“Not fucking.” Jonah undid Riley's pants and eased his cock out.
“Oh, God. Jonah...”
Jonah's reply came in the form of a soft hum when his mouth encircled the head of Riley's cock. Fingers buried in Jonah's hair, Riley thrust into the slick heat. He wanted to tell Jonah how fucking good it felt, but he kept his lips pressed firmly together. The last thing they needed was discovery.
“Babe...” Riley panted, gaze riveted on the sight of his cock gliding in and out of those sweet lips. He hissed and threw his head back, swallowing a shout as pleasure tore through him.
From somewhere in the post-orgasmic fog clouding his brain, Riley heard his brother grunt softly. After a couple of moments, Jonah cleaned them up and tucked Riley back into his jeans.
“I know we can't make it a habit,” Jonah whispered, leaning in for a kiss, “but, damn, I needed that.”
***
“Killian here.”
For the briefest moment, Lane forgot how to speak.
He hadn't heard the Berlin accent in ages. “Hello, Erich.”
Silence reigned for several seconds, the line thick with unspoken words.
“Lane?”
Lane shut his eyes, unwilling to show--even to himself--what that deep-timbered voice did to him. He'd lied to Riley, to anyone and everyone who asked. As much as he hated it, Lane couldn't deny that Erich Killian was the only soul on earth who could take him back to another time and place. A time when nothing mattered but the two of them.
“I have something--a case--you might be interested in,” Lane said.
Just like that, old memories were forgotten.
“Oh?”
More comfortable with work-talk, Lane relaxed a bit.
“We caught what can only be a rogue here. He had a rune in his possession.”
“A clan rune? I thought they all disbanded.”
“This isn't one from my time. I'm sending two agents your way--Jonah and Riley Pierce.”
“Wait. I've heard of Jonah. Why would Arcanum's head agent come?”
Lane wondered how best to answer without giving out the brothers' personal business. “They're brothers, and Jonah won't let Riley out of his sight.”
“Ahh, I see.” The rest remained unsaid, and Lane had the feeling Erich knew what he meant. “They are welcome in my home. I'll have the guest wing ready.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything else?”
“Not right now. Goodbye.” Lane hung up before he could say something he'd regret later.
Chapter Four
“I hate airports.”
Riley nodded, his attention split between Jonah's constant grumbling and the uneasy feeling he'd had since they'd touched down in Berlin an hour ago.
Neither of them had ever enjoyed flying, and after the cramped, windowless section of the plane reserved for his kind, Riley found himself sympathizing with sardines.
Despite their agelessness, vampires tended to be creatures of habit. They rarely traveled, especially if it required almost nonstop contact with mortals. The mortal world, however, had adapted to accommodate them, and while Riley knew vampires considered him young, he felt more connected to that side of his being than the human side.
Jonah rolled their suitcases over from the luggage belt, then hefted a duffel bag onto one shoulder. They each took a suitcase, Riley grabbed both laptop bags, and they headed for the exit.
“Where is Killian meeting us?” Jonah asked as they stepped out into the cold Berlin night.
Riley looked around and finally spotted a black car with tinted windows. “That's him.”
“How do you... Oh. Vamp thing?”
“Email thing.” Riley laughed before they started over.
A tall, lean man got out of the car and waved at them.
Handsome and well-dressed, he certainly looked like someone Lane Wallace might have loved once, and probably still would, had circumstances been different.
“Guten Abend! You must be Jonah and Riley,” Erich said, extending his hand. “I am Erich Killian.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jonah said, shaking the man's hand.
Riley followed suit and they put their bags in the car.
Before Riley could slide into the backseat beside Jonah, however, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“I know why you are here,” Erich said quietly. “But I fear others might hold an interest as well.” His gaze shifted the tiniest bit and Riley caught a glimpse of a shadow lurking across the parking lot.
“I've felt it since we deplaned. Any ideas?”
“Possibly, but I can't say any more here.”
