Page 23

Danny

D anny relished the hot spray of the shower beating on his back, the feel of it washing away the grime of an emotional day.

My mom remembered me today .

He still couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t known how to feel at first. His initial reaction, beyond blatant disbelief at what was happening, had been anger at Roman for messing with his mom’s mind without even asking Danny for permission first.

But Danny hadn’t been able to hold on to that anger for long. How could he when Roman had so clearly wanted to help? And had so clearly succeeded.

My mom remembered me today .

The rest of their time at the care home had felt like a dream. To have his mom smiling at him again. It hadn’t been a perfect reset. She hadn’t known what year it was, obviously, and hadn’t been quite all there, not like she used to be. But still.

She’d known him.

He wished he could tell Gabe. His brother could be a thoughtless jerk sometimes, but he deserved to know there was a way for their mother to remember them now.

But Danny wasn’t quite sure yet how to have the “my boyfriend is a semi-immortal vampire being who can sometimes sort of control minds but not always in a bad way” talk with his brother.

Was he even allowed to tell Gabe? Was there some sort of vampire code about humans knowing they existed?

Danny should probably ask about that at some point.

Although, there wasn’t anyone for him to tell, really, besides Gabe.

Chloe, maybe. And that was it. He hadn’t realized quite how lonely his life had become until Roman had swept in, and suddenly there was someone else there, someone to hold him while he cried, to kiss his tears away.

It would be so easy for Danny to depend on him. So easy to love him, demon and all. Danny was probably more than halfway there already.

But what if Danny was just a fun diversion for Roman? A little blip of existence, like Soren had said. Roman said he would be there always, but what did that mean ? Would Roman still want him when Danny grew old and decrepit?

Or…would he want to turn him after all? Would Danny even want that?

Eternal life.

Eternal health .

It had been there, in the back of Danny’s mind, since his mom had gotten her diagnosis. The thought that maybe it would happen to him. Some early onset Alzheimer’s cases were genetic. Not always, but it was possible.

Danny was terrified of waking up one today to find himself losing his memories, without him even having lived a full life to forget.

He would have to leave this town eventually if he turned. He couldn’t stay young forever and expect no one to notice. Which would mean leaving Gabe alone.

But Gabe had abandoned Danny first. And moving from town to town didn’t sound horrible, not when Danny had never even gotten to travel before.

It sounded wonderful, honestly. To finally be able to see the world.

And he wouldn’t be doing it alone. He’d have Roman.

Roman .

Sweet, dangerous, protective.

A man who listened and comforted, a demon who protected and possessed. He was everything Danny had never had the guts to admit he wanted out of a partner.

After the sobfest in the car, Roman had kissed Danny’s tears away and taken him to the movie theater, of all places.

A tribute to Danny’s mother assuming they worked there together.

She must have thought the older vampire was Danny’s manager.

Danny couldn’t really picture his elegant lover working somewhere so mundane, but Roman had assured him he’d had worse jobs over the centuries.

It had been a silly comedy that Danny couldn’t help giggling at. How bizarre, to go on such an ordinary date with his demon lover after said lover had compelled his mother’s dementia away. Danny was pretty sure Roman had been watching him more than the movie, but that hadn’t been the worst feeling.

Roman hadn’t stopped touching Danny the entire day.

A hand on his back, an arm around his shoulders, a small kiss to the back of his neck. Danny hadn’t realized how touch-starved he’d been until he had Roman stroking him all the time like his personal pet.

It should have been weird to go from barely being touched at all to this sort of constant contact, but it just felt…perfect. Right. To melt into Roman’s touch and drown in his scent.

There were a few drawbacks though.

Like being half-hard all day.

But now they were home. And Roman was waiting for Danny in his room. And Danny wanted it all from him. Wanted everything Roman could give him.

He’d honestly wanted to pounce on Roman as soon as they walked in the door. Jump into his arms and climb his vampire like a tree.

But he’d chickened out and run off to shower instead.

Something about being possessed by Roman completely felt…monumental. Like Danny was going to be crossing a line he couldn’t come back from.

But he’d been responsible and cautious and lonely for too long.

It was time to take a leap.

