Hanging On By A Thread (Clearnight Haven Book 2), page 11
“Bernard Brantley?” Fabian asked in confusion.
Snow chuckled lightly as he replied, “B.B. Your new little friend and your brother’s mate.”
Fabian knew the smile that crossed his face was wide and bright. “B.B. Ah.”
“Yeah. I’ll make out the report, then bring it with me later so he can sign it, but right now I gotta get going.”
“Me too. I really need to go check on our...guests right now, and you shouldn’t be here. How about tomorrow, well, tonight sometime, you stop by and we’ll figure out the best way to proceed for all of us?” Fabian offered.
“Sounds good to me. If you have any problems and need anything else, just call,” Snow said, then turned and left.
Fabian shook his head at the closed door. He really thought they were going to have a problem with the agent, and after their first meeting he thought the guy was an asshole, but now his mind had changed. Snow was a good man and one that Fabian had a feeling they could count on in the future.
Fabian walked toward the back of the house where there was a large storage room big enough to house at least ten large cars. Currently it held tools and stuff to maintain the property and had a door leading to the backyard. They figured it was like a tool shed, but it was way too large for that. He had no idea what Malcolm Dean had built if for, or what he used it as, but he thought it was the perfect place to “talk” to his new guests.
Fabian opened the heavy steel door and stepped into the room, the heels from his expensive shoes tapping on the concrete floor as he approached the group waiting for him. The asshole vampire from earlier that had given him a hard time was tied to a chair with duct tape and chains. The other asshole Fabian didn’t know yet, the human, was hanging by his wrists from a thick chain in the ceiling, his toes just making contact with the floor below.
“Why is the vampire in the chair and the human hanging?’ Fabian asked as he got closer.
“Seeing as this asshole’s only real crime toward us was being stupid and thinking himself above everyone else, we figured he could rest until we found out his other crimes. And as for this piece of shit, Viscardi’s pet told us that he had to interrupt this Wally from trying to fry Atticus’ brains today with an electric shock,” Saber answered and held up the cane Fabian had wondered about before.
Fabian reached out and took the item. Looking it over carefully he saw that the bottom tip was where the electric current would come from and when he pressed the top of the cane it triggered the volt and sparks glowed from the tip.
“If you press it with your palm the voltage rises with the amount of pressure you give it,” Kalen said.
“And he used this on Atticus?” Fabian asked between clenched teeth as he stared at the cane, continuing to play with it, watching the blue go brighter.
“Yup. From what that Diego said, he hurt Atticus pretty bad with it, and he knew his Master would have gotten pissed if this prick fried Atty’s brain and he couldn’t be auctioned off. So he stepped in and stopped him, but that was after he had already hit Atticus with at least three jolts that he knew of and the last one was long and hard, from what he said. It’s the reason why he practically had to carry Atticus into the auction, his legs wouldn’t work from the hit this fuck gave him,” Saber replied angrily.
“So, this, human,” Fabian said the word as if it were shit on the bottom of his shoe. “Took this electrified cane and zapped Atticus with it to the point he couldn’t walk? And it was so bad that this Diego had to stop him before he fried my mate’s brain,” Fabian seethed.
“Fuck,” the vampire chained to the chair hissed under his breath.
Fabian turned to glare at him. “Yes. Fuck. As in, You. Are. Fucked. You know what it means to harm a vampire's mate. But don’t think you’ve gotten off so easily. I can see in your eyes that you are not so innocent when it comes to what happened to my Atticus.” Immediately the man's eyes filled with fear and he swallowed hard, telling Fabian that he had hit the nail on the head. An evil smirk crossed his lips and he sneered at the vampire. “We’re about to have so much fun, the six of us,” Fabian said, motioning to the two of them and he and his three brothers who all stood menacingly close with evil in their eyes.
