Immortal Steps

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Immortal Steps

Kira Stone

In the modern age, vampirism is a newly identified medical condition, but Kyle’s old
school -- over four hundred years old. He’s trained to protect the unturned from the
greedy Hunters who would sell them on the black market -- one piece at a time.

Tain, a renowned Celtic dancer, has bitter memories of his first crush -- the trainer
who left him without a word. For years he’s flung himself from one brief romantic
encounter to another, the subject of tabloid gossip and speculation, always insisting
he’s not gay. When Kyle, Tain’s old mentor, comes back into Tain’s life, the last thing
Tain wants is to give the man, or the vampire, a place in his heart.

Kyle vows to keep Tain safe, even if he has to do it from a distance. He’s got to regain
his protégé’s trust if they’re both going to stay alive. That is, if Tain’s emerging
vampiric powers don’t kill them both first.

Prologue

Familiar Steps

Alone, Kyle Lohan entered his private balcony at the Grampian Theater in

Edinburgh, Scotland. As he sat down, the house lights dimmed briefly to signal a two

minute warning before the show began. The box smelled faintly of sex, although he

doubted anyone without a vampire‟s heightened senses could detect the erotic scent.

Regardless, it was his own fault for sneaking in to watch rehearsals the previous

evening. He‟d been unable to resist tugging his cock in time with the heavy beat of the

dancers as they practiced.

Okay, not all the performers excited him. Just one.

Tain O‟Halloran.

Tonight Kyle had better prepared for the public performance, or so he‟d thought.

The quick release during his shower should have calmed his libido enough to sit

through the performance without a hard-on. But as the first strains of a flute solo

poured across the stage, the anticipation proved to be more than his body could resist

and his cock rose to an aching fullness.

Tain. On stage. His stage.

How long had he waited for this? Worked for this? Dreamed of this? Sometimes

it seemed like forever. And yet, very soon, the moment he‟d been preparing for would

arrive. One way or another, he would finally end his long pursuit.

He adjusted the fit of his tuxedo pants as the chorus sprinted across the stage.

Their shoes hit the wooden floor in rhythmic, staccato beats, flirting with the notes. Kyle

couldn‟t stop his own feet from scuffing against the floor in a pale imitation of the

dancers‟ fancy footwork. Had his heart been prone to beat, it would have been racing as

fast as the music.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 6 -

A few more seconds…

Then, appearing out of a flash of light and smoke, bam! There he was. Tain

O‟Halloran. The male lead‟s long, sleek black hair floated behind him as he bounced in

perfect synchronization with the little blond at his side. His grey eyes flashed with pure

joy and a little arrogance. A smile curved his thin pink lips. And what that black leather

did for his ass…

Kyle groaned softly as his cock twitched with longing, but he refused to slake his

lust. Privacy wasn‟t an issue, even during a public performance. No, nothing mattered

more than soaking up every moment of this night to tuck away in his memories. If the

evening didn‟t go as planned, this could be all he had left to remember the talented

young man come morning.

The first dance ended, and Kyle felt the tightness in his chest ease as Tain exited

stage right. He‟d reappear several times throughout the performance. Kyle itched with

anticipation for the next time, and the next… and the next…

By the second act, Kyle could pick out Tain‟s unique sweat from the morass of

odors permeating the air. The scent teased his cock like nothing else. His whole body

tensed as he imagined jumping over the balcony‟s rail to land on top of the dancer‟s

young bones, then fucking him to within an inch of his life, claiming him on stage for all

the world to see.

Well, that’s one way to announce that you’re back in his life, Kyle thought with a

rueful shake of his head. Definitely not one of your brightest ideas though.

If anything, such a bold, stupid move would get him thrown out of Tain‟s life for

good. Kyle‟s goal was quite the opposite. If he had his way, nothing would separate

him from Tain ever again.

The show ended with a roar of applause that pulled the dancers back on stage for

a second encore. Vibrant and smiling under the lights, Tain looked like he could hold

out for a third reprise if the director let him. However, the rest of the troupe wasn‟t

fairing as well, so when the curtains closed again the house lights came up.

The show was over, but Kyle‟s performance of a lifetime was about to begin.

Chapter One

The Dedicated Fan

“Tain O‟Halloran, get your prima donna ass back here!”

Tain ignored the waspish demands of the tour‟s publicist and kept on walking

through the bowels of the Grampian Theater to his dressing room. It was hardly more

than a closet with grandiose pretensions, but it would hide him from the backstage

rabble seeking his attention. What could he possibly say to the reporters and

sycophants that hadn‟t already been said a thousand times? Why did they care what his

favorite color was, or how many shoes he‟d worn out in his career? He lived to dance. If

they saw the show, then they already knew everything important there was to know

about him.

He was hot, tired and annoyed. The cheery inner glow he‟d gotten from the

audience‟s applause had been entirely wiped out by the fawning boot-lickers waiting

for him in the wings. They were nearing the end of the show‟s two year run, and he no

longer felt the need to bow to the whims of the people who tried to choreograph his

private life as well as his professional one. As soon as his contract was up, he was

bailing on the show circuit. He wouldn‟t be rich, but he‟d be the hell out of the

spotlight. He could dance when he wanted, what he wanted, how he wanted without a

hundred cameras on his heels. At the moment, that seemed like the perfect world.

He entered his room and shut the door behind him. He tapped his dance shoe on

the floor, counting off the seconds until Julia barged in.

“You‟re really pissing me off, Tain. I‟ve got a room full of moneybags ready to

fork over cash -- cash this show needs badly if we‟re going to extend the run for another

season, might I add -- if they can brush elbows with the male lead, and you‟re hiding in

your room like a sulky child.”

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 8 -

Tain knew it wasn‟t his elbow they found so attractive. His good looks helped

him stand out under the lights, but off stage he preferred the anonymity of darkness. It

didn‟t grope him as though he were a sex toy or offer him money for a private lesson.

He sank down onto a wooden chair and started unlacing his dance shoes. His

long hair fell forward and formed a curtain to hide his face. “And your point is?”

“My point is that you need to haul your stubborn ass out there and help me pick

their wallets.”

“No.”

“No?” Her voice rose several octaves. “No?”

“I think your curls are wound a little too tight if you don‟t recognize the meaning

of the word.” Tain rubbed his sore feet. The old, familiar pain made him think of

another time and place where a pair of warm, strong hands would soothe away his

cares along with his aches. He rarely thought of his old teacher these days. The fact that

Callum Lowe entered his mind now proved how much he needed a break from the

limelight.

“Your ego is wound a little too tight if you think you can escape schmoozing

with the masses, both the rich and the gossip hungry. Look in your contract if you don‟t

believe me.”

He knew damn well what his contract said, and he‟d learned the details were

worth as much as the paper they were written on. Tonight, just this once, he would do

only what suited him. “Give me a break, Jules. I‟m not in the mood to play Prince

Charming.”

Acrylic nails clicked against her silver necklace as she studied him. Since Tain

was used to her ways by now, he let her stare as he stripped off his sweat drenched,

skin tight silk shirt and reached for a bottle of cold water that he then dumped over his

face. He shook his head to get the droplets out of his eyes before grabbing the second

bottle. He removed the cap and looked up at her.

Her breathing was a little too fast to be sheer irritation. Her heavy breasts rose

and fell as her coral tipped nipples tried to poke through her classic black gown. How

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 9 -

he knew they were coral in color was not a memory he cared to dwell on. He had to

give her credit though. She was one of the few who‟d been honest about her motives for

getting in his pants. So he‟d given her one hell of a screaming orgasm, then coolly

informed her sex between them would never happen again.

Which didn‟t prevent him from teasing the hell out of her upon occasion.

He dribbled the icy liquid across his chest. The rivulets coursed over his smooth,

sculpted torso like tributaries, coming together at the juncture of his thighs. His pants

were cut to enhance the outline of his groin, and her brown eyes glowed when she

spotted the bulge there. Sorry, babe. This one’s not for you.

“Play nice, and I‟ll make it worth your time,” she offered, her voice much

sweeter than her previous tone.

“Not interested.” Apparently the definition of no was indeed missing from her

mental dictionary. At least when it applied to him.

“Your cock says otherwise.”

He could hardly refute her since the evidence was pretty plain. Honestly, he

didn‟t know what was making him so damn horny this week.

Dancing in front of an appreciative crowd often gave him the equivalent of a

runner‟s high, but this feeling was more than that. It gnawed persistently at the base of

his spine, the kind of anticipation that boiled inside him when he knew he was on the

verge of getting well and truly fucked. However, that kind of feeling didn‟t usually last,

and certainly not for days at a time.

But that was his problem. He‟d deal with those needs later. Right now, he

wanted to get rid of Julia so he could have a few peaceful hours to himself. “Then it‟s a

good thing I don‟t let my dick do the talking for the rest of me.” He was suddenly tired

of playing games with her. He used a towel to wipe the water off his bare chest. “Give

up, Jules. You‟re not going to win this one.”

“Oh yeah? What if I told you a dedicated fan hoped to meet you tonight? Would

that change your mind?”

His hands stilled. “A dedicated fan. You mean… my dedicated fan?”

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 10 -

Julia nodded. “I got a text message this afternoon. Your secret admirer plans to

attend tonight‟s reception.”

“You‟re trying to trick me into going.”

“I might be if I‟d thought of it. Happens to be true though.”

He didn‟t think she was lying. She was just as curious about the stranger with a

crush on him as he was. The mysterious figure who‟d sent him countless missives over

his career hadn‟t been willing to show himself. Or herself. The typed signature was

always “your dedicated fan” rather than a name, so he couldn‟t even be sure of the

person‟s gender. The fact that this person might actually be willing to show themselves

now was a wrinkle Tain hadn‟t considered.

While he knew nothing about this intriguing fan, at times it was downright scary

how much this person knew about him. Tain felt both excited and nervous by the

possibility of meeting them. He certainly didn‟t want to deliver himself into the hands

of a crazed lunatic. “Why tell you and not me?”

“Maybe your fan wanted to surprise you, since you do normally attend these

functions.” Julia turned toward the mirror and fussed with her already immaculate

appearance. “Or maybe he was afraid you wouldn‟t show if you knew he‟d be there.”

Tain caught the pronoun and pounced on it. “He?”

“Oops. I shouldn‟t have let that slip. Yes, he, and no, I‟m not giving you his

name. He donated five hundred euros for the honor of introducing himself to you.

Now, are you coming to the reception or not?”

Tain nodded slowly, his mind bursting with questions Julia couldn‟t, or

wouldn‟t, answer. “Yeah, let me clean up and I‟ll be there in a few minutes.”

Julia flashed him a triumphant smile before spinning on her needle-thin high

heels and exiting his dressing room with a dramatic swish of her hips. Tain kicked the

door closed behind her as he contemplated this bit of news.

So, his dedicated fan was male. Tain wasn‟t too surprised. There was little

gushing over his performance. More often the messages were a critique of steps done

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 11 -

right or wrong, or some badly needed encouragement when nothing seemed to be

going well. Not the babbling, empty praise his female fans normally heaped on him.

And the gifts were… unusual. No naked pictures or underwear. No knitted hats

or chocolates. No, his dedicated fan sent him things like tickets to a day spa when he

had an afternoon off, a blue satin shirt so soft and supple it was like wearing water, and

a set of beaten gold bracelets that had become part of his signature look off stage.

To know that all those things had come from a man, well, that fact did bother

him a bit. Throughout his career, he‟d had to fight the gay stereotype. That‟s why he did

nothing to hide his romantic liaisons from the press. Page after page of the tabloids

were filled with speculation about which woman would strike his fancy next. Oh, men

hit on him too, but he‟d never been more than a little curious about what would happen

if he accepted their invitations.

After so many years of remote interest, why did the man choose to meet him

now? What did this unique fan want from him? Tain felt like he owed this guy

something. But a date? Or, hell, even a kiss? Tain didn‟t know if he could go through

with that sort of appreciation.

Well, first he‟d see what the man had in mind and then he‟d figure out what to

do.

After dressing in black leather -- tight pants, boots so comfortable they felt like

slippers and a vest instead of a shirt which allowed him to show off the gold bracelets

he loved -- he navigated the corridors until he reached the fancy room where perhaps

two hundred guests and about half the cast milled around the banquet table like

clueless sheep.

God, how he was coming to loathe these things. He scanned the crowd, spotting

a few familiar faces. None of the male strangers seemed particularly interested in his

arrival, however. Well, what did he expect? His admirer wasn‟t going to be wearing a

huge sign. Tain would have to circulate and wait for the man to approach him.

Kyle felt the electric jolt as soon as Tain entered the room. The shock bathed him

in a sizzling fire. His vodka martini sloshed over the rim from the sudden trembling in

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 12 -

his hand. Damn, but the man had presence. It was a wonder Kyle had been able to hide

Tain from the others this long.

The bubbly woman he‟d been talking to wiped away the alcoholic drops wetting

his hand. From the way she trailed her fingers over his skin, she was offering to help

him with far more than that.

Kyle wasn‟t interested. Even if he hadn‟t been there for Tain, he wouldn‟t have

been interested. No matter how beautiful or charming a woman might be, his sexual

preference was exclusively for men. Oh, there had been times he‟d given het sex a try,

mostly because in four hundred years a steady diet of anything could get boring, but

he‟d quickly returned to male lovers.

With the ease of long practice, he excused himself from her company and drifted

toward the edge of the crowd. He didn‟t have to look around to spot Tain. As the

dancer darted from group to group like a bee collecting pollen in a field of wildflowers,

Kyle rehearsed his opening speech one last time.

Finally the dancer worked his way over to Kyle‟s side of the room, and Kyle

quietly called out to him. “Tain O‟Halloran?”

The young dancer turned to face him. “Yes?”

Whatever Kyle thought he‟d been prepared for upon meeting Tain now didn‟t

come close to the assessing intensity reflected in Tain‟s eyes. His carefully rehearsed

words scattered to the four winds. Heat exploded in his gut. His mouth went dry and it

was all he could do not to pitch forward and tumble them both to the floor for the type

of greeting Kyle really wanted.

