Bed and Breakfast [Bloodkin 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (25 page)

“Kier is my friend, Father,” Eli replied. “You know this.”

Sorr shook his head. “If only he were just that—”

“You are the one who turned him away first!” Eli shouted. “It is not his fault.”

“Regardless of where I’d sent him, he should’ve kept true to his beliefs,” Sorr replied. His eyes turned sad, sorrow turning the blue depths into a deep aquamarine. “You need to go now.”

His voice sounded stern, yet torn, and Moss couldn’t understand anything anymore. Why were the elves willing to take in complete strangers—and humans at that—and they turned their own away for helping friends? It made no sense.

Sorr turned to Moss. “And you…Marlais Hayden. You have to make a choice. It’s either your family, or your bloodkin. You cannot have both.”

Moss’s eyes widened. He couldn’t possibly be asked to make such a decision. The Sky Lord couldn’t be so cruel. He hadn’t even been able to get a moment alone with Vane so that they could clear things up.

He wanted to say so, but Vane stopped him. “He’s going to stay,” the bloodkin told Sorr.

Moss turned toward his master, shocked. “But, Vane…”

Vane shook his head. “No protests, my beauty. You know it’s for the best. You are safe here, and with me, you’ll only get hurt further.”

Pain froze Moss on the spot, and he found himself unable to say anything else. So this was Vane’s answer. In the end, the bloodkin really didn’t want him.

A light elf pulled Moss away from the portal, with Eli taking his place. “Farewell, my beauty,” Vane said, his eyes holding Moss’s gaze.

A soft whisper of an elven spell filled Moss’s ears as Eli summoned the Mother Earth’s power. The portal began to glow, energies swirling around it. Hypnotized, Moss just stared at the amazing sight, not even understanding what was going on. And then, the light died out, and Moss realized Vane had vanished.

As the elf began to pull him away, though, Moss finally understood. It wasn’t about want. No matter what Vane had said about himself, the truth was that the bloodkin had selflessly given Moss his freedom. All of Moss’s doubts aside, he could now say that he’d been granted a whole new perspective on life.

He didn’t know if he was ready to find Vane right now. He didn’t know if Vane himself would accept Moss reaching out for him. But Moss was sure of one thing. One day, he would find the bloodkin and make him see the truth. That thought gave him hope and faith in the future.

A few months later

Vane watched the sun set over the sea, the rays making the blue waves eerily bloody. Soon, Vane would be able to leave his home and go out to hunt. He’d delayed it for far too long.

Eli and he had not stayed together for long after leaving Hashiraden. The elf reminded Vane of what he’d lost, and Eli himself seemed resentful of Vane for some reason. In fact, beyond resentful, his weird behavior and mood swings had increased alarmingly. Vane suspected it all amounted to Dante’s death, but he didn’t know how close the two of them had really been. He felt bad for Eli, but they could no longer help each other. They’d split up while still on the continent. Shortly after, Vane had left Kannat and the Tachakan plains behind and taken a ship toward the Outbred Islands.

Living in the Islands had its perks. For one, it was the closest he would ever get to Moss. Manturanael was located somewhere around the area, and elven ships sometimes moored in the harbors. Naturally, no one but the elves could get there by sea, or in any other way for that matter, but something inside Vane refused to give up the thought of seeing Moss. Every time he heard an elf speak in the bazaar, he followed the man, hoping perhaps, by some miracle, Moss had come with him. Moss never did.

Even without his position as a Kin Lord, he was a well-off man and had gold stashed in safe places all over the world. It certainly helped, although Vane knew he’d never be truly safe from Aran. But without an occupation and something to occupy his mind, Vane was left stewing in his desire to see Moss. To a certain extent, he could still sense Moss in his mind, but the feeling stirred the wound in his heart.

The dreams continued, so powerful, vivid, and intense it tore Vane apart every time to realize everything had been just a fantasy. He’d once wondered why Kier still mourned Cole’s loss, even after fifty years of being separated. He’d asked himself who Kier had shared dreams with. Now, he thought maybe all those stories about elven mates had been correct from the very beginning, and Kier had been right all along. And perhaps bloodkin were not so different from elves, after all. They just needed to find the right person to show them that.

