STORY EXCERPT

“What are you doing here?”

Justin jumped and turned around. It was Duncan. He’d barely talked with the man before. Or rather, was he even human? “I was just—”

“You had to search Nickolas’s office in order to find the key to this room,” Duncan said as he approached Justin. “Are you sure you told us the truth about being a little victim?” Before Justin could react, he called Aldon, Oscar, and Dario.

Oscar was the first to appear, and then Aldon and Dario walked into the room, as well. “You called?” Why hadn’t he called Nickolas, as well?

“I found this little guy in here,” Duncan said.

Justin flinched when the others scowled at him with suspicion. “I can explain. I just thought—”

“Brandon Wolfe was here because of him,” Duncan said, interrupting Justin again. “If it weren’t for him, Nickolas wouldn’t have been attacked.”

Aldon raised a brow at Justin. “I have to admit I’m tired of picking up dog waste from the greenhouse and the front yard.”

“I believe Nickolas would eventually thank us if we took him somewhere else,” Duncan added. “Of course, that depends on what you guys think. If you want to keep waking up during the day because of him or look after his dog, you’re free to do it.”

Dario tilted his head. “I don’t mind doing it, though. Shouldn’t we talk to Nickolas about this first?”

Justin noticed a glimpse of anger in Duncan’s eyes. Who was Brandon Wolfe, and why had he come to the mansion and attacked Nickolas because of him? Did everyone know he’d been brought to the mansion? More importantly, Duncan kept cutting him off and suggesting to get rid of him. Justin stared at Duncan in disbelief when he realized it. Just like Cai had told him, “Don’t listen to strangers, unless you see one of us as a stranger.”

Duncan shot Justin a sideways glance. “Guys, what do you say? I can take care of this and leave him someplace safe, where he’ll be well taken care of.”

Dario grumbled. “I don’t know about this. We should talk to Nickolas.”

“Either way is fine with me,” Oscar said. “He’s only been here for about a week. We’re all busy with work most of the time.”

Duncan smiled widely. “It’s settled, then. You can go back to sleep. I’ll call a good friend of mine.”

Justin couldn’t stop his legs from shaking as the others left the room. When he tried to call out to them, Duncan sent him a death stare. The man opened his mouth and bared sharp fangs. Justin dropped the book from his trembling hands, but Duncan caught it in a split second.

“If you ask for help, I’ll suck your blood until there’s not a drop in your body,” Duncan said. He gripped Justin’s forearm and dragged him out of the room.

Justin didn’t dare make a single sound. They paced into Duncan’s bedroom. Duncan picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and made a call. Who was he calling? Why was he doing this to him?

“Hello, Mr. Wolfe, this is Duncan again,” he said. “Yes, I have good news. I have the human here with me. I was wondering if you’d like for me to put him up for auction. That way, you could buy him in front of everyone else. You’d like everyone in town to know you own a human, right?”

After a brief conversation, the call ended. Justin moved his hands together nervously. “Have I done something to you?”

“Don’t talk,” Duncan said coldly. “Your kind started to kill vampires and werewolves many years ago. I’m not going to stand here knowing that one of you is still alive.”

Justin recoiled when Duncan glared at him. “I–I didn’t kill anyone.” Right now, he just wanted to hug Shelly. Why did she have to leave him to stay in the kitchen? His heart pounded so hard in his chest that it hurt. His breakfast could come out through his mouth at any moment.

Someone knocked lightly on the window. Duncan hurried to it, dragging Justin with him. He opened it and looked down. “Did you come alone?”

“Mr. Wolfe only sent me,” the woman said, crouching on the windowsill. “Is this the human?”

Justin winced when Duncan picked him up and handed him to the tall woman. She put her hand over his mouth. He thrashed in her arms, but she wouldn’t let go. Justin managed to grab Duncan’s shirt. With a wide smirk, Duncan slapped his hand away. The woman jumped down the window and landed on the grass safely. She then carried him to the car and threw him onto the backseat.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Nickolas,” Justin called out. He curled up in bed. Shelly was in the kitchen, and Nickolas hadn’t come to see him after all the ruckus earlier. The others had carried him to the roof and surrounded him in a protective circle for some reason. According to Dario, there had been a robber in the house.

