by Alexia Ward
Victor didn’t know how to broach the subject. Should he ease him through the news or simply blurt it out? Opting for the latter, he took a deep breath before saying, “He’s returned.”
Luca narrowed his gaze with his confusion. “Who has returned?”
Victor rolled his eyes. After living with his brother for more than one hundred and fifteen years, Luca should know exactly of whom Victor spoke.
“You know who, Luca. Who coming back to town would have me so worried?”
Luca widened his attentive eyes in shock. “No, you’re joking.”
Victor shook his head. “No, I’m not. I bumped into him, literally, at the train station.”
Luca sounded horrified when he asked, “When you went to pick up Father? Did he see him?”
“No.”
Luca wiped his brow. “Well, that’s a relief. So what did he say when he saw you? Did he tell you why he came to see you?”
“I never said he came to see me. The memory suppressing spell Father helped me cast is still intact. He didn’t recognize me.”
“Okay, if he isn’t here to see you, why is he in town?”
Victor shrugged. “I don’t know, but I overheard the guy he was with say they were staying at the Sunrise Hotel. That’s why I called you. I need a favor, sweet brother.” Victor grinned coyly.
Luca jumped to his feet, frowning as he pointed at Victor. “Oh, no. I know that look. You’re going to see him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
Luca pounded his fingertips against his forehead a couple of times. “No, don’t do it. If Father gets wind that Steve is back in town and that you went to see him, he’ll send someone to kill him. You know he never gives us second chances, especially you.”
Victor harrumphed. “He’s never giving me any chances. The only reason why he let Steve live was because I begged him to spare his life, and the memory suppressing spell we cast was successful.”
“But you don’t need to worry, Luca. I’m only going to find out how long Steve is in town. Hopefully, it’s only for one night, and then he’ll be gone.”
“Even if he’s here for just one day, it is too risky. What if one of Father’s minions sees Steve and reports his findings to him?”
“All the more reason why I should go to Steve. I have to convince him through a spell or something to leave quickly and never come back.”
“You’re sure you can do that, Victor? Can you let him go again? You still love him, don’t you?” Luca peered at him with probing eyes.
“Of course I still love him. I’ve never stopped loving him.” He paused to rein in his emotions. “It’s because I love him that I have to make sure he leaves. He can’t remain in harm’s way.”
“Okay, then I’ll come with you and help you cast the spell.”
Victor rested his hand on Luca’s shoulder. “Actually, I need you to distract Father while I go to Steve.”
“Me, distract Father? You make it sound so easy. He’s an elder vampire. You know it’s practically impossible to fool them. They can see right through us.”
Victor laid on the charm. “Maybe that’s the case for the rest of us, but not you. You were able to fool Father.”
Luca’s jaw fell in his disbelief. “That was a little white lie about his favorite bottle of cognac that I broke. This is about you. You know his radar is always on high when it comes to you.”
How could Victor forget that point? “Yeah, he’s always waiting to see me fail, so he can hold yet another mistake over my head.” He turned his eyes to pleading. “If you don’t do this, I won’t be able to help Steve.”
Pursing his lips while he cast his gaze downward Luca replied, “Oh, all right. I’ll think of something.”
Jubilant beyond belief, Victor hugged his brother, expelling his breath in their tight embrace. “Thank you. I owe you.”
Luca snorted humorously. “Yes, yes, you do. And I’m not going to forget it.”
Luca shooed his brother toward the door. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go to him.” He rolled up the sleeves of his white crisp cotton shirt as he followed Victor downstairs.
Victor knew his brother was headed for their father’s study. Helder was always in there reading and smoking his pipe when he was at home.
“It’s showtime,” Luca said before he walked to the right of the entrance hall while Victor headed to the front door.
Victor swore his non-beating heart fluttered at the prospect of seeing the man he loved one more time.
