“After tasting his blood, I also believe there is a connection between my mate and Justin.”
Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “You tasted his blood?” Taylor pressed his hand over his stomach as it began to roll, threatening to rebel. How disgusting. “Why would you—” Taylor inhaled sharply when the
why
suddenly became glaringly apparent. “You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”
Dominic chuckled. “You know, Justin asked the very same thing.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, Taylor, I am a vampire.”
Fuck!
How had he not known that? Looking at the sveltely dressed man, it seemed clear as day now. Even with his deeply tanned skin, Dominic screamed vampire. There was just an air of power about him, a presence that screamed danger.
The sharp-looking fangs were a dead giveaway, too.
“Okay, so you’re a vampire.”
Wow, talk about an understatement.
“That doesn’t mean that Justin is a vampire as well.”
“Normally, I would say that is true, Taylor,” Dominic said, “but in this case, it does. Because Justin allowed his medication to wear off, his vampire genetics had a chance to come out. My second-in-command, Sully, was able to detect them when he rescued Justin. He brought him here as we are the only coven in the area.”
Taylor frowned. “I don’t understand. Assuming I believe you, which at this point, I don’t, but explain it to me anyway. What does Justin’s medication have to do with him being a vampire?”
“Fair enough.”
Taylor was really glad when the vampire prince smiled instead of having his head chopped off. Wasn’t that what royalty did when someone disagreed with them?
“Vampires, much like shifters and humans, give off a scent. It helps others of our kind tell each other apart. With each of us, there is a general scent that says vampire or wolf or whatever. After that, we each have our own unique scent that separates us from others of our kind.”
“Does Chase have a scent?”
“Yes, he does. You also have a scent that tells me that Chase is your mate.”
Taylor’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “I have a scent that tells you we’re mates?” Gods, he prayed the prince couldn’t smell sex on him. Wouldn’t that be totally embarrassing? Taylor’s eyes slid to Chase, and he felt the heat creep across his face. But if either man noticed, they didn’t say anything.
“Yes.” Dominic nodded. “When your mate claims you, you retain some of his scent. It’s what tells others of our kind that you have been claimed and to keep their hands off. Vampires have the very same thing.”
Taylor mulled this over in his head, wondering if Chase could tell the difference in his scent. He also wondered if anyone else could. Would Nate or Joe smell the difference in him now that he had mated with Chase? Would Justin?
“Did someone bite Justin and make him a vampire?” he asked. “Could something have happened to him that made him this way?”
“No, Taylor, I do not believe so.
Most of my people are born vampires. However there is a virus in our bloodstream that can transform someone into a vampire, but only if they have the vampire gene. Every vampire has it. It’s what makes us vampires. For humans, if they have the gene and are bitten by a vampire, it transforms them into a vampire. If they don’t have the gene, it doesn’t affect them.”
“So, someone could have bitten him?” It was the only explanation Taylor could think of. There just couldn’t be any way that his sweet little Justin was a vampire. They drank blood and stuff, icky stuff. Justin got nauseous at a cut on his finger. He’d never survive if he had to drink blood.
“I do not believe that is the case where Justin is concerned.” Dominic looked grim for a moment, as if what he had to share wasn’t something he really wanted share. “I believe that Justin was a born vampire and that his vampire genetics are being suppressed by the medication he is taking.”
“Suppressed how?”
“Justin’s medication is for regulating his blood sugar level, correct?
Taylor nodded. “Yes.”
“When Justin doesn’t take his medication, he begins to get sick. He begins to feel anxious. His mouth dries out, and he can become nauseous. He might become slightly confused and dazed.” The prince cocked an eyebrow. “Correct?”
“Yes,” Taylor replied, “but not eating properly can also make his blood sugar level rise, and Justin is terrible about remembering to eat. His sugar level also rises when proper insulin isn’t taken at regular intervals.”
“What I believe is happening is that when Justin forgets to take his medication, his vampire genetics start to come out and his body begins to crave blood. When a vampire doesn’t get the blood he needs, he experiences blurry vision, which can lead to seeing spots and eventually blindness, pale skin, loss of senses, lack of energy and movement, and eventually death.”
