Into the paranormal world: It’s all fun
and games until someone’s life is
threatened.

Adalric Bachmeier is the leader of his
vampire coven and not accustomed to
being patient, but to win his beloved’s
affection, he tries to be just that.
Unfortunately, time runs out too soon.
Adalric can’t put off returning to his
coven, as well as his duties, any longer,
and he plans to take Seth Goodwin with
him, willingly or not.

Seth never would have believed that

creatures of myth and legend existed.
Coming face to face with a vindictive,
bloodthirsty vampire opens his eyes real
quick to a whole new set of evils in the
world. He can’t figure out why Adalric
continues

with

his

overtures

friendship, especially when he’s been
nothing but rude and cold to the guy.
After all, Seth wants nothing to do with a
vampire.

Adalric insists that Seth must go with

him to his coven, and he uses the guise
of marking him as taken—making him
off-limits to other vampires—to finally
sink his fangs into the human. Even
though Seth finds great pleasure in
Adalric’s arms, when the truth of their

relationship comes out, will their fragile
bond withstand the tension? Or will it
snap, sending Seth running?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names,
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A Bite of Fulfillment

ISBN: 978-1-77111-607-7

Cover art by Scott Carpenter

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A Bite of Fulfillment

A Paranormal’s Love: Book Two

Charlie Richards

To family—whether by blood or

because we chose each other—thank

you for standing beside me.

Chapter One

Adalric leaned a shoulder against the
stone wall, keeping himself in the
shadows of the alcove. In silence, he
watched his beloved, Seth Goodwin,
talking quietly with Bobby Truman. He
knew Seth and Bobby had dated for a
time, but that was before Bobby had
mated with the gargoyle leader Maelgwn
and became a target for a rogue vampire.

Seth had tracked Bobby down to

apologize for some behavior or other,
and had also run afoul of the sadistic
bastard. Unfortunately, that introduction
to the paranormal world hadn’t put
vampires in a very good light for Seth,
making it difficult for Adalric to get
close to the human.

He could have listened in on their

conversation, but from the way Seth
frowned and motioned with his hands, it
was probably just another attempt to
convince Bobby to escape with him.
Escape from these monsters seemed to
be a recurring theme for the man, and
listening to his pig-headedness only
frustrated Adalric.

For someone who faced persecution

because of his sexual orientation, Seth
seemed to be the most prejudiced human
Adalric had ever met. He constantly
reminded himself that Seth hadn’t met
paranormals under the best conditions—
running for his life from a rogue vampire
bent on draining him dry would freak
anyone out.

Except, after living in the gargoyle’s

home for nearly two weeks, Adalric
couldn’t figure out why Seth didn’t
realize that just like there were good
humans and bad humans, there were
good and bad vampires.

Adalric smirked at that thought, since

he hadn’t considered himself good for at

least a century. Just as quickly, he
sobered. Now, he had to find a way to
convince the wary human that not all
vampires were like that. If only he could
figure out a way to show Seth how much
pleasure he could give him. Humans
always came around once they realized
how much pleasure was involved, didn’t
they?

A large shadow darkened the alcove

where he stood. Adalric looked left and
discovered Maelgwn watching him, the
gargoyle’s brow ridge creased in
concern. “Any luck?” the massive
chieftain asked, crossing his heavily
muscled, dark blue arms over his
equally impressive chest.

Adalric snorted. “Why, yes. That’s

why I’m over here and Seth is over there
trying to once again convince Bobby to
run away from us.”

“He’s what?” Maelgwn rumbled,

glaring at the pair.

Now Bobby stood with one hand on

his hip while making small gestures with
the other as he spoke. Seth frowned,
clearly not liking Bobby’s words, and
Bobby glared right back at him.

Rolling his eyes, Adalric stated dryly,

“Please, as if anything in this world
could make Bobby leave you. The human
is so hopelessly in love with you, it’s
almost nauseating to watch.” He curved

the corner of his mouth so Maelgwn
knew he teased.

Maelgwn grinned unabashedly. “Yep,

just as it should be.”

Adalric sighed. As it should be. Yes,

beloveds should feel that way about
each other. Unfortunately, if he couldn’t
even get Seth to have a decent
conversation with him, they’d never get
to that point.

“I’m sorry,” Maelgwn said. The

gargoyle gripped Adalric’s slender
shoulder in one clawed hand. “It’ll
happen. Just give it time. Surely, he’ll
come around.”

“One can only hope,” Adalric

murmured. Hope was pretty much the
only thing he did have right now. He
certainly hadn’t made any progress.

“Look, I came to find you because you

received a call from Edwin. He says he
needs to speak to you as soon as
possible,” Maelgwn told him.

Adalric nodded. “I’d best call him

back then.”

He pushed away from the wall and

headed along the garden walk toward the
door. Choosing a route that took him
close to the talking humans on purpose,
Adalric drew nearer to his beloved. The
scent of the man’s blood called to him.

Although a vampire couldn’t be one
hundred percent certain of their beloved
until they’d tasted their blood, Adalric
would bet his left fang that he was
correct in his assertion that Seth was his.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Adalric

greeted as he neared. He spotted the
stiffening of Seth’s shoulders, proving
he’d heard him speak, but he didn’t turn
to face him. Adalric barely controlled
his desire to demand his beloved’s
attention.

“Hey, Adalric,” Bobby said, turning

and smiling at him. “Are you enjoying
the gardens?”

Adalric stopped, smiling at the small

human. Standing barely five foot eight,
with a slender frame and short dark hair,
when Bobby stood beside his seven-
foot-tall gargoyle mate, their differences
really stood out. However, it was their
personalities that truly contrasted…in
the best possible ways. Where Maelgwn
was serious and reserved, Bobby nearly
bubbled with vitality and his love for
life. Adalric thought they made a good
match.

“Yes,” Adalric answered, returning

his focus where it belonged. “I find I
don’t often have time to simply relax
like this at home. I’m enjoying taking
advantage of the opportunity.”

Finally, Seth turned to face Adalric.

“You don’t have a garden at home?” he
asked, his curiosity evidently getting the
better of him.

The recipient of Seth’s hazel-eyed

stare, Adalric’s breath caught in his
throat. His beloved was finally talking to
him. For just a second, he found himself
speechless. Not wanting to miss this
opportunity, Adalric forced his tongue to
work.

Adalric smiled at Seth, careful to keep

his fangs hidden. “I live on the outskirts
of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Although
we do have gardens, I find I don’t have
much time to enjoy them. There always
seems to be something else to deal

with.” Holding the other man’s gaze, he
asked, “Do you enjoy the gardens?”

“They’re all right,” Seth responded.

“Whatever, Seth,” Bobby cut in. “You

love these gardens. You’ve got the
greenest thumb of any man I’ve ever
met.”

So, his beloved enjoyed gardening.

Interesting. He wondered about the state
of the gardens at his coven’s home.
Adalric really couldn’t remember the
last time he’d ventured through them. He
just assumed their gardener, Xavier
Agueda, kept them in pristine order.

Still… “Perhaps I could entice you to

review my own gardens. Maybe you’d
have some ideas to improve them,”
Adalric offered.

Seth crossed his arms over his chest

and shrugged. “Can’t really see how I’d
ever end up out there.” His focus slid
away as he looked over Adalric’s
shoulder.

Just like that, Adalric seemed to lose

Seth’s attention, and a fresh wave of
irritation swept over him. Damn it!
What must I do to connect with this
man?

Years of controlling his emotions

gave Adalric the ability to appear calm
when he felt anything but. “Perhaps I’ll

have the opportunity to change your
mind,” Adalric responded, keeping his
smile firmly in place. Not wanting to
hear a rebuttal of any sort, Adalric
nodded to them and started moving.
“Gentlemen.”

Several yards away, Adalric heard

Bobby hiss, “You jerk. Everyone has
been walking on eggshells around you.
Would it kill you to be polite?”

“I don’t want to be here, Bobby,” Seth

snapped back. “I want to go home, and
I’ll be as unpleasant as possible until
they let me leave.”

“You’re

just

making

yourself

miserable,” Bobby responded, his tone

almost sad. “These are good people.”

Adalric stepped into the house,

closing the door behind him and cutting
off anything else that he would say. He
felt like he was getting nowhere with the
man. Putting the problem out of his mind
for the moment, he strode through the
mansion to his suite of rooms. He picked
up his cell phone from the desk and
dialed Edwin’s number.

He thought it odd his coven enforcer

would contact him instead of his second.
He’d spoken to Daystrum every day for
the past two weeks, keeping apprised of
what was going on in his coven. His
inner circle were the only ones who
knew the real reason Adalric had not yet

returned—because he was trying to woo
his beloved—and failing miserably.

“Hello?”

Edwin’s greeting refocused Adalric.

“Hello, Edwin. I received word you
were looking for me.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry to interrupt,

but…”

Adalric frowned. He could hear the

worry in Edwin’s voice. Rarely did
anything concern the large vampire. It’s
what made him such a fantastic enforcer.
“Edwin…tell me what’s wrong.”

“I must respectfully request your

return,

sir,”

came

his

surprising

response. “Daystrum was attacked last
night. We don’t know who did it. He
barely survived, and if Spieron hadn’t
heard the scuffle, he wouldn’t have,”
Edwin added.

“Damn,”

Adalric

whispered.

seemed he’d just run out of time, but why
would someone attack his second-in-
command? “Who knows about this?”

“Me, Spieron, Darian, and Melissa,”

Edwin answered.

“Hmm,” Adalric murmured.

Darian was Daystrum’s brother, and

one of the best trackers Adalric had ever

seen. He knew the vampire was
completely trustworthy, happy with his
position in the coven, and he respected
his brother. Melissa was their coven
doctor—had been for the last thirty-plus
years. She’d take good care of
Daystrum.

Spieron, on the other hand, had joined

his coven less than a decade ago after
getting into some trouble with his last
one. He’d evidently fed from someone
he shouldn’t have, and his prior coven’s
second had taken offense. The offended
vampire had convinced their leader to
banish him. The guy was pretty self-
contained, a loner, but Adalric had never
caught him in a lie.

Was Spieron part of the group who’d

attacked Daystrum and perhaps gotten
cold feet? Or was he really just in the
right place at the right time?

Adalric knew one thing for certain. It

was time to return.

“I’ll contact you as soon as I’m on the

road,” he told him. “In the meantime,
keep an eye on Spieron and watch out
for anyone who’s acting suspiciously.”
He knew it was redundant to bother
telling Edwin, but his need to control
was too ingrained.

“Yes, sir.”

“And keep Darian from doing anything

stupid. The fewer people who know, the
better,” Adalric decided. “Maybe we
can catch someone spreading rumors or
asking questions they shouldn’t.”

“Right, um…will you be bringing your

beloved?” Edwin asked, lowering his
voice.

“Yes.”

“Shall I prepare a room for him?”

Although he’d much prefer Seth in his

own bed, Adalric knew the human
would not appreciate the heavy-handed
tactic. As it was, he’d have to use a bit
of subterfuge to get him to come with
him.

“We’ll put him in the blue room,”

Adalric ordered. “And I want it
redecorated.” He gave his enforcer
quick specifics of what he wanted.

“Yes, sir.”

“If anything changes, contact me.”

Without waiting for a response, Adalric
disconnected the call. He stood still, his
phone clenched in his fist for several
minutes. Although Edwin would never
say it, Adalric hadn’t missed the man’s
quick intake of breath upon Seth’s
bedroom assignment.

The blue room was right next door to

Adalric’s, separated by closets with
connecting doors. His placement would

be the talk of the coven, and would
instantly mark Seth as Adalric’s. It
wouldn’t take long for Seth to hear the
news, either, not with the way the
humans who lived with them and shared
the vampires’ beds gossiped.

And he knew a couple of the humans

would not be happy.

About a dozen humans lived with his

coven and fed his people, swapping
beds and partners at liberty. They
enjoyed the thrill of a vampire biting
them, and the pleasure that vampire
could give them. Unfortunately, two of
the humans—Jason and Chad—had
become rather attached to Adalric,
although he’d never intentionally led

them on.

The two men seemed to think he’d

choose one of them to bond with,
elevating their status in the group. As
soon as Adalric had heard the rumors
two months before, he’d stopped feeding
from either man, no matter how they’d
thrown themselves at him. He’d even
ordered them banished from his wing of
the home after they’d turned up in his
bed uninvited.

It was a day after that particular

incident that the Vampire Council had
contacted him and sent him here to
investigate

crimes

brought

against

Damune, a vampire harassing the

gargoyle clutch. He hadn’t been back
home since and worried at the fallout
upon his return—with his reluctant
beloved in tow.

Seeing no way around the possibly

explosive upcoming encounters, Adalric
decided he’d best get the first one out of
the way now.

Time to seduce my beloved.

Chapter Two

Seth glared at Bobby. “Look, you might
be okay with hanging around with
these…men, but I’m not.” He just
managed to keep from calling them
creatures, but from Bobby’s scowl, Seth
figured that Bobby knew he’d thought it.
Who could blame him? They really were
creatures! “I want to go home and forget
the whole thing.”

In fact, now that he knew shape

shifters existed and made up a number of
residents in Colin City where he lived,
Seth planned to move. He’d move
somewhere he didn’t know anyone, then
pretend this never happened.

Bobby’s expression turned pensive,

and he opened his mouth, then snapped it
shut. Seth’s eyes narrowed. He knew
that look. Bobby had something to say
and he wasn’t certain Seth would like it.

He’d dated Bobby for months before

Bobby had taken up with the gargoyle.
To be fair, Seth hadn’t been the best
boyfriend. He’d turned a blind eye to the
shit his buddies were putting Bobby
through. Seth felt guilty about that, but
since he couldn’t go back and change the

past, he just had to live with the
knowledge…and hopefully learn from
the experience.

“What?” Seth asked warily.

“Um, well…” Bobby nibbled his lip

and wouldn’t meet his gaze.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Seth

steeled himself for more bad news.
“Well?”

Finally, Bobby blurted, “You holed up

in your room for weeks and refused to
see anyone or talk to anyone but me.
Then, when you didn’t show up for
work, your boss had your coworker,
Grant, go to your house. You were

reported as missing and people were out
looking for you, so Maelgwn and
Adalric had to decide what to do.”

Seth’s heart pounded in his chest, not

liking where this was going. After
swallowing hard, he softly asked, “What
did they do?”

“They reported you dead…died in the

car crash that totaled your truck,” Bobby
whispered. He flicked his gaze from
Seth’s face to the garden around him,
then to Seth again, as if uncertain where
to look.

A shudder worked through Seth as

shock and disbelief coursed through him.
“What?” he gasped.

Bobby reached out and laid his hand

on Seth’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, God, I—” Seth’s heart pounded

hard in his chest. Even if somehow, he
got away, he didn’t have a life to go
back to. Wait, surely, there was a way to
get something like that reversed, right?
He could do it. Prove that he’s still
living. But how would he explain his
absence without revealing the existence
of gargoyles and vampires? People
wouldn’t believe that anyway. He’d end
up in a strait jacket in a loony bin
somewhere.

Each thought chased the other through

his mind and he could feel his head start
to swim.

“Just breathe. It’ll be okay.” Bobby’s

voice seemed to reach him from a long
way off.

Realizing he held his breath, Seth

opened his mouth and sucked in a lungful
of life giving oxygen. He focused on
taking one breath at a time, and slowly
the spots cleared.

He still felt

disconnected, though, as if his brain had
shut off.

“I’m going back to my room,” he

mumbled, pulling away from Bobby and
striding down the path.

Except, instead of going inside, Seth

wandered deeper into the gardens. He

took solace in the flowers, enjoying their
fragrance and vibrant colors. He didn’t
let himself think about how his life had
irrevocably changed. For now, the
flowers were enough.

Seth wouldn’t have been able to tell

anyone how long he walked, his mind
adrift. Eventually, he came across a
section of freshly tilled earth. Pink and
yellow posies still in their little plastic
cartons spread out along the empty bed.
A trowel lay nearby.

He dropped to his knees and started

planting. It didn’t matter that he was
doing someone else’s chore, all Seth
cared about was sinking his hands into
the cool, damp earth and taking control

of something…the flower arrangement.

Bobby had been right. Seth was a

closet gardener. He had a small garden
on his balcony and loved tending it.
Except, now…even that was gone,
wasn’t it? What would happen to his
plants? Seth hoped someone took the
time to find them a new home.

A shadow darkening the edge of the

bed finally pulled Seth out of his
gardening-induced stupor. Sitting on his
knees, Seth tilted his head back and
found Adalric staring down at him.
Damn, what could the vampire possibly
want now?

For a moment, neither said anything,

and Seth took the opportunity to truly
assess the man. Adalric wore his dark
hair cut short. Coupled with his strong
jaw,

high

cheekbones,

and

thin

eyebrows, Adalric appeared every bit
the distinguished businessman. His
slender body probably looked amazing
in a suit, especially if it were a bit
rumbled from a bit of play with a dirty
firefighter.

That thought snapped Seth out of his

musings. He shouldn’t be thinking that
way, especially about a paranormal…
and a vampire, at that. Adalric had never
been his type anyway. Seth went for men
smaller than he was. He was a top, so
even if Adalric swung his way—which

was unlikely—there’d be no way the
powerful vampire would allow anyone
to tap his ass.

Finally, Adalric moved, breaking

whatever spell they’d been under, and
shoved his hands in his pockets. “Bobby
said you were probably still out here,”
Adalric commented, eyeing him steadily.

Seth shrugged, seeing as a response

seemed redundant.

“I need to talk to you, Seth,” Adalric

stated. “I need to head back to my own
people, and I need you to come with
me.”

That’s a lot of needs, he thought

absently. Then Adalric’s actual words
sank in. Wait, what? “Why would I go
with you?” That came out harsher than
he’d intended, but considering all the
shit thrown at him over the last couple
weeks, who could blame him.

“You’ll come with me because you

can’t stay here.” Adalric sounded so
reasonable, as if the answer were
simple.

Seth’s jaw dropped open in shock.

“What? Why?” Then he shook his head.
“Wait, no. I don’t want to stay here. I
want to go home, but you’ve taken that
away from me, too!” He rose to his feet,
brushing his hands on his jeans as he did
so, and pointed a finger at the man. “You

had no right to declare me legally dead!”

Adalric’s jaw tightened for just a

second, and if Seth hadn’t been staring
right at his thin lips, he’d probably have
missed it. Wrenching his gaze away from
the man’s mouth, Seth lifted his focus to
Adalric’s dark brown eyes.

His

brows

drawing

together,

Adalric’s nostrils flared as he inhaled,
slow and deep, probably trying to keep
his cool. “I know you don’t understand,
and probably feel our ways are heavy-
handed, but please try to understand that
as leaders among our people, Maelgwn
and I have to look at the bigger picture.”
Adalric’s tongue darted out, wetting his

bottom lip. He seemed to be trying to
figure out his next words.

Seth beat him to it. Glaring, he stated,

“So you just think you can decide for
everyone?”

“Yes,”

Adalric

replied

almost

instantaneously. Seth gasped at his
audacity, but he didn’t stop there. “My
people’s

safety

depends

decisions, Seth, and I’ve been around for
over three centuries, over two of those
centuries as a coven leader.” He took a
couple steps forward, closing the
distance between them. “I’ve seen a hell
of a lot, and I’ve earned the right to
make those decisions. I’m sorry your life
is now being turned upside-down, but

currently, you are under my protection.
That means you come with me.”

Good God! This guy is over three

hundred years old? How old can
vampires get? Seth swallowed hard and
swept his gaze over him again. He looks
good for an old man. He sighed, turning
away and focusing on the garden he’d
been working on. Defeat washed over
him, and he suddenly felt exhausted.
“You’re not giving me a choice, are
you?”

Adalric settled his hands on his

shoulders, and Seth tensed. The guy
squeezed

gently,

kneading

Seth’s

muscles with surprising strength in his

long, slender fingers. “I will help you
build a new life, Seth,” Adalric stated
softly, his breath ghosting over Seth’s
ear, telling him how close the vampire
truly stood.

Seth couldn’t stop the goose bumps

from breaking over his arms. “How…
how are you going to do that?” He felt
the knots beginning to ease from his
shoulders. For some reason, Seth found
Adalric’s touch oddly relaxing.

“We’ll discuss that later,” Adalric

assured. “Right now, I’m going to mark
you, so everyone in my coven knows
you’re under my protection.”

All the tension Adalric had eased

from him came rushing back. “M-mark
me? H-how?”

“I think you know the answer to that,

Seth,” Adalric countered, his tone
dropping to a soft purr.

