Chapter Nine
Valerian
“You’d better open this door, Mason, before I knock it down. And that vampire better by God be in there with you, too, or else I’ll…”
Mason sighed long and loud as he rolled off the mattress and got to his feet. It sounded like the alpha Marco was at the door, so I rolled over and pulled one of the pillows over my head. Finn sat up beside me, cursing loudly.
“Damn, Marco, we didn’t get to bed until a little while ago. Can’t this wait a little longer?”
“No,” he replied shortly and the next thing I knew the pillow was being yanked off my head.
“Get up, Valerian.”
“Get bent, Marco.”
He scowled down at me and I raised one eyebrow.
“I said get up. We need to see you.”
I threw back the covers and heard him gasp as my naked body was displayed. “See me then.”
He didn’t look away. “Jesus, Valerian, put on some damn clothes.”
“I’d like to point out that I’m in my own room, and in my own bed, I might add. You said you wanted to see me. Here I am. Take a good look.”
The covers were suddenly flipped back over me. “No, I don’t think so,” Finn said belligerently. “Give us a chance to get dressed and we’ll come downstairs. We don’t need an escort.”
The two of them did the requisite snarling and growling at each other for a few more seconds and Marco turned to leave. “Hurry up then and get downstairs. Don’t even think about sneaking out the back. I have people outside.”
I yawned and stretched. “I’m suitably terrified.”
Marco satisfied himself with a dirty look in my direction and then stomped out of the room and downstairs again. Finn grinned at me, pulled back the covers again and slapped my ass. “Stop showing off. Let’s get up and get dressed and then go have some breakfast. I’m starving.”
Mason, who was pulling on a shirt, chewed his bottom lip nervously. “He said to hurry. You don’t have time for breakfast.”
“The hell I don’t,” Finn muttered, as he made his way into the adjoining bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, we were dressed and sitting at the dining room table with cups of coffee and sweet buns of some kind in front of Mason and Finn. It wouldn’t be enough for Finn, but maybe it would hold him a while. I was staring serenely out the window. It wouldn’t be time for me to feed again for a day or two, so there was no excuse for my irritability, other than the fact that I didn’t like being interrogated. I had told Finn and Mason about Cassius—that didn’t mean I was ready to share the details with these people I barely knew and tolerated only for Mason’s sake.
Marco started the ball rolling. “Who is the bloodsucker that attacked Cade? And don’t say you don’t know,” he said, as I opened my mouth to reply. “I could tell by your expression that you know exactly who it was. Do you have some kind of fight with another one of your kind? Is that what this is about?”
Finn banged his cup down on the table so hard some of his coffee sloshed out. “This is not gonna work.”
“It’s all right, Finn,” I said, trying to calm him down. It wouldn’t do for Finn to get himself in a snit. Mason was hoping for their cooperation.
“No, it’s not all right. Marco, stop insulting him or we’re going to have a problem.”
Marco raised his eyebrows. “How have I insulted him?”
“All this talk about ‘bloodsuckers’ and ‘his kind’.”
“I’ve heard you say bloodsucker!”
“Not any more. He doesn’t like it.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Okay, I’m sorry, Valerian. Vampire. Now who the fuck was the vampire that attacked Cade?” He glared over at Finn. “Better?”
Finn stared back at him and snapped off a big bite of his bun, showing way too much teeth.
I sighed and just answered the question. Mason had this whole elaborate plan, after all. “I don’t know exactly, but I think it was a vampire known as Cassius.”
“And why do you think that? Did you two have some kind of trouble?”
“Not exactly. He was my sire. Do you know what that is?”
“The one who first bit you.”
“Yes.”
“And when was this exactly?”
“I don’t know exactly. It was in the summer of 1758 in a fort in the wilderness. I was a French soldier, left for dead.”
Marco blinked a few times, but he didn’t gasp, like Mason’s brother did, at least. Cade just looked stoic and unimpressed as usual. He gave nothing away. Casey, who had come with Marco, narrowed his eyes at me. “A really long time ago, even for us. Is that why you don’t have to feed very often?”
“That’s right.”
“How old is this Cassius?”
“I heard him say once that he was born in 350 C.E.”
I think they were all a little stunned by that. Then Cade spoke up.
“I thought that sires were usually close to the ones they turned.”
“Oh, we were…close, that is. We traveled together for years after that and were separated in the Ardennes forest, maybe around the turn of the nineteenth century. It all kind of runs together after a while.”
