Archive of Our Own

The wind whistled through the trees. The limbs creaked restlessly. It seemed as though the very elements knew something was amiss. A something that did not belong caused the air to shimmer with distress.

Steps that were heavy and uneven broke the tableau. The sound of a heavy weight being drug across the ground alerted even the heartiest of night time creatures. Their hasty flight beat against the air quickly and furiously.

The figure was hunched over, leaning against a crooked walking stick. Its burden slipped from his fingers and landed in a heap at its feet. Looking from side to side, the sharp scent of fear pierced the air.

A stallion’s cry caused the figure to jump and then cower.

“I am but a lowly servant, show yourself.”

The figure landed on its butt looking up at the figure that appeared from thin air.

A sneer pulled at thin, pale lips. “Ask and ye shall receive.”

The figure scrambled to his feet, scuttling backwards. A decidedly male voice yelped when the man came into contact with horse flesh. He lurched to the side, only to be lifted off the ground by the nape of his neck, coming face to face with a very amused, very human face.

“The serfs become more and more pitiful.” The man laughed as the figure fought and kicked out his legs. The powerful equine body shifted easily. “Should you claim your property and rid the world of one less nuisance.”

Pale blue eyes glittered in the moonlight. “Even I have standards when it comes to partaking, Matthew.”

With a swish of a mighty tale, the blonde centaur dropped the cowering man into a heap. “You are quite right, as always.”

With a gentle swoop of elegant fingers, the man sobbed as he was lifted by the air itself, “My property?”

The wizened face grimaced as the man twitched, trying to find purchase in nothingness, “In the bag, good sir, as requested.”

The lean figure approached, gliding forward until he was sharing the same breath. “Untouched?”

The man nodded vigorously, not daring to look down at the bundle in burlap.

The lean features were placid as he inhaled deeply. “You lie.”

The man’s blood drained from his face as he began to protest loudly. The loud snap was pronounced as the gray head turned obscenely to the side. The lifeless body dropped into an inelegant heap of useless flesh.

Matthew gave a disgusted snort, “Did you have to kill him?”

A raven wing’s brow lifted in reply, “Tell me you did not smell it.”

“I did, but come now Noah, was it really a surprise?” The blonde stood naked on human legs before reaching down towards the burlap bag. A low predatory growl stayed his hand, “Just trying to help, old friend.”

“When it is desired, it will be requested.” The silky voice returned. The bag lifted as the man had on the insubstantial pillow of air. A dark frown marred the marble pale features, “It is too light even with the weight of the bag.”

“Do you want to return it?”

“No.”

The blonde shook his head, pale blond hair whipping about bronzed features, “I thought not. And if it does not live up to expectation?”

“Then blood will run,” came the bored response.

The blonde’s body shifted once more, the pale golden blonde palomino body glowed in the moonlight. “I will see you home.”

“There is no need,” Noah replied, reaching out. His lip curled in disgust as he touched the dirty burlap.

The centaur just rolled his eyes before shifting into his stallion form. Noah gave a nod of acceptance before mounting the broad back. The bundle sat before his thighs. The blonde tail swished and brushed against his hip.

“None of that,” Noah said with a twitch of his thin lips. “The night bores, let us for home.”

The wind sighed. Noah ignored it. He was a creature of the night whether the earth accepted or not. The well appointed manor was cold and dark in the moonlight. Matthew’s hooves provided a light ostinato against the cobblestone path. With a thought, candles winked and then bathed the manor in welcoming light.

Matthew gave a whicker of appreciation. Noah responded by carding the delicate pale strands of the stallion’s mane. He slid gracefully to the ground, bearing the burden easily. Once again, Matthew stood before him proud and bare.

“We shall part,” Matthew intoned reaching out. Noah returned the gesture, grasping forearms and bringing bodies together. Matthew’s liquid dark eyes glittered in the silver night. “Be well, my friend.”

Noah leaned forward until their foreheads touched, “Give me two moons before you return.”

Matthew frowned but acquiesced. The horse shifter stepped back and melted into his equine form. With a cry, he reared onto hind legs and leapt into the night. Noah watched until the bright gold melted into the inky blackness. Some mare was going to be very sore come dawn.

The towering male swept into his silent home, securing it with a thought. He carried the burlap bag into his chambers and dropped it onto the small sofa next to his large canopied bed. Clothing rustled and slipped onto the floor leaving the lean body to be caressed by the soft silver light of moonbeams and kissed by the golden glow of candlelight.

With no thought to the lack of human invention, he stepped into the marble enclosure. He teased the water over the spout and warmed it with little thought of cleanliness but of comfort. The waterfall warmed his cold flesh and washed away the scents of death and restless night.

Drawing his hair back against his nape, he reached for his heavy robe. He could control the most simple of elements with no more an effort than waving away a pesky fly. He could not hold the heat he so desperately desired. That indulgence was taken away upon his rebirth. He could trick his body into remembering with heated water.

Or.

His lips peeled back to reveal his extended incisors. He could heat his body with tantalizing warmth of nourishment. He looked to the still bundle. Inhaling deeply, his senses were drawn to the steady pump of heart beat, the warm rush of life giving fluid. He touched his bottom lip with his tongue. It was so very close. To sink within the soft flesh and take what he so desperately wanted. He could feel alive, to feel warm once more.

But his careful selection and planning would be for naught. His life had been too long to give into his base desires. His fledgling days were centuries past. He knew how to be very patient.

He walked to the small bundle and broke the rope binding easily. His nose twitched with revulsion. Word would spread of his dissatisfaction. The lands to the north would no longer be used to procure extravagances. The shoddy results were not worth the exertion.

Pulling the burlap away, he ignored the form it revealed. He carried the offending sacking to the fireplace and cast it in amongst the flames. And as always the myriad of colors and delicious warmth entranced him.

A quiet rustle of cloth and murmur of incoherence broke through his reverie. Pulling himself away from the addicting heat, he approached the object of his effort. Noah became entranced once more at the singular decadence of humanity stretched along the cushion of the sofa, the embodiment of his desire.

A houseboy.

He had lived long years on his own, severing his ties with his sire and striking out on his own. His wanderlust was not conducive to maintaining a household and human flesh was in ready supply. His travels had been academic and productive. Gaining territory through ties and treaties, his manor was well protected. It was time to move into the next phase of being. Becoming a master of his household and procuring what was needed to run it.

A houseboy.

A human servant to take care of trivial matters, to care for his home, to provide a body to fuck, and above all else a ready supply of blood.

His procurement was assured to be virginal flesh. Leaning over the still, blood warm body, he inhaled once more. He could not scent the traces of another near the boy’s groin or his ass. He could smell the remnants of seed that had cost the old man his life. It was guaranteed that the boy would be unspoiled. The man had overstepped by ignoring the statute and abusing the red, bow shaped mouth.

Noah slipped into the boy’s mind. It was as he suspected. The subservience and deep slumber were medically induced. Reaching out with hands to hip and shoulder, he turned the boy onto his back and took in his property.

Honey brown hair was matted and tangled. His nostrils burned at the scent of sweat and unwashed flesh. Skin was pale and unblemished, musculature was slender and firm. Grasping thin wrists, Noah placed them above the boy’s head, taking in the small tufts in the hollows of arms. His eyes traveled down to the sleepy flesh curled in the thick nest blonde curls. Further examination determined hairless chest and legs, the golden hair on forearms blended into the gold of the creamy, soft skin.

Beneath the sweat and excrement, Noah feasted on the scent of purity and innocence. His inner demon crowed with delight. The boy would be for him alone to take, to breach, to fuck, to claim. He would wield his authority over the enticing body, allowing others to touch and worship, to partake of the alluring openings of ass and mouth. The boy would be his to do as he pleased. For his life was no longer autonomous. It was Noah’s.

A houseboy.

The boy stirred and twitched. Noah sat back on his heels and watched. The boy’s face screwed into a puzzled frown, thin fingers reaching out and grasping blindly. Noah cocked his head to the side. Reaching down to the foot of the small sofa, he drug a soft blanket over the bare body. He draped it over the boy’s thighs, not wanting to cover the more interesting parts of the frail anatomy. The frown receded as fingers latched onto the cloth firmly and pulled up and over narrow shoulders. The boy turned onto his side and rubbed his face against the cushion. A sigh came out in a puff of warm breath, and the boy went still once more.

A small glimmer of discontent nagged at him. He went to enter the boy’s thoughts once more. What was he thinking? What was he dreaming? Who was he? The vampire was brought to halt when vibrant amethyst eyes fluttered open.

He expected terror, abject fear, an ill conceived flight of fright. But the serious purple eyes studied him as he himself studied the boy.

Noah could hear the upswing in the heartbeat that indicated fear, as did the sharp tang of sweat, but the eyes were serious and unflinching. The boy was a paradox.

A small pink tongue appeared and drew over the full bottom lip slowly. Noah’s eyes zeroed in on the glistening trail of saliva left behind. He wanted blood and he wanted sex. He wanted.

Pulling back as if he had been stung by a bee, he stared down at the boy in surprise. The purple gaze never withdrew or cowered under thin, blue veined lids.

“Do you know who I am?” He was surprised that it was his own voice that broke the impasse of mingled gazes.

The tongue darted out once more in a quick flick to bottom lip. The small head moved down and then up in a slow acknowledgement of affirmation.

“Do you have a name, boy?” His voice, normally smooth and emotionless, sounded harsh and grating.

“Yes, sir.” The lids lowered to cover the hazy, sleepy gaze. “I am called Dane.”

Noah pressed his will on the boy. A quiet sigh of acceptance touched the air between them as the boy returned to slumber.

Pacing and restless, Noah snuffed out the candles. Letting his robe puddle at his feet, he settled into his bed. He stared up at the ceiling blindly.

He should have been triumphant. He should have been able to call to his own slumber easily. Turning onto his side, he stared at the unmoving, small body reclined on the small sofa, the very epitome of a pet bed, the indication of a lower station.

He should have been many things. But by dawn, his eyes were still open. As the room went from the silver glow of the moon to the orange hue of the sun, he was still staring at the small boy.

His houseboy.

*~*

A common misnomer about vampires, in Noah’s point of view, deals with sunlight. To kill a vampire, the head must be severed from the body or starved of blood. No holy water, no sunlight, and who ever thought of garlic were brain addled. Most vampires in his bloodline craved sunlight, seeking the ever allusive warmth that disappeared upon rebirth.

At creation, humanity bleeds away and merges with the soul of a demon becoming intertwined. The human shell houses the predator that relies on blood for survival. The benefit of the merger becomes long life and the inability to age. Noah would concede that most sires desire beautiful children. His own reflection was one of a slender body, lean features, raven dark hair that spilled past his shoulders, and icy, cool blue eyes.

With his robe hugged to his naked body, Noah enjoyed the sunrise while deliberating on how to approach his newest possession. He knew the moment the boy awoke, even without the startled gasp. The enigmatic creature with serious violet eyes and sleep loose limbs turned into a very predictable human boy that stumbled from the couch and huddled in the corner.

“Come here.”

Noah decided against using glamour or mind control. Dane was to fulfill his role. Expectation and little leniency were in order. And of course the kid did not move a muscle.

He lifted a brow and said coolly, “I will not ask again.” When the terrified eyes met his own, Noah allowed his incisors to extend. The boy went wide eyed and gulped audibly. Standing on shaking limbs, Dane staggered forward until he stood before Noah.

“You were trained?” He asked, Dane nodded up and down. “You know what you are to become?” Again the single up and down movement was the boy’s reply. Noah was uncharacteristically anxious, anxious to remove the smell of unwashed flesh and fear and anxious to move forward.

“Do you know how to bathe?” The purple eyes flared with surprise and a hint of anger. Good, there was some life in the frightened child. “Bathe and return to me.” With his mind, the sound of running water filled the sleeping chamber.

Dane disappeared into the bath. Noah removed the foul smelling blanket by way the burlap sack. If it added to the living wall of heat caressing his bedroom, it was a plus. He could feel the lethargy beginning to sink in. He would need to rest.

No, vampires were not governed by the myth of the sun. Their demonic natures preferred the light of the moon to the heat of the sun. In the duality of being, vampires were subjected by the preference. Hence the small hint of truth that based any myth. Vampires slept in the light of day and moved during the inky black of night.

He stood and entered the bath as Dane stepped from the marble cascade of water. Clean of dirt and sweat, it was as Noah first thought. The boy was horribly undernourished. He could count the delicate bone protruding under the thin fabric of creamy skin. The boy had settled down enough that the vampire was overwhelmed with hunger. The boy’s not his own. His gaze swept from head to toe. Another issue needed to be addressed as well.

Sitting down at the basin, it began to fill with warm, steamy water. He drew out a blade that reflected the light in a mirror gleam.

“Come.”

The boy approached the stink of fear as thick as the steam. Noah sighed and lifted the lathering brush and bowl.

“You are aware of what your purpose is, you are aware the steps in which you were brought here. If your death was my desire, then dead you would already be. Instead, your most inconvenient arrival should assure you that you will keep your life.” Noah lifted a brow and used a bit of his will against the boy.

The shivering slowly tapered off, “That’s better.”

Lifting one skinny arm up and pressing the hand to the boy’s nape, Noah followed with the second arm. The boy stood very still with hands clasped behind his neck, presenting the sorry state of emaciated flesh and decadent allure of heated blood.

Lathering each small tuft of hair, Noah removed them clinically with two swipes of blade. Pressing his will on the boy even further, he lathered the thick nest at his groin. Noah did not prefer eunuchs and did not hesitate with the use of glamour. He wanted the boy hairless and whole, stupid human fear could muck up the process.

Intricate touches of blade and soft caress of cloth left behind smooth silky skin. Bidding the boy turn and touch his toes, the hair disappeared from the sleek crevice as well. Noah trailed his thumb over the tight pink skin. Leaning close once more, he assured himself that no one had been there before.

Dane stood once more presenting his body. Noah placed his hand against the boy’s forehead and sank deeper into the boy’s internal self. Finding what he needed, he felt the boy writhe and hiss uncomfortably but the job was done.

He had found that denuding the body of hair first before disrupting the functioning was much less painful on the receiver than burning it from the body with his mind. Satisfied, Noah pointed back to the shower and Dane complied.

The order of the day adjusted. He led Dane into his well appointed kitchen. Surprised but pleased, the boy knelt without direction.

Another misnomer, vampires did not eat. Silly humans, Noah thought with disgust. “This evening we will go into detail your responsibilities to the household,” He began conversationally taking out a tankard of wine and loaf of bread, before setting out a hunk of cheese from the cold box.

The knife thudded into the cutting board. Slices of cheese were stacked methodically beside two pieces of waiting bread. The wine poured fluidly into the waiting goblet.

Noah sat with the small tray at his elbow. “Come here, Dane.” He wanted to see how much retraining to his specifications the boy would require. Again he was pleased when the naked, bony body crawled across the cool tile and knelt at Noah’s bare feet.

He ran his thumb across the full bottom lip that had captivated him by moonlight. Offering a piece of cheese, white teeth and pink tongue appeared. Cupping the rounded bone of skull, he pulled Dane’s head back and spilled wine into the waiting mouth. Each did well, only a small trail of wine escaped and slid down the boy’s chin and onto his neck.

Noah felt the wicked anticipation. He ground his teeth together, his jaw worked back and forth. He fed the boy until the constant wave of human hunger abated and his own hunger rose to the fore.

Standing, he snapped his fingers and waited. The boy rose gracefully. Feeling satisfied he led the boy back into his chamber. Walking to the bedside table he lifted a small bottle of oil. He scented the continuing nagging fear but also a small tendril of arousal.

“We are going to perform the blood rite that will bind you as my property. You are going to be my houseboy, do you understand?”

The down and up motion returned as well as the slight tremor of fear, Noah moved on. Dane’s fear was natural and not really his concern.

“Tradition is to claim your body with no preparation.” The stink flared automatically. Noah shrugged and coated his erection liberally. “I cannot stretch your body to perform the ritual.” He motioned to his bed.

Dane sat on the edge and lifted his coltishly lean legs. Noah watched as he lay back and rolled onto his stomach. Positioning himself, the boy lifted onto hands and knees, his head dipped low causing his ass to be presented. Terror was emanating in waves but the boy had been told what to expect.

Taking his place between the spread of legs, it was best to get the unpleasantness over first. Noah fisted his cock and placed it to the tightly closed flesh. Gripping the sharp hipbone, he pushed forward.

Dane’s cry of pain was high and thin, as the boy’s body scrabbled to get away from the tearing intrusion. The initial breach over, Noah gripped both hips to still Dane’s escape and to push inward steadily. The boy was keening and panting as the vampire bottomed out. The little coating of oil had done its purpose. Dane would be sore and bit torn. He was not ripped open and bleeding profusely. The ritual demanded its due and when he fucked his boy in the future, it would not necessarily be about his enjoyment but it would not be agonizing pain.

Slipping his arms about the boy’s slender waist, Noah sat back on his heels pulling Dane with him. Dane gave a hoarse shout as his body settled on Noah’s cock, going even deeper. Noah ran his hands over the boy’s skin trying to give him some sort of peace as the body bowed to the inevitable. The tight vise relaxed, accepting Noah enough to allow him to shift his hips and move within Dane.

The gasp that he received was confused pleasure not pain. Noah brought him close to his chest once more, enjoying the heated skin against his own cooler body. He wanted to push the boy down and take his pleasure but his second overwhelming need won out.

Whispering words of ancient tongue, Noah brushed the soft hair aside. He nuzzled the thick life giving vein with his nose and lips. Holding the boy about his shoulders and palming the straining cock in the other, Noah struck hard, fast and deep.

Moans filled the air as did swift sure gulps. Dane’s cock dripped adding to the sensual smells wafting through the sun filled chamber. Noah wrenched himself away before he took too much. Scoring his own wrist, he placed it against the boy’s panting mouth.

He growled when the tickle of tongue lapped tentatively. He pressed his wrist more firmly against the open mouth. And felt the gentle movement of swallowing. The seductive danger of feeding and being fed was like a shock of cold water. Noah pulled his wrist away and ignored the wail of displeasure. It had been enough to satisfy the ritual and bind the boy to him.

Noah answered the frantic twisting of thin hips by pushing Dane back down on to his hands and knees. Keeping the boy’s cock in his fist, Noah began to rut into the sweet tight body beneath him. He had little patience for demanding the boy’s submission in his release, they were both too far gone, in a fog of blood pleasure and sex. He gave a triumphant howl at the first spurt of warm seed and the tightening of anal walls around his cock. He dipped his head for one last pull of blood as he marked the boy inside and out.

His lips turned into a smirk as he shifted the boy onto his side. Dane had succumbed to a faint being overwhelmed by all of the sensations of the ritual. Pushing the thin thigh over to expose the gaping opening, Noah inserted a careful finger. He could feel the tears. Cupping on hand onto the sharp hip, he closed his eyes. Checking once more, the tears were sealed. He wiped the blood from his hand. Even he was not an animal.

Dane was sprawled in a heap of loose limbs. His hair was sweat matted but clean. His body would fill out nicely being properly fed. Noah’s inner demon crowed at the jagged bite between neck and shoulder. Starting at the boy’s head, Noah scented his skin from head to toe, enjoying his scent on the boy.

It would not always be like that. A houseboy had very specific duties and his guests would expect such. But now, it was his scent that permeated the boy.

He walked into his bath and did a perfunctory clean up. Returning, he selected the box he had purchased in anticipation of the boy’s arrival. Dane did not stir as the wide leather cuffs were placed on his wrists and ankles.

The boy’s face with smooth and peaceful as Noah turned his chin and placed the leather collar about his neck. Within vampire hierarchy, there were three roles for humans: consort, blood slave, and house servants. Dane was considered the lowest of the low. Vampires usually operated in two ways, in large clans with a sire and multiple children, as well as numerous blood slaves and house servants. Consorts were rarer. In other night cultures, the equating term would be mate. Vampires did not mate with one another, the bond between sire and childe too strong to add a third dominant personality to the mix. If a vampire wanted immortal companionship then a consort was chosen. The other mode was solitary and territorial. That was Noah’s outlook unlike his own sire.

Dane was not to be a consort. Noah had little time or patience for such nonsense. As such, the boy would not proudly display Noah’s mark about his neck. It would be covered with the shackle of a collar, reminding those of the boy’s place. Dane would be at the pleasure of others but only Noah would take his blood. And by drinking his blood, Dane was bound for an eternity.

The way to end the binding between vampire and houseboy was to starve the human of vampire blood. Blood consorts could be reclaimed by other vampires. Consorts were soul bound, their lives ending with that of their master.

He lifted the boy and placed him onto the pet bed and chained him to the post. Houseboys did not share the same bed with their masters. Covering the slight form with a fresh blanket, Noah returned to his own bed, content and replete.

*~*

At moon rise, Noah’s eyes fluttered open. He stretched enjoying the warmth of human blood routing through his veins. The rustle of chains reminded him where he obtained said blood. Revitalized, he was ready to face the night.

The boy was huddled in the middle of the small pet bed, the blanket tucked to his chin. His small hand covered the bite mark at his neck. And as the previous night, the amethyst eyes were serious and wary.

Noah crossed to his bureau, selecting soft drawstring pants and a loose shirt that he left open. Without looking he said, “Come.”

The rustle of fabric made him pause with his hand upon the door knob. “Leave the blanket.”

Dane was a quiet shadow as Noah brought the house to life with both candle light and firelight. He detailed the duties of making sure the firewood was replenished in all of the grates as well as seeing to the purchase of plenty of wood when the forester made his rounds. Dane lifted a brow in surprise.

“You won’t want to be chopping firewood naked,” Noah replied with a careless shrug. He led the boy into the library and sat at his desk. Once again the boy knelt quietly. At least the training had been somewhat adequate.

Details were boring but necessary. With Dane as a part of his household, Noah would sleep more, relying on the boy to interact with the tradesmen that made their way to his remote home. When the boy looked down at his naked body, Noah commented, “Those who travel here know what I am and will know what you are as well.”

Dane’s creamy skin flushed a bright pink. Noah could not resist licking his lips at the blood blushed temptation. It did bring up the next point of discussion.

“I manage a large territory of land through various treaties. There are horse shifters to the south and a were clan to the east as well the winged palace to the north. As such we host quite a bit of traffic. That collar will signify what you are.”

The boy moistened his lips and lifted his eyes boldly, “And what am I?”

Smirking, Noah replied, “Your trainers did not tell you everything? They explained the ritual and the blood bond, as well as conduct. But they did not explain the relationship of a houseboy within a vampire’s household?”

Dane wisely kept his mouth shut.

“I thought not. You will run my household with the duties that we have covered. You will be my primary source of blood. Mine, no other,” Noah could scent the flare of arousal over the statement.

“But your mouth and your ass is free game as entertainment for my guests.” Dane recoiled visibly which was as expected. Noah felt a moment of consolation for the boy. “It won’t be all that bad. No one will cause irreparable harm. To do so would cross me and that is not a result one would wish on their most hated of enemies.” Noah touched the collar, “This is the protection I give you. If you do not wish to conform there are two avenues to proceed. We can address punishment and bending you to my will or you will be cast out and will die of blood withdrawal.”

The boy went down onto his face, his forehead landing at the edge of Noah’s toes. “I thought not. I think you will adapt well. So no more talking of casting out, however, do not test me when it comes to punishment. It will be swift and just according to the infraction.” Noah trailed his toes over the boy’s heated cheek, “Are we of an accord?”

Unable to nod in his prone position, Dane replied quietly, “Yes.”

That brought forth a sigh, “Another area to be addressed. We are not consort and master nor blood slave and master, so that is not what you will address me as. I am to be addressed as sir always.” He waited a beat.

“Yes, sir.”

Noah allowed a small smile of satisfaction. The boy would do fine.

“Also as a distinction those who will visit will expect an honorific. That is if a question is posed that needs a response, house servants are expected to been seen and used but not heard. You have permission to speak to me but not directly to my guest unless otherwise asked. If you are, you will show respect. An example will be my second in command, Matthew. He is the alpha stallion in the herd of centaurs nearest to my border. You will address him as Sir Matthew. And for females, the were queen Ruth should be honored with Lady Ruth.”

The backbone went taught with repressed nerves, Noah could smell it. “Yes, sir,” Dane’s response was more firm.

“Come here.” Noah loosened the draw strings and withdrew his hardening flesh. “You might as well begin now.” When Dane reached for him, he growled, “No hands.”

The honey blonde strands tickled the smooth flesh of his thighs as Dane lowered his head, taking him in delicate touches before going down. Noah pet the boy’s neck and ears as he pleasured his cock. Before he could get lost in the rapture, he decided that the boy needed to all expectation.

He grasped the sides of the boy’s head and felt the wave of puzzlement before shoving his cock deep into the tender throat. Dane gagged and tried to pull back but Noah was firm. “Breathe.”

Hot salty tears slid down the pale cheeks as the boy fought and finally submitted. Noah groaned and thrust over and over until he spilled into the trembling mouth as the throat muscles caressed him. Dane’s animosity was thick as he cleaned the soft flesh and looked up at Noah under thick lashes.

“You may use your hands.” He was tucked back into his trousers. He was proud when the boy put the draw strings to rights before sitting back on his heels. The golden head was bowed, the back was straight, and the hands sat loosely on tense thighs.

“Very good.”

The rest of the evening was put to use testing the boy’s skills. His sexual training was adequate as well as his grasp of household training. Noah was pleased with the fact that the boy was quiet and respectful and the nauseating fear had died down some what.

Taking the boy to his bed once more, the fucking was slow and pleasurable. Noah had many, many lovers in his long life both male and female. There was something innocent and gratifying in the quiet gasps and needy mewls that Dane produced. He had flinched when Noah reached for the oil but under knowing hands, his body surrendered.

Scenting the approaching release, he grasped the boy’s erection and twisted sharply. Dane protested but the wave passed. Noah growled and ran the edged of his fangs over the boy’s neck.

“Your first time was a gift, boy. Your release is for the pleasure of the one taking your body. You will learn to control it or be subjected to punishment.”

“Yes sir,” Dane panted. Instead of the expected flare of fear, Noah was surprised to scent arousal even at the prospect of pain. It was an interesting detail to file away on his new houseboy.

In the aftermath, Dane went to his bed and watched him through expectant violet eyes. Noah ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. He scored his wrist and offered it, allowing his houseboy two gulps before taking it away and sealing the wound with a swift lick. Dane held out his arms to be shackled. Noah’s fingers returned to the boy’s hair before cupping his face.

“No longer needed, you are bound to me by blood. To escape means death,” Dane’s eyes narrowed and instead of quiet, breathy ‘yes, sir,’ the boy gave a single up down nod of confirmation.

When Noah slipped beneath the fresh sheets, he looked to the boy once more. Dane had the blanket tucked under his chin on the small couch sound asleep. Content, he extinguished the candles with a thought. Dawn was approaching and Noah could rest.

The second moon rise went better. Noah noted the replenished hearths as well as a tray bearing thick, ceramic pot that wafted the steamy aroma of coffee. The boy wasn’t surprised at Noah’s need to consume food along with blood.

Getting out of bed, sipping his coffee, the boy was nowhere to be seen. Noah reached out with his senses and could tell that the steady heart beat was located in the parlor. He turned to his bureau when a splash of blue caught his eye. At the end of his bed lie trousers and blue shirt. Even his boots rested, waiting to be worn.

Noah smirked, what a good little houseboy. His smirk turned into a grin when he heard the stallion cry. Matthew had honored his wish for two moons and would wait no longer.

He clasped Matthew’s forearm and drew the naked man in as soon as his door swung open. Noting the pack at his feet, he lifted a brow as their foreheads touched. “Staying?”

Matthew grinned, his white teeth flashing from richly tanned skin, “Don’t want to frighten your new boy on first meeting.” He waved a hand at his groin, his erection standing proud, very much indicative of his animal heritage.

Noah did not respond, just stepped aside allowing the blonde to enter his home. They dealt with business first as Dane moved around quietly, refilling wine and changing courses. He did not flinch when Matthew cupped the curve of his buttocks and smiled.

Noting the restlessness in his companion, Noah gave a low snort, “You cannot wait any longer, can you?”

The horse shifter laughed good naturedly, “There is some truth to the human sentiment of being as horny as a stallion.”

“As if you do not have a herd of mares to satisfy your lust,” Noah returned.

The bright white smile widened, “That I do, my friend that I do. But before I go rut with your houseboy,” The smile dimmed somewhat, “I am considering going against our laws and allowing another stallion into my herd.”

Surprise brightened Noah’s icy blue eyes, “Isn’t that considered sacrilege?”

Matthew’s face darkened, “Yes and would good measure. But the stallion was crippled and barely made it into my lands to recover.”

“Then patch him up and send him on,” Noah dismissed.

“My lands, my business,” Matthew responded.

Noah held up a hand, “I do not wish to manage your affairs, my friend, just make sure you taking care of your house.”

“As I will,” Matthew said and his face brightened once more as he scrubbed his hands along his thighs, “Now?”

“Be gone with you, horny bastard,” Noah smirked. “I will be in the library if he does not perform his duties.”

*~*

Matthew really was slave to his own nature. He sought out the delectable boy, the scent of Noah’s claim rich in the air. Dane was putting the finishing touches on the immaculately clean kitchen.

He turned to find Matthew leaned against the counter and slid to his knees automatically.

“Come here, boy,” He said easily. Dane stood and stepped closer. Matthew threaded his fingers in the soft hair and brought their foreheads together. He could read the surprise in the unique purple eyes.

“You have no reason to fear me, even if I want to fuck you.” Dane’s head lowered and a blush stained his cheeks. Matthew wrapped his arms around the boy and drew him closer. He inhaled and something tickled his nose. The scent of Noah’s claim was there but something else. Lowering his nose to the wound on Dane’s neck, he inhaled once more, deeply.

He reared back and caught the boy before he stumbled. How did Noah not know? If he did, then why was he allowing Matthew to rut with the boy? Noah was long lived and not much got passed his superior senses, so how had he not known?

Dane trembled in his arms. He ran his hands up and down the too thin back. He was in agreement with Noah, the boy needed to be fattened up. Unfortunately, being a stallion, the boy’s physical state did nothing to lessen his libido.

Lowering his head, the scent was almost enough to dissuade him. But the bow shaped mouth parted and it was an invitation that Matthew could not deny. Kissing the boy, he lifted his slight form off the ground. Dane emitted a quiet squawk in the back of his throat before winding his legs about Matthew’s hips.

He pulled away allowing the boy to gasp for breath. “Noah was your first?”

Dane licked his lips causing Matthew’s cock to respond. He sat Dane on the counter. Matthew watched indecision flitter across the boy’s sharp features. In the end he nodded, with a single up and down motion.

Matthew studied Dane. Looking around the kitchen, he located a bottle of cooking oil. “He has told you that he entertains various types of people?” Again, he got the single nod. “Then let me educate you on horse shifters.” Matthew shrugged off the simple shirt and pushed his trousers down his hips and allowed them to puddle at his feet.

Dane’s eyes zeroed in on his groin predictably before shooting back up in awe and trepidation. Matthew gave him a half smile and a shrug, “We are part horse. I’m considered pretty average.” Dane’s brow lifted in disbelief. “Maybe more than average if you talk to my mares.”

He lifted the boy once more. Matthew knew Noah’s manor well and located the room that he used on many occasion. He laid the boy on the bed and smoothed his hair away from his face.

“I know what you went through as a part of the blood claim,” Matthew did not remove his hand when Dane flinched. “I know it was harsh but Noah will not accept anyone harming you.” Purple eyes narrowed once more. “With horse shifters, your body must be prepared thoroughly or you won’t be able to take us.” He leaned down and kissed the sweet lips once more, “And never let one of us take you on your back. You need to be on your hands and knees.”

The boy moved fluidly into position. Matthew ran his hand down the bony back. He nipped at the protruding shoulder blade, “And I know Noah told you to be quiet and respectful, but you need not with me.” Reaching beneath the boy, Matthew tugged his cock and got a gasp in response. “Better.”

Dane turned his head to side and studied him. He licked his lips, “Yes, Sir Matthew.”

The blonde rolled his eyes, “And none of that ‘sir’ business. When it is you and I, say Matthew. In fact,” He drew his thumb across the boy’s opening, “I will have you screaming my name.”

Matthew enjoyed the boy. As a horse shifter, sex was breathing. But the shy smiles, ready responsiveness, and tight body enchanted him. He stretched the boy as much as he could before lubricating his cock excessively. Humans were not built to take on his kind, so Matthew was very gentle as he slowly breached Dane’s body.

The shaking shoulders and quiet pants were normal but Matthew knew he was stretching the boy almost past his endurance. He did not sink all the way in, he stopped when he brushed against the tender spot within the boy. He was a firm believer in giving pleasure as much as receiving.

