FREDDIE

When the scream rang through the covenhouse, Freddie sprang to his feet and took off running. It was a sound of anguish and betrayal, that of something essential being ripped away. It hadn't sounded like Lillian. Perhaps one of the sick vampires had taken a turn for the worse, despite the blood they had consumed.

"No! Please, no!"

The noise of suffering cut to Freddie's core. He couldn't imagine what could have happened. He sped down the carpeted gray hallway toward the sound and found himself standing outside of the condo that Owen had chosen for himself.

"Owen, open the door." Freddie knocked hard, the surface of the wood cracking under the blow.

Another scream, and then sobbing. No one was coming to let Freddie in.

Anthony would forgive him for wrecking a door. He gave it a kick, and the handle broke with a loud crack. It swung open.

Freddie followed the sound of the sobbing, turning a corner into a bedroom where he found Owen. His long brown hair was wild, covering part of his face. His tall frame had become tangled up in the bedsheets, and he fought against them as if they were restraints.

"I can't…don't put me in there…"

The heartbreak in Owen's words was devastating. This man had been through something severe.

"Owen, wake up." Freddie filled the empty room with his voice. It echoed off the bare walls, but still Owen struggled and cried.

"No more…" he whispered, hoarse.

"Owen!" Freddie stepped forward and shook Owen by the shoulder. The vampire writhed, recoiling at the touch, but did not wake.

"No no no no no no…" There was so much fear in his words. It hurt Freddie's heart. What had this man been through? Charles Azarian's death had been too easy.

Freddie stared at him. He could Compel him, but he was loath to use the power of his voice on someone who might not choose to become a member of the coven. Even to save a life, violating someone's agency was a heavy matter. But Owen seemed trapped in his mind, unable to break out of the nightmare he found himself in.

He screamed again, and Freddie decided. He would not let Owen suffer. He focused the power of his demon, pouring it into his voice.

"Wake, Owen."

Owen's eyes snapped open and locked on Freddie.

"Master." His tone was soft. The fear was still there, but also awe. "You called me."

Freddie sat next to him on the bed and placed a hand on his neck, cupping it in a gesture of both comfort and dominance.

"Child. Where did you go?"

"I can't control it. I get trapped in the memories, and I can't find a way out."

Freddie nodded, saying nothing, letting them sit in silence. Owen would tell more if he wished. After a moment, he swallowed and continued.

"I…They would torture the younger vampires sometimes. I don't even know why. Charles got off on it? I don't know. But they would lock us up in impossible positions. We only stayed alive because of our supernatural abilities. Sometimes they…"

He trailed off, tears running down his face. Freddie leaned over, touching his forehead to Owen's. This man was his. He belonged in his coven. He would keep him from harm.

"You are safe, young one," he whispered. "There is no one here to hurt you. I won't allow it."

Owen breathed in, and Freddie knew that his scent would calm Owen. They were almost bonded already, the master and his vampire. He could tell that Owen felt it as well. Freddie could hear his heartbeat slow and his breath settle.

"Master," Owen said, a question in his still wet eyes. "Will you accept me?"

Freddie looked down on Owen's face, worn out and haunted, but now with a spark of hope. How could he deny him?

Freddie nodded, holding his right finger out. The claw of his left hand emerged, and he sliced into the tip of his finger. Blood dripped down in small burgundy droplets. Owen opened his mouth to receive it.

"You are mine to command, mine to safekeep, and mine to embolden."

"Until my life is taken, or the universe ends." Owen's expression was deadly serious, and he stared up at Freddie with something approaching awe.

Freddie felt the bond snap into place, and Owen's emotions were open to him. He was desperate for any kind of security, for any sense of solidity. And grateful.

Freddie removed his finger and licked at the wound, which immediately closed. He bent over and kissed Owen on the forehead.

Now sleep, child. Grow strong.

Owen's eyelids fluttered and shut, and Freddie disengaged from him, coming to his feet. He turned to find Anthony leaning against the frame of the bedroom door.

"You're going to get Owen a new door," Anthony said with mischief in his face.

Freddie shrugged. He would. He walked toward Anthony, who flung his arms around Freddie, pressing a kiss into his lips, one filled with love and optimism.

Freddie pulled back, gazing into Anthony's eyes.

"What was that for?"

"For everything you're becoming. Who you were meant to be."

Anthony took Freddie's hand, and they returned to their own apartment, Anthony leaning against Freddie's shoulder. As they reached their rooms and stepped through the doorway, the first rays of the rising sun were peeking over the skyline. They looked out and took in the city, kissed by a sprinkling of light.

"It's beautiful," Anthony said, squeezing Freddie's hand.

"It is." The sunlight hit Freddie's eyes, filling them with an orange fire. "The first morning of the Grosvenor Coven."

Anthony smiled wide as they stood together. They would take this moment together and treasure it, as they would treasure all moments together.

Then they would get to work.

Want to see Owen get his HEA? Watch out for The Baritone's Rival (The Vampire Impresario Book 2) coming in January 2025.