The Vampire District 1

His Enemy Lover

The humans are tired of living in fear of the vampires. Hawke West, a skilled as
sassin, is sent on a mission to kidnap any important member of a rich vampire ho
use in the hopes of finally starting an open war instead of allowing the vampire
s to pick them off. The problem is that the vampire he kidnaps is the very one w
ho freed him from slavery as a child, and now he finds himself not only protecti
ng him from his vampire-hating village, but also falling for him.
William Delany was running from an arranged marriage when Hawke came back into h
is life. Though their former relationship was of a master and servant, they were
still children together, and he hasn't forgotten the man, and Hawke has become
very handsome indeed. Now, Will's only concern is whether he should escape or st
ay with Hawke where his future, and the length of his life, will be uncertain.
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 36,820 words

HIS ENEMY LOVER

The Vampire District 1

Marcy Jacks

EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE

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HIS ENEMY LOVER

Copyright 2013 by Marcy Jacks
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HIS ENEMY LOVER

The Vampire District 1

MARCY JACKS
Copyright 2013

Chapter One

Hawke West kept to the trees. It was easier to get around that way, even in the
dark, and easier to see the cameras before they saw him.
Very few vampires bothered with putting cameras into the trees, just to point th
em at the branches. They tended to get pointed downward at the paths leading to
the mansion, but still, if Hawke were to land on a heavy tree branch, his weight
would be enough to cause it to shake, which the camera would see. That couldnt a
lways be blamed on the wind or a squirrel.
He avoided another branch with a camera attached to it. The tiny light by the le
ns was flashing red, telling Hawke that it was indeed active, and that he needed
to avoid it.
It had been years since hed been back on the property of this particular vampire
family, and in thirteen years, enough had changed, more trees either chopped dow
n or sprouting new branches, that he couldnt exactly find his way if he were to c
lose his eyes, despite what the clan leader had said.
He had a simple mission, to get in the same way hed gotten out, find himself a ho
stage, and the more important, the better, and then get out.
The humans of the West End finally wanted to make a stand, and considering Hawke
used to be a slave to the people he was going to attack, and a fairly decent as
sassin, he was the perfect candidate to go in there and find someone.
The property was enormous. Fucking rich, evil vampires and their vanity. So even
though Hawke was still dodging branches with cameras, and was more than confide
nt that hed be able to get back off the property with another person unnoticed, h
e hardly expected to see someone beneath him, running like their life depended o
n it, in the opposite direction of the mansion.
He watched the guy sprinting away, bag over his shoulder, with a curious brow ra
ised.
Definitely not a slave, unless that bag was filled with stolen goods. It could b
e another vampire of the house, but what would cause him to run away like that?

He could see none of the mans features aside from the top of his blond head of ha
ir, and he was just about to turn around and follow him when three more vampires
, guards from the look of their suits and sunglasses, chased behind the man.
My lord! Come back! one of the men shouted.
A flash of inspiration went off in Hawkes mind. My lord? He was a member of the f
amily? That was too perfect. Normally Hawke wasnt a fan of things that were a lit
tle too easy like that, but in this case, he couldnt help himself. He kept to the
tree branches and ran after the men as quickly as he could. It seemed he wouldnt
have to break into that huge house to get what he wanted after all.

* * * *

William Delany ran like the

ards worked for his father,
the man, and Master Delany
se, especially not William,

devil himself was behind him. Close enough. Those gu

and if they caught him then they would return him to
was not the sort of vampire anyone wanted to displea
the youngest son.

The guards called after him, shouting at him to stop, as though he would suddenl
y have a change of heart and do just that.
Yeah, right, like that was going to happen. He knew what their orders were and h
e wasnt about to let them catch him so easily.
William wasnt required to train his body like they were. They were gaining on him
, and they would eventually catch him, he knew that much, but he was going to ma
ke them work for it. Punishments would come later.
Or sooner than he expected. William was tackled to the ground and he took in a m
outhful of dirt and grass. A hand came down on the back of his head and grabbed
a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back, and he screamed, pushing out as mu
ch of the filth from his mouth as he possibly could before another hand came aro
und his mouth.
He tried to bite down on it, but his captor was fast, and he got his head slamme
d back down onto the ground for his trouble.
Got him? asked one of the other guards to run into the small clearing where Willia
m lost the battle for his freedom.
Yeah, the other one on top of Will grunted. Get over here and grab his hands, will
you? Wheres Lance?
He was right behind me, the other guard said, coming down and taking Wills flailing
hands and yanking them painfully behind his back. Hes probably on his way. He alw
ays was slower.
The other vampire grunted again as they tied his hands with something. Not a rop
e, but it was tight around his wrists.
Will screamed and bucked but he was trapped under the weight of both vampires wh
o were far stronger than he would ever be.
Jesus, what did you do to his face?

Nothing. I tackled him and he took a mouthful of dirt.

Master Delany isnt going to like that we brought him back with his face smeared in
dirt and blood like that.
Blood? Will sniffed the air, and yeah, it was there, but not a lot. There must h
ave been small rocks that hed scratched his face against when he went down.
Hes not being sent to his new family for a little while yet. Itll heal, or he can h
eal himself.
Bastards, Will thought.
They grabbed him under his armpits and hoisted him up. Will kept his head down a
nd glared at his shoes.
Dont have anything to say, my lord? asked the one guard.
He glared harder at his feet. He wasnt about to give these men, or his father, th
e ammunition they required to do worse to him by mouthing off. Slaves were tortu
red for such offenses, if they were lucky. Family members could be locked away i
n their rooms, denied meals, exercise, and other basic necessities.
Will was the youngest of ten children, not including the bastards his father had
sired and forgotten about, and no one knew how many of them there were. There w
as no love in his family, and being the youngest of all of those children certai
nly wouldnt help him out in any form. Especially because hed been running from an
arranged marriage.
Let him sulk. Where the hell is Lance? asked the guard who tackled him to begin wi
th. Then he gasped, as though hed gotten something stuck in his throat.
I dont know where that lazy sack ofholy shit! Sir! What the?
When both men holding him slowly let go, Will finally let his confusion take hol
d of him and looked up, just in time to see an arrow puncture through the neck o
f the second guard who held him by the arms. The first one had an arrow in the e
xact same spot, through the neck, and was slowly falling to his knees, gasping f
or air.
He really had gotten something stuck in his throat after all.
Of course, being vampires, they didnt die right away, even with all the blood spu
rting from their necks. They grasped at Wills jacket and the bag that was still s
lung over his shoulder, as though they were begging him for help, pleading with
him to heal them.
Despite everything, he would have, if his hands werent tied helplessly behind his
back.
Finally, they fell over, and a figure dressed in black materialized from the sha
dows. It was almost like hed always been there, but Will hadnt noticed him.
He had a long knife in his hand, and was flicking it, making the blade gleam in
the moonlight in a way that Will didnt like at all.
It was made worse by the fact that he couldnt see the mans face, not with that bla
ck mask on him that covered his whole head and went down his neck to the rest of
the strange clothing he wore.

It wasnt hard to figure out that this man was an assassin.

Took me a minute to get to all the cameras and shut them down. No one can see us
now.
He was still tied up, and the man behind him would probably catch him anyway, bu
t Will started running again, back in the direction of the mansion, where relati
ve safety would be waiting for him.
The man caught him easily around the waist and pulled him down on his knees on t
he grass, just like Will thought he would.
Will screamed for help, but something was shoved into his mouth and tied behind
his head.
A gag. Why couldnt he catch a break? Why did everyone in the world want to catch
him and tie him up?
The knife was suddenly in front of him, whereas the assassin was still behind hi
m. It was so close to his eye that he could barely focus on it. Im not here to kil
l you. Thats not my job, but I will if you try and get us caught. Understand?
Will nodded and swallowed hard around his gag.
Good, the man said, then tsked at him and smacked the bag he was carrying on his b
ack. You shouldve dropped this the second you were being pursued. Its added weight
was probably what slowed you down enough to get caught in the first place.
Thank you, Captain Hindsight, Will wanted to say. He clenched his jaw instead. T
he back of his neck was grabbed and he was suddenly yanked back up.
The stranger behind the black mask then did something even scarier than putting
a knife in front of his face. He stared at him. His face came in, close, and whi
le there were no eyeholes or anything, the material was clearly something that t
he assassin would be able to see through, otherwise he wouldnt be able to do his
job.
Their noses were practically touching as Will was examined, the mans head turned
to the side a little, and Will swallowed.
He could feel the mans body heat, and then the uncomfortable sensation of sweat b
uilding at the back of his neck made him itchy, but that didnt take away the fear
.
I know you, the man said.
His gloved hand came up from where they had been tightly gripping Wills arms, and
he gently cupped his cheeks. Will flinched a little as the mans thumbs brushed a
way some of the dirt and dried blood that had collected on his cheeks, but he wa
snt being rough about it. If anything, he was trying to be gentle.
Will wasnt about to risk that this was some kind of trick, a ploy that was in the
beginning stages of making him trust his captor.
William? William Delany? the man finally asked.
Wills eyes widened. He tried to step back, but then the mans hands went to his arm
s again, and the grip was tight once more.
Im right, it is you, he said, and then undid the gag and pulled it out from between

Wills lips.
Will spat out some more of the dirt that was still stuck on his tongue and betwe
en his teeth. He knew he was going to be feeling that terrible sensation of tiny
, popping rocks whenever he spoke for the next little while.
Who are you?
The assassin hesitated. Will never thought he would be alive to get the chance t
o ask an assassin anything. That was sort of the point. They were meant to kill
before the target even knew they were there.
Finally, the man reached up and pulled the mask off of his face, revealing himse
lf.
Wills heart went into overdrive, and he actually had some trouble breathing. The
darkest eyes hed ever seen stared down at him expectantly. Hed seen them only once
before and never thought in a million years that he would be fortunate enough t
o see them again.
He was older, thirteen years older, and so much more handsome than the dirty boy
Will recalled, but it was definitely him. Even all the years and the addition o
f a well-trimmed beard couldnt hide it. You.
The man gave him a crooked grin, and his blue eyes seemed mischievous and playfu
l. Yeah, me. Been a while, hasnt it?
He didnt have a name, back when he was just a slave boy in Williams fathers house.
Everyone had just called him Boy. That was the way it was. Hed worked in the kitc
hens, stayed out from underfoot, and was often brought in whenever someone wante
d to feed from him. Even William had tasted from his vein before.
But hed been just a child then as well. He hadnt known any better, that what hed be
en doing was wrong.
They had been the same age, as far as Will was able to tell. Of course, malnutri
tion could have made the large man before him seem much smaller than he was at t
he time. Will guessed them both to be about ten years old by the time the servan
t boy had tried to make his escape.
And Will had let him go, all those years ago.
Whats your name? William asked. He had to know. By now he must have taken a name fo
r himself.
Hawke.
Hawke, Will said, testing it out on his tongue. Then he looked down at the dead gu
ards before looking back up into Hawkes nearly black eyes. I guess it fits. You ar
e a predator now.
Only to vampires, he said, his face twisting into a frown. Youre coming with me.
Will dug his heels into the ground when Hawke tried to lead him away, his terror
suddenly returning full force as it occurred to him that Hawke would not be his
savior now as Will had been to him back then. Wait, where are you taking me?
Away from here. My clan needs a hostage, and from what those guards were talking
about, youre still more than valuable.

A hostage? For what? What clan?

Thats enough talking for you, Hawke said, and then the gag came back.
Will ducked his head around, but then Hawke produced the knife again. Theres silve
r on this blade. Im warning you. Hold still.
He meant it, too. His eyes were hard, and if Will kept on struggling against him
, or if he called out and tried to run, Hawke would chase him down and cut him.
Why are you doing this? I saved your life, Will said, then the gag was shoved into
his mouth and tied around his head, and he could no longer speak with his mouth
full of the material, and the tie preventing him from spitting it out.
That was years ago. If anything, you owed me that, considering the blood you stol
e from me, and the shitty life I was living right under your command.
Will was only a child then. It hadnt been under his command and Hawke should know
that. He wanted to argue those points, but couldnt now that he was bound and gag
ged.
Hawke turned away from him for only a second, just long enough to put his mask b
ack on, and Will, the coward that he was, was too afraid to try tackling the man
, or running while he wasnt looking.
Hed seen what Hawke had done to his fathers guards, and he didnt want to end up dea
d out here. He didnt want to end up dead anywhere. He was only twenty-three, for
Gods sake.
All right, come on, Hawke said, and then did something completely crazy. It happen
ed so fast that Will didnt even have the chance to prepare for it. Hawke bent dow
n at the knees, looped his arms around Wills legs, and then put his shoulder at W
ills stomach.
He lifted Will up and onto his shoulder, and the ground leaving his feet like th
at was so startling that Will made a distressed sound through his gag.
Try to be quiet and try not to move. I dont want to drop you, he said.
Will had no idea what he was talking about until Hawke started climbing the tree
s, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that this could be no ordinary human
he was dealing with.

Chapter Two

Hawke travelled through the trees with his prize for as long as he was able to.
Will was a good captive, easily broken it seemed, and he hardly moved while Hawk
e leaped through the branches and ran away from the estate.
That was always the way it was with the rich and powerful. They crumbled like dr
y mud, scattering like dust in the wind, the second a fist squeezed just a littl
e bit around them.

They took good care of their looks, too. Vampires aged to a point, but even they
could let themselves go if they wished. William Delany was different from the c
hild he remembered, but there was enough that was the same that Hawke had recogn
ized him on sight. Hed never forgotten that young face that had saved him, and Wi
lliam had grown into a handsome man.
Most vampires were physically attractive, he reminded himself. That was no reaso
n to lower his guard.
Despite his internal warnings, a quick flash of memory from long ago, not quite
forgotten, but hazy, played for him. Hed been injured. Hed jumped out of a third-s
tory window of the very estate he was running away from. Hed done it during the d
ay, and had to break a window just to get out of the house.
Hed tried to grasp hold of one of the tree branches, but hed slipped and fallen.
Hawke had been so determined to get away, to finally discover just what it was t
hat lived outside of the property, that he hadnt realized hed broken his leg until
hed tried running on it.
The pain had been unbearable, but hed still kept on moving. Hed already gotten out
, and the window had been broken. They would know one of the slaves had tried to
escape, and when they found him, a broken leg would be the least of his worries
.
He had tried so hard to keep moving, but by the time the sun had set and full da
rk came, he hadnt made it very far at all.
Then he had come and found him.
Hawke jerked his shoulder to get some kind of response out of the vampire he car
ried. There was a groan, but not much else. Likely passed out due to all the exc
itement he was not used to receiving. Hawke half wished hed found someone else, b
ut this was too perfect to pass up. The vampires would know that he was missing
already, so Hawke hardly needed to make a scene with that, and thanks to the clu
es he left behind on the bodies, they would also know which species had done it.
A human. A human had bested some of their vampire guards and stolen a member of
their family. All without ever entering that giant, oppressing house.
The sun soon started to make itself known, and it got to be too dangerous to tra
vel with his new cargo. Hawke was forced to stop and make a small shelter in the
trees. It wasnt much. Just a camouflaged tarp that would keep them hidden.
With William already sleeping, Hawke took the time to take a small vial out of o
ne of his many hidden pockets and pour it down his throat. That would keep him u
nconscious and make it safer for Hawke to sleep. Even the best assassins needed
their rest from time to time. Ignore that, and the decision making and reflexes
went to shit.
He used a rope to tie the both of them to the tree to prevent either of them fro
m falling, and only then did he allow himself a moment to really look at the man
. How thirteen years had changed so much between them.
Hawke travelled like that for two days, always using his drugs to keep his hosta
ge complacent. He loved this potion. Witches and warlocks tended to make him ner
vous, but they were good in their production of potions and other things. If one
could afford them.
Sleeping death. While William was under its effects, he didnt need to be fed, wat

ered, and all basic necessities were put on hold. It was the perfect tool when d
ealing in hostages.
Still, when he finally arrived back at the clan, the stars and moon above him, h
e was relieved. It had been a long trip, and he was tired.
The torches were still lit, and there were men on patrol, guarding the little sh
acks that had been built. There were dogs with them, all of them dark in color t
o better blend in with the night.
The dogs knew who he was, but the scent of the man he carried was unfamiliar to
them, and they growled as he approached, which put the guards in a tense positio
n until they saw who was coming through the orange light of the torches.
Hawke! Youre back! Vaughn said.
Hawke grinned at his best friend. He should have known the man was on guard duty
tonight. He was the only one capable of making these mutts obey him, after all.
Yeah, and I got us a new friend, too, he said, shifting the weight on his shoulder
. He couldnt wait to put the man down after travelling like this for two days and
nights. His shoulders were killing him.
Brians in the main cabin. Felicia came down with the flu, and she hasnt been gettin
g up lately.
That made everything inside of Hawkes chest freeze up. When did that happen?
Right after you left, Vaughn said, and then started walking with him toward his ho
use. She was walking around at first, fine and normal, for her, but then she fain
ted dead away while carrying the laundry with the others. Brian wont let her get
out of bed.
That sounded like a good plan, and Hawke was in full agreement with it. He went
to the main cabin, which was really just a larger shack than the others that had
more walls built in for rooms, and even a wooden floor instead of a dirt floor.
Are you going to bring him inside with you? Vaughn asked.
Hawke stopped. Shit, hed entirely forgotten about William. He set the man down ca
refully next to the door.
Watch him, he said.
Is this the, uh? Vaughn trailed off, looking down at the tied-up man with a mix of
fear and suspicion.
Yeah. Hes drugged, though. Even if he starts to wake up, he wont be able to do anyt
hing to you.
Good to know. Never saw a vampire up close before. He doesnt look like much.
Hes not, Hawke said, and then opened the door to the house and let himself inside.
Vaughn was a guard, and he had the dogs, and William was drugged. There would be
nothing to worry about. He could put all his efforts at the moment into seeing
to the safety of his mother.
The lamps were lit inside. There was a wooden table with some chairs off to the
right, and to his left was the stand with the water buckets, and dishes on the s

helves. Other weapons and blades were hanging within easy reach on the rest of t
he walls, right where they had always been as far back as Hawke could remember.
There were only two rooms in the small house, and the largest belonged to the le
ader of the clan and his wife.
Brian stepped out of his bedroom at the sound of someone entering, and his worri
ed face lifted into a smile at the sight of him. He opened his arms, and Hawke w
ent into them.
I am so happy youre back, son, he said.
Hawke was only a few inches taller than him, and he squeezed his father tight be
fore pulling away. If Id known I wouldve tried to get here faster. How is she?
Brian gripped him by the shoulders, then he seemed to look around himself, at al
l the walls and the things on them in his house, before looking back up at Hawke
with shining eyes.
Hawkes heart dropped. He shook his head. No.
Lilly has been giving her everything she can think of, but, it seems the only thi
ng we can do at this point is to try and keep her comfortable, Brian said. He kep
t his voice down, as though careful to not disturb someone who was sleeping. May
be Felicia was awake and he didnt want her to overhear how her fate was already s
ealed. The best we can do now is say our good-byes, give our thanks, and try to m
ake her last days happy. Shell be so glad to see you.
Brian had his hand on Hawkes shoulder and was gently pulling him toward the bedro
om. Hawke moved without even really thinking about it. Felicia was always prone
to bad health, but to come back from a mission and find out that this would be t
he last in a long line of bad coldshe didnt know how to take it in.
His mother was in bed, bundled up carefully in the quilts and pillows. There was
another lamp on at her nightstand, and she had a book lying open and facedown o
n her chest.
Her soft brown eyes were also open, and she had a gentle smile on her cracked li
ps as he appeared in the doorway. Hi, sweetheart, she said.
Hawke went to her open arms, noting how weak they were around his back, even tho
ugh she had always hugged him tight.

* * * *

Will listened with half an ear to the things that were going on inside of the sh
ack that Hawke had taken him to. His vision was spinning, and it only helped if
he kept his eyes closed, but his ears still worked perfectly well.
This was Hawkes familys house? Hed thought that the boy hed rescued all those years
ago had been alone in the world. Had he escaped only to find his parents?
Will liked the thought of that. That despite what Hawke was doing to him now, Wi
ll had not released a boy slave into the wild for him to simply be taken by the
elements. There had been others waiting for him who had loved him and were glad
to have him back.

