by Mandy Rosko
Silus growled.
Cedric grinned at the possessiveness. Wow, he was totally loving that a vampire was being greedy with his toys, which was messed up. He needed to start taking meds and then get them updated, because he should not be happy about something like that. “I’ll be okay.”
Ben sent Silus one more unconvinced glare before he opened the door a crack and slipped out.
And then there were two.
“Well, now what?” Cedric asked, not sure if he should be preparing himself for a round of fighting or fucking. His heart ran a nervous race at the thought of either.
Silus said nothing. Keeping their eyes locked, he walked around the bed. Cedric thought he was coming to him, but then he kept right on going, turning his back and stopping at the door.
Cedric tensed, thinking he was going to open the door and announce himself. “What are you—?”
Keeping his back to him—which Cedric was getting really pissed about by the way—Silus turned the deadbolt with a smooth snick. “Your guard forgot to lock this.”
Cedric started breathing again. At least he knew Silus wasn’t about to commit suicide by announcing to a house full of sun sprites that he was inside. “Oh, well, that’s okay. No one but him ever visits me in my room anyway.”
Silus’s shoulders tensed up in a way that made Cedric purr on the inside. Then that gorgeous head of shoulder-length black hair turned. Cedric caught a look of one very angry-looking, dark eye. “Are you certain he is merely your guard?”
He should be afraid for his life right now. A vampire was looking at him like he was going to rip him a new one if he uttered the wrong word. If Cedric had ever had more experience with vampires, maybe he would have been scared. Right now, he was smirking.
Cedric flopped on his ass on his bed, arms out behind him, supporting his weight, and legs spread just enough to throw out some ideas without being outwardly lewd. “Ben is my guard. That’s it. If you want me to prove it, you can come over here.”
Silus frowned just a little. “That would prove nothing.”
All joking left him. He got serious because Silus was being so somber about it. It was one thing for the vamp to show a little jealousy. Everyone did that at one time or another, and it didn’t necessarily mean anything. But Silus was hanging onto it despite Cedric’s attempt to laugh it off.
He was genuinely concerned that Cedric might have something going on with his childhood friend.
This was where they had to have the awkward talk. They had to talk feelings in a situation where there might not be any.
“He is only a friend, but what would it matter to you if he was more than that?”
Silus’s face took on a demon-like snarl. His features didn’t transform or anything like those fake vampires from Buffy—yes, he watched that show. But still. Whoa. Cedric never wanted that look directed at him ever again.
“I already told you the last time we were together. You are mine.”
Cedric leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and gripping his hands together. “Yeah, I heard that the first time, but what does it mean? What does any of what we’re doing mean? There’s not exactly some force at work that’s keeping us together or anything.”
It would be so much easier if they both stopped what they were doing, but for reasons he couldn’t comprehend, Cedric didn’t want to be the one to call off their little party. He still couldn’t wrap his brain around how it was even possible his blood got to pumping—in the good, make-you-orgasm kind of way—whenever he was alone with Silus. He wanted him, cared about what the vampire thought of him, but what did that mean to Silus?
Silus, arms crossed, finally stepped forward. He kept right on coming until he stood staring down at Cedric from between his legs. “Do you know what it means when a vampire speaks those words?”
What the hell was he up to?
Silus shook his head and then went down to his knees. “I can see that you do not. You are not aware of the position you have me in.”
Cedric could barely hear him. All he could focus on—and by he, he meant his cock—was that Silus was between his knees, his hands with those long, warm fingers, kneading his thighs.
All he had to do was get Silus to—
A smack on his cheek snapped him out of it. He blinked twice before he realized Silus had slapped him.
“Hey! What the—?” Cedric rubbed his stinging cheek and leaned as far away from Silus as he could get. The vampire kept his hands gripped on Cedric’s thighs so he couldn’t go far.
“Pay attention! I am laying my soul out for you to crush. ’Tis important.”
“You fucking hit me!”
