Page 36 of Vampire Lee

Rei shrugged. “It’s where most shifters go, and it’s not a human fighting ring we’re investigating.”

“I still don’t think it’ll lead to anything.” Hanna tapped a nail against her coffee cup.

Devin and Dillon slid off their seats, Devin took their plates, and then both of them headed toward the hallway. Everyone around the table held their breaths, and Lee frowned at them.

When they’d disappeared from view, Hanna kicked his foot under the table. “Well done, you.”

“What?” Lee wasn’t above basking in praise, but he didn’t know what he was being praised for.

“Dillon.”

“What about Dillon?”

She grinned. “It’s the first time he’s eaten while we’ve been in the room, and you touched him. You touched him, and he didn’t scream.”

First time? Hadn’t he said he was in the kitchen the night before? “We shared a room.”

“Yes, I know.” She tapped her nose. “Which is amazing too, but damn.”

“He was talking to Murrie yesterday.” Lee uselessly motioned at Murrie.

“We had a glass of wine.” Murrie looked extremely pleased.

“You did? Seriously?” Hanna slumped on the chair. “This is awesome.”

Lee wasn’t sure why everyone was so excited. “Why are you…” He let the words die out, not knowing what he was about to ask.

“It took Devin three years to be in the same room as us. Dillon has only been here a little over seven months. He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t talk, and he most definitely doesn’t let anyone touch him.”

He talked, and he slept a little, and Lee had held him all night. He hadn’t seen him eat. Rei had given him food, but Lee didn’t know if he’d eaten it. He’d eaten now though, right? He glanced at the kitchen island, but Devin had removed the plates. He had to have eaten something.

“Right, tell us what happened last night. Rei said there was a break-in.” Murrie made no motion to move, so the whole let’s talk in the office was bullshit. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to talk in front of Devin and Dillon.

With a deep breath, he told everyone his version of the evening. Rei added a few things here and there but didn’t interrupt otherwise.

Once he was done, Murrie was rubbing his neck. “Hanna and Mars, go check the apartment. Treat it as if Lee has reported a break-in. You two—” He motioned between Lee and Rei. “—continue to play lovey-dovey, and we’ll get Faelan another phone.”

Chapter 11

Dillon hesitated by the edge of the patio. The sun was shining, and he could see the garden beds from there, but to take a step out on the lawn…It would mean leaving the safety of the house. Other than being on the patio, he hadn’t been outside the house since he got here.

It was when you were outside people could grab you. Or he was pretty sure they could grab him from inside the house too, but then they had to make it to the third floor and through four shifters and one vampire—currently two, but he didn’t know for how long Lee was staying with them.

Devin came to stand next to him. “Want me to go first?”

“Are you afraid?”

Devin grimaced. “Less and less, but I look around, I hold my breath and listen. Mars practices self-defense with me regularly. It helps. I’m no match for anyone supernatural, but all I have to do is struggle long enough for Mars to get to me.”

Dillon looked at him. He was confident Mars would get to him. What would it be like to know someone would fight for you? Dillon had never had that, had never had parents or siblings who cared. He’d had a few boyfriends, but nothing lasting, nothing where he felt they’d have his back no matter what. And now the world had changed. The rules he’d played by before didn’t apply. He’d once considered himself strong. He’d been muscled without having to try hard at all, he was almost a head taller than Devin, and he’d been healthy.

Now he was weak. A puny human in a house full of people who could tear him apart without breaking a sweat.

“There is a wall all around us. There are cameras along the entire property. No one gets in here without someone knowing.”

Dillon nodded and took a step out onto the lawn. Devin followed, and they both stopped and tilted their faces to the sun.

“Did you ever wonder if you’d breathe fresh air again?” Devin’s voice had turned hoarse.

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