Something sharp scraped gently up

Seth’s neck, making him shiver. The soft,
warm puffs of breath finally clued in his
brain that those were the vampire’s
teeth! Seth whimpered, although he’d
deny it to his dying day.

“Easy now, Seth,” Adalric crooned.

“You’ll be fine.” He continued to
massage Seth, although he moved his
hands to Seth’s upper arms, so he could
continue laving his neck with his tongue

and teeth. “This won’t hurt for but a
second.”

Seth had watched a vampire tear out

his friend’s throat. “Are you sure this is
necessary?” He valued his life and
didn’t want to die.

“Oh, yes,” Adalric mumbled, his lips

ghosting over Seth’s skin, soaking it with
saliva.

Praying Adalric would be careful,

Seth tilted his head, giving him more
access. Maybe if he didn’t fight, Adalric
would get this over quickly.

“That’s the way,” Adalric urged. “I’ll

take good care of you.”

Seth thought that seemed an odd thing

to say, but then felt the prick of twin
fangs sinking into his neck, causing him
to gasp. Just as suddenly, the pain
morphed

into

the

most

decadent

sensation he’d ever experienced, and a
line of fire shot straight down his spine
to boil in his balls, making his testicles
roll. In less than a second, he found
himself harder than nails.

A moan escaped him and he feared

he’d come in his jeans as each sucking
pull on his neck felt better than a damn
Hoover on his dick. He throbbed, his
pulse spiking and his balls pulling tight
against his body.

Adalric hummed against his neck, then

reached around and palmed Seth’s cock
through his jeans. Seth shouted hoarsely
and bucked into Adalric’s hand, unable
to censure his movements. The vampire
made quick work of Seth’s fly and
dipped his hand beneath his briefs. He
gripped Seth’s dick and pulled it free,
stroking firmly.

Seth’s head lolled backward to rest

against Adalric’s shoulder. Never had
he felt anything so amazing. Between the
sucking on his neck and the hard strokes
to his cock, Seth’s blood pounded
through his veins and his dick twitched
in Adalric’s grip. Panting, Seth rocked
his hips into the other man’s hold,
desperately needing to come.

“Gonna come for me, Seth?” Adalric

asked, his words somewhat garbled.

Adalric swiped his thumb over Seth’s

sensitive, leaking cap, and that was all it
took. Seth opened his mouth in a silent
scream as his balls unloaded, shooting
his seed up and out. The best orgasm he
could ever remember bowled over him,
setting his senses reeling.

Panting hard, endorphins pinging

through his system, Seth felt Adalric
gently remove his teeth, then lick his
neck. Seth shivered, his cock actually
making an attempt to harden again.

“Feel all right?” Adalric asked softly,

a smile coloring his voice.

“Oh, God, yes,” Seth muttered,

somehow managing to untie his tongue.
“That was—that was amazing,” he
admitted.

“Good.”

Leaning against Adalric, Seth felt the

hard ridge of the vampire’s dick
pressing against his ass. He swallowed
hard, trying to figure out what he was
supposed to do now. Did Adalric expect
him to offer him his ass? Because it
would be a cold day in hell before that
would happen.

To Seth’s surprise, Adalric reached

around and gently tucked him in and
righted his clothes before placing his

hands on Seth’s hips to steady him. He
kissed Seth’s neck, then eased away
from him.

“You okay?”

Seth blinked, confused by Adalric’s

sudden withdrawal. Wait, wasn’t that
what he wanted? Seth righted himself
and turned to face Adalric, sweeping a
glance down his body and seeing the
man’s obvious bulge.

“I—yeah,” he finally murmured.

“Good.”

Adalric

smiled

before

reaching up and cupping Seth’s cheek.
To Seth’s shock, Adalric lowered his
head the couple inches difference in

their heights and pressed his lips to his
own. Just as quickly, before Seth could
even decide what to do, Adalric lifted
his head. “We need to get on the road.
My jet is waiting at the airport.”

Jet? Airport? Now? “What about

you?” Seth asked before his brain caught
up with his mouth.

Adalric grinned. “Have no fear, Seth.

I got what I needed…for now.” He
winked. Then, grabbing Seth’s hand, led
him away from the gardens.

Seth

followed

meekly,

wondered if that was all Adalric thought
of him as…a food source. Then he
wondered why he even cared.

Chapter Three

Eight hours later, the exquisite flavor of
his beloved still lingered on Adalric’s
tongue. Seth tasted truly amazing, better
than he’d imagined. He’d desperately
wanted to bend the man over and fuck
him senseless. Unfortunately, there
hadn’t been time, plus Adalric knew
Seth wasn’t ready.

Patience wasn’t something Adalric

was known for, but in this case, he’d

manage it. Adalric needed to woo his
beloved slowly, giving him pleasure and
stability. He knew it would just take
time…and now that he’d tasted his
beloved’s blood, starting the bonding
process, Adalric knew it would be
worth it.

They didn’t speak much during their

travels, but now that they were in the
back of a limo, headed toward Adalric’s
coven, he knew he had to explain a
couple things to the human.

Adalric maneuvered around the limo

until he sat next to Seth, who continued
to stare at his Samsung tablet as if he
weren’t there. He glanced down at the
screen and saw the open book on the

kindle app. After two minutes, Seth still
hadn’t turned the page.

Smiling, Adalric turned toward his

beloved and settled his left arm over the
back of the seat behind his human. With
his right hand, he gently grasped the
electronic device and pulled. Evidently,
that hadn’t been what Seth was
expecting, for the tablet easily slipped
from the man’s grip.

That didn’t stop him from snapping his

head up and glaring at Adalric, however.
“Hey, what the hell? I was reading that.”

Adalric smiled and lifted a brow,

amused at his beloved’s indignation.
“Were you? What’s it about?”

Seth’s cheeks flushed and he scowled.

“The damn book’s about a guy who
discovers a skeleton behind a wall in his
basement. There’s ghosts and stuff and—
fuck, just give it back.”

His brows shooting up, Adalric

slowly handed the tablet back. “I’m
sorry. You hadn’t turned a page since I
moved next to you. I thought perhaps you
were too distracted to read,” he
crooned, running his right hand over the
man’s shoulder.

A rosy blush swept up Seth’s neck and

he glared at his electronic device. “I
read a little slow, that’s all,” he
mumbled.

Ah, shit. Did I just touch a nerve?

From the guy’s unfocused death glare at
the now blank screen and the way his
heart pounded, Adalric knew he had. He
needed to do something…quick.

“My apologies. I thought you were

ignoring me, which is something, I must
admit, I find extremely irritating,” he
told him. If he shared a little of his own
misgivings, perhaps he could smooth
things back over.

Seth nodded once, then admitted, “I

was…sort of.” He shot a disgruntled
look Adalric’s way. “You’re not exactly
my favorite person right now,” he
grumbled.

Forcing

back

sigh,

Adalric

shrugged. He couldn’t change the past,
and wouldn’t, if he were honest with
himself. Everything that had happened
had brought his beloved to him. Now, it
was his job to build a bond with the
stubborn human.

One step at a time.

“Look, the reason I interrupted is

because we will be arriving at my home
soon, and there are a few things I need to
explain,” Adalric said. He couldn’t help
himself. Now that he had Seth’s
attention, those wary hazel eyes fixed on
him, Adalric really wanted to touch.
Using his left hand where it rested on the
back of the seat behind Seth, he gently

rubbed his thumb over the bite mark he’d
left hours before.

Seth shivered under his touch,

blinking in surprise. He licked his lips,
and Adalric watched with some
satisfaction that it took the man several
seconds to form his next question. “What
do I need to know? I don’t exactly want
to piss anyone off and get my throat
ripped out.” Now, the human’s shiver
was one of trepidation, and that just
wouldn’t do at all.

A low growl rolled through Adalric’s

chest before he could stop it. A red haze
slid over his vision at the very thought of
harm coming to his beloved. “If anyone

dares touch you, I will end them.”

With a shocked look, Seth leaned

away from him and hissed, “Your eyes.”

Adalric closed his eyes and sucked in

a deep breath. When he had himself back
under control, he returned his gaze to
Seth. “My eyes shift to the equivalent of
infrared vision. It’s so we can see the
body heat of our—” Oh, damn. I really
should have thought that comment out
better.

“Your prey?” Seth asked, frowning.

“In essence, yes,” Adalric replied,

figuring it was better to get the truth out
there now. He didn’t need anything else

to come around and bite him on the ass.
When Seth didn’t immediately respond,
he decided to move forward. A glance
out the window told him he was running
out of time, again. “Look, I know you’re
not happy about being here. I understand
that. But I am master of my coven, and
because you are under my protection,
you have a certain…duty…to me.”

Seth’s blond brows drew down as he

scowled at him. “Like what? I gotta feed
you now?”

“In part,” Adalric admitted, “but the

truth is, you can’t ignore me in public. If
I talk to you, you respond. To ignore me
would be an insult, a…challenge to my
leadership, and I would need to punish

you for that.” He tried to say the words
gently, to express the seriousness of the
issue.

Eyes wide, mouth open, clearly

shocked, it took a few seconds for Seth
to respond. Finally, he shook his head
and glared. “You’d punish me? How?”

Pinning him with a cool stare, Adalric

lifted a brow and asked, “Do you truly
want to know? I tell you this so you can
avoid the situation.”

“Yeah,” Seth snapped. “Exactly how

do you think you’d punish me?”

Quick as lightning, Adalric lifted his

free hand, wrapped it around Seth’s neck

while the other grasped his shoulder,
and used the loose hold to push him
down so he lay across the seat. He
twisted his body and followed his
beloved down, easily pinning him, even
with his leaner frame.

Although he stood a couple of inches

taller than Seth, the human had a
broader, heavier frame. It must have
served him well in his duties as a
firefighter. Feeling Seth’s hard muscles
and firm flesh under him—coupled with
the siren call of the human’s blood—
caused

Adalric’s

body

react

predictably. It took every ounce of
control he’d learned over his centuries
of life to keep from springing an erection

and sinking his fangs into his beloved’s
neck.

“That

attitude

right

there

unacceptable when we are not alone,
Seth,” Adalric warned in a chilly tone. If
the only way to get his beloved to
understand the seriousness of this
conversation was to use force, he’d do
it. “Belligerence is not acceptable. You
will obey me in public. Grievances will
be revealed in private, and we will
adjust our behavior accordingly.”

He pierced the human he hoped to

make his—in every sense of the word—
with a hard stare. “This is not
negotiable.”

Seth’s Adam’s apple bobbed under

Adalric’s fingers, and he found himself
stroking that lump softly, almost as if
petting the man would clear the fear
from his expression and scent. Adalric
hadn’t wanted the conversation to go this
way, but—he shut down that line of
thought and waited, continuing the subtle
caress.

“Will you—will you at least tell me

what

the

punishment

is?”

Seth

whispered.

Adalric had to hand it to the man for

his persistence. “It would depend on the
situation and what had happened. It
could be anything from me sending you
to our chambers, to me laying you across

my knee and spanking you in front of my
coven.” Adalric prayed he wouldn’t
have to do anything worse, so didn’t
mention the possibility.

“You’d spank me?” Seth’s gasp

sounded more outraged than shocked.
“I’m not into that kind of…thing.”

“Good,” Adalric replied. “It’ll be

better incentive to stay in line.”

“Wait, did you say our chambers?”

Adalric lifted a brow, just stopping

himself from grimacing. Damn, he had
said that. “You’re staying in my wing of
the mansion, so yes, our chambers,” he
amended.

“Fine,” Seth grumbled. “I’ll stay in

line. You won’t even know I’m around.”
He wriggled a bit, trying to get out from
under Adalric.

He tightened his grip for just a second

because he really enjoyed lying across
the human, even if he had to keep his
body in check. He wanted to tell Seth
that hiding in his room wasn’t an option
either, but there would be time later—
once the human had settled in—to
explain the responsibilities of being the
beloved of a coven master. Deciding the
biggest issues had been discussed,
Adalric leaned down and brushed his
lips over a clearly surprised Seth, then
quickly drew away and sat up.

A glance over his shoulder showed

him Toni and Gerald’s gazes fastened
out the window, expression’s stoic. The
enforcer and tracker, respectively, had
been the only vampires Adalric had kept
with him while staying with Maelgwn.
Even though the gargoyle’s home was
friendly, it would be out of character for
him not to have some protection. He also
knew they’d never speak of this incident
unless Adalric requested it, which he
wouldn’t.

Straightening his shirt and brushing the

wrinkles from his slacks, Adalric
watched Seth slowly push into a sitting
position. Seth had drawn his brows in a
look Adalric already recognized as

confusion. Interestingly enough, now that
he’d gotten the man talking, he didn’t
seem to shut up.

“Why’d you do that?” Seth asked.

Adalric gazed at him levelly. “Better

you to be armed with information than
have you stumbling through and possibly
endangering yourself.” He curved one
side of his mouth into a smirk. “Or one
of my coven members, for that matter,”
he added. “I’d hate to have to kill
someone for touching you.”

“I meant the kiss,” Seth clarified.

“Why do you keep kissing me?” Then his
eyes narrowed. “Wait, touching me?
You’d hurt someone for touching me?

Why the hell would you do that?”

Oh, shit. What was it about the human

that made him blurt out information he’d
planned to keep…well, not secret, but
just to himself for the time being.
Adalric mentally scrambled to come up
with an answer. The sight of his mark on
Seth’s neck gave him the out he needed.

He reached up and gently traced the

mark. “Marking you wasn’t just for
protection from violence,” he said
softly. “It’s to protect you from
unwanted

advances.” There.

That

sounded perfectly plausible. Right?

Seth lifted a brow in an expression

that looked surprisingly like a challenge.

“What if they’re wanted advances? Do I
need your permission or something?”

Adalric just managed to trap his snarl

in his throat. The very idea that his
beloved would go to another vampire—
or human, for that matter—for pleasure
sent a burning rage through his veins.
His companions knew it, too, because
both Toni and Gerald fidgeted in their
seats.

To Adalric’s relief, the limo came to

a stop right then. Without waiting for his
driver to open the door, he shoved it
open and climbed out, pausing just long
enough to glare at Seth and snap, “Yes.”
He turned his attention to Toni and
ordered, “Show Seth Goodwin to his

rooms.”

Striding away from the vehicle and

into the mansion, Adalric knew his
thunderous expression was what drove
everyone from whichever room he
passed through. They didn’t even cast
curious glances. They just went.

That suited Adalric just fine. He had

an attempted murderer to catch and a
beloved to seduce. He didn’t need
anything else on his plate.

Chapter Four

Seth watched Adalric go in stunned
silence. From the grimace on Toni’s face
and the slight shake of Gerald’s head, he
figured they might know more about
what had set the vampire off than Seth
did. He didn’t think he should care, but
the little niggling feeling in his chest was
a firm indicator that he did. Maybe he
felt this way because Adalric had saved
his life a couple weeks before, stopping
the rogue and his friends from killing

him and Bobby.

Geez, my life has become way too

complicated.

“Uh, how come I feel like I should

apologize for something?” Seth muttered
as he climbed out of the car.

“Maybe you should consider having a

decent fucking conversation,” Toni
grumbled.

Frowning, Seth followed the man. He

wasn’t entirely certain if the guy had
meant for him to hear his words or not.
Well, too damn bad. Seth had heard and
wanted to know what the hell it meant.

Except, just as he opened his mouth to

demand an explanation, Gerald led the
way through the door. Too preoccupied
with first, Adalric’s warning, then
having him sprawled over him—
because, damn, the guy felt amazing
holding him down, all hard muscle and
heady masculinity—Seth hadn’t paid
much attention to the front of the house.
Maybe he should have. As he took in the
massive

marble-floored

foyer

and

double set of stairs, Seth realized this
wasn’t a house, it was a fucking
mansion.

A hand on his back got him moving

again, and a glance over his shoulder
told Seth that it was Toni beside him. He

would have jerked away from the touch,
but the vampire wasn’t actually looking
at him. Instead, as Toni urged him up the
right stairway and into that wing, the guy
offered warning looks to anyone who
didn’t move out of their path fast enough.

The second floor sported lush carpets

in medium tan and brown swirling
designs, the walls were a light brown.
Intricately carved crown molding ran
along the top and Seth just stopped
himself from standing on a wingback
chair clearly meant for decoration and
touching the tiny flowers and vines
etched into the wood. He figured he
stared like a slack-jawed yokel, but
really, he couldn’t help himself. Never

in his wildest dreams would Seth
imagine staying, even for a night, in a
place like this.

These vampires are loaded!

When he finally walked into the room

obviously meant to be his, since
somehow, his suitcase already rested at
the foot of the oak four-poster bed—
which he could just see through the
doorway on the far side of the front
room—Seth’s jaw finally did open in
shock. Rich greens and blues covered
three of the walls, complimenting the
floral artwork on the walls.

On the final wall, a mural of a garden

took Seth’s breath away. He felt as if he

could walk right into one of the stone
pathways that disappeared amongst the
foliage. Stepping into the bedroom
proper, he saw the mural continued and
he reached out and traced a vine.

“My God,” he whispered in wonder.

“Looks like he likes it,” Gerald

murmured behind him.

“Yep,” Toni replied softly. “Adalric

will be pleased…once he calms down
anyway.”

Seth turned, glancing between the two

waiting men. “This really is something
else. Tell Adalric thank you.”

Toni crossed his arms over his chest,

his eyes narrowing as he studied him.
Seth felt a bit like he was being
assessed, but for what reason, he didn’t
know. Finally, Toni stated, “Look, it’s
not really my place, but I like my leader
happy. So, if you could get your head out
of your ass and not make remarks about
sleeping with someone other than
Adalric, I know everyone here would
appreciate it.”

Seth felt his face heat. He’d made the

offhand comment on instinct because
he’d been worried Adalric might have
felt his growing erection while lying on
him. The second the words were out of
his mouth, he’d known they were a

mistake.

Grimacing, Seth nodded. “Yeah, not

my finest moment. I just…I don’t
appreciate

being

manipulated

and

railroaded into moving here, even as
nice as it is,” he said, glancing around at
the stunning, comfortable room. Through
an open door on his left, he saw a
bathroom, and a glass door to his right
appeared to lead to a balcony.

“Well, if your beloved spouted that

shit, you’d be pissed, too,” Gerald
muttered.

Seth whipped around from where he’d

started heading toward the balcony.
“What did you say?” Bobby had

explained mating to him and he knew the
term vampires used when they found
their other half was a beloved. Seth’s gut
churned. Surely Adalric didn’t think…

“Way to go, dumbass,” Toni griped,

punching the other man on the arm.

“Ah, shit.”

Gerald rubbed his

shoulder. “It just came out.”

“Oh, hell, no,” Seth growled. “Are

you telling me the reason Adalric
dragged me here is because he thinks I’m
his…his…” God, he didn’t even want to
say it. “That lying bastard!” he roared
upon seeing both men’s sheepish
expressions and the way they exchanged
looks. “Where is he?”

Brushing by them, Seth yanked open

the door and headed into the hall. He had
no clue where to go, but that didn’t stop
him from stalking back the way they’d
come, ignoring the other men’s cries of
wait and hold on and you need to stay
here. Like hell he’d stay there, as if he
were some little wife waiting for his
man to get home at the end of a long day.

Seth heard footsteps behind him, but

didn’t slow his pace. It wasn’t until he’d
returned to the first floor and the foyer
that he paused. Well, shit. Now what? A
hand landed on his arm, tight enough to,
well not hurt, but it sure as hell wasn’t a
gentle hold. Seth spun around, yanking
his arm out of the other man’s grasp,

surprised to discover it wasn’t Toni or
Gerald behind him.

A blond man glared right back at him.

Younger than Seth’s own thirty-two by a
good number of years, he stood a couple
inches shorter, although his shoulders
were broader and his arms were roped
with muscle. He had a lean waist and his
jean-clad legs appeared just as ripped.

Seth had to admit, he was a good

looking man and felt a little surprise that
he didn’t feel an iota of attraction for
him. Perhaps that was due to the
stranger’s blue eyes glittering with
loathing that Seth didn’t understand.

“So you’re him, huh?” the man asked,

his tone belligerent.

Not knowing what the guy meant or

what he was after, Seth lifted a brow
and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?”

“You might think you can take Adalric

from me, but you can’t,” the guy hissed.
“He’s mine.”

Seth’s sudden surge of possessiveness

surprised him, but he couldn’t stop from
curling his lip and smirking. “Not while
I’m around.”

The other man snarled and lunged

toward him, his hands reaching for
Seth’s neck. Bringing his hands up

between them, he knocked the other
guy’s arms away. Even as he stepped in
close and landed a hook to the man’s
jaw, it didn’t escape his notice about
how ridiculous this was. He was fighting
over a man he didn’t want…did he?

