Blood Contract

Wolf Creek Pack 8

Blood Contract Danny Erickson knew things were bad when he got called to the dean's office at his university. He just didn't expect to see his estranged father when he arrived or the proposal his father offers him. Little does Danny know that by signing his name on the dotted line, he's agreed to become the personal blood donor to a vampire prince and there is no breaking this blood contract. Prince Dominic Xavier Lucian Ruelle is dying. He needs a blood donor with pure blood. When Danny is brought to him, Dominic finds himself dealing with feelings he has never experienced before. Falling in love with his blood donor was never part of the contract. When Danny's life is threatened, Dominic will do anything to save him, even break every rule of his kind. He's even willing to give up his life to save the man he loves. But will it be enough and will it be in time? More importantly, will Danny accept a vampire prince as his mate? Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves Length: 39,759 words

BLOOD CONTRACT Wolf Creek Pack 8

Stormy Glenn

EROTIC ROMANCE MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

BLOOD CONTRACT Copyright © 2011 by Stormy Glenn E-book ISBN: 1-61926-006-9 First E-book Publication: November 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Blood Contract by Stormy Glenn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Stormy Glenn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Glenn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

BLOOD CONTRACT Wolf Creek Pack 8 STORMY GLENN Copyright © 2011

Chapter 1 “Erickson!” Daniel Erickson snapped awake, sitting up straight in his chair so fast that his writing pad slid off his desk and hit the floor. He blinked for several moments, confused about what had jarred him from his sleep. “Erickson!” “Yes, sir!” Oh yeah, he was in class, Professor Brewer’s philosophy class, at that. The man was a terror, not only because he talked in a constant monotone that made Danny want to jab his eyeballs out with a pencil, but also because the professor flunked anyone at the drop of a hat. The only reason Danny was taking the class was because he needed a philosophy credit to get his degree. “The dean of students wants to see you in his office.” “Yes, sir.” Danny reached down and grabbed his pad off the floor and laid it on his desk. He could hear a few small titters of laughter around him but chose to ignore it. One, he was used to people laughing at him, and two, he was already under Professor Brewer’s evil eye. He didn’t need to add to it. “Now, Erickson.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “Now, sir?”

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“Now, Erickson.” “Yes, sir.” Danny quickly gathered his things and shoved them in his backpack. He could hear the laugher around him increase when Professor Brewer sighed deeply. God, he so wasn’t going to pass this class. He had nightmares about taking the professor’s class over and over again until his hair turned grey. Danny grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder then ran up the lecture hall steps to the door. He heard the professor go back to his monotone lecture that would make the dead fall asleep, as the door closed behind him. Danny had no idea why the dean wanted to see him. He tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. Danny was breathing heavily by the time he reached the other side of the university campus where the dean’s office was located. While he knew there were only a few steps up to the front of the building, they felt like a hundred. Working two jobs and attending the university full-time was starting to take their toll on him. He was exhausted. His feet felt like they were weighted down with cement as he climbed the steps. He let himself into the building then walked down the hallway to the dean’s office. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Danny opened the door and walked inside. He smiled at the receptionist and stopped in front of her desk. “Hello, I’m Daniel Erickson. I was told to report to the dean’s office.” “Please have a seat, Mr. Erickson,” the receptionist said as she reached for the phone. “I’ll inform the dean that you are here.” “Thank you.” Danny heard the receptionist talking on the phone as he turned and walked over to one of the two chairs situated along the wall by the door. Before he could even sit down, the dean’s door opened and a man in a very expensive blue suit walked out, his eyes searching the outer office until they settled on Danny.

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“Mr. Erickson,” the man said as he held out his hand to Danny. “I’m Dean Phillips.” Danny stood straighter and locked his legs into place. His knees felt like they were going to buckle. “Hello, Dean Philips.” “Please, come into my office where we can talk.” Trepidation filled Danny as he followed the dean into his office. As far as he could remember, he was passing all of his classes. He didn’t even have any absences. Why did the dean want to see him? He wasn’t too sure he wanted to know the answer, yet he was overly anxious to find out. “Please”—the dean waved his hand to a chair in front of his desk—“have a seat.” Danny felt a lump form in his throat as he sat down. He wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his jeans as his heart beat out of control. “Am I in some sort of trouble?” “Oh my, no. I just wanted to check and see how you’re doing.” “Doing?” Danny was so confused. He didn’t even know the dean knew who he was. He’d never met the man. Why in the hell would the man want to know how he was doing? “I’m doing fine, I guess.” “Having any problems in any of your classes?” “Not that I know if.” Danny frowned. “Why? Is there something I should be aware of? Did I miss an assignment?” “Not that I am aware of.” The dean smiled broadly. “I’ve heard nothing but good things from your professors.” Shit! The dean was talking to his professors? Danny gripped his backpack straps tightly in his hands. “I don’t understand. If I’m doing okay and I’m not in trouble, why did you call me here?” “I’m sure I can explain it if you will just—” The dean stopped talking when something buzzed, and he reached over to push a button on his phone. “Yes, Gina?” “Your next appointment is here, Dean Philips.”

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“Good, good.” The dean smiled even broader, which Danny didn’t think was possible. He looked like his face was about to split in two. “Please, send him in.” Danny started to get a cold foreboding feeling when the dean jumped up and walked toward the door, smoothing his tie down. Danny’s fingers nearly strangled the straps of his backpack as he stood and turned to face whoever was coming into the dean’s office. He had a pretty good idea, and if he was right, he was leaving. Danny’s heart thudded faster as the door slowly opened. He took one look at the man walking in and swung his backpack up onto his shoulder. He headed for the door, avoiding the inquisitive gaze of the other man, and held out his hand to the dean. “Thank you for meeting with me, Dean Philips, but I have to get back to class.” “Oh, but—” the dean stammered, glancing back and forth between Danny and the man standing by his desk. His eyebrows scrunched together as if he was totally bewildered. “Daniel,” the other man said sternly, “you will stay.” “Wow.” Daniel turned to face the man. “You remembered my name. Did they get snow blowers in hell?” “Daniel!” the man admonished, his eyebrows drawing down in a deep frown that Daniel had seen more times than he could count. It used to scare the shit out of him. Now, it just made him angry. “Father,” Danny replied. “We need to talk, Daniel.” “I think that everything that needs to be said between us has been said.” Danny started for the door. “Good day, Father.” “Your brother is ill.” Danny paused at the door and slowly turned to face his father. The man had been known to lie to get what he wanted. Danny didn’t know if he could trust the words coming out of his father’s mouth. “How ill?” he probed. “He’s in the hospital on a ventilator.”

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“What’s wrong with him?” Danny hated his father. He didn’t hate his brother, even if they were no longer speaking. Samuel hadn’t said a word to him since the day Danny had moved out of their parents’ house. But he was still Daniel’s twin brother. “He’s in a coma.” “A coma?” Danny whispered. “What do the doctors say?” Danny knew his father had paid for the very best doctors in the country. Samuel was his golden boy, his heir. And unlike Danny, Samuel was straight. Lowell Erickson put everything into his oldest son, all of his attention and any emotional feelings he might have. He certainly didn’t share them with his gay son. “The doctors don’t know what is wrong with him.” Lowell frowned again, giving Danny a clue that there was something more. His father had tell signs. Frowning was one of them. “That’s why I’m here.” Danny was confused. “Why are you here?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “I know you didn’t come all of this way to tell me Samuel was in the hospital. A phone call from your assistant would have done that.” “I need a sample of your blood, Daniel.” Danny thought his eyes might have bugged right out of his head as he stared at his father. “My blood?” “The doctors believe there is something wrong with Samuel’s blood. As Samuel’s twin, they want a sample of your blood to test to see if you have a similar anomaly or if it’s just Samuel.” There was something about that explanation that didn’t sit right with Danny, but damned if he could figure it out. His gut was screaming for him to run and never look back. But it was Samuel they were talking about. Whether Danny liked it or not, he’d stay and listen. “What about mother or you?” he asked. He wasn’t Samuel’s only blood relative.

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“We’ve already been tested. Neither of us is a good match for Samuel.” That drew Danny’s attention. His father had said they were looking for an anomaly, not a match. “Match for what?” “If your blood is the same as Samuel’s, you can give him a transfusion that could essentially save his life.” “Just how sick is he?” Lowell folded his arms behind his back and gave Daniel a stern stare. “I’ll pay for your entire four years here at the university in whatever field you wish to study if you agree to give me a sample of your blood and stop asking stupid questions.” Danny thought of the two jobs he held down to pay for his schooling and keep a roof over his head. There was barely enough to keep food in his stomach. He worked long hours in both jobs while carrying a full load of classes. It was the only way he could afford to pay for his education. The second Lowell Erickson learned that his youngest son was gay, he had kicked Danny to the curb. He refused to pay for Danny’s education or even help him with an apartment. He had just given Danny two hours to gather his stuff and leave the family estate. Danny barely had three thousand dollars in his bank account when he left home, a present from an aunt when she passed away, the car he’d been given for his twenty-first birthday, and some boxes of personal items. Everything he had gained in the last three years he had earned on his own. “I don’t want your money.” “What do you want?” “I want you to leave me the hell alone.” “Done.” “You said that way too quickly,” Danny said. “Why don’t I believe you?”

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“I am speaking the truth, Daniel, and I’ll sign anything you want to that effect if you agree to give me the blood sample I want, and donate the blood needed if you are a good match.” Danny’s eyes narrowed. His father was meeting his demands way too easily. There had to be a catch but damned if he could find it. “Fine, have something drawn up, and I will give you a blood sample.” Lowell reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his cell phone. “Stewart, please come into the dean’s office, and bring Mr. Sullivan with you.” Danny’s jaw dropped when his father snapped his phone closed and dropped it back into his pocket. “You knew I’d agree. You already had this set up.” “Of course.” Danny hated the smug look on his father’s face. What he wouldn’t give to be able to knock it off of his face. “What would you have done if I demanded the money?” “Paid you.” Figures. Before Danny could reply, not that he knew exactly what he would have said as confused as he was, the door behind him opened up, and two men walked in. The first one Danny recognized as Stewart, his father’s assistant. Stewart was never far from his father’s side. Danny was pretty sure they spent more time together than his father spent with his mother. The other man Danny didn’t recognize. He would have remembered if he had met the man before. Besides the fact that he was built like a brick shithouse, there was a glint in his dark eyes that made Danny shiver as if a cold draft had suddenly blown through the room. Danny couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, but something told him to be very wary of this man. “Do you have the papers, Stewart?” Lowell asked.

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“Of course, sir.” Stewart laid his briefcase down on the dean’s desk and opened it up. He pulled out a file and handed it over to Lowell. “This is everything you require, sir.” “Very good,” Lowell said as he flipped the file open and read over whatever was inside. After a moment, he snapped the file closed and handed it to Danny. “You’ll find that everything is in order as I said it would be.” Danny took the file from his father and opened it up. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when he found a legally binding contract inside. He read it over quickly. He wasn’t that versed in legalize, but the contract seemed fairly simple. He could even see his father’s chicken scrawl signature at the bottom of the page. The man should have been a doctor instead of an investment banker. His signature was horrible. The contract was short and sweet, just a single page. If Danny agreed to supply his father with a blood test and donate the blood required to the appropriate people if he proved to be a match, his father promised to never contact him again. As hard as Danny tried to see the hidden trap within the contract, he could find none. When he flipped the file closed, his father held a pen out to him. “If you will sign the contract, we can get on with this. Mr. Sullivan is here to draw your blood and see if you are a possible match.” Danny frowned and glanced around. “Shouldn’t I go to the hospital to have my blood drawn or something?” “Please forgive my interference, Mr. Erickson,” Mr. Sullivan said as he stepped forward, “but I am a trained phlebotomist. I can take your blood and test it right here. And I only need a drop of your blood to perform my test.” Danny blinked in surprise, one, because of how soft-spoken the large man was, and two, because he had thought the man was talking to his father when he said Mr. Erickson. “Uh, I suppose that would be okay.” “Then sign the contract, Daniel,” Lowell said. “It’s for the good of your family.”

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Danny thought that was a strange statement when he was doing this for his brother, not his entire family, but considering that Samuel was the golden boy, Danny supposed it made sense. He grabbed the pen from his father and signed the contract. Danny barely had time to set the pen down before the contract was ripped away from him. He frowned as his father looked it over then handed it to Mr. Sullivan. Danny had no idea why the phlebotomist needed to see the contract. It was between him and his father. “Wha—” “Please step over here and have a seat, Mr. Erickson,” Mr. Sullivan said as he folded the contract and slipped it into his pocket. He reached down and grabbed a black bag off the floor and carried it over to the chair next to the one he had indicated to Danny. Danny’s gut was screaming at him again. It was telling him to run far and to run fast and to run now. But for the life of him, Danny couldn’t figure out why. There was something off about this whole situation. He just couldn’t figure out exactly what. Without a good reason to refuse, Danny walked across the room and sat down, setting his backpack down on the floor next to him. “Please give me your hand.” Danny had had blood drawn in the past. He knew how it was done. Holding out his hand wasn’t part of it. “Why?” Mr. Sullivan smiled, which was eerie enough in itself, and held up a small black device about the size of a cell phone. “If you remember, I only need a drop of your blood to see if you are compatible. A drop from your finger will do just fine.” “Is that one of those glucose readers?” Danny asked as he held out his hand. “In many ways it is similar, but we do not use it to read for glucose levels.” Danny jumped when he felt a little prick. It didn’t hurt, just surprised him. Mr. Sullivan pressed a cotton ball over the tip of his

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finger then turned back to his bag. Danny grew curious as he watched Mr. Sullivan pull out a vial of dark-red liquid. The man opened the top of the cell-like device that had drawn Danny’s blood, revealing a small square with white paper inside. He placed a drop of the dark-red liquid from the vial in the small white square then closed the lid. Mr. Sullivan smiled down at Danny. “This shouldn’t take more than a moment.” Danny smiled back. His nervousness wasn’t getting any better. His father stood across the room with his hands folded behind him, but Danny could feel the weight of his stare even from there. Stewart, who Danny had never liked, stood close by Lowell, almost hovering. The dean just looked confused as he stood by the door. Danny jumped when the device in Mr. Sullivan’s hand suddenly beeped. A smile began to spread across Mr. Sullivan’s rugged face as he stared down at it. “Well?” Lowell snapped. “It is as you said, Mr. Erickson,” Mr. Sullivan replied. “The contract will be honored.” “Good. I expect to hear from you by the end of the week.” Danny blinked in confusion when his father turned without saying a word to him and walked out of the office, Stewart fast on his heels. Lowell didn’t even stop to shake hands with Dean Philips. He just left. Danny turned his attention to the other man in the room, watching as Mr. Sullivan replaced everything into his bag. “What happens now?” “You are a compatible match, as your father said you would be. Our contract with your family will be honored.” Danny jumped to his feet and started backing away. He knew there was a fucking catch. “What contract with my family?” Mr. Sullivan was frowning when he glanced up from his bag. “The contract you signed.”

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“I signed a contract with my father, not you.” Mr. Sullivan patted the pocket of his jacket. “I have your signed contract right here, Mr. Erickson. The contract is between you and my employer.” “No, no.” Danny waved his hands back and forth. “I saw my father’s signature on that contract. It’s between him and me.” Mr. Sullivan heaved a deep sigh and opened his bag back up, reaching inside. “I’m afraid that was not your father’s signature, Mr. Erickson. It is the legally binding signature of my employer.” Fear spiked in Danny when Mr. Sullivan turned around with a syringe in his hand and started advancing across the room toward him. Danny darted toward the door but found it blocked by two large men he hadn’t seen standing there before. They didn’t move toward him, just blocked the exit. “Mr. Erickson, please,” Mr. Sullivan said as he followed Danny around the room. “You are making this much more difficult than it has to be.” Danny dodged the man every time he came near. He wasn’t about to let some lunatic stranger inject him with a strange blue substance. “Stay the hell away from me!” he shouted. Mr. Erickson sighed again then gestured to the two large men guarding the door. “Be careful with him. You know who you have to face if you leave a single mark on him.” The men nodded and advanced. Danny was boxed in. He knew it was childish, but Danny started to scream as loud as he could when they grabbed him and held him in place. Mr. Sullivan walked over and calmly injected the blue liquid into his arm. “There now, that wasn’t so bad was it?” “Wasn’t so bad?” Danny shouted. “You just—” Danny slumped as every muscle in his body gave out. He felt someone catch him just before he hit the floor. The last thing he saw was Mr. Sullivan shaking his head and sighing deeply, then nothing.

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Chapter 2 “Is he here?” “He is, sire. I’ve placed him in the adjoining room.” “I want to see him.” “Dominic, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Sully said. “He’s sleeping right now and—” “I want to see him!” Dominic growled silently. “As you wish.” Sully bowed his head and walked out of the room. Dominic closed his eyes. That little bit of bravado had sucked the energy right out of him. His eyelids felt like they were attached to lead weights. He couldn’t ever remember being this tired, not even when he fought in the French Revolution, and that had been a bloody battle that lasted for ages. Dominic opened his eyes and turned his head when he heard the door open. He watched Sully walk in, a man cradled carefully in his arms. Dominic’s curiosity was piqued when he got a good look at the tuff of sunlight-blond hair sticking out of the blanket wrapped around the young man. “Is he okay?” Dominic asked when Sully laid the unconscious man down next to him. “Yes, he’s just sleeping.” Sully grimaced and folded his hands in front of him as he stood up next to the side of the bed. “I’m afraid I had to give him a sedative.” Dominic’s eyes shot up and met Sully’s for a moment then went back down to the man lying beside him. An unnatural concern for the human filled him. “Why?”

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“I do not believe he was fully informed of the conditions of the contract by his family, sire.” “What?” Dominic snapped. “He signed the contract, did he not?” “He did, but I think he believed he was signing a contract between him and his father, not you. When I informed him of the contract between the two of you, he resisted. That’s when I had to sedate him.” “He does not want to be a donor?” When Sully remained silent, Dominic turned to look at him. “Say what is on your mind, Sully.” “I am unsure of what exactly Erickson told the boy, Dominic, but I do not believe he is fully aware of the situation.” “What exactly did he think he was signing?” “As I said, a contract between him and his father.” “For what purpose?” “Again, I am unsure.” “Well, what do you know then?” Dominic snapped silently. He hated the silent communication he had to use due to his ill health. He’d much rather be stomping his foot and shouting to the heavens than having to use mental telepathy. It was too draining on him and didn’t have the same effect. “He is a perfect match, Dominic.” Dominic sighed and laid his head down on the pillow next to Danny’s. “Let me see him.” Sully reached down and pulled the edges of the blanket back to reveal the sleeping man’s perfect heart-shaped face. Dominic inhaled sharply at the beauty laid out before him. He had not expected his blood donor to look so handsome. “He is a beauty.” “No one is to touch him.” Dominic growled, his eyes narrowing. He had a sudden urge to attack Sully. He just didn’t have the energy. “I will rip out the throat of the first man to touch a hair on his head.” Sully arched an eyebrow at Dominic, a gesture that very few men got away with in front of him. It was only Sully’s years of service and friendship that allowed him to get away with it unscathed.

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“Don’t you think you’d better regain your strength before you start making threats?” Sully asked, arching a dark eyebrow at Dominic. “I doubt you could rip out the throat of a fly right now.” “We must begin the process right away,” Dominic replied as he continued to stare at Daniel, ignoring Sully’s observation about his dwindling health. “I will need my strength to keep the watchers away from him.” “You will.” Sully nodded his agreement, a slight grimace crossing his face. “Once they learn that Daniel is your match, they won’t hesitate to take him out.” “I want the sentries doubled,” Dominic growled. He had an unfamiliar need to keep Daniel safe, something he wasn’t used to. “I am appointing you his Sàssari until I am able to protect him on my own.” Sully visibly gulped. “Sàssari?” Dominic started to chuckle at Sully’s shock, but it quickly turned into a cough, shaking his body with the force of it. By the time Dominic was done coughing, Sully was standing next to him, a glass of water in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. “You’re getting worse, Dominic,” Sully said as he gently wiped the blood away from the corner of Dominic’s mouth. “We must start the bloodletting as soon as possible, or we may be too late.” Dominic nodded. He knew Sully was right. He was growing weaker by the hour. He already couldn’t walk or sit up on his own. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to lift his hands or turn his head. Dominic was most worried about being able to use his fangs. If he didn’t have the strength to drink blood, he’d die. “How soon can we start?” he asked Sully. “I’m growing tired.” “I can draw some blood for now or give you his wrist, your choice.” “I am not so weak that I cannot drink from the source,” Dominic growled, curling back the corner of his upper lip, showing the tips of his fangs. “Give me his wrist.”

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“Are you sure, Dominic?” Sully asked. “He was pretty resistant.” “He signed a legally binding contract, did he not?” “Yes, but—” “Then he is bound by the contract he signed.” “Dominic—” “Now!” Sully sighed deeply. “As you wish, sire.” Dominic tried not to seem too eager as Sully brought Daniel’s wrist to his mouth, but he would have been a fool to pretend he wasn’t. And Dominic Xavier Lucian Ruelle had never been accused of being a fool. Dominic was surprised at how delicious Daniel’s skin tasted as he stroked his tongue across the man’s wrist. Most humans had a slight bitterness to the taste of their skin. Dominic associated it with drinking vinegar. Daniel tasted like fresh summer mint. Ambrosia unlike anything he had ever tasted blasted across Dominic’s tongue when he sank his fangs into the soft flesh of Daniel’s wrist. Daniel’s blood was hot and succulent, sweet like dark chocolate. Dominic could feel it start infusing into his cells with every draw. He knew that the more he took, the healthier he would grow until he was once again at his former strength. He also knew if he took too much, his blood source would die from giving too much blood. Dominic reluctantly withdrew his fangs and licked the bite wound. His saliva would heal any puncture wounds he had left, leaving Daniel’s skin rosy pink within an hour. “Make sure he gets plenty of food and drink,” Dominic whispered out loud, his voice sounding shaky and hoarse after so long without use. “He will need the protein to replenish his system. Give him some sort of supplemental vitamins as well.” “Yes, Dominic.” Sully walked around to the other side of the bed and lifted Daniel into his arms. “I will let him sleep until the sedative wears off then see that he eats.”

