Necessary Passion [Alchemy Mates 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (12 page)

Sky made a noise from behind him, and suddenly his arms were wrapped around Aidan’s waist. “I’m afraid, Aidan. Even if we win and you decide to stay, what if the spell is permanent?”

Aidan couldn’t resist the chuckle that warmed his chest. “You know, for a big scary vampire, you’re rather adorable.”

“This is no time for jokes, Aidan. I’m being serious. This could be the end of everything,” Sky snapped, his arms tightening exponentially. Aidan tapped his arms to let him know he was squeezing a trifle too hard.

“The end of everything could come any second, vampire. Don’t tell me in thousands of years of life you haven’t learned that,” Aidan said, leaning his chest back so that Sky’s was pressed firmly to his spine.

Sky’s voice was thick with emotion as he spoke. “There has been nothing I’ve wanted to keep more than I’ve wanted to keep you, Aidan.”

The words just made Aidan want to crawl into Sky’s skin. He knew they were way too close, but damn if he could do anything about it other than just hold on to Sky with both hands and wait for the end of this romance of theirs. “I can’t make promises.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“I know, but this time is the last time I’m going to be able to say it for a while. With the challenge coming up, there won’t be any room for error or room for me to be anything but close to you as we fight together. I want to appear as united as possible.” Aidan was certain that would help things, at least in front of the other vampires of Sky’s court. He swallowed. If he were being completely honest, he was a little bit nervous to meet them. They were Sky’s peers, and he was a former vampire hunter. To say that his reputation was less than pristine would be a vast understatement.

“That is an intelligent suggestion,” Sky murmured. “I’m sorry. Between this spell and my feelings about your parting, I’m having difficulty thinking past the moment.” It wasn’t like him, and Aidan knew it. One did not get to be the prince of the greatest German state on the continent without being the most prepared and the most tactical warrior in the bunch.

“I don’t want to be a distraction to you, love. But we’re going to have to work together at this point and try to figure out how we’re going to approach this situation, not just in battle, but with your people. It is already going to be odd that you have a blood servant who is a vampire hunter. If they think for a second that our dynamics leave me in charge, then there is going to be unrest among your people and you know it.” Aidan really hadn’t thought too much about how everyone was going to react to him before that moment. How many of their kind had he hunted down and killed over the years? Thankfully, Papa had kept him far away from Sky and therefore from Prussia during most of those years. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any vampires in attendance with an axe to grind against the MacGregor family.

Sky nipped his neck. “Always so astute and one step ahead of me and everyone else. I’m proud to call you mine, Aidan MacGregor.” Aidan shivered as the tips of Sky’s fangs dragged along the sensitive flesh of his neck. He’d learned that Sky didn’t need to feed every night because of his age, but he seemed to do it every night since Aidan had come into his bed. The venom that Sky produced was an intoxicating liquid orgasm that sent Aidan soaring like any opiate master in one of the dens on the London docks.

“Are you trying to find a way to take the edge off, love?” Aidan asked, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe you should just feed on me right before we arrive. If I’m drunk off you, do you think they’ll notice that I don’t call you master?”

Sky growled, the low, sexy sound wrapping around Aidan’s balls and squeezing. “I think it would be rather inappropriate to come into the meeting smelling like blood and sex, jäger.”

Aidan sighed. “Well, it was a thought.”

“Indeed.” Sky chuckled and took a step back. “It was a thought worth considering. Maybe you should just let me do the talking.”

Aidan nodded. “That would probably be best. I don’t know how I’m going to feel walking into a den full of vampires. What is the weapons policy at this place?” He turned from the window toward his lover whose face had turned to stone.

“You’d be a fool not to carry one. It’s an outside arena. There are ears everywhere, and mark my words, it is unwise to trust even the greatest of allies once you’re among them. The gathering is no different than any other court in the kingdoms of the world. They love nothing better than scandal and intrigue. I hope to give them very little of either while I am there. That’s one of the reasons I chose to bring Mahogany with us. He’ll stay at the tents and guard our things while we’re gone and also keep abreast of what the servants of other vampires are gossiping about.”

