Chapter Five

L eaving his office, Key sighed, letting his shoulders droop. Another long, boring and frustrating week. It started off well, especially the presentation the bosses had asked him to create. The fact that it went on for over an hour and a couple of the men kept dropping off had Key hiding a smile. Data wasn’t exciting unless you love IT and graphic design like Key did.

That was Monday, and today was Friday, and he needed to go home and relax. Maybe order some takeout, open the bottle of wine Dad had given him, then relax in the bath and let the stress of the week melt away. That sounded like bliss, and Key couldn’t wait.

Of course, his ever present stalker/stranger/follower or whatever – because he still wasn’t sure which it was – was behind him. Key could feel the man’s intense stare between his shoulder blades and he shrugged his shoulders back, shivering slightly at the cold damp chill in the night air.

It was later than normal, the street lamps on, casting a muted glow on the sidewalk below them. Shadows seemed to lurk in every doorway, and around every corner, and maybe Key should become a writer. Or a hacker. Get into some rich person’s account, take their money and run away to some far-flung place where he could lie on some beach with nearly naked men serving him.

Or maybe not.

The feeling of being watched intensified till it was no longer pleasant, no longer a feeling Key associated with his ‘whatever’. Someone else was watching him, and this time it did feel like a stalker. Key didn’t feel safe at all, and wanted to be in his car as soon as possible.

His pace quickened, and he somehow managed to not look over his shoulder. He didn’t want the person following him to know he was aware of their presence. He saw his car up ahead and sighed in relief. Not long now and he would be in relative safety.

Pulling his car keys from his coat pocket, Key made sure to have them ready so he could get in his car straight away. Once he reached the car, he pressed the fob, seeing the lights flicker. He quickened his pace again, practically running, and when he reached his car, he grabbed the handle just as someone grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the car.

Key cried out, dropping to the ground, stunned and in pain. His head bounced, the pain ricocheting throughout, and he could do nothing to stop the hands from grabbing him under his arms and dragging him up. He hit the car again and was spun around, but Key was only half aware of what was happening.

His head rang, his eyes bouncing around as whoever had assaulted him grabbed his hair, and pulled his head to one side, exposing his neck. Key’s eyes shot open, and he tried to push the man away. Yeah, he could tell it was a man, and as he tried to free himself, he was suddenly released.

Falling back to the ground, Key managed to stop his face from impacting the sidewalk. His head spun, and he swallowed, trying not to vomit as sounds of a fight reached him. He lifted his head slowly, trying to focus on the two men fighting each other in front of him, but it hurt.

Closing his eyes, he attempted to crawl away, even though he couldn’t see where he was going. He only knew he had to move away from danger. He was in danger. He knew he was, and he also knew he had to get himself out of there somehow.

A heavy grunt reached him, followed by cursing, and suddenly it was silent. Except for heavy breathing. When the sounds of running footfalls reached him, Key whimpered. He had no idea if it was his assailant running away or the man who’d tried to help him.

Opening his eyes, Key groaned as everything spun and he fell forward, his cheek hitting the sidewalk. The spinning continued as he heard the sounds of someone approaching, and he barely managed to lift his head when he heard a whispered, “I won’t hurt you,” before finally falling into darkness.

The lights hurt his eyes.

His head pounded.

His body ached.

Carried. He was being carried.

Couldn’t open his eyes to see. It hurt too much.

“Shh. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Low, deep. Nice.

“I…”

“You’re safe. No one will hurt you.”

Trying to open his eyes, Key moaned. Then there was nothing but darkness again.

Blinking his eyes open, Key swallowed, his head throbbing with a dull ache, his stomach unsettled. He heard movement and blinked again, realizing he was in his own apartment and he wasn’t alone. Whoever had saved him had brought him here.

Gingerly, Key sat up with one hand on his stomach, groaning when his stomach and head protested. Swallowing, Key tried to find who was making the sounds and slowly scanned his apartment until he settled on a shadow in the corner of the room.

“Who…” Key licked his dry lips, swallowed again. “What happened?”

The shadow moved and stepped into the light that spilled from the window. It was then Key noticed the curtains were open and the light coming through the window was the only light in the apartment. He almost whimpered, but slammed his lips closed, then instantly regretted it as his cheek screamed in pain.

“Kelvin.”

“Kelvin happened to me?” Key went to tilt his head as he asked, but thought better of it. Leaning it back on the sofa, slowly, he focused on the man who stood in from of his window.

“My name is Kelvin, and you were attacked. I helped you.”

“Who are you?” Kelvin could feel who this man was. The one who followed him. His stalker and now potential saver… unless he’d planned it.

His eyes moved over the other man, taking in the dark clothing he wore. It was hard to tell the exact color due to the poor light, but Key had a feeling it was black. Focusing on Kelvin’s face, Key had to admit the guy was attractive.