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Dominic nodded then laid his head back against the pillows. “See that he gets anything he needs, Sully. He is to be treated like the treasure he is.” He felt strangely bereft as Sully carried Daniel out of the room. He wanted to taste more of Daniel’s blood, partly because it tasted so damn good, but also partly because he could already feel some of his strength returning. After being ill for so long, the intensity of the energy running through his system at the new infusion of fresh blood was overwhelming. Getting old sucked. **** Danny licked his lips and tried to swallow. His mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls or desert sand. He tried to swallow, but even that made him feel like he hadn’t had anything to drink in days. He was dying of thirst. He jerked back and cried out when he felt someone wrap an arm around his shoulders and lift him up into a half-sitting position. Pillows were placed behind his back to help him sit up, for which Danny was grateful. He felt wiped out. “Ssshhh, you are safe, Daniel.” “D–D–Danny,” he whispered as he tried to open his eyes. “M–My name is Danny.” Danny’s eyes finally fluttered open just about the time a glass of orange juice was held against his lips. He grabbed for the glass and tilted it up, groaning when the sweet tangy taste slid down his throat. Danny decided he was in love with orange juice. It was the best damn thing he had ever tasted. “Whoa.” A voice beside him chuckled. “Slow down. There’s plenty of juice. If you drink it too fast, you’ll get sick.” Just as he drank down the last of the orange juice, Danny glanced over at the man beside him. He started choking when he inhaled too

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fast, fear spiking through him when he recognized the man that had injected him with some sort of blue liquid. Danny pushed the glass away and started scooting back, trying to put space between him and Mr. Sullivan. He quickly glanced around the room to find an exit, only to realize he had no idea where he was. If he could think of any word to describe the room he was in, it would be opulent. The floors were hardwood but covered with Persian rugs. A large marble fireplace sat against one wall, a small sitting set directly in front of it. Danny’s jaw dropped. “Is that real Chippendale furniture?” “Yes.” Mr. Sullivan’s chuckle reminded Danny that the man was in the room with him. Danny turned to look at him. He started to glare until he got a good look at the tapestry on the wall behind Mr. Sullivan. “Damn, that looks like a tapestry from the middle ages,” he said, pointing to the integrate tapestry. “I’ve seen those in my history books.” “It is.” Mr. Sullivan glanced at the tapestry over his shoulder. “A ninth-century depiction of Charlemagne, I believe. My employer purchased it many years ago.” My employer. Those words reminded Danny of the contract he had signed and the sedative that had been forced upon him. Danny’s eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Mr. Sullivan. “Take me home!” Mr. Sullivan sighed as he poured another glass of orange juice. “I’m afraid that is impossible, Daniel.” “Danny!” he growled. He hated being called Daniel. Only his parents called him Daniel. His brother Samuel didn’t even call him Daniel. No one did. “Danny, then.” Mr. Sullivan smiled. “And you must call me Sully.” “I want to go home, Sully.” “Again, that is not possible.” Danny’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

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“You’ve signed a contract, Danny,” the man began. “It is a legally binding contract that will be upheld by any court in the land.” “I don’t fucking care. I signed it under false pretences. No judge would enforce it.” “I’m afraid you are wrong there. My employer is a very powerful man. He has a whole team of lawyers that will ensure that the contract is fulfilled to the letter of the law.” Danny scrambled to the far side of the very large bed he sat on when Sully turned to him and held out the glass of orange juice. He wasn’t going to let the man get near him again, no matter how much he wanted another glass of juice. “This is kidnapping. You’ll all go to jail for this.” Sully sighed deeply again. Danny was really starting to hate that sound. “I want to go home.” “Danny, calm down.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “Calm down? Calm down? Are you fucking nuts?” Danny pointed an accusing finger at the man. “You kidnapped me and sedated me and then tell me to calm down. I don’t want to calm down, damn it. I want to go home. Shove that calm down bullshit up your ass, Sully.” “For now, you are home.” “The hell I am.” Danny jumped to his feet and ran to the first door he could reach. He could hear Sully racing after him, and his heart started pounding faster. He jerked the door open and ran through it, skidding to a stop when he spotted someone sleeping in the large bed that dominated the room. He stared, his curiosity growing when the man opened his eyes and stared back with the most alluring blue eyes Danny had ever seen in his life—not vivid blue, but pale sky-blue eyes that sparkled in the light. They were almost eerie in their intensity. “Danny Erickson,” Sully said as he stepped up to stand next to Danny, “I’d like you to meet my employer, Dominic Xavier Lucian Ruelle.”

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“Hello,” Danny said automatically. He frowned when the man simply nodded at him. Without taking his eyes off of the man, Danny turned his head slightly toward Sully. “Is he okay?” “Dominic is very sick, Danny,” Sully replied as he folded his hands in front of him. “That’s why you are needed here.” “Sick?” Now that Sully had said something, Danny could see the sunken eyes on the man’s pasty-white face. His eyes looked a bit glossy and not as clear as they should have been. And there was a frailty about the man that gave him an air of illness. “He’s the one that needs my blood?” “He does. Remember when I tested your blood?” Danny nodded. “You are a perfect match for Dominic. Without you, he will die.” “Can’t you find someone else with good blood?” “We could look, but I’m not sure there would be enough time to find someone else that would be Dominic’s match. His condition is pretty severe.” Danny shivered as the man’s blue eyes just continued to look at him. He didn’t say a word, just stared. “Why isn’t he talking?” Danny whispered. “He cannot.” Danny’s head whipped up to Sully. “He can’t talk?” “He is too weak.” “What exactly is wrong with him?” “It is very complicated.” Danny frowned at Sully. He rested his hands on his hips and glared at the infuriating man. If he was giving up his blood, he at least deserved to know what was wrong with the man. “Uncomplicate it.” Sully frowned at the man lying in the bed for a moment then turned to look at Danny. “Dominic has a rare genetic disorder that has poisoned his blood. Without a transfusion of pure blood, he will die. He grows weaker every day.”

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Danny grimaced and glanced back at Dominic. The man did look pretty sick. Danny couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy, but still… “How much blood are we talking here?” He felt sorry for the guy, but he was far from stupid. “Small infusions only, Danny. We would not take enough to harm you.” Danny arched his eyebrow as he turned to stare at Sully. “That doesn’t answer my question.” Danny’s eyebrows continued to draw together when Dominic started chuckling, but the man’s amusement quickly turned into a deep cough, shaking his entire body. When Sully rushed over to the side of the bed to help Dominic into a sitting position, Danny trailed slowly behind him. There was something about the man in the bed that drew Danny. “Geez, he really is sick, isn’t he?” Danny asked as Sully wiped a small trail of blood away from the corner of Dominic’s mouth. “He is, Danny,” Sully said. “I wasn’t lying about that. Without an infusion of pure blood, Dominic will die.” Danny felt like crap. He didn’t want to be here, and he didn’t want to give his blood away. On the other hand, the man was depending on him for his very life. Could he honestly, in good conscience, say no? “Look,” Danny said as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and bounced on the heels of his feet, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to share a little of my blood. I don’t want anyone to die because of me. But you need to start looking for a replacement. I can’t keep donating blood. I have responsibilities back home.” It suddenly dawned on Danny what he had said. He glanced down at his watch then groaned, smacking himself in the head as he swore silently. “Do you have a phone I can use? I need to call my boss and tell him I’m going to be late.” “Tell your boss you quit.” Danny’s mouth dropped. “I can’t quit. I need that job.”

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Sully was silent for a moment then suddenly nodded before glancing over his shoulder at Danny. “You will be well compensated for your time.” “I don’t want money!” Danny snapped. He flung his hands up in the air as he stalked across the room, anger burning through him at an alarming rate. “What is it with you people and your money? It doesn’t buy you every damn thing you want.” “You’d be one of the few who thought that.” Danny rolled his eyes as his lips pulled back into a sardonic twist. “Money is not the be-all and end-all of the world.” Sully chuckled as he winked at Danny. “Maybe not, but it sure makes living a little easier.” Danny crossed his arms protectively around himself, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. He kicked at the rug beneath him with the toes of his bare foot. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t know about that. I don’t have any money.” His head snapped up when he heard a snort from across the room. Danny’s eyes slowly narrowed as he took in the smirk on Sully’s face. “You have something to say?” “You can’t tell me you don’t have any money,” Sully said. “We’ve done business with your father for several years. We’ve even been to your family’s estate. Your father has more money than he knows what to do with.” “My father does, yes,” Danny snapped and then shoved his thumb at his chest. “I, however, barely have a cent to my name. I work two jobs just to keep a roof over my head. That doesn’t even count the cost of my tuition and books. Being poor sucks.” Sully seemed totally confused. “But he’s your father.” Danny arched an eyebrow. “And?” “Why isn’t he paying for your tuition? He has enough money.” “Because he hates my guts,” Danny said with all the contempt he felt for his father lacing his voice. “And believe me, the feeling is entirely mutual. Why do you think I signed that damn contract?”

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Sully frowned, tilting his head to one side for a moment, looking as though he were contemplating what Danny had just asked. “Why did you sign the contract?” “My father promised to never contact me again if I gave him a sample of my blood. If my blood was compatible, I was to donate it to Sam—” Danny’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Samuel!” “Who?” “My brother, Samuel.” Danny brought his hands around to his chest and started ringing them together as worry for his twin brother took hold of him. “My father said that Samuel was sick, that he was in a coma. He said that Samuel needed my blood.” “I’ve never met Samuel.” Danny blinked as his hands fell to his sides, his concern for his brother momentarily forgotten in his confusion. “You’ve never met Samuel?” “No.” Sully shook his head, looking even more puzzled than before. “I’ve never even heard of him.” Danny scratched his head as he tried to figure out who was on first. “But you said you’ve been doing business with my father for years and that you’ve been to Westhaven Estate.” “We have.” “Then how could you not have met Samuel?” Danny asked. “He lives there. He’s involved in all of my father’s business dealings. He’s being trained to take over for my father when he retires.” Sully tilted his head again, only this time, he tilted it toward Dominic. After a moment, he nodded and turned to look back at Danny. “Your father never told us about Samuel nor did we ever meet him. As far as we knew, you were his only child, and we only found out about you last month.” Danny’s head snapped back as the impact of Sully’s words hit him head-on. “That’s not right. I need to find out what happened to Samuel. We might not have always gotten along, but he’s still my brother.”

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Sully gave Danny a quick nod as his jaw tightened. “We’ll find out what happened to him, Danny. I promise.” “Thank you,” Danny said as he ran his hand through his hair, tugging on the ends. He needed a haircut, he thought absently. His hair was practically to his shoulders now as it was. His mother would have a fit if it wasn’t trim and styled. Mother! “Can I use your phone?” Danny asked quickly, his head snapping around frantically. “I need a phone so I can call and ask my mother what happened to Samuel. As long as father doesn’t find out I’m calling, she’ll tell me.” “Why would your father be upset if you called your mother?” “I’m not allowed to call home.” Danny shrugged, not caring who knew what a bastard his father truly was. “I still do, though. I just have to make sure I call when father isn’t around or he’ll take it out on my mother.” “He hits her?” Sully snapped angrily as he jumped to his feet, outraged apparent on his face. “God, no, he’d never hit her.” Danny snorted. “That would leave marks, and he couldn’t have the neighbors thinking badly of him. It might damage the reputation he’s spent so many years, and more money than god, to build.” Sully suddenly chuckled as his features relaxed. “Yes, I did get that impression from him.” Danny shrugged again. “Yeah, well, try living it. It’s just another reason I don’t want anything to do with my father.” Sully rubbed his hand across his chin as he studied Danny. “You really signed the contract so that your father wouldn’t have anything to do with you?” “You read it, didn’t you?” Sully nodded. “Before I signed the contract, my father offered to pay for all of my schooling if I would sign it. I turned him down. I don’t want his

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money. It’s never brought me anything but grief. I told him that if he agreed never to contact me again, I’d sign.” Sully whistled low. “You hate him that much?” “What do you think? You’ve met the man.” Sully sobered as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking contrite. “Danny, you do understand that the contract was not between you and your father, right?” Danny waved a hand at Sully as his eyes trailed over to the sick man lying in the bed. What was it about him that made Danny want to give him whatever he needed? “Yeah, yeah, I got that part.” “Do you understand that Dominic is paying your father five million dollars for your signature on that contract?” Danny’s head spun as his mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious,” he whispered. “I am perfectly serious,” Sully replied. “We asked your father to help us find a blood donor for Dominic. We offered five million dollars upon signing.” “That’s why he said he expected to hear from you by the end of the week.” Danny stepped back to sit in the chair by the marble fireplace. He missed the chair and slid down onto the floor with a soft thud. He blinked a few times, looking at Sully and then the sick man in the bed, and then finally down at his own hands as the reality of his situation took hold. “My father sold me.”

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Chapter 3 Dominic could hear the pain in Danny’s voice, and it ate at his soul. No one should have to discover that their father was a cold ruthless bastard that sold them. It wasn’t unheard of to buy a blood donor in his circle, but Dominic still didn’t like it. That’s why he had demanded the donor sign a contract. He wanted a willing donor. Many of his kind thought nothing of forcing a human to donate, but Dominic thought himself above the barbaric ways of his race. It didn’t look like he got a willing donor, though. “Get him off the floor, Sully.” Dominic did the best he could to scoot himself up against the pillows as Sully walked across the room and lifted Danny up and helped him into the chair. Danny just bent over and buried his face in his hands. “Tell him I will rescind the contract,” Dominic said silently. He had to do something to take the anguish off Danny’s face. The mere sight of Danny’s pale face made his stomach clench, a strange sensation for him to be feeling, but he did feel it. Sully swung around and glared. “Are you out of your mind? You need his blood.” Dominic shook his head weakly. “Not like this.” “You will die, Dominic.” “We’ll find someone else.” “There is no one else. We’ve been looking for months. Danny is the first human we’ve found that is compatible with you. We do not have time to find another donor. Be reasonable.”

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“Tell him, Sully.” Sully’s lips pressed together in a mutinous protest. Dominic just continued to stare at Sully until the man’s shoulders slumped and he heaved a heavy sigh, turning to look down at Danny. “Danny.” “Huh?” Danny’s head came up. “Dominic does not want to force you to be here.” “That is not what I said, Sully,” Dominic growled. “Tell him what I said.” By the time he had finished shouting at Sully through their shared telepathic link, Danny was staring over at him. Dominic crooked his finger then watched Danny stand up, slowly walk across the floor, then sit on the side of the bed. “Is this okay?” Danny asked, patting the side of the bed next to his thigh. Dominic nodded. “Look, this thing between me and my father,” Danny said, “it has nothing to do with you. If your contract is legal, I will honor it.” The corner of Dominic’s mouth curled up as he snorted. “Tell him it is legal, but I will not force him to honor it. I refuse to have an unwilling blood donor.” Sully rolled his eyes and walked over to stand behind Danny. “You’re out of your mind. He’s human. Just offer him more money. Offer to pay for his schooling.” “Somehow, I don’t think this one is interested in money, Sully.” “He’s human!” Sully snapped. “Enough!” Dominic shouted out loud. He realized his mistake almost immediately when Danny shot off the bed and moved several feet away, shaking from head to toe. Dominic also realized that his little outburst had drained his remaining energy. Dominic slumped back against the pillows and closed his eyes against the glaring light in the room. His head throbbed as tendrils of

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pain wove around his skull. He didn’t even have the strength to lift his hand and massage his temples. “Dominic?” Sully whispered. “I’m here,” he replied mentally. “You used up all your energy, didn’t you?” Sully asked. “Does he need blood?” Danny asked. Dominic’s eyes popped open when he heard Danny speak. He looked worried. His dark blond eyebrows were drawn together, wrinkling his forehead. The mattress dipped as Danny sat back down. Danny was still shaking, but he was sitting down. Dominic’s mouth dropped open in shock when Danny held out his arm. “I don’t exactly know how this is done,” Danny said, “but you can have what you need.” Dominic could feel the fear racing through Danny. He knew the man was trying to be brave when all he really wanted to do was run. Dominic had to admit he was impressed. He hadn’t run into many humans that had Danny’s sense of honor. “Ask him if he is sure, Sully.” “Dominic wants to know if you’re sure, Danny.” Danny’s lips parted as his head swung around to look at Sully. “He didn’t say a word.” Danny’s head snapped back around. “You didn’t say a word. Your lips never moved.” Dominic’s lips curled up in amusement as Sully chuckled. He nodded at Sully. “Tell him.” “Dominic can speak to me telepathically, Danny.” If anything, Danny’s mouth seemed to drop open even more. “You’re psychic?” “He’s not psychic exactly,” Sully explained. With each word Sully spoke, Dominic could see Danny’s eyes widen. “We’ve been together for many years. We have a bond that allows us to speak in this manner.” Dominic was intrigued when Danny’s eyes suddenly darted away and his face flushed. “You’re lovers?”

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“Not hardly.” Sully started laughing hysterically. Dominic rolled his eyes. He’d no more sleep with Sully than he would a woman. The man was more like his brother than anything. He’d never even looked at Sully like that. “No, no, Danny,” Sully quickly said. “Dominic and I have never been lovers. I tend to like my lovers with a few more bits and pieces than Dominic has. But we’ve been friends for a very long time. Our close association allows us to speak telepathically.” “Oh,” Danny whispered. His dark blond eyebrows drew together, and he chewed on his bottom lip for a moment as he met Dominic’s eyes. “Is that why I can’t hear you? Because we just met?” Dominic nodded. “You don’t have a bond with Dominic,” Sully added. Dominic cocked his head to one side when Danny’s eyes darted away again. The emotions flowing off of Danny were resignation, and, strangely enough, sadness. Dominic wasn’t used to human emotions. His kind didn’t feel things like humans did. He had no clue how to make Danny feel better. “Take my blood if you need it.” Danny held his arm out again. “Really, it’s okay.” Dominic could feel his gums itch at the prospect of tasting Danny’s sweet, addicting blood once more. He wasn’t sure what he should do. The last time Danny had been unconscious. This time, he was awake and fully aware of what was going on. “What’s wrong?” Danny asked as his arm slowly lowered to the bed. “I thought you needed it desperately.” “He does,” Sully answered for Dominic. “He’s just not sure how to take it from you.” “Don’t scare him!” Sully shrugged, looking unrepentant. “He might as well find out now.” “What does that mean?” Danny asked as he looked from Dominic to Sully. “You use a needle, right?”

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Dominic groaned, wishing he could palm his face as Sully shook his head. His longtime friend was not going to explain this correctly. He could just feel it. “Okay, Danny. Here’s the deal,” Sully said. “I’m going to lay it all out so you can get the freaking-out part out of the way, and then Dominic can feed.” “Feed!” Danny shouted as he scrambled off of the bed. “What the hell do you mean feed?” Dominic growled. Sully looked as though he was having too much fun with this. If he were at full strength, he’d kick the vampire’s ass from one end of the mansion to the other. “Knock it off!” Dominic could tell Sully was trying to hide the smirk that threatened to emerge. His friend always did have one twisted-ass sense of humor. “You have the blood, he has the fangs,” Sully stated matter-offactly. That’s it! Dominic was officially going to string Sully up by his balls when he was at full strength. “I’m warning you,” Dominic threatened low and menacingly. “Th–that would make him a vampire.” Danny squeaked as his eyes darted between the two. “There’s no way he’s a vampire. Is there?” Danny shook his head frantically. “No, there’s not. It couldn’t be, could it? No. That’s just fantasy. Isn’t it?” Dominic watched Danny’s slow meltdown with a sinking heart. He wished there was something he could do to comfort the human, but alas, he was too weak to even offer a word of support. He wondered where his compassionate feelings were coming from. As a vampire, he had emotions, but they were muted, dull. “I gotta go. My dog needs to be walked,” Danny muttered as he walked around in a circle, biting his thumbnail. “If I don’t walk my cat, he’ll wet the floor.”

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Dominic’s brows pulled together as Danny seemed to come unhinged. This worried him. Yes, he needed Danny’s blood, but not at the price of the man’s sanity. “Take him to his bed. Make him rest.” “But you need to feed,” Sully protested as he watched Danny’s circle tighten, almost as if he were chasing his own tail. Dominic growled at the awed expression on Sully’s face. “I can wait while his mind absorbs what you just tossed out there without a thought.” Sully looked like he wanted to argue and then nodded. “Do you want me to put him into a trance?” Dominic felt a sudden growl begin to build in his chest. He clenched his hands in the sheets to keep from doing anything he shouldn’t. The mere thought of anyone attempting to glamour Danny sent rage boiling through him. Dominic blinked in surprise. That was new. He very rarely got angry over anything. “No, not unless you have to. I’d prefer that Danny not be under any more influence than necessary.” “You are off your rocker, my friend.” Sully chuckled as he shook his head and approached Danny cautiously, carefully, and then laid his hands on Danny’s shoulder. “Time for a nap, Danny.” Danny looked up as if just now realizing that he wasn’t alone in the room. “Okay. Can you take my bird for a walk?” Sully nodded, directing Danny back into the other room. Well, that was very interesting. **** Dominic woke the moment the bedroom door opened. He hadn’t really been sleeping, more like dozing fitfully. The slow burn building in his stomach had started aching over an hour ago. The small amount of blood he had taken from Danny earlier was gone. The need to feed was steadily growing.

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When he heard the sound of feet padding across the floor, Dominic turned. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Danny standing next to the bed, just staring down at him. When Danny didn’t say anything, Dominic began to wonder if the man was sleepwalking. Danny just stared. “Danny?” Dominic knew Danny couldn’t hear him, but he couldn’t stand the silence any longer. His eyes rounded when Danny lifted the blankets and crawled into the bed beside him. Dominic didn’t have the strength to fight Danny. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to, especially when Danny curled up next to him and snuggled in like he didn’t have plans on going anywhere. Danny wiggled for a moment, then reached back and grabbed Dominic’s arm, pulling it around him like a shield. Danny’s head nuzzled in under Dominic’s chin and his arm wrapped around Dominic’s chest. And then he sighed. Dominic’s heart began to race. He didn’t cuddle. Ever. It just wasn’t something vampires did. If the need to fuck arose, they found someone to relieve that need then went their separate ways. They didn’t cuddle. So, why did it feel so right to have Danny in his arms, curled safely at his side? Dominic couldn’t ever remember being so confused in his life, and he had been alive more years than he cared to count. Danny perplexed him. He was human, for one. That was a pretty big thing. After centuries of watching his kind being systematically wiped out and persecuted by the humans, Dominic didn’t have a lot of regard for them. They were good for feeding, and that was about it. He had yet to meet a human that he considered a friend, or even wanted to consider as a friend. Danny’s father was a perfect example of everything he hated in the human race. The man was evil right down to his bones. Unfortunately, Dominic didn’t have any other choice but to deal with him. Lowell Erickson was one of the few humans that knew about

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vampires, and that meant, as much as Dominic despised the man, he had to deal with him. The less people that knew of the existence of vampires, the better. And, as much as he was repulsed by Lowell Erickson, he was drawn to the man’s son. Dominic didn’t know how to explain what he was feeling, mostly because he didn’t ever remember feeling theses strange emotions before. He wanted to cradle Danny to him, hold the man close and keep him safe from harm. At the same time, he wanted to attack anyone that even looked at Danny, and that included Sully, a man he trusted with his very life. Dominic was too tired to try and figure this all out right now. The warmth of Danny’s body pressing against him combined with the odd sense of calm he felt was drawing him down into sleep. Dominic turned his face toward Danny’s head. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh scent of mint that filled his senses. There was something else, almost like the smell the first summer rain made when it fell to the parched earth and saturated the ground. Surprisingly, the soft fragrance was comforting to Dominic. It was the smell of renewal, something Dominic desperately needed and hoped Danny could give him. Dominic closed his eyes and tightened his arm around Danny’s body as much as he possibly could considering his lack of strength. This strange sense of peace he felt concerned him. Maybe he should talk it over with Sully…in the morning.

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Chapter 4 Danny woke feeling warm and content. It was an odd enough feeling to pull him abruptly to the surface. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so deeply or felt so rested upon waking. He also couldn’t remember ever waking so hard and aching in his life. Danny had heard of morning wood. He’d even experienced it before. What he was sporting between his legs felt more like morning cement. He ached so much he almost cried out. Danny started to roll out of bed to go to the shower and fix the problem when he suddenly became aware of an arm wrapped around his waist, and cool smooth skin beneath his cheek. Danny inhaled sharply as he realized he was wrapped in Dominic’s arms. Oh shit! Dominic was a vampire. Danny scrambled away from Dominic as fast as he could move. He slid over the side of the bed then crawled backwards until he felt the wall at his back. He scrunched his head down and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he tried to make himself as small as possible. A lump formed in his throat when Dominic moved. Danny was going to die, he just knew it. He was trapped in a room, hell, in an entire mansion, with a vampire. Yep, his time on earth would only last as long as his blood supply did. “Danny.” The croaked word struck fear in Danny’s heart. He watched Dominic struggle to sit up for a moment then slump back against the pillows.