Poor kid. He was terrified of Sky and of his own shadow for that matter. Aidan wondered if he would get vapors at the idea of being surrounded by large numbers of beings who desired the same sustenance that Sky did. He made it his mission to talk to the boy before they got on the road.

Sky continued. “His father made these trips with me when he was well enough to do so. How do you think Mahogany is doing as a replacement?”

Aidan shrugged. “The boy is scared of his own shadow and has the memory of a ninety-year-old woman, but other than that, he’s a sweet boy. With some training, and after he gets used to the fact that he works for a very influential member of the damned, he should be just fine.”

Sky pursed his lips. “‘Member of the damned,’ did you truly just say that?”

“It’s just an expression, love. Don’t take it personally.” He winked. “You have to understand what the perception of you is. If I hadn’t met some very outstanding vampires, I’d share his opinion. There is nothing scarier than walking into a fight with a creature a hundred times stronger and faster that has a thirst for the liquid running through your veins. It’s terrifying stuff.”

Sky rolled his eyes. “Mahogany grew up here. He has no reason to fear us. His father made it very clear right from the beginning what we were and what he thought was an appropriate treatment for us.”

“Not all sons are like their fathers, Sky,” Aidan said softly. Memories of his own father ghosted up to him in that moment. Sometimes it was better not to be like the elder. “Perhaps you should talk to the boy.”

“I’ll consider it,” Sky said. “We’ll have plenty of time on the ride over. It’s three days’ ride. I should be able to have a brief conversation with him at some point during the journey and see if he has any questions regarding my kind or his duties.”

Aidan nodded but didn’t say anything. He looked about the hall and at the things that were stacked there. They were traveling light by his vampire’s standards, but they certainly weren’t traveling light by his. The Christmas decorations were still in place and would be until after they left tomorrow. Sky said something to the effect that it was bad luck for the decorations to come down before the New Year. He was beginning to understand that German vampires were very superstitious. The few that he’d met who had stopped by on the holiday had seemed to be full of advice and wives’ tales to ward off all the ailments of winter, travel, and bad luck. Maybe it was just this section of the country, but that had been his impression thus far.

“Why don’t we duck out for a quick tussle?” Aidan asked as he realized that they were alone and Andren and Lucian weren’t coming back any time soon. “I’d dearly love the connection before supper.”

“I’ve spoiled you,” Sky teased. “You were a man who sought out the beds of others rarely.”

Aidan winked. “Now my cock has better friends to play with.”

Sky laughed and took his hand, all but dragging Aidan toward the staircase. As happy as the moment was, a dread hung in the air like a funeral bell. Their traveling to the challenge, the challenge itself, the accompanying meetings with the vampires, and then the ride home would take almost the whole month. February and Aidan’s departure were rushing toward them at a frightening speed. Things would be changing soon, and all they could do was enjoy the brief moments they had together before the rest of the world came apart.

Two days into their three-day trip and Sky was ready to pay whatever heathen God existed to take him away to someplace warm. He hated to travel, hated it with a passion which couldn’t be contained in such a limited vocabulary. He could say it in a half a dozen languages, and it still wouldn’t convey his disdain for exhaustingly long horse rides, wet clothes, and freezing temperatures. The next time someone issued him a challenge, he was going to insist it take place in the summertime. No matter that the whole reason for the time of year was to keep the locals from finding out. They travelled rarely during this time of year, and no one would be the wiser to the competition even if they happened to see it at a distance. He’d told Aidan the truth when he’d said that the reason they fought with servants was for discretionary reasons.

“You seem lost in thought,” Aidan said from his right, looking at home on the back of his horse. He’d looked perfectly at home there for the last several hours. Despite their rocky start, losing a carriage wheel three miles out and having to send back to the house for horses before deciding to forgo the carriage all together, they were making good time. It was due mostly to Aidan’s pace. He was tenacious and determined to get them there in time to have their grievances heard before the court and a proper confrontation to be announced with Jessup before any actual fighting began.

