Crimson Moon (12 page)

“There will be no more disruptions of these proceedings,” Zeus announced.

“Calm down, you overzealous tyrant,” a voice said from out of nowhere.

Zeus bowed his head.
“Gaia.”

Ramiro studied the room but could not tell where the voice was coming from.

“You will release Ian Kildare and give him back his sword or face
Morwyn
with no other way to kill him. It was the decision of many members of this court, including you, that exiled
Morwyn
to
Tartarus
instead of choosing to put an end to him all those years ago. Now is the time to right your wrong.”

“Are you asking us to release
Morwyn
into the world on the off-chance that Ian Kildare can get close enough to kill him?” Zeus asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Zeus!” Gaia shouted, knocking several chunks of marble loose from the ceiling. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. The time has come for you to make it right. Make it happen, or I will.”

“Clear the gallery!” Zeus yelled.

Ramiro glanced at Neo, wondering if Neo would also be removed. Neo made a gesture with his head for Ramiro to leave. Ramiro wasted no time following orders. He had the feeling Olympus was about to get very loud.

* * * *

A knock at the door interrupted Spiro’s telling of the events. Gunnar rose from the chair before striding towards the door of
Neo’s
palace apartment. “Yes?” he asked through the heavily-warded door.

“It’s me,” Ramiro answered.

Gunnar opened the door and pulled Ramiro into his arms. He hadn’t said it before Ramiro left, but Gunnar didn’t like the man he loved travelling to Olympus. He’d heard nothing but bad things about the home of the Gods. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“It wasn’t by choice,” Ramiro said, kissing Gunnar.

Gunnar released Ramiro and led him to the gathering area in front of the fireplace. “What happened?”

Ramiro sat next to Gunnar on the sofa. “Gaia made an appearance. Well, her voice did, but I couldn’t see her.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to. Only Gods have the strength to behold her image in person,” Spiro explained. “What did she say?”

“Basically that she wanted Ian to kill
Morwyn
with the sword. She also hinted that Zeus knew.”

Spiro jumped up, unsettling
Sema
who was resting his head in Spiro’s lap. “I knew it! I told Neo I didn’t trust his father. What did Zeus say to Gaia?” Spiro asked, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

“Nothing much.
Gaia issued Zeus the ultimatum that if he didn’t take
care
of it she would. Then he issued the order to clear the gallery. As far as I know
Neo’s
still there.”

“Will he be okay?” Michael asked Spiro.

“Yes.” Spiro resumed his seat, accepting
Sema’s
presence in his lap once more. He gazed down into the golden eyes of the jaguar. “If only you could talk to me,” he whispered.

The exchange tore at Gunnar’s heart. Even before Spiro had discovered his mate was trapped inside the jaguar, there had been an obvious connection between the pair. In the last several months, rarely had Gunnar seen Spiro without
Sema
at his side.

“It’ll be over soon,” Neo announced, appearing just behind Michael. “Zeus has already begun the process to send Ian to
Tartarus
.”

“And Ian agreed to that?” Ramiro asked.

“He had little choice after Zeus retrieved the sickle from Juniper’s cabin. And since Zeus refused to allow
Morwyn
out of his cell, the only way for Ian to get close enough to kill him was to join him. At least Zeus has promised Ian a retrial once
Morwyn
is dead.”

“So what now?”
Spiro asked. “Did you find out why Ian needs to kill
Morwyn
?”

“It’s the only way to break
Gaia’s
spell that holds
Faelan
within Ian’s body. I assume the same goes for
Nialo
. Zeus refused to enlighten the Gods as to why Gaia cast the spell in the first place, but I think it has something to do with
Morwyn
being exiled instead of put to death.”

Spiro scratched
Sema
behind the ears. “Will you be able to tell us one day?”

Sema
lifted his head and licked Spiro’s chin. Whether or not
Sema
understood the question was anyone’s guess.

The biggest question in Gunnar’s mind was whether or not
Nialo
had truly survived intact throughout the years.

“What about the hybrids? What happens to them?” Ramiro asked.

