Downs Jana Beau Bitten130218 1015

Rock Bottom Boys 2

Beau Bitten

Ter Dinh, a dragon shifter, has been running away from
relationships ever since his family kicked him out at sixteen for

being gay. Brash and unapologetic, he moves through life never
having any real attachments. Until he meets Nicolae Azarov.
Though he tries to avoid the inevitable, Nicolae’s courtship is

winning him over, though his estranged family may once again
step in to make his life a living hell.

Nicolae Azarov is desperate to make his mate see reason. Ter has
been avoiding him for months and time is running out on his

biological clock to rid himself of the mate venom which will slowly
drive him crazy if he doesn’t give it to Ter. He refuses to force him

into anything but can’t figure out what will make Ter see that he
means no harm. Giving up his control to Ter seems like a good
idea, but it will lead him down paths he never expected to take.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), BDSM, Paranormal
Length: 42,373 words

BEAU BITTEN

Rock Bottom Boys 2

Jana Downs

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

BEAU BITTEN
Copyright © 2013 by Jana Downs
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-580-8

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Sloan Winters
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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BEAU BITTEN

Rock Bottom Boys 2

JANA DOWNS

Prologue

Midnight: New Year’s Eve

Ter had put it off as long as his dragon would let him. Nicolae had

played him nicely on Christmas night. The scent of his mate had
driven him crazy since that cold evening a few days previously. He
hadn’t even been able to stand to stay in Evan’s house like the rest of
the Brats because Nicolae’s scent clung to the presents his men had
delivered and the wrapping paper where he’d hand-wrapped each one
with care. Nicolae was nothing if not meticulous and kind in his
dealings. Even though he’d kidnapped Gideon, Ter hadn’t been
concerned for a second that Nicolae would hurt him. The man might
not have always played by the rules, but he was never cruel. Ter
would know. He’d checked with every paranormal from here to the
Garden District in an attempt to find anything against Nicolae that
would provide Ter the reason to stay the hell away from the vampire.

The Garden Coven had rented out the entire second floor of the

Bourbon Orleans hotel on Bourbon Street for their New Year’s
celebration. His dragon had forced him to shift twice already in an
effort to get close to the place. Ter pressed his back to the brick wall
across the street and stared up at the vampire prince as he leaned

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against the wrought iron railing on the second floor of the building.
The rest of the block was packed with partygoers, so it was entirely
possible that Nicolae didn’t see him. But he doubted it.

Their eyes met, and Ter knew that Nicolae had known he’d been

there all along. He stepped into the street. “Can I come up?” he called.
Someone jostled him to the side as they stumbled into him, but he
righted himself almost instantly.

Nicolae nodded. “Please do, Hebecta.”
Ter circled the block to get to the front of the hotel and crossed

the white marble floor to the golden elevators to take it to the second
floor. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Nicolae stood
waiting on him in the hallway. His dragon purred.

“Hi,” he said. His body warmed as Nicolae offered him a soft

smile of greeting.

“Hi,” the vampire repeated. “You found me.”
“Couldn’t stay away,” he murmured, stepping into the hallway.
Nicolae stepped to him so that they were nearly chest to chest.

“I’m glad. I had hoped you would join me, Hebecta. I want you in my
life more than the few seconds of company you allow me most
nights.”

“Shh,” Ter said, wrapping his arms around Nicolae’s waist and

pulling them flush. “No talking.” He tilted his head up and was
relieved when Nicolae stopped the flow of words to brush his lips
against Ter’s.

Their mouths fused, tongues dancing, as something more than

simple lust flowed between them. Their chemistry made Ter’s head
spin as the kiss stretched on. Nicolae buried his hands in his hair,
holding his head still so he could plunder Ter’s mouth with his
tongue. Ter clutched his waist and pushed into his mate until Nicolae
was braced against the wall opposite the elevators. Nicolae made a
noise of pleasure in the back of his throat as they continued to make
out like a couple of teenagers.

Beau Bitten

He wasn’t sure who broke the kiss first, but he knew that when it

was over he was staring into Nicolae’s gorgeous blue eyes, both of
them panting lightly. “I should go,” he whispered as his senses started
to return. He hadn’t meant to come in and start kissing Nicolae, but he
had been waiting for days for a little taste of his mate.

“I want you to stay,” Nicolae murmured. “Stay with my family.

Stay with me.”

Ter shook his head. “No. I can’t. I’ve gotta go.”
“Then allow me to walk you home,” Nicolae pressed.
“Not you. One of your brothers. I’ll let one of them walk me

home.” If Nicolae came with him, he would stay the night, and Ter
knew it. Ter knew his control wasn’t good enough to walk away from
his mate after a kiss that shook him to his core. He would have to get
a better handle on his dragon. If he had a hope of maintaining his
independence, he’d have to learn to ignore the maddening impulse to
get closer to Nicolae, even if that meant ignoring his mate in the
meantime.

After a long pause, Nicolae sighed. “Very well.” He let Ter go,

and the Quarter Brat retreated a step. “Let me go get one of my
brothers. Dimka is the least intoxicated.”

“Dimka?” Ter asked.
“Dmitri. Dimka is a childhood nickname, a shortening of his

name.” He paused, looking like he wanted to say so much more than
what he did. “Do you wish to wait here, or do you want to come with
me to fetch my brother?”

“I’ll wait here.”
Nicolae nodded. “Fine. Happy New Year, Ter. I will come to you

tomorrow.”

Ter would make sure that he wasn’t there, not until he could tell

him “no” and mean it.

Jana Downs

Chapter One

Ter glared at the cell phone in his hand. His Christmas present

was fast becoming a big pain in his ass. Yet another text message
from Nicolae Azarov, vampire Prince and would-be boyfriend, waited
on his reply. Since the incident on Christmas where he’d all but
forced Ter to inhale his scent, the man and his entire family had been
all but stalking him, trying to convince him to come back to the
Coven house in the Garden District. He didn’t have time for all their
nonsense. He had a job to do.

His employer stuck his head in the “dressing room,” aka the

broom closet they let him leave his clothes in. “All right, Ter. Drop
the shorts and come into the studio. Just recline on the couch however
you want. The class is three hours.”

He lifted his head and nodded. “Sounds good, man. As long as I

get paid.” This nude modeling thing at the university was a sure way
to make a quick buck. Now that the holidays were over and the
students were back at class, business was booming. If he was lucky, a
couple of the students would ask for a private posing to finish up their
projects so he could score some additional funds. He’d have enough
for food and rent this month no problem.

As he unbuckled his belt and popped the button on his jeans, he

was tempted to just use the three hundred dollars in his wallet to last
him the rest of the month, but he refused to do so on principle. He
wasn’t taking Nicolae’s money. He couldn’t resist flipping open his
inbox and checking his message though.

Beau Bitten

He read the text. I need to see you. Come to my brother’s birthday

party. It’s in the Quarter tonight at 9 p.m. at Jean Lafitte’s. Please,
Ter.

Ter hesitated. He’d been avoiding the vampire for months, ever

since they’d met by chance at a rave party and he’d accidently
mistaken Ter’s friend Gideon for his mate. After that mess had been
sorted out and it had come to light that Ter was actually the destined
mate to Mr. Big Bad and Bitey, he’d been avoiding the man as best he
could. He’d done a good job of it through October and November.
December and early January had been a moment of weakness, but he
was back on track to some very dedicated running. There was no
reason he should stop now. Even after Nicolae had played dirty pool
and exposed his animal to the scent of his vampire mate, he’d resisted
temptation. Well, mostly. One kiss on New Year’s was an acceptable
loss of control.

He punched his reply quickly and stepped out of his jeans. I’m

busy. Sorry. Send. He put the phone by his discarded clothing and left
the closet.

* * * *

Nicolae snarled, tossing his phone across the room so that it

shattered against the stone fire place. Sasha was right there, grabbing
a hold of him and murmuring to him in Russian in an attempt to calm
the three-hundred-year-old monster inside him that was begging for a
chance to raise hell in New Orleans.

“Calm, brother. Calm,” Sasha whispered, rubbing his back in

soothing circles. “It’s Dimka’s special day. You must keep your
temper in check, Nico.”

“Why? Why does he deny me? I would hand him the world, my

heart, if he asked it!” The true terror shone through the anger
percolating through his words. If Ter didn’t give him a chance, didn’t
become his Hebecta soon, everything was done. He would have to be

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put down or confined to the special room below stairs for
emergencies.

“He doesn’t understand. He will come to you in his own time,”

Sasha said.

He took several deep breaths and reined in his temper. Nicolae

sighed. “His own time better come in the next two weeks because
otherwise I’m a dead man.”

“Don’t say that,” Sasha hushed him, looking stricken at the

thought.

“I can feel it building, Sasha. It won’t be long now. The toxins are

infiltrating my thoughts, influencing my actions.” He pulled from his
brother’s grip and walked over to the massive wall of windows that
faced their side courtyard. The neatly manicured garden was already
decorated for Valentine’s Day. Pink and red balloons hung from yard
decorations of cupid. He hoped the little cherub would work in his
favor this year.

Vampires, like shifters, could be either born or made. But born

vampires had a low-level toxin that built in their systems over time. It
was located in the venom ducts in their skulls and was used to create
pleasure in their chosen mates when they gave their Hebectas their
bite. However, if the special venom wasn’t used by their three
hundredth birthday, it started leaking out into their bodies, causing
madness, overly aggressive behaviors, and eventually death either by
the hands of their loved ones or by starvation because madness had
taken away their abilities to reason as anything other than wraith-like
wanderers. Made vampires could only be turned by their mates and as
such didn’t have to worry about their venom because it never got to
those levels. Lucky bastards.

Sasha rested his hands on Nicolae’s shoulders. “We’ll make him

see reason. The rest of our family will court him just as you do.
Aleksei watches over him and walks him home most nights. Dimka
feeds him whenever he comes by the restaurant, and they make good

Beau Bitten

conversations together. Even Grisha engages him in conversations via
texts. He likes us, Nico. He’s just being stubborn.”

Nicolae sighed. “Ter talks to you all because he isn’t threatened

by you. It costs him nothing. He fears his attraction to me, fears our
joining. I am beginning to see he values his control more than
anything else.”

“If control is what he values, perhaps you should court him with

it,” Sasha said, turning from Nicolae. He listened to his brother walk
back over to the formal living room and plop down in one of the
furniture pieces.

An idea struck him. “Court him with control,” he repeated, staring

at the chained heart at the bottom of one of the cherubs. “That might
work.”

“What might work?” Sasha asked.
A squeal interrupted his reply as the formal room’s door was

thrown open. He turned in time to see a blur of pink and rhinestone
streak across the room. He opened his arms as Nicolette threw herself
at him in a dead run.

“Nico!” she screamed. “Look at my dress!”
Nicolae chuckled. “What a lovely dress it is, Nicolette. Did Dimka

buy it for you?”

She looked up at him, beaming and revealing a perfect set of

dimples. “Papa had it made for Dimka’s special day. He said I look
like an empress. Do I, Nico?”

“You do indeed, Nicolette,” Nicolae said. His little sister was by

far the most adorable thing in the house, and as the only princess in a
group of five overprotective brothers, she was also the most spoiled.
Their father, when he was around, was no better about giving her her
way either. The five-year-old tended to get whatever she wanted.

“Are you gonna bring your Hebecta with you?” she asked in her

broken childish speech.

He shrugged and gave her a hug before he set her aside. “Perhaps.

I invited him.”

Jana Downs

“Good. I want him to be a valentine!”
Ah, a child’s logic. “We’ll see.”
“Nicolette,” Sasha warned, his voice dropping down to the stern

cadence that it usually did right before he got onto her. He got onto
her more than most, but then he was the nurturer of the bunch. “Leave
Nico alone. He has a lot on his mind. Go take off your party dress and
have Haha put you in your play clothes please.” Haha was Nicolette’s
nanny and was the only other woman in residence at the moment.
They had a large coven, but only the royals and a few select kinsmen
technically lived in house.

Nicolette huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not

getting you a valentine, Sasha!” With that she flounced off in a flurry
of pink skirts.

Sasha chuckled as she left before turning his attention back to

Nicolae. “So this idea of yours, what is it?”

Nicolae’s mind returned to the problem at hand. “He thrives on

control, yes?”

Sasha nodded.
“Then perhaps I should give him all the control.”
Sasha blanched. “You aren’t serious.”
Nicolae snorted. “Of course I’m serious. I’m desperate, brother. If

the only way he will have me is if he has the power, so be it. I am not
too big of a man to admit to enjoy bottoming upon occasion.”

“This is more than an occasion, Nico. This is with your Hebecta.

He is smaller than you.” Sasha sounded incredulous. Nicolae could
understand his feelings. In vampire society, the larger, older vampires
always dominated the younger ones. They’d had a firm tradition of
Dominance and submission well before the humans had coined a term
for it. It was a given that Nicolae would dominate his Hebecta. He
was heir after all.

“Maybe what my Hebecta needs isn’t a Dominant but a man

willing to let him dominate,” Nicolae said, his mind churning with
possibilities. If Father found out, he would have a fit, but no one but

Beau Bitten

Sasha need know about his plan or what did or didn’t occur in his
bedchamber. He could tolerate the position and the submission for his
mate.

Sasha still didn’t look convinced. Nicolae’s eyes narrowed. “I’m

not asking permission, Sasha. I will do what I need to regardless of
your approval. However, I would ask your assistance.”

Sasha sighed. “And my silence, eh?”
“That as well.”
His brother rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine. For you, Nico,

anything. However, let it be known that I don’t approve of this. It’s
unnatural for the heir of the Garden Coven to submit to a destitute
shifter pup.”

“Your complaint is lodged,” Nicolae said, suppressing the growl

that threatened to erupt over the “destitute shifter pup” comment.
“Now here is what I need you to do.”

* * * *

It was crazy. He was crazy for doing it. Everything about the

situation was remarkably insane. Stupid animal instincts. He stared
across the street to the crowded interior of Jean Lafitte’s Black Smith
Tavern and willed his feet to take him in the opposite direction.
However, they weren’t cooperating. His dragon stubbornly refused to
move from the spot until he at least got to see his mate. The
temperamental thing had pitched a fit during his modeling session,
partially shifting scales on his legs that had to be explained away as
new tattoos. Now he’d have to do it every time he went back to the
university. He’d been sweating bullets that the animal part of him
would fully rebel and expose the both of them to a studio full of art
students.

Bourbon Street was already in full swing, and the crowd would

afford him some protection from the keen senses of the vampire
coven who were partying it up across the few feet of pavement. The

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birthday boy, Dmitri, looked pretty sauced already if his rosy cheeks
and flashing fangs were any indication. The bartender, Raphael, just
kept refilling his Hurricane though.

He jumped as a warm hand rested on his shoulder. “So you’re

hiding out here when the party is in there. And not paying attention
while you spy. Is my brother so bad?”

Ter half turned and met the eyes of Aleksei, one of Nicolae’s

brothers. There were so damn many of them it was hard to keep track
to be honest. He was the auburn-haired one with the bright blue eyes
and the baby face. He walked him home some nights. “He’s not bad
per se. He’s just…” A huge commitment. Overwhelming. Beautiful.
About a thousand other things that make me scared as hell of him.

Aleksei nodded. “He is a bit intimidating, yes?” Aleksei’s accent

was thicker than most of his brothers’. Dmitri’s and Sasha’s were
almost nonexistent. It made Ter wonder how long they’d been in the
States. The only one with a thicker accent was Afanasei, but he rarely
spoke at all.

“A bit.”
“He is not so bad,” Aleksei said. “Being heir to the coven makes

him a bit…serious. Will you come have a drink with us? Nicolae
hasn’t arrived yet because my father’s plane was delayed. So you will
not run into him quite yet.”

Ter hesitated. The more he hung around the family, the more he

liked them. The more he liked them, the harder it was to come up with
reasons for why getting involved with Nicolae was a bad idea. His
dragon all but purred at the thought of finally getting to get warm and
cuddly with his mate. The dragon whose spirit had been fused with
his soul to mark him was a spirited son of a bitch whose possessive
nature was only matched by his stubbornness. Luckily, Ter was pretty
stubborn himself.

“I might,” he hedged. If he could just get his feet to move. His

dragon growled. He isn’t even there, you stupid lizard!

Beau Bitten

Aleksei smiled. “Come. You will relax after you have a drink with

us. We do not bite unpleasantly.” He was pretty sure that was a joke.
At least he hoped so. A sudden image ghosted up in his mind of
Nicolae’s mouth pressed against his throat and the hard swell of his
erection digging into his abdomen. He shuddered. That’s never
happening. Except his libido certainly didn’t mind the idea.

“Okay. One drink.” It was better than staring across the street at

the place like a little kid with his nose smashed up against the glass of
a sweets shop. His dragon made the little trilling noise it did when he
was happy. Shut up, gecko.

He let Aleksei lead him across the road and through the front door

of the pub. The party crowd turned and looked at him as he entered,
and a cheer went up that was loud enough to make him nearly jump
out of his skin. Jesus. These people are nuts.

“So good you could make it!” Dmitri shouted above the piano

music and talking of his coven. “Nico will be here soon!”

Ter nodded like he gave a shit and took up a position beside him

at the bar. Raphael, the bartender, nodded to him and started making
him a Hurricane in a plastic cup that advertised the tavern. The crowd
was a mix of people who were dressed in their Sunday best and those
who were in blue jeans and T-shirts, which made Ter feel marginally
better about his raggedy-looking getup. Even the birthday boy was
dressed down in a fangbanger T-shirt, which was just too funny for
words. Ter did appreciate the coven’s quirky sense of humor.

The clothes that Nicolae had bought him for Christmas had been

taken to thrift shops and sold for cash within two days of opening
them. Ter had no use for the good shit. It would only get him jumped
for the money he didn’t have in his pockets. The only reason he kept
the cell phone was for emergencies and in case any of the Brats were
going out. At least with a phone they could call 911 if they were in a
fix. He especially worried about Jamie with his starry-eyed-country-
boy-trust-everyone-till-they-screw-you attitude.

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He tried to relax as Raphael put his drink down in front of him

and turned to some more of Dmitri’s party guests. He nursed the
sweet drink and listened to the mixture of Russian and English around
him. Most of them were talking about the arrival of Nicolae’s father,
the Coven King, and speculating whether or not there would be a
larger formal party this weekend at the Garden Coven house. The
Russian he didn’t understand, but he imagined they were talking
about the same thing.

“You shouldn’t look so down at my party,” Dmitri said, elbowing

him good-naturedly. “This is a happy day.”

“I just don’t understand why all you guys are so nice to me. I

mean, I get why Nicolae is, but you guys…what’s up with that?” Ter
asked. He wanted to snatch the words back, but he couldn’t. He
hadn’t meant to ask.

Dmitri dipped his sandy-blond head and peaked out at him from

under his bangs. “We are a family. You are my brother’s Hebecta, his
salvation. Why would we not celebrate and welcome you into our
home?”

His chest tightened at the idea. Home. Family. Those things had

meant something to him once, but they didn’t anymore, not since his
family had turned their backs on him and cast him out. Anger came
quick on the heels of misery. Fuck family. They only wanted him for
so long as he was in line. “And if I choose not to be his Hebecta? Will
you still ‘celebrate’ me then?”

Dmitri frowned. “How could we celebrate when we would be

forced to mourn our brother?” he asked. Ter was about to ask what
the cryptic words meant when a familiar face caught his attention.

“Seth?” he asked. He would recognize that brown-haired vamp

anywhere. He hadn’t told Ter he was working tonight. Seth was his
friend and roommate, one of the Quarter Brats. Seth waved and
motioned to the man beside him who was no doubt one of his clients.
As a blood whore, Seth traded his blood for cash. Since vampires
tended to guard their blood, having another vamp open a vein was

Beau Bitten

considered a treat. From what Ter understood, unless it was mate to
mate, giving another vampire blood was equivalent to being a slut and
doing it for money made the vampire shelling out the red cells little
better than a whore. Ter thought the whole labeling system was
stupid. Seth was celibate for Christ’s sake. He made Mother Teresa
look like a Bourbon Street dancer.

He made a motion for Seth to call him, and the vampire nodded

his agreement. He’d check in when he got home. The office phone
downstairs was the one they used to keep in touch on, and Ter would
feel better when he checked back in.

Ter turned his attention back to Dmitri. “So what did you mean

you’d have to mourn your brother if I didn’t become his Hebecta?”

Dmitri was interrupted from answering as a rough Russian shout

rang out followed by a big bear of a man barreling into Dmitri’s chair,
nearly knocking the man over.

“There is my little boy all grown up! Happy two-hundredth

birthday, Dimka!” the newcomer rumbled, rubbing his bearded face
against Dmitri’s shaven one.

“Papa, stop!” Dmitri whined, trying to pull out of the death grip.

Ter laughed as Dmitri struggled against the man who was clearly his
father.

The vampire king didn’t dress like any noble Ter had ever

imagined meeting. He was decent enough, he supposed, but the Van
Halen vintage T-shirt and the leather bomber jacket opened over it
didn’t give the impression that the guy was very formal. The nice
leather loafers and pressed dark-wash jeans didn’t quite manage to
balance the image of a rocker either. He looked young on top of it,
midthirties at most. The entire Azarov gene pool was apparently
awash with good-looking swimmers.

The king let go of his death grip and pinned Ter with a stare. Shit.

“Ah, and this is the man who has given my Nicolae such a hard time.”

“Now, Papa, don’t embarrass him,” Dmitri said weakly, passing

the king what looked like a glass full of vodka, no ice.

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“I’m not embarrassing him. This is my Nico’s love, his Hebecta, a

toast!” he shouted over the music. The entire bar erupted in cheers
again. “To my son and his fortunate find. So that when my time ends
and I descend into the darkness, he will have his light and lead our
people into ever deepening prosperity. To Nicolae and his Hebecta!”

“To Nicolae and his Hebecta!” the crowd echoed.
Yeah, I kinda wanna melt into the floor right now. His eyes

scanned the assembled mass of people, looking for an exit. Shit. A
hand shot through the press of bodies and gripped his wrist, pulling
him off the bar stool and through the crowd. The scent of his mate
assaulted his nostrils. Nicolae.

He looked up at the face of the man he’d been avoiding. Nicolae

was just as penetratingly handsome as ever. With sandy-blond hair, a
firm jaw, and crystalline blue eyes, the man was the portrait of
beautiful masculinity. The thick muscles under his prim and proper
black suit only added to his appeal. Fuck. Shit. Shouldn’t have come.
So hard to say no this close to him.

Nicolae continued to pull them through the crowd until they were

once again out on the sidewalk. The overcast sky signaled rain, but
the temperature was sitting at a pretty decent fifty degrees or so.
They’d be all right to stand out here for a bit.

“I apologize for my father. He had a few cocktails on the way

over from the UK and isn’t being proper. I hope he didn’t embarrass
you too badly,” Nicolae rumbled, immediately shrugging off his suit-
jacket and draping it over Ter’s shoulders.

“I can stand it with just a T-shirt. No worries, stud,” Ter said,

taking off the jacket and offering it out for him. He had a thin pullover
jacket at home, but he’d forgotten it. He hadn’t actually planned on
being out in the Quarter this late.

Nicolae waved a hand in dismissal. “Keep it. I don’t need it.

Thank you for coming.”

“Yeah. No biggie. I wasn’t as busy as I thought I was.” He shifted

from foot to foot uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say?

Beau Bitten

“Besides, I like your brother. He’s a pretty cool cat. Didn’t want to dis
him on his b-day. Sorry I didn’t bring a present.”

Nicolae crossed his arms over his chest, looking nervous. “My

brother will get plenty from our family, I assure you. Your presence is
enough.”

“Well, er, cool.” Awkward silence descended. Shit. I hate this. His

dragon strained against the figurative leash he kept it on in his mind,
trying to get closer to Nicolae, and the smell of burning applewood
filled his nostrils. It was his dragon’s scent, and it always let him
know how close to the surface he was. He took a staggering step
forward, and his hands gripped Nicolae’s hips. In theory it was to
keep him at a distance, but he wasn’t entirely sure that was the case.

Nicolae sucked in a breath and let it out in a shuddered expression

that let Ter know he wasn’t the only one affected by their close
proximity. “Why must we dance around this?” Nicolae asked
suddenly. “Can you not admit that you want me as a man wants
another man?”

Ter wanted to squirm. The man how no idea how he wanted him.

“Course I can, bitey. Wanting you isn’t the problem. You’re a good-
looking guy, built like a wet dream, and willing to go the distance, but
you and me ain’t compatible in any way but the sexual one. I don’t do
commitment, families, or being any vampire’s bitch. Feel me?”

“I would take whatever you give me,” Nicolae said softly. “Our

kiss was right.” The words invoked the memory of last New Year’s
night that Ter usually kept under lock and key in a little compartment
in his skull. The feel of Nicolae’s lips as they pressed against his and
the taste of his mate’s tongue as it danced with his own in the hallway
of the Bourbon Orleans was enough to nearly bring Ter to his knees.

Ter shook his head to clear the image. “Takes more than kissing to

make a mating work. If I could separate out the sex, I would jump in
the sack with you in about half a second, but this mating thing is more
than that. Besides, you don’t want a throwaway like me.”

Jana Downs

Nicolae traced his jaw with his index finger and tilted his head up

so Ter was forced to look into his startlingly blue eyes. “You are far
from ‘throwaway,’ Ter. You are my Hebecta. But the root of the
problem is that you will not be in control of our courtship, yes?”

Ter considered him. What was that supposed to mean? “I suppose.

It is pretty weird dating the prince of the big, bad, and bitey club.”
We’re not dating, remember? Shit.

“Then I will give you the control of our relationship, the power to

decide what you want of us,” Nicolae said in a rush. “I only ask that
you consider taking my bite when you grow more comfortable.”

“And how exactly are you going to accomplish that?” Ter asked,

intrigued. The big vampire looked more than a little uncomfortable
and—Good God. Is he blushing?

“Have you ever heard of Atlas in Chains?” he asked instead of

answering.

Ter frowned. “The vamp BDSM club?”
“Yes. Will you go with me there?”
Everything in Ter froze. “I don’t get tied up and fucked, my

friend. That just ain’t me.”

“Um.” Nicolae’s blush visibly deepened. “I wasn’t intending for

that particular dynamic to occur.”

