Epilogue

Two months later.

HAYDEN

I’m buzzing, every inch of me on fire as we spill out into the rink. The crowd explodes, screaming and shouting. Signs are waved around, jerseys are held up high. It’s like I’ve walked into a battlefield or a Roman arena. The air crackles with energy, pumping more adrenaline into my blood.

“Okay guys, this is it!” Coach shouts over the commotion, his eyes shining with excitement. “This may be a charity match, but there are agents from the top ten teams. This is your chance. Play like you’ve never played before. Make me proud!”

We roar in agreement as the beep goes off. It’s time. My nerves dance as I take my position, squeezing my stick. Nick gets ready for the faceoff. Park glares at me from the other side, but nods his head. We are a team for the next hour and a half. I have his back, he has mine. Things have been… better lately, our animosity mostly contained in light scuffles now and then. All because of me. I blame Leander for it; he’s been fucking the hotheadedness out of me every time before practice.

Time slows down. The crowd is still yelling, chaos reigning around me. But among that chaos I feel it, the flicker of order. The anchor, the beacon calling out to me. My mate, here to witness the most important moment of my life. Here to support me.

My eyes cut to him, locating him as if they know exactly where to look. His emerald green gaze is blazing, locked on me. He’s wearing my practice jersey and pants. No underwear. He’s my prize and we both know it.

I take a deep breath, momentarily overwhelmed by everything. I can’t believe I’m here. Tonight, everything changes. I will make history for myself. Because I will win. I will prove to myself and everyone that I have it in me to be one of those stars at the very top. I know it in my bones, in every fiber of my being. And Leander’s here to witness it. He’s here for me. I am not alone. I have him in my corner, at my side, his presence reaching out to mine in a boost of adrenaline and euphoria.

The referee prepares the puck. I flex my muscles.

“You got this,” Leander mouths, his voice clear and confident in my head.

I nod, tearing my eyes from him. The chill of the ice crashes into the heated skin of my face. I revel in it, let it engulf me. For the next hour, the rink is all that matters. I am one with my stick, a hunting hound with one single objective—to win. The black disc is my weapon and the net is my target. Nothing else matters, only the game. Only my teammates, Park included.

My muscles flex and tense, my legs ready. The beep sounds again. Nick clashes with the opponent. The puck flies past the enemy’s blue line. I bolt after it, Park on my heel. I’m the first one to reach it and get control of it but a mountain of a Gators’ player rushes toward me.

“I got you, Johnson!” Park screams, pushing past a snarling defenseman.

I grit my teeth. Not how I wanted to start the game, there goes my flashy play. But I also want to win. And there is no way I can take on this giant and come out on top. So, squeezing my stick as my head swims with possibilities, I fake out a strike toward the net and send the puck at the irritating redhead.

Park grins, pivoting to the left as he snatches the puck with his stick blade. The guy who was headed my way grunts, spinning away as his target changes. But he’s too late, Park’s already at the net, sending the little disc right past the goalie.

The beep screams, the crowd follows. I bump my shoulder into my right winger and get back to the middle of the rink. The puck slides into our side this time, the Gators’ offensive lineup bulldozing through our defense. It all comes down to Jimmy, who’s guarding our net like his life depends on it.

He stops the attack. We cheer. And then we are back at it, this time the Gators scoring a hit. It’s a back and forth after that, a change in lineup coming toward the end of the first period. I haven’t scored anything yet. My nerves are on edge and my head is throbbing. I want to win. But it’s useless to me if I can’t showcase my ability. I need that flashy goal that was stolen from me at the start of the game. I need to prove that I am one of the best players on the ice tonight.

Tapping on the glass above me snatches my attention. I twist around to see who it is. A boy who can’t be older than ten shoots a toothy smile at me, holding a handmade sign that reads ‘Go Scarecrows, Johnson is the best’. I’m dead. My blood boils. Grinning back at the kid, I give him the thumbs up.

It’s torture waiting for my turn on the ice. I don’t get it until the half point of the second period. The Gators have a lead of three points, but that’s fine. I’m about to annihilate it. Buzzing, I meet Leander’s gaze again for a heartbeat, then get in position. I’ve got this.

The beep rings and the puck flies toward me. I snatch it, sending it forward. It crosses the line, headed right for the Gators’ defender. I don’t let it escape me. I pick up speed and get hold of it, slipping past the opposing player with a flawlessly executed spin away.

It’s just me and the Gators’ goalie now, his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched.

This is my chance. I’m scoring, no matter what.

Winding up my shot as I approach the goal line, I drop my shoulder and pull back a little while retaining control of the puck. The goalkeeper prepares, his eyes on the puck. At the last moment, I cut across to the opposite side of the net, changing the stick to my other hand.