CHAPTER 13
Atticus woke up to find himself in a lavish room. He lay in a large, overstuffed bed with dark eggplant sheets and a black comforter. The room was vast and decorated tastefully and masculine and the bed looked like it took up almost half the space. There was a fireplace against one wall and large double doors that Atticus could see led out to a balcony. He also spotted three doors and figured one went off into the house wherever he was, the other was probably a closet, and the last a bathroom. That thought grabbed his attention as his bladder made it known that it needed attention.
Atty threw the covers back and slid across the bed until his feet dangled over the edge, then stood and made his way to one of the doors. Opening it, his eyes went wide when he saw that it was a closet that was four times bigger than the whole trailer he lived in with Patrice, and the whole thing was perfectly organized with honey colored shelves and drawers. There was also a chaise lounge in the center where one could sit and put on shoes maybe.
His bladder screamed at him again and Attic turned from the closet. Just then he spotted his best friend and he smiled brightly, but then a thought hit him. He was in the home of his new Master and B.B. was here. Did that mean that they had already gotten their hands on him?
B.B. looked at him with wide eyes and a big smile as he walked in carrying a tray of delicious smelling food. “You’re up?” B.B. said and placed the tray on the foot of the bed, then ran to him, hugging Atticus tight. “God, I am so happy to see you. I have been so worried. I didn’t know what happened to you. If you were hurt or dead.”
“I’m okay, B. I promise. But before we go into anything else, which way to the bathroom?”
B.B. chuckled at him and pointed to one of the other doors. He hurried across the room and entered, closing the door behind him. Running to the toilet, Atty took care of business and looked around as he did. His eyes going wide from the size of the room and all it had to offer. Next to the toilet sat one of those fancy toilets that washed your tush. He couldn’t think of the word for it. Then across the room sat a venetian style tub, built into the floor so all you had to do was walk into it, and it looked like it could hold a few big, grown men comfortably. The wall behind it was a grand picture window that looked out over the beautiful view of the water, and there was even a skylight above it.
To the left of that on the other wall was a very large walk-in shower with a glass partition separating it from the rest of the room. Beyond the glass was a long two-tiered tiled bench on one side. Atticus could see a few shower heads built into the walls and another large one coming from the ceiling above. But there were also smaller jets spread out and a large orange bulb in the ceiling over the bench. Atticus wondered what that was.
Adjusting himself, he moved to the double sink to wash his hands and looked around the room through the mirror hanging above. He had no idea where he was, but B.B. seemed happy, so hopefully he was in a safe place. Then the conversation with Jasper came back to him. His mate. Jasper had said his mate was responsible for rescuing him. Could it be true? Is that where he was now? “Guess there is only one way to find out,” he mumbled to the room.
Atticus stepped out of the bathroom to find B.B. sitting in the center of the really large bed with his legs crisscrossed and the food tray sitting waiting for him. He quickly crossed the room and jumped on the bed, joining his best friend. He mimicked B.B and sat facing him. “What the hell is going on? And where are we?”
B.B. gave him a bright smile and grabbed his hands. “We’re in the home of your new coven leader, Fabian Valentine and his brothers. They helped me find you and got you out of that horrible place. God, Atty, I was going out of my mind trying to find you and I had no idea how I was going to do that. Then Fabian and his brother, the butthead, showed up at your house sniffing around and I talked to them. They told me they were looking into your disappearance. If it weren’t for them I don’t know what would have happened to you, or if I would even be alive. They saved me too, Atty.”
Atticus’s eyes went wide in shock. “What do you mean you wouldn’t be alive? What happened?”
B.B. moved the tray closer to Atticus. “Here, eat while I tell you everything. You look like you’ve lost weight and I’m sure you must be starving. Fabian said to give you a few of these as well,” B.B. said as he lifted a lid off another dish and he was surprised to see four bags of blood.
