“We’re going to have to help him back into Frederick where the pack will take over,” Sid said. He looked at Rome. “Let’s get him into Vincent’s car. He can’t walk in his condition.”
I shuddered at the thought of how fun it was going to be to get werewolf blood out of my leather upholstery.
Rome nodded. “Or there’s an easier way,” my mate said.
I could feel the bright snap of adrenaline in the air as only a moment later, Romeo was in his glorious white unicorn form. His rainbow mane swirled around his long neck, and I stopped to admire it. Every time I saw him in this form, I marveled at the breathtaking horn that came out of the center of his forehead. The air was suddenly filled with a million tiny sparkles as the sky fairly lit up with stars. The wolves howled as one as Floyd’s broken and bleeding half-dead body was suddenly lifted off the bloody road, twirling in a slow spiral as it hovered off the ground.
I watched in awe as the unicorn beside me tossed his head, carrying the former alpha up and over the trees where he disappeared. The wolves howled and moments after Floyd was gone, I knew he’d been set down, helpless to get up somewhere in town, perhaps in a clearing where the werewolves met. I had no idea. The pack, now shifted to human form, rushed Greg, cheering and helping him to his feet. The big bartender laughed as he leaned on Sam who stood stalwartly beside him, ever his best friend and closest confidant.
Another large male draped their new alpha’s arm over his shoulders. Greg’s grin was a glorious thing to see, and I felt a pang in my heart as the outcome of the fight truly sank down deep. The Frederick pack had a new alpha, and he was a good man. There was no doubt in my mind that Greg would be a fair and just leader.
No doubt at all.
Chapter Fourteen
Prosper Woods Chronicle. Letters to the editor:
“I’m writing to warn anyone who’s thinkin’ about buyin’ goldfish from the Pet Emporium. As soon as I got mine home and put on some Dolly Parton to relax, that sucker jumped out of her bowl and into my Stetson.” Signed, “Never name a fish Jolene.”
Romeo
I was worn out once Vincent and I got Greg and Sam settled in my cabin for the night. The two men were resilient and even though they’d suffered the loss of everything they owned, I knew they’d be all right, if only Greg could recover from his horrific wounds. Before we’d piled the werewolves into the Civic, Sam had forced Greg to shift back and forth several times. I was told this was the only way werewolves could heal. What did I know about werewolves? All my knowledge about mythological creatures came from TV shows and movies.
Except that these men weren’t a myth. They were walking, talking werewolves and they were…my friends.
I nearly stumbled into Vincent’s home, unsteady on my feet from bone deep exhaustion. The whole day had been an ordeal, and my adrenaline spike was long gone, leaving me tired. I noticed my hand was bruised and realized it was from grasping Vincent’s during Greg’s fight to become the new alpha of the Frederick pack. I was both happy and nervous for the bartender. He was a good man. I’d sensed it from the first time we’d ever met.
I hoped Greg’s pack would accept him and offer him their loyalty. He deserved it. I had to admit, getting rid of Floyd Reardon was a good thing for both small towns. I didn’t know whether he’d survive the punishment the pack had waiting for him, but if he did, I hope he’d leave the area. He’d been humiliated by Greg, and in my book, that was a good thing for everyone involved, werewolves and humans alike.
“Come here and sit down,” Vincent said, guiding me to the couch after closing the front door. I collapsed onto the leather and watched my mate grab a throw blanket and then gently cover me with it. He leaned down close and whispered against my ear, “I’m going to heat up some of that mac and cheese you made. I know you haven’t eaten and before you sleep, you need a little TLC.”
I smiled, turning my face and kissing Vincent’s stubble. I found his soft lips instead, lifting my arms and twining them around his neck. His soft dark hair brushed my forearms as he deepened the kiss. He tasted like mint and tea, and I utterly adored him. Vincent kissed me deeply but eventually pulled away, placing both hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes.
“Let me get your food. Once you’re fed, it’s off to bed for you, Sheriff.”
I chuckled. “Fine.” I watched him walk away to the kitchen and closed my eyes. Moments later, someone was shaking me awake. I didn’t remember dozing off. I opened my eyes and saw Vincent standing over me with his hands on his hips.