He doesn’t get the chance to react. I’m too fast, the black disc tucked into the net before he’s managed to blink.

Cheers erupt around me, pride swelling in my chest. I’m good. I can be one of the best. The ice is my realm, the stick an extension of my body. A weapon that’s part of me.

Panting, I get ready again. Two more goals happen before the break, both courtesy of me. The third period is wild, though I don’t get to play until the very end. Coach knows he can count on me, so he keeps me for last. I don’t disappoint. He subs me in during a power play after one of the Gators’ wings trips Park, sending him sprawling on the ice. The snort and the pat on the back I give my red-headed teammate has him fuming.

The last ten minutes are super intense, everyone doing their best to tip the scales in their favor. But I don’t allow it, scoring another beautiful goal and solidifying our lead, so a comeback is unlikely.

Coach is beyond himself when the beep marks the end of the game, the crowd chanting ‘Tampa Scarecrows’ like we are their gods. It feels good, my heart pumping and my body buzzing like it’s about to burst.

“I knew you had it in you!” Nick yells, hugging me with his big arms. The rest of the guys join in, turning it into a full-team embrace.

We rush to the locker rooms, red-faced and panting. A quick shower and I’m changing, vibrating with the need to find Leander while the room rings with conversation and cheering. I’m sure he is so proud of me. That he’s buzzing as much as I am. This was probably my best game ever.

A throat clears, halting the commotion. We all turn toward the door, where Coach is leaning his shoulder against the frame.

“Johnson,” he says in a stern and authoritative voice, his face serious.

My stomach sloshes, swimming with nerves. “Yes?”

“There’s someone who wants to talk to you. He’s in the conference room upstairs.” His grin breaks through. “Don’t make him wait. I hear the Crows are not the most patient folks.”

Holy fucking shit. “No fucking way.”

“Yes fucking way, Johnson. Now get your pants on and meet me at the stairs.”

I salute Coach, shooting up from the bench. “Sir, yes, sir!”

Five minutes later, I’m sitting across a guy in a suit, his deep voice droning on about how impressed he was with my plays and that he would like to meet next week so we can discuss the Crows’ interest in acquiring me.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Hayden. I look forward to next week,” he says, shaking my hand with a smile.

“You did it, Johnson,” Coach cheers, bumping me on the arm with his fist. “I’m proud of you. You did good these past two months, really. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but I’m glad you and Park made it work.”

I snort internally. It was mostly me and mostly due to Leander, but I’ll let Coach believe what he wants. It doesn’t matter to me anyway. Very soon, I won’t even have to see Park’s annoying mug anymore. I’ll miss Nick, though. I know he’ll get scouted in no time, but not having him on my team will be a little weird.

“Oh.” Coach pauses at the door, turning to face me. “Leander’s waiting for you in the parking lot. Told me to send you straight there after we’re done. You aren’t joining us for the post-game celebrations, by the sounds of things.”

The hair on my neck stands, a thrill rushing down my spine to my cock. “I could try… But no promises.”

He laughs. “It’s a weeknight anyway. I doubt they’ll do more than a round. The real party’s on Friday. You better not miss that. Oh, and one other thing.” He gives me a conceited look, lips quirking on one side.

“What is it, Coach? The suspense is killing me. Just spit it out.”

“The Crows’ weren’t interested just in you, so I’m pretty sure you won’t be the only one transferring over.”

My eyes go wide. No way. Two of us? “Who? Who is it?”

He taps his fingers against the door, humming in thought. “Your bestie, Nick. But pretend you don’t know when he tells you or he’ll kill me.”

Coach leaves me with that, my blood pounding in my ears. No way. Nick is coming with me/ We are both going to play for the Crows? This is the best! I can’t wait to tell Leander.

Speaking of my vampire, he’s outside as Coach said, waiting with his hip propped again the car’s hood. His gorgeous green eyes devour me as I approach, glowing softly when I pull him in for a quick kiss.

“Congratulations,” he says, stroking my cheek. “I’m proud of you, Hayden. You were so beautiful on the ice. I am sure the Crows will be thrilled to have you.”

I snake a hand down his waist, squeezing one ass cheek. “Ready to give me my reward? Now that I’ve proven myself.”

“I would like nothing more than it. But only if you are sure.”

I love this man. He’s never once pressured me about turning since our talk about it, instead helping me get where I am today. He got me extra time on the ice and even took charge of my diet and exercising routine, ensuring I would be at my best.

“Oh, I am more than sure, vampy.” I step in, rubbing against his leg.

His fangs drop, the glow in his gem-like depths intensifying. “Then let me take you home. I’ll turn you and then I will breed you until you are so full of me you pass out. Everyone is dying to watch.”

I swallow, my cock jumping in my pants. “You have the cameras set up?”

