Page 7 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

Chapter Five

Leo

“Get it together,” Leo muttered, running a hand through his disheveled hair. The gesture made him think of how Matthews had touched him, and he dropped his hand as if burned.

The facts were simple: Adam Matthews was Amenemhat, the First Son of Merytre herself. One of the most ancient and powerful vampires in existence. And now here he was, hiding in plain sight in Porte du Coeur’s wealthiest district.

Leo hurried away from the mansion, but he’d barely taken three steps when a familiar presence washed over him like a wave, sending his pulse racing. He didn’t need to turn around to know who stood behind him.

The silence stretched between them, heavy with tension. Leo kept his back to the vampire, but every nerve ending screamed with awareness. He could feel Matthews approaching, each step sending jolts of electricity up his spine.

Then came the rush of displaced air. Strong hands gripped his arms, and suddenly he was being propelled toward a small outbuilding at the edge of the property.

The door opened with a decisive click, and Leo found himself pulled inside what appeared to be a golf cart garage. The door shut behind them with a soft thud that echoed in Leo’s racing pulse.

Matthews slammed his back against the brick wall, forcing the air from his lungs. God, he was hard. It was humiliating how fast his body reacted. His cock throbbed against his jeans, and part of him hated himself for it. The other part wanted more.

Then Matthews was in his space, mouth hot against his neck. The sensation sent shivers through Leo’s entire body. He clutched at Matthews’ shirt, gasping at the dangerous press of that mouth against his pulse point. Instinctively, helplessly, he tilted his head to the side, exposing his throat.

“What are you doing in my territory, hunter?” Matthews growled against his skin.

“Get your hands off me,” Leo tried to snarl, but his voice cracked. When their eyes met, Leo let out a small, desperate whimper and found himself baring his throat again.

Matthews growled low in his chest. “Stop that.”

“I can’t help it,” Leo whispered. “I don’t know why.”

“You are mine, that’s why. Now, why are you here?”

Leo blinked, trying to focus through the haze of sensation.

“Wait, you know I’m a hunter?” His mind was fracturing under Matthews’ presence.

Every stroke of the vampire’s hands across his body sent sparks of pleasure coursing through him, muddling his thoughts and making him crave things his family would disown him for wanting.

Then he was kissing him. Leo was aware of initiating it, of pressing his mouth against the vampire’s, but he couldn’t begin to explain why. It felt inevitable, as necessary as breathing.

Matthews growled into the kiss, sharp teeth catching at Leo’s lower lip. A firm hand gripped his jaw as Matthews forced his mouth open, plunging his tongue deep inside. The kiss was claiming, consuming.

Matthews spun him around, slamming him face-first into the wall. Strong hands made quick work of his jeans, popping the button and yanking down the zipper.

“Lube,” Leo panted against the brick. “Wallet.”

He hadn’t understood why he’d felt compelled to tuck the lube into his wallet before leaving the house. Some instinct had whispered that he might need it.

“Good boy,” Adam murmured, his voice dark with approval.

Through hazy eyes, Leo watched his wallet arc through the air, landing forgotten in some corner.

Two slicked fingers pushed into him with unrelenting pressure.

Leo moaned, high and wrecked. He’d done this before—with others, on his own—but nothing had ever felt like this.

Not like this. It wasn’t the stretch; it was the intent.

The way Matthews moved inside him like he already owned every inch.

It was maddening. Fingers were fingers, he knew that.

But these were Matthews’ fingers. And Leo’s body reacted like it had been waiting its whole life for them.

His cock throbbed, leaking against the cool air.

He should be fighting back. He should be screaming.

Instead, he pushed back onto those fingers like a fucking whore.

“What’s my name, beauty?” The words vibrated against his neck.

“A-Adam Matthews,” Leo stuttered as those fingers twisted inside him, deliberately brushing over his prostate.

“You know who I am. What I am.”

It wasn’t a question. “Yes.”

“You should be afraid.”

“I am...” Leo groaned, the words dissolving into pure need as Adam withdrew his fingers.

