The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf (12 page)

however, had understood the necessity of secrecy. Kaname’s plan was

based on numerous variables, which meant that a great many things

could go wrong. He needed the absolute stability and trustworthiness

he found in Derek if he was going to make it work.

At last, the plane took off, bursting into the air like a bird eager to

take flight. Kaname wrapped an arm around Derek and relaxed

against his seat. The flight to Sydney would take them a good six

hours or more. Even if recent technology had made air travel much

faster, the distance between the two cities remained considerable. In a

way, Kaname welcomed this break. The shifters might not realize it,

but Sophia Bristol wasn’t the real problem here. She was only a

catalyst, and a tool for far-bigger players. It would be up to Kaname

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

73

to discover who these players were before they wrecked the already

frail vampire-shifter alliance. These couple hours might be the last he

got with his mate before all hell broke loose.

* * * *

Kaname’s plane was faster than any Derek had ever been in, but it

still had couple of faults. The most significant one was, from Derek’s

point of view, the lack of space. Oh, it wasn’t by any means cramped.

In fact, Derek could relax, lie down, and fall asleep in his comfortable

reclining chair if he so desired. Alas, with Kaname so close to him,

the last thing he needed was to sleep.

They’d had so little time to enjoy their new mating before this

entire thing had struck. Derek’s wolf and his body didn’t care about

conspiracies and potential diplomatic disasters. Derek just wanted to

be with his mate, to feel Kaname inside him again, to claim and be

claimed.

Kaname’s hand tightened around his shoulder.
“You’re

traumatizing the incubi,
hana
.”

“I don’t care,”
Derek replied.
“If they’re going to be allied with

us, they have to start understanding shifters.”

He knew he sounded like a petulant, demanding child, but he had

been looking forward to spending more time with Kaname, to getting

to know the vampire in a traditional way. He wanted to understand

Kaname’s people, as it was clear to him that his life would be with

Kaname from now on.

“I’m afraid that the first things you understood about us aren’t so

pleasant,”
Kaname told him with a sigh full of regret.

Derek pulled Kaname closer and stared deeply into the vampire’s

eyes.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. The prejudice and lack

of perspective of whoever released Sophia isn’t your fault, and it

doesn’t taint my perspective of your people as a whole. There were

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Scarlet Hyacinth

many members of your coven who treated us wonderfully, and I have

no doubt they will continue to do so. Just give it some time.”

“How strange,”
Kaname mused.
“I never thought that, as a

vampire, I would experience impatience. By definition, we have all the

time in the world. But I want to get to the bottom of this damn thing

already so I can focus on us.”

Us
. Derek liked the sound of that. If he concentrated on that very

promising future, perhaps he could contain his own impatience, as

well as Kaname’s.

Decision made, Derek let his head fall on Kaname’s shoulder and

closed his eyes. He would just enjoy closeness with Kaname in a

more platonic way. Besides, they had their bond and they could talk

about anything without the rest of the plane’s passengers overhearing

them.

“So tell me more about yourself, about your family,”
he said to his

mate.

“I think you already know the most important stuff,”
Kaname

replied.

It was true. Their connection supplied him with many details of

Kaname’s life that Derek couldn’t have known otherwise.

Nevertheless, Derek wanted to share it with Kaname the traditional

way.
“Tell me anyhow.”

Kaname indulged him.
“I’m the eldest son of the Yamamoto clan.

I was born around four hundred years ago, in the early Edo period. At

that time, my father was elder. I started to assist him during the Meiji

period, when both Japan and vampires as a nation were struggling

through modernity, but I only came to power in postwar Japan. Alas,

in that period, both my father and my mother were very distraught

about the historical changes that disturbed the way things had been.

My father went to ground after Hiroshima, and my mother followed

him shortly after. That’s why I’m still relatively new as an elder. It

hasn’t always been easy, and in the beginning, I pursued policies

similar to those of my father. I didn’t wish to make the changes abrupt

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

75

in any way. Still, when the chance for openness toward shifters

emerged, I couldn’t miss it.”

“It might have all come in peculiar circumstances,”
Derek

answered, “
but I’m more than glad for your attitude.”
He paused,

remembering a phrase Kaname had used.
“What does that mean, that

he went to ground?”

“Well, vampires don’t die, not in the truest sense of the word.

When we get tired of living, we retire to previously prepared areas

and sleep. During that time, all our vital functions cease. Some people

might call it death, although it isn’t, not really. It’s called ‘going to

ground’ because vampires used to be buried while in this slumber. It

doesn’t always happen now. Sometimes, we just use crypts, buildings,

like old Egyptian pyramids, in a way. My parents adhered to old

habits and have graves on family land.”

Derek

fidgeted,

the

entire

conversation

making

him

uncomfortable. Through his bond with Kaname, he saw what the

phenomenon implied. He simply couldn’t imagine coming home one

day and finding Kaname…like that, still, not breathing, cold, and

unreachable.
“So…Will you…Do you have to…go to ground as well?”

