and putting a delicate hand on Rafe’s chest above his crossed arms as he blinked up at him. He was so fucking small.
“How can I repay you?”
Nausea twisted in Rafe’s gut at the implication that his healing was conditional onthat, but Emmy’s snort from next to him interrupted before he could figure out what to say.
“I told you, we’re not like that, Seth. No one wants in your pants, especially Rafe. Chill,” Emmy said.
