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Letting out a sob, Carver clung to Dante’s neck as he attempted to push the fear away. He couldn’t stop crying but he needed to! They’d worked so hard. And Carver was desperate to end it all.

He just needed a moment.

Carver clung harder to Dante.

It was okay.

He was going to be okay. Everything was okay. One moment of weakness and Carver would get control of himself once again.

This wasn’t part of the plan. He couldn’t let go of Dante though even as his tears dampened Dante’s skin. For years Carver had lived with uncertainty and terror of becoming a monster.

The strong vampire holding him and speaking sweet soft words into his ear could deal with Carver being overly dramatic. It was the damn bloodsucker’s fault anyway.

The least Dante could do for Carver was allow him to slobber all over him with tears and snot. Yep, brilliant plan. Why wouldn’t Dante want to keep Carver close after this epic breakdown.

Dante

Holding the trembling little vampire, Dante was trying to rein in his fury.

Nicholas had risen from where he’d been playing with his boy on the floor across the room but Dante gave one sharp shake of his head. Carver didn’t need another stranger around him now. If Dante could, he’d have rushed the boy away from everyone. Dante hadn’t earned the boy’s trust quite enough for that yet. Soon. Dante was now certain that Carver was the boy he’d been waiting for.

It was going to take patience before Dante could publicly put any kind of claim to Carver. Whatever had happened to the boy during his turning that traumatized him.

Dante planned on finding Carver’s sire and enjoy slowly taking the vampire apart piece by piece. The vampire would suffer for every hurt he’d subjected the little to. Whether it was mental or physical anguish, Dante would find out every single detail.

Carver sniffed before pulling back with red eyes and a running nose. “Sorry.”

“Who is he?” Dante demanded. He just needed a name. Hell, a description would be enough for Dante to send out his clan to locate the vampire that was hurting this sweet boy.

Carver shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

There was something his little one was hiding. Was he still with the sire that allowed the boy to starve? No vampire should be turning a human if he wasn’t going to care for his child properly.

Rules were in place in his territory to keep this very thing from happening. If the boy was turned there, then Dante was responsible as well as the clan leader. Whether the vampire had been his or not.

The boy was too terrified, too weak, and in need of care for Dante to push. He’d get his answers. Dante always did. He couldn’t push Carver for more answers until the boy trusted Dante more. That would take time. Time that Carver didn’t have if he continued down this path.

He pulled the monogramed handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit jacket, dabbing at Carver’s face.

“What?” Carver giggled. “Who even has one of those things anymore?”

“A handkerchief?” Dante replied. “I miss the times when men dressed properly. It was an event to leave the house in the evenings. We made a production of it.”

“You sound so old right now.”

“Old?” Dante dug his fingers into Carver’s side, tickling him. He was old but that didn’t mean Dante was going to allow himself to be teased. Well, he would, but Dante wanted to hear that sweet laugh if he was going to be the butt of the joke.

Carver gasped and laughed, squirming around. His lithe little body brushing all over Dante’s. Dante’s cock grew hard although he was trying to ignore the reaction. This was about making his boy smile. Happy. To watch the darkness disappear from his eyes.

“That will teach you to call me old,” Dante said.

“Just how old are you?” Carver batted his lashes as he asked.

The sassiness seemed much more Carver’s natural state. Dante approved as he enjoyed a partner that could hold his own. The little vampire had been through a rough couple of years but Dante was there now.

He’d fix everything.

Starting with making sure the boy no longer suffered.