Crimson Ties

by V L Moon

  Copi ran his hands slowly down the length of Vischeral's back, haphazardly trying to clear the smaller chucks of rock and bloodied matter that crushed Vischeral's long strong body top to toe. Oozing fluid leaked through Copi's fingers, followed by the sweet sickly scent of Vischeral's blood. He gripped Vischeral's upper arms and tried to shake him. Relief flared within him when Vischeral groaned long and slow.

  The agony in the sound pained Copi. He couldn’t stop touching the man, soothing caresses to exposed uninjured skin. When Vischeral finally opened his eyes, Copi's reflection shone back down at him mirrored within the two onyx globes of his partner's eyes. Copi stared. His breath froze an occasion of a heart forgetting to beat. His entire body stilled beneath Vischeral. All of Copi's hopes, dreams and fears became a reality he had to face. He wanted Vischeral Bourne as he’d never wanted another. For life, for his own, for always. When the fuck had that happened?

  With an ease and grace so smooth it seemed impossible, Vischeral heaved his weight and the pile of rock up away from Copi's still form. “Slide out from under me,” he rasped, and Copi quickly obeyed. Like a dog after a bath, Vischeral shook himself and displaced what seemed to be half of a mountain on his back. With another pained groan, he inched into the darkness of the rotting cave on his hands and knees.

  The foul stench of decaying, torn flesh hung stagnant in the air along with coppery tang of blood. The same blood that stained the rocks and walls surrounding them, sprayed in crimson slashes of slaughter and gore. Copi's mind whirled as he scuttled back to the right, deep into the far corner. In his haste, he slashed his forearm on a jagged rock hidden by the darkness.

  The beam of his flashlight provided the only illumination. By its light, he watched his partner with growing apprehension. Fear and doubt trickled through his system. He was trapped. Breathing heavily and locked within the suffocating darkness of the cave, Copi's mind reeled. He felt Vischeral, as though his partner's breath washed over him even from his own place deeper within the shadows of the cave.

  Vischeral's breath came in ragged pants and distressed gasps that tortured Copi every time his partner inhaled. Vischeral was in pain, and Copi felt each spear of agony. How had he survived the rock slide? How had he lifted himself up off of Copi when Copi hadn’t been able to budge? How had he gotten up the rock formation so fast? He’d been only yards ahead of Copi, and then he was gone.

  A visual display of the last couple of months played on rewind and fast forward. The way Vischeral moved, his uncanny sense of smell, the fight with the wolf, the refusal to work any shift but the night shift. Forced to face facts, Copi realized everything he'd feared was indeed real. Closing his eyes and freeing his mind from the restrictions of fear and disbelief, Copi let go, relaxed his body and let the replay of events starting with the alley in New York take over.

  The flashback of events locked his muscles as the clips played out like a movie. By the time the reel finished running in his mind, Copi's heart thudded with trepidation while his body glistened with sweat. His eyes burned with bitter tears for someone, or something, he’d been taught didn’t exist. But, it wasn’t a fairytale he imagined. It was a fucking nightmare.

  Choking on a reality that would never change, the word hung on the tip of his tongue. Copi berated himself. As much as he couldn’t fathom the realization of what Vischeral was, he also couldn't deny the aching need inside of him for the vampire suffering in the darkness.

  Vampire.

  The word bounced around inside his skull, freezing the blood in his veins while at the same time igniting a fierce protectiveness. He understood Vischeral’s secrecy, his forced withdrawal from the human world around him. The loneliness Copi suffered all of his life must have been hundreds of times worse for his partner. The fear slowly subsided as other thoughts took hold.

  The dedication to his job. The empathy his partner showed for the victims, and the determination and effort he spent in finding their killers and bringing them to justice. The self-sacrifice he’d just made to save Copi’s life, and the savagery with which he defended him against all others.

  Copi’s gaze flicked to where Vischeral had disappeared into the shadows. He knew the wounds Vischeral had sustained while protecting him had to be bad. He’d felt the copious flow of blood himself. At his worst, Vischeral was one hell of a hard faced son of a bitch. So, when the grunt of pain rippled through the cave, Copi knew the damage was extensive. He also knew deep within the depths of his soul that whatever Vischeral was, whatever he did, it would never change what he felt or deter him from the desire and love he harbored for the man. No. Copi shook his head. For the vampire. His vampire.

