“Can you feel it?” he whispered to Jaxon. “Can you feel the power?”
Panting hard, his torso shining with sweat and cum, Jaxon nodded, his body aching with more pain and pleasure than he’d ever known was possible. “Yes,” he smiled.
Xavier leaned in to kiss Jaxon’s parted, panting lips. His fangs were red and shining, and in that moment, Jaxon realized he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life as those scarlet daggers, wet with his blood.
That’s when he felt it, the prick of something sharp in his own mouth.
Two needles scraping against the roof of his mouth.
Xavier simply smiled. “Welcome to eternity, my friend.”
Chapter Nine
Winter had left Chicago, spring was on its way, and the night was so pleasant that the young man decided to jump out of the cab and walk home. The moon was full, and cast a blue light over the entire world, making it easy for him to see his way down the alley that cut through to his apartment block.
That was when the man jumped out from a concealed doorway, a scowl on his face, a tattoo on his neck, and a knife in his hand. “Give me all your money!”
“I don’t have much,” the startled young man tried to reason, throwing twenty dollars at the mugger. “That’s all I got.”
“Bullshit!” the crazed knife-wielding man growled. “Empty your pockets!”
“I swear, that’s all I’ve got!”
But the mugger didn’t believe him. He charged at the young man, grabbing at his jacket, lunging with his knife. There was a grunt of pain as the blade plunged deep into the young man’s chest. He staggered backward and stumbled to the ground, a pool of blood quickly spreading from beneath his body.
Angrily, the mugger scooped up the twenty-dollar bill and turned to run.
That was when the handsome, pale, dark-haired man appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path.
“Get outta my way!” the mugger shouted, waving his knife.
The dark-haired man simply shook his head. “Perhaps you should get out of mine.”
With that he pounced, mouth wide open, fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
The mugger tried to run, but there was no hope. His eyes bulged, his eyelids flickering in terror as the dark-haired man’s mouth wrapped itself around the tattoo of the thorny rose on his neck, and ripped out his throat. The mugger tried to scream, but all he could manage was a pathetic gurgling sound as his convulsing body collapsed beneath its own dead weight.
The dark-haired man had already turned away.
He was kneeling before the mugger’s wounded victim, whose face was full of fear. “Please don’t hurt me,” the young man breathed, his life quickly slipping away.
The dark-haired man didn’t respond. Instead, he seized the man’s jacket and shirt, and ripped them both open, exposing his bleeding chest. Without a second’s hesitation, the dark-haired man laid his hands on the man’s fatal injury.
Within moments, the bleeding stopped.
The stab wound sealed itself.
The wounded man took a deep breath, and looked down to see that his injury had miraculously disappeared. Disappeared completely.
“Tell the police he was trying to mug you when a stray dog attacked him,” the dark-haired man instructed calmly. “Then go home, live a good life, live a long, happy life.” And with that he rose to his feet, turned and walked swiftly away.
“I don’t understand! What just happened?” the healed man shouted after him. “Who are you?”
Without turning around, the dark-haired man’s words drifted back down the alley. “A friend,” was all he said.
Then without another word, he stepped into the shadows cast by the bright, full moon and simply…
…vanished.
THE END
About the Author
Geoffrey Knight is the author of more than 30 gay fiction novels, novellas and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense and gay comedies.
The heroes of Geoffrey's books love to spend their time jumping off the page, seeking lost treasures, unraveling mysteries or falling in love.
Geoffrey is the recipient of two Rainbow Awards including Best Mystery Winner and Best Overall Gay Fiction Runner-up. His work has been featured in several anthologies including Best Gay Erotica 2013, and he appeared as Guest of Honor at the inaugural Rainbow Con in Florida, 2014.
Geoffrey has worked in advertising, politics, journalism and event management, but nothing is as fun as telling stories. He lives with his partner, their young daughter and their small furry family in a rambling old house in North Queensland, Australia, where the paint is fraying and life is good.
