I nuzzled into the side of his neck as he tilted his head back, riding each pulse of my hips into him. His moans grew louder against my ear, the vibration of his voice deep in his throat making me growl in pleasure.

  It was slow this time, and sensual. I didn't want to fuck him tonight. I wanted to make love to him, and his movements against me were making love to me too. His fingers delved into my tresses, raking across my scalp and down the back of my neck, drawing my mouth to rub against where I'd drank from him before.

  My tongue lapped out at the warm, pulsing veins there. Preparing the skin for pressure as I licked him harder, slowly scraping my fangs against his skin, the pressure of his grasp willing me to go further along with his moaned words.

  "Geoffrey. Please," he begged as I continued to toy with him, not yet puncturing through to drink his blood. His hips started to jerk as we rolled against one another, my hands still supporting his weight on the counter.

  "Do you want me?" I asked, sucking his throat hard. He nodded, leaning his head forward over mine. At this angle, I could just barely see his face through the curtains of his hair framing it.

  "I want you, only you." He smiled, the flush of pink on his face exciting me even more.

  It was a fight to control my hips from pumping into him fiercely. My blood was boiling even in that beautiful moment, willing me to take him as I had the first time.

  "Ah!" he whined as I finally pressed my fangs into him, slowly sinking them inside as his back arched, pressing his chest out and against me. I pulled back slightly, lapping at the blood freely flowing from him now.

  "You taste so good," I told him, still rocking in and out of him.

  "Oh my God," he almost cried, his skin prickling up as I sank my teeth right back in. But I wasn't drinking from him only. It was then I could feel it, the need to finish becoming too strong to hold back. I held onto him for dear life, getting closer and closer until there was nothing I could do but fill every last inch of him as I came. Filling him with every last drop of my seed as I sank my fangs deeper than before. Deep enough, and with enough precision to mark him there. To mark his throat with a scar that would make him mine.

  My mate.

  Chapter 8

  Eric

  My neck was absolutely killing me, but it was worth it. I gave it a squeeze, as if that was going to help stop the pulsing that continued to throb since Geoffrey bit me. At first I thought he was trying to suck me dry. Even the pain had been so much worse than the first time. But he told me it meant I was his mate. I wasn't just a rebound for him after all.

  Everything was moving so fast between us, and yet somehow it felt right.

  And to show him I felt solid about us now, I was going to give him a surprise. I was gonna move in with him, but I couldn't just tell him.

  I trudged along the dirt path to his cabin with a suitcase in hand. Of course I hadn't brought much yet from my apartment, but a few essentials and changes of clothes was all I'd need when I surprised him at his house and said I was gonna stay.

  Plus, just like he said, having both parents together under one roof would be best for our child.

  The yellow and red of the leaves covered the roof to his cabin, and smoke billowed out of the chimney. The lake wasn't too far away, either. Picturesque, inside and outside. I let out a breath of relief that I wouldn't have to walk much further, my breath a misty cloud in the cold air. With as much confidence as I could muster, I trudged to the front door.

  I might be more excited than he was about this. Before I could knock on the wooden door, I heard shuffling. A strange type of shuffling, a violent sound of things knocking over. And a voice talking to someone else.

  A voice I didn't recognize.

  Nervously, I set my bag down and moved over to the side of the house. Creeping around like a burglar, I stalked over to a window that showed the living room. It was getting closer to evening, and there was barely any sunlight left. Even so, I was able to make out a figure through the slit in the curtains moving in and out of frame. He grabbed hold of the coffee table and flipped it over.

  Was he getting robbed?

  "Where the fuck are you?" he screamed, turning around in the house. "Where is he?!"

  Another unfamiliar voice spoke up. "Calm down, Clay! Why are you acting like this over a few bags?"

  "He's supposed to have blood bags in the fridge. I'm sick of drinking from animals."

  They were vampires! I ducked out of the way as the man called Clay suddenly looked in my direction, his shoulders heaving with each breath he took. Even as I sat flat on the ground, just underneath the sill of the window, I could hear them talking.

  "Who cares? We can just go find someone and drain them like before."

  "Are you stupid? You must be. We can't just go around drinking from everyone in town, that's how you got caught. Or killed."

  "Why do you always have to call me stupid? You've been a real ass lately. Always talking about Geoffrey, too. It's getting old."

  "I'm old, you idiot. Things were so much better when humans didn't run shit. Before Geoffrey turned into a pussy and before Sebastian lost his balls and hid away. Before everyone was run out of town. I need blood, but I'm not gonna risk my neck to get it."

  "And do you think he's just gonna give it to you? 'Oh, hey Clay. Nice to see you again. Need the blood I can barely ration for myself? Sure, take it all!' Listen to yourself, man."

  Another loud crash as something else broke; it sounded like something made of glass.

  "Why are you still in my face? Why don't you leave?!" The man called Clay continued to shout before the front door opened again. I could see the other vampire storm out, kicking my suitcase out of the way with little care to where it came from as he marched down the path I had just traversed down.

  But the door didn't slam closed. Instead, there were more footsteps.