He used the excuse of handing his half-empty glass off to a passing waiter to

break eye contact and gather his wits. Softly, he admitted, hoping Tain would recognize

the reference, “I am your most dedicated fan.”

Tain betrayed his surprise only by a slight hitch of his breath. “Prove it.”

“You were dancing almost before you could walk. Your first public appearance

was at age three when you performed for friends and family at a relative‟s wedding.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 13 -

Your mother put you in formal classes to develop your natural talent when you weren‟t

much older. You outgrew that instructor‟s knowledge within the first year.”

Tain nodded, his gaze still probing. “All true. Now tell me something that hasn‟t

already been in half a million interviews.”

Kyle‟s fingers itched to grab a fist full of that long black hair, yank Tain‟s head

within inches of his own and kiss the challenging smirk off his beautiful, thin lips.

Instead, he replied, “When you were ten, you were in a car accident that crushed your

right ankle.”

Tain sighed impatiently at his repetition of yet another widely publicized event

in his life. Kyle pressed on. “You were told the damage was so extensive that you‟d

never dance again. Despite the initial prognosis, your recovery was so swift and so

complete the doctors had trouble believing the original x-rays were really yours and not

some kind of administrative error.”

“Go on.” Tain folded his arms over his chest. “I‟m listening.”

“You have freckles on the inside of your left thigh in the shape of The Big

Dipper.”

Tain spread his thin, pink lips a slow smile filled with predatory heat. “There‟s

only about a thousand women who could tell you that.”

“I doubt they know how much you hate those freckles and how you‟ve tried for

years to get rid of them. None of the methods have been successful. Even laser surgery

had only a temporary benefit.”

His grey eyes turned stormy, troubled. “Okay, I admit you know a hell of a lot

about me. That still doesn‟t make you my most dedicated fan.”

A new feminine voice interrupted them. “That‟s right, sugar. He can‟t be your

most dedicated fan because I am.” Tain was pulled backward into a bear hug. The

woman noisily bussed her lips against his cheek as she rocked him in her fat arms. “You

are just the cutest thing!”

“Ah, Mrs. Pondes-Dennis, I see you‟ve met our star,” Julia said as she hastily

joined them.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 14 -

Tain wriggled around, trying to free himself from his passionate captor. Since

Kyle found the dancer‟s movements arousing, he didn‟t attempt to help. Julia, he was

sure, would negotiate his freedom in due time.

Mrs. Pondes-Dennis held Tain captive despite his gentle but persistent attempts

at freedom. “When I see something I want, I get it. You ought to know that by now,

Jane.”

Julia‟s smile tightened at the way the woman mangled her name, but it wasn‟t

long before she had Tain unwrapped from the rich, overbearing patron. The publicist

kept a tight hold on Tain‟s arm which Kyle had to concede was probably wise. Tain

would surely bolt at the first opportunity. Mrs. Pondes-Dennis was exactly the type of

person the young dancer loathed most. The kind that made him feel like a piece of

meat… and a cheap cut that should be grateful to land on an expensive plate.

“I insist young Terrence here have dinner with me and a few of my best friends

tonight,” the rich old bat said as she reached for Tain again.

Tain side-stepped her next attempt at grabbing him, placing Julia between them.

She couldn‟t seem to get anyone‟s name right. God only knew what she‟d tell the

tabloids in the morning. “Hell, no,” he muttered at the same time Julia loudly replied,

“This isn‟t a good night for Tain to be out, Mrs. Pondes-Dennis.”

“Nonsense. It‟s a fine night.” She breathed in a lungful of air as if the stuffy

atmosphere of reception room equaled the conditions outside. “Fine night.”

“With one show just finished and two more tomorrow, Tain really does need to

rest…”

Their discussion continued in strident tones. Neither woman paid attention to

the subject of their debate. Kyle found it difficult to look anywhere else but at the

dancer. The man was truly beautiful. His skin, Kyle knew, would feel butter soft under

his hands. His young, flexible body would bend easily under Kyle‟s guidance. His

incredibly strong dancer‟s thighs would lock about his waist and grip him like a vise as

he thrust deeply…

“… outta here,” Tain said tersely.

Chapter Two

Whining and Dining

The car‟s engine gave a throaty purr as it climbed the low hills taking them out of

the city and into the surrounding countryside. Tain watched the man finger the

gearshift while working the clutch. Stroking the steel shaft. Squeezing the ball at the

top. The sight made him harder and hornier than he‟d been inside the theater… and

that fact scared him to death because it was the sight of a man‟s hand doing these things

that was driving him crazy.

“Your name,” Tain croaked through lust-dry lips. “What‟s your name?”

“Does it matter?”

Tain glanced over at him. His blond hair was closely cropped. The black tux he

wore emphasized the width and strength of his shoulders. The tailored jacket now hung

open at the waist to reveal a flat stomach. When he moved a certain way, the material

puckered and Tain caught a glimpse of smooth white skin underneath.

What he didn‟t get, at all, was his desire to look at the man‟s body in the first

place. Had someone slipped him a mind-altering drug? Was the frantic scramble to

finish the show‟s run wearing down his better judgment? Or was it simply that women

in general were beginning to bore him so his libido now sought out new experiences?

Tain couldn‟t decide why he wanted to know more about this man, but he

figured learning his name wasn‟t exactly asking for a long term commitment. “Yeah, it

matters. You know everything about me, and I know nothing at all about you.”

“Maybe I like things that way.”

Tain wasn‟t in the mood for mind games any more than he‟d been eager to have

dinner with Mrs. Pondes-Dennis and her giggling entourage. “Then maybe you should

take me back to the hotel.”

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 17 -

They crested another verdant, rolling hill and raced swiftly to the bottom before

the man answered, “You may call me Kyle.”

“Kyle? Is that your real name?”

“One of them.”

The answer bothered Tain, but not enough to insist on turning around. “Okay,

Kyle, maybe you‟d like to tell me where we‟re going.”

“Nope.” He grinned broadly.

“Tell me, or return me to the hotel,” Tain ordered through gritted teeth.

Confused, tired and stressed, this man‟s avoidance of real answers just made things

worse.

“What if I show you instead?”

The car skidded across the loose gravel as Kyle jerked the wheel. The hood

dropped a fraction of a second before they did, taking a steep dive down a winding

drive. The terrain rocked and rolled under them, as if they were being tossed in a

stormy sea. The headlights bounced around so wildly that Tain couldn‟t form a picture

of what lay ahead in the darkness.

He certainly didn‟t anticipate the jarring halt that left the car idling in front of a

neat country cottage.

His heart raced like mad. Adrenaline pumped through his veins like white

lightning. “What the fuck was that about?”

“I wanted to make a point.”

Kyle turned off the engine. Immediately, the locks disengaged. Tain shoved open

his door and scrambled out, then took a few deep breaths of cool night air as he started

mentally listing all the reasons why it would be a bad idea to kill the handsome yet

insane stranger.

Once he heard the other man exit the vehicle, Tain muttered, “What point? That

you‟re capable of scaring the shit out of me? Congratulations. Point made.”

“No, exactly the opposite in fact. I was trying to reassure you.”

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 18 -

“By permanently ending my dance career in another car accident?” Tain

growled.

“By demonstrating that even when things seem out of control, you can trust me

to keep you safe.” He walked around the front of the car and approached the cottage

door. Instead of using a key, he pressed a doorbell. The front door opened without a

sound, and Kyle glanced back at him over his shoulder. “Are you still willing to join me

for dinner?”

Tain‟s stomach growled at the mention of food, but Kyle had asked a good

question. Tain couldn‟t imagine what other surprises the man had in store for him. Did

he really want to stick around and find out?

After mulling the situation over for a moment, he decided dinner still beat going

back to the clutches of Mrs. Pondes-Dennis and her friends or spending the night alone

in his hotel room. He adjusted the gold cuffs on his arms, getting a sense of peace from

the habitual gesture, and said, “Yeah. For now.”

The inside of the house was pretty typical for the area. Lots of blackened oak

beams, braided rugs and iron accents. The decor was tasteful, functional, and suited

Kyle‟s masculine air. “Do you live here?” Tain asked.

“Sometimes.”

“Do you ever give a straight answer?”

“Yes.”

Another flash of that sexy grin caught Tain in the solar plexus, sending spikes of

lust throughout his body. He rubbed the palm of his hand over his stomach to try to

ease the sexual ache. He really hoped this feeling would stop soon. Getting a hard-on

for men wasn‟t part of his retirement plan.

“Dinner is waiting. This way.”

“Dinner is waiting? You were that sure that I‟d accept?”

“I like to be prepared.”

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 19 -

Kyle settled his jacket and tie over the arm of a stuffed chair and led the way into

a breakfast room. Glass covered three walls and the ceiling. Looking up, Tain could see

the night sky winking back at him.

“Beautiful,” Kyle said, sounding a bit breathless.

“Yeah, it is.” It wasn‟t until Tain returned his attention to his host that he

realized Kyle had been commenting on him rather than the stars. “Look, I don‟t want

you to get the wrong impression about me. I‟m not --”

“Shhh.” Kyle placed his finger over Tain‟s lips, then slowly stroked the sensitive

skin. “I know who and what you are, Tain. I may push your buttons a bit, but I will

never force you into my bed.”

Great. Now if Tain could get his mind off the image of slipping that digit

between his lips and sucking it until something bigger came along…

He coughed to clear his throat. “Good. That‟s good. As long as we understand

each other.”

Kyle dropped his hand and turned to the table. “Cold duck with candied orange

peel, steamed green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. Will that do?”

“Some of my favorites.” Tain pulled out the chair that would put his back to the

window. Hopefully the cool air penetrating the glass would chill his overly warm

libido.

“Please serve yourself. Would you like a glass of water with your meal?”

Tain‟s throat suddenly felt parched. “Yes. And something harder, if you have it.”

“I don‟t keep alcohol in the house,” Kyle replied with a faint note of regret.

For a Scot, that was rather unusual. “Why not?”

“I don‟t like the taste of alcohol.”

“But at the party you were drinking, weren‟t you?”

“To blend with the crowd, I had a glass in my hand but I never took a sip.”

Well, that was certainly simple enough. Tain often did the same thing himself.

Alcohol seemed to go to his head way too quickly.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 20 -

After pouring the water, Kyle sat across from him and they began to eat. The

conversation followed traditional paths, and Tain began to relax. There were no

uncomfortable, personal questions. No requests for private appearances or special

favors. Just casual conversation, good food, and a lot of heated glances.

He knew what kind of signals he was sending out, but he couldn‟t seem to help

himself. He felt like a hormonal teenager all over again. He wanted to fuck anything

that moved, and the man at the other end of the table moved like a stellar wet dream.

The light from the candles set his blond hair aflame with hints of gold and red.

He had intelligent brown eyes that at times darkened to obsidian. His voice sounded

like music to Tain‟s ears -- a saying he‟d never had an occasion to use before now. And

his chest… dear God, his chest. Strong and broad, and the color of moonlight where it

peaked through the v-neck of his shirt since the top two buttons had been undone.

Occasionally Tain drifted off into visions of sucking on Kyle‟s earlobe or licking

the muscles in his neck from base to jaw. He wondered what that pair of strong, pale

hands would feel like running over his bare skin, stroking his erection in the same

manner that Kyle stroked the stem of his water goblet. Would he enjoy being pinned

under that hard body? The thought of rolling over and begging to be fucked had never

held any appeal for him before, but that idea was becoming the pinnacle of his sexual

desires. What would Kyle do if he swept the plates from the table, stripped off his

clothes and offered himself up for dessert?

Not that there was a chance in hell Tain would actually find out. This was a

momentary aberration. He wasn‟t gay. These desires stemmed from a simple case of

burnout. Too much work and not enough -- no matter what the tabloids claimed --

headboard banging heterosexual sex.

“Are you sure about that?”

Had the man read his mind? The look on Kyle‟s face was politely curious. Tain

was sure his own must reflect a measure of shock. “Positive. Absolutely.”

Kyle smiled. “Okay, no lemon chiffon cake for you. Got it.”

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Immortal Steps

- 21 -

Cake? They‟d been talking about cake? He really needed to get a grip. Alone.

Before he did something he was sure to regret.

“Well, thank you for dinner, but I better get back to the hotel. I have two shows

tomorrow, so I need to get some rest.”

To his surprise, Kyle stood up. “I had hoped we‟d have more time together, but I

understand your need for rest.”

Tain folded his napkin and laid it beside the plate. He noticed Kyle‟s napkin

covered his china, and there was a considerable portion of food left. Surely the man

would have said something if he hadn‟t yet finished his meal…

“I‟d really like to see you again,” Kyle murmured.

His host was now standing mere inches away and Tain had never noticed him

move. Kyle‟s breath smelled of mint where it fanned over Tain‟s face, proving he‟d

eaten little.

“I don‟t think that‟s a good idea.” His heart raced as it did after a show‟s final

encore, and his palms had grown damp. Tain shifted his weight, taking a half step back

to put some distance between their bodies. “You know, this dinner was great. Really

special. But it‟s a one time thing. I mean, I have other commitments.”

After spending some time with the man, Tain realized there was something

familiar about Kyle. A tilt of his head, a glance at him in profile. But on further study it

eluded him. Being unable to place the cause was becoming almost as maddening as his

unending hard-on. This combination of things added to his determination to escape the

man.

Kyle stepped forward, so close that their chests almost collided. “You‟ve

perfected the art of the one night stand, Tain, but you‟ll find I‟m harder to shake than

your usual date.”

Tain retreated a step, and then another for good measure, before he felt safe in

answering, “You‟re not my type. We had this discussion, remember?”

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Immortal Steps

- 22 -

“I said I wouldn‟t force you to do anything against your will. I‟m still free to

pursue you.” Kyle advanced, forcing Tain against the glass wall using nothing more

than his close proximity. “You do find me attractive, don‟t you?”

