by Jana Downs
“What. The. Hell. Does. That. Mean?” He growled out the syllables in a short choppy sentence.
“I mean that neither one of you like being told who to see and neither one of you have tastes that run in line with societal norms. And you’re both ungodly stubborn… You’re also terrified of being left behind and losing anything,” Alex explained. He tugged on Dageus’s shoulders so that he slid into his arms easily. “For not actually being blood-related, you two are just alike.”
Dageus sighed deeply. “I’m being the same kind of control freak that he was when I started seeing you, aren’t I?”
Alex chuckled and tilted his chin up to steal a kiss. “My love, control freak runs in the Entertainer line. I mean, Santiago wrote the book on how to be a control freak, and he has spawned and trained us all.”
They both giggled at that. Alex pressed another kiss to the now-smiling mouth of his lover, and it deepened exponentially with each passing second.
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” Dageus murmured between kisses.
“Sure, darling,” Alex said in an appeasing tone. Then he started touch him in all the inappropriate ways that were bound to shut him up, at least until morning.
Chapter Fifteen
“I don’t care about missions or organizations or Ravyns or anything unrelated to the theatre,” Santiago said as he crossed his arms across his chest. He tapped his foot in impatience. “I have one week left to get the dances perfected, the voices in harmony, and the instruments in tune. To do so, I need Kal and Alex in their dance sections and Damian at his position as opera master. Now, what do I have to do to get those things accomplished?” The voice was deceptively agreeable. Even Allasandro knew they had to tread carefully in this situation. Satan had nothing on Santiago when it came to the perfection of the Entertainer line.
“You’ve nothing to worry over, Grandsire,” Alex reassured. His voice was smooth and silky in an effort to be convincing. “We will be at rehearsal tonight and for the rest of rehearsals leading up to the performance.”
Santiago waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re all very far behind. You’re going to need extra practices, as well as some additional technical assistance.” The look on the dancers’ faces did not lend itself toward looking forward to the “additional assistance” that Santiago was demanding. Damian almost snickered until those sharp dark eyes turned on him.
“And, Damian, the last time I heard you perform you were sounding like a cow with laryngitis. You are going to need the most work of all.” Dageus and Alex did snicker then. “Allasandro,” the head of the line addressed the other Ravyn with a look of absolute seriousness. “I trust you and Damian have worked out your differences?” The Ravyn nodded. “Excellent. Then I’m counting on you to be at the theater every day with Damian, helping him get his voice in optimum condition.” The older vampire sighed dramatically. “Even though it still won’t be the voice I know it could be by performance time.” Everyone rolled their eyes. Santiago was such a perfectionist that no one had ever actually stood up to his overly lofty goals. The vampire’s face spread out into a calculated grin. “Well, I see no reason why we shouldn’t begin immediately. Gents, grab your Ravyns and let’s go.” They all groaned. It was going to be a long night.
* * * *
“No. No. No. No. For the love of God, Damian, you are warbling. I’ve never heard you warble in your entire career! Are you nervous?” Santiago demanded. Damian’s blushing answered him. “Why? It’s just me. I saw you when you were a performing vagrant in London. I’ve seen your worst.”
“But I haven’t.” Allasandro’s words interrupted. Santiago slowly turned toward the Ravyn who was perched on a stool near the back of the room. Damian glared in his direction.
“Bloody hell, I’ve been singing for almost five hours straight. My voice is gone. I’m not nervous,” the vampire protested hoarsely.
“Well, you weren’t singing it correctly to begin with. So a rested voice had nothing to do with it.” Santiago tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“Maybe I don’t like sounding like a frog in front of my lover,” Damian snapped, grabbing his bottle of water up and draining it in two long gulps.
“You sound fine to me, Damian,” Allasandro offered. Both vampires looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“I sound awful!” Damian shouted before wincing and grabbing his throat.
“You need a bit of blood to heal that.” Santiago waved at hand at Ally. “Please take care of that immediately. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Be prepared to go through the first half of the composition again. It still doesn’t sound right. Your intonation, diction, and tone are fine, but something is missing.”
