Page 39 of Surface Scratch
“Why are you here?” Adam rose from Vincent’s lap, the blazer falling from his shoulders. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, revealing even more bite marks and bruises along his arms and torso.
Caleb couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disturbed that the terrified look Adam had worn when he saw him a month prior was gone. He looked… comfortable as Vincent wrapped an arm over his shoulders, pulling him so close Adam was practically sitting in his lap. He had a split lip that shone under the black light, as though it was a recent injury, and the marks around his wrists were obviously from some sort of restraint, though they looked thicker than handcuffs.
Adam stared at him and repeated, “Why are you here?”
It didn’t matter that he was beat to hell. Adam’s gaze was almost as intense as Vincent’s. “We need your help,” Caleb said to Vincent. He looked down, no longer able to hold eye contact with either of them.
Vincent grabbed his chin and yanked his face up. “Look at him when he is speaking to you.”
“Hands off,” Tariq growled. He took a step forward, his eyes flashing black.
“Calm down, I’m just having fun.” Vincent smirked and winked at Caleb before releasing his chin. He held up both hands in surrender. “Does this have anything to do with the Society’s return to form?”
“Yes,” Caleb said quickly, trying to break the mounting tension in the room. He needed this to go well, not end with someone unconscious on the floor.
Again.
“What can we help you with?” Petrov asked. He glanced at Luka, watching his brother’s hands move before turning back to Caleb. “The twins say to stop them before they get strong.”
Vincent played with Adam’s hair. “Mmm, yes, it does seem like a good idea to stop them before they get too many members,” he said absentmindedly, as if he couldn’t be bothered with the topic. “So, what do you think we can help you with?”
Caleb rubbed his hand over the spot on his chin where Vincent had grabbed him as though it could remove the discomfort. “The people who came after us had fake IDs. Do you know who they might have gone to get them?” he asked.
Tariq pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Vincent. “They’re almost perfect fakes,” he added.
Vincent unfolded the sheet, cocking his head at the blown-up image of the woman’s ID. Adam grabbed the paper, pulling it closer to his face. “I’ve seen this woman before,” he said. “She hangs out outside the local Narcotics Anonymous meetings, but she never went in for one.”
“Why?” Petrov asked.
Adam shrugged, wincing as though the small gesture hurt. “I just always assumed she was doing something shady, like tricking addicts into selling their organs for drug money,” he said. He looked back at Caleb. “Is this one of the people that attacked you the other night?”
“How do you know about that?” Caleb asked, scooting away from both of them in surprise.
The rapid movement of Matteo’s hands caught Caleb’s attention, ending with him making what looked like peace signs with both hands and clapping them together horizontally. It struck him as an obscene gesture, and Tariq’s sudden laugh confirmed his suspicions.
“What did he say?” Caleb asked.
“He say in the video that they attack before you and Graves got a chance to fuck,” Petrov translated.
Caleb looked at Tariq, mortified. Was there some sort of vampire group chat? Who was sending the security footage around?
Probably Ophelia. That seemed like something she would do. And she had alluded to being deeply embedded in Marcus’s world. Of course she would know all the same people he did.
“So you want to know who can make that kind of ID?” Vincent asked, raising an eyebrow. He bit his lower lip, his smirk turning into a grin as inky blackness consumed his sclera and four razor-sharp fangs slid into place. The two fangs on the left side cut into his lip, drawing a single drop of blood that didn’t even make him flinch. “What will you do for me in exchange for that information? I don’t do anything for free.”
Caleb suppressed the urge to close his eyes as terror shot through him. Marcus looked darkly angelic when he showed his real appearance, but there was nothing angelic about Vincent. He looked like something out of a sleep paralysis nightmare.
“What do you want?” Caleb asked, his voice barely audible.
“Close your eyes,” Vincent whispered.
Caleb side-eyed Tariq before squeezing his eyes shut, digging his nails into his palms.He’s going to bite me. God dammit, he’s going to do it and I just have to take it.His whole body flinched as the weight on the couch shifted, moving closer to him.Maybe it’s a test. Tariq said he likes to mess with people.
He caught a whimper in his throat when he felt cool breath against his ear right ear, desperate to put on a brave face and not give Vincent the satisfaction of seeing him as weak as he had been the first time they crossed paths.
“You know what we can do with just a touch, correct?” Vincent whispered. “Do you want to know what I can do?”
Caleb shook his head.Hell no.He shuddered as Vincent walked his fingers up his chest, making no effort to hide his disgust. “Just get it over with,” he said through his teeth, eyes still shut.