The only thing Will regretted was that apparently, the woman inside was dying. H
e could smell it all over the house. There was a sickness here, and his ears pic
ked up an unsteady heartbeat within. Whoever the woman inside was, she didnt have
much time left.
William could heal her. He was good at that. Hed never been sick a day in his lif
e, and every cut and scrape hed gotten as a child was always gone before he had t
he chance to bleed all over the expensive clothing that his parents purchased fo
r him.
There were dogs near him, and the heavy footsteps of a manhe thought it was a manp
acing back and forth in front of him.
Humans were dangerous. William hadnt forgotten about what all the texts said abou
t them, about how they had brought about a great war that destroyed everything h
undreds of years ago, before his time, and before his fathers time, even. There w
ere some vampires still alive today who spoke about how things were before the g
reat explosion that had destroyed everything. The paranormals had risen up, taki
ng control and finally putting the humans in their place, which in turn created
more problems for themselves, seeing as how this was happening to Will now.
Humans didnt live as long as vampires or werewolves, so of course they had forgot
ten, they blamed the vampires for their problems. If this human that was pacing
around so close to him realized he was awake, and was one of the more violent hu
mans who was not prone to listening to reason, well, Will would be in trouble.
He wondered where his bag was. He was getting hungry.
He realized it the second he heard the zipper ripping down, and curious hands di
gging through his things.
Ugh! What the hell?
His blood bags had been found.
Dont throw them away, Will said, chancing to open his eyes, and then wishing he had
nt when the dizziness came back onto him. He shut his eyes again, but not before
he saw the human startle and jump away from him. One of the dogs came close and
growled.
Wonderful.
Youre awake.
Will tried to move, but he couldnt. It took him a second to figure out that it wa
snt just the fact that his hands were tied behind his back that was doing that. H
e felt sluggish and tired, but there was no way this place had been anywhere nea
r his fathers estate. Hawke must have run an awfully long way with him.
Drugs. That was the only thing that could be used to keep him unconscious for lo
ng enough that a kidnapper could steal him away with ease. He shivered at the th
ought of what had been happening to him during the daylight hours when hed been e
ntirely defenseless.
A pair of fingers snapped in front of his face, and he blinked up at the human w
ho was examining him. Dark-blond hair that was shaggy around his face, and softbrown eyes. The man was not glaring at him, and he did not give Will the impress
ion that he intended to harm him, but he would still be cautious.

He was certainly not as handsome as Hawke was.

Drugs must still be working through you, the man said, then he shook his head. I ca
nt believe Hawke actually did it. I know hes good and everything, but damn.
Will blinked his eyes, trying to will away the dizziness, but the more he saw th
e world around him spin, the more he wanted to throw up the contents of his stom
ach. He had to focus his energy. He had to heal himself, but only a little. If t
his human noticed, then he might think that Will was trying to cast some sort of
elemental spell to fight back, and then he might very well kill him.
Dont throw away my blood bags. Need them, he said, his tongue suddenly sluggish as
he worked his magic mostly on healing his headache and the nausea he felt.
The human actually snorted a laugh. Right, because you need those to keep from pu
tting your mouth on human necks, right? What do you people do? Drain them like p
igs and then sip it from wine glasses?
Actually, that was what happened, but only to the slaves who disobeyed, or were
being punished. The others went into rooms and were hooked into machines once a
month to be harvested, and then they went on their way.
It was the only day out of the entire month when they were given the day off, du
e to health reasons. It was also why not every slave was brought in on the same
day. Couldnt have them all not working at the same time.
He didnt tell that to the human in front of him. No need to give him more of a re
ason to be angry with him.
His silence was damning enough, apparently.
Will opened his eyes once more, feeling a little less sick as he did so, but the
sight of the human in front of him, shaking with rage, and fists clenched as hi
s dogs stood behind him, just waiting for their masters command to strike, had hi
m wishing that hed continued to pretend to be unconscious.
The man didnt come near him, however, nor did he threaten him. He made a sound of
disgust instead, and then leaned against the wall of the house, shaking his hea
d.
I wont touch your precious blood bags. Hope you have enough to last you until your
ransom is paid.
Will didnt like the sound of that. Hed only packed two bags.
He wanted to tell the man that he could heal the woman within the house, but he
didnt get the chance to before the door opened once more, and Hawke stepped out.
He looked down at Will, and then over to the human. Did he do anything?
No. It just woke up. What are you going to do with it?
Will felt like hed just swallowed something bad. No one had ever called him an it
before.
Ill be sleeping in the barn for the next little while, keeping an eye on him. Cant
leave him alone and theres no way were bringing him into any of the houses.
The human nodded. Smart move. The empty stalls should be good for that if you kee
p it restrained.

Restrained? Will asked.

Both men ignored him, but Hawke pulled the gag that had formerly been in Wills mo
uth out of his pocket.
Youre right. Have to get his jaw shut first now that hes awake. Dont want him biting
me.
No. Will tried to turn his head away, but Hawke was as quick as his namesake, and
he had the thing in Wills mouth and tied around his head quickly.
That doesnt look like itll prevent him from biting, said the other human.
Not really, but itll make things difficult. He wont be able to bite me at all if yo
u take his feet.
The other human did, and together they carried Will over to another shack, a bar
n. The wood appeared old and rotting. He feared the thing would fall down on the
m the moment they stepped inside.
All of Wills hope slowly seeped out of him when they stepped through the doors an
d into the dark space.
He was suddenly questioning the wisdom of running away from home when the doors
closed behind them.

Chapter Three

Despite Wills fears, he was left mostly alone. Hed learned that the name of the ma
n with the dogs was Vaughn, but it did not make him like him any more. He insist
ed on calling Will an it, and on keeping his distance whenever possible.
He was the dangerous one in this barn, not Will.
The man had also not been kind to him when Hawke requested that he tie Will to o
ne of the stalls while he went to check on the animals.
The man had been rough, had brought in more ropes than what Will thought was nec
essary, and had tied them so tight around his wrists that the blood circulation
was cut off, and he could no longer feel them. He wanted to complain about his d
iscomfort, that a lack of blood flow to a vampire in particular was very painful
, but when he tried to speak through his gag, the man had just brought over more
ropes and shoved them into Wills mouth.
He was currently kneeling in one of the stalls, his hands stretched out on eithe
r side of him, and tied off to heavy wooden beams.
He supposed he should be grateful for the fact that his stall was clean, at leas
t. He could see only fresh hay, and scented nothing foul.
Of course, there were also not that many animals in the barn that hed seen, and t
he few chickens and one cow that he had seen all looked underfed.

Hed overheard Vaughn mentioning something about pigs as well before the man left
them, and then he was entirely alone with Hawke.
Hawke and the curious chickens that had come into Wills stall to observe him.
A lamp had been lit, but Hawke was the one carrying it around as he went about h
is chores. Then finally, the light came closer. Will could hear Hawke moving thi
ngs around, then he saw what they were through his open stall.
Hawke was setting up his bed. Hed unfolded a small cot and was placing it in fron
t of the opening of Wills stall. There was a wooden crate he had as well, and he
set that next to his small bed before putting the lamp down on it.
He glanced over his shoulder once to look at Will, and then started to rummage t
hrough Wills bag.
Will was surprised the man had kept it.
Lets see what you have in here.
Will wanted to shout at the man, to release some of his annoyance at the complet
e lack of respect for his privacy, but he could do nothing but glare as Hawke be
gan pulling out clothing, the two blood bags he had, a single bottle of water an
d wrapped sandwich, and the books that Will favored.
When Hawke turned to look at him again, it was with a single brow raised and an
incredulous look on his face. This is it? You were running away to be by yourself
out in the wild, and this was what you brought for survival?
Will glared at him.
Hawke continued to look at him and then back down into the bag, as though he exp
ected something else to materialize out of thin air. Theres not even a hunting kni
fe in here, and dont tell me you wouldnt need it as a vampire. Even vampires eat.
How would you have skinned anything you caught? How long would you have lasted w
ith one bottle of water and two blood bags?
At the mention of the blood bags, Wills stomach rumbled loudly. He wanted to die
of humiliation.
Hawke heard it, and he sighed before taking the sandwich and one blood bag and t
hen got to his feet.
At least you brought this at all. Dont expect very many people to share food with
you. Youll probably be going hungry for a while until your family finds out youre
gone, Hawke said.
Will was apparently an idiot when it came to planning his escapes, but he knew b
etter than to think that these humans would let him go free.
When Hawke came forward and pulled the gag out of his mouth, muttering about the
overuse of ropes as he pulled them down, Will called him on his bullshit.
You have no intention of letting me go. Youre going to kill me, he said.
Hawkes hands stilled for just a moment, but it was enough. Will knew hed gotten to
the truth. The humans were keeping him alive for now, only because they might n
eed him for when the vampires made contact. Maybe they were going to record some
image with him tied up and send it away to his father and fianc before they kill

ed him.
One less mouth to feed. Will was surprised that Hawke was even letting him eat t
he sandwich. Someone else would likely benefit from it more than he was, conside
ring they were planning on killing him anyway, and the vibe he was getting from
this place.
Stupid, and here he was thinking it was kind of romantic to meet the man hed know
n from childhood after all of these years apart. He was stupid.
That sick woman. I can help her, he said. If he made himself useful, then maybe Ha
wke wouldnt want to kill him.
Hawke froze in the middle of lifting half the sandwich to his mouth, his dark ey
es going wide.
Bullshit, he said, his expression not changing.
I can. You know I can, Will said, and then he looked down at the sandwich. Ill need
the blood first. It keeps my body going, he said.
Iright. I guess that makes sense. Cant digest anything if your body isnt working rig
ht, Hawke said, for the first time sounding out of place to Will.
He reached back and grabbed one of the blood bags. He looked it over, turning th
e clear plastic bag about, and then he looked at the twin plastic inserts.
I put my fangs in those, Will said, craning his neck a little closer now that the
blood he needed was almost within reach.
If you try to bite me, Ill kill you, Hawke said.
Will believed him. He opened his mouth and let his fangs stretch out, and as the
plastic came beneath his lips, he was careful to bite down onto on the inserts.
They opened under the pressure of his teeth, and the blood flowed into his mout
h through the holes in his fangs, allowing him to suck back and drink.
He couldnt help the little moan that came out of him as he fed. He was so damn hu
ngry.
How much of this will you drink? Will the rest spill out if you dont finish? Hawke
asked.
He was certainly more polite than Vaughn was.
Will shook his head as much as he dared, and then pulled his teeth out of the in
serts. The rubber inside them closed up the second his fangs were free. Blood wil
l only leak out of the bags if you squeeze them too tight, he said, licking his l
ips. They should last me for a couple of days.
Only a couple? Hawke said, giving him that same look that suggested how much of an
idiot he thought Will was being for not packing the right equipment.
Ive never run away from home before. I only grabbed what I thought I needed.
Clearly, you arent aware of what you need if this was all you took. I swear it loo
ks like you were packing like you thought you were going out for a stroll.
Will glared at him.

Hawke ignored it and held the bag back up to his mouth.

Will turned away from it. I dont need that now, he said, looking at the sandwich th
at Hawke had put back into its plastic wrapper.
Can you really heal her? Hawke asked, not looking at him in the eyes, and only sta
ring at his mouth as he fed Will the sandwich.
Will took a large bite, chewed and then swallowed. I healed you, didnt I?
Hawke frowned, still staring at his mouth. That was a physical injury. Shes sick.
She gets sick at least once a season and every time it gets worse, but even by h
er standards, this is bad. Can you heal an illness?
I heal my own all the time, Will said, taking another bite of the offered sandwich
. Ill save her life, and you can let me go. Thats my deal.
How about you save her life, and I wont let the other villagers torture you to dea
th. Thats my deal.
Wills eyes widened. They want to torture me?
Youre a vampire. Theres not a lot of love for your kind around here, or any of the
paranormals.
I never did anything to them! Will said, his panic rising up.
I know, but that wont matter to them. Hawke finally managed to look him in the eyes
. Maybe he thought he owed it to Will, considering he was talking about his enti
re village murdering Will just for existing. Why did you save me, that day?
Will swallowed. I dont know, he lied.
You could have bled me dry, or called to the guards to have them pick me up. It w
ouldnt have been hard, all things considered.
The slave boy Will remembered had his leg broken. The bone wasnt popping out or a
nything so obvious as that, but he could still sense the damage within, and when
hed focused, he could see it as well. There had been some blood on him, though,
from the other scratches and cuts hed sustained in his escape, so it really would
have been only a matter of time before the guards had found the boy. He could h
ave walked away, but as suddenly as the thought entered his mind, it was gone. H
e couldnt do something like that. Not to that boy. So hed healed him and sent him
on his way.
I guess I wanted to see if youd make it out. The thought of getting away had never
occurred to me until I met you, and I wanted to give you that chance.
You waited thirteen years before you decided to follow my example?
And considering where I am now, I wish Id thought to get out sooner, Will said, gla
ring at him.
Hawke glared back. Clearly his mood for humoring Will was gone. He held up the b
ag of blood. How many of your slaves did it take to fill this?
Will winced. That wasnt my choice. I dont like drinking from them.
But you do it anyway.

Ill die if I dont!

Hawke shook his head and then got to his feet. He looked like he wanted to storm
right out of the barn, but then he must have recalled that he was supposed to b
e watching over Will, and he stopped just outside of the stall.
Im not arguing this with a vampire, he said, half turning to look at him. I can be n
ice to you if you let me, dont provoke me, and dont try to escape, and Ill make sur
e your stay here will be as pleasant as possible.
Before you let everyone in your village kill me?
Hawke turned away from him, and Will watched the mans shoulders rise and fall as
he heaved a heavy sigh.
I need to get some air, and I dont
nutes, and the dogs are all sniffing
draw attention to yourself while Im
realize youre here already and get

think youre going anywhere. Ill be back in two mi

around outside. I wouldnt make any noise to
gone either. Dont want any of the villagers to
some ideas.

Will stiffened. The sudden thought of Hawke leaving him here, alone and helpless
, was not so appealing, especially under those circumstances.
Youre just going to leave me here?
Ill be back. I need to speak with my father.

* * * *

Hawke meant what he said, and that was why he needed to be quick about this, esp
ecially with his mothers health failing by the second. The only reason why hed gon
e away to the barn was because hed volunteered for the job of watcher even before
hed left, and before shed fallen ill.
Hed only left her side after helping her to drink some warm water, kissing her fo
rehead, and making Brian promise to come and get him if there were any changes i
n the night.
His mother had already been half unconscious by the time he left, and he had to
wait until morning before another person could be found to replace him, as far a
s guarding the vampire went.
He really wished hed taken someone else, but there was no helping that now. Hed do
ne what hed done, and just because he was starting to feel guilty about what was
expected to happen was no reason for him to be having second thoughts, especiall
y if Will was able to do something about his mothers illness.
He opened the door to the house he shared with his parents and let himself in.
Hed tried to be quiet, but of course, his father heard his footsteps anyway. He w
ouldnt be the leader of the clan if he didnt have the kind of skills that would al
low him to keep predators at bay, after all.
Did something happen with the vampire? Brian asked once he saw that there was no t
hreat. Or did someone come to you and take your place?

Not yet, but theres something I need to tell you, Hawke said, sparing a glance towa
rd the doorway to his parents room. Do you remember when I first came here?
Brian spared him a sad smile. He was surprised the man could muster that much, c
onsidering his wife was dying in the other room. Happiest day of our lives.
Hawke pushed away the swell of affection he felt for this man and got back to be
ing serious. Do you remember what I said? How I was able to run so far, so fast,
without hardly ever stopping?
Now Brian frowned at him. You said a healer came to you. One of the members of th
e estate you were serving with.
Brian, that vampire I came back with is the healer. He told me he can heal mother
if we let him go after everything is said and done.
Brians brows shot into his fading hairline. Then he rubbed his face with his hand
s. Thats
Its a lot to take in, I know, but he healed me, so do you think we can let him try
to do something with her?
This isnt just some misunderstood mage youre talking about, son.
I know.
Thats a vampire in there, and if it were to try anything on Felicia, even with ten
men in the room watching him, theres no saying what it could do to her before we
would have the chance to stop him. It could puncture its fist through her chest
and it would be more than too late to save her once we managed to pull it off.
I know, Im just telling you that we might be able to do something about this.
Brian blew out a hard breath, and then he shook his head. Who is watching the cre
ature now?
No one. He was perfectly restrained when I left and hes still got the drugs in his
system. I told him I would be back in two minutes, I just thought Id let you kno
w about this before it was too late.
She could go any day now, Brian said, though he seemed to be talking mostly to him
self.
I know, so we dont have a lot of time to decide what to do. Especially once those v
ampire slavers realized that a human had stolen one of their own. They had so li
ttle time left. The humans were getting ready to take back the land. This distri
ct of it, at least. Kidnapping a single vampire of noble blood was nowhere near
the full extent of what was happening. Other clans were making their own prepara
tions as well, and there were other vampire estates that were being targeted.
Brian looked back toward his bedroom, and then at Hawke. Take me to him. I need t
o see this vampire healer for myself.
Hawke was glad for this. He had to remind himself that it might not work out for
the best. Brian might decide that he didnt trust the vampire that they had, and
Felicia might very well not want a vampire near her.
So many people across all of the free clans had suffered at the hands of vampire
s. Felicia was among them. Hawke hadnt known until only a few years ago that Bria
n was actually her second husband, the first having been killed many years ago w

hile defending his village from raiding vampire slavers. It was no wonder the cr
eatures were hated so much.
Lets go, Hawke said.

Chapter Four

What they found when they made it back to the barn was something that made Hawkes
stomach churn and his eyes see red.
Three villagers had apparently discovered that the prisoner had finally arrived,
and they were having their fun with him now that he was tied up and completely
helpless.
Vaughn. He must have mentioned something in passing to the few other farmhands h
e shared his house with, and with the exception of Vaughn, theyd all come over to
see a vampire up close.
Get away from him! Hawke snapped, and the three men scattered. One had been holdin
g onto Wills head while the other two held his mouth open. They had been wearing
thick working gloves, but the sight of the pliers in the hands of one of the far
mhands was what really set off Hawkes anger.
We were just having some fun with him, said the youngest, Carl. The stupid boy was
barely older than seventeen.
The funs over. What did you think you were going to do with that tool, Hank?
Hank was the oldest in their group, the same age as Hawke and a real shit distur
ber. The guy was never going to grow up.
The man put the pliers behind his back like a guilty child and smiled in what he
must have thought was a charming manner. Nothing, I just thought it would be coo
l to have some vampire teeth hanging around my neck. Warriors wear things like t
hat to show off their kills.
That little shit. So, you would have taken his teeth out to wear them, even thoug
h I was the one to capture him and bring him in? Hawke asked, folding his arms as
he regarded the other man. Hank was about the same size as Hawke was. Working t
he land gave all the men here some muscle, but Hawke was much more skilled in ba
ttle, and he would mop the floor with the man if he stepped out of line again.
Hank knew it, but naturally, he didnt want to admit to it.
He huffed in annoyance then threw the pliers down on the scattered hay at their
feet. Fine. You take em then. Didnt want to risk that vampire would bite me anyway.
Which was why you had two other men helping you to keep his mouth open, right?
Hank glared at him, and he and the others walked out of the barn, though Hank wa
s the only one to keep his head held high.
Brian sighed. That boy will be the death of me.

