To Bite A Bear (8 page)

he came after Rohan again. The last worries as to

whether Rohan would be a good mate or not

vanished. Harris wouldn’t feel this protective of

just anyone. Rohan was the one. The other half of

his soul.

He watched Rohan touch one of the stone foo

lions as he walked down the hall leaving a slight

trace of blood in his wake. Harris hoped the

cleaners noticed that and wiped it down. For a

moment, he thought the statue moved, but maybe

the stress of the night was getting to him.

“Are you okay, Harris?” A man dressed in a

suit with a name badge approached Harris. He

recognized him as Duncan, the theater general

manager. “I heard you were attacked by that guy

with a knife. He’s being held by security, and we

called the police. Were you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. My friend was the one attacked,

and he only has a scratch.” Harris peeked over

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Duncan’s shoulder to see if Rohan was returning

yet.

“I’m sure the police will want to speak to you

when they arrive,” Duncan said knowingly.

Harris nodded. “Let us know when they get

here.” He looked nervously around at all the

people staring. He didn’t like being the focus of

the employees’ attention. He just wanted to leave.

He didn’t like Rohan being apart from him.

“Excuse me; I’m going to check on my friend.”

“Oh, of course. Let us know if there is anything

else we can get for you.”

Harris made some non-committal sound before

rushing after his vampire.

Rohan was emerging from the bathroom when

he approached. “Hello, beloved.”

“Are you okay?” Harris asked.

Rohan nodded. “I’m almost all healed.” He

held up his arm to show Harris the slight scratch

now barely a visible line.

The lights dimmed, letting them know it was

time to return for the second half of the play.

“How about we go home,” Harris said.

Immediately, he tried to bite back his words, but

they were already there like the giant elephant in

the room. He now considered Rohan’s mansion

his home.
When had that happened?

Rohan slid his uninjured hand around Harris’

and tugged him toward the stairs. “Let’s go,

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beloved. I’ll need to make some calls and see if can

learn more about this attack.”

Harris reviewed the encounter in his mind. “I

don’t think it was random. The guy’s eyes weren’t

right, and he knew you were a vampire. I’m

thinking a sorcerer put him up to it,” Guilt

churned Harris’ stomach for tossing the guy. For

all he knew, the human had been enchanted with

no control over his actions.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. You

didn’t know. You were protecting your mate,”

Rohan soothed.

As they reached the bottom floor, they spotted

Rohan’s attacker. He stood in handcuffs,

apparently none the worse for wear except for a

bruise on one cheek from where Harris had hit

him.

“I’m sorry, man,” the brown-haired man said.

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t even own a

knife.”

“Uh huh,” the arresting officer flicked a gaze

over Rohan and Harris. “I’m taking him to the

downtown station. Come by and fill out a report

tonight. You have enough witnesses to

corroborate your story.”

“I’m really sorry,” Rohan’s attacker shouted as

they hauled him out of the lobby.

“I think you’re right. I think he was used,”

Rohan said.

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Harris scanned the crowd. The theatergoers

were beginning to thin now that the excitement

had faded and the lights were flickering for them

to return to their seats. One minor attack with no

injuries wouldn’t stop them from their play,

especially when the attacker had been captured.

The incident would merely give them something

to whisper about over late-night coffee.

“I’ll have one of my vamps go spring him. I’ll

send Madeleine; she can wipe the arresting

officers’ minds so they don’t remember the arrest.

We can then interrogate him for answers.”

“No.” Harris shook his head. “What if the point

is to bring him in the middle of the vampire

enclave? I’ll ask Carey to pick him up. You can

still send vamps to do the mind wipe, but my

friends can interrogate him and let us know what

they learn.”

“You trust them to find out the truth?” Rohan

opened the outer door to let Harris through.

“Yes.” Harris stepped outside then scanned the

area around them, searching the night for any

hidden dangers. “Carey will find out what the

attacker knows if he knows anything.”

Harris sniffed. The whiff of something unusual,

something that didn’t belong, reached him.

“Something wrong?” Rohan asked.

“I thought I smelled ash.”

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“Could be a wood-burning stove or someone’s

hibachi,” Rohan said. “I called for our driver while

I was cleaning up. He should be here soon.”

“Good.” A quick scan of the buildings around

them didn’t reveal any balconies where a barbecue

could be placed. Instead, a sea of office buildings

met his gaze.

“I don’t see anything,” Rohan replied, but

Harris noticed the vampire continued to examine

the surrounding area as they waited for their

driver.

“Something’s coming.” Harris didn’t bother to

mention what. He didn’t know, but it tickled at

the edge of his mind as if trying to gain entrance.

“Crap, I think it’s a sorcerer.”

Rohan’s frowned. “How do you know?”

“I can smell him,” Harris said. “I think he’s

trying to spell me.”

The tingling sensation of someone trying to

access his brain went from light to more heavy-

handed, still a useless endeavor but more

uncomfortable.

“He can’t be that far away if he’s trying to

control you, but I don’t see anything,” Rohan said.

“I thought they’d gone away?” Harris had

hoped they were gone for now.

“No.” Rohan shook his head. “It would take

more than burning down their home to make

them leave. They hate vampires. They want our

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territory, and I’m sure now that their hideout has

been discovered, they will want our land more

than ever.”

