The Lion's Den (46 page)

“
Is she going to be all right?” Darian asked, once he and Xavier broke their kiss.

“
Yes, she just needs to rest so that she can heal completely. I’ve done all I can for her right now, the rest will have to heal on it’s own.” Sergio looked down at his woman. Her eyes were closed, brows furrowed as she endured another spasm of pain. Her wound was healing slowly, in spite of Sergio and Miranda’s help.

“
We can take Marcus’ limo back to the jet,” Adan said. He looked down at his own wound, which was healing, but still very tender to the touch, sore. He wished he had his Matron there, if he had, he’d be completely healed.

Xavier wrapped his arm around Darian’s waist and the two exited the mansion following the others through the large opening.

Kysen paused beside the limousine, looking around the property, admiring the landscaping. “Pity to leave such a beautiful territory, having just successful won it,” he said, with a hint of regret.

Darian looked at him. “Thinking about staying?”

“
No. I’m perfectly happy where I am. It’s just … well, old habits die hard. I’m used to claiming territories I win, that’s all.”

“
You’d be challenged for it constantly,” Darian said, reflecting on how popular the territory was.

“
Rome, it’s old, rich in history and culture, of course others will want it and I have no interest in defending my territory every other day. Let’s go.” Kysen climbed into the limousine, mentally igniting the engine. Darian entered behind him.

“
I’ll drive,” Adrian said, finally relieved to be free and reunited with his father. He pulled the long car out of the driveway steering it onto the road. His father sat beside him in the passenger seat, looking over one of his numerous wounds, which was still bleeding slightly. “Are you going to be okay, Dad?”

Xander nodded, but kept his eyes on the wound in his stomach. “I’m bleeding internally still, but it’s healing. Mostly from the inside out, it’s just taking a little bit longer than I’d like.”

“
I’m just glad all of this shit is behind us,” Adrian said, navigating his way through traffic.

“
I concur,” Xander said. He looked at his son. The bloody and burned marks that were on his wrist were practically healed in spots. Overall, his skin looked a little puffy and red where the silver chains once held his wrists, torso and ankles captive. “I’m glad to see that you’re healing well.”

Adrian glanced down at his wrists. “Yeah, me too. For a minute, I thought those silver chains were going to burn their way through my bones. I had to really be careful to make sure my skin didn’t touch the chains much.”

“
You have impressed me. Although, I wasn’t expecting less from you, my son.”

Adrian smiled. “I just did what I thought you would do in that situation.”

“
That’s not true. All who you are isn’t based on what you think I would have done. You were brave because that’s the kind of man you’ve become. You’ve shown great strength and courage during this trying time and I couldn’t be more proud of you, Adrian.”

“
Thanks, Dad.” Adrian was honored by his father’s words. His father was a man he held in extremely high regard.

“
You’re welcome.” Xander settled more comfortably into his seat, wincing a little as he did. “Yes, my son, you’ll make a wonderful Alpha one day.”

Adrian glanced at his dad, his smile growing wider. “I’m in no hurry for that title.”

“
No, you’re not quite ready yet, but soon, and when you are, you’ll be perfect.” Xander applied more pressure to his wound, grimacing slightly.

“
Are you going to be all right?” Christopher asked him over the seat.

Xander looked over the headrest. “Sure, I’ll be fine. How are you?”

Christopher looked down. “I’m starving, the pain is driving me insane, but other than that, I … I’ll be okay.” He looked sad as he turned back around in his seat. The memory of his sexual assault flashed in his mind. He shookfather’sad as if he could erase the vision. Xander looked at him, but didn’t say a word. He could smell what had happened to the younger vampire and felt it was in bad taste to initiate conversation about the incident.

