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The rogue’s red-irised eyes fixated on him, and he curved his lips into a creepy smile. “Your shifter revealed my location to a coven.” He sniffed the air exaggeratedly even as he eyed him with hunger in his eyes. “So I’m going to drain you dry, causing him to go insane.” A crazy light filled his expression. “It’ll be perfect vengeance before I have to move on.”
“Oh, fuck,” Peter whispered.
“No thanks,” the rogue teased even as he started stalking toward Peter. “Not gay.”
Peter spun and launched back into the bathroom. He had just enough time to slam the door in the rogue’s face and lock the door before the crazy vampire’s body slammed into it. The vibration caused Peter to tumble to the ground.
Shimmying sideways, Peter braced his back against the wall and his feet against the bottom of the door before the door shook again. The wood around the lock began to crack. As Peter screamed Pisces’s name, he would never be so grateful that his house wasn’t a newer construction, and it still had thick, solid interior doors instead of the hollow-cored ones.
* * * *
Pisces took the package of pre-sliced cheese from Waylon. “Thanks, Waylon.”
After acknowledging Pisces’s words, the large black male moved off to place the three bags of chips—one with corn tortillas, one barbeque-flavored, and a third plain for the dips on the table—Pisces opened the package. There were two types of cheese inside. He placed pepperjack cheese on half the burgers and medium cheddar on the rest.
No one had wanted just a plain burger. Pisces had asked.
Just as Pisces closed the lid, a trio of men appeared from several directions. Immediately, Colton leaped to his feet and ushered Waylon behind him. The seahorse shifter positioned himself between two of the strangers and his mate, as well as the other humans.
Pisces finally registered the scent of vampires, and he hurried to do the same.
The single vampire between himself and the group leveled a dark look upon Pisces. “Where is the rogue?” he demanded. “We know he’s here.” The vampire took a menacing step forward. “Are you hiding him?”
For an instant, Pisces remained tongue-tied.
“We’re not hiding any rogues,” Colton declared, yanking Pisces out of his confusion.
“You’re from Master Aldor Bercham’s coven,” Pisces guessed, causing the speaker—who had to be the leader—to narrow his eyes suspiciously. “I’m Pisces,” he continued gamely. “I’m the one who gave your coven his location. I’m—”
The crash of something on wood was followed by Peter screaming Pisces’s name.
“Shit. He’s inside,” Pisces barked.
Dismissing the strangers—they were obviously a hunting party from the coven—Pisces sprinted across the deck. His mate had been in the bathroom. He knew that room had a frosted glass window, so that was where he headed.
Pisces didn’t bother opening it. Instead, he skidded to a stop and used an elbow to smash the glass. Spotting Peter on the floor, his feet braced against the door, Pisces leaped through the opening.
A second later, Pisces whipped his shirt over his head and wrapped the fabric around his hand and wrist. After using the wrapped appendage to clear away the glass, he tossed his ruined shirt to the floor. Pisces grabbed Peter under the arms and draped him over his shoulder.
As Pisces leaped out the broken window, taking his mate with him, he heard the door crash open behind him. He landed easily and rushed toward where Colton had herded his mate and the other humans. After setting Peter on the deck and handing him off to his friends’ waiting arms, Pisces spun in preparation of squaring off against the rogue.
He didn’t have to.
Even as the rogue landed from his own leap out the window, the pair of vampires Colton had been facing surrounded him. The rogue turned back as if ready to go back through the house. That was thwarted by the appearance of the vampire who’d been their speaker appearing in the window.
The pair slashed out with their claws—three-inch-long talons that extended from their fingers. One eviscerated the rogue across his belly. The second went for the rogue’s throat. A second later, the speaker had jumped out the window and landed behind him.
The speaker grabbed the heavily bleeding rogue’s shoulder and spun him around. He punched his taloned hand through the rogue’s chest. After yanking out the male’s bleeding heart, with a disdainful look, he allowed his dead body to fall to the deck planking.
Silence reigned, but only for an instant.
“What the fuck?” Ryley whispered, clearly shocked.
“Take a deep breath, man,” Waylon encouraged, gripping the paramedic’s shoulders. “You’re okay.”
Pisces wrapped his arms around Peter and clutched him to his chest. Rubbing up and down his trembling mate’s back, he kissed his temple while whispering, “You’re safe, my mate. You’re safe.”
For several long heartbeats, Peter continued to shiver against him. Finally, he let out a long breath and sagged against him. His arms came around Pisces, squeezing him back.
