Discovery

by Thianna Durston

  Laughing, Jaret nodded even as he stretched his shoulders a bit. “Well, you’ve got to get your day started and I’m ending mine. See you tonight?”

  “Yep. If you’re a good boy,” Aaron said, standing up from the bed. “I’ll even wake you up that way.”

  “Nuh-uh. I don’t want to miss out on a moment.”

  “See you tonight.” Closing the door to give Jaret as much quiet as was possible with the thunder of feet above them, Aaron took a moment to enjoy how good he felt before heading into the bathroom. There was much to do today and he would not spend it thinking about the man in the other room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sitting on a small ridge overlooking the valley below him, Jaret kept his senses on alert for anything odd. It was almost the full moon, and with the sky being clear, he could see for several miles. Over the last two nights he had found and killed six wolves, drinking two down and bleeding the third for Aaron each night. He would have preferred to give him a few pints of human blood, but the only humans around were Aaron’s relatives. As soon as he had shored up Aaron’s body a bit, he would take a break for a night and go find a human. He needed to fill up his flask, get Aaron one, and get enough human blood to bring the man’s full drakyl change upon him.

  If he’d thought about it last Friday, he would have noticed that the man didn’t have fangs. Dead giveaway. But as they were retractable, he hadn’t thought about it. Besides, Aaron’s mouth and his cock? Thinking was not possible once those two got together. Good thing he could think about it now. It brought his mind back to the last couple of days. They now played a game he had come to enjoy. He woke Aaron up before he lay down for the day with a blowjob and the man did the same for him in return that night.

  It was the only time during the day they had together and he definitely enjoyed it. Of course, even if he had hated it—as if—he would have kept feeding Aaron his cock. Since his release was about half cum and half blood, it helped the other man. And that was another thing he should have focused on last Friday. There had been no blood in Aaron’s release. “Damn, around him, I stop thinking. Or at least I stop thinking with my big brain.”

  Tonight, he hoped to capture a larger predator. While Jaret wasn’t sure what kinds of animals roamed the land, he hoped for something larger than a wolf. Maybe a mountain lion or even an elk. They were supposed to be huge suckers. If he could get a couple of those, he’d have tons of blood to feed the man. Wondering what elk tasted like, he stilled as another scent filled the air. It was unfamiliar and rather noxious. And relatively close. Turning his head slowly, he spotted it. Black fur with a white stripe down the middle. Hell, no.

  Jaret was on his feet and twenty feet away before the little beast could spray him. “Bastard,” he said good-naturedly as the skunk turned and trotted in the other direction, having sprayed the area he had been sitting on. “Guess I’ll go check out a different section of land. The killers are staying away from this part.” Probably because they could sense a stronger predator.

  Walking over to Blaze, the bay Jeffrey had suggested for him, he mounted up, enjoying the feeling of being on horseback again. It had been quite a few years, more than he would like to count, since he had done so and he enjoyed the feeling of being one with a horse again. Since he seemed to have scared the drinkable animals away from the south, looked like north was his destination now. Clicking softly, Blaze instantly started out and while Jaret kept his nose in the air to smell anything amiss, his horse kept up a steady pace.

  The northern terrain was much more hilly and jagged. But it was gorgeous. Nothing like it in England, that was for sure. He’d always enjoyed the Swiss mountains and had spent more than one summer just lazing on top of them, picking off the lone hiker when he’d get hungry. Well, that was long ago. Before he became more…choosy in his food.

  The scent hit him and Blaze at the same time. The horse snorted and its hooves beat a quick staccato rhythm as it danced from side to side, its ears flat in fear.

  “Don’t worry,” Jaret said in a soothing voice, hopping off his back. “I’ll get it way before it gets you.” Reaching into the saddle bags, he yanked out two large plastic containers he’d packed before he left. When Davis saw him remove them from the cupboard earlier, there had been a moment of shock before something like resignation filled his gaze. Whether or not the man knew he was bringing blood to Aaron, he had no idea. But he only had a couple more days before Jaret planned to spill all, anyway.

