Adrian's Bodyguard [Vampires of Vadin 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Shelby Rhodes

  Xavier glared after the man. “Business my ass.”

  “Xavier…” Adrian growled.

  At the anger in Adrian’s voice, he froze. Slowly, he turned to face him. “Yes?”

  Adrian glared at him and hissed, “I would appreciate it greatly if you would try to not, emphasis on the word ‘not,’ start fights with my council members.”

  Xavier winced at the tone, shuffling uncomfortably under Adrian’s gaze.

  * * * *

  Kaiden sat down in the plush chair behind the desk in his study and let out a sigh—today had not gone as he had expected. He was slightly put out that he had been denied his weekly argument with the king.

  Pulling the tie out of his long white-pink hair, Kaiden laughed. Adrian had been as feisty as always, and completely livid when he left. Not necessarily because he left—he was quite certain of that. The man found their weekly conversations frustrating and, if he could, would try to avoid them at all cost. No, Adrian was furious at his bodyguard’s actions—probably not that he had done so, but how he had done it.

  Despite feeling slightly insulted, Kaiden was glad that Adrian had a bodyguard looking out for him. He hadn’t been lying when he told the man he was worried—all of the council members were. There had been multiple secret meetings focused entirely on trying to figure out how to force the man to accept a bodyguard. Though…Kaiden wouldn’t have minded being assigned the task.

  Adrian’s bodyguard, Xavier, had of course noticed his arousal—but then, he hadn’t been hiding it. If the man had missed it, he would have questioned his usefulness. His response to Kaiden’s interests in the king, however, was not something he had anticipated. The boredom that seemed to plague the man throughout the whole meeting quickly fled, to be replaced by rage. Something must have been going on between them.

  It seemed his days of infuriating the king were coming to an end, he thought sadly. He would have taken Adrian to his bed in a heartbeat if Adrian would have let him—as he had never hidden his attraction, Adrian was aware of that fact. They wouldn’t have worked out long term, of course. Their tempers wouldn’t have allowed it.

  However, it would have helped stave off some of the loneliness he knew both of them felt. Adrian hid it well, but then again so did he. Not to be too presumptuous, but he imagined he knew much of what the king was feeling—if simply for the fact that he was only one hundred years younger than the man.

  Adrian deserved to be happy. If Xavier was what he wanted, then he wouldn’t interfere—as long as Xavier was worthy of the king’s love, that was.

  The knock on his study door drew Kaiden out of his musing. “Come in.”

  He smiled brightly when his son stepped into the room. His son, Dorian, was one of the few bright lights in his life. “How was your day?”

  “Fine…” Dorian muttered softly.

  His son looked a bit out of sorts today. The young man, only twenty-five, was usually full of energy even at this time of night. “You’re back a bit late today. Is something wrong?”

  “No…I just wanted you to know that I was in,” Dorian said, then rushed out of the room.

  Kaiden narrowed his eyes—that had been a lie.

  * * * *

  “He should be considered a suspect,” Xavier grumbled the minute they entered the sitting room.

  Adrian sighed and rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing, and all he wanted to do was lie down and relax. However, it didn’t look as if that was going to happen anytime soon.

  “Kaiden is not behind the attacks.”

  “You can’t be positive of that. They have no leads.”

  “Kaiden can be an irritating pain in my ass, strict, and at times unrelenting, but he has always been loyal. He is a kind, loving father to his son and has always cared deeply for the people in his district. He would not betray them, or me.”

  “Just maybe, you don’t know everyone as well as you think you do? He’s not normal. Did you see what he did? Do you even know what he is?”

  Adrian crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “I’m quite aware that Kaiden is part Fire Demon. His pink hair kind of gives it away, don’t you think? Not to mention, I knew his mother before she died, fiery rage and all. Though none of it was ever pointed in my direction.”

  “He can control fire, something no vampire should be able to do.”