The way the words came out, it wasn‟t really a question. Tain tried to reply

anyway. “Well, yes, but --”

Kyle dipped his head, his lips brushing against Tain‟s as he spoke. “Tell me to

stop. Tell me you don‟t want my kiss.”

“I don‟t.” Tain put his hands on Kyle‟s chest, but somehow couldn‟t summon the

energy needed to force him back. “I don‟t… I -- fuck it!”

Tain fisted his hands in Kyle‟s shirt and jerked him forward. Their lips met,

fused. Impressions flashed through his head as he experienced his first taste of a male.

So much different than kissing a woman. Harder. Grittier. Rougher. The combination

nearly had him coming in his tight leather pants.

“Say you‟ll see me again. Swear to it,” Kyle demanded gruffly, in between

passionate kisses.

The burning in Tain‟s gut cut off all communication to the rational, thinking part

of his brain. He was desperate to get laid, willing to agree to anything that would

ensure Kyle‟d finish what he‟d started. “Yes, yes.”

Kyle grabbed a fist full of Tain‟s hair and yanked his head back. Tain gazed up at

him and found that his eyes glowed -- literally glowed -- from some trick of the

moonlight streaming down upon them, no doubt. Green and gold lights sparked in

their dark depths. The effect was mesmerizing.

“Say that again,” Kyle demanded. “Promise me.”

“I swear. We‟ll see each other again.” He was so certain of that fact that it scared

him.

With a low growl, Kyle lowered his face to Tain‟s neck. He licked the sensitive

skin, then nipped at it. His host‟s long, lean body touched his from thigh to chest. The

hard length of Kyle‟s cock pressed against Tain‟s hip. Tain couldn‟t wait to see it, to

touch it, to taste it…

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Immortal Steps

- 23 -

The sting of sharp pain at the base of his neck pulled him out of his fantasy. The

coppery scent of blood hit his nose and he felt a dribble of warmth sliding down his

skin. “Ouch! What the --”

The pain melted under a wash of pleasure as Kyle‟s tongue salved the puncture

wound. Surely there‟d be a bruise later -- how the hell he‟d cover it up he didn‟t know --

but now there was a tangible connection between neck and penis, as if the man were

trying to suck out Tain‟s cum through his veins. The sensation was so intense, so

powerful, that it hardened him to the point of orgasm.

Kyle‟s hand massaged Tain‟s erection through his leather pants. “Do it. Come for

me. Now.”

Tain couldn‟t control himself. There was no time once Kyle‟s magic fingers

squeezed him. Orgasm burst bright and hot behind his closed eyelids. Light poured

through him, warming every cell. Pulse-pounding pleasure sent his world into a slow

spin, and he would have fallen without Kyle‟s strong arms to brace him.

The smell of sex in the air, the hormones pumping through his veins, the pure

excitement and fear involved in being sexually intimate with another man for the first

time… the feeling was incredible. So much more intense than anything else he could

recall in recent history. It didn‟t make any sense. He was straight, wasn‟t he?

Perhaps that confusion was why Tain was so disgusted with Kyle for playing the

seductive vampire, and disgusted with himself for getting off on the ruse. “Take me

back to the theater. Now.”

“Will you keep your promise to me?”

“Fuck no.” While he was sure he‟d relive this bizarre night in his head for years

to come, he hardly wanted to repeat the experience. His mind and body already bore

enough scars.

“Because of this?”

Kyle reached out to touch the sore puncture mark on his neck. Tain smacked

Kyle‟s hand away before he could.

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Immortal Steps

- 24 -

“I think that‟s a pretty good reason, yes. So much for trust and not hurting me.”

He sounded like a petulant child, and he didn‟t like it much better than he did anything

else about this situation. Worst of all, his body still craved Kyle like an addict dying for

a fix.

“I drew a little blood. The damage could have been much worse.”

“Thanks for the Gay Sex for Dummies lesson. You‟ve cured me of ever wanting

to try it again.”

“Ah, but we‟ve only scratched the surface, Tain.”

Chapter Three

Morality Bites

Kyle had a hard time allowing Tain to make his own decisions instead of forcing

him to accept what was best for him. He was in the awkward position of pushing Tain

to do something he was naturally against in order to save him, especially when Tain

didn‟t know he was in danger in the first place. It was like playing Russian Roulette

with someone when they didn‟t know the bullet would improve their life instead of

killing them. He hoped, in the end, Tain would agree the cure was worth the initial

pain.

Besides, once the young man got used to the idea, the sex would be phenomenal.

Just like Tain himself.

The years had added lean muscle to Tain‟s frame. Kyle couldn‟t wait to trace

every delectable inch of his skin. And his grey eyes… once upon a time they‟d danced

with laughter. Now they were a stormy sea of emotion that could flash from winter cold

to molten silver in a heartbeat. Kyle wanted to bring the smile back, to free Tain‟s heart

from the empty compartment where he‟d kept it locked away.

Talk about Mission Impossible.

And yet somehow this had to work. Although he had no official confirmation

yet, Kyle knew Tain had what it took to be like him. He could taste the chemical in his

blood, feel the urges under his skin when Tain was in his arms. The young man would

become a very strong vampire indeed. If he had the courage.

“Take me home,” Tain repeated stubbornly. “I‟m done playing games with you.”

Because he did need a few hours to himself to confirm his hunch, Kyle gave in

gracefully. For now. “As you wish.”

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Immortal Steps

- 26 -

The drive back involved a lot less drama and absolutely no conversation. Tain

didn‟t even say goodbye as he left the car, nor did he look back during the short walk to

the hotel‟s entrance. Kyle reminded himself that Tain had a right to be angry, and that

in time he would come to understand why Kyle‟s seemingly heartless actions had been

necessary. Even kind. Until then, they were both going to have to suffer.

Once back in his country house, Kyle entered his office. From the bottom drawer

of his desk, he removed a small locked box. The lock resembled a large thorn. He

pricked his thumb on the sharp tip, then watched the lid spring open. Inside were

several clear vials, stamped medallions, and other tools every good Vampire Hunter

needed.

Kyle selected two sterile vials, using his tongue to push the blood from his fangs,

then carefully labeled the samples and placed them in the bio-shipping envelope, along

with a medallion.

Punching in an unlisted number, he waited for the beep that told him he was

connected. “The hunter has found new prey.”

A bored male voice answered. “Name?”

“Anonymous.”

“Sample?”

“Ready for pickup.”

“Location?”

“Stirling, Scotland.”

“Put the sample in the usual place.”

“You‟ll let me know what you find?”

The line went dead.

Ten minutes later Kyle delivered the package to the lock box. The location was

secure, and he knew the courier would arrive within the hour. Still, he hated waiting.

Back home, Kyle started the water running in the old Victorian style tub and

stripped. He could still smell Tain‟s personal musk on him. He had no desire to purge

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the scent from his skin but it was far too distracting to allow the enticing aroma to

linger.

As he soaped his body, he closed his eyes and let Tain‟s face rise to mind. What a

handsome man he‟d become. All the signs had been there in the young boy when Kyle

had first met him. Time had done a fantastic job of maturing him, and his vampire

genetics kept him from falling victim to the dance-related ailments that plagued his co-

stars.

But in some ways, human ways, Tain was still that small boy about to go

through a second puberty. He had no idea about the choices he‟d soon face or the forces

at work in his body.

Or the danger he‟d be in, regardless of what choice he made.

Kyle hoped he could convince Tain to join with him. To hunt or be hunted. Kyle

was sure Tain would pick the former, if he lived long enough to pick at all. Saving

people, no matter how cold he seemed, fit his personality. Together they‟d be much

stronger than either of them could possibly be apart.

Together…

Kyle caressed himself, but in his mind he only saw Tain‟s hands on his body. His

fingers plucked his nipples. The water teased the ultra-sensitive head of his uncut cock

as though his dick were being licked by a wet tongue. Since he still carried a heavy dose

of lust for Tain, it didn‟t take long for his pleasure to rise to a fevered pitch.

He hung one leg over the side of the tub and used his calf muscles to thrust

upward, forcing his cock through his tight fist. The water splashed violently out of the

old-fashioned tub with every wild jerk of his hips. By the time climax gathered deep

within his balls, there was little water left.

“Gonna fuck your sweet ass. Oh yeah, I am,” Kyle told his mental vision of Tain.

The orgasm spilled out of him in a powerful rush. The remaining bathwater

sloshed over the side as he rocked with muscular contractions.

He was still shuddering with aftershocks when his phone rang. He left the tub

without grabbing a towel and ran into his bedroom. He checked the number on the ID

Chapter Four

Hunter’s Mark

Tain danced like a man possessed. After leaving Kyle, he‟d felt restless and far

from tired. Despite the fact that he had two performances the next day, he‟d showered,

changed his clothes and headed out to the clubs. He‟d deliberately left his gold cuffs off.

He didn‟t want to have anything to do with Kyle, his gifts, or his crazy behavior. Tain

was a free spirit, and fully intended to remain that way.

The place he‟d ended up in was a dark pit filled with writhing bodies and

throbbing music. He‟d thrown himself into the fray, drank whatever was handed to

him, and even posed for a few pictures that were sure to get Julia‟s knickers in a knot

when she saw them on the tabloid pages in the morning.

Tain didn‟t really care. In fact, he found it hard to care about anything. Not his

reputation, his reckless behavior, or his career. As long as what he was doing felt good,

he planned continue. Whatever it was.

At the moment, his pleasure involved dancing with a little blond who was

wearing far too much black makeup around her eyes and a beefy bodyguard type who

was looking at him like it was dinnertime and Tain was the main course. Tain had

noticed a back room with frequent traffic and wondered what would happen if he went

in there with them.

Recklessness with curiosity compelled him to find out.

He led his new friends by the hands, striding through the crowd with a purpose.

The back room was… dark. Black walls, black furniture, black lights that gave pale skin

a purple glow. And despite the fact that they were in a public place, there was plenty of

skin to be seen. Bare breasts, naked cocks and uncovered butts. Heat amplified the scent

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- 30 -

of sweat and sex. The activity was one huge orgy, and Tain felt another layer of his

control peel away. “Let‟s fuck,” he suggested to his companions.

The ham-fisted male turned him around until he faced the little blond. Tain

watched as she stripped off her gauzy black shirt to reveal a pair of small breasts. The

tips were pierced with silver hoops. Those were connected by a chain that draped

across her abdomen and disappeared under the waist of her tight black pants. She

reached for his leather vest -- a spare, not the one he‟d worn for Kyle -- and subjected

his chest to stinging bites as she revealed the skin underneath.

Meanwhile her companion had pulled Tain against his chest. His hands scoured

Tain‟s belly in the blonde‟s wake. As she rose, he went lower until his hands roughly

cupped Tain‟s lengthening dick.

“Gonna let me fuck you, man?” he growled.

Tain‟s heart was pumping fast and furious. He wanted to close his eyes and drift

in a sea of sensation. No thinking required. No conversation. Just letting these two take

him to climactic heights, then flying out of their arms to wherever his whims took him

next.

A small part of his brain attempted to point out that even for him this behavior

was over the line, but Tain didn‟t pay the message much mind. He did, however, feel

the need to respond to the man who continued to prod his still-covered ass with a

meaty cock. “No fucking. Just sucking.”

The man grunted in his ear. “Bet I can change your mind.”

“Bet I can rip your balls off and feed them to you if you try.” Okay, so maybe it

wasn‟t wise to bait a guy who almost doubled him in weight. Still, Tain wasn‟t exactly

defenseless. And he wasn‟t blissed out on some man-made chemical like so many

others in the room. He felt powerful, sexual, wild, but not out-of-his-mind crazy.

Did his extreme mood swings have something to do with his fan? Damned if he

could say why, but he didn‟t think Kyle had drugged him any more than he thought

Kyle really cared about him. He was a toy, a plaything to the older man.

And now, Tain decided, it was time to play a different game.

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- 31 -

He turned in the big man‟s arms. The blond went with him, somehow inserting

herself into the narrow space between their bodies. She rubbed against both of them,

her breasts mashed into Tain‟s now bare chest while her ass had to scrape over her

partner‟s cock.

He looked down at her, not seeing much beyond her white painted face. “You‟d

like to be fucked though, wouldn‟t you?”

“Maybe. First, I want a taste of your sweet young flesh.”

She licked her lips, then slid downward, licking her way from chest to belly to

groin. Tain had his pants open, his thick cock ready for her hungry mouth as she

dropped to her knees. Her boyfriend let his penis out to play too, rubbing the ruddy

head against her cheek, but Tain‟s cock held her attention. She tilted her head back and

opened her mouth so that his engorged length could slide down her throat. The dark

purple light glinted off her impressive set of ivory fangs. They were even bigger than

Kyle‟s…

Fangs.

Blood.

Pain.

“Fuck no,” Tain said, twisting away from the pair. “No more biting.”

Her fingers clenched his thighs, holding him in place. “Just a small taste. Then

we‟ll fuck any way you want,” she begged.

“No!” Tain twisted again, his leather pants ripping where her claws dug in.

“What Marissa wants, Marissa gets,” the thug told him bluntly. “The bite doesn‟t

hurt. Much.”

Tain no longer found him seductive, nor the petite blond. They were both

preternaturally strong, though. He writhed in their clutches, his arousal fading as panic

took over. “Let me go!” His shouting and frantic movements were creating a stir in the

rest of the room. Would they help him, or would they hinder his escape? Were there

more like this bitch and Kyle nearby?

Why was he suddenly attracting horny vampire wanna-bes?

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Immortal Steps

- 32 -

Tain continued to struggle, getting desperate enough to kick his way free of his

captors. His legs were strong, and fear made them even stronger. He saw the woman

recoil from the impact, but she didn‟t lose the death grip she had on his thighs. “You are

mine, Tain O‟Halloran. Submit to me,” she growled.

Her words had an odd echo. It felt as though her command had wrapped ropes

around him, but they quickly slipped away. “What? Fuck that!”

“Mine,” she snarled. And then her eyes did that weird glowy thing that Kyle‟s

had.