“No,” Taylor whispered, suddenly very afraid that Prince Dominic was telling the truth. Most of the symptoms that Dominic mentioned, Justin had suffered from when he had gone too long without his medication. Taylor had always assumed he just needed to keep better track of Justin’s medication schedule.
“All of these symptoms can be misinterpreted as low blood sugar, Taylor, especially by humans that do not know about vampires. I imagine quite a few diabetics are actually vampires and don’t even know it.”
“But…Justin doesn’t have it in him to drink blood. He’s just not like that.”
“Just not like what, Taylor?” the prince asked as his dark eyebrows pulled down low over his face. “Not a bloodsucker?”
“Uh…” Oh man, he had just pissed off the prince of a vampire coven, one that was currently holding his lover. He was so fucked. He needed to fix this, and fast. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just—” Taylor shrugged and wished he had a gifted tongue instead of the one he kept tripping over.
“Contrary to popular belief, we are not all bloodthirsty monsters, Taylor. Granted, we do have those of our kind that take without asking, and even take blood slaves. But Prince Zacarius and I are working to change things and make blood slaves illegal and punishable by our laws.”
Taylor blinked in surprise. Vampires actually had laws? Wow. Who knew? “Really?”
“I do not believe in taking blood from those that do not wish it. As a matter of fact, because I am now mated to Danny, I can only take blood from him. It would drive me slowly insane to take blood from anyone other than my mate, and I would have to be put down for the safety of everyone.”
Taylor felt like a total shithead. He had insulted the very man who had helped his lover when Justin needed it. Talk about ungrateful. “I didn’t mean to be rude, prince. I just meant that Justin gets sick to his stomach at the sight of blood. I don’t see him going for this whole blood drinking thing.”
“Yes, well.” The prince looked a little shocked. “I can see where that might be a problem.”
“It’s different when you’re drinking from your mate, Taylor,” Chase said from beside Taylor.
Taylor turned to look at him, confused and a little jealous. It sounded like Chase knew what it was like to be a vampire, or at least be a blood donor to a vampire. “How would you know? You’re not a vampire.”
Taylor liked it even less when Chase’s face flushed. First off, he was surprised the man could even physically blush. Chase just didn’t seem the type. And second, he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer to his question.
Taylor was finding that he didn’t like thinking about his mate being with anyone else, even though it was ridiculous to think Chase came to him as a virgin. No man that fucked like Chase did went through life without any experience. It just wasn’t possible.
But that didn’t meant Taylor wanted to know how Chase gained his experience.
“I know,” Chase said, “because wolf-shifters claim their mates just like vampires do.”
Chase didn’t want to examine the satisfaction he felt when he realized that Taylor was green with jealousy. There was a deep part of him that was jumping for joy at this knowledge. He was still reeling from the fact that not only had he claimed Taylor as his mate but the fact that Justin was a vampire.
Prince Dominic might not be someone Chase had ever met before, but he was a good friend of Prince Zacarius. Chase had heard Devlin talk about the man. If his brother trusted the prince, then Chase knew he could also, which meant Prince Dominic was telling the truth about Justin.
Justin was a vampire.
Talk about a shocker. Chase hadn’t seen that one coming.
How it had happened and how Chase, and just about everyone else, had missed it, Chase would never know. There was a certain scent that vampires gave off, but Justin never did. He always smelled of sweet red wine and strawberries.
Chase rubbed his hands over his face and then sat back in his chair, once again entwining his fingers with Taylor’s. He needed the connection with his mate at the moment, no matter how it might look for anyone else.
“Prince, you mentioned something about Justin having a connection to your mate. Can you explain that?”
“As I said, after Justin was brought to us, Danny and I both scented his vampire genetics, and we both recognized how familiar they were to us. I requested a sample of Justin’s blood, which he provided.”
“And?” Chase encouraged when the prince stopped talking.
“And, after tasting his blood, Danny and I both agree that Justin is Danny’s brother.”
