Chapter Four
Five days later Ace paced up and down in front of the Whips club. His nerves were shattered and he knew he looked a mess, but he really didn’t care. For five long days and nights, Ace had questioned every single thing he had been taught growing up. The role of the Fates. The superiority of wolf shifters. The need for wolves to mate with other wolves.
Everything he had ever known about shifters originally came from his father. The same father who had kicked him out of home when he was just fifteen years old, after he was found fucking a human in a back alley of their local town. A very male human. Apparently wolf shifters were only meant to mate with females and provide pups for the good of the pack.
Ace walked away from that belief as quickly as he walked away from his rampaging father. But for some reason he held onto everything else he had been taught, as he learned to live firstly as a lone wolf, and then later, as part of a male only group when he joined the Washington pack. Now because of Devin or more specifically, because Ace had been particularly honest with himself when he wasn’t drunk over the past five days, the thought of losing Devin to another wolf shifter, he questioned everything.
His need to kill Teric flew out of his mind. Ace knew if he took Devin as a mate, like he desperately wanted to, then he couldn’t slander Kyle for taking his cat shifter. And if Kyle felt as strongly for Teric as Ace did for Devin, then it was no wonder the man just caved in and claimed the pretty man. And Devin had been right. If it was possible that Kyle and Teric were true mates, like Ace now knew he and Devin were, then Kyle would die without his man. Ace couldn’t cause the death of another wolf shifter, even if he felt resentful of Kyle at times.
Now all he had to do was overcome an unnatural shyness at facing the man he had sent away. Just the thought of doing that was enough to send him to the bottom of a whiskey bottle for another night. But he was here now and he was going to claim his vampire. Just the thought of those delicious teeth in his vein was enough to set Ace’s cock throbbing. Oh fuck. Who was he kidding? Any thought about his sexy vampire was enough to set his cock at full tilt and ready for takeoff.
Taking a last deep breath, Ace strode into the entrance of the club as though he owned the place. Shoulders back, hair falling down to his ass, he lifted his chin and walked straight up to the front office, where Ben was talking on the phone. Barely containing his agitation, Ace waited until Ben concluded his call and then said quickly, “I want to book Devin for the night, with a private room if possible.”
“Mr. Tarlton, how lovely to see you,” Ben said smoothly as he looked over the pages of a large book that lay flat on the desk in front of him. “I’m afraid Devin is fully booked this evening and as it is his last night with our establishment, I am unable to take any future bookings for him.”
Ace’s head reeled. Devin’s last night? Had he found a new master already?
“Perhaps I can offer you a substitute? We have a number of men who take pain beautifully…”
“I need to see Devin. Where is he?” Ace couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled in his chest. Now he had made his decision he didn’t want anyone touching the man who would be his by the end of the night.
“He’s in a private session with another Dom at the moment…”
Leaning over the desk, Ace let his wolf shine through his eyes. “Where is he?” He roared.
“Mr. Tarlton, I can’t….you know, I c-c-can’t interrupt…” Ben stammered, and Ace could smell his fear. His wolf breathed it in like an elixir and reveled in it, howling in Ace’s brain. His wolf knew his mate was close – he’d been ragging Ace for five long days and equally long nights, trying to get to the man they knew was theirs. Now they were close and Ace’s wolf wanted out.
“Last chance, or I will rip this place apart,” Ace promised him.
“Room seven,” Ben gasped. “But you can’t…” Ace didn’t hear the rest of the sentence. He didn’t want to, and he didn’t need to. His mate was down in the bowels of this godforsaken club, and Ace was going to get him out. He had tried to do it the right way, booking Devin’s time properly, like a Dom should. But now his time had run out. Devin was leaving the club tonight, and if Ace didn’t stake his claim then who knows where the man would disappear to next.
Moving quickly, Ace pushed and snarled his way through the throngs of people mingling around the club’s public areas. From his previous visit he knew the entrance to the private rooms were at the back and he wasted no time in covering the distance. As he passed through the heavy curtain that separated the two areas, he had to stop for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the added gloom. That’s when he heard it. Devin’s voice and the man was using his safe word.
