Wolves of Stone Ridge 21 - Crashing The Comicon

Out of the Cage: When a shifter won’t do…maybe a vampire will.

Sebastian Seb Russo is forced to take a commercial flight to his next assignment since the

Vampire Council doesn’t have any planes available. His leaders have charged him with assisting the
alpha of the wolf shifters in Stone Ridge, Colorado with communications between paranormals and
the human government. Except, the one thing that would delay him happens…he discovers his
beloved, his soul mate, on that plane. Now, Seb finds himself in Las Vegas, trailing the human Dirk
Lemans. His attempts to woo the human are successful, until he makes one too many verbal slips, and
he discovers a powerful truth. Dirk thinks Seb is a shifter…and not too long ago, shifters held him
captive. Can Seb convince Dirk that not all paranormals are the same?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the

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living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

by Angela Waters

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Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.eXtasybooks.com

Chapter One

ebastian Russo, Seb, to his friends, slid his carry-on bag beneath the seat in front of him, then

flopped into his seat. Heaving a sigh, he eyed his traveling companion and fellow vampire, Lex,
Lexington Paistro.

Once his buddy relaxed in the business class seat next to him, Seb grumbled, “I can’t believe the

council gave the jet to Zack instead of us.”

“Relax, Seb,” Lex urged, patting his thigh. “At least they sprung for business class and we didn’t

have to pay for the upgrade out of pocket.”

Seb snorted and smirked at his friend. “As if either of us couldn’t afford it. Maybe we should

pool our funds and buy our own damn jet.”

Lex barked out a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, that’d teach ’em, huh?”

“Yeah, we’ll be—” A spicy gingerbread scent caught his attention, and it took every ounce of Seb’s
self-control  to  keep  his  eyes  from  hazing  red  and  his  claws  from  extending.  He  sucked  in  another
lungful  of  air  and  didn’t  know  if  he  felt  relief  or  frustration  that  the  arousal-inducing  scent  had
thinned.
“You okay, Seb?” Lex asked.
Seb craned his neck, peering around the business class cabin. “Not sure,” he mumbled. “I thought I
—” He focused on his friend and fellow vampire as realization of what his strong reaction to the faint
scent meant. “I think my beloved might be on this flight,” he hissed, keeping his voice low.
“What?” Lex murmured, keeping his tone just as quiet. “Are you sure?”
Scowling, Seb just kept from curling his lip at his friend. No need to scare the humans on the flight by
flashing  fang.  “As  much  as  I canbe  sure  without  tasting  his…”  He  paused,  glanced  around,  then
leaned close to finish, “You know that.”
“Shit, right,” Lex muttered.
He  glanced  around,  too,  although  he  wouldn’t  be  able  to  help  Seb  figure  out  who  might  be  his
beloved,  the  one  Fate  chose  as  his  other  half.  Only  the  vampire  coupled  with  that  certain  someone
would be able to scent him.
“So, you gonna walk the plane or something?”
Seb nodded, making another sweep of the cabin and the people shuffling down the aisle and choosing
seats. “Yup.”
The  scent  floated  over  his  senses  again.  Seb’s  nostrils  flared  and  a  shiver  worked  down  his  spine.
Shit! When was the last time he struggled to control his baser instincts. He was a one hundred ninety-
fucking-nine-year-old vampire. He didn’t lose control.
With those thoughts firmly in mind, Seb snapped his eyelids back open.
He tapped his leg restlessly as the rest of the passengers settled into their seats. He practiced deep
breathing  exercises  when  the  flight  attendants  came  on  and  explained  seat  belts—because  some  of
these people might not have been in a car in the last forty years. By the time the plane finally started
taxiing  down  the  runway,  Seb  was  ready  to  strangle  Lex,  whose  eyes  twinkled  with  mirth  as  he
snickered behind his hand.
“Just you bloody wait, asshole,” Seb snarled under his breath as he stared at the seatbelt sign, waiting
impatiently for it to disappear. “You’ll get yours.”
Lex  leaned  toward  him,  his  expression  suddenly  serious.  “So,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about
Declan’s  request?  You’re  supposed  to—”  Lex  waved  a  hand,  not  willing  to  voice  the  remainder

humans.
Seb grimaced, still meant. “That all depends on my beloved, I guess,” he mumbled.
His buddy nodded. “Whatever you need, man. You know that,” he stated, patting his knee.
“Thanks, Lex.” Seb appreciated his friend’s willingness to back him, even it if meant flaking out on
the request Declan McIntire—an alpha wolf shifter—put in to the Vampire Council to have Seb there
to  help  with  relations  with  the  feds.  He  wasn’t  known  as  a  silver-tongue  for  nothing.  Still,  as
important as that was, Seb knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. His beloved was on
the plane with him. He had to figure out who he was.
Gods above, I hope it’s a he.
Making love to women was fine, from time to time, but actually staying with one? No fucking way.
No kids, and no fucking babies. I sure as hell don’t want to have to change diapers. Ugh!
Seb thrust his seatbelt aside and stood. Fortunately, Lex slid his knees aside, mumbling, good  luck,
under his breath.
Immediately,  a  blonde  flight  attendant  appeared  in  the  aisle.  “Can  I  help  you  with  something?”  Her
perky smile turned speculative as she took in his Armani suit and highend haircut.
Yep, I like fine things. Sue me.
of his thought on a plane full of
knowing exactly what his buddy

“No, I’m good,” Seb assured. “Don’t like flying. Just need to stretch my legs.” He gave her a wink

and winning smile.
The blonde woman giggled, then smiled coyly up at him. “Well, if you do end up needing anything,
you just let me know.”
Seb smiled again. “Of course, darling.”
He  turned  away,  not  interested  in  anything  else  the  flight  attendant  might  say.  Instead,  he  inhaled
deeply,  searching  for  the  base  of  that  scent…the  musky,  sexy…gingerbreadgoodness  he  desperately
wanted to lick, nip, and drink down. Seb paused and took a second to peer around the cabin.
Taking in the tendrils of scent, Seb swept his gaze over the small area. His vampiric senses allowed
him  to  quickly  differentiate  the  smells  permeating  the  small  cabin.  The  business  class  wasn’t  a  big
space, only holding four rows, two seats on each side of the aisle. He quickly zeroed in on the last
two rows of the right side. Three of the four seats were occupied, one empty.
Perfect.
Seb walked past them slowly. He didn’t look at them, but did draw in several deep breaths. Yep, his
beloved was definitely a male. There were two males in that area and one female. One of the males
and the female were seated in the first row, and they seemed to be a pair. The second male occupied
the next business class row.
He  hoped  that  the  final  guy—who  actually  appeared  kinda  geeky  with  his  shaggy  red  hair,  baggy
jeans, band tshirt, and worn sneakers—was his special someone. Since the human had his head turned
away,  resting  against  the  window,  Seb  couldn’t  make  out  much,  but  he’d  rather  take  a  geek  than…
well, the preppy, blond asshole in the next row who even now yelled at his Barbie girlfriend. Who
gave a shit how hot the dude was. Asshole! No wonder geek boy feigned sleep.

Racking his brain for a plan, Seb continued to the restroom. He took several deep breaths, getting

his raging lust to ebb. Damn mating instincts—both a blessing and a curse.

Once Seb felt like he had himself under control, he headed back toward his seat. Sweeping his

gaze over the trio again, he noticed the geek rub his temple with his front two fingers. Taking a
chance, he stopped a passing flight attendant and asked for aspirin. Once she retrieved it for him, he

thanked her and headed toward the man. Even if the geek didn’t end up being his beloved, he could
still help the guy.

“Evening,” Seb greeted. He settled into the aisle seat without invitation, smiling at the human.

The stranger’s eyes rounded almost comically as his mouth opened and closed like a fish, even as he
looked  Seb  up  and  down.  Seb’s  smile  grew,  although  he  remained  careful  to  keep  his  lips  together
enough to hide his fangs.
Not waiting for the human to figure out his intentions, Seb leaned close—surreptitiously inhaling the
human’s scent as he did—as he held up the single serving packet of aspirin. He kept his voice low,
soothing, and all but purred, “I noticed you might have a headache. Can I offer you an aspirin?”
Seb’s heart pounded in his chest as the man reached out and took the packet. He didn’t know how the
stranger  couldn’t  hear  it.  Of  the  three  humans,  this  one  was  the  one  whose  blood  called  to  him.  He
wanted, needed  to  learn  everything  possible  about  this  human  while  on  this  eightyminute  flight
between Sacramento and Las Vegas.
“Thanks,” the guy murmured.
He tore the packet open, poured the two white tablets onto his palm, then picked up a plastic cup full
of slightly fizzy liquid. After tossing back the pills, he sipped his drink.
Seb watched the human grimace as his throat worked, making his Adam’s apple bob. He bit back a
moan as desire returned in full force…desire to lip and nip at the protrusion. Evidently, Seb must not
have successfully kept all his thoughts to himself, for when he returned his focus to the human’s face,
the man he felt certain was his beloved peered at him with his brows drawn.
Seb curved up the corner of his mouth, settled back in his confiscated seat and asked, “So, is Vegas
your final stop? Or do you have to get on another one of these death traps?”
Seb actually didn’t mind flying…on the council’s jet. He found commercial flying, however, tedious
and annoying. Fortunately, it seemed this time, Fate had plans for him.
Hell, yeah!
“Vegas.”
“Yeah? Me, too,” Seb lied. He held out his hand, “Sebastian Russo. Friends call me Seb.”
For several heartbeats, the human stared at Seb’s hand as if it were a snake. Finally, he reached out
and took Seb’s hand while murmuring, “Dirk Lemans.”
Smiling, knowing he took total advantage but unable to help himself, Seb lifted Dirk’s hand to his lips
and  pressed  a  soft  kiss  to  the  slender  appendage.  “Very  pleased  to  meet  you,  Dirk,”  Seb  crooned.
“Might I convince you to join me for dinner this evening?”
Dirk gaped like a fish at him for several seconds. “I-I ccan’t,” he finally stuttered.
Disappointment stabbed through Seb, but he managed to keep his smile in place. He mentally flipped
through  options  of  how  to  figure  out  if  his  human  was  already  attached  or  if  there  was  some  other
reason he declined. Seb couldn’t detect any other person’s scent on his beloved’s skin and he didn’t
wear a ring.
Then Dirk pulled at his hand and Seb released his grip. Glancing around nervously, Dirk mumbled,
“What makes you think I’m gay anyway?”
Oh, too cute!
“Because,  cutie,”  Seb  stated,  leaning  close.  “If  you  hadn’t  been,  no  matter  how  much  bigger  I  am,
you’d  have  given somesign  of  being  offended  or  confused.  You’re  neither.”  He  lifted  a  hand,  but
when  he  saw  Dirk  tense,  he  brought  it  down  to  rest  on  his  opposite  wrist  where  he  leaned  on  the
armrest. “So, please, don’t break my heart and deny my intuition,” he finished, raking the man with a
lascivious gaze.

Seb liked the flush that warmed Dirk’s cheeks, especially with how it made the man’s blood sing to
him where it flowed close to the surface.
“Um, I, well—” He snapped his jaw shut for a second, then focused on his hands clasped in his lap.
“I’m attending the Comicon convention and won’t have time for dinner. Sorry.”
Well,  fuck,  what  the  hell?   Surely,  a  beloved  would  feel  the  connection  between  them  and  want  to
spend time with him? Inhaling slowly, Seb gathered his thoughts, and Dirk’s fear, confusion, and, yes,
lust, smacked him hard in the face.
Damn, I need to get to the bottom of that reaction!
“A  Comicon,”  Seb  replied  softly,  straightening  in  his  seat.  “I’ve  heard  those  are  quite  the
productions.”
“Yeah, yeah they are,” Dirk muttered. He kept glancing up at Seb’s chin, but wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Seb gave him a warm smile. “In that case, I hope you have a blast,” he told him. Dirk’s brows shot up
in surprise, and he finally met Seb’s eyes. The disbelief rolling off the human was unmistakable, so
Seb kept his eyes soft, doing his best to exude sincerity. Especially, when he added, “And I hope we
run into each other again, Dirk. See you around. I hope your headache fades.”
With  that  parting  shot,  Seb  stood  and,  unable  to  resist,  gently  squeezed  the  sexy  geek’s  shoulder
before returning to his own seat. By that time, Lex had moved over to the window seat, leaving him
the aisle so he wouldn’t have to climb over him again.
Glancing at his watch, Seb realized he had forty minutes left of this flight to figure out the best way to
get  at  his  mate.  He  realized,  judging  by  Dirk’s  reactions  to  his  blatant  flirting,  his  beloved  was
inexperienced,  perhaps  he’d  even  been  hurt  in  the  past.  The  idea  of  another  touching  Dirk  caused
unreasonable jealousy to course through him.
“Hey, knock it off,” Lex snarled softly.
It was only then that he realized his eyes had hazed and his nails itched to grow into his three-inch
claws.  Shaking  his  head  at  his  ridiculous  reaction,  after  all,  Seb  wasn’t  in  any  way  even  remotely
virginal. Once he’d gained control of himself, he grimaced at Lex.
His friend smirked back and stated, “So, I guess I gotta make an uncomfortable call once we get off
the plane?”
Seb nodded. “Yep.” He winked. “I’ll be too busy tracking down that Comicon Dirk spoke of.”
“So what’s your plan once you figure it out?”
Grinning, Seb leaned close to his friend so others couldn’t see as he hissed, “I’m going to crash it.”
Lex frowned. “I don’t know how easy that will be, Seb,” he warned. “Don’t you have to buy a ticket
or sign up weeks or months in advance for these things?”
“I  have  no  idea,”  he  admitted.  Then  he  let  his  eyes  haze  red  for  just  a  second  before  controlling
himself. “But I’m sure I can convince them I have a ticket.”
“Be careful you don’t tire yourself out,” Lex cautioned softly.
Seb  knew  what  worried  his  friend.  If  he  grew  too  tired,  the  draw  of  his  beloved’s  blood  could
overpower  his  good  sense  and  he  sure  as  hell  didn’t  want  to  scare  his  skittish  human  by  becoming
aggressive.
“I won’t need much time.” Seb didn’t need eyes in the back of his head to know Dirk stared at him…
the  way  the  hairs  on  the  back  of  his  neck  tingled  did  that  all  on  its  own.  He’d  win  his  beloved’s
affection, then he’d figure out how the hell to tell him that he was a vampire.

Chapter Two

truggling to keep his breathing even, Dirk Lemans attempted to focus on rhythmically squeezing

the stress ball in his left hand. He hated flying, hated public speaking, and hated trying to figure out
how to interact properly with others. This week, he’d have to do all three.

Damn Comicon.

As much as he loved the comic book industry, which allowed him so much creative license with his
drawings, Dirk hated the marketing business. His boss, Drew thumbscrews and threatened to reassign
the design work for Adventures of Lady Gilroy.
Dirk loved working with the writers of that comic. They were just as reclusive and eccentric as he
was, so their meetings were always short and sweet…no politics involved. Working with them made
dealing with a few of the other comic book teams tolerable. He couldn’t lose that…so here he was.
Finally,  Dirk’s  heartbeat  began  to  slow…just  in  time  to  deal  with  the  bouncing,  jostling  aspects  of
landing.
Great.
Dirk  glanced  toward  the  man,  Sebastian,  who’d  given  him  the  aspirin.  It’d  been  a  nice  gesture,  but
then  the  guy  had  started  hitting  on  him…obviously  making  fun  of  him.  and  publicity  aspect  of  the
Herschal, had twisted the Too bad, because the stranger had pegged him right. Dirk was gay, and he
found Sebastian fucking hot.
Sebastian’s business suit, probably Armani or some other high-end equivalent hugged the man’s body,
showing off his lean lines. From the sure way he moved and how the jacket stretched across his chest
and abdomen as he reached for his bag in the overhead compartment, Dirk just knew there had to be
muscle definition under there. No desk paunch on that sexy piece of eye candy.
Once most of the people had filed out of the business section—thank God they got to disembark first
—Dirk grabbed his laptop case from beneath the seat in front of his, then stood. He set the case on the
outer chair and popped the overhead storage bin.
Dirk  grabbed  the  shoulder  strap  and  pulled.  The  bag  slid  toward  him,  then  stopped.  He  gave  it
another yank and it tilted, the left side swinging out toward his face while the right got caught up by
the side lip.
Squeaking,  Dirk  scrambled  to  catch  the  flying  object,  then  gave  up  and  covered  his  head.  The  hit
never came. Instead, Sebastian’s heady cologne filled his lungs. He couldn’t help but inhale deeply,
although he did manage to keep from moaning. To his shock, his cock stood up and took notice faster
than he’d ever experienced before.
“Careful there, cutie,” Sebastian crooned, his deep tone coming from just over his shoulder. “Let me
help you with this.”
In fact, as the man continued to speak, Dirk actually imagined he could feel the heat of the other man
at his back.
“Here you go.”
The hand landing at his waist nearly made Dirk squeal. He managed to hold it in, but couldn’t help
yanking away and spinning to face whoever held him. Dirk was face to…chin, with Sebastian.
“Hey,  easy,  Dirk,”  Sebastian  soothed,  holding  up  both  hands  in  the  universal  I-won’t-hurt-you
symbol.  From  one  hand  dangled  Dirk’s  small  suitcase,  and  Sebastian  adjusted  his  grip  so  he  could
hold  it  out  to  Dirk.  “I  didn’t  want  to  see  this  bag  mar  your  handsome  face.  I  didn’t  mean  to  startle
you.”

Dirk  swallowed  hard,  his  heart  pounded  in  his  chest—  because  he’d  been  startled,  not  because  his
dick was hard as steel in his boxers and he wanted to beg Sebastian to fuck him over the seat behind
him.
Shit, I need to get away from this guy.
“Thank you. Just…hate air travel. It makes me jumpy,” he admitted as he reached for the bag.
“Don’t like it much myself,” Sebastian told him, releasing his bag into his waiting hand.
Huh,  he  didn’t  even  comment  on  my  shaking  hand?  Why?  I  already  turned  him  down.  Surely,  he
plans the humiliation faze next…
Except he didn’t.
Sebastian gave him another warm smile, appreciative once-over—which was strange in and of itself
—and strolled out of the cabin. Beyond his control, Dirk’s gaze lowered to the fabric stretching over
the man’s sexy butt.
Ugh! What is the matter with me?
Shaking his head at his responses, Dirk snagged his laptop off the chair and headed off the plane. He
opened  the  suitcase’s  handle  as  soon  as  he  was  off  the  bird  and  pulled  it  along  behind  him.  His
preoccupation with the stranger on the plane was the only excuse he could give for running into the
blond who’d sat in front of him.
The girlfriend-insulting bastard spun around and curled his lip at Dirk. “Watch where you’re walking,
fag,” he snarled.
Dirk  blanched.  He  could  literally feel  the  blood  drain  from  his  face.  He  took  an  involuntary  step
backward and whispered, “S-sorry.”
Belatedly, Dirk remembered the advice about not running from a predator. The guy snickered, but it
sounded cruel. “Let me give you a little reminder, cocksucker,” he hissed, stepping closer.
“Dane,  come  on,”  his  girlfriend  whined,  grabbing  his  arm.  “Leave  him  alone,  huh?  People  are
coming. Let’s just go!”
“Shut up, Nina. He started it!” the blond, Dane, snapped, lifting a hand in obvious warning.
Oh, crap. Dirk just knew that hand was coming toward him next…probably in a fist.
The  girl,  Nina,  must  have  known  it,  too,  because  she  cringed  away,  all  the  while  giving  Dirk  an
apologetic look. Well, at least, she wasn’t an asshole bigot, too. That thought entered Dirk’s mind at
about the same time as Dane growled low in his throat and warned, “Don’t you be lookin’ at my girl,
fairy. And don’t you be lookin’ at me. You look at my shoes, ’cause in a second, you’re gonna kiss
’em!”
Dirk would rather curl up into a fetal ball and take a hell of a beating than lick this bastard’s shoes.
He  would,  too.  He’d  done  it  before.  That  thought  sent  a  phantom  pain  down  his  right  hip,  but  he
ignored it in favor of turning his head away and wrapping his arms around his torso.
Flesh smacked on flesh, except it wasn’t his own. He squinted, peering carefully up. To his shock, he
found none other than Sebastian standing at his side. His arm was forward and a look down showed
Dirk how the sexy businessman’s impressive fist wrapped around Dane’s.
“Now, now, Dane,” Sebastian stated. Although the man’s tone seemed deceptively calm, Dirk knew
he  wasn’t  the  only  one  who  heard  the  icy  undertone  of  his  words.  “You  should  really  take  your
girlfriend’s advice. Leave now, and best I never catch you attacking another person again.”
Sebastian leaned close and hissed, “Because I’m a fag, and rest assured, I can and willkick your ass,
Dane.” Even as Sebastian shoved the man away using the hold he had on Dane’s fist, Dirk saw the
flash  of…well,  it  seemed  to  be  more  than  fear.  Terror?  That  crossed  Dane’s  face.  The  pale  man
couldn’t  seem  to  get  away  fast  enough.  Dirk  wondered  what  expression  had  been  on  Sebastian’s

face…then again, never mind…he never wanted the sexy man angry with him.
“Well, that was subtle.”
Dirk turned and saw another man in a business suit nearby, his fists on his hips, stretching his suit
coat. With one brow lifted, he looked more amused than upset.
“People like that don’t get subtleties, Lex,” Sebastian commented.
Then Sebastian shocked Dirk by cupping his jaw and tilting his head up a bit. “Are you okay? Did he
hit you?”
Dirk quickly shook his head. “No. I bumped into him, then stumbled back. He didn’t touch me.”
“He would have,” Sebastian growled, frowning fiercely.
Shrugging, Dirk eased away from the other man, uncomfortable with the contact while craving more at
the same time. It was beyond confusing. “I really need to go,” he whispered.
Sebastian nodded. “Stay safe, Dirk.”
Dirk nodded, since he always tried to be safe anyway. One of the reasons he enjoyed his solitary
work was that not too many people tried to hurt him while he was ensconced with his drawings and
computer.
Still, Dirk couldn’t help looking over his shoulder several times, and each time, he spotted Sebastian
and his business associate not too far behind him. An odd sense of feeling protected crept over him.
Dirk knew it was probably just his imagination, but he smiled at the thought anyway.

