Chapter 19
Valen
Iwas too wired to sleep, too… full of Archer’s energy to do much more than lie awake stroking his hair through the night. Archer, on the other hand, fell asleep almost instantly. But I was glad to be awake because if I hadn’t been, I never would have seen how beautiful he was in his sleep.
It was hard not to just sit there and admire him for hours on end. I had him to thank for the warm buzz that enveloped my entire body.
Every few minutes, I’d catch myself reaching out to touch him, just to make sure he was real.
His skin was still flushed from our activities, a pink glow that made him look almost ethereal in the candlelight.
The way his dark lashes fanned across his cheekbones, the slight part of his lips as he breathed deeply, it was like having a masterpiece lying naked in my bed.
And he was naked. Gloriously, temptingly naked.
I’d fed well tonight. Better than I had in decades, maybe centuries.
Archer’s energy had been like ambrosia, rich and complex and utterly addictive.
Even now, hours later, I could feel it humming through my veins like liquid sunlight.
My skin felt more sensitive, my hearing more acute, my entire body more alive than it had been since my turning.
But it was more than just the feeding that had me wired.
It was the way he’d responded to me, the trust he’d shown by letting me take him apart piece by piece.
The sounds he’d made when I’d worked him open with my tongue, the way he’d sucked my cock like his life depended on it.
Christ, I was hard again just thinking about it.
I shifted carefully, trying not to wake him as my cock stirred against my thigh. The movement made him murmur something unintelligible in his sleep, his body unconsciously pressing closer to mine. The innocent contact sent heat shooting through me, and I had to bite back a groan.
This was dangerous territory. The feeding had created a bond between us, just like I’d warned him it would.
I could feel it thrumming beneath my skin, a constant awareness of his presence that went beyond the physical.
Even in sleep, I was attuned to his heartbeat, his breathing, the subtle changes in his scent that indicated his emotional state.
It should have terrified me. This level of connection, this intensity of need.
It was exactly what I’d spent centuries avoiding.
Bonds like this made vampires vulnerable, gave others power over us in ways that could be exploited.
But lying here with Archer’s warm body pressed against mine, I found it hard to care about the potential consequences.
Besides, there was something more to it than just a feeding bond. It was deeper, almost spiritual. Though, to be honest, I had no idea what it was. I’d never felt anything like it.
He stirred again slightly, his hand reaching back and resting on my thigh as he settled deeper into sleep.
The casual intimacy of the gesture made my stomach flutter.
When was the last time someone had touched me like this?
Not for feeding, not for sex, but just because they wanted to be close to me?
Too long. Far too long.
I pressed my lips to the back of his neck, breathing in his scent.
Beneath the lingering traces of sex and sweat, I could smell his pheromones, clean and warm and utterly intoxicating.
My fangs ached with the urge to bite, to mark him in a way that would let every other supernatural creature know exactly who he belonged to.
The possessive thought alarmed me. But as Archer pushed back against my cock in his sleep, my thoughts were drawn away. Instead of worrying about the intense pull I felt toward him, my thoughts shifted to his beautiful ass and the fact that I had yet to fuck him tonight.
Maybe it was time to sort that out. And I had a feeling I knew just how to do it in a way that Archer would love.
I gently rolled Archer onto his stomach, my hands caressing the smooth expanse of his back as I positioned him the way I wanted him.
He murmured sleepily but didn’t wake, his body pliant and trusting beneath my touch.
The sight of him like this, spread out before me in the flickering candlelight, made my mouth water.
I reached into the nightstand drawer for the lube I kept there, warming it between my palms before trailing my fingers down the cleft of his ass.
He stirred slightly at the first gentle touch against his hole, a soft sigh escaping his lips as I began to work him open slowly, carefully. But to my surprise, he didn’t wake.
I took my time, adding more lube as I worked first one finger, then two inside him. His body welcomed the intrusion, muscles relaxing as I stretched him carefully. Even in sleep, his body remembered me, remembered how good I could make him feel. The trust implicit in his response was intoxicating.