Tain kicked with all his might, no longer caring what the press might say about

him hitting a woman or creating a scene. Marissa rocked back into her boyfriend, and

not even his muscular bulk could prevent them from toppling over. Tain sprinted for

the exit, trying to shove his soft dick back inside his pants at the same time. The people

surrounding them seemed numb with shock. They moved at a snail‟s pace and few

were able to get out of his way. He knocked down many of them as he headed for the

main club.

He was almost there when a pair of hands landed on his shoulders and jerked

him to a halt. “Tain.”

“Hands off.” His arms came up to dislodge his new attacker‟s grip even as he

spun around.

But the hands immediately returned, holding him fast. “Tain, it‟s me. You‟ve got

to listen to me.”

His brain was sending him an impossible message. That could not be Callum

Lowe standing in front of him. His old dance teacher died in an accident ten years ago.

Muttering to himself, “Fucking ghost. Kyle did drug me with something. I gotta get out

of here.”

“We‟ve no time to argue. Come with me.”

“No,” Tain said, shaking his head and trying to retreat from the hallucination‟s

grip. “No way. No biting, no ghosts. This place is insane.”

“Don‟t fight me,” the Callum specter said, tugging him away from the exit.

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Immortal Steps

- 33 -

The voice was right to be his old dance coach, as were the pale contours of his

face highlighted by the black light. But how could Callum be alive? Tain had seen his

dead body in the coffin.

“Where are you taking me?” Tain demanded, wishing the world would freeze

for a second so he could get a grip on what was happening.

“Nowhere. You‟re mine,” a feminine voice barked from behind Callum.

Glancing around a broad shoulder, Tain saw Marissa and her boyfriend in

fighting stances. Callum shoved Tain behind him without letting go of his arm. “This

one is mine. I marked him.”

“You‟re no Hunter, Kyle. Your mark means nothing,” the blonde barked back.

Tain tried like hell to follow the conversation. Being marked? Well, yeah, Kyle

had done that the night before by biting him. A small scar remained on his neck where

the skin had been pierced. But what was all this about Hunters? Being hunted by fans

he understood, but Tain knew that wasn‟t what was going on here.

“I marked him and I registered him. That‟s enough to make my claim legit.”

“Even if that‟s true, when you die, so does your claim on him.”

“And when you die, I will no longer have to look at your ugly face.”

With his free hand, Callum threw something at the blood-thirsty couple as they

rushed forward. Tain gasped as their faces turned to liquid and dripped from their

skeletons. Their screams of agony created a panic in the dark room that all the other

action so far had not induced.

The Callum figure dragged Tain upstream, through the river of humanity

rushing past them. The substantial shade swore at their slow progress but pressed on.

Then, somehow, they broke through the crowd and darted down a dark corridor Tain

hadn‟t noticed before. Several wild-eyed strays tried to follow them, but Callum shoved

them back with only a short command in that oddly echoing tone Marissa had used.

“Do not follow us. Take the other way out.”

And like sheep, they obeyed.

Weird. What the fuck was going on? “Callum, I --”

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Immortal Steps

- 34 -

“Kiss me,” Callum demanded, pressing close.

“What? Now?” Kissing a figment of his imagination sounded like the height of

insanity. And even if it were possible, this was Callum. His teacher. His mentor. His

friend.

And one freaking hot man that Tain really wanted to fuck, he realized. Just not

here, not now. Not like this.

And there was definitely something wrong with him for considering sex with

anyone instead of trying to escape the night‟s weirdness. He realized he didn‟t even

have his cell phone now to call Julia or anyone else for help.

Callum leaned in, pressing their bodies together. “I need to know what drugs

you have in your system. Kissing is the fastest way for me to find out.”

Tain didn‟t have time to begin another protest. Callum was on him, hot and

hungry. Tain gasped for air as he returned his mentor‟s passion. Callum. Here. With

him. So hot, and hard, and… alive. The combination sent his head spinning until all he

could think about was peeling the man out of his clothes, pressing skin against skin.

Callum gently pried Tain‟s hands off his jeans, then tugged him farther down the

dark hall. “You‟re high on vampire hormones. Why didn‟t you wear your bloody

cuffs?”

Even as he followed Callum, Tain rubbed his hand over his throbbing dick. He

couldn‟t help it. He literally burned for completion. “What do you know about them?

You were dead before they were given to me.”

“I didn‟t die.” Callum punched the bar on the emergency exit. No sirens added

to those already going off inside the club, but it did activate yet another swirling,

disorienting light. “Not recently anyway.”

“What‟s that supposed to mean?”

Tain followed Callum out into a narrow alley. There was little light spilling into

the passage, but without the club‟s funky purple glow, Callum looked somehow

different than he had inside.

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Immortal Steps

- 35 -

There wasn‟t much time to ruminate on specifics as Tain trotted after him. More

of the club‟s occupants were spilling into the alley from the street, many talking on cell

phones in tones of horror and fascination. Callum moved through them easily, leading

Tain away from the chaos.

He stopped next to a car parked among several others on a deserted dead end

street. Callum pulled the passenger door open. “Get in. We‟ll talk on the road.”

Tain started to move, but then froze in his tracks when it occurred to him that

this was the same car he‟d been riding around in earlier that night. He looked at

Callum‟s face, really studied the man‟s features for the first time outside of the club, and

another bit of reality slipped into place. This man wasn‟t Callum… he was Kyle.

And yet, the man before him wasn‟t exactly his dedicated fan, either. Under the

moonlight his face looked different enough to be neither man, and yet both.

Tain slammed his hand against the door and held it closed. “Tell me what the

fuck is going on, right now, or I swear I‟ll run so far and so fast, you‟ll never find me

again.”

Chapter Five

Dirty Truth

Shit. Kyle stomped around to the other side of the car and dropped into the seat

behind the wheel. The night wasn‟t supposed to go down this way. Damn Marissa and

her greed. If the rogue Vampire Hunter knew about Tain already, others were sure to

follow.

He rolled down the window. “Get in the fucking car, Tain. Unless you‟d rather

play with Marissa‟s friends.”

“I can handle them.”

Kyle held back a smile. Tain had always had a stubborn streak a mile wide.

“Looks like they were handling you pretty well when I arrived.”

“Yeah, well…”

“There he is!” some bystander shouted, pointing in their direction. Whether it

was the cops or Hunters or someone else, they had to leave. Now.

“Choose, Tain. I offer safety. There‟s no guarantee anyone else would be so

kind.”

That seemed to jolt the young man into action and Tain got in beside him,

hunkering down in the seat. Kyle took off before the young man had even shut the

door. Being locked in a small space with the dancer for any length of time was going to

seriously test his self control. Tain was pumping out pheromones like crazy, and

without the neutralizing cuffs Kyle had no way to minimize them.

Not unless they got naked.

Which they didn‟t have time for right now. Damn it.

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Immortal Steps

- 37 -

So Kyle would focus on business. That would keep his mind on the road and off

Tain‟s dick for at least three seconds. He used the voice-activated phone hard wired into

the car.

“What are you doing?” Tain asked as the line rang.

“Letting your employers know you won‟t be dancing tomorrow.”

“I have obligations. I can‟t just walk away. I --”

“Shut up,” Kyle growled. “You have no idea who you‟re messing with.”

“I would if you tell me,” Julia‟s sleepy voice replied over the phone.

“Julia, help me, I‟ve been kidnapped!” Tain shouted.

Kyle forced a chuckle. “Yes, by his most dedicated fan. Tain has quite the sense

of humor.”

“I‟m not kidd --”

Kyle reached out and squeezed Tain‟s neck in exactly the right place to make him

black out. He wasn‟t sure the trick would work since Tain wasn‟t a full vampire yet. It

did well enough to make his body go slack though, and Kyle scrambled to explain

Tain‟s accusation.

“Okay, let me be honest with you here. There was an incident tonight, Julia. At a

club.”

“Oh, lord. The tabloids caught the whole thing, I suppose. What did he do this

time? Propose to triplets while dancing naked on the bar top?”

“I‟m afraid it‟s a little more serious than that. Someone really did try to abduct

Tain tonight.” Lucky for Tain, Kyle was the one who‟d succeeded. Over Julia‟s gasps of

outrage and demands for details, Kyle continued. “He‟s fine, he‟s fine. He‟s with me.

I‟m taking him to a little place I know…”

“Where? Where are you taking him?”

“I trust you, Julia, but I don‟t trust the people who want Tain. I‟m not saying any

more on the subject. Tain is with me and I will keep him safe, but I think you‟d better

plan on the understudy taking his place tomorrow.”

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Immortal Steps

- 38 -

“No way. Bring him here to me. I‟ve got to do damage control, and I can‟t do that

with him wandering around the country unsupervised. You have no idea what a

handful he can be.”

Julia was quite wrong about that, but Kyle didn‟t see any point in explaining

further. “Do what you need to do with the press, but he‟s staying with me until I‟m sure

he‟s no longer in danger. I‟ll be in touch.”

Her sputtering was cut off as he disconnected. He rolled his shoulders, trying to

stretch his limbs in preparation for the long drive ahead.

“I‟m impressed,” Tain said quietly. “I didn‟t think anyone could manipulate Julia

like that.”

“Julia is very good at her job.” But Kyle was better. He had to be, if Tain was

going to survive the next few days.

Tain stared out the window, watching the city lights fade into the distance as

they took the A9 north. “So, what are you going to do with me? Or is asking a question

likely to get me strangled again?”

“I wasn‟t strangling you,” Kyle protested hotly. “I was trying to keep you quiet

for a few minutes.” The hold hadn‟t worked as well, or as long, as he‟d hoped. Instead

of peace and quiet on the long drive, they would apparently be fighting every mile of

the way.

“Maybe permanently,” Tain suggested dryly.

“If I wanted you dead, I‟d have left you with Marissa.”

“What was she going to do? Fuck me to death? I‟m so scared.”

Tain really was scared. That was part of the reason behind his current attitude,

and Kyle accepted the brunt of the blame for that. He hadn‟t been as gentle as he would

have liked about Tain‟s changing circumstances. Then again, becoming a vampire

wasn‟t for wimps. He hoped Tain had the strength to endure the change. Otherwise,

they could both end up dead.

“Marissa was going to milk serum from your body and then kill you,” Kyle said

bluntly, well aware that his answer would only bring more questions.

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Tain didn‟t disappoint him. “How the hell would you know? What serum? Who

are you anyway?”

“You called me Callum back at the club, your first dance coach. I was that man. I

am also Kyle Lohan, your most dedicated fan. To others, I‟m a nameless face that stands

between them and death. In all cases, I remain the same man inside.”

He would stay true to himself, and he wouldn‟t ask Tain to change one bit of his

core self, either. That was, he felt, the one thing that separated him from other vampires

he knew. They saw their multiple lives as a game, a role to play, and the world was

their playground. Always reinventing themselves to fit a mood or explore a dark

element they‟d never let surface while their heart still beat. Kyle clung to the notion of

life. He wanted to live, not merely play.

But it was hell on his nerves at times.

Tain stared out the window at the winding road ahead. “That‟s not possible.

Callum died. I saw him in the… in the… the casket.”

Watching the tears streaming down his young face as the casket lid closed had

almost caused Kyle to leap back to life. “I remember.”

“You were there?” Tain turned sideways in the seat and pressed his back against

the door. “I don‟t remember seeing you.”

“Look, I really was Callum then, and I really am Kyle now. You had to see me in

the casket or there would always be doubt in your heart. You wouldn‟t have moved

on.”

“I loved you,” Tain admitted, all but spitting at him.

Loved. Past tense. And Callum knew the young dancer hated him now, but

hoped they would work past that quickly. Hate wasn‟t going to get them through this,

only love would. “There are reasons why I had to reinvent myself, but they aren‟t going

to make sense to you unless I start at the beginning.”

“First tell me where we‟re going and what you plan to do with me.”

Kyle let his hand slide off the steering wheel to rest on Tain‟s knee. Tain flinched

but didn‟t push him away. The contact was soothing to Kyle, so he kept his hand there.

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If Tain really wanted to get rid of him, it was going to take a hell of a lot more than a

little flinch. “We‟re heading north, to a place I know near John O‟Groats.”

“That‟s like the ass end of the world, isn‟t it?”

“That‟s like,” Kyle replied, mocking his tone, “one of the most beautiful places

on Earth.”

“Whatever. So what‟s going to happen once we‟re there?”

“I‟m going to fuck you to death.”

Chapter Six

The Drive

Tain‟s cock thudded against the zipper of his leather pants, totally wild about

Kyle‟s suggestion. The rest of him wasn‟t so thrilled. He‟d been kidnapped by a lunatic.

Who in their right mind wanted to have sex with a crazy man?

He did. Damn it.

“You saved me from Marissa so you could take my serum or whatever

yourself?”

“Marissa wanted your body, to dissect you and sell the choice bits for whatever

she could get. Trust me when I say I want all of you. In one piece.”

His cock gave an extra hard thud at the erotic inflection in Kyle‟s voice. “You‟re

right. None of this is making sense to me. Maybe you should start at the beginning.”

“What do you know about vampires?”

That was so not where Tain expected the conversation would go. Med labs,

government research, even aliens made more sense to him than something as outdated

as vampires. Sure they‟d tossed the phrase “Vampire Hunter” around, but nothing

about the stake-in-the-heart variety had crossed his mind. “Uhm, you mean the blood

drinking, undead creatures that supposedly come from Transylvania?”

“That‟s a pretty distorted view, but yes, that‟s what I‟m talking about.”

Tain thought for a few seconds, mulling over everything he knew about Callum

Lowe. He certainly didn‟t fit the profile of a vampire. Okay, so he only gave lessons at

night. And Tain couldn‟t recall seeing him eat much. But he certainly hadn‟t lived on

blood or gone around biting people.

The man he knew as Kyle was another story. Tain clearly remembered that pair

of fangs puncturing his neck.

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And the intense orgasm he‟d had as a result.

“You want me to believe you‟re a real vampire?” Suddenly the reality of

vampires in the world didn‟t sound quite so impossible. That he was riding down the

twisty roads of A9 with one, well, that was a bit harder to swallow.

