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  He pounded a fist on the bed sheets, uncaring if it earned him punishment. But nothing happened, absolutely nothing. Malcolm's solid presence remained behind him, but the vampire had apparently moved back enough that no part of him touched Hunter.

  Hunter's first urge was to roll off the bed, away from this maddening creature, but that little murmur in his head told him that would be the short and sure path to non-survival. Besides, he didn't want this to end. He never wanted it to end.

  "Bastard, you really are a monster! You're killing me here. Do something. Please.” Ass in the air, thighs spread, face pressed into the bed, Hunter knew he must look like an eager rentboy, a slut, a whore begging for a hard fuck.

  "I will decide when and how I kill you, pet. And when I do, rest assured, I will not start at your delightfully red, handprint-marked ass."

  A flush of embarrassment heated Hunter's face. Then inspiration hit him. His heart hammered in his chest, and his breath came in shallow pants triggered by excitement and fear.

  Forehead taking the strain off his upper body, Hunter spread his knees as far as they would go, squatting low to the mattress, balancing his weight so he could reach around behind and grab his ass with both hands. He parted his cheeks, exposing his opening, then tightened the ring of muscle and relaxed it, a wordless beckoning to Malcolm's cock.

  A sudden sharp intake of breath let him know he had the vampire's attention, and that awareness sent a thrill through his body, making his ass wave slightly. A hand fell on his hip and stayed there, long fingers digging into his flesh hard enough to leave bruises. Hunter imagined the blue-black fingerprints on his hip, the red, glowing handprints on both sides of his ass, the healed but still tender bites on his back and cock. His balls pulled up and his dick tapped his belly, pulsing to the beat of his racing heart.

  But still nothing happened. No spank, no bite, not even a ghostly hint of a breath on his skin.

  He presented himself more fully, but when he remained untouched, Hunter moved one hand to his cock and pushed it back between his splayed legs, pointing the dusky shaft, its tip glistening with dabs of creamy white pre-cum, directly at Malcolm. He swayed back and forth, rubbing the creamy liquid into the sheets, releasing the musky, pheromone-drenched scent into the air. The hand on his hip twitched. Hunter closed his eyes to clear his mind, knowing the whispering murmur was still there, quiet, and let his mind form the question he wanted to ask out loud but didn't dare to. Bored with me already?

  The room stayed silent as a tomb for several agonizing seconds. Then Hunter felt himself lifted and flipped in the air. He landed on his back on the mattress, eyes wide open, legs folded back at the knees so his heels rested on the bed, his raised hips resting on Malcolm's muscular upper thighs, legs bracketing Malcolm's thick, firm waist. His wrists were captured in a loose grip at his sides. The air had been knocked out of him, and his head spun.

  Malcolm leaned over him, eyes blood red, fangs extended, lips curled back in a hissed growl that vibrated through every fiber of Hunter's body. Malcolm was magnificent and deadly-looking—power, animal attraction, and control mixed with stamina and amazing strength. He was the predator at the top of the food chain.

  The vampire slowly bent down until he could latch on to Hunter's lower lip with his teeth. Tugging on it, he let it slip out of his grip centimeter by centimeter. The tension split open the healing bite Hunter had given himself earlier so that a small bead of blood welled to the surface when Malcolm released it.

  Hunter could feel the warmth of the blood on his lip. Eyes locked on the vampire's unearthly gaze, he deliberately pressed his lips together, smearing the droplet over both of them, then parted them slightly, the invitation clear.

  "So vibrant, rich, so alive. No one has ever made me miss the warmth of being human, until now.” Lips only inches away from Hunter's, Malcolm spoke into Hunter's parted mouth, deep voice husky and raw with want. “I have begun to fear, Hunter Pray, I will never be bored with you."

  Touching his pale lips to Hunter's blood-smeared ones, Malcolm gave him the briefest, chaste kiss, barely making contact. He then nuzzled his cheek and jaw over the wet opening, streaking his pale skin with strokes of deep red, all the while sniffing and inhaling the scent of the rich, coppery blood.

  It was erotic and primal, and it thrilled Hunter to see himself written across Malcolm's face. The marks only remained on his skin for moments before they faded, seemingly sucked into the vampire's very flesh. Hunter reached out and touched Malcolm's face, wishing his mark were still on the vampire.