  ~*~*~*~

  Vischeral struggled to control the pain thrumming through his body. Desperate to escape the intoxicating aroma of Copi’s blood, he’d sought the solace of the shadows. Gingerly, he rested his shredded back against the cool rock walls. The icy rock provided a measure of relief. He barely noticed the jagged edges that drove into his mangled flesh. Through hooded eyes, he watched as Copi scooted back against the opposite wall. He knew the moment he sliced his arm open.

  Vischeral quit breathing altogether and dropped his head. He prayed as he hadn’t in many, many years. In his weakened state, he wasn't sure he could control the blood lust. Copi’s accelerated heart rate finally brought his head up. His gaze locked on the male across the way.

  Silently, he studied the play of emotions cross his partner's face, and his heart sank when the realization of what he was dawned on Copi's beautiful face. He didn’t have to reach into his mind to know what Copi thought. The smell of fear danced through the air piercing Vischeral's chest. Rejection hurt even after several centuries.

  As he stared at the male struggling with new-found knowledge, he searched his own heart. His vampire had bonded with the male, but his human half, the part he clung to with bloody fingers, also wanted a partner. He wanted Copi and not just in a working relationship. He wanted the male in his life, in his bed. Too fucking bad he realized it when the male's very life depended on his ability to control his thirst.

  ~*~*~*~

  Decision made, Copi levered himself onto his hands and knees. Ignoring the pain of the rocks tearing through his flesh, he inched his way toward Vischeral. His partner's gaze widened; twin dark moons shining in their own private Hell. Vischeral entire body went stiff when Copi approached. A low guttural growl emanated from the depths of Vischeral’s throat.

  “Back off, Copi. You can't be here right now. I can't.” The gravelly voice raced along Copi’s spine. He stopped the words by crawling up the length of the man’s legs to straddle his thighs. He steadied himself by splaying his hands over his partner’s hard packed pecs.

  Knowing the danger he faced, he still ignored Vischeral's plea. Instead, he removed what was left of his torn up sweater, baring his smooth toned flesh to tempt the vampire he straddled. Slowly, he lifted his arm toward Vischeral’s mouth. His heart slammed hard against his ribcage. Vischeral turned evading his offering.

  Copi reacted immediately. He grabbed Vischeral's jaw and gently turned his face back around. Deliberately, he placed his bleeding arm to the heated swell of his partner's full lips. Vischeral growled, long and slow. The reverberating vibration trembled through Copi's body, sending his pulse rate soaring to the rock ceiling.

  “Take what you need, Vish,” he pleaded. Vischeral studied him, his eyes asking the questions he didn’t voice. “I know what you are and I don’t care. At least now, I know I’m not crazy, even if I can’t tell anyone.” Once again, he rubbed his arm against the firm line of his partner’s mouth. “Drink, feed—whatever it is you call it.”

  “I can't fight you. I don’t want to, but I can't feed from where you offer. Not from you, Copi. Anyone else, but not from you.” The vulnerability in his partner's voice stole Copi's breath. Anticipation soared. He scooted up further and settled his ass in the well of his partner's lap. Beneath him, Vischeral trembled. His need for the sustenance throbbing within
Copi’s veins held Vischeral mesmerized and somehow communicated itself to Copi. He watched in part terror and part lust as the lengthening fangs protruded over the swell of Vischeral’s bottom lip. With complete trust tinged with eagerness, Copi turned his head and offered up his throat.

  ~*~*~*~

  Vischeral's throat closed when Copi offered his vein. His breath froze in his lungs. Terrified to inhale, he prayed the bloodlust wouldn’t overcome him as temptation literally stared him in the face. The male straddled him with the bare warm flesh of his thickly muscled chest exposed. His hands slid across the rocky floor; his palms itched to feel the heated skin beneath them.

  Thirst scalded his throat. He wanted to savor the moment, take his time, but his hunger won. He struck. Hard. A shudder of ecstasy wracked his frame when his fangs sank into Copi's vein. The first pull, the first mouthful flowed over his tongue and slammed into his throat. He groaned as he swallowed. Copi's taste was as he remembered; deeply intoxicating and highly addictive.

