Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

It was an hour later when a knock came at the door. Iskander rose to answer it, and Keegan heard Apollo's voice in the hallway. But it was the second voice that made his heart skip a beat.

Jaron.

Keegan took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as Iskander led Apollo and Jaron into the room. He stood to greet them, his gaze meeting Jaron's.

For a moment, Keegan was transported back to the visions he'd had the night before. Visions of a future where he and Jaron were together, living their happiest life at each other's side.

He blinked, forcing the images away. He'd come here to see this dragon, yes, but he also had a job to do.

Keegan schooled his features into a neutral expression, extending his hand to Apollo. "Thank you for coming," he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside of him.

Apollo shook his hand, his grip firm. "Of course. We'll do everything we can to find Holly and the others."

Keegan nodded, then turned to Jaron, heart racing as he took in the sight of his mate staring back at him with bright, curious eyes, obviously surprised to see him.

Something fluttered in Keegan's belly, a sense of excitement and nervousness that was entirely new to him.

"What are you doing here?" Jaron asked.

"Iskander is part of my coven," Keegan said, nodding at his friend. "Your missing mortal is the mother of his mate's children."

Jaron took two seconds to process Keegan's words. "That sounds complicated."

Keegan snorted. Iskander and Rhyme's relationship was the least complicated thing Keegan had thought about all night.

"What's so funny?" Jaron wondered, and then, looking straight at Keegan he asked, "Did you get my gift?"

Not one to back down, Keegan returned the stare. "Do you really want to discuss that in front of your boss?" he challenged—while Jaron looked as if he wanted nothing more than to take this conversation somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Apollo's eyebrows rose, probably wondering what this 'gift' was and picturing some sort of sextoy.

Jaron glanced between Keegan and his boss. He didn't decide to clear up the confusion. Instead, he said, "My boss isn't easily scandalized. He used to be the first person to arrive at the office every morning until he started dating his vampire and when he's late now, we all know it's not because there was a long line at the coffee shop."

"Jaron!" Apollo shot the dragon a sharp look.

"Oh please," Jaron waved him off. "You're sleeping with their best friend." He motioned at Iskander and Keegan. "They know."

Apollo looked like he was seconds away from exploding at Jaron, but Jaron didn't seem concerned.

"Okay, okay," Jaron said. "We're here to do our job. I know. Relax." He turned to Iskander. "Is your mate around?"

"I'll wake him up." Iskander disappeared into the bedroom.

While they waited for him to return, Keegan offered for Apollo and Jaron to sit down. "Would you like some tea as well?" he asked them. "I can offer chamomile."

Neither of them wanted tea, so Keegan settled into a chair as Apollo and Jaron took their seats on the couch. Keegan asked Apollo how things were going with Mordyn.

Apollo shrugged and mentioned that they were looking at apartments near the coven's base as if moving in together wasn't a big deal.

Jaron didn't let that slide, of course. "Haven't you only dated for a few months?"

"We're mated," Apollo replied. "It doesn't get more serious than that."

Jaron considered this. "Are you guys fated?"

"Yes." There was no doubt in Apollo's response. He didn't tell Jaron about the past life stuff, and it wasn't Keegan's place to bring it up, but Keegan wondered if Apollo ever told anyone about that part.

Jaron looked at his boss intently. "Do vampires generally know who their mates are? I've heard mortals tend to struggle with it, and vampires were mortal once, right?"

"Why don't you ask the vampire in the room?" Apollo motioned at Keegan.

Keegan licked his lips, watching Jaron open his mouth to ask, but before the dragon could say anything, they were interrupted by Iskander emerging from the bedroom with Rhyme following close behind.

Rhyme looked exhausted, but it was obvious that he wanted to be part of this. "Thank you for coming," he said to Apollo and Jaron before sitting down.

"I'm sorry we have to trouble you," Apollo said.

"No, I would do anything for Holly." An expression of determination settled on Rhyme's features. "She's my best friend as well as the mother of my children."

"We'll find her," Apollo promised. He pulled out a notepad. "Can you think of anyone who might want to harm her? Has she mentioned meeting anyone new recently?"

Rhyme shook his head. "No, she didn't leave the gated community much, as far as I'm aware. Only to come here to visit with the kids."