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“Danny,” Dominic whispered again, the word sounding fainter. His hand waved in the air for a moment then fell back to the bed. When Dominic hissed and arched into the air, his hand clenching in the sheet, Danny forgot to be scared. Worry for the man swept through him. Danny jumped up and raced across the room, jumping onto the bed. Dominic’s entire body was rigid as if he were having a seizure. The blue in his eyes had been replaced with a deep, dark red and small tears of blood trickled down his tense face. His breathing was raspy and uneven. He looked to be in so much pain that Danny grew worried. “Dominic,” Danny whispered as he peeled the man’s hands out of the sheet and clasped their fingers together. “Do you want me to get Sully?” When Dominic’s body slumped back against the mattress and went slack, Danny leaned in closer until they were nearly nose to nose. Dominic’s level of pain was evident in his red eyes. “Dominic, what do I do?” Dominic’s eyes wavered for a moment then went to the soft pulse beating in Danny’s throat. Danny swallowed hard. He knew what Dominic was asking, and it scared the crap out of him. If he gave Dominic the blood he needed, would he die? Would he become a vampire? Would he ever be able to go out in sunlight again? Dominic’s body suddenly convulsed again, going taut as it shook on the bed. More blood red tears slipped down his pale cheeks. Danny couldn’t stand it. He knew he might die. He knew he was agreeing to let a vampire, a creature of myth and mystery, drink his blood. But he just couldn’t sit there and watch someone else be in so much pain, not if he could stop it. “Please don’t kill me,” Danny whispered as he turned his head and brought Dominic’s face up to his neck. He squeezed his eyes tight and waited for the pain he knew was coming. How could it not? Dominic had fucking fangs!

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“Ahh,” Danny moaned when he didn’t feel excruciating pain instantly. Instead, he felt Dominic’s tongue stroke across his skin. A moment later, there was a small bit of pressure then all Danny felt was an overwhelming bliss as pleasure exploded through every nerve in his body. His cock filled and exploded in a matter of seconds, giving Danny the most intense, and quickest, orgasm he had ever experienced. Danny could feel Dominic continuing to suck the blood from his neck as he sank back against the pillows, panting heavily. He was totally freaked. It happened so fast that Danny barely had time to register the fact that he was aroused before he was coming in his pants like an untried schoolboy. That had never happened before, and it was quite embarrassing. Danny felt his face flush when Dominic extracted his teeth and licked the bite mark on his neck. He could feel that little lick shoot through his body and settle at the base of his cock. Danny groaned and turned his face to the side when he felt his cock try and come back to life. The contract said blood donor, not complete and utter slut. Danny had no idea what Dominic must be thinking of him, but it couldn’t be good if the little growls coming from the man were any indication. When Danny tried to roll away, Dominic’s growls grew louder. Oh fuck, he hadn’t died before, but it was looking like a distinct possibility now. Danny tried to freeze, to not make a single movement that would draw Dominic’s anger. And that would have been a great plan if he could stop shaking. “Dom–Dominic,” he whispered. He awkwardly patted Dominic’s sweat-slickened chest and prayed he wasn’t about to die. “Hey, man, are you feeling any better?” Danny was shocked down to his toes when Dominic nuzzled into his neck and licked at the bite mark again. Those weren’t the actions of a man bent on harming him. He hoped. Danny raised his hand and smoothed back the black hair from Dominic’s face.

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“Okay, now things are getting really weird,” Danny murmured when Dominic leaned into his hand and started making small purring type sounds. “One of us has lost his ever-loving mind.” **** “Danny.” Danny squeezed his eyes tighter and turned away from the annoying voice that was keeping him from his blissful dreams. And he was having such a wonderful dream, too. A gorgeous man with long black hair was— “Shit!” Danny instantly snapped awake and sat up so fast his head spun. He frantically felt his neck for puncture marks. His skin felt surprisingly smooth. He breathed a sigh of relief and started to fall back against the pillows when he heard someone call his name. Danny glanced around. He realized two things at the same exact moment, and both scared him to death. One, Dominic was practically wrapped around him, and two, his pants were stiff. They felt like they had dried cu—Danny’s face flushed fiercely as he realized that he did have dried cum on his pants when memories of the night before flooded his head. “Danny.” “Sully?” Danny turned to see Sully standing beside the bed. “What are you doing in here?” Sully asked quietly. “You shouldn’t be in Dominic’s room unless I come for you. Dominic is really sick, and he needs his rest.” Sully reached out for Danny’s hand. “Come on, I’ll take you back to your room.” “Oh, but—” Danny’s protest, if that’s what it was going to be, was cut off by a deep rumble beside him. Danny turned to look, and then his eyebrows shot up. Dominic was awake, and he was pissed. His lips were curled back as he growled, showing off a flash of very sharp-looking teeth. His eyebrows were drawn down deep over his red eyes.

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“Oh shit, there he goes again.” “Again?” Sully gasped. “Danny, did Dominic bite you last night?” Danny nodded, never taking his eyes off the creature in bed beside him. “Fuck!” Sully snapped. “Did he drink your blood?” “I’m pretty sure that’s why he bit me, Sully.” “Danny, listen to me very carefully.” The tone of Sully’s voice was filled with enough tension that Danny turned to look at the man. Sully was pasty-white. He didn’t like that look. Danny swallowed hard, just knowing Sully was going to tell him something he didn’t want to hear—again. “What?” “Did you drink Dominic’s blood?” “Eeewww.” Danny crinkled his nose, his stomach rolling at the very thought of drinking Dominic’s blood. He didn’t mind so much Dominic drinking his blood. It had been pretty hot, in fact. But him drinking someone else’s? He didn’t think so. “Danny, answer the fucking question!” “No!” Sully rubbed his hand down his face and grunted. “No, you didn’t drink his blood, or no, you won’t answer me?” “Both?” Sully looked close to throttling Danny. He wasn’t sure why, but that pissed Danny off. He was tossed into this crazy situation with misconceptions and deceit, and the least this man could do was have a little patience. “Okay, so let me get this straight. You did not drink from Dominic, correct?” Danny began to rub his temples, trying his best to calm down. “I did not drink from Dominic. Is that clear enough for you?” “Fan-fucking-tastic.” Sully’s lips pressed together, showing the tips of his fangs.

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Oh shit. Danny hadn’t thought to ask if Sully was a vampire as well. It had just never crossed his mind. He was too wrapped up in Dominic being a vampire. And now he was in a house with two of them? This was not good, not good at all. “So now you explain to me what would happen if I did?” Not that he had plans on…eewww. But having the knowledge couldn’t hurt. Danny wasn’t hip to the vampire way of life, so he needed to learn what not to do around these two that may or may not change or kill him. The side of Sully’s mouth pulled back into a shit-eating grin as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you sure you really want to know?” Talking to Sully was the most complicated thing Danny had gone through, even surpassing college. It was like pulling teeth from a lion to get a straight answer from the guy. Either that, or Sully was blunt as hell. Too bad this wasn’t one of the times that he was blunt. It would help Danny’s growing headache. “Not really, but give it to me straight.” This got a rumbling chuckle from the vampire. “Your neck.” Sully snickered. That was so not funny. Sully’s head snapped around as he looked at Dominic. Danny could tell that they were doing that talking thing again. It was strange as hell to him. Yet he wished he could do it with Dominic. A flare of jealously rose up in Danny that Sully had the privilege of that intimate act and he didn’t. “I’m trying my best here,” Sully said in an exasperated tone then he sighed deeply as he rolled his eyes. “Fine.” “What?” Danny asked as he looked from Sully to Dominic. He really hated being left out of the conversation, especially when he was in the same room. It was like a shared secret he wasn’t privy to.

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“You see, you have to stand in front of the vampire coven, naked, and let Dominic fuck you in full view of everyone, while drinking his blood.” Danny was horrified at the very thought of anyone seeing him having sex. “Really?” The side of Sully’s mouth quivered, and Danny wanted to kick the large man’s ass. “Not really, but I had you going, didn’t I?” Danny, along with Dominic, growled. Sully looked totally unrepentant. What in the hell was this man’s problem? “Is it that boring around here that you have to fuck with me?” Danny didn’t miss the grunt coming from Dominic. Was that an approval or disapproval grunt? “No, I just think humans should donate and remember their place. You’re cattle, nothing more,” Sully said as he gave Danny a disdainful look. “Moo,” Danny said as he flipped Sully off. Fuck him. Danny hadn’t done a damn thing but get bitten and…had the best damn orgasm of his life. Sully had no reason to lump him in with everyone else. He was starting to remind Danny of his damn father. “Oh, ho ho. You are asking for it, aren’t you, little human?” Danny nearly jumped out of his skin when Dominic gave off the loudest growl yet. For a weak man, it was impressive. “He started it,” Sully pointed at Danny. “How old are you?” Danny asked as he scooted closer to Dominic. “Never mind. Can we get back to why I can’t drink from him, or was that a fooled you kind of thing as well?” Sully’s eyes darkened as his face pulled back in anger. “This is nothing to joke about, Danny. If you had drunk from him, you might have bonded with Dominic. I’m pretty sure your human ass couldn’t handle that. Besides, Dominic deserves someone better, someone who would take all of this seriously.” Sully’s head whipped around to Dominic, his brows pulling together. “It’s the truth.”

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“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?” Danny shouted. He’d had enough. The secretive conversations and the cryptic-ass explanations were enough to make him see red. It was just like talking to his father. “Am I going to turn into a fucking vampire?” Danny glanced between Sully and Dominic when Sully’s mouth dropped open. Dominic’s chest began to rumble as he chuckled silently. Danny could see the amusement in the vampire’s blue eyes, which were surprisingly a more vivid blue than before. “No, Danny,” Sully finally said as he wiped at his eyes. “You’re not going to turn into a vampire. That’s an old wives’ tale.” “It is?” “Vampires are born, Danny, not turned.” Dominic grunted. “Sorry,” Sully said. “Most vampires are born, not turned.” Danny swallowed hard. “Most?” he squeaked. “There is a small percentage that can be turned. There is a virus in the vampire bloodstream that can transform someone into a vampire, but only if they have the vampire gene.” Danny swallowed hard. “That’s not the anomaly you were looking for in my blood, was it?” “No.” Sully shook his head. At least he seemed to be serious as he talked this time. “Like I said before, Dominic has a rare genetic disorder that has poisoned his blood. Without a transfusion of pure blood, he will die.” Danny frowned and glanced back, meeting Dominic’s eyes. “What sort of genetic disorder?” He looked back at Sully. “Does it have to do with him being a vampire?” “It’s more than that, Danny.” Sully suddenly seemed to grow serious, if not morose. “Dominic is very old. Because he has taken blood for so many years from so many different donors, his blood has become diluted. It can no longer sustain his system.”

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Danny wanted to know everything, but he felt like he was becoming more confused with every word Sully spoke. “How does my blood help him then?” “You have pure blood.” “Pure blood?” Danny cocked his head to one side. “Could you be more specific?” The corner of Sully’s mouth lifted. “Now days, the blood of most humans has been diluted by family genetics, their environment, and even how they live their lives. Their blood is slightly tainted. That is one of the reasons that Dominic is so sick. He’s been drinking tainted blood for way too many years.” “But my blood is pure?” Sully nodded. “Remember that little test I did with your blood back at the university?” Danny nodded. “I was checking to see if your blood was pure or not.” Sully smiled. “It was.” “And that means what?” “That means you can save Dominic’s life.” Danny swallowed again. This was just getting better and better. “How?” “He’s drunk from you twice now, and already I can see a difference in him.” Danny glanced back at Dominic again. He had to admit, Sully was right. Dominic didn’t look quite so pale. In fact, there was a small rosy glow to his skin. His blue eyes were clearer, too, and more vivid. And they didn’t look quite so sunken into his head. Dominic was even smiling. Danny sighed. “Okay, what do I need to do?” “You’ll do it?” Sully sounded shocked. Danny heard Dominic’s chuckle, as light as it was, when he rolled his eyes. He turned back to Sully. “Yes, I’ll do it, whatever it is.” “Dominic needs to ingest your blood a couple of times a day.”

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“How?” Sully’s eyebrow arched. “How?” “Yes, how? Does he drink from me directly, or do you draw blood or what?” “Well, I guess that’s up to you. I know drinking directly from the source can be painful to the donor, but we have ways to—” “I wouldn’t call it painful exactly,” he murmured as he ducked his head. Mind-blowing was more like it. Even now, Danny could remember the pleasure he had felt when Dominic took his blood. And it scared him to death that he wanted to feel it again, even if it meant letting Dominic take his blood the old-fashioned way. “It didn’t hurt when Dominic drank from you?” Danny felt his face flush fiercely. “No.” Sully glanced over at Dominic. “Did you—” Danny’s felt his face go from flaming red to pale white when Dominic shook his head. “Did he what?” “Vampires have the ability to put their blood donors into a trance,” Sully said, grimacing as he looked back at Danny. “It keeps them from fighting us when we need to feed. I’ve heard that the experience can be very painful if we don’t do that.” “Then he must have put me into a trance because it didn’t hurt at all.” Danny’s words sounded weak even to him, so he wasn’t surprised when Sully’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you—” Sully kind of waved his hand toward Danny, but his eyes dropped directly to Danny’s crotch. Once again, Danny felt his face flame. He so did not want to examine why he had felt so much pleasure at being bitten by a vampire. It was something he wasn’t ready to figure out at the moment. He wasn’t sure he was even ready to think about it yet. “Can we just not talk about it? It didn’t hurt, so I don’t mind Dominic drinking directly from me if he needs to. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

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“He’ll need to drink at least twice a day, Danny. Are you ready for that?” Danny gulped. Was he ready to experience exquisite pleasure twice a day? “Yeah, that’s fine.” Danny suddenly frowned as another thought hit him. He quickly looked up at Sully then down to Dominic. “I don’t have to feed anyone else do I?” Dominic growled, the sound growing louder the longer he made it. Sully chuckled. “No, in fact, if you do it will be a breach of contract. You are Dominic’s exclusive property for the length of the contract. To allow someone else to draw blood from you wouldn’t only break the contract, it would be in very bad taste.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “Bad taste? Seriously?” “It’s rude, Danny. Vampires are not known for their ability to share. There are donors that are free game, but everyone knows not to touch someone else’s marked donor.” Sully shrugged. “It’s just rude.” Danny was slightly amused by the concept of vampires having manners when he believed them to be bloodthirsty monsters. Hell, he believed them to be something made up for Hollywood movies. Boy, was he wrong. “You have got to be kidding me!” Sully suddenly shouted as he glared down at Dominic. “It’s too soon.” Danny frowned as he looked between the two men. He could tell that they were arguing silently by their fierce facial features. He just didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. He knew he was involved though. “It’s also rude to talk about someone when they are in the same fucking room!” Danny snapped. When Dominic growled at his loud tone, Danny rolled his eyes and climbed off the bed. He made a wide circle around Sully and started pacing back and forth at the end of the bed. Danny wasn’t quite sure why, but Dominic’s growl didn’t scare him in the least.

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Sully’s scowl, on the other hand, gave him the creeps and sent a shiver down his back. Danny pushed his hand through his hair, frustrated beyond belief at the two men. He slapped his hands on his hips and turned to stare at them both. “Look, if you want me to stick around and do this whole blood thing, then you’d better start telling me the damn truth, all of it.” The corner of Sully’s lip started to curl up, and a bit of white fang gleamed in the low light coming from the windows. A growl started to build in the man’s chest, becoming louder with each passing second. Danny was so freaking tired of not knowing what was going on that he lost his mind for a moment. It was the only way to explain his behavior as he marched right up to Sully until they were chest to chest and narrowed his eyes at the menacing man. “Go ahead, rip out my throat,” he snapped. He pointed at Dominic. “Just remember that I’m his perfect match, according to you. If you kill me, he loses my blood, and then you have to start the search all over again. And if what you said is true, he doesn’t have time to find a new donor.” “There are other ways to bring you to heel without killing you, human,” Sully snarled. Danny’s lips twitched with a strange sort of amusement when he saw the rage being barely controlled in the vampire’s eyes. He was past the point of caring at the moment if he lived or died. He just wanted to know what the hell was going on. “Bring it on, fang boy.” Sully’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second then narrowed down to tiny little slits of anger. He snarled and started to reach for Danny when Dominic’s light chuckle filled the room. They both turned to look at Dominic in surprise. Dominic was grinning, which was surprising for a man so close to death. “He’s got you there, Sully,” Dominic whispered. “You’d better tell him everything.”

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“But—” “Sully.” Sully rolled his eyes. “Fine, but don’t go blaming me if he runs screaming from the mansion. This was your fucking idea.” “Just tell him, Sully.” Danny’s eyebrows drew together even as he wrapped his arms around his waist to ward off the sudden chill crawling down his spine. “Tell me what?”

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Chapter 5 Dominic was intrigued by his new blood donor. He’d drank enough of Danny’s blood to have his sense of smell return to some extent, and what he smelled make his cock threaten to harden. Danny smelled like sex and man and deep, rich blood. He smelled like heaven. That Danny seemed to have enough courage, or lack of common sense, to stand up to Sully was an astonishing fact. Sully was one of the fiercest warriors Dominic knew. Not many were brave enough to stand up to him. Dominic even hesitated to do so on occasion. This wasn’t one of them. “Tell him, Sully,” Dominic demanded, going back to speaking silently. He didn’t want to waste the strength he had gained from drinking from Danny. That might mean giving up the ability to smell again, and Dominic couldn’t have that, not now that he had scented Danny. He’d bathe in Danny’s scent if he could figure out how to do it. Sully let out a deep sigh then walked across the room to grab a chair. He carried it back to the side of the bed and sat down. “You might as well sit down for this,” he said as he gestured to the bed. “It’s not a short explanation.” Dominic was thrilled when Danny walked right over and climbed up onto the bed next to him like he’d done it a thousand times before. There was something peaceful about having Danny beside him. Dominic suddenly remembered having the same feeling the night before, and his resolve to talk to Sully about it, but as Sully began to speak, he realized that conversation would have to wait for another

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time. It was more important that Sully explain everything to Danny so that Dominic wouldn’t lose him. “You are a contracted blood donor, Danny. That means for the length of your contract, you belong to Dominic. As an exclusive blood donor, there are rules that you must follow. Failure to do so will bring shame upon Dominic.” A frown covered Danny’s face. “You guys are really into this whole etiquette thing, aren’t you?” “We have to be, Danny,” Sully replied. “Vampires are always at the edge of violence. We’ve seen what can happen when we lose control. And believe me, it’s not pretty. In order for us to maintain control, we have rules that we must follow. Those rules include how blood donors are dealt with.” “Go on.” “Get the box,” Dominic said silently. Sully sighed again, a clear indication that he wasn’t happy, but he stood up and walked across the room to an ornate wooden armoire against the far wall. He opened it up and withdrew a small silver box that had been placed there years ago. Sully closed the door then carried the box back over to the bed, setting it down beside Dominic. “I need to sit up,” Dominic told Sully. He hated to have to ask for assistance, but he knew if he didn’t he would wear himself out. He was already starting to feel weak again. He knew he needed more blood, but he wanted this thing with Danny over with before he took more. Danny needed to know everything. Once he was sitting up against the pillows, Dominic reached for the box. He quickly noticed that his hands were trembling. He clenched them into a tight fist then opened them back up, frowning when the trembling didn’t stop. “Here, let me,” Danny said as he reached for the box. He picked it up and set it on Dominic’s lap. Dominic sent Danny a smile of thanks. He was surprised when his feelings of helplessness didn’t surface when Danny helped him. They

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raged around him when he had to ask anyone else. That was just another thing he would have to figure out later on. For now, he tucked that bit of information away and reached over to open the box. He cocked an eyebrow when Danny whistled low under his breath. “Do you like it?” He glanced at Sully then nodded his head toward Danny, indicating that he wanted Sully to pass on his words to the man beside him. Sully snorted as he looked across at Danny. “He wants to know if you like it.” “Me?” “Yes, you,” Sully grumbled. “It’s yours.” Danny’s mouth dropped open. Dominic chuckled and reached over, placing one finger under Danny’s chin, then closing his mouth. Danny scooted back, his face flushing red. Dominic thought it was an adorable look for the man. Dominic reached into the silver box and lifted out the gemencrusted black leather collar. He held it out to Danny. “Sully is right. It is yours.” He glanced over at Sully. “Tell him.” “Dominic says it’s yours,” Sully said. “It’s beautiful,” Danny whispered. Dominic smiled at the awe in Danny’s voice when he tentatively reached out to touch the collar. He knew it was an impressive piece of jewelry. He had meant it to be when he commissioned it many years ago. It was to grace the neck of his personal donor, a position that he hoped Danny would readily accept. The collar itself was made of the finest butter-soft black leather. Fitted into the leather in perfect symmetry were four gemstones—a natural red ruby, a crystal clear diamond, a deep green emerald, and a blue sapphire. Dominic’s personal emblem, a blood red tear dripping from the corner of a half moon, was embossed in gold between each gem. “In vampire circles, it’s the height of bad taste for a vampire to drink from someone that has an exclusive contract with another

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vampire. To insure that doesn’t happen, because it can start wars between covens, exclusive donors wear collars to designate them as taken.” Sully waved his hand at the collar Dominic held. “That’s the collar Dominic had made for you.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “He had this made for me?” “Well, not you particularly.” Sully snickered. “He had it made for his blood donor. In this case, that would be you.” Dominic frowned when some of the wonder fell from Danny’s face and he withdrew his hand. “It is his,” Dominic growled silently. “Tell him. It is his and his alone. No one has ever worn it before him.” Sully sighed deeply as he rolled his eyes. Dominic was going to punch Sully right in the mouth first chance he got. “Dominic says that no one has ever worn the collar before you. It’s yours and yours alone.” “Really?” Danny whispered. Dominic nodded when Danny peeked up at him through the fall of his sunlight-blond hair. He held the collar out and gestured to Danny’s neck. “Ask him if he will accept it.” “Seriously, Dominic?” Sully snapped back silently. “Just put the damn thing on him. He’s already signed the contract.” “Do it!” “Fine.” Sully slouched down in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he glowered at Danny. “Dominic wants to know if you will accept it.” “I have a choice?” Danny asked. “Apparently,” Sully grumbled. Dominic shot Sully a short glare. He’d have to talk to his friend about his manners once he was back on his feet. Sully didn’t much like humans, and Dominic knew he had good reason not to. Sully had experienced some pretty horrific things at the hands of humans. But Danny was different. Dominic knew it deep down in his soul. Danny wouldn’t chase them from their home or burn it to the ground.

