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Ravyn Warriors 4

Ravyn’s Dance

Germany is the Ravyn used to being forgotten, and he likes it that
way. He doesn't talk much, but when he talks, people listen. So

when Germany tells his Prince that they need to convince the
vampire ancient Santiago to petition the vampire Council to gain
aid, everyone thinks it's a great idea. Everyone but Santiago.

Santiago is an ancient vampire used to getting his way and using
his position as head of the Entertainer line to keep everyone in

check. Then he meets the Ravyn, who is supposed to accompany
him to the vampire Council's annual gala. Germany is a distraction

he certainly doesn't need, but the Ravyn is fast becoming a
distraction that he desperately wants.

In the heart of Council territory with court intrigue, danger, and a
mission on the line, the two find themselves hopelessly enamored
with one another. But is this newfound obsession really love?

They'll have to face more than just their internal demons in order
to find out.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 55,319 words

RAVYN’S DANCE

Ravyn Warriors 4

Jana Downs

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

RAVYN’S DANCE
Copyright © 2012 by Jana Downs
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-362-9

First E-book Publication: March 2012

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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Letter to Readers

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RAVYN’S DANCE

Ravyn Warriors 4

JANA DOWNS

Chapter One

“So explain to me why men can’t wear lingerie?” Germany asked

as he pilfered through the five-for-twenty-five sale at Victoria’s
Secret. Maddy, his brother, Dageus’s, adopted grandmother of sorts,
had dragged a protesting Druas and himself to the mall for the annual
sale. Apparently, the vampires were leaving for France soon, and she
was in desperate need of new underwear. Granted, she looked nothing
like any grandmother either Ravyn warrior had ever seen, but it was
still a little odd that she’d picked them to go with her.

Maddy looked to be around twenty years old and was absolutely

drop-dead gorgeous. Blonde hair framed a movie-star face and large
seafoam-colored eyes. The benefits of being an immortal vampire
were displayed to their full potential in her flawless form, which had
apparently been just as lovely a thousand years ago.

“Men can wear lingerie, dear one,” Maddy replied with laughter

in her voice. “It is just considered kinky by most Americans.” She
sighed dramatically. “Of course most Americans are prudes.”

“French people are so different?” Germany asked, trying to recall

where France was in location to America. He had spent a good
amount of time on the Internet here and he was also supplementing
that slow-as-molasses learning method with the neuro net impulses

Ravyn’s Dance

brought over from Demontia, his home realm, but global geography
had not been included in his lists of things to learn. He knew most of
the vampires who worked for La Petite Morte were either French or
Italian, but he had no idea where either location was in regards to
their current residence in Haven, Minnesota.

“Dear one, French people are a whole other breed from the rest of

the world.” She laughed, and the sound was like tinkling bells. “One
day you will see. This year our Kalel has decided to stay home with
you all, but soon, he will travel to France, and the rest of you must
come as well.”

The two Ravyns glanced at one another and shrugged. The

demons didn’t really care one way or another where they were so long
as their Prince was protected. Though these days, their Prince was
better protected than ever. Prince Salvatore Demante had recently
married a Faery King named Destin and the King had helped him
bind two more Ravyns to Salvatore’s guards. On top of that, he had
given him seven thousand troops to use in his battle against his evil
bastard of a cousin, Desmond, who’d taken over his throne. They’d be
going to war soon. Very soon.

“We probably won’t be here that long.” Druas spoke as if reading

Ger’s mind. “With the Prince’s new army in place, we’ll be heading
back to Demontia in another couple of weeks.”

Though Salvatore hadn’t said anything about moving into

Demontia yet, they all knew they’d be back in the caves soon. Back
where they belonged, frankly. Earth was nice, but they were demons
who belonged solely to their mission of protecting Salvatore. Earth
had acted as a big distraction to all of them. His brother Dageus had
just married the love of his life, Alex, and Allasandro had gotten
engaged to Dageus’s adoptive father, Damian. While Ger was happy
for the both of them, they weren’t as focused on Salvatore as they had
been previously. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it presented unique
problems when it came to Salvatore’s protection.

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At least they could now include Cord and Michel in their number.

The two jaguar shifters had proven to be essential to keeping
Salvatore safe in a world much vaster than they’d originally
anticipated. Hopefully, they would remain with them when they
reclaimed Demontia in Salvatore’s name.

Ger blinked as he came to a pair of electric-blue panties with

rhinestones inlaid in the shape of a heart on the lace material. They
were beautiful. He reached out and caressed the lace, enjoying the
texture. How would this feel against his naked skin? The
uncharacteristic thought had him drop the scrap of clothing like it had
burned him.

“Ohh, good choice, dear one.” He jumped as Maddy came up

behind him and complimented his taste.

“I, uh, it isn’t what it looks like,” Ger said quickly. Maddy

plucked his coveted clothing piece off the tiered display platform.

“Of course not.” She gave him an exaggerated wink. “You may be

a bit French yourself.” She put his choice into her black, round mesh
bag that the saleswoman had put into her hand when they’d come into
the store.

Ger’s cheeks blazed red. “No! Please, put it back!” He realized

he’d shouted when Druas looked at him like he’d lost his mind and
the saleswomen snickered behind the counter. More quietly, he spoke.
“Maddy, I am not comfortable with you buying me”—his eyes shot to
the hint of electric blue amongst the other rainbow of panty colors—
“that.”

Maddy looked at him unapologetically. “Pick out three more

pieces or else I’m telling your brothers exactly who it’s for.” Ger
blinked. Had she just threatened him?

“Mercenary!” he all but growled in her direction.
“Damn straight, dear one.”

* * * *

Ravyn’s Dance

Germany’s face was blazing when he finally found his last pair of

panties and dumped his choices into Maddy’s pile of lingerie. He’d
never done anything so embarrassing in his entire life. The vampire
had the gall to beam at him like he was a good child that had
performed exceptionally well before carrying all the panties to the
checkout counter.

“What was that all about?” Druas asked as he came up behind

him. Ger hadn’t heard his brother move, but he felt the slight brush of
his mind against his own as he approached.

Ger’s blush deepened. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Druas nodded his understanding and moved back a pace. Ger

knew that his brothers gave him more space than anyone else in their
group. They trusted in his quiet strength, and he was grateful for their
trust in him. It allowed him more freedom than many of the others
had…and more secrets.

He itched to open up his journal, which Druas had asked him to

leave in the car for security purposes. He never left the house without
the leather-bound diary that he’d bought a couple months ago on a
previous shopping trip. It contained his entire world. His thoughts,
memories, musings, and poems were scribbled in his elaborate scrawl
in both English and southern dialect Demonish. Ger’s urge to write
struck as he stared after Maddy.

He didn’t know what had possessed him to touch those panties,

but now that he had…He felt a poem well up in his mind, glazing his
expression as he thought of a rhythmic admission of forbidden desire
all revolving around a pair of electric-blue underwear. His hand
twitched, and so he stuck it in his pocket to fiddle with the loose
change he’d left there. He really wanted to write.

“Ready to go, boys?” Maddy asked with a sexy sashay of her hips.

Druas gave her a slow perusal as a compliment. She tsked gently and
gave him a wink. “Now, now, none of that.” The big blond gave her a
slow grin of approval.

“I’m not allowed to look?”

Ravyn’s Dance

Chapter Two

Ger was scribbling his poem in his notebook as Salvatore called

the meeting in session. The Ravyns sat around the boardroom-like
office in the Master Vampire Alex’s home. It was the space the
Entertainers usually used to conduct family meetings, but the Ravyns
had taken over it tonight.

“Destin and I have been discussing where to go from here. As you

all know, my King has provided us some troops to use against
Desmond.” Salvatore’s deep red eyes sparkled as his gaze lit on his
husband and Faery King, Destin. All the warriors rolled their eyes in
unison.

Salvatore had been almost impossible to live with before his

mating. Now he was downright obnoxious. He was determined that
all his warriors be as happy as him and was harassing them all to go
on dates. Tony had straight-up refused, Dageus and Allasandro were
already in happy relationships, and Druas was now dating everyone
and everything that could be qualified as a Homo sapien at some point
in its existence. Germany was trying very, very hard to stay off of
Salvatore’s radar.

The last thing he wanted was a relationship. They were a lot of

work, and with war looming on the horizon, it just wasn’t a good idea.
He didn’t want someone else he cared for in danger. It was bad
enough with his brothers being on the frontlines. They were
everything to him, and as far as he was concerned, they were all he
needed.

“So we’re going to be leaving for Demontia soon?” Dageus was

the first to speak up. He usually was. Germany continued to scribble

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in his notebook. This was a conversation that they’d had before. All
the Ravyns were impatient to find out exactly when they would be
leaving. Germany didn’t really care one way or another. They’d leave
when they left. End of story.

“Not just yet,” Salvatore said, causing a murmur of unease to

percolate through the Ravyns. Salvatore held up a hand to silence
them. “I’ve been discussing with Destin, and we both agree that the
best course of action is to get as many varieties of powers as possible
in on the final conflict. Dageus, would you be willing to talk to
Alexander? We thought he might supply us a few vampires to add to
the ranks.”

Germany’s head perked up. This was interesting. Usually

Salvatore went out of his way to avoid involving extra people in their
affairs. Dageus chewed his bottom lip, a sure sign that he was
uncomfortable.

“I’ll talk to him, my lord. However, the Entertainer line and those

who are guests of it are not warriors. Alex isn’t even really a warrior,
and he’s the exception rather than the rule. Most of the line can’t
fight.”

“Surely Alex knows some vampires who could fight,” Salvatore

protested Dageus’s words. Germany spoke.

“Even if he knows, he wouldn’t be able to talk to them about it.”

They all turned in unison to look at him. Germany’s eyes hit the pages
of his diary and didn’t rise again. He hated being the center of
attention. He really did.

“Why is that, Germany?” Salvatore wondered. Ger hoped that

Dageus would speak up and offer an explanation, but he, too, was
silent. Dammit. Was he the only one who had studied the vampire
politics of this world? His brothers were severely lacking in their
attention to detail. They spent too much time spent doing gods knew
what instead of studying. He practically had to force them to learn the
stuff that they did. He hated being the only one informed.

Ravyn’s Dance

He cleared his throat nervously and spoke to his notebook.

“Vampires have a tiered power system. Alex could only petition for
assistance if he was head of the line. Which he is not. He’s Master
Vampire only by virtue of being the strongest. The head of the line is
the originator of the line and has the most political clout with the
Vampire Council, their senate. They’re the ones who must approve
the petition and then, and only then, can Alex step in and go to the
different clans to seek aid from other Masters.”

“Oh man. Santiago hates politics.” Dageus sighed from Ger’s

right. “He’s not going to like having to play political head games at
all.”

“The timing is good, though,” Druas piped up. “Maddy was

telling us today that they were leaving for France soon for the
Council’s annual ball thing, right?”

Ger nodded but continued to scribble his thoughts in his journal.

The things he didn’t say aloud often got written down. His brothers
were so loud and forceful that he was a little intimidated to jump right
in. It was better that he wrote down his thoughts and analyzed them at
a later date. If he found something in his musings that needed to be
brought to the Ravyns’ attention, he went to Salvatore in private. It
worked out best that way.

Dageus snorted. “Good luck convincing Santiago to argue and

play with the Council. He takes pride in the Entertainer line and puts
up with the annual Council shindig because of it, but he doesn’t talk
to them anymore than he has to. He spends the whole event dancing
and staying out of their way.”

“Well, why don’t you go with them and try to convince him to

support our cause? It is a just one,” Tony suggested.

“I can’t. We’ve already set the guest list and sent it on to the

Council. The members of the Entertainer line who are approved are
already on that list. Alex already declined joining them, so they aren’t
expecting him. Damian can’t go either, so by proxy Ally-cat can’t

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go,” Dageus said apologetically. “I can ask Alex what he thinks and
get a better suggestion.”

“That sounds reasonable. Call him,” Salvatore commanded.
The ink in Ger’s pen ran out, and he made a noise of frustration.

He was in the middle of a thought. He glared at the ballpoint pen. He
was trying to narrow down who would be best to approach Santiago.
Tony wouldn’t want to leave Salvatore’s side. His personality really
didn’t lend itself to being diplomatic. When he got anxious, he tended
to be more than a little forceful with his opinions. Vampire culture
forbid Ally or Dageus from going. Druas was far too straightforward
to use in a subtle position. He exuded physicality and power, two
things most older vampires thought of as gauche. Those traits were
more favorable in beings like shifters or demons. So he wouldn’t
work. His pen had run out before he could think the rest of this
through.

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar energy disturbance

that followed the entrance of a vampire into the room. Ger looked up
in time to see Alexander, the Master Vampire of Minnesota, appear in
the doorway.

“Salvatore.” The blond-haired vampire greeted their Prince before

nodding to each of the Ravyns in turn. “My Bride said you needed
me?”

Their Prince quickly divulged the situation and their desire for

additional assistance from any vampires that Alex could recommend.
The more he explained, the more the vampire frowned. It wasn’t a
good sign.

“I have plenty of recommendations for whom would be best to

take your plight to. However, I have no power to approach them.”
Alex’s frown deepened. “My grandsire is not going to like this. He
hates dealing with the Council.”

“That’s what Dageus has said.” Salvatore sighed and pinched the

bridge of his nose with his fingertips like he usually did when he was

Ravyn’s Dance

stressed. Destin, his petite punk-rock husband, rubbed his back in
comfort.

“We’ll find some other way, Salvatore,” the Fae King reassured.

He tugged on his lip piercing as if in contemplation. “We still have
your contacts in Demontia. We’ll send one of the Ravyns back to your
home world to collect our allies.”

“Vampires would be useful to the war effort, though,” Alex

offered softly. “Vampire warriors are tremendously hardy soldiers.
Couple that with the powers they have, and they make hellishly good
shock troops.”

“You’re not helping, Alex,” Dageus said crossly. “We know the

benefits.”

“Thus why we need to think this through and exhaust all options

before we just give up on the possibility of using vampires,” Tony
interjected.

“Well, I’m out of ideas. Either way, someone is going to have to

talk to Santiago,” Dageus returned.

“Why don’t I do it?” Ger surprised himself by speaking up. The

entire room went quiet. His cheeks heated. He hated being the center
of attention. He cleared his throat and continued, “I mean, I’ve never
really interacted with Santiago before, but I’m not offensive and I’m
the least conspicuous out of all of us.” He didn’t add that Santiago
creeped him out just a bit, but as a Ravyn, his personal feelings on the
subject really didn’t matter.

The long drawn-out pause from the entire group made him wish

his pen hadn’t run out of ink. Now he stared at his leather journal
helplessly. Please look away from me, he begged internally. Outside
he may have looked calm, but inside his stomach was churning in
nervousness. He should’ve waited until the meeting concluded to
bring this up with Salvatore.

“Santiago might like him more. He doesn’t usually interrupt

rehearsal like the rest of us,” Ally added. That was true. Many times
Santiago got annoyed by the other Ravyns because they constantly

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interrupted his dance practices at La Petite Morte. Ger tended to blend
in and be completely unobtrusive.

“Ger is also the most levelheaded out of all of us,” Druas added

excitedly.

“He is the most convincing,” Tony allowed. “Can we afford to let

him leave us? It’ll weaken the bond.”

“I’ll go to Underhill with Destin. The Fae realm is almost

impenetrable. Tony and Theron can accompany us. We need to leave
some people here to keep us abreast of all the progress.” Salvatore
sounded excited as he spoke.

“Allasandro and Dageus have to stay in Haven since they are

mated to my brother and me,” Alex reminded.

“What about me? Am I just supposed to hang out here, too?”

Druas asked. Salvatore turned his wine-colored eyes on the last
Ravyn, and Ger regarded him curiously. He, too, wondered what was
in store for the biggest Ravyn out of the bunch.

“You may not be suited for less obtrusive work here on Earth, but

you will be perfect for what I have in mind.” Salvatore motioned to
the two newest Ravyns, the jaguar shifters, Cord and Michel. “You
will go to Demontia and collect our allies from the south lands. The
shifters are perfect accompaniments for you. You know the demons
will respect the display of strength you, Michel, and Cord will
produce.” Druas grinned, his golden eyes sparkling.

“Sweet.”
Salvatore turned toward Ger. “It is your mission to convince the

vampires and return home as soon as possible. I’m counting on you,
Germany.”

Ger bowed his head, saluting his monarch with a twist of his

fingers and a hand over his heart. “I am honored you approve, my
Prince.”

“Now, let’s all have the next few days to relax and finalize our

plans before we split off. Enjoy this time with your brothers,”

Ravyn’s Dance

Salvatore commanded. “This is the calm before the storm, my
Ravyns. Enjoy your peace. I love you all.”

Ger’s heart constricted at the admission. It had been a long time

since their Prince had said that he loved them. Longer still since
they’d been apart in any significant way for any period of time. Ger
fingered the upper corner of his journal page and sighed. He really
didn’t need anything but his brothers and his Prince. Even the newest
Ravyns, Michel and Cord, were dear to him. His life was missing
nothing, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Chapter Three

Ger stared at the sparkly strip of cloth that lay on his bed in

frustration. He wanted to slide it onto his hips and feel the satin and
lace against his skin. He was supposed to be packing his bags for
France. Instead, he was staring at the arrangement of thongs and
sparkly underwear that Maddy had bought him at Victoria’s Secret.
Pack them. Don’t pack them. His dilemma was ridiculous. Yet…

“I’ll just try them on. Just this once,” he murmured aloud. If he

didn’t like them, he’d just take them off and stuff them in a drawer
somewhere and never think about them again. He’d try just this once.

He slipped his shirt off and unbuttoned his pants. They slid

sinuously down his hips and fell to the floor with a soft thud. He let
out his breath in a whoosh. He hadn’t realized how nervous he was
until that moment. His fingers were shaking as he forced the loose,
gray boxer briefs off and reached for the scrap of clothing.

His cheeks were blazing red as he shoved his legs through the

holes in the undergarments and pulled it up. The thong fit easily
between the tight globes of his ass. It felt…good. He walked across
the soft carpet of his bedroom rug and stood in front of the full-length
mirror that hung on the back of his closet door. He seemed to move
more sexily as he walked, a strange confidence filling him. He’d
never felt sexy before.

The Ravyn turned first to one side, then the other, looking himself

over with his new adornment. He was usually the more conservative
out of the bunch, but Maddy’s words came back to him. You may be a
bit French yourself. He felt French in that moment. He felt scandalous
and forbidden.

Ravyn’s Dance

He was the smallest out of the Ravyns, thin but toned, more waif-

like than his thick warrior brothers. He was fast though, so incredibly
fast in comparison. It was one of the reasons that he was the Ravyns’
assassin. He blended and moved among people like no one else. Upon
first inspection, people always overlooked him when looking for a
warrior. Always. The past few generations hadn’t allowed him to test
his skills in that area though. Their Prince had needed more
bodyguards than warriors recently.

He was also pretty, not devilishly handsome like the other

Ravyns. The pleased smirk on his face looked almost out of place. It
was more reminiscent of Ally-cat’s grins than his usual faint, shy
smile. His pitch-black hair fell artfully around his face, framing his
wide golden eyes and lush mouth to perfection.

He followed the line of his body down toward the glittery

underwear he’d donned. Oh yeah. He felt sexy.

Ger hummed as he packed the rest of the panties in his suitcase

and slid his jeans on over the pair he was wearing. Just knowing that
he had them on under his clothes made him shiver with forbidden
delight. Maybe Maddy was right. Maybe this was something he
wanted after all.

“Are you ready to go, brother?” Druas wondered, coming through

his bedroom door without knocking. Ger blushed crimson, grateful
that he’d had the sense to put on his jeans before his brother walked
in.

“Yeah. I’m just finishing packing.”
Druas nodded. “It’s fine. Alex just told me to come tell you that

Santiago is gone ahead to the airport to oversee them loading the
equipment into the plane. He’s apparently a little OCD about stuff
like that.”

“That’s good. It’ll give me a little time to get my reasoning

together before we officially meet.”

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Druas put a hand on Ger’s back as he turned to grab his T-shirt off

the bed. “Hey, my brother, you going to be okay with all of this? I
mean, the alone stuff?”

Ger turned. “I’ll be fine, Dru. Honestly, I work best by myself.

Granted, my power isn’t as strong away from you all. However, my
other skill set balances that out, so that I’m not at as big of a
disadvantage when I’m away. This mission with Santiago is perfectly
suited for me.”

The other Ravyn sighed and raked a hand through his pale blond

hair. “I hate being separated. It just feels…wrong.” Ger patted his arm
in comfort.

“You won’t be alone, Dru. You’ll have Cord and Michel. They

may be the newest Ravyns, but the bond should comfort you.”

“You’re so calm about all this.” Druas closed his eyes and took a

deep breath. He wouldn’t have showed his worry to Salvatore. He
would consider that dishonorable. Ger was flattered that he’d come to
him. “I know they’re our new brothers, but they unnerve me. There is
something about them that feels different. Weird. I can’t explain it.”

“You are worrying over nothing, my brother. It is the nerves from

the mission that have you so out of sorts.” Ger smiled kindly.
“Besides, you’ve only got to go to the south lands and gather our
forces. It shouldn’t take too long once you notify the leaders of the
rebellion. Then you’ll be home.”

Druas gave him a solid grin for the first time since stepping into

the room. “Thanks, Ger. I appreciate the pep talk. Good luck with the
vampire. From what I’ve seen of him, you’re going to need it.” He
slapped Ger on the back and strode toward the door. “Van’s out front,
ready to leave. I’m opening a portal in the basement levels, so I’ll see
you later, my brother.” Without another word, he exited the room, his
usual confident swagger firmly in place.

Ger shook his head at his brother’s abrupt mood change, zipped

his bag, and threw the strap over his shoulder. It was time that he was

Ravyn’s Dance

leaving, too. He just hoped the old vampire wasn’t nearly as
intimidating in person as everyone was making him out to be.

* * * *

Santiago, head vampire of the Entertainer line, was about to eat

someone’s head off if they didn’t move their collective asses a tad bit
faster. He surveyed the scene calmly, at least externally. They’d done
this a thousand times, yet it never satisfied him the manner in which
people went about loading and unloading the precious bits of
equipment and costumes.

He deliberately sighed as if displeased, which only made the

underlings scurry faster to gain his satisfaction. Their jobs and their
potential place among the Entertainers were in his oh-so-capable
hands. He’d realized a long time ago that in order to keep people’s
attention and command excellence, he had to act a little more vividly
than he actually felt. Many a time his progeny had compared him to a
statue.

“Gezelle, if you do not handle that box more carefully, I will

remove both your hands so that you may never handle anything ever
again. Clear?” he threatened as one of the assistants swayed with an
overly large wardrobe carrier over the still sun-warmed asphalt. To
most humans, they wouldn’t be able to discern the lingering heat from
the day because of the lateness of the season, but Santiago was an
expert in telling how long the sun had been set now.

The problem was that he was too old and he felt every bit of his

several thousand years of life. Most vampires his age hid away from
the world, venturing out only to take blood from willing donors or
else kept their food in house in order to explore the inner workings of
the self because, frankly, after living as long as they had on Earth,
there was nothing new externally to occupy them. Santiago refused to
go that route, but nonetheless he understood the mindset. His passion

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for the dance company La Petite Morte was the only thing that held
him to this world, and so he held on to it with both hands tightly.

“I’m sorry, Santiago. It won’t happen again,” the wide-eyed

assistant reassured, steadying her grip on the parcel.

“Make sure that it doesn’t.”
He wished that he cared a little bit more about the people who

surrounded him. They were all just players in the vastness of his
Entertainment empire, and their thoughts and feelings were so simple
that he didn’t deign to know them. Even his beloved family, Maddy,
Damian, and Alexander, were becoming dull to him until recently.
Since the return of Alex’s Bride, Kalel, things had definitely been
more interesting, but he longed for something to truly shake his world
up.

Both of his great sire-children were now mated, each to a demon

warrior from a parallel universe to boot. Kalel had returned with a
new name and a new profession, but Santiago was pleased that he
went back to dance and to Alexander so readily. The new addition of
Damian’s Allasandro was an unexpected delight. The boy’s voice was
almost as good as Damian’s himself. The pairing was pleasing and
beneficial to the company.

“I’m sorry, Santiago.” Marabelle, one of his best dancers,

interrupted his thoughts.

“What is it, dear?”
“I just wanted to let you know that the troupe is all seated on the

plane but we’re still missing the Ravyn who is supposed to
accompany us as your personal assistant.”

Santiago frowned. Leave it up to Prince Salvatore to give him a

warrior to use and then not make sure he was on time. He sighed to let
everyone know how cross he was. And leave it up to Alexander to
think that just because he was Master of the city that he could
deliberately put someone in his immediate company without Santiago
knowing exactly what that individual’s true purpose was. He was

Ravyn’s Dance

going to give Alex a severe talking to whenever they got back from
France. A war effort indeed. This would never do.

“Call Alexander and inform him if the Ravyn doesn’t arrive in the

next twenty minutes that the plane and myself are leaving without
him. He will simply have to wait to harass me and take up my time
when I get back.”

Jana Downs

Chapter Four

“Remember what I told you. Santiago is a little bit of a queen, but

if you do what he says, you should make it by all right. He’s very
fastidious. He believes there is a place for everything and everything
should be in its place. You feel me?” Dageus asked as the van pulled
onto the tarmac on the private side of Haven’s airport.

“Dageus, please, stop lecturing me,” Ger said patiently. The

nervousness that his brother was exuding was testing his calm. “This
man is not the queen of Demontia. Please, stop treating me as if I’ve
never encountered anyone who is difficult.”

Dageus snorted. “You’ve never encountered someone quite like

Santiago. Trust me.”

“I am not worried about it.”
“Maybe you should be.”
“Please, stop harassing him, Kal.” Alex interrupted the sibling

argument from his place beside Dageus. Dageus turned to his mate.

“He doesn’t understand—”
“He will find out soon enough. You’re making him nervous.

Look”—the blond-haired vampire pointed to Ger, making him
squirm—“he’s practically itching for his notebook to scribble in. He
does that to avoid conversation.”

Both Ravyns protested in unison.
“No, he doesn’t.”
“No, I don’t.”
The Master Vampire just chuckled.

Ravyn’s Dance

They were interrupted from further conversation when Alex’s cell

phone started ringing. Alex snapped it open with a sharp flick of his
wrist.

“Oui?” he answered. His brow furrowed, and Ger wished he had

the hearing of a vampire so that he could know exactly what was
being said on the other line. It was frustrating. He wished that Alex
would just put the damn thing on speaker phone if he was going to
use it. Ger never could get used to being in the same room with
someone yet being excluded from the whole damn conversation.

“Tell him we will be there in five minutes. Non, Marabelle. I do

not accept his dictates. He knows this as much as you do. I am
Master, Mara. I don’t care. Uh-mm.” He paused once more. “Just tell
him.” He clicked the phone shut. Ger opened his mouth to ask what
all that was about only to have Dageus beat him to the punch.

“He wants to leave, doesn’t he?”
“Of course, His Lord and Majesty has deigned us unimportant in

the grand scheme of things and has given us a time limit to arrive.”
Alex rolled his eyes. The other vampire had nerve. Ger would give
him that. Most of the vampires he’d met were constantly bowing and
scraping for the Master Vampire’s approval. He’d seen Santiago
around the theater and whatnot, but Ger had never officially met the
vampire who had sired the Entertainer line. This was going to be an
interesting experience.

* * * *

Santiago’s eyes narrowed in annoyance as he saw the black van

pull into the loading area. It was one of the house vehicles that
Alexander used to travel with. So they’d made it after all. How
disappointing. He’d hoped to get away with not having to involve
himself in Alex’s newest drama until he’d returned from France. The
Council gala was no place to have to watch out for manipulations
from not only his enemies but from his allies as well.

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“Are you going to go greet them?” Marabelle wondered from his

right. Santiago raised an eyebrow. Mara was usually more discreet.

“I suppose,” Santiago allowed finally. He motioned to the last few

members of the crew. “Get them on board and tell the pilot to start
getting things ready to move out onto the main runway. Another five
minutes. No more than that.”

Without another word, he walked toward the van, moving with all

the grace and elegance of thousands of years of dancing experience.
He waved a hand in greeting and waited as the vehicle came to a stop
in front of him. Alex was the first to exit the car, then Dageus, and
finally his guest of honor, the Ravyn whose name he couldn’t even
recall. As they circled the van to stand in front of Santiago while the
driver got the Ravyn’s bags from the trunk, Santiago finally caught
sight of which Ravyn it was.

Ah, the quiet one. Santiago had seen him accompany Dageus to

the theater upon occasion before Damian had wed Allasandro. He’d
never had occasion to talk to the Ravyn. Most of the time he’d had his
nose in a little black journal that he kept tucked in a pocket, writing
gods knew what. He was a beautiful boy, long, black hair, pretty
golden eyes, a slight dancer’s build. Not quite as toned as his dancers,
but the basic structure was there.

“Well, look who decided to show up,” Santiago said by way of

greeting as they came within arm’s length of him. Alex rolled his
eyes.

“Germany, this is my grandsire, Santiago. Santiago, this is my

Kal’s brother, Germany.”

“Pleasure to formally meet you, sir.” Germany spoke softly, his

golden eyes warm despite his distant demeanor. Santiago forced
himself to smile politely.

“And you as well, Ravyn.” He extended his arm and clasped the

Ravyn’s palm. A breeze rose from the tarmac and rushed toward the
vampire. Germany’s scent hit his nostrils. A low growl worked itself
out of his throat, and his gums began to ache in desire. What the hell

Ravyn’s Dance

is this? He snatched his hand back like the demon had burned him and
wiped it on his soft gray slacks. The Ravyn frowned.

Santiago made sure his unaffected mask was in place before he

spoke. “Shall we leave? I have been delayed long enough.”

“Of course, grandsire. I hadn’t meant to keep you so long,” Alex

said obliviously. He took Dageus’s arm in his own and steered the
two of them back toward the car.

“Good luck, Ger,” Dageus called over his shoulder.
Then they were alone. Santiago stared at the Ravyn for longer

than was appropriate. A red-hot desire was filling him, the likes of
which he hadn’t felt in several hundred years. Good gods. I want him.
His scent was the most intoxicating fragrance that he’d ever
encountered.

He turned and stalked up the steps to the entrance of the plane. He

couldn’t look back at the Ravyn. If he did, he feared he’d tackle the
younger man to the asphalt and try to sink his teeth into that long,
perfect neck.

“I’m sorry about the inconvenience this is causing,” Ger said as he

followed obediently behind. Santiago could feel the heat of the other
man radiating off of him. The life he was exuding was as tempting as
any proposition Santiago had ever been offered.

“Would you be quiet?” Santiago grumbled. The sound of the

Ravyn’s voice was tempting him as well. What would the warrior do
if he just turned and pressed him against the cabin walls? He was
Santiago’s height and not as heavily built as some of his brothers.
Certainly not like the other warrior, Druas, who towered over them
all.

“I’m sorry,” Ger said a mite sarcastically. Santiago swung into the

main cabin of the plane, and the rowdy calls of his dancers
automatically fell silent. Ger pushed past him and took an empty seat
that was unwittingly beside Santiago’s, but the vampire wasn’t going
to tell him that. The dance troupe all looked at him expectantly. He
usually gave a speech to begin their journey.

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“This performance is essential to our season,” he began. “You all

know this. Beyond that, I expect that you all be on your best behavior.
Don’t play games with other clans because what you do affects us
all.” He waved his hand and sat down beside Ger. He inhaled the
scent of the other man in a long luxurious manner and had to resist the
urge to lick his lips at the divinity of it.

“I thought I offended you. Why are you sitting beside me?” the

quiet Ravyn demanded. The spunk in him was very…arousing.
Santiago resisted the urge to lean closer and touch Ger. It just
wouldn’t do.

“No talking,” Santiago reminded. He let a ghost of a smile play on

his lips as the overhead lights dimmed and they pulled out onto the
main runway. The darkening sky allowed the vampire to leer at his
leisure. Oh, what a beauty the Ravyn was. Why hadn’t he noticed it
before?

“Stop staring at me.”
Santiago blinked. The Ravyn could see him? He schooled his face

into an unaffected mask. “Forgive me. I’m being rude.”

“You’re being creepy.”
“Creepy?” Santiago wondered. He was sure he’d heard Kal use

the word before, but he’d never heard it applied to himself or anyone
else he’d known. Ger crossed his arms over his chest and turned his
head so that he could look out the window, exposing the long line of
his neck. Santiago’s fangs dropped.

“Yes. Creepy. You’re disturbing me by acting strangely toward

me,” the Ravyn offered. Was that a blush on his cheeks? How
intriguing. Santiago sniffed again, the faint patter of Ger’s heartbeat
all but impossible to resist. He leaned forward. The Ravyn turned his
face back toward Santiago.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, fear in his voice.
“Just looking,” Santiago murmured. He tried to reveal as little

fang as possible as he spoke, but he knew it gave him a tiny lisp. They

Ravyn’s Dance

weren’t usually so prominent. Typically, they only dropped that low
when he fed. Gods, he was fanged out like a fledgling.

“Well, stop it.”
“Tsk tsk, Ravyn. Did you forget who was in charge?” Santiago’s

pointer finger reached out and slid down the Ravyn’s jawline. Ger’s
skin was so soft. Vampire fangs would slide through the flesh like a
hot knife through butter. His cock filled instantly at the thought. That
in itself was enough to make him snatch his hand back in surprise. He
hadn’t had a straining erection like this in more years than he cared to
count, and he hadn’t even touched him yet!

Ger swallowed hard. “Y–you’re in charge,” the Ravyn stuttered,

looking between Santiago and the aisle. If he was looking for escape,
he’d be hard-pressed to find it. The only way he was getting out of
these seats was if he climbed over the backs of them or climbed
across Santiago’s lap.

“Uhm-hm.” Santiago licked his lips, his eyes zeroing in on the

Ravyn’s nervous pulse.

“I can smell how much you want me,” Ger said quietly. “Why do

you want me so much?”

“You’re beautiful,” Santiago offered simply.
“That’s not quite right. There are plenty of beautiful people

around here.”

