The Vampire Chronicles 2

The Vampire’s Kiss

Attending the company Christmas party should have been a joyous occasion, but for Etienne
LeRuelle it was just one more time when men vied for his attention because he was pretty when they
had no intention of keeping him. When the head of Vaile Industries Security makes his intentions
known, Etienne has to decide whether the man is serious or not, because he isn’t sure he could
survive the heartache if Louis just wants a one-night stand.

Louis Redgrave knew Etienne was his rajaaka the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful man.
Fighting off a room full of drunken vampires to get to Etienne is child’s play compared to trying to
convince the man he wants to keep him forever.

If they can survive the misunderstandings between them and the never ending attacks by rogue
vampires, they just might have a chance at a life they both only dreamed of.

Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

Length: 41,165 words
THE VAMPIRE’S KISS

Vampire Chronicles 2

Stormy Glenn

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

THE VAMPIRE’S KISS

Copyright © 2017 by Stormy Glenn

ISBN: 978-1-64010-920-9

First Publication: December 2017

Cover design by Jess Buffett

All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or
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permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to
actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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PUBLISHER
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www.SirenPublishing.com
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is
two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight,
soul mates, true love, and happy endings.
You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a
puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her
stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website
at www.stormyglenn.com.

For all titles by Stormy Glenn, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn
 Table of Contents
1. Title Page
2. Copyright Page
3. About the Author
4. Chapter One
5. Chapter Two
6. Chapter Three
7. Chapter Four
8. Chapter Five
9. Chapter Six
10. Chapter Seven
11. Chapter Eight
12. Chapter Nine
13. Chapter Ten
14. Chapter Eleven
15. Chapter Twelve
16. Chapter Thirteen
17. Chapter Fourteen
18. Chapter Fifteen
19. Chapter Sixteen
20. Chapter Seventeen
21. Chapter Eighteen
THE VAMPIRE’S KISS
Vampire Chronicles 2

