Crimson Ties

by V L Moon

  God, Vischeral smelled good, even after a full twelve hours trapped beneath the ground and surrounded by the rotten corpses of the wolf’s macabre hunt. The rich scent of the purest vanilla mixed with the aromatic sweetness of wood smoke permeated their sleeping area. Lying unmoving, Copi listened and tried to concentrate, zeroing in on the feel of Vischeral's broad sculptured chest at his back. Nothing.

  His gasp echoed and drifted off into the nether reaches of the cave. The shock of not feeling a heartbeat was strange. But hell, who was he to complain? He was knee deep crazy about the son of a bitch whether he had a pulse rate or not. Shit. There was a word for it, for what he was. The word Necrophilia danced in his head, lover of the dead. Great, just fucking great. All of the ‘facts’ about vampires tripped through his brain as he lay there, but the most prominent thought was the desperate desire flowing in his veins. He needed to touch the male behind him, needed more than a quick blow job. He wanted the real thing.

  Sighing deeply, he gave into his desire. He wanted to see, to touch the rough outline of Vischeral's face. As quietly and as smoothly as possible, he turned around in Vischeral's arms and instantly stilled like a deer caught in headlights. Vischeral's eyes were open wide seemingly lost in a void of desperate hunger and fathomless despair. They glistened like endless pools of liquid ink and locked onto the beating vein in Copi's thick neck.

  “Shit!” Lust slammed through him when the points of his partner’s fangs slid out over his lower lip. Faced with a newly awakened and obviously hungry vampire, the bravado of the previous night faltered. His heart pounded against his ribs so hard it vibrated against the solid expanse of Vischeral’s pecs. Vischeral lay transfixed; his eyes unmoving except for the battle that raged just beneath the surface. A battle he could resolve for his partner.

  Focusing on the male holding him, Copi smoothed the palm of his hands up over the sculptured expanse of his partner's healed back. Nothing remained of the bloodied mass of mangled flesh. Fear parched his throat; yet, he drew even closer to Vischeral. The vampire’s eyes were wilder than they’d been the night before, and a bit more desperate. Copi grabbed his courage with both hands. Vischeral wouldn’t hurt him. He’d lived with him for two months. He had to trust his instincts.

  Very carefully, he closed the remaining distance between them and brushed his mouth against the swell of Vischeral's lips. The contact drew a needy groan when the needle sharp points of Vischeral's fangs grazed the tender skin of his lips. Fangs! Who the fuck knew they could be so damned sexy.

  Bolder, he trailed his tongue down the ivory length of one canine, piercing his tongue on the tip. He moaned softly into Vischeral's mouth. “Take me. Take what you need, and make it good.” He teased further by driving the top of his thigh between Vischeral's legs. Determined to gain a response, he licked at the rim of Vischeral's wanton mouth coating the succulent lips with the rich tide of crimson blood.

  Vischeral growled and the sound quickly rose into a full roar. He grasped Copi's jaw and his mouth descended to claim Copi’s tongue. The vampire suckled at first, and then the pulls grew harder.

  “Don’t stop,” Copi moaned when Vischeral pulled back. His hands tightened and tried in vain to pull the man back against his chest. “Must feed you,” he said desperate to maintain the close contact, but his partner pulled back even more. “Vish?” He tried to speak, but his eyes were so heavy.

  “I’m right here, Copi.” The pain in the response registered briefly before he sailed into an ocean of never ending black.

  ~*~*~*~

  Chapter Twenty

  ~*~*~*~

  Vischeral licked lips coated with Copi's blood. A growl of disapproval rumbled free when he felt Copi slip into the void of unconsciousness. He lay quietly for a moment, reassuring himself he'd not taken too much. The steady hard thump of Copi's heart beat against his own chest. Vischeral smiled down at the male's rugged yet handsome face.

  “You're too fucking stubborn to die, hey partner?” Smiling slightly at his joke, Vischeral gained his feet and crossed to the blocked entrance without the aid of the flashlight. His preternatural vision negated the need for light. He studied the slide from every angle. Once he moved the first rock, he had to move quickly. Already drained dangerously low, Copi wouldn’t be able to withstand the cold for very long.

