“Ahh, it’s like that.”
Gethin tempered his glare. “Like what?” he managed, surprised he didn’t crack a tooth, he was clenching his jaw so hard.
The bloke gave him a knowing grin. “You like him,” he said, pointing with the neck of his own lager bottle to the dance floor. “Don’t blame you, he’s well fit.”
Gethin did scowl then. “Can’t fucking stand the little shit,” he muttered.
The guy laughed. “Sure, whatever. Come and dance. I wanna feel your muscles up close.”
It was tempting. The guy was cute; on the slender side and with blue eyes that sparkled with promise. Nobody here knew him either, another plus. Gethin reluctantly shook his head. “Can’t. Keeping an eye on his lordship.”
The bloke shrugged. “Your loss, hot stuff.” He drained his drink, then merged into the heaving mass of masculinity, shaking his pert arse as he went.
Gethin sighed and finished his lager. The beat throbbed in his bones like a bruise, but he didn’t dare attempt to block it out. He had to remain alert to any possible threat. He didn’t think it was likely lightning would strike twice, but seeing as he’d have also staked his savings on there not being any way to dope a vampire, perhaps he wasn’t the best judge of what folk would do.
Sorley had one arm around the twink, the fingers of his other hand inching below the waistband of the kid’s booty shorts, and his lips nuzzling a pale, smooth neck, when Gethin’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He tugged it out, his pulse jumping when he saw who was calling. He stuck a finger in one ear and pressed the handset to his other.
“Justin?”
His boss sounded troubled. “We think they’ve nobbled someone new.”
Fuck.
“Give me a minute. I’ll call you straight back.” He pocketed the phone and waded through the half-naked bodies to tap Sorley on the shoulder. “Oi, we’re needed.”
Sorley’s pout was epic. “I’m busy.” The shameless bastard didn’t attempt to hide where his fingers were now.
“Tough. Remove your digits from your new pet’s cock and shift your arse.”
The twink batted mascara’d lashes up at Gethin. He was evidently flying on something more potent than mere alcohol, but his smile was knowing. “Hellooo, Daddy.”
Gethin repressed a shudder. To keep the peace, he forced a smile and patted the boy’s cheek. “You’ll keep for next time, okay?” His amiable demeanour didn’t stretch to Sorley, to whom he shot daggers.
Sorley met his stare with an insouciance that had Gethin’s fangs prickling, until he must have seen a look that told him he’d pushed as far as he could. With an exaggerated sigh, he extricated himself from the twink and said farewell with a kiss that surely gave the boy a tonsillectomy. Gethin wasn’t watching, much.
Outside, Gethin didn’t give Sorley time to ask questions. He marched quickly in the first direction that promised a quiet place to return Justin’s call, feeling the vamp keep pace with him. He found an alley and ducked inside to lean against the wall.
“What the hell happened?” he said as soon as Justin picked up.
There was a deep sigh. “Manchester. A young woman was terrified by a man she said was behaving erratically. He’d followed her from a club, kept hassling her. He wasn’t making a lot of sense, and at first she thought he was drunk or high but harmless. She had her phone out, intending to call for help if he kicked off.”
“And?”
Justin’s sigh deepened. “He kicked off. But not in the way she expected him to. According to her, he pushed her up against a hedge, licked her face and neck, told her they were soul mates, then tore himself away and ‘howled at the sky’ — those were the exact words she used, before his face changed and he sprouted enormous fangs. She screamed, he startled, and thankfuckthe scream evidently penetrated his brain, because she then says his face ‘blurred like a Snapchat filter’ before he ran off like the devil himself was chasing him.”
“Oh shit.” In his peripheral vision Gethin noted Sorley’s eyes were like saucers. “Where is the girl now?”
“Being comforted and examined by paramedics. It looks as though they intend on taking her in to run drug tests on her, seeing as people don’t just sprout fangs. We got a call from the ambulance control room tipping us off. We’re hopeful some of our people will get there before they reach the hospital to do a reset on their memories.”
“That’d be easiest if they can,” Gethin agreed. “What about the shifter?”
“I’ve got people on that too. We’re sweeping the city’s surveillance cameras as I speak. Nothing as yet, but if the fella gave himself a good fright, it might have been enough to send him into hiding.”
“Didn’t work for me.” Gethin flashed a quick glance in Sorley’s direction. “It didn’t, did it? I was half out of my mind thirsting for blood. We need to know how the drug, poison, whatever, works, before we can guess what he’ll do next.”
“That’s valid. Justin, Sorley suggest— Oh, you heard. I think he’s right. Unless we know the purpose of the doping, how can we proceed? God knows how Hetheridge—”
“Hetheridge-Parker—”Sorley’s irritation was palpable. Gethin ignored him.