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He wouldn’t try to bury a stake in their hearts or turn them over to the people that hunted his kind. Danny wouldn’t betray them. Dominic jerked his gaze away from Sully when he felt Danny’s fingers touch his wrist. He held the collar up, asking with his gesture if Danny would accept the item from him. It just felt better coming from him even if it was silent communication. Danny stared at the necklace for a moment then looked at Dominic. He stared for so long that Dominic started to lose hope that Danny would take the collar. He glanced away, not wanting Danny to see the need in his eyes, and started to place the necklace back in the box when he once again felt Danny’s hand on his wrist. “I’ll accept it,” Danny whispered. Relief flooded Dominic, and something he thought might be happiness, but he wasn’t sure. It was another emotion he wasn’t used to. None of the emotions he’d been dealing with since meeting Danny were ones he was used to. And all of them confused the shit out of him. When Danny leaned closer then tilted his head back, Dominic lifted the collar and wrapped it around Danny’s throat. His hands trembled so much that it took him a moment to get the clasp closed and sealed. He quickly pricked his finger and let a couple of drops of his blood drip over the latch closure. It wouldn’t prevent the collar from being removed, but it would warn others that Danny belonged to him, and, hopefully, keep them away. Danny now belonged to him, and Dominic would fight with everything in him to keep the man at his side. There was something more to Danny than just his position as a blood donor. Dominic didn’t know what that something was, but he did know Danny was special. “I have a question,” Danny suddenly said. Dominic cocked an eyebrow.

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“If I’m wearing a collar, how do you feed?” Danny asked. “I mean, last night you drank from my neck. Does the collar mean you drink from somewhere else?” Dominic grinned. He could think of a lot of places where he could drink from on Danny’s body, but the neck was the most convenient. He reached over and scooted the collar up on Danny’s neck then pulled him closer, barring his fangs as he prepared to sink them into Danny’s soft flesh. “Wait!” Danny suddenly said, stopping Dominic. Dominic leaned back to look at Danny. Was the man refusing him now? Did Danny want him to drink from somewhere else? Did he want to be put into a trance? So many questions flowed through Dominic’s mind, he didn’t know which one to address first. “Do we have to do this with Sully in the room?” Danny whispered so softly that Dominic almost didn’t hear him. Dominic blinked for a moment as he stared into Danny’s soft brown eyes. “Sully, leave us.” “What?” Sully snapped. Dominic glanced over at his friend. “Give us a few minutes.” “Why?” “Sully, don’t argue with me,” Dominic replied silently. “Just give us a few minutes.” Sully huffed loudly but got up and walked out of the room. Dominic rolled his eyes when the door slammed behind Sully. He was really going to have to talk to that man about his attitude. “How are we supposed to do this?” Danny asked when Dominic looked back at him. Dominic carefully trailed his fingers over the pulse beating in Danny’s throat then over the veins in his wrist. He knew what he preferred, but he wanted Danny to have the choice. When Danny tilted his head, Dominic almost jumped for joy. He probably would have if he had the energy.

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Dominic gestured to his lap. Danny cocked an eyebrow at him. Dominic chuckled and nodded. Danny shook his head like he thought Dominic was crazy then climbed over him, straddling his hips. Once Danny leaned over him, Dominic wrapped his hand around the back of Danny’s neck and pulled him closer. The strong masculine scent that was uniquely Danny’s twirled around him as he nuzzled the soft skin right under Danny’s ear. He grinned when Danny shuddered, then he scraped his fangs across Danny’s skin. “Do you want me to put you into a trance, Danny?” he whispered. “No.” Dominic took Danny at his word and sank his fangs deep into the man’s throat. Hot, sweet blood flooded his mouth, drawing a deep groan of satisfaction from him. That strange feeling of peace and contentment he had felt before came back with a rush as every cell in his body filled with Danny’s pure blood. Dominic was more aware of what he was doing this time and tried not to take too much of Danny’s blood, but the man just tasted so good. Power seemed to flow through every nerve in his body, bringing them back to life and giving him strength he hadn’t felt in ages. Dominic wanted more. He frowned and paused when he felt Danny move against him. For a moment, Dominic thought that Danny was fighting him. He would never take from Danny if that’s what the man didn’t want. Despite all of his years of taking blood from a donor, with Danny, it just felt wrong. And then he heard Danny moan. Dominic’s heart started pounding faster when he felt something hard press against his abdomen. He started sucking again, drawing more blood into his system. At the same time, Dominic stroked his free hand down Danny’s side to his hip. He pulled at Danny, encouraging him to continue moving. Dominic’s eyes widened when Danny groaned even louder and started bucking with enough force that Dominic was afraid his fangs

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would be ripped out of Danny’s throat. He quickly extracted his fangs and licked the bite wound clean. Dominic leaned back and glanced up just in time to see ecstasy transform Danny’s face into a thing of beauty. His breath caught in his throat at the sight. Dominic couldn’t remember ever seeing anything so striking as Danny in the throes of passion. Danny’s face flushed when he finally stopped moving and opened his eyes to stare down at Dominic. His eyes quickly dropped, and he tried to move away. Dominic caught Danny, wrapping his arms around the man to keep him in place. “Thank you, Danny,” he said, mildly surprised at how clear his voice sounded. Danny must have been astonished, too, because he suddenly looked up and grinned. “You can talk.” “I can, for now,” Dominic replied. “I’ll need several more infusions of your blood before I am back to my former self.” “Ho—” Danny’s eyes darted away as he cleared his throat. “How often do you need to feed?” “At least twice a day if you think you can handle it.” Dominic chuckled when Danny’s face flushed again. He reached up and smoothed the blond hair back from Danny’s face. “That’s an interesting response you have to a vampire’s bite. Not many people react the way you do.” “Yeah, well…” Danny turned his face away. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Danny.” Danny’s eyes dropped to Dominic’s sheet-covered crotch. “You didn’t—” “I doubt anything could get me aroused right now, Danny. I don’t have enough pure blood in my system. If it were to pool in my groin, I’d probably pass out.” “Oh.” Danny’s eyes darted away again.

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“Does it bother you that you enjoy being bitten?” Personally, Dominic was thrilled with Danny’s reaction. It would make their time together easier on both of them. Danny shrugged, avoiding Dominic’s intense stare. “I haven’t really had time to think about it.” “This has all happened pretty fast for you, hasn’t it?” Danny shrugged again. Dominic could see that Danny didn’t want to talk about it, and he didn’t want to force him to. He would eventually get his answers. He always did. But for now, he could wait. Dominic patted Danny’s thigh. “Why don’t you go take a shower while I call down for some food for you? You need to keep your system hydrated as much as possible or you could get sick.” He almost protested when Danny rolled to the side of the bed and stood up. Only by pressing his lips tightly together was he able to stop himself from telling Danny to get back in bed with him. He liked Danny right where he was. “Uh…” Danny’s eyes darted around the room. “Do you have something I can wear? I don’t have any of my stuff here.” That was something Dominic could eagerly supply for Danny. He liked the idea of the man wearing his clothes. Dominic pointed to a door across the room. “There should be something in one of the dressers in my dressing room. Take whatever you want.” Danny’s smile seemed tentative, but it was there. Dominic smiled back and then watched Danny walk into his dressing room. He sighed deeply, feeling better and more relaxed than he had in months. He wasn’t in top condition yet, but he was well on his way, thanks to Danny’s blood. Dominic was still smiling when he reached for the phone and dialed the kitchen. He ordered a large breakfast for Danny, his vitamins, and a large pitcher of orange juice. And he ordered

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everything to be brought to his room. He wanted to spend some more time with Danny and get to know his new blood donor. Danny was still in the shower twenty minutes later when there was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Dominic made sure the covers were pulled up then calmly folded his hands over his chest. “Come in.” The door opened, and Sully wheeled in a serving cart covered in domed dishes. He closed the door then glanced over at Dominic. “Where do you want this?” he asked as he waved his hand toward the cart. “Set it up on the table by the window.” Danny would enjoy the sunshine. Sully snorted as he rolled the serving cart over to the table by the window. Dominic arched an eyebrow when Sully started mumbling under his breath. “Is there a problem, Sully?” “What are you doing with this human, Dominic?” Sully snapped as he swung around to glare at him. “Having breakfast.” Dominic was a little confused by the animosity he could feel coming from his friend. He knew Sully had issues with humans, but Danny was different. Dominic just knew it. “You should send him back to his room, Dominic. He’s given you the blood you need, but now you need to rest.” Dominic frowned. Maybe Sully was concerned for his health and that was why he was being so hostile. “I’m fine, Sully. In fact, I feel better than I have in ages.” Dominic quickly held up his hand when Sully started to speak. “I promise I won’t even get out of bed. I’ll sit right here.” “I don’t like it, Dominic.” Dominic frowned. “I don’t remember asking you.” “Dominic!” Sully snapped. “Sully!” Dominic snapped right back. “He’s a human, Dominic.”

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Dominic cocked his head slightly. “I’m fully aware of that, Sully.” “Then start treating him like one!” “If you can’t deal with Danny being in here with me, then get out.” Dominic’s eyes narrowed as he glared at his longtime friend and confidant. Danny shouldn’t be blamed for what others had done to Sully in the past. “Fine, but don’t think I’m going to buddy up to him just because he tastes good.” Sully pushed the cart over to the table and then stormed out of the room. “He’s a fucking human. He’ll stake you in the heart the first chance he gets.” Dominic sighed. If he didn’t get Sully and Danny to find a common ground to at least be cordial to one another, his household was going to be one hostile environment. And as much as he cared Sully, the man needed to give Danny a chance. The question was, how did he get someone that detested humans to like one?

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Chapter 6 Danny looked down at the black silk pajamas he had put on. Although it wouldn’t have been something he would have purposefully bought, it wasn’t bad—a little strange to be wearing during the day, but he wasn’t about to put on one of Dominic’s expensive suits. He didn’t do suits. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in awhile—not since he had been at the university, as a matter of fact. Danny was starving. Donating blood was draining. Dominic was right. He would have to keep up his strength if he was going keep his end of the bargain, a bargain he hadn’t even been fully informed of. Danny really didn’t have an issue with donating blood. He’d done it before to earn a little money, although it had been a human facility. He’d never donated to a vampire before. It just would have been nice if his father had told him the truth. He mentally rolled his eyes. Like that would ever happen. Danny tossed the towel in the hamper and padded out of the bathroom as he pushed the contract from his mind. “It smells good in here.” He gulped when Dominic’s eyes instantly settled on him. That was eerie. Dominic’s gaze was intense. Dominic’s eyes followed Danny’s progress until he was standing by the bed. The vampire smiled as he nodded toward the window. “Sully brought you some breakfast. He also provided vitamins and orange juice. Go, enjoy it.” Danny was tempted to crawl back into the bed with Dominic. He didn’t want to admit to the man that lying next to him was comforting

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and very arousing. Danny averted his eyes before Dominic could see his heated skin and walked over to a serving cart. He took a seat then grabbed one of the covered plates. “Vitamins,” Dominic reminded him. Danny scooped up the bottle and set it by his plate. “I’ve never been one to take vitamins before.” He could feel the blush creeping across his cheeks whether he wanted it to or not. “I guess I should, huh?” Dominic chuckled. Danny knew the man saw his pinked cheeks. “Yes, Danny, you should. The supplements will help.” Danny removed the dome on the plate and nearly fell over. When was the last time he had a full-course breakfast like this? It had been so long that Danny had to think hard about it. He set the lid aside, not wasting time on the thought as he picked up the fork and dug in. His eyes rolled as the fluffy yellow eggs touched his tongue. They were sooo good. “Did Sully cook this?” he asked as he scooped another forkful into his mouth. “The kitchen staff did. I’m not even sure Sully knows where the kitchen is.” Dominic chuckled. “Does it taste good?” “God, yes.” Danny grabbed a homemade biscuit and bit into it, a moan leaving his lips. His eyes shot over to Dominic when he heard a low growl. Maybe he shouldn’t be making these noises while he ate. They did sound a little too racy. “I take it the breakfast meets your expectations,” Dominic said as he watched Danny eat. Danny gave a thumb up as he shoved a large piece of bacon in his mouth. It was rare he was able to enjoy the meat. His father hated bacon, refusing to let anyone in the house cook it. It was a shame, considering it was one of his favorite breakfast foods. He finished off his food quicker than he would have liked, setting his fork down on the empty plate. He grabbed the vitamins, popping

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them in his mouth, and then swallowed them down with a full glass of orange juice. “Do they have to be the size of horse pills?” Danny asked as he wiped the juice from his mouth with a napkin and stood up. He quickly stacked his used plates back on the serving cart then looked over at Dominic. “I’m not sure since I’ve never had to take one,” Dominic said with a little tease in his voice. “Vampires don’t get human diseases.” Danny looked around the room, unsure of what he should do now that he had eaten. He felt funny just standing there, so he shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on the heels of his feet as he glanced around the room. “Come,” Dominic said as he held a hand out for Danny. Danny crossed the room, crawling onto the bed and sitting next to the vampire, laying his hand in Dominic’s. “So, tell me about all of this.” He waved his other hand around to encompass the room. “What would you like to know?” Danny shrugged. He was really just trying to make conversation to fill in the silence. “Have you lived here long?” “A couple of hundred years, I guess.” Danny blanched. “A couple of hundred years? Just how old are you?” “I was born in France before the French Revolution.” Dominic chuckled and leaned closer. “I was a commoner,” he whispered as if it was a secret. “From what I’ve read in my history books, that might not have been a bad thing,” Danny said. “Nobility seemed to be losing their heads all over the place.” “Yes, and that is one sure way to kill a vampire, so you’re right.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? What about a stake through the heart?” “Hurts like hell.” Dominic chuckled. “Garlic?”

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“Tastes good on French bread.” Danny started to grin. He was beginning to like this game. “Holy water?” Dominic shrugged. “Not much different than tap water.” Danny narrowed his eyes. “Sunlight?” Dominic pointed to the open window. Danny felt his face flush when he noticed the sunlight shining through the window right where he had been sitting. He should have noticed it before, but he had been too hungry. “What can kill you?” Dominic’s head cocked to one side, and the smile slid from his lips. “Why do you want to know?” Danny swallowed at the hard look that filled Dominic’s blue eyes. In the blink of an eye, the man had gone from easygoing to menacing. Danny shrugged. “I was just curious. I’ve never met a vampire before.” “You probably have but just don’t know it,” Dominic said. Some of the cold steel left Dominic’s eyes, but they didn’t go back to the same joyful look as before. “There are more of us than the humans are aware of.” “How much of this does my father know?” “Probably all of it,” Dominic replied, giving Danny a peculiar look. “We’ve been doing business together for several years, as have many others in my coven. Why?” “Because my father is a rat bastard that wouldn’t think twice about turning you over to the authorities if it was in his best interest.” Danny pressed his lips together as he pondered how much to tell Dominic about his father. He hardly knew Dominic at all, but what he did know, he liked. He didn’t want Dominic to get into trouble, and Lowell Erickson was a trouble magnet. Danny grabbed Dominic’s hand with both of his and stared down at it. “Promise me that you’ll be very careful of my father. He’s an

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evil man, Dominic. If he knows about vampires, he’ll use that knowledge against you somehow.” Dominic’s dark eyebrows pulled down into a deep frown. His head tilted slightly to one side. “Why do you hate your father so much?” “Because he’s a bastard!” Danny snapped, dropping Dominic’s hand. “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said?” “Danny, stop.” Dominic reached over and placed his fingers over Danny’s lips. “I hear what you’re saying, Danny, and you need to know that I always take precautions when dealing with humans.” “When dealing with humans…” Danny couldn’t figure out why that statement caused him so much anguish. He knew from what little he had heard that both Dominic and Sully had reason to hate humans, but to be linked in with the same group of people caused a sharp stabbing pain in Danny’s chest. He stared down at his hands as he twisted his fingers together. “I guess I can understand that after all you’ve been through.” “I’ve lived a lot of years, Danny. I’ve seen what humans do to those that are different. I’ve also seen what my kind do to humans. There are wrongs on both sides. And my caution is not just narrowed down to humans. I’m careful of everyone. It’s what’s kept me alive this long.” Danny nodded. A small part of him felt a little better, but not much. He still felt like he was being bunched in with a group of people that Dominic didn’t like. And he didn’t like that. “So,” Danny said as he raised his head to look at Dominic. He desperately wanted to change the subject. “Tell me what it was like being born during the French Revolution. Did you ever see Marie Antoinette in person?” “Funny you should mention that.” Dominic chuckled as he settled back against his pillows. “There was this one time in 1792, right after the monarchy had been abolished…”

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Danny rested his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands as he listened with rapt attention as Dominic recounted his time during the French Revolution. History was a whole lot different when he talked to someone that had lived during that time rather than what he read in his history books. Danny was fascinated. Everything about Dominic fascinated him. The man was a walking, talking piece of history. He was also a sexy walking, talking piece of history. Add in the mystique surrounding being a vampire, and Danny knew he could become easily hooked. He didn’t even want to think about how readily he responded to the vampire’s bite. That just made him nervous. Sure, Dominic was a stunning example of what a male should be, but Danny didn’t think he should respond so readily to a man he had just met, simply because of a bite, no matter how erotic he was. “And then they shaved her head.” “What?” Danny’s head snapped up. His face flushed as he realized he had tuned Dominic out and missed almost everything the man said. Oops. “They shaved her head?” “Well, they didn’t really shave off her hair, just cut it. But it sure looked like it. She was driven through the streets of Paris to the Place de la Révolution, where she was executed.” Dominic shook his head. “It was sad really. She wasn’t perfect, but I don’t think all the things they said about her were true.” “She didn’t say, ‘Let them eat cake’?” Dominic chuckled. “She might have, but I was referring to the rumors that were spread about her. Her trial was pretty much a sham, her fate decided before the trial even began. Hell, she was only given a single day to come up with her defense.” Danny frowned. “That’s not what the history books say.” “The history books are wrong.” Dominic wagged his finger at Danny. “History is often written by the victors, and they get to say whatever they want. Why do you think the myths about vampires are what they are? I mean come on. I’m supposed to be so fascinated by a

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handful of rice thrown on the ground at a crossroads that I’ll stop to count each one? Or I can’t cross running water?” Dominic snorted. “I was born in France.” He waved his hand around the room. “Does this look like France to you?” Danny looked around the room. He took in the ornate marble fireplace, the French Baroque furniture, the colorful Persian rugs on the floor, and the old oil paintings on the wall. When he turned back to look at Dominic, he nodded. “Yeah.” Danny laughed. “It does.” Dominic stared for a moment then burst out laughing. “I suppose it does at that.” Danny smiled at Dominic’s amusement. “Much of this stuff came with me from France, and I picked up pieces here and there until I had enough to fill an entire mansion. Being as old as I am does have its benefits.” Dominic glanced around. “It reminds me of home.” “I thought you said you were born a commoner.” “I was. My father was a cordwainer.” “What’s a cordwainer?” Danny had never heard that term. “Someone who makes luxury shoes and boots out of the finest leathers.” Dominic sounded proud. “Like a shoemaker or cobbler?” “In a sense. In my time, a cobbler was someone who repaired shoes. A cordwainer was someone who made the shoes. Big difference.” “So, your father made shoes then?” “He did, and so did I until the revolution started, and then I became a soldier in the war.” “How did you become a vampire?” “I was born a vampire, Danny.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “You were born a vampire? I thought you had to be turned.”

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“Only in Hollywood.” Dominic chuckled. “Remember what Sully said? Most vampires are born. However, there is a virus in our bloodstream that can transform someone into a vampire, but only if they have the vampire gene.” “Vampire gene? What exactly is that? I didn’t really understand what Sully said.” Dominic nodded. “Every vampire has it. It’s what makes us vampires. For humans, if they have the gene and are bitten by a vampire, it transforms them into a vampire. If they don’t have the gene, it doesn’t affect them.” “And I don’t have the vampire gene?” “No, you don’t.” Dominic shook his head. “Sully would have told me if you had the vampire gene.” “Then why was he so freaked out over the idea that I might have drunk your blood?” Dominic shrugged. “Sully freaks out over a lot of things.” “He said something about us bonding if I drank your blood. Is that true? Will we bond?” “It can happen, but only if you had the vampire gene.” “Does that mean I’ll never be able to talk to you like Sully does?” “If I take enough of your blood, we will bond in a sense but on a different level than the bond I have with Sully. I’ll be able to talk to you mentally, but you won’t be able to talk to me.” “Oh.” Danny didn’t know why, but that bothered him. He wanted to be able to talk to Dominic mentally. Dominic cupped his hand around the side of Danny’s face. “Does that make you sad, chéri?” Danny shrugged. He wasn’t sad exactly, but he so didn’t want to admit to Dominic that he was jealous of Sully. And he was jealous. It was petty, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Besides the fact that the ability to talk to someone mentally was very cool, it also seemed kind of intimate, something he wanted even more since he discovered the ecstasy he could experience in Dominic’s arms.

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“How long does my contract last?” Danny asked, wanting desperately to change the subject again. And he was a little curious, as it had never been discussed in full detail. “Why?” Dominic asked. “Are you wanting out of our contract so badly?” “No, no.” Danny quickly shook his head. “I’m just trying to figure out if I need to drop out of school now or if I just need to take a leave of absence.” “Can you take your classes online?” Danny blinked. “Uh, I’m not sure. I don’t have Internet, so I never really found out.” Dominic gaped at Danny. “You don’t have Internet?” “Nope. Can’t afford it.” Danny grinned at the astonished look on Dominic’s face. “I have a pretty good laptop, but I use the free Wi-Fi at the local café if I need to work online. A lot of students do it that way. Internet is expensive.” Dominic lost his shocked look and started to chuckle. “We have excellent Internet here. Find out if you can take your classes online. Our current contract is for one year’s time, with an option to renew each year. You will be here for awhile.” Dominic reached over and stroked his finger down Danny’s cheek. “If you are unable to complete your classes online, I will hire a tutor for you.” Danny’s mouth dropped open. “You’d do that for me?” “Yes, I would. I do not wish to keep you from enjoying life to the fullest.” Dominic patted Danny’s cheek and smiled. “I just need you to enjoy it here with me.” “Does that mean my blood is working?” “I’m talking, aren’t I?” Danny grinned. “Yeah, but don’t overdo it. Just because you feel good now doesn’t mean you’re up to snuff yet.” “Up to snuff?” Dominic chuckled. “I’m not sure I’ve heard that particular phrase before.”

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Danny laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just something I’ve heard around the campus.” “Speaking of campus, maybe you should go find out if you can take classes online,” Dominic said. “I need to get a little rest.” “Do you need more blood?” Danny was almost eager to donate his blood. But he was also scared by how powerful his reaction was to the process. Maybe he was just a freak. “No.” Dominic smiled. “I’m good right now. I just need some more rest.” Danny didn’t want to leave Dominic, but what did he know about what a vampire needed? If Dominic said he needed rest, then he probably did. Besides, Danny still needed to try and call his mother and find out what in the hell was going on. Danny closed the bedroom door softly behind him then turned and started down the hallway. Someone had made him breakfast, so Danny decided to try and find the kitchen first and thank them. Hopefully, that was where he would find Sully, too. He wanted to find out just how much blood Dominic would need before he was healthy again. The chill surrounding Danny seemed to get colder the farther through the hallway that he walked. Maybe vampires needed to keep the place cold for some reason. Danny wished he had his jacket. Since he didn’t, he wrapped his arms around himself and tried not to look like he was about to shiver his balls off. “Human.” The word was growled from behind Danny right before he was grabbed by his neck and shoved into the wall, making his head slam into the plaster. His heart thundered in his chest when he felt someone’s breath blowing heavily across his cheek. He started to struggle, his arms reaching behind him as his fingers dug into flesh. Danny bucked and kicked backward, desperate to break free, but whoever had him was pressed against him, trapping

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him against the wall with an unrelenting strength that was making Danny’s body ache. “Let me go!” He swung back, using his nails to try and scratch the man’s eyes out. It was a wimpy move, but he had to use what he had at his disposal while being trapped against the wall. The man’s fist slammed into the wall next to his head, a low growl vibrating through his chest. Danny could hear the plaster crumbling next to his ear and smell the fine dust as it floated through the air. He was scared out of his mind. “You have very sweet blood, human,” the man growled into Danny’s ear, his foul breath making Danny’s skin crawl and his stomach roll. “I can smell it. You’re going to taste so good spilling across my tongue.” “You can’t!” Danny shouted as he renewed his struggles, grabbing at the man’s wrists and yanking. Nothing happened. He wasn’t strong enough to fight against whoever this was. “I belong to Dominic.” Danny grunted as his head was shoved hard against the wall again. Cold, sharp fingers scraped down his throat then tugged at the collar around his neck. Danny swallowed hard when the man behind him hissed loudly. “You can’t wear that collar forever, human!” the man sneered. “I can wait.” The moment he was released, Danny ran for Dominic’s door. He didn’t even look back to see who had attacked him. He didn’t care. He just wanted to reach safety. Danny didn’t even want to think about why he felt that Dominic equated safety in his mind. He threw open the door and raced to the bed, throwing himself onto it and climbing up to huddle beside Dominic. His entire body was shaking as he tried to steady his breathing. “Danny?” Danny shuddered and crawled into the arms Dominic held out to him. He buried his face in Dominic’s neck and tried to move as close

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to the vampire as he possibly could without climbing under the man’s skin. He curled his knees in and held on. “Danny, what’s wrong?” Dominic asked. “V–V–Vampire!”

