The woman nodded. “Then you should get a basket so that it’ll make a really nice presentation for her. Does she like candy?”
“He,” Tau corrected. The little old woman acted as if she didn’t even hear him and guided him to a shelf of organic chocolates, where she recommended a gourmet bag of chocolate covered figs.
“What is her favorite color?” she asked.
“He,” Tau repeated.
“How about red?” she asked.
“How about blue,” Tau said, remembering that Zander had had on a cerulean blue shirt the night they met. Once he had all of the ingredients and the contents of the I-am-sorry gift basket for Zander, he proceeded to the checkout counter.
“Did you get everything you needed?” she asked, curiously surveying the contents.
“Yes ma’am,” Tau said.
“I’m glad. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that someone was preparing a potion,” she said. Tau just smiled and nodded. He wondered why the old witch wasn’t in hiding like Zander’s family, and assumed she must be out of touch with the rest of the magical community.
“It’s okay. I’m a witch, and my grandson is in a different kind of relationship, too. It was frowned upon when I was a young witch, but things are different now. Love is love, and any of us is lucky to be able to find it.”
“So, was it hard for him to come out?” he asked.
“Oh, he’s not gay. He’s seeing a shifter.” She smiled and winked. It dawned on him the lengths that Zander’s mother and grandmother must have gone to in order to hide Crystal’s true identity. It would have taken powerful magic to conceal the fact that she was part shifter. He could only imagine how Zander would respond to the revelation. He was just coming to terms with his magical heritage.
Tau thanked the old witch for her help and exited the store. His phone rang before he could get back to the car.
When he answered it, the first thing he heard was, “Zuri Tau Long!”
“Yes, Father,” he replied respectfully.
“Where the hell have you been?” his father yelled. “Why have you not been answering my calls?” Tau’s father was Zuri Omega Long, known to those in his pack as Pack Leader Long, the alpha male, or simply Omega. He was a larger, grayer, more battle-worn version of Tau. Like most pack leaders, he maintained his shifted part-human and part-animal state in order to show his control and dominance. His mane was a beautiful crown of gold and silver, and it was thought to be an honor to be chosen by him for sex and an even greater honor to be chosen for mating. As the pack leader, he could have his choice of any member of his pack for sexual pleasure, be it a male or female. Omega Long strictly preferred female feline shape shifters, although he had been known to have a few of the finer, more delicate males in his pack on occasion. He had had three mates, the first of whom was Tau’s mother, Arabella, who was as beautiful and gracious as her name.
Tau had known this call was coming, he just hadn’t known when.
His father rambled on. “I supported you when you wanted to go off to Africa and visit the motherland. I supported you when you said that you had no interest in females and that you would probably never give me any grandchildren. I even supported you when you said you needed to get away from the pack and take a road trip to Atlanta before the pack trials -- but enough is enough! The pack leader trials and coronation are in one month, and we have a lot of work to do. You should have been back by now. You could actually become the first feline shifter to lead the largest pack in the country. Do you know what this could mean for our family? I’ll ask you again -- where the hell have you been?”
It was just like Tau’s father to go off on a tirade and not give him a chance to explain. Tau could only imagine how his twin sister Quay was dealing with their father. When Tau wasn’t around, which was quite often, Quay was left to bear the brunt of their father’s anger.
Tau sighed. “Father, I was at an underground supernatural club the other night, and it was attacked.”
“I thought that was just a rumor. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but a friend of mine may have lost someone in the attack, and I’m helping him.”
His father paused. “That is noble, but you have your own family to worry about.”
“The witch and warlock community has all gone underground over this,” Tau continued.
Omega snorted. “That does not surprise me. They always cower at the first sign of danger. We are shifters.”
“Even the vampires are nervous about this,” Tau told him.
“How do you know all of this?” Omega asked.