  Slowly drawing back, Malcolm slipped out of Hunter's touch. Once he was sitting back on his heels again, he pulled Hunter's hips toward him in a powerful yank that slapped cock to cock.

  Hunter groaned as his erection curled forward, swollen and hot, but his gaze stayed glued to Malcolm, watching, breath held, as the vampire used his fangs to slice open the first two fingers of his own hand.

  Blood, viscous and dark, flowed out of the wounds. It dripped like honey, full-bodied and glistening wet in the dim bedroom light. Malcolm let the blood pool in his palm, then used his hand to stroke his stiff, pale cock, anointing the shaft and head with a liberal coating until the wounds closed. He made to lick the remainder off his palm, but Hunter reached out a beckoning, open hand. Flirting with danger, always pushing the limits.

  Wordlessly, Malcolm placed his bloodied hand in Hunter's, his eyes dilated, his lips parted in anticipation. Hunter strained up to lick the tips of Malcolm's fingers, then sucked each one into his mouth to scour it clean with his tongue, swallowing down the spicy tang of vampire blood, feeling the bond between them strengthen and grow. Once they were both clean, he licked the smears from Malcolm's palm, teasing the sensitive surface with light, lapping caresses until he felt more than saw Malcolm's hand twitch. Then he sucked both healed fingers between his lips down to their bases, only to slowly slide his pursed mouth off again. Malcolm's riveted gaze took in every swallow, every lick, every seductive gesture.

  A faint sheen of sweat made the vampire's skin glow a golden ruby, the whites of his eyes red, his gray irises now flecked with threads of yellow gold. His large square hands clenched into fists but relaxed long enough to pull Hunter's hips up and push his legs back, one hand guiding his blood-slicked cock into Hunter's ass.

  The burn was immediate, the pain a fleeting shock that instantly melted into waves of pleasure. Every measured thrust and withdrawal spread the fiery glow deeper into Hunter's abdomen. His asshole flared and clenched trying to pull Malcolm in, the slow, tempered thrusts maddening. Hunter moaned and bucked, feeling the tip of Malcolm's cock brush over the small nub of his prostate. Every rub and jab sent tendrils of electric excitement scurrying along his nerves. Pressure built at his opening as more of Malcolm's wide girth eased into his channel. A similar pressure began to uncoil in the pit of his abdomen. The pressure grew and grew until Hunter was squirming and writhing, only Malcolm's hands and iron grip keeping him firmly in place.

  Whimpers and gasps joined groaned oaths and curses that intensified as Malcolm's strokes became more rapid and deeper. Hunter reached for his own cock, but found his fingers trapped under Malcolm's hands, pinned to his own bucking hips, his erection taunt, bobbing with each new thrust, splatters of tiny white droplets spotting his chest. His opening was spread wide, the base of Malcolm cock slamming hard against the clenched ring, coarse hair tickling the tender flesh around his hole, adding a sensation he'd never been aware of with other lovers.

  Everything about this coupling was new and different, like it was his first time. He felt more, sensed more, not just what he was feeling but what Malcolm was experiencing too. He felt the ridges and bulging veins on Malcolm thick cock and the deep rim of the head as it passed over his hidden gland and up his ass, but he also knew the satiny tightness of his hot, slick, wet flesh around that cock. It was dizzying trying to sort out which sensations belonged to whom. In the end, he gave up and immersed himself in all of them, encouraged by t
he indistinct hum of pure pleasure in his head.

  Each thrust hammered deeper into him. So deep, the delicious fullness reached the uncoiling threads of ecstasy loosing in his gut, nudging them to unfurl faster. He wanted more, harder, to be taken like he'd never been before. Hunter was consumed by the need to have Malcolm fully inside of him, his body impaled on Malcolm's, Malcolm enfolded by his. This was ecstasy, bliss, the binding act that Hunter knew was needed to link them together forever.

  Now all that was left was the claiming. The taking of his blood, the final joining, the completion, the ultimate bond that would either take Hunter's life or give him a new one.

  Death or life as a thrall to a vampire master. His protector, his future, his lover. Which one Malcolm had in store for him, he couldn't tell, but he was beyond caring, at the point of no return. Malcolm had won the bet with Hunter's father, and he deserved his prize.