Danny turned off the water, grabbed his towel, and started drying himself off quickly.

Time to fuck a vampire .

Danny opened the bathroom door leading into his room, his towel wrapped around his hips, to find Roman sitting at the edge of the bed in his underwear. Danny couldn’t help letting his eyes wander over every inch of the vampire’s body.

Good Lord, that man had muscles.

Sleek and svelte but defined in a way that had Danny wanting to lick him all over. And he could . He had the right to.

Lucky, lucky me .

Danny looked up from his perusal to find Roman staring at him with such heat that Danny was surprised he didn’t just burst into flames right there.

“Drop the towel, little king,” Roman ordered.

His voice was low and deep, but his eyes were still clearly blue, so Danny knew Roman wasn’t using compulsion on him, but honestly, he might as well have been. Danny’s hands had undone and dropped his towel before his brain had even fully registered the command.

“Come here.”

Danny’s feet moved without his permission, and he was walking forward until he was standing between Roman’s legs. He gasped as Roman’s arms encircled him and pulled Danny even closer. The height of the bed had them at eye level for once, instead of Roman towering over him.

Roman leaned forward, and Danny parted his lips, allowing the vampire to take the lead and devour his mouth. Compared to the sweet, gentle, boyfriendish kisses Danny been receiving all day, this kiss was dirty. Raw. Hungry. And Danny couldn’t get enough, moaning as Roman sucked on his tongue.

“Sweet boy. Lovely boy,” Roman whispered as he broke the kiss, moving to nibble on Danny’s ear.

“What-What you said before,” Danny moaned. “In the car. Say it again.”

“I am yours,” Roman purred.

Danny was panting now, his bare, leaking cock pressed against Roman’s stomach, and he couldn’t help but move his hips, desperate for some friction. One of Roman’s hands traveled from Danny’s waist to his ass, and then his finger was pressing lightly against Danny’s hole.

He whimpered. He couldn’t help it.

“Please,” he begged.

“Please what, little king?”

“Bite me.”

Roman snarled—literally snarled—and the hand not on Danny’s ass reached up and grasped the front of Danny’s neck, firm but not harsh, Roman clearly conscious of his own strength.

He tilted Danny’s head to the side. Danny shivered. Apparently they were going with the classic bite locale this time, and he couldn’t wait.

He watched as Roman’s eyes went black.

And then Danny’s entire body was singing as Roman bit into him. The tingles spread from his neck down to every part of him. He felt his balls tighten and his cock leak even more.

Why did this feel so fucking good?

Danny guessed Roman didn’t need much, having already fed on him that week, and it wasn’t long before the vampire lifted his head, eyes black and lips bloody.

“Mine,” he snarled, black eyes fierce.

“Yes. I’m yours,” Danny answered breathlessly. It was true, like it or not. But he did like it. Knowing he belonged to this deadly being.

And then Danny was being manhandled onto the bed, Roman lying on top of him. His eyes were blue again, but his pupils were blown, and Danny could just barely tell they weren’t vampire black all the way through.

“Mine,” Roman repeated, as if to verify that Danny knew he belonged to them both, demon and man.

“Yours,” Danny agreed. “Show me. Make me feel it.”

And then Roman was smiling at him, and the sight took Danny’s breath away. The vampire started kissing down Danny’s body, stopping to lave his nipples with his tongue, leaving Danny trembling. Who knew his body was this sensitive?

It had never felt like this before, not with anyone else.

Roman pointedly ignored Danny’s flushed, hard cock on his journey down, kissing and licking the insides of Danny’s thighs instead.

He tortured Danny that way for what felt like forever before strong hands gripped the backs of Danny’s thighs and lifted them, folding him practically in half and pressing him against the mattress.

And then Roman’s tongue was at Danny’s hole, and he was licking and kissing and sucking him there.

Danny gave a piercing cry, his entire body shaking from Roman’s ministrations. “Ohhhh my God. Fuck. Fuck-fuck. Roman. Please.”

“Why does every part of you taste so sweet?” Roman growled against him, removing his tongue and pressing the tip of his finger inside Danny’s entrance.

“Please, Roman. Please. Fuck me. Please.” Danny couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed by his own begging.

