Chapter Six
Walking into the same pub he’d left the night before, Donnie found Jeremy already there and sat at the same table. He smiled, walking over, and Jeremy stood to meet him. There was a slight hesitation from him, and then he leaned forward and kissed Donnie on the cheek.
He grinned at Jeremy and sat next to him. “Hi.”
He looked good. He wore a green shirt that made his eyes stand out and his skin glow. His long black lashes framed those green beauties and Donnie couldn’t stop himself from staring at them. They entranced him, the color so clear and vibrant.
“Hi. I need to ask you a question.”
Donnie blinked and raised his eyebrow. “Sure, okay.” What could Jeremy want to know?
“Have you ever been with a man?”
“Oh.” That question wasn’t one he’d been expecting. “Well, no, not really.”
Jeremy tilted his head, watching Donnie. “Not really? Want to explain that to me?”
“Well, I kissed a boy when I was younger...” Donnie winced, glancing away. Shit. He really had no experience. How was he going to make Jeremy…
“And...”
Donnie glanced at Jeremy and winced again. Shit. Again.
“Oh, I see.”
“Okay. I’ve kissed a boy, and that’s it.”
“You’ve never...” Jeremy waved his hand at Donnie’s dick.
“No, I haven’t had sex with a man.”
“Oh.” Jeremy chuckled, causing Donnie to frown then suddenly grinned.
“Yeah. You’ll have to teach me.”
“I’m sure I can show you what to do. You’ll need lube.”
Donnie leaned closer, whispering, “I’ve had anal sex with women.”
“Not that I want to hear about what you’ve done with women, but that means you know what to do.” Jeremy grinned widely. “Great.”
Donnie also grinned. “So, you want to have sex with me?”
“Maybe. Someday.” Jeremy shrugged, leaning away, picking up the menu on the table and glancing over the top of it at Donnie.
“Maybe. One day?” Donnie arched his brow, smirking.
“Shut it. I’m still adjusting to all this. It’s not every day the vampire that saves your life turns out to be the only man you’ll ever have sex with again?”
Donnie sat up straight, a frown marring his features. “You want to fuck other men?”
Jeremy lowered the menu, staring at Donnie with his mouth open. “What? No! I was just trying to explain...” Jeremy dropped the menu, staring at Donnie. “You know what? No, I don’t. I’ve got a hand and plenty of lube.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Just order,” Jeremy told him, picking up the menu and looking at it.
Donnie leaned back, watching Jeremy. The way his eyes flickered over the page, his teeth biting his bottom lip. Those same vivid green eyes kept glancing at him, and Donnie moved closer, needing to close the distance between them.
He heard Jeremy’s intake of breath, then did the same thing when Jeremy’s hand slid up his thigh. He glanced at him and their eyes caught and held. His body swayed towards Jeremy’s.
“You’ll show me everything I need to know to make you happy.”
“Yes,” Jeremy breathed out, his eyes falling to Donnie’s lips.
Donnie’s hand came up, cupping Jeremy’s cheeks. Sudden laughter caused them to jerk apart, and Donnie remembered where they were. A pub wasn’t the place he wanted to be right at that moment.
Coughing, Donnie cleared his throat. “Want to order?”
“I could eat.”
They smiled at each other, and within a few minutes, they’d ordered and sat with a drink. Donnie was relaxing when Jeremy asked, “Does it hurt when you bite someone?”
If he wanted their relationship to work, then he needed to be honest with Jeremy. “If I want it to, yes. With you, never.”
Jeremy looked away. “So, you want to, you know, drink my blood.”
“Fuck, yes.” He sat closer and lowered his voice. “When I’m in you, or you’re in me. I’ll most definitely want to sink my fangs in.” He reached forward, his finger tracing over Jeremy’s neck where his blood pumped. “Right here. When we are as close as can physically be. I’ll sink them in and drink your blood as we move together, and we’ll both enjoy it.”
“Oh,” Jeremy whispered a little breathlessly.
Donnie noticed the faint stain on his cheeks, the slight increase in his pulse and the way his chest moved as he panted. Jeremy liked the idea. He might be scared, but he wasn’t completely against Donnie feeding from him.
“I can make it so pleasurable for you, Jeremy, so intense, but only when you’re ready.”
Jeremy gulped. “How often will you need to feed?”
Leaning back, Donnie said, “That depends on how much energy I expend. Usually once a week or so.”
“How are you feeding now?”
Donnie sighed. “Blood banks mainly and before you...”
“Women.” Jeremy nodded. “I get it, I do. I don’t have to like it.”
“Just like I don’t have to like Patrick. We both have a past.”
Their food arrived, and they both tucked in. They talked about their families, and Donnie laughed at the tales Jeremy told him about his childhood and his brother, Colin. He’d grown up in a loving and supportive family.
As they were finishing their food, Donnie’s cell rang, and he glanced at the screen before answering it. “Chester. What’s up?”
“I need you back. Fires in Cali have gotten out of control. We’re needed there to help civilians out of the immediate danger zone.”
“Right. I’m on my way.”
“Got a helicopter gearing up for you to bring you in.”
“Okay.”
He hung up, and Jeremy asked, “You need to go?”
“Yeah. Fires in Cali.”
Jeremy nodded. “Go.”
“I’ll stay in touch.” Donnie stood as he spoke, leaning over Jeremy and kissing him quickly.
“Be safe,” Jeremy whispered against his lips.
Staring down at him, Donnie smiled. “I will. I have someone to come home to.”
He jogged from the pub and jumped in his Jeep, driving towards the nearest airstrip. His body was leaving Jeremy, but his heart was staying.