Ter’s eyes shot wide, and his cock instantly hardened. The image

of a tied-up Nicolae, muscles straining against leather and cock
standing up straight against his belly as he begged to be filled,
plastered itself against his cerebrum. He couldn’t suppress the groan
that forced itself from his throat.

Nicolae growled. “Please, Hebecta. Please come with me.”
Ter swallowed. “Now?”
“If you like.”
The possibility was a temptation that proved impossible to resist.

“Yeah. Sure.” If nothing else, he could prove how incompatible they
really were. Nicolae was probably just doing a stunt and wouldn’t
follow through. The nervousness he was feeling leeched out of him.

Beau Bitten

The urge to punish Nicolae for teasing him rose up. He would make
his vampire suitor regret offering up his body to Ter. His hard cock
throbbed at the thought.

Jana Downs

Chapter Two

I’m leaving for Atlas. Send a car around at dawn, Nicolae typed

before sending the text to Sasha.

Almost instantly he received his reply. Good luck, brother. I’ll

make your excuses.

“So you’re sure you want to go?” Ter asked. The poor boy looked

like Nicolae had grown another head and was unsure if he liked it or
not.

Nicolae nodded. “I am. We can either walk there or I can call a

car. Which would you prefer?”

“Um, walking is fine.” Ter turned and took off down Bourbon

heading toward Canal Street. Nicolae had to hurry to catch up as the
smaller man weaved in and out of stumbling tourists and clusters of
tour groups. Nicolae waved at the vampire tour as he made his way
past it. The tour guide of the evening, Renaldi, was part of the Garden
Coven. If the tourists only knew what they were getting for their
money, they’d pay double or more. It amused him to no end. That was
something he loved about the city. Humans and paranormals lived and
worked side by side without conflict.

Ter stopped at an intersection to let several cars drive through, and

Nicolae finally caught up with the man. He dropped a hand to his
Hebecta’s waist. “Are you trying to run away from me, Hebecta?”

Ter looked up at him, his dark eyes suddenly filled with brilliant

gold specks. “Actually, I’m trying very hard not to push you into a
nearby alley and fuck you so we could skip Atlas in Chains all
together.” Nicolae nearly swallowed his tongue. Ter had never talked
to him like that, never let slip how much he actually wanted him. His

Beau Bitten

hand tightened involuntarily on Ter’s waist. The image did wicked
things to his own straining cock.

“I would let you,” Nicolae admitted, his accent thickening as his

voice deepened. His length strained against the constriction of his
slacks, threatening to pop his zipper. Who would’ve thought the
prospect of being fucked in an alleyway would prove to be such a
potent fantasy?

Ter visibly shuddered. “No. You are giving me what you

promised, bitey.” The cars stopped coming, and Ter jogged across the
intersection. Nicolae followed at a slightly slower pace. He hadn’t
expected Ter to be so eager, and what was the smell of roasting apples
coming off of him? It was delicious.

They came out onto Canal Street, and Ter turned to the right,

heading down the sidewalk at a clipped pace of a man on a mission.
Atlas’s sign wasn’t big or flashy but was rather ornate. The titan Atlas
knelt at the bottom, chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles as he
held up the world. No words were needed for those who knew what
the place was. A doorman in a navy uniform stood to one side as they
came to stand at the entrance.

“Last chance, Nicolae,” Ter said, his voice roughed with sex

already.

Nicolae breezed past him to the attending doorman. “I need you to

call inside and tell them to ready a private room for me and my guest.
We’ll need a stocked room.” He wouldn’t have the slightest idea what
sort of toys to bring, and he certainly wasn’t going to ask Grisha to
borrow his bag of goodies.

“Yes, my prince,” the doorman said, shooting a speculative glance

at Ter before bringing out his phone and typing something into the
key pad. Almost instantly the screen lit up in an answer. “If you
would kindly wait at the bar while they ready a room, Sir. An
attendant will be with you and your sub shortly.”

Nicolae didn’t bother to correct him. He reached back to Ter, who

surprised him by taking his hand willingly. At least he wasn’t fighting

Jana Downs

him now. Hand in hand they went into the yawning black interior of
the club.

The dimly lit corridor was pulsing with the base of the techno

music therein. He could hardly believe that he was taking his Hebecta
here. This was usually a spot for young virile vampires to hook up for
the night. He wouldn’t have dreamed to come here except to drag
Grisha or Dimka out to attend family functions. They hated coven
work almost as much as Nicolae did but were much more vocal in
expressing it. He stopped as he came out into the main room where
the bar and dance floor were located. The industrial space had always
made him a little uncomfortable.

Ter crowded in behind him, clearly not having the same

reservations as he ground his jean-clad cock against the seat of his
pants. “Scared?” his Hebecta whispered.

The sensation of someone so blatantly grinding against him,

obviously hungry for his submission, was a new one. In the few
relationships he’d had, he had always been the top. He’d dabbled in
BDSM before as well, but, again, he’d always been the Dominant
person in the relationship. His body didn’t seem to be having the same
hang-ups that his mind was over the fact. He’d been hard since he’d
managed to stumble through the lascivious offer a few moments ago
on Bourbon.

“A bit nervous, perhaps,” he allowed, forcing his body to relax

and rest back against his Hebecta’s hard body.

The answer seemed to confound Ter because his body stilled.

“You’re really serious about this.”

Even though it wasn’t a question, Nicolae confirmed it. “Of

course. You are my Hebecta. It is my duty and my pleasure to give
you what you need.” The fact that his fangs were throbbing only
added validity to the “pleasure” part of his statement. He wanted to
bite his mate, fill him with his chemical pleasure, and show him
without a shadow of a doubt how much he appreciated Ter giving him

Beau Bitten

a chance. Patience. He didn’t usually have this much difficulty with
it.

He stepped fully into the room and headed toward the backlit bar.

The comforting heat at his back and the smell of apples let him know
that Ter hadn’t ducked out. This was probably the longest time Ter
had actually spent around him since New Year’s when they’d
exchanged a brief kiss at midnight at one of the hotels on Bourbon
Street. There would be no excuses this time.

As they stepped up to the bar and sat down on one of the stools

the bartender immediately came over to them from the other side of
the long row. Nicolae recognized him immediately. It was Viktor
Ivankof, one of Dimka’s fledgling sweethearts. The pale blond-haired
male had only relocated to New Orleans in the past two years. He’d
been living in their native city in Russia before that. Father had asked
him to come to America and join the Garden Coven for whatever
reason.

Viktor leaned against the bar and offered them both a smile. “My

prince, it is a pleasure to have you at Atlas. Would you care for a
beverage for you and your guest while you wait for the preparation of
your room?”

He looked to Ter, and he nearly missed the look of surprise Viktor

shot him. “What would you like to drink? They won’t allow alcohol
due to its intoxicating quality. However, I’m sure they have a variety
of other drinks for your choosing.”

“I’ll take some orange juice if you have it,” Ter said, addressing

Viktor directly.

The bartender looked surprised but didn’t say anything. He cut his

eyes over to Nicolae as if asking permission. Nicolae waffled. This
place was the epitome of discretion, and no one in its walls would
carry tales. Well, if I’m going to show Ter I’m doing this, I might as
well start now. He looked to his Hebecta. “My Hebecta controls me in
these walls, Viktor. You may address him as my Master for the

Jana Downs

duration.” The look of instant shock followed swiftly by pleasure on
Ter’s face told Nicolae he’d made the right decision.

“Yes, my prince. Would you care for pulp or no pulp, Sir?” Viktor

asked, not missing a beat. Now that he was certain of their roles, he
would act appropriately and cover any personal shock he might feel
over the unusual nature of their relationship.

“No pulp. I can’t stand the stuff,” Ter said, confidence bleeding

out of his pores. He was enjoying the power. It saturated his voice. As
soon as Viktor deposited the tall glass of OJ in front of Ter and left
them alone, the Quarter Brat turned to him. “You’re insane. You are
seriously going to submit to me like a real sub?”

Nicolae’s lips twitched. “If you commit to being my Dominant,

I’m going to try.”

Ter shuddered. “God that’s hot.” He put a hand on his lap and

pressed against his obvious erection. “You don’t play fair.”

“It is my intention to play to win, Hebecta,” Nicolae said. “If this

is the only way you will consider me for the position as your friend
and lover, then I am willing to do just about anything.”

“So how is this going to work?” Ter asked, staring at him. Nicolae

loved being the center of his attention. He resisted the urge to preen.

“I will submit to you in the other room. Take that where you will

in your imagination. I am not a fan of pain, but I will endure what I
must to please you.” For some reason the idea of pleasing Ter made
his whole body zing with sensation. It was a strange feeling. There
was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that said that a vampire
prince shouldn’t be acting in such a fashion and should certainly
never consider bottoming for a man half his size and strength. The
larger part of his mind just told him how beautiful it would be to
come together with Ter in any fashion he could. They were mates,
and therefore everything was right between them.

Ter considered him, sipping on his orange juice. “I think I want

you tied and I want to fuck you.” His voice deepened. “I want to fuck
you really, really badly. Will you let me, Nicolae?”

Beau Bitten

Nicolae didn’t hesitate. “Yes, Sir. I will let you tie and fuck me

any way you desire.”

Pleasurable silence filled the space between them for a while after

that, each apparently lost in his own thoughts. Nicolae took the
opportunity to peruse the rest of the club. The dance floor was
beginning to fill up with people in various states of dress. People from
his coven tended to adopt the laid-back eccentric attitude of the city
they’d settled into and displayed it in their embrace of all things Goth
and pop-culture. He could almost pick them out, even in the fetish
crowd. The “fangbanger” ripped tank tops were a bit hard to miss. He
smiled as he saw Emerald and one of her mates, Andrei. Emerald had
dyed her naturally ash-blonde hair black with streaks of bright red
throughout, and Andrei had cut his so he could spike it up in harsh
black spikes. Both of them wore spiked collars and white tank tops
with a scrawled acid-green label of “slave” across the chest that
glowed in the flashing black lights. No doubt Makar, their other mate,
was somewhere close, watching them dance.

“You surprise me, Nicolae,” Ter said. “You’re not as uptight as I

thought you were. I didn’t think the prim and proper bitey prince
would be caught dead in a place like this. I can see your brothers
coming here, but you? Not so much.”

Nicolae shrugged. “Some of my brothers do practice the lifestyle.

I do not. It requires far too much upkeep, and I prefer a mate who will
be my equal.”

“So why bottom for me?”
“Because the idea of being tied and fucked by you turns me on,”

Nicolae admitted. “That is not to say that I will always be subservient
to you or that I will always be agreeable, but I feel that our
relationship is unbalanced without me giving something of myself.
My submission to you in the bedroom is one of the ways I hope to
show you my commitment to making us equals.”

Ter reached out and grabbed Nicolae’s collar and dragged him

nearly off his stool before claiming his mouth in a kiss. Nicolae was

Jana Downs

stunned for a full thirty seconds before he groaned and returned the
parry of his tongue. He opened his mouth and their tongues danced,
lips pressing against one another in a mimicry of sex.

“That is the most incredibly sweet thing anyone has ever said to

me,” Ter said against his mouth, holding him close. Nicolae’s head
spun as he breathed in his Hebecta’s scent. His fangs descended,
brushing his bottom lip as the urge to nibble on the pale neck inches
from his mouth rose up inside him. “God, you’re fanging out. Want
me, bitey?”

“You know I do.” The Vietnamese boy with the dragon tattoo

wrapped in a half moon around his eyes before traveling down his
cheek and neck was a tease. But finally, Nicolae’s courtship and
patience were paying off.

A new voice interrupted their exchange. “Excuse me, Sirs, but

your room is prepared.” Nicolae looked up and saw a short redhead
with pale skin and adorable dimples smiling at the two of them. “If
Sirs will follow me, I will show you to it.”

“What’s your name?” Ter asked unexpectedly.
The attendant half bowed. “My name is Jordan, Sir. I’m not

available for playtime though. I’m an elf, and my blood is poisonous
to vampires.”

“I just like to know who I’m talking to, Jordan. I wasn’t asking for

a playmate. Thank you for showing us where we need to go,” Ter
said. He released Nicolae’s collar and twined their hands instead.
“Come on, bitey. It’s time to pay the piper.”

Nicolae anticipated paying in full.

* * * *

Ter was thrumming with energy as they were led around the dance

floor and down yet another dimly lit corridor. He wasn’t under any
illusions that he was going to be Nicolae’s permanent Master or
whatever, but he nearly vibrated with the realization that just this once

Beau Bitten

he would be the one in charge of his relationship. His other boyfriends
had always held the trump card, the money, the stature, the status. But
Nicolae, his would-be mate, would be the one to yield to him. For that
alone he’d give Nicolae this one time together.

I’ll bounce after. His dragon hissed as the thought crossed his

mind. Shut up, brat. The smell of burning applewood filled the air as
the animal nearly forced him into a shift. Stop! Do you want to turn
scaly and not mate? The dragon seemed to understand that well
enough because it huffed a bit before settling down. The smell of
burning applewood faded. Thank God.

The attendant stopped in front of an ornately carved black door

with intertwining silver serpents crisscrossing the surface. “Here we
are, Sirs,” Jordan said, bowing to the both of them as he unlocked the
door. “The door automatically locks behind you. So no one will be
walking in on you. When you finish your time together, simply
depress the red button on the wall. I or another attendant will come to
you and provide whatever you need. There is a back exit to the club
that can be accessed from this corridor if Sirs wish to leave discreetly.
Enjoy your time at Atlas in Chains.” He turned and left back down the
corridor where they’d come.

Ter pushed open the door and walked into the room. He was

immediately struck by the contrast between the harsh leather side of
the chamber and the plush king-size bed on the other side with the
covers pulled down. The leather side had some sort of upside down T-
looking structure with cuffs hanging from the ceiling that was padded
with leather. There was a table beside it with lengths of chain and
several implements on it that Ter was familiar with but had no desire
to use. He just wanted Nicolae helpless.

The other section of the room was carpeted and soft looking,

elegant. The brilliant gold-and-red comforter was just the sort of thing
his dragon went gaga over. Ever since he’d gained the dragon spirit,
he’d been attracted to everything shiny and high-end looking, which
was a bitch considering he was little better than homeless. His eyes

Jana Downs

automatically scanned the room for additional shiny things that would
fit conveniently in his pocket. He was amassing quite the collection of
things in the bottom of his closet that he liked to roll in on the full
moon. The nightstand beside the bed had a tube of lube that had a
gold top emblazoned with the Atlas label and a few embroidered
washcloths that matched the bed. Nothing he’d want to bring home.

“Thank you for this chance,” Nicolae said, drawing his attention

away from the bed and accompanying nightstand. “Hebecta, you have
made me a happy man tonight.”

“Not yet,” Ter said. “But I hope to make you a happy man.” He

motioned for Nicolae to move over to the leather half. “Take off your
clothes.”

“That’s it? No conversation? I had hoped for more romance,”

Nicolae said, moving from behind him and going over to the high-
backed leather chair beside the restraint structure. He sat down on the
edge of the chair and began to untie his laces.

“This isn’t about romance, Nicolae,” Ter reminded the both of

them. “It’s about sex.” If he kept that in mind, he wouldn’t get carried
away.

Nicolae frowned. “This is an act of love, Ter.”
“Love?” Ter asked, snorting at the implication. “You’re no

different than my other boyfriends.” He immediately regretted the
words as they came pouring out of his mouth. He’d long stopped
seeing them. Being followed around by vampires and half falling in
love with one of them had made it impossible to see any of the men
he dated. Nicolae and his family had been nothing but kind to him.

The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees. “Other

boyfriends?”

“I’m talking in the past tense,” he explained, regretting his word

choice.

“And I’m no different from them?”
“No!” he protested. His dragon rose up inside him, and scales

exploded down both his arms. His shoulder blades started to itch

Beau Bitten

where the wings would form. A sound like a rattlesnake joined his
verbal protest as his dragon made itself known.

The vampire was suddenly standing in front of him, fangs bared.

“Do you know how hard it is for me to be around you this close to my
ascension? Do you understand how difficult it is to give you your
space? To respect the distance you insist on putting between us? How
fucking hard it is to let you go back to your rat hole over on
Esplanade night after night when all I want is to bring you home and
spoil you rotten?” His dragon growled and forced Ter forward so that
their chests collided. He wrapped his arms around Nicolae’s waist.

“I know how hard it is,” he spat, grinding his jean-clad cock

against his thigh. “You’re the one who made me come to your house
and let my dragon get a good whiff of you. You aren’t playing fair!”

“It isn’t fair that three hundred years into an infinite life I am

going crazy because of some poison building in my fangs because my
Hebecta, my fated mate, won’t take my bite.” The rage in Nicolae’s
eyes would’ve been frightening had Ter doubted even a little bit that
Nicolae would never hurt him. Nicolae continued. “It isn’t fair that
you continued to see your boyfriends for a month after we met,
knowing we were mates, but I live with that. Life isn’t fair.”

“I saw them to break it off with them,” Ter said. “I can’t think of

anyone but you since we met, asshole.”

Nicolae’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
He rubbed his face against Nicolae’s chest. “I didn’t fuck around

on you.” He paused. “Not that we’re dating but…you are my mate. I
just need my freedom.” He felt the tension leech out of Nicolae’s
shoulders.

“You need someone to treat you as an equal, to make you an

equal, and give you enough power to make that the case no matter
how different your circumstances,” Nicolae murmured.

“You’re really going crazy?” Ter asked, inhaling his scent. He

didn’t smell like madness.

Nicolae shuddered. “Yes, boy. I am going crazy.”

Jana Downs

Ter brushed his arms down his chest. “Then let me give you some

sanity. Strip and go over to the restraint bar.”

“Will you allow me to give you my bite, Ter?” Nicolae asked, his

hard cock poking into his stomach.

“I don’t know yet.” The idea of letting Nicolae bite his neck,

puncture his flesh, and drink his blood was frightening in a way. It
meant giving the man control over him and his life. He really wasn’t
ready for that. But he said I was in charge. Could he really control a
vampire’s bite?

Nicolae nodded but didn’t say anything else. Instead he pulled out

of Ter’s grip and walked back over to where he’d left his shoes. It was
like a strip show after that. Nicolae slowly took off the remainder of
his clothing, giving Ter a nice display of what he’d be getting to
experience in a few moments.

Nervousness seized him. I shouldn’t be…I promised myself that

I’d keep my distance. Nicolae dropped his pants, and Ter’s mind
completely blanked. He was a beautiful man.

When Nicolae walked over to the restraint device and grabbed

hold of the structure right below the rings that would connect the
cuffs, Ter’s breath hitched. Mine.

“I’m yours, Ter. Do with me what you will.” Nicolae seemed to

know exactly what to say to take away Ter’s hesitation. “Tonight
you’re in charge.”

This is wrong. As hot as the thought of fucking Nicolae was, it

didn’t feel right to take him like this, not their first time together. Ter
swallowed. But how could he fix it? “I don’t have to fuck you to be in
charge.”

Nicolae blinked. “Um, that is true. Do you wish to whip me

instead?”

“No,” Ter said, shuddering. “There will definitely be no

whipping.” It wasn’t his bag. At all.

Nicolae made a noise of frustration and dropped his arms from the

bar. “Then how do you propose we go about this?”

Beau Bitten

Ter closed his eyes. What a disaster. This was like a hurricane

about to land. “I never should’ve come here.”

“Stop waffling and make a decision, Hebecta,” Nicolae said,

sounding exhausted. Had the months of separation really been that
stressful? It wasn’t like they’d ever had a moment of peace between
them. Maybe it was wearing on him. Ter tended to wear on most
people. “If you don’t wish to be with me, leave. I will not bother you
again.”

“I want you to fuck me.” Why the hell did I just say that? His

dragon purred at the thought, encouraging his descent into the
madness of the moment. “But I’m in charge.”

Nicolae froze. He didn’t even breathe as far as Ter could see. He

saw the shudder work through the vampire’s frame. When he spoke,
Ter could swear his voice was two octaves lower than usual. “You
want me inside you, Hebecta?”

Ter swallowed. “Yes. On my terms. I’m still in control.” He held

onto that idea like it was his only lifeline.

“Of course, Hebecta. I am yours tonight.” Nicolae stepped away

from the restraint bar. “Where do you wish to do it?”

Ter considered the room. Since it was a BDSM club, it made

sense to be kinky, but Ter just really wanted to lose himself in the
touch of another being who wanted nothing more from him than to
lose himself in him. “Bed.” Complete sentences are a must, Ter.
“Let’s go to the bed.”

Nicolae nodded and circled round to the other part of the room.

Ter imagined if he would’ve been a slave to his mating impulses, this
whole situation would’ve been easier. But this wasn’t just hormones.
There was a choice here. A choice that meant something more
meaningful than any relationship he’d been in his whole life.

“You don’t get to bite me,” Ter added, needing some kind of

distance. Nicolae didn’t even pause as he pulled back the covers and
beckoned him closer. Ter swallowed and came closer. He pointed to
the bed. “Lay down and put your hands above your head.”

Jana Downs

Nicolae’s cock lurched like it was begging him to go closer to Ter.

It was flattering really. Nicolae was the epitome of masculine beauty.
The thick ropes of his abdomen alone were enough to have any red-
blooded male in the vicinity panting in want. Coupled with his
gorgeous face, strong limbs, and commanding aura, he was fuckable
in a way that Ter found damn near irresistible.

“Do you wish to tie me?” Nicolae asked.
Ter growled. “Yeah. I want you tied. Will you let me?”
“Yes.”
Ter went over to the table with all the weird implements resting

on it and took both pairs of handcuffs from it. He hissed at the itching
that started in his palms. Silver restraints? Interesting. Atlas in Chains
really did cater to their paranormal clients. Vampires were rendered
nearly human when silver came into contact with their bare skin.

Dragons had a slight allergic reaction to silver. His itching attested

to that. If he would’ve been a wolf-shifter or werewolf, he would’ve
been scorched by the silver though. Apparently not a lot of shifters
came here. Unlike all the other types of shifters though, there was a
certain metal that empowered him. Gold made him higher than a
proverbial kite and nearly doubled his power when he wore it. Not
that he had a lot of gold lying around the house. But that was the
theory anyway.

He turned from the table then walked back over to the bed where

Nicolae was lazily stroking his cock. The sight nearly made Ter
swallow his tongue. “Stop that,” he said. If Nicolae kept playing with
himself, he was going to blow his load without the vampire ever
touching him.

“Is that an order?” Nicolae asked, switching to fondle the heavy

sac beneath his dick. He groaned, and Ter forgot how to breathe.

“Does that turn you on?” Ter asked, his voice strangled. The

husky teasing note in Nicolae’s tone made goose bumps break out
over his skin.

Beau Bitten

“Surprisingly, yes. Having you in charge of me turns me on

greatly, Ter.” His hooded eyes and lust-filled scent said he wasn’t
lying. “I wish you to take your pleasure from me.”

“Give me your hands,” Ter commanded. The eye-hooks that were

drilled into the headboard would serve as excellent anchor points for
Nicolae’s wrists.

Without hesitation, Nicolae extended his arms and watched as Ter

clicked the handcuffs on one wrist and then the other. Ter swallowed
and quickly attached the cuffs to the headboard. He’d never been
allowed to cuff a lover before. The men he’d been with had never let
someone like him take charge of their relationship, even for a
moment. The fact that Nicolae was seemed almost unreal.

He stared down at his restrained lover for longer than was really

necessary and drank in the image of the vampire splayed and cuffed
for his enjoyment. “I could leave you like this,” Ter said aloud.

Nicolae groaned. “I really hope you do not, Ter. I need you.” Had

anyone ever needed him before? He wasn’t entirely sure. His family
had shown without a shadow of a doubt that they hadn’t needed him.
His boyfriends had never needed him. The Brats were probably the
only people on the planet who came close to actually needing him
around, and that was just to pay rent and watch their backs. The idea
that Nicolae, a vampire prince and a very intimidating male, needed
him made him dizzy.

Ter snatched up the lube from the side table and drizzled some out

in his palm. “I won’t leave you wanting, bitey. I promise,” he
murmured as he slicked his palm down Nicolae’s straining cock. The
vampire hissed, bowing up into his touch as Ter slicked his dick with
the lube. He was heavy in his hand, scorching hot, too. The long,
thick prick in his fist was perfect.

“Ter, have mercy,” Nicolae groaned, pushing his hips in counter

thrust to Ter’s movements. “I will not last if you continue.”

Ter took his hand away, and Nicolae shuddered at the loss. “Don’t

worry, Nicolae. We have all night.” There was a promise in there

Jana Downs

somewhere that Ter knew he shouldn’t be giving, but it was too late
to call the words back now.

He distracted himself from his suddenly thundering heart by

grabbing the bottle of slick and putting more on his fingers before
reaching behind himself and finding his needy hole. He groaned at the
contact. He’d imagined Nicolae’s cock sinking into his heat for longer
than he cared to recall. Every morning in the shower he’d jerk off and
finger himself thinking about the man in front of him. It was all too
easy to call his fantasies to the forefront of his mind as he pushed one
finger into his ass, stretching the entrance to accommodate Nicolae’s
monster cock.

“Hebecta, I have waited so long for you,” Nicolae whispered,

looking at him like he was the hungriest man on the planet and Ter
was the last Twinkie in the world. Ter couldn’t imagine going
centuries wanting something, not yet anyway. He hadn’t had the
dragon inside him for long enough to comprehend centuries.

He bit into his bottom lip as he pushed another finger into his

hole. He imagined his digits were Nicolae’s cock, and he almost lost
it. Control. You’re in charge, remember? Get it together, Ter. His
internal pep talk was useless when he looked down at his soon-to-be
lover. Nicolae, even cuffed to the bed, looked like he was king of the
known universe. Ter shuddered. He loved that this big male was at his
mercy tonight.

Ter crawled onto the bed and swung his leg over Nicolae’s hip.

“Mine.” He spat the word out as he seized Nicolae’s thick cock and
pressed it against the stretched entrance to his body.

“Yours,” Nicolae agreed breathlessly. The sentence ended in a

low moan of want as Ter sank down further on his hot length. The
stretch was incredible, and Ter was certain he’d never had anyone fill
him so completely. It was like a lock clicked into place as they joined.
This felt right.

