Liquid crimson (9 page)

“Thank you,” Neo said to Michael and the gods. With a hand to Michael’s back, he pressed his mate’s torso down on the bed and began to move. He slid his cock out before surging back in, delighted at the lustful groan that erupted from Michael. “Harder?”

“
Yessss
,” Michael hissed.

The taste of Michael’s blood still clung to his tongue as he began a hard, fast rhythm, delighting in Michael’s verbal responses.

“I’m yours… Yes… Fuck me!” Michael cried, reaching between his legs to stroke himself.

Michael’s body gripped
Neo’s
cock each time he tried to pull out, before relaxing again as Neo surged back in. If it weren’t for the healing power of
Neo’s
bite, he had no doubt his young mate would be bruised by the intensity of the fucking. The realisation that he didn’t have to make love to Michael with kid gloves was a huge turn on.

What would his workers say if Neo stripped Michael and fucked him in the vineyard at will? Did he care? Le
Uve
del
Regno
was his home, his property. There was no one to say what he could or couldn’t do on land that he’d owned for centuries. If the
weres
who worked for him didn’t like it, they could pack their bags. Suddenly, a whole new world seemed to open for Neo. The idea that the two of them could engage in sex at will, fuelled
Neo’s
lust.

He scraped his short nails down Michael’s back. “Love fucking you.”

Michael cried his release as his body clamped down on
Neo’s
cock. Neo reached under Michael and gathered the cum from his lover’s hand before lifting it to his lips. One by one he licked his fingers clean as his body prepared to fill his mate’s ass with his seed.

“Mine,” he growled once more as he erupted, shooting deep inside Michael. His body bucked as the climax continued, forcing some of the spent semen to drip out of Michael’s hole to the sheet below.

Still buried inside Michael, Neo collapsed on top of him and rolled them both to their sides. He licked the back of Michael’s neck as his body slowly calmed.

“You can bite me again if you need to,” Michael mumbled sleepily.

Neo kissed Michael’s neck before moving his head to rest on the pillow. “I’m well fed. Why don’t you take a nap before dinner?”

Michael grunted and within moments, Neo heard a soft snore coming from his mate. He continued to hold Michael for several minutes before carefully pulling out and away. Dealing with
Rafi
would best be done while his lover slept.

Chapter Six

Showered and dressed, Neo opened the back door. He stepped out onto the stone patio and went to stand beside Gunnar. “I figured you’d be out here.”

“What can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment.” Gunnar rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “
Rafi’s
gone, by the way.”

Neo nodded and gestured to the chairs in front of the fire. It was a cool winter night and Joseph already had a roaring blaze burning in the large outdoor fireplace. Neo crossed his legs and stared into the flames. The first attack on Michael had come at the hands of an outsider, but this one bothered Neo more because it came from one of his own. “Make sure everyone knows that
Rafi
is no longer welcome here. Ever.”

“I figured as much, but I knew it wasn’t my place to issue the order until I received it from you.”

“Twice I failed to protect Michael.” Neo levelled his gaze on Gunnar. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Can we handle this with our own men or should I bring in additional guards?”

It was to Gunnar’s credit that he didn’t immediately answer out of pride, but took the time to weigh the security forces already in place versus the potential threats. Gunnar broke eye contact and stood. He walked to the edge of the stone patio, back to Neo and gazed out over the vineyard. “I think we need a few specialised guards, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Why? What’re you proposing?” The hair on the back of
Neo’s
neck prickled.

“My wolves are stretched pretty thin since the
LaMont
coven decided to target Michael. The cats are good workers, but easily distracted when it comes to holding a guard post.”

With his hands stuffed into his front pockets, Gunnar turned to face Neo. “I think we need strong guards who are used to functioning at night.”

Neo’s
eyes narrowed. The answer to their problem was the one species he loathed. “Vampires.”

Gunnar nodded. “I know the thought of bringing vampires into your home turns your stomach, but there are some good, trustworthy men out there who would be perfect for the job. Besides, who better to fight the
LaMont
coven than one of their own species?”

Neo’s
immediate reaction was no. He’d never liked vampires so how could he trust them to keep his mate safe? However, he believed in Gunnar’s instincts. Despite his personal feelings, in the end, it boiled down to what was best for Michael. “Where would we get these trustworthy vampires?”

“There are a few who work for the Realm,” Gunnar offered.

Neo shook his head. “I’d rather not bring the Realm into this. Besides, if I’m going to allow vampires on Le
Uve
del
Regno
, I’d prefer to have enough to do the job right.”

He ran his hands through his hair. The only place to go for help was the Clan of Kildare, the ruling family of
vampiric
society. “Do you think Ian Kildare will loan me some of his guards? The man can’t stand me.”

“You’re right and with good reason since you’ve been very vocal of your loathing of his people. However, this is your chance to not only bridge the gap between Kildare’s family and the Realm, but it will be good publicity for the vampires. There are a lot of Blessed Creatures who don’t trust them. It would give Kildare a chance to do something good for the Realm.”

Neo had met Ian Kildare on several occasions. Before his capture and torture at the hands of Francois
LaMont
, Neo had actually enjoyed the man’s company. When Ian visited the Realm after
Neo’s
rescue, Neo refused to see the vampire King, thus creating a rift between the Realm and the Clan of Kildare.

Dammit
.
Neo stood and addressed Gunnar. “I’ll see if I can get a meeting with Ian.”

“And in the meantime, I’ll talk to the guards to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

Conversation over, Neo went to check on Michael. Neo sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at his mate. Michael’s brow was furrowed in sleep, leading Neo to wonder what the man was dreaming of. He smoothed his thumb tenderly over Michael’s forehead until the worry lines relaxed. Before leaving the room, Neo placed a soft kiss on Michael’s plump pink lips.

