After Declan turned Logan into a vampire to save his life, he was surprised by how much he wanted him to thrive in this world. In the beginning, he mentored Logan when it came to feeding and controlling his more volatile instincts.
As a turned vamp, Logan didn’t have to deal with the incessant urges male purebreds endured when they stopped aging, but he was a turned hunter, which made his transition and the aftereffects more difficult than normal. He also had to learn to deal with a vampire’s thirst, and that was always a challenge.
“Home sweet ugly home,” Logan muttered, and Declan chuckled.
“Already missing the señoritas?” Declan inquired.
“I do love those señoritas,” Logan said with a sigh.
“Let’s go.”
Declan started for the door, but Saxon sauntered out of it before Declan could take more than a couple of steps forward. Saxon grinned at him, and Declan returned the smile. When the two briefly embraced, they squeezed Saxon’s eight-month-old daughter, Madison, between them.
Madison giggled and tugged at his hair while her arctic blue eyes searched his face. Her sandy blonde hair stood on end, and a small, pink bow was clipped onto some of the strands. Having left shortly before she was born, this was the first time Declan was meeting her in person, but ever the proud father, Saxon sent him pictures every day.
Saxon and Logan briefly embraced before Saxon focused on him again. “How was Mexico?”
“Warm,” Declan told him.
Saxon quirked an eyebrow. “Just warm?”
“And good tequila.”
Saxon laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll have to tell me all about that tequila when you get the chance.”
“I brought back some bottles for us to share. We’ll tell you all about it tonight.”
Saxon’s smile faltered, and the turmoil churning beneath his happiness over seeing him caused Declan to stiffen. “What is it?”
“We might have a problem. Come on.”
Declan and Logan followed Saxon into the mansion. Declan set his bag down on the gray and white marble floor in the foyer. When Saxon shut the door behind him, the ensuing silence hung heavily on the air.
Declan hadn’t expected a party when he returned, but if everything were okay, more of his friends would have been here to meet him. And once Lucien found out about the tequila, he wouldn’t have waited until tonight before breaking opening it. Whatever was happening wasn’t good.
“What kind of problem is it?” Declan asked.
“Lucien took a group to Maine to check on the abandoned bunker and tunnels. He was supposed to report in last night; no one’s heard from him. Ronan and the others are in the library trying to decide what to do. I came out to get you when we saw you arrive.”
A tendril of dread crept down Declan’s spine as he recalled his time in those tunnels, the creature they found lurking inside, and the hundreds of Savages living within that underground hellhole.
“Why did they go up there?” Declan inquired.
“Some of the cameras went down, but they always do, and this time they went out during a thunderstorm, so it was supposed to be a routine thing.”
“But it wasn’t.”
“No, it’s not. Come on.” Saxon clapped him and then Logan on the shoulder. “They’ll be happy to see the two of you; I know I am.”
“I’m happy to see you too,” Declan said.
“I was happier before we learned something was wrong,” Logan said.
Their boots thudded against the floor, and Madison gurgled as she slapped her father’s shoulders and bounced in his arms while they strode toward the library. The doors were already open, and voices drifted out as they approached.
A part of him relaxed at the sound of those familiar voices, but another part felt like he was walking barefoot across hot coals. He teetered on the verge of something as he walked a fine line between control and giving in to the sucking madness pulling at him since he became an adult vampire.
He’d lost control once before, and he’d vowed never to let it happen again, but the demon part of him was riled up and seeking to be set free. Dipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a lollipop and unwrapped it. He didn’t look at it before sticking it in his mouth; he concealed a wince when the grape flavor hit his tongue.