“They’ve already been destroyed. Well, all of them with the exception of Juniper. Galena asked for him to be caged for a while before his execution,” Neo explained. “The Galway pack lands are being awarded to Galena and Flick who have decided to stay in Ireland.” Neo moved around the chair and picked Michael up before depositing the smaller man on his lap.

“Haig ought to be happy about that,” Gunnar remarked.

“Yes, he is. He’s actually planning to take Kern and
Audric
with him to help Galena rebuild their village.”

“Haig and Kern quit?” Both
weres
were damn good guards, but more than that, they were Gunnar’s friends.

“Not for good. Just long enough to help Galena get back on her feet. I told them their job at the vineyard would be waiting for them when they were ready.” Neo kissed the side of Michael’s head. “You ready to go home, baby?”

Michael started to nod, but stopped after the first dip of his head. “What about
Sema
? Can we leave him here?”

Neo turned his attention to
Sema
. “I have a feeling this is where he belongs.”

“You’re right,” Spiro agreed. “Whether it takes Ian an hour or a decade to kill
Morwyn
, I want to be with
Nialo
when the spell is broken.”

Gunnar noticed the unspoken exchange between Michael and Neo. Evidently Gunnar wasn’t the only one worried about
Nialo’s
mental or physical health once he was released. Gunnar stared at the big black jaguar. Even knowing a God was inside
Sema
, Gunnar felt a great deal of sadness that his old friend would most likely cease to exist once
Nialo
emerged.
Sema
had become part of the landscape at the vineyard. What would it be like without him around, sunning himself on the patio or following Neo up and down the rows of grapes?

Ramiro chose that moment to squeeze Gunnar’s hand, reminding him that he wouldn’t be alone once they returned to Le
uve
del
Regno
. He smiled at the man he loved. Spiro deserved the kind of love Gunnar had found even if it meant saying goodbye to his old friend
Sema
.

Epilogue

“You wanted to see me?” Gunnar asked, stepping into the familiar office.

“Have a seat.” Neo gestured to the wingback chair beside him.

Since returning to the vineyard the week before, Neo had been splitting his time between home and The Realm. Gunnar knew Spiro was in a state of extreme irritation as he continued to count the days until the battle between Ian and
Morwyn
ended. Neo had had little choice but to step in and help his brother with the running of The Realm. Although Gunnar understood, it had left him on edge.

“I have something for you.” Neo dug into his suit jacket pocket and retrieved a business-sized envelope before passing it to Gunnar. “I know we haven’t had a chance to talk about the future, but I wanted to make sure you got this before I’m called away again.”

Gunnar prayed for good news as he carefully opened the envelope. It contained a single sheet of paper, a deed by the look of it. “What’s this?”

“Ramiro told me you had your eyes on a spot of land in the woods. That’s the deed. It’s yours to do with what you want.”

Gunnar couldn’t believe it. “Thank you.”

Neo leant forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Don’t thank me. It’s a bribe of sorts.”

“A bribe?”

“I hope by giving you that piece of land you’ll stick around even though I’ve been a complete ass lately. I need you to know I can’t imagine trusting Michael’s safety with anyone but you in charge.”

Gunnar was overwhelmed by the gesture. He cleared his throat. “I’m a vampire now. What if the men don’t respect me enough to listen to me?”

“Then fire them, but I doubt that’s the case. They didn’t follow you because you were a werewolf. They followed you because you’re a natural-born leader. That hasn’t changed. Believe
me,
it took me a hell of a long time to come to grips with what happened to me. It was Michael who finally taught me to accept who I’d become.”

“As Ramiro has done for me,” Gunnar acknowledged.

“Yes. We will need to make a few changes, however. You’re still too young to function during the daylight hours, so I would like to put Haig as your second in charge.”

“Haig would be my choice, as well. What about Ramiro? Will you allow him to live here with me and still keep his security position for the vampire species?”

“Of course.
As long as you understand there will be times when he’ll be called away on business.” Neo sat back and reached for a glass of Liquid Crimson. “Would you care for a glass?”

“No, thank you. I’ve promised Ramiro we’d go into town for dinner.”

Neo grinned. “Have you grown to enjoy the taste of human blood from the source?”

