The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (20 page)

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kaname’s grin was pure sin. “There’s

nothing quite as perfect as the manifestation of our carnal natures.”

Anson had thought he was somewhat of a hedonist, but Kaname

took that philosophy to a whole new scale. Secretly, he agreed with

the vampire, as long as his mate was involved in that manifestation. If

he had Reed, Anson didn’t need anything else.

He exchanged a quick look with the young swan, and Reed gazed

back at him longingly. Their need didn’t go unnoticed by the vampire.

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“It looks like you feel the same,” Kaname said approvingly. “How

about we discuss our little problem in private, and then you can truly

enjoy my hospitality?”

Anson was a little terrified at what the latter offer might entail. If

Kaname continued to leer at Reed, though, Anson might have to

punch the man in the face, elder vampire or not.

“I think that might cause an international incident,”
Reed said

through their bond.

“Not to mention an interspecies one,”
Anson added. Still, he

wouldn’t allow anyone to touch his mate. Reed belonged to him, and

only to him.

With that in mind, Anson wrapped an arm around Reed’s

shoulders. He felt a frisson of pleasure course through the swan at his

little show of possessiveness. Kaname, however, didn’t look fazed in

the slightest. He gestured them toward an alcove that was slightly

away from the rest of the debauchery.

Anson and Reed had no choice but to pursue the invitation. Like

the rest of the area, there were comfortable pillows and lounges

spread around. Kaname sat down, and just as Anson and Reed joined

him, a rush of people surrounded them, coming to offer their services

to Kaname. From what Anson could tell, many of them were

practically pleading to donate blood to the vampire. Kaname waved

them off, and instead, he had champagne brought in.

As a servant poured the expensive beverage in three glasses,

Kaname offered Anson and Reed a small smile. “I know shifters get

drunk with great difficulty, but you do have to taste this. Don’t worry.

It’s perfectly harmless. Of course, I could get you some sake, if you’d

prefer.”

“This is fine,” Anson replied quickly. They hadn’t come to Tokyo

to do alcohol testing anyway. He wished he could rush things along,

but he knew that, in spite of their hedonism, vampires were very big

on tradition. No doubt this whole strange tour was just part of the

hospitality experience.

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The champagne was, indeed, quite excellent, and while Anson

didn’t get buzzed in the slightest, he did lighten up a little. Reed

cuddled up at his side, obviously a bit more relaxed. Throughout it all,

Kaname was a gracious host, and while he did occasionally make

outrageous comments, Anson realized the vampire didn’t actually

have any intentions to seduce Reed or anything like that. And of

course, in spite of all his effort, Anson still remained as hard as a

rock, desperate for his mate. He controlled his arousal, knowing his

priority now was to discuss the Tyrell problem with Kaname.

At first, the conversation was light. Kaname told them a little

about the coven, explaining that it was one of the oldest in the entire

world. “We have a network that allows us to keep track of almost

everything that goes on within the borders of Japan. And of course,

there are other covens in other countries that keep me informed with

what’s going on there.”

Anson wanted to point out that this network, as efficient as it

might be, had failed in tracking down Tyrell. But of course,

werewolves hadn’t had much luck, either, so it would be ridiculous to

criticize another elder.

Kaname seemed to share his ideas, though. “It’s quite disturbing

that we haven’t caught the warlock yet.” The vampire’s expression

darkened, and his grip around the champagne flute tightened, almost

making the glass crack. “But I will find him. No one can hide from

me forever.”

It seemed that Kaname didn’t like to have his authority

questioned, and in coming on the vampire’s turf, Tyrell had done just

that. “Any clue as to where Tyrell might be hiding?” Reed asked.

“For the moment, we’ve sent several scouts into the territory.

Tyrell’s son, Noah, is with them, and I trust that his presence will be

helpful.”

“Well, we’re here to aid in any way we can,” Anson offered. “As

you probably know, a shifter who attacked Reed has recently joined

forces with Tyrell, so we have a real incentive in being here.”

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“I’m aware of that. Perhaps this shifter angle can be exploited. No

doubt Tyrell wants something from the she-werewolf. Otherwise,

he’d have never bothered with the complex operation of breaking her

out.”

“What do you suggest?” Reed inquired.

“I’ll give this some more thought. I have an incipient idea, but I’m

still clarifying the details.” Kaname drained his champagne glass and

waved a small Asian man over. “For the moment, you should go rest,”

he told Anson and Reed. “Your bags have already been placed in a

room. I took the liberty of assigning one here inside the coven, for

practical purposes, but other arrangements can be made if you’re

uncomfortable underground.”

It was true that shifters usually disliked being trapped. They

needed fresh air and nature to thrive. But the overload of sensuality in

the coven swept that feeling away. “Thank you, Yamamoto-sama,”

Anson told the vampire, “but that won’t be necessary.” Besides,

having a place to stay here had the added advantage that Anson and

Reed could retreat behind closed doors soon, something which Anson

desperately needed.

Reed nodded, his own arousal glowing through their connection.

“Your home is truly lovely. Well…Maybe
lovely
is not the right

word. Inviting? Seductive?”

Kaname laughed. “I like the way you think, and I’m very

flattered. Please, go with Hiro. He will lead you to your room.”