STORMY GLENN
Copyright © 2017
 Chapter One
“What in the hell happened in here?” Louis Redgrave snapped as he
walked into the ballroom where his boss and friend, Nikolas Vaile, was
throwing the annual company Christmas party. The place had erupted into a
war zone. Tables were overturned, chairs smashed on the floor, people stood
in a large circle by the bar as men threw punches at each other in the middle
of the melee.
“Etienne happened,” Nikolas said as he wrapped an arm around his
newly claimed rajaaka, Jon, and pulled the little man out of the way of a
glass flying through the air. Nikolas waved toward the bar with his other
hand.
“Excuse me?”
Nikolas had demanded that Louis attend his yearly company party
despite Louis’s protests that he didn’t have time or the inclination to mix
with a bunch of drunks, vampires, or humans. Louis wasn’t sure which was
worse.
At the very least, Louis expected to have to break up a few fights, avoid
passes from some enamored humans, and teach a couple of the younger
vampires that their bravado was misplaced. He didn’t expect to walk into
total chaos.
“Etienne got tired of being passed around like a Christmas fruitcake so
he said that whoever kissed him the best would get to take him home.” Jon
snickered. “The line formed at the door. Things went to hell about three
kisses in.”
“And you’re allowing this?” Louis was shocked.
“I don’t think there is much I can do at the moment,” Nikolas replied.
“Until Etienne chooses who he’s going home with, this crowd is going to be
volatile.”
Louis rolled his eyes, and then stormed across the room. He was going
to smash a few heads together then make them clean up the mess they had
made, that was assuming anyone was walking by the time Louis was done
with them. He wasn’t the head of Vaile Industries security for nothing. He
had the brute strength to back up his words.
Louis lunged toward the first vampire he came to and grabbed him by
the back of the neck. He flicked his wrist and the man went flying across
the room, skidding to a stop under a table. Louis barely paid him any mind
as he reached for the next one.
By the time Louis reached the other side of the crowd, he’d tossed
several vampires and a few humans out of the way. He had a few more to
go. Louis was just reaching for the next fighter when he caught a flash of
golden blond hair out of the corner of his eye.
Something akin to an electrical shock shot through Louis’s body when
he turned and set eyes on the most alluring man he’d seen in nearly all of
his three hundred and twenty years on the earth. Louis suddenly understood
what all of the fuss was about.
Even sitting on the edge of a bar top, leaning back on his arms with his
legs crossed as if he hadn’t been the cause of all of the chaos, Etienne was
stunning. Add in the wavy sunlight-blond hair, the strong cheekbones, and
dark eyelashes long enough to make a mascara company weep, and he was
nearly perfect.
A deep rumble began to build in Louis’s throat. It grew louder when
piercing emerald-green eyes turned and pinned him where he stood. The
sensual light that seemed to pass between Louis and the man sitting on the
bar counter made his knees quake, and that was something that hadn’t
happened to him since he was an untried vampire.
The quaking almost turned into an all-out body shudder when the man
smiled, showing off a set of perfect white teeth, and crooked his finger at
Louis. Against his better judgment, and whatever free will he had, Louis
found himself crossing the floor between them until he stood just a foot
away from the sexiest man he’d ever seen.
Mr. Sex-on-a-stick grinned as if he knew Louis was picturing him
spread-eagle and naked on his bed. Louis just bet the little man didn’t
imagine the restraints that would be used to keep the gorgeous creature
there for the rest of his life, but Louis did.
Louis crossed his arms over his chest, spread his legs slightly apart, and
grinned as he imagined reinforcing the restraints just to ensure the man
stayed in his bed. Maybe he’d add a butt plug so he could fuck him
whenever he wanted to, which Louis rightly imagined would be any time he
set eyes on the sexy man.
Etienne opened his mouth as if to say something when another drunken
buffoon stumbled over and grabbed him, his lips puckering as he tried to
capture Etienne’s lips. To give Etienne some credit, he did try to avoid the
man’s mouth, fighting off his grabby hands.
But it wasn’t enough for Louis.
Louis slammed one fist into the other to keep from planting it into the
vampire holding onto what he now considered his exclusive property.
Etienne became Louis’s the second he set eyes on him. Everyone would
know it by the time he was done.
Louis stepped closer and grabbed the vampire around the neck. He
pulled the man back until he could look deep into his eyes, letting the young
vampire see the red flames in his own.
“Mine!” Louis growled before tossing the vampire away as if he were a
bothersome insect. The lyrical sound of laughter filled his ears as he turned
to see Etienne’s face filled with amusement. Louis growled again, unsure if
he was being made fun of or not.
The soft velvety touch of Etienne’s hands moving over his shirt sent
shivers of desire through Louis’s body. The touch of skin against skin might
be separated by a thin piece of fabric, but Louis could feel the warmth in
Etienne’s touch and it burned him hotter than the strongest rays of sunlight.
“My, they do make them big around here, don’t they?”
Louis’s eyes almost crossed. Etienne’s voice was like a caress, soft and
lilting, with just the right amount of sensuousness to make Louis’s cock
stand up and beg. Unable to prevent further contact, but afraid he might lose
control and take the man right where they stood, Louis pressed closer.
“A kiss, kitya, and then I will take you home.”
“You kiss better than all of these men?” Etienne asked. He waved his
hand at the men Louis knew were standing behind him, waiting for their
turn to kiss the beauty.
It wouldn’t happen.
Louis grinned. He saw Etienne swallow hard, the smile falling from his
plush lips. “I can promise mine will be the last kiss you’ll ever want.”
Louis didn’t wait for permission. He didn’t wait to be asked. He just
wrapped one hand around the nape of Etienne’s neck and the other around
the man’s waist, pulling him roughly, almost violently, to him.
Louis took Etienne’s mouth with a savage intensity, his lips hard and
searching. His tongue brushed against Etienne’s lips, demanding entrance.
Etienne seemed to return the kiss with reckless abandon, allowing Louis to
dominate him.
 Louis kissed and nipped at Etienne’s lips, licking away the sweet hint of
honeyed copper that exploded across his tongue before returning it with one
of his own. The exchange of blood, even in a small amount, would be the
beginning of the bond between them. The rest would follow the moment
Louis had Etienne in his apartment.
He felt more than heard Etienne groan and then the man simply melted
against Louis. His hands tangled in Louis’s hair. His legs wrapped around
Louis’s waist. His body sought more contact, pushing and arching to get
closer.
Louis grabbed a handful of Etienne’s sunlight-blond hair and tilted his
head back. Dazed emerald-green eyes blinked up at him. Lips red and
swollen from kissing parted slightly as small pants of much needed air came
out of Etienne’s mouth.
“Are you ready to go home with me, kitya, or do I need to kiss you
again?”
Perfectly trimmed dark golden eyebrows drew together as Etienne
frowned. “I have to choose?”
“You have to choose me, kitya.” Louis leaned in and licked a line across
the soft ridge of Etienne’s Adam’s apple. He had to swallow hard when the
man’s natural sweet taste filled his mouth. “You have to agree to be mine.”
Louis raked his fangs across the soft corded muscles just below
Etienne’s ear. He could feel the tremble that racked Etienne’s body when he
added just a little pressure, not enough to break the skin, but just enough to
leave an impression.
Etienne was primed and ready to explode. Louis had no doubt in his
mind that he could make the gorgeous little man come if he simply sank his
teeth into the welcoming flesh of Etienne’s throat. Drinking the man’s life-
giving essence would be a pleasurable experience for both of them.
“Say yes, kitya,” Louis whispered into the man’s ear, “and I will take
you home and give you exactly what you need.”
Just to make sure things tipped in his favor, Louis reached around
between them and palmed the rigid flesh trapped behind the zipper of
Etienne’s pants, giving the man’s cock a good squeeze.
The low keening that filled Louis’s ears was almost enough to send him
over the edge. Louis started to sink his fangs into Etienne’s throat, the sweet
taste of honey exploding across his tongue, when a loud crash from behind
him reminded Louis of where they were.
 Regretfully, Louis retracted his fangs and licked away the drops of
blood that spilled down Etienne’s neck. He refused to take his rajaaka for
the first time in a bar, surrounded by vampires filled with lust for his mate.
And Etienne was his mate. The little man just didn’t know it yet. Louis,
however, did know it, and he wanted to rip the heads off of every man who
even looked at Etienne, let alone the ones that had kissed him.
“Say yes, kitya, and be mine,” Louis demanded as he licked a line back
to Etienne’s mouth. He bit the edge of his lip with his fangs then leaned in
and captured Etienne’s lips in a deep kiss once again, sharing the taste of his
blood. Louis wasn’t above using any means necessary to bond Etienne to
him, not now that he knew the man was his.
Very few vampires are lucky enough to find their rajaaka, their bond
mate, the one meant only for them. Once the bond between them was
formed, there would be a connection between them, mental and physical,
for the rest of their lives.
Etienne’s arms tightened around Louis, the man’s entire body
shuddering. The sweet, overwhelming scent of Etienne’s arousal filled
Louis’s senses as the man let out a low groan.
“Yes!”
Louis didn’t waste a moment. The second the word of agreement fell
from Etienne’s lips, Louis wrapped the little man in his arms, turned, and
started across the room. He could hear the words of protest from those
around him.
He just didn’t care.
No one was going to keep him from taking his rajaaka home and
claiming him. Louis just bared his fangs and hissed at anyone that got too
close. When he reached the door and Nikolas, he paused and glanced at his
boss.
“I will be unavailable for the rest of the evening. I will call Aldrich and
inform him that he is in charge until I return.”
Nikolas cocked an eyebrow as his eyes went from Louis to the man
held in his arms. “Very well, Louis, I will see you tomorrow.”
Louis nodded once, and then carried Etienne out of the room. For once,
he was thankful that Nikolas threw his little party in the same building
where they worked and lived. He didn’t have far to go to get Etienne home,
just a few floors up.
 Louis carried Etienne into the elevator and hit the button for his floor.
He lowered Etienne’s feet to the floor but kept an arm wrapped tightly
around the man’s slim waist as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his
cell phone.
Damn, he loved modern technology. It made his job so much easier.
Louis dialed Aldrich, his second-in-command, and then waited for the man
come on the line. He could already tell that he needed to give Aldrich a
raise. Louis suspected his own work hours had just been cut back. He
wouldn’t be able to stay away from his rajaaka for long.
“Aldrich,” Louis said the moment he heard the man answer the phone,
“I will be unavailable for the rest of the evening. You are in charge until I
return.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do not forget to have extra sentries on duty in the ballroom until after
everyone has left the building. There was also an altercation at Nikolas’s
little party. Someone needs to go up there and clean the place up.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll see to it personally.”
Louis ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket before
returning his attention to the man in his arms. Deep emerald-green eyes
blinked up at him.
“Hello, rajaaka.”
“Etienne.”
Louis smiled and brushed the wavy blond hair back from Etienne’s
face, tucking it behind the man’s ear. “I know of your name, little one, but
you will always be rajaaka to me.”
Louis almost groaned when Etienne’s dark blond eyebrows drew
together in a frown. Was there anything cuter in the world?
“You called me kitya before. Now you’re calling me rajaaka. Which am
I?”
“You are both.”
“Well, that doesn’t make sense.”
Louis chuckled. “Give it time, little one, and it will.”
The elevator doors slid open before Etienne replied. Louis kept his arm
around Etienne’s shoulder and escorted him out of the elevator and down
the hallway to his quarters.
His apartment wasn’t as big as Nikolas’s place. Nikolas had the entire
penthouse suite, which covered the top floor of the building. Louis’s
apartment was on the next floor down. There were several apartments on
that floor so his rooms were nowhere near the size of Nikolas’s, but they
were still large by human standards. Louis just hoped Etienne appreciated
his new home because he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.
Louis quickly typed in the security code into the lock mechanism when
they reached the door to his apartment. The door swung open. Louis pushed
Etienne inside and followed him in, closing and locking the door behind
them.
Louis leaned back against the door, shoved his hands into his pockets,
and watched Etienne look around his apartment. He couldn’t seem to stop
looking at Etienne. The man was mystifying to Louis. He had waited
centuries to find his rajaaka, not even sure if he ever would. Some did not.
Very few vampires are lucky enough to find their bond mates, the one
meant only for them.
“What is your name?”
Louis smiled at Etienne’s softly spoken question. “Louis, but you can
call me petjya.”
Etienne’s forehead furrowed and his head tilted slightly to one side.
“What does that mean?”
“Mate.”
“Are you from Australia?”
Louis chuckled and pushed away from the door. “No, kitya, I am not. I
was born in England.”
“That explains the accent.”
“Really? You can hear an accent in my voice?” That surprised Louis.
He thought he had lost his accent years ago.
“It’s faint, but it’s there.”
Louis was incredibly intrigued when Etienne’s face flushed and his eyes
skirted away. “What?”
“It’s very…nice. Your accent, I mean.”
“Nice?” Nothing about Louis had been referred to as nice since he was
a young vampire.
Etienne’s hard swallow could be heard across the room. His hands
fidgeted with a red throw pillow on the couch, absently running along the
seam on one side. The way his eyes kept darting around the room, Louis
assumed he was nervous.
 He was a little surprised at that, considering the bold man he had met in
the ballroom. Louis moved closer, his need to comfort his bond mate
uppermost on his mind. He stopped beside Etienne and started to reach for
him when the man suddenly turned. Dark emerald eyes blinked up at Louis.
“Is there some reason you haven’t taken me to your bed yet?”
 Chapter Two
Etienne knew he was being incredibly forward. He just couldn’t seem to
help himself. He had never wanted someone as much as he wanted Louis.
The second he spotted the man coming toward him in the ballroom, all
Etienne could think of was having this gorgeous man naked and in his arms.
Etienne just wished Louis would hurry up with it. The kiss Louis gave
him in the ballroom promised an evening of debauchery that Etienne was
eagerly anticipating. He hadn’t been able to think of anything else.
“You want me to take you to bed?” Louis asked.
“Yes,” Etienne whispered. Wasn’t that why he was here?
Louis’s wolfish grin thrilled Etienne down to his toes. When Louis
grabbed him by his hand and started pulling toward a door on the other side
of the room, Etienne couldn’t walk fast enough. He frowned in confusion
when Louis stopped right outside the door and turned to him.
“I want you to understand that once you pass through this door, there
will be no going back.”
Etienne blinked. Wasn’t that the point? “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t
want this.”
“Somehow, little one,” Louis said as stroked his hand down the side of
Etienne’s face, “I doubt you understand the implications of your words and
I find that I am unable to refuse you. I want you too much for that.”
Etienne considered that a good thing. He wanted the larger man to want
him. Etienne smiled and reached for the doorknob. He heard a deep
animalistic rumble when he pushed the door open and stepped inside
Louis’s bedroom.
Etienne had mere seconds to take in the large bed on the far side of the
room before he was lifted and carried across the room to that bed.
Considering how big Louis was, Etienne was amazed at the gentleness used
as he was laid down on the top of the covers.
“So beautiful,” Louis murmured, stroking his hand down Etienne’s side
before reaching for the buttons on Etienne’s shirt. “Let’s see what is under
all of these clothes.”
Etienne grinned and kicked his shoes off. He reached for the buttons on
his pants when Louis stopped him. Etienne glanced up, confusion warring
with the desire coursing through his body.
“You’re my Christmas present. I get to unwrap you.”
 Etienne giggled and dropped his hands down to the mattress. He was
intrigued by the reverence with which Louis undressed him. It was like
Louis thought he was made of fine china. Etienne could appreciate
gentleness as much as the next person but right now, he wanted to be fucked
into next week.
“That is a beautiful sound, kitya.”
“Sound?”
“Your laugh,” Louis said. “It is a beautiful sound.”
Etienne could feel his face flush furiously at Louis’s words.
Etienne forgot his embarrassment when his shirt fell open and Louis
inhaled deeply. He glanced down at his chest wondering what Louis saw
when he looked at him. “What?”
“Look at how beautiful my rajaaka is,” Louis murmured.
“You’re crazy,” Etienne scoffed.
“No, I’m just as sane as the next man and I know beauty when I see it.”
Louis tapped his finger against the end of Etienne’s nose. “And you, kitya,
are beautiful.”
Etienne saw no reason to argue with Louis. If the man thought he was
beautiful, so be it. Etienne would keep his mouth shut. Well, he would have
if Louis hadn’t taken that moment to lean down and lick his nipples.
Etienne couldn’t keep a moan of pure pleasure from escaping his lips as he
arched up into the air.
“You like that, kitya?”
“Yes!”
Louis’s hand curled around the back of Etienne’s neck and pulled him
closer until their lips met. Etienne groaned and leaned into the kiss, opening
his mouth.
God, could this man kiss.
Etienne turned and swung his leg over Louis so he straddled his lap. He
knew Louis was feeling the same arousal as he was. He could feel the man’s
hard cock pressing between his legs.
“Want you,” Etienne whispered against Louis’s lips. He ground his butt
down onto the cock under him. “Want to feel this pound my ass.”
“Oh, believe me, kitya. You’re not leaving this room until I fuck you.”
Etienne helped when he was rolled, Louis coming down over the top of
him. He tangled his hands in Louis’s hair and tried to pull the man closer.
The pleasure rocketing through his body was intense. Louis stole the breath
from Etienne’s lungs and made it hard to breathe.
Etienne thought Louis was upset with him for moving when the man
reached up and grabbed his hands. He looked up at Louis quickly,
cautiously. Louis just grinned down at him and pulled the shirt from his
body and tossed it over the side of the bed.
Etienne’s heart started beating faster when Louis pushed his hands up
over his head. A moment later, Etienne felt something soft and furry closed
over his wrists. Etienne tilted his head back to look, surprised to find black
furry cuffs wrapped around his wrists.
He giggled nervously as he glanced back at Louis. “I’m not going
anywhere. You don’t have to tie me down.”
“Ah, but I want to.” The sensuous drawl in Louis’s voice made
Etienne’s toes curl. “I like having you tied down and displayed for my
pleasure. I may keep you this way. It’s a long-standing custom of my
people, one that I thought to disregard in this modern age, but after seeing
you this way, I understand the merits of the custom.”
Etienne blinked. “You want to keep me tied down?”
Louis grinned. “I’m considering it.”
“Do I get to eat?”
Louis’s thumb trailed across Etienne’s lips. “I like the idea of feeding
you from my hand.”
“What about going to the bathroom?” Etienne couldn’t believe he was
having this conversation in the middle of what he hoped was a really good
time.
“I’ll let you up to use the bathroom, but otherwise, I think you should
stay in bed.” Louis grinned as he looked down at Etienne’s naked chest
again. “Preferably naked.”
“If you want me naked so much, then why don’t you do it?”
Etienne was getting frustrated. Louis seemed to want to do a lot of
talking. Etienne wanted to get to the good stuff. He could feel a rather
impressive cock pushing against his abdomen. He wanted to feel it pushing
somewhere else.
Etienne’s eyes rounded when Louis growled. He frowned when he
thought he saw something sharp and white peeking over the edge of Louis’s
lower lip, but he knew he had to be wrong. No one had teeth that long.
 Etienne followed Louis with his eyes as the man scooted back to the
bottom of the bed. He lifted his hips when Louis started pulling on his pant
legs, blushing furiously when Louis growled as his naked body was
exposed.
Louis stood back and started undressing. Etienne leaned up to watch.
His breathing came a little faster as hard, rippled muscles were revealed.
Louis looked tough, strong. He had long sturdy legs and shoulders that
looked a yard wide and molded bronze.
The more naked skin that was exposed, the less air there seemed to be
in the room. Etienne was panting heavily by the time Louis climbed back up
onto the bed. His skin felt flushed with arousal.
Louis knelt between Etienne’s thighs then leaned over the top of him.
“You have been taken before?”
“Yes.”
Louis growled. His features darkened. Etienne shrank back when dark
eyes began to turn darker then filled with red. A spike of fear filled Etienne.
He wondered just how dangerous Louis was and what sort of situation he
had gotten himself into.
“We will not speak of this again.”
“Okay,” Etienne whispered. He would have said anything to stop Louis
from glaring down at him with such an enraged look on his face.
Etienne whimpered when his lips were suddenly taken in a punishing
kiss. Louis’s lips were hard and searching as they pressed against his.
Etienne clenched his fists to keep from jingling the cuffs around his wrists.
He wanted to touch. He didn’t want to be tied down.
Well, he did like being tied down but it prevented him from touching.
So, yeah, he needed to be free. He just didn’t want to ask to be released.
Louis seemed to be really turned on by seeing him tied down to the bed and
Etienne wasn’t about to mess with that.
Etienne leaned up and ran his tongue over one of Louis’s large pecs and
then sucked in his dark brown nipple. Louis’s salty skin sent Etienne’s
senses reeling. He parted his lips, teasing Louis’s nipple with his teeth.
Louis groaned, pushing his hips higher as his hand ran down between
Etienne’s ass cheeks, his large finger tapping at Etienne’s hole.
Etienne’s ass pulsed to be filled. He moaned around Louis’s nipple as
he tried to snap his hips and impale himself on Louis’s slick finger. There
was a burn, but it was quickly replaced by a pleasure so great, it made him
see white for a moment.
“Fuck me,” he begged.
“I plan on it,” Louis whispered as he continued to stretch Etienne out,
slowly adding more fingers.
“Are you ready for me, kitya?” Louis finally asked.
Etienne nodded. Louis lined up his slick cock and then slowly pushed
into him. The burn almost made him cry out as the head of Louis’s cock
breached him. If the man hadn’t used lube, Etienne would be screaming.
“Bloody hell, kitya.” Louis’s head fell back as his lips parted.
Etienne loved the fact that he could make this beautiful man fall to
pieces. It was a gratifying feeling that Etienne cherished. He groaned when
Louis’s cock slid over his prostate.
Damn if that wasn’t a glorifying feeling. “Please.”
Louis growled as he grabbed Etienne and thrust his hips. Etienne
groaned as Louis did it again, and then again. Louis snapped his hips
repeatedly. Etienne desperately gripped the chain attached to his cuffs and
held his breath.
“Please, touch me,” Etienne begged. He squeezed his ass muscles as
hard as he could, trying to get Louis to move or touch him or something.
Louis’ eyes were blood red when he looked back down. “My rajaaka,”
Louis said. “I claim you now.”
Etienne screamed in ecstasy as Louis grabbed his hips and rammed all
of the way inside. His words had unleashed something in Louis, something
dangerous. He could see it.
Louis’s body pounded into him. The man’s massive cock filled Etienne
to the barest edge of pain over and over again. Etienne barely had time to
feel Louis fill him before the man was pulling out again and then slamming
back in.
“C–close,” Etienne warned as his balls ground between them.
“I pledge to thee my love and faith. I offer my life to thee, my blood for
yours. I will be your night as you shall be my day. I’ll stay with you forever,
my love, my rajaaka. I pledge this oath for all eternity. To the world, may
we be one soul.”
Etienne frowned then turned his head to ask what Louis was saying, but
before he could get his head turned all of the way, he felt two sharp pricks
in his neck. The pain was instantaneous and made Etienne cry out.
 White light burst in his head bringing with it shards of pain. A moment
later it disappeared and he blinked rapidly. As the haze began to clear,
Etienne felt something else in his head, a soft whisper of a presence. It was
something he’d never felt before.
The ecstasy that followed almost a second later made Etienne scream as
his body exploded into a downpour of sensation. His body seized as ropes
of seed shot from his cock and pleasure unlike anything he had ever known
swept through his body.
Etienne’s mind moved in a haze, barely acknowledging the noise Louis
made as the man tossed his head back and roared out his release. Hot lava
flooded Etienne’s ass, filling so much of him that Etienne didn’t think the
man would ever leave.
“How are you, kitya?”
Etienne turned to see concern in Louis’s grey eyes. He frowned as he
realized that they were grey once again and not red. He was sure he had
seen them turn red.
Hadn’t he?
“Do you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not sure I can answer that,” Etienne replied. “Your cock is still in
my ass.”
“And that’s where it will stay until I have taken you again.” Louis
grinned. “I want to be assured of my claim on you.”
Etienne tilted his head. “Claim? What claim?”
“I have claimed you as my rajaaka.”
“Right.” Etienne frowned. “I remember you saying something about
that. What exactly does it mean?”
“It means that you are now mine for all eternity.”
 Chapter Three
Louis stroked his hand down Etienne’s hip as he watched the gorgeous
man sleep. He could see that it was going to quickly become one of his
favorite pastimes. Etienne looked like an angel when he was asleep. Not
like the spitfire that had seduced him with a single look.
He growled when his phone rang and snatched it up off the nightstand
before it could wake his mate. After checking the display, he answered it. “I
thought I put you in charge for the rest of the night, Aldrich.”
“You did, sir, but there’s been a development.”
Fuck!
Louis rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. He grabbed his earpiece
and quickly put it in before connecting it, and then reached for his pants. He
wasn’t thrilled at being pulled away from his mate by any means, but he
was still the head of security at Vaile Industries. If there was a development,
he needed to know about it.
“What sort of development?” he asked in a low tone, knowing Aldrich
would be able to hear him, and hoping Etienne would not. The man really
needed his sleep. Louis had worn him out.
“A band of rogues has been spotted on the eastern border of our
territory.”
“Okay.” This wasn’t news. There were always rogues prowling about,
trying to defeat their defenses.
“They took hostages, sir.”
And that would be why Louis had been called.
“Human or vampire?”
“Human, sir.”
“Has the prince been informed?”
“Yes, sir. He’s the one who told me to call you.”
“All right. I’ll be right down.” Louis glanced at the bed after hanging
up. He so didn’t want to leave Etienne. He never wanted to leave Etienne.
He could easily spend the rest of his life standing right there, staring down
at the beautiful man.
Louis grabbed Etienne’s clothes off the floor and neatly folded them
and set them on a chair by the bed before making sure Etienne was all
tucked in and then walking out of the room. If he continued to give into his
need to stare at his mate, he’d never leave. He made sure the door was
locked behind him as he left the apartment.
His team was already assembled by the time he entered the security
office. “Report,” he snapped out as he walked into the wire cage armory and
started pulling out the weapons he would need for a mission.
“Three rogues were seen along East Tenth Street. Since that street is the
border of our territory, our sentries didn’t engage, just monitored the
situation.”
Louis growled as he shoved a pistol into his shoulder holster. “What
happened?”
“They grabbed some humans coming out of a corner market. Our
sentries moved in to try and capture them and free the humans, but the
rogues ran down an alleyway where more rogues were waiting for them.”
Louis stiffened as he slowly turned toward his second-in-command.
“Did we lose anyone?”
“No, sir, but Stefan is going to need a few days to recover. The other
injuries our sentries suffered will easily heal.”
Damn it!
“Where is Stefan now?”
“He’s in the infirmary. The doctor is looking at him.”
“I want a full report of his injuries just as soon as the doctor is done
with him.” Stefan was a new sentry, but he had a lot of potential. One day,
after a few years of experience under his belt, he could be a great warrior.
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the humans?”
“They were let go as soon as our warriors engaged, sir.”
That was good and bad.
“So, it was a trap, then,” Louis said. “The humans were taken to draw
our sentries in.”
“Yes, sir,” Aldrich replied. “It looks that way.”
Louis stood there for a moment and went over everything Aldrich had
told him. His mind went into overdrive as he considered every possible
scenario. He knew the ultimate goal of any action by the rogue vampires
was to get to Nikolas, and they would use any means at their disposal to do
it.
“I want extra guards on the prince and his consort. I also want a guard
assigned to my door.” He wasn’t going to leave his mate unguarded. “Send
some men to watch the western border. I want them spread out all along the
edge of our territory. Have another unit standing by. If there’s any activity, I
want to know immediately.”
Aldrich frowned for a moment before lifting an eyebrow. “It was a
diversion, sir?”
Louis nodded. “It has to be. Why else would they try and draw our
sentries in?”
“But how can you be sure?”
“I’m not sure, but that’s what my gut says, and I’ve learned over the
years to trust my gut.” Louis shrugged before grabbing another gun.
“Besides, if I’m wrong, then our sentries just get a workout and a little
training. If I’m right…”
“You keep our prince safe.”
Louis grinned. “Exactly.”
He grabbed a knife and slid it into his boot before turning to face his
men. “I want everyone geared up and ready to hit the ground running in
five. I’m going to go speak with the prince.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Louis walked out of the security office, knowing his men would do as
ordered. They were good. Louis had trained them himself. He refused to
have anyone under his command who he didn’t trust to have his back.
After using his security code to gain access, it took mere moments for
the elevator to reach the penthouse apartment where Nikolas and Jon lived.
Jon had insisted that they make the penthouse safe. No one had the security
code to get there except Nikolas, Jon, and Louis. Everyone else had to be
buzzed in or given a passkey.
When the elevator doors slid open, Louis stepped out and glanced
around. He knew Nikolas would be up. The man would be anxious until the
threat to his mate was gone.
Louis didn’t blame him.
He headed for the living room, hoping he wouldn’t have to go searching
for the man. He didn’t have time. He needed to give his report and then get
out onto the streets so he could get back to his mate.
“Sir,” he said when he spotted Nikolas standing by the large window
across the room.
Nikolas turned. The frown that marred his face showed his aggravation.
“Report.”
 “I’ve sent extra sentries out to guard the western border, sire. I have a
unit standing by in case there is an altercation. I will be heading to the
eastern border to check things out there.”
“You think we are going to have trouble along the western border?”
“I think this attack was planned, that it was a distraction to get our
attention away from the western border.”
Nikolas’s eyebrow raised. “A distraction?”
Louis nodded. “I do.”
Nikolas’s frown deepened. “Then why are you not going to the western
border?”
“Because I need to investigate what occurred on the eastern border. I
need to see if they plan any more distractions. I’d like to try and head off
any attacks before they happen.”
Nikolas’s lips twisted as he nodded. “Do what you have to do.”
“I’ve assigned extra sentries to guard the penthouse, sir. Please stay in
it.” He knew his boss. Nikolas hated not having his hands on any situation.
He was a control freak to the extreme. But Louis also knew what Nikolas’s
number one priority was. “It would be safer for your consort if you both
stayed in the penthouse.”
Nikolas grimaced, but gave another nod. “Jon and I will stay here, but I
want to be kept abreast of everything.”
Louis barely kept from sighing in relief. “Of course, sir.”
Nikolas waved his hand, dismissing him. Louis turned and left the
penthouse. When the elevator doors opened again, he nodded to the guards
who stood outside. “No one gains access without the prince’s approval. Is
that understood?”
Both men nodded as they clasped their fist to their chests.
Louis dismissed the two guards from his mind as he made his way to
the infirmary. He expected them to do their duty. He didn’t question
whether they would. Every man under his command would die to keep their
prince safe.
When he reached the infirmary, he walked straight through the small
waiting room to the back. He spotted a couple of his warriors being treated
for minor injuries, and gave them each a nod as he passed them, but they
