Page 17 of The Psychic and the Vampire

It was more likely that someone else close to Tony decided to try and take him out – someone else who objected to him being so close to their boss. Viktor almost regretted not taking the time to question the idiots who couldn’t even track him without being obvious about it, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving Ant alone for too long.

Tony will likely talk to me about it soon enough.

He glanced in the rearview mirror, checking to make sure Ant was still sleeping. He was. Then Viktor glanced over at the dog who was watching him intently. “I know,” he muttered quietly. “I’m going to have to make some changes – step out of the shadows as your master tells me.” Although the pit in Viktor’sstomach let him know that might not be as easy as he hoped it would be.

/~/~/~/~/

Entering his house, Ant back in his arms, Viktor was struck by the thought that he’d never had a visitor in his home before. He liked his privacy…which is clearly going to have to change to a point…he reasoned, glancing down at the psychic who had barely moved since he’d fallen asleep.

“Bed or couch?” Viktor glanced at the dog who’d followed them, seemingly unfazed at being somewhere new. “I’m guessing the couch would be the best option. It’s big enough and I don’t want your master getting the wrong idea about me from day one.”

More than he already has.Going through to his living area, Viktor placed Ant on the couch and then stepped back.That doesn’t look right.He took a cushion from his own chair and carefully lifted Ant’s head, getting the cushion situated and then resting the psychic’s head on it.

It still doesn’t look right. He still looks too…vulnerablewas the only word Viktor could come up with. He glanced around, but Viktor wasn’t someone who invested in those soft furnishings people used to decorate their couches or keep their knees warm when the nights were chilly. Finally, he shrugged off his coat and draped that over Ant’s shoulders. It covered the man all the way to his feet, so Viktor was going to assume that was good enough.

This caring for people takes a bit of work.He felt a nudge on his leg. “No, I haven’t forgotten you.” Viktor shook his head at the dog’s nudge for attention. Making his way to the kitchen, Viktor hunted for a wide mouthed bowl. He could cook, so it wasn’t as though the cupboards were bare of essentials, but Viktor hadn’t looked after a pet before.

Filling the bowl almost to the top with water, he put that down on the floor and pointed at it. “There you go. I suppose you want food, too.” Going over to his refrigerator, Viktor glanced at the offerings there. He had eggs, bacon, and some vegetables in the crisper, but he didn’t think any of that would suit a dog.

He pulled open the freezer door, checking the contents. Steak. Steak. Steak. Sausages. Some kind of roast. Viktor pulled out the chunk of meat, poked it with his finger and tossed it back where he got it, pulling out a slab of steak instead. Throwing it in the microwave, Viktor hit the defrost button and closed the door on the meat, letting the microwave do his thing.

“I don’t even know if you can have raw meat,” he said to the dog who was watching him closely. “But I figure you’re probably intelligent enough to refuse it, if it’s not good for you. I’m sure I wouldn’t know.”

Then he had another thought. “I suppose you need to be able to go outside, too.” Fortunately, because Viktor valued his privacy his entire back garden was surrounded by a six foot fence. Going through the kitchen to the utility room, Viktor opened the door to the back garden and pointed out of it. “If you need to do…you know, your shits and stuff, you do it out there, all right?”

Able seemed happy enough to go out and investigate. Viktor pushed a door stop against the door to stop it closing while the dog was outside. He assumed, although he really didn’t know, that Able would want access to Ant as Ant and Able were both in a strange place…I’m winging this, I really am.

Going back through to the kitchen, Viktor heard the beeping of the microwave. He found another plate that he rarely used, and checking that the steak was fully defrosted, he got rid of the packaging and put the plate with the steak on it on the floor next to the water bowl.

“There we go. Now, I’m a doggy daddy.” Viktor sighed at his own foolishness. He could do with a nap himself. Ant wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept the night before. Gods, just the thought of spending the night at the clubs with Tony – it felt like a lifetime ago.

Coffee. I have to have coffee.Because there was something, a sixth sense, or maybe it was just because he had his mate in his home, but Viktor just didn’t think it would be a good idea to go to sleep just yet. He checked the time seeing it was mid-afternoon.

There’s a good chance Tony won’t even be awake yet,he thought, turning on his coffee machine. He needed to talk to Ant before he had anything to do with Tony going forward. It wasn’t only Viktor’s safety that could be compromised if Tony got in a mood – it was Ant’s as well.

Chapter Thirteen

A sudden sound woke Ant up. “Able, shush.” His eyes still closed, he flung his arm out, planning to reach down the side of his bed to the rug where Able slept most nights. Then he winced and shook out his hand as the back of it hit the floor.

Eyes snapped open. “This is not my bed.” Ant shot up into a seated position, plucking at the coat that was covering him. “I know this coat. Who made the noise? Was it me? Did I dream the noise, or did I make it myself?”

That lingering disconnect between the dream world and the real world often confused Ant on wakening. With having visions so often, his handle on what was real and what was a product of his abilities could easily get blurred. It was one of the reasons Able was so necessary to him.

The coat collar clutched between his fingers was real and so was the couch his butt was resting on. There was no one else in the room with him. Not Able. Not Viktor, and yet Ant was certain the coat he’d been covered in belonged to the vampire. The room he was in wasn’t in his house either. Ant pondered for a moment.That has to mean this is Viktor’s house, right? A mate wouldn’t just leave their intended forever in a random person’s living room.

It was a living room. Ant knew that much. The couch he was resting on was a big giveaway, as was the comfortable-looking armchair that sat in pride of place by a large fireplace. There was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf taking up half of one wall. What looked like an expensive piece of art was hanging on another wall. The colors of the walls were a soft cream shade, rather than a stark white, which Ant appreciated as he felt that made the room feel warmer. The color of the soft blue curtains matched a large oval rug that covered most of the polished wooden floors.

Tilting his head, Ant looked between the wooden floors and then the blue…Not what I would’ve chosen.But Ant was relieved Viktor’s décor didn’t run to what the public considered “typical” vampire colors like black and red. He’d visited a few places like that when he was still at the Mage Academy, and the clashing of harsh colors like that always gave him a headache within an hour.

But speaking of typical vampire behavior, where was Viktor, and perhaps more worrying, where was Able? Ant’s companion always seemed to know when he was awake and never strayed far.Viktor didn’t leave him at the park, surely?Ant shook his head, answering his own question. He distinctly remembered hearing Viktor calling Able just before he fell asleep.

How long have I slept? Is it the same day, next day…?Standing up, Ant wrapped Viktor’s coat around his shoulders. The hem was dragging on the floor, and he tried hitching it up, but there was a lot of material. Still, Ant considered the coat like a security blanket – he liked that sensation and wasn’t in a hurry to leave the coat behind.

Shuffling through the house – he really didn’t want to trip over – Ant let his instincts guide him through the living area, into a large bright kitchen. The sight of a bowl of water on the floor made him smile, as well as the empty plate behind it.Viktor’s bonding with Able.Just thinking of it made him feel warm inside.

But it still didn’t tell him where the two were now. Following the flow of air, a fresh breeze coming from the utility room, Ant poked his head around the door and noticed there was a second door leading to the outside.

It was daylight – early morning from what Ant could see in terms of sun position. There was a part of him that was quietlyshocked. He didn’t think he’d slept that long in forever. But that did explain his rumbling stomach and the pressure on his bladder.I have to find Viktor and Able first.

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