When I finally pressed the head of my cock against his entrance, he stirred more actively, a soft moan escaping him as I pushed inside with exquisite slowness. His eyes fluttered open, hazy with sleep and growing arousal.
“Valen?” he whispered, his voice hoarse from sleep. “What are you—oh fuck.”
I bottomed out inside him, my cock buried completely in his tight hole. The sensation was incredible, made even more intense by the feeding bond that still hummed between us. I could feel his pleasure mixing with mine, creating that intoxicating feedback loop that had driven us both wild earlier.
“Shh,” I murmured against his ear, pressing kisses to the sensitive skin of his neck. “Just let me take care of you, darling. Let me make you feel good.”
He pushed back against me, his body already responding despite his sleepy state. “It already feels so good,” he breathed, his hands fisting in the sheets. “Please fuck me Valen…”
I began to move slowly, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in with deliberate care.
Each thrust sent waves of pleasure through both of us, the bond amplifying every sensation until I wasn’t sure where I ended and he began.
This was what I’d been craving all night, this deep intimate connection that went beyond mere physical pleasure.
“That’s it,” I praised, my hands gripping his hips as I found a steady rhythm. “You’re perfect like this, darling. You’re so beautiful spread out beneath me.”
Archer’s breathing grew heavier, soft moans escaping him with each thrust. I could feel his arousal building through our connection, could sense how close he already was despite having just woken up.
The bond between us made everything almost too fast sometimes.
But I didn’t care. I just wanted him to feel good.
“I’m not going to last long,” he gasped, pushing back to meet my thrusts. “It’s too much, I can feel everything you’re feeling too.”
That was exactly what I’d hoped for. I wanted him overwhelmed, wanted him to understand just how wonderful this connection between us could be. I shifted my angle slightly, finding that spot inside him that made him cry out and writhe beneath me.
“Then don’t last,” I growled against his ear, my fangs grazing his throat. “Cum for me everything, darling. Let me feed from every ounce of pleasure I can wring from your perfect body.”
My words seemed to be exactly what he needed.
His orgasm hit him hard, his entire body tensing as he came with a broken cry onto the sheets below.
I felt the surge of energy flow from him to me, richer and more potent than anything I’d ever experienced.
The intensity of it was almost too much to bear.
Slamming my hips forward, I buried my cock to the hilt, crying out his name.
The waves of his climax crashed over me through our bond, and I lost myself completely in the sensation.
My hips stuttered as I pumped into him, filling him with rope after rope of cum while his body milked every drop from my cock.
The feeding was so intense I actually saw stars, my vision blurring at the edges as I drew from his pleasure and satisfaction.
When I finally collapsed against his back, both of us were trembling and gasping for breath.
I could feel my cum leaking out around my cock where we were still joined, and the possessive satisfaction that flooded through me was almost primal.
He was mine right now, marked inside and out with my essence.
“Jesus Christ,” Archer panted, his face pressed into the pillows. “I… I can’t even describe what that felt like.”
I pressed soft kisses to his shoulder blades, tasting the salt of his skin. “The bond is at its strongest right after feeding,” I murmured.
“Yeah, but I could feel what you were feeling,” he said with a tone of wonder. “When you came, I felt it like it was happening to my own body. Is that normal?”
I pulled out of him gently, immediately missing the connection.
“I’m not sure. The bond between us seems unusually strong.
” I rolled onto my side, pulling him against me so his back was flush with my chest. “Most feeding relationships don’t create that level of shared sensation.
I’ve had a couple in the distant past, but they were never as intense as this. ”
He turned in my arms to face me, his blue eyes bright with curiosity despite his obvious exhaustion. “What does that mean? Are we different somehow?”
That was the question I’d been avoiding for two weeks now.
Because the truth was, I didn’t entirely know.
In three centuries of existence, I’d never experienced a connection like this with anyone.
The feeding had been incredible, yes, but it was the emotional resonance that truly unsettled me.
The way my undead heart seemed to beat when he smiled.
The fierce protectiveness that surged through me at the thought of anyone hurting him.
