Liquid crimson (10 page)

“Just so we’re clear,” Gunnar jumped in, staring straight at Ramiro. “You are in charge of your men, but I am in charge of security for Le
Uve
del
Regno
. Decisions concerning Michael or Neo go through me. Understand?”

Ramiro’s black eyes narrowed to mere slits as he took a step towards Gunnar. The two men stared at each other for several moments, neither of them backing down.

“Enough,” Ian said.

Neo stepped forward to diffuse the tense situation. He placed a hand on Ramiro’s and Gunnar’s shoulders. “The two of you will have to work together. Remember, Michael’s life is at stake as well as putting an end to
LaMont’s
coven.”

When neither man broke eye contact, Neo moved between them, facing Gunnar. “Please. I need you to work with Ramiro. We need him.”

Gunnar stared at Neo for several moments before giving his boss a sharp nod. “Very well.”

Michael released the breath he’d been holding. “Would anyone care for a glass of wine?”

* * * *

The following evening, Neo stood on the patio with the fireplace at his back. He needed to feed the newly arrived guards from the Clan of Kildare before they started taking bites of his employees. “Joseph,” he called.

Joseph appeared in the doorway. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“See that a case of Liquid Crimson is delivered to Ramiro Delgado for his men.”

“Very well.”

“Joseph,” Neo said once more before Joseph could leave. “Make arrangements for more donors. We’ll be feeding ten vampires instead of one. And send Michael out as soon as he’s finished dinner.”

When Joseph didn’t answer, Neo turned to look at his butler. “Something wrong?”

“Master Michael isn’t eating well, Your Highness. I just thought you should know,” Joseph explained.

“What do you mean he’s not eating well?” Michael hadn’t mentioned not feeling well.

“I’ve seen him hide his food. He obviously doesn’t want me to know that his appetite seems to be diminishing.”

Neo nodded. “Thank you for telling me.” Joseph left and Neo settled into one of the chairs by the fire. It was possible Michael didn’t need as much food as he used to. Each time Neo drank from his mate, they both became more energized.

“Hey,” Michael greeted, coming out onto the patio.

Neo opened his arms. “Come sit with me by the fire.”

Michael straddled
Neo’s
lap and leant in for a kiss. Opening immediately, Neo accepted his lover’s tongue, savouring the taste of the sweet and spicy spaghetti sauce still clinging to Michael’s mouth.

Neo pulled back and smiled. “You taste like tomatoes and garlic.”

“I’m sorry,” Michael said, covering his mouth.

Shaking his head, Neo chuckled and removed Michael’s hand. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had pasta and sauce? Kissing you is the closest I’ve come in centuries.” Neo gave Michael another deep kiss. “And I love it.”

Michael wiggled his hips, pressing his ass against
Neo’s
hardening cock. “What else do you love?”

Neo unbuttoned Michael’s shirt and ran his hands over his mate’s leanly muscled chest and stomach. “I love this nipple right here,” Neo said, kissing Michael’s chest. “But not as much as I love this one.” Neo moved to the left nipple and scraped his teeth over the pebbled nub before soothing the pink disk with his tongue.

“
Mmm
,” Michael moaned, arching his back. “Do that again, only harder this time.”

Neo took the plea to heart and scraped his fangs down the skin of Michael’s neck to his chest, nicking the pebbled nub before pulling back. He groaned as rivulets of blood trickled down to paint Michael’s pink nipple red. “So sexy. So delicious.” Neo lapped hungrily at the warm blood, savouring the taste of the man he loved.

Michael grabbed
Neo’s
hair and pulled his head back. “Bite me,” he growled.

Lust, stronger than he’d ever experienced, enveloped Neo in a cocoon of need. Suddenly he couldn’t get his clothes off fast enough. Michael’s shirt was ripped from his body and thrown to the patio as Neo carried his lover to the grass. Watching the blood continue to drip from the wounds inflicted earlier, Neo licked his lips. “You look good enough to eat.”