“Red. Red you bastard. I have a no sex con…” That’s all Ace heard but it was enough. Kicking through the door with his solidly booted foot, Ace burst into a scene from his latest nightmare. Devin was bound, hand and foot over a spanking bench, his back a mass of bloody welts. Standing behind him, with his dick out was the fucking Dom from the public whipping scene that Ace had watched.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Marco spluttered, trying to get his shrinking dick back in his leathers.
“I heard the boy use his safeword, but I don’t see you stopping,” Ace snarled. His wolf was ready for a fight, and Marco was the perfect target. He felt his claws bite into his palms, and the hair on his arms lengthen. When he snarled he knew he was sporting a full set of wolf teeth.
“Get away from my boy,” Ace growled – it was never easy holding a conversation when your mouth was full of long teeth.
“Look, I don’t know who the hell you are…” Marco said, trying to regain some decorum. He rested his hand on Devin’s exposed buttocks and Ace saw red. He literally saw red – explosions of color over his eyeballs.
“Get away!” he roared. Ace didn’t want to kill the man. Actually that was a lie. He did want to kill the worthless human who didn’t fucking listen when a safeword was used. Marco was useless as a Dom and it showed every minute Ace had to share the same air as he did.
“
Amatus
?” Davin whimpered.
“I’m here, Devin,” Ace said with a softness he didn’t think he would ever feel. “Just let me take out the trash, and I will get you free.”
“Don’t kill him,” Devin whispered and Ace was sure that Marco hadn’t heard him, but Ace’s wolf had. He felt his teeth go back to their normal length and fingernails replaced the claws at the end of his fingers. Ace’s wolf would do anything for Devin. They had already bonded.
“Whatever you wish,” Ace said gently, before turning his glare to Marco.
“Is there a reason you’re still here?” He said, impatient to care for his bleeding mate. Ace had done a bit of research on vampires in the five days he had been tearing his soul apart, and he knew that Devin would need to feed and quickly so that he could heal. Vampires didn’t do so well when they lost blood of their own.
“You can’t just barge in here…” Marco began, clearly still wanting to try and retain the upper hand.
“I did,” Ace growled. “After I heard Devin’s safe word repeatedly being used. You didn’t stop, so you’re finished. If you don’t leave this room in five seconds flat then I am reporting you to the owner, and you will be banned. I’ll see to it, personally. Now fuck off!”
Taking one last look at Devin’s naked and bleeding body, Marco curled his lips and stalked out of the room, slamming the damaged door behind him. Taking in a deep inhale, and then strongly wishing he hadn’t because Devin’s blood permeated the air, Ace turned to his stricken mate and started undoing his restraints.
“You’re not healing,” Ace whispered. He was worried that Devin was lying so still and was barely responsive. The man was a vampire, he should be stronger than that.
“I haven’t fed for a while,” Devin admitted and as Ace looked more closely at his mate’s face he could see that there were black rings under Devin’s violet eyes, and the man’s face looked thinner.
Without thinking of the consequences, Ace got the last of the foot restraints loosened and then headed for Devin’s head, reaching down to undo the cuffs with one hand while offering his wrist under Devin’s nose. But Devin turned his head away, refusing Ace’s gift of blood.
“You need to feed,” Ace said urgently.
“I can’t feed from you,” Devin whispered, his voice sounding so hoarse, it broke Ace’s heart. He knew this was his fault, and Ace wasn’t sure he would ever forgive himself. “You are my
amatus
. Once I bite you I can never feed from another.”
Ace loosened the last wrist, and stroked it gently with his fingers, the skin so pale against his tanned fingers. “I’m here because I want to be with you,” he said firmly. “I’m not leaving your side again.”
