Necessary Passion [Alchemy Mates 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (5 page)

Sky’s enthusiasm was infectious as he showed off his favorite horse, a dappled stallion that looked like it had snowflakes painted across his flanks. His hair was pitch black, and his eyes were two large brown orbs that were infinitely deep. He was a magnificent animal.

“What’s his name?” Aidan asked, running his hand over the supple back.

“He is Jack. Jack Frost,” Sky said. He looked pleased with Aidan’s reaction.

“Hey, Jack-O boy,” Aidan cooed, breathing in the earthy scent of animal and hay. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you? Ooh, you are a pretty boy. I bet this vampire here doesn’t know how to ride you the way I could. See, the thing I’ve learned about vampire is that they are so used to gliding through the air that they lose the fluidity of their hips.” He whispered the last in a conspirator’s tone.

Sky barked out a laugh. “Are you telling me that I don’t know how to thrust since I became inhuman? I assure you that I most certainly retain the ability. Shall I prove it to you, jäger?”

Shivers licked down Aidan’s spine and curled around his balls. “Stop that,” he whispered, his voice instantly defensive. He turned from the horse. Regret flickered over the vampire’s face, but Aidan ignored it. He wanted to reach out and smooth the remorse off Sky’s face but tamped down on the impulse.

“I am sorry,” Sky said, retreating back out into the hallway from the stall. Aidan followed right after him. “Gerald, saddle Jack.”

“Am I to saddle two horses or will the English be riding with you?” Gerald responded in his native German.

Sky smiled at the notion. “No. Saddle Raven as well.”

Gerald bowed over his hand and went to the tack room.

“Which one am I going to be riding?” Aidan asked.

“Raven. He’s a black Arabian I picked up in Morocco. He’s a bit headstrong, but since your hips are fully functioning, I suspect you will be fine,” Sky joked, obviously trying to rekindle the friendly atmosphere from the moment before. The hunter gave him a playful shove.

“Of course I’ll be fine, I can thrust.”

They both erupted into chuckles.

* * * *

They raced from Wolf’s Glen at a breakneck pace. Aidan was having a surprisingly good time, his laughter echoing off the endless rows of pine trees. The fact that no one was waiting for him back in England felt freeing for the first time in his memory. Since being disowned he felt somewhat displaced, wandering about the countryside, using the rest of his money for traveling and drinking his way to oblivion. He hadn’t been on a hunt since and found that he oddly didn’t miss it. He felt relieved.

He hadn’t really noticed that as they rode side by side, their minds were blending together. Sky was in the back of his mind like a shadow, and it wasn’t until he moved that Aidan felt him there. The merriment went away, and they fell silent. Logically he knew that he should withdraw, but instead he simply let it happen, molding their auras together and letting him in.

Aidan inhaled deeply, savoring the brief moment of peace and connection. He loved the way darkness smelled. It was as if the scent was softer somehow. He’d felt that way since he was a little boy. Maybe it was the part of him changed by Sky’s blood, or maybe the fact that hunters were closer to their prey than regular humans. Whatever it was, he enjoyed this time of day.

The schoolmaster’s house was actually just a room above the general store. Sky dismounted and rang the bell for the upstairs room. The candlelit window in the room above the shop opened and a nightcap-clad man popped his head out.

Aidan’s German wasn’t very good, but he managed to translate the short phrases to a reasonable degree when the schoolmaster spoke. “Lord Engleman,” he greeted in German, dipping his head. “What can I do for you?”

“I have a sack of oranges for your students, Alban. I apologize for the late hour, but I wanted to get them to you before school started,” Sky said in English, smiling. No doubt he used English for Aidan’s benefit. He really was a beautiful man when he smiled. Aidan tried to pull his gaze away from the vampire but couldn’t. He had a certain magnetism that was almost impossible to resist.

“I’ll be right down, my lord,” the schoolteacher reassured, switching to English. He ducked back into the room, no doubt to get some pants on to come downstairs.

“You’re really loved by the villagers here, huh?” Aidan asked.

Sky looked over his shoulder at him. “Loved? I don’t know. I am well-enough liked, I suppose.”

Aidan was amused by Sky’s total lack of ego. Even Lucian had a swagger about him. But the German vampire prince just seemed to be a beautiful combination of humility and kindness. “Do they know what you are?”

“I imagine so. I’ve been here for several centuries now. On paper, my son and heir inherits, but the locals know better,” Sky explained. The gray door to the shop was pulled open, and a slightly disheveled man in his late thirties with thinning dark hair and a full beard stepped into the doorway.

The schoolmaster said something too quick for Aidan to translate as he looked at Aidan. He had to have been addressing him, but he couldn’t make it out.

“I don’t speak very good German, so you’ll have to switch to English again,” Aidan said, frowning at the rapid-fire words.

“Ah, English,” the man said. “I am Alban Bach. Charmed to meet you.”

Aidan nodded. “Likewise. The oranges are good. I hope your students enjoy them.”

The schoolteacher smiled. “I am sure. Thank you, Lord Engleman.”

“You’re very welcome. Have a good evening,” Sky said, walking back over to his mount and swinging a leg up. “We’ll continue on our way.”

The schoolteacher waved. “Good evening, gentlemen.” He shut the door as Sky turned his horse and continued on farther into the village. Aidan turned his own mount and followed. He didn’t know many lords who would’ve been so keen on giving up things from their stores, especially imports like the oranges.

“You’re a kind man, Sky Engleman,” he murmured, knowing the vampire could hear the words.

The vampire gave him an odd look as if he didn’t quite believe what he’d heard. “Thank you.” He shifted, and a feeling of affection came through the cord that linked them. “I’m surprised the maid didn’t answer the door instead. But I’m glad you met Alban. He’s a fine fellow. We should head back now,” Sky said.

