Chapter Six

The vampire's sudden attack sent Jaytee flying through the air, his body slamming onto the unforgiving asphalt. His head hit the ground with a sickening thud. White-hot pain seared through his skull like shards of molten glass, blurring his vision and leaving him disoriented and vulnerable.

But he couldn't afford to stay down. Raidh was in danger, and Jaytee needed to find him before it was too late. Jaytee's heart raced in a panicked frenzy as he struggled to get back on his feet, swaying and staggering as he tried to get his bearings. Something warm and wet trickled down the back of his scalp, soaking into his shirt.

Then an overwhelming scent filled his nostrils, but it wasn't his blood he smelled.

It was Raidh's.

The realization made Jaytee's stomach drop with dread, a surge of panic gripping him as he frantically searched for his mate.

And then he heard it, the bone-chilling sound of wet, smacking lips. His mate was too small and delicate to lose even a drop of blood.

The smell grew stronger, overwhelming Jaytee with its intoxicating aroma, tempting him just like it had outside the café. The sweet fragrance was making it even more difficult to focus.

The scent clouded his mind with a dangerous haze.

"No!" He ground his teeth and shook his head viciously, causing his injury to throb even harder.

He couldn't fall into that fog. He had to resist the temptation, had to save his Moonbeam. Had to pull himself out of this mindfuck.

Raidh's distressing whimper tore heavily at Jaytee's heart and ripped him out of the haze.

With a burst of primal rage, Jaytee shot forward and clutched the vampire's jaw, applying so much pressure he heard bones cracking. "Get your goddamn fangs out of him!"

He couldn't yank the bloodsucker away. That would risk tearing open Raidh's throat. Jaytee had to make the vampire voluntarily extract his teeth.

When the vampire recoiled and shrieked in pain, Jaytee saw his fangs were long and sharp, dripping with his mate's precious blood. They had also left a trail of crimson on the bastard's chin.

With a furious howl, he power-drove the vampire into a nearby tree. The impact was fierce and brutal, but Jaytee didn't care. He wanted the vampire dead in the worst way.

The vampire stumbled but quickly regained his footing, glaring at Jaytee with venomous hatred and the promise of revenge.

"I am begging you to come at me," Jaytee snarled as he rolled his shoulders, his need for revenge making his senses burn with anticipation. "My mouth is watering at the thought of ripping your goddamn heart out."

"One way or another, I'm getting that fairy." The vampire's eyes narrowed.

This creature would not lay a finger on Raidh as long as Jaytee drew a breath.

"By the way, we were paid to kill your little fairy." He slid his tongue out and licked his fangs still stained with Raidh's blood. "But damn, his blood is such a sweet bonus."

A bone-deep fury coursed through Jaytee's veins, settling deep in his gut. Paid to kill him? No way could Raidh's dad… No. The mere thought made Jaytee sick to his core.

It was inconceivable that a father could commit such a heinous act. Jaytee couldn't imagine his loving and selfless dad ever betraying his family in such a way. Kalen would lay down his life for any of his sons, and they would do the same for him.

But as Jaytee glanced at the vampire standing before him, he knew it was true. This monster didn't possess an ounce of love or compassion. He was gleeful of the betrayal.

"Don't act so appalled." The vampire sneered, taking a menacing step closer. "What did you expect? They are dark fairies, after all. They were born evil."

The only thing standing between him and Raidh was this monstrous being.

Jaytee had to end the bastard. He could hear his mate's shallow and ragged breathing, but he couldn't risk making a move, risk taking his eyes off the enemy, until the threat was eliminated.

"All I want—"

"I don't care what you want." Jaytee clenched his teeth. "I will drop you where you stand," he snarled, each word punctuated by a menacing step forward, "and then I will walk over your ravaged corpse to get to my mate. Fucking try me."

Jaytee barreled forward, tackled the bloodsucker around the waist, and drove the son of a bitch's head into another nearby oak tree. A loud crack echoed through the forest as the base of the oak tree snapped under the force of the impact, creating a large crack along its length.

Rage swirled inside Jaytee as he savagely rained down blow after blow, the force behind each strike fueled by his burning fury and the determination to pound Raidh's blood out of the creature's veins.

With a guttural snarl, Jaytee unsheathed his claws then sprang onto the vampire's back and repeatedly drove his razor-sharp weapons into its neck and chest.

Swinging off the vampire, he plunged his fist into the guy's chest and ripped out his still-beating heart. The vampire dropped lifeless to the ground.

"I told you I'd drop you where you stand and walk over your ravaged corpse," Jaytee growled, tossing aside the heart in disgust.