“None of them smell as good as you.”
“I’m not interested in becoming airline snack food.” Ger was

pressed tightly to the cabin wall now as Santiago crept ever closer in
small degrees. The vampire reached out and cupped Ger’s crotch,
kneading the hardening mass he found there.

“Some parts of you say different, Ravyn.”
“Oh fuck,” Ger gasped.
“Indeed.” Santiago slid across his seat and onto Ger’s lap. They

both hissed at the contact. The Ravyn seemed frozen, completely in
his thrall for the time being. Santiago leaned farther forward, his lips a
hairbreadth away from Germany. He took his other hand and tapped

Jana Downs

the frantic pulse at Ger’s throat. The Ravyn sighed and moved his
head a fraction of an inch. Santiago took it as permission.

The vampire leaned forward and lapped along his jawline, sliding

down Ger’s neck to that frantic little pulse beat. His sweat was
slightly sweet, tasty. Tempting. He was going to enjoy tasting the
Ravyn. His Ravyn.

“What the hell are you doing, Sire?” A very familiar, very

feminine voice broke through Santiago’s haze of lust. He snatched his
hand back from the Ravyn’s bulge. He looked up guiltily at his
progeny, Maddeline.

“The Ravyn and I are getting better acquainted.” Santiago knew

he was blushing. There was real, honest-to-gods color on his cheeks
for the first time in several hundred years. Ger just opened and closed
his mouth like a gaping fish. Santiago inhaled deeply, struggling for
his normal control. He wanted to taste the Ravyn, needed to.

“Santiago, move away from the boy. Sire, now. You’re acting

crazy.” Maddeline’s piercing voice was grating on his nerves. He
wished she’d just leave them alone. He leaned toward Ger again.

“Sire.” There she was again talking. He hated chitchatting,

despised it in fact. A hand grabbed his shoulder. He snarled, flashing
fangs.

“Mine!”
“What the fuck, man?” Ger snapped and shoved at his chest. It

seemed the Ravyn had finally come out of his daze. “Get off me!”

Santiago blinked, his attention returning to the other man. The

look of absolute incredulity that he saw on Ger’s face was enough to
bring him back to his senses. Good gods, did he really just molest the
man on a crowded plane? He cleared his throat.

“Will you excuse me?” he muttered, standing up before the Ravyn

had a chance to reply. He didn’t look at Germany again. He was
mortified. Maddeline blocked his exit.

Ravyn’s Dance

“Santiago, are you all right?” Maddeline’s big seafoam-colored

eyes were filled with concern. She gripped his wrist as he tried to
move past her. “Santiago…”

“Not here, Maddy.” He growled, jerking his hand back. The

vampire’s gaze shot to the very observant Ravyn. She gave a slight
nod of her head to say that she understood. He pushed past her into
the carpeted aisle.

“Excuse us, Germany,” he said without turning around. “I am

feeling a bit—er—unwell.” Maddeline was right on his heels as he
stalked up the aisle toward the captain’s cabin.

Santiago’s superior hearing picked up the muttered curse that the

Ravyn spoke as they walked away.

“Freaking crazy-ass vampire,” Ger murmured. Santiago gritted his

teeth at the commentary, cutting his bottom lip on his still-elongated
fangs. Blood trickled down his chin. The boy had no idea. Santiago
feared that if he got another chance to jump Germany’s bones that
he’d find out what crazy truly was.

Jana Downs

Chapter Five

Ger wiped his neck for the fiftieth time since Santiago flounced

off with Maddy. Goose bumps spread across the flesh like a flag of
proof. A giant “Santiago was here” sign couldn’t have been more
obvious in Ger’s mind. The other members of the dance troupe were
looking at him out of the corners of their eyes, whispering about him
because they thought he couldn’t hear. His ears were hot and burning.
He hated being the center of attention.

Why had Santiago done that? Why had he—His mind tripped over

the thought, and he got embarrassed all over again. His gaze shot
down to his softening cock. Christ, that had been unexpected. He
never expected to want another man like that. No way.

His hands went to his carry-on and retrieved his leather-bound

notebook. Where was his pen? He really needed his pen. His phone
vibrated in his pocket. The brothers were probably checking up on
him. He gave up his search for a pen and pulled the tiny object from
his pants before flipping it open. It was from Tony.

How’s everything going?

The message made him sigh. How was everything going? Well,

that depended on how he looked at it. On one hand, Santiago
molesting him in the plane couldn’t hurt his case when it came to
convincing the vampire to do something he wanted. On the other
hand, he wasn’t really sure how he felt about the whole “being
molested by a vampire” thing quite yet. He shrugged and decided to
be vague.

Ravyn’s Dance

It’s going. We took off a few minutes ago.

He paused.

Ask Dageus if Santiago is always so…intense.

He waited, knowing that there would be a delay between the time

his message arrived and the time he got a reply. He’d already
researched it. Text messages sometimes went bonkers midflight. The
phone vibrated again.

He said always.

Ger stared at message. Damn it. Another text message interrupted

his reply. It was from Dageus this time.

Good luck, bro.

Shit, he thought. This was not going to be as easy as he’d

originally thought.

* * * *

“What the hell is going on?” Maddy demanded as they came into

the little hallway in between the main cabin and the captain’s
quarters. Here they could talk in semiprivate.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Santiago hedged. He

schooled his face in a mask of indifference. He’d had centuries of
practice, so he knew that no emotions bled through. Inside, he was in
chaos. He’d never experienced such rioting feelings. Maddeline gave
an unladylike snort.

Jana Downs

“I’ve known you for over a thousand years, Santiago,” she

reminded. “I’ve never seen your dick in a knot so hard that you’ve
been oblivious to your surroundings. You were completely focused on
that boy in there. So, I ask again, what the hell is going on?”

Santiago sighed heavily. There were times when he really

wondered why he turned Maddeline to begin with. Granted, she was a
phenomenal dancer and an excellent vocalist, but…there were times
when she truly grated on his nerves. No matter that she was almost a
daughter to him and that she was a friend as well.

“He smells amazing,” he confessed with a shudder of want. “It

calls to me.”

“Good gods. You like him?”
“No.”
“You sure as hell act like you like him.” Maddy’s eyes were

sparkling with mirth. She smothered a giggle with her palm. “How are
you going to convince the Council that he is just your assistant when
you can’t keep hands off of him?”

“It’s not funny,” Santiago snapped, his eyes narrowing. “I cannot

hold my breath for the next two weeks!”

Maddy just laughed at his words. “Oh, Santiago. You’re going to

have to relax a bit. So what if you like the Ravyn? Germany is
handsome, and I think his tastes run very similarly to yours.” The
lasts words were spoken in a mysterious tone that said she knew
something that she didn’t plan on telling her Sire about.

“What does that mean?”
Instead of answering, she stuck two of her perfectly manicured

fingers into the band of Santiago’s pants and flicked the elastic of his
underwear. Santiago’s eyes widened.

“What do you think you are doing?”
She tugged on the string, making the light catch on the lime-green

color. She toyed with the bejeweled bow and smiled.

“You two may be more alike than you think.” She tossed her hair

over her shoulder and pushed past him. “Good luck with holding your

Ravyn’s Dance

breath, Sire.” Santiago fingered the same bow she’d touched,
intrigued. He sighed. When he’d gotten up this evening, he hadn’t
anticipated needing any luck to get him through this trip. Now he
feared that his considerable skills as a dancer would be useless against
the situation he faced. Luck? He needed all of it that he could get.

He tried to steady himself as he made his way back down the aisle

and into the main cabin. He saw the Ravyn was still sitting where
he’d left him, texting furiously on his cell phone. He watched him for
a minute unobserved. He truly was a beautiful man. His long, dark
hair and large, gold eyes leant itself to be more beautiful than
handsome. The other Ravyns were built more like warriors, muscle on
top of muscle. Germany was built like Kalel. He was thin, graceful,
and muscular only in all the right places.

A smothered whisper rose up to greet the vampire’s supersonic

hearing.

“Can you believe it? Santiago is looking at him like he wants to

eat him.”

“Can you blame him?” another voice whispered.
“Of course not. But, it’s Santiago! He never takes anyone to bed.

He’d be like making love to a statue of David.” Santiago pursed his
lips. He did not like being compared to a hunk of marble. He wasn’t
that bad. He sighed softly. These younglings didn’t even have an
inkling of understanding that compared to most ancients he was
practically warm and fuzzy.

The Ravyn still didn’t look up. “Just ignore them, Santiago,” the

Ravyn murmured unexpectedly. “You’re not as bad as all that.”
Santiago walked forward and slid into the seat beside him. Was that
meant to be a compliment?

“Thank you,” the vampire replied awkwardly. He watched in

fascination as Ger took out the same leather-bound notebook he’d
seen the Ravyn carting around whenever he came to the theater to
watch after Dageus before Allasandro had joined the troupe. The
additions of the two Ravyns had taken their numbers from the four

Jana Downs

original Entertainers to six. It was the biggest leap in Entertainer
numbers since the addition of Alex and Damian six hundred years
earlier. There were always a ton of hangers-on that came to dance,
sing, or play with the family, but at the end of the day to be a member
of the Entertainer line was an exclusive privilege that most of them
would never experience. Germany didn’t seem the least bit interested
in anything that the theater did. He seemed singularly fascinated with
his notebook.

“What do you write in that?” Santiago found himself asking after

a few minutes of staring. Ger was smiling as he wrote and looked
startled that he’d been addressed. His eyes met Santiago’s and danced
with indecision. After a long pause, he spoke.

“Thoughts. Feelings. Things I want to say.” Ger looked a little

embarrassed at the confession. He tucked a strand of long, black hair
behind his ear.

“So why do you not just say what you’re thinking instead of

writing it down?” Santiago wondered. Germany frowned.

“Because I like to think before I speak.”
“Opportunities can be lost if you think so hard about every single

question ever given to you,” Santiago cautioned.

“More can be lost if you fail to think before you give your

opinion.” Ger’s reply was prickly as hell. “I have no desire to stick
my foot into my mouth.”

Santiago gave a grunt in answer. He disagreed, but he seemed to

really be rubbing the Ravyn in all kinds of ways tonight, first lust,
then anger. For the first time in his considerably long existence,
Santiago was doing everything wrong and nothing right. Nothing was
going along with his perfectly organized plan.

“So what is the cover story exactly for when we get to this

Council thing?” Germany’s deliberate change in subject was
welcome. The man was practicing patience, and for that, Santiago was
grateful.

Ravyn’s Dance

“You are to pose as my assistant. Technically, no one outside

those in the troupe is supposed to be invited, so claiming that you are
part of my entourage is a bit of a stretch. If they knew you were a
warrior, they could take my bringing you as an act of aggression. So,
you will be my assistant. Stay close to me, do not speak to other
vampires unless they address you first, and obey everything I say
without question. These are not the types of vampires you are
accustomed to. The Entertainers are much more in touch with their
humanity than they are. We pride ourselves on being able to convey
human emotions. The others do not. The Council is deadly when
crossed, so make a note to avoid them whenever possible.”

Germany fell silent for so long that Santiago thought the man had

to be confused or something. Then his golden eyes rose to meet the
vampire’s. “I feel like I’m stepping into a pit full of scorpions.”

“An apt analogy. The Council is dangerous, and the vampires in

attendance will be as well. Most of them are as old if not older than I
am and do not hold onto their humanity well. While the Entertainer
line’s main purpose is to entertain at this gathering, the Council uses
this function to politically maneuver around other clans without
having to make it a formal affair. Backroom deals, secret alliances,
and assassinations are more common than you think at these things.”
Santiago patted his leg reassuringly. “So long as you are by my side,
you will have nothing to fear.”

“I’m not afraid. I am unsure. I don’t know how to approach this

situation.” He picked up his notebook and started scribbling again.
Santiago frowned. The Ravyn was certainly an odd one.

Jana Downs

Chapter Six

They arrived at the darkest point of morning, touching down on

the runway as the last vestiges of night faded into the horizon. There
were only two black tracks in the entire airport that Ger could see and
only a small control tower with a single blinking light on top of it.

“Is this a private runway?” Ger found himself asking as the plane

skidded on the asphalt before coming to a stop. It was the first thing
Ger had said during the whole eight-hour flight out here. An awkward
silence had descended between Santiago and him that had persisted
the entire flight. The vampire just made him nervous.

“Yes. It is the Council’s private domain. Vampires, for the most

part, use this runway when attending official functions. The Council
hates to wait. So regular airports are out of the question. One delay
could be taken as an insult,” Santiago supplied. Ger shot a look
sideways at the other man. He seemed distant again. It was like he’d
drawn back into himself and had become the hauntingly beautiful
statue once more. The guy’s personality was giving him whiplash.

“Sire,” Marabelle interrupted as the rest of the troupe started

moving toward getting their overhead bags. “What is the appropriate
wardrobe for the dancers? Casual or formal? Last year it was casual.”

Santiago gave orders like he was born commanding an entire fleet

of dancers. “We’re going right into practice, so tell them to change
into their practice wear. The black on black, please. The dark-gray
dance shoes as well. The women need their hair back in a chignon
before we enter the castle, and for the love of gods, make sure that
their makeup is simple and tastefully done. I will never live down

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how Meera looked like a streetwalker with bright blue eye shadow
four years ago.”

“Um, what should I wear?” Ger interrupted softly. Marabelle’s

eyes widened comically. “What?”

Marabelle’s mouth snapped shut. “N–nothing.” His gaze shot to

Santiago like he expected him to say something. The ancient just gave
him a bored expression. Marabelle bowed as deeply as he could from
his position in the aisle of the plane and scurried off, yelling at
dancers as he went.

“What did I say?” Ger wondered as he watched him leave.
Santiago chuckled. “You interrupted me. No one does that. I have

an outfit for you in my wardrobe. I made sure Alexander had
appropriate clothing made for you before we left.”

“How would you have had time to do that?” They’d only notified

Santiago two days before the troupe was scheduled to leave.

“I am remarkably prepared for any situation that arises that will

affect the theater.” Santiago sniffed. Man, the guy took all this theater
stuff way too seriously…It was kind of cute. Whoa, where did that
thought come from? Ger shook his head to clear it. He was obviously
experiencing some weird-ass version of jet lag.

“Well, that’s good,” Ger said awkwardly. “Glad you’re such an,

er, prepared guy.”

“Of course.” Santiago stood and motioned for Ger to do the same.

“Grab our bags. The charade begins from this moment forth. Do I
need to go over etiquette with you?”

Ger snorted. “No. Unlike my brothers, I read quite regularly and

am up to date on my vampire gathering manners. I’ll talk only to you
and not draw attention to myself.”

“Excellent.”
Ger opened the bins and pulled out the two carry-ons that he was

going to be responsible for. He winced at the weight of Santiago’s
pack. What the hell had the smaller man put in here? Bricks? His own
bag was an old gym bag that had his things stuffed inside. He stacked

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the gym bag on top of the luggage and tucked his journal underneath
his arm. Santiago seemed to float down the aisle in front of him,
confident and absolutely aloof. This sort of thing was obviously in his
element.

Ger hoped all the research he’d done would serve him well for the

next few days. Granted, vampires as a whole were pretty secretive,
but a lot of outsiders bought the Beginner’s Guide to Vampire
Etiquette which detailed some of the major faux pas in vampire
culture. Ger had downloaded it to his computer and read it as a
starting point to his research. He supplemented that by questioning
both Alex and Damian about their involvement in vampire gatherings.
He’d even approached Maddeline with a question or two. Ger felt that
he was as prepared for this moment as he could be.

The shadowy exterior of the plane became closer with every step

the Ravyn took, and he couldn’t help but wonder if this situation
would be half as easy as he’d originally thought or if he’d gotten
himself into a situation that was a little bit over his head.

* * * *

Ger frowned as he exited the plane. It was strangely quiet for a

section of ground which was occupied by thirty people. They moved
quietly and efficiently to pack their belongings in the trunks of the
three waiting black limousines. The vampires around here traveled in
style. He’d learned from Dageus that limos were a status symbol in
the human world. He wasn’t sure why they were even after the
explanation. Just because someone didn’t have to drive themselves
did not automatically lend them elevated rank in Ger’s eyes. Well, no
more rank than anyone else who took a bus or a railcar. Humans were
strange. His gaze flicked to Santiago, who had also gone deathly
quiet. Vampires were also pretty strange.

Marabelle took the dancers in the first limo. There were ten of

them in all, and all were recognizable faces from when Ger had come

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to the theater with Dageus for his practice sections. The other
members, those who were singers and musicians, climbed into the
second limo. They weren’t as recognizable but seemed to be dressed
to match the black-on-black ensemble of the dancers. Maddeline went
with them. A vampire aircrew was packing up the larger bits of
luggage onto yet another car which Ger assumed would be delivering
their cargo to wherever they were going. No one had bothered to tell
him anything other than “somewhere in France.”

Santiago pointed to the third limo and turned like he expected Ger

to follow him. How irritating. Was Ger to be treated as a seeing-eye
dog who responded to motion commands? A vampire in a black-and-
red vest with unreal violet eyes stepped out of the shadows and
opened the door for the two of them.

“My lord Santiago, greetings from the Council and welcome to

France.” The new vampire’s voice was a velvet purr lined with teeth.
He was more than what he appeared. Danger stuck to him like a
Velcro blanket. Ger tensed, itching for a blade. He didn’t want to ever
have that guy at his back.

Santiago must’ve sensed his tension because he reached out and

squeezed his wrist. “Thank you very much, Aimé. I was unaware that
the Council had you acting as an errand boy recently.”

Aimé shrugged his massive shoulders and gave a crooked half

grin that was all teeth and no humor. “I was a bad boy. My Master
insisted on a punishment to give me a little humility.” Ger so didn’t
want to know what the hell he’d done to be “punished.” The
expression on the vampire’s face said that the bastard probably
enjoyed whatever he’d done and took the repercussions as a necessary
evil to his fun. The Ravyn’s skin crawled. Santiago had been right.
Some vampires sure as hell weren’t as cuddly as the Entertainers.

“Indeed. I see that.” Santiago ducked under the entryway to the

car, and Ger followed suit. Was everyone else as creeped out as he
was by this whole process? The fine hairs on the back of his neck

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were standing up as if there were a hundred pairs of eyes drawing a
target on his back.

He tossed the bags in the floor beside them as they settled into

seats facing one another. “What the hell is up with that guy?”

Santiago’s lips thinned, and he shook his head. Not now. So it

wasn’t just Ger who felt like this situation was more dangerous than
the reflection on the surface. He settled back into his seat and cursed
himself for not ignoring orders and bringing even a small weapon
with him. His demon blade would be great to touch right now.

“Stop thinking so loud, warrior,” Santiago chastised, patting his

leg. “You’re so rigid I feel the most delicate of touches might shatter
you like porcelain. Relax. If you show your fear, it will only incite
them to deliberately frighten you more.”

“I’m not afraid,” Ger said automatically. Okay, that wasn’t true,

but he was a warrior after all. Showing weakness was not in his
repertoire of actions that he repeated with any sort of frequency.

Santiago’s gorgeous eyes met his golden ones. “You should be.”

* * * *

Full night had fallen outside by now, and Ger itched for

something to do. They’d traveled most of the day in their limos, only
stopping to eat and gas up. He felt like they were stalling for time
because it couldn’t possibly take this long to get to anywhere in
France. The country wasn’t that bloody big. Santiago had once again
fallen silent, and Ger couldn’t help but fidget. He needed something
to do, and his notebook was at the bottom of his bag. He texted his
brothers about the situation and the weird tension he’d felt. He wasn’t
sure what time it was back in Minnesota, but he figured giving a
status update, no matter the hour, would be welcome by both their
Prince and Tony. The leader of the Ravyns worried more than anyone
in the history of the worlds had since the beginning of time.

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“We’re almost there. Be patient,” Santiago said. Ger wondered if

the vampire was feeling the same nervousness he was. Outwardly, he
didn’t express much, and what he did seemed really calculated.
However, Ger thought that Santiago was probably feeling a lot more
than anyone realized.

“So are we going to a hotel?” Ger asked, forcing himself to stay

still as the car began to slide back and forth. They were obviously on
some sort of winding road. The only thing Ger could see out the car
was a line of trees and the occasional flash of light from a home they
passed.

“No. It would be gauche to most of the Council to stay at a

human-run establishment. Besides, this is the birth place of organized
vampire society, the capital if you will. We have several buildings
throughout the country. The one we’re going to be staying at is one
that holds a dramatic history. It amuses the Council to add drama to
their get-togethers,” Santiago said. He stretched his legs out and
brushed them against Ger’s. The Ravyn thought the move was
probably deliberate, but he couldn’t be sure. Was the vampire offering
him comfort or something?

“So what’s the drama of the place?” Ger deliberately drew his

attention away from the places that Santiago was touching him. It
made him feel things he really wasn’t comfortable with. “And why
did we get a whole limo to ourselves?”

Santiago’s legs bumped more firmly against Ger’s. Okay, that was

deliberate, had to be. The minute contact was producing a reaction
though. Ger’s body was hardening again. Crap. He looked up and met
the vampire’s eyes.

“I’m sure they’ll give us a grand tour and an entertaining

summary of why the chateau was chosen for the event,” Santiago
supplied. His eyes had started glowing again and just a hint of fang
was visible on his bottom lip. Ger inhaled deeply, catching the
familiar tang of arousal in the air. The vampire had been very well
behaved since the first incident several hours ago on the plane. It

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seemed that the close quarters, coupled with their solitude, was
making it harder for him to maintain a modicum of control.
Interesting. The Ravyn’s own body was responding to the display.
Ger sighed in annoyance. He found it really irritating to be unable to
be alone five minutes with Santiago without finding himself aroused.
“In regard to the limousine, it was sent specifically for the Entertainer
family and our entourage. Ergo you and I were the only ones who
could ride inside because Maddeline is looking after my musicians
and Marabelle is not only not originally of my line but he’s looking
after my dancers as well.”

Ger shuddered. Had Santiago’s voice gotten deeper by chance?

“Santiago?”

“Hm?”
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” Santiago leaned forward in the seat so that his

elbows rested on his knees a hairbreadth away from Ger’s thigh.

“Looking at me like you want to eat me.” Eat had not been the

word he should’ve chosen if the darkening of Santiago’s irises were
any indication.

“I’m sorry. I find it very difficult to maintain logic around you.”

Santiago admitted the words, but they sounded almost like a purr. The
sound wrapped around Germany’s sack and squeezed. Gods, what a
noise. His heart began to pound. He felt hunted. Aroused. It was
strange.

Ger cleared his throat. “Should I move or something?” He flipped

open his pocket journal and fumbled for a pen in his bag. He couldn’t
get to his other journal without dragging everything out, but he could
certainly use the smaller one for some kind of notes.

“Trying to distract yourself from the hard cock you’re sporting?”

Santiago’s voice was filled with lazy amusement. His hand touched
Ger’s thigh, and the Ravyn jumped. Santiago chuckled. “You make
me hungry, Germany.”

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“I−is that’s what this is about? You needing a snack?” Relief

laced Ger’s words. The excuse was flimsy, but it was one he could
understand. Germany didn’t stand out. Ever. He had coasted through
entire lifetimes being unnoticed, and he was okay with that.

“Are you offering?” Santiago asked softly.
“I–if you need it,” Ger said. The move was reckless, but if he

could distract the ancient from the idea of sex that was dancing across
his face he would feel safer.

He didn’t even see Santiago move, but he suddenly had a lapful of

vampire who had a steely grip on both of his arms. Ger forced himself
to relax. Predatory natures were common in vampires. It was their
way. It wasn’t so different from demons. It didn’t mean anything. The
hard cock that was grinding insistently along his stomach muscles
didn’t mean anything either. Really. He swallowed.

“Tilt your neck to the side,” Santiago commanded, kissing along

Ger’s jaw. The Ravyn did so. He couldn’t remember being so aroused
by such simple touches before. It was bizarre and intense in a way
that Ger was far from used to. “Hmmm, nice.” The vampire’s lips
found his pulse and pressed a soft kiss to the frantic beat. His tongue
darted out, tasting the flesh. Germany shuddered.

“It’s not nice to play with your food,” Ger muttered, pushing his

hips up so that some of the pressure in his dick could be relieved
against the pert backside perched on top of him. He bit his lip to stifle
the groan that tried to escape him at the action.

“My food is playing with me just as much, I assure you,” Santiago

muttered against his skin, lapping it again. Ger’s hands found their
way around to cup the vampire’s ass. Whoa. That was nice.
Santiago’s buttock was high and round, and the globes fit perfectly
into the palms of both of Germany’s hands. The sound of pleasure
that echoed between Germany and Santiago was unmistakable.

It really wasn’t prudent for the two of them to be doing this, but

Ger couldn’t seem to work up the energy to care. His focus was solely
on the man atop him. Santiago’s lips pressed more insistently on his

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neck. He scraped it with fangs, and Ger couldn’t resist another slow
grind.

“Stop teasing,” he muttered, half to himself.
He yelped at the sudden piercing pain on his neck, which was

followed almost immediately by blinding conquering pleasure. It felt
like the draws of Santiago’s mouth on his neck were somehow
intimately connected to the pulses of want in his groin. Oh yes. Oh
please. More. Oh, man. No wonder Dageus and Ally are so into their
vampire’s bites. He kneaded the flesh of Santiago’s backside
deliberately, luxuriating in the sensation. Ger wanted to be naked in
the worst way. Santiago was making like mewling sounds of pleasure
at Ger’s pulse which only incited him further.

Ger flipped them, pushing Santiago against the leather of the seats

and settling between his legs in one quick move. Santiago’s mouth
never left Ger’s neck, and they both fumbled with the vampire’s
pant’s button. Ger made a noise of frustration and tore the material in
half. Demon strength did have its plusses. He jerked open the fly of
his own black slacks and began grinding his naked body against the
writhing one beneath him, accidently ripping his blue, bejeweled
underwear in the process. He was mindless in his need.

Santiago was a writhing mass of arms and legs and tongue which

urged Germany on. Ger gasped as the vampire’s hand found his
straining erection and massaged the length. Santiago had to be made
of freaking elastic to maintain his grip and bend like that. Flexibility
was so much fun. The Ravyn had never realized just how much fun it
could be.

“Oh, man, touch me. Just like that. Christ.” Sometimes nothing

would do but a good ole Christian expletive. Ger’s head started to
spin as he crept closer to climax. He wanted inside before he exploded
though. He needed it in a way that would normally disturb him. He
reached down and took control of his cock, forcing the engorged and
dripping head into the valley of Santiago’s ass. The world tilted and
spun faster. He had to get inside. Had to. Needed to.

Ravyn’s Dance

Santiago’s mouth popped off the wound he’d made on Ger’s neck.

“Hmmm, yes.” That purr was back, and it was even better when it
was that close to his ear. “That’s it, Ravyn, fuck me.”

Ger pressed closer and gritted his teeth. The tip of him forged a

way inside Santiago’s body, but it was tight. Dry fucking the
vampire’s tight ass didn’t seem like a good idea. “Don’t want to hurt
you.” He paused. Was his speech slurring?

Santiago had gone back to his throat and was lapping like a cat.

“Won’t hurt me,” he promised, lifting his head just enough to mutter
the words. “Need you inside me.” Ger pushed forward another inch.
The spinning in his head got worse.

Spots danced through his vision, and he shook his head to clear it.

What the hell was wrong with him? Santiago’s ministrations paused.

“Germany?”
The Ravyn attempted to speak. “Think I’m gonna pass out.” It

sounded more like. “Thik M’gun ps ow.”

Santiago cursed and cupped Ger’s head between his hands. “I took

too much,” he admitted. He maneuvered out from under Ger and
flipped the Ravyn to his back, deftly fastening the Ravyn’s pants. Ger
growled.

“Want you.” Even as he said the words, his eyes slid closed. The

vampire sighed and stroked his face.

“I want you, too, Ravyn. Sweet dreams.”

Jana Downs

Chapter Seven

Santiago cursed himself a million times and looked at the mess

he’d created. Desire pulsed through him like a wildfire, and the object
of his overpowering lust had just passed out cold. He never lost
control while feeding. Of course, he never got fucked by what he fed
on either.

He let out another string of expletives as he looked down at his

shredded pants and the remains of his lime-green undergarments. He
would have to wear his jeans to the castle. Dammit. His throbbing
cock protested the idea by leaking another drop of liquid on the tip. It
would have been perfectly okay with not getting dressed and waiting
until Germany awoke to finish what they’d started.

The vampire sighed. They had started something bigger than

either one of them had anticipated. He looked over at Germany’s
reposed body and licked his lips. He was beautiful and strong, so
much stronger than Santiago had expected, a warrior through and
through. His muscles weren’t as bulky as his brothers’, and his lean,
wiry frame was infinitely more appealing. His hair was pitch like
Damian’s, but Germany wore it longer so that it brushed the tops of
his shoulders. His eyes drifted to the erection that had since softened
in sleep that Santiago had tucked away by buttoning his pants. The
ancient could hardly believe that he’d been a breath away from having
Germany buried inside him. He swore again at his own stupidity. If he
hadn’t been so stupid, they would be already deep in the throes of a
passionate embrace.

He half crawled over to his bag and started rummaging therein. It

figured that the only other pair of pants he’d brought was jeans. He

Ravyn’s Dance

hadn’t anticipated needing a change of clothes when he’d packed his
carry-on. The Council was going to have a collective giggle fit.
Rumors would circulate, and the entire Entertainer line would be put
in the mind of every vampire clan in attendance. This was exactly
what Santiago had not wanted to happen. Vampire politics were
dangerous at the best of times. It was safer to remain under the radar
for the most part. Entertainers were not by nature fighters, and a lot of
the other clans were.

The limo slowed as they reached the summit of the hill that

overlooked the sleepy village below. He hadn’t told Germany that
he’d been here before. He’d thought to save the grisly tale of the
chateau’s origin for the tour which would take place on the way to
Council chambers for the meet and greet. He kicked off his shoes and
pulled on his jeans. Too bad he would miss the retelling of the house.
It was an interesting, if grim, story. Vampires, for all their airs of
sophistication, were very much into the drama of horror and the
clichés of their species. Councilman Lillian had chosen the location
well.

The car came to a stop, and Santiago stuffed his feet into his shoes

and tried not to think of the way he would look getting out of the limo
with the smell of sex still in the air, sporting a new pair of pants and a
passed out “assistant” whom they all saw Santiago molesting earlier
on. He had the sneaking suspicion that Maddeline was going to
reprimand him. The door opened.

Aimé smiled as he took in the picture the two of them made. “We

have arrived, my lord.” His gaze flicked to Germany’s body. “Shall I
have an attendant collect your things and bring them to your room?”
A small smirk formed on his lips, and Santiago had the urge to
backhand him for the deliberately disrespectful expression. The only
thing that saved the impudent vampire from Santiago’s wrath was the
fact that he had indicated Germany as one of his “things.” The notion
pleased the ancient for some reason.

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“Yes. Have them settle Germany into”—he should really tell them

to settle him into his own room. He really should—“my bed.” Had he
just said that? Gods, he was getting impulsive. That would only add
more fuel to the rumors.

Aimé bowed. “As you wish. I’ll see that it’s done.” His eyes raked

over Germany, and Santiago had the urge to growl. Possessiveness
wasn’t normally in his repertoire of traits, but with the Ravyn, it
seemed that there wasn’t much normal about the way he reacted to
him. “He’s quite fetching, Santiago,” the other vampire
complimented.

“I have excellent tastes,” Santiago said dryly. “Do hurry up,

Aimé. The Council doesn’t like to be left waiting.”

Still, the other man hesitated. “Is he truly yours, Santiago? Do you

have claim on him?”

Santiago’s eyes narrowed. “The marks on his throat say I do.

Besides, he would not care for your types of games.” Aimé enjoyed
more than a little blood and pain with his sex, and Santiago had seen
his fair share of the other vampire’s “playmates” broken from the
sadism that Aimé enjoyed.

“A pity.” The other vampire sighed wistfully and turned his

attention back to Santiago. “I’ll see that it’s done.”

Santiago nodded and climbed out of the limo.

* * * *

Germany woke in the dark. He couldn’t even distinguish the

shapes of the objects in the room he was in because of the depths of
the shadows. There was only one sort of darkness that he’d ever
associated with this sort of blackness, and it was in the caves of
Demontia. He should’ve been thankful for the lack of light because he
imagined it would feel like a hundred hammers trying to gouge out
his eyes due to the throbbing headache he now had.

Ravyn’s Dance

He was on some sort of bed, covered up in soft, satiny sheets and

a heavy comforter of an indeterminable type. It felt good against his
naked skin. How he’d gotten naked was anyone’s guess. The last
thing he remembered was Santiago climbing on top of him and—

“Oh shit.” He whispered the word and hugged the covers tighter

to his body. He’d nearly screwed the vampire right there in the limo
with only a thin partition separating them from that creep, Aimé.
Gods’ fury, since when had Germany gotten so reckless?

“Oh good. You’re awake.” A slightly accented, unfamiliar voice

spoke from somewhere in the darkness. Germany tensed as a soft
golden lamp clicked on from across the room. It didn’t throw much
light, but it was enough for Ger to get the picture. The room wasn’t
terribly large, but it was extremely well furnished and luxurious. The
bed was four-poster, and an ornate wardrobe was pushed off to one
side. A small desk was pushed against the wall by the door, and the
lamp which had been lit was sitting beside it.

A small boy, no more than eight or nine, stood there, his reed-thin

arms crossed over his chest and his blond, slightly curly hair fell
around his angelic face in an artful shag. He had large brown eyes
which made him appear even younger to Ger, but the look in them
said he was eight going on eighty.

“Hi,” Ger greeted, unable to form anything more articulate. He

felt like there was cotton stuffed between his ears and a desert poured
into his mouth. “Who are you?”

“I’m Jeremy.” The boy shifted and grabbed a cup off the desk.

“Councilman Lillian said that Lord Santiago wanted me to bring this
to you.” He approached cautiously like he expected Ger to lash out at
him at any moment. The Ravyn held very still deliberately. Who had
dared hurt this child in the past to produce such a reaction? “It’ll help
to up your blood sugar and relieve a little of the headache.”

