Page 7 of The Blood Shadows (The Rose Vampire Coven #5)

N ox traveled to Ron and Ian’s apartment first in order to pick up a scent to follow. No one was there but he caught the scent of Ian of course and of his fellow enforcers Fane and Samuel who obviously had conducted a search.

Then he recognized Ron Mathews’ degenerate decay, which came across as a molding rot. He was a dark one for sure and not just an abusive uncle. This man had a history of horrible acts that Ian was not aware of. The man needed to be put down, and Nox was the only man who could make that happen.

He moved around the apartment taking in the desperate and desolate nature of the place. It was dire until he reached Ian’s bedroom and when he walked inside he felt a lightness and beauty that fully described his precious lover. Ian was safe now and Nox vowed to make sure Ron and is ilk would never get near the man again. He held the sour notes of Ron’s essence and folded into the current of the air and followed his trail.

"He's coming, so don't worry about it. The room is in his name, so it will look like he was staying here and suffered an unfortunate accident. It will come back on us, and once they contact you with the sad news of Ian's death, then you can file for the insurance money.

It'll be fine." Trinda was so sure of herself as she flitted around the room, trying to make it look like a young man was staying there. She'd taken a few things from Ron's apartment to make it look authentic.

"I get my five thousand back off the top before we split the rest," Ron demanded. "That useless Ward Sinclair was a waste of good money, and now I can't even get hold of him. He's not answering his phone."

"He failed and probably took off with your five thousand. Forget about him." Trinda, with her graying blond hair and pinched face, looked every inch the calculating bitch that she was. "He's not going to say anything. He would be incriminating himself, so forget it for now we can take care of him later." Ron nodded

"We've been playing the long game here, and I don't want to mess this up," Ron stated desperately. "I only took in your brat so I could eventually profit off his ass and you know that." Trinda nodded.

"It was smart getting that life insurance as soon as you took custody and then letting it sit for the last four years. No one will suspect you, dear brother, or me for that matter. I'm simply the uninvolved parent living many miles away."

“It better go off without a hitch. Are you sure he’s coming?”

“I’m sure.”

"He has a friend, you know, some guy who saved him from the mugging incident and has been seen with him since. He might bring that guy with him. Sinclair said he could be a problem." Ron was running everything through his mind making sure they accounted for ever possibility. "We can't fail. He has to die here today."

"He will, and if his friend comes along, then his friend will die too." Trinda was casual about the killing; she had no heart or soul. "Now, you need to get out of here before he shows up. Go back to the bar and wait for me there."

“How are you going to do this on your own.” He asked.

“I have some hired muscle that should be here shortly. I’ll be fine and will call you when the deed is done.” She smiled and waved him off.

Ian found the elevator and took it to the ground floor he passed by a few people that he recognized as vampire, but they didn’t talk to him or bother him. It was strange being able to see people for who or what they really were, and Ian was still getting used to it.

He found the door which led out to an alley and that’s when he realized the coven house was disguised as a basic warehouse. Looking at the outside one would never guess what lay inside Master Rose was a genius. Ian walked to the main street and once there called for a ride.

As he made his way to Wilmington Ave and then the Jefferson motel he thought of Nox. He should call him and let him know he was meeting his mother but there was a part of him that wanted to see her first get a read on her before introducing her to the most important man in his life. Nox knows him and knows where he came from, but he hasn’t come face to face with the players and Ian wasn’t sure he ever wanted him to.

The driver dropped him out in front of the Jefferson. It was a decent motel, not too cheap and not too expensive. Trinda was on the second floor in room 248. He looked up to the second floor and just considered what it was he hoped to gain by meeting with her.

There was no way this was going to go well. It was either going to be a shit show, or he would gain a little insight into her life and decision-making. She left, and that was the fact. She left and never looked back, leaving him to be cared for by Uncle Ron, a man who should never be in charge of anyone or anything. She did him dirty, and now she was going to tell him why. Did he really want to know?

He was here now so he might as well follow through. Ian looked around making himself aware of his surroundings just like Nox told him. There was a man by the east corner that was paying him a little too much attention, so he looked at him directly catching his gaze and holding it. He looked away and then left. It didn’t mean he wasn’t trouble, but it let him know that he saw him.

