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Chapter Text

“Luke, what the fuck is that?” Reggie’s voice was murderous. 

Shit. 

This was a no win scenario. Telling Reggie the truth would trigger a nuclear meltdown, but lying was pointless. Every hunter knew what a vampire bite looked like. It was one of the first things they learned. 

“Tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Reggie demanded, eyes hard and cold. 

Luke swallowed and tilted his chin up, refusing to look away. “It’s a vampire bite.” 

Rage and disappointment transformed Reggie’s face. “You broke the ONE rule that cannot be broken. How could you do this after everything I’ve done for you?” Reggie’s hand slipped towards the blade he kept sheathed in the small of his back. 

Luke tasted bile. Every instinct he had screamed ‘run’. He’d never seen Reggie like this–and he was blocking the only exit. He leaned into his own rising anger instead. 

“After ‘everything you’ve done for me?’ What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You left me alone with a striga, you insufferable asshole.” 

“Was it her ?” Reggie snarled. “The leech that was parading around in our apartment. The one that you invited in?” 

“Yes. She saved my life with the striga, and nearly died as a result.” 

“You should have let her die! That’s what a real hunter would have done. Hell, that’s what anyone with half of a brain and a survival instinct would have done! I can’t for the life of me figure out what is so broken inside of you that you keep trying to befriend things you are meant to kill.” 

“She saved my life!” 

Reggie narrowed his eyes and his voice turned sharper and gained a cruel edge. “Do you have feelings for her? Do you think you’re in love with her?”

“No!” Luke shouted. Maybe, he admitted to himself. 

Reggie huffed. “They’re incapable of emotion, you do know that right? All they have is hunger.” He threw up his hands. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. Do you have any idea what being your partner has cost me over the years, Luke? Now you’ve put me in an impossible position. I can’t report you without falling under suspicion myself.” 

“You’re going to report me? You would do that? Get me sent off to remediation to be brutalized into a mindless grunt? I thought you were my friend.” 

Reggie scoffed. “You’re not my friend, Luke. You’re an assignment from Trevor. One I’m dangerously close to failing. I can’t even look at you right now!” Reggie turned on his heel and walked out of the bathroom. 

Luke’s hands were shaking. He had no words for some of the things that he’d just heard, and didn’t know where to begin making sense of them. 

He stepped into the hallway only for Reggie to shove a duffel bag at him. 

“Get out.” 

“Excuse me?” Luke snapped. 

Reggie reached for his knife again. “Get out of this apartment. Now.” 

Luke ran out of the apartment and scrambled down the stairs, heart racing as he struggled to catch his breath. He threw up in the bushes two blocks from the apartment. He had no idea what to do next. 

His eyes burned with the threat of tears, but he didn’t have time for that right now. He needed to get somewhere safe. Too bad he had no idea where that might be. HQ was out of the question, and Reggie was his only friend in the hunter community. 

Or at least, he had been. Luke wasn’t sure everything that had been broken between them that night could be repaired. The thought turned his stomach in knots, and he threw up again. 

When he was done, he stopped fighting it and finally let the tears roll down his face, at odds with the rapidly spreading numbness invading his senses. No matter how bad things got, he’d always had Reggie. He’d never truly been alone. 

Until now. 

He wandered aimlessly, unable to decide on a destination. Julie had said he was welcome any time, and Rose had said the same, but he just wasn’t sure. There was a difference between dropping in for a snack and needing somewhere to stay indefinitely. 

It wasn’t like he had a lot of other options though. Sighing heavily, he turned towards the Molina complex, skirting the edge of the park.  

A somewhat familiar, long haired figure turned at the sound of his footsteps. 

“Luke?” Willie called, concern pinching his features and tightening his voice. “Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?” 

Luke shook his head, but couldn’t find any words to answer.  

Willie’s brow furrowed before he nodded decisively to himself. “Okay, you’re coming with me.” He reached for Luke’s arm. 

Luke reflexively took a step backwards, moving away from Willie, but the vamp closed the distance before he could blink and neatly grabbed his elbow. Luke froze, the brief spark of fight draining out of him. 

Exhaustion and hurt rolled back in, smothering everything else. He blindly followed Willie, unable to process where they were going. 

He was vaguely aware of being ushered inside a familiar building and settled on a couch. Willie talked to him, but Luke couldn’t remember anything he’d said. Eventually he was left alone. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he was pulled into a very familiar pair of arms. 

Julie. 

“Luke, “ she whispered, carding her fingers through his hair. “What happened?” She looked so worried. 

He shook his head. He wasn’t ready to talk about it. 

She cupped his face. “I’m here for you when you’re ready, okay? What do you need right now?” 

He could do this. He could answer one question. 

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. 

Apparently he couldn’t. 

He tried, truly, but he couldn’t force the words past the tightness in his throat. 

Still, he had to say something. “Did you work tonight?” 

Julie gave him a sharp glance at the subject change, but she must have sensed something because she allowed it. “No, I went to a Market with Flynn. They had the most incredible desserts.” 

His stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. 

“Have you eaten tonight?” she asked. 

“No, not since before patrol,” he admitted. 

“It’s nearly six!” 

Six? When had it gotten so late? 

“Wait…” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that a bag?” 

He nodded. 

“Do you need somewhere to stay?” Her hands fluttered towards the bag, worry written in every line of her body. 

Hurt and anger threatened to drag him back under, but he managed to whisper, “Reggie and I need some space.” 

Julie froze for a moment before the shock melted into something dark and vicious. “What did he do?” she snarled. 

“Julie, please….” He let the sentence trail off, unsure what he was even asking for. 

She took one deep breath, then another and then her entire demeanor shifted. 

“You must be starving. Let’s find you something to eat and get you settled.” 

She extricated herself from his grasp and moved to the kitchen. He heard some banging and rummaging, but it wasn’t long before she reappeared with a plate of meat, cheese, and fruit. 

“Certified human safe,” she smiled, handing it over. “Completely blood free.”

He forced a half smile at her lighthearted teasing, but, based on her reaction, it must have been more of a grimace. “Thanks, Julie.” 

