CHAPTER TWO

C onall entered the rundown establishment with the expressed intent of starting something. The bears were getting bold, and it was time to put them back in their place, but Conall was more than ready to do just that. The bears only responded to violence, and Conall was eager to accommodate.

Cassius was across the room with several of his soldiers, and the rest of his clan was spread out around the open space of the Club. Several were beginning to slowly converge on them. The tension in the air was giving rise to their nervous unease, and Conall pushed his superiority and power, filling the room with his presence, which heightened the tension even further.

He moved toward Cassius with the intent of bringing him to heel first, but something wonderous and unexpected caught his attention. A feeling heavily ladened with emotions brushed by him; they were emotions that called to him and demanded he respond.

Then, a bold scent of jasmine rushed toward him, intoxicating and sensual, filled his senses. He recognized what it was and searched the room for its source, but no one was connecting. Everyone was looking away, avoiding his gaze, and many were rushing from the room.

His mood, so highly charged and suddenly on edge, had people preparing for the worst, and Conall could not care less because his beloved was in the room. The bears were secondary to his need to find the source of the emotions and the jasmine that was setting him on fire, and then he saw him.

He was dancing provocatively, but it was obvious that his heart wasn't in it. He was fearful, watchful, and on edge, and it bothered Conall in a way that was proprietary and protective. His dancing halted when their eyes met, and the man could not look away he captured he was owned. He was gorgeous and alluring, and he made Conall sweat because of the need to have him.

This man was moving into a deep place in his heart that had never been occupied before, and the feelings that gave rise were volatile. His baby should not be dancing for others he should not be at the beck and call of a bunch of fucking bears.

Cassius gestured for someone to deal with the trembling dancer, and that's when the house came down. Conall's instincts went off when the bouncer attacked his beloved, and the young man began to whimper. The sound cut through Conall like a red hot knife piercing his soul.

Conall moved on the bouncer, and his guards moved on the bears, and the room blew up. Samuel and Fane were in their element; they absolutely loved a good brawl. This was going to be a glorious afternoon. Conall smiled and broke the bouncer's arm.

He took care of the few who attempted to stop him or interfere with the dancer and then threw the beautiful dancer over his shoulder and headed for the door. He stepped over one of Casius' sons, who was lying broken and bleeding. “If you wanted him, we would have given him to you." He declared.

"He's not yours to give." Was all he said as Samuel and Fane finished the job and met him in the parking lot. No one followed them out, which was wise. Neither guard asked any questions simply opened the back door of the SUV and waited for the Master and his newly acquired dancer to slide in.

Once the door closed, Conall sat the young man down on the seat beside him and covered him with a thin blanket. He was terrified, and Conall couldn't blame him. He didn't know that he had been rescued from that pitiful den of iniquity and was about to embark on a life of pleasure and promise.

"My name is Conall Rose." He began. "Do you know who and what I am?" He was asking a lot with that question. Considering the dancer was human, he may not be privy to the paranormal. But working at the strip club had put him in the path of many supernatural beings, so it could go either way. Most decent business owners kept the humans and paranormals separated for obvious reasons, but decent was not a word that was ever used when discussing Cassius Brown.

The dancer sat still and silent, with eyes wide as saucers, and his breath was shallow and rapid. He was still frightened, but after a few seconds, he gave the barest of nods. His eyes never left Conall, and although he loved having his beloved staring at him, it was the fear that he could do without.

"No one is going to hurt you. The bears are dangerous men, and you didn't belong in that place." Conall paused and carefully placed his hand over the young man's hand, which was lying stiffly against his leg. He felt the rigidity lessen as the warmth and meaning of his touch pervaded. The fear in his eyes was still front and center, but it was now joined by just a touch of wonder.

"Will you tell me your name?" Conall asked and then waited patiently. It took several minutes before words were spoken, and the sound was enchanting. The tone was soft and musical as it played across Conall's mind.

"My name is Joel Penny, sir." He was careful to only answer the question, and Joel was a beautiful name. He was so careful that it broke Conall's heart. His life was on the line every day that he worked for those fucking bears, and he learned to be oh-so careful in order to survive. His little man was going to take time, care, and understanding, and Conall was prepared to give him everything he needed.

"Please call me Conall." He gave him permission, but he doubted that Joel would have the nerve to use it, not for a while anyway, and that was saddening. "How long have you been working for Cassius?"

"Seven weeks, three days, and five hours." He said this with a calm exactness, making it clear how he felt about the job.

"You will never have to go back there." Conall squeezed his hand and glanced away out the side window as thoughts of how his beloved was treated briefly flooded his heart. "I'm taking you home with me to my Coven." Joel's fear spiked, and the trembling began again.