Dirk sighed and stared down at the three different shirts laid out across the bed. The welcome

dinner the evening before had been  difficult  enough,  even  though  the  people  had  all  been  there  in  a
professional  capacity,  just  like  him.  Today,  though…today,  he’d  have  to  deal  with  the  public.
Hundreds  of  excited  readers,  many  dressed  up  as  their  favorite  heroes  and  heroines,  chattering
exuberantly and asking questions.

He had no idea how he was going to get through today. At least, this time, his final appearance—a

discussion panel where he and several other designers answered questions about transferring their
rough sketches approved by the authors into graphics on his computer—ended at five PM. Then he’d
be able to hide in his room. Maybe he’d get some work done on his latest project.

Yeah, that and a bottle of wine will help me relax.

With those plans firmly in mind, Dirk grabbed the middle shirt, a red and green button-down that his
buddy Deke had insisted he take. Where Dirk was the quintessential geek— well, minus the glasses,
because he had twenty-twenty vision—his best friend since second grade was a grade A twink, a five
foot eight blond, cute, bubbly, and a snappy dresser. Dirk would hate him if he hadn’t grown up with
him and knew the man had a heart of gold. Plus, Deke had helped him pack, giving him outfit
combinations for each day.
Dirk skipped tucking in the shirt, shoved his wallet in his back pocket and draped his nametag around
his neck. Standing in front of the door, he inhaled slowly and let it out just as slowly.
“Okay,” Dirk mumbled and headed out of his room and down to the Comicon.

Gritting his teeth, Dirk tried not to take offense at the question. Really, he did. Unfortunately, he

knew there weren’t too many ways he could misinterpret a question like, “You draw all those scantily
clad superhero women cause it’s a major turn on, huh?”

Geez, did the leering young man dressed as Captain America think they, well… that, to their…

Dirk could hardly get his scrambled thoughts in order on that one. Their work was art, not porn.

Luckily, Ronnie Cullins, a designer from a different publisher who easily interacted with the

readers, laughed for several seconds, garnering snickers from a few others. Then Ronnie held up a
hand as he shook his head. “Sorry, Captain, but no. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. Our work

is meant for entertainment only.” He grinned widely and, while waggling his eyebrows goofily,
added, “What you all do with it, well, that’s between you and your comic book.”

Those words also garnered a bunch of laughs.

After that, Dirk only had to field one question—this one about his publishing company and how to get
involved  with  them.  He  gave  the  girl,  dressed  pretty  accurately  as  Chameleon,  the  name  of  their
submissions reviewer. He even added a couple bits of advice from when he’d been hired on, which
made him feel pretty good.
While everyone straggled out, Dirk gathered his things— a few notes he’d made for himself and his
publisher’s  information  so  he  didn’t  get  tongue-tied  if  asked  for  them.  Dirk  shoved  the  few  papers
into his satchel.
“Hey,  Dirk,”  Ronnie  greeted.  “A  few  of  us  are  headed  out  for  drinks  and  food  before  the  costume
contest later. You wanna come?”
“Um…” Dirk racked his brain for some way, politely, to say no. After a day of doing his best not to
make a fool of himself amidst gobs of people, he really just wanted to relax, and having to do his best
to  control  every  word  out  of  his  mouth  wasn’t  the  way  to  do  it.  He  knew  he  often  said  exactly  the
wrong thing, making others either laugh at him, or uncomfortable. “Well, I—”
“I’m afraid Dirk is not available,” inserted a smooth deep voice from behind him.
Dirk gasped and spun around. Surely, that couldn’t be…except, it was.  The  man  who’d  haunted  his
dreams—in  the  most  erotic  of  fashions—stood  on  the  other  side  of  the  table.  “Sebastian?  What  are
you doing here?”
“I  figured  I’d  save  time  and  pick  you  up  here,”  Sebastian  returned,  his  smile  open.  Then  his  gaze
swept  over  Dirk,  and  he  all  but  purred,  “You  look  fantastic,  by  the  way.  I  like  the  way  that  shirt
deepens the brown of your eyes, cutie.”
“Um, thanks,” Dirk mumbled, his cheeks flaming.
Ronnie laughed and slapped Dirk on the back. “All right then. Sounds like you’ll be having a much
better  dinner  than  I  will  be,”  he  teased,  winking.  “If  I  don’t  see  you  at  the  competition  tonight,  I
wouldn’t blame you.” The other man turned around and, shoving his hands in his pockets, strode from
the room.
“Oh,  um,”  Dirk  started.  “Thanks,  but  you  don’t,  um,  what  are  you  doing  here?”  He  cringed  at  his
abrupt subject change, not to mention apparent rudeness.
Oddly enough, Sebastian didn’t seem upset. Instead, he moved around the table, well, stalked more
like it, advancing on Dirk. Some emotion Dirk couldn’t hope to name lit the man’s deep blue eyes. “I
told you I looked forward to seeing you again, Dirk,” Sebastian stated softly. “I hope you weren’t in
the closet,” he continued, stopping in front of Dirk. His smile widened, just starting to show pearly
white teeth. “Because I’m not and don’t have any intention of hiding how much I want you.”
This man wanted him? “Why?”
Sebastian cocked his head, his brows creasing for just a second. “Why what?”
Dirk struggled to voice his confused thoughts. “Why would you be interested in me? I mean, you’re
obviously  someone  important.  You  had  that  expensive  suit  and  now  wear  those  nice  clothes,”  he
swept  his  hand  down,  indicating  the  designer  jeans  and  gray  silk  shirt,  the  ensemble  complete  with
scuff free Dockers. “You could have anyone and I’m just a geek.”
“You are not justanyone, Dirk,” Sebastian stated, maybe even scolded a bit. “Haven’t you ever heard
the adage about how opposites attract? I find you interesting and cuter than you know and would like
to get to know you.”
Lifting a hand, Dirk massaged the back of his neck. “I don’t know. You seem like a serious guy who

likes  to  be  in  control.”  Although  Dirk  wasn’t  really  the  most  observant  person,  even  he  could
recognize that—from offering the aspirin, to helping with his luggage, and even to saving him from a
beating. It was almost a level of care with the control, which Dirk didn’t understand at all. Sebastian
didn’t know him. “If you’re looking for someone to take care of, you should find someone else. I don’t
think we’d have much in common.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I mean, I can’t imagine you
like riding roller coasters or playing pinball or video games.”
Sebastian  cocked  his  head,  his  smile  still  playing  at  the  corners  of  his  lips.  “Since  we  know  very
little  about  each  other,  will  you  give  us  a  chance  to  change  that?”  he  urged.  “Come  to  dinner,  let’s
talk. You need some time to relax,” he pointed out. Touching Dirk’s shoulder, he rubbed his thumb
over  the  tendon.  “You’re  tense  and  need  some  down  time.  Let  me  help  you  with  that.  Just  us,  no
expectations.”
Dirk thought about rejecting the offer, but really,  why? The guy was sex on a stick, smelled amazing,
and  wanted  to  spend  time  with  him.  It  wasn’t  as  if  his  attentions  would  last. A  man  like  Sebastian
wouldn’t stick with someone like Dirk for long.
Licking his lips, Dirk confirmed, “No expectations?”
The corner of Sebastian’s mouth turned up more. “Well, I might entice you for a goodnight kiss at the
end. That seems pretty standard for a date, right?”
A  date?  Sebastian  thought  of  this  as  a  date?  Just  then,  Dirk  remembered  his  best  friend’s  parting
words,…and for God’s sake, Dirk. Take some time to find some cute comic book groupie and get
laid, already!
Sebastian  would  never  be  categorized  as  a  comic  book  groupie,  but  he  seemed  interested,  although
heavens knew why. Swallowing hard, Dirk nodded. “Okay. That’d be nice.”

Chapter Three

S
eb did a mental fist pump.
Yes! I’ve convinced my beloved to spend time with me.

He didn’t like the idea of keeping his hands to himself, and he’d use everything in his

considerable arsenal of charm to convince Dirk to toss the idea of keeping things platonic between
them out the window. However, it didn’t take a genius to note how jumpy his human was when
interacting with, well, most everyone from what he’d seen.

Deciding the key to earning Dirk’s trust—and discovering the source of his unease—was to fulfill

his own words, Sebastian decided a quiet one on one supper where his man could unwind and relax
in peace was the order of the day.

“Come on, Dirk,” Seb urged. Resting a hand on the small of his human’s back, he guided him

toward the door. He couldn’t deny his need to at least, attempt to soothe some of the tension in the
muscles under his fingertips. Rubbing lightly where he touched, Seb added, “Let’s find a nice, quiet
place to relax.”

Dirk tilted his head just a bit so he could peer over at him from beneath his lashes. “Where did

you have in mind?”
“Well,  I’d  suggest  my  room  and  room  service.”  He  immediately  felt  Dirk  stiffen,  so  winked  at  the
other man to let him know he teased. “But I know you’re not up for that. Do you prefer beer or wine?”
Suddenly, he paused and asked, “You are twenty-one, right?” Call him old, but…well, he was, and
he’d never been a great judge of human’s ages, but his beloved looked young.
Huffing,  Dirk’s  brown  eyes  sparked  as  he  frowned  up  at  Seb.  “Yeah,  Sebastian.  I’m  twenty-four.
Wanna see my driver’s license?”
Seb just stopped himself from grinning—no need to freak his human out by showing off his fangs too
early. He knew his mirth reached his eyes, though, which was fine by him. “Ah, cutie, don’t be upset.
I’m a horrible judge of age. Always have been.”
Seb’s admission of his own short-coming actually caused Dirk to relax a bit, and his beloved pressed
into his touch. Interesting. He could definitely use that tidbit to his advantage.
“Oh, well, I’d prefer wine, but if you like beer more there’s a few that I like,” Dirk told him.
“Hmm, I enjoy both, depending on my mood, and a glass or two of red sounds like a fabulous idea,”
Seb told him, thinking about the hotel’s restaurant options. “Are you allergic to anything?”
“No,” Dirk cocked his head, looking confused. “Why?”
“Just don’t want to have our night interrupted by a hospital run, cutie,” Seb replied. Before his man
could think too much on the endearment, he continued, “How about we try outEmeril’s. They have a
fantastic wine selection and we could couple it with amazing Creole cuisine.” Shrugging, he added,
“And if you don’t like it, you can always get a steak.”
“I’ve always lived in Northern California,” Dirk told him. “I’m not entirely sure if I’ve had Creole
food.”
Once  they  left  the  convention  area  and  Dirk  had  removed  his  badge,  Seb  moved  a  bit  closer  and
wrapped his arm loosely around the other man. For several steps, Dirk remained stiff in his grip, but
finally relaxed to move freely beside him.
“You okay with this?” Seb asked, figuring he should at least confirm. He didn’t want to push too hard,
too fast.
“I’ve never, uh, never been quite this open about it, but this is, um, nice.”

“Good. I like it, too.”
They walked that way through the hotel and casino. Any time Seb noticed someone frowning, he made
certain  to  keep  his  body  between  them  and  the  man  he  hoped  to  make  his  lover  that  evening.  He
returned the smile of those who smiled at them, nodded, or even gave him two thumbs up.
It’d  been  a  long  time  since  he’d  been  open  about  a  lover—  any  lover—but  still  felt  smug  at  the
appreciative  looks  sent  Dirk’s  way.  What  made  it  even  better…his  beloved  seemed  completely
oblivious to his appeal.
Seb couldn’t wait to show Dirk how good it could be between them.
When they arrived, Seb looked around and debated between a table in the back, so they’d be out of
the way and the bar, where more action probably happened. Deciding asking Dirk would be the best
move—no need to re-enforce the man’s opinion that he was a dull control-freak, he turned toward his
human.
Damn, what can I do to show him I know how to have fun? Wait, didn’t he mention roller coasters?
It’d been decades since he’d been on one of those.
Focusing  on  Dirk—promising  to  revisit  the  idea—Seb  leaned  down  a  few  inches  and  murmured,
“What’s your preference? I think if we sit at the bar, we’ll get to watch them prep the oysters and shit,
but if we sit in the back, it’ll be a little quieter and we can relax and talk.”
Just  as  Dirk  glanced  around,  the  greeter  led  the  people  in  front  of  them—three  giggling  women—
toward their table. One of them—a pretty redhead—looked over her shoulder and winked at Seb. He
didn’t bother returning the gesture and couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the disappointment in her eyes.
“She wants you.”
Seb lifted a brow as he turned toward Dirk. Ignoring everyone around him, he lowered his head just a
bit, holding his beloved’s gaze. “I’m here with you. I have no desire to be with anyone else.”
Dirk gasped.
Seb read the disbelief in his human’s eyes. He smiled. “Stop thinking so hard, cutie,” he purred, then
gave  up  the  fight  and  pressed  an  all-too-brief  butterfly  kiss  to  Dirk’s  mouth.  Hearing  the  host
approach—and one of the people waiting behind him make a snide comment under his breath—yeah,
I’ll track him down and crush his balls later—Seb straightened and turned toward the host.
For the host’s part—Saul, a big, beefy blond who looked more like he should be a bouncer outside a
club rather than a host at an oyster bar—gave them a warm smile and asked, “I got two seats left at
the bar or a number of tables. What would ya like?”
Sebastian deferred to Dirk. “What would you like, love?”
Fortunately,  Dirk  focused  on  the  question  and  not  the  endearment.  “Uh,  I’d  really  prefer  a  table,  if
that’s okay.”
The host’s brows shot up. He leaned closer and, his deep voice rumbled as he asked, “You sure? The
bar really is the place to be.”
Dirk glanced his way, looking uncertain. Seb inhaled
his scent…uncertainty, confusion, quickly and took in concern.

Smiling, Sebastian nodded. “We’re looking for a quiet place to unwind. Got an out of the way

table in the corner, Saul?”
leaned toward the big host and

Saul’s wide face broadened into a grin. “You got it, Sir.” He glanced between them both, grabbed

a couple menus, and motioned for them to follow, saying, “This way, please.”

Sebastian quickly grabbed Dirk’s hand and twined their fingers. He gave his beloved an

encouraging nod, then started following Saul. They wound between tables and around the bar, finally

reaching the far wall in the only corner possible. Saul placed their menus on the small tablefor-two
and told them, “John will be your server for the evening. He’ll be with you shortly.”

“Thank you,” Seb stated, even as he held out a chair and motioned for Dirk to settle into it. Dirk

did so, looking a bit dazed at the treatment. Seb hadn’t meant to put him offkilter, but he wanted to
treat his beloved right.

Once he’d taken his own seat, Seb realized they still had an audience. He looked up to discover

Saul grinning like a fool at them. When he lifted a brow, Saul grinned even wider. “You make a really
cute couple. How long have you been together?”

Dirk flushed beat red, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Sebastian reached out, grabbed Dirk’s hand, and gave it a squeeze. Looking up at Saul, he smiled and
told him, “Not nearly long enough…but we look forward to the journey.”
Saul  kinda  bobbed  his  head  with  apparent  happiness.  “Sweet.  I’m  gonna  have  that  connection  one
day,” he vowed. Then, still kinda dancing, he made his way back toward the front.
“Holy cow…that huge guy is gay?”
Returning his focus to Dirk, Seb tapped his forefinger on the back of his human’s hand before teasing,
“Aww,  you’re  not  stereo-typing,  are  you,  cutie?  Naughty,  naughty.”  Seb  lifted  the  other  man’s  hand
and  kissed  the  tips  of  his  fingers.  Not  wanting  Dirk  to  be  too  uncomfortable  due  to  Seb’s  overt
displays—which he knew were new to the man—he once more gave him something else to focus on.
“Now, do you prefer red or white wine?”
“Uh, white, please,” Dirk requested.
“Of course,” Sebastian responded, squeezing the fingers he held. Taking a chance, he asked, “Do you
trust me to order an appetizer?”
Dirk peered at him through his lashes, his voice a soft rasp as he whispered, “You took the time to
ask  what  I  like,  what  I  want,  and  if  I’m  allergic  to  anything.  If  you’re  gonna  act  like  an  ass,  it’d
probably be now, so go for it.” He shrugged. “Pick what you want.”
Seb  didn’t  know  whether  to  take  that  as  an  insult  or  not.  Instead,  he  figured  it  was  more  of  a
challenge. Crooking a brow, Seb leaned forward and crooned, “I don’t know what assholes you’ve
been with, Dirk, but I’m not them.” He crooked a smile and added softly, “In time, I’ll prove that to
you.”
His  beloved’s  lips  parted  just  a  smidge,  and  he  sucked  his  bottom  lip  between  his  teeth,  his  gaze
darting around. “Um…”
Squeezing Dirk’s fingers lightly, Seb crooned, “Relax. Just relax. Let’s have a bottle of wine and I’m
thinking some calamari and some oysters on the half shell. If you don’t like either, we can always try
something else.”
“Yeah,  okay.  That  sounds  good.  I,  uh,  I  don’t  know  what  either  of  those  things  are,  but  I’m  up  for
something new.”
Seb just caught his grin in time, making certain his bottom lip covered most of his teeth and only the
tops of his upper teeth showed. “Excellent. I’ll—” He paused upon seeing the waiter approach. After
John gave his introduction, Seb told him what they wanted.
The man scurried away quickly enough.
“So, you grew up in California? Done any traveling?” Seb asked curiously.
To his surprise, Dirk paled. “Um, well—” He paused and swallowed hard.
“Hey, I guess I struck a nerve,” Seb murmured, giving his date’s hand a squeeze. “I apologize.”
Dirk  shook  his  head.  He  opened  his  mouth,  but  the  appearance  of  the  waiter  stilled  his  response.
Never taking his gaze away from his clearly upset human, Seb gave his thanks absently for the wine.

Normally, a waiter would ask them to taste it, but John must have caught on to the tension, for he said
their appetizers would be right along and left.
Smart human.
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Dirk,” Seb assured.
Dirk shrugged, then met Seb’s gaze. “I wouldn’t normally tell this to a stranger, but I wanna have sex
with you later, so figure I better tell you I have a couple hang-ups because of a bad experience.”
If Seb had been sipping his wine, he’d have choked. As it was, he barely managed to bite back his
moan  as  his  dick  went  ramrod  straight  in  his  jeans  at  his  beloved’s  words.  That  was  the  last  thing
he’d expected Dirk to say. It took him a second to figure out a response.
Long enough for a blush to work over Dirk’s features before he mumbled, “U-unless you’ve changed
your mind. I mean…that was kinda how you seemed to be acting. I know I’m not the best at reading
innuendo, so, maybe I got it wrong?”
“No,” Seb quickly assured. “No, I most definitely want to have sex with you.” If Dirk was going to be
blunt, he figured he should be, too. “You seemed a bit reticent on the plane, then at the Comicon, so I
wasn’t certain that was what you wanted,” he admitted. “Can I ask what changed?”
“My friend’s last words.” Dirk’s blush intensified, and if Seb hadn’t been a vampire with heightened
hearing, he would have missed the human’s next words. “Hetoldmetogetlaid.”
Swallowing hard, Seb’s fangs ached with the need to taste the blood rushing under the other man’s
skin. Fuck. Would he even be able to control himself at this point?
Seb leaned close and smiled. “I like your friend’s advice. I hope someday to meet him and thank him
for giving it to you.”
“Well, you may change your mind, because, even though I like to bottom, I have to do it face to face,
um, and on top.”
A throat clearing caught both men’s attention. Seb looked up to see their waiter standing there holding
their appetizers. His face was flushed red, showing his discomfort at overhearing Dirk’s words, but
he  did  a  valiant  job  of  keeping  a  straight  face.  He  even  managed  quick  eye  contact  as  he  asked  if
they’d like to order.
Seb shook his head, telling John they’d like to wait a bit first.
Fortunately, the few minute distraction allowed Seb to get control of himself. Once John had left, Seb
refilled Dirk’s wine, then told him softly, “Cute man, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you
that I’m a biter. Nothing would turn me on more than seeing your pale skin sporting my marks.” Dirk
looked  a  bit  worried  at  that  revelation,  so  Seb  continued,  “Don’t  worry.  I  know  I  can  make  it  very
pleasurable for you.” He winked. “So, if you don’t mind my own little quirk, I will let you ride my
cock all night long.”
Oh, now isn’t that such a pretty sight.
Seb watched Dirk’s mouth open just a bit, seeming to pant as his pupils dilated. The human’s tongue
slipped out, swiping over his bottom lip. Desire to taste those damp lips caused Seb’s heart to pound,
need fisting in his gut.
“Now  that  we’ve  figured  out  where  we’re  headed  after  dinner,  I  believe  it’d  be  best  to  change  the
topic before I lay you out on this table and eat youinstead,” Seb growled.

Chapter Four

irk couldn’t believe how hard his dick was. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a

man this badly. And the fact that Sebastian actually wanted him back…Dirk still couldn’t believe his
luck.

He knew it wouldn’t last. He was only in town for four nights, but if he could have this man in his

bed for those few evenings…hell, yeah!