A fist in his gut refocused his

attention.

Using skills learned through grappling

with other firefighters in the gym, Seth
stepped left, using his left hand to push
his opponent’s arm away from him. He
immediately followed that with several
quick strikes to the man’s torso.
Following that up with an open palm to
the guy’s ear, he then cupped the back of
the man’s head and jerked down as he

lifted his knee, nailing him in the
stomach.

The guy gasped, doubling over, just as

Seth knew he would. He jumped up, then
used his downward momentum to slam
an elbow into the guy’s spine. As the guy
arched and cried out in pain, Seth
finished the maneuver by grabbing the
back of the man’s shirt and pulling
backward as he swept a foot under his
attacker’s leg, toppling him to the floor.

He withheld the follow-up kick to the

ribs when he heard shouting above him.
Backing carefully, he split his attention
between the downed man and the top of
the stairs. He watched Toni and Gerald

pause and stare at them in shock.

Looks like they finally caught up

with me.

His attacker groaned and rolled to his

side and Seth refocused on him. The guy
opened his eyes and hatred gleamed
from his gaze, although he made no move
to get up.

“Son of a bitch!” Toni growled,

running down the stairs. “What the hell
happened? What happened to Chad?”

“Chad? Is that the guy’s name?” Seth

asked dryly. He inspected his hand and
flexed his fingers. It was never
comfortable slamming his hand into

someone and he didn’t understand
people who became boxers. Fucking
painful! “He didn’t introduce himself
before attacking me.”

“Shit! He attacked you? Chad, how

could you be so stupid? Adalric was
willing to let you stay, but now?” Gerald
shook his head as he helped Chad to his
feet. “Let’s go get you checked out.”

Toni gripped Seth’s hand as they

walked away, Chad in sullen silence.
“Let me take a look at that,” Toni urged
softly.

Seth pulled out of his grip. “I’m fine,”

he snapped.

“You sure?”

“I’d know if I wasn’t. This wasn’t my

first dog and pony show,” he replied
roughly.

Nodding, Toni pointed back toward

the stairs. “How about I take you to
Adalric,” he suggested.

Shaking his head, Seth took a step

away from him. “Naw, it’s okay. I
think…uh—” He really needed a place
to think, and he didn’t want to go back to
his room right away. Remembering
something Adalric said the day before,
Seth asked, “I’d like to check out your
gardens. Adalric said you have one.”

Toni’s brows went up, but he didn’t

say much, just nodded, and led him
deeper into the mansion. He pointed out
a set of double doors, telling him it was
an entertainment room. From the amount
of noise that could be heard, Seth figured
there’d be plenty of people in there.
Toni also pointed out the kitchen and
dining room, finally leading through a
mudroom and out a back door.

Seth stared around the massive patio,

impressed with not only the size and
comfortable looking furniture, but by the
mostly naked men and women laying out
on them. Toni waved toward them,
murmuring, “You’ll be introduced to
everyone eventually, but these are a few

of the humans that live with us, so it’s
not like you’ll be alone, ya know?” He
raised his voice and called, “Peter,
wave for me.”

A lithe, auburn-haired man levered up

on his arm and looked their way. The
w o r d , twink, flashed through Seth’s
mind, what with the guy’s lean lines and
slender form. A grin spread over his
face, lighting his green eyes.

“Hey, Toni. Welcome home!” he

greeted, the pleasure at seeing the
vampire more than apparent by the way
he licked his lips, let alone his next
words. “Anything I can do for you?
Who’s your friend?”

“Just relax, babe,” Toni replied, a

twinkle lighting his eyes. “This is Seth
Goodwin. He’s in the blue room.”

That really got the guy’s attention.

Peter rolled to a sitting position and
winked. “Ya mean the blue room that
was just remodeled?” He grinned. “Nice
to meet you, Seth. You need anything,
you give me a holler. Kay?”

“Uh, sure,” Seth replied, giving the

guy a smile.

Geez, people actually live here with

the vampires just…to feed them? His
stomach clenched. Do vampires think
we’re cattle?

“The gardens, obviously, are that

way,” Toni said, pointing. “I need to
report to Adalric what happened. You
going to be okay on your own for a bit?”
he asked, glancing around as if assessing
the safety of the area.

There appeared to be quite a bit of

tension tightening Toni’s features, and it
didn’t take a rocket scientist to know
what caused it. Somebody attacked Seth
under this vampire’s watch. “Maybe I
should go with you,” Seth suggested. He
didn’t want Toni in trouble for
something he had no control over.

The vampire flushed and shook his

head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell him
where you are. You, uh, you sure your

hand’s okay?”

Lifting one brow, Seth fisted his hands

on his hips. “Ya want me to punch you
with it and prove it to you?”

Toni barked out a laugh. “Oh, you are

going to keep Adalric on his toes, aren’t
you? Go enjoy the garden.”

Seth didn’t need to be told twice.

He turned and waved over his

shoulder as he crossed the large lawn
and headed through a rose-covered
trellis. He admired the pink mini
blooms, inhaling deeply of their scent.
Walking along the gravel path, Seth took
in the vibrantly colored flowers giving

off a myriad of scents.

As Seth strolled, he checked stems,

leaves, and petals, impressed to find
everything healthy and strong. Smiling,
he paused at a particularly colorful
display of tulips. There were red,
orange, yellow, and even purple blooms.
In fact, he even noticed some of several
colors.

Taking a step back, his brows shot up.

He grinned, chuckling softly. The
blooms created vibrant streaks of color
swirling around each other. No blooms
mixed up the intricate trails as they
twined together. “Wow,” he murmured,
impressed. It must have taken years to
get everything just right.

Seth moved on and eventually

stumbled across a section of open soil, a
wheelbarrow of manure and flats of
chrysanthemums nearby. He glanced
around, but didn’t see anyone and
couldn’t resist.

He started planting.

He hadn’t been at it that long…only

managing to plant about half a dozen
blooms or so, when a throat clearing
startled him. Seth rocked back on his
heels and looked over, discovering he
was no longer alone.

A tall, slender man stood over him.

His narrow features, regal bearing, and

the silver at his temples and streaked
through his short, black hair gave Seth
the impression he’d look better in a tux
holding a glass of wine rather than the
small spade he actually held.

“Hello,” the man greeted, sweeping

his gaze over Seth. “I leave for an hour
to grab a steak and when I return, I find
I’ve been replaced. Should I be
concerned?” The slight upturn at the
corners of the distinguished man’s lips
lightened his words, letting Seth know
he wasn’t actually upset.

Seth chuckled and rose, dusting his

hands as he moved. “Hey, uh, sorry,” he
said, waving toward the bed of tilled
earth. “I’m really not taking your job or

anything. I just love tinkering in a garden
every now and then. You, uh, your tulip
field is amazing.”

The man’s mouth curved into a

pleased smile. “I’m glad you like it. So
few bother venturing out here unless
they’re with someone, and then…” He
shrugged. “Their minds are on other
things.”

Snorting, Seth nodded. “I bet.” He

held out a hand. “I’m Seth Goodwin.”

After just a second of hesitation—and

did he just sniff discreetly?—the other
man accepted the handshake. “Xavier
Agueda. A pleasure.”

Seth smiled back. “You really do have

a magnificent garden.”

The guy cocked his head. “If you

enjoy it so much, perhaps you’d like to
join me tomorrow. I plan to prune
hedges and vines.”

He grinned, knowing exactly what the

gardener was doing. Testing him, to see
if he was really interested or just saying
that. “I would really enjoy that,” he said.
After all, what the hell else am I going
to do with my time?

“Good. Then I will see you

tomorrow.”

Seth nodded. His stomach growled,

and they both chuckled.

“I think Peter is in the kitchen with a

few others. Why don’t you go get
something to eat?” Xavier urged.

Deciding that was an excellent plan,

Seth headed out of the garden.

Chapter Five

“What the hell do you mean he was
attacked?” Adalric roared. His vision
bled to red and he grabbed Toni around
the neck. Using his tight grip, he
slammed him into the wall of his study.
“How could you allow something to
happen to my beloved?” And in my own
home! Damn it! The whole point of
having a bodyguard—especially in light
of what happened to Daystrum—was to
keep Seth safe!

“N-n-noth—” Toni gasped, somewhat

unsuccessfully.

Gerald burst into the room. “Wait,

please, it wasn’t totally his fault. I was
there, too.”

A low, menacing growl rolled through

Adalric, and he released Toni, allowing
him to drop to the floor. His enforcer
immediately rolled to his hands and
knees, gasping and coughing. He kinda
felt bad. Kinda. Until he realized he still
didn’t know where Seth was or how
injured.

Before he could attack, Gerald

skidded to a stop before him and
dropped to his knees. “Please, Master,”

he pleaded. “Your beloved is fine. Seth
is fine. He laid into Chad and took him
out easy. I have Chad under guard,
locked in his rooms, awaiting your
judgment.”

“Chad,” Adalric snarled. He flexed

his hands and struggled to clear the
burning rage from his system. He needed
to think, and the irrational urge to hunt
his beloved down and wrap him in a
bubble wasn’t going to win him any
points with the man. Slowly, he felt his
eyes return to normal and his claws
retract. As much as he wanted just to kill
the human, he couldn’t, but he could
remove him from his home.

“Was Jason involved?” he asked,

pleased his tone only came out with a
slight growl.

He needed to know if he had to get rid

of both men. The part about allowing a
harem, of sorts always sucked for him. It
didn’t happen often, but sometimes, a
human didn’t work out and they had to
find a way to remove them…quietly.

“No, sir,” Toni and Gerald answered,

almost in unison.

Gerald continued, “I’ve already heard

rumors that Jason has taken up with
Sage.”

Adalric nodded slowly at the mention

of another vampire in his coven. Sage

would keep Jason in line. “And where is
Seth now?” he asked. If both Gerald and
Toni were here, who was watching his
human? He might be upset about Seth’s
careless comments, but that didn’t mean
he wanted him unprotected.

Especially after seeing the mess some

unknown vampire, or vampires, had
made of Daystrum. His second still
hadn’t regained consciousness, which
had both him and Darian worried,
although, Melissa assured them he’d be
fine and it was just a matter of time.

“I, uh, I kinda told him that he’s your

beloved. That’s why he was storming
through the house and ran into Chad. He
was looking for you,” Gerald admitted.

Adalric glared, but Gerald didn’t look

up, so he didn’t see it. He wondered if
he’d have been the one Seth hit if his
beloved had managed to find him.
Adalric had really wanted to share that
particular piece of information at the
right time, after showing Seth that he had
a nice home and he led a good group of
vampires. Unfortunately, even before
Seth had run into a jealous Chad, he
knew that wouldn’t happen. Not with the
problems he now faced trying to figure
out who’d beaten Daystrum.

“After taking out Chad, he wanted to

go to the gardens, so I took him out there
and asked Xavier to keep an eye on

him,” Toni explained. “Then I came
here.”

“So he’s still in the garden?” Adalric

queried, relief flooding him. Xavier was
an old vampire, somewhere in his fourth
century. He’d been with Adalric since
he took over this coven a couple hundred
years before. He had no trouble trusting
Seth with him, for his loyalty was
beyond reproach.

“As far as I know, sir,” Toni replied.

Adalric allowed his displeasure to

show. “Then perhaps you should go find
out while I deal with Chad.”

“Yes, sir.” Toni quickly scurried from

the room.

Rolling his eyes, Adalric tapped

Gerald on the shoulder. “Rise. Go fetch
Edwin and tell him to meet me in Chad’s
room.” Normally, he’d have his second
by his side while removing a human
from his home, but since that was
impossible right now, his enforcer
would have to fill in.

Adalric knew the way to the human’s

room and strode purposefully out of his
wing, down the stairs, and into the east
downstairs

wing.

didn’t

miss

Adalric’s notice that Seth must have
walked right by his office, and he vowed
to give him a tour in the morning. Of
course, if they’d been properly bonded,

Adalric would have known when Seth
became upset and stormed past.

Soon, he promised himself.

Pausing outside the door, Adalric

sucked in a low hiss when he smelled
Seth’s scent on the air. He struggled to
hold in his growl…and his claws.
Without knocking, Adalric gripped the
handle and pushed into the room.

He saw the human donor sprawled

across the bed, wearing only boxers.
Bruises already bloomed across his rib
cage. A glance at the guy’s face showed
more coloring at his temple. An odd
sense of pride flooded Adalric that his
man could take care of himself—against

another human anyway. The thought of
what his beloved might look like after
the fight chased his pride, filling him
with worry instead. Seth hadn’t really
given him the impression that he was a
fighter.

When Chad caught sight of him, the

man’s blue eyes lit up. “I knew you’d
come once you heard,” he crooned in a
husky voice that used to turn Adalric on.
Chad rolled to his side, just hiding a
grimace, and reached out for him. “Did
you punish that imposter? Did you send
him away? I can still please you, even
when injured.”

Disgust slithered through Adalric.

“Seth is my beloved, Chad, and you

attacked him,” he stated, modulating his
cold tone. “Explain to me why I
shouldn’t tear out your throat?”

For an instant, Chad blanched, his

face paling. He quickly replaced the
expression with a pouty playful look that
Adalric assumed he was supposed to
find alluring. Except, when he watched
Chad bat his eyelashes and move toward
him, it took every bit of self-restraint to
keep from tearing out the bastard’s
throat.

“Oh, baby, you know that’s not true.

You just brought him here to make me
jealous.” Chad reached Adalric and
rested his hands on his chest, rubbing

them over his pecs. “After you bond
with me, we can have an open
relationship. I don’t mind. I know how
you like your variety,” he murmured,
leaning close. “I’ll even let you keep
fucking Jason. Maybe we can fuck him
together.”

When Chad leaned in for a kiss,

Adalric’d had enough. He grabbed
Chad’s wrists and used the hold to shove
him away. Chad squeaked in protest, the
noise completely incongruous with his
broad shouldered, thickly muscled
frame.

To his immense relief, Edwin arrived

right then and quickly took in the scene.
He grabbed Chad’s shoulder and pulled

him away from Adalric. “Sit down,”
Edwin ordered, pointing Chad toward
his bed.

Chad frowned, his façade slipping.

Scowling, he did as he was told.

Edwin stepped back until he stood at a

right angle from both Chad and Adalric
and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Chad Burtwick, you are guilty of
attacking my beloved. If you were a
vampire, I’d tear out your heart without
remorse.”

“I’m your beloved!” Chad cried,

jumping to his feet.

Edwin

stepped

forward

and

intercepted him, an arm around his torso.
He shoved him none-to-gently back to
the bed. “I said, sit down,” he snapped
gruffly.

Adalric narrowed his eyes. He could

hear Chad’s heart speed up in his chest,
sending blood rushing through his veins.
The human’s scent of anger, fear, and
frustration flooded the room. Having not
completed his bond with Seth, Adalric
found himself not completely unaffected.
His dick slowly filled and his mouth
watered.

From the flare of Edwin’s nostrils,

Adalric knew his enforcer was in the
same boat. They had to get this finished
damn quick. “You have two choices,

Chad,” Adalric stated bluntly. “We will
set you up in an apartment in a city of
your choice for a year, after that, you’re
on your own. You will never mention
vampires to anyone or your life is
forfeit.”

“And the other choice?” Chad actually

had the audacity to ask.

“We will drain you dry now,” Adalric

replied, his gaze steady on the other
man.

From the man’s pallor and his nearly

inaudible gasp, Adalric figured Chad
finally understood the gravity of the
situation. His actions were inexcusable.

“I have to leave?” Chad whispered.

“B-but—”

Adalric didn’t want or need to hear

the human’s excuses. “Choose!”

Seth’s lashes lowered and moisture

made his blue eyes seem to shine.
Adalric had seen Chad’s machinations
one too many times to be moved. He
allowed a low warning growl to rumble
through him.

Chad swallowed hard. “I’ll leave. I—

I really thought you were mine.” He
looked at Adalric with such an
expression of yearning, a plea for
forgiveness, for him to reconsider.

Adalric ignored it. “You have twenty-

four hours to decide location. Let Edwin
know and he’ll take care of it. You are
not to come into my presence or Seth’s
presence ever again. Do I make myself
clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Chad agreed.

After a curt nod to Edwin, Adalric

spun on his heel and left the room. He
knew his enforcer would take care of
everything, including choosing a suitable
set of trackers to keep an eye on Chad
for the next couple of years. As he left
the wing, a weight he hadn’t realized he
carried seemed to roll off his shoulders,
easing his tension.

He caught himself smiling. Deciding it

was time to find his wayward beloved,
Adalric headed toward the back of the
house and the gardens. Voices and
laughter caught his attention, one laugh in
particular. Adjusting his course, Adalric
followed the noise to the breakfast nook
attached to the kitchen.

Leaning

against

the

doorframe,

Adalric crossed his arms and took in the
scene. The human, Peter, sat curled up
on Toni’s lap, who watched over the
proceedings in relative discomfort,
judging by the arousal tickling Adalric’s
senses coupled with the way Peter
rocked his hips ever so slowly—and
how Toni had his hand slipped up under

Peter’s shirt to fondle…something.

Adalric swept his gaze over the

laughing, eating men and women. Most
were human, although a couple vampires
were interspersed amongst them.

He focused on Seth, pleased to see

him chatting animatedly with a couple
men. He appeared relaxed. His eyes
glowed as he regaled the others with a
tale about a house fire started by old,
faulty wiring. Adalric found himself
impressed by his lover’s courage, racing
into danger to save others. He hoped
Seth would apply that same heart to their
relationship.

In order to do that, they’d need a very

frank conversation about that very thing.
It pleased Adalric to see his beloved so
happy, but a niggle of jealousy shot
through him when he saw the smile Seth
bestowed upon his new friends.

He forced back his initial reaction,

namely to cross the room and grab up his
beloved and take him somewhere to
show him who he belonged to. Instead,
he pushed off the wall and sauntered
slowly across the room. A few of the
conversations stopped, but many just
nodded or waved and kept talking.
Adalric appreciated that. Even though he
ruled these people, he didn’t like
standing out all the time.

Unfortunately, Seth did stop talking.

Too bad. Adalric would have liked
hearing if everyone got out okay.
Keeping a pleasant smile firmly pasted
in place, and really that wasn’t all that
hard considering how happy he was
finally to have his beloved in his home,
Adalric stopped by Seth’s side.

Adalric didn’t ask, just slipped his

fingers through the fine hairs at Seth’s
nape, and tilted the man’s head back.
Lowering his head, he claimed his
beloved’s mouth in what he’d planned to
be a quick kiss, except, when Seth
gasped, opening his mouth, Adalric
couldn’t help sliding his tongue into
Seth’s warm heat and exploring.

His human’s flavor exploded across

his taste buds, the spicy masculine
essence heating his blood and thickening
his cock. He thrust his tongue deep,
rubbing their appendages together. Seth
whimpered, kissing back, one hand
coming up to grip Adalric’s shirt.
Adalric smiled against his lover’s lips
as he swallowed down the erotic sound.

Pulling on his last reserve of self-

control, Adalric eased the kiss to an end.
He lifted his head and grinned at the
dazed expression on Seth’s face, as if he
couldn’t believe he’d responded like
that.

He gently released his hold on Seth’s

neck and turned his attention to the plate

of food in front of his lover. A few
carrot sticks and a couple bites of
lasagna still littered the plate. He picked
up a carrot stick and dipped it in ranch
sauce.

He winked and asked, “You about

done? We have a few things to discuss,”
before popping the veggie into his
mouth.

At Seth’s shocked look, Adalric just

smiled and chewed. He took a step back
and held out his hand, palm up, all the
while praying his beloved would take it.

Seth glanced around, and seeing they

were the center of attention, must have
decided not to make waves. He took

Adalric’s

hand.

Pleasure

flooded

Adalric at his human’s touch and he
pulled him to his feet.

“Come, beloved,” he crooned, leading

the way out of the room.

Chapter Six

Seth didn’t put up a fight. Whatever
conversation they had to have, Seth
wanted to do it in private. He hadn’t
forgotten about Adalric’s warning of
punishment, either. Besides, they needed
to get a few things straight between
them,

and

the

lying,

withheld

information, and miscommunications had
to stop.

In silence, the pair made their way

back to Seth’s room. At one point, once
they were alone, he tried to pull his hand
free, but Adalric tightened his grip,
squeezing his hand rhythmically for a
couple beats. He stopped trying.