“Okay, time to get this over with.” He headed inside and up to room 248. He stood outside the door and held his breath as he knocked. The door opened and a woman stood there it was his mother, but she looked older and harder. Her blonde hair was graying, and her skin had darkened and wrinkled. It was her but it was a sad version of her.

“Oh Ian, my darling boy come inside.” She reached for him, but Ian stepped back not ready to get all touchy feely with this veritable stranger. She eyed him speculatively and then gave a little fake smile and stepped back to let him enter. Ian walked by her into the room and she closed the door.

“What is it that you want to tell me?” Ian was feeling off ever since entering the room and wanted to end the encounter as soon as possible. He looked around the small room and noticed the bathroom door was closed. He casually moved closer to the door while asking her several questions which she avoided answering. “Why are you back? Why now?”

"I'd offer you a drink, but I have nothing, having just arrived." She moved over toward the bathroom, and Ian moved closer to the door. "I'm sorry for abandoning you, Ian, but it was for the best." She wasn't explaining anything; she was just reiterating her usual lines.

“Okay, sure, well I think I’ll be going. It was good seeing you Trinda, but I don’t want to keep in touch.” When he turned to the main door intending to leave he heard the bathroom door open and Trinda call out to him.

“You’re not leaving.” Trinda’s voice turned sharp and forceful. Ian turned around and saw her standing with man next to her. He was a thug that was easy to see, and he was the men Ian had noticed outside. The man raised a gun and pointed it at Ian and then Trinda dropped the lies and began to explain why she was in town, and she wasn’t there to get to know him better.

"I'm sorry it has come to this, but life happens, doesn't it, honey." She smiled and moved away from the man with the gun.

"You want to kill me?" Ian was confused and scared. He was very scared.

"It's not that I want to. It's just the easiest way to reach our goals."

“Who else is in on this? Is it Ron?”

"Of course, it's Ron. He hired the hit men who failed so spectacularly." She was taking this so lightly as if he were nothing and meant nothing. "It's an insurance policy silly. You die and I get rich." Ian kept his eyes on the man with the gun but tried to keep his mother talking the longer she talked the longer he had time to figure this out.

In his heart he reached out to Nox calling to him and begging for help. It couldn’t all end here like this he had a life a beautiful life ahead of him and he didn’t want to lose Nox. He needed him so badly. “Please Nox please hear me and come to me.”

Nox found Ron at a bar downtown he was in the bathroom. Nox appeared in front of the door standing in the shadow and stepped out as soon as Ron turned away from the sinks and headed for the door. He stopped abruptly when he saw Nox blocking the way.

“What do you want?” He said fearfully. “What are you?” He said and Nox reached out and placed the palm of his hand on Ron’s forehead rendering him still and motionless. He couldn’t talk and he couldn’t breathe.

Nox searched his mind, shredding it as he pulled everything from the dark reaches of his consciousness. The facts hit Nox like a sledgehammer: the plan, the hits, and the fact that Ian's mother had organized it all. The final shred of information had Nox reaching out to Ian as he incinerated Uncle Ron, leaving nothing but gray ash on the bathroom floor.

Then, he was suddenly bombarded by a hysterical call from his beloved. Ian was with that woman. Their plan was playing out, and Nox's heart exploded with the fear of losing him. He hadn't stayed in the apartment he went to her, and she planned to kill him. Nox turned into the shadows and traveled on the wind, desperate and in a frenzy to reach him in time.

"I'm going to kill you." She said, and then she amended that statement with a sickening smile. "Well, actually, he's going to kill you." She pointed at the man next to her. "It will look like a basic robbery-murder. Really unfortunate, sad even." She smiled. "But before he kills you, I got to ask who is the man that keeps saving you."

"That would be me." Ian saw Nox standing behind the man with the gun, and in the next second, the man was dead on the floor with a gaping hole in his chest. Nox had punched his fist through the man, actually completely through him, and he did it with ease. Trinda saw this and started for the door, but in a breath, Nox was standing in front of her.

Ian could see the panic in her actions as she saw her plans falling apart. “Turn around Ian.” Nox stated and Ian turned around and when he turned back Trinda was gone and also the gunman.

“Where did they go?”

