Page 54 of Hunting His Vampire Mate

“So… We should be okay to go and collect our stuff from the motel room?” Michael prompted. It was what had begun this whole conversation in the first place. “If we’re coming with you to Seattle, we’re going to need to clear everything out of the room we rented. It’s sloppy to leave it behind. Plus, we need to get the car. Non-negotiable.”

“It’s his baby,” I put in, smirking at Michael a little.

“Nah. You are.”

“And… Yes. It’s official. I’ve just vomited into my own mouth, just now.” Thierry scowled at us again. “And clearly, I will be accompanying the two of you.”

When Michael opened his mouth to protest, Thierry silenced him with a dark look. “Danny will not lose his humanity under my watch, and it is foolish to take unnecessary risks to that end.Thatis what is non-negotiable. And when he comes to Seattle, I will personally act as his steward, to ensure that he does not slip up before his humanity has asserted itself as the dominant force driving his actions. He has no maker to guide him, after all.”

“Wait, you’re offering toadopthim?” Michael stared at Thierry for a long moment, his eyes widening, before he let out a little laugh. “Oh, come on, bud. Just admit it, you like us.”

Thierry glowered at us. “I will admit nothing of the sort.”

* * *

We made it to the motel with Michael driving and me hiding in the back of the van, away from the sun. Thierry followed us in his car. The plan was for Michael and I to collect our belongings, shower, and then leave once the sun set. Michael had put his foot down that he was coming to Seattle with us, and Thierry hadn’t protested nearly as much as I had expected. Somehow, knowing that we were blood-bonded had changed things for him.

Our motel room was around the corner and out of view of the front desk area, a fact I was immensely grateful for, given that it decreased the likelihood that anyone in the office would see something deeply strange.

Michael opened the back of the van. He’d parked as close as possible to the door to our room, which was already standing open—he must have unlocked it—not ten feet behind him. But between the back of the van and the door that led to safety was a large patch of vibrant sunlight.

I yawned, feeling every single speck of energy and willpower leave me at the sight of it. I had hidden under a blanket on the way from the farmhouse to the van in order to get here, which had been bad enough. I wasn’t going to be able to do that here, though. Too many witnesses. I would have to endure the sunlight.

“How are you doing?” Michael asked, gazing at me with concern.

“Exhausted,” I admitted, biting my lower lip.Stressed. Overwhelmed.

That makes two of us.Michael considered me a moment longer. Then he clambered into the van and, before I understood what he was doing, he’d already scooped me into his arms like I weighed absolutely nothing.

“Michael!” I exclaimed, more surprised than anything else. “I can walk well enough.”

Potentially a lie. But Michael didn’t give me the chance to find out. “Close your eyes,” he said. And then, with me securely tucked into his arms, he jumped out of the van.

Feeling a lurch of alarm in the pit of my stomach, I took his advice and shut my eyes.

Michael’s body blocked the worst of it, but I could still feel the rays of the sun battering against my skin. It wasn’t painful, exactly, but I could literally feel the energy leaving me with each passing moment, like sand running out of an hourglass. I wanted nothing more than to pass out.

The sun took everything from me. My strength. My desire to move. The churning sea of emotions in my breast. All of it was just ground down to nothing, like I was a ragdoll that someone had torn all the stuffing from. I could barely even hold my head up to keep it against Michael’s chest.

I yawned and the world seemed to fall away from me. The only thing that mattered was Michael, right there, protecting me, even though I hadn’t asked him to. With him at my side, I felt perfectly safe.

Maybe I did pass out, because the next thing I knew, Michael’s arms were around me and we were both lying down on a deliciously soft surface. I blinked a few times. My eyes felt like they were crusted with sand.

Michael had deposited me on the bed furthest from the door. The motel room door was shut and locked and the blackout curtains were drawn. And clearly, some time had passed.

Yes, I realized, I had fallen unconscious. For how long?

You’ve been out for two hours,Michael said, replying to my unspoken question.I figured it was better to let you sleep.

I nodded, feeling a flash of relief. I didn’t feel well-rested, exactly, but I felt much better than before.Thank you. Have you slept?

“I slept a little,” Michael murmured. “I’m okay.”

“Where’s Thierry?”

Michael snorted. “He’s in the room next door. He claimed he needed his privacy.”

“What happened to him worrying that I wouldn’t be able to control myself around you?”

---