Atty’s mouth salivated as he stared at the crimson filled lungs. He grabbed for one as his fangs dropped from his gums, and hurriedly bit down into the plastic. Warm, rich, blood coated his tongue, sliding down his throat, and Atticus closed his eyes, enjoying the nourishment his body had been starved of. After he drained every drop he could from that bag, he reached for the next. He hadn’t realized how hungry he truly was until now. Until he finally felt safe. Sir had given him little scraps of food and water, but only a small vile of blood per day to keep him sustained. It wasn’t enough to keep him strong, but just enough to keep him alive.
As he continued to drain the bags and eat all the food, B.B. explained everything that had happened since he met Fabian and his brother Silas, who, by the way, B.B said was his mate. Atty was shocked. Especially since B.B. kept referring to him as ass, butthead, and jerk. But there was a twinkle in B.B.’s eyes that told Atticus that his best friend was very happy.
“So, everything they did at that sick auction tonight was a scam just to rescue me?”
“Yup. As I said, they were working on the case anyway and once smarty pants Kalen found you on that site, they were trying to come up with a plan to get you out, but hopefully some of the others too. That’s why they called in Agent Snow. But once Fabian smelled your scent on my shirt, well, your shirt, he went into overdrive. He told Kalen it didn’t matter how high he had to bid to get in that auction, to just do it, then from what Silas said, the auction wasn’t going that well and Fabian and the guys were sick watching what was happening. He said Fabian was so close to losing control and attacking everyone in the room and not stopping until all those sick fucks were dead. So he upped the ante for you on his last bid so they could get you and them the hell out of there.”
“Wow. I watched his face the whole time I was up on that stage and even though I couldn’t see his eyes because he wouldn’t take off those sunglasses, I could see how intense he was. I actually thought maybe he was blind at first, but then realized that wasn’t possible when I saw he was a vampire. But the look on his face and the tone of his voice...shit, B, I was terrified. I thought for sure that once he became my fucking Master that I was in for a world of suffering and pain. I had no idea what he was saying because he only spoke in Italian, but I could feel the intensity in him from across the room.”
“That was all part of the act, Atty. They needed everyone in that room to be afraid of him, or at least intimidated by him. But from what Silas said, Fabian was so close to losing his shit, that I guess he got a little too intense,” B.B. replied with a shrug.
Atty sat quietly for a moment thinking about what happened at the auction and how right from the start he felt himself drawn to...well, Fabian, he knew his name now. But he had been terrified from the clenched jaw and stiff body he could see as Fabian stood there staring at him. And Atty had no doubt that Fabian had been staring at him the whole time. He could feel it in his bones. Now to find out it was because the man was not only his mate, but was fighting to keep control and not to kill everyone because of him, sent a thrill through him that Atty felt guilty about.
Yes, they were there for him and had managed to get him out, and it thrilled him beyond words that his mate was there and he was about to meet him, but what about the others? The other men who were there being auctioned off that night and all the others that would still be taken like he had been? Was he even allowed to feel this thrill, this desire, knowing his mate was close, and that the man was a fucking sexy god, when all those others were still suffering?
“What’s wrong, Atty?” B.B. asked.
“What about the others? There was a lot of men there that were in the same predicament as I was, that are now out there with these sick beasts, and who knows what they’re suffering right now as I sit here in this grand house, safe, eating like a king.”
“They’re safe, Atticus,” a smooth, velvety, sexy as sin voice said from the doorway.
Atticus turned to find Fabian, his mate, standing there watching him. He could see the caution and uncertainty in Fabian’s gorgeous eyes. Amazing green eyes. Wow. They were so deep and mesmerizing that Atty just wanted to stare at them all day.
After he sat motionless for a few minutes just staring at those eyes, his gaze moved, taking in all of his mate, and Atty found himself getting hard. Holy fuck, his mate was perfect. He was so perfect that Atty thought Fabian was probably the model used when the statues of the Greek gods Adonis or Helios were made. Shoulder length, soft looking, sandy blonde hair that framed his face nicely, strong nose, cheekbones, and jaw, long sensual neck and shoulders so wide Fabian probably wouldn’t have to wear shoulder pads if he played football.
