Teetering painfully on the brink of coming, Hunter sucked the trickle of blood out of the rapidly healing wound. When the flow stopped seconds later, he let the last beads of red elixir linger on his lips, painting them in the dark scarlet. He raised his gaze to meet the vampire's, deliberately licking the coating off with his tongue.
"You play with fire, pet.” Malcolm's voice was raw, rough, barely audible, but Hunter heard the words in his head as well. “I have never experienced one such as you."
"So burn me. Leave your mark on me. Claim me."
Malcolm's eyes swirled with mists of red, and the yellow threads in his irises seemed to grow luminous as his fangs descended longer. Malcolm reared back slightly, and Hunter took that as a signal to turn his head to one side and arch his neck.
Bright pain tore through his shoulder and neck unlike anything he'd ever felt—vicious, searing, and pure agony. And then it was gone, replaced by a building sense of excitement. Bold threads of electricity pulsed along his skin, through the fibers of his muscles, and into the cells of every one of his organs. Even his bones throbbed with desire. His heart pounded against what now seemed like his fragile ribcage. His breath was held captive in his stunned lungs. His cock exploded, stinging strings of hot cum marking both their abdomens, adding the musky scent of sex and his own sweat to the heavy air.
Malcolm arched over him, long, sharp fangs embedded in his upper torso while his long, blunt cock was buried balls-deep in Hunter's lower torso. He could feel Malcolm erupting into his ass, pulsing shot after shot of cum into his body at the same time as Hunter pulsed mouthful after mouthful of blood into Malcolm's eager mouth. It was like an unbroken circle of desire and bliss beyond any Hunter had experienced or would again. He knew it was only possible like this, with Malcolm, with a vampire lover.
Lethargy from blood loss hit him, his breathing shallow and labored, his mind clouded with soothing words and the buzz of climax that refused to recede. Hunter decided it really wasn't such a bad way to end his search for the most exciting and dangerous lover. Or such a bad way to meet an end to his life, either, if it came to that.
His eyelids flickered closed, but not before he caught sight of the gold ring on the bedside table. Death by vampire. Maybe he was more like his father than he thought. He'd ask him if they met in the afterlife.
* * * *
Hunter shifted his head to look up into Malcolm's face. He had awakened what had turned out to be two days later, cradled naked in the vampire's arms in bed, his cheek pillowed on Malcolm's still, broad, hard chest, his arms curled around the creature's body like he was clinging to a life raft. Once fully awake, he hadn't seen the need to change his position, content to lie in his lover's powerful embrace, a faint, pleasant hum in his brain reassuring him all was right in the newly altered world into which he'd been drawn. The hum, the connection, gave him the courage to test his boundaries.
"Did you come here to kill me?"
The all-consuming red swirls were gone from Malcolm's eyes, but a flicker of yellow glinted in the bedroom light, hard-edged and cold. Hunter made sure he didn't drop his gaze, waiting and watching.
Malcolm twitched and blinked. His eyes turned back to a stormy gray-blue, and the odd expression of warmth, desire, and wonder transformed his stony features. Hunter liked this look.
Pursing his lips in what Hunter thought was an effort to hide a smile, Malcolm sniffed, then pulled Hunter further up onto his chest. He entwined their legs, Hunter's soft cock pressed into Malcolm's solid abs. Locking his arms around Hunter's waist as if he thought he might try to escape, Malcolm stared directly into Hunter's eyes. “Originally, yes."
"And now?” The whisper told him the answer, but he wanted to hear it out loud, from Malcolm.
The vampire paused a moment, the shadow of unexpected wonder in his face deepening along with his voice. “No.” It was just one word, but it sounded harsh and hard won.
It scared Hunter just enough for him to make light of it. “Why?"
Malcolm's eyes narrowed for a heartbeat. Then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He successfully fought it off. “Do I need to show you again?"
He pulled Hunter's head down and nuzzled his throat, nipping the thin skin at the crook of his neck, working his way up until he could suck on the tip of Hunter's chin. In between nips and licks, he asked, “Could it be you were not paying attention earlier?"
"Hardly.” Hunter pulled back so he could look down at Malcolm. He searched the vampire's face, gauging Malcolm's expression with the hum in his head, trying to learn to read both of them accurately. “Are you going to convert me?"
"No."
There hadn't been a flicker of hesitation. Hunter wasn't sure if that was good or bad for him. Did Malcolm love him for who he was, as he was, or did he just not want Hunter around forever?
"Why?"
The sigh and scowl were closer to real this time. “That is becoming a very irritating word in your vocabulary."
There was that scary tone again. Hunter fought it off with more humor. “Why?” Irritation flashed across Malcolm's face. Hunter leaned down and kissed him, deep, hard, and slow.
