“It didn’t feel right. Now I know why.”
Sacha wriggled, feeling Jared’s still hard dick. He raised his eyes to Jared, his eyebrow arching.
“What can I say? I have my mate lying naked on top of me.”
Sacha threw the covers back and turned around, getting on his hands and knees. Looking over his shoulder at Jared, he said, “Fuck me.”
“You’re not too sore?” Jared asked, his eyes glued to Sacha’s ass.
“I’m fine, or I will be when you get your long, thick dick in me.”
“Long, thick dick?” Jared grinned. “Fuck, I’m getting in there.”
Grabbing the lube, he made quick work of getting Sacha ready, and when he finally pushed in, Sacha groaned. “Hard and fast, Jared.”
“Fuck, yeah.”
Sacha braced himself against the bed as Jared pulled back and fucked him. He dropped onto his forearms down on the bed as Jared pummeled his ass with deep, hard strokes.
It felt like Jared’s dick was made for his ass, and he hit Sacha’s prostate every time he pushed in.
Sacha was moaning and when Jared’s hand began to stroke his dick, he cried out, shooting over it and the rumpled sheets below.
He slumped forward and grunted as Jared slammed into him one last time, grinding their hips together then pulling out only to push gently back in.
Jared dropped down on top of him, kissing his neck and shoulders. Sacha twisted his head to the side so their lips could meet.
“Hmm, love you, Sach.”
“You too.”
“Shower?”
“Only if you carry me.”
Laughing, Jared did just that.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Jared sipped his coffee as he read the news on his tablet. Sacha sat next to him, his hand rubbing Jared’s thigh gently. Jared dropped his on top of Sacha’s and entwined their fingers together.
He needed to keep touching Sacha, and now he knew why Donnie and Jeremy constantly touched each other whenever they were close. The little strokes on each other’s skin, the kisses they gave each other or the looks that passed between them.
They’d talked to each other telepathically, and Jared had been envious that they could, but now so could he.
I love you.
Almost immediately Sacha’s fingers tightened around his and he heard his voice in his mind.
Love you too.
Out loud, he asked, “I know D and Jeremy can talk over hundreds of miles, but is there a limit? I mean if I was in Canada, would we still be able to talk this way?”
Shrugging, Sacha said, “I can’t see why not, but I have to be honest and say I don’t actually know how it works. It’s not like ringing someone’s cell phone. It’s a more intimate form of communication.”
“I know D’s been looking into it, but he’s struggling to figure out what’s truth and rumor. When did mates become so rare?”
Sacha sat back and rubbed his chin, a frown on his face. “Shit, I have no idea. My father might know or someone from our family.”
“Your family originates from Italy and Greece, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. You think I should contact them and find out what they know?”
“It’s worth a try, don’t you think?”
Nodding, Sacha bit into his toast. When he’d swallowed, he said, “It’s been generations since we had a mated couple, but I’m sure our family books will have some details. I’ll call Father when we’ve finished breakfast.”
“How is Alessio?” Jared pushed his empty plate away and sipped his coffee, his hand still holding Sacha’s.
He liked the times like these when it was just the two of them enjoying breakfast together. Thinking back on it, he’d always enjoyed those times, and now he knew the truth, it made so much sense.
Spending time alone with his mate and simply enjoying his company. No wonder he’d never tried to have a relationship with anyone else. He was already in one and just hadn’t realized it.
Lifting Sacha’s hand, he kissed the back of it and smiled over at him. Sacha blushed, the pink faint against his olive skin.
“He’s good. I’ll call him now.” Sacha leaned over and kissed Jared softly on the lips.
Jared smiled up at him as he left the table and watched him walk over to his cell. “Have you told him about us?”
“He was the one who said I had to be honest with you.”
Jared winced. “I’m sorry-”
“Don’t be. You had a right to be angry. I kept it a secret for years but it’s over now, and we’re together.” Sacha glanced over at him, and Jared saw his shoulders rise and fall.
He felt this strange emotion, and Sacha’s worry came through their bond. Jared furrowed his brow. Worry?
“Are you okay?”
“You don’t regret it, do you? I mean, you didn’t-”
“Hey, stop that.” Jared stood and walked over to him, pulling him into his arms and hugging him tightly. “No. If I didn’t want to be mated with you, then I would never have come back.” Leaning back, he stared into Sacha’s eyes. “Being with D and Jeremy opened my eyes, and I knew I wanted what they had. The connection they have is indescribable, Sach, and I know we will have that too.”
Sacha released a shuddery breath, and Jared kissed him, putting into it as much emotion into as he could. He felt the love flow between them, his and Sacha’s, and he groaned, pushing Sacha up against the kitchen wall.
“Yes,” Sacha cried out, his hands reaching between them and undoing the button and zipper on his jeans.
They quickly stripped, and Jared lifted Sacha, who wrapped his legs around his waist. His fingers slipped over Sacha’s hole, finding it still sticky from their earlier session after the shower.
“Please,” Sacha begged. “I’m ready.”
