The train came to an abrupt stop, and Roux’s head rolled straight into Jack’s lap, sending sparks of arousal all the way to the tips of Jack’s fingers. This was not how he’d imagined the two of them traveling together. He hesitated for a second or two, but was unable to resist the temptation of petting the soft cheek.
The tufted ears twitched again as if Roux were having a bad dream, so it was only fair that Jack offered comfort. Anyone would have, really. When Roux let out a strange whimper from the back of his throat, Jack’s cock twitched. He couldn’t help it.
It wasn’t his fault Roux had curled up next to him, and he wondered what it would be like to have his cock licked with that nubbed tongue as long whiskers tickled his thighs.
So he kept on petting, and when Roux’s hands and feet started trembling as if he were running in his sleep, the motion made Jack yearn for relief. Yet he couldn’t just go to the restroom and leave Roux on his own—vulnerable and adorable.
Roux rubbed his head against Jack’s hand in his sleep, making him imagine what it would be like to have Roux in his bed. Long gone were the days when Jack wanted an experience with any chat. What he wanted with Roux was about so much more that satisfying curiosity. They shared the same profession, they knew parts of each other no one else did, and Jack would not only get off with Roux. They could cuddle until morning and do it all over again.
Roux sneezed.
Then looked up at Jack with his big eyes, still confused and sleepy.
Shit.
Holy fuck.
A silly smile emerged on Jack’s face. “Hello. You fell asleep.”
“Hn?” Roux covered his mouth and yawned, only to still. “Are you?” He jumped to his feet, his fur bristled. He pointed to Jack’s crotch with a hiss. “What are you doing, you pervert?”
Jack quickly covered his growing bulge with the jacket he’d placed on the seat next to him earlier. “I did nothing. It was you who fell into my lap and started vibrating!”
Roux’s eyes grew wider. “I do not vibrate.”
Jack attempted to imitate the purring sound he’d heard from Roux.
“That is not how I sound.”
“That is exactly how you sound! Besides, you were shaking in your sleep, and you slept with your head in here,” he said, pointing to his crotch. “Show me one man who wouldn’t have reacted!”
Roux huffed and crossed his arms on his chest, looking away from Jack. “This is a work trip. Your thoughts should be on ways of liaising with vampires.”
Jack couldn’t believe Roux’s hypocrisy! They might have just laughed it off if he weren’t such a prima donna, but no, he had to make a big deal out of something as natural as an erection. “Oh really? Was that what you were thinking about in your sleep?”
Roux stalled. “I don’t remember my dream.”
“There you go! Maybe there was a reason you fell into my lap like that.”
“You just can’t keep things professional, can you?” Roux shook his head.
Jack used to feel guilty about his ‘unprofessional’ behavior sometimes, but realizing that Roux was a bit of a hypocrite in that department relaxed him greatly. Roux had been the one to get blind drunk back in Italy.
“Maybe not. What counts is that I’m successful at my job.”
"Shall I remind you that our job there isn’t to have sex with as many vampires as humanly possible, but to propose an alliance.”
Jack crooked his head, watching Roux with a sly smile. “I didn’t actually think about it, but now that you said it… it is going to be their largest gathering, right?”
Roux hissed and sat opposite Jack, which was disappointing after the closeness they’d just enjoyed. “Are you planning to have sex with every type of creature you ever encounter?”
Jack’s gaze didn’t flinch. “What is there to stop me? I’m not attached.”
There. A challenge for the stubborn chat. Let’s see how that goes down.
Roux’s pink nose twitched. “Oh really? Shall I just go around and fuck every other human I meet like some tomcat?”
Jack shrugged, because he knew Roux wouldn’t follow up on that threat. “Is that a rhetorical question? I’m sure the humans would have been ecstatic if you allowed them anywhere close.”
His answer confused Roux so much he just sat there, watching Jack. “I refuse to be a novelty,” he said in the end.
“You are not a novelty. You’re too difficult to be around to become anyone’s disposable fling,” Jack shook his head and briefly moved his fingertips over the silky fur.