I can kill him if you want. Itll get him out of both of our hairs, Hawke said, knee
ling down to inspect Will. His binds were still tight, though he was shaking in
a way that had Hawke worried.
Dont even joke about that, son. How is he?
Hawke couldnt tell. Will? Theyre gone now. Its okay.
Right, Will said, shaking his head. Because you saved them from ripping my fangs ou
t just so you could do it yourself.
Hawke rolled his eyes. Like I would want to wear vampire fangs after what they di
d to me. Are you hurt? Youre shaking.
M-my hands, Will said. I cant move them. My fingers feel swollen and hot.
Your hands?
The lamp light came closer, and Hawke looked behind himself to see that his fath
er had stepped forward with the light. He winced at the sight of Wills hands.
They were blue and swollen. Large veins were snaking up through the skin, and so
me looked ready to burst.
Why didnt you say anything? Hawke asked, though he made no move to remove the binds
.
Didnt think it mattered, or that it was so bad, Will said, and then he squeezed his
eyes shut and inhaled a shaking breath. It fucking hurts.
Hawke hated how his heart constricted at the pain he was seeing here. It shouldnt
matter. Will was the enemy, a slave owner and a vampire. He shouldnt care if the
rich kid was being humbled like this, but he did.
He was never really into torture.
If I let your hands loose, will you try to run?
Will looked up at him, the shock in his eyes telling about how he hadnt expected
the offer. I wont run. I swear I wont do anything.
Be careful, son, Brian said, though he didnt give Hawke the command to walk away, d
espite his promise.
Hawke pulled out his knife, ignoring the way Will flinched at the sight of it, a
nd then he began cutting at the ropes that were keeping him in place.
Will released a long sigh and fell forward when his hands were free. Hawke stepp
ed back and away from him, watching the man carefully in case he tried to do som
ething now that he was out.
The only thing Will did was get off of his knees to lie on his back, and it occu
rred to Hawke that hed likely been suffering from a lack of blood flow to his leg
s as well.
I never knew a lack of blood circulation could have those kinds of effects that q
uickly on a vampire, Brian said.
Neither had Hawke.

Will just nodded, rubbing his still-blue wrists on his chest, probably because h
is fingers were still numb and swollen.
Yeah, well, we kind of live off of blood. Needs to get everywhere, right?
Hawke really was going to punch those three idiots in the back of the head for t
his. He moved over to his pack which was next to the cot hed set up. There was a
jar of cream inside, and he pulled it out, uncapped it, and walked back over to
Will.
The vampire could barely sit up after all of that, so he was hardly worried abou
t an attack.
He would keep on his guard just a little, however, just in case.
Will looked at him with equally cautious eyes as Hawke applied the salve to his
wrists and hands.
Thatsit feels cool, Will said.
Its meant to. I imagine it still burns, having all that blood suddenly flowing bac
k into your hands.
Will nodded.
He was clearly still in pain, and would be until the swelling went down. There w
as nothing Hawke could do for him other than apply the salve. Perhaps the only r
eason why he was comfortable touching a vampire like this was because of who the
vampire was. Hawke was not an uncaring monster, despite how the image sometimes
helped. He didnt want Will to suffer, but it would have been better if being so
close didnt make his heart race the way it did. What about your legs and feet? Wil
l they be needing treatment? he asked, trying to focus on something else.
Hawke felt the vampire shift beneath him, and looked down quickly to see that he
was simply wiggling his toes and testing his legs. No. I think theyre fine on the
ir own.
Hawke was glad for that. The thought of having to take the mans pants off and app
ly the salve to his bare legs and feet was suddenly giving him mental images tha
t he shouldnt be having.
My son said that you are the healer that rescued him some years ago. Is it true t
hat you could do something for my wife? Brian asked.
Hawke looked down at him, waiting for his answer.
Will sighed. I want to say yes, but I dont know whats wrong with her, and I wouldnt
be able to do anything right now anyway. At least not until my hands are healed.
Youre a warlock then? Hawke asked, stunned.
Will frowned. No, Ive never been able to cast spells, but I can heal myself, and o
thers. Will looked at him pointedly when he said this. Ive never caught a cold befo
re in my life, so Im only assuming that I can help with her illness.
Hawke turned to look at his father. The man had a hand on his chin and was clear
ly thinking it over. Hawke wanted to know what was on his mind, but he wasnt sure
about talking in front of the prisoner.

Brian, apparently, had no such reservations. I could always assume that you are a
ttempting to make yourself useful to keep us from harming you, but I believe my
son when he says you did what you did, and youre being honest enough with me abou
t not being sure you can even do something for her at all, instead of making pro
mises you might not be able to keep.
Hawke hadnt even thought about that, and it was true. Will was being honest and r
espectful here when he had every reason not to be. It made Hawke wonder about hi
m.
If youre not a warlock then at the very least youre a healer mage. If you can heal
yourself then Ill expect your hands to be in decent enough condition to try somet
hing by tomorrow morning.
Morning? Will asked, his eyes widening fearfully.
Well bring you in before dawn, keep the shutters closed, and bring you back with s
omething to cover you so you dont get burned, Hawke said, knowing that Brian had f
orgotten about those details when it came to thinking about the health of his wi
fe.
Brian nodded. Exactly.
Until then, Hawke said, putting a hint of a warning in his voice, even as he held
Wills hands and massaged that salve into his skin, salve that was becoming more a
nd more rare as the farm ran out of supplies and money to have it made. You will
not try to run away, you will not try to attack anyone, and I promise you, in re
turn, I wont let anyone touch you or try to hurt you again.
And if I heal his wife, your mother, what then? Will asked.
Hawke looked to Brian. That was his call, after all.
If Felicia gets out of bed tomorrow in perfect health, when all this is said and
done with the vampires, we will set you free to go off wherever you like.
Will didnt even think about the deal he was being offered, another sign that he w
as going to be no good out on his own if he was in the habit of accepting the fi
rst good thing to come his way without ever questioning it.
Deal.

Chapter Five

Will spent the night focusing his energy on healing his hands. He was going to n
eed them if he planned on getting out of here alive, and now that he had the wor
d of the leader of the clan, he was in much higher spirits than he was only a fe
w hours ago when hed woken up in this strange human village.
Hed always known about the human villages. They were hidden places, usually situa
ted near the very edges of the districts, so that if the humans needed to run, t
hey could always cross the borders where other paranormal creatures ruled, and t
he vampires had no power.

Could Hawke really have taken him so far away from home that he was on the borde
rlands? The thought was frightening as well as interesting. Will would never hav
e to go back, his family nest would never find him, so long as he got out of her
e alive.
Hawke went back to his cot after he finished coating Wills hands with so much of
the salve that they were slippery and felt odd when he rubbed his fingers togeth
er. At least the pain was gone, and he could move his hands now, so there was al
ways that to be thankful for. The leader of the clan had gone back to his house
to watch over his ill wife, and that left the two of them alone here in the barn
once more.
I didnt know you had any family when I let you go, he said, and Hawke turned to loo
k at him sharply.
Will couldnt help the small, stupid smile that was no doubt on his face. Im glad I
didnt send you off to be killed by the elements.
The human looked at him from his seat on the cot. Since his father had left, Haw
ke had to tie him up again, only this time, the rope was like a loose leash arou
nd his neck that was not tight, but too small for Will to get over his head, if
he was interested in attempting something like that, which, at the moment, he wa
s not. His hands remained blessedly free, and he started to see some color retur
ning to his skin, and his legs were no longer tingling.
You did more than save my life that day, Hawke said. I dont know if you know this, b
ut when you healed me, something passed between us. I had so much energy that I
ran all the way here, almost without stopping, and I wanted to keep running even
after that.
Will blinked. Really?
Hawke nodded. Im guessing this isnt a side effect that youre aware of.
Will shook his head. Of all the times Ive healed myself over the years, Ive never f
elt a rush of energy like that. How long did it last?
Hawke leaned back and regarded him casually. He was no longer wearing the setup
that hed been in when they came across each other on Wills family property. Now he
looked more like a farm boy. Torn jeans and a thin, white T-shirt and boots wer
e the only articles of clothing on him. Though, Will could still make out the st
raps and small bulges beneath his clothing that suggested he was hiding weapons.
Did the man go to sleep like that?
I think its still working through me. Ive always had a lot of stamina, and can run
farther and faster than anyone else in the village before I need to stop. I dont
have quite the amount of energy I did on that day, though.
Is that why you are sent onmissions? Was that why you were chosen to get me?
I wasnt chosen, I volunteered, and yes, that is why. Im better at killing vampires
who get a little too close to our territory, looking for stray humans to take ba
ck to their estates.
Will flinched at the harsh tone in his voice, and he looked away.
Hawke sighed and rubbed his face. I cant apologize to you if I seem a little rough
. Everything I say is true, but I promise I will do my best to keep the others o

n the farm from hurting you. You dont seem like a particularly violent vampire.
Im not, Will said, then he grinned a bit. The vampire warriors of my house, even my
older brothers and sisters, tend to make fun of me for that one.
Hawke frowned a little. I see.
Will kept on thinking about what Hawke said about having so much extra energy. I
didnt knowI never thought a transfer of that kind of power was possible. You might
want to keep an eye on your mother after Im done with her, to see if she shows a
ny similar symptoms that you did that day. Then maybe well know if this is just p
art of my power, or a fluke.
Something that happened between you and me alone?
It did sound kind of ridiculous, but it was all Will had to go on. I guess so, ye
ah.
Hawke made a grunting noise that Will guessed was supposed to be a sign of agree
ment, but then he didnt respond other than that.
Will waited for him to say something else, and when he didnt, he assumed that was
to be the end of their discussion, and he decided he might as well make himself
comfortable on his bed of hay.
It wasnt the end, it seemed. They arent really my parents.
Will looked back at the man who was still sitting on the edge of his cot. Theyre n
ot? But I heard you say
I know, but humans are different from vampires. They can take other children in w
ho arent their own if they want. Blood doesnt have the same meaning to us that it
does to you.
Will frowned and looked away before facing his captor once more. I wish you would
stop grouping me in with other vampires. Hard as it is to understand to you, bu
t I get it. They are a couple without children, so they took you in and raised y
ou as their own. You were what? Ten? Eleven years old?
Twelve, and they did have a child, a boy nearly my age. I never met him. Vampire
slavers came and took him, and I showed up after they gave up the hope of ever f
inding the kid again. Hawkes eyes became hard as he stared at Will. Which is why Im
going to give you a fair warning on this. Vampires have hurt them enough already
. If you try anything at all suspicious when you have your hands over my mother,
if you try to hurt either her or Brian, I will not hesitate in putting a silver
knife through your throat.
Will nodded, but he returned the glare. Understood, but I wish you would stop thr
eatening me. You must see by now that you dont need to do that to get what you wa
nt.
Sure, Hawke said, leaning back in his cot and putting his hands behind his head.
Now Will wished for something else. He wished that a pose like that didnt lift Ha
wkes T-shirt up enough that he caught sight of the muscle on his stomach. The man
was very beautiful, and nothing like the scrawny child Will remembered.
He wondered if Hawke would still have the scars in his neck from the monthly ble
edings.

He felt instantly ashamed for thinking such a thing, and he banished the idea fr
om his head.
What were you doing out there? So far away from the house? Hawke asked after anoth
er period of silence.
Will sighed. You know what I was doing.
Yeah, but. Hawke sat up again and regarded him. You were running away from your fam
ily. Your blood. I thought that was important to vampires.
Not all vampires think its worth being married off for.
What?
Will rolled his eyes. He rubbed his wrists a little more. The healing energy was
becoming stronger as his hands mended. Provided he still had some of that energ
y left, he should definitely be able to do something for Hawkes mother. Maybe.
My parents were arranging for me to be married into another vampire nest. I am a
younger son, so my presence would have hardly been missed, and the family had an
even larger slave den, and was wealthy enough in their blood supply that they c
ould even sell it, while still maintaining a comfortable enough amount for thems
elves.
Sounds like the perfect setup. Why run from something like that? Hawke asked.
I know that it was many years ago, but I would have hoped that saving your life w
ould have been enough to show you that I am not like other vampires. I dont appro
ve of slavery, regardless of what your species has done.
That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Hawke shot up from his cot and was o
n his feet, fists clenched and body trembling. What my species did? he all but yel
led. Will suspected that the only reason he was even attempting to keep his temp
er in check was to keep from scaring the animals, few that there were in this ba
rn.
Will could not back down on this. Our history texts state very plainly
I know what your worthless texts say, Hawke cut him off. I was brought into your es
tate and raised a slave so young I cant even remember the face of my real mother.
We were all taught about that garbage you vampires pass off as history.
How do you know if its garbage? Will asked. You humans have such short life spans, b
ut some of my kind who were around before the first bomb dropped are still alive
today. They tell the stories.
The story about how humans first discovered the existence of paranormal creature
s just over four hundred years ago, how the paranormals, vampires, werewolves, w
arlocks, mages, ghosts, and then later the fae, had all tried their best to make
peace.
It ended in a civil war for every country on Earth. Some paranormals had gone so
far as to take themselves out of the human society once more, creating whole ci
ties where vampires and werewolves and other creatures lived in peace.
Bombs had been dropped on these cities, and then when the paranormals decided to
fight back, bigger bombs had been dropped.
What happened was the destruction of the known world, and the building of an ent

irely new one.

Vampires had taken the land to the East, a lot of it, while werewolves had claim
ed a small patch of their own in the West. The South was mostly considered to be
territory for the warlocks and mages, though it was said that they would welcom
e anyone, so long as there was some magical talent.
The North was a wasteland. A giant graveyard where the ghosts roamed. Only mediu
ms and the fae dared to go into that place. Will would have gone to live with th
e mages, if hed been able to make it that far.
All of this was just what was happening on the lands that were formerly the Amer
icas. He wasnt sure how the rest of the world was dealing with this.
Im not arguing this point with a vampire, Hawke said. Try to sleep or dont. I can sta
y awake long enough to watch you so it doesnt matter, but I will be bringing you
to see my mother early tomorrow.
I look forward to it. Then maybe you will see that Im not the monster slaver that
other vampires can be. You seem to have forgotten it.
Hawke crossed his arms and put out the lamp. Will could see perfectly well in th
e dark, and he noted with an eerie sort of awe the way Hawkes eyes remained firml
y on him, even in what should have been a blinding darkness for a human.
Hawke could see him, as clearly as Will could. He really would watch him the who
le night if he decided not to sleep. Vampires usually preferred to stay awake du
ring the dark hours, but even with all the time hed spent passed out over Hawkes s
houlder, Will thought he could use a nap. With the man here, guarding him, and p
rotecting him, it might be one of the last peaceful sleeps he ever got while he
was in this village.
As he turned over and made himself comfortable in the hay, he still felt the bur
n of Hawkes stare on his back. The man would watch him long after Will fell aslee
p, he was sure, but at least hed given him something to think about, if he was re
ally planning on spending most of the night awake and staring.

Chapter Six

Hawke woke before the sun rose, and was stunned to see that the vampire, Will, w
as already awake. He was sitting in the pen, knees up and hands folded around hi
s ankles, regarding him curiously.
How long were you awake for? Hawke asked, fully awake at the thought that hed been
sleeping unguarded in front of the enemy like that.
About an hour. I slept as much as I could, but Im used to sleeping during the day.
An hour. The thought made Hawkes stomach churn. He was excellent at tying ropes a
nd knots, but with an hour unsupervised, Will should have been able to free hims
elf from the makeshift collar around his neck, chew through the rope, anything.
He could have killed Hawke if he really wanted to or escaped before Hawke notice
d. Instead hed stayed.

He was either incredibly stupid, too trusting, or both. Hawke certainly would ne
ver have passed up the opportunity for freedom, but that was just one more diffe
rence in the way they were brought up. Will did not yet truly fear the humans he
was with, regardless of what had nearly happened to him last night.
Yes, well, Hawke said, getting up and out of his cot. He stretched his hands about
his head, listening for the satisfying pop in his lower back, and then lit the
lamp. Thanks for not killing me in my sleep. Im assuming you have enough energy in
you to see to my mother now?
Will held his hands up a bit and looked down at them as a soft blue light, so pa
le it was nearly white, encased his hands. As quickly as the light was there, it
vanished. As ready as Ill ever be, he said, his voice sounding off. Maybe he was s
ick from spending the night in a barn. He was raised to be used to better accomm
odations than this.
Of course, at one time, even Hawke had known better living than this. The slaves
were mistreated, but they didnt sleep in barns with the animals. Some of them di
d, but not all. That was only because it wouldnt do to have a filthy slave servin
g a master his breakfast with hay in his hair. In a strange way, Hawke had been
lucky like that. Hed been a server, and a feeder, so he got to sleep in the main
house. The servers were treated reasonably well. The men and woman who took care
of the animals, for the vampires who owned stables, and the cars, that was an e
ntirely different story.
Hawke shook the thought from his head. What a stupid thing to be thinking about.
It didnt matter if Hawke got a clean attic room that was warm to share with the
other boys. They had still been slaves. Allowed to own no property, sold and bou
ght as the vampires saw fit, and even killed when mistakes were made.
Just because Hawke had been one of the lucky few to be able to avoid all of that
did not mean he should be thinking upon any small kindnesses warmly, or about t
he boy vampire who used to sneak him food while Hawke hid under the table, like
a dog.
Did Will remember that?
Hawke untied the knot at Wills neck, but he made sure the other man could see the
knife at his hip as they walked out of the barn.
How did you do that so fast? I couldnt even get it loose.
Hawke glared at him as Will rubbed his neck. It seemed that just because the rop
e had not been tight, did not mean that it didnt itch. You were trying to escape?
No, but I did want to test out what youd done, Will said. From the sound of his voi
ce, one would think that he wasnt aware of how close to trouble hed come with a re
velation like that.
If those other idiots from last night had been escorting him when hed said someth
ing like that, they would have made him pay for it.
Hawke sighed and shook his head. Im good with knots. Thats all you need to know.
Okay, Will said. God, did he have to be so trusting? Is this it?
The main house where Brian and Felicia lived was close to the barn. It took less
than a minute to walk there. The sun was not yet over the horizon, but it was n
o longer pitch-dark. It was coming, and some of the farmhands were awake and mov

ing about, seeing to their chores and the animals.

Hawke got a lot of strange looks from people as they passed by, and he was aware
of the way Will inched closer to him.
So he was aware of the danger he was in after all. I wont let them hurt you, he sai
d.
Can we just get inside? Its starting to get hot out here.
Hawke thought it was still a little chilly, but he wasnt a vampire.
He didnt see Hank or Carl or that other kid theyd roped into tagging along with th
em. Which was good. Vaughn was walking around with his pack of hounds, and he wa
ved a friendly smile, letting Hawke know that he wasnt aware of what had happened
the previous night. Anderson was limping around his house, likely getting set u
p to work early repairing the metal frames for their carts and the one truck tha
t was in the village.
Everything looked normal.
Lets go, Hawke said, opening the door and letting them both inside before others ca
me out of their houses and noticed there was a vampire walking around.
A couple of people stopping in their tracks was one thing, so long as Hawke was
there, but he didnt want the whole village muttering about this just yet.
Will was as polite as could be when he entered Hawkes parents house. He took his s
hoes off at the door and followed him across the small kitchen to the bedroom in
only his socks.
Hawke grimaced at the sight of the dirt even on them. They both needed a bath an
d a change of clothes.
The thought of that, of Will, naked and relaxing in one of the wooden tubs that
was shared by the village, should not have made his blood rush the way it did. E
specially since Hawke would have to be there watching him. For protection.
Brian? he called, again, making his voice low with just enough strength to travel
as he walked through the small house.
His father heard his call and appeared through the door. He looked like he hadnt
slept all night. The sight of Will, unchained and walking in his socks beside hi
m didnt even seem to make the man worry.
I was thinking about going and getting you for the last hour. Her breathing is ge
tting weaker, he said, reaching for Will, gently taking him by the arm, and he hu
rried as he led him into his bedroom.
Hawke watched that with a sad grimace. His father, who hated vampires more than
anything else in the world, eagerly leading one into the room where his ill wife
lay dying. It must be getting desperate.
The lamps inside were lit, and against his better judgment, Hawke stood back whi
le Will moved to the other side of the bed. Brian stayed on one side, clutching
Felicias small, pale hand. Hawke could see the blue veins under her paper-thin sk
in.
She wasnt awake, and her breathing did sound painful, like it was scratching the
inside of her throat just to be able to do it.

Can you help her? Brian asked.

