When Zander’s balls pulled tight this time, he didn’t try to fight it. He gave himself over to the sensations caused by the gargoyle. Bliss surging through him, his cock unloaded. His seed oozed over both their dick’s heads, sending mini shock waves through him.
“Oh, oh,” Zander panted, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his body convulsed. Endorphins pumped through him on waves of bliss.
“Yeah,” Geoffrey growled, sliding his tail out of Zander’s channel. “So fucking beautiful, mate.”
After another couple of pumps, Zander felt more seed ooze around his prick as Geoffrey growled his pleasure. Zander just managed to open his eyes enough to see the pleasure-pain etched across the gargoyle’s features. One of Geoffrey’s canines appeared to have sunk into his bottom lip, for a bit of blood dribbled from the plump flesh.
Acting on a need Zander didn’t understand, he leaned forward and licked at the wound. The rich, iron-tasting fluid burst across his tongue. Seeing another drop ooze from Geoffrey’s lip, Zander went in for another taste.
“Zan, oh fuck,” Geoffrey whined.
The gargoyle flicked out his own tongue and lapped at Zander’s appendage. Chuckling, Zander adjusted the angle of his head and shared a slow, lingering kiss with Geoffrey. After a moment, he put a bit of space between them. Surprise filled him when he spotted the worry filling Geoffrey’s dark eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“You licked at the blood on my lip,” Geoffrey murmured.
“Yeah.” Zander didn’t understand the big deal. Wait. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”
Geoffrey touched Zander’s temple gently as he whispered, “You started the bonding process by doing that.”
Zander turned his head and kissed Geoffrey’s fingertips as he absorbed that information. Should he be freaking out right now? Maybe, but he knew he wasn’t. Maybe he was all freaked-out out.
“That was bound to happen, right?” Zander asked. “Unless you think we need more time?”
Geoffrey grinned widely. “I care only that you’re okay with it.”
Zander smiled back. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.”
From the relieved expression on Geoffrey’s face, Zander knew he’d said the right thing. He rubbed his hands up and down Geoffrey’s broad shoulders as a wave of exhaustion hit him. Sighing, Zander rested his head on Geoffrey’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He felt Geoffrey’s wings come around him, blocking out the chill of the night.
“Sorry,” Zander mumbled. “Long day.”
Geoffrey chuckled. “You are fine, my mate. I am honored to hold you while you sleep.”
Zander hummed, the fatigue from working a long day in the barns combined with the languidness only a great orgasm could cause. “Okay,” he replied on a sigh.
The gargoyle rubbed up and down his back gently and that soothing sensation was the last thing Zander remembered before he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Six
Geoffrey found himself dozing even though he’d only woken from roost a few hours before. After so many days having to watch from the outskirts, sitting and holding his mate was just too good to pass up. Geoffrey found it relaxing.
An unfamiliar sound jerked Geoffrey awake. He glanced around, frowning. Then, he scented a smell floating on the evening breeze that he’d never wanted to smell again. He let out a low growl as he swept his gaze over the dark beyond the lighted porch. Tensing, he prepared to rise, with Zander still in his arms, and take his human inside.
“Stay right where you are, gargoyle.”
Geoffrey searched the area again and spotted a figure step from the shadows at the foot of the stairs. “Juarez,” he growled softly. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to ask your mate a few questions,” Juarez snarled.
“Well, as you can see. He’s sleeping,” Geoffrey responded, just managing to keep from snarling. “Come back in the morning.”
“I don’t think so, gargoyle,” Juarez snapped. He lifted his arm, drawing attention to the gun he held. “Zander told someone about me and now my wife and children are missing. Now, he’s going to help me get them back.”
Geoffrey growled deep in his chest. “He did no such thing.”
“Geoff?” Zander mumbled, stirring.
“Who’d you tell about me?” Juarez yelled, obviously having heard Zander’s muttered words. “Who has taken my family?”
Zander’s head snapped up and he peered over his shoulder. Upon spotting Juarez, he cringed, huddling against Geoffrey’s much larger frame. “Wh-What are you doing here? You said you’d leave me alone.”