Trimmed beard and mustache, eyes that Key couldn’t tell the color of, a sharp nose and what he could only guess was a strong jaw. Those eyes watched in closely and Key held himself still, waiting for this Kelvin to answer. When he didn’t, Key murmured, “You’re him. The man who follows me.”

One single nod. “I am.”

“Why?”

Kelvin didn’t answer. He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and continued to watch Key. “I have my reasons,” he whispered.

“And what are they? Shouldn’t I know about them?”

It looked like Kelvin smiled, but Key wasn’t sure. “You might not like the reasons.”

That sentence chilled Key to his core. What the fuck did he mean by that? The guy sounded unhinged, and Key glanced at the front door to his apartment, then back at Kelvin. “Tell me anyway.”

“What would you do with the information?”

Why was he being so evasive? “Tell me. You follow me. You track me. Why? We’re strangers. Why do you do that?”

“Do you believe there is more to this world than what you see?”

“Er…what?” Key lifted his hand and gently touched his cheek, wincing when it flared with pain. He felt a bandaid and stared at Kelvin. “My cheek.”

“I’ve treated your injuries.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Key was done. He’s had enough of the stupid, almost cryptic answers. “Who the fuck are you?”

The voice that answered was calm and quiet. “Kelvin.”

“And? I know there’s more.”

“You want the truth?”

“No, I mean, why else would I keep asking for it?”

“I’m a vampire and you’re mine.”

“Okkkaaayyyy. I’d like some of whatever you’re taking.” Holy fuck, the guy was nuts and in Key’s apartment. Shit.

“I knew that’s how you would react, which was why I wasn’t going to tell you.”

“You expect me to believe you?”

“No, but you asked for the truth, so I gave it to you.”

Key inched forward on the sofa, eyeing the front door again. He readied himself, gave Kelvin the nut job one more look, then shot up off the sofa, running to the front door. And instantly regretted it.

His head pounded and Key dropped to his knees and moaned, his hands cradling his head. He barely had any strength to fight Kelvin off when he felt him pick him up. He buried his head in Kelvin’s shoulder, instinct telling him he was safe. Something Key didn’t understand.

His mind was saying one thing and his body another.

Keeping his eyes closed, he refused to open them when Kelvin lay him on the sofa again. “Please stay still. You took a hard knock to the head.”

“I should go to the hospital.”

“Can you afford it?”

Key nodded and instantly regretted it. “Yes,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“Let me check your eyes.”

Key shook his head and moaned. He needed to stay still. His eyes snapped open when he felt the sofa dip and grunted when a light was shined in his eyes. Pushing the hand away, he muttered, “fuck off.”

“I can’t. I need to keep an eye on you for another couple of hours.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“You can barely make it to your front door without collapsing.”

“Er, because my head was used as a battering ram.” Closing his eyes, Key pointed to where he thought the front door was. “Get out.”

“I’ll leave when I know you have fully recovered.”

“I can look after myself.” Why was he repeating himself?

“I have to stay.”

Key opened his eyes and stared into Kelvin’s, noticing how blue they were. Such a dark shade they almost appeared black. He blinked rapidly, the light from the flashlight stabbing into his eyes. “Turn the light off, please.” The light disappeared and Key opened his eyes again. “You need to go.”

Kelvin leaned back on his feet and shook his head, his black hair moving gently. “I can’t. I have to stay and make sure you’re safe.”

“Why? Do you know who that man is? The one who attacked me?”

“I know of him. He has a reputation with my kind.”

“Your kind.” Key murmured the words, watching Kelvin, feelings sliding through him. He knew this man, his follower, stalker, savior.

“I told you what I am.”

“Vampire.” Key saw the slight smile curl across Kelvin’s lips as he nodded. “You expect me to believe you?”

“No. Who would? I hope to prove it to you when you’re fully recovered.”

“I read paranormal shit.” He loved a good paranormal romance where two hot men came together and fucked each other’s brains out.

“So do I. I like to read how much they got right and wrong.”

“Mpreg?”

“Not for me, but if you like reading that, then go for it. I’m not going to say to one person they shouldn’t read something because I don’t. We all have our likes and dislikes.”

“This is a strange conversation.” Key closed his eyes and relaxed on the sofa, his body growing heavy. “Maybe I have a concussion and this is all my imagination playing a trick on me. Maybe I’ll wake up in the morning and realize I got so drunk I imagined it all.”

“Maybe you’ll wake up and know this is true.”

“Vampire.”

“Human.”

Key yawned, then grimaced with pain. “Tired.”

“Sleep. I’ll keep you safe from him.”

“Who will keep me safe from you?” Key mumbled, sleep taking over before he could hear Kelvin’s reply.