“Come.” He gestured to me to get off the couch. “Eat before sleep.” He held out a hand, and I took it, getting up and walking over to the small kitchen table where a giant plate of macaroni and cheese steamed on a placemat. He’d set out a large glass of milk for me.
I chuckled, looking at him. “Milk?”
He sat down beside me with a fresh bottle of Heinz ketchup in his hand. Cracking the seal, he toasted me.
I lifted the glass of milk and tapped the rim of the red bottle, laughing at the absurdity. I drank the milk, watching him chug the bottle of ketchup, and I dug into the food. I was starving. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate. It was before Sally and I left to drive out to Sam and Greg’s place, but I couldn’t recall anything. The vague recollection of stuffing one of Precious’s carrot cake muffins into my mouth came to mind but I couldn’t remember if it was this morning or yesterday. I finished off the mac and cheese and sat back, sighing as I patted my stomach.
“Good. Let me clean up, and then we’ll get you into the shower,” Vincent said.
I smiled at him, noticing how he was gone, and then back in the blink of an eye. When I was able to focus again, the table was clean with no plate in sight. Vincent was holding a dish towel and the kitchen smelled like soap suds. I chuckled, shaking my head.
“That vampire speed is really something.”
Vincent grinned and held out his hand. “Come on.”
I stood up and followed him to the master and then down the elevator to his private bedroom. As we stepped inside, I glanced around, noticing perhaps for the first time, that eight large leather-bound books had joined the others on the bookcase against the wall. Those had to be the books the vampire Sergio and his companions were after. I really hoped the vampires would be good and gone, well out of our lives, hopefully for a while.
I’d lived in town less than three weeks and already understood how crazy Prosper Woods was. I loved the place but I’d sure as hell never expected to find myself facing a town full of shifters, vampires, and werewolves… Oh, and a cantankerous old witch.
Vincent led me to the shower, and we both stripped, stepping inside, and letting the steam sink into our tired muscles as we mapped each other’s bodies with soapy hands. I leaned in and kissed him as he ran his hands over my pecs, pausing every now and then to tweak my nipples. Before long, I had both hands on his ass cheeks as I pulled him in close, kissing him deeply. I was as hard as a brick, and I needed him tonight. Who knew what the next day would bring?
We stumbled out of the shower, aching for each other as we toweled off, kissing in between drying various limbs and heads of hair. When he was satisfied with the process, Vincent grabbed both towels and tossed them in the direction of the hamper before taking my hand and leading me to his bed. We fell onto it with grasping hands and twining legs. I couldn’t remember when I’d wanted someone so badly. We kissed for what seemed like ages, and I rolled on top of him, straddling his body as I finally broke the kiss. I was panting, my chest heaving.
“Where’s the lube?”
He smiled, pointing to the pillow, and the moment I fished a bottle out from under it, I chuckled. Of course, he’d planned ahead. Vincent always seemed to be able to read my mind. I squirted some onto my hand as he grabbed both knees, pulling them back and opening himself up for me. He certainly was adept at reading me, knowing when I needed to top. It was a good thing to have a lover who was so in tune with me.
; Vincent’s eyes were dark, staring at me, filled with lust, his cheeks bright with two flags of red that were visible even in the low light of the bedside lamp. I reached down and found his tight entrance, sliding one slick finger around the ring as I watched the vampire bite his lower lip. As I slid my finger inside, Vincent hissed, and I watched his fangs appear. He threw his head back on the pillow as I slid my finger farther inside and began opening him. When he looked back at me, his eyes were glowing red. I’d never seen that before, and I had to admit, it kind of freaked me out a little.
“Should I stop?” I asked.
Vincent sat up, grabbing my shoulders as he stared into my eyes.
“I need more, not less, Romeo.” His voice had a breathless quality to it, but it was sexy as hell.
I nodded. “Anything you need, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”
Vincent sighed and let go, falling back on the bed and widening his knees again.
