FORGE PULLED into the Flint police station parking lot, turned off the car’s engine, and took the key from the ignition.
Declan opened the glove compartment. “Do you have everything out of here? And the trunk?”
“Yeah. Blair helped me clean it out last night.” Forge sighed heavily. He looked in the side mirror, then opened the car door, slowly stepping out of the vehicle. “There’s Simon.”
Declan put one hand on Forge’s shoulder as they walked to Simon’s car. He was standing beside it by the time they reached him. Forge took his badge out and held it in both hands, rubbing his thumbs over the surface. They stood against Simon’s car, Forge in between the other two men.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Declan asked softly.
“No.” Forge shook his head; barely able to get the word out his throat was so tight. He took some deep breaths, wiped one hand over his face, and looked at Declan. “I always knew I couldn’t do this forever, but damn….”
Simon spoke in a soft voice. “I know. You wanted to, and in a way you still will be. Now you’re simply working for a bigger police force.”
“This is hard,” Forge whispered. “I didn’t think it would be this hard.”
Declan put one hand on the back of Forge’s neck, squeezed, and pulled him into a hug. “I can go in and steal your badge back,” Declan whispered.
Forge leaned back from Declan and laughed softly. “That won’t be necessary. Actually, I’ll get this one in a case and another one that says retired on it to carry with me if I want to. They’ll have them for me at the retirement party you’re all coming to with me. There will be an obscene abundance of food, drink, and bad stories.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss all those stories for the world,” Simon said.
Simon and Declan had been with him the day he’d been sworn into the Flint police department, it was only fitting they be here the day he resigned.
“You can add that one to your collection of other badges,” Declan said softly.
Forge nodded. “I won’t be long. Just have to sign a few papers and turn the keys to the car in.”
“What did you tell your chief? Lucas told them he was leaving to travel the world with me,” Declan said.
Forge shrugged. “I pretty much told Sellers the truth. I was recruited by and offered a position with a private intelligence and security firm, though I think he was a bit suspicious when Lucas and I both turned in letters of resignation hours apart.” He gave them a quick smile and then walked across the lot and into the police station.
“We’ll be here,” Declan called after him.
Declan and Simon were waiting in the same spot when Forge left the building half an hour later, carrying a bag of all the personal things from his office. They got into the car and drove in silence back to Boggs’s Castle.
A few hours later Forge was taping up the last box they’d be sending on a moving van due to arrive soon.
He looked up when Blair came in and tossed a set of keys onto the dresser. “You okay?” Blair asked.
“I am. Thanks for understanding about Declan and Simon coming along. What have you been up to? You look like that cat who swallowed the poor canary.”
“Well, I had dinner with Bronwen. I was going to invite her to the party for you and Lucas, but then we’d have to explain why she’s there and all. Afterward she gave me a lift so I could pick up my new truck.”
Forge arched an eyebrow and said, “Dinner with Bronwen?”
“I figured without your police issue car, you’ll want the Mustang back, and since we’re moving to Nevada, one of us should have something for the terrain,” Blair said. He leaned back against the wall and shrugged.
“Uh-huh. Dinner with Bronwen?”
“We did save her from the big bad wolf, so to speak. She’s here for at least another year, and now she can do her research for real.” Blair put one finger against Forge’s chest when he stepped closer. “You don’t get to be jealous of Bronwen. Not after all that business between you and Declan.”
“I didn’t know you when I met Declan,” Forge grumbled. He snagged Blair’s shirt and pulled it over his head, then bent and pressed his mouth to Blair’s. Tossing the shirt away, he wrapped one arm around Blair and tugged him close.
“You wanted me to be friends with her.” Blair pulled away and let his head fall back when Forge’s fangs skimmed his neck. “Oh… yeah.”
“Not… the… same… thing.” Forge bent Blair backward, ran his tongue through the blond, slightly curly hair between his pecs, and sucked at one of his nipples.
“It’s silver, my truck. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi…. Bronwen liked it,” Blair panted.
“I’ll be jealous of anyone I damn well please.” Forge held Blair in place while he licked a path down to his belt. Blair’s hips stuttered forward, and Forge stepped away, leaving Blair gulping air.
“S-she gave me a kiss good-bye. On the cheek.” Blair’s voice was thin and breathy.