Chapter Five
Steve lay naked in bed waiting for his arrival. Under the black satin sheets, he trembled imagining Victor’s soft, cool touch. He could spend an eternity staring into his warm, piercing crystal blue eyes and never get bored.
The door opened, those very same enchanting eyes lit up the room.
Steve’s breath hitched. Victor strode toward him, letting his actions speak for him. He wanted Steve as much as Steve wanted him. Steve could see it in his hungry eyes and in his arousal. His well-endowed cock was hard, wet, and ready.
A chill of excited anticipation surged in him. Damn! He yearned to make passionate love to him so much that it hurt. His muscles and his heart ached.
Victor moved with a flowing gait toward him as if he floated in the air. He pulled the satin sheet in a languid, teasing fashion when he stood at the foot of the bed.
His admiring gaze caressed Steve’s body inch by tantalizing inch. When he focused his eyes on Steve’s erect cock, Victor bit his lip and purred.
“I want to fuck you,” he stated in a low, primitive undertone.
Steve took a deep breath, trying to stop from getting too excited. Otherwise, he’d come even before they’d had their fun.
And he couldn’t deprive himself or Victor of that, could he?
“What are you waiting for?”
He grabbed Victor’s hand and pulled him onto his chest. He kissed Victor hard on the lips then trailed his lips down to his neck. The vein under the snake tattoo on the side of it pulsed.
Victor sucked, then gently bit his lower lip. He probed Steve’s mouth with his tongue.
Steve’s heart drummed uncontrollably. He found it difficult to breathe easily. He glided his fingers curiously over Victor’s cool back. His taut muscles and glistening smooth skin were remarkable. Victor was pure perfection, and his ass, well, that was the pièce de résistance.
He squeezed his tight ass cheeks. Victor jerked his head back and growled, smiling devilishly in response. “You want to fuck me?”
“Yes, I do.” Steve wiggled out from under him and took charge. He positioned himself behind him. Victor’s ass was all muscle. He couldn’t resist smacking his left cheek before placing his warm lips on the area he’d just slapped. It was cool and salty sweet. He sucked it, wanting to leave his lips’ imprint on him, branding Victor as his.
Victor moaned. His cock twitched. “Steve, stop teasing. Fuck me, or I’ll fuck you instead. I can’t wait anymore.”
Steve laughed. “Fuck you. Yeah, I’ll fuck you all right.”
He slid his cock around Victor’s asshole, lubricating it with pre-cum.
Victor puckered his asshole in arousal and anticipation. Seeing his readiness, Steve wasted no time slipping his cock into his ass. Slow and steady he went. He closed his eyes, allowing his cock to sink as deep as possible, then stood still. If he didn’t, he’d come from the coolness and tightness surrounding his dick.
Fuck! It was phenomenal beyond belief. He savored it with relish. Steve had had many pleasurable sexual partners before Victor, but no one could compare with Victor. He was the ideal lover. Every sensual inch of his body and cock had Steve melting on the inside.
When Victor pushed against Steve’s cock, he growled with urgency. “Fuck me.”
Grabbing hold of his hips once more, Steve slid his cock out and then sank it deep again. Moans and purrs of pleasure escaped from his lips. He hadn’t noticed until he heard the sounds reverberate back to his ears
.
“Harder. Faster,” Victor ordered in a deep, demanding voice.
Steve listened and acted. He slid his cock out and thrust it back into his ass, going deeper and deeper, faster and faster.
His heart raced so quickly it felt like it would break free from his chest. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, trickling into his eyes, stinging them. But he didn’t want to release Victor’s hips, or risk slowing his momentum.
He felt his climax rising. He was on the edge of insanity. The pressure in his balls rose, heating him to a boiling point.
He took a final breath, thrusting his cock one last time deep and hard into Victor’s ass. He cried out with ecstasy as he came inside him.
His cum filled Victor’s ass, spilling out of it and down his leg.
Stars exploded in Steve’s vision. His limbs weakened.
Then he heard Victor growl, felt his body shake as he climaxed.