Conall reached out and put his arm around the poor man and gently pulled him closer. It was a risk Joel might completely shut down if he pushed things too fast, but he needed to channel some peace and calm to the man. Joel didn't resist, although his stiffness was slow to recede. The scent of jasmine filled Conall's senses once again and he drank it in. This was his beloved, and they would find their way, he had no doubt.

“Do I belong to you now?” Joel asked his voice nearly a whisper.

"You have always belonged to me. It's destiny, my love." He continued to hold him throughout the remainder of the ride, hoping that the contact would help Joel understand their connection and give him a sense of their destiny. Fate was powerful, and she often helped those in need to see the future she was offering.

They pulled into the garage and were met by Victor and Drakon. Samuel opened his door, and Conell stepped out, extending his hand to his beloved Joel. Joel took the hand and was helped out of the vehicle to stand next to Conell, who adjusted the blanket to cover him more completely, a gesture that was lost on no one. They glanced at Joel and then at their Master and smiled.

“You started a war, didn't you?" Victor commented.

"Not a war, really, since that implies a struggle. It's more like a hostile takeover." He said and then added. "It's time the bears were removed from the area. They're dragging down the property values."

“Are we finishing the job?” Drakon asked.

"Yes, Cassius isn't the leader. He used to be; laziness and debauchery have taken his soul, and his sons are no better. It's time to clear the land, and it's time for the bears to go."

"We're on it," Drakon stated and immediately left the room as he was making calls. Victor came up to stand before him and glanced down at the little dancer beside him.

"This is my beloved Joel," Conall announced.

"I thought so." Victor smiled. "Congratulations, Conall. Go and be with your beloved. I'll handle it from here and keep you posted." Conall patted Victor on the upper arm, tossed Joel over his shoulder once again, and took off toward the elevators.

Joel was at a loss to understand anything that was happening to him. The incident at the Club was messing with his mind in a spectacular fashion, and everything since then has left him completely staggered. The Master and his men tore through the Club like a hot knife through butter. The bears didn't hold up under the attack, and even the great and powerful Cassius was seen running from the place in order to escape the man’s wrath.

Joel was a bit stoked when the Master dealt a blow to the bouncer that was roughing him up. He couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t pleased when he heard that bone break. That man had hurt so many people that finally seeing him in pain was gratifying.

But then the Master turned on him, and Joel didn't know what to expect. His expression was deadly when he took out the bouncer, but when he looked at Joel, his features softened, or maybe he was just delusional. He tossed him over his shoulder and just headed for the door as his men continued to tear up the place. People just naturally moved out of his way like the parting of the sea. The Master was a man unlike any other.

The ride in the SUV was surreal, with the Master making polite conversation with him and telling him to call him Conall. That would never happen; the minute he broke a boundary would be the minute all niceties ended, and Joel would experience the truth of the Master's intention. That didn't mean he wasn't going to experience the worst that the man had to offer, but in Joel's experience, he found that the worst could always be made worse. Do as he is told and mind his manners, and there is possibly a ten percent chance that he could eventually get out of this alive.

He listened to their conversation in the garage but tried to remain invisible. The Master kept hold of his hand, and although he was scared, the touch was strangely comforting, as if he had someone there for him, someone to support him. It was crazy thinking, but he allowed himself a little crazy from time to time. Good feelings were few and far between, so he would take what he could get, even those that were simply a mirage.

Conall Rose, Master of the Rose Coven, wanted him for something, probably for the night, and then he'd pass him on to one of his friends or toss him out. Joel was praying that he would get tossed out, and then he'd run until his lungs burst, and he'd never go home with another guy for the rest of his life. If the powers that be got him out of this mess, he would straighten up and be the best he was capable of being.

He stood there at Conall's side, listening as they discussed taking out the bears. It never bothered them that he was there, but it bothered him. Joel didn't want to know any of their plans, so he tuned out and gave a blank stare in the hope of being overlooked. Then the one he called Victor stepped up, and things were said that pulled him back to awareness.

The word beloved was bandied about, and Joel understood the meaning of that word, which was serious and important. He assumed it was used in a baser sense because there was no way he was the Master's beloved. That position belonged to someone better than him, someone much better. It was probably some sort of game they played with their hookups.

Once they were in the elevator, the Master placed him back on his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Joel kept his eyes on the floor and stayed as still as possible. The Master didn't speak, but he seemed to be communicating something through his touch. Joel was aware that vampires had the ability to influence others, but he'd never been on the receiving end.

This felt like an attempt to calm him, which didn't make sense. Why would he care? Joel was a dancer in that foul club, and he didn't deserve his concern. The elevator stopped, and they stepped out. The building was plain and resembled a warehouse from the outside, but the interior was something else. It was sophisticated, and the design and workmanship model were perfect. It was a home, and it was a workplace. It was the home of the Rose Coven.