Anson and Reed thanked the vampire elder again and got up.

After taking one last look at the room, they directed their attention

toward the Asian servant. “This way, please,” Hiro told them in

strongly accented English.

The young man led them through the intricate corridors, just like

Kaname had before. No one spoke, and Anson knew he should take

advantage of the opportunity to map the coven in his mind. Alas, now

that they’d left the seriousness of the conversation with Kaname

behind, the urge to couple became even stronger. It took everything

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he had not to hurry the servant along. Hell, he’d been tempted to do

just that with Kaname, but they couldn’t afford to be rude.

Fortunately, Hiro at last stopped in front of a room and opened the

door. Bowing lowly, he gestured them inside. Anson and Reed

stepped into the chamber and found themselves in a room as

beautifully decadent as the coven and its leader.

No expense had been spared in decorating the guest quarters. A

crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the elegant antique

furniture actually made Anson pause for a brief second. But in the

end, his gaze was inexorably drawn to the huge, canopied bed.

As the servant left, Anson hastily shut the door and turned toward

his mate. “I want you, baby,” he told Reed.

Reed licked his lips and nodded wordlessly. Anson took his

mate’s hand and led him to the bed. Seeing the vampires’ display had

them both hard and aching, and Anson knew he needed to take it

slow, lest he lose it before he could even get inside his mate.

“I have no problem with you losing control,” Reed told him as he

climbed into the bed. “I want you to show me just how much you

need me.”

The challenge in the words held more seduction than the entire

coven of vampires ever could. Anson pounced on the bed, no longer

able to contain himself. He covered his mate’s body with his own,

tearing at Reed’s clothes, uncaring when his forceful assault made the

material rip. Reed didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the swan followed

Anson’s example, struggling with Anson’s elegant outfit.

Frustratingly, they had trouble freeing themselves from the

constraining material since they couldn’t bring themselves to move

away from each other long enough. The end result was a frantic rush

of hands, bodies rubbing against each other, mouths crashing

together, tongues dueling in a kiss that tasted like nirvana.

Naturally, their clothing couldn’t resist the passion between Reed

and Anson too long. With a great deal of effort, Reed and Anson

briefly separated their bodies and rushed to remove the cumbersome

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items. Shoes, shirts, pants, and socks went on the floor in a heap.

Anson thought that they might have reached a record in disrobing

time, but the passing idea dissipated as if it had never been when he

looked at Reed’s naked body.

Anson didn’t even know what to touch first. Sometimes, it was

hard to believe that Reed’s beautiful body was Anson’s to caress and

to love. To this day, he had no idea how he’d resisted Reed for so

many years. The swan simply took his breath away.

In spite of the urgency he felt, Anson decided to take his time. He

mapped all that creamy skin with his fingers, loving the way Reed

shuddered under him at every touch. As he kneaded and caressed

every inch of Reed he could reach, he licked the swan’s collarbone

and progressed to the hollow of his mate’s neck. He couldn’t help but

bite down a little, not enough to draw blood, but still reminding both

of them of the claiming that would soon follow.

It was a battle just to decide which path to take. Anson wanted to

taste Reed all over. He wanted to kiss his mate’s pretty pink lips and

fuck Reed’s mouth. And Christ, he needed to thrust his throbbing

prick inside Reed. His wolf howled within him, demanding that he

mark Reed, and Anson had every intention to do just that.

He licked down the white column of Reed’s neck over to his

mate’s nipples. The tiny nubs of flesh peaked at his touch, and Anson

indulged in drawing his sharp canines over them. Reed convulsed

under him, crying out, and simply those sweet sounds brought Anson

closer to orgasm.

But he was not done exploring, worshipping his mate. He

progressed over to Reed’s chest, hesitating over one particular spot. It

was the place where the bullet had penetrated Reed’s skin, barely

missing Reed’s heart, but still tearing a major artery. There was no

scar left, at least not a physical one, but Anson would never forget it.

A gentle hand caressed his hair, and Anson realized he had lost

himself in those painful memories and forgotten about the present.

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133

“Don’t think about that,” Reed told him. “Think about us, in the here

and now.”

Anson smiled up at his mate. “Not only in the present. In the

future, as well.”

The brief trip down memory lane had tempered some of his ardor,

which was not altogether a bad thing. As Anson went back to

touching his mate, he found renewed pleasure in caressing Reed. It

was as if his body wanted to get to know Reed’s all over again. This

was not the first time they’d made love since Reed’s recovery, but

whenever they came together, Anson had this urge to lose himself

inside Reed, to forget about his own identity and simply become one

with the swan.

He gave himself no quarter, ignoring his own throbbing prick in

favor of lavishing his full focus on Reed. Just like he’d wanted earlier,

he explored every inch of skin with his mouth. He went from kissing

Reed’s sweet, beautiful lips, to thrusting his tongue into Reed’s belly

button. When that became insufficient, he went lower down,

deliberately bypassing Reed’s prick and instead going for the swan’s

legs. Thighs, calves, knees, feet, everything received Anson’s

undivided attention. He spent an inordinate amount of time on Reed’s

pretty toes, because yes, even Reed’s toes were gorgeous.

By the time he reached the soles of Reed’s feet, the swan was