“I did leave you alone!” Juarez roared, stalking up the stairs, pointing the gun at them. “And this is the thanks I get?”
Geoffrey tightened his wings around his mate. He tensed his body, preparing to shove Zander to the wooden planks of the porch if Juarez fired the weapon. While taking a bullet would hurt, Geoffrey’s accelerated healing and strength would leave him in a better position to still remain mobile. As long as he didn’t get shot in the head, he’d be just fine, which wasn’t something he could say for his fragile human mate.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zander whispered. “I haven’t done anything.”
“You lie!” Juarez claimed, waving the gun. “Who’d you tell?”
Growling, Geoffrey righted Zander’s jeans, pulling them up as he eased his mate from his lap. “Damn it, vampire,” Geoffrey growled. “Use your senses. It’s easy to tell Zander is telling the truth.” Once Zander stood, Geoffrey righted his loincloth as he, too, gained his feet, placing himself between Juarez and his mate. “You’d be able to smell it if he lied.”
Juarez’s body appeared to vibrate. The gun wavered. For a few seconds, the vampire just stood there, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wide. “But that doesn’t make any sense,” he finally whispered. “I smell him here. He was here just yesterday, and now my family is gone.”
“Wait a minute,” Zander said, stepping out from behind Geoffrey. “I haven’t had any visitors, and the only time I’ve been to town this week is to get groceries for myself and supplements and medicine for the goats. I didn’t even stop and chat with anyone.” He pointed toward the field. “A couple of my goats got cut up in some loose barbed wire, and I ran out of iodine. I wanted to get back and finish cleaning them as quickly as possible.”
For a long moment, Juarez just stood there and stared at them. Then, he made a choking sound in his throat and turned away. He rested both hands on the railing and hung his head. His shoulders shook.
Geoffrey couldn’t help himself. He felt sorry for the vampire. Juarez loved his woman so much, had a family, and—from the rumors he’d heard—had refused the order of his coven leader to bond with another, so he could run away with his wife. Hearsay, since that same vampire leader had labeled him a rogue, since Juarez had killed one of the coven’s enforcers in his bid to flee, therefore branding him a wanted fugitive by the Vampire Council. In no way fair, but politics sucked.
Stepping forward, Geoffrey took hold of the gun Juarez pressed between his hand and the railing. Gently, he took it from the vampire’s loose hold. As he tucked it into his belt, he looked toward his lover. Geoffrey recognized Zander’s expression as one of confliction, mirroring Geoffrey’s own feelings.
Zander grimaced, exchanged a look with Geoffrey, then he stepped forward. He placed his hand on Juarez’s back and rubbed up and down his spine. “You, uh, you said you smelled someone?” He glanced toward Geoffrey again. “Geoff’s been around a lot, too. Maybe you can, I don’t know—” He shrugged. “Figure out the smell?”
Juarez straightened and turned. His blond brows shot up as he looked at Zander, shock clearly etched on his face. “You’d help me?”
Sighing, Zander nodded. “Sure. I know what it’s like to lose a spouse. I mean, I lost mine to complications from surgery after being in a car accident, so I can’t imagine what I’d
feel if she were kidnapped and we didn’t have any kids or anything, but—”
“Gods, I don’t deserve your help,” Juarez cried. “Not after everything I’ve put you through.” Then, the lean man threw his arms around Zander in a hug and mumbled, “But I’m desperate and going to take you up on your offer anyway.”
Geoffrey growled softly, unable to help himself. He gripped Juarez’s arms and pulled him away from Zander. The vampire released Geoffrey’s mate and gave him a sheepish look.
“Sorry,” Juarez mumbled, his cheeks flushing. He stepped back, resting his ass against the porch railing, and crossed his arms over his torso. After clearing his throat, he looked at Geoffrey and asked, “So, uh, you’ve been here all this time?” He tilted his head, obviously scenting the air. “Not to be rude, but I know you’re not mated, yet, so…” His words trailed away.