The Master led him to a huge apartment that he found strangely relaxing. Joel should be scared stiff and looking for an exit at all times, but he kept finding himself marveling at the impressive beauty that was concealed by the shell of a fading warehouse. It was a masterful move to hide in plain sight like this.

He also noticed that the warehouse was positioned directly behind the bar he’d been at the night he left with Murphy, the Blood Rose. It was the night that changed his life and set him on a direct route to destruction. The pain welled up in him at the memory, and he had to force himself not to start crying.

Master Rose immediately stopped and looked down at him with a soft and reassuring look, and once again, Joel was confused by the apparent consideration. "Do I scare you?" He asked, his tone so gentle.

"Yes," Joel responded and said no more. The Master gave one brief nod and then guided him to a soft couch in the living area of the large apartment. He sat him down and made sure the blanket was tucked around him before going into the kitchen. When he returned, he was carrying two glasses of what Joel assumed was whiskey, and he handed one to Joel.

"Take this it will help the tension." He told him. Then, he took a seat on the coffee table directly in front of him. They were so close their legs were touching. For some reason, the Master did not allow him to get too far away. The constant touching brought a pleasant familiarity, but Joel knew that it was far from real, so he kept a tight rein on his behavior.

He then placed his hand on Joel's knee and captured his gaze with his own dark, penetrating eyes. "Why were you working for Cassius." He asked and waited for an answer.

"I had no choice," Joel told him. He took a sip of the whiskey, loving the warmth and bite as it slid down his throat.

"Tell me about yourself, Joel." That was a broad question, and rather than going all the way back to the beginning, he started where his life had ended. The Master remained silent and gently squeezed Joel's knee, and his eyes continued to hold him frozen and powerless to look away.

"I worked at a coffee shop on Green Street, and I lived in a studio apartment in the Streeterville neighborhood. It’s probably gone now since I wasn’t able to pay my rent, and I'm sure the job is gone too." Joel got off topic for a second, feeling the loss of his old life, but pulled himself back together.

"I was out with a couple friends, and we went to the Blood Rose, where I met this guy Murphy. I don’t know his last name; I only know that he was fun, and I went home with him, thinking that it would be a fun night. I thought it was a one-night stand, but Murphy didn't let me leave in the morning." He stopped and took another sip of his whiskey.

"Take your time. There is no rush," Conall spoke, and as he did so, he took Joel's hand in his but never took his eyes from Joel's. "Are you warm enough?"

“Yes, sir.”

“Call me Conall.” Joel nodded. “For your own peace of mind, I can tell you that Murphy, the tiger shifter, is dead. He will never harm you again." Joel gave a sigh of relief at the news.

“He finally went against the wrong man?” Joel assumed.

"Yes, and that would be Victor Raum, my second. You met him downstairs in the garage."

"I must thank him, for it was truly a community service." Joel laughed softly. Conall cupped the side of Joel's face in the palm of his hand and tilted his face back up to his.

"I love the sound of your laugh, and I hope to hear it often." He then brought Joel's hand to his lips and kissed it, lingering for several seconds before looking up to capture Joel's gaze once again. "Tell me what happened, my love."

"Murphy wouldn't let me leave and used his tiger to scare me and to keep me in line. After about a week, he grew tired of me, and rather than just let me go, he sold me to the strip club." Joel swallowed his emotions as they began to well up.

"I've never worked in a strip club or any bar or Club before. It wasn't my scene, but I liked to blow off steam like everyone. I never thought that I would fall victim to the kind of man that everyone and their brother warns you about."

"You weren't the first to fall for his charm, and you weren't the last. Don't blame yourself it wasn't your fault. You had a right to go out and expect to enjoy yourself." Conall kissed his hand once again, and Joel was loving it. "Bastards like Murphy prey on the decent by pretending to be such. He's off the streets now and no longer a danger to anyone."

"The bears were much worse, but if you were careful and didn't bring attention to yourself, it was possible to keep the beatings and degradation to a minimum." Joel finished his whiskey, and Conall took the glass and set it aside.

"I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner, but Fate works in her own time, and it was now that she brought us together." Conall moved to sit beside Joel on the couch and continued to hold his hand, which Joel continued to enjoy. "You are my beloved; do you know what that means?" Joel suddenly felt as if his mind was opening to the fantastic possibility of the claim being true.

“I know the basics.” He responded.

"The rest will come to you as our time together continues. Fate makes it so that the uninformed, like humans, can grasp all the depth and complexity without having to take a leap of faith. She opens your mind and allows the truth of your new reality to take form. You're probably feeling it even now." Conall looked deeply into Joel's eyes, and the clarity expanded, and the knowledge of the supernatural was taking shape in his mind.

"Don't force it, my love. It will all become clear to you it is our destiny." Joel's heart melted at the words, and his emotions swelled with the longing and the need for this man. The fear he'd once felt was fading away, and in its place was a fierce, burning desire for this Master Vampire.