VAMPIRES OF ROME
Vampires of the World
Ancient Rome—a city ruled by the bloodthirsty Emperor Nero; a place of decadence and debauchery, of hedonistic pleasures and deadly delights. But for two young slaves, Tyberius and Mateus, it is a place they must escape. For every night under cover of darkness they risk death and torture all for the sake of their forbidden love.
Destiny, however, has other plans for these star-crossed lovers. A mysterious sect, a brotherhood of dark and powerful creatures dwells in the catacombs beneath the city. They look like Romans. They pass through the shadows, working as slaves, mingling with the people of Rome. But no mortal alive knows the secret these creatures have held for centuries past… and many centuries to come.
For he who learns their secret… must surrender his mortality forever.
VAMPIRES OF CAIRO
Vampires of the World
Love is dangerous. Life is fleeting. And the choices we make can last an Eternity.
On a photo shoot in Cairo, lovelorn American model Nash Sommers harbors a secret lust for his handsome and confident colleague Ryan Thomas. When a drunken evening leads them to Cairo’s coolest nightclub, the two young men decide to explore the undiscovered pleasures of their relationship with the inclusion of a third party—a handsome, mysterious young Egyptian who lures them away from the nightclub and into the dark realms of the City of the Dead. There, deep within a secret tomb, Nash’s languishing lust for Ryan will be put to the ultimate test in the presence of a dark and ancient Egyptian vampire, the evil Ramseth.
Will the young Americans be seduced by sin? Will passion and pride lead to eternal punishment? Will the one thing Nash desires most be his doom?
THE CROSS OF SINS
Fathom’s Five Book One
Somewhere in the world is a statue so sinful that a secret sect of the Church wants it destroyed at any cost. Somewhere in the Turkish desert, in the streets of London, and in the depths of Venice, are the clues to find it. And, somewhere in the hearts of five sexy, daring, thrill-seeking gay men, is the courage and die-hard determination to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
Meet Luca da Roma, an Italian model and expert in art, both ancient and modern; Dr. Eden Santiago, Brazilian biologist, physician and genetic engineer; Shane Houston, a Texas cowboy and an expert in cartography; Will Hunter, a San Diego college student and football star, majoring in ancient history; and Shane Stone, an adventurer-for-hire from New York and the newest member of Professor Fathom's team of hot gay adventure seekers.
SCOTT SAPPHIRE AND THE EMERALD ORCHID
The Adventures of Scott Sapphire Book One
Meet Scott Sapphire—lover of French champagne, Belgian chocolate and dangerous men. He is suave. He is sexy. He is a man of the world—and a man that the world desperately wants to catch.
For Scott Sapphire is the greatest jewel thief of our time. Dashing. Daring. And always neck-deep in trouble.
But when Scott’s latest heist lands him in possession of a map to a rare and precious orchid, it’ll take more than bedroom eyes and a charming smile to stay one step ahead of one of the world’s most powerful business tycoons, as well as keep the CIA off Scott’s back and a handsome special agent out of his pants—or maybe not.
From the Venice canals
to the Amazon rainforest, from Rio de Janeiro to the casinos of Monte Carlo, comes a brand new gay hero as irresistible as diamonds and pearls.
THE CHOCOLATE WORKS
After losing his job, his apartment in Chicago and every hope he had for the future, Henry finds himself in the tiny dead-end town of Los Encantados in the middle of the New Mexico desert, ready to sell the small roadside diner recently bequeathed to him by an uncle he never met.
But Henry never planned on the slightly unpredictable, seriously sexy Levi Jones walking into his life.
Before he knows it, Henry is pulled into Levi’s plan turn Henry’s diner into a chocolate factory with the dream of creating the most delicious, irresistible, mouth-watering, knee-buckling chocolates the world has ever imagined. At the same time Henry finds himself falling head over heels for the reckless, romantic allure of a man who is the complete opposite of everything Henry holds sacred.