Michael reached down and fumbled with his jeans until he had them off. “So eat me already.”

Neo’s
chuckle turned into a moan as he stared down at the pulsing cock between Michael’s legs. His gaze zeroed in on the dark blue vein at the top of Michael’s thigh. Gods he wanted to sink his teeth in and never stop drinking. Neo knelt between his mate’s legs and bathed Michael’s balls with his mouth before licking a path down to the tempting vein.

Michael splayed himself further apart and pressed
Neo’s
face against the juncture of his thigh and groin. “Do it,” he groaned.

After a teasing scrape of his teeth, Neo sliced through the skin to the nectar within. Blood, sweeter than Liquid Crimson pumped into his mouth as he sucked, leading Neo to thank the gods once more for their precious gift. He used his nails to scrape the skin on Michael’s ribcage, bringing gooseflesh up on Michael’s skin.

The smell of the fresh blood filled the air as Neo licked the wound on Michael’s thigh to seal it. “Thank you,” he whispered as he always did after Michael fed him.

Neo sat back on his heels and shook his head. At some point during the feeding, Michael had come. The proof of his mate’s climax was splattered over Michael’s chest, mixing with the blood. The combination of his two favourite things was too much to ignore. Neo reached down and removed his cock from his pants and wrapped his hands around its girth. “Is this for me?” he asked, drawing his tongue through the thick pools of cum and blood.

Before Michael could answer, Ramiro appeared. The visitor cleared his throat. “You’re sending my men into a frenzied-state. I realise this is your home, but I can’t expect them to just ignore the smell of Michael’s blood when it so prominently fills the air.”

Cock still in hand, Neo narrowed his eyes and tried to cover Michael’s nude body from Ramiro’s steady gaze. “I will kill anyone who dares to touch him.”

“I understand that, Your Highness. I’m simply asking you to take him inside. At least until he stops bleeding,” Ramiro added.

Michael reached up and ran his hand down
Neo’s
cheek. “Take me to bed.”

Neo brushed his nose against Michael’s. “Anything you want, love.” He glanced back up at Ramiro. “Turn away so I can get him inside.”

Ramiro grinned but turned and walked away.

Neo stood and tried to stuff his erection back into his pants before bending over to scoop Michael off the grass. “You’re a beautiful mess.”

Michael chuckled. “Then I’m sure I’ll look even more beautiful before our night’s over.”

* * * *

Michael waved to Haig as he made his third trip around the vineyard.

“It’s a hot one today,” Haig said from his post.

“Sure is. Feels great,” Michael answered without breaking stride. Although the winter months were normally cold and grey, he’d awoken to sunshine. Instead of wearing his usual workout pants and jacket, Michael opted for shorts and a thin, sleeveless T-shirt.

“You might want to take a break,” Haig called after him. “You’re starting to look a little pink.”

Michael waved off Haig’s concerns. He was only planning one more lap on his daily jog so it would be pointless to stop and cool down before he finished. As his feet ate up the dirt track he’d worn through the grass, Michael’s thoughts turned to Neo.

It had been a week since the vampires from the Clan of Kildare had come to the vineyard. Michael was surprised Neo handled the proximity as well as he did. He’d even shared a glass of Liquid Crimson with Ramiro the previous evening. Michael held no illusions that the two men would become good friends, but getting to know a vampire who was nothing like Francois
LaMont
was good for Neo.

The toe of Michael’s sneaker hit a rock and he stumbled forward, barely catching himself before he fell to the ground. After regaining his balance, Michael bent over and braced his hands on his knees for several deep breaths. He glanced up at the sun and shook his head. Despite the temperature only hovering around fifty-three degrees, it felt closer to ninety to Michael.

Michael had noticed the heat getting to him several days earlier when the sun came out for the first time in almost a month. He thought the lighter running clothes would make a difference, but as he started off down the path, he was beginning to question himself.