The blunt head of Adam’s cock pressed against his entrance. Adam’s grip on his hips was bruising as he forced his way inside with one long, relentless thrust. Leo’s mind scattered, pain and pleasure blending until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

When he felt Adam’s hips flush against him, Leo’s head fell to the side without conscious thought, baring his throat in desperate offering.

Adam snarled something ancient before fangs pierced his jugular.

Pain bloomed for a heartbeat—sharp, searing—and then pleasure devoured it.

Leo shattered. His orgasm tore through him like lightning, white-hot and helpless.

His body clamped down around Adam’s cock as if trying to hold him there forever.

Strong fingers twisted in his hair, holding him in place as Adam drank from him, each pull sending fresh waves of pleasure crashing through him.

He was drowning in it, lost to everything but the feeling of Adam feeding from him, claiming him in ways that terrified him even as his body begged for more.

Wait. No. That thought should frighten him. He tried to clear his head, to think past the pleasure-drunk haze, but Adam’s name echoed through his mind like a prayer.

Adam’s tongue swept over the bite mark on his throat, soothing the punctures. Adam grunted, his hips grinding deep as warmth flooded Leo’s insides. The sensation triggered Leo’s second orgasm, his cock pulsing as he painted the wall.

Still panting, Leo barely registered when Adam’s strength vanished. He slid down the wall, his legs tangling in the jeans at mid-thigh. His forehead pressed against the rough brick as his hand moved shakily to his abdomen, feeling the warmth of Adam’s spend inside him.

When Leo glanced behind him, Adam stood watching with predatory intensity. Already zipped up, he looked disheveled in a way that made Leo’s spent cock twitch with renewed interest.

Leo shifted uncertainly, mind fuzzy as he tried to figure out how to clean up, when Adam suddenly yanked him to his feet.

Leo watched through heavy-lidded eyes as the vampire reached for his briefs and jeans, muttering what sounded like ancient curses at the tight denim.

A single nail extended like a blade, and before Leo could process what was happening, Adam sliced through his briefs, tearing them away and tossing the ruined cotton aside.

Leo’s breath caught. Would Adam fuck him again? The thought floated through his pleasure-addled mind, unbidden.

Adam roughly yanked his jeans up, fastening them with quick, efficient movements. Then Leo was being dragged toward the back of the garage, stumbling slightly as Adam’s cum continued leaking from him, creating an obscene image that the vampire noticed with satisfaction.

A steel door appeared in the shadows. Adam wrenched it open and shoved him through. The world tilted as Leo all but tumbled down a flight of stairs, his knees hitting concrete hard at the bottom.

Strong hands hauled him up before he could catch his breath. Leo looked back up the stairs just in time to see the heavy door swing shut with an ominous double click and the electric hum of locks engaging.

Adam dragged him down a wide hallway, the space oddly comfortable despite being underground.

Leo’s mind began to clear with each step, awareness creeping back.

Minutes passed, and full clarity slammed into him like a freight train.

Oh god. He’d let an ancient vampire fuck him against a wall.

His thighs were sticky. Every step made him feel it—Adam’s cum leaking down his leg, seeping into the denim.

It was obscene. It was ownership. He should’ve been ashamed, and he was—but not enough.

Not enough to stop the heat curling low in his stomach all over again.

Terror seized his chest as reality set in. This powerful, ancient creature was dragging him deeper underground, to god knows where. Leo’s heart began to race for entirely different reasons than before. He tried to pull away, but Adam’s grip remained implacable.

“Are you back with me now, beauty?” Adam’s voice was calm, almost clinical.

Leo stared at him. “What?”

“The compatibility.” Adam’s pace didn’t slow. “We’re highly compatible. The first...” he paused, seeming to search for the right word, “...claiming can be overwhelming. Especially for the human.”

Leo’s mind spun. “What are you talking about?” He tried to jerk free again, but Adam’s grip held firm.

“It’s a biological response,” Adam continued, as if discussing the weather. “Your body overrides the natural predator-prey fight-or-flight response through pleasure. Blood-drunk, if you will. Makes humans more receptive to a vampire. Less likely to panic.”

