Read on to the excerpt below to see what happened 20 years ago when Vane and Arion met for the very first time.
Blurb:
Feeling hurt and betrayed, Arion
left Vane and rejected their mate bond twenty years ago. He vowed never to
return and even made Vane promise not to try to find him. He’s tried to bury
the feelings of guilt and regret over the years, but he’s forced to face it all
when Vane’s brother shows up to plead with Arion to save Vane’s life.
Vane knows the Dissolution will
kill him if he doesn’t drink from his fated mate, but he refuses to break the
promise he made to Arion. When Vane’s brother brings Arion back, Vane doesn’t
know how to react to his mate’s return, especially when Arion proves so eager
to take care of him.
Lucky for Vane, Arion has a
plan. He’s tired of wondering what might have been, so he’s going to focus on
finding out what could be. The past holds nothing but pain, but Arion already
sees how much pleasure the future could bring if he embraces the love he once
walked away from.
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Excerpt:
Arion shifted in
the saddle when he spotted the hitch post and trough, ready to get down and
walk for a while. He’d left home to explore the world, unable to stay in his
mother’s house after her passing. His friends had supported his decision to go,
though they’d urged him to return home soon. Arion had never been away from the
lycan settlement for more than a few days, so the past week had been fun, even
though nothing all that exciting had actually happened to him. He stopped Lily
and dismounted, stretching and rubbing his shoulders before leading the gray
mare over to a drinking trough and tying her there while he moved around to get
the kinks out of his back.
The sound of
pounding hoofs caught his attention, and he turned to look down the road. A
horse went flying past him, panicked and stirring up lots of dust. Arion heard
shouting in the distance, and he briefly calmed his horse before yanking his
boots off and reaching into his bag for his dagger. He moved as quietly as he
could through the grass on the side of the road, keeping low until he could see
what was happening.
A group of dirty,
shabbily dressed bandits seemed to have attacked a lone rider. Arion got low to
the ground and tried to count his enemies. There seemed to be six men, so he
laid his dagger aside. He could only stab one man at a time, and he didn’t want
to risk one of them getting it away from him and turning it against him. None
of them seemed to be armed, though they might be beating the other man merely
for sport and concealing their own weapons. Arion yanked his shirt off and
wiggled out of his leather breeches as best he could without drawing attention
to himself. He shifted into his wolf form as he crawled through the grass, and
then he pounced on the largest man.
Arion tore at the
man’s shoulder and drew blood as the man screamed. He didn’t wish to kill them,
but he had no intention of letting them get off easy. He pushed off the man and
growled at the two who approached him. He cast a glance to the victim, worried
they might kill him, and he caught a flash of red in the man’s eyes just before
he sank his fangs into one of the assailants. Arion focused on his own foes
again. A vampire might not be a match for six men, but he seemed more than
capable of handling three if the screams told Arion anything.
Arion dodged away
when one man tried to tackle him, and he maneuvered around them well enough,
leading them in a merry little dance. When one man got in a kick to the side of
Arion’s head, he latched on to his ankle and bit down hard. The man jerked
away, but then he stumbled on the injured foot. Arion growled again and leapt
at the third man, who jumped back in terror and fell backwards down a hill. His
three foes in retreat, Arion turned to the others. One man had run off, but two
more still tried to best the vampire. Arion growled and leapt on the one trying
to hold the vampire down, and he tore into his back with one swipe of his jaws.
The man howled and twisted and jerked to throw Arion off. Arion leapt down of
his own accord and advanced on the final man as the other ran. The bandit acted
as if he’d stand his ground for a moment, but when the vampire rose to his
knees, the man thought better of his chances.
Arion watched them
fleeing and wanted to pursue them, but then the vampire collapsed forward,
barely catching himself. Arion shifted back to human form and went to the
vampire, rolling him to his back and letting him come to rest in Arion’s lap.
The bandits had beaten him mercilessly, and he was covered in blood and
bruises.
“Is anything
broken? What can I do?”
The vampire stared
at him and didn’t reply. Arion wiped blood from his own eyes and noticed his
head was bleeding. He felt stupid for not realizing exactly what the vampire
needed. “Blood. I’m sorry, my lord. Of course you need blood.” Arion held out
his arm for the vampire to drink from.
Still the vampire
stared at him as if he couldn’t believe Arion was real. “What’s wrong?” Arion
asked, touching him all over to check for mortal injuries. He felt the back of
the man’s head and was relieved to find no blood or bumps. “You’ve lost a lot
of blood. Drink. Then we can get to safety.”