“Get the rest of your clothes off,” Forge growled.
The corner of Blair’s mouth turned up. Gaze not wavering from Forge’s, he kicked his sandals off, then slowly undid his belt. He pushed his pants to the ground and stepped out of them. “Jasper is putting her in touch with werewolves who are interested in helping her prove the existence of those creatures.”
“Stop talking.” Forge moved forward and leaned one hand against the wall beside Blair’s head. He stared into Blair’s eyes while he used the back of one finger to lightly stoke Blair’s gently curved cock. Bending his head, he captured Blair’s mouth, tongue swirling around Blair’s until he was moaning into Forge’s mouth.
Breaking their kiss, Forge licked Blair’s ear and whispered, “You were saying about Bronwen?”
“Who?” Blair exhaled. He arched his back and pressed his hands flat against the wall, groaning when Forge used a featherlight touch to caress the head of his cock.
Forge moved his hand down and brushed over the hair at the base of Blair’s cock, making him gasp and shiver. Pushing his thigh between Blair’s legs, Forge pressed his leg up, feeling Blair’s need ramp higher when his jeans rubbed Blair’s balls. Moving his other hand away from the wall, Forge held Blair to him, keeping him in one spot and immobile while he trailed his tongue up and down Blair’s neck.
Again Forge stepped back from Blair and watched Blair’s hips pump the air. He took two fingers and pressed them to the small bite marks on Blair’s inside thigh. Blair’s entire body shuddered, and he loosed a long, deep moan. His eyes were solid hazel. Every emotion Forge felt from him was desperate with want and wrapped up in love.
Gathering Blair in his arms, pulling him tightly against him, Forge turned them and walked them backward toward the bed. He lightly ran one hand down Blair’s back and over the swell of his ass, delighted by how Blair’s skin felt against his fingers. Easing Blair down onto the bed, Forge didn’t try to mask his overwhelming desire. Blair smiled and spread his legs wide.
Forge stripped off his clothes in record time, then grabbed the bottle of lube they kept under the bed. He grinned when Blair squirmed and panted as he rubbed it all around Blair’s entrance.
“I need you,” Blair said. He shuddered and wrapped his legs around Forge. After snagging Blair’s wrists in one hand, Forge pinned them to the bed above Blair’s head. With his other hand, he grabbed one of Blair’s legs behind the knee and pulled it forward as he slid slowly into Blair.
Arching his back, Blair moaned deeply. Moving slowly at first, Forge made sure to nudge Blair’s prostate and grind his pelvis against Blair’s cock. Blair tried bucking and pushing against him, his feelings of impatience washing over Forge. No matter how Blair tried to urge him to go faster, Forge kept his movements unhurried and positioned himself so his body barely skimmed Blair’s cock, rolling his hips in a gentle rhythm.
Blair pushed his head back, throat arched, and Forge took complete advantage of the opportunity. He leaned down, raked his fangs over Blair’s Adam’s apple, then sucked along his jaw. It didn’t take long before Forge was rewarded with Blair gasping and huffing out, “Please.”
He couldn’t stand it anymore. Forge let his body take over and gave in to his baser urges. Picking up the pace, pulling out and thrusting in as deeply as possible. They hadn’t had much alone time for a couple of weeks, and it didn’t take long before Forge could no longer support his own weight. He let go of Blair, wrapped both arms around his shoulders, shuddered, moaned, and came hard.
Resting his full weight on Blair, Forge panted. His body shook and quivered from head to foot. Blair squirmed and wiggled beneath him, clutching at Forge’s shoulders. He tried shoving his hips up, an obvious play for even a small amount of friction.
Forge pushed up a bit, eased out of Blair, and inched down his body, nipping and licking the skin of Blair’s abdomen. He bypassed Blair’s cock to suck his balls. Blair clawed at the sheets, and his heels pushed along the bed beside Forge. Using his fangs, Forge skimmed the tender skin behind Blair’s balls, then moved up and sucked at the marks on his inner thigh. Blair’s hips stuttered up; he gasped and shouted through clenched teeth.
When Blair’s hand inched toward his own cock, desperation flowing from him in huge tidal waves, Forge slapped his hand away and growled, “Uh-uh. No. That’s mine. Hands off.”
