A Bite of Fulfillment

by Charlie Richards

  The guy cocked his head. “If you enjoy it so much, perhaps you’d like to join me tomorrow. I plan to prune hedges and vines.”

  He grinned, knowing exactly what the gardener was doing. Testing him, to see if he was really interested or just saying that. “I would really enjoy that,” he said. After all, what the hell else am I going to do with my time?

  “Good. Then I will see you tomorrow.”

  Seth nodded. His stomach growled, and they both chuckled.

  “I think Peter is in the kitchen with a few others. Why don’t you go get something to eat?” Xavier urged.

  Deciding that was an excellent plan, Seth headed out of the garden.

  Chapter Five

  “What the hell do you mean he was attacked?” Adalric roared. His vision bled to red and he grabbed Toni around the neck. Using his tight grip, he slammed him into the wall of his study. “How could you allow something to happen to my beloved?” And in my own home! Damn it! The whole point of having a bodyguard—especially in light of what happened to Daystrum—was to keep Seth safe!

  “N-n-noth—” Toni gasped, somewhat unsuccessfully.

  Gerald burst into the room. “Wait, please, it wasn’t totally his fault. I was there, too.”

  A low, menacing growl rolled through Adalric, and he released Toni, allowing him to drop to the floor. His enforcer immediately rolled to his hands and knees, gasping and coughing. He kinda felt bad. Kinda. Until he realized he still didn’t know where Seth was or how injured.

  Before he could attack, Gerald skidded to a stop before him and dropped to his knees. “Please, Master,” he pleaded. “Your beloved is fine. Seth is fine. He laid into Chad and took him out easy. I have Chad under guard, locked in his rooms, awaiting your judgment.”

  “Chad,” Adalric snarled. He flexed his hands and struggled to clear the burning rage from his system. He needed to think, and the irrational urge to hunt his beloved down and wrap him in a bubble wasn’t going to win him any points with the man. Slowly, he felt his eyes return to normal and his claws retract. As much as he wanted just to kill the human, he couldn’t, but he could remove him from his home.

  “Was Jason involved?” he asked, pleased his tone only came out with a slight growl.

  He needed to know if he had to get rid of both men. The part about allowing a harem, of sorts always sucked for him. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes, a human didn’t work out and they had to find a way to remove them…quietly.

  “No, sir,” Toni and Gerald answered, almost in unison.

  Gerald continued, “I’ve already heard rumors that Jason has taken up with Sage.”

  Adalric nodded slowly at the mention of another vampire in his coven. Sage would keep Jason in line. “And where is Seth now?” he asked. If both Gerald and Toni were here, who was watching his human? He might be upset about Seth’s careless comments, but that didn’t mean he wanted him unprotected.

  Especially after seeing the mess some unknown vampire, or vampires, had made of Daystrum. His second still hadn’t regained consciousness, which had both him and Darian worried, although, Melissa assured them he’d be fine and it was just a matter of time.

  “I, uh, I kinda told him that he’s your beloved. That’s why he was storming through the house and ran into Chad. He was looking for you,” Gerald admitted.

  Adalric glared, but Gerald didn’t look up, so he didn’t see it. He wondered if he’d have been the one Seth hit if his beloved had managed to find him. Adalric had really wanted to share that particular piece of information at the right time, after showing Seth that he had a nice home and he led a good group of vampires. Unfortunately, even before Seth had run into a jealous Chad, he knew that wouldn’t happen. Not with the problems he now faced trying to figure out who’d beaten Daystrum.

  “After taking out Chad, he wanted to go to the gardens, so I took him out there and asked Xavier to keep an eye on him,” Toni explained. “Then I came here.”

  “So he’s still in the garden?” Adalric queried, relief flooding him. Xavier was an old vampire, somewhere in his fourth century. He’d been with Adalric since he took over this coven a couple hundred years before. He had no trouble trusting Seth with him, for his loyalty was beyond reproach.

  “As far as I know, sir,” Toni replied.

  Adalric allowed his displeasure to show. “Then perhaps you should go find out while I deal with Chad.”

  “Yes, sir.” Toni quickly scurried from the room.