“I love you, Victor,” Steve proclaimed as he held him against his body.
Victor turned to tell him something, but Steve couldn’t understand what he said. He couldn’t ask him to repeat it because Victor had begun to fade. Darkness encroached on Steve’s vision.
A soft humming noise resounded in his ears. It soon evolved into a loud shrilling alarm.
Steve opened his eyes, realizing it had all been a dream.
He sighed, hugging the pillow beside him in bed.
“Victor.” He groaned as tears brimmed his eyes.
Chapter Six
When the sound of a knock echoed in Steve’s ears, whatever remnants of the dream he’d had that still lingered in his mind vanished.
It was as if an imaginary fairy floated into his head, wiping any memory of it from his brain matter.
He had an unsettled feeling weighing on his shoulders when he got out of bed to greet his visitor at the door.
It was eight fifteen in the morning, sharp, which meant only one thing—Harry was behind that door. Who needed a watch when Harry was around? He came with his own built-in clock. If he said he’d be someplace at eight fifteen, he didn’t mean five minutes earlier or five minutes later. He meant eight fifteen sharp, not a second more or less.
Sure enough, Harry stood ready and waiting when Steve jarred the door open. Harry wore a pair of meticulously ironed navy-blue Dockers and a white cotton Arrow shirt, which he left unbuttoned at the collar.
How could Harry be so spot on all the time? Steve pondered. Did the guy wait around, his eyes glued to the face of his watch until it read eight fifteen before knocking? Steve wouldn’t be surprised if Harry did.
“Hi, you’re on time,” Steve remarked moving to the side, giving Harry enough room to pass him.
“Well, I said I’d be here at eight fifteen, and here I am. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Lousy. I still have a headache.” He rubbed his temples, even though the bump was on the back of his head.
“So you weren’t able to sleep?”
“Oh, I slept. The minute I went to bed, I crashed out. I just…” He hesitated, wondering if he should continue.
“It’s just what?” Harry coaxed, dipping in closer. He focused his keen brown eyes on Steve’s.
“Well, I had a crazy, weird dream.”
Leaning back, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and planted his left foot against the wall behind him. “Crazy weird in what sense?”
“That’s the thing.” Steve combed his fingers through his thick, curly light brown hair. “I can’t remember it. I mean, I’m trying to, but I can’t. It’s like my brain erased it.”
Harry waved his hand dismissively in the air. “That happens to me all the time. The minute I wake up from a dream, it’s fresh in my mind, and I remember it. But as the minutes pass and I become more alert, it begins to fade. By the time I get out of bed five minutes later, it’s all gone.”
“Really?” Steve was intrigued. “That’s not my case. I always remember my dreams, except for this one. And it’s driving me crazy that I can’t remember it. Doesn’t it bug you, too?”
Harry scoffed. “Why should it? It’s only a dream that means nothing. It’s my brain’s way of purging irrelevant things from the day to make room for more memories and thoughts the next day.”
Harry took a breath before continuing. “I think of it this way. A dream isn’t real and remembering it is just a waste of time and brain power.”
Harry glanced at his watch tapping it. “Speaking of time, did you realize it’s eight seventeen, and you still aren’t dressed.” He raised his arm so Steve could check out his digital watch.
A quick look at it had Steve turning in the bathroom’s direction. “Okay. Okay. It won’t take me long to get ready. Why don’t you head downstairs and get us a table at the restaurant? I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
Before he shut the bathroom door behind him, Harry remarked, “Make that ten minutes if you don’t want us to be late for our meeting with Officer Reinhold.”
“Right, ten minutes,” Steve agreed.
He didn’t wait to hear Harry’s exit. He turned on the hot water tap in the bathtub, intending to break a record on taking the fastest shower ever.
Shaving was out of the question. Besides, he shaved only twice a week. Shaving more frequently tended to dry out and irritate his sensitive skin. And he liked the way he looked with stubble.
