Blood Claim by Laura Mykles (free e books to read .txt) 📕

Matt was determined that Wolfe would never feel it again.

"Daniel's playing with the dolphins,” he replied, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull off his socks.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fabulous.” Laughing, he twisted and lunged toward his lover.

Chuckling softly, Wolfe caught him, easily tumbling back into the pillows underneath Matt's weight.

Matt caught his jaw in his hands, tilting those lips so he could taste them. He wormed his tongue between them, purposely finding one of the delicate tips of Wolfe's fangs and pricking himself.

It made Wolfe growl and clutch him, instinctively sucking at the trickle of blood.

Matt growled right along with him, loving the effect he had on this beautiful creature, needing to be so much more. Cool, smooth skin warmed only slightly beneath his hands as he pushed himself up, bracing on Wolfe's chest. He gazed down at those glowing green eyes, knowing now that they did indeed glow when need or desire rode the vampire. “You must be hungry."

Eyelids shuttered just a little, and a rueful grin curled the corner of Wolfe's mouth. “For you, always."

Matt slid his palms down until each one pressed a nipple. “Then let's do this."

Wolfe slid his hands up Matt's arms. The feral gleam in his eyes was still tempered with concern. “You're already mine.” Fingers toyed with the ponytail at his neck. “As I'm yours. We don't need to do this."

"Yes. We do. I want to stay young and pretty for you."

Scowling, Wolfe yanked his hair.

Matt laughed, collapsing back on top of Wolfe. “Okay, okay! Geez. You don't have to be so serious."

Wolfe pulled the band from Matt's hair. “Yes, I do."

"No. You don't. We've talked about it. I took the year you made me to think about it. I want to do this.” He shook out his now loose hair, letting it drift down his neck and shoulders, knowing Wolfe enjoyed it. “I love you. My life is with you."

"You can be with me without doing this."

True. He could. Wolfe had proven that to him. Wolfe could bite him—and had bitten him a number of times, but not enough to change him. Wolfe had proved that his feeding on others didn't have to be the sexual thing it was with Matt, alleviating that jealousy. Wolfe had assured him that he would stay with Matt if Matt chose to remain human, that he had done so with loves in the past.

But Matt didn't want that. He didn't want to grow old while his lover stayed young. He didn't want to miss that final connection that would truly mate them. He wanted Wolfe and all that he was—and he had to change to have that.

He stood, feet braced on the mattress to either side of Wolfe's silk-draped hips. He only wobbled a little as his hands went to his fly and pulled the buttons open one by one. Wolfe's gaze tracked him, his hands on Matt's shins to help steady him. He helped Matt pull the jeans off, tossing them aside as Matt lowered to his side on the mattress.

Their movement drew the sheets further down Wolfe's hips, exposing the pale length of his thighs and the quiet temptation of his cock. Not hard. No blood pressure, no erection. That would happen later. Matt lowered his head over it, taking the cool, soft flesh slowly into his mouth, knowing his lover enjoyed the sensation even if there was no answering hardness. Experience and Wolfe's agonized intake of breath told him so.

Wolfe's fingers threaded through his hair, cupping the back of his skull as Matt happily suckled. His hips rocked gently. Matt kept suckling until he heard Wolfe's gasps grow more ragged. He looked up to see Wolfe biting his lower lip, fangs pressing dangerously into the pale pink.

The time had to be right. Matt eased his mouth off Wolfe, leaving the wet flesh lying on his belly. He kissed his way up Wolfe's chest, his neck, to finally find Wolfe's lips. Wolfe groaned, melting into Matt's kiss. The vampire was hungry, purposely so in preparation of tonight. Tonight he had to nearly kill Matt to let him be reborn. Matt was no longer remotely frightened of it. He trusted Wolfe with his life and his death.

Let's get on with it. Matt bit down on Wolfe's lip.

Wolfe hissed at the pain, yanking back before Matt could taste his blood. He grabbed Matt's head, pulling him back and stopping him from tasting.

"Bite me,” Matt taunted, arching his neck even more. His racing pulse had to be too much of a temptation. “Drink."

Apparently, Wolfe couldn't take it anymore. Starved, aroused, he flipped Matt over onto his back. He shoved one hand into the hair at the back of Matt's skull, pulling his head aside to bury his nose in Matt's neck. “I love you,” he murmured.

Matt wrapped his arms around Wolfe's shoulders and his legs around Wolfe's hips. “I love you too."

Wolfe's tongue lapped over his pulse. Lips latched on and sucked hard. Matt gasped, arching up into his lover in response to the pleasure-pain. He barely felt it when Wolfe's fangs penetrated his skin. But he knew when the vampire started to feed. Matt tensed, then relaxed, concentrating on the spreading warmth in the skin under his hands and draped over his chest, not on the flutter of his heart as Wolfe drank more than he had before.

Matt sank, feeling dizzy. His vision swam, so he closed his eyes. His breath stuttered, not seeming all that important. Panic tried to flare but couldn't catch hold as he drifted toward a misty gray coolness that beckoned.

"Matthew."

Lovely voice, very different from the cool gray. The voice was warm and red, dark and sultry. He should be interested. He couldn't quite recall why.

"Drink."

Heat. Taste. Taste? The vibrancy of the feeling that spread through his being couldn't possibly be explained in one word. Colors were food, red and black sliding into what had once been his body, or perhaps his soul.

Thump. Thump.

Sweet. No,