  Rolling his eyes, Adalric tapped Gerald on the shoulder. “Rise. Go fetch Edwin and tell him to meet me in Chad’s room.” Normally, he’d have his second by his side while removing a human from his home, but since that was impossible right now, his enforcer would have to fill in.

  Adalric knew the way to the human’s room and strode purposefully out of his wing, down the stairs, and into the east downstairs wing. It didn’t miss Adalric’s notice that Seth must have walked right by his office, and he vowed to give him a tour in the morning. Of course, if they’d been properly bonded, Adalric would have known when Seth became upset and stormed past.

  Soon, he promised himself.

  Pausing outside the door, Adalric sucked in a low hiss when he smelled Seth’s scent on the air. He struggled to hold in his growl…and his claws. Without knocking, Adalric gripped the handle and pushed into the room.

  He saw the human donor sprawled across the bed, wearing only boxers. Bruises already bloomed across his rib cage. A glance at the guy’s face showed more coloring at his temple. An odd sense of pride flooded Adalric that his man could take care of himself—against another human anyway. The thought of what his beloved might look like after the fight chased his pride, filling him with worry instead. Seth hadn’t really given him the impression that he was a fighter.

  When Chad caught sight of him, the man’s blue eyes lit up. “I knew you’d come once you heard,” he crooned in a husky voice that used to turn Adalric on. Chad rolled to his side, just hiding a grimace, and reached out for him. “Did you punish that imposter? Did you send him away? I can still please you, even when injured.”

  Disgust slithered through Adalric. “Seth is my beloved, Chad, and you attacked him,” he stated, modulating his cold tone. “Explain to me why I shouldn’t tear out your throat?”

  For an instant, Chad blanched, his face paling. He quickly replaced the expression with a pouty playful look that Adalric assumed he was supposed to find alluring. Except, when he watched Chad bat his eyelashes and move toward him, it took every bit of self-restraint to keep from tearing out the bastard’s throat.

  “Oh, baby, you know that’s not true. You just brought him here to make me jealous.” Chad reached Adalric and rested his hands on his chest, rubbing them over his pecs. “After you bond with me, we can have an open relationship. I don’t mind. I know how you like your variety,” he murmured, leaning close. “I’ll even let you keep fucking Jason. Maybe we can fuck him together.”

  When Chad leaned in for a kiss, Adalric’d had enough. He grabbed Chad’s wrists and used the hold to shove him away. Chad squeaked in protest, the noise completely incongruous with his broad shouldered, thickly muscled frame.

  To his immense relief, Edwin arrived right then and quickly took in the scene. He grabbed Chad’s shoulder and pulled him away from Adalric. “Sit down,” Edwin ordered, pointing Chad toward his bed.

  Chad frowned, his façade slipping. Scowling, he did as he was told.

  Edwin stepped back until he stood at a right angle from both Chad and Adalric and crossed his arms over his chest. “Chad Burtwick, you are guilty of attacking my beloved. If you were a vampire, I’d tear out your heart without remorse.”

  “I’m your beloved!” Chad cried, jumping to his feet.

  Edwin stepped forward and intercepted him, an arm around his torso. He shoved him none-to-gently back to the bed. “I said, sit down,” he snapped gruffly.

  Adalric narrowed his eyes. He could hear Chad’s heart speed up in his chest, sending b
lood rushing through his veins. The human’s scent of anger, fear, and frustration flooded the room. Having not completed his bond with Seth, Adalric found himself not completely unaffected. His dick slowly filled and his mouth watered.

  From the flare of Edwin’s nostrils, Adalric knew his enforcer was in the same boat. They had to get this finished damn quick. “You have two choices, Chad,” Adalric stated bluntly. “We will set you up in an apartment in a city of your choice for a year, after that, you’re on your own. You will never mention vampires to anyone or your life is forfeit.”

  “And the other choice?” Chad actually had the audacity to ask.

  “We will drain you dry now,” Adalric replied, his gaze steady on the other man.

  From the man’s pallor and his nearly inaudible gasp, Adalric figured Chad finally understood the gravity of the situation. His actions were inexcusable.