  While some of the Drakyl horses were in the barn, they also kept a small herd of them up here. And from the sounds of their huffing breaths and hooves pounding on the dirt as they prepared to run, they knew a hunter was close. Jaret wasn’t sure why his kind didn’t scare horses, but was glad they didn’t. Maybe it had something to do with the fact they looked human and still contained some humanity.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted him: a lean, lanky mountain lion. Well, now. This beast should contain a lot of sustenance. He could save the stock as well as feed himself and Aaron. Here, kitty, kitty he thought as he stalked toward it. The square jaw turned toward him and a low rumble left its throat before finally it looked him in the eyes. It took barely a push with his own mind for the beast to fall to the ground.

  He remembered listening once to someone talking about the thrill of the chase. When it came to food, he thought they were idiots. Why expunge that energy when you could knock it out with a little hypnosis and feed on its blood without wasting any?

  Whinnies and the sound of galloping hooves as the horses ran in another direction filled his ears as he pulled out a sharp knife. The lion’s breaths came shallow and he had no intention of making it suffer. That was the kind of thing vampyr did. He wasn’t cruel. Grabbing its head, he yanked it back and with a single break of its neck, it was gone. Quickly, before the blood coagulated, he slid the point of the knife into the artery in the throat and drained the blood into one of the bottles. As the first one filled, he switched them. Since he’d already dropped a tablet he had created over centuries of work into the bottoms of each bottle, their chemical reaction would stop the blood from thickening. When the second bottle filled up, he pulled it away and yanked the cat to his own mouth, sucking out the last of its blood.

  Placing it back on the ground, he turned and stoppered both bottles before jogging back to where Blaze stood, his ears pricked forward. Wrapping the bottles in a towel he’d brought, he stuffed them back in the saddlebags and swung up into the saddle. After taking in another huge breath and not finding any predator, he patted Blaze on the neck. “Let’s go home, buddy. I need to get this to Aaron.” As the horse turned, a scent drifted by on the wind, sharp and distinct making him look over his shoulder. “Whoa.” Blaze danced to the side, but didn’t try to go forward. Inhaling deeply, he once again caught it on the wind. It was a bare trace, from somewhere far distant. It might not be close, but he would need to keep an eye out. The last thing they needed right now was a vampyr to show up.

  The ride back was quick with Jaret consistently scenting the air to make sure the vampyr stench did not become more intense. By the time he reached the homestead, it was only a couple hours before dawn. While later than he preferred, he would still get Aaron to drink before he caught sight of what he was drinking. There were only two more nights. Two. Before he would tell Aaron what he was. He had wanted to give the old man time to come clean, but he hadn’t done it yet. If he didn’t by Friday night, that was it. On Saturday, he would convince Aaron to go to town and show him what he was. It might sound cruel to some, but it was the way he found out and he’d survived.

  After removing the tack and brushing Blaze down, he put him back in the stable and took the towel-covered bottles inside the house with him. Once he’d removed his boots in the mud room, he walked through the dark, quiet house to the stairs and made his way down to the basement. Once he’d dropped his rucksack in his room, he walked into Aaron’s. To his surprise, the man sat up in his bed, watching him in the d
ark. Had he figured it out?

  “Hey,” Aaron said in a quiet voice.

  “Hey. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Jaret teased lightly, glad he didn’t need the light to see as he walked across to Aaron’s bed.

  “Couldn’t sleep. I feel better in the mornin’, but fuckin’ awful by nightfall. I-I’m scared, Jaret,” he admitted in a shaky tone. “I’m scared I’m gonna die. When I’ve finally found someone worth livin’ for.”

  Sitting on the side of the bed, Jaret reached out and caressed the face in front of him. “You’re not going to die, Aaron.”

  “You don’t know that. This sickness, ailment, curse…whatever the fuck it is. It’s gettin’ worse. And it’s changin’. Morphin’ into somethin’ scary. My nightmares lately have been horrible.”

  “What kind of nightmares?” Of course, Jaret knew. They were the same kind all of them had during the change. Fire and ice as the body went through horrendous chills and soaring high fevers. They would only stop once the change was complete. For after that, there was no real sleep anymore.

