The Power Of The Bite (4 page)

Zane dragged his head back to the present. “You bit me before either one of us had a chance to talk. How could that not be a mistake?”

Dax shrugged and Zane wondered how the man who was an emotional wreck just moments before could be so damn calm about things now.

“My wolf was in control and I’ve always trusted him to make the right decisions for both of us. My claiming of you was no mistake. The only mistakes made are the ones I’m responsible for after I claimed you and believe me my wolf has let me know how wrong I’ve been the whole time.”  Dax slipped off the couch and sank to the floor, his hands folded on his lap, his eyes suspiciously bright.

“I am truly sorry for treating you like shit for the past three months. I haven’t encouraged you to feed. I have shown you no affection. I have only thought about my sexual needs and nothing else. I didn’t even allow you the chance to get off as well…”

“I got off,” Zane interrupted quickly. His mate was obviously on some confession kick, but Zane wasn’t going to let Dax blame himself for things he
hadn’t
done.

“Every time?”

Zane shrugged. “Often enough.”

Dax glared, but then apparently got himself on track again. “I have been a lousy mate. I haven’t allowed you to claim me, I’ve never shown you any affection. I’ve never even kissed you…”

“If I kiss you now, will you shut up? Only, if you’re going to recite a litany of how bad a mate you are, then we could be here all night and it’s not safe for you to be here.”

Dax’s face fell, and damn it all why, when a wolf shifter looked sad did Zane feel like he’d kicked a puppy? Dax’s next words didn’t help.

“I was really that bad?” Dax’s face fell further and there was a sheen of wetness in those lovely green eyes. “Who am I kidding, of course I’ve been that fucking awful. I was hurting you every day. I hurt you when we were together, I hurt you when we were apart. You’re fucking starving to death and it’s all…”

Zane couldn’t stand it anymore. Pushing his body to move faster than he had in a long time, he lunged across the floor, taking Dax into his arms, pushing Dax back against the couch. Without thinking, he shoved his lips firmly on the downturned ones belonging to his mate.

Oh fuck, not a good idea. Dax tasted like every piece of goodness left in the world and Zane had been starved for goodness for so very long. One taste just wasn’t going to be enough. With Dax in his arms he felt powerful, and the longer he kissed his mate, the more his brain convinced him that claiming Dax, like the man wanted, was a
really really
good idea. They were in his space now, no one would disturb them given it was the middle of the night…he growled low in his throat when Dax seemed to want to dominate their kiss, and Dax – the big fucker submitted. The proverbial straw that crushed the last of Zane’s resolve to do the right thing. There was no going back now.

Chapter Five

Dax clung to the control of his wolf by the skin of his teeth. No one had ever bested him, topped him or ordered him to submit. He’d been born and raised an Alpha and he had never considered any other way to be. But after Zane’s intense growl, that had him feeling things he’d never felt before, Dax knew he had to change the habits of a lifetime. Now. If Zane was going to live, then Dax had to allow himself to be claimed.

Zane’s cheeks might be gaunt, and his eyes were still ringed with black, but his lips were hot and hard, and so damned talented that Dax mentally kicked himself for not tasting them before. He felt a momentary pang of jealousy at where his mate might have picked up his skills, but with Zane’s tongue mapping out every inch of his mouth he wasn’t in a position to ask about it. Instead he put his hands to good use, teasing, lifting and finally tearing clothing, eager to feel the coolness of Zane’s skin.

“You wolves are fucking tough on clothes,” Zane remarked as he pulled back, stripping Dax with far more efficiency and a lot less tearing of cloth than Dax had achieved. Dax was pleased that Zane had thought to save his shirt and pants because it wasn’t as though he had many good clothes, but then…who the fuck could think about clothes when their cock was suddenly encased in a warmth that defied description.

Oh fucking hell, why hadn’t he encouraged Zane to do
this
before? Was he the king of fucking idiots? Zane’s generous mouth was stretched to the limit but it took him down easily, with no gag reflex in sight. Dax moaned as Zane’s head bobbed and ducked, teasing his length until he was ready to blow in mere seconds. Determined not to embarrass himself, he clawed his hands into his legs, trying to use pain to overcome the pleasure. But it seemed Zane had other ideas.

Pulling off with a resounding pop, Zane growled, grabbing Dax’s hands and pushing them into his own hair. “You’ll stay hard,” he promised, the heat in his red eyes scorching Dax’s soul. Taking his mate at his word, Dax pushed down on Zane’s head, curling his fingers in hair he’d longed to touch and never taken the time to bother. There wasn’t much to grab onto, but there was enough, not that Zane needed any encouragement with what he was doing. In an embarrassingly short space of time Dax groaned long and loud as spunk poured from his cock, straight down his mate’s throat.

Zane didn’t allow Dax any time to recover. His devilish looking vampire was still sucking on Dax’s cock like a lollipop, one hand resting on Dax’s thigh, the other searching under couch cushions for…of course, lube. Could his mate be any more cliché? Dax felt a smart comment bubble between his lips, but it was completely swamped by the hellish moan that wrenched itself out of his throat instead, as Zane breached him for the first time.