It took him a minute to work himself down Nicolae’s dick, and he

had to pause in several places to accommodate what was filling him.

Beau Bitten

By the time he got himself fully seated, they were both slicked with a
fine sheen of sweat.

“Nicolae,” Ter gasped, feeling his lover’s hardness jerk inside

him.

“I need, Hebecta. Please, move.” Nicolae begging was something

he’d never thought to hear, but it just turned him on more and a drop
of clear pre-cum welled up from the tip of his dick at the words.

“You want it?” he teased, drawing out the anticipation until he

was almost squirming on Nicolae’s lap.

“Yes, God in heaven, yes!” Nicolae groaned.
Ter reached behind himself and fondled Nicolae’s tight sac. “Beg

for it,” he commanded. “Beg me to ride your cock.”

Nicolae’s response was immediate. “Please, Ter. Please, ride my

cock.” He dissolved into a rapid-fire Russian that Ter couldn’t keep
up with, but it sounded like begging by the tone.

Yes. He pulled himself up several inches on Nicolae’s cock before

slamming his body back down. Frissons of sensation raked his spine,
tightening his balls as every nerve ending in his body came alive. He
couldn’t tease anymore because he was just as caught up in their
fucking as Nicolae seemed to be. Every time he came down on
Nicolae’s cock, it rubbed deliciously against every pleasure spot he
had.

“Nicolae!” He screamed his mate’s name as his lover strained

against his bonds, snarling in Russian and broken English about how
good Ter felt and how much he was going to never let him leave his
bed again.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Mine! His dragon purred low in his throat, and his

whole body vibrated with the sound. Nicolae’s eyes went wide before
his body went rigid and a whimper of protest issued from his throat.
Oh, someone liked that. His dragon continued to make the noise,
declaring his pleasure as Nicolae all but writhed under him.

The pace was impossible to maintain. Ter’s morning masturbation

sessions didn’t hold a candle to the actuality of having Nicolae for the

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first time. He bounced up and down on his cock three more times
before he felt orgasm tightening his sac and threatening to send him
over the edge of the abyss. But something held him back from release.

“Come for me, Hebecta,” Nicolae commanded, his eyes boring

into Ter as he continued to ride his hips.

Without thought or conscious decision to do so, Ter obeyed,

screaming out his pleasure as scales shifted down both his shoulders
and his cock spilled the sticky proof of his pleasure all over the hard
planes of Nicolae’s sculpted abdomen. The vampire groaned beneath
him, and almost instantly hot jets of liquid warmth filled Ter’s
insides.

He panted in the aftermath of what they had done, resting his

palms lightly on Nicolae’s hard chest. His dragon settled down,
content to have finally had his mate. The damn lizard is going to be
impossible to live with after this. He sighed.

Nicolae echoed his sound. “That was amazing, Hebecta. Thank

you.” The tone was off, so Ter raised his eyes to look at Nicolae’s
face. His fangs were exposed, the tips of them resting against his
bottom lip, and something in his expression seemed far more
predatory than it should’ve been given that they’d just come together.

“You want to bite me,” Ter said.
Nicolae swallowed, nodded. “Yes. I cannot help it, Hebecta.”
“Does it hurt?” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nicolae’s

chest, needing the closeness but really unwilling to ask for it. He’d
never been a cuddler, but in that moment the idea held appeal.

“No. It is a brief pinch and then complete ecstasy. At least that is

what I am told. I’ve never taken another’s bite myself.” Nicolae
closed his eyes. “Unless you wish to take my bite now, let us stop
talking about it.”

“Sorry,” Ter mumbled.
“You may ask me anything, Ter. I only say to stop now because

right now I’m finding control to be very difficult.”

Ter smirked. “That’s because I’m in charge.”

Beau Bitten

Nicolae chuckled. “I suppose that may be partially correct. You

make my head spin.”

“What is vampire recovery time like?” Ter asked, changing the

subject. If he could boil down what he was feeling to sex, he might be
able to get through tonight with his heart mostly intact. Though, so
far, all the road blocks he’d erected to keep Nicolae out had proved
next to useless.

“As with any other paranormal, better than average,” Nicolae said,

winking. “What other tortures do you have in store for me, Hebecta?”

Ter ran his hands down the ripples of his stomach before running

them back up to his nipples and tweaking them ever so slightly. The
vampire arched, and Ter grinned. Oh yes. Nicolae was a veritable
playground, and he couldn’t wait to explore every last inch of him.
“Stick around and find out.”

Nicolae rattled the cuffs. “I have little choice in the matter. You

are my Master for the evening.”

Ter started at the words. He shook his head quickly. “No. I’m in

charge tonight, but I’m not your Master.” The idea was ridiculous.
“I’m a bottom all the way. That’s why I couldn’t fuck you.”

A tender look came over Nicolae’s face. “Hebecta, if you believe

a Master can be broken down by what position they favor in the
bedroom, you would be greatly limiting the scope of the relationship
of Dominant and submissive. You thrive on control, and you enjoy
being in charge of me. I find myself in turn relaxing for the first time
in my remembrance. I loved what you did to me. If that is not the
epitome of power exchange, I do not know what is.”

“So this is okay?” Ter asked. “I’m not into hardcore stuff. I mean,

I don’t know if I could be like twenty-four-seven. You know?”

Nicolae nodded. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to be a

twenty-four-seven Dominant with me. I am a prince and heir to my
coven. As such, I need to make decisions and be wholly independent
in some matters. It wouldn’t make sense to add my burdens to yours.
Besides, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that in any case.”

Jana Downs

“But you’ve never been a sub before.” Ter was sure of that.

Nicolae might’ve been exuding this confident air of come-at-me-
baby, but Ter was almost certain the man had never put himself in a
submissive position in his entire life.

Nicolae shrugged as much as he could while cuffed to the bed. “I

have never been given the option or trusted someone enough to take
the position. In my world, the stronger, bigger vampires always take
the Dominant role in the relationship. I will not lie to you, Hebecta.
There are some who would look down at my choice to willingly
submit to your whims. The vampires who are submissive are those
who do not possess the power to dominate their partners. I have the
power to top you. However, I find myself much better suited to
following your wishes. Does that make sense?”

Ter nodded. “Yeah. It does. So…you like it?” He really wanted

Nicolae to like it. He wanted the big vampire to let him play with his
magnificent body until neither one of them could move. Nicolae
seemed to enjoy being tied, but he’d been the one to command Ter’s
orgasm, hadn’t he? He shook his head. This was confusing.

“I love it thus far,” Nicolae murmured.
Ter couldn’t help but laugh as the vampire started to harden again

inside him. “I can feel that. Let me clean up, and then we can start
again.”

“So you will not leave me?” Nicolae asked. There was a

vulnerability in his gaze that twisted Ter’s heart in a knot. How many
times had he run away from him in the months since they’d met at the
rave? As scared as he was, he imagined that Nicolae was equally as
unnerved by the strength of their bond even if he was more accepting
of it.

He reached down and cupped his mate’s cheek. “No, Nicolae. I

won’t leave.”

Nicolae looked up at him and smiled the first absolutely joyous

smile Ter had ever seen, and he fell just a little bit in love with him.
Dammit. I’m so lost.

Beau Bitten

Chapter Three

Nicolae couldn’t recall the last time he’d spent the entire night

making love, but as the sun rose and Ter’s dark head pressed gently
against the muscle of his chest in rest, he knew that he’d never been
happier than he was in this moment. He finally had his mate. Three
hundred long years of waiting were over, and Ter seemed disinclined
to run away this time. It gave him hope.

“I can’t move,” Ter murmured. “My thighs are on fire.”
“Hmm, perhaps next time you’ll allow me a bit more freedom,”

Nicolae teased. His voice was hoarse from screaming his pleasure to
high heaven. He had begun the night with the expectation that he
would tolerate submitting to Ter. In actuality, he had enjoyed the hell
out of himself. He’d relaxed for the first time in centuries and had
experienced an odd freedom letting Ter control his pleasure.

Ter chuckled. “Don’t count on it, bitey. I like you all tied up.” He

stretched, his lithe muscles elongating in a beautiful taut line. Nicolae
loved Ter’s snappy wit and obnoxious mouth. He loved just about
everything about his mate at the moment. He was floating in a world
of sensation, and he refused to come back down to earth.

“When can I see you again?” he asked, needing to know that

tonight wasn’t just a fluke. Ter took a minute to answer, and his heart
sank. “Are you really going to refuse to see me again?”

“No,” Ter said quickly, shaking his head. His black eyes met

Nicolae’s. “I want to see you again. I was just thinking about when it
would be a good idea. I’m guessing we have to meet at Atlas, right?”

Now it was Nicolae’s turn to hesitate. He wanted Ter at his house,

in his bed, not in some anonymous sex club on Canal Street.

Jana Downs

However, his family was a nosy bunch, and while he didn’t think they
would dare look too closely at his sex life, he didn’t want to risk them
saying something insulting to Ter. But this isn’t just about sex. It was
about courtship as well.

“Come to my house for breakfast tomorrow at seven. We always

have a family meal then.” It was technically dinner time by most
people’s standards, but it was the one meal he could count on
everyone being in residence. It was a tradition he’d carried over from
Russia when his father had been head of the St. Petersburg Coven.
They were still in the process of moving the entire coven over to the
Garden District, so for now Nicolae was in charge of that house as
coven leader.

Ter smiled at him. “I can do that. I’ll come over after I get off

from my job. I’m doing a nude modeling job at Tulane. It’s real close
to where you live, so I’ll head over after.”

“I don’t know that I am happy about you revealing your body to

other people,” Nicolae said before he could filter the thought. “While
I agree your magnificent body is worthy of art, I dislike you being
nude before the masses.”

Ter lightly slapped his chest. “Hey, man, this is a legit job. It don’t

pay much, but it’s better than some of the gigs that I book off my site.
I do private photography sessions that can get a little crazy. This is
easy peasy. Get me?”

“I get you, and I would not interfere with your business. However,

I would ask you to consider, when you are comfortable enough to be
mine in a permanent way, that you allow me to get you a more
appropriate job so I don’t kill someone.” Nicolae tried to be as
emotionless as possible as he said the words. He aimed to not sound
as pissed as the idea really made him. “And before you protest, let me
ask you, how would you feel if I stripped down and posed naked for
strangers?”

The instant hiss and low growl that followed his question

answered him perfectly. The shiny black scales that surfaced on Ter’s

Beau Bitten

normally smooth skin also let him know how unhappy the dragon was
about it. “Mine!” Ter spat.

“Yes. Yours. But do you see what I mean?” Nicolae pressed. He

needed to make Ter understand that he wasn’t being overly
controlling but as a paranormal being, he was dealing with stronger
instincts than the average human.

Ter actually grinned at him. “I get it. When we get serious, I’ll

quit my jobs. Your family owns half the city. There has to be some
kind of unskilled position that I can do. I can wash dishes like a
champ.”

Nicolae cringed internally. If it were up to him, Ter wouldn’t

work another day in his life. But, he was beginning to understand that
the French Quarter Brats were fiercely independent. Nicolae would
just have to deal with it. “I can get you a job now if you wish.”

“No, thank you,” Ter said. “If things don’t work out, then I don’t

want to be stuck working for you.”

“That’s understandable.” Nicolae didn’t have to like having to

wait, but he would if that was what Ter needed.

Ter leaned up and pressed a kiss to his temple, bringing his neck

dangerously close to Nicolae’s aching fangs. He saw red, and the
dangerous part of him he’d been trying to keep in check for months
now reared its head. Without thinking, he snapped his jaw at Ter’s
neck. The dragon must’ve sensed the danger because he jerked back
at the last second.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ter snapped.
“I—” He swallowed hard. “Ter, move. Get off me.” His mind

blanked as the venom in his fangs overloaded his senses. Something
predatory and wholly animal broke free and snarled, making its
presence known. No. Stop it! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The last thing he
wanted was to scare the hell out of his mate, but he couldn’t control
himself.

He bared his fangs and strained against the cuffs that had him

secured to the bed. The headboard groaned under the pressure. Ter

Jana Downs

backpedaled, a look of abject horror painted all over his face.
Whatever expression was on Nicolae’s face must’ve put that look
there because that was the only place that Ter was looking. Nicolae’s
mind spun faster, and he tried to rein in the animal. It wanted blood,
Ter’s blood. It wanted to hunt, to track, to kill. There were a million
beating hearts in the city and ample hunting grounds. All it would
take was to let go of the last vestiges of his sanity and drift into
intoxicating madness.

Ter rolled off the bed and all but ran to the other side of the room,

jerking on his clothes as he went. The beast snarled at him,
demanding he be satisfied. Forgive me, Hebecta. I can’t help this. He
wanted to help this. Damn his approaching birthday and damn fate for
not giving Ter to him sooner. He didn’t want to court him on a
deadline. He wanted months, years, to learn everything there was to
know about his fated mate before asking for the most intimate act he
could give as a vampire.

By the tips of his fingernails he clawed his way back from the

madness, fighting the venom that threatened to make him a monster.
The red haze of bloodlust slowly faded, and he was left dizzy, sweaty,
and panting in its wake. He closed his eyes and mourned the loss of
Ter’s trust as the shifter looked at him with the same guarded
expression he’d worn when they’d first started this dance of theirs.

“Forgive me,” he whispered.
“You weren’t kidding. You really are going crazy,” Ter said from

somewhere on the other side of the room.

“It is an unfortunate side effect of age,” Nicolae murmured,

exhausted. “At three hundred years, the venom in our bite reaches its
highest levels and begins to poison the mind. It is the chemical we
bestow only on our Hebectas as part of the mating. It induces a
maddening pleasure when given.”

“Can’t you just take it out with a needle or something?” Ter

asked. Nicolae listened to the sound of Ter pulling on his shirt and
zipping up his pants. Damn his superior hearing.

Beau Bitten

He forced himself to continue. “It has been tried. Unfortunately,

the only way to stop the buildup is to remove the ducts entirely, which
still causes an imbalance in vampires, not to mention taking away the
only way we can keep our hosts calm as we feed. It’s supposed to be a
pleasurable experience, not a horrific one. Plus, without it we cannot
clot the blood from the punctures we make. Trust me, Hebecta. I’ve
thought of and tested many possibilities in an effort to find another
way. I even had a science team look into it. No answers could be
found.”

Ter took a step back toward him, and Nicolae’s eyes came open.

“So you really do need me,” the Brat said, gnawing on his bottom lip.
“It’s not just that you want me. You need me.”

Nicolae sighed. “That is correct, Hebecta. I need you.” He

imagined that it would just be something else that Ter would hold
against him. Even if he felt obligated to help Nicolae out, he wouldn’t
see the necessity of being with Nicolae in a working relationship.

“God, why didn’t you just say so? Good lord, man, you scared the

hell outta me,” Ter said, interrupting his melancholy thoughts.

Nicolae’s eyes went wide in surprise. “What?” He searched Ter’s

face for an answer and found a surprisingly thoughtful expression
there.

Ter shifted from foot to foot. “I know better than anyone what it’s

like to be settled with a curse of something you don’t want. Trust me.
I get it. Are you going to turn into an ogre if I come back over there?”

“No, Hebecta. I am in control again.” He desperately wanted his

lover back on the bed so he could explain. “It was your pulse so close
to my mouth that set it off. So long as you don’t tease me with your
veins, I should be fine. If you wish, just leave me cuffed. That way I
cannot reach you even if I do lose it again.”

Ter nodded slowly. “All right.” He walked back over to the bed

and sat on the edge. Nicolae’s chest got tight as Ter placed a warm
palm against his chest right above his heart. “Nicolae, if I let you bite
me, can we try and take things slow?”

Jana Downs

As much as Nicolae wanted to say that he would be able to hold to

a promise like that, he knew better. “Hebecta, once my bite is given,
you will be my mate. There is no turning back from that. It is more
than a marriage ceremony in my culture. It is a necessity. It is one of
the reasons I am working so hard to ready for my ascension to coven
leader. After my mother’s death, my father’s clock started ticking. He
will go mad or die within three hundred years when the venom
overwhelms him again. I imagine he only continues to live so long as
we children need taking care of. Uncle Markus is formally mated to
his lead bodyguard and could technically take care of the coven, but
Father wanted it to go directly to me so there will be no debate about
the line of succession.”

“He doesn’t trust your Uncle Markus and his partner?” Ter asked.
Nicolae shook his head. “It’s not that. Uncle Markus may be

mated to Xin, but they aren’t a couple. They bite one another to keep
from losing themselves to the venom, but as far as anyone knows,
they keep the relationship professional. Having a mate but not being
with him or her is seen as an abomination by my people. Even if he
took over the coven briefly, there would be strife in it.”

Ter shrugged his shoulders and got a cocky look on his face. “So

bite me. It seems like the only option.”

Nicolae’s fangs elongated, and saliva started pooling in his mouth

immediately. “Ter,” he groaned. “You don’t understand. I wanted to
give you time to come to grips with mating. I know this isn’t what
you want.”

Ter waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh please. We both know where

this is headed. I’ll admit, I’m reluctant to throw myself into something
with you, so there will be conditions. However, my animal isn’t going
to stay away from you like I originally planned, and I am not real
keen on fighting my own impulses. I chose to come here, and I think
on some level that means that you and I already have the hard bit over
with. Whether it’s tonight or…how long did you say you had?”

Beau Bitten

“Another few weeks at most,” Nicolae said, eyeing Ter’s leaping

pulse. He could put on a brave face all he wanted, but there was fear
thundering through his veins along with the bravado. Nicolae didn’t
really blame him. He imagined that looking into the face of predatory
madness would shake even the most stoic of men.

Again, Ter shrugged. “What difference does it matter if it’s now

or four weeks from now? You’re going to get worse?” Nicolae
nodded. “Then that is just idiotic. We can’t get to know one another
and try to be a normal functioning couple if this craziness is hanging
over our heads like a dark cloud. I’m not good at playing will-I-
won’t-I, so let’s cut to the chase. Bite me, mate me, and let’s get it
over with.”

“How romantic,” Nicolae said dryly. “I had hoped to propose our

mating over a candlelit dinner or some such thing in the weeks to
come.”

Ter snorted. “In case you missed it, bitey, I ain’t exactly the wine-

and-dine kinda guy. I don’t need roses and pretty words to be
convinced to take what I already need. I thought giving into
temptation and fucking you tonight might ease the ache, but from
what I see, it just makes it worse. Fighting it seems a little stupid
now.” He leveled a glare at Nicolae. “And for the record, if you ever
keep something from me that is hurting you that I can fix, I will tie
you down and torture your cock and balls until you are begging to
come before I walk out the damn door and leave you to suffer.”

Nicolae blinked, and his spent cock threatened to stir at the image.

“You’re serious?”

“I’m dead serious, bitey. Don’t be an ass. You were in pain the

whole time I was refusing to see you, weren’t you?”

Nicolae shrugged. “I was frustrated, but no, I wasn’t in pain. The

closer I get to my birthday, the more I can feel the control slipping.
However, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

Ter snorted again. “Like I’m going to let you go insane. You’re

my mate, too, you know. My dragon would have a fit. This is the one

Jana Downs

bit of our relationship that should be easy. I can do hot sex with you
every night and I can even handle you biting me as long as I am the
one who can say no in the end. Don’t expect a lot emotionally. Got
it?”

“I understand,” Nicolae said. “However, I have my own

conditions.”

Ter’s eyebrows shot heavenward. “Oh?”
“Yes. I will bite you tomorrow when you come visit my family. I

won’t do it here in a sex club like you’re some kind of blood whore.
Secondly, you must allow me to continue to court you. I want your
love, Ter, and I want to grow to love you. I think it’s fair that you
allow me that chance.”

Ter eyed him for longer than was necessary. “I agree to go on

dates with you or whatever, but I’m not falling in love with you. Sex
and friendship is all I’m offering. Take it or leave it.”

Nicolae didn’t like his conditions, but what choice did he have? “I

retain the right to ask for a renegotiation of that clause at a later date.”

“Whatever,” Ter said, giving him another cocky smile. “You can

bring it up later all you want, but the answer is still gonna be the
same. I don’t do emotional involvement. Period.”

Nicolae sighed. “You drive a hard bargain, Hebecta.”
“It’s ‘Sir’ to you in here,” Ter said with a wink. “Do you think we

can explore this whole ‘Ter gets to be the Dom’ thing more?”

A shudder went through Nicolae at the thought. “Of course, Sir. It

would be my pleasure. Perhaps one day you will be confident enough
to fuck me properly as well.”

“Count on it, bitey.”

* * * *

Nicolae rubbed his wrists as he waited for the car at the back exit,

trying to rub out the marks the cuffs had made. He’d have to get
something softer to keep from marking every time they were together.

Beau Bitten

Ter had given him one hell of a good-bye kiss before sashaying out
the door like he owned the place. It was unbelievable that a man with
such a small stature and who had such a broken life could possess
such a large presence. He had rocked Nicolae’s world and surprised
him again and again. The fact that he’d agreed to be Nicolae’s
Hebecta so easily was something he’d never dreamed of happening.
Perhaps fate will be kind to us after all. After the months of pursuing
the dragon, he was finally starting to see the possibility of what they
could be together.

The black Lincoln Town Car pulled up a moment later, the

windows blacked out. It was one of the coven’s vehicles. The sun
wasn’t at its zenith quite yet, but since vampires were nocturnal by
nature, their eyes were a bit sensitive to light. The driver’s door
opened and out stepped Sasha wearing a pair of shades and carrying
another. Thank God.

Nicolae opened the door and took the shades from Sasha’s

outstretched hand. His brother grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.
He whistled low. “Nice marks. Did you have fun, brother mine? And
where is your Hebecta?”

“I had a wonderful time, and Ter had some business to take care

of at home.” Namely sleeping but that was all right. Baby steps.
“However, he’ll be joining us for breakfast tomorrow night.”

“Did you talk to him about taking things a little quicker than

normal?”

“Yes. He agreed. He’ll accept my bite tomorrow. He still refuses

the possibility of being in love with me, but I feel like I can convince
him given enough time and room to grow in our relationship.” He felt
like the tension had broken for the first time in weeks. Hope was a
wonderful thing.

“Just be careful, Nico,” Sasha said, leading the way out the door

as Nicolae put his shades on. “I don’t want you to get your heart
broken. Don’t get me wrong, I like your mate. But he is a jaded man,
and jaded men guard their hearts like most men guard their lives. I am

Jana Downs

happy he agreed to the mating though. I will be relieved once it is
done and you are no longer in danger of going mad.”

“Hmmm, perhaps you could have someone dig around a little and

find out some things about Ter’s past? I would prefer if he told me,
but I think if I understood where he came from, I’d have a better
understanding of how to court him properly.” It was technically
cheating, but Nicolae adhered to the adage that all was fair in love and
war. Being with Ter was a little of both.

They piled into the car, Sasha in the driver’s seat, Nicolae in the

back. Sasha adjusted his rearview mirror. “I’ll do as you ask, Nico.
However, first you need to sleep. You have that conference call with
Japan at eight thirty and a coven meeting right after with your father
and some of the other nobles. You need to get some rest.”

Nicolae meant to say something in response, but he was already

starting to drift. Quite by accident, he was asleep before they pulled
out into the main street.

* * * *

Crap. What have I gotten myself into? Ter wanted to bang his

head against the side of his dingy apartment building. He’d shrugged
off the urgency of the situation with Nicolae because the guy had
really looked like he felt bad about being in a pickle about the whole
I’m-going-crazy thing. However, after he’d come out of his sex coma
and walked to his apartment to clear his head, he was freaking out a
little. Check that, a lot.

He liked Nicolae, but his fear of commitment was eating at him

like a giant scaly lizard in the pit of his stomach. His dragon purred
happily in the back of his mind, knowing that he had won this
particular battle of wills. You say that till he makes us a snack cake.
He wished that Nicolae had just gotten it over with and bitten him
when he’d still been buzzed with a combination of adrenaline and

Beau Bitten

endorphins. Maybe then he wouldn’t have felt like fate had really
rammed him in the ass again.

It wasn’t that he blamed Nicolae. Going crazy and having a

genetic whatnot was definitely not the guy’s fault, just like it hadn’t
been Ter’s fault that he was queer as a three dollar bill in a Roman
Catholic household with super conservative Vietnamese parents. Shit
just happened in life, and either someone could spend their whole life
avoiding the bad under a rock or they could embrace that shitty things
happened and deal with their consequences. As a Quarter Brat, Ter
was used to dealing with shitty situations that were far from fair.

He’d be an idiot not to be a little afraid, but he’d deal with what

fate threw at him. His mate was a good guy. So what if it was a little
rushed? People got into relationships at the speed of light. Hell,
Gideon, one of his closest friends, fell in love with his werewolf mate,
Evan, without ever speaking to the man. It wasn’t really the insta-
relationship bit that scared him though. It was the “love” part.

In Ter’s experience, if someone claimed to love him it was only a

matter of time before that emotion wore off or he’d do something to
make them turn on him like a rabid dog. It had happened to his
parents, then any “friends” he’d had from his old life, then his lovers
after the right amount of time had passed. The only people who had
ever stuck with him were the Brats, and they didn’t have much of a
choice. They banded together out of necessity and the fact that they
were all a little different than the average runaway or homeless dude.
They were a bunch of paranormal rejects who had taken a few
understanding humans under their wings. It didn’t amount to real
friendship, at least not in Ter’s eyes.

He hit the buzzer on the side of the building to call up to the

apartment. There was only one key that opened the building door. It
was passed around to all of them at any given time, and it wasn’t in
Ter’s possession at the moment.

The sleep-roughened voice that came over the intercom belonged

to Brendan, one of his roommates. “Hmm, hello?”

Jana Downs

“Hey, man. It’s me. Lemme up.” The door immediately buzzed,

and Ter jumped the three steps up to the door and pulled it open. He
was immediately assaulted by the smell of mold and urine. Fuck. He
wished someone would clean up the entranceway. It always smelled
like something dead was rotting in the walls. Summertime made it
worse, so he was grateful it was still early spring.

He went over to the internal stairwell and climbed up, careful not

to trip over the fourth step on the second floor landing where the tile
was broken. He’d nearly busted his ass more than once hurrying out
of the building.