“How do you know what I’m feeling like?” Ger wondered, eyeing

the glass suspiciously. He sniffed the air. It smelled like citrus.
Orange juice?

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The boy snorted. “Um, hello, we live with vampires. As if I

wouldn’t know what it feels like to get a bite hangover.” He rolled his
eyes. “At least you’re not going through bite withdrawals. Those are
the worst.”

Ger’s eyes narrowed. “Who the hell has been biting you? You’re

too young!” His barking tone made Jeremy jump and spill some of the
juice onto the white carpet.

“Oh shit! Now look what you made me do! I’m going to get in

trouble for this.” He put the glass on the nightstand beside Ger and
got on his knees, using his spit and his shirt sleeve to get up some of
the stain. Ger reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed the
child’s arm.

Jeremy froze. “Lemme go.” His eyes were wide as saucers. Poor

kid.

“Easy. I’m not going to hurt you. Now tell me, who feeds on

you?” Ger made his voice soft as he could. It was partially for the
throbbing headache that beat like butterfly wings behind his eyes, but
it was also to try and calm the panic that rose in Jeremy’s eyes every
time Ger took a deep breath.

“Councilman Lillian,” Jeremy replied after a moment’s hesitation.

“Who else? She’s my Mistress.”

“She owns you?”
Jeremy nodded. “Of course. My parents died when I was younger,

and Mistress Lillian took me into her household. I serve her and her
clan.” He looked down at where Ger held him. “Let go, please?” Ger
reluctantly released him. The boy motioned to the drink. “You need
that to keep up your strength. It’s going to be a long week, and you
really should make sure you’re in peak physical shape.”

Ger nodded and picked up the glass, sniffing it for anything

unusual before taking a long, desperate swig. “I thought vampires
weren’t allowed to feed on anyone under the age of eighteen,” he said
after several moments of silent guzzling. When he put the cup down,
it was empty.

Ravyn’s Dance

“That’s the human law, isn’t it? Vampires have their own law, and

possession is nine-tenths of it. I have no one to complain about it, so
no one does. Besides, it’s not so bad. Maybe one day I’ll get Made,
and then I will live forever and do whatever I want.” Jeremy
shrugged. He looked at Ger curiously. “So you came with the
Entertainers?”

Ger nodded.
“Are you a dancer or something?” Jeremy asked.
“Nope. I’m Santiago’s personal assistant. I have no abilities of

creativity whatsoever.” He smiled. At least he remembered their cover
story.

“Huh. That’s weird. No wonder the whole house is buzzing with

rumors about you two. You his lover or something?” The boy sat on
the edge of the mattress as he interrogated him. Ger was no great
judge of child behavior, but he seemed to be relaxing a little bit.

“Uh, er, no, not really,” Ger stammered.
“Huh. That’s weird,” Jeremy repeated. He gave an “oh well” sort

of shrug. “I’ve never heard of an Entertainer bringing a PA with
them.” His eyes were way too shrewd for an eight-year-old. “Maybe
he’s trying to seduce you.”

Ger sputtered. “You need to mind your own business.” He felt his

cheeks and knew he was blushing. Crap. “You’re too young for this
sort of discussion anyways.”

“I am not!” Jeremy protested. “I’m ten. That’s almost a teenager!”
“Not. Old. Enough.”
“Am I interrupting?” Santiago’s amused voice cut into their

argument. Jeremy gave a little squeal and hopped off the bed and
dashed across the room, putting as much distance between Santiago
and himself as he could manage. Ger pulled the covers tighter around
his waist and blushed harder. Crap. He’d forgotten he was naked until
that moment.

“I gave him the juice like you asked me to, my lord.” Jeremy

sounded like someone had put him on marionette strings in the past

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thirty seconds. He sounded obedient and, weirdly enough, sweet.
“Shall I draw a bath for the two of you before I go?”

Santiago smiled. Unlike most of his regular smiles, it seemed

genuine and warm. It was really cute. Damn. There I go again with
the cute thing. Ger rolled his eyes at himself. He really needed to
work on his mindset. He was here to get help for his Prince back
home, not dally with Santiago and notice how beautiful his brown
eyes were or how tight that nice ass was or how good the vampire felt
under his body…Damn. Stop that!

“I would like very much if you filled the tub. I need to wash the

sweat off at least.” Santiago’s gaze returned to Ger, who shifted
uncomfortably.

“How long have I been out?” Ger asked, looking away from

Santiago. He seemed more relaxed now, like he’d had a long massage
or something. It made him appear more human.

“About three hours. Since we arrived so late, we just had time for

one dance and some light mingling before we had to retire. The time
difference ate up a lot of our time.” Santiago stripped off his sweaty,
skintight cutoff shirt that had to have some sort of spandex in it and
tossed it over into a corner. His shoes were toed off with some care,
and then his black dance pants were pulled off.

Ger blinked. He’d thought that they’d ruined those. “When did

you lose the slacks?”

“The slacks? In the car when you tore them off.” Ger knew his

cheeks were flaming at the reminder. “As for the jeans I had to
change into, I lost them about the time they brought you in here. I had
to change before the performance.” Santiago stretched, elongating all
those delicious dancer’s muscles for Ger’s visual enjoyment. Arousal
came blaring back to life. He figured his stupid cock would’ve
learned its lesson from last time but no. All it knew was that it wanted
more attention. “I also took the liberty of having you stripped. I
figured that you would be more comfortable naked because I didn’t
know what you normally wore to bed.”

Ravyn’s Dance

Ger’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. Whoever had stripped

him had seen his underwear that Maddy had bought him on their trip
to the mall. Man, how embarrassing was that?

“Uh, thanks,” Ger said awkwardly.
“You’re welcome. Would you care to accompany me to the

baths?” That strange light was back in Santiago’s eyes, and Ger’s
body leapt with interest. He tented the sheets to disguise the erection.
He had no idea how he even maintained one after losing enough
blood to pass out, but then again demons were pretty fast healers. He
figured it was best to address this issue straight away. There was no
reason why he should put off what he needed to say.

“Santiago, what happened in the limo can’t happen again.” Ger

hoped his tone was as serious as he intended. Did he sound a little
aroused? He prayed not.

Santiago’s lips went into a sharp frown. “And why is that?”
Ger cleared his throat. “Uh, my first duty is to my Prince, as you

know. He sent me here on a mission, and I don’t think I should be
playing around with you. I came to garner support from the vampires
for my Prince, and that is what I intend to do.” He shifted. “If,
afterward, you want to…” He paused, searching for a word.

“Fuck?” Santiago supplied dryly. Ger blushed.
“I guess that’s one way to put it. I would’ve said it a little more

delicately, but yeah, I guess so. If you want to after we get back to
Haven, we can explore that option.” Ger was proud of himself for not
sounding like a complete idiot.

Santiago crossed his arms. The defensive posture made Ger want

to squirm even more. He really hoped he hadn’t offended the vampire.
It was never his intention to do so.

“I think I would like that, Ravyn.” Santiago’s soft voice was a

surprise. “Though I would hope we would be doing more talking than
fucking at some point.”

Ger’s heart thundered. He hadn’t expected that. “So, like a date?”
“If it pleases you. Yes, like a date.”

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“I, well, uh, okay.” Ger wanted to slap himself in the forehead. He

sounded like an idiot. This was why he always wrote things down
before he spoke!

Santiago gave him a soft smile. “Very well. That sounds like an

acceptable plan. How about you join me in the bath and tell me about
the mission that you’re on? I think it’s high time you come clean
about your real reason for being here.”

Ravyn’s Dance

Chapter Eight

Ger wasn’t normally as nervous when he took off his clothes. The

attached bathroom with its high ceilings and massive Jacuzzi tub was
daunting when it included an equally gorgeous and ornate vampire
with deep brown eyes and the tightest ass this side of the universes.
He deliberately trained his eyes on the floor. Aw, four gates of the
netherworld. This is a bad idea.

He didn’t raise his gaze again until he heard the telltale splashing

sound of someone sinking into the tub. He shouldn’t have looked.
Santiago’s lean arms rested on the white edge of the tub above a
swirling froth of water which hid his body from just below his pecs
down. His lean body was sculpted perfection, and he looked totally at
ease in his position in the tub.

“Get in here, Ravyn,” Santiago murmured the words in a lazy,

amused voice that had Ger shivering. Who would’ve thought that his
opinion of Santiago could’ve changed so rapidly from yesterday?
“Germany, I’m waiting.” The ancient gave a sigh and slid down a
little farther in the swirling water. “I’m not going to bite you again.
Get in the tub, amato.”

“Amato?” Ger frowned. “I’m unfamiliar with the term.”
Santiago just laughed. “Get in the tub, Ger.”
Well, he supposed he couldn’t stall any longer. Ger dropped the

sheet that was wrapped around his waist. He stood straight, proud,
unwilling to act embarrassed in front of the vampire. He’d been naked
in front of people before.

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“Nice.” Santiago took his time looking at him head to toe. Ger

took two strides to come to the corner of the tub and hopped in,
hissing at the heat as it assaulted his legs and waist.

“Hot,” he said through gritted teeth.
Santiago smirked. “I imagine a cold bath would be rather

unpleasant.” His expression was completely blank again, as if he
slipped on another being’s skin. Ger was beginning to surmise that it
was intended as a barrier between Santiago and the world at large.

“Yeah. My balls would disagree with you right now,” Ger

grumbled. He reached under the water and massaged the sore
appendages. The hot water had shocked them into a very unpleasant
ache. At least his hard-on was taken care of.

Santiago moved a little closer. “Are you all right?” he asked. “It

would’ve most likely been in your best interest to come into the water
a bit slower.”

“Agreed,” Ger quipped. He wasn’t sure if Santiago was making a

joke or not, but it absolutely wasn’t funny. He sighed and shifted,
trying to get a little more comfortable. “So I suppose this is where I
lay out my agenda, huh?”

Santiago nodded. “I think it’s time.”
“You know that our Prince has lost his throne to his cousin

Desmond, yes?” The vampire nodded. “Well, we’ve never had
enough manpower to really do anything about it. The Ravyns have
been too busy trying to run and hide Salvatore to really garner any
support behind the throne. Granted, we have a few demons who are
sympathetic to our cause. Old generals from Salvatore’s father’s court
have been hiding out in Demontia and building what support they
could.

“However, too much activity would’ve gotten them noticed and

executed, so they’ve formed bands of nomadic tribes across
Demontia. They’ve been waiting for damn near two thousand years
for Salvatore to call them to arms. Of course, Salvatore was just
eighteen when Desmond took the throne, so they expected some

Ravyn’s Dance

waiting time but nothing like this. Generations of Ravyns have been
waiting for the opportunity to strike, but it just hasn’t happened yet.

“When Salvatore got married to Destin, his Faery boyfriend, the

Fae realm of Underhill along with other monarchs of Fae in this world
agreed to give Salvatore troops so that the throne can be reclaimed.
Desmond thinks that Salvatore is dead right now, so it’s the perfect
time to attack.

“I was sent here to convince you to help our cause by negotiating

some vampire support. Alex agreed that vampires would make
powerful allies, and we could really use the muscle. Fae have great
magicks and are quick, but we know that there are some vampire
clans which specialize in battle, and that would be perfect.” Ger
finished quickly. It seemed like he hadn’t even taken a breath in
between the first sentence and the last. He was extremely nervous. He
had written the beginnings of an argument for Santiago in his
notebook. Unfortunately, he hadn’t anticipated being naked and
without it for this conversation.

Santiago’s face had gone completely vacant again. Finally, after

another minute’s wait, he spoke. “Allow me to repeat this nonsense so
that I can get a better understanding of your plot. You want me to
approach the Council and negotiate for the ability to approach other
clans so that you can petition them to join in a war with demons in
another realm?” Ger nodded. “Are you aware that the Entertainers do
not engage in any sort of conflict?”

Again, Ger nodded. “I’ve been told that. Your specialization

doesn’t lend itself to do much fighting.”

“Approaching the other clans for troops that we could be

unwilling and unable to provide in equal measure would not only
amuse the war-minded clans but also make the Entertainer line appear
weak by comparison,” Santiago said.

“You also have Council protection. It’s forbidden for other clans

to mess with the territory in Haven. The worst thing the other clans
could say is no. I don’t feel that this is asking too much. Plus,

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Salvatore is more than willing to compensate those vampires who
choose to help.”

Santiago’s lips pursed. “That is not the point. The Council has

little need for the Prince’s baubles or money. This negotiation will
come at a price that I may not be willing to pay.”

“Like what?” Ger demanded.
“They can demand anything for such a privilege, Germany. I

thought you had studied vampire culture. They could choose to help
but only on the condition that someone of the Entertainer line join
them in bed or that all future performances have to be conducted in
France, or that one of you Ravyns be given as a pet to a certain
Councilman. Any of those are possibilities.” Santiago sighed. “I hate
dealing with the Council. Absolutely hate it. They are deliberately
cruel, and the more elaborate the hoop they wish you to jump through,
the more fun they have making you do it. You have no idea what you
and your Prince are asking.”

“I have to try, Santiago. Please. My Prince is counting on me, and

I can’t let him down.” Germany was pretty desperate at this point.
Everything Santiago said made the task seem infinitely harder than
he’d originally thought. He’d presumed, perhaps a little childishly,
that if the Council agreed to help, it would be for some sort of
monetary fee. Vampires were so damn complicated!

“I tried to tell you on more than one occasion that vampires in the

Entertainer line were not like other vampires,” Santiago reminded. He
sank to his nose in the swirling water, his brow furrowed in deep
concentration. He really was adorable. He lifted himself a bit. “How
necessary are the vampires in your battle strategy?”

Ger shrugged. “I’m really not sure. I can tell you that it would

make everything a little easier, but I can’t tell you a lot more than
that. I know that right now, without the vampires, the odds are against
us that we will emerge from battle victorious.”

The vampire leaned his head back against the rim of the tub and

stared at the ceiling. “Give me a few days to think about it and gain

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some favors from the Council. I’ll need time to schmooze and garner
enough attention to warrant notice. After that, you and I will revisit
the topic, and I’ll decide if it’s the best course of action for my family.
As much as I wish to help you, you ought to know that my
responsibilities to my line and my family come before all else.”

Ger nodded. “I can respect that.”
“Good. Hand me the bath wash.” Santiago pointed to somewhere

behind Germany’s head. “I need to get the smell of sweat off me.”

Ger tossed him the bottle and stared. He was really taking a bath

with a vampire. This was beyond weird. He grabbed a bar of soap
from the dish and started lathering himself up as Santiago did the
same. Yeah. This was weird, far more intimate than it should have
been.

A small smile flirted with Santiago’s lips. “You’re not thinking

about duty and war right now, Ravyn. You are quite easy to read. Do I
unnerve you so much?”

Ger swallowed hard. “It’s, er, this attraction more than anything

unnerves me. Plus, we’re bathing together…Don’t you find that odd?”

The vampire’s mouth broke out into a full grin. “I rather enjoy

having a handsome man sharing a bath with me, especially one that
has agreed to have dinner with me. It’s rather a reverse of order in the
dating realm, bath before supper, but I am more than willing to
accommodate the unusualness of the circumstance.”

“You know, everyone always says you’re above baser things, but

they’re full of shit. You are a pervert, sir,” Ger teased. Gods, was he
really flirting with Santiago now? He’d lost his marbles on the plane
ride over.

“You shouldn’t tease an old man, Ger. It’s cruel,” Santiago said,

tossing a pink mesh pouf shower sponge at the Ravyn’s chest. It
smacked him squarely before plopping into the water. Ger laughed.
So the little automaton did have a sense of humor!

“I’m sure I really hurt your feelings, old man. Besides, you’re in

better shape than I am.” And he was. Santiago was all lean muscle

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and definition, the kind that wasn’t gained in a gym but by using them
frequently in dancing. It wasn’t a warrior’s physique, but it was
certainly delicious looking.

“You’re picturing me naked, Germany. If you don’t desist, I will

call Salvatore personally to complain about the absolute
unprofessionalism of his Ravyns,” Santiago threatened with a smile.

Ger picked up the sponge and tossed it back at him, hitting his

forehead. “You’re such a brat!”

“I beg your pardon. You need to respect your elders, young man,”

Santiago said in mock sternness.

Ger splashed water into Santiago’s face and laughed at the

sputtering and absolute shock that followed. He shrugged and gave
him a smirk. The interaction almost reminded him of the familiarity
he experienced with his brothers.

“You’re asking for a wrestling match you cannot hope to win,

Ravyn.” Santiago glided closer. Ger scooted back. He didn’t trust the
vampire or himself if he got much closer. “Scared? What can a little
dancer like me do to a big warrior like you?”

“I’ve got to work on my poker face,” Ger muttered as they began

circling one another in the relatively small space of the Jacuzzi tub.

“My lord Santiago?” They both jumped at the intrusive voice. Ger

turned around and was shocked to see the kid from before standing in
the bathroom. Santiago’s amusement instantly vanished.

“What is it, Jeremy?” Santiago asked.
“Um, Councilman Lillian has requested that you bring your

assistant to supper tonight. The Council is interested in meeting him.”
The boy looked between the two of them and seemed to anticipate
being slapped.

Santiago frowned. “Her personal interest in my PA is unfounded.

He is a guest of the Entertainers just as some of the visiting dancers
are.”

“She said that he was a part of the Entertainer’s group. Therefore

he would be required to sup and socialize with the Council just as the

Ravyn’s Dance

rest of you do.” Jeremy shifted from foot to foot and looked ready to
bolt. The kid obviously didn’t want to be the bearer of orders.
Santiago let loose a string of very creative expletives.

“Santiago, it really isn’t that big of a deal. I can attend dinner. I

read the etiquette book. I promise not to say much,” Ger interjected.
Santiago’s early mood had since evaporated. He seemed to be on the
edge of real anger now.

“Be quiet, Germany. I need to think.” He massaged his temples

with one hand, and Ger could practically see the tension building in
the man’s shoulders. After a second, he just seemed to slump,
defeated. “Fine. Tell her that I would be more than happy to bring
him, but he must sit where I can see him at all times.”

Jeremy bowed. “As you wish. Forgive the interruption, my lord.

I’ll deliver your message.” He shot Germany a look that said he was a
liar for claiming not to be involved with Santiago, turned on his heels,
and fled.

Santiago sighed. “I had hoped to keep you out of the limelight as

much as possible during our stay here. They will be interested in a
demon. You’re an exotic pet to them.”

“So what? Shouldn’t that help your case when you petition?” Ger

wondered.

“It is never a good idea to be at the center attention of the

Council.” The uneasy light in Santiago’s eyes chilled the Ravyn.
Nothing really ruffled Santiago, and to know that this did didn’t bode
well.

Santiago abruptly stood and reached for a towel, securing it

around his waist with one movement. “Get some sleep, Ravyn,” he
said. “Tomorrow you meet the Council, and you’ll need your wits
about you.” A loud crack rent the air, and the vampire was gone. Ger
sank back into the still-warm waters of their bath and sighed. This
was going to be the longest week of his life.

Jana Downs

Chapter Nine

A murmur of voices echoed along the long corridor filled with

what appeared to be generations of family portraiture. It felt a little
like Ger was walking to the gallows. He went over and over in his
mind the etiquette lessons that were in his book. He’d even taken
notes on it in his journal, but he’d had to leave it back in the room at
the behest of Santiago. Not that he could’ve seen much without using
his powers anyway. The lighting had been made deliberately dim as if
the vampires enjoyed playing games of hide and go seek with their
shadows and making the view difficult for the humans who were
running around.

Maddeline walked beside him, her face a composed and serene

mask of indifference as they walked toward the sound of people. She
had on a dress that was meant to mimic the eighteenth-century
hoopskirt fashion. Her gown was a soft gold with burgundy trim, she
wore soft velvet shoes, and her hair was held up in artful curls which
emphasized her delicate bone structure. Germany had been forced
into a suit that, in his opinion, was three sizes too small with a frilly
bit of lace tied around his throat that choked him every time he
swallowed.

“Each day has a theme, Germany,” she explained as she swayed

her lace fan in front of his face. “So the outfits will vary. This one is
eighteenth-century aristocracy. Tomorrow is medieval peasantry. The
day after is old Rome. I’ve got an itinerary that I wanted to give you
last night, but you were otherwise indisposed.” How kind of her to
say that he’d passed out from getting sexed up in the back of a limo,
Ger thought dryly. “The dancers have already been preparing, so you

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are to sit by me, eat when I eat, and leave when I leave. Talk if you’re
directly addressed, but otherwise be quiet.”

“I know that,” Ger said, more than a little impatiently. “Why

aren’t you dancing tonight anyway? I anticipated having to walk here
by myself.”

She gave a little twittering laugh. “You’ve got to be joking.

You’re a hot, young, demon male that smells like sex and sunshine.
Every vampire at this gathering is going to want to make you their
own personal plaything. Santiago has agreed to dance tonight in my
place. You’re actually in for quite a treat.”

“He’s watching out for me.” Ger smiled as he said it. He didn’t

know why it made him feel all warm and fuzzy to think that he was
looking over him, but it did. The dancer was adorable. Absolutely
adorable.

“He promised Alex and Salvatore he would. Santiago takes his

duty seriously,” Maddy said. They had that in common. “So tell me,
Ger, have you been wearing your presents that I bought you? And
better yet, have you shown them to Santiago?”

Instant heat flooded Ger’s face. “Uh, no and no. Gods, woman,

what possesses you to ask such questions?”

She gave him a toothy grin. “I have to get my kicks where I can.

You know, I live vicariously through my male loved ones.” She
popped him in the head with her fan. “Besides, you’re the first male
that’s got Santiago’s dick in a knot in several hundred if not a
thousand years. So spill.”

“Can we discuss this later?” Germany asked faintly. He

swallowed. He couldn’t believe—well, yeah he could believe that
Maddeline would ask him that. She had no filter for her mouth.

She sighed dramatically and pinched his arm. “Fine. However, I

am going harass the hell out of you later.” She turned her attention
away from the Ravyn and gave a blinding smile that was more than a
little forced. “Councilman Lillian! How lovely to see you again.”

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A woman who was taller than Germany by a good five inches was

suddenly in front of them. She had a black gown on with golden fleur-
de-lis printed on the outer layer and a soft white muslin undergarment
that played peekaboo with the viewer. Ger wasn’t normally rude
enough to blatantly stare, but the woman was about to pop out of her
top. Her ample cleavage spilled out of the top of her gown in large
pale swells of flesh. Her pitch-black hair was done up in the same
fashion as Maddeline’s, but her face was thin and wane with a long,
thin nose and wide, frog-like eyes. She might have been passably
attractive if Germany didn’t feel like he was looking into the eyes of a
shark when those equally black orbs lit on him.

“Oh, it is a pleasure, Maddeline,” she murmured in a heavily

French-accented voice. “And you have brought a delicious-looking
snack with you, no?”

Maddy curtsied to the woman. “Thank you, Councilman.” Her

admiring gaze went to Ger. “He is Santiago’s personal assistant, so I
cannot lay claim to him. But yes, I do believe he is quite fetching.”

Ger dropped Maddy’s arm and gave a bow of his own. “Pleasure,

my lady.” Maddy looked shocked for the barest of instances before
her mask fell back into place.

“Have you come to assist us in finding our place at the table,

Councilman?” she asked with a demure smile. “I must say, it is an
honor to be greeted in such a way.”

Lillian laughed, the sound like a grinding chalkboard. “I must

admit to being a mite curious about Santiago’s new toy. We were all
very intrigued by how the boy arrived.” The two vampires linked
arms, and Ger supposed he was to walk behind them as they walked
toward a doorway that Germany surmised led to the dining area. “I
hear he was quite unclothed and quite blood drunk. You Entertainers
certainly know how to make an entrance.” Did she think he was deaf
or something? He wondered. It was a little annoying to be talked
about like he wasn’t there.

Ravyn’s Dance

They rounded the corner, and the entire space opened up to an

even more vast space. The walls were a pale cream trimmed in gold
leaf that led up to ceilings no doubt hand painted by master painters
centuries ago. Gold statuary lined the walls and decorated the
mirrored windows that lined one wall. The lights were at least
brighter than in the corridor, perhaps to illuminate the sheer opulence
of the room. A single long table done in a dark oak was pushed to one
side of the room. High-backed, ornate winged chairs with light green
upholstery on the cushions lined either side and were the only bit of
furniture he saw. Most of the floor space was open, he guessed for the
entertainment that was to come. He glanced down. The floors were
even more obnoxiously high-end, veined marble in star patterns of
dark and light tones.

“This castle was once owned by one of Elizabeth Báthory’s

cousins, you know. She is the lesser-known relative of the legendary
Countess of blood baths, but she was equally as grim.” It took Ger a
minute to realize that the Councilwoman was talking to him.

“Elizabeth Báthory?” Ger asked before he could filter himself.
“Oh, yes. Dreadful old bitch.” Lillian cackled. “She was a friend

of a friend who was obsessed with staying young like moi. So my
Sire-Child, Christiana, told her that we bathed in the blood of virgins
as a joke! She took us seriously and started killing virgins and bathing
in their blood in order to stay younger looking. It was hilarious.
Humans are such silly creatures. Her cousin, Amalie, built this house
with her husband’s money and did the same thing. It was quite the
trend. Except Amalie never got caught. She buried over six hundred
people beneath the castle grounds.” Cold seeped into his bones at the
chilling tale. Santiago had warned him, and he really shouldn’t have
asked.

“Great,” he responded as they approached the table. Maddy

dropped her arm from Lillian’s and grabbed for Ger.

“Come over here, Ger. You’re sitting by me,” Maddy reminded.

She dragged him over to one of the outermost chairs and pointed to a

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seat. Servants scurried in and pulled out the chairs for all the guests,
and Germany found himself very uncomfortable. All the people
looked…frightened.

“I feel like I’m going skinny-dipping in a shark tank,” Ger

muttered, knowing Maddy could hear him. She kicked him softly
under the table. Vampires could hear exceptionally well, so they’d
probably heard his little comment. If they had, though, they ignored it
and continued to happily chatter with one another about the rest of the
gala and how fun it was to be having a house party. Over six hundred
dead bodies. Ick.

Demons were strange, but these people were downright macabre.

His people relished life and all of its hardships. Nothing was higher
than strength and intelligence, but in a pinch strength would win as
the preference, hands down. Perhaps that was why Salvatore always
claimed that demons and shifters were much easier to relate than
vampires and demons. Not that they’d met all that many shifters that
he’d particularly liked either on Earth. Maybe he was a little biased
considering that Desmond tended to hire shifter thugs to try and kill
them. They nearly succeeded once. Of course, the Entertainers had a
jaguar shifter clan which they shared close ties with. Michel and
Cord, the two newest Ravyns, were part of that group.

A servant poured wine into his wine glass as he contemplated the

differences between the two races. It was red, of course. Jeez. These
vampires certainly love their cliché crap. He itched for his notebook.
He wanted to bury himself in his scribbling and not have to pay
attention to these arrogant monsters. He got what Santiago was
getting at before. Some vampires were not as people friendly as the
Entertainers.

The lights dimmed, and a slow violin began to play. Ger’s gaze

flickered up, and he turned around in his seat so he could see the
“stage.” He wondered how they would be making their entrance. It
was odd, but he felt a little relief knowing that the Entertainers were

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going to be coming into the room at any moment. Maybe he just
needed the sight of something familiar.

A deep drum created a tribal beat in stark contrast to the violin. It

started out soft and then escalated into a loud boom of sound.
Suddenly all went silent. Ger tensed. Was something wrong?

He jumped when the vampires appeared on the dance floor in

frozen positions. They were dressed in gauzy, see-through material in
varying shades of pastel. The outlines of their bodies and body parts
were clearly visible against the material. Ger had known the troupe to
be sensual, but it seemed downright sexual. Maybe it was the way the
dancers were frozen in embraces that made it seem that way. Each of
them was paired girl to boy and poised in just such a way that it could
be taken as a sex position or a dance move. Unbelievable.

The drum began to beat again. The dancers to the right started to

grind against one another almost like Ger had seen them do at the
club. But they danced more fluidly, infinitely more artistically. The
violin began to play faster, and the dancers to the left began to do the
same thing except their movements matched the cadence of the violin
instead of the drum. They continued that for several minutes before
the drum hit a loud thrum, and they switched partners. This time the
sex of the partner wasn’t necessarily the traditional matchup, females
partnered with other females, males with other males, and some males
with females. Again the grinding began with renewed vigor. Ger
found himself both entranced and slightly aroused by the
performance. All ideas of propriety flew out the window in the face of
such sheer sexualized energy.

A lone voice rose above the music. It was angelic, beautiful, and

female. It raised the fine hairs on Ger’s arms. The voice was soft and
sweet and utterly decadent. It was both gentle and powerful. The
dancers reacted to it like they’d been zapped into a frenzy of motion,
moving in unison they twisted, turned, and dove at one another. Her
voice rose in a crescendo, and the energy level seemed to reach its

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peak. Silence filled the room as the last note sounded. The dancers
froze once more.

Ger leaned forward in his seat, anticipating something more to

come. Maybe Salvatore was more right about La Petite Morte than
he’d originally thought. He had realized they were good from the
second he saw their first performance at the theater, but this was a
level of talent that was staggering. He was enchanted.

Then they all vanished once again, and Ger felt a moment’s

disappointment. Was that it? What a tease! Except, hadn’t Santiago
said that he would be taking Maddeline’s place? Where was he then?

A crack like a bullwhip sounded, and there he was, alone in the

middle of the dance floor. Santiago was shirtless with transparent,
harem-looking pants on. Even from this distance, Ger could see the
outline of his underwear. He was apparently neither a boxers nor a
briefs man. His mouth started to water. He was apparently a thong
guy. Holy gods. How that tiny scrap of cloth covered enough to be
called decent was a question that would have to be met only when he
started moving. Ger’s erection became painful against the confines of
his tight suit. He was beautiful.

The music began slowly. Santiago twisted his hips, thrusting

against an invisible companion. A murmur of appreciation started to
percolate through the crowd as they watched his performance. The
rotations of Santiago’s hips bunched the muscles in his stomach to
create a wave of rolling flesh as he tightened and released it for their
pleasure. As far as Ger was concerned, he was dancing only for him.
Mine. The uncharacteristic thought nearly broke Ger out of his spell.
Santiago moved forward, closer to the table, dancing as he went.

His rhythm was perfect, his gait unmatched. Ger slipped back

under the sensual haze of the dance as soon as their eyes met. He
sighed appreciatively as Santiago moved closer. The Ravyn had no
idea what sorts of moves he was making, but whatever they were was
tightening him like a rubber band in a slingshot. Ger was panting
lightly now, his eyes glued to that perfect, tight form. Whoever had

Ravyn’s Dance

said that Santiago was a statue had obviously never seen the man
perform. He was sex on two legs. Every motion, every movement,
every step he took was overflowing with whatever emotions he was
feeling. His lust, nice and lush, was about to make Ger cream himself.

Santiago reached out and stroked the cheek of one of the Council

members, a man Germany hadn’t met. The Ravyn growled low in his
throat, the demonic sound clearly audible over the music. The
vampires just chuckled at him. Santiago’s face flashed a look of
surprise, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

A small smile played on his lips. It was suffused with the energy

he was projecting. Ger gasped and arched his hips, grinding against an
invisible force. He was oblivious to everything but Santiago. Maddy
reached over and gripped his arm in a hard pinch. Ger blinked,
coming a bit back to himself at the pain. Santiago’s low hiss of
disapproval reached his ears. Maddy immediately released him. More
murmurs rose from the table, but Ger ignored them.

He reached out with his hand. Santiago took it and pressed a kiss

to the knuckles. The simple motion made Ger shiver. He started
dancing to the beat once more, but this time he danced just for
Germany. Ger spread his legs to accommodate the vampire’s
movement. When the dance had turned from a piece of art to a strip
tease, Ger didn’t know. He wasn’t going to complain either.

“Oh my gods,” Maddy muttered to his right as Santiago straddled

his leg and arched his back provocatively. Ger groaned at the hot
contact on his skin. His hands reached up of their own volition to run
down his taut backside. The gauzy material was surprisingly scratchy
against his palms, but the flesh beneath it was completely worth the
discomfort. Oh gods was right. Nothing but the gods could’ve created
such a perfect, hot, delicious—Santiago leaned forward, brushing his
chest against Ger. The Ravyn reached up and nipped the nipple that
slid too close to his face. The vampire hissed and brought his hands to
Ger’s shoulders. He twisted his hips, grinding himself against Ger’s
now-prominent erection. Even in this position, Santiago moved with

Jana Downs

an inhuman grace. He was so damn beautiful. Ger was losing his
mind.

The music peaked, and finally Santiago leaned down far enough

so that they could share a kiss. Their tongues mated fiercely.
Santiago’s gasp was swallowed up by Ger’s mouth, and his hands
cupped the perfect globes of his buttock in happy hedonism. The
moved together, dry humping, seeking friction against the other.
Finally, the kiss slowed with the music, and their lips parted as the
last note fell.

The table erupted into shouts of praise and loud clapping. Ger

jumped out of his skin, blushing scarlet. He’d just…No, he was not
thinking about it. He looked up into Santiago’s face and found the
same dazed look he feared he himself had on.

“Well done, Santiago!” one of the Councilmen crowed. He was

seated a few chairs down from Ger, toward the middle of the table on
the opposite side of Ger. He had medium-brown hair and eyes just a
shade darker than his hair. For the most part, he looked unremarkable,
but he had an air about him that bespoke of someone used to being in
power. Santiago’s mask slipped back into place, and he turned his
head to address the other vampire.

“Thank you, Councilman Edward,” Santiago said. “I’m glad you

enjoyed the performance.” His attention turned back to Ger. “Did you
enjoy that?”

“I–uh—y–yes.” Ger felt choked. Everyone in the room was

staring at the pair of them. He felt the blush flush his face.

The other vampire smiled. The expression looked odd on his face,

unnatural. “How could we not? You are a sensual creature. You must
tell me”—his reptilian grin widened—“are you courting, Santiago?”
Ger shuddered. How had he ever thought for a second that Santiago
was cold and inhuman? “Best keep him close. Your demon assistant
smells delicious.”

