Page 30 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

Chapter Fifteen

Leo

Leo surfaced slowly to consciousness, becoming aware of his surroundings in stages. He was on the couch, face-up, his head cushioned on Adam’s lap by a pillow, and his legs draped across Lander’s thighs. And he was completely, utterly naked.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, “I’m getting really tired of being fucked into unconsciousness.”

The complaint came out more resigned than angry. Wasn’t this becoming a pattern? Get overwhelmed by Adam’s presence, lose all rational thought, have the best sex of his life, then wake up confused about his surroundings.

Above him, conversation paused. He registered Maja and Oren’s voices, discussing something with Adam, who had somehow acquired an elaborate tray table balanced with his laptop. Lander was scrolling through his tablet as if having a naked human draped across him was just another Tuesday.

Maybe it was now. The casual way Lander’s free hand rested on his thigh, the way Adam’s fingers occasionally stroked his hair while typing, like they owned him—like he belonged to them—sent a confusing mix of mortification and arousal through him.

Leo tried to turn onto his side to preserve what little dignity he had left, but the movement caused an unmistakable sensation of Adam’s release slipping from his body. A low warning growl froze him mid-motion.

Heat crept up his neck—not only from embarrassment, but from the thrill that shot through him at Adam’s possessive sound.

He was marked, claimed, used, and everyone here knew it.

Could smell it on him. Adam was showing him off like a prize, and the realization sent an unwelcome spike of lust through him.

He dropped back with a resigned sigh. “Right. Just going to lie here naked. For all of God’s creation to see. Perfect.”

Adam’s hand moved to caress his hair. “I need you like this.”

“Why?” Leo asked, his voice tight with confusion.

“I don’t fully understand it myself.”

Leo sighed in exasperation, the sound turning to a startled gasp as Adam’s hand slid down his chest to fondle him, all while continuing his conversation with Oren about security system upgrades.

Leo squirmed at the casual, intimate touch, but a warning squeeze made him go still, heat prickling over his skin.

While Adam discussed technical specifications, Leo stared at the ceiling, fighting the growing realization that this display was affecting him in ways he didn’t want to examine.

“Exactly how many people have seen me naked at this point?” he demanded.

Adam ignored the question, but Lander answered without looking up. “Maybe half the household? Maja and Oren, obviously. Gaspard was here earlier. A few staff setting up Adam’s workspace. Some gardeners I needed to speak with.”

Half the household. Leo’s stomach clenched.

“Why are you even still here?” he asked Lander, noticing the tension in the vampire’s shoulders, the way his jaw was set just a little too tight.

“I can’t let him go just yet,” Adam cut in, tone leaving no room for argument. Lander stiffened, eyes flicking briefly to Adam before returning to his tablet.

Something was happening here, Leo realized—something Adam didn’t fully understand either.

The pull he’d felt toward Lander earlier seemed stronger now, more defined.

Not like what he felt for Adam—that overwhelming need to submit—but something else.

Something that made him want to reach out, to comfort the conflict in Lander’s carefully controlled expression.

Adam finished his conversation with Maja and Oren, dismissing them with a nod before returning his attention to his laptop. His hand continued its intimate exploration, making Leo’s body respond.

He turned his face into the pillow, grabbing Adam’s wrist. “Please stop.”

The plea came out breathless, because even as his mind rebelled, his body betrayed him, growing hard under Adam’s casual touches.

“If I stop, I’ll simply order Lander to continue,” Adam replied matter-of-factly.

And Lander would, Leo realized, glancing at his expression. He’d do it because Adam commanded it, even though Leo sensed his conflict.

“Why?” he demanded, voice strangled.

Adam sighed. “I don’t know. My instincts are demanding that I display my claim. It settles something in me.” His fingers traced idle patterns over Leo’s skin. “You avoided me too long.”

So this was a punishment and a demonstration.

“I wasn’t avoiding you,” Leo mumbled into the cushions, though they both knew it was a lie.

Adam snorted softly, not bothering to argue. His hand retreated, but a moment later, Lander’s warm palm replaced it, gently cupping and caressing. Leo’s breath caught, shame and arousal tangling as he failed to pull away.

More than that—he didn’t want to. The careful way Lander touched him seemed... right somehow.

“I’ve contacted my parents,” Lander said quietly. “They’ll arrive in three days.”

Adam grunted approval. “Maybe they’ll have answers.”

His hand drifted back to Leo’s hair as he addressed Lander. “Did the gardeners know anything about the missing camera?”