He nearly ran into Jamie as he came through the door on their

floor. “Damn!” the alligator-shifter yelped as Ter tumbled backward
into the still-open doorway. Jamie cursed and tried to catch him, but
he ended up tumbling after him and landing in a tangle of limbs.

Jamie started laughing hard as they pushed themselves off the

sticky floor, scrambling for purchase. It was that carefree country boy
laugh that Ter always found so renewing, like a breath of fresh air or
something. Jamie just had an optimistic light about him that drew
people in. The albino alligator was also the gentlest French Quarter
Brat of the bunch. In Ter’s eyes, he was a big redneck teddy bear with
blond hair and big green eyes. Ter really enjoyed Jamie’s company.

“Where are you running off to in such a hurry?” Ter asked,

pulling Jamie the rest of the way to his feet.

Jamie held up the small backpack that they’d found on a

Dumpster dive last year. “I got a cleanin’ job over in the District, and
if I don’t get goin’, I’ll be late. It pays three hundred bucks. I’ll buy
some cleanin’ stuff with the money I earn.”

“No problem,” Ter said. “Just do your thing.”
Jamie inhaled deeply and shot him a curious look. “You smell

like—”

“Yeah,” Ter interrupted before he could verbalize it. “I was with

Nicolae last night. We’re going to make a go of it. Bitey is gonna be

Beau Bitten

my new boyfriend.” The thought made his insides tremble with the
urge to bolt. He didn’t want to be hurt again.

Jamie slapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Oh man, good

for you. It makes me feel good to see my boys gettin’ their happily
ever afters.”

“Course you do, rêveur. You’ll be up next before you know it.”
Jamie grinned. “Hope so. All right, I’m outta here.”
Ter waved him on. “Go on with your bad self, dreamer boy.”

Jamie disappeared out the door, and Ter made his way down the
hallway.

The apartment was unlocked as it always was, and Ter wasted no

time in letting himself in. The cramped two-bedroom had been home
for the past several years, and he shared it with four other men.
Gideon used to stay with them, too, but that was before he found Evan
and they’d shacked up together on the better side of town.

He kicked his shoes off on the thin, cheap carpet by the door and

padded through the living room where Brendan had apparently passed
out after buzzing Ter in. Seth’s snores could be heard from where he
was sleeping his bedroom, and he imagined Tyler was in there with
him. He’d have his entire room to himself, which was a rare enough
thing. At least everyone who lived there was either gone or sleeping.
As tired as Ter was, all he wanted to do was have a few minutes of
semi-quiet before the apartment buzzed with people coming and
going.

He stripped off his shirt as he hit his doorway, tossing it against

the wall right after. The bedroom he shared with Jamie didn’t have a
door, but Ter was far from shy about getting naked in front of other
people. He stripped quickly, tossed his clothes, and missed his clothes
basket, before throwing himself onto the hard mattress that lay on the
floor. They didn’t have real beds, so that was what he was stuck with.
It suited him just fine. He just needed a few hours of shut-eye before
he could finish processing the fact that he’d promised his neck to the
hungry fangs of a sometimes-crazy vampire.

Jana Downs

His eyes slid shut, a car honked somewhere in the distance and

someone a few apartments over was shouting. He breathed deep. It
was just the normal noises that always sounded when he was home. A
thought niggled at him. He should’ve let Jamie take his cell phone in
case of emergencies. It was why he had the damn thing. He mentally
shrugged. It was broad daylight. Jamie would be fine. It wasn’t like he
was a human or something. The reminder relaxed him. His mind
drifted, and he was immediately lost in dreams of Nicolae.

Beau Bitten

Chapter Four

“He’s not coming,” Nicolae said, his chest tightening so much that

he was pretty sure he heard a rib crack. The clock above the mantle
displayed quite eloquently that is was fifteen till eight. He’d told Ter
to be here at seven because that was when his family ate. They’d
waited on him. He looked around the mahogany table at the rest of his
family who waited on his mate’s arrival with more patience than
Nicolae would’ve shown given the circumstances. “Go ahead and eat,
everyone.”

Sasha reached over and kneaded the back of his neck in comfort.

“Maybe he got tied up, brother.”

Nicolae shrugged. “He could’ve called.” As if on cue, his cell

phone started jingling Ter’s ringtone. “That’s him.” He pushed
himself back from the table and extracted the phone from his pocket.
He slid his finger over the screen to turn on the call button. “Hebecta,
where are you?”

“Nicolae.” The broken sound of his mate’s voice chilled him. “I

can’t find Jamie. I’ve looked for him everywhere. He went to a job in
the Garden District yesterday to clean someone’s house, and he never
came home. I looked all night, and the rest of the Brats helped me
look all day. I don’t know what to do.”

“Calm down, Ter. It’s all right. I’ll make it all right.” Nicolae

knew how much Jamie and the other Quarter Brats meant to Ter.
They were the only people that Ter would stick his neck out for. “Let
me organize some of my enforcers. I’ll have them search the city and
the District.”

Jana Downs

“I already called Gideon and Evan. The wolves are tracking his

scent or at least they’re trying to. Please, hurry.” Ter said something
that Nicolae couldn’t quite make out, like he covered the speaker of
his phone with his hand or something to speak to someone else.

“Hebecta, where are you? I’ll come to you.” He tightened his grip

on the phone until the little plastic device creaked.

“I’m actually walking down your road. We were looking the next

neighborhood over and split at the intersection.”

His brothers surrounded him as he moved from the dining room to

the connecting living room. “Nico,” Sei said in Russian, “is your
Hebecta in danger?” Out of everyone, his American accent was the
worst. When they were home, he always spoke in their native tongue.

Nicolae held up a hand for him to hold on. “I’ll meet you in the

drive. You’ll come inside and try and relax while I organize my men.”

Ter sighed. “Watch those orders, bitey.” He paused. “But under

the circumstances, fine. I’ll be there in just a second.” The click on
the other end of the line let him know that Ter had hung up, and he
lowered his phone accordingly.

He turned toward his brothers. “One of my Hebecta’s friends is

missing. He was in the Quarter doing some labor and hasn’t been
home since yesterday. I need to summon the enforcers to the house
and start a canvass of the neighborhood. We have contacts in the
police, yes?” They all exchanged a mutual look. Nicolae frowned.
“What?”

“No offense to your Hebecta, Nico, but his friends are not the

coven’s concern,” Grisha said, his amethyst eyes begging for
understanding.

Instant anger flooded Nicolae’s body. “If he is of concern to my

Hebecta, he is a concern to my coven!” He balled his fists up at his
sides. How dare they disobey his orders? It was the only time in his
memory that it had ever happened.

The fury triggered whatever madness was inside him and the next

thing he knew he had Grisha against the far wall by his throat. His

Beau Bitten

fangs cut into his bottom lip, and the smell that perfumed the air had
the rest of the dining room, which included the bodyguards and his
father, storming in to see what was happening. He snarled as his
instincts demanded he tear into something, anything. The man in front
of him was nothing to him. His fear made him prey, and prey could be
fed on.

“Nico!” Sasha snapped, punching Nicolae in the ribs. Nicolae

turned on him, ready to tear him apart with his bare hands. Sasha
squared himself, ready for the worst. His father started shouting in
Russian, and his entire family circled him like he was a dangerous
animal.

“Jesus Christ!” A new voice penetrated the haze of his madness.

Hebecta. “Nicolae, fuck, cut the he-man shit out, will yah?”

He swiveled toward the new voice, his nostrils suddenly filled

with the delectable scent of burning applewood. Dragon-shifter.
Mate. Yes. Those were things he knew absolutely. He also knew that
he hadn’t claimed his Hebecta yet, not given him his bite. He
salivated at the thought.

He shouldered his way through the opposition. They fell away

from him like bowling pins at the end of a lane. His Hebecta stood,
shoulders squared, in the middle of the entryway. There was no fear
coming off this man. No. His Hebecta didn’t fear the monster.

Ter’s dark eyes met his. “Nicolae, stop looking at me like I’m a

Happy Meal. Come on. Please, stop. Jamie is out there somewhere,
and I have to find him.” He held his ground as Nicolae bent his head
and nuzzled the line of his throat. So good. Bite. Drink. Mine. His
mouth started watering.

Nicolae opened his jaw over the soft skin and ran his fangs over

the pulsing vein of Ter’s throat. The beast registered surprise as Ter
stroked his hands on the sides of his head, stroking his hair
rhythmically. “Come back to me, Nicolae.” The madness obeyed,
fading away and leaving Nicolae shaking.

Jana Downs

“I’m sorry,” Nicolae said automatically. His fangs retracted, and

embarrassment flooded him. “I’m so sorry.”

“You are yourself?” Father asked from behind him. Nicolae

looked over his shoulder and saw his family with silver restraints
drawn. Dimka even had a pistol out.

“Yes. I am, Papa. Forgive my roughness.” His gaze went to his

brothers. “Grisha, Sasha, are you all right?”

They nodded. “Shall I call our enforcers?” Sasha asked, obviously

not ruffled. His expression was perfectly open. He still trusted
Nicolae’s judgment and believed he would come back from the brink
again. It was nice to know someone was behind him. Nicolae sure as
hell didn’t trust himself.

Nicolae nodded. “Please. However, ask for volunteers. Sei is

correct. It isn’t an official coven matter, but I would appreciate their
assistance.”

“That is a much more reasonable attitude,” his father said. Nicolae

thought the old man looked a bit pale. I imagine so. He’s looking into
the face of his future every time I lose it. It shamed Nicolae that he’d
lost control in front of his father like that. He turned his attention back
to his Hebecta, banishing his embarrassment. There was no place for
it while he still had a job to do.

Nicolae swallowed. “Hebecta, how are you?”
“Better now that you’re not threatening me with your fangs,” Ter

quipped in his usual cocksure manner. The circles under his eyes and
the tightness in his jaw were the only clues that he was in distress.
Nicolae would hate to play poker with his mate. He imagined if Ter
had the skill he’d hustle very well at poker and pool. Ter swallowed.
“I’m really thirsty.”

“Right,” Nicolae said, going into action at a problem he could

actually handle. “Come this way. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Dragons got dehydrated easily. He’d read that somewhere. Something
to do with the way their cells overused energy made them susceptible
to it. It made sense that a dragon or dragons would settle near the

Beau Bitten

Mississippi. When he’d learned that Ter was a dragon-shifter he’d
researched all he could about them.

Ter looked relieved. “Thanks.”
Nicolae nodded to his brothers and father. They could take care of

the details of getting a search party together. His mate looked like he
was about to drop to the floor in exhaustion. Maybe he could
convince the other man to nap a bit.

“I was worried you had changed your mind about breakfast,”

Nicolae said as they walked the long hallway toward the back of the
house and the kitchen.

Ter shook his head. “Nah. I’m not the kinda guy who leaves a

man hangin’. Usually if I’m going to bail, I’ll at least show up first.”
He twisted his fingertips in the excess material of his jeans. The
nervous gesture wasn’t lost on Nicolae. “God I hope Jaime is okay.
He’s fragile, you know? Way too trusting. I mean, the guy thinks
every guy he meets is a potential candidate for a ‘forever’
relationship. It’s dangerous in a city like New Orleans.” With his
slight twang of an accent, it came out with the local pronunciation of
“N’awlins.” The boy might’ve been Vietnamese, but New Orleans
was in his blood.

“Jamie will be fine,” Nicolae assured, his feet clipping against the

floors as they approached the two stainless steel double doors that led
into his domain. “He is a strong boy and more than capable of taking
care of himself.” He’d had the kitchen added on after they purchased
the house. It was an addition he was quite proud of because more than
anything, his family and coven loved to get together for meals. It had
a full blood storage and processing center in the back as well as a
fully stocked kitchen the front since any vampire under one hundred
had to eat human food. “He may have finally found what he was
looking for. Who knows?” He pushed open the doors and motioned
him inside.

Ter started shaking as Nicolae lightly tapped his shoulders and

motioned for him to sit at the small two-person table that took up one

Jana Downs

corner of the monstrous kitchen. Everything here was professional
grade. Nicolae would know. He’d approved everything that had gone
in here.

“It isn’t like Jamie. You don’t understand. If he would’ve found a

boyfriend, he would’ve told me.”

Nicolae frowned. “How do you communicate?” As destitute as the

Brats were, he would be really surprised if any of them carried around
cell phones or computers.

“We used to leave messages at the front desk and then the

manager would give them to us. But since you got me the cell phone,
all the Brats call it or text it to let someone know they’re safe.”

Nicolae’s heart twisted. Well, he’d just have to see about getting

all of them phones then. The coven could afford it. Nicolae would
take it out of his own paycheck otherwise. His family owned several
companies, and each one was put under one of the princes’ names. He
opened his mouth to tell Ter he’d get all the Brats phones when Ter
raised his head and looked him right in the eye. Fear shone out at him
for the first time since he’d gotten here.

“You know, you’re kinda scary when you wanna fang punch me.”
The guilt came back with a vengeance. “Forgive me, Hebecta. I

lost my grip on the madness for a moment.”

“But you didn’t bite me.”
“No, of course not. I could’ve hurt you. I pulled back.”
Ter tilted his head, judging him. “I think I can handle your animal

side, Nicolae. My dragon likes him.”

Nicolae snorted. “I’m certain you are mistaken. The ‘animal’ side

as you call it is nothing more than a hungry madness. It cares nothing
about anyone.”

“It cares nothing about the opinion of prey. I’m not prey.”

Something about the way Ter said it gave Nicolae an instant erection.

Nicolae stiffened before turning to the fridge and making his way

over to it. “How can you possibly know that?”

Beau Bitten

Ter stood and followed him. “When you get to bite me, he’ll settle

down. You vamps aren’t used to dealing with your predatory natures,
but as a shifter, I am. Trust me. Giving him his way is the only way to
really shrug off the hold he has on you.”

Nicolae scoffed. “You have no idea what that thing wants. It’s not

a separate entity. It is a disease of the mind. It’s poison. All it does is
shut down the very thing that gives me humanity and demands
satisfaction.”

The Brat’s hands circled his waist from behind and moved

southward to caress Nicolae’s cock. It pressed eagerly against his
black slacks, seeking attention. Ter’s head rested on his midback. “I
have a theory.”

Nicolae groaned softly as Ter’s hands cupped his balls and

kneaded them tenderly. “Can it not wait until after we’ve found your
friend?” He didn’t get why Ter was all of a sudden being sexual when
just the moment before he wasn’t ready to waste a second in order to
find his friend. It made little sense to Nicolae. “Are you all right?”

Ter sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just

so tired, and I just want to feel good. I know that’s selfish—”

“No, Ter,” Nicolae interrupted. “It is not selfish. You’ve been up

for forty-eight hours, and I would imagine that you haven’t eaten in
that time frame either. You have to rest. You should’ve called me
from the beginning. It would’ve taken a lot of the burden off of you.”
He turned around so that he and Ter were face-to-face. He cupped his
mate’s cheeks and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips when he
was close enough.

When he drew back Ter spoke. “I thought you wouldn’t believe

me. I tried to call the cops, but they said that he hadn’t been gone long
enough yet, and the second I told them where we lived, they said he
probably just went out drinking or something. They didn’t listen.”

“I will always listen to you, Ter. You are my Hebecta, and if you

say something is important, then I will move heaven and earth to
accommodate that.” He tried to make Ter believe it. He wasn’t

Jana Downs

terribly good at showing his affections or pledging his love, but he
thought he’d done decently with that statement. They’d been dancing
around one another for months now, and he felt he knew Ter pretty
well by now. The man was beautiful inside and out. Yes, he might’ve
been scarred from whatever hell he’d come from, but he was in
essence still a vibrant person.

“Goddamn, Nicolae. Why do you have to be so nice to me?” Ter

asked, eyes shining. The smell of applewood filled the air again. “I
keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with you. Where are your
damn flaws?”

Nicolae blinked. Was he serious? “Being half mad and rushing

our courtship isn’t a flaw?”

Ter shook his head. “You can’t help that.” He worried his bottom

lip for a second. “If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t need me.”
Nicolae was bewildered by what his Hebecta had said. Was he really
that convinced of his own unimportance? “If you would’ve been
mated to someone like Gideon, it would’ve been better. Gideon
would’ve fit nicely into your life. He’s quiet, likes to be controlled. I
know you tolerate it from me, but a guy like you can’t really like it.”

“How can you say that? It is the one moment in my life where I

don’t have to be Prince Nicolae Azarov. It is exhausting being me
most of the time.” He wasn’t sure now was the time for such
confessions, but he was going to make them anyway apparently.
“When I am with you, I can just be Nicolae. You’ve never treated me
any different for my title nor have you allowed me to control the
situation since we met. It was at first perplexing, but now I see the
benefits of being out of control for once in my natural life.”

Ter swallowed. “You like it?” Nicolae nodded. “So you were

serious about me dominating you? It wasn’t just the sex talking?”

Nicolae took both Ter’s hands in his and placed them against his

chest. “I promise, Ter. I want to be your submissive.”

Beau Bitten

Ter looked relieved, and Nicolae knew that he’d made the right

choice. “Cool. I just, I don’t know, wanted to make sure.” He sighed.
“My brain is melted. How are we doing this thing with Jamie?”

Back on the situation at hand, Nicolae made a mental note to

come back to this conversation. “My brothers are calling the enforcers
and trackers in the coven as well as some of our contacts around the
city. The enforcers will do a ground search, and the others will check
hospitals, shelters, restaurants, that sort of thing.”

Ter visibly paled. “Christ. I didn’t even think to look at the

hospitals.”

“Easy, Hebecta. We’re just covering all of our bases. There is no

indication that he’s in a hospital or anything of the sort.” He didn’t
want to throw Ter into a panic quite yet.

“Well, how are we contributing?” Ter demanded, stepping around

Nicolae before walking over and opening the fridge to get a bottle of
water out of it. Nicolae had forgotten all about his mate’s thirst.
Taking care of him was going to be much more work than he’d
originally planned. Ter was not going to be happy with the latter part
of his plan.

“We’re going to go take a nap so you’ll get a little renewed.” He

held up his hand at the instant look of fuck-off that came over Ter’s
face. “Now, before you start to protest, listen to me. I only want you
to sleep a few hours. You’ll be no good to Jamie if you are falling
over and can’t think. After a couple of hours sleep you’ll be able to
better think of where Jamie could be.”

Ter’s jaw ticked, and Nicolae prepared for a hell of a fight.

However, Ter surprised him once again by nodding. He must’ve been
even more tired than he looked. “Yeah. I can’t think when I’m
wrecked. Your guys will keep looking? They’ll really try to find
him?”

Nicolae nodded. “You have my word. Sleep for three or four

hours, and if he isn’t found by then, we’ll keep looking. If anyone

Jana Downs

finds anything, I’ll have them call your cell phone. Just keep the
ringer on.”

“Nicolae?”
“What is it, sweet?”
Ter unscrewed the cap on his water and shifted from foot to foot.

“I know you kinda just woke up, but can you sleep with me? I just…I
want to feel you.”

Nicolae’s soul screamed in triumph. It was the first time Ter had

ever asked for him. “Of course, Hebecta. Let me go back into the
living room and finish giving instructions to the men, and then we’ll
retire to my room. Is that acceptable?”

Ter looked relieved. “Sounds good.”

* * * *

It took half an hour to settle things and plan out their search

routes. Nicolae told them in no uncertain terms that if someone found
Jamie they would call Nicolae immediately. Any other updates were
being directed to Sasha, who would be in charge until he and Ter
woke. The number of enforcers who had shown up to help was
impressive. There were twenty in all. Nicolae was touched that they’d
so easily given up their evenings to help him out.

Finally, everything was situated and they were ready to retire.

They climbed the grand staircase to the second floor.

“This is some real Gone With the Wind shit,” Ter commented as

he ran his hand up the banister. “I bet kids would have a field day
sliding down this thing.”

“Nicolette has been forbidden from doing so, but I imagine you

are correct,” Nicolae said, hyperaware of the place their hands were
joined. Ter was finally giving them a chance to be happy, and he
couldn’t help being intensely grateful for it.

“So Nicolette is your younger sister, right? The little girl who

called Evan a puppy?”

Beau Bitten

Nicolae nodded and turned left toward his side of the house at the

top of the stairs. “Technically she is my cousin, but my father adopted
her so, yes, she’s my sister.” He loved the little bundle of energy.
“She is eager to meet you.” She’d talked of little else since she’d
found out that his mate was a dragon-shifter. “She even got dressed
early today for breakfast.”

“Oh? I didn’t see her when I came in.”
Nicolae cleared his throat. “Her guards most likely whisked her

back to her room when I lost control.” He’d forgotten about her being
in the room with them. He sighed. He’d go to her room later and
check on her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

Ter gave his hand a squeeze. “I’ll meet her later, Nicolae. No

worries.”

At the end of the hall stood his set of rooms, and Nicolae wasted

no time ensconcing them in the sanctuary of his bedroom. The walls
were a deep royal blue with cream accents throughout, and the bed
was a large white canopy with gold-and-cream curtains that could be
drawn down to block out the light from the rest of the space. His
floors had been redone to hardwood, but he’d insisted that some thick
Berber carpets be put down so that his feet wouldn’t get cold. It was
very much a modern space that met with his old-world tastes.

“Nice digs, mate,” Ter murmured, toeing off his shoes before he

reached the carpet. Nicolae nearly swallowed his tongue as his mate
stripped down to nothing and strode confidently over to his bed. He’d
dreamed of sharing this space with his Hebecta one day but hadn’t
really believed that it would ever happen.

“The washroom is through there,” Nicolae said, pointing to the

heavy oak door that led to the restroom. “Beyond that is another room
that has been converted into a separate living space. There is a couch
and television in there but also some other bedroom furniture. I know
dragons like their own space and had those put in. Though if you
prefer, I can take out the couch and TV.”

Jana Downs

Ter watched him with a strange expression on his face. He sighed.

“Why do you have to be so damn sweet, man? Seriously, you are
determined to make me love you, huh?”

Nicolae shrugged even as his heart started to pound. “I would

hope that someday you learn to love me. I want a union as my mother
and father used to have. They were very happy together.”

“My parents didn’t love one another really,” Ter provided, petting

the bed beside him. “Strip down and come here. I need to relax.”

Nicolae did as he was bid, taking off his shirt and pants in a few

short motions. When he stood naked in nothing but his socks, he
paused and let Ter look his fill. “Your parents didn’t have a good
relationship?”

Ter shrugged before pulling back the covers and shimmying under

them. “My parents were basically picked out for one another at an
early age. They were affectionate, but it wasn’t a whirlwind romance.
My mother said that their marriage was practical since their families
were so close.”

“What happened to them?” Nicolae asked, crossing the space that

separated them and sliding easily into bed.

Ter paused, studying him. “Hmm, I figured a guy like you would

run a background check on me already.” Nicolae tried not to wince at
the accusation in his expression. He had run a background check. It
just wasn’t back yet. But it wasn’t for the reasons that Ter thought.
Ter continued. “They still live in the seventh ward as far as I know.
I’ve seen my mother around the French Market from time to time, but
she doesn’t speak to me.”

Nicolae frowned. “You live on Esplanade. That’s very close.”
Ter shrugged. “Well, they don’t want to see me. Being gay is

basically saying that I’m a demon from hell. They’re very strict
Catholics. I had a choice of either reforming and marrying a woman
to cure me or leaving. I left. The end.”

Beau Bitten

“When did you leave?” Nicolae asked. He was getting a sinking

feeling in his stomach that the reason Ter was so reluctant to believe
in him was because the people who were supposed to let him down.

Ter sighed and rolled over so that his head rested against the

muscle of Nicolae’s chest. “When I was sixteen. I don’t really want to
talk about this anymore, man. I’ve got enough on my mind.”

“I’m sorry.” He seemed to be saying that a lot lately.
“It’s okay, bitey. I just don’t like to think of them.” He squirmed.

“I’m not going to be able to sleep. I’m too stressed.”

“Hmm, perhaps I can find a way to relax you?”
Ter raised his head. “Sure.” A calculating look came over his face.

“How about you kneel beside the bed?”

It was like a flip switched inside of Nicolae at the words. It wasn’t

a question so much as a command, and his cock immediately stirred
in reaction. He wanted to play, and something in Nicolae reacted to it.

Without hesitation, Nicolae rolled off the bed and knelt beside it.

Ter sat on the edge of the bed with a mischievous look in his eyes. “I
do like having a big hulky bitey as my own personal pleasure slave.”

The idea tightened Nicolae’s sac. Christ. Why was it so sexy to

hear that purr of command in Ter’s voice? When God was shaping
him, he must’ve cross wired something because as a dominant male
vampire, he shouldn’t want to bend like he did.

“Play with that hard cock for me,” Ter said, eyeing his now-

prominent length. “Get it ready to come.”

Nicolae had never jerked off in front of someone else. In the past

he’d had lovers do it for him, but he’d never done it himself. He
wrapped his fist around his erection and pre-cum immediately
decorated the tip. He seemed overly sensitive whenever he and Ter
were together. He slowly pumped his fist, watching Ter as his lover’s
lust joined the prominent scent of applewood in the room.

“Do vampires suck cock, bitey?” Ter asked in a husky voice.

Jana Downs

“Yes,” Nicolae said, his voice cracking at the thought. He

swallowed, and his fangs dropped. “I might bite you though. I
wouldn’t trust me yet.”

Ter’s dick twitched. “Oh? Is it as pleasurable in my cock as you

claim it will be at my neck?”

Nicolae swallowed, and his fangs bit into his bottom lip. “More

so. My venom would be directly injected into the nerves of your
cock.” He jerked his cock faster at the image. He twisted his hand
over his cockhead, smearing pre-cum over it as lubricant.

“Someone likes the idea,” Ter teased. “You want to bite my cock,

bitey?”

Nicolae groaned. “Are you offering?”
“Yes or no answers, Nicolae. This is my game.” The reminder that

Nicolae got no say one way or another just made the urge to come all
the more intense. He needed to stop playing with his dick or else it
would be all over. But…Ter had said to play, so he couldn’t stop.

“Yes,” he bit out. “I love the idea of biting your cock. I love the

idea of biting you anywhere.” His fangs throbbed at the thought. He
wanted to join with his lover, release his venom inside him so that his
scent would tell the world who Ter belonged to.