  One of Malcolm's hands moved to pluck at his painfully stiff tits, but Hunter seized it and quickly pulled it to his lips. Not giving himself time to think about his actions and what the vampire would do if he were displeased, Hunter snagged a tiny bit of the thin skin over Malcolm's inner wrist and bit down hard. Blood welled out of the wound, coating Malcolm's wrist.

  A sharp intake of air, more surprised than pained, rewarded his efforts. The grip on his hip became almost crushing for a moment. Malcolm plunged his cock deep into Hunter, then stayed there, grinding his hips, stretching Hunter's opening impossibly wide, forcing his full length into the core of Hunter's body. The pleasure was so great, Hunter almost blacked out. Wildfire blazed in his gut, pulled his balls up tight, and made his cock christen his chest with more droplets of liquid passion.

  Teetering painfully on the brink of coming, Hunter sucked the trickle of blood out of the rapidly healing wound. When the flow stopped seconds later, he let the last beads of red elixir linger on his lips, painting them in the dark scarlet. He raised his gaze to meet the vampire's, deliberately licking the coating off with his tongue.

  "You play with fire, pet.” Malcolm's voice was raw, rough, barely audible, but Hunter heard the words in his head as well. “I have never experienced one such as you."

  "So burn me. Leave your mark on me. Claim me."

  Malcolm's eyes swirled with mists of red, and the yellow threads in his irises seemed to grow luminous as his fangs descended longer. Malcolm reared back slightly, and Hunter took that as a signal to turn his head to one side and arch his neck.

  Bright pain tore through his shoulder and neck unlike anything he'd ever felt—vicious, searing, and pure agony. And then it was gone, replaced by a building sense of excitement. Bold threads of electricity pulsed along his skin, through the fibers of his muscles, and into the cells of every one of his organs. Even his bones throbbed with desire. His heart pounded against what now seemed like his fragile ribcage. His breath was held captive in his stunned lungs. His cock exploded, stinging strings of hot cum marking both their abdomens, adding the musky scent of sex and his own sweat to the heavy air.

  Malcolm arched over him, long, sharp fangs embedded in his upper torso while his long, blunt cock was buried balls-deep in Hunter's lower torso. He could feel Malcolm erupting into his ass, pulsing shot after shot of cum into his body at the same time as Hunter pulsed mouthful after mouthful of blood into Malcolm's eager mouth. It was like an unbroken circle of desire and bliss beyond any Hunter had experienced or would again. He knew it was only possible like this, with Malcolm, with a vampire lover.

  Lethargy from blood loss hit him, his breathing shallow and labored, his mind clouded with soothing words and the buzz of climax that refused to recede. Hunter decided it really wasn't such a bad way to end his search for the most exciting and dangerous lover. Or such a bad way to meet an end to his life, either, if it came to that.

  His eyelids flickered closed, but not before he caught sight of the gold ring on the bedside table. Death by vampire. Maybe he was more like his father than he thought. He'd ask him if they met in the afterlife.

  * * * *

  Hunter shifted his head to look up into Malcolm's face. He had awakened what had turned out to be two days later, cradled naked in the vampire's arms in bed, his cheek pillowed on Malcolm's still, broad, hard chest, his arms curled around the creature's body like he was clinging to a life raft. Once fully awake, he hadn't seen the need to change his position, content to lie in his lover's powerful embrace, a faint, pleasant hum in his brain reassuring him all was right in the newly altered world into which he'd been drawn. The hum, the connection, gave him the courage to test his boundaries.

  "Did you come here to kill me?"

  The all-consuming red swirls were gone from Malcolm's eyes, but a flicker of yellow glinted in the bedroom light, hard-edged and cold. Hunter made sure he didn't drop his gaze, waiting and watching.

  Malcolm twitched and blinked. His eyes turned back to a stormy gray-blue, and the odd expression of warmth, desire, and wonder transformed his stony features. Hunter liked this look.

  Pursing his lips in what Hunter thought was an effort to hide a smile, Malcolm sniffed, then pulled Hunter further up onto his chest. He entwined their legs, Hunter's soft cock pressed into Malcolm's solid abs. Locking his arms around Hunter's waist as if he thought he might try to escape, Malcolm stared directly into Hunter's eyes. “Originally, yes."