“I barely touched you. Keep your voice down before someone hears.”
Cedric opened his mouth to start another yelling match when Silus’s words finally took meaning inside his empty head. “What do you mean lay your soul out? What are we talking about?”
Silus sighed. He seemed to be fighting for patience. “Of course you do not know. You are a sun sprite.”
Cedric bristled. “What does that mean?”
The damn vamp actually chuckled. “It is not an insult against you, but it does explain your adorable confusion.”
Cedric waited for Silus to explain.
“I claimed you,” Silus said, the emphasis on claimed loud and clear, and a nervous look entered his dark eyes. “You are mine and mine alone, but I am not necessarily yours.”
He paused, and it gave Cedric a chance to absorb that, which didn’t happen straight away, but when it did …
It was like a door that had previously been closed to him had opened, and he was able to see all the things that were inside a previously shut off room. Holy shit. He was saying what Cedric thought he was saying.
“You have no idea the power you hold over me. If you deny me, send me away in favor of another lover, I will be forced to go, and it will destroy me slowly. My greatest fear is that this will be some game for you, a continuation of your adventure to bed a vampire.”
Cedric grabbed Silus’s face in his hands and kissed him. “It’s not.” He peppered chaste kisses over those lips between declarations. “I swear it’s not.”
No wonder Silus didn’t care for Cedric’s forced marriage explanation, because at the time, he’d thought Cedric was just using it as an excuse to get laid.
Well, that first night he had, that much was true, but the second time …
Ah, he was such a shit. “I thought the whole mating thing was done with werewolves.”
“It is. You are not my mate. But you are a piece of me that I cannot ignore. Vampires are gifted in finding their soul mates. There is a difference,” he added, a sharp look in his eyes.
“So what do you do when you have to get married?”
Silus cocked his head, clearly not understanding.
“When your parents pick your spouse?” Cedric clarified. “What do you do if that person isn’t your soul mate?”
“My sire has no say over who I pair myself with. That would go against our values, and be most cruel.”
Huh. Guess that explained why Silus was so upset when he told him he was getting married. He not only thought Cedric was cheating on a loved one, but a soul mate. Something like that would be pretty low.
“Has a vampire ever claimed a sun sprite before?”
Silus shook his head. “Not to my knowledge, and despite what you may think, regardless of what you are to me, my family will still attempt to kill you should you decide to be mine. This, they will never respect.”
Cedric pulled in a deep breath. Here it was. He could go either way, but one way was definitely riskier than the other.
Despite that risk, Cedric wanted it. “I’m just as confused about this”—he motioned between them with his hand—“as you are, but I swear to God I’m not trying to use you. You aren’t a backup to me.”
That seemed to be the right thing to say because Silus launched himself at Cedric’s lips, knocking him back on hi
s beige sheets. He grabbed Cedric’s hands into his and pinned him down. Then there was a tongue in his mouth, probing, circling, claiming.
Ah, so this is what it felt like to have a vampire lay his claim. Well, Cedric did think of himself as the kind of individual who enjoyed kissing, so he didn’t see the harm in letting it happen.
Unexpectedly, and unfortunately, Silus pulled that wonderful mouth away just as Cedric started to really enjoy himself.
“Say it. Say that I am yours.”
He was having a no brain moment from all the kissing. “What?”
“Claim me,” Silus said, his teeth clenched and hands tightening on Cedric’s wrists.
Oh, gladly. “You’re mine.”
Silus moaned and resumed his masterful work, released Cedric’s hands.
Wrists now free, Cedric stuck his fingers in those black strands and gripped tightly. “No one’s ever allowed to touch you but me,” he said when they pulled apart again, which prompted another round of kissing and suckling.
Cedric pried his lips from Silus’s and latched them on to the vamp’s neck and began sucking, knowing how much Silus went nuts for it.
The vamp above him purred. Cedric found his jugular and bit down hard, pulling a long moan out of him.
