by Marcy Jacks
In fact, he wanted it. He wanted more of it. He was greedy for it, and as the throbbing came to a head, and then slowed down, the tension in his muscles finally gave out.
Micah collapsed onto the bed, only just then realizing how high off of it he’d come when he fell back down. His body was suddenly chilled and cold from the sweat that had gathered on his skin.
And then there was the heat of Stefan’s body, collapsing on top of Micah’s. Warm and cold mixed together, and Micah pressed his eyes against the crook between Stefan’s neck and shoulder. He lifted his hands, curling them weakly around Stefan’s back, hugging the man.
Holding him.
Micah briefly opened his mouth, wanting to ask just why the dragon alpha had opted to take Micah for a mate.
Then he decided that maybe he didn’t want to know that after all.
Micah wanted to stay right where he was, in this moment where everything was pleasant and he and Stefan had more than just a mating of convenience or, worse, a mating designed strictly to spite Van.
Micah had thought he would be able to handle it if Stefan didn’t love him, but now, after that, and feeling the alpha’s warmth while snuggled up in his arms, Micah had no idea how he was supposed to function without that love.
He was so screwed. Why did he never think things through before he did them?
* * * *
“They’re here. Don’t move.”
“I can’t move,” Taylor grumbled.
He was dirty, tired, and hungry, and now it looked as if he was finally going to see the end of his life.
After almost a full week of running around, hardly any food or rest, he kind of wanted it to be over. His wrists itched from where they had been tied together with the thin rope, but he didn’t move them.
Wiggling his hands around had already caused him to bleed a little. Taylor wasn’t sure why he had no interest in making it worse when the end of his life was already here.
The assassin who had kidnapped him out of his room, the man in black, it seemed he’d finally made contact with one of his friends, and they were going to pick him up and take Taylor to Varrick.
The vampire lord.
After the assassin had kidnapped Taylor, it should have been a simple matter of getting away, but something happened with the getaway vehicle waiting for them in the woods. The tires, all of them, had been slashed. As if someone from the inside didn’t want the assassin to succeed.
Taylor didn’t know the man’s name. He’d barely caught sight of his face. He hardly ever lowered the mask, and when he did to drink water or eat something, he was always careful to keep his back turned to Taylor.
Right now, the man in black paced. He looked nothing at all like the calm and collected shadow that had stolen into Taylor’s bedroom that night and taken him from the mansion.
Were any of the dragons even looking for him? Probably not. Taylor wasn’t important enough for that.
“I think your friend is late,” Taylor said.
“Be quiet, Miles,” the man snapped, not looking at him.
Taylor was quiet.
Miles. That was why this man had kidnapped Taylor. Taylor had been given the bedroom that used to belong to Miles, and as the only other fox omega in the house, this man had made a mistake and taken Taylor instead. Taylor never corrected him, scared he would have his throat slit on the spot if that was the case.
Now the end was coming. Miles was Varrick’s favorite slave. When the assassin showed up and presented Taylor in his place, what would happen to him? To the both of them?
Would he get a swift death? Or would it be long and drawn out?
Taylor shivered. His fox tail, which was dirty and had a few burrs stuck in it, curled around his waist.
“You don’t have to do this.”
His kidnapper didn’t bother looking back at him. He didn’t acknowledge Taylor had said anything at all.
Taylor worked some moisture into his mouth. “Please, you don’t have to do this. I’ve never seen your face. You don’t have to hand me over.”
“It’s not that simple, kid,” replied the man in black. He didn’t even give Taylor the courtesy of looking at him.
Taylor began to tremble. He heard an engine in the distance, getting closer. They weren’t on the side of an actual road, just a path. Anything coming down this way would have to be small, maybe a motorbike of some kind, but it would only be people who would know this was where they were.
The friend the man in black had managed to call.
“I don’t want to die.”
“Varrick was clear in his instructions. He doesn’t want you dead. He wants you returned.” The man finally glanced back at him. “If anything, he’ll want to punish me for the condition you’re in.”
He was going to punish the both of them.
Three black motorbikes arrived through the trees. They looked more like the sort of bikes that were better suited for real roads, rather than out in the wilderness, but Taylor didn’t know much about bikes either.
The three men on the bikes were in black, as well. Leather jackets, black gloves, and black helmets with black visors.
The people who worked for the vampire elites really seemed to like black.
What shocked Taylor the most was when one of them actually took his helmet off, revealing a shaved head and piercings all over his face.
Not just the piercings. He looked as if he was trying to get his entire face tattooed to look like a snake.
Or a dragon.
He’d be easy to pick out in a lineup.
This seemed to shock even Taylor’s kidnapper.
“Jesus!” he snapped, glancing back at Taylor.
“Relax, Jimmy, you’re too paranoid. He’s not going anywhere or saying nothing.”
Taylor blinked. Jimmy? He wouldn’t have pegged his kidnapper for having such a modern-sounding name.
It was kind of strange to know such a thing after having travelled with the man, his imprisoner, for what seemed like ages.
