Justin was knocked back ten feet with shock. Had he really made Taylor feel as though he wasn’t wanted or needed?
“You know how we feel about you, Taylor,” Chase said as he took a few steps closer. “How could you even think such a thing?”
Taylor shot a glare at Chase that made icicles form around Justin’s heart. It was cold and withering. “I don’t really know how you feel, Chase, considering we just mated.”
“And me?” Justin whispered, feeling as though his very happiness depended on Taylor’s answer.
“I thought I knew how you felt, Justin. But since finding out you’re a vampire, I’m feeling left out,” he said softly. “Tell me where I belong in this relationship. Tell me where I fit in?”
“Oh, hell,” Justin said as he wrapped his arms around Taylor, pulling his lover close. “You’ve sacrificed so much for me, Tay. I didn’t want to ask for you to sacrifice anything else. I felt guilty for all of the years you spent defending me against the Teacher that I didn’t want you to have to feed me, too. It was just another thing on your ‘have to take care of Justin’ list.”
“Are you kidding?” Taylor asked as he cupped Justin’s face, his fingers warm and welcomed. “I love taking care of you. It would be my honor to feed you.”
Chase closed the gap, pulling them both into his strong arms. “You belong with us, Taylor. That’s where your place is. And the only shaft you’ll be getting is mine when we get home.”
A smile tugged at Taylor’s lips as he glanced down toward the ground.
“And I can feed from you next, if you’d like,” Justin said, hoping, no, praying that Taylor knew just how sincere he was. He had no idea that not feeding from Taylor was going to make the man go loopy. All he had been trying to do was take some of the burden off of Taylor’s shoulders, not alienate him.
“Ready to go home?” Chase asked right before he laid a soft kiss on Taylor’s lips, and then Justin’s.
“Sure,” Taylor said, as if he were embarrassed for his meltdown.
The more Justin thought about it, the more he knew that if roles were reversed, he may have had a meltdown as well. He hadn’t meant to not include Taylor, but as he thought about the events since finding out he was a vampire, Justin guessed it did seem that way.
“And I’ll suck your cock until your eyeballs pop just as soon as we get home,” he said to Taylor as he batted his eyes and began to walk back toward the truck, adding a little hitch to his hips.
“Tease,” Taylor said, but Justin could see the lust filling Taylor’s blue eyes.
“Let’s go home, mates,” Chase said as all three climbed back into the truck.
* * * *
Taylor was feeling one hundred percent better as Chase pulled into the driveway. Gods, it felt good to be home. It felt like a hundred years had passed since Taylor had left his house to go on the hunt for Justin.
“I never thought I would be this glad to be home,” Justin said as he climbed from the truck. “Remind me not to take off again, even if I think it’s for the greater good. As nice as Danny and Dominic’s home is, there’s nothing like sleeping in my own bed.”
“Amen to that,” Chase said as he walked around to the back of the truck to grab his and Taylor’s things.
Taylor and Justin walked into the apartment, Taylor hitting the light switch. He frowned when the kitchen lights didn’t come on. “Must be a fuse,” he said. “Stay by the door while I go check.”
“Maybe we should send Chase,” Justin said, his voice a little shaky.
“It’ll be fine, Justin. It’s just a blown fuse. I’ve dealt with them before.” Taylor walked further into the apartment, feeling as if something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something on the air, something that just wasn’t right.
“What’s wrong?” Chase asked when he walked through the door. “Why are the lights out?”
“There’s a blown fuse,” Justin answered.
“Taylor. Move slowly back toward the door.” Chase’s voice inside Taylor’s head was spoken so low that Taylor had to concentrate just to hear it. It sounded cautious and filled with tension.
“Why?” he asked as he began to look around, slowly moving back toward Chase.
“No,” Taylor shouted as he was grabbed from behind, something metal shoved into his side.
“Long time no see, ankle biter,” the person behind Taylor said, the words coming out in a lazy drawl. “Didn’t think you would see me again, did you?”
“Let. Him. Go.” Chase bit out each word between clenched teeth.
“What do I do?” Taylor asked frantically. “Who is he?”
“A very bad man. The very man I was trying to protect you two from coming into contact with.”
“He has a gun shoved into my side.”
“Oh, gods, Taylor!” Justin whispered into Taylor’s mind. “Do whatever he wants. Don’t let him shoot you!”
“I hadn’t planned on it, Justin.”
“Let’s cut to the chase,” the man said and then laughed, but it lacked any kind of humor. “No pun intended.”
“You don’t want to do this,” Chase warned. “You won’t like the outcome.”
Taylor felt the cold steel press harder into his side, making him wince. “Neither will you.”
“Why? Why are you doing this? I’ve never done anything to you,” Chase asked as he moved over to his right an inch. It was barely a movement, but Taylor caught it, and so did the man with the gun.
“Don’t fucking move,” he snarled. “You know exactly why. Germany, three
