Dominion

DOMINION

…The layout of the house wasn’t as clear as it could have been in Jesse’s mind. But he knew it well enough to know which direction he would have to run once he reached the top of the stairs. “Another taste might refresh your memory.” “When I get my fangs in you, it won’t be a taste, boy. You owe me dinner. And dessert.” “When you get your fangs in me, I might beg you not to stop. But…” Jesse blew out his candle with a puff of breath. “You’ve got to catch me first.” He scrambled up the stairs and raced toward the east side of the house, toward the service stairs. The creak of a floorboard betrayed Gideon’s presence, assuring him that the vampire was in pursuit. Jesse didn’t get nearly as far as he hoped he would. At the first turn, hands that were too familiar not to set his heart racing grabbed his shirt and slammed him face-first into the wall. His ears rang. The air vanished from his lungs. Gideon pressed hard to his back. “Somebody didn’t run very fast,” he hissed in Jesse’s ear. “No.” Jesse gasped for breath. He didn’t even bother to struggle. Gideon was far too solid against him. “The darkness slowed me down.” The bloody bolt Gideon had pulled out of his shoulder suddenly appeared at Jesse’s cheek, the tip drawing lightly over his skin. The path it left behind stung, but not enough to

make him flinch. “Lies don’t become you, boy. You wanted me to catch you. You’re even hungrier for it than the dinner you interrupted…”

ALSO BY JAMIE CRAIG At The Advent Of Dusk Double Down Fortune’s Honor Keeping Time A Little Bit Bewitched Calendar Boys, Vol. I: January-March The Master Chronicles Book I: Master Of Obsidian Book II: Unveiled Book III: Mosaic Moon Book IV: Seduction In Black And White Book V: Chaos & Communion Book VI: Dominion Calendar Boys January: Miami’s Perfect Weekend February: Mine March: Kiss Me April: Out Of The Storm May: Corazón June: Commencement July: Vintage

DOMINION BY JAMIE CRAIG

AMBER Q UILL PRESS, LLC http://www.AmberQuill.com

DOMINION AN AMBER QUILL PRESS BOOK This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. Amber Quill Press, LLC http://www.AmberQuill.com All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review. Copyright © 2008 by Pepper Espinoza & Vivien Dean ISBN 978-1-60272-281-1 Cover Art © 2008 Trace Edward Zaber

Layout and Formatting provided by: Elemental Alchemy

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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CHAPTER 1 Jesse tapped lightly on the apartment door, listening for any sounds of movement on the other side. Several seconds passed, but he waited patiently. He knew Mrs. Peggy Heston was home, and he didn’t want to leave the building until he had the chance to talk to her. His patience was rewarded five minutes after he knocked, when the door pushed open a crack, exposing green, questioning eyes. “Mrs. Heston?” “Oh. Mr. Madding, is that you?” She opened the door slowly, revealing a cluttered apartment, two little girls, and an orange and white cat. “I didn’t think I would see you this morning.” 1

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Jesse smiled. “How are you? And the kids?” “Everybody is good.” She looked over her shoulder, then back to Jesse and lowered her voice. “We can talk in the hallway. I don’t want them to know what’s going on.” Jesse took a step back, watching for any signs of injury or exhaustion as she left the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She seemed healthy. As healthy as he had ever seen her. “He was here last night, Mr. Madding. He kept pounding on the door and shouting. He scared the girls, but…” “We found him last night,” Jesse said gently. “Well, early this morning. You were right. He had changed.” He paused. He never liked this part of the job, but it was his, whether he wanted it or not. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Heston.” “He’s not coming home, is he? My Frank isn’t coming home.” It was a common story. One that he had seen dozens of times, if not hundreds of times, since he began working with Gideon Keel. Sometimes, loved ones didn’t come home. Sometimes demons took their place. And sometimes, it was difficult to tell the difference. “He was a vampire.” “You’re sure?” Her watery green eyes pleaded with him. It’s not true. Please tell me this is not true. “I’m sure. We had conclusive evidence.” In the form of three dead bodies, but Jesse didn’t think all of the details were necessary or desired. “We had to stake him.” He winced mentally. It sounded like he was talking about putting down some wild animal. But Gideon had only 2

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slammed a stake through Frank Heston’s heart after he attacked an innocent bystander, then turned his deadly strength against Jesse when Jesse had intervened. “What am I going to tell the girls?” Her lower lip trembled, and Jesse reacted without thinking, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She turned into his chest, her body shaking with silent sobs. “Maybe I should have let him come in last night. All he wanted was to see us. Maybe I should have…” “No,” Jesse said sharply. “What happened to him wasn’t your fault. It probably wasn’t his, either.” “I just want things to be different.” Jesse’s other arm went around her. “I know. I know you do.” She didn’t speak again. She couldn’t. Her tears absorbed her breath. Jesse didn’t try to offer any more explanation or apology. He knew he couldn’t say anything to comfort her, or to make her understand that sometimes bad things happened to good people. So he let her cry, rubbing her back soothingly while he listened through the door for any signs that her girls could hear her. Mrs. Heston finally lifted her head. She looked impossibly young with tears streaking down her face. Too young to have children. Too young to be a widow. “Thank you. I know you would have saved him if you could.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” He gently pushed her toward the door. “Go be with your daughters. They need you almost as much as you need them.” 3

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“Will you…will we see you again?” Jesse pulled a small package of tissues out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I’ll come by to make sure you’re okay.” “Can you find out who did this to Frank?” A part of Jesse wanted to tell her no. In a city the size of Chicago, it would be impossible to trace back an individual’s death to one murderous vampire. But Gideon wasn’t the best for nothing, and if anybody could find the guilty vampire, it would be him. Even if he had to beat and burn a swath through the city to do it. “We’re going to do our best. We both want to see justice for your husband.” She dug a tissue out and wiped her face, though she didn’t accomplish any more than smearing the tears and make-up across her eyes. “Let me know if you learn anything.” “I will.” “I just wish I could have said good-bye.” Jesse’s heart twisted and he couldn’t resist giving her one more, brief hug. If nothing else, he wanted her to know that he understood. She returned the embrace, then broke away and ducked back into the apartment. He remained in the hallway for several seconds, unsure of what he was waiting for. Perhaps a sign that she really would be okay, but he knew that was impossible. The sun was almost at its apex when he emerged from the building, and he squinted against the bright light. There wasn’t a cloud in the summer sky, and while everybody was scurrying around for lunch, he just wanted to collapse and 4

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sleep for the next twelve hours. Unlike Gideon, he couldn’t just go to sleep after they solved a case—one way or the other. First, he had to contact Derek and let him know why the police department would never find a body in their missing person case. Then he had to supervise any clean-up in the area. He couldn’t just leave weapons and blood and possibly guts and body parts around for the neighborhood children to find. After that, he had to contact the family—or find out if there was any family to contact. But his tasks were completed, and it was Emma’s day off. He could go home, crawl in bed between both his lovers, and sleep without disturbance until after the sunset. The fact that his shirt was still damp with Mrs. Heston’s tears just made him want to get home faster. He was all too aware of how fragile they all were, and he didn’t like being away from them a second more than he had to be. Jesse considered stopping for something to eat on the drive home, but decided against it. There was enough for a sandwich or two at home, and he didn’t feel like dealing with the beginning of the lunch rush. Especially since he was groggy and felt heavy-limbed and half asleep. The acrid stench of smoke filtered into the Jeep before he saw any flames. Even as the rational part of his mind insisted the smell could be coming from anywhere, a flood of adrenaline dumped into his blood stream. The smoke could have been coming from anywhere, but it wasn’t. And when it came to Gideon and Emma, Jesse was far from a rational thinker. He didn’t always have the luxury of logic. 5

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The reek of smoke only grew more oppressive as he drove toward their office. Black clouds billowed from the window he left open next to the door. There was no sign of Emma. Or Gideon’s car with the darkly-tinted windows. Neither of them had called him. There were no emergency vehicles. Jesse took all of those facts in at once and slammed to a stop outside the front door. He rushed into the building without thought, covering his mouth with one hand as he stumbled toward the stairs. The heat made his eyes burn, rolling through the stairwell in palpable waves. Keeping his head low, he only stopped when he reached the door, touching its surface to test how hot it was. He got lucky. It was only slightly warm. Jesse pushed the door open and immediately started coughing. The heat was higher in here, and flames licked the exit to the stairs that led up to the office. The rest of the living room wasn’t burning yet, but smoke was everywhere. “Gideon!” He didn’t wait for a response. He bolted for the open door to the bedroom. Two bodies curled around each other under the thin sheet. Emma lay on her side, her dark blond hair splayed against the navy pillowcase, while Gideon spooned behind her, his arm coiled protectively around her waist. It was a familiar position. Gideon always sought out the heat when he slept. Even through the haze of smoke, the sharp lines of his handsome face made Jesse’s gut twist, but it was the lack of motion he 6

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could see in either of them that drew his feet forward. With his heart thudding in his ears, he leaned over and tested Emma’s pulse. She didn’t stir at his touch, but he could still feel the fragile flutter of her heart beating. He gripped her shoulder and shook her, but she didn’t respond to that either. Smoke inhalation? Could have been. But why didn’t Gideon notice they were just minutes away from a raging inferno? Jesse switched his attention over to Gideon. He didn’t respond to the light shaking either. It was never a good idea to startle a vampire from sleep, regardless of how much he might have personally trusted the vampire. But the thickening smoke reminded him that he didn’t have a choice. “Gideon! Wake up!” Nothing happened. Jesse grabbed the hard arm and shook again, repeating the shout. This time, his eyebrows moved. Only slightly, though. They drew together to form a darker line. When Jesse tightened his grip to shake again, he felt the muscle tense beneath his hand. He froze, watching as Gideon’s frown deepened, and then his nose twitched. “What’s…” His sleep-rough voice faded away as Gideon woke up more fully, and his lashes finally parted to reveal the deep brown eyes. “Jess?” “I just got back. I’m not sure how the fire started. We’ve got to get out of here. I think Emma is unconscious.” Gideon’s gaze slid down to the blond hair he’d had his nose buried in, but it was the mention of the word, “fire,” that brought sharp awareness into his eyes. Releasing his hold on 7

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her waist, he brought his hand to her chest, covering the center of it with his palm. Though it took biting the inside of his cheek, Jesse remained motionless, granting Gideon precious seconds to assess Emma’s condition. “Her breathing isn’t right.” Gideon sat up, looking at the smoke curling around the ceiling. “Where’s the fire? Are the stairs blocked?” “Not the stairs up to the office. But the entrance to the garage is blocked. We need to get you to my Jeep. And of course, it’s a beautiful, cloudless day.” “No, you need to get Emma out of here.” Gideon climbed out of bed, wrapping her in the sheet. “I’ll figure something out.” Jesse knew Gideon was right. He wouldn’t suffocate from the lack of oxygen. But he was highly flammable. One spark and… “I can’t leave you down here.” “You don’t have a choice.” Scooping Emma up into his arms, Gideon pressed her against Jesse. “Emma needs you.” There was no more room to argue. His arms went around her automatically, and he held her as tightly as he could. “Follow me up to the office. I don’t think the flames have spread there yet.” “No, first priority is Emma. Get her out the way you came in.” Gideon was already moving to the dresser, his naked body gleaming in the smoke. “I’ll get dressed, grab the fire-resistant tarp out of the hall closet, and follow you.” “You’ll get dressed? There’s no…” Jesse bit his tongue. 8

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There was no time to argue about it. “Just hurry.” He didn’t wait for Gideon’s response. He took the stairs two at a time, and his lungs burned, but he barely noticed it. He could see the sky, wide and blue, just outside the door, and he raced toward it. Emma didn’t stir as he ran, but Jesse couldn’t let himself think about that. He pulled the Jeep’s backdoor open and pushed the various weapons and books out of the way before gently placing her on the seat. Soot covered her fine features, and her full lips were parted, pulling in wheezing breaths. They needed to get to the hospital. Jesse looked up, expecting to see Gideon jumping from the door, protected by his tarp. But the seconds crawled by, and Gideon didn’t appear. Jesse’s heart lodged in the back of his throat. Pure fear clawed up his spine, but he didn’t have to think about what he needed to do. He ran back into the billowing smoke and growing flames. “Gideon? Where are you? Gideon?” “Over here!” Over here translated to just inside the open bedroom door. Gideon filled the frame, jeans and a long-sleeved pullover now covering his body, but it was the portion of the ceiling that had crashed to the floor in front of him that made Jesse’s pulse leap. The flames were nearly as high as he was, and they were spreading quickly along the carpet. Gideon was already inching back, farther into the room, in order to get away from flying sparks. “You have to get the tarp,” Gideon barked. “Hall closet. 9

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The box on the shelf.” Jesse was moving before Gideon finished speaking. He knew exactly what Gideon was referring to. Gideon had a fire extinguisher in the same closet, and Jesse grabbed both as soon as he flung the door open. He turned back to the bedroom, but he forgot to hold his breath, and the heavy, ashy air seared his throat and nose. His first impulse was to double over and cough, but he pushed beyond that. The flames were growing around him, licking at his feet and his shoulders. His palms were hot and slick, his skin tight, and he aimed the extinguisher at the wall of fire that separated him from Gideon. The foam subdued the fire there for precious seconds, and he tossed Gideon the tarp. It unfolded slightly as it soared through the smoke, catching the edge of the doorframe. Gideon snatched it out of the air before it could fall to the ground and immediately wrapped it around his broad frame. “Go!” he barked over the roar of the flames. He took a step back and tensed. “I’m right behind you!” Jesse retreated without turning around. He couldn’t tear his eyes away until he saw Gideon leap over the fire that was already surging back to life in front of him, landing softly on the other side. Jesse moved as fast as he could through the hallway and up the stairwell, but he paused and turned often, using the extinguisher to kill any of the flames that jumped at Gideon’s feet. The door was encircled with new fire by the time they reached it, and Jesse was forced to pause once more. Gideon 10

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would make it out of there with the tarp, but Jesse wasn’t going anywhere unless he could buy a few seconds. There was nothing as reassuring as having Gideon’s solid body at his back. As Jess used up the last of the canister, Gideon used his tarp-covered side to pound out more of the flames. The walls shook, groaned. Somewhere in the bowels of the building, something crashed. “Just run,” he heard Gideon hiss. “We can make it.” Jesse believed it because Gideon said it. He didn’t even pause to take another breath before sprinting through the flames. He had to push his body with the last of his energy, his lungs desperate for the clean oxygen waiting for him on the other side of the blocked door. He heard Gideon behind him as they burst through the flames, and he didn’t stop running. Not until he reached the Jeep and threw the door open for Gideon. The vampire was a black blur as he dove for the sanctuary of the vehicle. Jesse slammed the door shut as soon as his feet were clear and ran around to the driver’s side. “Fire trucks are on their way,” Gideon said, his voice muffled where he was curled up on the floor under the tarp. He barely fit. “But if you stick around, they’re going to ask questions we don’t need right now. Get Emma to the emergency room first.” Jesse couldn’t do anything except nod as a coughing fit wracked his body. Fluid ran from his nose and eyes, but he wiped it away with the back of his hand and started the engine. As the adrenaline rush began to fade, he promised his body it could succumb to exhaustion after Emma was checked in to 11

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the hospital and examined. “Is her breathing better?” Jesse rasped. The Jeep was silent for several seconds. “No, not really.” Gideon sounded small, more so than the tarp would have done to him. “What about you? Are you holding up okay?” “Fine.” The word was a short croak, but it was enough. He heard the sirens behind him, but he knew it was too late. His books, Gideon’s history, their life together and with Emma, everything, was gone. But it didn’t matter. Jesse would happily give up everything he possessed for Emma and Gideon’s safety. The midday traffic was surprisingly light, and Jesse drove with a heavy foot. He’d estimate that it only took six or seven minutes to reach Mercy Hospital, but it felt more like several hours. “Thank you.” The soft words were nearly lost by the road noise, but Jesse was far too attuned to Gideon’s voice to miss them. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up, Jess.” “The heat would have woke you.” Jesse said the words flatly, because he needed to believe them. The thought of returning to nothing but ashes was too awful to contemplate. “We can’t guarantee that I would’ve done it in time.” Gideon fell silent, not speaking again until Jesse approached the hospital. “Do you have your phone? I’ll call Derek while you’re taking care of Emma.” Jesse leaned to the side and fished the phone out of his 12

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pocket. It appeared to be unharmed, and he passed it to Gideon. He stole a quick glance at Emma. She almost looked like she was just sleeping. But her face was too pale and lax, her breathing too shallow. “Are you going to come inside?” Jesse asked as he parked as close to the emergency doors as he could. “As soon as I talk to Derek. We need to know as soon as possible if the fire was accidental or…something else.” Jesse hoped it was accidental. A short in the electrical circuitry, maybe. But the heavy feeling in his stomach made him think it was the something else Gideon alluded to. He stepped out of the truck and pulled open the back door, careful not to disturb Gideon’s tarp. He blocked the sun from hitting Gideon directly and gently pushed the tarp aside to brush his fingers over Gideon’s brow. “You would have woke up in time.” Gideon turned slightly into the touch. “Make sure Emma gets the best doctor. Then make sure he looks at you, too.” “I will.” Jesse bent and carefully gathered Emma in his arms. She was still unresponsive. He only spared one more glance at Gideon before kicking the door closed and turning toward the hospital. The stench of the smoke still clung to his skin, following him all the way into the emergency room where Emma was almost immediately taken from his arms.

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CHAPTER 2 Gideon had set the shower to blast as hot as possible, but as soon as steam started to rise, he shifted the water to cold. He didn’t care how uncomfortable it was; he didn’t want the reminder of the smoke curling along the ceiling of the home he’d had for the past thirty-five years. Bowing his head under the spray, he let the icy water sluice over his muscled back, bracing his large hands against the tiled wall. The shower smelled like the rest of the hospital—antiseptic and fear and every bodily fluid under the sun. He would have turned it down if Rachel hadn’t insisted he needed it. Even now, she stood in the doctor’s locker room, waiting with clean scrubs for him to emerge. 14

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“They’ll help you blend in here,” she’d argued, her blue eyes flashing. “You don’t really want to be drawing even more attention to yourself, now do you?” No, he didn’t, but he didn’t need an upstart pediatrician who’d never known how to keep herself out of trouble telling him what to do either. There was another drawback to taking a shower. It left Gideon to his thoughts. It had them careening from questions about how the fire could have started, to how he could have slept through it, to what he would have done if Jesse hadn’t returned when he had. While Jesse had been taking Emma in, Gideon had called his most trusted friend on the Chicago police force, Derek O’Dell, to ask him to keep his eyes and ears open about the case. Derek’s promises meant something, but the lack of information so far had Gideon more wound up than the adrenaline of getting out Emma out of the building in the first place. Having all three of them under one roof was supposed to make it easier to protect Emma and Jesse. Instead, Gideon had the sinking feeling it just made them an easier target. He had a lot of enemies. The scars that still blemished Jesse’s stomach and back were testimony to that. But Gideon knew how to live with that. He knew how to protect himself. He didn’t do foolish things, and he always made sure he came out on top in a fight. It was the credo he’d lived his entire existence by. There were casualties along the way, but Gideon never let a death be meaningless. Mary Straughn was proof of that. 15

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Mary had been beautiful and strong, a civil rights leader among her peers right here in Chicago. A chance encounter when she stabbed him through the back with a crucifix threw their paths together, and from that moment on, Gideon was hooked. He’d loved her for nearly two years, and when vampires had slaughtered her hoping to get to Gideon, he had turned his life around. Her death had devastated him, but he’d used the strength she’d always given him and chosen to continue to fight for the city she loved. He’d done that alone until he found Jesse Madding cornered by a gang of vampires five years earlier. The eager, intelligent Brit had latched onto Gideon, making it impossible to ignore him. It had been annoying at first; Gideon was used to flying solo. But then Jesse’s worth began to shine through, and Gideon took him on as a full-time employee. Taking him on as a lover hadn’t come until later. Now, Gideon couldn’t imagine his existence without Jesse. He needed the man like he needed blood to survive. Jesse was the one who’d brought Emma into their lives. He’d found her shackled and nude, waiting to be auctioned off at the local vampire club, Sangre. Freeing her had been more about saving her from death, but Gideon rarely thought about the crimes that had brought the three of them together. It had taken months, and denial about their true feelings for each other on both Emma’s and Jesse’s parts, but eventually, Gideon had both of them in his bed at the same time. That had been a year ago. There was nothing Gideon loved more in this world than Jesse and Emma. Today, he’d almost 16

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lost both of them. His hand curled into a fist, his blunt fingernails scraping over the tile. He could almost hear Emma now, scolding him for focusing on the negative. The important thing was that all three of them were alive, and they’d gotten to the hospital in time for both Emma and Jesse to get medical treatment. In addition, it wasn’t like they hadn’t been looking to move anyway. They had been looking at various properties around Chicago since March. This just made it a little more urgent. “You were not that dirty, Gideon!” Rachel’s voice echoed against the walls, and he glanced over his shoulder, fully expecting to see her standing in the doorway. She wasn’t, though the door to the locker room was open, and he could hear another heartbeat joined with hers in the outer room. “I’m coming!” he called back. Turning off the tap, he shook the worst of the water out of his hair, pushing open the stall door to reach for the towel. For a moment, he considered not bothering to wrap it around his body, but the certainty that it wouldn’t faze Rachel in the slightest kept him from being quite that contrary. He recognized the scent of the other human in the locker room as soon as he stepped into it. “You couldn’t have waited until I was dressed?” he commented wryly as he met Derek’s hazel eyes. “What is it with you and checking out my ass?” “Oh, please.” Derek rose from where he’d been straddling one of the benches that ran the between the length of lockers. “I am not one of your groupies.” 17

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Gideon affected mock indignation. “You did not just refer to Emma and Jesse as groupies.” “I did, and I’d say that to their faces, too.” “Liar. You see Emma and you lose IQ points.” Derek shrugged. “Fine. Then I’d just tell Jesse. Because it’s true and he would be the first to admit it.” “Jesus, you’re like this with everybody, aren’t you?” Dr. Rachel Loomis stepped forward, a pair of folded scrubs in her hand. She was an older woman, in her early fifties, with a cap of dark hair and wide eyes that Gideon had always thought made her look like Audrey Hepburn. She had the attitude of Kate Hepburn, however, a woman too smart for her own good. Gideon liked her. He’d liked her ever since she caught him sneaking into the hospital in ’88 to check on a young girl who’d been ravaged in a vampire attack. She’d kicked him out then, but the next day, he’d found a personalized report on the girl’s progress in his mailbox. Rachel never copped to it, of course, but it was just the start of an interesting friendship. “Here.” She shoved the clothes into his chest. “Maybe covering your ass will help hide that ego of yours.” Derek snorted. “Clearly, Dr. Loomis here doesn’t know you as well as I do.” Gideon took the scrubs and tossed the pants onto the bench. “I’m guessing because you’re here, you have something to tell me.” “Some. Not a lot.” Rachel caught Derek’s sideways glance at her. “Do I need to step out for this?” 18

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“No.” To Derek, Gideon said, “Rachel’s good. You can trust her with anything.” “Okay, but what about Jesse? Don’t you want him here for this?” His curt, “No,” took both of them by clear surprise. “I just checked on him,” Rachel said. “He’s been cleared. A few scrapes, but otherwise—” “This isn’t about whether or not he’s physically capable,” Gideon interrupted. “I’m not making him worry about anything until I have to. He’s taken a big load already today.” Derek shook his head. “You’re making a mistake. Jesse needs to hear this.” “And I’ll tell him. Just not at this exact moment.” He looked to Rachel. “Did you check on Emma, too?” Her nod came with a sigh. “She’s stable, but she’s still unconscious. The smoke inhalation was severe enough that she’s been intubated. They were in the process of admitting her when I called down.” “Which means Jesse is right next to her, worrying and making sure she gets the best treatment available,” Gideon said to Derek, pulling the shirt on over his head. “Can we get on with this now? You have my word I’ll tell Jess as soon as I see him.” Derek still looked unsure, but after a moment, he shrugged. “Fine. There’s nothing official yet, but all indications make it look like arson. It started in the garage with your Ferrari, and spread from there.” His stomach sank. It was exactly as he’d feared. “I don’t 19

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suppose there are any clues as to who might have done it.” “No, but there was one thing they found that I don’t get. Considering how flammable you are, why don’t any of your fire alarms have batteries?” The question startled him. “What do you mean? Of course, they have batteries.” “Not the ones the investigators found,” Derek argued. “They were all just empty cases.” “Sounds like someone was serious about you not getting out in time,” Rachel added. Gideon’s mouth tightened. It sounded exactly like that. “The building is pretty much toast,” Derek continued. “What didn’t get caught in the fire is waterlogged, so you’re going to have to write all your belongings off when you put in your insurance claim.” He paused. “You do have fire insurance, right?” “Of course. Jesse takes care of all that.” “Even more reason I should be talking to him, too.” With a growl, Gideon snatched up the pants and stepped behind the row of lockers in order to slip them on. “All right, all right, we’ll go track him down. Just take it easy on him with the details, would you? He’s done more than his share today.” Derek poked his head around the corner, his prematurely gray hair falling across his brow. “Give me a little credit, will you? Jesse’s my friend, too. And my bedside manner is a hell of a lot better than yours.” He knew Derek was right. And he knew that not talking to 20

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Jesse only ever led to trouble. But that didn’t make Gideon feel any better about springing this on him, not when Emma still had yet to regain consciousness. “I’ll get you into her room without anyone knowing,” Rachel said when he came back around to grab his shoes. “And I’ll make sure you guys have some privacy.” “Thanks.” Gideon’s voice was gruff. What he wouldn’t do to start this whole day over again. “For everything.” Rachel’s plan to get them to the hospital room without anybody knowing was rather simple. She merely strolled through the wing as though she owned the entire hospital. Nobody spared her a second glance or wondered where she was going. Gideon kept his head down and followed her, relieved when she pushed a nondescript door open and ushered them into a small room. Jesse was settled in the chair beside Emma’s bed, sipping from a tall cup of ice water. Unlike Gideon, Jesse hadn’t been ushered into the showers, and the smell of the fire seemed to be baked into his skin. Emma’s face and hands had been washed, and except for the tube in her mouth, she almost looked normal again. Jesse’s face cleared as soon as his gaze landed on Gideon. He didn’t quite smile, but the relief in his eyes was obvious. “The doctor said he expects her to wake up by tonight. She’s just asleep now…not unconscious.” He left Derek hovering at the doorway to come to the bedside. Standing between them, Gideon could rest his fingertips on Emma’s wrist, soaking in the more comforting 21

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rhythm of her pulse, while reaching out to skim a tender touch down the side of Jesse’s face. “And how are you feeling?” he asked quietly. He needed to hear it from Jesse’s lips. “My throat’s a little sore, but that’ll get better in a few days. Other than that, I’m good.” Jesse looked around Gideon’s body. “Hey, Derek. Why don’t you come in and shut the door?” Derek didn’t look as glib as he’d been in the locker room, but he glanced at Rachel who stood in the doorway next to him. She nodded without a word and stepped into the hall, leaving them in solitude as the door whispered closed behind her. “It’s good to hear you two are going to be fine,” he said, coming to the foot of the bed. His eyes kept straying to Emma. “You did a brave thing, Jess.” “I did the only thing I could do.” He leaned forward and closed his fingers around Emma’s hand. After a moment, the corner of his mouth lifted. “I’ve been monitoring her, making sure she doesn’t get upset or have any bad dreams. But she’s been sleeping calmly since the doctor left.” Relief flooded through Gideon. One of the reasons Emma had come into their lives in the first place was because of her empathic abilities and the extra-strong connection she had always had with Jesse. If he wasn’t picking up on anything negative, then Emma would be all right. At least until she woke up and realized everything they had was gone. “Any word on how long they’re going to keep the tube 22

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in?” “They’re going to re-evaluate her later tonight and decide whether or not it can be removed.” Jesse glanced up. “Is there anything left of the building?” Gideon glanced back at Derek, giving him silent permission to respond. “Most of it’s gone,” Derek said. “But with the way the fire started, it didn’t have much of a chance.” “Someone torched my car.” Gideon stuffed his hands in his pockets. Just thinking about it made him angry enough to want to lash out. “Which means we have a lot of shopping in our near future.” Jesse’s lips thinned. Gideon knew what he was thinking. There were some things that couldn’t be replaced with a simple shopping trip. “Someone? I don’t like sentences that start with someone.” “It’s too early to know anything definitive,” Derek offered. “We’ll figure out who it is, Jess. I want this bastard as much as you do.” “What about the safe? Where is that?” Derek pulled out his wallet and extracted a business card. “A salvage crew’s going through the building now. You can call tomorrow and make arrangements to pick everything up.” Jesse accepted the card. “Thanks, Derek, for taking care of all this.” He turned his attention back Emma with a soft sigh. “I was worried about what we could tell her. How do you break the news that everything’s gone? But she’ll just be happy that we’re all safe.” 23

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“We’ll be lucky if she lets us out of her sight for a week,” Gideon tried to joke, but his smile felt forced. “You guys are going to need a place to stay.” They both looked back at Derek. “You’re welcome to crash at my place for a night or two until you find someplace else. It’s not far from here, and I’ve got an extra bed.” He grinned. “Just don’t let me hear you having sex. I’ve seen enough with you two to be scarred for life.” Jesse snorted. “We haven’t yet begun to scar you, Derek. You don’t know how easy you’ve had it. Still, we’ll just stay in a hotel.” He looked up to Gideon. “Maybe we can get a nice suite for Emma?” It was the least he would do for Emma. “We’ll close up shop for a little while, too. Focus on finding someplace new.” A thought occurred to him, one he hadn’t had a chance to consider in light of all the excitement. “Did you get everything squared away with Mrs. Heston?” “I spoke to her this morning.” Jesse sipped from his cup. “She asked me if we could find the vamp who turned her husband. I didn’t really have the heart to tell her it’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack.” He was half tempted to try, if only to have something else to focus on. If he had to tear the heads off more than a few vampires in order to find the right one, all the better. Except one look at Jesse and Gideon knew he couldn’t leave him alone that night to go hunting. They needed to be together. Behind him, Derek cleared his throat. Gideon didn’t bother glancing back. He knew exactly what Derek wanted him to 24

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bring up. “There’s one more thing about the fire you should probably know about,” Gideon said. “Emma’s not picking anything up unless you’re touching her, right?” “No, not when she’s asleep.” Jesse’s brows furrowed. “What sort of bad news have you got?” He braced himself. “Whoever did this disabled all the alarms in the building by taking out all the batteries. Which means they were either inside before today, or while Emma and I were sleeping before they set the fire.” Jesse sucked his breath in sharply. His eyes flashed and Gideon picked up the distinctive scent of Jesse’s anger. It was the only thing strong enough to penetrate the cloud of smoke lingering around him. When he spoke, his voice was deceptively calm. “Whoever it was must have gone in after I left the office this morning. I know I locked the doors. I always lock the doors.” Jesse rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Christ.” “I’m not sure if they’ll find anything, but I’ll tell the investigators you guys suspect a B&E,” Derek offered. “But there’s one thing about this I don’t get. How did they do it without waking up Gideon?” He frowned, meeting Gideon’s gaze. “For that matter, why didn’t the smoke wake you up?” He didn’t have an answer for Derek. He’d been trying to find it all day long. “I don’t know. I was in the shower when Jesse left, and then I made some breakfast for Emma, and I was so tired by the time she was done eating, we just crawled into bed. The next thing I knew, Jesse was shaking me and 25

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yelling in my ear.” Jesse set his cup aside and leaned forward. “Did you eat anything this morning? I didn’t see you heat up any blood last night when we got home.” “Yeah, I was hungry.” “Can vampires get affected by drugs like sedatives?” Derek asked. “Yes. They can. Certain kinds of sedatives will affect vampires, especially if they’re treated with some sort of magic. And somebody who can sneak into a vampire’s home without detection and drug the food before setting the place on fire probably isn’t a regular human.” “Great,” Derek muttered. With a sigh, he moved toward the door. “I’m going to head back then. If Gideon’s pissed off the wrong demon, I’m going to have to keep the investigation from getting fucked up.” “Thanks again.” Gideon meant it, even though he was pretty sure Derek didn’t completely believe him. “We’ll keep you updated on anything we find out, too.” When the door eased shut behind him, he sagged onto the edge of the bed. “Fuck.” “So where are we going to start with this? The master list of enemies is probably ash now.” “Honestly? I’m ready to just kill every vampire in town and be done with it.” Rubbing a weary hand over his hair, he tried to focus, but the enormity of what they faced exhausted him. “Since we can’t narrow it down by name, maybe we can narrow it down by type. Is there any kind of divining spell for 26

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demons?” Jesse nodded. “There are a few, yeah. Some just leave physical signs behind them. Minute changes in the atmosphere, like pollution. Some secrete hormones. For other demons, it’s more of a metaphysical mark. Not something you can measure scientifically, but some people are sensitive to it. But if there was any evidence in the apartment…” “It would’ve been obliterated by the fire,” Gideon finished. His hand settled over Emma’s covered leg. Somehow, the heat of her body soothed some of the edges of his mood. “I hate to have to ask, but you’re going to have to call the Institute, too, and let them know what happened to Emma. She’s got you listed as her emergency contact, right?” “Yes. I’ll call before they close for the day.” Jesse looked at his watch and frowned. “God, you’re going to be trapped here for several more hours until the sun sets. I can drop you off somewhere, if you want.” “Why? Where are you going to go?” “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stick around here until they release her or kick me out for the night. Well, unless you want me to take you somewhere.” “Yeah, to a hotel. You don’t really think I’m leaving you alone tonight, do you?” Jesse smiled a little. “I hoped you wouldn’t, but I didn’t think you’d want to let the trail go cold. Or what’s left of the trail.” “You’re more important.” He leaned forward to rest a hand on Jesse’s thigh, squeezing it tightly. His eyes burned, and he 27

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wished Emma were awake so Jesse could feel exactly what Gideon felt. “All I want to do tonight is thank every lucky star I have that we’re all safe and sound.” Jesse covered Gideon’s fingers. Heat seeped from his flesh to Gideon’s, pushing through his skin and up his arm. “Good, because that’s all I’ve been doing since we got here.”

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CHAPTER 3 Once Jesse stepped into the shower, he didn’t want to leave it again. He scrubbed himself down, rinsed, scrubbed, rinsed again, scrubbed a third time, and realized the stench of smoke was trapped in his nose, and no amount of washing would make a difference. It was illogical, but the reminder made him feel ill. Illogical because Gideon was fine. Emma was fine. Emma had finally opened her eyes just before visiting hours ended, and he had explained everything to her. Well, almost everything. He didn’t tell her about the dismantled alarms, or the probable sedatives. They wouldn’t let him stay in her room, and they wouldn’t let her leave. The night would 29

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be long enough without filling her mind with new fears. But Emma was smart, and more than that, she could feel the anger and fear he was desperately trying to hold back. When Jesse finally emerged from the bathroom, Gideon wasn’t waiting for him. A note beside the television let him know that Gideon planned to return within the hour. It didn’t give any other details, though. Jesse guessed Gideon wasn’t actually going out to work, but he didn’t know what else would have driven him from the hotel room. Especially given the way he’d insisted on staying within touching distance of him and Emma all afternoon and evening. Jesse collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since he’d slept, and he knew he should be exhausted, but he was wired. He tapped his fingers, and his toes wiggled. Anxiety and fear and anger and relief flowed through his veins as heavy and hot as a drug. His brain wouldn’t stop turning over a million questions. What if he had been too late? What if he had waited for Gideon to serve him breakfast? What the fuck would he do if he lost either Gideon or Emma? He knew he should put it out of his mind. There had been close calls before. Very fucking close calls. Being with Gideon meant a life of close calls, and Jesse understood that. A part of Jesse even enjoyed the rush sometimes. But this felt different somehow. It was more thoughtful, more deliberate, more focused. But Emma was fine. Gideon was fine. They were safe. And Emma wasn’t there with them, but she would be the next 30

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night. Once he got his arms around her, he didn’t intend to let her go. He had the same plans for Gideon. He knew he would be calm as soon as Gideon returned. And not a second before that. He had always needed Gideon, but it was more intense now. Being tortured had reduced him to nothing more than a pile of fear. For months, he couldn’t do anything except suffer through flashbacks and stick as close to his lovers as possible. He was better now. Had been better for months. Most days he felt entirely normal. But he quietly acknowledged that he was more dependent on Gideon than he had been just a year earlier. Had Gideon noticed? If so, he never mentioned it. The door to the main room opened and closed. Jesse sat up, stood, walked briskly to the doorway to see Gideon setting several parcels down by the front door. His clothes were different, not the jeans and pullover he’d pulled on when escaping the fire. Now he wore black slacks and a dark purple shirt, crisp and fresh. To the casual onlooker, Jesse doubted anyone would believe Gideon had been in a raging fire just earlier that day. “You’re out.” Gideon shot him a smile over his shoulder while he picked up one of the sacks. “Damn. I was hoping to get back before you did.” “I think you might have lost track of time, then. I was in the shower until I was practically a raisin.” “Oh.” He frowned as he glanced at his wrist, only to have it deepen when he realized he wasn’t wearing his watch. Something else to be lost. “Well. It’s done now, so now you 31

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don’t have to worry about it tomorrow.” Jesse moved closer, trying to get a good view of the bags. “What don’t I have to worry about?” “I picked up some new clothes for you and Emma. So she has something to wear when we bring her home tomorrow.” Jesse wrapped his arm around Gideon’s waist and peeked around his shoulder. “A little retail therapy?” he teased. “What if I would have liked to go shopping?” “Hey, I’m doing you a favor here.” But Gideon folded his arm over Jesse’s and laced their fingers together. “Besides, I have better taste than you do.” “Well, that’s what you say.” Jesse rested his brow on Gideon’s shoulder and inhaled. He didn’t smell like the fire anymore. He smelled like new clothes and the heavy night air. “Frankly, I think your taste is hindered by the fact that you lack a reflection.” “And a few centuries experience, thank you very much.” His thumb caressed the side of Jesse’s hand, soft circles that did more to comfort him than anything else Gideon had done yet. “I didn’t just get clothes, though.” He nudged a large bag near his foot, and something metallic inside clinked. “That one’s for you.” Curiosity prompted Jesse to release Gideon and bend for the brown, nondescript bag. There were three items in the bag. Jesse bypassed the two smaller boxes for the largest toy. It could have been a spreader bar, but as Jesse pulled it out of the bag, he realized there was a second, longer adjustable bar. Jesse couldn’t help but smile. 32

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“It didn’t occur to me that this would be the first thing you’d replace.” “Well, it wouldn’t have been my first choice,” Gideon said with a grin. “But I figured hotel management wouldn’t appreciate me hanging chains from the ceiling.” His hand dropped to Jesse’s hair, toying with the longer strands at his nape. He needed it cut again, but Emma liked it when it started to curl so he always held off as long as he could. “And I thought you deserved something special tonight. Something just for you.” The second thing in the bag was a dildo that would fit on the end of the adjustable bar. It was just big enough to stretch Jesse, to make him feel it. The third item was something that Jesse hadn’t seen before. It looked like a double pinwheel, and the pins were inch long, sharp spikes. “Wow. I don’t know if I deserve it, but I think you figured out what I needed tonight.” Grasping Jesse’s wrist, Gideon pulled him back to his feet, drawing him close until their bodies were flush. His arousal pressed into Jesse’s stomach, and flecks of gold sparked in his dark eyes. “I’ve been hard ever since I saw it.” He lowered his mouth to Jesse’s neck, nuzzling over his original bite marks. “Can you imagine what it will feel like on your ass? Or maybe your balls. Do you think it’ll make you bleed?” Jesse closed his eyes, his groin tightening at the final question. He could already feel the slow, hot streams of blood sliding down his thighs, only to be caught by Gideon’s hungry 33

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tongue. There weren’t any cuffs or a collar in the bag, but Jesse didn’t need them. Slipping into the proper role wasn’t just easy for Jesse, it was natural. It was the place he wanted to be. “Can I ask you to make me bleed?” “No.” His tongue darted out and traced the puncture wounds. “You can beg.” Jesse’s chest hitched. He already itched to feel Gideon’s fangs, and his tongue moving in slow, lazy circles only heightened the desire. “Will you please make me bleed…Sir?” The grip Gideon had on his wrist tightened to the point of almost pain. “Eventually. You need to strip first, boy. I’ll put the spreader together. Then we’ll get you impaled and see how long you can take it before you break.” As soon as Gideon released his wrist, Jesse stepped back and unknotted the robe’s tie around his waist. Gideon watched him for only a moment before focusing on the spreader. He shrugged the robe off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He didn’t move. He stood with his hands in loose fists at his sides, his hard cock jutting against his stomach. Gideon didn’t even look up as he put together the various pieces, first the spreader that would separate Jesse’s legs, then the bar that ran up its center. The dildo attached to the end of the bar, and Jesse’s body clenched at the thought of it being buried, unmoving inside his ass. From another bag, Gideon took out a bottle of lube. Rather than slick it up, however, he rose to his feet and regarded Jesse through heavy-lidded eyes. “First job, boy.” He flipped open the cap. “Get it ready. 34

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Show me how bad you want this.” Jesse obediently held out his hand, palm up, waiting patiently as Gideon poured the cool lubricant in the center. Gideon pressed the dildo in his other hand, and Jesse’s gaze was drawn to the tight material stretched across Gideon’s large erection. He thought he saw Gideon twitch as he began to smooth his palm up and down the toy, slicking the shaft. Slowly, Gideon pulled his shirt from his waistband, flashing a thin line of pale, perfect skin before the material fell free. “I thought about picking up some blood while I was out.” His voice was low and husky, dropping even lower as the buttons parted. “But then I remembered I had you.” Jesse shivered at the low, undeniable promise. There was nothing like the release of Gideon’s fangs slicing through his tender skin. He couldn’t look away from Gideon. He knew the vampire’s body intimately. Perfectly. There wasn’t a single inch of his skin that Jesse hadn’t lavished with attention. But he still stared as Gideon exposed his chest, his stomach, and then shrugged the shirt off his broad shoulders. Gideon nodded toward Jesse’s fingers. “I think that’s enough, boy.” Jesse’s hand fell automatically back to his side, and his gaze tracked Gideon as he prowled around Jesse’s side. The temptation to turn his head was overwhelming, but Jess remained still, dropping his eyes to the spreader in front of him. Something brushed across his shoulders. He shivered when he realized it was Gideon’s chest. 35