Adalric opened the door and led him

inside, tugging him gently. Once the door
closed, Seth found himself pressed
against the wood, his arms pinned on
either side of his head. “What are you
—”

He didn’t get to finish his thought

because Adalric captured his lips,
thrusting his tongue into Seth’s mouth. A
low growl rumbled through Adalric,
vibrating Seth’s chest, making his entire
body tingle. Adalric mapped his mouth,

caressed his teeth, and teased his palate.

Seth’s dick had plumped to half-mast

as soon as he’d spotted the other man in
the dining room, then hardened to steel
when Adalric had kissed him. Now, he
literally ached and could feel his shaft
leak in his jeans. He couldn’t explain his
desire to submit, let alone understand it.

Talk! Need to understand!

Wrenching his head to the side, Seth

managed to pull away. He gasped,
barely managing to form coherent words
with the way his blood surged through
his veins and his cock throbbed. “Wait.
Please, wait. I don’t—I’m not—” God,
he had no clue what he even wanted to

say! He rested his head against the door
with a thud and let his eyelids slide shut.

“Hey, hey,” Adalric crooned. Strong,

slender fingers released one of his
wrists only to be felt sliding through
Seth’s hair to rub the back of his head.
“None of that, now. Easy.”

Adalric’s gentle tones surprised Seth,

and he pried his eyelids back open. The
guy was actually smiling at him, even
though he’d yanked away from him.

“Although I like you out of your mind

with lust,” Adalric assured, “I want you
to know why you feel that way, too.”
The hand in Seth’s hair lowered to his
neck and massaged the tendons a bit.

“And

your

confusion

almost

palpable.” Adalric lowered his face to
Seth’s shoulder and nipped gently.
“Let’s talk, shall we?”

Seth nodded dumbly and allowed

Adalric once more to lead him, this time
toward a sofa where he pulled him down
beside him. Mentally, Seth reeled. He’d
actually felt Adalric’s fangs slide over
his flesh, but instead of wanting to pull
away, he’d wanted to press closer, even
beg for his bite. Confusion didn’t seem
to come close to his feelings right now.

His arm around Seth’s shoulders,

Adalric pulled him flush against his
body. “I guess I should start. I apologize
I didn’t tell you that you’re my beloved,”

Adalric began. “You weren’t exactly
amenable to even being in the same
room, so imagine my frustration. I
wanted you to learn that, just because
I’m a vampire, it doesn’t mean I’m a
psychotic killer like Damune, the man
who attacked you and Bobby.”

“Is that why I feel like I’m out of

control every time you’re around?” Seth
asked quietly.

He hated being out of control. Maybe

it had something to do with being
shunted from one foster home to the next,
never having any control over his future,
but Seth valued control. For that same
reason, he needed it in a relationship,

too. Feeling as if he had none, like right
now, put him on edge as nothing had
done in nearly fourteen years. Even
losing Bobby hadn’t felt like this.

“In part. Right now, your body is

straining to connect with mine. Just
because you’re not a vampire doesn’t
mean you don’t feel it,” he explained.
“Your…mood swings…will settle down
once our bond is complete.”

“Mood swings,” Seth grumbled.

“What am I? Prepubescent?”

Adalric chuckled, and the look he

bestowed upon Seth, he could only
describe it as amused affection. Odd.
“Of course not,” Adalric murmured, “but

Fate can be a bitch and she has ways of
getting what she wants.”

“Great. Now my life is being run by

some mythic goddess with match-making
tendencies.”

Throwing his head back, Adalric

roared in laughter. The arm around
Seth’s shoulders tightened and—even
though Seth glared mutinously at Adalric
—the vampire knocked their heads
together.

“Damn, the things you say,” Adalric

finally managed to say, his words still
tough to understand through his chuckles.
“You’ll keep me on my toes, won’t
you?”

Seth smirked, purposefully turning his

glare into an assessing look as he swept
his gaze over Adalric’s lean body. “I
thought maybe I’d keep you on your
knees.”

The

laughter

immediately

died,

replaced by a low snarl. A quick push-
pull to Seth’s body found him sprawled
across the sofa with an aggressive
vampire on top of him, again. Wait…
scratch that, a horny vampire if the ridge
pressing into his thigh was any indicator.

“Although I’d be happy to suck your

cock any time,” Adalric rumbled—his
mouth so close to Seth’s ear that it
stirred the tiny hairs right behind and
below it, causing goose bumps to rupture

down his neck and arms. “To complete
our bond, I will need in that sexy ass of
yours.”

Seth’s asshole clenched in reflex to

Adalric’s words. His hard-as-nails shaft
throbbed,

aching

for

pressure,

stimulation, but the very idea of giving
up his ass…

“N-never done that,” he admitted.

“Not ready.”

Adalric froze for several seconds,

then gave a whole body shudder. “Seth,”
he hissed.

To Seth’s complete and utter shock,

the vampire pressed his forehead against

Seth’s neck and just seemed to…clutch
him, tightly.

Once again, Seth felt confused, this

time mixed with a healthy dose of
concern. Rubbing his hands down
Adalric’s back, he attempted to soothe
the vampire. “Hey, hey, what is it?” Seth
asked softly. Just what the hell is going
on now?

“So fucking sexy,” Adalric growled.

One of the man’s hands slipped down
and cupped Seth’s ass, giving it a hard
squeeze.

Instinct urged Seth to rock up into the

lean frame that was so much stronger
than it looked and currently pinned him

to the sofa.

“My ass. Only mine,” Adalric

rumbled gruffly. “Only I will know the
pleasure of sinking into your tight sweet
body.”

The possessive quality to the man’s

tone almost caused Seth to shoot off right
then. If the vampire had rutted down at
that second, he most certainly would
have. Instead, Adalric lifted his head
and Seth gasped in shock at the deep red
color of his eyes. Fear shot through him
and he froze, his heart speeding up in his
chest for a whole new reason. He’d seen
a vampire’s eyes look like that before.
The creature was tearing out the throats
of his friends and then he’d come after

him, too.

“Please,” he whispered, the word out

of his mouth before he could censure it.

Softly crooned words penetrated the

fog of terror that seemed to have
enveloped him. It took several seconds
to realize that Adalric ran his hands over
him, rubbing his arms, and massaging his
shoulders. The vampire stared down at
him in concern as he gently spoke.

“Easy, Seth. Come on, beloved. Talk

to me, Seth. Tell me what’s wrong. Tell
me what I did, hmm? Does the idea of
me taking your ass scare you that much?”

Shit, what the hell is wrong with me?

But even as he wondered, Seth knew.
Those red eyes would haunt him for a
long time. “No, no,” he finally managed
to mumble.

“Then we’ll wait,” Adalric replied,

sounding reassuring. “I may get excited
about being the only one to ever sink into
your body, and nothing would please me
more than claiming you, but I know how
to be patient,” he reassured. “I’ll give
you the time you need.”

Seth blinked and finally found the

courage to peer up at Adalric’s face.
The man’s dark brown eyes stared
steadily back at him.

Reaching up, Seth gently ran his thumb

over Adalric’s brow. “I thought—” He
paused and swallowed hard. Had it been
his imagination?

“Thought

what?” Adalric

asked

gently. He turned his head and caught
Seth’s thumb in his mouth, sucking
lightly.

The pressure felt better than Seth

thought it should, and his cock—that had
completely deflated during his little
panic attack—swelled quickly. Grunting
at the sudden stimulus, Seth rocked his
hips. “Oh, that feels good.”

Adalric released Seth’s thumb with a

pop. “How about I see if I can find out
what else would make you feel good?”

Seth couldn’t remember the last time

he’d begged, but the light pressure of
Adalric’s hard shaft through several
layers of clothing set his blood on fire
and he couldn’t hide his need. “Y-yes,
please.”

“With pleasure.”

To Seth’s shock, Adalric slid one arm

under his torso and the other under his
ass and stood, carrying Seth without
trouble. He just managed to avoid an
unmanly squeak, but couldn’t help
wrapping his arms and legs around the
vampire and clinging.

The way Adalric palmed Seth’s ass

and how each jarring step bumped their

cocks just ratcheted Seth’s arousal
higher. “Shit, never had anyone carry me
before,” he murmured, trying to distract
himself from his throbbing dick with
talk.

Adalric chuckled. “I’ll carry you

anywhere, sexy,” he said, before laying
Seth onto the bed and following him
down. “One of the advantages of being
bonded with a vampire.” He smirked
and pushed Seth to the middle of the bed.

Seth snickered and watched as

Adalric reached for the hem of his shirt.
He didn’t fight when the vampire
indicated he lift his torso. Once his head
popped free of the fabric and he could
look the other man in the eye again, he

admitted, “Not sure how I feel about
that.”

“One thing at a time,” Adalric said, a

pleased smile on his face as he swept
his gaze over Seth’s exposed chest.

He fought the shocking urge to ask if

his lover liked what he saw. The answer
was clear in the vampire’s lust-filled
gaze. Humming, his lover slid his hands
down over Seth’s shoulders, rubbing
lightly, then over his pecks. He pinched
and rolled Seth’s already puckered
nipples.

Sparks fired across Seth’s skin,

radiating out from his nubs, and he
arched his back, desperately seeking

more. Adalric didn’t disappoint. He
leaned down and replaced one of his
hands with his mouth, sucking and
nipping the bud while twisting and
tugging the other with his hand. With his
free hand, he scraped surprisingly long
nails along the sensitive skin of his side,
then traced the dips and ridges of his
abs.

“Ah, shit, more,” he pleaded. His

cock throbbed in his jeans, and he had to
twist his fingers into the quilt to keep
from tearing them open and seeking
relief.

He mewled—fucking mewled—at the

sudden loss of stimulation when Adalric
pulled away. The vampire slipped off

the mattress and stood beside the bed.
For a long second, Seth just panted and
stared in shock, his senses reeling.
Adalric once again swept a very smug
gaze over him.

Finally, Adalric ordered, “Let me see

that gorgeous cock of yours. I’ve been
dreaming of sucking it since I got to jack
you off yesterday.”

“Well, who in their right mind could

refuse that,” Seth quipped. He wasted no
time in removing his jeans, boxers,
sneakers, and socks. Surprisingly, when
he returned his gaze to Adalric, the
vampire had somehow also stripped and
now stood stroking his cock—his hefty-

girthed, probably over eight inch cock.

Seth

swallowed

hard,

his

ass

clenching just at the sight of it. He
wouldn’t have thought such a lean guy
would be so well endowed!

Evidently,

Adalric

sensed

his

concern, for he reached out and very
gently brushed a finger up Seth’s
erection—that waved like a flag, jutting
from his groin—making it jerk and
twitch. Yeah, that’s a good distraction.
Adalric’s fingers threaded through the
soft curls around his groin, lightly
tugging the hair, making the sensitive
skin sting in the best possible way.

“You gonna suck it or just stare at it?”

Seth gasped, trying to establish some
sort of control.

Adalric seemed to be having none of

it. “When I’m good and ready,” he
replied.

To Seth’s shock, Adalric lay down on

the bed beside him and rested his head
in his hand, except his head was beside
his hip. Adalric cupped his far thigh and
pushed it to the side, spreading him,
revealing everything.

Seth’s abs clenched involuntarily as

Adalric trailed two fingers along the
crease where thigh met groin, then
brushed the pads of those digits over and
around and across the sensitive skin of

his sacks. His intense stare was almost
unnerving and set Seth’s blood singing
through his veins at the same time.

His chest already heaved, his head

muzzy, and Adalric hadn’t even touched
his cock, yet. When the vampire finally
did, it was with just as light and teasing
a touch as the man had used on his balls.

Adalric placed one finger into his

mouth, sucked for a second and winked.
Then, using the damp finger, he swirled
it around Seth’s angry purple glans.
“Oh,” Seth grunted, just stopping himself
from thrusting up. Adalric wasn’t giving
him anything to thrust against and the
move would dislodge that teasing,
pleasure-pain giving finger. He couldn’t,

however, stop his cock from bobbing.
Some muscles acted without conscious
thought.

Thankfully, Adalric followed the

movement, increasing pressure to press
his nail into his oozing piss-slit. Fire
shot down his dick into his balls, making
his testicles roll in their sacks.

Sparks erupted through his groin. His

orbs pulled tight. He never would have
guessed his hole could be that sensitive.
“Oh, my God,” he squeaked, realizing he
was going to come just from this.
Adalric dipped his nail into his slit
again, and Seth roared as the fire shot
down his cock again. This time, he

couldn’t stop it. His balls pulled just that
little bit tighter, forcing his cum up his
stalk in spurts, a push-pull of pain and
pleasure beyond anything he’d felt
before.

That is, until a couple seconds later,

when he watched in tongue-tied shock as
Adalric opened his mouth—showing off
sharp fangs—and sank his teeth into the
blood-engorged vein running up the base
of his prick.

Somewhere in the back of Seth’s

mind, he registered that he screamed.
White and black spots danced before his
eyes as a second mind-numbing, earth-
shattering orgasm crashed over him, and
this one swept him into unconsciousness.

* * * *

Mindful of the important flesh in his
mouth, Adalric carefully extracted his
fangs. His heart beat like a racehorse
and he rested his head on Seth’s hip,
trying to catch his breath. His beloved’s
responsiveness blew his mind. And my
load! Endorphins pinged pleasantly
through his system, and Adalric actually
snickered.

He knew a goofy grin lit his features,

but he didn’t care. He couldn’t

remember the last time he’d felt this
good. Seth lit up under his touch like
none other, swelling his entire being
with pride, lust, and…happiness.

Tilting his head slightly, Adalric took

in Seth’s lax expression and evenly
rising and falling chest. Damn. He hadn’t
even fucked the man and he’d already
knocked him out. Smirking, he couldn’t
wait to increase his lover’s stamina.
They’d have hours—days, even—of fun
ahead of them!

Adalric

knew

Seth

wouldn’t

purposefully choose to wake with dried
cum crusting his skin—and since it was
his fault for putting the human in this
situation—he hauled himself off the bed

and into the attached bathroom.

After a few minutes of cleaning up,

Adalric tucked his beloved under the
covers, then gave into temptation and
slid in beside him. He curled up around
his human, a smile playing about the
corners of his lips at that thought, and
fell asleep.

Chapter Seven

Seth roused slowly, loath to lose the
warm cocoon of sleep. Except—wait, a
heavy arm around his chest and a
muscled leg between his own played a
big part in causing the comfortable
l e tha r gy. Adalric! He smiled and
snuggled back against the vampire’s
chest.

Realizing what he did, Seth frowned.

Wait a minute. Is this what he really

wanted? To wake up in a vampire’s
arms every day and let the other man run
his life? Well, not just any vampire, but
maybe if it was Adalric?

He wasn’t sure anymore. Had they

even talked last night? Not really. He
still didn’t know what it meant to be the
beloved of a vampire leader. He felt an
urge to call Bobby, but what could his ex
even tell him? Sure, he was mated to a
leader, but he was a gargoyle leader.
That probably wasn’t very similar was
it? Maybe he could talk to Peter. The
human who seemed rather infatuated
with Toni might be able to help him…or
at least point him in the right direction.

The light flooding through the

windows finally registered…right about
the time Adalric’s dick against his ass
d i d . Awe, shit! He knew it was the
coward’s way, but suddenly he couldn’t
face the morning after.

It took some doing, but Seth managed

to slip out of Adalric’s grip. He grabbed
his still packed duffel bag and slipped
into the bathroom. Choosing a pair of
cargo shorts and a t-shirt, Seth
remembered his promise to Xavier. He
grinned, looking forward to a day spent
getting his hands dirty. There was
nothing better than working up a sweat
the old fashion way, with manual labor.

He’d just slipped into the shower

when he felt the unmistakable breeze that
could only be caused by the bathroom
door opening. Seth jerked back when
Adalric opened the shower stall’s glass
door and stepped inside.

“G-good morning?” Seth mumbled,

his

cheeks

heating. Damn, am I

blushing? Shit!

Adalric didn’t even pause. He kept

coming until he’d pressed Seth against
the wall, which sent a shiver down his
spine. From the cold along my back,
not from the hot piece of male flush
against my chest!

When Adalric slipped a hand between

them and gripped both their shafts, Seth

gasped. “Fuck!” he squeaked, his hips
bucking

involuntarily,

his

body

searching for friction.

Humming, Adalric lowered his head,

but Seth dodged his intended kiss. The
vampire growled and his free hand
instantly cupped his jaw in a firm grip.

“Wait,” Seth murmured.

“Don’t want to,” Adalric growled.

“You weren’t in bed when I woke. Had
to track you down.”

Okay, that explained the vampire’s

dominant surliness. “Wanted to get
cleaned up, but I haven’t brushed, yet,”
he hurried to explain. “Morning breath.”

Adalric lowered his head anyway,

muttering right before he claimed his
mouth, “Don’t care about that. Love the
way you taste.”

When his lover thrust in his thick

tongue, Seth forgot every reason he had
for attempting to deny the man. Seth
moaned at the intensely masculine taste.
He welcomed Adalric’s tongue and
sucked hard. His lover grunted and
started stroking their shafts.

Groaning, Seth gave himself up to the

avalanche of sensations crashing through
his system. His lover’s hands on him, the
other man’s cock squeezed against his
own, the smooth flesh rubbing together.
Nothing could beat it. Although, the way

Adalric took control of his mouth came
in at a close second.

Thrusting hard into the other man’s

fist, Seth felt his balls pull tight. Ripping
his mouth away, he grunted heavily.
“God that’s good. Fuck, yeah, just like
that.” Damn, he’d never considered
himself a babbler, but he just couldn’t
shut up.

Fortunately, Adalric didn’t seem to

mind. He nibbled his way along Seth’s
jaw, nipping lightly just like Seth liked
—and how the hell did he know that?—
while picking up his pace, stripping their
cocks, the fall of warm water just
enough to ease the worst of the friction.

When he felt the nip of teeth against

the fleshy section where neck met
shoulder, he was done. His leaking dick
exploded, his hips bucked, and his body
shuddered.

“Uh-ugh!” He knocked his head

against the tile wall, uncaring of the
pain.

“That’s it, Seth. Let me see you come

apart in my arms,” Adalric growled.

Seth forced his eyes open and grinned

up at the vampire. Taking the smug look
on Adalric’s face—not to mention the
hard cock still pressing against his
softening prick—as a challenge, Seth
allowed his legs to buckle and sank to

his knees. Adalric’s brows shot up, but
he let him go.

Resting his hands on his lover’s

slender hips, Seth peered up the length
of the vampire’s toned body. He liked
the pleased smile curving Adalric’s thin
lips, so he lowered his gaze to the
vampire’s gleaming cock.

Seth opened his mouth, then glanced

up. “Uh, Bobby said paranormals can’t
give or get anything, right?”

Adalric cupped the back of Seth’s

head and grinned. “That’s correct,” he
growled. He urged him forward with a
loose grip. “Show me what ya got.”

Seth didn’t disappoint. He gripped the

man’s thick shaft and quickly sucked
down the head. He massaged the
sensitive, wrinkled flesh beneath the cap
and traced the pulsing vein running the
length of the underside, then flicked his
tongue into the leaking slit, scooping up
Adalric’s pre-cum. All the while, he
sucked strongly each time Adalric pulled
his hips back and rhythmically squeezed
the base of the vampire’s cock with his
hand.

“Seth,” Adalric growled in warning.

Grinning

obscenely

around

his

mouthful of meat, he stared up at Adalric
through his wet lashes. He sucked, hard.
Adalric’s eyes widened in pleasure, and

maybe a little shock, then cried out
hoarsely as his dick thickened and
jerked, emptying thick spurts of cum into
Seth’s mouth. He swallowed it down
and continued to work Adalric’s slowly
softening prick until the vampire pulled
away, grabbed his shoulders, and hauled
him to his feet.

For

several

seconds,

Adalric

devoured his mouth, licking the remains
of his cum from Seth’s mouth, before he
slowly gentled the kiss. As Seth leaned
his head against the wall to catch his
breath, for a split second, he thought he
caught a flash of red in Adalric’s eyes,
but then it was gone just as fast.

Adalric stepped back, picked up the

washcloth, and, while soaping it,
grinned at him. “Now, that is a good
morning.” He winked. “How about I
finish what I interrupted?”

Seth nodded dumbly, shocked that

Adalric—a coven leader—would stoop
to washing him, but wash him he did.
The vampire soaped up a cloth and
scrubbed him down with slow, caressing
strokes. For some reason, Seth felt…
treasured.

Finally, Adalric pecked a quick

butterfly kiss to Seth’s temple, turned off
the water, and led him out of the shower.
Adalric handed him a towel. Seth took it
swiftly and quickly wrapped it around

him. After the amazing hand job, then
sucking the vampire off, followed by the
sweet washing, Seth wasn’t certain what
to feel.