weren’t who he was here to see.
The exam room Stefan was in was easy to find. It was where the doctor
was located. Louis stepped inside the small room and quickly assessed the
situation. Stefan was awake, which was good, but he had a bad gash on the
side of his head and an arm that looked as if it had been broken.
“Stefan.”
“Sir.” The vampire struggled to sit up.
Louis pressed his hand against the man’s uninjured shoulder. “Stay
where you are.”
“Yes, sir.” Stefan settled back against the exam bed.
He glanced at the doctor. “Give us a minute.”
“Yes, sir.” The man dipped his head before walking out of the room.
“How are you?” Louis asked as he turned back to Stefan.
“I’m fine, sir.”
Louis raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.” He looked as if he hurt
like hell.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“What happened?”
“They were waiting for us, sir.”
Louis nodded. He already knew that. “Tell me what happened, Stefan.”
He used a little more steel in his voice this time.
“We saw a group of rogues hanging out across the border line from us. I
know they saw us. It was as if they were taunting us, walking up and down
the sidewalk where we couldn’t touch them. We would have just stayed and
monitored them, but they grabbed a couple of humans coming out of the
store.”
“Did they ever cross the border line?”
“No, sir, but…”
“But what?”
“We couldn’t just let them take those humans, sir.”
“No, of course not.” It wasn’t a law, but ethically, saving humans was
the right thing to do. Most of them had no clue vampires even existed and it
needed to stay that way.
“When we went to save them, the vampires were waiting for us. They
jumped us as soon as we got to the alley, sir. We engaged and I went after
one of them.” Stefan touched the side of his head where the bloody gash
was. “That’s when I got this, sir.”
“How many of them were there? Do you remember?”
“Six, sir.”
 Louis’s eyebrows lifted. “Six rogues?” They didn’t tend to run in large
groups, so this news made Louis uneasy. “Did they seem to be working
together or were they all just in the same place at the same time?”
“I’m not sure, sir.”
“Guess.”
“I think they were just hanging around, sir.”
“Okay.” That sounded better. Louis gave Stefan a nod. “You rest. Get
better. I expect you back at your post as soon as you are better.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good man.” Louis patted Stefan’s shoulder again before turning and
walking out of the room. Despite what Stefan had told him, he still felt as if
there was something brewing. His gut was churning, and that was never a
good thing. It always meant trouble, and they so didn’t need that right now.
Life was good inside of Nikolas Vaile’s tribe. The vampires were
treated well. Nikolas was a good leader, firm yet fair. If Louis had to choose
a tribe to take his rajaaka into, this one would have been it, and he refused
to let a bunch of rogues fuck that up.
He needed to figure out what in the hell was going on and put a stop to
it before life here became too dangerous for his little human. He’d be
damned if he let anything happen to his mate.
 Chapter Four
“Any new information?” Louis asked as he walked into the security
office. He needed to have every bit of information available before he
headed out, just in case they were walking into another trap.
Aldrich shook his head. “No, sir.”
Louis nodded absently. “Have our vehicles ready. I want to head over to
the site of this confrontation.”
Aldrich didn’t even question Louis’s statement. He simply reached for
the phone and called downstairs to the secured parking garage where they
kept their vehicles. “Bring our cars around to the service entrance.”
Louis glanced at the team of men who had assembled. A quick scan
showed that all of them had geared up with weapons and were ready to go.
He nodded his approval. He liked having a team to work with who knew the
importance being ready to protect their people in a split second.
He didn’t say anything as he started marching out of the security room.
There was really nothing to say. His men knew what he expected of them.
Failure to meet those standards was grounds to be terminated from their
position, and being one of the sentries tasked with guarding the prince was a
coveted position. They would not fail in their duty.
When they reached the parking garage, Louis walked straight to the
lead car and climbed into the front passenger seat. Within moments, the rest
of his men were in the two armored SUVs and they were underway.
“Give me an update, Aldrich,” he said into his earpiece. “Have our men
reached the western border?”
He heard a furious amount of keyboard tapping and then Aldrich said,
“Not yet, sir. They are about five minutes out.”
“Who did you place in charge?”
“Dietrich, sir.”
“Very good.” Louis nodded without looking at his second-in-command.
Dietrich was a good choice. The man was swiftly moving up the ranks
of Louis’s elite enforcer unit. He was smart, had patience, and was willing
to listen to those who had more experience than he did. He didn’t try to
posture, as many vampires did. He was willing to put in the time and
training to gain his position.
“Sir, can I ask you a question?” Aldrich asked.
Louis did turn this time. “Of course.”
 “Why go to the eastern border if you expect an attack on the western
border?”
“Because I need to see what happened there. Even with our alternating
patrols, the rogues still knew when our men would be there. I need to see
the situation with my own eyes so I can figure out how they knew. It’s the
only way to prevent it from happening again.”
Aldrich’s eyes rounded as his face flushed. “I never even thought of
that, sir.”
Louis chuckled. “You would have, given enough time.”
Aldrich grinned at Louis’s compliment. “I wanna be you when I grow
up.”
“That’s what I’m training you for, boy.”
One day, when Louis retired, Aldrich would take over as head of
security for Vaile Industries and their vampire tribe. He had a lot of years of
training before that happened, plus Louis didn’t intend to retire anytime
soon. But now that Louis had found his mate, having someone who he
could put in charge every once in a while was going to be useful.
When the vehicle slowed, Louis glanced out the window. “How far to
the alleyway where our men were attacked?”
“Two blocks, sir,” Aldrich replied.
Louis raised his eyes and began scanning the buildings. They were in
one of the more run-down areas of town. The buildings were starting to
show their wear and tear, crumbling brick, broken windows, and a decided
lack of care.
If he hadn’t been a dangerous predator, Louis would never walk in this
neighborhood at night. Hell, he wasn’t sure he’d walk through it during the
day. Besides having to contend with the drug dealers on every corner and
the hookers who strolled up and down the streets, the lack of police
response to the area was staggering. Sometimes, they didn’t even show up
to a 911 call.
That worked in Louis’s favor if there was a fight. The fewer humans
who witnessed such an altercation, the better. Vampires were not out to the
human world, and they wanted to keep it that way.
“Stop the car here.”
When the vehicle pulled to the side of the road, Louis climbed out. He
closed the door and then lifted his face into the night air, drawing in a big
breath. It took him a few moments to filter through the stench of poverty
and decay before he found the scent he was looking for.
He turned and looked down the street to the left of him. Most of the
streetlights in this area had been broken long ago, but Louis could still see
perfectly fine. He could also smell the rogues lingering in the alleyway
down the block. It wasn’t the first place they had attacked Louis’s men, but
it was obvious that they were waiting for another chance to take out Louis’s
sentries.
Louis raised his hand to shoulder level and closed it into a fist before
reaching into his coat and drawing a gun. While it was true the best way to
kill a vampire was to take their head, humans didn’t understand sword
fighting. They understood a gun fight.
A bullet wouldn’t normally kill a vampire, but the ones Louis and his
enforcers used were made of a special hollow alloy. Normal gunpowder had
been replaced by a chemical mixture that reacted to vampire blood—the
bullet exploded and burned the rogues from the inside out.
If a human was shot with one of the special bullets, it would be like any
other bullet wound. They were unaffected by the chemicals. There was the
added benefit that the special chemicals dissipated when they hit air or
vampire blood. It did not show up on human forensic tests.
Louis moved along the sidewalk, staying close to the sides of the
buildings. He had no doubt that the rogues could smell him coming, but it
never hurt to be cautious. Louis’s steps slowed as he neared the alleyway.
The heavy scent of vampire was growing stronger. It was a strange
combination…slightly musty with the lingering scent of dried blood.
It was obvious to Louis that whoever was waiting in the alley had fed
recently. He just hoped no humans had been killed. They did not need the
exposure a dead human would bring to their species. Keeping their
existence a secret was made harder by rogue attacks.
He stopped at the corner of the building and took another deep breath.
When he figured out how many rogues were hiding in the alley, he held up
three fingers to let his enforcers know what they were facing, and then he
rounded the corner.
One sweep of the alleyway with his eyes told him they were in bigger
trouble than he had thought. There were three rogues at the far end of the
narrow corridor between the buildings. There were also two bodies on the
ground and another one being held between the three rogues as they
attempted to drain the human of blood.
Louis took aim and pulled the trigger before starting to run toward the
trio. His aim was true, and the first vampire dropped to the ground. The
thick cloying scent of blood grew thicker as he neared the dead bodies, and
it was easy to see that they were dead. Their throats had been ripped out.
The third human was quickly dropped to the ground when the
remaining rogues turned toward Louis and hissed at him before spinning
and running away.
“See to the human!” Louis snapped out as he went after the rogues.
Louis growled when the two vampires he was chasing disappeared
around the corner. He seriously didn’t want to race after them, but he knew
he had to. Still, he slowed when he reached the corner, not stupid enough to
run around the side of the building without checking first.
He peeked around the corner and then frowned when he found no sign
of the rogues he was chasing. The alley was a dead end. They should have
been there. There were fire escapes on the buildings on the sides and a third
brick building at the end of the alley. Besides a large garbage bin and some
barrels and crates, the alley was empty.
Or so it would seem.
“This is a really stupid idea,” he murmured to himself as he tightened
his grip on his gun and then stepped around the corner. He knew he should
wait until his men joined him. He was facing off against two rogues in a
dark alley, and he was standing between them and freedom. It was a disaster
waiting to happen.
Louis took a few cautious steps into the alley before stopping to listen.
He could hear faint heartbeats, but he wasn’t quite sure where they were
coming from. He suspected that one of the doors leading into the building
led to a restaurant. The stench of decaying food was pretty strong. It
masked the scent of the rogues, which was why Louis didn’t see them until
it was too late.
He grunted as one dropped down on top of him, driving him to the hard
ground. His gun scattered away and slid under the Dumpster. Louis roared
when he felt razor-sharp claws dig into his flesh and rake down his sides.
He brought his head back, wincing at the pain that flared through his
skull when it crashed into the rogue pinning him down. The pain was
astounding, but Louis pushed it to the back of his mind as he rolled, kicking
out at the vampire.
The vampire went flying, but was quickly replaced by the other one.
Louis sprang to his feet and twirled around, kicking out with his foot. He
heard a very satisfying crack before the rogue went flying, crashing into the
Dumpster.
He hit the large garbage bin hard enough to push it away from the wall,
revealing Louis’s gun. Louis dove for the pistol. As soon as he felt the grip
in his hand, he swung his arm up, pointed, and pulled the trigger.
Both rogues crashed to the ground.
Louis dropped back to the cement and blew out a breath. He knew he
needed to get up and finish them off just in case they had lived through the
bullets he had put in them, but he couldn’t seem to find the strength to get
up.
“Sir?”
Louis waved a hand. He heard feet pounding on the ground as Aldrich
raced toward him. As soon as the man’s face hovered over the top of his,
Louis pointed to the rogues. “Make sure they’re dead.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aldrich disappeared from Louis’s sight, but he was back a few
moments later. “They’re dead, sir.”
Louis swallowed tightly. “I think I’m going to need a little help,
Aldrich.”
“Yes, sir.”
Louis grit his teeth when Aldrich grabbed him and pulled him to his
feet. It was the only way to keep from screaming as red-hot pain ripped
down his sides.
“Just a few steps, sir. They’re bringing the car around.”
“Make sure—”
“I know what to do, sir.”
Louis knew he did. He had trained the man well. “Take me to my
rajaaka.”
Aldrich stopped so abruptly that Louis stumbled into him. “Your
rajaaka, sir?”
Louis blinked and widened his eyes when his eyesight started to fade.
“Me-met him last night.”
“Where is he, sir?”
 “Home,” Louis whispered just before his vision blurred altogether and
his legs gave out. “Take me home.”
 Chapter Five
Etienne smiled as he stretched. He reached out for the man who had
given him such a delicious ache in his ass, one he could feel even now.
There was no one there.
He opened his eyes and glanced first at the empty space beside him and
then around the room. The very empty room. Etienne sighed as he dropped
back on the mattress. He had been through something like this before. He
had just been really hoping not to go through it again.
He had no control over how he looked. So many people assumed
because he was pretty to look at that his life was easy and carefree. If only
they knew. Being well put together came with its own set of problems.
Besides the jealous bastards who wanted to own him, he was plagued
by guys who took him to bed and then split the next morning because they
had no intention of keeping him. They just wanted to be able to brag to their
friends that they fucked the pretty guy.
He was getting really tired of people using him for his good looks or
dismissing him as a piece of fluff. He was more than his looks. He was a
person, with wants and needs and feelings that could be hurt.
Etienne sat up and then swung his legs over the side of the bed. He
winced at the slight ache in his ass and leaned to one side. He had one thing
to say about Louis, he was hung like a fucking horse. Etienne had never
considered himself a size queen before, but he could be. That was assuming
he ever saw the guy again, and the chances of that happening were looking
pretty slim.
Etienne reached for his clothes, which someone had folded and put on a
chair by the bed. That had been nice, much nicer than Etienne thought
someone who wanted him gone would be.
After getting dressed, Etienne walked out into the main room. His heart
sank a little more when he found it as empty as the bedroom had been. He
briefly considered leaving a note before deciding that he wasn’t going to
beg for someone’s attention if they didn’t want to give it. He’d been down
that road before, as well. Being called clingy and needy wasn’t the highlight
of his history.
Etienne pulled the front door open and peeked out. He wasn’t exactly
sure where he was. He vaguely remembered riding in the elevator the
previous evening, but things were kind of a blur. He hadn’t been drunk, but
his entire attention had been centered on the man escorting him away from
the Christmas party, not where they were going.
He could see a guard headed down the corridor in his direction. Etienne
would be damned if he got caught doing the walk of shame. He slid out of
the doorway and quickly closed the door behind him before sprinting down
the hallway in the opposite direction. Instead of taking the elevator down to
the first floor, he used the stairs to go down to the car park level.
Etienne shivered as soon as he stepped out into the night air. He wished
he had remembered to grab his jacket from the party. He was colder than a
witch’s tit in a brass bra. When he reached the exit, he smiled at the guard
on duty.
“Could you call me a cab?” he asked. “I think I had a little too much to
drink at the Christmas party and driving would be a really bad idea.” Not
that he had a car, but this guy didn’t know that.
The man smirked at him as he reached for the phone inside the security
booth. Etienne wrapped his arms around himself, tucking his icy hands
under his arms. What he wouldn’t give for his hooded parka and fur-lined
gloves. He would never use real fur, of course. He’d seen the videos of what
they did to those poor little animals to get their fur. He’d rather freeze.
“Your cab will be here in a few minutes,” the guard said as he stepped
out of the shack.
Etienne smiled again. Sometimes it did pay to be pretty. “Thank you.”
“Would you like to wait in the shack?” the guard asked. “It’s warmer in
there.”
Etienne’s eyes widened for a moment as he tried to gauge the man’s
intentions.
The guard must have seen Etienne’s hesitation. He chuckled. “Relax.
Commander Redgrave would have my hide if I harmed a hu—a guest.”
Etienne raised an eyebrow before stepping inside the shack. He knew
for a fact that was not what the man had been going to say. He just wasn’t
sure what he really had been about to say, because what he had imagined
the guy was about to say was so weird, it couldn’t be true.
“I have some chamomile tea. Want some?”
“No coffee?”
The guy shook his head. “Can’t stand the stuff.”
Etienne laughed as he nodded. “That would be nice, thank you.”
 The guard opened his thermos and poured out a cup of tea. Etienne
almost whimpered as he took the steaming cup of liquid. While it was much
warmer inside the shack, it was still pretty damn cold.
“Thank you,” he said again after taking a sip. “This is very good.”
“Where is your jacket?”
“I think I left it upstairs at the party.”
“I can call up and see if it’s in lost and found.”
“Naw.” Etienne shook his head. “I’ll just look for it when I come to
work on Monday.”
“You work for Vaile Industries?”
Etienne nodded this time before taking another sip of the hot tea. “I
work part time in the IT department.”
The guard’s head cocked to the side, a small frown moving across his
face. “Why part time?”
Etienne grinned at his confusion. “I’m a college student. Part time work
gives enough time for my studies, but keeps me from being a starving
student.”
“Okay, that makes sense, although I would have thought you were a
model or something.”
As if.
“I’ve been offered a few modeling shoots, but I have a friend in that
business. There is no way I’m giving up French fries or donuts. Jarrod
practically starves himself to death so he can be skinny enough for his
shoots. If he gains even a pound, his photographer goes insane.”
The guard chuckled. “Yeah, giving up donuts would be criminal.”
Etienne laughed. “Right?”
“So, what do you do in the IT department?”
“Nothing as glamorous as being a model, I can assure you.”
“I guard a parking garage. How bad could it be?”
“I keep the Vaile Industries website up and running.”
The guy’s eyes narrowed. “Like website design?”
Etienne snorted. “Not even that glamorous. No, I keep all the pages
updated.”
The guard frowned again. “Updated how?”
“Take the Christmas party for instance. Someone gives me the
information, and I put it on the company event page. On Monday, I’ll be
updating the same page for the New Year’s Eve party they are planning.
After that, it’s the Valentine’s Day party, and so on.”
“Okay, that makes sense. I suppose someone has to do it.”
“Exactly.” Etienne grinned. “It’s pretty easy work, most of which I can
do at home on my computer, and it has the added bonus of keeping a roof
over my head.”
“If you work from home, why are you here?”
“Christmas party. There was no way I was missing that.”
“That good, huh?”
“No. Free food.”
The guard tossed his head back and laughed.
Etienne smiled at the man’s amusement and then took another sip of his
tea. When he saw the headlights of a vehicle come around the corner, he
handed the cup back. “I think my cab is here. Thank you for the tea.”
“Hey, no problem. I always have—” The guy stopped speaking when a
large SUV screeched to a stop at the gate. He raced out of the shack to the
driver’s side door. “Sir.”
“Open the gate. The commander has been injured.” The driver’s eyes
went to the guard shack where Etienne was standing. “Your friend is going
to have to go. I want the place on lockdown.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard raced back into the shack and hit a button, which
opened the gate. He stared after the SUV as it took off into the parking
garage.
“What’s wrong?” Etienne asked. “Who was hurt?”
“My boss.”
“I’m so sorry.”
The guard’s lips thinned. “It’s a hazard of the business, I guess. The
commander is a strong guy. He’ll be okay.”
He didn’t sound so sure and Etienne didn’t know how to reassure him.
He didn’t even know the guy’s name.
“Your cab is here.”
Etienne glanced toward the street. Sure enough, a yellow cab was
sitting there next to the sidewalk. Etienne stepped close to the guard as he
headed for the door. He paused and looked up at the man. “I hope your boss
makes it.”
The man nodded, but didn’t say anything, so Etienne walked away. He
climbed into the cab and then watched out the window as it pulled away. He
hoped the guard was right and his commander was going to be okay. He
sounded like he really respected the guy.
Etienne hoped just as much to one day find someone who would be that
worried about him, but he doubted it would ever happen. He was an orphan
after his parents both died in a car accident a few years ago. He had no
siblings and he wouldn’t give the rest of his family the time of day on a bet.
He adored his parents and they had adored him right back. When he
came out when he was fifteen, they had fully supported him. The rest of the
family, however, became so nasty, his parents finally stopped having
anything to do with them.
He missed his parents something fierce.
He had no steady boyfriend, not even a fuck buddy. And apparently, he
didn’t even have a second date with the man of his dreams. Beyond a few
friends at school and at work, he was pretty much alone in this world, and
how sad was that?
Tonight, he felt just a little more alone than usual. He knew part of it
was the fact that the holidays were coming. Christmas was just a few days
away and he had no one to spend it with. Another part was the heavy ache
in his chest created from not measuring up once again.
Louis couldn’t have made it any clearer that there would be no next
time. Etienne was kind of surprised the guy hadn’t kicked him out right
after they were done. He was also kind of grateful. The worst words in
history were, “I’m done. You can go now.”
Etienne sighed and leaned his head against the glass. Snow had started
to lightly fall, blanketing the city in white. It was still early enough that not
many were out of the streets to disturb the white flakes. With the streetlights
twinkling, it was actually very pretty.
If he’d had his jacket, Etienne would have walked home just so he
could enjoy the peace and quiet. He could have used the time to not think.
Thinking was way overrated. It brought about too many things Etienne
didn’t want to have to deal with.
When the cab pulled up in front of his apartment building, Etienne
handed the driver a twenty-dollar bill and then climbed out. He didn’t care
about the change. He probably would later when he was trying to pay his
bills, but at the moment, he just wanted to go up to his apartment and wash
away what could quite possibly be the biggest mistake of his life.
 He shivered as he hurried inside the building and then rode the elevator
up to his apartment on the fourth floor. He loved his little apartment. He had
been lucky finding it. A one bedroom in this neighborhood usually went for
twice what he paid for his. He helped out around the place, doing light
maintenance, to keep his rent low.
Etienne didn’t think he was ever so grateful to be home as he was as he
let himself into his apartment. He made sure to turn all three bolt-action
locks on the door. While he lived in one of the nicer neighborhoods in the
city, he knew he could never be too safe. Bad things happened to people all
the time.
He walked straight through his apartment to the bathroom. After
stripping off the clothes he had worn to the party, Etienne climbed into the
shower. His heart ached as the proof of the night he had spent in Louis’s
arms washed away. He felt almost bereft, and how weird was that?
With each pass of his soaped-up scrubby, Etienne felt as if he was
washing away something important, something he could never get back. By
the time he was done, his tears had mixed with the water streaming down
his face.
Etienne’s mind wandered as he climbed out of the shower and dried off.
The entire evening played over in his head as he crawled into bed and
curled up under the covers. He was really starting to wish he had never
attended the Christmas party. At least then, he never would have known
what he was missing.
Now, he had a huge aching hole in his heart.
 Chapter Six
Louis growled as he wrapped his fingers around Aldrich’s throat and
yanked the younger vampire to him. He might have been injured, but he
was in no way down. “What do you mean he’s not there?”
“Sir,” Aldrich choked out as his face turned red. “I swear. I checked
every room. He’s not there.”
Louis snarled as he shoved Aldrich away. Etienne had to be there. Louis
had left the man peacefully sleeping in his bed. He’d even assigned a guard
to keep him safe. “Check the cameras.” They were everywhere. “If
someone took him, it’ll be on the surveillance video.”
“I’ll see to it personally, sir.”
Louis slumped back against the cushions of the exam bed. His lips
pressed into a thin line as he glanced at the doctor and gave him a curt nod.
“Do your examination.”
He wanted this over with so he could start the search for his rajaaka.
Someone had to have taken Etienne. It was the only way to explain the
man’s disappearance. Etienne knew he belonged to Louis. He had explained
it, maybe in not great detail, but well enough.
Etienne was his.
Louis clenched his hands to keep from shouting. He was going to kill
the fucker who took Etienne from him. There wouldn’t even be anything
left to identify. Louis was going to rip him limb from limb.
Louis laid there as still as he could and tried not to wince as the doctor
began his examination. Having his open wounds probed was not a pleasant
feeling. Having them cleaned was even worse.
He glanced toward the door when it opened, relieved to see that it was
Nikolas and Jon, and disappointed at the same time. He was hoping it was
Etienne. “Sir.”
The frown on Nikolas’s face deepened as he walked over to the side of
the bed. “What are your injuries?”
“Nothing to worry about, sire.”
Nikolas raised an eyebrow. “Not what I asked.”
Louis sighed before answering. “I was attacked, sire. I was stupid and
ran into a dead-end alley after a couple of rogues. They got the drop on me
before I could eliminate them.”
“But you did eliminate them?”
 “Of course.” Why was that even a question? He knew his duty.
“And your injuries?”
“Some claw marks on my sides. That’s all. Nothing that will keep me
from my duties, sir.”
Nikolas’s lips flattened into a thin angry line. “Don’t let it happen
again.”
“No, sir.” Louis could feel the weight of disappointment settling on his
chest. He knew he shouldn’t have gone into that alley alone when he had
done it. He had just wanted to get back to Etienne so badly, he had
apparently forgotten all common sense.
Nikolas stepped back and let Jon scoot forward. Louis eyed the guy
warily. His relationship with his prince’s consort wasn’t that good. Granted,
they had found a solid foundation in their desire to protect Nikolas, but
still…
He was surprised when Jon blinked several times when he stared down
at him. Jon smacked him lightly on the arm. “You’re fired. Don’t ever scare
me like that again.”
“Yes, sir. I won’t, sir.” Louis chuckled, and then groaned when pain
ripped through his side. No matter what Jon said, the man liked him. Louis
could tell.
Louis tensed when Aldrich came hurrying back into the room. “Well?”
“I’m sorry, sir. The video surveillance shows him leaving your quarters
of his own free will.”
“What?” Louis shouted as something sharp and aching ripped through
his chest.
“Who?” Nikolas asked.
“Etienne,” Louis replied. “He’s my rajaaka.”
Nikolas grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Maybe not.” Louis swallowed tightly to get rid of the bile building up
in his throat. “You heard Aldrich. He left my quarters of his own free will.”
The words killed him inside. His rajaaka had left him.
“Could he just be going home to shower and change?” Jon asked. “I
mean, if you met at the party last night, it’s not like he has anything here.
He probably just went home.”
“Maybe.” Although, Louis doubted it. The knot in his gut said this was
something far worse. “But, he still should have waited for me.”
 Louis would make sure, in the future, that his rajaaka was always safe,
always guarded. He would never again feel the outright terror that had
swept through him when he thought Etienne had been taken.
“Did you tell him who you were?”
Louis frowned. “I told him.”
Sort of.
“Let me guess,” Jon said. “You started spouting stuff like ‘mine for all
eternity’ and ‘you belong to me.’ Am I right?”
Louis growled when Nikolas chuckled at what his mate was saying.
“So, what if I did?”
“That’s what you guys always do,” Jon insisted. “You never think to
explain what you are or how important the bond is between you. I’d be
willing to bet just about anything, that right now, Etienne is sitting at home,
not understanding why he feels gutted being away from you. He probably
doesn’t even understand that there is a bond between you. He probably
thinks it was just a one-night stand.”
“But, I told him,” Louis insisted. “I asked him if he understood that he
would be mine forever.”
Jon snorted. “Yeah, I’ll just bet you did, but tell me this, was your dick
in his ass at the time? Did he think it was just sex talking or did he truly
understand what you were talking about?”
“I—” Louis snapped his mouth shut when Jon raised an eyebrow at
him. Could Etienne have misunderstood? “I have to find him.”
Louis started to sit up, but the doctor pushed him right back down on
the bed. “You’re not going anywhere for the next twenty-four hours. You
need to give those wounds time to heal.”
Louis almost snapped at the hand the doctor pressed against his chest.
Only the knowledge that Nikolas would skin him alive kept him from
attacking. “I need to find my rajaaka.”
“I will find him for you, Louis,” Nikolas said. “You rest and heal those
wounds so you’re in top shape. I think you’re going to need your strength if
your rajaaka is anything like mine.”
Louis blinked as his eyes widened dramatically. “Fate doesn’t hate me
that much.”
Jon snorted.
Nikolas just chuckled as he wrapped Jon up in his arms. “You only wish
you could be this lucky.”
 Actually, he kind of did. Nikolas and Jon hadn’t had an easy start of
things, but the love between them was the kind vampires dreamed of the
world over. Louis wanted the same type of bond with Etienne, assuming he
could find his mate.
“Please, sir. Etienne, he doesn’t understand the danger he’s in.” Louis
fear clogged his throat. If anything happened to Etienne, Louis doubted he
could come back from the devastation.
“I’ll find him, my friend,” Nikolas said. “I promise.”
“Well, wait,” Jon said, “doesn’t Etienne work for the company?”
“More than likely,” Nikolas replied. “Especially if he attended the party
last night.”
“Then I’d start there.”
Louis grinned. He knew he liked Jon for a reason.
Jon patted his shoulder. “You rest. I’m going to go start looking through
company personnel records. If he works for Vaile Industries, I’ll find him.”
Louis laid back against the pillows, but he doubted he would be able to
relax until he saw Etienne with his own eyes and knew the man was safe.
Now that they were mated, the chances of rogues attacking Etienne had
doubled. He was in danger whether he knew it or not.
“You get some rest,” Nikolas instructed.
Louis nodded, even if he doubted he could rest.
“Once he’s been given some blood to help him heal,” the doctor said,
“he shouldn’t need more than a few hours to be back on his feet.”
Nikolas pointed at Louis. “See that he doesn’t leave this bed until he’s
one hundred percent.”
“Yes, sir.” The doctor nodded. “I’ll go arrange for some blood now.”
Louis waited until Nikolas, Jon, and the doctor had left the room before
turning his head away and closing his eyes. He refused to let anyone see the
tears swimming in them. He didn’t even want to see them. Tears were a sign
of weakness, and as head of security for Vaile Industries, he couldn’t afford
to be weak.
Not even for his mate.
 Chapter Seven
It was all Etienne could do to drag himself out of bed when the alarm
went off on Monday morning. He seriously considered calling in sick to
work, but he needed every cent in his next paycheck. Rent was due soon,
and as nice as his landlord was, he had bills to pay, too. He didn’t want to
short the guy.
Still, when he walked into work an hour later and everyone in the IT
department turned to look at him, Etienne seriously gave thought to turning
around and going back home. He swallowed tightly as he made his way to
his workstation, trying to ignore the stares and words whispered behind his
back.
If he could have worked from home today, he would have.
Unfortunately, today was close to the end of the month and he needed to
physically sync up his laptop with the office computer. It was something he
was required to do twice a month.
Maybe he should have put it off a couple of more days, but he was
trying to get everything caught up before the holiday. He knew most
everyone would be heading off to spend Christmas with their families.
While Etienne didn’t have anyone to spend the holiday with, he refused to
allow his lazy ass to be the reason someone else couldn’t go.
Etienne glanced around as he set his laptop bag down on his desk. No
one was looking directly at him, but he still felt as if he had a thousand eyes
on him. His skin was crawling. Well, to be honest, his skin had been