Embarrassed that he’d refused for so long, Gunnar nodded. “It was never the blood I had a problem with. More like the way it was obtained, but Ramiro and I’ve worked out a good system.”

“I won’t keep you then. I have a dinner date myself waiting for me.” Neo emptied his wine glass before following Gunnar out of the office. “Perhaps once things settle down we’ll have a chance to go fishing.”

“You don’t fish,” Gunnar reminded Neo.

“No, I don’t, but I’d welcome an evening spent with an old friend.”

Gunnar left the house with his future in his hand and warmth in his heart.

* * * *

Ramiro felt the hard length of Gunnar’s erection as it pressed against his hip. “What about that one? He looks like he could handle both of us,” he suggested.

“You think he’s into guys?” Gunnar asked, fishing Ramiro’s cock out of his pants.

“By the way he’s watching us, I’d say his answer is a big ‘hell yeah’.” Ramiro smiled at the muscular man across the room, giving him the signal to approach.

The man wasted no time making his way through the crowd. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” Ramiro returned, eyeing the man up and down. It wasn’t easy to find a donor large enough to feed two vampires at the same time, but occasionally they got lucky. “What’s your name?”

“Alec,” the man said, his eyes on Ramiro’s cock.

Ramiro glanced down and watched Gunnar manipulate his erection for several moments before returning his attention to the menu. “Think you can handle both of us?”

Alec’s Adams apple bobbed several times before he answered. “I’ve never done two at a time, but I’d sure as hell like to try.”

“We hoped you’d say that.” Gunnar released Ramiro’s cock and motioned to the back corner of the bar. “Let’s head over there out of the way.”

Ramiro rolled his eyes and whispered in Alec’s ear. “Gunnar’s still a little shy.”

Alec moaned when Ramiro’s lips caressed his ear. “That’s okay.”

Once they reached the corner, Ramiro pressed himself against Alec’s back as Gunnar pulled Alec against his chest. Sandwiched between the two vampires, Alec’s heart began to pound loud enough for Ramiro to hear. Gods he loved that sound. Their work was half done before they even really touched the man.

Again, Ramiro whispered in Alec’s ear. “I’m going to jack you off while my friend and I kiss. Is that acceptable?”

Alec nodded, moving to quickly unzip his jeans.

Ramiro stared into Gunnar’s eyes. “Make his blood sweet as candy,” he instructed Gunnar.

Gunnar grunted before leaning his head over Alec’s shoulder to capture Ramiro’s mouth in an erotic game of tongue play.

Ramiro flicked his tongue in and out of Gunnar’s mouth, teasing the man he loved. He’d offered to jack their chosen donor, but Gunnar had refused. According to Gunnar, the only way he felt in control of the situation was if he did the required touching. Since it hadn’t mattered either way to Ramiro, he gave in without a fuss.

Gunnar grunted again, and shook his head when Ramiro mentally plunged a finger into his lover’s
hole
. Gunnar broke the kiss. “Not here. He’s almost done.”

By the sound of Alec’s beating heart, Ramiro knew Gunnar was right. Only once had they lost themselves enough to fuck in the bar, and it hadn’t ended well. Gunnar was still too possessive to allow anyone to witness their lovemaking. Ramiro had no doubt Gunnar would eventually change his mind, but he knew baby steps were required. Allowing Gunnar to reach the conclusion that all vampires reached eventually needed to be at his own pace.

Soon, hopefully, Gunnar would see the beauty in watching and being watched, but until then, Ramiro would happily take the two of them home to bed after dinner. He felt Alec’s body began to buck, obviously on the verge of climax. “Dinner time,” he whispered to Gunnar.

Gunnar’s fangs slid from
their sheathes
. Ramiro watched Gunnar sink his teeth into Alec’s neck before moving to the other side to enjoy his meal. He felt Gunnar’s free hand knead his ass and Ramiro let his eyes drift shut.

Everything was better with Gunnar. Life had taken on a completely new dimension for Ramiro since he’d found the love of the strong Alpha. He let out a sigh, content with the knowledge that he’d never again have to walk the Earth alone.