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Chapter 7 Dominic frowned in confusion as he stared down at Danny’s shaking body. He could feel the fear coming off of Danny in waves, but he didn’t understand it. Mostly because Danny knew they were vampires. He had thought Danny was okay with that. “Danny, wha—” Danny started frantically shaking his head although he wouldn’t raise it up from Dominic’s neck. “No, no, he tried to bite me.” Dominic’s nostrils flared, and his hands tightened around Danny’s arms as an overwhelming rage filled him. He barely kept himself from jumping to his feet and racing out of the room to find whoever had dared to try and drink from Danny. “Who tried to bite you, Danny?” he growled instead. Danny shook his head again. “I don’t know. I didn’t see who it was. He grabbed me from behind and threw me into a wall. He…he said I wouldn’t always be wearing your collar and he would get me then.” Dominic roared. He didn’t care that he was using what little strength he had gained from Danny’s blood. How dare anyone come into his home and attack Danny. Dominic yelled for Sully in his mind as he wrapped his arms around the shivering man. Sully burst through the door, his eyes darting around wildly and then settling on the pair on bed. “What’s wrong?” Dominic ran his hand over Danny’s curled back as he looked up at Sully. “Someone just attacked Danny out in the corridor. Find him!” Sully’s eyes rounded, and then he took off through the door. Dominic hadn’t been this enraged in a very long time. The thought of

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Danny being harmed, of someone placing their teeth anywhere near his donor, made Dominic want to kill—slowly and painfully. “Ssshhh, chéri,” Dominic whispered softly against the side of Danny’s head. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” “How can you stop it?” Danny asked as he raised his pale face. “You won’t always be around.” “I’ve lived hundreds of years, Danny. I don’t have any plans on giving up now.” “Bu–but, what about when our contract is over and you take your collar back? He can get me then.” “Who says our contract will ever be over, chéri?” Dominic chuckled as he hugged Danny to his chest. “Maybe you will decide you like being the blood donor to a vampire prince.” “Excuse me.” Danny’s head snapped up. “Did you say prince?” Dominic chuckled. “Did I forget to mention that part?” “Huh, yeah.” Danny nodded. “I’d say you did.” “It really is of no importance. I am only a prince because of the birth order I was born in. The first born is always in charge, be they male or female.” “But I thought you said you were born a commoner?” “I was. The title of prince is simply that, a title. Because I was first born and now lead my coven, I am considered a prince. I was not born into royalty as you would think of it. Vampires do things a little differently than humans.” Danny pushed back until he could look up into Dominic’s face. “You’re a freaking prince, and you didn’t think that was important to mention to me?” Dominic cocked his head to one side as he gazed at Danny. “My being a prince doesn’t change anything between us, Danny. You are still wearing my collar. Our contract remains the same.” “But you’re a prince.”

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Dominic’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Danny, it’s just a title. I’m not European royalty or anything. I’m basically the babysitter for a bunch of vampires. Nothing more.” “But you’re a prince.” “You already said that, chéri.” “Because it’s important.” “No, it’s not. Yes, I am a prince. It doesn’t change who I am. I’m still just a man. I just happen to have a title attached to my name. So what?” “You really believe that?” Danny sounded very skeptical. “I do.” Danny frowned for a moment then snuggled down next to Dominic again. “Okay, but I’m not bowing down to you or anything.” “Your submission is not required, chéri.” Dominic grinned as he considered how arousing it would be to actually have Danny’s submission. The image of Danny on his knees before him made Dominic’s cock twitch, something it hadn’t done in forever. Maybe he needed to rethink that. “So, I’m guessing all that stuff Sully was telling me about bringing shame upon you was because you’re a vampire prince. It kind of takes being a blood donor to a whole new level, doesn’t it?” “Yes and no.” “Give me the yes.” Dominic laughed. “Yes, it does take the rules to a new level, both for you and those around us, which is why the man that attacked you in the hallway must be dealt with immediately. I can never appear weak before my coven. To do so would bring challengers out of the woodwork.” Danny tilted his head back. “Challengers?” “Other vampires that wished to gain my position by challenging me for it. Unfortunately, it’s usually a challenge to the death.” Danny blanched, the blood leaching from his face. “Okay, quick, tell me the no because the yes doesn’t sound so hot.”

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“I have an entire house full of soldiers sworn to protect me and mine, and that includes you, as you now wear my collar.” Dominic leaned down and kissed the tip of Danny’s nose, then blinked as he leaned back. Why in the hell had he done that? “What else?” Danny asked. “What do I need to know not to get my ass handed to me or bring you any shame? If I’m going to be the donor to a prince, I’d really like to try and not make a complete fool of myself.” “Well, you know the most important rule.” “Never let another vampire drink from me.” Dominic grinned. “Correct.” “You said that was the most important rule. It’s obviously not the only one.” “No, no it’s not. You must obey me in all things, Danny. To ignore me in front of others or argue with me will bring shame to me and to you. My coven would expect me to punish you so you must listen carefully and always do what I say.” Danny’s face scrunched up in what looked like disgust. “Like a slave?” “In a way, yes. In front of others, you must obey me. This is mostly for your own safety. When we are alone, I expect you to be yourself. I’d prefer honesty from you at all times, and I will do the same.” “Anything else?” Dominic’s lips twisted together as he thought of another a rule, one that made Dominic’s eyes start to turn red with rage. He quickly glanced away from Danny so the man wouldn’t see his reaction. It was embarrassing for a vampire prince to be so intrigued with a donor that he was enraged at the thought of Danny being intimate with anyone else. And yet, he was. “As long as we have a contract, you may not…uh…” Dominic licked his lips. God, he was going to sound like such an asshole. “You can’t have a boyfriend.”

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“I don’t.” Dominic sighed even though he was jumping for joy inside. “Humans pass diseases back and forth like bowls of sugar, Danny. In order for you to cure me, I must have pure blood. If you were to take a lover, then there is potential for your blood to be contaminated.” Dominic glanced down at Danny. “Do you understand what I am saying?” “No sex?” Dominic swallowed hard. He was feeling nervous for the first time in his life. “I didn’t say that. You just can’t have sex with another human.” Danny’s eyes rounded. “But I can have sex with a vampire?” Dominic growled and rolled Danny onto his back as his legendary control suddenly snapped. He covered Danny’s body with his own, snarling down at the man beneath him. “You may have sex with me and no one else for the length of your contract. Is that understood? If you dare to have sex with anyone else I will consider it immediate grounds for breaking our contract and act accordingly.” The haze of rage covering Dominic’s mind slowly faded when Danny grinned up at him then tilted his head slightly. He was confused as hell. He had practically attacked Danny, and the man was grinning. What had he missed? “Danny?” “If I can’t have sex with anyone but you then you’d better step up to the plate, buddy. I’m horny.” Dominic blinked in shock. Was Danny serious? The way Danny tiled his head back and bared his throat said he was. Dominic’s eyes fell to the soft pulse beating in Danny’s throat. He swallowed hard. Damn! “Are you sure, chéri?” “Oh hell, yeah,” Danny groaned. “Bite me.” Dominic moved the collar wrapped around Danny’s neck up out of the way then leaned down and licked the soft skin. He almost

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jumped out of his skin when Danny groaned and spread his legs, wrapping them around Dominic’s thighs. Danny groaned. “You never told me that spot would become so sensitive.” Dominic’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s sensitive?” He wasn’t sure he had ever heard a blood donor say that before. But he was intrigued. “How sensitive?” “Feels like you’re licking my cock,” Danny moaned. Dominic’s eyes crossed. Oh damn. That was so fucking hot. “Take your clothes off, chéri.” “Huh?” “I want to feel your skin next to mine.” Danny’s face flushed, and he glanced away. “Okay,” he whispered. Dominic rolled onto his side, resting his head on his hand as he watched Danny shimmy out of his pajama pants and toss them over the side of the bed. His pajama top quickly followed, and then Danny was climbing under the covers with Dominic. Dominic groaned when he rolled back on top of Danny, his lower body settling between Danny’s thighs. There was only a thin piece of fabric between them. Dominic could feel Danny’s excitement in the hard cock pressed against him. Danny’s hips bucked when Dominic stroked his tongue across the skin where he had bitten Danny before. He grinned and made the same motion, this time using his fangs. Danny’s entire body shuddered. His hands moved up to clench in Dominic’s hair, pulling him closer. “Please,” Danny pleaded. Dominic shuddered at Danny’s words. He answered Danny’s soft plea by sinking his fangs into the man’s neck. He groaned just as loud as Danny when warm, hot, succulent blood washed over his tongue. Danny cried out and started moving against Dominic.

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It was the sexiest damn thing Dominic had ever seen. Even as ill as he still was, he could feel his cock starting to harden and throb at Danny’s response. He had an overwhelming urge to sink his cock into Danny’s ass as many times as he could. And he would have if Sully hadn’t chosen that moment to barge into the room. Dominic pulled his fangs from Danny’s throat and turned to snarl at Sully. “Get out!” “I apologize for the intrusion, sire, but—” “Get out!” Dominic shouted again. “But—” Dominic barred his fangs and hissed at Sully. The man paled and ran from the room. Dominic tried to soften his features as he turned back to Danny, but he could see a sliver of fear enter the man’s brown eyes. “Ssshhh, chéri, calm yourself,” Dominic whispered as he stroked the side of Danny’s head. “I would never hurt you.” Dominic swallowed as he looked over Danny’s breathtaking features. He could see that Danny was riding the edge of an orgasm. He could feel it in the hard cock throbbing against his abdomen. Dominic reached between their bodies and wrapped his hand around Danny’s cock, smiling when Danny’s eyes widened and his breath hitched. “Come for me, chéri.” Dominic squeezed his hand and rubbed his thumb over the head of Danny’s cock just as he leaned down and licked the bite wound on Danny’s neck. Danny cried out, arching into the air. Dominic swirled his hand around Danny’s cock even after he felt hot cum splatter all over his hand. He wanted to draw the pleasure out for Danny as long as he could. Danny was panting softly when Dominic finally stopped. He watched Danny’s eyes widen when he brought his hand up from under the covers and licked it clean. He was actually a little shocked at how much he enjoyed it. Danny tasted tangy but with the same hint of summer rain and mint that infused his blood.

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“Next time, chéri, I’m going to fuck you while I drink your blood.” Danny’s eyes grew even wider. “Okay.” Dominic patted Danny’s hip then rolled over onto his side. “Go get cleaned up, Danny. I need to find out what has Sully’s panties in a twist.” “Oh.” Danny quickly sat up. “I can go back to my room.” Dominic grinned. “This is your room now, chéri.” Danny’s face flushed, but he was smiling as he climbed off the bed and ran into the bathroom. Dominic heard the water run for a moment then Danny came back, a little bounce in his step. Dominic pointed to the pajama pants on the floor. “Get dressed, chéri. No one gets to see you naked except me.” Danny quickly pulled on the pajama bottoms and shirt then crawled up onto the bed to sit next to Dominic. He seemed a little flustered as if he didn’t quite know where to look or place himself on the bed. Dominic easily settled that dilemma by grabbing Danny and pulling the man over to his side. Danny curled right in, laying his head down on Dominic’s chest. Dominic smiled when he heard small snores coming from the man within moments. He stroked his hand down the back of Danny’s head then called to Sully. “Okay, Sully, you can come back in now,” Dominic said through their bond. A couple of minutes later, the door opened, and Sully walked in, looking mollified and just a little resentful. “Are you done now?” Dominic heaved a sigh. Sully’s feelings were obviously hurt. The man was acting like a five-year-old that had lost his toy to the other kids on the playground. “You really need to get over this issue you have with Danny. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” “He’s just a blood donor, Dominic,” Sully protested. “Why are you so fascinated by him?”

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“He’s different, Sully.” Dominic stroked his hands through Danny’s hair again as he looked down at him. “I can’t explain it, but he’s different than any other donor I’ve ever had.” “How?” Dominic looked up. Sully truly sounded confused. “He enjoys it, for one.” Sully moved closer, his brow creasing as he frowned. “He really enjoys it? That wasn’t just a ploy?” “No.” Dominic chuckled as he looked down into Danny’s sleeping face. “He definitely enjoys it. Hell, Sully, he has fucking orgasms from it.” “You’re shitting me,” Sully gasped. Dominic looked up as he shook his head. “Nope.” “You lucky fuck. I’ve only heard of that happening a few times. It’s very rare for a donor to enjoy the kiss of a vampire without a glamour thrown over him. Rumor is that Prince Zacarius Ivinovav’s mate actually demands to be bitten.” Dominic’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?” “Oh yeah.” Sully chuckled. Dominic glanced down at Danny again. “That could be interesting.” “Interesting or not, once the others find out about Danny, his life will be in danger. And yours might be, too. You’re becoming too attached, Dominic. It’s going to impede your judgment.” “Danny will not impede my judgment,” Dominic growled. “He already has.” “How so?” Sully waved his hand toward the bed where Danny was sleeping. “He should be in his room until you need him, like every other good little blood donor. Instead, you have him here curled up in bed with you.” “I fail to see what the issue is, Sully.” “He’s human, Dominic.”

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“And?” “And…and it’s not right.” Sully’s hands landed on his hips. “You’re breaking every rule of donor etiquette by having him in here with you. Once you drink his blood, Danny should be sent back to his room. What if he starts thinking he can rule the coven beside you?” “Danny is not going to be ruling the coven beside me, Sully. He’s my blood donor, nothing more.” “Yeah, but does he know that?” “He does.” Dominic quickly looked down when he heard Danny speak. Danny looked away the moment he sat up. He wouldn’t even look at Sully. Dominic knew something was wrong. He just didn’t know what it was. He knew that Danny was uncomfortable around Sully, so maybe that was it. “Do you wish for Sully to leave the room?” “No,” Danny whispered as he climbed off the bed. “Danny, where are you going?” he asked when Danny started walking away. Dominic inhaled sharply at the misery he saw in Danny’s face when the man turned around. There was so much pain in Danny’s eyes that Dominic wondered how the man continued to stand upright. “I’m going to my room where I belong,” Danny said quietly. “Call me when you need more blood.” Dominic’s mouth dropped open as he watched Danny turn around without another word and walk out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He stared for a moment then turned to glare at Sully. “See what you’ve done now?” “What did I do?” Sully asked as he waved his hand toward the door that led to Danny’s room. “He’s where he’s supposed to be.” “But he’s not where I want him,” Dominic growled. “I told him I wanted him in here with me.” Sully’s head snapped back. “Why?” “Because that’s where I want him, damn it.”

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Sully glanced over his shoulder at the door Danny had walked through, then back at Dominic. He looked confused as hell. “Do you want me to go get him?” Dominic thought about the pain he had seen in Danny’s eyes and slowly shook his head. “No, give him some time to himself. Danny’s not a prisoner. If he wants to sleep in his room, then he may. Just make sure he eats something.” Dominic hated the thought of Danny being in the other room, especially when he couldn’t get out of bed and go to him. He was feeling better since his last infusion of Danny’s blood, but he knew walking wasn’t on his schedule yet. And taking any more of Danny’s blood this soon would be harmful to Danny. Dominic would just have to wait.

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Chapter 8 Danny let himself back into his room after donating blood to Dominic once again. He quietly shut the door then slid down to sit on the floor, burying his head in his hands. It was getting harder and harder to donate each time Dominic called for him. Danny felt like a piece of his soul was being ripped away every time Dominic drank from him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Danny had to believe that. He was almost to the point of asking Dominic to do his glamour thing when he needed blood. He didn’t want to know what was happening when Dominic drank from him. He didn’t want to feel it. He especially didn’t want to feel the orgasms that rocked his body every time Dominic took his blood. He couldn’t control his body’s response, and he knew that, but he still couldn’t help being ashamed every time it happened. He felt dirty. Danny slapped his hand over his mouth as nausea suddenly rolled through him, making his stomach threaten to rebel. He took several deep breaths to try and quell his upset stomach, but nothing seemed to work. Danny leapt to his feet and raced into the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the porcelain god. Danny threw up until nothing but dry heaves racked his body. Danny rested his head against the toilet seat for a moment then reached up and flushed it. He slowly climbed to his feet and peeled his clothes off his shaking body. At least he had his own clothes now. His stuff had been packed up and brought to him earlier in the week.

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Danny had never been so thankful to see a few boxes of clothing, books, and knickknacks. The stuff gave him something tangible to hold on to in the world of chaos he had found himself in. In the days since he had arrived at Dominic’s estate, Danny had tried getting to know the others that lived there, but they ignored him every time he did, like he didn’t matter, like he was beneath them. Not even the other blood donors would talk to him. Except for Dominic and Sully, no one would talk to him. Danny was so lonely that he actually considered calling home to talk to his father just to hear another voice. After a particular awkward scene when one of the other donors had tried to attack him, Danny had taken to staying in his room. He had no idea what he had done to upset the man other than to say hello to him. Dominic tried to explain that he had used the man in the past as a donor but stopped when he became sick. The other donor obviously didn’t have pure blood like Danny, and he was jealous of Danny’s position. Bully for him. He could have it. Danny didn’t want it, not anymore. He had learned exactly what life was like being the blood donor for a vampire, and Sully couldn’t have been more right. He was cattle. Moo! Danny turned on the shower and climbed in. His skin ached as the water hit him. He inhaled slowly, trying to push the little pinpricks of pain out of his head. Danny didn’t know if it was a side effect of donating blood or not, but his skin had become ultra sensitive lately. Sometimes it even hurt to breathe. Danny stayed in the shower until the water ran cold then turned it off and climbed out. He grabbed a towel and gave a halfhearted effort to dry himself off before tossing the towel in the dirty clothes hamper and walking back into his bedroom. He stopped and stared at the tray of food sitting on the small table by the window. The thought of food made his stomach threaten to

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rebel again. He had barely been able to keep things down in days, but the stomach cramps were the worst. Danny didn’t know if the cramps had anything to do with how ashamed he was at enjoying being bitten but he was leaning in that direction. The cramps only came when Dominic drank from him. Danny grabbed a soft pair of lounging pants and a simple cotton shirt, pulling them on. When he shivered from the cold that seemed to be hanging in the air, he decided to add a sweatshirt. He was freezing. Danny walked over to the table and took his vitamins, thankful when they stayed down after several swallows of water. Even if he couldn’t keep any food down, he still needed to get some sort of vitamins in his system. He needed to keep his body producing that fabulous grade-A pure blood. What else was he good for besides being a cow? Danny sighed deeply and walked over to his bed. He stacked the pillows at one end and curled into them, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. He was tired, so very damn tired. It seemed that he was tired all of the time lately. His schedule basically consisted of feeding Dominic then feeding himself, then sleeping until the next time Dominic called on him. And that’s exactly what he would do now—sleep until his master called on him again. **** “Hey, Dominic, can I speak to you for a moment.” Dominic glanced up from the papers he was working on to see Sully standing in the doorway to his office. He nodded and went back to his papers. “What can I do for you, Sully?” “I’m worried about Danny. One of the kitchen staff came to me and said that Danny isn’t eating.” Dominic frowned as he looked up again. “What do you mean he’s not eating?” Worry filled him instantly.

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“Just what I said. He’s not eating. His food trays keep coming back with more and more food left on them. Over the last two days, the only thing that has been missing from Danny’s food trays when they were returned to the kitchen is the vitamins.” Dominic lowered his head as he gritted his teeth. His first instinct was to run upstairs and check on Danny, except that neither Danny nor Sully wanted him to do that. Sully would lecture him on the rules governing a blood donor, and Danny would just fall silent and fade off somewhere Dominic wasn’t allowed to go. It drove him insane. He was the fucking prince of the coven here, and he couldn’t even get his wants met. Oh sure, his skin had a nice healthy glow to it now, and he was back on his feet, feeling better than he had in years. It was just too bad his heart was breaking in the process. And Dominic had enough time to think about it to know that’s exactly what was going on. He wanted Danny. He wanted the man to stay in his life on a permanent basis, to keep him at his side for the rest of their lives. Dominic couldn’t kid himself anymore. He was in love with Danny Erickson. And Danny didn’t want anything to do with him. Dominic had seen the shame in Danny’s eyes every time he drank from the man. He knew Danny enjoyed their times together physically, but his heart was no longer in it. As soon as they were done, Danny would turn away and hurry back to his room. Dominic sighed when Sully cleared his throat. Sully was just as big an issue as Danny, just for different reasons. Every time Dominic expressed the least bit of concern for Danny, Sully was quick to remind him that Danny was simply a blood donor. Which made Dominic incredibly confused about why Sully was coming to him now. “What would you like me to do about it, Sully? Force-feed him?” “I’m serious, Dominic.”