"So you don't think she went anywhere she doesn't usually go? Did she take up any new activities? Has she said anything that made you wonder?"

"No, nothing like that. We have twin toddlers. There's really no time to do anything but take care of them."

Apollo gave Rhyme a sympathetic smile and nodded as he jotted down a few notes.

"I'm sorry I don't know anything more helpful," Rhyme said.

"Do you know the other mortal who was kidnapped? Trevor?"

Rhyme shook his head again. "He wasn't part of my community."

"I see. That's fine. Ceska is talking to some of his friends today." Apollo turned to Keegan. "You're a seer, aren't you?"

"I am."

"How good are you?"

"I'd say I'm the best, but you should ask your mate. You distrust vampires too much to take my word for it."

Apollo's gaze narrowed. "Mordyn's told me that you like to stir up trouble."

"Some might see it that way," Keegan said. The truth was that he didn't try to create trouble, he merely manipulated the future to best suit his interests and the interests of those he cared about. "Did he also tell you that I brought you two together?"

"Our relationship was not your doing."

"Sure." Keegan was used to this. People blamed him when things went wrong, but he never got any credit when things went right. "It's up to you to decide whether you want my help or not."

"Would I have to pay your coven?"

"Only if you want to stay on good terms with Altair, which I would recommend."

Apollo thought about this. "Let's see if you can find out anything useful before I hand over cash."

Keegan wanted to tell this mortal to go fuck himself. He'd overused his powers over the past 48h. He was tired and he didn't need to prove anything to anyone. But Apollo made Mordyn very very happy, and Keegan had already promised Iskander his help.

"I'm going to need blood," he said because his last marathon vision had burned through most of what he'd ingested.

"I don't keep blood here," Iskander said.

That made sense, of course. Iskander didn't drink bottled blood anymore, not while he was living with his mate, and while his mate's blood was the only thing that could sustain him.

Keegan was about to say that someone would have to go fetch him a bottle from a store when Jaron spoke up.

"You can drink from me," the dragon said, touching his neck. "I don't mind."

"No," Keegan said immediately. As much as he enjoyed the taste of Jaron's blood, if he indulged in it now… He wasn't likely to be able to focus his visions on the missing persons.

Jaron frowned. "Do I taste bad?"

Quite the opposite.

Keegan had never tasted anything as good as the dragon. Involuntarily, he wetted his lips. "You gave blood just recently," he said. "You shouldn't offer yourself again so quickly."

Apollo looked at Jaron. "You gave blood?"

Jaron ignored Apollo, keeping his gaze trained on Keegan. "I didn't lose that much," he insisted. "You can have more at any time."

Keegan swallowed.

God, why did this dragon have to tempt him like that? When Keegan closed his eyes for a second, he caught the scent of him in the air. The scent of his sweet, sweet blood rushing through his veins.

Keegan wanted to sink his fangs into Jaron's neck and drink from him.

How powerful could he become, he wondered, with his fated mate by his side?

More powerful than he could handle, maybe—and he'd be paying the ultimate price for all that extra juice.

"I'm not drinking from you now," he made himself say.

"But it's not because I taste bad." Jaron searched his face, and then he smiled. "Is it because you're scared of what you'll do once you've had a taste?"

Keegan huffed, scrambling to come up with a good response when the shifter hit so close to the truth. And that smile.

Damn that smile.

It made it very difficult for him to be quick-witted.

"Jaron," Apollo said. "Please remember that you're at work, and please don't piss off the vampire," he added in a lower tone of voice. Louder, he said, "There's a vending machine down the street. Go fetch a bottle from it."

Keegan struggled to keep his face neutral at that suggestion. Vending machine blood was awful.

"There's a store around the corner as well," Iskander, his hero, pointed out. "Grab a bottle from there. It's better quality."

"Thank you," Keegan said.

Iskander only nodded.

Jaron rose. "All right. The store it is. Any preferences?"

Keegan stopped himself from mentioning that his favorite kind of blood was dragon blood. "Any blood will do."

"Got it. You're not picky." He headed for the door. "Be right back."