While the vampire returned to the

shower for his own clean-up, Seth made
quick work of drying himself off,
shaving, and brushing his teeth. He
managed to grab his clothes and head out
before Adalric had even stepped back
out of the shower. It was a bit of a
struggle to get his underwear and cargo
shorts over his still damp ass, but he felt
grateful that at least he wasn’t trying to
pull on jeans.

When Adalric joined him, a towel

wrapped low around his slim hips, he
leaned against the dresser and crossed
his arms over his chest. “In a hurry? I
thought we could have breakfast
delivered, perhaps sit on the balcony
and enjoy the morning air?” He waved a
hand carelessly toward the door Seth
had yet to explore. “We never did get a
chance to talk much last night.”

That much was true. He’d practically

fallen into Adalric’s arms. It seemed
every time they got close he found
himself trying to climb the man’s body
like a telephone pole. It was completely
out of character. He’d never been this
needy before.

“I told Xavier, your gardener, that I’d

help him today.” He didn’t mention he
also wanted to find someone to explain
vampire bonding to him…someone
unbiased. He sank down onto the trunk at
the foot of the bed and yanked on his
socks and shoes. “I don’t want to be late,
so I’ll just grab a couple pieces of fruit
from the kitchen,” he added, heading
toward the door.

“Wait!”

The hard command in Adalric’s tone

shot an odd shiver down Seth’s spine.
One he didn’t really want to identify.
That didn’t stop him from pausing and
turning back to face him, though. Adalric
crooked his finger.

Seth’s brows shot up, but he moved

forward, not stopping until he stood an
arm’s-length from the vampire. Adalric
reached out, cupped his jaw, and used
the hold to bring him closer.

Adalric lowered his head and softly

pressed his lips to Seth’s. “My office is
the first door on this hallway. I have a
meeting at ten. It could take a couple
hours, but should you need anything,
contact Toni.” He turned, pulled out the
top drawer of nearby desk, and pulled
out a cell phone. “Use this for now. My
number, Toni’s number, as well as Peter
and Gerald’s are in there, too. You
shouldn’t have any trouble getting hold
of anyone should you need something.”

“Uh, thanks,” Seth said, taking it. “I’m

just gonna be in the garden though.”

Shrugging,

Adalric

smiled

and

replied, “Perhaps I just want to be able
to hear your voice whenever I desire.”

It was cheeky, but cute, and Seth

snorted, amusement filling him. “Yeah,
that’s it.” He winked. “I’ll be getting
dirty in the garden then.”

“Mmm,” Adalric hummed, letting him

go and heading across the room. “I look
forward to cleaning you up later.”

With that parting shot, the vampire

opened the closet door and walked
inside. Curious, Seth took a couple steps

over and saw him disappear through a
door at the other end and into what
appeared to be a connecting bedroom
done in earth tones. His brows shot up
as he realized Adalric had placed him
right next to him. Had he really
decorated this room just for Seth as
Peter insinuated?

He’d have to think on that, surprised

at how thoughtful he found the gesture.
And the playful banter they’d just had?
He certainly hadn’t expected that. The
guy actually seemed to have a sense of
humor…and the sex was beyond
amazing. Tapping the phone against his
thigh, he sighed. He couldn’t remember
when

he’d

come

hard,

and

technically, he hadn’t done more than
touch him.

Geez, how will it feel when he

actually wraps his lips around me?

His cock started to plump just from

that thought, regardless of the great
orgasm he’d had just twenty minutes
before. Shaking his head, Seth shoved
the phone in his pocket and once again
headed for the door.

Pulling it open, Seth spotted Toni

leaning against the wall. Toni grinned
and stepped nearer. “Mornin’,” Toni
greeted.

“Hey, do you even sleep?” Seth

teased. The guy sure seemed to be close
by all the time. Only when he’d been in
the garden had Toni not been near.

Toni chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I had a very

restful night,” he stated, waggling his
eyebrows comically.

Snorting, Seth rolled his eyes as he

remembered Peter sitting on Toni’s lap.
“Yeah. I bet,” he stated drolly.

Listening to Toni’s laughter, Seth

headed down the hallway. Glancing
around, he pointed at a door. “Adalric’s
office?”

Toni nodded and Seth kept moving.

True to his word, he stopped by the

kitchen for breakfast. He declined the
offer of sausage, eggs, and hash browns.
Had it been lunch, Seth would have
loved it, but he didn’t like anything quite
that heavy this early. “Just the banana
and orange is fine,” he assured, snagging
the fruit from the bowl on the counter.

“Okay, if you change your mind, I’ll

probably be cooking for the next hour or
so,” the black haired guy at the stove
told him.

“Thanks, man,” Seth replied, heading

out the sliding door.

He found Xavier just rising from a

chair on the back deck, an empty plate in

front of him and cup of coffee in hand.
The older man smiled. “Ah, so I didn’t
scare you away.”

Grinning, Seth replied, “Nope,” and

took a bite of his banana.

“And you’re even dressed for work.

Let me just refill my coffee, and we’ll
get on our way,” Xavier replied.

“Ya know, a cup of coffee actually

does sound good,” Seth replied.

“I’ll get you one. Cream or sugar?”

Toni spoke up from behind him.

“Black.” Seth stood outside and

waited. Resting his hands on his hips, he

inhaled deeply, drawing the fresh air
into his lungs. He smiled as he watched
a hummingbird flit around a feeder
before seeming to hover in place as it
drank the sugar water.

“They’re neat, aren’t they?”

Seth spun at the sound of the voice and

nearly stumbled.

The guy behind him grabbed his upper

arm, offering support. “Whoa, sorry,
Seth. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

On instinct, Seth pulled from the guy’s

grip, and the man didn’t try to keep him.
He swept his gaze over the guy quickly.
“I’m sorry. Who are you? How do you

know my name?”

The man laughed and held out a hand.

“I’m Spieron Virche, and everyone
knows

who you are,” he told him.

“Everyone’s happy for Adalric. I hear
he’s been alone for a long time.” He
shrugged.

Seth nodded slowly as he took in the

man. He had auburn hair with more red
than

brown,

classically

handsome

features with high cheekbones, an
aquiline nose, and lips that were slightly
thinner on the top than the bottom. He
stood about Seth’s height with a slightly
leaner frame, though not by much.

He smiled pleasantly, and waved a

hand toward the hummingbird feeder.
“They’re

amazing,

aren’t

they?

Hummingbirds?

They

can

actually

hover.”

“Yeah,

I’ve

heard

that,”

Seth

commented, returning his gaze to the
feeder. A different bird now drank from
it. “There are a number of plants that
attract them here,” he said, pointing at
the bed of blue and pink morning glories
ten feet away near the mouth of the
garden.

Xavier chuckled as he walked up

behind them. “Ah, yes. So pretty. A
request of yours, I believe, Spieron.
They do require me to keep a sharp
eye.”

Spieron’s

green

eyes

widened.

“Really? What do you mean? I just read
they attracted hummingbirds and thought
they’d look nice.”

Snorting, Seth commented, “He means

they can spread fast and choke out other
plants. Some people consider them a
weed, what with the way they can kinda
take over.”

“Damn,” Spieron grimaced. “I didn’t

know that. If they’re too much work—”

Xavier patted the slightly shorter man

and shook his head. “Don’t worry about
it. If I weren’t out here every day
anyway, I might consider it. As it is, it

only takes a moment to make certain
their vines aren’t spreading too far.”

“Oh, okay.” Spieron looked troubled,

but he accepted the gardener’s words.

“Come on, Seth,” Xavier said,

handing him a travel mug. “This is from
Toni,” he explained, glancing to his left
at the vampire in question, who now
stood deep in conversation with a dark-
haired guy Seth didn’t know. “Let’s get
this show on the road.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Seth replied. He

looked toward Spieron and nodded, then
followed Xavier through a hedge to a
shed tucked discreetly behind the
foliage.

Several hours later, drenched in

sweat, Seth lowered the hedge trimmers
and rolled his shoulders. Xavier
chuckled, eyeing him with sympathy
where he stood several yards down the
trail.

“Damn,” Seth muttered. “I never

considered myself short until I had to
trim so many feet of nine-foot hedges.”

“Then I think I’ve arrived just in

time,” called Peter.

Seth turned just in time to see the man

sashay around the corner. What really
caught his attention, however, was the

platter he carried piled with finger
sandwiches, fruit, chips, and huge
glasses of what appeared to be iced tea.

“Careful, Peter. Don’t let Adalric see

Seth drooling over you like that.”

From Xavier’ tone, Seth knew he

teased, but that didn’t stop Peter from
shimmying a bit while saying, “Oh, don’t
worry, Xav. I know exactly what Seth’s
really drooling for.” With his head, he
motioned toward several decorative
benches set around a small fountain
situated off to the side of the main path.
“Have a seat and take a load off.”

Seth didn’t need to be invited twice.

He dropped unceremoniously onto a

bench and groaned as he felt the twinge
in his back. After setting his sheers
down, he lifted his arms over his head
and twisted this way and that, making his
back pop a couple times.

“Damn, that’s good,” he mumbled.

Xavier chuckled and settled on a

second bench. Seth couldn’t help
noticing that, even as old as he
appeared, the gardener didn’t seem any
worse for wear. He didn’t know if he
should be jealous or impressed.

“So, how do you like it here so far?”

Peter asked, handing him a plate piled
with food and a tall glass of iced tea.

Seth took a moment to take several

long swallows. “Ugh, yeah,” he sighed.
He could actually feel the chill work its
way down his throat, soothing him from
the inside out.

Peter snickered, a pleased grin on his

face. Even Xavier appeared amused,
though his brow was cocked in silent
interest.

Picking up the sandwich, Seth took a

bite. “Mmm, chicken salad. Nice.” Once
he’d swallowed, he admitted, “I’m still
coming to grips with the whole
paranormal thing.”

“Oh.” Peter sat down on the bench on

Seth’s other side, pulling his legs up,

and crossing them in front of him. “Well,
I’ve known about them since I was six,”
he shared. “A vampire saved me from a
house fire, but it killed my parents. I
didn’t have any family, so he adopted
me.” He grinned suddenly. “Hey, maybe
I can answer some of your questions. I
know just about everything.”

Seth’s brows shot up. From Peter’s

expression and the way he shared his
past, Peter seemed pretty well adjusted.
“Well, I do have questions about how
the whole bonding thing works,” he
admitted. “Do you think you could tell
me about that?”

“Well, I can tell you a few things, but

why don’t you ask Adalric? Wouldn’t he

tell you?” Peter looked generally
confused.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, like

maybe he was going behind Adalric’s
back, he struggled with a proper answer.
“Well, I was hoping to, I don’t know…”
He grimaced. “A list of pros and cons,
things to expect, what’s normal, what’s
not normal, that kind of thing. Ya
know?”

Peter beamed. “Oh, okay.” He waved

toward the gardener. “I bet Xavier could
tell you all about it.”

“You’re bonded with a vampire?”

Seth asked.

“No, silly,” Peter snickered. “Xavier

is a vampire.”

Seth just knew his jaw sagged open in

shock. “You are?” He gave the gardener
a closer once over, his gaze landing on
the sandwich in his hand. “But you’re
eating!” Then he remembered the carrot
stick Adalric had swiped from his plate
the night before. “Is that normal?”

Xavier sighed and shook his head.

“Well, damn, you really don’t know
much. How is that possible?”

He’d be offended, but the words were

said kindly, with almost a fatherly
concern. Shrugging, he explained, “I was
near Durango trying to stop some

buddies, well, ex-buddies, really, from
giving my ex-boyfriend crap.”

“That’s a lot of exes,” Peter pointed

out.

Nodding, Seth told them, “When he

left me, I realized what assholes they
were and stopped associating with them.
They blamed it on Bobby, so I went to
the town he’d moved to, intending to
warn him.” He grimaced. “It wasn’t like
he was taking my calls anymore, not that
I blamed him.”

“Ouch.”

As much as Seth appreciated Peter’s

commiseration, he knew it was his fault.

Not wanting to dwell on his foolishness,
he continued his tale. “Well, I found him
all right, shortly after my friends had
pulled him from a restaurant. A rogue
vampire attacked them. They might have
been assholes to Bobby, but no one
deserved to die like that,” he whispered,
remembering the vampire’s glowing
eyes, gleefully feral expression, and
cackling laughter.

“I grabbed Bobby and we ran. The

vampire chased us. I crashed my truck.
We were saved by Maelgwn, Bobby’s
gargoyle mate, and Adalric,” he quickly
finished. “I never actually got to go
home. They declared me legally dead.”
Okay, that last bit might have been said

a little bitterly.

Instead of commenting on it, Xavier

nodded. “I suppose that is not the best
way to be introduced to paranormals, is
it?”

Peter snorted. “Ya think?”

“Well, I guess I can share a few things

then,”

Xavier

stated,

thoughtfully

rubbing his jaw.

For the next thirty minutes, Xavier

explained how important finding a
beloved was to a vampire. He explained
how they became possessive, wanted to

keep their beloved safe at all costs, and
even dominant and pushy to make that
happen. He also shared how the vampire
viewed their beloved’s happiness as one
of the most important things above all
others, besides their safety, of course.

Seth learned his life would be

extended after they bonded, so he
wouldn’t die until the vampire did. He’d
become more immune to diseases, his
bones stronger, and he’d gain an almost
sixth sense of when his vampire was
near.

He lifted a hand suddenly. “I’m

sorry…wait, what? We’ll be able to
speak how?”

“Telepathically,” Xavier said again,

this time a bit more softly.

“Telepathically,”

Seth

mumbled.

That’s what he’d thought he’d heard.
“You mean, in my head, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Xavier confirmed.

Obviously sensing Seth’s growing

discomfort, Peter reached across the gap
between benches and touched his arm.
“But he’ll help you learn to control it, so
you don’t always have him in your head.
You’ll be able to choose,” he assured.
“Plus,” he added, “I’m sure he’d never
just barge into your mind without your
permission. That would be rude and
Adalric wants you happy. You’re his

beloved.”

He said that as if that would solve

everything. Seth wondered how that
worked. Clearing his throat, he decided
he would revisit the whole telepathy
issue another time. Seth really had one
more huge concern. “What happens
when your eyes turn…red? Does that
mean you’re about to attack?”

Chapter Eight

Adalric pushed the door open to
Daystrum’s room and crossed to the bed.
He smiled upon seeing his second’s eye
flicker open. “Heyyyyy,” he greeted
softly, drawing out the word. “If you
needed a rest, you really just should
have said something,” he teased.

His second chuckled, then groaned.

“Shit, don’t make me laugh.”

Gently resting his hand on Daystrum’s

good shoulder, he murmured, “Sorry, old
friend.”

Daystrum’s brow creased. “Shit, that

must be the first time I’ve ever heard you
say that,” he whispered.

Smirking, Adalric quipped, “I’m sure

I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When do I get to meet the human

who’s mellowed you out?” Daystrum
pressed, his eyes twinkling despite the
pain he must obviously be feeling.

Adalric smiled. “As soon as you can

get out of bed on your own. How about
that? You can receive us in that fancy
sitting room of yours.”

“Sounds like a plan,” the injured

vampire mumbled.

Now that his friend had finally woken,

Adalric had to ask. “Did you see who
did this to you?”

“No,” came the unfortunate answer.

“And they were doused in liquor, so I
couldn’t even tell you if I recognized
their scent.”

“Damn,” Adalric muttered. It sure

wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Grimacing, Adalric shook his head

once. “Your health is far more important

to me than that, Daystrum. Just get well.
We’ll figure this out.”

Daystrum sighed. “Shit.”

“Hey, relax. I’m just glad you’re

healing. You’ve had a few of us
worried.”

“I hate feeling this helpless. How the

fuck could I have been so careless to let
them get a drop on me?” Daystrum
hissed, clearly frustrated.

“Them? How many do you suspect?”

“Three, maybe four.”

“You relax,” Adalric reassured, even

though all he wanted to do was howl. He
was a good leader, and possibly having
four traitors pissed him the hell off.
“We’ll get these bastards, one way or
another,” he vowed.

He went to stand, but Daystrum lifted

a hand and gripped his sleeve. “Wait.
How’re you and Seth?”

“Um.” Adalric paused and licked his

lips, trying to come up with a…well,
maybe not an honest answer, but
something that was fairly accurate. “You
know…better. Not great, yet, but I think
he’s coming around.”

“Coming around?” Daystrum sighed

and rolled his eyes. “Gods above, why

do you make everything so difficult?”

“Me!” Adalric snapped. “He was

attacked by a rogue vampire. I could
have lost him before I found him!” He
clicked his jaw shut as that realization
sank in. “Fuck.”

Daystrum

actually

smiled

and

squeezed his shoulder. “Have you told
him how you feel, yet?”

“How I feel?” He tried to sound

confused, but he really knew what his
second meant. They’d known each other
for a couple centuries. “Shit. No, but it’s
on the to-do list,” he admitted.

Once again, Daystrum chuckled, then

grunted. “Fuck. Told you not to make me
laugh,” he grumbled. Adalric just
scowled at him. Once he’d settled,
Daystrum smiled wanly at him, suddenly
looking tired. “Don’t wait too long, my
friend.”

He thought about saying some snarky

response, but then saw his second’s
eyelids droop. Instead, he patted the
injured

vampire’s

shoulder

and

whispered, “You get some rest. I’ll see
you later.”

Before he’d even made it out of the

suite of rooms, the main door opened
and Edwin slipped inside. He flicked a
glance toward Daystrum’s bedroom,
then refocused on Adalric. “Sorry to

interrupt, sir, but there’s a detective here
looking

for

both

you

and

Seth

Goodwin.”

“What?” he gasped. He’d worked

with Maelgwn to have Seth declared
legally dead, burned to death in a truck
fire to be exact. Why would a detective
come here looking for him? “How the
hell—”

Edwin lifted his hands in confusion.

“Son of a bitch,” he growled. He

paused and shoved a hand through his
hair. “Shit.” He knew he couldn’t hide
Seth, not from a detective. Although he
hated when a decision came back to bite
him in the ass, Adalric would have to

see this one through. “He’s with the
gardener today. Contact Xavier and ask
him to bring Seth to the salon, then show
the detective there. I’ll meet him there.”

“Yes, sir,” Edwin answered quickly.

They both left Daystrum’s suite of

rooms and Adalric shut the door quietly
behind him. He glanced up and down the
hall, relieved to find it empty, and rested
his shoulder against the wall and sighed.

This wing remained fairly quiet…

well, except for at night. He smiled at
that thought. The house had four wings.
The first, and smallest, was for him and
his beloved. The second was for his
inner circle including his second,

enforcers, and top three trackers. On
occasion, they had guests, and they were
also put in that wing for safety reasons,
Adalric’s, not theirs.

The third wing housed the humans that

lived with them, each having their own
suite including a living room, bedroom,
and bathroom. One could say the same
for the fourth wing, where the remaining
twenty plus members of his coven slept.
Between the two groups, they kept the
kitchen, dining room, entertainment
room, and communal rooms hopping.

His wasn’t a large coven, by any

means, but he’d always thought of them
as family. He frowned at the wall as if
he could see through it and peer at his

injured second. Why did every family
have one bad apple? Or, in this case,
three or four? Pushing away from the
wall, Adalric straightened his shoulders
and headed toward the salon.

He opened the door and strode inside.

When he shut the door, the human
standing near the fireplace inspecting a
picture turned to face him. The detective
was an older man, late forties or early
fifties, with thick gray hair and just the
beginning of a paunch at his waist. When
he reached out and took the man’s
offered hand, his grip was strong and
sure, belying the age spots on his skin.

“Detective Hanson,” the man said.

Adalric nodded. “Adalric Bachmeier.

How can I help you, Detective?”

“You’re the owner of the place?”

“Yes, that’s right.” He waved toward

a chair. “Would you like a seat? I’m sure
Gerald will be here any moment with
coffee.”

As if on cue, the big vampire entered,

carrying a tray holding a carafe and
several coffee mugs.

“That wasn’t necessary,” Detective

Hanson said, but he looked grateful as he
took the steaming mug, accepting a dash
of cream. Once he sat back in his chair,
he said, “I have a report that a mister

Seth Goodwin is staying here. As he was
reported missing, then deceased, we just
need to make certain—”

The door opened at that moment and

Xavier paused in the doorway. For just a
second, he stood there with a shocked
expression on his face. Just as quickly, it
was gone and he moved to the side and
motioned Seth into the room. Adalric
made a note to ask Xavier about his
reaction later.

