The Power Of The Bite (20 page)

“That’s at the coven house,” Zane reminded him, none to gently. “You insist I stay at the club when they are there.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep you safe.” Hmm, his mate could be stubborn too when it suited him.

“And you’re not allowing Zane to be an Alpha Mate either,” Anton reminded Dax quietly. “You claim that he is, but the pack never sees him with you. You claim that you want your pack to like him, but they never spend any time with him. Zane has an empty title and nothing more – no power, no influence over you, or your pack, and now it appears your urge to keep him safe has had you lying to your own mate for months. That’s not how an Alpha wolf behaves.”

Zane was still angry at Dax but he wouldn’t allow his mate to be chastised like a child, in front of the others. He took Dax’s hand under the table, and said to Anton firmly, “I think any further discussion along those lines should be between us, don’t you?”

“You’re quite right, of course, Prince McLeod.” Anton bowed smoothly and then stood up. “Thank you for a lovely meal. Perhaps when you have had time to assess your situation with the Carmine pack, and your own, you can invite me again. The council is very interested on how pack/coven relations are going and I’d like to be able to report back to them favorably.”

“Of course, Elder, I will call you in a few days.” Dax’s manners were clearly well ingrained. Immediately after Anton and his mates left, Broz said it was time for the vampires to leave as well, and one sharp look from Zane at Lance, and suddenly the house was empty except for the two of them. Dax slumped in his chair, looking tired and defeated.

“I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be,” Dax said quietly. “Have your say and let’s get it over with.”

Zane allowed his smile to run free this time. His mate thought he just wanted to have a hissy fit? Maybe a rant and rave, combined with a stamped foot. How cute, and so not Zane’s style.

“Unless you want your punishment to be conducted over this fine table, I suggest you show me to your room.” Zane made sure his voice was firm enough to allow no argument. The look of shock on Dax’s face was one he would cherish for some time to come.

Chapter Twenty Four

Dax’s heart was as heavy as his feet as he led Zane to his suite of rooms in the pack house. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that Zane considered his behavior an insult, and his vampire was right. Anton didn’t need to remind him of what a sin it was for any wolf to lie to their mate. Dax had only got away with it because Zane wasn’t a shifter and couldn’t scent Dax’s emotions. So in a way, he’d used his mate’s differences against him, and that sucked, big time. Zane had every right to be furious.

Dax pushed open the door to his suite, closing and locking it once Zane had stalked inside. He ran a quick gaze over the small sitting room they had walked into, noting it was clean and dust free. At least the housekeeping was being kept up. He went to head towards the couch, wanting to be sitting while his mate tore strips off him, but Zane’s voice stopped him. The vampire had seated himself in an upright arm chair, his face inscrutable.

“Strip.” One word from Zane and Dax’s wolf trembled – not in fear, but in anticipation. Maybe his mate was feeling more lust than anger? He could work with that.

“Shouldn’t we talk first,” Dax said, even as he eased his shirt over his head, not bothering with the buttons.

Zane growled and Dax rethought the lust over anger thing. “What’s the point in talking? You lied. You kept things from me. You refused to let me act as Alpha Mate despite all your fine words and promises. You’ve insulted my honor, treated me like a weakling and severely underestimated my abilities. Now strip.”

“I wanted you to like the pack – to love them, like I do. If I told you there were still threats coming from here, then you wouldn’t have given them a chance,” Dax said, easing open his zipper carefully. He was fully erect and didn’t need metal in his length.

“I thought you had more sense than that, Dax.” Zane was watching him intently, his eyes flickering red, but Dax still wasn’t sure if it was lust or anger that were causing the change. Probably both. Dax slid his jeans down his legs and stepped out of them, standing with his hands by his side. Nudity had never bothered him and he had nothing to be ashamed of. Physically, at least.

“I can see where I might have been wrong.” Dax was prepared to admit that much at least. “But wolves are taught from the moment they know what a mate is, that they are to be protected at all costs. Without being able to specify where the danger was coming from, I did what I thought was best.”

Zane leaned back a bit in his chair. “Poison’s cannot kill us, shot wounds or a stake to the heart will heal. The only thing that could kill me is for someone to remove my head from my body, or for someone to kill you. Aside from that I’m pretty much immortal. I can even take a shot to the head.”

Dax listened with growing horror. While he was thrilled that Zane couldn’t be killed by traditional means, if what Zane was saying was true, and the man had no reason to lie, then
Dax
was the weak link in their mating, not Zane.

“But…I have to accept challenges…I have to deal with pack disputes. I can die from a gunshot wound to the head, or a knife through the heart…wolf shifter’s are strong, but they do die…I can die of old age, for goodness sake. Are you telling me that would kill you too?”