Will frowned as he stared down at the woman in bed. I dont know. I can tell whats w
rong with her, but I dont know the name for it. Its her lungs. The damp weather ha
s taken its toll over the years.
The fact that Will couldnt diagnose the problem by name made Hawke suspicious. Your
e a healer mage. Why cant you tell what it is?
I have the natural magic for it, but Ive never been permitted to study it. My fami
ly wouldnt allow it. Is there a place where I can wash my hands? he asked, rolling
up his sleeves.
Hawke wanted to yell at him to just get on with it, clean hands or not, but Bria
n was quick to give him the order to get a bowl of water.
Hawke rushed to do as he was told only to speed along the process.
Clean water was kept in plastic jugs in the cupboards under the counter. It came
from the well that had been dug, and was routinely pumped, boiled, and then put
away in containers like these in all the houses. Hawke grabbed a salad bowl and
poured the water inside. He took a bar of soap and a rag with him when he came
back into the bedroom.
It smelled stuffy in here, he realized, compared to the rest of the house, or ev
en the air outside. Will was speaking with his father when he came back into the
room.
I assume she told you about pain in her chest?
Yeah, she has been complaining about trouble breathing for the last several years
, but it only got especially worse last winter. Before that I thought she just h
ad some mild asthma.
Im sensing that in there as well. It could only have made this worse.
Heres your water, Hawke said, setting the bowl down on the nightstand. He watched a
s Will went quickly to it and started to wash his hands, his individual fingers,
and almost all the way up to his elbows.
Is that really necessary? Hawke asked.
Will sent him an annoyed glance over his shoulder. I havent bathed in days and sle
pt in a barn last night. Do you really think I should put my dirty hands on a si
ck woman? Even I know better than that and Im not a trained physician.
Its fine, Brian said. Do whatever you can.
He would be devastated if Felicia didnt pull through. He might also kill Will in
a blind rage that was hiding beneath the surface. Hawke wouldnt be able to protec
t him from that.
Will made quick work of his wash, and then he dried his hands on the rag before
returning to Felicias side. He pulled the heavy blankets down off of her chest, a
nd then blushed and looked at Brian. Would you be so kind as to He trailed off and
motioned to the buttons on her damp nightshirt, then looked away.
Brian didnt even question him. Hawke worried that he might have to look at his mo
thers naked chest, but Brian only opened the nightgown enough so that the area be

tween her breasts was exposed, and then he fanned it out enough so that her stom
ach was also revealed.
She was so much thinner than Hawke remembered.
Thank you, Will said, turning back to his patient. Only then did he put his hands
on her.
Hawke remembered those hands so very well. The way they had glowed when Will had
touched him, and the soothing sensations hed felt, the coolness of it, when the
burning pain had been replaced by health and vitality. Even his hunger had been
sated.
What are you doing? Brian asked when Wills hands started to glow, though he didnt lo
ok like he was getting ready to step in just yet.
This is what I use to find injuries that arent obvious. I did this with Hawke, too
, that day, and found some internal bleeding. For her, I can sense all of it in
her lungs. Theres water there, but I dont know how it got there. The weather hasnt
been making it better, and shes got a little something else growing inside. Lumps
. Lots of little lumps are in her lungs.
Brian sucked in a breath, and Hawkes heart hammered as he rubbed his jaw. His and
his fathers eyes met.
Lumps. That usually meant cancer, and with so manycould Will even heal something
like that?
The richest human villages could only make sure that all their houses had runnin
g water, and maybe more than one truck and some horses. None that Hawke had ever
heard of or seen would have the resources to treat a patient with cancer. None
of them had even been able to tell what was wrong with Felicia whenever Ben had
managed to convince a healer to make the dangerous trip for a visit.
Is there anything you can do for it? Brian asked. He had tears streaming down his
worn face, as though he was already sure of the answer he would get. Hawke had n
ever seen the man cry before.
Ill try, Will said.
Not for the first time, Hawke was struck with the realization that if Will was o
nly doing this for his own sake, he would be lying through his teeth, and not gi
ving such honest and not entirely hopeful answers.
The glow around his hands became brighter, brighter than even what Hawke remembe
red as he trailed his hands up and down her stomach and chest, noticeably avoidi
ng her breasts. He let his fingers drift across her prominent ribs, and then her
throat, before returning to her chest. His hands stayed there the longest.
Brian did not let go of his wifes hand once.
Hawke timed it. An hour went by before Will pulled his hands away and stumbled b
ack, exhausted. With the light of his hands gone, all that was left was the pale
orange coming from the lamps. The windows had been shut up, so there was no nat
ural light to come into the room, both for Wills sake and Felicias.
The improvement in her color was noticeable nonetheless, as was the fact that it
was much quieter in here than it had been when the three men entered the room.
Brian put his shaking fingers under her nose, and then he sank to his knees next

to the bed, holding her hand tightly in his.

Hawke could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She was alive. There was
an improvement in her condition. She would live.
Thank you, Hawke said right away, not taking his eyes off of his adoptive parents.
Ill need to keep seeing her. I had to leave some of the lumps behind. I couldnt pou
r all of my energy into her without passing out.
How many more times? Brian asked, lifting his face from the bed. His cheeks were s
till wet, but he hardly seemed to mind that he was showing this kind of weakness
in front of another person, even as he wiped away the tears with the palm of hi
s hand.
Will shrugged. Cant be more than two or three more times. But Im pretty sure I can
get the rest out in one more go. The other sessions are just to be safe.
Brian nodded. Thank you. Thank you for this. I cant release you now, but I will re
pay you for this.
Youre welcome. I know you cant let me go yet, but, ah, so long as you do, and that
no other farmhands want to pay me a visit, I promise Ill be a well-behaved guest.
Brian nodded. Hawke will stay with you. Youll have to stay in the barn until this
is over, but only because theres no other place to put a vampire. Ill get a bed re
ady for you, and when the boys come back from their next hunt, Ill make sure they
save the blood of the animals.
Will just nodded and smiled politely, as though he really was just a guest in an
other rich vampires house, and that no one here meant him any harm.
Ill make sure to stay with you, too. I wont leave like before. I dont trust that one
of the other men might not try something, Hawke said without thinking.
He wouldnt look at Will when the vampire turned suddenly to him.
Brian nodded, agreeing with the decision. Thats fine. Is she safe to be by herself
now? Do you need to be here?
No, I dont think so, but you can call me back if you think theres a problem.
Brian nodded and sat beside his wife, stroking her hand. Hawke wouldnt be surpris
ed if she woke up today and wanted to go for a walk. He hoped to be around when
that happened.
He had to grab a spare blanket out of the closet to put over Will when he walked
him back to the barn, but the whole time he had thoughts and ideas swirling aro
und his head that, until yesterday, had never been there before, and he wasnt sur
e if he liked them.

Chapter Seven

Will needed to drink some more from one of the blood bags after they returned fr
om Hawkes house. He polished it off and began sipping on the other, trying to sav
e it, but unable to stop himself from taking just one more tiny drink.
Does healing really take that much out of you? Hawke asked. Hed allowed Will to sit
on his cot this time, instead of the bed of hay in the stall, and Hawke was sit
ting next to him.
Will pulled his teeth and lips away from the bag and wiped his mouth, certain th
at even a compassionate man like Hawke would not appreciate seeing blood on a va
mpires lips.
Not usually, but the last time I ever did anything remotely that big was you.
He noted the way Hawke turned away and fiddled with his hands. Very odd for such
a sure man.
Was what you said true? I had internal bleeding? Not just a broken leg?
Now Will was able to
at Hawke had brought
get the blood off of
wanted to remind the

pull his mouth away from the bag. He took the water skin th
with them and took a long drink from it, hoping that would
his teeth and gums as well. Hawke hated vampires, and Will
man of what he was as little as possible.

I didnt fully realize it at the time, but yes. I thought it was just your blood pu
lsing through your veins, but there was something off about it, about how it did
nt flow the way the rest of your blood did. Maybe that was why I focused some of
my energy onto it. Later when I realized what it was, when I was older, I hoped
Id done enough so that you didnt just bleed out somewhere in the woods. I was tire
d after that. Drank more than my share of blood for the day. Father wasnt happy w
ith me for that one.
Will blushed and looked away, realizing what hed said and how Hawke would interpr
et his words. Where else would he get the blood but from a human slave?
So much for not bringing up his vampire status.
Hawke said nothing. He seemed intent on staring at Will, when he wasnt checking o
n the animals, or turning away curious villagers who knocked on the barn doors,
that is.
He was protecting him, a vampire, and a former member of the house that had him
as a slave. He was warmed by it. It didnt help at all with his attraction to him.
How did you get a broken leg and internal bleeding anyway? Did you jump out one o
f the windows?
Actually, yes, Hawke replied.
Will flinched, but he could
my family has done to you.
ing the men of today simply
said, still hoping to keep

not look away from the other man. I am sorry for what
For what they do to all humans. Its not right, punish
because of what your ancestors, uh, allegedly did, he
the peace on that subject.

Hawke didnt so much as glare at him, for which he was glad. I suppose this all exp
lains why you have a different mindset from other vampires, Hawke said. You let me
go, fed me when I otherwise would have starved, healed my mother, and then ran
away from your nest.
Yes, Will said. So Hawke did remember that day under the table. Will had been sitt

ing with his family, enjoying their evening breakfast meal when his foot touched
on something that should not have been there. When he looked under the cloth, t
here was Hawke, hiding and shaking with terror.
Will hadnt known why a servant would be hiding under the table at the time. It wa
snt until years later when he realized what the boy had been there for. Hed been t
rying to steal food before the masters of the house came in, and instead of taki
ng his whipping, hed hidden away beneath the table, the only hiding place in the
room.
Will had snuck him toast and bacon.
Hawke released a choked sort of laugh. Youre making this very difficult for me, yo
u know.
Will blinked at him. Making what difficult?
Just, the way you are. You dont have enough fear of us, considering what were doing
to you. You trust us too much, which makes me worry about your survival instinc
ts, especially with the meager belongings you packed away, and now I have to dea
l with the fact that Hawke stopped himself, then he looked away and stood up from
his cot. He began pacing around the stalls.
The cows continued to eat their food, watching the two men in the barn with litt
le to no interest, as though Hawke did not appear completely conflicted.
Will could hardly believe it, but he knew it to be true the second the scent hit
his nose.
Are you in lust with me?
Unbelievable, how could he have not noticed it before? Or was this something mor
e recent?
It doesnt matter. Nothings going to come of it, Hawke said, his mouth twisting, almo
st as though the fact disappointed him.
Why not? William asked before he could stop himself.
Hawke froze on the spot, then stared at him hard with those deep blue eyes that
seemed so much more intense than they had previously. Did you really just say tha
t? Do you know what youre suggesting?
Will glared at him. Im not a child, no matter what my parents think. I know what Im
suggesting, and now that Ive noticed it, I cant ignore the way your blood is call
ing to me.
Hawkes face twisted with outrage.
Not to drink. You clearly dont know this, but blood and heartbeats can tell a lot
about what a person is feeling or wanting. Yours is rushing, and it smells hot.
Your heart is beating fast and now youre all that I can think about.
It doesnt matter.
Im attracted to you, too, you know. Maybe its our history and this weird relationsh
ip we have that makes me trust you even when I shouldnt, but if you want me, then
I wont lie and say that I dont want you either.
Im not sleeping with a vampire. You could bite me, or attack me.

Put me on my stomach then, or on my knees.

He noted the way the barn seemed to heat up with the thick smell of Hawkes lust a
nd hot, pumping blood. It rushed to his cheeks, as though trying to escape it.
I am curious about what you would taste like after all this time, but I would nev
er bite you if thats something you didnt want.
I dont want it, Hawke said, shaking his head and taking a step back.
I believe you. Clearly you dont want a pair of fangs in your neck or thighs, but y
ou still want me. You cant hide that.
Hawke didnt take another step back. He was still staring at Will curiously.
You could still attack me, he said after a time. Regardless of whether or not youre
on your knees.
Tie me up then, Will said. All this talk of sex, and how close he was to the man w
ho seemed to want him the most, only made Will more aware of his own growing des
ires. His body was pulsing with Hawkes. His cock ached, and there was no way in h
ell he would able to stand it if Hawke denied him and sent him back to the clump
of hay that was his bed to be alone. He wouldnt be able to handle the embarrassm
ent of wrapping his fist around his throbbing dick and stroking himself while Ha
wke lay in his cot barely more than ten feet away.
Hed do it, though. Hed have to. There would be no way he could ignore what was bet
ween his legs. His erection wasnt going away until he dealt with it. Or until Haw
ke did.
You would let me? Hawkes jaw dropped. His lips twisted in a crooked grin as he shook
his head. Youre either a lot more naive than I thought, or youre just plain stupid
.
Will frowned. What?
Youre
up and
ould do
ring to

a prisoner here, and you would be perfectly fine with allowing me to tie you
have sex with you? What if I turned on you? There would be nothing you c
about it. He stopped talking for a second, as though something were occur
him. And what about your wrists? What about blood flow and all that?

It wont matter so long as you dont leave me like that for several hours, and I like
the idea of being tied up. I want you, and you want me, and I trust that you wo
nt let anyone else come in here and try to hurt me while Im, uh Will blushed and did
nt finish.
His blood was thrumming through his veins. He was starting to get twitchy and an
gry with Hawkes indecisiveness. He just wanted an answer here. Yes or no.
You wouldnt be forcing me to do anything, and I like the thought of you tying me d
own, doing whatever you want to me.
Hawke was already blushing, but his face got brighter, and the color travelled a
ll the way into his neck and ears. It was working. What Will was saying was maki
ng Hawke want him even more than he did now.
Admit that you like the idea, too. You want to see me naked with my hands above m
y head, beneath you, legs spread.

And here I pegged you for some kind of virgin.

Will scowled at him. He didnt really give off that vibe, did he? Come over here an
d Ill show you virgin.
Will stood up, and he waited for Hawke to make the next move.

* * * *

Hawke didnt have to look very far to find the ropes that had been used on Will th
e first night he was here. They were still clean, and he was glad when no distas
te showed up on Wills face when Hawke grabbed them.
He wouldnt mind wearing them again, it seemed.
Lie down, Hawke commanded. Take off your shirt first, he added.
He wouldve liked to do that part himself, but unless he was planning on pulling h
is knife out and cutting the material off of him, it wouldnt work out.
That, and he was pretty sure Will wouldnt appreciate having a knife anywhere near
him while they were doing this, regardless of how much he claimed to trust Hawk
e.
Will did as he was told, unbuttoning the silk material and letting it slide from
his shoulders. Hawke had felt his body during the two-day journey back to the v
illage, but now that he was seeing the pale skin for himselfif anything it made h
is heart and lungs speed up even more. The sudden head rush he got and the throb
bing in between his legs was delicious. He wanted to put his mouth on Wills skin.
He wanted to taste the man.
Like what you see? Will asked, a catty smile on his lips.
Yes, Hawke said, seeing no reason to lie or play coy about it. His attraction to W
ill, which before now had been mostly made up of mild curiosity, flared to life.
Hed just crossed the point of no return. Youre doing very badly on the lying down
part, he admonished.
Will smiled and raised his hands a little. Right, right. Sorry. Getting right to
it.
He turned around and lay on his stomach on the cot, then reached above him to th
e metal frame and gripped it.
Here all right? he asked, referring to the position of his hands.
Hawke grimaced at the sight. It was still sexy as hell, seeing this vampire, who
used to be a former master, putting himself in a vulnerable position for Hawke
to take, but there was also something unnerving about it. He didnt want to hold t
hat kind of power over Will. He didnt want to take him like this, without seeing
his face while he was tied up on a cot.
It wasnt like Hawke hadnt ever taken lovers from behind before, but none of them h
ad been tied up. Some of his arousal actually left him, the more he thought abou
t it.

Thats not going to work, now that I think about it. Turn around.
Will looked over his shoulder at him, clearly not understanding what the sudden
change of heart was about, but he did as he was told anyway, exposing his naked
chest and the growing bulge that was beneath his pants.
Hawkes blood hummed again at the sight. That was better.
Im still going to tie your hands, he said, but it wouldnt be so bad because at least
this way Hawke would be able to see him. He would be able to tell if Will was g
etting uncomfortable, or wanted to change his mind. Let me know if it gets to be
too tight.
Will nodded, and Hawke wrapped the ropes around his wrists before lifting them a
nd tying them off to the metal frame.
He watched Wills face intently as he did this, searching for any outward sign tha
t hed changed his mind, and that he didnt want to do this anymore.
Hawke fully expected it, but it didnt come. Will even smiled a little and looked
up at Hawkes handiwork, tugging his arms gently to test out the knots when Hawke
finished. Youre good at this.
Why do I get the sudden feeling that youve let others do this to you before?
Now Wills grin was the kind that said hed been caught with his hand in the cookie
jar. Guilty. Its actually very nice. I should try it on you one day.
Hawke felt his already warm face go incredibly hot. Wills cheeks were splashed wi
th pink color, as though realizing what hed just said.
Implying that this could go even further than it already had. That was dangerous
. Would Will even want to stay? Would the villagers allow it?
Hawke allowed his hands to travel up the muscles of Wills chest, letting his fing
ertips move over the ridges and brush against his hard nipples. Will shuddered a
nd inhaled a sharp breath at the touch, and his back arched into it just a littl
e.
Hawke wouldve had to be blind to not see the way that pale skin went flush under
his touch. It was strange, the way it seemed to follow his hands. He moved his f
ingers down to Wills pants and let them curl under the waistband before pulling a
way. He stroked his palms down Wills thighs and then ghosted a hand over his swol
len crotch. The entire time, Hawke made sure to look at the vampires expression.
Will groaned and bit his lip. He was looking at Hawkes hands, waiting to see what
he would do. After the third stroke over his still-clothed cock, Will looked up
at him, annoyance flashing over his features when he realized that Hawke was te
asing him on purpose.
Will you get these pants off of me already? he demanded, shifting his hips, but wi
th Hawke sitting on his legs, there wasnt much he could do.
Vampires were strong and everything, but they werent that strong. Hawke would hav
e him here, and he would do whatever he wanted to him, for as long as he wanted,
and Will had given him permission to do it.
You think getting them off you means Ill let you come any faster?
Hawke felt Wills whole body shiver beneath him as he stared up at him with those

wide amber eyes.