The boy was able to come in his hand but instead of screaming it was with a quiet sigh of ‘Matthew.’ He hugged the boy after the sweaty throes of release. Dane was sated with a quiet smile on his lips but Matthew had a firm suspicion that he was thinking about Noah.

*~*

Bubbling water hissed and spat, raising steam in the coolness of dawn. The seasons were changing, adding the bite of cold before burning off with the rise of the sun. The kettle was lifted from the burner and spilled into the waiting basin.

Situated near the dying embers in the kitchen hearth, Dane stepped into the heated water. He shivered violently at the heat searing into his cold body before sitting down, his knees drawn under his chin. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out as the water worked on his abused flesh. When Noah was stirring, the house was a living wall of heat. When he slumbered, the house chilled. He had searched all over for matches or a flint and came up empty. Since the vampire could light fires with a whim, he gave little thought to human frailty and comfort.

Noah’s house was about to capacity with were contingency. There was Matthew, the were queen Ruth, her beta David, along with David’s boy, Joshua. As the heat loosened his muscles, Dane sighed. Noah would not touch him if he could smell another on his skin. His stomach cramped and if he would not touch him, Dane would also be denied the blood that his body craved.

He shifted his jaw back and forth. Dane decided that he would be very glad when the weres departed. Matthew was discrete and giving when it came to fucking, behind closed doors and offering mutual pleasure. Ruth was another story. She had looked him over and snapped her fingers. With Dane kneeling between her thighs, his mouth pleasuring her sex, the were queen coolly discussed the need for expansion of territory borders.

Dane’s life was different and in some ways the same. Orphaned in his village, he always tried to be subservient and hidden from those preyed on the weak. He had been given a apprenticeship at the monastery that housed the orphanage. He grew up uncomfortable with heavy hands and sinister looks. It did not surprise him when he was sold for firewood to the band of gypsy traders.

As a young man he expected to be sold into one of the many brothels and was surprised when he was told that he would travel into the mountains of hell spawn to become a houseboy. He could either fight his training or die. Drawing upon his submissive nature to please and the need to survive, he learned and trained. The vampire who acquired him had ordered him to be sexually trained but not sexually used. That did not deter the guards and handlers from taking the pleasure of his mouth. Nausea still rose up at the degradation and humiliation that he suffered.

Noah was the same but different. Dane could feel the possessive territorial nature when they were in bed together. After sex and feeding, Noah would hold him close breathing in his scent deeply. But he would also turn a cool gaze when Dane offered his body to those who enjoyed Noah’s hospitality. Fearing death and punishment, Dane submitted.

He did look forward to the times he shared Matthew’s bed. The horse shifter was horny, amicable, and humorous. It hurt being stretched over the immense cock, but Matthew always tried to see to his comfort and pleasure. Dane sensed the same affection from Noah. But where Matthew would curl around him and sleep peacefully. Noah would leave the bed to clean away the evidence of coupling, expecting Dane to be his pet bed upon return.

Shivering at the cool air that teased his body, Dane disposed of his bath water and prepared breakfast. For the guests, trays would be left warming in the oven. It was why he preferred the kitchen to the rest of the house. With Noah’s mysterious powers the oven was always warm, ready for food to be prepared and water to be heated. He lifted the tray for Noah.

Passing the guest quarters, Dane noticed Joshua sleeping curled naked near David’s door. He shuddered. At least, Noah provided him a comfortable place to sleep.

Placing the tray at Noah’s bedside, Dane cleaned the chamber quickly and efficiently. Taking away soiled clothing to be laundered and laying out trousers and a shirt across the end of the bed. He took the boots to the back door and brushed away dirt, buffing the leather to a shine before returning them to bedside for Noah’s use. Then he hurried to his cold bed and wrapped his blanket around him, intent on gathering some heat before Noah stirred.

Noah sat up and met Dane’s gaze. He dropped the blanket and crawled onto the mattress. He knelt with his head lowered. Noah scented him, through deep breaths drawn through his nose. If he was dissatisfied, then he would send Dane into the bath.

Long cool fingers wrapped around Dane’s bicep, encouraging him down onto Noah’s chest. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, sir.” Dane replied dutifully without looking up into the icy blue eyes. He willed himself not to shudder when the fingers traveled over his collar and down his back.

Noah took his wrist and lifted, drawing Dane’s eyes upward as well. He watched as the vampire nuzzled his wrist and tried not to frown. When Noah took his blood, it had been from his throat.

“Straddle my hips.”

Dane trembled and seated himself as gracefully as he could with Noah’s fingers wrapped around his wrist. Noah’s eyes were cool but kind. Gesturing to his free hand the vampire ordered calmly, “Prepare your body.”

It was another confusion for Dane as he slipped two fingers into his mouth, wetting them thoroughly. He slowly breached his own body, stretching and biting back moans. He was very glad he had chosen to sit in the basin for his bath. Noah seemed satisfied and tugged on his wrist. The raven’s wing brow lifted. Dane lifted himself up and onto the hard flesh. With a sigh, the burn lasted but a moment before the vampire was full seated.

Dane kept very still, at a loss of what Noah wanted. The vampire had taken him on his back, on his knees, pushed over the bed or whatever flat surface was available. This joining felt different. The vampire scored his wrist and offered it to Dane.

The sweet tang filled Dane’s senses as he accepted it greedily. He barely noticed the bright pain as Noah’s incisors sank into his wrist. He was focused on the sweet, addicting fluid that he pulled in mighty gulps, his hunger quickly sated but too greedy to let go.

He moaned against the quick sealing wound and Noah’s hips began to move, thrusting upwards slowly, changing Dane’s need from blood to sex. His own cock dripped onto the pale plains of Noah’s abdomen. He wasn’t sure if the light headed ecstasy was from being consumed by blood or sex. His back arched as his need for release burned.

“S-si-sir,” He panted, begging, hoping that he would not be denied.

Noah’s response was a hard pull to his vein as the other arm wrapped around his hips dragging him downwards on the impaling cock. Dane’s cry was accompanied by jets of seed painting the vampire’s pale skin.

The world went hazy and Dane recognized it as blood loss. Noah eased him up and over, laying him gently on his side. Dane gave into exhaustion, comforted by the brief touch to his ravaged wrist and calming fingers sliding across his scalp and into his hair. He never completely black out, more a cloudy sense of awareness.

Noah was seated beside him, his presence and touch comforting. He could hear the clatter of cutlery. He gave a whine of dissatisfaction when the touch disappeared. The rustle of fabric made him aware that the vampire was dressing.

Opening his eyes, Noah loomed over him.

“Sleep, boy, and then eat. I left food on the tray. You will need more from the kitchens. Then join us down stairs.”

“Yes, m-m-mas…” Dane trailed off and blinked up at the vampire’s frowning countenance, “Yes, sir.”

When Dane awoke, the position of the sun let him know it was drawing closer to noon meal. Still weary, he gobbled down cold bacon and bread before returning the tray to the kitchen. He checked the simmering remains of stew and added to it to feed those who hungered for lunch.

Then he went to seek out Noah.

The doors to the library were closed. Joshua sat, swinging his legs back and forth, on the chair near the door. Dane felt cautious. His status as houseboy meant he was subject to everyone in the house. He wasn’t sure about Joshua; the boy’s role was much like his own, only he served David.

The red haired boy with an upturned nose gave him a sneaky grin. “So you are finally up and around?”

Dane bit his tongue, unsure of his place, gave a single nod in answer. The boy’s grin widened and his hands went to his groin. Dane fought a nervous wave of fear. David was very strict with the boy, cuffing him angrily about the ear at perceived infractions. What was he up to?”

“Come here, houseboy.”

Dane gave a silent sigh of resignation. The boy had lowered his trousers and he could see the standing erection easily. Dropping to his knees, he refused to meet the triumphant green eyes as he opened his mouth and began to suck.

The library door sprang open with a crack and Dane was lifted into the air. David snarled at him before throwing him across the room. Dane landed in a surprised, pained heap.

“How dare you, you insolent…” David bit out advancing toward him. Dane covered his head to ward off the coming blows.

That never came.

Instead, Matthew’s familiar hands were lifting him up and against his chest. Dane stared wide eyed. Matthew held him but Noah stood between him and the angry werewolf. Noah did not flinch at the snarling and snapping, but Dane could see the tension in the slender shoulders.

“You okay, boy?” Matthew whispered against his ear. Dane nodded quickly. At the pain filled yip, he tried to see over the vampire’s shoulder. Matthew stopped him and cradled his head into his neck. “You don’t want to see.”

“Have you ever wandered why the weres haven’t made use of your body, only your mouth?” The horse shifter asked, conversationally drowning at the high cry of pain. Dane shook his head burrowing deeper into Matthew’s chest.

“Werewolves in the heat of rut, produce a knot. Humans cannot stretch enough to take it.” The sound of flesh slapping against flesh, had Dane flinching. Matthew’s hand went up and down his back. “Joshua is a cur, and would have tried to knot using your mouth. Noah would not let that happen.”

Dane looked up into Matthew’s kind, liquid dark eyes. “David perceived insult but he is not your owner. That is for Noah alone.” The horse shifter winced at the pitiful cry and groan of satisfaction.

Noah’s cool voice made Dane shiver. “Why do you put up with the little bitch?”

David responded, his voice heavy and satisfied, “Sarah is heavy with my lit and won’t let me near her bed. I apologize for the insult to your property, Noah.”

“Compensation?” Dane stared at the vampire’s back. He never wanted that tone directed at him.

“He will be neutered.” David returned in the same cold voice. Joshua gave a pitiful cry of denial.

Dane looked back to Matthew. The horse shifter gave shudder of revulsion. Pressing his mouth against Dane’s ear, he said one word, “Castration.”

His guts heaved but he did not miss Noah’s reply, “Agreed.”

Noah turned to him and lifted his chin, “Come with me.”

Dane understood the term gallows walk as he followed Noah into the library. He sank down onto his knees at the vampire’s feet. The taste of Joshua in his mouth was making him ill. It came second to the displeasure wafting off the stiff form looming above him.

Noah sat in his broad leather chair near the crackling fire place. Dane moved onto his hands and knees and crawled forward. Lowering himself, he placed his head on the cool marble near Noah’s boot.

He kept his body still when Noah touched his head. The slender fingers wrapped around his arm and lifted. The vampire did not stop until Dane was seated in his lap.

“I can smell your fear,” Noah said, making Dane’s stomach drop. “Did you proposition the cur?”

Licking his lips, “No, sir.”

“Did the cur proposition you?”

Dane hesitated and then met Noah’s blue eyes with his own, “He took out his cock.”

Noah was still for a very long time. “The fault was not yours,” the slender fingers traced over his cheekbone, “You followed my command. I did not think to place a caveat on it. Weres are usually well mannered. No matter, it was dealt with. From hence forth, Matthew or I will explain who you are to service. I will not allow a repeat infraction.”

Dane felt a small spurt of gratitude. The vampire drew his lips to his own and kissed him. Noah drew back with a frown and hiss. Dane hunched his shoulders, knowing that it was Joshua that angered him. The elegant hand went to his hair and pulled back sharply. Dane moaned as Noah kissed him deeply and possessively.

He was allowed to stay curled in Noah’s lap and the vampire enjoyed his fire. With his head pressed to the wide chest, he feared that the brief respite would not last forever.

*~*

Noah gave little thought to the passing of the seasons. It was a monotonous event of little consequent. His solitary existence with the passing of guests and singular events in the night society meant little as seasons bled from cold to warm, from long stretches of night to stretches of summer warmth.

Dane changed that.

He still held the houseboy at arms length, sharing sex and blood. But the large purple eyes were getting harder and harder to resist. The look of longing as Noah made himself comfortable in his large bed alone provided chinks in his formidable armor. More and more he held the slight body against his chest, reveling in the warmth, tracing his hands against the soft silky skin that had filled out with firm muscle and vibrancy.

Noah found it pleasing to add jewels that sparkled from soft lobes, peaked nipples, the seductive shallow navel, and finally that winked between the boy’s thighs as he moved. The long chain threaded from belly to groin. Noah found it distracting to have Dane kneeling at his feet with the glitter peaking at him from the parted thighs.

The fact that Dane curled in his lap while he went over correspondence was of little consequence. That and the delightful shudders that caused the healthy body to produce as he wound his fingers through the chain were just reactionary, not deliberate at all.

If Noah found peace and contentment, it was not the boy’s companionship but the mere filler that a houseboy provided.

And he kept telling himself that as Dane’s honey blonde hair brushed against his neck.

Childe

Noah tensed causing Dane to look up with those large pools of creamy kissed violets.

Childe

He bit back a snarl at the insistence. Looking out into the green lush valley, he sighed and opened his mind.

Sire

The ripple of satisfaction coursed through him as his sire touched him with a mental caress.

It is the birth of spring. I will not accept another decline.

Noah rolled his eyes. His sire could be one of pitiful dramatics.

The opera house?

The laughter in his mind made his lips twitch. He could not deny his sire.

But of course.

Noah looked down at Dane. The boy would be safe on his own for a couple of days.

And I expect to meet your new procurement.

Noah did not bother to sigh. His sire knew him well.

Yes, my sire.

With a gentle nudge, Dane slipped onto the floor. Noah looked over the boy from head to toe. It might be warm in the valley, but the mountain theater would still be very cool. He strode into his chamber, Dane followed quiet and submissive.

He pulled out a length of heavy cloak of watery blue satin. Not the haunting violet, but the color of his house. Of his sire’s line, the particular hue would mark Dane as his own as surely as the collar about his neck.

The knock on his door was not surprising. His sire’s reach was long.

Matthew stood in the foyer with his arms crossed expectantly. Noah just lifted his shoulder.

“Your chariot awaits, my lord.” Matthew said with a grin.

Noah glared at the horse shifter, “Not another word.”

Dane trailed behind him still, but Noah could smell the curiosity and apprehension. Turning on the boy, he drew the cloak over his naked shoulders, Dane’s lips parted in surprise.. He felt a wave of dissatisfaction. His sire’s gathering would be full of vampires, weres, and other night creatures. Dane’s very status would make him vulnerable. He ground his teeth. He wanted to leave the boy at home.

“So your dear father demanded that you bring him?” Matthew asked.

Noah refused to answer. Instead he stared down at the boy, “You will serve no one. You will be at my side or Matthew’s. You will not wander off.”

Dane gave that single nod of understanding. Matthew snorted but Noah ignored it. As time passed, Noah would only allow Dane to service Matthew, with little understanding of the compulsion. He did not want to share his houseboy as he had in the first days.

Taking the boy’s hand in his own, he led him to the waiting carriage. He pulled upright at the unknown mahogany stallion.

“Noah, this is Mark, he will serve you.” The stallion blinked and shuffled under the harness that rested against the broad back.

“The…” Noah lifted a brow at Matthew’s sharp nod. He still could not understand Matthew’s willingness to house another stallion within his herd. Laws were written with reason. His horse shifter companion was asking for trouble.

He would not admit that travel was enjoyable watching the boy soak up the wind, taking in the sights. Dane had very little contact with the outside world; Noah had made certain that his houseboy was dependent upon him.

The opera house was a beacon on the mountainside. Sounds of revelry and debauchery carried far and wide. Noah kept his hand on Dane’s shoulder, as they made their way to the main box. Matthew and Mark had disappeared amongst the rutting masses.

The curtain swept open and he felt the siren call of his bond.

His sire held out a hand with a gentle smile. Letting go of Dane, he knelt at the elder’s feet.

“Sire,” he breathed.

The gnarled fingers lifted his chin. His lips parted and accepted the freely given kiss. He keened quietly as the familiar scent enveloped him.

“Noah,” The cool breath wafted against his ear. “It has been too long.”

He pressed his forehead to the vampire’s thigh and nodded. Gentle fingers trailed over his bound hair before disappearing all together. Noah sat back and reached out for Dane.

“Sire, my houseboy,” Looking down at the bowed head, “Dane, my sire, Nicodemus.”

Dane kept his mouth shut. Outwardly, he kept his face placid in the face of the excessive revelry. Inwardly he was reeling.

His existence was being a houseboy. A houseboy that looked after his master, even if Noah would not let him call him by the honorific, he took care of his master's needs, his home, his lust, and his hunger for blood.

Day bled into day. He accepted his role, living his life naked and exposed. He accepted the humiliation and lustful advances. Noah slowly put a stop to the service with a look or a growl. As the seasons changed, Dane shared Noah's bed more and more. He tried to keep himself from desiring more than his station. But in the hours of darkest night that began to lighten with the rise of the sun, he wished that he could sleep in the vampire's arms. Noah would hold him for longer periods of time, smooth, cool fingertips tracing over his body before Noah would sigh and move to the bath. Dane would rest for a few hours in his pet bed, but he wished it was in Noah's arms.

He would gladly give up the hours in Noah's bed because the vampire was holding in him in his arms more and more. And he was no longer sharing, but Dane was not holding his breath. The vampire could easily become disillusioned and turn a blind eye to those who fucked him. Outside of Noah, he only shared Matthew's bed, but the sex was strikingly different. With Noah, it was possessiveness swirled in the haze of blood and satisfaction. Matthew was fun and giving. Sex with Matthew felt like companionship, the horse shifter never lorded his status of houseboy over him.

Noah surprised him. The vampire went statue still beneath him and then led him through the house. That was not surprising. The soft cloak of blue fanning out over his shoulders and wrapped around his body, that shook him. He had served Noah in his skin. He wanted to ask what the change was. But true to form, the vampire kept his own counsel reminding Dane that it was not his place to question.

Instead, he was swept into a carriage hitched to a beautiful mahogany stallion with a midnight mane. He picked up on the silent communication between Noah and Matthew. Another horse shifter, he decided, the point of contention. He did not dwell on that. Noah was one of few words; his communication was in subtly and body posture.

But mechanizations and innuendo flew out the window on wings, Dane was ecstatic. He was outdoors once more, feeling the kiss of air against his skin as they traveled into the mountains.

Noah did not bar Dane from the outdoors, far from it. The vampire appreciated the health and vitality of his tanned skin. He did command that Dane never leave the grounds and after a cycle of seasons, the garden path had lost its luster. There was nothing that compared to the freedom of wind in his hair. He felt the disquiet of uncertainty. But the weight of Noah's hand on his cloak covered shoulder grounded him.

The sun was setting and disquiet made his stomach turn. There was a wildness in the village. People were laughing, brawling, drinking, and fucking. He sat back quickly when a woman got near and barred her fangs at him. Noah's hand just tightened.

He followed Noah into the brightly lit building, easily evading hands that reached out to grope him. Dane wanted to protest when Matthew was distracted by a pretty female that beckoned him. In the unfamiliar den, Dane felt like Matthew should watch the vampire's back. The horse shifter's grin was a mild wide as he jabbed the new shifter, Mark in the ribs with a relish.

Power and wisdom seemed to wrap around him in thick warmth more than the cloak about his shoulders, Noah knelt. Dane had to bite his tongue to keep from gasping in surprise. His vampire master was kneeling at the feet of a silver haired vampire, whose features were beginning to show age. He kept his face placid when Noah introduced Nicodemus, the vampire's sire.

"Come here, little one." The vampire said gently. Dane looked up into Noah's cool blue eyes helplessly. The long fingers squeezed before giving him a gentle nudge forward.

The vampire's eyes were liquid sliver, matching the long waterfall spill of silver across a narrow shoulder. The vampire's traced over his face, shifting the air between them, never touching. Dane felt like he passed muster until Nicodemus leaned forward and inhaled.

The silver brow winged up in surprise, looking to Noah, "Well, well, my childe."

Dane refrained from flinching when Noah's cold voice returned, "Well what, sire?"

The silver eyes narrowed in shrewd regard. Dane felt like Nicodemus had figured out a secret that he was keeping to himself. "You have finally bound yourself."

"He is neither blood slave nor consort, merely a houseboy." Noah replied dryly. Dane felt the pain of verbal stab as if it were a knife to the heart.

Nicodemus inhaled deeply, his eyes full of secrets. "Then why is it only your scent that marks him? Look at me, boy."

Dane stiffened. Nicodemus gave a sly smile before scoring his wrist shallowly. Lifting it, the elder vampire commanded, "Drink."

"No." Noah replied evenly, his hand drawing Dane back to his side. "Dane's ceremony held my blood alone. His system would not be prepared for the shock of another."

Nicodemus lapped the sealing wound before shrugging. "There are those that won't understand. But surely you will share his body."

Noah's fangs winked in a predatory smile, "At my discretion, my sire."

The elder seemed to come to a decision. "You will share my table after the performance."

Noah bowed his head, "My sire."

Dane felt uncertainty as Noah sat in the lower seat. He went to kneel but the vampire drew him into his lap. Noah loosened the tie of the cloak and let the fabric fall. Noah's hand covered his groin lightly causing Dane to shiver. "You can see from here."

Dane melted into Noah's chest with a sigh. He was pleased when Matthew made his appearance. Noah's voice rumbled, "Mark?"

Matthew gave a sheepish grin and a shrug. And then the shifter turned to Nicodemus when summoned. Dane could hear them speaking lowly unable to discern the words. He let it slip away as Noah's cool hands began traveling over his body.

*~*

Matthew knelt to Nicodemus in respect to the vampire elder. He stepped back as two beautiful females made an appearance and settled at Nicodemus' feet.

"Lovely as always, my lord," He said with a grin.

The red head laid her head against the vampire's thigh, her chuckle deep and smooth as cream. "I have shared your bed and that magnificent cock; you can address me, Matthew."

Nicodemus pulled her hair gently, exposing the milk white throat and permanent mark at her shoulder. "But Matthew knows respect, my dove. And he knows how much you preen under compliments."

The brunette snorted and received the same tug, her collar ornate and delicate. Nicodemus rolled his eyes expressively. "May the gods of darkness save me from a house that bears two women."

Matthew roared in laughter. "Two? Try six, my lord. Jezebel just acknowledged that she is carrying my foal."

"And what is a stallion without his herd?" Nicodemus replied with good humor. He drew the red head into his lap, his hand never straying from the rich brown locks that covered his knee. "No more than I would be without my Rachel and Leah."

Matthew grasped the vampire's shoulder. Nicodemus stopped him with a lifted brow. "Do you know?"

Matthew went very still before looking over the top of Noah's dark head. "Yes, my lord."

"But he hasn't acknowledged it?"

Matthew worried his bottom lip before responding quietly, "No, my lord."

Nicodemus gave a sharp nod of his sliver head. Rachel murmured before kissing his neck. "My childe has always been stubborn, determined to go his own way. I am not surprised."

"My lord?" Matthew began, and sucked in a breath when the silver eyes met his gaze. "Do not inquire further."

The silver glittered. "You have honor, Matthew, and my respect."

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief before schooling his features. He took his seat beside Noah.

*~*

"You will sit at my right hand, childe." Nicodemus said from the head of the table.

Noah ground his jaw before standing. He had seated himself at the farthest end of the table, Dane's cloak had been swept away by servants hours earlier. The long walk would parade his houseboy before all that were gathered.

He trailed his hand down Dane's back in reassurance. With his shoulders back and his spine straight, Noah did not acknowledge the whispers or looks of avarice. He sat at his sire's side, Dane's weight settling at this feet.

Nicodemus tapped the glass goblet. "My friends and family," All heads turned in expectation. "Enjoy."

The table erupted in sounds of cutlery, conversation and laughter. Noah scored his wrist and placed it Dane's mouth. He ignored the gasps, guffaws, and delighted peals of giggling.

"The mighty lone member of Nic's line has finely found someone to fill his lonely existence."

Nicodemus gave the vampire who spoke a cool glare. "I think there is place for you at the end of the table, Barnabas."

The vampire growled and shoved away from the table. He stalked away with various attendants trailing behind him.

"Now," Nicodemus studied Noah closely. "Why have you not acknowledged the boy's scent?"

Noah's fingers clenched around the stem of his goblet, "I know not what you speak, sire."

Nicodemus gave a quiet laugh. "That you do, you were with me when I claimed Rachel."

Noah knew the reason why he avoided his sire season after season. The elder would not leave well enough alone. His business was not that of the bloodline. He cut a choice piece of meat from his plate and held the fork in front of Dane. He kept his focus on the sweep of tongue and flash of teeth, daring his sire to interfere.

“Very well,” Nicodemus said out loud and the table attendants turned to their meals as well.

You will not ignore me, my childe.

Noah stiffened. And I no longer answer to you as fledgling, sire.

Nicodemus growled under his breath but was soothed by Rachel cleaning traces of butter from his fingers. Why must you resist any bonds of family, of lineage, of connection? I did not sire you to lead a solitary life. Your place was well established within the clan.

My reasons as always have been my own. Noah did not meet the heavy gaze that turned his way. It was an old argument and he refused to be drawn in once more.

Dawn had come in a blaze of sunlight. Noah decided that he had been a good childe and respectful. He needed blood, sex, and a bed. With all of the predators about, he would relax his rule and keep Dane at his side and in his bed.

He stood only to stop when the gnarled hand grasped his own.

You and your houseboy will share my bed as well.

Noah’s knees weakened. He cursed his sire for his craftiness. A childe at the most base craved the contact and affection of the sire. Nicodemus’ consort was female as well as his blood slave. But the vampire had created many house servants and blood slaves of both sexes. But his sired children had always been male.

Sire

Unable to resist, he followed his sire into the underground chambers, that were warmed with many hearths. He kept his hand on Dane’s hip, uncertain of Nicodemus’ expectations.

“Rachel will see you to my bed, as I care for my Leah.” Noah had a feeling that his sire said it out loud for his houseboy’s benefit.

Noah sent Dane in behind the fiery consort, looking back at his sire who had Leah bent backwards. The elder vampire’s body quivered as he took great sucking pulls from the girl’s vein. His hands were busy as well from the way she writhed and moaned.

He shivered and lifted his boy into his arms. With quick fingers the collar fell to the floor, his blood lust gripping him as his desire for Nicodemus’ burned. Dane cried out as he struck, the boy’s lean legs wrapping about his hips.

I see you did not wait. Nicodemus’ amusement glided over him making him moan. Has your boy fucked a woman?

Noah growled. He had Dane on his back on the bed, stretching him wanting to take his place between the spread thighs.

No, Noah, my way.

With the sheer power of his sire’s authority, Noah submitted. Dane whimpered as his hard flesh sank into Rachel’s wet, waiting body. She gave a peal of delight, pulling his blonde head to hers and kissing his houseboy deeply. He gave a jerk of dissatisfaction, but Nicodemus’ hands were on his hips.

Easy, my childe, he is yours even if you deny him. The feel of his sire’s fangs piercing his shoulder had Noah keening with want. Your sire knows best, boy. Let your pretty pet please my love with his pretty cock. You take his ass while I assert my claim on you once again.

They were a pile of writhing lust, limbs entangled bodies joined. The human warmth of Rachel and Dane spilled over them adding salt of sweat along with the rivulets of coppery blood. The tang of seed added to the heady mix as his sire gave a sharp lurch within him, pushing him deeper into Dane’s body.

He curled Dane into his side even as Nicodemus covered Rachel’s body and fed from her vein, restating his claim on her body as well as their connection.

Dane’s shivering brought him back to the large jewel bright eyes. Then he felt it, the wet brush of the boy’s cock against his hip. His possessive demon howled. Dane had served Rachel submissively but his release was for Noah to command alone. He reached between the boy’s trembling thighs and took the hard flesh into his palm. Dane started and bit his lip to keep from crying out. Instead of taking more blood, Noah covered the soft mouth and worked the leaking cock until Dane cried out into his mouth.

In a form the boy would never hear, Noah purred, Mine. He pulled the blood warm skin against his own and settled Dane against his chest.

He did his best to ignore his sire’s mental crow of triumph.

*~*

Interlude:

Dane barely kept up with Noah as they once again headed up the ornate staircase to the top box. The smooth wood was cool against the bottoms of his bare feet. He kept his eyes on Noah’s slender form, comfortable with his own nakedness but not of the flesh that was on display.

Entering the box, Dane noted that Matthew and the newcomer, Mark was already seated. Nicodemus and his female attendants were not. There were a couple of vampires with, Dane’s eyes narrowed trying to make the connections, blood slaves. No kneeling bodies bore the same mark that Rachel did at the junction of her slender neck and shoulder.

Expecting to kneel in the presence of unknown vampires, Noah surprised him again by drawing him into his lap. The press of fang against his neck above his collar made him shiver in response. Noah chuckled against his ear. The sound was quiet, not raising any suspicion, but affirming that his vampire master, lord, owner, was different around his sire.

“I do not know when we will make this journey again,” Noah said, his hand traveling down Dane’s body, before twisting his fingers in the chain that connected his navel to the sensitive stretch of skin behind his balls. Dane bit his tongue to keep from moaning loudly. Noah’s lips brushed his temple before continuing on. “It has been over a century worth of seasons since I last attended my sire.”

Dane wanted to question. If Noah was so relaxed and at ease enough to kiss him and fondle him so possessively, why did he not accompany his sire more?

He cursed himself when Noah tensed under him. Dane knew that vampire could touch his mind, but was still unsure even after the passing of seasons if he could truly read his mind.

“You would not want the life of a courtier,” Noah said seriously. “You would be a mere houseboy in the company of hundreds. Nicodemus has little patience for them but uses them for the purpose of keeping the clan happy and entertained.” The delicate touches to his sac and thighs had Dane shifting lightly wanting more. “I have been what is called a rogue childe because I do not travel with clan and sire.” Noah’s voice changed sounding far away and thoughtful.

Noah’s hand covered his groin and the arm stretched across his hips settled him firmly into the vampire’s groin. “I have not intentions of changing my ways. This is an event that you may never see again. I won’t have you kneeling at my feet for it.”

Dane would watch whatever the vampire commanded, enjoying the fleeting closeness and tenderness.

An anticipatory hush fell over the crowd as sconces were dampened. It brought the focus of illumination on the stage, the flicker of candlelight dancing on the rich red velvet of the curtain. It rose slowly. A muted gasp came from the floor.

Nicodemus stood center stage, his hands folded behind his back. His lean body was swathed in tight black breeches and an open shirt of silky black. The black made his pearly skin luminous and his hair molten silver.

The elder vampire opened his mouth and sweet sounds of tenor drifted in the quiet opera house. Dane did not know the words but it seemed to caress every inch of his senses, his skin, his eyes, his dry mouth, the sweet smell of incense, to the tingling in his fingertips.

“He sings the song of the eternal, the immortal, and the night,” Noah intoned.

Dane’s breath caught, the sweetness changed in timbre, to longing.

Rachel and Leah danced across the stage in sure steps, drawing the eye to the far edge of the stage. Their slender bodies moved and leapt as one. The rhythm synchronized with liquid words pouring forth from Nicodemus.

The sound stopped and Dane sat forward on Noah’s knees. Rachel’s hands traveled up to Leah’s shoulders, to the straps of her gown. The clarion call pooled in Dane’s groin, as Nicodemus’ shout revealed Leah’s naked body to the crowd.

The song turned seductive, wicked, and teasing. Rachel’s hands played over Leah’s body in accord. Leah gasped and writhed. The vampire’s songs built up once more into a shout when Rachel’s fingers plunged into Leah’s body. Their movements were in time with low, earthy tones that changed the song from lust to passion.

“He sings of fiery lust that burns into need, into possession, into one.” Noah’s fingers began teasing his straining cock.

Leah’s climax rivaled the climax of Nicodemus’ song. Dane panted as his seed coated Noah’s fingers. The lights lowered once more as the final notes were sung, haunting and elusive.

Dane turned into Noah’s chest, fearful of losing control, sated in his lust, and enamored by the performance.

“Beautiful,” Noah whispered against his ear.

Dane smiled up at the blue eyed vampire. He did not miss the look of liquid lust that burned from dark eyes. Not the gentleness of Matthew, but the unknown male, Mark, gazed at him with undisguised want.

He was glad when Noah tugged his head back and kissed him deeply. Everything went away except the cool lips and equally cool blue eyes.

*~*

Dane moved through out the manor, opening windows and breathing in rich warm air. With winter and spring gone for another set of seasons, the warmth of sunlight and lush green filled the valley.

The warmth of the sun kept the house at the level of comfort a cold blooded vampire desired. It meant less of the peddlers that would come by from time to time, especially the woodsman. Dane shuddered at the veined, muscle bound male that liked to brush up against him and grope him, only to then give a lascivious grin and shrug of innocence. He would not have to deal with that until the onset of the autumn.

He went through his chores quickly and efficiently. Being a blood bound houseboy had its advantages. His health and vitality had bloomed, giving him lean muscles and rich tanned skin. He needed little rest, which was good, as he checked off the daily, weekly, and monthly duties. Looking out the window once more, the zenith of the sun determined he had a few hours yet before Noah arose and would demand his services.

His cock twitched at the thought of sex and blood.