Eight minutes and forty-five seconds later, Steve stepped out of his hotel room dressed, refreshed, and ready. His hair was wet, but he never blow-dried it. He liked the way his natural curls softened and shined this way.
As he headed toward the elevator, he had an eerie feeling someone was watching him. He spun around on the ball of his heel, but there was no one behind him in the hallway.
Shrugging off the haunting sensation, he continued to march to the elevator.
He wondered if this paranoid feeling stemmed from the dream he couldn’t remember. The back of his head began to throb again.
Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought. That would certainly explain why his brain was so out of whack.
Chapter Seven
That was a close call, Victor mused as he hid from sight.
Ten minutes ago, he’d found out at the front desk in which room Steve was staying. He’d waited for the only hotel clerk on duty to go to the washroom, then sneaked behind the counter and checked the computer reservations.
Once he’d uncovered the number in his search, he headed to the seventh floor to room 747. Of course he didn’t know what he’d do when he got there. He couldn’t exactly knock on his door and ask to be invited in.
Instead, in angst he paced back and forth, trying to come up with an excuse to talk to him.
That was when he’d harked Steve’s approach to the door, and he panicked. He ran down the hall for cover.
Steve hadn’t noticed him. Victor had decided to follow him. But when Steve stopped in his tracks, he knew Steve had sensed him.
Luckily, he’d hidden in the nick of time behind the maid’s cart close by when Steve turned to look.
Now he stared at the elevator Steve stepped into. It was going down. That meant only one thing. His destination was the ground floor.
In haste, he dashed to the stairs and rushed to the lobby. It wasn’t difficult. Being a vampire made him spry. Although his speed didn’t produce streaks of lightning like The Flash’s did, it did sweep the air around him into a churning wind tunnel.
Luckily, there wasn’t anyone around to witness his super quick descent.
By the time he’d opened the door that connected to the lobby, the elevator doors swished open. He exhaled a breath of relief once Steve stepped out. He’d guessed correctly.
He meandered to the restaurant right behind Steve. His calculated stealth gait evoked silence and obliviousness from Steve. The hunky man hadn’t the slightest inclination he was being followed. One hundred and nineteen years of living as a vampire, an enigmatic creature of the night, had turned him i
nto an expert in covert operations.
His initial plan of confronting Steve had gone up in flames the moment Steve exited his room. He’d lost his nerve and panicked. But Victor knew everything happened for a reason. Maybe the reason he chickened out was Fate’s doing. Maybe Fate wanted him to follow this alternative it offered him.
Instead of asking Steve directly how long he’d be in town and what he was doing, he’d follow him and figure out what his plans were.
This alternative was twofold. Not only would it help him solve the question of why Steve had returned, but it also guaranteed Steve’s safety. With Victor keeping an eye on him from the shadows, he could make sure Steve kept far from harm’s way.
There was a reason why this town had been named Hell. It was teeming with many dangerous, malevolent creatures. Vampires were just the tip of the iceberg of the danger that lurked in obscurity. There were many formidable monsters out there.
Steve moseyed to the booth next to the buffet table set up with heaping hot plates of scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, succulent sausages, and fluffy, thick waffles.
Victor recognized Steve’s worried-looking, lanky companion from the night before who now sat across from Steve.
When the man’s gaze swooped across the restaurant, Victor whisked up one of the laminated menus from the counter beside him, hiding his face from view.
He hurried around to the next aisle where he couldn’t be seen, intending to sit in the empty booth that rested directly in line with Steve’s booth. A tall stained-glass divider separated the booths on this side from the other half of the restaurant.
The divider stood six feet tall and thankfully didn’t fully muffle the sounds from the other side. A human would have difficulty making out what someone said on that side, bit Victor’s sharp senses allowed him to decipher exactly what Steve and his friend discussed.
“See, Harry, I told you I’d be down in ten minutes,” Steve proclaimed, sounding proud.