Surprisingly, Dirk found he liked the oysters. A little chewy, but the flavor…yum. They actually

ordered a second and third platter of them while Sebastian polished off the remaining calamari. After
a glass of wine, even the conversation came easy. His date—shit, this totally hot guy is actually my
date!—seemed interested in his work, and even remained attentive while Dirk blathered on about the
comic books he worked on and the people he worked with.

Realizing he monopolized the conversation, Dirk cocked his head and asked, “What about you?

What are you doing in Vegas?”

Sebastian leaned close and winked, giving him what Dirk thought of as his patented charming

half-smile. “You mean, besides wooing you?”

Dirk giggled, then clamped his hand over his mouth. Sebastian chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling

with mirth.
“I work as an ambassador for a foreign administration. That’s about all I can tell you about it right
now.” Sebastian brought Dirk’s fingers to his lips and nipped them lightly. The man’s teeth felt a lot
sharper  than  he’d  thought  they  should  feel,  but  then  Sebastian  licked  the  pads  before  sucking  one
lightly.
The gentle pulls seemed to transfer straight to his dick, making him throb and twitch restlessly in his
seat, fighting Sebastian released his finger, Dirk didn’t know if he should sigh with relief or moan in
frustration.
Evidently,  Sebastian  knew  exactly  what  he  did  to  him,  for  he  tossed  several  bills  on  the  table  and
stood. “Time to go,” he crooned.
Dirk glanced around the restaurant, uncertain if he wanted to show off the bulge in his crotch. His date
must have understood his problem, for he leaned close and murmured, “Your shirt is untucked, cutie.
Don’t worry. We won’t be showing off to everyone that I plan to take you back to my room and ream
your sweet ass.”
Whimpering, Dirk quickly obeyed. His dick oozed in his underwear, and he prayed he wasn’t making
a  wet  spot…or  if  he  was,  it  didn’t  show.  Standing,  he  felt  goose  bumps  rise  on  his  arms  when
Sebastian settled a proprietary hand on his back and guided him through the restaurant.
Saul grinned at them as they passed and called, “Everything taste okay, Sirs?”
“Everything was fantastic, Saul. Your oysters are as amazing as any I’ve tasted in N’awlins.”
“Awesome. Glad to hear.” His grin widened, showing off even white teeth. “Have a great night!”
“We will,” Sebastian all but purred.
The sound caused even more of Dirk’s blood to flow south, making walking somewhat difficult, and
anticipation thrummed through his veins. Sebastian leaned close and in his jeans. He shifted back a
whimper.  When  whispered,  “I  love  how  you  smell,  Dirk.  I  can’t  wait  to  taste  you.  Tell  me  you’ll
come to my suite and let me do just that.”
“Your suite?” He’d have to get up early to make it to a breakfast panel his boss had signed him up for,
but he could make it work. Wait, was it jumping the gun to assume he’d be spending the night?

“I have everything we need there,” Sebastian added. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”
Dirk paused and met Sebastian’s gaze squarely. “I want to ride your cock until I scream.”
Sebastian groaned and, for just a second, his eyes looked a little red, like he had allergies. Then, the
odd  coloring  was  gone.  “Gods  above,”  he  hissed.  “Fuck,  yes.  Right  after  I  loosen  you  up  with  my
tongue, bathe your balls, and suck you to completion. Then, you can climb aboard and I’ll fuck you
until you come again, all over my chest.”
Never was Dirk more grateful that they stood in the hallway before the elevators…giving them some
semblance of solitude. He couldn’t help it. He reached down and pressed the heel of his hand against
the base of his erection. “You’ve got to stop saying stuff like that,” he whined.
Chuckling, Sebastian jabbed the up button, then cupped Dirk’s cock through his jeans. “Don’t worry,
beloved,” he crooned. “I’ll take very, verygood care of this shortly.”
Dirk  hissed  through  his  teeth,  his  hips  bucking  slightly,  pressing  more  firmly  into  Sebastian’s  hold.
“Oh, God. Stop, or I’ll come in my pants.”
Sebastian squeezed him once, then released him. “Can’t have that.”
He  didn’t  know  if  he  wanted  to  cry  at  the  loss,  scream  in  frustration,  or  heave  a  sigh  of  relief.  He
didn’t get a chance to decide. The elevator doors opened and he found himself pulled into the small
compartment. With his back pressed against the wall, the hand rail dug into his lower back, but the
feel of a hard male body against his front waylaid any discomfort.
Looking up, Dirk peered into deep blue, lust-filled eyes. “This isn’t going to help my erection.”
Sebastian  flashed  a  grin  and  Dirk  couldn’t  help  but  think  those  canines  looked  far  sharper  than
normal.
“Don’t worry. This will help.”
His dinner companion lowered his head and sealed his mouth to Dirk’s. He thrust his tongue in deep,
plundering, conquering, teasing and tasting. Dirk moaned, his body on fire, singing with pleasure. He
sank  into  the  other  man’s  embrace  and  clung.  His  hard-on  pressed  against  Sebastian’s  thigh  and  he
moaned again, rocking his hips, desperate for friction.
The  taste  of  his  soon-to-be  lover—oddly,  somehow  discernible  even  under  the  flavors  of  oyster,
calamari, and wine—exploded across Dirk’s tongue…heady and oh-somasculine.
As Sebastian started nibbling and licking along his jaw, he worked his hand into Dirk’s pants.  Shoot,
when  did  he  open  my  pants?  That  thought  evaporated  under  the  man’s  skilled  mouth  and  warm
fingers where they wrapped around his erection, jacking him slowly.
“Come for me, beloved,” Sebastian crooned against the column of Dirk’s throat.
His  warm  breath  wafted  over  Dirk’s  skin,  making  his  hair  stand  on  end.  Tingles  swept  over  him,
shooting delicious sensations straight to his cock.
“S-Seb, please,” Dirk hissed. “N-need.”
“I know what you need, Dirk,” Sebastian growled throatily. He lifted his head, tightened his grip just
a bit, and gruffly ordered, “Come.”
Howling, Dirk’s body bucked. His balls contracted just a bit more, sending cum up his dick in spurts
of mind-blowing pleasure. His body trembled as bliss swamped him. “Seb,” he sighed.
“I got you, Dirk,” Sebastian crooned as he carefully tucked him back into his jeans.
Sebastian felt himself being maneuvered out of the elevator and down the hall. He blinked quickly,
trying to focus. “Wow, never come so hard from a hand-job,” he mumbled.
His lover chuckled softly. “Glad to hear it. There’s more where that comes from, cutie.”
Finally, Dirk’s mind began to clear and shock at his wanton behavior took up residence.  Shit! I just
let Sebastian jack me off in a public elevator! What if someone found out? What if someone had

taken pictures? If this ever got back to his bosses, he’d lose his job!
“Easy, Dirk,” Sebastian soothed, pushing the door open to what must have been his suite. Once the
door  closed,  Dirk  found  himself  pinned  against  it  with  Sebastian  staring  down  intently  at  him.  “I’d
never allow another to see how sexy you look in passion. Those looks, those cries, their all mine to
see and revel in.”
The husky quality of Sebastian’s tone caused a tingle of pleasure to shiver up his spine. Dirk couldn’t
remember  the  last  time  he’d  felt  like  he  could  trust  anyone…well,  other  than  Deke  and  his  parents,
especially after…no, he wouldn’t think about that. But this guy, this sexy man he actually felt like he
could trust.
Dirk  smiled.  “Wow,  how  come…how  come  I  feel  like  you’re  sincere. You  hardly  even  know  me.
We’re only going to be here with each other for a couple of days.”
Sebastian  pulled  Dirk  close,  wrapping  his  arms  around  him.  He  nuzzled  Dirk’s  temple  for  a  few
seconds.  Dirk  couldn’t  help  it.  He  melted  into  the  man’s  embrace,  accepting,  loving  even,  the
affection his lover bestowed upon him.
“I can’t explain yet why I’m so drawn to you,” Sebastian admitted against his ear. “Even on the plane,
I felt drawn to you. I’m hoping…” His lover paused and pressed a soft kiss to Dirk’s temple. “I’m
hoping you’ll allow me the chance to learn why.”
Something  stilled  inside  Dirk.  Sebastian’s  words  sparked  memories,  memories  he’d  thought  he’d
buried,  put  behind  him…  The  words  weren’t  the  same,  but  they  were  damn  similar.  Panic  fired
through his veins.
“Y-you feel drawn to me?”
Sebastian lifted his head slowly. He peered down at Dirk, surprise etched across his features. “I do.”
“Like a mate?” Dirk forced the words out through a constricted throat. Surely, that wouldn’t happen
to me twice, would it?
To  his  utter  disappointment,  Sebastian’s  lips  parted  just  a  smidge,  his  expression  giving  away  his
shock.  “You  know  about  the  paranormal  world?”  He  cocked  his  head  and  what  Dirk  suddenly
realized was a true smile split Sebastian’s features, showing off way too sharp and pointy canines.
Holy shit!
“How? You’re  human.”  Sebastian  looked  utterly  confused.  He  cocked  his  head  and  ran  his  tongue
over his…fangs. “Who are you related to? How do you know about us?”
Dirk  tried  to  control  his  reaction…really  he  did,  but  all  he  could  think  about  was  ropes  and  teeth
and…pain.
He bolted.
He didn’t know if Sebastian came after him or not. All he thought about was getting away from the
man, creature, getting out of his room, getting off that floor…and getting back to his own room. After
what  felt  like  a  hell  of  a  long  time,  Dirk  shoved  his  door  open  then  slammed  it  closed,  his  back
resting against it as he choked back a broken sob.
Sebastian was one of them. A dangerous animal, a man who wanted to control him…who would want
to inflict pain, who’d want to keep him tied up, only to be released for his pleasure. Dirk had thought
he’d put all that past him. After all, it’d only been a few days before he’d managed to escape. Now,
though…he  knew  it  wasn’t  true.  It  didn’t  matter  how  far  he  ran,  there  would  always  be those
creatures out there, in the night, waiting for him to let down his guard.
What is it about me? Why are they drawn to me?
Dirk didn’t know, didn’t care. When he realized the creature who’d been his date that night wasn’t
going to try to break down the door, Dirk grabbed his phone and dialed. And why didn’t Sebastian

come after him? Phil had, almost breaking down Dirk’s hotel room door until the sound of sirens had
scared him off.
It wasn’t until Dirk received a sleepy “What the fuck?” that he realized it was nearly eleven o’ clock
at night. Had they really been chatting at the bar for almost five hours?
“He’s one of them!” was what Dirk blurted out.
He got silence for all of thirty seconds before Deke snapped, “What the fuck are you talking about?
Who?  What?” A  lot  of  thumping  sounded  through  line…then  a  groggy,  “What?”  followed  by  more
scrambling. Dirk realized Deke must have been kicking whoever the hell had been in his bed out the
door.
“Shit, I didn’t mean to break up your party!” Dirk muttered
“Fuck that. Why the hell are you calling me so late? You’d texted about a date or something…”
Dirk grimaced. “Shit, yeah, I did.”
“You really should have taken my advice and gotten laid. Didn’t he allow face to face fucking? I’ve
heard that about some people. Or—”
“Damn it! Shut up!” Dirk roared. He felt angry and frustrated and horny all at the same time…even
after finding out Sebastian was a freaky creature. How could that be?
“Whoa, relax,” Deke murmured. “Talk to me, Dirk. What has you all worked up?”
“It was all going so well. We’d discussed it and we’d both agreed we wanted sex after dinner. I can’t
remember ever being that horny,” Dirk admitted. Even now, thinking about it, his prick throbbed in
his jeans…stupid cock.
“So, what? Did he end up being a jerk or something?”
Dirk realized he’d gotten lost in his thoughts. “No, he was really nice, but…Deke.” He lowered his
voice, as if afraid someone might overhear even though he was alone in his room. “He’s one of them!
You know, like Phil.”
“Holy shit!” Deke screeched. “Are you sure? You saw him change into a dingo?”
“Well, no,” Dirk admitted. “But he started talking about how drawn he was to me and how he wanted
to get to know me and then I remembered him saying he was into biting. It was so similar to some of
the things Phil had said. I asked him if he was drawn to me like a mate. That’s what Phil would call
me. His mate. Sebastian seemed really surprised and asked how I knew about the paranormal world.”
“Damn.”
“Surprised  actually  might  be  a  mild  word  for  Sebastian’s  reaction,”  Dirk  admitted.  “He’d  seemed,
well,  delighted,  really.  He’d  grinned  really  big  and  I  saw  his  fangs.”  Flopping  sideways,  Dirk
groaned. “How come all the good lovers are crazy creatures?”
Dirk  had  meant  it  to  be  a  rhetorical  question,  but  Deke  latched  onto  that.  “Wait. You  already  slept
with him?”
“No. We made out in the elevator and he—” Dirk’s face flamed, still having a hard time believing his
completely out of character behavior.
Deke howled with laughter. “You got it on in an elevator? Damn, he really must have been good.”
“Shut up,” Dirk grumbled. “Anyway, I’m coming home first thing tomorrow.”
“No, you’re not,” Deke responded. “You can’t leave now or you’ll probably end up fired. If you think
he’s a crazy shape shifter that wants to kidnap you and take you to his tribe to be used as a sex slave, I
believe you, but you can’t very well tell your boss that’s why you had to leave, can you?”
Dirk groaned, lifted his head from the cushion then dropped it down again. He did that twice before
whining, “What am I going to do? He came to the Comicon today.”
“You’re  going  to  stay  with  other  people.  Don’t  let  him  catch  you  alone,”  Deke  ordered.  Then,

surprisingly, he added, “I’m already online getting a plane ticket. I’ll be in Vegas by ten AM. You just
keep it together until then, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Dirk smiled. “Thanks, Deke.”
“Of course. That’s what brothers from another mother do for each other,” he quipped. “Now, I gotta
pack a bag. Try to get some rest and I’ll see you soon.”
After he’d hung up, Dirk dragged himself from the couch and made his way to his bedroom. Skipping
the shower— and it wasn’t because he wanted to keep Sebastian’s scent on his skin as long as
possible—he brushed his teeth, stripped, and climbed into bed.
It wasn’t until his mind had begun to drift asleep that Deke’s words about being kidnapped and taken
to be used as a sex slave resurfaced. Dirk knew he wasn’t the best at reading people—in fact, he
pretty much stunk at it—but he hadn’t gotten that impression from Sebastian at all. In fact, he couldn’t
remember a time he’d felt more…cherished.

Chapter Five

eb stared at the closed hotel room door for a full five minutes, trying to wrap his mind around

what the hell had just happened. They’d been all set for a night of hot, sweaty, monkey sex and then…
Dirk had run, terrified, from his room.

Frowning, he struggled to get his brain off his throbbing cock and focused on the last few words

he and Dirk had exchanged. When his beloved had asked about being drawn to him like a mate, he’d
been shocked. There was only one reason a human would ask a question like that…they knew about
shifters and mating.

So why run?

Resting his head against the wall, Seb inhaled Dirk’s lingering scent, already missing the cute, geeky
human. That’s when he scented it…the acrid tinge of panic and fear. His beloved had feared him…as
soon as he’d learned he wasn’t human.
Shit! Why didn’t that occur to me before?
Just because a human knew about paranormals didn’t mean their experience had been a good one. Seb
would bet his left fang that whatever had happened to Dirk hadn’t been pleasant.
Knowing he couldn’t leave things as they were for the night, Seb yanked open the door and stalked
back out of his room. Hell, if Dirk was scared enough, he could run and although he would chase his
beloved across the country, if need be, he’d rather not have to.
Seb followed Dirk’s scent to the stairwell and down three floors. Once he’d figured out which room
his human occupied, he headed down to the lobby. That late at night, there was no line for check-in
and he walked right up and smiled at the woman at the counter.
“Good evening, Sir. How can I help you?”
“Hi,  Susan,”  Seb  replied  after  a  glance  at  her  name  badge.  “I’m  in  room  twelve-seventeen,”  he
claimed,  giving  Dirk’s  room  number.  “And  I’m  embarrassed  to  admit  that  I  left  my  door  key  in  my
room. Can you make me another, please?”
“Certainly, Sir. I’ll just need to see your ID.”
Allowing his eyes to haze, Seb held the woman’s gaze and gave her mind a gentle push. “I already
showed you my ID.”
Susan’s  brown  eyes  dulled  as  she  zoned  out  a  bit  under  his  vampiric  influence.  “Thank  you  for
showing me your ID.”
“Now you’ll make me the door card,” he ordered softly.
“I will make you a new door card now,” Susan stated.
Retracting  his  power,  Seb  watched  Susan,  a  bit  dazed,  turn  and  punch  some  keys  on  the  computer
before  swiping  a  card  through  a  reader,  programming  it.  With  a  smile  she  handed  it  over  to  him.
“Here’s your new card, Sir.”
“Thank you.” Seb took the card and turned, heading back toward the elevators.
He spotted Lex leaning against the wall, probably drawn by feeling Seb use his mind manipulation on
Susan. Once upon a time, vampires used the trick to feed from humans without them remembering the
encounter.  If  another  vampire  was  within  a  couple  miles,  they’d  feel  it,  like  a  wave  lapping  at  his
toes.
Lex fell into step. “What the hell are you doing? What happened to your date with Dirk?”
“We went on it,” he growled. “And it was going great until we got back to my room and I told him I
was  drawn  to  him.  He  asked  if  I  was  drawn  to  him  like  a  mate,”  he  told  his  friend,  giving  him  a

meaningful look.
Lex’s brows shot up. “He knows about shifters?”
“Evidently, because he shot the hell out of there after that,” he admitted.
“Damn, really?” Lex hit the button for the elevator. “What are you going to do?”
Seb held up the key card. “Break into his room and talk to him.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
The elevator dinged and, after they stepped into the cage, pressed the button for Dirk’s floor. “Wise
or  not,  it’s  better  than  finding  out  he  took  off  in  the  morning  and  having  to  chase  him  across  the
country.”
Lex grunted, nodding slightly.
“What did Declan say about me delaying our trade off with the CIA?”
“He’s  not  happy  about  it,  but  he  understands.  He’s  probably  going  to  ask  the  council  for  a
replacement,” Lex warned.
“Damn. I hate letting people down,” Seb muttered, running a hand through his dark hair.
Lex patted him on the shoulder. “They all understand why. Don’t sweat it.”
The elevator stopped and Seb stepped out.
“Good luck, Seb. Holler if you need backup.”
Seb waved his acknowledgement and headed toward Dirk’s room. Standing in front of it, Seb inhaled
deeply, praying for patience and the right words to get through to his beloved.
He  swiped  the  card,  the  door  clicked,  and  he  slipped  inside.  He  found  it  worrisome—even  as  it
helped him—that Dirk hadn’t put on the safety latch, showing the extent of his panic.
With his enhanced vision, Seb made his way deeper into the room. Dirk’s scent hung heavy around
the  sofa,  and  Seb’s  prick  thickened  at  his  human’s  heavenly  aroma.  Ignoring  his  discomfort,  he
bypassed the sitting area, passed the bathroom, and stopped at the threshold of the bedroom area.
Seb  swept  his  gaze  over  Dirk’s  sleeping  form.  He  yearned  to  undress,  slide  under  the  covers,  and
cuddle up to his beloved. Knowing he wouldn’t be welcomed caused an ache in his chest.
Soon, he promised himself.
Suddenly, Dirk whimpered in his sleep, his body twitching and jerking.
Crossing  the  space  in  three  long  strides,  Seb  reached  the  bed  and  settled  on  the  side  of  it.  The  dip
wasn’t enough to jostle Dirk out of his dream, so Seb leaned forward and gripped Dirk’s shoulder,
giving it a slight shake.
Dirk  yelped  and  jerked  away,  scrambling  backward.  Pressing  his  back  against  the  headboard,  his
eyes widened in shock and his mouth gaped.
Seb lifted his hands, palms out. “Easy, Dirk. I won’t hurt you.”
“H-how—” Dirk’s gaze darted around the room. His body tensed. That he searched for escape was
painfully obvious.
“Dirk,  we  had  a  misunderstanding  earlier. You  think  I’m  a  shifter,  don’t  you?  Did  you  have  a  bad
experience with one?”
“Sh-shifter? You’re not?” Dirk seemed to latch onto that.
Seb could see the hope shining in the man’s eyes, even in the dim moonlight. Shaking his head, Seb
slowly lowered his hands, resting them on his thighs. He curled them into fists to keep from reaching
for Dirk and wrapping him in a hug. “I’m not a shifter,” he confirmed softly.
Dirk licked his lips, then sucked on the bottom one for a few seconds. Finally, he blurted, “But I saw
your teeth!”
Nodding,  Seb  didn’t  bother  trying  to  deny  it.  “You’re  right.  But  those  are  fangs,  not  canines,”  he