crawling since he left his apartment this morning. He just wasn’t sure why.
“Hey, LeRuelle, heard you were the highlight of the Christmas party on
Saturday.”
Etienne rolled his eyes and started to pull his stuff out of his bag. He so
did not need to deal with Steve. He was the office gossip, bully, and
brownnoser. If he could get ahead by stabbing someone else in the back,
he’d do it in a heartbeat.
Etienne had never liked him.
“Also heard you might have made an impression on someone.”
Etienne turned to look at the guy. “Who?”
“LeRuelle!” someone shouted from behind him.
Etienne jumped. He pressed a hand to his chest as he turned to face his
supervisor. He wasn’t a huge fan of the man, but he didn’t hate him either.
Mr. Smyth just had the personality of a rabid dog with a box of dinosaur
bones. He did good work and he expected his employees to do the same, but
he didn’t have an ounce of mercy in his body.
“Yes, sir?”
“My office,” Mr. Smyth snapped. “Now!”
Crap.
Etienne swallowed again and then followed his supervisor to the man’s
office.
“Shut the door,” the man said as he walked around behind his desk.
There was no mistaking the stares Etienne received from the others in
the outer office when he walked over and shut the door. He wished Mr.
Smyth’s office didn’t look like one giant fishbowl. There were windows all
along the wall that looked right out into the employee area.
Etienne thought it made pretty good sense that his hands were freezing
as he clasped them behind him. He was suddenly cold right down to the
bone. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
The man picked up a file and flipped it open. “How long have you
worked here, LeRuelle?”
Etienne wished the guy would call him by his first name. Mr. Smyth
insisted it wasn’t appropriate. He followed protocol as if it was law.
“Almost two years, sir.”
“You have no reprimands in your personnel file, not even a write-up for
being late to work.”
“No, sir.”
Jeez, was he being fired?
The man slapped the file down on his desk. “Then why did I receive a
call this morning that you’ve been called upstairs?”
Etienne’s eyes rounded. “I’m being called upstairs?”
“Yes, it seems Mr. Vaile wants to speak to you personally.” Mr. Smyth
leaned his hands on his desk. “Now, why is that?”
Etienne started to shake his head until he remembered the party. His
throat suddenly felt as if it was going to close up. “I attended the Christmas
party on Saturday. Maybe it’s about that?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe?”
“I don’t know, sir,” Etienne quickly said when Mr. Smyth glared at him.
“I can’t think of any reason why Mr. Vaile would want to see me. I barely
know the man.”
 “But you do know him.”
Etienne shrugged. “I know of him.”
“Have you met him?”
“He shook my hand at the Christmas party.” Etienne had been too
intimidated by the imposing man to do more than stammer out a greeting. “I
met his…partner?” He wasn’t really sure what the man was to Mr. Vaile,
except that they were a couple. The warning glare in the shorter man’s eyes
had been a huge clue.
Mr. Smyth nodded. “Mr. Brighten is Mr. Vaile’s partner and personal
assistant.”
The way Mr. Smyth said that gave Etienne the idea that he wasn’t
happy about that. There was a hint of disgust in his voice. Etienne had no
idea if it was because Mr. Vaile and Mr. Brighten were both men, or
because Mr. Brighten worked for Mr. Vaile.
It didn’t really matter because it was really none of his business. As
long as the guy wasn’t abusing anyone or breaking any laws, what he did in
his life, personal and business, was his damn problem. Etienne had enough
on his own. He didn’t need to take on anyone else’s.
“Gather your stuff and go upstairs to Mr. Vaile’s office, and make sure
you take everything.” Mr. Smyth’s lips twisted into a grimace. “I doubt
you’ll be back.”
Etienne swallowed hard. He really needed this job. “Am I being fired,
sir?”
Mr. Smyth shook his head. “I can’t say. I was just told to have you
report upstairs.”
Etienne nodded, knowing there probably wasn’t anything his supervisor
could do. “Thank you,” he murmured as he turned to go.
“Etienne.”
Surprise at hearing his first name come out of his supervisor’s mouth
stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at the man. Once again, he was
surprised. Only this time, it was by the frown on Mr. Smyth’s face. “Sir?”
“I hope you come back. You’re a good worker.”
Etienne smiled. “Thank you, sir.”
There didn’t seem to be much else to say so Etienne turned again and
walked out of the office. The whispers in the air as he walked to his desk
were louder, but Etienne ignored them. He had bigger things to worry
about, like if he was going to have a job in the next ten minutes.
 Etienne gathered up all of his stuff. It wasn’t like there was a lot of it.
Besides the laptop bag he had brought with him to work, there was one
drawer with a few files and computer disks. Since he worked mostly from
home, Etienne preferred not bringing a bunch of stuff to work with him.
He shoved everything in his laptop bag and then slung the strap over his
shoulder and headed for the elevator. He seriously hoped this wasn’t going
to be the last time he was in this office. He so did not want to flip burgers.
The difference in pay would be the difference in part-time work and full
time.
“Get fired, did ya?”
Etienne figured he was about as close to being fired as he could
possibly be. He had nothing to lose. He flipped Steve off as he walked out
of the office. The sounds of laughter from the other employees followed
him out. It was probably going to be the one highlight of his day.
The elevators made it to Nikolas Vaile’s office all too quickly. Etienne
briefly considered hitting the down button just so he could give himself a
little bit more time, except he knew he just needed to get this over with.
If he was fired, it was better to know now so he could start looking for a
new job. It was still early. There were still a lot of job hunting hours left in
the day. Knowing he had no other choice, Etienne walked off the elevator
and crossed the large lobby to the receptionist’s desk.
“Hel—” Etienne cleared his throat before trying to speak again. “Hello,
my name is Etienne LeRuelle. I was told to report to Mr. Vaile’s office by
my supervisor.”
The older woman behind the desk flashed him a smile. “Of course, Mr.
LeRuelle. Mr. Vaile is expecting you.” She got up and started toward the
door behind her. “Please follow me.”
Crap.
There was a small part of Etienne that had hoped this was all some sort
of joke.
Apparently, it wasn’t.
Etienne gathered up his courage and followed after the receptionist. She
knocked once on the door and then waited for someone to give permission
to enter before she opened it up.
“Mr. LeRuelle, sir.”
“Good, good, bring him in.”
 Damn, Etienne recognized that voice. It was the same one that had
intimidated him so much at the Christmas party. He felt as if he was
walking naked into a lion’s den as he entered the spacious office. Even with
two desks and a seating area, it was still huge.
“Etienne LeRuelle, sir,” he said as he faced his boss. He couldn’t quite
meet the man’s eyes so he looked off just over his shoulder. “You asked to
see me?”
“Yes, yes.”
Etienne gulped when Mr. Vaile rose from behind his desk. He barely
stopped himself from taking a step back. “Sir?”
“Please, have a seat.” He waved his hand toward the small seating area.
It was a good thing he had been offered a seat because Etienne’s legs
were shaking. “I’m not quite sure why I’ve been called up to your office,
sir.”
Mr. Vaile’s smile seemed friendly enough. “Give me a second to call
my mate down here.”
Mate?
Once the man had made his phone call, he walked around to lean on the
front of his desk, his hands on either side of him. “Can I get you anything to
drink, Etienne?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you.” He doubted he’d be able to keep anything
down anyway. His stomach was one big knot. “Am I being fired, sir?”
“Fired?” Mr. Vaile’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that why you think you’ve
been called here?”
“I don’t know why I’ve been called here, sir.”
A frown creased the man’s forehead. “None of this was explained to
you?”
“No, sir. I was just told to gather my things and report to your office.”
“Bloody hell.” The man sighed heavily. “Okay, do you know a man
named Louis Redgrave?”
Etienne gasped. “Lou—Louis, sir?”
“The head of Vaile Industries security.”
Oh man.
“I know a Louis. I don’t know if it’s the same guy.” Etienne wasn’t sure
what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the smile that crossed his boss’s face.
“Is it the same guy, sir?”
“Yes, and stop with the sir thing. Call me Nikolas.”
 Etienne’s eyebrows rose. “Sir?”
“We’re going to be friends, Etienne.”
“We are?” Holy hell. Had he been sucked into a black hole or what?
Nikolas’s smile broadened. “We are.”
Etienne suddenly got a very bad, sinking feeling in the pit of his gut.
“Uh, sir, you’re a good-looking guy and all, but—”
Nikolas tossed his head back and deep, rich laughter filled the large
office. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to be that type of friends. My mate
would have my balls ripped off and fed to me if I even looked at another
man.”
“You’re damn skippy!”
Etienne jumped and swung around, gulping when he saw Nikolas’s
partner walk into the room. He hadn’t realized the guy was there until he
said something.
He walked in as if he owned the place—considering who he was, he
probably did—and stopped in front of Nikolas. He leaned up and pressed a
kiss to his lover’s lips that went on so long, Etienne began to grow
uncomfortable.
“I’m Jon Brighten, but you can call me Jon.”
“Etienne,” he said as he shook the guy’s hand.
“Did you tell him yet?” Jon asked.
“I was just about to,” Nikolas replied.
Etienne almost wished he knew what in the hell was going on when
both men turned to look at him. “Tell me what?”
Please don’t say fired. Please don’t say fired.
“Louis is looking for you and has been since Saturday night.”
Etienne’s eyes bugged. “Louis is looking for me?”
Nikolas and Jon both nodded.
“Why?” he asked. The man had left him alone in his bed. That had
pretty much been a clue that Louis had wanted him gone. Why would Louis
be looking for him now?
A sudden blinding fury filled him as he realized why Louis might be
looking for him. “If he says I took something from his apartment, he’s
lying.”
Jon snickered. “Told ya Louis didn’t explain it well enough.”
Etienne was so confused. “Explain what?”
 Chapter Eight
Louis growled when the phone rang. He really wasn’t in the mood to
deal with anyone right now. He knew he had said he’d let Jon handle
finding Etienne, but the waiting was killing him. Etienne never should have
been missing in the first place. He should have been sleeping peacefully in
Louis’s bedroom, guarded by one of his sentries.
When the phone stopped ringing, Louis blew out a relieved breath. He
wasn’t exactly up to his ears in work. Aldrich could do the day-to-day stuff
if needed. Louis just needed work to keep his mind off his lost mate.
He couldn’t get it out of his head that the rogues were planning
something. The latest attacks had all been diversions. They were after
something and Louis would be damned if he stopped looking until he
figured out what it was.
When the phone rang again, Louis sent it a glare. Fed up, he picked it
up and held it to his ear. “What”
“Be nice to me,” Jon said, “or I won’t tell you where Etienne is.”
Louis groaned as he pulled his hand down his face. “My apologies, Jon.
I was frustrated by some issues at work. I didn’t mean to take it out on
you.”
“What issues?”
“Security matters,” he replied. “Nothing for you to be worried about.”
“I’m worried about my security, Louis.”
Louis suddenly realized he had given Jon the impression he wasn’t safe.
“No, no, you’re perfectly safe, Jon. You and Nikolas both are. I’m trying to
figure out this rogue thing, that’s all.”
“That’s quite a bit, Louis.”
Jon had no idea.
“And as soon as I have something worth reporting, I swear I will bring
both you and Nikolas up to speed, but for now, can you please tell me
where my mate is?”
Jon sighed. Louis was pretty sure he was doing it just to piss him off.
“Please, Jon?”
See, he could be nice.
“Fine,” Jon said. “He’s in Nikolas’s office.”
Louis pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment
after Jon hung up on him. One of these days, he was going to strangle that
man.
He hung up the phone and jumped to his feet before quickly racing out
of the security command center. He didn’t even take time to tell Aldrich
where he was going. Hopefully, the guy would figure it out.
While Louis had tried to keep it a secret as long as possible, word had
still leaked out that his mate had gone missing. Louis had heard the
whispers and seen the stares. If he didn’t get Etienne back soon, he could
lose his standing in his tribe.
A vampire who couldn’t hold onto his rajaaka was no vampire. He was
considered weak, worthless. Even worse than that, he was considered
impotent and unable keep his mate satisfied. Because of Louis’s position in
the tribe, others would seek to challenge him, thinking him vulnerable
without his mate.
That kind of thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth. Louis hadn’t
realized that fact until he had found his own rajaaka and then lost him. If
anything, he felt as if he was all that more lethal because he had anger to
burn.
Louis climbed onto the elevator and hit the button to take him to
Nikolas’s office, then stood back and watched the digital numbers on the
floor pad go up. He clenched his hands into tighter fists the higher the
number went.
He had worked himself into quite the agitated state by the time the
elevator doors slid open. His nostrils flared with restrained rage as he
stepped off the elevator and made a beeline for Nikolas’s office.
“Sir, sir!” Nikolas’s secretary said in an ever-louder voice as Louis
stomped right past her. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”
“Watch me.” Louis pushed the door open. He scanned the interior of the
office as soon as he stepped inside. He didn’t know what he expected, but it
certainly wasn’t the sight of his rajaaka sitting comfortably on one of the
couches talking with Jon.
He wanted to go to the man, but something held him where he was. All
he could do was stand there and take in the fact that Etienne was here and
unharmed. He might have taken his first good breath since Saturday night.
“He has no idea.”
Louis leaned his head toward Nikolas, but he couldn’t bring himself to
tear his eyes away from Etienne. The man really was stunning to look at.
Quite possibly the handsomest man Louis had ever seen.
 “No idea about what?”
“Who you are or what he means to you.” Nikolas shook his head. “He
thinks you both had a one-night stand and your leaving him alone in your
apartment didn’t help things any.”
Louis frowned, finally giving Nikolas his full attention. “I didn’t want
to go, but you know I had to.”
“I get it, Louis.” Nikolas pointed toward the two men still talking on the
couch. “But I don’t think he does.”
Louis’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back at his rajaaka. He’d make
sure Etienne understood the bond between them, one way or another. Louis
pulled his cell phone out and dialed Aldrich.
“Sir?”
“I have found my rajaaka and will be returning to my quarters with
him. You will be in charge of security until further notice. Assign two
guards to my door. And Aldrich, I expect them to be there before we get
there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Louis hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. “If you’ll excuse
me, sir. I believe I need to have a conversation with my rajaaka.”
“Just remember, Louis, he’s human. He has no concept of the bond
between you nor does he understand the world he is now in. Depending on
his ability to accept this new world, you might need to be gentle with him.”
Louis’s eyebrows snapped together in a deep frown as he turned to look
at Nikolas. “I would never harm my rajaaka.” He was insulted that his
prince could even consider that he would.
Nikolas’s smile was as confusing as it was infuriating. “These humans
are not like us, Louis. They do not understand the need to follow laws and
traditions. They believe more in stubbornness and freedom of will.”
Yeah, Louis had seen that in Jon. The man was certifiably insane. He
had no problem telling a vampire were to stick it. He just didn’t seem to
care that he was the weaker species or that vampires had more history and
traditions than humans could ever conceive of.
The only thing he seemed to truly care about was Nikolas, so maybe his
prince had something with his words of wisdom.
“I will try,” Louis promised. He couldn’t promise much beyond that.
His first instinct was to chain Etienne to his bed as vampires used to do with
their human mates. Seemed like a really good idea to him.
 Louis left Nikolas and stalked across the large office toward his
rajaaka. Jon’s eyes widened when he spotted Louis. And Louis knew
exactly what moment Etienne realized he was there. He stiffened and then
slowly turned, his eyes growing even rounder than Jon’s.
“Louis,” he whispered.
At least the man knew his name.
Louis walked over in front of Etienne with the intention of asking him
if they could go somewhere and talk, but one whiff of his mate’s alluring
scent, combined with the outright terror he had felt up until this very
second, made Louis rash.
He grabbed Etienne and picked him up, tossing the guy over his
shoulder. Jon gasped, but Nikolas just smiled and opened the office door for
him. Etienne started to wiggle when Louis carried him out of the office.
“Let me go!”
Louis smacked Etienne on the ass. He wanted to do more with the
nicely rounded globes under his hand, but they were in public. Instead, he
kept a firm hold of Etienne’s waist with one hand, and a firm hold of his ass
with the other.
“Where are you taking me?”
Louis grinned at the indignation he could hear in Etienne’s voice.
“Home.”
“Put me down!” Etienne shouted as he started to wiggle again, kicking
out with his feet.
Louis grunted as one lucky kick got him in the gut. He stepped inside
the elevator and hit the button to take him to his floor. The second the doors
closed, Louis swung Etienne around and slammed him into the wall, but
gently. He pinned the smaller man there with his bulkier body and then
leaned in until they were nose to nose.
Etienne’s deep emerald eyes were huge, dominating his pale face.
“Do you remember when I said you were mine?”
Etienne gulped before nodding. “Y-yes.”
“Do you remember when I said you would be mine for all eternity?”
Etienne nodded again.
Louis dipped his head down and licked over the bite mark he had left in
Etienne’s shoulder. He smiled when the man shuddered against him. “I told
you then, and I’ll tell you now,” he whispered into Etienne’s ear. “You are
mine, Etienne. I am keeping you.”
 “But…”
“But what, kitya?”
“You left.”
Louis sighed as he leaned back to look into Etienne’s eyes. “I am head
of security for Vaile Industries. There was a security issue I had to deal
with.”
He wasn’t quite ready to tell the man about vampires yet. He would, but
he wanted to assert his claim on his rajaaka first.
“I was coming right back.” Louis narrowed his eyes at the remembered
anger he had felt. “I expected you to be in my bed when I did.”
“I thought—”
“You thought what we had was a one-night stand.”
Etienne nodded.
“It wasn’t.”
Etienne drew in a shaky breath. “It wasn’t?”
There was so much hope in that tone that it waylaid any remaining
resentment Louis felt about Etienne leaving him. “No, kitya, this is not a
one-night stand. It’s an eternity.”
And Louis intended to show him just that. When the elevator doors slid
open, Louis swung Etienne back up over his shoulder and marched off the
elevator. His quarters were only a few doors down from the elevator so it
was just a few steps away. Louis nodded to the two guards standing at
attention on either side of the door before carrying his mate inside.
He made a beeline for the bedroom. He was glad he had such a large
bed. He tossed Etienne into the middle of it, and even when he bounced he
still never reached the edge.
“Watch me, kitya.” Louis stood at the bottom of the bed and began to
strip off his clothes. Only years of fine-honed control kept him from
attacking his mate when he saw the fire igniting in Etienne’s eyes. It was
good that his mate found him attractive, but that heated look singed Louis
right to his toes.
“Do you like what you see, kitya?”
Louis preened just a bit when Etienne nodded enthusiastically. His mate
should be aroused by him, but this was something else. The scent of
Etienne’s arousal permeated the air, cloaking Louis in a haze of red-hot lust.
Once Louis had dropped every stitch of clothing on the floor, he palmed
his cock and gave a few long tugs. Etienne’s eyes followed his movement,
licking his lips. Louis stroked his finger over the tip, swiping up a drop of
pre-cum. He held it out to Etienne. “Do you want a taste, kitya?”
Etienne’s eyes flickered to his for a moment before he rolled to his
hands and knees. The sensual movement of Etienne’s body as he crawled to
the end of the bed was almost Louis’s undoing. The man moved like liquid
sex.
When Etienne stuck his tongue out and licked the drop of cum off his
finger, Louis had to reach down and squeeze the base of his cock to keep
from coming.
Louis grabbed Etienne and pulled him to the edge of the bed before
reaching for the buttons on the man’s shirt. He felt the air in his lungs seize
as he bared his mate to his hungry gaze. Etienne had miles of golden tanned
skin that Louis had the urge to lick.
He took the time to explore Etienne’s silky skin with his hands as he
pushed the shirt off Etienne’s shoulders. He dropped the shirt to the floor
and then stroked his hands down over Etienne’s narrow shoulders to his
beautifully sculpted chest.
Two lightly brown-hued round disks caught Louis’s attention. He kept
his eyes locked with Etienne’s as he leaned down and nipped at one.
Etienne’s nostrils flared but not a sound escaped the man’s tight lips.
That would change.
Louis slid down to the floor and reached for Etienne’s dress shoes. He
heard Etienne chuckle when he pulled one shoe off and tossed it over his
shoulder, and then the other one.
Etienne’s laughter stopped when Louis reached for the zipper on his
slacks. The bulge in Etienne’s pants pulsed and grew as Louis slowly pulled
the zipper down to reveal one of the prettiest cocks he had ever seen. It was
thick, long, and dripping.
He had not faired bad in the mate department. Etienne was stunning.
Louis pushed himself to his feet and pointed to the bed. “Make yourself
comfortable, rajaaka.”
Etienne just sat there and stared at him until Louis paused.
“Etienne?”
Etienne’s eyes widened for a moment and then his face flushed as if he
had been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. Louis smirked as
the man scrambled to get on the bed. Etienne was in for more than a few
surprises.
 Louis watched as Etienne scooted back and got settled in the middle of
the bed, then raised his eyes to meet Etienne’s lust-filled ones. The heat in
his mate’s eyes warmed Louis as nothing ever had. His breath hitched in his
throat, stealing the words he had been about to speak.
He went with action instead.
Louis grabbed his hard cock and gave it a long slow stroke. He saw the
instant Etienne became aware of what he was doing. The man’s eyes
dropped to his cock and a soft flush filled his face. But it was the way that
Etienne’s cock pulsed and jerked that drew Louis’s attention.
“Do you like what you see, rajaaka?” Louis gave his cock another long
stroke from root to tip and then back down again. His balls felt heavy, achy.
The need to sink his shaft into Etienne’s welcoming body was almost
overwhelming.
Etienne’s breathing seemed to stutter in his chest the more he watched
Louis caressing himself, which told Louis a lot of things. Etienne enjoyed
watching. That gave Louis all sorts of ideas.
Louis walked to the nightstand and grabbed the tube of lube he kept in
the drawer. He tossed it down on the bed and climbed on. He slowly made
his way up until he hovered over the top of his mate, his hands planted on
either side of the man’s head and his body nestled between Etienne’s thighs.
“You’re going to like this, rajaaka,” Louis whispered. “Promise.”
Before Etienne could protest or even speak, Louis lowered his head and
claimed the man’s lips. The first kiss was searing, burning right through
Louis’s body to his soul. There was no slow start and gradual increase in
intensity. It went straight to blazing the second Etienne’s tongue touched
Louis’s.
Louis moved his mouth away from Etienne’s and slowly kissed a trail
down the man’s neck to his chest. Louis moved his free hand down between
their bodies, tracing his fingers over Etienne’s hard cock.
Etienne spread his thighs wider, encouraging more touching. Louis used
his thumb to rub over the man’s leaking tip. Pumping the entire length with
his hand, he used every trick he knew to build Etienne’s pleasure.
When Etienne arched off the bed and a breathless moan escaped his
lips, Louis scooted down his body to the hard erection dribbling pre-cum
along his stomach. Swallowing the erection to the root, Louis held Etienne’s
hips down, uncaring of the bruising force he used.
 He sucked ferociously, needing to feel his mate’s seed in his mouth. He
needed to taste his mate’s surrender. He massaged the delicate sac below
Etienne’s cock as he flicked his tongue over the slit at the head the man’s
long shaft and was rewarded by the tightening of Etienne’s body.
Louis grabbed the lube and slicked his fingers up. He slid one finger in
and out of Etienne’s tight ass slowly, adding a second one when he thought
his mate could take it. He pressed in a little more each time, until Etienne
was rocking back and forth, begging for more.
As Louis’s throat massaged his length and he fucked the man with his
fingers, Etienne came, shouting out Louis’s name. Louis continued to suck
his pulsing cock until Etienne shuddered against him.
Louis moved up between Etienne’s thighs and positioned his cock at
Etienne’s opening. He looked down and met Etienne’s emerald eyes, slowly
pushing inside the man’s tight ass. Once he was all the way in, he groaned
as his cock was enveloped in tight, wet heat.
Louis paused, hands braced on either side of Etienne’s head, and stared
down into the man’s handsome face. “Mine,” he growled possessively,
feeling something wild and feral take hold of him, forcing him to claim his
mate inside and out.
“Yours, petjya.”
Louis grinned. Etienne remembered.
He thrust forward, sinking into Etienne’s silky depths before pulling
back and doing it again. Etienne wrapped one of his legs around Louis’s
thigh, and they rocked together for a little moment, caressing each other,
stroking slick skin, exploring how each of them felt against the other.
Louis could feel Etienne’s tight grip rippling around him, searing him,
bringing him to the brink of abyss. He gripped Etienne’s hips as he began to
move harder, moving faster and deeper with each thrust. He felt Etienne’s
ass clench tightly around his cock, building the pleasure growing inside of
Louis, until it pooled in his balls and drew them up tight to his body.
“Louis.” Etienne titled his head back and bared his throat. “Please.”
Louis groaned. He doubted Etienne fully understood what he was
offering, but he wasn’t about to say no. He leaned down and sank his fangs
into the soft flesh of Etienne’s throat. Sweet, hot blood splashed across
Louis’s tongue, bringing a wave of pleasure and completeness unlike
anything he had ever felt.
 With a flurry of hard and rapid thrusts, Louis froze, buried as deep
inside of Etienne’s ass as he could get. He pulled his fangs from Etienne’s
tender flesh, tossed his head back, and roared out his completion, flooding
Etienne’s inner passage with his own hot seed. He heard Etienne cry out and
looked down just in time to see the man’s cum spill out over his stomach.
After a few moments—and several deep breaths—Louis pulled his cock
from Etienne’s ass and dropped down beside the man. He smiled knowingly
as he watched Etienne try to catch his breath. The sex had been fantastic.
Now, he just had to convince his mate that they belonged together.
Or chain him to the bed.
“So,” Etienne asked, “does this whole rajaaka thing mean I’m going to
be a vampire, too?”
 Chapter Nine
Etienne held his breath when Louis jerked against him. Maybe he
shouldn’t have asked, except he seriously wanted to know. It kind of made
sense, anyway. Everything he had ever seen on TV said when a vampire bit
you, assuming they didn’t drain you of your blood and life, you became a
vampire.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to be a vampire. He loved sunsets and
walking around the park, enjoying the sunshine. He didn’t like blood, not
the taste of it or the smell of it, and certainly not the idea of drinking it.
He refused to give up chocolate.
Just wasn’t going to happen.
“Can you eat real food?”
“Can I…” Louis has a scowl on his face as he rolled to a sitting
position. “How in the hell do you know about vampires?”
“Well, duh, you bit me.”
It had not been a hard concept to grasp.
“Plus, you’re head of Vaile Industries and everyone knows vampires
run the company.” Well, maybe not everyone, but the rumor mill ran
rampant with gossip. After Louis had bitten him, it hadn’t been too hard to
put the clues together.
“So, if you knew you were my rajaaka all this time, then why did you
run from me?”
Uh… “What’s a rajaaka?”
Louis’s eyes widened for a moment before he moved to the side of the
bed. The dejected slump of his shoulders made Etienne’s gut clench. No
man as strong and powerful as Louis should look that sad.
Etienne quickly moved to wrap himself around Louis from behind. “I’m
sorry.”
He wasn’t sure exactly why he was sorry, just that he felt he should be.
For a moment, Louis didn’t move. Etienne started to wonder if the man
had even heard him, and if he had, if he cared. But then Louis reached up
and patted the arm Etienne had wrapped around his throat.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Etienne. I guess I expected
to have to explain this all to you and now that you already know, I’m not
sure what to say.”
 “Well, you could explain to me what being your rajaaka means. You
could tell me if I’m going to become a vampire now, because I’m not sure if
I can give up sunsets.” Etienne wiggled around until he could straddle
Louis’s thighs. “And seriously, can we talk about chocolate because I’ll be
damned if I give that up.”
Louis chuckled. “You don’t have to give up chocolate.”
Oh, thank god!
“What about sunsets?”
“You can see as many sunsets as you wish.” Louis cupped Etienne’s
face between his hands. “You’re not going to become a vampire, Etienne. I
promise. You must be born a vampire. Humans cannot be converted by
getting bitten by a vampire or in any other manner.”
“Huh.” Etienne frowned. “I guess the movies got that wrong.”
Louis chuckled again. “They got a lot of things wrong, but I do enjoy
watching them.”
Etienne started to smile. “You like watching vampire movies?”
“I do,” Louis admitted. “I find them very amusing.”
Etienne’s grin grew. “I could see that.”
Louis brushed a kiss across his lips, making Etienne shudder as his cock
hardened. He didn’t understand how he could be so attracted to one man so
swiftly. The mere touch of Louis’s hands on his body and he was ready to
bend over for the man. The thought of never seeing Louis again gutted him.
Etienne drew in a shaky breath when Louis leaned away. He seriously
needed to get control of his libido before he jumped the guy and demanded
to be fucked. There were things he needed to know.
“So, tell me what it means to be your rajaaka.”
“It means you are the other half of my soul.”
Well, damn.
“Very few vampires are lucky enough to find their bond mates, the one
meant only for them. Now that the bond between us has been formed, I will
never be alone again. I will have a connection to you for the rest of my life
because you were made just for me.”
Double damn.
“Is that why I felt so unsettled?” Etienne asked.
Louis’s brow creased with a frown. “You felt unsettled?”
Etienne shrugged. “The pit of my stomach felt like one big knot until I
saw you again, and I itched like I had eaten something that was giving me
hives, except I didn’t have any hives.”
Louis grimaced as he pulled Etienne close. “My apologies, kitya. I
should have found you sooner.”
Etienne pressed his face into Louis’s neck and drew in a deep breath.
“You smell really good.”
Pure sex. That was the only definition Etienne could think of. Louis
smelled like sex. Like really good sex. Great sex. Raunchy, curl-your-toes
sex.
God, he wanted sex.
Etienne tried to wiggle closer. He groaned when his aching cock found
friction against Louis’s rock-hard abs. Louis’s hot skin tingled against him.
Etienne grabbed onto Louis’s wide shoulders and rutted against him.
Louis chuckled as he grabbed Etienne’s ass. “Somebody’s hungry.”
Hungry didn’t even begin to describe the lust burning through Etienne’s
body. He felt as if an entire forest fire had ignited in his gut and was
burning right down into his soul. The soft rasp of hair rubbing against his
dick was driving him crazy.
“Louis.”
“Petjya, remember?”
Etienne nodded. He’d have to ask Louis what that meant, but later.
Much later. Right now, he had something else in mind. The calluses on
Louis’s hand felt great against his skin. Etienne moaned and pushed his
body up into Louis.
“Please, petjya.”
His words seemed to do the trick. Etienne gasped as he was lifted up
and then brought back down, impaled on Louis’s hard cock. He tightened
his hands on the man’s shoulders. He was stretched out from their previous
bout of sex, but there was still a small burn.
Etienne groaned, overcome by how large the man actually was. His
inner muscles clamped down on the thick cock pushing slowly into him.
Etienne just didn’t know if they were trying to keep Louis out or invite him
in.
The more Louis filled him, the more Etienne’s body seemed to accept
him. His body clenched. Little spasms of pure pleasure rocked through him,
one right after the other. Etienne felt like he was burning from the inside
out.
 He panted heavily as Louis started pounding into him, the man’s
massive cock rubbing against Etienne’s sweet spot with every move. His
senses were starting to overload as waves of ecstasy throbbed through him
with each forceful thrust.
“Do you like that, kitya?” Louis asked in a rough, growly voice.
“Yes,” Etienne hissed. His body cried out for release and he was so very
close. The hands that Louis stroked over his sensitive skin drove Etienne’s
desire higher, but it wasn’t quite enough to send him over the edge. Etienne
needed just a bit more.
“Louis, please.”
Tickles of pleasure shot through Etienne’s body when Louis licked the
side of his throat then licked his way down to Etienne’s shoulder.