Blair moaned, writhing beneath Forge. His hands curled into fists, and he tried to shove his hips up against Forge.
From Blair’s emotions, Forge knew he was beyond ready. He sat up, held Blair down with one hand against his hip, and used his other hand to pump Blair’s cock. Blair drew in one deep breath and held it. His body shivered, clenched, and he sprayed thick white fluid over his belly.
“I… g-gah… uh-huh…,” Blair stammered.
Forge flopped next to Blair and chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Yeah.”
Tapping his knuckles against Blair’s shoulder, Forge asked, “Wanna go get a burger and beer?”
Blair smiled brightly. “I’ll drive.”
“BEFORE WE get on the road I have something for you,” Lucas said. He shifted from one foot to the other. “I hope you like it.”
Declan smiled and took his hand. “Of course I’ll like it.” They sat on the floor of their suite in Boggs’s Castle.
Taking a small bag from his pocket, Lucas said, “This is for you.” Letting go of Lucas, Declan took the small, embroidered bag and opened it. Lucas pulled out the first item and explained, “I took one of the creature’s scales and encased it in acrylic. Legend and myth, like you and me.” He set that in Declan’s hand and pulled out a small, round piece of glass. “This is a lens from an old microscope. And I found this old-style key a long time ago. I actually forgot I had it. No lock stops you. Science and technology that represent us both. I figured we sort of personify the Akhkharu Nasaru.”
“Where legend and myth meet science and technology,” Declan said softly. He leaned over and kissed Lucas long, slow, and deep. When he surfaced for air, he smiled warmly. “I love it, Lucas. It’s perfect.”
Once outside, Lucas rubbed one hand through his hair and yawned. “Whose bright idea was it to leave the morning after our going-away party?”
Ben looked worse than Lucas felt. “The guys who aren’t affected by liquor, that’s who.” He lifted one of Lucas’s bags into the trunk of Declan’s car. Lucas’s Jeep and Forge’s Mustang had gone ahead with the moving vans.
“You two will come out during winter break? Right?” Forge said to Simon. “We’ll have had time to find the good places to go and get settled in.” His voice sounded as if he’d been eating ground glass.
Blair ran one hand down Forge’s arm and squeezed his hand for a few beats. Lucas reminded himself that Forge, Simon, and Declan had lived together for the better part of the last hundred or so years. Lucas was having a hard time not choking up. He could only imagine how Declan and Forge felt. At least Declan had been more accustomed to extended trips away and was a bit better at hiding his feelings. When something inside Forge hurt, really hurt, the whole world knew.
“Yes, of course.” Simon barely had the words out before Forge, then Declan, pulled him into a hug. Simon squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. When he stepped back, he partially turned away from them and wiped two fingers over his eyes a few times. Lucas had rarely seen Simon so flustered or demonstrative.
They’d had to bid farewell to Mr. Boggs, the castle’s resident ghost, before coming outside. Saying good-bye to him had been the most difficult of all. He couldn’t offer hugs, was bound to the inside of the house, and they’d all miss his blunt honesty.
Forge opened the back passenger door of Blair’s truck and whistled. Moose loped over and hopped inside, but not before Simon gave him some hearty pats and Ben kissed the top of his head. Another round of hugs between them and they were loaded into their vehicles and on their way.
Driving in shifts meant they were able to drive straight through, and in a little less than two days, they arrived at what was to be their home for the next ten years. Washoe County, Nevada, was a world away from Flint, Ohio. What Porter had referred to as their safe house was the only house for several miles. Mountains rose in the background, and tall pines sheltered the long patio across the front from the sun.
“Wow, now this is a safe house.” Declan got out of the car, stretched, and looked around. Forge had let Moose out, and he romped around in front of the house, smelling one clump of grass before moving to another spot.
The safe house was more like two small houses joined together by a rotunda. An enormous garage stretched along one side of the house, and a large shack took up some of the backyard.
“How do we get in?” Blair asked.
Lucas shrugged and then looked at Declan. “Please tell me we didn’t drive all this way and no one has a key.” He inspected the door. “I don’t think this door uses a key.”