Will Henry succumb to the charms of a handsome stranger despite every instinct warning him that Levi is nothing but a snake oil salesman? Will the secrets of Levi’s past destroy Henry’s hopes of ever finding true romance?
Or is Levi destined to melt Henry’s heart as he discovers that chocolate truly is the food of love?
THE PEARL
The Top End of Australia— a tropical paradise filled with beauty. Wonder. Danger.
For two young boys growing up in the Northern Territory— half-Aboriginal Jarrah "Jad" Yindi and his best friend Luke Lawson— the remote beaches and aqua waters of the Top End are a playground of adventure. And as two best friends become young men, true love washes over them like the sea upon the sand.
But life is full of challenges and change, and if Jad is to discover who he really is, he must piece together his ancestral past, his dream-filled present and his uncertain future to become the man he was always destined to be.
Through water and fire; through love and loss; through the days of youth to the stories of the world's oldest living culture, journey across the heart of Australia to discover what's in the heart of one young man.
THE PATHFINDERS
JACK
Hell, I knew the divorce from Sophie would break my heart, but I had no idea how lost and lonely I would feel once she was gone. Everything ended amicably, almost too peacefully, but now I’m facing a whole new chapter of my life. The only problem is, I don’t know what that chapters holds, or if anyone will ever be there to catch me if I fall again.
My only savior right now is my cousin and best friend Hux. We’ve known each other just about our whole lives, and his invitation up to the woods to help him rebuild the old cabin by Pathfinders Lake could be the one thing I need to figure out what plans the universe has in store for me… and the path I need to find.
HUX
Hell, I knew Jack’s divorce from Sophie would break his heart, but I had no idea it would bring to the surface all the yearning and pain and hopelessness I’ve felt over the years. The fact is, Jack’s the one and only person I ever want to spend the rest of my life with. But how do you tell your best friend— your cousin— how you truly feel?
I know I need to help him through the dark days following his divorce, but will I be able to keep myself from betraying all his trust by letting my true feelings show? Will inviting him up to the woods to help me rebuild the old cabin by Pathfinders Lake be the end of our relationship? Or will we finally find our very own path in this world together?
THE BILLIONAIRE’S BOYFRIEND
Matthew Darcy is a romance writer in a rut. He’s been stuck on Chapter One of his new book for as long as he can remember, and so has his love life. But when his on-the-side job as a flower delivery guy puts him in the right place at the right time to save the life of billionaire banker Calvin Croft, Matt’s life takes an unexpected detour toward romance.
With billions to his name, Cal Croft has everything… except someone to love. But is Cal’s paparazzi-pursued life something that Matt is willing to take a chance on? Can a struggling romance writer who delivers flowers for a living possibly have anything in common with a handsome billionaire with his own Lear jet? And could the secret that Cal’s keeping tear these two lovers apart— just when their romance begins to blossom?
BUCK BAXTER, LOVE DETECTIVE
Welcome to Wilde City, 1924—a crane on top of every skyscraper, a party in every club, a romance on every dance floor, a shooting every night, a broken heart on every street corner and a dirty secret behind every window with the curtain drawn. It’s the kinda town that keeps Buck Baxter, private detective, in business.
For despite his fondness for a cold gin and a pipe stuffed with cannabis, Buck is the best gumshoe in Wilde City. Why? Because he has rules: never make friends, never make enemies, and never ever fall in love. That is until the day playboy nightclub owner Holden Hart swings into town. He’s suave, he’s charming, he’s chivalrous… and he’s exactly the kinda man that Buck will break all the rules for.
From the romance of the Rainbow Palace atop the Wilde City Tower, to the dazzling debauchery of the gentlemen’s parlor The Velvet Viper—from the history surrounding the sinister convent on the hill better known Hell’s Bells, to the lantern-lit opium barge, The Peking Empress, run by the mystical Madame Chang—could Buck be about to unravel the greatest mystery of them all...
The mystery of love?
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