The vampire took
hold of his arm and, to Arion’s shock and confusion, kissed his wrist before
sinking his fangs into Arion’s flesh. Warmth flooded Arion’s body, but he tried
to keep his composure. He knew a vampire’s bite could be heady and
intoxicating, but he hadn’t expected it to feel this good. It didn’t hurt at
all even as the vampire sank his fangs deep. Arion felt his body responding
with arousal, but he tried to ignore the reaction. The intimate act did have an
erotic quality, and Arion averted his gaze, as seeing the vampire’s rapture
made him feel strange. When the vampire was done, he licked the wound to heal
it, then turned Arion’s hand over and kissed his knuckles.
Arion felt
somewhat embarrassed. He was naked, and this man was kissing him and now
rubbing his hand. The vampire sat up and cupped Arion’s cheek, turning his head
with gentle insistence. “I’m Vane. What’s your name?”
“Arion, my lord.”
The vampire’s eyes had changed to black, which worried Arion. Vampires had
white irises, but the color changed according to mood. Only two colors meant
the same thing for every vampire—red and black. Red indicated anger or the need
for blood, as Arion had witnessed during the attack, and black indicated lust.
Arion wished his clothes weren’t so far away. He knew vampires had quite the
reputation for overactive libidos.
Vane smiled. “A
fine name for my brave, handsome mate.”
“Mate?” Arion
said, the word hanging there between them.
“Yes. I’m sorry if
I worried you by not responding to your questions. I was in shock, I guess. I
scented your blood as soon as you knelt beside me, and I couldn’t believe my
luck. Not only to be rescued so unexpectedly but for my savior to turn out to
be my mate? It’s like something out of a romantic legend.” Vane caressed
Arion’s cheek lovingly and leaned in to kiss him.
Arion turned away
without thinking about it, and Vane stopped short. “What is it?” Vane asked.
“Um.” Arion
realized he’d been rude, but he couldn’t simply let himself be caught up in
this man’s will. “I don’t desire men, my lord. I’m sorry.”
Vane backed off a
little, but he didn’t release Arion. “Didn’t you feel anything when I bit you?
I’m sure I felt your cock stir.”
Arion felt his
entire body flame red. He knew the vampire was resting just over his cock, but
he’d been so concerned for Vane’s welfare he hadn’t given it much thought at
the time. “Yes, I think maybe it did, but I just met you. I don’t like men that
way.”
“But we’re mates.
The gods want us to be together.” Vane didn’t even try to hide the fact that he
was examining every inch of Arion.
“I’m a lycan. Your
gods and beliefs are not what direct my destiny.” He thought back to his desire
to leave after his mother’s death and how several of the lycan elders had
encouraged him to follow his feelings. He could believe he’d been meant to be
here this day to save Vane’s life, but he hesitated to accept more than that
just yet.
“A vampire is
never mistaken about its mate.”
“May I get
dressed, my lord? I can’t keep talking in this state.” Lycans didn’t tend to
care about such things, having no problem with others walking around either
naked or in their shifted forms, but he couldn’t help feeling self-conscious
when the vampire so obviously desired him.
Vane finally
averted his gaze. “Yes. Forgive me. Despite what I’ve just experienced, I can’t
seem to fight how much you please me.”
Arion stood. “I’ll
return soon. My horse isn’t far.”
“Arion?” Vane said
after he’d taken a few steps.
Looking over his
shoulder, Arion said, “Yes?”
“I’ll back off.
Please don’t run away.”
Arion realized
he’d probably hurt the man’s feelings. Vampires were always enthusiastic when
they found their mates. “I’m just surprised,” he said, though that wasn’t
exactly the best word. “I’d never run off and leave someone in distress like
this.” But he turned away before Vane could say anything else. Part of him
wanted to run away, but what if the bandits returned? He had no way of knowing
if he’d given Vane enough blood for the vampire to make it to safety. He
couldn’t abandon him.
Arion put his
clothes back on and smoothed his hair away from his face as he picked his
dagger up. He went back to Lily and found that she didn’t seem too worried about
him. He patted her on the side of her neck and then put his boots back on.
“Come on, Lily. We have a new mission, it seems.”
As he walked her
back to Vane, he wondered what would happen next. According to the law, no
vampire could force another to accept the mate bond, but it was quite rare that
any human ever walked away. Not only did vampires possess wealth and power but
they were also supposedly amazing lovers. Arion could believe it, given his
reaction to that bite. There had been something very sensual about it,
something that still lingered with him.
Vane sat on the
ground looking down at his hands. His expression seemed not quite sad but
something similar. Wistful, perhaps? Arion’s stomach knotted as he tried to
think of what to say. Vane looked up at him then, and the vampire’s gaze held
unmistakable longing. Arion cleared his throat as he brought Lily to a stop.