“Do you want me to bite you, kitya?” Louis asked right before he
scraped his teeth over Etienne’s shoulder. “Do you want to feel my fangs in
you?”
“Please, petjya.”
Etienne shattered into a million glowing stars when he felt sharp teeth
sink into the soft skin of his shoulder. The pleasure was pure and explosive.
The thrust of Louis’s cock, the touch of his hands, and the fangs embedded
in his shoulder all sent Etienne into deeper ecstasy.
Louis withdrew his teeth. Etienne gasped when the man used one of his
claws to cut a line across his heart. “Louis, what—”
“Drink, rajaaka, please,” Louis ordered in a gruff voice. “Make our
bond unbreakable.”
It seemed a little gross, but if it was something so important to Louis,
Etienne knew he couldn’t deny him. Keeping his eyes locked with Louis,
Etienne leaned forward and licked at the small trail of blood trickling out of
the cut the man had made in his skin.
The moment the blood hit his system, Etienne’s mind clouded with a
haze. Reds and blues, greens and pinks. Every color of the rainbow flashed
through him until the haze suddenly settled on a white so pure it almost
blinded him.
He cried out as a stabbing pain hit his head. A moment later it
disappeared, and he blinked rapidly. As the haze began to clear, Etienne felt
a pressure in his head, a soft whisper of a presence. It was something he’d
never felt before.
 “My rajaaka!” Louis roared. The cock in Etienne’s ass throbbed and a
fiery sensation filled him. A loud roar echoed through the room as the man
made one last powerful thrust and filled Etienne with his release.
A few moments later, Louis’s arms tightened around him almost to the
point of pain. Etienne didn’t have the energy to protest when Louis pulled
away from him and gently laid him down on the mattress.
Louis climbed from the bed and disappeared, coming back a moment
later with a warm cloth which he used to clean Etienne and then himself.
Etienne’s eyes felt heavy as he looked over at the man. He felt lethargic,
exhausted. His body had been thoroughly used, every wonderfully aching
inch. He just wanted to sleep.
“Louis,” Etienne whispered.
Louis smiled, crawling up onto the bed next to Etienne. He pulled
Etienne into his arms and pressed his head down. Etienne rubbed his face in
the mass of black hair in Louis’s chest until he found a comfortable spot,
then closed his eyes.
“Close your eyes, my rajaaka,” Louis murmured. “I will watch over
you.”
Etienne smiled. That was actually kind of nice. He couldn’t remember
the last time someone had offered to watch over him, maybe not since his
parents passed away.
“Will you need to drink my blood a lot or is it just something you do
during sex?”
“I do not need to drink your blood, kitya. While the human world sees
Vaile Industries as a company which produces synthetic blood for hospitals
across the globe, we are the major supplier of synthetic blood to vampires
around the world. It keeps us from drinking the blood of humans, which is
forbidden except under extreme circumstances.”
Etienne gasped as he leaned up to look at Louis. “Will you get in
trouble for drinking from me?”
“No.” Louis chuckled. “You are my rajaaka. That makes you special.”
Etienne blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“Not to worry, Etienne. It is very erotic for my kind to take blood
during sex. It heightens the feeling for both of us, raises our awareness and
the pleasure we bring to each other. Only I may drink from you and never to
the point where you could be harmed.”
“Do you need to drink blood often?”
 “No, now we are bonded, a few drops of your blood will sustain me far
longer than any other blood I could drink. I take your blood to sustain my
life and to cement the bond between us. By giving your blood to me, you
give me life. I give you life in return every time I make love to you and
your body accepts my semen. It prolongs your life to match mine.”
Etienne’s eyes narrowed. “And that means what?”
“You will live as long as I do, which will hopefully be a very long time.
I am already three hundred and twenty years old. I plan to live a lot longer.”
Etienne’s eyes rounded. “You’re three hundred and twenty years old?”
“I am.”
“Damn, you look good for a geezer.”
Louis chuckled. “As long as you continue to receive my essence, your
aging will stop. You will look this good in three hundred years, as well.”
Etienne didn’t know what to say to that except, “So, your cum is like
the fountain of youth?”
“I suppose you could put it that way.”
Etienne’s eyes narrowed again, this time in a threatening glare. “You’re
not sharing it with anyone else, are you?”
“No, kitya. You are my fated mate. There is no one else for me. Just
you.”
Etienne gulped as something in his chest swelled. “Just me?” he
whispered.
“I pledge to thee my love and faith,” Louis said. “I offer my life to thee,
my blood for yours. I’ll be your night as you shall be my day. I’ll stay with
you forever, my love, my rajaaka. I pledge this oath for all eternity. To the
world, may we be one soul.”
Etienne blinked rapidly to dispel the moisture that had gathered in his
eyes. “Those words are beautiful.”
“They are my pledge to you, Etienne. They are more than just the
ancient words of my kind. They bind us together.”
“How?” Etienne asked.
“As a vampire, I can lose control if I become enraged or get injured.
You will calm me, help me maintain my control. You will keep me from
hurting anyone.” Louis grinned. “You will be my solace, my reason for
being stronger and faster, for destroying anyone who threatens our world.”
Louis breathed in deep then exhaled a shaky breath. “You are my
rajaaka.”
 Etienne jerked when he heard Louis in his head, but the man’s lips
didn’t move. “Louis? I heard you in my head.”
“Yes,” Louis said silently. “I can hear you when you speak to me, but
do not worry, your thoughts are your own. You have to actually project your
thoughts to me in order for me to hear them.”
“Can anyone else hear you or me?”
“No, kitya.” Louis’s hand brushed against the bite mark on Etienne’s
throat. “This is for mates only.”
“And that’s us, right?” Etienne wasn’t sure. “We’re mates?”
Louis grinned. “We are. You will bring me calm and peace while I will
give you strength and power. You are my everything.”
He had never been someone’s everything.
 Chapter Ten
Louis growled when his phone rang. He quickly reached over to the
nightstand and grabbed it, turning the ringer off before it woke Etienne.
They had made love long into the night. The man needed his rest.
He glanced at the screen, grimacing when he saw who was calling.
After swiping his finger across the screen, he held the phone up to his ear.
“What?”
“Sorry, sir,” Aldrich said, “but we’ve had another development.”
Damn.
Louis carefully extracted himself from the tight hold Etienne had on
him and then rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. “Was anyone hurt?”
“Unknown, sir,” Aldrich replied. “The last patrol failed to report in and
there’s been no sign of them since they left for the western border a couple
of hours ago.”
“The western border this time?”
“Yes, sir.”
Interesting.
“Have you sent out another patrol to track them down?”
“Yes, sir. I did that before contacting you. They checked in ten minutes
ago.”
“And they saw nothing?”
“No, sir, nothing.”
Louis sighed as he pushed a hand through his hair. He knew the rogues
were up to something. He just couldn’t seem to get a bead on it. The clues
said an attack was imminent. Louis could feel it. He just couldn’t quite
figure out where it was coming from.
“Is Dietrich on duty?”
“Not yet, sir. He’s due to go out with the next shift.”
“Tell him to gear up and then send him to my quarters.”
“Yes, sir.” Aldrich was silent for a moment before asking, “Can I ask
why, sir?”
“I’m putting him on guard duty.” Louis glanced back over his shoulder
to his sleeping mate. “Etienne needs the protection.” Whether he wanted it
or not.
“Wouldn’t Stefan be better, sir?”
 Louis understood the question. Stefan was a pretty even-tempered
vampire. He could laugh at a joke and seldom held a grudge. Dietrich
would sooner punch someone in the face, and the man held a grudge that
could last decades.
“Stefan is still healing from his injuries. I need someone at full
strength.” He refused to accept anything less than the best to protect his
rajaaka.
“Are you sure, sir?”
“Yes.” Dietrich might be a grumpy bastard, but he was one of the best
fighters they had. The man had lightning-fast reflexes and a gut instinct for
trouble. If anyone could keep Etienne safe, it was Dietrich. “I’ll expect him
in ten minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Louis hung up and then turned to look at his mate. One of these days,
he wanted to actually wake up in bed with his mate instead of leaving him
before they could actually have a morning together.
Louis set his phone on the nightstand and then leaned down to press a
kiss to Etienne’s cheek. “Kitya,” he whispered.
Etienne’s eyelashes fluttered before lifting. Louis’s breath caught at the
bright smile that crossed Etienne’s lips when the man saw him. He couldn’t
remember anyone ever being so happy to see him. It gave him a warm
feeling deep inside, one he tucked away to hold onto.
“Hey,” Etienne said in a soft tone.
“I have to go to work, kitya.” His heart ached when the smile fell off of
Etienne’s lips. “One of my patrols didn’t report in.”
Etienne frowned as he sat up and then rubbed his hands over his face.
He drew in a breath and then blew it out. “Do you think something
happened to them?”
“I do.” He wasn’t going to lie to his mate.
“Just how dangerous is your job?”
How to answer that…
“Sometimes it can be very dangerous, but most of the time I simply
smash heads together to keep others from being idiots.”
Etienne chuckled. “Kind of like you did at the Christmas party?”
Louis grinned. “Exactly like I did at the Christmas party.”
“How much danger will you be in?”
 Again with the not-lying thing, but wishing he could. “I won’t lie to
you, it could be very dangerous, but I want you to know that I’ve been
doing this for a very long time. I am well trained. I will be safe.”
“I’d be very upset if something happened to you.”
Louis couldn’t have prevented himself from grinning even if the room
had been filled with rogues. “I will do everything within my power to
ensure that does not happen.”
Etienne lifted an eyebrow. “See that you do.”
Louis was unable to help himself. He leaned in and stole a kiss. “I
promise, kitya.”
And now for the other part of this…
Louis stood up and walked to his dresser to grab clean clothes and
started pulling them on. “I’ve arranged for one of my sentries to stay with
you while I’m gone.”
Etienne’s eyebrows drew together as he frowned again. “Am I in
danger?”
Louis sighed as walked over and sat on the side of the bed. He grabbed
Etienne and pulled the man into his arms. He tucked Etienne’s head under
his chin and rubbed his hand up and down the middle of his back. “I live in
a volatile world, Etienne. While I’d like to think you are perfectly safe
inside these walls, I will not take the chance with your safety. You mean too
much to me.”
“We barely know each other.” Etienne’s warm breath blew out against
Louis’s skin as he spoke, making Louis shiver in response. “How can you
—”
“You are my rajaaka. You speak to my soul. You calm me and bring me
a peace I haven’t felt in a century. That’s how I know.”
Etienne leaned back. His eyes flickered up to Louis’s for a moment
before dropping to his throat, almost as if he didn’t have the courage to look
Louis directly in the eyes. His fingers fiddled with the collar of Louis’s
shirt. “You make me feel safe, something I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Not as long as you, but…”
Louis closed his eyes as he hugged his mate to him, the man’s words
sinking deep into his soul. “Thank you, Etienne.”
“For what?”
“For being you,” Louis whispered. “For being mine.”
“I thought we were fated to be together.”
 Louis chuckled. “We were, but that doesn’t mean you had to accept me.
Fate merely brings us together. It’s up to us to decide if we accept each
other or not.” He quickly leaned back when Etienne gasped. “What’s
wrong?”
“You chose me?”
“Fate brought you to me. I chose to accept you as my mate.”
Louis’s eyes widened when Etienne squealed and wiggled to get closer.
He almost choked when Etienne’s arms encircled his neck and tightened.
He swallowed hard as he patted Etienne’s arms. “Air, rajaaka.”
“Oh, sorry.” Etienne loosened his hold and leaned back. There was a
light of wonder in his eyes when he looked up at Louis. “You really chose
me? Me?”
Louis smiled. “I did.”
“I can’t believe you chose me.”
Louis growled.
Etienne laughed, but it had a note of sadness to the tone. “Don’t get me
wrong. I know I’m pretty and all, but that’s all anyone ever sees. No one
looks beyond the surface to what I really am. They just see a pretty face.”
Etienne breathed deeply, almost painfully. “And because of that, no one
ever wants to keep me once they’ve had me. They just want to be able to
say they bagged the pretty guy. They never want anything beyond that.”
Louis’s growl grew as he turned and rolled Etienne beneath him. “I’ve
had you. I’m keeping you.”
Etienne’s grin was blinding. “Okay.”
Louis groaned when he heard a knock at the front door. He would have
preferred staying here to cuddle with Etienne a bit more, maybe the entire
day, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“It’s time for me to go to work, Etienne.”
“Do you know when you’ll be back?”
Louis shook his head. “I hope this won’t take long, but I need to find
my men.” There was no way in hell Louis was going to admit if he didn’t
find them, then those men were more than likely dead.
“I need to go to my apartment and get some clean clothes.”
Louis really didn’t like that idea, but he couldn’t see any way to
convince his mate to stay where he was. There was something else he could
do, though. “You are not to go anywhere without Dietrich. I want you to
consider him your shadow. Understand?”
 Etienne let out what sounded like a nervous laugh. “Louis, I’ve been on
my own for a very long time. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a
bodyguard. I’m just going back to my apartment to get some clean clothes.”
“Before I claimed you, that might have been true, but things are
different now. You’re the mate of the head of security for Vaile Industries.
That puts you in danger. There are people out there, humans and vampires
alike, who would think nothing of using you to get to me.”
“But…how?”
Louis slid his hand over Etienne’s cheek as he traced every inch of the
man’s beautiful features. “Because I’d give anything to keep you safe,” he
whispered. “I’d even compromise my honor.”
He didn’t like admitting that, but he knew it was true. Now that he had
been claimed, Etienne was the most important person in his life. There
wasn’t anything Louis wouldn’t give to him or do for him, even at the
expense of his honor. Something he held very dear. He had been loyal to
Nikolas Vaile for over two hundred years. For his rajaaka, he would betray
that loyalty.
“I really need you to do this for me.”
Etienne sighed. “Fine, but this guy better not give me any crap.”
Louis winced. “Yeah, about that…Dietrich is a great warrior, but he
isn’t much of a people person.” He laughed when Etienne’s eyes rolled.
“He’ll keep you safe, Etienne and that’s what is important.”
“He sounds delightful.”
Louis chuckled as he rolled to the side of the bed and stood. He reached
back to help Etienne up. “He’s good at what he does, and that’s all I care
about.”
Once Etienne was standing, Louis pressed a kiss to his lips. “Get
dressed while I go let him in.”
Etienne gave a little nod before looking around for his clothes. Louis
watched him start to dress and realized leaving was going to be harder than
he thought it would be. All he really wanted to do was stand there and
watch his mate.
When the knocking on the door became a pounding, Louis regretfully
tore his eyes away from his gorgeous mate and left the bedroom. He glared
at Dietrich as he opened the door. “You need to learn patience, Dietrich.”
“Aldrich said ten minutes, sir.”
Louis couldn’t argue with that.
 He stepped back and allowed his warrior to enter his quarters. “Did
Aldrich tell you why I wanted you?”
“No, sir. He told me to gear up and meet you here. I assumed we were
going after the missing patrol.”
“I am, you’re staying here.”
“Sir?”
Louis turned when he heard Etienne’s footsteps. “This is my rajaaka.”
He leveled a hard look at Dietrich. “His life is your life.”
Dietrich grimaced. “Babysitting duty, sir? Wouldn’t I be more useful
out in the field?”
“You’ll be useful where I say you will.”
Dietrich’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, sir.”
Etienne snorted as he walked up to stand beside Louis. “Don’t sound so
excited.”
Dietrich sniffed the air and then his eyes narrowed. “He’s human.”
“He is right here,” Etienne said.
Louis wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. He liked
this side of Etienne. It was feisty, which meant his mate wasn’t a rug.
Etienne would forever be submissive to Louis, but that was simply because
of their natures.
Louis was a warrior, a vampire. Etienne was human. Nothing would
change that, but he liked the idea that Etienne wouldn’t take shit off of
anyone. That was a good trait in the mate of the head of security for Vaile
Industries.
“Yes, Dietrich, my mate is human.” When Dietrich’s lips curled back,
Louis growled. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, sir,” Dietrich replied, but his heavy tone made Louis wonder if he
should have gone with Stefan instead.
Louis reached out and grabbed the large man around the throat before
slamming him into the wall. Dietrich was a few inches taller than him, but
Louis still lifted him up off the floor. He could hear Etienne’s shocked gasp,
but ignored it as he leaned in close to Dietrich.
“Etienne is my mate, given to me by the fates. If you do not respect that
he is human, then you will respect the fact that he is my rajaaka.” For just a
moment, he tightened his fingers. “Do you understand?”
Dietrich’s eyes were wide as he clutched at his throat. “Ye-yes, sir.”
 Louis slammed the man into the wall for good measure before dropping
him. When he turned to look at Etienne, he expected the bit of fear he saw
in the man’s green eyes. He was surprised to see the smile on his lips.
Louis lifted an eyebrow in query. When Etienne walked toward him, he
opened his arms. “I hope I did not scare you, Etienne.”
Etienne tilted his head back until their eyes met. “I don’t think you
could ever scare me.”
Louis prayed that would always be true, but he doubted that it would.
That wasn’t the nature of the world Etienne now lived in. The only thing he
could do was make sure his mate was as safe as possible.
“I have to go to work, rajaaka.”
Etienne sighed as he let Louis go. “Come home safe.”
Home. Etienne had used the word home.
“Pack your stuff while you’re out and bring it here.” He felt his face
flush when Etienne lifted an eyebrow. “Please?”
Etienne smiled. “Better.”
That was the part Louis didn’t think he’d ever get used to. He was the
faster, stronger species, but somehow, he just knew Etienne was going to
keep him on his toes, and he was okay with that. It was sure to be an
interesting ride.
 Chapter Eleven
Etienne kept the smile on his face until the door closed behind Louis
and then he turned to look at his babysitter. And yes, he knew exactly what
this guy thought of him. He just refused to deal with it. “You can go now.”
“I was assigned to guard you,” Dietrich replied snidely. “Unlike
humans, I know my duty.”
“Whatever.” Etienne headed for the door. He had things to do. He didn’t
have time to hang out with this meathead.
“You may not leave, human.”
“My name is Etienne. Use it.”
“You may not leave, Etienne.”
Etienne smiled sweetly. “Watch me.”
He was grabbed just as he took a hold of the doorknob. Being pretty,
Etienne had experienced more than his fair share of people grabbing him
and groping him. He had learned early on to protect himself. While Dietrich
wasn’t exactly groping him, the vampire was preventing him from getting
away.
He stomped the heel of his foot down on Dietrich’s. At the same time,
he jerked his elbow back into the man’s rock-hard gut. When Dietrich’s
hands loosened on him, Etienne twirled around and jabbed his knuckles into
Dietrich’s throat.
He was totally stoked when Dietrich stumbled back, grabbing his throat
as he fell to the floor. His self-defense teacher had said a throat punch
would work like that, but he had never had the chance to use it until now.
When Dietrich glared up at him, Etienne turned, yanked the door open,
and took off running. He wasn’t stupid enough to stick around. He heard an
enraged roar just as he reached the elevator. He was pretty sure Dietrich was
going to rip his head off if the vampire caught him.
Etienne ran into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. He stabbed
his finger down on the close door button several times. He caught just a
flash of Dietrich’s red, angry face as they slid closed.
He considered hitting the lobby button, but decided that would be the
first place the vampire would look for him. Instead, he hit the button to take
him up. When the doors slid open a few moments later, he stepped out and
realized he was in the lobby of Nikolas Vaile’s office.
He could work with this.
 Etienne marched up the receptionist sitting behind the desk in front of
the office door. He smiled when the older woman looked up. “Hello, my
name is Etienne LeRuelle. I’d like to speak with Jon.”
The woman smiled. “Welcome to the family, Etienne. I’m Bella Vaile,
Nikolas’s mother.”
Etienne’s eyes rounded. “And you work for him?”
Bella chuckled. “I like keeping busy.”
Okay.
“Is Jon around?”
“Yes.” She stood and walked to the door behind her, knocking before
opening the door and sticking her head inside. “Etienne LeRuelle to see
Jon.”
“Send him in,” said a voice from inside the large office.
Oh thank god.
Bella turned and smiled at him again. “Go right on in, Etienne.”
“Thank you.” Etienne’s heart pounded just a little faster as he walked
into the office. Jon had said if he needed anything he could call him. This
wasn’t exactly a phone call. He really hoped the man didn’t get mad at him
for showing up unannounced.
Jon was leaning on the edge of Nikolas’s desk when Etienne walked in.
The ruffled hair and wrinkled shirt gave Etienne the impression he had
interrupted something between Jon and Nikolas.
“I’m sorry for showing up without calling, but you did say I could come
to you if I needed anything.”
“Yes, of course,” Jon said. “What do you need?”
Etienne grinned. “A ride, to start.”
Jon lifted an eyebrow before glancing at Nikolas over his shoulder.
“Can I borrow the limo?”
“And four guards,” Nikolas said. “You won’t leave these premises
without them.”
“Fine.” Jon huffed as he looked back at Etienne. “I never get to go
anywhere without an entourage.”
“Yeah.” Etienne’s eyes rounded as he remembered just how Dietrich
was. “I know what you mean.”
“Got your own entourage, do ya?”
“Uh…” Etienne winced as he glanced past Jon to the head of Vaile
Industries. He hadn’t spent much time with either man, but he had spent
more time with Jon than he had Nikolas. Besides, Nikolas Vaile was a very
scary vampire.
“I assume Louis assigned you a guard before he left?”
Etienne swallowed tightly as he nodded. “He did.”
Nikolas glanced toward the now closed door. “Is he in the lobby?”
“Not exactly.”
Etienne jumped when someone pounded on the office door. He swept
the room with his eyes, looking for an escape route. There was a door on
the far side of the room. Etienne started in that direction, but Nikolas’s
voice stopped him before he could get there.
“Etienne.”
Etienne winced when he turned and saw Nikolas standing in front of his
mate. “Sir?”
“Do you know who is at the door?”
“Dietrich.”
Nikolas raised an eyebrow. “One of my sentries?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And do you know why he would be pounding on my door?”
Etienne so wanted to tell him no. “He might be looking for me.”
“Is he the guard Louis assigned to you?” Jon asked.
Etienne’s shoulders slumped. “He’s an ass.”
Jon chuckled. “He is, but he’s a really well-trained ass.”
“I just wanted to go back to my apartment and grab some clean clothes,
and he said no. Louis knew I was going back there, and even told me to
pack my stuff and bring it here. Dietrich wouldn’t listen to me and when I
tried to leave, he grabbed me.”
Etienne took a step back when Nikolas’s face darkened.
“He put his hands on you?”
“He didn’t hurt me,” Etienne said quickly. “If anything, I hurt him.”
That seemed to make Nikolas pause. He stared for a moment before
shaking his head. “Could you repeat that? I don’t think I heard you
correctly.”
Etienne drew in a shaky breath. “When he grabbed me, I used some
self-defense techniques I had been taught. I disabled him enough to get
away. I came here because I figured he’d go to the lobby to look for me.”
The beginning of a smile curved the corners of Nikolas’s mouth up.
“You escaped one of my warriors?”
 “Yes, sir.”
A burst of laughter filled the office. “That’s bloody fantastic. Dietrich
will never live that down. Serves him right.”
Etienne was so confused. He thought Nikolas would be pissed that he
had escaped. He seemed to find it amusing. “Sir?”
“Don’t get me wrong, if I was going into battle, Dietrich is the vampire
I would want with me, but the man has zero people skills. There’s a reason
he’s never assigned to watch over Jon, besides the fact that Jon would feed
Dietrich his head.”
“So, I’m not in trouble?” That seemed kind of important to know.
“Oh, I have no doubt that Louis will have a few things to say to you
when he gets back, but no, you’re not in trouble.”
Etienne blew out the breath he hadn’t know he was holding. “Thank
you, sir.”
Nikolas was still chuckling as he reached for the phone. “Aldrich,
would you send two more sentries to my office. I need them to go with Jon
and Etienne back to Etienne’s apartment. Four sentries will not be enough.”
Etienne’s eyebrows shot up when Jon growled. One, he didn’t think a
human could make that sound, and two, he made it at Nikolas, who just
laughed.
“Rajaaka, would you please go let Dietrich in? I need to have a few
words with him about his treatment of humans.”
Jon snorted. “You mean you have to talk to him again.”
“Jon,” Nikolas said.
Etienne pressed his lips together when Jon rolled his eyes. His
amusement at the man’s gesture died swiftly when Jon opened the door and
he saw Dietrich standing there. The vampire’s hands were clenched and
there was a deep red tint to his face. His dark eyes promised retribution
when they landed on Etienne.
“I’ve come for my ward, sir.”
“Step inside, Dietrich,” Nikolas said, “and close the door behind you.”
The door slammed with a little more force than was probably necessary.
The vampire clearly wanted to take his head off. Etienne quickly walked
around and put the large wooden desk between him and Dietrich. He wasn’t
taking any chances.
“I apologize for the interruption, sir,” Dietrich said. “I simply need to
—”
 “You need to stand there while I finish this phone call,” Nikolas said.
Dietrich’s eyes narrowed as they went back to Etienne.
“You ready to go?” Jon asked.
Etienne tore his eyes away from the threat in front of him and looked at
Jon. “Yeah.”
Jon nodded his head toward the door.
“What about your guards?” he asked as he followed Jon out of the
office.
Jon pointed.
Well, damn. Six really large men stood by the elevator. “Do they ever
try to blend in?”
Being dressed in long black leather trench coats made them stand out in
a big way. The daunting looks on their faces was outmatched only by the
intimidating set of their shoulders and the wideness of their chests.
“Do they all look like that?” he asked.
Jon chuckled. “You mean big and menacing and hot as hell?”
“Yeah.”
“Pretty much.”
“Is it a vampire thing?” So far, from what Etienne had seen, there
wasn’t an ugly one in the bunch. Made him feel positively normal. “I mean,
do they all have to be so gorgeous?”
Jon chuckled again. “Pretty much.”
Etienne smiled. “Well, at least the scenery is nice to look at.”
“Don’t ever let Louis hear you say that,” Jon whispered. “He’ll take
their heads off.”
Etienne blinked at the other man. “Seriously?”
“No.” Jon chuckled. “But he’d certainly think about it. Vampires are
crazy possessive of their bond mates.”
Etienne sure hoped that was true. It had been a very long time since
someone had cared if he even continued to breathe. It would be a change of
pace to have someone care about what happened to him.
“So, how much stuff are we grabbing?” Jon asked as they climbed on
the elevator.
“Louis wants me to pack everything up and bring it back here.”
“What do you want to do?”
That was just it. Etienne wasn’t sure.
 “We’ve only know each other for a few days. I get that there is some
sort of bond between of us, but isn’t that a little soon to be moving in
together?”
“In human standards, yes,” Jon admitted, “but you no longer live in the
human world. You live in a vampire world, and once you’ve been claimed,
it’s kind of a done deal.”
Etienne swallowed the ball of emotion that lodged in his throat. “Done
deal?”
Jon’s eyebrows flickered as he frowned. “Did Louis explain any of this
to you?”
“Some.”
Sort of.
“You’re it for Louis. No matter how many years he lives, there will
never be another for him, and by that I mean he won’t even get aroused by
someone else. The second Louis claimed you, his body dialed itself in to
you. Every instinct he has will tell him to care for you and protect you.
Even your unhappiness will gut him. Vampires are totally devoted to their
mates.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” It actually sounded great to Etienne.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. It can be fantastic. You have one person
totally committed to your ultimate happiness.” Jon nodded his head toward
the six guards crowded into the elevator with them. “But it can also be a
pain in the butt.”
Etienne chuckled. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“I know Nikolas just wants to make sure I’m safe, but it drives me
crazy that I can’t even leave the building without at least four guards. You’d
think I was dressed in diamonds or something.”
“Is it really that dangerous?”
Jon grimaced. “Sadly, it is.”
“Three days ago, I didn’t even know this world existed. Now, danger
seems to be around every corner. How is that possible?”
“It was dangerous three days ago, don’t ever think it wasn’t. Rogues
still roam the streets. But one of the trade-offs to having an over-protective
mate is the need to have an over-protective mate.”
Etienne swallowed tightly. He loved the over-protective part. He wasn’t
so thrilled with the need for it. “What exactly are rogues?”
 “Rogues are vampires who refuse to submit to the rules set down by the
vampire council. Many of these rogues don’t care if humans are hurt or
killed. The council has very strict rules about how humans are treated.
These rules were established to keep vampires hidden from human eyes, to
keep us safe from humans, and to keep the humans safe from vampires.”
“So, they’re not some deranged form of vampire?”
“No.” Jon’s chuckle was not amused. “They are simply vampires who
refuse to follow the laws set down centuries ago. They’re still vampires in
every sense of the word.”
Huh.
He must have looked confused because Jon continued. “Okay, it’s like
this. You live in Nikolas’s territory. Another vampire may not enter his
territory without his permission. They have the right to plead their case, ask
for sanctuary or clemency, but they can still face execution. If another
vampire enters Nikolas’s territory, he or she must immediately report to
security. Failure to do so could mean death.”
“Death?” Etienne gasped. “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”
“No,” Jon replied in a very strong, assured voice.
All of the guards standing around them shook their heads.
Well, damn.
 Chapter Twelve
Etienne was still considering Jon’s words when they pulled up in front
of his apartment building. He was a little uncomfortable arriving in a limo.
He was sure his neighbors would be freaking out. He didn’t live in the worst
neighborhood in the city, but it wasn’t the best either. A limo was totally out
of place.
He climbed out of the car and then glanced at Jon. “You might want to
have someone stay with the limo so it doesn’t get taken or stripped for
parts.”
Jon nodded before turning to give one of the guards directions. By the
time Etienne reached the front doors of the building, Jon was by his side.
The remaining guards walked in front of them and behind them.
“So, how much stuff are we getting?” Jon asked.
“For right now, I want to pack up some clothes and a few important
things I don’t want to do without. I can come back for everything else with
Louis. My laptop is still in Nikolas’s office, so I don’t have to worry about
that.” Etienne shrugged. “There really isn’t that much stuff.”
He didn’t have a lot.
“What am I going to do about my schooling?” Etienne asked. “How can
I attend classes with a bodyguard following me everywhere?”
“That’s something you’re going to have to think about because these
guys don’t do sunlight.”
“I’m already taking most of my classes at night, so that shouldn’t be a
problem, but I still have to go in during the day for exams and stuff.”
Etienne had no idea how he was going to finish school under these
circumstances.
“Have you thought of online courses?”
“Are there any accredited schools that do online courses?”
“Several, actually,” one of the guards replied. “That is how many of our
young people go to school.”
Etienne really liked that idea. He had worked hard to be in school and
he didn’t really want to give that up if he didn’t have to. “How do I find out
about that?”
“Talk to Bella,” the guard said. “She coordinates it all for us.”
“Bella…Nikolas’s mother?”
The vampire nodded.
 “Okay, I can do that.” He smiled as a weight lifted off his chest. “Thank
you.”
The man simply gave him a nod.
Etienne felt better knowing he could finish his education. Now, he just
needed to find out about his job. “Who do I talk to about finding out if I still
have a job? Mr. Smyth seemed to think I was going to be fired when I got
called up to Nikolas’s office.”
“Well, you weren’t fired, but you might want to rethink that whole job
thing.”
Etienne frowned as he glanced at Jon. “Why?”
“Mates don’t do really well away from each other.”
Etienne didn’t realize he was rubbing his arms until Jon glanced down
at them. He flushed as he pulled at the sleeves of his shirt as if he could hide
what he was doing.
“That itching thing? That’s you missing your mate.”
“Jeez, how do you cope with that?” Jon asked as he started rubbing at
his arms again.
“I work as Nikolas’s assistant.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out to be a sentry.”
“No,” Jon replied, “but maybe there is something else you can do. Talk
