Sweet-Delight[ Brac Village 1] (7 page)

Ross looked over what had been done so far to the bakery—which wasn’t much. The walls were semirepaired, but not painted. The floor looked like the tiles had been torn up and tossed aside. There was someone working on an electrical outlet and another with a bucket of white stuff, smearing it over holes in the wall. He would have thought the crew got more than this done since this morning.

“The pipes were busted in the basement, and it took the entire day to get most of the damaged ones replaced,” Kenway explained, as if he could read Ross’s mind. Maybe it was the expression on his face that gave away what he was thinking.

His mate pulled Ross into his arms, giving him a hello kiss. “Can you do me a favor and grab me a coffee from The Café?”
Yeah, he could be the errand boy. It wasn’t like he had anything to do around here. Ross didn’t know what the men were even doing. “Sure.”
Kenway fished some money out of his pocket and handed it to Ross. The Café wasn’t too far and he remembered where it was located. Besides, Kenway had gotten Ross addicted to walking this quaint little town at night. It was very peaceful.
“Thanks, babe.”
Ross really didn’t mind going. He knew Kenway was super excited about this project and wanted to be hands-on with it. The man spent the day here and didn’t leave until Ross showed up, and then he still stayed a little while after that. Ross was trying to be enthusiastic as well, but it was hard when the place looked like a gutted building. Maybe when the equipment started to be moved in, he would feel differently.
He had become interested when Roman was going over the blueprints with him. It helped him envision what the final result would look like. Kenway seemed just as excited with the empty place as he was with the idea of it being finished.
Ross smiled. He liked seeing his mate so exuberant. It meant that he wouldn’t have buyer’s remorse soon after the bakery was completed. Ross had waited his entire life for someone like Kenway. He was sweet, sexy, muscular, and had an excitement to him that Ross had never seen in anyone else, not even himself.
It was refreshing to be around the man.
Strolling toward The Café, Ross started having that feeling once more that someone was watching him. This time he didn’t have Kenway to distract him. He stopped in midstep and glanced around, but just like the last time, he didn’t see anyone.
But Ross knew someone was there.
Being out in the open, he couldn’t exactly use his vampire powers and dissipate to the coffee shop. He was pretty sure that was frowned upon in the town limits where a human could see him. And although he was a vampire, Ross wasn’t a very skilled fighter. That had been proven when his brother easily overtook him and shoved him into the demon realm.
The Café came into sight, and Ross made it there without whoever was following him showing himself. He walked up to the counter and ordered Kenway’s coffee, and then asked for a slice of the cake he knew his mate liked.
“You were here last night with the big fella over at the Dairy Twist,” the man said and then grinned. “Or what used to be the Dairy Twist.”
Ross extended his hand. “Ross Green. I’m his mat—partner.”
The man shook Ross’s hand. “Ray Freewether. Nice to meet you, Ross.”
Well wasn’t he friendly? The guy looked to be in his early twenties, and he was definitely human. He had almond-colored eyes, short black hair, and a nice little chiseled body. He wasn’t anywhere near as good-looking as Kenway, but it was nice to know someone else in this town—besides Baker and the construction crew. Ross hadn’t even come out of his room at the Manchester place to get to know the people who lived there.
“Do you like it here?” Ross asked as Ray made Kenway’s coffee.