“Emotions?” Damian asked dryly. It was Santiago’s usual complaint.
“Not at all. You’ve got plenty of that. Every time you say you love him in Italian, your voice thickens to a rich velvet purr. It’s lovely. Emotions aren’t lacking. I think it may be in the piece itself. Hmmmm… I’ll think about it.” Santiago turned on his heel and stepped outside the door, letting it shut behind him.
“Alex! Quit throwing Kalel around like a lumberjack! Really? What are you thinking?” They both winced as they heard Santiago tear into the other couple from the hallway.
“He’s on a bloody warpath,” Damian commented, taking out another bottle of water from the small refrigerator near Ally’s perch.
“I’m so glad that isn’t directed at me,” Ally said, hopping down off his stool. “Santiago is a maniac.”
“Only about the theater. He’s a perfectionist to the point of being slightly insane. It’s his way, and it’s the only thing he gets really fired up about. Most vampires his age are recluses, but he insists on being thoroughly involved. One of the reasons our line has lasted so long.” Damian reached for Ally and kissed him lightly on the lips. “May I have some blood, love?”
Ally grinned cheekily. “If I can bite you at the same time, sure. I love the way we connect when we do that.” Damian hesitated. He really shouldn’t. It was getting to the point where taking and giving blood to Allasandro was bordering on dangerous. He doubted the Ravyn would take too kindly to the knowledge that he was forming a Bride bond with him. If he fully wedded him on accident, there would be hell to pay. Ally’s face turned from teasing to concerned. “Is it the close thing? I shouldn’t have said anything about closeness… I mean, just because we’re dating now doesn’t mean that you’d want, er, extra intimacy or whatever. It’s cool. I get it. Which vein you want?” he babbled. His babbling was insanely adorable. But his hurt was undeniable and unacceptable.
“I’ll take your wrist. Anything more intimate and I will not be able to help myself,” Damian teased with a wink. He slipped a pocketknife from his pants and nicked his own wrist. “And you’re right about the intimacy. Take from me.” He was such a stupid ass.
* * * *
“I’m thinking about bringing on a second singer to harmonize with you during the second half of the first song,” Santiago said in way of greeting as he waltzed through the door from torturing the other members of the troupe. Damian lifted his head from Ally’s wrist, licking the wound closed as he went. Ally drew back from the wound he’d been nursing on Damian’s wrist and pressed a kiss to the still-cut flesh. Santiago stared, his gaze shooting to Damian’s face.
What the hell are you doing? Santiago put directly into his mind. As the head of the line, he had the ability to converse telepathically with all of his progeny.
Sharing a little blood, Grandsire. He got dizzy when I drank, Damian lied. Santiago raised an eyebrow.
Uh-huh. You haven’t had enough time to drain enough blood to make him dizzy. You’re not even tapping a major vein, he stated skeptically.
He hasn’t eaten enough. His blood sugar dropped.
He’s not pale, shaking, or any of the other symptoms of sugar drop. Santiago’s voice was accusing.
Not now. He did a minute ago.
“Hmmmm…” Ally stretched his arms to
the heavens and floated over to his chair and sat down on the wooden surface. “What’s this about saddling Damian with a singing partner?”
Please don’t say anything, Damian begged.
“Yes,” Santiago said, not missing a beat. He shot Damian a look that said they’d be revisiting the discussion later. “I think I’ve pinned down the reason the first movement sounds off. He needs another voice to balance him.”
“I don’t partner,” Damian protested. He’d never sung a duet in his life. It just wasn’t done. His voice was meant for poignant, longing pieces that touched people.
“It’s a love song, Damian. You need another voice with yours,” Santiago corrected. “The rest is a declaration, but this is seduction.”
“What moron chose a love song for Damian? He’s never been in love,” Allasandro asked with a yawn. Damian’s eyes bulged, and Santiago’s lips thinned.
“That would be me,” Santiago said dryly.
