Fade & Fluff Read online

  Table of Contents

  DESCRIPTION

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  AFTERBURN

  AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

  END CREDITS

  FADE & FLUFF

  The Sangre Brotherhood – Book Three

  ALEX CARRERAS

  Jerrod Zaman, vampire and hairdresser extraordinaire, settled in Sangre, Florida to forget about his past, but Kairon who owns the barbershop across from Jerrod’s salon refuses to let him.

  Kairon Brody still loves his ex and would love to rekindle their on-again-off-again relationship, which is a problem since his ex does not feel the same way. Kairon wants to convince Jerrod that they should get back together before possibly losing his eternal life at the hands of Alderman, a vindictive vampire who, with Jerrod’s help, Kairon thought he’d killed months earlier.

  Sounds complicated? It is. But between breaking and entering, dodging vampires with murder on the mind, and a family member doubling as a flaming shish kabob, Jerrod and Kairon manage to see through a murky past to a bright future together . . . maybe.

  PUBLISHER NOTE: A M/M Vampire Romance

  FADE & FLUFF

  The Sangre Brotherhood – Book Three

  ALEX CARRERAS

  WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

  LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

  FADE & FLUFF

  The Sangre Brotherhood – Book Three

  Copyright © February 2018 ALEX CARRERAS

  ISBN: 978-1-370612-72-7

  Cover Art by Poppy Designs

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and the following trademark owners mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Listerine

  DEDICATION

  Thanks for reading.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jerrod Zaman watched from the window of Everlasting salon as the owner of Killer Kuts, the barbershop across the street, headed for the door.

  Kairon Brody still looked as sexy as the first night Jerrod had laid eyes on him centuries ago. Clothing and hairstyles had changed since then, but the memorable goods underneath the snug fit of black denim still made Jerrod’s breath hitch and his mouth water . . . unfortunately. Kairon’s manliness was hard to deny, but so far, Jerrod had resisted rekindling their relationship since moving to Sangre, and he intended on keeping it that way. Through a set jaw, Jerrod inhaled as Kairon opened the door, the scent of sandalwood and man awakening his senses.

  “Hey.” Kairon’s easy cadence and sly smile proved to be a challenge.

  “Why are you here?” Jerrod didn’t feel like being welcoming. He saved that for the salon clients who would start arriving within the hour.

  “Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kairon stopped and placed his hands on his hips, but that smile remained in place. “I thought we were getting along these days?”

  “You were never good at thinking.”

  “Someone got out of the wrong side of the coffin tonight. You not been getting any lately?”

  Jerrod wanted to kill him and kiss him all at the same time. “You were always rough around the edges.”

  “I thought you liked that about me,” Kairon returned. “You used to.”

  Shit.

  “I’m not in the mood for this.”

  “For what?”

  “Why are you here?” Jerrod asked again, ready to kick Kairon out the door and back across the street. “Or is this little visit solely designed to agitate me?”

  “Is it working?”

  “You have five seconds to state your business, after that I won’t be responsible for my actions. Understand?”

  Kairon removed a folded newspaper from the back of his jeans waistband and handed it to Jerrod. “This was on the front page of the Sangre Sentinel.”

  Jerrod unfolded it, and the headlines made his stomach queasy. “Councilman Alderman Returns,” he read aloud. Jerrod stared at a black and white picture of Alderman smiling from ear to ear standing on the steps of Sangre City Hall. Even in newsprint, the vampire oozed dishonesty. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

  “I figured it was only a matter of time,” Kairon said, looking at the newspaper. “He must’ve been more messed up than I thought. Took him time to lick his wounds.”

  “I was beginning to think we got rid of him.” Jerrod refolded the newspaper and handed it back to Kairon. “You’d think that after as long as I’ve been alive, I’d realize that despicable beings like Alderman never go away. He’s like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe.”

  “Don’t be discouraged. His return gives us another chance to get rid of him once and for all.”

  “It won’t be easy.” Jerrod walked around the salon’s reception desk and took a seat. “Why didn’t he come straight to us . . . for us? The element of surprise would’ve worked in his favor.”

  “I thought of that too.”

  “And?”

  Kairon shrugged broad, muscular shoulders. “I came up with nothing feasible. Maybe he likes the limelight more than kicking our asses?” Kairon lifted the newspaper in his hand. “The ugly sucker likes attention.”

  “He does that, but I highly doubt all is forgiven. When he’s ready to pounce, he’ll make his move. That you can bet on.”

  “Then we have to be ready when he does.”

  “We?” Jerrod questioned.

  “I’m involved in this too,” Kairon returned. “So are my guys. Remember it was Niko that sent Alderman running.”

  “And Asher,” Jerrod corrected, continuing, “but you’re right, Alderman will seek his revenge on every one of us. We were all at that beach that night.” Jerrod punched the surface of the desk with his balled fist. “Why did he come back? And just when things were settling down. The salon’s doing great. Asher, Tory, and respective partners are all happy. It can never be peaceful, can it?”