* * * *

They were almost on the other side of the small village that neighbored his estate. Everyone here was already abed, the shops long since closed. Even the tavern in this small town closed early. He looked across the space that separated him from Aidan and drunk in the sight of the hunter astride Raven. He looked magnificent and commanding, his blond hair worn longer than fashion required and his light eyes filled with contentment.

Sky felt the first tendrils of lust rise within him. It wasn’t unusual that he felt lust toward the hunter who was destined to become his alchemy mate, but it was odd that it struck him so sharply. His balls tightened as a metaphysical rope tightened around his mind. He bit his lip to keep from groaning.

Aidan’s thick thighs hugged the torso of the horse, his hips moving with the motion of the animal. He’d ridden with his shirt unbuttoned, and his hair had come loose somewhere in the breakneck pace. He was gorgeous. Sky longed to see those thick thighs on either side of his own, riding him until they both fell off that invisible precipice.

Aidan’s eyes snapped to his own, and Sky realized too late that they were connected. As he had over the past few months, he was transmitting his emotions and desires to Aidan without realizing it. The hunter’s tongue darted out from his mouth in a nervous gesture that drew Sky’s attention to his lower lips. Damn his superior night vision. He could see the wetness gathered there and longed to lick it away. An answering bolt of lust hit Sky and nearly knocked him off his horse in surprise. Aidan’s blush could be seen even without the superior vision.

“I’m not like this
.
”
Aidan’s voice echoed in his mind.
“I don’t like men.”

“I don’t want you to like men, jäger. I want you to like me.”
Sky wasn’t able to filter the thought before it escaped into space. Aidan stared at him for a long moment before turning his horse and bolting toward home.

Sky’s heart skipped a beat. What did that mean? He didn’t feel anger coming off the hunter, but he couldn’t be entirely sure. He squeezed his thighs, urging his mount after the man who’d driven him to madness over the past year.

His mind swirled with possibilities as the streaking image of the hunter and the Arabian raced toward his estate. Sky whistled at him, but the hunter didn’t heed him. He just threw a wry grin over his shoulder as if daring Sky to follow, to catch him.
Fine. If you want to play, jäger, then we shall
.

* * * *

Aidan throbbed, ached. His imagination was running wild as he tried to run away from his own desires on the back of his steed. He knew Sky was letting him retreat, allowing him to process and deal with their combined thoughts. He wasn’t sure what had pushed him to the point of desperate arousal over the course of the last five minutes, but whatever it was had him panting in his saddle.

The rough material of his trousers was chaffing his cock as his body rubbed painfully against the front. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been this hard before in his life. Worse, the images in his head were all of being pinned beneath Sky’s sexy body, allowing him to ride him to completion.
I’ve got to get out of here
. But where could he go? He didn’t even have a home to return to and no one he could call upon to intercede between him and the madness that had taken up residence in his soul. Maybe he could call on Andren, but then he would be intruding on his brother’s relationship and happiness. There was no easy path to take. He wanted Sky Engleman.

He gritted his teeth. He’d just have to deal with this. He just had to make it until February, and then he was completely free from Sky’s influence.
How am I supposed to do that? All I can think about is touching him
. It was like the adage of forbidden fruit. Because he put the restriction on himself, he wanted it all the more.
I have to do this
.

All he had to do was win a fight with a vampire’s servant and then he was free. But getting free would mean that he actually had to do something about the connection between them. Embracing it would be difficult.

He sighed. It was Sky’s kindness that was Aidan’s undoing. He saw the way the schoolmaster looked at him. It was a look of admiration and respect only won through dedication and constant kindness. The way the vampire had thoughtfully brought the children something sweet elicited a tenderness toward him that hadn’t struck Aidan until they were almost on the other side of the village. The attraction scared him. He could see himself getting closer and closer to the being he’d sworn he’d never embrace, and all he could think to feel was a curious sense of relief.

At this point he was grasping at threads. He was only there to assist Sky in battling his challenger. It didn’t mean anything. However, they were going to lose if he didn’t get over his aversion to touching the vampire. That meant he’d have to get serious about this training thing. If you want to be the best, you know what you have to do, an insidious voice whispered in the back of his head.
You heard him. If you want to be the best you’re going to have to get physical with the big German bastard
. His erection jerked in agreement. Could he do it? Could he spread his legs and take that big German inside his body?

He took hold of the excuse with both hands. He wanted Sky but only because the hunter side of him wanted to win. He felt like he was falling over and over off the edge of some emotional cliff face, alternating between desire and rage, denial and heated acceptance.
Maybe if I do it just once
.
Maybe
I can slake this terrible ache inside me and then walk away. Both of us would be less distracted and more intent on practicing for the battle. Too much is at stake to do anything else
. He slowed his horse as he came through the gates before trotting into the stables. He stroked the side of the animal’s neck absently as a stable hand came out to meet him.

The former hunter tossed him the leather reins, and Aidan dismounted with jerky movements, tossing off his shirt and shoes on the stable ground.

“My lord?” the stableboy asked, eyeing Aidan’s disrobement.

“You and the rest of the staff, go,” Aidan commanded, not paying him a lick of attention. Where was Sky? He was supposed to be right behind him. He’d felt the German’s determination, his drive to follow and chase the hunter down. His cock jerked at the thought. The thunder of hooves told him that the vampire had caught up.

He ran then, oblivious to the cold. It didn’t take long for the vampire to catch up with him. He was convinced that the vampire probably jumped off his mount before he’d even handed his reins off to the groom.

A firm hand gripped his shoulder and whirled him around. Aidan felt an answering aggression and desire swamp him.

“Come into the house, Aidan. It’s too cold to be out here,” Sky said as Aidan tugged out of his grip and jogged forward toward the house.