Roux looked away, but the held-back smile was there. Too cute. Did he pride himself on being hard to get? “But you’re on the train with me anyway. I must be persuasive.”
“Too persuasive. But you should consider that when I write my memoir, you might not be a part of that grand work,” Jack said, thinking back to his collection of memorabilia. The folder contained items taken from his various lovers, and created a wonderful palette of creatures— different yet all sensual and interesting. Maybe apart from the slug guy, Grall’ogg.
Roux’s ears stood to attention and his eyes grew wider, which only made his features cuter. “You? A memoir? What would you possibly put in there?”
Jack spread his arms. “Oh, you know, exploration of love in a world we all share.”
“Wait. Are you planning to write about your sexual exploits? Unbelievable!”
Jack spread his arms. “Someone has to do it. How else are we all to integrate?”
“We can integrate without the use of our penises.”
Jack snorted. “And what’s the fun in that?”
“Jack Addison, you are unbelievable.”
“I’ll get something to drink. And perhaps start working on my memoir,” he teased, ignoring Roux’s scowl.
He’d said it as a joke, but the farther he went down the train car, the more sense the idea made to him. The book would have to be anonymous, of course, but would allow for all manner of creature lovers to gain knowledge from his exploits. He could explain the best way to entice an ogre, or where a merman’s privates were. Who wouldn’t want to know such details once the idea of pursuing a member of a different species crossed their mind?
He was closing in on the restaurant car when he heard commotion ahead. And when he looked inside through the glass door, what he saw was a fight between four vampires, or rather—three ganging up on one that looked most frail.
Maybe they were jealous, because the vamp was a looker. He wore a cape, his long black hair resembled silk, and his skin couldn’t have been any clearer.
“Let go of me at once!” he yelled. “You do not know the wrath of a vampire! If you do not let go, I will have no mercy!”
One of the others patted his cheek. “Oh no, I’m already shivering. Are you going to meet your correspondence vampire boyfriend? It might just be me.”
The pretty one snarled and stared back at his tormentor. “What a joke! I can do much better than you.”
Okay, that was it.
Jack stepped inside. “Is there a problem?”
The blond man holding their victim’s arms back rolled his eyes. “Not your problem, move along.”
Jack sighed. So that’s how it would be. Fine. He’d taken on a pack of werewolves into his holes one after another, so he could surely handle a group of vampires having an altercation on public transport. “I believe it is my problem, given that you are all vampires!”
One man who’d stayed back with his cigar frowned. “Are you a hunter? We’re all just humans messing around.”
Jack couldn’t have been any less impressed.
The blond nodded. “Yeah, look.” He was wearing a silver claw ring, which he pressed against the small man’s cheek.
The sudden sizzle and burn to his skin made Jack’s eyes widen, and everyone went silent once the vampire was done screaming his lungs out.
This one clearly was the real thing. Shit on a stick, how did had he got himself into this mess?
Jack pulled out a pistol. Fun and games were over. “Drop the silver, impostors. Lie on the floor, with your hands on the backs of your necks. I am Jack Addison, and this is an arrest.”
The blond guy pushed the vampire at Jack, and all three of the bullies fled, leaving behind burning cigars and beer. What a bunch of lowlifes. The poor vampire seemed frail, as if he’d been weakened somehow, and Jack struggled to find a reason for his disposition. Too bad Roux wasn’t there. He would have known what made vampires lose steam.
“Tough night?” he asked, placing his pistol back into the holster.
The vampire choked, his face showing tension caused by the lingering pain, but there was true beauty hiding beyond the scowl. If Roux didn’t want Jack in the compartment, perhaps he should find a more eager companion for the remainder of the journey?
“Aren’t you going to chase them?” the vampire asked.
Jack smirked. “The train won’t stop until morning. Plenty of time to make the arrest once my partner wakes up.”
The vampire watched him with wariness. “You do know there are laws to protect us vampires, right? Hunting was outlawed years ago, during the Third European Night-Day Summit in Cracow.”