“I think this time we’ll have to gag you,” Cedric joked.
“I am more than capable of keeping my passion under control.”
Cedric shivered. “I love the way you talk.”
He pushed up on Silus’s chest, rolling him over so he could sit on top of those pretty hips. They would be so much prettier without the layers, but that would come in just a second. “I want to make you feel good.”
Silus was already running his hands under Cedric’s turtleneck sweater, tickling his skin with gentle pulls from his nails. “I do feel good.”
Cedric pulled open the black coat Silus wore before working on the buttons of his suit jacket and vest. He didn’t bother with them when it came to his white button-down. He just ripped the thing apart, exposing that marble chest. The dark nipples were a gorgeous contrast to his white skin. “I mean really good.”
He started licking and kissing, and apart from briefly pressing his lips to each hardened nipple, he completely bypassed those dark buds as he knew the real fun for Silus was not to be had there. His hands got to work on the belt and fly of Silus’s trousers—Cedric could already feel the bulge beneath. All the while he kept on kissing and kept his eyes on Silus’s.
Cedric briefly stuck his hand on the back of his neck to warm it before slipping it inside the opened waistband. He found Silus’s hot cock and gripped the throbbing base. Silus inhaled deeply through his nose, those lids of his going half shut, but he still kept them open and on Cedric.
“You want me to suck you off?” Cedric pulled the leaking prick free and gave it a swipe with his tongue.
“Ugh, yes.”
“Okay, but you need to keep on talking. Keep telling me what you want me to do to you.” He was mostly making this rule up because he wanted to hear Silus let go of all that prim and proper speech. Not that he didn’t love it, but he loved making Silus go so crazy that he forgot about it more. “If you stop talking, I stop sucking.”
“Yes, yes, now take me into your mouth.”
Impatient. Cedric liked that, so he did as he was told.
Silus had been right about one thing. He really could keep a lid on his passion. Even though Cedric swore the thing got thicker and pulsed faster when he sheathed his mouth on it, Silus only released a low sounding groan.
Another challenge to be had, but that would have to wait until they were in a safer place to be doing this. He somehow didn’t think Silus would like the threat of a gag as much as Cedric had.
He worked the muscles in his mouth and bobbed his head once, twice, and then stopped.
Silus stiffened. “Keep doing that. Do not stop, ugh!”
Cedric chuckled, the vibrations seeming to work even more on his lover. He glanced up and saw that Silus had fallen back and was now grabbing at his own black hair.
He calmed himself and kept up with the humming action, but then he stopped again.
“Fuck, Cedric!”
Cedric pulled his mouth away with a pop and a smile. “I warned you.”
Silus growled, those black eyes of his sparking. “I want to fuck your mouth.”
Cedric actually blinked. Whoa, he didn’t think he’d ever get Silus to say something like that. He mock saluted and got right back to work.
Silus moaned again when his cock was submerged. This time he didn’t stop talking. “Yes, just like that. I love your mouth. Your swollen lips around my shaft are beautiful. I’m going to come between them.”
Cedric had officially made Silus forget his manners. And all that dirty talk from Silus had long since gotten his own dick awake and throbbing for attention.
Later. This was for Silus. He wanted everything to be about Silus tonight.
Soon the vampire was just babbling nonsense as he pushed his hips up and down toward Cedric’s mouth. His cock was twitchy and leaking like a faucet, and Cedric could tell the vamp was nearly there but holding back for the sake of a better time. Good. That’s exactly how Cedric wanted it to be.
Silus groaned again, then reached down and took Cedric’s hair in his Iron Man grip before coming down his throat with a hard moan and hot spurts.
When he was released, Silus fell back on Cedric’s plain sheets. Cedric thought he looked perfect there as he climbed up to lay with him. He pulled his lover close and kissed Silus’s neck. He did not suckle and lick, but gave him just gentle, chaste kisses because he liked how the other man tasted on his lips and the sounds of his breathing as his chest rose and fell, calming himself once again.
