380

Book:Lycan Pleasure (erotica) Published:2024-6-4

The train pulled up as the call ended and Demetri stepped aboard and sank into the first available seat. His concern was increasing, his feeling of being too late starting to spiral out of control. If anything happened to Pietro…
The vampire was a pain in the ass but he liked him, trusted him more than he did most people. His easy laughter, the way he took the piss out of Andrei, his steadfast loyalty to his friends… all those things were what made Pietro a friend to Demetri. And no one fucked with his friends.
He hadn’t lied to the vampire on the phone. He would rip the continent apart to get justice for Pietro if he died. He’d done it before for people he’d cared less about and he would do it again. Despite the veneer of civility Demetri wore, his feral side dominated his spirit. It was more subdued since he’d met Mara but it was always there, always waiting for a chance at freedom.
It was simple for Demetri… if his friends were hurt then the enemy would bleed a river of blood in penance. Most of his kind were smart enough to know this. It would appear the European contingent were lacking in brain cells. They’d better pray he wasn’t required to educate them.
The train journey was quicker than he thought it would be or maybe he was just so deep in his dark thoughts he hadn’t noticed the passage of time. Whatever the reason, he was alighting the train and heading quickly out of the station in next to no time.
He scented the other vampire instantly and his gaze zeroed in on the tall man leaning against a SUV in the parking lot. The other man had blond hair to his shoulders, the blond colouring the top layer, a deep brown hiding beneath. He was an Elder around about the thousand year mark and built like a well-honed athlete.
Cautiously Demetri made his way over to the vampire and stopped a few feet away.
“Demetri? I’m Joshua. Caleb said to mention Serengahi and also I’m only to listen to you if you’re making sense. He also said if you start crossing over I’m to run like fuck.”
Joshua looked relaxed but Demetri could tell he was ready to move in an instant. If he’d lived as long as he had then he wasn’t an idiot. He scrutinized the other male a moment longer and then nodded. He’d had the promised codeword Serengahi. Only Caleb knew the name of the field they had met on so many millennia ago.
“You got here fast,” he commented, tossing his tourist ID into the back of the SUV and climbing into the passenger seat. He tied back his hair once he’d tossed the Fedora.
“I live close by and I didn’t have to take the train,” Joshua answered, a hint of laughter in his voice.
It made Demetri bristle but he tamped his annoyance down. Caleb wouldn’t have sent him an idiot to work with. If his friend trusted this man then he would too… to a certain extent.
“My friend’s life hangs in the balance, Joshua. I’m not feeling very amused at the moment. Just get us to the location.” He closed his eyes and worked on calming down. He would only go feral if the worst happened. For now he had to use his more logical side. It was Pietro’s only chance.
“Caleb explained the seriousness of the situation.” Joshua was pulling out of the parking lot and down the street. “I’m a firm believer of waiting for the shit to hit the fan before I start worrying about it. If it’s possible to help your friend we’ll do so. If it isn’t… you tell me what you need and I’ll make sure you have it.”
His Scottish brogue was soothing as he spoke, easing some of Demetri’s tension. It had been a while since he’d visited one of the Celtic nations and he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed listening to the people talk. The content of his words were also soothing. Just knowing there was backup available helped to loosen him up a bit more.
“Let’s hope I don’t need anything other than a quick way home,” he finally said, opening his eyes as Joshua pulled the SUV to a halt bare moments later. “This is it?” He hadn’t realised the location was so close to the station.
“It’s another couple of miles on foot but I figured you’d want to approach a bit more stealthily.”
Demetri’s respect for the other man went up a couple of notches. He uncurled his big body from the car and quickly appraised his surroundings. Every instinct was on alert, every sense reaching out to ensure they were unobserved. His green eyes finally met the deep blue ones regarding him intently. A smile curled his lips but didn’t meet his eyes.
“I can see why Caleb likes you so much.”
Joshua’s gaze narrowed, intelligence dancing across his face. “I can see why he told me to run like fuck if you lose it,” he countered seriously and then he grinned. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a scary son of a bitch?”
Demetri laughed. It was a deep laugh but held a hint of menace. “Yeah, Pietro tells me that all the time.” Joshua reminded him of his friend, the same mix of lack of respect, humour and reliability.
Caleb had chosen well. He’d picked just the right personality type Demetri would need to be around should the worst happen. There was less of a chance he’d kill Joshua if he crossed over. The other man should remind him enough of the friend he’d just lost.
“Time’s wasting,” he said quietly, heading off in the direction he could scent his friend. It was a faint scent and it smelled wrong but it was there and he needed to get to him as fast as possible. Joshua fell in beside him and then the two vampires put on a burst of speed, covering the remaining distance in less than a minute.
The cottage nestling in the rocks looked empty and smelled empty with the exception of Pietro’s scent. There was an underlying scent of blood which didn’t belong to Pietro, but it wasn’t fresh so Demetri wasn’t too concerned about it.
The two males circled the stone cottage twice taking opposite directions and then going around a third final time. “Just the one male,” Joshua commented when they met up again. “I scent no one else in the vicinity.”
Demetri concurred and gave him a nod of agreement. They headed to the front door and entered the building. Joshua put a hand lightly on his arm for him to wait a moment. The blond vampire scented the air for what felt like forever and then dropped his hand.
“I’ve an affinity for explosive devices,” he explained. “Anything that combusts makes my nose itch like crazy. There’s no scent here. Blood trail in the kitchen and down the stairs, your vampire’s scent is in one of the bedrooms.”