Deciding to fall back on formality to keep his distance, Arion said, “Let me
help you stand, my lord. I can take you wherever you need to go.”
Vane looked at his
hand and then accepted it. When they were face to face, Vane said, “May we
start over? Come back to my castle as my guest. I won’t tell anyone that you’re
my mate. Perhaps once you get to know me, you won’t be so reluctant.”
“I’ll see you to
safety, but I don’t know. It seems pointless. And cruel to lead you on and take
advantage of you.”
Vane blinked.
“Take advantage?” He squeezed Arion’s hand. “Arion, that’s not even possible.
I’d do anything for you. I’d die for you.”
Arion gently
withdrew his hand. “But you know nothing about me. That all sounds insane to
me.”
“I’m sure it does,
but … there’s no way to describe it to anyone who isn’t a vampire. As upset as
I am that you’re rejecting me, I feel joy just being near you. If compromise
will keep you with me, I’ll agree to anything.”
Arion had no idea
what to say to that, so he stepped aside and gestured to Lily. “Let me help you
up. You seem to be healing already, but you need rest and more blood. I should
get you home so others can attend to you, my lord.”
“Don’t call me
that. Say my name, please.” Vane came closer but didn’t touch Arion again.
“Stay one night. You should rest as well after the way you fought. I won’t
touch you. I’ll accept any condition if you’ll stay one night in my castle and
just come to know me a little.”
Arion gripped
Lily’s reins, nervous energy surging through him. Vane was practically begging
him, and he didn’t know how to handle it. “All right. I’ll come back to the
castle. I’m tired and could use a hot meal and a warm bed.” He met Vane’s gaze.
“If you’ll do as you said and not tell anyone. I’ve seen the way people react.
I can’t handle that.”
Vane nodded. “I
promise. I won’t tell a soul. They won’t think twice about anything I do once I
tell them how you saved me.”
“Don’t make a big
deal about it. Anyone would’ve helped.”
Vane’s eyebrows
rose. “How old are you? You seem so young, though your impressive physique
tells me you’re no boy.”
“Twenty a few days
ago.” Arion didn’t see what his age had to do with what he’d said. Was the
vampire saying he was naïve?
“Oh. You’re only a
few years younger than I am.” Vane searched his face. “Honestly, I have to
disagree with you. Most people are selfish cowards and would’ve run away.
You’re very brave, and I’m so grateful. There were too many of them. They
thought a vampire would be carrying something valuable, and they weren’t very
happy when they found I had nothing they could steal. I probably would’ve
died.”
“And that’s why I
had to do something. Even after I saw that you were a vampire, I couldn’t give
up.” He shuffled his feet in the dirt on the road. “I guess you’re right,
though. Lots of people would’ve run to protect themselves.”
“Which only makes
me admire you all the more.”
A noise sounded
behind them, and Arion turned and took a defensive stance. It was the horse
he’d seen earlier.
“Well, Tiger, you
didn’t live up to your name at all,” Vane said to the chestnut stallion.
“Tiger?” Arion
asked.
“Yes, one of the
children named him.” Vane patted Tiger and smiled. “I love children and let
them run a bit wild at the castle. But I like it that way. I love to hear
children playing. Tiger was probably heading back home to beg for a carrot, not
at all concerned about me.” He mounted the horse. “Let’s set off. It’s not that
far. I could use a bath and a generous glass of wine.”
“I might join you
in that. Sounds wonderful,” Arion said as he mounted.
“I certainly won’t
say no.” Vane smiled and arched one brow.
“That’s n-not what
I m-meant,” Arion said, fumbling over the words.
Vane laughed.
“Sorry. I know you didn’t mean it that way, but I couldn’t resist. I promise to
be a gentleman from now on.” He sighed, his expression turning wistful again.
“Or until you change your mind.”
Arion swallowed
and said, “I’ll accept your kindness graciously, but please.” He paused as they
set out and pressed his lips together. “I don’t wish to lead you on, Vane. I’ll
accept your friendship but can’t offer more now. Or perhaps ever.”
Vane looked ahead
of them, his expression going very still. After a seemingly endless moment, he
said, “And I don’t wish to force you. Have patience with me. I’d rather have
your friendship than nothing.”
“You have that. We
fought together. For a lycan, that’s a bond that lasts for life.”
Vane managed a
slight smile. “Friends then.”
Arion nodded and
looked away. Something in Vane’s eyes seemed to add the words for now, and Arion genuinely had no idea
how he felt about that.
He’d wanted
excitement and adventure, and he’d gotten his wish beyond any doubt.
