Gethin froze for a long second, then blinked and concentrated on removing the second padlock. “Bullshit,” he grunted, rather unconvincingly, willing his skittering pulse to calm the fuck down. He gathered up the chains and padlocks and dumped them in the same pile as the rest, just outside the door. He stared down the hallway, wondering if he could get away with disappearing for a bit, faking an emergency. No, probably not.
He turned with the intention of breaking down the cage into its component parts and tidying it away, but stopped dead. Sorley was now only inches from him, blocking the doorway.
“Out of the way.”Back up. You smell way too enticing, but you’re a damn bloodsucker.
Two neat auburn eyebrows hitched. “No.”
Gethin growled. Why was sasssofucking attractive? “Seriously? You’ve been free for all of two seconds and you want to fight?”
Sorley’s grey eyes were laughing at him now, but his voice was pure bar room smoke. “Fight? I wouldn’t say so, not unless you like it rough. I love it rough.” His eyelids fluttered; Gethin couldn’t help notice they were the palest pink—
He didn’t realise he’d moved until his arms were full of vamp and his mouth came crashing down on full, raspberry-pert lips. Then all was heat and tongues andoh my God he tastes amazing.Plastered together without an inch of space between them, he pinned the vampire to the wall and gave vent to his hunger as the pent-up desire from months of celibacy flowed out of every pore like lightning, grounding itself in Sorley.
Gethin’s fingertips prickled with the urge to partially shift and tear the clothing off the man in his embrace. He couldn’t wait to see him naked, bend him over, fu—
He tore himself away, stumbling backwards into the wall behind him. “The hell did you do to me?” His voice sounded harsh and unnaturally loud in the stunned silence, broken only by, he realised, his own ragged breaths. “Did you fuckingthrallme?”
Sorley scoffed. “Didn’t need to, pet. You were doing quite all right on your own.” Unlike Gethin, his breaths were steady, his skin the same freckles-and-cream as ever. Even his hair was still neat. His own appearance, Gethin suspected, was flushed and tousled. He chanced a cursory downwards glance. Ah, not every part of Hetheridge was cool, calm and collected. That felt…satisfying.
He huffed. “I don’t trust you.” He pushed aside the urge to adjust his own rampant dick and scowled at the vampire. “I’ve got work to do. Can’t stand about here all night playing nursemaid to you.” He strode across the room and began dismantling the cage, working to control his breathing and to think of anything but how good the man had felt under his hands. He could feel Sorley holding himself absolutely still. Could smell the arousal coming off him in waves. Could also smell an aroma of mistrust and lesser notes of confusion and loss. Yeah, that was a bullet dodged. He wasn’t going near that again, even if the slippery bastard did try to enthrall him. He’d resist it somehow.Don’t look at his eyes.That would be a shame, they were pretty eyes.Don’t listen to a word he says.Okay, that part might be difficult. He’d work it out somehow.
His head jerked up, a sudden thought too big to be contained. “I thought wolves were supposed to smell wrong to vampires.”Pretty sure leeches don’t usually smell this good to wolves either.
Sorley gave a rusty, humourless laugh. “I noticed that too, or rather, the lack of stench. Don’t think for a second I wouldn’t have kneed you in the balls if I’d been overwhelmed by the usual wet dog pong I associate with you lot.” His hands in his trouser pockets, he sauntered nearer. “You smell like…temptation.” He seemed genuinely surprised.
“Probably a side effect of whatever crap’s still in your system.”Doesn’t explain why you thinkhesmells like allyoursexual fantasies rolled into one though, does it?
Apparently Sorley thought the same. “Unlikely, isn’t it? Seeing as you had your tongue so far down my throat you could probably tell me what my last human meal consisted of.”
Against his better judgement, Sorley’s deadpan delivery shocked a laugh out of Gethin. He smothered it quickly, pushing past the vamp to collect a box for the chains. He packed them away, then stuck the box in a cupboard, along with the padlocks, locking the cupboard door with a key attached to a clip on his waistband. He shoved the key ring in his pocket, aware Sorley had watched him do everything. He could no longer find it in him to care overmuch. He’d proved he could take him once and was prepared to do a second round if the guy tried anything.
He didn’t think he would though. There was no reason for him to, unless he was stupid enough to run, but even then if he went fast and far enough, he’d no longer be Gethin’s problem. But for now hewasGethin’s responsibility, so he attempted to look nonchalant and asked, “You want to go out to feed then?”
Sorley looked shocked, then pleased. “I do,” he confirmed. “I’m grateful for the bagged stuff, but it’s not the same. I’m hoping fresh blood might rid me of the last of whatever it is I’m feeling.” He shuddered. “I feel…soiled, like I’ve been the victim of abuse, or a crime.” He pasted on a smile Gethin could see was false. “Silly, isn’t it? I’m fine. I’m just being dramatic.”
Gethin, about to head downstairs, paused on the top step. “You’re not being dramatic. You were assaulted. Whatever happened to youisa form of assault. You were abused if this was done to you without your knowledge and consent. That’s not dramatic, that’s facts.” He didn’t wait for Sorley to respond, calling out, “Come with me and we’ll find you something that doesn’t look as if you’ve been climbing over walls and through dark alleys.”
* * *
Sorley refusedpoint blank to wear the clothes Gethin offered him, pronouncing them deathly unfashionable and beyond the bounds of acceptability. He opted instead to sponge clean his slacks, demanding a hairdryer to speed up the process, then taking longer than expected in the shower. Gethin tried not to appreciate how glossy the bloodsucker’s hair looked now it was free from whatever colour had temporarily dulled its shine. He cursed to himself when he realised how badly he was doing at not noticing. He absolutely wasnotcounting the vamp’s freckles.
They finally set off on foot to the centre of Cardiff. Gethin wasn’t into clubbing, but Sorley assured him there was always someone around, no matter how late the hour, and that folk in the wee small hours could generally be convinced to part with some blood “with a little persuasion”.
He rolled his eyes. “Thrall, you mean.”
“Perhaps.” Sorley seemed disinclined to share his secrets. Gethin wasn’t sure he wanted to know, because the idea of witnessing a vampire feed didn’t bother him — he’d seen it before — but the grey areas of consent unsettled him. He wondered how Sorley justified it, but then mentally slapped his head; for a vampire, blood was essential. Theyhadto feed. Maybe that was the difference. Anything else could be debated, but vamps were obligate bloodsuckers the same as cats were obligate carnivores. He shoved all thoughts of morals to the back of his mind and lengthened his stride to keep up; for a shorter man, Sorley moved quickly.
Sorley, who’d been relieved to find a debit card in the inside pocket of his jacket, took out some money at a cash point, grumbling about having to wait until morning to ring his cleaner in the hope he’d left his phone and wallet at home. “Which is possible,” he groused, “but I’d rather know now. The idea of some thieving bastard with my phone is giving me palpitations.”
Gethin scoffed. “Sez you. Does your heart even beat?”
Sorley shot him a dark look. “You know the answer to that, so don’t pretend you don’t.” He grumbled, “Where is this bar then?”
“Not far. It’s not the best we have to offer but it’s the only one currently open. Why we have to go to a gay bar is beyond me. Don’t tell me you only feed from gay men?”
“No, but they’re easier to chat up. I find women hard work because they tend to expect more of me. Men understand about hook-ups.”
Gethin’s throat tightened at the ease with which Sorley spoke of his sexuality. “You, uh, like to sleep around?” He immediately wished he could take the question back. “Sorry, shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.” His cheeks burned as he pretended to check his phone for directions.
