Damon (The Protectors Series) Book #1 (13 page)

“And when you found out he was a vampire?” Damon asked beyond curious.

Betty shrugged her shoulders and smiled with love. “It didn't matter. I saw him playing in a room full

of kids, he looked up and came walking over to me and my husband. As big as you please he grinned

the biggest grin I had ever seen showing his little fangs, grabbed my hand and said, 'I'm Austin. You

want to see my toys?' and that was it for me.”

He could hear Nicole's husky laughter coming from Austin's room. “It seems he is very lucky to have

found someone like you and your husband.”

“We're the lucky ones.” Betty glanced back at the room hearing more giggling. “Nicole has set us up

with someone to help us understand more about your race and we have learned so much. I now

understand that even though Austin will always look six years old, his mentality will mature as he ages.

It is just so cruel for someone to do something like this to a child.”

Damon nodded and stood when Austin and Nicole came back. “Well Betty, everything looks great here

and this little guy is a joy.” Nicole gave Austin a high five. “I think we can go to yearly visits from here

on out. If you need anything at all you have all my numbers so don't hesitate to call.” Nicole wrapped

up her paperwork and put it away.

“We will never be able to thank you, Nicole.” Betty walked over to her when she stood and hugged her

warmly.

“Just seeing that little guy happy is enough.” Nicole picked up her brief case. “Also don't forget to

report any unusual activity, such as anyone contacting you about Austin that is not from my office.”

“I won't forget.” Betty frowned. “That is so awful what people are doing. Using these poor children for

their blood just to get a high. Sickening.”

“Yes it is.” Nicole nodded. “So call me if anyone ever approaches you.”

“Better yet.” Damon pulled a card out of his back pocket. “Reach someone at this number. Tell them

my name and tell them I told you to call.”

Betty took the card missing Nicole's frown. “I will. Anything to help stop the sickening abuse.”

Damon hadn't missed Nicole's frown. After they said their goodbyes they headed out to the next

appointment. Even knowing he was going to catch hell he couldn't help the admiration he had for her.

For someone to care so much about another was rare. For someone to care about a race so different

from their own was almost nonexistent, at least in his world.

To his surprise, Nicole didn't once say anything about him handing his card out to everyone they met

with today. Each time she had reminded them to contact her if anyone approached them about buying

blood. It was a sad conversation to have with new foster parents, but that was the way of their world

now. It was pretty much protocol.

The rest of the day went the same as their first meeting with Austin. Each showing great gratitude to

Nicole and the kids absolutely adored her. She showed the vampire children the same respect and

kindness as she did the human children. There was no bias.

“Do you need to go back to the office?” Damon ask, breaking the silence of the car.

“No, not really.” Nicole sighed. “I would really love to get something to eat before we go back to my

place though. I really don't want to cook.”

“What would you like?” Damon slowed for a stop light. “There's seafood, steak, Chinese...”

“Pizza!” She chuckled at his pain look.

“Pizza?” He groaned. “Seriously?”

“You can't tell me you don't like pizza.” She teased. “Everybody likes pizza.”

“Never had it.” He replied pulling into the first pizza joint he saw.

“Oh. My. God.” Nicole started at him like he has just committed the worse heinous crime. “Never?”

He shook his head. “Ever.”

Meeting around the front of the car she grabbed his hand. “Well, you are in for a treat vamp.” She

grinned leading him inside.

Once at the table she ordered a large pizza with everything and two draft beers. She thought about

ordering three so she could dump the third one on the waitresses head. The woman, more or less, laid

herself out on the table offering herself to Damon for an appetizer. She decided it would be a waste of

good beer and choose to give the hoe the evil eye instead. Finally she noticed everyone was staring at

Damon. The women with lust and the men with hate and fear. What the hell. Okay, it looked like her

evil eye was going to work overtime tonight.

“Don't Nicole.” Damon took a long drawl of his beer leaning back in his chair looking relaxed.

“Don't what?” She shot another dude sitting behind Damon a nasty glare. He glanced her way then

went back to eating.

“Glare at everyone. I'm use to it.” Damon took another swig of his draft. “Not everyone is happy we

have made our presence known.”

“Yeah, well I'm not use to it and I refuse to let anyone mistreat you in any way.” She puffed out her

chest and lifted her chin daring him to say anything more on the subject.

Damon grinned at her tough girl attitude. “Yes ma'am.”

The waitress brought their pizza asking if there was anything else she could get them, but her eyes

never left Damon. “No that's it.” Nicole told the waitress with a roll of her eyes. Placing a piece of

pizza on a plate she pushed it toward him. “Time to taste heaven.”

Damon looked at the odd food and frowned. That sure as hell didn't look like heaven to him. Glancing

up at Nicole he watched her lift a piece of pizza to her lips taking a large bite, the cheese stringing from

her lips to the pizza, her tongue lick out to wrap around the cheese to bring it back to her mouth. Her

moan was one of ecstasy. His pants became uncomfortably tight. Damn if this was the way she ate

pizza he was going to buy the fucking place.

Nicole noticed he wasn't eating, but watching her. “Go on.” Nicole urged as she nudged her slice at his.

“Eat.”

Damon picked it up eying it. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.” Nicole chuckled shaking her head. “I can't believe you have never had pizza. Go on, don't be a

chicken.”

Damon took a bite, then took another showing no reaction at all.

“Well....?” Nicole waited at the edge of her seat. It was so cool to watch someone try something for the

first time.

Taking a swig of beer he nodded. “Not bad Callahan. Not bad.” He laughed at her frown. “Okay it's

not heaven, but a close runner up.” He didn't add that heaven was being inside her, tasting her, seeing

her sweet body quivering underneath his and man, if he didn't stop there he wouldn't be leaving until

closing with the hard-on happening under the table.