Hawke shook his head. This wouldve been so much easier to avoid if you were ugly o
r something. Why did you have to grow up to be so damn gorgeous? Hawke asked, pul
ling the button and zipper down on Wills pants and slowly shifting the material d
own. He didnt take them all the way off. He wasnt ready to move from his warm spot
on Wills lap so that he could get the jeans down his legs.
Oh? Think Im good looking, do you?
Id have to be an idiot to not notice it, Hawke said.
Shallow, Will replied, but he hardly seemed to mind as his mouth fell open and his
head dropped back onto the cot as Hawke took his cock in hand. He was cut, and
at the head there was a drop of cum building at the slit.
Hawke had his trysts with men before. He tried not to have any relationships ins
ide of the village. It was too small, and he didnt want to be the village whore,
so unless there were visitors from another village, or Hawke had to go travellin
g, he kept mostly to himself.
One man had licked away his pre-cum that had been building on his dick, much the
same way Wills was doing now. Hawke dropped his head and gave it a try, if only
to see what sort of reaction he would get.
Will shifted his hips, canting forward, trying to thrust against his hand and mo
uth. You are such a fucking tease, he complained.
Hawke pulled his mouth away and smiled up at him, feeling entirely like the pred
ator Will had told him he was. What sort of jailor would I be if I didnt torture m
y prisoner just a little?
Evil, evil jailor, Will said through panting breaths, and then he did nothing but
moan when Hawke bent down and put the whole head of his cock inside of his mouth
.
He had to admit, there was something about doing this to a vampire that got his
adrenaline going, and the fact that theyd somehow managed to turn the actual situ
ation they were in into a roleplaying sex game only made Hawke want the man even
more.
He was wearing entirely too many clothes.
Will cried out in what could have been despair when Hawke pulled his mouth away.
Dont you worry, he said, planting a kiss on his thigh. Not going anywhere.
Will nodded as Hawke pulled himself out of his shirt and began fiddling with the
button and fly of his own jeans. He kicked them off, and when he had so much mo
re bare skin on top of the man, he began to tremble.
This was very nice.
Hawke hesitated when he started to pull at the fingerless gloves he wore. The in
finity symbol was only tattooed on his right hand, and he wasnt sure he wanted Wi
ll to see it.
I know its there, the other man said, completely ruining his hopes of keeping bad m
emories out of their bed. Are you mad at me for it?
You didnt put it there, Hawke said, and just because he didnt want to look like he w

as having some kind of issue with it, he took his gloves off, revealing the tatt
oo on the back of his right hand.
The infinity tattoo was put on all the slaves. It marked them as what they were
and reminded them that they would be serving vampires for all of eternity. Becau
se humans didnt live forever like vampires almost did, it was sort of a stupid th
ing to put on a mortal, but that wasnt the point.
With his hands now bare, Hawke began stroking Wills cock once more, noting the di
fference in texture now that he could actually feel the swollen prick in his pal
m, and the bulging veins on its underside.
Put my cock in your mouth. Suck me, Will commanded, apparently forgetting all abou
t the guilt he felt over Hawkes slave tattoo.
Hawke wasnt about to have any of that bossiness. Say please, he said, and just to b
e an even bigger tease, he trailed his tongue up the underside of Wills thick and
heavy dick, watching the mans eyes go wide as he did so, and then as they squeez
ed tightly shut when he began playing with the strip of flesh just under the hea
d of his prick.
Urgh! Why are you even doing this? Someone could walk in at any minute, you know?
Will said.
They could, which means that if you want this to go somewhere, youd better hurry u
p and say please.
Youre enjoying this way too much. All right, fine, please! Please!
Please what?
Im going to kill you when I get out of here.
Those words should have put him on edge, considering what they were to each othe
r but they didnt. Hawke recognized the empty threat for what it was, and it pleas
ed him that he could make Will this out of control. Hed known Will since he was a
child, after all. There was no way the boy whod fed him or healed him would mean
something like that.
Not what I wanted to hear, Hawke said, and just to be a bastard, he sank his mouth
sound around the entire length of Wills prick, contorted his mouth in one long s
uck, and then pulled away.
Im actually really liking that you suggested tying you up. I can see the appeal.
Will was panting hard. Hawke couldnt tell if the man had even heard his words. Ple
ase, Hawke, put your lips around my dick and suck me. I want you to blow me, ple
ase.
Much better, Hawke said, and then he lowered his mouth back around Wills prick. It
was becoming a little discolored. Maybe hed been a little too cruel in his teasin
g.
Will didnt seem to mind it that much at the moment now that he was finally gettin
g what he wanted. He kept shifting his hips, trying to hump into Hawkes willing m
outh. Occasionally, Hawke would look up and see Will staring down at him, his mo
uth open and his chest rising and falling as he struggled to keep control of him
self.
Youre so good. Thats so nice. Keep doing that. So fucking good, Will said, and then

continued to let out a string of compliments as Hawke wrapped his tongue around
the base of Wills prick.
Hawke reached for Wills testicles, and found them drawn up and tight. The man was
close, and only when he began thrashing around in ecstasy did Hawke quickly gra
b the base of his cock and give just enough of a squeeze to prevent an orgasm.
Will moaned and continued to jerk around on the cot, unable to come but still lo
st in pleasure.
What are you doing? Let go! Let me come!
He was being too loud. Someone might hear him and then they would both be out of
luck. Hawke gripped Will by the hip, keeping his other hand still firmly on the
mans prick.
He dug his fingers into the tight flesh so hard that he hoped the pain would be
enough to center the man and stop him from yelling out like that. Not until Im ins
ide you. Understand?
Oh God, youre so mean, Will complained.
His mouth was still open. Hawkes eyes were continually drawn to his lips. They we
re pink and plump and looked so amazingly soft. He wanted to kiss them, but ever
y time Will spoke or panted or let his jaw fall like that, Hawke was given a vie
w of those fangs, and a reminder of why kissing was still a bad idea, no matter
how much they were both enjoying this right now.
Hawke put the thought away. No kissing, but they would need something else if th
ey were to get this show on the road, and all of Wills moaning and thrashing had
taken its toll on Hawke. His body felt like it was on vibrate and his cock was t
hrobbing almost painfully, and if he stayed on top of Will any longer while he w
as thrusting mindlessly against him, he was going to be in danger of coming, too
.
Where are you going? Will asked when Hawke got off his legs.
Hawke stood straight and stretched out his legs, feeling his knees pop. The way
hed been positioned on top of Will on his small cot had not been comfortable, but
hed barely noticed the building pain with what they were doing.
Well need something to ease the way, he said, moving to his own bag of supplies and
searching around through it.
You keep lube with you all the time? Will asked, his voice still deliciously deep
and aroused.
Hawke sent him a half-hearted glare over his shoulder. The little shit actually
smiled back at him. He looked so sexy like that. Smirking like he had all the co
ntrol in the world while tied up to Hawkes cot.
No, but I have something that will be just as good, he said, pulling out a jar of
salve.
What is that? Will asked.
The jar was handcrafted and made out of wood. It had no labels on it, and only t
he carving of the leaf on the dark wooden lid gave any indication of what was in
side.

A health salve. Its basically the same thing I put on your hands. I did a job for
some mages a while back and part of their payment was to give our village loads
of the stuff. Good for rashes, minor cuts and scrapes, that sort of thing. Its al
so slick as hell.
That knowing smile never left Wills face, though now his eyes were moving between
the jar and Hawkes face. Youve been using it to touch yourself, havent you?
Purely for curiositys sake, and it worked well enough, so I keep it with me. Prett
y valuable, having something like this that has so many uses.
Will made a noise of agreement as Hawke set the jar down beside his stomach, and
then started to pull away the pants that were still around his knees.
He didnt tie up Wills legs, he realized at the last second. He should have thought
to do that, but Will was not making any sudden movements, and aside from liftin
g his feet to help Hawke get his jeans off, he wasnt making any movements that su
ggested he was trying to attack or escape. He was just staring up at him, waitin
g and eager. Hawke definitely couldnt tie his feet down anyway. He wouldnt be able
to do it without making it completely uncomfortable to do what he was about to
do.
An epiphany came to him right then as he stared down at his soon-to-be lover. Wh
en they did this, because there was no way he was turning back now, nothing woul
d ever be the same between them.
What is it? Will asked.
Apparently, hed been standing there, looking down at him for too long.
Nothing, Hawke said, and he reached for the jar and put his knees back onto the co
t.

Chapter Eight

Will shivered at the sensation of cold and slick lubricant, or what Hawke was us
ing as lubricant, being smeared and rubbed against his asshole. It took a second
before it warmed up on his skin, and when it did, he sighed. Hed lifted his knee
s up and spread his legs wider, and now Hawkes fingertips werent just touching him
, they were sinking inside him, preparing him, and all the while the other man h
ad a look of absolute, beautiful concentration on his face.
It was lovely as fucking hell.
Bet you never thought youd be in bed with a vampire, Will said.
Hawkes wolfish grin never left his face. Maybe he should have named himself after
the wolves instead. It would have been so much more fitting.
Bet you never thought youd be in bed with a human.
You got me there, Will said, panting as the sensation of those fingers inside of h
im got to be too much.

Hawke hooked his fingers inside of him, searching for his prostate, and then lik
e a tracker dog he found it. Wills eyes flew wide and for a split second he could
nt see as he turned his face against his arm and bit down on his skin. Not hard e
nough to break the flesh, but it did stifle his moan and help to center him.
Hawke had mentioned the possibility of other hired hands coming in here if there
was too much noise, and there was no way Will was taking the risk of this being
interrupted.
He was just starting to really wish the man would hurry up. He was apparently on
e of the few in the world who had some real patience when it came to his lovemak
ing, but then he felt the fingers gently pull out and the blunt head of Hawkes di
ck pressing against his pucker.
Ready? Hawke asked, shifting into a more comfortable position.
If you wait any longer, I will have to start making a serious effort to get out o
f these ropes, and then Ill have to ravish you.
Well try that later. I seriously doubt you can get free of any ropes Ive tied.
Smug prick. Just
He didnt get the chance to finish what he was about to say as Hawke pushed forwar
d, sinking himself inside of Will.
It had been way too long since hed done this. The wonderful burn, and the sheer f
ucking pleasure of it was so much that he nearly came like he was still eighteen
.
Hawke must have seen this, because he reached down and took hold of his cock, gr
ipping it at the base as he held still and stared down at him.
Do you have a hair trigger in there or what?
Wills body was bowstring tight, and he glared up at Hawke, not daring to move or
say anything just in case that would be enough to make him come.
Hawke gripped him, but that apparently was not enough to keep himself from movin
g for very long. He started to slowly cant his hips. He bit his lips together an
d moaned softly as his eyes fell shut.
That was so not helping Will to keep from spilling his load, but he had to admit
it was good. The combination of the sight of the man above him, as well as the
moving cock inside of him, was still working to make him feel like he was having
the best sex of his life, only Hawkes hand was making sure that it wasnt about to
end prematurely.
Thats good, Will moaned. When Hawke had tied his hands, hed left enough slack in the
ropes that he could still move them just a little, and he grabbed the frame and
gripped it tight as Hawke touched his prostate deep inside him on his next thru
st.
That time hed forgotten to bite down on his arm to keep from moaning too loudly,
but Hawke no longer seemed to notice as he started to move like a man possessed.
His thrusts were so hard and fast that, had Will not been gripping the frame of
the cot, he would have been pushed upward, and then his wrists would really sta
rt to hurt from the ropes.

He couldnt keep himself quiet, especially when Hawke finally released his dick an
d put his hands on either side of Wills head and just moved like a wild animal in
heat.
They were so close. Will could feel the mans breath on his face, and he was so po
werful between Wills legs as he thrust faster.
Will couldnt stand it anymore, and he moaned out loud as he came. His orgasm seem
ed to go on forever as he spilled warm semen onto his stomach as he arched his b
ack. His whole body throbbed and hummed in continued pleasure even after he fini
shed, made better by the fact that Hawke was apparently not yet done with him.
He kept right on moving, panting and moaning. He was beautiful. Will was so glad
hed escaped his familys house. Caging such a handsome creature was too wrong.
Will was still thoroughly enjoying the show, even after his pleasure turned into
a mild discomfort, but then he both felt and saw Hawke go still between his leg
s. He released a choked grunt and then collapsed on top of him.
He was heavy. Will had been brought up to believe that vampires were stronger an
d more superior to other species, but more and more he was learning that there r
eally wasnt that much of a difference. Not if two hundred or so pounds of muscle
was enough to make Will have a hard time breathing.
He didnt complain, though. He liked the warmth and the closeness. It allowed him
to lie to himself about what had just happened. Hawke liked him and desired him.
That would have to be enough. There could be no more while they were both on th
e run from creatures who would rather see them caged.
Tell me we will be doing that again, Will asked. He might have to live with the fa
ct that they werent even friends, but there was no way he was letting that be a o
ne-off.
Hawke blew out a deep breath against his chest. Wills nipple hardened under the o
nslaught. Definitely.
Unexpectedly, Hawke stiffened and pushed himself away from Will. Will hissed at
the sudden discomfort of cold air against his warm flesh, and he squirmed in his
restraints.
Whats wrong? he asked.
Hawke stared down at him. The suspicion was back in his eyes, and Will didnt like
it. You didnt bite me, he said.
What?
I was so close. My face was right next to yours, my neckbut you didnt try to bite m
e.
Will didnt get the chance to be offended that Hawke still apparently thought he w
as that kind of vampire when a loud banging sound pounded on the other side of t
he barn doors.
Hawke none too gently pulled his now-soft prick out of Wills body, scooped up his
clothing, and then ran to the door, hopping into his pants along the way.
Wait! Will called.
Stay there! Hawke called back, barely glancing over his shoulder, and apparently f

orgetting that Will was still tied to the cot.

* * * *

Hawke ran out of the barn, stumbling into his shoes as awkwardly as hed hopped ba
ck into his jeans. There was no one outside of the doors like he thought there w
ould be, but then he realized why, and he quickly locked the barn behind him, ho
ping that would be enough to keep the assassins from wanting to get inside. Righ
t away, at least.
Assassins. Vampire assassins, if the tight black suits that clung to the skin an
d dark goggles were anything to go by. The village was in chaos as men and women
ran and screamed while the vampires pulled out their guns and blades and began
systematically hunting down their prey. The people running away were either shot
or netted, and the men and women who got close enough to fight were quickly cut
down.
Brian was among those fighting, but he was at the front door to his house, refus
ing to leave it as he hid behind a turned-over table and picked off any of the a
ssassins who dared to get too close with his rifle.
There was a butterfly knife in his pocket, and that was about it because hed been
too stupid to grab any of his other weapons from his bag, and even then it wasnt
like hed had a whole lot of heavy-duty stuff in there anyway. He was guarding a
vampire, and it was considered better if there wasnt a whole lot on hand that the
hostage could get his hands on.
Hawke ran to his father, and was grateful that the man had such steady hands and
good nerves that, even though he was running toward him like mad, Brian didnt ju
st shoot him in a fit of blind panic.
He did curse at him a little when Hawke landed next to him. Jesus! Dont scare me l
ike that!
Brian positioned his rifle and fired off another shot. It struck the man in blac
k square in the head, blowing a hole as well as pieces of his cranium all over t
he place, and he went down.
Those suits were reinforced, but their main purpose was to protect against the s
un, and there wasnt anything on earth that could be worn that could stop a well-p
laced shot from penetrating the skull like that.
Hawke helped himself to one of the guns that was in the bag beside his father, a
nd then he took hold of another holster that contained several slots for holding
sharp blades and other poisons. That was his. Brian mustve pulled it from the hi
dden compartment under the chest in case Hawke would need it.
They worked together fairly well like that.
Hawke put the holsters on. His own goggles werent inside the bag. That was fine.
He couldnt use smoke screens while these vampires wore their masks. They would be
able to see through any smog as clearly as Hawke would anyway, negating any adv
antage. The poisons were out as well. The vampires would be too fast to inhale t
hem. Hawke quickly worked on opening his capsules, and then wet a few of the bla
des with his tongue, careful of the sharp edge, and then sprinkled the powder ov
er the metal.

What are you doing? Brian asked, watching him with wide eyes.
Keep your eyes on the enemy, father. How many?
Brian was the leader of the village, but in battle, he and Hawke were both equal
s. There were at least a dozen on my count. I managed to kill five of them, and s
ome have already left with full nets.
Those poor people would be turned into slaves and used as fountains for the vamp
ires to drink from. Hawke only hoped that Vaughn or Anderson would not be among
the taken. So how many are left?
Four or five, Brian said.
With all the chaos happening around them, as well as how skilled these vampires
were, that was still more than enough to make a village pay for kidnapping a vam
pire from a wealthy house.
Can you keep them distracted? Hawke asked.
Brian huffed. What the hell do you think Im doing now?
Hawke grinned at his father, and he palmed his now-poisoned blades. The vampires
were fast, these ones especially since, unlike Will, they had been trained for
this line of work.
Hawke was just as fast, if not faster, and they wouldnt be expecting the sort of
attacks he was going to be giving them, not because of his human status.
He leaped back over the rail of the small deck and overturned table where he and
his father hid, and began to quickly circle around to the back of one attacker
who caught his eye in particular. He just needed to land one cut, and the poison
would do the rest.

Chapter Nine

Will struggled against the ropes that held him in place, which only seemed to ma
ke them tighter around his wrists, and then they started to hurt again from the
lack of blood flow.
He was going to kill that idiot for leaving him like this. For real, he meant it
this time. There was nothing more humiliating than being tied naked to a cot li
ke this, fluids drying on his stomach and between his legs, not even hidden from
sight should anyone come in here.
Hed thought hed heard the click of a lock from the outside, maybe a padlock or a b
olt, but that didnt mean someone couldnt still get in here.
Then a masked face appeared right in front of him, and Will screamed. He tried t
o, at any rate. A cloth was stuffed into his mouth, and then he really started t
o flip out. He used his fangs and sharp teeth to try and bite through it, but th
e material was tough, like something that would be given to a powerful dog.

The thin face of the stranger in front of him with the large dark goggles was an
eerie sight, and Will knew exactly what this was.
A vampire. Likely sent by his father, or his fiancs family. The man was an assassi
n and dressed to be working in the daylight hours if the full-body black suit, m
ask, and goggles were anything to go by.
Will kicked his legs and tried to twist his body around, but the vampire jumped
on him, held him down, and then the knife was pressed to his throat.
He went absolutely still, and then the man lifted his mask up just enough for Wi
ll to see his face, but nothing else. It was no one that Will recognized from hi
s home, so there could be no mercy from this stranger, or any kindness, should h
e decide to simply kill him right there. His features were hard and suspicious.
He had a jagged scar that ran down his mouth, giving him the impression of a per
manent scowl, as well as another scar that ran down his right eye.
That right eye was a pale blue, and the other was a dark brown. Whether that dif
ference had anything to do with the scar, Will couldnt be sure.
The mans angry eyes squinted down at him, and then his blade moved to Wills lips,
the sharp edge moving at a sideways angle so that even though it scraped his ski
n, it didnt cut.
It itched, however. There must have been silver on the blade. It was not uncommo
n for even vampire guards or assassins to carry blades made of silver, just in c
ase they had to fight off their own, or even werewolves, as unlikely as that las
t one was.
Will was not about to struggle with a knife pressing so close into his skin. His
body shivered, he couldnt stop the trembling, or wishing he could scratch at the
building rash on his throat, but he did his absolute best to hold still, even w
hen the knife pressed between his lips.
Will opened his mouth, and the cloth was pulled out. The mans other hand came dow
n to peel his lips farther apart, and then he began to examine Wills fangs.
Youre the one, he said, nodding to himself. He sat up then stared down at Will with
disgust, as if only just noticing what was still stuck to his stomach.
Will was hot with embarrassment, but he only cared that this man was no longer l
ying flatly on top of him and that the knife had been pulled away.
That relief lasted all of two seconds before he reached up to the radio on his s
houlder, pressed a button, and then called for his backup.
This is Noir. I found the target. Hes in the barn and restrained. Out.
When there wasnt a response right away, Noir put his hand back to the radio and c
alled out again to whomever else might be out there. Again, there was no answer.
Will didnt know if that was normal, nor did he appreciate the calculated look Noi
r was giving him now.
Noir reached into one of the many pockets that were all over the dark costume he
wore, and when he pulled out a vial, Wills eyes went wide.
Draught of sleeping death, he explained, as simply and easily as if they were disc
ussing the weather over biscuits. Likely it was the same thing that Hawke had us

ed when transporting Will away from his family estate.

Will didnt care. He didnt want to be put under and hauled away like a sack of pota
toes.
He shook his head, and when the assassin, Noir, pulled the rag out of his mouth,
he turned his face away quickly before the stuff could be forced down his throa
t.
I dont want to go back. I want to stay here!
Noirs hand had just gripped his chin and turned his head, but then he stopped at
Wills words. With the humans? Look at you. Youre naked in a barn and clearly someon
e sexually assaulted you.
Will shook his head, still staring down at the vial in Noirs hand. Thats not what t
his is. Im making a choice and I want to be here.
Youre deluded.
How do I know thats not poison or something? Will demanded.
Its not. Dont bite me, Noir said, and then gripped Wills jaw and cheeks so tightly th
at it hurt, and his mouth was forced open.
Using his thumb, Noir popped off the cap of the vial and then forced the content
s into Wills mouth. Noir held Wills lips shut and put his other hand over his nose
to keep him from breathing.
This was really happening. Will could already feel his lungs burn since he didnt
even have the chance to take in a proper breath of air before the potion was pou
red into his mouth.
He struggled against the sensation for as long as he could, but then as his thro
at constricted, trying to force air down, some of the potion went down instead,
and he immediately felt the sleepy sensation of the drug working through him. He
swallowed the stuff, and Noir pulled his hands away now that Will was no longer
a danger to him. Not like he ever had been to begin with.
Everything was suddenly foggy and hazy, and as though it werent happening to him
at all, Will was aware of Noir untying his hands before hoisting him over his sh
oulder.
Hawke. Will wanted Hawke to rush through those barn doors and save him. Will had
thought it was romantic that they had met up after so many years apart, and con
sidering their history together. How romantic would it be if Hawke were to burst
through those doors while Noir was in the act of stealing him away, and then re
scue him?
That didnt happen. Noir climbed up to the rafters above the barn, and only then d
id Will become aware of a sliver of light that was coming between the wooden boa
rds. A loose board. That was how hed gotten in.
Will giggled drunkenly, and then everything went dark as he was placed in some k
ind of bag. Then the drug took complete effect and he was out.

