Saved by Love's Blood

by Stephani Hecht

  “And you would do anything to protect him, wouldn’t you?” Dominic pushed.

  “I would kill for him.”

  “That’s all I was doing for Rafe and Morgan, protecting them. I love them as much as you care for Ethan. I was stupid and misguided, but I wasn’t going after him just to be a dick. If you had been in my place, you would have done the same thing.”

  Zeke looked away, the anger draining from his body. Yeah, he would have.

  “We can all play who-was-the-bigger-meanie later,” Dante cut in. “Right now we need to find Ethan, before the sun comes out and gives us a tan we’ll never forget.”

  They nodded and continued patrolling the streets. As they got closer to daylight, the city started to come alive. Traffic was picking up and humans were rushing around as they went about their daily business. If anyone thought it was odd that a group of very tall and darkly dressed men were walking down the sidewalk, they didn’t let on. But then again, this was Detroit and people tended to keep to themselves.

  Just as they were passing a bum who proudly showed them his down and dirties, the communicators in their ears crackled to life. Zeke’s heart leapt in his chest as he waited, hoping it would be someone saying they had news.

  “We found him,” Kane’s voice traveled over the link

  Zeke almost fell to his knees in gratitude, pushing down on the communicator, he asked, “Where?”

  “I don’t think you’re going to believe it. I sure as hell know I don’t and I’m looking right at it. You’ve got to come see this for yourself.” Kane laughed.

  A bar.

  While they had all been combing the streets, thinking the worst had happened to him, Ethan had been having a grand ‘ol time at one of the local paranormal drinking holes. To make things even worse, it was the one that had the zombie bartender. Zeke shuddered. Not many things skeeved him out, but a walking corpse did. Not only did they stink to high heaven, but they were always dropping body parts all over the place. Not exactly the kind of guy he wanted pulling his beer.

  As they opened the warped, wood door of the unmarked establishment, Zeke was amazed at the huge crowd that was inside. Almost every type of semi-civilized creature was in there—chupacabra, werewolves, a few ghosts and…oh shit…that damn zombie.

  The tall mass of walking decay was lumbering their way. His huge, milky eyes wild. “You have to stop them.”

  “Stop who?” Zeke asked as he stepped back out of smelling distance.

  “Them!” The zombie pointed so violently that it was a wonder one of his rotting fingers didn’t snap off and go flying.

  Zeke looked over and almost went slack jawed with shock. Beside him was a snort of laughter from Dante and Rafe cursed low under his breath. Ethan was standing in a middle of a large, very loud group of werewolves who were all cheering him on as he chugged a bottle of booze.

  Right next to him, doing most of the egging on, was Hannah, a mixed werejackal witch who lived at the clan. Zeke watched as Ethan finished the one bottle and held out his hand so she could exchange it with a fresh one. Not even pausing for breath, Ethan tipped that one back and started to down it, his body heaving halfway through before he forced himself to finish it. Once it was empty, he held it up with a flourish to the wild cheers and hoots of the crowd.

  “This has been going on for a while,” Kane said as he came over.

  “Why didn’t you pull him out?” Rafe sputtered.

  “I tried, but he told me to, Make like a tree and leave.” Kane grimaced. “I don’t know what was worse, having a drunk dork and his werewolf cronies telling me what to do or that bad cliché.”

  “He’s not drunk.” Dominic argued with a snort.

  They all looked over at Ethan who was dancing around in slow circles as he held the empty bottle in the air.

  “Yeah, I can see that now,” Dante drawled sarcastically. “Why ever did we think he was?”

  “Warlocks can’t get drunk.” Dominic wrinkled his brow in confusion.

  “Ah, but vampires can.” Dante smirked.

  Ethan and Hannah stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a dartboard. It and the wall were full of burn marks and deep gouges. Zeke scanned his gaze around the bar and noticed that a lot of things were singed. A couple of chairs, a table and the ears of a scared looking male werejackal. Even though there were no bindings around him, he was sitting in the chair as if tied down. He caught Zeke staring and mouthed Help me.

  “Best out of three,” Ethan challenged Hannah, his voice sounded more slurred than not.

