To Serve and Protect (11 page)

As he pulled Vincent by the cord a couple of yards to the left of them, he stuck out his shoe to reach for the knife lying on the ground just a few feet away. He slid it closer and bent down to get a hold of it while still holding the rope he had just tied Vincent’s hands with. He brought the knife to Vincent’s neck and stared at Jacob and Troy. “Do you, gentlemen, care to see a vampire execution up close?”

Jacob trembled and his legs felt weak. He wanted to jump at the killer but couldn’t. “Please, don’t hurt him.”

Vincent looked at Jacob and said, “It’s all right, Jacob. I’m not afraid to die. I’ve lived long enough. Longer than most.”

Tears threatened to spill, but Jacob held them back. He needed to be strong for Vincent and himself. “No, I don’t want you to die. I love you too much to let you go like this.”

Vincent replied, “I love you, too. But I don’t want you to get hurt. Go on, get the hell out of here.”

“Now isn’t that touching? Lovers, are you? Well, then this will be all the more pleasurable for me. Seeing your lover’s eyes and reaction when I slit your throat and eat your heart and drink your blood will be quite thrilling.”

“Please don’t. I’ll do anything.” Jacob looked at Troy, trying to stall until the backup he ordered John to send would get there. “We’ll do anything, as long as you don’t hurt him.”

“Hmm, interesting offer. Tell me, what would you do?”

Being Jacob’s partner, Troy had obviously learned to read Jacob’s signs and hints pretty well. He, too, joined in the ploy. “We’ll help you get other vampires. We got connections at the station and with other stations, too.”

The killer laughed. “Do you think me so stupid? Do you think I would believe anything you said now? You’re playing me to stall for time. Why, so the rest of the force comes here?”

He paused and continued, “Yeah, that’s it. You called for backup and they’ll be here any minute.” He twisted Vincent’s face so he stared at him and said, “Enough with these games. It’s time you die, vampire.”

“No, it’s time you die,” Vincent said, and before Jacob realized it, Vincent bit into the slayer’s neck with elongated canine teeth that suddenly protruded from his gums and that Jacob never knew he had. The killer struggled but seemed to be unable to move, as if Vincent’s bite had numbed him before he began to suck his blood. The blood feast lasted for minutes, which seemed like centuries for Jacob and Troy, who stared in shock.

When Vincent let go, the killer collapsed to the ground motionless, his glazed, dead eyes staring at nothing in a frozen expression of shock and fear.

Jacob ran to Vincent, who almost fell to ground, too. He caught him and held him in his arms. “Are you all right?”

“No, I’m not. I’m dying.”

Jacob looked at Troy for help, who said, “Go on, take him out of here. Give him blood. That’s what he needs. The slayer’s blood to him is like poison. Only if he gets human blood can he clean his system.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll stay and make up a story for the other cops when they get here.” Sirens were heard approaching. Troy shooed him. “Go on, take the car and hurry!”

Jacob picked up Vincent in his arms and brought him to the car. He placed him in the backseat and said, “Hang on, Vincent. I’m going to make everything right.”

But by now, Vincent had lost consciousness. And he was twitching. His vampire body was going into shock as the slayer’s blood poisoned him.

Pushing his foot on the gas pedal to the floor, he peeled out of there as fast as he could. He needed to get to another isolated area where he could park and Vincent could feed.

Vincent wasn’t going to die. He’d move Heaven and Earth to save him. Even if he himself had to die doing it.

Chapter 16

A thousand needles swam in Vincent’s blood. That was how excruciating it felt as the poison progressed through his system and slowly killed his vampire blood cells one by one. He needed to feed to survive, but unfortunately, he couldn’t open his eyes.

“Come on, Vincent, drink,” Jacob said.

His voice sounded so far off, but Vincent knew he was right next to him, holding his head up. Warm liquid trickled at first onto his lips, then made its way into his mouth. Blood. Sweet, salty, metallic. Mmm, it was human. He hadn’t tasted this vintage of blood in over a century. He had forgotten how good it could be, or addictive.