He wasn’t sure he could eat. His stomach roiled with anxiety, but she was watching him so closely that he knew he had to try. 

He took one bite and his hunger kicked in with a vengeance and he made quick work of the snack. 

Julie watched him with a peculiar expression. 

He swallowed the last bite and shrugged, expression turning sheepish. He was hungry, so sue him. 

She gave him a very fond look that sent his heart fluttering for a moment, then tried, and failed, to stifle a huge yawn. Luke gave an answering one a moment later. Damn contagious things. 

“Go to bed, Jules. I’ll just sleep on the floor.” 

She blinked sleepily before shaking her head and standing up. “Absolutely not!  I’ll show you to your room.” 

“My room?” Luke asked as he reached down, grabbed his duffle bag, and followed her out of her apartment.

Julie seemed oddly nervous as she showed him to an apartment right next door to hers. “You can stay here,” she said softly, opening the door and waving him inside. 

He nodded in thanks, and wished her a goodnight. He was too tired to pay much attention to his surroundings, and since there were some nightlights plugged in, he didn’t even turn on a light as he fumbled through the semi-darkness until he reached the bedroom. 

He stripped off his sweaty patrol clothes and rummaged through his bag until he found something soft to sleep in and was in bed less than five minutes later. 

Sleep didn’t usually come naturally to him in unfamiliar places, but some part of him knew he was safe here in this house full of vampires. Exhaustion quickly dragged him under. 

//

Luke slept later than he had in a while. The mattress was unbelievably comfortable, and his room was so nice and quiet and dark despite the sunny day. 

He almost rolled over and went back to sleep, but he saw the time and nearly shot out of bed. 

How was it already five thirty?! He had to get ready, he had to eat, he had to… 

Nothing. There was nothing he needed to do tonight, nowhere he needed to be. 

It was a novel feeling. He consciously avoided thinking about the reason behind it as he climbed out of bed and opened the curtains. Light filtered into the room and he gasped. 

He’d expected a generic guestroom, something hotel-like and impersonal. Instead, the apartment was warm, cozy, and totally perfect. If he could have chosen a place, it would look just like this. Exposed brick walls surrounded concrete floors, and industrial style fixtures ran exposed all along the ceiling. The color palette was perfect too with all the plush furniture and decorations in varying of blues, grays and browns. 

Most of his missing clothes were hanging in the closet, or sitting in neat stacks on the shelves. 

What on earth? 

He didn’t even bother to get dressed before going to talk to Julie. 

She met him in the hallway and led him into her apartment with a smile. “There you are! I was starting to get worried. Did you sleep well?” 

“I, uh, yeah. I did,” he stammered out, distracted by how pretty she was with her hair in neat braided pigtails and wearing her pajamas. 

“Wonderful. Willie’s gonna run to the store. Is there anything in particular that you want him to pick up?”

He wasn’t sure how to answer, genuinely surprised by the thoughtfulness. 

Julie shuffled her feet. “I don’t have much for human-safe food. We can order something for breakfast if you want and then cook later. Are there certain things you like to eat?” 

“You don’t have to go out of your way for me,” he protested. 

Her nervous expression turned fierce. “Basic decency and consideration is not ‘going out of my way.’ And shame on anyone who made you think it is. Now, what do you want for dinner?” 

“I don’t really cook. I’m sure whatever you were planning is fine. Just, you know, without the blood.” 

Julie giggled, the sound as bright as the light pouring in through the windows. 

Which, hang on a second…. 

“I thought vampires burst into flame or burned to a crisp in the sunlight…. Hence their designation as creatures of the night….” 

Julie raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘Do you have a point?’ 

“I mean, I’m glad you aren’t burned, of course,” he rambled. Which totally wasn’t embarrassing. At all. “But… how?”

She tilted her head, before her expression cleared. “It’s not the light that kills vampires, it’s the UV radiation from the sun. All of our windows are specially made. One hundred percent UV proof. We can enjoy the daylight as much as we wish, so long as we don’t leave the house.” 

“Huh.” Luke had just assumed vampires slept all day. Then again, he’d believed they slept in coffins stored in basements until he met Julie. Something he desperately hoped she never found out about because he wasn’t sure he could stand the inevitable teasing. 

“There is no form of magic or technology that makes it safe for us to go outside during the day though.” She shrugged. “Some have claimed to have rings or lockets that make it possible, but they turned into a pile of ash in moments. It’s enough to be able to see it and enjoy its warmth.” 

Luke couldn’t imagine only being able to live in the dark. Sure, he and Reggie used to joke that they were creatures of the night themselves, but that was by choice. They could go outside any time they wanted, day or night. They didn’t have to worry about specialized glass or if the curtains were thick enough. 

“I’m glad you get to see the sun,” he said quietly. The words felt awkward, but then it was a strange thing to say to someone. 

Julie didn’t seem bothered though, simply huffing a laugh. “Thanks. Now, what do you want for breakfast?” 

“I don’t usually eat breakfast per se. It’s more like a protein bar on my way out the door.” 

Julie gaped at him. “Absolutely not. That’s not how we do things here. Let me get some menus.” 

She opened a drawer full of take-out menus and dropped a pile of them on the table for him to look through. It all seemed overwhelming and expensive. Though he suspected if he pointed out the latter, she would glare at him again. 

After a few minutes of going through three menus, his head was swimming. There were too many choices. 

“I don’t know, Julie. Why don’t you handle this? I’ll eat just about anything.” 

Her eyes narrowed, and she studied him for a moment before agreeing. 

She tapped a few things on her phone and announced it should be there in about forty minutes. 

He used the time to shower and get dressed. Once he was finished, he knocked once on Julie’s door and walked back into her apartment.  

“Luke!” Ray exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. He was holding paper bags emblazoned with the logo for Milk & Honey. Their food must have arrived.  “I had no idea you were coming over.” 

The simple words brought the reality of Luke’s situation crashing back down on him. It felt like all the blood in his body curdled at once, and suddenly he was freezing. It must have shown on his face because Julie reached towards him, expression worried. “I… I didn’t mean to intrude.” 