I slid another finger inside and twisted slowly as he opened for me. He began a low keening moan. I watched his face, focusing in on his fangs which shone brightly in the soft light. As I slid a third finger in, my lover began moving his hips, pushing back on my fingers, sucking them in deeper. When they brushed over the knot of nerves inside, he went wild, hissing and bucking off the bed. I watched him grab his cock and stroke it hard. Seconds later, he shot come all over his own belly. He let out a high-pitched whine and then grunted as a second load added volume to the puddle in his own belly button.
“Jesus!” Vincent cried.
I chuckled, pulling my fingers out as I leaned over him. I looked up and our eyes met. I smiled at him. “Nope…not Jesus…just Rome.” I leaned down and sank my tongue into the warm puddle of spunk on Vincent’s belly. He groaned and grabbed my damp hair, twining the fingers of both hands into it as I tasted him. Vincent bucked as I licked him, cleaning the delicious cream off his belly, running my tongue up and down his fuzzy treasure trail. I licked him until no more trace of his spent passion remained. I took his gorgeous uncut cock in hand and sucked the head into my mouth.
“Oh, God!” Vincent cried.
I smiled up at him but slid my tongue around the sensitive head, sucking softly at the loose foreskin. I slid my tongue underneath, cleaning him thoroughly, and finally let his dick slide from my mouth, licking my lips. He was panting, his chest heaving with ragged breaths as both hands covered his scarred belly. He glanced at me.
“Where in heaven’s holy name did you learn to fellate like that?”
A touch of a European accent always slipped into Vincent’s words when he was tired or in this case, absolutely spent, jacked, and cleaned into oblivion. His fangs glistened, and I heaved myself up, planting both hands on either side of him as I hovered over his body. I leaned in close and kissed him, ignoring the massive fangs and trying to get to his lips. He did his best to accommodate me but kissing a mouth filled with fangs wasn’t an easy task…or one for those faint of heart. When I pulled back, the corners of his mouth tipped up in a tiny smile.
“Are you ever going to just get on with it and fuck me?”
I chuckled, levering off him, and grabbing the lube. I coated my cock and moved into place, taking hold of his knee with one hand as I guided my dick to his slick hole with the other. Bumping up against his entrance, I watched him deliberately relax all his muscles. I slid inside inch by slow inch. I groaned. He was so damned tight.
“Relax, baby,” I whispered through clenched teeth.
Vincent met my gaze with his own, nodding. “Yes…” he hissed. “Keep going, Romeo. Fuck me.”
I did as he asked, pushing in deeper and deeper until I was buried inside him. His clenching body was pure heaven. I waited a few seconds until I felt him fully relax, and then began to move, sliding out slowly and then plunging back inside as I watched him. He panted with each thrust, a flush covering his already tawny skin. The dark hair on Vincent’s chest was so sexy. It covered him in a thick thatch except where the massive scar bisected it. There, his chest was bare. Sweat covered his belly, shoulders, and biceps. He was absolute porn star material, but the vampire was mine, fangs and all.
I sped up my thrusts, determined to please him and at the same time find my own little slice of paradise. Vincent was hard again. I shouldn’t be surprised by that, though, I wondered if all vampires had such a remarkable rebounding capacity. He was supernatural after all. The man possessed a vigor I had only dreamed about before I met him. I took him in hand, closing my fist around his thick shaft. He hissed and his fangs gleamed as he panted hard. The more I pounded into him, the wilder his eyes got.
“Do you need to bite me, Vincent?” He stared at me; our gazes locked in some sort of battle I didn’t know I’d been fighting. Red-orange fire swirled in his topaz eyes. It was an extraordinary thing to see. Finally, I answered for him. “It’s fine. Do it, baby. If you need it, do it.”
Seconds later, I was on my back, still buried deep within Vincent’s body as he straddled me. I looked up at him, slightly stunned by the way he continuously surprised me.
I need to get used to that vampire speed.
“It’s okay?” he asked.
