There was a knock at the door.
Adrian slowly pushed himself up, hovering above Lan. He leaned down to kiss his wolf softly. “Let me find you some clothes.”
There was another knock, but Adrian ignored it and took his time going through the wardrobe. Lan could smell a Night Child on the other side of the door.
“You’re done fucking, aren’t you? Open the door.”
Lan flushed, tugging at the blankets.
Adrian threw him a smile before calling out toward the door, “Patience, Gareth.”
A moment later, Adrian handed Lan a pair of thin joggers and a large sweater. “These might not fit perfectly, sweetheart, but bear with it. Your shoes are still intact, so you’ll find them downstairs by the door.” He kissed the side of Lan’s head, lingering for much longer than necessary.
Lan didn’t mind though. He nuzzled up, earning another kiss for his trouble. Hiding a smile, he pulled the clothes on as Adrian languidly strolled to the door.
It clicked open to reveal a very disgruntled man and Liza. Gareth was at least a head and a half taller than her and kept a steadying hand on one slim shoulder. “She needs help getting back home.”
“Did you drink from her?” Adrian asked, voice low and quiet. Not exactly concerned but not unconcerned either. Mildly curious?
Lan drifted closer, sniffing the air delicately. His nose wrinkled as he came up beside Adrian. “She just drank too much alcohol.” It was hard to distinguish the various types based on scent alone. The smell of alcohol burned his nostrils. “I can bring her home.”
“Exactly,” Gareth grunted, gingerly guiding Liza toward Lan. “Too much alcohol dilutes the blood. Tastes awful.”
“Who gave it to her?” Adrian chuckled.
“Angel,” he replied, rolling his eyes.
It was a conversation Lan wished he could understand. Their camaraderie seemed so natural. A daily reality that could—maybe?—be available to him if he joined hands with the Ringleader. But that was something he’d have to carefully consider without Adrian or Kallum to distract him.
Lan lifted Liza easily, taking care not to jostle her too much.
“The car is waiting outside,” Gareth explained, stepping out of their way. His thickly muscled body still somewhat blocked the narrow doorway, but Lan managed to squeeze past.
Adrian trailed behind him as they descended the stairs. Curtains covered every window, so Lan couldn’t see the height of the sun, but it couldn’t be very high yet. He paused at the bottom of the steps and turned back to see Adrian watching him with obvious concern.
“What’s wrong?” Lan cocked his head.
A helpless little smile curled Adrian’s lips and he leaned forward, kissing Lan’s forehead softly. “Be careful. I’ll come see you tonight.” He paused and then added quietly, “I have something to talk about with you so make sure you take care.”
“It’s daylight,” he replied, hoping it sounded reassuring. “I’ll be okay.”
Adrian’s silence was deafening.
Lowering his head, Lan turned away. There was nothing to earn from convincing him otherwise. And just maybe, that silence unnerved him.
He slipped his shoes on, opened the front door, and headed into the early morning light. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the sky was a pale blue and an icy chill curled around them. Liza shivered and curled toward him, clearly trying to soak up his body heat.
Lan snuggled closer to her, keeping her warm as they hopped down the steps and into the waiting car. He told the driver where to go as he buckled Liza into the seat next to him. She was still shaking from the cold, but it seemed to have stirred her into a more lucid state.
They peeled away from the curb.
“Lan?”
“You up?” he responded, grinning at her bleary eyed face.
She groaned. “Either I had an orgy and passed out or I drank a barrel of whiskey.”
“It was the latter.” Lan laughed when she looked devastated.
“How could you crush my dreams like that?” Liza shook her head and then immediately regretted it. Leaning against the cool windowpane, she mumbled, “I’m still gonna tell everyone I fucked the whole Delirium troupe. Twice.”
Lan couldn’t help another laugh, stifling the sound when she complained he was hurting her head.
“So? Cuddled up with your sugar daddy all night?”
Heat crawled up his face.
Liza snorted, not even looking at him. “Thought so. Must be nice.”
Lan didn’t respond right away. He didn’t really understand deeper Human emotions; however, spending time with Liza had at least exposed him to sarcasm. She had a way of saying things roughly, but she never smelled displeased.
“He said he wants to show me his favorite books, T.V. shows, and movies.”
Slowly, Liza turned to look at him and something warm sparkled in her tired eyes. “Looks like he finally sees something interesting behind that cute face of yours.” She grabbed the complimentary water bottle in the backseat cupholder and took a long swig. “It’s a good sign. You’re not gonna find many, or any, handsome guys who’ll get addicted to your body but fall for your personality.”
Lan held back the desire to refute her. It seemed a bit far-fetched to believe Adrian found something intriguing about his personality. Did he even have a personality? Any defining qualities that weren’t bloodstained and pathetic?
He didn’t even know how to operate a television or buy a movie ticket. In Adrian’s long life, hadn’t he met more people and done more things than he could feasibly remember?
“It’s enough that he likes my body.”
Liza rolled her eyes so hard her head followed. “Sure. A famous performer who looks like that is just spending all his time and money on you because he wants to get in your pants. You must have one hell of a dick.”
This was no time to tell her wolves had more than a dick. He just smiled at her.
She frowned in return. “I’m just saying, don’t sell yourself short. In our line of business, things are always backwards. We fuck first, think later. We find bodies we like, and hearts sometimes follow. It’s normal, so keep your chin up.”
Lan appreciated the pep talk in his own way. It was just far more complicated the longer he considered something more than friendly fucking and cuddles. His emotions always got in the way when he saw Adrian. Everything he felt—admiration, affection, gratitude—clouded his thoughts.
The Ringleader was powerful, but even this must’ve been going too far, right? Even if he could give Lan sanctuary, the offer would be revoked once Adrian grew tired of their fling.
At some point, he would get his fill of a wolf’s body and then what?
Lan was tempted to think in the short term, but he forced himself to finally consider what lied beyond the here and now. His lifestyle was drying up quickly as the body count rose.
Hadn’t he hurt enough people by dragging out this feud with Nyx?
That train of thought was cut short though as their tires squealed and the car spun out of control.
Lan didn’t know what was happening, but then the world flipped, his stomach roiled, and the deafening crunch of metal on asphalt made his vision go white.
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