Unfortunately, it was raining hard, and the dark was making it difficult to see. A dim light shed a small amount of illumination, just enough for Ashton to see the men many men making out along the wall protected from the pouring rain by only a small overhang.
He had to find his way back to his car. He’d parked in the main lot, which was on the other side of the building. The rain was coming down hard, making his thin white t-shirt turn transparent as it became soaking wet. His hair hung in wet tendrils in his face, and he pushed it back just as a man took him by the shoulders and pressed him up against the outside wall.
“What do I have here?” The voice was clear and washed over him even through the deafening beat of the rain. Ashton felt hot breath ghost across his face and down his neck as the man moved closer, his red eyes devouring him. “You are a delightful morsel. So sweet, sexy, and available. Where did you come from, darling?” Ashton was frozen, pressed flush to the wall trying to make space between them, but the man was insistent and his grip unbreakable.
“Leave me alone,” Ashton said as forceful as his shaking voice would manage. Fear and anger coursed through him as he came to realize that he wasn’t going to get away.
“Oh, I can’t do that, my sweet boy, I can’t do that. I bet you taste like candy.” The voice got deeper with each word as the man leaned closer and closer, and Ashton closed his eyes and waited for the pain that never came.
He opened his eyes to see the man who had been holding him being forced backward with a shocked look on his face. Over his shoulder, Ashton saw Logan furious and ready to kill. Logan pulled the man away but held onto him by the back of his neck, digging his fingers in and making the man squirm.
“Is this yours? I didn’t know. He was here looking so delicious; how could I resist.” The man’s voice, still thick and soft, tried to explain as Logan looked at Ashton and threw the man to the ground
“Shut up!” Logan made a move towards the man who scrambled to his feet and quickly backed away.
“Sorry, I didn’t know he was taken.” The man raised his hands, palms outward, and continued to back away until he was gone. Logan watched him disappear and then turned his attention back to Ashton.
They stood there in the pounding rain and just stared at one another. Logan looked feral in a way Ashton had never witnessed before. He wasn’t afraid, but he was worried that things would worsen before they got better. Logan walked closer until their faces were inches apart.
A crack of thunder was followed by Logan grabbing him by the back of his neck and hauling him up against him taking Ashton’s lips in a kiss that marked and punished. It was a desperate and frenzied embrace showing Ashton how on edge his man was. He was staking his claim once again, making sure there was no doubt who Ashton belonged to. Logan pulled away to take a ragged breath but held Ashton tight to him and pressed his lips to Ashton’s ear.
“I wanted to kill him, I wanted to rip off the arms that dared hold you.” Another ragged, uneven breath as Logan fought for control. “He’s a friend of John, and that is the only thing that saved him.” Ashton sighed and leaned against Logan taking strength from him.
“You’re mine, Ashton. Mine!” Logan sunk his fangs into Ashton’s neck, stimulating the little scar in a way that had Ashton fighting to not come on the spot. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes slammed shut as he clutched at Logan for support, his head spinning and his body erupting.
…
Logan just about lost his mind when he looked to the bar, and Ashton was gone. The panic nearly blinded him as he reached out and felt Ashton’s terror. He never wanted to feel that afraid ever again. Seeing Theo with his hands on what belonged to him, nearly had him raging beyond his control.
If Theo had actually bitten him, there would have been no stopping; he would have killed him bloody and violent. Even now, with Ashton in his arms, he fought the overwhelming urge to go after Theo and eliminate the threat to his beloved.
It was selfish, but he was beyond stopping now and sunk his teeth into Ashton’s neck, drinking deep, establishing their connection once again, appeasing the proprietary vampire within, and driving home the bond between a vampire and beloved.
“You’re mine.” He repeated against the tiny wound as he licked it closed, feeling its effect on Ashton. He was shaking and had come in his amazingly tight jeans, but the rain-drenched and covered everything. They were both soaking wet, and Ashton had never looked more beautiful than he did right now.
“I’m yours.” Ashton’s voice barely there rang in Logan’s ears.
