Cal removed his fingers and quickly placed his hard, leaking cock at Tarek’s red, pulsing entrance. He plunged inside, burying himself to the hilt and holding steady for several moments, and then pulling almost completely out before plunging back inside hard and urgent. Tarek shook, cried out, and begged for more.
The room was filled with the scent of sex and the sounds of their desperate need. Cal hammered inside Tarek, not holding back, and Tarek held on, whispering sweet things under his breath and demanding more and faster with a growl.
The man was a treasure, and Cal knew in that moment that he would do anything for this man; he would die for him if needed. The bond was locking into place, and their connection was growing. The subtle understanding was turning into clear knowledge, and their lives, their souls, were melding together. Everything he'd been told of the power of the bond was coming true.
Cal could feel the rise of his release and reached to stroke Tarek’s leaking cock as he plunged inside hard and deep. His breath caught as he came, exploding deep within his beloved, filling him with his essence and marking him with his scent. His vampire surged to the surface, his eyes turning red and his face taking on the sharp angles. His teeth lengthened and sharpened, ready to claim Tarek as his own.
Cal struck, sinking his teeth into the soft, tender flesh at the base of Tarek's throat. He drank deeply, relishing the sweet taste. It filled him with rejuvenation and energy in a way no other could. The blood of a beloved was the most powerful and the most complete. He would need no other, and he would desire no other.
Tarek arrived as soon as Cal began feeding. Cal felt the warmth of his essence cover his hand and fill the space between them. The scent was mind-bending and filled him with a joy and expectation hard to describe, except to say it was intense.
He finished and pulled out, licking the wound closed, and then, after several hard thrusts, he slid out of Tarek's velvety embrace and stretched out beside him. Actually, he was half on top of him, but Tarek didn’t seem to mind.
Cal lay there, listening to Tarek catch his breath, and felt the hard beat of his heart beneath his hand, which lay possessively on his chest. "You are mine, Tarek."
“I’ve always been yours, Cal.” He turned his head and smiled, his eyes glassy and filled with an emotion that caught Cal by surprise. He saw there a deep regard he was too fearful to call love. He didn't want to jinx what seemed to be a growing, strengthening relationship. He didn't want to risk losing any ground they'd gained by being presumptuous.
He trailed his fingertips down the center of Tarek’s chest and loved the sound of the soft moan he got in response. “Tell me about your family." He asked, and Tarek seemed to be caught off guard.
"What do you want to know?" He said hesitantly, which was very evasive.
“You said earlier that you no longer work with them, but that Relic Brokering had been a family business. Why do youwork alone now?" Cal wasn't sure what he was expecting as an answer; he just wanted a better understanding of his beloved.
Tarek didn't speak right away, but rather took several long, deep breaths, obviously putting his words together and thinking about his answer carefully.
“My mother had left us when I was very young, so I was primarily raised by my grandmother. When she died, I was fourteen, and my father decided it was time I started working with him and my brother Kai in what he called the family business.” Cal could feel his discomfort at having to divulge his past, but there was nothing he could say that would ever dissuade Cal from wanting him. He would love and accept his beloved no matter what.
"The relic business, as you know, has a bad reputation for scamming people, damaging historical sites, setting free elements of destruction, and so many other accusations. Most of the accusations are true because, at its core, it is a black market business.
With that said, though not all are crooks and thieves, some are no worse than those who source antiques and other décor, all open, above board, and legal.” He paused again and shifted slightly to look at Cal directly.
“My father started out as someone who followed the law and did his best to respect his profession and operate with integrity. Unfortunately, there was more money in the fringe jobs and the questionable articles. I became uncomfortable with the things he did, the lengths to which he would go for money. Nothing was too far, and suddenly there were no boundaries, no line he wouldn't cross." His tone became tight and desperate, and Cal could feel his anger.
“When I was eighteen, he was contracted to find the Vesper Tome. He found it in an old, abandoned monastery. It was there for a reason, but he ignored all the warnings and stole it in the dead of the night.”
"What happened?" Cal couldn't resist; he had to ask.
"Darkness rose up because there was nothing there to stop it." Cal got the picture; he'd seen similar things throughout his life. Removing protections or rendering them powerless left the vulnerable at risk. "It had been in that spot for the past three hundred years, and my father just ripped it out of the ground and left without a thought or care. He delivered it to the client and collected his fee, and that's the day I walked away."
Silence fell for a few minutes. Tarek continued to search Cal's face for understanding, and he did his best to give it. The situation was clear, and his beloved reacted appropriately; the only questions were why he was still a Relic broker and how he had come into possession of the Codex.
"I'm no Boy Scout." He began. "I've done things that weren't good or proper, but I have my limits. I purchased the Codex from a broker in Europe, knowing I could double my money. It was evil and powerful, but it was held with a binding spell, and I was confident that the spell was secure." He rolled to his back, and Cal moved closer, draping his arm across his middle and pulling him close. He wanted to maintain their contact channeling his comfort and peace.
“I’ve never talked so much in my life.” He chuckled ruefully. “You make me feel safe.”
"You are safe." Cal kissed him softly on the cheek. "What you've done or who you were does not matter to me, Tarek. You are my beloved, and our lives start now. What matters is from here forward for both of us."
“I never would have taken the Codex contract if I’d properly understood its power or had known the buyers were witches.” He seemed desperate for Cal to understand.
"I know, and I believe you," Cal assured.
“You do?” He seemed surprised.
"We are bonded, Tarek, so I know you, and I feel you. There are no secrets. Reach out and feel me with your mind and your emotions." Cal felt his tentative probing at the edges of his mind and smiled. "What do you see, Tarek?"
"I see a good man, a capable guard, and someone who will very quickly own my body, mind, and soul." He gave a sweet, shy smile and reached up to cup Cal's cheek. "Is this really happening, Cal?"
Cal covered his hand with his own and then turned and placed a kiss in his palm before answering. “It’s really happening.”