He nuzzles my neck, kissing his favorite spot where my shoulder starts. “Yes. Just like you wanted. The audience has access since this afternoon. Every time we fuck, they will watch us.”

“Oh shit, that’s super hot.”

He makes that animal-like noise of contentment, smiling against my skin. “Yes. Everyone will know how needy my mate is. How he begs for my cock.”

I shudder, desire hijacking my senses. We fucked in front of Vivian and her mates when we visited a week ago, and since then, we’ve been getting the house prepared for tonight. The audience is small, but the fact that they will be able to watch us live whenever we are fucking really gets my blood flowing south.

“Leander, stop. I’m not gonna last to the house at this rate.”

He chuckles but pulls away and lets me go. “It is hard for me to resist you, Hayden. You know that.”

I do and I love it.

Giving him a peck on the nose, I pull the car’s door open. “C’mon. Let’s go home and celebrate. I think I deserve it.”

“You do,” he agrees, fondness pouring off him in waves. “And I’ll make sure to show you just how true that is.”

LEANDER

I park the car in front of the fountain. Hayden hops out, stretching his upper body, though doesn’t follow me up the stairs.

“Hayden?” I turn to him, confusion making me pause.

He grins, chin tilted toward the swing on the patio. “Sit and wait there. I’ll be a moment.”

I do as he asks, still not sure what he’s up to. He returns five minutes later, wearing a loose T-shirt, shorts and the leather collar with the green stone attached to the hoop for the leash. Staying by the door, he faces me and lifts the shirt, showcasing his abdominals and the golden waist chain I gifted him after our visit to Vivian. It can be attached to one of his cock rings, and judging by the way it disappears under his pants, he’s done just that.

“What is this, Hayden?” I demand, my words hissed more so than said as arousal courses through me and causes my fangs to protrude.

He’s turned on by whatever he has in mind. His body speaks to me, his presence tempts me, titillating in its game of seduction as it tickles all my senses at once. My dick hardens, pushing against the zipper of the shorts.

Hayden lists his head to the side, licking his lips as his eyes roam my tense posture. The emerald gemstone clinks against the hook of the leash. “I think I want to make you work for it.” He grasps his bulging erection, sucking in a breath. “If you want to turn me, Daddy, you gotta catch me first.”

Then he bolts, darting down the stairs and toward the woods.

My cock throbs, my body on fire as my claws extend, and my vision shifts to one tinged in red. My instincts scream at me, my vampiric nature taking over. I snarl, hissing as the urge to hunt down and claim my mate displaces any other thought from my head.

My lovely Hayden thinks he can run away. I won’t let him. He’s mine. Mine, mine, mine. I’ll turn him. Fill him up. Mark him. Feed him my blood and feed off his.

I shiver at the thought, no longer able to bear it. Giving into my wild nature, I let out a deep growl and vault over the patio’s railing. The stone is hot under my feet, the air is cool against my cheeks. I inhale it, catching a whiff of jasmine along with that of sea water.

He will not escape me. He cannot hide from me. I will find him.

Ecstatic, I break into a sprint. My legs carry me fast toward my goal, the clinking sound the stone makes against the metal part of Hayden’s collar so subtle I would’ve missed it if not for my heightened hearing.

He’s playing with me. Teasing me, taunting me. Luring me. He knows I am his and he’s using that to drive me mad with want.

I snap my teeth, chasing after his scent. I can feel his presence somewhere further ahead. Past the small pond with the lilies. Moving west. Circling back. I pick up speed, my claws grazing bark and slashing leaves. The darkness doesn’t bother me, my eyes not constrained by it. There is enough moonlight to grant him safe passage, so I am not worried about him either.

Blood drumming in my ears, I press on. Once I am past the oldest oak tree, I spot him. His breathing is labored, his skin is hot and damp, his hole is slicked. Ready and waiting for me. It’s mine, just like the rest of him.

I let him reach the house, stalking him from the shadows. He locks the door after him. It won’t stop me. I can sense the adrenaline roaring inside him, his arousal so strong it overwhelms any other smell around me.

He needs me.

Harnessing my nature, I erase any lead he had on me. His eyes go wide as I appear in front him. A yelp of surprise rips out of his throat as he stumbles, backed into the wall by the staircase.

“Oh shit. You look fucking wild.”

To his credit, he tries to fight me. To slip out of my hold as we roll on the floor after I jump him. But he can’t win. I am stronger and have him pinned under me in no time. Restrained as one of my hands clasps both of his wrists above his head and the other one rips the shorts off him. I maneuver him to his knees, keeping his head and arms on the floor. His glistening hole twitches with need for my leaking cock.

“Mine,” I preen, tearing my own clothes along with his shirt.

I press my length along his crease, feeling him buck under me. “Oh fuck, is it bigger?”