Ray gave a shrug. “Lived here my whole life, but until the mayor started helping the town open all these businesses, it wasn’t much of a place to live. It looks like things are changing.”
That they were. If Ray only knew why. He very seriously doubted the man knew about Vampire Hunters. He was sure the human knew nothing about vampires, shifters, and all the other paranormal creatures that inhabited Brac Village. “That’s a good thing, right?”
Ray smiled and it reached his almond-colored eyes. He really was a nice-looking man. “It sure is. I even have help starting tomorrow.”
Ross wondered if it was Johnny. The small human seemed adamant about getting a job. He knew the little guy would win out over his mate’s insistence that he not find work here…or anywhere.
“Is his name Johnny?”
Ray nodded. “How’d you know?”
“I saw him last night and he told me.” He had just met Johnny last night as well.
“He seems like a nice guy.”
Ross wouldn’t know. “He does.”
“Good,” Ray said. “I hate working with people who act like douchebags.”
Ross laughed. “Have that problem much?”
“The last guy who worked here tried to flirt with every man who came through that door. It was embarrassing as hell. We started losing customers. Thank god he was fired.”
Ross could see where that would be a problem. He knew he should get Kenway’s coffee and treat to him, but Ross wasn’t looking forward to spending an evening watching the men work in the bakery while he stood there with nothing to do.
“I’ll be over at the bakery once it’s open. Feel free to stop by.” Ross had a thought. “But I only work at night. I have one of those nasty allergies to the sun.”
Ray’s eyes widened. “I never met anyone who had that before. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the offer.”
Ross smiled as he said good-bye, feeling a little better about being in this town. He had somewhat of a friend now. Well, he knew someone that wasn’t a paranormal. It was a start.
Walking back to the bakery, Ross crossed over to the other side of the street. Just as he was walking by Murphy’s Bookstore, he got that feeling again, only this time it was amplified by a hundred.
“What a cozy little town this is.”
Ross stilled. He had really thought the person watching him was his brother. But he didn’t know this man, or at least the voice he had just heard. Whoever was standing just out of his line of sight was a stranger.
He couldn’t even scent if the man was human or other, and that scared the hell out of him.
“This place seems very…
special
.”
Ross hurried his steps, damn near running to the bakery. He was never so glad in his life to reach his mate. He shoved the coffee cup and small bag into Kenway’s hand, feeling himself shaking with fear. The guy had said the word
special
like he knew not all the residents were human. That was a threat if he ever heard one.
Kenway set the items down and grabbed Ross, pulling him close. “What’s wrong? You’re shaking like a leaf.”
Everyone stopped working, all eyes on him. At this point, Ross didn’t care. That disembodied voice had been ominous, making him feel like there was doom and gloom heading this way. He stood there and told Kenway about the feeling he had last night and about what just happened tonight.
“I bet it’s that Kenyon guy. He probably sent someone here to spy on the village, to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary.”
So why was he fucking with Ross? Okay, he was on the pale side, but Kenway looked more paranormal than he did. The guy was built like a freaking freight train. But then again, Kenyon was a Vampire Hunter. No, he was
the head
Vampire Hunter. He knew nothing about shifters and demons—that they knew of.
“The next time you feel someone watching you, let me know.” Kenway didn’t sound too happy that Ross had kept that bit of information to himself last night.
“I will,” he promised. Because there was no way in hell Ross wanted to meet that man face-to-face.