“Like white cherries and springtime,” Santiago muttered, half

under his breath. Ger heard him and blushed harder. Gods, this man

Ravyn’s Dance

was turning him upside down. He’d sworn that he wasn’t going to
participate in any nonsense, at least not until he went back to Haven,
and look at him. Santiago spoke to the rest of the room in a lazy,
amused tone that belied the hardness that was still pressing insistently
against Ger’s abdomen. “Indeed, he does. I’ll keep that in mind,
Councilor.” He waved to the table. “I am going to change for dinner.
I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he just disappeared from Ger’s lap.
Gods, what the hell had he gotten himself into?

Jana Downs

Chapter Ten

“I can’t believe you did that to me,” Ger snapped as he slammed

his way into his rooms, which were adjacent to Santiago’s. He threw
his ridiculously tight jacket and neck thing onto a sitting chair by his
bed table and began to attack the buttons on his shirt. “I thought we
were being inconspicuous.” He stripped his shirt, wadded it up in a
ball, and tossed it across the room in Santiago’s direction. “All
through dinner, all the entire Council could talk about was how good I
smelled and how “beautiful we looked together.” And to add insult to
injury, you did it again after supper!” He had, too. Santiago had
danced for Ger after dinner as well, got his dick into yet another knot,
and embarrassed the crap out of him in front of everyone.

“It was not my original intention to give such a performance,

Germany. However, if I admitted that it hadn’t been planned all
along, then that would’ve looked even more suspicious. They think
I’m courting you. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’ll forget
about it by tomorrow night because I gave that second performance,”
Santiago said patiently. He stripped out of his own jacket and tossed it
over Ger’s with considerably less force. “Besides, you forgot all about
everyone else in the room when I danced, so why does it matter?”

“Because it does!” Ger shouted in an uncharacteristic display of

temper. His cheeks were still hot.

“Forgive me for making you so uncomfortable. I wasn’t aware

you had such feelings about public displays.” Santiago’s lips were
pursed, and that distant aloof expression on his face was seriously
becoming one of Ger’s least favorite looks.

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“I’m not into public anything! I don’t like to even speak in

public.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked off his shoes.
“I hate being the center of attention, and it’s the only thing I’ve been
since meeting you at the airport.”

Santiago chuckled. “Well, I am an Entertainer, Germany. Of

course you’re the center of attention while you are with me.”

Ger threw his hands up in exasperation. “Would you stop being so

stoic and argue properly for once?” The vampire crossed his arms
over his chest.

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” A little heat crept

into Santiago’s voice. “Should I shout and toss my things and stomp
my foot like a three-year-old?”

“If I get some sort of reaction from you, then yes!”
Santiago was suddenly right in front of him, baring a mouth full of

fangs at his face. “Did it ever occur to you that that was my way of
saying that I liked you, you arrogant child?”

Ger’s temper flared, and the lightbulbs in the suite went out with

soft pops. The light lingered, dancing where the source used to be
before streaking across the room and swirling up his arms like snakes.

“I have had eight hundred reincarnations since my first life. I

remember every second of every day of the past two thousand years
serving Salvatore and his family. I’ve fought countless battles and
died countless times for what I believe in. Don’t you ever call me a
child,” the Ravyn said. His voice was low and calm, deadly.

“You’re acting like one,” Santiago retorted with absolutely no

fear. “I apologized. Take it or leave it. I don’t give those out often.”

Before Ger could really get a hold of his instincts, he reached out

and grabbed both of Santiago’s arms and flipped the position so that
the vampire was pressed to the mattress with the Ravyn on top of him.
He leaned close, his mouth an inch from Santiago’s. “I accept.” He
latched his mouth onto Santiago’s lips for their second kiss of the
evening.

Jana Downs

He had to admit that he’d been sexually on edge since the

beginning of this trip, and he was having trouble remembering why
exactly he denied the impulse to fuck Santiago silly from that first
second on. Santiago seemed to sense the change in Ger because he
gave a little groan of surrender and opened his mouth to the demands
of the Ravyn. His soft, elegant hands crept up his shoulder blades to
play over the muscles there. He arched against Ger’s body beautifully,
rolling them so that he was on top. The kissing continued, and Ger
was able to grope that tight backside through the vampire’s black
slacks. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted more friction. He rolled them
again so that Santiago was under him once more, this time with his
legs spread with Ger resting between them.

“I want you,” Ger admitted, breaking the kiss. They were both

panting softly. “I don’t know why I want you, but I want you so damn
badly.”

“Then take me, Ravyn,” Santiago encouraged. “Take me hard and

fast and all day if you can manage it.” He dug his blunt nails into
Ger’s back and scraped them lightly down his spine. “You can still
accomplish your mission and be with me. The two are not mutually
exclusive.”

Ger had a moment’s hesitation before he nodded. “But we have to

go on a real date when we get back.”

Santiago smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Agreed.”
Ger wasted no more time. He rolled off Santiago’s body but not

before he reached down and unfastened the clasp on Santiago’s belt
and unzipped his pants. “Off,” he commanded. Santiago obeyed
instantly. He slid his slacks off and tossed them across the room so
that they thunked against the wall before falling to the floor. Then
Santiago reached for his underwear, but Ger’s eyes were latched onto
them, and he put his hand up to stay the movement. He swallowed,
and his dick jerked in the confines of his pants.

Santiago’s gorgeous body was covered in a flimsy, black mesh

thong with black rhinestones along the black-stitched pattern of a

Ravyn’s Dance

butterfly that took up the entire surface of the material. The body of
the butterfly was an exact outline of the rigid length of Santiago’s
cock as it strained to escape out the top of the flimsy material. Ger
growled. That was the sexiest sight he’d ever seen.

“You like?” Santiago asked. It was the first sign of hesitation that

Ger had ever heard Santiago utter. He was all about confidence.
Someone had seen his preference before and hurt him with it. The
thought made Ger want to tear something apart.

“I like.” Ger’s voice was a husky cadence of desire and sheer lust.

“I like a lot. Turn for me. Let me see the back.” Santiago did as he
was bid and presented those perfect ass cheeks for his perusal. The
way the string of the thong fit between his buttocks made Ger feel like
the top of his head was going to blow off. He reached out and traced
the black line with a finger, unable to resist the pull. Santiago’s low
moan of approval almost undid his control.

“Leave it on,” Ger commanded. Santiago looked over his

shoulder, and his eyes were completely glazed over with want.

“Okay.” The word was whispered. He turned back around, and

Ger took his time tracing the front pattern with his fingertips as well.
Santiago shuddered under his caresses. Ger wanted him so badly that
he ached, but he was determined to take his time with this vampire
who was an unexpected gift.

Ger kicked off his own pants and socks and was at last blissfully

naked. He couldn’t wait to part those pert cheeks and sink into
Santiago’s tight ass.

Santiago slowly perused him with his eyes, top to bottom as Ger

touched him. “Beautiful,” he murmured. He beckoned the Ravyn to
him. “You have a beautiful body.”

Ger smiled softly. He never got told he was beautiful. He was

never under that much scrutiny. He hadn’t had a lover since before
they left from Demontia. “Thank you. You’re pretty gorgeous
yourself.”

Jana Downs

Santiago reached out and ran a hand through Ger’s hair. “You

keep your hair longer than the other Ravyns.” Ger leaned closer,
climbing up the length of Santiago’s body. “I really like it.”

“It’s my way of standing out I guess.” Ger felt the intimacy

between them increase tenfold. There was something to be said about
his partner truly “seeing” him when they first went to have sex. He
kissed Santiago slowly this time. Now that the “will they? Won’t
they?” debate was over Ger was ready to take his time.

Santiago’s lips were always so damn soft. Ger knew he’d never

get tired of kissing him. His mouth parted in unison with Santiago’s,
and their tongues stroked and explored in seductive circles that
mimicked sex. His hands trailed down to cup Santiago’s ass and bring
their bodies flush against one another.

Santiago broke the kiss with a gasp. “Lube’s in the side drawer.”

He motioned to the bedside nightstand. Ger nibbled a path down his
neck, licking the line of his throat. He tasted the salt off the vampire’s
warm skin and purred at the taste. He bit gently. When Santiago
moaned, he bit a little harder.

“Oh gods in heaven,” Santiago breathed. “Harder. Mmm, just like

that.” Ger’s blunt teeth broke through the skin with a soft pop. Warm
liquid flooded his mouth. Ger’s vision sharpened as the metallic taste
hit his tongue. Something inside of him, something feral and base,
growled in satisfaction. The blood had a slightly sweet flavor to it.

He sucked at the flesh that he’d torn open, reveling in the rich

liquid that rolled around on his tongue. Light flashed behind his
eyelids, and the feeling of another mind pressing against his own
slithered across his consciousness. His eyes opened, and he pulled off
the bite mark he’d made in surprise. Santiago’s skin was glowing
softly with the imprint of Ger’s power. The vampire’s eyes opened
languidly. His eyes were pure gold.

The bottom dropped out of Ger’s stomach. What the hell was this?

He ran his hands down Santiago’s sides and rested them on his hips

Ravyn’s Dance

right above the string of the vampire’s lingerie. Ger wasn’t sure what
to do.

“What’s the matter, Germany?” Santiago asked. His face was so

open at the moment that Ger was reluctant to say anything. He looked
soft and pliant with his thoroughly kissed lips. His golden eyes were
glittering. “Germany?”

“I think I did something to you,” he answered. The vampire

frowned.

“What do you mean?” Santiago leaned forward and kissed Ger’s

bare chest. He nipped the flesh with his teeth, and it was Ger’s turn to
shiver. His fangs were dropped, and gods, it certainly looked sexy
with the golden eyes.

Ger shook his head to clear it. He had to get his mind off his

crotch for five seconds to find out what the hell was going on. “Look
at yourself, Santiago. You’re glowing.” The vampire’s eyes flickered
downward and then widened comically.

“Uh. That is new,” he murmured a little breathlessly. He frowned

as if he were thinking of something. His hand came up and touched
his neck. “We exchanged blood.”

“It was just a love bite!” Ger protested. His mind raced back to the

books he’d read about vampires and the information he’d gathered
from the Entertainer house. He didn’t think they were Wed, but if
they had exchanged blood, they would be bound in some way. “I
know how it works with humans. You’ll be able to find me, sense my
presence, and touch my mind, but what else? It works differently with
demons from what I’ve gathered from Dageus and Allasandro.”

Santiago shrugged. “It’s different depending on what power that

demon possesses.” He glanced down. “I feel warm. Light?” Ger
nodded.

“Light and darkness,” the Ravyn said. “So this is nothing to worry

about? You’ve just absorbed some of my power.” The vampire smiled
softly and nodded.

Jana Downs

“We’ll just have to be careful not to do anymore blood exchanges.

That was careless of me.” Santiago’s hand traced the indentations of
his abs and continued down to circle Ger’s still-hard cock with his
hands. “Forget about worrying, Ravyn. Worry about fucking me.”

“Yes,” Ger agreed between clenched teeth. Santiago’s soft hands

felt phenomenal against his hard flesh. It had been so long since he’d
last felt a gentle touch. It wasn’t a well-known fact that Ger was
bisexual, but he’d enjoyed both male and female attentions in the past.
However, Santiago was by far the prettiest man he’d ever had the
pleasure of sleeping with bar none.

He enjoyed the slow pump of Santiago’s fist up and down his dick

as the vampire stared at his own handiwork. There was a look of pure
hunger on the ancient’s face that sent bolts of answering pleasure
shimming down Germany’s spine. He paid special attention to the
head of Ger’s length, twisting that soft palm on the tip so that it
smeared with the already leaking fluids that were coming out of the
slit.

“I want you inside me very badly,” Santiago admitted as he

played with Ger’s body. “I haven’t had a lover in ten years. Why do I
want you, Germany? It doesn’t make sense. I usually only sleep with
those who move me artistically.” He ducked his head and took Ger’s
cock into his mouth deep, burying it in his throat to the root.

“Fuck!” Ger shouted at the sudden sensation of his manhood

being engulfed in the hot, wet cavern of Santiago’s mouth. His hands
immediately entwined in Santiago’s hair, using him as an anchor
against the ripples coursing through him. “Ah! Yeah. Damn.” Ger
cursed as Santiago proceeded to give him the blow job of his life. The
vampire was made to suck cock. His hot mouth was driving him
crazy. He deep throated his length like he never had to come up for
air, and that was all right with Ger because the sensation of those
throat muscles contracting around his cock felt phenomenal. The
vampire’s golden eyes flicked upward to meet Germany’s, and Ger

Ravyn’s Dance

was scorched all over at the sheer sex he saw in those eyes. The mask
Santiago always wore was gone, shattered by this moment.

Santiago bobbed his head in earnest, making sure to keep a

constant suction of his cock no matter what section of his mouth
Germany was in. Ger fucked his face hard enough to rock the bed
slightly with each forward thrust. The vampire didn’t have a damn
gag reflex, and there was nothing anyone could say to convince Ger
of any other possibility. He grunted something complimentary, but
not even he could figure out what he said. His thighs were shaking
with the effort not to come down Santiago’s talented throat.

A hand crept up to knead Ger’s tight sack, and he nearly lost it.

He cried out, and his whole body jerked.

“Stop! I’m going to come,” Ger panted. Gods, Santiago was going

to kill him before he even managed to get to the actual sex. His
normally golden skin was still glowing softly, and it made Ger feel
like he was in the presence of some sexual deity. He knew that if he
and Santiago got serious that he could absolutely lose himself in this
creature who made him aroused like no other before him.

Santiago licked his lips as if still lingering over the taste of him.

He chuckled softly. “Lay back, Ravyn. I want to go for a ride.” To
punctuate the statement, he gave Ger a shove that made him fall back
to his ass. The Ravyn watched as Santiago moved as quick as
lightning to the bedside dresser and took out a small tube of
lubrication. Ger loved the way Santiago’s ass looked separated by that
glittering thong.

Santiago squirted a healthy amount of lubrication into his hand

and then came back and crawled over Ger. Germany acquiesced to the
silent demand and lay all the way back, his upper back and head
resting against the pillows and headboard. His dick jumped as he
watched Santiago dip two fingers into the goo before reaching behind
him and inserting them slowly into his tight hole. Gods, he couldn’t
wait for that to be his cock. Watching Santiago fuck himself with his
fingers was a teasing experience. He wanted to help, wanted to

Jana Downs

prepare him, but Santiago was having none of it. With his other hand,
Santiago smeared the lube on Ger’s weeping erection. The Ravyn
hissed at the sensation, his eyes rolling. If everything felt any better,
he was going to know that he’d entered the heavens.

Finally, after a few agonizing seconds, he withdrew his fingers

from his ass and perched over Ger’s cock. “Still want me to wear the
lingerie?” Santiago asked, panting hard. His eyes had darkened to a
burnished gold and were filled with pleasure so sharp it looked
painful. Ger couldn’t even form a sentence because of the visual
overload of sexy that was perched over him, but he managed a nod.
He wanted nothing more than to see Santiago’s tight body riding him
while that sexy scrap of clothing continued to tease Ger’s eyes.

The vampire pulled the string aside and sank down on Ger’s

desperate dick, one glorious inch at a time. Santiago’s head fell back
as he lost himself in the throes of the experience. The long arch of his
throat that was marked from Ger’s earlier attentions made the demon
hiss his pleasure.

“So fucking sexy,” he complimented in a gruff voice that he

didn’t even recognize. Santiago’s face turned toward him and a
painful smile lit on his mouth.

“Likewise, Ravyn.”
Then there was time for no more words. The demands of their

bodies were too much for them to handle. Santiago rode him like a
madman, his vampire strength and speed making the movements blur
in intensity. The entire frame rocked against the wall, banging with
considerable force. Somewhere a picture fell off a wall. Ger couldn’t
do much more than lay back and take the incredible sensation. His
hips were writhing and the near-vibrating quality of Santiago’s
movements made his toes curl. He reached out and cupped the
straining erection that was pressing against Santiago’s butterfly
underwear. The vampire shouted something in another language and
arched into the touch.

Ravyn’s Dance

“That’s it, butterfly,” Ger encouraged, as he felt his sack draw

painfully up against his body. “Take your pleasure. Fuck that
beautiful ass on my cock.” He groaned as Santiago seemed to move
between the sensation of Ger jerking him off through the lacy material
and the hard shaft that was pounding in his ass. Santiago shuddered
and Ger almost came. The vampire was so damn tight and hot and he
moved like he was fucking boneless.

“Feels good. Feels so good!” Santiago shouted.
He gave a little whimper that had Germany grabbing his hips and

slamming up into the tight body above him. He changed the angle
slightly so that he could nail the vampire’s prostate with every
downward plunge. Ger was mindless. The only thing he could think
of was filling Santiago’s ass with the sticky proof of his pleasure,
marking his insides like he had his neck. He’s mine. He didn’t care if
it wasn’t right to think that yet. Santiago was his. Gods help anyone
who said otherwise.

A low growl began in the back of Germany’s throat that grew to a

loud animal sound of pleasure as the control he had left snapped like a
rubber band. He slammed upward once, twice, three times, and he
erupted into Santiago’s milking passage. The vampire echoed his cry
as his entire body went rigid before convulsing hard, squeezing the
last bit of seed out of Ger’s body in age-old demand.

Ger pulled the underwear down as Santiago rode out his orgasm.

Release spilled down the butterfly’s wings like obscene tears and as
Ger jerked his fist up and down the length in quick succession. The
vampire gave up yet another helping of the sticky pleasure so that it
decorated Ger’s abdomen and chest.

Finally, Santiago sagged, crumpling against Ger’s chest, his head

tucked in the crook of Ger’s neck and his ass still full of softening
cock. He gave a happy little sigh that Ger echoed. The Ravyn kissed
his forehead. They were both completely spent.

Jana Downs

After long moments of recovery, Santiago spoke. “That was…”

He seemed to contemplate the right word. “I can’t even begin to
describe it in English.”

“So say it in Italian,” Ger teased lazily. His fingers traced

Santiago’s spine in a slow caress. He was so warm and content right
here. He never wanted to move.

Santiago put his lips to Ger’s ear. “Questo è stato il piacere più

incredibile che abbia mai sperimentato. Si sono sorprendenti,” he
whispered. Ger shivered at the intimacy of the moment. His heart
swelled. He had no idea what he’d said, but he didn’t care. It sounded
wonderful.

“What does that mean?” Ger wondered. He couldn’t stop kissing

the other man. He placed a few more on his cheeks, his forehead, and
his lips. Santiago laughed and nuzzled him.

“That sort of defeats the purpose of saying it in Italian to begin

with.” The vampire groaned. “I should move before I glue myself to
you.”

Ger wrapped his arms around his back. “Hmmm, I don’t mind.”

He gave a little squeeze. “This is nice.”

“Nice and sticky.” Santiago poked him in the ribs. “I need to wash

off.”

Ger grunted before sighing his agreement. “I suppose.” He

couldn’t resist one more kiss to his vampire’s lips. “You’re awfully
fastidious for someone who lived before indoor plumbing.”

Santiago grinned sheepishly before pulling off of Ger with a

groan. “I’m very spoiled. Progress has made me that way.” If Ger got
his way, he was going to make Santiago that way, too. He could
already envision the ways he would spoil the vampire.

Santiago padded across the floor and disappeared into the

bathroom. “We’re lucky that bed was as sturdy as it was. I suppose
the Council would be prepared for vigorous activities, but we were a
bit enthusiastic,” he called from the bathroom. Ger had to agree there.

Ravyn’s Dance

They’d certainly tested the craftmanship of the frame. He glanced at
the wall behind the headboard.

“The wall didn’t fare as good as the bed did. We busted a few

stones and made some rubble. Luckily, the rest seems to have
survived.” Ger couldn’t help but laugh at the broken wall. The sound
of running water drowned out their conversation for a minute. Ger
listened to Santiago move around the bathroom in contentment. It had
been a while since he’d been this relaxed.

A wet washcloth smacked him in the chest, startling him. He

looked up to see Santiago’s deliberately calm face. He must’ve
ditched his soiled lingerie in the bathroom.

“You’re as sticky as I was. Wash up or no cuddling.”
Ger’s eyebrows rose. “What? The legendary statue of the

Entertainer clan wants to cuddle?” He gasped. “The rumor mill will
be churning like gangbusters if it gets out.”

Santiago blinked. “Are you making fun of me?” Ger grinned and

mopped up the smears of fluid on his chest before wiping off his
flaccid member.

“A little bit. Yeah,” he said. The washcloth went sailing and

smacked Santiago in the face. Santiago’s nose wrinkled as the cloth
hit the floor. Ger laughed at him. “Come on, butterfly. Come cuddle.
We’ll rest for a bit before round two.”

Santiago crawled into bed beside Ger, careful to miss the wet spot

on the sheets. “Butterfly?”

Ger popped his hand on Santiago’s backside, causing the vampire

to jump and look at him like he was crazy. “Yeah. Butterfly. Your
underwear, remember?”

“You didn’t addle me that much. I know what I was wearing. But,

butterfly? Really? That’s so undignified.” Santiago really was a little
queen. Dageus had warned him, but Ger just found the quality cute as
hell.

He drew the vampire into his arms and shut him up with a sweet

kiss that was slow and just a hint of caress. He drew back and was

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pleased to see Santiago’s eyes had gone soft and accessable again.
“Butterflies are beautiful and graceful and so very precious. It suits
you. The origin of the nickname can be our secret. No one has to
know that I got it from the decoration on your panties.”

“You certainly have a way of convincing me,” Santiago said. He

laid his head down on his chest and kissed the skin. “I really like you,
Germany. I look forward to our date.”

“Hmmm, me, too, Santiago.” Ger felt strong holding the

magnificent creature that was Santiago in his arms. The Ravyn was
typically the introspective one out of the group, and as he examined
his inner self, he came to a startling conclusion. Santiago already
meant far more to him than a potential boyfriend. In fact, Santiago felt
like his “forever” already, which in Germany’s mind could only mean
one thing. The Ravyn was already falling head over ass in love with
the vampire.

Ravyn’s Dance

Chapter Eleven

Santiago had finally stopped glowing about an hour after sunset.

They’d made love four other times after the first time, and Santiago
couldn’t summon it in himself to regret even one bout of manic
coupling. He was sore, but it was a good sore. A sore that let him
know he’d been tenderly, thoroughly, and absolutely ravished by a
male that met his needs like he’d been born just for him.

“So I’m supposed to stay here through dinner?” Germany asked.

His Ravyn had finally dressed when he’d seen Santiago donning his
performance outfit for the first dance of the night. The vampire
nodded.

“Yes, please. The Council has now seen you and I’ll make your

excuses to them. I’ll have supper sent to this room and anything else
you need. Jeremy can get pretty much anything.” Santiago pulled on
his tan dance shoes and flexed his toes to feel how supple they were.
Perfect, as always. Ger did not look happy. “Ravyn, you dislike public
displays, and I know for a fact that if you show up, the Council is
going to demand another performance. I’ll tell them you’re working
for me in our rooms, and that will be that. You cannot have it both
ways unfortunately. So which do you prefer?”

“I’ll stay,” Ger grumbled after a moment’s pause. “You’re not

going to dance for them like you do for me, are you?” The question
was not unexpected, but the depth of possessiveness that Santiago
heard in the Ravyn’s voice made a small part of him rejoice at the
expression. That desire to allow no one else to touch him had to mean
something, right?

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“No, Germany. I told you. I was just filling in for Maddeline that

night. The first dance is always more provocative. Besides, if you
recall, the lap dance was not originally in the set to begin with.” He
traced Ger’s strong jaw and tugged on his long, black hair. “Be of
ease. I won’t touch anyone else but you like that.”

Germany favored him with a smile. “Good. I’d hate to ruin my

chances of an agreement by having to remove a few fingers from the
Council.” Though it was said in a joking tone, Santiago felt that it was
probably a little more serious than even Germany knew. “Speaking of
which, it’s day three. When are you going to get around to asking
them for some help?”

“I will speak with them after their breakfast and my performance.

They’ll be in a collectively good mood after that.” His eyes flickered
to Germany’s strong neck. “May I feed from you before I go?” he
asked. “Normally, I would use one of my dancers but...” How was he
supposed to tell the Ravyn that he wanted no one else’s blood but
Ger’s without feeling like a fool? He was beginning to feel like he
was obsessed with the warrior.

“So long as I don’t take from you, the bond won’t become a Bride

bond, right?” Ger asked. Santiago nodded. “Then sure, go ahead.
Don’t take too much like last time, though. I’ve got some work on my
laptop that I need to get done, and I want to Skype the guys and see
what they’re doing.”

“Of course.” Santiago agreed easily. He hadn’t meant to take as

much as he had from the Ravyn in the limosine, but he was beginning
to understand, where Germany was concerned, his control was not as
steadfast as it normally was.

Ger turned and walked back over to the bed, which Santiago was

oddly thinking of as “theirs” since he’d woken up. He sat on the edge
and waved Santiago over.

“Which vein do you want, butterfly?” he asked, rolling up the

sleeves of his long-sleeved, black shirt. Santiago watched the motions
of his hands as they moved the material of the clothing. Ger had

Ravyn’s Dance

strong hands, and those hands had delivered indescribable pleasure to
him over the course of an entire day.

“I better take from the wrist,” Santiago heard himself say. That

was the most logical place to take from. Anything more intimate and
he was liable to get them distracted again. Ger offered up his wrist,
and Santiago saw the shiver of pleasure overtake him as Santiago
kissed the pulse point of his wrist.

His fangs pierced the skin slowly, secreating the liquid pleasure

that some humans found an irresistable aphrodisac. Ger’s eyes slid
shut, and he gave a low murmur of pleasure as it invaded his body
through the wound Santiago had made. Once Santiago was sure he’d
bitten deep enough he drew out his fangs and sealed his mouth over
the flow of red sustenance. Santiago had long given up the idea that
feeding was an intimate affair. He’d been doing it so long that the act
was no more meaningful to him than eating a hamburger at a fast-
food restraurant was to humans. Yet, with Germany, he found himself
enjoying the act of feeding for the closeness it brought.

The way Ger slowly stroked his hair as Santiago bent over his

wrist, the way he made those husky praises in his bedroom voice, and
the hard outline of his arousal against the confines of his jeans all
added to Santiago’s feelings about it. He was quickly becoming
addicted to his new lover.

“I’m getting dizzy, butterfly,” Germany warned. Santiago slowed

his feeding and then stopped. He licked across the wound, knowing
that it would begin healing shortly. He should’ve taken into account
the feeding he’d done last night. Demons healed quickly, but it had
only been a few hours at most.

“Forgive me. You distract me,” Santiago apologized. He seemed

to do that alot with Germany.

The Ravyn cupped his cheek. “Not a problem, babe.”
Then he was kissing him again, and Santiago barely managed to

push himself away. He licked his lips and felt how swollen they were.
Damn. Now he was going to be dancing with kiss-swollen lips. Not

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that every vampire in the house wasn’t going to know exactly what
he’d been doing and exactly whom he had been doing it with.
Vampire senses were keen enough to pick that up readily enough. The
scent of Ger clung to his skin much too intimately to be shrugged off
as casual touching. He wasn’t going to tell Germany that, though. His
lover was already embarassed about the hint of something going on
between them. If he knew the truth, he would most likely bury
himself in the gardens that surrounded the estate in embarssment. He
smiled at the thought. His lover was incredibly private. He was fun to
tease.

“You threaten my sanity,” Santiago murmured as Ger reached for

him again. He backed up quickly to avoid the grasping hands.
“Germany, you are an insatiable bastard.”

Ger smiled completly unapologetically. “Guilty.”
Santiago rolled his eyes. “I will be back at dawn. Enjoy your

evening, Ravyn.” He walked to the door and couldn’t resist looking
back at Ger, who was still sitting where he’d left him.

“You have fun with your dancing, butterfly,” Ger said. He had a

small secret smile on his face that Santiago couldn’t find a reason for.
He wondered what the Ravyn was thinking. Santiago contented
himself with a casual wave before disappearing through the door.

* * * *

Ger let out a sigh as the vampire vanished and the door shut

behind him with a soft thunk. He shook his head. Now he needed to
actually get some work done for his Prince instead of fooling around.
He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the desk where his
bag was situated. He pulled out his small laptop, notebook, and
European outlet converter and booted up his system. Within thirty
seconds, he was on the login screen. He just hoped that his brothers
managed to remember how to log on to Skype so that they could talk.

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He’d shown them five times before he’d left, but they had zero
patience for technology.

He synced his hot spot so that he could log on to the net. The

Ravyn also began his iTunes playlist to muffle their voices in case
anyone was listening in. They’d already determined they couldn’t talk
too much about anything while they were on this system, but he
wanted to make extra sure.

A fast techno beat started spinning through the speakers on his

laptop, and Ger couldn’t resist bobbing his head to the music. He
loved techno, especially J-pop. Daylight didn’t play enough techno
for his tastes. Not that he would’ve danced at the club anyway, but it
was the principle of the thing. He knew that Tony secretly loved all
the alternative rock there, but he felt like his music deserved a little
bit of a plug as well.

The computer signaled him that Dageus and Allasandro were

logged on, and so Germany pulled up the video chat window.
Allasandro was much, much too close to the camera, and Ger could
hear his two brothers’ argument.

“Do you think it’s working?” Dageus’s voice asked.
“How the hell would I know, dude?” Ally snapped. All Ger could

see was his furrowed eyebrow and one golden eye. “Our tech geek
happens to be several thousand kilometers away.”

“Don’t growl at me like that, asshole. I didn’t mess up the key

sequence twice!” Dageus returned.

“I entered the wrong password. That doesn’t mean I messed up

the video thingy,” Ally countered.

“Hey, guys, chill out. You’re on,” Ger interrupted. Silence on the

other end, but Ally finally moved away from the camera a bit, and
both of them came into view. They must’ve been in Dageus’s
bedroom because Ger could see the all white decor and picture frames
behind them. He smiled at the pair of them. “You made it.”

“Hey, Ger!” Ally said in his normal chipper voice. “How’re

France and Santiago treating you?”

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Ger’s smile widened at the mention of Santiago. “I haven’t seen

much of France, but Santiago is treating me very nicely.” Very, very
nicely. But his brothers didn’t need to hear that part.

Dageus’s eyes bulged, the green in them nearly overtaking the

gold in his irises. “Are you serious? You’re actually getting along?”
Ger nodded. “Uh. Unbelievable. Everyone knows my grandsire is the
hardest man on the planet to get along with for any length of time.
You are officially my idol, Ger.” He really sounded impressed, and
Ger couldn’t resist feeling just a little bit guilty about his lack of
forthcomingness. His brother frowned. “Are you blushing,
Germany?”

“Uh, no. Of course not. Why would I be blushing?” Ger quickly

reassured him. He really had to work on his poker face. Santiago
could have this conversation with so much more ease than he could.
He didn’t like to be on the spot. Funny, he hadn’t written in his
notebook in a few days. He hadn’t really felt the need to. Man,
Santiago did weird things for his calm.

“He is such a bad liar,” Allasandro said, leaning closer to the

computer screen. “Huh, is that a love bite on your neck, Germany?”
Ger’s hand smacked over the right side of his neck. Shit! He’d
forgotten he’d fed Santiago several times over the course of the day.

“I, uh, I—” Ger stammered.
“With Santiago? Are you serious?” Allasandro shouted. His

exclamation ended on a howl of laughter which Dageus joined in with
a relish. They were practically rolling around on the floor in their fit
of mirth. Ger’s face burned.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Assholes. I’m getting off,” he muttered.
“Yeah, you are! With freaking Santiago!” Ally cackled.
Dageus finally managed to control his laughter long enough to

breathe. “No. Don’t go, Ger. Sorry. It just came as a surprise is all.
You don’t understand. Santiago never goes there with anyone.” He
wiped the tears of amusement off his face. “I just can’t believe it’s
you. It just seems like such a weird match.”

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“I like him,” Germany said bravely.
“Well, of course you do. You’re his Bride,” Ally piped up,

seemingly having recovered from his own fit. “That’s awesome, man.
Welcome to the Entertainer family. Figures you had to outdo us all by
snagging the pimp daddy of all Entertainers. Damn, Ger, you got
balls.”

Ger frowned. “There are times when I need a translator for you.

You’ve got to stop with the Earth slang already. It’s making it harder
and harder to understand you, and trust me, you were pretty hard to
understand to begin with.” It was then that the first part of
Allasandro’s rambling sentence hit him. “What? Wait. Bride? I’m not
Santiago’s Bride! We’re just fooling around. Maybe going to go on a
date when we get back stateside. I really don’t know anything about
him!”

“Why else would he sleep with you, Ger? Come on. You of all

people have read the books about vampires and their weird quirks.
What happens when a vampire finds his Bride?” Dageus quizzed.
Ger’s mind raced. He thought back to the countless hours he’d spent
preparing for this trip. “Come on, Ger. You know this stuff. Let’s hear
it.”

“Um, jeez, let me think.” Ger stalled. Crap. Crap. Crap. Had he

really gone on a mission for his Prince and ended up snagging himself
a vampire instead? Would this complicate his mission? Well, it
certainly wasn’t ethical on a lot of levels. Crap. “Unreasoning
attraction, overwhelming urge to feed, protectiveness, possessiveness
on both parts, increased level of sexual need, urge to exchange
blood.” Damn it! “Desire to be physically and emotionally close and
loss of control.” He finished his short list a little breathlessly. He’d
just described to a T what had been going on between himself and
Santiago. He brought his hand up to his head and massaged his
temples. Who would’ve thought this would happen?

Dageus raised his eyebrow in a move more characteristic of his

husband. “Any of that seem familiar?”

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He was so screwed.

* * * *

Santiago finished his set with a final flourish went sent a spasm of

pain down the back of his legs. Oh yes, he’d definitely been a little
too enthusiastic the day before. Gods. He knew the pain didn’t
register on his face, but he was cursing violently inside his head.