“That’s it, Vincent. Drink my blood.” Vincent tried to close his mouth when he realized Jacob fed him his own blood, but Jacob forced his mouth to stay open. “No, please drink.” In reflex, Vincent swallowed the liquid when it filled his mouth. If not, he’d choke.

No, he didn’t want this. Why couldn’t Jacob understand that? Why didn’t he just let him die?

As the pain gradually diminished and his strength began to return, his mind cleared completely and he understood why. If the tables were turned and he would have to give his own blood so that Jacob would live, he would do it without a moment’s hesitation. He loved Jacob mind, heart, and soul, and Jacob loved him in exactly the same way. He knew that now without a doubt.

Opening his eyes, he swallowed the last of the blood he needed. His body had fully recovered. He placed his hand on Jacob’s wrist and said, “Thank you. I’m done now.”

Jacob nodded, putting a shredded piece of cloth over the narrow cut on his own wrist. He tied it to stop the bleeding. “How are you feeling?”

He smiled. “As good as a new vampire would. And it’s because of you.”

Jacob caressed his face. “I was so scared I lost you, right when I just got you back in my life and heart. I couldn’t take that.”

Vincent sighed. “I’m so sorry for what I put you through. But I did it for your safety. I was a vampire and the less you knew about my dark world and me, the better and safer you were.”

He took a deep breath and continued to explain himself. “I was born a vampire over two centuries ago. But I never wanted to be one. I hated the world I grew up in. Bit by bit, I started to change. I gave up feeding on human blood and only fed on animal blood. Then I changed my name, my identity, and moved from city to city and country to country, trying to escape the vampire world I came from. I wanted to live an almost normal life. And I was successful for quite a long while. But then my past caught up with me.

“My brother found me and asked for my help. He needed my protection from a rogue group of vampire slayers. He had drawn attention to himself doing something stupid like trying to kill one of their kin and was put on their hit list.

“He had no one else who he could go to for help. I was his only hope. So I agreed to help save him from them. He was my brother and no matter what, I loved him and would do anything to save him.”

A single tear trickled down Vincent’s face as he thought of his dead brother. Taking another deep breath, he continued, “So I knew the only way to help him was for me to leave the new world I had created for myself and all the people I cared for and go underground with him.

“I not only needed to save Whitman, but I needed to save you, too. That’s why I said those lies to you and disappeared. It was to protect you.”

“They were all lies?”

Vincent nodded. “Yeah, especially the one that I felt nothing for you. I’ve loved you all these months, and I never stopped thinking or wondering about you while my brother and I tried to hide from the slayers.”

Jacob put his finger on his lips. “Shh. Sleep now. You’ll tell me the rest once you rest and wake up.” He bent down and kissed him on the lips.

Vincent’s heart skipped several beats in giddiness. As Jacob moved away, he asked, “Where will you be?”

Jacob sat on the seat next to him in the car. “Right beside you. I’ll always be right by your side from now on.”

Smiling, Vincent closed his eyes and let his dreams take him away. He hoped they’d be filled with Jacob and the new life they’d have together.

Epilogue

A week had gone by, but with all that happened, it seemed more like a decade. Vincent was staying at Jacob’s apartment, staring out the window. He wondered when Jacob would be arriving. He had a nice surprise planned for him and news of his own, as well.

He had heard through the grapevine that the rogue slayers would be moving out. Too much attention had been brought on them thanks to Sal’s murder. It was time they moved to another state and continued their vampire serial killings there. There were still a few vampire slayers in the area, but they weren’t rogues with a cult religious purpose. They fed on vampires’ blood and hearts only when needed and on the ones that deserved to die for taking human lives. In Vincent’s eyes, that was how it should be. That was the proper order of things that would keep the humans safe and a balance between slayers and vampires.