* * * *

Hawke wiped his bloody butterfly knife in the grass, then flicked it shut and pu
t it away. The holsters that had contained his other blades were all empty. Hed h
ad to throw most of them in order to strike at the vampires who were too far awa
y or already running with their nets of drugged children. Only three adults were
missing, Carl was among them, and it was debatable on whether or not he even qu
alified as an adult.
The scary thing was that he still wasnt sure if hed gotten them all. The other far
mhands were coming out, searching around with their weapons in case anyone was m
issed, or finishing off the poisoned vampires that Hawke had gotten with his bla
des.
They would have to be cleaned later.
A quick glance in his fathers direction told him that the man was all right. Bria
n waved him off before rushing into the house to check on his wife.
Hawke was certain she would be okay since he hadnt seen anyone trying to sneak in
side, and Brian had been guarding the only door.
He rushed back to the barn, glad to see the padlock still in place and unharmed.
There was going to have to be a search party for the people who had gone missin
g, and right now they could use Wills healing powers to help the injured.
Hawke opened the door a crack to prevent any sunlight from streaming in and let
himself inside. Then he stopped cold at the sight of his empty cot.
The ropes hed used were still there, tied to the cots frame, and with a sudden pan
ic, Hawke couldnt remember if hed been the one to untie the man. They werent chewed
through or cut. Someone had been in here.
Then he heard the long groan from the wood above him.
Hawke looked up just as a dark figure vanished through a set of loose boards in
the barns roof. The assassin had a large sack over his shoulder.
No! Hawke rushed back out the barns only doors and ran around to the other side of
the barn.
Some of the farmhands stared at him as he ran like a crazed man through them, ev
en pushing some of them out of the way when they tried stepping in his path for
whatever help they wanted. He ran into the trees where the assassin was trying t
o disappear and Hawke used every last bit of speed he possessed, and he paid no
attention to the angered shouts behind him.
There, he saw him. The vampire was good, jumping through the trees like that, a
tactic that even Hawke used, but he was being slowed down by his heavy cargo. Ha
wke deftly climbed the next tree he came upon with branches that could hold him
yet still allow him to keep sight of the vampire slaver. Within seconds he was o
n the mans trail again, and he was catching up.
Get back here! Stop! he yelled. He was painfully aware of the knife still in his p
ocket, but he didnt dare throw it, not while Willhe assumed it was Will inside of
that bagwas hanging over the assassins back like that.
Of course the stupid man didnt listen, but he must have realized that there was n
o way he was outrunning this human, regardless of how fast he was.

The man jumped down from the tree branches, and Hawke suddenly had a terrified m
ental image of the assassin dropping the bag in midjump, allowing himself to lan
d gracefully while letting the person in the sack land painfully, even fatally,
on his head or something.
He didnt. The vampire landed on his feet, but still kept the bagged individual sa
fely over his shoulder.
Hawke kept to the trees as the assassin continued to run.
The stupid bastard thought he was going to lose Hawke if he was on the ground an
d didnt have to worry about catching himself on the tree branches. Hawke worked b
etter in the trees, and if anything, he only got closer.
One well-placed jump and he would have him.
Finally, the assassin must have realized there was nothing to be done for it bec
ause, without stopping or slowing down, he dropped the bag and kept going on his
way.
Hawkes first instinct was to chase him down and catch him, to kill him for what h
ed tried to do, but he stopped and let himself drop to the ground. He quickly ran
to the bag and dragged it over to a pine tree with low-hanging branches. The sh
ade wasnt perfect, but it would have to be enough.
There was a set of metal buttons that he pulled apart, and then a heavy zipper b
eneath them. Hawke quickly felt with his hands what was inside, and when he foun
d the head of the person within, he unzipped the bag to have a look.
He breathed a heavy sigh. It was Will. He was pale and still, but when Hawke tou
ched his shaking hand to his chest and put his fingers under his nose, he could
feel that his heart was beating, and he was breathing. He was alive.
Thank God.
Hawke pulled the man closer to him and hugged him. He couldnt even stop thinking
about how close hed come to losing him and never seeing him again.
He said it out loud this time. Thank God.
It mightve only been a minute or two, but considering the danger he and Will were
both still in, that was an embarrassingly long amount of time for him to have b
een sitting there hugging the vampire close. He was acting like a child who was
afraid he might lose his favorite teddy bear or something.
Hawke wiped his eyes and looked up. The tree branches kept him from seeing too m
uch, but there was no way the assassin had left, not after Hawke had stopped lik
e that, and the vampire would have realized that Hawke had chased after him alon
e, like a lunatic.
To be safe, Hawke zipped the bag back up to keep any stray beams of sun from sne
aking through the pine needles and branches. Wills heart and breath hadnt exactly
been coming at a normal rate, but his skin tone clearly said that he wasnt about
to die from it. The assassin had likely given him a sleeping draught, just like
Hawke had done, and he wanted to see the bastard for himself.
He stepped out and away from the branches and stood straight. He strained his ea
rs and kept his eyes peeled. All the while, his fists were clenched and ready. Yo
u might as well get out here. I know youre there.

It didnt startle him when the vampire leapt down from one of the tree branches an
d landed gracefully only ten feet away from him. Hawke had been expecting someth
ing like that, but he was a little shocked that he hadnt heard the man running ar
ound back in the trees.
The assassins knees bent on the landing, but then he stood straight. He was a lit
tle taller than Hawke, but he wasnt worried. He pulled his butterfly knife out. W
ould there still be poison on the blade after hed stabbed other vampires with it?
Either way, a vampire could still bleed to death if cut in the right place.
Surprisingly, the vampire in black didnt pull out a knife, or a pistol with a sup
pressor on it. He raised his hands only a little, and took one step forward.
I am not here to fight with you. I just want my cargo.
It enraged Hawke to hear another man refer to Will as cargo. Hawke used to be re
ferred to as cargo. Property to be worked and bought and sold, like he was a min
dless drone, or even a piece of furniture. Will had mentioned that he was going
to be married off if he hadnt run away. Was Will really treated with little more
respect than the average human worker?
He wants to stay with me, he said, not at all sure if that was true. Youre not takin
g him.
Im being paid a large amount of money to return him to his family. More than what
I would get for just bringing in another human. Your men managed to kill the oth
ers that came with me, but you and I alone? I doubt there would be much you coul
d do.
Hope filled Hawkes chest. The other vampires who had kidnapped the three men had
been caught and killed? Already? Good. That was very good. It meant that the loc
ation of this village would stay safe for a while longer.
I took a vampire right off his family property and then ran all the way here with
him. Im pretty sure I could take you just fine.
Were you the one who raped him?
Hawkes eyes flew wide. What?
I found him tied down. Clearly someone had forced themselves onto him.
Hawke couldnt see the vampires features because of that damned mask, but the voice
he used was enough to give him the impression that he was being glared at.
He was with me because he wanted to be with me, Hawke said. Im not a rapist.
Well, too bad hes not awake so we cant ask him. The vampire was clearly taking offen
se to the fact that someone may have done something so terrible to one of his ow
n kind. Hawke couldnt blame him, but he wasnt about to let himself get killed over
it. He dodged easily out of the way when the assassin charged him, blades poppi
ng out from hidden compartments attached to his wrists.
Because of the mask again, all Hawke had to work with as far as what the vampire
was thinking was his body language, and he got the impression that hed stunned h
is opponent with the speed hed used to get out of the way.
Those are some pretty cool toys, Hawke said, looking down at the long blades. They
were as long as his forearm. When I kill you, I think Ill take them.

Youll kill me with what? That little knife you have?

I did manage to get out of the way of your attack before you could slice me open.
Dumb luck. I know your kind. I see the infinity tattoo on your hand. Youre out to
avenge yourself by taking your frustrations out on a vampire. Cant say I blame yo
u, but I wont let you keep him to torture him. Better he goes back to his kind.
That nearly made Hawke lose it altogether, and it took everything he had to keep
himself from going completely mad and just charging the presumptuous fucker rig
ht there. He had to stay calm. If he lost his focus, he was as good as dead.
Not that I dont want to kill every single vampire slaver in the world, but what do
you know about it? You have no idea what humans go through at the hands of your
people.
Will knew. Will was different, and Hawke wasnt about to let this asshole take him
away.
The assassin straightened his legs, coming out of his defensive, nearly crouchin
g position, and with the sun at his back, he lifted the glove on his right hand
just enough without removing it entirely, and he showed the tattoo to Hawke with
out putting any of his skin in direct sunlight.
Hawke couldnt believe it. The infinity tattoo. Thats impossible, he said, shaking hi
s head. Vampires dont enslave their own.
And thus, you prove your ignorance of my people, said the assassin as he pulled hi
s glove back down. Its not merely inked there either. It is a genuine tattoo, and
a brand. Even if I were to remove the tattoo itself, the scar would remain.
Christ, even vampires could be slaves? There were hows and whys to that, but tha
t was for a later time.
If youre a slave then you might as well give Will to me and then run free somewher
e. Go to the North or to the South, out of the vampire lands. You could be free.
I already am. I earned my freedom and now I put my skills to good use. Though I a
m curious as to why you would care about a vampires freedom when you had one tied
up in a barn.
Hawke clenched his fists. I dont give a shit about you. Im against slavery on princ
ipal, and I told you, he wanted to be there. He asked me to tie him up.
Now the assassin was rubbing his chin and looking over toward the tree with the
heavy branches where Hawke had hidden his lover.
He did mention something about that.
Hawke blew up on the man, losing all of his focus and yet allowing his anger to
flow out of him now that he was sure they were only having a conversation and no
t about to fight to the death. Yet. Then why the fucking hell did you take him? he
screamed.
The assassin shrugged. Several reasons. I had a job to do, for one. You also coul
d have brainwashed him for all I knew. Made him sympathize with you until he wou
ld allow you to do whatever sort of twisted thing you thought up for the moment.
Hawke wanted to start yelling at the man again, but then he stopped himself as t
he realization hit him. That was exactly the kind of thing that happened with mo

st slaves. They grew to love their masters, in some sick and warped way. Most wo
uld never leave if given the option, and they would defend the very people who j
ailed them.
Would it matter if it was really his choice to stay and not some trick? Or would
you still try to take him for the sake of your job?
Again, the assassin seemed to think about this. The rest of my team is dead. That
was a lot of valuable men your village killed. If I returned alone, the sole su
rvivor, I doubt there would be much of a punishment for me, and now the house I
serve would be much too weak to send another group of attackers after your villa
ge even if I told them where it was.
Which meant that he probably would tell them. He would have to, eventually. Unle
ss he made up some story about being the only surviving warrior from a human amb
ush that had taken place outside of the village, and even then the vampires in c
harge would still have an idea of where to send their next batch of troops.
There are villages that arent hidden from the vampires eyes and they do well enough
. Only because they had enough numbers that the vampires chose to treat those are
as with caution. Well be fine, so long as you go.
Still, the assassin continued to stare at him in a way that was starting to get
under Hawkes skin. He would feel much better about this whole thing if the man wo
uld just stop that already. It was worse than being in a fight to the death.
I cant in good conscience leave him here. Not unless I hear for myself one more ti
me that he is not in danger.
How about I just kill you and that will be the end of that? Hawke demanded.
You could try to kill me. Maybe you will even succeed, but I am very skilled. Eve
n if you have the luck to end my life before I end yours, do you really think yo
u would get away without injury? The smell of blood would draw predators, and yo
u wouldnt have the energy to return to your village. Maybe you would bleed out be
fore you made it, and then what would happen to him? Noir pointed with his hand t
o where Will was still drugged and sleeping.
Hawke clenched his jaw. The stupid bastard had him there.
The man pulled a vial out of one of the seemingly hundreds of pockets he had on
himself and tossed it to Hawke.
He caught it, taking his eyes away from the man in front of him for only a split
second, not wanting to risk that it was a distraction.
The vampire held perfectly still.
Thats a vial of beautys kiss. It should wake him if you put it under his nose.
Hawke shook his head at the name, but he moved toward the tree, keeping one eye
on the assassin who may or may not be a threat any longer.
Beautys kiss. The mages and warlocks who made and named these potions werent exact
ly known for their creativity in certain departments, but still
Dont you dare move from that spot, Hawke said, letting his threat stay silent.
The man just crossed his arms and planted his feet. Lovely.

Just to be on the safe side, when Hawke put himself under the shade of the pine
tree, he popped off the cap and held the vial a little ways away from his nose.
He slowly brought it forward, inhaling deeply as he did before the strong citrus
y scent came onto him. The scent seemed to fly up his nose, making the inside wa
lls of his nostrils tingle and gave him a bit of an energy boost, even when the
vial was still a good twelve inches away.
Hed heard of beautys kiss. It was supposed to smell like citrus, and he didnt feel
sick, or like he was about to die or anything, so this must be the real deal.
I wouldnt trick you into poisoning him simply because I would not be able to take
him. You do not have to fear that from me.
Hawke didnt answer. He would rather have taken the risk on himself than let Will
be hurt.
He opened the bag that Will was still inside and then waved the vial beneath his
nose.
He pulled it back again and corked it when Will jerked up with a panicked start.
Hawke put his hand down against Wills chest, even as his arms flailed.
Its me. Will! Its me, he said, his voice getting calmer when recognition lit up behi
nd the mans eyes.
Hawke braced himself for attack when Will threw himself at him, and he raised hi
s arms instinctively to ward off punches, but the fists didnt come. Will wrapped
his arms around Hawkes shoulders and clutched him so tightly with that vampire st
rength of his that Hawke actually had trouble breathing.
He trembled bodily, but he wasnt crying. It didnt take Hawke much to realize, howe
ver, that he was still scared out of his mind and slipping into shock.
He ignored his breathing problems and put his fingers through Wills dark, honey-b
lond hair, petting him and making soothing shushing noises. He hoped they were s
oothing, anyway. He didnt know if he was making an idiot out of himself and there
was still the fact that the crazy former slave turned assassin was still lookin
g at them.
You came. I cant believe youre here, Will said.
That sent a lance straight through Hawkes heart. Of course he came. Why wouldnt he
? Though maybe Will still had some doubts based on how theyd come together, but t
hat was going to have to get sorted out later. There were still other matters th
at needed taking care of.
Will, I need you to do something for me, and then we can go back.
Go back? Will looked up and around, and his eyes widened as he realized that he wa
s outside and only being protected by the flimsy shade of tree branches, but the
n he must have seen who was waiting on the other side of those tree branches and
he started to panic again.
Hawke had to hurry and grab him before he could scramble back and out of the saf
ety of the shade. Luckily, Hawkes own speed and strength, as well as the fact tha
t Wills lower body was still trapped in the large black bag hed been stuffed into,
prevented him from getting out into the sun and frying himself in a panic.
Hawke shook him. Listen! I need you calm right now. He and I, weworked something o
ut, Hawke said, not entirely sure what it was they had come to an agreement on, o

ther than they both thought slavery was wrong, and that the assassin might leave
without any more problems if he could just see that Will was better off here in
stead of with whatever vampire family he worked for.
Will looked over at the man through the tree branches. Really?
He nodded. I know that even the masters are not always free, and my comrades are
dead. I could say whatever I like and make up any excuse I see fit for our failu
re. I will not, however, leave you here if you are being abused. Say the word no
w, and I will deal with this human, or I will go. I leave the choice to you.
You didnt leave it to me when you took me. How long was I even out for? Will demand
ed, and Hawke was painfully aware of how the man did not stop shaking, or loosen
his grip once he decided to hold onto Hawke for all he was worth once more.
Not long, Hawke said. Thats all you need to know. What do you want to do?
Will looked up at him, his amber eyes bright and wide, and Hawke was left with t
he strong urge to just kiss him senseless.
Whatyou, too?
Hawke bit his lips together. The whole point of taking you was to exploit a weakn
ess in some of the more powerful vampire families. This wasnt the way we thought
it would happen, but if you count the dead assassins, then we still succeeded. T
hey know were a force to be reckoned with. He wasnt about to mention the fact that
other villages would also be sent out to deal with the vampire family who had lo
st their warriors and then try to claim the house and all of its assets. Not wit
h an assassin standing right over there who might very well, in all likelihood,
decide not to keep that particular bit of information to himself when he went ba
ck to his employers.
Hawke didnt care if he was a former slave. He still worked for vampires now, and
he didnt trust the bastard to not leak that information.
You can go if you want, Hawke said. Ill send you on your way to the South where the
mages are if thats where you want to go. No one in my village will follow you.
For the second time in the day, he felt a spear sail through his chest and heart
. The thought of Will leaving nowno, he was being sentimental and stupid. And cli
ngy. If Will wanted to go, then Hawke would wish him well and hope for the best.
Will had let him go all those years ago, the very least Hawke could do right no
w would be the same.
What do you want to do? Hawke asked again when Will gave no answer.
It was hard, trying to not get lulled in by how deep Wills eyes were, the feel of
his warm body safe in his arms, or the nerve-wracking decision he was about to
make, all while a vampire assassin stood only feet away from them, ready to swoo
p in and kill Hawke when he was distracted, take Will away either back to his fa
mily or that nest of other vampires he was supposed to be married into, or leave
them alone and disappear forever. Because in some odd fantasy land, the third o
ption involved Will wanting to stay because he was madly in love with Hawke, and
not because he wanted to travel to the southern lands and disappear forever.

Chapter Ten

There was something in Hawkes eyes that made Will pause when he was about to admi
t to what he wanted out of all of this.
Of course he didnt want to go. He wanted to stay. Going to the district occupied
by the magical folk had been the point, but now Will thought he would be most ha
ppy if he stayed in Hawkes village with him, healing the sick and injured.
That wouldnt be enough to get the other humans to completely trust him, but he li
ked the little imaginary land where he was a welcome member of their group, and
if he and Hawke wanted to start something, well, then
Will cleared his throat. I dont want my family to find me. I want to go to the mag
e district, he said.
It was stupid of him to be having the thoughts he was just because he and Hawke
had gone to bed together and it had been great.
Hawke nodded and then turned to look back at Noir. You heard him. He wants to be
free. Go away.
Noir stayed staring at them through the tree branches, which was kind of an odd
effect, but then he nodded his head a fraction, turned around, and walked away.
He was probably going to wait until he was out of sight before he started doing
his whole vampire-assassin, great-stamina, flying-squirrel thing.
Im surprised you let him go, Will said. What if he tells his employers where your vi
llage is?
Then well move. Besides, I doubt his employers will have the strength to send out
any kind of attack after the massive shit kicking we just gave to all the men th
ey sent.
Wills eyes widened. Theyre all dead?
Hawke face remained hard. Apparently. I need to get back to confirm this, though,
and considering it isnt exactly a cloudy day Hawke trailed off, his fingers back o
n the zipper of the claustrophobic bag Will had been stuffed into. He glared at
Hawke, even as he started to zip the thing back up.
This would almost be better if you hadnt woken me up.
I know. Dont move around too much. Dont want to risk dropping you.

