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Luc ran a finger along the line of Jamie’s neck, and Jamie tilted his head to give him better access. “You’d trust me?” Luc asked, a pensive expression on his face. “To stop at one bite? Not to drain or to turn?”

“I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Luc admonished, even as his eyes filled with heat. “The monster wants you as ours. Forever. Give him an inch and he’ll take endless miles.”

The thought didn’t scare Jamie, but it clearly scared Luc, so Jamie sought to reassure him. “He’ll behave himself. Won’t you, monster?” He looked again into those dark shadows swirling in the black. “You’ll let Luc have a taste, and you’ll be a good, obedient monster for me. No funny business.”

Luc let out an incredulous, strangled laugh. “I can’t believe it lets you get away with that.”

“Well, the three of us all want the same things in the end, don’t we? Your cock in my ass. Your fangs in my neck.”

That little statement seemed to snap Luc’s restraint. There was no more discussion, no more hesitation. He growled—deep and low enough that Jamie could see the vibrations in his chest—and then his mouth was on Jamie’s neck, his teeth sinking in.

There was a flash of pain. A hot sting. But then…

“Oh fuck!” Jamie cried out breathlessly.

He’d never felt anything like it. This—this pleasure licking outward from the bite, zipping along all Jamie’s nerve endings. He could feel his cock leaking precum all over the place.

Luc growled again, biting in deeper, his harsh swallows audible even over Jamie’s little pants and mewls.

Fuck. Jamie was going to come in his pants again. No, no, no. He wanted Luc’s hands on him. He wanted skin on skin.

He frantically pushed down his shorts, freeing his own aching cock before tackling Luc’s button and zipper, freeing his monster’s…monster.

Jamie couldn’t see it clearly, not with the way his head was tilted, but he remembered very vividly how glorious it was. Thick and veiny, with a beautifully fat head that had felt so fucking good against Jamie’s tongue, filling his mouth.

Jamie pressed their cocks together, swiping a thumb over the head of his own erection to gather the precum and ease the glide of his hand. Luc released his neck, and Jamie whined in protest, the sound cut off by Luc taking his mouth again, claiming Jamie’s tongue like he owned it.

Jamie could taste his own blood, the tangy metallic traces of himself on Luc’s tongue.

It pushed him over the edge, his release pulsing over his hand as his vision whited out.

He went limp. Fucking limp. He was vaguely aware of Luc taking over, jerking his own cock until he was spilling his cum over Jamie’s spent dick.

Jamie somehow found the strength to lean back and watch. He just really, really wanted to see it.

Luc laughed—a real, honest laugh, not a chuckle or an ironic huff—leaning his head against the back of the couch, the tendons in his neck tempting Jamie to bite at them. He wouldn’t be able to draw blood as easily as Luc, of course. But still.

How did it feel, to crave the essence of another in such a primal way? Jamie felt like he had an idea of it, vampire or not. He could feel the urge within him to consume Luc in any way he could.

Luc sighed. “Started out as a seduction, ended like two lustful teenagers, practically coming in our pants.”

Jamie smiled at him, awash in happiness. “A bit of your world. A bit of mine.”

“Why are you making the bed when we’re just gonna get in it and mess it all up again?”

It hadn’t taken Jamie nearly as long as he’d thought it would to convince Luc to stay the night. Apparently his vampire had meant it about the staying close and touching thing.

And ohhh, the touching. Jamie had liked that very fucking much. He shivered a little at the memory of the bite in particular.

Who knew getting your blood sucked could feel like some sort of…neck blow job?

Luc finished smoothing down the bedsheets, straightening the bedspread and folding back the top corner like this was a bed-and-breakfast and not Jamie’s actual home. “I prefer not to sleep on wrinkles,” he explained.

Such a snob.

But any further complaints or teasing immediately fled Jamie’s brain as Luc started efficiently unbuttoning his shirt, undressing in front of Jamie like it was no big deal and not something Jamie had been waiting for a glimpse of for-fucking-ever.

As Luc shed his clothes down to his briefs, Jamie was finally— finally —getting a look of that imposing body up close and personal.

And it was worth the fucking wait .

He reminded Jamie of a boxer: well muscled, defined, sleek. With an underlying brutality. A violence hovering just under the surface of all that smoking hotness.

If Jamie knew how to wolf whistle, he totally would have done one of those.

But he didn’t, so—“Whoa,” he breathed out instead, watching the play of those muscles as Luc meticulously folded all his removed clothing.