The Council and the other clan members in attendance clapped

politely, their expressions ones of serenity. They’d just fed in the
main hall, so they were all flushed and much more relaxed than usual.
The morning meal was always the blood meal, so that most likely
contributed to their overall mood. The theme for the night was ancient
Greek and Roman attire, which Santiago gathered none of them had
witnessed firsthand because they all looked like extras from a Stanley
Kubrick movie. It wasn’t that the costumes were terribly done or
anthing. They just looked inauthentic, something more at home at a
Halloween party than at a Council gathering. Santiago could’ve
shown them authentic Roman wear if they were so inclined, but no
one had asked his opinion. Whoever had come up with the themed
clothing days should’ve been told to shove off.

After the troupe had bowed, the rest of the party had swarmed

forward to make chitchat with the dancers and his muscians. Santiago
needed to go change from his performance outfit into his tunic, and he
had convienently left it in his room. He almost smiled at the thought.
Oh well, it was necessary that he excuse himelf.

“Santiago, where have you decided to hide your new pet from

us?” Lillian’s nasally voice interrupted his escape plan. He hated
Council functions with a passion. She was one of the main reasons.
She reminded him of a crocodile, all bright smiles and scales, an
ambush predator that lay on the bottom of the lagoon murmuring soft
compliments until the moment she surged to the surface and dragged
her victim down to drown.

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He feigned confusion. “My new pet, Councilman?” Councilman

was always the term they’d used for centuries. Most of the vampires
were old enough to remember a time before the women’s rights
movement had made a masculine title like Councilman for a woman
gauche.

“Yes, your new pet!” she twittered, playing with a link of gold

string that was tied around her waist like a belt. “We haven’t seen
your demon since that first night, and the servants have taken up
whispering about your love affair as the romance of the century.”
There was a trap there. Santiago was disgusted by her blatant
manipulation. She was fishing for information. He decided to play a
little into her hands.

“I’m afraid Germany is quite shy by nature, so I’ve asked him to

remain in our rooms for the rest of the stay and work on some things
that he’s been meaning to get to for a while now.” A passing servant
with a large silver tray passed them both a glass of blush wine.
Santiago smiled over the lip of his glass as he spoke. “Besides, you
mustn’t blame me for wanting to keep him just a little bit to myself,
Lillian. He’s quite enthusiastic in his service to me.” Not one lie in
that statement. Santiago shivered internally. Germany was indeed
quite enthusiastic, and the double entendre would probably content
her for a while.

She laughed. “You’re such a bad boy, Santiago. Taking up with

that young thing has certainly revived your sense of humor.” He
really wanted her to leave him alone. His eyes scanned the crowd,
looking for someone else high up enough that leaving Lillian to pay
his respects wouldn’t mire him in Council wrath. He really hated
these things.

Edward must’ve seen his predicament from across the room

because he waved a hand in greeting. “Excuse me, Councilman. I’m
afraid Edward is calling me over to his side of the room. May we
continue this conversation at a later time?” She nodded graciously and
curtseyed.

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“Of course, Santiago. I’ll see you at the luncheon.”
He moved through the crowd, nodding his head like a automaton

to the calls of congratulations and greetings that the came to him from
the people he passed. At last he reached Edward, who was standing
off to the side of the throng, sipping his wine. It was a darker vintage
than the one Santiago had in his hand.

“Excellent performance as always, Santiago. You seem more

relaxed than I’ve see you in a long time.” The vampire who was once
known as the Black Prince of Wales smiled wide. “Though you do
look a smidge tired. Late night?”

Santiago hid his grimace by sipping on his drink. Was he that

obvious? It seemed odd. He’d never been accused of being obvious
about displaying any sort of weakness. Ever. Most likely the
Councilman had spies strategically placed somewhere near his rooms.
“It has been a rather exciting week,” he said. He tried not to sound as
vague as the sentence actually was.

“Your demon is a reason to be excited. He is beautiful.” The

Councilman glanced around the room. “Will you walk with me
around the hall, Santiago? I feel the need to stretch my legs, and the
company here is a bore.”

Santiago bowed his head. What was the Councilman thinking? It

wasn’t usual for him to be so abrupt. Though none of the vampires in
attendance could really be counted on as friends, Edward and he had
been allies in the past. The former Prince of Wales had been
tantamount to the protective legislation that forbid other more
powerful clans from harming the Entertainers. Santiago still didn’t see
a reason for Edward to seek out his company. But he couldn’t really
decline the request with no viable reason. His escape to his room
would have to wait.

Edward took his arm when he nodded and set a brisk pace out one

of the side doors. Servants quickly dove out of their way as they
walked down the long hallway that circled the first floor of the

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massive castle-like structure. Santiago glanced down at their entwined
arms. He really didn’t need an escort.

“What is this all about, Ed?” Santiago asked as their pace began to

slow once they were far enough away from the breakfast room. The
brown-eyed vampire looked down at him with a odd expression on his
face.

“We’ve been allies for several centuries, Santiago,” he began. “I’d

like to think that somewhere along the way that we’ve become friends
of a sort.” Santiago frowned. He disliked when people began a
conversation with a speech. It usually meant that he wasn’t going to
like what he was about to hear. “It has come to my attention that your
new lover is also a Ravyn warrior.”

Ice washed through Santiago’s veins. “Edward, I can assure you—”
“Don’t insult my intelligence by claiming otherwise, Santiago. I

have done my research into the matter and can only conclude that it is
true. I understand the reason for the deception. I even commend you
for the foresight to make the farce. However, I have to wonder why
you brought an assassin into our midst.” The inquiry was made in a
calm tone, but Santiago heard the underlying threat. If Santiago
actually intended to cause harm, he knew that Edward would destroy
him and his whole family with him as an example.

“He isn’t an assassin. More of a bodyguard for the demon Prince

Salvatore,” Santiago amended his statement. The last thing he needed
was Edward to believe he’d deliberately brought an assasin into the
Council’s gala.

“I trust that you truly believe that,” Edward said, giving Santiago

a inscrutable expression. “I think that you don’t know your ‘assistant’
as well as you think you do. I’ve made some discreet inquiries since I
heard that Germany was a demon. Not many of them travel to Earth
from Demontia. Most of them simply don’t posess the powers to do
so, and the ones that do aren’t often in any sort of position to
volunteer to be the errand boys of vampires.” He slowed as they
neared the staircase that led up to the upper floors and some of the

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rooms therein. “Come on up to my suites. I would prefer to have this
conversation without prying eyes and ears.”

Santiago hesitated. He was again faced with the fact that telling

Edward no would most likely earn him at the very least a Council
sanction, but going into his private quarters could be just as
damaging. Santiago wasn’t a fighter, and if he failed to adequately
protect himself, he would be leaving his family unwarned and
defenseless. He was stuck between a rock and a sharp blade.

“This isn’t a choice, Santiago. Either come with me now, or we

can go call a mandatory Council hearing. Which would you prefer?
I’m inclined to help you, so think about what that means before you
refuse.” Edward read his mind effectively. Santiago cursed himself
anew. Edward was the head of his own line, a line known for their
ability to delve into other people’s minds and extract whatever
information that they sought with a chilling ease. He’d probably
known about his underhandedness from the start.

“Lead the way, Councilman,” Santiago said formally. The two

vampires walked up the stairs in silence, the tension rising as the
ground floor disappeared behind them. Santiago just hoped he wasn’t
about to regret the corner he just painted himself into.

* * * *

Ger felt a little nauseous. “I’m telling you, Ger, you need to talk to

him. It’ll be so much easier if you guys don’t fight it,” Dageus
lectured.

“I’m still not sure.” The familiar urge to write away his panic

surged within him. He needed to think. “What if I’m wrong?”

“What if I’m right?” Dageus countered. “Your instincts are just

going to get stronger. I’m telling you, if that happens, you’re not
going to be able to say ‘no.’ Period. Demon and vampire matings are
always very intense.”

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101

“Yeah. I couldn’t freaking breathe when Damian wasn’t around,”

Ally added. He had finally stopped snickering in the background
everytime Dageus said something about Ger being Santiago’s Bride.
He chuckled, maybe a little self-deprecatingly. “I still can’t breathe
without the big lug around.”

Dageus’s face became pinched. “Ew. Oh my gods, ew. Please,

please, please, don’t say shit like that about my dad.”

Ger was getting a headache. “Guys, I think I’m going to go. I need

to get some other stuff done, and Santiago said he’d be back after
performances, so I’m going to get a little shut-eye beforehand.”

“You really need to get over your weirdness about your father,”

Allasandro began.

“Oh don’t start that crap. I don’t care what Damian says, you

aren’t my step-anything. Yuck!” Dageus complained. They were both
doing a magnificent job of ignoring him.

“Guys—”
“Why would you even say that? I’m sure Damian hasn’t asked

you to call me more than brother ever. Really, dude, you’re being a
queen,” Allasandro interrupted.

Germany sighed. He knew he wasn’t getting anywhere with this

conversation. He clicked the exit button on his browser and shut off
his computer. He was sure to get some rapid-fire texts from the pair of
them in a minute, but he wasn’t in the mood. His anxiety level just
shot through the roof.

What was he supposed to do with a vampire mate? His first life

was the only life he’d had a serious relationship in, and he was really
rusty about the whole thing. He strained to recall the particulars of
that. The memories were like shifting sand, hazy impressions like
those from childhood. Maybe if he meditated they would come to
him.

He took a deep breath and let it out in a controlled hiss. He needed

to calm down. His heart was beating too quickly, and his adrenaline
was giving him the fight-or-flight signals for no reason. He’d faced

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death countless times. He might have fudged the truth a little in his
argument with Santiago when he’d said he remembered every
moment of every second but there were a ton of times both past and
present that he did remember. There should be no reason that he
should be having this much difficulty at the thought of being in a
relationship. He examined his inner feelings on the subject. No. The
fear wasn’t about the relationship itself. It was more about messing it
up. Crap.

The Ravyn opened up his notebook for the first time in a couple

days and began to write. He poured out his emotions and fears
through his pen, wrote out possibilities and speeches and predicted
outcomes. Nothing was concrete or sure. The one thing he kept
coming back to was that the mission for Salvatore was the most
important thing he was going to be doing on this trip. Period. End of
story.

He circled the idea in bright red ink. The mission was what he

needed to prioritize right now. He didn’t need to worry too much
about his potential mate. What happened would happen either way,
and there was no need to rush it, especially with the upcoming war.
The last thing he wanted was to leave a vampire without a Bride.
Santiago would suffer far more if he and Ger went through with a
Bride bond only to have it severed by Ger’s death. Santiago would be
driven over the edge. Vampires did not fare well without their Brides.

His mind strayed to his mate. He couldn’t have asked for better.

Santiago was beautiful, passionate, and dedicated to his family. Ger
saw that now that he was a little closer to the vampire. He liked the
man he saw underneath other people’s perceptions of him. The Ravyn
never would’ve agreed to a dance otherwise. He felt almost like he’d
peeled back a layer of Santiago to expose some beautiful creature
underneath. A Emily Dickinson poem came to mind as he thought
about his vampire.

“Defrauded I a Butterfly—

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103

“The lawful Heir—for Thee,” Ger whispered the poem aloud. He

really enjoyed Emily Dickinson’s poems since he’d come to Earth,
and that one fit his new lover perfectly. Santiago, his butterfly. He
found himself turning the page of his journal and writing the poem
he’d just recited at the center top of the page. Under that, he wrote
Santiago’s name. He felt a little silly, like a schoolboy scribbling his
crush’s name in a notebook, but his journal was so much more than
that. It was an extension of his thoughts, an expressive tool that he
used because, more often than not, words failed him and he couldn’t
find the best way to say what he wanted.

His eyes traced the sweeping caligraphy of his lover’s name. If

this was the only place he could express his feelings about learning
that he had a mate, then it would have to do. He had to remember that
he had a job to do before he lost himself in these instincts. Satisfied
with his plans, he let himself fall into the words flowing out from his
mind and watched them splash against the page in a river of ink.

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Chapter Twelve

“Brit, fetch some tea,” Edward addressed his servant as he

unlocked and opened the door into his private quarters. Santiago saw
a young man of no more than twenty bow his head low and murmur a
quick word of obedience before stepping through a side door. The
Councilman waved a hand toward a small tea table to the left side of
the room.

In comparison to Santiago’s room, this room was massive. The

domed ceiling was painted in a myth mural of the centaur, Chiron,
with a young Jason in the woods of Greece, and every corner hid
some other artistic wonder. Statues, paintings, and mosiacs littered the
walls like high-end graffiti. Even the molding was glittering with
gold, and Santiago couldn’t help but feel the least bit impressed by the
display. This was just the tearoom. He surmised that the bedroom lay
beyond the matching cream-and-gold double doors that would sit
directly behind him when he took up his chair at the small tea table.
Even that piece of furniture was artfully done in carvings of twisted
vegitation with a pale marble top. Wolves held up each leg of the
table. It occured to him that he’d never been invited up to the room of
a Councilman at one of these things. If they all followed this sort of
ostentatious sort of display, he had far underestimated their opinions
of themselves.

“Have a seat, Santiago.” Edward interrupted his frank appraisal of

the room, and Santiago reluctantly sank into the surprisingly
comfortable chair that was indicated to him. The other vampire went
over to a large desk by one window that had a ledger on top of it and
began rummaging around in a drawer. Fifteen tense seconds later, he

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105

drew out a manila file with two red dots on the top tab. He crossed
back over to the tearoom just as his manservant came back into the
room carrying a tray of tea and small biscuits. Edward’s eyes warmed
as he looked on the boy. It was so odd that even Santiago noticed the
transition. “Thank you, Brit. You may go now.”

The boy bowed. “As you wish, my lord.” The interaction on the

surface was right, but Santiago couldn’t help but wonder…

“He is my Bride,” Edward said once Brit had exited the room

again. “I’ve known since he came to my house when he was very
young. I’ve never acted on it. Our stations are too far separated.” His
eyes turned from looking at the door that the boy had disappeared into
back to Santiago. “I hope that you will keep that in confidence.”
Santiago nodded slowly. He was offering him an advantage, and he’d
be a fool not to take it. “The life of a Councilman is not an easy one.
Enemies far outnumber friends, and I do not wish for him to pay for
my sins, Santiago. I’m sure you’re quite familiar with the concept.”

“I am,” Santiago agreed. He was blessed with being a member of

the only clan in existence that had complete Council protection from
other clans. Some other families were not so lucky. Power struggles
between vampires often came at the pointed end of an assassin’s
knife. Speaking of which…“So you think that my Germany is an
assassin?”

“You ought to know by now that I rarely make accusations

without having at least a modicum of evidence to support my claim.”
Edward sniffed. He handed the file across the table. “That is the
history of your demon as we know it. He was the prized pet assassin
of the demon Prince’s father back in his day.”

Santiago flipped open the file to find a portrait, obviously copied

from a larger one and printed on computer paper, staring back at him.
This Germany had a few differences from the one he knew but was
still recognizable. Long, black hair was braided back away from his
face. His skin was a few shades darker than it was in this incarnation,
and his lips were just a smidge fuller. He seemed bigger for some

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reason as well. The muscles in his arms especially seemed honed to a
far more deadly purpose. All of that could be overlooked as simply
his Germany from a different time except for the eyes. The eyes
stared at the painter. Strength and no small amount of cruelty
permeated the pitch-black gaze. He seemed utterly distant and
completely cold. This was not his Germany.

“This isn’t Ger. This man is a killer,” Santiago declared, closing

the file and refusing to look at any of the written accounts.

“That Germany was a part of a world far more deadly and cruel

than the current one he occupies. Our environments shape us. You
know that, Santiago,” Edward corrected. “However, if you looked in
the rest of the files, it would show you he still goes back to his first
occupation from time to time. So, the question I must ask you is this.
Were you deceived and truly led to believe that he was here simply to
act as your assistant and lover during the duration of the stay to ensure
he could get close to someone at the Council? Or were you aware of
another purpose which would alleviate my concerns?”

So this was the root of the problem. “I’m no traitor,” Santiago

said. “I was unaware of Germany’s past, but rest assured that is not
his purpose here. He and his Prince want help building an army
against the current King of Demontia. Salvatore is the rightful heir
and from what I’ve been told, Desmond is a cruel ruler.”

Edward nodded. “So, he came along to garner Council support so

that he could approach other clans. Why not just send you?”

“I was unconvinced until recently of the validity of their task, so

they sent Germany along on this trip with me. I was busy preparing
for these performances, and I had refused to talk to my progeny about
the possibility previously.” Santiago was taking a gamble with being
so honest with Edward. There was nothing most vampires enjoyed
more than to find a way to play games in another person’s troubles.
Older vampires especially were notorious for such things. Santiago
had personally never had the stomach for it. There was a reason he
hated dealing with the Council.

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107

“Why?” Edward pressed.
“I didn’t want my family involved in any sort of conflict. I’ve had

my fair share of war, and I’ve been done with everything but art for a
long time.”

“Then why the change of heart?”
Santiago hesitated. Why had he changed his mind? The reason

dawned on him. “Because it’s what Germany wants and he’s
important to me.” Too important since they’d only spent one night
with one another. He was bloody well obsessed if truth be told.

Edward nodded, accepting his logic. “Now that I understand. I had

hoped it was something like that. I still will keep my eye on him, but I
see no reason to bring this to the attention of the Council. Do you?”
Santiago shook his head. Edward smiled and took a sip of tea.
“Excellent. I’m glad we had this chat.” Santiago understood a
dismissal when he heard one.

“Thank you, Councilman.” He scooted his chair back and stood.

He still felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. It had
been a close call and a dangerous one. “What of Germany’s request to
approach other clans?” He only needed the approval of one Council
member to make it official.

Edward sipped, considering. “As far as I’m concerned, you are

free to approach the other clans, but do it discreetly. I’ll have a letter
of approval to your rooms at some point tonight dated back to the day
you arrived. Good luck, Santiago.”

Santiago bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Edward. I will not forget

this favor.” He couldn’t wait to get back to Germany and tell him the
good news.

* * * *

“You’re such a big fat liar.”
Ger raised his head off the desk where he’d been resting it next to

his journal as he wrote and looked up. Jeremy stood about a foot from

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him with a covered tray and the cutest all-black page’s outfit Ger had
ever seen.

“What are you supposed to be?” Ger couldn’t resist poking fun of

the kid. “That tunic looks just so cute on you.” Jeremy stomped his
soft, leather-clad foot.

“Knock it off, jerk. It’s a medieval theme today, and Lillian made

me wear it.” He shoved the tray in Ger’s direction. “Here’s supper, as
ordered by your vampire.” He wrinkled his nose. “And you’re such a
liar about not being his. You’re totally his lover, aren’t you?”

Ger considered him. “What do you think?” He put the tray on the

desk and pulled off the lid. His stomach growled loudly in approval. It
looked like some sort of baked lamb and asparagus.

“All the servants are talking about it,” Jeremy snipped.

“Apparently, you were screwing loud enough to wake the dead.”

Ger’s eyes narrowed. “Watch your mouth, boy. You’re not old

enough to talk like that.” Jeremy rolled his eyes.

“According to you, I’m not old enough for anything.” The young

boy began stripping off the sheets of Santiago’s bed. He threw them
into a pile on the floor. “You so did him.”

Ger choked on the piece of meat he’d just put into his mouth. He

went into a coughing fit so it took him a minute before he could
formulate a reply. “You little shit. What the hell are you doing?”

“Collecting the sheets for the washing staff. Santiago has

forbidden everyone else from coming in here since you’ve been
occupying his room. I’m the only one.” He said the last part proudly.
Ger felt his lips twist into a smile. He really was a cute kid. Jeremy
sighed dramatically. “Of course, catering to you is such a burden…”

Ger stood and walked over to help him collect the bedding. “I’m

sure you have many other interesting things to do with yourself other
than coming to my room and harassing me. Like studying your
lessons or something.” Jeremy turned and looked at him strangely.
“What?” the Ravyn asked.

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109

“I don’t have studies. Councilman Lillian doesn’t believe servants

should be educated. It makes them harder to handle.” His voice had
gone oddly detached and completely emotionless. Ger frowned. He’d
heard that note in other people’s voices before, usually because they
had pain attached to a memory. It reminded him far too acutely of the
oppressed world he had left behind in Demontia. He couldn’t imagine
being unable to use the written word. The simple act of writing had
been a comfort to him many times in the past, over the course of
several of his pasts actually.

“Do you want to learn? I don’t have a lot of time to teach you, but

I can at least give you the English basics.” He made the offer
recklessly. The Councilman Lillian did not seem the type that he
would want to cross, but, gods, he wanted to take the anguish out of
the young boy’s eyes and replace it with anything else.

Jeremy seemed to snap out of his emotionless state. He bent down

and gathered the sheets. “No thanks. I don’t need your pity party.” He
glared. “Enjoy your dinner.” With that he half waddled out the door
with his overflowing armload.

Ger was at a loss. What had he done? That child was

temperamental as hell. He went back over to the desk and the tray
he’d left there and began eating anew. It was good, but it all might as
well have been ash in his mouth, tasteless. Maybe he’d talk to
Santiago about the boy when he got back. He had to know more about
Jeremy’s situation than what Ger did. He sighed.

“You can’t rescue the boy at the risk of Council wrath, Ravyn,” he

muttered to himself. He finished chewing his piece of vegetable and
swallowed. “He’s just one kid.” But he felt important, and Ger
couldn’t put his finger on the reason why.

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Chapter Thirteen

“You are not leaving this room like that,” Ger snapped as

Santiago came out of the bathroom in nothing but a flimsy excuse for
a covering called a loincloth over his genitals. Santiago rolled his
eyes.

“The theme is In the Beginning, Ger. It’s all cavemen wear.

You’re lucky they don’t make everyone go naked,” Santiago said
patiently. He had to go to dinner tonight because he needed to confirm
times for the four clans to come meet with them during the day, and to
do that he had to dress the part. He wished Germany would be a little
bit more understanding of the fact. Not that he’d told Germany that he
was setting up the meetings yet. He didn’t want to get the Ravyn’s
hopes up in case the clans decided to turn the other way. But
regardless, Ger shouldn’t interfere with his business. He was working.

“I don’t care if they want you to all dance around in wetsuits at

some point during the night. You aren’t stepping out of the room like
that.”

The possessive note in the Ravyn’s voice should not have thrilled

him as much as it did. It had been two days since his meeting with
Edward, and the growing obsession he felt for the Ravyn was almost
overwhelming in its intensity. Numerous times during their
lovemaking he’d had to refrain from demanding his lover take his
blood as he fed. The urge had turned him into a spitting hellcat more
than once, and luckily the Ravyn’s powers had protected him from his
instinctual wrath. Santiago had never felt this way before, and his
normally unruffled self felt puzzled by it. He only had two more days

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111

to finish his business with the other clans before they had to leave.
The vampire really didn’t need the distraction.

“I’m not fucking kidding, Santiago!” Ger shouted. “Don’t ignore

me!” Santiago blinked. He’d never heard Germany really shout
before. Ger had been upset with him before but never to this point. It
was actually a turn-on.

“Oh, Germany, you mustn’t be so uptight,” Santiago murmured,

slinking toward the door. He knew the Ravyn wouldn’t take his
patronizing tone. He gave him three seconds before his lover was on
him. Three. Two. One. An inhuman snarl sounded from behind him
before the hard impact of another body knocked him to his knees. He
had to resist the chuckle that threatened to escape. Even if his reaction
was predictable when he was in such a mood, it was sexy.

The hard evidence of his anger and arousal pressed insistently

against the seam of his loincloth. Santiago pushed his ass back against
Ger’s body as the Ravyn snarled in his ear. He resisted the urge to
purr.

“You’re pushing me deliberately, Santiago. Haven’t you heard

that messing with a demon’s calm is dangerous?” Ger ripped the
loincloth off with one blast of light. The man had laser hands with his
powers of light and darkness. The world went black around them,
drowning out the room and everything in it, everything but Germany
and himself.

“Yes. I know it,” Santiago murmured, arching even harder against

the hard cock now that he was naked. Well, he had sandals on, but he
didn’t think those counted.

“Bastard.” Ger growled. Santiago groaned as he felt the familiar

feel of the Ravyn’s bare thighs against his ass. Oh yes. This was just
what he wanted. He was going to be late for the first time in a
thousand years to a performance, but he just didn’t give a damn. “I
should leave you aching,” Ger threatened.

Santiago whimpered. “Ger, I need you.” The statement was

absolutely true. He did need him. Fiercely. In a way he’d never

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needed anyone else. It was hard to think they’d been lovers for only
one week. Every time they touched he caught fire.

An answering moan met his statement, and Santiago knew he

won. His ass cheeks were parted without ceremony, and seconds later
the blunt head of Ger’s cock pressed insistently at the tight, puckered
entrance of Santiago’s body. Without warning Ger gave Santiago’s
ass a stinging slap. The vampire yelped.

“Ow! What the hell are you doing?” Santiago demanded. He

struggled to get out of the position he was in. With his chest down and
ass in the air for abuse, it didn’t seem too safe. Ger chose the moment
to shove his entire length deep into Santiago’s protesting body. The
vampire’s breath left in a hiss of pleasure-pain. His passage spasmed
as it tried to adjust to the sudden invasion.

“Don’t test me, Santiago,” Ger rumbled. He could feel the

Ravyn’s balls brush against his own as he shoved impossibly deeper.
“I’m not someone to play vampire head games with.”

Was that what he’d been doing? Maybe a little. He’d wanted

Germany to get jealous, wanted Ger to show him that he cared by
fucking him stupid. He’d been willing to manipulate him to get what
he wanted. Okay. He could admit it. He’d been playing head games.

The place Ger had smacked the second before had grown warm,

and the Ravyn’s hand lingered over the heated skin. The sensation
wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it seemed to add to the throbbing ache in
his cock. He couldn’t stifle the groan that came out of his throat as
Ger caressed a particularly sore spot.

“I’m sorry.” He gasped the words. He meant the apology even if

he was squirming for more. His limbs had developed a definite
tremble. “Can you—Can you hit me again?”

Germany snarled out a curse in a guttural language Santiago

hadn’t heard in several hundred years. He switched back to English.
“You liked getting spanked?” Santiago felt no shame in admitting his
desires. He’d lived too long to worry about the morality or societal
faux pas of any “forbidden” wants.

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113

“Yes. Felt good. Fuck me while you do it?” He didn’t know if the

keening statement was understandable, but Ger seemed to get his
drift. He let out another curse and started pounding Santiago’s tight
ass. His hand came down on Santiago’s left ass cheek with a
resounding smack while his thick cock shuttled in and out of the tight
passage.

“Butterfly, my butterfly. Gods, you’re so fucking perfect,” Ger

rumbled. Santiago cried out at the possessive words and shoved his
ass back harder against his lover to create more friction, though if
they created much more than this, they were going to set the floors on
fire. “Wear a new pair of panties for me tonight,” Ger commanded,
pulling out his long dick before shoving it back in all the way.
“Something gauzy and—Oh fuck!” He groaned before continuing.
“Something just for me.”

“Yes!” Santiago wasn’t sure whether he said that because of his

own pleasure or in reaction to Ger’s demands, but it pleased his lover
if the dark chuckle of knowing was any indication. His mind
completely blanked as Ger gave a particularly enthusiastic lunge and
nailed the walnut-sized pleasure spot buried deep in Santiago’s
throbbing backside. Ger’s hand came down at the exact same time he
did it again. Santiago saw stars.

His hands shot out to brace against the floor as Germany set a

brutal and delicious pace. All he could do was lie there and take it.
The Ravyn was completely in control, and Santiago’s throbbing cock
thought that that was just fine. Germany was angling his hips so that
every thrust he made scored his prostate, and Santiago was
whimpering in regular intervals. His eyes squeezed shut as sensation
swamped him. His ass was a mass of stinging pleasure-pain that
increased with every slap and every lunge against it. His passage had
finally relaxed enough to take Ger with no pain, but the hard pace was
testing that statement. Even Ger’s hand, as it rested on his hip, created
a more sensitive sensation than it should have.

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“Germany.” Santiago grunted the word as his hands turned white

in an effort to stop his forward momentum. “I love you.” The words
were a disjointed whisper. He hadn’t meant to say it, but it seemed so
very true in the moment. Germany stilled. “No!” Santiago
whimpered. “Don’t stop.” Ger started forward, the edge of his anger
completely gone from his motions. He rubbed the red marks that
Santiago felt rather than saw with reverence.

“Come for me, butterfly,” Ger commanded, his movements losing

their usual controlled rhythm. He was close to orgasm, and Santiago
knew it. The vampire squeezed his ass around Ger’s cock, milking
him.

Without warning, his own dick jerked and spewed sticky proof of

his orgasm against the floor of their bedroom. His mind blanked, and
noises of need escaped his throat. The sensation of Ger’s cum
splashing against the inner walls of his clenching passage was too
much. His body wrung out another helping of pleasure from his shaft,
and he could do nothing but shudder through it. Ger’s guttural,
demonic admission of pleasure sounded behind him.

Ger’s hands rested lightly on his hips as they regained their

breath. “Are you all right, butterfly?”

Nothing should feel this good. He’s becoming my every pleasure.

It was frightening to Santiago that the Ravyn was becoming a greater
obsession than the dance. His art had been everything to him for so
long that the idea of something usurping that coveted position was an
overwhelming possibility.

“That was good,” Santiago murmured, resting his forehead on his

crossed arms. “You do that very, very well.”

Germany traced his spine. “You didn’t answer my question,

Santiago.” Did he sound more tender than normal?

“Hmmm, I’m fine. Thoroughly loved.” He nearly winced at his

choice of words. He’d just declared himself to Germany without even
having had a first date yet. The relationship of mutual pleasure they’d
shared seemed to be one of imbalance now.

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115

Germany kissed his back and pulled out of his body. Santiago

groaned as he felt the liquid seep from his stretched entrance and run
down his thighs. For some reason it was both embarrassing and
somehow sensual to him.

“You are thoroughly loved.”
The words had Santiago’s head snapping around to be able to look

into Ger’s face and try to discern the meaning of the words. The
unfathomable expression he found was unsatisfying. He wanted to
scream. What did he mean?

A knock on the door interrupted any demand Santiago would’ve

made. They both let out identical sets of curses and scrambled to get
up.

“Hold on!” Ger called, shoving his legs into a pair of boxers that

had been left on the floor. Santiago used the torn remnants of his
outfit to wipe up some of the stickiness on the floor. It was going to
be so obvious what they’d been doing the moment before to anyone
who walked through the door.

Santiago darted toward the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Damn. He listened closely to see who had been bothering him before
their performance. He winced. Merciful heavens, he needed to hurry.
He was already late. He tested the water and hopped into the spray.

* * * *

Germany swung open the door as he heard the shower come on.

He tried his best not to look sweaty, mussed, and sexually pleased. He
had the feeling he’d failed miserably. Maddeline stood there in what
essentially boiled down to as a molded animal-skin belly-shirt and a
pair of matching bikini bottoms. Her animal-skin boots completed the
outfit.

“Hi, Ger. Can I come in?” she asked. She must’ve caught the

scent as she took a step inside the door because her eyes widened and

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shot to Ger’s burning face. She grinned, and he closed the door
behind her.

“What’s up, Maddy?” Ger asked uncomfortably. Man, he

should’ve picked up a little or something. Without the servants to
come in and clean, he’d let the room become a little bit of a mess.
Clothes littered the floor. Nothing was organized. Even the desk was
junked up with his papers, notebooks, and laptop. He was half
tempted to use his powers to shadow the room.

Her wide seafoam eyes were practically dancing with mirth. “I

had a sneaking suspicion that this was the reason you were getting left
in the room, but I don’t usually trust the rumors of servants.” She
poked him in the chest as he crossed his arms across it self-
consciously. “You are certainly a naughty demon boy.”

She stepped around him and headed straight to the bathroom, not

even bothering to knock as she threw open the door.

“Maddy! Santiago is trying to shower!” Ger snapped when he

realized what she was doing.

“You mean washing off the evidence,” Maddy replied, laughing.

“Santiago, Sire of mine, you are an absolute prick for not telling me!”

The view of Santiago in the shower was officially burned into

Ger’s retinas for the rest of eternity. It was a beautiful sight. He’d left
the shower door open as usual. Ger had been surprised to find that he
was a little claustrophobic, and so he didn’t like shut doors for the
most part. He was wonderfully naked, his long dancer’s muscles
slicked with water from the spray of the showerhead. His head was
tilted backward so that his hair and forehead was absorbing most of
the watery impact. His eyes were shut, and a soft expression of
contentment was splashed across his features. Steam rose from the
vampire’s body, triggering the image of some sort of mystical water
nymph in Ger’s mind. The overwhelming urge to protect Santiago
from Maddy’s inquiries swamped him.

“Leave him be, Maddy,” Ger said. She snorted and rolled her

eyes.

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117

Santiago’s voice sounded. “You might as well stop trying to stop

her. There is an expression which describes this situation. ‘When an
immoveable force meets an unstoppable object.’” His eyes opened,
and his head came down so that he met the gaze of his progeny.
“Maddeline, as per usual, you are rude and absolutely nosier than you
should be.”

She squealed in delight and clapped her hands together. “I’m so

happy! I told you that he shared your tastes and just look at him! He’s
just your type, Sire.”

“I’m perfectly aware of his appeal, Maddeline.” Santiago’s words

were dripping with deliberate disdain.

“Oh, don’t give me that ‘I am unaffected’ bologna. I know you.

You like him. A lot. So when are you two getting Wed?” Maddy
asked.

Santiago’s expression didn’t change one iota as he spoke. “We are

taking things slowly, so that is a question for another time. Your
inquiry is ridiculous. I don’t even know if he is my Bride or not.”

“Screwing each other sideways is taking it slow?”
“You are old enough to know that there is a difference between

physical pleasure and emotional attachment.” Santiago was so even in
his sentence that Ger’s heart stuttered. Hadn’t the man just admitted
he loved him? The Ravyn wanted to shout the fact from the rooftops.
In this one thing he didn’t feel like being private or reserved. Santiago
switched his attention from Maddy to Ger as if he sensed his thoughts.
Whatever wounded expression Ger had on his face must’ve been
telling because he continued. “However, you’re right. I do care very
deeply for Germany.” The tension in the room soared between them,
and Ger had to resist the urge to barge into the shower and kiss the
vampire stupid.

