What He Needs (Salutem Book 1)

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Come and Join me!

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  About the Author

  Books by Megs Pritchard

  Contact Information

  What He Needs

  By

  Megs Pritchard

  Book 1 in the Salutem Series

  What He Needs

  A Salutem Novel

  Copyright © 2019 Megs Pritchard

  www.megspritchardauthor.com

  Edited by Rebecca J Cartee

  Cover design by JC Clarke at The Graphics Shed

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. It is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot legally be loaned or given to others. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblances to the actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING

  This book contains explicit M/M sexual scenes and strong language. Please be advised this book mentions past abuse and time spent in captivity.

  Dedication

  To the MM DreaMMers gang. You guys are amazing.

  To Sam, Ellie, and Brad. You fabulous people!!

  To Pauline. What would I do without you? Love and hugs hun.

  Come and Join Me!

  Thanks for your support and if you want more information or sneak peeks, join my Facebook group and sign up for my newsletter.

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/MegsSSBs/

  Newsletter:

  http://bit.ly/2p4aROT

  Chapter One

  Prologue

  He sat on the floor, in a corner as far away from everyone else as physically possible. Not that he could go far. They were crammed into the tiny, damp, dirty cell, hidden away in a basement, in some unknown location. His captors, the vampires who held him, certainly wouldn’t tell him. After all, information was power, and they had taken all that away from him. He closed his eyes and tried to block out everything his senses were feeding him. The smell, the sight, the sounds of suffering all around him.

  He was a prisoner. He was a slave. This was his future, one with no chance of escape. He would die here like so many others had before him. He was a number, his name almost forgotten. He didn’t want to forget. He tried to remember, but who he was before kept getting lost in a sea of pain and torture.

  Every moment seemed like an age here, and he’d lost track of time. He didn’t even know if it was day or night. Each fraction of time that passed only brought him closer to the moment when he was dragged out to be used again. A convenient vein or, heaven forbid, something much worse. He couldn’t remember the number of times they’d come for him, for his blood or his body. He’d learned to block it out now, learned not to fight or struggle. They seemed to enjoy it more if he fought them, when he pleaded with them to let him go, so he’d stopped, stopped giving them the satisfaction. He closed his eyes and tried to drift away, to distance himself from what they did to him.

  He opened his eyes and scanned the dirty, emaciated bodies in front of him, knowing he looked the same. The vampires who held them only fed them mere scraps, barely letting them clean themselves, unless it was in preparation for what was to come. Then they had to be clean and were allowed to shower. The vampires didn’t want to feed or fuck a dirty slave.

  This brutal existence was killing him bit by bit, and he’d prayed for death so many times, but he didn’t believe in any god. If there was a god, how could they let them suffer like this? Why did he or she allow people to be treated this way? Death couldn’t come soon enough.

  The door to the basement opened, and he heard the whispers of fear, felt the emotion ripple through the air around him, and everyone pushed back, trying to make themselves small and invisible, even though there was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape.

  No one wanted to be chosen, no one wanted to leave this hellhole because no matter how bad it was down here, it was far worse up there. Some of the slaves never returned, and they all knew it was because they’d served their purpose and had been drained.

  He wondered how long it would be before that was him. Too used up to be of any use, drained and left for dead in some ditch. A nameless body out in the cold. He wondered if he would ever be found or if his body would rot away without discovery.

  Maybe this time he would be chosen and then this hell that had become his life would finally be over. There would be no more pain, no more fear, no more suffering. It would all be gone, and he would finally be free. Not the freedom he wanted, craved for even, but it would be over; he could at last find peace.

  Footfalls sounded down the stone steps, and everyone continued to push back away from the doors of the cells. Each trying to hide behind someone else, but he was beyond caring. He just wanted it all to end.

  “Shit.”

  “Ale, we have more than we thought. We’re going to need more transport.”

  “Copy that. I’ll release them now.”

  “Copy that. ETA fifteen minutes.”

  A figure approached the cell farthest from his and broke the door. “I’m here to free you.”

  Someone whispered, “Vampire.” The fear clear in their thin voice.

  “Yes, I am, but you have nothing to fear. I’m one of the good guys. I’m here to release you.”

  No one moved. No one believed him. Who would, considering what they’d suffered? Someone else came down the steps.

  “He’s telling the truth. We’re here to set you free. We have medical personnel upstairs, and we’ll transport you to a safe location where each of you will be seen by a doctor. You’re no longer slaves. You’re free.”

  “We killed them all,” the first vampire added.

  He stood on wobbly legs and pushed his way through the people in front of him until he stood at the cell door. “Please,” he whispered.

  The vampire approached and snapped the lock, opening the door. “What’s your name?”