They both got into the car and as soon as Erich pulled onto the road, he spoke again.
“Berlin isn't without its own vampire troubles. We have rogues here as well, but something more is going on, I think.”
Riley met Erich's gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Clans?”
“I sincerely hope not. We've had a rash of disappearances and murders, all linked to a mortal.”
“A mortal?” Jonah asked. “No one's been able to catch this person?”
Erich turned down a darkened road and shook his head. “Catch him? Nobody can find him. The few clues we've had turned out to be false leads.”
“So how do you know he's a mortal, or behind it all, for that matter?”
The car stopped in front of a three-story brick house, and Erich twisted in the seat enough to look back at them. “Because he left a trinket much like the one you found--with one notable exception...” He reached into the glove compartment, took out a black cloth, and handed it to Jonah.
Jonah unwrapped it and, after a few seconds, gave it to Riley. “Jesus.”
“What?” Riley blinked at what amounted to a calling card of sorts: the universal vampire symbol for a mortal--a quartered circle--etched onto the surface of a medallion. “What kind of idiot--”
“A fearless one,” Jonah interrupted. Erich nodded in agreement. “One who knows how to elude and does it very well.” Darkness passed over Jonah's expression.
“What other clues do you have?”
“Let us talk more inside. I don't trust many people around here.”
They followed their host into the palatial estate, and Riley had the feeling Erich came from old money. The home, while devoid of the sensation of life in a mortal's house, maintained an old world richness that spoke of centuries of nobility, even for an immortal man. Erich led them into his private office and Riley froze.
Bookshelves towered over them, two stories with a veranda around the top floor. Tall ladders on wheels stood poised at intervals.
“Lane would love this.” Riley snapped his mouth shut, but Erich only smiled.
“Yes, he would.” Erich sat behind a heavy oak desk and placed a thick case file in front of him. “The killings began six months ago.” He opened the folder and turned it toward Riley and Jonah. “Latest count is three hundred.”
Riley shot him a disbelieving look. “Three hundred?
How the hell can one mortal man commit that many murders in six months?”
“He's not working alone,” Jonah answered, turning pages before stopping at a series of photos. “When was this taken?” He tapped one of the pictures. Riley looked closer, not entirely surprised to see what appeared to be the corpse of a young woman, completely drained of blood.
“Two weeks ago. She's the latest. That we've found, anyway.”
“Can we see the crime scene?”
“Of course,” Erich said. “We'll do it at nightfall.
Although this house is well-protected, I feel it best if Riley isn't seen come dawn.”
“Ditto,” Jonah muttered, pushing the file back to Erich.
Erich replaced it, then stood. “If you follow me, I'll show you to the guest wing.”
***
Ever since the conversation in Erich's car, Jonah had been somewhat aloof and quiet. Riley couldn't really blame him. Mike Tanner's betraya
l had left a nasty wound that simply refused to heal, and unfortunately, Jonah was the type to hold a grudge.
The water started in the bathroom and Riley looked up from the suitcase he'd been unpacking just in time to see the opaque curtain slide closed over the shower.
Despite the frosty plastic, he saw the outline of Jonah's body clearly. Muscles flexed with every movement, sending the water cascading down a masculine form honed to perfection through years of hard work and diligence.
After their parents' deaths, Jonah had become a very different person. Gone was the carefree, devil-may-care youth. Jonah had become cynical and moody, and quicker to anger than he ever had been before. Riley desperately wanted Jonah with him through all time, but until the lingering hatred for all vampires faded, he knew Jonah would never cross that final line, even for him.
It had taken a while for Riley to get used to being this way. The hardest part was giving up eating--not the nourishment but the enjoyment in the act itself. He'd always been the sensual one, taking pleasure in touching and tasting.
“You could always join me, you know.”
Riley blinked, belatedly realizing he'd moved as far as the bathroom doorway without fully thinking about it.
