Just a Vampire [tribal Bonds 1] (3 page)

Rowan groaned as he rolled over. His argument with Carlton was coming back to bite him in the ass. His head was pounding and had been since he left Luca in the penthouse. Oh, wait, that was the front door. Growling under his breath about people being up before humanly possible, Rowan flipped back the covers and climbed out of bed. He stumbled down the hallway to the front door and flung it open, not even taking time to see who it was first.

He just wanted the pounding to stop.
“What?” he growled loudly then wished he hadn’t when the pounding in his head increased. Rowan groaned and grabbed his head. He knew he was going to pay for pissing Carlton off last night, and now he was. He just hadn’t expected it to hurt so damn much. He should have known better.
“Oh, my anamchara, what’s wrong?”
Rowan blinked and glanced up. “Luca?”
He barely had time to register the man’s powerful presence before two strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him into the air. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t prevent himself from leaning into Luca’s chest and burying his face in the man’s neck.
Luca’s strong scent instantly filled his senses. It wove around him, infusing into his very cells. Strangely enough, the more of Luca’s powerful scent that he inhaled, the more the throbbing in his head lessened.
Rowan groaned when he was laid down on his bed and Luca pulled away from him. He wanted to keep the man close, to keep the pain at bay. When Luca stood, Rowan tried to reach out to him and pull him back.
“I’ll be right back, anamchara,” Luca whispered softly.
Rowan whimpered when the pain in his head began to throb again. He quickly closed his eyes against the bright morning light starting to stream through the window. He hated mornings just for this reason.
“Here, my sweet.”
Oh.
Rowan sighed in relief as a cold wet cloth was pressed against his forehead.
“Cover the windows, Manu.”
A moment later, the room darkened. Rowan may have had his eyes closed, but even he could tell when the morning light no longer shone through the windows. He waited a moment then cautiously cracked his eyes open.
“Luca,” he whispered.
“Here, anamchara,” Luca said as he held his hand out. “These should help.”
Rowan frowned in confusion until he saw the two small white pills in Luca’s palm. Regretfully, he shook his head. “I don’t take pills.”
“Why not?” Luca’s eyebrow arched. “They’re pain pills. They should help.”
Rowan shook his head. “My metabolism just burns it off.”
Luca’s face darkened. “So you just have to suffer?”
“Basically.”
“You being in pain is not acceptable, Rowan.”
Rowan laughed roughly then wished he hadn’t when shards of pain stabbed him in his temple. He closed his eyes and dragged the washcloth down to cover them. “I’m not sure even you can control that, Luca.”
“The hell I can’t.”
Rowan lifted the washcloth and opened his eyes to stare up at Luca. “Just what are you doing here anyway?”
“I’ve come to take you home.”
Rowan stared at Luca for a moment. The man looked completely serious. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he had an eyebrow raised as if daring Rowan to argue with him. Rowan groaned and dropped the washcloth back over his eyes.
Damn alpha male
.
“Go home, Luca.” His head hurt way too much to deal with this shit right now.
“I’m not leaving without you, Rowan.”
“Whatever.”
Rowan waved Luca away. He wanted to argue with Luca, but his head was starting to throb again. He blindly reached out to the man, wanting to inhale his strong scent again so that the pain in his head would subside, even if just a little.
When Luca took his hand, Rowan pulled until the man climbed onto the bed with him. Rowan didn’t understand why Luca’s scent and presence lessened his pain, but he wasn’t going to fight it either. Anything that took away the agony in his head was worth having the dominant vampire in his bed.
Rowan rolled to his side and pulled Luca’s arm around his chest. Luca hesitated for a moment then curled around him. Rowan sighed deeply as Luca’s scent surrounded him. He’d deal with the controlling man later. Right now, he just wanted to sleep until he didn’t feel like his head was going to explode.
“You sleep, anamchara. I’ll take care of everything.”

Rowan cracked his eyes open. His head was no longer throbbing with pain, but he still heard pounding. Thankfully, it seemed to be coming from somewhere else and not inside his head. Rowan pushed himself up into a sitting position and glanced around his room, confusion blossoming inside of him.

