by Macy Blake
“Fucking hell, I’m so close. Your mouth is perfection, Ward. And now you’ve got our vampire desperate for you as well. I wonder, though…if I feed you my come, what will you feed him?”
It was definitely a question, but the groan he heard from his vampire mate was enough to make him tilt his head to the side, baring his neck in an unspoken offering. It was a gift he didn’t give often, but one his vampire would treasure, especially as they faced the difficult challenges ahead.
Within seconds, Andvari was at his back, kneeling behind him, pressing their bodies together. He felt Andvari’s cock pressing to him even as his arms came around Ward’s waist.
“Squeeze him harder,” Andvari whispered wickedly. “He likes it a little rough.”
Ward complied and Draco’s control slipped further. He pushed forward, hitting the back of Ward’s throat once more.
Andvari’s hands teased at his skin. Ward desperately wanted more. His own body ached, his cock thick and heavy between his legs.
“Ward,” Draco groaned. “Breathe.”
And he did, pulling in a breath as Draco pushed deeper than he’d been before. He felt the first burst of Draco’s release hit the back of his throat and he relaxed into it. He looked up at his mate’s face, but he couldn’t see it. Draco’s head was thrown back as he came. His body clenched as he fought the urge to drive into Ward’s throat, even lost in bliss still being careful not to hurt him.
When he finally pulled away, Ward realized he hadn’t even had that moment of panic this time. He’d known Draco had him. The moment sent a thrill of pleasure down his spine.
Andvari reached down and gripped his cock, giving it a firm stroke. “Look at that, Ward. You blew his mind.”
Ward couldn’t help but grin. He really had. Draco collapsed onto the window seat and ran his hand over Ward’s hair. “Fuck, that was hot.”
“Tell me about it,” Andvari said. He pressed his cock against Saeward’s back and licked a stripe up his neck.
Draco’s eyes lit with their inner fire. He slid down onto Ward’s lap, straddling his thighs and looking deep into his eyes. “You ready to make your vampire very happy?”
Ward nodded, unable to speak. His heart bounded. His body throbbed with need. But his mates would take care of him. They always did. Draco held his head gently, never moving his gaze away.
“You’re going to love this,” Draco promised. He leaned in for a kiss as Andvari struck.
Saeward only thought he’d known pleasure before. His mates always brought him such happiness, such bliss, but this was different. He provided life for his mate, and every suck at his neck sent pulses of desire through him. Draco devoured his mouth, swallowing each moan Andvari pulled from him.
Neither of them had to touch his cock. He came without warning, crying out against Draco. Andvari released his neck, kissing the spot gently and holding Saeward’s trembling body against his chest. He felt the pulse of Andvari’s cock against his back and the slide of Andvari’s release down his spine. He relaxed back against the vampire as Draco rubbed his spend into his chest, over his thighs. He was a sticky mess and he didn’t want to change a thing.
Henry
As always, when things got difficult, Henry sought out his Papa. Sawyer wanted to spend a little time with Mikey while they waited for Cecil and Puteri to gather the supplies they needed both for the cleansing and for the vision. Even though they’d expedited shipping on some and actually paid to have others picked up and delivered by some of Eduard’s trusted staff, it would still be a long two days of waiting before they had everything they needed to perform the cleansing.
Dakota hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with details, but Henry had enough experience with his own to know that it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing about the new guardian was easy, though. Dakota had come through the portal with them, clearly curious about their destination. He’d actually been sticking relatively close to Henry. It might have been that whole Henry throwing himself naked in Dakota’s arms thing, but he somehow doubted it. No, Henry thought it had a lot more to do with Dakota acknowledging that they had something in common. Whatever had happened to the kids Dakota rescued, learning of Henry’s past had brought it all back for him.
As usual, his family home was alive with activity. There were several vehicles parked in front of the clinic, indicating that his dad would be busy with patients. Sawyer headed that direction when they arrived, with Draco and Loch shadowing him. The other guardians scattered around the perimeter, always aware. Dakota, however, didn’t seem to know what to do.