  “Are you going to whine when you lose again?” she returned in that smoky voice of hers. It matched her appearance. With her long, whisky-colored hair, tawny eyes and a curvy body that advertised her sensuality, she made most males pant in need.

  Zeke growled low in his throat as he wondered just what interest she had in Ethan. She must have sensed him glaring because she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes issuing a silent challenge. Curling her red lips into a smile that showed off tiny canines, she just as quickly dismissed him, returning her attention to Ethan. Zeke waited for the warlock to notice them, too, but he was either too drunk or pissed off to care.

  Hannah had three small daggers in her hands and she lifted one by the tip, taking aim at the dartboard before throwing it with a sharp snap of her wrist. The crowd whooped when the weapon landed just to the side of the bull’s eye.

  “You’re so drunk you’re getting sloppy,” Ethan admonished even as he stumbled a step.

  “Ha! I’m drunk. Who was the one singing Lady GaGa a few minutes ago?” She ran a hand up his bicep, shooting Zeke a sidelong glance. There was no mistaking the triumphant spark in her eyes.

  “Why are you all just standing there?” the zombie screeched. “You have to stop him before he starts up again.”

  “Starts what?” Zeke looked closely at Ethan’s hands and didn’t see any daggers.

  Then the warlock lifted his palm and shot off a small fireball. It zipped across the room before hitting a chair several feet from the dartboard. A couple of the bar patrons screamed in alarm as they dove out of the way. There was a moment of silence as they all looked at the damage before they all burst out into a loud cheer.

  “Looks like somebody is getting his magic back,” Rafe observed in a low voice.

  “That would explain why I couldn’t use my magic against him earlier, the little bugger was blocking me,” Dominic said.

  “We prefer to call him a booger,” Dante was quick to correct.

  Rafe rolled his eyes.

  “You lost!” Hannah declared, thrusting a full bottle of booze into Ethan’s chest. “Drink up.”

  “I thought we said, best two out of three.” Ethan fumbled until he got a firm grip.

  “We did and I won all three times,” Hannah lied with a wicked grin.

  “Okay.” Ethan shrugged before he started chugging the bottle.

  Zeke had seen enough, shouldering his way through the crowd, he went up and snatched the bottle from the warlock.

  Ethan was so far gone that it actually took him a few seconds to realize he’d lost it, keeping his head tilted back, lips parted.

  “Enough, it’s time to go home,” he ordered, in a stern voice. Ethan looked at him, his eyes blinking blearily before he broke out into a huge grin.

  “Zeke! I missed you.” Throwing his arms around Zeke’s neck, Ethan brought him in for a passionate kiss.

  The sounds of catcalls and whistles reminded him they had a bar full of others enjoying the show. Ethan didn’t seem to care though, slipping his tongue inside to stroke Zeke’s fangs. The kiss tasted of brandy and whiskey, but it was far from unpleasant. Still, he reluctantly pushed the warlock away. “We need to get back, babe, the sun will be coming up soon,” he explained, fisting his hand in the front of Ethan’s shirt to help balance him since his footing was getting more unstable.

  “Only if you promise I can sleep with you.” Ethan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.


  “As long as you don’t start singing Lady GaGa, it’s a deal.”

  “Can I come, too?” Hannah asked, as she started putting her daggers away.

  “Sorry, he’s all mine.” Zeke smiled tightly.

  “Then how come I don’t see the bonding bite marks on your necks?” She cocked a brow questioningly.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be taking care of that right away,” Zeke promised.

  “Can I at least watch you two fuck?” Hannah pleaded. She had never been known for censoring herself.

  “No,” Zeke replied shortly.

  She pouted, something she never would have done if she were sober. “Party fart. Dante won’t let me watch either. Neither one of you are any fun.”

  “What about me?” the male werejackal screeched. “Make that warlock reverse this damn spell that’s holding me down.”

  “Shut up, penny dick,” Ethan slurred. “Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to attack Hannah.”

  Rafe and Dante exchanged confused looks as they mouthed penny dick?

  “It means his cock is so small that’s all it’s worth,” Ethan explained with a giggle.

