Page 146 of Vampire Kings Box Set

He was briefly afraid that Henry would refuse to put on a show, that he would find this all beneath him and irrelevant to him. Their eyes met and Henry shook his head slightly, as if to indicate this was not a good idea. Lorien no longer cared. Good ideas. Bad ideas. He did not have the respect of the vampires, and in its absence, fear would have to do.

He cast a pleading look over at Henry, who let out a small sigh and flowed into his wolf form, tearing his clothing in the process. The crowd drew back from the fierce fangs and intimidating presence of the alpha — but he was not alone. There was a greater surprise awaiting the vampires.

A small pack followed in Henry’s wake, for his men who had not left him behind when ordered to by Maddox. They had been lurking nearby, taking refuge in a building Lorien had mentioned to them, one that had recently been cleared as a crime scene.

The sight of Dante, Jake, and Norris all bursting out from the room behind the throne was an impressive one. To onlookers, it was as though Lorien had just summoned a small pack of wolves who stood before him and the throne not merely as guards, but as testaments to his power.

“Vampires and werewolves have long been at odds,” Lorien said. “Not anymore. Not here. I have made an alliance with their kind while my own kin forsook me. You each have a choice tonight. Show me loyalty, or I will show you the inside of these beasts.”

“So the baby has a puppy, so what?” Someone muttered. It was a younger vampire, though still older than Lorien. That vampire’s maker turned and cuffed them swiftly around the ear. Lorien let the comment slide, for he was merciful when it came to those who had smart tongues and should have known better. A snide comment from a fledgling did not rankle the way the sneering of the older vampires did.

“I have remained dormant for a long time. I have left you all to your devices, and I have asked nothing from you. Maddox has similarly ruled without force or tyranny. If you want that to change, make another one of these displays and see how I begin to root the disloyal among you out. Gerald, get the hell out of my sight. And take anyone else who doesn’t think I deserve to be here with you.”

Gerald was assisted out by several others. The same crowd that had laughed at Gerald’s taunts now watched silently and said nothing as he left the Library in shame. As a rule, these creatures had no real loyalty to each other. Vampires were individuals to an extreme degree. A vampire king served as figurehead and locus of power, but they would never slavishly devote themselves to any one vampire. They would always be dangerous and could only ever be led by respect tinged with a certain amount of fear.

Lorien sat back on the throne. “If the rest of you would like to continue with the business at hand, I’d be happy to consider it.”

“Was it the best idea to tell every vampire in the city that you are a murderous criminal?”

Henry asked the question when they were in the car on the way home. It was close to midnight, and the court had been generally successful after the false start.

“A murderous criminal with a pack of werewolves at my disposal? Maddox wouldn’t like it, but Maddox isn't here,” Lorien grinned. He was feeling better than he had felt in a long time. He’d taken his place on the throne. He’d felt true power. And he had commanded respect. It had been a long time since his self-esteem had received such a boost.

“I feel like I should spank you,” Henry said, a wry smile on his face.

Lorien smirked. “I might like that.”

“I know you would like that. You’re a bad boy.”

Lorien laughed. They were home now, parked in the underground garage. He turned to Henry. “Thank you for being there for me today, and the others too. I know they did it for you, but I still appreciate it.”

“You really can’t imagine anyone having a fondness for you, can you?” Henry smiled.

“I haven’t given any of them much reason to like me,” Lorien said. “It stands to reason they’d not want to display themselves before a horde of vampires for me.”

“You don't have to give people reasons to like you. Some people will just like you because you’re you.”

“Dim people, maybe,” Lorien said, earning himself a smack around the ear, a gentle one though, not a painfully dominating blow.

“Let’s get you inside,” Henry said.

They got out of the car and made their way toward the door which led to the lowest level of the house. Before they could get there, Henry pressed Lorien back against the wall, looking down into Lorien’s eyes with an intense animal gaze. Lorien’s cock throbbed against the hard lines of Henry’s body.

“I’m proud of you,” Henry said.

Uncommon tears came to Lorien’s eyes. “You are?”

“You stepped up as best you could. You have a lot to be proud of. You’re quite a guy,” Henry continued with the compliments. Lorien was quickly losing the battle against crying.

“Stop it,” he sniffed. “I’m the vampire king. I can’t go home and snivel.”

Henry made a warm chuckling sound and drew Lorien into his embrace. “Of course you can.”

Lorien felt Henry's lips brushing against his. Gently at first, and then with increasing insistence. Their first kiss was slow and sweet and deepened with all the hunger and passion they’d been attempting to fight from the moment they met.

“I want to be inside you,” Henry growled softly into Lorien’s mouth. “Do you want that?”

“Yes,” Lorien breathed back. He wanted it more than he wanted anything. The taste of carnal intimacy he’d experienced in Henry's mouth had left him day dreaming about what more might happen between them.