Then a hard knock sounded on Cedric’s door.
They both froze, panicked eyes staring at each other. “Who is it?” Cedric called.
“Your mother,” Cecelia said, her tone not at all happy. The door handle jiggled, and she rapped again, harder, when her access was denied. “Open the door this moment.”
Cedric all but jumped off Silus. The vampire buttoned his trousers as Cedric practically shoved him into his adjoining bathroom, with Silus fighting him the whole way.
Cedric put a finger to his lips to signal quiet, and then, as gently as possible, pulled the door shut on his lover.
The door to his room banged again as his mother slammed her hand against the wood. “You will open this door now, Cedric!”
“Coming!”
What the hell was she even doing here? Thank God Silus had locked the door. He only hoped his appearance didn’t look too ruffled for her as he unlocked and opened the door.
Cecelia stepped inside, sending him a glare as she surveyed his room, her floral summer dress swirling as she did. Ben sheepishly entered with her. He looked at Cedric apologetically, and Cedric knew his friend had tried to buy him some time before she came. Poor guy was probably panicking worse than Cedric right now.
“Mother, what can I do for you?” he asked, trying for casual, though even to him his voice sounded a tad high pitched. No way his father told her he’d been talking about canceling the wedding. He wasn’t that unlucky.
“I came to ask if you would visit Dacielle in her room, and after your guard so rudely attempted to put me off”—This time she glared at Ben, who cleared his throat and shifted his feet—“I began hearing noises in here.”
Cedric blushed. Shit. God damn it. Shit! She’d heard him and Silus.
“Where is she?”
That both shocked and calmed him. “What?”
Cecelia moved to his closet and opened the doors wide to step inside. The lights within automatically turned on for her. Though it was a walk-in closet, it wasn’t like anyone could hide in it. All it held was hangers for his good shirts and racks for his shoes and ties. “The woman you have in here. I know you are not much interested in Dacielle at the moment, but that’s no excuse for you to bring women into o
ur home days before your wedding.”
Seemingly satisfied that his closet was empty of people, she stepped out and closed the doors. But her face remained determined. She was on a mission.
“Mom, I promise you, I don’t have a woman in here.” One hundred percent truth, but she still kept that look on her face.
“It’s as I said, Lady Cecelia,” Ben said. “He is alone.”
She pointed her long pink fingernail at him. “You stay quiet. I did not ask you anything, and it smells of sex in here.”
Oh, God.
Cecelia tilted her head to stare at his rumpled bed, and then her gold eyes went to the spot beneath it. She seemed to be judging whether or not it was proper for her to get on her knees to check when she pointed at Ben again and waved to the bed.
Taking the hint, Ben lowered himself to look under for her without so much as a sigh.
“Mom, there’s no one under my bed,” Cedric said through his teeth, though he wished he’d been smart enough to stick Silus under there. Ben would have lied for them. Whether Silus would want to humiliate himself by hiding under a bed like a teenager, was another matter entirely.
“Well?” she demanded of Ben, who got back to his feet.
“Just an old pair of sneakers.”
She hmphed and moved to his bathroom.
Cedric panicked and grabbed her arm. “Mom, give me a break, I’m not hiding anyone.”
Her tone was low. “Release my arm.”
He did so immediately. “This is completely disrespecting my privacy. You know that, right?”
“It does not matter.” She pushed open the door and flicked on the light. The bathroom was immaculate, all the way down to how he arranged his toiletries on the gleaming countertop, and most importantly, empty. But the shower stall was closed, and inside, through the frosted glass, he could see a dark shadow where Silus hid.
Oh Jesus, Cedric was going to have a heart attack. “Mom, no!”
He ran for her just as she slid open the glass doors, revealing the towel he’d hung there when he’d showered earlier that day.
He released a hard breath. Fuck. Him.
“What is the matter with you?” his mother demanded hotly.
