“I am Pearson, Alpha of the Washington Pack and owner of this club. This is my mate Dante, and my top enforcer, Kyle. To what do we owe this visit?”
“I am Prince Devin Bartholomew Forsyth-Smyth, formerly of the Windsor Coven, in London. Most people call me Devin.”
Pearson narrowed his eyes even as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. He might not have met a vampire before but he knew enough that if this man was a prince, then he was an old and respected vampire who would bear watching.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Devin,” Pearson said carefully. “You have to admit that a vampire doesn’t often willingly walk into a wolf pack. Are you asking permission to be in our territory?”
Devin laughed, and Pearson had to admit it was a captivating sound. But then all vampires were captivating until they had their fangs in your throat.
“I have been in your territory, as you call it, for years, and you have never noticed,” Devin said casually. “There are at least a half a dozen vampires in this area, that I am aware of, but we, or should I say I, have had no reason to get in touch with you before now.”
“So why are you here?” Dante asked and Pearson could tell that his mate was as intrigued by the fine young-looking visitor as he was.
“Because I understand you are holding my amatus, the wolf shifter you call Ace. I need access to him.”
Devin’s words rang through the office like a death knell and for a long moment there was silence. Then Kyle spoke up and the snarl in his voice was an unmistakable threat.
“Ace tried to kill my mate. He is locked away as he should be.”
Pearson watched as Devin looked Kyle up and down as though he was nothing more than a puppy.
“You must be Kyle, and you would be mistaken,” he said. He turned to Pearson, and Pearson was struck by the sincerity on the Devin’s face. “Ace explained what had happened and the way I see it, he might have threatened Kyle’s mate, when he was under a misunderstanding about how the Fates work, but he has not laid a hand on the man’s head. And if you had bothered to talk to him at all in the last three days, as I am sure you have, then you would learn that Ace was surprised to learn that the Fates did encourage interspecies matings, as often as they encourage same-sex ones. But he totally accepts that now. I need to see him.”
Pearson swallowed the pang of guilt he felt at Devin’s words. Truth of the matter was that after Steel and Kyle brought Ace back in, and apparently beaten the man in the process, he hadn’t been to see him. In fact he didn’t know what the hell he was going to do with the infuriating man. Ace had been so adamant that wolves should mate with other wolves and his lack of acceptance of Teric into the pack, was hard for Pearson to handle, but he had been reluctant to banish the wolf permanently. Ace had been a solid enforcer and apart from his problem with Teric, had never put a foot wrong in the pack or the club. Now this sexy little vampire was standing in his office, claiming to be Ace’s mate and logic dictated that if Ace had claimed the man, then his thinking had definitely changed.
Deciding honesty was the best policy, Pearson said, “I haven’t spoken to Ace yet. He is being held under the club and is in solitary confinement until we decide what to do with him. He is subject to possible banishment or even death for threatening a pack member.”
Devin glared at him, his eyes glowing red, his fists clenched. “You have left a mated wolf shifter alone for three days, while you sit around up here with your finger up your asses? What kind of pack are you running here?”
“You’re right,” Kyle snarled, clearly just as angry. “We should have just killed him on the spot. No one gets to threaten my mate.”
“And no-one gets to threaten mine,” Devin snarled back, apparently not worried about the fact that he was in the middle of a wolf pack. Pearson knew he had to intervene before things got out of hand. He wasn’t sure how lethal Devin might be, but he didn’t want to find out.
“Enough,” he said firmly. “Kyle, you have made your wishes known about killing Ace, and I am taking them into consideration. But if what Prince Devin says is true, then that means he will die too, and I won’t have that on my conscience and I know you wouldn’t want that either.”
“If you don’t give me access to my mate soon,” Devin snapped, “then this conversation will be a moot point. I can’t feed from anyone but Ace. I need him to stop the blood urge or I won’t be able to control myself. I have got to see him.”
“What do you mean by blood urge?” Pearson had never heard of it before.