  "And now?” The whisper told him the answer, but he wanted to hear it out loud, from Malcolm.

  The vampire paused a moment, the shadow of unexpected wonder in his face deepening along with his voice. “No.” It was just one word, but it sounded harsh and hard won.

  It scared Hunter just enough for him to make light of it. “Why?"

  Malcolm's eyes narrowed for a heartbeat. Then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He successfully fought it off. “Do I need to show you again?"

  He pulled Hunter's head down and nuzzled his throat, nipping the thin skin at the crook of his neck, working his way up until he could suck on the tip of Hunter's chin. In between nips and licks, he asked, “Could it be you were not paying attention earlier?"

  "Hardly.” Hunter pulled back so he could look down at Malcolm. He searched the vampire's face, gauging Malcolm's expression with the hum in his head, trying to learn to read both of them accurately. “Are you going to convert me?"

  "No."

  There hadn't been a flicker of hesitation. Hunter wasn't sure if that was good or bad for him. Did Malcolm love him for who he was, as he was, or did he just not want Hunter around forever?

  "Why?"

  The sigh and scowl were closer to real this time. “That is becoming a very irritating word in your vocabulary."

  There was that scary tone again. Hunter fought it off with more humor. “Why?” Irritation flashed across Malcolm's face. Hunter leaned down and kissed him, deep, hard, and slow. When he was sure the scowl was gone by the sudden arousal jabbing him under his own lengthening cock, he pulled back and smiled at his lover. “Give me more than one-syllable answers, and I won't have to keep asking why."

  Hands gripping Hunter's face, Malcolm's gaze darted over every surface and plane, studying it, searching for something. Hunter wasn't sure what, but his survival instincts told him to relax into the vampire's hold and let his mind fall open. All resistance flowing out of him, all his walls and defenses dropped. He laid his emotions and thoughts bare to all scrutiny, his fate resting, just like his face, in this creature's powerful hands.

  "Because I want you as you are.” Malcolm's tone was deep, raw, and husky with desire and possessive hunger. It sent a thrill directly to Hunter's hardening cock. “Unchanged, unaffected by the awakening. I want your love of life and the feeling of your warmth next to me.” Malcolm wrapped a leg around Hunter, embracing him with his entire body. “You are a connection to my past, a part of me I had discarded, but now find I want to reclaim. Since I can't, I shall claim you instead.” A callused but tender thumb stroked Hunter's cheek, a lover's gentle caress. “I shall keep you
as you are."

  "I'll die eventually.” Hunter nudged the palm holding his cheek, wanting more but settling for a touch.

  "Thralls live much longer than mere humans. Partaking of my blood in small amounts will lengthen your life span considerably."

  "I can live with that."

  "Yes, you can and will. Live."

  "Hey, I'm with you on this one."

  Leaning across Malcolm's solid chest, Hunter grabbed his father's wedding ring from the nightstand and toyed with it, the inscription forever my true desire playing over and over in his head. He looked from the ring to Malcolm's face, still seeing the intense possessiveness and claiming lust for him in the vampire's heated stare. “When you won the bet, this ring became yours, right?"

  Taking the ring from Hunter's hands, Malcolm studied it for a moment, flashing the dim bedroom lamplight on it, reading the inscription again as if Hunter didn't know the vampire had it memorized. Suddenly he handed it back, his manner curt and authoritative. “It's yours now. Put it on."

  Unable to hide his pleasure, Hunter put on his most innocent expression. “You're giving it to me?"

  Malcolm's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he answered, “Yes."

  A mischievous smile nudged the innocent look off Hunter's face. “It says, forever my true desire."

  "I am aware of that.” There was a long-suffering impatience to his words, as if the vampire was well aware Hunter was baiting him.

  "You want me to wear a wedding band? From you? One that proclaims me to be your true desire?” There was a teasing note in his tone, but Hunter really wanted to hear Malcolm said it out loud.

  "Will you always need this much reassurance?” Malcolm grunted slightly as Hunter rolled and sat up, straddling the vampire's hips, his firm, bare ass sliding back to wedge Malcolm's growing shaft between its warm, smooth globes. “Because if you do, I'll be forced to drain you right now and save myself the frustrating burden of a high-maintenance lover."