Marco spoke up. “What did he mean by telling you he was ‘coming for you’? And that ‘you’d run out of time.’”
“I have no idea,” Cade said. “He wasn’t real chatty after he tore my throat out.”
Marco made a harsh noise. “Not you! I was asking Valerian.”
I arched on eyebrow. “How would I know?”
Marco leaned forward menacingly. “This bastard almost killed my cousin Cade. And he’s still in the area—my men picked up his scent near this lodge just last night. Whatever you know, and you know more than you’re telling me, I mean to find out.”
“He told you he didn’t fucking know!” Finn roared.
Marco stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair. “I’ve had about enough of you!”
Finn surged to his feet too. “Oh yeah? Then come on! I’m standing right here!”
Mason yelled at both of them. “Will you both please stop! How is this helping? Finn, sit your ass down. You too, Marco.”
“I don’t take orders from you, Mason,” Marco said menacingly, as the door swung open behind him. Nicky sauntered in and looked around the table.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Marco turned to roar at him. “I told you to stay home! What part of vampires in the woods do you not understand?”
Nicky rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I was perfectly fine, so you can just stop all your yelling. You know I don’t respond to that. I took a gun and put in the silver bullets that you keep in your drawer. And speaking of weapons, you could cut the tension in here with a knife. Why doesn’t everybody sit down and let’s start this meeting over?”
“Nicky, damn it,” Marco said warningly, but the beautiful young man ignored him and went down the table to stand beside Mason. He reached over and pinched off a piece of Finn’s breakfast bun, and Finn gave him an incredulous look. I admired the human’s bravery. I wouldn’t dare get between Finn and a plate of food.
“You don’t mind, do you, Finn? I’m starving.” he asked sweetly, bumping Finn’s shoulder with his hip.
Finn relaxed and smiled at him flirtatiously. “No, honey, you go right ahead.” Mason cleared his throat, which made Finn blush and shrug. “What? I’m just being polite. He’s hungry.”
Nicky chewed his piece of bun and looked defiantly over at Marco. “Why don’t we all just sit down?” He found a chair against the wall and drew it up between Mason and Finn, then folded his hands primly in front of him. “Okay, Mason, you start.”
“You’re not running this meeting, Nicky!” Marco roared.
“Well, somebody has to.” He turned back to Mason. “Go ahead, Mason. You were saying?”
Mason grinned at him. “Okay. I was saying that all this fighting isn’t helping. The vampire who attacked Cade was Valerian’s sire, like he said. And Valerian’s sire was very cruel to him, and he doesn’t want to get any more into it than that. But suffice to say, this Cassius was insanely possessive, and he wants Valerian back. He may have been looking for him for decades, or he might have thought Valerian left him on purpose or that Valerian has been hiding from him. Who knows? But somehow, he’s gotten word that he’s here. When Finn and I destroyed the coven that Valerian had been staying in, we may have let a few of them escape, though we tried to kill them all.”
Casey looked stunned. “You and Finn destroyed a vampire coven all by yourselves?”
“Yes.” He gave Casey a one-shoulder shrug. “It’s a long story, but we got lucky and we took them by surprise. They never dreamed we’d just walk into their house.”
“No, I imagine not,” Marco said softly.
“Anyway, in the fight, some got away after we killed the leader. Somehow word must have gotten back to Cassius that Valerian was the one we came to save. It wouldn’t have been that hard to trace me here to North Carolina. A lot of Finn’s old pack is still left there, and they all knew where I was going when I left Virginia.”
“That’s true,” Finn said. “A group of them just came to find me, as a matter of fact. They tracked us to the cave, and we brought them here.” A thought seemed to occur to him and his face drained of color. “We brought them here…oh shit, do you think Cassius followed us?” He glanced over at Mason, looking stricken. “Do you think…did Roark lead them here on purpose?”
“What do you think?” Mason said, a look of disgust on his face. “I hate that asshole. You should have let me kill him.”
Finn got up from his chair. “No. I’ll kill him.”
“If you’re talking about those wolves in the camp you set up,” Jax broke in. “They all left last night. Folded up your tent and took it with them too. I thought you knew.”
Mason huffed. “I paid over a hundred dollars for that tent.”
Finn made a little choking sound and sat down hard in his chair. Mason leaned over and squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about it, Finn. Good riddance.”
“So what do we do now?” Nicky asked.
Marco frowned down the table at him. “We?”
“Yes, we. Mason is a member of our pack, like you said. Then so are his mates. Are you going to let a vampire come in here into your territory and hurt Cade and tell you what to do?”