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“You know what we have to look forward to, boy?” Gideon had his mouth at Jesse’s ear, the words barely puffs of air taking form. “A new playroom. Built just for us. Anything you want, anything you desire.” Jesse felt a little weak at the thought. Gideon’s collection had been vast, but even Gideon didn’t have everything Jesse had thought about trying. And it would be theirs. He would never have to think about what Gideon might have done with the chains, the whips, or the floggers in his whimsically titled playroom. “Thank you, Sir.” The hard line of Gideon’s erection pressed into Jesse’s ass, while Gideon reached around to caress the smooth skin at the base of Jesse’s cock. He kept himself smooth for Gideon, had ever since their very first date when Gideon had ordered him to shave in preparation, and the faint touch of fingertips sent a shiver through his thighs. “We should start with cages, I think. One for you. One for Emma.” Jesse bit back his moan at the thought of Emma in her own cage. She liked restraints. All of the restraints. She never wanted to be pushed as far as Jesse when it came to punishment, but whenever Gideon put her in cuffs, her arousal would flood through Jesse’s body and overwhelm him. His arousal now was almost painful, and he forced himself to remain still and not sway back against Gideon’s body. “Yes, please.” “What else?” Gideon’s hand drifted lower, avoiding 36

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Jesse’s cock to stroke the front of his thighs. At the same time, he nudged Jess forward, closer to the spreader, until the tip of the dildo brushed against his balls. “Tell me what you want, boy.” Jesse took a deep breath. “I would like furniture, please. A stockade, a bondage chair, a punishment bench. I would also like chains from the ceiling and on the walls. And I want to replace all your whips, floggers, and paddles. Please.” Gideon’s hand disappeared as he began to slide down Jesse’s back. Though his lips remained on Jesse’s skin, something stung, first on his shoulder blade and then near his spine. It took Jess a moment to figure out it was fangs. The moment after that, fresh pre-come collected at the tip of his cock as his desire skyrocketed. “Don’t forget the barbed gloves.” Gideon crouched now, his hands wrapping around Jesse’s ankles to guide him into the spreader. “I think Emma loves those more than you do.” Jesse thought that was probably true. “Barbed gloves,” he agreed as Gideon locked the cuff around Jesse’s ankle. “Mouth gags. Blindfolds. Cock rings and cock cages. Ball weights. The kind with spikes.” “I saw an interesting cock trap where I picked up the spiked doubled pinwheel.” Gideon moved to the other foot, the heavy leather straps already feeling like home to Jesse. “It’s basically a flexible wide mesh tube that you slip on. When you pull on the end, it tightens and cuts into your cock, depending on how far you stretch it.” He buckled the second cuff. “If we get a chair, like the ones with the cutouts in the 37

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seats, we could hook the trap to a pulley in the ceiling and leave you in it while I fuck your face and Emma eats your ass.” Jesse was glad Gideon had him secured to the bar, because otherwise the image would have driven him to his knees. Jesse adored Gideon’s imagination. Especially since Gideon always knew the perfect combination of stimuli to send Jesse over the edge. Before Jesse could voice his enthusiastic agreement, Gideon moved the dildo. The tip was cold and blunt, pressed right at his ass. Jesse’s body clenched in anticipation. Gideon paused. “Maybe we should just leave it like this for right now,” he said, his voice too casual. Jesse forced himself to relax, though he knew it wouldn’t sway Gideon. “Yes, Sir.” Another sting raked up his back. Gideon’s mouth reappeared at Jesse’s ear. “I kind of like the idea of you getting so hot you can’t help but fuck yourself on it.” Jesse knew that wouldn’t be hard to do. He already ached to be fucked, but he didn’t dare lean back on the dildo now. Not until Gideon told him he could give in to that need. But with Gideon’s lips next to his ear, and the fangs so close to his skin, he couldn’t help but move, leaning toward Gideon’s mouth. A soft groan rumbled in his ear as Gideon sliced along the fragile skin of his earlobe. “Greed like that gets punished.” His solidity vanished. When he came around to stand in front of Jesse, droplets of blood clung to his mouth. Their eyes locked before he deliberately licked them away. “I might not even 38

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bite you, if you keep that up.” Gideon had the self-control to make good on this threat. Even if Jesse begged until he was hoarse for the deep, primal satisfaction of feeling Gideon’s teeth sink into his exposed neck. Jesse swallowed and inclined his head. “I’m sorry.” Silence followed, fat and heavy. Then Gideon’s hand filled his downward cast as the vampire reached out and scratched a nail across the tip of Jesse’s dripping cock. “Let’s get you bleeding, boy.” He lifted his hand and smeared the pre-come over Jesse’s mouth. “You’ve earned it.” Jesse waited until Gideon bent to pick up the pinwheel before he licked the salty fluid from his lips. The taste of his own pre-come made his balls ache. Gideon lightly dragged the pinwheel across the top of Jesse’s foot. It wasn’t hard enough to make him bleed, but it sent chills down his spine and legs. Gideon didn’t straighten. Kneeling, he ran the tool up the inside of Jesse’s calf at the same pressure he’d exerted on his foot. Jesse balled his hands into fists long before the toy reached his knee, and as it continued upward, along his inner thigh, he watched Gideon lean forward and flick his tongue over Jesse’s balls. Gideon’s tongue wasn’t cool, but it wasn’t hot either. It wouldn’t be until he absorbed more of Jesse’s body heat, either by friction or with his blood. When he flicked his tongue again, Jesse couldn’t stop the moan from escaping his throat. His tongue was so light, so distracting, that Jesse forgot about the toy in Gideon’s hand until it moved across his thigh. It felt like a hundred little points of sharp pressure, teasing 39

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him, warning him. “Let’s make this a little more interesting…” Gideon licked a thin trail up the underside of Jesse’s shaft. It wasn’t until he had reached the head that Jesse felt the presence of the pinwheel just below his sac. There wasn’t any pain—it wasn’t quite touching hard enough for that—but the expectation was almost better. “Stuff a few inches inside your ass, boy.” Jesse shifted back, allowing the dildo to push into his hole. The head stretched him almost to the point of pain, but he didn’t pause. The farther he sank onto the shaft, the more he wanted. But he was stopped from completely fucking himself on the dildo by the sudden sharp pressure of the spikes against his balls. He froze as soon as the tips dug into his sac. “Did I tell you to stop?” “No, Sir.” Jesse breathed before sinking down another inch. Now there was no escaping the sting of the spikes. And he felt the first drop of blood, hot and thick, well up and flow down the side of his sac. He stopped again, gasping for breath as the exquisite pain rolled through him. “That’s my boy.” Though he didn’t allow the pinwheel to drop, Gideon shifted it sideways so that the spikes prickled in fresh places. Jesse bit his lower lip, unwilling to cry out. It was too soon; he wasn’t nearly intoxicated enough from the pain to yield to it so quickly. He closed his eyes for a moment to steady his breathing, but not before seeing Gideon’s dark head angle closer to his thighs. Gideon’s tongue, wet and firm, caught the blood dripping 40

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down his balls. It danced alongside the spikes, adding pleasure to the sting, and Jesse had to quell the urge to reach out and tug his mouth even harder against his body. His walls tightened around the thick shaft again and again, and Gideon’s hair tickled his thigh. He was becoming intensely aware of every sensation that passed over his body, each one a stark contrast to the pinwheel moving over his delicate skin, seeking new, unmarked spots. And Gideon’s tongue never stopped. It sought out every drop. It covered every bit of him. When the toy slanted in a new direction, Jesse took a deep breath and held it, waiting for whatever delight Gideon had in store next. Concentrating so hard on the pinwheel, he didn’t realize Gideon’s tongue had moved as well. Not until he felt Gideon suck his balls deep in his mouth. Jesse’s knees bent automatically, and the dildo moved farther into his body even as he pushed harder against Gideon’s mouth. Long wires of heat wrapped around and around his groin, pulling tight on his balls, right where Gideon’s lips met his skin. The sting of the pinwheel was almost entirely forgotten until the spikes rolled over the taut skin of his ass, opening new, shallow streams of blood. Gideon growled. The sounds reverberated through Jesse’s flesh, compounded when Gideon smoothed a palm over his skin, smearing the blood around until he felt slick everywhere. Then, when the tool carved new paths through the sticky fluid, each spike caught for a fraction of a second longer, the pain lingering for twice that. 41

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Jesse bit the sides of his mouth to keep from shouting. Electricity flowed beneath his skin, heating his blood. He squirmed for a second, but that didn’t alleviate anything. The pinwheel caught more flesh, and the dildo stretched him farther. As Gideon continued to massage his ass, spreading the blood, Jesse imagined Gideon bending him over, making him grip his ankles, and taking advantage of his sensitive and tenderized flesh. “God, nobody has ever tasted as good as you do, boy.” The words dried his balls slightly as Gideon sat back. He rose to his feet and brought the pinwheel with him, light tracks up Jesse’s spine to stop and circle at his nape. Like his legs, it didn’t break the skin, but it was enough to keep the shivers coming, uncontrollable and unending. “Have I told you yet how much I love you?” Jesse knew exactly how much Gideon loved him. He didn’t need to be told. But it didn’t matter what he knew, what he thought, what they experienced together. Because Gideon’s low words still left him breathless. Knowing he had to answer Gideon’s direct question, he shook his head and murmured, “No, Sir.” Gideon’s broad hand cupped the back of his head, holding Jesse firm as the toy continued to score over his skin. His fanged mouth grazed over Jesse’s, followed slowly by his tongue, and the first hints of coppery blood seeped past Jesse’s lips. “Take more,” he murmured. “Get yourself good and stretched so I can fuck you right.” 42

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Jesse moved slowly, forcing more and more of the toy into his body until he took the entire length of the shaft. He felt like it was splitting him in half, like he couldn’t possibly keep it all. But Jesse knew he couldn’t move, couldn’t ease the burn or the pressure until Gideon told him to. Without looking away, Gideon let him go, bringing his fingers to scratch lightly down Jesse’s chest. They paused for a moment at a flat nipple but didn’t stay. They only halted when they reached Jesse’s cock. “Do you like the new toy?” Gideon asked. He drew it over Jesse’s shoulder, pressing harder to dig into the tender skin at his neck, continuing on to stop at the same nipple Gideon had just teased. “Too bad you can’t see your balls. I’ve never seen them look so delectable before.” Jesse couldn’t see his balls, but he could imagine what they looked like. Especially when Gideon increased the pressure of the pinwheel across Jesse’s nipple, leaving twin, dotted lines over his skin. Blood welled up, but before it had the chance to run over his chest, Gideon dipped his head and sucked the skin between his lips. Jesse hissed, his unbound hands automatically going to Gideon’s head. He heard a soft thud and glanced down to see the pinwheel at Gideon’s feet. “No more fucking around,” Gideon growled. His powerful hand fisted Jesse’s shaft, but it was eclipsed by the shift of Gideon’s jaw, the sinking of his fangs deep into the flat of Jesse’s nipple. Jesse shouted, his fingers tightening against Gideon’s 43

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scalp. He hadn’t expected to feel Gideon’s teeth so soon, or the slow pull of blood from his veins as Gideon’s throat worked. He stripped his cock with lethargic strokes, his fingers warming with each stroke from the friction and the blood working through his body. “Oh…please…Gideon…” He could barely speak around the long gasps for breath, but he didn’t let that stop him. “Please…fuck me…Sir.” If he heard, Gideon didn’t react. His lips tensed, then relaxed, tensed as he swallowed again and again. They weren’t full mouthfuls, because the lightheadedness that usually came with Gideon’s feeding took much longer to arrive. And yet, just as Jesse felt his control over his body start to slip, Gideon pulled back. His mouth was bloodstained, his gaze fierce. Though he had seen them a thousand times, something about Gideon’s vampiric features always sent an added thrill through Jesse’s veins. Maybe they reminded Jesse of how primal Gideon was, how demanding and hungry he could be. Maybe it was just because no matter which face he wore, Gideon was always the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Either way, his heart always beat a little bit faster when he looked into those golden eyes. “You’ve already got this stuck up your ass,” Gideon taunted. Fresh blood always made him even cockier. “Isn’t that enough, slut?” Jesse watched as Gideon’s tongue darted out and cleaned the blood from his lower lip. “No, Sir.” 44

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The strokes along his shaft tightened. “Why not?” The answer was easy. “Because it’s not your cock, Sir.” “You want me to shoot inside you, is that it?” His other hand slipped around Jesse’s hip and teased the edge of his stretched hole. “You won’t even tear now when I drill into you. What am I going to get out of it if I fuck you instead of jerking you off while you ride your new toy?” What Gideon proposed would work. Jesse was already walking a fine line, and if all he wanted was an orgasm, then there was no reason not to simply nod and agree. But coming wasn’t all he wanted. It wasn’t even most of what he wanted. “Please, Gideon, it’s not the same as your cock. I want to feel you pound into me. I want to feel your cock, and your fangs. I want you to drink from me until I’m…until you’ve…until you can’t take anything else from me. Please. Please, fuck me.” The finger caressing his ass paused. So did the hand on his cock. “Nobody begs as prettily as my boy.” The soft words wrapped around Jesse even better than Gideon’s arm as he coiled it around Jesse’s waist and lifted him so his knees were straight again. It left his hole stretched and empty, aching to be filled again, but Jesse held his breath as Gideon leaned in for a kiss. Jesse felt the sting of Gideon’s fangs first, and then the hot copper blood splashed against his tongue. Jesse only tasted it for a moment before Gideon’s tongue thrust between his lips and chased the drops of blood. Jesse opened to the kiss 45

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without hesitation, letting Gideon’s mouth overpower him, as it always did. He was thankful Gideon hadn’t thought to tie his wrists, because he couldn’t stop touching the other man. His hands moved over Gideon’s shoulders and chest. “I don’t want to let you go,” Gideon said against his mouth. “But that damn dildo is in my way to fuck you here.” Jesse couldn’t help but smile a little. “You won’t have to let me go for very long.” “Anything is too long right now.” But Gideon eased his hold anyway, stepping back to crouch again at Jesse’s feet. He worked the cuffs quickly, efficiently, centuries of practice making his fingers nimble. Jesse indulged in the need to run his fingers over the back of Gideon’s bowed head, his broad shoulders, anywhere he could reach, allowing them to slide down to his hip when Gideon stood up again. “Your turn to get on your knees,” he said. “Take my pants off, boy.” Jesse immediately bent his knees and dropped to the ground. His balls ached in the new position, throbbing with every beat of his heart, a reminder of what Gideon had done to him with the pinwheel. He reached for Gideon’s fly, his fingers quick and sure as he unbuckled, unbuttoned, and unzipped. He wanted to get to Gideon’s cock, even if he didn’t yet have permission to touch him. Jess pushed the pants to the floor, exposing Gideon’s full erection and muscled thighs. Gideon lifted his feet, allowing Jesse to pull the garment off the rest of the way. When he sat back on his heels, he 46

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turned his hungry gaze up to Gideon’s, fully aware that the vampire could read each and every desire he had. “Sure you want me to fuck your ass?” He grasped his cock at the root, smearing the wet tip over Jesse’s mouth. “I could always come down your throat instead.” Jesse’s mouth watered, but he resisted the impulse to part his lips and swallow Gideon’s length. “I’m sure. Can you…will you please fuck my throat, too?” A brow quirked. “Both? Lucky for you, I’m in mood to spoil you tonight. Open, boy.” Jesse obeyed. His breath was quick and sure, his taste buds watering at just the slight hint he’d already been given. When Gideon rested the fat tip against his tongue, Jess sealed his lips around the crown. But Gideon didn’t give him time to test the texture for too long. Gripping the back of Jesse’s head, he pulled him down the length, not stopping even when he hit the back of his throat. Jesse didn’t resist as Gideon fed him his cock, exhaling as soon as he buried his nose in the nest of curls at the base of his shaft. Gideon’s hand was firm on the back of his head, holding him in place as he swallowed around the head of his cock again and again. Each time the muscles in his throat constricted around the tip, Gideon’s fingers flexed against Jesse’s scalp. He set a languorous rhythm, sliding out along the flat of Jesse’s tongue before pushing back in again. Jess scraped his teeth lightly across the shaft with each thrust, pleased with the tightening of Gideon’s fingers in his hair. It meant he was 47

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getting to Gideon. It meant that when it came time to fuck him, Gideon wouldn’t be able to hold back. Jess bit into the head the next time Gideon pulled out. “Fuck!” The thrust this time was a drive straight down Jesse’s throat, almost gagging him before he had the chance to adjust. Gideon held him there, letting his other hand stray down to the scars on Jesse’s neck. He toyed with them for long seconds while he simply held Jesse there, then yanked Jesse up again. Each time Jesse’s lips closed around Gideon’s tip, he bit down. And each time he did, Gideon slammed forward. He kept a steady pace for several minutes, but Jesse could feel his iron control slip a little, until he was moving in such sharp, quick thrusts Jesse could barely gasp for breath. He put both of his hands against Gideon’s thighs, his fingers curling into the skin. He wasn’t trying to control the vampire—he was just trying to brace himself. It happened the moment after Gideon’s fingers tightened on his neck. It didn’t block off his air—not any more than a thick cock rammed down his throat did—but there was enough pressure to be painful, an edge that slowed Jesse down from relinquishing his hold on the head of Gideon’s cock. His teeth raked down the shaft when Gideon buried himself again, and the first pulse of come made the vein running along its underside bulge against Jesse’s tongue. Gideon shouted, blasting so quickly that Jesse struggled to swallow fast enough. Some escaped, filling his mouth, and 48

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droplets tickled at the corners where it threatened to leak out. He was still shooting when he pulled Jesse off. More come coated Jesse’s chin, his chest, his cock as Gideon hauled him to his feet and slammed him against the wall. “Want,” Gideon growled, and he fused their mouths together, stealing even more of Jesse’s precious breath. Jesse responded with the same hunger, his fingers digging into Gideon’s shoulders. Gideon occasionally broke from his mouth to chase the traces of come and blood on his lips and chin and neck. His lips were hard and demanding, and Jesse sighed with relief each time they returned to his mouth. A part of Jesse was relieved that Gideon kept his hands off his cock. He felt like he didn’t have the control to stop himself from coming at the briefest touch. Instead, Gideon slid his hands beneath Jesse’s thighs, lifting him effortlessly. He coiled his long legs around Gideon’s waist, but it was the hard nudge of Gideon’s stillhard cock at his aching hole that had Jesse trembling. “Still want to be fucked raw, boy?” Gideon said against his skin. “Yes. Please.” Their mouths clashed again. “Gideon, please.” Gideon needed no more encouragement. Pressing him harder to the wall, he slammed upward, sheathing his length in Jesse’s passage with a force that made both of them cry out. The wall was rough against Jesse’s back and the cuts and scrapes on his ass. His cock was trapped between their stomachs, and each time Gideon thrust forward, he sent a new 49

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pain through Jesse’s balls. Even though Gideon gave him exactly what he wanted, exactly what he needed, he couldn’t stop begging him for more, and Gideon swallowed each plea and moan, his mouth never leaving Jesse’s. His lips were numb by the time Gideon abandoned them. Jesse gulped for breath, squeezing his eyes shut as Gideon found a new spot to hit every other time he ploughed into his ass. That was nothing compared to the rake of fangs down his neck, though. His nipple throbbed from the earlier bite, but all Jesse could think about was the bliss that came with each fresh strike. “I’m still hungry,” Gideon murmured. Blood tickled down the side of Jesse’s neck. “How much will you give me, boy?” As much as you want. He knew he wouldn’t struggle or lift a hand to stop Gideon from taking anything he wanted. Even so, he modified his answer slightly. “As much as I can.” His response fueled Gideon’s thrusts. He tore into Jesse’s body like he never wanted to leave, shifting slightly on each stroke. It was on the third that an electric frisson shot through Jesse’s muscles, and he clamped down around Gideon’s cock on reflex. “There’s my boy’s sweet spot.” Gideon hit it again. Harder. “Now let’s look for the one I want.” The declaration was just lip service. Dropping his jaw, Gideon sank his fangs deep into the throbbing veins he’d just been sucking on. Jesse stiffened at the first long pull from his neck. Everything was tight and electric, and he felt like he was 50

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dangling by a single, thin string. The second swallow set off a fuse beneath his skin. Colors exploded behind his eyes and his cock jerked, sending string after string of hot come against his stomach. He shivered with each wave of pleasure that went through him, and his cock kept twitching, even after he had nothing left. Jesse lost track of how many times Gideon let a mouthful of blood slide down his throat before he froze with his cock buried deep in Jesse’s ass. He could feel the hot fluid coating his walls, and the room spun around him. He barely felt the fangs retract, or the soft glide of Gideon’s tongue over the new puncture wounds. He did, however, hear his whispered words, like silk wrapped around his body and drawn tight. “I’m never going to let you go, Jess. I need you too much.” Jesse rested his forehead on Gideon’s shoulder and took a deep, shuddering breath. He understood need. He understood it very well. “Good. You won’t ever have to let me go. I’m yours.” Gideon chuckled. “Does that mean I get to carry you to the shower, too?” “Yes, that’s exactly what it means.” Jesse turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to Gideon’s neck as Gideon stepped from the wall and turned to the bathroom. He had the feeling by the time Gideon carried him out of the shower, he would be ready to pass out. After a good night’s sleep, they’d both be better prepared to do whatever necessary to find the arsonist. 51

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CHAPTER 4 From where she was curled up in the corner of the couch, Emma watched Gideon and Jesse argue by the suite doors, a small smile curving her mouth. It had started as soon as they’d left the hospital. So far, Gideon was winning. “I went out last night and nothing happened.” Gideon’s arms were folded across his broad chest, and he stood straight, a sure sign he wasn’t going to budge. Emma was fairly certain Jesse recognized the stance, but when it came to Gideon, Jesse wasn’t always logical. “And we both know, this is important.” “Yes, it is important. But whoever we’re dealing with isn’t…if he’s a known arsonist, like Derek said, this is a job for the police.” 53

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“The police haven’t been able to find him since the last time he pulled a job like this. It’s time for new tactics.” Jess’s lips thinned. A long beat passed, and Emma knew that the next words out of Jesse’s mouth could be anything from another protest to quiet acquiescence. “Will you at least stay in contact with Derek? The police do need to be involved, even if you do find new tactics.” With a grin, Gideon relaxed. “Now would I go Lone Ranger on something as important as this?” Emma choked on her giggle, aggravating her sore throat. Jesse turned his head to share a knowing glance with her before focusing on Gideon again. “Lone Ranger? I don’t know. Dark Knight? Probably.” “Nah. Capes are for sissies.” Clasping the back of Jesse’s neck, Gideon pulled him close for a hard, quick kiss. Emma felt the spike in Jesse’s desire all the way across the room. “I’ll call you when I get there, okay?” he said after releasing him. “You’ll know where I am, every step of the way.” “I’m going to hold you to that,” Jesse said, as Gideon opened the door. “But I know you might forget, so just be careful.” Gideon only smirked. Casting a long glance at Emma, she felt the low throb of his determination before he walked out of the hotel room. “He really will, you know?” she said. “Now are you going to come help me look through these real estate listings? Or are you going to hover by the phone until he calls?” Jesse locked the deadbolt before returning to the sofa, but 54

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his mind clearly wasn’t with her and her real estate listings. He was mentally following Gideon on the hot Chicago streets. “It still makes me a little nervous when he’s like this.” She slid across the cushion, pressing into his side. The hospital had been reluctant to discharge her that day, but Emma had insisted. There was nothing wrong with her that wouldn’t dissipate with time, like her sore throat, or be soothed by her lovers’ presence. The fact that Jesse was hot with happiness and relief that she was out made her yearn to bury her face in his neck and not let go of him for a week. “He’ll be fine. He wants to get this guy as badly as Derek does.” Jesse put his arm around her shoulders and began rubbing her arm. He still seemed a little distracted, but she didn’t sense any real anxiety. “Oh, he’s going to find him. I have no doubt about that. When Gideon goes out on the hunt like he is, the prey isn’t long for this world.” “Which means he’ll come back with good news.” She gestured toward the laptop on the coffee table. Derek had brought it over earlier that day, along with news that more had been salvaged from the fire than they’d originally estimated. “We should have some for him, too, don’t you think? At least have some options for him to look at and tell us they’re not good enough.” Jesse glanced at the laptop, then lowered his head to rest his lips on the top of her head. “Do you really want to look through real estate listings?” What Emma wanted was for the decision to already be 55

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made, for the arsonist to be behind bars, and for this entire incident to be behind them. She was very well aware of the dangerous line both Gideon and Jesse walked in their job; she’d been a part of it from the beginning, had come close to it herself more than once. But it never got easier. When she had first opened her eyes and seen the worry in his brilliant blue eyes, Emma had been prepared for the worst. It was a relief to hear that everybody was safe, and though the thought of losing all their belongings stung, Emma had been without for so much of her adult life that it was inconsequential. Jesse and Gideon were what mattered most, and they were both safe and healthy. She wanted to appreciate that. “I don’t know how long I’ll last tonight,” she confessed. “I didn’t want to sleep more at the hospital because I didn’t want the doctors to have an excuse to keep me for another day.” Jesse caressed the bare skin just above her shirt collar. “Then you shouldn’t be up anyway. You should let me take you to bed.” Emma tilted her eyes up to his. “On one condition.” “Name it.” “Promise we’ll look tomorrow.” “We will scour Chicago tomorrow. We won’t rest until we find the perfect place.” She smiled. “At this point, I’ll settle for slightly used. Okay. You win.” Jesse returned her smile. “I had a feeling I might.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “I promise to be gentle.” 56

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Emma pretended to pout as he led her toward the large master bedroom. “What, no sweeping me up in your arms? And here I thought ‘take you to bed’ sounded so romantic.” Jesse stopped short and pulled her against his chest. “Is that what you want?” Bending his knees, he lifted her from the floor. Her arms automatically went around his neck. He pressed his mouth to hers then smiled. “What else would you like?” “You. Holding me.” Her fingers played with the hair at his nape, tingling at each brush of contact with his skin. It wasn’t just the desire coursing through her. It was the love radiating from him. Jesse had one of the purest souls she’d ever encountered, and nobody had ever made her feel like he did. “I kept waking up last night, and then I’d panic for a second when you and Gideon weren’t there.” “I’m sorry.” He pushed the door open with his toe, then carried her into the bedroom without turning on the light. “They wouldn’t let me stay after visiting hours ended. Otherwise, I might have crawled right into the hospital bed with you.” “Don’t apologize.” The darkness wrapped around them when he kicked the door shut behind them. “Just don’t go.” “I won’t,” Jesse promised, his voice solemn. He gently lowered her to the bed, the soft mattress dipping beneath her back. Before she even had the chance to miss the heat from his body, he settled beside her, his hand resting on her stomach. Emma could feel his soft breath against her mouth, but he wasn’t quite touching her. “Before I have my way with you, 57

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how are you feeling? Really?” She couldn’t see him, but she knew this man’s body better than her own. Emma reached up unerringly to cup his cheek, stroking the slight scratch of his stubble. “My throat is still sore,” she admitted in a whisper. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t kiss you…” She tilted her head in order to graze her lips along his. “Or taste you…” The tip of her tongue traced the parted seam, stealing his breath for her own. “Or hold you all night long.” Jesse let his mouth linger on hers, his tongue dipping between her lips in a shallow, slow exploration. The kiss was more comforting than arousing, and Jesse moved his hand on her stomach in lazy circles. “My throat is a little sore, too. I didn’t think I’d mention that to Gideon.” Emma smiled, unable to contain it. “Is that from the smoke or is that from Gideon?” she teased. Jesse touched his brow to hers. “Both, actually. I don’t have the good sense you do and I didn’t really think about hurting my throat last night.” She could feel his smile. “It was worth it, though.” “It always is.” Her hand drifted to the open neck of his shirt, and she slowly undid the next button. “So I’m the boring, sensible one, huh?” “Sensible? Undoubtedly.” Jess sighed softly as her fingertips brushed over the skin she exposed. “Boring? Never in a million years.” Emma turned her face so that her mouth grazed over his 58

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cheek. “There’s only one thing wrong with your theory.” Jesse covered her hand with his, caressing her wrist with his thumb. “What’s that? My theories are almost never wrong.” “A sensible woman wouldn’t allow you to ravish her in any way you want.” His fingers wrapped around her wrist, and he stretched it above her head, pinning her hand to the pillow. “I disagree. I think allowing that is the definition of sensible.” He pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth, then moved over her jaw and down her neck. “Besides, what if I don’t want to ravish you?” Her nipples tightened as he lingered at her throat. His mouth was warm and soft, his kisses like the perfect song coming on the radio. Emma closed her eyes as she focused on all the warmth rolling through her veins, her love and satisfaction and relief melding together. Inhaling deeply, she held it for several seconds before letting it go, allowing the emotion to spill out with her warm breath. “Is that what you really want?” she murmured. “What I had in mind wouldn’t approach a ravishing.” He moved lower, and even through the material of her T-shirt, she could feel the heat from his mouth. He lipped the curve of her breast until he found the point of her nipple. Jesse closed his teeth around the tip lightly, sending a ripple of electricity from her throat to her thighs. “I was thinking something softer than that.” “Teeth are not soft.” Emma cried out when he nipped 59

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again, this time arching slightly away from the mattress. Jesse’s firm grip on her wrist kept her from rising too far. “And anything that turns my bones to jelly counts as a ravishing. That’s my theory, and I’m sticking with it.” “Ahh.” He shifted his attention to her other nipple, sucking it between his teeth. Each time he applied pressure, it was just enough to make her cry out. His other hand snuck beneath the hem of the shirt and drifted up her ribs. It was almost light enough to tickle, but not quite. When she started to squirm, he lifted his head, his smile flashing in the near darkness. “In that case, I guess I plan on ravishing you for the rest of the night.” “What about sleep?” “Sleep?” Jesse pulled her shirt up, exposing her stomach. His fingertips traced her navel, and her abdomen clenched beneath his touch. “I suppose I could let you sleep, eventually. Gideon would probably scold me if I kept you awake all night.” Emma bent her knee to slide her thigh along the outside of Jesse’s. “See, now, that’s not going to convince me you’ll do it.” It took only a slight shift of her hips to feel his erection, long and heavy against her. “You like it when you get punished. I’ve seen you do stuff wrong on purpose just to get Gideon to do it.” Jesse chuckled, the warm sound flowing through her. Her shirt moved higher on her ribs, exposing the bottom of her breasts. He skimmed his lips across her skin, then traced the curve with his tongue. “I’m probably not fooling anybody with that little trick, am I?” 60

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“No, not really.” Her voice was getting higher with every added exposed inch of skin, and she curled her trapped fingers, her nails digging into her palm. The slight hitch in Jesse’s breath said he’d felt the sting. The smart thing would have been easing off on transmitting her feelings. When she and Jesse were fully open to each other, they had a tendency to thrive on it, turning it into a feedback loop that often led to the most amazing orgasms. But she didn’t want to. She wanted Jesse to experience it all. “So, what you’re telling me is…” The shirt moved and the air felt cool across her nipples, but that was quickly replaced by Jesse’s warm breath. “I can work it so…” Each word brought his tongue to her tight skin. “I can ravish you all night and then…” His teeth scraped across the tender tip, and she arched her back, trying to force more contact. “Get punished for it in the morning? I like this plan.” Her light laughter rang through the dark room. “You know what I think you’d like better? If Gideon came home early and found us fooling around. You know how he gets sometimes when he gets left out.” “Oh, he’d probably be very annoyed, to say the least.” Jesse’s words were accompanied with sharp arousal that sliced right through her. They were followed up with a light nibble on her nipple, which sent an echoing wave of excitement back to him. His breath hitched again, and his hand drifted down to the line of her underwear. “But, on the other hand, I don’t want to be distracted from my plans for you.” 61

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Emma licked her suddenly dry lips. “Ravishing. Right. I’ll remember that.” Except it was getting harder to remember anything as his mouth continued to play along her skin, sampling a spot here, tasting a touch there. His fingers pushed just beneath the elastic of her panties, stroking along her quivering stomach, but when she tried to tilt upward, he used the heel of his hand to force her back down again. “Can we get a big house?” she asked. Talking about the mundane made it easier to obey, though the notion of building a new life together was more exciting than she would ever admit. “Lots of rooms.” Jesse moved further down her body to drag his tongue across her stomach, just above the edge of her panties. “Of course. You know I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you have what you want.” His fingers hooked over the elastic, and he pulled the soft material down her thighs. Her breath came in shorter gasps with each inch of her skin he exposed. “And we’ll work together to soften up Gideon.” Emma whimpered when he skimmed his lips along her hipbone. With her arm now free, she reached down to caress the top of his head, the waves of his dark hair soft against her fingers. “I’ll distract him when you go book shopping. You distract him when I go picking out decorations.” Jesse sighed, a light note of sadness filtering through him. “My books. I’m going to miss them.” He settled on the mattress between her legs and licked the seam of her thigh. 62

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“Who is going to distract him when we pick out the biggest house we can find?” “Silly man,” she teased. The words caught and rolled when his tongue skimmed her outer lips, the slightest of touches punctuated by his soft, warm breath. “We go during the day. This is one time his being stuck inside will work to our advantage.” She felt more than heard Jesse’s laughter. “We still need to get the money from him.” His finger slid down her slit, then back up, his nail brushing against her clit. “How do we get blood from a stone?” The answer seemed simple. “He wants us to be happy. Gideon would do anything for us.” Emma ran her foot down Jesse’s back, feeling the play of muscles beneath her toes. “But we could always try glutting him on pleasure first so he’s not thinking straight. That’ll work, too.” “Glutting him on pleasure? I can do that.” Jesse gently pulled her lips apart, exposing her swollen clit. She held her breath, waiting for the delicate touch of his tongue. She didn’t have to wait for long. He licked her lightly, and they moaned in unison. “I’ll practice on you.” Heat rippled through her body, making the skin on the back of her legs prickle. Though she wasn’t sure if the fire originated from her or Jesse, Emma tangled her fingers in his hair anyway, unable to resist pulling slightly. In the end, it didn’t matter. Her desire was Jesse’s. His, hers. That was the way it had always been, even before they knew better. “Will you ride him until he can’t come anymore?” she 63

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asked. Jesse’s groan was a soft vibration against her clit, and the torrent of lust flowing through her was all the answer she needed. Her pussy clenched, and his thumb traced her opening, gathering the juices there. “You’ll have to show me just how to do that,” he said, without moving his mouth from her flesh. “Maybe the first time,” she conceded. She began rocking in tandem with his thumb, slow undulations of muscles both heavy and light. Leaving the hospital, she hadn’t felt anything remotely sexy, but under Jesse’s devoted tongue, it was impossible to feel anything but. “But for the second, I’ll ride both of you. Gideon goes nuts when he feels your balls hitting his when you’re in my ass.” “He’s not the only one,” Jesse murmured before pulling her clit between his lips. He held the throbbing flesh there, flicking his tongue over it again and again. His other hand went to her hip, holding her with firm fingers. His hand flexed with each movement of his tongue, and his breathing turned rough. She was so caught up in the rhythm of his tongue, she didn’t realize his intentions until a tooth sank into her clit. Emma cried out, sharp and a little shrill, as the pain burning into pleasure wracked her body. Jesse’s grip tightened, hard enough for her to know there would be bruises later, but she was too wrapped up in wanting more to care. “No fair.” She was panting. It echoed into the darkness. “You know what that does to me.” Jesse released her and soothed the flesh with his tongue. “I 64

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do. That’s why I did it. What about this? What does it do?” He slid two fingers into her pussy, palm up. With a bend of his knuckles, he began massaging the spongy bundle of nerves. She squeezed her eyes shut. It did nothing to stop the explosion of color behind her eyes. If anything, it heightened it, gave a black backdrop for the sensations to dance against, vibrant and exhilarating. “It makes me wish it wasn’t your fingers.” Emma bucked when he scratched his nail over the same spot. “Please, Jesse…” “God…” His teeth closed over her clit again, and she bucked against his face, certain that if he bit just hard enough, she would explode right then. But he didn’t. He held her until just before her release, then relaxed his jaw. His fingers disappeared as well, and she thought her single plea would be enough to get what she wanted—needed—from him. But instead of stretching over her body, he slid his mouth down her lips to her entrance. With a soft moan, he buried his tongue in her channel. She writhed against the sheets, aching everywhere he stroked along her inner walls. He wasn’t going for penetration; Jesse’s intent seemed purely on sensory overload. When she tried to wrap her legs around his shoulders and force him to fuck her, he grasped her inner thighs and pushed them back, splaying her flat against the bed, as wide and open as she could possibly get. “What do you want?” she begged. “Anything. I’ll do anything. Please…oh, God…just name it.” 65

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Jesse lifted his head, replacing his tongue with his fingers, pumping his wrist slowly. “Tell me you love me.” Her heart pounded in her ears. “I love you. Always.” Jesse took her wrist and guided her fingers to her clit. He pressed her fingertips down on the throbbing flesh and held her there. “Touch yourself while I get undressed.” The muted darkness ate up his outline, leaving Emma alone on the bed with only her hand and the emotions rushing through the both of them. She circled her clit slowly, soothing her raw nerve-endings into something more tolerable while she waited for him to return. She refused to come yet. Her body ached for Jesse to fill it. He understood that kind of need. He was the last person who would ever deny it to her. As soon as Jesse undressed, she reached for him with her free hand. He allowed Emma to pull him down to her body, their mouths meeting as he moved between her thighs. She hooked her legs around him, and Jess dragged the blunt tip of his cock down her swollen lips, smearing the pre-come over her hot skin. Now that they were locked together, sharing breath, all of the desire and passion and love came together and formed something new and heavy between them. “Oh, Emma…” He pushed his hips forward, sheathing his length in her waiting body. The first few seconds of stretching, taking him in until there was nowhere else to go, until it was impossible to tell where Jesse ended and she began, always left Emma breathless. With her lungs still not up to full capacity, it was 66

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foolish of her to push her body so relentlessly, even with as gentle as he was being, but she couldn’t deny the need to fuse their mouths together again. The long, searching, sweeping kisses did more than stoke the lust between them. It forged new bonds and fortified the old. Emma rocked with his slow, deep strokes, clinging to his shoulders with both arms. Her skin was already growing dewy with sweat, and she rubbed her aching breasts over his chest, absorbing the heated friction into her flesh. Jesse’s mouth moved over her slick face and neck. He sighed her name and told her again and again that he loved her. The words were unnecessary, muted by the overwhelming warmth flooding her senses. Jess pushed his hand between them and cupped her breast, kneading her soft flesh gently, his palm rough against her hard nipple. Perhaps if he hadn’t brought her to the brink more than once already, she would have lasted longer. Or perhaps if some of her walls were up, it wouldn’t have been as overwhelming. But Jesse had, and she was bare to him, and there was no way to deny the electricity slithering through her veins to collect in the pit of her stomach. Emma came with a cry, burying her face in his neck as the waves washed through her. Her pussy clamped down around his cock, but that didn’t stop Jesse from his deliberate strokes. He took it all—the force of her orgasm, the ripples of her inner muscles—and turned it back around, compelling Emma to experience it a second time as her first was beginning to fade. “Jesse…love you…” Though she could barely make out 67

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the words for her own ears. “Love you…too…” Her orgasm wasn’t enough to trigger his, but with all her walls down, she could feel his pleasure build. His steady rhythm never faltered, and each time he thrust into her, the flames in his body fanned higher. She clung to him, knowing that when he finally broke, it would all rush through her, racing through her veins. “God. Emma.” He choked on her name, and then his cock jerked against her clenched walls. Oblivion pressed around them, pressed into them, weighed her down until she felt like she was floating. Emma slowly struggled through it, her muscles slack from exhaustion, to slide her mouth along his roughened jaw and seal her lips to his. They stayed like that for long seconds, a minute, two. Kissing and clinging in ways that had been denied them the night before. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Jesse would always do anything for her, but in those moments, she had never been more grateful for having him in her life. And in her heart.