“Come on,” Henry said.
“Where are we going?”
“Just come on.”
Dakota didn’t look happy, but he didn’t protest any further either. He simply followed Henry into the house and up the stairs. “This is where I grew up,” Henry said. “That was my room. I shared it with my brother, Jack. He’s away at college now. All of my brothers and sisters are. Well, except Ollie. But he’s going in the fall.”
“It… smells of wolf in here. And… other.”
“Fox and bear, probably. That’d be Natasha and Ben. My brother and sister.”
“And all of you were…”
“Yes,” Henry said. They’d all been held captive, just like Dakota and the mysterious kids he’d rescued.
Henry knocked gently on the only closed door upstairs and heard a gruff, “Come in.” He opened the door and found Grandpa William propped up on his bed with one of the over-the-bed tables across his legs. Papa had warned him when he texted earlier that his grandpa’s back was giving him trouble.
“Hey, Grandpa.”
“Henry!”
As always, his grandpa brought a smile to his face. He hurried over to the bed and leaned in for a hug. He could tell that it hurt, but he knew better than to try to deny his grandpa the greeting he wanted. He’d never hear the end of it, and his grandpa would wind up trying to go downstairs to prove a point.
“How’s your back?” Henry asked.
Grandpa grunted. “Been better. Been worse, mind, but been better.”
“Anything I can do?”
“Make me up some more of that stinky crap you love to torment me with. I know you say it’s not magic, but damned if it doesn’t work wonders.”
“I’ll do it before I leave. All my supplies are in the school room.”
“And who’s that giant lump trying to disappear into my wallpaper?”
“That’s Dakota,” Henry said. “He’s one of the guardians. He’s new.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s yellow eyes, right? Sawyer finally coaxed him out of the woods. Took long enough.”
Henry tried not to blush but failed. He told his family pretty much everything that went on in his life. They all shared the news with each other, just like whoever he talked to kept him up-to-date on what was going on with the rest of his family.
“Get over here… what’d you say his name was? Damn meds have made me a bit loopy.”
“My name is Dakota.”
He’d moved quickly and silently until he stood by Henry’s side. He held out his hand and Grandpa William shook it. “And what’re you?”
“I am a shifter,” Dakota replied.
“I know that, son. I’ve got eyes, don’t I? What kind? I don’t think you’re a wolf like my pack. And not a bear like our Ben. Way too big to be a fox like our Tasha. Probably not a hellhound, either. The eyes are all wrong. I’m guessing some kind of cat. Don’t his eyes make you think cat, Henry?”
“They do,” Henry said.
“I am a lynx.”
“Lynx,” Grandpa William said. “The ones with the funny ears that poke up?”
Dakota lowered the hood which had been covering his hair the entire time. He actually had little tufts of hair that stuck up a bit. They were just a bit darker than the rest of his hair.
“Ya look like that Wolverine guy,” Grandpa William said.
“That’s a compliment,” Henry hastened to add. “Wo
lverine is Grandpa’s favorite X-men character.”
“Course he is.”
Dakota didn’t seem to know what to say to that.
“You’re mighty quiet.”
Dakota glanced at Henry before looking back to the older man. “Yes.”
“My kind of man. You gonna take care of our Henry?”
Dakota hesitated for one second too long.
“You’re not gonna watch out for our Henry?” Grandpa started to push himself up.
“I will protect your grandson.”
Grandpa huffed and leaned back. “Henry, fluff my pillow. And go get me a snack, would you?”
Henry adjusted his grandpa’s pillow, taking the time to give him a very stern look while he was at it. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.”
Henry scoffed. “He’s new. Be nice.”
Grandpa scoffed at him so Henry stood and faced Dakota. “Don’t let him con you into agreeing to anything stupid. Don’t help him out of bed. If the words ‘Ollie said’ come out of his mouth, run. Got it?”
