A Bite To Remember Read online

  "Of course," Dain replied sounding offended.

  "I can go there and do some research," Rhys said.

  Wyndingo sat forward. "In the meantime, Destrain and I would like to speak to your new King."

  "What? Why?" Jagger gasped.

  Standing, Wyn said, "I think we might be able to help each other. Des, can you get with Illan and Justice?"

  "Already planned on it," Destrain replied.

  Nodding, Wyn looked at Jagger. "Get a hold of the man and tell him we want to talk."

  Jagger could tell there was no getting out of it, so he just nodded.

  "In the meantime, I don't suggest you two go biting on each other until we can figure this out," Dain replied.

  Jagger looked at Nick and the others in a panic. "But I can only feed off my mate. Anyone else, and I will die."

  CHAPTER 5

  "What the fuck is all this shit? We run a fire department, not a damn junk yard! Gage, clean this shit up before someone breaks their goddamn neck!" Nick snapped as he made his way past boxes of old toys and broken furniture.

  "But, Chief, these are the things we're going to fix and give to the families at the shelter in Crystal. We talked about it last month," Sut yelled out before Nick could go into the building.

  Nick turned around and could see his men looking at him in concern as well as confusion. Gods, he was being an ass. "Sorry, guys. I'm being an ass. You're right, Sut, and if there's anything you need from me, just let me know."

  "Chief, you know we're here for you if you need anything, right?" Tyler said solemnly.

  With a sharp nod, Nick softly said, "Thanks, Tyler, but Dain and Rhys are doing what they can to figure everything out."

  "But it's been almost a month! Are they even close to a solution? This shit isn't fair to you and Jagger," Ronan said in exasperation.

  "I know, Ronan, but it takes as long as it takes. Which reminds me, Logan. Jagger is almost out of his blood supply. I'm going to need you to make a few more bags. We can hook me up in a few minutes."

  "I still don't understand why Dain doesn't let Jagger just take from the source. I mean, he benefits from it and it wouldn't hurt you," Sut stated.

  Shrugging. "They want to make sure it isn't a side effect from Jagger's bite. Rhys read that when a vampire takes from a source, a chemical is released from his fangs to limit pain. The drawback for me could be from that chemical."

  "How's Jagger doing? We haven't seen him in a while," Gage asked.

  "Feeling guilty and I can't seem to get it through to him that none of this is his fault. Until this gets figured out, we both just need to try and get our shit together," Nick replied as he turned to go inside then stopped and looked back. "Why don't you guys get this stuff inside so we can see what can be fixed and cleaned up and what we should just trash. Use the storage room to keep these things in so it doesn't get in the way if we get a call."

  Nick was about to enter his office, when Logan called out, "Chief, I need to talk to you."

  Tossing his hat on his desk, Nick waved Logan inside. "Why don't you get the stuff to draw my blood and we can talk."

  Nodding, Logan left but quickly returned. Setting up the stand, Logan began to hook up Nick. "I didn't tell you anything, because I didn't want to get your hopes up, but I might know why Dain and Rhys aren't making any headway on a cure for your problem."

  Nick sat straight up. "What the hell are you talking about? You might know what's going on and you waited three fucking weeks to say anything?"

  Logan stepped back at the angry tone and feeling coming from Nick. Smelling Logan's fear, Nick did his best to calm himself down. "What is it you know, Logan?"

  "I don't know anything for sure, Chief. I've been trying to get a hold of a friend of mine for a while now. He's a brilliant scientist, but not an easy man to pin down. He doesn't like being around a lot of people, but he actually has some information on your situation that might be helpful," Logan explained.

  Nick felt a small ray of hope. "What kind of information?"

  Logan let out a deep breath. "Chief, I keep telling you, I don't really know. I tried to get him to tell me, but he asked if he could take a sample of your blood and Jagger's to try a theory he has. I didn't want to just hand it over and told him I would have to ask you guys first."

  "Why is he not here? What kind of theory? Damn it, Logan, you're not giving me anything to work with here. Who is this guy? How do you know him?" Nick asked.

