Nester slowed when he heard voices coming from an alley. They sounded heated the closer he eased toward the mouth. Nester peeked around the corner and gasped when he saw a giant drive a knife into the other person’s chest.
Nester yanked his body back, slamming his back against the brick wall as he tried to remember how to breathe. He’d just witnessed a murder, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it unless he was willing to risk his own freedom to do the right thing.
It wasn’t as if he’d gotten a look at the giant. The alley was dark and filled with shadows. This was none of his business. He didn’t need to get involved.
Damn it! He should’ve stayed in the woods and died of cold and hunger. Now his conscience was telling him to help the stab victim, to make sure a killer didn’t get away.
Which was ironic since he was a killer, too. Even though he’d been defending himself, the guilt still ate away at him. Nester had never taken a life, and the weight of what he’d done still sat heavily on his chest.
He started away, trying to be as quiet as possible, but when he turned, the killer stood right there, blocking Nester from moving.
Wait. Nester recognized him. The stranger was one of the men restoring that motel room. He’d watched them work, fascinated with the giant.
Nester’s heart nearly stopped beating as he gazed at the man in jeans, a white dress shirt, and a leather jacket. He was the most masculine man Nester had ever laid eyes on. His shoulders were broad, his chest wide, his waist tapering down to sculpted thighs.
As the guy stepped closer, Nester saw the aquiline nose, the trimmed beard that traced a strong jaw, and lips that were firm and sensual.
Nester’s entire body broke out in a deep sweat as his cock jerked in his jeans. The stranger’s black hair and dreamy gray eyes, surrounded by thick eyelashes, gave him a roguishly sinful appearance.
“I swear I didn’t see anything!” Nester stumbled backward, horrified at just how tall the stranger was. He had to be at least six feet five inches or maybe six inches.
His muscles seemed to flex and contract as he stared right into Nester’s face. “What exactly didn’t you see?”
Was that a trick question? Nester opened his mouth, but all that came out was a strange burping kind of noise. “I’m-I’m just t-trying to g-get home.”
“What’s your name?” The stranger’s voice was as smooth as whiskey, deep, rumbly, and for some asinine reason, Nester wanted to tell him that.
Nester blinked several times, reminding himself that this guy had just killed someone in cold blood. So why was Nester so freaking attracted to him?
He backpedaled some more, trying his best to put distance between them. His heart was beating so hard and fast that he should have gone into cardiac arrest. “I swear I won’t say a word.”
Like that ever worked in the movies. This guy wasn’t about to let him walk away. Nester was a witness, even if he couldn’t go to the cops.
His stomach rumbled even louder than the last time. Nester pressed his hand over it, praying he wasn’t about to die cold, hungry, and tired.
“How about I buy you dinner?”
That was the last thing he’d expected the stranger to say. Nester looked over his shoulder, wondering if he could run fast enough to get away.
“I’m Pyke Haswell.” Pyke held out his beefy hand, but Nester refused to touch it. “I really would like to buy you dinner.”
Was that a bribe to silence him? Food? He opened his mouth to tell Pyke that he wasn’t interested, but the smell of the diner wafted toward him on the cold breeze.
Being inside would help to warm him, and Nester would get a meal out of it. “Just dinner?”
Pyke’s smile was devastatingly handsome. “That’s all.”
Nester looked toward the alley.
“Vampire.” Pyke chucked a thumb over his shoulder. “Nasty one, too. Be glad I ended him before he could cause havoc.”
Okay. So Pyke was insane, too. “Um, vampires don’t exist.”
Pyke rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll prove it to you.”
Nester shouted when Pyke grabbed his hand and dragged him down the alley. This was it. Pyke was going to kill him, and no one would be the wiser.
They stopped at the foot of the body. Nester gagged, fighting the urge to throw up when he saw a big hole in the dead guy’s chest.
“You have to remove their heart. Their head, too, but you interrupted that.”
Nester was dealing with a full-blown maniac.
“Look.” Pyke bent on one knee and pulled back the stranger’s lip.
Nester gasped when he saw two sharp, gleaming fangs. They had to have been cosmetically done. The dead guy had to have gone to a dentist to achieve the looked. There was no other logical explanation.
“No.” Nester shook his head. “Vampires don’t exist.”
“I just showed you that they do.” Pyke got to his feet. “And I’m a bear shifter.”
Nester’s head spun. He pressed a hand into the wall to stop from fainting. Had he died in the woods from exposure? Was this some weird purgatory?
“How about that meal?” Pyke patted his large flat stomach. “I’m starving.”
“Am I dead?” Nester looked from the fanged guy to Mr. Crazy. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”
“Maybe I should have eased you into the truth, but I don’t believe in hiding anything from my mate. I wanted you to know up front what was going on.”
“Mate?” What planet was he on? He really had to be dead. This was too bizarre to be real.
“Yeah. Fate thought we would be perfect for each other. I knew as soon as I smelled you.”
Nester needed a hot shower, but he didn’t think he stunk. “You’re delusional.”
The guy laughed. “I’ve been called worse.” He grabbed Nester’s hand and dragged him back to the street. “Do you know Cyril makes everything homemade?”
“I have no idea who Cyril is.” Nester tried to yank his hand free, but Pyke had a tight grip on it. He was also having a hard time keeping up since Pyke’s legs were outrageously long.
“The guy who owns the diner. By the way, you still haven’t told me your name.”
“Nester.” He winced when his name came out before he knew he would say it. Great, now the crazy killer knew who he was.
“Well, Nester, you’re in for a treat.”
He opened the diner door, and Nester’s stomach cramped from lack of food. Regardless of what Pyke was, Nester needed to eat.
He would worry about what to do after his stomach was full. “I’m flat broke.”
“I said I was treating.” Pyke led them to a booth. “I’ll have to let Sheriff Copache know about the vampire before someone stumbles across him.”
The sheriff? Nester broke out in a cold sweat. He kept glancing toward the door as a large, burly man approached their table.
“Hey, Moose.” Pyke waved at his menu while Nester had a mental breakdown. “I’ll have the fried chicken and fries. Why was Bistro closed so early?”
Moose eyed Nester before turning his attention back to Pyke. “An incident.”
“You don’t have to talk in code.” Pyke nodded at Nester. “He’s my mate.”