Chapter Five
When Kyrie opened his eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see Fen staring at him.
On their sides, face to face, life turned intimate.
It felt like everything else vanished, leaving them in a bubble that belonged only to them—like they couldn’t be disturbed.
Fen had claimed him. By accident or not, Kyrie felt so much, he thought he might explode.
It was unnatural for only one of them to be tied to the other.
Maybe that was all the heavy feelings crushing him were all about.
Kyrie didn’t know how much of what he felt was real.
Hope was a damnable thing. That pesky emotion didn’t give a shit about common sense.
Kyrie couldn’t stop crashing himself against the rocks, hoping just one love would stick.
He couldn’t have stopped himself from moving if he tried. Fen’s eyes silently begged Kyrie to help him. Kyrie stopped thinking about himself and what he couldn’t survive. His mate hurt, and it was Kyrie’s job to soothe him… no matter how temporary life might be.
“Please?”
The quiet plea broke Kyrie. He couldn’t listen to Fen beg. Mates went deeper than regular relationships. It was a life bond he couldn’t walk away from, no matter how much he feared the future. It would be the same for Fen.
Kyrie urged Fen onto his back before straddling his body.
He slowly lowered his head and swiped his lips across Fen’s.
It wasn’t enough. Kyrie deepened their kiss.
Fen matched him, staying at Kyrie’s pace.
Kyrie appreciated that more than Fen could ever know.
He supposed that wasn’t true now. Fen could see inside his head anytime he liked and know exactly how much Kyrie needed his patience.
Kyrie kissed a path from Fen’s mouth to his neck.
The dark thoughts that kept undermining him sneaked in as he kissed the spot inches below Fen’s ear.
Maybe he should choose a less visible spot.
Fen might not want a mated mark where anyone could see at first glance.
Then again, Fen was a vampire. Maybe he wouldn’t scar at all.
It was possible he could just pretend they weren’t a set.
Did Audor have a mark? Damn it. He couldn’t recall.
A shaky-sounding breath escaped Fen as Kyrie licked the spot he kissed. Fen writhed beneath him. He grabbed the back of Kyrie’s head and gently held him in place. “Yes. Right there. I want it.”
With that sexy tone, Kyrie would give him anything.
He bit. His fangs took over, tearing into Fen’s throat.
Blood filled his mouth. Kyrie swallowed.
The orgasm that hit him had Kyrie praying the feeling never ended.
Something invisible tugged at his chest. He felt the laces stitching them together as one. He was too overwhelmed to be terrified.
The moment Kyrie removed his fangs, Fen healed. Kyrie watched the marks form with lust and love clouding his vision. He had a mark. Everyone would know Fen was off limits.
“I need that too.”
Kyrie’s back hit the bed before he could decipher Fen’s words. A starved vampire was on him. Kyrie’s clothes were ripped away. “I need the world to know you belong to me and only me.” His gaze met Kyrie’s. Fen’s stare looked crazed. “Don’t worry. I’d never let you hurt.”
With only that as his warning, Fen vanished into thin air. Before Kyrie could form a thought to wonder what happened, Fen was back. “What—”
Fen impaled him.
Kyrie’s mouth opened in a silent scream. He hadn’t been prepared. Even though, logically, he knew Fen was in his head blocking the pain, and he had obviously disappeared and coated himself in lube, Kyrie still hadn’t expected the sudden intrusion.
Then Fen’s fangs sank into Kyrie’s throat, and nothing mattered.
In fact, he was absolutely thrilled to have Fen inside him when the second orgasm hit.
It was a totally different experience with Fen enjoying it too.
He felt the blood leave his body as Fen drank.
The sensation was muted by the way his soul sang and the sounds Fen made as he joined Kyrie over the edge.
He hadn’t known what to expect when he claimed Fen.
There was no way Kyrie could have envisioned this… not under the circumstances.
Fen’s thoughts barged inside Kyrie’s head and set up shop.
Kyrie felt everything Fen did, and sunlight burned away all the darkness inside him.
Not only did Fen want him, but he also wanted this entire package.
Kyrie was his miracle. Fen had tried resigning himself to never having his second half to roam the earth with him for all of eternity.
Kyrie saw that night at the restaurant through Fen’s eyes.
While he had been caught off guard by Kyrie’s age, the knowledge didn’t stop the attraction.
He adored Kyrie’s company. This union mattered to him more than anything.
