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“I…” Gio didn’t know what he was going to say because his body started shaking. He was so damn close. He needed Carter to come soon!

He quickened the pace. Pleasure shot up his spine with every up and down and his hand on his own shaft moved faster.

“Need to fuck you,” Carter growled, grabbing Gio’s hips and holding him still. Digging his heels into the bed, Carter started fucking Gio hard and fast. Now that he didn’t have to concentrate on moving his body, he could focus on the waves of pleasure threatening to swamp him.

“Carter!” Gio cried out, feeling his orgasm wash over him.

“Do it!” Carter yelled.

At the same time Gio spurted across Carter’s chest, Gio felt Carter fill him.

They both went still for a moment, staring at each other and panting. Gio could feel Carter’s love through their soul bond as strongly as he could feel Carter’s cock in his ass. His knot was swelling and sending waves of sensation up his spine with every panting breath. He loved being locked on Carter’s cock.

It was only in these moments of pleasure and connection that their bond was as it should be between vampire and flock. He could feel everything Carter was feeling.

“You’re mine,” Gio whispered.

“You’re mine,” Carter said at the same time.

Carter

Hours later, Gio made sure Carter had plenty of pillows fluffed behind his back before placing the tray full of food on his lap. Besides a plate with several steaks, there were roasted potatoes with rosemary, a large bowl overflowing with a salad full of all kinds of veggies, several cans of soda, a carafe of water, and enough napkins to clean off five children after a meal of spaghetti.

“Thanks!” he grunted as he shoveled food into his mouth. He paused halfway through the first steak. “You?”

“I’ve consumed already,” Gio assured him. They kept plenty of blood in the kitchen fridge for Gio. If they ever ran low, it was easy enough for Gio to get more. Gone were the days of vampires having to go out hunting for their meals. Now they had them delivered just like the average human.

Carter wished the vampire would drink from him more often, but Gio was reluctant. It was an old taboo among vampires that you didn’t drink from your flock. Biting for fun during sex was fine, but actually taking blood wasn’t supposed to be done.

It took almost six months, but Carter finally talked Gio into feeding from him occasionally. He knew better than to offer anyblood while healing. Gio would never accept, even if he was suffering from starvation. Vampires would rather die than cause harm to their flock.

“You need to eat and drink everything here,” Gio said, pointing to the tray.

“No problem!” Carter’s answer was garbled because his mouth was full. Opening one of the cans, he downed half the soda in only a couple of pulls. Looking up at Gio, he gave the vampire a pleading look. “Can I have a beer? One won’t hurt me.”

“Faith said no alcohol,” Gio reminded him. “After she clears you tomorrow, you can have beer. Not before.”

Carter wasn’t surprised by Gio’s response. “Fine,” he grumbled and dived back into the food. “What’s a landless nymph and why is McConnell so interested in her?”

“You know what a nymph is, correct?” Gio asked.

“They bond with land,” Carter said.

“The land bonds with them,” Gio corrected. “Nymphs will eventually wither and die if they don’t find their land. Usually it’s not hard, but Skyler is nearing thirty years old and hasn’t found a piece of land that wants her.”

“Thirty isn’t that old,” Carter scoffed.

“For a landless nymph it is,” Gio explained. “She’ll become very ill in the next few years. The timeline is different for everyone, but no adult nymph survives long without land to bond to.”

Carter paused with a piece of food halfway to his mouth. “That’s sad, but what does that have to do with McConnell?”

Gio grimaced. “For obvious reasons, landless nymphs are rare. Other nymphs work hard to keep them hidden because they are the only creature that a vampire can force a soul bond on.”

Carter almost choked on his food. “What?”

Gio nodded. “Technically, a vampire can force a soul bond on anyone and make them flock. But an unwilling bond eventuallypoisons both vampire and flock until both are dead. Landless nymphs aren’t poisonous. You can force them into a soul bond and nothing bad happens to the vampire.”

“With the added benefit that they don’t have to worry about going feral any longer,” Carter said with a grim slant of his mouth. “That’s fucked up. Poor Skyler. How did you get involved in all this?”