Ray sputtered. “Intrude? Luke, you’re welcome here any time. I’m glad to see you.” Ray’s face shifted into concerned lines. “Is something wrong?” 

Luke shook his head, unable to explain. 

“Papi, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?” 

“Absolutely.” 

Julie tugged Ray into the kitchen. Luke had an above-average hearing for a human thanks to a ritual during hunter training, but he couldn’t catch even a whisper of what they were saying.  

Julie came back with their breakfasts and Ray bid them a quick farewell and slipped out the door. 

Odd. 

Luke somehow managed to choke down the bacon and egg biscuit Julie got for him despite the sick feeling in his stomach. But as soon as he was done, he couldn’t stay any longer. He made some sort of excuse, thanked her for breakfast, and bolted back to the safety of his room. 

As soon as he closed the door, everything crashed down on him like a rogue wave and he sank down to the floor. 

The loss. The guilt. The betrayal. The pain. The fear. 

He’d never wanted to be a hunter, but he was terrified of losing it. That was the only life he’d ever known. What was he without it? Reggie was the only family he had because Trevor and Carrie didn’t count. What if he’d lost that? What if he was alone? Or worse, what if Reggie told Trevor what he’d seen? 

Sick fear spread through his veins, drowning out everything else. 

His heart pounded in his chest. 

No. 

He wasn’t doing this. 

He wasn’t going to fall apart. 

He could handle this. 

Reggie would calm down. He always did, and then everything would be fine. Luke just needed to bide his time and find a way to keep his worries from eating him alive in the process. 

//

As she often did, Julie provided the solution to Luke’s moping. 

She rarely left him alone for long over the next few days. They watched tons of movies, played games from Julie’s seemingly endless collection, and ate every meal together. Sometimes Ray, Rose, or Willie would join them, but he never saw anybody else. 

He asked her if that was the entire coven. She’d laughed and said the other members were out of town on official business. 

Once the sun went down they went on adventures into the city. He was worried about being seen, but she would just laugh and assure him that there weren’t any hunters where they were headed. She showed him something new every night. Street markets, a carnival for Night Folk, and a myriad of secret, hidden parks around the city. 

It was unbelievable and totally beautiful, the lives the Night Folk built for themselves and the way they embraced what made them all special and unique and distinctly not human.

Every morning before they went their separate ways she would ask him what happened. He never answered. 

Until he did. 

He and Julie had taken a walk through Percy Warner Park and then gone to a craft festival. He watched as Julie interacted with the vendors (all of whom looked at him with no small amount of suspicion) and carefully searched through the jewelry and artwork to find a gift for Willie and Alex’s anniversary.

She also picked up a necklace for her mom, some earrings for her friend Flynn, and small carved figurines of a panther and a wolf for her father and her brother. 

She’d put another small package into her purse, but he wasn’t sure what was in it. She’d just quirked a secretive smile, shrugged, and slipped her hand into his when he’d asked about it.  

She told him stories about her family all the way home. It made his chest ache. What he’d had, even with Reggie, hadn’t come close. The trust and loyalty were missing. 

He realized there was no point in keeping secrets. He wasn’t protecting anyone. 

Julie could tell something had shifted. Instead of saying goodnight, she’d invited him into her apartment. 

“Are you okay?” she asked carefully.

“No. I don’t think I am,” he whispered. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not really, but-” He swallowed hard, trying to choke down the lump forming in his throat. “I need to.” 

Julie squeezed his hand, gently tugging him closer to her. She guided him to lie down and settled his head in her lap. Her fingers slipped into his hair, carding through it gently. 

“What really happened that night, Luke? There has to be more to it than a simple fight. You were completely devastated.” 

He had been, and a part of him hated that he’d felt that way. Especially if some of the other things Reggie had said that night were true. He wasn’t ready to find out, which is why he hadn’t gone home again. Or tried to contact Reggie. Both of which were beyond unusual for him. 

“Reggie kicked me out.” 

“He WHAT?!” Her expression was fierce with her fangs on full display and more than a hint of a growl in her voice. “Tell me everything. ”

Her tone made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He’d never heard her sound so inhuman.  “It was just a regular night of patrol. We had the weirdest run-in with a banshee though.”

Julie gasped, mouth dropping open. “A banshee? They’re so rare. What did she say? Did she talk to you?”

“Yeah, something cryptic about death following me and that there was still a chance for me to escape my fate…” he trailed off. “Reggie didn’t hear any of that. He was too busy fighting for his life against her pet hellhound. She scratched the shit out of my arm though.” 

“She touched you?” Julie’s eyes widened. “Why aren’t you more concerned about this? This is a huge deal.” 

“I’m a hunter, Julie.” 

“I don’t think that’s what she was talking about. She meant your death!” 

He just shrugged. Hunters never usually lived very long. Look at his parents. “I have a dangerous job.” 

Julie gave him a look. “We’re not done talking about this, but go on.” 

“I was in the bathroom, trying to clean up the scratches when Reggie busted in to help and saw the mark.” 

“Mark?”

He glanced down at the crescent-shaped bite mark she’d left on his wrist, then showed her. She visibly stiffened.

Luke paused, his heart in his throat. The moment replayed in his head for what had to be the thousandth time. “He immediately knew what it was, and he turned into someone I didn’t recognize. He was angry beyond reason, and for a few seconds, I thought he was going to kill me.” He shuddered. “I was afraid of him.”

Julie’s hand tightened in his hair before she released it. A snarl sounded deep in her chest, the vibrations traveling through his body. He carefully sat up, wanting to see her face. 

“Reggie said things I’d never expected to hear, that make me question everything I thought I knew about him, about my life. Then he told me that he couldn’t look at me and he needed to figure out what he was going to do to clean up my mess. He shoved a bag at me and told me to get out. I just kind of wandered, totally lost until Willie found me and brought me here.” 

Julie’s expression was dark and terrifying in a way he’d never seen before. “I’ll rip him apart.” There was no inflection in her voice. It was as flat and calm as if she was reading a weather report. 

Which definitely wasn’t good. 

“That’s not necessary.” 