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“So am I.” Dominic set his pen down on his desk and sat back in his chair as he regarded Sully. He was getting damned tired of everyone reminding him what he should do instead of letting him make his own choices. If this was what being the prince was like, he didn’t want it. “As you are always so eager to point out to me, Danny is nothing but cattle. Why should I care? If he dies, then he dies. I’m healthy enough now that we have time to search for another donor.” “God, you are such a fucking bastard.” One of Dominic’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?” “Danny is sick, and you just sit there and go on about us finding some other donor? Don’t you even care about him? He gave you back your life.” Sully started to get agitated, throwing his arms up into the air. “You can’t even be bothered to go check on him.” Dominic growled as he shot up from his chair and slammed his fists down onto his desk. “You were the one that pointed out to me, and Danny, how little I should care about my blood donor, so don’t come running to me crying when you get exactly what you want.” “I was wrong, okay?” Sully pulled at his hair as he spun around. “Fuck!” Dominic sat back down in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk, resting his chin on his hands. The whole situation was fucked up. “What do you want from me, Sully?” “I want you to fucking care about what’s going on with Danny!” Dominic clenched his hands. “Why? According to you he’s not good enough for me. He’s cattle. Isn’t that what you told him he was—cattle?” “God!” Sully swung around and glared. “Would you fucking get off that and go upstairs and check on him?” “Fine, if that’s what you believe I should do, that’s what I’ll do.” Dominic stood to his feet and started around his desk. As he did, he waved his hand back toward his desk. “There’s a pad of paper in the

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drawer. While I go check on Danny, why don’t you write a list of my other rules? I wouldn’t want to violate any of them.” “Fuck you, Dominic.” Dominic spun around and grabbed Sully around the throat, slamming him into the wall. He leaned up so close to Sully’s face that he could smell the man’s fear. Dominic curled his lip back, extending his fangs until they hung over his lips. “Do not ever forget who you are talking to,” Dominic snarled. “I have listened to you go on and on about why I should not care about Danny, until he pulled away from me. And now you suddenly want me to care, when it’s too late? When Danny is ashamed of the things he feels when he’s with me, ashamed of wanting to be with me? Fuck you, Sullivan.” Dominic slammed Sully into the wall with such force that the plaster wall behind Sully’s head crumbled, and then he let go as he walked past him. As he left the office he heard a loud thud and knew Sully had slid to the floor. At the moment, he didn’t care. Dominic stalked through house like a man possessed. His worry over Danny had multiplied by a million since Sully walked into his office. Before then, he had just been worried that Danny had pulled away from him, and he didn’t know why. Now, Danny’s health was of greater concern. Dominic stormed into his room then to the door that led to where Danny slept. He paused for a moment with his hand on the door handle. Dominic was suddenly feeling unsure. Would Danny ignore him again and turn him away? Maybe he could use the contract as a way to get through to Danny. He needed to eat to stay in good health. Yeah, that would do just great. Dominic rolled his eyes at himself. Why didn’t he just walk into the room and start calling for his blood cow? It would be tantamount to the same thing.

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Dominic drew in a deep breath then knocked softly on the door. He waited for several moments then knocked again. When Danny didn’t answer this time, Dominic opened the door and walked in. “Danny?” Dominic scanned the room until his eyes landed on a large pile of pillows piled at one end of the bed. A tuft of soft brown sunlight-blond hair stuck out of the top of the blankets just at the edge of the pillows. Dominic hurried over to the bed and sat down. He pushed the pile of pillows out of the way then tugged the blanket down until he could see Danny’s face. “Danny?” he asked as he cupped the side of Danny’s face. “Fuck!” Dominic shouted. Danny’s face was pale white but hot to the touch. “Sully, get your ass up here. Danny’s burning up with fever.” Dominic pulled the blankets off of Danny. He scooped Danny up in his arms and carried him into the bathroom. Sitting Danny down on the counter and holding him up with one hand, Dominic reached in and turned the shower on, making sure the water was cool but not cold. Dominic turned back to Danny and started pulling his sweatshirt off, then his shirt, and lastly, his pants. Once Danny was naked, Dominic stepped into the shower, gritting his teeth when the cold water soaked through his clothes and hit his skin. Danny suddenly inhaled, and his eyes popped open. Dominic instantly knew that something more serious than a simple fever was going on. Danny’s eyes were glossy and dazed. That in itself wasn’t terribly alarming, but the fact that Danny’s eyes were blood red was. “Danny?” “C–C–Cold.” Danny wiggled as his teeth started chattering together, and he moved closer to Dominic. It was like he was trying to burrow into Dominic’s chest. Dominic let him but stepped more fully under the shower spray. His heart nearly broke when Danny started fighting him. Not because

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Danny was beating him with his fists but because Danny was so weak, Dominic barely felt it. Dominic held Danny under the shower spray for several minutes then reached over and turned it off. By the time he stepped out of the shower, Sully was waiting for him with a couple of towels. Dominic took them, wrapping one around Danny and the other around his own shoulders. He carried Danny back into his bedroom. He walked right past Danny’s bed and into his own room, carefully laying Danny on his lap as he sat down. He took the last towel Sully held out to him and dried Danny off then handed the towel back. “Call my doctor,” Dominic said as he grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around Danny’s naked body. He couldn’t care right now that Sully was seeing Danny naked. He’d growl and snarl about it later. Danny’s health came first. “I want him here right now.” “I’m on it.” Sully ran out of the room. Dominic turned and settled himself back against the headboard, cradling Danny in his arms. “Oh, chéri,” Dominic whispered as he smoothed back the curls from Danny’s face. “What happened to you?” Danny’s blood red eyes blinked up at him. “Is it time to donate again?” “No, chéri.” Dominic felt like crying. “I don’t need any blood right now.” Danny frowned and glanced around as if he was confused. “I should go back to my room.” “No, Danny, you need to stay here.” “C–Can’t,” Danny whispered. “Not supposed to be in here.” “Oh, Danny.” Dominic squeezed his eyes closed and hugged Danny to him, resting his head against Danny’s. “You can be in here if you want.”

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“No.” Danny shook his head, making it flop weakly against Dominic’s chest. “Don’t want to bring you shame. Have to follow the rules.” “Fuck the rules,” Dominic said quickly as he opened his eyes and stared down at Danny. “I want you here.” “Why?” Dominic smiled. “Because I love you.” Danny’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he began to struggle. “Danny! Stop!” “No! No! No!” Danny cried out. “Danny!” Dominic was shocked by Danny’s response to his words, and hurt. His heart was breaking that Danny was so upset over his words. If Danny didn’t want his love, then he wouldn’t force it on him, but he still needed to make sure that Danny was okay. And then he’d let Danny go. No matter how much Dominic wanted Danny, he would never force the man to stay. It had taken everything in him to admit his feelings, especially when they were so new. He’d never loved anyone before. He didn’t imagine he would ever love anyone again. Danny was it for him. It was just too bad Danny didn’t want him back. “Ssshhh, Danny, calm down.” Dominic wrapped the sheet tighter around Danny’s body, this time making sure Danny’s arms were under the sheet, effectively cutting off any fight in the man. “I won’t say it again, Danny. I promise. Just calm down.” Danny fought Dominic for a few more minutes, and then he simply went limp. Dominic’s heart jumped into his throat when Danny’s body stilled. He quickly cupped the side of his face to look down at him, inhaling sharply when he saw the blood red tears streaming down his face. “Oh, Danny, I’m sorry,” Dominic whispered. “I never meant for you to be hurt like this. I swear, just as soon as you are better I’ll let you go.”

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“C–Can’t.” Danny licked his lips. “C–C–Contract.” “Fuck the contract, Danny,” Dominic growled. “You’re more important than any stupid contract.” “Ju–just a cow.” It was official. Dominic’s heart was shattering all over the floor. He pulled Danny to him and wrapped his arms around the frail man. He could feel something that he thought might have been tears start streaming down his face as he listened to Danny’s soft cries. For the first time in the hundreds of years that he had lived, Dominic hated the fact that he was a vampire. Not only was it breaking his heart, his need for blood was destroying the man he loved. Dominic felt like ripping out his fangs. “You are not a cow, Danny,” Dominic whispered against Danny’s head as he gently stroked his hand down Danny’s side. “You are so much more than that. You’re smart and beautiful and so full of life. And not only did you give me back my health, you taught me that there was more in the world than just drinking blood and ruling my coven. You gave me light and laughter and emotions and…and everything, Danny.” When Danny didn’t respond, Dominic’s heart began to sink again. He tilted his head back so he could see Danny’s face, only to cry out when he saw that Danny was unconscious. So much for spilling his heart. Danny hadn’t heard a word of it. Dominic sighed and pulled Danny back to him. Maybe it was for the best. Danny obviously didn’t want him. He’d practically shouted as much. Dominic’s love was an unrequited love. “Do you really mean that?” Dominic tensed and turned to see Sully standing behind him. “Mean what?” “What you told Danny,” Sully said, looking a little pale. “Do you really love him?” “I do.” Sully’s forehead wrinkled. “What does it feel like?”

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Dominic’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Love?” Sully nodded. “I don’t know,” Dominic said. “It’s confusing. I want Danny to have everything in life he’s ever wanted, but I want to be the one to give it to him. Knowing he’s sick tears at my soul, especially since I can’t fix it. And being away from him…” Dominic swallowed hard and shook his head. “I’d rather have my fangs pulled out and never taste blood again than be separated from him.” Dominic glanced back down at Danny, more tears gathering in his eyes. “And yet, I know I will let him go because that’s what he wants.” “Why would anyone ever want to feel that?” Dominic chuckled sadly. “Because it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.”

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Chapter 9 Dominic nearly jumped out of his skin when Danny suddenly jackknifed up into the air and screamed. He tried to hold on to him, but Danny was fighting like his life depended on it. Not even him and Sully put together could hold the man down. He grabbed Danny’s hands and held them down to the bed, slipping one of his legs over Danny’s thighs to hold him in place. Danny was arching into the air, whimpering. His eyes were frantic as they darted wildly around the room. “Please,” Danny groaned. “Hurt.” “Ssshhh, I’ve got you, chéri,” Dominic whispered softly. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He glanced over at Sully. “When is that fucking doctor going to be here?” “I’ll go check on him.” Sully jumped up from the bed and raced out of the room. Dominic turned his attention back to the man pinned beneath him. He reached over and stroked his hand down the side of Danny’s face, frowning when Danny turned into his hand, whimpering. He seemed to almost be seeking Dominic’s touch. Deciding to go with his gut instinct, Dominic began to run his hands all over Danny’s body, moving his hand under the sheet when Danny began to quiet down. “Does that feel good, chéri?” Danny nodded. “Burning up,” Danny panted heavily. Dominic paused. “You’re burning up?” “Hot.” Danny was right. His skin was very hot to the touch. “Does it hurt when I touch you, Danny?”

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“No.” Danny’s head flopped from side to side. “Feels good. Cool. Makes burn go away.” Dominic arched an eyebrow but started running his hands over Danny’s skin again. His jaw almost dropped when Danny sighed deeply and leaned toward him, settling. Dominic scooted Danny closer then continued stroking his hands over the man’s burning skin. The more skin he touched, the calmer Danny became. It was an odd reaction, one that concerned Dominic greatly. One the other hand, if that’s what it took to calm Danny down, he’d do it. And it wasn’t like Dominic had any trouble touching Danny. He looked forward to it. He just wished Danny was conscious enough to enjoy it. When the bedroom door opened, Dominic turned to see Sully escorting his doctor in. Dominic sighed gratefully but didn’t move from where he was or stop caressing Danny. “Hello, Doctor. Thank you for coming so quickly.” “What seems to be the problem, sire?” “Something is wrong with Danny.” “I assume this is Danny?” The doctor nodded at the man in Dominic’s arms. “Yes.” “Sully says he is your blood donor.” “Yes,” Dominic answered again. “But he’s more than that.” Dominic smiled down at Danny as he pushed the hair back from the side of his face. “He’s much more than that.” “Ah, then you’ve mated then?” “Uh…” Dominic frowned over at the doctor. “No. He’s human.” The doctor chuckled. “That is not a barrier for mating, sire.” Dominic’s jaw dropped. “Humans can’t mate with us.” “Since when?” “Since… forever.” Everyone knew that. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but that simply is not true. Vampires have the ability to mate with anyone.” The doctor set his

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little black bag on the nightstand then sat down on the side of the bed. “Now, let’s see about your man here.” “He’s burning up, Doctor,” Dominic explained as he leaned back to give the doctor room to examine Danny. He was a little surprised when Danny whimpered and tried to follow him. “How long has he been this way?” Dominic was ashamed to say that he didn’t know, but he didn’t know. He glanced over his shoulder. “Sully?” “I don’t know about the fever, but the kitchen staff says he’s been eating less and less every day and next to nothing for the last two days. There were also signs in the bathroom that he’s been unable to keep anything down.” This was all news to Dominic, but there was one thing he did know. “Danny says my touch soothes him. He feels like his skin is burning up, but when I touch him, it cools down.” Dominic almost growled when the doctor’s eyebrows shot up. He did not see that as a good sign. “Has he taken anything else?” “Nothing except his vitamins,” Sully said. “That seems to be the only thing he eats off his food trays.” “Hmmm.” The doctor reached into his bag and pulled out a small pen light. He reached over to Danny, placing his hands on Danny’s face and shinning the light into his eyes. Danny’s screams shook the windows. “Danny!” Dominic shouted as he tried to quiet the man down. The moment Dominic dragged Danny back into his arms, away from the doctor, and smoothed his hand over the side of Danny’s face where the doctor had been touching him, Danny calmed down. “What in the hell is wrong with him, Doctor?” “I’d like to do a little experiment before I say anything, sire, if you don’t mind.” “An experiment?” Dominic snapped. “Not if it’s going to hurt Danny.”

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“Please, sire. I cannot accurately diagnose him without knowing all of his symptoms. I promise it will be quick.” “Fine,” Dominic growled. “Lay him back on the bed, please.” Dominic didn’t like it, but he did as the doctor asked, laying Danny back down on the mattress. Danny started whimpering the moment Dominic moved away from him. Dominic glared at the doctor. “Now touch his arm.” Dominic reached over and touched Danny’s arm. Danny settled instantly. “Let go of him and move back.” Dominic growled at the doctor but let go of Danny and moved back. Danny once again started whimpering and moving restlessly under the sheet. Dominic clenched his hands into fists when the doctor reached down and grabbed Danny’s arm in the same place he had. Danny screamed and started fighting the doctor. Dominic waited as long as he could, which was about two seconds, then ripped the doctor away from Danny and scooped the little man up into his arms. He held Danny close to his chest as he paced back and forth beside the bed. “Is that your idea of a little experiment?” he snapped at the doctor. “Did you find out what you wanted to know? He’s screaming in pain.” “I’ve actually discovered quite a bit about Danny’s condition from that little experiment,” the doctor said as he put the pen light back into his bag and withdrew a small black device. He held it out to Dominic. “I need a sample of his blood.” “So, get one.” “I’m afraid that anyone touching Danny other than you will do him more harm than good. You’ll have to withdraw the blood.” Dominic huffed and sat down on the side of the bed. He cradled Danny carefully in his lap then lifted his hand. Grabbing the small

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device, he stuck the end of Danny’s finger, extracting a couple of drops of blood. Danny didn’t even whimper. Dominic handed the device back to the doctor then wrapped both arms around Danny. “What’s going on, Doctor?” he asked. “What’s wrong with Danny?” The doctor held up a finger. “Give me just a moment, sire.” Dominic went back to stroking Danny’s hot skin as he watched the doctor press several buttons on the device then frown as he stared down at it. Dominic’s heart started beating faster. “What?” The doctor sighed deeply, reminding Dominic of one of Sully’s sighs. He set the small black device back into his bag and turned to look at Dominic. The deep frown on his face did not reassure Dominic in the least. In fact, it made him worry even more. “I’m afraid that there are two different things going on here, sire.” He waved his hand down to where Danny was trying to burrow into Dominic. “The first issue is that you’ve somehow started the bonding process to mate with Danny.” Dominic gasped. “Mate with me? How? He’s not a vampire. He doesn’t even have the vampire gene.” “No, that’s true. He does not have the vampire gene. That simply means he will not turn into a vampire. He will remain human even if he is mated to you.” “How?” Dominic glanced down at Danny in apprehension when the man whimpered. “Is that why he’s sick?” “Danny is feeling the need to mate with you, and because of your ignorance in this situation, that need has been denied him. Only your touch soothes him. Anyone else touching him will only bring him pain.” Dominic growled. He knew he was at fault here, but he didn’t like the doctor pointing it out to him. He also didn’t realize how much he was at fault until now. “You said we had two issues. What’s the other one?” “Danny has been poisoned.”

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**** Dominic held Danny close to his chest, refusing to set the man down. It seemed that the only time Danny was calm and not crying out in pain was when Dominic held him. Dominic would hold him forever if that’s what it took to keep Danny from being in pain. He was still reeling from the knowledge that he had somehow started the bonding process with Danny. He hadn’t even known it was possible. He didn’t know what he would have done with the knowledge if he had known, though. If he were truthful with himself, Dominic knew he might have still started the bonding process. He just would have discussed it with Danny first. Now, he sat in the back of his SUV holding Danny in his lap as they raced toward what Dominic hoped was help. Sully was back at his estate trying to discover how Danny was poisoned and by whom. Dominic’s concern was for Danny. Granted, he wanted to rip out the throat of whoever had poisoned Danny, and he planned on doing exactly that, after he knew Danny would live. Until then, nothing else mattered. At the doctor’s encouragement, Dominic had broken every rule of etiquette and called the prince of another coven, Prince Zacarius Ivinovav. Covens did not associate with each other. It was kind of a vampire ground rule. They met once every hundred years, but that was about it. This was an emergency, though, and Dominic would do anything to make Danny better and keep him safe, even break all of the coven rules. Hell, he’d give up being prince of his coven if it meant keeping Danny safe. He was considering it. In the span of a couple of weeks, Danny had become the most important thing in Dominic’s life. If Danny would accept him, Dominic would move heaven and earth to stay with the man. He just had to keep him alive first.

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“We’re almost there, sire.” Dominic nodded to the guard sitting in the front seat. He was apprehensive about going to the prince of another coven. It might be considered weak by some and an excuse to try and take over his coven. Dominic just didn’t care. The doctor said that Prince Ivinovav had been poisoned once before, and he had also mated a non-vampire. His mate, Devlin, was a werewolf shifter. It wasn’t quite human, but it wasn’t one vampire mating to another vampire. The doctor believed the prince could help Danny, and Dominic would take any assistance he could get. Dominic had brought only four guards with him. One, because they could travel faster. And two, because he did not want to be seen as a threat by the prince. He needed the man’s help, not his suspicion. Dominic’s eyes widened when they pulled into the driveway of a rather large estate. As they drove up the drive and pulled to a stop in front of the large mansion, Dominic looked out the window, surprised to see the prince standing on the front steps, a large brown-haired man hovering behind him. He assumed it was the prince’s mate. Dominic wrapped the blankets more tightly around Danny then slid from the vehicle when one of his guards opened the door. He felt apprehensive as he walked up the steps, stopping several steps down from the prince. “Prince Ivinovav, thank you for agreeing to see me.” Dominic bowed his head respectfully. “I apologize for the break in etiquette, but it could not be helped.” Dominic’s mouth dropped open when the prince simply waved his hand in dismissal. “Forget all of that nonsense,” the prince said. “Bring your mate inside. I have a room ready for him and I’ve sent for my doctor.” “I brought my doctor.” “Good, then maybe the two of them can put their heads together and figure out what is wrong with your mate.”

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“Danny is not my mate.” Dominic swallowed hard. “Yet.” God, he prayed it was yet. “Nonsense.” The prince waved his hand again. Dominic was beginning to see that it was something the prince did often. He wondered how his mate put up with it. The gesture would drive him insane. “He’s your mate even if you haven’t claimed him yet. It’s something we just know.” “I didn’t.” “Oh?” “I thought vampires could only mate with other vampires.” Dominic wished he had kept his words to himself when the tall man behind the prince suddenly growled and stepped in front of the prince, barring his teeth and flicking his claws out. “I meant no disrespect.” “Then why say that?” the man growled. “Are you a speciest?” Dominic blinked. Was the even a word? “A what?” “You believe that species should only mate inside their own species? That they shouldn’t mate outside their species?” “No!” Dominic snapped, then flushed when the werewolf arched an eyebrow at him. “No, not at all,” Dominic said a little quieter. “I truly didn’t know it was possible. And I’m delighted that it is. I want Danny to be mine, but I have to save his life first.” “Quite right,” the prince said as he stepped up beside his mate. He smiled, and it was actually a friendly smile. “My mate is a little sensitive about such things. Bring your mate inside, and let’s get him settled while we wait for the doctor to arrive.” “Thank you.” Dominic was a little surprised by the inside of the mansion when they walked in. The outside boasted of riches beyond belief. The inside, while being well maintained and decorated for appeal, was more comfortable than anything. It was a far cry from the opulent mansion he lived in. Dominic couldn’t help but wonder if Danny would prefer something like this rather than his antiques and fancy furnishings.

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“This is very nice.” “Thank you,” the prince said as he led Dominic up a flight of stairs. “Devlin said the place was too stuffy so he and my butler, Albert, decided to redecorate.” The prince chuckled. “To tell you the truth, I was a little worried when they started on the project, but I quite like it now.” “Maybe they can come help Danny redecorate my place once he’s on his feet again.” “Oh, I’m sure they would enjoy that.” The prince laughed. “Just make sure you pack away anything you want to keep. I had furniture flying out the windows with these two.” Dominic blinked. “Okay, maybe not.” “Here, you can set him on the bed.” “Actually, I’d prefer to hold him. Danny gets restless if I’m not holding him.” “Oh?” Dominic sighed as he started to reveal how big of an ass he really was. “The doctor said we had started the bonding process somehow. And, because I was unaware of it, Danny was being denied his mate.” Dominic grew concerned when the prince paled suddenly. Devlin raced over and instantly wrapped his arms around the prince. Dominic could see that it was a comforting gesture and wondered if that was why Danny seemed to want to be in his arms so much. Did he need the comfort or the close touch? “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” “No,” Devlin replied as he held the prince close to him. “Zac and I had some issues when we first mated that kept us apart for awhile. It caused Zac to become ill, and he almost died.” Dominic’s heart thundered in his chest as he looked down at Danny. “Like Danny?” “I believe our situation was a bit different,” the prince said. “As you were unaware of the possibility of vampires mating humans, this is something you need to know.”

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Dominic swallowed past the lump building in his throat. He felt like he was about to be told something that might take Danny from him. He was scared to death. “What?” “Once you mate with Danny, you cannot drink from anyone else. It will kill you.” “We haven’t mated yet,” Dominic insisted. “I believe you have,” Prince Zacarius said. “I also believe that is why Danny is in the state he is in. The bonding process has been started.” “But he’s not a vampire.” “True, but who can say what his reaction will be if the mating process has been started and he’s denied his mate? You know for a fact, as a vampire, that we can go feral and have to be put down if we are denied our mates. It doesn’t matter who they are, human, shifter, or vampire. They are our mates.” “We feel the same need to mate that vampires do,” Devlin said. “The draw of a mate is undeniable. If that draw is denied us, we can go feral just as a vampire can. In this case, since Danny is human, his body doesn’t know how to deal with it, so it is simply shutting down.” “Danny needs you to claim him, Dominic.”

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Chapter 10 “Danny.” Danny groaned and batted his hands at the voice that was trying to pull him from his dream. He wanted to stay in his dream. He liked it there. Nothing hurt, and Dominic was there. Danny wanted to stay where Dominic was. “Danny.” “Go away.” “Please, chéri, please open your eyes for me.” Chéri. Danny knew that word. It was what Dominic called him in his dreams. He opened his eyes and looked up. “Dom…in…ic.” “That’s right, chéri, open your eyes.” “Where…” “We’re with friends, chéri. You’re safe.” Danny wondered if that was true when Dominic’s eyes darkened, and a single blood red tear fell down his cheek. He had never seen Dominic cry before. It took all of Danny’s strength to reach up and wipe the tear away. “What’s wrong?” Dominic laughed, but it seemed to be a nervous laugh, not a happy one. “You’re really, really sick, chéri.” Danny swallowed hard. “How sick?” “You’re dying.” “I’m dy—” Danny tried to swallow again, but he couldn’t seem to get past the lump in his throat. His heart started to speed up, pounding in his chest. “Ho–how?” “It’s my fault,” Dominic whispered.