Nicole clapped her hands smiling. “I knew you would like it.”

Damon would gladly eat the whole damn thing if it meant she would keep smiling at him like that.

Damn, he was totally screwed.

They sat finishing off the pizza talking and enjoying each other’s company. Just talking Nicole could

really study Damon like she had never been able to do before. He was so handsome she could almost

understand the way women reacted to him. He sat across from her filling his side of the table with

broad shoulders, his elbows resting on the table making his biceps bulge just below his short sleeved

shirt. Her eyes slowly making their way to his face she noticed his crooked sexy grin, that made her

crazy, framing his full mouth.

“Did you hear a word I said?” He leaned back, his golden eyes sparkling with humor.

Crap. No she didn't because she was too busy drooling over his studly body, but she didn't want to let

him know that. With the grin he sported she knew he did anyway. Crap. “Sorry...what?” Smooth

Nicole...real smooth.

“I ask you why you haven't taken my head off for giving out our number at headquarters to your

clients?” He cocked his eyebrow and damn, didn't that make him even sexier.

Shrugging her shoulders Nicole wiped her hands on a napkin then tossed it on her plate. “I was going

to, but I actually thought about it and figured you all are more trained for catching the people

responsible than I am.” At his shocked expression she laughed. “Yeah, I know my limits, but if the

warriors walked away from this problem tomorrow then I would be back to doing what I was doing

before without thought.”

“The 'without thought' is what scares me.” Damon shook his head frowning. “Are you fearless or just

think you are lucky enough not to end up dead?”

Nicole eyed him for a long minute. “I was afraid for the first eighteen years of my life. I got tired of

being afraid of everything and everyone. I have no idea who my parents are. I grew up in the system. I

was not one of the lucky ones that was adopted. I went from family to family trying to fit in. The

earliest I remember was when I was six. The man and woman who took me in had wanted children,

but couldn't. I was there for six months and happy when she became pregnant. Two weeks later I was

sent back into fostering. The next family I swore to myself would love me. I was seven and the first

week I was afraid of them. They acted so nice until my case manager left. I was lucky to eat and when

I did it was what I could find. I was told that if I said anything about what I saw, which was a lot of

drugs and drinking, I would be locked in the closet. I was punished a lot and it took me forever to

even be able to open a closet door.”

Damon sat listening anger simmering his blood, but he didn't say a word feeling her need to let this

out.

“They got arrested so I was taken out and put back into the system. Two more foster families took me

in, but it didn't work out for whatever reason. After that I was in a home for girls until I was sixteen.

By then I didn't want a family, so every time anyone came I would act up, dye my hair blue or some

other ungodly color and they passed me right up. I had only two more years before I was out on my

own. Every time people would come I was afraid to be noticed and wanted. Being wanted and then

turned away was worse than anything.” Nicole shifted uncomfortably.

“What happened when you were sixteen Nicole?” Damon leaned toward her.

Nicole swallowed visibly. She had never talked about this to anyone and had no idea why she was

talking about it now to a guy she had the hots for in a freakin pizza place. Rubbing her hands

nervously she looked away. “It was the last foster family I ever had. It seemed my foster dad had a

thing for young girls and my foster mom fed his sickness by doing nothing. It started the second week

I was there. He would do and say things that made me uncomfortable. He was good because every

time my case manager was there he found a way to stop us from talking alone.” Nicole glanced at him

to see his reaction, he just sat listening his face showing no emotion, but she noticed his eyes were

darker than before.

“I knew what was coming and was terrified. Every night for weeks I would be in bed and hear him

stop outside my door, which had no locks and the doorknob was removed and only put back when the

case manager came. I think he was playing mind games. This went on until my seventeenth birthday

when I was officially adopted. That night he came to my room and well, tried to do things. I was so

afraid and so tired of being afraid. I hid a can of hairspray under my pillow. When he started touching

me and stuff I grabbed the can and sprayed him in the eyes. I ran and never looked back.”

Damon had reached over holding her hand rubbing his thumb back and forth on her knuckles. “I'm

sorry Nicole.” He would find out who the son of a bitch was and kill him slowly and painfully.

“I didn't tell you this for pity, Damon. I am telling you this so you understand my mindset.” Nicole

lifted her chin. “This is why I am like I am with these kids. I know their fear. I have felt it, tasted it and

lived it for the first part of my life. I will do everything in my power to keep these kids safe and happy.

So when I place one of them in the hands of a monster I take it very personally. I am not afraid for

me, but I am terrified for these kids.”

“I don't feel pity for you, Nicole.” Damon stared straight into her eyes. “Far from it. I have never met

anyone like you before.”

Nicole snorted trying to lighten the mood. “I bet you haven't.”

Damon smiled then glanced at his watch. “Come on.” He stood digging in his pocket to leave a tip.

“We need to be at the warehouse in an hour.”

Moaning Nicole stood. “Ugh...can't we call it a night.”

Holding the door open for her he shook his head. “Mitch would have me fired.”

Surprised when he took her hand in his she glanced up at him. He was scanning the parking lot, alert

and ready for trouble. Keeping reality in check she knew his taking her hand was somehow connected

to keeping her safe and doing his job, but her heart still skipped a beat at the feel of her hand in his

large strong hold.

Damon and Nicole arrived early at the warehouse. They had stopped at her place for her to change,

then headed out. Mitch walked in and headed in her direction. Damon was talking to Jared and

Duncan while the others who had dribbled in started warming up. Nicole had been hitting a heavy bag

when Mitch approached.