“You need to bite me so you’ll stay sane,” Ter said.
“You know I do.” And God help him, if Ter offered now, he

wouldn’t say no. He could claim to want the romance, but right now
all he cared about was sinking his cock and his fangs into Ter’s tight
body.

“You’re hot, Nicolae,” Ter murmured. “You have any toys in

here?”

Nicolae’s face burned. “Yes. I bought them when I found out I

had a Hebecta.”

“Where?”
Nicolae nodded his head to the right. “In the closet. They’re in a

black tool box.”

Beau Bitten

Ter laughed. “You keep your sex toys in a tool box? Nice. Keep

playing with your cock, and you better not come.”

That was easier said than done. Every down stroke only served to

bring him closer to the precipice. He was going to blow his load well
before Ter got done exploring his naughty toys. He closed his eyes as
Ter got off the bed and went over to the closet before he started
rummaging around inside.

“Oh, Nicolae. You are fucking naughty.” Ter’s muffled voice

made him groan. He hadn’t expected sex so early in his day, and now
that he was getting it, he couldn’t think of a better way to start it off.
“Knew you weren’t as uptight as you seemed to be.”

Nicolae felt rather than saw Ter return. He was at his back, and his

heat radiated onto Nicolae’s naked skin. His Hebecta ran his hand
down Nicolae’s spine and ran his fingers down the crevice of his ass.
He’d only had sex there once, and it had been when he was still a
fledgling. He didn’t know if he was more turned on or scared at the
prospect of Ter taking him up on his offer to fuck him.

Ter kissed the back of his neck. “Relax, Nicolae. We’re just going

to have a bit of fun before we go to sleep.” Cold slick was poured in
between his cheeks, making him jump. “You make me want to come
just looking at you, bitey.”

Nicolae groaned as a finger penetrated his unused entrance and

pressed deep before pulling back and doing it again. The burn was
good. His cock continued to leak pre-cum in a steady stream as his
orgasm loomed closer. Two fingers stretched him, and stars exploded
behind his eyelids. Why had he never let someone else do this to him?
Losing control was such a turn-on.

Something cold and inorganic pressed against him as Ter pulled

his fingers free. “What is that?” Nicolae asked, uneasy. He resisted
the urge to tighten up as whatever it was pressed slowly inside him.

“Find out,” Ter murmured, biting the curve of his neck. “I want

you in every way I can get you, Nicolae.” Nicolae tilted his head to
give his Hebecta better access. The nips sent streaks of sensation

Jana Downs

down his body, through his nipples, and settled in the base of his
cock.

“Fuck that’s good,” Nicolae said. “Bite me, please.”
Ter tsked. “When I’m ready.” Whatever he was pressing inside

him suddenly went the rest of the way in. He stiffened at the sensation
of having something up his ass.

Ter bit harder on his pulse. “Relax, bitey. There is a cord attached

so I can pull it out.” Fuck me. There is something inside me. He
opened his mouth to voice his concerns, only to have a deep vibration
start inside him.

He moaned as his internal body quivered. He pulled his cock

harder, chasing orgasm as all the nerves in his body stood up and paid
attention.

Ter walked around him and hopped back on the bed, holding up a

black plastic remote. “It’s remote controlled, bitey. I get to fuck you
with my toy while you fuck me. How fun it that? I get control of your
cock and your ass at the same time.” He rolled to his stomach and
offered up his ass. He draped himself over the bed with his feet on the
ground. “I already stretched myself while I stretched you. I’m slicked
and ready to go. Fuck me. Now.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Nicolae jumped to his feet and

nearly stumbled as the vibrations took on a hard staccato rhythm that
drove him absolutely mad. Ter looked over his shoulder at him.
“What are you waiting for?”

Nicolae couldn’t even form articulate sentences as he walked the

three steps it took to grab onto Ter’s hips. Without preamble he took
his cock in hand and pressed it against the slick ring of muscle that
guarded Ter’s entrance. The Brat might’ve preferred to bottom, but
the man was a Dominant through and through.

His head got past the initial resistance, and he sank slowly into the

unimaginable heat of Ter’s ass. He gasped as he got fully seated.
“Ter.” He whispered his lover’s name, knowing that if he lived to be

Beau Bitten

ten thousand years old, he would remember the absolute electricity of
this moment.

“Fuck me, Nicolae,” Ter commanded, squirming on the end of his

prick. “You fuck me hard.”

The words snapped whatever gentleness that Nicolae was trying to

hold onto. His hips surged forward before pulling back and slamming
inside him all over again. The motion increased the sensation in his
ass and he really did feel like Ter had both his cock and his ass under
his control. He jack-hammered inside him, nearing orgasm as he
spiraled into ecstasy.

“Come in my ass, but don’t you dare stop,” Ter rumbled, turning

the dial up to a higher setting that made it impossible not to obey.
Nicolae shouted as his cum was torn out of him. He shuddered
through it as Ter milked his cock with his ass. But some part of him
must’ve registered the rest of Ter’s order because even after he’d
grown unbearably sensitive, he continued to fuck the man beneath
him.

Without meaning to, an orgasm began building inside him again.

“I can’t,” he groaned as the sensations grew to almost excruciating
levels.

“You will,” Ter panted, matching him thrust for thrust. “You’ll

come again, and you’ll bite me while you do it.”

Fangs exploded in his mouth, and the madness whipped through

him like a hurricane. Nicolae hauled Ter’s upper body off the bed, his
fucking never slowing, and tilted Ter’s head to the side. “Hebecta,”
the madness snarled.

“Yeah,” Ter bit off, grinning. “I’m your fucking Hebecta. Now

bite me and come. Now.”

Nicolae obeyed, sinking his fangs into the soft flesh of Ter’s neck

at the same time he buried his cock to the hilt and came so hard it felt
like his balls had been turned inside out.

* * * *

Jana Downs

Ter screamed as white light flashed behind his eyes and pleasure

unlike anything he had ever felt before swamped him. He came over
and over again, thrashing like a fish on the end of a hook as he did so.
Nicolae drew on the puncture he made on his neck, making satisfied
animal noises as he fed. At some point, Ter was pretty sure he blacked
out because when he was next aware of his surroundings he was in the
bed with Nicolae beside him, fangs still buried in his neck.

Pleasure still shuddered through him with each draw of Nicolae’s

mouth. “Enough,” Ter murmured, his words slurring. Holy shit. No
wonder people get addicted to vampire bites. Nicolae growled
something and lapped at the wound. “Off, bitey.”

Nicolae pulled back reluctantly, looking miffed at the interruption.

Ter forced his eyes open and blinked rapidly to clear his vision.
Nicolae didn’t even look human. It was still his beautiful face, but his
mate was lost in the predatory side of himself. There was no higher
thinking going on in that brain of his at the moment. Ter chuckled. At
least I’m not the only one who loses my body to my uncivilized side
every once in a while.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and his head spun.

Nicolae must’ve taken a bit more blood than Ter had thought. But
man had it been worth it. That had been the most intense sexual
experience of his life, and he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself. He
reached up and touched the tender part of his neck where Nicolae had
chowed down. They were really and truly in this now. He expected
his normal anxiety to accompany it, but he was just too tired to get
worked up about it now. He was mated to Nicolae, and they had to
find Jamie. He yawned, his jaw cracking as he did. After a nap, they
would find him.

He settled back against the mattress and tugged Nicolae toward

him. The vampire huffed a bit before wrapping his arms around Ter’s
body and pulling him into his chest. “You’re welcome, bitey,” Ter
murmured a second before his eyes slid shut and sleep claimed him.

Beau Bitten

* * * *

Ter woke to the sounds of shouting. His eyes popped open and the

first thing he became aware of was that Nicolae wasn’t in bed with
him. The second thing he noticed was that Dmitri was pinned to the
floor by his mate, who was snarling in his face.

“Nicolae!” Ter barked, rolling out of bed and walking over to the

two tussling men. Nicolae turned his head and hissed at him. The
challenge in his eyes sparked his own animal nature, and black scales
popped up over his arms and back. He bared his teeth as his dragon’s
scent filed the room.

Footsteps thundered down the hall, and all the Azarovs crowded

into the doorway. Ter’s eyes never left Nicolae. “That’s your brother,
bitey. Back off.” He’d thought letting Nicolae bite him would fix the
whole “turning into a crazy vampire” thing. “He’s not going to hurt
us.”

Nicolae growled. Ter met his eyes and put all the command he

could into his voice. “Get over here. Now.”

Seemingly reluctant, Nicolae obeyed. He rolled off Dmitri and

crawled over to Ter, pressing against his legs like a cat or something.
Ter stroked his hands through his lover’s hair. He must’ve cleaned up
and put the toys away when Ter had fallen asleep . His predatory side
wanted to take care of his mate. He was sure of it. “Do you guys mind
stepping outside for a second? I don’t think Nicolae would care for
you guys to see me naked, if it’s all the same to you.”

They shuffled out into the hallway, exchanging weird looks as

they did so. He waited until the door closed before he knelt on the
carpet beside Nicolae. “Hey, Nico. Come back to me please.” He still
felt tired so he mustn’t have been asleep too long. The vampires
probably had news. “Nicolae, I know you’re all ‘I’m an animal’ right
now, but if I have to babysit you instead of finding out about Jamie,
I’m going to kick your ass.”

Jana Downs

Nicolae blinked, returning to himself. It was almost like Ter could

see his humanity return. “I’m sorry, Hebecta,” he said for the
millionth time that evening. “I don’t mean to be such trouble. It will
take a few bites before I am in complete control again. The poison is
fading, but I think my brothers barging in triggered it again for a
moment.” He hung his head. “I find I am useless to you at times.”

Ter snorted. “Stupid man, you’re perfect. That’s why I can’t love

you. Perfection shatters around me. It’s the way things are. Now can
we get dressed and go see what news they have about Jamie?”

Nicolae nodded. “Of course.”
Ter got to his feet and started walking around the room gathering

up his clothes. Nicolae did the same, and soon they were dressing. Ter
looked at his new mate out of the corner of his eye. It would be so
easy to love Nicolae. Aside from the button of crazy, the man was
sweet through and through. Yeah he was a bit serious and he tended
to work way more than the average person should, but those were
things that a really attentive lover could convince him to ease up on.
Ter just wished he wasn’t settled with a weirdo dragon-shifter like
Ter. Nicolae didn’t deserve it. Ter just couldn’t figure out, other than
the mate thing, what Nicolae saw in him.

For a solid three or four months, Ter had avoided him, ignored

him, or otherwise humiliated him by just not showing up. His
persistence just didn’t make any sense. He sighed. Thinking about
Nicolae gave him a headache. Now that they were mated, maybe
Nicolae would see what kind of man Ter really was and not want him
anymore. The thought didn’t comfort him as much as it should’ve.
Sex and friendship. That’s what I promised.

“What are you thinking about?” Nicolae asked as he sat on the

edge of his bed and pulled his socks on.

“How you wouldn’t know I existed if we weren’t mates.” Ter

hadn’t meant to say it, but it had come out anyway. They were too
different.

Beau Bitten

Nicolae frowned. “Ter, I love your fire. I love everything you’ve

shown me. We’ll work on the blowing-me-off thing.” He winked.
“That part I don’t much care for. However, I think once you figure out
that I am yours permanently, you will trust me to love you.”

It was a weird-ass thing to say, but Ter didn’t disagree. A glimmer

of hope started in his chest. Maybe, for once, life was giving him
something other than lemons.

He twined his hand with Nicolae’s as they headed toward the door

and was happy to see the vampire smile at the action. He deserved a
little happiness after the hell Ter had put him through for months.

Nicolae opened the door, and Ter looked out into the hall. The

Azarovs stood there, frowning at them. “What?” Ter asked. Even the
vampire king was with them now.

“Nicolae,” the vampire king said. “May I speak with you for a

moment?”

Nicolae frowned. “Yes, Father. Of course. Do you mind waiting

with my brothers, Ter?”

Ter looked at the king and then Nicolae. Shit. He didn’t like this.

“Yeah. Sure. I’ll grill your brothers about what they found out about
Jamie.”

He nodded and let go of Ter’s hand. The king led him down the

hall and disappeared into another door. He turned to the men who had
been following him around, keeping him company and playing
bodyguard since Nicolae had started courting him.

“What was that about?” he asked.
Dmitri was the one who answered him. “Do you dominate my

brother?”

Ter frowned. “Is it really any of your business if I do?” They all

shifted uneasily. “What?”

“It’s not our business per se,” Grisha said. “However, if you do,

we would have to take precautions.”

“Precautions?” Ter echoed.

Jana Downs

Grisha nodded his dark head. “Da. Dimka asks because in our

society the bigger always dominates the weaker. If word reached
unfriendly ears that our heir was submitting to another man, then his
credibility would be hurt and challenges to his leadership would
arise.”

“Why?”
“Because they would feel he would be a puppet king, a man who

does only as you desire.” Grisha sighed. “It wouldn’t be a good
situation.”

Ter’s frown deepened. “Look, man, the only place Nicolae

submits to me is in the bedroom. I don’t have any desire to run any
kind of kingdom. Nicolae likes to let go and relax, I like to control,
but there is a time and a place for that.” He couldn’t believe he was
telling Nicolae’s brothers about their bedroom habits. It was insane.
“How did you even find out anyway? Were you guys out here
listening to us like some creepers or what?”

Dmitri shook his head. “No. It was when you called him off me.

You commanded him, and his predator obeyed. It told us that his
basest side sees you as its dominant.”

In any other circumstance, Ter would’ve been really turned on by

the idea. “So what? You said yourselves that after he bites me a few
times he won’t be taken over by his bitey side.”

Grisha nodded. “That is true. However, we need to keep it under

wraps until then. If you would consent, that is.”

“Consent to what?” Ter really really, really didn’t like where this

was going.

Aleksei spoke tentatively. The auburn-haired, baby-faced Azarov

was the youngest of the bunch if Ter recalled correctly. “Staying at
the room we have on permanent standby over on Canal Street until
Nicolae is sure he can control himself. It is just so none of the other
coven members see. We don’t judge your choices in the bedroom, but
there are those who would make life very difficult for Nico if you
don’t.”

Beau Bitten

Ter’s stomach churned. “So it’s like some dirty little secret.”
“No,” Dmitri said. “Don’t think of it that way. We only ask

because we know how stressful the house may become if anyone
should find out. And we’re not telling you you must. We simply think
it would be a good idea if you two did. It’s a suggestion. Nothing
more.”

“We all care about you as a brother already, Ter. We don’t want

you to experience grief with our family so soon. Vampires are slow to
change. While the attitudes are slowly shifting away from old
stereotypes, the old ways still persist,” Grisha added.

“This will be something me and my mate will have to discuss

before I can commit one way or another,” Ter said after thinking
about it for a minute. “It’s Nicolae’s work, and I will do whatever he
needs me to. So long as you guys aren’t asking me to stop, I can
handle showing a little discretion.” Nicolae was showing Ter his trust
by submitting to him and believing what Ter said about being with
him. Ter supposed he could show a little trust by offering to keep him
in check for a couple days over on Canal.

They all looked relieved. “We’re sorry to bring it up at a time like

this,” Sei said, pushing his blond hair out of his face. Ter didn’t think
the guy had had a haircut in the entire time he’d known him. His
accent was the thickest, so what he said when he next spoke didn’t
register immediately. “We do have word of your friend though.”

Ter’s heart tripped over itself as his thoughts returned to Jamie.

Every time he was around Nicolae, he seemed to get so caught up in
their relationship that he forgot everything else. He was really going
to have to work on that. “And?”

Dmitri spoke. “Your wolf friends tracked him down to a house a

few neighborhoods away from ours. The enforcers helped them escort
your friend and the two males with him back here. We’re still not sure
what is going on, but your friend is all right.”

Hot, scalding relief flooded him. “Thank God. Can I see him?”

Jana Downs

“Of course. That was why I came to wake you two earlier.”

Dmitri motioned toward the staircase. “They’re in one of the sitting
rooms downstairs. We had the kitchen staff make some snack trays,
so if you’re hungry, you can eat as well.”

“Thanks, guys,” Ter said, meaning it. Even if the vampires hadn’t

done much in the way of finding Jamie, he was grateful that they at
least came to his aid and tried to help. The fact that they offered up
their home while everything got sorted out was a blessing. “Can you
guys show me where? The fifty million living rooms downstairs kinda
make it hard to navigate.”

“Of course. We’ll happily take you. Father and Nico will probably

be a minute. Our father is harder to convince than we are,” Dmitri
said, draping his arm over Ter’s shoulders. “I’m so happy you finally
stopped running and decided to be part of the family.”

Ter laughed. “I haven’t decided anything yet. We’re just friends

with benefits right now.”

Dmitri snorted. “I’m sure. My brother has been in love with you

since New Year’s Eve at least. Stop being so stubborn, маленький
дракон. Let him woo you.”

That was what Ter was afraid he was already doing. His body and

his heart seemed to be on the same wavelength. It was his mind that
needed convincing. “What is a malinki dra-Con?”

“It is Russian. It means little dragon,” Sei said, grinning. “I like

this name for you.”

“Agreed,” Grisha rumbled. “It suites him.”
“Hey, fellas, don’t start givin’ me nicknames. Those things tend to

stick,” Ter protested. He had the sneaking suspicion that if he didn’t
put a stop to this they would start annoying him like real brothers.

“That is the point,” Grisha said, smiling for the first time in Ter’s

memory. “Our brother became Nico when we were old enough to
talk. Now you are маленький дракон.”

Ter playfully shoved Grisha. “Shut up, nibbles.”

Beau Bitten

“Nibbles?” Dmitri asked, looking like he was about to explode

with laughter any second.

“Yeah,” Ter said. He winked at Sei, who was looking like he just

swallowed something. “Nicolae is bitey, Grisha is nibbles, Aleksei is
baby fang, Sei is say-it-ain’t-so, and you’re dimwit, Dimka. You’re
right, guys. Nicknames are fun.”

The vampires laughed.

Jana Downs

Chapter Five

“Father, what is this about?” Nicolae asked, shifting nervously as

his father shut them in the study.

His father looked him square in the eyes and crossed his arms

over his wide chest. “It’s about the fact that you are yielding to your
Hebecta and letting him dominate you.”

Nicolae blanched. “Christ,” he cursed. “How—”
“Dammit, Nico. You know better to be so careless so close to the

time you have to ascend the throne!” his father interrupted.

“Papa, it’ll be another three hundred years before we even have to

worry about that,” Nicolae said. “By then the coven should be used to
us and realize that I am my own man and not subject to my Hebecta’s
whims.”

“No. You don’t,” his father whispered. “I don’t want to spend the

last years of my life running a coven that demands more than sixty
hours of my week. I want to savor what time I have left, Nicolae.”

Nicolae frowned. “What are you saying, Papa?”
His father crossed over to the desk and perched on the edge of it.

“I’m retiring, Nico. It was one of the reasons that I started moving the
coven to the Garden District. Russian covens are traditional and very
hung up on keeping their monarchies stagnant. They would make
your first hundred years of rule very difficult because you and your
brothers are your mother’s children and far from traditional. I thought
New Orleans would be an appropriate place for your first couple years
of rule.”

“You moved here for me?” Nicolae asked.

Beau Bitten

“You and your brothers. When you are older and you have more

experience running our coven, I hope you will return to our homeland,
but this place is a good place to start over. The eclectic energy of the
city suites our family admirably.” He motioned for Nicolae to come
forward. “However, even as liberal as the attitudes are here, the older
vampires in our coven will not follow you if they question your
dominance.”

“He only dominants me in the bedroom,” Nicolae murmured,

thoroughly horrified to be discussing this with his father. “We’re
equals outside of it.”

Father nodded and pulled a piece of paper from the desk. “Then

you will have to make sure that the bedroom doesn’t spill over in
front of people from the coven. Until the poison fades from you and
you cleanse yourself with your mate, I suggest you and your mate
have a little honeymoon in the penthouse suite for a few days.”

Nicolae wasn’t opposed to the idea of having some precious

moments along with his Hebecta. “I’ll have to ask him and explain
why.”

“Your brothers are doing that. I don’t mind you extending

courtesy to your mate. I just want you all to be safe when I’m gone,
Nico.” Father handed him the piece of paper. “This is my formal
resignation for your files. It’ll take place after you present your
Hebecta at the coven meeting next month.”

The thought of his father not being in charge of the coven was

disturbing. For as long as he could remember, Pavel Azarov had been
strong and commanding, the epitome of vampire virtues. When
Nicolae had come out as enjoying the company of other men, his
father hadn’t batted an eyelash. He’d smoothed things over with the
coven and enacted new tolerance laws on his behalf. He’d been the
rock of the family and the coven for so long that Nicolae wasn’t sure
that he could live without him. “What are you going to do, Father?”

Father shrugged. “I think I’ll travel for a bit. Go to a concert or

two. Maybe even lose myself in a woman for a bit. Who knows? The

Jana Downs

point is not to plan. The point is to live. Do you remember what I used
to tell you boys about living when you were small children?”

“We all have a constant companion that whispers to us from the

shadows,” Nicolae repeated. “For some, he is drowned out by the
noises of this world. For others, he is like a train through a small
town, impossible to ignore. His name is Death and what he whispers
is this, ‘Live, because I am coming.’ That story used to give me
nightmares.”

His father pushed up off the desk and came at Nicolae, wrapping

his arms around him in a tight bear hug. Nicolae couldn’t help but
cling to him. He felt like a small child all over again. He didn’t want
his papa to descend into madness and death.

He kissed Nicolae’s forehead. “Death is as much a part of life as

anything else, Nico. As vampires we fear it more than others because
it is a possibility but never an absolute. I do not fear death, Nico. Your
mother is waiting for me on the other side along with your aunt and
uncle. I still have time. I want to celebrate you finding your Hebecta.
The first few years are precious, Nico. Savor them.”

“Yes, Papa.” He paused. “How did you know about Ter and I’s

arrangement?”

His father released him. “Your beast yielded to him. There are

very few people that can command a vampire who is in his predatory
state. We simply connected the dots when he called you off.”

Nicolae sighed. He hoped that biting Ter would be a magic cure-

all, but apparently the poison was going to linger for a few more
encounters. He hoped Ter wasn’t angry with him over it. “What about
Jamie?” He’d completely forgotten about the other Quarter Brat in the
intervening time since Ter had shown up. He felt a little guilty over it.
After all, he’d promised to help and then promptly forgotten. Being
bonded to his Hebecta was playing havoc with his priorities.

“We’ll go downstairs and you can see for yourself. I have a

suspicion that your Hebecta might need your support for this one.”

Beau Bitten

* * * *

Ter’s eyes shot wide as he came into one of the larger sitting

rooms in the vampires’ house and got a good look at what was going
on. They had a buffet line going on the right side complete with a
tower of sandwiches and pitchers of refreshments at the end. The
room was a mix of Evan’s wolves, vampire enforcers, and the Brats.
Brendan was stuffing his face while chatting with a very handsome
vampire who had his arm around a little girl who Ter imagined was
Nicolette. But that wasn’t what drew his attention. In a leather recliner
toward the left side of the room sat Jamie looking more than a little
annoyed. On either side of his chair were two massive men who had
to be six-six a piece.

He beelined to Jamie and was surprised when the two giants

stepped in his way. He looked up and glared. “Jamie, what the hell is
going on?”

Jamie made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “Steven,

Bri, move both your asses out of the way. Good lord, y’all act like my
friends are gonna eat me.”

“Not eat you, boy, take you away from us. We waited too long for

you to bolt on us,” the big blond said. “You must be Ter. He’s been
talkin’ about you.”

“Who the hell are you?” he asked.
“I’m Brian Robinson.” He thumbed his finger at the dark-haired

guy beside him. “This is one of my mates, Steven Anderson.”

“One of them?” Ter asked. A dawning realization struck him as he

identified the scent on the two men. Alligator-shifters. Oh shit. They
must be from Jamie’s old nest.

“Yes,” Steven said. “Jamie is our other mate.”
“Move,” Ter said, shoving one of the alligators out of his way. He

went to Jamie’s side. “Are you all right?”

Jamie looked pretty tired but otherwise unharmed. He did look

pretty miserable though. “I’m okay.” He sighed. “I found my mates.”

Jana Downs

“You don’t sound too happy about it, bro,” Ter said, pushing the

hair back from Jamie’s face.

Jamie’s green eyes met his. “I wanted fireworks, romance,

something. They’re all wrong.” Leave it up to Jamie to be
disappointed in the men fate had chosen for him after waiting so long.
“The landlord of the house they’re renting was the one who hired me
to clean. Said if I was any good he’d keep me on for a while. I ran
into them when I was cleaning out the first-floor living room.”

“Are they from your nest?”
“Yeah. They moved here for me. Been planning on looking for me

in the next few days. I saw them and I got scared, but they smell so
good…” Jamie shuddered. “Stupid instincts. I don’t want mates
anymore.”

“Are they hurting you?” If they were, Ter wouldn’t hesitate to get

Nicolae involved. He wasn’t sure what the rules were about
interfering in someone else’s mating, but he trusted Nicolae to support
him. Surprise registered. He trusted Nicolae to be there. It was a good
feeling.

Jamie massaged his temples. “No. They didn’t hurt me. When

they found me cleaning, they opened a bottle of wine to celebrate. We
got to talking, and I ended up spending the night. I’m sorry I didn’t
call. By the time I realized how much time had passed, Evan was
pounding on the front door.”

“It’s okay, Jamie,” Ter said, stroking his friend’s hair. “I get it.

Finding your mate is an overwhelming experience. Do you want me
to tell them to leave?”

Jamie looked up, and Ter could imagine that he was looking at the

two alligators behind him. “They’re the men my parents betrothed me
to. I…I don’t want them to go, though.”

Ter nodded. “Fine.” He was going to keep an eye on the situation

regardless. “Whatever makes you happy, Jamie. I have your back,
man. You know that.”

“I’m really sorry I made everyone worry,” Jamie said.

Beau Bitten

“I’m just glad you’re all right.”
He felt his mate come into the room. It was like his body was a

tuning fork when it came to Nicolae’s presence. His lips tugged
upward into a smile. It was nice to have someone around who blew
his expectations out of the water.

Jamie’s expression softened. “Oh, there it is. I was waitin’ for you

to get love-struck by that vampire mate of yours. Before when he
came near you, you frowned. Now you get this cute smile. I’m happy
for you, suga’.”

