Liquid crimson (17 page)

The admission surprised Michael. “You did?”

Neo nodded. “You were right. Zeus is the biggest self-centred asshole I’ve ever met. So even though I come by it naturally, if I’m even a tenth as self-absorbed as he is, no wonder you don’t want anything more to do with me.”

Michael shook his head. “I didn’t mean all the things I said.”

“Oh, you meant them, but I know you would never have said them if I hadn’t pushed you. I’m the same person you fell in love with, but there was a time when you were willing to look beyond my many faults. I used you today, and for that, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make amends. What I did allowed doubt into your heart. You suddenly began to question why you should look beyond my faults, and I don’t have an answer for that. I love you more than I can explain, but I need to take a good hard look at myself before I can expect you to truly believe that.”

“All the stuff that happened…” Michael sighed. “I took my anger out on you.”

Neo nodded. “And I’ve been making everyone I come into contact with suffer for what happened to me so long ago.” Neo took a step forward, bringing his body against Michael’s. “I should’ve been here for you, no matter what.”

“No,” Michael shook his head. “You are first and foremost a king. It comes natural to you.”

“What, being an asshole?”

With a smile on his face, Michael wrapped his arms around
Neo’s
waist. “No. Today, you rescued four people.” It suddenly dawned on Michael that he hadn’t asked about Kern and
Audric
. He’d only assumed they had been found when Neo had returned home. “
Audric
and Kern are okay, aren’t they?”

“Sort of. They’re both here, but I think they’re far from okay.” Neo brushed a kiss across Michael’s forehead. “I don’t want to talk about them right now. Let’s talk about you. What can I do to help you?”

“Hold me. Talk to me.” Michael squeezed Neo tighter. “Trust me.”

“Trust doesn’t come easily for me,” Neo admitted.

“I know. Which is why I couldn’t ask for a better gift from you.” Michael released Neo and took a step back. He held out his hand and waited for Neo to take it. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Neo cupped Michael’s ass through the towel. “Next time you storm out of the bedroom, could you please remember to grab some clothes?”

* * * *

Two weeks later, Michael left Gunnar’s apartment with a heavy heart. Although his friend was trying to deal with his unique status among the Blessed Creatures, Gunnar still tended to hide himself away, even after dark.

“There you are,” Neo said, meeting Michael on the path between the dormitory and the main house.

“Sorry. I was playing chess with Gunnar,” Michael explained after accepting a deep kiss.

Neo rubbed Michael’s back. “Don’t worry. He’ll adjust.”

“I hope you’re right,” Michael mumbled. He buried his face against
Neo’s
chest and inhaled. Never would he tire of the scent of his mate.

“We need to talk.”

Finally!
Although he’d spent almost every moment with Neo since the night of their fight, Michael still couldn’t get his mate to talk about the conversation he’d had with Zeus. “Does this have anything to do with why you’re not feeding from me anymore?”

“No. I’ve already told you, playing is one thing, but I don’t need you to feed me.” Neo grinned. “I’m a big boy now.”

Michael reached between them and palmed
Neo’s
cock. “You’ve always been a big boy.”

A soft moan escaped
Neo’s
lips as Michael continued to knead the growing erection. With any luck he’d make his mate lose control. Despite
Neo’s
reservations about feeding from him, Michael needed it, physically and emotionally. The connection he felt to his mate afterwards had become addictive, but it was more than that. It was as if his body was about to explode. Although he still wasn’t sure what it was about his blood that helped Neo, it wanted out.

“You’re asking for trouble.” Neo skimmed Michael’s neck with his teeth, keeping his fangs sheathed.

Michael worked his hand inside
Neo’s
pants, grinning when Neo let loose another deep moan. He slowly stroked
Neo’s
cock, spreading the pre-
cum
down its length.

“
Mmmm
,” Neo groaned, nicking the skin on Michael’s neck.

At the hint of blood,
Neo’s
fangs dropped and pressed against Michael’s neck. Michael held his breath, silently encouraging his lover to drink. “Please,” he finally begged.

Neo immediately released Michael and tried to step away, but Michael’s hand around his cock kept him from going far. “I can’t,” Neo apologised. “You’re like a drug that I can’t get enough of, don’t you understand that?”

“No, I don’t. All I know is that I feel like I’m burning alive from the inside out, and only your bite will help.” With a sigh, Michael released
Neo’s
cock. “I don’t know why you’re doing this to me.”

“Because I love you,” Neo whispered. He cupped Michael’s cheeks, rubbing the skin around Michael’s eyes with his thumbs. “Have you noticed how much younger you look since I’ve stopped feeding?”

Michael had, but he assumed the toll of being kidnapped and tortured was to blame for his appearance a few weeks earlier. “That doesn’t make sense. I was made for you. My blood is my gift.”

Neo pulled Michael into his arms. “It was a gift I took for granted. Your blood tastes better than any Liquid Crimson I’ve ever produced. I’m like a junky in constant need of my next fix.” Neo buried his face in Michael’s curls. “What I didn’t know was that I was draining the life from you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

Michael’s breath caught in his chest. Suddenly his creation no longer felt like a gift at all. “In other words, the gods think I’m expendable.” Michael pushed his way out of
Neo’s
embrace. “Excuse me, but there’s someone I need to speak with.”

“Wait!” Neo shouted, grabbing for Michael. “If you have anyone to blame, it should be me. I’m the one who didn’t know there was a limit to how much blood I could take from you.”

“Exactly.” Michael nodded. “You didn’t know. The question is why my father didn’t tell you.” He covered
Neo’s
hand where it rested on his shoulder. “I’m not angry with you. I just need answers.”

“Tell me what you need?” Neo begged.

“Answers, I’ve already told you that,” Michael explained. “But they’re my father’s answers to give, not yours.”

