He drank until he couldn’t drink another drop. If Wick had to describe what it was like feeding from his Beloved, it was comparable to a human going to an all you can eat smorgasbord of their favorite foods. Wick didn’t have a bland diet. Yes. Justice tasted different at different times. Right now, he tasted bold and spicy, his alpha supremacy so close to the surface. Earlier, in the shower, he’d tasted sweeter, his affection for his mate flooding through him and right into Wick. But there was always the underlying taste of Justice’s pure Siberian blood. A taste like no other in the world. He’d had many Russian donors… but no one tasted like this.

He’d overindulged and Justice seemed to spur him on by adding his come to the stimulating scents already overwhelming him. After Wick finished sealing his bite – that would never fully heal – and cleaning his Beloved’s neck and throat, he slithered down Justice’s hard body to clean him down there as well.

Wick was in love. There was no doubt about it. He’d lived so long and never felt the elusive emotion, so it’s no wonder he recognized it right away. Being around Justice made recognizing beautiful things easy. They were hard to miss now.

He rested his head on Justice’s chest while he listened to the nocturnal animals prowl for dinner. A loud grumble followed by a pitiful gurgle penetrated Wick’s euphoria. “Bloody hell. Was that your stomach?”

“Yep.” Justice’s low laugh turned into another loud groan. “Now, I don’t want to move. I think your laziness is rubbing off on me.”

They laid there about another half an hour until it got to the point where neither Justice nor Wick could take Justice’s stomach growling any longer. “You’re scaring away the bunnies. Come on. Let’s find you some food.”

They stopped at the edge of the lawn and put their clothes back on. As they walked up the scenic driveway to the cabin they saw that Henry and Ramon were both standing in the doorway.

“Greetings, Wick and Justice. Looks as if you had an eventful evening.” Henry gave a slight bow when he and Justice passed. Wick was used to this, but Justice wasn’t. Regardless, his mate didn’t look to be concerned with the formality, because the smells wafting from the back of the cabin were too much of a distraction. Turning the corner to the huge kitchen, Justice looked like he was going to drool all over the nice floor. There was an assortment of fruits, meats, and cheese platters spread across the black granite-top island. However, it was the cast iron skillet that was smoking on the cooker, its contents creating the spicy aroma that had his mate’s eyes popping out of his skull. Wick was pleased with Henry and he let him know it. A member of his staff had not only made sure to see to Wick’s needs but to his Beloved’s as well.

Justice gave Henry a look of total fascination. “You learned to cook all this in one day… um, evening? That is crazy!”

“Ramon took me to the local grocery store and the Centro Meat market.” Henry beamed. “I’m a pretty quick learner. It was quite entertaining actually, grocery shopping. I’ve never had the reason to. Then, I did some World Wide Web searching. Did you know you can get step-by-step instructions on just about anything? It’s called the youtubs. A young lad at the market told me about it. It all came to me rather easily. Cooking is not difficult once you figure out how to use the ranges.”

Justice chuckled, clamping Henry on his shoulder when he walked past him. “I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced You. Tube. Regardless, I’m crazy impressed no matter where you learned it, it looks amazing, and I promise not to let a single bit go to waste.” Justice pecked Wick on his cheek and darted off to the washroom.

“This really is something, Henry. How did you manage this?” Wick walked over to the deep, stainless steel sink and washed the grime and dirt off his hands and from under his nails. He looked over the two pots and picked up a flat utensil he’d just seen Henry using to push around some steaming yellow and green chunks.

“These are sautéed zucchini and squash, my Lord. Real popular with shifters. And in that skillet, resting, is a 20-ounce ribeye.” Henry stood with his hands clasped loosely in front of him while Wick inspected the food his mate was about to consume. He knew the sweet vampire wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially his Beloved, but Wick played it off like he was simply interested. Hell, he was. The smells were different and stimulating but it didn’t make him want to put any in his mouth. Wick pulled up a chair and got comfortable. He was going to immensely enjoy this.

Justice clapped his hands and rubbed them together eagerly. “I’m all clean and ready to enjoy, Henry.”

Justice went to retrieve a plate, but Henry quickly took it from him and motioned for Justice to sit at the table with Wick.

“You don’t have to serve me, Henry. I’m more than capable of fixing my own plate.”

“Do you fix your own plate when you are home?” Henry raised one dark brow.

“No, but that’s only because a person chooses to bring me food… I don’t require it.”

Henry didn’t argue, he simply placed a heaping plate of food in front of him with a chilled glass of water. “I asked the butcher for porterhouse but they were out. He said if you love that cut then you’d love this one as well. Was that right? Oh no, I hope that was corr—”

“Henry please.” Justice cut off the vampire’s nervous chatter. “Everything looks perfect. And yes, I do love ribeye, too. I love most meat, period, so feel free to explore away on the youtubs.” Justice winked teasingly, making Henry’s pale skin flush a very delicate pink. “I’ll be happy to volunteer as your official taste-tester.”