“I intend to,” Roman promised. “Where is your lube, little king?”

Danny’s brain had shut off completely. “I don’t—what? I don’t care. Just fuck me.”

Danny yelped as Roman swatted his ass lightly. “I am not going to break you out of carelessness, lovely mate. Lube.”

Right. No breaking Danny. That was good thinking. “Bedside drawer.”

Roman released Danny’s thighs and reached up and over Danny to his bedside table. The vampire paused there, looking inside the drawer. “As a vampire, I cannot give you diseases, but if you want, I can still—”

“No,” Danny cut in, knowing where this was going. “No condoms. Just you. I need you to fill me. Now. Please.”

Roman chuckled. “Impatient mate. So demanding.”

“Yes. Demanding. I demand you fuck me.”

”As you command, little king.”

Roman slid back down gracefully to his former position, using one hand to push Danny’s thigh back, and pressed one slick digit inside him. “So tight,” he murmured.

Danny groaned. “More. Give me more.”

Roman pressed another finger inside him and started to open Danny up, his actions surprisingly gentle considering how ferociously he had been tonguing Danny’s hole earlier.

Danny let it go on for what felt like an eternity before he couldn’t wait any longer. “It’s enough,” he panted. “I promise. Please. Fuck me now.”

He used his own hands to pull his thighs back, holding himself open for his vampire lover.

That action was enough to snap Roman’s restraint. “Merde,” he growled.

And then he was slicking up his cock with his lubed hand, pressing the fat head against Danny’s entrance.

Roman glided forward slowly but persistently until he was up to the hilt.

“Yes,” Danny moaned. He was so full. So fucking full.

“So. Fucking. Tight.” Roman paused there, body trembling from the effort of holding himself back, but he gave Danny time to adjust to his size, to the fullness that was on this side of too much.

Almost.

“You can move,” Danny whispered, giving an experimental wiggle. “I’m ready.”

Roman pulled back until he was almost all the way out and then slammed back in forcefully. He groaned low and deep. “Perfect.”

And then he was fucking Danny furiously, and it was wild and more than a little painful, but Roman was right—it was fucking perfect. Danny had never felt so completely owned before.

His limited experience with penetration before had felt good enough—he’d orgasmed and everything—but that was it. It was part of why he hadn’t tried harder to find hookups since nursing school. Sex was pleasant but not essential.

But this . Fuck.

Roman fucking him was primal, overwhelming, animalistic. Danny keened every time Roman’s cock brushed against his prostate. He thought he could probably come untouched.

He didn’t have a chance to find out, though, because Roman was suddenly grabbing Danny’s cock, jerking him to the same rhythm as his thrusts.

“Fuck!” Danny exclaimed.

“Not going to last much longer,” Roman panted. “Come for me. Sweet boy. Lovely boy. Come.”

And Danny did as he was told, coming so hard and so intensely that he just barely registered the rhythm of Roman’s hips faltering, the vampire’s deep groan as he pressed Danny down against the bed and filled him with his cum.

When Danny came back to his senses, Roman was still on top of him, still inside him, licking the sweat off Danny’s neck, murmuring seemingly to himself. “Sweet mate. Perfect mate. Lovely mate.”

“Mmm,” was all Danny could say in response.

Roman gently pulled out of Danny and propped himself up on his elbows, peering down at him, concern etched into his features. “Did I hurt you? I know I was—I was too rough. I am sorry. I just—”

Danny found the energy to lift his hand and stroked the side of Roman’s face. “Shh. No, you weren’t too rough. I-I liked it. I like it when it hurts a little bit. I didn’t really know that about myself before you, but it’s true. The pain makes it feel more real, I guess.”

Roman nuzzled into his hand. “That is because you were made for me. And I for you.”

Well, fuck.

What was Danny supposed to do with that? He was so far gone for every part of this man, this demon.

The violent possessiveness, the animalistic desire, the sweet concern.

Maybe this would all implode. Maybe Danny would find out he was just a diversion after all. But he was going all in anyway. This wouldn’t fizzle away for lack of trying on his part.

He had meant what he said.

He belonged to this vampire, and he could only hope this vampire belonged to him.

For as long as Roman would have him, Danny was his.