18. Leo St. George

Chapter 18

Leo St. George

“ C at, if you don’t stop pacing, I’m going to use you for target practice,” Chen grumbled as Leo traversed the main corridor leading to the front door for the sixth time in the past twenty minutes.

Leo paused and glared over his shoulder at the vampire before he continued on his route.

Moon poked Chen in the shoulder. “Stop it. You’re just as anxious about Xiao Dan and the others. Besides, you’re jealous that Erik chose Leo to read his bedtime story tonight instead of you.”

“Nonsense,” Chen mumbled under his breath. Except Leo could hear with his superb cat hearing that Chen didn’t really think it was nonsense. The vampire was hurt by the fact that the little boy had chosen Leo.

Smirking to himself, he wandered to the entrance and peered out at the empty driveway. Junjie and the others should have returned by now. Sunrise was still several hours away, but he’d been gone too long. What kind of trouble had they encountered? Should he have gone with Jun-Jun instead of remaining behind to protect Erik?

When the vampire had asked him to watch the child, Leo had caved in an instant to those big, fearful eyes. Junjie was relying on his gift to see walkers through the dead realm to warn the clan if Jiang Chong invaded their space again. Leo caring for Erik meant Junjie could focus all of his attention on the dangers he was going to face in the woods rather than worrying about what was happening at home.

But staying behind meant worrying endlessly about Junjie.

Was this what happened when people found their mates and did things like date? This was a fucking nightmare. Why would anyone do this long term?

“Relax. They texted that they’re on their way back. Everyone is safe,” Chen confessed.

“You hadn’t told him already?” Moon gasped. “Junjie texted nearly half an hour ago!”

“What?” Leo roared, shifting straight into his human form. He marched up to Chen, who smirked at him as he looked down at Leo. Being short sucked. And Chen had a good six inches on him. It was hard to be intimidating when you were staring up someone’s nose.

“What do you care?” Chen asked, one thick eyebrow lifting as if he were barely holding in a laugh. “Afraid the comfortable existence you’ve managed on the good graces of my shidi is going to suddenly end?”

Thankfully, Moon was right there. The smaller vampire reached up and flicked Chen’s earlobe, causing him to flinch. His superior attitude crumbled to dust. “Why do you have to be such a nosy pot stirrer? You always have to be the first one to get the best spilled tea.”

Chen batted away Moon’s hand as his mate tried to flick his ear a second time. “This isn’t about gossip. I’m genuinely concerned about Junjie’s well-being, and I don’t believe this tomcat has Junjie’s best interests at heart.” As he spoke the last word, he captured Moon’s hand and brought it to his lips, where he pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Moon showed signs of melting, and Leo could only roll his eyes.

“I think Junjie would point out here that he’s a grown adult and can look out for himself,” Leo groused as he paced to the door and gazed out the side window.

Chen and Moon were forgotten as soon as he reached the window. He saw the double doors at the end of the driveway opening to allow in the Zhangs’ SUV. Leo ripped open the door and zipped outside, jogging down the stairs and along the path to meet the vehicle as soon as Junjie stepped out.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Is Erik okay?” Junjie spat out questions at an astounding rate as he leaped from the vehicle.

“Erik is fine. What’s wrong is that you were gone for hours, and I didn’t know if you were dead or captured,” Leo snapped. Junjie’s dark eyebrows shot up to his forehead and his lips parted, forming an O of surprise.

Fuck . That was a little much. Leo needed to rein it in.

But he didn’t want to. He’d been worried about Junjie, and that had morphed into actual fear verging on terror as the hours ticked by. It wasn’t a feeling he’d had for anyone before, and he didn’t much care for it. The only thing that was going to make things better was getting Junjie inside. They needed to be away from all these prying, judging eyes.

Leo wrapped his fingers around Junjie’s wrist and pulled. “Come. I’m sure you’re eager to see Erik.”

Junjie grunted in agreement but said nothing else, for which Leo was grateful. It gave him a chance to get his emotions under control. Otherwise, something else embarrassing was going to slip out.