“What he means, lover, is that he is a very old vampire with aggressive tendencies that are hard to control. We would think of it as like when a wolf goes into a blood rage. As his mate, Ace must have a way of dealing with that,” Dante said quietly.
“Now that we’re mated, he is the only one who can control it,” Devin confirmed and as Pearson watched the man closely he could see the undeniable tension in the vampire’s body. Devin’s eyes, that were apparently violet under normal circumstances, were flashing red and staying that way longer and longer as each minute passed.
“What can happen?” Kyle scoffed from his place by the door. “What can one small vampire do against a wolf pack?”
“Full scale massacre for a start,” Dante said. Pearson looked at him in shock, and Dante nodded. “I’ve not seen it myself, but my father spoke of witnessing it one time. Once vampires go into a blood rage nothing will stop them. They will kill everyone in their path and there is no reasoning with them. The older the vampire, the worse it will be.”
“I did not come here to fight you, or threaten you in any way,” Devin said moving towards the desk and starring into Pearson’s eyes. “I hate that this happens to me, but it is a curse of our line. I am over five hundred years old, and Ace is now the only one who can ease me. If I leave without seeing him there is no telling what I might do in the city, and I would rather be dead than hurt an innocent. Please, let me see my amatus.”
Pearson looked at his Alpha Mate. He could only imagine what it would be like to be apart from his bonded one, and Devin’s turning up in a situation that was highly dangerous for him personally was a true sign that he and Ace were mated. It meant that Ace could not be killed, because if nothing else, Devin was innocent in all of this and Pearson was too honorable to let an innocent man die for something that wasn’t his fault.
“Show me your mating mark,” he said with a sigh, having made his decision. If Devin carried the mating scar then he was automatically part of the Washington Pack and his bond with Ace would be respected. Whatever decision Pearson made regarding Ace, would now have to include Devin too.
Devin pulled aside the edge of his muscle shirt and stood rigidly still, staring at the ceiling as Dante went to look and take a surreptitious sniff. Dante moved back behind the desk, and nodded at Pearson. “It’s a true mark and he carries Ace’s scent.”
“Very well,” Pearson said, looking at Kyle. “Kyle, you will escort Prince Devin to his mate’s cell and let him in. Leave them there, and make sure food is delivered within the next hour as Ace will need sustenance to continue to provide for his mate. Then get Teric and come back here. Devin, for now, welcome to the Washington Pack. I will ensure that any decision made about your mate will include provisions for you and from this moment you will be accorded all rights and privileges pertaining to pack membership.”
Devin bowed formally and looked at Kyle. For a moment Pearson thought that Kyle would argue with him, but after a few seconds Kyle ducked his head and said, “yes, Alpha.” Both men left the room, the door closing softly behind them.
Pearson pulled Dante into his lap, burying his face into Dante’s long hair. For a long time the two men sat, just enjoying the closeness and the few moments’ peace that their solitude allowed them. Too often Pearson got caught up in the running of the pack and the club, and he and Dante had so little time to just be themselves, together.
“You know, what Phillip did was far worse and you let him off w
ith a beating before he received full reinstatement of his position in the pack. Would it be so bad, now that Ace is mated to a non-wolf, to do the same thing for him?” Dante’s soft words cut through Pearson’s musings, forcing him to think about the situation at hand.
Pearson knew that Dante was right. Phillip, one of his enforcers had allowed another wolf into the pack under false pretenses that gave valuable information to a psycho, Faro, who had been targeting gay packs. It was Kyle’s mate Teric that killed Faro, and when Pearson had learned that Phillip had only gone along with the scheme because of his estranged sister, Pearson had given the man thirty lashes and then reinstated him as an enforcer.
“You’re right as per normal Alpha Mate,” Pearson said, looking up with at Dante with a small smile on his face. “Phillip’s actions threatened the whole pack, were deceitful and went on for months. Ace did threaten Teric, but has never had the chance to act on it, and somehow, with Devin in the picture, I don’t think he will be a problem again. Ace will need the support of the pack to help him cope with his new mate, and it would not hurt to have a vampire, especially one as old as Devin, on our side and in our pack.”