Henry moved back into the kitchen, wiping down the already gleaming surfaces.

“You’ve just made his millennium.” Wick laughed, watching in awe at Justice while he hoovered the steaming food. He actually had to suck in air to cool his mouth when he shoved a large heaping of scorching vegetables inside. It was absolutely captivating and entertaining. He’d never just sat and watched someone eat. Justice appeared to be racing, but no one else was eating.

“You guys don’t eat any solid foods at all? Can you and you just don’t like it, or what?” Justice asked, momentarily coming up for air.

“No. It’s not necessary,” Wick answered. “It provides zero sustenance.”

“So why do you even have kitchens in your homes?”

“They come standard,” Wick said, laughing along with Henry. It must’ve been a typical vampire joke because it really cracked them up.

“With solid foods, the taste is not the same. Or so I’ve heard from other once-human vampires. Born ones never know what they’re missing,” Wick informed him. It seemed Justice knew the minimum facts about his species only. “You’d probably describe that steak as having robust flavoring and a tender texture. For me it would be bland and tough like rubber. Our fangs aren’t used for ripping flesh.” Wick gave Justice his own ravenous look, dropping his voice several octaves. “My fangs are for piercing your body.”

Justice wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin Henry placed next to his water goblet. He stared back at Wick, his intoxicating scent of arousal overtaking the smell of seared beef in the room. “Don’t start something you’re not ready for me to finish on top of this fuckin’ table.”

“Oh, bad dog,” Wick whispered in their link, smirking after, showcasing a bit of cockiness.

His Beloved bounded from his seat and was picking him up in his arms to punish him for that slick comment before Wick could dart away. Henry seemed to magically disappear.

“You and your ass will pay dearly for that one.” Justice refused to let Wick weasel out of his grip no matter how hard he tried through his fits of laughter.

The chuckling died down quickly when Wick felt Justice’s stiff erection stabbing against his thigh. His own dick was leaking profusely in his old university jeans. Through the haze of passion Wick understood Justice was trying to eat and recharge his battery but he was greedy and impatient. He hadn’t touched Justice in roughly fifteen minutes. With his head thrown back, Justice sucked mercilessly on his throat while Wick bucked against the hold. He got high off Justice’s virility.

“I can’t resist you, mate,” Justice growled, lifting him until he wrapped his legs around Justice’s waist.

Wick rode the thrill of being in his mate’s arms for a few seconds longer, but he had to put a temporary end to it because Wick could hear his escort approaching, along with Captain Erman. “We have to stop.”

“I know.” Justice released Wick’s neck, kissing him thoroughly once more before the front door to the cabin opened.

Justice sat back down to finish the last few bites of his food. Ramon stood at the entrance to the kitchen. His dark eyes met Wick’s respectfully before moving over to Justice. “Alpha, por favor, excuse the intrusion.”

Justice accepted the respect and let the man address his King.

“Chadwick. El capitán is out front. He refuses to come inside and resume his duties until the Alpha returns to the Humboldt Pack lands. He says the cabin was rented to—”

“Stop right there,” Wick cut off his Lord Protector. “I understand that your captain gave you a message to deliver and you followed those orders. However, effective immediately, Ermanno Giuliani is no longer your superior.”

“Sí, my Lord. I understand,” Ramon answered. “If I may…?”

“Speak.” Wick granted, eyeing Justice cautiously.

The man Wick trusted to advise him was outside issuing a direct challenge to his Beloved. Wick didn’t know how he’d missed this. Missed the signs. Erman never once expressed a sexual interest in Wick. This was beyond disrespectful in not only Justice’s world but in Wick’s as well. It was a punishable offense to bring mayhem and discord to the King’s life, but for it to be done by someone he trusted made the offense worse. Wick couldn’t let go of his anger regarding Erman’s betrayal. They didn’t have time for childishness. He and Justice already had their work cut out for them rallying the species and fight together, not each other. This was starting out all wrong. Now his mate had to fight, only one day after claiming him. Wick would graciously kill Erman himself or issue the order to Ramon, but Justice would never allow anyone to fight for him when he was more than capable himself.

“We all stand behind you and your mate. Our loyalty lies with you, King Bentley. I’ve protected you for over forty years, Wick. That will not end today. We believe you and your mate were sent to protect us and guide us into the next century.”

Wick stood and placed his hand on Ramon’s shoulder. “I expected nothing less of you. Your devotion is uncompromising.” 

Ramon turned his full attention to Justice, his jet-black eyes fearless, his posture steadfast. “When I first became a vampire, I was fascinated to learn of shifters. I studied your species, your culture for years. The rules of challenging are relatively the same in our species. Justice, you are the King’s Beloved. As the Lord Protector, I have the right to request to be your fighter in this challenge if you choose, just as your betas can champion for you. Personally, I’d be honored to fight for you and your true mate.”