  “We’re vampires. Drama and vampires go together like bananas and peanut butter.” Kairon ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Made for each other.”

  Jerrod chuckled. “I forgot that you like that disgusting combination.”

  “I take great offense to you calling my preference for unique, albeit irregular food combinations, disgusting.”

  “Speaking of food, why don’t we head over to Duets after work tonight, so we can discuss this?”

  “Probably the smart thing to do,” Jerrod said. “Don’t know if our guys have seen the paper, but it might be easier coming from us that we are now being hunted by a psychopathic vampire.”

  “That news is always better coming from friends.”

  Kairon turned to leave but stopped short. He hesitated for a brief moment then turned to face Jerrod. “For what it’s worth I’m glad we’re talking. We’ve had our ups and downs over the centuries—”

  “I hadn’t notice,” Jerrod interrupted.

  “As I was saying, but I’m glad we can place our differences aside.”

  “I didn’t do this for you, remember, I did it for Asher and this Alderman business. You just happened to feel the need to stick your nose in.”

  “You’re impossible. Here I
am standing in your salon waving a white flag, and you still can’t get over our past. So I dumped you, so what?”

  Jerrod stood up so quickly that the chair sailed across the floor and slammed into a neighboring wall. “Let me refresh your failing memory, my dear old ex-friend. I was the one who dumped you.”

  Kairon shook his head. His cheeks dimpled. “Still sticking to that, are you? If it makes you feel better, I’ll allow you to say whatever you want.” He winked. “But we both know the truth.”

  “Get out!” Jerrod shouted. “Before I toss you out on that egotistical ass.”

  Kairon shuffled backward, his escalating laugh like nails on a chalkboard. “See you tonight after work.” He blew a kiss at Jerrod as he headed out the door, Asher ducking past him.

  “Nice to see that exes can still be friends,” Asher said, struggling against a smile. “Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

  “I’ll make you feel something if you don’t zip your lip and get to work.”

  Asher raced to the break room as Jerrod watched Kairon’s long stride cross the street toward Killer Kuts. He hated to admit it, but that man still ticked all of Jerrod’s boxes. The problem was, he pushed his buttons too.

  * * * *

  Kairon walked into his barbershop to see Niko preparing his station for the night. Niko didn’t bother with the pleasantries. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  Kairon handed the newspaper to Niko; Niko scanned it before throwing it down on his station. “And just when everything was going okay.”

  “Funny,” Kairon said. “That’s what King Snob across the street said, more or less.”

  “Did he kick you out of his place?”

  “You reading my thoughts?”

  “Jerrod’s easy to read when it’s about you. Pretty damn simple. He does not like you.”

  “It’s an act,” Kairon stated. “He adores me. Everyone does.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. Alderman doesn’t, and Jerrod doesn’t.” Niko scratched the stubble on his square jaw. “Jerrod you can handle.”

  “I can handle Alderman.”

  “We can handle Alderman,” Niko corrected.

  “Whatever you’re doing after work cancel it.” Kairon hooked a thumb in the direction of Everlasting. “We’re going to Duets with those guys to discuss what we’re doing about that psycho.”

  Niko’s phone beeped, signaling a text. He pulled it from his back jeans pocket. “It’s Asher. He’s saying the same thing. Guess we’re going to Duets.” Niko’s thumbs flew over the virtual Qwerty board then he shoved the phone back where he’d retrieved it. He went to speak but stopped.

  Kairon noticed. “Spill. You know you can say anything to me.”

  “Just a thought, but what if Alderman’s return is nothing more than that? Maybe he learned his lesson, and he’ll go about his business, and we can go on with ours.”

  “It’s a possibility but highly doubtful, don’t you think? He’s a murderer after all and still hasn’t faced the consequences for his involvement in those murders.”

  “True, just wishful thinking on my part I guess. Things are great with Asher. Mario’s up in Philly with family, keeping his nose clean. I don’t want anything to rock the boat if you know what I mean.”

  “I do, bro. I do,” Kairon returned. “But that’s not what life’s about. That’s a fairy tale.”

  “Do you think I need to get Mario involved? He wants to put the beach murders behind him, and he thought that he could with Alderman taking off like he did.”

  Kairon shook his head, exhaled. “I wouldn’t. Not yet,” he suggested. “After tonight we’ll hopefully know more. I want you to do one thing though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Ask your clients what they know, what they’ve heard about Alderman without giving too much away. You know how information travels in Sangre and in this place especially.”

  Niko hummed in agreement and nodded. “Men will deny it, but they do like to gossip.” He paused and a slow smile curved Niko’s full lips. “Speaking of gossip, what’s up with you and fancy pants across the street? Those sparks of anger flying all over the place, or passion?”

  “Our relationship is in the past never to be resuscitated again.”

  “Those your words or his?”

  “You’re full of questions this evening.”