  Five minutes later, one boulder sat between him and the cave entrance. In an attempt to preserve evidence, he'd cleared the tunnel stacking the rocks as neatly as possible in one corner. They stretched floor to ceiling. The wolf definitely wanted them dead. Too fucking bad. Vischeral had died once; he had no plans to do so again. Copi's death simply wasn't an option. Not for Vischeral.

  Faced off with the mammoth rock, Vischeral wavered between moving the entire stone and just hammering through it. He didn't care which was easier on him only which was faster. He had to get Copi somewhere warm, and he was running out of time. Drawing back his fist, Vischeral slammed it hard into the boulder. A crack appeared. Finally something was going his way.

  Squaring off, he pummeled the rock jackhammer style, moving forward as the stone disintegrated beneath his fists. Fresh air hit his nose, and then he was free. He didn't take the time to appreciate the night. Instead, he returned immediately to Copi's side.

  “Time to go home, partner,” he murmured while scooping Copi up against his chest. He tucked the male's head beneath his chin and zipped quickly to the cave opening. Voices from below drifted to him, and he cursed. If he took Copi down there, they'd insist on an ambulance. How could he explain Copi's blood loss when he had no obvious wounds? Wheeling around, he scanned the area for the fasted and safest descent in the newly fallen and slippery snow. After making a choice, he tightened his arms around his male and darted down the small mountain easily avoiding the straggling officers.

  Back at the truck, he popped the rear hatch with his mind. Gently, he laid Copi in the small space and snagged the blanket rolled up neatly against the back seats. He flicked it open, spread it over a shivering Copi and tucked the edges in all the way around him. The hatch closed with a soft click. Vischeral hurried to the driver's seat, cranked the Hummer and twisted the heater controls to high. Thankfully, the ice trucks and snow plows had been through and the roads were clear.

  Speeding through the night, Vischeral blocked the SUV from radar; something he rarely did, preferring to live inside the law he upheld. As he pulled into the driveway, his cell gurgled in the seat beside him. He'd left the damn thing in the truck the night before; not that he could have called for help. A rescue during the daytime would have been a death sentence for him. He snatched the thing from the seat and thumbed the talk button.

  “What?” he barked.

  “Bourne, where the hell are you and Dane? The WST said they saw you leaving the crime scene. Correct me if I'm wrong, but your fucking shift just started, not ended,” the Chief bellowed in his ear. Lambert sucked in air to continue his rant, but Vischeral's dangerous growl vibrated through the phone. He was not in the fucking mood to deal with the human populace.

  “The fuckwits at WST can bite my ass. Copi and I have been out there in the field while they were home whacking their dicks. Tell them to go up the slope, there's a cave full of chewed up remains. They better take their vomit bags ‘cause it ain't for the weak of stomach. And, because I'm a fucking nice guy, tell them to watch out for falling rocks. They left our fucking asses trapped by a cave-in when they left the scene last night.”

  The Chief mumbled a few words trying to interrupt Vischeral's viral spew, but he plowed on ahead. “Copi and I will be indisposed until our shift tomorrow night so don't fucking bother calling until then. I'm out.” Vischeral ended the call and pocketed the phone. Briefly, he worried about losing his job for outright insubordination, but it wasn’t his biggest concern at the moment. As he rounded the back of the vehicle, the cell buzzed again. Vischeral ignored the first round of vibrations, but a sixth sense told him to answer when it started again immediately.

 
; “Did my little surprise hurt your puny boyfriend?” the voice snarled into Vischeral's ear, raising the small hairs on the back of his neck. A challenging growl rumbled in his chest as he spun to eyeball the surrounding wooded area.

  “Don't fuck with what’s mine, wolf, unless you relish dying a very slow and torturous death.” Vischeral scented the wind in all directions, but no trace of the wolf's musk reached his nose. “Why don't you come out and play with an equal instead of slinking around with your scraggly tail tucked between your legs? Oh that's right, you're hiding the fact you have no balls,” Vischeral taunted the killer.

  A savage smile wreathed his face when the wolf snarled. “And, in case you hadn't heard, your play thing is locked in my cage. Round one to the vampire.” A howl of outrage screeched into the air, betraying the murderer's location miles from Vischeral's home. Satisfied, Vischeral popped the rear door with the knowledge it was safe to carry Copi inside.