The front door of the house opened, and Lucas jerked back a step. A tall elderly man walked out. He was on the thin side, with neatly trimmed white hair and dark, dark eyes. Lucas tried to find a tactful way of asking what the man was since he didn’t appear human or vampire and definitely not werewolf. There was no polite way to ask that question, so he kept his mouth shut. The man announced, “I am Mr. Pennington. This house uses security far beyond a simple key.” He nodded to a pad beside the door. “The house will recognize you and allow you access by a few different means. Please press your thumb to this device and speak into it. This lock uses fingerprint and breath-analysis recognition. The shed has an extra layer of security and uses a retinal scanner as well.”
“Breath analysis?” Forge asked.
Mr. Pennington raised his eyebrows and pointed to the device beside the door. “Use either your first or last name. No aliases, if you please.”
Forge sighed and stepped forward to speak into the device. “Jonas.” He then pressed his thumb to the pad.
Mr. Pennington made some adjustments before waving Lucas forward. As they each took their turn, he explained, “If at any time you are in need of assistance or are in danger, speak the wrong name into the speaker and the authorities will be dispatched. Response time is just under seven minutes. Use this feature with prudence. Actually, don’t put yourselves into a position of having to call the local authorities. It’s embarrassing.”
As each man spoke his name and entered his fingerprint for the first time, he was ushered into the house.
Moose had trotted happily ahead of them. A woman who looked slightly younger than Mr. Pennington waited next to a large round table. She had bright blue eyes and matching blueish hair, pulled back into a bun, and she was lavishing Moose with attention in the way only a true dog lover could.
“We’d been told you had a dog,” she said. “He’s a lovely dog. What is his name?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “The previous residents had,”—she shuddered—“fish.”
“I’m sorry,” Forge said. He snapped his fingers. “Moose, no jumping.”
“I adore dogs. A house is truly a home when one lives in it. I, myself, have Greyhounds. Amazing animals,” the woman said.
“This is my wife, Mrs. Pennington,” Mr. Pennington announced. “We’re the caretakers here. When your team is not in residence, we’ll see to it the house is kept up and has the appearance of people living in it.”
“We’ll also make sure your dog is cared for,” Mrs. Pennington added. “If you’d like, we’ll also care for the grounds, do the shopping, and prepare your meals. Unless you’d prefer to complete those duties yourselves. There is a common living and dining room and a full gourmet kitchen. The two wings each have two bedrooms, two full baths, and a kitchenette.” She stopped and smiled mischievously. “They are completely soundproof for absolute privacy.”
Blair nudged Forge’s side and whispered, “She said soundproof.” Forge chuckled and nodded.
“The werewolf accommodations are in the shed,” Mr. Pennington added.
Lucas’s heart sank. “I get a shed.”
Mrs. Pennington smiled. “I think you’ll enjoy the shed. Come with us and we’ll show you.”
They followed the Penningtons through the house to the back and exited through large glass doors. There was an enclosed breezeway connecting the house to what appeared to be an old, weathered gardening shack with a greenhouse attached.
Lucas bumped Blair’s back with his elbow. He leaned close to Blair and whispered, “Dude, we have an Alfred.”
The man in question stopped. He twisted on his heels so fast Lucas was sure the force exerted on his lanky, willowy frame would cause him to topple right over. “It’s Mr. Pennington.”
Blair’s cheeks turned pink and he ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. Lucas mumbled a contrite, “Yes, sir.”
When they reached the door, Mrs. Pennington put her hand on a small box. “Retinal scan. Please step up to this.” She activated it when each of them took his turn. “This is the order of use: retinal scan, thumbprint, and finally, breath analysis. Any deviation in order or how your name is pronounced will summon the local authorities. Now that all of you have entered your passcodes, ours and any others will cease to work.”
Lucas was the last to have his eyeball scanned, speak into the device, and press his thumb to the fingerprint reader. It felt like some kind of rite of passage. The shed was anything but, and the greenhouse was a façade.
“Holeee…,” Blair exhaled.
Forge laid one hand on his shoulder and stood beside him, staring. Even Moose sat quietly. “Yeah,” Forge said.