  On a sigh, his arms locked around his partner, holding the male tightly to his chest. Copi moaned, and his hands fisted in his hair. Instead of pulling him away, Copi pressed Vischeral's face harder against his throat. Relaxing into Copi's embrace, Vischeral drank in deep satisfying draws. Copi's blood streamed into his system. Vischeral's body responded to his closeness even as it healed.

  His arms loosened, giving his hands free rein to roam the expanse of Copi's muscled back. His fingers explored every crevice, every hill and valley committing them to memory. Heat pooled in his groin. His cock swelled and lengthened, straining against the leather. Sliding his hands down, he grasped Copi's hips urging the male to rock against him.

  Copi responded beautifully, sinking lower into Vischeral's lap and grinding his taut ass against Vischeral’s rigid shaft. Vischeral purred against Copi's throat before retracting his fangs and lifting his head. His tongue darted out to lave the twin puncture marks. He swallowed one last time and barely refrained from licking his lips in satisfaction.

  Easing back from his partner, he rested against the wall again. Sexual tension swam in the air around them. Their chests heaved almost in unison as they battled their desire. Gazes collided. “If you aren't offering more than your blood, it'd be a good idea to move your ass,” he said into the silence.

  ~*~*~*~

  Heat, solid, hard and immensely thick pulsated under the swell of Copi's ass. The thrumming beat of blood flowing through Vischeral's prominent erection fueled the burn between Copi's thighs while the hypnotic feel of his partner's lips seared the rough planes of his extended throat. His pulse rate soared; his heart smashed hard against the cage of his chest. The quickening beat swelled the vein in his neck with rich scented blood. The erotic feel of Vischeral feeding from his throat chased away any notion of fear.

  It was everything Copi dreamed, what all of his nightmares alluded to…Vischeral Bourne, the vampire that plagued him and coveted his life's blood. When the graze of razor sharp fangs pierced his skin, they’d sent shivers through Copi's spine. His cock had engorged into a throbbing mass of sexual hunger Copi had never known existed. It spasmed for release. Vischeral’s statement almost made him laugh aloud.

  “Holy fuck, I want this. I want you, so fucking bad.” Copi rolled his hips hard into his partner's lap, grinding torturously up along the thickness of Vischeral's long hot cock. He was rewarded with a rough guttural growl of need from Vischeral’s blood drenched mouth. Vischeral's hands tightened on Copi's hips pressing him down firmly against the swell of his dick.

  “Sweet Christ you are testing my limits,” Vischeral murmured against his throat. “I want you as I have no other, but Copi you have to be sure. My life isn’t an easy one. It’s dangerous,” Vischeral said.

  The deep rough growl of his voice slithered like molasses, sweet and slow, over Copi's skin driving him wild. The need to invade Vischeral's delicious full mouth consumed him. Nearly panting, he heard nothing except the pounding beat of two joined hearts. With his chest pressed tight against Vischeral's rock hard strength and his hands locked in the satin smooth locks of his hair, Copi groaned Vischeral's name as his hips continued to undulate in his partner's lap.

  With any notion of moving far from his mind, he held Vischeral’s stare. Relishing the widening of his vampire's eyes, he leaned forward and slowly started to nip, kiss and lick a teasing trail of hungry kisses down Vischeral's strong jawline. Enflamed, he bit the rapidly beating vein in Vischeral's thickly corded neck.

  “I want you, Vischeral Bourne. I've always wanted you. Since that night in the alley in New York, you’ve haunted me.” Copi snaked out his tongue, flicking the bite mark and groaned low and deep when Vischeral growled. A tremor rumbled down to the head of his throbbing cock. Vischeral’s magnetic gaze darkened with passion, and he moaned. The purr nearly blew the lid off of Copi’s surging desire.

  Emboldened by Vischeral's response, Copi trailed his tongue up over the firm hot flesh of Vischeral’s throat. He tasted and teased a path toward the ripe bloodstained swell of Vischeral's succulent lips. His partner’s copper scented breath came in raspy pants as he fought against the tide of undiluted raw sexual energy engulfing the air between them. Heavy obsidian eyes took on a look of craving hunger when Copi fisted one hand in his hair and then proceeded to trace the outline of Vischeral’s lips using the tip of his tongue. The taste of his own blood coated the voluptuous pout of Vischeral's mouth and ramped up Copi’s hunger for more.