“We’re not in love. We’re sleeping together,” Ter said, denying

the growing affection he was feeling. Being in love was way too scary
to fall into it so easily.

Jamie chuckled. “Whatever you say, darlin’.”
A warm hand clasped his shoulder, and Ter knew without looking

that it was Nicolae. His scent surrounded him. “Are you happy,
Hebecta?”

He turned and looked up at his mate. “Very. Did your dad tell you

about the hotel thing?”

“Yes. Father wants us to leave soon. If that is all right with you,

Hebecta.” Nicolae offered him a hand, and Ter’s heart turned over at
the gesture. It was going to be so hard not to love this man.

“You go on. I’m starving,” Jamie said, pushing himself to his feet

at the same time Ter straightened. He addressed the other two
alligators. “Y’all want something to eat?”

They looked at one another and shrugged. “We’re good,” Steven

answered. “Maybe you shouldn’t eat either. Vampires aren’t very
trustworthy.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “You wanna trade, Ter? I think I prefer your

prince charming to mine.”

The joke raised Ter’s hackles. “No,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Mine.”

Jamie laughed. “Yeah. I get it. See you later.”

Jana Downs

Ter turned his attention back to his mate. “Are you all right with

leaving? I mean, I don’t think your family is being malicious about
it.”

Nicolae nodded. “I think it will be good to have some time to

ourselves.”

“Then what do you say about getting out of here?” Ter asked.
“Don’t you want to stay and say good-bye to your friends first?”
Ter shook his head. “They expect me to be gone tonight.”
“Then let’s go.”

* * * *

They took a cab to the hotel. Nicolae’s mind was a million miles

from the possibility of his Hebecta and a bed. The situation with
Jamie had ended rather anticlimactically but the situation with his
father just wouldn’t leave him alone. My father is dying. I’m going to
be fine in a few days, but my father is going to get sick and die. He’d
been such a presence in Nicolae’s life, it was terrifying to think of a
life without him.

He swallowed as the car stopped in front of the entrance and two

valets started getting Nicolae’s duffle bag out of the car.

Ter gave his hand a squeeze and got out of the driver’s side

passenger door. He paused when Nicolae didn’t follow him out. “You
coming?”

Nicolae startled. “Yes. Sorry. I’m coming.” He hadn’t expected to

have to lead the coven so soon. Was he good enough? Was he strong
enough to be the type of leader that his father had always been?

He followed his Hebecta out into the street before stepping up on

the sidewalk. A blond-haired bellhop who looked like he was running
on no fumes carried the bag into the building ahead of them.

Ter frowned and reached out to twine their hands together once

again. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at Nicolae curiously. “If

Beau Bitten

you’re not okay with staying away from your coven, we don’t have to
stay here. I don’t mind.”

Nicolae sighed and gave Ter’s hand a squeeze. “It isn’t that,

Hebecta. It just hit me that my father is not long for this world. His
end was not something I anticipated facing anytime soon. I am
very…” He searched for a word. “I’m very lost right now.”

Ter’s expression softened. He gave him a sympathetic smile. “I

know, bitey. It’s okay. We’ll go up to the room, and I’ll help you
forget about it.”

Nicolae wished that Ter would offer him a sympathetic shoulder

instead. As good as the sex was, he really wasn’t in the mood. He
allowed Ter to pull him into the building and up to the check-in desk.
The check-in attendant looked up as they approached the counter and
offered Nicolae a warm smile.

Her name was Anna and she was one of the sweetest people

Nicolae had ever met. Her son, Devon, was a four-year-old spitfire
who gave the vampires what-for every time they stayed here. Since
moving here, they kept the penthouse on permanent reservation in
case any visiting royals decided to unexpectedly stop by for a visit.
Anna had been very accommodating of their wishes and was very
efficient at keeping everything running smoothly for them.

“Hello, Mr. Azarov,” she greeted, warm smile shining. “Checking

in to the penthouse?”

“Yes, Anna. Myself and my guest, Ter Dinh. Please put him on

the list so that he may come and go from the penthouse as he desires,”
Nicolae said. His eyes touched on her nametag. He smiled. “Ah, you
went out for the promotion?”

She beamed. “Yes, sir. I landed the manager’s position for the

night slot. I’m just working the desk because one of my girls called in
sick.”

“Well congratulations are in order then,” Nicolae said. “Expect

something from the coven within the next few days.”

She blushed. “That’s not necessary.”

Jana Downs

“Of course not. But you have been good to my family, and we

never forget who has been generous to us in the past. Not a lot of
people are willing to work for vampires.” He spoke the truth. In a city
like New Orleans, the rougher species had always thrived. Refinement
and coldness weren’t usually things that were welcomed, and though
the coven had warmed, there were still establishments who wouldn’t
accommodate them. He put a hand on Ter’s lower back. “This is my
Hebecta, my mate. Ter, I’d like you to meet Anna. She is more than
capable of getting whatever you need and putting it on my tab.”

Ter gave her a crooked smile. “Nice to meet you. Can we go up?”
Nicolae blinked at the abruptness in his speech. “Of course.” He

reached out, and Anna put the keys in his hand.

“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Azarov.”
They turned from the counter and walked to the double set of

elevators at the center of the building. Nicolae hit the button and
waited patiently for the elevator to reach the top floor.

Ter squirmed a little beside him. “You seemed really buddy-

buddy with that chick.”

Nicolae turned his head in surprise. “She is good to my family.

The coven employs her as a permanent maître d’ and concierge when
we’re around the city.” Ter shifted as the elevator pinged and stepped
in ahead of him.

“Well, I don’t know why you’re being so friendly with her.”
Nicolae smiled softly. “Are you jealous, Ter? Because if so, be

assured that I have eyes only for you. She has a little boy that
Nicolette likes to play with, and my father has a soft spot for single
parents since our mother’s death.”

Ter’s cheeks reddened, and Nicolae knew he had hit the nail on

the head. “Oh. Well…Good for her.” The awkward sentence made
Nicolae smile a bit wider. He could say what he wanted, but he was
growing to care for Nicolae little by little. It may have taken several
months to get to this point, but they were finally on the right path. The

Beau Bitten

elevator dinged as they arrived at the penthouse. “So how long until
you no longer go nutso over the poison?”

The change in subject was expected. “A couple days, a week at

most. It just depends on how much poison was absorbed in my
bloodstream and how much was built up in my fangs. After that,
confining our arrangement to the bedroom shouldn’t be an issue and
the family should be safe.” Secretly, Nicolae was relieved to have a
week to spend with Ter where it would just be them. Maybe in that
time he could convince Ter to let Nicolae get him a real job and stop
scavenging around for odd jobs. And maybe, if he were truly lucky,
Ter would realize that caring about him wasn’t such a bad thing.

Ter nodded and stepped off the elevator in front of him, half

turning as he waited for Nicolae to come as well. “I’ve never been in
a penthouse before.” The admission was unexpected. “You live like a
baller, for real.”

Nicolae blinked. “Um, what does that mean?” He escorted his

Hebecta down the cream-and-tan-colored hallway that led to the front
door of the suite.

Ter laughed. “It means that you have a lot of money and show it

off. We could’ve stayed at a Motel 6. Instead we’re staying at the
penthouse suite of the Marriott.”

“You have strange expressions, Hebecta. This is just the way my

family has always been. If you think this life is extravagant, you
should’ve seen our home outside Saint Petersburg. It was built during
a much flashier era. There were gold-leafed ceilings in the drawing
rooms.” He smiled as he thought about his childhood home. The high
ceilings and almost cavernous rooms had been perfect places to play
in. His mother had been particularly annoyed with him and Grisha
when they had thrown a ball through a sixteenth-century stained glass
window on the fourth floor. Father had laughed in his great booming
laugh when she had dragged the two of them into the main drawing
room. Nicolae hadn’t heard that laugh since his mother’s passing.

“We come from vastly different worlds, Nicolae Azarov.”

Jana Downs

Nicolae raised his electronic key to the pad and unlocked the door.

“Making a new normal is something I am more than willing to do.”
He would have to when his father died.

“You did it again,” Ter said, shutting the door behind them.
Nicolae glanced at him. “What did I do?”
The hallway dumped them out into the main living room with a

large tan couch that matched the high-end carpet facing a huge flat-
screen that was mounted on the wall. The neutral color scheme and
simple décor wasn’t really to Nicolae’s tastes, but that was all right.
They probably wouldn’t do much here other than wash and sleep.
Nicolae was going to take the opportunity to take Ter out into the city
as often as possible and show him every place Nicolae had fallen in
love with since he’d moved here.

Ter crossed the carpet and plopped down on the couch before

turning a very concerned expression on Nicolae. “You got this weird
look on your face, and your tone shifted like you were unhappy or
something. The same thing happened in the car on the way over.”

He wondered if Ter realized how in tune he was becoming. The

shifter was beginning to anticipate his mood better than even his
family could do. “I was thinking about my father.”

“What about him? Was he a dick to you when you guys talked?”
Nicolae sat on the couch beside him and sighed. “No. It’s just…”

He swallowed. “My father is dying, Ter. Because of my mother’s
death, he is going to go die from the poison eventually. He’s turning
over the coven to me next month. That was what he wanted to tell me
in addition to suggesting that we have a little vacation.”

Ter turned to look at him head-on. “I thought if you found your

mate that was it.”

“So long as we have our Hebectas, the poison never builds. Every

time we bite our mates we release it. However, if our Hebecta dies,
the poison builds again. My father will die.” He swallowed hard,
blinking back tears. He cleared his throat and tried not to act like a
complete wuss in front of his Hebecta. When he could speak again

Beau Bitten

with a marginal hope that his voice wouldn’t crack, he continued. “It
just didn’t hit me until he talked about me taking over the coven and
spending his last years traveling and living freely.”

“It’s hard to think about being without someone who means a lot

to you,” Ter whispered, curling into Nicolae’s chest and hugging him
tightly. The motion touched him as much as he surprised him. “In my
family being gay is like being Rosemary’s baby. I saw how they
treated other people who they knew were gay, but I thought I was the
exception to the whole thing. When I came out and found out that I
was going to lose them, I was devastated. It was like they died. Then
when my mother saw me outside Oz waiting on one of my boyfriends
and cursed me with this damn lizard, it was like my mom died all over
again.”

“I was curious about that,” Nicolae admitted, holding onto Ter

tighter. It was very nice comforting one another. “Is that how you got
to be a dragon-shifter?”

Ter nuzzled his chest. “Yeah. My mom thought I needed to be

punished for my continuing sins.”

“Interesting. I didn’t know the humans knew the old spells of

transfiguration.” He gently drew circles with his fingertips on Ter’s
arm.

“It’s not really transfiguration. They basically ripped my soul in

half and replaced it with a dragon’s. Don’t ask me where they got the
dragon soul because I have no idea.” Ter tilted his head up so their
eyes met. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to turn this entire conversation into
something about me.”

“Not at all, Hebecta. I enjoy hearing about your past. It means you

trust me a little with your secrets.” Nicolae would have to tell his
brothers to not pick up the background check he ran on Ter. If his
Hebecta found out, he imagined that Ter wouldn’t understand. He
much preferred finding out from Ter how and why he did things. “We
can help one another shoulder these burdens.”

Jana Downs

Ter smiled a little bit. “I think I’d like that, Nico.” The familiarity

of the nickname and the fact that Ter was comfortable using it
warmed Nicolae exponentially. Perhaps they would be able to come
up with a plan to save his father. In the meantime, though, he would
enjoy the comfort of his mate and look forward to their future
together.

“I’d very much like to kiss you, Ter,” Nicolae admitted as their

eyes locked and a new awareness replaced the sadness from the
moment before.

The Brat had the audacity to wink. “Well, whatcha waiting for,

big guy?”

Nicolae didn’t need to be told twice. He leaned forward and

captured his lover’s lips in a kiss. He tried to pour every ounce of
gratitude into that kiss, making it slow, seductive rather than forceful.
Everything that Ter ignited in him seemed too big to be adequately
expressed by such a meager offering.

Their tongues stroked together, sliding in a direct mimicry of sex.

Without meaning to, Nicolae’s hands wandered to Ter’s hips before
circling around to his backside and kneading the flesh he found there.
It was the first time Ter had actually let him touch freely, and it made
his head spin. He saw how things could be together in that instant, and
Nicolae groaned into the wet cavern of his lover’s mouth.

Ter pulled back, panting lightly. “Gettin’ your ‘feel good’ time in,

bitey?”

Nicolae chuckled. “I never know quite what you’re saying,

Hebecta. If you’re asking if I’m enjoying touching you, the answer is
yes.” He gave a squeeze for emphasis. “Unless my Sir wishes me to
stop…”

Ter laughed, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “You’re being

bad. If you don’t knock it off, I’m going to tie you up and spank you.”

“Promises, promises,” Nicolae teased.
Ter grinned before reaching up and tweaking both Nicolae’s

nipples. He yelped. It stung like a son of a bitch. “Gonna back talk the

Beau Bitten

whole afternoon, bitey?” He visibly shuddered, turning his pinch into
a caress so the tips of Nicolae’s nipples stood out in sharp relief
against his black T-shirt. “I like being your Dom, Nico. It’s really
hot.”

“Hmmm, I am learning misbehaving has its benefits,” Nicolae

said as Ter’s nails scraped his abdomen, heading south.

“How often do you gotta bite me in order for this poison to

disperse from your system in a couple days?” Ter asked suddenly.

Nicolae shrugged, trying to remember what the physician had

said. “If I bite you two or three times a day, I should be completely
stable in three days’ time.”

“How about a week?”
“Um, once a day?” Nicolae wasn’t entirely sure where he was

going with this conversation.

“Hmmm, then you’ll get me once a day. We have the penthouse.

We might as well enjoy the hell out of it on the company dime. Don’t
you agree?” The way Ter said it made the statement impossible to
disagree with. He dangled himself, sex, and Nicolae’s future
happiness like a figurative carrot before the horse.

“Whatever you want.” And he meant that. Nicolae liked the

games he and Ter played. He also liked the way Ter could rein it back
in when it was necessary. They were equals outside the bedroom, and
it didn’t change their opinions of one another just because their roles
essentially reversed within it.

“Good.” Ter leaned forward and licked a line up Nicolae’s throat.

“My dragon wants to claim you in the worst way, and it will
definitely take more than a couple of days.”

Nicolae let out a string of Russian curses as Nicolae kneaded his

sac. As long as Ter touched him like this, he saw no reason to resist
Ter’s naughtiest whims. “Ter.” He whispered the name like an
invocation. He needed his Hebecta’s touch.

Jana Downs

“Rules, my impatient bitey one,” Ter said, clearly amused if his

grin and sing-song voice were any indications. “You get one bite a
day and only when I tell you you can.”

Should’ve expected that.
“Second, I’m going to reiterate that we cannot and will not get

emotionally involved. We’re doing the nasty at a frequency which
would boggle the human mind, but I’m not putting love on the table
yet.”

I like the “yet” part of that statement.
“And lastly, I want to really explore this Domming thing. I’m

going to thoroughly play with you this week, Nicolae.” Ter bit his
pulse, and Nicolae hissed, grinding his cock into the warm body half
in his lap. “What do you say, bitey?”

There was only one appropriate response. “Yes, Sir.”

Beau Bitten

Chapter Six

Ter felt amazing. It went without saying that sex made him feel

great, but with Nicolae it was more than that. For three days he’d
played with Nicolae’s massive body like it was his own personal
playground, and damn if he didn’t enjoy himself thoroughly.

Nicolae groaned from his position on his knees, reminding Ter of

his immediate presence. The rubber gag in his mouth kept him from
shredding his lips with his fangs like he had the first day they’d
played together. His wrists were cuffed to his ankles, and his cock
stood up in stark relief from the rest of his body. His Nicolae was
beautiful.

His dragon huffed his agreement, and Ter didn’t fight the scales

that rose up on his flesh. The more he was with Nicolae, the less he
could remember why it was a good idea to fight his lizard half. When
it came to the vampire prince, they were in perfect agreement. The
smell of applewood filled the air, and Nicolae’s eyes shot wide as his
nostrils flared. For whatever reason, the smell of his dragon really
excited Nicolae and his predatory side.

“You’re hot like this, mate,” Ter teased, running his hand down

the side of his neck before tweaking the hard nubs of the vampire’s
nipples. Nicolae arched into the touch. Ter loved how responsive his
mate was, loved the fact that the man who was always in control let
him have control here.

Wings unfolded from Ter’s back and stretched lazily skyward. His

dragon was really feeling this morning’s wake-up sex. It had become
a sort of routine for them lately. They’d wake up, fuck, and then go
wander around the city, exploring different restaurants and haunts,

Jana Downs

Nicolae telling him all about his family life and Russia and Ter
divulging his childhood and all about growing up in the Big Easy. It
was a comfortable companionship.

“I’m gonna ride you, bitey,” Ter said, straddling Nicolae’s thick

thighs in a reverse cowboy position. He’d be doing all the work.
Nicolae just had to sit there and be his fuck doll. Ter shuddered at the
image.

Without preamble, he gripped Nicolae’s cock and pressed it to his

already-stretched entrance. He’d had Nicolae suck and finger him
open before he’d kicked him out of bed and onto the floor to get
restrained.

He wondered for a brief second what it would be like to have sex

with Nicolae when he wasn’t all tied up. The thought was hot but
mildly unnerving. Ter wouldn’t have any of the control he had when
his lover was tied for his pleasure. Nicolae was so much bigger and
stronger than Ter. He would have to trust Nicolae to do as he wanted
in the most primal moment, and he didn’t know if the vampire would
yield. The restraints were more a reminder of his promise than
anything, and if they weren’t there, Ter was afraid he would forget.
Nicolae was honorable, but he was also as animal as Ter was.

His thoughts scattered as he sank down on the thick cock

stretching him, and they both groaned at the sensation. Nicolae felt so
much thicker in this position, and Ter doubted for a second that he
would actually be able to take all of him. It was a struggle, but he
managed to sink down until his legs rested against his lover’s thighs.

Nicolae grunted, straining against his bonds as Ter pumped

himself up and down on his body. Ter could tell Nicolae wanted to
touch him in the worst way. He always did when they were like this.
However, he’d come harder when he wasn’t able to, and Ter knew
that, too. His lover’s cock forged a path inside him over and over,
ratcheting up the urge to orgasm with every downward plunge of his
hips.

Beau Bitten

“Like that, Nicolae?” Ter asked, shuddering as his lover’s

magnificent cock scored his pleasure spot over and over. The vampire
bit into the rubber gag harder, his blue eyes wild. His vampire wanted
to bite him. He could see the desire clearly reflected in those brilliant
blue orbs.

He slammed down again, his body pooling pre-cum at the tip of

his needy dick. He reached down and pulled on his cock as he
continued to fuck himself on Nicolae’s length. He groaned low,
letting his lover know exactly how good he felt inside him.

“Come for me,” Ter commanded as the orgasm burned down his

spine and settled in the tight globes of his sac.

Nicolae obeyed beautifully, his cock jerking and spilling his

pleasure deep inside the confines of Ter’s ass. Ter followed him over,
crying out his satisfaction and painting his lover’s abdomen with the
sticky proof of his orgasm. Without thinking, he leaned forward and
bit into the soft column of Nicolae’s throat. Fangs popped through his
gums above his regular canines and sank into the skin.

His body rattled and his dragon purred as the spicy taste of

vampire hit his tongue. His wings extended fully, balancing them as
Nicolae screamed behind his gag and jerked through another orgasm.
Fire erupted along his wings and then down his arms, leaping from
him to Nicolae in a split second. The hot, red flame didn’t burn
though. Instead it drew a black pattern over his shoulders and chest,
curling up his neck and around the place where Ter’s mouth was
sealed over the bite he’d made.

Ter recognized the magick but knew that it was much too late to

stop it. Stupid fucking lizard! Dragons were possessive by nature, and
his was no exception. Claimed. I’ve claimed him. It was an
irrevocable truth. Worse than that, he’d let his dragon perform some
kind of binding that injected a bit of his animal soul into the vampire.
The tribal-like tattoo in the shape of a dragon attested to the fact.

He eased off the bite and looked down at Nicolae, who was

looking at him with wonder-filled eyes that seemed to say that despite

100

Jana Downs

Ter’s insistence that things stay casual, they were anything but.
Stupid, beautiful man. Stop loving me. But if he said it out loud, he
would sound like a psycho. Nicolae had never said it out loud. He
didn’t need to. Ter knew the growing affection Nicolae was feeling,
but it was reflected in himself.

He managed to pull off Nicolae’s lap and unhooked the bit from

his mouth with shaking hands. “Sorry about that,” he murmured as he
rubbed Nicolae’s jaw. “I didn’t mean to bite you.” He raised his
fingers to the new tattoo-like mark all over his top body. He looked
hot inked.

“Your dragon mated me,” he murmured, husky and clearly

pleased with the idea. “I’ve never seen a dragon mating.”

“That makes two of us, bitey. I didn’t even know there was a

formal way to mate someone as a dragon.” He ran his hand over the
hard muscle of his back. “You okay?”

“My arms ache to be honest. I would like to be undone.”
Ter blinked. “Right. Sorry. Distracted.” By your kissable lips. “Er,

so what are we going to do today?” He rolled to his feet and padded
over to the side dresser where he’d left the key to the restraints. The
huge king-sized bed was comfortable and would make the perfect
surface to make love on. Which was why he never let them use it.
However, they slept well on it. He grabbed the key before returning to
Nicolae.

“I thought we’d go shopping down at the French Market and then

maybe drinking on Bourbon Street. We haven’t actually been out
drinking together before.”

That surprised him. At all the parties he’d seen the Azarovs throw,

he’d never seen Nicolae drink. “You sure about that, bitey?” He
unlocked the cuffs.

Nicolae shrugged his shoulders, rolling them forward in an

obvious stretch. “I haven’t drunk since the night of the rave last fall. I
haven’t been stable enough. Our relaxation sessions here have done

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wonders for my calm, and I think I would like to test this newfound
Zen of mine.”

“Only you would term getting tied up and fucking like rabbits as a

relaxation session,” Ter teased, helping him rub out the nasty ache
that usually accompanied him straining against his bonds for longer
than Ter planned. He couldn’t help it if they played hard. “I like to
window shop, so I think the market is as good a place as any to start.
You ever been?”

“I’ve passed it many times.”
“We can pick up some good fruit for snacks to keep from having

to go out. It’s got some boutique things, but mostly it’s just like any
other open-air market.” Ter would have to remember to stay away
from one particular section of the stalls. He didn’t want to risk a
confrontation with old memories.

Nicolae smiled at him. “I appreciate you showing me your city,

Ter.”

Nicolae possessed the unique ability to make Ter feel both

protected and worshipped. The combination was a heady thing. He
couldn’t resist leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Nicolae’s
mouth. “You’re welcome, bitey,” he said against his mouth. It would
be so easy to love him.

“Shall we shower and then get out of here?” Nicolae asked as they

climbed to their feet. Ter nodded. He liked shower time with Nicolae.

“Sorry about your tattoo mating thingy,” Ter apologized as they

left the confines of the master suite and wandered into the attached
bathroom. Ter wasn’t really into bathtubs, but the Jacuzzi tub was
pretty nice with the jets going. The standing shower was amply big
enough for the both of them to wash off comfortably.

Being with the prince of the vampires also had some interesting

perks, namely the fact that his clothes had been laundered and
returned to their room every morning so he’d always have fresh ones
to wear for the day. At night he slept naked, so it didn’t really matter
then. It was just nice to always have fresh things to wear and not have

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to worry about whether they smelled or if he had money to take them
to the Laundromat. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Nicolae
that they lived in two separate worlds.

“I do not take offense to my new mark,” Nicolae said, reaching

into the shower stall and adjusting the temperature of the water. “I
like the fact that you are painted over my skin.” He straightened and
looked at himself in the mirror and traced the swirls of black over his
flesh. He chuckled. “The skin smells like apples now.”

“It’s a permanent scent marker apparently.” Ter was absurdly

pleased with the idea.

“Hmm, get into the shower, Hebecta. We have much to do today.”

Nicolae smiled again, and Ter’s heart tripped over itself. Nicolae’s
smile faded. “You are looking at me strangely. What did I do?”

“You know, it’s hard to be around you sometimes, bitey. You’re

really perfect.” The admission came out before Ter thought better
about it. To hide his hot cheeks, he stepped around Nicolae and into
the shower stall, automatically lifting his face to the spray.

Nicolae followed him in and put his firm hands on Ter’s hips.

“You cannot say something like that and then duck in here to hide,
Ter. I’ve been patient with you and will continue to be. However, it is
nice to hear that you aren’t impervious to my charms.” And what
charms they were. Nicolae made Prince Charming look like an
arrogant prick. “Are we to the point now where I may get you a job at
one of our restaurants?”

“I dunno,” Ter hedged, looking for an excuse. He hadn’t wanted

Nicolae to have anything hanging over his head in the beginning, but
now it seemed like a moot point. His dragon had mated him, Nicolae
had already given Ter his bite, and they were doing the cutesy dating
thing. They got along really well, and it was hard to remember the
reason behind his avoidance issues. “Don’t you think it’s too
serious?” Ter wanted to kick himself in the ass. Too serious had
come, gone, and left the T-shirt to prove it. They were mated.

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“I think we’re well past the point where this can be considered a

casual hookup, Ter. You are my Hebecta.” The man was apparently a
damn mind reader as well. “Tell me what you’re thinking. What are
you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Ter said automatically. It was a lie,

and they both knew it. “I mean, I don’t know. I don’t really do
relationships.”

“Because of your family?” Even though Nicolae’s words were

posed as a question, it felt more like an accusation. “Hebecta, they
continue to control you when you have no contact with them. I find
this very…frustrating.”

Ter tensed as Nicolae began to rub the complimentary body wash

onto his back as the water pelleted his front. “They don’t control me.”

Nicolae’s hands were steady as he rubbed the soap in circles along

his shoulder blades. “No? Then why do you constantly walk away
from permanent ties?” Ter had no explanation for that. “You isolate
yourself because of their disapproval.”