“Oh shit. Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult. I just thought someone else might’ve…” Ally stuttered.
“It’s fine, Ravyn. Please do not take up any more time with your stammering. Damian, you need a partner.” Santiago slid easily into a calm indifference. It wasn’t that he was hiding anything, It was just that he didn’t find much worth getting worked up over.
“Will it help if I disagree?” Damian asked hopefully. Santiago shook his head no. Damian sighed.
“Just try it. If it doesn’t work, you may have the rest of the evening off to spend doing God knows what with Allasandro.” Santiago dangled the carrot effectively. Damian nodded.
“All right. Try me.”
Santiago went over to Allasandro and took his arm. He pulled him off the stool and dragged him over to where Damian stood.
“What are you doing?” Allasandro asked.
“Demonstrating,” Santiago explained. He took Damian’s black notebook from its place on the music stand. “All right, you’ve heard Damian sing this a thousand times. Your turn. Just try to mimic the notes.”
“I can’t sing!” Ally protested, backing away in horror. “I’ve never sang before. I’ve never even sang in the shower.”
“No time like the present,” Santiago said cheerily.
“He can’t sing, Grandsire,” Damian interjected, coming to his lover’s rescue.
“Nonsense. Everyone can sing.” Santiago sniffed. “You wouldn’t be attracted to him unless he matched you artistically.”
Damian snorted. “Not everyone gives their lovers tryouts before dating them.”
“You are an Entertainer,” Santiago said haughtily. “Now, enough protesting. Allasandro. Sing.”
“I…I…” Allasandro stammered.
“Grandsire!” Damian growled.
“Sing!” Santiago snapped. Then something extraordinary happened. Allasandro began to sing.
The notes rose like the aroma of a great meal to fill the room with a pleasant and hunger-inducing desire. Damian and Santiago were enraptured by the purities of the untrained voice. It was rare and unpolished and absolutely perfect. The first verse sounded like a dream.
Ally stopped singing. “You’re staring. Why are you staring? Crap. I told you that I can’t sing.” They both continued staring. “Jeez. I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“It was beautiful,” Damian murmured a little breathlessly.
“I have found your partner, Damian,” Santiago added, looking far too pleased with himself. “I hate to say ‘I told you so’…”
“You do not,” Damian said.
Santiago grinned. “You’re right. I do not hate to say it. I told you so.”
“What did you tell him? I’m confused. I’m sorry I screwed up your song, er, movement or whatever.” Allasandro started his babbling.
“You did not screw it up, Allasandro. It was breathtaking and beautiful. I think you may in fact be the newest member of our little charity performance.” Santiago looked at Damian. “You’ll have to call the program printers and add his name under yours. ‘Vocalist’ seems an appropriate title.”
“Ask him first, Santiago,” Damian demanded softly.
“So I’m good?” Allasandro asked, his eyes shining. Santiago petted his head like he did to all of his “children.”
“You will be. You’ve got talent,” Santiago offered.
“He said I had talent,” Allasandro told Damian. Damian smiled at his childlike enthusiasm.
“He did indeed.”
“No one ever said I had talent with anything other than women and weapons.” Ally returned his grin. “Guess that means you’re dating a hot commodity, eh?”
“Hot commodity or not, you need practice,” Santiago interrupted. “I need both of you back here at precisely seven p.m. I need to rework the rest of the music and reorganize the movements to accommodate an extra voice. It’ll still be mostly solo work, but I think there is room for a few duets.” He was already lost in his art. When Santiago worked, he got this dazed expression on his face like he was staring at something invisible and fascinating just beyond the scope of regular people’s sight.
“So we’re free to go?” Ally directed at Damian as Santiago started humming to himself. Damian took his lover’s hand and kissed his knuckles.
“Yes, my love. We’re free to go.” He glanced at Santiago. “I’ll call the printers tomorrow before bed. Good night, Grandsire.”
* * * *
The night air was crisp despite the kiss of summer heat that Haven was experiencing. They stepped out the back entrance of the theater and into the employee parking lot.