Dakota looked incredibly confused, but nodded. “I will stay with you—”
He didn’t even get a chance to argue.
“Sit down.” Grandpa used his serious voice.
Dakota sat.
“Nice, Grandpa.”
“Go do what you’re told. My stomach thinks my throat’s been cut, Henry. I’m fading away to nothing. I need my snack.”
Henry sighed. “He doesn’t bite. I’ll be back in a minute.”
From the look in Grandpa’s eyes, Dakota was in for a stern talking to. They were the worst. Henry, unfortunately, knew that from firsthand experience. When Grandpa William asked everyone to leave the room except for one unfortunate soul, the pitying looks the one left behind received weren’t even enough to represent the pain about to be inflicted.
Grandpa William knew exactly how to cut to the quick. He didn’t mince words. He didn’t play nice. He called you on your bullshit and made you be accountable for it. They’d had a lot of difficult times after his dads rescued them. It was easy to look back on it all and pretend everything had been hunky dory. But it hadn’t been. They’d had rough days. Heck, they’d had rough months. Even Ben had acted out on occasion. Their counselor had helped, but it had been a long process of healing and learning to trust their dads and their pack.
Henry hurried into the kitchen and began putting together a snack as he’d been told. He really wanted to get back upstairs and rescue Dakota. When they’d had those bad days, it was usually Grandpa William who put a stop to it. He wasn’t afraid to push harder. He wasn’t afraid to let them be angry with him. At him. But at the end of the day, they all trusted him with their deepest, darkest secrets and fears.
That trust had taken time, though. Dakota didn’t know what he was in for. After he gathered enough snack-like items to make sure Grandpa couldn’t act like he’d forgotten something and send him back downstairs, Henry ran upstairs with the tray balanced in his hands.
He wasn’t expecting quiet.
He wasn’t expecting for both Dakota and Grandpa to have small smiles on their faces.
He really wasn’t expecting Judge Judy to be playing on television and for both men to be paying rapt attention to it.
“What is happening right now?”
“Oh good. Food. Did ya get something for Dakota too? Henry, where’s your manners? Do I need to talk to your nana?”
Henry gasped. “Grandpa!”
“What? Were ya raised in a barn? I know for a fact Jean taught you basic hospitality, son.”
Dakota smirked. The ass.
“Dakota, would you like something to drink?”
“I’d love a water, thanks.”
Henry glared but ran back downstairs. By the time he made it back upstairs, Dakota had his feet propped up on the edge of Grandpa’s bed and the two were debating the merits of the case. He handed Dakota the drink and tried to figure out what vortex he’d been sucked into.
“Go talk to your Papa. That’s what you came to do.”
“But…” Henry glanced at Dakota.
“I’m fine,” Dakota said.
No one was ever fine after one of Grandpa’s chats. That wasn’t how they worked. There were tears and soul searching and…
“Are you sure?” Henry asked.
Grandpa laughed. “Get out of here. I’ll take care of Dakota.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Henry grumbled.
Dakota and his Grandpa fist bumped.
“How… when… what…”
“Get out of here. Tell your Papa I’m fine and not to fuss.”
Henry scoffed. “I’m not stupid. I’m not telling Papa anything.”
With one last fleeting look at Dakota, Henry left. He found his Papa in the schoolroom, which served as a makeshift office for Sam now that all the kids were done with high school. Papa gave him a giant hug when he walked into the room and Henry felt a lot of the tension and fear melt away.
“How’s my boy?” Sam asked.
“I’m okay.”
Sam huffed and grabbed Henry’s face. “Sure you are. Why don’t you make some of that ointment stuff for Grandpa and tell me what’s on your mind?”
Henry knew it was a distraction, but he didn’t care. He laid it all out: the upcoming vision quest, Sawyer’s new powers and what they’d learned. His fears and hopes. By the time he finished, he was putting the cap on the new batch of ointment for Grandpa. He turned and found his Papa watching him intently from his desk chair.