Jaron trudged out of Iskander's apartment. Secretly, he was more than a little disappointed that Keegan had refused his blood, and the cool night air did little to soothe his agitation as he made his way to the 24-hour convenience store down the road.

Why wouldn't Keegan just take what he offered freely?

Didn't vampires always prefer real warm blood to the bottled stuff?

Keegan should have thanked him rather than shot him down.

So why did Jaron have to go to the store now?

It wasn't the taste, was it?

Jaron didn't want to think so.

Hadn't he seen a flicker of desire in Keegan's expression when he'd first offered?

There had to be some other reason the vampire was holding back.

A sinking feeling settled in Jaron's gut. Had he imagined Keegan's desire? Perhaps Keegan simply didn't feel the same connection that thrummed through Jaron's veins whenever they were near each other.

Was Jaron making a fool of himself by pursuing someone who didn't want him?

Jaron sighed heavily as he entered the harshly lit store, heading straight for the refrigerated section. He scanned the shelves, grabbing a few bottles of the highest-quality synthetic blood available. As he paid, he couldn't suppress a pang of rejection at the idea that Keegan preferred this cold, lifeless substitute to the blood running through Jaron's veins.

Bottles clinking in the plastic bag, Jaron hurried back to the apartment. He found Apollo and Keegan looking at Apollo's phone, images of the missing people on the screen.

"This is Holly, Rhyme's friend," Apollo was saying as Jaron approached. "And these are the other mortals that have been kidnapped."

Keegan nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration. He glanced up as Jaron held out one of the bottles. "Ah, thank you."

Their fingers brushed as Keegan took the blood, sending a jolt up Jaron's arm. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask if Keegan didn't feel that, but the redhead was already turning away.

"I'm going to need some privacy to do this," Keegan said, heading for the bedroom. "The more I can focus, the clearer the visions will be."

The door closed behind him with a soft click. Jaron stared after him, frustration and longing warring in his chest.

To his surprise, Apollo rested a hand on his shoulder as if he could guess what was going on with Jaron. "Let him do his job," he said. "This isn't the time."

That was easy for Apollo to say. He was already with the man fate had chosen for him.

"All I want is to have a conversation," Jaron murmured. To be more precise, he wanted answers.

Why was Keegan treating him this way?

Was Jaron coming on too strong?

Could vampires not recognize their mates after all?

Jaron turned to Apollo. "Your vampire didn't struggle with the idea of fated mates, did he?"

Apollo looked at Jaron for a long moment, and then he looked at the door Keegan had disappeared through before focusing on Jaron again. "Is that what this is about?"

"Don't push him," Iskander said.

Jaron turned to Iskander in surprise. He'd almost forgotten that the vampire was in the room with them. "Did he say something to you?"

Iskander only shook his head. Jaron understood the vampire's meaning. If Keegan had said anything to him, Iskander wasn't going to discuss it.

"It's like your boss said," Iskander said after a moment. "This isn't the right time."

"Vampires get tired too," Rhyme chimed in, "after using their powers a lot. Keegan was exhausted when he got here." He paused. "You can tell by a vampire's skin color, you know."

Apollo raised an eyebrow at Rhyme. "Aren't they always pale?"

"There are degrees of pale. You learn to tell after a while." Rhyme looked a little uncomfortable as he said this and Jaron realized he didn't want to know exactly how Rhyme had acquired this particular power of observation.

"Okay," Jaron said before anyone could pose further questions to Rhyme. "Bad timing. I get it." He slumped on the couch. "I think I'll have some of that tea now."

Jaron watched as Keegan emerged from the bedroom an hour later, his eyes drawn to the vampire's face. Rhyme was right—when Jaron paid close attention, he could see the signs of exhaustion in the way the vampire carried himself. Had it been very difficult for him to use his powers just now?

Not for the first time, he wondered what it must be like to be a seer, to be constantly bombarded with glimpses of the future, some of which were undoubtedly unpleasant or even horrifying. Did Keegan ever wish he could unsee the things he'd witnessed?

The urge to go to Keegan, to wrap an arm around his shoulders and offer some form of comfort, was almost overwhelming. But Jaron held himself back, remembering the others' words. This wasn't the time to push the vampire, no matter what the dragon inside of him said about this being his right.