“Yess, for you, my lovely Hayden. I must teach you that you can’t run away from me. Even as a game.”

It’s the vampire part of me. It is in control now, hungry and desperate for him. It commands my body by virtue of primal instincts I can’t deny or fight.

Letting go of my straining dick, I wrap a hand around Hayden’s neck. He gasps in surprise, but doesn’t fight me, letting me squeeze firmly as I stand up. Caging him against the wall with his front pressed into it, I nuzzle at the crook of his shoulder, pressing with my teeth. Gently first, then less, until they are buried deep in his flesh.

He squirms under me, no doubt overwhelmed with pleasure as I drink his blood. I need him on the verge of dying before I can share my gift with him, but I don’t rush us there. I slowly guide him, jerking his cock to heighten the pleasure even more.

He slurs my name in deliriousness, fingers digging into the wooden paneling of the wall. I don’t let off, not until I feel him start to slip away, nearing that point of no return. That’s when I extricate myself off him. With a precise slash of a claw, I cut my wrist and bring it to his lips.

“Drink,” I command, pouring some of my power into my voice.

He complies, sealing his mouth against my wound. Slurping noises fill up the hall, his neck moving under my hand as my blood enters his body. I let him have as much as he needs, panting by the end of it as blinding desire spikes in my core.

He’s mine, now truly. I can feel it in every fiber of me. He convulses and groans, his humanity resisting my gift. But it yields eventually, making him pliant in my arms as they gather him and carry him upstairs. He will be out for a while, the changes in him needing time to complete. How long differs, and so I tuck him in bed and lie next to him, letting my eyes close.

A thrill of hot, burning need snaps me awake. Hazel eyes with a green rim fill up my vision, blazing and hungry.

“Finally,” Hayden hisses, blood dripping from his full lips.

They are locked in a snarl-like smile because of the two pearl-white fangs now protruding out of his mouth that he can’t retract just yet.

“You are awake,” I whisper, my chest trying to burst. A sting on the left of my neck betrays where he bit me.

“Yess.” He closes his eyes on a groan, and slides his erection against my already swelling cock. “Very horny. I need you.” A whimper escapes him. “Rough, hard. I feel weird, like there is this pressure inside me and only you can make it go away.”

I hum, licking the blood dripping down the sides of his mouth. My fangs are already out before I even realize it. “Yess. I must claim you. Sate the bonding need. And you must feed on my blood.”

The green rim in his eyes flickers in the same hue as mine. We gaze at each other, unable to look away as our mutual need ramps up. He reaches behind him, wrapping his fingers around my cock. I watch his face as he guides it to his slick hole, as he sinks on top of it.

Wet heat surrounds me, imprisoning me to the sensation of his body welcoming mine. He’s tight, oh so deliciously tight, moaning and groaning as he slides up and down my rigid shaft and stretches himself for me.

“Yess, so good,” he mews, his eyes fluttering closed. “So big. Mine.”

The red light of the camera mounted on the wall across from my bed indicates it’s on, our audience no doubt watching us right now.

“Let people see and hear how good I make you feel, Hayden. They are watching us.”

He hisses, shaking his hips faster and letting his voice out. His clawed hands press on my chest as his cock bounces against my belly, smearing pre-cum. The way his ass clenches around me is a heavenly torture, quickly pushing me toward the edge.

“Need more,” he whines, panting and flushed.

I coil my arms around him and sit up, pressing our bodies flush as I spread his ass cheeks. “Try biting me.”

“Oh yess, biting you s-sounds amazing.” He bends down and kisses the corner of my mouth, licking the seam. “You are very veeeeeeery tasty.”

Angling my head to the side, I offer him my neck. He dives in, not hesitating, and sinks his fangs. I take over the thrusts, pushing deep into him as he slurps my blood and moans how good my cock makes him feel.

The pressure in my balls builds up quickly, the added ecstasy of being bitten by my mate making my efforts to hold out longer futile. This is nothing like the sex we had before, this is so much more. He is truly mine now, forever, his body a sanctuary where only I am allowed.

“Fuck, Leander. So good,” he whimpers, laving the area he bit.

I come with a howl, spurting inside Hayden. He cries out, tearing away from my neck as he hangs his head back. I take the opportunity and bite him in turn, his blood the most delicious thing in the world as I breed him just how he likes. He accepts everything I give him, his body giving and taking as much as I am.

His orgasm reverberates through me. His ass keeps milking me as tremor after tremor shake him, prolonging my own until there is nothing left. I fuck him through the last of the quakes, then I slip out and plug him with the toy I’ve prepared. He moans in approval and snuggles into my side, sighing as he places his head on my chest.

“You are completely mine, vampy. And now you are stuck with me forever.”

I kiss his damp hair, contentment flooding me as his body fully relaxes in my arms. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”