Read. Relax. Recharge!

4/23/2026

The muscles in Declan’s arm tensed, and Blair thought he heard ribs cracking.

“It would be a shame if one of your lungs were punctured. Air in your chest cavity is an atrocious feeling.” Declan moved so he was speaking into the man’s other ear. “If you’re going to continue in this line of work, you really should learn more about human anatomy.” He shrugged. “A little tip.” He relaxed his grip on the man’s chest. “Now, answer my questions.”

“I-I w-was only supposed to verify the Wi-Fi was out in the building and a private network would still be operational.”

“Who was screwing with the traffic signals?” Blair asked.

When the man glared and kept silent, refusing to answer Blair’s question, Declan must have pressed harder into the guy’s neck with his thumb because he spit out a funny hiccup sort of sound.

“Answer him,” Declan snarled.

“My job was to come here and meet up with another man. I only had one name, Black. He was testing things here, and I tested the lights.”

Declan met Blair’s gaze as if he was waiting for Blair to ask another question. Instead Blair shivered and rubbed his eyes. His vision wavered for a few seconds, and then the sound of Declan’s heartrate changing made him concentrate harder.

“Test for what?” Declan asked and raised his eyebrows. Blair nodded once, confirming that was a good choice of questions. The man shook his head, and Declan tightened the grip around his chest. The guy’s heart rate shot up as he struggled to suck in a breath, squeezing his eyes shut as if to deny the reality of what was happening to him.

“I don’t know. I’m telling the truth. That’s all I know.” The man pushed the words out with an obvious effort, and his voice had a breathless quality to it. “Black told me what part of this building to avoid and to meet him in a bar, Hooley’s, a few blocks from here, by midnight.” His voice cracked and he uttered a wet, sobbing sort of sound. “Please. That’s all I know.”

Declan sucked in air and sighed it out slowly. He tensed and shifted his weight again.

“No, no… I told you everything!” The guy was crying, and the more he struggled, the less he could move.

Declan dipped his head and bit down on the man’s shoulder, inciting even more screaming and begging. In a movement so fast only Blair could see it, Declan let go of the man long enough to spin him around. One quick step to the side, then back, and Declan cranked back his arm and punched the man in the head. Blair winced as the guy dropped like a stone, out cold.

Shaking his head Declan pulled the denim jacket and hoodie off the guy.
“Your reaction was almost embarrassing,” he said to the unconscious man. Next, he removed the button-down shirt the man wore, leaving his undershirt alone. Declan used his fangs to shred the lightweight cotton shirt. The action made Blair smile. Forge used his fangs to open beer bottles and packages all the time. This was the first time he’d seen Declan do such a thing. Using the strips of material, Declan tied the man and gagged him, then scooped him up and carried him farther away, leaving him where they could still keep an eye on him.

Declan rifled through the jacket’s and hoodie’s pockets, then tossed the hoodie to Blair. “Put that on. You need to stay warm.”

“Get his electronics,” Blair said.

Nodding, Declan checked the man’s pockets, extracting a phone and wallet from his back pants pockets. He pulled a face and grumbled, then went through the man’s front pockets. “Just the phone.”

“Look in his ears, and take his watch and any jewelry.” Blair managed a small laugh when Declan grimaced further. “Please, man. You and Forge love telling your Civil War story about you with your hand down the unconscious Reb officer’s pants, looking for maps or plans or something.”

Declan arched an eyebrow and pulled the man’s belt, watch, and a ring off. He stopped, huffed a breath, and shrugged.

“Jonas likes to tell that story, and he also likes to exaggerate in the name of spinning a good yarn.” Declan knelt and stuck his finger into the man’s left ear, shook his head, and then repeated the action in his right ear. He held up a small earpiece. “Happy now? Or do I have to execute a full cavity search?”

“Tha shun be necasry.” Blair tried to control his voice, but his words slurred.

Declan straightened and put the items he held into his pants pocket. He walked back to Blair and bent to retrieve the denim jacket and his own suit jacket from where he’d left them. After folding the denim jacket into a thick pad, Declan wedged it between Blair and the chunk of wall behind him. He took his suit jacket and wrapped it around Blair before he settled on the ground beside Blair and scooted as close as he could. Putting his arm around Blair’s shoulders, Declan said softly, “I know how much it hurts.” He patted Blair’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine, eventually, and this will all be a bad memory. I promise.”

Blair leaned his head back against the makeshift pillow and closed his eyes. “You can get out.”

“There is still at least one other man around here. You’re defenseless like this.” Declan jostled Blair gently. “You need to stay awake so Jonas can feel you and find us.”

Blair inhaled slowly and opened his eyes. He and Forge shared such a strong empathic bond, it was possible for each to use it almost as a tracker. All mated vampires could sense their other halves to some degree. However, Blair and Forge were particularly blessed. Or cursed. Blair chuckled at his own inner joke, but it morphed almost immediately into a stifled sob and whimper.

“He’s scared, Declan. Forge is never scared. Worse, he feels helpless.” Blair’s own emotions careened out of control. “I don’t want to die.”