Tears filled Kyrie’s eyes as Fen licked Kyrie’s neck, sealing the wound faster than Kyrie would have healed on his own.
Kyrie felt the pride that roared through Fen as he stared at the scar that proved Kyrie was his.
Tears spilled back into Kyrie’s hair. He wasn’t alone.
Kyrie had a mate. Thank every deity. Maybe now the dreams would stop.
Fen knew he had been too rough. Claiming his mate had broken him down to his most primal state.
Now Kyrie cried and Fen felt like an ass.
He just couldn’t seem to do anything right lately.
Honestly, his head had been all over the place since he came to Wulfe.
It was very possible he had known deep inside his mate was here, but that didn’t excuse anything.
Stop.
Fen startled a little. It was a new sensation, having anyone in his head. Under normal circumstances, he was too old to read. “Sorry.” He kissed Kyrie’s forehead. “My mind is a bit of a mess. That’s not on you.”
Kyrie didn’t respond.
Fen tried checking his thoughts.
Kyrie had him shut out.
Not only was Fen old and strong as hell, but Kyrie was his other half. He shouldn’t have the ability to keep Fen out. “Talk to me, please? Your silence weighs on my chest.”
“Sorry. I’m not trying to punish you. I’m just used to keeping everyone out.”
“Why do you do that? What are you afraid people will see?” Fen had to know. There was something growing larger inside him, driving a forceful need to protect. To his bones, Fen knew Kyrie had something big going on in his life. They were mates. Whatever happened to Kyrie happened to him.
Kyrie twisted his fingers and chewed his bottom lip. Fuck, he was beautiful. Unexpectedly, a smile exploded across Kyrie’s face. “Your thoughts are pretty. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this at peace.”
“You don’t look like you’re at peace.” Fen hadn’t meant for the words to burst out quite so forcefully, but damn. “Until you smiled just then, you looked ready to run.”
“Maybe I’m just a nervous, skittish person.”
Fen snorted.
Kyrie’s smile grew bigger. “Yeah, I know. I’m hard work.”
A laugh burst from Fen. “You’re feisty.” Kyrie laughed, so Fen kept going. “Do you prefer spicy?”
Kyrie’s smile didn’t dim as he dropped his bomb. “My dad is Freyr.”
“He’s still out here making kids?” Fen couldn’t say why that was what popped out, or why he had sounded so disbelieving. It was just honestly his first thought.
“Well, he is the god of fertility.”
Reality sank in a little deeper. “Wow.” Fen cleared his throat.
He honestly had no idea how to feel. “That’s definitely a reason to keep people out.
” The more he thought about it, the more sense the confession made.
That explained why Kyrie said he couldn’t die.
He definitely couldn’t. It also explained why Fen hadn’t suffered from any hunger pains since the moment he sampled Kyrie’s blood to check his health until the moment he faced Kyrie in Frost’s hallway.
He had known there was something familiar about it.
Fen had his own secret. He knew why nothing tasted good anymore.
Jormungandr had addicted him to his blood and continually wiped the memory from Fen.
That shit had stopped working for some reason.
He clearly recalled Monnie forcing him to drink from him in his dreams. Fen hadn’t wanted to believe those dreams were real.
Now he knew he wasn’t crazy. They were real.
Kyrie’s gaze moved over his face, studying him.
He looked serious and loving, and like everything Fen had ever wanted.
“The dream world exists. It’s just as real as we are now.
You have to be careful there. It’s run by sprites commanded by Monnie.
Celeste is your deity, keeping you safe, but you belong to me now.
I don’t know what that means for you. Maybe he could pull you in where no one can rescue you. ”
Confusion overwhelmed Fen. Things were sounding way bigger than he had considered so far. “I belong to you as your other half or…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before I claimed you.
You’re the mate of a demigod now. No one rules you, except maybe me.
But that’s just mate stuff—like me killing you if you touch anyone else.
That sort of thing. Unfortunately, you’re still no competition against a god and we’re alone in the world.
” Kyrie’s gaze dropped. He looked so sad, but he brushed feet with Fen beneath the covers.
“At least, I am. You probably have lots of people to call if you need help.”
“You have me.” The statement sounded every bit as forceful as he was on this matter.
Kyrie was his. No one would ever hurt him.
Fen was a warrior, and maybe that was why Celeste had chosen this amazing blessing for him.
He could and would protect Kyrie with his life.
The gods would have to see him dead if they wanted his other half. Fen was greedy like that.