Adrian drove to the jet and they all boarded and were airborne within minutes. Miranda lay next to Elise, giving her warmth as Sergio laid Elise’s head gently down on his lap. He watched her sleep, hoping it was peaceful. Adan sat down in a chair, tossing one leg over the armrest. He eyed both Darian and Kysen from across the plane, wondering what words were shared between them when they were alone in the room. He knew that it was none of his business, but he couldn’t help his own curiosity. Not to mention, Darian appeared to be unruffled by what had happened, and he wondered if it was because of something Kysen said to him. Xavier watched the two vampires as well, wondering the same thing as Adan.

“
Darian, are you all right?” Xavier asked, coming closer, sitting beside him.

“
Yes, Xavier. I’ll be fine. The worst is behind us,” Darian assured him. He looked at Christopher, who was sitting alone and very quiet. “I’m more concerned for him than myself at this time.” He nodded his head in Christopher’s direction.

Xavier looked at the younger vampire. “You should talk to him.”

“
I know, but now is not the time,” Darian said, not wanting to discuss the matter in front of others.

Xavier nodded, understanding Darian’s reasoning. “He needs to feed.”

“
Don’t we all,” Kysen commented, still feeling weak from feeding Darian.

“
I’m all right,” Darian said, giving Kysen a knowing look.

“
Can you spare a few pints, then?” Kysen retorted.

“
No.” Darian smirked, enjoying their moment of closeness.

Adan had been watching and listening to the three vampires converse. He looked at Christopher, seeing him shake from his painful hunger pangs. He rose from his chair, walking over to the young man.

“
Christopher?” Adan asked, looking down at him.

Christopher looked up. “Yeah?”

“
Here, you should feed.” He offered him his wrist.

Christopher reached out desperately taking the wrist in both hands. “Are you sure?” he asked, softly, apprehensively as if he was afraid Adan would change his mind.

Adan nodded. “Go on, it’s okay.”

Christopher didn’t need much convincing. His fangs extended and he plunged them deeply, sharply into Adan’s blue vein, causing the shifter to gasp and jerk. Darian, Kysen and Xavier watched the two men. Kysen ran his finger over his bottom lip as he observed Adan undergoing the effects of the vampire’s bite. A slight smile crept over his face. Darian turned from them, toward Kysen, noticing his
interest
in Adan. He remained silent, keeping his opinioto himself until he was ready to address his thoughts. Xavier also noticed the attraction both men seemed to share for one another, but he also said nothing. Adan moaned aloud as his climax rippled through him, buckling his legs. Kysen was across the plane in a fraction of a second, catching him before he fell. Adan leaned against him, panting as his orgasm faded. Christopher pulled away, sated.

He looked up at Adan, seeing Kysen standing behind him. “I didn’t take too much, did I?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t hurt the shifter.

Adan shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine. I just need to regain my strength. Are you better now?”

Christopher nodded. “Thanks, I really appreciated that.”

“
My pleasure,” Adan said. He looked up, over his shoulder at Kysen. “Thanks for catching me, you can let me go now.”

“
I’m a little parched myself,” Kysen said, imploringly.

Adan chortled. “You’re unbelievable, you do know that, don’t you?”

“
I take it you won’t donate?”

“
How perceptive of you.”

Kysen laughed, caught off guard again by Adan’s forthright approach. “How can you deny me after I’ve saved your Pride?” He smiled seductively as he waited for Adan’s response.

Adan looked at Kysen, watching as his full, perfectly shaped lips parted in that seductive grin. He was beginning to desire the vampire more than he had anticipated and wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “If you really need to feed, I’ll let you, but you just don’t look that desperate.”

Kysen inched closer. “Who says I’m desperate? It’s true, having been guzzled down by my young one over there … ,” he gestured toward Darian. “ … I
am
in need.” He slid his hand underneath Adan’s chin, gently lifting his face upward. “May I?”