  “You taste so good,” Copi moaned just as Vischeral parted the seal of his silky soft lips. Locking his mouth onto the moist invitation, Copi plundered. His tongue delved and swirled, meeting the plumpness of his partner's tongue. A rumbling growl of guttural need echoed through the darkness. Vischeral’s vampire was fully awake and all sense of control slipped from the blackened depths of the vampire's dark hungry eyes.

  His hands dropped to Vischeral’s lap. Fighting the straining tightness of his jeans, Copi slowly popped the button. The zipper flew under the strain of tension, liberating the naked flesh of Vischeral's length. The swollen plump head teared, releasing a single drop of creamy dew that crowned the deeply ridged bulbous tip.

  Copi closed his free hand around the still thickening length and groaned at the welcoming feel of rock hard flesh. His thumb smeared through the precum, moistening the tip in seductive circles. He moaned when Vischeral bucked; his hips rising easily under Copi's weight.

  The vampire moaned in pleasure. And, the sound spurred him to continue the long slow strokes up and down Vischeral’s impressive cock. Breaking the long assault on his partner's mouth, Copi eased back even more. His lips and teeth worked a path down toward the prominent protrusion of Vischeral's need.

  Strong hands fisted in his hair. Vischeral’s large body visibly shook under the strain to stay in one place. Resting a hand against Vischeral’s chest to hold him in still, Copi gave him one last hungry grin before abandonment took the last of his will.

  Reading his mind or his intent, Copi wasn't sure which, Vischeral growled. “Oh fuck, Copi! Don't. I can't…I won't be able to stop.” The hands in his hair tightened their grip as Copi's mouth descended. His tongue flicked out, tasted. He licked upward leaving no inch untouched, savoring the smooth shaft. His kiss-swollen lips slid lovingly over the beautiful engorged head. Copi's mouth watered and his lips parted just as Vischeral roared.

  ~*~*~*~

  “Copi!” The male's name ripped from his chest; pulled from him despite his fabled control when Copi's hot mouth hovered just above his swollen sex. He knew he should stop this. They were still in danger, Copi even more so trapped as he was in the cave with a half-starved, sex crazed vampire. But, Vischeral wanted him. Hell if truth be told, he needed Copi.

  The need won out. Loosening his fingers slightly, he raised his hips to meet the sultry wet haven of his partner's mouth. Without hesitation, Copi's lips closed around him, locking tight. Blunt teeth scraped along the distended veins as Copi’s head rose and fell i
n his lap. Vischeral’s hips bucked, pushing himself deeper into the beautiful abyss of Copi's warm mouth. His head fell back loose on his shoulders, and his eyes closed savoring the near perfect moment. Sensation after sensation rocked Vischeral's large frame.

  The steamy wet glide of Copi's tongue swirled around his cock, combining with the tight possessive grip Copi maintained at the base of his sex. His hand moved in time with his mouth extending the pleasure along the entire length of Vischeral's shaft. The exquisite feel of Copi's other hand cupping and massaging his heavy sac made him forget the semblance of breathing. Vischeral's ass clenched against the rocky ground. His orgasm started building deep within. Riding the white hot wave of lust Copi enveloped him within, Vischeral moaned. Copi's name danced in the air.

  With a soft pop, Copi released him, causing Vischeral to groan in agony. His hips strained toward the male. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened in Copi's hair, urging him closer. His partner's warm breath fanned over Vischeral's damp cock, electrifying every nerve in his groin. Vischeral's body vibrated with hunger, hunger for the male tormenting him with his sweet, wicked mouth. He had never experienced such intense desire for one person. Copi reached inside of him to a place Vischeral had long thought buried. A place only Copi could fill.

  On the verge of pleading, Vischeral opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, Copi's tongue once again trailed up the length of his dick precisely following each ridge and valley before circling the swollen throbbing head. Opening his eyes, he looked down and watched, mesmerized as Copi licked, nipped and sucked his cock.

  Heat, dark and intense, pooled at the base of Vischeral's spine. Again, Copi raised his head and engulfed Vischeral's sex, working the inflamed length expertly. Copi growled, and the rumbling vibration reverberated around his sensitized flesh.

  “Oh fuck, yes!” Vischeral groaned. His fingers unclenched from Copi's hair to glide down over his shoulders. Copi's skin burned his palms, made them itch to explore every hard ridge of muscle exposed to his hungry eyes. So he did.