“He hurt you,” she insisted. “He threatened you.” 

“Then it should be my decision.” 

“Your affection for him blinds you to the dangers,” she snarled. “He’s not your friend. Not if he treats you like that.” 

Well, words clearly weren’t going to get her to back down, and he needed to stop her from tearing a hunter to shreds and starting a war. 

An unfamiliar heat stirred in his veins, taking him by surprise. It took him a moment to recognize it as desire. He shouldn’t be attracted to her when she was like this, he *really* shouldn’t. 

But maybe... 

He leaned into the feeling and let his expression go a bit slack. “What if I just stay here with you?” Part of him screamed that he should do exactly that. That there was no reason to want anything else. He belonged at her side.

“Where else would you go?” she asked, head tilted. 

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. 

He felt her surprise for a breath before she eagerly responded.  

“You’re just trying to distract me,” she chided after a moment. 

“No. But, is it working?” he teased. 

She answered with a firm kiss before moving her lips to his neck. Her hands slipped under his shirt and roamed the planes of his chest, her nails scraping deliciously along his skin. He pressed his chest closer to her. 

His hands landed on her shoulders, and then trailed up into her gorgeous curls and back down to skim along her sides.  

Everything had taken on a dreamlike quality. The only thing that was real was her touch against his skin and this pull between their hearts. Her lips worked against his neck, leaving a trail of marks from his ear to his pulsepoint. He felt the prick of her fangs against his skin as she ran them featherlight along the path her lips had just traveled. 

She pulled back just a little, resting her forehead against the curve of his jaw. “If you value your humanity you need to move.” Her voice was strained as if she’d forced the words out. 

“And if I don’t?” he heard himself say dreamily. 

She abruptly pushed him away from her and scrambled to the corner of the couch, putting as much distance between them as possible without standing. 

Awareness crashed back in. 

“I don’t know why I said that.” Terror gripped his chest. He certainly didn’t mean that. What was happening to him?

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I let myself get carried away.”

There had to be more to it than that. He shook his head. “That doesn’t explain what just happened. You almost bit me, Julie, and I would have let you. Hell, I wanted it.” 

She shivered at the reminder and the naked want in her expression took his breath away. 

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. “Whatever this is affects me too. It’s not fair to keep it to yourself.” 

She swallowed hard and nodded. “My feeding created a powerful bond between us. It’s deep and instinctive and demands to be completed. I’m not sure what it feels like for you, as a human, but for me…” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I can sense flashes of your emotions, sometimes snippets of memory. I know when you’re in danger.” 

Wow. That was a lot to unpack. He wasn’t even sure how to respond.

 She continued. “And that’s on top of the normal effects of feeding from a human.” 

“The normal effects?” he blurted, shocked.

“Feeding from a human makes a vampire stronger. My powers have matured. I am more than I was before…” She trailed off. 

He got the distinct impression she didn’t want to talk about it any more, or perhaps she wasn’t sure how to explain it.  

“So this bond between us, is that something that usually happens?” 

She smiled gently. “Most feedings don’t result in a bond. They’re rare and…” Her eyes shyly flickered to his. “...and precious.” 

“Can we get rid of it?”

Several expressions flickered across her face but she was unreadable when she answered, “No. It’s unbreakable.” 

Well wasn’t that just dandy.

Neither of them knew what to say after that. Julie eventually feigned exhaustion and Luke took the opportunity to excuse himself back to his room.  

His mind whirled. He wasn’t sure how the bond affected him, but he suspected it heightened his emotions in some way and smoothed over some of his resistance. It was the only explanation for why he’d practically begged her to turn him. 

He’d have a vampire in his head. Forever. As if the mark on his arm wasn’t bad enough. 

At least it was Julie, he thought as he drifted off to sleep. His secrets were safe with her. He was too tired to remember why that was wrong. 

// 

Two nights later, exactly one week after the fight, Reggie reached out. 

“Let’s talk. Dinner tomorrow. Seven pm.” 

Relief pooled in Luke’s gut. Maybe everything wasn’t irreparably broken between them. 

“I’ll be there,” he replied immediately. 

Julie had been vehemently against it, but he had no choice. Being here, staying here with her family was a dream, it wasn’t reality.  He couldn’t stay with her coven forever. He had to go home, return to his life, and find some way to function. 

Salvaging his friendship with Reggie was the first, biggest step towards that. 

Luke reached the apartment complex in record time. Unease prickled along his skin when he slid his key into the lock, but he shoved it down. 

Reggie was waiting in the kitchen, hot dogs with all the toppings spread across the counter.

“Hey,” Luke said, feeling awkward. Why was this so hard? 

“I won’t ask where you’ve been, because I don’t want to know, but I’m ready for us to move forward.” Reggie got straight to the point. “Let’s eat first.” 

“Hot dogs?” Reggie hated hot dogs.

Reggie shrugged. “They’re your favorite.” He sounded defensive. 

“Yeah, I know. I love them, I was just surprised.” Hot dogs were the last thing Luke remembered eating with his parents. 

Reggie plated the hot dogs, two each, and promptly covered his in chili and cheese. 

Luke opted for the more traditional fixings: relish, mustard, ketchup, cheese and onions. 

An odd expression passed over Reggie’s face before he focused on cutting his own food. The weirdo had always eaten chili cheese dogs with a fork and knife. Luke shook his head and took a huge first bite.

The strong, acidic flavor that coated his tongue nearly gagged him. He downed half a glass of water, but it didn’t help, and neither did downing the rest. 

Shit, what did Reggie cook those with, battery acid?

Still, he didn’t want to insult his friend, who had gone to all this trouble, so he forced himself to finish eating the first hot dog. 

“I’m sorry for pushing you away. That wasn’t the way to handle this,” Reggie stated matter-of-factly. “I haven’t been paying enough attention. I should have realized that something was wrong much sooner.” 

“What are you talking about?” Luke was totally lost. 

“Everything’s going to be okay. This will all be over soon. Is your mind feeling clearer? Just keep eating.” 

What the fuck? 

A wave of severe nausea slammed him, strong enough to steal his breath. 