“You do want me to become a pack leader, don’t you? Isn’t it important that I forge alliances with other supernaturals?” He hadn’t gotten to know Zander, Giovanni, or Hung because of any desire to become a pack leader, but his father didn’t need to know that.
“So, you mean that you are still intent on competing against Benin in the pack leader trials?” Omega asked hopefully. Benin was a physically imposing canine shifter, who was believed to be the next pack leader for the region. Tau was the only thing standing in his way.
“Not only that, father, but I plan on beating him. I just need a few more days, and I’ll be home,” Tau said.
His father gave a hearty laugh. “Do you need me to send a few pack members to assist you?”
“Not right now, but I’ll call you if I need you,” Tau said. They exchanged good-byes, and Tau hung up the phone and leaned against the car.
The pack leader trials were not to be taken lightly. Normally, pack leader trials were only held if there was a challenge after the death of a reigning pack leader, but these upcoming trials were unique. Both the Northeastern United States canine and feline packs had grown, and the two groups were struggling to maintain peace.
In a daring effort to unify the shifter communities and gain unprecedented clout and control, the leader of the feline shifters, Omega, and the leader of the canine shifters, Benin’s father, had agreed to combine the two packs under one leader. And since Benin and Tau had both come of age, it only made sense that they be the contenders.
A fight to the death would decide the leader, so it was no great wonder that Tau wanted to experience love and life in the time that he had left. He could be dead within the month.
Chapter 17
Zander and Giovanni had showered and eaten and were going through the Grimoire to make sure that they both understood the looking stone reversal spell. With dusk fast approaching, all they needed was the ingredients that Tau was sent to get. Zander was amazed at how much magic Giovanni knew. They sat cross-legged on one of the king-sized beds in the large hotel room that Tau had purchased, both wearing nothing but a tank top and underwear that Giovanni had packed at the last minute.
“Are you okay? I can tell that something’s bothering you,” Giovanni asked, still flipping through the book in amazement.
“I guess I’m just a little bit overwhelmed,” Zander admitted.
“You’ve been through a lot. What made you come out to your family like that?”
Zander sighed. “I guess it was a combination of things. I was really mad about the fact that I’m the same age as you, but I don’t know nearly as much magic as you do because of how my parents raised me. I was mad that my father tried to embarrass me in front of you and Tau. I was mad at Waverly. I was mad at the news of my grandmother. I was just fucking mad. You know what I’m saying? I guess a small part of me figured if you could survive without your family’s blessing, then so could I.”
“I’m glad that I could inspire you, but this life is not easy,” Giovanni said.
“Speaking of things not being easy, what do you think about me and Tau?” Zander asked.
“What do you mean?” Giovanni asked absentmindedly.
“Should I date… mate with him or not?” Zander asked.
Giovanni smiled. “What does your heart say?”
“I don’t know what my heart says, but my ass says yes,” Zander said. Giovanni, surprised at Zander’s forwardness, laughed and threw the book aside.
“Tell me more,” Giovanni purred. “Wasn’t it your first time? Didn’t it hurt?”
“It hurt like hell at first, but then I guess I got used to it. I could start to tell that it was feeling good to him, too, which only made me want to give it to him more,”
“You do know that shifters are known for polyamorous relationships,” Giovanni told him.
“What do you mean?” Zander asked, eyebrows raised.
“I mean like that television show Sister Wives or like that episode of Good Times when Thelma was going to marry that African prince Ibe -- that kind of thing.”
Zander flopped backward on the large, fluffy pillows. “Are you sure?”
“It’s what I’ve heard. I don’t mate with shifters. I just fuck them when I can’t find a vamp.” Giovanni winked.
“I guess that’s one more thing that I didn’t know,” Zander groaned.
“Speaking of shit we don’t know, when is that knot on your head going to go down?” Giovanni teased. Before Zander could answer, there was a knock at the door. Both of the young warlocks readied themselves in case it wasn’t Tau.
Giovanni ran to the door, his booty jiggling as he lifted up on tiptoes to look through the peephole.