But the fresh summer warm air was more accessible. Opening the door onto the large portico, he traced his steps to the garden’s edge. Warm air touched every inch of his body like a lover’s caress. He alternated from moving in his well worn path from walking to running, to strolling through the thick carpet of grass, to sit on the low slung fence.

Dane stretched his legs out in front of him, resting his weight on his hands. He wiggled his toes. It had been so long since he had worn proper shoes or clothes. Outside of the cloak that Noah would wrap about him, his body was his adornment laid bare for one and all.

It had been hard in the beginning, the heat of embarrassment staining his cheeks. Unwanted hands touching his body with little thought to his comfort, until Noah slowly changed that as well. The lofty vampire had limited access to him with little explanation or connection that Dane craved. But he would not demand more, it was not his place and he did not want to be separated from his vampire. The time at the mountain opera house had shown him the horrid fate.

A woman was left stranded in an alleyway. His footsteps had slowed, thinking that he could help. Noah’s low growl and talon like grip on his shoulder dissuaded any more casual thinking on Dane’s part.

But in the large, decadent bed a sated Noah had held him close, carding his hair and speaking lowly.

“There was nothing to be done for the woman,” Noah said firmly. Dane noticed that the vampire conveniently left out addressing the who in question. “She was cast out of her vampire’s house; no other vampire in Nicodemus’ blood line would touch her nor another clan.”

He looked up into the icy cool eyes, keeping his mouth shut, but imploring Noah to explain further.

The vampire sighed and gently nudged him back onto his chest. The slender fingers slipped through his shoulder length hair.

“Blood binds, I have explained that.” Noah’s voice took on the far away sound. “House servants and blood slaves are fed upon by any who chooses. They can be fed in the same manner after the blood binding rite. Only a consort can feed and be fed from their master.”

Dane thought about the fact that only Noah’s blood had touched his lips. Only Noah had feed from his veins. It was dangerous thinking to even consider more.

“The woman was cast out and left to die. To approach her and feed her is serious violation of our laws. She is dying of blood starvation.”

Just thinking about how matter of factly Noah had said it made Dane shiver. He lived to please Noah, not wanting to die in such a wretched manner. He pushed himself off of the fence, needing to do one more circuit before seeing to the rest of his chores. Noah would be waking soon. His body vibrated at the thought of feeding the vampire, his stomach cramping at the thought of being fed as well.

Lazy hoof beats on cobblestones made Dane pause. He could not contain a happy smile as he hurried around the end of the house expecting to fling himself into Matthew’s arms.

He pulled upright at Mark in his centaur form. His torso and muscular shoulders were a deep red brown and his chest was swirled with soft black hair. Dane’s fingers itched. Matthew was smooth and golden. Mark’s human chest bled into the midnight black hips and broad back of his horse form. The thick ebony tail swished from side to side.

The liquid black eyes were predatory as Mark raised his hand in greeting and shifted into his human form, naked, glistening with sweat, and cock heavy, standing proudly between muscular thighs.

“Come here, houseboy.”

Dane felt wary. It was a summons that he could not refuse. Noah’s explicit command gave no room for interpretation. He moved forward hesitantly. Mark through back his head and laughed throatily.

“I’m not going to eat you.”

Dane smiled shyly before kneeling at Mark’s feet. The command to look up brought him eye to cock. His stomach lurched. Noah’s refusal to share him any longer also had no room for interpretation. Mark knew that, being a guest at Matthew’s side more and more.

The horse shifter shuddered, “Beautiful.” His broad hand ran over Dane’s head and down to his neck. Dane tensed expecting the order to serve. But instead, Mark squeezed his shoulder and beckoned him to stand.

“It is a nice day; may I join you on your walk?”

Dane’s eyebrow winged up. Talking to Noah’s guests was a fine line to tread. So he gave a hesitant nod of affirmation. Anything to keep from having to serve the horse shifter sexually before Noah awoke.

It was not necessarily bad. Mark did not do anything overtly bad. But still Dane felt nervous. The horse shifter would crowd him, touch him, pull him closer with hand to his shoulder.

When Dane was ready to face hell and bolt, the horse shifter surprised him. Mark broke a summer flower by its stem. He brushed the petals slowly down the side of his face, causing Dane to smile, shy but pleased. It was an intimate touch but it seemed like an offering as well. It ended harshly when Mark dipped his dark head, bringing his lips close to Dane’s.

Dane took a step back and gave a hasty bow. He needed to return to the house, to Noah’s side. He would probably face the vampire’s wrath at his rude behavior towards a guest, but he would gladly bear it. He was more afraid being near the horse shifter would lead to a more disastrous outcome, like being fucked without Noah’s permission.

He knelt silently as Noah began to stir, his heart beat slowing. Noah sat up quickly, staring at him. He gave no command but slid from the bed to stand near Dane. The vampire took a deep breath.

Dane blanched and cursed his own stupidity. He should have bathed. Mark’s scent was all over him.

The blow to his face made him reel, landing on his side with Noah looming over him. He was hauled to his feet by his hair, strands coming loose at the roots. Noah never said word. He was shoved onto his pet bed, his ass in the air.

Dane had never given Noah a reason to punish him. The pain was red agony as blows landed on his back, his ass, and his thighs. He was crying pitifully when the vampire bound him face down on his small couch, hands and wrists. The bindings were tight and did not allow him to move.

He wanted to beg and plead. He wanted Noah to say something, to give him a chance to explain. It was his first infraction; he had been a good boy. He had not asked Mark to touch him.

But the room grew cold as Noah’s presence no longer remained. The pain in his body was secondary to the pain building in his gut. Noah had not fed but more importantly he had not offered Dane his vein.

He was afraid that he would suffer the same fate as the woman. And as much as his body craved the sustenance that Noah could give him, the loss of the vampire himself made Dane’s heart grow cold with unease. Unable to do anything, he closed his eyes and drifted off.

Gentle hands touched him and brought him back to awareness. Needing Noah, Dane lurched into the touch.

“Shhh, boy, you are going to be okay.”

Dane refused to open his eyes. It was not Noah, but Matthew.

“What happened?”

With a sigh, Dane pulled himself up and scuttled away from the horse shifter. He curled his arms about his knees and rested his head on them. The position was agony on his ravaged back and ass, but Dane wanted to curl into himself, to disappear.

“Talk to me, Dane, let me help.” Matthew’s soft brown eyes were kind and nonjudgmental.

Dane shuddered and tears began to slide down his cheeks. “I don’t know what I did wrong. I know what angered him though.” Dane felt safe in his friendship with Matthew, he did not need to bother with honorifics. The horse shifter knew who he was speaking of, “I did not service Mark, but he marked me with his scent.”

He expected to see surprise or disgust, but Matthew’s features were resigned. Dane’s heart thumped hard. He had not only failed Noah, but disappointed Matthew as well.

The horse shifter reached out and pulled him into his embrace. Dane tried to relax against the firm muscles of Matthew’s chest. A hand slid into his hair.

“It’s going to be alright, Dane. Everything will be fine.”

*~*

Everything will be fine.

Matthew’s words were a cold comfort. Dane hobbled to the door and accepted the basket of fresh vegetables and exchanged the coin. The peddler was gracious enough not to comment.

Dane was being punished and ignored for a crime that he did not fully understand. Noah had been possessive and caring, even if he kept himself aloof. The rage at the perceived indiscretion made Dane cold on the inside. What if Mark had actually went through with the unspoken demand?

His body ached under the unfamiliar weight of hobbling chains around his ankles, the chain that bound his arms to his neck, from cuff to collar. They were heavy and ugly. The only words Noah had spoken directly to him in days had been, “You are not allowed outside.”

That hurt. The air was fresh, the landscape sunny and inviting. The second hammer had come from Noah moving his pet bed into an unadorned room no larger than a closet. His life that he had understood became very, very small.

Even Matthew was not allowed to comfort him. He served them both in the library; Noah held his chain in a vice grip. The look of sad helplessness in Matthew’s dark eyes solidified his general despair.

Dane did not know how to make things right again.

He heard their raised voices when he was dismissed, not even allowed to kneel at Noah’s feet.

“I have disciplined Mark, he was in the wrong. Not Dane, why do you continue to do this?” Matthew’s voice was heavy with exasperation.

Dane craned his neck to hear more from his empty little room. Noah’s voice was quiet and unintelligible.

Matthew was not so reserved. His voice got louder.

“You are blind, my friend. You know what he is and why every creature is drawn to him. You are letting the opportunity disappear. The only thing that is holding it at bay is the blood claim you have on him.” Matthew’s voice quieted and then came back in startling clarity, “Mark is doing what you have not had the nerve to do.”

“You will choose wisely, my friend,” Noah’s voice rose enough, “Mark should never had been an issue in the first place. He dared to touch what is mine. You bring him to heel or I will.”

“But what about Dane,” Matthew retorted, “He did nothing wrong, you arrogant bastard”

Dane held his breath. The words were so low he almost missed them.

“Dane is not your concern.”

Dane realized then just how far he had fallen in Noah’s eyes. He bore his punishment bravely, hoping the day would come and Noah would forgive.

It got worse.

Much, much worse, he could handle the physical discomforts. He healed quickly from the beating; he carried the heavy ugly chains with dignity. But his hunger for blood was becoming overwhelming.

Noah still fed from him. Where it was a connection, an almost bond of reciprocation, it became another way for the vampire to crush his spirit. Noah would pull him to his feet by is collar and push him face first into a wall. Dane would bite back the moan of pain, not wanting to anger the vampire any further. Fangs would sink into his neck, biting into the muscle of his shoulder. He would burn at the humiliation of what he was, a servant, a food source, nothing more.

He was also left alone. Noah would leave the manor for days. Dane would be a shaking bundle of need, thinking of the woman wasting away. Noah would appear, give him his wrist only to take it away when the overwhelming need became a dull roar.

The summer dragged into fall. Dane wanted Noah to kill him to put him out of his miserable existence. But the vampire had disappeared once more. Only this time, he had fed Dane his fill. It worried him that Noah would be gone for the longest stretch of time to date.

Mark walked through the doors barely a day after Noah’s departure. His grin was victorious, his body ready for sex.

Knowing that Noah would not save him and only punish him further, Dane did not keep quiet.

“Why?”

“Because Noah is a fool and has not claimed you.” The horse shifter responded arrogantly. He backed Dane’s shackled form deeper into the house.

In reply, Dane reached for his collar only to have Mark laugh, sounding like the horse that he was. “That pitiful thing has no meaning, pretty little houseboy.”

Dane stumbled and realized with horror that they were in Noah’s chambers. The horse shifter was going to force him on the vampire’s bed, spreading the scent and nailing the final nail in his coffin.

Mark ignored his chained hands but snapped the iron binding his legs easily. Dane gave up, he was no match for the strength that Mark possessed. He was shoved onto his back across Noah’s bed. His knees were shoved towards his chest. Matthew’s warning whispered, never on his back and always be properly prepared.

The insane lust in Mark’s eyes left little doubt that he was about to be ripped apart. Sucking a breath when the wide blunt head nudged his opening, his soul screamed.

NOAH!

*~*

Noah’s fingers gripped Matthew’s mane as he lurched forward. His friend shifted quickly, his human arms wrapped around the vampire to keep him from falling.

They were not very far from Noah’s home and something had gone very, very wrong. Dane was screaming inside him.

“Noah?” Matthew’s voice was heavy with concern.

“Take me back, as quick as possible.” He grit out, lifting a hand to ease the pounding that unending scream had produced.

Matthew did not answer, swiftly taking his stallion form and taking off at a fast clip. It was the breaking of dawn when Matthew heaved and skidded into a halt. Noah gave his friend little thought as he slid from his back.

He smelled blood. He smelled sex. He saw red and vengeance.

Fury was a hurricane of white noise as he charged into his room. Dane lay pale in a pool of blood, his blonde head moving side to side slowly. Noah could see his lips moving but could not make out the words.

His internal predator picked up the minute movement and launched himself at the source. Before his fingers could latch around the interloper’s neck, Matthew was hauling him back.

“Noah, no.” The horse shifter was deadly calm. Noah sensed the same blood fury boiling in Matthew and was calmed by it. “He will be tried and executed on my lands. It is our way, to ignore the law would fracture what treaties vampires have with our shifter nation.”

Noah gave a sharp nod and turned back to his houseboy. Fury was directed at the boy and himself. How could Dane allow himself to be taken? Why was he such a fool to leave him behind? Being a vampire, the blood was of little consequence. The boy would be taught a lesson in whom he belonged to. He slid his leather belt from his trousers.

The whistling leather was caught in Matthew’s large fist.

“Damn it, Noah!” Matthew snarled. The horse shifter jerked the strap from his hand. “If anyone deserves a beating it is you or you,” he spat at Mark’s bound form. “He has had enough. Go, calm yourself before you do something you really regret.”

The time past slowly, moving through syrup. Matthew finally sat across from him, dirty, sweaty, and pale.

“He needs your blood,” He said hoarsely, “and a lot of it, or he will die.”

Noah blinked, “And why should I let him live, he has betrayed me not once but twice.”

Matthew growled and pulled him onto his feet. He was shoved through his home into his chamber once again. The smell of blood and sex was gone, only Dane’s sweet scent remained, thin but evident.

His lips peeled back when Matthew jerked him forward by his nape. Dane whimpered and tossed his head. Closer, Noah could smell the weakness, the pain. The boy was sleeping fretfully, burning up with fever.

Noah kept quiet at the dark look Matthew gave him in warning. He watched the shifter pull back the blankets gently. He then eased Dane’s legs apart. Noah growled ominously.

The boy’s hole was swollen, bruised, and oozing blood. Matthew swung around.

“See you bastard,” He ground out. “Dane was forced against his will. Even serving you by giving up his body, I explained how a human could not take a horse shifter all the way.” He waved a hand over the boy’s groin. “This was force. This was not Dane’s fault but your own.”

Noah was frozen, unable to look away from Dane’s damaged body. The blow to his jaw snapped him out of it. Matthew gripped his wrist and thrust it at his mouth.

“Do you open your vein or do I?”

The blood oozed from the deep slash across his wrist, he placed it against Dane’s unresponsive mouth. He pried the slack mouth open with his thumb in the hinge, letting his blood drip into Dane’s mouth and down into his throat.

It seemed like an eternity before Dane coughed, sucked in a breath and latched onto his wrist, drinking in mighty pulls. Matthew kept a close eye on them both. Dane’s external injuries began to stop oozing and seal with bright pink flesh. Dane’s feeding slowly tapered off, his head turning towards Noah and mewling.

The vampire did not need Matthew’s direction. He climbed into his bed and held the broken boy against him, breathing in the scent of his soft honey hair.

*~*

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same, Dane thought, shifting his weight. The recently healed wounds pulled uncomfortably. But not as uncomfortable as the low slung trousers and soft boots on his body, the loose shirt felt like the silky cloak he had become accustom to wearing.

Clothing and footwear was the change, Noah’s quiet presence was the same. The simmering anger was gone, replaced with haunting resignation and soft touches. Dane could not hide his confusion but after the pain he suffered, he pushed into the cool hands with relish.

His body had healed rapidly, leaving behind the discomfort of healed wounds. He still did not sit or kneel for long periods. Soft cushions and blankets appeared wherever Noah would position him.

Being blood fed as well as food from Noah’s hand helped as well. He no longer felt pinched and starved. Dane wanted to share Noah’s bed once more but the vampire seemed very aware of his continuing discomfort. When he dreamed as he slept, he could feel the warm caress of Noah’s power coursing through him, repairing him and healing him.

His body was getting due attention from the vampire, his emotional connection that had been budding was not. Dane opened the door and followed the path to the garden. He found that he could relax in the swaying hammock nestled amongst the trees.

Panic flooded him when he heard hooves on cobblestones. He froze in between fright and flight. Matthew’s call of ‘Dane,’ eased him and his breathing slowed somewhat. He watched through narrowed eyes as Matthew entered his quiet hideout in centaur form. In a way he was grateful, his horrible memories were being overwritten by Matthew’s gentle personality.

“There you are,” Matthew said, smiling and swishing his white tail from side to side. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Dane smiled shyly as Matthew came nearer. He shifted his weight until he came to rest, kneeling beside the hammock.

“Noah bade me rest. He said that we had to travel.”

Matthew’s forehead puckered. “It is why I am here. You will be traveling into my herd’s lands.”

The light wind ruffled Dane’s hair. It felt like a caress and had him sighing in pleasure. There were so many questions, but they were for Noah not Matthew. And being Noah, they would not be answered. Dane let it go, enjoying the fresh air, the soft warmth of the season changing once more, and the heady familiar scent of Matthew.

A touch to his face had him blinking. Matthew’s frown deepened even more. “You aren’t going to ask, boy?”

Dane could hear the mild reprimand. He lifted a shoulder, “It is as Noah’s commands and my life is to serve him. There is no room for questions.”

“So the cold bastard still has not explained to you why all of this has happened. Typical. But where is your curiosity?” Matthew threaded his fingers into Dane’s hair and tugged, “Where have you gone, boy, it is like you are fading away.”

“It is not your concern, my friend, but my own.” Noah stood at the edge of the garden with his hands clasped behind his back. The teasing breeze lifted the thick bound raven hair. Dane forgot that Matthew was so close, his eyes roving over the slender vampire hungrily.

Matthew snorted, “Not everything has faded.”

“Leave us, Matthew,” Noah commanded. Dane could tell that the horse shifter was not pleased as he acquiesced.

Noah loomed over Dane’s reclining form. Cool, slender fingers traced over his forehead, the clear blue eyes looking for something that Dane could not understand. The smell of blood brought him back to his senses and he took the proffered wrist.

Blood, sweet tangy blood filled his mouth and slide down his throat and made him moan. Noah’s blood was cool, satisfying his belly and winding throughout his body. The warm rush of Noah’s power had his lust rising and he whimpered as he stared into Noah’s eyes.

Noah did not take his wrist away but allowed Dane to have his fill. Dane let go and licked his lips, smiling sweetly. He reached up and tugged the shirt from his neck, turning his head and offering.

The low growl made him shiver. He felt weightless, buoyed by the vampire’s power until he was in Noah’s arms. Dane was held, cradled against the slender chest as if he were something precious. He could feel the tension and Noah’s hunger. He exposed his neck once more and keened.

Noah accepted, the slide of fang into his skin, and the slow pull made Dane sigh. Only to frown when the dark head lifted almost as soon as it had lowered, he looked back to Noah puzzled.

The vampire eased him onto his feet and with a shuttered expression said, “Speak.”

“Will I ever be able to please you again?” Dane blurted and bit down his lip hard.

Noah took a step back as if he had been struck. His hands returned to the small of his back as he paced. From the rigid posture, Dane slumped. Noah would not answer his question.

He looked up sharply as Noah turned his back on him. The frisky breeze was a distraction. It teased the silver adornments that bound back the thick, silky hair.

“Are you sure that you did not desire the shifter in the first place?” Noah’s voice drifted between them, cool and collected.

It was Dane’s turn to recoil as if stung. Mark had used him brutally and Noah was asking if he had wanted it?

“S-s-sir?”

Noah’s spine stiffened, “The shifter had marked you with his scent once before and you were unharmed. Perhaps his lust overrode his rationality when he took you.”

Dane stumbled in his foreign shoes, dropping to his knees feeling the pull of fabric stretch across his thighs, and lowering his head to the ground at Noah’s feet.

The silence between them stretched as the breeze continued to kiss their skin.

“Answer me, houseboy.”

The coldness made Dane shiver. Keeping his head down, he lifted until his weight settled on his heels. “As per your command, I am not to speak. Only when asked a direct question. My status also brings the expectation of service.”

He tried to keep his voice even, but could hear the underlying accusation.

“I also specified that your service would be on my order.” Noah was not backing down either.

Dane looked up, “I never disobeyed. When Mark pressed me the first time, I extracted myself as quickly as I could. It was he who entered your home without your permission. It was he who took me by force.” Tears burned and he blinked them away quickly. “You left me behind.”

Frightened by his own boldness, Dane prostrated himself once more. He gasped and scrabbled ungainly as he was lifted by Noah’s power alone. The cool blue eyes pinned him like a bug. He was lowered once more until his feet touched the ground. He lurched trying to find some semblance of balance.

“Then justice will be for you as well,” Noah said cryptically. He turned and began moving out of the garden. “Come.”

Dane followed, helpless and confused.

*~*

The bonfire burned brightly against the backdrop of endless sky and endless pasture. Mark, in centaur form, had his limbs and neck staked to the ground. Matthew stood before him in the same form, his arms crossed over his naked, golden chest.

Noah placed a hand on Dane’s shoulder and drew him closer. The move was disconcerting, awkward for the vampire and nerve wracking for Dane. He lowered his lips to the boy’s ear.

“Mark is being tried by the tribunal of horse shifter clans.” He pointed to the three centaurs basked in shadows at Matthew’s rear. “Matthew has listed the accusations but the tribunal will offer decision.”

The language that filtered across the clearing was guttural and discordant. Noah understood but offered translation for the shivering boy at his side.

“The herd clans represented are from neighboring territories. No herd can pass judgment on a stallion unilaterally.”

Mark howled and tugged at his restraints. Dane looked up at Noah fearfully.

“Death.”

The guttural voices continued on, only to have Matthew paw the ground angrily. Dane’s soft hand squeezed in question.

Noah’s voice was brittle, “Matthew has to forfeit five foals and a dozen geldings for transgressing horse shifter law.” The firelight flicked in Noah’s eyes. “One stallion per herd, by allowing Mark to stay without challenging him, Matthew is also viewed as a transgressor.”

Dane licked his lips, “But…”

“It was to be expected.”

Dane looked on. Matthew’s head was hung low, his long white blonde hair spilling over his shoulders.

Justice came swiftly. Centaurs encircled Mark’s writhing form. Bows were lifted. Dane shoved his head into Noah’s chest trying to blot out the anguished cry and the sight of Mark crumpling into a bloody heap, dozens of arrow protruding from his body.

Noah’s voice broke the quiet.

“It is done.”

*~*

Dane was at his wit’s end and not sure where to turn. Upon return from the herd lands, Noah enclosed himself into his chamber.

One day, Dane was confused, two days, he kept his distance. A goblet of blood would sit at his bedside in the small room each time he awoke. Dane was disgusted by the cold blood. But when Noah remained in seclusion, he turned to heating the blood as quickly as he could on the stove. He had to gulp it down quickly, pinching his nose and swallowing rapidly to keep his stomach from rejecting it.

Days bled into many days and Dane was fearful. He could not enter the chamber. He did not know how long the vampire could last without blood. He was unsure who to turn to.

In desperation, he sent a message by the woodsman, to Matthew. Surely the horse shifter would know what to do.

Matthew appeared soon after. Dane stumbled over his explanation.

“I do not know what is going on Matthew.”

The horse shifter cupped his face and studied his features. “He has not been starving you of blood?”

Dane shook his head quickly. “There is always blood waiting when I awake. He is giving me his blood but not replenishing his own. I have never known him to do that. What is wrong with him? Is he dying?” Dane choked.

Matthew shifted into a centaur. Dane was momentarily stunned at the graceful movements within Noah’s home. When the centaur reached the barred doors of Noah’s chamber, he pounded on it furiously, shouting for the vampire.

Dane felt a sense of dread when Matthew went very still and inhaled. He gave a surprised snort.

“Step back, Dane.” Matthew turned with has back to the doors and kicked out with his hind legs. The doors splintered off their hinges, hitting the interior walls with a crack.

Dane slipped between the door and Matthew’s hooves, ignoring the centaur’s demand that he wait. He stumbled onto his knees.

Noah’s blue eyes turned on him from sunken sockets. Dane sobbed. Noah had wasted away to skin and bones.

*~*

Dane’s world narrowed to the deadened blue eyes. He wanted to cry out, throw something, pounds his fists against Noah’s emaciated chest, and hold the vampire close, beg him to come back. Matthew’s large hands rubbed his shoulders.

“We must act and act quickly.” Matthew eased his shirt from his shoulders. Dane took his cue and pushed his trousers down, hooking his thumbs under the waistband. “He needs your warmth and your blood.”

Dane kept his body pliant when the horse shifter lifted him by his hips onto the bed. He had so many questions. He had a feeling that Matthew knew much more than he had revealed. But that was for another day. Noah was priority. He could not lose the vampire.

Dane bit his lip. Noah had directed his life, his thoughts for so long. He had to reach out and touch the vampire of his own volition. The lifeless blue gaze gave him no direction, no recourse. If Noah came through would he feel betrayed by Dane’s impudence?

Matthew gave him a gentle nudge, “You need to wrap yourself around him like a vine, boy. He needs your body warmth.”

Noah had always been slender, smooth muscled marble. The protruding bones and icy skin made Dane suck in a breath. The vampire offered no resistance when he pulled Noah into his arms. The lank black hair caused his skin to itch but he gave it no mind. Noah looked up at him, his gaze never wavering, as he rested in the crook of Dane’s arm. Dane wrapped his legs around Noah’s. Their groins came into contact but it was of no consequence.

The sharp ring of metal in the air caused Dane to start. The silver shown in the weak light from the window as Matthew lifted his wrist.

“Listen to me very carefully.” Matthew growled. “You are going to have to feed him and feed from him as well. But it must be slowly, or you both will die. I have to go for Nicodemus; he will know how to bring Noah back.”

Dane hissed as the metal bit into his flesh shallowly. “Keep the cuts shallow, he is not strong enough to heal the blood flow if you go too deep.” Matthew said seriously.

Noah’s mouth was unresponsive when Dane touched his lips. He rubbed his wrist back and forth but nothing happened. The blue eyes were unwavering, the thin lips remained lax. Dane narrowed his eyes. He pulled at the vampire’s head tipping it back even further. Taking a deep breath, he wrenched the cold mouth open slowly and placed his wrist over it. The blood dripped directly down Noah’s throat.

Matthew paced. “I cannot leave until he begins to feed but every moment is precious.” He turned and placed his hands on the edge of the bed. “Feed you bastard!” The horse shifter snarled, “You are not going to take the coward’s way out.”

Dane’s lips pulled back in a snarl as well, “And he will not want to come back with you growling at him. Leave, seek Nicodemus.”

Stepping back in surprise, Matthew’s face paled. Dane was curved protectively around Noah, daring the horse shifter to get any closer. Purple eyes glittered with malice, white teeth barred as if to bite. What had begun was so strong; he could taste it in the air. He would have to hurry or others like Mark would seek out the clarion call.

With a sharp nod that tossed his blonde hair, Matthew flew out of the manor, shifting to stallion. Noah needed Nicodemus and whether or not Dane realized it, the boy needed Matthew’s protection.

Dane whispered to Noah, rambling not quite sure of his words. He brushed his finger tips against the vampire’s temple when he felt it. A delicate touch of tongue licked against his wound.

“No,” He said desperately, “Feed, Noah, come back to me.”

The feathery lashes fluttered as Noah blinked. The tips of his fangs pierced Dane’s flesh and to a shallow pull, swallowing audibly. Dane’s heart thumped painfully coupled with the dull headache of blood loss. Too soon, Noah pulled away.

“You need more,” He rasped; blood staining Noah’s pale cheek as Dane cupped the narrow face in his hand.

Noah stared at him before turning his head to the side. The words were so quiet, Dane though he misunderstood, “As do you.”

“Noah,” he argued. Dane hissed when he felt the weak press of Noah’s will against his own.

Take from me.

Noah’s words sounded in his head. Shock flooded through Dane, he had heard the vampire but his lips had not moved. How? In all of the seasons of belonging, he had felt Noah’s immense powers but never a joining of minds.

Lifting the knife that Matthew had left at his side, he reached for Noah’s arm. The vampire gave a quiet moan. He lifted his chin, offering the tender flesh of his throat. The cut was swift and shallow. The smell filled Dane’s senses, making his mouth watered.

He groaned. The taste was sweet and familiar after surviving on reheated blood. He wanted to be greedy and drink until his stomach could hold no more. Noah did not have it in him, so after a couple of sips, Dane pulled back. Uncertain of himself, he laved at the wound tenderly until it began to knit and seal.

Dane pressed a kiss against broad forehead, tightening his limbs about Noah’s body. The feel of eyelashes sweeping against his neck was reassuring. Noah had not faded completely.

Sleep, little one.

Dane sighed and thought, sending his words to the space between he and the vampire that he did not know existed.

Yes, master.

The night rolled in, bathing the camber in shadows.

Dane was pleased that Noah’s thirst was strengthening. The hand against his hip was beginning to move back and forth in a gentle caress. Dane felt weak but the vampire was coming back to him.

Master.

He wasn’t sure it would even work. He was tired of not knowing, the rules that he understood. He was tired of being weak with uncertainty that strained the bond between himself and Noah.

The hand on his hip stalled and a quiet sigh ruffled against his hair.

I am here.

Dane wanted to look down into the blue eyes and know that he was wanted. He was afraid to break the fragile connection that bloomed between them.

Forgive me, master, for I know not what I do.

The hand began to move once more, a slow circuit from his hip to the dip of his spine and back again.

As do I, little one, as do I.

The connection faded and Dane curled even closer.

The sunrise brought a crashing of the front doors and pounding feet on the stairs. Dane was barely able to lift his head.

“My childe, my foolish, foolish childe, what have you done?”

Nicodemus had arrived.

*~*

Warm water sluiced over his shoulders. Fire crackled and sparked in the grate at the hearth. The smell of food wafted from the stove.

Strong hands and gentle fingers worked soap into his hair. The water fell over him once more, washing the soap away. Warm towels were draped over his shoulders as he was lifted out of the basin and onto the waiting blanket that rested on the counter.

He blinked as the towel rubbed heavily over his hair, to be replaced with the gentle scratch of comb against his scalp. He did not want to meet the penetrating, knowing eyes.

He allowed his limbs to be lifted and maneuvered into heavy trousers, thick socks, and a shirt that buttoned to his throat. He turned away from the spoon that held potatoes and beans.

“You have to eat.”

“I have to feed Noah.”

Matthew gave a quiet huff. “You can not do so if you waste away as well. Do not worry now, boy, Noah is in the capable hands of his sire.”

“Matthew?”

The horse shifter busied himself, refilling wine and placing it to Dane’s lips. He swallowed and said again.

“Matthew?”

The horse shifter’s broad shoulders slumped as he lifted his dark eyes to Dane’s dull purple ones.

“You know,” Dane accused quietly, “You have always known.”

Matthew closed his eyes as if in pain and nodded.

“What am I?”

*~*

Noah felt his sire’s presence both physically and mentally. He had no strength to fight him off. His body was arranged on the soiled sheets, his thighs spread open.

Nicodemus’ fingers were efficient, stretching him methodically. The breach of thick cock followed. Noah grunted as his body was covered and filled.

His sire cradled his head against his throat, even as his own fangs sank deep into Noah’s flesh. The elder vampire did not take his blood, but waited until Noah was joined at his throat.

Blood flowed between them and Nicodemus began to move within his body. Noah keened in the back of his throat and his sire returned with a possessive growl. The bond between sire and childe flared causing Noah to purr.

Sire.

Noah’s hips lifted to take Nicodemus deeper.

Foolish childe, how long must you fight nonexistent demons?

He gasped, releasing his fangs. Noah turned his head in shame, refusing to meet the knowing gaze of his master. His ardor weakened.

You are crippling yourself. You have never forgiven me.

Nicodemus’ thoughts were firm but gentle.

You were never meant for a lonely existence. But your fear has caused you to ignore the rare gift that you have found.

Long fingers turn Noah back by his chin. Nicodemus’ kissed him long, slow, and deep.

You were always my favorite, Noah. Even when you thought I betrayed you.

He ducked his head against the smooth skin of Nicodemus’ chest.

Rachel.

Nicodemus’ sighed. His fingers began to move through his hair, gently untangling the snarled raven hair.

Why can you not understand? My love knows measure. I love you both, my childe and my consort.

Noah pushed the elder vampire away from his body. With his strength returning, Noah pulled away and sat at the edge of the bed. He cradled his head in hands, his elbows resting on his thighs.

Tell me your fear.

Noah’s back tensed.

I have none, my sire.

Nicodemus moved to pull Noah into his embrace. Soft lips brushed against his temple.

Your fear gave you death as answer.

His sire would not let him pull away.

I made a mistake that overwhelmed me.

Nicodemus lifted his chin, with knowing eyes.

Your mistake continues, childe.

Noah bared his fangs.

My sire?

Nicodemus’ lips peeled back in response.

Dane. Choose well my child, or it will no longer be your mistake to make.

*~*

Dane turned in the garden to find Noah at his back. He was whole, his blue eyes flashing with vibrancy. He had sought refuge in the quiet evening when Matthew refused to answer his questions.

The vampire’s hands went to his shirt and tore it open and away from his chest. Dane stepped back to keep his balance under the vampire’s onslaught.