“So…” Ally began, twining his hand with Damian’s. “I’m in the mood for a little celebration, and we have a whole”—he glanced at his watch—“two hours before dawn. What do you want to do?”
“Hmmm, this feels like a first date,” Damian said. He felt sixteen as he swung their entwined arms back and forth as they walked down the second row of cars.
“Yeah, but instead of a slow buildup for the hope of a delicate first kiss at the end of the night, you, sir, are getting lucky,” Ally declared. Damian’s laugh echoed through the space.
After a moment, Ally spoke again. “I was thinking there should be food involved in this first date thing.”
“I concur,” Damian said agreeably. “Since I haven’t eaten in the past six years or so, why don’t you pick the place?”
“Six years? Are you serious?” Ally’s eyes bulged. “I love food way too much to give up any of it. I have an appetite for life. Why’d you stop eating?”
“When Kal was young, he didn’t understand why his daddy didn’t want to eat. So, I started eating with him. After he was taken, I didn’t see the point of keeping up the charade,” Damian shared. He stopped walking and turned Allasandro so that they faced one another. “So where do you want to go to eat? Keep in mind that it is four in the morning.”
“McDonald’s?” Ally asked.
“That is not food.” Dageus’s voice cut through their planning. They turned and saw a very heavily bundled Dageus and Alex coming toward them. “That is thinly veiled rat poison.”
“You used to love it when you were little,” Damian reminded gently as he wrapped his arm around Allasandro’s waist. “Besides, we weren’t asking you. We’re planning on going out on our first date since Santiago has released us from purgatory for the night.”
Alex nodded. “We were about to do the same.” Alex kissed Dageus’s forehead. “Good night, brother, Allasandro.” He steered a protesting Dageus away from the two of them.
“You’re going to have to talk to him at some point,” Ally said with a sigh as the two of them disappeared in a blink of Alex’s power.
“Yes. But not tonight.” Damian pulled Ally closer and pressed a kiss against his lips. The Ravyn surrendered to the pressure of Damian’s kiss with enthusiasm that Damian found absolutely intoxicating. It thrilled him to know that this man, this beautiful man, was his to take.
Their tongues danced and
courted, rejoicing in the touch of flesh. Allasandro’s hands crept up under his shirt to brush against the bit of skin that was located just above his waistband. He was pressed against the vampire from head to toe. His hands crept around Damian’s waist to rest for a moment on his lower back before creeping higher. Damian deepened his kiss, commanding Ally’s response. His lover didn’t disappoint.
The Ravyn’s hand slipped down his body to cup the impressive erection that Damian was sporting. He nipped at the vampire’s bottom lip.
“Is this for me?” he asked in mock surprise. Damian couldn’t help but groan. His hips pressed into Ally’s cupped palm. “Why, sir, I do believe that you are trying to take advantage of me too early on our date.” He gave a gentle caress to Damian’s swollen cock, eliciting a growl in response.
“Keep it up, naughty boy, and I will have to punish you,” Damian said. His voice was a rumble of desire. Allasandro’s eyes dilated, and he pressed his own erection against Damian’s hard thigh.
“I’m counting on it, sir,” he whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
“You know, I’m never going to look at French fries the same way again.” Allasandro gasped as Damian continued to stroke his bare cock while feeding him French fries.
Instead of teleporting them to McDonald’s, Damian had taken one of the theater’s vehicles to a local drive-thru and got a bag of stuff before Ally could even tell him what he wanted to order. They had broken several speed limits getting back to Damian’s penthouse suite, and the vampire had practically thrown the keys at the valet. The second they’d entered the apartment, Damian ordered Ally to strip and get onto his bed. Though Ally had protested that he was hungry, Damian just gave him that “I’m-the-boss-you’re-my-naughty-boy-go-do-as-I-say” look, and Ally had obeyed.
Now he was spread-eagled on the bed with his wrists and legs tied in place while Damian tortured his cock and fed him French fries in equal measure. It was damn erotic. He felt like a pet eating out of his master’s hand.