  He took a deep breath. “Yes, he can. I am quite aware that in mixed-species couples when one is a vampire, there is very little chance that the offspring will inherit both parents’ abilities. However, it does happen. Most often when there are multiple generations, on the vampire’s side, producing offspring with the other species.” Adrian wrinkled his nose. “On another note, I do not appreciate your implications that Kaiden is somehow less trustworthy due to his Fire Demon nature. Last time I checked, Fire Demons and Ice Demons ended their feud many years before you were even born. Your kingdoms are now one. It’s about damn time you all started acting like it!”

  Instead of commenting on his reprimand, Xavier sneered. “The man wants you. Maybe he’s hoping the attempts on your life will drive you into his arms.”

  Adrian couldn’t help but laugh. The very notion was absolutely absurd.

  “I’m being serious!” Xavier snapped.

  “Xavier, the men who attacked me were not holding back. If I hadn’t woken up during the first attack, I wouldn’t be breathing right now. While it’s true that he wants me, it would be a bit difficult for Kaiden to fuck me if I were dead.”

  Adrian chuckled when the man growled at him once more—he supposed he couldn’t stop Xavier’s suspicions without giving him a grounded reason. He had a few. However, none he felt he could tell Xavier at the moment—nor would he ever unless it became absolutely necessary.

  However, while he couldn’t settle the man’s fears, maybe he could at least relieve some of his tension. Judging from how stiffly the man was standing, there was quite a bit to relieve. Xavier flinched when he walked over and placed his hands on the man’s pecs. Looking up at him through his lashes, he gently massaged the hard flesh. Adrian grinned when Xavier slowly licked his lips, eyes darkening with desire.

  “You look a bit tense, and tight all over.” Adrian hummed and stretched up on his tippy-toes to nip at Xavier’s bottom lip with one of his fangs. Grinning at the growl he got in response, he slowly slid his hands down the man’s chest.

  “I’m feeling a bit tight myself. Why don’t you help me loosen up?” Adrian purred.

  He let out a startled squeak when he found himself grabbed roughly by the wrists and jerked backward away from Xavier. Adrian looked up into Xavier’s furious face—he may have pushed too soon. He winced when the man’s grip on his wrists tightened.

  “Xavier…”

  “No!” The man growled furiously. Xavier dragged him into the bedroom and threw him unceremoniously onto his bed.

  “Stay!” Xavier shouted, glaring down at him. The man growled at him once more before he stormed away, slamming the door behind him.

  Well, fuck—that could have gone better, he thought. Wincing, Adrian rubbed one of his wrists gently, trying to relieve some of the pain.

  He blinked when he heard what he thought was a lock engaging. No…he wouldn’t. He jumped off the bed, ran to the door, and turned the knob—and nothing happened. It was locked. The asshole had locked him in.

  Unholy rage filled Adrian. “You bastard! Unlock the damn door this instant!”

  * * * *

  Xavier chuckled to himself. Adrian was swearing and berating him through the door. He could have broken it down—the door wasn’t reinforced like the one to the hallway—but he doubted Adrian would, as it would mean another room change until it was fixed.

  Payback would be hell for sure, but for now, he would just enjoy it. The only thing he regretted was how rough he had been with the man. In the very short time he had been here, he had come to care for him—the last thing he wanted to do was hurt him.

  Chapter Six

&nb
sp; It had been two weeks since the incident, and he deeply regretted locking the damn door. Why had he done it? What the hell had possessed him to do something so stupid?

  The man had been angry at first—it hadn’t worried him much, as he had expected it. For three days Adrian had snapped, growled, and raged at him. However, everything changed on the fourth day. On the fourth day, the man’s anger had vanished, and instead of raging, he proceeded to take every opportunity to tease, flirt with, and taunt him.

  Since that day, he had seen the man in various stages of undress. He was still wondering how he had been able to stop himself the day he found Adrian bent over in nothing but a thong—not to mention the incident involving whip cream.

  He had been permanently hard as a fucking rock for a week and a half. A fucking week and a half—he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back. At this point, it was only a matter of time before he gave in.