* * * *

Will was relieved when Hawke didnt take them into the trees. He could tell by the
easy way the man ran, and there was no sensation of climbing coming from him ei
ther.
It made the ride easier, but now Will was perfectly awake and breathing in the h
ot and stale air of the bag hed been stuffed into. That was uncomfortable enough,

but he was still fully conscious, and he could hear the anger of the villagers
well enough when they returned.
There were angry-sounding grumbles and the like, the kinds of things that Will c
ouldnt make out through the sack but was still aware of.
This was the reason he couldnt stay. Hawke had run off and risked himself to resc
ue a vampire, when there was still so much that needed to be done in the village
after a group of vampires attacked. One woman had actually come right up to Haw
ke, and if the sharp sound of flesh on flesh was any indication, shed slapped him
, too.
My son Carl was taken by one of those things, and you ran off to get him? What if
he hadnt come back? How could you live with yourself?
She was screaming and crying, too. Fantastic. Will made sure to breathe as littl
e as possible. It was cowardly, but the hot and murderous sun was still beating
down just outside of the safety of the bag he was in, and the last thing he want
ed was to remind these people that he was there, alive, and very capable of bein
g pulled out of the bag by an angry mob and left to fry like barbecue that had b
een so overcooked it had lit on fire.
The only thing he regretted was that it meant leaving Hawke alone to deal with t
he angry villagers.
We needed him for just this reason. He is our bargaining chip against the vampire
s and they have already wasted valuable men trying to
Another slapping sound cut him off. Will winced in sympathy pain for the man. Th
at sounded like it really hurt.
The woman who was dishing out the abuse spoke again. Her voice was low, and it t
rembled just a little. Will wondered if her body was trembling as well with the
rage she no doubt felt. Nothing other than that could make anyone continually hi
t the son of the man in charge, especially considering the talented fighter, tra
cker, and killer that Hawke was.
Dont you ever try to tell me something like that again. I dont want to hear those e
xcuses if my child goes missing.
From the sound of it, Will was getting the fearful impression that more people w
ere on their way, shuffling closer and muttering their agreement with the abusiv
e woman.
Will had heard the name Carl mentioned. Wasnt that one of the bastards that had t
ried to torture him while hed been tied up in the barn?
Will was going to have to have a talk with Hawke about the dangers of constantly
leaving him bound to things unsupervised. Clearly that was a sign of trouble.
He was only just starting to wonder if he would get the chance to have that kind
of conversation with him when Brians voice broke through the angry rumbling of t
he crowd.
Thats enough! Margaret, Carl is back so I would appreciate it if you kept your han
ds off of my son. The rest of you back away and get back to cleanup. Were not don
e yet and Ill need a chance to speak with my son.
Will was surprised when the villagers moved on, back to tending to their wounded
or whatever else there was that needed to be done, considering all that had hap

pened. He didnt know if he would be the kind of man to simply walk away if he had
so many questions of his own flying around inside of his head.
It only went to show how much the people in this village respected their leader.
Is he okay? Will heard Brian ask, and he was actually a little touched that the ma
n even remembered him.
Yeah, awake, too, unless he fell asleep on the walk back.
Wills face went hot. Hotter than it already was inside of the suffocating bag wit
h the sun beating down on it.
Im fine. Can you get me out of here? he asked, humiliated and wondering how patheti
c and muffled his voice sounded from within the wretched bag.
There was no chuckle at his expense. No sign that, at least amongst them, things
would be fine. Both men were silent, and then Hawke began moving again.
Will thought they might be going back to the barn when he heard the clomp of Haw
kes booted feet against a wooden floor. Up a couple of steps, and then, from the
sound of it, a normal-sized door was opening for them.
Can you get the windows, Dad? Hawke asked.
They were in his parents house.
There was a shuffle and the sound of shutters being closed, just like they had b
een the last time Will had been brought here.
Finally, he was set on the floor, and the buttons and zipper of the bag hed been
forced to stay in opened, and he breathed in some fresh air. The first thing he
noticed after three wonderful breaths of clean air was the red splotches on Hawk
es face where hed been slapped.
Hawkes eyes on him were sad. Fuck, I forgot your clothes. Wait here. Dad.
Ill watch him, the other man said as Hawke practically flew out the door, almost fo
rgetting to not open it so much as he left. Luckily the sun wasnt in the right po
sition to get directly in to the house from the door.
Will told himself to not be embarrassed, and to not take it personally that he w
as still apparently under guard.
He didnt want to do it, but he couldnt help but look at the other man in the room
who was staring down at him curiously. Probably wondering why Will was naked ins
ide of the bag he was wearing.
He looked down at it instead, if
then did he notice how much the
ted to hop out of the thing. His
just that, but he held perfectly

only to keep from looking at Hawkes father. Only

thing resembled a body bag. He shivered and wan
muscles twitched and jumped, begging him to do
still.

The only thing worse than being naked in a room with the father of the man Will
had just had sex with would be if hed stood up and entirely exposed himself to th
e guy, too.
Then he really would need the body bag because he would die on the spot.
Thankfully, Hawke returned not too much longer later, though it had felt like ho

urs. He held Wills now extremely dirty clothes in his hands, and Brian muttered s
omething about giving them some privacy.
Come on, Ill take you into my room, Hawke said.
At least Will could now walk there on his own, though when he stood up, despite
how eager he was to forever be away from the body bag, he awkwardly wrapped the
bag around his middle to keep from walking around completely buck-ass naked.
Hawkes room was even more sparsely furnished than that of his parents, and less t
han half the size. There was a steel frame bed with a nightstand that, on a clos
er inspection, had paint peeled off most of it, and was missing a stumpy leg and
was kept steady by a brick. The window was shut, just as all the other windows
were when Will came to visit, but the nightstand was beneath it, and there was a
solar-powered lamp sitting on top of it. Aside from some books on a shelf naile
d to the wall, that was the extent of the furniture. Honestly, this room looked
like it used to be the closet for the entire house, though maybe that was stretc
hing it a little. Closets werent built with windows, after all.
It made Will feel like a complete ass for never appreciating the little things h
e had, like central heating in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer. Ne
w furniture, soft rugs beneath his cold feet, and a wall of books in the family
library to read, or even old videos to watch on the television.
Hed never thought about having all of those things, things which were rare and ex
pensive to come by, even by a vampires standards. It was hard to keep the electri
city going in certain areas when there werent enough people to work in the places
that produced it, and Will was ashamed to admit that he didnt know how that work
ed either.
He felt the need to give his compliments to the room. Thats actually very smart, he
said, nodding to the bed that was vertical of the window. I guess when the shutt
ers are open, it gives you good light to read in during the day while charging t
he lamp for night?
Um, yeah, Hawke said, clearly feeling a little awkward about the whole thing.
Maybe Will shouldnt have said anything at all. He wanted to slap himself for draw
ing attention to what was likely the most valuable thing in the room.
Ill let you get dressed and see about maybe finding you a spare change of clothes.
I didnt see your bag but Im guessing youll want blood soon.
Will reached his hand out and snatched Hawkes wrist before he could vacate the ro
om. Where are you going?
Hawke didnt even turn to look at him, and that hurt almost as much as the cold sh
oulder he was getting. I just said I was going to bring you your blood bag.
No, I mean, whats wrong? You seem different. Something had changed. They hadnt exact
ly snuggled up by the fire on a tiger skin rug or anything like that, but Will h
ad come to believe that they were getting close. Now, while he was not hostile t
oward him and still showing him an inkling of trust, offering to leave him alone
and all that, Hawke seemed determined to get as far away from Will as he possib
ly could.
Now Hawke did turn to look at him, and his face was colder than anything Will ha
d ever seen on him. He dropped the mans hand, not afraid that Hawke would hurt hi
m. He was fairly confident they were past that point, but justwow.

Is it because you dont need me anymore?

Hawkes eyes widened a little. What?
You said to that woman that you needed me to get the vampires attention. You have
it, so you dont need me anymore?
Hawke bit his lips together. We both knew how this was going to end. You want to
go to the mages. Thats fine. Ill try to get you some supplies together, maybe some
animal blood and food you can take with you before you head out.
I wanted to go there, Will said, I still do, I guess, but I cant leave now. What abo
ut your mother? I still have to see her at least a few more times, and there are
people in the village I can heal. You said some people got injured in the attac
k.
I doubt anyone will let you near them.
Will winced.
Hawke sighed. You said you wanted to leave. Dont make this harder than it needs to
be.
Wait a minute. That sounded an awful lot like Hawke was the one in pain, not Wil
l.
Do you want me to leave?
I want you to be free from your family if thats what you want. I especially dont wa
nt you near any estates after what happened.
Because theyll be attacked? Will asked, not knowing why he bothered since he alread
y knew what the whole point of all of this was. The humans were going to try and
take back some land of their own to claim, and they were going to go to war wit
h the vampires to do it.
Yes, Hawke said.
A strong happiness that Will had never felt before started to bubble in his ches
t. Youre actually worried about me?
Hawke threw his hands in the air in the classic fashion, his face showing all ki
nds of what-did-you-think-this-was-about? Of course I am. I dont want to see you g
etting picked up by bounty-hunting vampires and I dont want any humans to find yo
u and throw you in a burning fire.
That was a scary thought, but it didnt stop Will from feeling happier than he eve
r did in his life.
Will you stop looking at me like that? Hawke snapped.
Will shook his head. I cant help it. You chased down Noir even when you didnt need
to because we were done, and now youre talking about keeping me safe. I cant exact
ly help it if those are qualities in a lover that I like.
Hawke crossed his arms. Noir? That vampire who walked away I guess? Whatever, tha
t doesnt matter. Fine, yes, I do like you, its kind of impossible not to after eve
rything thats happened, but it doesnt mean theres anything between us.
No, it didnt, but Hawke caring about him was the strongest emotion anyone had eve

r admitting to having for Will. He was so stupidly giddy with pleasure that some
one could look at him and think that Hawke had professed his undying love for hi
m or something.
I ran away from my family because no one cares for anyone in that house. My mothe
r could be murdered in front of my father, and he wouldnt care so long as the man
who did it paid to clean up the carpet shed bled all over, and she feels the sam
e way about him. My brothers and sisters? Forget it. They were all ready to sell
me off to the next nest of vampires who wanted me just for some more land and b
lood. You care about me, and your family cares about you. I bet even that woman
who gave you that cares about you a little, Will said, reaching out and gently pr
essing his fingertips against the red splotch on his cheek.
Hawke didnt move away from his touch. He stayed completely still, however, watchi
ng Will like he was a predator about to pounce.
Youre saying youre jealous of me? I remember what your house was like. Theres nothin
g in here to be jealous of.
The Delany vampires do have a lot more possessions than you do, but if it was wor
th it, I wouldnt have left.
Will poured a little of his healing magic into Hawkes face. The redness vanished,
and he probed deeper to soothe any future swelling. There were also some minor
aches and pains from having run after him in the forest, and Will put some of hi
s energy into those, too. The whole time, Hawke continued to stare at him like t
here was a broom handle stuck up his ass.
He really needed to relax. Let me stay, for at least a little while. I can help h
eal your mother and the people in the village, then what you want with me is up
to you. I can stay or I can go.
Hawkes throat bobbed as he swallowed. Thats a generous offer. Thank you.
Whatever small bubble of joy that had been building in Wills chest burst at the c
asual tone in Hawkes voice. Either he was purposely misunderstanding, or he was j
ust trying not to hurt Wills feelings by outright telling him that it wasnt necess
ary for him to stay with a village full of humans.
Will was offering to stay, permanently. If Hawke so much as whispered that he wa
nted him, then he would do it. Hawke didnt seem interested in opening his arms to
Will and telling him how much he wanted him to stay, how his life hadnt been com
plete without him, and all that other romantic nonsense.
Honestly, Will didnt know where he got some of these ideas from.
He didnt want to draw any more attention to himself or his idiotic near-declarati
ons of love, so instead, he nodded. Right, Ill get dressed, pay a visit to your mo
ther, and then if anyones feeling well enough, or brave enough, Will said, recalli
ng that most of the people in the village were against his existence on principl
e. They can come and see me, or wait until nightfall when I can go to see them.
Sounds like a plan, Hawke said, shifting awkwardly, like he couldnt wait to get out
of the room. Ill go and tell everyone about the offer. Ease them into the idea of
being in the same room as a vampire. Some of them wont want to come and see you,
you know.
Will sighed. Yeah, I know.
In his romantic fantasy, he would have been brave enough to grab hold of Hawke a

nd maybe even kiss him senseless before he had the chance to escape the room. He
would have pulled him down onto the bed and they wouldve made love. His fantasie
s were ignoring the fact that they were both still in Hawkes parents house, and th
at the walls were so thin that there was no way theyd be able to get away with so
mething like that without letting his father and mother know about what they wer
e doing, but even the realist in him would still have enjoyed it.
Instead he watched as the other man left the room, closing the door gently behin
d him, and Will was left with the feeling that a closed door between them had a
stronger meaning than the obvious.

Chapter Eleven

Hawke was still busy working out how he felt about Wills continued presence four
days later, and like a pussy, he was still avoiding the other man.
Hed had a scare, come to realize that maybe he was starting to fall too hard, too
fast for the vampire, and to top it all off, Will was apparently dealing with h
is own insecurities about what to do.
Hed told Noir that he still had plans to go into mage territory, but then practic
ally offered to bind himself to Hawke and the whole village if that was what he
wanted.
Of course it was what he wanted. He didnt want Will to go anywhere. In a way, mee
ting the man was like finding that other piece of himself that had been missing
ever since he ran away from his life as a slave. Then they found each other, lik
e in some clich romance novel, and of course Hawke had to give in to the temptati
on of having sex with him because that certainly seemed to seal the deal as far
as his feelings went.
He waited for night to come, every night, with dread that it would finally be th
e night when Will decided hed done all that could be done, and was tired of being
glared at by Hank and his band of dipshits, and then finally leave.
Hawke had made sure to not so much as touch him. He didnt want to even brush elbo
ws with him in a tight space by accident in case it led to him throwing the othe
r man down and having his desperate way with him. He really was pathetic.
The only thing that was bothering him now, stupid as it was, was the complete la
ck of antagonism from the village toward Will.
Again, it was a stupid thing to annoy him. It was great that all the villagers w
erent lining up with torches and silver blades to gang up on him, but their growi
ng acceptance of him, and outright gratitude for his healing gifts, was only mak
ing things worse for Hawke.
Thinking like that from the small population that made up their village only got
him to thinking how easy it would be to allow Will to stay, to ask him to never
leave. They could live happily ever after, humans and vampires.
The only thing that reminded him of how stupid that was, was when his own inner
voice sounded sarcastic when he thought up scenarios like that.

Will wanted to be free. It wasnt right that Hawke would try and tie him down just
because he was suddenly suffering from a case of Stockholm or something.
The problem was that every time he thought about Will leaving, he wanted to punc
h a wall.
The only bright light in all of this was that his mother was finally out of bed.
Will had made the habit of checking on her every day, and putting at least some
of his healing energy into her, whether she said she needed it or not. Brian wa
s only too happy to threaten to tie her to the bed if she didnt let Will use his
talents on her.
Now she was actually walking around the house, making her own tea, or reading ha
ppily under the light of the only other solar-powered lamp in the house.
She was currently enjoying those activities now, curled up on an old sofa in his
fathers robe and with her braid hanging over her shoulder. With Brian gone, havi
ng travelled with some of the other elder members of the village as well as a fe
w younger men for protection to the nearest village for a progress report, or wh
atever it was the people in charge liked to do, that left Hawke to protect her a
nd the village.
You dont have to stand over me like that, sweetheart, Felicia said, sipping at her
tea and turning the page to a romance novel so old and yellowed it must have com
e from before the war that screwed everything up for the humans.
It didnt even have a cover or a spine and was only held together by flaking bits
of old glue. Felicia was always gentle with whatever books Hawke managed to brin
g her, even when they looked like they were better suited for a fire.
I just want to make sure youre all right, he said, and then had to look away when s
he gazed up at him, lifting an eyebrow.
He had been watching her pretty close, lately. He worried she would relapse back
into her illness, but there was also the concern that she would suddenly jump u
p with an overabundance of energy and start running around and not stop for seve
ral days.
The sight of her calmly reading and drinking tea made Hawke a little less worrie
d about that. Maybe Will had been right. Maybe that energy transfer only happene
d because it was something special between the two of them.
He would keep watching for now, just in case.
Youre my son, not a bodyguard. Have some tea for Gods sake. Youre making me feel str
ange in my own house.
Hawke muttered to himself and moved to the kitchen to pour a cup, even though he
hated the stuff, and decided to only sip at it just to placate her. He was stil
l watching her closely. He searched for any signs of a relapse back into her can
cer and the other things that had been plaguing her. Theyd always known shed been
sickly, but just how sick had scared the living hell out of him. He was surprise
d that Brian even left her alone.
The man had a lot of faith in Wills ability, it seemed.
She looked fine, good color, lots of energy, and she wanted to get back to doing
her part to help out around the village. That was where Brian drew the line, an
d Hawke agreed with him. Hawke lived in a world where the prepared and the caref

ul were the ones who survived. In this case, he and Brian wanted to make sure Fe
licia would survive for another thirty years after Will left.
The reminder of the other man brought a pang in his chest, and he was suddenly a
ware of how silent it was in the room.
Felicia was looking up at him, her brown eyes soft, and for the first time in a
long time, not because she was sapped of strength and tired just from being awak
e.
What? he asked, suddenly feeling a little too self-conscious, but he managed to re
sist the urge to look himself over to see if there was something on him that sho
uldnt be.
Youre different now, Felicia said, setting the scraps of paper that were supposed t
o be her book down on her lap. Ever since the healer came here. Youre different.
The healer was what the village had taken to calling Will. No one was on the first
-name basis with him that Hawke was, and everyone seemed to think it an insult,
except for Hank, to call him the vampire. Calling him a healer seemed much more
appropriate to the people who decided that Will wasnt so bad, and that there must
have been a fluke in nature somewhere to have produced a vampire as nice as Wil
l was.
Im not different, Hawke insisted. He was just antsy as hell, that was all. All this
waiting around to see what would happen when he was so used to going out and ge
tting things done was practically killing him.
When his father came back, would it be with the decision to have the village sta
y where it was? Or that the risk was too great and they would merge with another
? Would Will follow them if they all picked up and left? Or would he take that a
s his final cue to leave Hawke forever?
Hed never been this depressed at the thought of any of his former lovers moving o
n to better things. Thats what they did. No one wanted to stay and settle down wi
th him when they had their lives and their own fights to deal with in their own
villages.
Hawke had never really wanted them to do anything else either. Hed been fine by h
imself.
He would be fine knowing that Will was going to be with other people with magica
l talents as well. Everyone knew that the mage district was the one place where
the only prejudice anyone had was against people with no magic.
Was there something going on between you and that boy? Felicia asked.
As was natural in the world, being asked a question like that from his mother on
ly resulted in his face turning molten hot, and of course, she knew what that me
ant.
She smiled. It went right to her eyes for a split second before a worried suspic
ion took over her features. Whats the matter? Is it because hes a vampire? The vill
agers are coming around, and his healing powers are very helpful.
Its not that, Hawke said, then had to keep on going when she gave him a look. No, re
ally, its not.
In fact, Will had run dry of blood from the blood bags hed packed two days ago, b
ut Hawke had gone out hunting. Because of the size of the village, small as it w

as, someone was always hunting for something, or a pig or chicken was being slau
ghtered, but either way, that meant that the village had blood to give to its vi
siting vampire.
Hawke nearly smiled as he recalled the look on Wills face when he handed the man
a glass of blood that hed drained from the rabbits hed caught.
Will had taken the glass and sniffed it suspiciously, and just in case Hawke had
offended by bringing him such a small bit of blood from a rabbit of all things,
hed promised to bring him the blood of a buck the next time.
Will had barely heard, and hed put the glass to his mouth and sipped at the blood
as though he were getting ready to sip on soapy water.
Then his eyes had lit up, and hed drained the glass and asked if there was any mo
re.
Apparently, vampires were taught from birth that animal blood tasted foul and he
ld no nutritional value to them whatsoever.
When Hawke asked him about this, because hed thought for sure that Will would hav
e to drink animal blood at some point, considering the journey he was on, Will o
nly responded that he would have been prepared to drink it to survive, but hed do
ubted he would have enjoyed it so much.
Ever since then, Will had been constantly hounding the man in charge of most of
the slaughtering on the farm.
The blood tastes different. I didnt know there were flavors, Hawke had overheard hi
m explaining to another farmhand. Anderson was formerly from the werewolf distri
ct, and his belief was that wild werewolves were a thousand times worse than any
vampire. Because of this, it seemed the two had become easy friends.
So youve only ever drank human blood before? Nothing else? Anderson had asked, and
Hawke noted that there was no scorn in his voice, and he wondered if he should b
e worried about Andersons friendship.
No, if I had Idve been drinking pigs and cows blood a long time ago. The squirrel I d
idnt like so much, and Vaughn seems to think I want to taste one of his dogs now,
which I dont, but Im glad I figured this out.
Hawke had been glad for him, too. Hed quickly vanished, secure in the knowledge t
hat Will was safe in Andersons company, even if he was suspicious about Andersons
intentions with him.
Hawke explained all of this to Felicia, leaving out the part where he was worrie
d that Anderson might be interested in stealing his kind of former lover.
Felicia listened and nodded, as though hed said those things to her anyway. She h
ad a creepy power to always know things like that. Maybe he should stop bringing
her romance novels from the raids he went on.
If you like him, you need to tell him before he leaves. It looks like he wants to
stay. I thought it was because he had nowhere else to go, but now that you say
he had plans to go to the mages it makes me think he wants to be here for you.
This was why he should never tell his mother about anything. The only thing that
kept him inside the room was his childish fear that she would choke on her tea
or something when he wasnt watching her.