“I‟m a vampire, whether you believe me or not. What I‟m trying to tell you is

that you‟re one too. Or you could be, if you want.”

“Because you bit me?” Tain couldn‟t help but rub that sore spot on his neck. The

place had healed with his habitual accelerated speed, though it was still tender to the

touch.

“No, although I understand why you might think that. The goth culture has done

a lot to spread misinformation about who and what we truly are.”

“So why don‟t you spell it out for me?” Concentration became harder, though he

did his best to focus on Kyle‟s explanation. His earlier lust, previously overshadowed

by the adrenaline surge, built again. His mind filled with images of himself being

fucked in every orifice. Of spreading his legs for a thick, meaty cock. Of being taken

with passion so rough and wild any normal human couldn‟t survive.

Why were all his fantasies about gay sex lately? Did being a vampire mean you

didn‟t want women anymore?

But Kyle was talking again, and Tain struggled to pay attention.

“When it comes to vampires, the biggest difference between fantasy and real life

is that it‟s a medical condition, not a… virus. You can‟t become infected. You‟re either

born to be a vampire or you‟re not.”

“How did you find out you were one of them?”

Even in the dim lights of the dashboard, Tain could see Kyle‟s eyes darken with

pain. “It‟s irrelevant. What you need to decide is if you will join us or spend the rest of

your life fighting the urges in your body that grow stronger by the day.”

“Us?”

Kyle nodded. “People like us who save people like you from people like Marissa

and her friends.”

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The A9 turned into the A99 with high cliffs, hay fields and humongous herds of

cattle before they spoke again.

“So you knew about me having this vampire thing inside me back when… back

when you were Callum?”

“I suspected, yes. I wasn‟t sure until tonight, when I bit you.”

“If you knew I had it, why didn‟t you tell me then?” Why did you leave me?

Kyle stared out at the winding road ahead. Tain saw deep emotion etched into

the shadowy lines of Kyle‟s handsome face. Whatever his motive had been, it hadn‟t

been an easy choice to make.

“I thought you deserved a chance at a childhood. A chance to live out your

dream.”

“My dream isn‟t exactly dead yet,” Tain pointed out. Okay, so he was planning

to retire after this show‟s run. But Kyle didn‟t know that.

“Your body says otherwise.” He squeezed Tain‟s knee.

The heat from the man‟s palm, even through the leather, seared Tain‟s nerve-

endings with erotic pleasure-pain. He‟d never been so sensitive to someone‟s touch

before. “There‟s nothing wrong with my body,” Tain declared.

Kyle chuckled. “You got that right.”

“So what‟s the deal? Why is it so important that I learn about vampires now?”

“Because, like it or not, your body is beginning to become one. You can‟t hide

from the Hunters anymore.”

“I‟m not any different,” Tain protested. “I‟m the same person I‟ve always been.”

“You always have sex with strangers in the back rooms of gothic night clubs?”

“That was your fault,” Tain snapped before he really thought it through.

“How so?”

“You‟re the one who…” got me so horny I couldn’t walk straight. “Never mind. I

admit the past couple days, this stint in Edinburgh, is getting to me. I just wanted to let

off a little steam.”

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“That would only make your condition worse. Sex with humans, that is. Sex with

me -- or a Vampire Hunter -- is another thing entirely.”

The small interior of the car made it possible for Kyle to slide his hand further up

Tain‟s leg without stretching himself too far from the driver‟s seat. In his mind, Tain

pictured himself exposing his cock, running the ruddy head over the thick, pulsing

veins on the back of Kyle‟s hand. His strong hands. Hands that, Tain knew from

experience with Callum, would feel like heaven on his body. Only this time his former

mentor wouldn‟t be trying to rub out the kinks, but rather instilling some new ones.

“Why?” was all he could utter through his lips dry from want.

Kyle‟s voice turned huskier, as if he were equally affected by Tain‟s rising lust.

“Vampire DNA is still relatively rare, which is why people like Marissa are willing to

kill for a chance to study it.”

“Go on,” Tain urged him. Whether he meant with the story or where Kyle‟s hand

was going was up for debate.

“For the unfortunate souls who have the vampire DNA, the effects kick in about

the time they turn four. They become stronger, smarter, healthier. And because the part

of the brain that controls vampire DNA is connected to the thalamus, where hormones

are regulated, they also become unbelievably horny, moody, and unpredictable as they

mature.”

“Sounds like a normal teenager to me.”

“That‟s because you have yet to experience the full impact of the changes. See,

for the last couple of years, you‟ve been receiving doses of a drug to reduce and delay

the effects of the awakening vampire genetics.”

Tain shook his head. “No, I haven‟t. I haven‟t taken anything. Not even aspirin.”

“The cuffs. You‟re addicted to them. You never go anywhere without them. Or

didn‟t, until tonight.”

“That‟s ridiculous. They‟re nothing but metal.” However, at the same time he

spoke, Tain thought about how much better, calmer he seemed to feel when he wore

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them. Rubbing them against his skin soothed him in a way nothing else could. Was

there more to it than preference for some masculine jewelry?

“The VPA -- Vampire Protection Agency -- did a good job on them, I agree.”

Tain closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. The chilled glass

did nothing to cool the rising heat coursing through him. He shifted his hips forward,

bringing Kyle‟s hand closer to his cock. He didn‟t trust the man, whether he was

Callum or Kyle or someone else altogether. At the same time, he certainly found Kyle

attractive, and he‟d decided to let him go on touching him any way he wanted.

Kyle‟s thumb started massaging the inside of Tain‟s upper thigh. “Right now, the

vampire DNA is changing your brain chemistry, flooding your system with new

information and new directives. That‟s why you feel so hot. Like a machine

overheating.”

“You said something about sex.” Just saying the word made Tain‟s cock throb.

He was sure if he‟d been wearing something other than leather, a damp spot would

have been visible over his crotch by now. “Something about sex with humans being

bad, but sex with you would be good.”

“Very good,” Kyle agreed huskily.

“Why is that?”

“Anticipation. Ten years is a long time to wait for the man you want.”

A soft groan drifted through the car‟s interior, and Tain wasn‟t entirely surprised

to realize that it had come from his own throat. Had this man really been waiting and

wanting him for that long? Yet another unbelievable fact to this wild night. “That‟s not

what I meant. What‟s the difference between having sex with humans versus

vampires?”

That hand reached the juncture of his thighs, still massaging deeply. Tain‟s

erection throbbed painfully under the restrictive clothing.

“Humans can‟t give you what you need. I can,” Kyle replied. “Your body is

calling out for another vampire, someone to guide you through the change. Someone to

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teach you how to control your hormones and live with the powerful new abilities that

being a full vampire brings.”

Tain wasn‟t sure he liked the idea of being… something other than human.

“Why bother to change at all? I‟ve made it this far. I can take care of myself.”

A grimace of pain crossed Kyle‟s face, now illuminated only by the lights from

the dashboard. Still, he answered. “You can‟t continue as you have been. Either you‟ll

become a full vampire, or you‟ll be forced into psychotherapy. And I assure you that

word has an entirely different meaning for vampires than it does for humans.”

“I‟m going to need therapy all right,” Tain said dryly. This was a total mind fuck.

That morning, when he‟d gotten out of bed, there were no such things as vampires in

his world. Now he supposedly was one, and he had to have sex with the man who‟d

kidnapped him. Or else.

“Therapy for an awakening human means milking the vampire serum from their

bodies,” Kyle explained, his voice cold and ruthless. “These humans never fully evolve

as the chemicals in the brain that trigger the change are bled off as they build up in your

system. You‟d be a lab rat, or worse, if someone like Marissa found you.”

Okay, not the way he pictured spending his retirement years. “If the alternative

is so… unpleasant, why doesn‟t everyone change?”

Kyle shrugged, a gesture that traveled all the way down his arm to Tain‟s cock.

“Not everyone can handle the change. They prefer forced organ donation and drugged

stupor, even death, to living a vampiric life. Others, for whatever reason, don‟t produce

enough of the right chemicals to complete the change so they‟re left in limbo, not

wholly human, not wholly vampire. If that happens, there‟s little that can be done for

them, except to keep them safe and sedated for life.”

“Is that what you were trying to do by giving me my cuffs? Stop the process?”

Kyle shook his head. “No. The drug delayed the process, but didn‟t stop the

chemicals from building up. You‟ve reached an age where just having the drug in your

system is no longer enough. You can‟t prevent the change from happening now. You

will either survive the process, or you will die.”

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That wasn‟t going to happen to him, Tain vowed. He wouldn‟t be mentally

castrated, nor would he choose death. There was no alternative but to stick with Kyle

and see what happened next. “I‟m not saying I believe you, but what do I have to do to

finish this change thing?”

Kyle ran his index finger down the length of Tain‟s swollen shaft where it bulged

under the zipper. “Have sex with me.”

Chapter Seven

Lovin’ It

They were running out of time. And Kyle was running out of patience. Sweat

beaded along his spine from the effort of not pulling over and diving into Tain.

Come on, baby. Say yes.

“I‟m not gay,” Tain protested. “I mean, I wasn‟t before I met you. Is the vampire

DNA causing that too?”

The confusion in the dancer‟s voice tugged at Kyle‟s heart, reminding him he

wasn‟t the only one in need of easing the erotic ache. Kyle started looking for a place to

stop. “In a manner of speaking, yes. Remember, you‟re sending out signals to other

vampires, letting them know you‟re ready to be taken. The stronger the pull, the more

compatible you are with them. The more compatible, the easier the change will be.”

“You mean I‟m attracted to you because you‟re the one who can help me the

most?”

“Yes.” A scenic overlook sign caught Kyle‟s attention. At 3:00AM, no one was

likely to disturb them. He pulled over, turned off the engine and opened the door.

“What are we doing here?”

Kyle decided now was the time to stop shielding Tain from his vampire nature.

He let his hunger for the special young man burn in his gaze. “What you feel for me is

only a fraction of what I feel for you. You‟ve had my dick tied up in knots since you

arrived at the Grampian Theater. There‟s no one on the planet more right for me than

you. I think it‟s time I started to prove that to you.”

He got out, leaving Tain to gape at him. The dancer still looked a bit shell-

shocked as he joined Kyle behind the car. “I‟m not… I never…”

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“I am, and I have,” Kyle assured him as he brought their bodies together. “Trust

me.”

Holding Tain was like holding lightning. Liquid energy ran through his veins.

Therefore, when their lips met it generated a real spark. Instead of flinching, Tain

moaned and pressed against him. Kyle let him take the lead for the moment, accepting

the dancer‟s questing tongue with a welcoming caress from his own. His hands were

busy divesting Tain of his leather pants. He shoved the reluctant material over his ass.

Tain‟s cock sprang free and perfumed the air with the heady smell of masculine arousal.

Kyle broke their kiss to stare at the rigid length. Tain‟s cockhead gleamed wetly

in the moonlight. Long and thick, the young man‟s cock was a handful and then some.

Kyle fingers skimmed over the shaft, the pulse of Tain‟s blood easily discernable in the

fat vein running the length of one side. Kyle wanted another taste of that blood almost

as bad as he wanted Tain‟s cum sliding down his throat.

“I‟m not going to last long,” Tain warned him as he trailed kisses over Kyle‟s

neck.

“You‟ll recover fast.”

“Is being a vampire like participating in an endless orgy?”

“Sometimes.” Kyle swirled his thumb over the head of Tain‟s cock, then brought

it to Tain‟s lips and brushed against their velvety softness. “Kiss me, Tain. I want to

taste you.”

Doubt clouded the dancer‟s eyes, but then his shoulders squared and he raised

his head to meet Kyle‟s lips.

So hungry. So warm. So alive. Tain tasted of everything Kyle loved about

humans and vampires combined.

He undid the buttons on Tain‟s vest so he could get at more of his flesh. Tain

fumbled with the hem of Kyle‟s sweater as if he too couldn‟t wait to feel more skin.

Kyle broke their feverish kiss only long enough to whip the sweater off, then he

brought their bodies together with an impact that made them both shake.

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Kyle cupped Tain‟s butt and ground against him. His own cock throbbed

painfully inside his pants. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn‟t free it. Tain

wasn‟t prepared to fully accept him yet, as a man or as a vampire, and he needed the

barrier of cloth to remind him of that fact.

Though Tain weighed almost a hundred and seventy pounds, Kyle easily lifted

him and set him on the trunk of the car. “Lean back and enjoy the ride.”

Tain reclined against the rear window, an uncertain but lusty look on his face.

The moonlight highlighted all his best features. If there was such a thing as perfection in

the human body, Tain exemplified it.

Kyle tugged on Tain‟s pants, moving them down his thighs until he was sure

they wouldn‟t be in his way. He lowered his head until his nose was buried between

Tain‟s balls and inhaled deeply. The scent of him went straight to his brain, imprinting

there for all time the unique combination of odors that was Tain.

And Tain‟s flavor? He swirled his tongue over the tight, heavily veined skin

encasing Tain‟s balls. Sweaty and salty and absolutely divine. Tain was, without a

doubt, made to suit his every desire. He looked up at the young man who had locked

his fingers together behind his head as he slowly covered the tip of Tain‟s cock with his

lips.

“Oh, fuck me,” Tain drawled out.

Kyle knew Tain was swearing rather than making a request. He kept his eyes

locked on Tain‟s as he took the young man‟s cock deeper. He bobbed his head, using

nothing but his lips to caress the soft skin of his erection.

“Cock-tease,” Tain accused. One of his hands journeyed over his sculpted chest

to pluck at his nipples. “An old guy like you, you must be able to suck me better than

that.”

Chuckling, Kyle tickled the ridge around Tain‟s cock head with the tip of his

tongue. He applied a little bit of suction but didn‟t take him too deep or increase his

tree-sap-in-winter pace.

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Kyle brought his hands up to place them on Tain‟s hips. Tain lowered his hands,

covered Kyle‟s with them. Their fingers twined together in a way that was far more

intimate than the sexual act he performed. Holding on tight, Kyle closed his eyes and let

himself absorb the pleasure of finally having Tain‟s cock in his mouth.