to Louis. He’ll know what he needs. I’m sure he can find something for you
to do that will keep you close together.”
Maybe, but Etienne couldn’t think of a single thing he could do to
contribute to the security of Vaile Industries. It wasn’t like they needed their
website updated. He doubted the security stuff was even on the web.
When they reached the elevator, it became quickly apparent that not all
of them would fit inside the small space. Etienne laughed when two guards
squeezed in, leaving just enough room for Jon and him.
“Third floor, guys. Apartment 3C.” Etienne chuckled as he stepped
inside and hit the button to take them up. He was still laughing as he
stepped out of the elevator on the third floor. He pulled the key out of his
pocket as he walked down the corridor.
When he reached the door to his apartment, Etienne went to put the key
in, but the door swung open as soon as he touched it. He frowned and
started to step into his apartment when he was grabbed by the arm and
pulled back. A very large form got between him and the door.
“Stay,” the guard ordered before walking into the apartment.
 Etienne started to get a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He
glanced at Jon to see what his reaction was. Jon had a worried looking
frown on his face, but he wasn’t moving toward the door. He seemed
content to stand there and wait to find out what was going on.
Etienne wasn’t. Ignoring the sharp warnings from the others, he stepped
inside his apartment and grabbed the nunchaku off the wall by the front
door. His were made of traditional pasania wood and horsehair rope.
When he said he’d had self-defense training, he hadn’t been lying. He’d
been going to martial arts training twice a week since his mother figured out
he was gay when he’d kissed the neighbor boy. She’d insisted he learn how
to protect himself.
The silence in the apartment was the first thing that grabbed him.
Things shouldn’t have been that quiet. A clawed hand on his arm was the
second thing that grabbed him. Etienne swung out with the nunchaku with
lightning-fast speed.
He was really glad he had gone with his instincts when a vampire he
had never seen before dropped to the floor. Etienne kept a tight hold of his
nunchaku as he hurried through the apartment. He didn’t find anyone else,
but he heard a commotion out in the corridor that made him think they
might be in bigger trouble than even he could handle.
It was obvious he was right the second he stepped out into the hallway.
Jon was pushed against the wall while the other guards fought off several
opponents. They had to be rogues. The claws and fangs were a dead
giveaway.
“Jon!” When the man glanced at him, Etienne held out his hand. There
was something in his gut telling him that he needed to protect the other
human, even if it meant his life. Maybe this was why Louis’s loyalty to
Nikolas was so strong. Maybe it was spilling over into him.
When Jon reached him, Etienne pulled him back into the apartment and
then pushed him toward the bathroom. It didn’t have any windows and it
locked from the inside. “Get in there, lock the door, then call Nikolas for
back-up.”
“What about you?” Jon asked.
Etienne held up his nunchaku. “I’m good. Now go.”
“Etienne—”
“I can take care of myself, Jon. I promise, but I need you to call for
back-up.” From the sounds of the fighting out in the hallway, they were
going to need it. “Now, get in there and lock that damn door. Don’t make a
sound and don’t come out until back-up gets here, no matter what you
hear.”
Jon looked as if he wanted to continue to argue, but a heavy thud that
shook the pictures hanging on the wall had him hurrying into the bathroom.
The second the door closed, Etienne pushed the china hutch in front of the
door. He knew he had placed it against the wall next to the bathroom for a
reason. He just never dreamed this was the reason. It totally hid the door.
Once Jon was safe—or at least relatively safe—Etienne hurried into his
bedroom. He tucked the nunchaku into his waistband and then grabbed the
katana sword off the wall. He pulled the sheath off and checked the blade
before sliding it through his belt loop. He hoped he wasn’t going to need the
sharp blade, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
The fight had spilled into his apartment by the time he got back into the
other room. Etienne went for the closest rogue, which he assumed was
anyone who had not accompanied them on their trip.
Etienne felt as if he was in the fight of his life as he started swinging the
nunchaku. He didn’t like killing, and had in fact never actually killed
anyone, but these guys didn’t look as if they would be willing to sit down
and talk it out.
He fought his way through three rogues before they realized he was a
danger to them, and then he really had his work cut out for him. Etienne
found himself cornered with three more rogues bearing down on him.
Etienne set the nunchaku down on the floor and grabbed the sword. He
carefully pulled the katana out of the sheath and set the sheath down on the
floor next to the nunchaku.
“Leave now, and we don’t have to do this,” Etienne said. “I do not want
to kill you.”
One of the rogues laughed. “You? Kill us?” He flicked his claws out
and barred his teeth. “Do you know what we are, human?”
Idiots, but Etienne didn’t say that. “Rogues.”
The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
Considering they were in his apartment, Etienne didn’t understand how
they couldn’t know who he was. He just wasn’t sure it was a good idea to
bring that thought to their attention. “It doesn’t matter who I am. You need
to leave.”
“Give us Vaile’s little human and we will.”
 Etienne realized three things at the same time. One, somehow these
rogues knew Jon was there. They just didn’t seem to know exactly where he
was. Two, they had no idea who Etienne was beyond the fact that he was
human. And three, the sentries who had come with them were either dead or
wounded enough that they could no longer fight.
Etienne was on his own.
He raised the sword into the air. “Not gonna happen.”
They came at him all at once. Etienne felt the blade catch as it slid into
one of the rogues. He tried to jerk it out, but it seemed to be caught on
something. When one of the other rogues swiped at him with his razor-
sharp claws, Etienne let go of the katana and dropped to the floor.
He grabbed his nunchaku as he rolled out of the way, but not before
those claws raked across his back. The pain was excruciating, but he knew
he was in the fight for his life. He didn’t have time to cry over a few
scratches.
He gripped the lower part of the handle and snapped the nunchaku at
the closest vampire. It made a sickening thunk and blood sprayed from the
rogue’s mouth and nose. It wasn’t a killing blow, but maybe it would
disorient him long enough for Etienne to take care of the other vampire.
He swung the nunchaku again, and then again and again. He swung
until he was the only one left standing. Etienne heaved a breath and then
another. He really hoped there were no more rogues coming. He needed a
break.
He wiped the sweat out of his eyes before walking over to where his
katana was sticking out of the dead rogue on the floor. He grabbed the hilt
with both hands and then placed his foot on the chest of the dead rogue
before pulling with all of his strength.
Etienne grimaced when the blade finally slid free. It was coated in red.
He wiped it off on the vampire’s shirt. He was going to need to clean it
before putting it away. He had been taught to respect his weapons and that
meant cleaning them after they were used.
He had no idea how he was going to clean his apartment. The place was
a disaster. There were bodies everywhere. Most were dead, but some were
moving. Four were part of the team that had come with Etienne and Jon,
one was a rogue vampire.
Etienne hurried to the kitchen and grabbed some duct tape. It probably
wouldn’t hold the rogue for long, but the guy wasn’t going to get away
quickly. Etienne took the tape back into the main room and proceeded to
tape the vampire’s hands behind his back. For added measure, he also taped
his ankles together then slapped a piece of tape over his mouth. These guys
had fangs.
Once the vampire was out of commission, Etienne grabbed the first aid
kit out of the bathroom and started treating the wounds on the sentries. The
rogue could bleed out for all he cared.
“You fought bravely,” one of the sentries said as Etienne administered
first aid. “You saved us.”
Etienne shrugged. “I didn’t like them messing up my apartment.”
The vampire chuckled. “I’m Yuri.”
“Etienne.”
“You’re a friend of Jon?”
Uh…
“In a manner of speaking.” Etienne smiled when the vampire frowned
at him. “I’m Louis’s mate.”
Yuri’s eyes rounded till they looked as if they hurt. “You are the
commander’s rajaaka?”
“Yes.”
The man groaned as he rubbed his hand over his face. “Oh man, we are
so dead.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s going to kill us.”
“Louis is not going to—” Etienne grabbed his katana and spun around,
taking a step forward to put himself between whoever was coming down the
hallway and the wounded sentry behind him.
When Dietrich walked in, followed closely by Nikolas and several
heavily armed vampires, he blew out a relieved breath and lowered the
blade of his sword. “You wouldn’t happen to know of a good cleaning
service, would you?”
Nikolas’s eyes were almost manic as he scanned the room. “Where is
Jon?”
“Oh.” Etienne leaned his katana up against the wall and then hurried
over to push the china hutch out of the way. He knocked on the door once it
was visible. “Jon, it’s okay to come out. Nikolas is here with back-up.”
Etienne practically got shoved into the wall the second Jon unlocked the
door and stepped out. Nikolas pushed past him to sweep his mate up in his
arms. Etienne was a little jealous. He wondered if Louis would ever greet
him like that.
“We have a live one, sir,” Dietrich called out from across the room. “At
least, I think he’s alive. He looks kind of like a rodeo calf.”
Etienne snickered as he turned. “I didn’t want him getting away.”
“You?” Dietrich’s eyes were wide when he glanced up. “You did this?”
Etienne shrugged.
“He did, Dietrich,” Yuri said. “He got Jon hidden and then took on the
rogues when we were outnumbered.” Yuri waved his around the room,
indicating the carnage. “He did most of this and then treated our wounds.”
“But…” Dietrich’s forehead wrinkled in a confused frown. “You’re
human.”
Etienne narrowed his eyes. “I may be human, but you’re an idiot.”
Dietrich growled and took a step toward him. In a quick move, Etienne
grabbed his katana and brought it up, pressing the tip against the underside
of Dietrich’s jaw. A small trail of blood trickled down Dietrich’s throat.
“Seriously, you want to go there?” Etienne asked.
Dietrich swallowed tightly.
“Bloody hell,” Yuri whispered, “I didn’t even see him move.”
Etienne raised an eyebrow when Dietrich looked at him. “Never
underestimate your opponent, Dietrich. Human does not mean incapable or
untrained.”
It felt as if Dietrich was trying to peer into his soul, but after a moment,
he gave Etienne a nod. Etienne pulled the blade away from Dietrich’s throat
and leaned it up against the wall again.
He turned to look at Nikolas. So far, he seemed to accept humans.
Etienne really hoped that was true, because he needed the guy to believe
him. “Someone in your organization, someone close to you, is giving
information to the rogues.”
Nikolas frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Because very few people knew about us coming here.”
 Chapter Thirteen
Louis pressed back against the brick building he was hiding behind and
sniffed the air. He could smell several distinct scents, but they were muted.
The rancid stench of garbage and decay was strong, partially masking the
other scents.
Still, Louis knew someone was there. Several someones in fact, and
none of them were human. He could also smell the distinct smoky metallic
scent of gunpowder. His gut clenched with dread. He was pretty sure they
were walking into a trap. He just didn’t see a way they couldn’t walk into it.
If there were rogues waiting for them, they needed to be stopped.
He gestured to his men, indicating that there was danger ahead. He sent
them another hand gesture, telling them to fan out. If they grouped up all in
one place, they would be easier to take out, and he didn’t plan on being
taken out.
He wanted at least one of these fuckers alive. He wanted to know who
was leading them and what their ultimate goal was. He also wanted to know
what else they had planned. He had no doubt that whatever this was, it
wasn’t over.
“Sir.”
Louis growled as he turned to look at Aldrich. “Are you mad?” he
whispered harshly. “They might hear you.”
Aldrich tapped his ear. “Turn it on. The prince is trying to reach you.”
Louis frowned as he reached for his earpiece. He hadn’t actually
realized it was turned off. A small push with his finger and the device
activated. Louis waited until it synced and then whispered, “Sir?”
“Get to your mate’s apartment, Louis,” Nikolas snapped out. “There’s
been an attack.”
“My…” Louis gulped as his heart seemed to freeze in his chest. “Sir, is
he—Etienne!” he screamed silently.
“Stop yelling,” Etienne replied.
“Are you okay? Nikolas called and said there was an attack at your
apartment.” He knew he never should have let Etienne leave the apartment.
“I’m fine, a couple of scratches, but nothing that won’t heal with a little
time.”
“I’m on my way, kitya.” There wasn’t a power strong enough to keep
Louis from going to his mate.
 “I’ll be here.”
“Sir—” he started saying out loud.
“Etienne’s fine,” Nikolas continued, his voice softening. “Just get to his
apartment.”
“Uh.” Louis felt his face flush. “I don’t know where his apartment is,
sir.”
“Do you actually speak to your mate, Louis, or just carry him off?”
Louis winced at the censure he could hear in his prince’s voice. “I speak
to him.” Just maybe not as much as he should. He needed to rectify that.
“Just get your ass here, and bring back-up.”
“Yes, sir.” Louis listened as Nikolas rattled off the address and hung up
before turning to look at his men. “There’s been an attack across town. We
need to get there.”
“What about—” Aldrich’s eyes rounded as he stared at something past
Louis’s shoulder, and then the man drew his gun and started shooting.
Louis drew his own gun and spun around. He was shocked to see the
rogues they had been hunting coming right at them. He was even more
shocked that they just kept coming, even with Aldrich shooting at them.
There seemed to be no stopping them. When one fell, another took his
place. They just kept coming.
This wasn’t a trap, it was a fucking ambush.
Louis did the one thing he never thought he’d do. He ordered a retreat.
It went against everything he believed in, but the lives of his men in the face
of so many odds were more important.
Louis saw one of his men go down as they raced toward their vehicles.
He grabbed the sentry and swung him up over his shoulder before
continuing his race to the car. He refused to leave a man behind. His men
trusted him to get them home, dead or alive. It was one of the reasons he
had their loyalty. He wouldn’t betray that loyalty.
As soon as they reached the SUVs, Louis pushed the wounded sentry
into the back seat and climbed inside. The car took off as soon as the door
closed behind him. Louis started looking for the bullet that had taken the
sentry down.
“Did we lose anyone?” he called out.
“No, sir,” Aldrich replied from the front seat. “Two with minor
wounds.”
“Have them seen at the infirmary as soon as we get home.”
 “Yes, sir.”
“Call the doctor and have him meet us in the parking garage. Travis will
need to go directly in.”
“How bad is it, sir?”
It wasn’t good.
“He’ll live.” From what Louis could see, the bullet had gone right
through the man’s shoulder. While that was good, it had left a gaping hole
in the sentry’s shoulder. “He’s going to need blood. Make sure the infirmary
has extra on hand.”
“Already done, sir.”
Louis nodded. He liked a well-run operation.
“They’re using real bullets, Aldrich.”
“Real bullets, sir?” Aldrich sounded confused. “Like, real, real bullets?”
“Regular, every day human bullets.” That struck something with Louis.
He just didn’t know what. His men used special bullets developed by Vaile
Industries to fight rogue vampires. They didn’t use regular bullets.
“What’s that mean, sir?”
“I don’t know.” The clues were there, Louis could feel them, but they
were just out of reach. There was a decided increase in rogue attacks as of
late, and they seemed to be well planned. On the other hand, the rogues
seemed unequipped to be attacking on such a large scale.
It just didn’t make sense.
When they reached the underground parking garage, the drive took
them around to the secured area. Louis stepped out of the vehicle and
waited as the wounded sentries were unloaded and taken away by the
medical staff.
He turned to direct ten of his sentries to get back into two of the
vehicles. Nikolas had said bring back-up after all. “Aldrich, I want you to
stay here.”
“Sir—”
Louis held up his hand. “I need you to double check our security
measures.” He wanted to ensure they were all still in place. One unlocked
door could mean a battle they might not be ready for.
“You think our security measures might be in jeopardy, sir?”
Louis shook his head. He wasn’t sure he could put the cold knot in his
stomach into words. “Just do as I say. I want all security measures double
checked and all of our sentries put on standby.”
 “Are you expecting an attack, sir?”
Louis lifted one brow. “I’m always expecting an attack, Aldrich.”
Aldrich chuckled. “Yes, sir.”
“Go about your duties, Aldrich. Nikolas wants me to meet him
downtown.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Report to me if there are any problems.” Louis felt a small bit of heat
flush his cheeks. “I’ll have my earpiece on.”
Aldrich grinned. “Yes, sir.”
Louis climbed back into the vehicle. After giving his driver the address
Nikolas had given him, they got underway once again. The ride to Etienne’s
apartment was a grueling one. Nikolas had sworn to him that Etienne was
unharmed, but Louis knew he wouldn’t stop worrying until he saw his mate
with his own eyes.
He knew there was a strong bond between Nikolas and Jon. Nikolas
was the leader of their people and Jon was his mate. It made sense. They
needed to have an unbreakable bond. He just never thought to feel the same
himself.
The mere thought of something happening to Etienne made Louis want
to level the city until it was nothing but rubble. He wanted to remove any
threat to his mate. Mostly, he just wanted to wrap Etienne up in his arms
where he knew his mate would be safe.
When they pulled up in front of a tall brick building in one of the less
than hospitable parts of town, Louis knew before he even opened the door
that Etienne would be coming home with him for good. There was no way
in hell he was going to leave his mate here in this hell. It just wasn’t safe.
Louis climbed out of the vehicle and glanced around, checking
anywhere an enemy might be able to hide. He pointed to the building across
the way. “I want to lookouts up on that roof and two sentries guarding the
door. Everyone else come with me.”
He hopped the steps to the building and walked inside. Louis took one
look at the small elevator and decided to take the stairs. He only needed to
go up to the third floor, after all. If he was out of breath from that, they
could take his vampire card away from him.
He smelled the blood before he reached the third floor. He drew his
gun, just in case. He knew his men would be doing the same. He had trained
them, after all.
 On the third floor, he turned to go down the hallway toward Etienne’s
apartment, but was brought up short by the sight of his mate fighting off
several rogue vampires using a sword. For a moment, he was too stunned to
move. Etienne was so graceful, his movements fluid and elegant. It was as
if the sword was simply an extension of himself.
He grew enraged when Etienne dispatched one vampire only to have
another take his place. As he rushed forward, it dawned on him that Etienne
stood in front of his apartment door and he was doing his level best to make
sure no rogues got inside.
Louis took aim with his gun and fired at the closest rogue. He’d be
damned if he let one of them take away the man who was quickly becoming
his reason for breathing. It felt as if eons had passed by the time he lowered
his gun and turned to peruse the carnage. It had probably only been
minutes.
“Louis.” The sound was desperate, needy. Scared.
Louis turned and caught his mate as the man plowed into him. He
wrapped his arms around Etienne until he grunted. The heat from Etienne’s
body sank into him, warming him as nothing else could.
After a moment, he grabbed Etienne’s arms and pushed him back,
scanning him from head to toe. “You are unharmed, kitya?”
“Oh, yeah.” Etienne paled as he glanced down. “It isn’t my blood.”
Louis swallowed tightly and pulled Etienne back into his arms. He
tucked Etienne’s head under his chin and glanced around again. “What
happened here?”
“That is something I believe we need to talk about back home.”
Louis recognized that voice. He turned to see Nikolas and Jon standing
behind him, Dietrich standing guard behind them. “Sir.”
“We need to go, Louis.”
“Yes, sir.” Louis nodded to his men and they fell into place, surrounding
Nikolas and Jon.
“My stuff,” Etienne said as he lifted his head. “I need to get my stuff.”
“Louis, have a couple of your sentries stay here and pack up Etienne’s
apartment. They can bring everything back to your quarters and he can
decide what he wants to do with it there.” Nikolas’s features tightened for a
moment. “It’s no longer safe for him here.”
Louis was in full support of that idea.
 “Wait.” Etienne pushed away from him. “I need to grab something
before we go.”
Before Louis could stop him, Etienne spun and raced into his
apartment. Louis’s heart lodged somewhere in his throat. “Etienne!”
“I’ll watch him, sir,” Dietrich said before following Etienne into the
apartment.
When Jon snickered, Louis glanced at him. “What?”
Jon just shook his head, but he had a smile on his lips that made Louis
nervous.
“Sir?” Louis asked as he looked toward his prince.
“Dietrich was a little less than thrilled to be placed on babysitting duty,
especially for a human.”
Louis growled.
Nikolas chuckled. “He changed his mind quick enough when Etienne
got the drop on him.”
Louis’s jaw felt as if it had come unhinged. “Etienne got the drop on
Dietrich?”
Jon beamed. “Twice.”
“He also saved Jon until help arrived and took on a whole room full of
rogues.” Nikolas grimaced as he glanced around the hallway. “Not to
mention these guys.”
“My mate did all this?” Louis spread his arms wide as he stared at the
dead bodies littering the hallway.
“Your men did some, but that carnage is all inside.” Nikolas pointed
toward the open doorway of the apartment. “This out here was all Etienne.”
Louis frowned, his shock so huge, he could barely speak. “How?”
“Oh, not you, too,” Etienne griped from the doorway. He was clearly
pissed. “I’ve just about had it with you vampires. You think you’re so
superior because you drink blood. Well, guess what, you’re not. You’re just
like every other poor sucker out there. You bleed just like we do.” Etienne
raised his sword, showing off the very sharp blade. “And you can lose your
head just like we do.”
“Kitya, I didn’t mean—” He didn’t know what he meant, but he was
having a really hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that his mate
had done all this. “I’m not even sure a vampire could take all this on and
walk out of it unscathed.”
 Etienne frowned as he seemed to consider Louis’s words, and how
truthful they were. Louis could only stand there and let his mate think about
it. He was shocked, yes, totally so, but he couldn’t discount the evidence or
his prince’s words.
“I’ll tell you like I told Nikolas,” Etienne said. “You have a leak.”
Louis’s eyebrows rose. “A leak?”
“Rogues were inside my apartment when we got here. I’m not sure if
they were expecting us or simply looking for information, but they were
here. Very few people knew Jon and I were coming here. You need to ask
yourself how the rogues even knew who I was. I know I didn’t tell anyone.”
Louis wasn’t sure how he felt about that statement, but he’d visit his
feelings later. Right now, he needed to figure out if Etienne was right. “I
told a few people, but I trust all of them.”
Etienne shrugged. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
 Chapter Fourteen
Vampires were idiots. Etienne didn’t want to lump the entire species in
there, but the only one who seemed to have any brains was Nikolas. He
didn’t know if that was due to the fact that the man was the leader of his
tribe, or mated to a human, but the rest of them were just plain stupid.
How could they not see the clues? It was clear as rainwater that they
had a traitor in their midst. There was no other explanation. Etienne would
have assumed it was Dietrich with the way the man hated humans, but now
he seemed almost in awe of Etienne.
Which was weird in itself.
Dietrich was still watching Etienne warily, but there was a glimmer of
respect in his eyes, and that was all Etienne cared about. He refused to be
treated like a subspecies because he was human. He especially wouldn’t
take it from a man who was supposed to be his mate.
“Can we go home now?” he asked. It was interesting the way Louis’s
eyes lit up when he said the word home. He held up his katana. He had no
idea what vampire blood would do to it, and he wasn’t taking any chances.
That sword had been given to him by his teacher. “I need to clean this and
put it away before the blood destroys the blade.”
Louis’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s your sword?”
“It’s a katana, actually, and yes.”
“A katana?”
Etienne’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, you got a problem with that?”
“No.” Louis wisely shook his head. “None at all.”
“Good.” Etienne lowered the sword. “We’ll need to find a place to hang
it at home.” He grimaced as he glanced at the dead bodies littering the
hallway. “I don’t usually have need of it.”
“And I pray that you never do again, kitya, but I cannot promise that
will be the case.”
Etienne figured as much.
“Your life is kind of chaotic, huh?”
Louis chuckled. “Just a bit.”
Etienne nodded. He knew there had to be a payoff to living in this
violent world somewhere or vampires would be jumping ship left and right,
but damned if he could figure out what it was. He hoped time would fill in
that blank for him because he didn’t think he was going anywhere.
 Besides, it was kind of hard to unlearn something once he had blood on
his blade.
“Who’s going to clean all this up?” he asked, because damned if he
was.
“We have people who do that,” Nikolas said. “We cannot involve the
human authorities. There is too much chance of word leaking out to the
media.”
Etienne’s eyes rounded at the implication of Nikolas’s words. “Yeah,
that would be bad.”
“While many would see it as a publicity stunt or a promotion for a new
movie, there are those who would believe it, and they would come for us.”
Nikolas tugged Jon just a little closer. “I have seen the horrors of mob
mentality myself. It is never pretty.”
Being a gay man, Etienne could see that. More than once, he had been
harassed by some asshole showing off for his friends. It was one of the
reasons his mother insisted he learn to defend himself. Insults hurt the soul.
Physical violence destroyed the body.
Etienne was kind of partial to having both unscathed.
“We should go,” Louis said as he grabbed Etienne’s arm. “The cleaners
will be here soon to take care of this mess, but I’d feel better if you weren’t
here, sir.”
Nikolas nodded as if he understood.
Etienne didn’t, but he did know he didn’t want to hang around here one
second longer than he had to. There was too much death and destruction
here. His stomach clenched, rolling, threatening to rebel.
“I’d really like to go now, too.”
Louis’s eyes narrowed for just a moment before he started steering
Etienne toward the stairs. Etienne didn’t know what the vampire
commander was thinking, but he was glad Louis had listened to him. That
counted for a lot in Etienne’s book.
When they reached the street, Louis escorted him to one of the large
SUVs. Etienne climbed in and scooted as far to the other side as he could
get. Once Nikolas and Jon climbed in, Louis got in the front passenger seat.
When they just sat there, Etienne looked at Louis and raised an
eyebrow. “Are we waiting for more vampires to attack?”
“No, we’re waiting for the men I had stationed on the roof across the
street.”
 Etienne felt his face flush as he glanced out the window. Maybe now
would be a good time to reign in his tongue. It wasn’t as if he was trying to
be sarcastic. His nerves were fried. He just wanted to get somewhere that he
didn’t feel the need to continuously glance over his shoulder and search for
danger.
He glanced up in surprise when he felt someone take his hand.
Jon smiled at him. “It does get better, I promise.”
Etienne returned his smile, even if it trembled just a bit.
“Not so long ago, I was in your shoes,” Jon said. “I had no idea
vampires existed until I arrived to apply for a job with Nikolas Vaile, and
got attacked by a blood mad vampire instead.”
Etienne swallowed hard. “Blood mad?”
Jon chuckled. “I cut my finger on my resume. When Nikolas smelled
my blood and knew he had found his rajaaka after centuries of looking, he
kind of lost it.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I have no idea. I passed out and woke up in his bed.”
Etienne’s eyebrows shot up. “You woke up in his bed?”
Jon nodded. “He claimed me then, but I had no clue what that meant. I
left, went home. I nearly went insane until I came back to demand answers.
I couldn’t understand why Nikolas was all I could think about.”
Etienne chuckled.
“Once you accept that the bond is real, life will get a whole lot easier.”
“Yeah, but is it always so dangerous?”
“I’m not going to lie to you. It can be, but the payoff is so much
greater.” Jon’s grin was infectious. “I’d rather face a thousand rogue
vampires with my hands tied behind my back than miss one day with
Nikolas.”
Etienne glanced toward the front of the vehicle to where Louis was
talking on his cell phone. He still didn’t understand about the bond Jon
mentioned, but he knew he’d miss Louis if the man wasn’t in his life.
Somehow, for some reason Etienne hadn’t figured out yet, Louis had
become as vital to him as breathing.
Etienne smiled when Louis glanced back at him. Louis returned his
smile. It was almost as if the vampire knew Etienne was thinking about
him.
“You okay, kitya?”
 Etienne’s eyes widened when he heard Louis in his head. He had
forgotten that part. He wanted to protest the intrusion, except the warmth he
felt at knowing he had that intimate bond with the man he was so fascinated
with calmed him and made his fears ease.
“I’m fine,” he replied back just as silently, hoping Louis heard him.
When the handsome vampire’s grin grew, Etienne knew his words had
reached him. “Can anyone else hear us?”
“No, kitya. This is just for you and me.”
Right. He knew that. Louis had explained it once before. “That’s kind of
nice.”
“I agree.” Louis must have been done with his phone call. He slid his
phone into his pocket and turned all of his attention on Etienne. “I know all
of this is a little scary, but I will keep you safe, Etienne.”
Safety wasn’t Etienne’s biggest worry. He was pretty good at protecting
himself. He was more worried about what his life was going to be like as
Louis’s mate. “So, what happens now?”
“How do you mean?” Louis asked.
“Well, I’m assuming we’re going to live at your place.” Etienne winced
when another thought knotted inside of him. “We are moving in together,
right?”
Louis hadn’t specifically asked, so…
“Yes, kitya, we will be living together.”
Etienne blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.
“Maybe we need to do a little more talking, huh? We seem to spend all of
our time either fighting rogues or in bed.”
Louis’s eyebrow rose into a high arch. “You don’t want to spend time in
bed?”
Etienne’s eyes rolled. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Louis’s chuckle was loud in the small space inside the car. “No,” he
said through their bond, even if his chuckle had been heard by everyone. “I
know what you meant, kitya, and you’re right. We do need to spend more
time talking.”
“When we get home, maybe?” Etienne asked hopefully.
When Louis winced, his heart sank.
“I have to deal with this attack, Etienne.”
Etienne couldn’t blame the man for doing his job, no matter how much
he didn’t like it. He was mated to the head of security. He was pretty sure
getting interrupted by Louis’s job was going to become a regular part of his
life.
“After that then?”
“Thank you for understanding, kitya.” Louis smiled before turning to
look at Nikolas and Jon. “When we get home, can Etienne go up to the
penthouse with you?” he asked out loud. “Until we get this thing figured
out, I’d feel better if he was somewhere safe.”
“Of course,” Nikolas replied, “but you do not consider your quarters
safe?”
“Not if Etienne is right and someone is feeding the rogues information.”
“Do you really think that is possible?” Nikolas asked.
Etienne wasn’t sure he wanted to know that answer to that question, not
if he was planning on moving in with Louis. His apartment hadn’t been in
the best of neighborhoods, but he’d never been in fear for his life, until
tonight.
He needed to think about getting a bazooka.
“I don’t want to think it’s possible, but evidence says otherwise. There
have been too many attacks in the last few days. They’re spot on, too.”
Nikolas lifted a brow. “Spot on?”
Louis heaved a sigh. “They know our movements, sir. They are either
really great at anticipating where we’re going to be or they know where
we’re going to be, but one way or another, they are one step ahead of us
each time. When I went to investigate the border, they were waiting for us,
again. This is no longer feeling like a coincidence.”
“I see your point,” Nikolas replied. “But who could it be?”
“I don’t know.” Louis’s jaw clenched. “But when I find out, I’m going
to make them wish for death.”
Etienne knew he was a sick puppy because Louis’s harsh words actually
made him feel better. Safer.
How weird was that?
In any other situation, he would have been horrified by what Louis was
saying, and yet, this time, he was thrilled that the vampire was so vicious.
He was angry for what this person was doing to Nikolas and Jon, sure, but
he was angrier at the sense of betrayal he could see in Louis’s eyes.
He wanted to kill this person himself for that alone.
Louis prided himself on only having men beneath him who he trusted.
Nothing said it was one of them, but Etienne was pretty sure it was. Who
else would know their movements? He just wasn’t sure whether he should