“I know this must be terrifying, but let me help you. I found a way to break her hold over you.”

Luke understood immediately. “You think I’m a thrall?” 

“You have to be. Nothing else makes sense!” 

“What did you do?” A burning sensation spread through his veins. He felt like his body was on fire, and his strength evaporated like smoke. 

He shoved back from the table and stumbled towards the bathroom, overcome by nausea. 

His legs gave out at the door, and he fell to his knees and crawled over to the toilet. He retched violently and seemingly endlessly. The terrible burning feeling and accompanying weakness grew stronger with every passing moment. 

Reggie chased after him, face pale and stark in the harsh overhead lighting. He looked terrified. 

“What did you give me?” Luke whispered. Before Reggie could answer, blackness surged across his vision and he fell into it. 

//

Something was wrong.  Julie just knew it. 

The feeling started the moment Luke left. She tried to reason with him, to convince him that going back was a mistake, but he insisted it was necessary. He had to fix things with Reggie. 

She couldn’t keep him against his will, so she’d let him go despite feeling sick over it. He’d promised to send her messages and let her know that he was safe. She hadn’t heard from him. 

She sensed snippets through their bond and knew he’d made it back to the apartment. 

A few minutes ago sharp pain shot through the bond, followed by an unusual blankness. It set her teeth on edge and sent her racing out the door. 

She used her vampiric speed to reach his apartment in record time and leaped up to his third-floor window, landing soundlessly on the fire escape. 

She slipped through the window and stepped into his room, taking a deep breath to center herself. 

Reggie’s frantic voice echoed through the apartment, and she followed the sound to the bathroom. 

Her heart froze when she stepped inside. 

Luke was sprawled over the toilet, his skin paler than the white porcelain tile. He could barely keep his eyes open as his throat spasmed. He weakly leaned over the toilet bowl as he dry heaved. 

He barely seemed aware of Reggie hovering nearby. 

Reggie kept whisper-shouting, “This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

“What wasn’t supposed to happen?”she snapped, fangs on full display. 

Reggie flinched and stared at her in shock. 

She took advantage of his surprise to brush past him and settle on the floor beside Luke. 

Luke glanced at her, squinted, and then reached a shaking hand towards her. He blinked when he gently touched her arm. “Thought… you were a dream,” he whispered, voice shredded. 

How long had he been throwing up?

“I’m here, love, I’m real,” she promised, tucking him against her chest. He collapsed against her, boneless. She brushed her lips softly against his temple. 

Reggie sucked in a harsh gasp, and she turned on him. 

“What the fuck did you do to him?” 

“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” he repeated, uselessly. “It was supposed to be safe.” Guilt and fear leaked out of his every pore. “I thought he was your thrall. I found an old hunter remedy that’s meant to break any thrall, no matter how powerful.”

“He’s never been my thrall, you moron! All you did was poison him!” 

“No! I-” Reggied sighed, crumpling in defeat. “Not on purpose.” 

Julie whipped out her phone and sent a message. “Oh, so that makes it okay?”

“What are you doing?” Suspicion crept into his voice and his eyes narrowed. He pointedly ignored her question.

“Calling for help.” 

“We don’t need help,” he scoffed. “I’m not letting any more leeches into this apartment.” 

Luke shivered violently in her arms even though an unnatural heat radiated from his skin. 

Gods, he’s burning up, she realized, praying Willie would hurry the hell up. 

“You don’t have a choice, Reggie! Look at him!” 

Reggie bumped his head against the wall in frustration. “I don’t understand why this happened!”

“Because he’s not a thrall! Why would you even think that?” 

“It’s the only thing that made sense! Even if he wasn’t a thrall, you must have cast some sort of spell on him. He’s always been soft, but not like this.” 

“I’ve seen him hunt. He’s not soft,” she countered, fingers tracing soothing patterns up and down Luke’s spine. He was kinder than others, killing in as few blows as possible and making an effort to minimize any suffering but that wasn’t the same thing as being soft. 

“Hunters are supposed to be ruthless. Kill first, ask questions never. He wants to reason with everything that moves.” Reggie’s expression hardened. “He should know better than anyone that vampires can’t be trusted. But here he is, breaking all of our rules for you. ” 

“My parents didn’t kill his parents, Reggie! They were best friends, truly.” She tilted her head. “This isn’t about that though. This is about you.” 

Her phone dinged with a notification. Willie had replied and told her he’d be there in fifteen minutes. Relief coursed through her. 

“Help is on the way.” 

“I don’t want any help from your kind,” Reggie vowed. 

“You’re really willing to risk Luke’s life over your own learned prejudice?” she growled. “You claim to be his friend, but I’m not so sure.” 

“I was never meant to be his friend.” 

Julie was shocked. “But… But Luke-” She trailed off. 

“Luke doesn’t know. Trevor ordered me to partner with him and keep him on the path. Not that I really succeeded.” 

Julie tightened her grip on Luke, heart aching. Reggie was all he had, and that was just another lie. He’d be crushed if he ever learned the truth. 

Reggie watched her, expression knowing. “He is my friend. I know you think I’m just a dick, but I do have my reasons.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, hard. “I have a twin brother named Steve. He was friends with a vampire once, or so he thought. That vampire lured him into a trap, blinded him, and shattered his left leg so badly it had to be amputated. He was lucky to survive, but the hunter community isn’t a welcoming place for those who can’t fight.” 

“And you thought the same thing would happen to Luke,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

He shrugged as if to say it didn’t matter. 

A pounding on the door broke the uneasy silence. 

“It’s up to you,” Julie murmured. 

Reggie nodded, and stood, disappearing down the hallway towards the door. 

She heard him open the door and issue invitations to enter. Wait, who all had come? It was just supposed to be Willie.

“Umm, these are hunters, why the hell are we here?” Alex complained.  

“Because one of them needs our help,” Willie explained, patiently. 

“That doesn’t mean we should give it,” Flynn pointed out. 

Oh for fuck’s sake, they were both here? 

She loved them dearly, but this wasn’t exactly the ideal scenario for them to find out about Luke. 