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CHAPTER 5 Emma slept deeply, her face lax and peaceful. Jesse was content to watch her chest rise and fall in the low light, knowing that sleep wasn’t a possibility for him. Gideon hadn’t called. Jesse wouldn’t rest until Gideon returned, but he wouldn’t even be able to relax until his phone rang. Emma thought the situation was simple. Somebody did something bad to them. Gideon was going to find the guy and…what? It was the part that came after the and that bothered Jesse. Because the guy he was looking for wasn’t a demon. And he wasn’t some thug or minion, either. Jack del Toro had a federal case against him. A known fire-bug with multiple warrants out for his arrest, he attracted a lot of 69

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attention. He also had a specific MO, one the investigators recognized almost immediately. If the man was still in Chicago, Gideon would find him. He had one advantage over every single cop in the city. He was a predator. And he was furious. If Gideon found Jack del Toro, Jesse wasn’t convinced he would calmly phone the police, turn him over to Derek, and let justice take its course. Jesse was frightened of what Gideon would do, because he didn’t have any doubts about what he would do himself in Gideon’s place. The insistent buzzing of his cell phone pulled Jesse from his thoughts. He carefully moved away from Emma, and she rolled onto her stomach and settled back into sleep. He scooped the phone from his pocket and let himself out of the bedroom. The screen displayed Gideon’s name. “Where are you?” Jesse greeted. “Just north of Midway.” As if to confirm his location, the low roar of an airplane filled the background. “I tracked del Toro to a residential neighborhood here, but he’s inside and I can’t get to him without putting him on the alert.” “Where is Derek?” “No fucking clue. I called his cell, but it’s switching straight over to voicemail.” Jesse wasn’t surprised. Unless they arranged something with Derek in advance, he was usually far too busy to drop everything and help them. Jesse pulled his pants on. “Is he the only one in the house?” “No, he’s banging a screamer. But I’m pretty sure they’re 70

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the only two.” “Where are you exactly?” Jesse scrawled the address Gideon rattled off. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Are you going to keep trying Derek?” “Do I have a choice? I’m half tempted just to set fire to the place. See how the bastard likes it.” Jesse could tell by Gideon’s voice that he wasn’t joking, and he wasn’t just half tempted. “I know you are. But we need to turn him over to Derek, if only because they need to confirm he’s guilty of the other arsons he’s implicated in.” “I don’t care about the other arsons.” The words came out as a hiss, his anger no longer checked. “His scent was all over the building. And you know what’s in his car? Souvenirs. That picture of you and Emma from the Japanese gardens, for starters.” Jesse’s chest tightened and he bit back the automatic you should care. The souvenirs were disturbing, though far from the most disturbing aspect of the situation. But there were people who had lost their homes, their pets, their loved ones, their lives, because of this maniac. If nothing else, Jesse thought he could make sure they didn’t lose the chance to see justice done. Besides, Derek had given them del Toro’s name in good faith. “I’m going to be there in fifteen minutes. Please, Gideon, I’m asking you to not do this.” He could imagine Gideon running his hand over his head in frustration. After a few seconds, he heard the vampire growl softly. 71

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“Be quick. And be armed. I want this done.” “Right. I’ll be there.” Jesse ended the call and shrugged on a clean shirt. He wrote a quick note, promising Emma that they would both return by dawn. Then he opened the scavenged fire safe, finding his favorite gun still stored in a box on the top shelf. He slipped the gun in his waistband and grabbed a handful of bullets before ducking out of the room. Jesse drove as quickly as he dared, but traffic was extremely light, and he found himself on the other side of Midway with a few minutes to spare. Unfortunately, he lost that time once he reached the neighborhood, confused by the sprawling streets and random dead-ends. Gideon was pacing on the corner of the block by the time Jesse found the right street, looking threatening and conspicuous. “It’s a two-story house,” he said when Jesse pulled up to the curb. “He’s on the second floor, north corner. There’s sliding doors to the kitchen in the back.” Jesse jumped out of the car and loaded the clip, but he didn’t take the safety off. “When Derek finally shows up, we’ll tell him we lured del Toro out with candy or something. I don’t need breaking and entering on my rap sheet.” “We’ll call it a citizen’s arrest.” He whirled silently on his heel and headed down the walk. “He’ll be lucky I don’t charge him for this.” The neighborhood was dark and silent, the fences enclosing the houses offering a false sense of normalcy. Though he moved as silently as he could, Jesse’s steps were thunderous compared to Gideon’s, and he was glad when they 72

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finally abandoned the concrete for soft grass. “One of them’s asleep.” Gideon’s low voice drifted back to him as he guided Jesse around the side of the house. The back yard was partially paved out, with a picnic table at the far end next to a barbecue. Moonlight gave more illumination than the streetlights, and the spotty lawn looked black and silver under the velvety sky. “I can’t tell you which one.” He pointed upward to a small window in the corner. “But that’s where both of them are.” Gideon gripped the door handle and gave it a good tug, easily breaking the weak lock. “Hopefully, it’s the screamer. And if I do this right, she’ll stay asleep.” Jesse slipped into the dark house, his gun held at the ready. He paused there, listening for any sounds from above his head, but everything was silent. Jesse spared a final glance at Gideon, then moved quietly from the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs. He knew how to move without detection. Gideon had taught him that much, and now he made his way up the stairs without so much as a squeak in the floorboards. He kept his heartbeat steady and his breathing low and even. The bedroom door was open. Jesse could see two forms on the bed, and he paused in the hallway, pressing his back against the wall. Neither of the parties on the bed moved. Jess waited for several beats before ducking into the bedroom and slinking to the foot of the bed. He froze when he heard a woman sigh. The sound came from the side of the bed closest to the door, which meant del 73

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Toro was next to the window. That would make it harder to get him out without waking her. Jesse took a step closer. “Put the fucking gun down.” The voice was low and menacing, deeper than Gideon’s and sandpaper-rough from years of smoking. Jesse’s gaze scanned the bed, but he couldn’t tell in the darkness where exactly the man’s hands were. “Um, no. I don’t think I’m going to be that stupid right now.” The woman next to him didn’t move, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t awake. “I trust you know why I’m here.” “To knit me a doily?” The bedsprings squeaked. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, asshole, but if you don’t put the gun down right now, I will blow a hole the size of Montana through your fucking chest.” “And if I put the gun down, you’ll blow a hole the size of Montana through my fucking chest, anyway. I’ll keep the gun. I don’t know how to knit, but I am looking for a few of my belongings. Including a picture of myself and my girl, Emma. I think you know the one I mean.” There was a second of silence. The air conditioning clicked off, making it even more quiet. “You’re the other one.” He sounded almost amused. Jesse kept the gun fixed on his shadow, following it as he rose from the bed. Now, there was no mistaking the revolver del Toro held. Moonlight glinted off the muzzle. “I didn’t know you were English. All my intel was on the girl and the vampire. Sweet piece of ass there, by the way. Pretty smile. I’ll bet she 74

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sucks like a pro.” Jesse tightened his grip on his gun. He couldn’t let del Toro get to him, no matter what he said. The woman on the bed shifted, but at the same time, a crash boomed from the back yard. Del Toro’s head jerked to the side, and though it was only for a moment, a moment was all Jesse needed. It would have been easier to take the open shot, but his own words to Gideon came back to him, and he sprang across the room. Del Toro had just enough time to brace for the impact, his finger hovering over the trigger. Jesse didn’t pause. He didn’t even have to think. He slammed his fist into del Toro’s face with all his strength, and was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of bone beneath his knuckles. But del Toro had a death grip on his gun, and even fresh blood gushing from his face couldn’t force him to let it go. Jesse gripped his wrist and forced the muzzle away from him, pointing it toward the wall. The girl on the bed screamed and dove to the ground. Jesse ignored her, but del Toro didn’t, and was rewarded with a punch to the temple. Del Toro’s gun went off, putting a hole in the wall, and Jesse managed to get his own weapon under del Toro’s chin. “Drop it. Now.” The man’s lip curled back into a sneer. “Too bad you weren’t home for the bonfire—” “Jack!” The woman’s panicked voice cut him off. “Just do what he says!” He growled in frustration, but his hand opened and the gun 75

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fell to the carpet. “Oh, but I was home.” Jesse took del Toro’s wrist and yanked it high behind his back. The other man’s knees bent and he almost fell to the floor, but Jesse tightened his grip and kept him on his feet. “And guess who is waiting for you downstairs?” Though del Toro didn’t make it easy for him, dragging his feet even when they hit the stairs, Jesse kept a firm grip on him until they reached the open kitchen door. Gideon stood on the other side, looking dark, ominous, and twice his usual size outlined in the moonlight, and for the first time, del Toro began to put up a real fight. “No way! Not the vampire! He’s fucking ash!” Jesse pulled del Toro’s arm higher, nearly dislocating his shoulder. But it took a little of the fight out of him. “No, but he is fucking furious.” Jesse put his mouth closer to the other man’s ear. “And hungry.” Gideon vamped out and smiled. His fangs gleamed wetly. “Hello, Jack.” Overhead, the sound of the woman rushing around thudded through the kitchen. “You know Kyra’s calling the cops, right?” del Toro babbled. Gideon shook his head. “No, she’s not. Because the cops want you almost as much as I do. You really picked the wrong vampire to piss off.” “What he’s trying to tell you is that the cops know we’re here.” At that, del Toro tried to dig his heels into the floor, but 76

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Jesse forced him forward. He stopped just before the door, nothing between Jack and Gideon except the invisible barrier. “Why don’t you tell Kyra to come down here and sit, and I won’t drag her out to Gideon next?” “She didn’t have anything to do with this,” he ground out. Gideon rested his hand on the invisible barrier and leaned forward, bending down slightly to meet del Toro’s beady eyes. “But you did, didn’t you, Jack?” He’d dropped his voice, his tone almost seductive. “You broke into my house and…what? Drugged everything in the fridge? We know about the batteries in the alarms. You must have been really jonesing for a good fire.” “She looks like a sweet piece of ass, Jack. Though in this case, she won’t be doing the sucking. Now, tell her to come in here and sit down, or she’s going to be Gideon’s dessert.” Jesse pushed him forward another inch, smiling as del Toro strained back, trying to stay away from the threshold. “And Gideon likes to linger over his dessert.” His breath exhaled loudly through his teeth, but del Toro stiffened just as he called out, “Kyra! Get down here!” “No weapons,” Gideon ordered. “Leave the other gun!” “Good.” Jack tensed, clearly expecting to be shoved into Gideon’s waiting arms. But Jesse kept a hold of him. He may have been scaring del Toro into submission, but he was baiting an angry vampire, and he didn’t think it would be wise to tempt Gideon much further. 77

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He listened for Kyra to descend the stairs and waited until he heard the woman behind him before saying, “Good girl. Now sit down, and you’ll make it to the morning.” He looked to Gideon. “Did you get a hold of Derek?” Though he didn’t tear his golden eyes from Jack, Gideon nodded. “Right after I threw the barbecue into the fence. Glad my little distraction worked for you.” “It worked very well. Thanks.” Jesse nudged Jack. “Did you hear that? You might get to make it through the night, too. Here’s the deal. We’re going to wait right here for Officer O’Dell. The second you try to get away from me, I’m pushing you out the door. Got it?” “Me, I’m hoping you get antsy,” Gideon offered with a fang-filled grin. Jack pressed harder back into Jesse. “I’ll take my chances with the cops.” Gideon pretended to sigh, leaning more heavily against the invisible barrier. If he hadn’t seen the vampire do this same maneuver before, Jesse would have been just as disarmed by the effect as Jack was. “Derek always takes the fun out of catching the bad guy,” Gideon complained. “Are you sure I can’t eat him?” “I am sure you can’t eat him. Either of them. I did make a promise, after all.” Gideon almost sulked. Any other time, Jesse would have laughed, but he didn’t want Jack to be lulled into a false sense of security. Fortunately, they only had a handful of minutes to wait before the sound of sirens reached them. Moments after 78

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that, Derek was behind Gideon, his gun pulled. Jesse smiled a greeting. “I think I found your man.” “I’ll take it from here.” As Derek slapped the cuffs on Jack del Toro’s wrist and began reading his rights, Jesse backed out of the kitchen and tucked his gun out of sight. “Let’s get back to the hotel before the sun comes up. Come on. I’ll drive.”

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CHAPTER 6 Gideon knew something was up when Jesse wouldn’t tell him how much the house they were going to look at cost. “All I want to know is how much the asking price is.” “You’ll love it,” Emma answered instead, twisting around to smile at him from the front of Jesse’s Jeep. “Trust us. This is going to be perfect.” “That means expensive.” “Well, Gideon, most decent places are,” Jesse said. “How long has it been since you bought a place to live? Bought. Not acquired, one way or the other.” “That doesn’t mean I don’t know what the current real estate market is like.” 80

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He watched through the window as Jesse turned the corner, away from the residential area they had just been cruising through. This was an old part of Chicago, narrower streets, older buildings. He liked that about it. He couldn’t imagine living in the middle of a bunch of families, or what it would be like conducting business with a tricycle in the yard next door, though. “How long has it been on the market?” he tried asking. “Six years.” The number snapped his attention forward again, but Emma wasn’t looking back at him anymore. “Six years? What’s wrong with it?” “It’s not exactly a family home,” Jesse volunteered. “It started as a mansion in the late nineteenth century, then was converted into a boarding school during the Prohibition, with some extra rooms built on. Over the next five decades, more bits and pieces were added on to accommodate the school, until it was finally shut down in the late seventies. Since then, nobody’s wanted to keep a hold of it. It’s a big, beautiful, sprawling monstrosity.” “Monstrosity.” He couldn’t stop repeating what they were telling him. “Big. That means money.” “It really is worth it,” Emma pleaded. “There’s tons of rooms, and this huge kitchen, and the library looks like the one in My Fair Lady—” “The two-story one?” All of a sudden, it was making a lot more sense. “A library that big will require books.” Gideon looked at Jesse. “Books you don’t have anymore.” 81

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“Yes, thank you for reminding me. I completely forgot that I’ve lost a library that took me over twenty years to accumulate. Emma’s right though. There’s enough room to set up a decent office, a playroom, there’s a lovely yard. Well, it will be a lovely yard.” “Will be?” “I don’t think anybody’s actually landscaped the abandoned building recently. It’ll take a bit of work, but…” “But it’ll be fun,” Emma cut in. “And we can put in a moon garden.” He did like the idea of having room to move around in. Someplace quiet to go at night when work was slow without being cooped up inside. But all that space led to one more question. “Is it going to be hard to secure?” Gideon directed the query to Jesse. Safety had been the primary concern for both of them since the fire; he was fairly certain Emma still didn’t know the details of just how badly they’d been sabotaged. “If we put in external alarms, is that going to double the price?” “It won’t be that bad. I’ve made a few calls and we can get a pretty sophisticated system installed for a decent price. Even by your standards.” Sitting back in the seat, Gideon fell silent. It was pointless thinking about the costs of everything before he’d even seen the property, except he could tell that Jesse and Emma already had their hearts set on this one. It was only the third they’d taken him to see in the week since Emma had been released from the hospital, and they hadn’t exhibited half this much 82

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enthusiasm for the first two. His eyes widened when Jesse pulled into a tree-lined driveway. “Fuck…” Gideon muttered. It was like stepping back in time. He’d lived in the heart of Chicago for so long that he’d forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by space. The drive cut through the lush greenery like an artery, and though the grass was in severe need of attention, the bushes and flowers gone wild, he saw the beauty his lovers did. The house loomed out of the darkness all of a sudden, and Gideon had to crane his neck to see where it ended. Monstrosity was right. There was nothing symmetrical about it at all. The front looked like the mansion it had once been, but there were wings added to give it the appearance of a broken body with its limbs splayed in all the wrong directions. Gideon glanced at Jesse and Emma. He’d keep that comparison to himself. A compact car was parked at the end of the driveway and Jess smiled. “Oh good, Samantha’s already here.” He pulled to a stop and looked over his shoulder to meet Gideon’s eyes. “She made special arrangements to be here so late. Try not to scare her, yeah?” “She doesn’t know I’m a vamp, right?” “Right. She just thinks you work very long hours,” Emma said. “And that we’re all business associates,” Jesse added. “It was easier that way.” They all exited the Jeep, and Jesse touched Gideon’s arm 83

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before he started up the front steps. “I understand your concerns. I wouldn’t have brought you out here if Emma and I didn’t both agree that you’d love it.” Gideon nodded. There wasn’t time to elaborate before a smiling Samantha was approaching with her hand outstretched and a beauty queen smile plastered on her face. *

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Though he heard Jesse and Emma say good night to Samantha behind him, Gideon was too absorbed in gazing up at the house to bother with niceties. Somehow, in some bizarre way, it was even bigger on the inside than it was on the out. Room after room after room, all empty, all waiting to be filled. Some of them even had the original wallpaper from decades earlier, and half the time when they’d been navigating one of the many halls, Gideon had felt like he’d fallen into another alternate dimension, much like the one Michelle had sent them to, to help Jesse the previous spring. The kitchen was larger than the old playroom had been, and the attached formal dining room could probably seat fifty people if they had a table big enough. There were enough bedrooms that Emma had started talking about the possibility of offering shelter to some of the people they helped, while Jesse had lingered understandably longer in the cavernous library, getting hard at the possibility of buying enough books to fill its numerous shelves. It wasn’t perfect. Some of the electricals needed updating, which made one wing almost hazardous to even consider 84

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entering until it was done, and all of the bathrooms would need to be modernized. Then there was the landscaping bill, the security system they would have to purchase, not to mention the through-the-roof utility bills they would have after they moved in. He would have to start being more diligent about demanding payment for jobs. He wasn’t sure how much he liked that. Warm arms slipped around his waist. “Stop thinking about money.” Emma rested her cheek against his back, transmitting every good feeling she had about the house. “Think about what it will look like once we move in.” Gideon sighed. “Yeah. Empty. Because we’re going to be broke from buying and fixing it up.” Jesse laughed and sat on the low, concrete bench near Gideon’s knee. “I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. But if you’re worried about it, I could always get a real job.” “And leave me to deal with clients like Mrs. Heston? I don’t think so.” Absently, he stroked the back of Emma’s hand, tilting his head as he regarded the bushes nearly obstructing the first floor windows. “I’ve never had such a big place before. Who’s going to do all the cleaning?” “There’s three of us,” Emma said. “We’ll manage somehow.” Jesse grinned. “We can get Emma a cute little French maid outfit. It’ll be fun. And you know, I think that gymnasium will make an excellent training room.” Gideon shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m even 85

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considering this.” “Would it help if Emma and I went to our Plan B of glutting you with pleasure? We have the whole thing choreographed already.” “Down to the minute,” Emma agreed. “We’ve really put a lot of thought into this.” “Maybe that’s a sign you haven’t looked hard enough then,” Gideon teased. “You’re spending all your time thinking about sex.” Emma snorted, her breath warm across his back. “This is Jesse we’re talking about. He’s always thinking about sex. And he still manages to get six other things done at the same time.” “It’s true. I’m good at multi-tasking.” Jesse leaned back on his hands. “And as for looking hard enough, do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a home that will function as an office and a living space, with enough room for a library, a playroom, a training room, and a studio?” “Since when did we get so greedy?” He realized what he’d said as soon as the question slipped out of his mouth. “Damn, I am all about the obvious tonight, aren’t I?” Emma came around to his front, though she kept her arms around his waist. “But you love it, right? We weren’t wrong about that.” With her head tilted up to look at him, Gideon could see every classical line of her beautiful face. She was letting her dark blond hair grow out again, and it hung in thick waves next to her flawless skin. But it was the depth of her dark eyes 86

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that always hit him in the gut. She and Jesse had the truest souls of any humans he had met in a very long time. “Now how am I supposed to say no to this face?” he said softly, pushing the hair off her cheek. “You can’t,” Jesse said. “I’ve tried. It never works. That’s why she was Plan A. But that’s not quite a yes, yet.” He looked over her head, first at the house, then to Jess. “How about a qualified yes until I get to see Plan B?” “Fair enough. Clearly I’m not the only one with sex on the brain.” Jesse pointed toward a small copse of trees standing near what looked to be some sort of guesthouse. “I wonder if that’s the chapel Samantha mentioned?” Gideon didn’t have to wonder. He saw the small stained glass window set in the side of the building. He’d rather hoped Jesse wouldn’t notice. “We don’t have to go look at it if you don’t want to.” Emma gazed up at him with understanding. He wasn’t as careful these days in guarding his emotions around her, and with the physical contact, she’d picked up on his mild anxiety. “It’s late anyway.” “No, let’s get this done.” Gently disengaging, Gideon squeezed Emma’s hand before releasing her, though Jesse was quick to step up and take her hand instead. Together, they left the front path to cut across the grass toward the chapel. Samantha had explained that the chapel had been one of the first additions to the school. The young women who boarded at the school were not allowed to leave, even for 87

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Sunday services. The chapel had been built out of necessity, and the young girls were compelled to attend services at least three times a week. Gideon wasn’t surprised that the boarding school had been based on a fanatical religious devotion. The building itself wasn’t large. There were two columns of nine pews, for a total of eighteen, facing the altar. A large cross hung at the front of the church, and it made Gideon’s spine itch. The stained glass windows on the top allowed muted moonlight to fall across the floor in red and gold shapes. “We can convert this into something else,” Jesse said from behind him. “We don’t need to have a chapel on the premises.” Or we could knock it down. “There’s already a gardening shack,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “I don’t know what else we could use it for.” “We don’t have to use it for anything,” Emma volunteered. “It’s not like there isn’t enough room inside.” “I like it.” Jesse released Emma’s hand and wandered deeper into the dark building. “It’s an interesting place. Plus, it would be a shame to lose those windows. They’re beautiful.” Gideon only shot them a cursory glance. Their time in the alternate dimension, helping Jesse come to grips with his fears, might have given Gideon an opportunity to deal with his own past, but it didn’t mean he wanted it shoved in his face every time he looked out the window. “The cross has to go. It’s too dangerous.” Emma brushed past him to go up to the small altar. “What 88

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if we left it? You two could store weapons in here and not have to worry about vampires trying to steal them.” “If vampires are getting this far past the fence, we’ve got larger problems,” Jesse pointed out. He circled back around to Gideon’s side. “I’ll take care of the cross and make sure the building is safe.” “Thanks.” If they were going to keep it—which it looked like was happening, at this point—it needed to be safe, if nothing else. “Emma might have a point about using this for storage, though. If we ever have an outside attack, this might be the last place they’d look.” Jesse’s fingers brushed against his. “Are you okay? You seem a bit anxious, and I don’t just mean about the cross.” “No, I’m fine.” The look in Jesse’s eye said he didn’t believe it for a minute, and Gideon shrugged, pulling away as he strode to the side of the pews. “It’s just a lot of change, very quickly. The fire. The house. This. You know me. I like my status to stay quo.” “We won’t be moving in right away,” Emma offered. “It’s going to take time for the sale to go through.” “I know.” “Maybe we should have a housewarming party when it’s all done.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma look to Jesse for validation. “Invite all our friends to celebrate with us.” “Um…” Jesse looked from Gideon to Emma and back again. “I think something like that could be fun. At the very least, we can invite the people who need to know where we 89

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live. It looks a bit like we’re hiding from the world, otherwise.” Gideon cocked a brow. “You’re the one who found Dark Shadows here. Nobody’s laying that one on me.” Jesse put up his hands. “I’ll take full responsibility for finding it. I was just trying to cast the big party as something other than a big party.” “Big party,” Gideon grumbled. A thought occurred to him, and he shot a wicked smile back at Jess. “Can we invite Michelle and be physically inappropriate in front of her? It might be fun then.” Jesse snorted. “Sure. We can be physically inappropriate in front of anybody you want. It’s your house, after all.” “Our house,” he corrected. He grabbed Emma’s wrist and led her to the doorway, taking Jesse’s as well when they passed him. “As soon as you two show me Plan B.”

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CHAPTER 7 Jesse stepped into Michelle’s bookstore and took a deep, satisfying breath. The smell of worn leather and old paper made him shiver with delight, like a junky who had been denied his fix for too long. He had avoided visiting Michelle for the same reason he took such pleasure in it now—the books. When they had first taken a tour of the new house, Emma had been charmed by the massive library, clapping her hands together with glee, and then dragging him into the middle of the room to better admire it. Jesse had been less gleeful at the sight of the empty shelves, and Gideon’s later comment about the cost of replacing the books had just been salt on an open wound. 91

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“Hello, stranger.” Michelle emerged from the shadows behind the counter, carrying a stack of books. Her face was smudged with dirt, and she looked the same as she always had. Jesse, accustomed to living with a vampire, barely noticed that stasis, the skin that never seemed to age, or to change, until Michelle had confided her true nature to him. She called herself a Guardian, though Jesse could do no more than take her word for it. There were no secondary sources to confirm or deny her story. Well, he had more than her word. She did open the very fabric of reality to allow him to pass into another dimension. And she had met Gideon a little over a hundred years earlier. “Hey. Need help with those?” “No. I thought you would have come to visit me sooner. How much did you lose?” Jesse approached the counter. “Pretty much everything. I kept the extremely rare texts in the fire safe.” “What about the books you borrowed from me? Are they gone forever?” She set her stack on the counter and looked at him with expectant eyes. “Yes. Most of them. But a few were in the safe.” Michelle shook her head. “I never should have let you take those. I’m not a lending library.” “Believe me. I’m sorry. But I’ll understand if you don’t want to lend me any more volumes.” Michelle studied him for a moment. “Everybody okay?” Jesse knew that by everybody, she meant himself and Emma. “I had some minor smoke inhalation. Emma had to 92

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spend the night in the hospital, but she’s fine now.” “I heard it was arson.” “It was. We found the guy who did it. The police have him in custody now. He’s a known fire bug.” “It wasn’t a random hit, was it?” Jesse took a deep breath. “We’re not sure. It might have been. Or he might have been working for somebody. But if he was working for anybody, he hasn’t spilled the name. We’ve got a security system installed in the new house. Including magic detectors.” “You’ve already found a new place?” Jesse leaned on the counter. “Yes. You know that old school near the lake? The one that started as a mansion?” Michelle nodded slowly. “That one.” “You’re serious?” “Yes. Emma and I felt it was the best place for all our needs.” He smiled. “And we fell a little in love with it.” “Do you really think that place is a good idea? The upkeep alone will probably take most of your time. It looks like a money pit to me.” “Gideon hates it,” Jesse volunteered. “Gideon might have a bit more sense than I thought. Have you already moved in?” “Yes.” Jesse pulled a small envelope out of his shirt pocket and slid it across the counter. “What’s that?” “Open it.” 93

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Michelle sliced through the paper and extracted the card. She read it, then offered him a confused smile. “You’re having a housewarming party?” “Emma thought it would be fun.” “Gideon doesn’t strike me as somebody who would enjoy a party.” “He’s not. I think he’d be happier if we just quietly moved in and didn’t bother with a party.” “Then I’ll be there.” “And if he was really looking forward to the party?” “I would have had plans.” Jesse chuckled and absently ran his fingers over the spines of the books. He recognized most of the titles. They were books he had lost. “I suspected as much.” “How are you, Jess?” He looked up. “I already told you. Everybody’s fine.” “I wasn’t referring to the fire.” “Yeah.” He shrugged. “I feel better, but we didn’t exactly turn back the clock and make it so New York never happened, you know?” Michelle leaned closer, like she needed to study his face up close in order to ascertain the truth of his statement. “No more flashbacks?” “Not when I’m awake. I’ve had a few bad dreams, but…” He always woke up between Gideon and Emma, and their combined warmth and strength was enough to chase the lingering images away. Marcus Brooker’s face was even fading in his memory. It was getting easier to study his naked 94

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body in the mirror and accept the scars that still covered his stomach and torso. “I never expected to be fully healed.” “I hoped you would be.” “We all hoped that, didn’t we? But I’m living my life again. I don’t feel like some sort of observer in my own world. Like I belong somewhere else.” “If you ever do feel that way, I want you to talk to me. I know you.” “What do you know about me?” “That you’ll keep upsetting information from Emma. And Gideon. Even if it’s information you should share.” “No, I won’t do that anymore,” Jesse promised. “I’ve learned my lesson.” Michelle snorted. “Yeah, I can see how well you’ve learned your lesson. You’ve almost been killed a dozen times because of Gideon Keel, but you keep going back for more.” “The fire wasn’t Gideon’s fault.” “He was probably the target.” “We don’t know that anybody was the target.” “And what about what happened to you in New York?” “That wasn’t Gideon’s fault,” Jesse said sharply. “That was Marcus Brooker’s fault. He was the psycho who tied me to the ceiling. He was the one who fed on my pain. If you care about me, you won’t shift the responsibility from his shoulders.” “I do care about you, Jesse. Probably more than you know. That’s why I’m scared for you. And Emma. Gideon is and always will be a vampire. No matter what else he does, he’s a 95

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vampire.” “I have my own enemies at this point.” “I’m not necessarily worried about that.” “Gideon would never hurt either of us. One of these days, when we have this discussion, you’ll actually believe me.” “Doubtful.” “Can I count you on the guest list?” “I’ll be there.” “I’ve got to run. But I’ll come by again before the party.” “Hey. Wait. Did you drive?” “Yeah. I don’t live within walking distance anymore.” Michelle pushed the stack of books closer to Jesse. “Take these.” Jesse blinked. “Why?” “Because I’m giving them to you.” “How did you know I needed these books?” “Because these were the only ones you’ve never asked me for. They also aren’t rare enough to keep in a fire-proof safe.” Jesse beamed and scooped them up. “Thank you. This is really…thank you.” “You’re welcome. Send Emma to see me. I might have a few things for her, too.” “I’ll do that.” “Should I bring anything to the party?” “Just yourself. Have a good afternoon.” Jesse was still beaming when he locked the books in his Jeep. It wasn’t his full collection, but it was a damned good start. And only Michelle would know exactly which books he 96

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would need to rebuild his library. There was one more invitation he wanted to hand deliver. He pulled to a stop outside of Black John’s house. He suspected that if he merely mailed the envelope, neither Michelle nor John would show up. They weren’t Gideon’s biggest fans. To see the two-story building from the outside, you never could have guessed that it housed the city’s most powerful mage. But for as long as Jesse had known him, Black John had always worked from his home. It gave him more power, deep, elemental magic that came from years and years of maintaining its threshold. Not that John needed it. He was the strongest practitioner of dark magic that Jesse had ever met, and he had only grown stronger in the past year. The previous summer, someone had been robbing graves in order to siphon power from the earth itself. John had hired Gideon and Jesse to stop him, though he’d failed to admit that each time the graverobber succeeded, a little bit more of John’s magic—and life—was sucked away. Eventually, with Emma’s help, they’d managed to reverse the process, and ever since, John had been at peak condition. Jesse had never even heard of some of the spells he’d witnessed John do in the past year. He never told Gideon. Gideon already thought Black John was dangerous. To tell him that he was even more powerful than ever would have turned into something ugly. On the doorstep, Jesse lifted his hand, but before he could knock, the door was flung open. 97

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“In, in, come in.” John waved him to enter, already retreating back into the hall. “And close the door behind you, Mr. Madding. It mustn’t get out.” It was on the tip of Jesse’s tongue to ask what couldn’t get out, but John had already disappeared, leaving him no choice but to obey. A coppery, bittersweet smell drifted from the kitchen. The air was thick. It made the hair on the back of his arms stand on end, but Jesse didn’t stop in his tracks. He willingly followed John into the small room, oddly amused to see the thick pans bubbling away on the stove. He didn’t have to get closer to know there wasn’t food in those pans. There was a circle in the center of the floor, made out of carved bones, and another pan bubbled in the center. Jesse stood on the tips of his toes to see what was inside the container without disturbing the circle. He could see a man’s face. Probably all the pans contained similar images, or would contain similar images. “What are you doing in here?” “I’ve been on safari, Mr. Madding.” John’s cultured voice held more than hint of glee. He came to halt at the stove, picking up an ivory spoon to stir one of the steaming pots. “And as you can see, I’ve caged my lion.” “Congratulations.” Jesse kept his tone neutral. “What are you going to do with him?” John leaned across the counter and picked up what looked like angelica root. “I’ll hand him over to the women who hired me to find him.” The smile he shot over his narrow shoulder was far more manic than Jesse had ever seen on him before. 98

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Normally, John was the epitome of composure. “I do occasionally hire my services out to those even Gideon would approve of, you know.” “Good to know that.” Jesse took a slight step backward. “Do you want me to come back later?” “Oh, no, no, this merely needs time to secure the spell. And if you open the door again, it might break the current stasis.” Dropping the root into the pan, he stirred vigorously again as a fresh wave of steam bubbled up. “We haven’t had a proper visit in far too long anyway. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?” Jesse watched John work for a moment. He couldn’t deny he was fascinated by John’s capabilities. He was fairly adept at magic himself, but he knew his skills didn’t even approach what John could do. “A party, actually. We’re having one next week to celebrate our new house. I wanted to hand deliver your invitation.” “Yes, I heard you bought the old Bagby School. A party must have been the lovely Ms. Coolidge’s idea.” “It was. She thought it’d be a good way to start our new lives there.” Turning down the burner, John set aside the spoon and leaned back against the counter. His gray eyes danced in merriment. “Gideon must absolutely loathe this idea.” “Not so much that he wouldn’t agree to it. Besides, it’s going to be a fairly small affair.” “And you’re inviting me?” His smile softened. “I must say, I’m flattered to be included, though I can’t for the life of me 99

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understand how you got Gideon to consent to my presence.” “I simply gave him my guest list when he was an agreeable mood. Since the fire, he hasn’t really been…in the mood to argue.” Something that might have been sympathy passed behind John’s eyes. It was startling. John was always very careful about maintaining polite appearances. Jesse could only conclude that in the throes of a powerful spell, John’s guard wasn’t quite as high. “I was very relieved to hear that you and Ms. Coolidge survived without too many complications. You…would have been missed.” Jesse inclined his head. “Thanks. We were all fortunate that I came home when I did. Though I wish I had been a little bit earlier so I could have caught the bastard while he was there.” John frowned. “I’d heard that you did catch him.” “We did. Eventually. He’s been charged with several arsons in the area. But maybe if I had been there, I could have stopped him before the place went up in flames.” “Is he in custody then?” The gleam returned to his eyes. “Would you like to see him punished, perhaps? It would be my pleasure. It could be my housewarming gift.” Jesse almost laughed, but he could see John was completely serious. And he could make Jack del Toro suffer with an indifferent flick of his wrist. Jesse hadn’t thought about it before, but it occurred to him that Michelle could have wreaked her own sort of havoc. 100

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“He’s in custody. But please don’t punish him on my behalf. I’d rather see him brought to justice for all the crimes he’s committed. The other people he’s hurt deserve that much.” John’s obvious disappointment almost made him laugh again. “Ah, well, I suppose you’re right. But let’s not table the possibility completely, shall we? Perhaps after he’s behind bars? So many things can go wrong there, after all. Dangerous men. Hidden weapons. Just because justice might be blind does not mean it can’t still strike effectively.” It was tempting to nod and give his assent. It was always tempting. “I will let you know. After the criminal process is complete. But maybe…well, there might be one way you can help me.” “Anything.” “Jack del Toro went to a lot of effort to make sure nobody survived that fire. He even made sure Gideon and Emma wouldn’t wake up to notice the flames. Derek thinks he was working alone, and Gideon and I agree that’s possible. But something about the situation doesn’t sit right with me.” “And what would that be?” “His motive. We all know that there are plenty of people, vampires, and demons who would love to take Gideon out. Del Toro told me all his intel was on Gideon and Emma. He didn’t know anything about me. Do you see what I’m saying?” With each word, John’s face darkened. “You’ve created far more enemies in this town than Ms. Coolidge has,” he mused. “And anyone attempting to hurt Gideon would have to 101

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know you’re even more of an Achilles heel than she is. So why those particular two?” “Right. But there’s nothing to figure out who was feeding him intel. He’s only just arrived in Chicago in the past six weeks or so. There hasn’t been any large or suspicious deposits into his known accounts. He has no known associates. He was staying at his girlfriend’s house, and there was nothing there or in his car to point to the mastermind. Derek has gone over everything with a fine tooth comb. It’s like he was working for a ghost.” “And you would like me to see what I might find. Using…other methods.” “Right. I’m sure there’s got to be something, somewhere. But my hands are tied because everything I could have used for my investigation has been destroyed. Derek can’t look into paranormal evidence. And Gideon can find humans and most vampires, but there are some things that are even beyond his senses.” Jesse smiled. “And I’ll owe you one.” He expected John to rub his hands together like a madman and cackle at the last. Instead, he offered a brilliant smile and turned back to pick up the pot he’d boiled the root in. “As tempting as it is to hold you to that, we’ll make this my housewarming gift rather than persecuting your arsonist.” He dribbled some of the sticky liquid along the circle of bones. “But I’m going to need everything you have on him before you leave. Do you have time for a cup of tea when I’m finished here?” “I have just that much time.” Jesse glanced over his 102

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shoulder. “Can I make use of your library while you’re finishing up in here?” John nodded. “Be my guest. You’ll find pencil and paper in the desk to make your notes. Oh, but don’t touch the Nak Grimoire. It’s been sensitive ever since I…” He stopped, frowning as he regarded Jesse. “Well, let’s just say it’s sensitive, shall we?” Jesse decided he neither wanted, nor needed, to know what John did to the Nak Grimoire. “Understood. I’ll give it wide berth. I’ll be back down in about thirty minutes, okay?” “I’ll have the tea ready.” Jesse nodded and let himself out of the kitchen. Gideon didn’t know he planned to ask John for help, and Emma still didn’t know just how vicious the attack had been. He didn’t like to keep either secret, but he hoped that by the time he needed to tell Gideon about John’s aid, they’d have a solid lead. But in the meantime, he was going to enjoy John’s books, enjoy their tea, and then pick up Emma from work and enjoy his evening with her and Gideon.

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CHAPTER 8 The last thing Gideon expected was to wake up alone. At three, when Jesse hadn’t returned from his errands yet, he’d looked meaningfully at Emma, her nose dusty, and said, “I’m going to take a nap.” Translation? Come to bed with me. I’m tired of cleaning. Except she hadn’t come. And he must have been more tired than he thought because he actually fell asleep. The clock he didn’t recognize on the nightstand Emma had picked out said it was eight-thirty. He could tell from the itch along his spine that the sun hadn’t quite gone down yet, but he didn’t want to linger in bed any longer. It was new, too, with 104

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the soft navy sheets he’d insisted they buy, but nobody had slept in it yet except for him. It still smelled of the store. How the hell was he supposed to get any rest at all if it didn’t smell of Jesse and Emma? Grabbing his pants, he yanked them on. There was only way to solve that problem. In the hallway, he paused as he assessed his surroundings. They had chosen the master bedroom nearest the stairway for a number of reasons, not the least of which it saved them the hassle of having all the interim rooms done before they could move in. But it also gave Gideon a central location from which to gain his bearings. He stretched his senses. Traffic was barely a blip on the radar. Two heartbeats pulsed from the lower floor, and he aimed for the grand curving staircase, emptying out into the expansive front lobby. There was even a fucking chandelier, though none of the lights worked in it. A showcase item. Emma refused to let them replace it until after the party. Once downstairs, he redirected his path toward the rear of the house. The distant thudding took on body, becoming increasingly tangible with every step. He knew as he passed into the kitchen where exactly he was going to find them. It meant another flight of stairs, darkness of a basement not completely finished, and there, a doorway, bright fluorescents spilling into the hall as the sound of their voices reached his ears. “Stop it! If you keep that up, we’re never going to get done 105

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before Gideon wakes up.” Jesse’s response was almost drowned out by Emma’s laughter. Only the last, “…make it worthwhile,” came out uncluttered. “Just stand still, at least. If we’re not going to get them, we can at least know how high they need to go.” Curiosity got the better of him, and Gideon crept forward, footfalls silent. He paused at the entrance, hanging back in the doorway, and watched as Emma pushed Jesse back against the side wall, her palms to his chest. Jesse put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. Gideon could already feel the first hints of Jesse’s arousal. “What about you?” He spun Emma around and pinned her against the wall. “You’re going to have a set, too.” From his vantage, Gideon had a perfect view of her shining, dark eyes. He watched them whenever he could, but there was something raw, something unfettered about Emma when she thought she was alone with Jesse. It had been the thing Gideon had seen before either had admitted their feelings for the other. And it made his heart swell, knowing he was the one who had given this to Jess. “You don’t want to chain me up,” she taunted. “You want me to help Gideon.” “Mmm. That’s true.” Jesse’s hand moved up her body, and he swiped his thumb across her nipple. Emma moaned at the contact, and Jesse immediately sighed. Emma had her walls down. “Can I convince you to do a little chaining up right now?” 106

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Her head tilted slightly to look above her head. “We don’t have these in place yet.” “Did you see all the things Gideon brought back? You could chain me up six ways to Sunday, and we’d still not need the shackles.” Jesse’s mouth skimmed across her jaw to her ear. His voice was low, but not so low Gideon couldn’t hear him clearly. “You do me, I’ll do you.” If he hadn’t been hard at the first sign of Jesse’s arousal, the small sound Emma made in the back of her throat would have done the trick. “The cage,” she whispered. “Please.” Jesse’s pulse jumped. Gideon could almost feel it. “You’re going to put me in the cage? What are you going to do with me there?” Emma pushed him back. The lust rolling through the room made the hair stand up on Gideon’s arms. “Anything I want.” Jesse didn’t fight as she guided him backward to the cages Gideon had placed in the opposite corner. There were two, tall and narrow with just enough room for a single person to stand inside. Jesse’s had a heated plate floor, while Emma’s had shackles both dangling from the ceiling and at neck and waist levels. She didn’t like the pain as much as Jesse, but when it came to being bound, she was just as eager. Emma didn’t give Jesse the chance to undress first, a fact that brought a small smile to Gideon’s lips. Given the option, Jesse would shed his clothes every time. Jesse obediently stepped into the cage, but he didn’t let Emma go immediately. 107

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With a hand on the back of her head, he pulled her into a long kiss. One that sent the temperature of the room up another ten degrees. The sound of the cage door slamming shut echoed off the concrete walls, and Jesse watched Emma with heavy eyes as she stepped backward, completely out of reach. With a playful smile, she toyed with the button at the top of her blouse. “I guess anything you want includes teasing me?” “Of course.” Her fingers danced along the buttons, the flimsy fabric falling open to reveal the full swells of her breasts. Gideon’s gaze fixed on the tight points of her nipples, visible through her bra, and ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth as he contemplated how they felt in his mouth. He’d had a thing for her tits since the first night he’d seen her; time had only taught him just how delectable they could be. “Isn’t this what you meant?” Emma let the shirt float to the floor behind her, her gaze unwavering where she fixed on Jesse. “If it’s not, I could probably go see if Gideon wants to play instead. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Jesse grinned. “I don’t know if Gideon would let you torment him the way I let you torment me.” That must not have been the answer she wanted to hear, because she turned away from the cage. Jesse put his hands through the bar. “That wasn’t a challenge. I love the way you tease me.” Emma’s hair fell across her cheek as she glanced back at Jesse. “You don’t think this is torture for me, too?” Her hands skimmed along the sides of her breasts, cupping the soft flesh. 108

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When she squeezed, a slight moan came from her parted lips, a moan that echoed through Gideon’s body. “I touch myself, and I imagine it’s you and Gideon. And it makes me feel like I’m going to jump out of my own skin wishing it was.” Jesse didn’t pull his hand back, even though Emma was still out of his reach. That, coupled with the way he talked back, would have garnered a punishment from Gideon, but Emma seemed content to let him reach for her. She ran her fingertips over her nipples until the thin material of her bra pulled tight across her pebbled flesh. “So why not come closer?” Jesse suggested. “Because you’re not the only one enjoying the show.” Her head swiveled back, and though Gideon was concealed by shadows, their eyes locked. “Aren’t you going to come in and play, too, Gideon?” With a half-smile, he took the step necessary to walk into the doorway, stopping to lean against the jamb. Thrusting his hands into his pockets drew both sets of eyes to the thick outline of his cock, but Gideon did nothing but stand there. “Something tells me that’s exactly what you want. Since when am I that cooperative?” Jesse put both hands down at his side. “Please come in and play, too.” “Nah. I think I’m good right here for now.” He nodded to Emma. “Carry on. I think you were in the middle of torturing Jesse. Something about not letting him touch? Personally, I think that’s an excellent idea.” Her hands went to her waist, slowly popping the button on 109

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her jeans. Without looking away from Gideon, she unzipped and slid her fingers inside the denim to push it slowly over the swell of her bottom. He nodded again. “So who touches me?” Her voice was rough with desire, and she bent over to push the jeans down the rest of the way, proudly displaying the creamy skin of her half-bare ass to Jesse’s view. “Stop.” Emma froze, her hands on her ankles. Jesse’s pulse accelerated a few more beats. Gideon smiled. “I think I like this position. What about you, boy? Does it work for you?” Jesse dragged his gaze from Emma’s figure to meet Gideon’s eyes. Emma remained still, her bra holding the globes of her breasts together, creating the perfect line for Gideon’s tongue to follow. “Yes, Sir.” Jesse’s thick words were more gratifying than his prompt answer. “Even if I didn’t let you fuck her? Or let her touch you?” “Yes, Sir.” Slowly, Gideon pushed off the wall to saunter into the room. His lazy strides ate up the distance, and he circled around Emma, feeling their eyes follow his every step. “Can you smell her?” He ran his hand over her ass. The heat was already scorching. “I can. She’s soaking wet.” “No, Sir.” Even if Jesse couldn’t smell her, Gideon had no doubt he 110