Breathing heavily, he raced to where Raidh lay on the ground. The air was audibly knocked out of his lungs when he saw his mate's shirt and neck were drenched in blood and he was struggling to breathe.

"No!" Jaytee dropped to his knees, screaming out in despair.

In a desperate attempt to save his mate, Jaytee crushed his lips against Raidh's neck and began to frantically lick at the tear in his throat. With every ounce of strength, he willed his saliva to heal the gaping wound. They had only just begun to know each other.

This couldn't be how it ended.

It just couldn't.

But as the taste of Raidh's blood filled his mouth, Jaytee fought against the haze that began clouding his mind. A low snarl erupted in his throat as he battled against the desire to consume the succulent liquid.

"Son? How bad?" His father's worried voice pierced through the haze that clouded his mind, bringing him back to reality. As the fog cleared and Jaytee's senses returned, he could still taste the tantalizing blood on his tongue, but it no longer held him in its grip.

He couldn't answer right now. He needed to stop the bleeding.

"Get the first aid kit." Kalen barked the order.

Within seconds, Jax was by his side. "Let me apply some pressure with gauze—"

Jaytee growled fiercely, his tongue lapping. He would lick until the goddamn thing fell off if he had to. Gauze wasn't going to do shit for Raidh.

"Back off, Jax," Kalen said in warning. "He's not going to let us near Raidh. Let him do what he needs to."

"We have to do something!" Damon said frantically. "I can't just stand here and watch him die!"

"Then go get your truck," Kalen said. "We're gonna need a way to get Raidh home."

Damon was the one most affected by Raidh's scent, so why had Jaytee nearly lost it and his twin was over there freaking out instead?

The roar of Damon's motorcycle echoed through the forest as the taste of blood grew fainter on Jaytee's tongue. Relief flooded him when he pulled back and saw the bleeding had finally stopped.

But his mate was so pale. Jaytee had failed to keep him safe. Even though the bleeding had stopped, he wasn't sure Raidh would make it. A hard, burning lump seared his throat. Please, please don't take my mate from me.

"The back of your head," Jax said. "It's bleeding."

"I'm fine." Jaytee didn't give a shit about his own injuries. He could shift and heal, but he was terrified his mate wouldn't pull through.

It wasn't like they could take Raidh to the hospital. All Jaytee could do was pray his fae didn't die.

With stinging tears in his eyes and terror in his heart, Jaytee pulled his mate onto his lap and rocked him.

His breath hitched when he saw Raidh's blood, mixed with the bloodsucker's he'd just killed, coating his hands. "The vampire said he was paid to kill Raidh," he murmured as he held Moonbeam tightly in his arms.

"First, do you think it was his dad?" Jax looked horrified that a father would even consider such a thing. He pulled out clothes from his go-bag and got dressed. "Second, how would the vampires know we'd be on this road and that we would stop?"

"They must have tracked us from the house," Kalen said as he dressed. "They just missed ambushing us but followed our scent and struck when we pulled over."

"I know in my gut it was his father." Jaytee ground his teeth as he looked down at his pale mate.

"This is just the beginning, son. I can feel it in my bones." Kalen's expression hardened as he looked out into the darkness surrounding them.

* * * *

As soon as Damon screeched to a stop, he jumped off his motorcycle and raced inside the house. He ran upstairs to get dressed because a shift caused clothes to shred. He'd driven home naked, and there was nothing worse than riding a bike with your willy hanging out, but he'd had no choice with no time to dress.

Now, he frantically searched for his truck keys, but they were nowhere to be found. It was like they'd vanished into thin air.

"Where the hell did I put those damn things!" He cursed and slowly spun, trying to remember when he'd last had them. Then he closed his eyes and facepalmed. "You're such an idiot."

The keys were already in his truck, tossed carelessly into the cupholder where he always kept them. He headed for the door, anxious to get back to his twin. Although Damon and the little fairy had started off on the completely wrong foot, he wanted to make sure Raidh was okay. He'd not only grown fond of the guy but he also loved seeing Jaytee so happy.

Too bad Raidh hadn't stumbled into their lives with Damon's mate in tow. After 235 years, Jaytee had found his mate. That gave Damon hope that his was out there somewhere, though he doubted he would find his mate just sitting around in a coffee shop.

With Damon's luck, he would find his mate and the guy would be sucking some poor victim dry. He shuddered at the thought. "Please let my mate be anything but a vampire. I'll even settled for a demon."

Almost to the door, Damon slowed his steps and sniffed the air, suppressing a growl when the smell of vampire filled the room—a metallic tang that made his nostrils flare in disgust.

There was also a faint scent of fairy, a sweet and delicate fragrance that mingled with the other odors.