“But don’t you see, it’s okay, because I’ve learned to be around you and not give in to the bloodlust.”

“You shouldn’t have to. Like it or not, Neo, you’re a vampire. I know it, the gods know it and my father knows it. So why would they tease you with blood that makes you stronger only to put a limit on how much you can take? And why the fuck would someone who claims to love me put me in this position in the first place, knowing it could very well kill me? Those are the answers I need.”

Michael prayed Neo would understand. His mate had made great strides in the last two weeks in accepting who he’d become, even going as far as to counsel Gunnar through his transition.

“The blood from the donors is enough to keep me strong. The gods’ true gift was your heart, not your blood.” Neo pulled Michael into his arms once again. “As long as I have you, I have sunshine. I don’t need your blood for that. I just need you to always be by my side.”

There was something in
Neo’s
tone that worried Michael. It was almost as if Neo was scared. “What’re you afraid of?” Michael asked.

“That they’ll take you from me,” Neo admitted.

“They’ll have to kill me first.”

“I won’t take that chance.” Neo took a deep breath. “I’ve already agreed to help Spiro lead the Realm. My hope is that it will be enough to please the gods.”

“We’re leaving the vineyard?” Although he’d lived at Le
Uve
del
Regno
for less than a year, it had become his home, and the thought of going back to living a life at the Realm held no appeal.

“No. That was part of my agreement with Spiro. I’ll travel to the Realm for official business but this,” Neo gestured out over the vineyard, “is my home and always will be. Still, I’m not completely unaware of the state of the Realm. Spiro has done his best for too long without my help, and it’s time I stepped up. Besides, not everyone wants the Blessed Creatures to live in harmony. I have a feeling
LaMont’s
coven was just the tip of the iceberg.”

Although it was a huge step for Neo, Michael couldn’t help being hurt. After all, the decision had been made without him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m telling you now,” Neo said, his eyebrows drawing together in apparent confusion.

Michael nodded. “Yes, you are. Silly me, I thought we were a team.”

Neo groaned and rolled his eyes. “We are a team, but this was business.”

Breaking away in a flurry of swinging arms, Michael seethed. “When will you get it through your head that what you do, whether it’s business or pleasure, affects me?!” Michael shook his head. “You know what? Forget it.”

“Stop acting like a child,” Neo growled when Michael turned towards the house.

“I’ll stop acting like one when you stop treating me like one.”

“What the fuck, Michael? There’s not a damn decision I make that seems to be good enough for you,” Neo said, bumping Michael with his chest as he followed him.

“That’s because they’re all
your
decisions, not ours!” Michael shouted without turning around. “Do you even care how it makes me feel when you don’t feed from me? Did you ever bother to ask? It hurts. I’m in almost constant pain. I’ve tried to tell you. I’ve begged you, but you’ve made some macho decision, and what I want or need doesn’t matter to you. Well it matters to me! I want to be with you, but I won’t follow you blindly. I’ve trained my entire life to be your mate, to be everything you could possibly want in a partner, and that includes being knowledgeable enough in the workings of the Realm to help you make decisions.”

Michael opened the door and stepped into the house. He didn’t have to look back to know Neo was still shadowing him. He chose to ignore his mate and reached for a glass. After filling it with water and taking a long drink, his heart rate was still beating uncontrollably.

Draining the glass, he set it in the sink with more force than was necessary. The glass broke into three large pieces, one of them slicing the palm of his hand. “Shit!” He yanked his hand away when the blood began eating through the sink drain.
 
Still, even that little bit relieved some of his pain.

Michael turned and held up his hand. Neo had taken refuge on the far side of the room, obviously trying to control his bloodlust while staying to make sure Michael was okay. “See this?”

Neo’s
fangs slipped down into place. He covered his mouth and turned his back to Michael. “You need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”

“Why would I do that when it feels so good? Is this what I’m going to have to do from now on, cut myself to relieve my pain?” Michael watched as the blood began to pool onto the marble floor. He still didn’t understand why his blood seemed to eat away at metal and other vampires but nothing else. “Of course I’ll have to experiment a little. I just hope I don’t cut too deep.”

“Stop it!” Neo yelled.

“I’m begging you to help me. Surely we can find a way to give us both what we need.”

The statement hung between them for several moments. Michael finally opened his mouth to make another plea when he noticed
Neo’s
shoulders begin to shake. He swallowed around the lump in his throat as he realised he’d made the son of Zeus cry.

Dammit
!
How many times had he yelled at Neo for being selfish, and here he was thinking only of himself and not how much anguish he was putting Neo through?
Neo’s
love hit him straight between the eyes. The devotion of his mate was yet another thing Michael had questioned to death. Yet there they stood, barely ten feet apart, one bleeding, one needing the blood but refusing to take it.

Michael turned and grabbed a towel from the drawer. “I’m sorry,” he said, applying pressure to the wound. He’d fucked up big this time. “I was so busy criticising you for being selfish…” Michael squeezed his eyes shut, truly ashamed of the things he’d said. “You’ve been suffering for me because you love me. Yeah, I heard you say the words, but I was so wrapped up in my own pain I didn’t really listen to them.”

Neo wiped his eyes and turned to face Michael. “I
am
selfish. I know you’ve been hurting, but I hoped it would go away. I’ll gladly live with my own demons for a life with you, but I can’t stand the thought of you hurting yourself.”

Michael took several steps forward, trying to gauge
Neo’s
reaction as he neared. “Let me go talk to my father. Maybe he can help us.”

Neo shook his head. “No. The answers lie with my father.” He took a deep breath. “Go ask Spiro to help heal your hand and your pain. I have no doubt Spiro has some strange concoction that’ll help until I get to the bottom of this.”