Page 5 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)

Ledger

Ledger lay prone on the Persian rug, chugging in air, cum and sweat drying on his cooling skin.

He couldn’t solely blame Thorn for his current state.

He still had one sock and a shoe on but other than that, he was naked and a certified mess.

He ran his tongue over his teeth. His mouth held the faint tang of copper but one thing was for sure, he had no regret.

Not one fucking ounce when it came to craving the man—vampire—lying next to him.

He twisted his head to look at Thorn. His chest barely moved, otherwise he was still. His eyes were closed, and his dark hair was standing at odd angles. The wings hadn’t made an appearance this time. Why was that?

“I used them to shield us the first time,” Thorn said, answering Ledger’s unspoken question. His eyelids opened and he glanced at Ledger. “You’re disappointed.”

It wasn’t a question, but Ledger answered. “I like them… they’re sexy.” He blushed from his confession when Thorn’s intrigue became his own.

“Is that so?” Thorn rolled towards him, the intent clear.

Ledger placed his hands on Thorn’s chest pushing back with a surprising amount of strength. His eyes widened on his hands as he snatched them back.

“You have ingested my blood. The essence of me is now the essence of you,” Thorn explained.

“Do you pick up everything from me?” Ledger wasn’t sure how he felt about that when he could recall how easily Thorn blocked him earlier.

Thorn shrugged nonchalantly as he sat up, looking damn sexy despite his dishevelled appearance.

“The more blood you ingest of mine, the more you will be able to read folks without accessing their thoughts. I’m not reading all your thoughts, but you do project what’s going on in your head pretty loudly. ”

Ledger lay back down, staring up at the painted ceiling, unsure how he felt about that. He attempted not to think about it. “What else will change about me? And will I crave your blood?” The desire to bite Thorn was real, even without looking at him.

“It’s your body adapting. It will lessen after a few months, so I’m told.”

“A few months!” Ledger screeched, sitting up next to Thorn, looking at him with concern.

“How am I supposed to work? Function day to day? I can’t be jumping your bones every five minutes when the urge to bite strikes.

” He felt it now, even with the lingering taste of Thorn’s blood still in his mouth.

Thorn chuckled and stroked a hand down Ledger’s arm, giving other parts of his body a boost that was very distracting.

“Stop that! We need to talk.” He really wasn’t sure who he was stressing that point to more, him or Thorn.

“Why would you want to work?” Thorn asked, the fingers sliding up over Ledger’s shoulder towards where the bite mark was.

Ledger wiggled his bum back and regretted that when he felt his slick rub on the rug beneath him.

A rug that looked very expensive. But he would not allow himself to get distracted.

“Why wouldn’t I work? You employed me to be your sommelier.

I have contractual obligations to the vineyard and winery. ”

“You are my dhampir.”

Thorn made it sound like that was all that was important, and Ledger couldn’t figure why it irked him, except it did.

“Yes, we are fated mates, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t honor the contract I have with you and your brothers. I want to work.” He loved what he did, and he didn’t see why he should stop just because he had a mate.

Back was the sense of hurt feelings and Ledger sighed, coming up onto his knees so he could reach for Thorn and cup his cheeks. “I love what I do. It’s why I’m eager to work with you and your brothers here.”

“In bumfuck nowhere?” One brow arched at Ledger, and he was back to blushing.

“To an outsider, you have to see how the town looks. Cowboys, and yes, who doesn’t love a cowboy—”

The lips pressing against his in a possessive kiss left Ledger losing all train of thought and when Thorn stopped kissing him, Ledger was straddling his lap, with a rather impressive dick under his slick ass.

“Is this how you’re gonna deal with me saying things you don’t like?” It would be a problem when Ledger might enjoy doing it for fun.

“If it stops you imagining cowboys, then most certainly.” Thorn looked utterly unrepentant, and Ledger knew he meant every word.

“Can I just point out I wasn’t the one the big cowboy in town was hitting on… poorly, I might add.” Ledger sniffed indignantly, recalling how easily Thorn had become preoccupied.

It seemed vampires didn’t blush, but they could look rather sheepish. “I didn’t have a dhampir when I had that dalliance with Brigg.”