Reggie gave her a poisonous glare when he reappeared. 

She shrugged. It wasn’t her fault that they’d all shown up!

“Talk to me, Jules. What’s going on?” Willie asked calmly. 

“Yeah, what is going on?” Flynn echoed. 

She and Alex approached the door, and as soon as they saw Luke something ugly spread across their faces. Willie turned on his heel, shoved them both into the hallway, and slammed the door shut. She felt the warmth of his magic for a moment before the door opened again. Their expressions had cleared. 

“I haven’t seen a hostility hex in years. I didn’t think people did that anymore,” Willie mused.  

Julie blinked and everything descended into chaos. 

Reggie, Alex, and Flynn all started talking at once, demanding answers. 

Willie ignored all of them and knelt down beside Julie. “Poor Luke, the guy just can’t catch a break. What happened?” 

“I’m not sure,” Julie admitted. “All I know is that Reggie gave him some old hunter remedy, and now he’s like this.” 

Willie’s expression turned calculating. “What was the remedy for?” 

“Freeing a thrall,” she whispered. “Which is absurd because he was NEVER a fucking thrall.” 

“Fuck. It better be what I think it is.” Willie pinned Reggie with a nasty glare. 

Reggie ignored him. 

Julie opened her mouth to say something but shifted her attention when Luke started shivering so hard he was practically convulsing. 

“What did you give him?” Willie whirled on Reggie. 

Reggie didn’t answer. 

“Don’t push me, hunter,” Willie threatened as the lights flickered, a sure sign his temper was flaring. “I’m really not in the mood. My friend is sick and my little sister is extremely upset.” 

Reggie clearly didn’t get the memo. “I’m not afraid of you, vamp. I kill your kind for a living.” 

Willie snarled and the bathroom mirror shattered. Shards of glass exploded outward, one coming within millimeters of slicing Reggie’s throat open before they smoothly retreated. The surface of the mirror rippled back into place without a single crack. 

“I’m far more than just a vampire.”

Reggie tried to mask it, but everyone saw the utter terror on his face. 

“If you don’t tell him, I’m turning Luke right now,” Julie snarled. “I won’t lose him to your stupidity and hatred.” She could feel her control slipping and gave him one final nudge. The only reason she wasn’t tearing Reggie to pieces at that moment was because she was holding onto Luke. 

Reggie sneered at her, but she knew he could tell that she wasn’t bluffing. “A Reality Shot.” 

Willie broke into a stream of muttered cursing, and Julie was pretty sure most of it wasn’t even in English. She managed to make out “fucking bastard,” but that was about it. 

“I still don’t understand what’s happening here. Why do we care?” Flynn sounded impatient. 

“He’s a hunter, better known as a murderer.” Alex pointed out for what felt like the hundredth time. 

“Luke isn’t a murderer,” Julie snapped. “He’s my person.” 

For a brief moment, everything was silent. Alex and Flynn’s faces had taken on identical expressions of shock. 

Then that peaceful moment ended. 

“I cannot believe what I’m hearing,” Alex moaned as he collapsed back against the wall. 

“Like your person ? Your person is a hunter? How is that even possible?” Flynn’s volume increased with each question.

“Enough!” Willie ordered. “I have work to do, and I can’t deal with your nonsense. If all you’re going to do is freak out, you can go home. Honestly, you’re both at least seventy-five years old. Start acting like it!” 

Alex squawked in offense. 

Julie rolled her eyes. He never reacted well when someone told him to calm down—or pointed out his age.

Flynn looked suitably chastised and crept closer, kneeling down next to Julie. 

“What can I do?” 

Reggie opened his mouth to say something, but Willie cut him off. 

“Reggie, come with me. I need to know exactly what you used. This recipe has a lot of variations.” He nodded at Alex. “You come too, love. Needless to say, I don’t trust him.”

“Can you help him?” Julie’s voice was shaking. Luke was still shivering so hard that his teeth were chattering. 

“He’s not dead yet, so I think so. Try to get his temperature under control and give him some fluids. I brought IV supplies and a couple of liters of normal saline.” 

If he was trying to be comforting, he’d missed it by several miles. Telling him as much was pointless though. Willie was powerful and had so much knowledge, but his bedside manner had always been questionable. Julie would just have to believe he knew what he was doing. 

Flynn reached over and turned the faucet, running a bath of cold water. 

“Strip him.” 

Julie blinked in surprise, trying to keep herself focused on the task rather than where those words had originally sent her, before moving. Luke was semiconscious at best and couldn’t help, but she peeled his sweat soaked shirt off. 

Flynn helped her with the pants, then wrapped her hands around his ankles. “Grab his torso, on the count of three we’ll lift him up and set him in the tub.” 

“I thought ice baths were just for the movies.” 

“Nope. This might take longer because we don’t have any ice, but it’s better than nothing.” 

Luke bucked weakly when they set him in the tub, letting out a keening moan that tore at Julie’s heart. 

His eyes opened about half way and he looked around the room. His lips formed the shape of her name. 

“I’m right here. You’re okay,” she soothed, tracing her fingers along his forehead and then running them through his hair. He leaned into the contact. 

The wakefulness was short lived, and he drifted off again almost immediately. 

Gods, this was awful. She hated seeing him like this. 

Julie felt the weight of Flynn’s gaze and turned to face her. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about him, Jules?” The hurt in her best friend’s voice nearly undid her. “You fell in love, and I had no idea.”

“I was afraid that you wouldn’t take it well.” She shrugged.

“Jules, that’s ridiculous. I would have been excited for you!” 

She raised an eyebrow and gave her best friend a flat look. “Really, because I think that the moment I said ‘hunter,’ you would have lost your mind.” 

“I mean, I might have been concerned,” Flynn hedged.

“Let me remind you that I heard everything you’ve said since you got here. You definitely were ready for pitchforks and argued we should just let Luke die.” 

“This was a huge shock! Besides, Reggie is the embodiment of every hunter stereotype in history. I thought he was going to stab us rather than let us in.” 

Flynn wasn’t wrong. Reggie was a massive pain in the butt. “Yeah, but still. Tell me I’m wrong.” 

