Page 27 of In the Dark

“Fuck.” He should be at work, and he had no idea what Kelvin had told them. Gritting his teeth, he turned to get his phone when Kelvin appeared. Screaming, Key almost fell back on the floor. “Wear a fucking bell next time. No, no next time. Fuck off!”

“They can scent we’ve mated.” Kelvin held his hand out for Key but he knocked it away and stood.

“What?”

“Our scents have merged together, so any vampire will know.”

“And this didn’t occur to you before you did the unwanted mating part?” What the fuck? What was it with this guy, er, vampire? Whatever.

“I didn’t know,” Kelvin mumbled.

Key stared at him. “What?”

“I said I didn’t. It doesn’t happen when two vampires mate, so it never occurred to me it would happen now.”

Could this already shitty situation get any worse? Knowing his luck, yes, it could. “Why me?”

“I’m truly sorry.”

Key glared at him, then looked away because he could feel that Kelvin meant what he said. He was sorry, and Key wanted to be angry with him, but feeling Kelvin’s emotions diffused his own. Sighing heavily, Key sat on the bed and stared at the floor.

He ignored Kelvin when he sat next to him. He probably didn’t have to speak. Kelvin would know already. This situation was so fucked up. Key rubbed his chest, feeling his heart rate pick up. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

When Kelvin rubbed his back, Key let him, then stood and turned to face him. Being angry wasn’t going to fix this. He needed to accept what had happened and deal with it. He could be pissed at Kelvin later. “What now?”

Kelvin’s eyes flickered over his and he nodded. “I need to find a safe place for you.”

No, he was staying right where he was. “Here. This is my home and I’m not leaving it. Do what you need to do to beef up security, but I’m not leaving.”

“Key—”

“No.” Key wasn’t leaving at all, and the sooner Kelvin understood that, the quicker this conversation could move along to the next issue. “My home and I’m staying.”

Kelvin exhaled heavily and Key resisted the urge to say something, but going by the look on Kelvin’s face, he’d ‘heard’ him. “I can have Gray come over and improve security here. We’re talking about sensors and CCTV in the apartment.”

“Fine. Not the bedroom or bathroom, though. I want some privacy.” Kelvin nodded and pulled out his phone. Key listened to the conversation and when Kelvin hung up, he asked, “Tonight?”

“Yeah, he isn’t working, so he can come over and sort security out.”

“He knows?”

“He scented the changes and told me.”

Key froze, his body stilling. “Will he tell anyone?”

“No. I trust him.”

“You might, but I don’t know him, so why should I trust him with my life?”

“What more do you want? You won’t leave, so I’m doing the next best thing. He’s the go-to guy for anything like this, and I know he won’t say anything. He’s known about you for some time and kept quiet. He won’t tell anyone.”

That made Key stop talking. Kelvin was right. He was demanding, and Kelvin was doing his best to meet those demands. Didn’t mean Key had to like the man. Vampire. Fuck, his head hurt and he wanted to sleep this all away. Why couldn’t this be some strange dream he could wake up from? Why did this have to happen to him, and what will Dad say when he tells him?

“You can’t,” Kelvin murmured.

Key slowly looked at Kelvin. “I will tell him and you can’t stop me. He’s my dad and I won’t lie to him.”

“He can’t know.”

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