“No,” Marco said grimly. “I don’t believe I will.”
Mason beamed at him and Nicky threw his arms around Mason’s neck to hug him, then turned and gave Finn another hug. Finn looked at Marco over Nicky’s head and smiled, his face a mask of smugness.
****
Nicky got in the ATV to come back down the mountain, and a gruff voice ordered, “Move over. I’ll drive.”
“I thought you’d go back with Casey.”
“No. Move over, I said.”
“Okay…damn. Give me a second.” Nicky sneaked a look up at Marco and saw his face was belligerent and angry. Maybe he shouldn’t have teased him by flirting so openly with Finn after all. He’d been a little pissed off at Marco that morning for telling him he had to stay at the lodge and not go check on Mason and his mates, not to mention Jax and Cade. He wanted to see how Jax was holding up and make sure Cade was recovering. Marco could be such a highhanded ass sometimes. They’d been through this too many times before. He was not going to be treated like a child, and Marco needed to wrap his head around that for once and for all.
He’d taken his own precautions before heading up to Cade and Jax’s lodge by finding the gun Marco had given him for protection after the rebellion and loading it with some of Marco’s “special” bullets. Silver ones he kept in his desk to use against rogues or pack enemies. After all this time and everything he’d been through, Nicky knew how to take care of himself. Jeremy Tate’s death had proven to him how fragile a hold everyone really has on life and how easily it can be taken away. Still, when he’d arrived, Marco had given him a hard time about coming.
He’d heard the raised voices the minute he hit the front porch. He wasn’t as nosy as Marco always said he was. Inquisitive, maybe, but nosy was a bit harsh. Besides, these people were all his family, so how could it not be his business? He’d waded into the fight, and supported Mason, because he was right about this thing. Nicky and Marco had never had the kind of relationship where they had agreed on everything. And a good thing too, because if Marco’s regard for him had been dependent on Nicky’s agreeing with him on every issue, they’d have split up long ago.
Marco started up the motor and headed off down the trail, heading back to their own lodge. As they flew along this first part of the trail, which was wide and fairly smooth, Nicky tried for an even, conversational tone. It had turned into a beautiful afternoon and the air was crisp and cool. He wanted to sit back and enjoy the ride, but Marco’s attitude bothered him. Nervously, he tried a little conversation.
“So what do you think of my plan? To turn the welcome home party Jax and I have been planning into a trap to try to lure Cassius in?”
“Not much. I don’t think the bloodsucker will be dumb enough to fall for it.”
Nicky folded his arms across his chest indignantly. “I think it’s worth a try. Anyway, Valerian said this Cassius is very arrogant. He may realize it’s just a ruse to lure him in, but he’ll be so full of arrogance that he’ll think he can do whatever he wants anyway and take Valerian. What would you do?”
He got a sharp glance. “What would I do? About what?”
“If somebody took me, and you wanted me back? Would you come for me? Even if you thought it was a trap?”
“That’s a stupid question. First of all, nobody will ever get the chance to “take you”. I’ve been down that road before and I have no intention of that ever happening again.”
“Well, nobody intends for something like that to happen. But you can’t count on it.”
Without even looking at Nicky, he tightened his grip on the wheel. “No. It’s not happening. And what do you mean, would I come for you? You doubt that?”
“Well, I know I irritate you at times. Like tonight. Maybe I’m too much trouble?”
“Stop fishing. You know what you mean to me. What we are to each other.”
“A person still likes to hear it from time to time.”
Marco glanced over at him again and his eyes were intense. “You know. You’re it for me, Nicky. Once I saw you, I never wanted anyone else. I never will, even if you’re a huge pain in the ass.”
“Oh. Okay. Thanks, I think. But what if this Cassius feels the same way about Valerian?”
“They’re vampires, baby. They don’t have real feelings like...like…”
“Like werewolves?”
Marco grunted, shot him a dark look and then ignored him the rest of the way down the mountain. Marco had changed a little, grown more stern and unforgiving in the months since members of his own pack had rebelled against him and they’d chosen a new alpha. He’d had to kick some of them out, and make others, like the “new” alpha they’d chosen, leave to find a new pack. Marco said he thought he’d shown great restraint in not just killing the disloyal members of his pack. But losing his trust in them—and in Ian in particular—had been a blow, and he hadn’t really bounced back from it.