Heaving out a large sigh, Zane shook his head. “You won’t die from old age. From the moment I claimed you, you stopped aging, and you are as impervious to injury as I am. But yes. If something happened to you, then I would die. I can never feed from another, and in this case never
means
never.”

Dax hung his head. Zane looked so calm and so self-assured, and while Dax had hated keeping things from his mate, in his heart of hearts he thought he was doing the right thing. But this new revelation had Dax realizing yet again, that if he’d taken the time to talk to his mate about what being a vampire’s mate entailed, instead of fucking up the Alpha Mate side of things, then the man who owned his heart wouldn’t be angry with him.

“Come here.” Zane’s voice didn’t rise but the command in his tone was electrifying. Dax felt his feet moving even before his brain had registered the order. He stood in front of Zane’s jean clad legs and made to straddle him. Angry or not, Zane was still incredibly hot and Dax’s wolf had been busy fighting off challenges and protecting his pack. The need to fuck was strong. At this point, Dax would settle for being on the receiving end. But Zane didn’t want to be straddled, twisting his legs around, so Dax stood at the side of Zane’s legs, rather than over them.

“What are you…?”

“You’re going to drape yourself over my legs, stick that delightful butt in the air, and relax into a damn good spanking.” Zane’s voice didn’t sound like the man was joking, but he had to be, surely.

“I’m the Alpha of two territories, I can’t do this,” Dax said, even though there was a tiny part of him that tingled at the idea of Zane spanking him.

“I’m the High Prince of Russia, but that status has no business in this room either. Now relax, it’s just the two of us, and you will be spanked,” Zane said firmly, nudging and pulling at Dax until Dax felt himself being draped over Zane’s legs. Although Dax had never been in such a position before, well aside from when he was a child and that was so totally different, he had watched enough porn to know how it was done. He allowed his body to relax, and had one hand clutching Zane’s calf muscle, while the other braced himself against the chair leg.

“I did think,” Zane said in an almost conversational tone, as Dax caught the swish of movement in the air, just before a blossoming heat spread across his right butt cheek. “That your illusion of my weakness came from your wolf. Him being Alpha and all.” Another swish and more heat, on his left cheek this time. Dax wriggled and relaxed into it, anticipating more.

“But, if your wolf can let me do this…” Zane delivered another smack and Dax arched up as electricity was starting to move through his body. That felt really…good.

“Then it would stand to reason that your wolf sees me as being stronger than he is.” Zane’s tone of voice hadn’t changed, but Zane picked up the pace a bit, slapping his hand in an almost indiscernible pattern that Dax was struggling to follow. Dax knew his mate was right in his reasoning. He had a very strong wolf and there is no way anyone else would be able to spank him like this. But as the tingles morphed into stings, and Dax started to pant, almost seeking the next slap, his brain was fast losing its reasoning power.

“There’s going to be some changes in this mating, my love,” Zane said, as he swung again, twice, right over Dax’s hole. Ouch. That stung, but Dax was all too aware that his dick was as hard as a rock, and that Zane was aware of it too. He grunted, because he got the idea that his mate expected an answer and got a chuckle and another two slaps for his efforts. He struggled to speak, but it was really hard for Dax. His heart was racing, his skin was electrified and the pain, rather than cause his cock to lose interest, was intensifying his arousal.

“You…don’t…want…me…to…be Alpha?” He managed to ask between spanks.

“I want you to be Alpha. I’ve always thought you would be a good Alpha and that hasn’t changed.” Zane’s assurance came with another half a dozen smacks of his hand and Dax was trembling with the effort not to climax.

“Then what?” Dax cried out. Need was rushing through every cell in his body. His cock was leaking, dripping who knows where. Dax needed some friction, but the way Zane had him positioned he just wasn’t getting anything. He moaned, cried out again, but Zane’s hand was relentless now, inch after inch of Dax’s back end was stinging and would probably be bruised, but Dax didn’t care. He wanted to come. He needed to come. He wanted to come, right now.

“I want to be your Alpha Mate.” Zane growled, his hands moving so fast Dax was sure they couldn’t be seen by the human eye. The stinging had morphed into one long stream of pleasure and without even being aware of it, Dax’s orgasm barreled through him. His high-pitched scream would have been embarrassing if he’d stopped to think about it.