“So why didn’t you tell Devin or Ace that?” Dante asked.
“Because without Teric around, I don’t think Kyle will accept it. That man is just so damned possessive about his little assassin. I am hoping that if I can talk to them both, and then go and see Ace and Devin later, we can all come to an agreement that will work for everyone.”
“You’re too kind hearted to be an Alpha, you know that, don’t you?” Dante said softly, stroking Pearson’s hair.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone,” Pearson said, pulling Dante’s head down so he could steal a kiss. He wasn’t looking forward to trying to convince Kyle that leaving Ace alive and within the pack was a good idea and he was trusting that Teric would back him up. But now that Ace had a mate, he would need the support of the pack and the resources of the club to keep his little vampire sub in control. Pearson wasn’t about to unleash that pocket sized predator on any other unsuspecting pack. Especially one that was so damned cute.
9
Chapter Nine
Ace barely registered the sounds of footsteps in the hallway, coming towards his cell. After the first day of his confinement, which he had spent resting and healing after the beating that Steel and Kyle had given him, he had spent the rest of his time lost in dreams about his mate. Even when Steel and Kyle were pummeling him, he didn’t fight back. Ace knew that he had brought about his misfortune through his own deeds, and all he was sorry for, all he could worry about, was Devin. Knowing that his mate couldn’t feed from anyone else, was driving Ace insane.
Every time he closed his eyes he imagined his beloved mate slowly starving to death, but he knew there was nothing he could do. All Ace could hope for was a chance at seeing Pearson just once before they killed him. Pearson wouldn’t let his mate die, and maybe with the mate bond severed, Devin could find another wolf shifter in the Washington pack to care for him. He wasn’t sure that the idea would even work, but before he died Ace was determined that he would try and get his mate safe and looked after once he was gone. It was all he had to live for.
So when the door to his cell opened, Ace didn’t even look up from where he was hunched over on his bed. He was fully resigned to his fate, he wouldn’t fight it. He just wanted the chance to do right by Devin.
Hmm Devin. If Ace didn’t know better he could swear he could smell that delicious fragrance of oranges and frangipani in the air. There was some rustling and a quiet murmur of voices and then the cell door slammed shut again.
Too tired to even care about what that interruption might have been all about, Ace stayed where he was. He knew food wasn’t due for at least an hour or two, and if Pearson had come in, then the man would have made his presence felt. He wasn’t interested in dealing with anyone else. Ace just wanted to think about his beautiful Devin. His gorgeous mate who looked so pretty and yet so strong, kneeling at his feet. The scene in Ace’s mind seemed so real it was if all he had to do was reach out and touch…
“Amatus,” his vision said softly and Ace was stunned to find his hand was fondling real hair – specifically, his mate’s silky blond locks.
“Devin! What…how…fuck, you’re really here.” Ace knew he wasn’t making any sense, but his mate was with him, in his cell, in the flesh and without thinking about it, he scooped Devin up off his knees and crushed him to his chest, burying his nose in Devin’s neck as though it contained the secret of life itself. Devin smelled like home.
He was in heaven. There was no other word for it. For three days Ace had steeled himself against the possibility of never seeing his mate again. The hardest thing he had ever done in his life was walk away and order his mate to stay at the diner. There was no way he had wanted Devin involved in a mess of his making. But he was a mated wolf shifter and his wolf had been darn snarky at leaving their little cutie behind. Now both man and wolf were happy that Devin was in his arms.
“Amatus, angel, please. You have no idea how happy I am to see you too. But…I am sorry… I need, badly…I hate to ask…I need my Master.” Devin’s soft words were brushed against Ace’s ear, and for a moment Ace struggled to understand. Lifting his nose out of Devin’s delectable neck, he looked hard at his mate, seeing him properly for the first time in days. Now he was paying attention he could see the flashing red in Devin’s eyes and felt the shudders of tension running through his mate’s body. Devin was strung out as tightly as a spring and clearly hanging on to his control by his pointy white fangs.