As Keegan approached the group by the couch, Jaron quickly stood up, offering his seat. "Here, sit down," he said softly.

Keegan gave him a tired smile of thanks and sank into the cushions. Apollo leaned forward, his expression serious. "Did you see anything that could help us?" he asked.

Keegan nodded slowly. "I know who might be targeted next," he said. "And I also know what the targets have in common."

Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Keegan to continue. A sense of dread settled in Jaron's stomach, and it only intensified with Keegan's next words.

"The kidnappers are going after fated couples."

A chill ran down Jaron's spine.

He glanced at Apollo and Iskander, both of whom had found their fated mates. Were they in danger?

And what about himself and Keegan? If they were truly meant to be together, did that put them at risk as well?

If so, he had to keep an extra close eye on the vampire to make sure he wasn't going to be kidnapped. He also had to make Keegan acknowledge the connection between them so that Keegan would know to be careful.

"I've got to talk to you," he said, cutting through a conversation Keegan was having with Apollo about the next possible victims he'd seen.

Apollo shot Jaron a reproachful look, but Jaron ignored his boss, all of his attention centered on Keegan.

"We're talking right now, aren't we?" Keegan asked him.

"I need to talk to you in private," Jaron specified. "Now."

"Jaron," Apollo started, probably to remind him again that they were at work, but Jaron didn't care. He held up a hand in his boss's direction. He'd apologize for his insolence later.

Keegan looked between him and Apollo. Finally, he nodded. "Excuse us for a moment," he said to Apollo before rising.

He walked into the bedroom.

Jaron followed and closed the bedroom door behind them with a soft click. He turned to face Keegan, his heart beating rapidly. There was something about the vampire's presence that just did that to him. Even more so now that they were practically alone together—in a bedroom.

Jaron's gaze flicked to the bed.

Oh, how he wished he could throw the vampire in it and climb on top of him, claim him the way a dragon should.

He took a deep breath.

He didn't normally bow to his draconic instincts, and he wasn't going to do so now either.

"What's the matter?" Keegan asked, as if he had no idea whatsoever why Jaron had wanted to talk to him alone.

Jaron took a step forward, his hands clenched at his sides. "Stop pretending like you don't know."

The seer's expression remained frustratingly unreadable. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Oh for crying out loud . Jaron crossed the room in two strides, stopping just inches from Keegan. "Are vampire senses really that dull?"

To his credit, Keegan didn't back away when Jaron leaned in close. There was interest in his eyes. He didn't hide it quickly enough for Jaron to miss it.

"My senses are not dull at all, though I can't say how they compare to a dragon's."

"Have you seen our future?"

Keegan's gaze flickered away.

He had seen something, hadn't he?

Something he hadn't liked.

What was it? Jaron was going to go mad if Keegan didn't give him something to work with. Why was he refusing to talk to Jaron? "You said fated couples are being targeted," Jaron reminded him. "You and I, we're fated too, can't you tell? Is it so hard for vampires?"

Keegan grew very still, his eyes searching Jaron's face. The silence stretched between them, and Jaron started tapping his foot, unable to stand it.

Finally, Keegan exhaled, a soft sigh that seemed to come from deep within. "Vampires can tell their fated mates," he admitted quietly, "at the very latest after they've ingested their blood."

"Did you drink my blood?" Jaron asked immediately. "Or did you toss it because you don't want to know? Is that why you refused me today? What's wrong with me?" Jaron gestured at himself. "Am I so off-putting to you that you must fight your instincts?"

Jaron didn't normally have that problem. He wasn't the most handsome dragon in existence, and certainly not the strongest, but he was attractive enough to get what he wanted. Usually.

"You should want me," Jaron said, almost pouting. "I'm pretty sure that's one of the laws of the universe. Everyone should be attracted to their mate."

If not, the universe would be a cruel, cruel place.

He was attracted to Keegan. Had been from the moment he'd first seen the vampire at the solstice celebrations. Something inside of him had snapped to attention at the sight of the redheaded vampire with the cutting blue eyes. Jaron wanted to see those eyes darken in pure pleasure, wanted to hear the sounds he'd make when Jaron explored all the most sensitive spots of his body.

If only Keegan would let him.

"It's not that," Keegan said.

