Page 3 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)

Ledger

Stunned.

There was no other word for it. Even his cheeky squirrel side was silent in his head. A feat that rarely happened.

The weight of the hand on his lower back guiding him down a busy sidewalk and the sticky mess in his underwear told him that this was no dream.

He could feel the warm, soft breeze brushing over his exposed skin.

He could taste the air and see motes of dust dance in the rays of sunlight.

Every sense was hyperacute. The birds’ cries, the voices of those inside buildings and those on the street, they were all now part of his consciousness.

How?

Was it to do with the winged…

He kept pace with the long stride of the nameless guy—whatever he was—unable to make himself stop for a second and consider what the hell had just happened.

Ledger wasn’t always known for being sensible, he knew this.

It was why he’d ended up in Bayfield. But this?

Even for him, this was an epic loss of any sensibilities. As in, he had none at all.

Zero.

Zilch.

Nada.

How was he going to explain this to Mr. Vaughn?

He’d completely missed their appointment.

It was totally unprofessional on his part not to show up for a meeting.

The contract tied him in for a year and this was not a good start, regardless of the fact he’d considered that taking on the contract was the wrong decision.

First impressions counted. How did one explain they were having sex and being claimed in a back alley instead of taking an important meeting?

And this is what you’re thinking about right now?

Yes. Yes, it is.

His animal made a noise of disapproval.

We have to pay the bills and—

You’re freaking out.

No, I’m not.

Yes, you are.

Ledger shut out his animal side. He wasn’t going to think about the other stuff.

No, because that would mean having to acknowledge that he was freaking out about how he actually encouraged the other man.

That wild sex in an alleyway, in broad daylight, with a winged man for anyone to see, was something he’d wanted— craved .

He’d not only had sex, he had claimed the nameless, winged man and felt…

He didn’t know what he felt, but there was something fundamentally different inside him.

It frightened him, even when it was exhilarating.

No, this wasn’t exhilarating, it was scary.

It’s most definitely exhilarating.

As they silently stopped at the side of a large black SUV, Ledger feigned not to have heard his animal side. He was more concerned about how easily he acquiesced to getting into the car when he had his own parked on the opposite side of the street.

Should he suggest he’d follow behind to wherever they were going? No, the very idea of leaving, not being close to the stunner, didn’t sit well at all with him. It left him anxious.

Assisted into the front seat, long tapered fingers buckled him in. The brush of knuckles over his lap made blood flow fast through his veins as he inhaled the rich scent surrounding him. He avoided looking into the captivating blue eyes when he heard an indrawn breath and saw a hint of fang appear.

Was he a vampire bat?

Were they big like that, with huge wings?

Ledger’s fingers tingled at the memory of the silky texture of the feathers as he’d gripped them.

He pressed a hand to his forehead as the door closed, leaving him alone for a moment. He attempted to pull himself together. It was pointless as his gaze tracked the hunk, feeling…

Nothing was in context, nothing. Yet it was.

It was madness. He’d had his body snatched and someone had taken over.

Stop being so dramatic.

He resisted telling his squirrel to fuck off when it was pointless. He was being dramatic but with damn good reason.

The moving car brought Ledger’s gaze to his…

He pinched his arm hard and squealed at the pain. Nope, not a dream. It really had happened.

“What is it, Sweetling?” the hunk of stunningness asked. The smooth voice once more sent delightful sensations to places it had no business going. Not when it made everything even more real.

“I…” he glanced out the window. It was far safer when the urge to climb into the lap of the man—or whatever he was—and get a repeat performance of earlier was hard to resist. And acting on that desire was out of the question.

Was it?

Yes, it most definitely is. Mortified was what he was, when he didn’t even know the man’s name, and yet he’d let him…

Oh to the heaven’s, I’m mated!

I’ve a mate.

I bit a stranger.

A stranger who is my mate.