There was no doubt the vampire was there for Raidh.

Easing over to the wall where Jax proudly displayed his collection of Samurai knives, Damon ran his hand over the cool steel before taking a set down.

As Damon turned, he noticed the scent was strongest toward the back of the house. His hands clenched around the knives in a reverse grip, tips pointed behind him as he cautiously crept closer to the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes, searching for any signs of the vampire, tasting the adrenaline rushing through his veins, heightening his senses and preparing him for battle.

But before Damon could enter the room, he felt the impact of the vampire slamming into him, sending him flying backward and crashing onto the floor.

Quickly recovering, Damon sprang to his feet and charged at the vampire, slashing and striking with a deadly precision, causing numerous areas on the guy's chest to erupt in blood. Then he buried one of his blades into the vampire's sternum with a fierce growl.

Seemingly unaffected by the attack, the vampire yanked the knife out of his chest, dropping it to the floor with a metallic clank.

"This is so unnecessary," he snarled. "Just hand over the fairy."

Breathing heavily, they circled each other in the tense silence of the room. "How about I hand you your ass instead?" Damon countered, twirling his remaining knife confidently.

Both moved inhumanly fast. Damon bared his canines as the vampire slugged him in the kidney. Then the vampire punched Damon repeatedly before he could spin out of reach. Damon dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.

"Give up, mutt." The vampire smiled smugly. "Step aside so I can retrieve the fairy, or I'll hang your dead carcass outside your front door."

Jaytee was counting on Damon to get back to him. He couldn't let his brother down. Dropping the knife, Damon lunged at the vampire, slamming his claws into the bloodsucker's chest and yanking out his heart.

"He's fae, you fucking moron." Panting heavily, Damon looked down at the heart. "Blah, gross." He dropped it and rushed outside, jumping into his truck and then speeding away.

When he made it back to his family, he was relieved to see the bleeding at Raidh's neck had stopped.

Kalen's eyebrows rose. "Mind telling me how you got so bloody retrieving your truck?"

"He can explain later," Jaytee barked. "Ride my motorcycle. I'm driving."

"Your head," Jax said to Jaytee.

"I'm fine," Jaytee snapped. Damon backed away as his twin lay Raidh gently on the backseat, got into the driver's seat, then sped down the road in the truck.

"Actually, we should probably hurry home," Damon said to his father and Jax. "I may have left a dead vampire on the living room floor."

"They came to our house?" Jax growled.

Kalen's expression darkened. "According to Jaytee, the vampire who attacked Raidh was hired to kill him."

Damon cursed under his breath. "I didn't check the house for more of them. I just wanted to get back here as fast as I could."

The three of them sped toward their home, determined to get there in case Jaytee needed their help.

* * * *

Galamir sneered as the vampire approached him in the dark forest. He felt disgust and shame creeping into his bones as he was forced to bargain with such a vile creature.

But in the end, all Galamir wanted was his son's death, even if it meant making a deal with the devil. The ancient vampire had ensured Raidh's demise already, but a backup plan never hurt.

The vampire approached with a graceful yet terrifying gait, his muscles visibly rippling under his skin. As he drew even closer, the air became heavy with the scent of death and decay, a reminder of what Galamir was dealing with.

Vicino also had a brutal scar that started under his left eye and ran down his face, causing him to look even more menacing. But didn't vampires heal by drinking blood?

Did he really care how Vicino had gotten it? No.

"Is it done?" Galamir asked, his voice laced with revulsion.

But even he couldn't deny the frightening size of Vicino, the biggest goddamn thing he had ever encountered.

It repulsed Galamir that he had to tread carefully around the most powerful vampire he had ever met, but he knew better than to underestimate the ruthlessness within the dangerous creature.

Despite Galamir's claims of mastery over dark magic, his skills were mediocre at best. That's why he'd spent a millennium investing so much time and effort in his son, pushing so hard in hopes that Raidh would become the most powerful Unseelie of their kind.

But all of Galamir's efforts had been in vain. Raidh had become a disgrace to the Shadowlace name, throwing away a talent that Galamir would kill for. He had refused to take his lessons seriously, which only fueled Galamir's anger and disdain toward him.

"Your son is well protected," Vicino said, rolling his massive shoulders as if they were weighed down by the burden of so many muscles. "Four wolf shifters slaughtered all six men I sent to kill your boy."

So, Raidh had taken refuge among mutts. For some reason Galamir would never understand, his son was drawn to filth. Like that girl from the lower classes he'd grown close to. What was her name again? Ah yes, Elvine. "Where did you locate Raidh?"