Jared lined his dick up with Sacha’s hole and pushed in, his forehead dropping onto Sacha’s as he inched further into Sacha’s body.
The emotions flowed between them, no words needed to be spoken, and he opened his eyes, gazing into Sacha’s, riveted by the red glow that shimmered in them.
“So beautiful,” he whispered.
He moved slowly at first, relishing the feeling of Sacha’s body gripping him, but he couldn’t stay that way. All too soon, his pace quickened, the force of his thrusts strengthening until the kitchen echoed with the sounds of their bodies slapping together.
Sacha cried out with every thrust, and they shared hot, open-mouthed kisses, practically eating each other up.
When Sacha growled, Jared instinctively turned his head to the side and screamed when Sacha bit deep. He slammed them both against the wall, his legs trembling when he came, his hips grinding on Sacha’s.
He felt the wet heat splash across his abs as Sacha’s orgasm ricocheted through their bond, ramping up Jared’s own orgasm.
He didn’t know how long he stood there, but eventually, Sacha moved, and he let his legs drop to the floor.
“Shit, Sacha,” he muttered hoarsely.
“Yeah, but what a way to go, right?”
Jared laughed, nodding in agreement. “I’d feel sorry for the paramedics though.”
Sacha grinned, leaning up and kissing him gently. “Shower?”
As Jared finished in the shower, Sacha called his father. They needed information on their bond. The truth, not the lies that seemed to be everywhere.
So far, he knew about the telepathy, the increased lifespan, and that Jared would get stronger and faster, but was there more?
Walking back into the kitchen, Sacha picked up his cell and grinned at the wall they’d fucked against. Now that was a great memory.
Dialing Alessio’s number, his father was quick to answer.
“Sacha.”
“Morning, Father. I have something to tell you.”
“By the happiness I can hear in your voice, I’d say you and Jared have mated.”
“Yes, we have. Oh, Father, it is so much more than I ever thought it would be. I can feel J
ared in a way I can’t describe.”
“I’m so happy for you. Truly, Sacha, but why are you calling me? Shouldn’t you be working on cementing the bond between you?”
“Did you know that we will live longer, now we’re mated?”
There was a pause, and then Alessio said, “No. I wasn’t aware of that at all.”
“I mean the telepathy is amazing, and I knew about that, but apparently, Jared will be stronger and faster too.”
“Where did you find this information? You know so much of the information out there about us is false.”
“You remember Donnie?”
“Yes, a good, strong vampire.”
“His mate is human, and they’ve been researching the mate bond. They’ve said there’s so much shit out there, but they’ve found out other things too. Things that now appear true.”
“So much of our knowledge is lost. Mating has become increasingly rare.”
“And why is that, Father? Why are mates so difficult to find?”
Alessio sighed. “I don’t know, son. I truly don’t. I wish I did know.”
“What about our family history? We kept books on our ancestors. Do you think there might be something there?”
“It’s worth a look. I can have the books boxed up and sent over.”
“That’s great. Thank you, Father.”
“I’m so very happy for you, son. Now, go and enjoy your mate and I’ll see you at work Monday. Love you, son.”
“Love you too, Father.”
As he put his cell down, Jared asked, “Well?”
Shrugging, Sacha stepped into his embrace. “He doesn’t know much more than we do. He’s going to have our books sent over.”
“I have to go, Sacha. Chester just called. I don’t want to leave you, but...”
“Go and help those who need you. I’ll be here, waiting for you.”
“God, I love you, Sach.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter Ten
Sacha stared at the box in front of him. It had arrived that morning, and he couldn’t figure out how Alessio had managed to get the books shipped over so quickly. He’d expected it to take a week at least, not two days, but if Alessio wanted something doing, it got done.
He carefully sliced through the tape and opened the flaps, looking at the contents inside. Each book had been wrapped individually to protect it from damage and further protected by bubble wrap.
The box had ‘Handle with Care’ stamped all over it with the Marchesi brand stamped on the side. As he went to pull the bundle free, there was a knock on his door, and Alessio walked in.
Closing it behind him, he walked over to the table, rubbing his hands together, and peered into the box. “I see they arrived in good time.”
“What did you do, Father? Threaten someone?”
Alessio winked and helped Sacha pull the bundle free, knocking the empty box to the floor as Sacha carefully placed the bundle on the desk. He removed the bubble wrap and closed his eyes, smelling the distinct aroma of old books.
“Wow,” Alessio murmured, his hand running over the cover of one of the books. “It has been years since I last saw these.”
“Before you emigrated?”
“Oh yes, Sacha. Maybe even longer than that. These hold all our ancestor’s records and hopefully the answer to some of your questions.”
Sacha looked through the pile, pulling out what appeared to be a diary.
“A diary?”
Alessio gave him a small, sad smile. “Yes, la bisnonna.”
“I never met her.”
“No, she died before you were born. A beautiful, kind-hearted woman. My great-grandmother.”
“This is her diary, and she was a vampire, right?”
“Oh, very much a vampire. She didn’t want us to reveal our existence. She was afraid for her children, you see. Afraid we’d be hurt.”
