“Wrist, now.” I’m terse as I’m not sure how I feel about Isher watching me feed, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to ask him to leave us. My drinking blood can be no more personal than knocking back a mug of coffee or a glass of indifferent wine, so something’s got my head in a spin.
Pavel unbuttons and bends back his cuff, then adds two more quick folds. “Here, or…?” He hesitates. Does he feel it too?
“Here,” I grunt, pulling him towards me as my fangs descend. He leans with one hand on the reading desk as I slice through his pale skin and suck deeply. Isher has turned away, his body language stiff and uncomfortable. Tough shit; he’s the new guy around here and Pavel has a duty to me — until, if, he ever asks to be released. Which he won’t, I acknowledge to myself. Isher can suck it up. I stifle a snigger at my mental wording. There’s a nightmare thought; a Fae turned vampire. Although I don’t think that would be possible. God’s breath, perhaps it’s just as well Charley isn’t going to set up home with a Fae bride. Their offspring could potentially ignite a species war simply by existing.
I berate myself for going off on a tangent when I should be paying attention to my shadow’s body signals. Pavel is wide-eyed, his pupils black holes. Fuck knows what kind of pleasure he derives from being at my bidding, he’s never explained it adequately, but he definitely gets high on my bite. I close the puncture wounds I made with a deliberate lick, then press a kiss to the already-healing skin.
“You’re too good to me, moje zlato,” I murmur as I give him space to right his shirt sleeve and catch his breath.
He rolls his eyes at my no doubt appalling attempt to produce an endearment in his native language, but his heart rate quickens as he affords me a fleeting smile. “I live to serve you, Dalziel.” It’s rare that he uses my name this way in front of others, but I like it. I step away and say at my usual volume, “I’ll leave you to your books. I’m going for a turn about the grounds. Isher.”
Isher’s farewell is more robust now he’s presumably stopped freaking out over seeing a glimpse of my fangs at work or whatever was bothering him. If he’s intending to stay here much longer, he’s going to have to work on his attitude. I’m a damned vampire and I will not apologise for my nature. Or for having a shadow.
I take out my possibly-unfair thoughts about Isher and the Fae in general — with the exception of one very dear friend — by ripping up some weeds that have escaped the gardener’s notice. Dumping them in a corner, I head to the garage to wipe my hands before firing off an email instructing Eleanor to speak to the grounds staff tomorrow during daylight hours. Humans are excellent gardeners, but they do slack off on occasion. They won’t do it twice if they want me to continue paying them.
Hector finds me behind the wheel of my ancient Riley Monaco. I can see the fractional tensing of his wide shoulders as he contemplates whether I’m going to get him to move everything out of the way so I can take her for a spin.
“It’s all right. I’m just having a quiet moment of reflection,” I tell him. “Besides, she’d probably resist all my attempts to get her going if I were to attempt to crank her up right now.”
“I resent that, sire. All your vehicles are roadworthy all of the time, unless I inform you otherwise.” His face splits into a cheeky grin. Hector is polite, usually, but he’s never been cowed by my status as chief nibby of the fanged brigade or whatever inane title the supernaturals have come up with today. Or, I ask myself, should I be blaming the secretive bunch of weirdos that hang out in the hole-in-the-wall pub near the Necropolis in Glasgow and speak of me in hushed whispers? Eh, probably a bit from column A, a bit from B.
I beckon Hector to join me in the understated luxury of the front seat. “Did Charley bother you at all earlier?”
“God, no. He’s a nice kid. Got a gob on ’im like the entrance to the Rotherhithe tunnel, but I like ’im. Smart lad, too. Asks lots of intelligent questions.”
“May I remind you, you’re speaking about my son,” I drawl. Hector laughs. I nudge his side with my elbow. He gives me a long look.
“Got some energy you need to run off?”
It’s on my lips to deny this, but instead I sigh, then nod. “Give me ten minutes to change and I’ll meet you back here?” I could do with a run. Hector is good company. And it might stop me thinking too much about the fact that my current paramour chose a ten-day holiday in Fuerteventura over an all-expenses paid trip to Finland with me.
Ugh, no wonder I needed to invent a treasure hunt for my offspring.
5
CHARLEY
I giveLuc a considered head to toe, never a hardship, but this time I’m searching for clues. “You really want me to wear these? And what, just run around for a bit then bend over or…?”
Luc chuckles. “I can do better than bend you over the nearest available surface, babe. Although, if you need a quickie to focus your attention for a second round, I’ll never say no.” His hand is already moving to his zip as his pupils expand, and the orangey rim that signifies his wolf is close to the surface appears around his irises.
Saliva pools in my mouth and I drop to my knees as if I’ve been karate-chopped, my own fingers scrabbling at my flies. “Fuck my mouth?”
“By the Goddess, you really are perfect,” Luc sighs, not for the first time. “Let me in, darling.” He taps the head of his gorgeous cock against the corner of my still-compressed lips. “Or do you want me to coerce you?” His eyes gleam a little brighter.
I nod frantically, my mate’s initial suggestion already forgotten. Our sex life has burned hotter and hotter as our bond strengthens, meaning I would trust him to do anything with or to me. It turns out Luc has a wee bit of a control kink going on, which suits me just fine. I get off hard on being bossed about.
When I refuse to open up, Luc fists a handful of my hair and tilts my gaze up to his. “Youwilllet me in and youwillsuck me,” he states with a calculated calmness I’d find terrifying if it were anyone but him laying down such a command. “I will make you obey me.”
I swallow and try to turn my head away to avoid him seeing my grin. I’m so hard, I could drill a hole through the stone walls of this tower room. When did I become such a freak for this kind of behaviour?
Since you met someone who wanted nothing from you except for what you wanted to give freely.Oh, yeah, that.
I wait, knowing there’s more.
“Charley. Focus.” I snap my eyes back to his, drowning in the honey-whisky sweetness I find there. “There you are. What’s your safeword?”
I won’t be able to speak. We both know that. I wrap my free hand around his thigh and pinch. Luc nods. “Good boy. A squeeze for slow down, two sharp pinches for stop. I will always listen.”