  He coughed to clear his throat. “Alex.” Yes, that was his name. “Alex Childress.”

  “Come, Alex. Let’s get you out of here.”

  Alex reached out and touched the hand the vampire held out to him, waiting for the pain to begin, but when he merely helped him walk out, he stared into the vampire’s face.

  “Are we really free?” he asked in a whisper, too afraid to dare to hope.

  The vampire’s eyes glowed, and Alex went to step back, but the grip on his hand tightened. “You are free, Alex. You have my word. We killed them all; they can no longer hurt you.”

  Alex stumbled into the vampire’s arms, and those arms enveloped his frail, bony body. Alex cried as the hope became
real.

  Chapter Two

  They were silent as they approached the laboratory that they suspected held some of their kind. They moved quickly, some on feet, some on paws, but all with the same goal: to free those inside.

  Cyan moved cautiously, making sure he made no sound. He didn’t want to attract unwanted attention. Not now he was so close to finding out. Intel showed there was a possibility that his sister was in there, and he needed to remain completely focused on getting in and freeing her. Ten months she’d been missing. Ten long months of not knowing whether his little sister was alive or dead. Ten months of not knowing what was happening to her. Ten months of living in fear that she might be lost to them forever.

  It had almost torn his family apart, the tears, the fighting, caused by the hole she had left in their lives. It had hit his parents the hardest; the loss of their daughter had been almost too much for them to bear. Several times, one or the other of his parents had spent the night in the spare room of his and his brother Teal’s house. He’d wondered if they would survive at all, if his parents would still be together, but somehow, they had made it here to this place and time.

  Mounds of data, days of searching, had all come down to this moment. He closed his eyes and used his senses to try and detect any hint of her in the immediate vicinity. Sighing, he opened his eyes. Nothing. Nothing at all. Not even a whiff of her scent.

  He looked over at his twin, Teal, who pursed his lips as he stared back. Teal’s eyes glowed briefly before he banked them. Cyan felt the same rage course through his veins, but he knew where to direct it. To those bastards inside who were kidnapping and torturing his kind. Those who had his sister and were doing god knew what to her.

  Indigo chuffed as he padded up to them, his eyes flashing briefly when the moonlight caught them. His Siberian tiger form blended effortlessly with the night.

  Anything? Cyan asked.

  Indigo shook his head. No. No scent at all. Even in this form, I’m struggling to pick anything up, and whatever I can detect is old.

  How long since someone was here?

  Days.

  Both Cyan and Teal hissed. Days? Teal asked. Whoever is in there could be dead.

  Indigo growled. She isn’t dead. We haven’t come this far to lose her now.

  Boys. Focus. Frank, their dad, padded up to them. We’re in position.

  Is Deacon here?

  Yes, he and his wolves are ready.

  Mom?

  Outside the target area, waiting to give first aid. Stop asking questions, Cyan. We’re prepared.

  I’m worried.

  I am too, son, but we’ve got this.

  A wolf padded up to them and nodded toward the building. Cyan shifted the gun in his hands and waited for the signal. A howl pierced the air, and everyone moved like a well-oiled machine, all converging on the building, hitting it from multiple directions.

  Cyan covered the ground quickly, his feet barely touching it as he raced toward the building. He heard the sound of others running with him, and he gritted his teeth as rage burned through his veins. He would kill them all, rip them apart with his bare hands.

  Cyan slammed up against the wall as Teal attacked the door with the battering ram. Two hits and it opened, and Cyan almost gagged on the smell coming from inside. He didn’t stop moving forward though. He pushed past the broken door and headed inside, inhaling the scent, cataloging it, letting it give him the information he needed. He picked up multiple scents, meaning there were a lot of people in here, some of which were close to death.

  Other men and women followed behind before they split up, heading down the maze of corridors and checking each room. Cyan swallowed at the size of the place, staggered it had remained hidden for so long. How could it have been so close to where shifters lived and not be detected?

  Various shouts hit the air as his people found the captives. So many, going by the number of shouts he heard. Too many as far as Cyan was concerned. No one should be here at all. They had to put a stop to this.

  He had to stick to the plan though, and he continued down the main corridor until he reached the end before taking a right, checking the rooms as he passed them. All were empty except for some lab equipment and a metal table in the middle of the room. He made sure to check each room thoroughly, in case one of their kind had been hidden away. He wouldn’t leave anyone behind.

  When he reached the final door, he slammed it opened and stumbled to a stop at the sight before him. Wolves and cats in cages. Matted fur, ribs showing, dead eyes, but they weren’t dead. Some were shifters and others were actual animals, but that didn’t matter to Cyan. All of them had suffered and needed freeing.