Maddy gave another squeal of delight. “Oh, Santiago, I’m so

happy for you!” She grinned. “I was coming to tell you that the
Council had a meeting this evening right before breakfast that was
going to be delaying them about fifteen minutes. I assumed you’d be

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Chapter Fourteen

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Santiago promised as he

pressed a kiss to Ger’s lips. The Ravyn’s hands found his hips and
brought their bodies flush against one another once again. The outfit
that they’d managed to borrow from Marabelle was definitely more
conservative than the one Santiago had been wearing. It was a short
tunic instead of just the loincloth, and for that compromise, Ger was
grateful. He didn’t want to share Santiago’s mostly naked body.

“All right,” Ger said, kissing him once more. Santiago opened his

mouth for him this time, and Ger slid his tongue into the wet cavern
of his vampire’s mouth. Their tongues mated for long, heated
seconds. He sighed as their lips parted. “It’s getting harder to let you
go.” The admission was soft.

Santiago leaned his head against Ger’s shoulder. “I know. I don’t

know what this obsession is, but it is getting harder to fight. I feel like
I’m losing my priorities,” he said. Ger could absolutely relate to that.
He didn’t blame Santiago because it was his own fault that he didn’t
have as good of control as he normally did. Apparently, the vampire
felt the same.

“I know, butterfly.” Ger hugged him close. “Speaking of

priorities, how are things coming with garnering Council assistance
and clan assistance?”

Santiago sighed. “I promise I’m working on it. Alliances don’t

form overnight.”

“We’ve only got two more days, Santiago,” Ger stated.
“I am doing the best I can,” Santiago said a little defensively.
“Do you need my help or something?”

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Santiago raised his head and glared. “No, I do not.”
“Well, you don’t seem to be accomplishing much on your own—”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Santiago snapped. “It is

not exactly easy to maneuver within this situation. I have more
responsibilities than just your mission, Ravyn.” Ger’s lips thinned.

“Fine.” He’d do things his way if Santiago wasn’t going to

cooperate. The vampire would never have to know. “You go ahead
and go do your dancing.” He tipped Santiago’s head up and pressed a
kiss to his lips.

Santiago’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “We’ll talk about it

when I get back tonight. Hopefully, I’ll have more to tell you then.”
Ger didn’t resist the final impulse to grope Santiago’s backside. The
vampire swatted at his hand and gave him a smile. “Behave, Ravyn. I
am late.” Ger released him.

“I always behave.” Which is why he hoped he could get away

with doing something against Santiago’s wishes just this once…

* * * *

“Hey, Jeremy,” Ger greeted as the boy came through the door

with new bedding and a tray full of food. He looked paler than
normal. Ger frowned. “Are you okay?” They hadn’t talked much
since the day Jeremy had gotten angry with him over offering to teach
him to read. The boy didn’t answer. Instead, he wobbled on his feet.

Germany lunged from his position at the desk and managed to

keep the boy from hitting the ground but not before the tray crashed to
the floor.

“Gods! Jeremy, are you okay?” The young man’s eyes were

clouded over, and he cursed softly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Tears flooded the boy’s eyes. “I’m

really sorry. Please don’t tell anyone. I’ll get you more food.” Ger
ignored him and scooped him up in his arms and carried him over to
his and Santiago’s bed.

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“Shh, don’t you worry about it,” he said. He laid the child down in

the center of the bed, arranging the pillows around him so that he was
comfortable. It was then that he saw the angry, red bite mark that was
still welling blood at the point where his neck met his shoulder. “Who
bit you?” Anger fired in his chest. Whoever did this should be skinned
alive. The dark thought boiled inside him.

“M–my Mistress,” Jeremy stammered. He was shivering lightly.

“I’m really thirsty.” Ger immediately went to the bathroom and filled
a cup of water for him. He knew he had cookies or something stuck in
his bag somewhere. He rummaged through his bag until he found the
bag of Snickers that he’d stashed there for the plane ride over.

“Here, honey. Eat this okay?” Ger pressed the glass to Jeremy’s

lips first before breaking off a piece of candy and offering it up. “It’ll
help with the dizziness. Your blood sugar is probably low.”

Jeremy took the candy between his lips and chewed softly.

“Thank you.” He finished chewing and swallowed. “Why are you so
nice to me?”

Ger stroked the hair back from his face. “Because you’re a pretty

cool kid and you don’t deserve to be treated any differently.” A weird
sense of déjà vu went through him as he said the words. It had been
the same thing he’d said to Dageus centuries ago when they’d first
become Ravyns. Dageus had been the youngest of the bunch back
then and was terrified of failing them.

“I don’t know if I’m good enough, Germany,” Dageus had said

after Tony had finished chewing them out over a close call in the
market of Pandemonium. “I feel like Tony hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you, kid. He is just stressed over the Prince

getting injured. Don’t take it personally,” Ger reassured. He’d just
gotten back from an assassination mission himself and was laid up in
the small tavern they were staying at. An arrow through his right
shoulder had nicked his lung, and it was taking a little more than he’d
expected to heal. Glittering, gold eyes turned toward him.

“Why are you so nice to me?”

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Ger reached over and ruffled the younger man’s hair. “Because

you’re a pretty cool kid and you don’t deserve to be treated any
differently.”

He had to get this kid out of here. “I’m going to go do a few

things. Stay here and rest up. Promise me you won’t leave this room.”

“But I—”
“No arguments. That’s an order. Do you hear me?” Ger’s voice

brooked no room for argument. “There is more candy in my bag.” He
pointed to the desk. “You can use my laptop if you want. There are a
few games and stuff on there that you might like. But you are not to
leave this room under any circumstance.”

“It’s dangerous for you to go out there, Germany.” The child’s

voice was soft. “If you’re alone they might get you.”

Ger snorted. “Don’t worry about me, kid. You just rest.” Santiago

had warned him not to leave the room, but whatever. He needed to get
some things done for his Prince, and he couldn’t do that by staying in
his room. Plus, he was going to find Santiago and tell him that no
matter what Lillian wanted for the boy, he would pay it. One way or
another, Jeremy was leaving with them to go back to America.

* * * *

The gardens were apparently very popular for the vampires. It was

something Santiago remarked about often when he came in from his
performances to change. For all their claims to be above their natural
instincts as humans, they still were drawn to organic places of beauty.
It was there that Ger made his way to as the bell struck the clock to
signal the end of dinner and the beginning of the social hour.

He dressed in a black pair of leather leggings and a knee-high pair

of boots. It wasn’t quite “caveman,” but it wasn’t casual wear either.
He’d left his shirt off in an effort to distract from the fact that he
wasn’t exactly properly dressed. The thin, white scars that crossed his
skin from time to time were normally hidden by his clothing, but they

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would be completely exposed this way. He hoped they wouldn’t raise
too many questions. An experienced warrior could probably identify
them as battle wounds, but he hoped that with so many political
figures in attendance they would simply shrug it off because he was a
nobody.

His mind went back to his room, and he hoped that Jeremy was

doing as he was commanded. He’d tucked the covers more firmly
around Jeremy’s fragile body before he’d left, and he’d been sleeping
soundly. If he was honest with himself, he was still spitting mad over
the boy’s treatment. He’d seen worse in Demontia, but Prince
Salvatore would have never allowed such a thing. The Ravyn was
more worried than what he’d allowed Jeremy to see. There was
something about the boy that called to him.

He hugged the darkness around him as he walked down the

servants’ staircase to the bottom floor. The stair was deserted
anyways, but if anyone would’ve been happening to look in his
direction, they’d see thick shadows and nothing else.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, he came out on the main

floor near the kitchens. The atmosphere was a lot different here than it
was in the floors above. It was bustling with people. Servants in the
colors of their Masters’ houses walked briskly up and down the halls.
They ranged widely in age and in species from what Ger could see,
though most were human. The Council must’ve hired a single staff to
take care of food preparations and cleaning because those servants
were dressed in identical white uniforms. The rest were quite a wild
display of colors.

He scanned the throng, moving around the periphery. After a

moment he selected a target. A young, dark-haired girl of no more
than fourteen who’d just come out of the kitchens. He tapped her
shoulder.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said politely. He hunched his shoulders to

look a little smaller to her and made sure to keep his voice even and
smooth. “Would you mind directing me to the gardens? I went up to

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the room to change for my Master, and now I’m afraid I’ve quite lost
my way.”

She gave him an assessing look but, as he’d wished, seemed to

look right through him. Her finger pointed toward the far hallway to
the front of them. “Go down that hall all the way to the wall. The door
is on your right. Leads right out behind the two oaks right before the
maze. You should be able to find your way from there.” She hurried
away from him after she spoke, obviously on to another task for
whatever vampire she served.

He breathed a sigh of relief and took off in the direction she’d

pointed. He’d be able to find his way there in no time and still be back
before the sun rose to talk with Santiago about the night’s excursion.
He’d probably be mad, but Ger knew exactly how to hush the man.
He found the door with ease. It was heavier than the other doors in the
house and less ornate, but he supposed it was to be expected of an
external servants’ door.

He noted the trees and stepped around them to come out into the

open air of the gardens. The hedge maze lay ahead of him, the
darkened entrance a forbidding sort of invitation to unravel the puzzle
within. The air was crisp and cool and the skin on Ger’s arms
immediately covered in gooseflesh. He was a demon used to the
southern regions of Demontia. It was hot there almost year round.
He’d expected flowers, but instead it was quite barren, even the
hedges were turning shades of gold and red. Why did the vampires
congregate out here? It was cold and the air was damp, and it didn’t
seem like the place a bunch of spoiled aristocrats would want to hang
out.

The soft murmur of voices could be heard just around the bend of

the hedge, so Ger headed in that direction. Light stretched from that
direction as well. He slowed his pace as if he were just out for a
leisurely stroll. His black hair fell just past his shoulders, and he’d
taken his time straightening it to a perfect, dark cascade. It was often

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easier to convince someone to do something he wanted when he
looked “hot.”

The hairs on the back of his neck rose three feet from the edge of

the light. He wasn’t alone anymore. He forced his muscles to relax
and kept his same pace toward the light.

“Hmmm, isn’t that Santiago new fuck toy?” A voice that felt like

a physical caress trailed along Ger’s skin, leaving shivers in its wake.
Holy crap. What the hell kind of power was that? He faltered in his
steps, and another figure appeared in front of him. The stranger’s face
was shadowed because of the backlighting from the clearing, but the
smell of lust and power permeated his scent.

“I believe it is. Haven’t seen that pretty body since the night

Santiago decided to practically fuck him at supper.” Another voice
sounded, this time behind him. Same power, though. Gods, they were
probably the same line.

“Santiago ought to know not to let a pretty morsel like him run

about unattended.” The vampire in front of him inhaled, taking in his
scent. “Smells just like white cherries. Delicious. Do you suppose we
ought to return him to Santiago, then?”

The one behind him snorted. “If he was wanting to go with

Santiago, he wouldn’t be sneaking around to the fun side of the party.
He knows that the little dancer doesn’t join us outside for Open
House.”

What the hell was that? Germany itched for a blade. Their powers

brushed against him again, hardening his cock. He bit his lip to keep
from groaning. He’d never heard of vampire powers that were used
like this. He felt primed, ready for sex. He wanted Santiago, wanted
to be balls-deep inside of him.

“Look at that nice hard dick. Care for a three-way, Rakeyos?” the

vampire in front of him asked. Ger began to glow as his arousal
increased. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

“Oh hell yes. I want that cock buried in my ass.” The vampire

behind him all but whimpered. He came close enough to trail a hand

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down Ger’s backside, and the Ravyn managed to throw a clumsy
punch in his direction. He felt slow, and his thoughts were hazy.
“Give your power a notch up, Aldios. He’s still resisting it.”

The wave of power that went through him nearly buckled his

knees. Ger did groan aloud then, swaying on his feet. When the man
behind him reached for him, he didn’t resist the grope. Cool lips
pressed against his neck, and the man in front of him took a step
forward.

“That’s it, Rakeyos,” Aldios murmured. The sound of a zipper

lower reached the Ravyn’s ears. A hand pinched his nipples. The
vampire in front of him was now only about six inches from him.

“He’s going to taste so damn good,” Rakeyos said. Ger felt his

head tilt back. His pulse was exposed to those seeking lips, but he
couldn’t seem to muster the strength to pull out of the lust-filled spell
the vampire had woven. They were going to feed on him and probably
fuck him. His body was primed for the idea. His mind was sick. He
had a mate, a wonderful vampire who he was in love with. He
should’ve listened to Santiago. Gods.

Two sets of mouths kissed either side of his neck, and two pairs of

hands were in his pants. One pair pumped his cock, and the other
pressed against the tight entrance to his butt. If his brothers were here,
he could probably pull out of this. His mind raced. He couldn’t
convince his body to pull away.

A snarl from somewhere over his left shoulder caused his lust-

soaked brain some anxiety, but the feeling faded as the vampire
increased his power even further. He felt like he was falling into a
world of sensation. He just wanted to come.

* * * *

Santiago had raced down to the gardens the instant that Jeremy

had told him where his lover had gone to. Stupid, impatient, stubborn,
inconsiderate, sneaky, manipulative Ravyn! The curse echoed through

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his mind. He was going to kill him. He’d already secured the schedule
for when the clan leaders were coming to visit their room during the
day and had been going back to the room to tell him when he’d found
a sleeping Jeremy in his bed instead of his Ravyn. The sleepy child
had told him what Ger had said before leaving, and Santiago had
immediately taken off in pursuit.

Socializing for vampires could mean many things. One of the

definitions involved a hook-up spot where members from different
clans could come together without the eyes of servants or the
restrictions of walls…The gardens made very convenient hunting
grounds.

“Get the hell off of him!” Santiago snarled, his fangs bared like a

cat’s. He wanted to rip them apart limb by limb for daring to touch his
lover. They had to have known, had to have smelled the joining of
their bodies.

The blond-haired one who blocked Ger from his view had the gall

to look over his shoulder and glare. Santiago hissed, and he felt his
power throb in anger. He wasn’t a fighter by nature, but he had speed
and strength in equal measure with any vampire in attendance. He
recognized these particular Macedonian vampires. They were from
Helios’s clan. They were legendary lovers in Europe. Casanova
himself was a member. But if they thought for one iota of a second
that he’d allow them to take his lover, they were sorely mistaken.

He tore off the first one, tossing him about twelve feet in the air

before he landed somewhere in the maze with a crunch. His eyes
sought out his lover who was held in the grip of the other vampire’s
power. His eyes were glazed over, and his leather pants were parted
and pushed aside so that the two could access his body at their leisure.
Ger’s cock was exposed to the chill air, but it stood proud and straight
against the cold, a pearly drop already decorating the mushroomed
tip. His head was tilted to the side to allow for access to his tender
flesh.

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The second vampire, a dark-haired beauty with pale gray eyes that

Santiago had seen before, licked slowly at Germany’s pulse. “Share
him with me, Santiago. He’s so very beautiful.” The vampire spoke
against his lover’s neck. “Give me this gift, and I’ll give anything you
desire.”

Ger jerked as the vampire inserted his fangs. A low groan poured

out of the Ravyn’s throat as he was penetrated by the vampire’s teeth.
The sound broke Santiago’s heart. He clenched his fists.

“Last chance, Aldios. Let my lover go. Now.” The slurping sound

turned Santiago’s stomach. That was his blood. No other vampire was
entitled to it. The vampire’s lips lifted.

“But, Santiago,” he whined. “He tastes so sweet.”
A blinding light seared his vision, momentarily blocking out

everything from Santiago’s vision. He staggered back at the blast of
heat. What in the name of the gods was that? As his eyes adjusted to
the light, he found his lover standing beside the hedges, glowing,
towering over a cowering vampire. His golden eyes sparkled with
hellish, angry light.

“You little fuck!” Ger growled. “I’m going to take you apart in

pieces!”

“I can’t see. I can’t see. I can’t see,” Aldios whimpered. He

rubbed his eyes frantically. “Please, it was all harmless pleasure!”
Light scorched the ground around the writhing vampire. The clearing
was suddenly full of vampires. This was bad.

“Germany, stop!” Santiago ran to Ger’s side and wrapped both

arms around his waist and tugged him backward. The last thing he
wanted was for the other clans to see firsthand what exactly Germany
could do with those powers of his. “Ger, I’m here. Stop. There is no
reason for this.” Ger gave a hard shove and sent Santiago sprawling.
He was all instincts now. Santiago thought desperately of what to do.
He wasn’t strong enough to force him away.

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Rakeyos jumped over the hedge and landed beside Santiago,

favoring one leg. “Demons don’t react well to being manipulated
mentally. He’s not even seeing you.”

Santiago made a noise of frustration. “No shit. He’s going to kill

him.” Rakeyos shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I’m stronger than my brother. I’m going to

transfer the lust over to you. You’ll have a couple seconds. I’ll grab
Aldios. Get him off fast because the second time I invoke it, I’m not
going to be able to control the speed he’s going to react.” As if to
punctuate the urgency of the situation, Aldios gave a scream as the
light ripped into his abdomen.

Santiago nodded. “Fine. Do it.”
The power built quickly, saturating the air with the heavy, potent

lust that Helios’s clan was known for. “Now!” Rakeyos shouted.

They disappeared and reappeared beside Ger. The demon threw

back his head and gave a bloodcurdling howl as his control was
ripped from him once again. His eyes were wild as they lit on
Santiago. Santiago swallowed and fell to his knees in front of him.
Ger took the hint. With a snarl of rage, the Ravyn gripped Santiago’s
hair in a hard grip and growled one word. “Suck.”

Santiago opened his mouth to receive the hard length that was

already dripping with sticky liquid. He shut his eyes and pretended
not to hear the whispers, murmurs of approval and fear. Germany had
captured the attention of every vampire at the gala. Gods help them.

He relaxed his throat as Ger mercilessly fucked his face. His

hands braced lightly against Ger’s leather-clad thighs. He used his
tongue to swirl around the sensitive underside of his lover’s prick, but
for the most part he was helpless to do anything but open his mouth
and take it. His lips were stretched wide, almost painfully so. His
lover was fiercely aroused and swollen.

It occurred to him that this was the first time he was sucking Ger

off, and the thought made him a little sad. He didn’t want the moment

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tainted by the embarrassment that would inevitably follow when Ger
found out that he’d been sucked off before a garden full of people.

“Play with yourself, butterfly.” The command was unexpected.

Santiago hadn’t thought Ger even knew whose mouth he was fucking.
“Now,” Ger snapped. Santiago swallowed, and the Ravyn groaned.

The vampire’s hands pulled up his short tunic and stuck his hand

into the underwear he’d worn just for Ger. He drew out his half-hard
length and began to jerk off expertly. He shut his eyes and ignored
everything but the scent, taste, and feel of his lover. All around him
other couples or multiple couples were engaged in other sexual acts,
but Santiago tried to block them all out. Nothing mattered but
Germany, his Ravyn.

“Oh yes,” Ger breathed. His breath was coming out in soft pants

now, and the tightly drawn sack indicated that he was close to
orgasm. Santiago couldn’t wait to feel him jetting into his mouth. The
idea of the first taste alone had the vampire moaning low in his throat.
He had to be careful because his fangs were fixing to drop. They
ached in his gums. The urge to mark up Ger’s most private flesh with
them was nearly overwhelming.

He was saved from having to resist the impulse because Ger chose

that moment to erupt into his mouth. Santiago groaned and swallowed
impulsively. The salty taste of cum rolled around on his tongue in
time with the pulse in his lover’s cock. Santiago sucked until Ger had
nothing left to give before drawing off of his member with a soft pop.

The vampire deftly tucked his own hardness back into his

underwear and pulled down his tunic. He did not want to come in
front of anyone else. The Ravyn sighed luxuriously, the tension
melting away. Santiago placed a kiss to his lover’s thigh as he righted
Ger’s clothing and zipped him back up.

“Germany?” Santiago asked. Ger still looked dazed. He was

probably still feeling the residual remnants of power. He seemed
much less resistant to vampiric influences now that he was away from

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the other Ravyns than when he’d been back in Haven. He sighed.
What a mess.

He got up off his knees and brushed the dirt and grass that clung

to them. Without a word, he took Ger’s hand and tugged him along
toward the house. There would be some serious repercussions from
tonight. Helios was going to be angry at the abuse two of his clan had
been subject to, especially since Ger had been “asking for it.”

Santiago’s impenetrable mask was firmly in place despite the

embarrassment that was scalding him internally. Despite the way he
teased Ger, he didn’t fancy full-blown sexual acts in front of others.
He could do it, but it really wasn’t his desire to allow others to see
him that vulnerable.

“Santiago.” The soft whispered word of his progeny broke

through his single-minded escape plan. His eyes lit on Maddeline as
she fell into step beside him. The rest of his troupe had already turned
to their rooms for the night.

“Not now, Maddeline.” Maybe Santiago was paranoid, but he

imagined the other vampires were listening awfully close to their
conversation.

“What should I do?” she asked. Her voice was layered with

concern and fear. They reached the door of the house.

“I’m going to take him to our rooms. Go to Edward. Better to be

proactive then reactive. Offer restitution to Helios, whatever he
wants.” Santiago couldn’t even concentrate enough to flash Ger and
himself up to their room. They were going to have to take the bloody
stairs. And what was he supposed to do with the boy? Jeremy
belonged to Councilman Lillian, but he was still weak from blood
loss. He hadn’t even been in the room three seconds before he
recognized the child’s problem. He sighed. He’d install him in Ger’s
original room and deal with that situation after this one.

“Yes, Sire. I’ll leave you to it then.” She reached out and squeezed

his hand, and he was grateful for the presence of family. This entire
trip had fallen apart in the span of one hour. There was a reason he

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Chapter Fifteen

Ger woke with a headache. For a moment he was disoriented, the

night before a blur of disconnecting memories. What exactly had
happened? He sighed, trying to force his dazed mind past the block.
The warm body that he was spooned up against told him that his
vampire had made it back to bed at some point between when he’d
left to perform and sunrise but little else. The block-out curtains did
an effective job of hiding any hint of sunlight, but Ger supposed that
it was daylight. Santiago was sleeping pretty soundly, like he’d been
out for a while.

He snuggled closer to the sleeping vampire. He was missing

something important. His mind strained, thinking back. He
remembered Jeremy’s arrival but only hazy recollections after that.
He had more impressions of emotional memories than anything, rage
being the most prominent one. He pressed a kiss to Santiago’s neck.
He was also feeling guilty for some reason.

The vampire gave a little sigh in his sleep and stirred. “Hmmm,

Ger?”

“Yeah? Sorry, butterfly. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He gave

Santiago another kiss and squeezed him. “Is everything okay? I feel
like something’s wrong.” Santiago turned in his arms to look him in
the eyes.

“You don’t recall?” he asked. He sounded a little miffed, and he

looked really, really tired. It might have been that he’d only been
asleep a couple of hours, but Ger didn’t think so. He was beginning to
feel a curious sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He shook his

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head. Santiago sighed. “You didn’t trust me, Ravyn. Now we both
may be in more trouble than either of us knows how to deal with.”

Dread pounded through Ger in time with his pulsing headache.

“What happened?”

As soon as Santiago began speaking, memories started trickling

into Ger’s mind. He remembered the vampires, the power, the—Oh
shit. Well, that explained the guilt. He swallowed hard and lifted a
hand so that he could try to massage out his pounding temples. Regret
didn’t even begin to cover the way he felt about doing that to
Santiago. He wanted to just erase the entirety of yesterday.

“Is Jeremy all right?” he asked as Santiago finished his

explanation up until he had passed out. He’d been worried about the
kid, doubly so now.

“Fine. He’s a surprisingly fast healer given the fact that he’s

human,” Santiago answered. He pulled out of Ger’s arms, and the
Ravyn felt a pang of panic. He wanted Santiago to stay in his arms.
“Though now I also have Councilman Lillian demanding to know
why I have kept her servant boy. I’m still trying to figure out a logical
explanation for that one. What time is it?” He didn’t bother letting
Ger find an answer but instead rolled out of bed and looked at Ger’s
charging cell phone. “Blast. I’ve overslept. I don’t have much time.
Get dressed.” Ger hated the cool, practical way Santiago was
addressing him. Normally, the mask was on whenever other people
were around, but he’d taken to acting almost human whenever they
were ensconced in their room together. Ger had really fucked up.

“I’m sorry, Santiago. I was too impatient. I should’ve trusted

you,” the Ravyn said. Ger had no problem admitting when he was
wrong. “I was afraid I was getting too involved in my affair with you
and not paying attention to the larger issues at hand with my Prince.
It’s not an excuse, but that’s the reason. I’m sorry.”

Santiago waved his hand dismissively. “Fine. Apology accepted. I

have no time to listen to your reasons. Get dressed. They’re having an
emergency Council meeting to deal with our transgressions.”

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Ger frowned. “Transgressions? I understand I may have overdone

it a bit, but the bastards were asking for it. What happened to the laws
forbidding vampires from using their powers on unwilling people?”

Santiago shoved his feet into his slacks and glared. “The Council

will not see it that way. You were a willing person going into a
situation that other vampires could and would argue you had full
knowledge of. You were not with me, and since I haven’t marked
you, others were free to assume you were free game. You placing
yourself in that situation without my protection was like a matador
deliberately waving a red scarf in front of a bull like a flag. They’ll
say you were asking for it.”

“But they’re wrong! What about what I have to say on the

subject?” Ger protested.

“You could just as easily have fabricated your distress in front of

me because you were afraid I’d get angry over you taking new lovers
from other clans. My reaction certainly helps to support that
argument. I tossed someone away from you and threatened the other
despite the fact you were clearly aroused and demurely participating.”
Santiago crossed to the wardrobe and tore out a silk shirt which he
also shoved on. Ger felt his stomach knot.

“I didn’t ask to be mind fucked. That was the only reason I was

like that, and you know it!” He was frustrated and hurt and nauseous
just thinking about the other vampires’ hands on his flesh. All the
centuries of being the controlled demon warrior did nothing to blunt
the knife of pain that shot through him at the memory. He wanted to
curl into himself and weep. The only man he wanted was Santiago.
How could anyone say otherwise?

“This isn’t America. Each country in Europe has different laws

concerning vampire powers. France is the birthplace of the Council.
This country has next to no laws about anything dealing with
vampires because only an idiot would do something to jeopardize
Council wishes so close to them.” It was the first time Ger had ever
seen Santiago close to losing his temper. “Council policy basically

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states that whatever happens at a vampire gathering stays at a vampire
gathering. It is one of the reasons that even attending the damn things
are so dangerous. There have been entire clans wiped off the face of
the planet during these get-togethers. I’ve managed to keep the
Council off of the Entertainer line’s case for centuries. One stupid
decision on my part may have cost my entire family their lives, so
forgive me if ‘sorry’ isn’t quite good enough to put me in a good
mood.” He pointed to the dresser which housed Ger’s clothes. “Now,
get dressed!”

After they’d dressed and made sure Jeremy was still resting

comfortably, they stepped out into the deserted hallway. Daylight
streamed in through the windows. It was strange seeing the chateau
during the day. It wasn’t nearly as creepy as it was at night.

“I thought you should know that there are four clans that are

willing to help in your war so long as their fees are paid. The point
that was the most convincing was that a large number of vampires are
taken by slavers into Demontia and Salvatore hopes to stop it. If we
make it out of here alive, you will have accomplished your mission,”
Santiago said as he locked the door behind them. Ger’s heart broke at
the ice in his tone. But at what cost had he succeeded?

“Thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t as if

they’d agreed to do more than date once they’d gotten back. Santiago
had said he’d loved him, but would that be enough to keep the ancient
by his side after he’d turned his world upside down? He felt like he
should at least get a second chance. No one was perfect.

“You need to worry more about this Council meeting and less

about the state of our relationship, Germany,” Santiago said softly.
His tone was marginally warmer. It gave Ger hope. “I need your mind
on the task at hand. We can discuss the rest later.”

“So does that mean we still have a relationship?” Ger dared to ask.
Santiago’s eyes met his. “It means I am still considering it. So

kindly, do not push. I’ve been told that I need to take my time and
think about things before I say them.”

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This conversation seemed familiar. “Opportunities can be lost if

you think about every single question ever given to you so hard.” Ger
repeated Santiago’s earlier words on the plane ride that seemed an
eternity ago.

“More can be lost if you fail to think before you give your

opinion,” Santiago said dryly. “I have no desire to stick my foot into
my mouth.”

Touché, butterfly, Ger thought. You’re making me eat my own

words as punishment. Fine. I can wait. I can wait as long as I have to
so that I can be with you. You don’t know it yet, Santiago, but I’m in
love with you.

“Keep calm in Council. Let me do most of the talking. If they ask

you a direct question, you are to say the vaguest truth you can come
up with. There are vampires in the Council who are experts at
detecting lies, so don’t even bother. Give them exactly what they
asked for but no more than that. You don’t want to give them enough
rope for them to hang us with.” He took Ger’s hand. “Ready?” Ger
nodded. A sound like a cracking whip boomed, and then they were in
the belly of the beast.

* * * *

Given what Germany knew about the Council, he shouldn’t have

been surprised that the meeting room that had been decided on was in
a dungeon of sorts. Ancient vampires were apparently very devoted to
cliché crap. There was an honest-to-gods set of manacles hanging on
the stone wall to their right. Behind them were black bars that went
from the floor to the ceiling. Santiago and he stood on a circular,
raised platform in the center of the room facing a long, excessively
high bench that seated the thirteen Council members, only two of
which, Ger was surprised to note, were women. They all wore
identical golden robes and a single teardrop earring the same color as
their robes in their left ears.

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Below the Council, seated at a much smaller table which was still

elevated above the platform Ger and Santiago were standing on, were
three vampires, two from the previous night, Aldios and Rakeyos, as
well as a bronze-skinned vampire with gold-and-white hair and eyes
the color of Earth’s sky whom Ger had never met.

Santiago bowed low beside him, and Ger followed suit. “Thank

you, Council, for allowing us this opportunity to address grievances
on such short notice,” the centermost Councilman spoke, his voice
like oil over water. His dark hair matched his voice because it was
slicked back with the stuff. He looked like a dark-haired version of
Draco from Harry Potter.

“We are pleased that you decided to inform the Council of this

unfortunate situation before it could be brought to our attention
through less amicable means,” he said. “It was conveyed to us by
your progeny that you wished to offer restitution to Helios and his
clan on behalf of yourself and your guest due to this unfortunate
misunderstanding.” Ger had to bite back a smart retort as his temper
flared. Misunderstanding my ass.

“I do. It was most unfortunate and not a moment that presents the

Entertainer line or myself in a favorable light. I truly wish to resolve
this matter as quickly as possible,” Santiago agreed. It really bothered
Germany that his lover was having to bow and scrape on his behalf,
but he remained silent. Santiago had asked for his trust once, and he’d
not given it. This time he would trust him to handle it.

“For the sheer level of inconvenience that this situation has caused

us during a time that should rightfully be a time of celebration, the
head of the Entertainer line should offer restitution for the Council as
well,” Lillian’s voice piped up from the far right. Ger gritted his teeth.
He really disliked her.

Santiago nodded like it was a reasonable request. “I quite agree.”

He motioned to the seated Councilmen. “I do so offer one act by me
and mine as payment for offense given by myself and my assistant.”
The Council nodded their approval.

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The center Councilman spoke up again. “That is acceptable to us.

Helios, present the request that your clan wishes done.”

The bronzed man stood from his position at his own table. He was

a mountain, built like a body builder and excessively tall. “Thank you
for this offer of restitution, Santiago. It has been a while since I’ve
seen an act of courtesy employed by the heads of lines.” His voice
was heavily accented and gruffer than Ger had expected. “It has come
to my attention that your assistant used to be an assassin for the
demon Prince.”

Ger froze. Shit. No one was supposed to know that. Even Santiago

tensed beside him.

“Is it my understanding that your assistant and his Prince will be

traveling back to Demontia soon?” Santiago hesitated before nodding.
Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Helios turned his sky-blue eyes on Ger.
“Are you familiar with a region to the west known as Verna?”

Ger’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. I’m familiar with it.”
“Two hundred years ago it was presided over by a demon warrior

called Piscedion. Does he rule it still?” The questions made no sense
to Ger, but he saw no harm in answering the question.

“He does.”
Relief washed over the big vampire’s face a second before he

reined in his emotions. “Then my request is that once you return to
Demontia you will travel with me to Verna and help me kidnap him
and bring him back to my clan in Macedonia. You are an assassin. It
should be easy enough for you to penetrate the house without being
detected.”

Ger frowned. “What business do you have kidnapping a demon

warrior?” Santiago put a restraining hand on his arm.

Helios’s eyes blazed. “We have unfinished business, and that’s all

you need to know.” If that was all it took to get Santiago out of the
trouble Ger had caused, fine.

“I agree to help you do this. I will have to speak with my Prince

about a time and date on the matter though. We’re preparing for war.”

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He glanced at Santiago. “We can contact him?” The vampire nodded.
“Once I get back to Haven and confer with my Prince, I will call with
a time within a week. Agreed?”

Helios nodded and bowed his head. “That is most agreeable.

Thank you.” He sat back down.

“Now all that is left to conclude this dreadful business and to get

back to sleeping is the matter of the Council restitution,” the center
Councilman said. “I’m assuming that because you mentioned it,
Councilman Lillian, you have an idea in mind for the two of them.”

She all but cackled with glee. “I do.” He waved his hand for her to

speak. “We’ve all been very amused by your little tête-à-tête with the
demon these past few weeks. The romance that you two have
displayed has been a thrilling bit of gossip between the rest of the
party and majority of the Council. We had hoped that the
entertainments you had provided the first night of performances
would have continued on through the week or at the very least in the
gardens after meals.”

Ger did want to snarl then. That nosy bitch!
“Unfortunately, that case of stage fright from your assistant”—she

emphasized the word—“didn’t allow for us to witness this blossoming
entanglement.”

Get to the point, lady! Ger snapped in his mind.
“So it is my request to Santiago and his lover that they give a

special performance. A Blood Rite.” The shocked looks on the other
Councilmen’s faces clued Ger in that he was not going to like
whatever it was that they were talking about and that it was probably
not something pleasant.