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could feel the strong wave of desire coming from her. Given the connection between his two human lovers, he had no doubt that Jesse felt it with much more intensity. He heard the cage rattle a bit behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Jesse pressed against the bars, but he still had his hands down at his side. Drawing a single fingertip up her spine, Gideon traced over each bump, along each valley, until he came to a halt at the clasp of her bra. A quick flick, and the lacy material fell down Emma’s arms. “Oh, God,” she gasped. When she let go of one of her ankles to toss the bra away, Gideon snapped his foot over the fabric, trapping it to the floor. “Did I say you could let go, slut?” Her sharp intake of breath was echoed in Jesse’s. Slowly, Emma released the strap tangled in her fingers and curled her hand back around ankle. Gideon circled to the front of Emma’s body. Her long hair hung over her face and shoulders in a soft curtain. He brushed his fingers over the strands to test the silken texture. When he glanced up, Jesse’s attention was still riveted to her body, and his pants were stretched tight across his erection. Gideon lifted the corner of his mouth as his hand went to his fly, and he very deliberately freed the top button. The zipper was loud in the nearly silent room—loud enough to be heard over Jesse’s and Emma’s quickened breaths—and Jesse’s eyes widened as Gideon freed his cock. “You two were going to fuck in here without me.” He 111

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grasped his shaft lightly, running his thumb over the tip so it spread the pre-come around. “This is our first night in the new house. I think that’s a little callous, don’t you?” “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry.” Jesse, at least, did look sorry about it. He opened his mouth like he was going to add more, but closed it again. “We’re both sorry,” Emma added, her voice muffled. “We did want you here.” “Really? If you hadn’t spotted me, you were going to strip bare and then fuck Jesse through the bars. Admit it.” There was a long pause. Gideon could almost hear her weighing her answer. “Yes, Sir. I was going to fuck him through the bars.” He’d only said it to goad her. Jesse would have denied it until Gideon forced the truth from him, but Emma, their darling contrary girl, always went straight for the response that would tighten the winch. His gaze strayed to her upturned ass. “Now, see, I was going to give you a taste of just how worked up watching you got me, but now I think a little punishment is in order.” Though Emma whimpered, Gideon stepped back and stripped out of his pants, tossing them aside. “Except all my floggers are still packed. I guess that means you get my bare hand instead.” Gideon moved behind her and hooked his fingers around her underwear. He very slowly pulled them down her thighs, allowing her to feel every inch of the material against her taut skin. A rash of goose bumps broke out across her thighs, and a 112

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fresh wave of her arousal hit his nose, making his mouth water. He wanted to just bite into her lush body. He let the underwear hook around her ankles, then straightened. “Count it off, Jess.” “Yes, Sir.” He couldn’t hit her as hard as he would Jesse, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make it sting. Stepping to the side so he didn’t obstruct Jesse’s view, Gideon rested his left hand on the small of her back, gently massaging until he felt the muscles relax. He swung his right. The slap rang through the room, leaving a bright pink imprint on the fleshy curve of her left cheek. Emma almost squeaked, but she struggled to swallow the sound. He could feel the heat coming off her skin. Soon her entire ass would be flushed the same pink, unbelievably hot. “One,” Jesse said, his voice only slightly uneven. Gideon never stopped caressing her back. His palm hit the opposite cheek, barely pausing long enough for Jesse to add to the count, then smacked the first side once again. On the fourth, he let his fingers slip between her thighs, brushing across her swollen sex. The tips came away glistening, and as he lifted them to his mouth, he smiled at Jesse. Jesse licked his lips, and Gideon thought it was a good thing the cage had a strong lock. Gideon wrapped his tongue around his finger, chasing after each drop of her taste, and Jesse moaned like Gideon had reached through the bars and squeezed his cock. Emma echoed him, her body swaying 113

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forward slightly. Gideon pressed on her back, forcing her to be still. He brought his palm down on her ass again, his wet fingers connecting with her skin. “Five,” Jesse rasped. Whimpers started to rise in Emma’s throat on six. Seven brought a choked squeak. Eight made the bars rattle on the cage, but it was nine that gave Gideon the chance to press between her heated cheeks. “Should I fuck you like this, Em?” He sank a finger into her clenching hole, knowing the lack of lubrication would make her feel every inch of it. “Or do I take pity on Jesse and let him feel just how hot you are?” Jesse stilled behind him, holding his breath. Emma swallowed hard. “Please…let Jesse touch me.” His eyes cut to Jess. Jesse was pressed to the bars, close enough for his clothes to curl around the iron, and he had frozen in mid-grind, his arousal trapped against the iron. “Take your cock out, boy. You can touch. But not with your hands.” Jesse whimpered, his hands immediately going to his fly. “Yes, Sir.” Gideon never looked away as Jesse worked the zipper and pulled his heavy erection out. The tip glistened with pre-come, and he ran his palm down his shaft, shivering as he did so. It took every ounce of his control to tear his gaze away. Curling his arm beneath Emma’s waist, he picked her up effortlessly, smiling when she maintained her bent position. The rest of her clothes slipped off, pooling in the spot where 114

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her feet had just left the floor. He carried her the distance that separated them from the cage and set her back down again, her flushed ass inches from the bars. “Isn’t our girl pretty?” Gideon crooned. He smoothed his hand over the cheek, squeezing the soft flesh. “Flawless.” Jesse’s hands were in tight fists, and he pulled them behind his back, as if to remove the temptation of touching Emma. His cock twitched, and he pushed harder against the bars, but he didn’t actually get any closer to Emma’s body. “Yes, Sir. She’s perfect.” A drop of fluid collected in the slit. Unable to resist, Gideon flicked the tip, smiling when Jesse hissed. He dragged his fingertip back across until it shone. “Here, Emma.” He held his hand in front of her mouth. “Taste how much he wants you.” Emma immediately parted her lips, her tongue darting out to sample the fluid on his finger. As soon as she tasted the salty pre-come, her eyes closed, and she sucked the tip deeper into her mouth. Jesse bent a little, trying to get a glimpse of her face, but Gideon shifted, blocking his view. Emma moaned a soft protest as he pulled his finger away from her warm lips. He loved to orchestrate scenes with them. He loved how responsive Jesse was, how trusting Emma was, how hungry both of them were. But in that moment, with the scent of her arousal, and his pre-come, and the rising fire of their skin, Gideon wanted to be the one tasting, he wanted to be the one touching, he wanted to be the one about to savor just how tight 115

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Emma’s ass really was. He wouldn’t be. Not yet. But his time would come. Straightening, Gideon grasped Jesse’s cock and squeezed. “Emma wants you to touch her, boy. We should give her what she wants.” “Yes…please…” Gideon brought the blunt tip of Jesse’s cock to Emma’s ass, dragging it between her cheeks. Jesse stood stiffly, letting Gideon control the speed and just how much contact he was allowed. It wasn’t long until Jesse began to pant, and Emma echoed his hungry, almost pained, sounds. Gideon responded by pulling Jesse’s cock just a little lower, allowing the head to linger at Emma’s slick passage, just barely touching the heated skin. “I fucking love seeing you like this.” The slope of Emma’s back, the long line of Jesse’s cock…the only thing that would make it better would be the scent of Jesse’s blood, but not here, not now, not in front of Emma. In spite of how much she shared with them, that was a line they still didn’t cross. The sight of Jesse’s blood had a tendency to distress her. Gideon couldn’t fight history and, frankly, it wasn’t worth it to try. “I want more.” Emma’s soft voice made Gideon freeze. “More?” He looked to Jesse, the tip of Jesse’s cock just nestled inside her wet folds. “You’re spoiling our girl if she thinks she can just ask for whatever she wants, boy.” Jesse bit his bottom lip. “I am…I am spoiling her.” “Gideon…” 116

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“I’m sorry,” Jesse added, before Emma could finish speaking. “Maybe I should put her in the cage instead.” “No, Sir. It’s my fault.” Emma moaned softly, and Gideon didn’t miss the small tremors running through her body. “Please don’t put me in the cage.” He crouched down, leaning in to press his mouth to Emma’s ear. “No more demands. Do it, and Jesse will be the one who gets my cock, do you understand?” “Yes…yes, Sir. I understand. I promise, I won’t do it again.” Now Emma wasn’t the only one trembling. Jesse seemed to be shaking from head to toe. Gideon paused, waiting to see if Jesse would finally break. He remained locked in that position for several seconds, counting the steady beat of their hearts. It would only take the smallest move from Jesse, the smallest jerk of his hips to seek out more of Emma’s heat, but he remained as still as Gideon. Emma was also motionless, though he knew she still wanted, still craved, more. Gideon sat back on his heels, though he kept his naked body pressed lightly against Emma’s side. He stroked along her spine again, continuing onward between her soft cheeks to skim over the tight hole. His other hand tightened its grip, drawing a tiny cry from Jesse’s parted lips, but it softened into a sigh when Gideon pulled forward. Just an inch. Maybe two. Just enough for the velvety crown to disappear into Emma’s soaking slit. 117

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“Oh…thank you…” Jesse sighed. He rested his brow on the bars, staring down at the point where his body joined with Emma’s, his gaze occasionally darting over to Gideon’s cock. “Yes. Thank you,” Emma echoed. The gratitude was obvious in their voices, but even if he couldn’t hear it, he could feel it. It poured from them both. He could smell it. He could feel it in the way their bodies throbbed. It jumped from Emma and wound through his chest. The scent of her skin called to him. He couldn’t have her blood, but he could have something else, something just as mouthwatering. Gideon bowed his head and licked a long line along her flank, over the pink imprints that still stained her ass. Her desire made his fangs itch, and this close, he could still see the bruises left on Jesse’s thigh from when Gideon had gnawed on his balls just that morning. He glanced up. Jesse still watched with fervent eyes, every part of him burning. With a flick of his tongue, Gideon traced a quick trail along Jesse’s shaft. Jesse’s mouth fell open. His blood flowed so close to the surface that Gideon could just nick his skin with his fangs, and Jesse’s hot blood would flow past his lips and over his tongue. The combined scent of their arousal was beyond heady, and he closed his eyes for a moment to savor it. He moved his tongue over Jesse’s shaft again, and then he lingered at the soft flesh where Jesse’s cock pulsed against Emma’s body. With his grip as leverage, Gideon pushed Jesse back so that he broke all contact between his two lovers. Emma moaned in disappointment, but Gideon was transfixed by the 118

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sight of her juices gleaming on Jesse’s velvety crown. She might want more, but he wanted this. His cheek caressed her flesh as he dropped his jaw to suck the tip of Jesse’s cock past his lips. “Oh, God…” Jesse’s fingers almost brushed against Gideon’s face, but at the last second, he gripped the bars instead. “Oh, God.” Emma’s arousal tasted sweet on Jesse’s skin. His tongue moved over the skin slowly, thoroughly. He didn’t want to miss a single bit of Emma’s juices. Once the heady taste of her arousal was muted, he pushed the tip of his tongue in Jesse’s slit, gathering the pre-come there. Even if he hadn’t felt Jesse’s trembling through the grip he had on his cock, Gideon would have felt it as vibrations in the air, barely controlled undulations as Jess fought against his need to obey Gideon’s orders. They echoed through him, into Emma, back again to triple, until both of them were panting, desperate for more of what Gideon would give. He angled Jesse’s cock back at her entrance. Sliding his hand closer to the base, he guided him inside, this time allowing several inches to stretch around his shaft. Gideon knew Jesse wouldn’t come until he had permission, but he thought he might be pushing his lover right to his breaking point. It was only a single thrust into Emma’s tight, waiting body, but the sensations flowing between the three of them made Gideon’s balls ache. He knew he had a measure of protection against the onslaught that Jesse did not. “Oh, my God…” Emma’s breathy voice cut through him. 119

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“Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” Emma might have been the one to want more earlier, but Gideon was the one who would take it. Easing Jesse out and then back into her body, he reached down and skimmed his fingertips along the side of her breast, all the way to her taut nipple. One pinch. Small. Quick. The very tip caught between his nails. Emma shouted, her pussy clenching around Jesse’s shaft. The smell of her pleasure was enticing. The warmth that flowed through him was intoxicating. She pushed back, right up against the bars of Jesse’s cage, shudders wracking her body. Jesse jerked as though an electrical current jumped between their bodies, but Gideon’s tight fingers kept him from his own release. “Please, Gideon. Please. Please let me come.” Each entreaty sizzled through him. Though the scents and sights of their bodies electrified with lust dizzied Gideon, the words—single, jumbled, hoarse, or shouted—always catapulted his lust to heights he could never ignore. He shoved back against Jesse’s groin, forcing his cock free of Emma’s quivering channel. Jesse cried out at the loss of her heat, but Gideon countered with a hard stroke down his shaft and a single word of his own. “Come.” Jesse shouted. His cock pulsed, throbbed within Gideon’s hand, and a thick stream of come splattered across Emma’s ass, followed by another and another. His whole body shook 120

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from the force of the blasts, and he gripped the bars as if he would fall over if he didn’t. He was still shooting when Gideon lowered his head and dragged his tongue through the nearest streak. He and Emma moaned simultaneously; he knew she felt exactly what tasting Jesse did to him, how it made his mouth water, his cock ache. She swayed, and he grabbed her shoulder, steadying her while pulling her even closer. He didn’t stop until the last drop of fluid was gone from her skin. Jesse’s hand snuck through the bars, and he ran his fingers through Gideon’s hair. Heat radiated from his damp skin, and the light touch felt like it could burn him. “Thank you.” Gently sliding his arm beneath Emma, Gideon lifted her straight, cradling her limp body against his chest as he reached around for the lock on the cage. He pulled the door open and immediately reached for Jesse, burying his mouth in his neck. “Let’s go break the bed in like we planned,” he murmured.

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CHAPTER 9 The house looked magnificent, but Jesse knew that was all due to Emma. He had helped decorate for the party, of course, but the aid he offered came mainly in the form of hanging, hammering, lifting, dusting, and mopping. It was Emma’s keen eye that had turned the clock back on the first floor of the mansion, returning it to what must have been its glory years. Their guests milled through the rooms, gasping with surprise and wonder at the hand-painted designs on the walls, the intricately carved doorframes, banisters, and molding, and the beautifully stained hardwood floors. The original chandeliers had been polished until they sparkled, and the rich, golden light reflected off the delicate surfaces. Some of the 122

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furniture had been restored. Other pieces had been replaced. But with Emma and Gideon’s careful collaboration, nothing looked out of place or out of time. Working almost nonstop for a week between the three of them made the entire first floor acceptable to open to the guests. The foyer, the library, the dining room, the sitting room, and the parlor were all full of light and music. The smaller rooms in the sprawling west wing were also open to curious eyes, though they were just empty classrooms, mere remnants of the building’s heritage. The stairs, however, were off-limits. The only room on the second floor that wasn’t an utter mess was their bedroom, and they all agreed the liability was too great, even for guided tours. Gideon claimed he was not interested in getting caught up in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. The east wing was likewise closed. The shadows from the closed areas of the house tried to encroach on the party, but the crystallized light kept them at bay. Jesse kept a cold bottle of beer in his hand all night as he greeted his friends and acquaintances. Not because he needed the alcohol to get through the party, but because the summer night settled on his shoulders and back like a wool mantle. The house had needed a few electrical and plumbing upgrades to pass inspection, but they hadn’t yet installed central air. And the swamp cooler in the kitchen helped nobody. Jesse just hoped that as long as they kept the booze flowing, the music blasting, and the food coming, everybody would have a good time anyway. 123

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They seemed like they were. Jesse knew most of the guests, though a few came from the Institute at the behest of Emma. Some people had brought dates, so not all of the faces were familiar ones. Jesse estimated there were only twenty people there in all. As far as parties went, it was pretty subdued. Emma had spent the whole evening flitting through the crowd like a butterfly in her short dress, laughing and talking. Gideon, however, looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. Jesse found him watching the guests come and go near the foot of the stairs. He was the only one who didn’t look uncomfortably warm. Jesse was more than a little jealous of that. “You have officially used up your party quota for the next decade,” Gideon said as he approached. “I don’t even know who most of these people are.” “Don’t overexaggerate. You know who most these people are. That’s Jonah.” Jesse pointed to a young man with blond hair, almost long enough to hang in his eyes. “He’s Derek’s nephew. That’s Rita.” A buxom brunette with a laugh loud enough to hear on the other side of the building. “She’s Michelle’s girlfriend. That’s Terry and her husband, Phil.” A sturdy looking woman standing beside a tall, almost willowy man. “Emma carpools with them.” Gideon’s gaze deliberately slid past Michelle and Rita, lingered for a moment on Emma’s work friends, then went straight Derek and his nephew. “He doesn’t look the O’Dell side of the family. He must take after Patricia’s husband.” He 124

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frowned. “What’s Derek doing with him here?” “He’s starting grad school at Loyola in the fall. He’s staying with Derek while he looks for an apartment. I guess Derek brought him because they decided the free booze was too good to pass up.” “He keeps looking at you.” “Who? Jonah? I haven’t noticed.” It took glowering at the young man for a few more seconds for Gideon to tear his attention away. Jesse wished he would stop looking for reasons not to enjoy the party. If he just relaxed, he was sure Gideon would see that it was actually going very well. “I forgot to eat.” Gideon kept his declaration low, out of earshot of the guests. “Would it look bad if I slipped out to get something?” “Yes, it would look bad. And how did you forget to eat?” Gideon’s look was pure exasperation. “Because Emma had me up on stepladders until five minutes before Michelle got here. Did you tell her to show up extra early just so that she could give me a hard time?” “No, I did not. She decided that would be fun without any input from me.” Jesse stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Don’t worry. It won’t continue all night. When they all go home, I’ll make sure you get fed.” The heavy-lidded gaze Gideon swept in his direction was worth the moments of annoyance before and then some. Reaching out, Gideon grasped Jesse’s hip and hauled him closer, heedless of the guests milling in the background. He 125

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looked especially good for the party, dressed in dark slacks that molded over his powerful thighs and a red silk shirt open at the collar, but Jesse saw none of that as Gideon’s cock hardened against his hip. “Good,” he growled. “Because you smell fucking delicious tonight.” “Well, I’m glad somebody noticed,” Jesse said lightly as Gideon ducked his head and inhaled deeply. Jesse knew he couldn’t let Gideon nuzzle him all night, but he wasn’t in a hurry to step away either. “Is there any way I can talk you into mingling and interacting with the guests?” “Talk me into it? Maybe eventually.” His tongue wet the soft spot below Jesse’s ear. “You’d get me to agree a lot faster by letting me fuck that pretty mouth of yours instead.” Jesse moaned softly. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to cloud the issue, and my mind, with sex. It’s not going to work.” “Oh, I don’t know.” Without letting go of Jesse’s hip, Gideon stroked his thumb along the line of Jesse’s burgeoning erection. “It feels like it’s working to me.” “Do not make me drag the hose out on you two.” Emma’s lowered voice startled Jesse into breaking free of Gideon’s hold, and he turned around to see her regarding them with an amused smile in her eyes. “I thought you were keeping your walls up tonight,” Gideon said, though he didn’t fight when Jesse moved further away. “I don’t need to feel you two to be able to see it with my 126

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own eyes.” Stepping forward, she looped her arm through Gideon’s, dragging him from the stairs. “Come on. I’m introducing you to the people from work.” Jesse didn’t follow as Emma forced Gideon to cross the room. Keeping close to Gideon in his current state wouldn’t actually help either one of them. Another few minutes of contact, and Gideon probably could have convinced him to drop to his knees in front of all their guests. He ran his hand through his hair and turned to see Jonah’s smiling blue eyes, just inches away. “Oh.” Jesse nodded. “Are you enjoying the party?” “Are you kidding? This is a fucking fantastic house. All this history…these walls are screaming to tell their stories.” Up close, Jesse could see what Gideon had commented on. Where Derek was tall, his nephew was shorter, five-nine if he was lucky. His blond hair half hid his dark blue eyes, but the effect somehow managed to accentuate the wide mouth and high cheekbones. The mouth currently smiled broadly up at Jess, youthful and most definitely exuberant. Maybe Gideon’s assessment wasn’t completely off the mark, after all. “Thanks for letting Uncle Derek bring me along,” Jonah continued. “I think I’m driving him a little stir-crazy.” “No problem. When I heard you were in the history department, I thought you might appreciate the opportunity to look around. Have you had the chance to meet everybody?” “Oh, yeah. You’ve got some interesting friends.” Jesse smiled. “Yeah. To put it mildly. I think your uncle is the most normal person I know.” 127

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“Considering who you hang around with, I’m not surprised.” He turned to look at where Gideon and Emma talked to one of the women from the Institute, placing himself closer to Jesse so that their arms brushed against each other. “Uncle Derek won’t tell me all the stories, but I’ve been doing some digging around. That Gideon’s certainly got his fair share of interesting stories, huh?” “He does have plenty of interesting stories,” Jesse agreed slowly. “Did Derek tell you everything about who he is?” “Uncle Derek?” Jonah scoffed. “You know what he’s like. He plays things close to the vest. He told me just enough to make it interesting, so I had to find out the rest.” Jesse recognized the eager light in Jonah’s eyes. It made sense that a student of history would be intrigued by Gideon, and would have the means to research the points where Gideon’s existence intersected with the city’s history. “And you came here tonight to find some more interesting stories?” “Well. Kind of.” Jonah turned his back on the party again, and now his gaze was fixed on Jesse. “Gideon’s interesting and all, but what really fascinates me is what kind of person would just turn their life over to a vampire. Especially when that person is someone like you.” He should have walked away. He didn’t like the way Jonah was looking at him. But he was too curious to follow his better sense. “Someone like me?” “You know.” Now, Jonah’s smile was back, friendlier than ever. “You graduated from Cambridge. You dabble in magic, 128

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and history, and languages, and from what I hear, you put up a hell of a good fight against some pretty scary creatures. I’m not even going to touch on how gorgeous you are.” His head tilted, and the disarming twinkle in his eyes returned. “Unless you let me, of course.” Jesse snorted, partly flattered, partly amused, partly confused. How did the younger man find out so much about him? And why? “No, you probably shouldn’t touch on that. I’m sure you’re aware that vampires have very, very sharp ears, to go along with their jealous streaks.” If he thought to scare Jonah, he would have been disappointed. The young man laughed instead. “Jealous of me? Gideon’s smart. If he’s been listening, he knows the shoe’s on the other foot.” Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Jonah finally opened up to face the rest of the party, his gaze unerringly finding Emma and Gideon standing inside the entrance to the dining room. “Besides, I know I’d have a pretty long line to stand in to even hope catching your attention. But a little friendly flirting never hurt anyone.” Jesse didn’t doubt that Gideon was listening. But in the spirit of friendly flirting, he smiled. “You’ve caught my attention a little, despite the long line.” It was worth it to see the tiny spark of delight bloom in Jonah’s eyes. “Well, it’s good to know that at least I’m not at the end of it. Even for as much as I love being on the end of the things.” Jesse barked laughter. “I suspect even if you were at the 129

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end of my line, you wouldn’t be content to stay there for long.” “Much to Uncle Derek’s ongoing dismay.” “What kind of grief do you cause him?” “Oh, he’s been lucky. The only kind of grief he’s gotten so far is the embarrassing kind.” He leaned in conspiratorially, the twinkle deepening. “I mean, think about it. He got off his shift early and walked in on me in clamps and a cock ring, getting paddled by a fireman I picked up at White. What shade of red do you think he turned before he realized he couldn’t send me to my room because I was cuffed to his coffee table?” Jesse felt a twinge in his abdomen at the image Jonah provided. But that was probably exactly what Jonah wanted, so he ignored it. “You shouldn’t treat your poor uncle like that. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s a good man.” But he couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice for long. “I have a pretty good idea of what shade of red he went. He learned the hard way he should always knock before barging into the office.” “Well, I had to promise not to bring any more guys home. Which seriously cuts back on the kind of fun I can have, let me tell you.” “That just means you need to find your own place, yeah?” “I’m trying. It’s just tough trying to afford anything in this town on a grad student’s salary.” Jonah sighed. “I’m probably going to have to find a roommate if I want something reasonably close to campus. Which is just going to introduce its own set of problems. At least Uncle Derek and I understand each other.” Another flash of his impish smile. “He’s straight 130

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as an arrow, and I’m more bent than a pair of double-jointed acrobats.” Jesse laughed, his gaze drifting to the upper level of the house. Jonah could live there and bring home a different guy, or a different handful of guys, every night, and they would probably never notice him. He decided not to mention that. Not without consulting Gideon and Emma first. “I don’t doubt that. And I actually knew a double-jointed acrobat once. He made for an interesting date.” Jesse glanced over his shoulder. Gideon and Emma weren’t in the doorway anymore. In fact, he couldn’t see them at all. “I suppose I should go play the proper host and mingle.” “And here I thought the proper thing was just an act for people who got sucked in by the accent. But if you want to play host, I wouldn’t object to a tour of the house. It really is a great place.” “It is a pretty great place.” Jesse surveyed the party again. Everything seemed to be under control. He’d give him a simple tour of the safe spaces, and return him back to the foyer, and his uncle, before either of them were missed. “I can give you a tour of the parts we’ve already worked on. The east wing is practically a death trap.” Jonah swept his arm out with a tilt of his head. “Lead the way. I’m all yours.” That’s what I’m afraid of. Jesse gestured for him to follow, and led him toward the west wing. The dorms had been there. Even though the rooms were empty, Jesse still thought they were pretty interesting. The students had left all sorts of marks 131

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and reminders of themselves there. But Jonah stopped at the top of the basement stairs. “What are you doing?” “What’s down here?” “The basement.” Jesse licked his lips. “The playroom.” “Playroom?” Jonah’s voice was a little bit breathier. “I’m guessing you don’t mean Tinkertoys.” “No. Not Tinkertoys. Do you want to see?” His bright eyes darted from Jesse to the stairs, then back to Jesse again. “Please.” Jesse didn’t know what it was about that simple word, but he knew he couldn’t deny Jonah now. The tone? The sincerity? Maybe it was the way he already sounded like he had cuffs around his wrists. “Yeah. Come on. Be careful.” He didn’t turn on the light because he didn’t want other curious guests to follow them downstairs. Jonah put his hand on Jesse’s shoulder. The contact almost startled him, but he assured himself it was just because Jonah couldn’t see clearly. They descended slowly, but Jonah didn’t take his hand away at the bottom of the stairs. Not until Jesse led him into the playroom and turned on the light. “Holy shit…” Jonah stopped dead in the doorway, wide eyes peering through his long hair as he scanned the room. His attention never settled, jumping from the cages, to the cupboards that lined an entire wall, one set of them glass-fronted to put all their new favorite whips on display. It lingered on the 132

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punishing bench, caressing it almost longingly, before noticing the shackles hanging from the ceiling. “You are the luckiest guy I have ever met,” Jonah breathed. “I’m the luckiest guy I ever met, too. Now do you know why a guy like me would turn my life over to a vampire?” Jonah wandered along the perimeter, trailing his fingers over the chair Gideon had bought Jesse on their first replacement shopping trip. “I’ve never seen anything this extensive in one place before. Not even in the clubs I went to in San Francisco.” “Gideon has been very generous. We used to have a smaller collection, and it was all lost in the fire.” Jesse moved further into the room. “But Gideon’s taken us out every night to pick new things. You like that chair? I wanted it as soon as I saw it.” “There is no way Uncle Derek knows the extent of what you guys do.” He glanced at Jesse, then just as quickly, looked away again. “And, yeah, I love this. Is all this just for you?” “No, Derek doesn’t know. He’s seen me in my collar a few times, and Emma, too, but that’s really about it. And it’s not all just for me. Emma has her own toys and her own preferences. She likes to be bound.” “Yeah, no way he knows about that,” Jonah muttered. “So what about you? If you had the room at your disposal?” Jonah answered without blinking. “I’d never come out again.” 133

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“Oh, I get that. I really do. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the way my world works.” Jonah reached to finger the heavy iron links hanging from Jesse’s wall shackles. “Yours is still infinitely more interesting than mine is. If you ever need an assistant, I’m going to be banging on your door, demanding it.” “Really? It’s dangerous work, and assistants don’t necessarily get a pass to this room.” “Who said anything about your work?” The sly glance he shot over his shoulder was the most flirtatious yet, emboldened by his surroundings, most likely. “I’m much more interested in your extracurricular activities.” Jesse arched his brow. “What makes you think I’d let you assist in the extracurricular activities?” “I don’t.” Jonah stopped at the cage and rattled the door, checking its strength. “But you can’t blame a guy from dreaming.” “Not at all. You won’t tell Derek about this room, yeah?” He snorted. “No, I like his head in one piece, thank you very much.” “I like it in one piece, too.” Jesse nodded at the door. “We should probably get upstairs before…” Jesse stopped as the room plunged into darkness. “Probably just a blown breaker or something.” But his breaker theory was destroyed with the violent slamming of the door. The walls vibrated with the force of it, and the sound echoed through the house. After a few seconds, Jesse realized the sound wasn’t echoing. It was every door in the house slamming closed. One after the other. 134

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CHAPTER 10 His stomach growled. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but as soon as they did, Gideon swept his gaze around the room. He didn’t recognize it. Dust hung in the air, unseen but not unfelt, and the long panels that adorned the walls were cracked with age. Sconces would have provided illumination if they’d had candles in them, but those stood empty, blind sentries to a room full of nothing but one very hungry vampire. Long curtains obscured one entire wall. Gideon took sure strides toward them, grabbing an edge to yank it aside. More dust clouds immediately billowed out, but he closed off his 135

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lungs and waved it aside in order to peer outside. A younger vampire might not have been so bold about yanking open a curtain without checking to see if it was daylight first. Gideon was old enough to recognize the cloak of an old and welcome friend like night, no matter where the fuck he was. Grass stretched out like black tar from the edge of a stone patio that encircled the section of the building. In the near distance, he saw a copse of trees barely hiding another structure, but otherwise, there was no indication of where he stood, except he was somewhere on the second floor. The sky above glittered with stars, and he thought he heard distant sounds of engines, but there were other, much closer noises that interested him more. Humans. The house was full of them. Their hearts made the floorboards vibrate, his skin crawl. He almost imagined he smelled the scent of their blood, even over the dust. His stomach growled again. *

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Jesse knew the playroom well enough to get Jonah safely to the door. His palms were damp as he sought out the doorknob. If it was locked, Jesse didn’t know what the fuck they were going to do. But the knob turned easily against his slick skin, and he reached for Jonah, taking his arm in a firm grip. He was not going to lose Derek’s nephew in the dark basement. “We’ve just got to get back upstairs,” Jesse said softly, but 136

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his voice seemed to boom in the dark. “Gideon is probably already checking on the breakers.” “Okay.” Jonah chuckled. “I guess I can rule out the possibility of you setting this up to jump me, huh?” “Yeah, I’d say that’s a safe assumption.” But Jesse tightened his grip. His spine tried to crawl out of his skin. If Gideon had been with him, he would have smelled the sharp fear flooding his body. He was grateful Emma had her walls up for the party. Even though they were separated by rooms and doors, she would have felt his sudden terror at being left in the dark. “These steps…they’re steep. Be careful.” Jonah stayed close, his warmth the only balm to Jesse’s fraying nerves as they slowly ascended the stairs. At the top, Jess pushed the door open, but the first floor was blanketed in as much darkness as the basement, the only relief a little bit of silver filtering through the windows. “Do you know your way around here well enough to get us back to the party all right?” Jonah’s voice wasn’t quite as even as it had been downstairs. “I have a lighter if you need it.” “I can get us back to the party.” Jesse meant it to be an assurance, but he didn’t sound very convincing, even to his own ears. Where was Gideon? Gideon must have known Jesse wasn’t with the rest of the party. All thoughts about the possible blown fuse and the other guests fled his mind—he only knew he needed Gideon. “Give me your lighter. We’re not too far from the foyer.” Jonah pressed the lighter into his palm. With a flick of his thumb, he created a tight, golden ring of light. Now that he 137

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didn’t feel completely blind, he focused on his other senses. “Why is it so quiet?” *

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Though his footfalls were silent, the aging floorboards were not. Every once in a while, one creaked, and Gideon scowled in the darkness. It interfered in figuring out where everybody was located. How was he supposed to find them if the damn house conspired against him? It didn’t help that he could hear the scuttle of insects somewhere within the walls. Not an infestation, but enough to hamper his progress. Dozens of tiny legs forced his own to stop, forced Gideon to attune his senses, to block them out and search for the fluttering pulses of several dozen hearts below him. He knew that at least. Nobody was on the second floor. Everyone congregated downstairs, though if he never found the way down, it would hardly do him any good. Gideon resumed his path. Something soft cushioned his heel, and he paused to look down, surprised when he saw a worn carpet runner striping the center of the wooden floor. He nudged the corner, but no dust floated free when it was disturbed. Somebody had cleaned it recently. This was a thoroughfare that was used. His gaze ran along its length, watching it disappear around a bend in the hall. It led somewhere. If he was lucky, it would lead him straight to the thick of things. 138

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He’d settle for stairs. And a single, breathing human. *

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A beacon in the form of a single, beautiful candle brought Jesse and Jonah into the foyer. Jesse’s knees felt weak with relief. It helped to know that there were more candles in the kitchen drawers and in the dining room. But besides the single light, the space was empty. “Emma?” “Jesse?” Her voice drifted from the general direction of the library. “We’re in here. Most of us.” Jesse forced himself to release his death grip on Jonah and moved toward Emma’s voice. She was waiting for him in the hallway, and her arms went around him immediately. “What’s going on?” Jesse asked, returning the embrace. “I hoped you would know.” “No, I don’t know. Where is everybody?” Emma shook her head and stepped back. “I was able to get most of them in the library.” “Most? Where’s everybody else?” “Derek said his nephew…” “I’m here,” Jonah said, stepping forward. “Who else?” Jesse asked. “Rita. Terry. Phil. Robert’s date, Cynthia. I don’t know where Gideon is, either.” “Did you get the candles out of the kitchen?” “No.” 139

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Jesse gently pushed her toward the library. “You stay here. I’ll get the candles out of the kitchen and see if I can find everybody else. The last thing we need is people wandering around here in the dark.” *

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As soon as he found the stairs, Gideon smiled. Nobody saw it. Nobody had to. All that mattered was his own satisfaction. Now that he was close, he heard more. Voices laced with concern. Blood rushing through frightened hearts. Soft sighs and softer breaths, each one of them beckoning him to come near. He didn’t. He stayed motionless at the top of the stairs and simply listened. Most of them were congregated in a room situated twenty yards or so past the bottom of the stairs, but there were others scattered around the bottom floor, like dust motes floating in the air. Ignoring the call of his hunger, Gideon turned his focus from the group to the lost lambs, bleating in silence to rejoin the flock. One. Two. Three and four huddled together. Fear either sliced its victims into helpless limbs, incapable of functioning without the heart to guide them, or it forged them into something new, something stronger, something more than able to fight when the threat arose. 140

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In either incarnation, fear always made him salivate. Silently, he started to descend the stairs. Nobody heard him. That was exactly the way he wanted it. *

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“Gideon?” Jesse shuffled down the long hallway, gripping Jonah’s lighter between increasingly slick fingers. “Gideon? Are you down here?” Unlike the other, human guests, Gideon wouldn’t get lost in the dark. His sharp eyes would absorb every speck of light, allowing him to move around freely. And even if there wasn’t any spare light, he could follow the steady rhythm of their hearts. The fact that Gideon was nowhere to be found made his pulse spike. “Gideon?” There were no drapes in the kitchen, and silver moonlight reflected off the stove and floor. He moved as quickly as he could to the drawer with the extra candles and matches. He lit one and held the rest in a bundle. “Gideon?” His voice echoed through the room. Still no answer. No sign that anybody was in the house except him. Fuck. He wanted to stay calm. He needed to remain calm. But his nerves already felt raw. The growing sense of foreboding didn’t help. It’s just the darkness. Once the lights come back, you’ll see there’s nothing to be afraid of. If that were true, then why wasn’t Gideon answering him? Gideon would answer him. Gideon would find him. So where 141

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the fuck was he? Jesse stepped out of the kitchen and held the candle up. A shadow flitted by the other end of the corridor. It was silent. It was fast. If Jesse had blinked, he would have missed it. It had to be Gideon. Jesse hurried down the hall. *

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Approaching one of the solitary heartbeats brought with it a plethora of new smells. Melting wax. Burning oil. A woman’s perfume that made him want to scrub his tongue to eradicate the taste. It came with something else. One small light. Just enough illumination for Gideon to peer through the doorway and see the woman standing at the opposite end. She wasn’t young. Disappointing. But she was soft in all the right places, and with the perfume was the scent of a kitchen, of sugar and flour and spices that always reminded him of a baker he’d eaten in Boston. In her short fingers, she held a candlestick, which cast dancing orange shadows across her lined face. “You found light.” He held his hands up in surrender when the sound of his voice made her jerk, smiling as he ventured a step inside. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” “Gideon. You scared me.” She knew him. He didn’t let the fact that he didn’t recognize her register on his face as he took another step closer. It wasn’t really a surprise that his reputation preceded him, though the fact that she just stood there as he approached 142

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was interesting. “Did you get separated from the others?” She nodded. “I came in here to look at the display cabinets Emma found. Then the lights went out.” She gestured toward the candlestick she held. “Lucky I was standing near the fireplace. And that I lied to Michelle about how I quit smoking.” Gideon glanced around, noticing for the first time that he was in the dining room. Dishes were spread out on the table, covered in every possible array of food, and there was a table filled with various alcohol and wine bottles against the wall near the doorway. “Well, at least you got stranded in the room where you could actually eat,” he said with a smile. “Do you know where the others are?” His smile widened. “I know exactly where they are.” A few more steps had him at her side, and he reached out to wrap his hand over hers on the candlestick. “Give me that. I’ll lead you back to them.” Relief made her sag as she handed over the candleholder. The collar of her shirt fell open slightly, and at the sight of her pulse in her throat, his stomach growled again. *

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The flame in the dining room drew him like a moth. He didn’t think he’d find Gideon lurking in there with a candle, but maybe Rita or Terry and Phil were there, waiting for the lights to come back. He hoped they were all in there. Once he 143

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delivered them to Emma, he could focus on finding Gideon. And if necessary, getting everybody out of the house and back to their cars. Jesse stepped into the doorway and froze. The candlestick on the table wasn’t powerful enough to illuminate the faces, but he knew exactly who he was looking at. He just didn’t understand what he was seeing. Gideon had his arm around a short woman. Rita, a voice in the back of his mind supplied. He’s holding Rita. His other hand was resting on her breast, his fingers flexing and squeezing the soft flesh. If it had been anybody else, Jesse would think the two of them were locked in a very heated embrace. She was gripping the back of his shirt with tight hands, and her head dropped back. She was making the softest noises in the back of her throat. Sighs and gasps. The marks on Jesse’s neck tingled. He automatically put his hand up to touch the fresh holes. Gideon was feeding. He opened his mouth to tell him to stop, but the words were frozen in his throat. A single gasp of shock escaped his dry lips. Though it was likely only a few seconds, it seemed to take forever for Gideon to lift his head and tilt it in Jesse’s direction. Blood looked black where it smeared across his mouth. The flickering candlelight reflected off his golden irises and made them glow in the dark. Slowly, he ran his tongue over his lower lip. When Jesse shivered, Gideon smiled. “I was going to go off and look for dessert, but it looks like 144

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dessert has come and found me,” he said, his voice low and seductive. “No.” The denial sprang to his mouth automatically. He wasn’t seeing this. Gideon hadn’t just called him dessert. Not like that. Not in that tone. “Gideon, what…what is this? What are you doing?” His shadowed gaze fell to Rita’s slumped body. With a shrug, he tossed her aside. Jesse watched in horror as she landed in a boneless heap, her head cracking hard against the floor. “Well, I was trying to get a decent meal, but now you’ve made me miss the best part.” Drawing his thumb over his lip, he sucked it into his fanged mouth to audibly lick away the blood it collected. “She was delicious, though. What little I got.” “You just ate Michelle’s girlfriend,” Jesse said numbly. His instincts were shouting at him to run, but he never ran from Gideon. He cocked a brow. “If you think she’s going to feel left out, you can always show me where she is. The more the merrier.” This wasn’t some sick, horrible joke. Gideon was serious. And he was still hungry. Jesse swallowed his bile, afraid he would vomit all over his shoes. He took a half-step back, and Gideon mirrored him, taking a step forward. He suspected if he ran, Gideon would give chase. But he couldn’t hold his ground. Not now. Not until he was better prepared. And armed. 145

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Jesse spun on his heel and ran. Gideon’s dark, low chuckle echoed after him and rolled through his body.