  “I have to leave?” Chad whispered. “B-but—”

  Adalric didn’t want or need to hear the human’s excuses. “Choose!”

  Seth’s lashes lowered and moisture made his blue eyes seem to shine. Adalric had seen Chad’s machinations one too many times to be moved. He allowed a low warning growl to rumble through him.

  Chad swallowed hard. “I’ll leave. I—I really thought you were mine.” He looked at Adalric with such an expression of yearning, a plea for forgiveness, for him to reconsider.

  Adalric ignored it. “You have twenty-four hours to decide location. Let Edwin know and he’ll take care of it. You are not to come into my presence or Seth’s presence ever again. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Chad agreed.

  After a curt nod to Edwin, Adalric spun on his heel and left the room. He knew his enforcer would take care of everything, including choosing a suitable set of trackers to keep an eye on Chad for the next couple of years. As he left the wing, a weight he hadn’t realized he carried seemed to roll off his shoulders, easing his tension.

  He caught himself smiling. Deciding it was time to find his wayward beloved, Adalric headed toward the back of the house and the gardens. Voices and laughter caught his attention, one laugh in particular. Adjusting his course, Adalric followed the noise to the breakfast nook attached to the kitchen.

  Leaning against the doorframe, Adalric crossed his arms and took in the scene. The human, Peter, sat curled up on Toni’s lap, who watched over the proceedings in relative discomfort, judging by the arousal tickling Adalric’s senses coupled with the way Peter rocked his hips ever so slowly—and how Toni had his hand slipped up under Peter’s shirt to fondle…something.

  Adalric swept his gaze over the laughing, eating men and women. Most were human, although a couple vampires were interspersed amongst them.

  He focused on Seth, pleased to see him chatting animatedly with a couple men. He appeared relaxed. His eyes glowed as he regaled the others with a tale about a house fire started by old, faulty wiring. Adalric found himself impressed by his lover’s courage, racing into danger to save others. He hoped Seth would apply that same heart to their relationship.

  In order to do that, they’d need a very frank conversation about that very thing. It pleased Adalric to see his beloved so happy, but a niggle of jealousy shot through him when he saw the smile Seth bestowed upon his new friends.

  He forced back his initial reaction, namely to cross the room and grab up his beloved and take him somewhere to show him who he belonged to. Instead, he pushed off the wall and sauntered slowly across the room. A few of the conversations stopped, but many just nodded or waved and kept talking. Adalric appreciated that. Even though he ruled these people, he didn’t like standing out all the time.

  Unfortunately, Seth did stop talking. Too bad. Adalric would have liked hearing if everyone got out okay. Keeping a pleasant smile firmly pasted in place, and really that wasn’t all that hard considering how happy he was finally to have his beloved in his home, Adalric stopped by Seth’s side.

  Adalric didn’t ask, just slipped his fingers through the fine hairs at Seth’s nape, and tilted the man’s head back. Lowering his head, he claimed his beloved’s mouth in what he’d planned to be a quick kiss, except, when Seth gasped, opening his mouth, Adalric couldn’t help sliding his tongue into Seth’s warm heat and exploring.

  His human’s flavor exploded across his taste buds, the spicy masculine essence heating his blood and thickening his cock. He thrust his tongue deep, rubbing their appendages together. Seth whimpered, kissing back, one hand coming up to grip Adalric’s shirt. Adalric smiled against his lover’s lips as he swallowed down the erotic sound.

  Pulling on his last reserve of self-control, Adalric eased the kiss to an end. He lifted his head and grinned at the dazed expression on Seth’s face, as if he couldn’t believe he’d responded like that.

  He gently released his hold on Seth’s neck and turned his attention to the plate of food in front of his lover. A few carrot sticks and a couple bites of lasagna still littered the plate. He picked up a carrot stick and dipped it in ranch sauce.

  He winked and asked, “You about done? We have a few things to discuss,” before popping the veggie into his mouth.

  At Seth’s shocked look, Adalric just smiled and chewed. He took a step back and held out his hand, palm up, all the while praying his beloved would take it.