He sucked in a breath at the sight of

his beloved. His sun-kissed skin glowed
with health, dirt clung to his shorts, and
a bit of vine poked from his hair, but to
Adalric, he’d never looked sexier.

Adalric forced himself to focus on the

moment. “Detective Hanson,” he said,
drawing the man’s attention away from
the pair that entered. “This is Seth
Goodwin.” He indicated his lover.
“Seth, this is Detective Hanson. It seems
there are some questions about…I’m
sorry. What is the concern?”

To Adalric’s pleasure, after Seth

shook the detective’s hand, he didn’t
hesitate to cross to the sofa and sit
beside him.

“We’re just following up. It’s routine,

really,” Detective Hanson answered
evasively. He turned and looked at Seth.
“Are you aware you were reported
dead, sir?”

Seth colored slightly and glanced

toward Adalric. “Uh, yeah. I was told
that. Uh, I had planned to rectify that, but
I just got in town yesterday and, well…”
He shrugged. “I guess it wasn’t really a
priority.”

“Not a priority to let people who are

mourning for you know you’re okay?”
the detective asked sharply.

“Is that tone completely necessary?”

Adalric snapped. How dare this human
speak to my beloved that way!

Seth placed his hand on Adalric’s

thigh and squeezed. “No, no, I get what
he’s saying. A lot has happened and I’m

still recovering, so…” He shrugged.

“Recovering?” The detective pounced

on that bit of information. The human
swept his gaze over the four of them.
“Would you mind if I spoke with Seth
alone, please?”

Adalric wanted to refuse. It wasn’t

too long ago that his human had said he
didn’t want to be here. Would his lover
take this opportunity to leave him? His
heart clenched at the thought.

Seth patting his leg drew his attention.

“I’ll be fine,” Seth assured.

Nodding once, he cupped Seth’s nape

and drew him close, capturing his mouth

in a short, carnal kiss. Just as quickly,
knowing if he didn’t, he’d be tempted to
pull his lover onto his lap and go too far,
Adalric released him and rose. He
headed toward the door, a tilt of his
head causing Gerald to stand and join
him.

Taking in the way Xavier still stood

rigid beside the door, Adalric rested a
hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” he
asked quietly.

Xavier tensed beneath his hand, then

met his eyes and gave him a pained
smile. “Of course.” He turned and left
the room.

Adalric quickly followed, hearing

Gerald softly shut the door. “Xavier, is
something wrong?” he called to the
older vampire.

Slowly, Xavier turned to face him, his

brows drawn in consternation, but it was
the dazed expression that concerned
Adalric…until Xavier spoke. “I never
thought I’d meet him. I’d given up hope.”

“What do you mean?” Gerald asked.

“I believe the detective is my

beloved,” Xavier whispered.

Adalric

smiled.

“Congratulations.

We’ll see what we can find out about
him, shall we?”

“Thank you, sir.”

Nodding, Adalric returned his focus to

the pair of men in the room beyond the
door. With his heightened hearing, it
wasn’t difficult to make out their
conversation.

“You

mentioned recovering, Seth.

Recovering from what? Are you here of
your own free will?” the detective
asked.

Adalric held his breath, wondering

what his beloved would say. Would he
take this opportunity to ask for help in
leaving?

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m good,” Seth

responded. “I, uh, it probably seems
sudden to someone else. I get that.” He
sounded like he was smiling. “I wrecked
my truck and had amnesia. Adalric was
there, visiting a friend, and helped me
out.” Seth snorted. “We really hit it off
and, when most of my memory returned,
I decided to move out here with him.”

“Someone reported that you were

forced here. Are you saying that’s not
true?” the detective pressed.

“Forced here. That’s ridiculous. Who

told you that?” Seth asked, his tone
darkening.

Adalric wanted to know the same

damn thing.

“A mister Chad Burtwick came to us

this morning,” Detective Hanson replied.

“That son of a bitch,” Seth snarled.

“Not a friend of yours?”

Seth heaved a sigh and Adalric could

imagine his lover rolling his eyes. “No,
most definitely not. He had designs on
my man and didn’t like it when I came
home with him.”

“Ah, then I’ll close this file and if

Mister Burtwick comes around again,
arrest him for making a false report.”

Adalric heard clothes rustle and the

creak of furniture, indicating they stood.

He stepped back and waited.

When the door opened, Seth smirked.

“Waiting for something?” he teased.

“For you,” Adalric replied. He

reached out and grabbed his beloved,
making no bones about his plans. Seth
didn’t fight him, coming willingly, and
Adalric wrapped his arm around Seth’s
waist and tucked him close to his side
and stole a swift kiss before turning back
to the detective. “Was there anything
else?”

“No, that’ll be all. Thank you for

allowing me to interrupt your day,”
Detective Hanson replied. Adalric noted
his gaze flitted between the two of them,

then away, as if uncomfortable with a
show of affection between two men.

Well, shit, that doesn’t bode well for

Xavier!

“Would you like to join us for lunch?”

Adalric asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw

Seth’s surprised expression, but he kept
his focus on the detective. Hanson
looked toward Xavier, then the floor.
Could he be a closet case? Or maybe he
didn’t understand his attraction to the
older gentleman?

“Uh, no, I’m afraid I need to get back

to the station. Thank you, and good luck

with, uh, everything,” the detective
finished lamely.

Adalric nodded. It looked like they’d

have to find out more about the man.
“Gerald, if you could show Detective
Hanson out. Good day.”

Xavier tensed, his hands fisting as

Gerald accompanied the detective down
the hall.

“Xavier,” Adalric said the vampire’s

name softly. “Why don’t you come with
us?”

“What’s going on?” Seth murmured as

they started walking.

Adalric glanced over his shoulder,

then turned to his beloved. “It seems the
good detective is Xavier’s beloved.”

“Really?” Seth grinned at the older

vampire. “Hey, congrats. How ya gonna
catch your man?”

“I have no idea,” Xavier replied

softly, looking a little dazed.

Adalric rested his free hand on the

gardener’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.
I’ll put Garner on him and have him
verify friends and family.”

“Thanks,” Xavier responded. “I think

I’m gonna go back to my gardens. Clear
my head,” he said almost absently. He

looked at Seth. “You coming?”

Before Seth could respond, Adalric

replied, “No, Seth and I have some
talking to do.” He grinned at his human.
“Don’t we, beloved?”

Seth blushed.

Chapter Nine

Adalric led Seth to his office. Seth
glanced around with interest, taking in
the dark oak furniture and hardwood
floors. A pair of tan leather chairs rested
on a braided green and brown throw rug.
Shelves lined the left wall, filled nearly
to capacity with leather bound books.

A bay window lined the wall on the

far side, behind the desk and chair. The
desk

was

massive

L-shaped

monstrosity, pushed flush to the far wall
and then jutting into the room. A slender
laptop rested on top of it.

Still holding Seth’s hand, Adalric

pulled him around the desk. The vampire
flopped back into his equally mammoth
desk chair, then pulled Seth down onto
his lap. He frowned. “I don’t really do
laps,” he said, intending to stand.

“Humor me,” Adalric stated. “I like

holding you.”

Grumbling under his breath, Seth

eased back, wiggling a bit to find a
fairly comfortable position. Adalric
grinned, ignoring him as he held onto
him with one hand and reached for his

desk phone with the other. He pressed
the intercom button and signaled for the
kitchen.

“’Yellow,” said a friendly feminine

voice.

“Vickie?” Adalric questioned.

“Hey, sir. What can I do for you?” she

greeted.

“Track down Garner and send him to

my office,” he ordered.

“You got it, boss. Anything else? Ya

want lunch for Seth delivered, too?”

Adalric paused and looked at him.

“You hungry?”

Seth shook his head, appreciating the

option to decline. “No. Peter brought me
food earlier.”

Nodding, Adalric answered, “No,

Vickie. That will be all.”

“So, who’s this Garner guy?” he

asked after Adalric disconnected the
intercom, unable to contain his curiosity.
“How’s he gonna help?”

Adalric leaned back in his chair and

wrapped both arms around Seth’s torso.
He slipped one hand under his shirt and
started leisurely running his fingers over
his abs. “Garner is my tech guru. He will

dig up info on the detective that we will
use to help Xavier connect with his
beloved.”

He grinned and nibbled Seth’s neck.

“Although ever-increasing technology
makes it more and more difficult to hide
our existence, it does help us in other
ways, like figuring out how to seduce
our beloveds, once we meet them.”

Seth snickered.

Then, Adalric’s

clever fingers rose higher and plucked a
nipple, the sound turning into a grunting
moan. Adalric hummed and scraped his
teeth across the tendon of Seth’s neck.

“Shit,” he hissed. “That shouldn’t turn

me on so much.”

“Sure it should,” Adalric whispered,

the warm air of his breath over Seth’s
wet skin causing goose bumps to erupt
over his skin. “You’re my beloved. You
should love my teeth.”

Fortunately, he didn’t have to think up

a response. A sharp knock on the door
sounded through the office. Adalric
sighed and called, “Enter.”

When Seth moved to get off his lap,

Adalric tightened his hold. “Stay,” he
growled.

Huffing a sigh, he settled, again.

They’d need to have a talk about this
lap-sitting thing, Seth decided.

A pale, slender man with shoulder-

length bleach-blond hair and hazel eyes
strode into the room. The man stopped in
front of the desk and stood at parade
rest. Seth would never have guessed it
from looking at the lean, nearly skinny
vampire, but from his stance, maybe
he’d been in the military?

“Yes, Adalric?”

“Relax, Garner,” Adalric ordered

lightly.

“Yes, sir.” The only thing that changed

about the man was a slight loosening of
his shoulders.

Adalric smiled. “I have a job for you,

Garner. I need information on the
detective who was here, Detective
Hanson. Find out what you can and
report back in twenty-four hours.”

Seth’s brows shot up. That wasn’t a

lot of time.

Instead of looking in the least bit

worried about the short time-frame,
Garner asked, “How deep do you want
me to go?”

“Personal

information.

Hobbies.

Friends. Who he spends the most time
with. Habits. That sort of thing.”

“Yes, sir.” Garner responded. “Is

there anything else, sir?”

Adalric shook his head. “No. That

will be all.”

Garner nodded curtly, turned on his

heel, and headed toward the door. With
his hand on the doorknob, he paused and
looked at them over his shoulder.
“Congratulations, sir. Welcome to the
coven, Seth.”

“Thanks,” Seth replied while Adalric

returned the man’s nod.

Garner slipped out of the room.

“Wow,

he’s…reserved,”

Seth

commented, uncertain how else to
describe the man.

Adalric chuckled. “Very true. He

doesn’t have much of a personality, but
he’s the best at background checks. He’ll
dig up info about the detective and we’ll
use it to help Xavier bag his man,” he
said, winking.

Seth shifted on Adalric’s lap a bit so

he didn’t have to crane his neck so far to
see the man. “You surprise me.”

“How so?”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d take

such an…active role in your people’s
lives,” Seth said, choosing his words
carefully.

Smiling, Adalric told him, “If I don’t

know each of my coven members, I don’t
know if they’re happy, or what I need to
do to fix their problems.”

“Okay, I can see that.” Seth cocked his

head. “You’ve introduced people as
enforcers and trackers. Do you have a
beta? Don’t you paranormal groups
always have a second in command?”

Adalric’s smile faded, and Seth

worried

he’d

said

something

inappropriate. Slowly, the vampire
nodded. “Yes, I do have a second in
command. I just call him my second. His
name is Daystrum Striplan. The reason I
had to come home so quickly, that I had
to rush you, was because he was
attacked.”

“Attacked!” Seth gasped. “By whom?

Why?”

“Probably the usual reason…someone

wants to take over my coven and taking
out my second would weaken me. As for
whom? That’s the mystery. We don’t
know, yet.” He threaded his fingers
through Seth’s hair and gripped him in a
loose hold. “That’s why you must
always remain with a vampire I trust.
Gerald, or Toni, or Xavier. Even Edwin
or Darian, I’ll introduce you to them
soon.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Shit? Was

nowhere safe?

“He will be. He looks forward to

meeting you.” Adalric smiled. “Once
he’s not on bed rest anyway. No one
wants to be met the first time that way,”
he added dryly.

Seth nodded. “That I can understand.”

“Now,” Adalric murmured, peering

intensely at him. “I have to ask. You
could have tried to leave with the
detective. Why didn’t you?”

Seth

understood

the

vampire’s

surprise since he’d made no bones about
not wanting to be there on more than one
occasion. He actually felt bad at all the
strain he’d caused the vampire. Seth just
knew, as a coven leader, Adalric

probably wasn’t known as anything but
impatient and dominant—hey, his word
is law around here —but Adalric had
worked really hard to curb that and
show him patience.

“I realized how much you struggled to

give me time. I had a chat with Peter and
Xavier over lunch,” he explained. “They
told me all about what it means to a
vampire to find their beloved.” Seth
clenched his jaw, unable to believe he
was about to offer this, but…without
allowing Adalric to have his ass, they’d
never be able to cement their bond.

Adalric gently stroked his fingers over

Seth’s abs. “I’m touched, but…why
didn’t you just ask me?”

Seth heard something in his lover’s

tone…something he hadn’t expected to
hear. Sadness? Hurt? Cupping Adalric’s
jaw, Seth gently rubbed his fingers over
the vampire’s lips.

“I think…” he started, searching for

the right words. “I needed to hear it from
a third party. Someone who didn’t have
a vested interest in us getting along, ya
know? I just needed bare facts, not
colored by emotion. They were able to
give that to me.”

“Ah, okay,” Adalric replied softly.

Something in his tone told Seth he was

trying very hard to understand, and he

appreciated it. Before he could show
how much, Adalric replied, “And what
did you decide?”

Grinning, Seth quipped, “I’m here,

aren’t I?”

A smile slowly curved Adalric’s lips,

turning into a genuine grin. “Yes, you
are. You know what that means?”

Seth’s blood heated at the possessive

look. “What would that be?” he managed
to whisper through a suddenly dry
mouth.

“I’m keeping you, Seth,” Adalric

growled.

The vampire rose, carrying Seth with

him, once again showing off his strength.
This time, Seth kept in his cry of
surprise. He clutched Adalric’s shirt and
wrapped his legs around the man’s
waist, vowing to enjoy the ride as his
vampire carried him out of the office and
down the hall.

Adalric shoved his way through the

double doors at the end of the hall and
kicked them closed with his foot. Seth
grinned at the vampire’s eagerness,
hiding it against the other man’s neck.
He’d never thought he’d enjoy it—and
he’d never admit it out loud—but being
carried around was growing on him.

When the vampire released him, Seth

landed on the bed and grunted. He
levered up on his elbows and smirked
up at his lover. “You in a hurry for
somethin’?”

“Yes,” Adalric replied, his voice

deep and gruff with lust. His eyes
glowed red, and Seth swallowed hard,
his ardor cooling slightly.

“Look, I know your eyes turn that

color for a variety of reasons,” Seth
muttered. “But I don’t suppose you could
keep them mostly normal…could you?”

Adalric paused for a second, then

dropped the shirt he’d just pulled from
his chest. The vampire breathed in what
must have been a calming breath, for his

eyes returned to their natural deep
brown. In silence, he stripped down
completely and crawled on the bed.

At first, due to the man’s inscrutable

look, Seth worried he’d angered the
vampire and he’d no longer be
interested. Except, once on the bed
beside Seth, he started peeling off Seth’s
clothes, his movements were economical
and sure. He pulled Seth’s t-shirt from
his head, his sneakers and socks from his
feet, and his cargo shorts and underwear
from his waist.

When Seth lay naked, Adalric slipped

a hand between his thighs and with an
insistent pressure, parted them. The
vampire gripped his wrists and lifted

them to either side of Seth’s head as he
settled between his legs. He levered his
big body over him.

Seth felt the other man’s erection

against his own, the pressure and
sensation thickening his flagging shaft.
He opened and sucked in a harsh gasp,
feeling

his

nipples

rasp

against

Adalric’s smooth chest above him. The
answering hard nubs rubbing his pecks
made him shiver and buck up for more
contact. Another man above him—no,
not just any man, but Adalric—holding
him down and taking control turned him
on like nothing he’d experienced before,
or expected.

Adalric lowered his head and brushed

their lips together softly. Lifting his
head, the vampire murmured, “That’s
what freaked you out last night, wasn’t
it? My eyes turning red?”

Unable—or maybe just unwilling—to

lie to his lover, Seth nodded. “I’ve had
nightmares about the other vampire’s red
eyes. I know it doesn’t mean you’re
crazy but…it’s still hard to see,” he
admitted.

Nodding, Adalric told him, “I’m glad

you said something. When I drink your
blood, they will turn red no matter how
much I might will it otherwise. I’m sure
you’re aware that the first time taking a
man is easier when on your stomach.”

He smiled slightly, his tension easing.
“You won’t even see.”

“And in the future?”

“We’ll

work

it,”

Adalric

promised, before growling, “Now, are
you ready to be mine, Seth?”

His breathing sped up and his asshole

clenched. Shit? Am I ready to do this?
Staring up into Adalric’s patient,
adoring gaze, Seth knew he was.

“Make me yours.”

Chapter Ten

Holding his beloved down, it took every
ounce of Adalric’s already strained
patience to wait for Seth to agree. He
blew a sigh of relief through his slightly
parted lips upon hearing his sweet
human’s agreement.

Adalric rocked his hips, sliding their

shafts together. “Hmm, excellent,” he
hissed, enjoying the smooth glide of his
sensitive prick against Seth’s.

His beloved’s musical mewling told

Adalric exactly how on the edge he was.
Never would he have guessed the kinds
of noises Seth would make, and he
wanted to learn what other sounds he
could draw from the man.

From the throb pulsing through his

own cock and the aching of his balls,
Adalric knew he was right there with
him.

“Shit,” Adalric snarled. “Need you.”

Grabbing Seth’s hips, he shimmied

down his lover and flipped him over. He
felt his lover tense beneath him and
smoothed his palms up over his flanks
and his back. “Easy, darling,” he

crooned. “I’ll make sure you’re ready.”

Seth looked over his shoulder at him

and cocked a brow, his lip curving in
obvious amusement. “Darling?”

Shrugging,

Adalric

grinned

unabashedly. “You’re my darling. Get
used to it.”

While Seth snickered, he took the

opportunity to grip his lover’s ass-
cheeks, pull them apart and lower his
head. When he slid his tongue along
Seth’s cleft and over the wrinkled skin
of his hole, Seth gasped.

“Oh, my God! Had no idea,” he

moaned. Grunting, he spread his legs

wider and rocked his hips, offering
himself.

Adalric smiled, pleased to discover

he was the first to offer his lover this
type of pleasure. He doubled his efforts,
laving his beloved’s entrance then
stiffening his tongue and gently piercing
Seth’s opening.

His human howled, his sounds of

enjoyment filling the room. Adalric
worked his tongue in and out, bathing
Seth’s entrance, loosening him. He slid
one hand down and palmed his lover’s
testicles gently. Seth’s howls turned to
quiet grunts and he rolled his hips,
pressing into the contact.

Giving Seth what he wanted, Adalric

rolled his balls while pushing a finger in
beside his tongue. When he slid a second
digit into Seth, he curled his fingers and
pressed against the human’s pleasure
gland.

Seth moaned and shook. Rocking

against Adalric’s face, he rode his
fingers, his bliss apparent in every
shiver and shudder of his body. “P-
please,” Seth grunted. “Please, more.”

“Anything you want, my beloved,”

Adalric crooned after pulling his tongue
from Seth’s channel. He leaned forward
and blindly reached under a pillow,
searching

for

the

lube

he’d

optimistically left there earlier that

morning.

He curled his fingers around the tube,

grunting with relief. Pouring a generous
dollop on his fingers where they slid in
and out of his lover’s chute, he coated
Seth’s internal walls. Adalric slid a
third digit into the man, pegging his
lover’s gland as he loosened him further.

“N-now,” Seth groaned. “Please

now.”

Adalric obeyed, more than happy to

allow his sexy human to set the pace, as
long as it wouldn’t hurt him. Besides, he
knew he’d need to hurry or he’d spill on
the sheets just from listening to his
human’s sexy cries and watching the

way Seth arched and shuddered.

Adalric eased his fingers free, then

used the remaining lube to coat his
straining erection. He pinched the base
of his dick, stemming his urge to orgasm.
Once he felt he had himself under
control, Adalric aligned his cock head
with Seth’s hole.

“Push out,” he urged.

“I know what to do,” Seth snapped.

His urge to chuckle died when he

pushed forward, popping the cap of his
erection into the hot, moist pressure of
Seth’s body. His lover stiffened beneath
him, and Adalric forced himself to still.