Almost subconsciously, he increased his stimulation. Deeper pulls, using both

lips and teeth. Moving faster over the length of Tain‟s erection. Groaning softly when a

fresh pearl of pre-cum landed on his tongue.

Tain rocked under his hands. He let the young man fuck his mouth, loving how

responsive he was to every caress, every nibble, every lick.

“Suck my balls. Please,” Tain begged.

Tain‟s sac was drawn high and tight against the dancer‟s body. Kyle suckled the

sweaty skin, licked it, gently nibbled it. Then he opened his mouth wider to take one

full nut into his mouth and tug on it until Tain cried out in pleasure.

“Yes, oh, fuck yes.”

Kyle subjected the other to the same treatment, wishing he had more access and

something better than the car for Tain to lay on. He wasn‟t going to stop so Tain could

shuck his pants and spread his legs, but the thought gave him another idea.

Kyle brought a finger to his lips, wet it, then slid it between Tain‟s butt cheeks,

searching for his puckered hole.

“No!” Tain shouted, trying to twist away.

“Yes.” Kyle used his free hand to press on Tain‟s lower abdomen, holding him

down. His superior strength made it possible, at least for now. Tain would be quite

formidable once he was a full vampire.

His finger rimmed the hole in soft circles, bringing the sensitive nerves to life.

“No,” Tain said again, but he no longer fought the stimulation like a man

possessed.

“Let me show you how good my finger can feel.”

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“No.” This time it was little more than a moan as Kyle pushed and drove his

finger in to the first knuckle. He waited for Tain to take a deep breath, then he pushed

again until his finger passed through the tight ring of muscle.

Tain wiggled a bit, squeezed his internal muscles, then wiggled a bit more. “That

feels… weird.”

“Just wait. It gets better.”

Kyle waited for Tain to adjust to the new sensations, then probed more deeply.

He stretched the muscle and tissue, preparing Tain to accept more of him. The time

spent to open him up correctly now would make claiming him much easier on them

both when his haste to bury himself to the hilt in this glorious, firm ass might make him

less cautious.

He returned his oral attentions to Tain‟s cock, while his finger thrust in time with

his sucking. The little grunts and groans that came out of Tain‟s mouth had Kyle harder

than he could ever remember. The beauty of the moment was almost too much for Kyle

to take. Oh, how he loved this special young man. Deeply. Truly. He hadn‟t ever had

sex with someone he loved this much, and the deep emotion really did make the

experience better.

Tain thrust into Kyle‟s mouth, driving Kyle into a frantic rhythm. “Don‟t. Don‟t

stop. Ah, damn. Don‟t stop.”

Tain‟s cockhead repeatedly hit the back of Kyle‟s throat. He couldn‟t get enough

of the joy, the satisfaction, even when Tain‟s cock filled his throat.

“Coming,” Tain said through clenched teeth. “Coming, damn it.”

If Kyle ever had any doubts about their compatibility, they vanished when Tain‟s

cum splashed into his mouth. The taste of Tain was erotic in the extreme. Rich with

possibilities, the thick liquid was the stuff his life was made of. His new life.

Kyle desperately wanted to be the one to usher Tain into his new world. And

then he‟d move heaven and earth if he had to in order to convince Tain they should

remain together. As partners. As lovers. As life mates.

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“I want to touch you,” Tain murmured, sitting up even as the last tremors of his

orgasm still lingered in his limbs.

“No.” Kyle used a handkerchief from his pocket to clean his hands and mouth.

“Why not? I may not have experience in pleasing men, but being one I think I

can figure out what to do.”

Kyle kissed him softly, then angled his head so their foreheads touched. “I have

no doubt that you‟ll be a skilled lover. But right now, I‟m strong enough to take care of

both of us. Let me do that for a little while longer.”

“That‟s a bullshit answer. I want the truth.”

“That is the truth,” Kyle said, stroking Tain‟s softening cock, “It‟s also true that

you‟re not ready for me yet. Not in that way.”

“I can‟t even touch you?” Tain asked, grazing his knuckles over Kyle‟s hard

ridge still tucked beneath the jeans he wore.

Kyle sucked in a breath. “Touching is fine, fucking is not. Not yet. Soon though.”

Dear God, let it be soon. His balls were going numb from the pressure of holding back.

“But the only way I‟m going to be able to keep myself from plowing your sweet ass

before you‟re ready is for you to keep your hands off my cock. Got it?”

“Yeah, okay.” His tone indicated he didn‟t like the arrangement much, though.

That made two of them. “Good. Now get yourself together. The drive will take

us a few more hours to get to the place I have in mind, and we must be there before

sunrise.” Timing was critical, and in May, the sun didn‟t stay down for long this far

north.

“So vampires really are allergic to the sun?” Tain asked as he cleaned up and

straightened his clothes.

“Another myth born from a grain of truth. The end result is the same though. As

a full vampire, the sun will not be kind to you.” The blisters, the scarring. He‟d be able

to bathe in holy water if he wanted, but a summer tan was out of the question unless it

came from a bottle.

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“You know, I thought I was going to feel different after you touched me, but I

don‟t really.”

God, Tain was sexy. His lips were swollen from their passionate kisses, his

formidable cock spent but swelling with renewed hope under the zipper of his pants.

Kyle had to look away or they weren‟t going to be going anywhere. “It‟ll take more

than a blowjob to complete your transition.”

Tain shook his head. “I meant I‟d feel different after having sex with a man.”

“Oh.” So much was happening so quickly. Nothing was going the way he‟d

planned. He didn‟t know how Tain was managing to adapt so well. “I guess that means

who you‟re with matters more to you than their plumbing.”

“Maybe,” Tain replied, although by his tone he was far from convinced.

They got into the car and Kyle pulled out onto the road, mentally checking and

double checking each detail of his plan. He‟d come this far. There was no way he was

going to lose Tain now.

Chapter Eight

The Down Side

“What is this place?” Tain asked as they stood before a pile of crumbling rocks.

Dawn was creeping up on the horizon. They needed a place to spend the night.

A place no one else knew about, according to Kyle. But did it have to be Hotel Ruin?

“A cairn.”

“Isn‟t that like a burial mound?”

“Somewhere, but I don‟t think this is the time to discuss archeology. This one

was abandoned before it was completed.”

“And you want to spend the night, er, day here?”

“Yes.” Kyle knelt in front of the structure and removed a few of the stones.

“I‟m not so sure this is a good idea.” Tain briefly considered running, but one

look at the surrounding countryside dissuaded him.

There was no sign of human habitation on any of the green rolling hills that

hemmed them in. He could attempt to wrestle the keys from Kyle and hike to the car

they parked on an abandoned logging road. Tain didn‟t have a lot of faith in winning

that fight since he already knew Kyle possessed superior strength. So that left walking

back to the main road -- several miles -- and then waiting for another car to come along.

And who knew how long that would take. Or who would stop. Or where they‟d take

him. Even if he somehow made it back to Julia and his old life, how safe would he be?

How safe, if what Kyle said was true, would the people nearest to him be?

No, if he were brutally honest with himself, what he really wanted was to stay

with Kyle, and that annoyed the hell out of him. Kyle, if he‟d really been Callum once

upon a time, had already left him once. Why should he volunteer for another round of

pain?

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Love sucked, Tain decided. He didn‟t want to be emotionally torn to pieces again

and yet Kyle hadn‟t promised him more than a good fuck that ended in an early mid-

life crisis.

Kyle finished what he was doing and then sat up. “You‟ll have to crawl down

this tunnel -- it‟s about fifteen feet long. Watch for a drop at the end.”

“While you do what, exactly?”

“Follow you.”

“No way. I‟m not leaving you behind to close the tunnel and trap me in that

tomb.”

“It‟s not a tomb,” Kyle replied, exasperated.

“It will be if it crumbles on us or we run out of air.” Claustrophobia wasn‟t

something Tain had encountered before, but then he‟d never been asked to crawl

through a pile of rubble to some hole in the ground either.

“We don‟t have time to argue about this,” Kyle hissed.

“Then I suggest you get moving.” The only way he was going in there was if he

knew he had a way back out.

Kyle hesitated, as if he were going to insist on doing things his way, but then he

turned onto his stomach and wiggled his way through the opening he‟d made. “Try not

to kick too many loose pieces if you can help it.”

Kyle was out of sight in seconds. Tain peered into the dark, small hole where

Kyle had disappeared. Again he fought a rising fear in his chest, but managed to

convince himself that he could do whatever Kyle could do. Somehow, if Kyle could

make it through the day in there, he could too.

“Well, are you coming or what?” Kyle‟s voice floated back to him.

“I‟m not even breathing hard,” Tain said, repeating the line from the old, worn

out joke.

“You will be.”

“Promises, promises.”

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The confining space barely admitted his shoulders. He tore his shirt and scraped

some skin as his arms brushed against the rocky, earthen walls of the narrow tunnel.

Kyle‟s body was lost to him in the inky darkness even though the grunts floating back

to him indicated that he couldn‟t be more than a couple of feet ahead.

The tunnel angled downward, and Tain deduced they‟d left the outer ring of

rocks they‟d seen outside and had headed out into the field. Or rather under it. “Where

are we going?”

“You‟ll see.”

Kyle‟s voice sounded strained so Tain tried to keep a leash on his curiosity. Time

passed in that strange way it had when one was nervous. Some immeasurable time later

he heard Kyle fall with a muffled Ooof.

“You okay?” Tain called out.

“Yeah. I‟m in. A few more feet ahead of you is the end of the passage. That opens

into a big chamber. Fall over the edge of the hole, and I‟ll catch you.”

“Stay back. I‟ll handle the drop myself.”

Apparently Kyle had other ideas. As soon as Tain‟s arms hit open air, Kyle

grabbed his hands and yanked him out. The man held him up and drew his legs out so

Tain could stand, rather than fall. “You don‟t have to do everything the hard way, you

know.”

“We don‟t have to do everything your way, you know,” Tain replied mockingly.

Kyle shoved Tain against a solid wall of rock, pinning him there with his hand

on his chest. “I‟ll do whatever I must to keep you safe.”

“Right, like dying on me wasn‟t a selfish, painful thing to do.” Until the words

slipped out, Tain hadn‟t consciously accepted Kyle‟s version of the truth. Kyle and

Callum were similar in looks, but more than that they were identical in the way they

handled his attitude. Not many people could, and no one better than Callum.

Until he met Kyle.

Tain ran a hand through his hair, shaking out the dust. His gazed remained fixed

on the ground.

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“There are reasons for what I did,” Kyle said gently.

“I can‟t wait to hear them.” Tain couldn‟t keep the bitterness and hurt from his

voice.

Kyle‟s thumb grazed Tain‟s lips. His skin smelled of earth and blood. “I love you,

Tain. I wouldn‟t have left you if there had been any other way.”

He‟d never heard a man sound more emotionally raw. The vulnerability Kyle

offered shook Tain on a level he thought no one could reach. Fear at having to deal with

these new, intense feelings made him lash out. “Bullshit. You could have stayed. You

could have explained. I might have been a kid, but I fucking worshiped you. I would

have done anything you asked of me. But no more. I‟m through dancing to your tune.

I‟ll make my own choices and you can go fuck yourself for all I care.”

There was a pregnant pause where Tain could feel his former mentor practically

vibrate with repressed energy. Tain held his breath, thinking he might have finally

pushed his luck too far. But instead of striking out, Kyle retreated.

“I‟m going to let the VPA know we‟re here, and then I‟ll show you around. I

wouldn‟t advise moving too far away from that spot until I get the lights working.”

Sounds of him moving around drifted away, but Tain still heard him add, “Of course,

that decision is up to you.”

Tain was tempted to explore. So tempted. But the echo of rippling water

overcame his desire to prove he could stumble around in the dark as well as Kyle could.

After a series of mechanical whirs and beeps, Tain spotted a red sensor in the

distance. The light was small and occasionally blocked from view by what he assumed

was Kyle‟s body. Next, a few pale white lights glowed around his feet. They cropped

up in bunches, usually at knee height, to illuminate a dirt path.

As his eyes adjusted, Tain made out the contours of the space around him. They

were in a large, natural cavern. The center of it remained pitch black, but the outer edge

was ringed by the illuminated path.

Kyle circled back to Tain. “Hungry?”

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“Yeah.” For food. For answers. For a chance to ease the ache in his cock that

throbbed every time he got a whiff of Kyle‟s scent.

Kyle walked away, heading toward the center of the large chamber which was

still cloaked in the deepest black. He hunkered down, then Tain heard the sound of

splashing water indicating something was being withdrawn from a pool. His hunch

was confirmed when Kyle heaved a bundle up from the dark pit onto the ground next

to him.

“It‟s not haute cuisine, but the meal will fill you up.” Kyle said, tossing him a few

packages he‟d extracted from the bag.

Army rations. The kind of stuff that could stay ready to eat for years. Tain tore

one bag open and squeezed a bit of the contents into his mouth. The thick paste tasted

like tomato paste, but it was better than nothing.

“So, uhm,” he said, between mouthfuls, “what are you having?”

Kyle stood but didn‟t come closer. “I don‟t need to eat.”

“Riiight. Part of that vampire gig. So, you drink blood then?” Tain really hoped

not since that would mean he would figure prominently in Kyle‟s next meal.

“No, that‟s another myth.”

“So if you don‟t need to drink blood, then why did you bite me before? At your

house?”

“To get the information I needed.”

“What information?”

“A sample of your blood, so you could be registered as a potential vampire.”

“Why? So your friends would find out about me and hunt me down?” Tain

sneered. His emotions were boiling just under the surface of his control. He hadn‟t felt

so hostile since… well, since Callum had taken him on as a student. Their first year

together was hardly an easy one.

Kyle stopped and stared at him. “So I could mark you as mine. So no one else

could claim you. I did everything I could think of to protect you from those who might

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cause you harm. You may not agree with my methods, but never doubt I want only

what is best for you.”