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CHAPTER 11 “Block the door,” Jesse said, as soon as he burst into the library. “Shut the door and block it.” “What?” Michelle’s voice. “Block the fucking door! Use the furniture. Use whatever you can find. Emma, come here.” He felt her heat first, her small hands light and soothing as she reached for his arm. She jumped at the first contact, then curled her fingers even more tightly around the muscle, a wash of worry flooding through the touch. “What’s wrong?” she whispered. “I’m not sure.” Jesse didn’t want to do it, but he made sure to block his mind from her. He was scared. She wouldn’t be 147

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able to miss that. But she didn’t need to know the depth of that fear. “Something…something happened to Gideon. He’s out there now, and we can’t let him get in here.” “What happened? If he’s hurt, we can’t just leave him out there.” “No, he’s not hurt. I don’t think he’s hurt.” Jesse lowered his voice to a soft whisper. “He’s feeding, Emma.” Even through the block he had on his feelings, he felt her confusion. It was a trapped animal, cowering in the corner, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. He didn’t know what he could do about it, though. He was terrified, too. “He wouldn’t do that here,” she insisted. “I know he feeds, but…not here, not now.” “He did do it here. I saw him. He…” Jesse wished he didn’t have to give this news. It was irrational. Emma needed to know the truth. But that didn’t mean he wanted to tell her. “He drained Rita.” “No…” The moving furniture that had been blocking the sounds of their conversation fell silent. Shuffling feet and whispers now filled the room, but Emma didn’t move away from him. He was grateful. He wasn’t so sure if his knees might not still give out from beneath him if she wasn’t there to help him stay up. “Did you get candles?” Jonah’s voice was close enough to make Jesse jump. “It’ll be easier to move stuff around if we could see what we’re doing.” Jesse looked down at the candles he still clutched in his hand. “Yeah. Here. Don’t let anybody leave.” 148

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After Jonah’s dry fingers appeared in the soft circle of light to take the candles, Emma pressed into Jesse’s side, stretching to whisper in his ear. “Maybe you were seeing things. Maybe it wasn’t Gideon.” Jesse stared at her. “You think I would mistake somebody else for Gideon?” “No, but Gideon wouldn’t kill somebody at his own party. Especially not Michelle’s girlfriend.” “But he did,” Jesse said with cold finality. “Now we’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Maybe he wasn’t himself. Maybe he just went insane. I don’t know. We need to get everybody out of here.” Dots of light began to appear through the library, revealing clusters of people throughout the library. He was startled to see John hovering near Emma’s elbow, and the sudden fear that he’d heard too much made Jesse straighten. Especially when John approached the rest of the way. “You might have some difficulty with that, Mr. Madding.” “Why? What’s going on?” Emma cast a dark look toward John. “Some people got tired of waiting for the lights to come back on. So they left already.” “Tried to leave,” John corrected. “I know you don’t wish to believe me, Ms. Coolidge, but I’m quite positive they didn’t get out.” “Why didn’t they get out? Is there something besides Gideon out there?” John’s gray eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press on Jesse’s 149

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comment. “A very powerful stasis spell. You can’t feel it?” Jesse was feeling a lot of things at that moment. Magic was not one of them. “I’m not…I can’t concentrate enough to feel it right now. I need to tell Michelle what happened. Then we’ve got to get everybody secured in here.” “Terry, Phil, and Cynthia are still out there somewhere,” Emma supplied. “It was Brian and Joel who left.” “Tried.” Emma whirled on John. The set of her jaw told Jesse that her patience finally snapped. “Can you go get Michelle, please? Do something useful instead of telling me everything that’s wrong tonight.” He cocked a brow and shook his head, looking more bemused than annoyed. Without saying a word, he melted into the darkness again. “If Gideon really did what you said he did, do you think he’s the one responsible for the lights going out, too?” “No. The doors slammed, too. Didn’t you hear them? He couldn’t have been responsible for that. Besides, Gideon…he doesn’t need the dark to hunt people.” “What’s going on?” Michelle demanded. From the edge in her tone, Jesse thought she must have heard at least half of his response. “Gideon…he’s feeding on people. His first victim was Rita.” “What?” Jesse swallowed. “Gideon is hunting.” “Then we’ll have to kill him.” The words were calm, but 150

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the fire in Michelle’s eyes did not come from the candles. “No.” Michelle’s face hardened and Jesse felt approximately three feet tall. “I have tolerated that monster in my city for the past century. That is a century too long, Jesse. He’s murdered an innocent woman. Even you can’t defend that.” “Not until he’s proven guilty.” Jesse replayed the meeting in his mind, searching for anything he could grasp, anything to make his case. “Look…John says there’s a powerful stasis spell on the house. Gideon can’t do that kind of magic. If he had tried, I would have known. I heard all of the doors slamming when the power went out. Gideon couldn’t have done that either. Plus…he didn’t seem to know me.” “How does any of that exonerate Gideon? How does any of that bring back Rita?” “There is something going on here. Gideon might be just as much of a victim as the rest of us.” “He’s a psychopath.” “He is not a psychopath. He didn’t even recognize me, Michelle.” Jesse pulled his collar down and tilted his head back. He kept his marks carefully hidden, if only because they disturbed so many people. Michelle, especially, did not like to see them. “He would know this.” He glanced at Emma. “I don’t doubt it was Gideon. But I am sure there was an explanation.” “What do you propose then, Jesse?” Michelle said, her voice brittle. “I propose I go out and find the five missing people before 151

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Gideon does. You two stay here and keep everybody safe. Michelle, you’re the only one strong enough here to protect them.” “You can’t go out there, Jess.” Emma clutched his arm. “You said it yourself. He didn’t recognize you.” “I won’t let him hurt me.” “You may not have a choice in the matter,” Michelle cut in. “I’ve never been afraid of Gideon before. And I don’t like it now.” Jesse knew they were both right, of course. He knew it was foolish. But he didn’t feel he had a choice. Somebody had to go get the five lost guests. Somebody had to save Gideon from Michelle’s wrath—and from himself. Somebody had to figure out what the hell was going on. He didn’t think there was anybody in the room more qualified than him. “Maybe John can figure out how to lift the spell so we can get out of here,” Emma suggested. “Or how to get the power back up. Or something.” “Right. Get the lights. Get everybody to safety. And I’ll see what I can learn from Gideon.” She rested her hand on his arm again. “Would it help if I came along? Maybe I can get through to Gideon.” “When you feel Gideon’s emotions, it’s because he lets you in. If I brought you to him now, he’d just…” Jesse swallowed, remembering the coldness of Gideon’s eyes. The way the blood had glimmered darkly on his lips. The low, knowing chuckle that still echoed in his ears. He could not let Emma near that. And she deserved to know why. “Honestly, 152

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he’d just think I brought him a special treat. Dessert.” Somehow, she paled in the candlelight. “Okay. But promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.” “I’ll be careful. I’ll be extremely careful. I’m going to need to arm myself with something.” Jesse rubbed his forehead. “Is there anything in here that can be used as a stake?” Emma looked around for a moment before darting off. The seconds she was gone ticked by interminably, especially with Michelle’s disapproving glare firmly fixed on him. When she returned, she had the crossbow they’d put on display along the wall, with the few bolts they had that went with it clutched in her hand. “I know it’s mostly for show, but you can use this, right?” Jesse almost smiled. “I forgot that was in here. Yeah. It still works, and I know how to use it.” He wrapped his arm around her, unmindful of the crossbow pressed awkwardly between them. Pressing his lips to her brow, he murmured, “I know you can feel me when I’m not close. But try to keep your walls up. I don’t…” He pulled back to meet her eyes. “I don’t want you to know how scared I am.” “I already know,” she whispered. She cupped the side of his face, and contrary to his instruction lowered all her walls to pour all her faith and love into him. “Just remember he’s still Gideon. Nobody knows him better than you and I do.” “I know.” Jesse couldn’t quite release her. Not yet. “He might…look, he might try a trick to get into this room, if he can’t just break down the door. If it’s me, if I want to come 153

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back inside, you’ll feel it. Okay?” She nodded and tilted her head up to brush a kiss across his mouth. “We’ll be here. And if John figures out a way to get us out, I’m going to open up so you know.” “I’ll be waiting for it.” Jesse finally moved away. He turned to Michelle, who was still watching him with hard features. She wasn’t just angry. He understood in that moment that she would never forgive Gideon, and if the vampire killed again, she wouldn’t forgive Jesse, either. “Don’t let anybody out.” “I shouldn’t let you out.” “I need to find them.” He squeezed Emma’s shoulder one final time, then turned toward the staircase. “I’ll go out the door on the second floor. Be sure to block that one behind me, too.” Emma followed him up the stairs, though Jesse felt the accusing gaze of everyone in the room as he ascended. They might not say the words, but the blame was there, oppressive and suffocating. It would almost be a relief to escape the library. Even if facing Gideon was the most terrifying thing he had ever done. Pressing his ear to the door, Jesse listened for noise on the other side but heard nothing. He pulled it open. The stale air of the unused second floor wafted through the exit. “I love you,” Emma said as he stepped outside. “And don’t forget, Gideon loves you, too.” “I know.” It was a fact he never forgot. And he couldn’t afford to forget it now. “I love you, too. And I’m counting on 154

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you to keep all of them calm, right? Panicked people do stupid things.” Like hunt vampires in the dark with a crossbow and a candle. Jesse shut the door and lit the candle he held. He strained his ears, knowing he would never hear Gideon, but hoping for signs from the remaining guests. After several seconds, he heard the unmistakable sound of a boot scraping across the hardwood floor. Jesse hurried to the stairs with light steps. A wall he didn’t remember loomed out of nowhere, forcing Jesse to an abrupt halt. He paused. Listened. The scraping was gone. Behind him, the low murmur from the library comforted him slightly, but he wasn’t interested in what lay behind him. He needed to focus on the front. The silence. The dark. The flame on his candle jumped unexpectedly. His skin jumped, too. After several seconds of listening, he heard it again, though it was more muffled now. He angled his body, feeling against the wall until it gave way to emptiness. The footfalls were a little bit louder here. But they were no longer alone. “It’s so easy to get turned around in here, don’t you think?” Gideon. His conversational tone made Jesse’s heart thump. “But don’t worry. I know this place like the back of my hand.” Jesse carefully felt out his first step down the staircase, listening for the response. It was a man’s voice. Joel? Jesse 155

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couldn’t really remember. He had only met him once. Jesse didn’t stop moving. “Oh. God. I’m glad you found us. The door is locked or something. We couldn’t open it.” “Old building,” Gideon assured. “You should see the dust all over everything upstairs.” Nervous laughter. From two men. Brian and Joel were both there. “That doesn’t mean there’s not a room or two all fixed up nice and cozy, though.” Gideon’s voice had shifted from concerned inquiry to something huskier, a purr more than anything else. “We can stay in one of those for now.” A moment of silence. Jesse wondered what was going on. “Just the three of us.” The purr in Gideon’s voice inspired equal amounts of fear, jealousy, and arousal. He tried to dismiss the latter two, but they lingered, sticky and oily. A few more careful steps, and he could see the three forms, outlined sharply against the light sneaking in from beneath the door and drapes. “Uh…well…just the three of us?” Joel’s voice again. “What about Emma?” “Or Jesse? You three are all together, right? I mean, Emma never said as much, but I saw you with him earlier tonight…” “But what kind of man would I be if I turned my back on two such beautiful specimens as yourselves?” Gideon edged forward, neatly pinning one of them to the wall while his hand disappeared between their bodies. “Especially when you don’t 156

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really want me to go.” Could he afford not to take the open shot? He leveled the crossbow, his finger slippery on the trigger. Everything froze in a surreal mural, but he couldn’t force himself to release the bolt. “Gideon.” One of the men jumped back, but the other was trapped by Gideon’s body. Jesse thought if he could ever smell fear, it would be now. There was no mistaking the alarm in the man’s struggle to get free. “Look who’s back.” Slowly, Gideon tilted his head in Jesse’s direction, though he didn’t move away from the wall. “Miss me already?” “Quite a bit, actually. Let him go, and I’ll show you how much.” “You interrupted my dinner. I’m not inclined to let you do it again.” “I’m only giving you one more warning, Gideon. I’m more fun than he is, anyway.” “Oh, a warning.” He looked back down at the man he held captive, his fangs descending. “You think I’ll get a demerit next? Why don’t we test him and see?” He struck. The man’s scream gargled in his throat. Jesse didn’t hesitate this time. He flexed his finger on the trigger and the bolt went flying, straight and true. Gideon wasn’t scared of him. But his Gideon knew he was a damned good shot. Especially because his Gideon made sure he trained for hours every week with distance weapons. The bolt buried 157

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itself in his back, just below his right shoulder. As soon as it found its mark, Jesse had the second one loaded. Gideon whirled with a growl, the man slumping to the floor. He didn’t pay any attention as the second slithered past to help his friend, his golden gaze locked on Jesse. “You’re trying awfully hard to get my attention, boy,” he warned. Jesse couldn’t help but shiver at the familiar epithet. “Gideon, you have no idea. Do I have it now?” Reaching over his shoulder, Gideon tore the bolt out of his flesh with a sickening squelch, curling his fingers around it. “Wrong question.” Jesse could still hear murmuring from downstairs. If he could hear the guests in the library, Gideon could, too. He needed to lure Gideon away from the library and away from the doors. Jesse didn’t think that would be a problem now. If he ran, Gideon would follow. “What’s the right question?” Gideon smiled. “It’s not whether or not you have my attention. It’s whether or not you want it.” The smile was cold enough to make his blood freeze. “Oh, that’s easy. I’ll always want your attention. I thought you would have figured that out by now. Can’t you smell me, Gideon? Can’t you smell yourself on me?” One foot rested on the lowest riser. His eyes narrowed. “I think I’d remember tasting a sweet morsel like you.” “I thought so, too.” The layout of the house wasn’t as clear as it could have been in Jesse’s mind. But he knew it well 158

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enough to know which direction he would have to run once he reached the top of the stairs. “Another taste might refresh your memory.” “When I get my fangs in you, it won’t be a taste, boy. You owe me dinner. And dessert.” “When you get your fangs in me, I might beg you not to stop. But…” Jesse blew out his candle with a puff of breath. “You’ve got to catch me first.” He scrambled up the stairs and raced toward the east side of the house, toward the service stairs. The creak of a floorboard betrayed Gideon’s presence, assuring him that the vampire was in pursuit. Jesse didn’t get nearly as far as he hoped he would. At the first turn, hands that were too familiar not to set his heart racing grabbed his shirt and slammed him face-first into the wall. His ears rang. The air vanished from his lungs. Gideon pressed hard to his back. “Somebody didn’t run very fast,” he hissed in Jesse’s ear. “No.” Jesse gasped for breath. He didn’t even bother to struggle. Gideon was far too solid against him. “The darkness slowed me down.” The bloody bolt Gideon had pulled out of his shoulder suddenly appeared at Jesse’s cheek, the tip drawing lightly over his skin. The path it left behind stung, but not enough to make him flinch. “Lies don’t become you, boy. You wanted me to catch you. You’re even hungrier for it than the dinner you interrupted.” 159

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“You mean Rita? I wish I had interrupted you sooner. Michelle wants to crucify you. Literally.” Gideon leaned farther in, crushing Jesse’s lungs so that his breaths came in shallow gasps. “You said those names earlier. Like they should mean something to me.” “They should.” He struggled for each word. “You’ve known Michelle for a long time.” “I don’t know any Michelle. And I never saw that woman I ate before I found her in the dining room.” “Gideon…what year is it?” He stilled. “That’s a stupid question.” “Yeah, it is. Humor me. Please?” Gideon vibrated from the frustrated growl in the back of his throat. But he wasn’t biting, at least. Jesse had to be grateful for that. “Eighteen-eighty. Now are you going to tell what exactly is going on here?” Jesse exhaled, wishing Gideon would ease off. “I…I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know. I’d like to figure it out though.” “By interrupting my feeding? Yeah, that’s really going to figure it out for you. Especially since I didn’t have anything to do with whatever this is.” “The woman you were feeding on was born in nineteensixty.” That was enough to loosen Gideon’s hold sufficient for Jesse to gulp at fresh air. But it didn’t last. He shoved Jesse into the wall again, this time his fingers bruising where they 160

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gripped the back of Jesse’s neck. “You better hope you’re wrong,” he spat. “Because if somebody is messing with magic on me, there’ll be hell to pay.” “I’m not wrong, Gideon. And you know I’m not lying. You could sense it if I were.” “All I can sense is…” He tore Jesse’s shirt slightly as he exposed the fresh marks. “I guess calling you dessert wasn’t quite fair. You’re the main course.” Jesse resisted the automatic impulse to bare his throat to Gideon. He could not tilt his head. Gideon would accept the silent invitation. “I’ve been the main course before. Gideon…” He wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to convince Gideon he was telling the truth, but it didn’t matter. The sudden twinge of warmth in the center of his chest stole his breath. Emma. The heat blossomed beneath his skin, sending sparks of electricity through his veins. Gideon jerked, as if the sparks shooting through Jesse had leapt through his skin to shock Gideon as well. Then it dawned on Jesse that it probably had. It was difficult for Emma to read vampires, but physical contact made it more than possible, especially with Gideon. “What the fuck was that?” He wrapped his arms around Jess and simply held him for a moment. It was so like the life he knew that Jesse almost relaxed. “You feel like…” Jesse wasn’t about to volunteer information. “Feel like what?” 161

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Abruptly, Gideon let him go, stepping back. Jesse turned around as swiftly as he could, but the look of awe in the vampire’s eyes made his hands freeze. “I’ve heard about it. But…” His head turned, staring off into the darkness of the house. “You’ve got an empath in here.” “And if you think I’m going let you near her, you’re mistaken.” Jesse leveled the crossbow at Gideon’s thigh and fired. “Sorry about that. But you are faster than I am.” Jesse threw the now useless crossbow at Gideon’s head and sprinted toward the back of the house.

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CHAPTER 12 Emma’s excitement about John’s progress lasted only long enough for her to reach the second stair, on her way down to tell Michelle that it was working. Then, the fear that burned through her almost made her fall, and her hand shot out to grip the railing as she fought against the nausea rising in the back of her throat. She recognized that fear. Not because it was her own. It wasn’t. She knew it because she’d experienced it before, in a time she’d hoped to forget, in a city she never planned on visiting again. It came from Jesse. This was his, garroting her into near helplessness. Though he rarely let her into such tumultuous 163

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emotions after the incidents in New York with Marcus Brooker, she still recognized this particular flavor of fear. He only felt this crippling terror when it came to someone he loved. Those numbered two in the world—her and Gideon. Gideon wasn’t in danger from anyone right now. He was the threat. Her head whipped around, staring at the door they’d barricaded. That meant she was the one Jesse was worried about. From Gideon? But Gideon wouldn’t hurt her. Gideon wasn’t himself. Jesse had said so. He’d seen it with his own eyes. Emma flew down the rest of the stairs, racing for Michelle. “We need to get out of here,” she panted as she grabbed Michelle’s arm. Michelle gently pulled away from her. “Does John have the barricade completely down?” “No. I don’t know. He’s gotten farther. But we have to move to another room.” Another wave from Jesse hit her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Now.” “Right. Is there a room that’s more secure? We can’t move too far. We’ll risk losing people.” “We need something more defensible, with just one door.” Emma wracked her brain, trying to push past Jesse’s barreling emotions to consider the possibilities. Trying to grasp them was like trying to fish with her bare hands—they kept slipping out of her grip just when she thought she had a hold. “There’s a living room on the other side of the foyer. There’s only one way in and out, and the windows open out onto the front yard. 164

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We could go there.” “Okay. Good. We’ll get the door unblocked, then you and Derek should lead the way to the living room. He won’t let anything happen to you. John and I will bring up the rear. Gideon can’t hurt either one of us; we’ll make sure he doesn’t flank us.” Michelle sounded calm, but she slammed her fist against her open palm. “Goddamn him. I shouldn’t have let Jesse go out there.” “Gideon won’t hurt him. He’d never hurt him.” “He’s already hurt him,” Michelle snapped. “I should go after them once we get everybody settled. Jesse…he has no idea what he’s facing.” They didn’t have time to be arguing about this—the fear was still there like ash in the back of her throat—but Emma hated when Michelle got like this. “Nobody knows Gideon like Jesse does. He’ll stop him. Not you. You’re not thinking straight right now.” Michelle’s lips pulled into a thin frown that would have been a clear warning, any other time. “I’ll go help John move while you tell everybody what’s going on.” She looked around the room. “Hopefully we’ll pick up the few guests we’re still missing along the way.” Emma watched Michelle head purposefully away, already regretting they were at each other’s throats like they were. She wanted to console Michelle about Rita’s death, not argue about issues she was clearly biased on. There was a reason Gideon was acting out like this. Emma had to trust that Jesse was going to find it in time. 165

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*

*

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Jesse was extremely fit. He had to be, because of his role in Gideon’s life. If Gideon was chasing a vampire through Chicago’s streets, Jesse needed to be able to keep up. If Gideon wanted to fuck from dawn to dusk, Jesse needed to be able to keep up then, too. But he could not remember the last time he had sprinted like this. The fear and adrenaline pumping through his veins helped considerably, but all the adrenaline in the world couldn’t counter the endless flights of stairs. He took Gideon up to the third floor, through the east wing, back down to the second floor, across to the service stairs, and into the kitchen. He heard Gideon behind him. For once, the dark house was his ally. It sharpened his other senses, especially his ears. And it betrayed Gideon with every creaking step of the ancient wood. Jesse paused long enough in the kitchen to grab a long knife from the sink. His stomach flipped with revulsion as he closed his fingers around the sturdy handle. He was running from Gideon. He was gathering weapons to defend himself from the one man in the world he trusted without reservation. He still trusted Gideon. Gideon knew him, even if he couldn’t remember him. That didn’t mean Jesse wanted to be stupid about the whole thing. He raced out of the kitchen, and hit the back door at full force. The doorknob turned easily into his hand, and he nearly fell into the thick night air. 166

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“Well, well, well…” Gideon’s mocking tone followed him into the back yard. “Someone’s got hidden talents.” Jesse did not want to turn Gideon loose on the unsuspecting public. But he couldn’t let him return to the house, either. Jesse eyed the small church. Gideon had been fascinated by churches before he met Mary. He didn’t have any doubts that the vampire would follow him into this one. Especially since Jesse would be cornering himself. The night had grown chilly without the sun, but the shivers undulating down his spine had nothing to do with the damp air. The stitch in his side ached as he rounded the corner of the house, and for a brief second, he wondered if John had managed to stretch the boundaries all the way to the street, or if they would quit some time before he reached the front door of the chapel. He could be stuck outside with nowhere left to run. This version of Gideon would love that. He flat-handed the door and felt it give. Even inside, however, he still felt like he could hear Gideon right behind him. Jesse didn’t stop running until he reached the altar. He made sure to have it between him and the door as he doubled over and gasped for breath. Would he even be able to fight Gideon if he had to in this state? He thought of Emma, waiting in the library. He’d find the energy. A fresh draft fluttered across the altar. Jesse took one last gulp and straightened, though he hugged the wall, sticking to the shadows. “Oh, now I’m beginning to believe that just maybe you are 167

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mine.” Gideon sounded amused more than anything else. “Not enough windows, though. There’s something about moonlight through stained glass that just makes me…” He growled, a purely sexual sound. Jesse’s pulse had been returning to normal, but it spiked now. The cocktail of terror and arousal and endorphins pounding through his body made his muscles ache. “I thought you might like it in here. There’s something about seeing you under the stained glass.” It surprised him when Gideon remained in the doorway, an outline of black against black. “Nice try. I can’t smell anything of me in here.” Silence. “All I smell is you. Are you hard, boy? Does making me angry get you excited?” Jesse flashed to the day he calmly handed Gideon a doorknob coated in obsidian—an act that not only lowered the vampire’s inhibitions, but also infuriated him in the process. Jesse never had any regrets about that. In fact, he would have done it again, if necessary. “Yes.” He chuckled. “You’ve got nerve, I’ll give you that. Maybe a little bit in love with death, too. Should I give you what you want? I’m thinking yes.” “No. I can’t help you figure out what’s going on here if I’m dead. Somebody has done something to you, Gideon. Somebody has stolen over a hundred years from you.” “Or maybe they’ve given them back. Maybe this is all just a way to clean a dirty slate.” He caught a flash of something white. A moment later, he realized it was Gideon’s fangs. 168

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“You know me so well, you must know my slate’s as dirty as they come.” “I know you better than anybody else, Gideon.” Jesse decided not to mention that Gideon’s slate had taken on a different hue over the past half-century. He didn’t think the vampire would be swayed by appeals to his better nature. “And the Gideon I know would never let somebody magic away a quarter of his existence.” “How do I know it’s not you? You knew the way around the house, which suggests it’s yours. You could be behind all of this.” “I would never do anything to harm you like this,” Jesse said immediately. “Never. If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t have shot you in the shoulder or the leg. This house is yours, Gideon. Ours.” Moonlight appeared in the doorway. Jesse tried to ignore the sudden thump of his heart. Gideon had moved, faster than Jesse could see, but which direction had he gone? There were too many shadows inside the chapel for him to tell, and not a sound to be heard except for the roaring of his own blood. “You’re lying.” Jesse’s head snapped to left. Gideon was closer now. It sounded like he was on the far aisle, maybe halfway up. “Why would I let a pet carry weapons?” Gideon continued. “How stupid do you think I am?” “You’ve trained me to fight, to take care of myself. You trust me because I’ve never given you reason not to.” Jesse held up the knife, letting it reflect the moonlight so Gideon 169

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could see it. “And I trust you to take care of me.” He very deliberately lowered the kitchen knife to the altar, leaving himself unarmed. “You’re an idiot, then.” He hadn’t moved. “The only people who trust me are the ones who end up dead.” “I’ve trusted you with my life for five years now. I’ve never regretted it.” Jesse moved toward his dark form. If Gideon really intended to kill him, it wouldn’t matter if they had twelve feet, six feet, or six inches between them. “You saved my life, and that was it. I belonged to you.” “But you’re still a pet. You have a collar, right?” “Yes, I do. You didn’t have me wear it tonight.” Jesse extended his arm and rolled up his sleeve. “You’ve also marked me with this tattoo.” He didn’t know if Gideon saw it. If Gideon even looked at it. If he’d lost a hundred years, there was no way to know if the entwining dragons would mean anything to him at all. But he had to try. He had to show him. “Answer me this, then, pet. I own you, you trust me. Why stop me from feeding if I’m hungry? Jealous, are we?” “A bit jealous, yes. But the people in the house tonight are our friends. Well, mostly my friends. If you had your memory, you wouldn’t eat them. Plus, I am a little worried for you. Michelle…she’s a Guardian, and you killed her girlfriend. She hasn’t retaliated because I begged her to give me a chance.” “Wait.” The order made Jesse freeze automatically. “Are you telling me there’s a Guardian and an empath in the house? Is it my birthday or something?” 170

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“The Guardian in that house is waiting for an excuse to slam a stake through your heart. You have a long history with her. And believe me, I would do anything to stop a fight between the two of you.” “Anything?” “To keep you safe? Yes.” Jesse cried out when a large hand curled around the back of his neck and yanked him forward. He fell against Gideon’s large frame, palms on his chest to brace himself from being crushed. Gideon’s mouth brushed over his ear, tantalizingly familiar, especially when the tip of Gideon’s tongue traced the upper whorls almost delicately. “Bring me the empath then.” Gideon cupped Jesse’s ass and kneaded the flesh. “Do that and I’ll walk away. No more death, no more bloodshed. I’ll take you someplace nice and dark, and thank you properly for proving what a good pet you are.” Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for Gideon’s reaction. “No. I won’t bring her to you.” Gideon went completely motionless, his grip like steel. “Did you just deny me, boy?” “I’m sorry. I can’t bring her to you. I can’t let you hurt her.” “So much for trust.” The words were a snarl. “I should just drain you and be done with it.” Jesse raised his chin and met Gideon’s flashing eyes. “Maybe you should. After everything I’ve told you, you still don’t trust me. If you did, you would understand that I must 171

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have a damned good reason for what I said. Whatever is happening to you is not permanent. If I don’t get the chance to figure it out, Michelle or John will. Then you can spend the rest of your existence knowing you destroyed somebody who is completely and utterly invested in you. What do I have to do to make you understand that all I care about, the only thing I care about in this world, is what’s best for you?” Gideon clenched his jaw. “What can you do?” His voice crawled over Jesse’s skin, leaving the hair standing up in its wake. “I think you’ve done plenty already, boy. You’ve shot me. Twice. You’ve interrupted my feeding. Twice. You walked out of a house that none of the other humans seem to be able to get out of, and now you’ve refused to give me the one thing I ask for.” With a violent thrust, he tossed Jesse back into the pulpit, sending him crashing against the altar. It didn’t hurt so much as knock the wind out of Jesse’s lungs, and spots danced in front of his eyes as Gideon melted again into the blackness. “What’s best for me is to find out what exactly is going on here.” His voice drifted from the doorway, and he blocked the moonlight yet again from spilling inside. “And if I find out that it really is you behind this magic, I won’t throw you away next time until after I’ve ripped your heart out. Whether you’re my pet or not.” Jesse blinked. The doorway was empty again. It hurt. Not the violence, but his words. Gideon had never doubted him before, and now he was all but openly accusing 172

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Jesse of something…appalling. Jesse pulled himself to his feet. Of course, it was silly to be hurt by that. Gideon couldn’t remember him. Gideon didn’t know that Jesse would never betray him. Fresh fear clutched him. Fear for Emma, because Gideon would go right to her. And fear for Gideon, because Michelle would plant herself between the vampire and the empath, and he knew Gideon would not walk away from that fight. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How could he stop the imminent bloodbath? Jesse didn’t know, but he knew he owed it to Gideon and to Emma to do anything he could. Even if that meant risking his own life. *

*

*

The night was cool, and Gideon stuffed his hands in his pockets in a vain attempt to retain the warmth he’d stolen from feeding earlier. He wasn’t cold. He was furious. Frustrated with the pet he obviously kept, and livid that he had no idea what was going on here. Some of what the boy said was indisputable. He wore Gideon’s mark. Some of the scars on the boy’s pretty neck were years old. Gideon had kept him around, longer than he’d ever kept any other pet before. He had a tattoo, a pair of dragons that looked very similar to a brand Gideon had seen when he’d been traveling through the Orient. Whether he realized the significance or not, Gideon didn’t know, but it couldn’t be an accident that he bore both the tattoo and the bite. 173

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He’d also tossed aside his weapon to show his allegiance. He’d braved approaching, knowing Gideon could kill him at any time. His fear had been about fearing the unknown, not truly fearing him. That in and of itself was maddening, but clearly something was different about this particular pet if Gideon had kept him around for so long. What he didn’t know was whether or not the boy was the one responsible for the magic. There were others in the house—the empath he was so protective of, the Guardian he claimed was the mate of the woman Gideon had eaten first— so it was entirely possible that one of them was the source of all the problems. But Gideon had seen the two young men fight to leave the house. Knew they couldn’t. And this one had run out the back door without even batting an eyelash. It was time to take stock of the rest of them. Starting with the empath. An anguished cry shattered the silence around him. He knew that sort of scream—it was a combination of pain, fear, and surprise, with an edge of desperation. A second scream, more wild than the first, followed. But it also had some sort of a shape. He recognized the distinct sound of his name. There was only one source for that distressed cry. The boy he had left in the church. It could have been a trick. If the boy was powerful enough to erase a century from Gideon’s memory, he was devious enough to try and distract him in other ways. But the third scream—louder, blood-curdling, choking off 174

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in mid-utterance of his name—spurred Gideon’s muscles to react. He whirled, raced back in the chapel’s direction. The doorway was still open, and he raced through, only to grind to a shocked halt on the opposite side of the threshold. The other man wasn’t on the floor where Gideon had left him. He was stretched across the large cross that hung above the altar, his arms bound to the crucifix, his feet crossed on the bottom. His shirt hung off his shoulders in tatters, as though a very large, very angry animal had ripped at him with vicious claws. The scars winding around his stomach and chest shocked Gideon—it didn’t seem like anybody could survive the sort of trauma that would inflict those types of wounds. As Gideon stood there, the invisible claw that had destroyed the boy’s shirt attacked again. Three evenly spaced gashes opened from his shoulder to his chest. He screamed a fourth time, trying to twist away from the unknown attacker. The fresh gush of blood sparked something dark and primal in Gideon’s gut. With a roar, he leapt forward, racing up the center aisle to launch himself at the pulpit. He almost expected to hit an invisible wall. At the very least, he expected to encounter whatever beast was attacking the boy. He didn’t. He reached the cross to meet brilliant blue eyes fixed on him in hopeful anguish. “Gideon…” A breeze tickled across his nape, solidifying into an almost tangible force. Covering the boy’s body with his own was pure instinct, and he grunted both against the pain of the cross burning into his hands where he grasped the crucifix and the 175

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raw sting of claws raking over his back. Gideon braced himself for another attack, but he felt nothing. He thought he heard a hiss of frustration, but it was difficult to pick out anything over the boy’s pounding heart and his frightened gasps. His nostrils flared, and he strained for any clue of what could be in the church with them. But whatever it was didn’t have a scent. That unsettled Gideon most of all. How could something exist and not have some sort of scent? “Gideon?” Ignoring the plea, Gideon let go, turning around to scan the interior, though being sure to block the cross from any further attack. The disturbance in the air was gone. Shadows rested motionless. The only odors were the boy’s blood and his own scorched palms. “You won’t win today,” he announced loudly. Whether the invisible creature heard him or not, he didn’t care. He wasn’t willing to run the risk of conceding in case it was still present. “You won’t win ever. This one’s mine. Attack him again, and you won’t walk away, whatever you are.” The cross rattled against the wall as the boy struggled against the ropes that bound him to the wood. Gideon turned to face him, and he immediately stilled. He looked down from his perch with anxious eyes. “Your hands. Are you okay?” He didn’t want the boy’s pity. “What was that?” Holding him firmly around the waist, Gideon tugged at his wrist bonds until they fell to the floor. “Someone else you’ve annoyed tonight?” 176

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“I don’t know what it was.” His arms fell to his side, but Gideon didn’t let him go. “I checked the house for spirits and anything mystical before we bought it. Everything was clean. Michelle didn’t sense anything tonight when she arrived. John didn’t sense the stasis spell until after the power went out.” He undid the other wrist, bearing the man’s weight as he eased him off the cross without touching it any further. “Good to know magic practitioners can still be so inept.” Sitting back on his heels, he pushed aside the tatters of the ripped shirt in order to look at the fresh injuries. His mouth watered, but he ignored the sudden raw hunger in order to sate his curiosity instead. “What the hell was the panic for? There’s no way you’re mine and haven’t felt worse.” He looked down. “Oh, I have. And not just by your hand. But whatever it was…it picked me up, sent me flying across the room, and had me tied to the cross before I even knew what was happening. I’ve been…in a worse situation, but this time, I didn’t know if…anybody would come for me.” It occurred to Gideon that the boy could have staged this entire thing, but in the end, dismissed it. What purpose would it serve? It had been genuine fear rolling off him when Gideon had stormed back into the chapel. He had no idea he would be rescued in time. It was a dangerous game to play, and though the boy clearly enjoyed dangerous games, this was not one of them. Unable to resist any longer, Gideon reached out and dragged his finger through the blood dripping from the nearest cut. The boy shuddered at the touch, but the scent exploding 177

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from his pores was no longer fear. By the time Gideon brought his wet finger up to his mouth to clean it off, he knew the boy was aroused. “What’s your name?” “This is so weird,” he murmured, before meeting Gideon’s gaze. “Jesse.” Gideon cocked a brow. “This is the part of the night you’re calling weird?” Jesse snorted. “Yes. We’ve been through a lot of shit, but this is the first time I’ve ever had to re-introduce myself to you.” “Maybe next time, you should be the one to lose decades of your memory. Even up the score a bit.” Jesse tentatively touched the side of Gideon’s face with cool fingertips. “If we’re ever in this situation again, I’ll try to be the first in line. Though I don’t fancy forgetting about you.” He remained still during the caress, neither leaning into it nor pushing him away. His mouth prickled from the heat, however, and his nostrils flared as the blood continued to flow. “This doesn’t actually answer any of my questions, you know. It just gives me new ones.” “I don’t have the answers right now, Gideon.” Jesse straightened, leaning forward earnestly. His new position brought their mouths closer, and his breath was warm as it fanned across Gideon’s skin. “I’m sorry. But I’ll find them for you. That’s what I do.” “I didn’t ask you to.” 178

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Jesse’s brow furrowed. “What makes you think you have to ask me?” “I don’t. And maybe that’s what you do, but as far as I’m concerned, I work alone.” Jesse flinched, like Gideon had laid an open-handed slap across his face. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that. I worked for you for a year before you really started to trust me. But I don’t have the luxury of a year to convince you now.” He pushed himself to his feet, blood still dripping down his chest. “You may not think you need me, but there are people in that house who do.” When Jesse swayed, Gideon’s hand shot out and caught his wrist. “You’re in no shape to go anywhere just yet.” He stood, though he kept getting distracted by the scarlet streaks running down Jesse’s stomach. “We at least need to get you cleaned off.” Jesse moved to shrug off his torn shirt, but when he tried to pull his wrist free of Gideon’s fingers, Gideon only tightened his grip. Seemingly unperturbed by Gideon’s steel fingers, Jesse held a piece of his shirt in his other hand and wiped the drying blood from his stomach. “I’m in fine shape.” He rolled his eyes. “I let go, and you’ll fall on your ass.” When Jesse continued to try and clean away the blood, Gideon batted his hand away. “Come here.” Without waiting for a response, he hauled him toward the front pew. He pushed him to sit first, then rested his free hand on Jesse’s shoulder to make him lay down. The blood immediately switched direction, rolling across his ribs in order 179

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to trickle down his side. Gideon tamped down the hungry growl that rose in his throat. Leaning down, he caught the blood with the tip of his tongue and licked a path back up Jesse’s body. The sound Jesse made was definitely not one of protest. He gasped, his back arching slightly off the pew. His flesh throbbed against Gideon’s mouth as his heart began to race, the blood tantalizingly close to the surface. The smell of Jesse’s arousal was almost as enticing as the rich aroma of his blood as Gideon’s tongue moved closer and closer to the cuts. At the first edge of ragged torn skin, Gideon clamped his mouth over the injury and sucked. His fangs were retracted, but he didn’t need to bite to get a steady stream across his tongue or down his throat. Jesse’s hand rested on the back of his scalp, holding him in place, pulling him even tighter, and the needy sounds that came from his lips made Gideon’s cock jump. “Oh…” Jesse’s fingers curled against his scalp as Gideon lifted his head, but the soft protest was barely past Jesse’s lips before Gideon closed his mouth over the second wound. Gideon felt himself warm as he swallowed more of the rich fluid. Jesse’s body tightened with each second, lifting higher from the bench as if straining for more contact. He sat back before he reached the final cut, licking the last of the blood away from his bottom lip. Jesse tried to pull him back, but Gideon refused him the satisfaction and pressed a hand to his hip to pin him to the pew. “I’ve tasted you before.” He was stating the obvious, since 180

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it was clear he’d bitten the boy before, but the surprise of it, the realization that he actually knew the nuances of his blood was more unsettling than he expected. Jesse studied his face for a moment before the corner of his mouth lifted. “Yes. As recently as this morning.” He raked his gaze over the scars again, this time noting how they twisted in patterns he would never call familiar. He’d hurt a lot of humans in his time, branded them, even this one, but these weren’t marks he would ever inflict on someone and let them live. They would have run deep. They would have hurt, and not in the good way. “You really have no idea who’s fucking with me?” he asked, dragging his eyes back up to Jesse’s. “No, I don’t.” Jesse didn’t look away from him. “Not a single clue. Everything was normal until just a few hours ago. And then the power went out and everything went to hell.” “Normal. You and me living together. That’s normal.” “Yes. We’ve lived together for over two years now. You were rather insistent on that point. But I was easily convinced.” Boggled. That was the only word that could describe how Gideon felt. He’d never allowed another person to get close enough for any length of period to have a long relationship, yet according to Jesse, he’d been in Gideon’s life for five years now. Even more bewildering was the notion that they’d met because Gideon had saved his life. He must have seen something in this one from the start. 181

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“This whole night is fucked up.” He stole a glance at the prominent line of Jesse’s erection before swinging his gaze back up again. It was hard not to keep staring at the man’s body. Even with the scars—or maybe, oddly enough, because of them—it twisted Gideon up inside, made him want to lay claim to the flesh in every possible way. “So what are we going to do about it?” “John’s been working on lifting the stasis spell while I’ve been with you. Hopefully, he’ll have that completed soon so we can clear everybody out. Most of my library was lost in a fire last month, but I should have a few helpful texts, not to mention the aid of Michelle and John. We’ll figure out how to kill it. Then you can kill it. I think it’s a good plan and…” Jesse paused and blinked. “Oh. Wait. You asked what we are going to do about it. We’re a we now?” He’d said it automatically, but being called on it, seeing the soft expectation in Jesse’s face, made Gideon weigh what he’d said. “According to you, it’s been we for a long time. Who am I to disagree with what I can see and taste?” He straightened, holding out his hand in offering to help Jesse rise. Jesse’s fingers closed around his, trusting and sure. He let Gideon pull him to his feet, but didn’t pull away, letting his body press against Gideon’s. Jesse was nearly as tall as Gideon, and their mouths were even. Jesse looked down to his lips, then lifted his gaze to Gideon’s eyes. “Can I?” he asked. The pet was afraid Gideon would say no. He didn’t need to 182

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feel the slight quiver in his muscles to know that much was true. It was actually a little endearing, and for a moment, memory didn’t make a difference. He leaned closer and brushed his mouth over Jesse’s, sweeping his tongue along as well so that he tasted the man’s heat, too. “I still expect some explanations, though,” he said when he pulled back. “Don’t think I’ve just forgotten everything that’s happened tonight.” Jesse nodded. “I can explain a few things now. I made it out of the house because John has been working on the spell. I stopped you from feeding because of Michelle. I just…didn’t want her to try to hurt you. The last thing we need is a fight during all of this shit.” Gideon snorted. “I’m not afraid of a Guardian. All they do is play with their books all day.” “She does spend a lot of time with her books. And keeping me away from her books. Even so, I think when we go in there, it’ll be best if I talk to her and convince her to keep her distance.” The temptation to be contrary was great, but Gideon let it go. “Hey,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I can play nice when I have to.” His mouth canted slyly. “Especially if I have a distraction like an empath waiting in the wings.” Jesse took a deep breath. “Yes. About her. The empath’s name is Emma. She’s…been living with the two of us for several months now. I love her, and so do you. And she loves you very much.” He could’ve gotten angry. The boy had withheld what 183

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Gideon considered vital information. He had every right to punish him, then go take what was rightfully his anyway. But it was that last detail that stopped Gideon. The empath was already his. A slow grin spread across his face. Maybe a hundred years from now, the high of being with an empath might not be such a big deal, but right here, right now, he wanted to experience it for himself. “Then let’s not keep the girl waiting.” He jerked his head to the doorway. “Ready?” Jesse looked down to his naked, stained chest. For a moment, Gideon thought Jesse would actually tell him no. But then he looked up with a small smile. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

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CHAPTER 13 The library door was hanging open like a drooling mouth. Jesse stopped short, and Gideon almost ran into him. For a moment, it looked like the room had simply disappeared. Like it had all been swallowed into a black vortex, leaving nothing but an abyss to stare back at Jesse. Unblinking. Considering everything he went through that night, it didn’t even seem like an unlikely explanation. In that second, it seemed entirely possible for a room, for almost twenty people, for the other half of Jesse’s life, to simply disappear from the Earth. Then everything righted itself, and it was just a dark room. Jesse spun away from it. “Where are they? Do you hear them?” 185