“But, Councilman Lillian!” Santiago immediately protested. “For

so minor of an offense, it seems cruel to subject Germany to that sort
of ritual.”

“I am inclined to agree,” Councilman Edward spoke up. “A Blood

Rite speaks of a permanence that the two of them may not be ready to
take yet.”

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“On the contrary,” Lillian returned. “It is a perfect punishment.

This situation would not have occurred were Santiago able to control
his lover or, at the very least, know when he was getting himself into
mischief. It is plain as day that they are going to Wed at some point.
There is no reason to delay the inevitable and possibly put other
vampires in danger. He is too strong of a Bride to be allowed out
without a leash on.”

“All reasonable points,” the middle Councilman said. “The

Council will confer and return within five minutes’ time with our
decision. Will you wait within these chambers until we return?”
Santiago nodded, his face expressionless. “Very well. We will see you
momentarily.” In a blink, they were all gone except for Helios’s clan,
Santiago, and Ger.

“That bloody voyeuristic bitch!” Santiago’s shout made Ger

nearly jump out of his skin. He made a frustrated noise, his limbs
trembling with fury. Ger was afraid touching him might shatter the
very tenuous hold Santiago seemed to have over his calm.

“What is it, butterfly? What did she do?” he asked. Santiago gave

another shout before he began pacing around the room, ignoring Ger.
Luckily, Helios spoke up.

“A Blood Rite is a sort of expedited Bride bonding ceremony.

Instead of weeks, it takes hours. It’s hardly ever done because it
requires a full witnessing and a complete blood exchange.” He looked
like he pitied the two of them. “It really isn’t pleasant if you’re
uncomfortable being with your Bride in front of a room full of people.
The Council loves to witness them. They’re all voyeurs at heart. It
was probably why Lillian suggested it.”

“What does it entail? I don’t understand. What’s a full witnessing

and a complete blood exchange?” Ger asked in confusion. Santiago
continued to mutter to himself as he walked circles around the room.
He was making him dizzy.

“A full witnessing means that the entire Council has to be in

attendance, literally in the room while the ritual is taking place. They

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offer blood from each of the thirteen members to the vampire who is
going to be performing it and then share the experience with him.
That, believe it or not, is the easy part. The other part of the Blood
Rite is much harder to do and much more dangerous. Most vampires
won’t risk their Brides over it.” Helios stood, and his two clan
members followed suit.

“What is it?” Ger snapped. He was sick of having to pull teeth to

get information from vampires. Why couldn’t they just speak plainly
for once?

“A full blood exchange means that Santiago would turn you into a

vampire.”

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Chapter Sixteen

“Council has reached a decision.” The middle Councilman, the

head Councilman if he wanted to get technical, spoke. Charles was
the same age as Santiago but had reached his power potential far
before the dancer had. The Anglo-Saxon asshole had been head
Council almost five hundred years, and Santiago hadn’t agreed with
more than a handful of his rulings. Becoming a Councilman wasn’t
easy. It took months if not years of social maneuvering and then one
had to wait for an acting Councilman to retire and nominate them in
their place. Being nominated, the person then had to get the approval
of all sitting Council members which took a lot of political clout.
Everyone joined the Council for different reasons, some for security,
some for prestige, others for power. Charles fell into the last category
and he flaunted it with chilling sadism. Santiago held his breath as
Charles paused. “We took a vote and agreed that the performance of a
Blood Rite is fair restitution for denying us the full Entertainment that
we have come to expect from the Entertainer line.”

Santiago’s stomach fell to his feet. Oh gods.
“We feel that it is most fortuitous that tonight will be the last

supper for the Council at the gala. Your Rite will be the final
performance and a final ‘big bang’ as it were.” Charles gave a slow,
fang-filled grin. The bastard was thoroughly enjoying Santiago’s
humiliation. He had been looking for an opportunity to knock him
down a peg or two for years now, and Santiago knew it.

“If that is what the Council has decided, then we will of course

abide by the decision.” Santiago was surprised at how reasonably his
voice came out. An idea occurred to him.

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“Excellent. Well, I suggest that we all retire until tonight’s

entertainment begins,” Charles said. The Council stood in unison.

“Would Council be so kind as to grant a Bride present, as is

custom?” Santiago asked before any of them could disappear.

“Of course. It is the least we can do for the gift of your Rite. Since

you were so good in coming to us before there could be a true conflict
between the clans,” Edward answered before any of the others. The
Council spoke as one, so if Edward said it the rest of the Council had
to support it. The added glare from the former Prince of Wales helped
to silence them. Apparently, he’d been one of the dissenting votes.

Santiago was intensely grateful for his support. “My lover has

grown quite affectionate with a young servant who is employed by
Council. He is quite young, so he would not be a great loss of
services.”

Lillian looked ready to kill something. Her face became brittle as

if at any moment it would shatter into a million ugly pieces. “Who is
this servant?” she demanded.

“His name is Jeremy. He has been with us this week as a personal

servant. I feel that, with this Bride gift, I can moralize within myself
the need for a Blood Rite, which some of your number claimed too
harsh of a punishment for so minor of an offense.” Santiago worded
his request carefully. He hated political games worse than anything,
but he wasn’t inept at them.

“I feel that it is fair,” Edward said at once.
“I second that,” another Councilman, Julian, said. “I thought that

it was too harsh, but with the addition of the Bride gift, the balance of
justice is regained.”

“Carried,” Charles grumbled.
“I don’t think—” Lillian began.
“Agreed,” Edric boomed. “Let’s get back to sleep for gods’ sake.”
“Passed,” Charles finished. “The boy is yours.” The Council

flashed out one by one until only Lillian and Edward remained.

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“That was a dirty trick.” Lillian sniffed. “Just because your pet is

going to have some embarrassment, I’ve lost my servant.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Do hush, Lillian. It is fair.” He looked at

Santiago. “Be in the dining room an hour before the second meal.
We’ll give you blood then.” He pointed to Ger. “Prepare him as best
you can.” He looked at Lillian. “Shall I escort you back to your room,
Lillian dear?”

She sniffed. “I suppose.” They linked arms, and both of them

disappeared.

“What exactly do we have to do?” Ger demanded the instant they

were out of sight.

Santiago shook his head. “Not here. You’re going to need your

rest. Let’s go back to sleep. In a few hours, I’ll fill you in.”

He linked their hands. He couldn’t believe that the Council had

demanded a Blood Rite. It was unheard of in modern times. The
practice was too reminiscent of the monsters humans had once
portrayed them as. He glanced at Ger. His black hair was queued back
in a ponytail, and his sparkling, gold eyes were filled with anxiety. He
squeezed his hand in comfort. He couldn’t even contemplate the
possibility of losing Ger even if he was still miffed at him for not
trusting him. The Blood Rite could take Ger away. He swallowed. No.
He wouldn’t think that way. They would get through this. Maybe.
Santiago sighed. He hoped.

* * * *

They’d gotten maybe four hours of sleep the rest of the day. For

the most part Ger had tossed and turned, his dreams troubled. “How
many demons do you know that have successfully converted from
demon to vampire?” Ger asked the second Santiago touched him to
wake him. The poor Ravyn seemed to be on edge even worse than
Santiago. The fear of the unknown was one of the worst fears
Santiago felt someone could experience.

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“None,” Santiago answered honestly. “But, even if it happened, it

probably wasn’t documented. You don’t need to worry about the
aftermath, Germany. You need to worry about not messing up the
ceremony so that you will have an aftermath.”

The Ravyn swallowed hard. “Is it that dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“At least Jeremy is protected.” It seemed to give the Ravyn a

measure of comfort. Santiago thought he should take his comfort
where he could at this point. This wasn’t a situation he had ever
foreseen happening to them. He’d never even contemplated the
possibility. He’d thought they’d have their fun in France, go back to
Haven, possibly go on a few dates, possibly Wed somewhere down
the line.

He’d heard other vampires talk about the instant “knowing” that

they’d found their Bride, even if they’d initially denied it. He
wondered if it was possible to ponder it and come to the conclusion
that he wanted it to be so. Maybe he was too old to get all the signals
right. He dragged his mind away from those thoughts. They’d be Wed
in a few hours’ time, so it wasn’t like it really mattered anyways.
He’d always wanted the Ravyn to feed from him when they’d
coupled, and soon they’d both be drunk off of it. Good job on finding
the silver lining, he complimented himself sarcastically.

“What is your sudden concern for that boy?” Santiago wondered.

He was curious. Maybe the Ravyn knew something about young
Jeremy that he didn’t.

Ger’s forehead furrowed. “I’m not sure. Other than the obvious

abuses he’s suffered, there is something about him that reminds me of
someone from the past. He has an old soul, but I can’t put my finger
on how I know him. I just know that I do. Either way, I’m relieved we
could give him a smidgen of relief from the life that woman gave
him.”

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147

Santiago smiled softly at the tone in his voice. “I think we just

adopted a child together,” he murmured. Ger gave him a strange look
but then seemed to contemplate it as well.

The Ravyn grinned. “I guess you’re kind of right. Allasandro is

going to be hella jealous. He and Damian have been contemplating it
for a month now.”

Santiago raised an eyebrow. “Hella?”
“Earth slang. Ally-cat uses it all the time. It means ‘very,’” Ger

supplied. Santiago blinked.

“That is a strange way to phrase it.” He shook his head as if to

clear it of contemplations. “I’m getting distracted. Let’s get you
prepared for the ceremony so that you and I will actually be able to
participate in our new ward’s raising, shall we?”

Ger linked their hands and finally sat up in bed. He gave a sharp

tug that sent Santiago tumbling forward. He tilted up the vampire’s
chin and gave him a kiss against his sputtering lips. “Let’s do this,
butterfly.”

Santiago managed to extricate himself from the Ravyn’s grasp

with a little dignity left intact and walked over to the far side of the
room and opened the door. Maddy was standing in the hallway in a
tight pair of blue jeans and a purple tube top. Her normally perfectly
coifed hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Even her shoes
weren’t heels tonight. They were blue-and-pink Skechers. Santiago
guessed that this was her version of getting serious.

Ger rolled out of bed and pulled on his discarded blue jeans and

took his place beside Santiago as she came through the door. It gave
Santiago a sense of “rightness” that he stood by his side even on this
small matter.

“All the performances were cancelled as per your instructions,

Sire. The planes are loaded with everything but everyone’s carry-ons,
and they’re ready to leave first thing tomorrow night,” she said.
Leaving at that time would get them arriving with the dawn in Haven,
but it couldn’t be helped. Santiago wanted to make sure all his people

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were gone from this place as quickly as possible after the Rite. A new
vampire was never easy to handle, and Santiago would feel infinitely
better traveling back to his own territory and being installed in his
own home before Germany woke from the transformation. “I’ve also
taken your instructions to Marabelle and told him to deliver the note
and the boy directly to Alex if there was something unfortunate
happening.” Her eyes flicked to Germany. “You better not die,
asshole. If I lose my favorite shopping buddy to the afterlife, I’m
going to be pissed.”

“That mouth of yours,” Santiago grumbled. “If people only knew

that the voice of an angel was used on a daily basis as a veritable
dictionary of foul words and phrases.”

She smiled cheekily. “They’d love me more for it. You ought to

know by now, Santiago, boys love bad girls.”

Santiago snorted. “You forget that you want a man instead of a

boy. Men do not take kindly to foulmouthed wenches.” Ger surprised
him by draping his arm around her shoulders almost protectively.

“Speak for yourself,” the Ravyn said deadpan. They all shared a

chuckle, but it was a forced sound. Their minds were too focused on
the possible dangers of the night to truly find humor in much of
anything.

“Are you staying on as witness to the clan?” Santiago asked after

a minute of morose silence.

She nodded. “Yeah. I am. I already took Jeremy to the others.

Marabelle looked ill, but everyone else seemed to like him. Poor Mar
hasn’t been around a child since Kegan.”

Santiago shrugged. “He will get over it.” He motioned for them to

have a seat and took up his own perch on the desk chair that Ger
usually occupied. Maddy sat on top of the dresser, and Ger reclaimed
the bed. They formed an odd-looking triangle but a triangle none the
less.

“So what do I have to do tonight?” Ger asked.

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“We’ll give you the basic breakdown of how the Rite is done.

Every one is different, but this is just the commonalities,” Santiago
began. “I’ll be leaving here in roughly an hour to get ready. I’m
meeting up with the Council, and I have to drink from the wrist of
each of them so that I will be linked to them throughout the
ceremony. Before you get huffy, it’s necessary. Firstly, I am no
Master, and it requires a tremendous amount of energy to do what
we’re doing. Secondly, they have to witness the event from the inside
out to testify that it is legitimate. There have been vampires in the past
who have managed to fake it and were later discovered as having
falsified the evidence.

That comes to the second part. There is a room being prepared in

the dining room where we’ve been eating meals for the past week. It
includes a bed. When the time comes, you will be stripped and led
into it. This is a public event. Anyone from the clans can come, and
every Council member will be in attendance.”

Ger swallowed. Santiago knew that part made him nervous. If the

idea of getting naked in front of a room full of vampires was
frightening to him, the next part of his story was going to send him
into hysterics.

“We have to publically consummate our relationship on the bed.

You’ll be tied down for it. The restraints will be a necessary part of
the ceremony later.”

“Gods,” Ger cursed. Santiago understood. His lover was not one

for public displays of any kind. Had he been in his right mind the
other night with Helios’s people, he would’ve probably reacted in the
same way. “I don’t know if I can do this, Santiago.”

The ancient sighed. “We don’t have a choice, Ger. We’ve been

ordered to do it by the highest order in the land. The only other option
we have is to run.”

“Run?” Ger asked. Santiago met Maddy’s eyes and nodded,

giving her permission.

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“We have prepared for that possibility as well,” Maddy said. “If

you’re not ready to Bride bond with Santiago, he’s offering you a way
out. You can leave. He’s arranged for a private plane that will fly you
back to Haven to be on standby. All you have to do is say the word.”

Santiago’s heart began to pound at the possibility. He would not

trap Germany in unbreakable bonds of both the Bride bond and the
bond between Maker and progeny. If he wanted out, it was a
reasonable request. They hadn’t even been on a real date. No matter
that he and Germany had stayed up most days and talked until passion
and then sleep had forced them to break their camaraderie. Even their
obsession was easily explained away as physical infatuation. Ger’s
screwup by disobeying Santiago’s orders didn’t mean he deserved to
be forced into a relationship he didn’t want.

“What kind of man would I be to walk away and let my lover take

the heat for my mistake?” Ger’s voice was deceptively soft. He’d
heard that tone in his lover’s voice before, often when Ger was angry
with him.

“A man with options,” Santiago answered. “A man who isn’t

ready to commit. There is no shame in that.” Santiago’s inner self was
screaming at him to shut the hell up. But he pressed forward
ruthlessly. He had to know that Ger was doing this for the right
reason. He had created the Entertainer line, and that took a large
amount of honesty within himself. What were his strengths? What
were his weaknesses? What traits did he wish to cultivate in his line?
Being brutally honest in his inner searches allowed him to do what he
did. In this situation, it was no different. If he were brutally honest
with himself, he would realize that despite the intensity of their
connection, they simply hadn’t had enough time together to warrant
this sort of trust and commitment.

Ger stood. Santiago steeled himself for his reaction. He would not

react. He would keep his expression perfectly unreadable. He would
not cry, even if he was tempted to. When his vision blurred with
liquid, he mentally cursed himself to the four gates of the

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Netherworld. He shut his eyes. The Ravyn didn’t need to see that. It
would only burden his decision. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d said that
he loved him.

“Santiago, look at me.” Ger’s voice was close. Much closer than it

had been just the moment before. Strong hands rested on his
shoulders. Santiago forced his eyes open and looked up into the
glittering gold of his lover’s eyes. “Do you realize that you are really
bad at being self-sacrificing?” Santiago blinked. He hadn’t been
expecting that. Ger reached up and ran a single finger down the side
of Santiago’s cheek. “Stupid vampire. I knew we were heading
somewhere serious the first second we kissed. The only one in denial
about it is you. You’re mine. There is nothing else for me nor for you.
This is a bit accelerated, yes. But we were going to go here
eventually.”

“But the Blood Rite is dangerous.” Santiago’s voice was a soft,

ineffectual protest.

“Life as a Ravyn is dangerous,” Ger said. “If I die, I’ll come

back.” He pressed a kiss to Santiago’s lips. “And when I do, I’ll be
coming back for you.”

“Don’t say such things,” Santiago commanded. Tears were

already threatening to spill down his cheeks. “I don’t know if I’d
survive it.” He was startled to realize that what he spoke was the
absolute truth. If Germany was to die during the Blood Rite, he would
go to the outer Fade.

“Sire, no.” Maddeline must’ve read his mind because her protest

was filled with sorrow. Ger’s voice, on the other hand, turned to steel.

“You will not kill yourself, Santiago. I don’t care if I keel over

halfway through the ceremony. You will wait for me here. I do not
want to chase you through eternity. I want to be able to know exactly
where I left you,” he said.

Santiago trembled. “So you’re set on going through this.”
“I am.”

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He sighed and leaned into his lover’s body. “Then we need to get

ready.” Ger’s lips pressed against his forehead. “Maddeline, would
you leave us along for about half an hour? I need a shower.”

Her reply was instantaneous. “I’ll be back then, Sire.” He felt the

energy swell and knew she was gone.

“Shower time?” Ger asked. He sounded almost teasing. Santiago

needed to feel Ger against him one last time without the possibility of
death looming over the event.

“Please.”

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Chapter Seventeen

They made love slowly under the warm spray of the showerhead.

Ger had been especially tender with him because Santiago had
seemed to need it. The Ravyn had been desperate for a feel of his
vampire, but he’d tempered the impulse so that he could make love
instead of fuck. Still, toward the end , the urge to come together like
they would never come together again had taken over and turned the
sweet moment into an explosive joining that had left them both
gasping. It had been perfect because they’d allowed themselves
something they’d never allowed before, the culmination of their
coupling finalized by them sharing blood.

Maddy had interrupted their afterglow with a soft knock on the

bathroom door. They’d reluctantly parted and dressed before Santiago
had left to go to the Council’s meeting chambers. Now Maddeline and
he were sitting outside on a bench waiting for a servant to bring them
the ritual clothing that Ger had to wear to the event. Ger supposed he
should have been feeling anxious or at the very least, nervous, but
he’d been surprisingly empty since Santiago had left.

“You’re really his Bride, aren’t you?” Maddy asked, looking at

the painting on the wall ahead of them. “I wasn’t sure at first, but you
are, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Ger answered, crossing his feet at his ankles.
“How long have you known?”
“A couple days now. He seemed more nervous about the

relationship than I did, so I was going to wait until we got back to
Haven to tell him.” Ger ran his palms over the thighs of his pants. He
was impatient to get this damn robe or whatever and get the hell out

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of here. The longer they dragged this out, the more likely he was
going to start to get nervous. Maddy started giggling. Ger turned his
head and looked at her. She had a weird smile on her face. “What?
What did I say?” The question only made her laugh harder. She
dissolved into a giggling heap of laughter. Ger pursed in lips in
annoyance. What was her problem?

Finally, she managed to get a hold of herself but she was still

grinning from ear to ear. “You know, that’s not how it works in a
vampire-Bride relationship. Most of the time the vampire informs the
Bride of the bond, not the other way around. Out of all the Ravyns,
you’re the one I pegged as the bottom. No joke.”

“Why?” Ger asked crossly. “Because I like to wear beautiful,

decorated underwear?” It was sensual, dammit. He liked feeling
sensual and naughty and beautiful. What was wrong with that?

“No. Because you’re so quiet and you defer to your brothers

ninety percent of the time. You also have this aura around you that
says that you could be in charge if you had to but you make a better
beta than alpha, a good second-in-command. I always associated that
with being on bottom. But no, you have blown my expectations out of
the water. An alpha male would never work with Santiago. He’s too
much of a control freak in everyday life, but in bed he likes to be
controlled. That contradiction has driven many a man crazy over the
years. You suit him so perfectly it is astonishing. You don’t get upset
when he bosses people, including you, around. You take it as
something that is just him. Still, when he goes too far, you know
exactly how to make him listen without starting a big fight. I was just
wondering why I didn’t see it sooner.” She patted his arm. “I’m happy
it was you, Ger.”

Ger smiled for the first time that evening. “Thank you.” He leaned

back against the bench and continued to wait.

* * * *

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155

Ger’s anxiety finally spiked when they led him, naked, into the

dining room. He’d been surprised to find out the ceremonial robe
they’d delivered wasn’t for him but for Maddy. Santiago had warned
him about the whole “naked” thing, but he’d assumed that that
wouldn’t be happening until they actually started consummating in
front of the crowd. That thought alone was enough to turn Ger’s
stomach. He’d been embarrassed by Santiago dancing for him in front
of the Council. How much worse was it going to be after he fucked
his lover in front of them?

The room had been redecorated in low light in tones of purple and

red. A large bed was stationed in the center of the room. The purple
silk sheen created a beckoning piece. Muted lights lined the
“walkway,” their black metal spindles offering a convenient path.
They reminded Ger of high-end tiki torches. They must’ve been
burning some sort of incense because the smell of lemongrass and
jasmine assaulted his nostrils.

He supposed it was to make the room more intimate and romantic,

but Ger knew that vampires could still see perfectly in this light so
any ideas of cover flew right out the window. His heart was pounding
loud enough that he was sure the entire Council plus the twenty or so
other vampires who had decided to take up residence in the four rows
of chairs to the right of the bed could hear it. The vampires to the
right all wore the same red hooded robes that Maddy had received.
The Council sat to the left on their own in much more comfortable-
looking chairs. They had black, hooded robes on. Their favored
servants stood behind the chair of his or her Councilman. The entire
congregation had the hoods up so that he couldn’t see their faces, but
he recognized a few of the servants from his one night at dinner. He
sighed. At least they had their robes up. That was some comfort.

The two male servants that escorted him in led him over to the bed

and motioned for him to hop on. Ger did so, intensely aware of the
fact that everyone was watching his bare ass as he got situated on the
center of the mattress, the mountain of pillows making a comfortable

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prop behind him. The servants went on either side of the bed and
drew out a matching pair of leather straps attached to a plastic-
looking, circular ring. Ger tensed. No one had said anything about
restraints being involved. Wait, maybe Santiago had. He didn’t
remember. Crap. He forced himself to relax. He trusted Santiago, and
this was part of that trust. If he bucked now, then it was him showing
his distrust all over again.

He took a deep breath and willed the tension out of his limbs. His

years as a warrior had trained him not to be in such a vulnerable
position, so relaxing was no easy feat. They manacled both legs,
spread-eagled, as well as both arms. It wasn’t uncomfortable per se,
but he wasn’t exactly in the most calming of positions.

Once he was in place, the Council stood. As one they began to

chant softly in a language Ger had never heard before. It reminded the
Ravyn of every horror movie about the occult that he’d ever watched
since coming to Earth. This was usually the point in the film where
someone came at the “sacrifice” with a large knife. The chanting rose
in a crescendo of sound before going silent. Something in the air
changed.

Ger gasped as his body suddenly filled with a mind-numbing

arousal. His hips swiveled upward on their own accord. Distantly, he
heard a collective sigh of appreciation from the crowd. It no longer
bothered him that they were watching. He needed his vampire, and he
needed him now. The demon side of him snarled the request to the
ceiling in High Court Demonish. He wanted more than Santiago’s
body, though. He wanted Santiago’s blood.

Fangs descended in his mouth as his teeth elongated to

accommodate the craving. Guess they left that out of the Blood Rite
how-to manual as well. His powers swirled around the bed, light and
darkness chasing one another around the bedposts. Where was he?
Where was his mate? He arched up again, his body needing more than
the warm kiss of air could give it.

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“Santiago!” he shouted. The word was snarled and almost

indecipherable because of the tone and the extra bit of teeth in his
mouth. His arm strained against the leather. The urge to find his mate,
hold him down, and fuck him was foremost in his mind. It was
probably why they’d tied him up to begin with.

The sound of bare feet padding almost silently across the bare

floor had him tensing in animal awareness. He turned his head toward
the sound and growled low in his throat. Santiago stood about
midway along the path. He’d paused in his walk toward him. Ger’s
eyes absorbed the image of his lover as he stood there for his perusal.

Santiago’s perfect dancer’s form was naked and oiled already.

The muscles of his stomach and chest seemed sharper now that they
were covered in the sheen of oils. His deep brown eyes and dark hair
looked pitch black in this lighting. Ger’s eyes continued their
downward sweep and came to rest on the object of their mutual kink.
Santiago’s already straining shaft was pressed against a royal-purple,
silk-and-lace thong. It was simpler than the ones he usually wore, less
glittery and obscene but somehow just as sexy.

“Come here.” The words were a guttural command. Even from

this distance he saw the shiver work its way up Santiago’s beautiful
body. His vampire lover seemed to shake himself loose from his
stupor and began coming toward him once again. He wished he would
hurry.

“Hi, Ger,” Santiago greeted softly.
The oil-slick voice from before sounded. “Are you ready to begin

your Blood Rite?”

Santiago sounded strong and sure when he spoke. “I am.”
“Proceed then.” The Council sank into their seats as Santiago

climbed onto the bed. He loved his vampire. Loved being inside of
him, loved the way he laughed, loved the way he danced, loved every
single thing about him.

“How do you want me?” Santiago asked. The tone was soft,

almost shy. Ger’s eyes swept his body from head to toe.

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“I want you on top of me riding me like a fucking pony. Leave the

panties on.”

Santiago whimpered at Ger’s sexed-up words. He swung one leg

over his hips, and Ger hissed at even that much contact. Someone
groaned outside the scope of Ger’s vision. “They don’t matter,”
Santiago muttered for Ger’s ears alone. “Nothing matters but us.” Ger
couldn’t agree more.

The Ravyn’s thick cock was already weeping, the arousal so sharp

that he knew he wouldn’t be able to display the vigor and stamina that
Santiago loved about him, despite having only come an hour
beforehand. Santiago leaned forward and kissed him. Ger’s eyes slid
shut, and more moans were heard coming from the other vampires.
Their tongues danced, chasing one another back and forth. Santiago
ran his tongue over Ger’s new fangs, and Ger groaned at the
sensation. The damn things were ultrasensitive.

“Can’t wait to have you inside me,” Santiago murmured,

deliberately pricking his tongue on the tips. Ger didn’t answer in
anything but a growl and sucked the injured appendage into his
mouth. Santiago’s blood was a copper-spiced malt that he could really
get used to tasting. One of Santiago’s hands reached behind him and
did something that Ger couldn’t see. After a moment, Santiago pulled
from his grip and sat up straight. Ger gave a snappy command in
Demonish for him to get on with it. He was almost mindless at this
point.

The vampire grabbed Ger’s dripping dick and positioned it under

his hole. “Love you,” he whispered as he sank down onto the
throbbing length. Ger’s hips surged upward and nailed his prostate.
The vampire’s eyes rolled, and the Ravyn felt an intense sense of
satisfaction. Yes. This man was his.

* * * *

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159

Santiago’s mind blanked as his lover’s body delivered the hard

ride that Santiago loved. He couldn’t help the whimpers of pleasure
that escaped his throat, nor the whispered compliments when
Germany did something oh so good. The minds of the Council
pressed against his own, and he did his best to ignore the increasing
noises of pleasure that they were emitting in time with him. As
internal “witnesses,” they got to share his pleasure, experiencing the
same mind-blowing sex that he did with Ger. The servants the
Council had brought were to sate their own bodies as they went
through the pleasure. He’d neglected to tell Ger that.

The vampire braced his hands on Germany’s chest so that he

would have a little leverage to increase the power with which he
could force his hips down. He’d lubed up in preparation for his
fucking after Council servants had oiled every inch of him down
earlier, but the vigor and angle in which they were screwing created
little fissures of pleasure-pain throughout his ass. It was wonderful.
He’d be sore tomorrow, and he would revel in the sensation.

He cried out as he hit his stride, and his orgasm loomed closer.

Ger slammed upward, planting his heels on the bed and bouncing
Santiago’s smaller body on top of his cock. Santiago’s eyes rolled,
and his nails dug into Ger’s muscled chest.

“Oh gods, Germany! Yes. Just like that. Oh gods!” He wasn’t

normally so bloody vocal, but he couldn’t help himself. Not with Ger.
Not when he was feeling so raw inside and the magick in the air
demanded his release.

“Come for me,” Germany shouted. The command was enough to

send him over the edge, and Santiago’s mind blitzed as his body
jerked twice before erupting over the straining abs of his lover. Cries
of release filled the room as the Council joined him in his orgasm. As
his head fell back, he caught a glimpse of them. Some had their own
lovers on their knees in front of them, servicing their need. Others, the
purists, had suffered through the experience with no additional
stimulation but what they experienced by sharing Santiago’s mind.

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He looked away from the scene and back to his lover, who was in

the throes of his own release. His head was thrown back, his muscles
straining upward as the proof of his orgasm splashed into the still-
clenching walls of his ass. His mouth opened, and an animal sound of
satisfaction rose above the other noises of the room. The fangs looked
good on him. He hoped that Ger liked them because they were fixing
to become permanent. He cupped his lover’s cheek. “Tilt your head
and give me your vein, darling.”

Ger did, but his golden eyes didn’t leave Santiago’s face for a

minute. This was his demon. His warrior. His love. He licked the
pulse, finding the strongest throb unerringly with his tongue. He
hadn’t turned anyone since Maddeline, and never had he turned
anyone like this. This was sure to be an interesting experience.

“I love you,” Santiago whispered before sinking his fangs into the

warm flesh. Blood flooded his mouth, and Santiago’s instincts took
over. He coaxed the wound a little wider as Ger gasped and thrashed
on the end of his fangs like a fish on a hook. He knew that the demon
was getting the rush of a bite of an ancient vampire who was flooding
his system with a hormone that would give him withdrawals if he ever
had to go without. It felt like sex and foreplay and orgasm all in one.

The artery that he hit was pumping the life-giving fluid into his

mouth almost faster than he could swallow it. His lover tasted so
damn good. He gorged himself like a tick. Ger slowed his movements
as his breath became shallower and Santiago knew that he was going
to pass out soon.

You better wake up, Ravyn, Santiago demanded in his mind.

Those glittering, gold eyes slid shut, and his breath became naught but
a whisper. Santiago listened to his heartbeat as it slowed, struggled to
stay beating, and finally, stopped. He didn’t have much time.

He lifted his head from the trickling wound and stared down at his

pale, lifeless lover. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit into the
skin. He was a bleeder by nature so the flood of liquid was
instantaneous. He pressed his bloodied wrist to his love’s mouth. The

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fangs that the Council had created with the magick were wired so that
an introduction of blood would trigger a vampiric response.

Golden eyes snapped open, and the low, gravelly growl of a

hungry vampire raised the fine hairs all over Santiago’s body. His
mouth latched onto the wrist and suckled. Santiago winced as the
Ravyn bit into his wrist again to gather more blood. He raised his
other hand and petted his lover’s hair. After a few more moments of
Ger’s suckling, Santiago knew that the process was starting to take
hold.

He shuddered as a foreign energy filled him. What the hell? Ger’s

mouth popped off his wrist with an audible sound. The Ravyn pressed
a kiss to Santiago’s wrist. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say
something, but nothing came out of his mouth. A look of confusion
crossed his face before his gaze became unfocused again.

“Ger?” Santiago asked. Ger shook his head and opened his mouth

again. His eyes rolled back into his skull again, and he was once again
unconscious. It was unusual that he had even woken up for an instant,
so it didn’t concern Santiago too much. He was going to be a very
strong vampire if that was any indication.

Santiago’s stomach began rolling. He put his hands over the

offending organ and tried not to wretch. His body broke out in a sheen
of sweat, and he gave a little whimper of pain as the agony in his
stomach spread outward to the rest of his limbs. He felt like he was on
fire inside and out.

Every light in the room extinguished at the same time. The only

glow seemed to be emanating from the bed they were situated on.
Santiago looked around, and it took him a moment to realize that the
source was him and Germany. Another roll of nausea hit him and
doubled him over. He managed to roll to the side before he vomited
violently over the side of the mattress.

“Sire?” Maddeline’s voice broke through his pain. His progeny

was suddenly bedside, stroking his back. “What’s wrong? What’s
happening?”

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“Don’t know. Something bad.” He gasped and heaved again. He

hadn’t been sick in several thousand years, and the experience had not
been one he’d missed. “Germany?”

“Breathing. Tell me what to do.” Maddy sounded near tears.

Santiago gasped as he was racked by another round of agony. It
seemed to be increasing by the second. He screamed as the pain hit
his spine and traveled up and down the length of his back. It hit his
skull, and the world spun. Then he didn’t know anything else but
unending darkness.

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163

Chapter Eighteen

Santiago woke up hungry. It seemed an odd way to wake up, but

the instant he opened his eyes all he could think of was food. And not
blood either. He was craving fruit. Something light and sweet. Papaya
maybe?

He raised his hands to rub his sleep-ridden eyes. He was on his

back in a very comfortable white bed in an equally comfortable beige
room that had two French doors that led out to some sort of balcony.
He had absolutely no idea where he was at. The oddities were just
stacking up because on top of being unable to recall where he was,
craving food which he hadn’t had in several hundred years, and being
immensely satisfied about something, he was glowing like a glow
stick at a rave.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Good morning, sleepyhead,” Ger

greeted. Santiago’s sleepy gaze found him situated in a plush leather
chair by the fireplace. The fire was popping softly as it burned wood
that smelled like apples. The Ravyn had that black journal he always
toted around in his lap and was scribbling in the margins as usual.

“I’m assuming that we made it through the Blood Rite alive?” It

seemed like an off-the-wall question, but the way he was feeling
made him think that he wasn’t exactly the same man who had come
into the room to do the Blood Rite at the Council gala.

“Some of us came out more alive than others,” Ger said

cryptically.

“I’m not in the mood to be played with, Germany. What is going

on? And where are we?” He rubbed his temples. “How long have I
been out?”