  Logan looked away and Nick could see that all too familiar haunted look cross over his friend’s face. When he looked back it was gone, and that bland, expressionless expression Logan was known for by all his band was back. “When I first left medicine, I wandered around kind of lost. I had nowhere to live, so I would sleep in abandoned buildings, vans, and sometimes I'd shift and sleep in the corner of a barn. One day some men came into one of those barns. You could tell they were hunting someone."

  "Why someone and not something?" Nick asked curiously.

  Logan shrugged. "Besides the fact that they ignored all the animals in there, the woods weren't too far. Something about the men was off. I couldn't scent an animal, but I could feel an energy coming off them. I got curious and followed them. They kept to the streets. They would nudge a person here and there and kept around the bars and other populated areas. Anyway, I heard something coming from one of the alleys that those men hadn't gotten to yet. When I went to see what it was, I found a man laying there bleeding. I just knew this was who those men were looking for. So, I picked him up, went into the abandoned warehouse close by, then returned to cover up the blood before they got there. When I went back, the guy was passed out and in really bad shape. I couldn't let him die. I had dedicated my life to saving people, Nick. I knew that there might be repercussions to my decision, but there was no way I could let the man just die."

  Nodding, Nick replied, "It isn't who you are, Logan. You not practicing medicine is your choice and one that, although I disagree with it, I respect it. If that man needed help, then you did what you had to do."

  Logan swallowed hard and took a moment before continuing. "Nick, this man was not a normal man. I knew that he was some type of paranormal, and not one I had ever seen in person. I went to the hospital and stole some supplies I would need, then came back and fixed the guy up."

  "I bet he was shocked to still be alive when he came around," Nick replied.

  Logan gave a short laugh. "You could say that. When he told me who and what he was, I think I can safely say I was the one left dumbstruck."

  "This is all really nice, but what does it have to do with him helping Jagger and me? He has to know that if I'm your alpha then that means I can be trusted with whatever secret he has. Logan, I just want my mate and I to be able to live a normal mating. I stopped having sex with Jagger a week ago, because I couldn't trust myself not to bite the man and to hell with the consequences. Jagger thinks I don't want him anymore and hasn't spoken to me in three days. Please, if he can help us, I'm asking you to have him come and talk to me," Nick urged.

  "Logan, please listen to Nick. I swear by all that I am I will work side by side with you to keep this man safe," Jagger said from the door.

  Nick went to move, forgetting he was hooked up to the bag, and almost ripped the needle out. Jagger rushed to him, gently pushing him back into his seat. "Hey, you're going to hurt yourself."

  "What are you doing here, baby? Is everything alright?" Nick asked in concern.

  Jagger shocked the hell out of Nick when he sat on his lap. "I came here to apologize for how I've been treating you. I had no right to be so upset with you, especially since this situation is all my fault."

  "Baby, none of this is your fault. How can you even think that?" Nick asked.

  "If not for my blood this wouldn't have happened. Maybe the fairies were right when they called us cursed," Jagger said with a loud sigh.

  "Why would they call you cursed?" Nick asked.

  Shrugging, Jagger said, "Tha
t's a question for Ezra, who I finally spoke with this morning. He's agreed to come here and meet with Destrain, Illan, and Justice. I told him about our mating and some of the situation we find ourselves in. He has no idea what to do about it, but he's going to look at some possibilities. Nick, if Ezra can't help us, I don't know how we can fix this."

  Logan removed the second filled bag and gently removed the needle from Nick’s arm. "Nick, my friend has agreed to come here and speak with you, but the King and Regent are not going to like it. It's one of the reason I didn't just bring him here. I didn't want to get him killed."

  "I don't understand. Why would this friend of yours die for coming here?" Jagger asked.

  A green man a few inches shorter than Jagger appeared. He had long chestnut brown hair with freaky fucking aquamarine colored eyes. Nick didn't remember ever seeing someone with that color before. A large growl filled the room as Nick's grizzly immediately came forward and stood ten feet tall.

