Watching Out For Fangs (The Cloverleah Pack Book 7) (8 page)

“Wow, you must be older than Aelfric and Fafnir. Were you born in the Middle Ages or something?”

“The Dark Ages actually, around 1250 A.D. or there about.”

“That makes Damien look like a puppy and he’s the oldest shifter in the Americas,” Josh said with another laugh. Josh did have a lovely laugh. Rich, full and totally honest. Vadim found he liked it – a lot. “He’s going to get a kick out of you. You can sit and chat about the invention of the car, or the telephone, or how the internet is ruining the lives of young paranormals everywhere. Just like a couple of old fogeys.”

Vadim couldn’t understand why Josh was so happy – even he could tell that Josh’s laughter and jokes were all genuine. In the days he had spent hanging in that cell Vadim had gone over, time and time again in his head, the thought of having to tell someone so young, and a wolf as well, that he wasn’t going to be able to give Josh the love he deserved.

On those days when he wanted to be with Josh, Vadim had been determined he could be a good mate – loyal, possessive, and after what had happened to Edward, hellishly protective. He was older now, stronger than ever and he would not leave Josh’s side. No longer worrying about his position in his coven, he could make that vow to himself and keep it. It was a given that he would never stray, he would never give Josh any cause to doubt him. But even if his mother thought he had the capacity to love again that was one thing Vadim wouldn’t believe. His heart had died along with the traitors who had killed his bond mate, and in Vadim’s opinion, the chance for resurrection was long gone. But Josh’s reaction to the news was something Vadim couldn’t have ever imagined, no matter how much time he had spent thinking about it.

Figuring that he would just have to revisit the conversation at another time, Vadim looked long and hard at the man he would spend the rest of his long life with. Josh’s cheeks were flushed with pink, set off against the man’s beautiful tan.  Compared to his own pale white skin, Josh looked so healthy, so vibrant – so alive and so unlike Edward there was never going to be any comparison. Even now Vadim could see that Josh would never play games with his emotions, would never be anything but the loving, loyal wolf shifter he had been born to be. There wasn’t a hint of guile in the handsome face in front of him. He might never be able to love Josh, but Vadim knew he would always be able to trust him – again, something he never had with his bond mate. Maybe they could build a life on that.

But then just as quickly all thoughts of how different his two mates were flew right out of his brain. Vadim had closed his eyes briefly when thoughts of Edward entered his mind. He wouldn’t deliberately hurt Josh and knowing that Vadim still pined for a dead man was not something Josh needed to have rubbed in his gorgeous face. Eyes closed, he didn’t notice that his mate had made some decisions of his own. The first hint he got was when soft, deliciously warm, lush lips touched his and that was all it took for Vadim’s body to flare into life.

Chapter Ten

Josh had been a good wolf, a good mate by wolf codes at least. Vadim had been bathed, fed and rested. Josh had patiently listened to Vadim’s reasons for leaving him more than a week before. He understood only too well how promises could be made in the heat of the moment and then failed to stand the test of time. Especially the length of time his mate had been walking the earth. Part of him was amazed that Vadim had stuck to his vow for so long – it must have been so lonely for him, and now he had told his story, Josh felt he understood his standoffish mate just that little bit better.

Josh’s wolf hadn’t liked hearing about Edward, no wolf would want to know their mate loved someone else, no matter how long ago. But Josh was also aware of how giving a heart could be – how it was entirely possible, now Edward was dead, for Vadim to love him. It would just take time and there was nothing in Vadim’s vow that would stop Josh loving him.  So, as far as he was concerned, the time for talking was over. If Vadim was serious about staying with him, being by his side for the rest of their lives as he had stated, then it was time for Josh to claim his mate. 

While there was more than one way to do it, a bite would suffice after all, Josh craved the whole deal – his cock wedged deep inside of Vadim’s body and his teeth lodged firmly in his man’s neck. Vadim’s natural dominance had him guessing that he would usually be the bottom in their relationship, and Josh had no problem with that.  But if his sexy vampire thought for one minute he could deprive Josh of the claiming he had dreamed of his entire life, well at least since puberty, then Vadim would soon learn that he was wrong. Josh’s wolf was bristling with excitement, seeing no reason to delay, and Josh had to struggle for control, wanting to take things slowly. If his mate had bottomed anytime within Josh’s lifetime, he would be hellishly surprised.

Although the thought of going slow flew right out of his mind the moment his lips touched his mate’s. Vadim had a hard mouth, some might even say a cruel one because of the lack of smile lines, but his lips were so soft and welcoming, parting just enough to let Josh slip his tongue inside, tasting the very essence of the man. For someone who was oral by necessity, Vadim seemed hesitant at first, but it was only a matter of seconds before Vadim tilted his head back, causing Josh to chase him. That simple, totally elegant motion had Vadim stretched out for his pleasure and Josh’s wolf recognized it for the sign of submission that it was. If Josh’s lips hadn’t been so busy he would have howled.