“You are mine.”

Dane’s body was stripped and pushed into the thick carpet of grass. His slender thighs opened willingly as Noah took his place between them. He cried out as Noah stretched him and entered in one swift stroke.

“You are mine.”

The growl was accompanied by Noah opening the vein at his throat and pulling Dane to the wound. As Dane began to suckle the growl intensified. Dane pulled away with another cry when Noah bit deep into his flesh. Noah’s hand pushed Dane back against his throat.

He was overwhelmed. Noah was in him, over him, and surrounding him. His legs wrapped around the snapping hips, taking the vampire even deeper within his body.

You are mine!

The cry fractured Dane’s mind. His release boiled out of him and onto their skin. Noah growled once again in satisfaction as he filled Dane with his seed.

You are mine, only mine.

Noah’s thoughts touched and caressed him.

He stared up into the bright blue eyes.

I am yours.

*~*

Noah sat in his study alone. And alone was what he needed, he thought restlessly. He had always preferred to be alone.

If he were honest, that was a lie.

Upon his birth, he had been the favorite childe. Nicodemus had proclaimed that he would sire no other. His clan was one of the largest, his children migrating into the world creating clans of their own. The old vampire was still served by a dozen childer that had remained.

But Noah was his special childe, always sitting at his right side, learning the inner workings of clan and territories. When Nicodemus passed on to his heir to live out his immortality in quiet, it would have gone to Noah.

For Noah’s part, the scrutiny had always made him uncomfortable. The target of childer squabbles. His aloof nature had brought more condemnation and protected him as well. He was at his sire’s side, he needed nothing else. No blood slave, no fledgling of his own, Noah was content to be with Nicodemus.

Until his sire met Rachel, his life was perfect. When the bond flared into a master/consort relationship, he lost his sire to the meddling wench. He thought once the haze of newness passed, Nicodemus would return for his council, return to traveling the clandom with Noah at his side.

It did not.

Noah became relegated into the one of many childer. The fact was lorded over him daily, wearing on him until he snapped.

He demanded that his sire choose. His love for his childe or his love for his consort, to an end there was no choice to be made. Rachel’s eyes had gleamed with triumph as Nicodemus turned his back on Noah, leaving him in stunned silence.

Rachel’s demand of one blood slave to round out their ‘family’ as she called it, tolled the death knell for Noah. He gathered up his belongings, leaving clan and sire behind to forge his way into the world as childer no more but a rogue.

Time heals most things. He and Nicodemus forged a reconciliation of sorts. Noah bent his pride to accept the consort. He did not ever tarry long, the pain of his perceived betrayal too much.

He looked down at the etchings of his travels in one of his many diaries. The entry beside it was of a conversation with a gypsy traveler.

~Legend tells of a consort line. Consorts are formed between a blood bonded consort and another human, bearing forth fruit in a child. They are very rare. Their existence myth and shadow, for the disgraced consort would be put to death and the bonded mate shamed for an eternity.~

Nicodemus had scoffed at the entry as old human prattle. There was truth to the legend. It was where consorts were formed. But instead of death and shame, consort births were celebrated. Rare because a blood bonded consort never sought out breeding with another human.

And Dane, his houseboy, his rare happenchance, was of consort lineage. Vampires were not the only species that recognized it. Most creatures that walked the night, with heightened senses were aware as well.

His fault lie in thinking that his claim of ownership would bind the manners of his brethren and ignore the siren call of Dane’s ingrained scent of mate. When he found more and more guests becoming drawn to the boy, he had limited contact.

Matthew had already mated in gaining his herd. He was safe to hand Dane over to from time to time for pleasure, nothing more. Unbonded or nonmated creatures were not allowed to touch his houseboy.

His fingers clenched snapping the quill between them. Mark had pressed his case, thinking to force a bond on Dane and take him away. Death was too good for the bastard shifter.

Nicodemus and Matthew both argued that Dane’s very nature had began the fragile bonding process to Noah, one sided. They also stated that the creature within Noah wanted to complete that bond as well.

He pushed away from the desk and stood at his window. Dane, in simple trousers and shirt, had his head tipped back in laughter. He was astride Matthew’s stallion form. The shifter was trying to unseat him with gentle bucks and kicks. The cold place around his heart threatened to crack.

Fisting his hands, he paced in front of the simmering fire. He did not trust the so called bond. There should be not greater bond than that of sire and child. He was disillusioned to allow anyone close to him, to make him weak as he had been weakened at Nicodemus’ side.

Come to me, my childe.

Noah shivered and made his way to his sire’s side. Nicodemus lounged proud and naked on freshened sheets. He held out a hand to Noah in offering.

To have his sire completely to himself was a heady drug. Noah stripped quickly and allowed himself to be pulled down into his sire’s arms. He sighed as he was turned onto his back, Nicodemus settling over him.

The gnarled hands smoothed back his hair in a hauntingly familiar manner. Noah clenched his jaw at the lonely pain that surfaced. Nicodemus kissed his forehead and caressed his thoughts.

Forget the past, my favorite.

Nicodemus plundered his mouth before moving to his jaw and throat.

Let me love you, my childe, before I must leave you once more.

His heart that he kept so carefully hidden shattered. His hands went into the thick silver hair, grasping and pulling as Nicodemus kissed, caressed, and scratched his skin. The old vampire fed from all of his most intimate places as only a sire would know.

Noah’s resolve disappeared when Nicodemus courted then swallowed him whole. He would not let a cry pass his lips.

Sire.

Fangs sank deep into the juncture of thigh and groin.

Anything, for my beloved childe.

Sire.

Noah cringed at the mental begging. His hips nearly levitated when his sire opened his body aggressively. His eyes snapped open as he was lifted on the air of his sire’s power.

He could not stop the howl as he was impaled fully on the cock that owned him, the man that created him by the sheer force of gravity. He snarled and sank his fangs deeply into Nicodemus’ chest.

The vampire below him chuckled, trying to unseat him, bucking his hips and flipping them once more. Noah took the challenge and with his own power spun them where he loomed over Nicodemus.

Instead of retaliating, the elder’s smile was bittersweet as he filled his hands with Noah’s thick dark hair and pulled him down into a kiss.

I never stopped loving you, Noah.

Nicodemus slowed their fucking into a slow slide of claiming. Moving them onto their sides, holding Noah to his chest, the vampire took Noah’s cock in his hand. Noah shuddered and curled into his sire.

I never stopped loving you. Don’t let your love for me blind you any longer.

Noah mewled and rocked into the hand that held him, begging for more of the cock that possessed him. The release echoed in their cries, arms banding about their shoulders, their mouths fusing once more.

Do not live your life alone because of me.

Nicodemus stared into his eyes, searching for an answer that Noah could not give him. Instead, Noah pulled out of his arms and turned his back on his sire.

Goodbye, my sire.

The elder was still for a very long time before the rustling of sheets signaled his exit. Nicodemus said no more except for a fleeting thought over the distance as he headed back into the mountains.

Goodbye, my beloved childe.

*~*

The house was quiet once more. Dane checked things one last time before moving up the stairs. His attempt to meld thoughts with Noah had met silence. He was beginning to think it was a blood loss dream.

He started for his small room but stopped at the door. The small bed was gone. His shoulders slumped. He thought of Joshua sleeping naked, curled against the closed door of his master’s room. His hands curled into fists.

He had given his blood, his heart to the cold vampire, what more did he want? What more could Dane give him? Maybe they should have died in another’s arms to continue this bleak existence of silence and confusion.

Hands wrapping about his waist made his cry out.

“Easy, little one,” Noah said against his hair. “You no longer have a place in this room.”

Dane bit his lip as Noah drew him into his chamber. His eyes darted around, but the pet bed was nowhere to be seen. Noah’s lifted his chin, “After all that has happened, you will be at my side always, in my bed, in my life.”

Dane’s heart leapt.

“I will not tolerate anyone thinking that they have rights to my property. You are mine.”

Dane blinked, his hope dying under the cold words. He was still no more than a houseboy, Noah’s property. The vampire did not want more, just wanted him where he would be better protected.

Cool hands lifted his face and his lips parted willingly. Noah lifted him onto the bed and united their bodies slowly before taking his blood in gentle pulls. Dane sighed and held onto the slender shoulders.

In the face of belonging to someone as mad as Mark, or being cast out to die of blood starvation, Dane would take what he could get. When the vampire pulled him into his arms, his head resting on his chest, he decided that it could be a whole lot worse than Noah’s cold reserve.

He moved his chin against the blood warmed skin of the chest below him. If he wanted to imagine that he meant more to Noah, then he would. Who could he hurt, but himself?

*~*

Interlude II:

Noah could feel the slight twitches that belied Dane's excitement. Purple eyes would flirt with him over the soft, clothed shoulder before the boy would turn back to the scenery streaming by the carriage. Matthew had been unavailable for the trip. He sent a beautiful mare as gold as her father with a silky black mane and tail. Learning from the incident with Mark, Dane would think she was a normal horse. And as protective as Matthew was of his dwindled progeny, the decision was much more prudent.

The village was mostly human with a smattering of winged shifters. The caw had him looking up at the overlarge buzzard. Noah tipped his head in acknowledgement and received a flutter of wings in return before the bird lifted into the air and soared away.

Thomas would know of his presence and would be duly prepared. Noah sighed with satisfaction and pulled Dane against his chest.

He refuted the tendrils of bonding coldly. He did not acknowledge it and it would not be. But it would not keep him from enjoying his houseboy's company. Dane's sweet nature and open caring was much harder to resist.

The soft silky hair brushed against him as Dane lifted his face. Noah smiled and took the proffered lips gladly. The happy sigh warmed him in places that the boy's blood did not touch.

Dane accepted the gentle pressure against his hips and straddled Noah's hips. For this trip, Noah had him forego the shirt and trousers that had become commonplace. The soft fabric parted, allowing him access to the warm, smooth skin. He smiled inwardly at the questioning look.

"Ask, little one," The endearment slipped out easily, surprising him. Boy, houseboy, Dane was appropriate. Not the constant drive of little one that he kept saying.

"Where are we going, sir?" The boy asked with an excited wiggle. The inward smile blossomed in the curve of Noah's lips. He lifted a brow in reply which only caused the boy to squirm more. "Please," Dane said with a delightful weedle.

"Patience," Noah responded pulling the boy down onto his touch, enjoying the warmth of the boy's skin and the soft silk of his hair.

The weather turned cool and wet with the steady patter of rain as the carriage came to a stop in front of a solitary shop. Noah held his arms out for Dane, lifting him in his arms and covering him with his heavier cloak to protect him from the cold drizzle.

A bell tinkled signaling there arrival. The shop was cold, dark and dank. Dane lifted his head, looking around with a small frown. If he could, the boy would be looking down his narrow nose at the establishment.

Noah chuckled wryly, "Not everything is as it seems little one." Shifting Dane to stand on the cold wooden planks, he called out. "Show yourself, Thomas."

Nothing happened and Dane sidled closer to his side. Noah growled, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder in reassurance. "Come out you stubborn old bird."

A single light flickered, illuminating dirty gray hair and a beaked nose. Dane felt like he was trying to crawl into his skin.

"Noah," the voice creaked, "I had to be sure it was you."

He tipped his head and followed the shadowed figure down the stairwell that led underground. Power simmered in the air and sconces flared into life. Noah smirked at Dane’s loud gasp.

He surmounted that it was for twofold. Thomas shed his human visage, his face a meld of pink flesh and brown feathers surrounding bold yellow eyes. The large arched bones topped his shoulders and fluttered.

The other would be the wares that Thomas carried for a discerning customer. Racks, frames, chains swaying from the ceiling, as well as a jumble of shelves holding a varied array of items of interest were spread across the cavernous room.

Dane leaned forward and studied one protruding sculpture. His forehead puckered, “Is that…” The boy trailed off and tilted his head to the side.

Thomas chortled, “A rare innocence you have found as well as…” The hawk shifter breathed deeply. Noah gave a growl of warning. Thomas schooled his features into bland interest, “Right, is there anything in particular you are looking for, good sir?”

“Yes,” Noah drew Dane close to his side to keep the boy from wandering off. “I have been invited to Lady Ruth’s masque.”

Thomas gave a rude snort.

“I need to outfit my houseboy in a manner that no one doubts to whom he belongs.”

The golden eyes widened, “Ah, I understand.” He led them deeper into the room and gestured to wide cloth covered tables.

Noah trailed his fingers over the soft leather and cool buckles. He was drawn to a full harness of brown leather; it had a matching collar and lead, as well as cuffs.

“This set here.”

Thomas squawked in pleasure, “The whole set?” His voice came out in a satisfied coo.

“Yes, as well as matching boots.” Noah ushered Dane to shelve that held bolts of soft fabric. He selected rich purples, vibrant blues, and muted greens. “We will need wraps, cloaks, and sarongs.”

His main business completed he turned to Dane and smiled; “Now we shall have some fun.”

Dane’s shy smile touched the coldest part of his chest. Noah pushed it away and gestured to a particular shelf, “Choose.”

“What are they, sir?” Dane asked, his open curiosity made Noah bite back a groan. That and slender fingers traveling up and down polished glass in a decidedly sensuous manner.

Filling his hand with honey soft hair, he tugged to look down into the purple gaze. “What does it look like?”

He stood behind the boy and covered his hand with his own; he moved the warm palm up and down, twisting at the smooth rounded top, and moving to repeat. Dane’s heart beat accelerated.

“Oh.”

“I think this will fit quite nicely, do you not think?” Noah purred against the boy’s ear, before nipped the soft lobe. “What about this one here?” He lifted a larger representation and turned it on its side, “See this attachment,” he thumbed the metal bracket that had been melded into the wood, “The chain between your thighs would fit perfectly.”

Dane moaned and pushed his buttocks into the curve of Noah’s groin. Noah smirked, turning his attention to a small table. He selected three rings, one of leather, one of marble, and one of metal. He picked up the items that Dane could not stop staring at.

Thomas appeared silently as a good proprietor should. “I shall need the boy’s measurements.”

Noah could smell Dane’s arousal and his groin tightened in response. “Once done, we will take what is ready and the rest shall be delivered.”

The hawk shifter cocked his head to the side before giving a sharp nod of agreement. “It is always a pleasure to do business with you, Noah.”

*~*

Dane moaned and canted his hips upward. Noah shifted the glass inside the boy as the carriage rocked side to side, rain pattering on its roof.

“You like that, little one?”

His houseboy flushed prettily against the back drop of cool blue silk. Dane bit his lip only to howl when Noah shoved it deeper within him. The marble wrapped around the base of the straining cock prevented the boy from being disobedient.

“Noah,” The soft pleading and shuttered purple eyes broke his resolve.

He pulled the glass from the boy’s body, checking the dilated opening. He sat on the seat and unlaced his trousers.

“Come here, boy.” He growled. Dane trembled as he move to straddle Noah’s hips once more. Noah eased the ring from the boy’s cock, listening to the hiss of relief.

“Ride me, little one,” Noah commanded, seating the boy on his flesh. The molten heat and tight vise made his hips buck upward.

He enjoyed the boy’s slow ride, feeling the spill of warm fluid against his stomach. Dane’s eyes were screwed shut, focused on pleasing the vampire. The warmth blossomed in his chest once more.

Cupping the boy’s neck with one hand drawing him forward and palming the straining cock with the other, Noah purred, “Come at will, little one.” Then he swallowed the gasp as he thrust deeper into the willing body.

He kept his fist in time with the pistoning of his hips. Dane’s cry signaled the splash of warmth as well as the clutch of muscle around his cock. Noah groaned, thrusting until his own release followed. He shifted in time to catch the slumping body against his chest.

“Dane?”

A quiet snore was his answer.

Noah chuckled, once again not acknowledging the warmth that spread through him. A warmth that had nothing to do with blood. He cleaned his hand on a soft cloth and gathered the boy into his arms.

The gentle rocking of the traveling carriage made his eyes heavy. He pressed his lips against the boy’s hair and decided to sleep as well.

*~*

“You do not have to do this,” Matthew commented, swirling his wine in his goblet.

Noah shifted his focus away from Dane. The boy had an adept sense of grace, learning the balance required to be harnessed as well as collared. He moved his hand down the graceful curve of skull eliciting a quiet sigh. Dane’s face was serene, his weight proportioned over his thighs and heels, a slight turning of his head had him pressing into Noah’s hand.

Perfect.

“Your concern is duly noted,” Noah said dryly, with a lift of brow to horse shifter.

Matthew snorted, “But it is not understood. Why would you subject that boy to the proverbial lion’s den if you do not intend on not fulfilling your b…” Matthew bit his word when Noah growled lowly.

Dane shifted under the rise in tension. Noah merely squeezed the boy’s nape and watched the eyelashes droop further, hiding the glorious amethyst eyes. His lips twitched. He could feel Matthew’s glare and gave a sigh of resignation.

“I have taken steps to ensure his safety.” He returned blandly with a wave of his free hand.

“Then you are a fool as well as a stubborn bastard,” Matthew stated. “Is he going to be allowed to service?” The deep rumble was answer enough, “My point exactly. Why must you fight this so, each nonhuman faction has their own legends and lore about destined mates.”

Noah was glad that Matthew prudently did not use the word consort. He had had about enough on the whole subject. As well as having about enough of those who thought they could question or sway his judgment.

“Ruth’s court is nominally well managed and the boy will never be away from my side. The question of service or rights to him will be unquestionable.” Noah took a slow sip of wine, ignoring Matthew’s consternation. “The question remains, will you be joining me?”

Matthew sat back against the thick upholstered chair with defeat. “I always do.”

*~*

It was a castle; Dane thought with a shiver of excitement, no other words could describe the colossal structure illuminated brightly with torchlight. He stood between Noah and Matthew, his lead in Noah’s hand and Matthew’s arm across his shoulder.

It was a menagerie, shifters of all types as well as weres and vampires. Matthew shivered beside him and Noah’s arms pulled him aside. The centaur grinned as his thick tail brushed against Dane.

“Sorry,” Matthew said unapologetically.

Noah moved forward. Dane shifted his weight to keep his balance and hurried after him. He had learned being drug by the lead attached to his collar was not an experience he wished to repeat.

It was hard not to stare. It had all the decadence of Nicodemus’ opera house but with a subdued sensuality. Rich gowns, soft fabrics, and flashing jewels caught the eye even as the elaborate masks deceived.

Dane was not really worried. Matthew’s centaur from stood out in candlelight, a golden beacon that was very familiar. His lead tugged sharply. Dane looked to the back of Noah’s head. The raven hair flowed down his narrow back like a silky black river, adorned with a smattering of tear drop jewels that he himself had threaded carefully. The lead tugged once more. The vampire was not going to let him go. He felt safe even as unknown creatures stepped near him and inhaled with gusto.

It was beginning to annoy him. Dane knelt at Noah’s feet as the lavish banquet began. He accepted the food automatically as his thoughts continued to tumble. There was something about him, Matthew had all but come out and said it. But the vampire insisted on keeping it a mystery. He had a feeling it was the brief mental joining but Noah was unmovable on the topic.

He followed Noah around the large ballroom, kneeling when expected, and standing at the vampire’s shoulder at others. He had practiced so much that movements were fluid. It took little concentration but as the party goers began mingling and dancing, he kept his head down. Dane did not want to invite anymore notice that would anger Noah.

Noah was content to sit and watch the dancers, Dane leaned against his leg. Dane was very thankful of Noah’s change when it came to clothing. The vampire never let him believe that he was anything but a houseboy, but the harness was comforting as was the soft sarong in pale green wrapped around his hips. Noah’s colors were displayed in the blue jewel drops from his ears, nipples, and navel.

The continuous stroking was making him feel sleepy and heavy. Noah’s presence was comforting. As was watching Matthew move across the floor as he danced.

The horse shifter was in his human form, but bare chested and bare footed. A cream color sarong was wrapped around narrow hips and the bejeweled mask was just as simple. It covered Matthew’s genial face from his forehead down. The white flashing smile would have been a disappointment to cover. His lean body wound around the two women that he danced with. His hands traveled down arms and onto hips, pressing his groin to the rounded buttocks as he spun around the floor.

“Dance with me,” A low throaty voice purred. Dane blinked and tried to regain his focus.

Lady Ruth stood before Noah with her hand outstretched. She wore a dress of blood red, her brown hair coiled around the tiara on her head. Noah just stared at the were queen.

“To refuse me would dishonor me in my home,” she stated easily, but the underlying warning was there.

Noah’s hand gripped the back of his neck almost painfully.

Ruth sighed, “No one here will touch him, you have made that stridently clear. Tie him down and dance with me. It has been too long since you have enjoyed yourself.”

Dane’s heart was in his throat when Noah unfolded his lean body from his chair. His lead clattered to the floor in front of an iron ring that he had not noticed before. The lift of raven brow was quite clear as his lead was clipped to it. Dane lowered his head submissively.

A smattering of applause followed as Noah’s boots disappeared from his line of sight. He wanted to lift his head, to watch the beauty that was Noah as he had watched Matthew. The lack of Noah’s presence at his side was deterrent enough. He did not want Noah to cast him off as a disobedient houseboy.

The music turned to slow and elegant. Dane suppressed a sigh. Noah could be occupied for the rest of the evening.

A low growl of approval made him blanch, “Well, well, well an unprotected materi.” A warm hand cupped his chin and lifted.

The man was unmasked with a mane of red hair; the low rumbling growl marked him as shifter. Dane thought of lion stalking his prey. He remembered Matthew’s comment about a lion’s den, unwillingly approving of foresight. As the shifter drew a chair and sat down, the red headed man took a deep breath of satisfaction.

Dane looked down once more. He shivered under the heavy gaze, sending up prayers that Noah would return quickly. He prayed that the vampire would not overreact. He hoped that he was not about to be subjected to a brutal claim as Mark had attempted. The shifter’s hand threaded through his hair with a murmur of appreciation.

A lion’s den, indeed.

Noah gave Ruth a slow twirl, her smooth chuckle caressed him. He pulled her back into his arms, his hand settling at the small of her back.

“You have changed much, my friend,” Ruth said, tipping back exposing her slender throat, her thick lashes fluttered from behind her mask.

He gave a lift of his shoulder, his eyes traveling over the thick vein that throbbed along the offered throat. A wave of nerves touched his mind. Noah lifted his head, his nostrils flaring, seeking danger.

“Noah?” Ruth placed a hand against his chest.

He shrugged her off, his incisors unsheathing as his eyes narrowed on Dane. His lips peeled back with a growl. The lion shifter had the nerve to touch his property. Ruth’s warning was a buzz in his ear as he placed himself between the shifter and his houseboy, the man’s arm in his tight grasp.

“Hello, Noah,” the shifter said easily.

The blood red anger did not allow him to respond. He had Dane unclasped from the bolt and shoved behind his body. Dane’s whimper incensed him even more as he rounded back on the shifter.

“Noah, Noah, Noah,” the lion shifter tsked. “Do you not remember me? Has it been that long?”

With Dane pressed against him, Noah took calming breaths. He gave a small nod of acknowledgement, “Forgive me, Lord Solomon.”

Solomon gave a loud laugh and gestured to the seat beside him. Noah sat, wary. He ignored the continued laughter as he settled Dane into his lap. The boy’s head against his chest eased him even more as he inhaled the potent scent.

“Dane,” He said shortly as the lion shifter quieted by sipping a large goblet of wine. “You are in the midst of royalty this evening. Lord Solomon is the werelion king of neighboring pride.”

“Indeed,” Solomon said, “It is very rare to come upon an unclaimed materi. But I have also heard of your stubbornness on the matter.”

Noah gave a rumble, his arm curving about Dane protectively.

Solomon tossed his mane of red hair, “Why must you constantly tempt those around you with him? Materi or consorts, if you like, are worshipped among my people, among many. Most treasure them, put them on pedestals. Like your sire,” Noah refused to meet the lure. Solomon gave an incredulous huff, “If he is yours, claim him.”

“No.” Noah shifted under the heavy stare. “It is no one’s business but my own. We have rules of conduct. My collar should be enough.”

“Agreed,” Solomon returned easily. But the bold eyes traveled over Dane’s body with appreciation. “My respect for you alone keeps me from challenging you my friend.”

He felt Dane tense in his arms. “He is blood bound.”

“Which is easily overcome, vampire blood is peddled by gypsies.” Solomon countered.

“Solomon.”

Again the shifter laughed, “Then let us talk of other things. I have not enjoyed your hospitality in almost a century. And you have been missed walking amongst the pride.”

Noah relaxed and picked up the conversation dutifully. He was aware of the eyes on him, on his houseboy, and he had enough.
*~*

Noah sat at his desk, reading correspondence by candlelight. Rain pattered against the windows, and Dane’s weight was warm about his feet. He read the letters he had received over and over from the monastery. Noah wanted to validate the claim the traders had put forth.

~Well educated boy…very biddable. Wish we could support him, but our order has fallen on hard times…

~Very unique, all manner of person inquires within about a special child, a changeling, a materi, though we have never heard of such…

~The boy in question was left on the stairs, in a wicker basket and a blanket to claim as his own…poor wretched way to begin life...

Noah pushed the letters aside in frustration. Nothing he could glean told of Dane’s bloodline, his mother who had abandoned him. Had she known? Was she the disgrace that legend contended?

A soft touch grazed his thigh and he looked down into large purple eyes.

“What is it?”

Dane licked his lips. “Let me ease you, sir.”

Noah lifted a brow in surprise. Dane had never been proactive in service, always submitting his will to that of Noah’s.

“Why?”

The boy’s forehead puckered as he hesitated.

“Well,” Noah pressed, ignoring the desire to filter the boy’s thoughts. It seemed the more that he intermingled with Dane’s soul, the feelings of the boy became more and more apparent.

“I…” Dane’s eyes flickered downward, and then he began again, “It is my duty to serve you, sir.”

Noah felt as if there was something more. He could easily find it. The warmth of the boy was a siren call tempting him to ponder the issue that he refused to address.

Instead, he spread his thighs and nodded.

The small hands unlaced his trousers. The honey blonde head settled into the apex of his thighs, the warm breath ghosting over the sensitive skin of his awakening flesh. The wet heat teased him before surrounding him.

Noah’s head fell back against his chair. His hands went into the soft hair, petting and caressing Dane’s ears and nape. The boy was well trained, but the twist at his tip, the gentle fingers against his sac, the intoxicating vice of the tender throat was all Dane.

The warmth in his chest bubbled along with the heat in his groin.

“Dane,” his sigh of pleasure was accompanied with the spill of his seed. Dane cleaned him with careful licks and tucked him away.

The boy looked up from beneath his lashes with the shy beauty of his smile. The spark in chest overwhelmed him.

He paced in front of his fireplace, restless and dissatisfied. He could hear Dane puttering in the kitchen’s, wonderful smells of roasting meat wafting throughout his house. A small seed of an idea rooted in his mind. It would work, he thought with satisfaction.

Noah sat at his desk and dipped the quill into the inkpot.

~Dear Messieurs,

I inquire upon the stock of my prior purchase. I wish to have an addition to my household. Training must be exquisite and purity unquestionable. I wish to purchase another houseboy.

Noah~

The blue wax with affixed with his crest. He ignored the twinge in his chest and added the letter to the rest of his correspondence. Noah looked up at Dane’s delightful form framed in the doorway.

“Sir?”

Noah joined the boy. Dane did not need to know. Not until he received a reply and maybe not then either. He did not want to make that sweet smile fade. The boy was not being replaced. No, he thought firmly, another houseboy would solidify his argument that Dane was not special.

He was just a houseboy.

*~*

Dane checked the room once more. He turned the flower arrangement and then turned it back once more. Imagined specs of dust were wiped away viciously.

The dull ache behind his eyes and the burning in his gut made him long for Noah. The vampire had assured him it would be a couple of days. The house needed to be perfect. Wrapping his cloak about his body, Dane curled into the window seat, looking for some small indication that Noah was returning.

The abrupt departure had followed a flurry of messages, incoming and outgoing by the messenger. Noah had closed himself in his study more and more. His lust and blood need had also peaked.

Not that Dane was complaining, the night that Noah left with a soft brush of lips against his forehead, his body was ravaged as well as his blood points. He was left behind with Noah's marks on his skin, his blood in his stomach, and the dull ache of their joining.

Matthew had accompanied the vampire almost unwillingly. Dane was not sure but the friendship between them was strained. He knew he was the bone of contention. Matthew still had the option of his service in bed. Dane enjoyed the soft touches and playfully intimacy. But Noah would become dark and broody, his touches heavy and possessive. Dane enjoyed Matthew's company. He did not like the tension. He clung to the vampire's side until he would give a grudging nod of approval for him to join Matthew.

The door opened with a crack startling Dane from his thoughts. Noah's presence so near warmed him. He dropped the cloak and hurried to meet him. His steps faltered at the heavy bag draped from the slender shoulder. His knees folded under him and placed his forehead to the floor. He knew that bag and wanted to whimper.

Noah did not acknowledge him. He strode up the stairs with a determined stride. Warm hands traveled down his back before lifting him. Dane looked to Matthew with puzzlement.

The horse shifter's face was unreadable. Matthew gathered him close and kissed him gently.

"If you ever need me, I will come for you." Matthew's voice was hoarse, his liquid brown eyes worried.

Dane felt a cold ache beginning to form in his stomach. He stiffened his spine and cupped Matthew's face. "I serve Noah. I shall be fine."

Matthew nodded but his broad hand covered his heart, the warmth seeping into Dane. The horse shifter kissed him once more before setting him on his feet. He turned quickly and walked out the door without looking back.

The cry of the stallion made Dane's breath catch. He looked up the stairs. There was more fear in the unknowing. He kept his steps slow and determined. Biting his lip, he pushed open the small bedroom's door. The fire was burning brightly in the grate.

His head lowered at the familiar sounds of flesh slapping against flesh. The door was cracked. A small dark head rested against Noah's bare shoulder as the vampire fed hungrily, his hips moving to and fro.

Dane's own hunger leapt jealously, but he pushed it down. He served Noah. With his hands at the small of his back he knelt beside the door. Dane hoped that the vampire would feed him before sending him into the small room with the pet bed alone.

*~*

Noah watched as the small boy washed under the waterfall of heated water. His blood hunger had been satisfied, as well as his sexual need, but he still felt dissatisfaction.

His newest procurement was as flawlessly trained as Dane had been. Dark where Dane was light, the curious eyes dark and common. Not the rare beauty of gem bright amethyst pupils that darkened with lust and desire.

"Your name, boy."

The boy paused and turned quickly. He knelt under the pelting water and replied, "Seth, sir."

Noah waited until he was dry and warm once more before strapping the simple collar of leather about his neck, covering the deeply gouged wound at his neck.

"You know what your role will be?"

The dark glossy hair fell forward as the boy nodded, "A houseboy, and at your service, sir."

Noah crossed his arms and considered. "And if I am not available you will answer to Dane, he has seniority and he knows my home."

The boy swallowed audibly and nodded once more, "Yes, sir."

Dane's hunger was overwhelming and Noah was ready for the evening to end. "Come."

He paused at Dane's kneeling form, a supplicant not asking for anything but submitting to everything. Dane had always been the model of perfection. He led Seth to the small adjoining room and pointed to the small couch.

"Sleep there, I will summon you after sunrise."

Seth gave a small bow from his hips and climbed onto the couch. Noah stood very still until he blinked out the candles with his mind.

He returned to Dane, wanting to lift the boy into his arms and enjoy the shy smile.

"Join me."

The bright purple eyes widened in surprise as Dane lifted his head sharply. Noah ground his teeth. He did not like having to explain himself.

"I told you that you shared my bed. Do you not wish to any longer?"

"No sir," Dane whispered as he scrambled to his feet in an unusual lack of grace.

They settled into the bed. Noah scored his wrist and offered it to the boy. Once again Dane hesitated. It was enough to make him growl. The soft lips sealed around the wound and Dane began to suckle softly. Noah's brow rose in surprise. Dane should be feeding hungrily after the days without. Instead, the pulls were gentle and tentative. Noah realized that the boy thought he would withhold his blood. With his free arm, he cradled the boy against his side.

The allure of the sweet scent and silky skin was too much. Noah trailed his lips against the boy's forehead, kneading the soft flesh of Dane's back and the curve of his buttocks.

Dane lifted his head, his lip chasing the trail of blood that dripped from the side of his mouth. The hunger for more crashed over Noah like wave. He had Dane on his back and his ankles near his ears as Noah plunged into his body.

The coupling was savage and quick. The seed between their bodies were echoed within the boy's body. Noah pulled the boy into his arms and growled against his ear.

"You are mine."

Against his neck, the soft lips moved slowly. Dane’s quiet response was, “I am yours.”

The boy’s heartbeat jumped.

“Always.”

*~*

Dane’s life changed. He hugged himself and stared out the window into the lush valley. Noah had Seth in his bed fucking him. He was alone once more.