  Logan jumped in front of Nick, with his hands in the air. "Chief, calm down. This is Rune, my friend I was telling you about."

  Nick didn't like the scent coming from the man. It was almost like seaweed mixed with dirt mixed with something Nick couldn't quite make out. Using his massive size, Nick pushed his mate further back and into the wall.

  "Nick, stop it! This is Logan's friend and he is going to help us," Jagger insisted as he pushed on Nick's back.

  Nick didn't trust this man. He didn't smell the least bit human. It was confusing to his grizzly as well as his human mind. Every shifter smelled of their animal and then had a human element in their scent as well. This man didn't smell of anything except seaweed and dirt and that other thing. It was the other thing he didn't like at all.

  "I am Rune, Nick, and what you're scenting is the fact that I am a fairy. I am nothing like my leader, Fallon. I swear to you on my life, I am not here to do anything but help you and your mate," Rune stated firmly.

  Nick shifted. "How?"

  "I have been around a very long time, Nick. Do you think you and your mate are the first to find each other?" Rune asked with a raised brow.

  Nick hissed, "I never thought about it."

  With a shoulder shrug, Rune replied, "Trust me, you are not the first and you will not be the last. Shifters don't typically let out the secret of having a vampire for a mate because to do so might endanger their vampire mate's clan. The fact that you can now hear for miles, see in the darkest and smokiest of rooms, lift trucks with one hand, is something that others, with nefarious intentions, might seek out and take without asking."

  "I understand what you're saying. However, how do they deal with all the noise? I was in a fire and thought I would lose my mind. I could hear the crackling of the fire, everyone sounded like they were screaming in my ears, and the sound of a fire alarm was like an explosion in my brain," Nick replied emphatically.

  Logan reminded Nick of something he had not taken into consideration. "Yes, Nick, but you also heard and then saw Sut and Ronin before they were killed. You told us you heard the ceiling getting ready to come down, long before Wyndingo saw the smoke change, and you were able to get us all the hell out of there before it all fell on us."

  "Nick, you must understand, this is not a curse for mating a vampire. It is the ability to help keep your mate alive, just as your mate being able to walk in the sun helps him keep you alive. A shifter is typically not strong enough to fight a vampire or a larger shifter if he tries to attack your mate. These new abilities you have were designed to help you, not hurt you," Rune explained.

  "So how do I get rid of it?" Nick asked.

  Shaking his head, Rune replied, "You can't. As I said, these abilities are necessary. I created this on purpose, Nick."

  "You did this? You did what, exactly?" Nick asked not holding back his distrust.

  Rune looked at Jagger, saying, "I am the creator of the vampire."

  CHAPTER 6

  "What?" Jagger exclaimed.

  Rune's tone became almost reminiscent. "My position for the fairies was like the Regent to the King of the Pixies. Fallon came to me, demanding that I create a shifter that could destroy the dragons and the phoenix. I, like many fairies, have no interest in hurting anyone, no matter if they are pixie, shifter, or whatever. We just want to live our lives and be happy doing it."

  "Yeah, sure. That's why the shifters in Crystal have been so safe from all of you," Nick replied sarcastically.

  Sighing heavily, Rune said, "I know that sounds hard to believe, Nick, but it's true. Anyway, when I went to do as my leader ordered, I knew that he would choose to use them for his own purposes and then kill them. What he didn't consider was how a creator would feel for those he produced. It's like knowing when you have a child it will die at birth. I didn't want to end the dragons or the phoenix, but I also knew if I didn't at least make it look as if I was attempting to do as he asked, he would just find someone to do it in my place. I came up with the idea. If I could make someone that couldn't shift but still be lethal, he would hate the creation, and move onto another idea."

  "That son of a bitch left us to die!" Jagger snarled.

  Rune looked at Jagger with sadness in his eyes and it continued into his voice. "I knew some would die, but in the end, many would live and begin a new life. I helped Volak out of his cave and gave him the keys to the others. I couldn't stay or Fallon would know what I had done before you could escape."

  An understanding came to Nick. "You risked your life to save them?"