explained. “I’m a vampire.”
“V-vampire?”  Dirk  squeaked.  Tears  formed  at  the  corners  of  his  eyes  and  he  flailed  an  arm.  “Go
away!”
Seb grimaced. “Please, Dirk. Please, let me help you. I mean you no harm.”
Dirk started to shake his head.
“Dirk, you remember what it felt like when I held you? When I touched you? Kissed you?” Seb asked
softly. “You enjoyed my touch. I gave you pleasure. I’ll never harm you, beloved. And I’d die before
ever  allowing  another  to  harm  you.”  He  didn’t  want  to  have  to  push  his  will  on  Dirk  to  get  him  to
calm  down,  but  if  the  heart  hammering  in  the  lover’s  chest  got  any  louder,  Seb  feared  his  human
would pass out. “Please, Dirk. Calm down. I get the idea that a shifter injured you. I’m not that man
and whatever the hell he did, I’ll never do.”
“You’d never bite me?” Dirk whispered the question, his disbelief clear.
Well, shit. “Uh—” He couldn’t promise that, no matter how much he wanted to please his beloved.
“Tie me up? Pass me around? Whip me?”
Hearing  that,  Seb  couldn’t  stop  the  low  growl  that  rumbled  through  him.  “Who  the  hell  did  that  to
you? I’ll kill ’em,” he snarled.
Unfortunately, all that did was make Dirk whimper and cringe.
“Shit,  Dirk,  I’m  sorry,  cutie,  I—”  Seb  heaved  a  sigh  and  scrubbed  a  hand  over  his  face.  When  he
returned his focus, he spotted wary confusion on his beloved’s face. He shrugged and shook his head
once. “I’m a predator, Dirk. I won’t deny that. The idea of someone hurting you makes me see red.”
“Why?”
Seb sighed, trying to put his thoughts into words…then almost grinned. They were talking. Dirk was
asking questions.
This is good!
Now, how the hell was Sebastian supposed to explain that he considered Dirk a gift from Fate and he
wanted to cherish him for centuries? He’d freaked out when he thought he was a shifter and they were
mates. Okay, maybe they needed to talk about that first.
“I’ll be happy to explain, Dirk. I really will. I just need to know why you freaked out about shifters
and mates. I know a number of shifters,” he admitted earnestly, “and they all hold finding their mate,
their special Fate-given soul mate, in the highest regard. It’s a blessing. Something to be cherished,
yet, you seem to think it’s some kind of bad thing, and I need to understand why.”
Dirk licked his lips, still frowning. At least, he didn’t look like he was about to bolt. To Seb’s utter
relief, Dirk started talking. “I went on vacation to New Orleans eight months ago. I met a guy. He told
me we were soul mates…always called me his mate…and tried to convince me to move down there.”
As he spoke, Dirk pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “The last day I
was there, I went on a picnic with him. I ended up in the middle of his people’s camp. They had cages
and held humans hostage, only pulling them out to…to…” He stopped and shook his head.
At that, Seb could no longer keep his hands to himself. He reached out and gripped Dirk’s forearms.
“Come here,” he urged, tugging lightly. “Let me hold you.”
Never had Seb come closer to begging.
Pleasure  filled  him  as,  after  a  few  seconds  of  hesitation,  Dirk  actually  moved  toward  him.  Seb
shoved the blankets aside, kicked off his shoes, and slid under the covers. When Dirk settled next to
him, Seb wrapped his arms around him and—remembering his beloved’s need to be on top—draped
him over his chest and cuddled him close.
Once they were both settled, Seb pressed a kiss to his human’s temple and asked, “What’s the man’s

name, Dirk? And what’s his animal?”
“His name is Phil Delman. He held me for three days. His buddy, Lonnie, grew lax, thinking they’d
starved  me  enough.  He  backed  off  the  sedative.  I  feigned  sleep  and  when  alone,  broke  out.  When
several dingoes chased me into the swamp, I hid in the bogs. I’d rather die by alligator or snake than
at their hands.”
“I’m glad you didn’t die, Dirk,” Seb rumbled, struggling to keep his rage in check. “There are laws
amongst our own kind against what they did. Do you know how many were in Phil’s group?”
“I saw four dingoes. There might have been a couple more, but I’m not sure.”
“Okay. In the morning, I’ll alert the authorities. They’ll make certain they’re stopped,” he assured.
Dirk snorted. “Yeah, like the authorities will listen. They’ll never believe you. Then we’ll both end
up in strait jackets.”
“Ah,  but  I’m  not  telling  the  human  authorities,”  Seb  assured,  taking  advantage  of  their  position  and
pressing a kiss to Dirk’s temple. “I’m telling the Shifter Council…well, I’m telling Declan McIntire,
alpha  of  the  Stone  Ridge  wolf  pack.  He’ll  either  deal  with  it  or  tell  the  council.”  He  frowned,
inadvertently tightening his grip. “Either way, they’ll be dealt with.”
For  several  long  minutes,  Dirk  remained  quiet.  He  lifted  a  hand  and  settled  it  over  Seb’s  left  arm,
petting  him,  maybe  absently,  maybe  because  it  helped  him  think  and  relax.  Seb  didn’t  know,  but  he
hoped to learn which. Besides, if the repetitive movement made his man happy, Seb would let him do
it all day every day.
Finally, Dirk quietly asked, “So, you’re a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“Do you drink blood?”
“Yes.”
Dirk stiffened as he whispered, “Do you plan to drink my blood?”
“I won’t lie to you, Dirk,” Seb crooned. “As you saw tonight, I eat food just as you do. However, I
must also consume blood from an outer source to survive. Now that I’ve found you, because of who
you  are  to  me,  you’re  it  for  me.  I willbite  you.”  As  he  said  those  words,  he  threaded  his  fingers
through Dirk’s hair, petting and massaging his scalp, as he locked gazes with him.
Seb saw the fear and tension in his beloved’s eyes and prayed his next words would ease it…at least
a little. “It won’t injure you in any way. In fact, you’ll find it incredibly enjoyable.” He lowered his
tone and stated huskily, “So much so that you will orgasm.”
“I-I will?”
Seb smirked at the shocked look on Dirk’s face. He winked. “Oh, you will. I promise you.”
“Sh-show me?”
His  brows  shooting  up,  Seb  swept  his  gaze  over  his  human’s  hopeful  expression.  “You  need
something to forget your troubles, cutie?” he crooned.
Dirk swallowed hard, then swept his tongue over his bottom lip, before admitting breathily, “It’d be
nice.”
Seb  slid  the  palm  of  one  hand  down  until  he  gently  cupped  Dirk’s  nape.  With  the  other  hand,  he
discreetly  extended  a  talon  and  sliced  open  the  shoulder  of  his  beloved’s  shirt  seam,  exposing  his
shoulder.
Tugging his man’s head a bit to the side, exposing the column of his throat and the pulsing vein that
ran  up  his  shoulder  and  neck,  Seb  warned  softly,  “If  I  drink  from  you,  it  will  begin  the  bonding
process. Are you ready for that?”
“Wh-what does that mean?”

Chapter Six

irk didn’t know what came over him…didn’t know why confirming that this man wouldn’t really

bite him seemed so important, but it was. Except, Seb did bite him! Pain speared through his
shoulder, and he screamed.

Waves of pleasure unlike anything he’d felt before turned his shout into a groan of unbelievable

proportions. His dick firmed up faster than he thought possible, his balls drew flush to his body.
Feeling Sebastian’s mouth on his neck, sucking on his skin—and presumably his blood—seemed to
transfer straight to his cock.

Dirk screamed for a whole different reason as an unexpected orgasm of epic proportions surged

through him. His shaft twitched and jerked, continuing to spurt in time with the pull of Seb’s mouth.
Moaning at the riot of pleasure swamping him, Dirk’s body shuddered. His hands gripped spastically
at his lover’s shoulders, the sensations going on and on.

Seb extracting his teeth sent a hot spike of disappointment combined with relief through Dirk.

He’d loved the feelings erupting through his body, but the intense waves of bliss had spots dancing
behind his eyes and his head swimming.

“Easy, beloved,” Seb’s soft crooning reached him as if through a long tunnel. “Talk to me. How

you feeling now?”
Dirk hummed. “Wow. Can’t talk. You melted me,” he mumbled.
The chest underneath him shuddered as Seb’s rumbling laughter reached his ears. Dirk smiled at the
sound and sighed at the feel of his lover’s hands running down his back, over his sides, then up under
his t-shirt to softly caress him.
“Told you, you’d enjoy it,” Seb crooned.
“You  weren’t  kidding.”  Dirk  didn’t  know  what  to  think  of  that.  If  Seb  did  that  while  having  sex,
would he pass out? Die of pleasure? “Never experienced anything like that. Will it always feel like
that?” Dirk turned his head and gasped. If he weren’t sated beyond the ability to move, he knew he
would have flopped off Seb and tumbled to the floor.
Seb’s eyes were…red!
“Easy, lover, I will never harm you. This is normal after I’ve fed.”
“F-fed? That sounds, um…” Should he tell Seb how creepy he found that?
“Sorry,”  Seb  apologized,  once  again  petting  him.  “Not  the  best  way  to  say  that,  but  it  is  what  it  is.
Your  blood  sustains  me  just  as  much  as  the  food  I  eat  does.”  The  red  color  bled  from  his  irises,
returning  them  to  their  original  deep  blue  as  his  expression  turned  earnest.  “In  return,  I  offer
protection, pleasure and my devotion. However, I am a possessive bastard and will destroy anyone
who attempts to touch you or take you from me.”
Dirk  rolled  that  information  around  in  his  mind.  “I  don’t  know  why  I  find  that  so  appealing,”  he
admitted. “I’m attracted to you and love being held by you more than I’ve ever imagined possible.”
Frowning, he added, “I don’t understand it. Is it because you’re a vampire?”
“No,”  Sebastian  stated,  then  smiled.  “It’s  because  you’re  my  beloved,  my  soul  mate. A  vampire  or
shifter  or  other  paranormal  spends  their  life  searching  for  that  one  special  person  who  completes
them. To me, that’s you. A vampire is drawn to the call of that person’s blood, and when they taste it,
it confirms their suspicion and begins the bonding process.”
Dirk  figured  they  probably  should  have  discussed  all  this  before  he  allowed  Sebastian  to  bite  him.
However, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. This guy wanted him, wanted to care for him, keep

him safe… It’d been so long since he’d truly felt safe.
Still,  Dirk  knew  he  needed  to  know  just  what  he’d  allowed  himself  to  get  into.  “How  does  this
bonding thing work? You said something about extending my life? What’s that mean? Is this going to
affect my work? My family?”
Sebastian  shifted  restlessly  underneath  him,  and  that’s  when  Dirk  felt  it.  “Crap,  I’m  sorry. You’ve
gotten me off twice and you’re still hard. Can I suck you off?”
“Oh,  fuck,”  Sebastian  moaned  and  rolled  his  hips  a  bit.  “C-can’t  turn  down  an  offer  like  that.”
Sebastian’s smile filled with lust as he traced Dirk’s lips with his thumb. “Would love to feel your
pretty mouth wrapped around me.”
Dirk pulled Sebastian’s digit into his mouth, licking and sucking the pad for a few seconds.
Sebastian  groaned  and  Dirk  actually  felt  his  prick  twitch.  Wanting  to  please  his  lover  as  much  as
Sebastian  had  already  done  for  him,  twice,  Dirk  released  the  man’s  finger  and  slithered  down  his
body. He vowed to explore his new man later, after they’d finally talked. Right now, he wanted at the
thick ridge filling out the groin of Sebastian’s jeans.
Making  quick  work  of  the  button  and  fly,  Dirk  practically  swallowed  his  tongue  when  Sebastian’s
engorged  shaft  popped  up  between  the  flaps. Commando! And uncut! Dirk licked his lips, taking in
the  swollen  ridge  and  the  foreskin  pulled  back,  revealing  the  weeping  slit.  The  thick  vein  pulsed
along the underside and Dirk lowered his head and swiped his tongue along it.
His lover moaned, spreading his legs, giving him more room and an excellent view of his large, low-
hanging balls. Pressing his nose to the thin thatch of brown curls, Dirk inhaled the musky, masculine
scent.  He  moaned,  loving  the  heady  aroma.  Sebastian  smelled  better  than  any  man  or  anything  he’d
ever smelled before.
Perfect!
Wasting no more time, Dirk swirled his tongue around Sebastian’s glans, prodding his tongue under
the man’s foreskin before sucking the loose skin lightly. Sebastian went wild under him, grunting and
shivering. He bucked his hips, sliding his prick deeper and deeper into Dirk’s mouth with each thrust.
Dirk  didn’t  try  to  stop  him.  He  couldn’t  imagine  being  on  the  edge  for  so  long.  That  Sebastian  had
given  him  so  much  pleasure  while  demanding  none  of  his  own  proved  more  than  anything  how
different the vampire was from the other paranormal men he’d come across.
He took everything Sebastian threw at him, sucking hard on the ridge sliding in and out of his mouth.
He massaged the vampire’s cap with his throat muscles each time it bumped his throat, and rubbed the
stalk with his tongue.
When Dirk reached down and rolled Sebastian’s balls in his palms, they drew up tight. That was all
the warning Dirk got before his lover shouted his name and shot, spurting thick ropes of cum, flooding
his mouth with seed. Dirk swallowed quickly, then pulled back slightly, allowing the next shot to land
on his tongue. He rolled the salty essence around his tongue and moaned before swallowing it, too.
As Sebastian slowly settled, Dirk licked him clean.
“Damn, Dirk. Your mouth should be registered as a lethal weapon,” Sebastian mumbled.
Certain he’d gotten everything, Dirk lifted his head and smiled at his lover. “Glad you feel that way.”
“Come on,” Sebastian murmured. “Let’s strip and cuddle.”
Dirk couldn’t help it. His brows shot up and he grinned. “You a cuddler?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell,” Sebastian replied, putting action to words and getting them both stripped down
and settled. “It’ll ruin my tough guy image,” he teased, winking.
Snorting, Dirk shook his head. “You act more like a businessman than a tough guy.”
Seb chuckled. “I work for the Vampire Council, so that’s about right.”

Dirk tilted his head where it rested on the vampire’s chest so he could peer up at the man. “What do
you do for them?”
“I’m in acquisitions. I travel a lot, wherever they need me to go, buying land, selling land, securing
contracts, that kind of thing, all in an effort to keep the existence of our race a secret.” He grimaced,
“Well, as secret as possible. The government, or at least parts of it, know about us and shifters.”
“Huh.” Dirk wasn’t sure what to make of that. Would Sebastian expect him to travel with him all the
time?
As if reading his mind—hell, maybe he could—Sebastian stated, “Now it’s time I answered some of
your earlier questions. I apologize I didn’t clarify everything before we started the bonding process,
but—” Sebastian smiled slightly. “I don’t know what to tell you except I couldn’t keep my hands off
you.”
“So, my life is gonna change, huh?” Dirk tried to figure out how he felt about that. Fear, sure, maybe
some excitement, mostly, he just wanted to stay curled up in this man’s arms. For some reason, he
found listening to the slow thump of his lover’s heartbeat soothing.
Wait, heartbeat?

“I thought vampires didn’t have a heartbeat,” Dirk blurted.

Sebastian chuckled. “Pretty much, whatever you think you know about vampires, it’s not true. We’re
not allergic to garlic or crosses or sunlight. We don’t sleep during the day and wake at night. We’re
pretty much just another race living on the planet.”
“But you dodrink blood,” Dirk pointed out.
“Yes, vampires drink blood. Our eyes turn red, giving us the ability to almost see things in infrared. If
we’re not bonded, or don’t have regular donors, we use it to discern acceptable blood type. We also
have the ability to push our will on someone, in essence, blanking their mind to anything but what we
want. It gives us various levels of control, depending on the energy we expend, the strength of will of
the person, and what we’re requesting they do.”
“Holy shit!” Dirk hissed. “Mind control?”
Sebastian stroked his fingers down Dirk’s back, tracing the knobs of his spine. “Yes,” he responded
simply, not even trying to sugar coat it.
“Um, okay.” Dirk frowned. “Do you use it on people often?”
Sebastian met his gaze squarely. “Before this evening, it’d been years since I felt it necessary.”
“Tonight?” Gasping, Dirk rolled off Sebastian and sat up. “Did you use it on me?”
“Never,” Sebastian vowed, rising onto this elbows. “I needed your door key, so I convinced the desk
clerk I was you.”
“O-okay.”
“As far as friends and family, I’d never ask you to give them up, but what you need to consider is the
fact that I’m almost two hundred years old and barring an attack or other accident, I’ll live for around
another three hundred.” Sebastian reached out and took Dirk’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “That means
you will, too.”
“I’m, uh, really?” Dirk scowled. “How is that possible?”
Sebastian tugged gently and, unable to resist his lover, Dirk returned to his arms. “How come I can’t
resist you? You break into my room, drink my blood, and essentially tell me that we’re a couple and I
don’t get any say.” He frowned, frustrated and happy to go to the man at the same time. “God, I’m so
messed up.”
To Dirk’s surprise, Sebastian actually chuckled. Dirk glared even as he cuddled into the vampire’s
side. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry,  Dirk.  You  feel  the  pull  to  bond,  just  as  I  do.  It’s  Fate’s  way  of  aiding  a  human  accept  a
paranormal.”
“You keep saying Fate as if she’s a real being.”
“She is, Dirk.”
Sebastian sounded so certain, that Dirk didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Let  your  mind  rest,  Dirk,”  Sebastian  urged.  “More  questions  will  come,  and  I’ll  answer  them  all.
It’ll  take  time  to  share  everything  and  you  still  have  a  Comicon  to  attend.”  He  leaned  down  and
captured  Dirk’s  mouth,  thrusting  his  tongue  in  deep  for  several  swipes  before  drawing  away.
“Tomorrow  evening,  we’ll  do  something  fun.  Something  to  take  our  minds  off  all  this.  How’s  that
sound?”
Dazed from the kiss, Dirk nodded. Fatigue pulled at the corners of his mind.
“When do you need to wake?”
“Ugh,” Dirk groaned. “Early. Seven o’ clock. There’s an eight o’ clock breakfast panel I’m supposed
to attend.”
“Okay, beloved. I’ll make certain you’re up by then,” Sebastian assured, petting him lightly.
Dirk nodded, too tired to fight after the stress of the day and the mind-blowing orgasms. “’Kay.”
Sleep took him quickly.

Dirk moaned, shivering at the sensation of warm, sucking heat on his morning wood. Peeling open

an eyelid, he peered down to see Sebastian between his legs, his mouth wrapped around his cock.
“S-Seb!” he gasped.

Sebastian popped off his shaft just long enough to say, “Good morning, Dirk,” then swallowed

him back to the root. The vampire bobbed on his shaft, up and down, massaging his stalk with his
lips, swiping his tongue over his glans, stimulating the sensitive flesh.

When his lover used a saliva-slicked finger to rub his asshole, Dirk groaned and bucked. “Put it

in,” he begged, trying to press against that finger and draw it into his channel. He desperately wanted
to feel the stretch and burn. It’d been so long.

His lover hummed, vibrating his shaft just as Sebastian pressed his finger in deep and pegged his

gland.
Dirk  screamed  his  lover’s  name  as  he  came,  pumping  cum  into  Sebastian’s  lightly  sucking  mouth.
Panting, he tried to catch his breath as he floated on the endorphins. Sebastian rubbed his thighs, hips,
then up over his sides, stomach, and chest.
Finally, Sebastian flopped down next to him and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a deep
kiss. He thrust his tongue into Dirk’s mouth taking him in a slow exploration. Dirk moaned into his
lover’s mouth at the taste of cum and man. When Sebastian drew Dirk’s tongue into his own mouth
and sucked lightly, his prick made a valiant effort to rise again.
When breathing became paramount, Sebastian pulled back, leaving Dirk panting hard. Feeling warm
and sated, Dirk grinned up at his lover. “Wow.”
Sebastian  hummed  and  nuzzled  against  pulling  back  and  grinning,  showing  off  his  thought  the  sight
should unsettle him, but it didn’t. Realizing that his lover felt comfortable enough not to hide his true
self, Dirk leaned up and traced one fang with his tongue. Sebastian’s eyes started to bleed red and his
breathing sped up.
Dirk grinned. “Like that, do you?”
“Hell,  yeah,”  Sebastian  growled.  He  swallowed  hard,  then  admitted,  “They’re  more  sensitive  than
normal teeth.”
“Could you come from that?” Dirk asked, eying his lover. “From me playing with your teeth?”

“Don’t  know,”  Sebastian  replied,  but  from  the  excited  gleam  in  his  eyes,  he’d  probably  be  willing
finding out.
Dirk thought about trying to find out right then, but the trill of a phone going off broke the silence. Seb
groaned even as he leaned over the side of the bed. He grabbed his jeans and pulled his phone free,
then grimaced. “I gotta take this. Sorry.”
“No  problem. You  wanna  join  me  in  the  shower  in  a  few  and  I  can  return  the  favor?”  Dirk  asked,
glancing at Sebastian’s blanket covered groin.
To  his  surprise,  Sebastian  grinned  and  winked.  “I  came  when  you  did,  babe.”  He  licked  his  lips.
“You taste delicious.”
Dirk’s brows shot up. “You did?”
“Oh, yeah.” Sebastian turned his attention to his phone. “Good morning, Lex.”
Liking  that  piece  of  information,  Dirk  headed  toward  the  bathroom,  deciding  it  was  a  very  good
morning, indeed. him before fangs. Dirk

Chapter Seven

“I

t sounds like your night ended up okay. You and Dirk good, then?”