say something or not. He was kind of the outsider here.
“Any idea who it might be?” Etienne asked instead.
“I trust my men, but…”
“But?”
There was a but?
“As you said, very few people knew of your movements or mine. It had
to be someone who was privy to that information, and unfortunately, that
means it has to be someone on the inside.”
“Who do you suspect?” Nikolas asked.
“Anyone not in this vehicle.”
Etienne’s eyes rounded when Nikolas swore. He suspected that number
was quite high. He had no idea how many vampires were in Nikolas’s tribe,
but if the size of his company was anything to go by, there were a lot.
“Could it be a human?”
“No.” Louis’s words were cold and exact. “You and Jon are the only
humans in the tribe.”
Well, that was news to Etienne.
“I think now that Nikolas had mated with me,” Jon said, “and people
have gotten the chance to get to know me, more humans might be joining
the tribe.”
“What makes you say that, rajaaka?” Nikolas asked.
“I’m sure you don’t notice it because you’re a vampire, but a lot of you
don’t like humans.”
Nikolas growled.
Jon quickly raised his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, everyone has been
very nice to me, but I honestly think that’s simply because they are terrified
of you. If I was just some regular human instead of the mate to the leader of
this tribe, I wouldn’t be treated so nice.”
“I’d rip their heads off,” Nikolas promised.
Jon grinned. “My point exactly.”
“I’m not mated to Nikolas and I really haven’t had any trouble with
anyone. Granted, I’ve only been around for like a second, but everyone has
been pretty nice to me.” Etienne chuckled when he heard a grunt from the
front seat. “Well, almost everyone.”
Louis’s gaze snapped back and forth between Etienne and Dietrich, his
features growing darker each time he turned to look at the man in the
driver’s seat. “Do you have a problem with my mate?”
“Not anymore, sir,” Dietrich replied.
Etienne chuckled again. “We worked it out, Louis,” he sent through
their bond link. “Dietrich might not like me because I’m human, but he
respects me.”
And in this new world he found himself in, that seemed a bit more
important.
 Chapter Fifteen
Louis was fuming, and he knew it, but he was helpless to make the
feeling go away. No matter what his mate said, Dietrich was a dead vamp if
he so much as looked at Etienne wrong. Etienne was perfect just the way he
was, and that included being human. If Dietrich didn’t like it, he could find
himself another tribe.
Louis wasn’t giving Etienne up.
“I am so glad to be home,” Jon said when they pulled up in the secured
area of the parking garage. “I need a shower so bad. And I’m starving. I
could eat a horse.”
“Me, too, rajaaka.” Nikolas winked at his mate. “I could eat you.”
Louis chuckled when Etienne rolled his eyes. He was used to the
interplay between the two men. Etienne was not. He could only hope that
someday, someone would roll their eyes at him and Etienne.
Louis climbed out of the vehicle and then opened the door for Nikolas,
Jon, and Etienne. “I will escort you to the penthouse and then I need to go
check in with Aldrich.”
“Don’t you think he would have called if there was an issue?” Nikolas
asked after climbing out. He reached back in to help Jon out, not that he
really needed help, but Nikolas was ultra-protective of his smaller mate.
“He would, but I want to check in anyway.” Louis turned and then
smiled when he saw Etienne sitting on the edge of the seat. He held out his
hand, suddenly understanding why Nikolas had done what he did. It just
seemed natural to help his mate out of the vehicle.
Once Etienne hopped out of the car, Louis wrapped an arm around his
shoulders and led him toward the elevators. “I’ll have Aldrich get you all
your passcodes tomorrow.”
Etienne glanced at him. “Passcodes?”
“Every member of the tribe is issued a specific passcode. It’s kind of
like an identification number. Depending on who you are, it will let you into
secure areas of the building. Our quarters, for instance, only you, me, and
Aldrich have the passcode for our place. No one else.”
“Only us and Aldrich?”
“Well, Nikolas does, of course. His passcode allows him into any room
in the building. Jon has the master code as well as me and Aldrich, but no
one else has the code for everything. Aldrich, as my second-in-command,
has the code for the penthouse, but only in emergencies.”
“Why?”
“There was an incident awhile back when some rogues got into the
penthouse. We knew they were coming. We just didn’t know how they were
getting in. It was decided that we would let them come so we could find out
how they were getting in. Jon was not happy when they reached the
penthouse and he had to fight one of them off with a rolling pin.”
Etienne blanched. “A rolling pin?”
Louis nodded as they stepped inside the elevator. “Not to worry, kitya.
They were all caught. After that, Jon demanded that the penthouse be
secured. We could play our little games with the rogues, but he wanted one
place that was off limits.”
Jon snorted.
Etienne’s eyes were wide. “We need to add our quarters to that off-
limits list.”
“Already done, kitya.” There was no way in hell he was going to allow
rogues to get to his mate. “For your general knowledge, there is a safe room
in our quarters as well as in the penthouse. If you ever feel unsafe, you are
to go there. Once the door is sealed from the inside, an alarm will sound in
the security command center and we’ll come running.”
“Let’s hope I never need it.”
Louis prayed for that very thing, but he wasn’t taking any chances with
his mate’s safety. Etienne needed to be protected at all costs. “If Stefan is
back on his feet, I’ll assign him as your bodyguard. He needs to go
wherever you go.”
“A bodyguard? Really?”
“It’s for your own safety, Etienne.”
“Fiinne.” Etienne’s chin jutted out. “But I want Dietrich.”
Louis’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you didn’t like Dietrich.” That had
been the impression he got from their conversation anyway.
“He’s growing on me.”
Etienne’s light laughter filled the elevator when Louis growled. Instead
of getting mad, Louis found himself smiling. He pulled Etienne back
against him and wrapped his arms around Etienne’s shoulders.
He leaned down close to Etienne’s ear. “We will discuss it, kitya.”
It was all he could promise.
 When the elevator doors opened on the floor below the penthouse,
Louis started to step out. He stiffened and shoved Etienne back when he
spotted four armed sentries standing in the waiting room of Nikolas’s office.
They were not his sentries.
He held up his hand, indicating to those in the elevator that they needed
to stay where they were. After receiving a nod from Nikolas, Louis tapped
his earpiece. “Aldrich, there are unannounced guests in the lobby of
Nikolas’s office.”
“Yes, sir,” Aldrich replied. “Marcus Aguilera and several of his men
arrived a few minutes ago. After he spoke with Bella, she made us stand
down.”
Damn it. That wasn’t her call.
“Why wasn’t I informed?”
“I was just getting ready to do that, sir.”
“I’m here now. I’ll deal with it. I’m sending the elevator back down. I
want a squad of sentries to meet it on your floor. You can take the prince
and his consort to the penthouse from there. My mate is to go with them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Were our men injured?”
“Sir?”
“When Aguilera arrived, did he injure any of our men?” The last time
the vampire leader had come for a “visit,” he had knocked out the guards in
the parking garage. Louis was still angry about that.
“No, sir. He came in through the front door this time.”
Huh.
“All right, do what I said.” Louis reached into the elevator to hit the
button to take it down, but Nikolas stopped him. “Sir?”
“What’s going on?” Nikolas asked.
“Marcus Aguilera is here, sir.”
Nikolas growled before starting out of the elevator.
“Sir, please.”
This had bad written all over it.
Nikolas kept walking, pulling Jon along behind him. Louis had no other
choice than to follow, but he wasn’t leaving his mate by himself. He
reached into the elevator and grabbed Etienne’s wrist. “Stay at my side.”
Etienne blinked at him. “Okay.”
 Louis nodded to the sword Etienne still had on him. “Use that if you
have to.”
Etienne leaned forward and tried to peer out of the elevator. “How did
rogues get this far up in the building?”
“They’re not rogues, Etienne. Marcus Aguilera is the leader of the
neighboring tribe.”
“Oh.” He frowned. “Is that bad?”
“It’s never good.”
Louis made sure he stayed between Etienne and Marcus’s guards as
they walked toward Nikolas’s office. He would have preferred to have an
entire legion of warriors with him, but Nikolas didn’t seem willing to give
him time to gather them. The man was plowing ahead as if the enemy
wasn’t standing right there.
“Sir,” Louis called out. “Please, sir, let me go first.”
Louis rolled his eyes when Nikolas just marched right on into his office.
Sometimes it was very hard to be Nikolas Vaile’s head of security.
“Marcus,” Nikolas said as they walked into the office.
“Nikolas,” came the deep reply.
“To what do we owe your visit?”
“I’ve come to see my love, of course.”
Nikolas growled.
Jon snorted. “Marcus, you’re an ass.”
Louis’s jaw dropped when Marcus chuckled. He wasn’t sure he would
ever understand the dynamics between Jon and Marcus. The vampire prince
seemed to hold Jon in great regard, even though every vampire in both
tribes knew of Marcus’s distain for humans.
“Come on, Etienne,” Jon said. “Let’s go up to the penthouse. I’ll teach
you how to make gluten-free muffins.”
“Should I go?” Etienne asked through their bond.
“Yes, that would be good. You’ll be safe up there.”
“Will you be safe down here?”
Louis’s heart warmed at Etienne’s concern. “I will, kitya.”
“Who is this delicious morsel?” Marcus asked.
Louis growled and pulled Etienne to his side. “My rajaaka.”
Marcus frowned. “Your tribe does seem to like humans, Nikolas. I don’t
understand it. It goes against traditions set down centuries ago.”
 “Well,” Nikolas replied, “considering I’m holding my rajaaka in my
arms and you are not, I’m not sure what there is to understand.”
“Yes, well…” Marcus’s jaw clenched.
Louis knew Nikolas’s words had hit a sore spot with the vampire leader.
Marcus didn’t hate humans. He just didn’t seem to have a lot of use for
them. His tribe was much more traditional than Nikolas’s tribe. They tended
to follow the old laws, which was fine, but they were stuck in the past. With
humans outnumbering vampires at least a hundred to one, they needed to
get with the times.
Louis leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Etienne’s head. “Go
with Jon, kitya.”
Etienne shot Marcus a dirty look before following Jon out of the room.
Louis didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the two men disappeared, and then
he turned his attention back to Marcus. As much as he wanted to throttle the
man and demand to know why he was there, at this point, he was just the
muscle. This was between Nikolas and Marcus.
“Why are you here, Marcus?” Nikolas asked.
“Can I not drop by to simply say hello?” Marcus queried.
“No.” Nikolas’s words were cold and exact.
Marcus heaved a heavy breath. “I’m concerned with the recent influx of
rogue attacks. They seem random, but they are almost too random. It’s as if
they are testing—”
“Your borders, looking for a weakness?” Nikolas asked.
“Yes, quite right.”
“We’ve been experiencing the same. Marcus, I’ll be honest here,”
Nikolas said. “We suspect someone on the inside is feeding the rogues
information.”
Marcus’s forehead wrinkled in a deep frown. “A traitor?”
“Sir, if I may?” Louis asked. When Nikolas nodded, Louis turned to
look at Marcus. “We’ve had several incidents where our borders were
tested, but more than that, rogues have been waiting for our sentries,
drawing them in and then attacking in great numbers.”
“And that drew you to believe you have a traitor in your midst?”
Louis shook his head. “Earlier this evening, while I was dealing with a
missing patrol on our western border, Jon and Etienne went back to
Etienne’s apartment to gather his belongings. Only a few people knew of
their movements and yet rogues were waiting for them.”
 “I see,” Marcus mused.
“I still have not located our missing patrol, but rogues were waiting to
ambush us when we arrived at their last known location.”
“Do you have any suspects in mind?” Marcus asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Nikolas replied heavily. “If you had asked me a
few hours ago if I trusted every member of my tribe, I would have said yes.
Now, I’m not so sure.”
“How can I help?” Marcus asked, which surprised Louis.
It must have surprised Nikolas, as well. He just stared at Marcus until
the silence grew uncomfortable. “Why would you want to help us?” Nikolas
finally asked. “We’re not friends.”
“No,” Marcus agreed with a shake of his head, “but I dislike you less
than I dislike others.”
Yeah, that was a reason.
Louis glanced at his prince when the man chuckled.
“Fair enough,” Nikolas said. “Drink?”
“Please,” Marcus replied.
Louis walked over to the sideboard and poured both men a drink before
carrying them over. Once he had handed them over, he took up a spot
behind Nikolas, and just off to the side. He needed a clear view of Marcus
in case he needed to shoot the man.
“We have to figure out where these rogues are coming from, Nikolas,”
Marcus said. “Their numbers are alarming.”
“I think our bigger problem is figuring out why they are here. What is
their endgame?”
Marcus nodded. “They do seem to have some plan in mind.”
“They have to be after your territories,” Louis said. “That would be the
only reason for them to attack.”
“I’m not so sure,” Nikolas said. “I mean, yes, they probably do want my
territory, but maybe it is something more sinister.”
Louis raised an eyebrow. “Like?”
“Rogues are simply vampires who refuse to follow the rules set down
by our council to keep us hidden from human eyes, to keep our kind safe
and keep the humans safe from us. Many of these rogues don’t care if
humans are hurt or killed, and our council has very strict rules about how
humans are treated, correct?”
Louis nodded.
 “Vaile Industries is the major supplier of synthetic blood for vampires
around the world. It keeps us from drinking the blood of humans, which is
forbidden except under extreme circumstances. What if the plan is to take
out Vaile Industries so all vampires turn rogue, and then they will no longer
be outlawed?”
Louis gasped at the implication. “Sir, if that’s their plan—”
Nikolas raised his hand. “Right now, it’s just a working theory.”
“It is a bloody good theory, Nikolas,” Marcus said. “If these rogues can
eliminate that which gives us the choice to drink from humans or not, the
only way to do that would be to start at the top by killing you, your rajaaka,
and so on.”
“But why attack Etienne?” Louis asked.
“I have a theory about that, as well,” Nikolas said. “I don’t think their
intention was to attack Etienne. I think they were after Jon. Etienne just got
in the way. If the attack hadn’t happened at Etienne’s apartment, it would
have happened somewhere else. If they can kill Jon, they can kill me.”
Louis swallowed tightly. “If they kill Etienne, they kill me.”
Nikolas nodded. “They may not know about Etienne yet. These attacks
on you and your sentries might be simply to get you out of the way. Anyone
with an ounce of intelligence knows you have to be taken out if they have
any hope of getting to me.”
Louis appreciated Nikolas’s confidence in him, but he was terrified the
rogues would discover who Etienne was to him and go after him.
“Why not just destroy your production facility?” Marcus asked. “Why
go after you?”
“I’d simply build again, and they know that. While blood directly from
the source is preferable, synthetic blood is the only way we can keep our
species hidden from the humans. In this technological age, there are too
many chances of being caught on camera or worse. Synthetic blood keeps
us off YouTube.”
Louis couldn’t help but smile at Nikolas’s words. The man had a right
to be proud of the things he had done. His synthetic blood had allowed
vampires to come out of the shadows. No longer did they hide in castles in
remote areas of the world. They lived and mingled with humans, with
humans never being aware of their existence.
The vampire prince had done good.
 “I suspect we need to search the processing plants and beef up security
to ensure our security hasn’t been breached,” Louis said. “If we do indeed
have a traitor in our midst, there is no telling what he has given away.”
“Or she,” Marcus said. “A vampiress can be just as vicious as a
vampire, if not more so.”
Very true.
“Sir, I—” Louis gasped as cold, hard fear slammed into him.
“Etienne?”
“Jon says you’re fired!”
Louis started running toward the entry to the penthouse.
“Louis, where are you going?” Nikolas shouted.
“Jon told Etienne I was fired,” Louis called out without stopping.
“Bloody hell!” Nikolas snapped out as he took off running.
They both knew what that meant.
 Chapter Sixteen
Etienne grunted as he was slammed into the wall. Pain flared up his
back from the impact. He quickly turned his head when a set of vicious
looking fangs snapped at him. Anger flared through him, hot and red. He’d
be damned if he let some bloodsucker take him out now, not when he had
finally found someone who wanted to keep him.
Etienne dug his fingers into the vampire’s shirt and brought his knee up
as hard as he could. The sudden gasp from the vampire trying to kill him
was very satisfying. The second the guy bent to grab his balls, Etienne
brought his knee up again. He had just enough time to move out of the way
as the vampire dropped to the floor.
A cry across the room drew Etienne’s attention toward Jon. The man
held a rolling pin in his hands and was doing his level best to fight off the
rogue vampire attacking him. Once again, Etienne had that instinctual
feeling that he needed to protect Jon at all costs.
He searched for his katana, which had fallen to the floor when they had
been rushed by vampires. He spotted it laying just under the edge of the
counter. There were two vampires between him and his sword.
Etienne glanced around, looking for another weapon. His eyes fell on
the knife block. Simple cutting knives would not have been his weapon of
choice when fighting bloodthirsty vampires, but they would do in a pinch.
He reached over and grabbed the six paring knives on the lower half of
the cutting block. He flipped one around in his hand. The balance was way
off, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Etienne took aim and threw the first
knife at one of the vampires between him and his sword. He quickly threw
the others.
When the rogues screamed and tried to claw at the blades sticking out
of their backs, Etienne scooted past them and grabbed his sword. He pulled
it out of the sheath and came up swinging. He beheaded the vampires
standing directly in front of him before moving on to the ones attacking Jon.
Within a matter of moments, Etienne had cut through the rogues
between him and Jon and had the man backed into the corner. He stood in
front of Jon, sword raised and ready.
When the kitchen door slammed open and Louis, Nikolas, and Marcus
came running in, Etienne glared at them. “You’re late.”
 Louis seemed to take everything in with a single glance and then
grinned. “Sorry, kitya.”
Etienne rolled his eyes as he lowered the blade of his sword. “If this
keeps up, I’m going to demand hazard pay.”
Or at least a healthy medical plan.
“The penthouse is supposed to be secure,” Louis said before grimacing
as he stared at the dead bodies on the floor again. “I can’t understand why it
isn’t.”
Etienne pointed his sword to one of the bodies. “I’d tell you to ask him,
but…” Etienne shrugged. “He was the first one I took out.”
Etienne knew he should be feeling guilty about what he had done, but
he just didn’t. These men had broken in here and threatened to kill both him
and Jon if they didn’t go with them peacefully. They intended to kidnap
them to gain Nikolas’s compliance.
Wasn’t happening.
“You did this?” Marcus asked.
Etienne narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, you got a problem with that?”
He was tired of being asked that.
“You are human,” Marcus insisted.
Etienne was tired of that, too. “And?”
Marcus didn’t reply, but Etienne could see the challenge in the
vampire’s raised eyebrow. He decided to put Marcus on his “do not like”
list. The vampire would stay there until someone took that huge tree branch
out of his ass.
“Who is he, Etienne?” Nikolas asked, gaining his attention.
“His name is Steve,” Etienne replied. “He works…worked …in the IT
department with me. I thought he was human, but I guess not.” The fangs
and claws had been a dead giveaway. “He was kind of an ass anyway.”
Louis squatted down and rolled the vampire over. Etienne took a step
forward when his mate gasped. “What?”
“This man’s name isn’t Steve, Etienne,” Louis replied in a heavy voice.
“It’s Stefan. He’s one of my sentries.”
“No, his name is Steve. You can ask Mr. Smyth if you don’t believe
me.”
Louis glanced up. “Who?”
“My supervisor, Mr. Smyth.”
 Louis tapped his earpiece. “Aldrich, bring me the personnel files on
some men named Steve and Smyth. They both work in the IT department.”
His lip curled back in obvious disgust as he stood. “And send a cleaning
crew to the penthouse.”
“Sir?” Aldrich asked.
“There’s been another attack.”
“In the penthouse, sir?” Aldrich asked. “I sent sentries up to guard Jon
and Etienne liked you asked. What—”
“Did you send Stefan?”
“Of course. He was fully healed from his injuries and—”
“He’s dead.”
Aldrich gasped. “Dead, sir?”
“Yes, I’m still trying to figure out what happened. Just bring me those
files.”
“Yes, sir.”
While Louis dealt with whatever, Etienne walked over to the sink. He
hated using plain water to clean his blade, but he didn’t have his cleaning
kit with him. That was still back at his apartment. He rinsed the blood off
and then dried the sword before sliding it back into the sheath.
He was starting to think he needed to wear his katana all the time. He
was certainly giving it serious thought. Or demand a bazooka.
“Thank you.”
Etienne glanced at Nikolas. “For what?”
Nikolas smiled, but Etienne could see the fear in the vampire’s eyes
before they dropped to the man wrapped up in his arms. “For protecting
Jon. My life would end if anything ever happened to him.”
Etienne smiled. “You might want to consider getting Jon some self-
defense training. It seems to me he has a bull’s-eye on his back. If he can
protect himself, even if it’s just until more help can arrive, he might have a
better chance of living through the next attack.”
Nikolas’s head cocked to one side. “Can you teach him?”
Etienne laughed. “Me?” He sobered quickly when Nikolas just stared at
him. “Hey, I’m not an expert at this stuff. I’m in training myself.”
Nikolas glanced around. “You seem to do pretty well for yourself.”
“That’s not training,” Etienne protested. “That’s pure terror.”
“Please?”
 Etienne groaned. “Fine, but I’ve been at this for years. He’s not going to
learn this shit overnight. He still needs guards.”
“So do you, kitya,” Louis said from behind him.
Etienne groaned again as he turned to look at his mate. “I already told
you I had no problem with a bodyguard. I just want—”
“Done,” Nikolas said. “Whatever it is you want, it’s done.”
“Sir,” Louis said, “you don’t know—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Nikolas replied. “See that it’s done.”
“He wants Dietrich as his bodyguard.”
Nikolas’s eyes widened as they snapped to Etienne. “Are you out of
your bloody mind?”
Etienne frowned as he looked between the two men. “What have you
guys got against Dietrich?”
“Nothing,” Nikolas said vehemently. “He’s an excellent warrior, one of
the best, but he has the people skills of a malnourished mountain lion. He’d
rather tear into someone than actually talk to them.”
“I don’t need someone to talk to me,” Etienne pointed out. “I need
someone to protect me.”
Jon chuckled. “He’s got you there.”
“Fine,” Nikolas said with a heavy sigh. “You can have Dietrich, but I
still want you to train Jon.”
“Deal, but you should consider having my teacher come here and teach
both of us. He’s much better than me.” Etienne grinned. “He might even be
better than Dietrich.”
Louis rolled his eyes before pointing a finger at Etienne. “You have to
tell him.”
Etienne chuckled. “I’m not afraid of Dietrich.”
Not really.
“You should be.”
Etienne smiled as he moved into Louis’s personal bubble space. “You’ll
protect me, won’t you, mate?”
Louis’s raised eyebrow made Etienne happy right down to his toes. He
knew the sexy vampire would protect him with his life. That wasn’t even a
question in his mind.
“I think I’m in love with you,” Etienne said through the mental bond
between them.
He felt Louis’s response in the quickening of the man’s heartbeat.
 “You think?” Louis asked back.
Etienne fingered the edges of Louis’s shirt collar. “Maybe if you kissed
me…”
Etienne inhaled a shaky breath when Louis’s lips settled over his.
Etienne opened, allowing Louis to do whatever the hell he wanted to. The
kiss was gentle and sweet, yet Etienne felt it all the way into his soul. It
made his stomach tingle and his heart beat faster.
Louis pulled his body closer as he took over the kiss, tilting Etienne’s
head for better access. He began moving his tongue in and out in a sweet,
sexy rhythm that had Etienne squirming within seconds.
A throat cleared somewhere in the room.
Etienne whimpered when Louis pulled back. He didn’t want the kiss to
end. He would have given up his katana for a flat surface. When a throat
cleared again, Etienne turned to glare at Nikolas and Jon.
“What?” he asked. “Can’t you see we’re having a moment here?”
Etienne had been ready to admit his growing feelings for Louis. Well,
he kind of had, but he had been hoping to hear an admission in return.
“You have a very interesting tribe, Nikolas,” Marcus said.
Nikolas chuckled. “At least it’s never boring.”
Etienne stiffened when the kitchen door opened until he saw Dietrich
walk in, followed by three other men. He vaguely recognized one of them
as the man Louis said was his second in command. The other two were
strangers. Since no one else seemed disturbed by their arrival, he decided he
wouldn’t be, either.
He suspected he was going to have a lot of battles to fight as a human
living in a vampire tribe. He needed to pick and choose which ones to fight.
Having Dietrich as his bodyguard was worth fighting for.
He couldn’t wait to tell the grumpy warrior.
“Here’s the files you asked for, sir.” Aldrich held out a small stack of
yellow files.
Louis took the files and flipped them open, first one, then the other.
“Damn it, Etienne is right. I don’t know how he did it, but Steve from the IT
department is Stefan, one of my sentries.”
“Steve didn’t work there very long, Louis,” Etienne said. “He’s actually
only been there a couple of months.”
Louis glanced up. “Did you have a lot of interaction with him?”
 “As little as I could,” Etienne admitted sheepishly. “Steve was kind of
an ass. He was critical of everyone except those above him, and he couldn’t
kiss the supervisor’s ass fast enough.”
“I just don’t understand how Steve and Stefan can be the same man,”
Louis said. “For what purpose? What could he gain from this?”
“Information,” Etienne replied. “In the IT department, my job was to
update the website for company get-togethers, the Christmas party,
whatever. I’m sure there are others who had information on the goings-on
inside Vaile Industries.”
“Could Stefan have accessed Nikolas’s schedule from there?” Jon
asked.
“If his computer skills were good enough, sure.”
“What about information on the processing plants?” Nikolas asked.
Etienne frowned as he glanced at the man. “Processing plants?”
“It’s where we make synthetic blood,” Nikolas explained. “Could
Stefan have gotten information on those?”
“I suppose.” Etienne just wasn’t sure. “You really need to call Mr.
Smyth. He’d be the one to ask. He’s a lot more tech-savvy than I am.”
Nikolas’s gaze snapped to Louis. “I want Smyth in my office first thing
in the morning.”
Louis glanced down at his watch. “You mean like in two hours?”
Nikolas chuckled. “Yes.”
“Aldrich,” Louis said, “Send some men out to search each of the
production facilities from top to bottom. We suspect that the rogues plan to
destroy them.”
“Yes, sir,” Aldrich replied.
“Double the security at the gates, as well.”
“Can I add something?” Etienne asked. He knew he was going to sound
totally paranoid, but he kind of had a right to be. Rogue vampires kept
attacking him.
“Of course, kitya.”
“This is going to sound totally out there, but have you thought about
sweeping Nikolas’s office for listening devices? That’s where we were
when we discussed going to my apartment. It might explain how the rogues
knew where we were.”
Etienne winced when Louis’s jaw dropped. “It was just a suggestion.”
 “It was a very good suggestion, Etienne,” Nikolas said before glancing
at Aldrich. “See that it’s done immediately.”
“Yes, sir.” Aldrich gave a slight bow before turning to leave the room.
“Wait, before you go.” Etienne turned to look up at Louis. “If Nikolas’s
office is bugged, why can’t you use that to get some of these rogues?”
Louis’s eyebrows lifted. “For what purpose?”
“If they are using listening devices to find out your movements so they
can kidnap Jon or kill Nikolas, then why not let them hear you?”
Louis grinned. “My mate has a devious mind.”
Etienne snorted. “You have no idea.”
 Chapter Seventeen
Louis quietly let himself into his apartment. It had taken him forever to
get Etienne to go lie down and he didn’t want to wake the man. He’d only
been asleep for a few hours. He really needed his rest.
He nodded to Dietrich. “Why don’t you take a break and get some
lunch? I have Etienne for now.”
Dietrich stood and started for the door, but paused and turned back.
“Sir, do you know why he chose me?”
Louis chuckled. “He likes you.”
Dietrich’s head snapped back, a deep frown marring his strong features.
“Why?”
“Etienne is weird like that.” And Louis adored him for that. His mate
was unlike any human Louis had ever had contact with, including Jon.
Louis wouldn’t want to be mated to Jon Brighten on a bet, but Etienne was
perfect.
Louis waited until the door closed behind Dietrich before heading for
the bedroom. They might have been separated for just a few hours while
Etienne slept and Louis dealt with the listening devices they had found, not
to mention making sure all the production facilities were searched and the
fact that one of his own men had been working with the rogues, but he had
felt each second as if it had been an eon.
He paused in the bedroom doorway and drew in a shaky breath. The
sight of his rajaaka sleeping so peacefully in his bed was one he would
savor for the rest of his life. He had searched for his mate for so long, he
had started to give up hope he would ever find him.
And Etienne had been right under his nose the entire time.
He could have missed him. If he hadn’t walked into the ballroom at just
the right moment, he might never have known Etienne even existed. Louis
pressed his hand to his chest, the ache those words brought him almost
more than he could bear.
“Come to bed,” Etienne whispered silently.
Louis smiled as he pushed away from the doorway and sauntered over
to the side of the bed. He loved the fact that Etienne felt so comfortable
talking to him through their mate bond. It boded well for their future
together.
 He sat down on the side of the bed and then reached out to trail his hand
down the smooth expanse of Etienne’s back. “Did you sleep, kitya?” he
asked in a low voice.
“Some.” Etienne’s eyes were sleep filled when he opened them. “It was
hard to sleep without you here.”
“Yeah?” Why did that knowledge make him feel so good? He should
feel horrible that his mate couldn’t sleep. The warmth those words brought
him didn’t make sense.
Etienne grabbed Louis’s shirt and started pulling it from his body.
“Louis,” he begged, “make love to me.”
“Etienne,” Louis began only to grunt when Etienne he ripped his shirt
open. He grabbed Etienne’s hands when he went for his pants, struggling
with him until his pants dropped open and his hard cock popped free.
“Etienne,” he groaned when the man rolled over and wrapped his lips
around Louis’s aching cock. He felt his legs begin to shake when Etienne
cupped his sack, gently massaging him. His tongue ran the length of his
eager cock, before sucking him into his mouth.
“Etienne, kitya, please,” Louis pleaded as he reluctantly tried to pull
back. Etienne needed his rest. Hell, Louis needed his rest. “We can’t—”
“Yes, we can, Louis. Please, I need you.”
Louis looked down at him, seeing the desperation in his beautiful green
eyes deciding things for him. He picked Etienne up in his arms and pushed
him back onto the mattress. He grabbed the lube off the nightstand and
liberally coated his fingers before sliding them between Etienne’s butt
cheeks.
He pressed kisses along Etienne’s heated skin as he applied pressure to
the man’s tight ring of muscles. Little by little, he worked one finger in. He
knew some men didn’t care, but he always found the act of preparing his
lover part of the pleasure of making love. He wanted Etienne to come apart
in his arms.
Louis scraped his fangs on Etienne’s throat muscles as he added another
finger and began moving it around, in and out. Etienne’s sweet cries were
music to his ears. By the time he got a third finger worked in, he wondered
who was going to fall apart, him or Etienne.
“Wrap your legs around me, kitya,” Louis directed as he pulled his
fingers free and settled between the man’s thighs.
 He kissed a line up the side of Etienne’s neck as he gripped Etienne’s
butt cheeks, lifting and impaling him on his thick shaft. His lips reached
Etienne’s mouth, his tongue exploring, searching, as he began to thrust
rapidly into the tight sheath that was his rajaaka.
Etienne arched his head back as Louis worked his way down from his
mouth to his neck. Louis could smell the excitement in the air. Etienne
knew what was coming, anticipated it, needed it, but he still cried out when
Louis sank his teeth into his neck.
Louis growled as he sucked at the bite mark, swallowing sip after sip of
his mate’s precious blood. Etienne was ambrosia itself. Everything he had
ever hungered for and never knew he needed.
He thrust into Etienne again as his cock pulsed. He withdrew his fangs
and licked the bite closed once he felt Etienne come. He roared as he gave
one final thrust and spilled his seed deep within Etienne’s welcoming body.
Louis rested his head against Etienne’s as his chest heaved, his breath
coming out in sharp pants.
Etienne caressed the side of his face as he pulled back to look up at him.
His smile was the sweetest Louis had ever seen. “Love you, petjya.”
Louis’s heart filled with joy at the love showing clearly in Etienne’s
eyes. Had three simple words ever meant so much? He felt tears flood his
eyes as he softly whispered, “Love you, rajaaka.”