“What the hell happened to my car? Did you find out?” Jimmy asked, his voice harsh. It made sense for him to be annoyed after everything that had happened.
The newcomer scratched the back of his head, looking back at the other men who were with him.
“Yeah, we figured it out. Didn’t expect for you to hold out so long either.”
What the man said clicked immediately, and Taylor’s entire body tensed, more alert and aware than he had been in days.
Holy shit, these men were responsible for everything. They were actually in on what had happened.
At first, Taylor thought his kidnapper hadn’t noticed what had been said, but then he realized how tense Jimmy’s body was. As if he was sizing up the other men in black leather who were surrounding him.
“Was it really that hard getting a job when I was around?”
“A decent paying one? Yeah,” Snake Man said, reaching back for what had to be a weapon. “Nothing personal.”
Jimmy nodded. “Nothing personal.”
The snake man was quick. Taylor yelped when he heard the sound of gunfire, but the bullet struck harmlessly into the ground, creating a tiny explosion of dirt as Jimmy and the man, who had to be his former friend by now, scuffled together for the gun.
Taylor couldn’t keep track of what was happening, but he noted the sound of more gunfire, the way the other men closed in on Jimmy. Jimmy kicked his foot out, catching one of them in the stomach, making him double over even as he continued to fight with the snake man.
He would get overpowered. Taylor rushed to his feet just as another man in black grabbed Jimmy by the back of his neck.
Taylor jumped up, slinging his wrists and the rope connecting them around the attacker’s neck, and he held on tight as he suddenly went for a ride.
Chapter Five
They fucked some more that night, again and again, more than even what Stefan’s stamina should have been able to give.
Then he drank Micah�
��s blood and had Micah drink some of his own.
That wasn’t the only thing that was shared between them. Other body fluids could sometimes work just as well.
Stefan wanted to leave no stones unturned and give no chances that this was simply a fluke, nothing that could be repeated.
He let his mouth make love to Micah’s cock once more, and Stefan swallowed down every drop before encouraging Micah to do the same for him.
He really was pure. Stefan could always tell whenever a man had a cock in his mouth for the first time.
Stefan had to warn Micah from time to time to watch his teeth, to encourage the man to use more of his tongue, lips, and cheeks, but it was still the best damned thing he’d ever felt.
The sheer desperation of Micah’s mouth, the clear desire to please, it was certainly enough to warrant giving the man a gold star for the effort.
Then they slept, and then they made love, slower that time. Micah seemed to be in a state by the end of it. He seemed to be simultaneously begging for it all to stop and for it to continue.
Sometimes a proper mating could take more energy out of a man, or woman, than they were able to properly give.
Stefan sensed a sadness by the end. One he hadn’t expected to be there. It was as if Micah had his own regrets about what had happened.
Possibly the way it happened. Stefan hoped that was all it was. It was much more preferable to have his mate regret the embarrassing nature of their coming together, of Van demanding Micah’s hand and Stefan stepping in, than for the wolf omega to wish he hadn’t said a word at all now that the damage was done.
“I’ll take care of you,” Stefan promised, the both of them recovering in bed now, their bodies bare, sweat cooling on their skin.
Micah nodded, though he said nothing.
Stefan couldn’t help threading his fingers though Micah’s white-blond hair. Even though they’d fucked and made love in nearly every way possible, took in each other’s essence and life force, he still felt the undeniable need to touch, to keep his hands on this man and never let him go.
Micah was so utterly beautiful that Stefan had no words for it. He wasn’t feminine, but not overly masculine either. If there was a word to properly describe it, Stefan didn’t have it, and he decided that sometimes it was perfectly all right for there to not be a word for something. Not when that something was as perfect as Micah was.
He was fascinated by the man’s hair. It wasn’t the same color as the silver on top of Stefan’s head, and he honestly hadn’t known that any normal shifter could have hair that looked like this. He loved it.
Micah said nothing the entire time. Stefan wished he would speak. Perhaps he was still a little embarrassed.
“I mean it,” Stefan promised, looking into the man’s mismatched eyes, loving those as much as he loved the rest of Micah’s body. “I will care for you. I will do my best to see to it that you will want for nothing.”
Micah smiled softly at that. “I don’t need anything else. You set me free.”
A twinge struck Stefan in the chest. “Seth was the one to do that.”
Seth was the commander of the dragon clan. The men he trusted around him the most were all alphas, but it was Seth who made the decisions.
“You didn’t want to come save us?”
That guilty twinge returned to Stefan’s chest. God, was it possible for his eyes to brighten and widen any more than they already were? Micah looked like a foal trapped in the headlights on a dark highway.
Stefan had to word this next part carefully. He’d never before cared if he came off as being cruel to another’s feelings, but with Micah, this seemed important.
“To be honest, I would have been fine no matter what Seth decided. I was one of the dragons old enough to remember what this land looked like before this house was built upon it. Seth and I were friends. When he lost his parents, I lost mine as well. We grew to want our revenge together, and when it came time to force the vampires out, I wasn’t sure what would have happened after had it not been for Seth meeting his mate. And for the fact that I met you.”