“You’re assuming I haven’t had a better offer,” Devin teased lightly and for a moment Ace was stunned into a shocking realization. Devin was right. Ace had spent five days working out what he was going to do, but he never stopped to think for a minute what Devin might have been thinking over that same time period.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. I didn’t think. Let me get you out of here, and…”
“I’m teasing you,” Devin said softly, grabbing hold of Ace’s arm as the bigger man went to move. “Probably not the right thing to do right now, but believe me, please. I already know there is no one could be better for me than you.”
Feeling his cheeks redden Ace assumed he was blushing, but he wasn’t sure because he had never done that before. “So you’ll…?” He asked, offering up his wrist again.
“Just a quick snack,” Devin said, a small grin on his tired face. Seconds later Ace felt two tiny pricks enter his arm, and a warmth spread throughout his whole body. Being careful not to dislodge his arm, Ace slumped his ass on the floor, his legs no longer able to support his weight. He could feel the gentle pulls on his wrist, but it was like his whole body was swamped with the latest in valium cocktails. His limbs were loose, his head felt calm, and his cock, that had jumped to full alert as soon as he saw Devin, was throbbing in time to the action on his wrist. It was an amazing feeling.
Inside his wolf was doing a happy dance. They had tracked down their mate, saved him from a rape and were now tending to his basic need – sustenance. For a wolf the only thing lacking was the fucking, but even Ace’s wolf could understand the need for patience with a hurt mate, and the human side of the equation wanted a bed for his first time with Devin. Ace groaned as he wished he could take Devin back to his apartment. It was small, but Ace had made it comfortable over the years. Maybe he should risk it. With any luck Steel and the others might have assumed he was long gone…
“Hey, you zoned out on me there, are you okay?” Ace jumped at Devin’s words and realized that the soft lips at his wrist were gone, and Devin was sitting up on the spanking bench. He shook his head and did a mental check. Yes, he was okay. In fact, he felt more than okay.
“Yep. Feel really good actually,” he said with a grin. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Well, I have got another few appointments…” Devin said slowly.
“Which you can’t keep because you have open wounds,” Ace finished for him. “I do know the owners policy on that here.”
“We’d better get out of here pretty quick then, before they realize I’ve started to heal,” Devin said slipping off the bench and walking over to his clothes. Ace watched Devin grimace, probably at the thought of putting on clothes over the top of his bloodstained body, but really the boy had no choice. If anyone saw how quickly Devin was healing, especially now he had been fed, then they would both have some serious explaining to do.
“I know the back way out,” Devin said softly as he came up and took Ace by the hand. Bemused, in part because Ace had never had anyone hold his hand before, he let the smaller man lead him out of the room, down the long, gloomy hallway, to a large door set in a back room. Ace watched as Devin punched in a code into the keypad to the side of the door, and within seconds they were outside. Ace didn’t think he’d been so glad to breathe in the night air in his life and he knew, no matter what happened with his situation at the Bound and Bonded club, he wouldn’t be going back to Whips again.
Just one bad Dom, well Marco obviously, was enough to sour the whole experience for Ace. One of the things he had loved about the Bound and Bonded club was that before wolves were admitted, they had to prove where they had trained in BDSM before. It wasn’t mandatory for any new wolf to have had any training to be part of the pack. But if they wanted to come to the club and participate there, then they needed to be trained by someone who was prepared to give them a reference. Before he had had his fall from grace, Ace had quite often given training to Doms who wanted to be part of the scene, but just had never had the chance to experience anything. No Dom was allowed near a sub in a scene without experience and a respect for safewords.
But all that was moot now, Ace reminded himself. Devin’s scent tickled his nose and his lovely mate needed his utmost attention. Smiling down at Devin, Ace wrapped his arm around the smaller man and said, “So anywhere in particular you want to go, or should we wing it?” He could always spring for a posh hotel room if his mate wanted one. He was only sleeping in a cheap motel room because he didn’t like to waste money on himself. But Ace wasn’t hurting for money, and if his mate wanted a penthouse suite complete with champagne and caviar then Ace would cheerfully get it for him.
“My place is like, five minutes’ walk that way?” Devin pointed to the left of the alley they were in. “I’d really love a shower.”