Jack frowned. “I am a lawman. Why do you think I’ve pulled out my gun on those three?”
The vamp’s shoulders slouched. “Oh. I could have handled them myself.” He cleared his throat and pushed back his long black hair. “Since I’m a vampire.”
Jack snorted. Something was off about this one, and he knew it, despite never having the pleasure of talking to a member of his kind before. “I’m sure. Maybe you’re just having a bad night. Jack Addison,” he introduced himself yet again, charming a smile out of the vampire with one of his own. “It’s both my job and pleasure to regulate interspecies relationships. If humans give you any trouble, you’ll know who to look for.”
“Vasyl Gorgonov. You say it’s a pleasure?”
Jack stepped closer, eager to test the waters with the vampire. Was his body cold? Would it take forever for Vasyl to get it up, or would it be the opposite if he could control his blood flow? “Of course. It is my job to ensure everyone’s safety. Especially a handsome vampire’s,” he said with a wink.
Vasyl swallowed, his eyes paler than a normal humans, with an odd, reddish sheen that Jack found exotic and attractive. “Are you heading for the Blood Moon Festival then?”
Jack rested one of his gloved hands on his hip and picked up the beer left behind by one of the impostors. No need for it to go to waste. “Yes. I’m an envoy for an interspecies organization. We want to go into talks with the vampire covens. Perhaps you know someone who could get me in touch with the elders of your race?”
So maybe he’d overinflated his importance, since Roux was the actual envoy, but wasn’t this an innocent lie?
Vasyl tried to stand taller, as if he too strove for Jack’s attention. “I do know a vampire older than some of the villages around here, but what do I get in return?”
The question was like dynamite about to explode in a flood of pleasure and cum. Trying to play it cool, Jack leaned against the table, never looking away. “Impertinent. Are you bargaining with the man who might have saved you the pain of your body having to repair itself from more than a minor burn?”
“Hmm… Maybe you deserve all sorts of rewards then.” Vasyl took a step closer, and when his gaze inevitably drifted to the side of Jack’s neck, it triggered a rain of shudders down Jack’s spine.
“How old are you?” Jack asked, wanting to sample more vampires soon. He was curious how their needs and performance changed with age.
“Does it matter with a vampire?” Vasyl asked with haste. Young then. Fair enough. Jack could work with an inexperienced vampire. If a vampire was a virgin, would it mean he’d be deflowered each time he had sex again?
Jack smirked and pulled on Vasyl’s belt, to make his intentions even clearer. “I guess not. Is it true that your bodies permanently harden as you age?”
Vasyl grinned. “I wouldn’t know. Depends on which parts we’re talking about.”
Jack looked back, then toward the other end of the carriage, to make sure they wouldn’t be interrupted, and he pressed his body more boldly to Vasyl’s. “Maybe we could find out.”
Jack couldn’t wait. He felt safe enough in the packed train to just go with the flow, and he couldn’t help a little shiver when Vasyl’s cold fingers touched his neck in search of the artery. He was about to offer up his throat to this beautiful creature of the night when he spotted a dark figure soundlessly enter the train behind Vasyl. The man was like a sculpture of wire and clay, with gray skin and bony hands, but when he opened his mouth, the voice that came out was nothing short of booming.
“Stop that right now!”
Vasyl opened his lips, but the man in black robes released a purple smoke from his palm and the pretty vampire… disappeared.
Or so Jack thought, until he spotted a tiny bat wriggling and screeching on the floor.
He looked between the bat and the newcomer. “You attacked him, you dried-out coffin!” he choked out in shock, and quickly retrieved a high-end stake he’d purchased for occasions like this one. The other vampire stepped back with a loud hiss, and his rapid movement sent a cloud of dust into the air.
“I have the right to transform him, for as per vampire law he is mine to govern!”
Jack’s almost-lover thrashed around at his feet, briefly jumping up as if he intended to fly, but it was in vain.
“And… you have proof of that?” Jack asked, still uncertain. He should have been a better student when they’d gone through inter-species laws at the academy.