“I isolate myself because everyone who has ever cared about me

has fucking broken my heart. Don’t presume to know me, asshole,”
Ter snapped, pulling forward out of Nicolae’s hands. He turned
around so they were face-to-face. “I’m all for a good time, but if you
want to play psychologist, go play it with someone else.”

Nicolae crossed his arms over his expansive chest. “I will never

hurt you.”

“I thought the same thing about my mom and dad, and look how

that turned out.” Ter glared. “And don’t get all high and mighty on
me, bitey. You wouldn’t have even noticed my existence if we hadn’t
been mates. Admit it, you wouldn’t have looked twice at me.”

Nicolae’s eyebrows went skyward and his nostrils flared, a sure

sign that he was getting pissed. “Oh? You’re a mind reader now?
How about this, I was going to ask you to dance at that rave well
before I knew you were my Hebecta. When I smelled your friend and
your scent was all over him, I was disappointed that it wasn’t you.”

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Ter snorted. “So what? You like my ass. Who doesn’t? My

orifices are very popular with the boys.”

Nicolae’s fist collided with the tile, and it crumbled under the

assault. “You are more than set of holes!” the vampire shouted. He’d
never heard Nicolae raise his voice before, and it was both beautiful
and terrifying. “You value yourself so low, and you don’t even realize
how wonderful you are. Your wit and your humor have caused my
brothers and me to care for you a good deal. You relax me and make
me forget to be so uptight about things. You are smart and are able to
survive because of it. You are everything I love, and I would love you
no matter if you and I never touched.” He lowered his voice. “I cannot
begin to understand what it is like to be abandoned by the family you
love. I am very blessed with a large one, and everyone cares for one
another no matter what. I understand that you are hurt. However, I can
tell you that you can choose a new family, one that will not abandon
you for a bump in the road and one that will always be there for you
should you need us.”

His speech left Ter gaping at him like a codfish. Who laid it all

out like that? “I told you not to love me.” It was the only thing he
could think of to say in response.

Nicolae grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward into the

hard column of his body. “I cannot help how I feel, and I am not
going to hide it because it makes you uncomfortable. Ter, for months
now I have courted you, seen you as often as you would allow, and
grown to care for the stubborn, infuriating man that you are.”

Ter shifted his eyes away and sighed, his chest so tight he was

pretty sure he was having a coronary. “Aw hell, bitey. It’s easier when
it’s just physical. I know I’m fucked up emotionally because of my
folks. I don’t know if I can commit to you like you deserve.” And
there was the crux of the situation. He didn’t feel worthy of the man
in front of him.

“Ter, look at me.” He couldn’t. If he did, he would open his

mouth and ruin it. He didn’t want Nicolae to see how his words were

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affecting him. “Sir.” The whispered word was a plea that Ter couldn’t
resist. He met Nicolae’s brilliant blue gaze. “I think I need you more
than you realize. I am not perfect, far from it. I am serious, possess
little humor, and am prone to being a workaholic. You give me a
peace I cannot describe to you in words. If anything, I am the one
unworthy of your love. I have nothing to offer you of any real value.”

“But you have all this money and connections and—”
“Those things have no real value, Ter,” Nicolae interrupted. “The

way you touch me, the way you allow me to touch you, the laughter
you bring. Those things have real worth. I have a fat bank account and
little else to entice someone so full of life into mine. I have been
blessed with you, Hebecta. Can’t you see that? You saved me and will
continue to do so just by being who you are.”

Ter didn’t know what else to say, so he leaned up and locked his

lips onto Nicolae’s. Hold me. Hold me tight and never let go. Before
he knew it, their tongues were mating and their hands were wandering
over one another’s water-slicked bodies. I’ve only got one last thing
to give him. “Make love to me,” he commanded, pressing his body
against Nicolae’s in a blatant display of how the vampire’s close
proximity affected him.

Nicolae paused. “Shall I get some rope or the cuffs?”
Ter shook his head. “No. I just need you.”
Nicolae growled and smashed their lips together again. Fine,

bitey. I’m yours. Happy? He seemed to be. Ter wrapped his legs
around Nicolae’s waist, and the vampire pressed him against the tile.
He was already slick from their earlier playtime, but he winced a bit
as his hard-used entrance was filled with Nicolae’s thick cock.

“Ter, I love you,” Nicolae whispered as he was fully seated inside

Ter’s tight body. Hearing it again seemed to drive a spike of
overwhelming feeling into his chest over and over again. Ter clutched
his shoulders, adoring every bit of the vampire in his arms. He could
do nothing but love him back…just a little.

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* * * *

Ter still had stars in his eyes by the time they made their way

downstairs. He rested his head against Nicolae’s shoulder in the
elevator and was intensely aware of their entwined fingers. As far as
he was concerned, they could stroll right into hell and he wouldn’t
give a damn. Being with Nicolae in the shower had been the most
intimate sex he’d ever had.

“You okay?” Nicolae asked, looking amused.
“Yeah.” Ter raised his head and grinned. “Do I not look okay?

Because if I look less than cat-that-ate-the-canary happy, then I am
doing it wrong.”

Nicolae laughed as the elevator pinged as they reached the lobby.

The doors slid open ahead of them. “You just look very content with
life, and I think I put that look on your face.”

Ter tsked. “Arrogance becomes you, vampire.”
They stepped out together and nodded to Anna, who was talking

to a bellhop by the employees’ entrance. She waved. They crossed the
marble lobby. Stepping out onto Canal Street and being enveloped in
the instant hustle of the city was a bit jarring after the relative quiet of
the hotel. Ter took a deep breath as the dreamy feeling faded. This
was his element, his city. Being in it with Nicolae just made it that
much better.

“Let’s take the way along the river,” Ter suggested as Nicolae slid

his shades on. Even though the sun was almost completely set, the
vampire wore them. He’d told Ter that his eyes were more sensitive to
light than most paranormals. He glanced at the display of his phone.
“The shops close at six, so we’ve got about twenty minutes to look
around.” Ter would have to make sure they got up earlier next time
Nicolae wanted to go. The real show was in the morning when the
fresh produce and fish were displayed. They could get some really
great deals if they came then. “Do you think we can swing over to my

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place after?” It was a pretty far walk, but it was one that Ter was used
to. “I need to drop off some money for my roommates.”

Nicolae shrugged his shoulders and followed after Ter. “Whatever

you like, Hebecta. I’m flexible.”

It was too easy. “Yeah you are.”
Nicolae’s laughter echoed behind him. Damn it’s good to hear

him laugh. “Hebecta, I aim to please.” Ter turned around, and Nicolae
nearly knocked him over at the sudden stop. “What did I say?”

“You make me happy,” Ter said, willing Nicolae to understand.

“You please me a lot.”

Nicolae’s expression softened. “Good to know, Hebecta. It is

likewise with me.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ter’s lips.
A car honked as it passed on the road beside them, and Ter jerked
back, cheeks on fire. He didn’t usually let men maul him on Canal
Street.

“Easy with the PDA, bitey. We gotta hurry or else the market is

going to close,” Ter said, winking.

Nicolae didn’t release his hips. “Hmm worth it.”
Ter rolled his eyes. “Incorrigible.” He’d always wanted to say that

since he’d seen it in an old black-and-white movie as a kid.

“Unapologetically,” Nicolae fed him the line flawlessly.
“Oh yeah. You are definitely my soul mate.”

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Chapter Seven

Everything was closed by the time they got there, but it didn’t

matter one lick to Nicolae. They’d taken their time walking along the
riverside, talking about potential jobs that Ter might like and talking
about how they were going to keep up dating when Nicolae took over
the coven. While Ter in no way agreed to start living with him,
Nicolae thought they made some headway into the emotional-
connectivity area. If I would’ve known admitting I love you out loud
would’ve been the thing to bring you closer, I would’ve done it
sooner, Hebecta.

“Damn,” Ter said as they passed under an archway. “I dragged my

feet too much.”

“I always liked walking by the river. We can come back when

they open in the morning.” Nicolae wasn’t concerned about missing
out on some fruit.

Ter shrugged it off. “Well, on the plus side, I get to show you the

place I practically grew up. My grandparents run one of the boutiques
and my cousin runs a stall on this side.” He tugged Nicolae toward the
area they’d been avoiding since entering the market. He pointed to a
small knickknack shop. “That is where my grandparents work. It was
the first business they opened here. I’ve got some cousins who run
Café du Monde as well, but this was my grandparents’ first business.
My parents opened another shop like this one over on Royal Street
with my grandparents’ help.”

“So it’s safe to say you grew up in the Quarter,” Nicolae noted.

Ter nodded. The boy really had a love for the city. “One day I’ll show
you St. Petersburg. You’ll love it.”

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“I’ve never been out of the country. That would be cool. Is Russia

really different from here?” Ter asked.

“It is worlds different. However, they are both beautiful in their

own way. New Orleans has a different flavor than anywhere I’ve ever
been.” Nicolae loved this easy camaraderie between them. Talking
with Ter was easy, and he enjoyed their conversations. He stopped
beside the stall Ter was pointing at. It didn’t look like much right
now, everything was gone, but the way Ter lingered said that the
space meant something.

Ter touched the top of the table. “I practically grew up under this.

I used to bring little farm animal figurines and play under and behind
it while my aunt haggled with tourists.”

“You had a very unique childhood, Hebecta.”
Ter turned and came into his arms. “Thanks for being awesome,

Nicolae.”

Nicolae squeezed him tight. “Thank you for giving us this chance,

Hebecta. You are everything I could have hoped for.”

Movement out of the corner of his eyes caused him to turn his

head. He frowned as a small Asian woman glared at the two of them.
He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ter raised his head off his chest. “What?” He turned and saw the

woman. “Shit.”

She spouted off in rapid Vietnamese, or at least he assumed it was

Vietnamese considering Ter’s origin. Ter pulled out of Nicolae’s arms
and answered in the same language. Nicolae wished he would’ve
spent more time learning the Asian languages. He had no clue what
they were saying.

The boutique shop door opened, and another older woman whose

hair was pulled back into a severe bun stepped into the street to join
the first. They pointed at Nicolae and all but shouted at Ter as Nicolae
stood by and watched it all helplessly. The older woman made some
kind of sign in his direction, and Nicolae winced, anticipating a blow.

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He wasn’t sure why her motions made him so nervous, but it filled
him with this sick feeling to see she was waving her arms at him.

Ter stepped in front of him like he was protecting him, and scales

raced over both sides of his arms. The smell of smoke and apples
filled the air, and Ter hissed at the two of them. The sound like a rattle
snake echoed through the empty space of the market.

The ladies crossed themselves in unison and continued to rant at

them both. Ter turned his head and looked at Nicolae. “Move,” he
commanded, tears glittering in his eyes. “We’re leaving.”

“Of course, Hebecta.” He reached out and gave his shoulder a

squeeze. He wished he could contribute more to his own defense, but
he had no idea what they were even screaming about.

The older woman spat at his feet as they took a wide circle around

them. “You lie down with monsters, Ter!”

Anger fired in Nicolae’s chest, and he turned, baring his fangs at

the woman. “I don’t know who you are to my Hebecta, but you will
stop talking to him, now. Better a monster than a bigot.” He’d had
enough.

She took something from her pocket and raised it to her face in a

closed fist. “You will not hide behind the face and actions of a man
any longer. You are the reason he has continued to dwell in filth.” She
opened her fist and blew what looked like dirt right into his face.

He coughed and tried to wipe it off. It burned his eyes and filled

his lungs with the god-awful taste of something bitter.

“Nicolae!” Ter’s voice shouted at him, but he couldn’t see.
Nicolae clawed at his face, trying to get it off him. Something

eerie prickled at the edge of his consciousness, and he swore he heard
the sound of chains breaking. Ter dragged him forward, and the
sounds of those women faded.

Ter gave him a squeeze. “Bend forward, Nico. There is a water

fountain here. It’s not exactly sanitary, but it’ll get that crap off you.”

Nicolae did as he was bid, and ice-cold water hit his face and

sluiced down his chest. The burning faded gradually, and little by

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little his vision returned. He coughed a bit and spit, trying to dispel
what remained from his mouth and chest.

“God what was that?” he asked when he was no longer hacking.
“I have no idea. With them, it’s up in the air. They sell home

remedies as well, so it could’ve been anything from ground goat’s
horn to powdered Ash root.” Ter looked terribly apologetic. “I knew
better than to come down that way so close to closing. I’m so sorry,
Nicolae.”

“It’s fine,” Nicolae said. “I’m assuming that was your family?”

His stomach started churning in slow, sickening turns.

“Yes. My mother and grandmother.” Poor Ter looked exhausted

and concerned. “How about we skip Bourbon and go back to the
hotel? I think you’ll feel better after a shower.”

Nicolae nodded and opened his mouth to agree, but it came out

slurred. He blinked. What the hell was that about? His tongue felt too
big for his mouth, and his stomach cramped. Before he knew it, he
was on his knees puking up the breakfast he’d eaten and blood he’d
taken from Ter earlier, splattering the ground with a combination of
blood, muffin, and bile.

“Nicolae!”
He opened his mouth to tell Ter he was feeling better now, but the

predatory being that had been almost silent inside him since he’d
taken Ter’s blood rose up like a tidal wave. He felt the current grab
hold of his mind and jerk him violently out into the sea of anger,
hunger, and madness that was all predatory instinct and vicious
demand. He screamed as it sucked him downward and into darkness.

* * * *

Ter scrambled backward as Nicolae lunged at his throat, fangs

snapping the air so close that he felt the air off the motion. “Fuck!” he
shouted. Nicolae’s blue eyes blazed with nothing human, and he
growled at him like an animal. “Nico, come back to me. Come on.”

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The dragon inside him urged him away, not even recognizing his
mate in the predator before him. “Nicolae!”

The being stalked him, mirroring his movements like lions after a

gazelle. Fuck me. Fuck me. What did they do to him? He swallowed,
terrified. This was what everyone had been so scared to let out.

Nicolae lunged at him again, grabbing his arm and nearly yanking

it out of the socket as he pulled Ter into him. His hot breath licked his
neck an instant before fangs sank deep into his flesh. He whimpered
as the flesh was torn into with none of Nicolae’s usual concern. There
was no pleasure in the act, only throbbing, cutting pain. The thing in
the shape of Nicolae pulled back, and blood gushed from the wound
and spilled down Ter’s chest.

Fuck. He’s going to kill me. His heart hurt at the thought. They

hadn’t even gotten a chance to make this work. He gasped as Nicolae
rooted deeper in his neck. Something popped, and more blood gushed
forth. His body started getting cold, and he weakly pushed against
Nicolae’s shoulders.

“Ter!” someone shouted as his head spun. He stopped struggling

as the last of his strength went out of him. Nicolae was suddenly
hauled backward away from his body. He rounded on whoever had
pulled him off, and an eerie scream rent the air as the vampire
attacked. More pounding footsteps accompanied the scream, and
Dmitri was suddenly kneeling beside him.

“Shift, Ter,” he commanded, eyes wild with what looked like fear.

“If you don’t shift, you’re going to die. Ter, shift!” He raised his head
back toward the fray. “Grisha, get those humans out of here! Sasha,
start CPR on the other one. Turn her if you have to.”

Human? What humans?
Dmitri’s eyes returned to him. “Shit, dammit! Ter, fucking shift!”
Some last vestiges of self-preservation kicked in, and his dragon

rushed forward, eager to come out. His whole body shimmered for a
moment, and the stardust effect would’ve been pretty in any other
circumstance. His body contorted, shrinking, reshaping. He laid his

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head down in the tangle of his clothes and closed his eyes, too
exhausted to care if it finished.

Strong arms wrapped around him, and the familiar smell of

Azarov comforted him as he slipped into darkness.

* * * *

Ter woke up to someone stroking his head. He was warm, buried

in a sea of pink comforter. The hands rubbing the top of his head were
tiny. He blinked. He was still in dragon form. He raised his head and
looked up at a tiny girl that had to be Nicolette. Her ebony curls and
crystal-blue eyes said that she was Nicolae’s relation. Her green-and-
blue nightgown declared that it was also bedtime. He struggled to
remember the details of what had happened after Nicolae had lost it in
the French Market.

In dragon form he was only the size of a house cat, and so he fit

perfectly on the pink and white pillow she had him perched on. He
huffed as nothing came to mind, and he rested his suddenly aching
head on his paws.

“Oh, you’re awake,” she whispered excitedly. “Sasha said I

should leave you in Nico’s room, but I thought you’d be lonely.” She
gestured to the mountain of stuffed animals around them on the bed.
Oh good God.

She grinned and practically bounced up and down on the bed.

“You’re so pretty.” She grabbed his wings and nearly picked him up
by them. He winced at the rough handling and growled. Those were
not exactly made of elastic. They were a little like bat wings except a
little thinner and more delicate. They were more for gliding than
actual flying, but he could do that in a pinch. “Sorry.” She put him
back down and petted him again. “I can’t believe we have a dragon!”
She squealed before picking him up by the stomach and nearly
suffocating him in a hug. “I always wanted a dragon. Do you think we
can play castle tomorrow?”

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“Nicolette Alexandra Azarov!” a new voice snapped. Ter

managed to squirm out from her grip and flop back down on the
mattress. He looked up and saw Sasha standing in the doorway
looking thunderous. “What did I tell you about letting Ter get some
rest?”

“But, Sasha—”
“No ‘buts,’ missy. You are grounded.” He strode into the room

and scooped Ter up. Ter huffed. He was getting really tired of people
manhandling him. Sasha looked down. “Sorry about this, Ter. We
thought we’d let you rest a little before we woke you up.” He raised
his head and glared. “But someone wouldn’t leave you alone.”

“But he was lonely, Sasha!” she protested, her bottom lip

quivering and her big blue eyes filling up with tears. “I wasn’t hurtin’
him!”

“I told you no, Nicolette. Now get your little butt into bed and

tomorrow there will be no television.”

“But—”
Sasha growled. “No ‘buts’!”
She smacked the comforter and kicked out her feet. “I’m tellin’

Papa!”

“Go right ahead,” Sasha said, not missing a beat. “Good night.”
“Sasha!”
He turned around and walked back over the door with Ter still in

his arms. “Papa will be up to say good night in a bit. I suggest you get
your act together before then.” He shut the door quietly behind him.

Ter recognized the hallway as the same hall that he’d been in

before when he’d taken a nap in Nicolae’s room. “I’ll carry you back
to Nicolae’s room. We didn’t have any clothes for you that weren’t
covered in blood, so we just got new ones in your size. Is that all
right?”

Ter nodded. He desperately wanted to know what happened.

Sasha walked to the far end of the hall and opened Nicolae’s room.

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“Go ahead and change, and I’ll wait out here in the hall. Everyone is
meeting downstairs in a minute.”

He put Ter on the floor and closed the door behind him. Ter

wasted no time in changing. He padded naked over to Nicolae’s bed
and grabbed up the blue jeans, black T-shirt, and socks the vampires
had left for him there. He dressed without thinking about the outfit.
His mind was on Nicolae and what had happened.

His family had been screaming at him about the state of his soul

and the filth he was wallowing in, but it hadn’t been until they’d
started slinging “unholy sodomite” slurs at Nicolae that he’d gotten
angry. When his mother had tried to throw a curse at him, Ter had
almost lost it. Dragons were magical creatures just by their very
existence, so stepping between them had deflected it nicely. However,
whatever his grandmother had blown in his face had obviously done a
number on Nicolae. He hated them for what they’d done. The hate
burned inside his chest cavity like battery acid as he shoved his feet
into his worn, bloody shoes. He’d never hated them until that
moment.

If we can’t fix him, I’m going to kill them. He’d figure out how to

curse them. He’d do something desperate and make them tell him
how to fix Nicolae. The knock on the door brought him out of his
morbid contemplations.

“You coming, Ter?” Sasha asked through the heavy oak.
“Yeah,” he called, his voice hoarse. Wow. Nicolae’s chowing

down on my throat did a number on my voice.

He strode across the floor and opened the door. Sasha’s purple

gaze met his. “They are starting their talk now.”

Ter swallowed. “Lead the way.”

* * * *

The Azarovs sat around a huge boardroom table downstairs. All

five of Nicolae’s brothers, his uncle Markus, his father, and some

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close bodyguards were seated around it. It was strange when they
moved to the side and gave Ter a place beside the vampire king like
he was just another member of his family.

“It is clear that Nicolae is lost to us,” Markus said finally as Ter

settled into the leather wheeled boardroom chair. “It is clear that
because his Hebecta didn’t allow him the bite that he lost the battle
with the predator inside.”

“Hey,” Ter interrupted, irritation flickering through him. “I did let

him bite me. He’s been biting me for days. He didn’t lose the battle or
whatever. I think he was cursed by my grandmother.”

Markus snorted. “Vampires are resistant to magick.”
“Resistant or not, my family can throw some serious spells

around. I wouldn’t be a dragon-shifter if they didn’t. For every curse
there is a counter curse. There has to be a way to get his mind back.”
He paused, swallowed. “How bad is he?”

“He is in the holding cells we have below stairs for just such

emergencies,” Dmitri said, looking exhausted. “He’s been screaming
and growling like an animal since.”

Ter clenched his hands into fists and swallowed. He had hoped

he’d calm down a little. He cleared his throat. “Um, was I crazy when
I heard you say there were humans around?” His heart skipped a beat
at the thought. As much as he resented his parents for this, he didn’t
want his mom and nana to be hurt. Every vampire in the room shifted
uncomfortably.

“What?” he asked.
It was the vampire king who finally spoke. “There were two other

people who came to your rescue. We weren’t sure who they were, but
they were your ethnicity.”

His stomach churned. “Women?”
The king looked him in the eyes. “One young woman and another

man who looked to be around her age tried to pull Nicolae off you. He
turned and attacked the two of them. Your mother and grandmother
must’ve left when Nicolae turned on you.”

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117

“What happened to them?” A long pause answered his inquiry.
“They were both mauled pretty badly on their necks and chests,”

Grisha said finally. “We needed to turn them to save their lives. We
were hoping that you would identify them for us. They’re both still
sleeping and probably will for the next few days.”

“Absolutely.” Nicolae was going to feel so guilty if he came out

of this. His stomach twisted. Not “if,” when. When Nicolae comes out
of this.

“Thank you. Now how are we going to deal with Nicolae?” the

vampire king asked the table. Ter sat back in his chair and listened to
them discuss what would become of the first man in his life that Ter
thought he might actually be in love with.

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Chapter Eight

Well, his cousins were officially vampires. Kim and Bao had

turned their backs on him like the rest of the family but had let him
know they didn’t support the decision the rest of the family had made
the night Ter had left. At least they’d supported him in the end.

He turned from the room and back to Sei and Pavel, the vampire

king whose name he’d just learned. “They’re my cousins. Kim and
Bao.” He swallowed. They were laid out on two lounge chairs in the
cell next to Nicolae, pale and seemingly lifeless. “They’re going to be
all right, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Pavel said. “They’ll wake up in the next few days. Their

bodies are recovering from the injuries and the change.”

A roar from the next cell made Ter jump, and something heavy

slammed against the silver bars. Pavel let out a string of curses.

“I can’t see him like this,” Sasha murmured, turning on his heel.

“I can’t, Papa. I’m sorry.”

The king’s expression softened. “It’s all right, Sasha. Why don’t

you go on upstairs and make sure our princess is in bed where she
belongs? I said good night to her, but I have the feeling she’s still
pouting over you taking Ter away from her.”

“Of course, Papa,” he said, turning on his heel and striding toward

the stairs.

“How in the hell did you find a house in New Orleans with a

basement?” Ter asked as he disappeared back up the stairs. “And a
better question is, why would you have one?”

“It’s completely finished and weatherproofed. Though we’ve dealt

with a bit of flooding already. However, we have an excellent

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drainage and water pump system. Unfortunately, it’s the only
practical thing we can do. When vampires need to be restrained, the
upper floors are pretty useless even if we make them into cells. Plus,
it’s easier to soundproof a basement.” Pavel took his arm and led him
the last few feet. Ter wasn’t sure if he was doing it to comfort him or
because he needed to take comfort from him.

His heart twisted in his chest. Nicolae crouched in the middle of

the wreckage of what had once been furniture. He hissed at them as
they came closer, no recognition in his eyes. His gaze met Ter’s, and
he rushed the bars, slamming himself against the silver.

Ter jumped back. “Shit!”
“Easy. He can’t get out,” Pavel said, visibly paling in the soft

light. The vampire king may have been putting on a strong front, but
it had to be killing him to see his oldest son in such a state. “The
silver will hold him.”

Ter’s eyes never left Nicolae as the vampire sat just on the other

side of bars and stared a hole into Ter’s soul. “God, Nicolae. I’m so
sorry.”

Nicolae made a sound like a low purr and reached for him. Ter

stayed out of reach but knelt on the floor so he was at Nicolae’s level.
“Oh, Nico.” He turned his head and looked over at Pavel. “How did
you guys get there so fast?” It wasn’t something he had thought about
previously with everything that was going on.

Pavel crossed over to the wall panel and turned the light up.

“When you left the hotel, I had the boys follow you. We just wanted
to make sure the two of you were okay and to guard against Nicolae
losing control in public. Of course, there was an element of curiosity.
All of us wanted to see you two happily joined.”

“What are our options?”
“I’m having a team research our magical options, and we’ve hired

the local witches’ coven to see if there are any spells or herbs to
counteract this.” Pavel sighed. “It may be a while before we have an
answer.”

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Irritation flickered through him. “I wish I hadn’t been born into

my family. They’re terrible.”

“Bigots are everywhere, Ter. Besides, some of your family came

to your rescue. That counts for something. Let us just hope their
bigotry doesn’t do any permanent damage.” Pavel was a wise guy. He
wasn’t judgmental at all, and the energy he brought to the table was
refreshing. Ter wished he would’ve had someone like him around
growing up.

Nicolae rested his forehead against the bars and stared at him with

hunger evident all over his face. His fangs touched his bottom lip.
“Don’t worry, Nicolae. I’ll fix you, mate. I promise.”

* * * *

A week went by with no answer. His cousins had woken up three

days previously, but they were still kept separated from the rest of the
house until they learned how to fully control their hungers. The
Quarter Brats had been in and out of the house, keeping him company
and easing the burden of being separated from his mate in the
intervening time.