  “Bein’ caught on high mountains, pelted with snow. Of the forests here bright with orange fire. Of you—” His voice broke. “Callin’ out my name only I’m no longer here to respond.”

  “Babe,” Jaret said in a soft voice, not understanding why but knowing he was closer to this drakyl than he had ever been to anyone. “We’re going to get you cured. Then you can come out with me at night. We’ll keep the place predator free while your cousins slave in the sun. How does that sound?”

  A sad attempt at a laugh left the other man’s throat. “Promise me you won’t leave until I’m gone?”

  Fury swept along Jaret’s veins. Anger at the sun, the fact the man next to him was terrified, and at Davis for not explaining to the poor man earlier what he was. But mostly, he was furious at himself for not telling Aaron the truth. Leaning in, he placed his nose against Aaron’s. “I promise you,” he said in a deep growl, “that you are not going to die, Aaron Drakyl. I won’t let it happen.”

  “I don’t think you can stop the inevitable.”

  “Your death is not inevitable. Unless you expose yourself to the sun or keep going on the way you’ve been going. Now, I don’t want any more defeatist attitude. Drink.” Pulling one of the bottles up, he uncorked it and handed it over. “Drink it all.”

  “Is this some more of your magic elixir?”

  “My what?”

  “The stuff you give me makes me feel better.”

  Shaking his head at the lies piling up, Jaret made a decision. “Yes, that’s exactly what this is. I, too, have what you have.”

  “What?”

  “Aaron. I have the same issues. Burnt by sunlight, extreme exhaustion if I try to stay up during the day.” He paused and then added, “The inability to eat the kind of food your relatives eat. This,” he said, putting the bottle up to Aaron’s lips, “is our diet. Drink, Aaron. Drink it all down.”

  He stared at Aaron, half expecting him to argue, and feeling both grateful and guilty when he didn’t. Instead, Aaron took a sip and before long had emptied the entire thing. “Oh, that was good,” he moaned and Jaret switched the bottles.

  “Drink this one, too.”

  “I’ll start sloshin’.”

  “No, you won’t. Drink it. You’ll feel amazingly better.” Without another argument, Aaron put it to his lips and began to drink, quickly guzzling down the red liquid. By the time it was halfway empty, Jaret got his first clue that maybe, just maybe, he was on the right track. Aaron’s scent changed. While his natural scents of vanilla cigars and peppermint increased, the lemon had sharpened. Aaron was so close to making the final change. What would it take to bring about that final chemical reaction that would make his fangs burst forth? Jaret had always assumed it was human blood. But the way the man in bed reacted to the lion’s blood, maybe he just needed a powerful enough predator.

  The second bottle empty, Aaron let out a long, relieved sigh. “I hope one day you’ll show me how to make that. Best thing I’ve ever tasted. Well…second best.”

  Raising an eyebrow which he was sure Aaron could not see, Jaret responded. “Second best?” He couldn’t imagine anything that would taste any better than blood.

  “Yes, the first is your cum.”

  Grinning, Jaret leaned forward and gave him a long kiss, enjoying the faint taste of blood that lingered on the other man’s tongue. Once he’d sat back up, he said, “Well, you can have that anytime. Day or night.”

  “Tease. What if I told you I wanted it right now?”

  “I’d say open your mouth because I’m going to fuck it.” He had just been teasing, but when Aaron opened his mouth wide, teasing was a thing of the past. In no time, he had the bottles on the floor, his pants open and his knees on either side of Aaron’s waist. “Take it, babe.” Every time they did this, Aaron had been able to take a little more of him inside. He hoped that once the transition was complete, that he could deep throat him. Damn. Jaret had wanted to do that as long as he could remember. Unfortunately, he hadn’t found a man or drakyl who was willing to give it a go.

