Watching Out For Fangs (The Cloverleah Pack Book 7) (5 page)

Feeling his orgasm reach the point of no return, Josh cried out. One word. “Vadim,” and yet somehow, his vampire seemed to know everything that word contained. Almost black eyes flashed at him briefly before a questing finger breached his hole.  That, and a slight sting on his cock was all Josh needed to explode. He bent over his mate’s head, his knees trembling with the effort to keep himself upright, his fingers buried deep in Vadim’s hair as his orgasm rocked through him, more powerful than anything he had ever experienced before.

Josh wrestled to bring his breathing under control, aware through the afterglow that Vadim was still sucking him. His mate was feeding from his cock! Swallowing a momentary pang of shock, a sense of calm came over Josh and his wolf as they reveled in providing the most basic of needs for their vampire. Josh had never been with anyone but wolves before, so teeth in his sensitive bits was a new sensation, but he felt no pain – just a deep sense of satisfaction at doing what mates do best.

Vadim suckled a few moments longer – long enough for Josh to feel his cock start to harden again, before pulling off.  He gently licked up the side of Josh’s cock and then looked up – his black eyes holding some emotion Josh couldn’t begin to understand.

“Thank you,” the vampire rasped quietly.

Josh just stared, basking in the fact that he had this opportunity to refresh his memory – to take in the perfect features of the face in front of him. His mate’s face was even more glorious than the image in Josh’s memory and yet when a slight wince crossed those perfect features, Josh took in the state of the rest of his man. Vadim’s clothes were rumpled, they smelled as though they hadn’t been washed for days and in many places the cloth had been slashed as though with claws.

“You’ve been hurt? Shit, you should have said something,” Josh said, tucking his cock back into his pants and putting his arm under Vadim’s, helping the man to rise to his feet.

“I will heal quickly now you have allowed me some sustenance,” Vadim said his voice more formal that Josh was used to. But Josh ignored the voice, looking at the man instead. There was stress etched on the man’s face and his arms seemed to hang stiffly at his side. Vadim took a step back, and another wince crossed his face, suggesting his legs were hurting as well. When the staunch vampire didn’t say anything, Josh decided to go with his instincts.

“I have a full bath here. I will run it for you. You need a soak and some sleep and then we can talk.” Josh used the same firm tones he used when he had ordered his man to take his cock down his throat. This time, just for a moment, Vadim’s whole body stilled and Josh thought his mate would argue with him.  But just as quickly the tension eased and Vadim bowed his head.

“Please lead me to the bathroom, my mate.” So Josh did, unable to hide the hint of a smile on his face. After all, bathing his mate was another thing his wolf would enjoy, and if Josh had a secret hankering to see his man naked and clean, well he didn’t have to share that thought with anyone. Especially his enigmatic vampire. Not yet.

Chapter Seven

Vadim’s rational brain – the one that had kept him cold and aloof from most people for more decades than he could count - totally rebelled at the idea of a man, even one as good looking as Josh, tending to his needs. But he kept reminding himself that the man who was currently washing his hair with strong capable fingers, was his mate – his true match in vampire terms
and
a wolf shifter. That meant Vadim was going to have to be more receptive to touch. Strangely enough, Josh’s hands on him didn’t bring up the uncomfortable feelings he was used to. If anything, it felt rather…nice. But apparently he wasn’t as relaxed about the situation as he thought.

“You’re not comfortable with me helping you like this, are you?” Josh asked, no indication in his tone to let Vadim know if the wolf was angry, hurt or simply asking a question.

“Not used to it,” Vadim admitted, remembering that shifter’s could smell emotions. “It’s going to take me a while to…” he broke off. How did he explain to his mate about his age, his vow, Edward, fuck everything that had gone to pot in his life.

“I’m not going to push you for any conversation right this minute,” Josh said calmly, using his hands to cup water over Vadim’s hair, rinsing the soap out. Such gentleness in strong hands. Such caring. How had Vadim gone for so long without the soothing essence of touch, of someone showing an ounce of affection towards him?

“You’ve clearly been hurt and the guys told me about you being punished by the Regent of your coven for trying to protect this pack so you get some lee-way. But we will talk. I have spent six days thinking that you rejected me and our mating. Having you dropped off in my living room was not something I expected to contend with this evening.”

“I didn’t expect it either.” Vadim could admit that too, although he realized, perhaps too late, that he probably should have mentioned that he did want to be with his mate.  He had come to that decision at least. The tenseness in those lovely fingers that were washing across his pecs were a clear indication Vadim had been remiss in his omission.

“So you’ve just popped in for a snack to keep you going, and then what, back off to your coven again? Gonna keep me safe from god knows how many miles away?” Yep. Even without the benefit of being able to scent emotions Vadim knew his mate was hurting and he would have kicked himself if he could have done it without slopping water all over the pristine bathroom floor. Grabbing hold of Josh’s fingers instead, Vadim looked deep into eyes that were the most amazing brilliant blue, which was awesome, and yet filled with pain, which was not. Vadim was only too aware it was him that had caused that pain.