He stroked his hands down Seth’s sides,
trying to soothe him. Leaning over him,
he sucked softly on the tendon he longed
to sink his fangs into.

Lifting his head, he whispered, “Easy.

Just breathe for me.”

“I am breathing,” Seth snarled through

gritted teeth, glaring over his shoulder at
him.

Instead

responding,

Adalric

reached under Seth and gripped the
human’s flagging erection. As he stroked
him, he nuzzled Seth’s neck before
sliding his fangs into his beloved’s neck.
The dick he held thickened just as blood
flowed over his tongue. Seth cried out

and his cum shot over his fingers.

Adalric thrust forward, sinking his

length into Seth’s clenching chute. His
balls slapped against Seth’s ass. Adalric
shuddered, feeling the tight hold of his
beloved’s body, sensations shooting up
his cock. Lifting his head, he groaned.
“Seth,” he hissed, struggling to maintain
control.

“Oh, fuck, yeah. Move, damn it!”

Grinning, Adalric once more obeyed.

He’d have to teach his lover about
topping from the bottom, but now wasn’t
the time. He was too on edge, needed to
spill too badly, and he wanted his lover
to come with him.

He pulled out, adjusted his angle, and

thrust into his beloved. Seth groaned as
Adalric set up a punishing rhythm,
pegging his prostate over and over. The
cock in his grip thickened once more and
Adalric reached back and fondled Seth’s
balls.

“Damn,” Seth grunted. He arched his

back and started rocking up, meeting
Adalric thrust for thrust. “Yeah, that’s it.
Never thought it’d feel this good.”

“Yeah, darling,” Adalric murmured,

licking over his beloved’s neck.
“Always make you feel this good,” he
promised.

“Hold you to that,” Seth panted.

“You ready to come again, my

beloved?” Adalric asked, switching his
grip to Seth’s cock. Pride flooded him
when he found his lover’s dick hard and
weeping. He swiped his thumb over the
damp head, then remembering the man’s
reaction the night before, he pressed his
thumbnail into the man’s slit.

“Holy shit!” Seth howled, his body

bucking.

Adalric sank his prick deep one more

time just as he plunged his fangs into his
lover’s neck. The rich metallic taste of
his lover’s life-giving nectar flowed
over his tongue and filled his mouth.
Adalric moaned as his balls pulled tight
and shot his seed up his shaft, coating

Seth’s passage.

Heady endorphins flooded his veins,

making his senses sing. He sucked down
two more mouthfuls before easing his
fangs from his beloved. Adalric felt their
bond strengthen and hummed happily as
he swiped his tongue over the wound on
Seth’s neck, closing the tooth holes.

Shifting his body, Adalric flopped

sideways, taking his lover with him. His
softening prick slipped from Seth’s hole,
eliciting a grunt from the man. Grinning,
Adalric used the telepathic bond formed
between a vampire and his beloved to
speak to his human.

Don’t worry, darling. I’ll slide it

back inside you soon.

Seth stiffened, then looked over his

shoulder at him. “Was that you?”

Adalric cringed. “Ah, shit,” he

whispered. “I’m sorry, Seth. I should
have told you about that little trick,
huh?”

Snorting, Seth rolled to his back and

smirked up at him. “Don’t worry too
much. I already heard about it from
Xavier.”

Unable to help himself, Adalric

growled low in his throat. Seth’s brows
shot up and he pulled back. Adalric
grabbed him, yanked him close, and

clutched Seth to his chest. “Never
mention another man while naked in our
bed,” he warned gruffly, unable to hide
his possessive reaction.

“Right,” Seth replied, his voice

muffled against Adalric’s chest. “I’ll, uh,
try to remember that.”

“Good,” Adalric replied gruffly,

slowly easing his grip as he worked to
get his possessiveness under control.

Once his hold eased enough, Seth

looked up at him and quirked an
eyebrow. “We really do need to work on
our communication.”

Adalric nodded. “When you’re right,

you’re right,” he teased. Pressing a soft
kiss to Seth’s lips, he flicked his tongue
into Seth’s mouth for a quick taste before
pulling back. Grinning over at him, he
quipped, “You know, if you weren’t so
sexy that I can’t keep my hands off you, I
wouldn’t have this problem.”

Seth snorted. “Yeah, right. You’re the

sexy one.”

He grinned. The way Seth’s face

flushed pink, Adalric figured his
handsome human hadn’t meant to say that
out loud. Having no desire to embarrass
Seth further, he simply said, “I’m glad
you find me appealing. Just know that I
find you just as appealing,” he assured.
His lover still didn’t look convinced, but

not interested in getting into an argument
about something so asinine, Adalric
captured Seth’s lower lip between his
own and sucked briefly. Releasing the
reddened, plump flesh, he said, “I’ll be
right back. I’ll get a cloth to clean you
up.”

Ten minutes later, cleaned and curled

up under the sheet, Adalric held his
sleeping lover. Finally, after weeks of
waiting, he held Seth exactly where
Adalric needed him…at his side. He
wondered briefly what he’d need to do
to keep him there before the lure of
slumber claimed him.

“Are you saying you can’t find Chad?”

Adalric asked coldly. He tried to focus
on their conversation, but his mind kept
straying to last night and the candlelit
dinner he and Seth had enjoyed after
they’d woken from their little nap. It had
gone extremely well, if he did say so
himself. It had ended in another round of
fucking, followed by a shared shower,
then more cuddle time leading to a rub
off session before falling asleep. They’d
even managed a bit of talking.

Besides, he couldn’t give a fuck

where Chad was as long as he wasn’t
bothering them anymore. At this point,
the human had to know his little stunt
with the kidnapping charge didn’t work,

and if he ever showed his face around
here again, Adalric would kill him.

“No, sir. I’m sorry. He’s not at the

condo he requested set up for him, and
from the scent of the place, he never has
been,” Felicia replied.

That

finally

got

his

attention.

Adalric’s eyes narrowed as he took in
Felicia’s tense posture. She stared at the
desk, keeping her gaze lowered, not
wanting to raise his ire any further than
she probably figured the news already
would.

“Son of a bitch,” Adalric whispered.

He saw Felicia’s shoulders tense, but
knew it wasn’t his tracker’s fault. “Bring

me Edwin,” he growled. Where had his
enforcer dropped Chad off?

“Right away, sir.” Felicia nodded

crisply, then practically fled from the
room.

Adalric sucked in a breath, then

tapped into his link with his beloved. He
could practically feel the enjoyment Seth
derived from…whatever the hell he was
doing in the garden. Damn, he wished he
could be watching his lover right now.

Everything okay?

Seth’s worried question, spoken into

his mind, caused Adalric’s brows to
shoot up even as he grinned. Evidently,

he hadn’t been containing his emotions
and Seth had felt them. Ah, worried
about me, darling?

Well,

sure.

can

feel

your

frustration. What’s up?

He wondered briefly how much he

should share. A brisk knock interrupted
his musings. “Enter,” he called, then said
through their link, I’ll explain in a bit.
How about I bring you and Xavier
lunch shortly? I could do for some
sunshine.

Okay.

Adalric smiled at his beloved’s

response. He realized now that Seth

might not have been trying to be quite as
rude as he’d assumed back at the
gargoyle’s home. For the most part, his
beloved just happened to be a man of
few words.

Returning his focus where it needed to

be, Adalric watched Garner enter the
room. He leaned back in his chair and
relaxed for both of them as Garner stood
straight and tall before him, his hands
clasped behind his back. “Have a seat,”
Adalric offered, waving a hand toward
one of the comfortable chairs opposite
him.

“I’d prefer to stand, sir,” Garner

replied.

“Suit yourself,” Adalric responded.

“What have you learned?”

Garner fixed his gaze on the wall

behind Adalric and rattled off briskly,
“Detective Hanson is forty-seven years
old. His first name is Owen. He was
married for seventeen years before
divorcing amicably with his wife,
Marion Swainer…she is now remarried.
They have one child together, a boy
named Nate Hanson, now twenty-seven.
He is currently single, works more hours
than not. He sees his son a couple times
a month and he and his ex are friendly
when meeting for holidays. He enjoys
BBQing, and on occasion, shares a steak
with his cop buddies.”

Finally, Garner paused and met his

gaze. “He’s friends with Detective
Catlin Hill.”

“I see,” Adalric murmured, grinning.

“Well, that is interesting, isn’t it?”

Adalric and Darian had aided

Detective

Hill

when

his

newly

discovered mate, a horse shifter named
Gallo Ricci, had been attacked by rogue
vampires. They’d helped track down the
vampires, kill them, and cover up the
fact that the killers had been vampires,
allowing Catlin to close the case without
revealing their existence.

I do believe it’s time to call in a

favor.

Chapter Eleven

Seth lounged on a recliner, sipping a
beer, and watched his lover chat with a
brown haired, brown eyed guy who
stood about six foot two and had plenty
of muscles…probably from working out.
He’d been introduced to Seth as
Detective Catlin Hill, a friend of
Adalric’s.

He glanced at Xavier and noted the

way the older vampire absently peeled

the label on his beer bottle. His normally
serene friend appeared beyond nervous.
“Hey, relax,” Seth encouraged. “He’ll
show.”

Seth sure hoped he was right. It’d

taken nearly two weeks to set up this
little BBQ. The first time, the detective
had cancelled because his son had
needed a hand moving furniture.
Evidently, the man needed to move out
of his girlfriend’s home at a moment’s
notice. Seth wondered what had caused
the sudden explosion of the relationship.
Then again, maybe the split had been
brewing for a while. Damned if he
knew.

“And if he does show, then what?”

Xavier muttered. “He didn’t seem
exceptionally receptive at the house,” he
pointed out.

“He was on duty. Maybe he was

worried about mixing business with
pleasure?”

“Maybe.” Xavier tone didn’t really

make it sound like the vampire believed
that explanation. Before Seth could think
up another alternative, since he hadn’t
really been paying attention at the time—
he’d been too wrapped up in his own
issues—Xavier hissed, “There he is.”

Seth followed his friend’s line of site

and spotted the man. He stood maybe
five foot ten and wore faded blue jeans

and a blue and white checkered button-
down shirt. His thick gray hair looked
damp, like maybe he’d showered
recently.

“He’s a good lookin’ guy,” Seth

commented.

“Yes.”

At Xavier’ one word answer, Seth

focused on the vampire. His friend’s lips
were slightly parted, his breath coming
in short pants, as he eye-fucked the
detective…practically drooling.

“Whoa, Xavier,” Seth warned. “Tone

it down, there. Ya don’t want to send
him running.”

Xavier seemed to visibly shudder, his

Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed
hard. “You’re right, of course,” he
whispered. He tore his gaze from the
human and looked at Seth. Frowning, he
asked, “I haven’t dated in over two
hundred years, Seth. Just what the hell
do I say to the man?”

“Wow…uh, been a while, huh?” Seth

teased, trying to wrap his mind around
being alone for that long. Xavier
shrugged. “Well, do you have any kids?”

“Yes, twenty-nine of them.”

Seth snorted. “Okay, admitting how

many you have might not be the best
idea, but maybe you could commiserate

over the difficulties of raising a son?
Surely at least one of those children was
a boy,” he teased.

Xavier laughed, his tension easing

from his body. “Yeah. Twenty-seven of
them, actually.”

Chuckling, Seth quipped, “Wow, talk

about carrying on your family name.”

The older vampire grinned. “Gotta do

what I can,” he retorted.

Lifting his beer, Seth saluted the man,

then took a long swallow of the bitter
brew. Seth looked up when a shadow
fell over them. He smiled upon seeing
his lover.

Damn, will I ever get used to

thinking of this sexy man as my lover?

Nothing could have prepared him for

his vampire’s seemingly tireless desire
for him. There were times when his
body felt like he’d been ridden hard and
put away wet. Then, other times, Adalric
worshipped him with mouth, hands, and
tongue, leaving him a sweaty, twitchy
pile of satiated nerves. Just thinking
about

their

energetic

bouts

lovemaking caused Seth’s shaft to
thicken in his jeans.

Adalric chuckled. “Those are thoughts

better left for later, darling,” he crooned.

Seth

smirked. Reading my mind

again?

Didn’t need to. Your thoughts were

written all over your face, beloved.

Flushing, Seth silently cursed his fair

skin. Adalric winked, then nodded
toward the man next to him. “You
remember Detective Hanson, don’t you,
Seth?”

Rising from his chair, Seth smiled and

held out his hand. “Glad to see you
under better circumstances, detective.”

“Owen, please,” the man replied,

taking his hand. “And I’m glad you seem
to be doing so well.”

“Me, too.” Seth flashed a grin toward

his lover and added, “Couldn’t be
happier.”

“Geez, all this sappiness is enough to

make anyone sick,” Peter piped up from
where he sat on Toni’s lap. He
snickered and quipped, “Get a room.”

Seth snorted. “Like you have any room

to talk,” he retorted, waving a hand at
him and the hand the enforcer had under
Peter’s shirt. “At least all our hands are
visible.”

“Jealous

much?”

Peter

replied

haughtily, the perfect queen. He looked
slyly over his shoulder at Toni.
“Besides, we just have great sex

together. It’s not like we’re in love or
anything.”

Opening his mouth, Seth snapped it

shut just as quickly. Am I in love with
Adalric? He didn’t know. Shouldn’t it
be too soon for such an emotion? He’d
only known the vampire, what? A month
or so?

“That’s enough, Peter,” Toni growled.

“Stop causing trouble.”

Peter huffed and crossed his arms

over his chest. Toni shook his head, used
his free hand to cup the human’s jaw,
then he captured his mouth in a carnal
kiss that would surely distract him from
his irritation.

Rolling his eyes, Seth returned his

focus to Owen, who was pointedly
looking away from the making-out
couple. “Hey, have you met Xavier?” he
asked, indicating the silent vampire on
his other side. “He has a son, too. I bet
you can swap war stories.”

“Nice to meet you,” Owen said,

offering his hand to Xavier.

After just a second’s hesitation,

Xavier reached out and clasped the
detective’s hand, obviously fighting a
case

nerves.

“Likewise,”

murmured huskily.

The two men stared at each other,

their hands clasped, for far longer than

customary between two men…well, two
straight men anyway. Even Seth could
feel the chemistry between these two and
he’d be the first to admit that he could be
more than a little oblivious.

Suddenly, Owen cleared his throat

and pulled his hand away and shoved
both of them into his pockets. He
frowned, then looked at Seth. “How’d
you know I have a son?”

Seth shrugged. “Catlin said that’s why

he postponed the BBQ a week.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. He’s having some

trouble with…” Owen shook his head
and waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter.”

Deciding his friend needed some

alone time with his beloved, Seth
stepped away. “I’m gonna find the john,
then get another beer. Anyone want a
refill?”

“Wait, I could—” Owen started,

taking a step back.

“Nonsense,” Seth cut him off. “Have a

seat and take a load off,” he insisted,
pointing at his vacated chair. “I won’t be
but a minute.”

“Uh, yeah, sure, then I’ll take a beer,”

Owen said uncertainly.

“Me, too,” Xavier said. “Thanks,

Seth.”

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me

a match…

Adalric sang in Seth’s head and he

just managed to force back his snort. His
vampire caught his hand before he could
take three steps and reeled him back in.
Adalric captured his lips, thrusting his
tongue in deep, ravishing his mouth.
When Adalric finally broke the kiss and
grinned down at him, Seth struggled to
get air back into his deprived lungs.

“Hmm, you do look good flushed, my

beloved,” Adalric crooned. “Don’t be
long. I’ll miss you.”

Seth knew that wasn’t the only reason

he shouldn’t be long. His vampire was

still worried about the unrest in his
coven. In the past two weeks, Edwin had
disappeared along with Chad. He knew
the enforcer’s betrayal had cut Adalric
deeply. The vampire had been with
Adalric for over sixty years.

“I won’t be,” Seth assured, giving his

lover’s hand a squeeze.

Adalric growled softly, but then

Darian stepped through the back gate,
looked around the back yard, and headed
toward the coven leader. Adalric pecked
one more quick kiss to Seth’s lips before
letting him go and turning toward the
tracker.

“I need to talk to you,” Seth heard

Darian mutter to Adalric as he moved
away.

Seth strode across the yard, waving

toward Catlin where he manned the grill.
“Hey, man, where’s your john?”

“I’ll show you,” offered Gallo,

Catlin’s shifter mate.

Seth had heard the slender African

American turned into an appaloosa
horse. He had to admit, he’d be
interested in seeing that, but figured it’d
be rude to ask.

“Thanks, man,” Seth replied.

He followed Gallo through the sliding

door. Once the sliding door was closed
behind them, Gallo glanced over at him
shyly and asked, “So, what’s it like
being mated to a vampire? Does he…
does he drink your blood all the time?
Does it hurt?”

Well, it seemed the shifter wasn’t

quite as shy as Seth had pegged him. He
chuckled and shook his head. “Yes, he
drinks my blood.” Seth tried not to think
about what an odd thing that was to
admit. “And, no, it doesn’t hurt. It’s
actually quite pleasurable,” he added,
waggling his eyebrows at the smaller
man.

Gallo

laughed,

his

blue

eyes

sparkling, as he led him through the

dining room and pointed toward a
hallway. “First door on the left.”

“Thanks, man,” Seth said, patting

Gallo on the shoulder as he passed him.

He caught himself whistling happily

while he took care of business, and
snickered at himself. Washing his hands
at the sink, Seth smirked at his
reflection. “You really do got it bad,
Seth,” he commented.

Upon that admission, he gripped the

sides of the sink and took in his sun-
bronzed skin, the light in his hazel eyes,
and the rosy glow on his cheeks. He ran
a hand through his hair, which had
grown shaggier than he’d ever allowed

it to get while working as a fireman.

“Damn,” he whispered. “I really do

love the vampire.” He frowned. “Do
vampires love back?”

A knock on the bathroom door jerked

him from his confusion. “Just a sec,” he
called, shoving away from the sink. He
dried his hands on a towel, then
unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Before he could recognize who stood on
the other side of the door, a hand came
up and slammed a foul-smelling cloth
over his nose.

Seth struggled on instinct, but his

limbs quickly grew sluggish. Just before
darkness clouded his mind, he heard a

cold chuckle and someone mutter, “Not
so tough now, are ya?”

Seth swallowed, trying to get moisture

down his too-dry throat. It wasn’t the
first time he’d woken, but since a
blindfold

covered

his

eyes,

and

whatever they’d knocked him out with
made his head muzzy, he knew he’d
drifted in and out for a while.

Muffled voices caught his attention,

and he forced himself to focus.

“Why don’t we just kill him?” whined

a voice that Seth recognized as Chad.
Seth curled his lip. The vicious little

worm. “Then you can finish off
Daystrum and we can rule the coven
together.”

“That’s not the way takeovers in a

coven work, Chad,” replied a deep
voice Seth didn’t recognize.

Chad huffed irritably. “I don’t see

why not. Loren and Spieron would back
you. You said you were gonna make
them your second and enforcer anyway.
Why do we have to wait?”

“Because ever since that asshat,

Damune, went rogue in Colorado, the
Vampire Council has been keeping a
sharper eye on everything,” the other
man—who must have been a vampire—

replied. “They don’t want attention
drawn to us, and your damn stunt with
the cops didn’t help matters. It just made
it that much harder to get Adalric’s
stupid human alone.”

Seth bristled, wondering if that was

Edwin. He sure didn’t consider himself
stupid, which meant he really needed to
think. He was tied up somewhere. Could
he get himself loose? As quietly as
possible, Seth tried to get his bound
hands down over his butt so he could get
them in front of him and remove the
blindfold. Too bad he couldn’t dislocate
his shoulder. When the pain in his wrists
became too much, Seth stopped his
struggled and lay uncomfortably on the

wooden floor.

Frowning,

inhaled

deeply.

Turpentine, dirt, and something else.
Why did the scents seem familiar?

Seth? Damn it! Answer me now!

Seth cringed at the anger screaming

from his lover’s tone. He kicked himself
for not remembering earlier that he could
speak to his lover telepathically.

Seth!

Shit! I’m here. Stop shouting. I

already have a headache. I just woke
up, he snapped back.

Seth. Thank the gods. Where are you,

beloved? Where has Edwin stashed
you? I’ll be there as quick as I can.

Damn it! I don’t know. I was

unconscious when they brought me
here and now I’m blindfolded. Seth
grimaced. He hated admitting his
ignorance.

“Here they come,” Chad said.

Seth wondered who he was talking

about.

Is there anything you can tell me?

Just a sec. They’re talking again,

Seth told Adalric, trying to concentrate

on the people talking outside his little
prison.