  Strong hands grasped his cock as he slid it between Aaron’s lips and when the man he had actual feelings for grasped his foreskin and pulled it back, dipping his tongue into the slit, he let his head fall back. Dear one, yes. This at the end each night. It was a rousing concept and one he would have to think upon. After all, he was a traveler. Would Aaron consider coming with him? Before he could think any more on the subject, that wonderful mouth increased its suction and he forgot anything except for hands, lips, and tongue.

  Chapter Twelve

  Letting Krage make his way back to the homestead, Aaron grimaced even as he stretched his overtaxed muscles. This had been a crazy week. He felt so damned good in the morning—almost human—and within a couple hours of being out of the house, he felt like a fate worse than death. Having Jaret care for him was something he wouldn’t have expected in a million years. Between his disease and the fact he was gay, he had never expected to find someone who was not only willing to stay around, but who actually cared enough to take care of him. Every night, Jaret fed him some of whatever the elixir stuff was and almost instantly afterward, he felt a burst of energy within him. Whatever it was, he wished he had some to take with him during the day. Maybe it would help.

  “Aaron!” Pulling on the reins, he turned his mount in the direction of Conner’s voice. His cousin trotted his horse Amory over to him. “We found two more.”

  “Really?” Shaken out of his current thoughts, Aaron gazed over the country side. “Where?”

  “Northwest, near where Will likes to go. Fucking huge cougar, too.”

  “Fuck. That’s two cougars within a couple days.”

  “And twelve predators this week we’ve found dead. Don’t you think…” Conner paused and winced. “Jaret shows up and suddenly all our animals are safe but the predators who feed from them aren’t?”

  “Sounds like he’s doing us a service,” Aaron said in what he knew was a harsh voice. He already knew his uncle wasn’t fond of the man he was beginning to love. If his cousins felt that way, as well, he didn’t know what he would do.

  “True. Larry called with his first results on them all.”

  “And?” The word was torn from his lips. When the vet, Larry Linfield, had decided to do lab tests on the animals since they’d all been found dead on their land, he’d been worried. What would they find? Poison?

  “Yeah, well, it’s weird.” Usually Conner wasn’t one to prevaricate, but today his hand rubbed the back of his neck and he grimaced. “They were all drained of blood.”

  “What?” Aaron asked, confused.

  “Drained of blood.”

  “So whatever killed them left a hole big enough for their blood to—”

  “No, Aaron. There were no puddles of blood. No signs of a fight. Each animal had only one tiny hole at its throat. Something weird is going on. It’s like we have some sort of vampyr o
r something.”

  Snorting a laugh, Aaron shook his head, amusement replacing annoyance. “You need to stop reading vampyr books. They don’t exist, Conner.”

  “So you say.”

  “More than likely,” he said to stop his young cousin from making up fantastical tales, “some weirdo is killing these creatures elsewhere and thinks dumping them on our land is the easiest way to rid himself of them.”

  “Still. Creepy.”

  Once Conner had gone back to his job for that day, with a warning from Aaron not to do anything if he happened to see whomever was doing this—“Come home instantly. We’ll call the cops.”—Aaron once again headed home. His body ached so badly and he wondered if Jaret had any of the elixir in his room. He could really use a shot of it right now.

  The house was quiet when he went into the mudroom. Krage was happily ensconced in his box after a hard day’s work and eating happily. Now Aaron would like to do the same. After taking his boots off, he walked inside. The living room was filled with furniture, but they rarely used it this time of year. Working from sunup to sundown tended to take their time. In the winter, though, they tended to lounge on the sofas and in the chairs, talking, teasing, and in Will’s case, making up dreadfully awful songs about sailors. Smiling at the memory, he noted a piece of paper up on the corkboard that sat to the right of the kitchen door.

  Walking over, he looked at the note.

  Aaron,

  Come see me when you return. There is much for us to discuss.

  Davis

  That was…short and to the point. Aaron frowned. His uncle was getting worse what with taking longer naps and spending more time in his room than with them. He was almost afraid to cross the floor and tap on Davis’s room. If the man brought up death, Aaron wasn’t sure he could take it.

  Forcing himself to move, he made his way across the room and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again.

  “Come in.” The words were slurred, quickly followed by a coughing fit.