“Yeah,” Seb replied, grinning. “We’re good. Still have a few things to discuss, but we’re on the

right track.”
“That’s good, Seb,” Lex responded. “I’m glad to hear it. Where’d he learn about paranormals?”
“I’ll tell you all about it when I come upstairs. Dirk has a breakfast he needs to attend, so I’ll be there
in thirty.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.”
Seb  hit  the  end  button  just  as  Dirk  walked  out  of  the  bathroom,  a  towel  wrapped  around  his  waist.
“Hmm, hello handsome,” he crooned. Seb watched a flush work up and over Dirk’s torso.
“Hey,” Dirk murmured, smiling shyly.
Damn, that’s a good look on him.
Watching  a  drop  of  water  trail  down  the  man’s  pale  shoulder,  over  his  peck,  and  over  the  slight
pooch  of  his  stomach,  Seb  wanted  to  trace  that  same  path  with  his  tongue.  He  wanted  to  yank  that
towel away and lick and nip every damp inch of skin on his lover.
“Hmm, you should come over here,” he urged, holding up his hand.
Dirk shook his head.
Disappointment stabbed through him.
“I see that look in your eyes,” Dirk commented, a smile playing around the corners of his lips. “If I get
anywhere near you, I’m going to miss breakfast. I’ll get in trouble with my boss.”
Seb chuckled. He tossed off the blanket and palmed his thickening prick. “You’re right, baby. Doesn’t
mean I have to like it.”
Dirk  groaned,  staring  at  his  thickening  dick—which  only  caused  Seb’s  cock  to  harden  faster—and
shook his head. “You don’t fight fair.”
Even though Seb knew he’d end up uncomfortable, at least for a little while, he grabbed his jeans and
yanked them on. “Sorry, Dirk. I know you have a job to do.” He shoved his wallet in his pocket and
picked  up  his  shirt,  then  stalked  over  to  his  lover.  When  he  reached  Dirk,  Seb  wrapped  his  arms
around him and planted a searing kiss on his lips, capturing his mouth possessively.
Knowing if he kissed Dirk for too long, Seb might lose his resolve to allow his beloved out of his
sight. He ended the kiss with a nip to Dirk’s lower lip, then moved around him toward the door. “Do
you have plans for lunch?”
Dirk shook his head. “No. I’m done at eleven today. I thought I’d get some work done this afternoon,”
he stated, then grimaced as if he knew how lame he sounded. After a second, he admitted, “I’m kinda
boring.”
“Is your work something you need to get done for an approaching deadline?” Seb asked curiously. He
didn’t  want  to  cause  his  human  to  struggle  with  his  work,  even  as  he  wondered  how  many  of  the
Vegas sights he could help his lover see.
“No. I just don’t like having to interact with tons of people, so planned to stay in my room any time I
wasn’t needed at the Comicon,” Dirk admitted.
“Then I’ll track you down before lunch, and we’ll go see what mischief we can get into, hmm?”

After getting confirmation from his beloved, and stealing another butterfly kiss, Seb headed to his
own room.

Once showered and dressed, Seb picked up his cell phone and called Declan. The alpha wolf

answered on the second ring. “Aye, Seb? How goes the mate hunt?”

Leaning against the arm of a chair, Seb ran a hand over his face as he replied, “Not too bad. Ran

into a speed bump last night, but we’ve done some talking and even started the bonding process.”

“That’s grand, Seb. Will I need to request a different acquisitions expert from the Vampire

Council? Or do ye think ye’ll be available in a couple days to meet with the CIA and discuss
contracts?”

“Well, I can’t answer that quite, yet. I haven’t talked to Dirk about traveling with me, yet,” he

admitted, massaging the tendons of his neck as he thought uncomfortably about their piece-meal
conversations last night. “We kept getting distracted.”

Declan chuckled, rumbling deeply. “Understandable.” “I do have another problem I’m hoping you

can  help  me  with,”  he  told  him.  Deciding  beating  around  the  bush  would  be  a  waste  of  time,  Seb
stated  bluntly,  “My  beloved  ran  into  dingo  shifters  kidnapping  humans  near  New  Orleans.  He  said
they’re using them as sex slaves and, well, it sounded a lot like human toys.” Seb shivered, thinking of
his sweet gentle human in that situation. “He managed to escape and I didn’t have the heart to ask how
many he left behind.”
“Shite,” Declan growled. “Not only is that bloody horrible, it puts us all at risk. Especially, with the
damn CIA breathing down me neck.”
“Because it’s shifters, I didn’t know if this was something you’d be interested in following up on or if
I should pass it on to the Vampire Council to tell the Shifter Council,” Seb explained. “If you’d prefer
not to take it on, I do understand.”
“Nay,  I’ll  send  down  to  ye  me  enforcer  Manon  to  get  more  information  from  yer  man,”  Declan
snarled. “Manon is originally from New Orleans. I’ll send a couple others as well. We’ll take care of
this,” he declared, clearly angry.
“Thank you, Alpha,” Seb responded respectfully. “I know the knowledge that not all shifters consider
humans beneath them will ease Dirk’s mind.”
Declan rumbled a sigh, then ordered, “Let me know yer schedule as soon as ye can, Sebastian.”
“Yes, Alpha,”  he  responded.  He  wouldn’t  normally  take  orders  from  a  shifter  alpha  without  some
subtle reminder that he wasn’t part of his pack, but since Seb and his friends had been working with
the  shifter  alpha  for  years,  he  didn’t  bother.  “I’ll  talk  to  Dirk  this  afternoon  and  holler  back  this
evening.”
“Thank ye, Sebastian.” Seconds later, the line went dead.
“I heard part of that.”
Seb  turned  and  found  Lex  leaning  against  the  doorjamb  to  the  second  bedroom  of  the  large  suite.
Rising, Seb crossed to his friend and patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go get breakfast. I’ll tell you
all about it.”
“Works for me.”

Several hours later, Seb wandered the Comicon, peering at displays and taking in the sights. His

buddy Lex joined him, muttering shocked words under his breath and discreetly ogling the array of
costumes.
“Holy shit, look at that woman’s outfit,” Lex hissed.

Seb looked in the direction his buddy discreetly indicated and bit back a smirk. Yes, her breasts

were covered, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still clearly defined behind the sheer fabric with the

carefully placed squares of small, solid fabric placed beneath. While nothing inappropriate could be
seen, like her nipples, there was no mistaking where every line of cleavage was.

He leaned close and teased, “You think straight boys read them for the story?”

Lex snorted. “Your beloved wouldn’t agree with you.”
“Except he’s not a straight boy, is he?” Seb quipped back.
Bumping shoulders, Lex chortled. He bent his head close and muttered, “Gods, can you imagine the
looks  on  all  these  people’s  faces  if  they  only  knew  the  truth  about  what  creatures  walk  the  night?
What  if  they  actually  came  upon  a  demon?  They’d  die  of  terror,  not  whip  out  a  mini  crossbow  and
shoot it.”
Chuckling, Seb grinned and bumped back as he replied, “Awe, give them their fantasy, Lex.”
His  beloved’s  scent  tickled  Seb’s  senses,  and  he  glanced  around,  searching.  He  caught  sight  of  his
man near a set of double doors where he knew panels were held. Dirk stood close to a man of about
equal  height—so  maybe  five  foot  eight—with  dirty-blond  hair  and  a  lean  build.  The  word  twink
popped into his mind.
The  blond  rested  his  hand  on  his  hip  and  waved  the  other  before  Dirk’s  face.  The  human’s  face
clouded as he spoke, clearly upset about something.
Not liking how the confrontation looked, Seb’s protective instincts roared to life. Growling low in his
throat, he stalked through the crowds. Just before he reached them, Dirk turned and his eyes widened.
Seb  knew  he  probably  looked  fierce  and  struggled  to  control  his  expression.  Considering  how  the
stranger gaped at him, then tried to push Dirk back, Seb figured he failed. Finding a stranger trying to
stay between him and his beloved did nothing to calm him.
Just managing to keep his eyes from hazing red, Seb looked toward Dirk for answers. “Dirk?” he all
but growled.
“Stop it, Deke,” Dirk snapped, pushing around his…friend? “I told you it wasn’t what I thought and
can’t talk about it here.”
Deke  didn’t  look  convinced,  his  green-eyed  gaze  glancing  from  Dirk  to  Seb  and  back  again.  “You
said he was dangerous.”
Even  though  Deke  tipped  his  head  toward  Dirk  and  hissed  the  words,  Seb  heard  them  loud  and
clear…even over the Comicon commotion behind him.
“I  do  believe  it’s  time  to  head  to  our  suite  and  order  room  service,”  Lex  stated,  stepping  forward.
“It’ll give us all a chance to get to know each other before we head out and enjoy the afternoon.”
At the interruption, Dirk took a hesitant step toward Seb. Not liking that hesitancy, he knew just how
to  banish  it.  Giving  his  man  a  warm  smile—fangs  carefully  hidden—Seb  held  out  his  hand  to  his
lover. He couldn’t believe the relief he felt when Dirk’s face lit up and he stepped close.
Seb  wrapped  his  arm  around  Dirk’s  waist  and  tucked  him  close,  then  leaned  close  and  discreetly
nipped his neck while whispering, “Missed you,” before straightening.
“You, too,” Dirk whispered back, then flushed a lovely shade of pink.
Just holding back a grin, Seb winked. “Then I look forward to spending the rest of the day with you.”
Feeling someone else’s eyes on him, he turned and found Deke scowling at him. Now that he had Dirk
in his arms and his pulse had slowed…and his desire to yank the other guy away from his beloved
had eased…Seb was willing to be polite. He stuck out his hand. “Sebastian Russo.”
For nearly twenty seconds, Deke just stood there frowning at him.
Sebastian waited.
Finally,  Deke  huffed  out  a  breath  and  held  out  his  hand.  Deciding  to  be  the  bigger  man—no  pun
merely nodded and smiled blandly while “Deke Sommers.”

“Nice to meet you, Deke,” Seb responded. “This is my buddy, Lexington Paistro. Everyone just calls
him Lex.” Without waiting for a response, Seb released the human’s hand and turned to look at Dirk.
“How about that room service? Does Deke have a room, yet? He can always stay in my room of the
suite since I’m bunking with you.”
Dirk’s eyes widened slightly even as his face blushed red. “Um, is-is Lex okay with that?”
Lex snorted. “I couldn’t give a shit who occupies the other room, but I am hungry. Let’s go.”
Seb  chuckled.  “That’s  Lex  for  you.  Always  thinking  with  his  stomach.”  He  winked  at  Dirk,  then
tugged  his  lover  forward  as  they  all  followed  Lex  and  made  their  way  to  the  elevator.  The  four
stepped into the box.
Semi-alone, Seb decided to take advantage. He pressed Dirk against the side of the elevator, pushing
aside  memories  of  the  night  before,  and  ducked  his  head  to  nuzzle  the  man’s  neck.  Nibbling  and
nipping, he reveled in how Dirk sank into his embrace as he worked his way up his lover’s neck.
You’re so sweet, so sexy, my cute geek.
“Not all that cute,” Dirk gasped softly.
Seb grinned as he sucked up a mark, reminding himself that he needed to discuss the mind link that
formed between intended—Seb Deke replied, a vampire and his beloved. He hadn’t actually spoken
those words out loud…
“He didn’t say anything,” Deke muttered, his lean arms crossed over his equally lean chest.
“Yeah, he did,” Dirk mumbled back.
“I did, actually,” Seb whispered. “I just hadn’t planned for all to hear.” That was certainly true.
“So,  Deke,  what  brings  you  to  Vegas?”  Lex  asked,  leaning  against  the  wall.  “The  Comicon?  The
sights? Looking to gamble?”
“No,”  Deke  snarled  belligerently.  He  crossed  his  arms  over  his  chest,  lifted  his  chin  and  snapped,
“I’m here because of dangerous shape-shifters attacking my friend.”
Seb nodded. “Dirk told me about those.” He looked his beloved in the eye and stated, “I contacted
Declan this morning. He’s the alpha of the wolf shifter pack in Stone Ridge, Colorado.”
They  reached  their  floor  and  Seb  paused.  Lex  led  the  way  out  of  the  elevator  and  Seb  murmured,
“What’s your pleasure? What do you want for lunch?”
“Chicken wings,” Dirk immediately replied.
“You got it, babe,” Seb crooned. “How hot you want them?”
“Hot!”
He was about to grin when Deke snapped, “Not too hot. You’ll get indigestion.”
Standing  in  front  of  his  suite’s  door,  Seb  held  his  tongue—  hating  how  Dirk  frowned  and  almost
cringed into him, as if embarrassed. Once they were inside, Seb turned to Deke and smiled, this time
not  hiding  his  fangs.  “Dirk  doesn’t  have  to  worry  about  indigestion  anymore,  Deke.  Once  we’ve
completed  our  bond,  he’ll  have  increased  healing  ability,  which  includes  no  indigestion,  colds,  or
STDs.” He winked at Dirk. “Can’t wait to make love to you bare, sweet beloved. “No condom?”
Seb  loved  the  squeak  in  his  man’s  tone  and  the  idea  of  sinking  his  cock  into  Dirk  with  nothing
between them, just heat and muscle and hot, tight, squeeze… Sucking in a harsh breath, he smiled at
his man. “No condom. Me filling you with my seed will finish our bond.” He winked and added, “I
still need to talk to you about our mind-speak.”
Lex  cleared  his  throat  and  held  up  the  phone  in  one  hand  and  the  room  service  menu  in  the  other.
“Let’s get food ordered first, then we’ll worry about everything else. I got a feeling that, at this hour,
we’ll have to wait a good long while before getting food.”
Nodding,  Seb  nabbed  the  folder  and  made  a  quick  scan.  He  found  the  hot  wing  selections  and

requested  an  excessive  amount  in  several  flavorings  before  handing  the  menu  to  Deke.  The  human
appeared stunned for several seconds, then took it and requested a large, chili-cheese fry.
“Sounds good,” Lex stated and Seb had to agree.
Settling  on  the  couch  in  the  front  room,  Seb  pulled  Dirk  onto  his  lap  and  into  his  arms.  Even  as  he
scowled,  Deke  flopped  onto  a  chair.  Lex  joined  them  seconds  later,  dragging  a  straight-back  chair
from the mini kitchen. He turned it backward and straddled it, resting his arms on the back.
“So,  Deke,  you’re  obviously  here  for  moral  support  for  Dirk,”  Lex  stated  bluntly.  “Why  don’t  you
both tell us what the hell is going on with you?”
Seb wanted to snarl at his buddy, but he knew Lex had a point. Dirk straightened and thrust a hand
through his thick red hair. “It’s my fault. After my disagreement with Seb last night, I called Deke.”
His expression twisted in frustration and confusion. “I’m sorry, Deke. Me and Seb talked last night
and,  well,  he’s  not  a  shifter  like  I  thought.  He  even  explained  that  shifters  like  Phil  aren’t  typical.
He’s called what kinda constitutes the shifter police and is gonna put a stop to Phil and his buddy’s
behavior.”

Chapter Eight

“A

nd you believe him? Just like that? He says he’s gonna get justice and you don’t even question it?”

Dirk almost cringed at his friend’s disbelief, but he understood from where it stemmed. Deke was

just looking out for him. When he’d returned from that fateful New Orleans trip, he’d been a mess,
hiding in his room, not seeing anyone for days.

The light stroking to his back helped.

Smiling at his…vampire, Dirk kissed Sebastian’s cheek, then turned to gaze at Deke. “Yes, I believe
him. Sebastian gave me more pleasure than I could ever ask for, never asking for anything in return,”
he explained, flushing a bit. “The only thing he desires is fidelity. He doesn’t plan to share me with
others. He’s a vampire and knows all about shifters. He explained that I really wasn’t Phil’s mate or
whatever they call it and he’s even called other shifters in to stop Phil from doing what he did to me
to anyone else.”
Tears burned at the backs of his eyes and Dirk fisted his hands in his lap. “I left three other humans. I
didn’t even try to help them. I just ran.” He shook his head even as he held up a hand to keep Seb from
saying something. “I get that I couldn’t help anyone, but I walked away and didn’t look back.”
“You didn’t have anyone you could tell, Dirk,” his friend whispered. “Who would listen to tales of
your captors turning into dingoes and chasing you?”
“I know that,” Dirk snapped, scowling at his friend. “Do you think that makes me feel any better?”
“Calm down, my sweet beloved,” Seb soothed, stroking his lover’s back and side. “Sometimes, there
isn’t anything you can do at the time, but now, you can, and you have. I’m a vampire and know people
in the shifter world.”
Dirk didn’t know if Sebastian said these things to reassure him or his friend. Still, between his
lover’s words and the way Sebastian’s hands felt stroking down his sides, it eased his frustration. He
still didn’t understand how this man could soothe him so quickly, but he sure liked it.
Seb continued in his ear, “I’ve contacted a shifter alpha I know. He’s sending some people here for
you to talk to. Tell them the truth and they’ll believe whatever you say, then those shifters that injured
you will have their just desserts.”
Dirk shivered when Seb nuzzled his nose along his neck. He trembled slightly at the idea of meeting
up with other shifters.
“You’ve done what you can. Now, my friends will take care of the rest.”
Letting out a breath, Dirk nodded. “Thanks.”
The phone buzzed and Lex rose to answer the call. After a second, he asked, “We expecting a Manon,
Tom, Byron, and Luther?”
Seb met his friend’s gaze and jerked a nod. “Yeah. Those are Declan’s people.”
“Shit, shifters?” Deke squeaked, paling.
Lex patted Deke on the shoulder as he returned to his chair. “Relax, little buddy. These are the good
guys.”
“Who you calling little?”
Dirk smothered a snicker, suddenly feeling much lighter. Between having his friend close and his
lover closer, he realized he felt pretty good.

Lifting his hands in surprise, Lex grinned largely, which earned him a shocked gasp from Deke. Lex
shrugged. “Yeah, vampires have fangs. How do you think we pierce skin to drink blood?”
“You really drink blood?” Deke paled. He turned and looked between Dirk and Sebastian. “He
drinks your blood? You’re okay with that?”
Remembering how it felt to have his lover sink his fangs into him, the pain morphing into the most
incredible pleasure of his life, his face warmed and he knew he probably turned nearly scarlet. “Uh,
yeah, it’s…”
Seb chuckled softly and kissed his neck.
Lex barked out a laugh.
Deke peered around at them indignantly. “What?”
Grinning, Lex winked at Deke, then purred, “A vampire’s bite can be extremely pleasurable.”
Now it was Deke’s turn to flush, his face reddening.
A knock on the door gave everyone something else to focus on, which Dirk completely appreciated.
Their food arrived at the same time as four men. Three were tall, broadshouldered and muscular—the
biggest a redhead, and the other two, a blond and a bald African American weren’t much smaller. It
didn’t take any stretch of Dirk’s imagination to think of them turning into wolves.
When they entered, Dirk noted how the redhead held hands with a slender man with long black hair
and androgynous features. The other pair kept a respectable distance between each other.
Once the hotel staff deposited the trolley of food into the room and left, receipt in hand, the redhead
stepped forward and held out his right hand. “I am Manon Lemelle.”
Dirk stood slowly. “I’m Dirk Lemans,” he murmured, taking Manon’s hand.
Manon squeezed his hand lightly and nodded, then released him and waved toward the lean man next
to him. “This be my mate, Chris,” he said, smiling at the blackhaired guy. Then he pointed first at the
blond, then the African American. “That be Luther and Byron.”
Both men nodded.
Unable to help himself, Dirk blurted, “Are you all wolf shifters?”
Byron nodded sharply.
Luther’s gaze riveted on Deke. “Yes,” he stated. His blue eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“Deke Sommers.”
Dirk really thought the shifter would say more, but then he just nodded and shoved his hands in his
pockets.
Manon cleared his throat and smiled. “Why don’t you go ahead and eat while you tell me about the
dingo shifters. I be from that area, so if you know any landmarks that would help me track dem down,
that’d be helpful.”
Dirk didn’t think he’d be able to eat and talk about his experience at the same time, but he followed
Sebastian’s urging and took his food.

An hour later, Dirk leaned back against the couch cushion and allowed his eyelids to slide closed.

His head pounded and even with Sebastian urging him to eat, he’d only managed to down about ten of
the hot wings—even with how wonderful they were. At least, he was done explaining his stupidity
and cowardice.
“You weren’t a coward, Dirk,” Sebastian stated firmly.

His lover had been so supportive, staying close and holding him. Sagging against Sebastian, Dirk

forced his eyes open and asked, “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Sometimes you know what I’m thinking.”

“Ah, I had planned to talk to you about that.” Sebastian

actually looked a bit sheepish. “But with everything going on, I wasn’t certain when to bring it

up.”
“More?” Dirk’s brows shot up.
Sebastian leaned down and pecked a soft kiss to Dirk’s lips. The short contact wasn’t nearly enough,
in Dirk’s opinion, but then Sebastian mused, “There always seems to be more, huh?” Without waiting
for a response, he stated, “It’s the mind-speak Lex and I mentioned. The more our bond strengthens,
the more we’ll be able to read our partner’s moods, even to the point of sharing thoughts.”
“You’ll be able to read my mind?” he squeaked.
“Not  so  much  reading  your  mind  as  impressions,”  Sebastian  corrected,  “and,  yes,  some  thoughts,  if
your  emotions  are  strong  enough  or  if  you  direct  them  to  me.  You’ll  be  able  to  do  the  same.  It’s
something I can teach you to control and I’d only ever intentionally read your thoughts if you gave me
permission,” he assured.
“That’ll be something,” Dirk mumbled.
It’s really easy, beloved. Just focus on me and mentally project a thought.
Frowning, Dirk frowned at Sebastian while thinking, What the hell does that mean?
Sebastian grinned. Just like that.
Oh!
“Thank you for sharing this information with us, Dirk,” Byron commented diplomatically. “I know it
couldn’t be easy, but we appreciate it. We’ll keep you posted on our progress, as well.”
“Rest  assured, mon  ami,”  Manon  stated.  “We’ll  stop  these  bastards.”  He  rose  and  the  other  three
followed suit. “We have a suite down the hall. We’re gonna do some research and see if the dingo
pack is listed and who the alpha is. If I have questions, do you have a cell number I can get?”
“Sure,” Dirk replied, rattling off his number.
“Merci,” Manon thanked him then led the way out.
At the threshold, Luther paused and peered back at Deke. He frowned and followed the group out.
Deke shook his head, his expression wistful. “Closet case,” he sing-songed sarcastically.
“What do you mean?” Lex asked, cocking his head curiously.
“I mean, he’s a sexy gay man hiding in his steel-enforced closet,” Deke stated, crossing his arms over
his chest.
“I hadn’t met him before now,” Sebastian admitted. “Couldn’t tell ya.”
Dirk rubbed his hands over his face, then shrugged. “Now what?”
Sebastian refocused on him. “I’m sorry our afternoon got a bit derailed. Are you too tired to go out? I
know sharing that kind of experience can be very draining.”
“Actually,  I’d  really  like  to  see  something  other  than  these  four  walls,”  Dirk  stated,  pushing  to  his
feet. “I mean no offense, but…I’m feeling a bit cooped up.”
“Then  I  have  an  idea  that’ll  get  us  out  of  the  hotel  for  a  while.”  Sebastian  stood  next  to  him  and
looked toward the other two men. “You guys up for a little fun?”
Dirk  watched  his  friend  seem  to  shake  himself  out  of  whatever  musings  that  had  hold  of  him  and
smiled. “Well, I am here,” Deke pointed out. “I might as well.”
Lex nodded. “Let’s rock and roll.”
“Excellent,” Sebastian grabbed Dirk’s hand and tugged. “Let’s go.”
Happiness filled Dirk, replacing his earlier lethargy, as Sebastian led him through the casino and out
the  front  entrance.  Never  once  did  his  lover  release  him,  always  keeping  hold  of  his  hand  or
wrapping his arm around his shoulders. More than once he saw people give his man lustful looks, and

just the knowledge that Sebastian was with him, wanted him, caused his blood to heat.
Sebastian flagged down a van taxi and they all climbed inside. “Circus, Circus,” he requested.
“You got it,” the cabbie replied. “You in town for anything special or just gambling and shows?”
“I’m one of the panelists at the Comicon going on,” Dirk explained.
“I hear that’s quite the shindig at MGM,” the man replied jovially. “You staying there or at the
Circus?”
“At the MGM,” Seb replied. “It was just a bit far to walk, in my opinion.”
The cabbie laughed. “Yep, but that’s what keeps us in business. The long, hot strip.”
“Why are we going to Circus, Circus?” Deke asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“To have a little fun,” Sebastian replied.
Deke looked toward him, but Dirk just shrugged. He wasn’t sure what Sebastian had in mind.
Fifteen minutes later, Dirk found out.

