Page 21 of Luka

Luka chuckled. “No bears. Anything else?”

“None that I can think of,” Spencer said.

After taking a deep breath, Spencer finally felt as if he could go back out to the bar without breaking down. He hugged his mate, resting his head on Luka’s shoulder, absorbing the guy’s strength.

“Ready?” Luka asked.

Spencer nodded. “No.”

“Let’s clean up this mess first.” Luka grabbed the things that had fallen from the desk and put them back, as well as the lotion. Spencer watched him, blowing out small breaths, trying to psych himself into going home.

It wasn’t working.

When Luka was done, he kissed Spencer so thoroughly that Spencer forgot his own name. He was swooning by the time his mate pulled back. After a kiss like that, Spencer would follow Luka anywhere, even into the fires of hell.

Chapter Six

“Why can’t I go in?”

Luka was a block from Spencer’s building, surveying his surroundings. Spencer was supposed to get a visit from one loan shark, and even though Spencer had probably been deemed harmless, the stranger might bring backup. Luka wanted to know what he was up against before he stepped inside.

He might be a wolf shifter, and the loan sharks more than likely were human, but he hadn’t honed his skills by being careless or assuming anything about any given situation.

“Because I want you tucked safely inside this Jeep, Spencer.” Luka was looking forward to returning to the cabin, to spending time with his mate, and he didn’t want anything ruining his plans, like Spencer getting hurt.

“But this is about me,” Spencer complained. “I can’t let you go in there without me.”

“Babe.” Luka turned in his seat and cupped Spencer’s face. “Let me handle this, okay?”

It looked as if his mate was going to argue, but he nodded. “I just don’t want anything happening to you, Luka.”

Luka was touched deeply that Spencer was so worried about him. “Nothing will,” he said. “I got this.”

Spencer didn’t look entirely convinced, but he bit the corner of his lip and nodded.

Luka leaned forward and kissed him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Stay here and keep the doors locked. Honk the horn like crazy if you need me.”

In the shadows of the night, Luka slipped out of the Jeep and melted into the darkness. Unseen, he crept into the building and made his way up the stairs. He heard music from someone’s apartment. He didn’t like being in the open like this, but he forced himself to remember that no one knew he was coming. Carefully, he moved closer to the door, scanning the hallway for any signs of movement.

When he reached Spencer’s door, he paused and listened. He could hear three voices, two male and one female, and he guessed that the loan shark had indeed brought backup. From the stench of death in the hallway, Luka realized he was dealing with vampires.

This changed everything.

Instead of using the key that Spencer had given him, Luka made his way to the window at the back of the hallway and climbed out, keeping himself steady as he gripped the fire escape and swung himself over. He eased open Spencer’s bedroom window.

Luka was going to have a talk with Spencer about locking his windows, even though the guy lived on the third floor. His bedroom window could easily be accessed with the fire escape. Some people had no clue about the dangers that lurked in the night, or they chose to ignore the threat because they wanted to believe the world was a safe place. There were too many—humans and others—who loved preying on one’s vulnerabilities.

Luka was proof that you were never as safe as you thought you were.

His feet touched down silently, and then Luka moved just as quietly to the bedroom door as he pulled out a wicked silver blade.

“He should have been here by now,” one of them said. “I’m going to teach the little human what promptness means.”

“I bet his blood tastes sweet,” someone else said. “If we weren’t under orders to collect Lyle’s debt, I’d drain him.”

Luka knew they were just puppets having their strings pulled, so he wanted to find out who the puppet master was. Who held Lyle’s debt over Spencer’s head? That was the person Luka wanted to have a conversation with, not these lackeys.

He eased the bedroom door open, glad it didn’t squeak, and stepped into the hallway. So far, they had no idea he was there, and he wanted to keep the element of surprise for as long as possible.

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