A soft touch of color made Micah’s cheeks glow. “Really?”
Stefan smiled, pleased with himself that he hadn’t made the situation worse. “Yes, really.”
Micah’s smile was bright, even when it looked as if he was trying his best to hold it back.
“Thank you for saving us. Even if you say it was Seth who did it, Seth wasn’t the first person I saw.”
Stefan could not remove his hand from Micah’s face. He had to lean in, had to kiss him again.
He turned Micah to his back, gently pinning him, pressing their mouths together and enjoying the soft vibration of Micah’s moan as Stefan gave his mate everything he possibly could of himself.
He wanted to love this man for the rest of his life. Perhaps…perhaps he could allow himself the luxury of enjoying this. It had been two hundred years ago when the vampires had destroyed his life, Seth’s life, and the lives of so many other dragons that day.
He should stop worrying that the things important in his life would suddenly up and vanish. They wouldn’t. If he was careful, if Stefan did his duty and took care of his mate, then he could keep this small happiness he’d found for himself.
He could keep Micah with him, alive and safe.
Micah snorted a soft laugh through their kiss, as if he was being tickled. Stefan had to pull back. He smiled down at the man, his general mood lighter with Micah’s naked body in his bed.
“What’s funny?”
Micah had that same, beautiful blush on his cheeks. He looked up at Stefan, and then glanced away, as shy as if he was still a virgin.
Stefan had already done away with that notion.
“I…I want to, but I don’t think…I need some time to, uh, recover.”
Stefan chuckled. “Of course,” he said, leaning in and kissing Micah again.
Micah blinked up at him, as if he was shocked by the sudden and easy way Stefan gave in. “Really?”
“Of course,” Stefan replied.
“But…” Micah glanced down and then quickly back up again, his face becoming redder.
Stefan could not stop smiling at how adorable his mate was turning out to be. “Were you trying to get a look at my erection, by chance?”
He purred the words, leaning in closer, sharing his body heat with his mate, brushing his lips over Micah’s collarbone.
“Sorry,” Micah said softly. “I just thought…I mean you’re still ready to go.”
That he was, and Stefan’s cock throbbed something terribly.
But he knew better than to let his mate know of such a thing. He didn’t want to guilt Micah accidentally, making him think he had to give Stefan more than he already had.
“Don’t worry about it. Every good alpha knows that when his omega needs his time to rest and recover, it’s always best to give it to him.”
More heat rushed through Micah’s body. Stefan adored the fact that he could feel it as he leaned over the man.
“I’ll try to be ready soon.”
“Just try to recover. Don’t think about what I want.”
“I can use my mouth again.”
Stefan’s dick jumped. “You shouldn’t go putting such thoughts into my head when I’m trying to be gallant.”
“But I can. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Stefan was going to have more difficulty with this than he thought, and he wasn’t a gentleman. He could only turn away pleasure when his body still burned from the mating heat for so long.
“Very well,” he said, jumping from the bed, reaching down, and taking Micah by his hands.
He pulled his mate up to his feet. Micah’s shocked expression was entirely worth it.
“Where are we going?” he asked, attempting to bend down and gather up his clothes.
Stefan stopped him. “I want to be in the bath with you. Right now.”
Stefan wasn’t entirely sure where the idea
came from, but now that he had it, he was going to run with it.
“That seems like a more romantic way to continue with our night, and the warm water should soothe your aching muscles.”
Micah’s slow grin came back, proving his interest in what Stefan was saying to him. “Okay. I like the idea of that.”
Stefan nodded. “I knew you would.”
* * * *
Micah allowed himself to be pulled into the adjoining bathroom. He glanced around at the expensive tile work he used to clean for his vampire masters. He hadn’t been in here since before the takeover, the last time when he’d scrubbed the tub to a deep shine and collected the soiled towels and used condoms that his masters had left behind after one of their parties.
The room seemed to hold a different meaning to it now that he knew this was Stefan’s space.
And the sudden, shocking thought occurred to him that, as Stefan’s mate, he would be sharing this space with him regularly. He might even be expected to sleep in the same bed with him every night.
That was expected from mates, wasn’t it?
Stefan leaned over, turning the water on for the bathtub, filling the wide area with hot water.
Micah tried, and failed, to not stare too much at the perfection that was Stefan’s backside.
“Is it custom that a dragon spends all his time with his mate?”
Stefan stood straight. His brows pulled together, the silver ring gleaming as he stared at Micah with some confusion.
“It is. Seth and Miles share a room, and as of now, so do Lucian and Sorin, Andrei and Jesse. Where is this coming from?”
Micah ducked his head, desperately trying to hide the sudden feeling of stupidity that hit him. “Sorry, nowhere. I know about them. I guess I just wanted to make sure.”
Stefan hesitated, watched him briefly, and then stepped forward.
He was so tall that, even when standing directly in front of Micah, Micah felt as if he was in the dragon’s shadow.