Suddenly each step felt like twenty as he made his way down the row of sleeping grape vines. When he once again tripped over a stone, that wouldn’t have given him a thought a week earlier, Michael couldn’t right himself in time and fell to the ground. The soft fertile soil cushioned his impact but left his skin raw where it slid across the dirt before he was able to come to a stop.

Winded, Michael rolled to his side. He was within a hundred yards of the house, but too exhausted to stand and his skin hurt, like it was too tight. He crawled to an area dappled with patches of shade. Maybe if he rested for a few minutes he’d find he’d simply over-exerted himself.

Chapter Seven

“Where’s Michael?” Neo asked Joseph upon entering the kitchen.

Joseph spun around, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I wasn’t expecting you to wake so early.”

It was a few minutes after three in the afternoon, the earliest Neo had been awake since he’d been turned into a vampire. He felt a sense of doom in his gut, but didn’t want to alarm Joseph. “Just couldn’t sleep.”

Joseph nodded, but offered nothing more.

“Michael?” Neo prompted.

“Oh.” Joseph glanced around the kitchen, obviously in thought. “I haven’t seen him since he went out for his daily run.”

The news further fuelled
Neo’s
unease. “Search the house. I’ll call Gunnar.”

Neo left the kitchen and strode to his study. He unplugged the cell phone from its charger and punched in Gunnar’s number, surprised when it went directly to voicemail. “Call me immediately!” he barked into the phone and hung up.

Neo began to pace around the room, eventually ending up in front of the heavily-draped window. Before moving the curtains aside, he pulled a pair of dark sunglasses from his desk and put them on as well as a long black duster.
Neo’s
stomach began to roil with each second that passed. Something was definitely wrong.

With a deep breath and shaking hands, Neo opened the curtains enough to see outside. Even with the dark glasses in place, it took several moments for
Neo’s
eyes to become accustomed to the bright sunlight. He tried to keep the bare skin of his hands hidden within the drapes as he scanned the area.

The vineyard that he knew like no one else seemed different at first glance, but Neo couldn’t put his finger on it.
The answer is within the rows
, he told himself. “There,” he shouted when he spotted the lump.

Neo’s
heart seemed to stop beating when he realised the lump was Michael. Without thought for his own safety, Neo went to the set of French doors and ran out of the house. “Michael,” he yelled, running towards the man he loved.

He dropped to his knees as soon as he reached Michael. “What have you done to yourself?” he whispered upon seeing Michael’s red, blistered skin.

Michael opened his eyes only enough for Neo to see the pale blue colouring. “Help me,” he gasped.

When Neo tried to lift the smaller man into his arms, Michael screamed in agony. “No! Hurts!”

Neo released Michael and stood, tearing the long coat from his body. He placed the coat over Michael’s burned body. “Help!” he screamed before returning his attention to Michael. He lifted the edge of the coat. “It’s okay, baby, we’ll get you inside.”

“Where are you?” Gunnar yelled.

“Here.” Neo stood long enough to wave down his head of security.

“We’ll have to use my coat as a stretcher,” Neo informed Gunnar.

“What happened?” Gunnar asked as he helped slide the coat under Michael’s body.

“I don’t know. I woke up knowing something was wrong. I tried to call you but it went to voicemail. Then I looked out the window and saw him.”

“I was on the phone talking to an informant who has a lead on where we might find
LaMont’s
coven. I didn’t get off until I heard you yell.” Gunnar removed his shirt and draped it over Michael’s face and shoulders. He suddenly stopped what he was doing and stared at Neo. “Why aren’t you burning?”

“What?” Neo asked. It was then that he realised the sun didn’t seem to be affecting him at all. He held out his hand and stared at it, no blisters, no ugly red welts. Neo glanced back down at Michael. “Fuck. Come on, help me carry him inside.”

With Gunnar on one end and Neo at the other, they quickly got Michael inside. Joseph came running as soon as he heard Michael cry out in pain. “What’s happened?”

“He’s burned. Summon Spiro.” With a jerk of his head, Neo motioned for Gunnar to continue down the hall towards the staircase. “Let’s get him in the tub.”