“I don’t see anyone,” he whispered.
“Who is it?” Giovanni called aloud. There was still no response. “Do you remember the offensive spells that I taught you?” he whispered to Zander.
Zander got off the bed and positioned himself. Giovanni swung the door open, and there stood Hung, carrying his luggage and dressed all in black. Giovanni dove into his arms and wrapped his legs around Hung’s waist. Hung groped and grabbed at every part of Giovanni -- especially his ass.
“Did you miss me?” Hung asked, throwing his luggage into the room on the floor.
“Sure I did,” Giovanni said.
“Never lie to a vampire,” Hung teased, letting Giovanni drop back to the floor.
Giovanni smiled. “Okay, I was busy, but I am glad to see you now.”
“How glad?” Hung asked. Zander cleared his throat.
“Hello, Zander.” Hung waved.
“Hey, Hung,” Zander said, jumping back up under the covers.
“Now, how glad are you to see me?” Hung asked Giovanni again.
Giovanni turned around, pulled down his shorts. “This glad.”
Zander flinched when Hung bent down and clamped down on Giovanni’s right butt cheek with his razor sharp teeth.
“Excuse us,” Giovanni said after a moment, pulling Hung toward the bathroom.
“Don’t mind me,” Zander called, as he pulled the cover up to his neck and turned his attention back toward the Grimoire.
Giovanni and Hung stripped off pieces of each other’s clothing with every step. It didn’t take Giovanni long to get completely naked, and Hung was in nothing but boxers and a single black sock by the time they reached the bathroom.
With both of them completely naked and the bathroom door closed behind them, Hung grabbed Giovanni by his ass checks and lifted him up onto the large bathroom vanity. It was the perfect height for penetration. Giovanni’s anxious hole was perfectly level with Hung’s already rock hard dick. Giovanni propped his feet up onto the vanity, making his hole even more accessible to Hung.
“So you didn’t think about me all day?” Hung growled.
“I was a little busy,” Giovanni said between kisses. Hung licked his middle finger and slid it into Giovanni’s hole. Giovanni sighed when Hung’s finger entered him. Hung began working his finger around and then in and out until Giovanni started to moisten. And when he was wet enough, Hung slid in a second and third finger.
“I want you to fuck me,” Giovanni pleaded.
“Do you? Do you really want me to fuck you? You didn’t think about me all day,” Hung teased.
“Please,” Giovanni begged.
Hung eased his fingers out of Giovanni and bent down and began licking his balls and sucking his hooded dick. There was nothing quite like the rapid motion of a vampire’s tongue. Giovanni grabbed Hung’s head and pushed it into his crotch. Hung licked one ball, then the other, and then both. When Giovanni’s balls were wet with his saliva, Hung began nibbling his way up Giovanni’s shaft, sharp teeth scraping against smooth skin. The threat of Hung biting into his hardening dick was intoxicating.
Giovanni began working his hips on the vanity in smooth, circular motions. Hung grabbed Giovanni’s ass and pulled it to his face. When Giovanni least expected it, Hung bit into the large vein running on the inside of his thigh. Giovanni screamed out in pain -- pain that quickly turned to pleasure as the venom from Hung’s bite seeped into his blood stream.
The bite affected them both but in different ways. A warlock’s blood intoxicated vampires, and a vampire’s bite initially made any of its victims horny. It was a perfect combination. Before Giovanni could relax into the pleasure of Hung sucking his inner thigh and stroking his dick, Hung lifted Giovanni up off the vanity, set him on the floor, and turned him around.
Giovanni was up on his tiptoes bent over the vanity with his ass facing Hung. Hung guided his dick into Giovanni’s dripping wet hole. They both melted into the sensation and moaned with pleasure.
“This is some good dick,” Giovanni groaned.
“So, are you going to forget me again?” Hung’s sweet, gentle rhythms turned into ass-smacking strokes. All Giovanni could think was that Hung was trying to turn him out. No, he was turning him out. Hung’s sex and swagger were unlike any that he had ever experienced.