His fingers were just as frantic, mapping out the planed contours of Vadim’s muscled chest, leaving scratch marks down the lines of the man’s defined obliques, even dipping into Vadim’s hairless armpits, causing the man under him to shiver. Was his vampire actually ticklish? Filing that away as something to be explored later, Josh ran his hands over solid biceps before reaching around Vadim’s neck. While his mate seemed totally into kissing him now, Josh had to get some assurance Vadim wouldn’t fight him off before he went any further.

Pulling his lips free from Vadim’s was an effort, and the picture beneath him had Josh momentarily forgetting anything he was going to say. The only color on Vadim’s face was the fierce intensity of his black eyes, and the obscene redness of his now puffed lips. But Vadim’s face was anything but bland. The sharpness of his cheekbones, the arrogant definition of his nose, combined with the smoothness of that perfect forehead – Vadim was a vision of masculine beauty that Josh struggled to make sense of. He could have never dreamed of having someone like his mate in his arms – such perfection was beyond mortal thought.

“I need to fuck you,” Josh blurted out, internally wincing at the crassness of the words he’d used. “I mean, I truly, desperately, urgently want to be able to claim you in the way of the wolf. Will you let me?”

“You would have sex with me in your animal form?” An immaculate eyebrow raised above Vadim’s left eye, but that was the only change to Vadim’s expression Josh could see. Then the words made sense.

“No,” Josh yelled out, blushing furiously. God, he had to get himself under control, which was a really hard thing to do when every drop of spare blood Josh had was in his cock. Whoever said men thought with their dicks were wrong – there was no thinking going on at all. “No,” he said, softer this time. “What I meant was I want to have sex with you as a man, and at the moment of claiming my teeth would drop, and I would bite your neck, binding us together. No wolf dick involved.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Vadim said with a breathless laugh. “And your teeth are the only thing that would drop?”

“No, yes,” Josh said, feeling confused. Then the reference Vadim was referring to finally clicked and he felt his face get hotter as he blushed. “My balls dropped a long time ago, thank you very much.”

“I’m sure they did. I can feel them heavy on my leg, along with the rest of your sizeable equipment,” Vadim purred and Josh felt strong fingers run down either side of his spine to the dip where his ass swelled. Vadim wasn’t the only one feeling things, Josh thought. He was half sprawled over Vadim and yes, his dick was rubbing a sensual dance over the man’s muscled thigh. Josh’s own leg was all too aware of the hardness his mate was packing and for a moment he was tempted to let Vadim take him, but his wolf growling in his head, quickly put paid to that idea.

“You can claim me, wolf of mine,” Vadim said, his voice going even deeper. Josh searched Vadim’s face, but again there was no change in expression, no deceit in his scent. He would have to trust that his mate meant what he said.

“But,” Vadim said as Josh made to move lower, to taste his mate’s skin. Josh looked up and he could have sworn he saw a hint of vulnerability in those coal black eyes. Josh tilted his head and waited, his own eyes never leaving those of his mate, his body still snug against Vadim’s side.

“Can you maybe, take it easy on me, just this first time?” Vadim gave a half shrug and looked almost embarrassed. “It’s been a fucking long time for me.”

Josh felt his smile split his face from side to side. In that moment of vulnerability Vadim became more human and it was awesome. Summoning all the warmth he could muster for the man beneath him he let his feelings show in his face, his eyes and his hands.

“I will always take care of you,” he promised as he bent down and rewarded Vadim with yet another kiss. He had the caring gene after all. Although, as Josh got down to the serious business of driving his mate out of his mind with pleasure, he knew he would never intentionally hurt his mate. But if he ever wanted to top again then he had to make this one chance damned good for his mate. With a lifeline tied to a vampire, Josh could spend a lot of years as a bottom unless he got it right.

/~/~/~/~/

How can you keep track of the number of people you have had sex with, when you are a seven hundred and fifty year old vampire and been sexually active since you were fifteen? The simple answer was, even as a paranormal, you couldn’t. Vadim had no idea how many people, men and women, he had been with and couldn’t even hazard a guess. The number, he decided, wasn’t important. What slammed Vadim hard in the solar plexus was the emotion he felt from the man currently plying his body like a beloved musical instrument. Nothing, not even with Edward had felt so…
more
.

Fingers caressed rather than touched, usually followed by a gentle lick, a soft kiss, or a little nip. Not one, but both of Josh’s hands were working, and yet even that was the wrong word. It was as though Josh was taking advantage of the opportunity to explore Vadim’s body – his mate was learning him, and in that moment of realization, a tiny flutter flickered in the ruin of Vadim’s heart. His mate, someone he barely knew, was rousing more feelings in Vadim’s cold and battle-hardened body than he had felt in his entire life, and that thought was both exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

There was no weakness in the caring Josh lavished on him. Vadim could feel the strength of his man, tightly controlled, but there nonetheless. Being a wolf shifter, Vadim had expected Josh to simply flip him over, coat his cock with lube (hopefully) and plunge in, before pounding the shit out of Vadim’s body. Vadim would have understood and accepted any pain. Josh’s care, an almost worshipping of who Vadim was, both as a man and a mate, totally unnerved him and as Josh licked in the juncture at the top of his thighs seeking out the concentration of his scent, Vadim cried out. His cock was rock hard and he honestly thought he would explode.

