Chapter 4

WHAT THE hell? Where was he?

The moment that sweet musk filled his lungs, Gabriel remembered everything. His eyes flew open, and he bolted upright, his muscles tense and ready for action, only to find nothing. Nothing but the faint, soft snores of the very heavenly figure lying beside him.

Gabriel took a moment to sit and watch Robert sleep. In his many, many years of living this life, he’d never come across a creature he desired more than the one before him. He didn’t know what about Robert made him feel as such. The tawny-haired young man wasn’t extraordinary in any way. Lovely to look at, yes, but so were many others, many even lovelier. Robert was shy, uncoordinated, and more often than not, quite uncertain of himself. On the slender side, he came off as being younger than his age, but Gabriel knew that was only because the silly boy had a habit of spending his grocery money on music sheets too often. He’d become so concerned for Robert, he’d been forced to provide free lunch for his employees, just so he was assured Robert would be eating at least one proper meal a day.

Robert was infuriating at times, with the oddest quirks—like always missing a spot when he shaved, usually somewhere on his neck. If he only knew how much Gabriel looked forward to discovering that spot on a daily basis, Robert would no doubt take extra care to make certain it never occurred, so Gabriel never pointed it out. The young man puzzled him, yet Gabriel had never been more riveted.

Tearing himself away, he carefully stood and went to the large trunk at the far end of the room, where he had extra clothing. After placing a new pair of black pants, matching vest, tie, and a white shirt on the trunk’s lid, he removed his ruined clothes and stood in his shorts. Stretching his arms high above his head, then clasping his hands together, his muscles pulled, his body still a little sore, but at least his wounds had healed.

A soft gasp caught his ear, and he turned, surprised to see Robert awake and sitting up, his gaze fixed on Gabriel’s chest. The air seemed to have been sucked out of the room, and the heat coming off both of them had Gabriel struggling against his more primitive side. Robert was human, something he could not allow himself to forget.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” Gabriel said, his voice coming out rougher than he’d intended. Robert’s scent played havoc with his body. “Good God!” He threw his hands in front of him in a feeble attempt to hide his erection, the heat rushing to his face.

“It’s all right,” Robert assured him and patted the bed next to him.

“I don’t think that would be wise,” Gabriel murmured. If Robert had that kind of effect on him from this distance, who knew what would happen if he drew any closer. “I… fear I may not be able to control myself.” If anything were to happen between them, it would be on Robert’s terms, and Gabriel would make certain the young man knew exactly what he’d be getting into. Despite how deep in this mess Robert already was.

“Oh.” Robert nodded his understanding but remained seated in the middle of the bed. “Are they still out there?”

“Yes.” At Robert’s alarmed expression, Gabriel quickly elaborated, “But they don’t know about this place. I made it years ago in case of such an emergency. They can’t get to us down here.” He tapped the side of his nose. “Smell, you see. Our scent may lead them here, but when you sealed the entrance, it triggered the fountain. The water contains a special solution of mine and will destroy whatever scent was left behind.”

“But we can’t stay down here forever,” Robert said, with a mixture of frustration and worry. “Are they going to kill me?”

“No,” Gabriel growled, causing Robert to start. When he spoke again, he took on a gentler tone. “I won’t let them.”

Robert folded his arms on his drawn-up knees and brought his chin down with a heavy sigh. “How are you going to stop them? There’s five of them and one of you.”

“I can dispatch Dressler’s brothers,” Gabriel replied confidently. “I’m stronger, have more muscle than them, and my claws are sharper. My bite is also far more powerful than theirs.” Something in his face must have given him away, because a tender expression crossed Robert’s.

“You don’t want to kill them, do you?”

Gabriel shook his head and took a seat on the trunk beside his clothes. “I don’t kill my own kind, even if they are complete bastards. Dressler’s brothers aren’t bad, really. They simply have a terrible leader. None of them would dare oppose Dressler. I could dispatch him easily, but he is truly without shame. He would make his brothers step in if he believed he was about to be defeated.”

“So, is there any way out?”

Gabriel nodded and shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could get dressed, but he was too embarrassed by his current state of arousal to move any more than he already had. Now came the difficult part. He nodded toward the wooden door to his left. “That leads to the front driveway. I can get you there, take you to the docks, and put you on the first ocean liner to Europe. I have a house in the English countryside you could stay in and—”

Robert put a hand up. “Out of the question. I’m not going to let that fiend exile me from my own home. Nor am I about to live on your charity.”

“It’s not charity,” Gabriel replied, affronted. “I put you in this situation; therefore, I have every right to see you are taken care of.”