As Kenway talked quietly with his mate, Roman walked toward the back of the room and called Maverick. He and his sentries needed to be put on alert that a spy was in town. After he hung up, he called his pa, telling him about a possible threat.

“Just keep your eyes open and your ears peeled, son. There’s not much we can do if he doesn’t break any laws or hurt anyone.”
It gutted Roman that he couldn’t just put the bastard out of his misery. But his pa was right. If anyone touched the spy in town, that would only bring Kenyon here. He thought about his mate, Steven, working at the diner. Roman was going to keep a better eye on the place, just in case. Now that the diner was open twenty-four hours, trouble could come at any time—if the man was here to cause trouble.
Whatever he was here for, the entire populace of paranormal beings in Brac Village would be warned.

Kenway headed over to Baker’s father’s house to pick his employee up. The man’s car wouldn’t start and he needed Baker for some miscellaneous work at the shop. There was nothing wrong with getting his future employee in on the groundwork. Besides, Roman said they could use a cleanup man.

So far Baker was a gem helping out, but Kenway was starting to see that he needed the guy full-time before the bakery even opened.
“Maybe we should have Mark’s Garage take a look at his car,” Ross suggested. “I’m sure it wouldn’t cost much to get—”
Kenway swerved, his hand shooting out instinctively to slam into his mate’s chest, stopping him from jerking forward. His heart was in his throat as he smashed his foot into the brake, damn near making it go all the way through the floorboard. “What was that?”
Ross spun his head around, looking over his shoulder. “I don’t see anyone.”
He wasn’t losing his mind. Kenway had seen someone standing in the middle of the damn road. There was no way that was an illusion. He turned his head, but just as Ross said, no one was there.
What in the hell was going on? “Did you see him?”
Ross glanced over at Kenway and slowly shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone, Kenway.”
No, he wasn’t going crazy. He had seen someone. The guy had dark dress pants on and a dark-brown leather jacket. His imagination wasn’t that creative to dress his illusion. There had been a man standing there. Kenway would have bet his life on it.
“There was someone there, Ross. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m not seeing things.” Kenway put the truck in park and slid from his seat. He could see the hesitation in Ross’s eyes, like the man would much prefer the two of them hauling ass out of there.
Kenway needed to know.
He walked to the back of his truck, his eyes scanning the area, but other than the moon and the landscape around them, he saw nothing.
“Can we go now?” Ross called from the truck cab.
He didn’t like this one bit. Someone was fucking with him. They had disappeared on purpose. They had stood in the middle of the road on purpose as well. He just wasn’t sure why. Kenway couldn’t scent anything other than the trees around him.
Things were starting to get really strange around town. First Ross ran into a man who spoke to him from a dark alley. Now this. Grunting in frustration, Kenway walked back to the driver’s side of the truck, climbing in and slamming the door shut.
“Anything?” Ross asked, his expression nervous.
Kenway reached over and cupped his mate’s face, letting his thumb run over his smooth cheek. “Nothing.”
“I believe you.”
“Thanks.” Kenway put the truck in drive and continued his course to Baker’s father’s home, but he couldn’t let what just happened go. There had to be a reason the person had appeared in front of him. Even if Kenway wasn’t a shifter, the man standing on the road, in the middle of nowhere, would have freaked him out.
Kenway fought the urge to park his truck and go investigate further. He wanted to know why the person had appeared in front of him. The only thing stopping him was Ross. His mate was definitely edgy—which was weird for a vampire. Weren’t they supposed to be the ones feared at night?
It didn’t matter. Ross wanted them to go, so he would go. It wasn’t like he would find anything anyway.
Kenway pulled into the driveway and honked his horn. Baker was going to have to do something about his car or stick in town. The drive out here took longer than Kenway thought it would. Even though Baker was at his dad’s house, if he had to drive out here to get the guy, this wasn’t going to work out. Most of the Brac Village residents lived on the outskirts of town, but Baker’s father had to be the one to live on the outskirts of the outskirts.
The front door opened and he watched Baker hurry out. He looked flustered. But then a tall, broad man filled the doorway, scowling at Baker.
Must be his dad.
It wasn’t any of Kenway’s business. Just as long as he didn’t see any bruises, everything that went on between his employee and his father was their business.
Ross scooted over.
“Thanks for coming to get me,” Baker said breathlessly as he climbed into the cab. “My car is acting up again. The…dang thing is getting on my nerves.”
Kenway wondered what the human planned on saying before he picked
dang
, or was he just one of those people who didn’t cuss much and needed practice? Kenway would be happy to help him practice.
“No problem,” Ross replied. Kenway wanted to correct his mate. He wanted to tell Baker to get his car looked at, but from the shape of the house and the tattered jeans Baker was wearing, Kenway was starting to get the picture of how Baker lived.