“Your place it is then,” Ace said and he knew he had a huge grin on his face. For the first time in months, no, make that years, he was genuinely happy. He was with his mate. He was going to claim his mate before the night was out and as far as Ace was concerned his problems with his pack, Teric and anything else could all just go to hell for at least two days. Make that five days minimum.
Chapter Five
Devin’s head was a jumbled mess as he walked with Ace back to his apartment. His back was still sore, although he could feel it healing with every minute that passed. His nose was filled with the delicious scent of his
amatus
, but his head was a mess. Having spent the last five days convincing himself that he wasn’t going to die because his Fated One didn’t want him, Devin had pulled himself together and gone back to Whips to hand in his resignation and work out his notice.
Totally confused as to what he was going to do after his last night of work – Devin had been thinking California was sounding a pretty good place to go seeing how far it was away from Washington – he had only agreed to do a scene with Marco because it was his last night. The man wasn’t that bad with a whip when he wasn’t full of his own sense of self-importance, and Devin craved the pain. But his no sex clause was in his club contract for a very good reason and the thought that Marco would try and breach that agreement, for whatever sick reasons of his own, was doing Devin’s head in.
Having Ace come in and save him was the frosting on his insanity cake. He truly believed that his
amatus
wouldn’t want anything to do with him ever again, and when he heard Ace break through the door to the private room he was in, with Marco ready to take him by force, he didn’t know whether to weep with relief, or cry out in frustration. It had taken Devin all of the five days to get to the point where he could at least function after the devastating pain of his mate’s rejection. He didn’t think he had it in him to do it again if Ace walked away. Especially now he had tasted the man’s delicious blood. It would be a death sentence for him if Ace left again.
Stumbling up the steps towards his apartment, Devin dropped the keys as he went to unlock his front door. Quick as a flash, Ace had bent down and picked them up, deftly using them to get the door open. Then without saying a word, Ace reached over and scooped Devin up off the floor, cradling him in his arms.
“Bathroom?” The bigger man asked, as he kicked the door shut with a backwards flick of his foot. Too stunned to respond, Devin simply pointed down the hallway, forgetting for the moment that Ace was a man who preferred words to gestures.
“Words, precious,” Ace said gruffly as he headed towards the hallway.
“Right down the hallway. Through my…er…the Master bedroom,” Devin spluttered, his brain still not firing on all cylinders. Would Ace want to live with him? Was it their bedroom now? Carefully Ace carried him through to the ensuite, before setting Devin down on the lowered toilet seat. Then he knelt down on the floor, and gently cupped Devin’s face with one big hand.
“Are you okay?” Ace asked searching Devin’s eyes with his own.
Devin went to shake his head, but then remembered that Ace wouldn’t like that. “Yes. No. I’m not sure,” he said, mentally kicking himself for the stupidity of his answer. But Ace didn’t seem to mind.
“That’s fine,” Ace said and Devin thought how wonderful the small smile that was on the big man’s face looked in the dim light of the room. All the man’s harsh lines disappeared with that one little action.
“Let’s start with the basic stuff,” Ace continued. “Are you physically hurt anywhere?”
Flexing his back, Devin said, “No. I’m fairly sure my back is healed.”
“I want to take a look,” Ace said, tugging Devin’s shirt from the waistband of his pants, and pulling it upwards. Devin raised his arms out of habit more than anything else, although it had been a long time since anyone had undressed him. Once Devin was free from his shirt, Ace gently pulled his head forward and ran one hand down the muscles in Devin’s back. Devin rested his head on Ace’s broad chest, soaking in the scent and warmth Ace offered. A vampire’s body temperature tended to run cooler than other paranormal species, but Ace, like all typical wolf shifters, was hot under his clothes and Devin loved the feel of all of those muscles under his cheek.
Ace chuckled, but then moved back, holding Devin steady in his arms. “Let’s get you clean,” he said firmly, “and then we can snuggle.”