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Danny frowned when more blood red tears began streaming down Dominic’s face. He had learned a lot of things about Dominic in the time he knew him. He knew the man had a lot of courage, and his sense of honor was practically legendary. So was his temper. Dominic could be a real asshole when provoked. But the one thing Danny knew Dominic was not was a killer. Dominic would never harm him. Danny cupped his hand around the side of Dominic’s face. “Tell me.” Dominic grabbed his hand, turned his head, and placed a kiss in Danny’s palm. “I’m so, so sorry, Danny. I never wanted you to be harmed. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.” “Know what?” “You’re my mate.” Danny frowned and racked his brain for a definition of what that meant but came up blank. “What does that mean?” “It means that fate decided we belong together.” Danny was so confused. “And that’s why I’m dying?” “Yes and no.” “You say that a lot. Could you be more specific?” “I didn’t know vampires could mate humans, Danny. I believed we could only mate other vampires, so I didn’t act on the need I had for you. I tried to convince myself that it was only due to your blood.” “It wasn’t?” A broken chuckle fell from Dominic’s lips as he shook his head. “No, chéri. The need I have for you is because we’re mates.” “But you still need my blood, right?” Danny’s heart started to sink when Dominic’s eyes dropped. His blood was pretty much the only thing he had to give Dominic. He wasn’t rich. He didn’t even have a college education at the moment. That had been put on hold when he started getting sick. Danny had just lost interest. All he had was his blood. If Dominic no longer needed his blood, he would no longer need Danny. “Dominic?”

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“Once we’re fully mated…” Dominic grimaced. “If you will mate with me, then I’ll be unable to drink from anyone else for the rest of my life.” Dominic looked up at Danny, apprehension clear in his vivid blue eyes. “If I drink from anyone else, it will kill me.” Danny started to growl at the idea of Dominic dying, until the man’s words really sank into his head, and then his jaw dropped open in shock. “I’m the only one that can feed you?” “If we become mates, yes.” “And if we don’t?” “Then we don’t.” Dominic’s eyes dropped away again. “Until our bond is complete, you can still say no.” “Tell him the rest of it, Dominic.” Danny jumped in surprise when someone spoke from across the room. He leaned up and glanced over Dominic’s shoulder to see Sully sitting in a chair by the door. He looked like he had been there awhile. He also looked disheveled and exhausted. “Are you okay, Sully?” “I’m fine, squirt. Just a little tired.” Sully smiled weakly then waved his hand at Dominic. “Make him tell you the rest of it.” “The rest of what?” Danny glanced back at Dominic. “Dominic, what’s he talking about?” Dominic smiled and planted another kiss in the palm of Danny’s hand. “It’s nothing, chéri. Sully is just being overly dramatic, as usual.” “Damn it, Dominic,” Sully shouted as he jumped up from his chair and stormed across the room. “Tell him the damn truth before I do, and we all know what a smooth tongue I have.” “No!” Dominic snarled. The sound of Dominic’s raised voice freaked the shit out of Danny. When Dominic suddenly rolled over and hissed at Sully, Danny just laid there and stared at him. Had he ever seen Dominic this angry? “Will one of you tell me what in the hell is going on?”

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“Nothing, chéri,” Dominic said as he rolled back over, his features softening as he looked at Danny. “It must be something or Sully wouldn’t be freaking out over it.” “It’s nothing, really.” “Dominic,” Sully growled. “I mean it. Tell him or I will.” “No!” Dominic shouted as he turned to face Sully again. “Danny will decide to mate with me or not, but I will not have his decision influenced because he feels sorry for me.” “Dominic,” Sully said, “you will die.” “Sully,” Dominic growled, “I’m warning you.” Danny reached over and smacked Dominic on the back of his head. Dominic yelped and turned to look back at him, rubbing his head. “What did you do that for?” “Sully is your friend. He’s just looking out for you.” Danny narrowed his eyes at Dominic. “Now stop arguing, and tell me all of it. If you want me to decide something, then I need to know everything. Don’t act like my father. That’s how I got into this position in the first place. Remember?” Dominic pressed his lips together. Danny rolled his eyes and looked beyond Dominic to where Sully stood glaring down at Dominic. “Well, since he doesn’t seem to be able to find his tongue, you’d better tell me.” “The bond between you two has already started.” Sully crossed his arms over his chest. His shoulders slumped as if some of the fight had gone out of him. “Whether you mate with him or not, it’s too late for Dominic. He’s already mated with you. There’s no going back.” Danny could feel his hand trembling as he turned to look at Dominic, but the man wouldn’t look back. Dominic just hung his head. “What does that mean?” “If you deny him, he’ll die. He is no longer able to drink from anyone else.” Danny glanced back at Sully. “I’ve never denied him my blood.” “He needs more than your blood, Danny. Dominic needs you.”

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Danny shivered in apprehension. What in the hell did he know of mates and vampires? Sully could be feeding him a pile of shit a mile long and he wouldn’t know the difference. “Why?” “Enough!” Dominic snapped as he rolled off the bed and stood up. He pointed to the door. “Go, Sully.” “Dom—” “I said go.” Dominic’s rough tone brooked no argument. Sully sighed deeply then turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving Danny and Dominic alone. Danny laid there on the bed, waiting for Dominic to say something, anything. When he just walked over to the window and leaned his hands against the frame, staring out through the glass, Danny’s heart began to sink. “Dominic?” “Yes, chéri?” “Is it true what Sully said?” “Yes.” “Why don’t you want me to know?” Dominic dropped one of his arms and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know, chéri. I just want you to choose me because that’s what you want. Not because you feel sorry for me.” Danny’s heart started beating faster. He hid his hands under the sheet when they began shaking. He was so nervous his stomach was clenching. “But you do want me to choose you?” Dominic’s mouth was hanging open when he swung around. “Of course I do.” “Then I choose you.” “Danny, you don’t—” Dominic pressed his lips together. “Don’t what? Know everything?” Dominic nodded. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?” Danny prayed that he hadn’t imagined those softly spoken words. “Yes,” Dominic whispered without hesitation.

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“Then that’s all I need to know.” Dominic took a step forward then paused like he wanted to go to Danny but was afraid to. “You got so upset when I told you.” Danny shrugged. “You thought I was cattle.” “No, I didn’t,” Dominic protested vehemently. “Yes, you did. You said so.” Dominic’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned. “When?” “I heard you with my own ears,” Danny said. It still hurt to think of what Dominic had said. “You said ‘Danny is not going to be ruling the coven beside me, Sully. He’s my blood donor, nothing more,’ remember?” “Oh jeez, Danny.” Dominic rubbed his hand down his face. “You misunderstood what I meant.” Danny gaped. “How can you misunderstand that?” “I simply meant you would not be ruling the coven, Danny. That’s not your responsibility. It’s mine. You have other things you want to do with your life, like finish your education. It’s not your job to run the coven.” “Fine.” Danny clenched his fists. He could understand that part. He didn’t really want to run the coven anyway. That was a vampire thing. “But how do you explain away me being nothing more than your blood donor?” “Because, right then, you were nothing more than my blood donor. I had hoped for more, and I thought we were working toward that, but you suddenly decided to stop speaking to me. I figured that was your way of telling me that you didn’t want to be anything but my blood donor.” Danny groaned as he rolled over and faced the other way. So many opportunities lost because of one simple misunderstanding. If Dominic had just explained what he had said, none of the last miserable days would have ever happened. “Danny, are you okay?”

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Danny shook his head when he felt the bed dip behind him. He could feel tears starting to gather in the corner of his eyes. He dipped his head and reached up to wipe them away, hoping that Dominic didn’t see them. They were embarrassing. “Do you want me to let you go, Danny?” “Hell, no!” Danny rolled over and glared up at Dominic. “I’m just tired of everyone making decisions for me without telling me. Just once, I would like it if someone gave me all the information, biased or unbiased.” Dominic’s chest heaved as he dropped his eyes to stare down at his hands. “I’ll tell you what I know, but even I don’t know everything.” “Fine, then tell me what you do know, and we’ll figure the rest out as we go along.” “Somehow, during our time together, a bond was started between us. I don’t know how it happened or when. I just know that it started.” “A bond like you have with Sully?” “Yes and no.” Danny arched an eyebrow. Dominic chuckled, his face flushing. “Yes, it’s kind of like that bond, only more.” “More?” “We’re mates, Danny. In my world, that holds more distinction than even one of your human marriages. Our souls merge together, as do our life threads, when we mate. Our lives would be intertwined forever. You would live as long as I do.” “Does that mean I can speak to you mentally like Sully can?” “It does.” Danny smiled. Dominic chuckled. “That really bothers you, doesn’t it?” Danny felt his face flush as he looked down at his hands. “Maybe.” “Danny, not every vampire has the ability to speak telepathically. I’ve never heard of another vampire being able to communicate in this

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manner. It seems to be something that just naturally occurs in my family line. You won’t be able to speak with Sully.” “I don’t want to speak with Sully.” Danny snorted. “I wanted to be able to speak with you.” Dominic chuckled. “And if we’re mated, you will.” “Wait.” Danny slapped his hand against Dominic’s chest. “I thought we were already mated.” “No, chéri. The process has been started, but it’s not finished. There are a few more steps that need to happen first.” “For example?” Danny swallowed hard at the feral grin that crossed Dominic’s face. “I get to claim you and finally find out if that ass of yours is as perfect as I think it is.” Danny swallowed. “Oh hell.” Danny’s eyes widened as Dominic stretched out on the bed beside him and stroked the side of his neck. It was probably the softest caress Danny had ever felt in his life, and yet it held the most intense power. “I’ll bite you here, Danny, like I have in the past, only this time, the mark won’t fade. It will heal, but it will always be there, marking you as my mate.” Dominic tugged on the collar around Danny’s neck. “You wouldn’t even have to wear this anymore. Everyone would know that you were mine.” Danny’s eyes widened as he covered the collar with his hand. “No, I like my collar.” “I told you that it was yours, Danny. If you want to wear it, then wear it. That’s up to you.” Danny sucked in his bottom lip and chewed on it. “Will people still treat me like a blood donor, because I have to tell you, it’s not a real happy place to be.” Dominic stilled. “What do you mean?” “You vampires are a haughty lot.” Dominic’s eyebrows shot up. “Haughty?”

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“You treat blood donors, people that give you the blood you need to live, like cattle. You even call them cattle. I’m not saying you have to put us on pedestals or anything, but it wouldn’t hurt you to be nice every now and then. None of your coven would even speak to me.” “It’s not allowed, Danny.” “Why the hell not?” “Because it’s not.” “That’s not good enough, Dominic,” Danny snapped. “We’re people, just like you. How would you feel if we were mated and someone treated me like cattle?” “I’d kill them,” Dominic growled. His eyes darkened, threatening to turn red. “Well, that’s exactly how I’ve been treated in your home, and you honestly want me to mate with you and go back to that? I may love you, but I’ve lived in a house where I was treated like shit before. I won’t do it again.” “You…” The corded muscles in Dominic’s throat moved up and down as he swallowed. “You love me?” “That’s beside the point, Dominic.” “That’s very much the point,” Dominic said as he leapt at Danny and rolled with him across the bed until they settled on the far end, Danny sitting on top of Dominic. Dominic snaked a hand around Danny’s neck and pulled him close. “That’s the most important point.” Danny’s eyes rounded when Dominic claimed his lips, and then he groaned as his eyes fell closed. Kissing Dominic was like kissing a shooting star. It sent Danny’s senses straight into outer space. “Dominic,” Danny panted as he reluctantly pulled away from Dominic’s lips. “We still need to talk.” “We will talk, chéri, I promise.” Dominic’s eyes pleaded with Danny. “Just let me claim you first.” Danny bit his lip for a moment as he stared down into Dominic’s eyes. “You promise we’ll talk?”

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“Yes! Anything,” Dominic shouted. “I’ll give up the coven if that’s what you want. We can travel the world and see everything. We can do anything you want.” Danny dropped his head against Dominic’s chest. While he appreciated Dominic’s enthusiasm, Danny wanted to make sure that Dominic understood where he was coming from. He refused to live in a home where he wasn’t comfortable, but he also knew that Dominic was needed as the prince of his coven. “Your coven needs you, Dominic. I understand that, and I would never come between you and the coven. But things need to change. It’s not okay for blood donors to be treated like cattle. If we mean so little to you, then why is it you can’t live without us?” “Danny, I’ve never thought that way, you have to believe me.” Dominic quickly held up his hand when Danny opened his mouth. “But I never did anything to stop others from treating the blood donors that way either, and I should have. It won’t happen overnight, but I promise to do everything within my power to change it.” Danny regarded Dominic carefully for several moments then leaned back until he was sitting up, straddling Dominic’s waist. “Fine, you can claim me.” Danny quickly wagged his finger at Dominic when the man started smiling. “But I swear to you if you don’t do something to fix it, I’ll kick your ass.” Dominic arched an eyebrow. “You want a contract?” “No.” Danny chuckled. “I trust you.” “Do you, Danny?” Dominic suddenly grew serious. “Being my consort won’t be easy. It’s dangerous for one. You’ve already been poisoned once and—” Danny blinked. “Wait, what? I was poisoned?” Dominic started for a moment almost like he was caught in something and couldn’t move, and then his face flushed. “Did I forget to mention that part?” “Huh, yeah.” “I was trying to tell you, but then we kind of got off track and—”

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Danny waved his hand in a circle motion. “Back to the poisoning thing, Dominic.” “That’s why you couldn’t keep anything down,” Dominic said. “Someone put poison in your vitamins.” Danny’s mouth dropped open. “Someone tried to kill me?” “Well, actually, after talking with the doctor and Prince Zacarius, Sully and I kind of came to conclusion that someone was trying to kill me through you.” Danny blinked in confusion. “Through your blood, chéri.” “Oh,” Danny said as the light bulb suddenly went off in his head. “So, they poisoned me with the hopes that you would get sick by drinking my blood?” “Yes.” “So, why didn’t you get sick?” Dominic shook his head. “No one knows. The only thing we can think of is that my body had just repaired itself, and I had so much of your pure blood in my system that it fought off the poison.” “So, you’re basically saying you owe me your life?” Danny smirked. “You can have it.” Dominic grinned. “It’s yours.”

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Chapter 11 Dominic couldn’t have wiped the grin off his face if he tried. He felt like he had just won the lottery. Danny loved him. Danny had agreed to be his. “There is one last thing I need to explain to you, Danny.” “I’m listening.” “The poison is still in your system.” Danny frowned. “But I don’t feel sick like I did.” “That’s because the doctor gave you some sort of beta blocker thing that temporarily halted the poison going through your system. It won’t last long.” Danny blanched. “I’m still going to die?” “No, no!” Dominic could see tears starting to sparkle in Danny’s eyes. He quickly pulled Danny down to his chest. “No, chéri. I would never let you die. I would have taken care of this before you even woke up, but I wanted you to have a choice.” “What is there to choose, Dominic? I don’t want to die.” “And you’re not going to. But you need to decide how you get cured.” Danny gave a slight shake of his head. “I don’t understand.” “There is a medication that the doctor can give you. You would heal, but it would break the bond that has started between us.” “No!” “Or—” “I’ll take or,” Danny said quickly. Dominic chuckled. “Or, I can claim you using an ancient ritual.”

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Danny’s head cocked to one side. “Why an ancient ritual? Is that how vampires usually claim their mates?” “No, usually it just takes an exchange of blood during sex but—” Dominic chuckled when Danny held out his arm. He reached over and grabbed it, planting a small kiss against the soft skin of Danny’s wrist. “But, with the poison in your system, the only way we can fully mate is by use of an ancient mating ritual.” “Okay.” Danny shrugged. “So, we use an ancient ritual.” “A forbidden ancient ritual, Danny.” “Fo–forbidden?” Danny gulped. “How forbidden?” “If we’re caught, our bond would be permanently severed.” “That can happen?” “It can. Most of the ancient rituals are forbidden to us because of how dangerous they are. And very few people know how to perform then anyway.” “And you know how?” “No, but Prince Zacarius does, and he’s agreed to perform the ritual if that’s what you want.” Danny eyes were growing larger by the second. “I don’t want our bond broken, Dominic.” “There’s one more thing, Danny.” Danny rolled his eyes. “What?” “Part of the ritual requires us to have sex.” Danny tilted his head as his eyes narrowed. “I’m not seeing the problem here.” “While the prince performs the ritual.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “We have to have sex in front of the prince of another coven?” Dominic nodded. “And Devlin, the prince’s consort, and Sully. We have to have two witnesses.” “Seriously?” Dominic nodded again.

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Danny chewed on his lower lip for a moment then slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. “But it’s only this one time, right? We don’t have to continue having sex with an audience, do we?” “No, chéri, it’s only that one time.” Danny sighed deeply. “Okay, then how do we do this?” Dominic couldn’t have prevented the smile that crossed his lips for all of the gold in the world. “Wait right here,” Dominic said as he lifted Danny off of his lap and set him down on the bed next to him. “I’ll go get the prince.” Dominic was nervous as hell as he walked out of the bedroom but also excited. Not only had Danny agreed to be his mate, he had barely argued about the witnesses that would be needed or the ancient ritual that they had to perform. Dominic wasn’t too keen on other people getting a look at Danny naked, but at this point he’d take what he could get. Mating meant he got to keep Danny forever. It also meant that Danny would no longer be sick, which was one of Dominic’s first priorities. If he ever discovered who tried to kill Danny, he’d rip their throat out, slowly. Dominic paused outside the prince’s study and drew in a deep breath. Not only could the bond between him and Danny be severed if they performed this ancient ritual, but Prince Zacarius could be in serious trouble as well. Dominic was about to ask the man to put his very life in jeopardy. Raising his hand, Dominic knocked on the door. “Come.” Dominic opened the door and walked in, not surprised in the least to find Devlin hovering over his mate. It seemed that Devlin went just about everywhere that the prince went. The werewolf was very protective of his mate. “I’ve spoken with Danny, and if you’re still agreeable—” “I am.”

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Dominic tensed when he heard a slight growl from behind the prince. Apparently not everyone was thrilled about this. Dominic’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when Prince Zacarius smacked his mate on the chest and glared at him. “Darling, you know I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have, but in all honesty, I am probably one of the few people alive that actually knows how to perform one of these rituals. Dominic and his little mate have a right to experience what we have.” “I don’t have to like it,” Devlin growled. “No, you don’t, but I ask that you support me while I do it.” Dominic didn’t think he could be any more surprised. He learned he was wrong when he watched the large werewolf shifter turn to putty in the prince’s hand. Devlin practically purred when Prince Zacarius rubbed his chest then leaned up to kiss him. The prince smiled at Devlin then turned to Dominic. “Why don’t you go back upstairs with Danny and get him ready for the ceremony while I gather the things we will need.” The prince winked. “You’ll find what you need in the bathroom cupboard.” Dominic was confused until he pulled a brand new bottle of lube out of the bathroom cupboard several minutes later, and then he burst into laughter. Apparently, the prince thought of everything for his guests. “What are you laughing at?” Danny called out from the other room. Dominic walked out of the bathroom and held the bottle up for Danny to see. “The prince told me to come back up here and get you ready for the ritual. He said I would find what I needed in the bathroom cupboard. I had no idea what he was talking about until I found this.” Danny’s face flamed. “The prince supplied you with lube?” “He’s a very understanding prince.” “Apparently.”

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Dominic continued over to the bed and dropped the bottle of lube onto the mattress. “Are you ready for this, chéri?” Dominic asked as he started peeling his clothes off. “What are you doing?” Dominic paused with his hands on his zipper and looked up at Danny. “I’m getting undressed, chéri. It’s going to be very hard for me to claim you if there are clothes in the way.” “We’re really going to do this then?” “Don’t you want to?” “I do, but…” “But what, chéri?” “It just feels weird having sex in front of someone else.” Dominic smiled and continued to unzip his pants then shove them down his legs. He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the floor next to his pants. “Believe me, chéri, if I do this right, you won’t even know they are there.” Danny’s eyes rounded as Dominic climbed up onto the bed and started crawling toward him. With every inch he crawled, Dominic pulled the blanket a little farther down Danny’s body until the man was naked. Dominic grinned and grabbed Danny, swinging him around until his head was at the foot of the bed then he moved up to lay over the top of Danny, his body resting between Danny’s legs. “Hi.” Danny laughed. “Hi.” “Come here often?” “Not yet, but I’m hoping.” “Have I told you how gorgeous you are?” “No, but you can if you want to.” Dominic grinned. “You, chéri, are absolutely stunning.” “You’re not so bad yourself.” “Yeah?” A sparkle of delight appeared in Danny’s eyes. “Yeah. I’d do ya.”

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“Oh, you would, would you?” “At least once, twice if you’re good enough.” “Then I guess I better be very good.” Dominic leaned in and captured Danny’s lips. He loved kissing Danny. It was almost as good as tasting his blood, because he could still get Danny’s flavor from just a kiss. The kiss was made even better when Danny readily responded to it, parting his lips and allowing Dominic inside to explore. “One of these days, chéri,” Dominic said when he raised his head, “I’m going to kiss you from one end to the other just to find out if you taste the same all over your body.” Danny laughed. Dominic grabbed the bottle of lube and started scooting down Danny’s body with the intention of using it until he spotted the twin dark nubs adorning Danny’s chest. “Oh, what have we here?” “Uh…” Dominic licked one nipple and then the other. He heard Danny inhale sharply and grinned up at him. “Tastes like chocolate mint.” “Seriously, dude? You think my nipples taste like chocolate mint?” “Yep.” Danny’s head dropped back onto the pillows. “Hope you like chocolate.” “Love it.” Dominic leaned in for more, licking his way across Danny’s chest from one nipple to the other, over and over again. He couldn’t seem to get enough. He was in heaven, and he never wanted to leave. “Better get to it, Dominic,” Sully said through their bond. “We’re waiting outside.” Dominic growled and gave up his exploration of Danny’s nipples, moving farther down his body. “Oh look.” Dominic chuckled when he spotted the hard, leaking cock jutting up from Danny’s body. “More toys to play with.”

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“Oh god,” Danny sighed. “Prince will do nicely, Danny.” “So not going to happen.” Danny laughed. Dominic groaned as he swiped his tongue across the top of Danny’s cock. The small droplets of cum that had gathered there exploded on his tongue in a sensation of flavor that was all Danny. “Fuck, Danny,” Dominic whispered hoarsely. He stretched out his tongue again, positive that it had been a fluke. No one could taste that damn good. Dominic groaned when the same sweet, tangy taste exploded in his mouth. Apparently, cum taken from the source was much more potent than licking his hand. Dominic wanted more. He leaned up on his elbows and swallowed Danny’s cock until his nose hit curls. Danny screamed and bucked up into the air. “Okay!” he nearly shouted. “I’ll call you Prince.” Dominic couldn’t help grinning around the cock in his mouth, well, as much as he could considering that Danny was wide enough to make his lips stretch. Dominic started moving his head, sucking in his cheeks when he pulled back then using his tongue to pave the way when he moved back onto Danny’s cock. At the same time, he popped the top on the bottle of lube and squirted a liberal amount out onto his fingers. Not wanting Danny to be distracted from what he was doing, Dominic rubbed the lube between his fingers until it warmed, then stroked his fingers between Danny’s butt cheeks. Dominic pushed one slicked up finger into Danny’s tight hole. “Dominic!” That was the sound he wanted, the breathless sound of need and want. Dominic moved his finger around and in and out, loosening Danny until he could slide in another finger. He knew Danny was enjoying what he was doing when the man’s body opened up to him, Danny’s legs falling wide open.