“I don’t know,” I admitted at last, stroking his hair back from his forehead. “This is uncharted territory for me too, darling.”
He was quiet for a moment, processing that. Then he pressed closer, his hand resting over my silent heart. “Whatever it means, I’m not afraid of it.”
The simple declaration made my mind race.
Here was this young man, barely out of adolescence by my standards, facing the unknown with more courage than I’d shown in decades.
He was willing to explore this connection between us despite not knowing where it might lead, despite the risks to both our futures.
“You should be,” I said softly. “This sort of bond… well, let’s just say it’ll be very hard to break once the year ends. You’ll need to go home and I still have to teach.”
The words hung between us like a death sentence, and I immediately regretted saying them. I watched Archer’s expression shift from contentment to something that looked almost like hurt, his hand stilling against my chest.
“Yeah,” he said at last. “I know but…” He looked up at me, those eyes full of so much fragile hope. “I… I wish I didn’t have to go back home after all this.”
I wanted to tell him that’s what I wished too, that I wanted him to stay with me when the year ended.
But I couldn’t. Even if he graduated and we stayed together, questions would arise.
My position at Widdershins would be in danger.
And the harsh truth was that I had nothing to offer him.
His family sucked, but they were rich. I had to take campus housing because I couldn’t afford any other options.
“Let’s focus on what you should be doing right now,” I said at last, opting to avoid all of my other thoughts.
“You should cast another invisibility charm and get back to your dorm before sunrise. And I need you to promise me that you’re going to eat a big breakfast today and sneak a nap in when you can, alright? ”
Archer nodded, still flushed and beautiful from being fucked. “I can do that.”
“Good,” I replied, pressing another kiss to his lips. “The last thing I need is you passing out on me. We’ve done a lot of energy exchange tonight and you need to recover your strength.”
He leaned into my touch, those blue eyes soft with exhaustion and lingering pleasure. “I will. I promise.”
“Good boy.” The endearment slipped out before I could stop it, and I watched the way his cheeks went pink at the praise. Even spent and worn out, he responded to me with an eagerness that made my chest tighten.
I forced myself to sit up, breaking the spell of intimacy that had settled over us. If I didn’t get him moving soon, I’d end up keeping him here until dawn, and that would raise questions neither of us could afford to answer.
“Come on,” I said, reaching for his clothes where we’d scattered them across the floor. “Let me help you get dressed.”
He groaned softly but didn’t protest as I helped him into his shirt, my fingers lingering perhaps longer than necessary as I buttoned it for him. His movements were loose and pliant, like he was moving through honey, and I had to resist the urge to pull him back into bed.
“Will I see you later today?” he asked as I handed him his pants, and there was something almost vulnerable in the question.
“You’ll see me in class,” I replied, though my voice came out rougher than I intended. “And at fencing practice.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
I did know it. He was asking if this would happen again, if tonight was the beginning of something or just a beautiful mistake we’d both have to live with.
The honest answer was that I had no fucking idea.
All I knew was that the thought of going back to seeing him only in professional settings, of pretending this connection between us didn’t exist, felt like tearing off a limb.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said finally, which wasn’t really an answer at all.
He seemed to accept it though, finishing getting dressed with the careful movements of someone trying not to disturb muscles that had been thoroughly used.
When he was fully clothed again, he looked almost like the proper Quinn heir his family expected him to be.
Almost. There was something different in his eyes now, knowledge that hadn’t been there before.
I walked him to the door, my hand lingering on the small of his back.
The invisibility charm shimmered over him like heat waves, and within seconds he’d vanished from sight entirely.
But I could still feel his presence through the bond we’d forged, could sense his warmth and the steady rhythm of his breathing.
“Be safe, darling,” I murmured to the empty air where I knew he stood.
“I will,” came his whispered reply, and then I felt the bond stretch and fade as he moved away from my door, heading back across campus to his dorm.
I stood there for a long moment after he left, staring out into the darkness and trying to process what had just happened between us. All the while one single dangerous word kept repeating over and over in my head. A word that could get us both in a world of fucking trouble.
Love.