  Others came in behind him, and he heard Indigo in his head. Both animal and shifter. Probably trying to figure our DNA out.

  Dead?

  Eight so far, again both animal and shifter.

  Cyan closed his eyes. Eight was too many. Hell, one death was too many. Shit. How’s Deacon?

  Furious. Wants to find the scientists and rip them apart. Some of the conditions he found shifters in are deplorable. No water or food, forced to piss and shit in their cages.

  Yeah, I’ve got some too. They didn’t care at all. As long as they got what they needed.

  Closing his eyes, Cyan sent the message wide to his family. Has anyone found her?

  Slowly everyone came back with the same answer. She wasn’t here.

  Cyan’s head dropped, and he felt Indigo rub up against his leg. He looked down at him, seeing his sorrow mirrored in Indigo’s gaze. “We’ll find her, Indy. We have to.”

  Deacon walked into the room, his anger pulsing from him in waves that Cyan could almost reach out and touch. “Fuckers. If I get my hands on any of them.” He clenched his hands into fists, the knuckles turning white.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she here?” Cyan shook his head. “Shit, Cy. I’m so fucking sorry. We’ll find her. We won’t give up.”

  Cyan nodded. “Any of your wolves here?”

  “Two, in poor condition. I’ll be surprised if they last the night, but at least if their time comes, they’ll be surrounded by family and friends and not in some filthy cage.”

  “That’s something, at least.”

  Deacon nodded and walked into one of the cages. Kneeling, he picked up something Cyan hadn’t noticed. A dirty teddy. Cyan closed his eyes again. Could they really stoop this low? Taking children too?

  “Any scent?”

  “Cat. Possibly cougar.” Deacon came out and put the toy in front of Indigo’s nose. He sniffed then nodded.

  “We don’t have any missing from our town. Must be from somewhere else.”

  “There’s paperwork we need to go through. Hunter’s here and he’s hacking the system now.”

  “That vampire knows his shit.”

  Hunter Blanchard worked for an organization called Rescue, Inc., who had recently uncovered a plan by his own species to kill as many humans as possible and take over the country, if not the world. Rescue, Inc. had succeeded in stopping those plans, and Cyan and his people had been instrumental in helping to bring them down.

  Now, with a new king, the vampires were rebuilding, leading their people into a new era.

  Cyan followed Deacon, who led him to another room, where Hunter sat, typing away on a keyboard. His eyes never left the monitor as he read whatever information appeared.

  “Hunter.”

  “Cyan. Almost in. This place looks deserted. Don’t know why they’ve left all this equipment.” Hunter shrugged. “Oh well, better for me.” He tilted his head and then nodded. “Carter’s found a back door. We’ll be in soon.”

  Carter was human and Hunter’s mate. Both had extensive IT knowledge that Cyan was grateful for. Anything to help him find his sister. He stood, shifting constantly, trying his best to keep his nerves at bay when he actually wanted to scream at Hunter and tell him to hurry the fuck up.

  Teal walked in and dropped his gear on the floor and stood n
ext to him. They watched Hunter work, his fingers flying over the keyboard as data scrolled on the monitor.

  “In,” he muttered as the screen changed. A website appeared, and both he and Teal growled.

  Dynamic Industries. Leading us to a better future.

  “Better future, my ass,” Teal growled. “At the expense of our kind.”

  “Okay. I have locations. Fuck, there are hundreds. Small, like this but all over the country.”

  Cyan stepped up behind Hunter and glanced at the screen over his shoulder. A map of the country appeared, covered in red dots. “Each dot is a lab?”

  “Yeah. I’ll print out the information that’s on here for each location, but it’ll take a while. Carter’s copying it now, in case the system goes down.”

  Cyan heard a printer come to life and watched reams of paper come out. Maybe, somewhere amongst all the paper, the location of his sister would be found.

  Chapter Three

  Alex stepped outside the hospital, squinting in the bright sunlight. The hospital had been his home for several months. Emaciated, malnourished, and weak, his body hadn’t been able to easily fight off the numerous infections he’d had, and it had taken months for him to physically recover.

  He’d kissed death repeatedly, but somehow, he was still here, still alive, still breathing.

  The man who’d come to pick him up smiled cheerfully and pointed to a car in the parking lot. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  “I’m staying in an apartment building with some of the others who were rescued?”

  The man, or shifter, Viridian, smiled. “You won’t be alone. We have a therapist on the first floor who will be available day or night.”

  Alex nodded. A home, clothes, food, a therapist. They were providing everything he needed. The vampire king had even come to visit them, and he knew he wasn’t the only terrified one when he walked into the room... until he told them his own story. Now, Alex had a new understanding. He knew Jacques, the king, would do everything in his power to make sure they were taken care of.