“What?” Taylor shouted as he shot forward in his seat, blinking rapidly at the prince.
Chase agreed with his mate’s astonishment. “I was under the understanding from Prince Zacarius and Devlin that your mate was human before he was converted. If you are saying that Justin is a vampire, then how can they be related?”
“Danny seems to believe that they have the same father,” the prince replied, looking even grimmer. “He says that his mother would never dream of being unfaithful to her husband but that his father would do just about anything to get what he wanted, including planting his seed all over the countryside.”
“He sounds like a real peach,” Taylor grumbled as he dropped back into his chair.
“He sold Danny to me without telling Danny anything about it. He lied to Danny and told him he was trying to find a blood donor for his brother Samuel, who he actually sold as a blood slave to another coven. Danny knew nothing about vampires until he arrived here.”
“Wait, wait.” Taylor glared at the prince. “You
bought
your mate?”
“No, but I suppose from my words that it would seem like that. I was actually trying to establish a contract with a willing blood donor. I was unaware that Danny didn’t know what he was getting into until he arrived. Luckily, we were able to figure out that we were mates, and forgo the contract all together.”
“And what happened to his brother?” Taylor asked.
“Prince Zacarius was able to locate Samuel. I purchased him.” The prince held up his hand when Taylor started to argue. “Before you get upset, please know that it was the quickest way to get Samuel out of the situation he was in. He was being used as a blood donor against his will. I could have tried to negotiate with the coven that owned him, but that could have taken months. Samuel needed to be rescued right away. Buying him seemed like the easiest way to get him home.”
“Is he still a blood donor?”
“No, of course not. Once Samuel arrived here, he was given his freedom to do as he wished.”
Taylor frowned, glancing down at his hands. “How is he now?”
Dominic sighed. “Traumatized. He refuses to leave his room and will only allow Danny in to see him. He wants nothing to do with anyone in my coven.”
“Can you blame him?” Taylor snorted.
“No, but I believe it will eventually cause problems. I suspect that Samuel is the mate of my second–in-command, Sully. The man hasn’t been the same since he rescued Samuel. He paces outside of Samuel’s room, and when he isn’t pacing, he’s going on missions, each one more dangerous than the last. I fear for his sanity.”
Chase knew exactly how Sully felt. Before the previous evening when he claimed Taylor as his mate, he had been getting more careless with his actions, looking for more and more dangerous situations. Now, his sole focus was keeping his mate safe. Nothing else mattered.
Except his other mate.
“May we see Justin now?”
“Yes, of course,” the prince said as he stood and pushed his chair in. “I apologize for keeping you from him for so long. I’m sure you can understand why I had to ask these questions.”
“We understand,” Chase said as he stood also and then waited for Taylor to stand as well before placing his hand in the middle of Taylor’s lower back. “But just so you know, Justin is our mate.”
The prince’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, I guess that makes us in-laws then.”
“I still don’t understand how Danny could be Justin’s brother if he was human before he was converted. Aren’t both of his parents human?”
“Before Justin arrived, I would have said yes, although I suspected after meeting Lowell Erickson that he was the spawn of Satan. Now, I’m not so sure.”
The prince grimaced, a gesture Chase was coming to recognize as the man thinking about something he wanted to say that Chase wasn’t going to like.
“I went to Lowell Erickson to find a blood donor because he knows about vampires. I never thought to question how he knew about them, though. At the time, I was too concerned with finding a blood donor.”
“Why?”
“I was sick, something that happens to vampires of my advanced years. I had too much contaminated blood in my system, and I was slowly dying. I needed a pure-blood source. Danny proved to be that source, which is why I signed a contract with him to be my blood donor.”
Taylor frowned as he peered up at the prince. “I thought vampires were immortal.”
“No.” Dominic chuckled. “We’re just very hard to kill.”
Chase mulled that over as he followed the prince out of his study and up the stairs to the second floor. If what the prince said was true, and he suspected that it was, then Justin would be very hard to kill as well. That could work in his favor, and in Chase’s favor as well.