Unseen Scene—Book One, Chapter Twenty (Unit Bravo Male version) (Patreon)

(This is set immediately after Chapter Twenty, after Rebecca leaves. Thank you to my wonderful $50 patron who allowed me to share this after I wrote it for him, as I really wanted you guys to see it too!)

-

There’s an odd deafening silence that hits Nate as he watches the ambulance speed away. All around him people rush to collect evidence, clear the scene, and start the cover-up. But Nate doesn’t hear any of it. Just the rhythmic pounding of blood through his ears.

The thrum of it brings a flash of an image before Nate’s eyes.

[Name] on the ground. Blood—such tempting blood—pooling beneath them.

Nate shakes the image with force from his mind until he has to rasp a breath just to find his balance again.

A solid hand grips his shoulder, and he opens his eyes to look at Adam frowning at him.

“I’m alright,” he lies.

“No. You are not,” Adam states.

Nate chuckles, the sound weak even as he tries to put energy behind it. “No. I suppose I’m not.”

“Tonight has been difficult for all of us,” Adam comments, dropping his hand with a sigh.

“I think that’s an understatement for [Name]. Wasn’t even sure they were going to make it—” Felix’s words are cut short by Adam giving a stiff nod over Nate. The young vampire’s eyes inspect Nate’s hunched form before clearing his throat. “I mean, it was tough going. But [Name]’s gonna be fine. Even in the short time we’ve known them, you can tell they’re a fighter, right?”

Nate attempts a smile.

“That blood though…” Mason says, the words dragging from him as though savouring the taste of them. “Have you ever smelled anything like that?”

“Never,” Adam replies.

“It was, uh…something else,” Felix adds, rubbing at his neck while biting his lip. “Glad it was raining.”

Thirst prickles at the back of Nate’s throat at the thought of the scent of it. Sweet and rich. The others seem just as thoughtful as the group fall quiet.

Felix snaps out of the strange hypnosis first, thankfully breaking the rest of them from it too. “Should we follow them? Head to the facility? That’s where they’ll be taking [Name], right?”

“I want to see them,” Nate says. The words shoot from him with more force than he intended, but he’s almost not surprised by the need that drives the statement. Even in just these few weeks, he can feel the connection that’s formed between him and [Name]. Like planets orbiting the same sun.

And the heat of that sun burns intensely.

The group move towards one of the SUVs, but Adam holds Nate back for a moment with a hand on his arm.

Grey-uniformed agents zip past them, still cleaning and scrubbing everything clean. Soon it will be as though none of this ever happened. If only Nate could scrub the horrific image of [Name]’s crumpled body from his mind just as easily.

“Nate…” The team commander sucks in a breath before forcing himself to continue. “Getting attached to a human is—”

“My decision,” Nate interrupts with a frown before sagging. “I really can’t be talking about this right now, Adam. I just need to know they’re alright. Then you can read out your list of ridiculous reasons why getting involved with anyone will ruin us all.” Regret makes his expression tight as the words fall from him, but he doesn’t take them back—even when Adam flinches a little. Instead, he brushes off his concerned friend’s hand and makes for the SUV, intent only on seeing that [Name] makes it through.

They have to make it through.

The idea of never seeing them again…it’s not an idea Nate can even consider anymore.