  However, Xavier had another problem now on top of the normal issues a bodyguard would run into when getting involved with a client. He didn’t just want Adrian’s body. Xavier wanted all of him. Despite his current suffering, he couldn’t help but like the man. At least, he liked what he had seen when the real Adrian peeked out from behind his mask.

  With Adrian, you saw what he wanted you to see. He was always in control. Many times he had seen the man smile and laugh without joy. Even when he was angry, Adrian remained reserved in his actions. He doubted Adrian ever truly let go, and wondered if he even knew how to.

  Well, he supposed there was one emotional response that Adrian let run free, he thought wearily. The man had zero qualms about expressing himself sexually, which was why Xavier was currently in hell.

  Duties be damned, he would have probably given in by now if he didn’t know Adrian would be completely smug about it. He didn’t want the man to think he won—which, in all honesty, he had, as Adrian would soon get what he wanted.

  He was worried though. When he did give in, then what? Would Adrian want a relationship, or would they only have a few nights in bed together? Xavier was man enough to admit to himself that he wanted more. He just didn’t know what Adrian wanted, and part of him was afraid to find out.

  * * * *

  Adrian paced in front of his bed. He was so close he could almost taste it. Just one more hard push and he would get what he wanted. Though he wasn’t positive what he’d planned would work. In fact, there was a chance it would backfire on him—but it was worth the risk. Wasn’t it?

  Adrian had never wanted someone so badly, but why was that? The man was handsome, sure, but he had seen better. Xavier was also a bit grouchy—hell, most of the time the man acted older than him.

  The thought of the man’s age stopped him in his tracks. How old was he anyway? Adrian had never thought to ask. Couldn’t be more than five thousand, right? Flopping on his bed, he sighed, feeling slightly depressed. Dear heavens, had he actually become so old that people in their early thousands seemed young to him?

  Really, who was he kidding—he was old and felt old, too. With each new year his boredom grew, and every day felt like an endless repeat of the previous. But with a fake smile plastered on his face, he continued forward—because what else could he do? It wasn’t as if he could just walk away from his life.

  This was the most excitement he had had in years. But if Xavier came to his bed, what then? What did he even want from the man?

  There was no doubt in his mind that Xavier would leave. They always left eventually, he thought bitterly as he wearily rubbed his eyes. However, unlike the rest of them, he already knew why he would leave, just not when. Xavier was only here to protect him from whoever was trying to kill him. The minute that person was found, he would be gone.

  “And why should that matter to you, Adrian? It’s not like you were foolish enough to fall in love with him, right?” he said out loud.

  Great, now he was talking to himself. Guess he could add being mentally unstable to his list of wonderful personality traits—then again, he probably could have added that years ago.

  “What am I doing?” he whispered.

  * * * *

  What was he going to do? Was there really any reason to hold back? He was going to give in eventually, so why wait? At this point, his suffering was just self-inflicted. However, the idea that Adrian would think he won still irritated him. The smug bastard would rub it in for sure. Maybe he could turn the table on his ass—heavens knew he wanted to be in it. What could he do…

  When someone knocked on the door, he stiffened—all thoughts of Adrian’s ass fled his mind. With his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he stood and cautiously walked to the door. From smell alone, he knew there were two people on the other side. He recognized Baylin’s scent almost immediately. The other one, however, he didn’t know.

  He opened the door, and his gaze moved from Baylin to the short man standing beside him. Xavier relaxed slightly when he took stock of the mystery man—he looked completely harmless and couldn’t have been more than five foot.

  “Did you need something, Baylin?”

  “Ah, yes. This is Asa Wolfhart. He is—” Baylin started, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the bedroom door slamming open.

  Xavier turned around at the noise and was surprised to see Adrian suddenly right behind him. He was even more taken aback when Adrian yelled at him to move and shoved him aside.

  Asa laughed. “Adrian, don’t be so rude.” His laughter ended in a squeak when Adrian abruptly picked him up and spun him around.

  He just laughed and hugged the small man once before setting him on his feet. “Asa, I missed you so much. It really has been too long.”

  “Adrian, what the hell are—” Xavier started to say, but stopped when Baylin grabbed his arm and shook his head.