Ter had gone down to the basement more than once to consult

with them as the witches and the vampires had come up with nothing.
Everything came down to the same suggestion. The only people who
would know about the cure were the same people who had inflicted it
to begin with. He’d have to go home.

He swallowed as he came into the living room where Nicolette

was playing with her miniature castle and the Azarovs were sitting on
various couches while Dracula 2000 played in the background. Ter
wasn’t sure what was up with them that they constantly watched
monster movies, but it was funny how much they liked their own
clichés.

“Going somewhere, Ter?” Dimka asked, closing his motorcycle

magazine.

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Ter nodded. “I’m going out for a little bit. I need some fresh air.

I’m taking my cell if you need me.”

A chorus of protests rose up. Sei was the one who actually

addressed him though. “Will you allow one of us to accompany you?”

“I need some alone time, fellas. I promise I’ll be back in a few

hours. I’ll come right back for Nicolae’s nightly feeding.” They’d
figured out pretty quick that when Ter fed Nicolae blood bags through
the bars, Nicolae was calmer. Pavel was his constant companion
though. The vampire king could be found more often than not
downstairs.

Sasha waved him on. “Go. I’ll keep everyone from stalking you.

Just check in if you’re going to be longer than a few hours.”

“Will do,” Ter said, turning toward the door. “If anyone finds

anything, let me know.”

He reached the door, pulled it open, and then stepped out onto the

front step. If he took the streetcar to Canal, he could walk the rest of
the way back. It would take him a bit, but he could do it. He could
take a cab, but he hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he’d needed to
walk off the excess energy. He was nervous and more than a little
scared at the prospect of seeing his folks again.

By the time he got to the street he’d grown up on, he was a

nervous, sweaty mess. The lower-middle-class neighborhood was the
same as it always was. His family’s houses were neat and ordered, as
was expected. His grandparents, his grandmother in particular,
wouldn’t allow for anything else.

His dragon wanted the hell out of there, as if he sensed his

apprehension about walking up to the little white house that he’d
grown up in. The signs on the yard said they were in mourning. They
must’ve been talking about his cousins. That was the only logical
explanation. They mourned him years ago when he’d come out and
left home.

He swallowed and hesitated an instant before knocking. The door

opened. His father stood there. He was an older version of Ter, small

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features and dark hair. His father’s hair was starting to gray now
though. The bit at his temples had almost been unnoticeable when Ter
had lived here. It was the only indication that time had really passed
at all.

“Ter,” he said, his expression stony. “What are you doing here?”
Ter tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. He’d always felt the

pressure when his father was looking at him with that disapproving
look. He turned to his I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude for comfort. “You
turned my boyfriend into a monster and nearly got your nephew and
niece killed. I want it undone.”

His mother’s voice sounded from somewhere behind his father.

“They’re alive?”

Ter shrugged. “They’re vampires now but yeah, sorta alive. I want

the antidote for Nicolae.”

His father’s frown deepened. “Vampires? Is that what that

monster was?” He grunted as his mother started ordering him away
from the door in Vietnamese. She must’ve been getting upset. She
always dissolved into her native language when that happened. She
was screaming at him to make him go away. He turned his head and
shouted at her to shut up. “Ter, are they all right?”

“They’re fine. Nicolae’s family is helping them through the

transition.” If this was one of those Lifetime movies, the situation
would bring their family together again and Ter would be reluctantly
let back into the fold. Over time they’d forgive him completely and
learn to accept his sexuality. Unfortunately, this was not a Lifetime
movie.

“You have disgraced your family once again, Ter. I am ashamed

to know that I contributed to your birth.” His father’s words cut him
to the quick. “Your cousins are lost to us as well. They chose their
fate by going to your aid. If you want your vampire back, you figure
out how to do it yourself. No one in this family will help you put a
human face back onto that thing.”

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This was the part of the script where Ter turned around and went

back to Nicolae’s house, tail tucked between his legs. Not this time.
There was more at stake than his feelings or his family’s feelings.
Their bigotry had screwed him for the last time.

He took a step toward his father, inches away from his face.

Funny, he hadn’t realized they were the same height. “I am not
leaving here until you tell me how to fix this. You want me out of
your life, fine. I’ll go. I haven’t bugged you since I was sixteen, and I
don’t plan on doing it a lot in the future. What I will tell you is if you
don’t tell me how to undo what you’ve done, I will fucking haunt all
of you for the rest of your natural lives, and you know how unlucky
having a dragon cursing you is.” He wasn’t entirely sure how to pull
off a curse like that, but he would figure it out.

“How dare you threaten us!” his father snapped.
“I have to do what I have to do to protect my family!” The words

didn’t register for a solid thirty seconds. It wasn’t until his mother
gasped that he realized what he’d said. Nicolae and his family had
somehow become his. He considered the Quarter Brats his family for
a while, but he hadn’t realized that his intimate circle had expanded to
include the Azarovs as well.

His mother jostled his father aside. “You consider those people

your family?”

Ter nodded, stealing himself for another lashing. “Yeah. I do.

Now what’s it going to be?”

Her eyes narrowed. It was weird how looking at her now made

him feel like he was looking at a stranger. He didn’t even recognize
the person in front of him. “You have all the skills you need to cure
him,” she said, lips pursing. “Good enough?”

“Can’t you be a little more specific?”
“No.”
Ter crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. I’ll be hanging out on

your porch in my rainbow thong singing ‘YMCA’ until you decide to
be more cooperative.”

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She growled. “The spell of undoing requires sacrifice. The

greatest sacrifice. To restore humanity, you have to give him yours.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Ter asked, a curious sense of

dread filled his stomach.

“To restore his humanity, you have to die and he has to be the one

to kill you.”

Her words settled like a weight on his chest. He couldn’t breathe.

“It will kill him to hurt me. When he comes back to his senses—”

She interrupted him. “An appropriate punishment given the

gravity of his sin.”

Ter’s eyes narrowed. “You are aware that once upon a time they

would’ve burned your ass at the stake.” He resented the fact that they
took and left what they wanted from religion and their culture.
Traditionally, extremely conservative Catholics who hated gays didn’t
practice witchcraft. Why can’t you hate me like normal bigots?

“After today, we will not see you again.”
Thank God. “I can only hope.” He paused. “Disown me and

pretend you really don’t see me. Because if you hurt my loved ones
again, I will hunt you all down one by one and feed you to my pet
vampires.” And he didn’t doubt the Azarovs wouldn’t hesitate to
serve up a good dose of revenge if the incident repeated.

“We will no longer see or acknowledge you or your ‘family’s’

existence,” she said. She pointed back down the drive. “Be gone.”

Ter turned from her and listened to the door slam shut behind him.

There would never be a real resolution for them, but he finally felt he
had some kind of closure. He turned his attention to the problem at
hand.

Dying really didn’t sound fun. He swallowed. Fixing this wasn’t

as easy as some mumbo jumbo and some ground slugs. This was
definitely no Harry Potter magic where the only consequences would
be Professor Snape yelling at him or a lot of really bad-smelling
smoke. His life was on the line. He just hoped that the vampires had a
better solution.

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* * * *

Nicolae growled as his brothers filed into the basement behind

Ter. “You sure this will work?” Ter asked. His muscles held a fine
tremor as he looked at the predator that used to be his boyfriend.

“No. You’re a dragon. We have no way to know if it will work for

sure, but I hope it will,” Pavel said. He looked as sick as Ter felt. “I
don’t know if I’m comfortable with this.”

“Papa, if we don’t do this, we’re never going to get Nico back,”

Sasha said. Ter knew it wasn’t personal, but he had the suspicion that
Sasha didn’t really care what happened to him so long as he got his
big brother back.

Dmitri sighed. “I don’t know, bro. If something happens to Ter,

Nicolae will never forgive us.”

Ter had to make them stop or else he was going to listen to

another hour-long argument. “And if you jerkoffs don’t help me do
this for him, I’ll never forgive you.” The vampires went quiet. He
took a deep breath. “Now just remember to take care of the Brats for
me and keep my cousins safe. Also, tell Nicolae—” He swallowed as
a lump formed in his throat. “Tell Nicolae I love him when he gets
better. And you better tell him that it’s not his fault. I did this because
I love him.”

Pavel rubbed his back. “You tell him yourself when you both

walk out of that cell.” Ter nodded, wishing like hell that he shared
Pavel’s optimism.

“All right, gentlemen. We’ll have a five-second window between

the cell opening and Nicolae grabbing you. The sedatives we hit him
with will make him a little slow,” Dmitri said as everyone got into
position. “Everyone remember the plan?”

Ter nodded. “Yeah. I go in, Nicolae chows down, drains me, as

my heart stops, you guys hit him with the heavy meds to make him
biteless. Pavel fang punches me and fills up my lungs with his blood

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to turn me. I die but wake up tomorrow. That cover everything?” The
timing had to be perfect in order to fulfill the rules of the curse.
Sometimes magic was a bitch.

“That covers it,” Grisha replied.
Ter motioned to Sei and Aleksei to come forward. “Let’s do it.”
Nicolae was on him the instant the door swung open. Since he was

shirtless, it was easy for him to tear into the flesh. He winced as the
vampire’s fangs sank deep, and he bit his lip to keep from
whimpering out loud. Screaming pain echoed up and down his nerve
endings as Nicolae made happy growling noises in the back of his
throat.

When the vampire figured out he wasn’t struggling, the bruising

grip eased and Nicolae just crouched over him and lapped at his
gushing wound. Tentatively, Ter reached up and stroked Nicolae’s
sandy-blond hair. If this was going to be their last moment together,
he was going to savor it.

Christ, that hurts. Ter’s hands fell away as his strength left him.

His vision narrowed, and his mind started drifting into ether. I hope
this works. I hope…it…His heartbeat slowed. His eyes slid shut. I love
you. His dragon whimpered and cried out for his mate. The weak
scent of applewood filled the air.

Nicolae stiffened above him and drew off the wound. A panicked

look washed over his face, and a sound of pure agony came out of
him. Something was wrong. He was almost to the passing out point,
but he wasn’t dead quite yet.

“Um, commence with more munching brother,” Dmitri said from

somewhere behind him. “Dad? What’s wrong with Nicolae?”

“I’m not sure. Something’s wrong. Grab Ter.”
Nicolae hissed, crouching over him and threatening any of them

that came near him. The vampire leaned forward and lapped at the
wound, closing it up. His head spun. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Someone spoke. “Get the sedatives.”
“Mine!” Nicolae growled, his voice a guttural rumble of sound.

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“Was that English?”
“Is he back?”
Ter forced his eyes open, and he found a twin pair of impossibly

blue eyes inches from his face. Animal awareness filled him. He
didn’t smell like vampire and Nicolae. He smelled just like pumpkin
spice and cinnamon apples. The tattoo on his neck seemed to dance
and shimmer with—Are those scales?

“No,” Ter murmured hoarsely. “He’s my mate.” Dragons were

magick creatures. Their magick was some of the most powerful
magick in the world. His childhood lessons came back to him in that
moment. His family may have been trying to kill him with the
antidote, but it seemed his dragon was going to circumvent the
necessity. He tried to smirk, but he was suddenly very, very tired. His
eyes shut on their own accord, and then he was asleep.

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Chapter Nine

Horror dawned as Nicolae became aware of his surroundings. Ter

lay almost lifeless beneath him, and splintered wood littered the world
around him as his brothers circled closer. It felt like he was waking up
out of a dream.

“Check him. You might have to turn him. He’s paling out too

much,” Grisha said, approaching cautiously. “That wound on his
chest is still pumping it out.”

“No,” Nicolae murmured. He looked down at Ter’s pale face.

“Mine.” What the hell was that? A purring sound filled the air as he
looked down at Ter, and it took him a minute to realize it was coming
from his own chest. “Papa? What happened?” There was something
inside him, another consciousness he hadn’t been aware of before. He
sniffed the air, and knowing that it was his brothers that surrounded
him leveled out the aggression he felt building.

Dmitri knelt on the ground beside them. “Move, bro. We have to

give your boy some blood. Lucky lizard doesn’t have to turn though.
He’s not quite on death’s door. Just a few pints low.”

“I’ll give it to him,” Nicolae murmured, his stomach roiling from

overstuffing himself. He couldn’t believe he’d attacked his lover. The
new awareness rumbled its disappointment in him. Realization
dawned. Holy crap, he turned me. He’d never heard of a shifter
turning a vampire into anything. It just wasn’t done. Then again, he’d
never met a dragon-shifter before, and their existence was supposed to
be more potent than any other creature. The tattoo on his neck and
chest attested to the fact.

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He moved off his lover before cradling him in his arms. “Can you

close the wounds, Dimka?”

“Of course,” Dmitri said, leaning forward and putting his mouth

to the worst wounds on Ter’s bare chest.

Nicolae’s fangs descended and pierced his bottom lip. He let the

blood pool in his mouth before putting his lips to Ter’s. He opened his
lover’s jaw with his hand and coaxed his throat into swallowing
several sips before he drew back. He’d heal quickly enough. He just
hoped Ter would as well. Shifters were hearty beings with an
accelerated healing rate. Not quite as fast as vampires though.

It took him a minute to realize his mistake. He cursed. “I can’t

give him healing blood. I’m not quite vampire anymore.” He moved
out of the way as Grisha crowded in behind him. He held onto Ter’s
hand as his brothers worked on him and tried very hard not to snap
like an animal as they handled his beloved with care. Scales kept
disappearing and reappearing on his arms and neck, and his vision
kept going in and out of a reptilian view of the world. This dragon
thing would take some getting used to.

His father knelt on the ground beside them and hugged Nicolae

tight. “I’m so happy that you are all right, Nico. I was so scared I had
lost you.”

“My Hebecta will find me always,” Nicolae murmured. He had

absolute faith in Ter. “He makes me so happy, Papa.” He turned his
head to look Pavel in the eyes. “It was his family who did this?”

Pavel nodded. “Yes.” He quickly explained everything that had

transpired since then and how close their family had gotten to Ter in
his mental absence.

“They must pay for this,” Nicolae said as he finished, angry that

they’d set Ter up to be hurt.

Pavel shook his head. “No, Nico. Your Hebecta has closure now,

and a cease-fire has been issued. You will make your own family and
forget about the one who rejected him. They are not even worthy of
your anger.”

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Nico supposed he was correct, but it didn’t make him feel any less

bad about what had happened. He’d been the one to insist they go to
the market. Granted, he hadn’t known that Ter’s family were such
psychotic bigots, but still. “Hurry and open your eyes, Hebecta,” he
whispered to Ter. “I want to tell you how much I love you.”

“Take him to your room, Nicolae. He needs to rest. I’m pretty sure

he’s had less sleep than we have,” Pavel said, patting him on the head
the same way he had when Nicolae was a small child. “Are you
strong enough to do that?”

“Yes. I feel great as matter of fact.” There was an extra dose of

energy running through his veins like he was thrumming with power.
Apparently being a dragon gave him an extra boost. No wonder Ter
insisted on walking everywhere. With all the excess energy, it was a
wonder that he wasn’t a marathon runner.

He gently gathered his Hebecta in his arms as his brothers moved

aside. “You sure you’re stable, bro? You’re not going to lose it again
are you?” Sasha asked. Nicolae turned his head to him. He could see
the strain evident on Sasha’s face. His younger brothers had really
worried over him.

“I am fine. The dragon Ter gave me seems to have quelled the

predatory side of my nature completely.” He had a whole other set of
instincts to master now.

“We’ll check in on you in a bit,” his father said.
Nicolae made a noise in the affirmative and cradled Ter closer to

his chest. He hoped Ter woke soon. They had much to speak about,
and he wouldn’t quite believe he’d be all right until he looked into
those big dark eyes again.

* * * *

Nicolae did push-ups and sit-ups until sweat ran down his body in

rivulets. He didn’t know how any shifter stayed still for any length of
time. He’d tried to lie beside Ter, who was snoring softly on his

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comforter, but had tossed and turned for half an hour before giving up
and starting the workout routine.

“God that’s hot,” Ter said from the bed. “You look good when

you’re all cleaned up, but you look great when you’re all caveman.”

Nicolae paused midcrunch. “Ter?” He sprang up a little faster than

he anticipated and nearly fell down for his trouble because he had too
much momentum. Ter’s chuckle told him he was amused by the fact.

He pulled himself up on the mattress and saw Ter reclining

against the covers. His color was good, and the wounds had dissolved
to a healthy-looking pink scar. His brothers’ blood had done its job.

He opened his mouth to speak, to say something about how much

he’d missed and loved Ter, but Ter beat him to the bunch. “I love
you,” Ter said. Nicolae’s heart stopped. “I didn’t realize it before, but
I do. You’re my family now and my mate, and I love you.”

“Hebecta,” he whispered, unable to articulately express the

overwhelming joy he felt at the admission. “You’re sure?”

Ter’s eyes danced with joy. “Damn straight, I’m sure. I’ve thought

about it for a while. I love you, Nicolae Azarov.”

Nicolae threw himself on his lover, kissing him senseless. He’d

waited for so long for Ter to be ready for this moment. It had only
taken him nearly getting killed and months of courtship to make it
happen. I love this man. I love this man. I love this man. The phrase
repeated in his head with every beat of his heart.

Ter broke the kiss. “Lay on your back, hands over your head.”
A shudder went through Nicolae at the command. He loved this,

loved their interaction. “You sure you’re steady enough for this?”

“Of course I am, bitey. I need you like I need air.”
Nicolae didn’t need to be told twice. He rolled over beside Ter as

his Hebecta rolled to his stomach before pushing himself up on all
fours. He dug in the side drawer and extracted some lube and a rope.
Usually his Hebecta didn’t have the patience for rope. Cuffs usually
seemed like the better, quicker option since rope took considerably
more time and effort to arrange.

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Nicolae’s heart pounded as Ter lovingly wrapped the rope around

one forearm and then the next before tying it to his headboard. There
was something incredibly erotic about being restrained by his lover.
There was also an intimacy with the power exchange. He gave all of
himself to Ter, and in return, Ter did the same.

Ter prepared himself decisively before straddling Nicolae’s hips.

“I missed you, Nicolae,” he whispered an instant before he sank down
on Nicolae’s bared cock. Nicolae groaned as the heat of Ter’s body
enveloped his cock.

“I love you, Hebecta,” Nicolae moaned, straining against the

ropes so they tightened around his forearms.

“Love you, too, bitey,” Ter rumbled, rotating his hips in that

maddening way that drove Nicolae insane.

In no time at all, he was perched on the abyss. He closed his eyes

tightly to stave off the inevitable orgasm that was threatening to
explode from him. Ter leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, and
he lost the battle. He came, shooting his pleasure into the tight
confines of Ter’s clenching ass.

The warm heat that washed over his stomach and chest told him

that Ter had followed him over the edge. The smell of two apple
scents perfumed the air, and twin sets of scales ran up and down their
necks and shoulders. The animal inside rose up to greet his mate, and
Nicolae was in awe at how close he suddenly felt to Ter. They shared
their animals.

They collapsed together in a sweaty heap. “Hmm,” Ter

murmured, “that was interesting. I feel like my dragon wants to
wallow in that smell you are giving off.”

“I’m okay with that,” Nicolae rumbled. “This new being inside

me feels the same way.”

“Guess we’re in this for the long haul, huh?” Ter asked.
Nicolae sighed happily, breathing in his mate’s scent. “Looks that

way.”

“Thanks for not giving up on me, Nico.”

Beau Bitten

133

“I will never give up on you, Hebecta. I will chase you always.”

Nicolae made the promise with ease. As much hardship as Ter had
given him, he gave just as much joy to him in return.

“I’m done running, bitey. I’m yours, forever.”
Nicolae smiled, his chest expanding impossibly. He’d been

waiting forever to hear those words from Ter. His eyes slid shut
again, and finally he was tired enough that he thought he could sleep.

134

Jana Downs

Epilogue

Ter growled low in his throat as Nicolae stalked him across the

carpet toward the castle in his dragon form. They’d discovered the
last full moon that the man could shift, and Ter had had a lot of fun
teaching him how to anticipate and circumvent his dragon’s impulses.
He was a bit bigger than Ter, who was about the size of a housecat.
Nicolae was more like a medium-sized dog. They both shared black
scales and black gossamer wings, though.

Nicolae huffed a bit of smoke at him and drew his lips back in a

snarl. Ter put himself in between the dragon in front of him and the
castle behind him. This was the new game they’d been playing the
past few weeks. Ter had since moved out of the apartment over on
Esplanade and into Nicolae’s big house in the Garden District. The
job he’d decided on was a management position in one of the coven’s
local restaurants that was easily within walking distance of the house.
He didn’t get to see the Quarter as much anymore, but he made it a
point to have the Brats over at least twice a week.

So far they’d had an easy time of keeping Ter and Nicolae’s

bedroom relationship out of the coven’s notice. Since Nicolae didn’t
have to worry about his predatory side anymore, it was fairly easy to
do. In the bedroom, Ter ruled. Out of it, Nicolae ran the roost and it
suited the both of them just fine. They’d been a little stressed about
what being part shifter would do to Nicolae’s reputation at first but
the coven had thankfully seen it as another example of Nicolae’s
qualifications as coven leader. Apparently, his newfound power and
the fact that gold enhanced both his dragon and vampire abilities now
was seen as a big plus.

Beau Bitten

135

He turned his attention back to the game in progress. This was no

time to lose himself in thought. Any second now the knight was going
to come—

“Get ’em, Ter!” The encouraging shriek from the castle signaled

Nicolette’s arrival. He turned his head in time to see Nicolette vault
over the top of her plastic castle and attack the life-size tiger Pavel
had given her last week. Ter was the good guard dragon this time
around. Nicolae, by virtue of his larger size, had been deemed the evil
dragon of the opposing army.

Ter launched himself at Nicolae and tackled the other man to the

carpet. They scuffled for a moment, but Nicolae inevitably won out
due to his superior weight. However, Ter had a trump card. He snaked
his tail up and around Nicolae’s throat and squeezed. Nicolae froze,
his dragon obeying Ter’s silent command without hesitation.

He licked Nicolae’s snout in gratitude before shoving up to flip

him over. Nicolette squealed as she knocked the tiger to the ground
and stabbed it with her wooden sword. She may have been a princess,
but she was a knight, too. With big, badass brothers like she had, Ter
wasn’t really surprised she came with the duality of princess and
kickass all in one adorable five-year-old package.

She turned her attention to the two of them and stalked over,

pointing her sword at Nicolae’s throat. “Do you give up, Nico?”

Ter gave a toothy dragon grin as Nicolae winked. Nicolae’s gaze

went to Nicolette, and he nodded.

She grinned. “The castle’s safe then, Ter. Let’s go to the feasting

hall!” Whoever had been telling her King Arthur stories had created a
monster. She speared Nicolae with a look. “You can come, too, if you
promise to be nice.”

The door opened behind them, and Sasha came in carrying a set of

towels. “Playtime’s over, Nicolette. Papa wants me to give you a bath
before supper. You guys have a flight to New York later.”

She pouted. “I don’t want to go to New York!”

136

Jana Downs

“Don’t be like that,” Sasha commanded. He was the only one who

ever seemed to be able to tell the girl “no.” It was probably the reason
Pavel always got him to do things with her. “You and Papa are going
to be buying Nicolae’s birthday present. Don’t be stubborn.”

Ter had forgotten they were doing that tonight. In all the hubbub

since their mating and Nicolae’s turning into a dragon-shifter with a
penchant for blood, the family hadn’t had time to throw an official
birthday party. It was going to be tomorrow at the Bourbon Orleans,
and the guest list included all the Brats, Evan’s wolf pack, and various
vampire relations, including his two cousins who were adapting
nicely to the world of the semidead.

Sasha’s purple gaze went to them. “You two, don’t forget to pick

up the tuxes for the Quarter Brats tonight before the meeting with the
coven.”

Nicolae huffed and motioned to the door. He reared up on his hind

legs to grab hold of the knob and twisted to let the two of them out
into the hallway. Sometimes Ter really envied Nicolae’s height in
both forms for this reason.

Ter followed him into the hallway, and they raced down the

wooden floors to their bedroom. He let them in and shifted as the door
clicked shut with a pop of Ter’s tail. Ter stretched before shifting as
well.

“We have a busy night ahead of us,” Nicolae said, smiling at him

with that wonderful smile of his.

“Don’t we always?” Ter asked dryly. He tugged on his pants and

grabbed his T-shirt off the floor. “Good thing we have the rest of
forever to spend together or else I’d be pissed at all the lack of ‘us’
time we’ve been experiencing lately. Is it just me, or are our friends
and family just that much more up in our grills lately?”

“We’ll always have Atlas in Chains.” They’d snuck off there more

than once for some more in-depth playtime.

“True.”

Beau Bitten

137

Nicolae sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his socks. “I love

you, my Hebecta, more than anything.”

Ter smiled. Nicolae said the words all the time, and every time he

did, it sent a frisson of happiness through Ter. It had taken him a long
time to realize that there were people in his life that wouldn’t abandon
him, and now that he had, he was loving the hell out of them to make
up for it. “I love you, too, Nicolae.”

His lover reached for his hand as he stood, and Ter didn’t make

him wait for it. He wouldn’t make Nicolae wait for him ever again.
He was too precious for that.

They exited the room hand in hand. Ter would be willing to face

anything so long as Nicolae was by his side. He gave his lover’s hand
a squeeze. Life was good for the first time in a long time.

“I can’t wait to get you drunk and naked,” Ter said, referring to

tomorrow’s night of revelry. Birthday boy was going to get a big
present at the Bourbon Orleans hotel. He grinned at the thought and
the instruments of torture he was going to use.

Nicolae bumped their shoulders. “You don’t need to get me drunk

for that.”

“Just want you to have fun, Nico,” Ter said.
“As long as you are with me, Hebecta, I will.”
They would be having lots of fun in their future, and even if they

had some hardships, they’d get through it together. Ter stared up at
his lover as they crossed to the main staircase and thanked his stars
that Nicolae had come into his life.

THE END

WWW.JANADOWNS.BLOGSPOT.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North

Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very
understanding partner in crime, who hates to read but makes
exceptions for her stories.

You can usually find her either watching bad reality TV, buying

way too many books on Amazon, or dreaming up another man or two
to occupy her time, because life is good, but several drop-dead-
gorgeous, nonexistent men is just better.

For all titles by Jana Downs, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/jana-downs

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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