The vampire took a hasty step backward and plastered himself against the side of the SUV.
Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Will this day never end? Valentin braced himself for the attack that was sure to follow. The jaguar stretched his front paws in front of him and lowered his body to the ground, watching him with curious eyes.
Okaaay. Valentin offered his hand up for the cat to sniff, if it so wanted, and waited. The jaguar’s muzzle twitched, but the feline made no move toward him. Mustering all the courage he could find, the vampire took a small step on shaky legs and offered his hand again, palm facing upwards.
“Don’t be afraid, I am not going to hurt you.”
The feline snorted and its eyes gleamed. Even the vampire had to admit it was funny. He could barely stand, much less be a threat to the animal.
“Aren’t we gorgeous? Aren’t we sweet?” The cat snorted again, like he found the whole baby talk amusing.
Valentin kept his tone soft, soothing. The jaguar didn’t look to be out for blood, but it was a wild animal and should be treated as such. Valentin’s fingers tingled with the need to touch. Maybe it’s the loss of blood. Yes, that’s got to be it, because no way in hell I should want to pet a jaguar. But when the cat made no move toward him, he crept closer.
“Here kitty, kitty!”
The cat leapt playfully at Valentin. It shifted in midair, landing gracefully not ten inches away. Valentin yelped in surprise as Shawn placed his hands on each side of his body, leaning in close.
“Here kitty, kitty? You have got to be kidding me!”
“You’re a cat.” He was shocked. Shawn regarded him with a confused look of his own.
“What is wrong with you? You should have known what I am since I stepped in that damn bar. Vampires should be better at sniffing up stuff like that.”
Valentin flushed in spite of the blood loss. He dropped his eyes, only to jerk them back up. Shawn met his gaze and held it. The vampire licked his suddenly dry lips before speaking again.
“You’re naked.”
Somehow, in the span of the last seconds, Valentin had gone painfully hard, throbbing furiously behind the fly of his pants.
“Yes, Mister State-the-obvious, I’m naked. I can’t shift and keep my clothes on.”
As if on cue, Valentin’s eyes traveled down the gorgeous body in front of him, taking in the strong chest and chiseled abs, stopping at the rock-hard cock jutting at a straight angle from its nest of curls. His eyes flew back and met Shawn’s, silently asking for an explanation.
“It’s you.”
Unable to stop himself, the vampire reached forward and traced the line of Shawn’s cheek with the back of his fingers. Shawn’s beautiful, gray eyes darkened.
His gaze dropped to the man’s mouth and he watched mesmerized as the rosy tongue peeked out and licked at the lower lip. Valentin whimpered and leaned in. Shawn’s lips parted in response and his breath brushed against the vampire’s skin, but before they could touch, Valentin jerked back and glared at Shawn.
“You don’t want me.” Funny how much thinking that could hurt.
Shawn pointed at his dick. “This begs to differ.”
Valentin swallowed and shook his head, eyes glued to Shawn’s cock. He couldn’t allow himself to hope. The disappointment might kill him.
“It’s not me you want. It’s just adrenaline.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Are you even gay?”
Shawn stilled, frowning.
“That’s what I thought.” Valentin pushed at him and tried to walk past.
Shawn inched closer, blocking Valentin’s retreat, until he was almost flush against him and could barely contain a moan when his shaft rubbed along the hardness behind Valentin’s jeans. Shawn’s eyes shot up to meet his. Valentin could barely stand the intensity of his gaze.
Shawn leaned in and hid his face in the crook of Valentin’s neck, taking in his scent. Hairs stood on the back of his hands, and Valentin squirmed, unable to withstand the pressure.
Shawn nuzzled the soft patch of skin under Valentin’s ear and drew the lobe into his mouth, sucking gently. Valentin gasped and arched his back, offering him better access. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shawn kissed his way along the jaw and hovered above Valentin’s elegant mouth. Valentin’s eyes fluttered open, his vision hazed.
Gazed locked, Shawn brushed his lips over Valentin’s, taking the first taste of the man. Valentin let out a moan and clutched his hands into Shawn’s hair, pulling him closer. Lips parted and their tongues met. The kiss was urgent and needing, both of them trying to imprint the other’s taste in his system. Valentin was making needy noises and squirmed to get even closer.