He found Joseph in the study trying to clean away the mess Neo had made earlier. Neo cleared his throat and waited for Joseph to look up. “I’ll take care of the rest,” he told his long-time employee. It was as close to an apology as he would come. He wasn’t sorry he’d lost control and destroyed the room. It was that or risk running out into the sunlight after his mate, but he didn’t expect Joseph to clean up his mess.

“It’s my job, Your Highness,” Joseph answered.

“Thank you but not this time.” Neo ushered Joseph out of the room by throwing him a cookie. “I would imagine Michael will be hungry when he wakes from his nap. Perhaps you could make him some of the chicken
parmigiana
he likes so much.”

Joseph scowled, knowing full well what Neo was up to but left anyway. Once he was alone, Neo stood in the centre of the room and closed his eyes. He didn’t use his
fae
powers often, but he really needed the room put back to rights before he summoned Ian Kildare.

Concentrating on the memory of the room before his tantrum,
Neo’s
skin broke out in gooseflesh as the magic swirled in an iridescent light around him. When he opened his eyes, Neo sighed, satisfied. He picked up the phone and stared at the keypad. “Okay. Now for the hard part.”

* * * *

Michael dressed in a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms and one of his white undershirts after Joseph had delivered his dinner. He’d told Joseph before that he didn’t need to bring food to him, he was perfectly capable of eating in the kitchen with him, but Joseph wouldn’t have it.

Carrying the tray into the kitchen, Michael set it on the counter. “That was fabulous. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Joseph said with a smile.

Michael started to walk out of the kitchen. “Neo in the study?”

“Yes, but His Highness is in a meeting at the moment.”

Michael turned to regard Joseph. “A meeting? With who?”

“A vampire by the name of Ian Kildare, his head of security and Gunnar.”

“Ian’s here?” Michael smiled. He hadn’t seen Ian in quite a few years, but he liked the King very much.

“Thanks,” he called as he ran back to his bedroom to change. He pulled on a pair of jeans and an indigo blue dress shirt before tying his hair back at the nape of his neck.

Approaching the study door, Michael pressed his ear against the carved wood, listening for any arguments. It was widely known Neo and Ian didn’t get along, so why was he here? With a deep breath, Michael knocked on the door.

Gunnar opened the door and stared down at Michael. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good. Joseph said Ian was here. Do you think it would be okay to come in and say hi?” Michael asked.

“You know the King?” Gunnar questioned.

“Yeah, why, does that surprise you?”

“Who is it, Gunnar?” Neo asked.

Gunnar stepped back and opened the door for Michael to enter the room. “Michael. He’d like to say hello to King Kildare.”

Michael glanced at Neo to make sure he wasn’t overstepping. “Do you mind?”

Neo rose and crossed the room to Michael’s side. “Not at all. Have you eaten?”

“Yes,” Michael lied. Although he’d tried to eat the wonderful meal Joseph had prepared, he couldn’t stomach more than a couple of bites. He’d ended up flushing the majority of his dinner down the toilet to save Joseph’s feelings.

“It’s good to see you again, Michael,” Ian said, joining them.

Michael dipped his head in reverence to Ian’s position. “Good to see you, too.” Michael glanced around the room. He spotted Ramiro Delgado and knew it wasn’t an ordinary meeting. Ramiro rarely, if ever, left Kildare Castle. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Neo put his arm around Michael’s waist and kissed the top of his head. “I’ve asked Ian for help in protecting you.”

Michael was stunned. He knew what it had taken for Neo to go to the vampires for help. “Do you think that’s necessary?”

“Yes,” Ramiro said from his position by the fireplace.

As the Clan of Kildare’s head of security, Ramiro answered to no one except Ian. Michael had only met the handsome Spaniard on one occasion and that had been enough as far as he was concerned. Gruff didn’t begin to describe the six-foot six-inch man. Ramiro had picked up the nickname Ram over the years. Michael supposed it had something to do with the fact Ramiro was always butting heads with the other vampires in the court.

Michael looked up into
Neo’s
eyes. “I really don’t think we’ll see
Rafi
again. Please don’t go to all this trouble.”

Neo pulled Michael against his chest. “
Rafi
is only one problem we have to keep an eye out for. There are four vampires left in Francois
LaMonts
’ coven. If what Liam told you is true, we should expect attempts on your life from the other four.”

Michael shook his head. “I’ll go crazy if you surround me with guards every time I step outside. How am I supposed to paint with someone staring at me? And what about my daily runs?”

“During the daylight hours, we only have
Rafi
to worry about. I think if we position Gunnar’s guards along the path, you should be fine. However, after dark, you will not be allowed outside without an escort,” Neo explained.

Michael’s first reaction was to stomp his foot but since he rarely ventured out at night without Neo anyway, it didn’t seem like such a hardship. He nodded his head in acceptance of the new restrictions. If Neo could welcome vampires onto the vineyard for the sake of Michael’s safety, he would try to follow the new rules. “How many of your men will you be stationing here?” Michael asked Ian.

“Ten, including Ramiro,” Ian answered.

Michael’s gaze swung, once again, to the handsome Spaniard. “Ramiro’s staying?”

Ramiro finally stepped towards Michael. “I welcome the opportunity to put an end to
LaMont’s
coven. They are abominations as far as I’m concerned.”

“But they’re vampires. Like you,” Michael commented.

“They’re nothing like me!” Ramiro growled. “They are weak minded. They have to be to follow a man like Francois. He was a sadistic
sonofabitch
who believed in pain instead of praise. The four who are left are like rabid dogs left without a Master to cage them.”

Michael’s eyes rounded at the vehemence in Ramiro’s words. Ian’s head of security always struck Michael as the strong-silent-type.