Sebastian bypassed the casino and led everyone into a huge dome filled with amusement park

rides.
“Oh, I can see me getting sick already,” Deke muttered.
Dirk  silently  agreed,  but  the  excitement  vibrating  through  his  lover  was  unmistakable.  Sebastian
wrapped an arm around his shoulders and grinned down at him. “What do you want to try first?”
“Uh…the roller coaster?” Dirk offered.
Nice choice, Seb whispered into his mind as he led the way.
The coaster’s fun dips and hills caused Dirk’s stomach to flutter pleasantly. However, after riding it
twice, along with the pirate ship and the spinning cups, Dirk needed something a little less adrenaline
oriented, so he suggested the miniature golf.
By the second hole, Dirk wondered why all of a sudden, his prick flooded with blood. On the fourth
hole, Sebastian slid his hand over Dirk’s ass, making him miss his shot. Dirk knew he didn’t imagine
the kiss to his neck on the fifth hole. By the seventh hold, he knew he’d made a mistake. His dick felt
hard as a rock and when he met Sebastian’s gaze, he didn’t imagine the lust in his lover’s eyes that
made them turn just a smidge red.
“Maybe we should skip the rest,” Dirk mumbled.
Sebastian’s  chuckle  rumbled  quietly.  He  turned  to  Lex  and  asked,  “You  mind  if  we  take  off?  I’m
ready for a glass of champagne and a naked man.”
Lex snorted and exchanged a look with Deke, who rolled his eyes. “Get out of here,” Deke grumbled.
Dirk  grimaced.  He  hated  ditching  his  friend,  especially  since  he  was  there  because  of  Dirk’s
panicked, middle-ofthe-night phone call.
Laughing, Deke gave him a quick hug. “Go on. Get laid.” He winked, then stepped close to Lex and
slipped his arm through the other vampire’s. “Lex will take good care of me,” he added with a grin.

Chapter Nine

ebastian pressed Dirk onto the bed and sipped gently at his beloved’s lips. Cradling the man’s

head, threading his fingers through Dirk’s thick red hair, Sebastian took in his sweet human’s dazed
expression and plump, kiss-swollen lips. He could feel himself falling hard for his brown-eyed geek.

“You’re so beautiful,” he crooned, just to see his man’s face flush with pleasure and

embarrassment.
“No, I’m not,” Dirk replied, just as Seb knew he would.
“I disagree with you, Dirk,” Seb murmured. He licked Dirk’s bottom lip, then sucked it lightly before
adding, “And since I am your lover, and I like my opinion better, it is the one we’ll be listening to.”
Dirk stared up at him, eyes wide, searching. Slowly, a shy smile curved his lips. How the man could
be lying naked beneath him and still appear shy blew Seb’s mind, but Dirk pulled it off.
“Okay.”
The one whispered word, full of trust and faith, tore at Seb’s heartstrings. Gods, I need this man by
my  side  always.  Fueled  by  lust  and  need  and…maybe  even  the  burgeoning  feelings  of  love...  Seb
leaned  down  and  captured  his  man’s  mouth.  He  thrust  his  tongue  deep.  He  tasted  the  champagne
they’d drunk in front of the fire and a hint of the chocolate covered strawberries.
Groaning, Seb lifted his head and grinned down at his man. “Champagne and chocolate tastes great on
you,” he growled.
Dirk snickered. “Taste away.”
Remembering the hang-up his human mentioned at dinner the night before, Seb lifted up on his arms
and—even  as  he  swept  his  gaze  over  Dirk’s  naked,  sexy  body—he  asked,  “Are  you  okay  on  your
back to start?” He ogled the pale skin and freckles he longed to explore with his teeth and tongue.
“To start?”
Liking  the  surprised  squeak  in  his  man’s  voice,  Seb  grinned  lasciviously.  “Oh,  yes.  I’m  going  to
explore your delectable body, then suck several items while I prep you. Then I’ll roll over and you
can ride my cock. How does that sound?”
Dirk mewled and shifted restlessly. Before Seb’s eyes, a bead of pre-cum oozed from the narrow slit
in  his  lover’s  cap.  Unable  to  resist,  Seb  scooped  up  the  translucent  fluid  and  spread  it  around  the
swollen head, stimulating his lover. Seb hummed, appreciating the sexy sounds escaping his lover.
“Like that, do you?” he crooned.
“Shit, who wouldn’t?”
Laughing,  Seb  licked  and  nipped  down  his  man’s  collarbone  and  across  his  peck  until  he  reached
Dirk’s left nipple. He scraped his fang over the bud, making it pucker, then wrapped his lips around it
and sucked lightly.
Dirk arched into his touch. His hands came up and buried in Seb’s hair, not tugging or pulling, just…
there,  connecting  them.  Humming,  he  vibrated  his  man’s  skin,  earning  him  a  whine  from  his  lover.
After nipping Dirk’s nub one more time, Seb released it and started making his way down the man’s
torso.
The smell of man mixed with the light bloom of his beloved’s sweat caused his cock to tighten and
ache. Dirk twitched when he scraped a fang over the dip of his ribcage. Seb did it again, a bit harder,
and Dirk jerked.
Sebastian moaned at the taste, the feel, the responses of his lover. “Fuck, you’re amazing, sexy man.”
“Gonna make me come just from touching,” Dirk mumbled. “Shit, how do you do that?”

Seb  chuckled  against  his  lover’s  skin.  “Pleasure  from  your  bonded  beloved  can  be  explosive,”  he
crooned. His own words gave him pause. When he reached for the bottle of lube and held it up, he
explained, “When I slide into you and spill inside your body, I will complete our bond, Dirk. Are you
ready to be mine?”
Dirk suddenly grew serious. He smiled. “I’m already yours.”
His heart tightening, Seb swallowed hard. “Thank you, beautiful man.”
“I’ve  never  been  flattered  so  often.”  Dirk  actually  sobbed  once,  although  his  scent  told  Seb  that  he
was happy.
Smiling down at Dirk, Seb traced his fingertips over the bulge of his man’s stomach to the point of his
hip. “Get used to it, handsome,” he crooned. “I enjoy sharing how wonderful and attractive I find you.
You’re a smart, kind, capable man, and I will love on you as often as you’ll let me.”
“Oh, God, yes. Wanna feel you. Please!”
“You  never  have  to  beg  me,  Dirk,”  Seb  assured.  “I  will  always  do  my  best  to  give  you  what  you
need.”
To  that  end,  Seb  swooped  down  and  swallowed  his  lover’s  hard  prick. After  over  a  century  and  a
half of sex, he no longer had a gag reflex. Using his considerable skill, he lodged his man’s cock head
into his throat and swallowed several times as he poured lube onto his fingers and slid one deep into
Dirk’s rectum.
“S-Seb!”
Liking the sound of his name on his beloved’s lips, Seb eased up on the man’s prick. As he started a
slow fingerfucking, he swiped his tongue across Dirk’s cock head. He delved into the slit, scooping
up  the  pre-cum.  After  swallowing  it  down,  he  stroked  his  human’s  shaft  with  his  tongue,  then
massaged the wrinkled flesh under the cap.
With  Dirk  loose  and  moaning,  he  slid  in  a  second  finger  and  a  third.  Even  as  his  lover  grunted,  he
rocked his hips up, chasing his fingers as he pulled them out. Seb didn’t leave his lover wanting. He
slid his fingers back in, crooked them, and rubbed his man’s prostate.
“Oh!” Dirk moaned. “C-close!”
“Not yet, babe,” Seb growled.
He pulled his fingers free and rolled to his back, using his increased strength to easily maneuver his
lover  as  he  went.  He  settled  Dirk  over  his  waist  and  peered  up  at  his  lover,  enjoying  the  man’s
flushed skin and lusty expression.
“You ready, Dirk?” he asked, running his fingers over the man’s pooch of a stomach up to his pecks,
giving his human’s nipples a light flick.
Dirk settled his hands on Seb’s chest and lifted his hips, rocking his ass back. “Need you in me,” he
responded breathlessly.
“Fuck,  yeah,”  Seb  grunted.  He  grabbed  his  prick  with  one  hand  and  Dirk’s  waist  with  the  other.
Guiding his beloved’s hips, Seb kissed his cap to Dirk’s entrance. “Now, baby. You got control.”
Moaning,  Dirk  wasted  no  time  in  sinking  down  Seb’s  shaft.  His  lover’s  chute  swallowed  him,
clamping his cock in the hot, tight sheath. Seb grunted, letting out a long slow breath as his shaft was
enclosed in his human’s body. Seconds later, Dirk settled on his hips and let out a throaty moan.
“Dirk,” Seb groaned.
He peered up through half-mast lids at his lover. Seeing Dirk speared on his shaft, his jaw slack, his
eyelids heavy, nearly caused Seb to lose it right then. His balls rolled in their sacks, pulling flush to
his body. He knew this was going to be over far too soon.
As  Dirk  rocked  upward,  sliding  halfway  off  Seb’s  dick,  he  hissed  through  clenched  teeth.  “Fuck,

baby. Gonna be over quick.”
“Yeah. Ugh. Fuck me, Seb. Fill my ass.”
Hearing  his  mild-mannered  lover  talk  dirty  acted  as  a  flash-fire  in  a  pan.  Seb  gave  a  hoarse  shout,
clamped his hands on Dirk’s hips to hold him steady, and began rocking his hips, reaming his lover’s
ass as swiftly as possible in that position.
When Dirk reached for his cock, Seb growled and batted his hand away. He grabbed Dirk’s jutting
dick and stripped it in time with his thrusts. It only took three for his lover’s body to jerk, his shaft to
swell and spray, and his chute to clamp down on Seb’s dick.
The sight and smell of his lover, the sound of his grunts and moans, combined with the tight hold on
his  prick,  were  all  too  much.  Seb  shouted  his  lover’s  name  as  he  bucked  up  once,  twice  more  and
came.  His  balls  turned  inside  out  as  his  cock  shot,  coating  his  lover’s  channel  with  stream  after
stream of his seed.
Seb clutched Dirk, holding his beloved tight to his chest. Endorphins pinging pleasantly, he hummed
as he gently traced the knobs of Dirk’s spine. The feel of his man draped over his chest, his softening
prick still buried in Dirk, Seb’s entire body relaxed with contentment.
“Wow.”
His lover’s garbled word made Seb smile.
“Exactly,”  Seb  muttered  back.  He  pressed  a  kiss  to  Dirk’s  temple,  then  once  again  relaxed.  “This
position is amazing. You look so good riding my cock, baby.”
“That’s good,” Dirk murmured. He tilted his head and smiled up at him, his eyes sated and sleepy. “I
like riding your cock. Feels good.”
Seb chuckled softly and continued to pet his man until his prick finally softened enough to slide out.
Dirk grunted and wriggled his hips a bit. Sighing, Seb helped his lover slide off him. Giving his lips a
soft peck, he crooned, “Stay there, sexy. I’ll get shit to clean you up.”
“’Kay.”
Rolling to his feet, Seb strolled to the bathroom, his limbs feeling loose as only good sex could do,
his muscles lethargic. Seb hummed to himself as he cleaned up his groin. Returning to Dirk, he paused
and took in the blissed-out expression on his dozing lover. His heart squeezed in his chest.
When  he’d  woken  that  morning,  holding  his  beloved,  he’d  felt  a  sense  of  peace  he’d  never
experienced before. He wanted that same feeling every day. To get that, Seb knew he and Dirk had a
few things to talk about.
Seb  settled  on  the  side  of  the  bed  and  gently  cleaned  up  his  man,  clearing  away  the  cum  and  lube.
Even as Dirk looked up and smiled at him, he flushed, showing his shyness. “Thanks,” he whispered.
“You’re  welcome,”  Seb  replied,  then  tossed  the  towel  toward  the  bathroom.  He  crawled  into  bed,
carefully  maneuvering  them  under  the  covers  with  Dirk  once  more  draped  over  his  chest.  “I  really
like this position,” he admitted upon seeing his man’s amused, yet pleased, expression. “And I love
taking care of you.”
Dirk sighed. “I really like it, too.”
Seb thought about how to bring up their future, playing through opening lines in his mind.
To his surprise, Dirk blurted, “You didn’t bite me.”
“No,”  Seb  confirmed.  “I  don’t  require  your  blood  every  day,  sweet  man,”  he  explained,  tracing
Dirk’s brows, easing the creases caused by his surprised expression.
“Oh.” Dirk nibbled his lip, then asked, “So, how often do you need my blood?”
Seb had no clue why his beloved smelled of tension, especially after just riding his cock. Concerned,
he crooned, “I figure to maintain proper health, I’d only really need to drink from you every seven to

ten days.”
“Oh.”
Suddenly,  realization  struck  Seb.  “You’re  disappointed!”  He  tightened  one  arm  around  his  man’s
torso and cupped Dirk’s jaw. “Hey, talk to me,” he urged. “Does it bother you that I need to bite you,
drink your blood?”
Seb  hadn’t  even  gotten  the  question  completely  out  and  already  Dirk  shook  his  head.  “No,”  he
mumbled.
Seb  remembered  the  wash  of  emotions  he’d  scented  rolling  off  his  lover  when  Deke  had  asked  the
same question. Seb’s brows shot up. “You  are disappointed, but it’s because you want me to bite you
more often. Right?”
Dirk flushed almost scarlet, flooding his cheeks and chest with blood.
“Hey, cutie,” Seb crooned. Lowering his voice, he rumbled, “Relax. I’m happy to nip you any time
you want.”
“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to,” Dirk responded uncertainly.
Seb grinned widely, showing off his fangs. “Baby, I love biting you. I just worried you didn’t want me
to.”  He  growled  softly  as  he  rumbled,  “I  don’t  need  to  drink  much  when  I  bite,  little  sips  a  couple
times a day…how does that sound?”
To enforce his words, Seb lifted his head and nibbled Dirk’s neck. “Anytime you want, beloved.”
Dirk actually moaned and pressed into his teeth, begging with body and action. “Yesss,” he hissed. A
fine tremor of anticipation worked through his lover.
Unable  to  deny  his  man,  Seb  sank  his  teeth  slowly  into  Dirk’s  vein.  His  human  moaned,  the  sound
sweet  music  to  his  ears. As  he  swallowed  several  small  mouthfuls  of  Dirk’s  delicious,  life-giving
blood, Seb held his shuddering, twitching lover. Seconds later, warm seed oozed across his hip as his
lover came from his bite alone.
Seb  withdrew  his  teeth  and  licked  the  bite-mark  closed,  then  stared  down  at  his  lover.  Smug
satisfaction  filled  him  upon  seeing  his  man’s  sated,  blissed-out  expression.  “So  fucking  sexy,”  he
crooned, tracing Dirk’s slack lips.
Yanking  off  a  pillowcase,  he  used  it  to  clean  them  both  up.  He  tossed  the  fabric  to  the  floor  and
settled back on the mattress. Licking his lips, he grinned at the ceiling.
“You taste delicious.”
Dirk sighed and cuddled in close. “That’s so amazing.”
“What’s amazing?” Seb asked, petting his lover’s side, back, and ass.
“Your bite. Why does it make me come so hard?”
Seb chuckled and crooned, “Just wait until I do it while we’re having sex. It’ll blow your mind.”
Groaning, Dirk shifted his hips. “Stop,” he gasped. “You’re making me hard.”
Laughing softly, Seb assured, “I’ll get you off as often as you want, baby.”
“Ugh. I need a couple hours after back to back orgasms,” Dirk all but grumbled.
“Sure, beloved.”
After  a  couple  minutes  of  silence,  Seb  thought  his  man  had  started  to  drift  off,  but  then  Dirk  asked,
“So, um, how often do you really need to drink?”
“I told you the truth,” Seb replied. “I really do only need to feed from you every week or so.”
“Oh.”
Yep, definitely disappointed.
“Would it help you relax if I told you that you’re the only one I can feed from for now on?” Seb asked
lightly. He didn’t want to pressure his lover, but he needed him to understand that Dirk was it for him.

Dirk  rolled  his  head  and  peered  up  at  him,  an  earnest  expression  on  his  face.  “So,  does  that  mean
you’re going to fly out to Sacramento every week?”
Still holding his gaze, Seb grew a bit more serious. “I need you to think about something, Dirk.”
“What?”
“I’m going to ask you to  travel  with  me.  Vampires  are  possessive  and  protective,  and  if  you’re  not
with  me,  I’m  going  to  be  too  worried  about  how  you’re  doing  to  concentrate  much  on  my  job,”  he
admitted. Seb grimaced. “Shit, that sounds like I think my job is more important than yours and that
couldn’t be any further from the truth.”
Dirk placed two fingers against Seb’s lips, encouraging silence. “Where do you call home, Seb?”
“I  have  a  home  in Atlanta,  Georgia.  That’s  where  over  half  the  vampires  on  the  Vampire  Council
reside. I work for them,” he reminded.
“Okay, I’ll give it some thought,” Dirk assured.
Seb smiled, thankful his beloved hadn’t just shut him down. “Thank you,” he whispered. It wasn’t an
answer, but it was a start.
Cuddled  up  with  Dirk,  relaxed,  content,  Seb  remembered  the  conversation  he’d  had  with  Declan
earlier while waiting for food. He’d told the alpha wolf he needed forty-eight hours, because that was
when the Comicon ended. Declan had agreed. Now, Seb just had to convince Dirk to go with him.

Chapter Ten

irk just managed to keep from rolling his eyes at the ridiculous topic. Oh, well. To each his own.

Some guy dressed as Magneto wanted to know who each of them thought would win in a fight—
Wonder Woman or Cat Woman.

Really? This was more important than learning the basics of web design?