Adan’s heart began to race. He remembered how wonderful it felt the first time he had fed Kysen. He remembered how he had wanted it to go on forever. He nodded, before even realizing he was granting the vampire permission. Kysen winked, leaning forward, his lips parted revealing just one set of his razor-sharp fangs. He bit deeply, sealing his lips around the wound as he began to suck the delicious blood from Adan’s veins. The two men stood together, held still by the glorious rapture of the vampire’s bite. It was quite evident to the others who were watching them that there was more to their union than the simple act of feeding. They could all sense the attraction the two men shared for each other, and that attraction seemed to grow stronger as Kysen fed from Adan, causing the younger man to share the experience of indescribable pleasure and the powerful orgasm it created that rippled through both of their bodies. Finally, the two parted. Adan’s legs collapsed, but Kysen held him up, keeping him from falling. He laid Adan on the sofa. Standing back, he watched as Adan silently drifted into a blissful unconsciousness.

“
That was most satisfying,” Kysen declared as he settled back into his chair.

“
Im sure,” Darian commented, giving Kysen a knowing look.

Kysen rolled his eyes.

“
I wanted to thank you again, for helping us, Kysen,” Xavier said.

“
You’re welcomed.” Kysen cocked his head sideways as he watched Xavier.

“
Is there something wrong?” Xavier asked, curious as to why he was being observed.

“
You’ve never been happier in your life than you are now, have you?”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Darian, Natasha, your children, your position within the coven … It’s everything you’ve ever wanted, isn’t it?”

“
It is.”

“
Then you’re a simple man to please.”

“
Is that an insult or compliment?” Xavier asked, not sure whether to be insulted or flattered.

“
I
could
tell you to take the comment any way you please, but I’ll go on and eliminate your confusion. It was a compliment. Darian doesn’t need complicated, troublesome people in his life. He just doesn’t have the patience for such,” Kysen said, chuckling.

Xavier chuckled. “Thank you.” He refrained from making the smart-aleck commit about “complicated and troublesome people”, in reference to Darian leaving the ancient vampire eight hundred years ago.

“
That was a wise decision,” Kysen stated, having read Xavier’s mind.

Xavier looked up sharply, confused at first then he quickly realized that the ancient vampire had mentally read his wisecrack comment. “I want more than anything to return to my life once again,” he said.

“
Things aren’t going to be the same for some of us,” Xander said. “Warren and Matthew will have to face the scrutiny of the S.U.I.T., having avoided them for the past few days. I’m sure they suspect that they’re supernaturals by now.”

“
I hear it’s a huge controversy across the country and in Europe as well. According to some, many people have expressed resentment toward supernaturals masquerading as humans in order to remain in the S.U.I.T., and on the police Force while others have expressed relief and rejoiced in the newfound information,” Kysen said.

“
Have you read the minds of the people in your territory?” Christopher asked. He had been impressed and amazed by Kysen from the moment the older vampire freed them. He had heard stories of Darian’s Maker; of his character, his beauty, and his powerful aura and to meet the legend face-to-face was one of his greatest experiences.

Kysen turned toward the young vampire as he shook his head. “No, I gathered this information simply by turning on my television. Apparently, supernaturals all across the country have either been arrested or put on the fugitive list for evading arrest. What started out as an internal investigation within the S.U.I.T. has extend into an nternal investigation throughout every faction of law enforcement. I suppose many supernaturals have fled back to their communities for protection.”

“
What?!” Christopher asked, incredulously. “We didn’t hear about any of that on the news earlier.”

Kysen shrugged. “Before you came to my home, I had been watching television. It was mentioned on the news then. And I heard more while I was on the plane. Amazing how quickly matters can get out of hand, isn’t it?”

“
They can’t just arrest them, can they? I mean, they’re cops too, they didn’t do anything wrong!” Christopher said, outraged by what he had heard.

“
Young one, being what they are has always been wrong in the eyes of the human world. The fact that they lied in order to infiltrate the government’s various law factions, especially the S.U.I.T., which supersedes all others, is unforgivable enough to justify whatever punishment these humans deem worthy for such an offense,” Kysen said, crossing one leg over the other.