“I would have come around to the idea, Jules. You can’t blame me for being worried. I just want you to be safe.” 

“I’m not a child Flynnie.” 

“I know. So.” She smirked, eyes alight with mischief. “How did you two meet?” 

Julie was halfway through the story when Flynn determined it was time to take Luke out of the tub. 

“The last thing we want to do is make him hypothermic.”

Working together they managed to maneuver him out of the tub, get him dressed in clean clothes, carry him down the hall and settle him into his bed. 

The pit of worry in Julie’s stomach nearly exploded when he didn’t stir through any of the process. That couldn’t be good. 

Both of them looked for seats when they finished. Julie took the bed and Flynn nonchalantly shoved some laundry onto the floor to clear the desk chair. 

Flynn demanded the rest of the story and Julie obliged. 

Right after she’d finished Willie came in clutching a bottle of a purple-black liquid, two paintbrushes and a folded piece of parchment. 

“Getting caught up, Flynn?” 

Flynn nodded. 

Willie grinned. “The most important thing you need to know is that they are absolutely precious. Oh, and that it took Julie a super long time to figure it out, and it was ridiculous.” 

“Hey!” Now that was just mean. 

Willie gave her a look. “You have been compulsively taking his stuff, and you remodeled an entire suite for him.” 

Flynn’s eyes bugged. 

Julie glared at her. She knew what her friend was going to say, and she didn’t want to hear it. 

She turned to Willie for support, but her eyes caught on the crystal potion bottle. It was light blue with black etching. She’d never seen anything like it.“Is that the antidote?” she asked, gesturing towards the bottle and effectively changing the subject. 

“Yes. It isn’t administered in a traditional way.” He set the bottle and the brushes on the nightstand, unfolding the parchment. “Draw the three large runes on his chest and again on his back. Then draw the smaller ones on his cheeks and forehead.” 

“Me?” Nerves fluttered through her stomach. 

Willie tilted his head and looked at her. “I can do it if you’d rather…” He let the sentence trail off. 

“What if I mess up?” she whispered, giving voice to her fears. 

“You won’t. Besides, they don’t have to be perfect,” he reassured her, gently setting the supplies on Luke’s nightstand.

“But I’m sure they will be.” Flynn smiled. “Does it matter where she starts?” 

“It shouldn’t.” 

“I want to start with his back.” Julie tried to sound confident, but her heart raced with more than just nerves. This was totally the wrong time, but her rebellious body refused to obey her. 

She and Flynn carefully tugged off the cutoff they’d put on him after the bath. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his chiseled torso. 

She nearly choked when they rolled him over. Heat pooled in her stomach.  

Not the time. She reminded herself, dragging her focus back to the task at hand. This was too important to risk messing it up because she couldn’t stop ogling him. 

She unfolded the paper and laid it next to Luke, then dipped the brush into the bottle. She’d been expecting a watery liquid, but it was more like a thick oil. It seemed to almost flow onto the brush and none of it dripped as she held it over Luke and studied the runes. 

Julie rested her left hand on Luke’s shoulder blade and carefully drew the runes across his back. She didn’t recognize any of them and wasn’t sure of their meaning. She’d have to ask Willie later. As soon as she finished the third one, the substance disappeared. 

She blinked in surprise and glanced at Flynn, who looked equally unsure. 

“That’s what it’s meant to do,” Willie said from the doorway. “That’s a good sign. Keep going.” 

She and Flynn settled him on his back. 

This time when she settled her hand on his skin, it seemed to develop a mind of its own. Her fingers traced the lines of his abs and a small voice in the back of her mind suggested tracing those same lines with her tongue. 

She’d probably have done it too if Flynn hadn’t poked her in the side. “You got a little distracted there Jules. Any reason why?” She could hear the smirk in her best friend’s voice. 

“Now you’re being mean,” she whined. 

Flynn just laughed. 

Julie drew the runes again, and once again the substance disappeared. 

Was it her imagination or did his breathing seem less labored? 

She cupped his jaw and drew the small, delicate runes on his face. 

“How long until he wakes up?”

“Hours, probably,” Willie said solemnly. 

Julie’s heart squeezed painfully. Had they really cut it that close? 

Stars above, she just wanted him to open his eyes. Her hand drifted from his face to rest on his chest, settling above his heart. The rhythm seemed stronger and less erratic than before, and relief flooded through her, strong enough to bring tears to her eyes.  

Willie was wrong. He had to be. Luke would survive this. She wasn’t losing him tonight. 

Flynn gave her a hug from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. “I’m going to let you have some time, but I’ll be close by if you need me.” 

Julie nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“Always, Jules.” Flynn pressed a quick kiss to her temple and walked out of Luke’s room. 

Julie heard frantic whispering outside the door but tuned it out. Flynn, Willie, and Alex had over three hundred years of life experience between them; they could handle whatever was going on. 

She climbed under the covers and curled up next to Luke, taking his hand and tangling their fingers together. 

She’d just started to doze off, lulled by his steady heartbeat and soft, even breaths, when the door slammed open. 

She sat up, hovering protectively over Luke. 

“I want to see him!” Reggie was yelling in the hallway. 

“Absolutely not!” Alex snapped. “Haven’t you done enough?” 

“The hex affects you too. It’s not safe,” Willie argued. 

She appreciated their protectiveness but it really wasn’t fair. “Let him in.” 

“What?!” Flynn shrieked. 

“He’s an idiot, but he wasn’t trying to hurt Luke.” 

Alex sighed and stepped out of the doorway. Everything about his body language said, “Fine, but you’re making a mistake.” 

Julie knew she wasn’t. 

Reggie crept into the room, his face a picture of misery with red rimmed eyes and blotchy cheeks. He’d obviously been crying. What that hell had Willie and Alex said to him in the kitchen?

He made his way to Luke’s other side and sat down on the mattress. His bottle green eyes held hers in a steady gaze, something he’d never done before. “I don’t expect you to move.” 

“Good, because I won’t.” Julie made a distinct effort to keep the snippiness out of her tone. There was no sense burning any more bridges with Reggie, not if she ever hoped to be able to build some sort of trust with him. 