Fucking hell, who would have known, it didn’t hurt. And what’s more Dax’s wolf, who had reacted angrily in the past when anyone had tried to reach behind him, was panting and spinning around in excitement under his skin. The wolf side of him clearly recognized Zane’s strength and was more than happy to submit. Who knew?

Fast, but thorough. Zane worked quickly, still sucking and slurping all over his dick, his fingers on a completely separate mission that involved a lot of lube, some cool and surprisingly thick fingers, and a mission to prepare Dax’s ass to receive something around the size of a freaking baseball bat.  Was his mate really that well-endowed?  Had he honestly never taken the time, in three months’ worth of hook ups to find out? Geez, he was a prize idiot. He should be shot for the way he had treated his mate.

“Stop thinking, you’re giving me a complex,” Zane said, but there was no annoyance in his tone. He reached down between his legs, coating what was a substantial looking cock in his hands with the remnants of the slick on his hands. Zane might not be as thick as Dax, but he was longer and Dax swallowed a minor gulp at the thought of how much it was going to hurt, taking something like that inside of him.

You’re a wolf shifter, damn it, an Alpha wolf. Suck it up.
He told himself firmly.

“Second thoughts?” Zane asked quietly, as he knelt between Dax’s knees, his cock hard and ready, leaking a thin stream of pre-come that Dax has a sudden urge to taste. He quickly shook his head.

“I want you to claim me. Did you want me to turn over?” he added when it seemed Zane was waiting for a verbal response. This time it was Zane who shook his head.

“It’s easier to feed from you this way and I have to be feeding as I climax to claim you.”

Too much information, or not enough? Dax wasn’t sure but he felt his head bobbing in agreement then closed his eyes tight as he felt the unmistakable nudge of Zane’s cock against his hole.
Relax, relax, relax, push out, push out, push out.
Calming himself, waiting for the pain he knew would come, Dax breathed and chanted in his head, his eyes still tightly closed as he felt Zane breach him and then the insane feeling of something entering what was built to be an exit hole.

It was unusual. Not painful, but then Dax was well aware, despite how he had treated Zane in the past, that preparation was the key to an almost painless fuck. While Dax might have the same physical attributes as any human male, his pain receptors, his idea of pain itself, were all wired differently. At least, he figured that’s what the story was, because all Dax felt was pressure and a sense of fullness that felt…right. Or maybe Zane really was that good.

The slap of balls, not his own, against his ass cheeks, had Dax opening his eyes almost in shock. Zane was in? He’d taken that whole, huge, long cock completely inside of him? He did a quick mental scan. Ass, not ripped, feeling stretched, full, but okay. Cock, still hard and leaking like a faucet, bobbing around like some untethered buoy on the ocean.  Wolf, happy, skittish but definitely not threatening retribution. What the fuck?

“You doing okay down there,” Zane asked quietly, his deep red eyes probably seeing every emotion that had to have flashed across Dax’s face. A face that was now flushing with more embarrassment than anything else.

He gave an experimental wiggle of his hips. Yep, everything was good. “I think you can move now.”

Instead of pulling back and then plunging back inside Dax’s body, which was exactly what Dax would have done, Zane dropped his long pale body over Dax’s, claiming his mouth in a searing kiss, his arms bracketing Dax’s head. Dax’s hands came up, gripping Zane by his shoulders pulling the man even closer as two tongues dueled. When Zane’s hips finally moved, just a gentle rocking motion as though testing the waters, Dax slid his hands firmly and deliberately straight down a muscled back, grasping onto the ass cheeks he had worshipped in his mind for weeks.

“I said you can move, damn it,” he growled against Zane’s lips. Zane’s eyes narrowed but his hips moved a bit more, and Dax could feel it then, that undeniable ripple of his inner muscles against a silk covered steel pipe. Zane’s hips and back moved smoothly, propelling the motion and Dax struggled, trying to get more. Zane adjusted his position slightly, allowing Dax’s back to rest fully on the floor and Dax didn’t hesitate. Planting his feet firmly on the carpet he rocked his hips in unison, the two men quickly gaining momentum as the emotions around them intensified.

Dax’s hands were glued to Zane’s ass. He was sure he couldn’t move them if he tried. Zane was a powerhouse above him, his face deadly serious, his mouth twisted, as he seemed hell bent on driving Dax out of his mind via his dick. Another shift in position and Dax felt a zing run right through his body and into his cock. Fuck, there it was.

“Right there,” he managed to say, although it was more like a yell, because now Zane had found the pleasure spot inside of him the man was determined to stroke it, tease it and every now and again punch it with his cock, setting up a tsunami of sensations Dax had never experienced before, but wanted to again and again and again.

It should have gone on longer. Hell, Dax wished he could be pounded by his mate for the rest of the night. He had never flown so high. But his own balls were calling him, his cock was leaking and he was desperate to come. Pulling Zane just an inch closer, Dax got the friction he needed, his hardness rubbing delicious patterns over the corrugations of Zane’s abs. Yes, that was definitely helping.