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Slowly, Gideon swiveled his head until he stared through the darkness behind them. For a split second, his eyes glowed from the flickering flame of Jesse’s lighter, but then they passed into shadow again, dark and intent. “That way. Well, most of them anyway.” He glanced at the ceiling. “There’s a couple upstairs, too.” Jesse’s brow furrowed with confusion. Emma must have moved them. After Jesse had channeled all of his fear her direction. The confusion turned into a grimace. It was the only warning system they had, but he was still sorry. That much terror might have been crippling. “Oh, the living room. Do you mind waiting in the library? It’ll be easier if I bring her to you.” It made him a little uncomfortable how excited Gideon looked at the suggestion. “How long are you going to be?” “I don’t know. I have to tell Michelle and John what happened to me, and make sure none of the guests were injured.” And get Emma past Michelle, though Jesse didn’t think Gideon would want to hear that somebody in the house would keep him from what he believed was rightfully his. “I guess about thirty minutes.” Some of his mood faded. “Thirty minutes? I don’t like having you out of my sight for that long. Anything could happen.” “I don’t like being out of your sight for thirty minutes.” It would be easier if he could just explain, but Jesse’s goal for the next hour was to avoid an epic battle between Michelle and Gideon. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” 186

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Before Jesse could turn away, Gideon gripped the back of Jesse’s neck and pulled him close, pressing a hard, fast kiss to his mouth. “Be back quicker.” “I will be,” Jesse said automatically, his lips tingling. He didn’t know if he had any sort of effect on Gideon—it was difficult to read to him. Unnervingly so. But he knew what Gideon was doing to him—making him all tight and hard. He forced himself to turn away and head to the living room. As he moved closer to the door, he could hear the low murmur of voices. The knob turned, but the door wouldn’t budge. He smiled and tapped on the solid wood. “Emma?” The voices grew louder, followed by the scraping of furniture. When the door opened, Emma launched herself through it, but stopped short of throwing her arms around him when she saw the slashes across his chest. “Oh, my God…” A wave of terror slammed into him for a split second before she threw her walls up. Emma grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut behind him. “What happened?” Jesse pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, unmindful of the way it stung his chest. She immediately returned the embrace. At first, he couldn’t answer her. Relief clogged his throat, and he just wanted to absorb her warmth and the way her hair smelled. “I’m fine. There’s…something in the house. A spirit, maybe. It got a piece of me, but…Gideon stopped it from being worse.” “Gideon?” Her dark eyes tilted up to his, hope gleaming in 187

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their depths. “Is he…” She lowered her voice. “Are things okay now?” He matched her tone. “In the sense that I don’t think anybody else is going to die. He thinks it’s eighteen-eighty. It took some doing, but I convinced him that he could trust me.” He was glad Emma still had her walls up. He didn’t want her to know how irrationally hurt he had been when it was obvious Gideon didn’t trust him—didn’t even want anything to do with him. “But he’s waiting to see you.” She glanced furtively at the door behind him, then back over her shoulder where Michelle and John kept looking in their direction. “I’m not sure how that’s going to happen. Michelle isn’t letting anybody out of her sight. Brian and Joel came back and told everybody what happened. She’s out for blood.” “I don’t suppose they talked up my heroic rescue?” “Only in the sense that you had to shoot Gideon in order to get him to stop.” “Well, it was more of an effort to get him to chase me. As for Michelle…I figured as much. Does John have the stasis spell lifted? If so, I think she can escort our guests out to their cars.” “He’s not sure. He says he can still feel it there, but it feels—” “Broken.” John materialized at her shoulder, his features as smooth as ever. “The magic’s quite powerful, so I haven’t been able to dissolve it completely. But if I’m correct, there should be holes in the barrier now for people to get out 188

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through.” “Good. Because, believe it or not, Gideon is not the most dangerous thing in this house.” “What happened to you?” Michelle demanded, suddenly at his arm. “Something in the chapel…it might have been a spirit or a demon. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to send me flying across the room, tie me to the cross, and did this.” He gestured at his chest. Emma’s eyes widened, but it was John who posed the question. “What on earth were you doing outside, Mr. Madding?” “I felt something from Emma. I couldn’t know for sure, but I hoped that meant the doors would open. I wanted to draw Gideon out of the house.” “And you say…a spirit did that to you?” John looked skeptical. “Gideon’s already killed once tonight. Attacked others. How do we know you’re not covering for him?” “I practically had to bleed to convince Gideon I could be trusted. I’m sure as hell not going through the same thing with you, John. At least he had the excuse of losing over a century of memories.” His smile was thin. “Which is precisely why I choose to exercise caution right now.” Emma whirled to face him, bright with indignation. “Don’t you think we have better things to be doing right now rather than arguing about how trustworthy Jesse is? He says Gideon isn’t a threat. That should be enough.” 189

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“Maybe it’s not enough. If Gideon were a threat, he’d be in here right now, threatening you. But he’s not. Fuck. Look at these marks. Gideon doesn’t have a claw, and if he did, the talons wouldn’t be spaced this far apart.” “So where is Gideon now, Mr. Madding?” Jesse glanced at Michelle. “He’s waiting for me to bring him news about whatever attacked me. I had hoped that between the two of you, you might have sensed something. Because, honestly, I’ve never come across anything like this. I don’t even know where to start.” “We start with getting everybody out of here,” Emma announced, turning to Michelle. “Can you start taking groups of people out to their cars? Now that Jesse is back, we’ve got more people to be on the alert in case something else happens while you’re gone.” Jesse took a deep breath. “I’m not going to tell you where Gideon is. I will tell you that there’s a force in this house powerful enough to throw me around like a rag doll and wipe Gideon’s mind. And all these people are at risk. So will you please help escort them to safety?” Michelle didn’t look happy about the situation. Jesse didn’t care. He was deeply unhappy about the entire fucking mess, and the seconds were quickly ticking away. He returned her stare, unflinching and unblinking, until she turned toward the room and clapped her hands together. “Come on. It’s time to move out.” Derek was the first to stride over, Jonah at his side. “What’s this?” When Jesse quickly gave him the rundown, he 190

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shook his head. “I’m not going. Get Jonah out of here, but you’re going to need as much manpower as you can get.” “If you’re staying, I’m staying,” Jonah argued. His eyes darted to Jesse. “I can use any one of those weapons you showed me if I have to.” Jesse hesitated. On the one hand, he trusted Derek, and God knew he was right. They would need manpower. On the other hand, he had no idea how Gideon would react to the two of them moving around the house. Especially somebody as young and pretty as Jonah. He didn’t mind gambling with his own life, and Emma was far too precious to Gideon to be at risk, but he wasn’t so sanguine about putting his friends in danger. “You can stay if you want.” He pulled Derek closer and lowered his voice. “Gideon doesn’t remember you or anybody here. He’s not hunting now, but I can’t even begin to control him.” Derek wasn’t stupid. He glanced back at his nephew, his mouth tight. “He won’t listen to me if I try to kick him out of here. If I know Jonah, he’ll sneak back in.” Derek sighed, shaking his head. “You do not want to hear about some of the shit I’ve caught him doing.” He actually did, but it wasn’t the time. “Just keep an eye on him. I think Gideon is more caught up in whatever is fucking around with him, anyway.” And Emma. Jesse looked at her and felt a twinge in his chest. Gideon would want to bite her. Jesse knew he couldn’t stop him from 191

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doing just that. He wouldn’t stop Gideon even if he could. Because there was the chance Gideon would never get his memory back at all. Marking Emma as his would be in her best interest. “Where are you keeping weapons?” Derek asked. “Are they somewhere we can get them?” “It’ll be easier for us to go get them than it’ll be to tell you where they are. You help Michelle, and we’ll be back soon. Emma?” He waved her back to his side, and closed his fingers around her arm. “We need to go get weapons and my books.” He didn’t give her a chance to answer before pulling her out into the dark hall. “He’s waiting in the library.” She pulled forward, her eagerness only checked when she hesitated. “Are you coming, too?” “Yeah. I don’t know if he’ll let me stay, though. I don’t know what he’ll do at all.” “Why wouldn’t he let you stay?” “Because he doesn’t…he’s not the same. I want to be clear on that, Emma. He’s not the same at all. Don’t go into that room expecting that he is.” Her eyes looked huge in her face. “So why does he want to see me then?” “You’re an empath. You know how vampires feel about empaths. He sensed it when you sent me the message. I shot him again, made him chase me, and lured him out to the chapel. Once he stopped looking at me like the enemy, all he wanted to do was come and find you. I told him that you’re his 192

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pet, too. Now, I think, you’re all he cares about.” Emma turned again toward the library. Jesse expected her to be a little nervous; after all, when they’d first met, she’d been on the auction block to be sold to the highest bidding vampire. She had every right to be wary of Gideon’s intents. Jesse certainly was. But she didn’t look apprehensive. If anything, her eyes shone, and her mouth went soft. “Let’s go see him then.” *

*

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Emma didn’t have to have empathic abilities to feel Jesse’s tension. Everything, from the way he held himself, to the tone of his voice, betrayed how he felt. He had an almost bottomless reservoir of patience for both John and Michelle, both of whom could be very trying in their own ways, and she had never seen him snap at either of them. But he hadn’t just snapped at them. It looked like he was ready to take a swing at them. She wished he would tell her more about Gideon. Twice, he had glossed over what had actually happened between them. She believed the blood came from whatever spirit attacked him, so whatever did happen between them couldn’t have been that bad. And Jesse wouldn’t take her to a monster. Regardless of how much he warned her, some of the Gideon she knew must have been present still. Jesse wouldn’t put her at risk. Jesse pushed the library door open, and the candle he 193

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carried flickered in the draft, then reflected off of a pair of glowing eyes. “Well, doesn’t she just look good enough to eat.” The words were a low, seductive rumble, swallowed by the darkness before pale skin became visible, and Gideon’s familiar features appeared off to her side. He stood several feet away, his head tilted slightly as his gaze raked over her, only to begin circling, his eyes never leaving her. “I’m kidding, by the way. I’m a great kidder.” Emma swallowed and looked over to Jesse. He remained near the door, the candle just below his face. “I guess I’m not familiar with your legendary sense of humor.” “It looks like we have a lot of getting to know you to do then.” No stopping, no pausing, nothing but his unblinking attention. “Though I do know one thing. I smelled it as soon as you walked through those doors.” “What’s that?” “You’re mine. I thought maybe ol’ Jess might have been telling me a fast one, but no, it turns out he wasn’t just trying to get me to play nice.” Gideon smiled, though it was unlike any smile she’d ever seen grace his handsome face before. Too much of the predator gleamed there, and a shiver ran down her spine. “Nice is overrated anyway. It’s more fun to be…not nice.” “Jesse would never lie to you. Especially not to make you play nice.” Emma’s pulse quickened, though she didn’t think it had anything to do with fear. She felt almost intoxicated. Maybe it was the dark power she sensed as he slipped by her 194

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like a shadow. “We both like you when you’re…more fun.” “I’ll just bet you do.” He seemed closer. A revolution later, and Emma realized he was tightening the circle. When he finally came to a stop behind her, she had to fight her instinct to turn around and face him. “I’ll bet you glow in the moonlight,” Gideon murmured. Her hair tickled along her neck and upper back. It took a moment for her to realize he was brushing it aside, pushing it over her shoulder, without actually touching her skin. “Have we ever done that? I must have. There’s no way I could resist tying you spread-eagle on the ground and then marking every inch of this beautiful skin.” The tie on her halter dress loosened. Emma heard the door click closed behind them, but she could still feel Jesse in the room. The patch of light from the candle he held illuminated the floor next to her, an additional reminder of his presence. The material of her dress whispered against her skin, teasing her increasingly raw nerve endings. “We’ve done a lot of things but never quite anything like that.” “I guess I’ll have to rectify that.” The final knot came undone, and the bodice fluttered down, the fabric catching for a moment on the flare of her hips before sliding all the way to the floor. It left Emma nearly naked, wearing only her shoes and panties, and she swallowed hard when Gideon brushed the back of his knuckles down her arm. 195

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“So why is it I’m not getting the same jolt from touching you as I did when I had my boy pinned earlier? You’re not holding back on me, are you, darling Emma?” He clicked his tongue, each one echoing through her flushed skin. “In case it’s not clear, that would be a mistake. And I don’t tolerate those.” It was easy to send a jolt to Jesse. As easy as breathing. But if Gideon wanted the same experience, she would have to lower her walls completely, and allow him to feel her emotions as well as Jesse’s. Vampires had more natural defenses against empathic abilities. “I won’t hold back on you,” she murmured as her defenses disappeared. She didn’t feel Gideon first. She felt the slam of emotions from Jesse—remnants of fear and his earlier annoyance, but a thick layer of arousal on top of that. It all filtered through her, clinging to her own swirling feelings, and into the vampire behind her. His prolonged hiss slithered down her neck. “Oh, now that’s more like it.” His desire was stronger than she’d ever felt before, a savage beast prowling through night-black grass as it poised to attack. “I have no idea how I could have ever forgotten something as juicy as you.” Emma shivered. Despite Jesse’s warnings, she hadn’t expected this sort of assault on her senses. Gideon’s hunger, his voice, his very presence, was unlike anything she had ever experienced. “I don’t know if you’ve ever called me juicy before.” “It sounds like I’ve been remiss in a lot of things.” Gideon 196

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smoothed a palm over her stomach, fingers splaying to push beneath the waistband of her panties. He stopped at the top of her mound, lightly stroking the smooth skin. “I need to make up for that, don’t you think?” “Yes.” It was more of a sigh than a fully-formed word, and the muscles in her legs felt weak. She swayed back against his solid chest, the thick line of his arousal pressing against her ass. “Please.” “My favorite word.” The tip of his tongue dragged along the slope of her shoulder, goose bumps erupting in its wake. “Right after more.” Emma held her breath. She looked sideways, trying to study Gideon’s face, but she could only see the outline of his strong nose and chin. She waited for another touch of his tongue, of his lips, but he seemed locked in stone. Waiting. “Oh…more. Please.” Her breath caught in her throat as her feet left the ground. Only a few inches, where Gideon locked her against his body, but it was enough to make her feel like she was floating. A shudder rippled through Gideon’s hard flesh, and he ran his mouth back up to her neck, this time with blunt teeth rather than tongue. “So where have I tasted you? Not here…” He clamped his lips over the sinew of her neck, sucking hard enough for it to hurt. “Maybe here?” he said when he let her go. His hand dipped lower, three fingers sinking past her folds into her wet channel. “God, I do love how blood makes your juices even warmer.” 197

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Emma opened her mouth, but she couldn’t form words. Her pussy clenched around his fingers, and each small twitch, each curl of his knuckles, sent a cascade of tremors through her body. Gideon made a soft sound, something like a moan, and she knew he could feel exactly what he was doing to her. “You haven’t…tasted me. Yet.” The sharp stab of anger burned red-hot through her skin. “What?” Gideon stiffened, his head lifting away. “Come here, boy.” Yellow light danced over her as he approached. His shadow fell across her feet, and then he was standing in front of them, the light gleaming on his chest. “Yes?” “You didn’t tell me she’s never been bitten.” He set her down, her ankles jarring from the sudden drop. Gideon came around her, his face dark and furious as he curled his hand around the front of Jesse’s throat. “That seems like a crucial detail to leave out, if you ask me.” “You’ve still marked her.” His voice sounded normal, despite the strong fingers around his throat. “She has a tattoo. On her lower back.” Gideon’s attention snapped back to Emma. Without letting Jesse go, he said, “Turn around.” She obeyed, though she would have done so without his threatening Jesse. The heat of satisfaction to wash through her left her gasping to catch her breath. “That’s better.” Cool fingertips traced over the lotus blossom she’d had etched into her skin, a gift from Gideon the previous spring when he’d been trying to help Jesse get past 198

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what had happened with Brooker. “Both our names. So you belong to both of us, sweet Emma?” “Yes…” She looked over her shoulder, her gaze darting to Jesse. His eyes widened behind Gideon, like her response surprised him. “Yes, I do.” His hand disappeared, and Gideon stepped back until he stood behind Jess. “But he’s the only one I’ve tasted properly.” He sounded thoughtful, but Emma was too transfixed by the way Gideon started caressing the claw marks on Jesse’s chest. Each drag of his nails opened the cuts up even more, until the blood started to drip down Jesse’s skin. “Is that because you’re living vicariously through him?” The question brought Emma up short. “I…I do live vicariously through him. I can feel it when you bite him. I can feel everything he does like it’s happening to me.” Gideon’s features shifted in the shadows, a reflection in brackish water. “So is it because you’re greedy, boy?” His fanged mouth grazed over Jesse’s neck. “You don’t want to share.” “No.” Jesse licked his lips. “I…no. It’s not because of that. I…asked you not to bite her because we found her…in a vampire club to be auctioned off.” Fingers curled into the open cuts, nails sharp against bared flesh. Emma cried out from the flood of pleasure that emanated from both men, and she curled her hands into fists in order to keep from reaching out to them. “So I won her.” Gideon smiled, and though his eyes were locked on Emma, his mouth hovered over the throbbing vein 199

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in Jesse’s neck. “Lucky me.” “Yes, you did,” Jesse breathed. Emma had already been a little weak with her need for Gideon, but the longer he tormented Jesse, the worse it got for both of them. The feedback loop was already starting, her desire feeding off Jesse’s, Jesse’s desire feeding off hers, and Gideon’s pressing hunger amplifying everything. “Lucky me, too. But I’m ready…I’m not scared of you biting me.” His eyes gleamed. “You should be. Come here.” She turned and approached, her knees shaky. Both men drank in every step, and when she stopped in front of Jesse, Gideon relinquished his hold in the cuts in order to reach out and paint bloody streaks across the top of her breasts. “She’s pretty like this, isn’t she?” he murmured in Jesse’s ear. “Yes, she is, Sir.” Jesse’s blood was warm on her skin. She glanced down, following their gazes. All three of them looked at the dark marks on her chest. They didn’t just think she was pretty like that. She could feel exactly what the sight was doing to both of them. The muscles from her stomach to her thighs tightened. Gideon pressed one last kiss to Jesse’s neck. When he lifted his head, two small scratches, barely breaking the skin, scored where his mouth had been. “They say feeding from an empath is the closest vampires can get to getting truly drunk,” he said, pushing Jesse carefully to the side. It surprised Emma to see how deliberate Gideon 200

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was, how he made sure not to shove Jesse, but still made it clear he wanted the other man out of his way. “Considering how high I’ve gotten off some my kills, I’m a little excited about testing that particular theory.” Emma swallowed as Gideon approached. The primal instinct to escape a predator almost forced her to step away from him, but she resisted the impulse. She wasn’t going to shy away from Gideon. Her gaze slid from his face to Jesse, long enough to see that he was rooted to the spot where Gideon pushed him. When she looked to Gideon again, he was towering over her. She tilted her head, looking up to meet his yellow eyes, exposing the column of her throat. Gideon growled softly, the sound sending a jolt directly to her pussy. “Oh, I’m not going to bite you there.” He crouched a few inches until his head was slightly lower than hers, then wrapped his arm around her waist. Straightening, he picked her off the floor again and held her tight against him, his mouth now on a level with her breast. “I’m thinking…I like this better.” Emma wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. His clothes were rough against her sensitive skin, and each shuddering breath brought her breast closer to his fangs. “Me, too.” She’d seen him bite Jesse before. Multiple times. She even knew why Jesse had been adamant for so long about respecting her boundaries. Nobody protected her the way he did. But seeing the hunger in Gideon’s eyes usually reserved 201

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for Jesse now leveled at her, feeling it seep into her pores like she was being submerged in a molten pool, awakened a need in her she hadn’t realized had existed. Her breath came in quick clutches as he leaned in and licked around her taut nipple. It puckered more under his touch, but Gideon wasn’t the one to make a sound. That came from Jesse, a whimper that resonated through all three of them as Gideon flicked his tongue across the hard tip. Each time Gideon touched her with the tip of his tongue, she caught her breath. Her head fell back, her hair brushing over her shoulders, tickling her. Desire wound around her mid-section, pulling tighter and tighter until she ached, and she felt bound. And still Gideon tormented her with his slow, teasing tongue, as though he could be quite happy to simply lick at her hard flesh for the rest of the night. He was in no hurry at all. “Gideon.” They both froze at Jesse’s rasped word. “Please. Please, bite her.” Gideon looked up at her through his lashes. “Our boy sounds desperate.” He wet his lower lip, catching his teeth for a split second. When she unconsciously mimicked his motion, he chuckled. “Hang on, sweet Emma. Something tells me this is going to have both of us on our knees before I’m done.” The kiss he laid on the tip of her nipple was almost chaste. It relaxed her for the split second before he dropped his jaw and sank his fangs into the soft flesh surrounding it. Emma cried out, nearly drowning the sounds of Jesse’s 202

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gasp and Gideon’s groan. The pain was exquisite, sharper than anything she had ever known. It eclipsed her, broke out of her flesh and her skin. She knew to expect it. Knew the way Jesse craved that sort of crystallized agony. She cried out again at the first pull by Gideon’s powerful mouth of her hot blood. She dug her fingers into Gideon’s neck, holding on as he had commanded. Holding on as the pain evolved into a sort of pleasure she couldn’t name. With each powerful suck, Gideon moaned. The grip at her waist dug into her soft flesh, and his lips massaged her breast in time with the rhythmic pulls through her veins. Emma buried her nails in his nape. She didn’t know another way to steady herself. But then Gideon swayed, and her legs nudged against the hard line of his erection, almost shocked to be reminded of how hard this act made him. His growl went straight to her clit. The desire that slammed into her might have been hers, might have been Jesse’s, might have been Gideon’s. In the end, it didn’t matter. The effect it had was still the same. The room shifted. The walls grew and the floor rushed to meet her. Gideon lowered himself to his knees, still clutching her tightly, his mouth still closed around her breast. Once they were both on the floor, his hand went from her waist to her other nipple. He squeezed her flesh with rough fingers, his palm skimming over her tight skin until fresh jolts blasted through her body. And the onslaught of lust and desire continued, rushing through her, heating her blood, building pleasure upon 203

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pleasure, until she was trembling. Her skin tight. Her body taut. She barely felt his fangs pull out. She barely heard Jesse breathe her name. She reeled too violently to be aware of anything but Gideon sliding his hand between her legs, pushing past her wet panties, burying three fingers inside her clenching pussy. Then his mouth slammed to hers. Fangs sliced through her lips. The taste of her own blood washed over her tongue. Emma screamed into Gideon’s mouth, and everything broke inside of her. Her juices coated Gideon’s fingers as her tight walls fluttered around them, and Gideon’s tongue almost silenced her. He sought out every bit of her mouth, absorbing her shouts, absorbing the waves of bliss that overtook her. He kissed her until her lungs burned, and when he finally pulled away, she could barely suck in the much needed air. “I am suddenly very glad that I hadn’t bitten you before.” His voice was thick and wet, and blood stained the corner of his mouth. “I would have been very angry about forgetting something as fantastic as that.” Emma could only nod. She understood why Jesse sought this out. She could easily see herself becoming addicted to the rush. A sudden knock on the door made her jump. Gideon’s gaze flew from her face, his features twisted with annoyance at being interrupted. “I imagine that’s Michelle,” Jesse said softly. Gideon growled, but didn’t let Emma go. “Is her timing 204

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always this miserable?” “She’s usually not in the house with us,” Jesse pointed out. “Jesse? Are you in there? Where’s Emma?” “I’m here.” He looked back over to them. “I should probably go run interference with her and John. Otherwise…” “And how are you going to explain where Emma is?” Gideon shook his head. “I should just face her and get this over with.” “I’ll tell her Emma is collecting my books for John. I’ve still got a few helpful ones in here. And I’ll tell her that you’re…looking for a sign of what attacked me. Which, maybe you should be doing anyway. It might not be a spirit.” “Where’s Emma?” Michelle’s voice again. “She’s in here! It’s not easy to research in the dark.” Even with the shadows hiding his face, Emma saw the way Gideon’s features hardened. She fully expected him to argue some more; even the Gideon she knew hated backing down from a fight. But after several seconds of staring at Jesse, Gideon finally growled in frustration and set her carefully down on the floor. “I’ll wait on the second level until you two are gone. Unless Guardians can see in the dark, too.” “No,” Jesse said softly. He sounded tired, but more than that, Emma could sense he felt sorry. It was difficult to concentrate because of the bliss still echoing in her body, but Jesse most definitely did not feel happy. “Thank you, Gideon. I know…” “Just go,” Gideon interrupted. 205

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“Right.” “Jess?” He stopped as Emma spoke his name. “What?” “Are you…?” “Just get dressed, yeah?” Jesse smiled at her. “You look like you’ve been ravished.” She nodded as he slipped out of the room. She heard him greet Michelle, heard her raise her voice, and then he shut the door, muffling their exchange. Emma looked back to Gideon, but he was already gone, slipping up to the second floor without another word, moving like oil against water.

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CHAPTER 14 Jesse managed to stall Michelle from the library for several minutes, but she was not to be deterred from seeing Emma. He lingered in the hallway when she finally pushed the door open, listening for any sounds of anger, fear, or a fight. When no screams or accusations were forthcoming, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the stairs. He needed to clean the fresh blood from his chest, put on a new shirt, and pull himself together before he could face John and the rest of their merry band. Despite Gideon’s repeated accusations, jealousy was a more or less foreign emotion to Jesse. He never had need to be jealous. It didn’t matter what Gideon did, or who he did it 207

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with, or when he did it, Jesse was always secure of his place. He always knew exactly where he belonged, exactly what was expected of him, exactly what he could expect from Gideon. But now everything was upside down and topsy-turvy. Jesse didn’t know where he fit. It might have been a temporary displacement. Or it might be something more permanent. Either way, he felt uneasy. At some point in the night, all of the identifiers and boundaries he used to define himself had simply disappeared. Gideon had questioned his motives. John had questioned him. Michelle had questioned him. The only person who hadn’t questioned him was Emma, and as far as Jesse was concerned, she was the only one who should have. Gideon hadn’t wanted his help, and chances were good he didn’t want it now. He wasn’t above lying. Even if Gideon meant what he said and genuinely desired Jesse’s aid, Jesse understood he couldn’t offer much. Michelle knew more than anything he would find in any of his books, including the books that were lost forever. He was comfortable with magic, but John was the one with all the power. If they required magic, it would not be from Jesse’s hand. If the spirit or demon became corporeal, he would not be able to fight it himself. Gideon was the only one strong enough to kill it. Whatever they were dealing with wasn’t a weakling. If they didn’t have more pressing matters, Jesse knew Gideon would content himself playing with Emma for the rest of the night, feeding off her body, and her abilities, and testing her limits. But at least he didn’t intend to harm Emma. That 208

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much was obvious to Jesse. He had experienced Gideon’s dark hunger, his joy at cornering his prey, the thrill of the seduction and the submission, but he had never felt anything malevolent about what Gideon was doing. Emma might be in danger, as they all were, but Gideon wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He even seemed content to keep the peace in the house, as evidenced by the way he slipped away from Michelle. Jesse supposed he should just be thankful for that. He let himself in their bedroom and shut the door behind him. The darkness only increased his unease, but he knew there were candles in there. He systematically went through the room and lit as many as he could. Jesse knew it was silly to waste time like that, but he needed the comfort from the warm light. With at least a few of the shadows banished to the corners, Jesse went into the adjoining master bath. He washed his chest first, moving a little stiffly as he soaped the washcloth and ran it over his skin. Seeing his blood, black and thin, on Emma’s pale skin had been frightening and exciting. Every second of the meeting between Gideon and Emma had been frightening and exciting. But Emma had never been truly scared. Anxious, maybe, but that only fed her excitement. Only heightened her arousal. His cock was still throbbing, but he ignored it. The sting of the soap against his open cuts just made it worse. Regardless of his mental turmoil, his body still knew what it wanted, and it didn’t want to let him forget. But nothing could be done about it, so he focused on rinsing the thin layer of soap from 209

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his skin, letting the water flow down his chest, until he caught it with a dry towel. The night couldn’t last forever. Jesse comforted himself with that thought. He had no guarantee that things would be back to normal by dawn, but that was fine. Because no matter what, the sun would rise. If they couldn’t exorcise the spirit from the house that night, they would do it during the day. And if they couldn’t undo the magic that wiped Gideon’s memories… Well, he was still Gideon. Even if they no longer shared a history. Jesse ran a wet hand over his face, then glanced up to the mirror. He barely had the chance to register movement before something hit him in the back. Dull pain exploded in his flesh, but he was already moving, ducking out of the way of the next blow. The wall next to his head shattered, and Jesse detected a vague form. He pushed himself past the shape and into the bedroom. If he could see it, he could fight it. The thing shimmered in the candlelight, almost, but not quite, transparent. Rage, pure in its intensity, washed through him. Jesse was tired of being fucked with. Gideon had gathered his favorite weapons and stored them in the bedroom before the party—not out of concern for anybody’s safety—and Jesse dove for the cache. His fingers closed around the hilt of a sword just as he felt the demon at his back. It clawed at his back, but Jesse rolled out of the way, swinging wildly with the sword at the same time. The blade 210

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whistled through the air, striking nothing. With a twist that would have awed any Olympic gymnast, the demon darted beyond his reach, giving him a flash of hollow black eyes and a toothless maw that made it look like it had just crawled out of a grave. Jesse blinked, and suddenly the demon was in front of him. Right in front of him. Like the demon wanted to kiss him, or bite his face off. Jesse reacted on instinct, drawing his fist back and slamming it into the space between the unblinking eyes. The thing howled—a sound Jesse felt in his marrow— and fell back. Jesse raised his sword and charged. This time, the edge sank into something soft. The demon whirled, but not before a spray of black fluid splattered across the wall. It vanished for a split second, leaving Jesse wondering where the hell it had gone to, then reappeared again in the entrance to the bathroom, lunging for Jesse’s legs with spindly arms that looked like they would snap at the slightest pressure. Jesse jumped, bending his knees so the arm sliced through the air beneath him. As soon as he hit the ground, he brought the sword down. The sharp blade sliced cleanly through the limb, but it didn’t deter the demon from slapping him with its other spider-like appendage. Jesse shouted at the contact. It stung like a thin whip across his ribs. The thing hissed, nothing resembling words though it looked like its mouth-like opening was forming them. Before his eyes, it faded, the dresser it stood in front of all of a sudden visible. 211

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History taught him to remain vigilant. Alert. Even as the seconds passed. The air cleared. No more shimmering. Jesse’s eyes darted around. Drank in everything. They were going to have to paint the room. Again. Emma wouldn’t— A black shadow slithered over his feet. Jesse tensed, ready to jump away, but he forced himself to remain still. He followed the shadow with his eyes, waiting for it to form into a solid shape again. The air began to move next to the bed, but Jesse refused to jump at it. He needed to wait until it was completely solid again, until there was something solid to bury his sword in. As soon as he couldn’t see the bedspread Emma picked out, Jesse darted forward. The demon raised its uninjured arm, its talons slashing at the air. He moved to slam it through what should have been the chest, but the demon deflected the blade, and instead of piercing its body, Jesse merely sliced its strong skin. More of the black blood sprayed, this time across the nearest pillow. Fresh rage consumed him. All their hard work, all their diligence, everything had been shattered in just the space of a few hours. And for what? For a demon that refused to keep its form long enough for him to slice its fucking head off. Jesse lunged. His sword cut through the nearest limb, and another inhuman howl pierced the air. The demon was weakening. Jesse could tell by the 212

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sluggish way it lunged at him. But Jesse didn’t feel sluggish. He nimbly stepped out of its path, and fresh adrenaline spiked his blood. He wanted to tear this thing limb from fucking limb. He gripped the hilt with both hands and slashed at the creature. It hit him on his back and ribs and chest, but Jesse felt that in a very distant way. It didn’t hurt. He didn’t even think he was bleeding. And then the sword sliced through empty air and into the mattress. Jesse stumbled forward, caught himself before he hit the bed, and raised his weapon, at the ready again. A strong hand caught his wrist. Unyielding strength forced him to drop the weapon, but before it hit the ground, that same strength whirled him around to push him face first into the wall. “Do you have any idea what you smell like?” Gideon’s voice was a harsh growl in Jesse’s ear, his body hard where it pinned him. “Who taught you how to fight like that?” Jesse automatically struggled against Gideon until the vampire’s grip tightened, and the question filtered through his mind. He willed the tension out of his muscles, but his heart still hammered in his ears. “You did. You taught me what to do.” Gideon stretched his arm up over his head, forcing Jesse’s palm flat to the wall. “Probably because of how delicious it makes you look. You’ve got a grace about you…” He ground his hips, and his thick arousal made Jesse’s ass clench. But it was his mouth over his ear that sent the shivers down Jesse’s spine. “I heard you scream. And I knew it wasn’t because of 213

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me. I don’t think I’ve ever been so furious.” A part of Jesse knew he should try to push Gideon away. The spirit was a demon. A demon that could appear and disappear at will. A demon that was probably weakened now. Weakened enough that if they did a spell to make it corporeal, Gideon could probably kill it. But those considerations were vague, almost nonsensical. Because Gideon was so hard and familiar against his back, and he didn’t want to be anywhere else. “I couldn’t kill it, though.” “You hurt it. You drove it off.” Gideon’s free hand slid between Jesse’s stomach and the wall, unerringly finding his aching cock. The first squeeze made Jesse gasp. “Just in time for me to fuck you.” “Gideon…” He pushed back, pressing harder against Gideon’s cock. He looked up, staring at Gideon’s strong fingers. Gideon was generally aware of his strength, of how he used it against Jesse. But now he seemed indifferent to that, and Jesse didn’t care about the possibility of fresh bruises. “Please. I need you to fuck me.” “You wanted me to fuck you downstairs. And outside.” “Yes, I did. I wanted you to fuck me when you had me pinned in the hallway.” He squeezed Jesse again, harder, hard enough for Jesse to cry out. “Are you such a whore for cock in general, or just mine?” “Yours. You. Only you.” Gideon’s response was a growl that made every inch of 214

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Jesse vibrate. His mouth clamped over the side of his neck, and though a stab of disappointment shot through Jess that there weren’t any fangs, the powerful sucks that came more than made up for it. He tilted his head to the side, inviting Gideon to take even more, but for the moment, the vampire seemed content with making his nerve endings sing. Gideon’s fingers flexed and relaxed, squeezing his aching cock through the denim in time with the hard sucks of his mouth. Jesse closed his eyes, wondering if Gideon could make him come with so little contact. The hard pleasure wound through him, starting at the point of Gideon’s mouth. Jesse tried to speak, but it came out as an almost desperate whimper. “I felt you, you know.” He worked Jesse’s fly, opening and reaching inside in order to scratch his nails down the throbbing shaft. “Through Emma. With Emma. I felt everything.” “I…I know.” Gideon’s fingertip scraped across his crown, catching for a moment at the slit. The tip was coated with precome. “I felt you, too. Felt how…how hungry you were for her. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything as overwhelming as that.” “Not even when I feed off you?” Gideon pulled his hand free of Jesse’s pants, shoving the garment down his slim hips. Jesse would have voiced protest if Gideon hadn’t shifted his mouth back to his neck, and this time, the distinct prick of fangs razed over his skin. “I…” Gideon’s fangs distracted him. It was difficult to answer his question, when all he could think about was 215

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Gideon finally burying his cock and fangs in Jesse’s willing body. He reached behind him with his free hand, just seeking more contact, and touched Gideon’s hip. “I…don’t know.” Gideon broke the contact, stepping back to leave Jesse cold and aching. His hand gripped Jesse’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around. He used the same hand then to pin him back to the wall. There was nothing yielding about the dark vampire standing in front of him. Nothing gentle. In spite of how familiar the situation was, how often Gideon had shoved him to a wall, this was utterly different. It couldn’t even compare to when Gideon had been hopped up on obsidian. At least then, Gideon had known who he was. He’d had years to temper the more evil instincts his vampire side had, though the drug made him choose to ignore those restraints if he wanted to. Nothing held this Gideon back. It shouldn’t have been thrilling. It shouldn’t have made every cell of Jesse’s body scream for his touch. It shouldn’t have taken a single glance, heavy and caressing as it swept down his body, to make him shiver. “Maybe I can’t remember why I picked you as a pet,” Gideon said, his voice silky. He used his foot to push Jesse’s pants down the rest of the way, trapping them against the floor so Jess could pull each of his legs free. “But it was a fucking great choice.” Jesse smiled and ducked his head. Even without Emma there to transmit his emotions, he was certain Gideon would 216

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know exactly how much that simple declaration meant to him in that moment. It was enough to banish the dark feelings that had been lurking inside of him. He hooked his fingers around Gideon’s waistband, and pulled the zipper down with his other hand. Gideon’s lashes ducked once, to watch Jesse’s hand curl around his thick shaft. “You’re very pushy for a pet,” he commented, though there was no remonstration in his tone. Jesse softly squeezed Gideon’s cock. If he was truly pushy, he would have pulled Gideon out of his pants, dropped to his knees, and swallowed Gideon in a single, smooth motion. “That’s why you usually tie me up.” His sensual mouth canted. “All these rooms in this house…I’ve got to have a playroom.” “You…we…have a fantastic playroom. You were very thorough when it came to furnishing it.” “When we kill this spirit thing, I’m going to kick everybody out of this house and drag you and Emma straight to it.” Gideon pressed close again, reaching down to caress Jesse’s balls before squeezing. “I have a hundred years to catch up on, remember.” “Yes, Sir.” Jesse leaned forward, longing to taste Gideon’s skin, his lips, still warm from Emma’s blood. But he stopped himself, his mouth watering. He slid his palm down Gideon’s shaft, letting his fingertips brush against his heavy sac. Gold eyes glittered. “I just had one thought when I saw you swinging that sword. To get my cock into you as fast as inhumanly possible. The way you keep licking your lips, I’m 217

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beginning to think you’d rather I fuck that pretty mouth of yours instead of riding that tight ass.” Jesse swallowed. “Is it an either-or decision?” Gideon snorted. “Not when you put it like that.” The grip on Jesse’s shoulder tightened. “On your knees, boy.” Jesse immediately slid down Gideon’s body, dropping to the floor. Gideon gripped the base of his cock with his free hand and skimmed the wet tip across Jesse’s mouth. His throat tightened, his tongue went dry. The smell of Gideon’s skin, so wonderfully familiar in the middle of this chaotic night, made him heady. Gideon pressed his cock against the corner of Jesse’s mouth, forcing his lips to part. He relaxed his jaw eagerly at the first touch of Gideon’s heavy arousal against his tongue. The hand on his shoulder slid to the back of his neck. Gideon held him more tightly than usual, fingertips digging into the muscle, but the pain was welcome, an ache made real as Gideon pushed his cock into Jesse’s mouth. Jesse expected him to be merciless. His touch certainly was. He was ready to open his throat and let Gideon slide down. Gideon didn’t. He slid past the tight suction, but when the tip hit the back of Jesse’s mouth, he stopped. The thick weight of his length simply filled Jess, hard and dripping. It forced him to keep his mouth open, but refused him the luxury of getting his tongue everywhere. The best he could do was caress the underside and squeeze his lips around the shaft. Jesse gripped Gideon’s hips, holding him as tightly as he 218

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could, and closed his eyes. He could savor everything more with his eyes closed—the taste of Gideon’s skin and his precome, the strength of his grip, the weight of his cock. He whimpered softly, trying to encourage Gideon to push forward, but Gideon was impervious. He hummed, the vibrations tickling the roof of his mouth and his lips. Finally, he bit down, just hard enough to let his teeth catch Gideon’s hard flesh. Gideon growled. His hips snapped forward, driving his cock past the resistance, into Jesse’s throat. The zipper scraped against Jesse’s cheeks, but the sting only added to the pleasure, the satisfaction. Gideon didn’t linger. He promptly pulled back, to slam forward again long before he was anywhere near being completely out. “Take it all, boy,” he rasped. Jesse grunted, half in satisfaction, half in agreement. He took every inch of Gideon’s length. He barely had a chance to gasp for breath between each thrust, but that didn’t matter. The hand on the back of his neck went to the top of his head, his fingers curling around Jesse’s hair, tight enough to make his scalp sting and tingle. His throat began to feel raw as his lips stretched tight around Gideon’s shaft. Gideon wasn’t always this rough with him, this demanding. Jesse wanted to cup his sac, squeeze his balls between his fingers like he knew Gideon liked. But he couldn’t do anything except cling to Gideon, gripping him as hard as he could as the vampire stretched and filled his throat. “Oh…fuck…so good, boy…” 219

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Each muttered word went straight to Jesse’s cock, made him vibrate just as Gideon’s tempo became increasingly erratic. Pain prickled along his head with the tightening grip, but it was the throb of the vein running underneath the shaft that enthralled him most. It meant Gideon was close. So did the sudden slam forward, the feral shout that accompanied the sticky fluid shooting into Jesse’s throat. Jesse swallowed convulsively, his tongue sliding around Gideon’s shaft as he caught every drop of his come. Gideon held him in place long after his cock stopped jerking, waiting until Jess lapped at and cleaned every inch of him. When the vampire finally released his head and pulled back, his cock was almost fully erect again. Jesse didn’t have a chance catch his breath before Gideon dragged him back to his feet. “We don’t need lube, right?” he said with a smile, grasping Jesse’s thighs. Effortlessly, he picked Jess up, bending him to wrap his legs around Gideon’s hips. The tip of his cock dragged along Jesse’s aching balls, but only for a moment. Only long enough for Gideon to reach between their bodies and fist both of their shafts in a single tight grip. “A pet like you likes it raw, I’m sure.” “No, no lube,” Jesse panted. Raw was exactly the way he wanted it. Raw would be the final reminder of who he belonged to, where he fit. “God…please…” Gideon stripped their cocks again. Again. Again. His hand was merciless, his gaze unblinking. More than once, he ran his tongue along his fangs, almost contemplative. Jesse thought he would fly apart before Gideon would do something other than 220

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stroke them, or say something, or do anything but these incessant pulls that left him trembling. It was when he finally reached around to spread Jesse’s ass cheeks apart that he realized what exactly Gideon had been doing. His fingers were slick with pre-come, gathered on each of the strokes, and though he didn’t probe the tight muscle, he smoothed his fingertips over the clenching ring. It wouldn’t be completely raw, but it would still be close enough to count. Jesse loved him even more in that moment. Because even a Gideon devoid of any sense of good still couldn’t hurt him like that. Gideon didn’t speak. With a knowing glint in his eye, he grasped his cock and angled it between Jesse’s legs, finding the hole on the first pass. A single, violent stroke buried him inside. Jesse shouted, like they were alone in the house. He didn’t care who heard him, or what they thought about it. He burned around Gideon’s body, pain and pleasure mingling to form a bright light behind his eyes. Gideon pushed him harder against the wall, the rough texture scraping across his shoulders and back. Each thrust was punishing, drawing more shouts and moans from his throat. Until Gideon brought their mouths together in a brutal caress that was all fangs and tongue. Jesse dug his fingers into the vampire’s arms and let his tongue scrape across Gideon’s teeth, tiny drops of blood fueling Gideon’s pistoning hips. Gideon sucked at each droplet, pulling more, swallowing as swiftly as he searched for more. The drives into Jesse’s ass 221