Nickolas walked in and closed the door behind him carefully. “How are you feeling?”

“Where were you all this time? A whole day has passed,” Justin said. He reached for the tissues on the nightstand and blew his nose. He then threw it into the wastepaper basket next to the bed.

Nickolas sat on the edge of the bed and slid his hand through Justin’s hair. “A few things needed to be taken care of. I’m here now. Are you saying that you missed me a lot?”

Justin felt his cheeks heating up. “So what if I did? Get in here already.”

“Fine, fine.” Nickolas got under the covers and pulled Justin onto him. Justin rested his head on his chest. “Do you feel better now?” Justin nodded.

They remained like that for a few minutes. Justin was almost falling asleep when Nickolas laid him on the bed on his back and slid his hips between his thighs. Without a word, Nickolas nuzzled his neck, his warm hands sliding into Justin’s pants. He groped Justin’s ass as he ground their crotches against each other.

Nickolas moved his hands away and took Justin’s pajama pants off. “I’m glad to see this.”

“What did you expect?” Justin looked away. Nickolas gazed at his hard shaft with hunger. “Nick—” Justin moaned as Nickolas engulfed his shaft, already bobbing his head eagerly. The way Nickolas held his cock while sucking it was heavenly. Nickolas’s mouth was hot and salivating. His tongue traced his shaft before Nickolas put it back into his mouth. Justin’s body shook involuntarily and he grabbed Nickolas’s hair, spreading his legs to give more access.

Nickolas pulled away and looked at Justin. “You’re sick, so we can’t go all the way. You’ll have to wait until you recover.”

Justin whined. “Fine.” He just had to look after himself with the help of Dario’s and Cai’s cooking skills. Nickolas continued to suck him off, making him shudder. Justin tensed and came in Nickolas’s mouth, shaking weakly as he panted. After a few seconds, he went limp. He slid his sleeve over his sweaty forehead.

“I’ll be right back,” Nickolas said. He returned with a humid towel and wiped Justin from head to toe. “I know you’re wide awake now, but I have to sleep. Today is Aldon’s turn to look after you. If you need anything, just call for him.” He bent at the waist and pressed a kiss to Justin’s lips.

Justin returned the kiss. “Okay.” He watched as Nickolas left and closed the door quietly. Even if he wanted to change his sleeping schedule to be more awake at night, Nickolas had told him to get some sunlight. They had a few hours in the evening, but Nickolas worked most of the time. With a sigh, he turned around and tried to get some rest.

Nickolas and the others only slept during the day. Whenever it was daytime and one of them had to be with him, the windows were always closed until they’d go to sleep for a few hours. For the rest of the time, Justin was alone, until they woke up right after sunset. Their behavior was odd to him. Because he’d been sick, he hadn’t taken the time to explore the mansion.

Someone knocked on the door and opened it. Aldon walked in with a tray in his hand. “Brought you breakfast. I’m going to get some sleep before preparing lunch. Good luck doing nothing.”

Justin sat up and Aldon put the tray on his lap. “Where’s Shelly?”

“The mutt is in the kitchen. Duncan finished making a small door so she can go to the greenhouse whenever she wants to. Now she’s settled in the kitchen with a dog bed Nickolas brought the other day,” Aldon said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with your dog.”

“She bit you because you triggered her. Don’t be so bitter about it,” Justin told him. Now that he noticed, Aldon didn’t have any injuries on his arm. His sleeves were rolled up, and there hadn’t been any evidence of what had happened. How strange.

Aldon made his way to the door. “After you eat, leave the tray on the nightstand. I’ll come to pick it up before I prepare lunch. For now, I’m going to sleep.”

“Okay,” Justin replied and began to eat. Aldon left and the room fell silent. Shelly had become fond of the other men in the house and preferred the kitchen. Nickolas had been focused on work and slept during the day. The same happened with Aldon and the others. He, on the other hand, was useless and had nothing better to do. His time was spent sleeping due to his cold, or waiting for them to bring him food.

Where was his sense of adventure? More importantly, there was a mystery right under his nose.