He could not find fault in Seth. The boy was nice and helpful, completely guileless. Dane understood the need to please Noah, to coax warmth from the solemn face. To know that in some small way Noah cared as well.

The manor was easier to manage with two sets of hands instead of one. But that left too much time for Dane to brood, to wonder if he would be like the blood starved woman.

He turned and sat at the table. His book was marked and the paper was waiting for his daily letter to Matthew. Dane missed the horse shifter.

Hesitant to ask for too much, Noah had grilled him while flat on his back and the vampire’s thick cock piercing his body.

“You are restless,” Noah had growled, “I can feel it.” Those words had almost been bitten out. Dane was not sure if it were anger or lust. “Tell me how to fix it, tell me how to make you smile again.”

Tears had burned and he distracted Noah by tightening his hold on the pounding cock. Noah’s hips had faltered before seeking out his release. The vampire was tenacious. Their bodies clean and slumber heavy about them, Noah once again pressed.

“Smile for me, my houseboy.”

It had hurt, but he smiled shyly. Noah curve around his back, his arms banded across Dane’s waist. “Tell me how to fix this.”

Dane had bit his lip, “M-ma-may I use the library?”

The vampire had chuckled and kissed his temple swiftly, “I had forgotten you were taught by the monks. Of course, you may. I have read them all and we can talk about them.”

Unable to stop himself he had turned and hugged Noah hard. He had shivered when the long fingers went into his hair, “Anything else?”

“May I write to Matthew?”

The vampire went statute still, his voice cool, “If that is what you wish.”

Dane had thought he pushed too far, that he was pushing Noah towards Seth, even under the guise of kindness. But Noah had turned him once more and held him close.

As he had drifted off to sleep that night before dawn broke, Noah’s mind whispered against his, ”Mine.”

Seth cleared his throat as he entered the kitchen. Dane looked away, his chest thumped at the familiar limp in the boy’s steps.

“Dane?” Seth asked cautiously.

Dane smiled gently, “You need to be replenished. There is stew on the stove and your fresh bread in the lauder.”

Seth blushed and ducked his head. No, Dane could find no fault in the other boy at all. “Your bread has improved greatly.”

They both shared a laugh over the dismal attempts when Seth had arrived. The first loaves were hard as bricks.

Seth’s hand on his arm shook him out of his thoughts. “He wants you.”

Dane bit his bottom lip and nodded. When Seth did not release, his forehead puckered. “Seth?”

The boy burrowed against his chest and Dane’s arms went around him reflexively. His hands soothed the trembling back as he looked upward. Seth was just as confused as he was as to where they stood with the vampire. He understood the feeling very well. He lifted the boy’s chin and kissed his forehead.

“I do not need to keep him waiting.”

Seth nodded quickly and stepped back. He stood shivering before inching his way to the fireplace. Dane was allowed his simple clothing, his collar and cuffs, and his harness. Seth was only allowed his collar.

Dane quickened his step. Noah was banging around in the dressers.

“There you are,” he snapped out in agitation. “Why have you stopped preparing my clothing?”

He paled. “You take Seth to your bed in the early hours; I did not want to be an interruption.” He gnawed at his bottom lip, “I always did my preparations while you slumbered, sir.” He tacked on the honorific meekly.

Noah growled and jerked on trousers. Dane made note of it and hurried to get the coordinating shirt as well as grabbing the vampire’s boots. He could not stop the yelp when he was grabbed from behind and lifted. He blushed as he was turned quickly and held against Noah’s chest.

“Do not,” the vampire hissed, his fangs lowering, “Do not fear me, boy.”

Dane nodded and moaned when Noah plundered his mouth. He wasn’t sure what to expect, what the vampire would do in the mood that he was in.

Being lowered on to the bed, surrounded by the vampire’s scent was not it. He inhaled once more, only smelling Noah and hints of himself. He looked up at Noah in surprise. But the vampire had turned his back to finish dressing.

Dane realized he had made a serious misstep. Outside of Seth’s claiming ritual, Noah had not fucked the boy on his bed. His cheeks reddened as he dared to think, our bed.

Noah’s weight shifted the bed, the scent of blood in the air.

“Feed,” Noah commanded, “I have business today but Lady Ruth should be here by moon rise, I want you rested enough to explain to the other boy on entertaining.” Then Noah cocked his head to side and frowned fiercely, “It is his duty to service guests, not yours.” The last words were a growl.

Dane lapped at his life sustaining blood, overwhelmed. Noah had heard his worried thoughts and responded to them as if he had spoken aloud. He felt Noah withdraw his wrist and followed it with a deep possessive kiss.

Being bold, he projected his thoughts to the vampire.

Yours.

Noah paused at the door, with his hand on the knob. A sound much like a purr emanated from the vampire.

Mine.

The door snapped shut firmly.

Dane’s head thumped against the pillow. What the hell was that?

*~*

Noah kept his features smooth and placid but the knowing looks and whispered comments were getting to be annoying. Lady Ruth placed her cards on the table and chuckled.

“I should use your new houseboy’s mouth more often,” Her words were a bit breathless, “He has brought me luck this evening.”

Noah’s nose burned with the overpowering scent of her arousal. He fisted his hand into Dane’s hair and drew him closer. The boy shifted on his knees to keep his balance. Noah had kept him bound tightly, the lead attached to his wrist. No one would dare come close to the boy and try his patience once more.

“So where is Matthew?” Ruth asked later, Seth seated at her feet. The boy was blushing and wiping his face furiously with a warm damp towel.

Noah ignored the question. “Surely you two have sorted things out now that you have claimed the boy.”

Noah froze and felt Dane lift his eyes in surprise.

“There will be no more talk of that,” Noah said firmly and gestured to the dealer to continue.

The matter was closed.

*~*

Dane curled around himself, his stomach cramping viciously. He wanted to curse the were queen. The night of the party had soured Noah’s temperament once more.

What small spark had flared between had well and truly died. Noah barely spent enough time with him, often leaving blood behind as he traveled from dawn until moonrise, taking Seth along with him.

He shoved the blood stained goblet across the table and watched it shatter. He needed Noah, not just the blood, not just the sex, but the vampire himself. And he had a feeling that the vampire knew it.

Stubborn fool, he wanted to howl. Dane had never asked for more and yet all those around Noah seemed to have an air of expectation that the vampire had no intentions of rising to. It only served to anger him more. The angrier that Noah became, the more he withdrew and ignored him.

Familiar hoof beats sounded on cobblestones. Dane blinked blearily. Vaguely he remembered that he had sent Matthew a tearful treatise, begging for affection, begging to know what was wrong with him.

“Dane?”

He stumbled over his feet and strong sure arms caught him. He was lifted and cradled against Matthew’s broad chest.

And it was almost as if the very heavens were laughing at him when Noah’s voice hissed, “What is the meaning of this?”

His head spun when the horse shifter turned sharply.

“End this, Noah,” Matthew replied calmly. “Claim him or free him but do this to him no longer.”

At the word ‘free’, Dane’s world spun onto its side. The blood starved woman, he panicked and began to squirm weakly. When he could not throw himself at Noah’s feet, he mewled desperately.

Noah’s response was cold, “He is blood bound.”

Dane slumped in Matthew’s arms. That was all that he mattered to the vampire, an obligation of blood to sustain his life. He no longer needed him, Noah had Seth.

“And as I have said,” Matthew said, he shifted Dane into his arms and his warm hands moved to soothe, “I know how to supply him with vampire blood.”

Noah’s voice dripped with a sneer, “And what of you? Do you plan to claim him as consort, pardon me, mate? Do you plan to hold all off who would challenge for him?”

“Yes,” Matthew returned.

Dane lifted his head and studied the horse shifter’s profile, it was serene and serious.

“I have no reason to bond with him,” Matthew continued, “But I would not only see him safe but content as well. Can you say the same?”

Tears trailed down Dane’s cheeks and tried one last time.

Master

Noah’s growl was answer enough.

“He is mine,” Noah said, his voice heavy with possession and drawing nearer.

Matthew heaved a reluctant sigh. Dane clutched his biceps as he shifted him onto his feet. His chin was lifted and he looked into Matthew’s liquid dark eyes.

“Choose, Dane,” Matthew’s voice was soft and sad.

He swayed, light headed and heavy hearted.

Mine!

Dane whimpered and cradled his head in his hands. With a hoarse cry, he stumbled onto his knees, his arms wrapping about Noah’s legs.

Neither vampire nor horse shifter spoke as he trembled. Noah’s cool hands lifted him and he went into his arms willingly. He curled into the vampire, tired and drained.

“Next time, I shall not allow him to choose,” Matthew threatened.

Noah did not respond.

Matthew’s voice softened once more, “Do not allow a next time, my friend.” The words were followed with the quiet click of the door shutting.

He looked up into Noah’s cool blue eyes fearfully. He shivered. Noah’s features softened before he said firmly. “There is much to discuss, houseboy.”

Dane gulped. Did he make the wrong decision? He was distracted at the offer of blood soaked wrist and a gentle touch to his hair.

Noah’s eyes were cool, but Dane could sense the war of emotions within the vampire.

No he did not make the wrong choice, he chose Noah. Be it right or wrong in other’s eyes, he would always choose Noah.

He stretched out his thoughts feebly.

Yours.

*~*

Noah brooded. A simple plan had turned out to be a disaster. He had traveled for many years before settling in the valley. He spent many more years forging friendships, allies, and the physicality of his home.

Once all the pieces were in place, he had languished. Without travel to occupy his time the loneliness of life without his clan had become crushing. Matthew was his first friend and for all intents and purposes, his only non clan friend in his long life.

His moment of weakness had become his bane and the potential of something more. He could no longer ignore that there was something about Dane. And if he were a true consort of a consort bloodline, then the more that he would have to resist the temptation to follow his feelings.

The one point of contention that his contemporaries failed to realize or acknowledge, if Dane was a consort and they became bonded fully, Dane’s life would become linked to his very own. The little human houseboy would gain immortality, never aging and healing instantaneously. The fallout of was what Noah found irreprehensible. It was the point that Nicodemus would not acknowledge either.

A vampire with a bonded consort became vulnerable. If the bonded vampire died, so did the consort. If the consort died, the overwhelming despair would cause the vampire to take its life. He had argued with his sire, the clan needed its sire. But when Nicodemus turned his back on his childe, he turned his back on his clan. He chose Rachel over his childer, his clan.

Then there was Dane.

His chest spasmed, the warmth flowing out towards his extremities. He did not approve of the vulnerability and would not complete the bond.

They would overcome the hiccup and live out their days. Seth had alleviated the pressure somewhat. He took the brunt off of Dane’s service and dampened the disconcerting tendrils of bonding.

He closed his journal with a snap.

The matter was closed.

*~*

Dane sat against the large tree in garden. The wind whistled and teased his hair. He stared blindly in front of him.

“It is getting colder,” Seth said, settling on his knees at his side. “You need to come in.”

Dane could hear him but the words were barely registering.

The boy touched his hair and then his face, recoiling at the coldness of his skin.

“When did you last feed?”

He could hear the boy scramble to his feet, his steps carrying him quickly across the garden. Dane knew he would be going for Noah. But he no longer cared.

After Matthew’s departure, they had talked. Or rather, Noah had calmly explained to him that despite what others believed, he was acting in Dane’s best interests, that there was nothing special about him, just myth and dramatics.

He had been willing to believe that. He had always followed the vampire blindly. He thirsted for more than just blood. His very being was drawn to the vampire, his happiness and company had become like air for him.

But nothing changed. The vampire had withdrawn even more, brooded more, cut himself off from Dane more. He no longer had the will to carry on. He did not go to the vampire for blood and Noah seemed to forget to feed him as well.

“I thought we had moved passed this,” Noah commented dryly, his slender form looming over him.

Dane refused to lift his head. He felt the shift in gravity and he was lifted into the once welcoming arms. He turned his head away when the sweet smell of blood rose in the air.

“Why won’t you feed little one?” Noah’s voice held honest concern and confusion.

Dane just closed his eyes. It broke his heart that he had chosen wrongly. He should have gone with Matthew. Even though the horse shifter did not call to his soul like Noah did, even though Matthew did not bring out the same sense of submission that the vampire did.

He had made the wrong decision.

“Have you given up on all?”

He opened his eyes once more. Where had the time gone? He was bound at the foot of Noah’s bed. He was not naïve enough to say their bed any longer.

“Join us,” Noah’s voice slid across his skin.

The vampire had Seth in the middle of the bed, touching him, teasing him. Seth looked chagrined but when the vampire’s slender finger cupped his groin, he moaned helplessly.

“Say it, Dane,” Noah commanded. Dane watched as Noah entered Seth’s body with a sharp thrust, “Come back to me and join us. Let me care for you, little houseboy.”

It was over. Dane settled into the protective comfort of his mind. The sounds from the bed a faint buzzing in his ears, and his mind completely shut down.

His mouth being pried open and the strong taste of Noah’s blood seared his taste buds brought him back.

Dane blinked blearily at Noah’s stoic features.

“Tell me what you want,” Noah said gently. “Do not lie, little one, I will know it.”

“Let me go,” Dane whispered.

Noah studied him for a very long time. It was surprising when the proud shoulders slumped.

“You can not stay with me any longer?”

Dane looked away. “What I am is tearing us apart, sir. Without knowing what it is, I cannot change it. And…” He trailed off.

“And what?”

“And you refuse to recognize it.”

Noah growled lowly and began to pace. “You do not know what you are asking.”

Dane refused to take the bait.

“We can exist without bonding, little one.” Noah sounded if he were arguing. Dane knew he was arguing with himself.

Dane tried.

No, we cannot.

Noah snarled. “Yes we can. I refuse to make myself vulnerable. I refuse to bind you to me that way.” He cupped Dane’s face and lifted. “You do not want me. I am nothing but a spoiled, jealous vampire.”

All I have ever wanted is to serve you, to please you. But my very nature will not allow you to accept me.

Noah went still.

Let me go.

Noah turned and held him in his arms. The cool lips touched his forehead.

So be it.

*~*

The journey was a blur of pain and anguish. He felt as if his heart had literally been ripped from his chest. Each time he would whimper, Matthew would shift from stallion to centaur, cradling him against his warm chest, the land thundering in blurred streams.

It was moon rise when Matthew carried him into a low lying hut made of branches and skins.

“It is not much, gentle boy. But it is yours and you are safe.”

Dane clung to the horse shifter. He burrowed into the golden skin, “Thank you, Matthew.”

“It will not be easy.”

He nuzzled against the shifter’s warmth. “I know. Things will never be the same.” He looked into the worried dark eyes. “Stay with me?”

Matthew nodded and stripped them down. All that Dane owned was the simple garments on his back. Noah had removed the collar from his neck without a word. They lay in the softness of clean hay and warm blankets. When Dane’s hands went to the thick cock between Matthew’s thighs, the horse shifter eased them away gently.

“You do not serve me, Dane. You never have,” Matthew’s voice was husky. “I have always considered you friend.”

Dane looked up once more, “Why have you never…this thing that I am, why have you not tried to press a claim as others have?”

Matthew sighed and pushed up on his elbow, cradling his head in hand, “Because I am already mated, sweet boy. It was how I came into my own herd. I challenged a stallion and won, and with it mated his eldest daughter, Delilah.”

“Is she…” Dane bit his lip before plunging ahead, “like me?”

“Ah…” Matthew’s hands urged him back down onto the warm chest, “Yes and no and everything in between. Our peoples have different terms for mates, for bonds. I joined Delilah and she is my second when it comes to the herd. But we are not life bonded. Horse shifters do not have that capacity. The were societies have legends like that of the vampire clans. To join with a materi is a life bond.”

Dane shifted uneasily. Matthew’s hands soothed, moving up and down his back. “Ask me anything, Dane.”

“Why did Mark?”

Matthew sighed deeply. “We may not bond, but your scent is one that calls to a dominant, an alpha as it were. Mark was without herd and unbalanced. He made the wrong choice to try and force himself on you. To claim your submissive nature in such a fashion.”

Dane mulled over the information, “Can a bond be forced on me?”

“That I do not know,” Matthew replied, “I had thought to ask Nicodemus but my respect for Noah held my tongue in check.”

“The elder knows what I am?”

“Yes,” Matthew hesitated, “As does Noah, but he refuses to acknowledge it.”

“Why?”

Matthew shifted uneasily, “From what I have gathered, it was what broke the bond of sire and childe between Nicodemus and Noah. Nicodemus has a consort.”

Dane considered and then said, “Rachel.”

The horse shifter murmured his assent, “Noah has always misunderstood that bond and saw it as betrayal.”

“His past hurt affects his future decisions.”

“Well said, sweet boy.”

Dane thought of one more thing, “Has a bond formed between Noah and I?”

Silence stretched between them, “Only Noah can answer that I am afraid.”

“Matthew?” Dane sighed when Matthew began carding his hair. The emotional turmoil and long journey made him heavy eyed.

“Hmmmmm?”

“I am not going to die of blood starvation?”

“No, sweet boy,” Matthew responded lowly, his own voice deepening with sleep. “I had a plan in place. I was afraid that it would come to this.”

Even though Matthew’s weight was a comfort, Dane fell into slumber with a busy mind that refused to quiet. What was he? He was no longer a houseboy.

In his dreams, he reached out.

Noah.

The cool, beloved presence slipped into his mind, his being.

I am here, little one.

Tears wet and cooled on Dane’s cheeks but he slept on.

I am sorry that it has come to this.

Silence began to stretch, but Noah’s presence was near.

As am I, little one.

Dane whimpered and tossed restlessly. Matthew’s strong arm hugged him close, providing comfort that his mind would not acknowledge.

Noah.

Rest, little one, I do not have the answers.

Dane turned into Matthew as Noah slid away. In his dream state, he acknowledged that the vampire may be out of his life, but it was not over yet.

*~*

Dane opened his eyes. The small hut had brightened with sunrise. The warmth of Matthew was against his side. His eyes narrowed, the horse shifter’s heavy cock was near branding against his thigh. He turned slowly and looked into the open dark eyes.

“Sorry,” Matthew muttered, easing his hips back and taking the warmth of his groin with it. “I’ve been watching you sleep. You did not get much rest.”

It was a statement that he could not deny. He reached and ran his fingers over the thick muscled chest, watching as it shivered and rippled under his touch. The dark brown nipple became two tight points of arousal.

“Dane,” Matthew said helplessly.

He ignored it, following the path of his fingers with his mouth. He teased and sucked the tight buds. Hearing Matthew’s hiss of pleasure he added his teeth. Moving to take the second one between his teeth, he gasped as he was flattened on his back, with Matthew pushing his thighs apart. Matthew lowered himself, moving his hips once more making their cocks slide against one another. He cried out and arched into the touch.

“It has been awhile, Dane,” Matthew’s mouth covered his body, until the white blonde hair was splayed about his thighs. He tried not to think of silky black hair that draped and brushed against his skin. His cry turned into a scream of pleasure as his cock disappeared into the wet, tight heat of Matthew’s mouth and throat.

Denying his body with Noah for so long tipped Dane over the edge quickly, spilling into the horse shifter’s throat, gripping the soft hair helplessly. Matthew gave a moan of satisfaction before opening Dane even wider.

He let himself go. Matthew had always been gentle and playful with his body. As the heat of the dawn was warming the hut, Dane felt cherished under the careful ministrations.

Matthew lifted him up into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. When they broke a part to breathe, Matthew pressed his forehead against Dane’s. “I almost wish…”

Dane pulled back and stared into the velvet dark eyes, “Wish what Matthew?”

A soft blush warmed Matthew’s cheeks, “I wish I could take you face to face. I wish that I could see you come apart while being held within your body.” Matthew smiled a sheepish half smile before kissing Dane’s collar bone, “But that is not to be and I have missed you and your tight body, sweet boy.”

Dane stretched in the shifter’s arms pressing his body against Matthew’s before turning slowly. He lifted his ass in the air and rested his weight on his forearms.

The growl of appreciation and the nudge of the wide blunt head against his opening was proof of the acceptance of his offer. He sucked in a breath and tried to relax as the cock pushed into him steadily. Matthew was not rough but persistent, he forced Dane’s muscles submit to his will until he was completely seated within Dane’s body.

Dane groaned, his arms shaking under his weight. He cried out when Matthew lifted him up and back, the large cock going even deeper. Matthew’s arms wound about him and held him against his chest.

Matthew gave a hum of appreciation before nipping his ear, “By the gods, I had forgotten how tight you are.” Dane’s mouth parted as Matthew began moving within him. He was eased back onto his hands and knees. Matthew ran gentle hands along his sides, his arms, his thighs, and over his buttocks, “So gorgeous.”

His body was awash in sensation; his breath came out in pants. Matthew gripped his hips and began taking his own pleasure. The strokes were long and sure, touching the spot with Dane that made sparks travel up his spine. When Matthew cupped his groin, Dane released helplessly.

The horse shifter rumbled deep his chest, his thrusts slapped against Dane. With a satisfied groan, Dane could feel the heat of Matthew’s release within his body. Before he could drop back onto the blankets in exhaustion, Matthew had him in his arms and pressing a kiss against his damp forehead.

“Do you think you can rest now?”

Dane nodded slowly and felt Matthew cover him with a blanket. As his eyes drifted shut, he noticed the horse shifter lapping the seed from his hand with a grunt of satisfaction. It was surprising, cleaning seed was his job but he gave it no more thought as he slept, deeply and dreamlessly.

His eyes snapped open. He felt like he was being watched. Dane sat up and turned quickly. Two small heads disappeared in the wake of swishing tails and light hoof beats. Childish laughter pealed into the afternoon air.

Matthew appeared soon after with a shake of his head and a satchel across his shoulders. “My foalies, you have to excuse them. It is rare to have a visitor actually stay within our lands.”

Dane wrapped the blanket around himself. Matthew sat a bundle of clothes beside him and then handed him a wrapped parcel. He took it cautiously.

“Go on, I know you eat food, and you must be starving.”

He unwrapped the bread and dried meat. He ate hungrily and accepted the water skin gratefully. The water was a cool balm flowing through him but he needed more. Setting the skin aside, he bit his lip. He could almost taste the smooth silk of Noah’s blood on his tongue, filling him, satisfying him.

Matthew seemed to sense his discomfort and curled an arm around him. “My friend is a female vampire. Her name is Esther. She has weaned blood slaves to the point of sustenance but not overwhelming need.”

He nodded sharply, up and down. The shifter was probably right but he did not think he could overcome the overwhelming need for Noah.

“She will be here at moon rise and will discuss the process.” His chin was lifted, “Will that be satisfactory?”

“Yes, Matthew.”

Matthew studied him closely and then sighed resignedly. “Now, some things you need to understand about living among my herd. You need to wear these at all times. Only I can see you in your skin.”

Dane blushed and smiled shyly. He stood and slipped on the trousers that laced at his waist, the material loose around his thighs and calves. A simple leather vest laced as well. He felt different in his skin; the adornments that had marked him in Noah’s home were left behind. The only thing he still carried was the small ring behind his sac.

His soft boots were missing.

“You won’t need them,” Matthew stated, “The grass is thick and comfortable. It makes the herd wary to have human tracks marking the land.”

Panic seized Dane. He remembered the tribunal punishing Matthew as well as sentencing Mark to death.

“I should not be here.”

Matthew tossed his head and snorted, “My herd, my land. But small things will make the difference.” He stood and waved his hand over the hut, “And this is yours, all yours. Come, see your new home.”

Dane followed meekly into the sunshine and fresh air. The rolling pastures stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. He could make out a faint line of forest. Dotted across the landscape were tall structures of wood and hide.

“Stables,” Matthew said, following his gaze. “Each of my mares has their own. My harem has six. Delilah is the lead mare, my bonded and second. Then there is Jezebel, Naomi, Bathsheba, Miriam, and Hannah.”

Whistling lowly caused the shifter to give a rueful laugh, “And my herd is small, little one.”

Dane kept his face placid but that was Noah’s term and it sounded strange on Matthew’s lips. Thundering hooves had him turning sharply.

“Easy,” Matthew remarked with a hand on his shoulder, “That is just a group of gelds out for a morning run.”

They walked to the first enclosure. Small children in centaur form galloped and laughed.

“Papa! Papa!” Their shouts made Dane smile. Matthew gave a roar of laughter changing into his own centaur form, chasing them and changing their laughs into squeals as they scattered and played.

“You must be Dane,” a low female voice stated. Dane turned to see a beautiful dark skinned centaur. Her coat was coal black and her skin was rich chocolate. Her long hair traveled over her shoulder, resting above the curve of her breast. She wore a simple vest of leather. “Welcome, child, I am Naomi.”

Unsure of himself, Dane knelt. He lowered his head and exposing his neck. Horse shifter etiquette was unknown to him and he did not want to make a bad impression. Matthew had done so much for him, he did not want to dishonor.

“You need not kneel, child.” Her voice was smooth and rich. Dane blinked, and comforting, he did not have time to dwell. Matthew padded up and did something strange.

He touched his heart, his forehead and then his lips. Naomi’s teeth flashed brightly against her dark skin as she repeated the motions. Dane blushed and looked down. Matthew had pulled her close their hooves shifting as their mouths met.

“Welcome, husband,” she said throatily. Dane looked up under his lashes and watched as Matthew kissed her forehead softly.

“Wife,” Dane shivered. Matthew’s normal genial tone was dark with possession. “I see you have met our newest addition to the herd.” Matthew carded his hair and looked upon him fondly.

“I have,” Naomi replied easily. “Sweet mannered and quiet, he should teach the foalies.”

Matthew snorted at that. “I saw the gelds but Caleb was not among them.”

Dane watched Naomi become still, her features carefully schooled, “That is a matter to take up with Delilah.”

Matthew cursed under his breath. “Where are your gelds?”

Naomi smiled a wonderful maternal smile that made Dane want to cuddle against her side. “My boys are at the lake and shall be returning soon. Training foalies and tending the pasture.”

Matthew’s arm curved around her drawing her close once more, “And Micah?”

“Serves his mistress with perfection,” Naomi returned, her voice dipping low.

Matthew nodded and inhaled deeply, “Another fortnight, my beauty.”

Naomi smiled, “And another foal, my lover.”

Dane could see the lust rising between them, palpable in the very air.

“But you must service Hannah,” Naomi said pulling away slightly, “It is her time.”

Dane watched a peculiar expression cross Matthew’s face but it disappeared just as quickly, “Come Dane.”

The afternoon passed quickly, ending at the lake with its long strand of sugary sand. “I often come here to think,” Matthew said with his hand in his hair. “You have full access to my lands, little one, even if I am not with you. Naomi was the most taken with you and she will teach you our ways well if I am not available to answer your questions. I will also assign a geld to you on the morrow. But for now, we must return to your hut. Esther will be here soon.”

The vampire had been methodical in her explanation, teaching him simple meditation to push through his blood need. It was tiring and unsatisfying. But before she departed, she opened her blouse and drew him against her chest. He froze, unsure of her expectation.

“Easy, boy,” she said coolly offering him the vein of her wrist. “I will not feed from you but I will at least enjoy your warmth against me.” As he fed, Dane settled against her and relaxed. The coolness of her skin was familiar and her curves were soft.

She left him in the pile of hay, heavy eyed and replete. He was about to succumb to slumber when he heard Matthew’s low chuckle and higher laugh that was unknown. He crawled to the opening of his hut and lifted the flap.

Matthew stood in the open pasture naked and proud in the moonlight. He had a boy that was also nude in his arms. Bright red hair spilled down the boy’s slender back. Matthew cupped the boy’s buttocks and ground against him. The boy tipped back his head and tightened his legs about Matthew’s waist.

“Mine,” Matthew purred, “My boy.”

The boy gasped when Matthew bit down at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, “Yours,” he cried out, “Yours, master.”

Dane dropped the flap and scrambled backwards. He curled on the hay, wrapping the blanket about him. He felt so alone.

Noah.

The vampire did not answer his summons. He laid on his side, the tears slipping down his cheek and into the sweet smelling hay.

*~*

The thick grass felt good under his toes as did the soft wind in his hair. Dane shaded his eyes with the flat of his hand to get his bearings. Matthew had not come for him but after what he had witnessed, he was not surprised. Locating Naomi’s stable, he walked in the correct direction.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. No one was around. He was completely alone. No expectations, no commands, and he was able to push the ache for Noah aside. Biting his lip he went from a walk to a brisk walk, then to a jog, until his legs where pumping and his laughter was caught in the wind.

Looking up, Naomi was watching with her arms crossed over her breasts. His feet faltered and he careened towards the ground. It was a matter of seconds, the grass becoming a blur. His body tightened for impact only to be lifted into the air. He cried out and flailed.

“Thank you, my darling boy, bring him here.”

Dane twisted to find himself in the arms of a young male shifter. His brown hair was bound back, exposing the intricate collar at his throat. Pieces of metal dug into his skin making him realize that the boy’s nipples were pierced as well. Unable to take it all in, his world tilted once more as he placed on his feet.

He crashed onto his knees. Dane ducked his head and blushed at Naomi’s low chuckle. “I had sent Micah to bring you breakfast, young one. Little did I know you enjoyed a morning run? You looked like a foalie trying out their legs for the first time.”

“I am sorry,” he said quietly. He felt foolish and did not want it to reflect badly on Matthew.

“Why ever for? I personally love a good run, and you do not kneel to me, Dane, Micah could jealous.”

Dane’s head snapped up. Naomi had her arm around the boy’s shoulders. Micah, the young shifter nuzzled against the swell of her breast.

“You do not know much about shifters, do you?” Naomi posed it as a question but Dane kept his mouth shut. She gestured to a blanket spread in the shade of the stable. He sat carefully, keeping his hands fisted in his lap.

She chuckled and knelt first with her forelegs and then her hind ones followed. Micah did the same. The boy place food on a plate and offered it to Naomi with a bowed head.

“Shift, my own, it is easier to feed you that way.” Naomi’s low voice was husky.

Dane watched the boy blanch but quickly did as he was commanded. His body was as golden as Matthew’s and hairless but for the long sweep of hair down his back. He settled in front of Naomi, curled on his side but her back to him. Her dark hand traveled possessively of his slender chest before offering him food.

“Eat, young one.” She commanded.

Dane filled his plate and watched them under his lashes. Micah moaned and squirmed. He followed the movement of her hand as it settled in the stretch of skin between navel and groin. Dane went completely still.

Micah was his age or older. But as a young adult shifter, his cock should have been comparable to Matthew’s in accordance to his age. Instead, the boy’s flesh was small and stubby and Naomi’s fingers gently twisted the folds of skin that no longer held the boy’s testicles.

Dane’s stomach dropped. Micah had been castrated. Frowning, he remembered Matthew’s disgust at David’s boy Joshua being neutered.

“You might as well ask, young one, you are thinking quite loudly.” Naomi’s voice was easy and gentle. “Micah will not find offense; we both know that you are naïve to horse shifter herds and our ways.”

Dane considered. His tumbling thoughts centered on the matter of Mark. It was against horse shifter law to have more than one stallion in a herd.

He licked his lips and asked, “Why?”

Naomi hummed quietly, playing with Micah’s loosened hair until the boy’s eyes closed and he began breathing deeply.

“It is herd law,” she began and motioned for him to continue eating, “Only one stallion to service and protect the herd. Some herds have dozens of mares that become restless without the attention of the stallion. I am not sure when the process of gelding evolved but it was out of necessity. A herd’s wealth is based on foals, male and female. Out of every five male foals, one is gelded at birth.”

Dane winced and squirmed. Naomi chuckled. “It is quite safe and a relatively harmless procedure.” Her hand swept over Micah’s hair once more, “A geld is raised without ever knowing what it lost.”

“And the other males?” Dane asked hesitantly.

Naomi frowned and looked to the horizon. “At the onset of maturity, they are fostered with neighboring herds, trained and selected to become heads of new herds. Fostering is a matter of months, two stallions cannot coexist. If it lasts longer, the young stallion challenges for the head of the herd.”

With all thoughts of food forgotten, Dane curled his arms around his knees, “Are there many challenges?”

“Yes,” Naomi said simply, “But with larger herds. Young stallions seek to amass wealth through the strength of brawn rather than wooing mares and growing their own herds.”

“Matthew’s not like that,” Dane muttered.

Naomi smiled, “No, he is not. It is why our herd is small in comparison to most. Matthew manages it with a firm hand and keeps his mares happy.”

“There are many gelds,” Dane stated thoughtfully, thinking of the thundering of hooves.

Naomi hummed once more, “Yes. The gelds serve many purposes within a herd. They protect the borders, tend to the pastures, and serve either their master in Matthew or the mistress that they belong to.” She held up a hand, “No, they are not Matthew’s children. When a female foalie is courted and accepted, the home herd receives a dowry of gelds.”

“Caleb?”