Devin wanted to protest that he wasn’t snuggling, but then…okay yes, he might have been, just a bit. Not something he would normally do, but Ace was so deliciously warm and solid. Ace stood up and turned to the shower, getting the water running and testing the temperature before moving back to Devin and undoing his pants, before encouraging him to his feet.
When Devin stepped under the water, Ace stripped off his own shirt and pants, clearly intending to join him. Devin caught sight of Ace’s penis, pointing straight at him like a homing beacon, and he swallowed a gasp. He had always known shifters were well endowed, but Ace didn’t just have length on his side, his cock was thick and meaty, just like the rest of him. Devin wasn’t sure if the twinge he felt running right up his rectum was from nerves, or anticipation. The quick smirk that flashed over Ace’s face, as though the man knew exactly what he was thinking, didn’t help.
Ace’s hands were gentle as he took the soap and a washcloth and slowly started rubbing off the blood Devin knew had coated his back. Slowly relaxing under Ace’s sure touch, Devin tipped his head back and let the water cascade down his hair. Lost in a haze of touch and the steam that was filling the bathroom, he barely noticed what was happening until Ace turned off the water, wrapping him in one of his bath sheets.
“You need to feed again,” the big man said. Devin knew he was right. Since meeting Ace five days before he hadn’t been able to feed from anyone – it felt like cheating on his
amatus
even though he could feed without having sex. As Ace’s cock, that was still as hard as a rock, brushed against his thigh Devin decided to take matters into his own hands, so to speak. He could feed and have sex all at the same time – it was his preferred way of enjoying a meal after all.
Shrugging the bath sheet from his shoulders, Devin stepped right into Ace’s space, wrapping his hand around Ace’s cock. Silken firm heat filled his palm and Devin moaned as he felt Ace’s pulse through a thick vein on the side of the shaft – what he wouldn’t give to plunge his teeth in there.
Looking up, he saw that Ace’s eyes were fierce black and the man’s teeth were gritted.
“Feeding is so much more fun when there is sex involved,” Devin said with a cheeky smile.
“If I fuck you, I claim you,” Ace snapped out. For a moment Devin was confused. Wasn’t that what the big wolf wanted? Unsure as to what to do, Devin released his grip on Ace’s cock and stepped back, sure his face mirrored his mixed up feelings.
“You have been hurt,” Ace said in a gentler voice. “I don’t want to cause you any more damage.”
Oh bless the wolf’s big old heart. Ace was worried about him. Devin turned around presenting his back for Ace’s consideration, running his own hands down his sides, and then slapping his buttocks hard. “All feels good to me,” he said with a cheeky grin over his shoulder. He pulled his butt cheeks apart and ran a finger across his hole that was literally quivering. “Did you want me to check any deeper?” He asked.
For a moment Devin thought that he was going to have to present his ass on a silver platter with an engraved invitation, just to get the big guy to move. But with a growl that ran right down Devin’s spine and then, oh yes, lodged so deliciously in his balls that he almost came from the vibration, Ace grabbed him around the waist and picked him up, moving back to the bedroom.
Devin bounced more than once after he was literally thrown on the bed. Ace stood at the foot of the bed glaring at him and if it wasn’t for that homing beacon cock Ace still had going on, Devin would have been worried.
“I decide when we fuck,” Ace said and the Dom tones set Devin’s whole body alight with anticipation. “I decide when, how and even
if
we fuck.”
“I understand. So, is now good for you or should we wait a while?” Devin couldn’t resist the cheeky response or the lazy hand that he ran up and down his own cock. Ace was a man who was used to getting things his own way and that was fine in any typical Dom/sub role. But Devin had been a sub for a long, long time and while he wasn’t sure that a sub held all of the power in a long term relationship, it was definitely fifty-fifty. Plus which the sexy man in front of him was his mate, his
amatus
, and that had to count for something as well. As Ace dropped the towel he had been wearing and climbed onto the bed with all of the predatory grace of the animal he shared his soul with, Devin shivered with excitement.