Tain‟s life had been organized almost since birth to be the best Celtic dancer in

the world and now, if what Kyle said was true, all of that hard work and sacrifice meant

nothing. Tain was certain something was changing. He might never dance again. Being

a full vampire seemed dangerous at best. Would his life always be like this? Hiding

from people? Never letting someone get close for fear they‟d find out what he was?

“Maybe you should tell me a bit more about being a vamp, help me separate fact from

fiction.”

Kyle shrugged. “Vampirism is a genetic mutation, like I said. It gives us added

strength, heightened senses, and immunity to almost every human ailment. But there

are things we must give up in order to gain these abilities.”

Tain ripped open another pouch and didn‟t even taste the meal as he swallowed

it down. “Like what?”

“Heightened sensitivity to sunlight. UV rays will burn us to death, even with

sunscreen. Therefore, we usually stay up at night and rest during the day. And your

body will rest, whether you want to or not. When you run out of energy, it‟s lights out

so the super-charged cells can restore your body.”

“That doesn‟t sound so bad.” Now that his hunger was slaked, Tain felt more

relaxed. He stretched out his legs and leaned back against a smooth rock.

“The hard part isn‟t physical, it‟s mental. Your body is producing enough of the

right chemical combo to make the change possible. Whether or not you can live with the

consequences is really what you need to decide.”

“Why would that be a problem? Apparently enough people are strong enough to

survive as vampires or you wouldn‟t have the VPA.”

“Trust me, it takes some adjustment. That‟s why we have Vampire Hunters,

mature vampires who look for those who are ripe for the change so that they don‟t have

to go through the process alone.”

“Yeah, Marissa and her goon really wanted to help me, eh?”

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“There are rogues in the group, just like any other. They see an opportunity for

money and they take it. Once a changeling - for lack of a better term - is identified, it‟s a

race between us and them to reach the potential vamp first.”

“Is that what you do?”

Kyle shook his head. “When I left you, I went to work for the VPA as a tracker.

It‟s a paperwork job that involves finding and tracking people the Hunters turn in but

for one reason or another don‟t stick around to claim. I took the job so I could keep tabs

on you without adding you to the system, and watch the people most likely to hunt

you. When I quit, I took the supplies I‟d need to get you registered. Now I guess I‟m

unemployed,” Kyle concluded with a rueful smile.

Tain bristled at that admission. It was one thing to trust a man who knew his job.

But Kyle was only making things up as they went along. “Why should I trust you if you

haven‟t done any of this before?”

“I know what I‟m doing,” Kyle snapped. “Do you honestly think I‟d risk your

life if I thought I couldn‟t handle you? And would you really trust your life to anyone

else?”

“Why not?” Tain replied flippantly. “I‟m sure you‟ve got a woman on staff who

can get the job done.”

“I already explained why I‟m best suited to help you. Stop pretending that gay

sex is the issue.”

“Help? Maybe. For a little while. Then you‟ll leave again. Hand me over to

strangers who don‟t give a shit about me, just what I can do for them.”

In the blink of an eye, Kyle was on him. Their faces were only inches apart as

Kyle explained with deceptive softness, “I might have been dead to you since the day

the VPA helped me fake my death as Callum Lowe, but you were never more alive to

me. I watched from a distance as you became the star I always knew you could be. I

was in the audience the night you debuted as the lead in your first show. I did more to

protect you from claims of paternity and lawsuits than Julia ever did --”

“I have children?” Tain felt the air rush from his lungs, leaving him light headed.

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“No, no. Vampires, even unchanged ones, can‟t breed without medical

intervention. There‟s no biological need to reproduce when you can, in essence, live

forever.” Kyle sighed deeply and shifted, laying next to Tain now rather than hovering

over top of him. “My point is, I‟ve put a great deal of effort into keeping you alive and

relatively untroubled. I wouldn‟t rip you from your normal life now unless it was

absolutely necessary.”

“Why?” The urge to touch him, now that Kyle was so close, was overwhelming.

Tain pressed his hand against Kyle‟s dirt streaked sweater and toyed with the hem

around the v-neckline.

“Because you mean the world to me,” Kyle admitted.

Every inhalation of breath brought Tain closer to Kyle. He couldn‟t get enough of

the man. His smell, his touch, his comfort. It’s been so long since anyone’s made me feel safe,

loved, Tain thought distractedly. No one since… Callum.

“Let me help you,” Kyle said, pressing a kiss to Tain‟s temple. “Let me guide you

into becoming the vampire I know you can be, just as I helped you become the dancer

you are, the man you are.”

Tain burrowed into Kyle‟s neck, anticipation and fear and arousal buzzing

around his brain. “What do I have to do?”

Chapter Nine

From Saint to Sinner

Kyle slipped one leg between Tain‟s as the younger man curled toward him. He

raised his thigh against Tain‟s crotch, feeling the scorching length of Tain‟s cock press

against him. He didn‟t think Tain was fully aware of what his body was doing. For

now, that worked in Kyle‟s favor.

“Have sex with me,” Kyle crooned.

“What if…” Tain sighed and flexed his hips, rubbing his still-clothed cock

against Kyle‟s thigh. “What if someone comes after me? Comes here. Shouldn‟t we go

someplace safe? Like another country or something?”

“No one will disturb us.”

“But the car, the entrance…”

Kyle bit down on Tain‟s earlobe, then flicked the plump flesh with the tip of his

tongue. “My friends will see to it that the car is removed and the entrance to the cairn is

blocked.”

“What about sleep? Didn‟t you say something about having to sleep during the

day?”

Tain‟s fingers delved under his sweater, and Kyle delighted in the feel of Tain‟s

hands exploring his chest. “We sleep when we need energy and healing. Between us, I

think we‟re healthy enough to stay awake for days.”

“Days?”

“Days, nights and every hour in between.” Kyle nipped at Tain‟s lower lip.

“Your body is only half vampire at the moment. You can survive without real food, but

you‟ll feel hungry because you can‟t actually convert calories into energy anymore. I

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can feed on the raw vampire essence coming out through your skin, through sex. So

that‟s what this process is really about. My body teaching yours how to survive.”

“Through sex,” Tain repeated, sounding doubtful. Nonetheless, he shoved at

Kyle‟s sweater, pushing the thick wool up to expose Kyle‟s skin. He leaned over and

licked one flat nipple as though the urge was natural and often practiced. “There‟s no

other way?”

Rivulets of pleasure snaked through Kyle‟s body, a combination of lust and fuel,

both commodities he desperately needed. No, he mentally revised, I need Tain.

“Marissa‟s gang used fear to convert the few they deemed worthy. Anger also

seems to work for some. Anything that makes your heart race and your logic circuit

short out. Me, I prefer sex.” He ran his hand down Tain‟s back and gripped his butt.

Holding him close, Kyle lightly ground their hips together. “I‟m going to fuck you in

every way possible. Literally fuck you to death. And when you wake up again -- and I

swear you will come back -- you‟ll be a full-blooded vampire, able to survive on your

own.”

It would take years to overcome the body‟s autonomic human processes. To find

his limitations and control his new abilities so as not to draw attention to himself. To

learn the few rules that governed their society, and to decide how he wanted to reinvent

himself. Tain O‟Halleran would have to retire from the stage, but he could still spend a

few years as his old self if that‟s what he wanted.

As long as Tain made a place for him in his life, Kyle didn‟t much care what they

did -- or where. He had enough money to live on for several lifetimes, and he could

continue to monitor his business dealings from almost anywhere in the world. The

question was, would Tain still want him around when this was over? Would his mind

survive the conversion as well as his body? Kyle was pretty sure Tain could handle the

radical shift in thinking about how he lived his life, but there was always a chance

something could go wrong…

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Tain kissed him, deeply, passionately. At first Kyle was so surprised he could do

nothing but respond. Gradually he took control, then pulled away. “What was that

for?”

“Your attention was drifting. I had to do something to bring you back.”

God, the man was beautiful. The dim illumination within the cave made his grey

eyes dance with sparkling light. His long black hair, unbound, felt like silk against

Kyle‟s skin. Even dirty from crawling through the earth to reach this place, Tain

practically glowed with youth and health.

“I‟m here. I won‟t ever leave you again, I promise.”

Tain pressed a hand against his chest. “I don‟t want promises. They‟re too easily

broken. I don‟t need „em.”

“Not this one,” Kyle told him. “I‟ll prove that to you.”

In another random change of mood, Tain grinned. “You can try.”

“Have I steered you wrong yet?”

Tain chuckled. “Let‟s get through this conversion thing before I answer that,

okay?”

Tain‟s rejection of anything that smacked of an emotional tie concerned Kyle.

Kyle didn‟t like the idea of Tain shutting himself off from the rest of the world because

living alone was easier than letting himself be vulnerable. The urge to isolate would be

much stronger once he converted completely. One problem at a time, Kyle reminded

himself. “How about starting with a bath?”

Tain rolled both of them over so that he ended up sprawled upon Kyle‟s chest.

“Sorry, but I forgot to pack my portable tub.”

“I‟ll share mine.”

Kyle bucked violently, using his superhuman strength, tossing Tain into the air.

He landed with a splash in the center of the natural pool that filled the center of the

chamber.

Tain came up spluttering. “What the fuck?”

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“If we tunneled that way another couple hundred feet,” Kyle said, pointing to

the rear of the cave, “We‟d end up in the ocean. There‟s a channel in the pit you‟re in

that runs from here all the way to the deep water and keeps this pool filled even at low

tide.”

Kyle stripped before jumping in.

“Hey, I wanted to do that!” Tain said when Kyle‟s head broke the surface.

“Undress me or throw me in the pool?” Kyle asked politely, treading water.

Tain grinned widely. “Both.”

“Well then, I guess my punishment should be to remove yours too.”

Kyle swam over to him and wrestled with the leather. The sturdy fabric didn‟t

come off easily, and Tain frequently got dunked in the process. They tussled under the

water as a result, the first step in the mating ritual Kyle had in mind… wrestling Tain

into submission.

Finally the pants and shirt were removed, cast onto the path beside the natural

pool. While standing on a rocky, submerged ledge near the edge, Kyle gripped Tain

around the waist and pulled their bodies together. They were both hard, panting and

slightly chilled.

Tain stretched and arched backward, laying upon the surface of the water. His

legs came up to lock loosely around Kyle‟s waist. With one hand Kyle supported Tain‟s

muscular ass, with the other he roamed the dancer‟s body, feeling the ridges and

valleys formed by years of training.

Tain pretended to be unaffected, but the lusty twitching of his cock belied him.

Finally Kyle could resist no longer, and he took the throbbing organ in his hand. The

water provided lubrication as his hand slowly stroked the sensitive skin.

Tain‟s continued to float with his hands stretched out behind his head, bracing

himself on the rocks at the edge of the pool.

Kyle stroked a little faster. Tain‟s shaft had hardened under his ministrations,

and Kyle knew that the hormones now entering Tain‟s veins would be sending an

urgent demand for release. Soon he would have to do no more than breathe over the tip

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of Tain‟s cock to trigger a climax. Again and again he would draw semen, full of raw

vampire energy to sustain himself from Tain‟s body until Tain learned to harness the

energy in his blood and use it for himself.

“There‟s no reason to hold back,” Kyle told him.

“No reason to hurry either,” Tain shot back.

“Scared?”

“Not really. I just don‟t see the need to hurry things along.”

To Kyle‟s way of thinking, he‟s been holding back long enough.

Let’s see how long you can hold out against this… He grabbed Tain‟s hips and jerked

him down, spearing him on his cock. Tain bent forward to grip Kyle‟s shoulders and

howled as his cock penetrated Tain‟s virgin hole.

“Fuck, that burns.”

“Relax, and it‟ll go easier.”

“How about you fucking stop?”

“Wait a minute and then tell me if you still want me to stop.” Kyle knew the pain

would soon be overcome by pleasure. He also knew Tain feared this kind of intimacy

and would stall forever if Kyle let him. Tain‟s legendary strings of one-night stands

proved he didn‟t want romance in his life. Like so many other things in the young

man‟s life, that was going to have to change. He might as well start getting used to the

idea that love didn‟t always mean goodbye.

Kyle pinched Tain‟s ass, hard, and the younger man jumped in his arms. Kyle

tightened his grip with one arm, and then pinched Tain again. The tense and release of

his buttocks allowed Kyle‟s cock to claim another few inches of virgin territory.

“That‟s enough,” Tain ground out. “I can‟t take any more of your fat cock.”

“I love you. I‟ll do anything in my power to make you happy,” Kyle told him,

nibbling Tain‟s neck. “Stop fighting me and let me prove it.”

“Ripping a new hole in my ass doesn‟t make me very happy,” Tain said dryly.

However, he had stopped wiggling.

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“You‟re afraid, not hurt.” With Tain in his arms, his legs around Kyle‟s waist,

Kyle‟s cock deeply buried inside him, the peace and pleasure of the moment filled his

heart with hope that things would turn out all right, for both of them. He skimmed his

hand up the dancer‟s back and kissed his lips, pouring all the gentleness and love he felt

into the act.

Tain fell silent as Kyle started rocking his hips. He followed the rhythm of the

wide open ocean, slowly, gently building their pleasure. Tain‟s cock -- which had never

gone completely soft -- started to rise again. Kyle moved a little faster, rubbing the head

of his cock over the spongy bump in Tain‟s passage. He knew he‟d found the right place

when Tain let out a soft moan.

“That‟s it, baby. Feels good to me, too.”

There was a perceptible, almost audible click as Tain‟s mind shut down to

everything but the input of pleasure. “Can you move a little faster?”

Kyle buried his laugh in Tain‟s shoulder and picked up the pace. It wasn‟t long

before Tain took over, fucking himself on Kyle‟s shaft. Tain‟s fingers dug into Kyle‟s

skin, hard enough to bruise. “Oh, man. Oh, fuck.”

This first orgasm was going to strike hard and fast. Kyle used one fist to stroke

Tain‟s cock. Pre-cum bubbled up from the slit. Kyle wished he could run his tongue

over his gorgeous plump head, but that treat had to wait. “Come for me, Tain. I need

you to come for me.”