Ian and Logan had stayed for a while at Mountainwood and Marco and Casey had tried hard to reconnect, but the trust Marco once had in Ian was gone, and he’d struggled to recover it. Eventually, Ian had told Marco that he and Logan would be moving on. They talked about going to Tennessee for a while or maybe even to Cade’s family in Louisiana. Ian thought they needed a fresh start.
Ian had been almost like a brother to Marco, and Nicky hoped they’d be able to patch things up one day, and maybe the day would come when they could return to the pack. Nicky and Ian’s mate Logan still texted and emailed occasionally, but it wasn’t the same.
They arrived at the lodge, but most everyone was out somewhere, working or just enjoying the nice weather, so they didn’t see anyone on the way up to their room. As Nicky opened the door, a rough hand grabbed him from behind and threw him up against the nearest wall. One of his “assailant’s” hands moved up to his throat while the other one slid down to press around his groin. Nicky couldn’t have stopped himself from thrusting into that familiar hand if his life had depended on it. His cock was burning with the need to be free of his jeans, to feel skin to skin contact. He closed his eyes and moaned a little, imagining it. Marco’s voice was in his ear, dark and sweet like molasses. “Open your eyes, baby, and look at me. I want you to see who’s about to fuck you.”
Nicky opened his eyes and tried to focus, but he kept getting lost in warm, brown eyes. Both of Marco’s hands moved to grip Nicky’s ass and snuggle it hard into him. Marco humped against him a couple of times, watching him closely as Nicky’s head fell back, and he sank his teeth into his bottom lip.
“That’s mine,” Marco said, pushing his mouth over Nicky’s and biting the lip himself. Too hard—Nicky cried out as he felt the sting of teeth and tasted a drop of blood on his tongue.
“Every inch of you is mine. Say it.” Nicky moaned and shook his head. Marco pushed his tongue into Nicky’s mouth and thoroughly claimed it again, leaving no doubt that what he’d said was true. “Say it,” Marco demanded in a teasing voice. “Tell me you belong to me and you know it.”
“I belong to you,” he whimpered. “I’m all yours.”
“Take off your clothes,” he said softly against Nicky’s mouth, and Nicky shook his head.
“No,” he said desperately, not wanting to give in too easily.
“Yes,” Marco teased softly and smiled down at him. “Take them off, baby. Now. I want to see your body. I need to.” The last words were almost growled at him and Nicky shivered, knowing he was going to do as Marco asked and feeling the old mixture of shame and excitement sweeping over him. Marco let go of him and stepped back a couple of steps—not enough to really give him room, so Nicky was still jammed between the wall and Marco’s hard body.
Nicky slid off his jeans and kicked them away. He pulled his t shirt over his head, his hands brushing up against Marco’s chest. As the shirt came off, Marco leaned over and swiped a tongue over one of his nipples, which was hard and pebbly in the cool air of the room. Nicky shuddered and put a hand up to caress Marco’s cheek.
“No, Nicky. I’ll do the touching,” he said and grazed Nicky’s nipple with his teeth. “Now get these off,” he said, snapping the waistband of his underpants.
Immediately Nicky let his hands fall to tear at them though he felt himself blushing again. He pushed them down but got one foot caught in the leg. He hopped around on one foot for a second or two, his rigid cock leaving a wet trail of pre-come as it bounced across his stomach. Marco watched and made no effort to help.
“Back against the wall,” Marco said after he finally got them off. Marco’s gaze was sweeping over him, and he could feel it almost like a physical touch. He remained fully dressed while Nicky was naked, but before Nicky could feel too embarrassed, Marco took his mouth again in a soul-stealing kiss. Nicky kissed him back fiercely, needing the feel of that hot mouth on his again—craving it like his own personal brand of narcotic. He fit into Marco’s body like he was meant to be there, like he was filling a slot that was his alone.
One of Marco’s knees thrust up between his legs, not hurting him but wedging tightly against his balls. Nicky glanced at him in surprise, but he smiled at him reassuringly. “Relax, baby. We’re going to do this. Then afterward, we’re going to talk about you listening to me when I tell you to do something.”
The words were like a cold glass of water in his face. What the hell was he doing here in his own home being bullied by his mate? “I don’t have to obey your orders! I’m not on your goddamn payroll, and I’m not your little slave.”
Marco bent his head and bit Nicky’s ear, gently, just the faintest hint of teeth grazing his lobe. “Who said?” His breath gusted in Nicky’s ear and Nicky’s legs felt wobbly again, like they wouldn’t be able to hold him up properly for long. A peculiar kind of weakness gripped him again and his mouth was tingling with the taste of Marco’s lips on his. Marco’s muscular thigh nudged his balls again, pressing just a little as his hands roamed over Nicky’s chest.