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grew more frenzied, more violent than even when Gideon had been high on obsidian, but they only made Jesse hungry for more. It was never enough. Gideon could fuck him until the friction burned away his flesh, and it still wouldn’t be enough. Just the prick of his fangs would make this complete. He tilted his head at the first parting of their mouths. His nerves pulsed in anticipation. “Beg for it,” Gideon said. “Tell me how badly you want me to drink you dry, boy.” “Please,” Jesse gasped without hesitation. “Please… Gideon… bite me… drink me… drain me… whatever you want. Just please… let me feel you.” Each plea made Gideon fuck him harder. By the time the last word fell from Jesse’s lips, he was half convinced Gideon was going to fuck him through the wall. “Anything for my boy.” One more kiss left him breathless. One squeeze of his cock left him shaking. One strike of Gideon’s fangs left him screaming. The light behind Jesse’s eyes exploded at the first hard suck. His balls tightened, almost crawling up into his body. His cock jerked against his stomach, long streams of come rolling down his skin, staining Gideon’s shirt. Every time Gideon took another mouthful of blood, his body stiffened, vibrated, and a fresh wave of pleasure made him clench around Gideon’s shaft. It was too much for him to take. Nobody could tolerate so much. Jess thought that until Gideon shifted the angle to plough into his prostate, and he screamed 222

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again. Gideon’s head snapped back, blood staining his fangs. His eyes were wild, and shudders wracked through his body. He mouthed words, but Jesse couldn’t discern them through his shouts, through the fire shooting his veins, through the blinding drives of Gideon’s cock into his ass. One last stroke made Gideon stiffen, but Jesse lost the sensation of the vampire’s orgasm by the fusion of their mouths again, blood filling Jesse’s mouth as Gideon swallowed down his every breath. Jesse thought he would never stop shaking. He thought his pulse would never return to normal. Thought his heart might explode out of his chest. Finally, Gideon tore his mouth away, letting Jesse pant for air. He dropped his head to Gideon’s shoulder, his lips almost touching his neck. He kept his tight hold on the vampire’s arms, and his body rose and fell with each breath. His ear tickled where Gideon grazed his mouth over it. The hand holding his hip came up to Jesse’s nape, and for several seconds, Gideon just held him. He supposed Gideon thought it would help him regain control. The effect was quite the opposite. Something about the care Gideon took simply undid him. “You might look like heaven fighting,” Gideon murmured. “But if anything else lays a finger on you or Emma tonight, I’m going to tear their fucking heads off.” Jesse didn’t question it for a second. He knew Gideon would do exactly as he said, felt it in his bones, and his gut. 223

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Gideon, who didn’t remember them, who’d only known them for a few hours at this point, would tear the house down for them, if he had to. Jesse couldn’t help but smile, as all the warnings and threats and his own fears ran through his memory. His faith in Gideon—Emma’s faith in Gideon—had never been misplaced. “Love you so much.” Jesse sighed, almost reflexively. Lips moved over the fresh puncture wounds, soothing the ragged edges. “I don’t suppose you love me enough to walk out of here right now with me and Emma.” “We…I can’t.” Would Gideon have any interest in the fact that he was needed by the city? Probably not. “This is our home now. We’ve invested so much already. I want to destroy that fucking thing.” “Yeah, well, it was worth a shot.” When Gideon pulled back, he wore a twisted smile. “I’ll let it go for now because I want to kill this thing as much as you do, but tomorrow, we’re having a talk about your fucked up set of priorities.” “Fair enough,” Jesse murmured, hoping that by the next morning, Gideon would be thanking him for his fucked up priorities. Gideon lowered him to the floor, and Jesse moved to the closet as soon as his legs felt like cooperating. It might have been the wrong time to get fucked within an inch of his life. But despite his physical exhaustion, for the first time since the power went out, Jesse wasn’t afraid of what might be lurking in the dark. 224

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CHAPTER 15 Emma couldn’t concentrate. Michelle kept bustling around, efficient and grim, and John focused on the makeshift ingredients they’d managed to find for him, but Emma couldn’t keep her mind on what they were doing. Her thoughts kept straying back to the library, to Gideon’s hungry gaze, to the prick of his fangs, the flood of emotions that had washed from both him and Jesse. He hadn’t wanted to let them go; every time she closed her eyes, she saw the barely concealed frustration in his dark eyes. If Jesse had given any hints at all in yielding to Gideon’s desires, she was sure Gideon would have taken the opportunity and run with it. Hands rested gently on her shoulder, and Emma glanced 225

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up to see Derek crouching at her side. “Why don’t you let Jonah take over for a few minutes?” he said, nodding to the array of tools resting in front of her. “You look like you could use a break.” “I’m fine.” “You’re white as a ghost.” He leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice. “Humor me on this. Jonah’s driving me crazy, wanting to go out and look for Jesse. This’ll keep him busy.” Emma bit back her smile. To John, she said, “I’ll be right back. Are you okay with Derek’s nephew helping you for a few minutes?” She caught his disdainful glance at the young man hovering in the background. “Only if he promises to refrain from speaking. I do not need distractions at this point. I’m too close to identifying what exactly the source of this annoyance is.” Only John would call a specter trapping them in their house and messing with Gideon’s memory an annoyance. Emma was certain Michelle would have far more colorful words to describe it. Derek helped her to her feet, while Jonah immediately took her place on the floor. His hand remained on her elbow as he guided her over to the couch, and she sank into the cushions gratefully, surprised when he handed her a glass of water. “Did he actually say he can identify what’s doing all this?” he asked as he sat down next to her. 226

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Emma nodded. “He said it felt familiar when he was working on reversing the stasis spell. He doesn’t know why.” “But he’s good? You and Jesse seem to have a lot of faith in him.” “He’s the best,” she corrected. “If there’s any way to reverse it, he’s the one to do it.” His lean face seemed contemplative in the dark shadows. “Gideon didn’t seem to like him. Before everything happened, I mean. Though I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. I’m still shocked he agreed to a party in the first place.” “That’s half of why he did it. He loves keeping you guys on your toes.” “Is that what we’re calling tonight?” Some of her good mood faded. “He’s not going to hurt anybody else. Well, except for whatever’s doing this.” His eyes flickered beyond her shoulder, to where Michelle hovered over John. “Even Jesse says he can’t control Gideon this time.” “That was before.” “Before what?” He leaned closer. “Gideon killed that woman, Emma. I respect him as much as anybody, but I can’t just ignore that.” “He wasn’t himself then.” “No, he was exactly what he is then,” Derek amended. “You and Jesse are too close to this. I know how much you care about Gideon, but you always forget that he’s a vampire, first and foremost.” “No, I don’t.” She knew she would never be able to make 227

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Derek understand. His feelings for her clouded his perceptions. Most of the time, she chose to block them out. It was easier. He was too honorable to ever act on his interest, not with her commitment to Jesse and Gideon, but that didn’t mean it didn’t color his reactions. “Look, can we not do this right now? Let’s tackle one scary thing at a time.” His lips pressed into a thin line. She would argue with him as long as it took, but when he finally nodded, relief flooded through her. There was no simple way to talk about how the fact Gideon was a vampire was part of what drew them to him in the first place. Not for how dangerous it made him, but for those darker impulses that all three of them shared, how it bound all three of them together. Derek would never understand it. “Ms. Coolidge.” John’s voice pulled her back to her feet. Derek followed her to the circle John had created, but everything looked the same as when she’d left. “It might be wise to find Mr. Madding soon,” John said. “Why?” “I think I know what it is we’re dealing with here.” Her breath caught. “Can you get rid of it?” A dark smile curved his mouth. “It would be my pleasure.” *

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Listening to Jesse move around in the adjoining bathroom was doing nothing to curb Gideon’s hunger. Every brush of skin across a surface—of clothing, of tile, of another piece of 228

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skin—reminded him of the heat when he’d had the boy shoved to the wall. Worse, it made him want to put him back there, maybe with a pair of cuffs to keep him from moving while Gideon proceeded to see if the blood tasted even better closer to his cock. Of course, as soon as he started imagining that, he started imagining having the pretty Emma chained up at his side, both of them helpless to stop Gideon from taking exactly what he wanted. He adjusted his erection as he fidgeted in the chair. The promise he’d made not to take the pair of them off the property and leave the trouble behind got harder to keep with each passing second. “So do you actually have a plan on how we’re going to take care of this thing?” he called out. “Or are we just going to wait for it to take a swipe at somebody else?” “We know it can be made corporeal. John is powerful enough to do that.” Jesse stuck his head out of the bathroom as he buttoned his shirt. “So we make it solid and kill it. Afterward, John can undo whatever spells are still in place over the house. Everybody still in the house is a pretty good fighter. Even Emma can fend for herself.” His cock jumped. “Does she look as delicious as you do with a sword?” Jesse smiled. “She looks great with a sword. But we’ve mainly trained with crossbows and the like. I don’t like the thought of putting her in the middle of the fray.” Neither did Gideon. The sword party he had in mind would be a private affair. 229

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“Then it looks like you stand guard on her, while I hang out with this John person until the creature shows up again.” He scowled. “Powerful means he’s fast, right? I hate being around magic more than I have to.” Jesse tucked in his shirt and cinched his belt. “I know you do. But John’s fast and he’s good.” Fully dressed now, he picked up the sword that had been abandoned earlier. “We’ve been up here long enough, he and Michelle might have it figured out by now.” Gideon rose. “What happened to keeping us apart? Or did you convince her that it would be pointless to try and fight me?” Jesse shrugged. “She’s going to be furious with you. Probably for a very long time. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m going to try to keep her out of your face, at least. Though when she sees this…” He pointed at the fresh mark on his neck. “She might explode.” “Why? It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve bitten you.” He began looking around for a weapon of his own. “If she complains, we’ll just show her the other marks.” Jesse gestured. “There’s another sword there in the cabinet. A few knives, too. And she knows you bite me. But it’s different now. She won’t understand why I trust you.” Crossing to the cupboard, Gideon whistled under his breath when he saw the array of weapons inside. He picked up one of the blades and tested its weight, smiling at how perfectly it fit in his palm. “This Michelle sounds like she needs to learn how to mind 230

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her own business. Or to feel a good bite for herself. One of the two.” “I’d settle for the first option, for now. She’s a friend, and she worries about me. She’s never been good at minding her own business. Ready?” Gideon nodded. He hung back as Jesse picked up his candle again, and followed him out of the room. Personally, he thought that if this Michelle was such a friend to Jesse, she’d understand what their relationship was like. She sounded like a self-righteous prig who probably thought she knew what was best for everybody. Gideon was kind of glad that he’d eaten her girlfriend. They stopped outside the closed living room door, and Jesse touched his arm briefly. “I think they’re all going to be a little nervous seeing you. Especially Derek and Jonah. I’ll do the talking, and you do the lurking menacingly, yeah?” Not yeah, but Gideon knew he had to give Jesse the lead for the time being. At least until they got rid of this creature. “Let me guess. Derek and Jonah are two more people you don’t want me to eat.” “Yes, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t eat them. Derek is an important associate, as well as a friend. Jonah is his nephew, and he’s a good sort.” Gideon nodded his acquiescence. Jesse shot him a quick smile before opening the door, and they stepped inside, to a tableau that made the hair stand up on the back of Gideon’s neck. A circle had been inscribed on the carpet with what 231

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smelled like salt. In its center sat a slight man with long, nimble hands and eyes that spoke of the dead. This had to be the mage, John. Gideon had seen too many men like him in his existence to be wrong. There were a variety of herbs and pots in front of him, none of which Gideon recognized, and a pretty blond man sitting just outside the circle. Emma stood off to the side with another man, this one gray-haired though not old, while a stout middle-aged woman hovered opposite. None of them smiled. “These were your ideas for party guests?” he muttered to Jesse. “Jonah would probably be up for a good time,” Jesse said under his breath. “Besides, you scared away all the really fun people.” “What is he doing here?” the middle-aged woman asked. It must have been Michelle. He couldn’t think of the last time anybody referred to him with such disdain. “Helping,” Jesse said flatly. “I was attacked upstairs. This time it was corporeal. I think it’s some sort of demon, not a spirit.” “It’s actually a combination of the two,” John said. “Though the fact that it’s found power somewhere to maintain a corporeal state is a tad worrisome.” “Worrisome?” Gideon snorted. “It’s the only way we’re going to be able to kill it. I call that damn lucky.” Jesse took a step toward the circle. “What is it, John?” “An old friend, actually. He of the enneagrams.” Panic flashed through Gideon, and he frowned as he 232

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glanced at Emma. She appeared calm on the outside, but her heart was starting to accelerate. Nobody else noticed. “No. No. It can’t be.” Jesse sounded more angry than confused. “We already killed it. Gideon killed it. There was a body.” “A convenience, it would seem.” John seemed unperturbed by Jesse’s frustration. “You killed the host. The master has returned.” “The master of what?” Gideon asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma pressing closer to the gray-haired man. What the hell was she doing? “We don’t know. We never really knew.” Jesse’s pulse spiked as well. “So why is he here? What does he want? If he’s just seeking power, there’s no reason to keep attacking me, is there?” “But you’re not his only target,” John said as he swung his gaze to Gideon. “Taking away somebody’s memory isn’t exactly a party game, now is it?” “Maybe we should just get out of here.” This came from the gray-haired man. His heart was starting to race, too. “I’ll get Emma out and leave you guys to take care of killing this thing.” Jesse looked to Gideon, his eyes sparking, his face flushed. It was difficult to read him. It was even difficult to read his scent. And Gideon detected the lightest tremor in his voice when he spoke. “Maybe Derek is right. Maybe we should get Emma somewhere safe. We should have gotten her out of here 233

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already. She was a part of the spell, too.” He shifted his attention to Emma. “What do you think?” “Yes.” The answer came fast, without hesitation, without thought. “I want to go.” “Hold on here.” Gideon faced off with Jesse, in spite of the dirty look Michelle shot him. “Just a few minutes ago, you were telling me Emma could handle herself. Now you want to get her out of here?” “That was before I knew what we were facing. This demon was strong enough to steal John’s power. I had to use the darkest magic against him that I had ever used in my life. Ethan almost died in the process. If she wants to go, we should go.” Gideon had no idea who this Ethan was, but he didn’t recognize this version of Jesse arguing with him now. The Jesse he’d met hadn’t been afraid to turn a crossbow on him, had tossed aside a weapon to face him head-on. The Jesse he’d met had stated incessantly that they had to take care of this problem. The Jesse he’d met wouldn’t back down from anything. “There are enough people here to protect her.” But when Gideon took a step toward Emma, the grayhaired man moved in front of her, blocking the way. “And there are enough people here who care about her who want her to be safe,” the man said. “You really don’t want to give us another reason to stake you, Gideon. So back off.” “You back off.” Jesse stepped forward before Gideon 234

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could even respond to the other man’s threat. “No talk of staking. You say anything like that again, and Gideon will be the least of your problems.” “You want her safe as much as I do. If you’d stop thinking with your dick for a second, you’d see what’s really important here.” Emma’s hand curled around Derek’s arm. Gideon felt his pulse leap, but it was the sudden scent of fear wafting from the man that truly perplexed him. “Why don’t Derek and I just go?” she asked Jesse. “You wouldn’t let me in the fight anyway.” “Because I’m not the only one thinking with my dick in this room, am I?” Jesse said with a truly ugly sneer. Then his eyes widened, like the words were the last thing he expected to hear. “There’s something…Emma, you’ve got to put up your walls.” Her dark eyes fixed on Jesse. “They are up. What’s wrong?” “They’re not.” Jesse looked over his shoulder. “You can feel it, can’t you?” “I don’t feel anything,” Michelle cut in. “And I think we have bigger things to worry about than some dick measuring contest. Emma’s right. She and Derek should go.” Gideon narrowed his eyes. Somebody was lying. He smelled all the emotions roiling through the air, and if Michelle couldn’t tell, then she was even more worthless than he’d thought. “Not yet.” He strode forward, pushing Derek out of his 235

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way before the other man could put up a protest. When he grabbed Emma’s arm, she cried out, but it was lost in the hot influx of panic and fear exploding from her pores. “I thought you said your walls were up,” he accused. She tried to yank away, but Gideon only tightened his grip. “They are. Gideon, let me go. You’re hurting me.” Jesse grunted, drawing a flash of Gideon’s attention—but it was enough to see that Jesse looked ill, his face contorted. He closed the distance between them and pulled at Gideon’s other arm with surprisingly strong fingers. “Let her go. Or I’ll stake you myself.” “You can’t feel that?” The emotions rolled through him. “She lied to you, boy. Any protection she might have had up isn’t there.” “I can feel it,” Jesse whispered. His voice weakened. “Emma?” “Emma didn’t lie to you,” John said. “The master has found a new home, it seems. Gideon, you might need to step away from her. I fear the connection you’ve formed is going to overload Mr. Madding.” He didn’t want to let go, but one look at Jess said the mage had a point. Reluctantly, Gideon broke contact with both of them, though he made sure to stay between the pair. “She’s going to overload everybody if we keep her in here. And correct me if I’m wrong, but we can’t exactly kill it if it’s inside her, now can we?” “Not everybody,” John countered. “I can guard myself against her.” 236

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“So can I,” Michelle added. “But she has a strong connection to Jesse, and he can’t defend against it.” “We can still get her out of here,” Derek insisted, gripping Emma’s arm. “It’s this house. If we get her out of the house, everything will be fine. Jonah, help me out.” When the blond scrambled to his feet, Gideon growled in his direction. It didn’t faze the boy. If anything, it emboldened him. “If Jesse thinks we need to get her out, we should do it.” Gideon rolled his eyes. “Is everybody in this room thinking with their dick?” Jonah narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t have a chance to reply, for the heavy scent of arousal settled over the room, almost thick enough to taste. Gideon reeled back, but he couldn’t figure out who, exactly, was the source. Not until Emma pushed against his chest, burning him with the hot lust flowing from her flesh, and bolted for the door. Whatever the demon was, it was fucking stupid. Hitting Gideon with enough desire to make him want to drill into the first available hole was the best way to spur him into the chase. He took off after Emma before she’d made it past Jesse, grabbing her by the waist and hooking her back to his body. She thrashed against him, but when one of her arms flew wild and smacked into Jonah, Gideon snatched her wrist out of the air and pinned it to her side. “Go ahead,” he hissed in her ear. “Give me a reason to sink my fangs into you again. It’ll be worth any amount of trouble your admirers here want to throw my way.” 237

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A dozen fresh sensations pushed through Gideon’s body, like a pinwheel of emotions: fear, anger, depression, fresh lust, ecstasy, and then back to fear. Jesse moaned, like somebody was smashing his chest, squeezing the sound out of him. The fear only increased as Emma struggled against him, but Gideon didn’t think it was Emma’s terror. Not solely. It felt too great for that. “Let….me…go.” She slammed her head into his face. Stars burst behind his eyes. She hit with more force than he expected. It wasn’t enough to make him let go, however, and he yanked her away from the others, retreating further into the shadows in hopes that distance would lessen the effect. “Do that again, and I’ll snap her neck,” he said in a voice meant only for Emma’s ears. He didn’t think she was the one listening, though. “Considering you’re so eager to get her out of here before she gets hurt, I’m thinking you should probably put the walls up before everybody loses here.” “No. Not until I’ve broken him.” The words were coming from Emma’s mouth, but they weren’t her words. “You’ve stopped me twice before. I’ll get him out of my way now.” “I don’t think so.” Twisting her so that she was out of everybody else’s line of sight, Gideon glared in the direction of the group. “Jesse. Get out of here. Now.” Jesse straightened. For a moment, Gideon was sure Jess would argue with him. He hadn’t been shy about arguing with him before. The prism of emotions went through him again, a red haze of anger exploding in his brain. Gideon growled, and Jesse’s face twisted up, mirroring Gideon’s fury. 238

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“Okay,” he finally said, moving toward the door. “I’m going. I can’t…” “Jesse. Please. Don’t leave me with him. He’ll hurt me. Jesse, please.” Jesse didn’t slow, but his voice was weak. “He won’t.” “The rest of you. Go.” He looked at Michelle with a sneer. “Except for you. You can stay here and make sure I don’t kill her. I’m sure that’ll make you feel better.” “There’s no reason for me to go as well,” John said evenly. “I’m not affected by her.” “Yes, there is,” Gideon shot back. “We need something to tie her down. As much fun as it is to hold her like this, I think some of you might feel better if I wasn’t.” “I know where to find something to tie her up,” Jonah announced. “How do you know?” Derek asked. “Jesse showed me.” “You can show me,” John said, herding them both toward the door. “Detective, you can stay with Mr. Madding.” “I’m going to kill you,” Emma hissed. “A rope can’t hold me. I’m going to tear your dead heart out.” “I think I’ll let her,” Michelle said, her voice flat with hatred. “So you can deal with this demon all on your own?” Gideon sneered. “I don’t think so.” “The demon can’t hurt me.” “But it can hurt Jesse, can’t it?” The thing in his arms—it barely even smelled like Emma 239

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anymore—struggled more violently. Gideon’s muscles burned with the effort of subduing her, but the more he concentrated on blocking the emotions from his mind, the easier it became to hold the struggling demon. He could still smell Jesse. Wherever the other man had gone, it wasn’t far. He wanted to shout at him to leave the fucking house. Derek and John returned within minutes, carrying a rope and a long chain. Derek’s eyes were wide, and he kept sending peculiar glances Gideon’s direction, but Gideon didn’t have time to figure out what that was about. Especially since the demon went insane at the sight of the chain, spinning, twisting, shouting, and kicking in his arms. Gideon managed to get his arm around her throat, and squeezed her windpipe until she finally calmed. “You still need air, don’t you?” “I can exorcise the demon if you get her in the middle of the circle.” John wrapped the rope around her wrists. “You’ll have to hold her there.” “My pleasure.” Every kick against his shins only ratcheted his excitement further, and he ground himself into her ass as she continued to thrash. He was pretty sure Derek and Michelle saw, but at this point, Gideon didn’t care. Hell, he hadn’t really cared when she wasn’t possessed, but for Jesse’s sake, he’d pretended. Now, however, all bets were off. He’d take everything this demon thought it could throw at him, and fucking thrive on it. She raked her nails across John’s cheek, prompting Derek to dart up and grab her wrist. He jerked back as if shocked, 240

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and Gideon pulled her free. “Are you crazy?” he hissed. “Your job was to get rope. Your job is done. Get out.” “You heard him,” Michelle snapped. “Get your nephew and Jesse out of the house before they get hurt.” “I’d have to be stronger than Gideon to get Jesse out of here,” Derek said as he backed away from Emma. “Get her in the circle.” John paused and met Gideon’s eyes. “And brace yourself. The magic you’re going to experience will be quite strong.” “Great,” Gideon muttered. “More magic.” He did as he was told, lifting her up so that her feet wouldn’t disturb the circle as he carried her inside. A sizzle crept along his skin as soon as they were both inside, and Emma’s heart rate spiked. “Don’t,” she pleaded. “This isn’t going to have the effect you want. I promise you that.” “I’m not going to get the empath back?” Gideon hissed. “I don’t think so.” He glared at John. “Can we get on with this?” John stood directly in front of him, and he felt Michelle behind him. Emma’s wrists were locked in front of her, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that a hint of her blood floated to Gideon’s nose, making his fangs itch. John began to chant softly, words Gideon could barely hear over the rising protests from Emma. “Stop it! Stop it! Jesse? I know you’re out in the hall. Help me. Please.” Michelle joined John’s chanting. Eddies of magic 241

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surrounded him, crawled over his skin, suffused his flesh, coated his tongue and nose with a dark, bittersweet taste that tightened his throat. He dropped his forehead to the top of her head, squeezing his eyes shut. Rather than block out the effects of the magic, it heightened them, making every curl along his flesh a living thing. Gideon swallowed. The blockage in his throat remained. All the blood he’d ingested earlier threatened to come back up, bile burning in his chest. “Gideon…” Her voice was soft now, reaching his ears beneath the chants. The wrong scent was still there, but she was shifting her tactics now. The panic was gone. So was the fear. Now, the demon was forcing Emma to project every feeling of love she had ever experienced, and it seeped through Gideon’s skin like soaking in a blood bath. “Don’t you dare.” He shook her to make his point. Her teeth rattled from the force. Michelle’s gaze turned to stone, but she wasn’t the one being subjected to this. She wasn’t the one who had to feel Emma right now. “What are you going to do?” she asked thickly, unperturbed by his warning. “Snap my neck? Could you do that while you feel like this? This is how much I love you. Jesse, too. Take me out of here. Both of us. Don’t let them hurt me.” “Clearly, you have me mistaken for somebody else,” he murmured. “I don’t let silly things like love get in the way of what I want. And right now, what I want is to have my Emma 242

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back. Not this abomination you think she should be.” The chanting grew louder, or maybe that was just Gideon’s perceptions. Either way, the magic dug into his flesh with every word. He half expected to look down at his hands and see blood dotting his skin. Was it worth it to bleed for this? The image of her standing in front of him in the library, the purity of her need and love then compared to this twisted monstrosity writhing in his arms, answered for him. A scream tore from her throat, and he heard muffled footsteps race for the closed living room door. If Jesse came in and interrupted at this point, Gideon was going to kill both of them. He wasn’t going through this to have it fucked up at this point. Just to make sure, he clamped a hand over her mouth, gritting his teeth against the way she bit at his palm, trying to get free. John’s voice became a whirlwind, rising like a storm. He seemed much larger, fuller, expanding from his slight frame. Gideon got a glimpse of the true power that lurked beneath the other man’s skin, that made his eyes jump. Pain spread through the back of his skull, and for a moment, Gideon wondered if John intended to exorcise the demon from his own body. Before that idle thought could become a genuine concern, Emma slumped in his arms. John’s voice cut off mid-word. Michelle’s breath stopped. Everything was still. Except for the demon towering behind John, a roar escaping its gaping mouth, candles reflecting endlessly in black eyes. 243

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CHAPTER 16 Jesse slid down the wall and landed on the floor. He needed to put more space between him and the living room— between him and Emma. He didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but he was having a hard time thinking about anything. Tears stung the back of his eyes as terror and rage attacked him in turns. Were any of those emotions his? Did he even have emotions anymore? Had they been overgrown, entangled, starved? Emma kept crying out for him. Every instinct in his body told him to run to her. But Gideon had told him to get out. And nothing made sense. Was he afraid of Gideon? Was he afraid for Emma? The horror weakened him. The fury made 244

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the walls bleed stark crimson, and prompted him to believe he could tear Gideon from limb to limb to get at Emma. But he wasn’t angry with Gideon, was he? He touched his neck, pressing on the tender, bruised skin. The pain immediately cleared his mind, centered him, reminded him that he could trust Gideon, even when his heart was telling him to fight. But the harder it became to concentrate on that fact, the more he bothered the bite. The more Emma called out for him, the more he made his flesh ache. “I can’t do this,” Jesse muttered, pushing himself to his feet. “I can’t…” Derek yanked him back when he took a step toward the living room door. “You have to.” His short nails dug into Jesse’s arm. “For Emma’s sake.” A dark shiver went down Jesse’s spine. Magic. “What is going on in there? I need to know what’s happening.” “You need to stay out of their way. It’s the only way we’ll get Emma back.” Without warning, Derek shoved Jesse into the wall. “And I swear to God, if you’re wrong about Gideon, I’ll kill you myself.” Jesse felt like he was split in two and his clones were sent in different directions. Logically, he knew Derek was subjected to the same tumultuous sensations that caused him so much confusion. Jesse understood Derek’s blood was pumped full of adrenaline, his instincts wanted him to fight, and he was powerless against this onslaught. The irrational half of Jesse heard only a threat. 245

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He brought his elbow back to Derek’s chest with as much force as he could. As Derek reeled back, he spun and braced for retaliation. A fist crashed into his face, splitting his lip. Hot blood filled his mouth, orienting him more than the fight itself, and he swung back automatically. His knuckles skidded along Derek’s jaw, but Derek caught his wrist and twisted. It felt like his arm got pulled out of the socket as the other man forced him to the ground, his knee firm in Jesse’s back. “Stop it! Jesus, why do you have to go Dirty Harry on everybody?” Jonah pulled at his uncle’s arm, but Derek was stronger, better trained. “Let him go!” “He’s going to get Emma hurt if I do.” “He’s not even in the same room as her!” Jesse spat on the floor, unmindful of the bloody stain. He wasn’t strong enough to break free of Derek’s grip. Not after the night he had. Maybe if the demon hadn’t injured him. Maybe if Gideon hadn’t drunk from him. Maybe if he didn’t feel like his whole body was a throbbing, open wound. “I won’t put her in danger,” Jesse rasped. “You know that.” “You put her in Gideon’s arms. He’s already killed once tonight.” Jonah wasn’t giving up on trying to move his uncle. “Jesse said he’s safe. Let’s just get out of here. Or lock ourselves somewhere safe.” “Like that room downstairs?” Even Jesse heard the sneer in Derek’s voice. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” 246

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The image Derek unintentionally invited brought a gasp of Jesse’s lips. But the sudden desire he felt was disproportional to the stimulus. Jesse was, however, grateful for the relief from anger. “Leave him alone, Derek.” He struggled against the other man. “And let me up. We all want the same thing here. Emma’s safety.” “How do I know you’re not going to try and interrupt them again?” “I won’t. You can block the door. Or haul me into another room. Whatever makes you happy.” He thought Derek just might keep him like that until dawn, but after a few seconds, the grip on his wrist loosened and the knee disappeared from the middle of his back. When he sat back on his heels, Derek was already blocking the doorway, arms folded over his chest, looking more threatening than Jesse had ever seen him before. If he wasn’t so accustomed to Gideon’s menace, he might actually have been scared. But he’d been taught by a master. No amount of posturing on Derek’s part could frighten Jesse now. Jonah offered his hand to help him get up. “We can still go downstairs,” he said, his eyes bright. “Just you and me.” Jesse took his hand and allowed Jonah to pull him to his feet. “Okay. No. Wait.” He released Jonah’s fingers and took a step back. “What you’re feeling isn’t really what you’re feeling. It’s because of Emma.” “No, it’s not.” Jonah advanced. “It’s because of you. I was practically throwing myself at you earlier, remember? 247

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Whatever you want, Jesse. I’m up for it.” “Jonah!” Derek’s sharp tone cut through the air. “Which part of him in a committed relationship didn’t you get? You know, half your trouble is you refuse to think of anything else but your own sex life. As twisted as that is.” “He’s not twisted.” Jesse turned back to Jonah. “You’re not twisted. But he does have a point about the committed relationship. We should just…sit down…and wait until things are back to normal. You’ll feel different then.” “We’ll sit down in the library,” Jonah suggested. “Uncle Derek can stay here and stand guard. Then we’ll all be happy.” Jesse looked from Jonah to Derek, weighing his options. It’d be difficult to make Jonah keep his distance, but Jonah was less likely to body-slam him into a wall in a jealous rage. And if Jonah did body-slam him, it’d probably be a more pleasant experience. John’s steady chant hadn’t paused, but it was growing louder. Jesse didn’t know how long it would take for him to finish. If he stayed near the door, there would be another fight. He couldn’t stand being separated from Emma, and he would not tolerate being kept from his Emma by Derek. The threads of their friendship weren’t completely severed, but if Derek acted like he had the authority to say anything about Emma or her life once more, they might very well will be. “Come on, then.” Jonah eagerly followed him down the hall, at his heels like a friendly puppy. As soon as they entered the room, Jonah crowded him, taking advantage of the dark to press his body 248

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against Jesse’s. He took Jonah by the shoulders and forced him to take several steps back. “No, Jonah.” “I thought I’d try.” “Yeah, I know.” Jesse would have said more, would have explained exactly how Gideon viewed pets and ownership, but the deluge of emotions changed from anger to something much more painful. The love they shared sliced into him like a hot knife, cauterizing the wound as it separated the flesh. *

*

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The demon roared again, knocking John aside like swatting a fly. It glared at Gideon, spindly limbs reaching out, all except for the one Jesse had maimed earlier. His first instinct was to toss Emma aside and lunge forward, but she was boneless in his arms, unconscious in the face of the exorcism. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she left the sanctuary of the circle, if it would reverse what John had just done. When the demon swiped at him, however, he dropped to the ground, covering her with his body before rolling out, placing himself between her and it. “Now this is more like it,” he growled. “A little fairer, don’t you think?” “You never cared about being fair before.” The demon’s voice sounded like a thousand flies, beating their wings against a net. “Where was fair when you drained my power?” “That wasn’t your power to have,” John intervened. He pushed himself off the floor where he’d landed, though blood 249

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dripped into his eye from where his forehead had grazed at the contact. “You’re a thief.” Now, Gideon wished Jesse was back, to fill him in on what exactly he’d missed out on. He had to play it cool, and pray there wasn’t a detail he was missing crucial to killing the thing. The thing hissed and rose on its hind legs to its full height. “I know where your power comes from, dark one.” His eyelids shuttered and his head swung around to Gideon. “I should have killed you myself instead of hiring that twit.” Gideon had no idea what the demon was talking about, but clicked his tongue in reproof anyway. “Well, that was your first mistake. Never leave the killing to inferiors.” He leapt into the air. Being stretched tall, the demon probably expected Gideon to go for his knees, or what passed for knees anyway. So instead, he wrapped his arms around the beast’s neck and tackled it to the floor. “Why are you fighting me?” The sound of beating wings again. The demon punched him in the head with enough force to make Gideon’s ears ring. “You’re a vampire. Do you want her power for yourself?” “Nah, I just don’t want anybody else to have it, either.” He twisted to avoid claws raking over his back, and slammed his knee into the thing’s midsection. Its hold loosened, but Gideon clung to its skinny frame, sliding his hands up to frame the creature’s head. One thumb slipped into an eye socket, and it mired in a gelatinous orb as he gouged as deep as he could. 250

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The demon screeched. The sound drilled into Gideon’s skull. It squirmed wildly, a set of claws connecting with Gideon’s ribs. It scraped the long talons through Gideon’s flesh, digging deep until Gideon was forced to release its eyes and stumble back. As soon as he did, the demon sprung into the circle, reaching for Emma. Primal instincts burned through Gideon’s veins. Only one thought went through his head. Not Emma. With a roar, Gideon jumped onto the demon’s back, forcing it off-balance so that they landed next to Emma’s chained form. “Get her out of here!” he yelled at anybody who would listen. He had no idea what the others were doing, why they thought they could just stand to the side and watch without helping. But if someone didn’t listen to him now, the demon’s head would not be the only one to roll. Michelle jumped into the center of the circle. Even with Gideon on its back, the demon lunged for her, all teeth and raspy growls. Michelle didn’t seem troubled by the monster’s attack. She hit it in the muzzle with the heel of her hand, then bent to swoop Emma into her arms. Somewhere to the side and behind him, John began chanting. Barbs of magic hooked into his flesh. Now that the others were in the fray, Gideon had the freedom to concentrate on doing what he did best—killing something in his way. The eyes were a weakness. He had to exploit that. Curling his forearm over what he presumed was the 251

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demon’s throat, he tightened to the point that he would have crushed a human’s windpipe. A wheezing sound whistled from its mouth, but its limbs continued to thrash, one claw raking along Emma’s exposed leg before Michelle got her completely out of the way. The fresh scent of Emma’s blood hit Gideon’s senses. “There isn’t enough pain in the world for what I want you to feel. Is there some pit of hell I can toss you back into instead?” “You can’t,” Michelle said as she carried Emma’s prone body to the door. “You can’t, but John can when he’s weak enough.” “You’ll never banish me anywhere,” the demon rasped. “I’ll tear you apart.” “Kind of hard to do if you don’t have any arms.” Or whatever they were. To make his point, he used his free hand to grab the maimed limb and slammed it upward, into the socket, until the creature shouted in pain. As he wrestled the demon around the couch, Michelle opened the door. The scent of Jesse immediately assaulted him, and he risked a glance to see if his pet was there. He wasn’t. Gideon was relieved. He didn’t want to have to worry about both Emma and Jesse until the demon was gone. Something glinted in the corner of Gideon’s eye, and he realized it was the blade he’d carried down from the bedroom. He jumped, slamming both feet in the demon’s chest, then ducked and rolled to the weapon. Gideon popped to his feet, blade in hand, and immediately lunged for the creature. He 252

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aimed for the black mark across its chest where Jesse had already sliced into him, honing in on the weakness with a powerful thrust of his arm. John shouted, a single word rising above the growls of fury and pain. Gideon didn’t recognize it, but it cracked across his skin as the lights flashed. Illumination revealed just how badly the demon was already wounded. Gideon stifled the swell of pride at how much damage Jesse had already done in favor of grinding the blade deeper into its chest. Blood spurted across his forearm, still black, still viscous. The wet, rank stench churned his stomach, but he ground his teeth against the threat of losing its contents. Pulling out the blade, he backhanded it across the demon’s leg, neatly severing the primary muscle. It screamed, but when it attempted to roll out of the way, Gideon grabbed the injured limb and yanked. There was a sickening pop, and then Gideon stumbled back with the severed appendage in his hand. Blood pumped from the wound, powerful spurts with each beat of its weakening heart. John’s voice faltered as the reek settled over the room in an almost visible cloud. Gideon could name the smell—the oddly sweet odor of decomposition. “Its magic is breaking apart. It can’t sustain the concentration it needs.” John’s explanation was lost in another crack of magic, like thunder in the room’s charged atmosphere. He was halfway to his feet when the images hit him. 253

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A stake driving into his chest. Waking to find himself hanging upside down on a cross. Blood. More blood. Flowing freely in the streets of Chicago. Mary. Standing in front of a congregation, her voice ringing throughout the church. A dark alley. Staking a bunch of idiot vampires, toying with their food instead of eating. Blue eyes. Gazing at him in adoration. Jesse. Emma. Smoke. Holding them in his arms as they slept the afternoon before the party. Gideon stumbled back to his knees, shaking from the force of the memories. “Oh, God…” He’d killed Rita. He’d nearly killed others. He squeezed his eyes shut. He’d bitten Emma. Fed from her. Loved every fucking second of it. “Gideon!” The warning came just a half-second too late. The demon walloped him across the head, sending him flying back to the wall. He barely made contact with the hard surface before he was bouncing back to his feet and brandishing his sword. “You have your memories back. You had more fun without them,” the demon rasped, dodging Gideon’s weapon. “I can take them again.” 254

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“You stole Jesse from me with that little trick.” He swung the blade low, snarling in gratification when the edge caught in the creature’s flesh. “Put people I care about in danger.” He yanked, making sure he cut deep before pulling the weapon free. “No amount of so-called fun is worth any of that.” The demon dropped back on its haunches and leapt straight up into the air. Gideon braced himself, the blade pointed up, at the ready. He felt the weight of the demon bear down on the blade, and it drove him backward. He yanked up, attempting to disembowel the demon, but before the sword could split it from neck to groin, the demon disappeared. Gideon blinked. “Where the fuck did it go?” John sighed, collapsing onto the couch. His skin was ashen, his eyes dark. “You’re welcome.” “I’m serious.” His gaze snapped around the room, but it was deserted except for the pair of them. “What did you do? I wanted to kill the son of a bitch.” “As soon as it was weakened, I sent it back to the pits it crawled out of. The plan was to get rid of it, was it not?” “With bloodshed. The plan was to kill it with lots and lots of pain and misery.” “Trust me.” John winced as he tried to straighten. “There was misery.” “Gideon.” He spun around to see Jesse leaning against the doorframe, though he looked more exhausted than injured. “Are you…okay?” Tossing aside the blade, Gideon strode across the room to pull Jesse against his chest. “Tell me Emma’s all right,” he 255

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said, his mouth skimming over Jesse’s temple. “Just tell me you’re both all right.” Jesse’s arms immediately went around him. “Emma’s fine. We’re both fine. She’s resting upstairs. Michelle’s watching her.” He closed his eyes. “Thank God,” he muttered. Jesse lifted his head and touched Gideon’s cheek, his brow, ran his fingers through the short hair above his ear. “Where’s the demon? I expected to see a big, bleeding corpse.” “John banished it.” Gideon scowled. “I think he cheated me out of my kill on purpose.” “Yeah, but it didn’t work the last time you killed it. Maybe banishment is the best way to get rid of it. I’m just so relieved that…” Jesse paused, studying Gideon’s face. A beat passed, then Jesse gripped the back of Gideon’s head and pressed their mouths together. He opened to the kiss immediately, grateful for the familiar taste, grateful that he could remember the last five years and not just the last five hours with Jesse. His lips trembled, but when he felt his control start to slip, Gideon pulled away. He needed more from Jesse, but he wasn’t going to take it in front of John. This deserved more than an audience. This deserved his undivided attention. “It said something about hiring something to kill me before,” he said, though he didn’t let go of Jesse. “I don’t know how but I think it had something to do with the fire.” “That would explain where del Toro got the information 256

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on you and Emma. And his motive. Though I still don’t understand why us.” “Because, Mr. Madding, you had something he wanted,” John said. “Emma. The demon wanted her to be its home in this dimension. The demon was just trying to get you and Gideon out of the way.” “I guess you weren’t supposed to fight for us,” Jesse murmured. Gideon shook his head. “The demon was an idiot. I would always fight for you two.” Jerking his head toward the doorway, he added, “I need to see Emma. Can you keep Michelle from killing me long enough for me to tell Emma it’s over?” “Yeah. Well, I can try.” “I’m going home, gentlemen. Next time you’d like to invite me to a party, don’t.” Jesse disentangled from Gideon. “Thanks, John. We appreciate your help. You can show yourself out?” “Yes. Before you make me help clean this mess up.” “Fair enough.” Jesse wrapped his fingers around Gideon’s and tugged lightly. Gideon followed without a word. He was going to have more than a mouthful to say when they reached Michelle anyway.