He frowned. It was his room, right? It looked like his room, but everything he owned was gone except for the bed he lay on and the dresser in the corner—and even the dresser was empty, the drawers pulled out and stacked on the floor next to it.

Rowan jerked when he heard a loud crash from the other room. He jumped to his feet and raced into his living room, coming to a screeching halt when he saw all of the boxes stacked near the front door—and the multitude of strangers packing even more boxes.

Was he being robbed? He’d never heard of a robber neatly packing a person’s things into boxes before stealing the items. Did polite robbers exist?

“What in the hell is going on here?” Rowan shouted before he could prevent himself. When every eye in the room snapped in his direction, Rowan seriously wished he had kept his mouth shut. Hell, he wished he was still back in his room unconscious.

Luca chuckled as he walked out of the kitchen and found Rowan facing off against a room full of vampires. His little anamchara was so fierce. He’d most likely get his ass kicked if he tried to take the vampires on, but he had the spirit of a warrior.

He wrapped his arms around Rowan and leaned down to kiss the side of his neck. “Hello, anamchara. How’s your head?”
“Luca,” Rowan snapped as he turned and pushed himself out of Luca’s arms. One of his hands landed on his hip. The other waved back to the room full of vampires. “Who the hell are all of these people, and what the fuck are they doing in my apartment?”
Luca growled at the venom dripping from Rowan. He was on the verge of reminding Rowan of his place when he saw the fear lurking quietly in Rowan’s eyes. His heart instantly melted. His anamchara was scared, and obviously he became obnoxious when he was scared. Luca would just have to ensure that Rowan was never scared—or paddle his ass.
“They are simply some of my tribe here to help pack your stuff.” Luca reached for Rowan, pulling the man back into his arms. “Calm yourself, anamchara,” he whispered quietly against Rowan’s temple. “They will not hurt you.”
“Luca, what—” Confusion warred with the fear in Rowan’s eyes when he looked up at Luca. “Why are they packing my stuff?”
Luca brushed his knuckles down Rowan’s pale cheek. “I told you I would take care of everything, anamchara.”
“So you’re packing my stuff?”
Luca couldn’t help but grin at the outrage in Rowan’s voice. “Yes.”
Rowan frowned. “Why?”
“Rowan, your apartment is very nice, but it’s not nearly big enough.”
Rowan glanced around for a moment before his gaze came back to Luca. “Big enough for what?”
“For my tribe.”
“Your tribe?” Rowan’s jaw dropped. “What the hell does your tribe have to do with my apartment?”
“Well, I can’t very well run my tribe from here, now can I?” Luca waved his hand around the room, not quite understanding why Rowan didn’t comprehend the situation. “There’s just not enough room, Rowan.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “You are not bringing your tribe here, Luca.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying, Rowan. There’s not enough room here. Moving you to my den is a much better solution.”
Luca arched an eyebrow when Rowan stomped his foot.
“You’re not listening to me, Luca.”
“I’ve heard every word you’ve said, anamchara.”
“Then get the hell out of my house.”
Luca clenched his jaw and tried not to let go of the sudden overwhelming anger that took a hold of him at Rowan’s words. He knew his anamchara needed special handling, but if he allowed this disrespect in front of his tribe members, they would begin to think they could do the same and that led to challenges. Challenges led to someone dying, and Luca couldn’t allow that.
“Do not forget yourself, Rowan.”
Rowan’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
“Do not forget where you are or who you are talking to.”
Rowan glanced around the room, almost as if he was trying to reassure himself that he was still standing in the middle of his apartment. When he looked back at Luca, he spread his arms wide, gesturing to the room around him.
“I’m in my apartment, Luca.”
“Surrounded by my tribe members.”
Rowan’s face drained of all color as he quickly looked around at the others in the room again. Luca knew his tribe members were paying attention to the conversation even if they were not outright watching them.
Rowan’s hands were fisted at his sides when he looked back at Luca. His eyes seemed to be looking at Luca’s chest, not his face, as if he was afraid to lift them. “My apologies, Luca. It won’t happen again.”