“I am sorry my mate,” he said, pleased to see the flare that brightened Josh’s eyes for a split second at the use of those words. “I’m a bastard, anyone will tell you that. A loner with no time or patience for other people. But…but…” Fuck what could he say? He had to say something, and it had to be good, because Vadim hated the thought of Josh feeling any hurt because of him. The wolf had suffered enough through his ignorance.

“If you’ll have me, then I’m here to stay. Forever. By your side.”

Yes! Thank the Fates he had found the right words. Josh’s face blossomed like the rising sun and Vadim felt an answering warmth throughout his whole body. So this was what it felt like to have someone approve of him? Vadim thought he could get to like that feeling as well.

“You’re tired, and I am too,” Josh said, his soft voice in direct contrast to the fingers that washed down Vadim’s legs, even separating each toe. “I want you to stay more than anything. You have no idea how long I have wanted to meet my mate. But I suspect,” he added when Vadim couldn’t hide his full-body twitch at those words, “that this is going to be hard on you in more ways than one. Can we share a bed, get the rest we need at least, and then maybe talk when we both feel a bit more up to it?”

Vadim nodded his acceptance, even as his mind screamed
share a bed?
But then another random thought crossed his mind, and he blurted out, “Which one are you really?”

Josh’s forehead furrowed as he tried to work out what Vadim was asking and although it wasn’t something he usually did, Vadim felt a compulsion to explain.

“When I arrived you were forceful about your wants – abrupt, firm, no nonsense. Here, in this space, you’ve treated me with nothing but gentleness and concern.”

Clearly deciding the question required some thought, Josh grabbed some towels from the top of the toilet lid, and put his hand under Vadim’s elbow helping him to stand. Vadim didn’t need the help – the brief infusion of Josh’s delicious blood was more than enough to set him on the road to recovery, and the heat from the bath water had helped ease his aches. But Vadim had already suspected that his mate was tactile and he wasn’t going to do anything to break the fragile trust they were developing. He allowed Josh to help him step out, and wrap him in a couple of towels, while Josh took care of toweling out the excess water in his hair. Josh wasn’t a short man – Vadim being only two or three inches taller than his mate.

It wasn’t until Josh led him into a large bedroom, complete with floor to ceiling windows on one wall, the floor space dominated by a large bed, that his man answered the question.

“You know I’m a beta wolf, right?” Still speaking, Josh was moving him, drying Vadim’s body with firm strokes of the towel, pulling back the coverlets on the bed, and indicating Vadim should climb in. Vadim wanted to ask if his mate had some sleep pants he could wear, but he didn’t want to come across as prudish. He just hadn’t slept in the nude for a long time and Josh still had his own pants on. While it unsettled him somewhat, he settled for nodding instead.

“A beta wolf is strong – a fighter for the pack. We’re stronger than Gamma or Omega wolves, and can be as strong as an Alpha, without the urge to lead. But there is another crucial part of our make-up which is just as important…”

“The caring gene,” Vadim said, understanding what his mate was explaining to him. Josh had settled into bed with him, the two men close, but not quite touching.

“Exactly,” Josh smiled and even in the dimly lit room Vadim could feel that tantalizing warmth again. Unfortunately for him, most of his blood was now centered on his cock, but somehow Vadim had the idea that now wasn’t the time to mention it.

“It means that we care about our mates, our pack and our Alpha. We put their safety above our own and we are usually built to take care of most threats. Of course in this pack it is a little different as there are so many other powers as well, but I’m comfortable in my role here.”

“You’re an enforcer?” There was a part of Vadim that wanted to keep the conversation going, and another part that desperately wanted to close his eyes and sink into the softness of the bed. Now he was lying down, even with his cock throbbing in time with his heart, his tiredness was overwhelming him.

“An inner circle enforcer,” Josh said, draping his arm across Vadim’s chest and resting his head on Vadim’s shoulder. Vadim stilled, but Josh just snuggled in anyway as though he had a right to be there. Vadim knew it would be churlish of him to move away. Josh’s blood was still calling to him, but without the urgency from before. He felt…safe.

“What does that mean?”

Josh hesitated, and then must have come to some decision about trusting Vadim, for the moment at least. “There are three beta wolves in the inner circle – me, Tobias and Troy. I joined the pack a while ago, Troy is one of the original members now mated to Anton, who you will meet later, and Tobias came later still, from the San Antonio pack where I was born. We don’t have the same sort of hierarchy in this pack - like you would expect in other packs because there are so many Alphas here. We all have a say in the decision making process.”

