Frankie finished quickly against the sheets, gasping and jerking, Snod kissing all along his neck as he
worked himself through it. He pressed his hand against Frankie’s chest, feeling the beautiful pulse of
his heart beating beneath his fingers.
“I’m sorry,” Snod managed, their noses brushing together when Frankie was done and his heart had
stilled once more.
“It’s fine,” Frankie insisted, their bond warm and sated. “If you want to, we’ll get there one day. If
not, that’s okay, too.”
“What if I never want to?” Snod demanded urgently.
“Obe,” Frankie soothed, tracing his nails across his jaw. “I’m not going to pressure you. There’s no
point in doing anything if you’re not going to enjoy it, too.”
Like the spanking...
Snod blushed immediately, whispering, “Yes.”
“It can all feel so good,” Frankie promised, “but we’ll take it slow. So very slow.”
“You won’t... you wouldn’t make me do it?” Snod asked, hating how small his voice sounded. “You
wouldn’t... whammy me?”
“Christ, no!” Frankie gasped, his eyes wide in shock. “Obe, I would never use my powers to do
something like that. I promise you. Why would you even think that?”
Snod frowned, silent.
“Let me guess,” Frankie sighed, reaching for his hand. “The Order? Vampires voodooing people and
draining them dry once they’ve had their way with them?”
“More or less,” Snod mumbled. “We were warned about it. My scapular is meant to protect us from
it, but you’re the first vampire I met who can actually do that.”
“Well, it’s a very rare gift,” Frankie explained. “I inherited it from my Maker, him from his, and so
on.”
“When we were trapped,” Snod said slowly, realization dawning on him, “you could have tried to use
your powers on me, but you didn’t.”
“Yes,” Frankie replied, “but unless I thought I was truly in danger, I wouldn’t have.”
Snod sensed a bubble of something vile leaking through the bond, and he saw a flash of blond hair
and a charming fanged smile. He frowned, trying to make sense of the vision. “Who is that?”
“My Maker,” Frankie said quietly. “It’s how he turned me. He forced me. He made me promise him
