Kai stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up the crisp white shirt Adrian had laid out for him earlier. His fingers trembled slightly not from fear, not exactly but from anticipation. Tonight, he wasn't just bait. He was a trap wrapped in pretty packaging.
"Still think this is a good idea?" he muttered, catching Adrian's reflection as he leaned in the doorway.
Adrian's gaze flicked over him, slow and possessive, like he was memorizing every inch before letting him walk into danger. "Absolutely not," he said, voice low. "But it's the only one we've got."
Kai snorted, turning to face him fully. "That's comforting."
Adrian stalked toward him, closing the distance in three long strides. He didn't touch him, not yet. His eyes stayed locked on Kai's. "You remember everything I told you? The signal?"
"Yeah. If I flash my ring twice, it means shit's gone south and your sexy vampire ass better be on me in five seconds flat."
Adrian's lips twitched, but didn't quite smile. "That's one way to put it."
Kai reached out and took his hand. "I'm scared," he admitted.
Adrian pulled him close then, fingers gripping Kai's jaw gently, tilting his head up. "Good," he whispered. "Fear keeps you sharp. But don't forget you're not alone in this."
A car horn sounded outside. Their contact the one luring the vampires into the meeting spot was here.
Kai leaned up on his toes, brushing his lips against Adrian's with a promise that left them both breathless. "Let's go make monsters bleed."
The warehouse was cold and empty when Kai stepped inside, heels echoing on concrete, heart pounding against his ribs. He looked harmless. Innocent. Breakable.
Exactly how they needed him to look.
Voices echoed from the far end of the building. Movement. Three vampires maybe four. He could feel them before he saw them, like static in his bones.
"Well, well," a voice purred. "The omega finally shows up. And all alone too."
Kai turned slowly, a small smirk pulling at his lips. "Sorry, was I supposed to bring snacks? I thought you bloodsuckers were trying to eat me, not party with me."
Laughter. Too much.
But Kai's ring gleamed faintly as he tapped it once then again.
From the rafters above, a shadow dropped fast.
Adrian landed behind the first vampire, blade out and gleaming. It sank deep before the creature could even scream.
Chaos erupted.
Kai ducked just in time as another vampire lunged, and Adrian moved like smoke and lightning, striking with precision that was beautiful and lethal. Blood sprayed. Fangs flashed. And through it all, Kai watched not frozen, but ready. Waiting.
Another vampire grabbed his arm snarling, breath hot with malice.
But Kai didn't flinch.
Because a second later, a silver dagger Adrian had hidden in his jacket earlier buried itself in the attacker's chest from behind.
The creature screamed as it crumbled, ash spilling across Kai's feet.
Adrian turned, chest heaving, eyes blazing red.
"You okay?" he growled.
Kai exhaled, heart hammering, but alive. "Yeah. But next time you're the damn bait."
The warehouse reeked of blood and dust, the silence that followed the fight pressing in like a thick fog. Adrian wiped the blade clean on the torn shirt of a crumbled vampire, his eyes never leaving Kai.
But something was wrong.
Too easy.
Kai's body tensed at the same time as Adrian's. A soft scrape echoed from behind a stack of crates near the far wall. Another heartbeat. Two, maybe three.
"Backup," Adrian muttered, pulling Kai behind him instinctively.
Kai's hand gripped the back of his shirt. "They were stalling."
"No," Adrian growled. "They were waiting."
The sound of boots on metal catwalks above sent Adrian's eyes skyward just in time to see a net drop.
Silver-laced.
"Kai, move!"
But it was too late.
The net crashed down, separating them. Kai hit the ground hard with a gasp as the silver bit into his skin, hissing against his omega scent.
Adrian roared, a feral sound that shook the walls, but he was instantly surrounded. Five vampires this time. Organized. Stronger. The leader stepped forward tall, pale, with a cruel mouth and glowing gold eyes.
"Well done, Adrian," he purred. "You delivered the boy just as expected."
"You son of a..." Adrian lunged, but the leader was ready. With a flick of his wrist, a burst of power knocked Adrian back like a ragdoll into a metal pillar.
Kai struggled in the net, skin burning where it touched, his voice rasping out, "Adrian!"
The leader crouched beside him. "You don't know what you're worth, do you, little wolf?" He brushed Kai's hair back mockingly. "The key to controlling him… to destroying him… and now, to luring him."
"You're using me," Kai spat.
"Of course." He smirked. "And once he's dead, you'll be next."
Adrian surged to his feet, face bleeding, teeth bared. "Over my dead fucking body."
"Exactly."
The room ignited.
Adrian's fury exploded in a blur of crimson and silver. The fight became brutal, raw. Every movement he made was fueled by desperation, by rage, by something terrifyingly close to love.
But they were outnumbered. Outmaneuvered.
One vampire stabbed Adrian through the side, and Kai screamed.
The leader moved toward him again, lifting the edge of the silver net to yank Kai free but Kai had one last trick.
From his boot, he pulled a small silver spike. A gift from Adrian.
The second the leader's hand touched him, Kai stabbed him in the throat.
The vampire howled, staggering back, the wound sizzling. It didn't kill him. But it gave Adrian the opening he needed.
With a furious snarl, Adrian tore through the last of the backup, leapt across the room, and landed beside Kai. In seconds, the net was off, flung aside.
Kai collapsed into his arms, shaking, but whole.
Adrian pressed his forehead to Kai's. "I've got you."
"Yeah," Kai panted, clinging to him. "But next time… seriously… we need a less traumatic date night."
Adrian let out a strained, bloody laugh.
"I'll pencil that in right after we kill them all."