  "What's that smell?" Several loud sniffling sounds came in my direction, and I froze. I couldn't outrun vampires. They were looking for Geoffrey, but that didn't automatically make them friends.

  "What's this? A human?" Clay said.

  I slowly looked up with an awkward smile, offering up a small wave towards him.

  "H-hey there. Got the fire going? It's kinda c-cold outside," I said through chattering teeth. The wind that whipped across my face only aided my shivering. Clay didn't smile, sizing me up with a quick glance before extending a hand.

  Phew. At least he wasn't going to try anything.

  I allowed him to pull me up and quickly dusted off my butt.

  "What are you doing out here?" he asked, walking back into the house as I followed behind him.

  "I was looking for Geoffrey too," I said, bringing my hands up to my mouth and blowing hot air into them. I rubbed them together as he stopped across the threshold, looking down at my suitcase in the dirt.

  "That yours too? Or were you bringing it to him?"

  I couldn't think of anything, so I told him the truth.

  "It's mine."

  "Really? What are you doing with your things here? Don't tell me he's thinking about selling the place after everything we went through."

  What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

  "No. I, uh, he's a doctor and all, so I needed to stay for a bit to get special treatment. Watch over me and whatever."

  "He's too nice for his own good. Letting one of you stay with him."

  "One of me? What is that supposed to mean?"

  He grabbed my suitcase easily enough, bringing it inside as I shut the door behind the two of us. Watching him in case he wanted to try something funny.

  "Nothing." He flashed a creepy smile, his fangs on full display.

  "So you don't know when Geoffrey will get here?"

  "Nope. No idea. I know he's not at work, but don't know where he's at either. Won't answer his phone."

  I took a seat on the sofa, stepping over the mess of broken wood that was once the coffee table.

  "Were you two friends for a long time or something?" Not that a friend would go into their buddy's home and wreck it.

  "You could say that. He needs to bring me something, and I came here to get it. But alas, nothing to be found."

  "You mean blood."

  I covered my mouth, staring at him in horror at the fact I’d just outed myself.

  "Oh. You must know him very well to be making assumptions like that."

  Shit.

  He came closer towards me, standing in front of me at an uncomfortable proximity.

  "I mean, he's my doctor but he's my friend too. That's why he's letting me stay."

  "Close enough of a friend to know what he is. Do you know what I am, little boy?"

  "Hey, asshole. I've been cordial with you, there's no need to be so rude."

  "Is listening in on a conversation cordial?"

  I held back the slur of insults I was ready to hurl at him. I didn't do shit, why was he being so aggressive? Alpha issues, probably.

  "I'm sorry. I thought Geoffrey might be getting burglarized, that's why I listened. Honest."

  He shrugged, turning away from me. I sighed, leaning over to start to untie my boots to take them off. Whiplash hit my neck, my face squeezed and turned to the side suddenly.

  I winced in pain as Clay's fingers dug into my cheeks, staring at my neck.

  At my mark.

  "What did you say your name was?" he said slowly, his arm starting to shake as he held on tightly. It would be impossible to even try to wrench my face from him.

  "I—it's Eric."

  "Eric. It's very nice to make your acquaintance." He tossed my head to the side, turning back to the front door as it flung open again. The other vampire was standing there, looking as angry as he had when he left.

  "Are you not coming after me? And who's he?" His gaze narrowed on me.

  "Uh, I'm—"

  "I was just leaving,” Clay said. “Why don't you wait outside for me?"

  The vampire kicked at the ground, scattering dirt and gravel from the bottom of his boots as he stomped out of the cabin.

  Clay turned back towards me, sniffing in my direction again. He was such a creep!

  "Tell Geoffrey that Clay said hello."

  That's what he left on. That weird note. And I sat there alone, in the mess that had been made in Geoffrey's home by these two stranger vampires. And if I guessed right, what he said sounded like a threat. They were definitely not his friends.

  I grabbed my phone and immediately dialed Geoffrey. It rang and rang. But he didn't answer. Of course, at a time like this when I really needed to speak to him. What was he doing!?

  Chapter 9

  Geoffrey

  The flowers in my hand fell to the ground as I stepped into my house. It was an absolute wreck. Someone had been through and smashed so many things. And in the middle of it all, Eric sat with his face in his hands.

  "W-what happened?!" I ran over towards him, stumbling over large pieces of wood before falling to my knees in front of him. I grabbed his knees, shaking him to make him look at me. Finally he removed his hands from his eyes, staring at me as he sniffled slightly.

  "Some vampires were here."

  "Did they hurt you? Did they do anything to you or bite you? Why are you crying?" The questions just fell out before I allowed him to answer one. I grabbed his hands next, trying to examine his physique. I couldn't see any damages he’d sustained, but he could have a head injury or internal problems. I was quick to place my hand to his stomach next, sighing in relief when I detected the small life force was still thriving.

  "They didn't do anything to me…"

  "What did they want?"

  "I think they were looking for blood. One of them was, anyway. I was coming here to tell you some good news, but they were already inside."

  I pulled back from him in confusion. They were inside?

  "But the front door wasn’t broken." I glanced around the room quickly. "None of the windows look smashed in, either."