“Please, mate, lover, you’re torturing me.”

“Never heard of a shifter’s stamina, ha?” Josh said, his cheeky grin evident.  The man looked positively decadent between his legs – hair awry, lips puffed and so much joy and lust warring in the young man’s eyes. Vadim didn’t think Josh’s stamina was in question, it was the emotions that were driving him…”fuck!” The word was wrenched from Vadim’s lips, both a curse and a benediction, as Josh finally took his length in that sinful mouth. It was heavenly and for a full minute Vadim literally stopped breathing.

Suction, intensely sweet suction, blessed heat and “Oh my God,” Vadim drew in a much needed breath and yelled again as Josh nibbled, sucked, licked and damn it all to fucking hell, how did he know? So much pleasure. The room, the bed, even the rest of Vadim’s body ceased to exist – there was nothing in Vadim’s world in that moment except the incredible feelings around his cock.

“Please don’t stop.” Vadim didn’t want to come, he didn’t want the delicious sensation to end, but his body, the one he was ignoring, wasn’t listening to him. Dimly he thought he should be worried because he was sure there was a finger or two in his ass and that wasn’t a common occurrence. But all rational thoughts had vanished way earlier when Josh had suckled his nipples with just the right amount of tension and tease. Now it was as if every cell in his body had a direct link to the sensations that were bombarding his cock. Nothing short of death was going to stop Vadim’s orgasm and even then he was sure he would be climaxing through into the afterlife.

“Josh! Fuck!” For the first time since he could talk Vadim couldn’t even form a sentence, but he didn’t care. His entire being exploded into bliss and his spirit soared as Josh sucked him through the most intense orgasm of his life. Somewhere in the afterglow he was aware of something blunt, and rather large, prodding at his almost virginal hole, but by this stage Vadim couldn’t summon an ounce of worry. Not that there was anything to worry about. While he had been totally distracted by the amazing blow job, Josh had obviously been busy. There was no pain, only a sense of being filled, owned by the length being pushed steadily inside of him, by the man who hovered above him.

“You still with me, sweetheart?” Josh’s bright eyes were tender, and the caress down Vadim’s face so soft and gentle. In comparison the shaft dominating his ass was rock hard and yet Josh didn’t move. His whole body was rigid above Vadim’s – the young wolf shifter supporting his weight on just one hand while the other stroked gently through Vadim’s hair.

“I’m good,” Vadim said, surprised to find his voice a bit croaky. He didn’t think he’d been yelling that much. Maybe. “It’s time,” he continued. “Bite me and claim me as yours for eternity.”

At his words Josh’s wolf flared to life in the brilliant blue of the man’s eyes. Idly Vadim wondered if Josh’s wolf form had blue eyes or if they changed color, but then all thoughts fled from his brain as Josh started to move. Softly, almost painfully slow at first, Josh gave him time to adjust to the foreignness of feeling so full, his powerfully sensual movements hypnotic, and so damn good.  When Josh finally started to step up the pace Vadim’s hips rose to meet him almost instinctively. Through the tremors in Josh’s body, Vadim could tell the instant Josh lost control of his wolf. He gripped Josh’s biceps, sure he was in for a hell of a ride. He wasn’t disappointed.

A slight change of angle and Vadim cried out as Josh relentlessly taunted his prostate. Backwards and forwards, each movement shorting out Vadim’s brain and pushing him relentlessly towards a well of sheer pleasure. His cock had hardened under the sheer carnality pouring off of the wolf shifter currently pounding him into submission, and before he knew it, Vadim was babbling madly and on the brink of orgasm for the second time.

Josh’s face was a mask of pleasure. His eyes blazed hotter than any sun, his mouth forced open to account for the wickedly long teeth that had sprouted from his gums. Impossibly Josh had sped up his strokes even further, his back arching, his hips flexing, held aloft by powerfully strong arms. His mate was long dicking him with the precision of a turbo-charged piston and Vadim was lost. He wouldn’t have noticed if the entire roof collapsed in pieces on his head. All he wanted was for the sensations to continue, for the moment to last because he had never felt anything so wondrous in all of his life. Held fast in Josh’s spell, Vadim didn’t even notice his orgasm approaching, crying out when his spunk pulsed from his cock, catching him totally surprise. He hadn’t come completely untouched in centuries, but now he couldn’t stop.

Bending his arms in some erotic push up, Josh growled just once and Vadim instinctively tilted his head, exposing his long neck. He felt the sting as sharp teeth pierced his flesh and then for the third time in the space of an hour, Vadim succumbed to the tsunami of pleasure that filled his body, hitting every cell and sending it into orbit. His cock pulsed, barely a dribble passing through this time, but even though his balls might be dry, his body still persisted. Shaking and trembling, waves of pleasure still running through him, Vadim was vaguely aware of an uncommon warmth searing his insides, and their souls, meeting, joining and reforming as one. For better or worse, the two men’s life threads were joined.