Page 29 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

His hands moved without conscious thought. He toed off his shoes, fingers fumbling clumsily with the buttons of his shirt. Only when cool air kissed his bare skin did he realize he was undressing right there in the entry hall.

A firm hand caught his elbow. Lander’s hand. Steady. Warm. Leo looked at him, dazed, and saw the same conflict in the vampire’s eyes that he felt in his own chest—something tight and inevitable.

Lander didn’t speak. He simply turned, guiding Leo toward one of the front pa rlors .

Even through the haze, Leo realized this was deliberate. Adam wanted him here, wanted this witnessed, orchestrated. The knowledge made something low in his belly tighten with anticipation.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Leo felt Lander’s gaze on him—hungry, uncertain. He reached out, almost absently, and palmed the hard ridge straining against Lander’s trousers. The contact jolted them both.

A snarl split the air. Adam was there in the next heartbeat, one hand fisted in Lander’s hair, dragging his head back in a silent reprimand. Dominance rolled off him in waves so potent Leo nearly sank to his knees.

Adam bent close to Lander’s ear, voice pitched too low for Leo to catch. Whatever he said made Lander shiver, hands curling into fists at his sides.

Then Lander looked up, right at Leo, and something in him yielded. His hands rose, clumsy with urgency, to strip away the last of Leo’s shirt. Cool air hit his skin, but he didn’t care. He only cared about Adam watching, about the heat building in his belly.

Adam’s gaze pinned him in place. You’re mine, that look said. Leo believed it. He wanted to.

When Adam’s mouth found his, Leo melted. The kiss was deep, claiming, the taste of it searing away every lingering doubt.

He didn’t resist when Adam guided him to the couch. When Adam shoved him forward and dragged his trousers down, Leo’s breath left him in a single, broken sound.

He barely registered Lander sinking to his knees behind him until careful hands cupped his thighs. Leo looked down, meeting Lander’s gaze as he leaned in, breath warm against his cock.

“You won’t come until I say so,” Adam murmured against his nape.

Leo’s nod was immediate, helpless. He felt the bond humming between them—impossible to deny, impossible to escape.

When Lander’s mouth enveloped him, he cried out, bracing himself against the cushions. Sensation crashed through him—too much, too good—and he shivered as Adam’s slick fingers pressed against his entrance.

“Please,” he gasped, voice ragged. “Please, Adam—”

“Patience.” Adam’s voice was a purr and a threat. “Take him deeper, Lander.”

Lander obeyed without hesitation, swallowing around him in a way that had Leo’s vision going white.

The next moment, Adam breached him in a single, relentless thrust. Leo choked on a moan, the stretch and pressure tipping him right over the edge. His climax tore through him before he could stop it, before he could even beg permission.

“You came without my leave,” Adam growled.

Shame and pleasure burned through Leo in equal measure. Before he could speak, Adam’s grip shifted. A hand fisted in his hair. Another squeezed the back of his neck, pinning him.

“Clean him up,” Adam commanded, and Lander obeyed—mouth warm as he licked him clean.

The world narrowed to nothing but sensation. When Adam lifted him to stand, Leo swayed. But he didn’t resist. He never would again.

A hand closed around his throat, firm but not cruel. Leo shivered, head falling back against Adam’s shoulder. His pulse thundered in his ears.

Behind him, Adam’s breathing deepened, hips rocking in a punishing rhythm. The connection between them felt like a living thing, vivid and inexorable, filling every corner of Leo’s mind.

When Lander pulled back, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist, his eyes met Adam’s. There was no resentment there—only acceptance, the same surrender Leo felt.

“Do it,” Adam commanded.

Lander inhaled once, as though steadying himself, then leaned in. Leo barely had time to process what was happening before sharp fangs pierced the sensitive skin high on his inner thigh.

He gasped, body jerking at the twin sensations: Adam’s cock filling him and Lander’s mouth drawing blood. His own arousal returned instantly, sharp and demanding.

“Fuck,” he panted, every nerve ending alight. He reached blindly for something—anything—to brace himself.

But Adam wasn’t finished. A strong hand wrapped around the base of his cock, holding him cruelly just shy of climax. The pressure bordered on painful, but he didn’t care. He would have let Adam do anything in that moment.

“Adam, please,” Leo gasped, desperation cracking his voice.

“Not yet.” Adam’s lips brushed the shell of his ear. “Not until I’ve marked you.”

Leo’s thoughts scattered. He tried to grind back against Adam’s thrusts, but the hand at his throat tightened in warning. All he could do was take it—every relentless thrust, every hot pull of Lander’s mouth.

When Adam came inside him, Leo felt it—felt the heat of it deep in his belly, the ultimate confirmation of belonging he hadn’t known he was craving. The hand around his cock finally moved, stroking him in rough, sure pulls.

“Come,” Adam ordered, voice barely above a whisper.

Leo did. His vision went white as pleasure crashed through him. He spilled over Lander’s chest and throat, every muscle locking before going limp.

Strong arms caught him, lifting him away from the couch. The world tilted, then righted, as Adam settled with Leo in his lap. He felt wrecked, used, perfect.

He rested his cheek against Adam’s chest, letting the vampire’s steady heartbeat ground him. Somewhere in the haze, he felt Adam’s fingers combing idly through his hair.

“You did well, beauty,” Adam murmured.

The words sank into Leo’s bones, warm and anchoring.

Lander rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth with a cloth Leo didn’t remember him retrieving. Lander met Adam’s gaze for a long, measured moment, something silent passing between them.

“I’ll leave you,” Lander said, voice husky. “Unless you require anything else.”

Adam shook his head. “Go.”

Without another word, Lander slipped from the room.

Silence fell—deep, heavy, strangely comforting. Leo let his eyes close, exhaustion tugging at him from the inside out.

He should have felt humiliated. He should have been furious with himself for surrendering so completely. But all he felt was relief.

He’d been fighting the bond for so long. Fighting himself. Fighting Adam.

Now there was nothing left to fight.

As Adam’s hand continued its slow, soothing motion in his hair, Leo knew with absolute certainty he wouldn’t try to run again.

He was exactly where he was meant to be.