“No,” Lander replied. “But Jackson hasn’t shown up for work. No one can reach him.” He frowned at his tablet. “His background check was clean. Human, native to PDC. His sister married into Nathaniel’s pack—that’s how he got the job. She’s been messaging me all morning.”

Adam went quiet. “Is this typical hunter procedure?”

Leo turned his head toward him, and the answer spilled out unbidden. “Of course. They turn people inside organizations they can’t penetrate.”

“Where would he be now?”

Leo tried to clamp his mouth shut, but the truth came anyway. “Anywhere, depending on what they promised. Money, revenge, a place in their ranks.”

Panic fluttered in his chest. He couldn’t even choose silence.

“Which would Jackson be offered?”

“Money,” Leo whispered, his eyes wide. “Probably.”

Adam’s gaze sharpened. “Do informants survive?”

Don’t answer. Don’t—

“They only live if they join,” Leo choked out, horror creeping over him. “Why am I—”

“You can’t lie to him,” Lander explained gently. “Not while the claim is new.”

The words hit Leo like a blow. He couldn’t lie. Couldn’t even choose to withhold.

“Are there any benefits to me in this ‘relationship’?” he asked bitterly.

“I don’t know,” Lander admitted. “This is the first vampire-human perfect compatibility I’ve heard of. The others were with supernaturals. My best guess? You’ll share Adam’s lifespan.”

“Not worth it,” Leo muttered. “Great sex or not.”

Adam chuckled. “At least the sex is ‘great.’”

Leo latched onto the only distraction he could find. “Where does Lander fit into this?”

Lander’s frown deepened, and Adam’s eyes went dark. “I don’t know,” Adam admitted quietly. “I feel a pull to him. My instincts...” His jaw tightened. “I want to tear his throat out when he touches you, but I also can’t stand the thought of him leaving.”

“So I’m the catalyst,” Leo whispered. Whatever was happening between them, it was because of him. Because of this bond.

“And yet you keep ordering me to touch him,” Lander said, his hand still moving over Leo’s thigh in a gentle caress.

“Because it feels right when I command it. When it’s mine to give,” Adam said, his voice raw.

The revelation settled over them like a heavy shroud. Whatever was happening, it was older than any of them knew how to name.

“Nothing about this is simple,” Lander murmured.

Leo exhaled shakily. “No. It really isn’t.”

Silence stretched, full of questions none of them could answer. Finally, Leo grasped for something solid. “Where in the garden was the camera taken?”

Adam’s hand stilled. “Why do you ask?”

Leo hesitated, understanding he was about to cross a line he could never uncross. “Because the location matters.”

He took a slow breath. They’d abandoned him. He owed them nothing.

“I can tell you what they’re doing,” he said finally, voice steady. “But you need to understand—once I do this, there’s no going back.”

Adam helped Leo sit up from where he sprawled across their laps, then guided him to his feet with a fluid grace that made Leo’s head spin.

A set of neatly folded clothes waited on a nearby chair—new clothes, Leo realized.

His old shirt was a lost cause after Lander had torn it off earlier.

Someone had not only cleaned up the evidence of their.

.. activities but also laid out a complete outfit, down to socks and shoes.

When he moved to pick them up, Adam’s warning growl stopped him in his tracks. Possessive power rippled through the air. He understood, then—Adam intended to parade him through the gardens exactly as he was.

Lander’s hand settled on Adam’s shoulder, the touch somehow both deferential and grounding. “Your Claim still carries your scent,” he murmured, voice pitched low and soothing. “They can smell your possession of him, even clothed. Let them see him put together, knowing what lies beneath.”

Leo flushed hot at the blunt statement, but watched the tension slowly bleed from Adam’s shoulders. His eyes were still dark, but the snarl faded to something more controlled.

Adam inclined his head, releasing Leo’s arm. As Leo reached for the clothes, his fingers caught on buttery-soft fabric. He turned over the tag—and froze.

“These are... designer.”

“In my rooms,” Adam said, smiling faintly, “you’ll find an entire wardrobe of them.”

“I’m sorry—your rooms?”

“The wardrobe was purchased days ago. But your belongings?” His eyes glinted with satisfaction. “Those were moved during your... hour of rest. Perhaps a touch longer.”

“An hour.” Leo’s voice was flat. “In an hour, you had a wardrobe delivered and my things moved?”

Adam’s fingers traced his bare shoulder. “When you’re as old as I am, beauty, you learn the value of efficient staff.”