Page 7 of Forever Midnight

Once our task is done, we head in the direction of The Lair—a vampire club where we can be ourselves and drop the mortal act for a little while.

As we walk, I catch a familiar scent and I stop in place, grabbing Eros’s wrist.

“What is it?” Eros asks.

Gideon.

I’ll never forget it.

“That guy we rescued from Malek Dane.”

“Yeah?”

“I can smell him.”

Eros sniffs the air. “I got nothing. Smells like normal city stuff.”

I shake my head, glancing in all directions. “I know he’s close.”

“And? You want to fuck, feed, or kill?”

My chest tightens as my inner beast reacts to the question. “Definitely the first two.”

Eros grins. “Let’s find him then.”

I continue to sniff as we walk but the scent is getting weaker. A block from The Lair, disappointment sets in. “I lost him.”

Eros grips my shoulder. “Hey. If he’s in this city, you can find him again. Maybe it’s just not the right time.”

I nod, letting Eros lead me to the club’s door. “Yeah, you’re right.”

As I enter the club, I glance over my shoulder one more time. I haven’t stopped thinking of the fragile man we rescued from Malek a month ago. Something about him lingers with me. I want to know more about him. Want to see him again. Want that scent close to me. If Gideon is out there, I’m gonna find him.

I have to.

ChapterTwo

GIDEON

Perched on a stone wall at the top of a sloped street, I watch my current object of interest conduct his third drug deal of the night. Vinni Knuckles, now in charge of the Malice, has no idea I’m watching him, and why would he? He thinks he’s running the streets of New Onyx unseen, but I see him.

He’s oblivious to my attention, just like Malek was until I fucked up. A shiver runs down my back as memories of that night flood my mind. If it hadn’t been for those dudes who showed up in the nick of time, I’d be a dead man. But they did show up, and I live another day to take care of the men who could ruin my family.

Unfortunately for me, Vinni wasn’t with Malek that night, and he’s picked up where Malek left off since then, becoming the most powerful dealer in town and keeping the asshole’s sinister plans in place. It’s well known he’s actively looking for the men who killed his friend, but something tells me he isn’t going to find them.

They came with stealth, taking all of us by surprise, and the one with the soulful eyes scooped me into his arms and swept me out of there. I would’ve done anything to stay in those strong arms and keep staring into eyes that saw the depths of my soul. It’s just that I can’t be distracted right now. Not until I’m sure my family is safe from these lunatics.

My attention is drawn away from Vinni for a second when I notice two men crossing the street. I watch them, confidence in their strides, ignoring the violence and chaos of the inner city around them.

My heart rate speeds up and my stomach flutters. It’s him. Midnight. The man who rescued me from certain death a month ago. Tempted to jump down from my spot and follow him, I continue to watch as he and the person he’s with disappear down the street.

I want to pursue him, to satisfy my curiosity about him and his friends, but raised voices directly in front of me grab my attention. The man talking to Vinni is yelling at him, but then the thugs with Vinni grab the man’s arms from behind, and Vinni proceeds to punch the man repeatedly.

I have to look away from the brutality of the assault, but the sound of flesh hitting flesh still reaches me, turning my stomach. Only a few minutes later, the noise stops, and I open my eyes to see the man slumped on the ground, groaning as Vinni kicks him one last time then walks off, laughing.

Of course, I have no idea what the man did, but it still pisses me off. No one stops to check on him or call for help. Not that it would do any good. The police never come.

Jumping down from my spot, I decide to walk in the direction I saw Midnight go, abandoning the idea to continue stalking Vinni. If his pattern is consistent, he’ll be all jacked up after that incident and ready to spill more blood. If I don’t want it to be mine, I better move on. At least for tonight.

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