Naomi went still before replying, “Matthew only has one geld, Caleb. Delilah is the first mare of the herd but when Matthew is not available, Caleb stands in his stead.”

Hoof beats had Dane turning. Matthew was glorious in his centaur form, his golden skin and white blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. The redheaded boy was also in centaur form, his skin ruddy in the heat, his coat reddish brown and speckled with white spots. An elaborate leather collar intermingled with precious stones winked in the sunlight.

“There you are, I had thought to give you enough time to rest,” Matthew said with a smile. Dane could tell that Matthew was relaxed, his muscled arm across the boy’s shoulder. “And I see that you have had breakfast,” Matthew tipped his head to Naomi pawing at the ground with his foreleg. “If you are ready, then come with me. Caleb and I are going to introduce you to your companion geld.”

He looked to Naomi who gave him that smile that made him want to cuddle near her as Micah had. He bowed lowly and bit his lip when she chuckled.

“Go on with you, child. If I do not see you before, then come to my stable for your breakfast once more.”

Before standing, he breathed, “Thank you, lady.”

She laughed out right, “Pretty manners, he must teach the foalies.”

Dane looked to Matthew and Caleb with uncertainty. How was his two legs supposed to keep up with their combined eight? Matthew’s chuckle made his forehead pucker. Was he really that transparent?

“May I assist you?” Caleb asked quietly. Dane could see his shy smile. Up close, he realized the boy was much older than him but the youthfulness of his voice and body were deceptive.

When he gave a hesitant nod, Caleb’s hands grasped him about the waist and lifted him onto Matthew’s back. Matthew shifted under him making him grab for the broad shoulders.

“Are you going to be alright?” Matthew asked looking back at him from over his shoulder. Dane was speechless. He had ridden on Matthew before, but always in stallion form. In centaur form, the shifter had carried him.

Caleb’s soft touch caused him to jerk and Matthew shift once more. “My master wishes to run, young one. You will need to hold him here.” The slender hand touched Matthew’s side where flesh began to blend into the golden coat. Matthew’s body rippled under the touch.

As Dane moved to wrap his arms around the shifter, Matthew growled. He pulled Caleb forward with a fist in his hair, “Brat.”

The boy’s large green eyes were wide as the soft red lashes fluttered, “Your brat, master.”

Matthew chuckled and released him, “Hold on tight, Dane.”

He barely had enough time to suck in a breath as Matthew lunged forward. The pasture streamed by, broken only by the bright flashes of red of Caleb’s hair flying in the wind.

Dane met a young geld by the name of Samuel. He was training to be a sentry and a warrior but was playful and kind. He was shown more of the herd lands and the central stock pile barn of supplies. He walked Dane back to his hut as the sun was beginning to set with a promise of returning at dawn. He gave Dane a salute and swish of his tail before galloping away.

Esther’s visit left him hungrier than satisfied. Looking down at his eager flesh, in more ways the one, he thought ruefully. He did not want the heart break of trying to connect with Noah. After seeing the affection and love between Matthew and Caleb as well as all the other responsibilities of the shifter, he did not want to be greedy and ask for another night in Matthew’s arms.

Dane started walking unsure of where his steps would lead. He was stopped by a couple of sentries. They just wanted to know why he was about and assured him that they would watch over him and make sure he was safe.

Safe, he thought. He wrapped his arms about himself and rubbed his arms. He knew he was safe and cared for. Hissing quietly, he stepped back. The dew damp grass beneath his feet had changed to cold sand.

Looking up into the star jeweled sky and then into the mirror reflection of the lake, Dane sighed. The serenity of the place with its gently lapping water was soothing. He saw what Matthew had; it was a good place to think.

Except for the icy sand, he scowled. He moved quickly to a small clump of trees that separated the beach from the forest. Climbing up, he found a branch just suitable for his purpose. It made him feel light hearted; he had not climbed since his days at the monastery. He settled against the trunk.

The quiet night and cool air made him think of Noah. He missed the vampire. He understood Matthew’s frustration and his own need to get away. But it did not take away the dull ache for the slender fingers in his hair, the way the thin lips would curve when Noah found something amusing, the companionship that had formed between them. The world saw Noah as cold and belligerent.

Dane saw a great intellect easily bored with those around him. He also saw pride and vulnerability. He had no understanding of the consort blood line, the bonding, or whatnot. He could understand Noah turning his back on it. The vampire was fiercely protective and did not allow for weakness. His own shortsightedness expected those around him to fall in line with his perceptions and his honor.

Being sold for no more than his purity, Dane realized at a young age that the world was not so simple. Yet, Noah had a different life from his own and whether he would admit it or not, the vampire felt weak in the presence of his sire. It left little doubt why he withdrew from his clan.

Thundering hooves made him jerk awake, almost unseating himself from his branch. He could recognize Matthew easily and the shifter was in pursuit of smaller horse, by its build Dane realized it was a mare.

Matthew slowly maneuvered her until she was at the water’s edge. She shifted into her human form with an aggravated shout.

“Leave me alone, Matthew.” Her body was pale in the moonlight, her pale hair silvered.

Matthew shifted as well and crossed his arms across his chest. “What have I done but leave you alone, Hannah,” he growled. “For two cycles, I did not approach you at your request. You have to take your place in the herd and bear my young.” His proud shoulders slumped and his voice softened, “Why did you accept my offer of marriage if you did not want to have my children?”

Dane watched Hannah blanch and hug herself. “Delilah says I do not have to.”

Matthew’s silhouette changed into anger, “Delilah is second, not the head of the herd. If you do not want my young then you shall be sent to another herd and I will replace you. I’ll not have an unwillingly wife among my harem.”

Hannah reached out and let her hand drop to the side, “It is not that, I do.” She ducked her head, her hair teasing the tops of her breasts, “I just fear…it is going to hurt.”

The shifter offered Hannah his hand and drew her against his chest. “Yes, my littlest beauty, but that is nature. I would never willingly harm you.” He lifted her face into the moonlight, “I will ease you in every way and hopefully give you pleasure as well.” He dipped his head and kissed her softly. Her arms entwined about his neck. “There is pain bringing forth young but satisfaction as well. Was it Delilah that filled your head so?”

She nodded her head slowly. Matthew lifted his face to the moon with a frown, “Then it is my matter to deal with.” Looking down once more, he ran his hands over her body. “The time is now, little girl, I cannot wait any longer. You know this that is why you ran.”

Hannah sniffled but allowed him to draw her into the shadow of the trees. Dane kept quiet, unable to get away, unwilling to break the tableau beneath him. He could not look away.

Matthew pressed Hannah against the tree and kissed her for a long time. She relaxed in his arms and his hands began moving over her. He teased her breasts with his fingers before dipping his head and following with his mouth. Hannah gave a pleased whimper.

When Matthew’s fingers went between her slender legs, Hannah arched and cried out. Again, Matthew followed with his mouth, kneeling before her. Dane’s face heated and stared into the night sky.

He knew when Matthew entered her small body with his cock, her cry was high and thin with pain. Dane screwed his eyes shut, thinking of his own claiming, and his bond with Noah.

The sounds beneath him changed once more to murmurs of pleasure and the slap of skin against skin. They both cried out their release to the stars. Dane chanced looking down once more.

Hannah was curled in Matthew’s lap, her head against his chest. Matthew’s hands were laced across her abdomen possessively. She murmured her voice too quiet for Dane’s ears.

“Yes, little girl,” Matthew said his voice thick with emotion, “You carry life within you now. I can smell it. I smell the very change in your skin. Do not fear it, you are strong. You will make a wonderful mother.”

Matthew shifted into his centaur form and carried her against his chest back into the pasture. His gait was slow and smooth. Dane’s eyes felt damp at what he had witnessed. He felt shame for intruding into something so private.

“Come down,” a hiss made him start so violently, Dane lost his precarious balance. He cried out as he fell from the tree and into Samuel’s slender arms.

The geld had a deep frown on his face. “Do not worry so, little one. Only I know that you are here.” He sat Dane on his feet but did not release his hand. “You are lucky that Hannah’s heat hid your natural smell. You are also lucky that your scent is one of submission not predator. Matthew would have reacted and would have been heart sick if he hurt you in error.”

“How did you now?” Dane asked quietly, they came to his small hut and Samuel released his hand.

“You are my duty,” Samuel said simply, “Once I got word from the sentries, I went looking. I too could not find a means of escape when they came upon our position. So do not fear, just do not go wandering after moon rise.” The centaur sighed, “Understand?”

“Yes, Samuel.” Dane replied. The centaur turned to go and Dane reached out quickly. “Do not go.”

Samuel stalled but would not look back. “I know your scent, little one. But I can not care for that need.”

Dane stepped back as if stung, “I would not want you to,” he hissed. His face burned with embarrassment. “It is just, I…” He took a deep breath. “I used to share my owner’s bed. I am finding it hard to sleep alone.”

Samuel turned then, his face gentled. “You need me, for sleep?”

Dane nodded furiously. The centaur gave a quiet chuckle. “It is the same for us gelds. We sleep in the same stable, giving comfort and warmth. Lead on my little master. I shall help you sleep.”

They curled on the hay, Samuel reluctantly shifting into his human form. Dane wisely kept his clothing on as Matthew had instructed. He did not feel lust for the young shifter but friendship. Samuel turned and held Dane close. The warmth of the shifter’s body soothed him and allowed him to sleep. His soul longed for the unattainable.

Noah.

*~*

Interlude III:

Dane gasped, his back arching, his hips thrusting back.

“Easy,” Matthew said between a groan and a chuckle.

A needy mewl pierced the air in response. Matthew’s arms wrapped about his hips and eased him onto this side.

“Let’s try this, tell me if I am hurting you.”

Dane felt his leg pushed forward. He sucked in a breath as Matthew once again eased deep into his body. His fingers scrabbled on the blanket. His head thumped against Matthew’s chest.

“Please.”

“I take it you like that,” Matthew’s voice was breathy. The shifter began a slow movement in and out of his body.

Dane could feel his body stretching even more, the tender flesh within him taking in every ridge, swell of vein, as the thick cock dragged inside him.

Matthew kissed his neck and took his hand in his own. His hand was moved to cover his own aching flesh.

“Pleasure yourself, little one, let me see.”

Little one.

Tossing his head to the side, Dane reached out for Noah as his hand worked over his cock, sliding the slippery fluid around the head and down the shaft. He could feel the vampire even if Noah’s thoughts were silent.

His mind on Noah, the cool grace, the possessive touch to his body, being owned being taken, had him gasping. With a choked off cry, he came in his hand, wet and slippery, warm and tangy.

Matthew gave a mighty groan and followed. The strong hand gripped his hip, bruising before they relaxed and rubbed against his skin gently. Matthew turned him in his arms and lifted his sticky hand. He cleaned Dane’s fluid with a shudder of delight. Dane understood now and smiled shyly. His thigh moved in between Matthew’s. He enjoyed the warmth and affection that Matthew always seemed to know when he needed it most.

“Come on, sweet boy. We need to bathe.”

The water of the lake was cold and bracing as they quickly washed sweat away, soaping their bodies in the shallows and pouring water over each other until it was gone.

Matthew held him in his lap as they watched the water wave and lap against the shore. Off in the distance a plop would signal a fish breaking the surface, and little flies swarmed to and fro.

“It is a good place to think,” Dane murmured and Matthew hugged him.

After another stretch of silence, Matthew said quietly, “You have regained your health. Your skin is vibrant once more and there are no shadows around your eyes.”

Dane curled into him, “Thank you, Matthew.”

“No thanks needed, little one,” Matthew murmured, his lips pressed against Dane’s drying hair. “Your safety and health are important, as much as any of my herd. I…” Matthew went still, “I care for you very much.”

Dane decided not to ask yet, “Why has no other come for me?”

A low rumble vibrated against his back, “Let them try, they can not penetrate my defenses. My herd considers you one of their own.”

“But I’m not.”

Again, Matthew was quiet.

“Yes and no,” Matthew sighed. “I care for you deeply, but it is not the type of care that will complete your bond, no.” Matthew’s fingers in his hair pulled gently until Dane looked into his eyes, “Never doubt how much I do care for you,” The corner of his mouth quirked, “Friendship is a type of love.”

Dane smiled back, even as his chest tightened. He ran a thumb over Matthew’s sharp cheekbone. His lips parted in surprise when Matthew pushed into his touch.

“Then…” He leaned up and brushed a gentle kiss against Matthew’s full lips, “I love you, Matthew.”

“As do I, Dane,” Matthew said kindly, the strong arms cradled him and kept him safe. “As do I.”

*~*

Noah's incisors retracted. Seth sat very still in his arms. He had to keep from sighing. Squeezing the boy's shoulder signaled that it was time for him to move. Seth could not be faulted for his dissatisfaction.

The blame rested on him alone.

His pride kept him moving through his life. Dane had made his choice as did he. Dane was gone.

For the most part.

In the hours between moonset and sunrise, the connection that he refused to acknowledge sang between them. The sweet purity and gentleness that was all Dane warmed him. In their dreams, they talked like they never had in person. It became overwhelming. He began ignoring the soft pricks to his soul to maintain his sanity.

The predator within him howled for its mate and was trying to force its authority over him. His resolve was slipping. He could not get warm. Even with Seth's blood coursing through his veins, Noah felt cold. His home could be set to a roaring blaze but he found no comfort.

Standing and wrapping his robe about him, he went to his library to answer correspondence. Loneliness threatened to swamp him.

"Sir?"

He stirred and looked down at Seth kneeling at his feet. How long had he sat at his desk, the paper was blank and the end of his quill had dried.

"What is it, Seth?"

The soft dark eyes studied him, shy and hesitant. "May I serve you, sir?"

Noah's first instinct was to strike. His inner demon wanted to hurt the boy before him because he was not the mate it sought after. Noah could not help but see Seth as a pale substitute for the one person who made him feel alive since his rebirth, since being turned away by his sire. He needed to see the wide purple eyes ablaze with passion as the boy gave himself up to everything that Noah could give him and take from him.

But logic reigned; the situation was not of Seth's making. Instead, he held the hopeful face in his palm. "You serve me well, houseboy, but I am in need of nothing."

The boy's shoulders slumped and he looked down quickly. Noah ground his teeth until his jaw ached.

"Stay, you are a comfort to me."

Seth looked up quickly in surprise and subdued happiness. He curled at Noah's feet with a quiet sigh of content. Noah touched his hair and then turned back to his unwritten letter.

Why was it so easy to touch and accept Seth when he left him cold inside? Why was it so easy to take what the boy offered when he refused Dane? Why even now, his soul wanted to reach out and touch the boy he could no longer touch physically?

Dane.

He pushed the paper aside and opened the first envelope he came to. Scanning, he growled. He lifted the second with the bold red wax of the lion pride. He did not have time or patience to diffuse unrest between the were queen and the werelion king. Ruth was all but demanding his support while Solomon, cagier with subtle hints of bringing in Nicodemus.

He had little patience for dramatics. His logic was cold and blunt, Matthew normally softened the blow. That was not an option for the current situation.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Nicodemus, his sire, his lover, his mentor, and his betrayer wrapped in one complete enigmatic package. He and Solomon were solid allies. Noah knew he would not be able to avoid the powerful elder. And Nicodemus would have many questions about his missing houseboy, too many questions that he would not be in the mood to answer. Not that he could really answer for himself when the sheer longing for the boy was overwhelming.

A sharp rapping against his door broke his concentration. The sun had set and Seth was huddled against his legs. Looking around, he realized that his house was as cold as he felt.

Sparking fires in the prepared hearths, he lifted Seth gently.

“Sir?” The boy blinked owlishly.

Noah inhaled deeply. Seth did not have the scent that made him ache. “Warm yourself, houseboy. And make me aware of your discomfort if I become distracted.

The boy blushed and bowed his head, “Yes, sir.”

The knocking was loud and insistent. He reached out and stopped Seth before he could do his expected duty. “Warm yourself now. I will see to it.”

Noah stood before his door and growled. He knew who was on the other side even without the persistent touch of thoughts against his own. The door swung open and before the words could spew forth, Nicodemus marched into his house. As if he had the right, Noah thought angrily.

Without being able to stop himself, he looked out onto the portico expecting to find Rachel and Leah in tow.

“I know quite well your feelings when they concern my consort and I will not force either of you on each other.” Nicodemus snapped.

Noah crossed his arms across his chest and watched as his sire prowled about the foyer.

“If there was any justification outside of your own childish stupidity for going rogue, it was to keep that were bitch contained. I lauded your efforts from the mountain. Now she dares to encroach upon the pride and you do nothing.” Nicodemus whirled on him and had him up in the air before he could retaliate.

Noah’s fangs dropped and he snarled. He pushed his own power against that of his sire. Age had strengthened him, but he was no match for the ancient vampire. Instead of the blow of retaliation he expected, his sire stared at him.

“Ah…” The word whispered across him. Noah struggled when Nicodemus’s arms went about him and held him against his chest. “Maybe now, you will finally let go of the past and begin to start anew.”

You are struggling with the bond that has begun to form whether you wish it or not.

Noah could not argue. Not with the familiar arms around him, the much loved hands stroking along his back. His sire’s scent swirled around him and spoke of home and of comfort. But instead of warmth, the cold knot of longing did not break free.

He looked into his sire’s knowing eyes. It was not longing for the sire and childe bond that he so desperately wanted to cling to in the past. It was Dane. Dane was his missing half. He would never be complete, even reinstated at Nicodemus’ side, without Dane.

“I am both proud and disappointed, my childe,” Nicodemus murmured, his lips against Noah’s temple.

“My sire?”

“You could have taken your inner rage of bond denial out on your other little houseboy. I can sense that he is confused but not harmed. For that I am proud,” Nicodemus pulled his head back, the long fangs trailing against the vein in his neck.

He mewled, his automatic response of wanting to be connected to his sire.

Nicodemus pulled away, “I always take care of you, my childe. But you have to see yourself in my eyes.” The elder traced a fingertip across his forehead. “The houseboy sustains your life with his blood, but not your soul. You are withering away, my childe. Thus, my continued disappointment, you suffer for not.”

With his head in his sire’s hands, Noah could not pull back. He saw himself, weakened and lost. Under his sire’s direction, he felt that place of inside of himself open and actively reach out.

Dane.

He gasped and tried to back away. Nicodemus’ asserted his control and propelled him forward.

Little one.

And there it was, the small blossom of connection. Instead of reacting to the hesitant brushes of Dane’s mind, he called for it, took it in, embraced it.

Sir?

It had been too long, the connection weak, hesitant, cautious, the boy trying to protect himself from heartache. Noah inhaled deeply, the very scent of the boy calling him from a distance.

Mine.

Yours.

Noah’s eyes snapped open. Nicodemus’ smile was tender. His sire’s mouth was loving and gentle.

“Sire,” Noah gasped out.

Go to him, claim him, everything will be right again.

“But…”

Go. I will take care of the boy; I will ease his mind and make sure that he understands that he did no wrong. I will have advice on that matter when you return.

Noah’s boots were rooted to the hardwood flooring.

“And do not worry about the were bitch or the proud lion,” Nicodemus’ said with a negligent shrug of his shoulder, “I have dealt for too many years and they will listen to my counsel.” He placed a kiss against Noah’s prominent vein at his throat. “Go, my childe.”

Noah went.

*~*

The moon was high bathing the miles of pasture land in silver green. The breeze made the grass sway as if a giant's hand rippled over it. Noah walked with sure steps, the forest line before him, the border to Matthew's lands.

He was not alone. Five sentries were advancing on his position. His hands were loose at his sides. Horse shifters were not susceptible to vampiric infiltration. If Matthew had ordered he be stayed at the border, then he would have to rely on negotiation instead of pressing his will.

They were prepared for him, he thought wryly. Matthew had trained them well. Wooden arrows and broad blade axes were quite a message. He would have to tread easy.

"I am seeking an audience with the stallion of the herd," Noah said formally. Nicodemus had told him over and over that he possessed a patience that most vampires did not. Vampires were arrogant and long lived. They expected those in their thrall to do their bidding.

Noah had an appreciation for difference but little use for emotional outbursts. He and Matthew had forged a balanced friendship that produced many treaties and peaceful interactions between the warlike races.

A young geld snorted in disdain. "Walk softly, vampire, you are no longer welcome here." He turned and with a sharp kick with his back legs, the geld launched across the field in a fast clip.

Noah expected Matthew to be angry. He expected the weapons to remind him of his place that he was not in his domain but the horse shifter. But he did not expect open hostility.

Could his many years of friendship be completely crippled by his own stupidity in regards to his houseboy? The scent of Dane was strong in his nose. He had a fierce desire to fight his way through and retrieve what was his.

The gelds around him shifted nervously. The stallion cry made the hairs along Noah's nape stand on end. He had heard many over the course of their friendship. But it was a sound of anger and war, Matthew sounding the call and putting his line in the sand.

He would cross it without a thought for Dane.

Matthew stood in full moonlight, shifting to centaur with his strong arms crossed over his chest, “Out in the open, vampire.”

Noah’s brow lifted. Vampire? The sentries parted and allowed him a path out of the trees. His senses were on high alert with the weaponry surrounding him.

“Matthew,” Noah greeted with a bow of his head.

“You can not have him.”

Noah looked into Matthew’s dark, shadowed eyes sharply. He expected anger, maybe belligerence. But out and out hostility was not Matthew’s nature.

“That is not your decision to make,” he replied coolly. “The choice has always been his.”

Matthew gave an equine snort. The sentries fanned had fanned out, circling the head of the herd, protecting him and put Noah even more on edge. At Matthew’s reaction, their laughter was ugly.

“He has become one of the herd, his welfare and happiness is mine.” Matthew’s voice darkened and Noah’s demon responded to the challenge with a growl. “I will not let you hurt him again.”

Noah kept very still but his voice was as cold as steel, “Then we are at an impasse, old friend, because I am not leaving without him.”

Metal and wood rattled but Matthew held up a hand to quiet the gelds, “A rite of possession.”

Noah was…surprised. A rite of possession was fought between creatures of power. The only stipulation was no use of power or alternate forms. The winner was the last one standing, not excluding death.

Noah had no intentions of hurting his friend but his resolve would not be shaken by the challenge. Dane was his and he was not leaving without him.

“Agreed.”

*~*

Dane doubled over and gasped for breath. The foalies giggled and bucked, taunting him to continue their play.

“You win,” He rasped with a dry chuckle, “Two legs are no match for four.”

Naomi’s smooth laugh drifted to him and made him feel warm inside, “Come proud warrior,” She beckoned, “and rest yourself after such brave exertions.”

Dane smiled shyly and accepted the water skin. Micah sat on his haunches braiding his mistress’ hair. The foalies had ventured off into another game and Samuel had his bow. His centaur friend landed arrow after arrow into the target before resetting and beginning anew.

Everything was peaceful, idyllic, and lonely. Dane bit back a sigh. Matthew had been busy and absent. Dane knew it was life among the herd, but he missed the companionship. Samuel provided companionship and friendship, but no more. He ached to be held.

When Noah had flared into his mind with a possessive Mine!, he had lost his breath as if he had been kicked in the stomach by a foalie. After such a long time, Noah’s mind closed to him, it was if a festered wound’s scab had been lanced.

A soft blanket dropped about his shoulders making him start. Naomi just smiled and touched his hair softly. Dane blinked and realized the sun had long set. His body felt achy from sitting too long and his stomach protested loudly.

“You will join us for evening meal?” Micah asked shyly. The geld had slowly been won over. He was reluctant to even talk in the beginning but with Samuel as a buffer, Dane had made a gentle friend.

Before Dane could reply, Naomi answered for him. “Of course he will.”

He felt restless. Noah was near, very near. A strange series of calls across the pastures did not bode well. Samuel reared back with an angry shake of his head.

“What is it?”

Samuel frowned and shared looks with Naomi. “Come, little master, it is late.”

Dane felt angry. Noah was all around him, calling to him, beckoning him to come. “There is something going on, tell me what it is.”

It was Naomi that answered, “You are herd, young one. And protected,” Her eyes were shadowed and unreadable, “No harm will come to you.”

“Harm?” Dane gaped and then surged to his feet, “It is Noah. He is here.”

When neither shifter answered, Dane stretched out his thoughts.

Noah.

The return sensation was reluctant and cagey. Dane’s head cocked to the side, as if the vampire was deliberately trying to hide something from him and if he pushed hard enough…

“NO!”

The foalies moved restlessly at Dane’s shout. He was on his feet, advancing towards Samuel.

“Take me to them.”

Samuel did not flinch, “I cannot. The stallion commands.”

Dane felt like he had received a physical blow. Matthew. He snarled, “I will find them myself.”

Naomi’s warm hand stilled him. Dane felt antsy under her weighty gaze. “You have changed much, young one. There is no more fear, only health and vibrancy. And,” Her white teeth flashed, “determination. Samuel will take you to him.”

“But mistress,” Samuel protested.

“I will answer to Matthew,” she replied coolly.

The journey to the edge of the pastureland was at full tilt. Dane’s arms trembled as he gripped Samuel’s waist. Large bon fires circled two bodies that grappled with one another.

Dane’s stomach dropped. Both men were bloodied, the blows landing to quickly for the healing powers to compensate. Matthew had Noah on the ground with his brawny arms about the vampire’s neck. One twist and…

“STOP!!!”

He was on the ground, moving as fast as his legs could carry him. No one made a move to stop him. Noah took the momentary distraction to his advantage and flipped Matthew over his shoulder. Before they could launch at one another, Dane positioned himself between them.

“Stop this madness,” he gasped, winded and distraught.

“This is not a matter for you, young one,” Matthew hissed, his voice flat and unrecognizable.

Dane stared at him. “I know his thoughts,” Dane muttered, keeping himself between Matthew and Noah. “This is about me.”

“You are herd.”

Dane reached out and touched the bunched muscles of Matthew’s chest. Noah growled out a warning but it was ignored. Dane kept his touch light until Matthew’s gaze met his own.

“No, I am not,” Dane felt his breath hitch.

“I will protect you,” Matthew said mulishly, his big hands cupping Dane’s face. “I will not see you hurt again.”

Dane nodded slowly, turning his head to press a kiss into Matthew’s palm. Taking a deep breath, he turned on Noah.

The cool blue eyes were like a long forgotten touch. His body was all but vibrating to fly into the slender arms.

“Why did you come here?”

His voice was low, aggressive, completely at odds with his internal quaking. Noah had hurt him so badly but he knew with one word, with one touch, his resistance would fail. He had been too lonely for too long.

“You are mine.” Noah said. Gone was the cool indifference and in its place a cautious gentleness, a request not a demand.

“But that changes nothing,” Dane argued.

Noah shook his head and stood with hiss. Dane watched as the vampire shrugged his shoulder with an audible pop.

“It changes everything,” Noah replied, “Because when I say that you are mine. You are a houseboy no longer.”

Dane’s mouth went dry.

Noah seemed to hesitate, a confused frown marring his normal placid features, “You are my…”

Dane’s heart stopped.

“Consort.”

*~*

Noah wanted to push into Dane’s thoughts. The boy had changed. His golden honey hair lay in waves about his shoulders, the moonlight was too soft to see the beautiful purple eyes.

But he knew that scent, his demon was purring. All he had to do was reach out and take what was his. And lose Dane forever.

It had to be his choice. Noah had very little understanding of the consort bond, the rituals that would entail. But he knew claiming a consort was different from claiming property. He was claiming a mate, a soul bond that would link their very souls.

It was a decision that could not be made lightly on either of their parts. Dane was wavering, he could feel it, he could sense it. But instead of answering, the boy turned back to Matthew once more. He had to swallow his pride and watch as his once closest friend pulled the boy into his arms and cradled his head against his chest. Their words were low and if he wanted he could easily hear them. But as with Dane’s free will, Noah honored his privacy as well. Matthew’s fingers combed through the boy’s hair as Dane nuzzled against the shifter’s bare chest. Dane pulled back and offered his sweet mouth to Matthew. It was almost more than he could bear to watch Matthew accept it in kind.

How arrogant was he to think that words would be enough to bring Dane back to his side.

The boy turned back to him once more. His easy grace was showcased in the simple trousers and vest. Noah wanted to take, to plunder, to claim.

Dane stood an arm’s breadth away. His consort scent swirled around Noah. The slender arms hugged around the narrow chest.

“You will not hurt me again,” Dane said hoarsely.

“No.”

“You will not abandon me when things are not to your liking.”

“No.”

“You will not hurt Seth with this.”

Noah lifted a brow, “I have not hurt him physically.”

Dane just stared at him. “There are more kinds of hurt, vampire, as you well know.”

That stung, both by Dane’s insight and the boy’s strength.

“I will not hurt him.”

“You will not cast him aside.”

“No, little one, I will not.”

What is a consort’s appropriate response?

Noah’s throat convulsed.

You will call me master.

Dane gave one slow down and up movement that Noah knew so well. He opened his arms and the boy stepped into them willingly.

My mate, my consort, my boy.

Dane tensed in his arms. But the joining of their minds became stronger.

Yours, master. Always yours, you damnnable fool.

Noah’s arms tightened around the boy. He deserved that and more.

A wild cry pealed through the pasture, startling the proceedings. Noah automatically put Dane behind him, shielding him from threat. Matthew turned as well with a pale face.

Caleb, Noah knew him as Matthew’s companion, broke into the clearing. His coat was bloodied and his face bruised.

“Master,” he gasped, tumbling into Matthew’s arms. “It is Aaron, she’s going to kill him.”

Matthew’s hands clenched around the geld’s biceps and shook him. “Tell me.”

“Delilah,” Caleb croaked. “It is Delilah.”

*~*

Dane was thankful for Samuel. His geld companion bore not only his weight but Noah’s as well. He wished that his friend was in centaur form, there were so many questions. In all of his time with the herd, he had never met Delilah.

The shifters, however, were in their four legged counterpart form. Noah’s hands gripped him lightly at his hips. His own fingers were wrapped in Samuel’s silky mane. Even with the wind whipping about them, the sound of the bullwhip sang in the air. The sound that followed made Dane ill. It was hoarse cry of pain and despair, as well as whispers and taunting. Matthew shifted into centaur and barreled into the midst of the gathered shifters.

He did not feel Noah lift him to the ground. He did not see Samuel enter the fray. Dane had his eyes on the spectacle, drawing comfort when Noah’s arms held him close.

A young geld was tied between two whipping posts in his human form. His head had been shaved and his body dripped blood from crisscrossing, over laid welts. Dane’s heart clenched at the resigned agony, the loss of hope.

A bitter female laugh turned his head. She was a red mare. From her hair, to her coat, to the tint of her skin and the flush of cheeks, her eyes flickered with malice.

“Stand down, mate, this is not your affair.”

Delilah, Dane wanted to stamp his foot in denial. The red mare was Matthew’s, gentle kind loving Matthew, mate. She had brute strength and an air of aggressive sensuality. He looked to Matthew, his Matthew, whose face was a storm cloud of emotion. He advanced on her menacingly but Delilah did not give an inch.

Matthew kept her under his glare as he spat out, “Get him down.”

Geld leapt into movement. Gentle hands removed the shackles and eased Aaron onto the ground. Caleb was at his side, in human form. Dane bit back a cry of denial. The evidence of being beaten was much more evident against his pale flesh. Caleb lifted the boy’s head into his lap and crooned to him. Water dribbled from the bloodied, torn lips.

Matthew held out his hand for the whip. Delilah threw it to the ground at his feet. Dane could see the waves of anger about his friend.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Delilah laughed again, making bile rise once more. “What is it to you, mate? You have left the management of the herd in my hands for so long that it is mine to rule as I see fit.” Her lip curled back as her gaze flickered onto Noah. “You are more interested in the human and the vampire. Someone had to step up and keep order.”

Matthew spat, “Order? This is what you call order. Beatings, telling the mares they have a right to deny foals? You have overreached this time; your place in the herd is in jeopardy.” His front legs pawed the ground as he advanced on her. “A stallion is the head of the herd, not a mare.”

She just lifted her shoulder to the crowd that had gathered. “The herd is loyal to me. I have been here, Matthew, not you.”

Dane looked across the clearing and saw Naomi with her arm around Micah. The shadows made her features indiscernible. He could not fathom the gentle woman supporting the hellion that was tossing her hair and shuffling on her hooves.

Matthew was quiet for a long time. Finally the one word he said made Delilah pale and then roar. Her body shifted and she lashed out. Noah pulled him away from the fray. Gelds had surrounded her as had the mares. Ropes were around her neck and legs.

His friend was heart broken. Dane had spent enough time with Matthew to understand the subtleties of his expression. Delilah continued to fight and snap, but her bindings kept her immobile.

A geld held a glowing brand and offered it to Matthew. Dane shook his head, trying to deny what he was about to see. Noah turned him and pressed his head against the cool silky skin of his chest.