Valentin was fighting to get a hold of his emotions. Lust, thirst, pure, undiluted need. His fangs descended and his gums ached. In normal circumstances he would be ashamed of his complete lack of control over his body. But Shawn felt good against his body, better than anyone else ever did. He smelled fresh, like the forest, wet earth and wind, blood, his and others, and musk. He stared blindly into Shawn’s eyes and pulled him back for another kiss. It was savage, Valentin wanting to taste every crevice of that mouth at the same time. Shawn responded in kind, his hands fisted in Valentin’s shirt, holding him tight. Lips mashed lips, teeth bumped teeth and a fang, his, Shawn’s, he didn’t know for sure, nor did he care, nicked Valentin’s lower lip. He moaned as a drop of blood emerged on the surface, and it was promptly swept away by Shawn’s tongue.
Oh Lord! He’d always found blood-play to be highly erotic, and to have Shawn participate almost did him in. He whimpered and squirmed to get close, searching for more friction.
Shawn groaned and his hands went to Valentin’s fly, almost tearing the fabric in his hurry to have it open. Valentin’s cock sprang free and bumped Shawn’s, making them both moan. The shifter stepped forward, trapping him between his body and the side of the car.
His rhythm faltered as Valentin snaked one leg behind Shawn’s shin, pulling hard, making the man stumble. He rolled them both until Shawn’s back was pressed against the side of the car, brought their cocks together and stroked.
All his instincts screamed at him to take it slow, but Valentin couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted Shawn and wanted him bad. He rolled his hips to add more friction between their cocks and heard the other man whimper. Or maybe it was him? Shawn tensed up and bucked, dry humping Valentin. Valentin broke the kiss and his lips brushed over Shawn’s jaw, cheek, and ear, to descend gently to the spot where he could feel the pulse trying to burst out. Shawn’s skin was soft and hot under his mouth, and it took all his control to not pierce it and taste his lover.
****
Shawn was pinned beneath Valentin’s hard body, and man, was he hard. He should feel threatened. The animal inside him should feel trapped. Yet, he was writhing under the other man’s touch, moaning and clinging onto Valentin like a life raft.
He was completely flushed against the other man’s body, and he still wanted to get closer. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could crawl under that porcelain skin of his lover. He’d lost control over his body the second their lips met and he had yet to regain it. Scents, tastes, needs were pushing him into overdrive, and the adrenaline spilled in his body during the fight was playing havoc with his reactions.
“Oh, God, close.” The words scratched his throat.
Shawn’s cock swelled and Valentin increased the friction between their bodies. His sac drew tight against the base of his prick, a tingling sensation at the bottom of his spine announcing his impending orgasm. He tried to hold on to prolong the moment. Valentin’s lips latched onto Shawn’s neck. His fangs grazed the skin.
Shawn’s orgasm took over his body. He shuddered through his release, his head thrown back, his lips curled, revealing a set of deadly looking canines. Out of the blue, Valentin went limp in his arms and it took Shawn a full second to realize it wasn’t due to his own release but to some other cause.
Shees
h, for such a skinny thing you sure weigh a lot! Shawn struggled with Valentin’s weight, setting him on the ground. Brain still foggy from his orgasm, he just stared at Valentin. For a male, the man was gorgeous. Shawn shook his head and tried to focus.
Valentin’s eyes were wide open, staring blindly ahead. Shawn brought his head closer and sniffed the crook of Valentin’s neck. Blood. Valentin’s and some other vampire’s. Fresh. Shit, he’s still bleeding. He tore open Valentin’s tee shirt, removing it entirely. His eyes paused at the small cross resting on his lover’s chest, a wonder that it was still intact after all the fighting, and trained on the blood trickling toward the armpit from a nasty-looking tear on the left shoulder. He lifted the man into a sitting position, supporting his back with his arm.