Jonah held the curtain open enough for Riley to see the graceful curve of his lover's erection. Only then did Riley acknowledge that his own pressed somewhat painfully against his zipper. Caught, he didn't bother trying to deny anything. He stripped and stepped into the steam and into the strength of Jonah's arms.
Jonah leaned against the shower wall and drew Riley to him. For a moment, he seemed ready to say something, but then he smiled. Riley pressed closer and Jonah met him in a mesmerizing kiss. Sensual, gentle, it took Riley by surprise. Jonah's hands smoothed along Riley's body, exploring, unhurried. The touches felt reverent, and Riley lost himself in them.
One hand dipped to the small of Riley's back while the other cupped the side of his neck. Eyes still closed, he kissed Jonah's thumb and chased it with his tongue as it stroked across his lower lip. When he opened his eyes once more, Riley met his brother's gaze.
“I almost lost this,” Jonah murmured. “I fought it for so long, afraid to tell you how much you mean to me.”
When Riley tried to answer, Jonah's fingertip over his lips silenced him.
“It's not a hatred of vampires that keeps me from turning.”
Riley took Jonah's hand in his and kissed it. “What is it, then?”
“Fear of the unknown, and not knowing when the time would be right.”
Jonah lured him into another kiss, this one as gentle as the first, but with something more behind it. Riley melted into the sensations, mind growing foggy with building need. There still remained enough sense, however, to clearly hear Jonah's next words, whispered on Riley's lips...
“I'm ready.”
Riley kissed his brother hard, pouring everything he had, everything he had no words for, into the act.
Tenderness gone, Jonah tugged their bodies together and their water-slick cocks grazed alongside each other.
“Water's getting cold,” Jonah chuckled between licks and nips.
“Bed.” Riley turned off the shower and they both dried before heading toward the queen-size bed. It appeared Erich spared no expense, even for his guests.
Jonah crawled onto it and lay back. One leg drawn up, one stretched out, he ran a finger along the length of his cock, his gaze piercing straight to Riley's soul. Riley couldn't bring himself to hurry, though, and he took his time. He started at Jonah's lips and kissed them softly.
Jonah lifted a hand and threaded his fingers through Riley's wet hair, the dampness only adding to the eroticism of the simple gesture. Riley kissed his way along his lover's jaw, following the curve of Jonah's throat. He hovered at the pulse point but didn't bite. His fangs barely scraped the surface and Jonah hissed quietly, body beginning to writhe at the mere threat.
Riley worked lower, tongue tracing a line down a muscled, firm chest. He circled one of Jonah's nipples and gave it a slight nip. A tiny bead of blood pooled on Jonah's skin and Riley lapped it up with a hunger he didn't know he'd had. The urge to drink grew stronger and he tried desperately to ignore the way Jonah arched toward him.
“Riley.”
An ache began deep inside Riley, one he had no chance of denying. He'd taken from many in the past decade, but no one ever compared to this. No one else could touch him as deeply as Jonah did with just the taste of his blood. With a defeated whimper, Riley struck.
Jonah gasped, fingers twisting painfully tight in Riley's hair. Riley sank his fangs deeper into the soft flesh surrounding Jonah's nipple, the knowledge that he bit in vicinity of his brother's heart not lost on him.
Unwilling to stop, unable to do anything but swallow every blessed drop, he barely noticed Jonah moving.
Then Jonah tugged him over and Riley moaned, lips sealed around the wound, while two slick fingers buried deep inside his body.
He felt Jonah's strength slowly waning, but when he tried to pull back, Jonah pressed his face back again.
With one hard thrust, Jonah entered him, setting off an immediate chain reaction. Riley tore away and bowed his back, blood dripping from his lips as he rode Jonah hard and fast. Jonah's eyes turned darker, as if the sight itself put him on edge.
“Now.” Jonah jerked Riley's hand up to his mouth, nearly toppling him. “Now,” he growled.
Riley bit into his own wrist, and the second Jonah's lips touched him, he shouted, hips bucking as he came.