CHAPTER NINE
Logan carried Ashton up to his room. Lewis had everything under control in the bar, and he was free to care for and savor his beloved. Ashton had seen so much and had been placed a position that would not be explained away with any of his current understandings. It was a brutal introduction to this life, but Ashton was strong, and they were bonded. It would ultimately all be resolved.
Ashton wasn’t afraid of him and wasn’t resisting, so the terror he experienced did not extend to Logan. The bond helped to calm and keep him grounded, and for that, Logan was eternally thankful. If Ashton had run from him, he did not know what he would have done, but he wouldn’t have let him go.
The storm raged outside with the rain hammering his apartment's windows heightening the excitement and intensity of their combined need. He pushed Ashton up against the wall next to the bed and began clawing at his wet clothes, desperate to get them off.
Ashton joined and pulled frantically at Logan’s shirt until the buttons ripped, and he pushed it off his shoulders. He pressed his face to Logan’s chest, licking the moisture from his skin and teasing the hardened nipples first one then the other sending Logan into a near fevered state of mind. He tore Ashton’s t-shirt from his body and laid open his jeans. Logan returned the rough intimate gesture and latched onto his left nipple, sucking until Ashton began to whine and tremble, burying his fingers in Logan’s hair and clutching him close.
The jeans and shoes were off, and Ashton was tossed onto the bed naked and vibrating with expectation as he watched Logan strip and stalk up the side of the bed to stand over him. He stared wantonly at what belonged only to him. A flash of lightning lit up the room, and Logan threw himself on top of Ashton, pressing him into the mattress and feeling his body react to him.
His hands were everywhere on Logan’s back and then cupping his ass, feeling his hair. Ashton was coming apart with an excited restlessness pushing him to take what he wanted. “I need you, Logan, I’m going to die if you don’t fuck me right this minute.” The despair was palatable Ashton was in a state of need that mirrored his own.
The need was all-consuming. The storm, the violence, and the attack all fed the desire to connect and be secure in their bond. Logan was not going to deny his beloved anything. Explanations could be made later, for right now, his lover needed assurance, and his vampire needed to dominate.
Reaching to the bedside table, he pulled out a tube of lube and set it beside Ashton’s hip. “Put it on me, sweetheart, while I play with your hole. Need to have you ready for me open and ready.” Ashton grabbed the tube and squirted a liberal amount in his palm before reaching down and gripping Logan’s hard cock. The touch was electric and caused Logan to thrust two moist fingers deep into Ashton’s waiting channel. The heat and the moans pushed him to begin a slow thrust that quickly became a rapid pounding as two fingers became four.
Ashton raised his ass off the bed seeking more stimulation and a deeper contact while stroking Logan’s stiff cock with a concentrated pressure. “Yes, Yes.” He kept repeating.
He was letting go as he hadn’t before, and Logan was there for him to have to hold to pleasure to protect. Ashton was handing over control, complete control, and the significance of that did not escape Logan. The night had been hectic and unhinged, but, in the end, Ashton deferred to him and put his entire life and wellbeing in Logan’s hands. This was his beloved, his lover, his life.
&
nbsp; Logan pulled his finger free of the tantalizing heat of Ashton’s hole and lifted that beautiful ass higher as he lined up the head of his now sensitized and well-lubed cock to that waiting hole. His eyes shifted, and his teeth grew, but all he saw on Ashton’s face was a wild desire.
He thrust forward with a force that drove him deep and lifted Ashton higher. He dropped and wrapped his arms around his trembling lover and began a torrent of kisses as he pounded even deeper into his tight ass. The sensations were electrifying and spurred on by the violent storm raging outside their windows.
Ashton joined in the thrust, forcing himself to meet each one with an increasing vigor. This was lovemaking in the extreme, and Logan was losing himself in the ecstasy of the moment. Deeper, he went filling his lover, stretching him tight and delivering the pleasure he demanded.