“Such a beautiful body,” he murmured. Nicky raised his face for another kiss. Might as well enjoy this, even if he was angry at Marco. Marco obliged him by kissing his lips, his eyes, his cheeks and the tip of his nose before moving to bite at his lower lip again. Nicky’s cock felt swollen and heavy. It curved upward toward his navel and he pushed it into Marco, desperate for some friction against it. Marco gave it to him, grinding back into him as he rasped his jaw against Nicky’s and whispered something to him, something Nicky couldn’t understand. He responded to the rough, dominating tone, though, with a quickening of his pulse. He was gasping for air when Marco finally wrapped his hand around his prick and stroked him hard. He leaned into it, moaning, and felt a finger push gently into his ass.
Marco’s hand slid along his buttocks after a moment, palming him. The unexpectedness of the hand on his ass made Nicky squirm in pleasure and started an ache in his chest. He struggled for another long minute with his guilt and his shame before he gave in, sagging against Marco with a little sigh. Marco stroked his hips tenderly, dipping down into his crevice and smoothing over his hole, stopping to massage it gently. All the while he kept murmuring soft words to Nicky, calling him his sweet boy, his pretty baby. The words should have made Nicky feel embarrassed but they soothed him, made him feel cared for and loved. It was always this way with Marco. He was still pinned up against the wall, where Marco had pushed him as soon as they came into their private quarters, but now he felt Marco moving him around, turning him so he was backing him up toward the couch in the living room. He walked him backward a few steps until he felt the soft cushions against the backs of his thighs.
Marco guided him to turn around and face the couch and then pushed him gently over the back of it. Nicky spread his legs, knowing what was coming and readying himself. He was shivering now in anticipation. He heard the rustle of cloth, and Marco’s broad finger breached him again, slippery with oil. He must have had some in his pocket. Marco was nothing if not prepared.
Nicky was breathing raggedly and fire curled in his gut. Marco’s slick fingers danced down his crease and massaged his rim. “Spread yourself for me, baby,” he murmured, and Nicky reached behind himself and grasped his hips, spreading himself. “Let me in. Push out a little. That’s it.”
The fingers slipped in and out for a while as the other hand smoothed across his hips and his inner thighs. Marco’s fingers skimmed across his prostate, and Nicky writhed, pushing back his hips for more. After an endless time of teasing, Marco pulled his hand back and Nicky felt the head of Marco’s thick cock, bumping against him. He nudged it inside, stretching Nicky far beyond what his fingers had,
“You feel so good around my cock, baby. You have the sweetest ass—so beautiful.”
Nicky’s cock stiffened as heat sizzled in his balls. The burn went away and he felt pleasantly stuffed and full. Marco rocked against him over and over. After that, things got a little hazy. He was pretty sure there was begging involved, and some cursing and pleading, as he pushed his ass back against Marco, asking for more, harder. Marco gave it to him, teasing out the orgasm that finally erupted, consuming his body. Nicky clutched the cushions beneath his hands and whimpered, his body registering so much pleasure, he thought he might die from it.
Finally, it began to fade and he sagged forward, totally wiped out, his body still reacting with little jerks as Marco’s own orgasm caused him to strain forward and cry out. Nicky could feel the heat of Marco’s cum filling him. Marco’s hands tightened on Nicky’s hip and his shoulder before he sagged forward too, pressing his chest against Nicky’s back. He was tall enough that his lips were by Nicky’s ear and Nicky couldn’t resist turning his face to lick at Marco’s lips and taste him again. He opened his eyes to stare into Nicky’s and Nicky fell into their depths and found himself lost in them.
He was vaguely aware of being pushed down to the other side of the sofa. Marco fell on top of him, covering his sticky body with his own as Nicky closed his eyes and sank into sleep. He was slipping away, almost asleep, when Marco whispered in his ear. “No more flirting with Mason’s mates, or I’ll blister this little ass of yours. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Nicky said and smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep with his possessive alpha wrapped around him. Not that he had any intention whatsoever of obeying Marco. Nicky had never had any interest at all in any man other than Marco and he thought he never would. Flirting was his default setting, so, oh yes, there would be more harmless flirting with the handsome Finn and the gorgeous Valerian. Mostly because his big, bad alpha had gotten far too complacent lately, taking him for granted. And if it caused this kind of possessive reaction?
Then hell yeah.