Atticus’s gaze dropped lower to a muscular body with rippling pecs and eight pack abs, pressing against a tight black tee, going to a trim waist and a perfect V, leading to sexy hips and muscular thighs. And if the bulge behind the zipper of the man's jeans was any indication of what hid beneath it, Fabian was one blessed man. Atticus’s hole twitched in anticipation.
“I’m thrilled that my mate likes what he sees,” Fabian commented, bringing Atticus’ gaze back to his mate’s eyes.
“Shit, Atty, after that eye fuck I think I need a damn shower,” B.B. said and Atty saw his friend adjust his cock from the corner of his eye.
If vampires could blush, he was sure he would be bright red right now from being caught lusting after his mate. But damn, the man was perfect. Atticus’s gaze dropped down to look at Fabian’s lips, and he suddenly found himself wanting a taste. Craving a taste.
“Alrighty then, I’m gonna go. You two have a lot to talk about,” B.B. said as he slid from the bed and stood. “Although the way the two of you are devouring each other with your eyes, I think I should go before I get caught between you when this growing pyre ignites.”
Atty couldn't say anything as B.B. left the room, too mesmerized by the gorgeous man that fate deemed his. He could feel his heart beating faster and felt his blood boiling with need to bite and claim. To make the man his before Fabian realized Atticus wasn’t worthy. He was too messed up and had too much baggage for his mate to want him. The thought filled Atty with sadness and he broke their connection, looking down as he was suddenly filled with shame.
CHAPTER 14
Fabian loved that his mate was devouring him with his eyes. Atticus’ gaze felt like a whisper of a caress as it moved over his body, and Fabian found himself instantly hard. When their gazes locked for the first time, Fabian knew he would never be able to be without this sexy man that sat in the middle of his bed. He could feel the bond between them already beginning to form, and the thought thrilled him beyond compare. He couldn’t think of a better mate for him then the sweet Atticus. Fate really did know what she was doing.
Now that his mate had been cleaned up some, gotten some rest, food, and nourishment of blood, he was looking better. More like the sexy man he had seen in the picture B.B. had of Atticus. And damn, was his mate sexy. He still looked in need of a good shower. His long jet-black hair was laying limp around his face, but Fabian knew it would be silky soft. He ached to run his fingers through those locks and pull Atty close so that he could kiss those plump, pink lips. Gods, he wanted to feel them against his own. Against his skin. He wanted to kiss his way down Atticus’ smooth, pale flesh and feel it’s creaminess.
Fabian was aware that B.B. had said something, but had no clue what. Probably something snarky or sarcastic, but he was too fixated on his mate to understand the words. B.B. walked from the room, leaving them alone, and Fabian was grateful. He wanted to get to know his man. His man? Damn, he liked the sound of that.
The look of shame that suddenly filled Atticus’ eyes twisted his gut, making Fabian’s protective side emerge again. He closed the distance between them, but stopped at the foot of the bed, not wanting to scare his mate. “What’s wrong, Atticus? Have I said or done something wrong?”
Atticus kept his head down, his long hair falling around his face, creating a veil as he shook his head. “No. It’s just…” Fabian could hear the hard swallow when Atty stopped speaking.
“I promise that whatever it is, you can tell me. You are safe with me.”
Atticus’s head snapped up, his intense blue eyes meeting his gaze. “I know that. I know you would never harm me. I admit that earlier tonight, back there, in that place, I was terrified of you. Not you personally, but who I thought you were and what you would do to me. Now that B.B. has told me everything and that you behaved that way to save me, and that you did in fact rescue me, I know you won’t hurt me, it’s just...I’m worried that I’m...not...I’m not...good enough...for you,” Atticus said softly at the end. His voice strained with emotion.