It didn’t matter which way he looked at it, Ledger had lost his goddamn mind in bumfuck nowhere.

What the fuck was I playing at?

Sweetling, I understand—

Understand, Ledger shouted in alarm, having not considered that the man next to him would hear all his thoughts. We… you… I…

Ledger twisted in his seat and barely noted the stunning scenery that was so different from the town of Bayfield. Lush, green hills lay spread out before them. Ledger didn’t have the wherewithal to ask where, with everything else tumbling around in his head.

He breathed deep, hoping to get his pulse to behave and stop making his ears buzz, only the scent in the confines of the car made his body react and his teeth ache with a desire to… bite.

What is wrong with me?

“There is nothing wrong with you, Sweetling. It’s the newness of our mating.”

He sounded so reasonable.

But Ledger wasn’t feeling reasonable. “I think you should turn the car around.”

Yes, he needed to regroup, alone. His brain seemed okay with the idea, though the center of his chest made it feel like he was thinking about cutting out his own heart.

He rubbed at the place that ached, further disconcerted when a deep chuckle sent shivers to interesting places as those blue eyes glanced in his direction.

“I have a meeting with my new employer and I’m already terribly late,” he tried.

“You’re my dhampir, Sweetling.”

“Huh?” Ledger figured it was some sort of cosmic joke when he was clueless about the meaning of that word. How could he when he lost his grip on reality?

His sticky, uncomfortable ass said he had. His clothes were a mess. Button’s torn off his expensive shirt. Yep, this was not his reality.

“I’ll explain everything when we reach the house. I need to concentrate on getting us home safely.”

“What?” Ledger felt the squeaky voice was going to become a permanent fixture. “Is there something dangerous on the way?”

Ledger lost his ability to breathe when he became the focus of his mate. The blue of his eyes seemed to glow before the color bled into a fiery red, resembling a ball of sun about to set. Hunger, it was all he felt between them. A deep-seated craving that felt unnaturally intense.

“Your eyes… they’re red!” he spluttered, for something to say.

Anything to detract from the current need to do some crazy shit.

Something else registered, and he blinked slowly when it became apparent they were driving at speed on a twisty road and the driver was staring at him, instead of where the car was climbing up into the mountains.

“Watch where we’re going!” Yep, the squeaky voice was back.

A devilish smile left Ledger aroused and clutching at the front of his trousers. Talking. Is it an overrated activity? Maybe. Whereas sex is not in the current situation?

He can’t drive and have sex. It was damn dangerous to even contemplate the insane notion. Thinking like that was hazardous to Ledger’s health when suddenly getting naked and biting was all he could think about. It was crazy. It was like he now had a death wish on top of everything else.

Nothing can harm you, Sweetling, now you are bonded to me for eternity.

Smug satisfaction, that’s what Ledger felt at that statement, only he wasn’t convinced it was his.

He released a shuddery breath when the man next to him returned his gaze to the road.

Ledger suddenly felt exhausted. It started at his feet and rose up, making his body feel like a lead weight. He sagged against the seat and shut his heavy-lidded eyes, resting his head back on the headrest.

This was some fucked up shit.

A large dose of hurt got him sighing when he realized he was yet again over-sharing his thoughts. Not that he had a clue how not to do that.

How did one unravel the mess they’d gotten themselves into when they didn’t know where to even start with the things their mate said?

The thought drifted away as the gentle voice of his mate whispered in his mind, I’ll give you all the answers you want. There is nothing to fear. Sleep now, your body is changing.

His desire to ask what that meant couldn’t battle the need for sleep, so Ledger didn’t try. He sank into the waiting pool of red darkness, where there was only his mate.

Ledger groggily opened his eyes at the feel of warm air touching his face. Had he fallen asleep? He rubbed at his eyes as his brain came back online and glanced to the open car door, directly at his… mate.

“Welcome to my home, Sweetling.”

