Page 27

Carson opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Alienation burned in his chest. Drew had been more than a boss; he’d been a friend. Now that bridge was crumbling into dust.

“I’m sorry,” he finally managed, voice hoarse. “I’ll clear my desk.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll be back.” Drew’s shoulders sagged. “Just get your life back, Carson. Before there’s nothing left.”

***

Mathias found him hours later in the apartment, surrounded by half-packed boxes and the wreckage of a human life. Carson sat on the couch, head in his hands, the tremors worse in the silence.

“I nearly lost it all today,” Carson told him as Mathias knelt in front of him, cool hands framing his face. “Work. Drew. The last normal thing I had.”

Mathias pulled him close, strong arms banding around him with possessive tenderness. “I remember what it was like to lose everything,” he murmured, voice a low satin rumble threaded with gravel. “Before the bite, I was just a man on foot, heading home from swing shift. Factory work. Grease under my nails, dreams no bigger than a decent paycheck and maybe a partner who wouldn’t mind my rough hands. I had a sister—younger, bright as the sun I can no longer bear. Promised I’d send for her once I got settled. Never got the chance. Woke up burned and changed, and everything human slipped away. The guilt of what I became nearly drove me to the sun more than once.”

Carson lifted his head, gaze searching deeply as Mathias stared back. The vulnerability he found there cracked Mathias’ usual iron control, laying bare something raw and unguarded that went far deeper than any feeding. The air between them felt charged, thick with unspoken need.

“You gave up everything too,” Carson said, voice rough.

Mathias’ thumb brushed slowly across Carson’s lower lip, the callused pad slightly rough against the sensitive skin. The simple touch sent a shiver racing down Carson’s spine. “For survival,” Mathias murmured, the rasp in his voice softer now, threaded with old pain. “For them.” He leaned in, cool breath ghosting warm skin. “But with you, I want something beyond survival. Something real.”

They moved to the bed slowly, deliberately, every step heavy with intention. Mathias’ hands were reverent as he stripped them both, fingers sliding under fabric, peeling it away with aching care. The contrast of Mathias’ chilled skin meeting Carson’s fevered warmth was electric, raising gooseflesh wherever they touched. The faint scent of spice and musk clung to Mathias, mixing with the clean, familiar smell of Carson’s sheets and the lingering trace of arousal in the air.

“Safe tonight,” Mathias vowed, voice low and solemn as he guided Carson down onto the mattress. “No blood. No feeding. Just us.”

Mathias settled over him, bodies aligning in perfect fusion. They kissed deeply, slowly, hands exploring without urgency. Rough palms mapped Carson’s chest, thumbs circling nipples until they peaked. Carson arched, fingers threading through dark hair, pulling Mathias closer. Hips rolled in a gentle rhythm, cocks sliding together in slick friction, pleasure building in warm waves rather than shattering peaks.

For a time, it worked. The bond hummed softly, emotional depth wrapping around them like a cocoon. Mathias murmured memories between kisses—his sister’s laugh, the daytime scent of summer fields, the simple joy of a cold beer after a long shift. Carson shared fragments of his own lost life, the swipe-right emptiness, the yearning for something true.

But Carson’s body rebelled. The quivering need surged, cravings clawing through the safe barrier like invisible talons. Tremors turned to convulsive shudders that rattled his bones. His hips jerked harder, demanding more. Sweat broke out across his skin as the safe, gentle pleasure twisted into something sharper, hungrier.

“Mathias,” Carson pleaded. “Please. I need it. The high. Just a taste—”

Mathias groaned, resistance fracturing. “Carson—”

The relapse was inevitable and devastating. Fangs grazed Carson’s throat, sinking shallow as Mathias thrust deep inside him in one powerful stroke. Ecstatic union overtook them—bodies fusing completely, Mathias’ fingers dug in, pinning Carson in place. He stiffened, a metallic tang flooding his senses. The high crashed over them in shattering waves as a powerful orgasm ripped through Carson with blinding intensity, his body clenching tight around Mathias as the vampire drank and gave in equal measure.

In the trembling aftermath, they lay tangled, sweat and blood and seed mingling. Mathias held him with desperate tenderness, heart beating strong against Carson’s chest.

“I can’t stay away from you,” Mathias whispered. “And you can’t stay away from this.”

Carson clung tighter, the emotional depth of shared memories now braided with the ruinous ecstasy. His human life lay in wreckage, but here, in Mathias’ arms, he felt devastatingly whole.

The barriers were broken. There was no going back.

The craving was still there—sharp, familiar, almost comforting—but it no longer arrived alone. Behind it sat the knowledge Mathias had given him of the slow erasure of Renfieldism, the ritual that could kill him, the sun that grew louder because of what they were. Carson felt the weight of all three and still reached for Mathias anyway.

***

Mathias

Carson sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. The high from earlier still lingered in his blood—Mathias could scent it—but his eyes were clearer than they had been in weeks.

“I need the rest of it,” Carson said quietly. “Not the pieces. All of it.”

Mathias remained standing for a moment longer, then crossed the room and crouched in front of him so they were level.

“You already know what I am,” he said. “You’ve felt it. What you don’t fully understand is what the bond is doing to both of us.”

Carson waited.