…
Ashton was losing his mind, and he didn’t care as long as Logan didn’t stop and continued to hold him so tight with arms that caressed and adored. He was being pounded hard and relentless, and the pleasure was intense, more intense than anything he’d ever experienced. Logan was giving him a level of experience that brought every nerve to awareness every emotion to the surface, and he was there for it. The storm felt like it was in his head and in his body; it was a part of him as Logan brought him to release.
Sweat and rain mingled to provide a sensation of pure excess, and Ashton stretched his head back, baring his throat this his lover when Logan slammed inside and came hard with a grip that was both pain and pleasure. Logan sunk his teeth into the tender flesh of Ashton’s throat and drank, bringing Ashton another round of ecstasy. He came once again, draining all he had left and pulsing his warm seed between them. He was exhausted and renewed all at the same time.
He felt Logan lick the area, sensitizing it again to the slightest of touches and then settled down on top of him for a moment, kissing him once again, but this time it was gentle and sweet. He was tasting him as he slowly eased out and shifted to lay beside him, still wrapped in his arms.
“I’m sorry that you were frightened by the men in the bar and accosted by Theo outside. Was it the fighting that made you run?” Logan spoke so quietly with his fingers tracing lines up and down Ashton’s bare arm hypnotizing him into a very relaxed state.
“Is this a coven, Logan?” Ashton decided to be straight and not beat about the bushes for answers.
“We are a group of vampires that banded together under one leader, but we do not consider ourselves a coven. We like the freedom of business partners and staff rather than coven members. It’s splitting hairs, but it keeps us out of coven requirements and counsel interference. We hate politics.” Logan did not pause, or falter just gave him the answer, and now Ashton wasn’t sure what to say next.
“The men at the bar tonight were vampires and a few wolf shifters. Some work for John, and some are just locals affiliated with other groups. Mondays tend to be paranormal night, and the humans are normally kept out. I’m not sure how you slipped in, but for all the upset, I’m glad you did.” Logan continued with his truth.
“I told the guy at the door that you were expecting me,” Ashton confessed.
“Oh, okay, that explains it.” He laughed. “Everyone knows that you’re my beloved so they wouldn’t question you coming to see me.”
“Beloved?”
“This is going to get very mystical and cultural, so keep an open mind while I explain what a beloved is to a vampire.” Logan rolled to his back and pulled Ashton up so Ashton could cuddle close and rest his head on Logan’s shoulder.
Logan spent the next hour explaining what a beloved was and their importance in the vampire world, including the many perks of bonding with a vampire. “It’s serious, and it’s a connection that goes to the very soul of the bonded pair. Once bonded, a vampire can feed from no other but their beloved all others turn sour in comparison. The bond is for all time, no divorce, no separation.”
“You bonded with me Saturday night,” Ashton stated.
“Yes, I was going to try and wait till you had a working knowledge of what was going on, but instincts took over, and I had to put my mark on you. I couldn’t risk losing you.”
“That’s why my cut healed so quickly and why I thought I could feel you when I was upset. I focused on you and how you made me feel in order to calm down, and it felt as if you touched me.” Ashton was figuring it all out now. As crazy as it seemed, it all made sense.
“I was in the Ozarks. A wolf shifter died at the bar, and the rituals of his pack needed to be attended to. I accompanied his body home and remained for the ceremony and the rite of passage into the next world. It was interesting, but I missed you like mad. I reached out when I felt your emotions wash over me. I sent you my calm, and I felt you relax.” Logan explained his absence, which was considerate.
“I worried when you left that you wouldn’t come back, but, in my heart, I knew that you would.”
“That’s the bond. Our emotions will always be connected. That’s why I knew you were in trouble at the bar. I felt your terror.” He leaned to the side and kissed the top of Ashton’s head.
“My life just got one hundred percent more interesting.” Ashton hugged him around the middle and laid his left leg over Logan’s. Ashton had no more questions for now. Logan had asked him to move in with him since his place was bigger, and it made sense since he worked downstairs. The bar was loud and rowdy, but the walls were so thick, no noise penetrated. Ashton loved this spacious loft apartment and saw no reason to reject the offer.
