“Which is…” Justice baited.
Orion stood, his eyes alight with magic. “You, Justice, are the alpha, who started it all, and I… am the omega.”
“The end is here, brothers,” Taleb told them.
Macauley held Adres’s hand as the worry and emotion of what he’d gone through to save Orion that day bled into his mind. There had been so much darkness and rage in his mate back then, yet he hadn’t been able to leave a hurt pup to die alone amongst carnage.
He wanted to pull Adres onto his lap and enfold him in his arms, but he would not humiliate his strong mate in front of everyone. Instead, he eased the sensation of his tight embrace inside him, and Adres released a quiet sigh as he leaned towards him.
“So, what does this mean?” Farica glanced back and forth between Orion and Justice. “What do we do?”
“We power through with the plan.” Justice didn’t hesitate as he took Wick’s hand. “We continue to unite the species as the prophesy tells us.”
“My people are starving, please. We have to move forward.”
“We need to proceed with the blood drive,” Justice demanded. “Vampires have been saving us for centuries, it is far time we return the favor. The prophesy is centered around karma. It is time that we do unto others, as the vampires have done for us.”
Orion nodded as if he agreed, then glanced in Adres and Macauley’s direction. “When evil comes for us, do not fear… this time our warrior will be ready.”
“It’s still early,” Macauley told Adres on their way home. “You want to read a book while I watch some more episodes of the Days of Adres’s Lives?”
“Of… what?”
Macauley chuckled, then waved off the question. “Never mind. It was a soap opera my mother used to love.”
“And that was the title?”
Macauley shook his head at his clueless mate. “Forget about the name. Let me watch some more.”
Adres pushed his hood off his head, his dark hair getting longer and curling at the ends. His mate gave him an exasperated sigh of air. “Are you not tired of watching scenes from my life yet, young wolf? I thought you would have surely lost interest by now.”
Macauley tugged on the wide cuff of Adres’s sleeve until he stopped walking. He pulled him behind a row of bushes so they could have a sliver of privacy. “How could I, when there is so much to see?”
Adres still had his duties to fulfill as the Lord of Arms, and over the past two weeks, Macauley had assembled a team to get the pack lands ready for their huge blood drive tomorrow night, so their free time had been limited. But when they were together, Macauley found a far more exciting way to pass the time between their lovemaking. And since Adres did not care for television, his mate would read an old book while Macauley would settle into one of his memories and relive it, experiencing every emotion that lay within. It was the fastest, easiest way to get to know his new life partner and his millennia of tales.
He had watched Adres fight battles in faraway lands, in colosseums, and packed arenas, beside giants and beasts not known of this world. He had watched him avenge the betrayed and protect the weak. His mate was deadly in battle and merciless to his enemies. And over time, after much brutality, Macauley had learned just why Adres’s name was so legendary.
He also saw when Adres had fought the sorcerer of strife… and lost. Macauley had felt the excruciating pain as if it was his own when the evil shadowed Adres’s light. When he was done watching, he’d sworn to his mate that he would never fight alone again.
Macauley cupped Adres’s stubbled chin and tilted his head up so he could claim his mouth. Adres moaned when Macauley ran his tongue over one of his fangs, causing his blood to pump faster.
“You want my bite just as badly as I want yours,” Adres whispered into his mouth, licking his tongue out to tease his.
He slipped his hands beneath Adres’s long cloak and squeezed his ass through his thin pants. Adres had grown to enjoy kissing him, especially when Macauley added a hint of blood with it.
“Yeah,” he agreed to whatever Adres said as razor-sharp teeth grazed over his throat. “Mmm, bite.”
“No,” Adres teased, nipping him over his rapidly beating pulse.
Macauley yanked Adres hard into him, pressing his bulge into his pelvis. “Are you telling me no?”
He could feel the rush of excitement that slammed into Adres’s chest.
“Never, beloved.”
“Then bite.” Macauley pulled at Adres’s elastic waistband, wanting to feel his skin.
“But…” Adres sucked on his throat. “I want you inside me, first.”
Macauley’s dick leaked, liking that idea.
“My gods, you two. Not in front of the children.”
Adres jerked out of Macauley’s grasp so hard at the sound of Aleksei’s voice that he almost tripped over the tail of his robe. Or maybe it was the fifteen or so kids that were standing on the other side of the hedges, gawking at them. Either way, Macauley didn’t overreact as much as his mate did.