Luca shook his head, chuckling slightly. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“May I go back to my room now?”
Luca tilted his head slightly as he stared at his anamchara. Rowan’s demeanor and tone of voice was of someone being very subservient. He had known Rowan all of twenty-four hours but even he knew Rowan wasn’t that submissive, which was why Rowan’s attitude confused him so much.
“Rowan—”
“Please?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed as he watched Rowan walk past him back into the bedroom. The door closed quietly behind the man. Despite the solid wood between them, Luca could smell the fear coming off of Rowan. It was like a sour scent in the air. And he didn’t like it, not when it came from Rowan.
“That didn’t go so well, did it?”
Luca turned to look at Manu, feeling more confused by the second. He waved his hand toward the bedroom door. “Do you know what just happened here?”
Manu snorted. “You don’t?”
Luca growled and flashed a fang, the threat hanging in the air between him and Manu.
“Luca, you just scared the shit out of Rowan.”
“The hell I did!” Luca snapped. He would never scare Rowan. The man was his soul mate. Now that he had found his anamchara, Rowan was his world.
“Wanna bet?”
Luca growled again, his hands clenching into fists. “Say what you mean, Manu, before I need a new second-in-command.”
Manu rolled his eyes then pointed to the other vampires in the room. “You just basically told him that he’d better watch his mouth when speaking to you because he was in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires.”
“And?”
Manu’s jaw dropped. “You don’t see it, do you?”
“See what?”
“He’s a wolf, Luca.”
“I’m fully aware of that, Manu.”
“In a room full of vampires.”
Luca frowned. “And?”
“And you just threatened him.”
“I did not!” Luca shouted. “I told him no one would hurt him.”
“And?” Manu said, throwing Luca’s own word right back at him.
Luca rubbed the bridge of his nose as he drew in a deep breath and tried not to think of how nice his life would be if he ripped Manu’s throat out. “Manu, you’re not making sense.”
“A single wolf in a room full of vampires that would like nothing more than to suck him dry and you wonder why he told you exactly what you wanted to hear? I imagine he would have agreed to the sky being purple if you asked him to. He was terrified.”
“Of what?”
“Of you.”
Luca blinked as a chill ripped through him. He started shaking his head. “No, he’s my mate. I would never—”
“Does he know that?”
Luca frowned. “Know what?”
“That he’s your mate?”
“Of course. He—” Luca’s brow creased as he considered the possibility that Rowan might not know they were mates. If Rowan was a wolf, he would have felt the same pull that Luca did. Rowan had to know.
Didn’t he?
Luca spun around without a word and stormed toward the bedroom. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to find the bedroom door locked. He grabbed the handle and turned it until he heard a click as the lock broke, then shoved it open.
It took Luca a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room. When he did, a low growl began to build in his chest. The room was empty. Granted, the bed still remained in the middle of the room, but there was no Rowan on it, just a curtain blowing against one window.
Luca raced over to the window. The scent of his mate was fading in the soft breeze, but it was there. Luca gripped the windowsill until it splintered and buckled beneath his hands. He threw his head back and roared out the pain filling every cell in his body. Rowan had run from him.
“Luca!” Manu shouted as he ran into the room, a gun held in each hand. Several more soldiers poured in behind him.
Luca turned just in time to see the man scan the room for a threat then glance at Luca in confusion.
“What is it, my Electus?”
“Rowan is gone.”
“He was taken?”
Luca clenched his hands. “His is the only scent.”
Dawning realization filled Manu’s eyes. “I’ll organize a hunt,” Manu said as he started to turn away.
“No.”
“No?” Manu asked as he glanced back over his shoulder.
“If my anamchara does not want to be with me”—Luca strained to push the abhorrent words past his lips—“I will not force him.”
Manu opened his mouth then stopped to glare at the other soldiers in the room. “Leave us,” he snapped. Once everyone piled out of the room, Manu closed the door and turned back to Luca. “Don’t do this, Luca.”
