Page 10 of The Blood Guardian

Rall was glad he followed. After he got a good look at that fucker Adam, he recognized him from the Blood Rose. The man had frequented the place for years and it was clear that he had been cheating on Luke for the whole of their time together. Then, he had the nerve to stand there and try to intimidate Luke into not ending the relationship. The guy really needed to die, but this one had to be Luke's choice.

Rall placed his hand on the side of Adam's head and began a mind sweep, eliminating all memories of Luke and their time together. He then added a nugget of despair that would haunt him forever. He bent down and whispered into his ear. "You will never know love or trust for the remainder of your life." Rall then stood up and walked over to Luke.

“He is no longer your problem sweetheart.” Rall put his arm around Luke and pulled him close to his side. They watched as Adam struggled to get to his feet looking utterly lost and alone. His eyes darted around frantically only briefly landing on Rall and Luke and then stumbled away.

“What did you do?” Luke asked.

“I took his memories.”

“Thank you, Rall.” Luke moved up to stand tightly to his side. “And thank you for saving me . . . again.”

“No problem.” Rall dropped a quick peck on the top of his head and then turned him toward the path leading out of the small grotto.

"I didn't expect him to get physical, not in the park. I thought I could tell him we were over, and then, well, we would be over." Luke's voice was small and weak.

“It’s over baby he will never be back.” Rall walked him out of the park and back down the street toward the warehouse. His vampire needed to get Luke out of danger and back where he was safe and protected. Adam was no longer a threat, but the incident had left some lingering uneasiness chief among his concerns was Luke’s inability to sense the presence of danger.

“I can’t even say that I hate him because I don’t. I feel nothing at all for him he’s like a stranger now and that feels so good.” Rall smiled and pulled him close once again. As they were entering the warehouse Luke asked if it would be possible to go to his apartment so he could pack some things.

"Sure." Rall saw it as an opportunity to get all of Luke's things and end his lease. But this time, he wasn't going to let him go alone. "I'm going with you." Luke smiled shyly at his statement.

"I'd appreciate it if you would, but I'd like to talk with Dale alone. He's a pain in the ass, and I don't want him talking shit about you."

“I don’t care what he has to say if he bothers me, I’ll kill him.” Rall stated matter of fact and Luke barked a laugh.

"He's unpleasant but probably doesn't deserve to die," Luke responded just as casually. Rall loved this guy more and more every minute. "I just want to get my stuff and get out."

That sounded easy enough, but Rall was beginning to discover that the way something looked was not always the way it was when dealing with Luke and his associates. Adam was clearly an angry, volatile bully, yet Luke saw him as somehow reasonable enough to have a discussion.

Rall shook his head at the memory of Adam going at his beloved. He wished Luke had given him permission to end him. People like Adam weren’t good for anyone. Rall wasn’t sure what sort of man Dale was but his hopes for reasonable were not high. Rall took one of the SUV’s that had plenty of cargo space and they headed off to Luke’s apartment.

“How long have you shared a place with Dale?” He asked.

"I had my own place but lost my job and got on part-time at the Winsome florists, so I couldn't afford rent on my own. Dale had an ad, and I answered, and that was two years ago."

“Where did you work before Winsome?” Rall was just curious and wanted to know all he could about his beloved.

“I was a real estate agent but not a good one according to by broker. I have a lot of difficulty lying to people I just can’t do it, even bending the truth is hard so I didn’t work out and they cut me loose.” He sounded sad.

“Is it something you would still like to try?” Rall asked.

“Yes, someday when I learn how to mesh both marketing and truth.” Luke smiled.

“They’re not all liars, baby.” He reached over and squeezed Luke’s knee. “Let’s look into it later. Is your license still current?”

"Yes, I have it in escrow." Rall loved the look of hopefulness that blossomed across Luke's face. He would do anything necessary to hold onto that expression. They pulled up out front of Luke's apartment building and got out.

"You don't have to come upstairs with me. I can grab my things. I don't have a lot; it's just my personal stuff. The rest belongs to Dale or the landlord." Luke tried to assure him, but in Rall's mind, he was already planning how he was going to watch over his beloved.

"I'll come up, but I won't go in that way. I can help you carry your things." He didn't wait for permission and headed inside the building with Luke hurrying beside him. At the door, he stepped to the side and leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms on his chest.

“I’ll hurry.” He said and Rall nodded. He closed the door behind him but he could hear clearly everything from inside the apartment.

Luke entered, thinking that the encounter would be smooth since Dale had wanted him to move out for months. He had another friend that he was keen to room with and Luke was in the way. Unfortunately, Dale was like Adam in that they wanted to make the decisions and not have the decisions made for them.

“You can’t leave.” Dale burst and ran into the living room to stand forcefully in front of Luke.

"Yes, I can." Luke made to push past him to gather more of his things from his bedroom, but Dale kept grabbing at him, demanding that he explain himself.

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