“I seem to have lost my tailbone several hours behind us, sir,” Sky said with a grimace. He shifted on his saddle, but that only sent spears of unpleasant sensation down his lower spine and buttocks. He’d hoped to make love to Aidan when they stopped at an inn, but feared he wouldn’t have been able to swive a bedsheet at the moment. He was desperate for Aidan’s touch in the past few days because of their imminent ending. Whether it was an end to their relationship as servant and master because Aidan left, or because he accepted his lover and wanted to be turned into a vampire, he couldn’t be certain. All he knew was that Aidan was still on the fence, and so Sky was soaking up every spare moment he could with his beloved.

“No worries, love. We’ll get down for a stretch in a bit. Riding takes getting used to. Papa used to complain about it frequently. With all his injuries over the years it was a wonder that he could sit on the saddle at all.” Aidan seemed entirely too chipper to be riding.

“Oh, joy. We get to stop and stomp about in the snow so that my boots are soaked through and I have to ride with wet and cold feet for the rest of the journey.” Sky knew he was being rather sour, but he couldn’t help it. He hated to travel. Give him his estate and a nice ride about it any day. This sort of travelling was fit for barbarians and people with no sense. As Aidan laughed and rode on obliviously, he realized that his lover was a bit of both types.

“Don’t be so glum about it, love. It won’t be much longer. We’ll reach the inn by early dusk, and I’ll tuck you in very nicely. I promise.” The joke did not have its intended effect. It was just infuriating.

“Boy, do I appear to be an invalid? I’m not saying that I need to be tended to like one. I’m saying my arse hurts and I hate this bloody snow.”

Aidan’s face pinched for a second before it smoothed over. “Don’t ruin this,” he said in a low voice designed to encompass just the two of them as Andren and Lucian rode on ahead of them. Mahogany and another servant named Wilhelm rode behind them. “Everyone is in an optimistic mood, and I won’t have you sullying it.” It always amazed him how wonderfully thoughtful his lover was. For all his gruff character and rough temperament, Aidan was always quite aware of how others responded to him.

“I apologize,” Sky said, turning his horse so that he could get close enough to brush a loose strand of blond hair from Aidan’s face. It was getting longer every day and needed to be cut fiercely. “Please, let my valet trim you when we return.”

Aidan looked off toward the head of the trail they were on. “Perhaps. I’m sure there is a barber around who would do the job sufficiently.”
Ah, another reminder that you’re not staying with me.
Though Sky had hope that his young lover would realize his place in Sky’s life before the competition, he feared that Aidan’s MacGregor stubbornness would win out yet again. He’d spoken with Lucian on more than one occasion about how the men in the line just seemed to need to stumble by themselves through the thickets of life until they finally figured out that the thorns they’d been warned about were really there.

“Whichever you prefer,” Sky allowed, letting the subject drop. “As long as I’ve ridden horses, you would suppose that I would be used to the way they move. I just cannot sit on a saddle all day without consequence.”

“Like most things, it takes some getting used to. Papa made us ride all the time when we were home so that when we were abroad we would be used to the traveling. It was part of the training,” Aidan provided. He rarely talked about his family with anything other than the utmost respect. It seemed their lives revolved so much around the hunt that when it came to speaking about themselves, they had little else to talk about.

“Hunters are mad. Every last one of you,” Lucian called over his shoulder. “I feel like I’m sitting on a block of ice.”

“Imagine how the horses feel,” Andren said, laughing. He tilted his head back and inhaled deeply. “I love the way a fresh snow smells. A good thick snow like this is hard to come by even in the north of England.”

Aidan nodded. “Agreed, brother!” There was so much life in the MacGregor boys. It made Sky wonder how they didn’t feel at once threatened by the restricting nature of being a hunter. It allowed for plenty of thrill when the actual hunt came about, but Aidan and Andren both seemed to thrive in company, and hunting was not the profession which lent itself to much socializing.