❊❊❊
By the time Rescue Inc. arrived at base camp, the fires were well-established. They checked in and were assigned to a division and told what radio channel they would be utilizing. Information was passed on regarding the wind strength and direction and what the weather was doing, the direction the fire was heading in and what they would need to do.
Donnie approached the block where the houses they were defending were located and helped people to leave the area. Once civilians had been cleared from the immediate danger zone, he joined the firefighters and grabbed any fire hose he could and sprayed the properties down, trying to make them too wet for any flying embers that landed to start a fire. It never ceased to surprise Donnie the number of fires started by flying embers.
As the fire approached, the area took on a surreal quality. The smoke filtered the sunlight, creating an eerie landscape. For a moment there was no sound, and then suddenly the roaring flames hit them. Donnie turned and stared at the wall of flames as it approached with some of them reaching up to a hundred feet tall as they burned from the treetops.
It was moving quickly, and he knew they didn’t have much time, and sure enough, the evacuation was called. They gathered what they could and quickly left the area, hearing the sound of explosions as propane tanks blew up. The sound was something he hadn’t heard in a long time and it brought memories of living in the sandbox that was Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once given the all clear, Donnie and his team returned to the same area where they’d stood not so long ago, and he stared around seeing the utter devastation the fire had left in its wake. No remnants remained, just items burnt to white ash that vaguely resembled what it had once been.
Eventually, he was moved to another area and had been there a matter of minutes when the wind shifted, heading towards them. They were in trouble.
The type of fire he was fighting created its own weather, and he was trying to pay attention to the clouds through the columns of smoke. He knew his situation awareness had to be at its highest, and that he had to know they were in a good spot, or if they had to leave the area.
The shifting wind left them with no option but to use the fire shelter to keep them safe, but it was no guarantee of safety. The team worked quickly, scrambling around to create a clear spot and to deploy the shelter, knowing they had less than a minute before the fire would reach them.
Everyone crawled in, making sure their feet were pointing towards the direction of the fire. Everyone was in contact with one another, squeezed in together in the small space, and silence descended as they waited for it to pass.
They may have been quiet inside the shelter, yet the fire was anything but silent. A raging inferno burned all around them, and Donnie lay squashed between two others, his eyes closed, trying to keep his breathing even.
He could feel the heightened tension in the air like a wave that he could almost reach out and touch. Everyone was scared; it didn’t matter what type of person they were, as the flames approached, and with it possible death, you were scared.
He didn’t know how long they waited, but eventually, the fire passed and he gingerly crawled out of the shelter and stared at the changed landscape around him.
There were still small fires dotted around, but everything else had been destroyed. The trees appeared as burnt toothpicks poking up into the sky, the bushes and flowers that had been dotted around were gone, and the silence that surrounded them was eerie and disconcerting.
He checked in with base camp, and he confirmed they were safe and the direction and speed of the fire so others in its path could be warned.
Donnie didn’t know how long it took or how many men helped, but eventually the fire was brought under some semblance of control. They were cut loose, no longer needed, and Donnie and the rest of Rescue Inc climbed wearily onto the plane and left for home.
He wanted to be back home, and spend about an hour in his shower, scrubbing the fire and dirt from his body. Then he wanted to crawl into his bed and sleep for about a week.
Switching his cell on, it immediately lit up, and he saw multiple messages from Jeremy and typed out a response.
I’m on my way home. The whole team is safe. Miss you.
Seconds later his cell lit up with Jeremy’s response.
I tried not to worry, but I saw the pictures on the news.
Yeah, it was a bad one, but they have it under control now.
Okay. Do what you need to do and get in touch with me when you’re available.
Will do. Going home to shower and sleep.
Do you need to feed?
Donnie grunted and rubbed a hand over his dirty face. Yes, he desperately needed to feed, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell Jeremy that.
Don’t worry about it. We have provisions back at HQ.
I’m really glad you’re safe. Go, sleep and I’ll speak to you soon.
Donnie put the cell down and leaned against the window, staring out at the starless night sky, and within seconds, had fallen asleep.
❊❊❊
Jeremy stayed glued to the news, eager to learn anything he could about the fires Donnie was fighting. He chewed his nail watching as forest, buildings and vehicles burned.
He would never be able to describe the relief he felt when Donnie finally made contact with him. His whole body had sucked in on itself, and his head had dropped as he gripped the cell tightly in his hand. His eyes teared up, and he blinked rapidly, surprised at the depth of the emotion that coursed through his body.
He barely knew the vampire, but the connection was there, getting stronger with time, and a small part of him wanted Donnie to come home to him where he could take care of him and watch over him as he slept and recovered.
He stood and paced the small hotel room, unable to sit still even though he knew Donnie was safe. He needed to physically see him, to touch him, and then he’d know Donnie was in one piece.
Grabbing his cell, he quickly sent a message to Donnie.
When you’re back home, tell me where you live, and I’ll come to see you.
He knew Donnie wouldn’t read the message straight away. He was certain by now that Donnie would be asleep, the stress and tiredness of the past few days pushing him over the edge and into oblivion. No doubt right now his body needed that. Jeremy could well imagine what Donnie had gone through the last few days and it wasn’t anywhere close to the reality of the situation.
Watching a fire on the news was nothing compared to being up close and fighting one, trying to protect people and their properties, or protecting yourself.
He slumped on the bed, dropping his head into his hands and let all the pent-up emotion out, the tears sliding down his cheeks.
He didn’t know how long he sat there crying, but eventually, he felt a sense of peace come over him, and he wrapped his arms around his stomach. He fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling before pushing up and crawling towards the headboard, resting his head on the pillow.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his eyes itchy and his throat raw, and he followed Donnie into sleep.