Let me ease you, little one.

Dane let his fear focus on the vampire.

What is happening?

The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nose even as the mare cried out in anger and pain. And then it was gone, Noah slipped into his mind. The vampire pressed his will into Dane’s and all the sounds and smells were gone.

Banishment, his second tried usurp his control within the herd. She did not think him strong enough to act.

Noah’s hands were soothing.

Herd law is clear and she knew it before she even tried to attempt a coup. She is being cast out of the herd and branded outcast.

Dane understood the laws of the wild. They were cold, vicious, and swift. Noah’s hand moved to his nape and then into his hair. Everything faded away accept the vampire he had longed for.

Matthew?

He was in Noah’s arms. But it did not change the past, no matter what the future held. Matthew was his friend and the herd was his life. Once he was passed the adrenaline of action, Matthew would be hurting. He would deal with Aaron but there was Caleb also. In his time with the herd, he understood just how deep Matthew’s love was for the geld.

He had asked why they could not be mated. Why he had to join with a mare when he loved Caleb above all else?

Matthew’s hand had tightened in his hair, looking off into the horizon, “It is herd law. Procreation above all, caring and adding to the harem, increasing the blood line,” He had ducked his head, white blonde hair spilling over his shoulders, “I am thankful that I am allowed to care for Caleb. My life would not be worth living without him.”

Dane shifted in Noah’s embrace. He sought out Matthew. The shifter was in his centaur form. Aaron’s body was lax in his arms. Matthew approached the line of mares cautiously and knelt before them.

“Take him, care for him,” Matthew’s voice, raw and hoarse, carried on the wind. “It is not my way of the herd to allow such pain. Take him to your stable and nurse him to strength.”

Naomi was the one to break ranks. She touched Matthew’s forehead before nodding to Micah. The geld knelt, his lips moved but it was too soft hear. Matthew’s body shuddered as he gently eased Aaron into the boy’s arms.

“He is mine,” Naomi said, her voice clear and firm.

The crowd seemed to understand. The sentries pulled on the bridle attached to Delilah. She tossed her head and snorted. He had not seen when they had placed a bit in her mouth.

The vampire’s body was whipcord tense as Matthew returned to Caleb’s side. His large hands cupped the battered face. The howl that ripped the air was sad and furious. Dane thought of Noah’s gifts.

Can you help him?

The vampire stood very still.

Only if Matthew will allow it.

Dane shrugged out of Noah’s arms. The long fingers tightened before releasing him reluctantly. He hurried to Matthew.

“I am unharmed, master,” Caleb muttered as Matthew traced over the brusing with his fingers and his lips. “I have had worse training with foalies.”

Matthew only growled and continued his exploration.

“Matthew?” Dane was hesitant. The boy was all but Matthew’s mate. He knew personally how a possessive rage could lash out.

Caleb nuzzled into the shifter’s touch, “Answer your young friend, master. He is worried.”

Matthew blinked and turned to Dane with unseeing eyes.

“Will you allow Noah to help?”

When Matthew’s lips pulled back in a snarl, Dane skittered back. Wrong thing to say, he reprimanded himself harshly.

“It is not you, young one,” Caleb said quietly, pushing closer to Matthew. “He is still angry at his friend. And,” he smiled shyly through his battered lips, “Master does not like anyone near me, hurt or otherwise.”

Dane took a breath, “You have helped me so much, Matthew. Let Noah do this, not for him but for me. I do not like to see such pain or feel your agony.”

Matthew rubbed his mouth against Caleb’s bright red hair. A glorious color, it was not the red rage that was Delilah. He never let the boy go, but gave a sharp nod of consent.

Noah appeared at his side. He lifted Dane’s hand and placed it over his own. Dane looked into the cool blue eyes with surprise.

Master?

The vampire shivered. Dane wondered if the strengthening bond was as intoxicating to vampire as it was for him.

It helps mask my scent, little one. You do not have the scent of threat. Matthew is very liable to lash out in his current state of mind.

Understanding griped him. Samuel had said practically the same thing. Dane’s fingers entwined with Noah’s and began tracing near the battered skin. Matthew rumbled in warning but Caleb eased him. The boy murmured to him and brought their mouths together. Matthew gave another moan of pain. Dane could see that his touch to Caleb’s injured mouth was barely the brush of a butterfly’s wing.

“I thought we horse shifters were oblivious to vampiric thrall.” Matthew muttered as the wounds were sealing on Caleb’s skin, leaving behind trails a new pink skin.

Noah replied quietly, “You are blind to our influence against your will. I am simply hastening the healing properties you already have. And,” he paused over a deeper gash, “hopefully, dulling the pain as well.”

It was done. Caleb cradled in his arms, Matthew and Noah stared at each other, each still and unmoving. Matthew dipped his head forward, exposing the vulnerability of his nape.

“My thanks and my pledge to you,” He paused. “Noah.”

Then with a rear in centaur form, Matthew carried Caleb away. Dane looked around the clearing was empty and the bonfires had died down. He shivered.

They were alone.

Noah’s hand was on his shoulder, drawing him into a gentle embrace.

Mine.

Dane turned to him and studied the pale countenance. Everything within him was drawn to the vampire so very near.

Yours.

Noah’s fingers tightened. Dane forged ahead.

“There is still much to discuss.”

The vampire lifted a raven brow. Moonlight caressed the lengthening fangs. Dane had to bite back a moan. He longed for Noah to connect to him, to share their bodies, their blood.

“Of course, little one.”

Dane pulled back and hugged himself.

“The matter of the consort bond may have been recognized, but you still hurt me. When we bond, you wield more power over me than ever before. How do I know that you won’t hurt me again?” He hated the vulnerability. But he had to know.

Noah was quiet. Finally his hand lifted to his chest, almost clumsily.

“Because you are here,” He returned, “I did not want you to be but I can no longer deny it. To hurt you will be hurting myself. What you do not realize little one,” he paused and his hand dropped back to his side. “You are the one with the power now.”

Inside his hut, with the warm glow of firelight, they stood before one another.

“How do I become your consort? Will I become a vampire?”

Noah shook his head and eased his vest from his shoulders. “You will become more than human but not a vampire. We lose part of ourselves in the turning.” His fingers paused over the laces of Dane’s trousers. “I could not bear losing you to rebirth.”

Slender fingers mapped over his naked skin. Dane pulled back and began removing the vampire’s clothing, kneeling and starting with his boots.

“But how?”

Naked, lying in Noah’s arms, he stared into the blue eyes. Noah seemed to weigh his words before replying. “There is still much I do not know. However,” He sighed, “My sire will delight in explaining it to us. I will not be able to face Rachel ever again.”

He trailed his fingers over the pale, cool skin. Rasping his nail against the tightened bud, he asked shyly, “She was the one that hurt you, was she not? She came between you and your sire.”

A quiet hiss drifted above him as he moved to the neglected nipple, “I never told you.”

Dane nodded before pressing a kiss against the silky skin, “But I always knew. I have always been able to sense your feelings. Your actions were so far from them. I never understood and felt like I failed somehow.”

Noah pushed him onto his back against the soft blankets and loomed over him. “It was I that failed you, little one. It will take a life time to earn your forgiveness.”

Dane smiled playfully, “I will become a horribly pampered pet, will I not?”

The vampire chuckled, a sound that was rare and it washed over Dane, warming him where words could not. “A truly spoiled brat and I will cherish every moment.”

Dark hair spilled across his chest as Noah dipped down and covered his mouth with his own. Dane gasped at the dual sensation of the soft lips against his own and the slender fingers against his groin.

It was touches and tasting, Dane felt the pain of loneliness dissolve. Noah moved over him, against him, in him, never asking or demanding but giving. Dane shuddered when the fangs pierced his neck and warm blood flowed into his mouth from the offered wrist.

The dull hunger was appeased. Esther had sustained him but Noah satisfied him. Their bodies joined in the throes of sex until Dane cried out. His release spread between them and Noah’s deep with him.

The warm blanket covered them both. There were still questions to be answered but he was tired. His body was aching and satisfied. Noah surrounded him, giving him a sense of security to rest and let himself go. The warm glide of the vampire’s presence filled his mind.

Sleep, little one.

Master.

He slept deeply.

When his eyes opened, he was not sure of what awakened him. He turned only to find Noah’s place beside him vacant. He picked up muffled sounds. Wrapping himself in a blanket, he lifted the flap to his hut.

Dane’s first reaction was anger. A lover’s reaction full of jealousy and spite but he could still sense Noah. He could feel the bonds of torn friendship slowly reforming.

Matthew was in the grass, his body glistening in the waning moonlight. Noah was mounted in him from behind. The thrusts were measured, not brutal. Matthew’s shoulders were shaking and his head was lowered between his shoulders.

Dane’s next reaction was one of compassion. He could not hear them but he could feel what Noah was saying to the shifter.

Let it go. Let go and lean on me.

Matthew’s head flew back with an anguished cry, his hips moving back and forth jerkily signifying the release his body had found but his mind had not. Noah had him cradled in his arms, Matthew’s larger form dwarfing the smaller body in their joined shadow.

He understood. He saw why Matthew spent so much time in Noah’s company, treaties and politics be damned. So much was on his broad shoulders when it came to the management of the herd. Being with Noah, Matthew was just himself. No responsibilities no stress, just his simple, charming self. Delilah’s betrayal of the herd had devastated him. Who else would he turn to but Noah, even if their friendship had been strained?

Dane’s feet carried him across the dew damp grass until he was at their sides. He opened his arms and held them both. Things would change, life moved forward. In that moment, they held each other in the way only arms grasped against bodies could heal.

*~*

He kissed Noah softly. “You will wait for me?”

The vampire chuckled and hugged him close, “You still doubt me?” Dane just stared at him. “Fair enough, little one. Yes, I will wait.”

Dane kissed him once more and crawled into the sunlight. He was both surprised and pleased to see Samuel near, pawing at a clump of weeds. The young geld did not look up, but studied the ground.

“I know you are leaving us,” Samuel said quietly. “I thought we might journey once more, you and I, young master.”

He threw his arms about the centaur’s hips and hugged, “You read my mind, my friend.”

Samuel’s first stop was at Naomi’s stable. She ducked under the opening and pranced in front him. Samuel dropped back leaving them alone. Dane felt shy once more in her presence.

Kneeling down, she simply opened her arms. She was soft and warm. Her chuckle felt like a warm caress. Dane knew he was going to miss her dearly. He blinked away the sting in his eyes.

“Do not carry on so, young one,” She patted his back and moved to stand again. “You are herd and always are welcome. Know that you have family, dear friends who care for you. And,” she ruffled his hair, “You are a good influence on the foalies.”

As Samuel carried him closer to Matthew’s private sanctuary, Dane dared to ask, “Who will become Matthew’s second, his mate, now that Delilah is gone?”

Samuel turned to look at him from over his shoulder, “It is up to the tribunal to decide. Banishment is very rare.”

Dane considered his friend’s comment, “What will happen to her?”

“She will die,” Samuel lifted his shoulder at Dane’s quiet gasp, “No herd will be allowed to give her sanctuary. No stallion will ever touch her again. She will either starve or sell herself as a whore. Either way, a bonded mare does not last long on her own.”

Cold, brutal, and efficient were the ways of the herd. Dane shivered and called out to Matthew. Stepping back in surprise as it was Caleb whose red head appeared and gave him leave to enter.

“My master will see you gladly, young one.” Caleb said quietly, his hand touching Dane’s shoulder lightly. Dane turned to see the proffered large handled brushes.

Recoiling, he gave Caleb a quick shake of his head. In his time with the herd, brushing was an intimate act, even more so than sex. Samuel had told him that only Caleb was allowed to brush Matthew’s coat.

The geld’s smile was gentle but persistent. Dane took the brushes reluctantly and moved deeper into the stable. A quiet rumble led him into Matthew’s bedding chamber. The shifter was in human form, asleep on his back. His long limbs were spread slightly, his fingers brushed the edge of the nest of curls surrounding his sleepy cock. The white blonde hair lay in waves against the blanket covering the sweet smelling hay. His other arm was outstretched. Holding Caleb, Dane thought with a flush.

His fingers flexed around the brush handles. Dane took a step back. He felt like an intruder. As he turned, Matthew’s voice stopped him.

“I was hoping to see you one last time before you left my lands, sweet boy.” Sleepy dark eyes welcomed him as much as the curved lips.

He launched himself into the welcoming arms, tears trailing from his eyes to the warm skin of Matthew’s chest. “Why are you crying, sweet little boy?”

Sniffling, Dane choked out, “I do not want to leave.”

The warm hands cupped his skull and maneuvered him until they were eye to eye, “Yes, you do.” Matthew said gently, his expression full of compassion and concern. “But never forget, I am your friend too. And you are herd, a place for you always.”

The brushes were placed into his hands, “Honor me, young one.”

Dane set on his haunches as Matthew shifted, the handles gripped so hard that his knuckles were white.

“I do not know how,” he said shyly, slipping his hands under the straps.

The shifter did not reply, just studied him with those deep liquid eyes. His touch was hesitant, watching the strange hair of the coat slip between the bristles. It was both soft and coarse. The muscles would bunch and then shiver. He gained confidence and widened the strokes into broad swipes, both with and against the grain. Matthew’s tail brushed his hip over and over until he took the hint. With one hand against the broad buttocks, he ran the brush from end to end. The low moan startled him. Matthew knelt down.

“Straddle me,” He said hoarsely, “Brush my hair.”

Settling onto Matthew, Dane brushed the silky white mane. He kept the bristles soft against the curve of the shifter’s skull. Matthew moaned once more. Dane let the brushes drop onto the blankets and replaced it with his hands. The soft hair felt good against his palms. Leaning forward, he kissed Matthew’s exposed nape.

“You are a good man,” He whispered. Matthew’s broad shoulders shook as they had the night before. “You honor me.”

With a gasp, he was cradled into the shifter’s arms. A soft kiss trailed from his forehead to his nose and finally his lips. Matthew hugged him close and his lips moved against his hair.

“If he hurts you, I will kill him.”

Dane tensed and the chuckled wryly. “If we bond, then you will take my life as well.”

Matthew’s arms tightened. “You are going to bond, are you not?”

“I see no other course.”

He was placed onto the hay gently, “Noah is a good man, misguided at times. You will have to be strong for the both of you.”

Warmth flooded through him, Matthew understood. “I hope you do not mind letters.”

A chuckle made him smile in return, “Not only to me, but those of the herd as well.”

He had to ask, “What now with Delilah…”

The shifter’s face darkened, “It will be put before the tribunal of elders. I have selected a new second for the herd. It just bears waiting on their approval.” Matthew sensed his unasked question. “Naomi.”

An inappropriate bubble of laughter welled up within him. He ducked his head and coughed to contain it. The strong hand tugged at his hair.

“Yes, little one?” Matthew asked wryly.

Dane flung himself into Matthew’s arms once more, “Perfect. Just perfect.”

His farewell was bittersweet. He hugged them both but could tell that Matthew was impatient to have Caleb to himself. As the larger shifter gripped his hips, Caleb remarked apologetically, “It was the brushes.”

Dane left to the sounds of pleasure, Caleb’s gasp of “Master!”

Samuel would not give him time to linger of their farewell.

“You are going to write?” He asked shortly.

Dane looked up in surprise, “But of course, Samuel.”

The geld reared and leapt forward. Dane’s chest tightened. “Farewell, young master!” Drifted to him on the wind.

Tears that he was unable to check flowed down his cheeks. Noah’s arms lifted and comforted him.

“Take me home,” he whimpered against the vampire’s neck.

And they went.

*~*

Nicodemus was waiting with an air of expectation that both comforted him and annoyed at the same time. His sire looked too pleased with himself. They barely entered his home when Dane hurried off to check on Seth.

“It is good that he cares for the young houseboy,” Nicodemus commented conversationally, “It will round out your household quite nicely.”

Noah just lifted a brow in question.

“You will have your consort and blood slave, the only thing more you will need is childer of your very own.”

Noah turned his back, “No.”

Nicodemus’ heaved a gusty sigh as if he had expected his response. “What are you going to deny now, my childe?”

“I will not sire childer, but…” He ground his jaw. “I see the efficiency of having a blood slave.”

“And that your boy already cares for the little houseboy,” Nicodemus prodded once more.

“Dane does not have it within him not to care.” Noah replied. He bit back the petty remark of unlike her.

“Noah,” his sire warned with a low growl. Noah’s shoulder hunched. He would have to be more careful of his thoughts.

“The consort ceremony?”

Nicodemus gave a sharp nod and led Noah into his own library. “I thought you would need this.” The parchment was covered in the elder’s flowing script. “It is the binding.”

Overcome with nerves, he rasped out, “How will he change?”

The look he received made him flush. He had never studied Rachel closely after her bonding to make any observations. He had stayed as far away from her as he could.

“Your thoughts and emotions will merge,” Noah nodded, “as they already have begun. Your boy will be a powerful consort indeed,” Nicodemus said with awe, “Your life forces merge as well, that you understand. The boy will receive long life and healing powers. He will also be able to feed with any assistance.”

That surprised him, “Fangs?”

Nicodemus nodded, “Of a sort. It also why you will need to convert the other boy from houseboy to blood slave, your hunger combined with the consort will overwhelm a blood bound human.”

He looked to the doorway. His sire’s mind touched his own.

You do not want to tarry any longer, my childe.

Still, Noah hesitated.

But what about Seth?

Nicodemus drew him into his arms and kissed his mouth gently.

Be of ease, my childe. I have time in your absence to explain things to the houseboy. I will not abandon you in uncertainty. I will be at your side until the household is settled once more.

With a sharp nod, he went to find his boy, his mate, his consort.

Dane.

*~*

Dane held Seth’s trembling body in his arms. It felt as if the boy was trying to burrow into him.

“I am sorry that I left you behind.”

Seth’s soft brown eyes met his own, “You did what you had to do. He never hurt me, even as he longed for you.”

He kissed the trembling lips. “Things will be better now.”

The boy shuddered and ducked his head, “I will be cast aside now, will I not?”

“No.” Dane said firmly. “I will not let that happen. You are safe, my friend.”

The vampire cleared his throat making them both jump. The look on Noah’s lean face was expectant.

“It is time.”

Dane kissed Seth one more time and took his place at Noah’s side.

Yes, master.

*~*

The room was warm with the fire snapping cheerfully from its grate. Dane knelt naked in his bed, his hands open on his thighs. Noah felt the urge to take and plunder. The ceremony first and then the boy would be his for an eternity.

In the ancient language of vampires, he intoned.

Majava tendre’ eternitie. Mahert tendre’ eternitie. Masajah tendre’ eternitie. Consertie mon bondnare

Dane blinked solemnly and repeated the words that Noah pressed against him. He stumbled over the pronunciations but his resolve was firm.

“Maserveine, mavampeer. Majava, mavamperer. Masajah, mavampeer. Mahert un mon bondnare, mavampeer. Mamajah tendre’ enternitie.”

Blood exchanged from vein to mouth, bodies merged with cock and hand. Noah’s arms tightened about Dane’s slender form as the boy began to shudder violently.

My consort.

Dane’s mind was weakened

Master. Dane gasped and panted. Hurts.

Noah held him closer.

It will pass, little one.

Dane stiffened and his head tipped back with a cry. Noah glimpsed small pointed incisors before the boy struck his vein hard and fast. He swallowed in thick, hungry pulls. Noah roared in response and bit down. The power of the bond flowed between them. The mark at Dane’s neck would be permanent.

Blood lust sated, carnal need took over. He flipped Dane onto his stomach and lifted his hips. He wanted to pleasure the boy; their time in the herd lands had been too quick and too hungry. But the need to complete the bond was overwhelming. He plunged into the tight opening, his demon crowing as Dane’s head flew back with a painful cry.

He plundered, he ravaged, he consumed as his hips snapped against Dane’s ass. The slap of skin against skin was loud, accompanying Dane’s cries that had changed from pain to pleasure. The bond that had been weak tendril flared to life. The very essence of Dane washed over him. The high needy mewl told him that Dane was feeling it too.

Master.

He took Dane’s cock in his hand, sitting back with the boy on him, going deeper. The flex of muscle and the twitch of flesh in his hand made him growl. Dane’s body clamped around him and warm fluid covered his hand, the smell of Dane’s completion burned his senses. Unable to hold back, he howled as his own release boiled out of his gut and into Dane.

They lay in sweaty heap amongst the twisted sheets. The warmth of Dane’s blood coursed through him even as the spark of the bond let him feel everything the boy was feeling. He held Dane against his chest. His hand traveled down the dip of spine, to the curve of buttocks. His fingers trailed over the gaping opening, he purred as he felt his seed drip down the trembling thighs.

Mine.

Yours.

*~*

A/N: Translation.
Noah's words : Majava tendre’ eternitie. Mahert tendre’ eternitie. Masajah tendre’ eternitie. Consertie mon bondnare.

My life for eternity. My heart for eternity. My soul for eternity. My bonded consort.

Dane's words: Maserveine, mavampeer. Majava, mavamperer. Masajah, mavampeer. Mahert un mon bondnare, mavampeer. Mamajah tendre’ enternitie.

My service, my vampire. My heart, my vampire. My soul, my vampire. My heart and my bond, my vampire. My master for eternity.

*~*

Dane awoke to Noah's hands tracing over his skin. He was still a bit dazed with the onslaught of the vampire's tightly controlled emotions. That and he winced when his new incisors pricked his bottom lip.

How are you feeling, little one?

Dane smiled, reaching out to touch Noah's face. Their relationship had changed. His will would still submit to Noah's as master of his body and soul, but the formality had relaxed. He thought of Matthew and Naomi as he ran his thumb over the sharp cheekbone. They were mated.

Strange, but not bad, this will take getting accustomed to, master.

Noah nodded and kissed him gently.

Agreed.

Overwhelmed with need to be connected, Dane placed his hand against Noah's chest and pushed him onto his back. The raven brow winged up in surprise.

Hungry, little one?

Dane grinned cheekily. Noah's fingers traced over his lips and then into his mouth. He moaned as the pad of his thumb grazed his new fangs.

That is a good look for you.

The blue eyes were heated. Dane pulled away and began placing quick kisses along Noah's body, intent on his destination.

Not only hungry, but in a hurry, as well.

Noah's chuckle turned into a hiss as Dane took his hard flesh into his mouth. Their coupling had been too fast, too frantic. He took his time, licking and suckling the broad head, down along the veins. He cupped the delicate sac and rolled the tender balls in his fingers. Noah trembled, fighting against taking control and taking his pleasure. Dane could feel it, the battle between pleasure and need. The vampire growled and tugged on his hair when the new sharpened teeth dragged against the sensitive flesh. Dane swallowed around the flesh and hummed his apology. Noah's hips lifted and with a cry, released into his willing throat. Dane lapped him clean and gave the vampire a smug grin.

And now you are happy with your performance.

Noah smirked at him and drew him into his embrace with a deep kiss.

Pampered and spoiled, remember, master?

Noah's eyes lowered heavily.

Indeed, little one.

Dane bit his bottom lip, careful of his teeth.

Master?

A sliver of blue appeared from a cracked open eye.

Yes, little one?

"Seth, master?" Dane said it aloud, worry in his voice.

Noah lifted himself onto his elbow. "What about him, little one, my sire has cared for him as his own in our absence."

"But he's yours, master," Dane stumbled and then hurried on, "He's frightened. With all of the upheaval, we have left him behind."

"You care for him."

Dane's gaze shot up in surprise. "Yes, master, he is a good friend. He served you well. He does not deserve to be alone."

"I am not suggesting that," Noah replied, his tone even. "What are you asking for, my consort. I can read your thoughts but you are going to have to ask."

Dane blushed and looked down. "His place is here with us."

Newly mated and already bored with me?

His jaw dropped, "What? No!" He hugged himself. "I know what that confusion feels like, master." Dane straightened his shoulders and stared his master down. "It is what sent me away."

Noah growled and jerked him into his arms.

You will never leave me again.

Dane clutched at the vampire's biceps.

"No, I will not. My place has always been with you. But you make it hard to serve you, master." Dane's voice softened imploringly. "Let me help."

Noah was quiet for a long time.

It is my intention to convert him from houseboy to blood slave. What is your thoughts on that, consort?

Dane frowned at the formal words. He could feel his mate's unease and confusion. Their bond was so new. But he remembered what it felt like to be on the outside looking in with Matthew's herd. He was loved and cared for, but alone. No one should have to feel like that. Seth did not ask to become a houseboy to an unapproachable vampire and confused consort.

"What is a blood slave and what does it entail?"

Noah's thoughts rolled over him, making him flinch and back away. He could feel the bitterness of betrayal and anger. They were dampened down and he could hear Noah once more.

My apologies, little one. For so long, my thoughts have been my own.

He laid his head against the cool skin of Noah's chest. The rumbling as the vampire used his voice was comforting.

"A blood slave in vampiric hierarchy is below a consort but above house servants. He would undergo a rite much like his blood bonding."

Dane felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of Noah bedding the other boy. And felt shame, he had enjoyed Matthew's attention without giving thought to Noah's feelings. Seth deserved love and passion as well. A thought came to him.

Will he be allowed to share our bed?

Noah's arms tightened around him.

When we wish it. I thought to move the pet bed in here once more. He will be close by but not in between us.

Dane was soothed by that.

Will we be allowed to bed on another?

Noah's thoughts all but disappeared. Dane whimpered and clutched at the vampire. The bond between them opened once more in response.

You know that my relationship with my sire's consort is not a good one.

Dane nodded.

My sire chose his consort over me. And in a final blow to my honor, he added Leah as their blood slave and turned away from me for good.

He could feel the overwhelming pain and despair. It would take time to fully understand the connection between sire and childe, but knowing Noah's pride, that would have devastated him. Could they bring Seth into their bond with all of the conflicting emotions that still needed resolution?

Thinking of the worried brown eyes, they would have to.

I am not your sire's consort and neither is Seth.

He flinched under the predatory growl.

"We are yours, master." He placed a kiss against Noah's skin. "Let us serve you. Let us care for you. We are yours."

"Go get the boy."

Dane was worried at the snarled words but did not press Noah further. He went to the small room and roused the sleeping boy. Seth blinked at him. The brown eyes took in his mark at his neck and the new sharpened teeth peeking from between his lips. Dane's heart softened. Noah was his alone, but between them both, they would care for the boy.

"The master wants us both," He said simply and kissed Seth gently.

Seth's face contorted with confusion and then shy hopefulness. "He still needs me?"

Dane nodded and helped him to stand. He pulled the boy into his arms and kissed his temple, "We both need you."

He led the hesitant houseboy into his master's chambers. Noah sat on the edge of the bed wrapped in a dark blue robe. Seth's hand tightened around his fingers. Dane put an arm around him in comfort.

"It will be well, you will see."

The expression on the vampire's face was not one of comfort.

Master?

The cool blue eyes met his own. Dane tried again.

He is frightened, master.

Noah held out his hand. "Come to me, houseboy."

He wanted to protest. Seth seemed resigned. His head was lowered, his hair hiding his eyes. Noah's arms went around him and gentle kiss was pressed against his forehead. Dane did not know who was surprised more, Seth or himself.

"You have been hurt as much as my consort, have you not?"

Seth recoiled and ducked his head even lower. His shoulders trembled, "No, sir. It is not my place. I only wish to serve you."

Noah's fingers went into the boy's hair tugging it back so Seth would meet his gaze. "Serve not only me, but my consort as well?"

Confusion filtered across Seth's features. Hesitantly he turned back to look at Dane, "Always, sir."

"Look at me, houseboy." Noah commanded. Seth went to his knees in apology. Dane fought to keep quiet. He wanted to help but Noah was the master. He cringed at the thought of undermining Noah, as Delilah had to Matthew.

Seth's face was pale as he met Noah's placid face. Dane felt it and it warmed him. Noah's emotions were turbulent but considerate. His emotions touched Dane before the softening in the cool blue eyes.

"It is up to you," Noah began; he stopped and flicked a look to Dane one last time. He gave a quick nod of encouragement.

Please, master, end his fear.

Noah cupped the boy's face and brushed his thumbs over the rounded cheeks, "It is up to you, houseboy, if you wish to serve my consort and I forever."

Seth licked his lips, "Forever, sir?"

Noah lifted him so that they were eye to eye, "I will take you on as blood slave, servant to myself and my consort."

"Yes, sir," Seth whispered hoarsely.

"Master," Noah corrected.

Dane felt a prickle of awareness as Seth repeated, "Master."

The rite was as simple as the claiming, Noah's intonation of the ancient language, with the flood of power, and exchange of blood. The surprise was Noah reaching out and drawing him into the bed as well. Noah held Seth's naked body against his own but his focus was on Dane.

It is done, little one. And now, you feed from me to connect with him.

His fangs vibrated in anticipation. Reaching for Noah's wrist, Noah stopped him and drew him in next to Seth. The vampire stretched his neck, exposing the thick vein pulsing with the infusion of new blood.

Your place is at my throat, my consort.

Moaning, his sank his sharpened teeth into Noah. He reached for Seth's hand, entwining their fingers. With his newly formed bond, he could taste the vitality of Seth coursing through Noah, giving his master strength.

Noah directed them. He covered Seth's body with his own, moving Dane until he was plastered against their sides. His long fingers were quick and thorough opening the boy's body and replacing it with his hard cock.

Seth hissed and his back bowed off the bed. Dane touched him hesitantly. With no reproach from his master, he stroked the trembling shoulders and teased the tightened nipples. Seth moaned in despair when Noah pulled out and sat on his heels.

Dane gasped when his master grabbed him by his hips and placed him between the boy's spread thighs. His mouth dried at the dilated opening that beckoned and winked at him.

He is yours as well as mine, little one.

Noah's fangs trailed over Dane's bare shoulder. He shivered and pressed back against the wet, dripping cock. Noah's fingers began circling his opening. Dane mewled in confused need.

You will take him, stake your claim with your seed as I fuck you, little one.

Small bites were pressed over his shoulder and along his neck. Noah's hand gripped his flesh and coated it with the lubricating oil. Dane's eyes rolled back as he was gripped into the tight heat of Seth's body. They both shuddered. Cupping his face, Dane kissed Seth deeply. The boy tasted sweet and Dane chased the taste over his tongue and gums.

The low growl was the only warning he received before Noah claimed his own body deeply. The weight of the vampire pushed him deeper into Seth causing him to writhe and cry out. Overwhelmed, Dane held onto the boy's hips, riding the waves coursing through him as his master used his body to fuck them both.

Seth was the first to go over the edge. He choked out a 'please, master.' His muscles were clamping down on Dane causing him thrust helplessly.

"Come for me, my own. My consort, my slave," Noah growled out.

Wet heat surrounded him, against his belly, deep in Seth's body, and the warm spill of Noah within him. Darkness blurred the edges of his sight. He felt Noah's arms wrap about him and hold him close.

Sleep little one.

Dane obeyed, reaching out for Seth and being held by his master.

*~*

Nicodemus was decidedly smug as he made his appearance at dusk. Noah felt the juxtaposition of his need for his sire and his desire for the elder to move on. He watched as Nicodemus settled into the comfortable chair near the fire.

You seemed relaxed and at peace, my childe.

Noah ignored his sire and accepted the glass of wine with a gentle smile for Seth. The boy bobbed shyly before moving onto Nicodemus. His sire spoke to him quietly and Seth turned to Noah for direction.

With his hand in Dane's hair, he lifted a brow.

What did you inquire, sire.

Nicodemus just smiled and cupped the curve of Seth's naked buttocks.

My lap is empty, childe, and I am a lonely old vampire.

With a derisive snort, Noah turned his attention to the shy boy who shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Serve my sire, my slave."

Seth's face flamed as Nicodemus drew him into his lap with a gentle kiss against his vein. Noah growled a low warning. Nicodemus' reply was calm.

How else did I feed, my childe? The boy's blood is very sweet.

And a blood slave, newly made. Do not overtax him, he is mine and my consort's.

Nicodemus trailed soothing hands over Seth's body, holding him closer. The inhale was audible.

You have good taste, my childe, as you have in most endeavors.

Feeling more and more aggravation, Noah switched to speech for the benefit of both boys. Looking down at Dane’s pale head, he was not sure how much the boy could interpret through the bond when it was not directed to him personally. The worried purple depths were answer enough.

“Your assistance has been most beneficial, my sire.” Noah remarked to his sire pointedly.

Nicodemus’ chuckle had him grinding his teeth and Dane’s hand reaching for his.

“But my duty is not complete. In your absence, I have established a summit between the were queen and werelion king.” Nicodemus nipped at Seth’s lips before sipping his wine. “The only stipulation on their part was that you and Matthew must be in attendance.”

Noah’s hand tightened around Dane’s, “And where will this summit be held?” His gut rolled in understanding. Nicodemus replied in duality.

You know very well, my childe.

