“Me, obviously.” Dalziel looked irritated now. “Come on, Sorley, keep up. You’re usually quicker than this. You’re so love-addled right now, you have no more sense than a teenager at a Kpop concert. Of course I will turn him.”
“But…but…Gethin’smine,” Sorley said hotly. “Don’t you think you should fuckingask,Dalziel? It’s not like, I dunno, I’m a fully grown adult or anything.” His sarcasm was stinging, hurt and anger shooting off him like arrows. Edwin took a careful step back, his gaze wary as it flickered between Sorley and their sire.
Gethin also watched Dalziel carefully. Apart from Alec, he was the smallest man in the room, but his presence was huge. His command over his coven by sheer force of will was impressive, and slightly scary. He wondered how he would take to being challenged by Sorley in front of witnesses.
Dalziel’s jaw ticked. He said nothing, the silence stretching until it became uncomfortable. Finally, Dalziel exhaled a short huff down his nose.
“You are correct, Sorley. I should not have assumed, and I should have asked your permission. Gethin is your lover, and that bond takes precedence for you over the one you have with me. I have been rude, and for that, I apologise. But, if I turn him, it is the simplest way to keep the balance between you.”
The tension in Sorley eased. Gethin felt his emotions change again; relief, and some annoyance. “That makes sense, I suppose.” He swallowed. “Apology accepted.” He glowered at Edwin. “There’s no need to be offensive though. Gethin smells amazing.”
It was Alec’s turn to grimace. “To you, no doubt, my dear. But he would not be any vampire’s first choice of a meal in his current form. Remember, you have the blessing of a fated match to skew your senses.”
“What utter bollocks,” Sorley retorted swiftly. “We couldn’t fucking stand each other when we first met. Or for ages after that. Please, fated mates?” He rolled his eyes so hard Gethin feared for their ability to remain in their sockets.
“What else would you call it?” Dalziel mused, his expression, was thatfond?as he regarded them all. “First of all, a wayward child is almost run over by the man who recognised his supernatural blood, then Luc brings him to my door, only for me to realise he is my own son, born, not turned. That in itself is almost a miracle. Then the first of my beloved progeny gets attacked and goes feral, but ends up breaking into the home of a Council member. A Council member of a species he’s always professed to loathe, except what do we have here but another example ofsomethingoverriding our natures. Natures that have been established and understood since before we have records of such things. I am not certain I would use the phrase ‘fated mates’ precisely, but there is certainly a shift in the world with regard to supernaturals right now. It’s not just in Britain. There are reports of this kind of affair happening across the planet. Not in large numbers, but enough for it to have come to my attention.”
“I didn’t know this,” Edwin mumbled. “I should call Baxter.” His brows lifted, requesting permission to leave. He was out the door at speed as soon as Dalziel nodded, a hurried, “I’ll be back in time to assist with Gethin,” flung over his shoulder.
Gethin appraised Dalziel’s words carefully. He’d been so busy keeping Sorley from harm, and falling hook, line and sinker for him, that he’d almost forgotten he’d spent the first part of their acquaintance desperately fighting his instinct to get naked with the man twenty-four-seven; it had gone against everything his wolf had stood for. Now, loving Sorley seemed as natural as breathing. Asessentialas breathing. As one of the early members of the Evergreen Council he’d learned to temper his natural distrust of and aversion to vampires, but before Sorley, he’d have been hard pressed to name any he actively wished to spend time with. Now? He barely noticed he was in a room with a closed door and three other bloodsuckers. Okay, he noticed a little bit, but as long as none of them were threatening Sorley, he was good.
He cleared his throat. “Where do you want to do this, Dalziel? I presume I should lie down.” He grinned.
Alec made an undignified sound that might have been a snort, but he tried valiantly to disguise it. Dalziel’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Probably best,” he agreed breezily. “The falling down if you don’t is so untidy.”
Sorley scowled. “It’s not funny.”
Gethin stroked the back of Sorley’s neck. “Yeah, it is. Don’t forget, I’m choosing this without a death sentence hanging over me.” Feeling a little self-conscious but not enough to stop, he leaned over to kiss Sorley’s cheek. “Thought you’d be delighted to get your fill of fresh blood without even having to leave the house.” He pulled what he hoped was a comic face. “I hope you think I taste good.”
“I’msorry?”Alec interrupted him. “Are you saying that Sorley has not fed from you? Sorley, how can this be?”
Sorley looked sheepish. Gethin stopped stroking and tightened his grip on Sorley’s neck, hoping the pressure conveyed his support for whatever was coming.
“I didn’t think he’d want me to,” Sorley confessed when the silence had stretched a little too long for comfort.
Gethin stared at him, dumbfounded. “You could have just asked,” he said.It never occurred to me he might want to. Am I stupid not to have thought about this?
Sorley tched. “And you’d have said yes to please me, even if you weren’t sure. Because half the time I worry I might accidentally use thrall when we fuck and not know I’m doing it. So no, because that’s not consensual.”
Gethin laughed so loudly, Sorley slid off his lap and stood eyeballing him, hands on his hips, his expression somewhere between confusion and irritation. “Again, it’s not funny.” He looked at his fellow vampires imploringly. “Is it?”
Alec’s full lips twitched. Dalziel gestured to Gethin, who was getting himself back under control. “Let the man explain himself.”
Gethin made a grab for Sorley and tugged, pulling him off his feet and onto Gethin’s lap. He made a squawk of surprise. “The fuck?”
“Sweetheart, I wasn’t laughing at your impeccable morals surrounding consent. I love that about you, that you’ve fucked your way through three centuries and still act like a perfect gentleman when it comes to sex.” He wiped his eyes, still unable to stop grinning. “It was the idea you genuinely think you might have been thralling me to sleep with you. Don’t forget, I’ve seen you in action. Your eyes go weird when you use thrall, and you get this smoky tone to your voice. It’s fucking hot as sin, but you don’t need to use it on me. I’m a goner as soon as you so much as look at me.” He felt a blush rising at his candour in front of witnesses, but ploughed on. “I adore you. And I would absolutely have said yes. But now I’m sad you didn’t feed off me when you wanted to. Seems a bit strange that your first time will now be your last. A bit sad, I guess, too.”
“You two are nauseatingly cute.” Alec was shaking his head as they turned as one to regard him. “But Gethin, you can feed off a vampire when you are one. It is not as sustaining as blood from a human, but it is, how can I put this delicately?”
“A rush,” Dalziel supplied. “Specifically between lovers, that is. As a fast way to nourish any thirsty vampire, it also works as a decent stop gap. Don’t worry, Hughes, the pair of you can spend the next few centuries biting each other for sexual kicks as often as you please. Just do consider the rest of us have exceptional hearing, and choose your love nests accordingly.”
Alec cackled. Sorley growled. Gethin felt his face burst into flames.
“I hate you all,” Sorley opined. Then he ground his backside into Gethin’s crotch with a leer. “Well, not you. I might consider keeping you.”
“Speaking of which,” Dalziel spoke up before Gethin could become too lost in the warm blue-grey depths of Sorley’s pretty eyes. “You were going to call your family, I believe?”
33