Vadim frowned at the thought. He’d always believed that wolves were bound by their status at birth and that each pack only had one Alpha. The men in Cloverleah clearly followed Kane, but could it be by choice? Was Kane not the strongest wolf? He had so much to learn about his new home.

“How about you turn that sexy brain of yours off for a bit, and get some sleep,” Josh said softly, his words breathed across Vadim’s chest. “There’s plenty of time to sort it all out in the morning.”

Thankful, for the moment at least, Vadim let his mate tell him what to do yet again, and sunk into the bliss that only a safe place to rest could offer.

/~/~/~/~/

Josh lay quietly, his mind, his wolf, his whole body overwhelmed by the events of the evening. He thought he’d been handling Vadim’s absence rather well. He’d gone out into the woods after the meeting with his pack mates where they let him know his lonely fate, howled out his pain and then got on with his work – protecting his pack. When Kane had forced him to take some time off for food, sleep and relaxation, Josh had punished his bike, pushing it along the myriad of back roads around Cloverleah, desperate to keep any depressing thoughts from his brain.

It wasn’t the first time he’d felt the pain of rejection, although admittedly this time had been different. Vadim had bonded with him and while he might have been unconscious at the time, Josh’s wolf had accepted the bond for the permanent tie that it was, and pined for a man Josh had only drooled over from afar. Determined not to be like the twins, Troy and Scott, damn near dying because their mates had rejected them, Josh kept his human-self busy and did his best to console his wolf side with lots of patrol work.

But no matter what he did, Vadim had never been far from his thoughts so the second he had caught a hint of Vadim’s scent – a strangely alluring mix of myrrh and apricots – Josh’s wolf jumped to take control. For the longest moment Josh felt like he was playing catch up with his wolf side – his wolf already knew their mate and as far as his wolf side was concerned that same mate had left them once and that was completely unacceptable. Josh’s human side had tried to make sense of the vampire’s reasons through logic and fair thinking. The wolf had been running entirely on instinct.

Fortunately Josh had a strong relationship with his wolf side, which was just as well for Vadim, Josh thought with a wry grin in the darkness. If Josh hadn’t managed some element of control then the wolf would have had his dick in Vadim’s ass and his teeth in the man’s strong neck within five minutes of meeting. Even now the earthiness of the myrrh, so different to the scent of a shifter, was teasing Josh’s senses. There was an air of something ancient and powerful his mate and Josh wondered how old Vadim was. The vampire’s current driving license had him listed as thirty four, but Josh knew bullshit when he saw it.

His stomach rumbled in the darkness, the aches and emptiness reminding him of how eating had been a problem for him over the past week. But Josh tightened his arm around Vadim’s chest squashing any thoughts of getting out of bed. No matter how hungry he might be, and he guessed he may have to eat a bit more than normal to keep his blood strong for his mate, he wasn’t about to let go of the man in his arms.

There was a tiny part of his brain that thought he might be dreaming the whole thing. In real life he would never order anyone to suck his cock when there were others in the room, even in privacy, especially with someone built like his mate. Josh mentally shrugged. It wasn’t as though Jax hadn’t gotten carried away more than once, with two mates to keep satisfied and honestly what did the three men think he would do? Shake Vadim’s hand and offer him coffee? He’d had blue balls for over a week. Josh swallowed the laughter that bubbled up in his throat, unwilling to disturb his mate’s sleep.

Josh let his mind roam over what the pack had shared with him about his vampire. Apparently the coven was already established when Atlanta was founded in 1847, perhaps caught out by the random city formation based on the crossing of two railway lines. There were hints that Vadim had been around then, but the amount of actual information about the vampire was thin on the ground, even on paranormal sites. Jax had managed to hack into the Vampire Council’s website when requests for information were ignored, but even then there was barely any details about Vadim on it. It simply noted he had been Regent when the coven had been in Russia, but had handed over the reins “some time before”.

Vadim had listed his occupation as an investment banker and he apparently had properties all over the world and an indecent bank account. Josh had always kept his needs simple – he sent most of his money to San Antonio to look after his mother and two sisters after their father had died in a random hunter shooting some ten years before. His bike was his only possession of any value.

Before he had left Cloverleah, Scott had promised Josh that he would keep an eye on his only remaining family, and that they would never need for anything while they lived on pack grounds.  But Josh knew his mother could be demanding about the silliest of things, and sent his money all the same. He idly wondered how she would feel if she knew he had a wealthy mate. He shivered at the thought, surprised but pleased when the solid arm around his shoulder tightened. Awake Vadim might be resistant to touch, but when his guards were down and the man was asleep, he didn’t seem to mind.

Wondering why Vadim was so closed off to anyone getting close to him, Josh fell into a troubled sleep. The two men had an awful lot to talk about and despite Vadim’s hesitant assertion about staying, Josh couldn’t trust that yet. If this was the only night he would spend with his mate, then he was going to enjoy the closeness that both man and wolf craved.