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OURS

Finally, as if a dam had broken, the noise quieted, and the only thing left as I stared into Griffin’s eyes was pure, overwhelming clarity.

The crazed man running toward us was ours—our mate.

Chapter two

Warren

My life was in shambles. Absolutely fucked.

For most of my life, I’ve channeled my obsession with vampires into my books and research, keeping it to myself. It eased the ever-present emptiness I’d always felt. As I aimlessly walked the streets, I couldn’t help but think back to that fateful day almost forty years ago. The next day, I began collecting any literature I could find about vampires. I liked to read anything from romantic fiction to non-fiction. One day, I might be reading about vampires and their fated mates; the next, I’m reading academic studies on vampire legends throughout history and across different cultures. As long as it was about vampires, I would read it.

Running my hands through my hair, I let out a long sigh. It was late; I should have been heading home, but what was the point? I had no savings, and my job? Gone. My boss had laughed me out the door after firing me.

I had dedicated years of my life to being a professor. I’d graduated with a PhD in English literature with a minor in folklore. I had busted my ass in school so I could qualify for academic scholarships, and thankfully, I had. My parents were horrible to be around, so I spent most of my time at the library or walking the streets late at night. At the time, it had sucked, but it paved the way for me to go to school and get an amazing job as a professor. But then I’d gone and fucked it all up.

After teaching at the university for most of my career, I’d even gotten tenure and somehow still managed to flush it all down the drain. I spent years gathering research from every article, every book, every scrap of paper that I’d been able to get my hands on throughout history that was about vampires. After nearly thirty years of carefully compiled research, I decided it was finally time to share my findings. Boy, was I wrong. No one in the conference room took me seriously. They all laughed at me and called me crazy. Embarrassment and shame had swallowed me whole.

I had foolishly assumed that would be the worst of it and hoped it would blow over, but once again I was so incredibly wrong. Several members of the school board took issue with my research. They questioned my sanity and claimed it was a waste of resources. After weeks of countless meetings and pleading my case, they deemed me unfit to hold my position, stripped me of my tenure, and fired me without notice, so much for my years of dedication and hard work.

There have been several times in the last forty years when doubt would creep in, and I wondered if I’d just hallucinated the whole thing. The mere thought made my chest ache. It couldn’t be fake; I refused to entertain the notion. I knew what I had seen that night was real.

Reality weighed heavily on me. I was fifty-six years old, jobless, and my reputation was ruined. I had no savings, and getting another teaching job would be impossible. I ran my hand through my hair again, pulling a bit harder this time. My whole life, I’ve felt like I was wandering alone aimlessly. The only time I felt at peace was when I was reading about vampires.

“Hello! Silas!” My whole body stiffened as I heard a familiar voice coming from the alley just ahead of me. There was no doubt in my mind that the voice belonged to one of my vampires. It had to be him. Hell, he’d even used the same name. I refused to believe it was just a coincidence.

“Sowwie, Griffie. I haven’t fed since the last time you let me drink.” Silas’s high-pitched, soft voice made goosebumps break out on my skin. I couldn’t believe that after four decades, I finally found them. I needed to get closer; I couldn’t let them get away. Not again.

“You wouldn’t have to feed so often if you’d just go to the bank.” Griffie’s deeper yet equally soft voice made me shiver with excitement.

It felt as if I were sixteen again as I crept forward and peered around the corner. The alley was dark, but I was barely able to make out two figures standing there. Just like last time, I was captivated by their presence and couldn’t tear my eyes away. However, unlike last time, my cock was rock hard, and it felt like I was seconds away from coming in my pants. My cock throbbed behind my zipper as I watched the shorter vampire named Silas open his mouth. I crept forward slowly just in time to see his fangs drop. From my position, I was barely able to see the hunger in Silas’s eyes as he stared at Griffin’s neck. Despite the poor view, the look was so intense that it made my knees weak. The heat in his eyes confused me. It wasn’t a look you’d expect from someone about to eat a meal. Instead, it looked like Silas wanted to do far more than drink Griffin’s blood.