  "I don't know how they got inside, but they did."

  That didn't make sense. Vampires couldn't enter a space that wasn't their own unless they were invited.

  "Are you sure they were vampires?"

  "Yes! I'm sure, Geoffrey. One of them was smashing everything. He was arguing with the other one, and he wanted the shit more than the other one. Actually, I don't think the other vampire cared at all. But man, was he angry."

  "Wait, move your hair," I said, my brows furrowing as I stood in front of him. He disobeyed, continuing to stare in every direction but forward. I grabbed his face, attempting to pull his hair back before he hissed and pulled out of my grasp. I could see the marks on his cheeks.

  "They did hurt you! Did they hit you?"

  "No, he was just rough. He was looking at me. Smelling me…"

  "Did they say anything?"

  "He… told me to tell you one thing."

  I waited impatiently for him to speak. Another sniff as he wiped away his tears. "He said to tell you, that Clay said hello."

  If I wasn't already undead, I could have actually dropped dead. My slow-beating heart froze, and even though I was cold-blooded, I felt as if the room temperature had dropped at least ten degrees.

  "Are you sure he said his name was Clay?"

  Eric nodded, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees, burrowing his face away.

  Why? Why would he intrude into my home and break shit just because he couldn't find any blood? Did he really think I’d supply him with more after he fucked around behind my back?

  I sat down next to Eric, wrapping an arm around him in a small attempt to comfort my mate, staring off at nothing in particular.

  There had to be something more to it. But I'd worry about that on my own. I didn't want to drag Eric into this any more than he already was. If Clay laid a hand on him again, I'd rip his fingers off.

  "Come on, they're gone now. I'll even vamp-proof the house so they can't get back in."

  "And how are you going to do that, Geoffrey? Hang a cross on the door?"

  "I was thinking a wreath of garlic."

  Finally, he looked at me. The tears had dried up, and he actually laughed. It was contagious, and I joined in, chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all.

  "Come on, let's clean this mess up together. I'll handle vampire business, you just need to relax. The stress isn't good for the baby."

  "Alright."

  Despite all the destruction Clay had caused, it didn’t take long to clean the place up with Eric's help. In less than an hour, the place was spotless once again. I didn't allow him to pick up anything heavy, of course.

  Once we had finished, I led him to the bedroom and had him lie down to relax. I even brought him a cup of his favorite ginger tea to calm his stomach and keep him warm.

  "Thanks, Geoffrey." He grabbed the cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a long, deep drink before setting it off to the side.

  "You're welcome. Just go ahead and rest, okay? I've got some more things to handle."

  "You're not going off to do anything stupid, are you?"

  I clicked my tongue, ruffling up his hair slightly.

  "Do you think I'd do anything stupid?"

  "No, just something reckless."

  Damn, he got me with that one.

  "Don't worry, like I said. I'm just gonna go buy some things to vamp-proof the house, nothing too big."

  Honestly, I'd like to buy a vial of holy water for Eric to have on him as an emergency measure. But how did one even buy such a thing? I hadn't tried it, nor known any other vampires who had, but I was certain that if I walked into a church I'd burst into flames.

  I snickered at the idea, getting a strange look from Eric that read, are you going crazy?

  I kissed him on the forehead and got up, grabbing my phone and leaving.

  No, nothing that I deemed stupid or reckless was going to happen. I was going to find Clay, and I was going to get some answers.

  I should have realized that he'd want to meet at the coffee house. It was where he probably went all the time with his new lover. It was getting so late in the evening, too. The shop was going to close soon. Sitting there alone, I had to at least order a drink, even if I wasn't going to drink it. I didn't want to look out of place.

  "Doc? That you?"

  I turned around to see Josh walking in with a small entourage of people that I assumed to be his friends. The group approached me, surrounding me and blocking my view of the front door so I couldn’t see if he was going to come in or not.

  "Hey, Josh," I said, leaning to the side in an attempt to peek between two of the strangers’ bodies.

  "What are you doing here? Waiting on Eric?" He laughed, though ceasing once I tossed him a fairly dirty look.

  "No. I'm waiting for someone else. If you'd excuse me…" I gestured to the side with my hand. Josh shrugged to his friends and waved goodbye, finally leaving me in peace.

  A few minutes after the intrusion into my personal space, the door opened again. This time, it was the person I was waiting for. He scanned the establishment before spotting me. To my surprise, he came alone, without his usual backup.

  "Geoffrey," he said coolly as he approached, pulling the only other chair out from across the small table I was at. He spun it around, sitting on it backwards and resting his forearms on the tabletop.

  "Clay," I responded just as coldly as him.

  "Surprised that you asked me to come here. And without your plaything."

  I leaned back in my seat, tilting it far enough to rock on the back two legs.

  "You should realize why I asked you to come here. It's not for any pleasantries, I can assure you of that."

  "I honestly haven't the slightest idea."

  I slammed the front two legs of the seat back onto the ground hard enough to make everyone around us look in our directions. I leaned forward, trying to control my aggression in a public place.

  "I didn't ask you here to play games with you. What were you doing at my house, and why the fuck do you have a key?"

 

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