The air hissed through Ledger’s clenched teeth when his gaze clashed with that of the man now crouching at the side of the door. The desire to jump his bones left him gripping the edges of the seat to prevent himself leaping out. He would not allow himself to be distracted by thoughts of sex. No.

No sex.

Talking.

They needed to talk before any nakedness!

“What a pity,” his mate murmured.

“What?” Ledger shook his head at how easy it was for his mate to read his thoughts. “No, don’t answer that!”

He was going to need to watch that, figure out how to keep his thoughts on lockdown. Until then he’d just have to stop thinking.

How does that work?

“What’s your name?” he asked, scowling at the stunner before him. He needed to get things back onto an even keel… if there was such a position after the last few hours of his life.

The gorgeous mouth formed into a smile that left Ledger struggling not to swallow his own tongue and break the no sex rule right off the bat.

He was pitiful.

“It seems we have done things the wrong way around.” The man offered his hand. “Thorn Vaughn—”

“Thorn Vaughn, you’re shitting me!” Ledger, who had reached for the hand, paused at the thunderbolt hitting him. His eyes widened in disbelief. His mate was none other than Thorn Vaughn… his new boss!

“Oh my! You’re Ledger Rain. Well, that explains everything,” Thorn said, making absolutely no sense, but looking pleased as punch at the turn of events.

Ledger supposed that was a good thing, but he’d need to think about that after he got his questions answered and found the off switch to sharing.

“It explains nothing!” He waved his hand about dramatically. “Nothing makes sense since…” he blushed and the scent of arousal filled his nose—which was not his alone—at where his mind wandered.

Movement behind Thorn brought Ledger’s gaze up and he swallowed hard at the sight of the man towering behind him.

As handsome as he was, Ledger got a sense of a wild animal not quite contained in the suit the man wore. The cut fit his broad shoulders perfectly, suggesting it was handmade for him. The blue of his eyes was much darker than Thorn’s, but there was no mistaking the family resemblance.

Thorn rose and turned before the man spoke.

“Are you planning on staying outside all afternoon? If you are, I’m going to have to kick your ass if I have to talk to that moaning fucker Amano again. Four times he’s called for you. What happened with…” his gaze flicked to Ledger, and he caught the surprise and a hint of fang. “You bit him!”

Being unable to see Thorn’s expression didn’t stop Ledger from feeling the frustration and slight embarrassment at his brother's statement. “This is not a conversation to be had right now.”

Shapely brows arched as the man looked between them. “Is that so?” A light of amusement danced in his eyes.

“Brother, seriously.”

Ledger felt Thorn’s frustration increase before he felt a physical barrier form between him and his mate. It was as if a shutter had come down in his mind when he focused.

“Hey, why did you do that?” he questioned aloud, pissed even when he’d wanted to find a way to block his thoughts from Thorn.

Thorn glanced from his brother, his scowl smoothing out. “What, Sweetling?”

Ledger felt at a distinct disadvantage, and it increased the pissedoffness he felt. “That mind block thingy you just did. Don’t play dumb with me.” He got out of the car, needing to at least be able to be standing for this conversation.

“What… oh fuck,” came the voice of another man, who looked identical to the one grinning at Thorn.

Thorn’s scowl was back. He reached out for Ledger’s hand, entwining their fingers together.

Ledger felt a strange sense of completion, just from that one simple action.

Like a jigsaw piece that completed a picture.

Ledger might not have all the answers he needed, but this feeling was one he didn’t want to live without.

It scared the fuck out of him.

“Dacian, Calvert, this is Ledger Rain, my dhampir. Sweetling, these are my twin brothers, Dacian and Calvert.”

It didn’t matter he’d already guessed they were twins, or how proud Thorn was, it was the word dhampir being bandied about like it meant something important that irked him.

“There’s that dhampir word again. Does someone want to tell me what the hell it means? In fact, does someone want to tell me what the heck y’all are? Because I don’t think you're vampire bats!”