“I know, but you just taste so much better, I can’t help it.” The taller, dark-haired vampire yelped in surprise when Silas’s fangs pierced his pale flesh. Griffin let out a long groan as Silas continued to suck on his neck. My cock jerked in my boxers, and I bit my lip to keep from moaning. The sounds those two were making nearly had me coming undone.

My whole body felt like it was on fire, and my dick was harder than it had ever been before. It had been forty years since I last saw my vampires, and not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of them or wished that I could see them again. I had spent my entire life pouring every moment I could into reading about vampires. Sex was not often something I thought about. I got aroused as much as the average person, I suppose, but sex was never really something that I wanted. Yes, you heard that right: I am a fifty-six-year-old virgin who spent his whole life reading about vampires instead of getting laid.

The urge to run up to my vampires and bare my neck so they could sink their fangs into me became overwhelming the closer I got to them. I couldn’t believe it was actually them. I had no doubt they were the vampires I saw forty years ago. Unable to remain still any longer, my whole body felt like it was buzzing with energy as I cried out. “Holy shit! I can’t believe I’ve finally found you. I can’t lose you again!” It was as if my body was running on pure instinct as I started into a full sprint towards my vampires. It took me forty fucking years to find them again, and nothing was going to keep me from them.

My heart was pounding, and my blood felt like fire in my veins when I finally reached the paranormal creatures standing before me. Instead of taking on a protective stance or fleeing like I assumed they would, both vampires just stared at one another as if they had just received the greatest gift. The pure happiness and joy that radiated off of them, mixed with the heat and desire I saw swirling within their eyes, made my heart skip a beat.

Nearly every day for the past forty years, I thought about what I would say to them when I finally saw them again. However, in that moment, every single thing I had ever thought about saying disappeared from my mind. My cock was still hard in my pants, but the raging lust had started to cool. Instead, my whole body hummed with pure happiness and an overwhelming sense of belonging. The joy itself didn’t shock me; of course I was happy. I had been searching for them for decades. What surprised me was how, even just within mere seconds of meeting them, I felt as if I’d finally found what I’d been missing my whole life. What that was, I wasn’t sure, but for the first time in fifty-six years, I felt complete in a way I had never felt before.

When their gazes finally broke apart, they both turned to me with wide expectant eyes. At first, they looked confident, but the longer we stood there exchanging glances, the more nervous they became. After several more beats of awkward silence, I decided to spare them the misery and spoke first.

“I knew it was you two. I’ve been looking for you.” Both Silas and Griffin seemed shocked by my words.

“You know who we are?” Griffin said quietly, his voice full of awe. Was he serious? I looked at the taller dark-haired vampire as he wrung his fingers together nervously.

“Of course I know who you are; I’ve been looking for you for almost four whole decades!”

Both Griffin and Silas looked warily over at one another, seemingly unsure of what to say. My chest felt funny as I looked at them. At first, I wanted to pepper them with all the questions I’ve thought of over the years. The moment I saw them, the questions no longer felt important. I still wanted answers, but it was no longer an overwhelming desire. Instead, it had been replaced by the overwhelming urge to scoop them into my arms and tell them everything was going to be ok. As my gaze stayed fixed on the paranormal creatures before me, my vampires seemed to vibrate with excitement, but they were also confused and hesitant. Griffin was the first to look at me with narrowed eyes. “You know we’re your fated mates, even though you’re human?” My heart went wild behind my ribs, and I felt as if my head would explode. I’d heard of fated mates before, but the only time I saw that phrase was in the vampire romances I read. For thousands of years, countless people have told stories about vampires and what supernatural abilities or gifts they may possess. Since learning that vampires existed, I’d always wondered what was real and what was myth. Years ago, I made a list of what I thought was real and what I thought was fake. Fated mates were on the fake side of my list; I guess I was wrong about that as well.

“I’m what- No, I saw you almost forty years ago in a similar alleyway. I’ve always been obsessed with vampires and was so happy when I realized you were real. Unfortunately, I scared you guys off before I could talk to you.” My head was spinning as Griffin’s words sank in. “Wait, are you saying fated mates are real. . . and I’m yours?”

Chapter three

Griffin