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Dominic just about jumped out of his skin when Danny’s hand dug into his hair and the man shouted, arching up into the air. While Danny’s cock emptied into his mouth, Dominic quickly slid a third finger into Danny’s ass. Lifting his head, Dominic watched Danny slowly come down from his orgasm. When Danny’s eyes started to open, Dominic knew reason was starting to return to Danny. He didn’t want that. When their witnesses came into the room, he wanted Danny so enwrapped in passion that he never even noticed. Dominic continued to thrust his fingers deep into Danny’s ass, but at the last second, he curled them inward, searching for Danny’s sweet spot. When his fingers grazed the walnut-sized gland, Danny’s eyes widened so much that they dominated his face. “Oh my fucking go—” Danny’s teeth slammed together, and his head arched back. “Dominic!” Dominic continued what he was doing with his fingers, making sure he caressed Danny’s prostate with every thrust of his fingers. He slowly climbed to his knees between Danny’s legs as much as he could without withdrawing his fingers. “Okay, we’re ready,” Dominic told Sully through their bond. He glanced up when he heard the door open and saw three hooded men enter the room. They walked over and surrounded the bed, lowering their hoods. Sully stood to one side of the bed, Devlin on the other. Prince Zacarius stood at the bottom of the bed with a small book and dagger in his hands. He nodded to Dominic. “Are you ready to begin?” Prince Zacarius asked. “Yes.” Prince Zacarius nodded. Dominic tried to draw in a deep breath, but the air felt thick, almost expectant. He watched Devlin and Sully both step over and light candles on the nightstands that he hadn’t noticed before. Apparently someone had arranged things before, or

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they just magically appeared. Dominic wouldn’t put anything past the prince at this point. Dominic swallowed hard when Prince Zacarius began speaking in their ancient tongue. He didn’t understand all of the words, as it was pretty much a dead language, but after today, he swore he’d learn. He wanted to know the words that would bind him to Danny for all eternity. “It is time, Dominic.” Dominic cast a quick glance at the men standing on either side of him. It was a little eerie having people watch him claim his mate, but he knew it was required for the ritual. But at least he knew how Danny felt. Dominic withdrew his fingers from Danny’s ass and grabbed him by his legs. Before Danny could protest or realize their witnesses were even in the room, Dominic lined up his cock and sank it into Danny’s tight ass. Danny cried out, his head falling back as he pushed his ass up against Dominic. A deep growl started to burn in Dominic’s throat as he started moving inside of his soon-to-be-mate. Danny was glorious in his passion, totally uninhibited. And he wasn’t quiet about what he liked. Dominic knew everything Danny wanted by the cries falling from his lips—and so did everyone else. That’s what made Dominic growl. He didn’t want anyone seeing Danny in the throes of passion except him. Dominic reluctantly glanced away from Danny when someone cleared their throat. He saw the prince holding an old dagger out to him. Dominic grabbed the dagger and cocked an eyebrow at the prince. While he understood the reason behind the ritual, he didn’t actually know the mechanics of it. He needed direction. “You must give life to your mate as he gives life to you,” the prince instructed. “Cut a line across your heart until the blood of life comes forth. Mark your mate’s neck where you draw life from him.

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When you give him the blood of your heart, you must take life from the mark of your claim.” Dominic blinked. Huh? “Make a cut over your heart, bonehead,” Sully said through their bond. “Use the blood from that cut to draw your mark on Danny’s neck where you bite him. Then Danny needs to drink the blood from your heart as you drink from him where you drew on him.” Oh. Dominic winced as he cut an X over his heart. He handed the dagger to Prince Zacarius, not wanting it to be on the bed with him in case Danny rolled over on it, then drew his fingers through the blood trickling down his chest. He leaned down over Danny and tilted his head to one side. Dominic planted a small kiss on Danny’s skin then drew a picture of his mark, a blood red tear falling from a half moon, over the pulse beating rapidly in Danny’s throat. It wasn’t pretty. Dominic knew he would never be an artist. But it was done. He glanced up at Prince Zacarius, waiting for his next set of instructions. The prince had gone back to reading the words from his book in their ancient language. Dominic didn’t have a clue what he was saying. He glanced back at Sully, but he was no help. He just shrugged his shoulders. Dominic started to look over at Devlin when the air in the room started to hum with life. Dominic’s heart started beating faster as the curtains blew up into the air and the flames on the candles flickered. His eyes snapped up to the prince when the man began to speak again in a language he could understand. “Prince Dominic Xavier Lucian Ruelle, do you accept Daniel Erickson as your mate from here to eternity? Do you swear upon your life to protect him from all harm and put his life above your own?” “Yes.”

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“Daniel Erickson, do you accept Prince Dominic Xavier Lucian Ruelle as your mate from here to eternity? Do you swear upon your life to give him life and take into yourself the life that he gives you?” When Danny didn’t say anything, Dominic leaned down and whispered into his ear. “Do you want to be my mate, Danny?” “Yes,” Danny said without hesitation. “Say it louder, Danny,” Dominic whispered. “Scream it for me.” “Yes!” Danny screamed. “So be it,” the prince said. “From this time forward, may your souls remain entwined with each other for all eternity, not even to be separated in death. May the blood you share give life to each other, and may the power of both keep you safe.” The prince nodded. “Claim each other.” Dominic could do that. He brought Danny’s body up to his, pressing his mate’s face into his chest. “Drink, Danny.” When Dominic felt Danny’s tongue swipe across the cut over his heart, Dominic sank his fangs into Danny’s neck, right over the spot where he had drawn his mark. The sweet taste of Danny’s blood hit him like a freight train. Dominic expected that. He didn’t expect to suddenly feel like he was on fire as Danny’s blood infused his system. Something moved inside of Dominic, blinding him to anything but the feel of Danny in his arms and the blood flowing into his mouth. Dominic groaned when his cock erupted inside of Danny. He hadn’t even moved. He had just been pulled over into ecstasy. He heard Danny cry out at the same time and felt the man’s release fill the space between them. As they both came at the same time, something deep inside of Dominic snapped into place. All at once he was overloaded with sensations and emotions and a love so perfect it put Danny’s pure blood to shame. Dominic trembled when he actually felt his life thread intertwining with Danny’s. No longer would he be alone. No longer

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would he wonder what love felt like. All he had to do was look at Danny or feel him, and he would know exactly why he was created. “Chéri,” he whispered silently. “My mate.” “Dominic,” Danny whispered back through their bond. “I’m here, love, and I’m not going anywhere.” He could feel Danny’s light laugh through their bond. “You’d better not. We have a blood contract, and I’m holding you to it.”

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Chapter 12 Danny was so nervous he could spit. Even standing next to Dominic didn’t squash the rebellion making his stomach clench. Being mated to Dominic was everything he ever hoped for. Meeting the coven as Dominic’s consort sucked big hairy monkey balls. Everyone was staring at him. True, they had stared at him before but never like this. Danny didn’t know if they wanted to kill him or drink from him. Both held distinct possibility. Until Dominic growled. The eyes in the room watching Danny quickly dropped, and heads tilted to the side in a show of submission. Danny blinked in shock. So, this was what it meant to be the prince. Must be nice. “You will welcome my mate and royal consort into our coven with open arms or you will leave.” “But, sire,” one brave man said, “he’s a blood donor. He’s not even a vampire.” “He bares my mark.” Danny swallowed hard when Dominic wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and tilted his head sideways, showing off the mating mark that had been burned into Danny’s skin when they mated. Danny still couldn’t figure that one out, and neither could anyone else. Dominic was just supposed to draw his emblem on Danny’s neck in his blood, which he did. But when he wiped the blood away after the ceremony, the emblem remained, engraved into Danny’s skin like a tattoo. Dominic seemed thrilled to death about the permanent mark. He got frisky every time he saw it. Danny wasn’t complaining, but he was concerned about what it meant.

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“Danny is a part of this coven now,” Dominic continued. “He is my mate and now holds the title of royal consort. He will rule this coven by my side. A threat against him is a threat against me, and I will deal with it as such.” “But, sire, he’s human.” “He is.” Danny flinched when he felt Dominic’s hand tighten on his neck. He wasn’t afraid of Dominic, but the man didn’t know his own strength. The man that had spoken a moment before looked confused. “I thought we were unable to mate any except other vampires.” “Not only is that not true,” Dominic said as he drew Danny closer to his side, “but my mate is proof of that. You might also be interested to know that Prince Zacarius Ivinovav of the Ivinovav Coven has a shifter as his mate and royal consort.” “Then we can mate others?” the man asked. “Humans and shifters alike?” “Yes,” Dominic answered simply. Danny was shocked when the man grabbed the blood donor standing next to him and pulled him close to his side. “Then I request acceptance of my blood donor into our coven as my mate.” Dominic chuckled. “So be it, Thomas. Your mate is welcome in our coven and will be recognized as your mate as soon as you claim him.” Thomas grinned widely, as did the man at his side. “We’ll take care of that right away, sire.” Dominic nodded. “Be sure to bring your mate by to formally meet me when you’re done.” Thomas whipped his blood donor out of the room so fast that Danny had to blink to realize the spot where they stood was vacant. He laughed as he looked up at Dominic. “Well, that was easy.” “Don’t fool yourself, chéri. This is just the calm before the storm.” Dominic nodded his head toward the restless crowd that stood

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before them. “They’re just getting warmed up. I can already tell that there are several that do not share Thomas’s opinion of humans joining the coven. They are going to be even more upset when I set down the rules concerning blood donors.” “How bad do you think it’s going to be?” Danny whispered as he looked out over the crowd. “I do not know, my love, so stay close to my side. Sully and I will protect you.” When Danny saw the hatred in the eyes of several that looked in his direction, he began to wonder if even Dominic and Sully could keep him safe. Dominic was right, not everyone was happy about what he was doing, and he hadn’t even mentioned the whole blood donor thing. “My new mate is a very intelligent man. As he has spent some time being a blood donor, he has brought to my attention something that has been overlooked for way too long, and it’s high time that is rectified.” Dominic’s arm slid down to wrap around Danny’s waist. “As my mate has pointed out to me, blood donors supply us with the life-giving blood, and yet we treat them like cattle.” “They are cattle,” someone shouted from the back of the crowd. Dominic growled and suddenly stormed off the small stage they were standing on. He stalked across the room, the crowd parting as he swept through them. Dominic didn’t even stop moving when he grabbed a man at the back of the room by his throat and lifted him off the floor. He just kept on walking until the man slammed into the wall. Dominic growled again and leaned in closer to the man he held. “You are no longer welcome in my coven.” Without another word, Dominic tossed the man through the open doors leading into the entry hall. He pointed to the man as he landed on the floor, his angry gaze arcing through the room. “Anyone that feels the same as he does may leave now. I refuse to have anyone in this coven that holds with these beliefs. Humans are not cattle. They are our life’s blood and will be treated with the honor and dignity they

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deserve. Anyone that fails to do so will meet a swift and painful end. Am I clear?” Danny wasn’t surprised when several vampires moved past Dominic and walked out of the house. He was, however, surprised at the large number that stayed. He was even more shocked at the number of vampires that began looking at their blood donors in curiosity. Danny wasn’t sure if the blood donors would thank him or gang up to kill him. None of them looked very happy. Danny was grateful when Dominic walked back to stand next to him. He could feel Sully standing next to him, but he felt better with Dominic by his side. If he had his way, Dominic would never leave his side again. Danny reached over and tugged on Dominic’s arm until his mate looked down at him. “Are we done?” Danny could think of about a million things he’d rather be doing than standing there before the entire coven, starting with getting Dominic naked and into bed. “Soon, chéri,” Dominic replied, patting Danny’s hand. “I need to make sure that everyone understands what I want from them and answer any questions that they might have. But you don’t need to be here for this, my love. You can go back to our room if you’d prefer.” Danny did prefer, but he bit his lip and shook his head. If he was going to be Dominic’s mate then he had to grow a set of balls and stand by the man’s side. “I’ll stay.” Dominic smiled, and Danny knew he had made the right decision. Dominic needed a strong mate by his side, not someone afraid of their own shadow. Danny just hoped his balls of steel grew really, really fast. “Why don’t you let Sully take you into the kitchen and get something to eat?” Dominic grinned, showing two perfectly white fangs. “I’m feeling a little hungry.” Danny swallowed hard, his pulse rate increasing rapidly at the sensuous light in Dominic’s deep blue eyes. “Yeah, I can do that.” “Make sure you take some vitamins, but only the ones Sully gives you.”

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Danny nodded. Even though Dominic had claimed him, and essentially saved his life, it had still taken over a week for Danny to get back on his feet. He didn’t want to repeat that. Being ill had sucked big time. Mostly because Dominic refused to fuck him again until he was on his feet. It had been a long few days until that happened. The kisses and soft caresses hadn’t made up for not having Dominic’s cock in his ass, no matter how good they felt. Danny had been close to begging when Dominic finally relented and fucked him into the mattress. Danny gave Dominic a quick kiss on the cheek and a squeeze on his arm then followed Sully out of the room. He knew the way to the kitchen after having visited there several times. As he was human and had to eat human food, Danny wanted to meet the people cooking for him, and thank them. Dominic’s cook was a marvel, one that Danny wanted to make good friends with. He wanted to keep eating in style, and he wasn’t stupid. The cook was a god among cooks. “Sully, do you think—” Danny let out a scream as he was suddenly shoved from behind. He stumbled forward and crashed into the wall, catching himself right before his face would have been smashed into the plaster. He spun around as fast as he could, his heart sinking when he saw Sully on the floor, red blood pooling under his head. Danny swallowed hard and slowly raised his head to the vampire standing just beyond Sully’s still form. It was the same vampire Dominic had tossed out of the coven. It was also a very pissed off vampire. His face was nearly red with rage. Drops of saliva dripped from his fangs as if he had lost whatever sense he had left and gone insane. Danny didn’t think that was too far from the truth as the vampire looked across at him and grinned. “I told you that you would be mine.” Oh shit! It was the vampire that had attacked him in the hallway. Danny recognized his voice. He turned and ran as fast as his legs

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would carry him. He didn’t really care where he was going as long as it was away from the crazy-ass vampire bent on draining him dry. Danny was embarrassed by the girly scream he let out when he felt a hand grab him from behind but not enough to not let out another one. His scream was quickly cut off when he was slammed into the wall, his head hitting the hard surface with a dull thud. Danny groaned, disoriented for a moment until he felt a hot breath blow across the back of his neck. He cried out when the collar Dominic gave him was ripped from his throat. Danny distantly heard it clatter to the floor. “Le-let me go,” Danny cried out. “I belong to Dominic.” “I know.” Sharp, jagged pain swept through Danny as the vampire’s fangs started to sink into his throat. He squeezed his eyes tight, trying to block out the pain and the knowledge that it wasn’t Dominic taking his blood. Dominic brought him nothing but pleasure when he drank blood. This was pure torture. Danny heard Dominic shout from behind him at the same moment he felt a tingling in his neck. The vampire attacking him suddenly screamed and pulled away. Danny thought Dominic had intervened until he turned around and realized that Dominic was still at the other end of the corridor. The vampire that had attacked him, however, lay curled on the floor, clawing at his throat, gurgling as if he was choking to death. “Dominic, wha—” “Get away from him, Danny,” Dominic shouted as he ran towards Danny. Danny was never so happy to see Dominic as he was when the man’s arms closed around him. He breathed in deeply, taking in Dominic’s strong, reassuring scent. Danny started to tremble when Dominic growled. He tightened the arms he had wrapped around Dominic’s waist. “Dom—”

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“You’re glowing, Danny.” Danny’s head snapped up. “What?” “Your neck, chéri.” Dominic pointed to the spot on Danny’s neck where the emblem was located. “My claiming mark, it’s glowing.” Danny’s eyes widened as he lifted his hand and rubbed the spot. “It’s hot.” He swallowed hard as he racked his brain for anything he might have heard, anywhere, that would explain why the mark on his neck was glowing and hot to the touch. He was coming up completely blank. “Dominic?” “It’s okay, chéri.” “How can it be okay?” Danny cried out. “I’m glowing.” Danny’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when Dominic chuckled. Didn’t his mate understand the severity of the situation? How could he possibly find it amusing? He was fucking glowing! “Look, love.” Dominic pointed down at the floor a few feet away from them. Danny frowned as he looked down. His frown slid away as his eyebrows shot up in shock. The vampire that had attacked him was unconscious, or dead. Danny wasn’t sure which. But he was sure that there was a deep-red rash around the man’s mouth. His lips were blistered, too, like the vampire had been badly burned. He wasn’t moving. “Is he dead?” Danny whispered. “If he’s not, he’s going to wish he was. His fangs are gone.” “How?” “Strangely enough, they look like they melted away.” Danny rubbed at the mating mark on his neck again. It was no longer hot, but it also didn’t feel like someone had just bitten him either. The skin was cool and smooth, as if nothing had happened at all. Danny shivered. He was starting to get really freaked out. What if Dominic could never drink from him again? Dominic would die. Since they were mated now, Dominic could only feed from him. What would happen?

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“Do-Dominic?” Danny’s voice wavered as he thought of the possibility that he would never be able to feed his mate again or experience the pleasure that came from the intimate act. “What if…” Danny swallowed hard. “What if you can’t—” “Don’t even say it!” Dominic snapped as he swung around to look at Danny. Danny blinked. “But—” “No!” Dominic grabbed Danny and pulled him up against his chest. “This happened for a reason, whatever it was. We were meant to be together, and I refuse to think anything else.” “But—” Danny cried out and struggled to get away when Dominic suddenly grabbed his hair and tilted his head to one side. Danny’s eyes widened as he watched Dominic’s mouth open, his fangs extending as he leaned toward Danny’s throat. “No, Dominic, please, you don’t know what will happen. Dominic!” Danny’s words dwindled away when he felt Dominic’s fangs sink into the soft skin just below his ear. A single tear rolled down his cheek as pleasure flushed his body, the feeling of sadness and bliss warring against each other inside of him with each draw of blood from his body. When Dominic finally extracted his teeth and licked the bite closed, Danny was almost afraid to look at him, afraid of what he would see. “Look at me, chéri.” Danny shook his head, squeezing his eyes tight. “Please?” Danny felt Dominic’s hand under his chin, raising his face. Concern for Dominic won over his fear, and Danny opened his eyes. The air in his lungs rushed out when he found Dominic looking a bit flushed from drinking blood but otherwise unharmed. His hand trembled as he reached out to cup the side of Dominic’s face. “You’re okay,” he whispered in wonder. “I am, love.” Dominic grinned. “In fact, I’ve never felt better.”

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Danny blinked. “Neither have I.” Danny was telling the truth. He felt wonderful. Every ache and pain he had suffered at the hands of the attacking vampire was gone. He didn’t even feel a pulled muscle or an itch. He felt invigorated and revitalized, full of life. Dominic grinned as he brushed his fingers over the mark on Danny’s throat. “I think that this is more than just a simple mating mark, chéri. I think that the ritual we went through really did make your life-giving blood just for me.” “Huh?” “Remember what the prince said. May the blood you share give life to each other, and may the power of both keep you safe.” Dominic leaned over and stroked his tongue over the mark on Danny’s neck, making him shudder in pleasure. “Your blood gives me life, chéri, and it keeps you safe.” “You’re nuts.” Danny laughed nervously. Dominic arched an eyebrow. “Am I?” He waved his hand down at the unconscious vampire. “When he tried to take your blood, he suffered for it. When I took your blood, we both felt more reenergized. I believe my case has been proven adequately.” “That may be true.” Danny grinned. “But it doesn’t mean you’re not crazy.”

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Chapter 13 “Danny, I have news for you about Samuel.” “Samuel?” Danny hung up the phone he was using to talk to Devlin, the mate of Prince Zacarius, and turned to see Dominic standing in the bedroom doorway. “Did you find him?” “Word came to me through Prince Zacarius that a young human man fitting Samuel’s description was seen at another coven. I sent Sully to investigate.” “And?” Danny twisted his hands together in front of him. He had been worried sick about his brother ever since they discovered he wasn’t lying in a coma in some hospital. Dominic promised to use all of his resources to find Samuel. Was this it? Dominic smiled. “Sully just called. Samuel will be here within the hour.” Danny shouted and ran into Dominic’s waiting arms, hugging his mate as tight as he could. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” “I told you I would do whatever I needed to do to make you happy. If finding your brother was what it took, I’d even buy a blood slave from another coven.” “Oh fuck, a blood slave?” Danny raised his eyes to meet Dominic’s. “Is he okay?” “He’s been pretty badly used, but Sully believes he will recover. I’ve already sent for the prince’s doctor. Zacarius is very concerned about a human being sold as a blood slave, and he wants to make sure that your brother is okay, as well.” “He sure turned out to be an odd one, didn’t he?” “The prince?” Dominic chuckled.

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“Yeah.” Danny shrugged. “I mean, I thought he would be all uppity and shit, but he’s actually pretty nice.” “As long as you don’t piss him off.” Danny smiled. “Right.” “But yes, he does seem rather easygoing. In fact, at his suggestion, we’ve decided to try and abolish the ‘no contact between covens’ rule. I think Zacarius would be a good man to have on our side if we ever needed him.” “It wouldn’t hurt to have his mate at our side as well. I hear that man has connections.” Dominic chuckled again. “If you want to know who has connections, you need to talk to Albert. I swear that butler of Zacarius’s has more connections than all of us put together. Since meeting him, I’ve often wondered if he’s a secret plant for the council. He knows everything and tells no one.” “Uh, that’s not exactly true.” Danny twisted his lips together as he thought about how to tell his mate what he had learned. “You know that little poisoning thing?” Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah?” “Promise not to get angry?” “No.” “Dominic!” “I can’t promise not to get angry when I don’t know what you’re going to tell me, chéri.” “Fine.” Danny rolled his eyes. “Remember that blood donor that attacked me because he was jealous?” “Yes.” “He was the one that poisoned me.” Danny quickly smoothed his hands over Dominic’s chest when the man began to growl. “Now, calm down, love. Albert’s taking care of it in a most unique way. He hasn’t told me what he’s going to do, but he did promise to send me pictures when it was over.”

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“As your mate, and the prince of this coven, it is my right to take retribution.” “I realize that, but we are just now getting the other vampires to start seeing blood donors as something more than cattle. They are starting to treat them with dignity and actually talking to them. And the other donors are all talking to each other. Hell, it’s like a freaking social club or something. We do not want to mess that up.” “I plan on messing up that little fucker that hurt you, not the coven.” “Please, just let me handle it my way.” Danny batted his eyelashes at Dominic for good measure. “If the coven sees you go ape shit on some blood donor, it’s going to toss all of our hard work right out the window. They’re still a little freaked out over that vampire dying because he bit me. They don’t need another reason to freak.” Danny began to grow nervous when Dominic just stared down at him for several moments. Finally, Dominic arched his eyebrow. “Pictures, you say?” Danny grinned and wiggled back and forth. He knew he’d won. He wouldn’t win every argument, and he expected that. But it was still nice to win one with the prince. “Yep, and in color, too.” “I expect them by the end of the week,” Dominic said as he started backing Danny toward the bed. Danny laughed when he was pushed back onto the bed, bouncing a few times. “What are you doing, oh prince of mine?” “Claiming my blood.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings. Stormy lives in the great Northwest region of the USA, with her gorgeous husband and soul Mate, six very active teenagers, two boxer/collie puppies, one old biddy cat, and one fish. You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com

Also by Stormy Glenn Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 1: Full Moon Mating Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 2: Just A Taste Of Me Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 3: Tasty Treats: Volume 3, Man to Man Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 4: Blood Prince Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 5: Love, Always, Promise Ménage Amour ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 6: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 7: Pretty Baby

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