Poorly.
Maybe he would listen to Ross and see what Mark’s Garage could do for the guy. There was no way the human could walk to work every day. And now that there was a mysterious man appearing in the middle of the road, close to Baker’s father’s home, Kenway wouldn’t want to chance the guy’s safety—of course, all that depended on how often Baker came out here…still.
“Just cleanup today?” Baker asked Kenway. “That’s cool. If you need me to do more, I can. It isn’t like I have a life anyway.”
Kenway wasn’t sure how to take that.
“We’ll see what Roman needs done when we get there,” Ross answered for Kenway. Good, because he wasn’t sure what to say. So far, the guy wasn’t acting like the little shit he had been referred to.
Maybe Maverick and the father had Baker pegged all wrong.
The drive into town almost made Kenway fall asleep. It was that long. They finally pulled up in front of the bakery. The crew was still there. Kenway got out and waited for his mate to climb out as well.
Baker hopped out of the other side, smiling. “Time to go to work.”
Who smiled when they were about to go clean up behind other men? The guy was definitely strange. But Kenway wasn’t someone who passed judgment, so he strolled into the building, seeing the construction crew had made damn good progress. But there was a mess everywhere.
“Good,” Roman said as they walked inside. “Baker, can you get started on this mess?”
Baker hopped to it, diving right in.
Kenway waved Roman over. Ross leaned against one wall, watching the human work, but Kenway knew his mate was listening. That was fine with him. “Someone appeared on the road when I was on my way to get Baker. When I hit my brakes, he just disappeared.”
“Can’t be the man Kenyon sent.”
“I didn’t think so either. But Ross didn’t see anyone.”
Roman glanced at him strangely, but didn’t ask if maybe he had been seeing things.
Points for the bear shifter.
He looked like he was mulling things over instead.
“Vampires shimmer, or pop, or whatever the hell you call it. Demons use shadows. He just appeared and then disappeared?”
Kenway shook his head. “I didn’t see him appear, but he was standing in the middle of the road. I was so busy making sure Ross didn’t fly through the front windshield that I didn’t see when he disappeared. But it was too fast for a human.”
“Very strange.” Roman rubbed his chin. “Either we have two separate incidents happening at the same time around here—which wouldn’t surprise me—or someone is playing us all.”
Kenway didn’t like either option. He didn’t like anyone playing him. All he wanted to do was settle down in Brac Village, be with his mate, and run a bakery. It was that simple. Nothing complicated. But it seemed someone didn’t want him or Ross content.
He knew about Ross’s brother. He also knew about Kenyon. But other than those two possibilities, who could be messing with them?
“Just keep your eyes open,” Roman finally said. “Whoever it is, if it is the same person, hasn’t done anything wrong, yet.”
That was not comforting. So what was he supposed to do, wait until either he or his mate was attacked?
Fuck that
. Kenway was going to have a talk with the men he lived with. Something had to be done. Maybe he could get them to hang out in the shadows to try and catch this person, or persons.
“Let me get back to work. I’ll let Maverick know what’s going on.”
Kenway removed his Stetson and rubbed his hand over his head. He didn’t like feeling clueless or helpless. He smiled when Ross walked over to him and slid his arms around Kenway’s waist. Even if the world started going crazy, he still had Ross. His mate was the bright spot in his life.
“Anything we should start worrying about?” Ross asked, tilting his head back as he gazed up at Kenway. “Other than the things I’m already worried about?”
Wrapping his hand around Ross’s long hair, Kenway gave it a gentle tug. “You don’t need to worry, babe. No one is hurting my mate.”
A wobbly smile appeared on Ross’s face, his dark eyes softening a bit. “Just a stranger who seems to like scaring people.”
He wanted to ask how a vampire could fear someone who should be human—although the quick disappearance from sight thing was starting to make him wonder if the guy was really human—but Kenway didn’t ask. Just because Ross was a vampire didn’t automatically make him a badass scary man.
Kenway kind of liked feeling as though he had to protect his mate. He was big and strong, and defending the weaker came naturally to him, but protecting his mate was hardwired into him.
“I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself. Until we know what’s going on, I don’t want you alone.” Kenway smoothed his hand down his mate’s back, feeling as if he could kill anyone who dared bring harm to Ross.
“You are just so sweet and he-manish. Did I ever tell you the big and brave turn me on?”
No, but he knew now. Kenway let his chest expand just a little further, rising to his full height. He was peacocking, so damn what.
A slow grin formed when Ross ran his hands up Kenway’s chest. “Mmm, so big and muscular. Can I bite you?” His voice was dripping with seduction and temptation.
Kenway heard a snicker behind him. For a moment in time, he had forgotten that they weren’t alone. “Maybe later,” he said in a subvocal voice, backing it up with a wink.
When he turned to walk away, Kenway knew he was hard as a rock and sporting a bulge in the front of his pants.
Did he care?
Hell no.