  Dante started laughing.

  “Don’t encourage him.” Rafe rolled his eyes before he asked Zeke, “Are we ready?”

  Zeke nodded before they each took one of Ethan’s arms and half-dragged, half-carried him out to the van, the sounds of the screaming werejackal following them.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Why didn’t you call us?” Zeke asked Hannah once they were all safe in the van. “We’ve been looking all over for him.”

  Ethan was slumped over, his head resting on Zeke’s shoulder and it looked like he was out for the count.

  “After the way I saw you all treat him, I thought he deserved to get away for a while.” Hannah shrugged, appearing unconcerned.

  “So you just decided to take him to one of the most dangerous bars around and get him drunk?” Rafe snapped.

  “He needed a friend and a way to unload all his stress. I just gave it to him.”

  Ethan sat up and grinned. “Did you hear that? Hannah and I are BFF’s.”

  “OMG, I am so WTF over it, I’m LOL-ing,” Zeke deadpanned, shocked that he was having this type of conversation as a full-grown male. Hannah and Ethan, on the other hand, thought it was the most hilarious thing.

  “I am so going to love watching them suffer from hangovers tomorrow,” Dominic snorted.

  “Hey, Zeke, guess what?” Ethan asked in one of those drunken whispers that wasn’t a whisper at all, but rather a near yell.

  “What?” Zeke tensed, knowing whatever Ethan had to say wouldn’t be good. Not with the wicked grin playing across his handsome features.

  “I’ve been practicing on how to give a blow job around my fangs.” Ethan practically climbed into Zeke’s lap as he grabbed his cock.

  “How have you been practicing?” Zeke couldn’t resist asking as he gently moved the male’s hand.

  “I’ve been trying out my technique on bananas. I think I’m finally ready for the real thing though.”

  Dante burst out laughing and Rafe just buried his face in his hands.

  “As nice as that sounds, we can’t do that in front of everyone else,” Zeke said.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll just tell them not to look or tell anyone.” Ethan tried to do the classic, Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil gestures, and missed with two out of the three.

  “Did you really attack that werejackal back at the bar?” Zeke asked, trying to get the warlock onto another topic.

  “Of course I did.” Ethan frowned. “He tried to kill Hannah. The only reason I didn’t fry him completely is I wanted to prove to you guys that I could control myself if I have to.”

  “I know you can.” He gave Ethan a kiss on the top of his head.

  That seemed to satisfy the male because he snuggled into Zeke’s chest and started to drift off to sleep. Right before he did, he opened his eyes one last time and said, “I love you, Zeke. You know that right?”

  “I love you, too, babe.”

  Zeke woke up the next day to the sounds of Ethan moaning softly as he held his head between his hands. The warlock looked like hell, still dressed in the wrinkly clothes from the night before and his hair all disheveled. Knowing this kind of pain would be coming, Zeke had carried Ethan back to his room last night, so when he woke up, he would be more comfortable in his own safe and familiar environment. “How are you feeling?” Zeke asked, tying to hide his grin as the warlock groaned again. Served him right for being such a hellion.

  “Like a sunlight grenade went off in my skull and for some reason I have the song, Poker Face, stuck in my head,” Ethan whispered, liked talking at a regular volume would hurt too much.

  “Do you remember anything from last night?”

  “Just bits and pieces,” Ethan admitted. “I guess it’s pretty safe to say that I can get drunk now that I’m a vampire. It would have been good to have known that little tidbit before I made that bet with Hannah.”

  “Look, about what happened in the training room last night. I want you to know I don’t give a damn what marks are on your body.” Zeke sat up so he could wrap his arms around Ethan, but the warlock got up and took a couple of steps away.

  “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what they really meant. I thought Dominic would have filled you in on that, but obviously he hasn’t or else you wouldn’t even be talking to me,” Ethan said harshly as he took a few more steps back.

  “Both he and Kavan told us everything.” Zeke stood up and moved slowly forward.

  “Then you know what a failure I am.”

  “No, you’re not” Zeke was finally close enough to put his hands on Ethan’s waist. The warlock didn’t pull back, but he didn’t move into the embrace either.

