Page 53 of Map of Pain
“You didn’t—”
“Good boys don’t argue.”
The voice emerged from the shadows, sweet and teasing, a twisted echo of Shaw’s—too soft, too affectionate. Nick’s vision blurred, phantom sensations skittering across his skin,accompanied by the haunting jingle of metal thathadalways heralded—
No.
Nick surged forward and kissed Luka, fierce and urgent. The vampire’s lipswerereal, solid, grounding. The sensation catapulted Nick back to the present, yanking him from the ghosts of Chicago and the Society’s cold facility.Here. Now.
Luka pulled back slightly, giving Nick a quizzical look. But Nick felt emboldened, his authentic self stirring stronger than ithadin years. “Can I see them?”he asked quietly.“Your fangs?”
Luka’s eyebrows rose.
“I’ve never...”Nick swallowed hard.“Everyone who showed me fangswasactively trying to hurt me.”
Luka’s expression softened in understanding, maybe. Or hope.
Luka hesitated for just a moment, the tension palpable, before allowing the transformation to begin. Nick watched, breath held tight in his chest, as Luka’s teeth shifted and elongated, becoming eight sharp points. His eyes darkened to an abyssal black, but the jade irises still peered through, glimmering like distant stars in a night sky.
Feeling a surge of courage, Nick moved even closer, almost reverent, as if hewereapproaching something sacred. He reached toward Luka’s face, fingers trembling with a mix of excitement and wonder. The vampire went perfectly still, a statue of trust, allowing the gentle approach.
Nick’s finger brushed the tip of one fang—sharp, smooth, and undeniably deadly. A shiver of thrill shot through him, each heartbeat loud and insistent in his ears. Then his touch trailed lower, along Luka’s soft bottom lip.
Looking at Luka’s transformed face, he felt no fear. No, the swirling emotions within himwerefar more complex. Only fascination, an insatiable curiosity, and a deep appreciation that Luka trusted him enough to reveal this side of himself. Itwasagift, a glimpse into the depths of his being, and Nick felt honored.
His lower lip quivered as he leaned in to kiss Luka again, fangs and all, the uncertainty of the moment melting away. The kiss transformed from tentative to passionate, igniting a fire within him. Heat coiled in Nick’s belly, intense and vibrant, similar to what he felt the night in the motel—more certain, more real.
Luka’s hand moved experimentally along Nick’s arm, touch questioning yet gentle, exploring the contours of his skin with a delicacy that sent ripples of warmth coursing through him.
Nick nodded into the kiss, giving permission, a silent promise that hewashere, fully present.I can’t fix myself and my broken parts,he thought, the weight of his past pressing down on him like a heavy fog. But that fog began to lift as Luka’s gentle touch filled the gaps where painhadtakenroot.But I’m less broken around you.
He pressed flush against Luka, surrendering to the moment, losing himself in the careful way those hands mapped his shoulders and back. Each brush of Luka’s fingers felt electric, grounding him in the now. The world outside faded away, leaving only the two of them, wrapped in a cocoon of trust and burgeoning intimacy.
A soft jingling sound drifted in through the cracks of his mind.
Nick froze, heart racing. That sound—it felt like a ghost from his past, a phantom trigger that stirred memories he couldn’t quite grasp. But Lukaheard it too; Nick felt the tension in the air shift as the vampire’s head snapped toward the door, eyes widening with a mix of surprise and alertness. The sound seemed to vibrate through the very walls, resonating with an unspoken urgency.
In an instant, Nick felt himself moving, weightless and unmoored, as hewasliftedand yanked away from Luka. Strong hands gripped his shirt and hauled him backward. The suddenpressure of the impact jolted him as his back hit the wall, and the sound of tearing fabric filled the air, crisp and harsh, as his shirt collar ripped apart like paper.
Hunter instincts kicked in, a primal reflex that surged through him like a current of electricity. Nick’s hand shot to the knife tucked into his waistband, fingers closing around the handle with fierce determination.
“Marcus, don’t!”Caleb’s voice. Nick’s hand went limp, the weapon clattering to the floor.
Marcus Graveshadhim pinned against the wall by his torn shirt collar, one hand splayed across his chest. The vampire’s amber eyes burned with protective fury, his jaw set in a hard line. Thiswasn’tthe feral hunger Nickhadseencountless times before—thiswassomething more calculated, more personal. Marcus Graveswalked in to see Nick on top of Luka, and his mindhadjumpedto the worst possible conclusion.
The last timethey’dbeen in the same room, Nickhadbeen helping Henderson torture Caleb. Now herewasthat same hunter, alone with one of Marcus’s oldest friends.
Luka immediately pulled Marcus back, swatting his head and signing rapidly in what looked like a string of profanities.
Marcus stepped away, surprise flickering across his features, replaced by embarrassment. His gaze darted between Luka’s agitated hands and Nick, lingering on the tattered remnants of Nick’s collar.
Nick clenched his jaw, forcing his focus beyond Marcus to the doorway—
Caleb. Standing there, framed against the dim light, his expression a complex tapestry of emotions Nick couldn’t decipher. Longing warred with caution in his brother’s face. The desperate want to come closer, held back by memory of their last encounter.
“I thought hewas—”Marcus began, then stopped himself.
Lukawasstill signing furiously, using words Nick recognized from their lessons. Definitely swearing.