Unfortunately, since they were bloodkin, they’d always end up wanting to possess and hurt the person they cared about the most. So Vane’s heart was torn. He wanted to see Moss so badly it hurt, but at the same time, he didn’t know if his human could ever accept Vane’s wicked desires.

But the fact remained that he ended up hiring spies to visit the continent in his stead. News came to him the Covenant remained in place and the Kin Lords were stronger than ever. To his credit, Aran had respected his son’s wishes to the letter. Too bad he decided to do so now, when Vane could not return to his former position.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to contact Cole and Kier after their separation. He had no idea what had happened to his brother, or if they’d manage to find Douglas Hayden. But Kier wouldn’t allow any harm to come to Cole.

Darkness began to fall, and Vane swiftly made his preparations for his feeding expedition. He didn’t need much, just his purse of gold. He’d returned to his habits from before, although the thought of hiring a new “bed and breakfast” bothered him. Perhaps later, when the solitude became too much to bear, he’d do so. For now, he satisfied his blood-feeding urges with discreet whores and relied on a few human servants for most everything else. Sometimes, they tried to persuade him into sexual intercourse, but he never agreed.

After he adequately attired himself, Vane headed out. Even if this house was much smaller than the one he’d owned in Clavar, it felt so much emptier. Ironically, Vane had hated the Clavar mansion. It had been built by a previous Kin Lord, and the decorations always bothered Vane with their vulgarity. How odd that he’d yearn for it now.

As he reached the door, his new human butler handed him his gloves and hat. Vane had a flashback of Kier doing the same thing, a smirk playing on his lips. Acting like Benson had always amused Kier. It had been like a private joke between them. Then Moss had joined in, and they’d been almost like a family. Too bad it had lasted so little.

Vane didn’t even remember the man’s name, so he just nodded in silent thanks. “I won’t be long.”

“Yes, Master,” the human said. “Have a good night.”

The heat of the night air hit him as he left the house. It was always hot in the Islands, a fact which annoyed Vane and caused him to stay indoors when he didn’t have elves to spy on. Vane sighed. Sometimes, he missed the carriage he’d left behind. Perhaps with it, he wouldn’t have to withstand this awful heat.

He did own a horse, but he decided not to torture the poor beast and went on foot instead. His glamour helped him go pretty much unnoticed as he walked down the street and headed toward the Twin Lotus District. Basically a concentration of brothels, the Twin Lotus District represented the establishment of the Courtesans’ Guild in the Islands. Vane avoided the largest ones since he had a feeling they might keep in contact with the guild on the continent. Aran would doubtlessly run into Annette during his search, and if she knew anything through her sources, she’d tell him, out of sheer spite if not fear.

This time, Vane chose a small brothel of tactful women who kept a small home at the outskirts of the district. They welcomed him with warm smiles. “Would you like a drink before your service?”

“No, thank you,” Vane replied. He just wanted to get this over with and return back to his lair.

The woman in charge nodded and gestured him to one of the rooms. “Someone will be with you in a minute,” she said. She bowed and retreated, leaving him alone in the bedroom.

Vane sighed and took a seat on a comfortable armchair. He had no intention to stay too long, or even have sex with the woman. It would just frustrate him further since nothing he ever did could get him to forget Moss.

He closed his eyes and imagined Moss’s beautiful green eyes, the warmth of his lips on Vane’s, the taste of his blood in Vane’s mouth. He could almost feel Moss’s presence now, the same beautiful light he sensed every time Moss was close.

“Hello, Vane.”

Vane’s eyes snapped open, and he gaped when he saw Moss standing in the open doorway. “What are you doing here?” he asked. For some reason, his voice sounded gruff, perhaps even threatening.

Moss fidgeted on his feet, looking extremely nervous. “I had to come. I wanted to see you.”

Vane had yearned for the same thing, but he’d not imagined their next meeting would be in a brothel, with Vane aching to feed. He’d have been able to control it with a prostitute, but Moss…Moss was different.