While two panelists each said Wonder Woman and why, the other two had very good arguments for
Cat Woman. Now, it was Dirk’s turn. Deciding he really didn’t care and didn’t really want to give it
any serious thought—heck, he had more important things to figure out…like how quickly could he get
out of his apartment lease and even if he should, yet—he decided to have a little fun with the question.
“I’m actually going to have to go with neither.” Before anyone could interrupt, Dirk held up his hand
and explained, “It’s because the only reason they’d ever be fighting is for foreplay. They don’t really
plan to injure each other. It’s just, all that flushed skin, heaving chests, and bare skin? Yep, gets ’em
hot,” he finished with a shrug.
Just last week, never in a million years would he have been bold enough to say something like that in
front of over two dozen people. He knew his few days with Sebastian, with his constant compliments
and single-minded attention, had bolstered his confidence.
Dirk grinned at the stunned expressions on the people’s faces.
Finally,  a  skinny  blond  groaned,  his  face  flushing.  It  didn’t  take  a  genius  to  figure  out  what he  was
thinking about when he muttered, “So hot.”
“Nice  one,”  Ronnie  called  from  two  chairs  down.  He  leaned  across  the  man  between  them—who
snickered behind his hand—and lifted his fist for a bump. Dirk gave it to him.
Mumbling,  hissing,  and  chuckling  broke  out  as  people  started  assimilating  what  Dirk  had  said.
Fortunately,  at  that  point,  the  panel  was  over.  Magneto  had  asked  the  last  question  for  the  morning.
Even as people started filing out, or filing forward to chat with them, Dirk still noticed Sebastian slip
into the room and stand at the back.
A  pair  of  men  stopped  in  front  of  Dirk,  cutting  off  his  view.  He  focused  on  them,  on  their  excited
faces.  Before  either  could  speak,  a  third  man  stalked  by  the  table  and  hissed,  “Fag.”  At  least,  he
continued on his way.
“Don’t listen to that guy,” one of the men in front of him urged. “Your answer was epic!”
Dirk snorted. “I don’t know about that, but if you say so.”
For five minutes, the two men actually asked questions about putting their comic book in the best light
for submittal to a publisher. When they walked off, their heads huddled together as they talked about
the information and ideas he’d given them, Dirk actually felt pretty good.
“Your  man  is  waiting  on  ya,  Dirk,”  Ronnie  teased.  His  expression  sobered  as  he  commented,  “He
sure keeps you on a short leash.”
Dirk  knew  how  it  must  look—controlling  boyfriend  didn’t  trust  him  and  kept  watch  over  him.  He
shrugged.  It  didn’t  matter  that  others  didn’t  understand.  “He  knows  I’m  not  good  in  crowds  and
doesn’t want me uncomfortable,” Dirk stated. “He’s supportive.”
“Oh,” Ronnie glanced between them. “How long have you two been together?”
“Not nearly long enough,” Sebastian crooned, drawing close. He grinned and winked at Dirk before
extending a hand. “Sebastian Russo.”
“Ronnie Cullins,” the other panelist replied, taking his hand.
Sebastian  nodded.  “I  remember.  You  had  invited  Dirk  out  for  drinks  with  your  friends,  but  we’d

already had plans. If you want a rain-check, we can go now.”
Ronnie  chuckled  and  grabbed  his  satchel.  “This  time, I  got  plans.  Sorry,  guys.”  He  winked  as  he
headed toward the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, boys,” he teased. After a final wave, he
disappeared.
“Come  on,  lover,”  Sebastian  crooned.  “Let’s  go  find  lunch,  then  I’m  going  to  drag  your  ass  to  the
New York to ride their coaster.”
Dirk groaned, even as he laughed. “I’ve created a monster.”
Yesterday, after they’d dropped Deke back at the airport—with many promises to call a couple times
a  day  with  updates  on  his  plans  as  well  as  info  on  the  dingoes—  Dirk  had  put  his  foot  down  and
refused to go to the Stratosphere. He had no desire to ride on anything suspended over three million
feet in the air.
Yeah, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but…heck, no!
Sebastian  had  conceded  and  they’d  ended  up  at  Mandalay  Bay,  taking  in  the  place’s  Shark  Reef
exhibit.  Dirk  had  found  it  fascinating  and  could  have  stood  in  their  fake  sunken  ship  watching  the
sharks and other fish float around him all night. His lover had coaxed him out with promises of mind-
blowing sex, which he’d more than delivered upon.
Dirk didn’t ever remember having so much sex, and Sebastian showed no signs of losing interest.
“Okay,  okay,”  Dirk  grumbled  good  naturedly.  “But  we  should  ride  the  coaster  first,  because
otherwise I might throw it all back up on you.”
Chuckling,  Sebastian  nodded.  “Point  taken.  Let’s  go  check  it  out.”  He  slid  his  hand  in  Dirk’s  and
squeezed. “You’re such a good sport, baby.”
“I’m not sure why, but I like doing things with you and I like that it makes you smile,” Dirk admitted,
flushing slightly.
“Me, too, Dirk,” Sebastian replied softly. “Me, too.”

The roller coaster was better than Dirk expected. The big hill took his breath away, and he

screamed with abandon on the loops and twists. The quick dips made his tummy flutter, but in a good
way. He liked it so much, he even allowed Sebastian to drag him on a second time.

Of course, then his stomach started protesting. It didn’t take much to beg off a third go. Since

Sebastian gave him an understanding look and rubbed his back, Dirk guessed he looked a little green
around the gills, so-to-speak.

Heading into the arcade, a muscular blond clipped his shoulder, shoving past him. Dirk frowned

and turned, rubbing his shoulder. His jaw sagged open as he recognized the man from the plane, Dane.

“Watch your back, little faggot,” Dane sneered. Curling his lip, he snarled, “Got you fixed.” The

guy disappeared into the crowd.

Frowning, Dirk turned back to discover Sebastian had stopped a few paces ahead. His lover

peered back at him, a concerned crease to his brows. “Everything okay?” he asked, holding out his
hand.

“Y-yeah, just—” Dirk glanced over his shoulder again, but saw no sign of the man. Shaking his

head, he muttered, “Asshole.”

“Hey, what happened?” Sebastian asked as he settled his hand on his back. “Not often I hear you

get worked up enough to cuss.”

Dirk nodded, leaning into his man. “Yeah. Just saw that jerk from the plane and he was just as

bigoted and nasty as ever.”

“I’m sorry, Dirk,” Sebastian murmured. “I’m afraid we’ll always run into those people.”

“You got that right,” Dirk confirmed. “And you have nothing to apologize for. People’s intolerance

isn’t your problem.”
Sebastian smiled down at him. “I can apologize for dragging you out amongst them and subjecting you
to their attitudes.”
Dirk shook his head and bumped his shoulder into Sebastian’s arm. “Can’t stay holed up forever.
Come on.” He led the way toward a Skeeballgame. “Let’s see what ya got, big boy.”

An hour—and thirty dollars—later, Dirk roared with laughter as he watched Sebastian skillfully

dance to a high score on the Dance Revolution machine. That is, until he realized how the twisting,
turning, and quick steps showed off his lover’s lean muscular form to perfection.

Lust slammed into him, hard and fast.

Dirk wanted to lick the sweat beading on Sebastian’s temples, peel away the shirt and catch the drips
on his tongue. The fact that he knew exactly what that body looked like without clothes, knew what it
felt like to touch the man, made blood rush that much faster to his prick.
His cock thickened swiftly in his jeans.
When  Sebastian  executed  some  sliding,  shimmying  footwork  that  would  make  Elvis  Presley  proud,
the vampire used one hand on the rail behind him to steady himself.
Focusing on those long fingers, Dirk imagined that hand on his hip while Sebastian bent him over that
railing and drilled him, rutted into him like a stallion would a mare in heat. He just bit back a moan as
his erection oozed and flexed in his jeans.
It was a damn good thing he wore a long flannel shirt over his T.
Sebastian finally missed a step, bringing his game to an end.
His chest heaving, his eyes blazing, Sebastian pinned a shocked look on Dirk for just a second, then
covered  the  expression  with  a  grin  as  he  waved  one  hand  at  his  cheering  audience  and  shoved  his
sweat-dampened hair away from his face with his other.
“Thanks for the support, guys,” Sebastian called. “That was fun.”
He turned around and entered SEB in the high score where prompted. Dirk noted his lover was listed
as six on the top ten list.
“Impressive, Seb,” Dirk congratulated.
“Thanks, babe,” Sebastian replied. Not at all shy, he leaned over the railing and grinned. “How about
a congratulatory kiss?”
“I’ll  give  you  one,”  stated  a  slender  blonde  woman  in  tight  jeans  and  a  curve-hugging  blouse  that
showed off her cleavage to great advantage. She moved forward, obviously intending to do just that.
Jealousy  unlike  anything  he’d  ever  felt  before  slammed  into  Dirk,  replacing  his  lust.  He  stepped
forward, cutting off the woman’s approach.
“Hey!” she squeaked.
“He meant me,” Dirk snapped, frowning over his shoulder at her.
“No way,” the woman scoffed, clearly disbelieving.
“Yes, way,” Sebastian crooned.
Sebastian  cupped  Dirk’s  jaw,  and  he  returned  his  focus  to  his  lover.  Dirk  tipped  his  head  back  in
invitation, which Sebastian Sebastian lover, Dirk accepted the other man’s tongue.
Wolf whistles combined with snide comments.
Easing  the  kiss  to  an  end,  Sebastian  lifted  his  head,  stating  quietly,  “I  have  no  idea  what  you  were
thinking about there at the end, but I’m hoping you’ll be willing to share later.”
Dirk flushed, heat rising in his cheeks. “It might have had something to do with you, me, and someone
being bent over this railing,” he mumbled back.
Sebastian grunted. I’ll ask for specifics later, beloved.

Sebastian straightened. “Ready to get supper?”
“If I keep eating meals with you, I’m gonna need to go on a diet,” Dirk muttered.
“Nonsense,”  Sebastian  denied,  leading  him  through  the  dwindling  crowd.  He  leaned  close  and
assured, “I’ll help you work it off.”
“What a waste,” someone said.
Dirk  turned  and  frowned  at  the  woman  who  stood  with  her  girlfriends.  She  scowled  back  at  Dirk,
shaking her head. Unable to help it, Dirk stuck out his tongue. He figured that’d be more polite than
flipping the woman off. Just hiding his snicker, Dirk once more focused on where they were going.
had  no  trouble  accepting.  Lowering  his  head,  captured  his  lips.  Immediately  opening  to  his  “So,
where we headed?”
“It’s my birthday today,” Sebastian revealed. “I made reservations at MGM’s Pub.”
That was news to Dirk. “It’s your birthday?”
Sebastian nodded. “I hope you don’t mind. Since it’s my two hundredth, a couple of my buddies and
their men are meeting us.”
“Wow, two hundred?” Dirk’s brows shot up. Another thought struck. “Your friends?” he squeaked.
Shit, just that fast his erection wilted.
Evidently, Sebastian recognized his change in mood, for he pulled him out of the flow of people and
pinned him to a wall. “Hey, what’s that all about? What’s wrong?”
Reaching up, Dirk fingered his vampire’s sweaty hair, wiping away a lingering bead of sweat. “What
if they don’t like me?”
“Oh,  babe,  don’t  worry.”  He  lowered  his  head  and  pecked  a  swift  butterfly  kiss  to  Dirk’s  lips.
“They’re going to like you just fine. They’re the most non-judgmental group of guys imaginable.” He
traced his finger over Dirk’s brow, smiling slightly. “Trust me.”
Dirk nodded slowly. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just…I don’t want…” Grimacing, he muttered, “I don’t know
what I want.” Dirk rolled his eyes, then smiled shyly up at Sebastian. “I’m freaking out over nothing,
aren’t I?”
“You are.” Sebastian winked. “But when I meet your parents, I’ll probably freak out a bit, too, so I do
understand.”
“You want to meet my parents?”
“Absolutely,” Sebastian said, sounding surprised. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Why  hadn’t  that  thought  occurred  to  him  before?  “Uh,  because  you’re  a…”  He  waved  his  hand
vaguely. “And they are…”
Sebastian leaned close and murmured into his ear, “Well, I don’t plan on telling them I’m a vampire
any time soon, but I do wish to meet them…maybe assure them I plan to take very, verygood care of
their son.”
Dirk’s breath caught in his throat as Sebastian licked his neck, then scraped his fang up the tendon of
his shoulder. Nodding, Dirk let his trepidation go.

Chapter Eleven

alking into the restaurant, Sebastian kept his hand pressed lightly to Dirk’s lower back. He knew

his lover was nervous. Sebastian wasn’t completely sure if his beloved’s uncertainty stemmed from
meeting the people that constituted Sebastian’s family, or if it was because there were shifters
amongst them.

Either way, he hoped his sweet human calmed down soon.

Sebastian  reached  a  large  oval  table  set  up  in  the  back  of  the  restaurant. All  his  friends  and  their
partners were already there.
“Hey, there’s the birthday boy!” greeted Caspian.
After getting a one armed hug from the fellow vampire, Sebastian grinned. “Thanks, Cass. This is my
man, Dirk Lemans. Dirk, these crazy yahoos are Caspian, his partner Casey.” He pointed to each in
turn. “Next to them is Vince and his partner Frankie. And you already know the rest of the guys, Lex,
Manon, Chris, Byron, and Luther.”
Dirk raised a hand, giving everyone an uncertain smile. “Hey.”
After everyone sat down, Luther asked, “Where’s your friend?”
“You mean Deke?” Dirk asked, lifting a brow.
Luther nodded.
Dirk shrugged. “He went home yesterday.”
“Where  does  he  call  home?”  Luther’s  tone  came  out  even…maybe  a  little too  even,  as  if  trying  to
hide just how curious he was.
“Sacramento. Same as me,” Dirk answered.
Sebastian remembered his beloved’s friend’s comment about Luther being in the closet. Seeing as he
was surrounded by gay men, he wondered if the wolf shifter would open up a bit. He leaned forward
and leered at the guy. “You liking Deke a bit, eh?”
Luther lowered his gaze to his beer. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he lifted the drink and took a swig.
When  he  put  the  mug  back  on  the  table,  he  stated,  “I  have  a  daughter.  She’s  four.  Her  name  is
Stephanie.”
Okay, so that wasn’t actually  an  answer,  but  Seb  figured  he  ought  to  let  it  go. To  each  his  own. As
long  as  Luther  didn’t  do  anything  to  hurt  Dirk,  except  Sebastian  kinda  figured  that  if  Luther  fucked
with Deke, Dirk would be angry. Maybe he’d have to keep an eye on the wolf shifter after all.
“So, I do believe congratulations are in order,” Vince stated, leaning forward and slapping his palm
on the table. He lifted his drink and offered, “A toast. To finding that special someone.”
Sebastian grinned and grabbed the beverage Lex offered him. Wrapping his arm around the back of
Dirk’s  chair,  he  traced  the  man’s  neck  and  shoulder  with  his  fingertips.  “To  finding  that  special
someone.” He lifted his drink, saluted the others, and took several swallows of his beer.
After everyone drank, Lex lifted his beer and stated, “And here’s to finding Mister Right Now when
Mister Right is still absent.”
Everyone laughed and drank again.
After  over  a  half  a  dozen  appetizers  arrived—two  each  of  hot  wings,  potato  skins,  and  jalapeno
poppers—along  with  a  couple  more  pitchers  of  beer,  Byron  leaned  forward  and  stated,  “Declan
wants to know if you’re available to head to Stone Ridge tomorrow evening. He wants you and me to
aid in delivering Marlow to the CIA asap.”
Grimacing, Seb glanced at Dirk. He hadn’t wanted to push his human about their future, but he figured

it  wasn’t  fair  to  put  it  off  any  longer.  Holding  his  man’s  questioning  gaze,  Seb  softly  explained,
“Marlow is an asshole scientist who kidnapped shifters to experiment on them. While raiding one of
his facilities, Declan discovered the CIA knows about shifters and they want Marlow. To keep peace,
we’re turning the asshole over to the government.”
“You’re a vampire. Why are you involved?” Dirk asked, frowning. He paled while glancing around
at  the  shifters  at  the  table.  “Uh,  sorry.  That  was  probably  rude.  I  mean—”  he  shoved  his  fingers
through his hair, messing up the red locks. “You guys are helping me and I’m not a shifter.”
“Relax, Dirk,” Manon soothed, a smile lightening his gray eyes. “I get what you mean. We help each
other for safety. If it gets out dat shifters or even vampires don’t respect humans, treat dem as slaves
or  cattle,  vigilante  groups  can  surface.  Like  Marlow  and  his  people.”  He  grimaced  and  shook  his
head. “Every race has deir bad apples. Just like your human police tries to keep your problem people
in check, we do the same,” he finished on a shrug.
Dirk nodded. He picked up a loaded potato skin, dipped it in ranch, and bit into it. White oozed at the
corner of his lip and Sebastian fought the urge to lean over and lick it off…then he wondered why the
hell he bothered. He did what he wanted and kissed the corner of his man’s mouth, discreetly licking
the ranch away.
Grinning, Sebastian winked. “Yum.”
Dirk blushed.
I love that look on you, Dirk.
His man’s flush intensified.
Sebastian  grinned. After  a  few  seconds  enjoying  the  view,  he  sobered  and  stated,  “I  guess,  what  I
need to know is, are you willing to accompany me? Or are you returning to Sacramento tomorrow?”
He  cupped  his  man’s  jaw  and  peered  into  his  solemn  brown  eyes.  “If  you  decide  to  return  home,  I
will understand. I will be following you as soon as my task is done, but I can’t put it off any longer.”
Dirk peered up at him, his gaze searching. “I can work from anywhere,” he admitted. “I don’t—” He
paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m afraid if I let you out of my sight, this will all turn out to be
some kind of fantasy.”
“Oh, Dirk,” Seb crooned. “This is no fantasy. This is real. This is you and me in it for the long haul.”
He brought up his other hand and threaded it through Dirk’s soft red hair until his cupped his skull.
“You’re  stuck  with  me,  Dirk.  Fangs  and  all,”  he  whispered  into  his  beloved’s  ear  before  nibbling
along his jaw and then capturing his lips.
Unable to resist, Sebastian thrust his tongue deep, searching for the heady taste of his man beneath the
beer and snacks. It only took him a moment to find it, and he swirled his tongue around Dirk’s mouth,
mapping his teeth and gums.
“All right, all right!”
Caspian’s  amused  shout  cut  through  Seb’s  lust-induced  haze,  reminding  him  where  they  were  and
why. Seb brought the kiss to an end, then pecked one more to Dirk’s beautifully kiss-swollen lips, just
for good measure and because he could.
Looking around at his grinning friends, he shrugged. “What can I say? I find him fucking irresistible.”
While a number of them guffawed, a couple rolled their eyes, but it was Frankie who stated—very
seriously— “That’s as it should be. Mates always find each other irresistible.” The big wolf shifter
grinned, the move brightening his brown eyes. “And it helps that the sex is better than you could ever
get with someone else.”
Vince  growled  low  in  his  throat,  which—interestingly  enough—caused  Frankie  to  almost  pant  with
obvious arousal. The vampire showed off a fang as he snarled, “Never talk of fucking another, wolf.

You’re mine.”
“Hell, yeah, Vince,” Frankie panted. “I’m yours.”
“Mine!”  Vince  all  but  attacked  Frankie’s  mouth,  mauling  him,  and  Frankie  met  his  aggression  with
equal fervor.
“Holy cow,” Dirk gasped, his eyes big as he watched them. “Are they—is that normal?”
Casey  snickered,  although  his  face  appeared  a  bit  pink.  “You  ought  to  see  my  friends  Jared  and
Carson.  They’d  fuck  on  the  table  if  they  felt  the  urge  and  didn’t  think  they’d  get  kicked  out  of  the
casino.”
Dirk’s jaw sagged open. “Really?” he squeaked.
Leaning close, Sebastian explained, “Because we have a heightened sense of smell, when our SOs put
off pheromones, it feeds ours. How do you think I knew you were thinking about something other than
dancing when I was trying to win top score?” He winked. “You were quite distracting.”
“I distracted you? Do you have any idea how sexy you looked busting a move on that thing?” His eyes
narrowed and he scowled at Seb. “I wasn’t the only one who thought so. That hussy was all but ready
to jump your bones.”
“Awe, I didn’t want her, baby,” Sebastian crooned. “Only you.”
Lex leaned back in his chair and lifted a brow. “You were dancing? Why was that?”
Sebastian shrugged. “It was one of those Dance Tournament arcade games. There was one at the New
York, New York. It’d been over a century since I danced like that.” Unrepentant, he added, “It was
fun,  and  I  totally  would  have  gotten  the  high  score  if  I  didn’t  get  distracted  by  my  beloved  thinking
inappropriate thoughts.”
Dirk flushed bright red. “It wasn’t my fault you looked so sexy.”
Curling around his human, Seb chuckled against the sensitive flesh behind his ear. “I’m glad you find
me so, because I have plans for birthday sex, and you’re on the menu.”
“S-Seb,” Dirk whined softly, shivering.
“God, you all are horn balls,” Byron grumbled.
Sebastian straightened. He gave the unmated wolf a sheepish grin. “Sorry, man. It’ll happen for ya.”
Lex  grinned  largely.  “And  in  the  meantime,  there  are  plenty  of  cute  twinks  to  fuck.”  A  sly  look
crossed his lips, and Sebastian wondered what mischief brewed behind his friend’s eyes. He didn’t
have long to wait, for Lex followed his comment up with, “Like Dirk’s buddy, Deke, with that tight
sexy body and cute bubble butt. Mmm-mmm.”
Suddenly, Luther shoved back from the table. His chair clattered to the floor as the blond wolf shifter
grabbed Lex’s shirt and yanked him up. “Did you fuck, Deke?” Luther all but snarled in Lex’s face.
The vampire’s eyes glowed red, but he held up his hands. Seb shook his head when he saw that his
buddy’s hands had yet to turn into claws telling Seb that Lex goaded Luther, although he didn’t know
why.
Deciding he didn’t really want to get kicked out of the restaurant on his birthday, Seb exchanged looks
with Manon and rose from the table. He rested his hand on Lex’s shoulder just as the wolf enforcer
rested both hands on Luther’s shoulders and whispered into his ear, “Relax, Luther. We be in public,
bra. Settle down.”
Luther stood down, releasing Lex. Still, he growled, “You stay away from Deke.” Pulling away from
Manon, Luther stalked from the restaurant.
Byron whistled under his breath. “Damn, you all thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Uh, his wife is gonna have her hands full when he gets home?” Caspian muttered.
“No wife,” Manon replied. “A one night stand that gave him more than he bargained for. Luther be a

devoted father though.” Crossing his arms over his chest even as he grimaced, he added, “And, oui, I
know exactly what you be thinkin’ and I ain’t so sure.”
“What are they talking about?” Dirk asked curiously, glancing between the debating men.
Sebastian returned to his seat and sighed. “Is your buddy seeing anyone right now?”
Dirk shrugged. “He has an on again off again boyfriend named Michael. It’s hard to keep up because
they yo-yo so much.” He grimaced. “I think they’re in the off again stage right now because when I
called him the other night, Deke was with a one night stand.”
“Ouch, why is that?” Casey asked, also ignoring the debating men.
Laughing, Dirk said, “Well, if you’d met Deke, you’d know he has a pretty volatile personality. He
isn’t shy about sharing his opinions.” Shaking his head, Dirk picked at a piece of bacon on the potato
skin on his plate. “Michael doesn’t take mouthiness well. He’s never violent, but he’ll disappear for a
few days. When that happens, it’s because Michael normally found someone more malleable to, uh,
stay with for a night or two.” Dirk shrugged. “They’ll break up over it for several months, then Deke
will take Michael back.”
“You  shouldn’t  cheat  on  your  boyfriend.  That’s  not  right,  even  if  you  have  an  argument,”  Frankie
stated, his dark brows drawing down.
Dirk met the other man’s gaze. “Oh, I completely agree. I keep telling Deke he can do so much better,
but until the pain of infidelity becomes more than the fear of change, Deke will keep taking Michael
back.”
Sebastian watched Frankie cock his head, his gaze going just a bit vacant as he seemed to mentally
roll  Dirk’s  words  around  in  his  head.  Since  he  knew  Frankie’d  had  a  head  injury  as  a  toddler  and
needed a moment to digest Dirk’s somewhat convoluted explanation, Seb squeezed his lover’s hand
and smiled, letting him know he agreed with him.
Finally, Frankie nodded once. “I hope that happens soon. No one deserves that.”
“Me, too, Frankie,” Dirk murmured.
Seb glanced around the table, then stood. “Well, gentlemen, I hate to cut this short, but I have plans
for this evening.” His last few words, he lowered his voice to a croon and stared at his lover, letting
Dirk see his lust.
Dirk licked his lips and quickly rose. “It was nice meeting all of you,” he said politely.
Caspian leaned back in his seat, his arm around Casey, and chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you
again soon, Dirk.” He turned his attention to Seb. “Don’t worry, buddy. We got the check. Enjoy your
birthday.”
After  a  round  of  good-byes—accompanied  with  some  bawdy  comments—Seb  threaded  his  fingers
with Dirk’s and led him from the restaurant. When they reached the elevator, Seb stated, “I need to
swing by my room to get the rest of my stuff. How about I meet you at your room in thirty?”
Dirk grinned. “I’d like that.”