Giovanni’s ass bounced and jiggled with each of Hung’s pounds. Hung sighed each time his entire dick disappeared deep inside Giovanni’s tight, wet hole. Giovanni winced as Hung smacked his ass with alternating hands on every other stroke. Their rhythm was perfect -- it was slow enough for Giovanni to feel every single inch of Hung’s dick, but fast enough for Hung to enjoy the friction.
It wasn’t long before Giovanni felt it, that thing he loved -- vampire come. It was thicker than human come, and there was a lot more of it. When Hung orgasmed, the sensation was intoxicating. Giovanni responded by ejaculating without even touching himself. Hung’s full orgasm came in waves, and his body buckled each time his warm come shot up into Giovanni.
“Are you going to forget me again?” Hung asked, doubling over onto Giovanni and wrapping long arms around him.
Giovanni turned and grinned. “No, sir.”
Chapter 18
Zander sat up in the bed with the covers pulled up to his neck and the Grimoire on his lap. He was listening to the lovemaking sounds coming from the bathroom. Zander had only made love once, but he knew enough to know that what was going on in the bathroom was intense and passionate. He could hear licking, smacking, slurping, slapping, moaning, and Hung continually asking Giovanni if he would ever forget him again. Zander was pretty sure that the answer to the question was a firm no.
He imagined Hung’s sleek frame banging into Giovanni, and it was making him horny. Zander slid his hands into his underwear and began to gently massage his growing erection. The smell of good sex from the bathroom tickled his nose, and his own ripening scent filled the air. He threw off the cover, slipped down his underwear, and began violently stroking his dick. He was so lost in the moment, he didn’t realize the banging in the bathroom had stopped until someone was banging on the hotel door.
Someone knocked on the hotel door again, and Zander stuffed his hard dick into his shorts and jumped back under the covers. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Zander realized that Hung and Giovanni were showering and he was the only one left to answer the door. He remembered the offensive spell that Giovanni ha
d taught him just in case it wasn’t Tau. He lifted himself up on his tiptoes and peeked through the keyhole.
“You do know that I can smell your ripe little ass through the door, don’t you?” Tau grinned. Zander blushed, straightening his underwear and checking his breath before opening the door. Tau was standing there with a bag of groceries in one hand and a beautiful blue basket filled with flowers, candy, and a cute stuffed lion in the other. He handed Zander the basket.
“Is this for me?” Zander asked.
Tau smiled. “Yes, baby.”
“I haven’t had a chance to show you that I’m sorry for the way that I acted,” Zander said, before Tau could utter a single word. Tau lifted him up with one arm and gave him a huge kiss.
“It is cool,” Tau said. “I’m sorry, too.”
“I should be the one giving you the gift,” Zander admitted.
Tau winked. “You can give me a gift later.” He smacked Zander on his round ass, sending him off toward the bed with the basket and the bag of groceries.
Just then, Giovanni came out of the bathroom wrapped at the waist with a towel. “Sylvester, I’m glad to see that you finally came back.”
“Can I assume from the overall improvement in your otherwise fucked-up attitude that Hung is here and that he gave you some much needed dick?” Tau retorted.
“The only warlock that you need to be worried about getting some dick around here is wrapped up in the sheets, and from the smell of things you must not be doing your job,” Giovanni spat.
“Fuck you, Glinda,” Tau responded. Zander tried to hold back his snicker.
“That is where you are wrong. Glinda was a good witch,” Giovanni started.
“Gio!” Hung shouted from the bathroom.
“That’s right. Run ‘cause your man said run -- just like a good little girl,” Tau shouted.
“Later for you,” Giovanni said, snatching up the luggage and running back to the bathroom.
“Why do you two fight so much?” Zander asked.
All Knight Long, Book I: One Warlock's Love Story Page 10