Jonah's eyes rolled and his cock pulsed thick inside Riley, even as his body began to slow.
By the time Riley came to his senses, Jonah had slipped further away. He pushed back the fear and eased off of Jonah, telling himself over and over that this wasn't the end. Jonah managed a bit of a smile.
“Don't leave,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Riley shook his head. “Never. Promise.”
Hand over Jonah's chest, Riley choked back tears when he felt his brother's heart thump its last beat.
“I'm here,” he murmured. “Always will be.”
***
Hidden in the trees beyond the estate, a dark-clothed figure watched through binoculars as the sun rose. The two men he'd been trailing seemed quite happy to ignore anyone who might look into the open curtains on the window. He'd just about walked away when the sun crested the tree line. Sunlight poured into the window, and the vampire of the two... did nothing to escape it.
“Wulf,” he said into a cell phone the moment his boss picked up. “He's one.”
Silence reigned.
“Are you certain of this?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I just watched them. Sun is up, Wulf, and the younger one--the vampire--is unscathed. And fully awake.”
“I'll let Karl know. Stay out of sight, but don't lose them.”
He hung up and returned to watching the erotic show playing out before him. He'd never been much for guys, though he'd experimented once, a long time ago. These two, however, shared a bond much deeper than most, and judging from the blood on one and the lifelessness of the other, he had a feeling that bond had just deepened beyond mortal comprehension.
Chapter Five
“So sweet...”
The sleek sex kitten between his legs smiled, then dipped her head down again to lap at his cock like a piece of candy. Karl groaned and fisted a hand in her hair, ignoring the brief whimper of pain she let out. He thrust into her mouth and she fell into the rhythm, sucking him for all he was worth.
A shrill ring startled her and he jerked her head up before an involuntary reaction removed his prick. Karl growled and snatched the phone off its cradle on his desk.
“What?”
“I have some information,” Wulf said.
“Wait.” Karl glanced down at the woman and waved her off. Two guards escorted her out, and for a brief moment, Karl wished he'd at least been able to come before the pretty thing served her ultim
ate purpose.
“Now that I'm alone,” he said, getting comfortable, “what is this information?” He languidly traced the slight curve of his cock, eyes closing as he pictured someone else between his legs.
Wulf cleared his throat and the husky sound danced along Karl's nerves, right down to his dick. “The men from Arcanum are in Berlin.”
“Oh?” Karl didn't bother to hold back the soft purr as he began stroking himself. Wulf had a certain rough-edged charm to him, something of a “bad boy” persona.
Karl wondered if the vampire liked sucking cock, and the mere thought made him harder. A catch of breath on the other end of the line told him Wulf knew damn well what he was doing.
“The men...” Wulf stammered.
“Mm... yes...?” Karl needed to feel something more, something sharp and unyielding. His cock swelled in his fist as he let his mind slip away, daydreaming of Wulf's fangs buried deep in his skin. With a gasp, Karl bucked, thickness spurting over his fist. Wulf groaned low. “In time,” Karl murmured.
After a few seconds, Wulf seemed to recover his voice. “The Arcanum men,” he said once again. “I have reason to believe one is a daywalker.”
Karl nearly dropped the phone. “What!”
“My man watched them through a window. When dawn came, the vampire didn't succumb. I think he might have turned the one who came to Berlin with him.”
Karl had barely heard anything beyond the word daywalker. “Call when you have more information.” He hung up before Wulf could respond, cleaned himself up, and went to one of the bookshelves. He much preferred a book in his hands to a computer, despite Wulf's occasional suggestion of the convenience of one.
Thousands upon thousands of books filled his library, but only a few actually dealt specifically with daywalker lore. He needed to know more: how they came to be, how they functioned, how they died, and most importantly, how their blood became mutated with the daywalker gene. He'd read many theories, but had never delved too deep into their creation. Until now, he'd never thought to do so.
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