Page 37 of Only You, No One Else

CHAPTER 24

Caster had never been as shaken as he’d been when Mark had professed his fear of losing him. The arrogance that came with being a Born-Vampire meant that the prospect of injury or even the possibility of his death never crossed his mind. He went into every battle fueled by that arrogance, knowing before the battle had even begun that he would be victorious. But Mark’s fear had given rise to the recent memory of Pierce and how scared he’d been. He hadn’t been afraid that he would die; his fear had been for Mark, for what losing him would mean.

When he’d awoken from that nightmare, he’d resolved to do everything to bolster their collective strength, make sure they’d never be vulnerable again. Zeke’s threat had distracted him from that resolution; Mark’s fear, communicated by a mind he’d lost control of, had revitalized it.

The first step was to make sure no other vampire would be privy to Mark’s thoughts without his permission. Mark’s mind, like the rest of him, belonged to Caster, and he would guard it with his life.

Mark frowned at him, but his mind was closed. The subtle changes in his heartbeat indicated his anger. Good. Anger was the correct response here.

He nodded at his hand. “Let your wolf heal that.” He stepped back, giving Mark space. “Then try again.”

The satisfying sound of his wrist bones knitting back together filled the room, and Caster smiled as Mark’s wolf once again obeyed him.

Mark’s frown deepened as he tested the weight of the sword in his hand. “This is unfair. I don’t know how to use this thing.”

Caster tightened his grip on his own sword. The weight of it, the weight of its significance, settled on his heart, but this was not the time for sentimentality. “Good.” He waved this sword in the space between them, noting Mark’s inadvertent step back. “Get mad at me. Attack me.”

The flash of amber in Mark’s eyes was momentary, and he almost regretted his direction when Mark didn’t hold back. His inexperience with the weapon was apparent in the way it was a tool to him, not an extension of his anger. He slashed at the air, his momentum as Caster dodged each one of his attacks with precise, practiced movements, pushing them further across the large space that was the sparring room.

Caster ducked away from Mark’s latest attempt to decapitate him, his laugh just increasing Mark’s anger. His grunts as he swung with little apparent aim, missing his mark every time, became growls the longer Caster dodged his attacks. His growl filled the room with his intent, and Caster’s sword came up to meet the latest strike. Their combined strength was enough to break Mark’s inferior weapon in two. Mark gasped as the shattered steel crashed to the floor between them, but even with his weapon halved, he didn’t relent.

He snarled, the haze of battle making him forget himself as he tossed the broken weapon to the floor and came at Caster with his bare hands. Caster smiled as he too discarded his sword. This was the Mark he wanted, the formidable warrior he’d seen in that memory of the worst night of his life.

He was right. The sword had been a hindrance. Hand to hand, Mark was more formidable than anyone Caster had ever fought except perhaps the Prime Alpha. He growled as he tried to reach for Caster’s neck, but a vampire’s hidden advantage was speed. Caster utilized that speed now, grabbing Mark’s clawed hand before those formidable weapons made contact with his skin. They hovered over his face, their intent a threat that increased his heart rate not out of dread, but out of the sweet excitement only battle can bring.

He glanced at Mark, and they both smiled. Mark bit his lip, a distraction that Caster fell for, and he twisted away from Caster’s tight hold. The dull pain in his gut, enough to make him bow forward, was the first indication that Mark had even moved.

The fucker. He’d get only one of those. The pain dissipated as fast as it had come, and Caster caught Mark’s second blow aimed at his ribs before it could make contact. He held his fist in his hand and smiled before twisting.

Mark’s howl of pain was animalistic, but the significant injury was already healing. His eyes flashed amber again, and a deep growl bubbled from his chest. He tried to pull his hand out of Caster’s grip, but Caster tightened his hold, and the volume of the growl increased enough to tear at his eardrums.

The door burst open, and Caster didn’t need to tear his attention away from an angry Mark to know Kyle was there. He used his hold to pull Mark closer as he caught Kyle’s eye and shook his head. His ever-vigilant bodyguard understood the situation and returned to his post with a smirk.

Mark didn’t relax, every cell fighting Caster’s considerable strength.

“Stop!”

It took a second for the command to infiltrate his mind, but Mark’s growls died down. They were both breathing hard, a consequence of a sparring session that had gotten out of hand.

His tight hold eased as Mark’s body relaxed against his. “You, OK?”

Mark’s nod was small. The question often brought all kinds of thoughts to his mind. The silence this time was an indication of their momentary success.

Pull that barrier down.

Mark frowned.

He reached for the damp curls on his forehead. Let me in, baby.

The most significant milestone of their relationship came to life in the second it took for Mark to understand his request. Mark nodded, closed his eyes, took a breath, and his thoughts, thoughts of his love, flowed from his mind into Caster’s.

He opened his eyes, his smile wide. “I did it!”

Caster didn’t want to diminish his joy, but there was little to be gained in false hope. Still, he couldn’t contain his own joy. “Yes, but we’ll need more practice.” He pulled Mark even closer, the inevitability of an arousal he doubted he could resist every time Mark was in his arms imposing itself on the moment. “Every part of you is mine and mine alone. Am I clear?”

Mark’s answer was apparent in the way he left that barrier unlocked, in the myriad of images of a future together he didn’t try to conceal, and in the way he snuggled deeper into Caster’s embrace.

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