It was fast probably too fast, but Ashton felt this was a once in a lifetime chance for total happiness, and he wasn’t going to deny Logan for the world. Logan was fast becoming the center of his life and the source of his joy.
He’d thought coming here tonight was a bad idea, and now he realized it was the best idea of his life. If he hadn’t, they would have played around the truth for too long. Without the concrete proof he’d gotten with his own eyes, Ashton didn’t know if he’d have believed the truth or not. Didn’t matter now because life was set to right, and his future looked amazing.
“I love you, Logan. That’s what I came here tonight to tell you. You were so brave and open with me, and I was such a little coward. I needed to tell you, and I couldn’t wait.”
“I’m glad you came, baby, so glad.” Logan rolled back on top of Ashton and began a slow ride of bringing him back to the edge. “I love you too. I need to feel you again.” He crooned and continued to use his body to stroke his lover. “You ready for me, baby.”
“Always is never enough.” Ashton eagerly spread his legs and joined the ride. They made love over and over until Ashton thought he would never walk again, but each time he found himself freshly energized and fulfilled by the love and attention of his amazing vampire lover.
…
In the morning, they were seated at the table by the large window that looked out over this part of the city. It wasn’t exactly pretty or pristine, but it was interesting in a steampunk sort of way. Ashton liked it, and he felt that finally, he’d made the right decisions, and finally, he’d been brave enough to go after what he wanted.
“Life is pretty good.” He said as he finished his coffee. “The only thing that would make it better would be if I had a job.” He laughed, and Logan smiled.
“I can talk to John; he has a lot of business interests in this town; maybe he has an opening.” Logan offered and reached over to place a soft kiss to Ashton’s knuckles. The man was pure charm and hot sex.
“Thanks, but I have a couple possibilities. There’s a jewelry store downtown that made me an offer last year, but I turned it down. I liked working for our manager Mr. Ward. He’s a fair man, nothing like Will, but he isn’t always around. He manages several stores for the Knight’s corporation. He left a lot of the staff supervision to Will, which has been a growing hell as you know.”
“Will isn’t worth your time, forget him. Sooner or later, someone will bring a reconnin
g down on that man, and it will be well deserved.” Logan commented and then added. “If he keeps fucking with the Dark Side, he won’t be long for this world anyway.”
“Is he causing trouble?”
“Nothing we can’t handle. Like I said, forget him.” Just then, Ashton’s phone rang; he hesitated, not sure of the number but decided to answer.
“Hello.” He said and kept his eyes on Logan, who was paying close attention.
…
Logan wasn’t sure how he felt about Ashton going back to Knight’s Jewelry, but in the end, it was Ashton’s decision. The manager, Mr. Ward, called and offered him the position of buyer, the job he’d been aching for since first hiring on. He also explained that Will Chandler was no longer employed there, and the new assistant manager, whoever that may be, would have no power over Ashton. Ashton would answer to Ward only.
Logan couldn’t be unhappy when Ashton was so ecstatic over the promotion and the recognition on the heels of such a terrible departure. He just thought they didn’t deserve a man like Ashton, but he kept that thought to himself.
When he dropped Ashton off for work, Logan made arrangements to meet him for lunch at one. “Enjoy your day, sweetheart.” He said as he kissed him before Ashton got out of the car.
“I’m so excited to finally be able to focus on simply gem buying. This is turning into a very good day. Not as good as last night, nothing will ever be that good, but this is a close second.” Logan started to laugh.
“Okay, baby, see you at one.” With another kiss, he watched as Ashton nearly skipped into work. It was so gratifying to see his beloved so pleased he hoped it lasted because if those stupid bastards gave him more grief, Logan would deal with them.
...
It was just ten-thirty when an unnerved panic-stricken terror struck him so hard he stumbled and caught himself on the table behind him. “What’s wrong?” Lewis asked as he reached out to help steady him.
Logan's Love: Dark Side Vampires Vol. 2 Page 8