  “If you would excuse us, Asa and I have much to discuss,” Adrian shouted as he rushed the small man into the bedroom, then closed the door behind them.

  The door had just clicked shut when it was suddenly slammed open again. He raised an eyebrow when Adrian marched over to them and held out his hands. Xavier blinked in surprise when Baylin handed over a tray. The tray contained small cakes and what smelled like tea, and he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t noticed Baylin holding it. Adrian returned to his room after securing his hold on the tray.

  Xavier stood there completely shocked by Adrian’s actions. When his brain finally started functioning again, he realized he had just let Adrian close himself in with a man he had no background information on.

  He started toward the bedroom, fully intending to burst in and demand answers, but then Baylin spoke. “Relax, Xavier. Asa and Adrian are childhood friends. Not to mention Asa is a dismal fighter, one who is more likely to hurt himself than anyone else.”

  Xavier grunted through clenched teeth. “Childhood friend?”

  “Yes. However, there are more important things to discuss than Adrian’s childhood. In fact, I think it’s time we sat down and had a little chat of our own. Don’t you agree?” Baylin drawled.

  * * * *

  Baylin grinned when Xavier paled. The man looked like a naughty child who had gotten caught—slightly guilty, but still defiant.

  Shaking his head, Baylin sat down on one of the couches. “I think we both know what I want to talk about.”

  Xavier avoided eye contact as he sat on the couch across from him. “Yes…”

  Baylin crossed his legs and relaxed back. “I can’t say I completely approve of the game you two are playing.”

  “I…”

  Baylin stopped him from continuing. “You don’t have to explain. I’m quite aware who the main instigator is. Adrian, he can be…a bit…difficult at times.”

  Xavier snorted. “A bit? You don’t say?” The man’s voice had been heavy with sarcasm.

  “Let me finish.” Baylin laughed. “As I was saying, a bit difficult. Once he gets something stuck in his head, it’s almost impossible to dissuade him. That being said, it has been quite
a while since he’s been so focused on one man. Adrian usually moves quickly from one bed to the next, looking only to find sexual release. To be honest, I haven’t seen him go so long without.”

  Xavier’s face clouded with anger at the mention of Adrian in someone else’s bed. While Baylin was pleased with the reaction, it didn’t tell him what he wanted to know. Jealousy was a petty emotion—one didn’t have to actually care to experience it.

  “He has been alone for a long time—”

  Sneering, Xavier interrupted him. “Alone, really? From what you said, it doesn’t sound as if he was alone that often.”

  Baylin stiffened, narrowing his eyes at Xavier’s tone. “Continue snapping at me like a child, and I’ll start treating you like one,” he warned.

  When Xavier just grunted and looked away, Baylin sighed.

  “While he may have fulfilled his sexual desires many times over, he has avoided forming romantic connections like the plague. Adrian has been alive for many years, so it’s not as if he has never done so. In fact, there were many times where he had believed he had found ‘the one.’ Unfortunately, they all left him when things got difficult. When the last man left him, which was a couple of millennia ago, he gave up looking. I’m actually surprised he’s taking a chance on you.”

  “And how do you know he is? He could just want sex.”

  “The man has just spent two fucking weeks throwing himself at you. And it’s not as if you’re the first person who has refused Adrian’s advances. He could easily find a willing bed partner. He has no need to chase after someone. Nor has he ever done so before!” Baylin snapped.

  Xavier sighed and sat back, running his hands roughly through his hair.

  “The man has feelings for you, that I am certain. Whether he realizes it or not is another question. However, none of that is important right now, as there is something I want to know. Adrian has made plenty of mistakes in the past when choosing his partners. I found most of them inadequate. Personally, I thought none of them were worthy of his affection. What I want to know is if you’re just another mistake. Do you plan on leaving him like the rest? Many of the men never truly cared for Adrian. Most were just infatuated with his power or the possible fame they could gain. If you care nothing for the man, I need to know now. I refuse to let this continue if Adrian is only going to get hurt in the end.”