“First of all, I’m not your mistress. I don’t need to be taken care of by anyone.” Robert crossed his arms over his chest with a defiant pout. “You didn’t put me in this situation. Dressler did.”

“But you’ll be alive,” Gabriel said, trying to talk some sense into Robert. If he were honest with himself, Gabriel would admit he liked the idea of taking care of him. Blasted brat was stubborn.

“Not in my book.” Robert shifted and came to sit on the edge of the bed, his head tilted to one side and his bright blue-green eyes peering at Gabriel. “There’s another option, isn’t there? One you’re reluctant to mention. I want to hear it.”

Knowing Robert wouldn’t rest until he had heard it all, Gabriel gave in. “I could make you my mate.”

That got Robert’s attention, and his brows shot up. “Mate? As in…?”

“Marking you and, well… um, you know. Relieving you of your virginity.”

“I see.”

Silence filled the room, long enough to bring Gabriel out of his aroused state in exchange for an equally uncomfortable one. After what seemed like hours but was surely only minutes, Robert met his gaze, his cheeks a bright red.

“So, what would ‘marking’ me entail?”

Gabriel gaped at Robert. “You can’t be serious.” He jumped to his feet and paced furiously. “You have no notion what it means, of how serious a situation you would find yourself in.”

“Obviously if you don’t explain it to me, I won’t understand, will I?” Robert replied defensively.

“In the eyes of my society, we would be bound to each other. If you were to break that pact, I could no longer protect you, and no other of my kind would touch you because you would be considered ruined. They might even kill you to protect their secret or, at the very least, have you imprisoned. Mating is not something we take lightly.”

“Oh?” Robert arched a brow. “Because before you knew who I was, you didn’t seem too hesitant about mating.”

“Sex and mating are not the same,” Gabriel growled as he marched to the bed and loomed over Robert, his fists on his hips. “We would be offering far more than our bodies, Robert. I have no intention of giving you my heart only to have you trample on it with your callous human nature.”

“I beg your pardon?” Robert scrambled to his feet and wobbled a little on the bed before standing to his full height. “Now you listen here. If you think I’m going to be intimidated, you have another think coming. If this is going to work, then you have to stop thinking of me as the weaker species.”

Gabriel opened his mouth for a rebuttal, then closed it. “Huh?”

“You heard me,” Robert retorted, poking Gabriel in the shoulder. “If you think I’m going to let you treat me like the weaker species or your mistress, think again.”

“But….” Gabriel shook his head, attempting to get his jumbled thoughts into some sort of order. When he couldn’t, he peered at Robert, who smiled sweetly. He stepped up to Gabriel and slid his arms around Gabriel’s neck. “Are you certain that’s what you want?”

Robert placed gentle kisses over Gabriel’s face and slowly, sensually rubbed against him. “I can’t think of anyone else I would want myself bound to, if you’re certain it’s what you want.”

“Oh, I want. You’ll draw a great deal of attention from the society,” Gabriel informed him, voice growing husky as he wrapped his arms around Robert’s waist.

“I think I can handle it, as long as you’re by my side. Will you stay by my side, Gabriel?”

“As long as you’ll have me.” He crushed his lips to Robert’s, his need overwhelming. Robert tasted even better than in Gabriel’s dreams, and he couldn’t get enough. His tongue delved deep, exploring and plundering, demanding more and more from Robert. The heat coming from both their bodies, the mixture of scents and sounds from the man in his arms, had him crawling onto the bed and pulling Robert down on top of him. They were a flurry of hands, and in no time, Gabriel had relieved Robert of his clothing.

Whatever Robert lacked in experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm and sheer unrestrained lust. It took everything Gabriel had not to flip Robert over and have his way with him. He kept reminding himself this was Robert’s first time, and as soon as Gabriel put himself in position, Robert’s nerves would kick in. Whatever he might feel, however badly he wanted to lose himself, this was not about him. It was about Robert.

“Oils,” Gabriel said against Robert’s lips as Robert’s hands roamed down his body and took hold of his shorts.

“What?”

“Get the oils.” Gabriel pointed off toward the little makeshift kitchen. “Second drawer on the left.” Robert started to protest, but Gabriel shook his head and gave Robert a gentle shove. “Please.” He could have gotten the oils himself, but then he wouldn’t have the opportunity to get an eyeful of Robert’s delicious body.