“Sorry,” Henry said. “I sort of zoned out.”
“I knew you would. That’s why I had you do it. How are you feeling now?”
Henry took a second to process. “Better. More centered.”
His Papa’s smug grin wasn’t lost on him.
“I see what you did there. Very sneaky, Papa.”
Sam rose and moved to the table where Henry stood. He pulled him into one of his famous Papa hugs, the kind that wrapped around you so tight it was hard to breathe. They were Henry’s favorite.
“Trust your mates, Henry,” Sam said softly. “When I first came into this world, everything was different. Everything was new. Just like it is now for you. But I trusted your dad. I trusted our alpha. Sawyer is you’re alpha now. He’s your mate. Believe in him.”
“I do,” Henry said softly.
“I know you do. But I thought you needed a little reminder.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Dakota says I can control this kind of vision. But what if I can’t?”
“Then you cling to him and let him get you out of there. He is a guardian. He’ll keep you safe.”
Henry sighed and leaned into his Papa’s hug. Sam somehow managed to squeeze him tighter.
They stood there for a long moment. Henry drew strength from Sam’s hug, just like he’d done since he was a kid.
When they finally parted, Sam grabbed his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “Take your Grandpa his ointment and tell him to quit being a grumpy old man.”
Henry snorted but scooped up the container anyway. “No way am I saying that to him. Do you think I’m crazy?”
Sam laughed and followed him to Grandpa’s room.
Grandpa was asleep and Dakota looked like he hadn’t even moved. His eyes were closed, but they popped open the second Henry stepped into the doorway.
“You ready to go?”
Dakota nodded before standing. He stretched and gave one last look toward the bed. He gave Grandpa a nod, almost like he was finalizing an agreement between them, then walked to the doorway.
Henry looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks for hanging out with him.”
“Thank you for letting me.”
Sam huffed and they both moved out of the way. He took Dakota’s place in the chair by the bed and leaned back to prop his feet up.
“No feet on the bed,” Grandpa grumbled.
“But Dad,” Sam said.
“No
feet.”
Dakota smiled before turning to walk downstairs. Henry followed along, more confused than ever by the enigma of the newest guardian. The difference was, along with the confusion, there was suddenly a kernel of trust. If Grandpa William liked Dakota… Henry could too. It was really as simple as that. Grandpa trusted him. He’d made sure Henry saw that.
Message received.
By the time they made it outside, Sawyer had emerged from the clinic from his visit with his brother. Henry wrapped his mate in a tight hug, one just like his Papa had given to him. Sawyer melted into it.
“It’s going to be okay,” Henry promised. “It’s all going to be okay.”
Sawyer didn’t say anything, but Henry didn’t need him to. They were going to make sure it was. Whatever it took. He met Dakota’s gaze and sent the message to him as well. They were going to do this and they were going to succeed.
Dakota nodded to him before turning away.
Message received.
“Let’s go home,” Henry said softly.
“Yeah,” Sawyer agreed. “You ready to do this?”
“Yep,” Henry said. “I won’t lie and say I’m looking forward to it, but I’m not dreading it anymore either. I trust you guys. I’ll be fine. And if it doesn’t work, if my visions don’t function the same way Dakota’s do, well, we’ll figure out something else. That’s what we do.”
Sawyer smiled and kissed his forehead. “You’re so good for me.”
“Right back at ya. Do you think I can sucker Viv into making me one of those melty chocolate cake things? I mean, this is a big deal, right? It deserves a special dessert.”
Sawyer laughed and took his hand, leading him to the ever-present hellhound guard at the Jerricks’ clinic. “I think that can be arranged.”
The portal opened and they all returned home. Cecil and Puteri had been busy in their absence. A bath had been prepared in their master bathroom with so many herbs and oils Henry started to worry again about the upcoming vision. If he needed that much cleansing to make it through this…
But no. He had to trust. His Papa was right.