"Then what's the problem?"

Being with your fated mate should not be this hard, damn it.

At least the stories had always made it sound like things would just click into place once you found the other half of your soul. The difficult part was supposed to be finding them in the first place, not everything that came after.

Keegan shook his head. "Let's discuss this later." He moved toward the door.

Jaron caught his arm, grip firm. He wasn't going to let the vampire off the hook this easily. "When?"

Keegan had the gall to look amused at Jaron's insistence. He met Jaron's gaze with the smallest of smiles. "I almost forgot how stubborn you are."

Jaron wanted to kiss him—show him that Jaron was not only stubborn but also persuasive. He was sure that if he just got this vampire to share a kiss with him, or to drink his blood, things would become easier between them.

But Keegan freed himself from Jaron's grip while Jaron was caught in the vampire's smile. "Come round the Rubyville nightclub this evening," he said. "I'll meet you in my room."

"In your room," Jaron repeated dumbly before his brain came online again. "Should I bring lube?"

Keegan's lips twitched. "You don't think I keep any around?"

"Maybe I have a favorite kind."

"Suit yourself." Another smile, and then Keegan headed back into the living room.

Jaron stared after him. He didn't know what game Keegan was playing, but he might finally get some answers this evening.

Maybe even more than that.

Keegan sipped his drink, his eyes darting around the nightclub as he waited for Jaron to arrive. Altair sat across from him, his brow furrowed in concern over all that Keegan had told him so far.

"The visions showed that fated couples are being targeted in these kidnappings," Keegan summarized. "Keep a close eye on Sven, Alt. Don't let him out of your sight."

Altair nodded, his jaw tightening. "I always do. You know that."

Keegan drained his glass, the synthetic blood leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "I know. I just… I have a bad feeling about all of this."

His visions had been even less clear than usual.

Though maybe that was only because he'd used his powers so much over the past two nights.

"Apollo wired me some money, by the way," Altair said. "For your services." He slid a piece of paper across the table. "I'm adding this to your account."

Keegan glanced at the number scrawled on the paper and tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks."

He hadn't done it for the money, but it was a nice bonus. He was about to say something to that effect to his friend when the door to the nightclub swung open and his gaze was drawn in that direction.

Jaron walked in, still wearing a full set of clothes, but the shirt and jeans he wore now were not baggy at all. Instead, they worked to accentuate the shape of his body in all the right places.

As if Keegan needed any more reason to be obsessed with him…

"Someone you know?" Altair asked, noticing his distraction.

"My date," Keegan said simply.

Altair's eyebrows rose, but he did what any good friend should. He rose from the table and patted Keegan's shoulder. "Don't scare him too much," he said before leaving.

Keegan shook his head at his lord and friend. He didn't mean to scare anyone, least of all Jaron.

He might, though.

Unintentionally.

Already, the dragon shifter's tail wrapped tightly around his leg, mirroring the tension Keegan felt in his own body as Jaron approached the table.

"You came," Keegan said, gaze fixed on the man who would not leave his thoughts.

Jaron's lips quirked into a smile as a tiny bit of his tension seemed to leave him. "Did you think I might not?"

Keegan shook his head. "There wasn't a single chance you wouldn't." He'd checked, despite the headache he got from using his talents now. After all of this, he would have to sleep for a couple of years to recover.

Jaron's smile stretched. "Nothing could have kept me away."

"Seems that way." Keegan's mouth went dry as Jaron's gaze on him intensified.

The things he wanted to do to that dragon…

The things this dragon clearly wanted to do to him…

Keegan licked his lips. "Would you like a drink?"

"You know what I want." Jaron's gaze flicked to Keegan's groin, still with that smile.

Keegan swallowed hard as his cock stirred in his pants.

Having a body with a will of its own was so damn inconvenient.

Keegan got up from the table. "Follow me."

He felt the eyes of the other vampires on him as he led Jaron to the door in the back of the club that led to their living quarters downstairs.

They were all thinking he was about to have a wild night with a hot date.

Well, they weren't entirely wrong.

Vitra even winked at him as he walked by. "Nice catch," she said.

"Thank you!" Jaron shot back, not minding at all.

"C'mon," Keegan said. "My room is this way."