From this angle Shawn had better access to the wound and could see the entire extent of it. The flesh was torn, like a vicious animal had sunk its teeth over and over with the single mind to create as much damage as possible. He propped Valentin’s back against the side of the car and stretched to grab the tee shirt he had discarded earlier. He held it up for inspection, but the cloth was wet and dirty, and while he was fairly certain that germs and bacteria weren’t a threat for vampires, he didn’t want to chance it. He scurried to the back of the car and rummaged through his duffle, coming up with an old cotton tee shirt. A moment later he was kneeling back next to Valentin, pressing the cloth to the torn flesh. He cussed the lack of light and dragged the man closer to the driver’s door to get some light.
Fuck! He is still bleeding. He applied more pressure, hoping it would stop the bleeding. What the hell is going on? He shouldn’t be hurt at all. Vampires heal faster than therians.
Valentin started convulsing. Pink foam formed in the corners of his mouth. Do vampires even get epilepsy?
He grabbed Valentin’s feet and pulled him until he was again lying on his back. After a small hesitation, Shawn brought his wrist to his mouth and ripped it open. Blood gushed. He hoped it was what his vampire needed. He gripped Valentin’s jaw between his fingers and squeezed hard to unclench it, not an easy task with Valentin convulsing. He pressed his opened wrist to Valentin’s lips. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Valentin was latched onto the wrist, chewing at the rapidly closing wound.
Shawn watched as Valentin grabbed his forearm, holding on for dear life. Shit, there’s gonna be bruising. Fangs dug into flesh, shredding it like he was trying to crawl his way inside. Lips closed around the wound, and it was the most erotic thing Shawn had ever seen. How sick is that? He lost himself in the sensations, pain mixed with arousal, the world once again reduced to the man in front of him. He was acutely aware of each pull of Valentin’s mouth against his skin, each hollowing of Valentin’s cheeks. Blood hammered in his ears, and he knew he had to pull back before it was too late, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
* * * *
The liquid made its way through Valentin’s body, filling him, warming him from the inside out and making him feel better than he had in months. He felt like flying. With each beat of Shawn’s heart, fresh waves of warm blood made their way to Valentin’s mouth and he savored every drop. It was ambrosia. This had to be heaven. The taste was rich and earthy and like nothing he ever tasted before. The scent, just as delicious, engulfed him, heavy musk, forest, rain and earth, and that something that was Shawn’s. He knew he should stop. The heartbeats, so steady and strong at first, slowed down, the rhythm becoming erratic, and Shawn swayed against him. He had to stop. He knew it, but his body wasn’t listening. Had it ever been so hard for him to stop?
Valentin closed his eyes and held on to the feeling for as long as he could without killing Shawn, and with what was left of his self-control pulled himself back. His body protested, his fingers increasing their grip on his lover’s arm, trying to overrule his mind, and coming too close to succeeding for Valentin’s comfort. He forced his eyes open and searched his lover’s face. Damn it, he wouldn’t forgive himself if something happened to Shawn because of him.
Valentin pushed himself up and reached out to his lover. Shawn was pale and shivering, his eyes slightly unfocused, but the wound had almost completely sealed over.
“Shawn, baby, are you all right?”
Chapter 5
Awareness slowly returned to his body and Shawn found himself staring into Valentin’s concerned eyes. What he had done? His heart jumped, dulled by the enormity of what he, they, just did.
“How... what…?” Damn, he sounded hoarse. Shawn shivered as cold wind brushed his skin and reality dawned on him. He was stark-naked in Valentin’s arms and still very much aroused. In the rain. By the side of a road. Crap!
Panic rose and breath hitched in his throat. Shawn couldn’t believe himself. Two days ago, hell, one day ago, he wouldn’t even have considered kissing a man, much less having sex with one. Yet, here he was.
“Clothes. I need clothes.” He jumped to his feet, swooned, and scrambled to the back of the car where his duffel was to dig for some pants. He came up with what had to be the oldest and rattiest pair of jeans he owned. They were going to get wet and dirty anyway, but at least he would be wearing something. His prediction proved to be right. By the time he had them zipped up they were clinging onto him like second skin. He rummaged in his duffel again, retrieved one of his favorite tee shirts, and threw it at Valentin.