Ledger recalled his impression of the large shifter and felt a stab of unease at the difference between himself and what Thorn had chosen to have a ‘ dalliance’ with.

He and Brigg were like day and night. Totally different, and Ledger understood better than most, that differences were hard to overcome despite a mating bond.

When faced with his own lack, Ledger did what he always did and chose to focus on something that always made him feel good about himself, work. He rose fluidly and lifted his leg over Thorn’s thigh, ignoring the look of disappointment when he picked up his ruined shirt to slip it on.

“I need to get my things, have a shower and then you can show me the winery so I can get a feel of the place.”

Thorn eyed him from where he remained, his expression not giving away his thoughts.

Ledger didn’t fidget, though it was a close call with cum and slick dribbling out of him. “You’ll need to show me where the bathroom is.” His impatience came across loudly and Ledger glanced away from the silent vampire, feeling unnerved.

His gaze travelled around the gorgeous room. There were pieces of modern furniture placed amongst antiques, giving an air of class that Ledger would never have been able to afford but could really appreciate.

“It’s yours too now.”

The quiet murmur next to his ear, having not heard Thorn move, made Ledger jerk his gaze back to the vampire standing right at his shoulder.

“It’s a good job I don’t have a weak heart or else I might have a heart attack with you creeping up on me like that!” He pressed a hand to the center of his chest, feeling his heart thud against his ribs.

Thorn’s chuckle sounded forced and caused Ledger to frown and focus, only to face Thorn’s wall.

“Your body is changing, getting stronger, so do not fear, Sweetling.” He walked towards a door, moving with a fluid ease that Ledger envied. It totally distracted him from what Thorn had said when the glorious ass bounced, making his teeth ache to get a bite.

“The bathroom is through here.” Thorn opened a door and glanced back at Ledger, one brow once again lifted.

Heat searing his cheeks at getting caught being so obvious, Ledger sailed past Thorn into a bedroom that held the biggest four poster bed. “Wow, you’ve decorated it so it resembles a boudoir in a brothel!”

Ledger walked deeper into the room, glancing about. It was as if he’d stepped back in time and into a movie where the mistress of the house had a decadent and sumptuous boudoir to do all her entertaining.

Thorn’s deep belly laugh warmed Ledger at the freeness of it and he grinned at Thorn. “What? It is.”

“Sweetling, I never considered it looked like a brothel,” he spluttered, looking to regain his composure. “I haven’t changed the décor in here since I furnished the place some hundred years ago. It’s all the original furniture I purchased new.”

Ledger blinked rapidly, twisting as he looked closer at the furniture, then back to his mate. “How old are you?”

“Old,” Thorn replied, walking over to the door on the other side of the room, past an armoire that gleamed in daylight revealing the richness of the wood. “The bathroom is more modern, though I don’t have a shower.”

Ledger hustled after him, ready to complain until he stepped into the bathroom, which was, as he said, more modern.

Navy marble glittered with flecks of silver from floor to ceiling, only that wasn’t what held Ledger’s attention.

It was the huge gorgeous porcelain bath sat in front of a window that gave an unobstructed view of the vineyard.

The lushness of the vines stretched out before him was breathtaking.

It was as if Ledger had found himself transported to a vineyard he’d visited in Italy.

He walked to the window and stared out.

“I can open the windows if you like. They slide back so you can lounge in the water and smell the ripe vines. There is nothing better.” The pride was there, and Ledger understood it. The brothers had helped create this.

“No, we didn’t help, we did this.” Thorn wrapped his arms loosely around Ledger’s shoulders, resting his chin on his head.

“There was nothing but endless pastures of grass and dirt. We tilled the land using horses and carts. It was long, laborious work, but those results…” he brushed a kiss over the slow beating pulse beneath Ledger’s ear, “brought you to me.”

Ledger relaxed against the solid wall of muscle behind him and, for the first time since he’d first looked into Thorn’s eyes, understood what this all meant. Destiny… no one could outrun it, and somehow the path he’d chosen had led him to Thorn.

Would it be enough?

Would he be enough?

He kept those thoughts on lockdown when he didn’t want the doubting side of him to spoil the moment. There was plenty of time for that.