One nod from me seemed to be all that was required because a split second later, he was bent over me with his fangs buried in the side of my neck. I gasped, instinctively trying to pull out of his iron grip. He held me down as he retracted his fangs and began to suck. I felt a sudden wave of lust blast through my body, and I grabbed his hips, thrusting up into him, having forgotten for a moment that my dick was buried inside him. He rode me like I was his prize stallion but then again, maybe being a unicorn was the equivalent. It definitely had its perks. I was certainly enjoying one of them.
As I fucked him, I was aware of his mouth at my neck. The pain of his initial strike faded but I couldn’t get over the way his lips felt against my skin, drawing blood from me. It didn’t hurt. Instead, it sent waves of lust surging through my body. I rode the current, pounding into Vincent as he sucked. His body squeezed my cock as nature seemed to take over. All I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride. This joining, this melding of our bodies into one as he took blood from me into his own, was astounding. I’d never felt so at home.
Vincent is my home.
“Harder, Romeo!” he cried as he lifted his mouth from my neck.
I stared at his face. His chin was wet with blood…my blood. My cock throbbed and I plunged into him harder, doing as he’d asked, unable to deny him anything. I loved this man more than life itself. There was nothing on earth that could have prevented this joining. I loved everything about having a vampire in my bed.
My orgasm was close. I reached for him again, stroking him hard. I wanted to bring us to climax together, give him as much pleasure as he was giving me. The tip of his cock slid in and out of the foreskin as I jacked him. I gazed at his slit, watching pre-come slide out of it and get caught in the foreskin. My mouth watered, longing to taste him again. I somehow knew the hunger he was feeling, and I completely admired him for being able to hold back as well as he did. I don’t think I could have managed it if the shoe were on the other foot.
“Gonna come…” he whimpered.
I met his eyes, giving him several hard strokes and several deep thrusts. I realized this vampire, my vampire, was helpless in my arms. It was a remarkable thought.
“Come for me, Vincent. I’m…right…there…!” I exploded inside him as he came all over my chest. Hot, white, spunk shot out of his slit, spurting onto my belly and warming me where it landed on my skin. I felt his body clamp down on my dick as he climaxed. I rode the wave of my own climax, watching the show he was putting on for me. I was awestruck at what I could do to this vampire, at the power I had over him. As I watched him come apart in my arms and then collapse over me, reaching for my mouth, it brought everything into focus. We were one, and if the universe was good to us both, we would be one for the rest of our lives.
In a matter of moments, we both slipped into uncons
ciousness.
Vincent
I woke sticky and sweaty in Romeo’s arms. At first, I couldn’t remember where I was and as I caught sight of my dresser in the low light of my underground room, it came to me. Romeo snored softly beside me, still entwined in my arms as his head lay against my chest. Sometime in the night, his dick had slid from me, leaving a fading tingle in the most private of places. This peaceful retreat was something I only shared with my mate. I closed my eyes and focused on my lover. As I did, something else drew my attention.
I gasped as I pulled out of Romeo’s arms, coming fully awake as I sensed someone else in the room. I sat up and turned to the corner of my room, my gaze suddenly drawn to an empty space between the bookcase and armoire. A soft gray glow lit up the corner, and as I focused on it, I realized what I was looking at.
The tiny shadow ghost I’d seen in the tree line near the drive-in, was hovering off the ground, floating up and down slowly. Smoky-gray rays of light surrounded him on all sides. This close, I could actually make out his features.
I turned away, looking down at Romeo. He’d rolled to his side, facing away from me, still deeply asleep. When I looked back, the tiny specter had moved closer. He now hovered only a few feet from my bed.
Oddly enough, I didn’t feel like my mate and I were in any danger. Instead, I was hit with a wave of such sorrow, it nearly took my breath away. He was so close I could now make out his features. He was a young boy, no older than six or seven. He had hollow cheeks and huge dark eyes. They were ringed with charcoal circles and sunken into his head. His brown hair was matted to his scalp and his lips were a very dark blue.
“What do you want?” I asked, hearing my own words come out shakier than they should have. I was a knight of the realm after all.
“I want someone to find me,” the small ghost said. His voice was so small and weak, it made me overwhelmingly sad. I could hear the resignation in his words.
True Mate Page 19