The vampire scowled and showed him a small metal plate that confirmed a Magnus of Rome was Vasyl Gorgonov’s maker and was therefore responsible for him. “He’s not even been initiated into the coven yet.”
Vasyl flapped his wings and clawed at Jack’s boot, trying to climb his leg. It was cute and pathetic in equal measure.
Jack let out a soft sigh and picked up the tiny ball of fur, leather, and squeaks. Vasyl was... a bat. He didn’t want to have relations with a bat. “You were prettier in your human form.”
Magnus’s fingers were icy when they shook hands. “Ridiculous. We do not adhere to human beauty standards.”
“Sure, sure,” Jack whispered, though he only cared about his own standards when it came to those matters.
The law was the law though, and he handed the bat over to his guardian, wincing then Vasyl sank his claws into Jack’s hand. What a vengeful creature. Still, Jack felt sorry for him and petted his little head between the ears. “Take care of yourself, little one. I’ll take care of those bullies for you when my partner awakes.”
Jack watched them leave, hoping he hadn’t wasted his one and only chance for fucking a vampire.
Chapter 2
Roux had been prickly throughout their whole journey to the Transylvanian vampire festival, Covenalia, but his attitude reached new heights of absurdity once they reached the inn where they’d booked rooms via telegraph message.
“What do you mean you only have one room left? We booked two rooms, so I demand two rooms.” Roux’s fur bristled, whiskers twitching at a rising speed.
The clerk, a frail little girl who looked like the picture of meekness would not budge. She adjusted her tiny spectacles and offered them a professionally sad smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. The person who took the booking must have made a mistake, because I only have one room booked for Chat-Bonnes.”
Jack sighed, mentally rolling his eyes, but there was no point in forcing his presence on Roux. “Maybe we could just go somewhere else.”
The girl crooked her head. “Oh, Sir, I don’t think you’re going to find a place anywhere. This is the world’s largest gathering of vampires, and there is plenty of other creatures coming to witness the celebrations, too. The whole town is packed. You could try asking locals if they wouldn’t spare a room in their own house,
but I’m afraid you might end up having to sleep on a park bench.”
And again, that flawless smile.
Bitch.
“I am not sleeping on a bench!” Roux raised his voice, which ended in a screech.
Jack shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to take the one room, then.”
Roux growled and ran his claws over her desk as he took the keys off it.
The clerk frowned. “I will add any damage to the bill.”
Roux didn’t answer and swooshed his fluffy tail when he faced the stairs, leaving Jack to take his bag.
“You’re in a mood…” Jack muttered, following his feline friend.
Roux’s shoulders were set, and he hissed at the door when the lock wouldn’t open right away. “Is it really so much to expect? Two rooms when one requests that number? I don’t think so! All I ask is to be treated with respect. I bet they gave one of our rooms to a bunch of vampirophiles who wouldn’t be back for the night anyway.”
Jack raised his brows when the key dropped from Roux’s fingers. Was he nervous about them staying together? Because he’d surely slept in much worse conditions before. What bothered him so much?
“Calm down. I’m not gonna do anything you don’t want,” Jack said, as he entered the room and placed their luggage in the middle of the floor. The space was small, with a sloped ceiling on one side and, predictably, only one double bed.
Of course. He could anticipate Roux’s further complaining already, as if sleeping next to a hot guy was such a terrible fate.
Roux’s eyes grew wider, and instead of thanking Jack for bringing over his luggage, he waved his arms in the air. “What? You think I’m scared of you? I just don’t care for sharing a room! Is that so hard to understand?”
Jack was slowly losing his patience. “Are you a chat or a porcupine?”
Roux spread his fingers, releasing sharp claws. “Do not test me, Jack. Not tonight, not ever.”
Jack pushed Roux’s bag his way with a kick. “What is up with you? Did someone give you fleas or something?”
“Fleas? Seriously?” Roux paced around the room as if he were trying to
Jack Addison vs. a Whole World of Hot Trouble - The Complete Series Page 21