The space before them was extraordinary. It reminded Lucas of a war room, or maybe the bridge of some futuristic spaceship. One wall was covered with huge monitors, hung close together to form an enormous screen. Three steps led down to a circular area with a half-dozen desks set up as computer stations. On the wall adjacent to the screen was a set of cabinets. The opposite wall housed a long workbench with shelves mounted above. The top was covered with a variety of tools, both mechanical and forensic. Plexiglass walls formed a divider between the workstations and the walkway around the area. At regular intervals small shelves were attached to the partitions. Sitting on the shelves were markers.
On one of the desks sat a pile of brightly wrapped boxes.
“That door at the back leads to the panic room,” Mrs. Pennington said. Lucas started when she spoke. The others were looking equally bemused by their surroundings. Mrs. Pennington gave no quarter, however, and went on, “It’s not only impervious to EMPs and nuclear strikes, but also werewolves. There is a three-month supply of food and water, weapons, and a few other necessities. You should be quite comfortable during the full moon, Dr. Coate.”
Mr. Pennington picked up the minute she stopped talking. “This entire facility is a Faraday room. Fiber-optic cables are buried underground, and the facility is hardwired, no Wi-Fi access. You have two servers. They’re completely secure as well.” He walked over and switched on one of the computers. Instead of the customary Windows logo Lucas was used to, a black one with large red letters reading VampX came up on the screen. “We use a completely independent system.” He turned to Blair. “You’ll recognize it as similar to a Linux-based system, I’m sure. I think you’ll enjoy working on this setup. Nothing gets in or out of the shed unless you want it to. It’s completely secure. All of your communications with headquarters will take place here.”
“Your team’s code name is Jack Rabbit,” Mrs. Pennington said. “In precisely forty-eight hours, you’ll be en route to your next assignment. Agent Samuels will be contacting you with travel details. Everything you need to familiarize yourself with the preliminaries is already loaded and ready to be viewed.” She looked around at them. “If there are no questions, we’ll leave you to explore the place. You can contact us by using the landlines. Dial one.”
Without further comment, the Penningtons left.
“What’s all this?” Declan asked and wandered over to the desk bearing the vividly colored packages. He pulled a card from one and smiled before removing the wrapping.
Forge took the card and read it aloud. “A housewarming gift from Ben and me so you’re not homesick. Be safe and go save the world at least once a week.”
Declan opened the box, and Blair helped him extract the contents. There were an assortment of coffees and teas from one of their favorite shops in Flint and some of the snacks they all loved best. Along with that was a fancy coffeemaker, the type that made espresso and lattes. A ceramic tea set completed the package.
The other package had Ben’s handwriting scrawled across the top. It read, “And twice on Tuesdays.” Lucas opened the box and pulled the contents out. He flipped a switch on the small box he held and watched as Blair’s face lit up. A pale circle of light with the shadow of a black cape, cowl, and wings appeared on the far wall. “A bat signal!”
Moose nosed the last object on the table, a decorative bag. Forge looked inside and grinned. “Here ya go, buddy.” He extracted one of the chews he often gave Moose and tossed it to him before picking up a remote. “This must be what we’re supposed to study.”
Pointing the remote at the screen, he pressed a button, and they all watched as a picture appeared and Porter’s voice broadcast, explaining the person whose photograph they were seeing was an expert in world finance and owner of a large chain of banks. He was suspected of money laundering and drug dealing.
“See that vase in the background?” Declan moved closer to the screen and pointed. “It’s old. I bet this guy collects art and lots of it. That could be our in. I’ll get to work on figuring a way we can use that.”
“Oh, I bet he’s got an inventory I can hack,” Blair said. He and Declan took one of the computer stations and hunched over it.
“Banks have security people and technology,” Forge said to Lucas.
Lucas nodded.
“The execs will have bodyguards. I’ll look into their people.” Forge headed to another spot. “Their security is probably tight. Maybe some peripheral people, families, or illicit lovers can give us a backdoor inside.”
Lucas looked down at Moose, who was happily chomping his treat, and shook his head. “Save the world my big, bushy tail. This is going to be more like herding cats.”
The presentation ended and a screen saver popped up. The bear-and-wolf logo was prominently displayed, and across it were the words “Where Legend and Myth Meet Science and Technology.”
Lucas sighed, then reached down and patted Moose a few times before joining the others. He cleared his throat, and when they all looked expectantly at him, he said, in his most serious voice, “Guess we’ve joined up. Welcome to the Vampire Guard.”