/~/~/~/~/

As soon as Zane felt Dax shudder, smelt the spunk in the air, and felt Dax slump over his legs, he stopped, his hands caressing over the bright pinkness of Dax’s behind, loving the intense heat of his marks. He wedged his arm under Dax’s torso and picked the man up, throwing him over his shoulder and searching for the bedroom, which wasn’t hard to find. Holding his mate one handed, he arranged the heaps of pillows Dax had into a type of nest, and laid his mate among the softness. Dax’s eyes were still closed, his chest was still rising and falling in a rapid pace, but the look of peace on the man’s face and the specks of spunk on his cock were testament to a man who’d enjoyed what they had done. Not that Zane was finished. His cock was threatening the seams of his jeans and had hardened to the point of pain.

Zane hunted through Dax’s beside cabinet one handed, while he freed his cock with the other. Slipping off his jeans, he wrenched his shirt over his head, as his fingers touched the telltale bottle shape he was looking for. Of course Dax would have lube, and plenty of it by the looks of things.

Dax still had that dreamy expression on his face as Zane worked to prepare his mate. Apart from lifting his legs and holding them open, Dax hadn’t moved, but even though the man’s eyes were half closed, Zane knew Dax was watching him. As soon as he thought his mate could take him, without causing him any pain, Zane surged forward, pushing his body between Dax’s legs, his cock finding its way home almost effortlessly. The heat from Dax’s skin tantalized his thighs, increasing the sensations.

Dropping his body over Dax’s, Zane framed the man’s head with his hands. “I love you,” he said with all seriousness, “but I swear if you keep secrets from me again, I’ll never touch you with anything but my fangs again.”

“So I could still be in for a blow job then?” Dax’s eyes widened as Zane started to move, and Zane fought to keep the serious look on his face. Zane didn’t want to laugh, but his mate could be a right brat at times.

“I know that you love me,” He continued, slowly thrusting in and out, loving the way Dax’s body opened for him so readily. “I want you to
respect
me, for who I am – not who you think I am.”

“It’s only fair,” Dax agreed quietly, his face flushed and his cock starting to firm up again against Zane’s abs. “You usually respect me.”

“I do,” Zane was quick to assure him. “From the moment I met you, I knew you would make a wonderful Alpha. That thought has never changed.” He increased his strokes, his sexual need outstripping his need to get Dax to understand him.

“I always seem to be apologizing,” Dax grumbled, as Zane picked up the pace even more. Dax’s cock had enough slick on it to effortlessly slide against Zane’s body and Zane knew, despite his massive orgasm just minutes before, his mate was on the verge of coming again. The wolf had that tremble about him that said so much without words.

“You’re still learning how to be a vampire’s mate,” Zane said quickly as he felt his balls lift against his body, his stomach clenching. “You’ll get the hang of it in a few hundred years or so. Now come on my cock and make me come with you.”

Just like clockwork, Dax moaned long and loud, and Zane felt the wetness between them increase, along with the grip on his cock. His own cock spurted with a hurried relief, and he groaned, before bending his head and sinking his fangs into Dax’s neck. The heat against his thighs was incredible. His dick was snug in a hole made for him, and Dax’s blood sung a hallelujah chorus as Zane sucked it down. Dax let his legs fall wide and seconds later two strong arms were holding him close, stroking down his back and up through his hair. Zane let his body relax, knowing only too well that his mate was strong enough to take his weight.

Zane could taste a lot of what Dax was feeling through his blood. It was when he felt closest to the man he had claimed. Today, Dax had a lot of remorse in his system, a hint of shame, a strong dose of satisfaction and that ever present special ingredient that Zane had never tasted until he’d met his mate – love. It was by far the most potent and the most wonderful taste, Zane had ever experienced.

He drank steadily, soothed by the quiet of the room and the firm touch from his mate. Letting his bad-ass out was always a draining experience for Zane, but he refused to take more than his mate could provide. The brief touches of adrenalin in Dax’s blood reminded Zane that Dax too had been fighting that day, and he pulled away as soon as he knew he had enough to hold him for another day.

“You didn’t take very much.” Of course, Dax would notice. Zane had thought at one point in the past few months his mate would set a timer on him just to make sure that Zane kept himself healthy. A nice thought, but totally unnecessary.

“We needed to talk more,” Zane said, rolling to one side and pulling Dax around so they were facing each other. “I meant what I was saying before. I want to make some changes in our relationship.”

“Do they involve you and me together?” Dax asked quietly.

Zane nodded. “You know I never want to be away from you, and that is why things have to change. You’ve been coming to the pack house without me, dealing with the pack issues by yourself, and now you have two packs to run.”

“We have two packs to run,” Dax said, his tone firming. “Anton was right. I might have called you Alpha Mate, but I never treated you as one, and that has to change.”

“That’s good.” Zane was pleased. There was a lot more determination in his mate’s voice now, a determination they would both need if they were going to run two packs. “Now where does this second territory run in relation to the Portrain pack land?”