****

Louis growled as he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his
pants. He searched around until he could grab his cell phone. When he saw
Aldrich’s name on the screen, he knew his cuddle time with his mate was at
an end.
He swiped his finger across the screen before holding the phone to his
ear. “What?”
“It’s time, sir.”
Damn.
Just once he’d like to spend the morning in bed with his mate.
“I’ll be right there.”
Louis hung up and dropped his cell phone back down onto the pile of
clothes on the floor before turning to his mate. Etienne’s eyes were open
once again, staring at him. Louis was surprised there wasn’t any reproach in
the man’s eyes.
“Sorry, kitya.”
“Work?”
Louis nodded. “We set up a sting to catch the rogues. We had to wait
until we thought they had taken the bait before we can move in to eliminate
them.”
“You’ll be careful?”
“Of course.” He had something to live for now. When Etienne stroked a
hand over his cheek, Louis turned and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I won’t
be long, Etienne.”
“I’d prefer you take what time you need and come home in one piece.”
Louis grinned. It was nice to be wanted.
“I promise, kitya.”
It killed Louis to climb out of bed and leave his mate, but he wanted
this to be over. He wanted a chance to show Etienne the joys of living in his
world without the man having to worry he’d be attacked every time he
turned around.
Louis quickly dressed before walking around to the other side of the
bed. He sat down next to Etienne and reached out to stroke his fingers over
the man’s bare shoulder. “You are truly beautiful, Etienne, inside and out.”
Etienne’s cheeks turned a cute shade of pink.
“I will be back as soon as I can. I’d like you to stay here if you can.”
Louis didn’t think he’d get far demanding anything from his tenacious little
mate. “Sentries should be delivering your stuff pretty soon. Maybe you can
work on putting it away. You can change anything you don’t like.”
“Anything?” There was so much interest in that tone.
“Yes, kitya, anything. This is your home now, too. I want you to be
comfortable here.”
“I can’t actually think of too much I want to change. I like it the way it
is, but it would be nice to see some of my stuff blended in with yours.
Makes it feel more like our place instead of just yours.”
“Anything, kitya,” Louis whispered as he leaned in to brush a kiss
across Etienne’s forehead. Regret flooded him as he stood and started for
the bedroom door. He hated to go, but knew he had to.
“Hey.”
Louis paused at the door and glanced back.
 “Don’t forget that I love you.”
Louis grinned. “Never.”
Etienne tapped his head. “Call me if you need me.”
Louis nodded and then walked out, shutting the door behind him. He
glanced up when he heard a noise. “Oh good, Dietrich.” He felt better
knowing he was leaving his mate in safe hands. “Etienne is resting right
now. Try not to piss him off too much when he gets up. I’d hate to have to
find another sentry because he killed you.”
Dietrich shook his head. “Doesn’t he understand we’re vampires?”
Louis chuckled as he headed for the front door. “He understands. He
just doesn’t care.”
“But, he’s human,” Dietrich murmured as Louis left the apartment.
Louis would have loved to stay behind simply to watch the dynamics
between those two. He imagined they would settle into a friendship of sorts,
much like he had with Jon, but it would only come when Dietrich
understood Etienne was going to treat him just like he did everyone else.
Being a dangerous vampire wasn’t going to change that.
Louis quickly made his way to the security office. He nodded to his
men when he walked in. “Report,” he demanded as he went to the weapon’s
cage and started gearing up.
“We left the listening devices in place like you ordered. Nikolas and Jon
played their parts well. We have a trip scheduled for them to go Christmas
shopping”—Aldrich grimaced as if his stomach was threatening to rebel
—“at the mall.”
Louis chuckled. “I assume we’ll be attacked before then?”
“That is the plan, sir.”
Louis didn’t like the idea of involving Nikolas and Jon in their plan, but
there was no way around it. Whoever was after them had eyes on the inside.
They would know if Louis tried to use a decoy.
“Has Nikolas spoken with Mr. Smyth yet?”
“Mr. Smyth was a no-show for work today, sir. I’ve sent sentries to his
place of residence to speak with him, but I have yet to hear back from
them.”
Louis glanced up from strapping a knife to his leg. “How long ago did
you send them out?”
“Less than an hour ago, sir.”
 “Get a situation report from them. In fact, I want every sentry out in the
field to check in. I want to know where each of our men are.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the facilities?” Louis asked. He had sent sentries out to
search them before going to bed. He didn’t know if they had found
anything.
“Nothing yet, sir. Production plants one, two, and three have been
cleared. They are still checking four and five.”
Louis grabbed a couple of extra ammo mags and stuck them in the
hidden pockets on his pants. “Nikolas will want a full report when they are
done.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Were there any problems with Marcus or his men?”
“Uh, sir, Marcus is still here.”
Louis’s head snapped up. “Marcus is still here?”
“Yes, sir. He’s with Nikolas and Jon in the office, sir.”
Louis’s lips spread into a thin line. That’s all he needed, a visiting
leader of another tribe getting hurt on his watch. “Double the sentries going
with us.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be with the prince. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to head
out.”
“The men are waiting in the security bay downstairs, sir.”
Louis nodded. There was a reason he had chosen Aldrich as his second
in command. The man was very organized and always on top of things.
When Louis gave him an order, he knew Aldrich would move heaven and
hell to see that it was done.
“Ten minutes, Aldrich.”
“Yes, sir.”
Louis nodded at the vampire again and then walked out the door. He
headed directly to the elevator and took it up to the next floor. He really
didn’t like having the security office on a different floor from Nikolas’s
office simply because it would take too long to get there if he was needed.
Lives could be lost in the moments it took to arrive.
Maybe he needed to talk to Nikolas about that.
Louis stepped off the elevator. He paused for a moment, his gaze
landing on each of the four sentries sitting in the waiting area. They were
the same men whom he had seen sitting there before. Marcus’s men. They
were in the same spots, making Louis wonder if they had even moved.
Louis dismissed them and walked to Nikolas’s office, nodding to Bella
as he passed her. He knocked once and then opened the door. Normally, he
would have waited for word to come in, but he doubted Nikolas and Jon
would be up to something with Marcus in the room.
“Sir.” Out of respect, he nodded to both Nikolas and Marcus. “Are you
ready to go to the mall?”
 Chapter Eighteen
Etienne smiled as he stretched his arms over his head and wiggled his
toes. He felt good, better than he had in longer than he could remember. For
the first time in a very long time, everything was right in his world.
Well, almost right. It would have been better if Louis had stayed in bed
to cuddle. Etienne knew that was something he would have to get used to.
His mate had a very important position in the company.
As much as Etienne wished they could just lock themselves away in
their quarters, it wasn’t going to happen. Still, he couldn’t wait for the day
when he woke up with Louis by his side, and the man got to stay there.
Did security officers get vacations?
Etienne heard the door in the other room open, and voices. He didn’t
hear any yelling so it was probably his stuff. He sighed before rolling out of
bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he pulled on his clothes and then
walked out into the living room.
There was a man standing close to the window.
“Mr. Smyth?”
“Etienne.” The man smiled as he turned. “I didn’t know you were here.
I was waiting on Mr. Redgrave. He wanted to speak to me.”
“Oh, he had some stuff to take care of.” He wasn’t about to tell anyone
where Louis really was. That just seemed wrong. “He should be back soon.
Would you like some coffee?”
Did Louis even have coffee?
The man’s smile widened. “That would be greatly appreciated, thank
you.”
It wasn’t until he was filling the coffee pot with water that it dawned on
Etienne that he hadn’t seen Dietrich. The man was supposed to be his
bodyguard. He couldn’t very well guard him if he wasn’t there.
Etienne poured the water into the water reservoir on the back of the
coffee machine and then set it to start percolating. He opened a couple of
cupboards before he found the coffee cups. He pulled two out and set them
on the counter.
He turned when he heard a noise behind him, his heart jumping just a
little. “Do you take cream or sugar?”
“Just cream,” Mr. Smyth said.
 “Uh…” Etienne glanced around before going to the fridge. There was a
gallon of milk. Hopefully that would do. He had no idea where the creamer
was located. He grabbed the milk and set it on the counter.
“Do you know what Mr. Redgrave wanted to talk to me about?”
“I think he wanted to talk to you about Steve.”
“Steve?”
Etienne had seen Steve suck up to Mr. Smyth enough times to know he
needed to word what he said very carefully. Mr. Smyth never seemed to
take anything Steve said seriously, but what did Etienne know? He was only
in the office a few times a month.
Still, knowing vampires were a huge secret, there was only so much
Etienne could say.
“I think Steve got into some kind of trouble and Louis wants to talk to
you about his employment history.”
“Do you know where Steve is?”
“At the moment, no.” Which was true. Etienne had no idea what the
cleaners had done with Steve’s body. “I saw him last night, briefly, but I
haven’t seen him since then.”
“I’m worried about him,” Mr. Smyth said. “He didn’t come home last
night.”
“He didn’t—” Etienne’s eyebrows shot up. “You live with Steve?”
Oh crap.
“We don’t officially live together, but we’re going to, once he gets a
better job.”
Oh crap.
Etienne nervously licked his lips. “A better job?”
Mr. Smyth smiled. “Yeah, he’s getting a big promotion soon. Once he
does, I’m moving in with him.” Mr. Smyth’s eyes narrowed. “That’s what
mates do.”
Oh crap.
Etienne grabbed the half-filled coffee pot and threw it at Mr. Smyth’s
head. He heard the man screech as he ran out of the kitchen. He didn’t have
his katana or his nunchaku or anything. That did not mean he was
defenseless.
Etienne started grabbing items as he passed them, throwing them back
toward Mr. Smyth when the man came out of the kitchen. He knew a few of
them hit their target because Mr. Smyth shouted. Even more missed as Mr.
Smyth ducked out of the way.
“You really don’t want to do this, Mr. Smyth.” Whatever it was he was
trying to do. Etienne was pretty sure it wasn’t good.
“I want to know where Steve is,” Mr. Smyth shouted as he ran around
the couch to try and reached Etienne.
“He’s dead.” Blunt, but it stopped Mr. Smyth from trying to get to him.
The man just stood there.
“Steve is dead?”
“Hey, he attacked us and—”
Mr. Smyth’s features started to darken as rage filled his eyes. “You did
this? You killed my mate?”
“I had no choice,” Etienne insisted. “He tried to kill me and Jon.”
“He was supposed to kill Jon!” Mr. Smyth shouted. “With him dead,
Nikolas Vaile will fall and Steve can be the leader he was meant to be.”
Etienne’s jaw dropped. Well, it was obvious the man knew about
vampires. “You’re insane. Steve didn’t have a chance in hell of leading this
tribe.”
“With me by his side, he did.”
Etienne still thought the man was insane.
“Vampires were meant to be creatures of the night. They drink blood
and slink through the shadows. They were not meant to hide in office
buildings and drink blood out of bags.”
Etienne blinked. “Wow, someone has been watching a little too much
television.”
“Do not mock me!” Mr. Smyth shouted as he pulled a gun out of his
pocket and pointed it at Etienne.
“Why?” Etienne’s lips twisted in amusement. “You’re so mockable.”
As Etienne ducked behind the couch to avoid the sudden barrage of
bullets, he acknowledged the fact that he probably shouldn’t have ridiculed
the guy with the gun. In his defense, he didn’t take someone threatening
him very well.
“Hey, babe,” he sent through the link he had with Louis, “I know
you’re a little busy right now, but do you suppose you could send a few
sentries up to our quarters to save me from the madman trying to kill me?”
“What?”
 Etienne winced. Apparently, shouting could be heard loud and clear
through the bond.
“Our apartment. Madman with a gun. Life in danger.”
That was pretty clear.
“Where’s Dietrich?”
Etienne glanced around the edge of the couch and scanned what he
could see of the room. He couldn’t see a single sign of his bodyguard. “I
have no idea.”
“Get out of there.”
“I can’t. This bozo is between me and the door.”
Etienne grunted when the couch was suddenly pushed back into him.
Okay, so he couldn’t hide there anymore. He scrambled around the side on
his hands and knees and then leapt up and started running toward the
bedroom. If he could get to his katana, he might have a chance.
“Who is trying to kill you?” Louis asked.
“Steve’s mate.”

****

Louis roared when Etienne went silent. The second the elevator doors
slid open, he squeezed through them and then took off running down the
corridor toward his quarters. The sight of Dietrich’s prone body in the
hallway outside his door, was not reassuring.
“See to him,” he ordered as he passed the unconscious vampire. It was
clear from the knife blade sticking out of Dietrich’s chest that the vampire
was gravely injured. When Louis tried the door handle and found it locked,
he typed in the security passcode.
Nothing.
He tried again, and then again.
Still nothing.
He glanced over his shoulder to his prince. “Nikolas, I need—”
Nikolas pushed passed him and typed in his security code.
Nope, the door wouldn’t open.
“Kick it in!”
Two sentries rushed forward and started kicking at the door. It took a
few tries, because they were really thick doors, but the lock finally gave and
the door slammed open. Louis pushed past the two sentries and rushed into
the apartment only to be brought up short by the sight of his mate sitting on
a man in the middle of the living room. The guy’s arms and legs were
bound by what Louis suspected were his ties. There was even one in the
man’s mouth.
“Etienne?”
“So, you know Steve in IT, the vampire I killed last night?” Etienne
asked. “Seems he planned to take over the vampire world with his mate at
his side, ’cause, you know, vampires are creatures of the night and need to
suck blood directly from humans. They aren’t supposed to live in high rises
and drink bagged blood.”
Louis frowned. “Uh, okay.”
Etienne smacked his hand down on Mr. Smyth’s butt before standing.
“You might want to explain to this guy why that isn’t possible. If that
doesn’t work…” Etienne grinned as he held up his katana. “I could take his
head.”
“Blood thirsty little thing, isn’t he?” Marcus asked.
Louis chuckled. “You have no idea.”
“He’d make a good vampire.”
Louis drug his eyes away from Etienne to look at the vampire prince.
“Why? He makes such a perfect human.”
“Oh.” Etienne chuckled as he walked over and pressed against Louis.
“That’ll win you a kiss.”
Louis was all for that.
“Sorry about the apartment,” Etienne whispered.
Louis winced when he glanced around at the destruction. “Well, I did
say you could change anything you didn’t like.”
“Yeah, about that.” Etienne stroked a hand down the front of Louis’s
shirt, his eyes following the gesture. “I want our apartments off limits like
the penthouse.”
Etienne had already mentioned that, but apparently he needed
reassurance, which Louis had no problem giving him. He’d make their
quarters a damn fortress.
“Done, kitya.”
“You also probably need to talk to someone in HR. I’m pretty sure Mr.
Smyth needs to spend a little time in a rubber room. He’s not a bad guy,
really. Just delusional.”
 Louis wasn’t sure he believed that, but there were rules for dealing with
humans, even ones who tried to kill vampires. “It will be taken care of,
Etienne. You have my word.”
“So.” Eyes as green as emeralds flickered up to Louis’s. “About that
kiss…”

THE END
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