“Here, put this on. Care to tell me what just happened here?” Shawn wasn’t sure he wanted to know. But now, with his clothes on, he felt confident enough to face whatever answer would come out of Valentin’s mouth.
Blood rushed into Valentin’s face.
“I believe we had a small misunderstanding with three vampires. By the way, nice job with those two.”
Shawn rolled his eyes, but accepted the change in subject.
“Small misunderstanding? Almost becoming the main course for an impromptu dinner by three scary bloodsuckers is hardly a small misunderstanding. But it’s not what I meant, and you know it. Why aren’t your wounds healing?” He glared at Valentin, now standing six feet away from him, and damn it, he didn’t even hear him move. He closed the distance between them and pinned Valentin with his eyes.
“Tell you what…” Shawn stilled, his sensitive ears picking out the faint rumble of an approaching vehicle. “Fuck! Someone’s coming. The bodies.” Valentin stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “We have to do something with the bodies.”
How the hell was he supposed to explain the presence of two torn up bodies? Why couldn’t they disappear in a cloud of mist like Theodore did? It would have saved them a lot of trouble. At least the rain had washed out most of the blood. Shawn hurried to the closest corpse, grabbed its feet, and started dragging it toward the back of the car.
“Come on, give me a hand. We have to hide these.”
Valentin shrugged, completely unconcerned. “There’s not much left. And whoever’s coming is not a problem.”
“We are not killing whoever is in that damn car!”
“I never said we were.” Valentin shot him a hurt look. He might be a vampire, but he didn’t strike Shawn as a cold-blooded killer. “I’ve never had the stomach for it. Just one more weakness on my part.” He was thinking out loud, the last words so quiet Shawn could barely hear them.
“And how exactly do you plan on explaining this?” Shawn threw his hands to show the mess around them, the battered car in the ditch, pieces of clothes everywhere, and the bodies. “I’m looking forward to hearing it myself. Must be one hell of an explanation.” He was back to glaring at Valentin. He couldn’t help it. Besides, it was easier to be pissed at Valentin than think about what happened between them only minutes before and how right it felt.
“Relax, will ya?”
“Now you want me to calm down? You were singing a whole different tune earlier.” He hissed out the words, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. And the serene expression on Valentin’s face was making him want to strangle him. He muttered crazy vampire under his b
reath just as the car rolled into view. The man in question chuckled.
The vehicle pulled to stop next to them at the side of the road and lights sprung to life on top of it. Blue and red. Ohh great. Cops.
An officer got out of the car and stepped closer to check out their SUV. The policeman retrieved his flashlight. He trained the ray on their car, slowly circling it. Shawn knew the exact moment when the cop noticed them. His eyes went wide and his right hand flew to his holster. He drew the gun and took in the image the two of them made.
“Hands behind your head! Now!”
Shawn glanced over at Valentin, unsure of how he should proceed, and when no hints were received, he went for his best soothing voice. “Officer, it’s not what it looks like.” Okay, that sounded lame even to his own ears. Valentin chuckled, and Shawn could have sworn he saw him roll his eyes. You think you can handle it better, fang boy?
“I said to put your hands behind your head!” The cop sounded frantic, taking worried glances around him, like he was expecting someone to jump him from the bushes. Shawn could smell his fear from where he stood. The policeman pulled the safety off, hands shaky. Shawn pursed his lips, wondering how in the world they would get out of this without having to kill the human.
With slow, careful motions he brought his hands behind his head and clasped them together, silently urging Valentin to do the same. Valentin wasn’t doing anything to help, damn him.
“Officer…” That was all he got out before Valentin stepped in front of him, crowding the policeman. “What the hell are you doing? Trying to get us killed?” Shawn whispered the words, lips barely moving. I know you’ve heard me, damn it, don’t do anything stupid. Just don’t.
The cop pointed the gun straight at Valentin’s chest. His finger tensed on the trigger. Shawn held his breath. The air creaked around them and Shawn’s skin tingled. He glanced around him, confused. What was going on? His nose wrinkled and he sneezed. Brows furrowed, Shawn sniffed the air suspiciously. Power.
Perfect Timing Page 4