“Yeah… gotta… almost… ahhh!”

Kyle groaned as Tain‟s ass squeezed him in a vise-like grip. Pearls of steamy hot

cum splashed against both their chests. A second burst of milky white fluid hit Kyle

under the chin, and then Tain‟s muscles quivered and released.

The dancer kept enough of a grip on Kyle‟s shoulders to stay within his embrace.

Kyle stroked his back in long, languid caresses. “Tell me you didn‟t enjoy that, and I‟ll

call you a liar.”

Chapter Ten

Dying, To Live

Two days later, or so he guessed, Tain had passed exhaustion. He‟d passed

apathy and anger and excitement and fear. Now, full of determination and desire, his

eyes glowed red, the last sign, Kyle had told him, before his body jumped the final

hurdle. Dying, to live.

There were times death -- the human kind -- would have been preferable to

soldiering on. Kyle endlessly gave him the courage to take the next step. It would all be

so fucking perfect between the two of them if it weren‟t for one thing… submission.

Tain was the younger vampire, the novice. It would be easy to let Kyle control

every aspect of his new life as the experienced vampire seemed prepared to do. Easy,

and boring. Tain now appreciated the efforts Kyle had gone through to see to his needs,

but it left him with a feeling of helplessness. He wanted to control his destiny, needed

it. And Kyle refused to yield the role of protector.

Well, that was going to have to change, or there‟d be no future for them. Once

more, Tain tried to make Kyle understand. “I‟m nearly there. This time when we have

sex, it‟s going to be the last time, isn‟t it?”

Kyle woke from a light doze and gazed into his eyes. “I believe so, yes.”

“Can I decide how we do it?”

Something in his tone must have made Kyle wary. He sat up, so they could be on

the same level. “What did you have in mind?”

“When I come…” When I die… “I want to be inside you.” He had always taken

the bottom position and Kyle made sure he enjoyed it. But all requests to top the older

man were denied, as if Tain couldn‟t be trusted. Just this once, during what could turn

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out to be their last time if his body reacted badly, he wanted to make love to Kyle as an

equal.

Kyle considered his request for a few moments, then asked, “Why?”

“You‟ve had my ass so many times your cock uses it as a forwarding address. It‟s

only fair that I get a turn at yours.”

“Nice sales pitch, but not going to happen. Not for that reason anyway.”

Well, shit. Tain took a deep breath, then met Kyle‟s steady gaze and let the words

rush out. “When I die, I want to feel you all around me. If I don‟t… wake up… I want

my last memory, our last memory, to be of me pouring my love into you.”

Kyle leaned forward and gripped his face with both hands. “Listen to me well,

Tain O‟Halloran. You will wake. And when you do, we are going to start a long and

happy after-life together. Got it?”

“Got it,” Tain replied, because that was the expected answer. Ninety-nine

percent of him believed what Kyle said was true. But that one percent of doubt made

him press for an answer to his request. “Please, Kyle. Please do this my way.”

Tain sealed his lips to Kyle‟s so he couldn‟t say no. Using the superior strength

he gained by the second, he pushed Kyle onto his back. He straddled Kyle‟s hips, still

kissing him with aching tenderness. Their cocks flexed and pulsed in tandem. Tain was

already hard and desperate for release, but such physical need came second to his

desire to be inside his lover.

He reached between their bodies and wrapped his hand around both erections,

stroking them in time with the thrust of his tongue into the warm and welcoming

cavern of Kyle‟s mouth. Below him, Kyle moaned and flexed his hips upward, keeping

their rhythm steady. His hands skimmed down Tain‟s back.

The fluid leaking from the heads of their cocks mingled in copious amounts. He

let his fingers curl around Kyle‟s balls on the downstroke. Tain recalled the flavor of

them, how the smooth, veined skin felt against his tongue. Kyle had hidden nothing

from him, allowing Tain to openly explore his body. Except for the one place Tain now

yearned to go…

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Kyle broke away from his mouth. “You make a convincing argument.”

“Is that a yes?”

Kyle‟s brown eyes blazed with passion and love. “Do it.”

Tain stretched out his hand for the tube of lube they kept at the edge of the pool.

He applied a liberal amount of the clear gel between the crack of Kyle‟s ass. Kyle helped

by spreading a generous dollop over Tain‟s cock. The man was so good with his fingers

that Tain felt the first tremors of orgasm approaching. He had to pull out of Kyle‟s grip

or risk spilling his seed too soon.

Kyle chuckled knowingly, and Tain swatted him. “No fair cheating me out of

this.”

“I thought I was helping.”

“If you want to be helpful, then spread your legs and give me some room.”

Obediently, Kyle raised his knees and rested his head on a rock where he could

watch as their bodies joined together. Tain crawled between them, lining up the head of

his shaft with Kyle‟s opening. He‟d seen that opening before, even thrust his tongue

into Kyle‟s hole a few times. But the reality of what he was about to do made him

tremble.

Kyle put a steadying hand against his chest. “Do it,” he urged softly.

“I don‟t want to hurt you.”

“You can‟t. Not really. You should know that by now.”

Tain did, but still he hesitated. This was it. There would be no turning back. Was

he really ready to be a vampire?

As he had done so many times before, Kyle coached him through the steps. Now,

at the last moment, he was still there, still holding Tain‟s hand and giving him the

support he needed to go on.

“Come and get me, baby. I‟ll be waiting for you on the other side.”

Tain‟s eyes locked on those of the man he loved more than his own life. With

some effort, Tain pushed his cock inside the older man. Kyle gasped as the tight ring of

muscle spasmed open to let him in. Tain now knew exactly what Kyle would be feeling.

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The slight burn, the sudden fullness, the tightening of his muscles. As Kyle had done

for him so many times, he flexed his hips in shallow, slow thrusts to give his lover time

to adjust to the flood of sensations.

Everything about this experience was different from sex with any of the women

he‟d had over the years, not only because his vampire DNA was about to irrevocably

claim him, but the feel of the man under him, the heat that gripped his cock… There

simply was no comparison. Sex with Kyle satisfied him in ways he never knew he

craved. This was where he was always meant to be. With Kyle.

Electric pulses raced up and down Tain‟s spine. They‟d been creeping up on him

during the last few orgasms, but now they were powerful shockwaves. Sweat

evaporated from his hot skin almost as soon as it formed. He felt the tremendous forces

at work inside himself, and still he moved slowly, claiming Kyle inch by delicious inch.

“That‟s it, baby. I want all of you. Fill my ass.”

Tain pushed against the backs of Kyle‟s thighs, spreading him wider. With a cry

of longing, he plunged deep into Kyle‟s body until his balls smacked against Kyle‟s ass.

Kyle‟s hands roamed over him, his kisses dotting Tain‟s neck. Heaven couldn‟t feel any

better, Tain decided. Surrounded by Kyle‟s body, his love, there was only serenity in

Tain‟s heart.

His body automatically adopted the heavy, pounding rhythm of mating it knew

so well. The beat of the Celtic music he‟d spent most of his life dancing to pounded

through his veins, only now there was a new quality to the notes that he hadn‟t noticed

before. The melody seemed to be a part of the pattern of life… and it was leading him

through the steps to immortality.

“Open yourself up, Tain, and let the process take over. Accept what is happening

as you have accepted me.”

His cock surging in and out of Kyle‟s ass heated the fire in his blood until the

burn became almost too painful to bear. The physical changes seared him from the

inside out, but somehow Tain knew this was the way it should be and so he kept going.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 74 -

Riding the cresting wave of orgasm, Tain watched Kyle stroking his own shaft.

He bucked up to meet him thrust for thrust. Their duet of long, rumbling moans echoed

back to them from the cavern‟s walls. Tain was so close to the edge. If he could get one

more little push…

Kyle came with a roar. He convulsed, squeezing Tain‟s cock with the strength of

a python. Power rippled from Kyle in golden waves, slamming into Tain‟s chest again

and again. His cum showered upon both of them like pearlescent rain.

“Now, Tain. Come for me. Come for us.”

He welcomed the surging forces at work within him, let them change him. He

soaked up the sensations body, mind, and soul. Let them strip away the last shreds of

his humanity and reveal the vampire inside.

What he was experiencing wasn‟t just a sexual release, it was a volcanic

explosion of energy that erupted from the very core of his being. Ribbons of white hot

flame sizzled along his nerves, setting them ablaze. His balls seized, expelling the

seminal fluid which contained the last remnants of his human DNA. The agonizing

pain was then eclipsed by a blinding pleasure and Tain writhed in ecstasy. The pleasure

was too much for his heart to stand. The huge muscle shuddered in its rhythm…

It stopped.

His heart started again, only to be tripped up by another cresting wave of potent

energy, hitting him square in the chest…

Then it stopped again… cold, lifeless, dead.

And Tain knew nothing but darkness.

Nothing but peace…

Nothing but…

He opened his eyes and stared back at the man cradling him, his brown eyes

filled with concern and love. “Kyle.”

Epilogue

Two weeks later

Tain bowed to the audience for the last time, then bounded off the stage and into

the arms of the people who had been his surrogate family for the last two years. He was

passed from person to person, offering hugs, advice and good-natured insults with a

generosity he‟d rarely displayed in the past. More often than not, he got tears in return,

and Tain was stunned to find a bit of sadness in his heart too. While he might not miss

the daily grind of a dancer‟s life, the publicity and the constant demands for special

favors, there were a few good people here he wanted to keep with him for eternity.

Julia waited for him at the end of the line. “I‟m not going to miss having to nag

your crabby ass,” she informed him through a throat choked with emotion.

“You will miss my ass though.” He smiled cheekily.

“Oh, shut up,” she said, embracing him.

He held her gently, letting her weep on his shoulder. Over the heavy scent of her

perfume, he could smell the distinct, individual odors of the other dances and crew. He

heard half a dozen VIPs chatting in front of the stage, the repeated flush of the toilets

near the lobby, the sounds of lights and rigging already being dismantled for packing.

All the sensory input would have been overwhelming, if not for the one thing that

comforted him above all others.

Kyle‟s presence in the shadows just beyond the backstage curtains.

He was certainly no longer Callum Lowe, the man Tain had trusted as a mentor

and then mourned for so many years. And while Kyle still had the uncanny ability to

read his mind like his dedicated fan had, he was no longer that person to Tain either.

Who Kyle was, what he was, was an enigma. Tain looked forward to unraveling his

mysteries over the next several decades.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 76 -

“Are you sure I can‟t talk you out of this?” Julia asked for the hundredth time

since he‟d announced he wouldn‟t be returning for the third season.

“Positive. Sorry.”

She edged back from him, subjecting him to a long, thorough study. “Does it

have anything to do with Kyle Lohan? If he‟s threatening you in any way…”

“I‟m ready to retire. That‟s all,” Tain assured her.

“I‟ve gotten a lot of calls about you lately. Your career is really heating up. How

can you walk away from all of it now?”

Tain shook his head, amused. If Julia only knew how many of those calls were

from vampires who could find no other way to contact him. Some wanted to welcome

him, others wanted to possess him as if he were a shiny new toy to play with. None of

the offers he‟d received interested him more than just being with Kyle. “This is what I

want, Jules. Maybe someday I‟ll feel compelled to return to the stage, but right now I

want a break from the spotlight.”

After muttering a few more protests and extracting a promise from him to attend

the end of the season gala, she dashed off to corner the man who would take his place.

Tain chuckled at his replacement‟s deer-in-the-headlights look, and then felt a

pair of brawny arms surround his waist. He leaned back against the broad chest at his

back, letting Kyle‟s presence surround him. “Are you sure about this? You‟re giving up

a lot.”

Tain turned in Kyle‟s arms, relishing the slight tingle in his balls he got whenever

Kyle was near. “Tired of me already?”

“Never,” Kyle said fiercely.

Tain nipped his lover‟s bottom lip with his teeth. “Then stop asking stupid

questions. I know what I‟m doing.” Tain led him through the back corridors to his

dressing room, filled with roses and other gifts from fans and friends.

“Headstrong imp,” Kyle said, teasingly.

“Nervous old goat.” Tain pushed him backward into the room, toppling him

over onto the pile of pillows he‟d arranged before taking the stage for the last time.

Kira Stone

Immortal Steps

- 77 -

“Reckless brat.”

Tain locked the door behind him, then started stripping off his sweat soaked

costume. “Brat? I‟m no child. We agreed we‟d be equals in this relationship,

remember?”

“I‟m still older and wiser,” Kyle replied. He reclined with his hands behind his

head to watch Tain undress.

“Which makes me younger and more agile.” His mind had already fast-

forwarded to what Kyle would look like spread out on a blanket of loose petals, naked

and writhing as he led his lover in a horizontal dance as old as time. His cock thickened,

and soon the special aroma of arousal perfumed the air.

“I admit you‟re one sexy beast, but there are still a few things I can teach you

about being a vampire.”

Once those words would have scared Tain senseless. Had it only been a few

weeks ago?

Tain pounced on Kyle with a low growl. “Come on then. Teach me. I‟m eager to

learn.”

Kyle did, and Julia had to knock twice before Tain was willing to emerge. While

there was a little sadness in his heart when he left his dressing room for the last time, he

had no regrets. He was starting a new adventure, with all the time in the world to

master the immortal steps of a vampire‟s tune.

Kira Stone

Kira Stone lives in a warm, many-chambered cave tucked away in the Scottish

Highlands. A small band of ever-changing heroes keeps her company. As they relax in

front of a roaring fire, devils dance and angels sing her bawdy songs. Faerie folk often

stop in for a cup of mulled wine and to listen to her spin a yarn or two. And when

daylight turns to dusk, together they somehow find a way to keep the cold, uncaring

world at bay for another night…

Okay, maybe not. LOL. When Kira isn‟t living in a fantasy world, she‟s writing

about one from her ordinary house in Ohio with a few feline companions (who don‟t

sing nearly as well as the angels do). Is it any wonder she prefers the cave? You can

check out Kira‟s website at http://www.kirastonebooks.com, or join her Yahoo! group

at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kirastonebooks.