“I don’t know why you guys can’t get along. If

you overlook their evil mind-wiping tendencies

and soul-sucking control, sorcerers aren’t that

bad,” Harris teased.

“We’ve been fighting for hundreds of years.

Just because there are more humans here now

doesn’t mean we’ll give up our fighting ways,”

Rohan explained.

“I know, but there is enough room for

everyone. Why does there have to be a fight? Why

are sorcerers so determined to wipe everyone

out?”

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Chapter Five

ohan raised his right eyebrow at Harris.

R “Aren’t you one of the people who almost

eliminated a werewolf pack?” He’d heard some

wild stories about the four men who lived in the

Queen Anne mansion even before he’d met

Harris. He’d wondered how many of them were

true until he’d been part of a party to rescue Eaton

from the sorcerers. The four men didn’t take any

prisoners. If Eaton hadn’t walked out on his own,

they would’ve razed the building to the ground

and possibly salted the earth afterward for good

measure.

Harris’ bashful smile spiked Rohan’s desire.

The bear shifter was a tempting combination of

sweet shyness and bravery. However, Rohan had

learned over the past few weeks that Harris’

boldness faded when it came to personal matters.

He comfortably shouldered a large weapon and

handled a brush with ease; however, having him

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share his emotions ended up in stumbling words

and wistful smiles.

If Rohan couldn’t smell the need pouring off of

Harris whenever Rohan was near, he’d swear the

bear shifter didn’t need him as badly as Rohan

craved Harris. Mindful of the possibility of being

watched, Rohan slipped his hand around the back

of Harris’ neck, relishing the feel of warm flesh

beneath his fingers. Harris shuddered from the

touch.

The limo stopped in front of them. Not waiting

for the driver, Rohan opened the door and all but

shoved Harris inside. He didn’t want his mate to

be a large target for any attack. He didn’t know

what the sorcerers were up to, but an encounter

with them had never resulted in anything positive.

Harris didn’t speak as they headed back to

Rohan’s house. “You’ll be safe in my house,”

Rohan reassured him.

“I’d be safe at my house, too,” Harris

countered.

“No!” Rohan didn’t trust anyone else to watch

over Harris. “I need you by me. I won’t be certain

you’re safe unless I can see you.” He didn’t try to

hide the panic piercing his chest.

Harris touched Rohan’s knee. “Hey, I’m fine.

You were the one under attack.”

“I was, but if they know how I feel…”

Harris frowned. “How do you feel?”

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Rohan cupped Harris’ face. “If you were

injured, I’d never forgive myself.” He held back

the words he yearned to say. Harris wasn’t ready

to hear about Rohan’s dedication. The rest of the

coven was going to have to get used to having a

bear in their midst, because Rohan planned to be

around for a long time. They were doubly bound

by vampire and shifter bonds, they couldn’t be

parted.

“I’m a bit tougher than you seem to think. I’ve

trained with Aden. Unless it’s a Special Forces

soldier trying to take me out, I’m pretty safe. I’m

not exactly a fluffy kitten, you know.”

Rohan realized he needed to do damage

control. “It isn’t that I don’t think you can protect

yourself. It’s just that I worry. You are precious to

me.”

Harris lunged. His hard mouth pressed against

Rohan in a soul-searing kiss. For the first time in

centuries, Rohan let another person take the lead.

Harris wasn’t like the others; he had nothing to

gain. The shifter only wanted Rohan. The vampire

could feel the need pouring off his mate in waves

of hunger like a feral beast. Harris licked, nipped

and held Rohan still while he feasted on Rohan’s

mouth.

“I need you,” Harris moaned.

Not close to what Rohan was hoping for, but

maybe, one day Harris would change
need
to
love
.

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Rohan relaxed beneath Harris. “How do you want

me?”

“Right there,” Harris slid to the floor of the

limo, then deftly unzipped Rohan’s pants. “I’m

going to suck you down, and when we get back to

your place, you can fuck me into the mattress.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Rohan hardened even

more after hearing about the details.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Harris said agreeably. He

slid down Rohan’s underwear, exposing his cock.

Wrapping a big hand around Rohan’s erection,

Harris lapped at the tip. “You taste delicious.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He’d never seen

anyone that invested in sucking him before.

“Like honey,” Harris flashed Rohan a teasing

smile through his dark lashes.

“No biting,” Rohan warned. “That’s my thing.”

“Not even a nibble?”

“No.” Rohan tried to keep his voice firm while

Harris did obscene things with his mouth. For a

sweet-natured man, he knew his way around a

man’s cock. Rohan firmly pushed away how

Harris became experienced. If he met a single one

of Harris’ ex-lover’s, he’d snap their neck. No one

should know the joy of Harris’ touch except him.

Rohan slid his fingers through Harris’ hair,

touching the soft strands with forced gentleness.

He really wanted to grab Harris’ head and fuck his

mouth, but he couldn’t treat his mate as harshly as

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he might have treated a one-night stand in the

past. Harris would be his forever. His mate

needed a softer touch.

Harris swallowed Rohan’s cock, making

Rohan’s eyes roll back into his head with pleasure.