The vampire's deep, menacing chuckle echoed through the forest. "You only paid me to kill your son. If you want anything else from me, we can negotiate a price."

"But you haven't killed him yet," Galamir ground out.

Vicino narrowed his eyes. "It will get done. You didn't set a time frame, so you better calm down little fairy."

Damn Raidh for causing this mess. Galamir couldn't directly go after his son. He'd been there the day Panahasi had yanked away Novus's powers. As mediocre as Galamir's powers were, he didn't want to face the demon leader if Panahasi found out he was behind Raidh's death.

He had to make it look like a vampire attack. He also wanted to know where his son was so he could make sure the job was done. If Raidh hadn't cast that damn concealment spell, he would already know the location.

Galamir ground his teeth together in frustration. He wouldn't even be going through this if Raidh was already dead. "Fine. What is your price?"

The vampire's eyes gleamed with malice. "The same amount you paid me to kill him."

Galamir knew to tread lightly with the ancient vampire. Honestly, if Vicino screwed him over, what could Galamir really do? For the time being, he needed to play nice, though the thought of playing nice with the nasty vampire repulsed him.

"Deal. Now tell me where he is."

"Not so fast. Money first," Vicino said with a sly smirk. "Then you'll get your information."

"It's not like I carry it on me," Galamir snarled, his voice dripping with his contempt for the foul creature.

Vicino's eyes filled with dark brutality, and a hint of his fangs glinted. "Be very careful with your tone. I have little patience for insolence."

Galamir's mouth went dry as he imagined the taste of his own blood on Vicino's tongue, a sickening thought that filled him with disgust.

The vampire shook his head with a sinister smirk. "I am still a predator, and your sweet scent is already testing my control. So be very careful, or I might just forget about the money and feast on your succulent, magical blood, beautiful fairy."

Anger swirled inside Galamir, but he bit back what he truly wanted to say to this vile piece of sewage. "Very well. I will transfer the money as soon as I return home. Once it is deposited, text me Raidh's location."

The vampire's cruel, yet soft laugh was downright chilling. Power radiated from the creature. The sooner Galamir left the monster's presence, the sooner he could breathe easier. "Come on, beautiful fairy. Just a little sip of your sweet blood? I promise not to drain you."

Galamir had no intention of feeding the vile beast.

"I am not a fairy. I am fae," he corrected sharply, clenching his jaw at the insult. But he needed to get the vampire's mind off his blood. An exorbitant amount of money should redirect his mind.

"And I am willing to negotiate a higher price for the heads of the wolf shifters who are standing in your way."

If the nasty mongrels wanted to protect Raidh, they would share his fate.

Vicino studied him a little too closely, making Galamir's skin crawl, especially with that disgusting scar on his face. Galamir wasn't aware of any fae who had succumbed to a vampire's glamour, but he wasn't about to risk it by meeting his eyes.

"Fine, since you drained all the fun out of my night," Vicino finally said with a weary sigh. "Triple the price you offered me to kill your own flesh and blood and we have a deal."

Galamir couldn't care less about the vampire's comment. Raidh's continued existence was a festering wound growing larger inside of Galamir with every passing day. If he didn't snuff it out, it would consume him.

Although he could easily end his son by telling the vampire to rip Raidh's wings. Any fae would die instantly if that happened, but Vicino could use that knowledge against Galamir.

"You better be successful this time," Galamir bit out. "I am not paying for incompetence."

In a blur of inhuman speed, the vampire pinned him to a tree, knocking the breath out of Galamir as a rush of pain shot through his back.

The bark dug harshly into his hidden wings, terrifying Galamir that they would rip.

He tensed as the vampire sniffed deeply at his neck. His fangs were long and sharp, a clear sign of his bloodthirsty nature. "Did I not just warn you about my lack of patience for insolence, little dark fairy?"

His hands tightened on Galamir's arms, the tips of his claws digging into flesh, the harsh sting causing Galamir to gnash his teeth. "Do not treat me like I'm beneath you," he sneered. "Your heart is just as dark as mine, Unseelie . I'm not the one paying to have my own fucking son murdered, so if I were you, I would check that goddamn attitude of yours."

Trapped and at the mercy beneath the vampire's powerful grip, Galamir bit back his pride and forced himself to speak through gritted teeth. "Forgive me, Vicino."

The vampire smiled, a delighted spark in his cold, dark eyes, as if pleased Galamir had bowed to him.

"I expect your payment soon, blackhearted fairy ." After a rough slap on Galamir's cheek, Vicino disappeared into the shadows with blinding speed.

As soon as he was gone, Galamir spat on the ground in disgust. "Just finish what you were paid to do, filthy beast," he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "Then I'll have you wiped out too."