“Your blood urge,” he said softly, hating the guilt and shame on his mate’s face. Devin nodded and Ace looked around quickly assessing what he could use to help his mate’s situation. Bondage and pain. The cell was not an ideal set up for their first scene, but Ace would make do with what he had.
The cell was a small single room, with nothing more than a bed and a chair in it. There was one small door that led to an equally spartan shower and toilet and a barred window, that Ace deduced would be the perfect height for tying his mate to the bars if he had to.
Ace looked back at Devin’s face, worried at the tension he saw etched there. He gently tilted Devin’s chin and placed a quick, chaste kiss on the lips he longed to devour.
“Don’t ever be ashamed of your true nature, mate,” he said softly. “Let me handle this as best I can, although I confess I had dreamed of something far better for our first scene together. It is me that is sorry.”
“Go with your instincts, amatus. Just being with you helps more than you know.”
“Okay, strip,” Ace said decisively, his plans made. He watched, his dick pulsing in his jeans as Devin stripped off gracefully, not a hint of shyness in his delicious body. If anything, the man was excited, his cock already hard with a drop of pre-come ghosting the head of it. When Devin’s butt was revealed, Ace changed his plans. He had been longing to spank that ass from the first day he saw it and he figured now was as good a time as any to do it.
“Come and drape yourself over my knees,” Ace said firmly. A flicker of surprise raced over Devin’s face and was just as quickly gone, the man a perfect mask of submissiveness. With fluid movements, Devin arranged himself over Ace’s broad thighs, his dick resting between Ace’s leg muscles. Ace ran a firm hand over Devin’s marbled back and inwardly cursed the fact he hadn’t thought to remove his own clothes first.
Reminding himself that he needed to tend to his mate’s needs Ace raised and then brought down his hand hard on Devin’s ass. Setting up a quick, but irregular rhythm, Ace alternated between solid hits that were hard enough to sting his palm, and lighter repeated touches designed to give a low burn, rather than a sharp bruise. Devin lay passively at first, but as time went on, and Ace didn’t let up, Devin started to move, to gasp and moan, trying to raise his backside so that he could meet the continued slaps.
Just as Ace had dreamed, Devin’s skin took the blows beauti
fully, pinking and then reddening where different slaps overlapped. In a short time his mate’s ass and thighs were completely covered in a radiant color and his usually cool skin was hot to the touch.
When Ace could see some of the marks becoming purple he stopped. He spent a moment indulging himself in running his hand over the sensitive skin. Pushing with just enough pressure so that Devin could feel it, and the underlying burn, Ace worked the skin until he felt Devin settle and the tension, while still there, quietened and Ace guessed it would be more manageable. But with Ace’s practiced eye, it was clear his mate needed more.
“Let me help you get on your feet, boy. I need you to stand for this next part.”
Devin wasn’t clumsy on his feet, but he did stumble a few times, and Ace wrapped his arm around the slim waist as he helped the man over to the wall with the window.
“Put your hands up and grasp the bars, we are going to have to improvise here. Do not let go.”
“Yes, Master.”
Devin’s soft acquiescence and his use of the word Master, as though it was a caress, shot through Ace’s body like an arrow, lodging firmly in his balls. Stifling a groan, he removed his belt, testing it for thickness and weight. It wasn’t ideal. Too thick to provide much in the way of stinging pain, which Ace feared his mate craved, but it was all he had to hand.
“Your safe word is red. If you need me to stop and change tactics, use the word yellow. Understood.”
“Yes, Master. Red for stop, yellow for different.” Devin’s tone was firmer now and Ace’s sharp eyes noted the shimmer that ran through his mate’s body. Praying to the Fates he could give Devin what he needed, Ace lifted the belt and struck in a clear straight line diagonally across Devin’s back. Working quickly, Ace applied the belt as best he could – using the end to apply as much sting as possible and crisscrossing his welts, knowing that where two lines intersected would provide more sensation for his vampire.
“Thank you Master, don’t stop,” Devin groaned.
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