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A Bite of Fulfillment

Charlie Richards

 

 

Excerpt

 

 

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Adalric greeted as he neared. He spotted the stiffening of Seth’s shoulders, proving he’d heard him speak, but he didn’t turn to face him. Adalric barely controlled his desire to demand his beloved’s attention.

“Hey, Adalric,” Bobby said, turning and smiling at him. “Are you enjoying the gardens?”

Adalric stopped, smiling at the small human. Standing barely five foot eight, with a slender frame and short dark hair, when Bobby stood beside his seven-foot-tall gargoyle mate, their differences really stood out. However, it was their personalities that truly contrasted... in the best possible ways. Where Maelgwn was serious and reserved, Bobby nearly bubbled with vitality and his love for life. Adalric thought they made a good match.

“Yes,” Adalric answered, returning his focus where it belonged. “I find I don’t often have time to simply relax like this at home. I’m enjoying taking advantage of the opportunity.”

Finally, Seth turned to face Adalric. “You don’t have a garden at home?” he asked, his curiosity evidently getting the better of him.

The recipient of Seth’s hazel-eyed stare, Adalric’s breath caught in his throat. His beloved was finally talking to him. For just a second, he found himself speechless. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Adalric forced his tongue to work.

Adalric smiled at Seth, careful to keep his fangs hidden. “I live on the outskirts of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Although we do have gardens, I find I don’t have much time to enjoy them. There always seems to be something else to deal with.” Holding the other man’s gaze, he asked, “Do you enjoy the gardens?”

“They’re all right,” Seth responded.

“Whatever, Seth,” Bobby cut in. “You love these gardens. You’ve got the greenest thumb of any man I’ve ever met.”

So, his beloved enjoyed gardening. Interesting. He wondered about the state of the gardens at his coven’s home. Adalric really couldn’t remember the last time he’d ventured through them. He just assumed their gardener, Xavier Agueda, kept them in pristine order.

Still...”Perhaps I could entice you to review my own gardens. Maybe you’d have some ideas to improve them,” Adalric offered.

Seth crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “Can’t really see how I’d ever end up out there.” His focus slid away as he looked over Adalric’s shoulder.

Just like that, Adalric seemed to lose Seth’s attention, and a fresh wave of irritation swept over him. Damn it! What must I do to connect with this man?

Years of controlling his emotions gave Adalric the ability to appear calm when he felt anything but. “Perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to change your mind,” Adalric responded, keeping his smile firmly in place. Not wanting to hear a rebuttal of any sort, Adalric nodded to them and started moving. “Gentlemen.”

Several yards away, Adalric heard Bobby hiss, “You jerk. Everyone has been walking on eggshells around you. Would it kill you to be polite?”

“I don’t want to be here, Bobby,” Seth snapped back. “I want to go home, and I’ll be as unpleasant as possible until they let me leave.”

“You’re just making yourself miserable,” Bobby responded, his tone almost sad. “These are good people.”

Adalric stepped into the house, closing the door behind him and cutting off anything else that he would say. He felt like he was getting nowhere with the man. Putting the problem out of his mind for the moment, he strode through the mansion to his suite of rooms. He picked up his cell phone from the desk and dialed Edwin’s number.

He thought it odd his coven enforcer would contact him instead of his second. He’d spoken to Daystrum every day for the past two weeks, keeping apprised of what was going on in his coven. His inner circle were the only ones who knew the real reason Adalric had not yet returned—because he was trying to woo his beloved—and failing miserably.

“Hello?”

Edwin’s greeting refocused Adalric. “Hello, Edwin. I received word you were looking for me.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry to interrupt, but...”

Adalric frowned. He could hear the worry in Edwin’s voice. Rarely did anything concern the large vampire. It’s what made him such a fantastic enforcer. “Edwin... tell me what’s wrong.”

“I must respectfully request your return, sir,” came his surprising response. “Daystrum was attacked last night. We don’t know who did it. He barely survived, and if Spieron hadn’t heard the scuffle, he wouldn’t have,” Edwin added.

“Damn,” Adalric whispered. It seemed he’d just run out of time, but why would someone attack his second-in-command? “Who knows about this?”

“Me, Spieron, Darian, and Melissa,” Edwin answered.

“Hmm,” Adalric murmured.

Darian was Daystrum’s brother, and one of the best trackers Adalric had ever seen. He knew the vampire was completely trustworthy, happy with his position in the coven, and he respected his brother. Melissa was their coven doctor—had been for the last thirty-plus years. She’d take good care of Daystrum.

Spieron, on the other hand, had joined his coven less than a decade ago after getting into some trouble with his last one. He’d evidently fed from someone he shouldn’t have, and his prior coven’s second had taken offense. The offended vampire had convinced their leader to banish him. The guy was pretty self-contained, a loner, but Adalric had never caught him in a lie.

Was Spieron part of the group who’d attacked Daystrum and perhaps gotten cold feet? Or was he really just in the right place at the right time?

Adalric knew one thing for certain. It was time to return.

“I’ll contact you as soon as I’m on the road,” he told him. “In the meantime, keep an eye on Spieron and watch out for anyone who’s acting suspiciously.” He knew it was redundant to bother telling Edwin, but his need to control was too ingrained.

“Yes, sir.”

“And keep Darian from doing anything stupid. The fewer people who know, the better,” Adalric decided. “Maybe we can catch someone spreading rumors or asking questions they shouldn’t.”

“Right, um... will you be bringing your beloved?” Edwin asked, lowering his voice.

“Yes.”

“Shall I prepare a room for him?”

Although he’d much prefer Seth in his own bed, Adalric knew the human would not appreciate the heavy-handed tactic. As it was, he’d have to use a bit of subterfuge to get him to come with him.

“We’ll put him in the blue room,” Adalric ordered. “And I want it redecorated.” He gave his enforcer quick specifics of what he wanted.

“Yes, sir.”

“If anything changes, contact me.” Without waiting for a response, Adalric disconnected the call. He stood still, his phone clenched in his fist for several minutes. Although Edwin would never say it, Adalric hadn’t missed the man’s quick intake of breath upon Seth’s bedroom assignment.

The blue room was right next door to Adalric’s, separated by closets with connecting doors. His placement would be the talk of the coven, and would instantly mark Seth as Adalric’s. It wouldn’t take long for Seth to hear the news, either, not with the way the humans who lived with them and shared the vampires’ beds gossiped.

And he knew a couple of the humans would not be happy.

About a dozen humans lived with his coven and fed his people, swapping beds and partners at liberty. They enjoyed the thrill of a vampire biting them, and the pleasure that vampire could give them. Unfortunately, two of the humans—Jason and Chad—had become rather attached to Adalric, although he’d never intentionally led them on.

The two men seemed to think he’d choose one of them to bond with, elevating their status in the group. As soon as Adalric had heard the rumors two months before, he’d stopped feeding from either man, no matter how they’d thrown themselves at him. He’d even ordered them banished from his wing of the home after they’d turned up in his bed uninvited.

It was a day after that particular incident that the Vampire Council had contacted him and sent him here to investigate crimes brought against Damune, a vampire harassing the gargoyle clutch. He hadn’t been back home since and worried at the fallout upon his return—with his reluctant beloved in tow.

Seeing no way around the possibly explosive upcoming encounters, Adalric decided he’d best get the first one out of the way now.

Time to seduce my beloved.