But he couldnt leave. He was trapped here and now that shed smelled blood she was
going in for the kill by demanding why he didnt man up and just do something abou
t the only person shed ever seen him show an interest in.
She only started to get into the part of her argument where she wanted to see hi
m happy and how he should start taking romantic risks when he put up his hands i
n defeat.
Ill talk to him and find out what he wants. I wont promise anything, though. If he
still shows even a remote interest in going to the mage district then thats where
Im sending him.
Felicia glared at him, shrugged, and then went back to her book, as if that was
supposed to convince Hawke that she no longer cared about the subject matter.
She didnt understand. Not the way he did. Hawke knew what it was like to be tied
down to something and want out. Will had felt that sort of misery, and just beca
use the walls closing in around him had been painted prettily didnt mean that it
was any easier to deal with than what Hawke had to go through.
Forced marriages, forced to drink from humans when he disagreed, and an entire f
amily who only cared about what his monetary worth was.
Hawke refused to trap him and take away his choices, even if his intentions woul
d be good.

* * * *

Will was shocked when Hawke actually approached him. Hed been leaving the barn, a
nd because it was still clean and he found something oddly soothing about the sc
ent of clean hay and listening to the animals, he had stayed there after leaving
Hawkes parents house five days ago.
The villagers didnt seem to mind that he was in there with the animals. They enco
uraged it even. It meant that there was now someone else available to take care
of the stalls and make sure the animals were fed.
The other farmhands, who also lived in the barns they tended, remarked that it w
as a sneaky way to make sure no one ignored their duties. It was hard to relax a
nd lounge around when the smell of animal feces was in the air. Because of this,
the barn that Will tended to was always squeaky clean, even if it meant cleanin
g it ten times a day.
Are you okay? Hawke asked. The man was staring at him with worry on his face.
Fine, Will said, and then cleared his throat because his voice didnt come out quite
the way hed wanted it to.
He couldnt let his mind wander. Getting lost in other thoughts would be preferabl
e to listening to whatever dismissal Hawke had come here to give him, but he nee
ded to hear this. He wouldnt run away, and he would take whatever the man had to
say with dignity.
They hadnt spoken in days, and Will was pretty sure hed worn out his welcome by no
w, especially because hed pretty much finished tending to the wounded in the vill
age. There was no other reason for him to stay. Hawke knew this.

Hawke actually looked behind him to the barn doors, then he smiled down at him.
He was so handsome that Wills breath got caught in his throat.
Im surprised youre still in there, after what happened Hawke trailed off and then did
a little throat clearing of his own.
He could have been talking about anything. About how he and Hawke had made love
in there, or the way Will had been harassed by some locals and then kidnapped by
a vampire assassin.
Its actually pretty comfortable, Will said, thinking of the cot hed kept that he and
Hawke had made such good use of, as well as the stall hed cleaned out and turned
into a cozy sleeping area. And it isnt like theres a whole lot of animals in there
either, so I cant really be bothered by them.
They had certainly gotten used to him, and by basically living by lamplight duri
ng the day until one of the other farmhands came in to let them out for some sun
shine.
Those were the moments when the tarp Will had put over his stall came in real ha
ndy.
Yeah, about the animals, Hawke said. How much longer do you think youll be staying?
There arent many in there, and I know its not like youre keeping the barn in pitch
darkness during the day or anything, but they could still use more sun than theyr
e getting.
Will bit the inside of his cheek and hoped that Hawke didnt notice it. Right. Hed
known this was coming. The only thing he could do was make sure it was as painle
ss as possible and go quietly when he was ready.
I was saving some of the blood and putting it into the bags that I brought with m
e for when I go. They keep it fresh even without refrigeration, he explained, not
knowing why.
Hawke nodded. Yeah, Id guessed that. You just need some more?
Will nodded.
I can help you get it, if you want.
Oh, sure, that would be great. He hated the idea and didnt want Hawke to help him l
eave at all.
Did you hear anything from your father yet? Will asked, just hoping to change the
subject and get out of this awkward air that surrounded them.
No messenger yet, but hell be back in a couple of days anyway. Theres usually no po
int in sending messengers for the short trips, he explained. But when he gets back
the village will know whether or not to pack up and go, or stay here.
Well, I hope youll stay safe wherever you go. Your job is pretty dangerous.
Hawke smiled at him, and Will wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet. Why did
he have to be so handsome, and nice, and honorable, and just everything? If hed s
tayed a self-righteous, vampire-hating prick, then this wouldnt be nearly as hard
as it felt like right now.

Will, about what happened, between us, five days ago, I mean, Hawke started.
I know what youre talking about, Will said quickly, not certain whether he should b
e annoyed or not that Hawke felt the need to skirt around the act while giving s
o many hints as to what he was talking about, as if Will might not know what he
was getting at unless he described it as much as possible.
Right, well. Hawke actually shifted his feet and almost looked uncertain, and for
a man of his size and skills, that was saying an awful lot about what was going
through his brain. Ive been thinking about what happened, and I wanted you to know
that Im glad we met again.
Im not giving you one for the road, if thats what youre after, Will deadpanned, sudde
nly a whole lot more annoyed with the man than he had been before.
What? No! I mean, not that it wouldnt be nice, Hawke said, easing some of the tensi
on in the air with his smile.
Even Will couldnt help but be charmed. Right, but, uh, not going to happen. To be
honest its going to be hard enough leaving you behind.
Will bit his lip and turned away when he said that, cursing under his breath for
being a complete idiot as he tried to go anywhere but where Hawke West was.
Wait, Will, Hawke called, and of course he had to follow him when Will was still t
rying to get ahold of his emotions.
Please just leave me alone. Maybe he could leave tonight. The night was still youn
g, so he had plenty of time to travel as far as he could and make a camp for him
to stop during the day. He already knew the basics of hunting and could easily
catch his own animals to drink from at this point.
No! Hawke reached his hand out and snatched Wills elbow, jerking him to a stop. Do y
ou want to stay?
Will blinked. What?
Hawke clenched his jaw, and Will was struck with the sudden knowledge that Hawke
wasnt struggling with what he was about to say because it was awkward being arou
nd a former prisoner whom hed had sex with, but because he might just have some e
motional stake in this, too.
Do you want me to stay? Will asked. He barely dared to hope for such a thing, but
at the same time he couldnt keep his voice from sounding small and expectant as h
e waited for Hawke to give him his answer.
I know you want to go and find other mages to live with, and if thats where you wa
nt to go then Ill wish you well.
Thats not what I asked you, Hawke, Will said, cutting him off. I dont want to hear an
y of this circular bullshit. Either you want me to stay or you want me to go. I
would like to stay because I love you.
Will clenched his fists when he admitted to the feeling that had been building w
ithin him in the short time hed been in this village. It was hard, admitting to h
aving emotions as strong as that for a man who might feel little more than frien
dship for him, but this needed to stop. Will was done dancing around this issue
and he wanted to know where Hawke stood.
The man was staring at him stupidly, as though Will had just admitted he was in

love with the cow in the barn.

You do?
Yes, I do, Will said, feeling his own defensiveness rising up inside of him. He di
d love Hawke, and he wasnt about to let anyone, not even Hawke himself tell him t
hat he was wrong to do so.
The breathy exhale that Hawke released, coupled with the bright smile on his fac
e, took away a good chunk of Wills paranoia in one fell swoop. He didnt move as Ha
wkes hands quickly reached for him and brought his mouth forward for a long, wet,
completely unromantic but entirely enthusiastic kiss.
Will was so caught up in the whirlwind of the thing that it took him a good thre
e seconds before he realized that this was the first time he and Hawke had ever
kissed. He liked it.
You know this means were both a couple of saps, right?
Just keep doing that and I wont care, Will said, breathless, and he began tugging H
awke backward to the barn, and his bed.

Chapter Twelve

Hawke was pleased with the energy that Will used to pull him backward and to the
cot that had been put in a clean stall for him. He hadnt been in here since that
day when he and Will had first made love and then Will had been taken, and now
that he was back, he was surprised at how downright cozy it looked.
It was almost nicer than Hawkes bedroom, but that still wasnt saying much. It was
definitely warmer in here, and much more preferable to being dragged off somewhe
re to have sex outdoors. Hawke wasnt really into that. Not in the village he live
d in, where, if he was walked in on, it would be by someone he knew.
Youve settled in nice, Hawke said and then didnt struggle when Will pushed him back
on the cot and lifted his shirt off over his head.
Im assuming you mean the bed and the nightstand? Will shook his head and smiled as
he made the cot creak by putting his knee up onto it and climbing the length of
Hawkes body.
He was hard. Hawke could feel him the instant their hips touched, and it only se
rved to make Hawkes blood sizzle as it flowed straight to his cock.
You can sweep the floor of a cave and hang some nice pictures and it will still l
ook homely, Will said.
Hawke wasnt entirely sure about that. In fact he rather doubted it. Most caves we
re wet and had all kinds of crawling, squeaking life living inside of them. Mayb
e he only thought it was so nice in here because Will was with him.
Before we do this, Hawke said, knowing he was about to risk having the sex hed want
ed so badly since that moment when hed rescued Will, and his balls and cock were

practically yelling at him to shut his mouth, but he couldnt. I need you to know t
hat if you do decide to go to the mages, I will follow you.
Will blinked down at him. They wouldnt have you as anything other than a slave. Yo
u have no magic in you.
I could be your slave. I trust you wont abuse that power over me. Hawke grinned at
the sudden dirty thought that entered his mind. Unless I wanted you to.
Will slapped his arm, but it was an entirely playful gesture that only made Hawk
e laugh even more.
I wouldnt want to take you away from your family. My plans were to go to the mages
, but plans can change, and if your father comes back and says the village needs
to pack up and go, then Ill go with you.
I just dont want you to feel trapped with me, Hawke said, voicing the fear that had
kept him from this position for the past five days.
What? Like my family? Will raised a brow at him comically, but Hawke could see it
in the mans gorgeous amber eyes when he realized that Hawke was being perfectly s
erious.
Youre nothing like them. Youre not a slaver and you have a heart. I want to be with
you because I want to. Understand? It has nothing to do with my loyalties sudde
nly changing because I need a master or a head of house to follow. Considering h
ow the hierarchy of this village was set up, if that was something I wanted I wo
uld have latched myself onto your father.
Hawke shivered at the image that put into his head. Please dont ever say something
like that again, he said with a groan that made Will laugh.
Do you believe me now?
Yes, yes I believe you and I was an idiot for doubting you.
Good, and now that weve both established that, and that we will follow each other
to the ends of the Earth, I would like to get back to declaring my love for your
body. As if to prove this, Will thrust his hips forward a little, and Hawkes cock
, which had softened slightly in the wake of their serious conversation, perked
up again in interest.
He threw his head back and hissed at the pleasure being bestowed onto him throug
h his jeans. Yes, please.
While were together, I wont try to stop you from running off into whatever dangerou
s situation your talents demand of you, Will said.
Hawke shook his head, keeping his eyes firmly on Wills as he fumbled with the mans
button and zipper of his jeans. No.
And you wont stop me if Im required on one of your missions as a healer?
That was something that made him want to bite his tongue. The odds were against
them that Will would be required to go on many missions, but Hawke knew better.
A vampire healer would be too useful to be kept sheltered at home, and because o
f Wills eagerness to use his powers to help others, he did seem like the type of
man who would want to go. He would be needed. Sometimes.
I promise I wont tie you to our bed to keep you from coming with me, Hawke said, an

d then reached into Wills jeans and slid his cold hand over Wills hot erection.
It was a tight fit, getting his hand in there, and Will hissed a bit at the cold
, but he surged his hips forward and closed his eyes at the pleasurable contact.
Good, he said then gripped Hawkes shoulders and thrust gently against the hand tha
t held him.
That wasnt exactly the main event that they had come in here for, but it was sexy
as all hell to look at, and Hawke found himself pressing his hand harder agains
t Wills hips just to keep him moving like that.
Holy fuck, Will gasped. I cant believe how I almost left.
Me neither, Hawke said. Theyd both come so close to losing each other, and it would
have been no ones fault but their own for the stubbornness they both suffered fr
om.
He was suddenly too eager to be inside of the other man. He wanted to see that l
ook on Wills face because Hawke had his cock buried deep inside of him, and not b
ecause he was just giving him a fantastic hand job.
Lift yourself up a bit. Get your pants off, Hawke commanded, pulling his hand away
.
That seemed to be all the signal that Will needed to get his mind in proper work
ing order, because he practically jumped off of the cot and started pushing down
his jeans. He kicked off his shoes and got his pants down, and then he was fina
lly naked.
It took some effort on his part, but Hawke was able to throw away his own clothe
s into a pile in the corner even as he watched Will strip for him.
Next time well have to go slower, Hawke said. You can make a nice little show out of
that for me.
Will gave him a calculating look. Why am I the one dancing around and stripping i
n your fantasy? You could be doing that for me.
Will immediately bit his lips together, realizing what hed just said, and clearly
worried that Hawke would take offense to it.
Hawke laughed, reached for him, and then pulled him back down onto the cot. We ca
n switch up the roleplaying, sexual servant thing if you want. I trust you.
Will breathed a heavy sigh. Im glad. Ill make sure I dont break that trust either.
Well, can I trust that youve kept some oil under the cot for us to use?
Will blushed and reached under the cot for the vial of oil. It was clearly diffe
rent from the stuff that Hawke had used on him their first night together, but h
e was going to wait before asking where the other man got it from. All he cared
was that it would work when he put his fingers into Wills asshole.
Will even seemed a little shocked, like he was waiting for something else when H
awke coated his fingers and reached around to brush his fingertips against his p
ucker.
You, uh, arent going to tie me down this time?
Hawke pressed a kiss to the mans chest and then gently bit down on his hard nippl

e for good measure. No, I told you, I trust you. I know you wont bite me unless I
ask you to.
That made Wills eyes fly wide, and Hawke was more and more proud of himself that
he could surprise the man.
You would let me do that?
Well, not today, Hawke admitted. We can work up to that.
Will wouldnt stop smiling. You really do trust me, dont you?
Yeah, Hawke said, dipping his fingers a little deeper, until they popped past the
ring of muscle. Using two at first was rushing it, but so far Will wasnt telling
him to stop. He seemed to be really enjoying himself. Do you trust me?
Of course I do, Will said, his eyes so full of lust as he pushed himself farther d
own onto Hawkes fingers it was a wonder he could see straight.
That was good. Will would need that trust, and so would Hawke, if this was going
to survive. Having a healing vampire as part of the village was one thing, but
for Hawke to take him as a partner was something else entirely. Then there was t
he potential backlash they would get if the village had to merge with another on
e for safety reasons, but so long as they both trusted each other and stayed tog
ether, everything would be fine.
Im gonna come if you keep doing that, Will said, even as he continued to thrust laz
ily back against Hawkes fingers.
Hawke wanted to make him do just that, because there was nothing he wanted to se
e more right then than the sight of Wills face as he completely let go and shot h
is load with nothing more than Hawkes fingers to aid him.
Better things came to those who were patient. Are you almost ready? Hawke asked, a
dding a third finger and stretching out Wills asshole, but now doing his best to
stimulate the man as little as possible.
Y-yes. I want it. Fuck me, Will said.
How could Hawke deny him that request?
He removed his fingers, noting the sound of longing that Will let out when there
was nothing inside of him.
Hurry, Hawke, Will begged, shifting himself a little farther up as Hawke grabbed h
imself and lined up the head of his aching prick with his hole.
I think I should warn you that youre about to have the worst sex of your life, Hawk
e said, groaning as the head of his dick pushed past the ring of muscle with sur
prising ease. Im not going to last long.
Its a good thing you teased me almost to death then, Will said, then pushed his hip
s down until Hawke was balls deep inside of him. By then, Will was gripping his
shoulders so tightly that Hawke was probably going to have finger-shaped bruises
in the morning.
Ill make it up to you the rest of the night then, Hawke promised, and then started
shifting his hips, gripping Wills ass and thighs to encourage him to do the same.
He did. So, so well, too. Will moved and moaned and kissed with all the energy o

f a virgin. It had been a mistake to tie him up the last time, and it had been a
mistake to not kiss him either. Even when Hawke pushed his tongue into the othe
r mans mouth, he felt no danger of sharp teeth that wanted to bite down on him. H
e tasted like any other man, only better, because he belonged to Hawke now.
Maybe he was going to have to start reading some of those romance novels his mot
her liked so much if this was the result of being romantic and taking chances wi
th the heart and all that.
Hawke was more concerned with the needs of his cock, at the moment, however, and
was too busy delighting in the moans that Will let out as well. The sound of hi
s voice, completely lost to pleasure, only served to make Hawkes body crave him e
ven more.
He was glad that Will was on top of him, because that meant Hawke could use the
mans body weight against him as he adjusted himself onto his knees and started to
pound into him.
There was no way this barn was containing the sounds they were both making, and
Hawke didnt care. Better if the village found out about them like this than if Ha
wke and Will were forced to stand in front of everyone, hands held awkwardly, ex
plaining that they were both in love and that Will was going to stay permanently
.
Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Will said, and then kept right on saying that another dozen or s
o times as he held onto Hawkes shoulders for dear life.
Hawke reached down between them, only wanting to tease his lover a little more b
y stroking him, but the second his fingers touched the mans cock, warm semen shot
onto his hand as Wills body tightened around Hawkes prick, and that sent him over
the edge as well.
They were both tight and twitchy for a minute or so after that, and Will had sle
epily seemed to decide that Hawke made a good body pillow, because he was determ
ined not to move off of him.
That was fine. Hawke was good right where he was.
You told me to prepare for bad sex, Will said, his eyes shut and a smile on his fa
ce as his cheek was pressed against Hawkes chest. Either you suffer from false mod
esty, or youre a liar.
Arent they both the same thing? Hawke asked, lifting his hand and noticing the way
Wills cum looked on his palm.
I guess they are. Will turned his head up just as Hawke took an experimental lick,
and he shivered at the sight.
Dont do things like that in front of me, he complained, his eyes bright with excite
ment. Youll get me going again and Ill be forced to ravish you before youve even rec
overed.
That doesnt sound so bad, Hawke said, enjoying the reaction he was getting out of h
is new lover.
I love you, you know, Hawke said.
Will smiled at him. I love you, too.
I know, and you said that, but I want you to know that Ive loved you ever since we

were kids. I
rgot about it
, and I never
maybe I did a

dont want to scare you away or anything, and I guess I thought I fo

until just now, but thats what it was. You fed me and you healed me
forgot you for it. I thought I hated you for being a vampire, and
little, considering your family, but I

Will kissed him before he could keep talking and embarrass himself even more. I l
ove you, too. I wish I could say I felt the same then, but I didnt know, but I fe
el the same now and I love you. Ill follow you wherever you go, no matter what.
Hawke reached down and entwined their fingers together. Will loved him, and he w
ould follow him. On the dangerous missions when a healer was required, or into o
ther human villages, where the danger to vampires was just as great.
Hawke didnt say it, because hed already told Will that he would go with him into t
he mage district if that was where he wanted to go, but he mentally confirmed th
e promise to himself and added another one.
He was going to protect Will from any and all threats that came their way. He wo
uld never leave his side, and God willing, they would both be made happy by it,
even with this stupid war that was building between the vampires and the humans.
No matter what, Hawke said, and he pulled Will toward him for another kiss.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marcy Jacks lives and works in Ontario, Canada, where she is fervently pursuing
the writers life while writing about lots of gorgeous guys. She loves hearing fro
m readers and you can reach her at authormarcyjacks@gmail.com.

For all titles by Marcy Jacks, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/marcy-jacks

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