  The door unlocked and swung open at his will. He carried an unconscious Copi over the threshold and through to the living room. A careful balancing act kept him from dumping his partner on the floor while he hit the trigger for the hidden door. Downstairs in his private living quarters, he stretched Copi out on the mattress. His heart slammed against his ribs as he gazed at the male's lean form. Finally, he had Copi in his bed and he was out cold. Vischeral couldn't resist trailing a finger along Copi's strong jawline.

  Freed from the restraints of Copi's hot amber gaze, he drank in his partner's toned body. Even covered in rock dust and gore, Copi was beautiful. Forcing himself away, Vischeral locked down his domain and gathered a clean washcloth, soap and a bowl of warm water from the bathroom. Back beside the bed, he placed the items on the nightstand. Swiftly but gently, he divested Copi of his soiled clothing tossing it all in a far corner.

  Straightening, he sucked in air. Bronzed skin stretched taut over ridged muscle, a feast for Vischeral's hungry gaze. Copi's deep chest rose and fell in steady breaths, drawing Vischeral's eyes to his dusky male nipples. Vischeral's mouth watered. He wanted to lick and bite his way from one nubby point to the other. Allowing his gaze to sink lower, he memorized the cut six pack and the ‘happy trail’ to Copi's cock lying still against his thigh. Fangs peeked through Vischeral's lips in response to the desire whiplashing through his frame.

  “Get your mind in the game, Bourne. He's drained, injured and out cold,” he admonished himself aloud. Lathering up the cloth, he washed Copi thoroughly, being careful not to let his hands linger too long in one spot. By the time he finished, his jaw ached from grinding his molars together.

  After replacing the cloth in the bowl, Vischeral carried the items back to the bathroom. He returned to the bedside with a black bath towel that had seemed huge when he purchased it, but now felt like a Kleenex in his hands as he stood over Copi's glistening naked form.

  He swallowed hard, his throat drier than the Sahara. Need pulsed through his body in time with his forced heartbeat. Leaning over his partner, Vischeral struggled to keep the soft cotton between his hands and Copi's skin. The male's body trembled beneath his touch. Vischeral frowned. Already low on blood, the cool air Vish preferred and the dampness from his bath worked to increase the chills racing through Copi.

  Tossing the towel aside, he stripped and lay down behind the other male. A quick flick of his wrist snapped the spread up over the two of them. He slipped his arm under the pillow supporting Copi's head and eased him over onto his side. His own warm body molded around his male. Once settled, he slid his arm over Copi's hip splaying his hand possessively over rock hard abs. The sweet bite of temptation pulled at his control. Burying his face in Copi's neck, he flexed his fingers to keep them from sliding lower. Seconds and then minutes passed. The shivers lessened.

  An hour later, he slowly stretched stiff muscles careful not to disturb the relaxed male in his arms. When he woke, Copi would need food to restore what had been taken. Vischeral edged toward the side of the bed, but he didn’t get far. Still within the circle of Vischeral’s arms, Copi turned over throwing an arm over his hips and sliding a knee between Vischeral's thighs.

  “Where do you think you're going?” he murmured drowsily. His breath fanned across Vischeral's neck.

  “You need nourishment. You’ve lost a lot of blood,” he said and tried to pull away again. Copi’s arms tightened even more.

  “I like you right where the fuck you are,” Copi growled. “Besides, doesn't legend say vampire blood has all kinds of healing qualities?” Vischeral sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Copi, I don't think that’s what…,” he stopped when Copi raised his head. Eyes deadly serious, he placed a hand over Vischeral's mouth.

  “Don't tell me what I want. You don't believe me? Look. I know you can read my thoughts.” He didn't have to take a trip into the male's mind; truth rang clear in Copi's words. The ice around Vischeral's heart splintered with another fissure. Copi was tearing down his walls as if they were made of straw.

  But, could he do it? Copi's own human blood was dangerously low. Feeding Copi could turn him. Vischeral's vow to Darklon echoed loud in his mind. A vow to never turn a human into the monster he'd become. The thirst right after turning consumed a new vampire. It was only manageable with constant feeding, or the will of the maker. He never wanted to wield the kind of power over another being that Darklon held over him.