“Don’t do what?” Luca asked as he turned to stare out the open window again. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and even now roamed the streets, unprotected and lost to him.
“Don’t play dumb, Luca. It’s not a good look on you.”
Luca growled. He was across the room with his hands wrapped around Manu’s throat in the next instant. Every ounce of agony flowing through him at his anamchara’s desertion came out as he slammed his brother against the wall.
“You dare to speak me in such a manner?”
“Lu–Luca.” Manu coughed as he clutched at the fingers wrapped around his throat. “P–Please.”
“I am your electus!”
“You’re also a pain in the ass.”
Luca inhaled sharply when he heard Rowan’s voice behind him. He dropped Manu and heard him crash to the floor as he spun around. Something akin to joy filled Luca when he saw Rowan climbing back in the window.
“You came back.”
Rowan rolled his eyes. “Hello! Wolf here.” Rowan waved his hands down his nude body. “I went for a run to clear my head. We do that.”
Luca rushed across the room and pulled Rowan into his arms. He buried his face in Rowan’s neck and inhaled deeply as he crushed the man’s body to his. Rowan hadn’t left him. He had just gone for a run. Luca didn’t know whether to shake Rowan for being irresponsible with his safety or kiss him for coming back until they both passed out.
“You came back,” Luca whispered again. The feeling of Rowan back in his arms made Luca light-headed. Protectiveness surged through him, bordering on obsessive. Rowan had thought he was a stalker the night they met. His anamchara had no idea.
“Uh, duh.” Rowan chuckled. “I live here.”
“No.” Luca shook his head as he raised it up to look down at his mate. “You live with me now.”
Rowan blinked. “I do?”
“Yes, and you’ll never leave my side again if I have anything to say about it.”
“Luca—”
“No.” Luca shook his head firmly. “It’s not up for debate. How you want to decorate the penthouse is up for debate. What you want on the menu is up for debate. Who you want invited to our commitment ceremony is up for debate. Leaving my side is not.”
“Luca—”
“No!” Luca grabbed Rowan’s arms and shook him as desperation started to overtake him. He couldn’t live without Rowan. Those few heartbreaking moments when he was gone showed Luca that. “No, you will not leave my side again.”
“Would you shut the hell up and let me talk?” Rowan snapped.
Luca arched his eyebrow at the fire beginning to burn in Rowan’s light green eyes. Instead of pissing him off as it would have done with anyone except Rowan, the anger in Rowan’s eyes made his cock hard as a rock.
“Yes, anamchara?”
“This apartment is a furnished rental,” Rowan said. “Not everything needs to go.”
Luca blinked.
“We’ll make a list of what doesn’t go later.” Luca pulled Rowan against his chest. He heard a small grunt come from his anamchara followed by a small chuckle. Luca grinned and hugged Rowan tighter. “Manu, go away.”
“Yes, Electus.”
Luca could hear the amusement in Manu’s voice, but he didn’t care. He swung Rowan up in his arms and carried him to the bed. He hungrily ate Rowan’s delicate features up with his eyes as he laid him down on the mattress then climbed on to hover over the top of him.
“I mean it, Rowan,” Luca whispered. “You’re never leaving my side again.”
Rowan’s face brightened as he smiled. Luca’s breath caught in his throat when Rowan spread his legs. Luca groaned when he fell between them and felt their hard cocks brush against each other through his slacks. Knowing that Rowan was as aroused as he was filled him with even more need.
“It’s time for me to claim you properly, anamchara.”
“You know I have to claim you, too, right?”
“Yes.” Luca grinned as something akin to joy filled him. Rowan knew they were mates. That was a good thing. It meant Luca didn’t have to convince his mate that they belonged together.
“I have to bite you, Luca, in order for the bond between us to form.”
“The bond between us has already started to form. It started with our first kiss.”
Rowan bit his bottom lip for a moment, frowning. “My being a wolf will never change, Luca.”
“My being a vampire will not change either, anamchara.”
“We need to discuss what it means to be mated to a wolf shifter, Luca.” Rowan looked hesitant. “I’m not sure you fully understand what that means.”
“It won’t change anything, Rowan.” He’d chain Rowan down to his bed if he had to. “You are my anamchara. I will not give you up.”