Not offended in the least, Geoffrey scoffed. “Zander and I are working toward our bond. I spent the last week or so in the woods, so I’m pretty familiar with the scents of those who came and went on my mate’s goat farm.” As he spoke, Geoffrey wrapped his arm around Zander’s shoulders and tugged him to his side. “Perhaps I can scent your home? See if the scent is one I recognize?”
Juarez nodded. “Thank you.” The vampire’s voice actually cracked, betraying his gratefulness.
Still, Geoffrey’s anger flared. He drew away from his mate, giving him a reassuring smile. Then, he grabbed Juarez’s shoulder, used his hold to swing him around to face the railing, and slammed his shoulder against one of the posts that held the roof. He leaned close to the vampire’s ear and snarled, “And if you ever threaten my mate again, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
Nodding again, Juarez muttered, “It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Releasing Juarez, Geoffrey pushed away from him. Keeping the vampire in his line of sight, he turned back toward Zander. He saw the questioning look on his human’s face and smirked. “Sorry. He threatened you. Couldn’t let him get away without even a warning.”
Zander nodded slowly, his arms crossing over his chest. “So, uh, what do you want me to do? Should I come with you?”
Geoffrey cupped Zander’s jaw and lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to his human’s lips. “No, it’s late. Perhaps you should sleep,” he suggested. “You have your goats in the morning, so you need sleep.” When he saw Zander’s frown, Geoffrey realized he might have overstepped his bounds. They were just feeling each other out, after all, so he asked, “May I return to you and tell you how it went? I don’t wish this to impact your schedule with your goats too much.”
Zander stared at him for a few seconds, then he nodded slowly…right before he issued a bone-cracking yawn. Once done, he nodded as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah. Okay. Sounds good.”
Turning toward the vampire, Geoffrey told him, “I’ll meet you out front in a moment.” After the male nodded and headed away from them, Geoffrey followed his mate to the back door.
After unlocking and opening the door, Zander led the way inside.
Geoffrey hesitated upon the threshold. “I’ll try not to be long. May I enter your home when I return? I won’t bother you,” he assured. “I just—”
“I’d like that,” Zander said, cutting him off. “I’d like you to wake me, too. Okay?”
Grinning, Geoffrey nodded. “Yes. I’d like that, too.”
Zander crossed to him and, resting his hands on Geoffrey’s chest, he angled for a kiss. Geoffrey happily gave it to him. He lowered his head and slid his tongue into Zander’s mouth, mapping his mate’s cavity.
Knowing Juarez remained outside—no matter how much his swelling prick wanted him to take Zander upstairs and continue the bonding process—Geoffrey knew he shouldn’t keep the vampire waiting. Besides, he couldn’t imagine how out of sorts he’d be if Zander ended up missing.
Geoffrey ended the kiss and lifted his head. He smiled down at Zander. “I’ll try not to be long.”
Zander began to nod, then lifted a hand to his mouth as he issued another jaw-cracking yawn.
Chuckling, Geoffrey pecked a kiss to his mate’s cheek, then he released his lover and stepped away. After he walked outside the door, closing it behind him, he paused and waited. Once he heard the click of the lock engaging, then the soft scuff of Zander’s boots as he moved deeper into the home, Geoffrey joined the waiting vampire.
Juarez stood leaning against his truck. With his arms crossed and his head bowed, Geoffrey could see that tension strung the paranormal’s body tight. He stopped before the male and racked his brain for something supportive to say.
Nothing.
Shaking his head, Geoffrey slapped Juarez on the vampire’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go find whoever took your wife.”
Jerking a nod, Juarez used his shoulder to push away from his vehicle.
As the vampire rounded the truck, Geoffrey climbed into the passenger seat. When Juarez pointed them toward the road, Geoffrey peered in the side mirror, watching until his mate’s home disappeared from sight.
The trip to Juarez’s home took almost forty-five minutes. Geoffrey could have flown there faster if he’d known the way. The large, farmhouse style home sat amidst a copse of trees on the far side of the county. Large hay fields grew to the north of the home, while barns and cow pastures were to the south.