Luc shot him a smirk, placing the pile neatly on top of Jamie’s dresser. “Now, now, flower. Get that lustful look off your face. Otherwise, you won’t be getting any sleep at all tonight.”

“I’m good with that.” Jamie slipped off his own shirt easily, loving the heat that entered Luc’s eyes at even that small reveal. Jamie wasn’t built, not like his vampire, but Luc didn’t seem to mind his leanness one bit.

“ I’m not,” Luc chastised, despite the lust in his gaze. “It’s almost dawn as it is. We must take care of your precious mortal body.”

Jamie shrugged, tossing his shirt on the floor, laughing at the disgruntled look Luc shot it. “This is pretty much my regular bedtime.”

Luc cocked a brow. “A night owl, are you?” He smiled, slow and sweet—a rare sight. “Perfect for me in every way.”

Warmth rushed through Jamie at the praise.

He wasn’t quite sure how or why his vampire had gone from gun-shy to having this all-in mentality, but he was more than fine with it.

He was simultaneously preparing himself for the possibility that Luc would balk again.

Retreat in some way. It was clear his monster had his fair share of skeletons in his immortal closet, messing with his poor head.

Jamie flopped onto the bed, sprawling on top of those neatly pressed covers. Mostly just to see the flash of annoyance cross Luc’s face. He grinned up at his snobby vampire. “Speaking of perfect for each other. Tell me about mates. You’ve mentioned them more than once now.”

Luc sighed deeply, clearly annoyed with Jamie’s insistence on talking over sleeping, and then joined Jamie on the bed—his approach much more graceful—settling onto his back and folding his arms behind his head.

Jamie took a moment to appreciate the way it made his biceps and pecs bunch and flex.

Luc looked like a king. A super sexy, muscular king with a body that wouldn’t fucking quit.

Not the time, horndog. Right. Jamie shut his slack jaw, turned onto his side, propped his head on one hand, and tried to focus on Luc’s answer to his question.

“My kind are immortal, but our longevity has other…limits,” Luc explained, staring up at the ceiling. “Over time, we lose ourselves more and more to the vampire instincts inside us. To our monsters. We become more beast than man, driven by bloodlust and little else.”

How incredibly metal of them.

“And that…kills you, somehow?” Jamie asked.

Luc shook his head. “Not as such. But the lack of discretion risks exposure for all. A feral vampire will be put down by others of our kind eventually. For the greater good.”

That part Jamie definitely did not like. The thought of Luc—seductive, temperamental, overly complicated Luc—being put down like a dog…

Not on Jamie’s fucking watch; that was for sure.

“How much time do you have?” he asked.

“I couldn’t say. It varies from vampire to vampire. I’ve heard of some lasting less than a century, others for over five hundred years.”

As if Jamie cared about the fucking statistics. “How much time do you have, monster?”

Luc grimaced slightly, his gaze still on the ceiling.

“Not long, probably. I have much less control over my monster than I used to. I try to…mitigate the damage, you could say. I choose my victims carefully. I don’t give in to killing innocents.

But I have killed. Many times. And I never used to before. ”

The bodies Luc had mentioned. Jamie would process that later. “And how do mates fit in?”

“They’re a cure, in a way. A fated soul that tethers one’s humanity and prevents the descent into madness. Theoretically, all vampires have one, though certainly not all find them in time.”

Okay, this Jamie liked. Especially after all the doom and gloom, insanity-to-grave-pipeline talk. “And how do you know you’ve found one?”

Luc grunted noncommittally. “There’s no handbook, unfortunately. It’s instinctual.” He waved a hand in the air. “An intoxicating scent. An abnormal draw to another. Like I’ve said, I thought I found mine before and I was very wrong.”

“You were wrong because I’m your mate,” Jamie asserted with full conviction.

It all made sense. The frequent visions of Luc through the years. The certainty Jamie had felt since the first time he’d seen his vampire in his mind. The fact that he couldn’t seem to bring himself to care that Luc murdered people he deemed deserving of it.

“Most likely,” Luc agreed casually.

Most likely? Whatever. Jamie wasn’t going to be fooled by Luc’s standoffishness. They were totally mates. Destined, fated, meant-for-each-other mates. “And that’s it? We found each other and now you’re A-OK?”

Luc shifted on the bed. “Not quite,” he admitted. “Both parties must be vampires for the bond to solidify.”

“Okay. Dang. Cool. Vampire Jamie.”

Luc glared fiercely at the ceiling. “If I turn you, it will destroy your entire life. Your humanity will be taken away. Newly turned vampires are….impulsive. Hungry. You’ll have to leave this town, for fear of revealing yourself.”