  “Like to see you happy, that’s all.”

  “I am happy.” Kairon pointed a finger at Niko. “I don’t need a partner to make me happy.”

  “You know what I mean. Since hooking up with Asher, my life has changed for the better.”

  “I’m truly happy for you.” Kairon meant it. “Asher’s great. Good-looking. Educated. And most importantly, he loves you.”

  “You can see that?”

  “How can I not? Every time I turn around you two are going at it like lovebirds out on the street. Makes a man jealous or sick, not sure which.” Kairon winked to assure his best friend that he was only teasing.

  “Can’t help it. Asher gets things in me all stirred up.”

  Kairon groaned. “TMI, bro. I don’t want to hear anything about your stirrings.”

  “Admit it,” Niko returned, “you’re just jealous that I’ve got myself a fine ass guy and you’re left with your right hand.” His low chuckle was contagious.

  “I can get anyone I want,” Kairon assured him. “But he has to be the right one. For now, I’ll stick with my right hand, thank you very much. A lot less drama in jerking off.”

  A client in desperate need of a haircut walked in, his fade looking more like an afro.

  “You’re up,” Kairon said to Niko after acknowledging the client with a tilt of his chin. “Time to do what we do best.”

  * * * *

  Jerrod was on autopilot all night, teasing, blow-drying, and cutting like the hair master he was. But his mind spun around and around with thoughts of Alderman instead of following the seemingly endless chitter-chatter of his client’s trials and tribulations. He knew what had to be done in two words. Kill Alderman.

  That night on the beach, they shouldn’t have allowed Alderman to escape. No matter what the cost, they should’ve tracked him and served up a healthy dose of vigilante justice, but the ancient and powerful vampire had proved too cunning.

  Picking up damp towels tossed aside in the course of the night, Jerrod prepared Everlasting, the only consistent thing in his life, for the following day before closing the shop and heading to Duets.

  Asher and Tory were no doubt already seated at the neighborhood bar with drinks in hand, he thought. Jerrod couldn’t force away the nervous feeling swelling in his chest, and he knew why — he wanted Kairon. Still. And now he had to sit across from Kairon and deny his true feelings because, as time had shown, they were better apart than together.

  When Jerrod had moved to Sangre and started Everlasting, he was at peace, his life moving in a positive direction he had previously only dreamed about. But when the barber from across the street came to welcome him to the community on opening night, Jerrod didn’t need an introduction; they had already met lifetimes ago when they were two young, recently changed vampires ready to take on the world and each other.

  Those early days were filled with passion and adventure as they worked their way around the globe. Today, Jerrod’s sense of adventure was replaced with a sense of security. And passion? He’d leave that for Asher and Tory.

  Being neighbors had worked for a while, but when they joined forces to fight Alderman, their dynamics had changed, and for whatever reason, the passion Jerrod had once felt for Kairon returned, slamming into him like a freight engine going full throttle. Jerrod wanted to deny this, but he knew that he couldn’t. This had happened a few times before; the two of them being the definition of an on again off again romance. Mentally Jerrod visualized all the cities they’d made love in . . . and broke up in just to get back together again and make love. It was a pretty sick cycle.

  Groaning to himself, Jer
rod stalked to the highly polished glass door of Everlasting and switched off the lights before locking up.

  Inhaling the cool night air through his nose, he steadied his thoughts and body before walking the few blocks to Duets where Kairon awaited.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kairon watched as Jerrod walked through the entrance of Duets looking slender and elegant as usual. His modern-day, chestnut-brown pompadour accentuated the planes of his face and elongated the bridge of his aquiline nose. He had always been the most handsome man in the room, and it appeared that he still held the unofficial title. The left side of his mouth hitched upward when he made eye contact with Kairon. Kairon’s pulse quickened as he shifted on the bar stool that needed re-cushioning. He intended to have that conversation with Carlos, the proprietor of Duets and Kairon’s good friend as long as Kairon could remember, later.

  “I see we’re all assembled,” Jerrod said sweeping his gaze across Asher, Niko, Tory, Ray, and Kairon as he reached the table. “I also see that I’m the only one without a drink.”

  As if out of thin air, Carlos appeared with a dirty martini in record time. “Saw you come in,” he said before setting the drink on the table and retreating to man the bar once again.

  Jerrod reached for the martini and took a generous sip. Kairon offered the vacant stool beside him, but Jerrod declined, preferring to stand. He licked his lips. “Shall we get on with the reason for this get-together?”

  Kairon knew that this was not a question. “I expect by now that we’ve all seen the front page of the Sangre Sentinel?”

  Kairon was met with nods and a grunt from Niko. “Fucking bastard,” Niko grumbled. “I kick myself for not swinging harder. Should’ve busted his skull wide open.”

  Asher spoke up. “It’s not your fault,” he said in defense of his boyfriend. “I was there swinging with you, remember. It happened so fast, and before we knew what was actually happening, Alderman was gone without a trace.”