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CHAPTER 17 Derek and Jonah were waiting for them outside the bedroom. Two more minor obstacles between them and bed. Jesse knew they needed to talk, make their apologies, but he just wanted them to go home so he could curl around Emma and Gideon and sleep for at least a day. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so exhausted. But, to be fair, he couldn’t remember much of anything at that point. His brain was already shutting down. He didn’t release Gideon’s hand as they came to a stop in the hallway. Partially because he didn’t want the vampire to face Michelle alone. Partially because the Gideon he had met earlier that night would never allow him to calmly stand there 258

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with their fingers entwined. But everything was back to normal now, moving at the normal speed, in the normal direction, and he needed to hold Gideon to remind himself of that fact. “John banished the demon and broke all the spells,” Jesse said. “So I guess everything is as normal as things get around here.” Derek hooked a thumb toward the door. “Michelle’s in there with Emma. I think she’s asleep. I don’t feel anything anymore.” “Neither do I,” Jonah added. “Thanks for your help in everything downstairs.” As a rule, Gideon didn’t really do contrite, especially with people who weren’t Jesse and Emma, but there was no other word to describe the tone of his voice now. “And…I’m sorry things got a little…scary around here tonight.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Derek shrugged. “You know, I used to wonder about what it was like for my dad, hanging out with you, getting to watch you fight. Let’s just say, I’m glad I’m friends with this version of you instead.” Jesse preferred this version, as well. Not that he didn’t find the other version exciting—he very much did. But that Gideon was too much like a wild animal, too feral to ever fully trust. Gideon would never be anything like domesticated, but at least now he was a bit more predictable, and a bit less frightening. “Are you two okay?” Jesse asked. “Any injuries I don’t know about?” 259

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Derek smiled. “Does guilt count? Not that there’s anything you can do about that, except not hold it against me for being out of line earlier.” Thirty minutes of insanity against five years of friendship—the decision was easy enough for Jesse. “I’m not holding anything against you. It’s not like any of us were completely in control of ourselves, right?” His gaze sobered. “I just don’t want you to think I don’t know that Emma’s happy. Or that you wouldn’t protect her with your life. Just because I care a little bit about…what happens to her doesn’t mean I’m interested in wrecking what is obviously working for you guys.” “I appreciate that, but you couldn’t wreck anything. Even if you were interested.” “I know. And I’ve got all the polite rejections from when I asked her out to prove it.” He nudged Jonah. “You hear that? Committed. Relationship. You’re a college boy. You should know what those words mean.” “Yeah, yeah. Jesse knows I wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want me to, right, Jess?” Jesse doubted Jonah would ever say anything like that if he knew him a little bit better. Or maybe the younger man already had a pretty good bead on him? “I expect you know how to behave yourself when you want to. Go home and get some sleep. And thanks…for sticking around to help, even though things did get scary.” Gideon remained quiet while Derek and Jonah said their good nights and left. His eyes tracked them until they were 260

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gone, and he remained still for seconds more, probably listening for the front door to open and close. “I will say one thing. If I ever doubted I could trust Derek to make a tough decision, I don’t now.” “Why? Because he stayed to help, or because he pinned me to the floor and refused to let me up?” “Because I know that if I ever really was a threat to you, or Emma, or just in general, he’d do whatever he could to take me down.” “He was certainly willing to do that tonight. Fortunately for you, he trusted me. Well, he trusted me enough.” Jesse glanced at the closed bedroom door. “I should probably go in first, in case Michelle is ready with a stake.” Gideon nodded. “It might even be better if we wait until later for me to try and talk to her. Give her some distance from the whole thing.” Jesse wasn’t sure if even a decade of distance would make a big difference to Michelle. He pushed the door open carefully, but she wasn’t waiting nearby with a weapon. In fact, she wasn’t armed at all. She was sitting on the edge of the mattress, watching quietly as Emma’s chest rose and fell at regular intervals. “The demon has been banished then,” Michelle said, without looking away from Emma. “Yes,” Jesse answered. “How is she?” “Asleep.” She finally looked up, gazing at Gideon with cold eyes. “And what about you? Have your memories returned?” 261

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“Yes. Though I’m completely aware of what happened tonight. What I did. I don’t even know how to start—” His mouth pressed into a thin line. Jesse wasn’t sure what words exactly Gideon was trying to hold back. “Rita was a good woman. I’m very sorry she got caught up in this.” “She was a good woman.” Michelle stood and approached until she was almost toe-to-toe with Gideon. “So here are a few more memories for you. She had a foster daughter, Dominique, and she wanted to adopt her. She also had two puppies she rescued from a Dumpster. She made the best chocolate chip cookies I ever tasted. Her most treasured possession was the autographed photo of Bowie. And now I have to go tell that girl that the only mother she’s known in the last four years isn’t going to come home.” “Michelle…” “No.” Gideon didn’t look away from Michelle’s unflinching attention. “She has every right to say what she wants. I know I’m in the wrong here.” “Jesse is the only reason you are still standing right now. The one and only reason. Did you feel how afraid he was of you? I felt it every time Emma let her walls down. I know you felt it. And you liked it.” Jesse flinched. “Michelle, please. He also saved Emma and me from that demon. Saved all of us.” “We need to talk, Jesse. Come to the store after you’ve recovered a bit from the blood loss you’ve experienced tonight.” Michelle stepped to the side neatly and marched out of the 262

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bedroom without a further word or a second glance. Gideon’s shoulders slumped. “You know she’s going to spend the next decade trying even harder to get you to leave me, don’t you?” Jesse wrapped his arms around Gideon’s waist. “She’ll be wasting her breath, you know. If I wasn’t ready to give up on you after tonight, she’s not going to be able to sway me.” “That doesn’t mean I like it.” Though Gideon pulled Jesse into a loose embrace, he could tell his attention was elsewhere. He watched Gideon’s gaze flicker around the room, from the blood that still stained the wall, to the stained blankets Michelle had pulled off the bed before laying Emma down, to the spot where Gideon had fucked him earlier. How did he view the memories of the evening? Anyone could see he felt guilty about Rita’s death, but what about the rest of it? Did he miss any of it? “I wish we’d finished at least one of the other bedrooms,” Gideon said. “I’m not sure I like the idea of sleeping in here tonight.” “Because of the blood? Is the smell bothering you?” “It doesn’t make you itchy?” “I think I might be too tired to be itchy, honestly. Not that I won’t be happy to give it a good cleaning tomorrow. And maybe even a fresh coat of paint.” But Gideon still looked reluctant, releasing Jesse to go over and ghost his fingers over the nearest splatter of dark blood. “Do you trust John that the demon is well and truly gone? What if we go to bed, and it fucks with me again? Or 263

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Emma? Or you, this time?” “I do believe it’s gone,” Jesse said slowly. John was one of the most powerful mages in the world. Jesse didn’t have any reason to doubt him. “Banishing a demon to a hell dimension is more permanent than merely killing its host. Besides, I don’t know if it’ll do any good to lie awake and worry about it. You’ll never sleep again.” “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Resting his palm against the wall, Gideon leaned against it, bowing his head. “Jesus, Jess…I bit Emma. And I loved it. Every second. If I’d had my way, we would’ve barricaded ourselves in the library and told everybody to fuck off.” Watching Gideon support the weight of his guilt, Jesse realized this night would be far easier for he and Emma to forget. Or at least, put behind them. He approached and put a gentle hand on Gideon’s back. “She liked it, too. You felt it. We all did. She can’t fake that sort of desire. I’m personally sorry it happened the way it did, but I don’t think it’ll even occur to Emma to hold it against you.” “Maybe she can’t fake it, but I’m the one who kept you in that room. There is no way she wasn’t feeding off you, not with the way you two get.” “Gideon…I don’t think that’s right.” Jesse swallowed. He didn’t think the truth would actually help, but lying wasn’t an option. “She might have been feeding off me, but only after she started slamming me with all her desire. I didn’t…I wasn’t happy to bring her in there with you.” 264

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Gideon shook his head. “Because you were afraid of what I was going to do to her.” “Yes, I was. But you didn’t do what I was afraid of, and we both know you could have. That counts for something. An awful lot, actually.” “I just don’t know how I’m going to look her in the eye.” “You could start with turning around.” Emma’s soft voice drifted over to them, and Jesse turned around to see her smiling sleepily in their direction. “He’s worrying about what happened in the library, isn’t he?” “Yes, he is,” Gideon answered before Jesse could. “I think I have a right to.” “I think he’s going to beat himself up over it, regardless of what we think.” Jesse leaned over and kissed Gideon’s cheek before crossing the room to the bed. He gestured at her shirt. “Do you mind if I look?” Emma shook her head and Jesse very gently pulled her loose T-shirt up, exposing her breasts. The skin around the bite was already discolored, and the mark was an almost perfect imprint of Gideon’s mouth. “Does it hurt at all?” “It’s a little tender. But it’s not any worse than having both of you inside me, or when you bite at me during sex. Not now, at least.” Gideon turned around, though he leaned against the wall rather than come over to the bed. “But it hurt when I bit you earlier.” Her lips twitched. “Well, yeah. That’s part of the point, 265

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isn’t it?” “I’d say so.” Jesse leaned close and brushed his lips across her tender flesh before replacing her shirt. She wrapped her arms around him and Jesse allowed her to pull him down to the mattress. He couldn’t have resisted. “Gideon? Will you please come to bed? I think I can speak for both of us when I say that I missed you tonight. A lot.” “And I owe you a thank you for helping me,” Emma added. A soft wave of her love washed through the room, and Gideon’s eyes closed. “Please come to bed, Gideon.” He remained motionless, a statue trapped in a frozen moment. When he finally stepped toward the bed, Jesse hid his mild relief. Jesse rested his brow against hers and took a deep breath. Despite the trauma of the night, her hair and skin still smelled sweet to him. “Does the blood bother you in here? Gideon doesn’t like it. We can move to another room.” He smiled a little. “I guess we could spread blankets in the playroom.” “I’m fine here.” He looked up, including Gideon in the next question as he gingerly settled on his side of the bed. “Does the house bother you?” Gideon closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. After a moment, he shook his head. “No. Not the house. Just the memories of tonight.” “I still like this old place,” Jesse admitted. “I don’t want to move again.” “Me neither,” Emma said softly. 266

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Jesse reached over Emma’s body and ran his fingers down Gideon’s arm. “Can we do anything to help?” When Gideon opened his eyes, he relaxed onto the pillow, closing the distance to press closer to Emma’s side. He rested his arm across her stomach, letting the back of his knuckles brush against Jesse. “No more parties.” Emma chuckled. “I’m not sure we could convince anybody else to come to one again.” “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it won’t be an issue again. It’s a shame, too,” Jesse teased gently. “I thought the first hour or so of the party was a lot of fun.” Gideon prodded his stomach. “That’s because you had Derek’s nephew sniffing after you.” Jesse yawned. “That part wasn’t entirely unpleasant, I guess.” He nuzzled against Emma. “I don’t suppose that makes either of you jealous, does it? Of course, I’m too tired for jealousy-fueled sex.” “We can have jealousy sex tomorrow,” Emma murmured. “Don’t forget the let’s-forget-this-night-ever-happened sex,” Gideon added. “And the thank-you-for-getting-rid-of-the-demon-messingwith-my-head sex.” “That sounds good. All three sounds good.” Jesse thought they could add thank-you-for-not-killing-me sex to the list. And I-was-really-scared-and-I’m-so-happy-you’re-back-tonormal sex. “We can top it off with some old-fashioned Ilove-you-so-much sex.” Emma smiled softly. “The best kind.” 267

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“Yeah.” Gideon caressed Jesse’s jaw before he dropped his arm back down to rest on Emma. “Just promise me somebody will watch my back in case Michelle changes her mind. The way you two get me worked up, I might not notice it if she sneaks in with a stake.” “I’ve got your back,” Jesse promised. “Me, too,” Emma said softly. “See? We both do.” He took a deep breath and yawned again. He sank deeper into the mattress, his eyes falling shut. “Always will.”

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CHAPTER 18 The sun was almost down. Jesse and Emma would be home soon, which meant Gideon had ten minutes on the outside to get the food dished up, the candles on the dining room table lit, the sauce he’d spilled cleaned up, and his clothes changed. Everything had to be perfect. He’d planned it that way. After the catastrophe of the party a week earlier, he owed it to Jesse and Emma to make tonight as special as possible for them. Guilt still plagued both his waking and resting thoughts. No matter how many times Emma tried to assure him otherwise, he couldn’t stop thinking that it was a line they shouldn’t have crossed when he wasn’t completely himself. 269

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Then there was the issue of Jesse. Without his memory, Gideon had said some callous things to him. Demeaning. Dismissive. Every bad trait he had got taken out and put on display, and Gideon hated that Jesse had taken the brunt of all of them, only to turn the other cheek. Part of his guilt stemmed from the fact that he hadn’t actually apologized to either of them. Every time the subject came up—which, granted, was less and less the more they realized how knotted he still was—words failed Gideon. All he could do was show them, every night, every day. Hold them, kiss them, show them he wasn’t the monster he had been. It didn’t escape his awareness that it was as much for himself as it was for them. In the end, the one he needed to convince was the one who knew the truth. Only Gideon understood just how close he was all the time. Time and dedication had tempered some of it out of him, as well as Jesse’s love and Emma’s adoration, but Gideon knew that if push came to shove, it wouldn’t take much for the Gideon of that awful night to be the one in charge. That frightened him. A lot. When he heard the front door open and close, Gideon paused where he was ladling marinara sauce over the fresh raviolis to glance at the clock. “Damn it,” he muttered. They were early. Jesse had been picking Emma up from work ever since the fire, but traffic across town must have been light today. He’d counted on at least another six minutes before them walking in. He wasn’t going to have time to change his 270

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clothes now. He’d have to settle on making sure the meal itself was flawless. “Gideon? Do I smell dinner?” Jesse’s voice grew louder as he approached the kitchen. When the kitchen door popped open, Gideon looked up to see him framed in the doorway. “What are you making?” Emma looked over Jesse’s shoulder with curious eyes. “Is it ravioli? Please say yes. I have been craving it all day.” “You peeked in the refrigerator this morning, didn’t you?” Gideon teased. He placed the empty pan in the sink, turning on the water to rinse off his hands. “Yes, it’s ravioli, but it was supposed to be a surprise. You two are home early.” “I got to the Institute early, and Emma got off of work a little early.” Jesse ventured further into the kitchen. “Why was it supposed to be a surprise?” “I can’t want to do something nice for the two most important people in my life?” The timer went off on the oven, and Gideon grabbed a potholder to protect his hand as he opened it. “You two have been working your tails off ever since we moved in. I thought you deserved one night off. So no cooking, no cleaning, no finding odd jobs around the house to get done. I want you two to sit and relax and let me wait on you for a few hours.” Jesse inhaled deeply, and Gideon heard his stomach growl. “You are, indeed, a benevolent dictator. And that smells really good.” “My mouth is already watering,” Emma added. Jesse leaned against the counter as Gideon set the hot pan 271

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on the cooling rack. “Are we eating in here? Or are you doing this up right, and we should go wait for you in the dining room?” “The table’s already set. I just haven’t lit the candles yet.” “I can do that,” Emma offered. Gideon nodded. “The wine’s on the table, too. If you want to pour yours and Jesse’s out, we’ll be right in with the food.” Jesse swiped his finger along the edge of the ravioli plate and brought the sauce up to his lips. “Is dinner our only surprise for the night?” Gideon smacked his hand away before he could steal a second taste. “Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” “It would be a good kind of telling,” Emma called out from the dining room. “She has a point.” Jesse abandoned his attempt to get into the food, focusing on Gideon instead. He hooked his fingers in Gideon’s waistband and offered an innocent smile. “What about a hint, then?” With a shake of his head, Gideon grasped Jesse’s wrist and disentangled his hold. “Get the salad out of the fridge,” he said. He brought Jesse’s hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his palm. “Let me do this. Please?” “Well, if you’re going to say please,” Jesse conceded as Gideon released his wrist. He turned to the fridge and took out the salad and the dressing. “Anything else you want me to carry?” The candles danced in the softly lit dining room as Jesse and Gideon carried in the food. For a moment, Gideon 272

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faltered. Every time he walked into this room, he tasted Rita’s blood on the back of his tongue. The only thing that made it better was that it had been dark, with only the single point of illumination. The memories were all taste and touch and smell. Nothing visual. But the others were bad enough. Jesse sat down next to Emma, and Gideon dished out the food, brushing away the hands that tried to help. “If you somehow manage to finish all this off, there’s tiramisu for dessert. And if you behave yourselves, I’ll let you take it up to the bedroom so we can eat it off each other.” “He says that as though we’re not always on our best behavior.” Emma laughed. “You’re never on your best behavior.” Jesse affected a look of hurt. “I was on my best behavior today when we were all alone in your office, wasn’t I?” “You were playing footsie under my desk! Your toes were practically in my underwear.” Gideon snorted and leaned back in his chair. “Well, if he doesn’t behave himself tonight, we’ll just tie him to the chair and make him watch. Problem solved.” Jesse put salad on his plate, then passed the bowl to Emma. The soft candlelight danced in their eyes and glowed off their skin. They looked golden, but fragile. “I guess I know who I won’t be playing footsie with tonight.” Jesse sipped from his wine and smiled. “Wow, you even broke out the good stuff.” “Of course. You two deserve it.” His fingers toyed with the long stem of his glass as he watched them start to eat. The 273

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words were right there, on the tip of his tongue, ready to share. Why couldn’t he get them out? Emma’s chewing slowed, and she glanced at Gideon. “Aren’t you going to eat?” “I had something while I was cooking.” He smiled, hoping nothing showed in his eyes. He’d found it very difficult to eat in front of them since the party. “And I need room for the tiramisu. That’s the best part of the meal.” “You do make a mean tiramisu,” Jesse agreed before taking a bit of his ravioli. Despite his light tone and his undeniable look of satisfaction, his eyes were serious, trained on Gideon. It might have made him uncomfortable, except Jesse had been watching him with the same solemn attention for the past week. “This is excellent, by the way.” Emma quickly swallowed her mouthful of food. “It really is.” “Hold still,” Jesse murmured. “You’ve got a little something.” He used the corner of his napkin to wipe away a bit of red sauce on her chin. She laughed. “It’s so good I got it all over my face.” They carried on like that throughout the meal, smiling and chattering about Emma’s day, the work they’d finished in the living room, the unseasonable warmth of the weather. Gideon tried to stay involved, but every so often, he slipped into quiet, simply enjoying the sound of their voices as they wrapped around him. When that happened, one or both of them would draw him back in, coaxing him into sharing something about his day, taunting him more than once to spill on why he was 274

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going to such lengths for them. He rose to his feet when Emma finally set down her fork. “Let me clear these dishes. You two just relax.” “Gideon, you don’t have to…” Emma started. “Emma, stay here and finish this wine with me,” Jesse interrupted, refilling her glass. She nodded and settled back in her seat, taking the glass from Jesse’s fingers. Gideon quickly cleared their dishes, but he could pick up their hushed conversation as he walked into the kitchen. “Is he letting you in at all?” Jesse murmured. “No. He’s completely blocking me.” “That’s what I thought.” “Why won’t he believe us?” “I guess he won’t let himself.” There was a pause, then the clink of glass meeting the tabletop. “It probably seems absurd that we can forgive him when he can’t forgive himself.” “So what do we do?” Gideon wanted to walk back out and say they didn’t need to do anything, but he was a little curious about Jesse’s response. He scraped off the plates, listening for what came next. A brief pause. “I don’t know.” Then a longer pause. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do. Especially since…he knows that’s who he is. It wasn’t a drug or a trick. He wasn’t possessed. But, you know, it’s like I told Michelle yesterday. I love him because he also knows he’s better than that.” 275

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One of the plates broke in his hand. Gideon grimaced as he picked up the loose pieces, but it was too late. Chairs scraped back, and footsteps grew louder, and there they were, one standing at his elbow to take his wrist and push his hand beneath the water to rinse away the blood, the other grabbing the trash can to throw away the broken pottery. “Why don’t we forget about the clean-up?” Emma said softly. Her dark eyes glowed as she reached for a towel to wrap around his fingers. “Dinner’s not over yet anyway.” Tilting his head up, he met Jesse’s steady gaze. “Yeah.” He matched her tone, wary of conveying too much. “Grab dessert.” “I got it,” Jesse said, grabbing the tiramisu, but pointedly ignoring the silverware and smaller dessert plates on the counter beside it. Emma led the way up the stairs, with Jesse on her heels, balancing the dessert in one hand, and Gideon behind them. He noticed the way Emma’s skirt pulled across her ass, and the way Jesse’s hair was now growing over his collar. His hand ached, but that was easy to ignore, since the bleeding had already stopped and the skin was knitting closed. Emma didn’t turn on the overhead light. She used the light from the hallway to find the lighter on the nightstand, and began lighting the candles that still circled the room. Gideon took the tiramisu from Jesse’s hand and set it within reach on the nightstand. Jesse immediately came to him, pressing their bodies together, and before he could give any more weight to the doubts that plagued him, Gideon 276

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wrapped his arm around his lover’s back and brushed his mouth with a tender kiss. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. He didn’t know if it was the warm darkness that gave him strength, or what he’d overhead, but it seemed possible all of a sudden to give voice to everything he’d been attempting since that night. “So sorry. About everything. About treating you as less than you were. About scaring you. About closing you out this week. I wish…well, I know I can’t take it back, and I know there’s nothing I could have done differently to prevent it from happening, but I want you to know that if there was, I’d do it. I’d do anything to keep you from that kind of pain. Ever.” Jesse ran his fingers over Gideon’s face. “I know. I know. I forgive you.” His mouth touched Gideon’s again, his tongue tracing Gideon’s bottom lip. “We both forgive you.” Emma pressed herself to his back, her arms sneaking around his waist, her forehead resting on the spot between his shoulders. He felt her chest rise in a deep breath, and then a strong sense of love trying to slide into his body, knocking at the edges of his mind. “This isn’t supposed to be about making me feel better,” Gideon complained. His free hand came up to the back of Jesse’s neck, holding him still as he nuzzled his throat. “It was supposed to be about showing you two how much I love you.” Jesse moaned softly. “It makes us happy to make you feel better. This is the first time you’ve given us the chance.” “You shouldn’t have to—” He stopped. It was pointless to argue. It was impossible with the heat pouring into his flesh. 277

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“That’s cheating, Em.” “I’m not above playing dirty,” Emma said, her hands sneaking lower. Jesse smoothed his hand over Gideon’s shoulder. “Would it make you feel better if we stopped trying to make you feel better and let you continue with your plan?” Actually, he was starting to quite enjoy their methods of making him feel better. Emma’s hands were hot and light where she caressed the flat plane of his stomach, and the hardening line of Jesse’s cock against his hip made him wish he’d eaten a little something with them at dinner. His mouth watered at the thought of swallowing it down, and he lifted his head to meet Jesse’s gaze with a soft smile. “My plan didn’t actually include a whole lot of orgasms for me. It focused more on making you two pass out from coming so much. So maybe we should just compromise. Everybody gets to come. Then everybody can pass out, we get some sleep, and we start all over again.” “That’s one of my favorite things about you.” Jesse skimmed his lips over Gideon’s brow, then down his cheek. He trailed kisses all the way to Gideon’s neck. His mouth was so light, Gideon almost couldn’t feel it at all. Except for the heat, seeping into his skin. “Your improvisational skills. And I think everybody should get naked, first.” Emma responded to Jesse’s suggestion by seeking out Gideon’s button. It popped free, and her fingertip ran up and down his zipper, teasing him. On the next stroke up, Gideon grabbed her wrist, twisting 278

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around in order to push Emma down onto the edge of the bed. “Let’s start with a certain minx who keeps cheating.” He nudged his knee between her thighs, pressing upward until it passed over her sex and rested on her stomach. “In fact, I think we start eating off her first.” Jesse crawled onto the bed, kneeling above Emma’s head. She reached behind her, holding his hips lightly as he bent at the waist and found her mouth. Gideon watched, motionless, as Jesse kissed her, slowly pulling her shirt up her body, exposing an inch of creamy skin at a time. Skin that made Gideon’s tongue tingle at the thought of tasting it. By the time the shirt reached her chest, Jesse straightened and pulled the garment over her arms. Her porcelain skin stretched over her soft flesh, beckoning to Gideon to touch. She caught her breath at the first contact, but when his fingertips hesitated at the line of her bra, Emma released one hand from Jesse’s hips to reach down and cover Gideon’s instead. “I know how much you regret the bite,” she said gently. “But I don’t. I couldn’t. You might not trust what you are inside, but I do. I couldn’t be here if I didn’t.” His chest tightened at every word. By the time she had finished talking, his hand trembled. He slid it over the few inches to the front clasp of her bra and slowly opened it, letting the lacy fabric fall free to her sides. The bruising was gone, but the puncture wounds remained, healed over into fading pink spots. There would be a scar there, a scar she’d wear until the day she died. Jesse had his 279

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own share. Marks both of them wore with obvious pride, even more obvious love. “Get the tiramisu,” he instructed Jesse. “I want to taste it on Emma’s breasts first.” Jesse reached across the bed to get the dessert from the nightstand. He dipped his finger into the sweet cake, then smeared it across the tip of Emma’s breast. She gasped as his finger caressed her nipple, and Jesse responded by smearing more of the dessert over her skin, circling the dusky flesh until it pebbled. Gideon caught his hand before he could pull it away, bringing it to his mouth and sucking it clean. Emma echoed Jesse’s soft gasp, only to cry out when Gideon leaned down and dragged his tongue around the lower swell of her breast. Emma arched her back and gripped Jesse’s hips again. She jerked with each swipe of Gideon’s tongue, sharp barbs of desire working into Gideon’s skin each time he sampled her sweetened body. As soon as the cake was gone, Jesse smoothed more over her sensitive nipple, then brought his finger up to Gideon’s mouth. Before Gideon had the chance to lick his finger clean, Jesse smeared the cake over Gideon’s lips. He groaned. The salt gave a tang to the dessert that made his fangs itch, but he kept those in check, his other needs far greater than any desire for blood. Stretching over Emma’s body, he claimed Jesse’s mouth, the cream catching on their cheeks as he thrust his tongue inside to take what he really wanted. 280

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Emma’s whimpers broke through his hungered haze. “I think Emma deserves something,” he said when he pulled back. “Take your pants off. She can eat it off your cock.” Jesse immediately unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his hips. He pulled his cock free, letting the tip brush across Emma’s chin. Gideon dipped his own fingers in the pan, then brushed them over the crown of his cock, his thumb gathering the pre-come from the slit. Emma’s pink tongue darted out to catch a few crumbs. Gideon licked the sugar and salt from his thumb, sucking all the flavor from his skin, as Jesse guided his cock between her lips. They both moaned as soon as Emma’s mouth closed around his shaft. Emma’s eyes fluttered shut in satisfaction that Gideon could feel. Jesse’s pleasure seemed to match hers, then spiked as Gideon claimed his mouth again. He worked at the buttons on Jesse’s shirt as they kissed, each inch of bared skin searing his fingertips. With their fire filling the room, he couldn’t remember why he feared admitting to his guilt, apologizing for his transgressions. Jesse and Emma loved him. Why…well, he wasn’t entirely sure. But it was undeniable, an entity in its own right, living and growing and protecting him from his baser instincts more completely each and every day. Gideon broke away after he’d pushed the garment off Jesse’s shoulders. “I need another taste off Emma,” he said, sliding back off the bed. His hands found the waistband of her skirt and pulled it down over her hips, taking her panties along 281

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with it. “Show me that sweet little pussy of yours now.” Emma hooked her knees over his shoulders, opening herself to his gaze, and his touch, and his mouth. The heady scent of her arousal surrounded him, making his body ache in new ways. He ran his tongue down her slit, momentarily content to collect her juices with his tongue, letting the taste mingle with the sweetness that still lingered in his mouth. Looking up through his lashes, he watched as Jesse eased his cock from her mouth and bent to kiss her again. “I’m beginning to wonder just what kind of footsie you two were doing earlier.” Jesse lifted his head and smiled. “The kind that might have involved a game of handsie, too.” Gideon shook his head, but he couldn’t hide his smile. “I think I’m going to have to start putting you two on leashes, as well as collars, the way you two keep going at each other.” The sharp ache of fresh lust jumped from both of them, and Gideon hid how it affected him by reaching to the side for more cream. “If Emma’s done on your cock, boy, come down here and help me finish her off right.” Jesse crawled down the mattress, dragging his tongue over her breast and down her ribs. She giggled when he found a ticklish spot, and Gideon wasn’t surprised when Jesse made it a point to hit it again. Once Jesse reached her hip, he followed the curve down to her pussy. Gideon felt her tremble and shiver as Jesse’s tongue moved closer to her swollen lips. She jerked like Gideon shocked her when he drew his finger over her flesh, providing a path for Jesse’s tongue to follow. 282

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Gideon shifted to the side, nibbling along the tender flesh of her inner thigh as Jesse licked along her folds. One bite. That was all it would take to make her burst. Swollen and lush, sweeter than any cream that coated her skin. They could feast on her all night and never get tired of it. Scraping his teeth upward, he traced around her opening, inhaling the combined scents of both his lovers as Jesse focused on her mound. Neither of them touched her clit, and Emma began to squirm, waiting and waiting for that single bit of contact. When her hand came to the back of Jesse’s head, Gideon pulled it off and pinned it at her side. “Just lay there and enjoy.” “You make it hard to just lay here.” She gasped. Gideon caught the corner of Jesse’s mouth lifting in an amused smile. Just before he leaned up and scraped his teeth across her stomach. “You heard him.” Jesse spread more of the cream across her lower abdomen and lapped it up slowly. Each time his tongue touched her flesh, she flinched and quivered. By the time he worked his way back to her mound, she was squirming again, her hands clenched at her side. “How long are you going to torture me like this?” “Until Gideon tells me to stop.” “Which will be never.” Gideon captured some of her juices with his fingertip and coated Jesse’s lower lip with them. “Or until you scream. One of the two. I haven’t decided yet.” Jesse tilted his head, and Gideon captured his lower lip, sucking it between his teeth. He loved the way Emma tasted 283

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on Jesse, and he didn’t lift his head until Jesse’s lips were swollen from the kiss. Jesse turned from Gideon’s mouth to Emma’s thigh, drawing his tongue along the seam. “I guess the question is then…” Jesse slid his hand over her flat stomach and up her ribs. He caressed the swell of her breast with his knuckle, and let his fingers hover her nipple. “What will make her scream?” “Good question.” He continued to circle her opening, watching her grow wetter by the minute. “I think we’re going to have to do some testing to find out.” While Jesse watched, Gideon bent his head to lavish attention to her other thigh, this time being sure to stay far away from her slit. His fingers never stopped, though. He wanted her to beg for his mouth, for Jesse’s mouth, for what she wanted, before he would give it to her. Tonight wouldn’t be about presuming what his partners desired. Tonight was about knowing and then making sure they got it in spades. Something thick and hot funneled through him—Emma focusing all her desire and hunger toward them. It wasn’t enough to completely distract Gideon, but Jesse paused and moaned softly, resting his head against Emma’s leg. “Gideon’s right. You do cheat.” “I’m not cheating. I just…wanted you to know how you two make me feel.” “Driving me to distraction in the process,” Jesse muttered, before biting her inner thigh. Emma yelped and arched off the bed. “You’re going to have to do harder than that,” Gideon 284

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admonished. “You call that a scream?” He dragged his wet fingers down the crack of her ass, finding the tiny opening. Coating the twitching muscle with her own juices, he glanced up at Jesse, his fingertip poised to enter. “Fucking her always makes her scream, you know.” He kept it deliberately casual, knowing that would only spur Emma on even harder. “We keep her on the edge of coming, and we win.” “This isn’t a competition,” Emma said quickly. “So sayeth the woman who can’t keep from dirty tricks to get her own way,” he shot back. “I like winning,” Jesse murmured. “But I think I know a way to make her scream.” He took Gideon’s wrist and slowly guided him forward, until Gideon’s slick finger entered her tight channel. Emma clenched around the intrusion, her breath coming in faster gasps. Jesse scraped his teeth over her lips, teasing her sensitive flesh until his tongue reached her entrance. “Please…Jesse…” “That’s not screaming. That’s begging.” Slowly, Gideon pumped in and out of her ass, feeling the muscles squeeze around him as if to keep him inside. “Not that begging doesn’t have its merits…” “I’ll scream,” Emma said quickly. “I’ll scream. I promise. Just…” Gideon never found out what they just needed to do, because Jesse slid his tongue into her pussy. The first thrust 285

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merely stole her breath. Gideon pushed a second finger into her ass, but continued to move slowly. He could feel Jesse’s tongue sliding in and out of her hot flesh. Each time he moved into her, she clenched, her muscles fluttering. “Jess…Gideon…please…please…I’ll…” He clicked his tongue. “Still sounds like begging to me.” Threading his fingers through Jesse’s hair, he pulled hard enough to drag him away from her pussy, slamming their mouths together in order to get another taste of her on his lips. Jesse whimpered under his assault, welcoming Gideon in. The longer the kiss lasted, the more Emma’s moans of frustrated added in to the song. “Lay down so Emma can ride you,” he said softly when they parted. “Don’t let her come. I want to feel both of you when it happens.” Jesse didn’t lose any time settling on the mattress, or pulling Emma on to his body. As soon as she straddled him, their mouths came together in a long kiss. Jesse had one hand on her hip, the other buried in her hair, and they were both moaning softly. They were some of the hungriest sounds Gideon had ever heard, and for the moment, he was happy to watch the two of them devour each other. Jesse’s body hard and firm, Emma’s soft and pliant. His skin looked darker in contrast to hers, and her long hair fell like a curtain over their faces. Emma grasped the base of Jesse’s cock and dragged the tip down her slit. Jesse’s hand flexed on her hip as he guided her onto his shaft. 286

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He squeezed his eyes shut as their satisfaction suffused the air. Part love, part lust, part longing, it tightened Gideon’s throat, teased him with images of the three of them tangled together, bodies locked in desire. There would be plenty of time for that as the night progressed. He wasn’t going to let either of them rest until he’d shown them fully how indebted he was to them. Not just about forgiving him. For seeing something in him worthy of their love. Few did so. Gideon stripped out of his clothing quickly, eager to feel their warmth brushing against his skin. When he returned to the edge of the bed, Emma already rocked atop Jesse, taking him in with long, languorous strokes that belied her earlier desperation. She had every wall down. Gideon had done everything he could to block his own emotions from her ever since the party, but now, with most of the truth out there, he felt it might be safe enough to let a little bit out again. Crawling between their legs, he smoothed his hands over the soft globes of Emma’s ass, parting the cheeks as he dipped his head. He ran his tongue down the warm crevice, but this time, he didn’t stop at her hole. He continued down, down, all the way to the friction of Jesse’s balls slapping against her flesh. “Oh God,” Jesse gasped, as soon as Gideon’s tongue touched his skin. He inhaled deeply, letting the rich smell of their combined desire swirl around his head. He slid his tongue to the base of Jesse’s cock, lapping at the skin each time Emma rocked forward. Gideon’s mouth moved everywhere, hungry to taste every bit of both of them, every 287

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inch of their skin that he could reach. Jesse’s sac glistened from both Gideon’s mouth and Emma’s arousal, but it was the velvet skin beneath that Gideon truly wanted to wet. Nipping one last time at the root of Jesse’s cock, he grasped his thighs and pushed them further apart, encouraging Jess to plant his heels on the bed. It exposed his ass, and Gideon licked along the flesh, finding his clenching hole. He didn’t waste any time. He wanted Jesse ready. He needed to get his cock inside Jesse as soon as he possibly could. Heat radiated off Jesse’s flesh as he circled the tight ring of muscle with his tongue. Jesse groaned, a high, hungry sound. Gideon wasn’t sure what Jess did to Emma, but she responded in kind. That sound, more than anything, told Gideon that they were both as frantic, as desperate, as Gideon was. He pushed past the pucker, and fucked Jesse with his tongue, wetting his channel without stretching it. Jesse would be tight and hot and trembling around Gideon’s cock. It felt like it lasted for only seconds, but the sweat gleaming between his lovers’ bodies meant it had to be longer. When he didn’t think he could take any more, Gideon sat back, rising to his knees as he dipped his fingers into Emma’s pussy. She cried out at the additional thickness. The look she shot over her shoulder was frenzied. “Fuck him,” she panted. “Please.” Gideon only smiled. He pulled his hand away and coated the lubricant over his shaft. As Emma watched, he positioned 288

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the tip at Jesse’s hole and slowly pushed inside. The scream they had tried to draw from Emma finally came from Jesse’s throat. The sound didn’t fade until Gideon was completely sheathed in Jesse’s body. Emma stopped moving, and Gideon remained still, enjoying the way Jesse’s muscles twitched and fluttered around his cock. He tilted his head, meeting Emma’s mouth in a slow kiss. Jesse’s hand came up to stroke his back as the kiss went on and on. It tickled over his spine, found the knots in his shoulders where residual tension lingered, worked its magic as only Jesse could do. When Gideon and Emma parted, a languor had set into his bones, and he tilted his head to smile down at Jess. “We were trying to make her scream,” he teased. “Am I going to have to work on your stamina, boy?” “I guess you two are just too much for me.” He lifted his head, his lips parted, his eyes half-lidded and dark. “Will somebody please move? Please? Before I explode?” Gideon chuckled. “It’s a good thing I’m feeling generous.” He rained soft kisses along Emma’s shoulder as he propped himself up on his knuckles. It caged both of them within his arms, forcing them to economize their movements, but it was the next best thing to holding them. Carefully, he eased out of Jesse’s ass, groaning as the muscles clutched at him every inch of the way. Emma didn’t start moving until Gideon slid forward again. Jesse sighed with pleasure, and Emma echoed with a soft groan. For a long moment, there were no other sounds, except 289

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that of flesh moving against flesh, and his lovers’ hearts pounding, and their erratic breath flowing between them. Candlelight sparked and reflected in Jesse’s eyes, and Gideon could feel the warmth from the small flames tickle his skin. Jesse’s hand stayed on Gideon’s back, his fingers sliding over his shoulders and neck. He mouthed the line of Emma’s neck, keeping his fangs at bay. If he wanted, he was fairly sure she’d let him bite her, but Gideon wasn’t ready to cross that line again. Not yet. A little more distance, a little more time, perhaps. Even then, only if Emma asked for it. But that didn’t stop him from enjoying the salt of her skin, or the way her pulse throbbed against his tongue. Each sound she made strengthened his thrusts, compounded as well by Jesse’s raw moans. Gideon felt like he would unravel at the slightest provocation, and it was all due to them. They were his world. He would do anything for them. Jesse’s other hand slipped beneath Emma’s body, and Gideon couldn’t see what he was doing, but he didn’t have to. He could sense it in the sudden tension of Emma’s body, hear it in her sudden choked breath, feel it in her fresh wave of bliss. Jesse immediately clenched around Gideon’s cock, and his muscles just tightened each time he caressed Emma’s clit. Emma moved faster, and then her mouth came down on Jesse’s, letting him swallow the scream he finally teased from her. Their desire assaulted him, pummeled him nearly helpless, spurred him to drive into Jesse’s ass with harder and harder 290

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thrusts. Balancing his weight on one hand, Gideon took Jesse’s lead and curved his hand down Emma’s side, over the flare of her hip, to come in and caress her bottom. She trembled as he played with the tight ring of muscle. “Next time,” he murmured in her ear, “we’ll both fill you up. But for now…” He pressed his thumb inside her clenching passage. At the first scrape of his nail against the thin membrane separating him from Jesse’s cock, her orgasm exploded. “Oh, Christ…oh, my God…Emma…” Jesse looked over her shoulder to meet Gideon’s gaze, his eyes wide, his face marked with a hungry desperation. Gideon knew Jesse was stretched to his breaking point, between Emma’s outburst of pleasure, and his relentless rhythm into Jesse’s ass. Gideon nodded without hesitation, giving the other man the signal he needed. Before Emma stopped trembling, Jesse slammed into her, and his head arched back. The walls around Gideon’s cock tightened and fluttered, squeezing his shaft with the sudden force of Jesse’s orgasm. It was too much. Emma’s orgasm had been bad enough to endure, but Jesse’s on top of it, the constriction around his cock as he pistoned into Jesse’s body, drove Gideon over the edge. He buried his mouth in Emma’s neck and ploughed into Jesse one final time, shooting deep as the fire unfurled within his flesh. He was still shaking when his cock finished jerking. “Love you,” he murmured. “Love both of you. So much.” 291

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“Love you, too,” Jesse said on a rush of breath. Emma rested her brow on Jesse’s, prompting a sated smile from him. “And I love you.” Reluctantly, Gideon pulled out, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He nipped at her nape before rolling to the side, and gazed upon both of them, caressing the swell of her bottom. “I suppose we have to count that scream,” he mused. “Though I think smothering it with Jesse’s mouth is still cheating.” Emma’s mouth curved. “You think everything that isn’t done your way is cheating.” “And there’s something wrong with that?” “You know you’re not going to win this one,” Jesse murmured, sliding his fingers up and down her spine. He turned his head to smile at Gideon. “I didn’t mention it, but that tiramisu was delicious.” “That’s because we ate it off Emma.” He dropped his hand to stroke Jesse’s hip. “Next time, we’ll eat it off you.” “I got to taste it off him,” Emma corrected. “But I didn’t. We’re going to fix that. Next time.” Jesse let Emma roll from his chest and settle on her side between his body and Gideon’s. “I hope that next time is soon.” “Very.” With some of the barriers down between him and Emma, it was easy to bask for a few moments in the warmth. It was even easier to let a few more of those barricades drop when he 292

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saw the pleased smiles light up their faces. I love you. He didn’t have to say the words aloud. They knew. So he said other words instead. “No more regrets.” Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss first across Emma’s mouth, then Jesse’s. “New starts. Here. All three of us. Starting now.” Their murmured assents were all Gideon needed to take down the last of his protective walls.

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JAMIE CRAIG

Jamie Craig is the collaborative efforts of Pepper Espinoza and Vivien Dean. Both successful authors on their own, they began working together in early 2006. Pepper lives with her husband and cats in Utah, where she attends graduate school, and Vivien resides in northern California with her husband and two children. *

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Don’t miss Master Of Obsidian, by Jamie Craig, available at AmberAllure.com!

Jesse Madding has been working for Gideon, a vampire fighting to maintain the balance between good and evil, for two years, and has loved him for nearly that long. When Gideon slams him against an alley wall and demands sex, Jesse is too happy to oblige, but it opens doors in their relationship that Gideon isn’t sure he wants to enter. Especially since he suspects he was under the powerful influence of an unknown substance, and Jesse is his best friend. As they try to negotiate a new relationship involving Jesse’s willing submission to Gideon’s darker desires—including

bondage, pain, and bloodplay—they learn that a new drug is being distributed in the city. Known simply as “obsidian,” this drug unleashes a vampire’s demon, destroying any sense of self-control. Widespread use of obsidian could bring chaos to Chicago and turn the city into a bloodbath, but even as Jesse and Gideon race to contain it, they’re consumed and distracted by their own growing passion and burgeoning emotions…

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