  To that extent, he'd never willingly shared his blood with another. Darklon had taken it from him as a show of power and then held him immobile while others fed from him as well. Vischeral deftly shoved those thoughts away. He'd escaped. The past was done. At least until Darklon found him.

  “I'm waiting, partner,” Copi said.

  “It's too dangerous,” Vischeral tried again to evade.

  “Never took you for a clucker,” Copi countered. Vischeral glared, but the male refused to drop his gaze. Determination shone bright in the depths of his amber orbs.

  “You asked for this, human. Remember that.” Raising his arm to his mouth, Vischeral let his fangs extend. With a fluid motion, he punctured his own wrist and held it just above his chest. He arched a brow at the male beside him. Copi never hesitated. He nearly lunged forward, and his tongue laved over the wounds, lapping up the first drops of crimson.

  He moaned, as did Vischeral, when his lips fastened onto Vischeral’s skin and he began to suckle. Each pull arrowed straight to Vischeral's cock, bringing it to pulsing life. Before his eyes, Copi's pallor disappeared. Vischeral dropped his eyes to the sheet and the expected slapped him in the gut. Copi's erection tented the spread. Vish waited as long as he dared.

  “That's enough,” he said, pulling his wrist free. Copi blinked dazed eyes and licked his lips.

  “Vischeral.” A wealth of emotion accompanied his name.

  “I know, partner. Just lie back.” Vischeral rolled up on his knees while tossing the spread off the foot of the bed. Copi's cock bounced once again his flat stomach. Only once, because Vischeral had it gripped tight before it could move again. “I'll make it better,” he promised.

  Mindful of his fangs, he leaned forward and sucked Copi's velvet steel length into his mouth. Copi's hips bucked hard slamming the head of his cock against Vischeral's throat. Prepared for such a reaction, he opened wider letting the broad head slide in deeper. He let Copi set the pace, concentrating instead on learning the path of each thick vein. His hands slid around to grasp the flexing muscles of his partner's ass.

  Large palms settled on the back of his head holding him in place. Fingers clenched, pulling hard on his hair. He welcomed the pain. Relished it. He growled his pleasure letting the vibrations roll like shockwaves through Copi's pistoning cock. Copi swelled even more; his thrusts became more frantic. With a dark roar, Copi's hips left the mattress completely, driving his cock deep into Vischeral's throat.

  The male's orgasm raced up his cock, tickling over Vischeral's still laving tongue before exploding in a scalding rush. Vischeral didn’t loosen the suction of his m
outh until Copi's body stopped vibrating. Before he pulled up, he swirled his tongue around the delicious thickness.

  Vischeral tightened his grip around the base as his head rose licking the entire length clean. Holding just the mushroom head in his mouth, he rimmed the sensitive edges before parting his lips and breaking the suction completely. Satisfied, he sat back on his heels and let his gaze travel up Copi's magnificent body.

  “Feeling better, big guy?” he asked.

  ~*~*~*~

  As the orgasm swept through him, Copi's mind spiraled into a cacophony of sensual deviancy. Every inch of his body thrummed with life as Vischeral's crimson sweetness coursed through his veins. It raced like fire, heightening the erotic explosion boiling from his thickening shaft. His hips rolled with each expulsion of seed. Vischeral’s skin glistened in the dim light, tempting Copi to stroke lingeringly down over the solid ridges of the vampire’s beautiful chest.

  Vischeral edged back, licking his lips. He wore a look of uncertainty. Copi found the strength to roll up on his knees. He crawled toward where Vischeral kneeled at the foot of the large bed. The effects of his partner’s blood incited every cell in his body to a scrambling mass of carnal want and emotional need.

  Closer.

  Copi's head lowered and his mouth trailed a path of small but deep bites over hardened thigh and muscular abs. He fed greedily from the tiny droplets of crimson that appeared, coating his mouth in Vischeral’s blood.

  Growling, lost to everything but the yearning desire to devour his lover, Copi shuddered with need. His newly enhanced hearing picked up the faster more stimulated pace of Vischeral's heart. His eyes became transfixed with pin-point precision so acute he spied the hidden fear in Vischeral’s eyes.