Dax barely noticed when Zane’s thrusts become more erratic, but he couldn’t miss the slide of Zane’s fangs into his neck. A tiny zing of pain and then immeasurable pleasure, just like always. “Fuck, yes.” Dax screamed as his balls let loose and spunk poured between them. An unusual warmth coating his insides let Dax know his mate too had found release. At least there was no confusion about that, this time. Zane relaxed his body settling on top of Dax, his hands gently cradling Dax’s head, his teeth still firmly embedded in his neck. Dax hummed softly as he found the strength to stroke his lover’s back, his wolf finally happy they were giving their mate the nourishment he so desperately needed.

Dax wasn’t sure how much time had passed as the two men lay on the floor – him stroking and petting the man he’d been denying for so long, and his lover taking the sustenance that he’d been depriving himself of since Dax had exploded into his life and changed it forever. There was no pain associated with the feeding, although as Dax thought back, Zane had never caused him any pain at all in the past. If anything the gentle pulls on his neck seemed to tickle his cock which was making a valiant effort to rise up again, something that Dax could and would ignore for the first time since he’d bitten Zane three months before.

Peace. That’s what that feeling was. A sense of completion, a sense of doing the right thing, and caring for the one chosen specifically for him. For the first time in a long, long time Dax knew he’d done the right thing. Sure, he was a successful business man. He was respected in the pack. But the only true friend he’d ever trusted was Cole, and look how that bastard had behaved when told about Zane. Dax didn’t think he was going to be too upset if he never saw the man again.

He did feel a bit of a pang at the thought of not being able to see his father any more. Nathanial has always been more Alpha than father, but he was the only parent that Dax had ever known and Nathanial was going to be bitterly disappointed in him, if not hellishly angry when he heard the news. Still he had Alice, and maybe the woman might have to stick around the pack a bit longer, or take to the cabin instead of moving away like she’d planned. Nathanial was going to have to find a new Alpha, probably someone Council appointed, now that Dax had claimed a vampire for his mate.

Although he knew when he made the decision to let Zane claim him that the life he had was over, Dax let himself have a grief moment. He was entitled to that, but it would only ever be a moment. He was an adult and had made an adult decision. The right decision. He’d need to make plans to sell the club and the two men would have to relocate. His mate was all about his safety, so he was sure that wasn’t going to be a problem.

“You know,” Zane’s voice broke through his thoughts as the man released his fangs and lavished long licks up Dax’s neck. “Every emotion you have when I’m feeding from you, tinges your blood in a different way. You went from satiated, to happy and peaceful, then anger and sadness right through to making plans. All in the space of ten minutes.”

Dax laughed, but then he said with a worried tone, “Only ten minutes? Please, if you haven’t had sufficient you need to take more. I’ve deprived you for long enough.”

“I can’t lie to you about that now I’ve claimed you,” Zane said softly. “I don’t dare take more after being without for so long. I’m likely to be sick and I would never waste your precious life force like that.”

Okay, Dax could live with that. It made sense. Although it also crossed his mind that his mate had said he couldn’t lie to him
now
, which confirmed that he had in the past, at least about how much blood he needed. Dax should have been able to smell the deceit, and then his face flushed with shame again. He probably would have smelled the lie if he hadn’t been so hell bent on getting away from the man who should be his everything, in an effort to save his own skin.

“I’m sorry. Forgive me?” he said stroking across Zane’s chiseled cheek bones.

“Done,” Zane replied, seeming to understand all that wasn’t said. He bent down and brushed his lips across Dax’s. Such a soft and gentle gesture and yet it stirred Dax’s heart more than any other sensual moves from a myriad of others had done.

Moving with far more grace than he had before, Zane peeled himself off of Dax’s body, swiping at the mess they had made with his own shirt. Once he seemed satisfied they were both clean enough, he held out his hand and pulled Dax from the floor – a surprisingly strong move. He kept hold of Dax’s hand even as his head dropped. Was it Zane who was feeling embarrassed now? Or worse – regretful?

“Will you stay? Come to bed with me?”

Dax reached over and gave Zane a quick kiss. “We’ve got a life to plan my mate,” he said briskly. “Some sleep, some food, and then we need to talk.”

“And some loving,” Zane said, matching his tone.

“Definitely some loving.”

“I’d better call in sick in the morning.” Zane was positively grinning as he led Dax through the house and damned if the thought of bed wasn’t so much better than leaving his mate on some dingy floor in his club. He knew things weren’t going to be easy for either one of them, but Dax’s heart was light and he felt happy, complete, at one with himself. No matter what anyone might say, and there would be a lot of people who would voice an opinion about their situation when word got out, Dax knew he had done the right thing and he wasn’t going to regret his decision for an instant. He was going to be the decent mate that wolf shifters were known for being. Hell, he was Alpha born, decent wasn’t good enough. He would be the best.