Nox took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hands before responding. “I sent their remains to the underworld to join your Uncle Ron, and they will bother you no more. The plot to kill you has been eradicated, and everyone involved has been destroyed. You are safe, my love." Ian ran to him, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his chest. Nox responded by holding him close and kissing the top of his head.

“I’m sorry I left the apartment. Trinda said she wanted to see me. I knew it was a bad idea, but I wanted some answers but as soon as I got here I realized it was all a trap a stupid trap that I walked right into. I’m sorry.” Ian was shaking with the pent up trauma and relief.

"I should have told you about Ron and explained the danger you were in. I hoped to deal with it and tell you later to keep you from the sadness I knew it would bring. Although I did not know Trinda was involved until I invaded Ron's mind and saw the plan they had devised. I'm so sorry they let you down, but you're safe now, and I will always keep you safe." Nox squeezed him tight and then in a blink they were standing in Nox's living room.

"I will never get tired of that," Ian whispered against Nox's shirt. He was still pressed to his chest and wasn't interested in moving just yet. "I love you, Nox. Since the moment we first met, you have been there for me. I've never allowed myself to ever lean on anyone. I've never trusted anyone, but I trust you, and I know without a doubt you will always be there for me."

Nox stood silently for a few minutes; just holding and being held and having his beloved in his arms was all he needed to feel the fear of losing Ian slowly drain from his mind. "You scared me Ian and that's an emotion I don't feel often and where you're concerned, I hope to never feel it again."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen, and I'm sorry I believed her." Ian took a slow, ragged breath, and Nox felt his body tremble slightly. "She was going to stand there and watch that guy kill me. She was going to do it for money, and Ron was part of it. I never expected anything from either of them but did expect simply human decency and maybe a few basic morals.”

"Some beings are incapable of seeing beyond themselves. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact they have no conscience." Nox tried to soothe his lover.

“I’m not so sad as I am disappointed. I wasn’t stupid; I knew she never liked me, and I knew for a fact that Ron detested my presence. I was there to pay the bills and nothing more. But would never have thought them capable of something like this, the mugger that was going to slit my throat and the drive-by that was going to fill me full of holes that were them; they arranged all of that." Ian drew in another ragged breath, and his despair was palatable. "If it weren't for you, they would be sitting together, laughing about me and counting their insurance money."

"Fate brings a couple together when they need each other the most. I needed to be there to save your life, and you needed to be there to save my soul. I was slowly disappearing into the darkness. Nothing mattered to me anymore except my duty to Master Rose. I had nothing else, and then there was you." Nox lifted Ian's face up to his and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You changed everything for me. You filled my heart and healed my soul. I love you, Ian. I'm not perfect and never will be, but I am perfect for you." He bent and kissed him again.

The despair lifted and the tension disappeared. Ian started to pull at Nox’s clothing and his need was clear. Their bond was fresh, and their connection needed to be fed. Nox felt his own needs burning through him his vampire was on edge and his demon in him wanted more. It was all about security and assurances and building a love that would stand through the ages.

He picked Ian up into his arms and carried him to the bedroom. All the while Ian continued to undress him and raining hot kisses to his enflamed flesh. The touch was magical and softened everything about Nox. His thoughts were only for Ian as was his heart. The young human was his life now the center of all that was beautiful, and Nox would guard and protect, love and honor and serve this one man forever.

Ian moved near the bed once Nox set him down on his feet and beckoned Nox to come closer. He removed Nox's clothing paying special attention to his chest with kisses and caresses, and then moved to his firm engorged cock. Ian stroked him repeatedly, heating the flesh and sensitizing him to his touch. Nox was completely naked now, and Ian was still fully dressed, and the scene struck him as deliciously naughty.

He pushed Nox back against the bed, and Nox allowed himself to fall onto it. Ian instantly took Nox's straining cock into his mouth and swallowed him down his throat. He worked it with his muscles, sending spikes and rocket explosions through Nox's system. He stroked with his hand and his mouth, bringing Nox a level of pleasure he had not experienced.

Ian's own arousal flared, and he opened his jeans and took himself in hand, stroking his needy flesh while feasting on Nox. He took him down fully over and over, and Nox felt the dizzying effects of the pleasure that was building with each stroke. He threaded his fingers through Ian's hair and prompted a few shallow thrusts, slowly taking control.