“I won’t,”
Kaname replied, the certainty in his voice beautifully

true in Derek’s ear.
“Do not worry,
hana
. I have you. I’ll never get

tired of living in a world you inhabit.”

Derek melted. All of a sudden, all of the questions became

irrelevant. Why had he thought he could wait to feel Kaname inside

him? It was the other way around. Dilemmas, outside problems,

finding answers to their current predicament—those were the things

that could be discarded. Their mate bond was the most important

thing in the world, and Derek could no longer deny the deepest desire

of his body and soul.

Kaname released a low growl that vibrated all the way through

Derek like a palpable caress.
“Hurry. The bathroom.”

Derek practically jumped out of his comfortable seat, well aware

of the gazes of the passengers of them and not caring in the slightest.

76

Scarlet Hyacinth

He slipped into the plane hallway, where he found the small bathroom

with ease. Strong hands pushed him forward, and he stumbled into the

small room. His mate followed after him, shutting the door tightly

behind them.

The bathroom was, as expected, quite cramped and Derek hit his

elbow against the wall as he reached for Kaname and almost crashed

against the toilet when the vampire shoved him back, unleashing the

full extent of his passion onto Derek.

“Damn it all to hell,” Kaname cursed. “Should have just asked

them to prepare the luxury jet that has bedrooms.”

“Why didn’t you?” Derek asked, amazed that he could even

speak. He pressed his mouth to Kaname’s, drinking in the vampire’s

taste, hungry for Kaname. It seemed like it had been ages since they’d

last touched like this, even if they’d just shared a breathtaking kiss on

the runway in Tokyo. But then, it never seemed enough with Kaname.

Instead of quenching Derek’s thirst, each caress just fed the fire of his

passion.

“This one is the fastest,” Kaname said between kisses. “Cuts

travel time in half.”

“Huh?” Derek asked, having completely forgotten about their

conversation.

Kaname chuckled and broke away from Derek’s mouth to focus

on his neck. As he licked a trail of fire over Derek’s flesh, the vampire

spoke inside Derek’s mind.
“The plane,
hana
. Never mind. I think this

will do just fine for what we need.”

Derek couldn’t have agreed more. He speared his fingers through

Kaname’s hair, moaning as a sharp fang scratched his skin, drawing

blood. He rubbed against his lover’s body, the maddening friction

only serving to drive him even wilder, more passionate. He started to

claw at Kaname’s clothing, and in his zeal, managed to rip away the

first buttons before Kaname caught his hands, stopping him.

“Shh,
hana
,” the vampire told him. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of

you.”

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

77

Derek took a couple of deep breaths, struggling to calm down and

not pounce on Kaname like he wanted to. His mate’s words helped, to

a certain extent, but having Kaname there and not taking what they

both needed was a lesson in torture. His entire body was ablaze, and

only the knowledge that Kaname would keep his promise held Derek

back.

He was proven right when, mere moments later, Kaname flipped

him around. Derek sustained himself against the wall and pushed his

ass toward Kaname, desperate for the pleasure only Kaname could

give him.

The vampire reached in front of Derek and stroked him through

his pants. Derek’s cock throbbed at the ghost of the touch, straining

against the material that shielded it from actual contact with Kaname.

Unwilling to wait for one single moment longer, Derek unzipped his

trousers, working with one hand to free his aching dick from its

confines.

Thankfully, Kaname seemed to agree with his assessment of the

situation. With another of those deep growls, Kaname shoved Derek’s

pants and underwear down. His fist wrapped around Derek’s prick,

squeezing it in an almost painful grip.

Derek released a choked moan, the explosive pleasure he felt at

his mate’s touch sending his mind into overload. He fully surrendered

to Kaname’s ministrations, his heart racing as he waited to see what

his lover would do.

When his mate’s hands parted his ass cheeks, Derek shuddered,

his anus clenching in anticipation. They didn’t have lubricant, but

Derek couldn’t care less. He yearned to feel Kaname inside him

again, and he was one hundred percent certain that his body would

adjust to Kaname, whether it was lubed up or not.

Kaname kissed his nape, his breath tickling Derek’s skin and

sending shivers down his spine. “You shouldn’t trust me so much,

hana
. I’m a vampire. I might just take what you’re offering.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

“I trust you with my body, my heart, and my soul,” Derek

somehow managed to reply. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to you.

Absolutely nothing.”

Kaname’s voice took a darker edge as he pressed his body to

Derek’s. “Even your life,
hana
?” he asked. “No, I already know the

answer to that question. But what about your loyalty? What if one

day, my people and yours are at war? Which side would you choose?”

It was hard to stay aroused with such a perspective rising in

Derek’s mind. Derek closed his eyes and allowed Kaname’s

comforting scent to surround him. “You won’t let that happen,” he

replied.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Derek,” Kaname told him.

Derek turned his head briefly, meeting his mate’s gaze without

flinching. “Doesn’t it? You already know all the answers,
tsuki
.

There’s no loyalty in my heart that’s higher than the one I have for

you. It would break my heart into a million pieces if I one day had to

go against my family, but that’s how I know it will never occur. You’d

never allow me to get hurt that way.”