He nodded, then really looked at Luke. 

She saw his breath hitch, and he took Luke’s right hand, resting his index and middle fingers along the pulsepoint. 

She saw his eyes widen when he felt the bite mark, but he didn’t say anything. A look of confusion crossed his face before he shook his head as if trying to clear cobwebs. 

Julie had never seen anything like it. She needed to ask Willie about that hex. 

Reggie mumbled desperate apologies and whispered stories about people Julie didn’t know. Based on context, she assumed they were other members of the Guild. 

She could feel the guilt and anxiety rolling off of Reggie in waves. It made him human in a way she’d never before and she found she wanted  to comfort him.

 “His breathing has evened out.” She slowly and gently took Reggie's hand,  and set it on Luke's chest. “Feel that? His heartbeat's less thready, too.”

Tears rolled down his face. “Gods, Luke, you scared the shit out of me.”

Julie traced her finger across Luke’s chest, right over his heart. “He's strong. He's so much stronger than you think.”

Reggie sighed. “I guess I forget that sometimes. I look at him, and I see the same terrified kid I first met.”

Julie gently brushed Luke's hair out of his eyes . “He is terrified.” She met Reggie's gaze. “But not of us.”

Reggie flinched like she had slapped him.

Julie pressed on, making her point. “He knows we're not all the monsters under the bed your kind believe we are.”

Reggie hesitated, then asked, “So what is he afraid of?”

Julie looked down at Luke’s face. “He's afraid of the day he stops believing that.” She looked back up at Reggie, making eye contact again. “He's afraid that one day all of you will finally kill the small bit of his parents he has left inside him.”

Reggie shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know how to prevent that from happening, and he’d be safer if it did. I’m terrified that his beliefs and his kindness will get him killed.”

“He's always been like that, Reggie. And he just turned thirty. If it was going to kill him, it would have by now. Being kind doesn't mean he's stupid.”

Reggie shot her a look. “I know he’s not stupid, but every time I turn around, more and more dangerous things are chasing him. And then there you were. Not just any vampire, but a Molina. I was so sure I’d lost him.”

Julie reminded herself not to take offense even though the implication made her want to snarl. She kept her voice gentle through sheer will. “I would never do that to him, Reggie. None of us would. That's not our way.”

“I understand that now,” he muttered defensively.

“Good. No more of this then.” She waved at Luke and then between herself and Reggie to indicate exactly what she meant. 

“No, never,” he agreed.

“And no more hating on us either, okay? You really don't seem like a bad guy, and I... I want to like you, Reggie.” 

He nodded. “I want to like you, too. You seem cool, and you’re obviously important to Luke.” A pained look skated across his face at the last part. 

“Good. So…” She held out her hand. “On the way to becoming friends?”

Reggie shook her hand. “Yes.”

“As inspirational as this is, Luke will be coming with us,” Rose announced from the doorway. 

Wait, when did her mom get here? And how?!

“What?” Reggie blurted. 

“It’s not safe to move Luke yet,” Willie countered. He reached toward Rose. 

“Why not? What are you doing?” she asked, effortlessly dodging his touch.

Willie’s expression went distant for a moment before morphing into surprise. “It doesn’t affect you.” 

“What doesn’t?” Ray asked. 

Oh great, they were both here. 

“The very powerful hostility hex someone put on Luke,” Willie explained, his voice heavy with awe. “I never noticed because it doesn’t affect me. I assumed Julie wasn’t either because he’s her person, but…” He shook his head. “That doesn’t explain you two.” 

“What’s a hostility hex?” Reggie wondered. 

“It has essentially turned him into walking PCP. Anyone or anything that isn’t immune to the hex becomes more irritable around him. Responses range from moderate annoyance to blind rages. Those affected have no memory of what happened while they were under its influence.”

Julie’s jaw dropped. Who would do such a thing, and more importantly why? 

“I’m going to-” Rose cut herself off and began muttering in Spanish. “Break it,” she ordered. 

Willie shook his head. “I can’t. At least, not without a lot of research. It’s very old and firmly embedded. That’s not to mention the residual traces of other spells. There have been at least seven.” Something dark crossed his face. That look promised pain for the spellcaster. “Only two are active, but it adds a level of difficulty. The backlash could kill him.” 

“Then we take him home, where he’s safe,” Ray suggested. “We can deal with this when it’s less risky.”

“We can’t move him yet.” Willie repeated. “He’s not stable enough.”  

 Julie looked at Reggie. All the color had drained from his face when he realized there were even more vampires in his apartment. 

He didn’t invite them in, Julie realized. No wonder he was terrified. 

Rose’s face was a mask of concern as she walked closer. “Oh, mijo, what happened to you?” She cupped his face, slipping herself in front of Reggie to settle on the bed.

Reggie looked like he wanted to disappear. Julie couldn’t blame him. The wrath of Rose Molina was a terrifying thing, and more than likely the stuff of hunter legend. It was only a matter of time until she found out. 

“Can we move him tomorrow night?” Ray wondered. 

“Absolutely,” Willie answered. 

“Excuse me?! I think I should get a say in this.” Reggie snapped. 

“You must be Reggie.” Rose rolled her eyes. “It’s going to take several days for him to recover. He shouldn’t be left alone, and you can’t take that much time off of hunting without attracting attention.”

Reggie still protested. “But... “ 

“We won't hurt him. I swear,” Julie promised.

Willie chimed in, “He needs somewhere safe to rest, and we can give him that. What happens if someone from the Guild comes to your place and he’s like this?”

Julie could see the fight draining out of Reggie, slowly replaced by resignation. 

“Don’t make this any harder than it already is…. If you try to fight us you won’t win,” Ray pointed out, reasonable as always.

Reggie finally nodded . “Okay.” He hated it. It was written all over his face, but he had no other choice.

Flynn’s sunrise alert tone sounded from the living room, and she yelled “Alright. Who is staying and who is going home? We’ve got one hour until sunrise, and there’s not enough room for all of us to stay here.”

Well... Shit. That was definitely a problem.

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