Page 44 of Only You, No One Else

Mark didn’t know that he would ever want anything more than he wanted this, just being with Caster. He was tired, but he didn’t want to move.

“I’m gonna kill him.” A smile hid behind that threat. “You like my brother?”

“He’s a good person. My wolf trusts him.” Mark smiled. “But all his stories can’t be true, right?”

“Most are.”

Mark couldn’t imagine the life Cy’s stories implied. His brothers went out in the world, became a part of it, but Mark had always been sheltered first by his grandfather and then, after his mother’s death, by his father.

“When all of this nonsense with the witch is done, we can see the world together.”

He smiled, knowing Caster would interpret his acceptance with little effort. He settled further into the couch, taking in as much of Caster as he could. For the first time in a long while, Mark felt normal. Zeke was still out there, so was the witch, but here, now, it seemed they couldn’t touch him.

CHAPTER 28

The warmth of the covers was a nuisance when he woke. His wolf reached for the outside, hammering at the barrier, but Mark brushed away his animal’s desire for a transformation. His need was for the person next to him. Joy, unfamiliar at this time of the day, burst forth as soon as he opened his eyes to meet the warm smile on Caster’s face. He smiled back, reveling in the way they could communicate without a single spoken word between them.

He pushed closer to the love of his life, to the security of the moment, and the joy grew to uncontainable proportions. What were the chances the witch and Zeke would just leave them alone, and he could have this every day?

He regretted that thought and his open mind as worry seeped into Caster’s expression, but even that would not be enough to diminish the joy.

They were so close he could feel Caster’s breath on his face. His voice was a whisper. “No, baby. I wish they would. But we have to kill them. It’s the only way to get them out of our lives.”

Caster’s touch on his forehead was a distraction, heightening the underlying arousal simmering between them. He wanted to lean forward, erase the scant space, keeping the unique taste of Caster’s lips out of reach, but last night had ignited a new desire in him.

Caster frowned.

He shook his head. “No. Nothing bad. Just…” He took a breath. “…I want what Riley and Ben have.”

Caster’s smile returned. “They’ve been together more than two centuries.”

Mark couldn’t contain his gasp. He hadn’t expected that. How have they survived so long?

“Riley loves my brother too much.” Caster sighed in rhythm with his hand now on Mark’s lower back, making him wish they weren’t dressed. “The proof is in the immortality spell that should have been impossible even for someone so powerful.”

Yesterday had proven how little Mark knew of Caster’s world and ignited the desire to find out everything.

“My brother had a very difficult time accepting his vampire. I thought he wouldn’t make it. Some Made-Vampires don’t survive a process that can take months, sometimes years. If it hadn’t been for Riley…” He closed his eyes, and Mark didn’t need to read his mind to see the concern for his brother. He opened them with a sharp exhale. “At the time, witches weren’t immortal. They could extend their lives with potent healing spells, but they could die.”

“Riley chose immortality for Ben?” He couldn’t keep the awe from his voice. Immortality seems like a gift on the surface, but forever can be a long time to spend in grief or loneliness.

“That’s why I’d trust him with you.”

Mark shifted even closer, their clothes proving more than a nuisance. “They seem so close, like they’re the same person.” He looked away from Caster’s gaze, in case his confession was too much for the moment. “I’ve always wanted that.”

The kiss was unexpected, catching him mid-breath, but his reaction was in perfect synchrony with his confession. He moaned his acceptance, total in its capacity. He left everything open, his heart and mind, but he pulled away from the overwhelming presence that was Caster’s dominance sooner than he wanted. If they were to be one, there was one thing they needed to discuss, the only thing they had control over.

Caster, in his infinite patience, waited, giving him the room to gather his thoughts.

“I loved him.” Those three words did not clog his throat as he’d expected they would when he’d resolved to do this in the midst of the joy he’d experienced with Caster’s family. He closed his eyes, holding them shut in anticipation of the usual pain, only to open them in surprise when it didn’t come. “I am not sure he loved me. I think he never did. But I loved him.”

Caster remained silent, his steady gaze communicating his presence, his awareness of the importance of the moment.

“But I love you, now.” He shook his head, a smile fighting past his vulnerability. “I want you, forever.” He found Caster’s dependable gray gaze, needing him to understand the certainty he’d found last night in his family’s boisterous acceptance of him. “When he came back, he terrified me. He’s not the same. But Caster…”

“No.” The dominance in that single word filled the room, stopping all of Mark’s thoughts, halting his breath. “I know what you want to ask, and it's not going to happen.”

Mark frowned, foreign anger battling his desire to please Caster. “I need to see him. I…”