Ian followed, and they fell into a rhythm. Ian gripped him tighter, and then suddenly, Nox pulled him off and sat up, grabbing him under the arms and tossing him onto the bed beside him. Ian rolled onto his stomach with a soft laugh, and Nox gripped the waistband of his jeans and pulled them down to his thighs.

That bare ass was a work of art, and Nox drooled at the sight of it. Nothing in his long life could ever compare. He covered his cock with lube and slathered it on Ian's waiting hole. "On your knees." He said, Ian scrambled to obey even as his jeans tripped him up a little.

Nox got onto the bed behind him, straddling his legs that were firmly confined by the tight jeans, and used one hand to spread his cheeks and the other to stretch and loosen his tight entrance. His heartbeat was increasing, and his breath was coming out in shallow pants. The effect this human had on him was extraordinary.

He pushed Ian's face down toward the bed so his ass pointed higher. "Stay like that." He said, and then, without further instruction, he lined up his eager cock and thrust inside his needy lover, burying himself to the base. The tightness was amazing. His cock was vibrating with the need to move.

With a sharp slap to Ian’s right cheek, he began a punishing rhythm of rapid thrusts, stretching and burning in its wake. The moans and pleas for more told him all was good, so he picked up the speed and the pressure.

Holding Ian's hips, he then began to pull him back, forcing his cock even deeper as he continued to thrust, feeding the need and the passion bubbling between them. Another slap and another moan, and Nox was losing his mind. He slammed in hard and gripped the supple flesh of Ian's gorgeous ass and came pumping stream after stream of his seed deep within his lover. He bent and sunk his teeth into his soft flesh and drank while continuing to pump his tight, warm hole and empty it completely.

The taste of his beloved was wonderful, and it filled him with renewed vitality and energy like nothing else could. He finished and licked the wound close, leaving it sensitive and reactive to his touch.

Nox pulled out and flipped Ian to his back. Ian was holding his cock, preventing his orgasm. The pressure and the need showed so fully in his eyes, and his face screamed for satisfaction. Nox jerked Ian's hand away and took him into his mouth, swallowing his man to the base, and then worked him with expertise that had him squirming and begging for release.

He played him for a few minutes, pushing him to the climax and then staving off the finish, only to push him again, leaving him shaking and sweating and crying out. Nox loved the way the jeans tight around Ian's thighs held him in place while Nox took advantage of all that was on offer. Ian didn't seem to mind and was enjoying himself as well. Perhaps there might be a little light bondage in their future. It was something Nox enjoyed, but it would be Ian's choice.

With that thought in mind, he took hold of Ian's hands in one of his, holding them while he finished Ian off. He jerked and cried out and came in a fierce release, filling Nox's mouth with a flavor that was pure and beautiful. He drank him down, loving the feel of his beloved beneath him and coming apart with the pleasure he was providing.

They lay in bed together following their epic session of love and learning. They lay silent for some time before Ian broke that silence with a question that Nox had not expected. Apparently, he had not made himself completely clear these last couple of days.

“Where do we go from here Nox?” He asked it wasn’t emotionally laden it was just a question of curiosity. In order to eliminate any further misunderstandings or confusion Nox laid it out clearly as he saw it.

“You and I will pack your things from the apartment, and you will move in here with me. This is your home as much as it is mine. You are my beloved and I need to keep you near. You will find that being apart for long periods of time is not pleasant it’s not simply a desire it is a need now that we are bonded we are one in body and soul.” Ian made no comment so he continued.

"You will be welcomed into the Rose Coven as a member and as the beloved of Nox Samara. Conall Rose will become your Coven Master. I will introduce you, and we will become your community."

“I’ll live here with you.” Ian said softly and nuzzled closer to Nox’s side laying and arm over his chest and kissing his shoulder.

“You will always be with me.”

"I won't lie and say I'm not a little bit scared, but the caring, the excitement, and the mystery of it all has me hooked." He paused for a moment to get his words right. "But it's you, Nox, and only you that truly matters. I've never been in love and have never desired someone with the force that I desire you. I will follow you. . . always and forever. I love you, my vampire and demon lover."

"Always and forever," Nox repeated and took his lips in another possessive embrace.