“Get your hands off me.” Keaton shoved to no avail. The guy hissed and that was when he saw the sharp teeth in the man’s mouth.
“Scream and I’ll tear your throat out.” The terrible threat was heeded. The guy was strong enough and had the sharp teeth to do just that. Keaton didn’t move an inch, although his heart was racing wildly.
“I don’t have any cash on me.” Keaton had never been mugged and found the experience terrifying. He just wanted this to be over. Maybe if he did exactly what the man said, the guy wouldn’t choke him to death. He began to reach for his wallet when the stranger scoffed, giving a curt shake of his head.
“That’s not what I’m after.”
Regardless of the man’s threat, Keaton shouted when the stranger bit his neck. The searing pain was hot, agonizing as terror ripped through him. He knew the man had broken skin. Keaton could now feel him sucking at his neck. He was trembling hard, his entire body taut and rigid, fear pouring over him in vibrating waves.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” someone said in a sharp whisper. Keaton wasn’t sure who it was, but he prayed it was help. He was beginning to feel light-headed, his vision dimming. From the corner of his eye, Keaton saw a man three times his size approach. He prayed it wasn’t someone else out to hurt him.
Faster than lightning, the second stranger gripped the one attacking Keaton by his hair, placing a blade at his throat. “Ease your fucking fangs out of him now.”
Keaton thought that was a damn good idea, although he knew he had to be hallucinating to hear the word fangs. The stranger had pierced his skin and had been sucking on his neck. Keaton didn’t need it spelled out for him.
He was being attacked by a vampire. Maybe. Keaton wasn’t really sure what was going on. Everything was happening so fast and his mind refused to believe that vampires truly existed.
The guy could just be one of those fruitloops who had their teeth cosmetically changed so he would think he was a vampire.
Keaton just wasn’t sure.
The second stranger gave a low growl as his fingers tightened in the mugger’s hair. The muscles in his shoulder flexed as the stranger pressed the knife harder into the mugger’s throat. “I’m not in a playing mood tonight. Let the human go.”
Shock radiated through him at the stranger’s words. The reality of the situation wasn’t lost on Keaton. He could feel the pressure at his throat begin to ease as the sharp teeth slid free.
What happened after that was a blur. Keaton’s legs buckled under him as he slid down his car and hit the ground. He could hear a fight, grunts, and a trash can being knocked over among other noises.
He tried to push to his feet but his arms felt like rubber bands. Every time he was halfway up, Keaton fell back down. He was stumbling, trying to get away from a creature that should not even exist—that might not exist.
Keaton swayed into the street, feeling the bile rise to the back of his throat. He placed his left hand on his stomach and stood, his head falling back onto his shoulders as he stared up at the night sky. He was trying to gather the strength to keep walking. Keaton was trying his best not to crumble. His head was light, bobbing around as he tried to focus. His neck was warm and wet, the front of his shirt soaked in his own blood.
“Help,” he said weakly, barely a whisper, his strength dwindling.
When his head began to tilt back, Keaton’s body fell with the momentum, crashing onto the street as he blacked out.
* * * *
The meeting with Kota had taken longer than Kade had expected. He hoped Keaton was still waiting on him. Kade had wanted to get out of the diner sooner. It made him extremely uncomfortable to have the beta in his debt. The only thing he had been thinking about the whole time was Keaton.
Kade had secured the loan money—even if it was Kota who had promised it to him. He just wasn’t sure how to start up a business. Cody had offered to help in the planning and Kota said that he would send somebody Kade’s way who knew about the financial side of the business.
Kade had a lot to do, but right now the only thing on his agenda was his mate. After he hung out with Keaton tonight, Kade was going to let his leopard run free. His cat was already yowling at Kade’s thought, trying to urge him to go run now.
Turning the corner, Kade furrowed his brows when he saw two men fighting by the juice hut. He wasn’t sure what was going on and having those two men fighting close to where his mate was working had Kade gnashing his teeth. It wasn’t until he got closer that Kade realized one of the men was a timber wolf.
He wasn’t sure who the shifter was, but the guy was fighting like a true warrior. It was just odd as hell that the man was openly fighting on the street. Kade knew that not all the residents were aware that the paranormal ran this small town.
What in the fuck was—Kade’s heart hammered in his chest when he saw Keaton lying in the middle of the street. He took off running until he dropped at his mate’s side. Oh, fuck!
God no! Kade could see the blood trickling from two puncture holes in Keaton’s neck. There was blood soaking into his shirt and his beautiful blond hair. With a shaky hand, Kade checked Keaton’s pulse.
It was weak, but there.
Kade hadn’t a clue what to do. He yanked his T-shirt off and pressed it into the wound, glancing around to see if anyone was on the street to help him. The timber wolf was currently occupied, trying