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His lover stood, closing his journal and crossing around the chair

to come over to the bed. His lovely golden eyes were calm and filled
with some other emotion that Santiago just couldn’t place. “You’ve
been out for about three days now.” He sat on the bed and opened his
arms. Santiago came easily into his lover’s embrace. He had been so
afraid that he would lose him, so any residual frustration he’d held
against his lover was long forgotten. He leaned into Germany’s chest
and took comfort from the strong arms that were wrapped around his
naked back. The Ravyn kissed the top of his head.

“I’ve never heard of a Blood Rite going like that. Every one I’ve

ever seen has been over pretty quickly and the vampires have always
been fine right after. Three whole days?” Santiago sighed. “I guess I
wasn’t really strong enough to go through that sort of power-intensive
ritual.”

“Um, not exactly. You’re actually about three times as strong as

you were.” Ger’s vague response had him raising his head.

Santiago frowned. “What aren’t you telling me?” He felt dread at

the thought of the unknown. He supposed it was only fair. He’d done
the same thing to Germany the night of the Blood Rite and made him
sleep before answering his questions.

“Santiago, you’re not quite all vampire anymore,” Ger said.

Santiago quit breathing.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “How am I not all

vampire anymore?” He’d been a vampire for a very long time. He was
very, very comfortable being a vampire. He shivered. “What am I
then?”

“The Blood Rite created a sort of hybrid with the two of us.

We’ve officially made an entirely new species. The Council has
deemed us Blood Demons. From all the tests and crap that they’ve
subjected me to, we’re a perfect hybrid between a vampire and a
demon. I need a small amount of blood, but I also need food just like
normal. I have vampire strengths and powers, but I’ve also got my
demon ones. Not sure what sort of power you’re going to have, but

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165

from what I feel in the Bride bond, I’m betting yours are similar to
mine. We’ve been staying with Councilman Edward while the
Council finished doing their report. It’s actually good that you woke.
We’re due to leave tomorrow.” Ger kissed his temple. He tipped his
chin up and kissed his lips. “I haven’t had a chance to tell the guys
yet, but they’re anticipating us being home tomorrow night. They’ll
pick us up.”

“So let me get this straight, I am now a…Blood Demon?”

Santiago asked. He felt the first stirrings of hysterical laughter bubble
up inside of him. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed
to feel?

“Shh, butterfly. It’s going to be all right. We’ll get through this

together. We’re Wed, and everything is just fine.” Ger must’ve felt
his distress through their Bride bond. Santiago tentatively reached out
and linked their minds together.

“Whoa. Ed was right. That’s hot,” Ger commented internally. “I

feel like you’re right under my skin.”

“Ed? As in Councilman Edward?” Santiago asked. Anger fired

through him. Why the hell had they gotten so familiar? The intensity
of the emotion surprised him. “Why am I feeling so strongly? I want
to take someone’s head off!”

Ger smiled. “Demons feel more strongly than most species. Our

natures are just baser.”

“Strange.”
“Santiago?” Ger asked.
“What?”
“I just wanted you to know that I love you.”
Santiago’s heart lurched. “What did you say?” he asked aloud.
“I love you, butterfly. I love you so much it hurts.” Ger squeezed

him tight, grinning from ear to ear. “I am irrevocably happy to be
your Bride.”

“You’re just saying that because of the bond.”

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“No, Santiago. I knew I was your Bride before you even said ‘I

love you.’ I was going to return the sentiment when we got back to
Haven because I didn’t want to cloud my mission with our
relationship. But it’s a moot point now. Two more clans stepped
forward after our Blood Rite and offered to join our cause.
Apparently, I made quite the buzz at the gala.” He grinned. “Edward
has been acting as my advisor since you’ve been passed out. Good
guy.”

Santiago grunted and poked him in the ribs. “Stop making me

jealous.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose, butterfly,” Ger said, laughing. His

stomach gave a deep rumble of hunger, and Santiago blushed and
clutched at the offending noise. “Hmmm, someone is hungry.”

“Gods, that is a strange sensation after so long,” Santiago

commented. He knew some vampires chose to still eat human food
even though it was unnecessary, his Sire-Child Damian for one. But
he’d always thought the idea was silly. He swallowed. Well, I guess
I’ll just have to get used to eating again. Ger pressed another kiss to
his lips before releasing him and padding over to the table. He
grabbed up a pear off the table and tossed it to Santiago. “Eat it,
baby.”

“I feel reborn,” Santiago admitted, shivering at the humanity that

seemed to have reinserted itself into his very soul. He swallowed. “So
when do I stop imitating a bioluminescent worm?” Santiago brought
the fruit to his lips and took a bite from the smooth skin. The pear was
perfectly ripe, slightly soft with just the slightest crunch when he bit
into the flesh. The slightly bitter sweetness satisfied the urge. He
groaned. Oh, yes. That was so good.

“We’ll work on it together on the plane ride back. It’s not that

hard. You just have to expel more light than you take in. That’s the
way that aspect of my power works. If I take in more light from the
surrounding area I can reflect more light on myself. Likewise, if I take
in the light in an area and don’t expel it, the darkness is that much

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more intense. You’ll find the instincts to be pretty natural. At least
that’s what I’ve found with my vampire instincts,” Ger supplied.
“Brat boy finds it fascinating that I’m a hybrid.”

“Brat boy? Are you talking about Jeremy? So what of young

Jeremy? Is he back in Haven already?” Santiago asked through a
mouthful of pear. He groaned at the taste. Wow. He had missed this.
Worse, he hadn’t even realized how badly he missed this until this
very moment. “Oh my gods, I want to eat everything. It’s like
rediscovering food all over again.” Ger was staring at him. “What?”
he asked self-consciously. He wiped his chin to make sure no juice
has splashed down it.

“I never thought eating was a sexual activity until you just did

that,” Ger said, staring at his mouth. He shook his head as if to clear
it. “Jeremy is in the other room. Insisted that he stay with me. The
little bugger has a severe case of hero worship with the two of us for
freeing him from the bitch Councilman Lillian. He didn’t want to go
back to Haven with Maddy and the others. The troupe has just been
told that we’ve been delayed in France for a few days, and that is
mostly true. So we get to tell everyone, including my brothers, when
we get back.”

“Joy,” Santiago said a mite sarcastically. His family was going to

give him the hardest time about this entire situation when he got back.
He could hear it now. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Can you
sing?”

Ger blinked. “Uh, no. I sound like two cats in a paper sack making

love.”

Santiago winced at his phrasing. “Can you dance?”
“Not really. I make a valiant attempt when we go to the club, but

no, I can’t dance like you all can.”

“Play any instruments?”
“No. Never had the patience to learn.” Ger gave him a strange

look. “What is this about, Santiago?”

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“Please, just humor me.” Santiago sighed. “So you don’t sing,

dance, or play anything?” Ger shook his head no. “Dash it all.
Nonsense. You have to be good at something artistic. You’re an
Entertainer now.”

Ger laughed aloud then, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Is that

what this is about? I don’t do anything artsy, so I can’t be in the
clan?” He chuckled. “You know the Council said it was good that the
Entertainer line finally has a warrior.”

“I’m not upset about that,” Santiago grumbled. “Surely there is

something…”

“What is it you’re upset about, butterfly?” Ger demanded, forcing

his chin up so that their eyes met.

Santiago sighed. “I gave each of my line a lecture about how an

Entertainer couldn’t possibly fall in love with someone that had no
artistic talent.” He looked absolutely in anguish. “Once Damian finds
out that I’m mated to ‘just’ a warrior, he’s going to go into a vapor
fit.” Ger started laughing again. “It’s not funny!” Santiago glared,
pouted would be a more accurate verb. Once Ger got his giggles
under control, he pulled his lover into his arms and let them both fall
back into the bed.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better. I do write. Poetry. Tell

anyone and I’ll kill you.” Germany nuzzled his beloved, nipping at his
skin with newly elongated fangs. Santiago shivered.

“That’s what you write in that notebook or yours?” He tried to

keep his thoughts from turning to pudding again. Ger had a way of
taking his best intentions and laying waste to them.

“Sometimes. Yeah. I wrote one to my first pair of electric-blue

panties that Maddy bought me as matter of fact.” He kissed along
Santiago’s jaw, running his tongue along after the kisses as he
searched for a pulse.

“Really? Will you show me?” If he was any good, he could still

have plausible deniability with his grandsire children.

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“Not that pair of course. We ripped those on like day one of our

adventure. However, there is another pair I’d love to show you.”

Santiago was ready to drool over the prospect. “Now?”
“Oh yes, butterfly. I’m going to show you,” Ger said with a grin.

And he did. They were beautiful and sparkling and looked oh so good
against Ger’s warrior skin.

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Chapter Nineteen

“Santiago!” Maddy squealed by way of greeting as they

descended the steps of the airplane. Ger smiled as he saw his family
standing there on the black asphalt. Alex and Dageus were standing
shoulder to shoulder, and Allasandro had his arm wrapped around
Damian’s waist. It was strange not seeing the rest of his brothers there
as well, but he knew in his heart that he’d be seeing them soon.
Jeremy looked around with eyes the size of grapefruits, trying to take
everything in. Brat boy, as he was forever being known as, was cute
as a button with his backpack strapped on and that “oh my gods”
expression on his face. It was weird to think that he’d left here single
and come back with not only a mate but a kid in tow.

He squeezed Santiago’s hand and they came to the bottom step

and stood before the group. His lover was nervous, and it was pouring
off of him in waves. He’d yet to be able to fully control his emotions,
which had become much sharper since becoming a Blood Demon.
Alex’s blue eyes zeroed in on their joined hands before widening in
almost comical shock. Damian’s mouth hung open slack, and
Allasandro laughed at the pair of them.

“This is the secret that kept you in France for four extra days?” He

turned and looked at his Bride. “You knew of this,” he accused.

The Ravyn shrugged unapologetically. “We knew that Ger was

his Bride. Didn’t know that Santiago would go ahead and turn him
though.” He grinned. “Fangs look good on you, my brother.” Both
vampires turned their attention back to him in unison.

“Turned?” Damian asked.

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171

“Can’t be. It is too soon,” Alex echoed. Ger grinned, revealing his

new set of fangs. They were still a little longer and swollen because
he’d had to feed Santiago on the plane, and though he ached to sink
his teeth into his mate, it just wasn’t feasible to do so with a small
child in the room. “Mother of the gods!” Alex gasped. “A Blood Rite?
Grandsire, good gods!”

“Oh do hush, Alexander, and close your mouth. You look like a

carp.” Santiago sniffed, rolling his eyes. “This changes nothing. We
all need to stop standing around here gawking at my Bride. We are
days behind the schedule I made, and you all know what that means.”
A chorus of groans sounded. Santiago pointed to Alex. “I want the
new play in my hands before the week is out. We need to start casting
soon for the summer performances.”

Alex sighed. “Yes, grandsire.”
He pointed to Damian. “You need to pencil in some time between

spreadsheets when I can come in and do practices with you.
Marabelle sent me an e-mail of the required practice the other night,
and you are allowing your vocals to rest too often, so I will oversee
your home practices until I’m satisfied with your progress.” Damian
growled.

“But, grandsire—”
“No ‘buts,’ Damian. You will do it my way or else. You will not

be upstaged by a mortal. Not now. Not ever.”

The giant of a vampire huffed but finally gave in. “Fine,

grandsire.” Ger resisted the urge to chuckle. Every vampire in the
troupe was waiting for the axe to fall on them. Even the two other
Ravyns looked terrified that his mate would turn his attentions onto
them. The finger Santiago had pointed at Damian poked his chest. Ger
started and looked down.

“You have a war to plan and organize. As my Bride, you will now

be the one negotiating with the other clans for troops and fees and
whatnot. Therefore you need to be on top of the scheduling for that. I
want this whole ‘war’ business taken care of by summer

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performances. As my Bride, it is your duty to be there for every
show.” Ally and Dageus both snickered. Ger just shook his head and
smiled. His mate was such a handful.

“Whatever you say, butterfly.”
Santiago smiled primly. “Excellent. See? My Bride has the right

attitude for an Entertainer. You all need to try and emulate that
attitude.” They all groaned.

“Suck up,” Ally groused.
“Teacher’s pet,” Dageus murmured. Ger just smiled. He was

going to enjoy capturing their moment of horror in his journal later.

“Where are the cars? I’ve quite had it with travel for a good long

while. I wish to rest,” Santiago said. The staff went scrambling to
finish packing everything away and getting the cars ready to carry
them back home. They were back in Santiago’s world now, and his
mate was firmly in control of it. That was okay, though, because when
they got home, Ger was going to show his wonderfully bossy mate
exactly who was really in charge. His whole body heated at the
thought. He couldn’t wait.

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Chapter Twenty

The Prince’s study was an excellent place to relax, even if it was

strange that Salvatore wasn’t here to relax in it with them. After a few
days of the niggling feeling of “knowing” about Jeremy, Ger had
finally decided to bite the bullet and take Jeremy there to see
Judgment. The enchanted, ruby-eyed statue of a raven that served the
Ravyns would be able to tell them exactly why he was feeling this
way about the child.

“This place is pretty cool,” Jeremy commented as he took a seat in

Salvatore’s favorite chair. “Lots of books in here.” He started playing
with Salvatore’s ink pen.

“Yeah, lots of books. Once you get the basics down, I’ll let you

pick one out and you can read it to me,” Ger promised. He’d started to
teach the boy to read in English and Demonish jointly. Those two
were essential. They’d talk about what else he wanted to learn after
he’d mastered those. It was slow going, but the kid was a very quick
learner. Of course, according to Dageus’s nose, the kid was a demon
so it made sense. Why Ger hadn’t been able to discern the same thing
was a mystery. He still didn’t understand it. Jeremy being a demon
did make things a bit easier though. Maybe it was a bias but Ger had
the impression that most demons were pretty quick witted.

“Seriously? Any one I want?” Jeremy asked. He was getting

excited. Ger could see it in the slight tremor that was emanating from
his limbs.

“Only if you promise to come to dance lessons without fussing so

much,” Santiago interjected as he flashed in the room and plopped
into the nearest sofa. His mate had dragged Jeremy to dance class for

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the past four days, and for four days the boy had absolutely refused to
participate.

Jeremy glared. “I am not dancing. That’s for girls!”
Santiago raised his eyebrows in a classic arch. “I dance,

Alexander dances, and Kalel dances. Are we all girls, too?”

“Yes!” Jeremy snapped. Ger smothered a chuckle. It wouldn’t do

to undermine his lover by making fun of the trap that he’d just walked
into. Where was Allasandro when he needed him?

“Fine,” Santiago snapped back. “No television for a week.”
“Awww! Sire, come on!” Jeremy whined. “I already have to do

vocal lessons, piano lessons, and guitar lessons. Why do I have to do
dance lessons, too?”

“You’re an Entertainer now. That’s what we do,” Santiago said

simply. Jeremy pointed to Ger.

“He doesn’t have to do it,” he disputed. Germany did laugh a little

then. Since being back, Santiago had tried to weasel out any hidden
talents. No such luck. Ger was still as awkward, shy, and tone deaf as
he’d originally claimed.

Santiago rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a lack of trying. I assure you.

Your father happens to be absolutely talentless. You, my boy, actually
posses a modicum of it, and I will not see it wasted.” Jeremy had
started calling them father and sire respectively within five minutes of
being told it was okay to do so. On the plane ride over, he had
practiced it by ending every sentence with a “Father”-this or “Sire”-
that. The nuance had eventually worn off, however, once he’d figured
out that he’d still have rules despite having new parents. The boy
crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’d rather be a warrior.”
Before Santiago could deliver yet another speech on the

uselessness of being a “Neanderthal sword swinger,” Ger interrupted.
“You will be. Your training is going to start just as soon as you stop
being so stubborn about your other lessons. Art is just as important as
war. Some would say more so.”

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“Fine.” Jeremy sighed as if the world was ending. “I’ll go to

bloody dance practice. But just so you know, this is all a load of
bullocks.” He’d obviously been hanging out with Damian and Ally-
cat again. British slangs were becoming his favorite curse words.

“Watch your language, brat boy,” Ger corrected again. He was

still a foulmouthed imp.

Alex and Dageus flashed in almost in unison with Damian and

Allasandro. Alex took a seat beside his grandsire, and Damian and
Ally took up a recliner, Ally perched on Damian’s lap.

“Sorry we’re late,” Alex said. “We were downtown and lost track

of the time.” They’d been Christmas shopping together. Ger
understood the shopping part, but he still had to Google the Christmas
part. The vampires raved about it being less than a month away.

“It’s all right,” Ger assured. He turned his attention to the statue

which was propped in a corner. He’d never addressed Judgment
without the Prince being in the room, so it was a little awkward.

“What can I do for you, Ravyns?” the disembodied voice sounded

before Ger could articulate a question or greeting.

“Hey, Judgment,” Allasandro greeted cheerfully. “We have a

question for you.”

“Then ask it.” If Ger didn’t know any better, he’d swear that the

statue possessed a very dry sense of humor. They all looked at him.
Oh great. They wanted him to speak. Figured.

“There is a boy here. His name is Jeremy. I feel something

familiar about him. He’s from our realm, and I wanted to ask you who
he was to me.” Ger was glad he’d written that down or else he
probably would’ve bungled that pretty badly. His journal really did
serve a purpose for keeping everything straight. He glanced at
Santiago. Of course, now he used it a lot less than he used to. His
mate kept him very busy as they waited on the Prince’s and his
brothers’ return.

The statue was silent for a second. “Bring him forward.” Ger

pushed himself back from the table and offered Jeremy his hand. The

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boy looked at him like he’d lost his mind and hopped out of his own
chair and walked ahead of him toward the statue. Ger resisted the urge
to roll his eyes at Jeremy’s macho display.

“Hello, child.” The statue addressed the younger male with a

warmth usually only reserved for Salvatore. “You have an old soul,
don’t you? Old memories in your dreams?”

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. He shifted from foot to foot, the only sign

of his nervousness. “Just of fighting and stuff.”

“Indeed. Stuff.” The amusement was evident in Judgment’s voice

now. They seemed to be engaged in a private mind-to-mind
conversation for a good five minutes before the statue continued
speaking. “You were right, Germany. You have known him before.”
Ger nodded. The confirmation of his instincts was nice. “Go ahead,
child. Tell them the name you remember from your dreams,” the
statue encouraged.

Jeremy looked up into Ger’s eyes. The Ravyn smiled at him to try

and alleviate some of the nervousness he saw swirling in Jeremy’s
gaze. “Dageus.” The name came out as a whisper. “My name used to
be Dageus.”

The whole room exploded at the words. Jeremy shrank back

against the noise, stepping closer to Germany. The Ravyn
immediately knelt on the floor and wrapped his arms around the child
as if to protect him.

“This has to be a mistake,” Allasandro said, staring at Jeremy.

“We already found Dageus.” He pointed at Dageus. “He’s right
there.”

“That would explain a lot,” Dageus countered. “Like why my

transition was so different and why my eyes didn’t turn like the rest of
you guys.”

“That was because you were already bound to Alexander,”

Germany argued. “That could’ve had longer-term effects than any of
us imagined.”

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177

Dageus’s green-and-golden eyes turned to Ger. “But we weren’t

Bride bonded yet. Plus, I was born on Earth. You said I had to have
originated on the demon plane.”

“We were obviously wrong. Besides, the kid could’ve originated

on this plane just as easily,” Allasandro said.

Damian rose to his feet, nearly knocking Allasandro into the floor.

“I think I understand now. I’ll be right back.” He flashed out of the
room, and the place went silent.

“I’m sorry,” Jeremy whispered the words, burying his head into

Ger’s neck. “I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. I’m sorry.”

“Shhh, no reason to apologize. We’ll get this all worked out.

Don’t worry.” Ger hugged the boy tight. For all his macho
swaggering and aloof demeanor, he was still a ten-year-old kid and
still needed someone to look over him. Ger had seen it in France, and
now that Jeremy was in his care, he’d always have it.

“Don’t send me away. I take it back.” Ger felt the telltale signal of

tears as he felt something warm and wet hit his skin. The Ravyn just
held on tighter.

“You’re not going anywhere, Jeremy. You’re family now. Family

means you stick together forever.” Santiago was suddenly beside
them, bracketing the boy between the two of them.

“Silly boy, don’t you know that we love you yet?” Santiago teased

as Jeremy sniffled. The boy turned toward the warmth in the other
man’s voice and wrapped both of his arms around the ancient’s neck.
Santiago winked at him over Jeremy’s shoulder. “Do you want to go
walk around the theater with me and yell at people until they get this
whole mess sorted out, piccolo?” Santiago asked. Ger watched the
two of them, and his heart swelled impossibly. He finally had a family
of his own, and they were beautiful.

Jeremy wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. “Can I make

them do exercises like you do?” The little sadist, Ger thought. Just
like his Sire.

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“You can even make them do it in double time if you wish,”

Santiago offered with a matching grin on his face.

Allasandro snorted. “Unbelievable. They have kids for five

minutes, and they already start making little miniversions of
Santiago.”

“Oh shut up, Ally-cat. You’re just jealous that Ger got a kid

before you did,” Dageus teased. They were trying to lighten the mood
a little for Jeremy, and Ger appreciated that. After a moment, Jeremy
nodded.

“Okay,” he said.
“Very well. Hold on tight.” Santiago’s power cracked, and then

they were gone.

Damian flashed back in the room a second later with a manila file

clutched in his fist. “I found this a while back ago when I was
cleaning out storage. I didn’t know what it meant at first, but it all
makes perfect sense.”

Dageus cocked his head to the side as Damian plopped it on the

table and started spreading out various pieces of paper. “My old
adoption records? Birth records? What is all this?”

“It’s your history. Right here. I didn’t know it, but, my friend,

your biological father, he was a demon. He migrated to the US and
applied for a visa about fifteen years before you were born. He
must’ve met your mom when he took a job here. Kalel, you’re only
half demon. The other half is human.” Damian finished speaking, and
the whole room was speechless.

“That’s impossible,” Dageus said. “Because that would mean…”
“It would mean that you weren’t actually the reincarnation of

Dageus,” Allasandro finished for him. He stared at his brother as if
he’d never seen him before. “You don’t have a lot of memories from
your past lives like the rest of us do. You have a few hazy
impressions, but that’s it.”

Ger shook his head. “He has to be. Judgment would’ve killed him

if he hadn’t really been Dageus.”

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179

“Fuck, you guys. What the hell does this mean? Who the hell am

I?” Dageus sounded near panic, and Alex was immediately beside
him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and spoke.

“You are as you’ve always been. You are Kalel and Dageus,” the

Master Vampire said.

“In that he is correct,” Judgment interjected. They all turned to

look at the statue. “He is both Kalel and Dageus. He is only a partial
reincarnation.”

“How is that possible?” Ger asked. He was still trying to wrap his

mind around the fact that his brother was only “partially” his brother.

“He is Dageus’s son. The demon who was meant to be Dageus

came to Earth as a trader fifty years ago. He liked it much better than
Demontia and decided to make his life here. He would have
eventually found his way back to his homeland because of the call he
felt when the previous incarnation died except—”

“Except he died here on Earth before he could get back to

Demontia,” Ger interrupted. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into
place.

“Correct,” Judgment agreed, sounding pleased.
“So because he died on this plane, he couldn’t reincarnate on the

other,” Ger finished.

Ally shook his head. “Huh? Wait. I don’t get it. Why didn’t his

soul just cycle back to Demontia so that he would be born as a demon
there?”

“Because souls don’t work that way. Whichever plane a soul

passes away on must remain in that plane to either find its rest or
recycle. It’s a sort of tit-for-tat thing that links all the universes
together. The energy put in must be taken out and vice versa. If
someone’s energy extinguishes on this plane, it has to recycle on this
plane,” Dageus supplied. “But there aren’t many demons on this
plane.”

“No, there’re not, and Dageus’s soul would’ve had to wait until a

person who was a suitable candidate was born in this realm to be able

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to come back again. He would’ve known that could take centuries.”
Ally began putting the pieces together. “Which would’ve meant that
Salvatore would be a Ravyn short for that long.”

Damian linked hands with his lover. “I know Ravyns. You guys

would’ve never been comfortable with leaving your brethren or your
Prince vulnerable that long.”

Judgment picked up the loose ends of the tale. “Dageus bargained

with a higher authority to be able to come back, even partially so that
he could go back to Demontia to protect his Prince. The request was
granted, and so those higher powers molded the soul of his son, Kalel,
and a piece of Dageus together to form a Ravyn warrior capable of
passing Judgment. So, Alex is right when he says that you are Dageus
and Kalel both, Ravyn.”

“How does Jeremy fit in?” Ger asked.
“In exchange for granting his request, the powers stated that the

rest of Dageus, the purest part of him, would have to wait until a
suitable candidate came along. A demon child was born on Earth that
fit the criteria. They warned him that he would have a life of great
suffering with much sorrow until he was delivered from it by his
brothers.”

“By me,” Ger stated in awe.
“Correct,” Judgment agreed.
“Well, fuck me with a pogo stick,” Allasandro cursed, staring at

his best friend. “You’re like my nephew and my brother. Fucking
weird.” Dageus pushed back from the crowd and began pacing.

“So does that mean I’m a Ravyn or not?” he asked.
“You are a Ravyn,” Judgment replied simply.
“Look, bro, it doesn’t matter. It’s cool as shit to know, but it

doesn’t mean jack. You feel me?” Ally asked, grabbing his brother’s
arm.

“I agree with Allasandro, Dageus. You are still our brother and

still a fine warrior. It just means we have another Ravyn to train when

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181

he grows up,” Ger interjected his opinion. “The Prince will need to
know.”

Alex wrapped Dageus in his arms to stop his pacing. “Mon petit,

stop this worrying. You are loved and will continue to be loved.”

“Everything is going to change, isn’t it?” Dageus asked,

trembling. Everything was already changing as far as Ger was
concerned. Their Prince was married, the rest of them were finding
lives of their own, and war was coming.

“War always changes everything,” Alex agreed, giving him a soft

kiss. “But we shall prevail and get through it.”

“We’re Ravyns,” Ger found himself saying. “We get through

everything together. This is no different. We’ll contact Salvatore in
the morning through Mar and Quis. There is no reason to drag him
out of bed so close to dawn. Let us all find our sleep with our loved
ones. We deserve it.”

They all nodded their agreement and disappeared one by one until

Ger was the only one left in the room. He bowed before Judgment,
thanked him for his words, and flashed himself into his bedroom to
wait for his lover. Alex was right. War always changed everything,
but the war wasn’t there yet, and Germany had one more night of
peace with his lover before he had to think about it in the evening.

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Epilogue

“He’s sleeping. Finally,” Santiago said as he left himself into their

bedroom and closed the door. Ger was still in the process of
transferring over his things from his old room upstairs into Santiago’s
room on the bottom floor, so there were various boxes and electrical
equipment strewn around the floor. He’d managed to make a small
space for himself in Santiago’s massive closet, but it hadn’t been an
easy feat. Other than that he’d made little progress.

“Good. Is he still shaken up?” Ger asked from his position on his

side of the bed. He’d already stripped down to his lime-green
underwear and crawled between the satin sheets the color of the
ocean. It was Santiago’s favorite color.

“A little. Not too bad, though. Going to the theater helped him

relax, and we talked about it as we walked around. He’s been through
a lot so he’s a little afraid of rejection.” Santiago stripped off his
clothes and dropped them as he walked. It was an unfortunate habit of
his that annoyed Germany to death. Why couldn’t he just put them
into the laundry basket instead of leaving them strewn out all over the
floor?

“That’s understandable given what he’s gone through.” Ger patted

the bed beside him and watched as his lover kicked off his pants. He
was wearing Ger’s favorite pair of black underwear that had little
butterfly charms on the sides with bows. He’d bought them recently
to replace the ones he’d torn.

Santiago plopped down on the bed and yawned. “He thinks being

the reincarnation of a demon warrior is the ‘coolest thing ever’

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183

though.” He rolled his eyes. “The little imp thinks he’s superman
now.”

“He is.” And he was in Ger’s eyes. He really did love the kid like

a son. He’d relayed the information about Jeremy to Santiago through
their Bride bond as he received it and let his lover break the news to
the boy. He was just happy Jeremy had taken it so well. He sighed
and put an arm over his eyes. He was terrified of being unable to
protect both his family and his Prince in the future.

“Hey,” Santiago said, putting a hand on his thigh on top of the

covers. “None of that. Let tomorrow take care of itself and come to
me.” Ger took his arm off his thigh and smiled at his lover. Santiago
raised his eyebrows and gave a cheeky grin. “I wore your favorites.”
He turned so that Ger could get a good look at him, too. The minx.

“Hmm, so you did.” Ger’s body hardened instantly at the idea of

fucking Santiago with that G-string on.

“I’m already primed for you.” Santiago’s voice got low and sexy,

the way it did when he knew he was going to get what he wanted and
was anticipating the ride. He must’ve lubed up in the bathroom. Oh,
his fastidious lover was so well prepared.

Ger growled and reached for him. He smashed his lips down on

his lover’s with a sound of utter contentment. He ran his tongue over
the seam of Santiago’s mouth, demanding entrance. His lover gave it
easily, and then they were lapping at one another in abandon. Ger
rolled them so that his lover was crushed beneath his weight and Ger
was resting between his spread thighs.

“Hmmm, butterfly,” he rumbled in approval as they ground

against one another. Their silk-, lace-, and cotton-clad cocks rubbed in
delicious friction. Ger panted. He loved the feel of his lover against
him. He managed to extricate his cock from his underwear while still
allowing his sack to be cradled in soft cotton and spread his lover’s
legs wide.

Santiago looked decadent sprawled out like this. His long dancer’s

limbs held a delicious tension, his mauve nipples hardened to fine

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points. The outline of his cock was pressed to the underwear he’d
worn, and the fleshy helmet was just sticking out over the top. G-
strings, Ger was learning, in general didn’t cover much. Add that to a
hard cock and rustling movement, he had definite exposure, which
was just how Ger liked it, really. His lover was so fucking sexy.
Playing peekaboo with his dick was almost too much fun.

“I can’t handle foreplay tonight, amante. Just fuck me. Please,”

Santiago begged. His voice was rough with desire, and he all but
gasped for breath. They were both feeling the need for release. It had
been days since the last time they’d had a moment to really and truly
join together. Quickies in the bathrooms of the theater did not count.

Ger nodded his head in agreement before pulling Santiago’s string

to the side and pressing the head of his prick to the already flexing
entrance. As usual, the pressure was incredible. He had no idea what
Santiago did to keep his ass in such fine shape, but he was thanking
his lucky stars for it every time he had the privilege to sink into it.
The muscle clenched around his dick before slowly allowing Ger
entrance into the grasping silken interior. He wasn’t going to last
long.

He put Santiago’s legs on his shoulders so that he could achieve a

deeper penetration and slid so deep his balls brushed his lover’s
cheeks. They groaned in unison at the sensation.

“Gods, yes. Germany, more,” Santiago murmured, already

twisting his hips in a desperate motion that begged Ger to move. Ger
pulled back a few inches before slamming forward, skewering his
lover’s ass with his cock. Santiago cried out. He clutched the sheets in
tight fists as the shadows and the lights in the room pulsed in time
with his pleasure. Ger smiled. If he were epileptic, he would’ve had a
problem because when his lover got lost in passion, his demonic
powers went absolutely nuts.

“Love the way you fuck me,” Santiago cried out. “Love it. Love

you. Germany!” He yelped as his orgasm swamped him. Ger found
Santiago’s cock through the silk unerringly and milked him partially

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185

into the confines of his underwear. There was nothing his lover loved
more than to be jerked off with something silky while being
penetrated. The Ravyn gritted his teeth as Santiago’s ass clenched
around his dick rhythmically.

“Love you,” Ger murmured. He grabbed both of Santiago’s ankles

and held them as leverage as he pounded his way toward his own
relief inside his lover. His eyes rolled as their minds merged in the
intimate way only a Bride and his vampire could do.

“Hmmm, yeah. Fuck me, amante. Fuck my tight hole,” Santiago

whispered in his mind. He knew that Ger loved that. The Ravyn made
a keening sound of pleasure as he approached his release. Santiago
tossed his head against the pillows. “Fuck, Ger. I’m going to come
again when you do. Want to come with you filling up my ass.”

Ger shouted as those final words sent him careening off the edge

headlong into an orgasm that had his eyes squeezing shut and his toes
curling. As promised, Santiago was right there with him, jetting into
his underwear and onto his lower belly.

Ger’s entire body relaxed as he came down from his orgasm. He

gave a sloppy, satisfied grin. “You certainly know how to alleviate
my mind, butterfly.”

Santiago smirked. “Likewise, Ravyn. How about a snack before

bed?”

Ger pulled out of his lover’s body with a groan. He hated leaving

the hot confines, but he knew that they couldn’t exactly sleep
comfortably that way. Plus, he imagined that Santiago was going to
want to clean up at some point. The one thing Santiago detested first
thing in the morning was dried cum making him stick to his
underwear. He rolled to one side, and Santiago offered up his wrist.
Ger did the same.

“Share?” he asked. Santiago didn’t bother answering. Instead, he

just sank his fangs into the soft flesh of Ger’s wrist. The Ravyn
winced at first, but then the pleasant sensations of pleasure made him
forget about the momentary discomfort. His own fangs elongated and

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pierced Santiago’s wrist. They shared the feed happily, their minds
joined.

Tomorrow they would face new challenges. Their new

relationship and child were, surprisingly, the least of their worries.
Ger pressed a kiss to his bite mark as he finished his snack and settled
back into bed as Santiago rolled to go look for a washcloth. They
would face the day together and every day after that as well. Two
sides of one coin, a perfect compliment for one another. Ger switched
off the light. He couldn’t wait for night to fall.

THE END

HTTP://JANADOWNS.BLOGSPOT.COM/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North

Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very
understanding partner in crime who hates to read but makes
exceptions for her stories.

You can usually find her either watching bad reality TV, buying

way too many books on Amazon, or dreaming up another man or two
to occupy her time because life is good but several drop-dead-
gorgeous, nonexistent men are just better.

Also by Jana Downs

Siren Allure ManLove: Ravyn Warriors 1: Ravyn’s Blood

Siren Allure ManLove: Ravyn Warriors 2: Ravyn’s Heart

Siren Allure ManLove: Ravyn Warriors 3: Ravyn’s Destiny

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM