Wounded Soul

by Annabelle Jacobs

  Ian had said they were best friends, but Jesse was willing to bet his life they’d never had to test their friendship like this before.

  Ian shrugged a shoulder. “I want to say yes. I’d like to think I’d do it for him if the situation were reversed, but this isn’t like asking him for any old favour. I’m a supernatural creature now.” Jesse smiled at the awe in his voice. “And I’d be asking him to risk his dream job.”

  “Do we have any choice?” Lys asked, looking between them. “We need to get him away from here until we know where things stand.”

  “What if Raph refuses to let me join your coven? What if he orders you to kill me?”

  “He wouldn’t.” Jesse might have raised it as a possibility, but deep down he didn’t actually think it would happen. As vampires went, Raph was one of the good guys, and he believed in their agreement with the VLCD. “And on the slim chance he does, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As long as you’re with Blake, you’ll be safe. An attack on a VLCD officer would render all agreements null and void, and it’d be hunting season on vampires, which no one wants to go back to. Plus, the other covens would be well pissed off with him.”

  “So,” Lys said. “Have you heard from Cate since you sent that last message?”

  Ian reached for his phone. “Yeah, she told me to drive safely and asked if I was okay to meet her again after work on Friday.”

  “What did you tell her?” Jesse asked, realising they should probably have talked about this earlier, but everything kept happening at once.

  “I said yes. Figured I’d cancel later. She’d want to know why if I said no.”

  “That’s fine,” Jesse said quickly, not wanting Ian to think he’d done something wrong. “Right, so this is what I propose we do.”

  JESSE LOCKED THE door after Lys left and leant back against it. A tense restlessness had taken hold, and he both wanted to get tonight over and done with and stay in this moment forever. Movement on the bed caught his attention, and Jesse looked up to find Ian watching him.

  Their eyes met, and Jesse felt that pull. The one he’d been trying so hard to ignore since he’d given his blood to Ian in the alleyway. “You need to feed,” he whispered. “So that there’s no temptation later. Well, not as much,” he added, because there was no avoiding the fact that Ian’s body was still adjusting. He was going to be tempted by Blake’s blood, but if he didn’t physically need it, then hopefully, he could control himself. If not, well, Blake was VLCD. He’d have the tools to restrain Ian without permanently hurting him.

  Ian tracked him as he walked over to the bedside table. “You should eat too.” Ian lifted his chin a little. “I don’t want you eyeing Cate as a tasty snack.”

  Jesse smiled. He’d had years to hone his self-control. “I won’t.”

  “Please,” Ian said, voice soft. “I don’t want to be the only one doing it.”

  It hadn’t occurred to Jesse that Ian might feel self-conscious about it. Jesse had been drinking blood for so long, he forgot that it’d weirded him out in the beginning.

  Picking up two of the blood bags, Jesse sat on the bed and handed one to Ian. “Cheers.”

  Ian laughed and took the bag. “Thanks.” His fangs dropped down, taking him by surprise judging by his gasp. “I keep forgetting I have them.” He tongued the tip of one, then the other, and Jesse watched, mesmerised and more than a little turned on.

  “I don’t.” The words slipped out, and Ian’s gaze snapped to Jesse’s, eyes dark.

  I need to feel them on my skin.

  “Drink,” Jesse coaxed, letting his own fangs slide out slowly before tearing off the corner of the bag.

  He swallowed mouthful after mouthful, his body reacting immediately. A slow warmth crept through him, energising him in a way he never remembered experiencing as a human. Everything came alive—senses sharpened, and every nerve ending seemed hypersensitive.

  Turning his attention to Ian, he watched the bob of his Adam’s apple as he drank, remembered the way the soft stubble felt against his mouth, and he wanted it again, so fiercely it hurt. “Ian.” Jesse didn’t recognise the low, ragged voice that came out of him.

  Ian set the empty bag aside and looked up. Blood stained his lips, calling to Jesse in a way he was powerless to resist.

  He had Ian pinned on his back in the blink of an eye. “This okay?” he murmured, licking his lips as he stared down at him.

  “Better than.” Ian grinned up at him and spread his legs wide so Jesse slotted between them. His cock pressed against Jesse’s, both hard and begging for attention.

  “Are you sure you want this?” Jesse had to be certain it wasn’t obligation driving this. “We don’t have—”

  “Stop talking.” Ian had his fingers over Jesse’s lips. “The only things I want to hear out of your mouth are groans of pleasure. We have a few hours before you have to leave. Let’s not waste them.”

  Jesse couldn’t argue with that.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jesse licked his lips, fangs sliding away with a snick, and Ian wished he had the guts to ask him to keep them out. He’d fucked Jesse, blown him, had his hands all over his body, but that was before.

  “Did you hold back?”

  “Hmm?” Jesse asked, tilting his head to the side as the question sunk in. “Oh. Maybe a little.” He gestured how much with his finger and thumb. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  Ian pushed him onto his back and leant over him, hands pinning Jesse’s shoulders to the bed. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

  “No. I don’t.” Jesse grinned up at him. “And neither do you.” Lightning quick, he fisted a hand in Ian’s hair and tugged him into a kiss. His tongue swept along Ian’s bottom lip, a low groan escaping him. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since you woke up.”

  Ian drew back, needing to see his face. “Then why the fuck have you waited this long?”

  “I was giving you time to adjust, time to see if this is what you want—”

  “I don’t need time to know what I want.” Time we might have precious little of depending how things go tonight. He rolled his hips, showing Jesse how much he wanted this. “We can talk about it all later if you really feel the need, but trust me when I tell you that this is what I want. You. Me. Us.” He ducked his head, human teeth grazing the skin at the base of Jesse’s throat. “Preferably naked.”

  Jesse laughed, which was what Ian had been aiming for. He wanted to lose himself in this for a while, forget about the outside world and the possible horrors that awaited them. The past twenty-four hours felt like they’d lasted a lifetime, and he desperately needed an outlet for all the tension inside him.

  And so did Jesse.

  “Come on then.” Jesse flipped them so fast, Ian needed a moment to re-orient himself.

  “How do you do that?”

  “Practice.”

  Ian raised an eyebrow, and Jesse quickly added, “At moving fast, nothing else.”

  Mollified, Ian drew him in for a kiss, slow and languid, totally at odds with the way his hands itched to tear Jesse’s clothes off and move this along.

  “I thought you wanted to get naked,” Jesse murmured, ducking his head to nip at Ian’s collarbone.

  “I do.” Ian hissed, the sharp sting of non-human teeth setting his blood alight. With great effort he pushed Jesse away a little. “It’s you that’s stalling.”

  “Am I?” Jesse smiled down at him and reached for the waistband on his joggers. He teased a finger along Ian’s bare stomach, getting lower and lower, and Ian gave in to the urge to lift his hips, chasing the touch.

  “Yes, you fucking are.”

  With a low chuckle, Jesse eased them down to Ian’s thighs, taking his underwear too, and his hands trailed over each exposed inch of skin. Fingertips skirted the base of Ian’s cock, and Ian groaned in frustration. “Tease.”

  “I can’t help it.” Jesse scooted back a little, giving himself room to take them all the way off. “I
didn’t think I’d get to do this again.”

  Neither did I.

  “Especially with you being a lot less breakable.” He grabbed Ian’s hips and tugged him sharply down the bed as though to emphasise the point. Ian’s dick slapped against his stomach, and Jesse wrapped a hand around it, grip firm. “I don’t have to worry about hurting you.”

  Ian huffed out a tight laugh. “Well you might have to worry about me hurting you if you don’t get naked in the next thirty seconds.”

  Jesse’s laughter filled the room, and if Ian closed his eyes, he could almost believe they were back in his flat and none of this had happened, none of it was real.

  But it had happened, all of it was real, and Ian kept his eyes open, not wanting to miss a thing as Jesse climbed off the bed and started to strip.

  Ian tore off his own T-shirt and settled back on the pillows to watch, one hand lazily stroking his cock.

  He’d appreciated Jesse’s body before, but now it was like seeing it with new eyes. His smooth skin seemed to glow in the dim lights of the bedroom, muscles taut and with a definition sharper than Ian remembered. He licked his lips, surprised to feel fangs there now. “I want to bite you.” As soon as he said the words, he realised how much he wanted that. Wanted to sink his teeth into Jesse’s skin and leave his mark for however long it would last.

  Crawling up the bed, filthy grin in place, Jesse climbed over him until he straddled his thighs. Running his hands over Ian’s chest, he paused to tweak each nipple in turn, eyes darkening at Ian’s soft gasps. “You can do whatever you like to me.”

  “Yeah?” Ian’s mind swam with possibilities.

  “Yeah.” Jesse leaned in for a kiss, careful around the tips of Ian’s fangs, but they still drew blood.

  The taste hit Ian like a sledgehammer, familiar, yet he couldn’t place how he knew it. Hands fisting Jesse’s hair, Ian held him in place as he licked along his bottom lip, a soft whimper escaping when the wound healed. “I want more.”

  Jesse flipped them again, and for fuck’s sake, after this whole mess was over, Ian was going to perfect that move so he could return the favour. Reaching under the pillow next to him, Jesse pulled out a bottle of lube and placed it on the bed next to them. “Whatever you need. Take it.”

  Ian grinned. “You might regret saying that.”

  Jesse met his gaze and let his fangs slowly slide out. “I trust you.”

  It wasn’t what Ian had expected him to say, and the words took him by surprise. It must have shown on his face, because Jesse reached up and cupped his jaw. “Don’t think.” He pulled him in for a soft kiss, lips barely brushing, but Ian felt it all the way to his toes. “Trust me, Ian. There’s nothing you can do that I can’t handle.”

  Ian’s gaze automatically dropped to Jesse’s throat.

  “You can bite me,” Jesse whispered, guiding Ian’s mouth towards his neck. “I’ll heal.”

  Ian set his fangs against the smooth skin of Jesse’s neck, testing the give but not piercing it.

  I want to be inside you when I do that.

  Grabbing the lube, Ian sat up and squeezed some out, liberally coating his cock. The touch of his hand alone had him tipping his head back with a low groan. Jesse’s hand joined his and Ian gazed down at him, a smile curving his lips. “Wasn’t sure everything would work the same.” Logic told him some things should be impossible now, but the evidence was there, hard under both their hands.

  Jesse grinned up at him. “Nothing about what we are makes sense, Ian. And now is so not the time to think about it.”

  Ian’s answering laughter quickly turned into a gasp as Jesse started to stroke his cock, grip firm and unforgiving. He glanced down between them, wishing they had all night to explore each other. There was so much he wanted to do. “I wish we had more time.”

  “Me too.” Jesse glanced at their phones sitting on the bedside table. “After this is over, we’ll have all the time in the world.” He sounded like he believed it, and Ian clung to that. They’d get through this, all of them, and then Jesse could show him what it really meant to be a vampire.

  Spreading his legs, Jesse coaxed Ian to settle between them. “Come on, I want to feel you.”

  Ian swallowed, trying not to let his mind wander to places that would ruin this. Focusing solely on Jesse, he shuffled forward, eased Jesse’s thighs up and apart, and slowly pushed inside.

  Jesse hissed, and Ian faltered, ready to pull back, but Jesse grabbed his shoulders. “Don’t stop.”

  Taking him at his word, Ian kept going until his hips pressed against the back of Jesse’s thighs. It felt incredible, not that it hadn’t before, but now . . . Everything seemed clearer, sharper, more intense.

  The sheen of sweat on Jesse’s skin seemed to glow in the soft light of the room, the hairs on his legs tickled Ian’s skin, making him aware of every place they touched, and the scent of them both filled the air around them, urging him on. He looked down, meeting Jesse’s gaze, and slowly pulled back out, setting up a lazy, grinding rhythm that took all his concentration to maintain.

  Jesse moaned each time Ian brushed over that spot inside him, head tilted back against the pillows. His lips parted, displaying his fangs, and Ian licked over the tips of his own, knowing what he wanted to do next.

  Repositioning Jesse’s legs so they wrapped around his back, Ian lowered himself down, gripping Jesse’s shoulders and holding him tight.

  Jesse tilted his head to one side, baring his neck, and Ian felt a wave of longing well up inside him, taking over. “Do it.”

  Permission granted, Ian upped his pace, slamming into Jesse at the same time as he bit down hard. Jesse cried out, bucking against him, clasping the back of Ian’s head, keeping him in place.

  Blood filled Ian’s mouth, rich and delicious, and he greedily drank it down, body moving in sync with each swallow. Time seemed to stand still. Lost in the clutch of Jesse’s body, Ian was aware of two things: the exquisite taste of Jesse on his tongue and the euphoria spreading out from the base of his spine as he took all that Jesse offered him.

  His hands found Jesse’s, lacing their fingers together in an effort to ground himself with something tangible as he felt himself drifting on a sea of pleasure.

  “Close,” Jesse whispered, legs wrapped tight around Ian so his dick rubbed against his stomach with each stroke. He let go of Ian’s hands, clinging to his back. Jesse’s nails dug in deep, making Ian moan as the sharp pain mixed with the orgasm raring through him.

  He tore his mouth away from Jesse’s neck, crying out as his back arched and his whole body shuddered with release. Wetness coated his stomach as Jesse followed him over the edge, and Ian was helpless to stop the grin and smug satisfaction from showing on his face, because fucking hell, that had been amazing.

  Jesse’s rumble of laughter caught him by surprise and he pushed up onto his elbows to look down at him. “What’s funny?”

  “I can feel smugness emanating from every pore.” He grinned up at him. “Feeling pretty pleased with yourself, huh?”

  Ian licked his lips, chasing the last taste of Jesse’s blood. “Yeah.” No point in denying it if he was broadcasting it so clearly. “That was . . .” He couldn’t find adequate words to describe it.”

  “I know.”

  Ian glanced down as Jesse’s neck, then reached out to rub his thumb over the now-healed skin. “I didn’t expect it to be so intense.”

  Taking his hand, Jesse held it and placed both on his chest. “Everything’s changed, Ian, and I don’t mean just physically.” He shifted their joined hands a little until they were over his heart. “Some things we don’t feel at all anymore, but others we feel a lot more strongly.”

  “Like emotions?” Ian scrunched up his face. Not that he’d struggled to talk about his feelings before, but it had never been one of his favourite things to do.

  Jesse laughed softly. “Yes, like emotions. The book I’m reading—” He gestured across the room. “—has a whole chapter on vampire fixat
ion. How we have a tendency to get attached to things, people, very quickly and on a deeper level than you’d expect after such a short time span.” His smile faded a little. “It’s why I broke things off with you when I did.”

  Ian couldn’t help the surge of satisfaction Jesse’s words gave him. “You were fixated on me?”

  Rolling his eyes, Jesse nodded. “I was headed that way.”

  “And now?” Ian couldn’t resist asking.

  “Now I’m totally gone.” Jesse touched the side of his neck where Ian had bitten him, a soft smile on his lips, and Ian felt a pull deep inside him.

  “Good.” Ian closed the distance between them and kissed him. With their fangs safely away now, they took their time, the tease of Jesse’s tongue along his lower lip driving Ian crazy. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost convince himself that nothing else mattered, only this.

  Only them.

  The sound of Jesse’s phone alarm signalling the setting of the sun shattered their happy bubble, and Ian sighed, resting his forehead against Jesse’s. “Fuck.”

  “Hey.” Jesse wrapped his arms around Ian’s back, fingers stroking up and down his spine. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Is it?” Despite it being the only option open to them, Ian was coming to realise he hated this plan. It felt like he was putting everyone he cared about in danger. “You can’t promise that.”

  “No, I can’t.” He kissed Ian again, lingering a moment before pulling back. “But we have no choice. People are gonna find out, Ian. Better to tell them first than have them discover it for themselves and jump to all the wrong conclusions.” He huffed out a bitter laugh. “Or probably the right ones, in my case, but—”

  “Stop.” Ian gripped his jaw and forced Jesse to meet his gaze. “I was already dead. You didn’t kill me.”

  “But would you have wanted this?”

  “I can’t answer that.” Ian was pretty sure he would’ve said no fucking way if you’d asked him a week ago. But then he didn’t want to die either. “Now, though? Now I can honestly say, I’m glad you changed me, accident or no. I’m happy to be here. Happy to be with you.”