To distract himself, Vane asked, “How is your family adapting?”

Moss’s expression turned weird and distant. “They’re happy. The elves are very welcoming. My father is getting calmer.” Moss paused and gave Vane a scrutinizing look. “The bloodkin in Elmya…They did something to him, didn’t they?”

Moss’s perceptiveness startled Vane, although it probably shouldn’t have. He nodded. “That’s why he hates me and my kind.”

Moss sighed. “The elves are very helpful at least,” he said. “My mother tells me he sleeps better now. For my part, Sorr even encouraged me to court one of his nieces.”

Jealousy swelled through Vane, hot and savage. Sorr had made his move faster than Vane expected. Sure enough, Vane didn’t feel surprised at the news. “Human blood is always welcome in the elf lands,” he said neutrally.

“You knew about it, didn’t you? You knew about all this and you left me there anyway? Why?”

The outrage and need in Moss’s voice made Vane’s fangs lower. He wanted to taste and subdue that emotion. He wanted to feel Moss under him again.

Oblivious to the danger, Moss continued, “You shouldn’t have left, not with the way things were between us.”

Vane summoned all the remnants of his control. “I did what I had to do, and you know it.”

This time, Moss stopped his nervous squirming and actually entered the room. He sat on the armchair opposite to Vane’s and gave Vane a serious look. “That may have been the case at the time, but you can’t expect me to accept such an unreasonable decision.”

Moss’s words tore apart the walls keeping Vane’s desires at bay. He lunged toward Moss and pinned him against the armchair. “Yes, I can, my beauty. Don’t you know what’s good for you? Don’t you remember what happened in Clavar?”

“I remember.” Moss trembled under Vane, but didn’t avert his eyes. “And I still want to know why.”

Vane licked the shell of Moss’s ear and nibbled on the lobe. “Why? You still haven’t realized?” When Moss whimpered, Vane pressed closer to his human. “Because I want to own you. Forever.”

Realizing what he was doing, Vane pulled away. “I hurt you, Moss. Badly. That’s what bloodkin do. We hurt people.” Sighing, he turned his back on Moss. “You have no idea how sorry I am for doing that. But it’s in my nature, and you need to go, before I do it again.”

There was a slight shuffling behind him as Moss left the armchair, and then, a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. “I understand, Vane. I do. Believe me, I’ve heard all the arguments and have been doing a lot of thinking. But I think that we can figure something out. I…”

As Moss paused, seemingly struggling for words, Vane turned toward the human. “You what, Moss?”

“I want you,” Moss blurted out. “I want what you’re offering, to be owned by you.”

Vane’s nostrils flared as he took in Moss’s words. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

Moss nodded, his bright green gaze clear of any shadow of doubt. “You’re a good man, Vane. A bloodkin you might be, but that doesn’t change this thing that’s between us.” Softer, he added, “I trust you.”

Vane hadn’t trusted himself, not with Moss’s welfare, but the knowledge that his human was giving him such a precious gift empowered him. It made him hope that things truly could work out. And all right, it made his dick hard as a rock. He’d have liked to confess all of it, but the words didn’t come. Instead, he said, “I tried to be nice, and you wouldn’t have it.”

Vane lifted Moss in his arms, and the human wrapped his legs around Vane’s waist. “Please, Vane…”

“Silence,” Vane growled. He dumped Moss on the bed and tore at his clothes, needing to see Moss’s beautiful body exposed. He’d only seen Moss naked once, and it hadn’t ended well. This time, he wanted to do things right.

He’d have liked their first time to be someplace other than a whorehouse, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. At this point, Vane was out of his mind with lust. Romancing would have to wait. Vane needed to mark Moss, and now. He’d have to make up for the poor location through actions.

Moss didn’t seem to mind the plan. He made no protest when Vane disrobed him, rather the opposite, in fact. His hard dick bobbed in front of him, demanding Vane’s attention. Vane smirked and wrapped his fist around the shaft. Even Moss’s cock was a thing of beauty, long and slender like the man himself.