But that still didn’t solve the problem of the rogue slayers out there. Before, he purposely kept a blind eye on this corruption, thinking what he didn’t see or know was better for him. He felt he could hide from his sins and damnation this way. But he lied to himself. The death of his brother showed him this. The only way he could make peace with himself and God was if he followed his heart and conscience. He needed to go after the rogue slayers and vampires who murdered innocent vampires and humans and stop them.

Checking his watch, he realized Jacob would be arriving in a few minutes. He needed to get things ready. Hopefully, what he planned tonight would make up for the news he’d deliver after that.

* * * *

Jacob could finally take a breath of relief as he made his way home. He had signed the report on the case an hour ago and sent it to the captain’s e-mail. He and Troy had covered theirs and Vincent’s tracks well. News of slayers and vampires loose in the city would cause pandemonium if the public ever knew. The story they drew up was much more believable and less panic-invoking.

Sal Brooke was the serial killer, and someone who found out who he was decided to kill him. The lack of blood in his body was something they couldn’t explain. But it would go unanswered as many other cases like this had gone unanswered over the years. The police would continue to search, but they covered their tracks, so Vincent’s true vampire identity would never be uncovered. And he could never be accused of Sal’s murder.

Troy handed in his badge after confessing he helped Sal and covered up evidence. The fact he was doing it to save his ex-wife played in his favor and he wasn’t prosecuted for his actions. But he could no longer be a cop. Jacob would miss working with him. They made a hell of a great team.

Now that that part of his life passed, Jacob needed to focus on the present and the future. He wanted to do that tonight with Vincent. When he opened the door, his eyes almost popped out of his head. On the floor in the corridor lay a long line of Hershey’s KISSES wrapped in silver and gold foil, his favorite chocolate. The trail led to his bedroom. Eager to see what lay at the end of it, he picked each chocolate and headed to his room, eating one delicious KISS on the way.

* * * *

“Like your surprise?” Vincent said, lying on the bed wearing nothing but two ribbons of silver and gold, the same colors as the KISSES wrappings.

“Hell, yes!” Jacob’s eyes widened as his admiring gaze followed Vincent’s silhouette from head to foot. Vincent got excited at the hunger and desire he witnessed in his lover’s eyes.

Kicking off his shoes, Jacob began to quickly undress. Vincent wagged his finger back and forth. “Ah-ah, that isn’t your job but mine.” He got up and stood before his mate. Cupping his cheeks in his hands, he brought his lips to Jacob’s and kissed him passionately. Lips on lips, tongues intertwined, each seduced and excited the other.

While his lips and tongue occupied themselves with Jacob’s wanton, delicious mouth, Vincent started to undress his lover. First he removed his jacket and shirt, rubbing his muscular chest and toned abs. Then he addressed his jeans, unbuttoning them and sliding the zipper downward.

Jacob’s cock sprang out free and ready for some action, obviously, for it was fully erect and pre-cum coated the tip. Jacob moaned when Vincent caressed him there.

Taking the two ribbons off his own body, he wrapped the gold one on Jacob’s right wrist and the silver on his left. Releasing Jacob’s lips and gazing at him with sultry eyes, he motioned with a finger for Jacob to follow him to the bed.

Without a word, Jacob did as he asked and lay on the bed, just staring at Vincent with desire and biting his lip. Vincent tied his wrists to the bedposts, making sure they weren’t tied too tight to hurt him or cut blood circulation.

Then he traced Jacob’s godlike body, starting from his face down to his neck, shoulders, and chest. Goose pimples of pleasure formed under his touch. Jacob moaned, “Suck me.”

Vincent laughed, asking, “Suck you how, lover?”

Jacob smiled, giving Vincent a seductive stare of his own. “My blood first, then my cock.”

Ever since that first time Jacob fed him his blood to save his life, Vincent craved more of it. It had become an aphrodisiac he drank as a cocktail before they made love. He drank only a few drops, but it was enough to excite both Jacob and him and bond them in their lovemaking and life.