Can you chase away imaginary monsters with real life monsters?
Dillon Ross lives in a huge mansion together with six other people. Four of them turn furry, one drinks blood regularly, and one is a former blood slave, just like him. Seven months ago, he was rescued from a fate worse than death, and he’s been doing his best to avoid people ever since. Which is hard when you have well-meaning but nosy roommates.
Lee Dowell is a vampire working in a shifter bar. One day, he hears something he wasn’t meant to hear, and while his first reaction is to ignore it, he reaches out to the supernatural version of the police. It might not have been his smartest move, since he now has a target on his back.
Dillon isn’t pleased to realize he is sharing a floor with a vampire. There are enough monsters in his head, he doesn’t need one in his space too. But Lee has put himself in danger by trying to help some people held captive, and his roommates are trying to keep him safe. Lee doesn’t do humans, but when Dillon’s nightmares wake him time and time again, he wants nothing more than to gather him in his arms and chase away his fears. But can you chase away imaginary monsters with real life monsters?
Dillon didn’t move. There was a vampire in his bed. Or more accurately, he was in a vampire’s bed.
“Breathe.”
He jerked at Vampire Lee’s softly spoken word. He’d turned his back to him, no scary eyes in sight. Dillon let out a shaky breath.
“There you go.”
Silence descended again and tension crept into Dillon. Waiting was the worst.
Vampire Lee made a sound at the back of his throat, one of dismay, Dillon believed.
“Look.” Vampire Lee started to turn, only to abort the motion and continue to have his back turned to Dillon. “I won’t touch you. I won’t bite you or do ... whatever you think I’ll do.”
Dillon should be quiet. Talking back never got him anywhere. Once he’d been a person who talked back. Before. He had been someone who expressed his opinions, argued his beliefs, took charge when it suited him, but somewhere during the memory gap, he’d lost the ability.
Now he wasn’t sure he had opinions.
“How would I know? You’d wipe my memory, and I wouldn’t have a clue what you’d done.”
Another sound left Vampire Lee. “I won’t gore my eyes out. I like them too much, but I can promise not to look into yours.”
“I wouldn’t know if you did.”
“Right. Sorry.” Vampire Lee blew out a breath. “I’ll stay right here, turned this way, and you can relax on your side.”
Dillon snorted, then regretted it. What if Vampire Lee got angry with him? “You can turn around faster than I can blink. And I know you don’t need to look into my eyes. Maybe to wipe my memories, but not to ... do other things.”
“Move closer then, so I can’t turn around in the blink of an eye.”
“Are you insane?” Dillon bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say those words out loud. He could keep commentary up in his head all he wanted, but speaking never did any good.
Vampire Lee chuckled. “Only a little.” He reached behind him and patted the mattress. “Come on, sweetness. Cuddle me.”
“No way.”
“The older a vampire is, the more powerful they are.”
Dillon gave a minuscule nod. He hadn’t been sure, but he’d guessed it was the case.
“Mars is pretty old.”
Was he? He didn’t look old. Dark and broody unless Devin was nearby, but Dillon wouldn’t describe him as old.
“I’m not. I’m one hundred thirteen. Which I would guess is about one-third of how old Mars is, maybe less. You trust him, right?”
“No.”
Lee grunted. “You can trust him. Deep down, I think you know you can trust him.”
Dillon had sent him a text. He’d turned to Mars when he was afraid of going out on the patio when he feared someone would get to Devin.
When Dillon didn’t reply, Vampire Lee continued. “I’m not nearly as powerful as he is. I’m not saying I can’t control your mind, but I need eye contact to do it. Mars can influence you without looking at you. I could maybe nudge you if I tried, but I can’t make you do something you don’t want to do without looking into your eyes.”
It didn’t matter, since he could make Dillon forget he’d looked into his eyes.
“Come on, snuggle up, and let’s get some sleep.”
“Why would I cuddle with you?” He was insane.
“Because if you come closer, I can’t turn around and look at you without rolling over you, and you’d notice.”
“But it wouldn’t matter since you’d look into my eyes a second later and make me forget all about it.”
Vampire Lee moved toward him, back first, until he was in the middle of the bed and Dillon could pick between falling off the mattress or touching him.
He sighed and rested his forehead between Vampire Lee’s shoulder blades.
“Good boy.” Vampire Lee didn’t move. “Now sleep.”
Dillon snorted but closed his eyes.
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