  Seth glanced around, and seeing they were the center of attention, must have decided not to make waves. He took Adalric’s hand. Pleasure flooded Adalric at his human’s touch and he pulled him to his feet.

  “Come, beloved,” he crooned, leading the way out of the room.

  Chapter Six

  Seth didn’t put up a fight. Whatever conversation they had to have, Seth wanted to do it in private. He hadn’t forgotten about Adalric’s warning of punishment, either. Besides, they needed to get a few things straight between them, and the lying, withheld information, and miscommunications had to stop.

  In silence, the pair made their way back to Seth’s room. At one point, once they were alone, he tried to pull his hand free, but Adalric tightened his grip, squeezing his hand rhythmically for a couple beats. He stopped trying.

  Adalric opened the door and led him inside, tugging him gently. Once the door closed, Seth found himself pressed against the wood, his arms pinned on either side of his head. “What are you—”

  He didn’t get to finish his thought because Adalric captured his lips, thrusting his tongue into Seth’s mouth. A low growl rumbled through Adalric, vibrating Seth’s chest, making his entire body tingle. Adalric mapped his mouth, caressed his teeth, and teased his palate.

  Seth’s dick had plumped to half-mast as soon as he’d spotted the other man in the dining room, then hardened to steel when Adalric had kissed him. Now, he literally ached and could feel his shaft leak in his jeans. He couldn’t explain his desire to submit, let alone understand it.

  Talk! Need to understand!

  Wrenching his head to the side, Seth managed to pull away. He gasped, barely managing to form coherent words with the way his blood surged through his veins and his cock throbbed. “Wait. Please, wait. I don’t—I’m not—” God, he had no clue what he even wanted to say! He rested his head against the door with a thud and let his eyelids slide shut.

  “Hey, hey,” Adalric crooned. Strong, slender fingers released one of his wrists only to be felt sliding through Seth’s hair to rub the back of his head. “None of that, now. Easy.”

  Adalric’s gentle tones surprised Seth, and he pried his eyelids back open. The guy was actually smiling at him, even though he’d yanked away from him.

  “Although I like you out of your mind with lust,” Adalric assured, “I want you to know why you feel that way, too.” The hand in Seth’s hair lowered to his neck and massaged the tendons a bit. “And your confusion is almost palpable.” Adalric lowered his face to Seth’s shoulder and nipped gently. “Let’s talk, shall we?”

  Seth nodded dumbly and allowed Adalric once more to lead him, this time toward a sofa where h
e pulled him down beside him. Mentally, Seth reeled. He’d actually felt Adalric’s fangs slide over his flesh, but instead of wanting to pull away, he’d wanted to press closer, even beg for his bite. Confusion didn’t seem to come close to his feelings right now.

  His arm around Seth’s shoulders, Adalric pulled him flush against his body. “I guess I should start. I apologize I didn’t tell you that you’re my beloved,” Adalric began. “You weren’t exactly amenable to even being in the same room, so imagine my frustration. I wanted you to learn that, just because I’m a vampire, it doesn’t mean I’m a psychotic killer like Damune, the man who attacked you and Bobby.”

  “Is that why I feel like I’m out of control every time you’re around?” Seth asked quietly.

  He hated being out of control. Maybe it had something to do with being shunted from one foster home to the next, never having any control over his future, but Seth valued control. For that same reason, he needed it in a relationship, too. Feeling as if he had none, like right now, put him on edge as nothing had done in nearly fourteen years. Even losing Bobby hadn’t felt like this.

  “In part. Right now, your body is straining to connect with mine. Just because you’re not a vampire doesn’t mean you don’t feel it,” he explained. “Your…mood swings…will settle down once our bond is complete.”

  “Mood swings,” Seth grumbled. “What am I? Prepubescent?”

  Adalric chuckled, and the look he bestowed upon Seth, he could only describe it as amused affection. Odd. “Of course not,” Adalric murmured, “but Fate can be a bitch and she has ways of getting what she wants.”

  “Great. Now my life is being run by some mythic goddess with match-making tendencies.”

  Throwing his head back, Adalric roared in laughter. The arm around Seth’s shoulders tightened and—even though Seth glared mutinously at Adalric—the vampire knocked their heads together.