“Good,” Edwin grunted. “About

fucking time. Adalric will be frantic by
now. It’s time to give the fucker his
ultimatum,” he sneered.

Shit! Spieron and some guy named

Loren are in on it, too. They’re about
to give you an ultimatum, Seth admitted.

Ultimatum? What ultimatum?

Step down or die?

Damn them. If they harm one hair on

your head I will make them pay!

I love you, too, Seth quipped.

For several seconds, he didn’t get a

response, and it hit him what he’d said.
You love me? Adalric finally asked.

Wasn’t exactly how I planned to

share that, Seth grumbled mentally.

He heard the pleasure loud and clear

in Adalric’s next comment. Too bad.
You can’t take it back. After another
heartbeat, he added, And I love you, too.

Seth couldn’t stop his grin, even

considering the situation. Good. Now
save me and we’ll profess our undying
love properly.

Count on it. Just stick tight and—

Hold on! Someone’s coming in. Seth

really didn’t like the fear that bled
through their connection, but he couldn’t
seem to control himself. He’d seen what
a rogue vampire could do and if these
guys were going against Adalric, surely
they could be none too sane!

Try to get them to remove the

blindfold so you can see where you are,
Adalric urged.

Okay.

Seth nearly squealed when a hand

grabbed

his

shoulder

before

the

blindfold was ripped unceremoniously

from his eyes. “We don’t have much
time,” a voice Seth vaguely recognized
said.

The hand was gone, and Seth blinked

several times, desperately trying to get
his eyes to clear. Finally, he turned his
head and discovered Spieron at his
back. He just stopped from lunging away
from the vampire when he felt his bonds
fall away from his hands.

“Spieron? What are you doing?”

“There isn’t time,” the man hissed.

“Can you walk? They won’t be gone
long.”

Seth wasn’t certain, but he rolled to

his knees, nodding anyway. He took a
chance and glanced around. I’m in one
of the gardening sheds. Tell Xavier it’s
the one with the extra fertilizer. He’ll
know the one.

That’s good, darling. How’d you find

out?

Spieron is helping me, Seth said as

the vampire tugged him to his feet. Even
as he said the words, Seth wondered if
that was a good idea. Was Spieron
really on the up and up? He tried to pull
away, asking, “Why are you helping me?
I thought you were in on it…”

“I am,” Spieron hissed. “I would have

just gone to Adalric when my buddy

Loren told me about his and Edwin’s
plans, but who do you think Adalric
would believe? A vampire who’s been
in trouble before and has been here
barely a decade? Or his friend of nearly
a century?” He wrapped his arm around
Seth’s waist and tugged him to the door
before opening it and peeking out.

Seth had to admit, the guy had a point.

He wouldn’t have believed him if he
were in Adalric’s place. “Okay, where
are we going?”

“If we can get to…shit!”

“Wha—” Seth cut his word off when

he heard Chad’s whining voice in the
distance.

“I didn’t mean to forget it. Besides,

it’s not like we were that far away,” he
grumbled.

“Let’s go.” Spieron yanked him out

the door and hustled him deeper into the
gardens.

A shout behind him followed by

Edwin bellowing for Loren told Seth his
kidnappers weren’t far behind, and
although he could take on Chad when he
was healthy, right now, he wasn’t. Not to
mention, there were two vampires out
there. How could Spieron take them on
his own?

Adalric, you’d better hurry the fuck

up. We’re being chased through the

gardens!

Chapter Twelve

Adalric roared in frustration. “Drive
faster,” he ordered angrily.

He knew he should have returned to

his home. Unfortunately, he hadn’t
listened to his gut. Instead, he’d listened
to Toni. The enforcer had been worried
if they were that far out of town, they’d
have trouble getting to Seth once they
figured out where Edwin had taken him.
Now, he wanted to throttle the vampire,

even though he knew it wasn’t really the
other man’s fault.

Why the hell would they have him

there? The answer hit him just as
quickly. It was a power play. By forcing
him out while having his beloved right
under his nose, Edwin would be proving
without a doubt that he was the stronger,
more cunning vampire.

No way in hell will I give my coven

up to Edwin!

Finally, they pulled up in front of his

mansion and Adalric burst from the
limo. His claws out and his eyes hazed
as he streaked around the building, his
steps silent on the grass. Rounding the

corner, he swept his gaze over the lawn.
He saw nothing, but his sense of smell
picked up his beloved’s scent.

What part of the garden are you in?

Near the spitting mermaid.

Spitting mermaid? What? Where is

that? He paused at the entrance and
listened. He could hear the occasional
scuff of shoe on paving stone or crunch
on woodchips, but due to the many
twists and turns of the garden path, he
couldn’t accurately ascertain direction.

Shit! You don’t know your own

fucking garden?

A fact I’ll be sure to remedy, Adalric

snapped mentally. Just give me a damn
clue.

The thud of bodies and a cry of pain

reached Adalric. Figuring he had a
better shot at finding them in there by
scent, Adalric sprinted down the path.

He could mentally hear Seth’s

exasperation when he answered. It’s
near where we had lunch yesterday!
Hurry! I don’t think Spieron can fight
these two alone much longer!

That made Adalric’s steps falter

before he charged down a path on the
left. He was pretty certain that was the
way toward the noise. Wait, Spieron is

fighting two vampires, one being my
second enforcer? Damn! He felt a bit
guilty,

knowing

how

badly

he’d

misjudged the guy. He could even
imagine why the vampire hadn’t come to
him with his suspicions. He probably
would have either dismissed them out of
hand, or questioned Edwin, which
would have put Spieron in even more
danger.

When he burst into the area where the

hedges were carved out into three
discreet domes with lovers benches
tucked in each one, Adalric could hear
the thud of fists on flesh and the snarling
sound only an angry vampire could
make. No one was in the clearing, and

the sounds were coming from his right…
which appeared to be a solid hedge.

Taking in the height, Adalric crouched

low, then leaped over the nine-foot bush.
He landed in a crouch, and looked
around quickly. A shiver worked down
his spine as he took in the scene.

Chad lay crumpled near a tree, not far

from a watchful Seth. Spieron fought
Edwin and Loren valiantly, doing his
best to keep between the pair and Seth.
He kept his left arm tucked to his side,
indicating either a cracked or broken rib.
The vampire’s swift movements and
ability to counter most of the attacking
pair’s strikes made Adalric think of a
martial artist.

But it was the blood dripping from his

beloved’s lip that incensed Adalric.

Roaring, he launched at Loren. The

vampire spun in shock, but didn’t react
to his presence fast enough. Adalric
landed on his chest, taking him to the
ground. Without remorse, he wrapped
his hands around the man’s throat and
twisted. The sickening crack told him
he’d snapped his neck and he released
the vampire, who lay still beneath him.

Adalric knew the difficulties of

actually killing a vampire, so he didn’t
stop there. He sank his claws into
Loren’s chest and tore out his heart.
Tossing the still beating, bloody organ

away, he watched the red bleed out of
the other guy’s eyes, showing shocked
blue which quickly drained of life.

Hearing Spieron’s cry of pain,

Adalric’s head snap up just in time to
see the vampire thud to the ground after
hitting a tree…hard, since the guy wasn’t
rising. Seeing the way his right arm bent
awkwardly at the elbow—making him
fight back a cringe—Adalric knew it
was broken.

“You’re in so much trouble, Edwin,”

he snarled.

Edwin spun to face him, his lip

curling to reveal his fangs. “You’ve
outlived your usefulness, old man. You

should have moved on decades ago.”

“Tsk, tsk, that’s no way to speak to

your coven leader.” He put just enough
dryness in his tone to piss his ex-buddy
off. Knowing a vampire for that many
years, Adalric had learned how to push
his buttons.

“You don’t deserve that title,” Edwin

snapped. “And soon, everyone will
know it!”

Ignoring

the

comment,

Adalric

glanced toward his lover, taking in the
man’s red-hazed form it was tough to see
injuries. “You all right, Seth?” he asked,
somehow keeping the growl out of his
tone, well…mostly anyway.

“Yeah, I’m fine. ’Bout time you got

here.”

Adalric grinned. His beloved’s snarky

attitude told him his lover was just fine,
or would be as soon as he got rid of this
asshole threatening him. Just then, Toni,
Darian, Gerald, and even Daystrum—
although a bit more slowly—came
streaking around the corner.

He pointed at Spieron. “Check him,”

he ordered, “and back off. Edwin is
mine.”

Edwin curled his lip and sneered,

“Oh, this is even better. I will beat you
in front of your inner circle and your
coven will be mine!”

“Come and try it.”

Adalric had seen his enforcer fight a

few times over the years, but he couldn’t
remember if Edwin had seen him fight.
Of course, he hadn’t actually had to
indulge in a brawl with another vampire
in some time—not counting the incident
where he’d tracked down the rogue that
had attacked Gallo. That had been kids
play.

He grinned and flexed his hands,

readying the three inch, slender claws
extending from his fingertips. Watching
the other man circle, Adalric stood at the
ready, easily keeping himself between
Edwin and Seth.

Smirking, Adalric asked, “Are you

going to take all night? I have things to
attend to.” From the corner of his eye, he
saw Darian help Daystrum back out of
the clearing. Just the fact that his second
had attempted to come to his beloved’s
aid warmed his heart. Gerard dropped to
his knees beside Spieron and started
checking for injuries. Toni stood over
both of them, but eyed Adalric and
Edwin.

When Edwin roared and leaped

forward, swinging a clawed hand at his
chest, Adalric stepped neatly to the left
and shoved the other vampire, using the
male’s momentum to send him stumbling
into a tree. Edwin recovered quickly.

The vampire enforcer spun around and

spread his arms, his claws gleaming in
the moonlight. Adalric adopted a cat-
stance, his hands lifted in a defensive
posture while keeping his weight on his
back leg. Keeping just a bit of weight on
the toes of his front leg, he watched
carefully for tells to Edwin’s next move.

He didn’t have long to wait.

Adalric saw Edwin’s weight shift as

his body tilted slightly forward right
before the traitor snapped his leg up in a
round house kick that, if landed, would
probably have cracked a rib or two.

Stepping forward, Adalric captured

Edwin’s leg against his side and pulled.

The other vampire stumbled forward,
trying to wrench his leg free while still
remaining upright. Not giving him a
chance to catch his balance, Adalric
slammed an elbow into Edwin’s now
exposed side.

The vampire cried out in pain and

shock and started to crumple. On his
way down, Edwin sank his claws into
Adalric’s thigh. Snarling as agony shot
through the punctured muscle, he jerked
away, out of Edwin’s grasp.

Adalric didn’t stay back. He pushed

the pain to the back of his mind and as
soon as Edwin’s claws were visible,
blood dripping from the one, Adalric
leaped beside his opponent, grabbed the

vampire’s clean arm, and used the hold
to roll Edwin to his stomach. With the
guy’s arm locked behind his back and
Adalric’s knee on the small of his back,
he subdued Edwin.

He wrapped his other hand around

Edwin’s throat, his claws pressing into
the tender flesh. He warred with his
desire for vengeance, to tear out
Edwin’s heart, as he’d done to Loren.
Adalric wanted to give no mercy to the
vampires who’d caused harm to his
beloved. A low growl rolled up his
throat at that thought. He’d be well
within his right to end the vampire’s life.

“Adalric.”

Seth spoke his name, sounding

uncertain. He jerked his head up and
spotted his human now standing with
Gerard and a groggy looking Spieron.
Toni stood a few feet away beside a
kneeling, trussed up Chad.

How long have I been struggling

with this decision? He knew before
he’d bonded, he would never have even
hesitated. Did that make him weak?

Compassion is never a weakness,

Adalric.

He stared at Seth. Through his hazed

vision, he saw the lines of blood flowing
through his lover’s veins and a new kind
of lust flooded him. His dick swelled in

his jeans and he hissed softly at the
sudden pressure.

“Mine,” he snarled.

“Yours,” Seth affirmed, keeping his

gaze focused on Adalric. The human
licked his lips, obviously sensing the
sudden shift.

To Adalric’s relief, Seth didn’t

appear concerned upon seeing his eyes.
His lover had come a long way in the
past two weeks. He smiled grimly.
“Toni, lock Edwin and Chad in the
cellar,” he ordered, though his gaze
remained fixed on the man he planned to
ravish, and soon. “Then contact the
council and report these events.”

“Yes, sir,” Toni responded. The

vampire quickly took Adalric’s place
and used his hold on Edwin’s arm to
haul him to his feet.

“Spieron,” Adalric said, finally

dragging his gaze away from Seth. He
looked at the injured vampire, who—
even

groggy—managed

look

concerned, even fearful, probably for his
life. “Thank you, for keeping my beloved
safe. I could use a loyal enforcer.” He
refused to cast an accusing look at the
vampire he’d thought of as his friend.
“Especially one with your talents.”

“Thank you, sir,” Spieron whispered,

his surprise evident in his tone. “I’d be
honored.”

“I’ll initiate you later,” he promised,

then returned his focus to Seth. Slowly,
he stalked toward his lover. “I have
something more important to do at the
moment.”

Seth took a step back, the movement

triggering Adalric’s desire to capture his
beloved and fuck him, show him his
place. He crouched, ready to leap upon
the man, to hell with whoever watched,
when Seth said, “Your leg. Are you
okay?”

With the adrenaline thrumming through

his body, Adalric didn’t even feel the
wound. All he felt was the throb of his
dick pulsing in his jeans, the need to

bury his shaft in Seth’s body, to sink his
fangs in Seth’s neck, and once again
claim him as his own.

“I’m fine,” he assured, right before he

leaped. He swooped his beloved into his
arms, tossing him over his shoulder, and
leaped over the nearest hedge, praying
there’d be something somewhat secluded
on the other side.

“Hey,” Seth called. “I can walk!” He

punctuated his words with a slap on
Adalric’s ass.

Freezing, Adalric slowly allowed

Seth to slide down the front of his body.
He growled softly upon feeling his
beloved’s hard dick behind his fly.

“Naughty, beloved,” he rumbled gruffly.
“Very naughty.”

“So is carting me around like a sack

of potatoes,” Seth shot back, smirking.
Before Adalric’s sluggish brain could
come up with a response, his human
continued, “Thank you for coming for
me.”

Adalric cupped his beloved’s jaw and

pressed his forehead against Seth’s. “I
will always come for you,” he replied,
then frowned. “But I’d really prefer you
don’t get kidnapped again.”

“Me, too,” Seth replied.

That settled, Adalric returned to his

original intention, to reclaim his
beloved. He slanted his mouth over
Seth’s and thrust his tongue inside.
Dominating Seth’s mouth, he tangled
their tongues, drawing Seth’s appendage
into his mouth, and sucking on it
strongly. His beloved moaned and
melted against him, and Adalric
swallowed the noises even as they set
his blood on fire.

He tugged at jeans and shirt, using his

claws to strip the offending fabric from
his human’s body. Releasing his lover’s
lips, he spotted the cement bench. He
grinned upon hearing the whine of
frustration as he gripped Seth’s hips and
spun him.

Whipping his shirt over his head,

Adalric laid it on the bench, then pushed
Seth over it. He yanked open his fly,
easing the pressure on his aching shaft.

“Wait! Wait, wait,” Seth chanted.

“That’s not going to happen,” Adalric

countered gruffly, although he knew he
needed to slow down, prep his beloved.
Never did he want to hurt his human.

“Lube.” Seth swung his arm and

pointed at the remains of his jeans. “In
my hip pocket.”

Adalric snagged the ruined cloth and

searched the pockets, finding a single-
use packet. Pulling it out, he growled.

“And what were you doing with this?”

“Always carry some now. Always

want to be prepared,” Seth admitted.
The way he panted, giving away his
need, not to mention the arousal scenting
the air around him like the finest
aphrodisiac. Looking over his shoulder
at him, Seth snickered and added,
“You’re a horny bastard, Adalric.”

Chuckling, Adalric tore open the

packet and poured most of the slick onto
his fingers. “Only for you, beloved.”

“Better be,” Seth replied, his words

ending on a grunt as Adalric slipped first
one, then two fingers into his ass.

Adalric draped his body over Seth’s

as he worked him, running his free hand
over the smooth skin of Seth’s back,
touching, feeling, reaffirming that his
beloved was there with him, alive and
healthy. “My beloved,” he crooned. “My
love.”

“So,” Seth panted, “what you said

earlier was true? You love me?”

“Oh, yes,” Adalric assured. “Very

much.” Pulling the three fingers he now
had in Seth’s ass free of his lover’s
body, Adalric turned the man to face
him. “You are my heart, Seth. Without
you, I am nothing.”

Seth

traced

his

fingers

down

Adalric’s jaw, then up over his brow.
“Never thought I’d find a love like this,”
Seth whispered. “And I do love you.”

Adalric’s heart sang at Seth’s

admission. He wrapped his arms around
Seth, holding him tight, and captured his
lover’s lips. Lifting the man as he
enjoyed his beloved’s masculine flavor,
Adalric turned and sat on the shirt on the
bench. He settled Seth on his lap and,
using one hand, aligned his erection with
Seth’s stretched hole and guided him
down.

His beloved’s head lolled on his neck,

breaking the kiss, and let out a long, low
moan. “Fuck, never thought I’d enjoy this
so much.”

Hissing his own pleasure, Adalric

struggled to form words as exquisite
pressure swallowed his cock. “S-sex?”
he asked.

Seth’s chest heaved and he gripped

Adalric’s shoulders as he fully seated
himself on his prick. Adalric gripped
Seth’s hips, holding him tight. His cock
twitched and jerked inside the hot depths
of his human.

Grinning, Seth shook his head.

“Bottoming,” he admitted. “I can’t get
enough of your dick in my ass.”

“Good,” Adalric replied. “Because I

plan to keep it in you as often as

possible.”

“That’s great,” Seth snapped. “Now

loosen your grip so I can move.”

“So

pushy,”

Adalric

crooned,

struggling to maintain control.

“Yep. Know what I want.”

Then, Seth squeezed his ass muscles

rhythmically, milking Adalric’s dick.

Adalric roared. He lifted his lover a

couple inches and began reaming his ass.
Seth moaned and shuddered in his arms
as Adalric nailed his human’s prostate
on every thrust. Seconds later, Seth tilted
his head, baring his neck.

“Please,” he moaned.

“With pleasure,” Adalric replied

huskily. He gave Seth exactly what he
wanted and sank his fangs into his
beloved’s neck.

Seth stiffened in his arms, then

groaned, his cock unloading, slicking
their torsos with his seed. Between the
clamp of Seth’s ass on his swollen
erection and the exquisite taste of his
beloved’s life-blood, Adalric lost it. His
orgasm crashed over him, a wave of
bliss as he flooded Seth with cum.

After

several

minutes,

Adalric

withdrew his fangs and licked the mark
clean, sealing it. Holding his lover to his

chest, his softening shaft still buried in
Seth’s body, Adalric knew he’d do
anything and everything for this human.
He smiled, remembering his friend’s
words from weeks before.

Just as it should be.

Frowning, the sound of water running

caught his attention. He looked left and
spotted a fountain, the centerpiece a
bare-breasted mermaid rising from the
water, her bust thrust forward and head
flung back. From her mouth arced a
stream of water which spilled into the
pool of the fountain around her.

Chuckling, Adalric murmured, “Huh.

The spitting mermaid.”

Seth lifted his head from where he

rested it on Adalric’s shoulder and
followed his gaze. “Yep, the entryway to
this area is right there,” he said, pointing
at an opening not too far away. “Told
you I could have walked.”

Adalric stared at his lover fondly. “I

knew you’d keep me on my toes.”

Seth petted Adalric’s neck softly and

smiled smugly. “When you’re right
you’re right.” He pecked his lips. “You
wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Grinning, Adalric nodded. “Hell,

yeah.”

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah
with her husband and furry, four-legged
children. She started writing fantasy
when she was eight, and after stumbling
onto her first erotic romance at age
nineteen, she realized her true calling.
She now focuses on writing erotic
romance, normally of the paranormal
variety, with heroes and heroines of all
kinds. You can often find her curled up
with her laptop and a cup of tea or glass

of wine, creating her next adventure.
Charlie enjoys exploring the mountains
on horseback, 4-wheeler, or motorcycle.
Her favorite exercise is jumping lessons
with her Arabian gelding Apache or her
Thoroughbred mare Repo. And she can’t
get enough of sexy highlanders with their
kilts and swords. Right now, she and her
muse are working with dedication on her
Wolves of Stone Ridge series and
Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She

can

reached

ch.richards2010@yahoo.com

visit

her

www.charlie-

richards.com

Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve

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