“On my mountain.”

*~*

Dane smiled at Seth as they washed the goblets and put them away. He was glad the delicate stemware was out of reach when Seth launched himself into his arms.

“Thank you, oh thank you, sir.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss against his hair, “There is no thanks needed, my friend. And it is not, sir,” He puckered his lips in disgust causing the boy to laugh. “I am Dane to you.”

They were worked with each other quietly, preparing for the trip ahead. Seth was excited. In all of his travels with Noah, he had not been to mountain keep of the elder vampire.

Dane knew better. He could feel Noah’s disquiet. The vampire had locked himself away in his library upon Nicodemus’ departure. It was expected, but not as disconcerting. When worry for his master would threaten to take his breath, the gentle touch of Noah’s thoughts would calm him.

Be of ease, little one.

Everything was ready. The stallion cry made Dane’s heart jump. He hurried to the foyer with Seth on his heels.

“Dane?” He asked breathlessly.

But he had the doors flung open before he could reply. Matthew stood in the warmth of the sunset, his legs moving restlessly, his arms crossed over his broad chest. The chuckled made Dane’s heart soar as he was lifted into the shifter’s arms.

“It has not been that long, sweet boy.” Matthew’s grin was wide. Dane just shook his head and kissed Matthew.

When he pulled back, the shifter looked over his shoulder. A frown marred his genial features. “Will he not disapprove?”

Dane’s eyes closed. He could feel the waves of possession but also resignation. He conveyed his own submission to his master. The warmth assured him that he was not earning disfavor.

He pressed his lips against Matthew’s, “It is okay.” The shifter’s response was to cuddle him close and rest his head in the cradle of his shoulder. Dane felt Noah’s emotions as much as his own. It was honor to have such a man as Matthew to lean on him.

Squirming, Matthew placed him on his feet with a chuckle. He turned to see Seth hovering in the doorway. Thinking of how the boy had got a rude introduction of the shifter, Dane went to him and drew him out into the evening light.

“Matthew,” He said quietly. The shifter nodded and knelt his forelegs, and followed with his hind legs, bringing him eye to eye with the shy boy.

“You must be Seth,” Matthew said with a grin. Seth darted a look to Dane who squeezed his hand. “I am Matthew; it is honor to make your acquaintance.”

The boy ducked his head and murmured his response. Dane felt Noah and turned. The vampire stood on the portico. The late evening sun gave a softness to the thin features. Dane took Seth by the hand and returned to the vampire’s side.

“I appreciate you coming on such a short notice,” Noah’s voice was even, belying nothing. Dane looked up at him in surprise. The vampire’s emotions were there but dampened so he could not read them.

Matthew sighed and shifted into his human form, his bronze body proud and strong. He was quiet as Noah approached him with even steps. Dane was not sure who reached out first, but there hands grasped the others bicep and brought their foreheads together.

“Straight into the fire then?” Matthew asked with a quirk of his lips. The carriage had been connected to his centaur form.

“No,” Noah returned. He had Seth tucked into a cloak and Dane pressed against his side. He looked up at his master with a question. The long fingers brushed through his hair, “First, into the village. If I am to face my clan as well as the weres, we shall do so above reproach.”

“Thomas?”

“Thomas.” Noah was resolute.

*~*

Noah felt the unnatural quiet as he approached the opera house. His sire had not been understating the seriousness of the summit. The normal revelry around and about the two story structure was absent. He cast a look to Matthew, whose dark eyes were worried.

“This way.”

Dane’s thoughts were stronger and stronger with the bond, but his scent just as potent. His inner demon purred at his marking on the boy, but he could smell the fear.

What is it, little one? There is no need to fear. I protect you with my life as Matthew will also. Is it Seth?

Dane’s slender shoulders shrugged restlessly under the harness. Thomas had out done himself and quickly. Dane wore low riding brown leather trousers that laced over his groin. His small feet were encased in soft boots. His upper body was bare and entwined in the intricate harness that wound over his shoulders, across his chest and arms, to tighten at his waist, binding his wrists at the small of his waist. He wore no collar, his bond mark evident high on his neck. Noah was surprised at the choice. His selection had been a loose shirt of royal blue. Dane wanted the harness. It put his entire focus on Noah and being in the company of weres and vampires as a newly bonded consort, he needed the security as well. The lead was shortened and attached to Noah’s wrist.

No master.

Noah cupped his chin and lifted. The bright purple eyes were clouded.

Then what is it?

Dane tugged his chin out of his grip, biting his lower lip. Noah felt his groin tighten at the sight of the needle sharp incisors. He wanted to feed his consort and be fed, he want to fuck the boy until he cried out in pleasure.

The quiet gasp and reddened cheeks made him very aware that Dane could read his thoughts and desires. He smiled and kissed him deeply. With a gentle prod to his bare ribs, he pressed his consort for his answer.

My worry is for you.

Looking to Seth and Matthew, he gave a gesture for them to carry on. Matthew would wait for him before entering the opera hall. Already he could feel his sire’s amusement. But Dane came first. It was still shocking, the need to put the boy above all else. Dane’s chuckle startled him.

That is because you are going to spoil me, master.

Noah lifted Dane into his arms. The boy steadied himself against his neck, finding balance. He wanted to curse the harness that bound his boy from wrapping his arms around him. Instead, he pressed his lips against Dane’s hair, letting it wash over him.

You need not worry, Dane. I have been in this position many times over.

Dane shook his head, his hair brushing Noah’s chin.

Not in your sire’s lair with a consort that you made blatantly clear you were not going to take.

It was extremely perceptive and not unsurprising that his consort would get his unease for attending the summit. It was neither Nicodemus nor the other childer he wanted to avoid. She would be sitting at his sire’s right hand. She would be smug and instigate laughter at his expense. He would have to maintain his cool so that the talks would not break down.

He kissed Dane deeply and the pressed his lips to the boy’s forehead.

All will be well.

Dane’s doubts were strong but the boy withheld his thoughts. He placed him gently onto his feet and waited until his consort had found his balance once more. Wrapping the lead even more firmly about his hand, he brought Dane next to his back.

Matthew was dressed as he, in trousers, a loose shirt and overcoat. The white blonde hair had been drawn back with a brown silk ribbon; his own dark hair had been bound in a bright blue ribbon that Dane had chosen.

The blood slave looked the most awkward. Noah knew that if Dane was not so focused on him, he would be getting both an ear and mindful about Seth. His little consort was not shy in using his influence on his master vampire one bit.

Seth’s hair was in loose waves about his shoulders, bringing attention to the blue jeweled collar and his hips were wrapped in a soft blue cloth. Noah wanted him pierced but there had not been enough time. Dane had smirked when he told the merchant they would make a return trip. His boy had been eyeing the more exotic wares in Thomas’ shop. He also conceded in covering the little blue slave in cloak.

Dane had been adamant.

It might be tradition, master, but Seth is still uncertain of his new role as am I. Do not add more worry by exposing his body to all.

He was finding out that he could deny his bright eyed consort nothing, a very spoiled pet indeed. Matthew had a comforting arm about Seth’s shoulders. The ramrod straight posture let Noah know that his strained friendship with the shifter would not be an issue at the summit. Matthew was ready for anything and would protect his weak side. The velvet dark eyes darted to Dane over and over.

Noah said nothing but pushed open the wide doors. The chattering crowd became quiet. As they walked up the center aisle, whispers began until it sounded like a hoard of angry bees. He ignored it and took his seat on the stage at the opposite end of the table from his sire. He wanted to snarl. His back was exposed to the crowd and vulnerable. Matthew growled at the low level were until it scuttled out of the seat, placing the shifter at Noah’s left. Matthew settled Seth against his feet.

Dane’s head was bowed as he moved to kneel at Noah’s feet. In front of the gathering, he lifted the boy’s face to his own and smiled.

Your place is to my right.

The blush was typical Dane as he sat on the edge of the chair. It also made him proud that Dane did not acknowledge those around him. His sole focus was on Noah. There was teetering among those assembled and Noah simply stared at his sire. He lifted a brow.

Well, you have me here, sire.

Nicodemus smiled. “The pact is now of an accord. We shall begin.”

“Wait,” Lady Ruth said sharply. She turned to Noah, her eyes glittering. “Tell us why the boy is honored to sit at your right.”

His features were placid but inside he was seething. Ruth was the last he expected to broach the topic. He sought out his sire once more. Were bitch, indeed.

“It is not of consequence,” He intoned politely, “but it is custom that a vampire’s consort be seated at the right.” Taking a deep breath, Noah continued, “As my sire’s consort is seated at his right.”

Rachel’s smile was smug. It made him want to lash out. He was surprised when Nicodemus squeezed her shoulder. Her features changed quickly into a frown before smoothing into a stoic façade. His sire actually made her remember her place.

The crowd teetered with ugly laughter and loud whispers. Nicodemus rapped on the table with an ornate gavel. The theater fell into hush once more.

“The matter before us, is the tribal alter of Elanreel to the pride and Heaven’s Wheel to the were kingdom.” Nicodemus stated.

Noah sat back. An old argument between the two were factions, what caused the uprising?

Lady Ruth wants full rights to the alter. She thinks since she commands most of the were animals, it is hers. She wants the lion pride to petition to use it on the off ceremonies.

“What has negated the alternating factions use from season to season?” He asked politely.

Solomon cleared his throat, “It was not our intention to change. However,” He glared at Ruth, “We will not be pushed from a sacred relic to our customs.”

“The swear allegiance to my crown,” Lady Ruth responded wolfishly.

A combination of roars and growls met the pronouncement.

“I will not,” Solomon replied calmly.

Arguments and countermeasures were batted across the table to and fro. They were getting nowhere. Noah nodded to his sire.

“Enough,” Nicodemus’ voice cut through the den. “We will adjourn to next moonrise. But have no doubt an accord will be struck.”

The theater became a den of dull roar. He walked to the stage exit with Dane at his side, Matthew at his back with his arm around Seth. He hoped to get them into their private chambers without being accosted.

Barnabas was the first to stop him until he was surrounded by his fellow childer. Matthew growled and position his back to Noah’s with the two boys between them.

“How the mighty has fallen,” Barnabas said drolly. The childer laughed, “And all for a tight piece of ass. Tell us, great Noah, how you will bow down and kiss our lady’s feet in apology?”

Noah’s fangs extended, ready for war. He had been gone too long for the petty dramatics of the childer ranks. He was his own vampire, with a family that he would defend until his head was severed from his shoulders. When a fellow childer got too close he snapped.

A low female chuckle cut through the den. Noah felt like his insides turned to ice. The crowd parted. Rachel approached him as regal as the queen of Nicodemus’ court.

“I believe you and I have much to say,” Her green eyes were jewel bright. She waved at the gathering, “Alone.”

Dane plastered himself against Noah’s back. His forehead thumped between his shoulder blades.

Master, please, do not.

Noah let his hand grip the boy’s hip in reassurance. The conversation had been hundreds of years in the making and he was no coward. He had all but severed his tie to his sire because of her. In the light of having Dane in his life, it seemed childish and petty but he would not and could not change the past. There was only moving forward.

Everything will be fine, my consort. Go with Matthew, comfort Seth and I will be with you soon.

*~*

He carded Seth’s hair until the dark eyes closed reluctantly. He did not know how much time had passed, but Noah still had not made an appearance. Seth had been anxious and pacing until Dane ordered him to his bed and lay beside him. The boy had squirmed and tossed until Dane wrapped his arms and legs about him. Only then did Seth quiet and drift off into slumber.

He eased out of the bed and went to stand by Matthew. The shifter was watching the cobbled street below, bathed in sun and shadow. Dane sighed when Matthew drew him against his side.

“How is it going?”

Staring out unseeingly, Dane grasped for Noah’s thoughts. The vampire’s bolt of indignation was the only true sense he had been allowed before Noah shut him out. He would feel echoes of anger, despair, confusion, but with no context, Dane had very little understanding.

“I know not.”

When there bond had completely formed, before they gained control, Dane could feel the deep festering ache that was associated with his sire’s consort Rachel. He himself had little fondness for her, his separation from his mate was in large part due to his history with the woman.

Matthew lifted his chin, the liquid dark eyes appraising, “You need your rest, sweet boy.”

Dane shook his head and pulled away. “Not until he returns.”

The shifter sighed and drew him into his arms once more. A soft kiss was pressed against his hair. “You do not know how long that will be.”

“As long as it takes,” Dane replied, his hand went to his heart, “He will return to me.”

*~*

Dane crept along the hallway, using his senses to find Noah. Matthew had finally succumbed to sleep. The shifter had stretched out beside Seth and hugged him close. His master and Matthew would probably have issues with his attempting such an act. He could not wait any longer. He needed Noah.

The vampire had never returned and moon rise was approaching.

It was his sense of smell that was assaulted first. Noah was standing in the middle of a candle lit room, naked and his long hair in disarray. Dane gasped. The room was heavy with the scent of musk and blood.

Long thin gashes marked the vampire’s skin. They did not look fresh, but they were not healing. At his gasp, Noah turned his blue eyes dull with pain. Without thinking, Dane went to him and tried to pull him into his embrace.

Noah’s fangs flashed as he snapped, a clear warning that had Dane reeling backwards. Noah’s arms wrapped about himself and turned away once more. Dane tried to calm himself and reached out with his mind.

Master?

Noah did not respond nor give him any type of reaction. Dane knew that the bond had not been severed, Noah was still within him but completely blocked off. What had happened?

Each time he tried to get closer, Noah would strike out. Dane felt a painful realization. Noah’s inner demon had come to the surface to protect him, wherever Noah had withdrawn to. He turned and sought out Matthew in a panic.

“Easy, sweet boy,” Matthew grunted as Dane tugged on him to get him moving. Seth followed behind meekly.

The shifter took one look into the room and swore. “Stay here,” He spat.

Dane held Seth against him to comfort the boy and be comforted as well. Matthew returned quickly. Nicodemus was with him.

“Who did this?” Matthew roared. He positioned himself between the vampire and his elder.

Dane watched as surprise and horror crossed Nicodemus’ features. “I know not, Matthew, but I will get to the bottom of this.” Matthew grabbed him before he could depart.

“Not before you bring him back.” Matthew ordered.

The shifter held Dane and Seth in his arms. Dane squirmed to be at his master’s side. He could feel the moment that Nicodemus and Noah’s thoughts merged. The comfort of Noah flared and then it winked out.

The bond between them was gone. Dane’s eyes rolled back and everything went black.

*~*

Everything was dark. Dane flailed into the abyss. He was frightened. His mind screamed.

Noah!!

A bright blue flame flared. He turned to it. Not Noah, but Nicodemus, Dane felt his tiny fangs bare in anger.

Easy, young consort.

Dane’s mouth dropped open. He could only hear Noah’s thoughts.

That is correct, Dane. I am in Noah’s mind.

What is going on?

The blue light got closer and closer but held no warmth. A second light flared, weaker, a cool blue. It seemed far out of reach.

That is Noah, his essence. It is going to take your bond to bring him back.

Dane rounded on the brighter light.

I demand to know what happened to my mate.

Dane could feel the hesitancy in elder vampire.

In due time, but for now, draw him out.

The tone was one of an elder used to be in control. Dane wanted to rail and fight for his mate. But above all else, he needed Noah. They had come too far, he was not going to lose the stubborn bastard again. He pushed the elder away from him and focused his attention on the wavering light.

Master, come back to me.

There was neither an immediate reaction nor a delayed one. Dane kept calling and moving forward. His progression felt if he were mired in honey and vines. The light grew weaker and weaker. Dane let his fury wash over him.

Oh no you do not, I cannot survive this bond alone. Come back to me now.

In the void, Dane wanted to stamp his foot. But he was nothing but air and images, so no satisfaction for his anger was to be had. Instead he finally wheedled.

After all of this, you are supposed to spoil me, remember?

The light pulsed. Dane’s heart was in his throat.

I am supposed to be a horribly rotten pet.

Again the light pulsed, closer and closer.

Master?

The light swelled around him, tinged with a soft purple. His own essence, Dane thought with surprise.

Little one.

The room came into sharp focus. Disoriented, Dane turned into Noah’s arms and clung.

“This dishonor will be taken care of, my childe,” Nicodemus said, his voice devoid of emotion and cold as ice. “Take care of your family, I will visit you soon.”

“The summit?” Noah croaked.

Nicodemus did not reply. Instead he turned to Matthew, “On my honor, shifter, see them safe into your lands.”

Matthew put a fist over his chest and nodded.

Dane burrowed into Noah. “I do not understand.”

The long slender fingers trailed over his spine. “I will try and explain.”

*~*

Rachel had led him into a tower room, far removed from the house proper.

“On your knees.”

Noah felt his indignation wash over him like boiling oil. “I will not.”

She merely laughed and lifted her shoulder. “It took a consort to finally put you on your knees. What?” She batted her eyes innocently. “I know you are much to proud to bow to me.”

“I will not beg your forgiveness.” Noah said calmly. “The past is the past.”

“Agreed,” Her hands went to the drawstrings of her gown. “It is time for you to move on, childe.”

Noah felt rage at her negligent use of the term. She was not his sire. “You command me not.”

Her gown gaped, exposing the creamy swells of her breasts. Noah took a step back in confusion. “No, I do not command you. But I have the support of the childer.”

Arms wrapped about him. Lashing out with his power did no good; the vampires restraining him came from the same source.

“He will never forgive you,” Noah spat, even as his clothes were ripped from his body.

She merely walked up to him and kissed his lips. When he pulled back, hands kept him from full retreating. She licked his lips and laughed.

“You forget, golden childe, you will always be one of many, where as I am his consort.” She tipped her head back and Barnabas stepped up behind her. His hands on her breasts and his fangs dragging over her vein, her bright eyes met his, “And to know you will suffer the same weakness now that you are bonded is simply poetic.”

What followed was a haze of pain and degradation. He was strapped to a sling and fucked by his childer breathern. Their fangs ripping into his body, leaving bloody trails in the aftermath, their taunts kept him from retreating. But when she was lifted to be lowered onto his ring bound bloodied cock. His mind snapped. He huddled within himself, sending reassurances to his consort so he would not be found. He took refuge and left the pain behind.

Over and over his sanity questioned why Nicodemus did not find them. Their bond had lasted over centuries; they each must have found ways to hide. Or, his sire did know and did not come for him, just as he had turned his back on Noah so many years before.

The pain became a dull haze. He was safe as long as he was within his mind.

*~*

The fresh smelling hay was the first thing he became aware of. That, and soft small hands tracing across his chest, Noah opened his eyes.

Dane smiled shyly. “They are finally beginning to heal.”

Noah nodded and drew his consort down upon his chest. The small hands continued to move over him, as if to reassure the boy that he was still there.

“Where is Seth?”

Dane replied, “With Samuel. My friend is showing and introducing him to the herd.”

Noah stared at the crossing beams that made up the hut. “You are glad to be here once more.”

Even though it was a statement, Dane replied, “Yes, it is a good place to heal.”

“Would you want to move our home here?”

The blonde head lifted in surprise. Noah amended quickly, “Not here with the herd, but closer.”

“Why?”

Noah ran his fingers through the shoulder length soft hair, “For many reasons. More and more humans are overflowing the villages. They look for more land no matter whose borders they cross. You like it here,” Dane blushed. “Seth can thrive here.”

“And it is far from the mountains.”

That made him still. “Yes. I am no longer needed in maintaining order. My sire is more than capable.”

What was first believed as a solitary action of Rachel and the childer, Nicodemus found later that it also involved collusion with Ruth. Overpowering Noah would weaken the summit and allow the weres to overrun the pride.

It did not happen. Solomon and Nicodemus had age and cunning on their side. The rebellion was stamped out.

“What will become of Rachel?”

The question was an innocent one. Noah sat up and hissed as his newly knitted skin pulled.

“She is under Nicodemus’ authority.” Dane looked as if he wanted more explanation.

They are bonded, little one. Their lives are intertwined. Nicodemus will see that she is duly chastised, nothing more. It is also his life.

And what of your bond, master, the sire and childe bond?

Noah’s shoulders slumped.

“It is gone.” He replied quietly. “Nicodemus severed it from his side to protect me.” Dane hissed. He lifted the boy’s chin, staring into the beautiful purple eyes. “He knew that I could survive it because I have you.”

Noah eased the boy onto his back. Dipping his head, he kissed the sweet pliant mouth. “I never would have returned with out you.” Carding the soft hair away from the smooth brow, he smiled. “Will you ever say it?”

Will you?

The smile was impish.

“I love you, Dane. I never really understood the concept. Not in my prior life or my existence as a vampire.” He pushed away the clothing that hid the boy’s body from him. “I have known obsession, lust, but never love.”

Dane’s thighs opened and welcomed him as he settled over him. “How can you love someone such as me? I am cold, one sighted, and stupidly stubborn.”

“I have never said that I love you, master,” Dane returned with a smug grin only to gasp as their cocks rubbed against one another’s.

But you know that I do. I never stood a chance, bond or no.

Noah grinned and traced his fingers over the adornments to Dane’s beautiful body. He tugged at the rings at nipple and belly. Dane laughed and lifted his legs up and back, hooking his arms under his knees.

Overcome, Noah gripped the rounded mounds of buttocks and kissed the soft flesh of Dane’s thigh. His fingers tugged on the chain that swayed from the small hoop near the boy’s opening. Sitting back on his heels, Noah looked at his mate splayed beneath him. He poured oil onto his fingers.

Hungry?

He pushed his thumb against the tight opening. When it began to give, he pushed a slick finger deep inside Dane’s body.

Master!

Noah took the boy’s straining cock into his mouth. Dane cried out. He pushed into Noah’s mouth and back into the fingers invading his body.

I asked you a question, little one.

“Please,” Dane choked out. Noah kept up the pressure around the cock until Dane’s back arched into his release. He sat up and cradled the boy in his arms. Dane’s smile was blissful as he wound his arms about Noah’s neck and drew him down into a kiss.

Still hungry?

The indignant squawk made Noah grin. He positioned the boy on his hands and knees and began the slow push of joining. Dane rewarded him with a grunt followed by a gusty sigh of pleasure.

He thought of all the times he had fucked Dane mindlessly. Being more possession and obsession as his houseboy, he had never taken his time to fully explore his consort. His mate was beautiful.

Bone shifted as muscle and skin rippled. The skin was silky soft across the shoulders and down the plains of his back. Wrapping an arm about Dane’s hips, the boy’s back bowed. Noah leaned forward and licked along the groove of Dane’s spine. His groin tightened. Sitting back on his heels, he pulled Dane against his chest. Dane groaned as Noah went even deeper into his body. Holding onto him by his hips, Noah traced over the length of Dane’s body, starting at his nipples and ending alternating between rolling the delicate sac between his fingers to tugging on the chain beneath his balls.

Sucking in the scent of Dane, he bit into the juncture of shoulder and neck. The sweet blood of his consort burned against his tongue. He was barely aware as Dane yanked his arm up and latched onto his wrist. The dual sensation pushed Noah over the edge, taking his mate’s blood and filling him with his seed.

They lay panting. Dane pushed himself up to check Noah’s healing body once.

“I am going to be fine, little one. Vampire bites take longer to heal, but they will heal.”

Dane’s needle point fangs flashed, “I do not like another’s mark on you, master.”

Noah drew him against his chest once more.

Are you saying possession goes both ways, little one?

The growl and the bite to his chest was his answer.

*~*

I smile as the herd of gelds neigh and thunder across the pasture. The basket thumped against my leg, full of fresh bread and jam. Seth’s hand felt warm in mine. He liked when we visit Naomi.

He liked it better when Samuel was with us. But my friend was a full trained sentry now; we would not see him until the morrow. I squeeze the soft hand in my grasp and get the sweet gentle smile in return.

Seth had blossomed. His dark brown hair lay past his shoulders in waves. I tease him that he has become brown all over. To which I get a roll of soft brown eyes and a pinch to my ribs for my trouble.

We draw near to the elaborate stable. Naomi has become the second of the herd and she manages it well. The laughter of the foalies drew Aaron and Micah to our side. Seth gave me a grin and set off in chase of Micah who laughed and taunted the little blood slave.

Aaron’s hand goes to my hair before kneeling at my feet. I have told him over and over that he does not bow to me. The quirk of his lips reminded me that his mistress has said the same words over and over and I never listen.

I kissed his forehead and then he returned to his feet, towering over me and taking my basket into his own hand. He has never spoken a word since the night of Delilah’s banishment. I had worried with the ways of the wild; it would be seen as a weakness in the herd to be dealt with coldly and efficiently.

Naomi simply took the damaged geld as her own. Micah was not displaced; he welcomed Aaron into his arms. A touch to my hip brings me back from my rambling thoughts. Naomi was crossing toward me, her sides bloated with the new foal she carried.

My knees gave out as the always do in her presence. Her laugh is the comfort of a fire, the warmth of friends, the maternal love that I have never known. Her arms opened and drew me in with a kiss to my hair. Her breasts were as swollen as her belly and soft. I tried not to lean into her but she only hugged me tighter. With motherhood on her once more, her smell was intoxicating. Milk and love, comfort and home, it was as if she knew I sought her out as the absent mother I ached for.

“Will Noah be joining us?”

I shook my head, “He and Matthew have sought out the new miller. Noah is certain that he can glean the new advancement from his mind.”

She merely nodded, “With the herd growth, processing wheat for food and trade will be welcome.”

The day was filled with food and laughter. With my belly heavy but needing the satisfaction of my mate, I gave my farewells. Seth looked up sleepily from where he reclined against Samuel’s side. The geld’s arm went around the boy’s shoulders and frowned. I merely waved at them and reminded Seth not to stay out too late.

Noah had accepted the blood slave’s infatuation with Samuel, but it was not prudent to push my mate any further. Time had softened Noah, but he could still be a stubborn damnable fool.

Matthew and I have debated long and at length on why things came about. Why did I turn back to the vampire after he hurt me? Why did I accept him in the first place? Why was I not happy simply being a houseboy? Did my very make up lay the path without regard to my own preferences?

Opening the gate to the house in the woods, I thought it over once more. The house was much smaller than Noah’s manor. It was completely surrounded by trees on the border of the herd lands. It was also in Matthew’s domain when it came to protection. New advancements and Noah’s power gave them such things as running water and gas lights. Heated water as well, I thought with a grin. No more quick scrubs near the kitchen hearth.

Again, I thought with a sigh, why?

I saw within the vampire a steely strength, cool knowledge, and a broken spirit. Maybe it was my bond, my very essence that allowed me to see more than Noah would ever reveal outwardly. He hurt me over and over, stubbornly clinging to his definition of what was right and what was to be.

It was only because he had been hurt so deeply.

He will still argue that it was the inherent vulnerability that comes with the consort bond. To which I laugh in response. My life would not be worth living without my vampire. In our bed, whispered words in the dark, he murmurs the same.

Noah has accepted his life as it is now as opposed to what it was. He receives letters from time to time. The bold red wax of the lion pride and rich blue of Nicodemus, he reads them over and over. I dread the letters from his sire. Noah will become unapproachable and distant. Until he deals with it, I have learned not to push. The outcome of Rachel’s treachery still ripples.

I have never been told what exactly Nicodemus did, even Matthew is closed lipped. I do know that Nicodemus has tried to woo Noah out of seclusion. The first years were marked with regular visits by the elder. But they have faded in time.

She still lives, as Nicodemus still walks. But the childer were dealt with quickly and swiftly. On one of his sojourns, Nicodemus merely shrugged and said, “My house had become to full. It no longer is.”

That was the rule of the wild, cold and efficient.

Why did I accept the bond? I wrapped a robe about my body and sat in the window seat. Through the trees I could see the horizon. I would be able to see when my mate returned once more.

Noah was the other part of me. It was as simple and complex as that. I tried to live without him. I merely existed. I had merely existed in my life before him. No family, a burden to the clerics and monks of the monastery. Noah gave me purpose. Even if he would deny the early days, he gave me possessive, overwhelming love.

The stallion cry had me sitting forward, my nose touching the cold pane of glass.

Noah.

His laughter echoed in my mind and warmed me.

And who is being a naughty little pet? Hmmmm. Thomas sends his regards.

I shivered in anticipation. Hurrying to our chambers, I made sure that everything was prepared as well as my body.

His body was cool, his cloak smelled of wind and earth. I gasped as he lifted me into his arms.

My mate.

Master.

*~*

“That will be seventy three dollars and sixty-nine cents.” The clerk smiled cheerfully and blew a bright pink bubble with her gum.

Seth snorted. Dane returned the clerk’s smile with one of his own as he stepped down on Seth’s foot. Hard. The clerk looked up puzzled from the glossy black credit card when Seth yelped.

“Is there a problem?” Dane asked politely.

“What?” The clerk hastily ran the card through the machine. “It is just, well, I’ve heard of cards like these, I’ve just never seen them.” She pushed the receipt to Dane. He signed it quickly as Seth lifted their purchase. He gave her a polite nod of his head and they departed the store.

“I thought our rule was not to draw attention to ourselves,” Dane remarked blandly. Seth blushed and lifted an apologetic shoulder.

“About time,” Samuel stated, his window rolled down. Seth smiled happily and slid into the seat beside his long time lover.

Dane sat back on the comfortable leather seats, as Samuel steered the car for home. It was strange how much time had changed the world that they lived in. No more horse drawn carriages, but vehicles operated from noxious fumes with large metal and plastic frames. Lights and running water at the touch of a finger tip, communication instantaneous across the world, it was overwhelming.

Samuel slid the plastic key card into the slot and the gates opened silently. Forever Manor and Estates, they were home.

The herd had bowed under the strain of change. The pasture land was heavily guarded on all borders, including the air. The locals thought of it as their own claim to fame, a haunted mountain and a secluded estate.

Samuel drove the car into the indoor garage, among the many cars that Matthew and Noah had collected over the long years. Dane turned to Seth and shook his head. The boy was trying to crawl into Samuel’s skin. The shifter had just returned from a fellowship across the wide ocean.

“Do I even need to tell my mate that you will not be home by moon rise?”

Seth blushed and burrowed into Samuel’s arms. The shifter gave him a cocky grin and bussed his lips with a chaste kiss. “We know you have an in, young master.”

Dane laughed. Samuel lifted Seth across his shoulder, ignoring the indignant yelp, and hurried towards the main house.

“That is why I sent him,” Caleb remarked. “He was barely able to contain himself when he found that Seth was not here.”

Together, they carried the remanants of the shopping spree into the main house.

“Where are they?”

Caleb rolled his eyes expressively. It was still strange to see him in human form, his lean legs encased in denims and a t-shirt stretched across his sculpted chest. Dane missed the old days and its simplicity. The shifters mainly ran after dark, stretching their four legs before returning to two.

“Arguing.”

Dane sighed along with his friend and took the stairs two at a time, in search of his errant mate. Their voices led him into the large office that they shared.

“It is a good investment.”

“No.”

“Noah, you are being stubborn. Remember, you had the same opinion of Microsoft and look how that turned out.”

“Humans will never support the so called green technologies. It will be good money thrown away on bad investments.”

Caleb lifted a brow. “See what I mean.”

“I’ll take my mate, you take yours.”

The shifter squeezed his hand and chuckled, “Deal.”

Master.

Noah froze mid argument before whipping around. The long raven locks had disappeared with the passage of time. The feathery waves softened Noah’s stern features and drew attention to the cool blue eyes. Dane felt the desire swamp him.

Lifting the little black bag, he wagged in front of his quiet vampire.

“Thomas?”

Dane laughed as he was swept up into the arms of his amorous mate.

“What were you arguing about this time?”

Matthew’s groan of pleasure was answer enough. Caleb knew how to handle the stallion shifter just as he did with his own mate. Noah’s long legs covered the distance to their suite of rooms.

I take it our boy knows of Samuel’s return.

Dane reveled in their bond as they stripped away their clothing and lay skin to skin on their bed.

Yes. You are not in need of him, you fed this morning.

Noah’s raven brow lifted. Dane gasped as his knees were pushed back roughly and the small ring beneath his balls was tugged by slender fingers.

Such a spoiled pet, to think that you can talk to your master that way.

His head tipped back as warmth spread through him. Their bodies were joined as were their minds and souls. Dane used his knee as leverage and rolled them until he sat on Noah’s hips. Blue eyes gleamed with pleasure. Noah’s hands tightened at his hips as Dane began to ride.

Not a pet.

Noah’s fingers wrapped about his cock, working his flesh to a frenzied release. His vampire cried out as he came. The bright white incisors dropped in response. Dane was pulled down against the vampire’s chest, ignoring the cooling semen between their bellies.

Not a pet?

The vampire’s presence enveloped him even as the teeth slid into flesh. Dane turned his head and found Noah’s vein with his own sharp fangs.

Mate.

Noah’s arms tightened about him and hummed with satisfaction.

Mated forever. Mine.

Yours.

*~*