“It’s a nice spot,” Geoffrey commented softly.
“Yes, and now as soon as I find Megan, we’ll have to move,” Juarez snarled.
Geoffrey grimaced, pushed the door open, and slid out of the vehicle. After closing the door, he tipped his head back, opened his mouth, and carefully scented the air. The sensitive receptors on his tongue took in the scents floating on the currents.
Frowning, Geoffrey realized he did indeed recognize one of the scents. He’d smelled it several days before at Zander’s house. Following the trail, Geoffrey ignored Juarez’s call of what is it? Rounding the home, he began searching the ground, looking for some visible sign, some confirmation of what he smelled.
“There,” Geoffrey whispered. He turned and saw Juarez following at his shoulder. “You have a dog?” he asked, just to be sure.
“No.”
Geoffrey pointed. “Paw prints. Larger than a coyote. I’d say a wolf or big dog.” Looking a bit further, he saw more prints clustered under a window. Peering inside, Geoffrey saw an office or study. “It looks like your visitor watched from here at least once. It’s not a scent I recognize though.”
After issuing a string of cuss words, Juarez snarled, “Now what do we do?”
“It’s a shifter. We ask the alpha,” Geoffrey stated as he pulled his phone from the case at his belt. After waking the device, he hit seven on speed dial and held it to his ear. Seeing the vampire’s frown, he asked, “What?”
“You think the alpha is going to help you if you accuse one of his own of kidnapping my family?” Juarez sounded incredulous.
Shrugging, Geoffrey didn’t get a chance to reply. “This better be fucking good, Geoffrey,” a gruff voice rumbled into his ear.
Geoffrey cringed, realizing how late it must be. “I’m sorry, Alpha Abbott. I wouldn’t be calling if this weren’t important.”
“Well, what?” the alpha asked.
Hearing the rustle of fabric and the creak of a mattress, along with the grumbled tones of another masculine voice, Geoffrey bit back a sigh. Of course, he’d woken the alpha and his mate. It was probably after midnight, after all. Then, seeing Juarez’s questioning look and the tense lines on his face, he knew he couldn’t do any less.
“I need to know what shifters have been keeping an eye on Zander,” Geoffrey explained. “I recognize Pogue’s scent from the first night I met my mate, but who is the other?”
“Pogue stops and checks the area every evening on his way home from work,” Abbott told him. “I haven’t asked anyone else—what? Hold on.” Geoffrey heard murmuring in the background, then Abbott returned
to the phone. “He had a date a couple of nights ago and asked one of his friends to swing by instead.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know,” Abbott replied. “I didn’t ask. As long as nothing happened, no report needed to be given to me.” He sighed tiredly. “I don’t micromanage my pack, Geoffrey. What the hell is this all about, anyway?” the alpha finished irritably.
Knowing how he was coming across, Geoffrey nodded even though the alpha couldn’t see it. “My apologies, Alpha Abbott. It seems whoever was prowling outside of Zander’s home was also spying on Juarez.” He paused just a second, then added, “Now the vampire’s family is missing. He’s understandably upset.”
“The vampire…Juarez?” Abbott mumbled, obviously still trying to wake up. Suddenly, he snapped, “Damn it. What the fuck are you saying?”
“It’s the only connection I can find,” Geoffrey told him, trying to sound apologetic and soothing at the same time. “Maybe can we, at least, question him?”
“Richard is calling Pogue now,” Abbott told him. “Bring Juarez here.”
Geoffrey bit back a sigh. “Can I pick up Zander, first? I told him I wouldn’t leave him alone for long.”
“You know what, we’ll all meet you at his place,” Abbott replied. “Pogue isn’t answering. I want to smell this other wolf. Maybe I can figure out who it is.”
“Right. See you there.” Geoffrey hung up his phone and turned to Juarez. “They’re heading to Zander’s to scent his area. You want me to walk through your home? I suppose I should make certain I can scent him inside, too, just in case they ask.”
The Goat Farmer’s Guardian Page 5