“We set the mansion on fire,” Roger replied.
Zack attempted to sit up again, actually managing to wriggle up a little. “Roger! There was a priceless library! Medieval texts! Lore books that I had only heard about before! Tell me you didn’t burn that collection!”
The statement was so perfectly Zack that Takashi started laughing and couldn’t stop. Roger began as well, not nearly as heartily, and yet Takashi only laughed harder, tears forming in his eyes. The relief was profound, made tender by having his lovers with him.
“You are yourself.” Roger began to untie Zack, and at that impetus, Takashi helped him.
“I had a bag on me,” Zack said. “And my dagger.”
Takashi pointed to where they lay on the dresser. “Katie had similar purses stuffed full with jewelry and video games.”
“Ah, I didn’t think about selling those. Probably not worth as much as she thought,” Zack replied.
“You were going to run away?” Roger asked.
“I didn’t know a rescue was coming,” Zack said.
“Well, it did.” Takashi leaned up and kissed Roger. “Thank you.”
“Always,” Roger promised. He kissed Zack. “I love you both.”
“I love you both, too,” Zack said with a handsome smile.
Takashi decided to kiss each of them and let them feel his love that way instead.
After they untied Zack, Zack and Takashi slipped into changes of comfortable clothes. Takashi would have preferred to sleep in his underwear, but there were too many other people in the house. Without any clue when someone was going to disturb them, Roger pushed for modesty. Too many mortals or some nonsense like that.
When they lay down on the bed together, Zack insisted that Takashi be between them. Exhaustion greater than the drowsiness of dawn pulled on him. With Roger’s arm around him and Zack lightly stroking his arm, Takashi drifted off, content in ways he couldn’t remember being before.
Waiting for Roger and Takashi to fall asleep was brutal. Zack struggled to keep his eyes open as the minutes crawled by. Takashi nodded off pretty quickly. Roger kept sending him lazy smiles, which Zack did his best to return, and staying awake despite the massive bags under his eyes. But Roger did fall asleep.
You will come back to me, Seamus demanded. His voice was more distant than it had been, like he was shouting across a ravine, but the fact that it was still there meant Zack remained connected to him. And if they were connected, Seamus could use that to track him down. Or worse, force him to do what he wanted.
Until Zack found some way to break it, he was a danger to the ones he loved.
He sat up and took a long moment to appreciate the view of his lovers in front of him. Takashi had his back up against Roger’s front, and Roger had looped his arm over Takashi. They were nestled in together like they’d never been apart, and that brought a genuine smile to Zack’s lips. Roger’s hair was horrible, but the rest of him was the same handsome vampire that Zack had first seen.
They won’t be alone. They have each other. And I’ll come back to them, I will. Zack dared to kiss Takashi’s forehead, thenRoger’s. He waited to see if either stirred. When they didn’t, he slipped out of bed.
Roger had thought of everything for their corner of the safe house. There was another outfit, which included one of Zack’s favorite hoodies and a pair of sneakers. Silently, Zack changed into the more practical outfit and took his dagger and the purse off the dresser. Then he snuck out of the room.
The rest of the safe house was in a recognizable chaos. Zack hadn’t been on any family missions since Detroit, but he’d been home when everyone else arrived from one. Some of his early childhood memories included creeping down the stairs from where he was sleeping at his grandparents’ to find his mom or dad. Usually, they sent him right back to bed, but getting to see that they were all right calmed him enough to do that.
Zack could try to find Thomas or Amber in the mess. He’d have to explain that he was leaving, and he wasn’t sure they’d let him.I’ll call once I get away.
Stealing a set of keys was almost too easy, and he made his way through the house to the garage. Once he shut the door, he was alone. The larger garage door was already open, and out beyond, there were cars in the driveway and a few on the street. He had to hope the keys he’d taken were for one of the cars that wasn’t blocked in.
Dawn had given way to day, and sunlight poured in through the open door. The line of shadow on pavement seemed like the edge of an abyss. In theory, Zack stood a chance at surviving in sunlight. After all, he was supposedly a super-strong vamp. But extremely old vampires became more susceptible to sunlight, so he might be screwed.
“Only one way to find out,” Zack muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and shoved his hand out into the light.
Immediately, his hand burst into flames.
Swearing, Zack yanked his hand out of the light and put the flame out with his other sleeve. “Fuck!”
“Problem with your escape plan?” Thomas drawled.
Zack jumped and spun to see his dad coming out of the house to join him in the garage. Thomas was older than Zack remembered. Gray hairs at his temples had been there for years, but there were more of them. More lines around his eyes, too.