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Sacha sat down and carefully opened the book in his hands, seeing the faded writing on the pages.
“Not as bad as we feared, but in some areas, it was horrendous. We were hunted down, tortured and murdered. But, others saw how we could be helpful and supported us. It was a slow, laborious process, but it was worth it. Look where we are now.”
“Two hundred years later.” Sacha smiled at Alessio.
Alessio pulled up a chair and sat next to him, his fingers touching the books gently. “I hope they hold the answers.”
“Should we start with the older ones first? When did mates become rare?”
“When I was younger, I think. We talked about them more back then, but as a young man, I don’t recall many matings.”
“So, the decline has been happening for a while. I wonder why?”
Alessio shrugged. “The only ones I know are yours and Donnie’s.”
Sacha tapped his lip with his finger. “Both with humans. Could that be it? Are we meant to take human mates? I can’t see that being the answer. Surely, we would have had vamp with vamp matings?”
“It could be any number of reasons. We are fewer in number, we are spread further out from the home countries. The mates I can remember were a vamp to vamp only, and they were older couples.”
“What if a human and a vamp had children?”
Alessio frowned. “I would assume vamp genetics would be dominant. We are stronger than humans. I would think that would be the case with our DNA too.” Shrugging, Alessio continued, “I’m no biologist.”
Sacha glanced through the pages, struggling with some of the words and phrases. It had been a long time since he’d spoken or written in Italian, but he knew enough to get started.
Alessio stood. “I have a meeting to attend. I’ll come back in after to see how you’re doing.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Sacha was vaguely aware of the door closing, engrossed as he was by the words in front of him. He spent the next several hours reading what he could and making notes, but by the end of the day he was left with more questions than answers.
Penina, his great, great grandmother, wrote about many things. Family, friends, disagreements. It wasn’t until Sacha was further in that she first mentioned that only a few had found their vampire mate. It was that phrase that caught his eye. Vampire mate.
Sitting back in his chair, Sacha frowned at the sentence. So far there hadn’t been any mentions of humans in relationship terms, and he had to think about the timescale involved.
Penina was born 1843 and died 1975. Humans would have known about vampires, but it would have taken years for all humans to find out. Plenty of time for stories and nightmares to be told.
To Penina, humans were a source of food, but also to be treated with respect. Sacha rubbed his achy eyes. All this reading was tiring, but he felt he was on the right track. If vampires had never mated with humans, even if they were mates, then the gene pool would have shrunk.
Their numbers had decreased, and maybe that was part of the reason.
He was an only child, and he knew his parents had tried for years to have him.
Flipping to the genealogy chart, he traced each mating, and in each one, the number of children dropped. Could it be that simple?
He lifted his head when Alessio came in. “Any luck?”
“Did you know that with each mating the number of offspring decreased?”
“What? Really?”
“It’s here in the records.”
“Can you see when the change occurred?”
Sacha scanned the tree. “Here it is. Late 1700s, maybe early 1800s.”
“Ah, the Industrial Revolution and the start of the human population growth. It was because their numbers were increasing that we revealed our existence.”
“Seriously?” Sacha stared open-mouthed at Alessio. “Their numbers couldn’t have been that high.”
“Records show they hit one billion around 1800, so it was enough. Today, we number around 250 million, and there are over seven billion humans. The time was rig
ht. Can you imagine what would happen if we chose to reveal ourselves now? In this climate we find ourselves in?”
Sacha shuddered. Yeah, maybe they’d made the right choice, but could the Industrial Revolution and the increasing numbers of humans have caused a decrease in their numbers?
It seemed so far-fetched, but it was beginning to look that way.
“Do you think...?” Sacha trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.
“The two combined caused irreparable damage?”
“Has it?”
Alessio sighed. “Maybe not.” Then quieter, “Maybe not. What if some of our mates are human? Interesting.”
“Are you going to take it to the Council?”
“I’ll speak to them. Whether they do anything with it is another matter.” Again, Alessio shrugged.
The Vampire Council didn’t appear to involve itself in the day-to-day lives of vampires like it used to. They seemed more interested in arranging deals with humans and furthering their own prosperity.
“Keep looking, figlio mio.”
“I will.”
Sacha looked at the book in his hands, and with a deep sigh, began reading again. He would find an answer.
The rain hammered down, bouncing off the equipment and hitting the ground around them. They’d been called in on a missing persons case. They’d worked together with the local law enforcement and were now searching the surrounding fields and forests.
The missing person was a young African American woman, back home from college for the weekend. No one knew why she’d disappeared and her family was frantic.
It had been five days, and Jared could see the locals and the police losing hope. Still, he and the rest of Rescue Inc carried on, never giving up. She was coming home one way or the other, Jared just hoped the outcome was that she made it home to her family alive and well.
He trudged through the wet and muddy fields, adjusting the first aid kit he carried on his back. He glanced to his left and right, seeing the line of people that stretched out alongside him before looking ahead again.
Staring at the mud, he grunted when his boot got stuck and had to pull it free.
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