  “How can you say that? I let them kill Adam and I couldn’t stop it.” He looked away.

  Zeke reached over and cupped his chin, forcing his gaze back forward. “I know Cherish told you about how I was transformed into a vampire. How my whole team died and I was the only survivor. Do you think any less of me for that?”

  “Of course not. Don’t be stupid.”

  “Then how can you blame yourself for Adam? There was nothing more you could have done to save him.”

  * * * *

  Ethan nodded, even though he still wasn’t totally convinced. He didn’t think he would ever be able to totally forgive himself, but when he was with Zeke and the vampire seemed to believe in him so much, it did make the ache less. Enough that Ethan had hope the guilt would someday go away forever. “I know I babbled a lot of stupid stuff last night, but I did mean one thing,” he said as he searched Zeke’s face.

  “What? That you know how to give a blowjob now despite your fangs?” Zeke smiled.

  Ethan had never felt so light. “Well, yeah, but what I was really talking about is when I told you I love you.” He took a deep breath, terrified of putting himself out so much, but knowing he had to.

  “I love you, too,” Zeke replied as he ran the pad of his thumb over Ethan’s bottom lip. “Does this mean you’ll let me give you the bonding bite? I can’t stand the thought of you going around another day without everyone knowing you belong to me.”

  “Only if I can give you one back.” Ethan lightly nipped Zeke’s thumb, making the vampire suck in a breath.

  “When?” Zeke asked, his eyes stormy with desire.

  “Now.” Ethan reached between them, popping open the button on the vampire’s uniform pants.

  “What about your head?”

  “It doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as other parts of me.” Ethan reached in and caressed Zeke’s cock, marveling at how the male was already hard for him.

  “Only if you’ll take off all your clothes this time. I want to touch every inch of you.” The vampire closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure.

  “No more secrets between us I promise.” Ethan stepped back so he could pull off his shirt.


  As Zeke’s gaze burned into him, Ethan had never felt so alive. It was exhilarating knowing that he didn’t have to hide anymore. Zeke pulled off his shirt, too, before he moved forward and led Ethan to the bed.

  They rolled around on the mattress, pulling at each other clothes. They took their time, kissing and sucking each new exposed area of flesh. By the time they were nude, both of them were panting with need.

  “I have a little surprise for you.” Ethan smiled as he reached into a bedside drawer and pulled out a small jar. It had amber colored oil in it. He opened it and poured some into his hand.

  “What are you up to now?” Zeke smiled as he lay on his back and looked up at him.

  “I want to show you one of the advantages of having a warlock for a lover.” Ethan grabbed Zeke’s cock, covering it with the oil. The vampire let out a hoarse cry and he almost came off the bed.

  “Good?” Ethan asked, even though he already knew it was. A blend of an aphrodisiac and herbs, it left behind a light sensual heat when rubbed into the body.

  “God, yeah,” Zeke barked as he thrust his hips up.

  “I’m just getting started.” Ethan smiled as he dipped his head down. Not waiting any longer, he wrapped his lips around Zeke’s cock and sucked in deep.

  Zeke fisted his hands into the sheets and let out a soft whimper.

  The sound gave Ethan a heady feeling, knowing he’d made the hardened Drone soldier get so lost in passion that he was letting all his inhibitions down. Ethan had been yearning to taste the vampire for so long, he went wild on his dick, sucking, nipping and licking so hard that it wasn’t long before Zeke was writhing in pleasure, his breaths coming out in gasps. Just as he thought the male was going to orgasm, Zeke abruptly sat up.

  “Not yet,” he growled, his fangs larger than Ethan had ever seen them. “I’m not going to come until I’m in that tight ass of yours.”

  “Do it now, Zeke. I can’t wait any longer.” Ethan hissed as his fangs dropped, too.

  Zeke snarled as he attacked Ethan, forcing him flat to his back. A red haze of lust overwhelmed Ethan as he realized he was caught up in the bloodlust he’d heard so much about. Damn, the aphrodisiac had nothing on this feeling. Right now, he was so jacked up, the world could start falling down around him and he wouldn’t notice.