Robert bounded off the bed and made a racket searching for the oils; once he had them, he ran back to Gabriel. He handed the two small glass bottles to Gabriel, who placed them on the mattress. Then he grabbed Robert and pulled the man back down on him, attacking those delicious lips. Robert writhed and wriggled on top of him, his hands taking hold of Gabriel’s member and bringing him to arch his back. He cursed under his breath and planted a fist against the old wooden headboard as Robert slid down his body and took him in his hot mouth.

“Oh geez,” Gabriel gasped, shutting his eyes tight and biting down on his bottom lip. Robert proceeded to display exactly how good he was at “other things,” as Robert had put it. Gabriel had known Robert was a talented singer, but had no idea his talents extended to the bedroom.

Robert made little humming noises as he licked, sucked, and nipped at Gabriel. He went from taking the whole of Gabriel’s shaft down to the root, to back up to just licking and toying with the tip. Before Gabriel knew it, he had to grab Robert’s shoulder.

“Stop, stop!” He wasn’t going to last another second like this. After pulling Robert to sit on his stomach, Gabriel grabbed one of the small bottles and poured some oil into his hand.

“Why are you on the bottom?” Robert asked, sitting astride Gabriel.

“Because I need you to take the lead.”

“Why?”

“So I won’t hurt you.” With his free hand, Gabriel smacked Robert’s bottom playfully. “Lean forward.”

Robert’s cheeks turned the most wonderful shade of pink, and he did as Gabriel asked. “You’re not going to hurt me,” he murmured.

Hushing his lover with a deep, passionate kiss, Gabriel reveled in the surprised gasp Robert released when Gabriel pushed his finger inside him.

“Oh, my,” Robert whispered through a shaky breath, wriggling around Gabriel’s finger, his eyes shut tight.

“Are you all right?” Gabriel asked, receiving a little nod. “Robert, look at me.” Opening his eyes, Robert met Gabriel’s gaze. “We must always be honest with each other.”

“Okay. I’m fine. It just feels… odd.”

Gabriel smiled and kissed Robert sweetly. “Breathe deeply and try to relax. If it hurts or you change your mind, you tell me. Got it?”

“Yes.”

It took some time, but Gabriel wasn’t about to risk hurting Robert. He wanted Robert’s first time—their first time—to be a good experience. Reining in the beast inside him, he did everything he could to take things slow, always checking Robert was all right. Soon, Robert lowered himself onto Gabriel in the slowest, most excruciating way, but Gabriel clenched his teeth and gripped the edges of the bed while Robert paused and backtracked until he finally settled on Gabriel. The tight heat surrounding him was the most glorious and painful sensation he’d ever experienced. Then Robert rocked his hips, and Gabriel released a low, deep growl from inside his chest.

A wicked gleam came into Robert’s eyes, his smile positively sinful as he picked up his pace. They were both soon panting, and Robert’s fingers dug into the flesh of Gabriel’s chest in the most delicious way. Gabriel dug his fingers into Robert’s hips, but he did his best to remember himself.

“Oh my,” Robert repeated over and over, making Gabriel chuckle. “You think that’s funny, do you?” Robert asked, trying to fight a smile and losing miserably. He leaned forward and impaled himself on Gabriel, bringing a string of curses from both of them.

“Damn the hell, what?” Gabriel knew what he’d said made absolutely no sense, but his mind had ceased functioning, and as Robert threw his head back and rode Gabriel like a man possessed, all he could do was give himself over to his lover. Never in all his dreams of having Robert in his bed had it been like this. Every muscle in his body was strained, his toes curled and pulse soared. His release drew closer and he tried to warn Robert, but instead a jumble of sounds fell from his mouth.

Unable to hold back anymore, he dug his fingers into Robert’s hips until he had his lover’s undivided attention. “Touch yourself,” he ordered, taking over and thrusting into Robert repeatedly, deep and hard, drawing the most tantalizing gasps and moans from him.

Robert pleasured himself, his pace matching Gabriel’s thrusts, and suddenly a blinding white light burst in front of his vision, drawing a growl from Gabriel as his release plowed into him. On his last thrust, Robert cried out, his semen coating Gabriel’s chest in ribbons.

Collapsing onto Gabriel, Robert wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck and buried his face. For a moment, Gabriel panicked, wondering if he’d ended up hurting Robert after all.

“Are you all right? Robert, talk to me,” Gabriel managed between panting breaths.

After pulling slowly away, Robert gazed down at him lovingly. He was the most beautiful creature Gabriel had ever seen. He was sweaty, flushed, and positively glowing.

“I’m more than all right,” Robert replied quietly and proceeded to kiss him tenderly. For the next few hours, Robert showed Gabriel he was a quick learner.