Leo would have laughed if he weren’t so terrified. This sounded insane. But then again, he’d just submitted completely to a creature he’d been trained since childhood to kill. Had all but begged for it.

Leo’s mind tripped over one word. “Claiming?” His voice cracked. “What does that mean?”

Adam sighed, the sound seeming to carry centuries of weariness.

He stopped them abruptly, turning to face Leo.

“The mark on your neck will never fade. I...” For the first time, the ancient vampire seemed uncertain.

“I apologize for that. I hadn’t intended to make it permanent. The mating got away from me.”

“Permanent…” Adam started walking again, but Leo’s mind had frozen.

A permanent bite mark.

On his neck.

Anyone could see it.

Panic clawed up his throat as he imagined his family’s reaction. Uncle Stefan would want to kill Leo himself. His breathing became erratic, body trembling.

Adam spun around, one hand gripping Leo’s jaw and forcing their eyes to meet. “Calm down,” he commanded softly.

The panic... dissolved. Leo’s heart rate settled, and the trembling ceased. When Adam released him, they remained standing still in the wide hallway.

Leo stared at him. “What did you just do?”

“Compulsion,” Adam said matter-of-factly. “It typically requires significant magical effort, but with high compatibility...” He shrugged. “It’s as natural as breathing.”

The implications hit Leo like a cold shower. This vampire could command him to do anything, and he’d have no choice but to obey.

“You know I’m a hunter,” Leo murmured.

Adam’s response was to grab the hem of Leo’s shirt, yanking it up to expose his ribs. His eyes fixed on the tattoo there—a sword crossed with a crossbow. Three hash marks scored the blade.

Three kills.

Adam let the shirt fall, his expression grim. “Yes. I know exactly who you are, Leopold von Rothenburg. Your bloodline hasn’t changed much since your ancestor killed my sister.” His voice caught slightly on the name. “Helena Konstantin.”

Leo swallowed hard, acutely aware of how vulnerable he was. “And you didn’t kill me because...?”

“The compatibility,” Adam said simply.

“What exactly does that mean?”

Adam’s hand slid into Leo’s disheveled hair, the gesture possessive.

“It means we’re compatible in every way—blood, body, and mind.

Think of compatibility like organ donation.

” His fingers traced down to Leo’s neck, brushing over the permanent mark.

“Blood types must match, tissue antigens must align, or the body rejects the organ. This is similar, but more complex because of the magic involved.” He sighed. “Magic always complicates things.”

“I’ve met compatible humans before,” Adam continued, his ancient eyes distant. “But nothing like this. Never in all my centuries have I felt so... compelled to claim someone. I can feel when you’re near. For three weeks, I fought against it, like fighting gravity itself.”

“You sat down with me at the café,” Leo said. “Why didn’t I feel the pull before then?”

Adam’s head tilted, a knowing smile playing at his lips. “Didn’t you?”

Leo swallowed hard, heat rising in his cheeks. He’d felt it. His eyes had been drawn to Adam constantly. He’d gotten embarrassingly hard just watching the vampire order espresso.

“I felt it,” Leo admitted.

Leo’s fingers found the mark on the right side of his neck, tracing the raised, healed-over scars. Small, but unmistakably visible above his t-shirt collar. “What does it mean to be claimed?”

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but raised voices from behind a nearby door cut him off.

Leo blinked, finally taking in his surroundings.

They stood in some sort of antechamber, with three equally wide, warmly lit hallways branching off in different directions.

He had no idea which one they’d come down.

The voices grew louder, more heated, and Adam moved to stand in front of Leo, blocking his view of the doors. “For now, beauty, being claimed, means you’ll live. No one in that room would dare harm you.”

Leo nodded, just as the double doors flew open with a thunderous crash against the walls.

The air seemed to drop ten degrees. Maja Volkov stood in the doorway, her nearly white-blonde hair in a thick braid. Leo recognized her as Nocturne’s President of Operations, but the glacial fury in her blue eyes made him wish he didn’t.

“You fucked the hunter?” she all but snarled.

Adam’s only response was to grab Leo’s elbow and guide him into the room beyond.