  Nodding, Rune replied, "They were my creation. It was my fairy dust and my blood in their veins. I couldn't just let them die. I knew Fallon would know of my treason and I would be killed. I deserved nothing less. I did go against my leader’s orders. However, I didn't regret doing so, if it meant the vampires would live."

  "Yet you live?" Jagger stated, calmer then he had been before.

  Logan's frustration was clear when he said, "Not without sacrifice, Jagger. Trust me I was there. They cut off his──"

  "Logan, that isn't important. Nick, the thing is, I wanted to make sure that a vampire could continue on once I was gone. I knew that any time Fallon came across them he would kill the vampire without so much as a hello. To survive, they had to be able to procreate. So, I made sure to add a little something extra in my blood that would make it so a mate could fight and win against my own kind. These enhancements you now have will grow as your mating bond strengthens," Rune explained.

  Jagger gasped, "But Nick can't handle the ones he’s got now, how the hell can he take on more?"

  "I have a feeling that when he first mated, Nick wasn't thinking about how much of your blood he took. So, I am going to help you as much as I can with this. When you bite your mate, do not draw in more than three mouthfuls. In the beginning, if you know of a siphon, have them draw out part of your enhancement. However, in the end, it is going to take you, Nick, to learn to control your new gifts. I will do my best to help, but in the end, it really is all up to you," Rune stated mater-of-factly.

  "How do I learn to control it?" Nick asked in frustration and anger. "I thought my head was going to explode that first time."

  "Focus. Nick, learn to focus your gift. Call it back when it isn't needed and bring it forward and focus on that one sound you are trying to hear. With practice, it will come to you like breathing. You won't have to think about it, you just do it," Rune replied.

  Nodding, Nick drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, until then have someone that has the ability to siphon remove part of it?"

  Shrugging, Rune replied, "it's the best solution."

  Rune turned to leave. "I must return home, I have a young man waiting for me and he is about to find out some very shocking news. I can only hope he is willing to listen, because time is running out for him if he does not."

  Before he could leave, Nick yelled out, “Wait, Rune, I have a question."

  "Yes?" Rune said in question before leaving.

  "Are all fairies
green?" Nick asked, out of the blue.

  Nodding, Rune answered, "In our true form, yes. We can make ourselves look as any other humans’ skin, but that requires energy and energy can be tracked."

  "So, you're still on the run from your own people?" Jagger asked in awe.

  "I am and always will be. The day I defied my leader marked my death, Jagger. I am okay with death, but I have some unfinished business to attend to first. Once that has been taken care of, Fallon can have me and do with me as he sees fit," Rune answered.

  "You mean you'll turn yourself over to him? Why?" Jagger asked in shock.

  Dropping his hand on the door knob, Rune rasped, "I'm tired, Jagger. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of not fitting in with this world, and I am so tired of being alone. I will check on you both the next time I return."

  Nick went out of his office and into the main squad room. "Tyler!"

  Tyler looked up and seemed surprised to see Jagger next to Nick. "Oh hey, Jagger. How are you?"

  "I'm good, thanks," Jagger replied.

  Nick squeezed Jagger's hand. "I'm not going to be able to meet with your dad today. Can you give him a call and see when is the next time he might be available?"

  Tyler looked confused. "Sure thing, Chief. Is there a problem?"

  Shaking his head, Nick smiled wide. "Nope. I'm just going home and making love to my mate for the next twenty-four hours or so."

  Sut smiled. "Hot damn!"

  "That's great!" Onyx replied.

  "TMI!" Gage yelled out.

  Tyler looked completely confused as he dialed his cell. "I thought you couldn't do that because of what might happen?"

  "It seems we were wrong. So, please give your father my apologies and ask him if we can get together in the next couple of days," Nick stated as he made his way into the bay area. Just before he made it out of the station, the sound of bells and buzzers went off.

  Station one, station two, station three. Three alarm fire in the south central bay region. Three alarm bell at the south central bay region. Reference to a structure fire at 3379 Bay Street.