Chapter Twelve

irk reached his floor first, and before he could get off the elevator, Sebastian pulled him into a

quick lip-lock. When the doors started to close, he pulled back and slapped a hand against the
bumpers, forcing them open again.

Chuckling, Sebastian motioned him out. “Get out of here before we skip your room and I take you

directly to mine.”
Although Dirk liked the sound of that, he knew it’d be easier for him to get to the farewell breakfast in
the morning if they slept in his room. He stepped off the elevator, then immediately turned. “Wait, I
lost  my  card  key.  I  meant  to  say  something  earlier,”  he  admitted,  embarrassment  flooding  him.  “Do
you still have the one you pilfered from the other night?”
“Yeah, sure,” Sebastian replied. He leaned a shoulder against the elevator door, holding it open, as
he dug out his wallet and pulled out two cards. After a quick sniff to each, he nodded and handed one
to Dirk.
Frowning, Dirk took it, then sent Sebastian a questioning look. His lover smiled. “That one still holds
traces of Susan’s perfume. She’s the one who coded it the other night.”
“Oh, right.” Dirk nodded, amazed at his lover’s sense of smell. He smiled. “See you in a few.”
When he reached his room, Dirk’s skin prickled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He
glanced up and down the hall, but couldn’t see anyone. Shaking off his unease as missing the man he’d
been spending so much time with, Dirk swiped his card and shoved open the door.
Dirk stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
The lamp behind him flipped on and he squealed, spinning around. Upon seeing who sat on the sofa,
Dirk’s heart skipped a beat in his chest.
“Hello, Dirk. It’s been too long,” the man purred. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Seb!
He  screamed  his  lover’s  name  in  his  mind,  panic  flooding  his  veins  upon  finding  Phil  sitting  in  the
small front sitting area of his hotel room. “What are you doing here? How’d you get in?”
Dirk? What’s the matter?
Sebastian’s response was immediate, confused and concerned.
“You’d  be  surprised  what  someone  will  do  for  money,”  Phil  stated  mildly,  holding  up  a  room  key
card. The man’s grin turned cruel. “Especially when they don’t like the person. That big blond from
the plane? He seemed more than happy to steal your key for me.” Slowly, he rose. “Whatever did you
do to him, baby?”
Dirk?
Phil is here.
“Well?  What  did  you  do,  baby?  Why  did  that  human  want  to  harm  you?”  Phil  snapped,  stalking
forward.
Dirk was having a hard time keeping up with the dual conversations. “He was a bigoted asshole,” he
whispered, discreetly reaching behind him.
Get out of there! I’m on my way!
Sebastian’s yell came just as Phil growled, “Watch your language, pet.”
Dirk found the door handle. Spinning, he yanked the door open. The enraged snarl sounded too close
for comfort behind him. He couldn’t hold back a small scream from erupting from his throat.
Dirk!

Stairs!
Knowing they were only three floors apart, Dirk figured his best bet was to bypass the elevator and
run  as  fast  as  he  could  to  his  lover.  He  shoved  open  the  doorway,  imagining  he  could  feel  Phil’s
breath on the back of his neck. Evidently, he wasn’t too far off. Suddenly, Dirk felt a jerk to his shirt,
staying his forward movement.
Another squeak left him, and a shimmy and a shrug had his over-shirt left behind in Phil’s grip and
Dirk was off again. He bounded up the stairs as fast as his short legs could carry him. A snarl and the
rip of fur told him Phil was shifting.
Dirk gasped back a sob as a fresh wash of terror surged through him. It fueled his adrenaline, keeping
him  moving  even  though  his  lungs  burned  and  his  muscles  ached.  He  vowed  to  get  in  shape  if  he
managed to get out of this, not only for his own sake, but if he were to travel with Sebastian, he didn’t
want to be a liability to him.
The slam of a door above Dirk gave him pause, but he got moving again when he heard the rasp of
claws on fabric below him. A figure appeared above him, almost flying down the stairs. Dirk froze,
shocked, even as it clicked that it was his lover. Sebastian’s eyes were blood red, his hands sported
several inch long claws, and the rage burning in his expression sent a wash of fear through his chest.
His instant’s hesitation was long enough for Phil to catch him.
A heavy weight slammed into his back, forcing him down. His shins crashed into a stair, followed by
his  knees,  and  a  hoarse  cry  escaped  him.  Catching  himself  on  his  hands  wasn’t  any  better  as  sharp
spikes of pain rocked up his wrists and forearms.
Dirk collapsed.
“Dirk!” Sebastian yelled his name, but with the heavy weight on Dirk’s back and the snarling of the
creature sounding in his ear, he was too afraid to answer.
That didn’t stop Sebastian from leaping down the last half-flight of stairs and slamming into the dingo
on his back. With the weight crushing his torso gone, breathing came easier. Dirk gasped for oxygen
as he flopped over, sliding down a bit and settling on the step.
Dirk stared wide-eyed in shock.
Sebastian held the dingo by the scruff of his neck a good foot in the air, as if holding up—with one
hand—a  one  hundred  seventy  pound  animal  was  nothing!  He  had  his  second  hand  positioned  at  the
creature’s neck, the sharp talons digging into his jugular.
“You threatened my beloved, dingo,” Sebastian snarled gruffly, a feral expression on his face. “Give
me one good reason I shouldn’t tear out your throat right now.”
Dirk watched in shock as Phil wriggled in Sebastian’s grip, snarling and snapping. Sebastian’s talons
sank in deeper and beads of red appeared in Phil’s fur.
“Sebastian, please,” Dirk called softly, reaching out a hand. “I don’t want to see you murder him.”
To Dirk’s relief, Sebastian slowly turned his head to stare at him. The vampire blinked a few times,
obviously struggling with control as he gruffly asked, “He was ready to tear out your throat, and you
wish me to spare him?”
Realizing that even while Sebastian was so obviously enraged, this was still his lover, his vampire,
Dirk rose to his feet. He slowly approached them, just managing to hide his wince of pain at the ache
in his muscles and joints.
Dirk held the dingo’s cold and angry gaze as he approached. Digging deep, he somehow managed to
keep his voice steady as he ordered, “Phil, shift now before Sebastian changes his mind about sparing
you.”
Phil did nothing but continue to snarl and wriggle.

The  pounding  of  footsteps  on  stairs  heralded  the  arrival  of  others.  Dirk  wondered  what  chaos  was
about to erupt by having unwitting humans come upon this little scene.
Except that’s when Sebastian’s grin turned just a little bit creepy. “Ah, that would be Manon Lemelle
and  a  couple  other  wolf  shifters.  I’m  not  certain  your  life  will  be  worth  living  now.”  His  grin
widened as he bared his fangs. “That might just be an even more fitting punishment than death.”
Just  as  Sebastian  predicted,  up  the  stairwell  came  Manon  followed  closely  by  Byron  and  Luther—
who still looked beyond pissed. “Ah, your obsessiveness make dis easy, dingo,” Manon growled low
and  mean.  “You  should  have  stayed  at  home.”  He  grinned  ferally.  “Now,  I  use  you  to  find  your
worthless pack.”
Wow!Dirk wasn’t completely certain what an enforcer did, but Manon wasn’t even looking at him and
Dirk felt intimidated.
“Shift, now,” the wolf enforcer snarled.
Finally, that got a reaction out of the dingo. He whimpered, then his body altered and changed, turning
from  beast  to  naked  man  in  a  matter  of  fifteen  seconds.  Once  Phil  achieved  human  skin,  Sebastian
released his grip and backed away. Phil remained in place, bowed his head, and stared at the floor.
Manon stepped forward and slammed his fist into the wall beside Phil’s head, all the while snarling
his  displeasure.  Phil  cringed.  Getting  right  in  his  face,  Manon  growled,  “You  tink  humans  beneath
you? Dey outnumber our kind a tousand to one. Your thoughtless behavior puts us all at risk.”
“I just follow my alpha’s orders,” Phil whined, not meeting the wolf shifter’s gaze.
“We will see,” Manon snarled, not sounding convinced.
Sebastian rested his hands on Dirk’s shoulders and he jerked, not having seen the vampire move. His
lover’s hands lifted in the universal sign of peace. Dirk shook his head at the miscommunication and
stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the vampire.
“Sorry I pulled away,” Dirk stated against his lover’s chest. “You, everything, it startled me.”
“No need to apologize,” Sebastian crooned, holding him close as he nuzzled Dirk’s neck. “I should
have shown you some of my…abilities before this, so you’d know what to expect. I’m sorry I startled
you.”
“Not your fault,” Dirk immediately replied. “We’ve only known each other a few days.”
“Come on, Dirk,” Sebastian urged. “You took a hard fall. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,  yeah,”  Dirk  replied,  even  as  he  grimaced  from  the  pain  in  his  shins,  knees,  and  calves.  He
started  climbing  the  stairs  with  his  lover,  happy  to  be  leaving  his  ex  and  all  those  troubles  behind.
From  Manon’s  continued  growling  as  the  dominant  wolf  led  Phil  in  the  opposite  direction,  Dirk
didn’t envy him.
They remained quiet until they reached Sebastian’s room. Once the door was closed, Sebastian led
him to his bedroom and urged him to lie on the bed. With gentle hands, Sebastian eased his clothes
from  him,  tenderly  massaging  his  wrists  and  arms,  then  his  thighs  and  calves,  even  his  knees  and
ankles. Sebastian took special care with the bruises already showing on his forearms and shins.
Dirk  had  never  felt  more  cared  for,  more  treasured,  than  right  then.  His  heart  full  to  bursting,  he
blurted, “I love you.”
Sebastian froze, his eyes wide, his expression shocked.
Flushing  with  embarrassment,  Dirk  turned  his  head,  taking  in  the  half-packed  suitcase  and  a  few
pieces  of  clothes  strewn  about.  He  pressed  his  lips  together,  trying  to  figure  out  something  to  say,
something  that  would  salvage  the  moment.  He  hadn’t  meant  to  blurt  his  feelings  out,  hadn’t  even
realized he felt that way until the words came tumbling out of his mouth.
The bed dipped at Dirk’s side, but still he didn’t look at Sebastian. Not until he felt the vampire’s hot

flesh sliding against his own as the man moved over him, gently nudging his thighs, settling between
them. He gasped upon feeling Sebastian’s hard cock pressed against his own.
Sebastian’s lean hand cupped his jaw and gently urged him to look up and meet his gaze. The warmth
in his lover’s eyes, the soft smile curving his lips, filled Dirk with relief. His man wasn’t upset.
In fact, Sebastian leaned close until their faces were mere inches apart, then whispered, “I love you,
too, Dirk. I can’t imagine my life without you. Meeting you, on that plane, was the greatest stroke of
fortune I could ever ask for.” Lowering his head until their foreheads rested together, he crooned, “I
want to spend years learning everything about you, the rest of my life pleasing you.”
Dirk  wrapped  his  arms  tightly  around  his  lover.  His  body  trembled  with  emotion.  He  didn’t  know
what the hell he’d done in this life to deserve the devotion of a man— vampire—like Sebastian, but
he’d  be  forever  grateful  for  the  opportunity  given  him.  He  didn’t  want  to  be  anywhere  without  this
man.
Sliding one hand up, Dirk threaded his fingers through Sebastian’s dark hair. “I’d like to go with you
to…wherever you need to go to deliver that scientist guy. I’ll stay out of your way,” he assured. “I
can work in the hotel room while you’re busy. Then…” he flushed, but decided to forge ahead. He
couldn’t get what he wanted if he didn’t ask. “Then can we go to Sacramento? We could pack up my
apartment and meet my parents,” he suggested.
Sebastian’s blue eyes darkened with excitement and pleasure. “Gods, yes, Dirk,” he all but breathed.
“Nothing would make me happier.”
The vampire pressed his groin firmly against Dirk’s, rutting slowly, sliding his hard erection against
him. Dirk moaned and shivered at the contact. It’d been so long since he’d had a man on top of him,
surrounding  him.  He’d  forgotten  how  exquisite  it  could  feel  to  be  held  down,  pressed  into  the
mattress.
“I was so afraid, Dirk,” Sebastian murmured.
That admission shocked Dirk. Yeah, he’d been scared, too, but why would Sebastian be? Burying his
face against Sebastian’s neck, he wrapped his legs around his lover’s waist, opening himself up to the
vampire, settling them more firmly together.
“Why?” he whispered.
“I  saw  that  dingo  on  top  of  you.  Saw  you  lying  flat  on  the  stairs.  I  feared  I  couldn’t  get  to  you  fast
enough. Feared he’d kill you before I could get to you.”
“He didn’t want to kill me,” Dirk assured. He rubbed his vampire’s back, tracing the hard, rippling
muscle, trying to soothe the tension in the body clinging to him. “Easy,” he crooned. “I’m here. I’m
safe. You saved me. You were there when I needed you.”
“I will always come.”
Dirk nodded. “I know.”
Sebastian suddenly lifted his head and stared down at him, his expression hard and desperate. “Need
you.” His eyes slowly bled red. “Need to feel you, assure myself that you’re here and safe. Need to
reaffirm our bond.”
Unable to deny this man anything, Dirk nodded. “Do it.”
Growling, Sebastian rolled off him and stalked to his bag.
Seeing his big man’s strong lines, hard body, and weeping cock, Dirk remembered his imaginations
from  earlier.  He  rolled  over  onto  his  stomach  and  got  his  knees  under  him.  He  reached  back  and
palmed his cheeks, spreading himself open, exposing his hole to his lover.
Dirk craned his neck to look over his shoulder and smiled in invitation.
Sebastian sucked in a breath, then let it out on a low growl. He prowled forward, his gaze riveted on

Dirk’s ass. “Is this what you need, beloved?” he rumbled, kneeling on the bed behind him. He stroked
one hand down Dirk’s flank, over his ass, then gently rubbed the pad of his thumb everso-lightly over
his hole. “You need me to mount you? Drive my shaft into you? Remind you that you’re mine?”
“Yesss,” Dirk hissed. That was exactly what he needed. He wanted to feel his lover in the morning.
Sebastian wasn’t the only one who needed to be reminded that Dirk was alive. So did he.
“Anything for you,” Sebastian crooned.
His vampire lowered his face to Dirk’s crack and swiped his tongue across his entrance. The warm,
wet muscle sliding across his opening heated his groin, causing his shaft to jerk at the odd sensations.
“Shit, Seb! Never felt—” His words ended on a groan when Sebastian did it again.
“Good,” Sebastian stated, that one word expressing his satisfaction. He started eating Dirk’s ass in
earnest. He swirled his tongue, coating him with saliva, before pressing inside. Dirk’s body bowed at
the feel of his lover working him open with his lips, teeth, and tongue, sucking and nipping, prodding
and fucking.
Tingles broke out over his body. His cock oozed pre-cum freely. Goose bumps erupted on his arms
and thighs. His stomach muscles clenched. When one lubed finger replaced the tongue stretching him
—and immediately hit his gland— Dirk nearly came out of his skin.
Dirk howled, arched his back, and rocked up into the digit fucking him. That finger quickly became
two,  and  he  moaned  at  the  pleasant  stretch  and  burn.  His  balls  rolled  in  their  sacks.  They  pulled
tighter and tighter with each peg to his sweet spot.
“Oh, Oh, shit. Gonna come,” he warned.
“Not yet,” Sebastian snarled.
His  lover  reached  between  his  legs  and  gripped  the  base  of  his  prick,  squeezing  tightly  even  as  he
slid  a  third  finger  into  his  channel.  Between  the  increased  burn  and  the  pinch  to  his  dick,  Dirk’s
impending orgasm eased.
Breathing heavily, Dirk moaned. “Please. Seb, please take me now.”
“With pleasure.”
Sebastian finger-fucked him twice more before pulling free, lubed up his dick, and pressed forward.
Dirk gasped when his man’s cap popped past his guardian ring of muscle. His lover froze, but Dirk
didn’t want that. He wanted it all. He wanted his man to ride his ass, remind them both that he was
Sebastian’s and they were together.
Arching his back, Dirk rocked his hips backward, forcing his lover’s dick a bit further into him. He
reversed, then did it again. Suddenly, Dirk felt the hard pricks of Sebastian’s nails—claws—digging
into his hips. Moaning, he shivered under the vampire’s touch.
“Take me,” Dirk moaned, loving and hating his vampire’s control.
Sebastian  released  one  hip  and  draped  over  him,  resting  his  weight  on  that  free  hand.  The  second
hand tightened on Dirk’s hip. “Be still,” his lover hissed.
Dirk shivered at the command, but he obeyed. Gasping hard, he turned his head and met Sebastian’s
red eyes. “Make me yours.”
That simple statement seemed to loosen his lover’s control. Sebastian’s eyes darkened and his hips
began to move. Slow shallow thrusts sank him deeper and deeper into Dirk’s body. Finally,  finally,
his lover lay over him, buried balls deep.
Sebastian groaned into Dirk’s ear. “Love the way you feel, under me, around me.”
“Y-yeah,” Dirk panted. His chute fluttered around the invading length, milking it.
“You ready?” Sebastian crooned.
“Please.”

“Mine!”  Sharp  fangs  slid  over  his  skin,  not  breaking  it,  but  giving  him  just  a  bit  of  tingling
anticipation, as Sebastian pulled his dick nearly all the way out and slammed back in. On the second
stroke, his lover adjusted his angle and pegged Dirk’s gland.
Dirk  bucked  and  groaned,  his  body  nearly  vibrating  out  of  his  skin  as  his  lover  started  a  swift,
pounding  rhythm.  His  shaft  jerked  and  oozed.  His  balls  pulled  tight,  and  he  knew  he  didn’t  have  a
prayer of keeping himself in check.
Orgasm swamped Dirk like a tidal wave of bliss, sweeping over him, taking him under. His eyelids
fluttered  closed  as  his  cock  spurted,  painting  the  comforter  beneath  him  with  streak  after  streak  of
semen.
Sebastian roared, sank into him one more time, then coated his innards with hot blasts of cum.

Mine!

The  single  word  echoed  through  his  mind  even  as  Sebastian  sank  his  teeth  into  Dirk’s  neck.  Pain
mingled with pleasure. Dirk’s balls rolled. His cock hardened again and spurted twice more, sending
several more waves of endorphins crashing through his body.
Slowly,  Dirk  came  back  to  himself.  His  body  ached  and  tingled  in  the  most  pleasant  of  ways.
Sebastian  slipped  free,  disappeared,  then  reappeared  and  started  wiping  him  clean. All  while  Dirk
tried to gather some control over his limbs.
“Wow,” he slurred.
Sebastian’s low rumbling chuckle vibrated his chest when Dirk suddenly found himself draped over
his lover’s chest.
“Love this position.”
“Me, too,” Sebastian whispered into his ear.
For several seconds, they lay in silence. Dirk enjoyed the moment, the feel of his lover’s arms around
him, his warm body cradling his own, and the security he felt in his vampire’s arms.
Finally, Sebastian broke the silence again, “Were you serious about coming with me?”
He  could feel how important this was to his man, which would take some getting used to. Gathering
the last of his coordination, Dirk lifted his head and stared directly into his lover’s eyes.
“Yes. I want to be with you, Sebastian.” He smiled a bit, unable to hide his pleasure at the vampire’s
suddenly relieved expression. “You’re stuck with me, vampire, geeky comic books, and all.”
Sebastian chuckled and hugged him tight. “You’re perfect, Dirk. Just the way you are.”
As Dirk drifted off to sleep, he smiled, safe in the knowledge that his vampire actually believed that.
I think you’re perfect, too.

About the Author

Charlie started writing fantasy when she was eight, and after stumbling onto her first erotic

romance  at  age  nineteen,  she  realized  her  true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing  gay  erotic
romance, normally of the paranormal variety, with heroes of all kinds. With the help and support of
her  husband,  Charlie  finally  fulfilled  one  of  her  life-long  goals…move  to  acreage  with  her  horses.
You can often find her curled up with her laptop and a cup of tea or glass of wine, creating her next
adventure.  Charlie  enjoys  exploring  wine,  creating  her  next  adventure.  Charlie  enjoys  exploring
wheeler, or motorcycle.
She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com

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