When they reached Erik’s bedroom, Leo was careful to push the door open without making a sound. A bunny nightlight glowed off to one side, filling the child’s room with soft light. They stepped inside, and Leo looked up in time to see the most tender smile spreading across Junjie’s lips.

“How was he?” Junjie asked in a whisper.

“An angelic terror.”

Junjie tipped his head so that he could see Leo’s face, his own expression twisted in silent question.

“Apparently he wasn’t in the mood for what Ming Yu made him for dinner, so there was some screaming and thrown food until we convinced him to try a little. He might have also devoured two hot dogs.”

Junjie’s gaze zipped back to Erik’s sleeping form. The child had never thrown a tantrum before, and Junjie’s concern was palpable in his taut muscles.

“I think he missed you,” Leo continued, and he almost kissed Junjie’s throat when the vampire swallowed hard. “But I read him a bedtime story at his request, which made Chen pout. It was amazing. After that, he went right to sleep.”

“I’m glad he didn’t have too bad of a night.”

“What about you? Did—” Leo cut off his words when he placed his hand on Junjie’s arm and found his shirt to be soaked and ice cold. He’d forgotten about the fierce storm that had blown through. At the time, he’d hoped that the team had made it to the car ahead of the storm breaking, but it was clear they hadn’t.

Frowning, Leo grabbed Junjie again and dragged him across the hall to his room. “Get undressed and in the shower this second,” he ordered as he shut the door behind them.

“What?”

“Out of those clothes! They’re soaking wet and cold. You’re…”

A slow smile spread across Junjie’s lips and laughter brightened his dark eyes. “Going to catch my death?”

Leo growled and shoved Junjie farther into the room. “Shut up.”

This reversed-roles thing sucked. It was better when he was the one screwing up and getting into trouble and someone else did the worrying. All he was doing was making a jackass of himself.

He tried to give Junjie another push, but the vampire caught his hand and pulled him in close until their chests bumped. A shiver ran through Leo, but it had nothing to do with the cold that came off Junjie.

“I’ll jump in the shower to warm up, but I don’t want to be alone.”

Was it opposite day and nobody had told him?

The world was fucking upside down. He was being the worrywart, and Junjie was the flirty one. Nothing was making sense.

Fuck it.

“Sounds amazing,” he purred. There was no way in hell he could walk away from a flirty, sexy Jun-Jun.

They rushed and stumbled into the bathroom, where Junjie reached inside the shower to turn on the water to get it heating up as Leo stripped off his clothes and tossed them about. The second he was naked, he began “helping” Junjie get out of his.

Not that he was a great help, since his mouth latched on to the vampire’s bare chest. He licked, nibbled, kissed, and sucked on anything he could reach, loving the way Junjie’s breath caught. Those normally nimble and brisk fingers fumbled with buttons. He grabbed Leo and shoved him against the wall. Hard lips captured Leo’s mouth, and he could only moan into that hot kiss accompanied by the cool press of chilled flesh.

He lost himself in that kiss. Their tongues tangled, and Leo’s knees went weak. The vampire kissed like he wanted to taste Leo’s soul, and Leo wanted to let him. He wanted to hand himself over on a silver platter and allow Junjie to feast on him.

But Junjie was still cold and while the vampire’s health wasn’t in any danger, that didn’t mean he wasn’t uncomfortable.

With great reluctance, Leo tore his mouth from Junjie’s, shifting to nuzzle his neck. “Shower. You need to get in the shower,” he said between playful nibbles.

He could have sworn he heard an irritated huff from Junjie, but the vampire didn’t argue as he stepped into the glass-enclosed stall that was big enough to fit them comfortably. The only thing missing was a bench for sexy shenanigans, but there were plenty of things they could do without a bench.

Leo entered the shower behind Junjie and closed the door to help seal in the warm air. His breath stopped in his lungs as his eyes locked on Junjie. Water cascaded down his naked body, forming streams and rivers as it flowed between ripples of muscles. His skin was a creamy white that he ached to lick up. And the paleness of his skin made the delectable trail of hair running from his navel to his thickening cock more eye-catching.

“Cat?”

Junjie’s voice jerked his eyes up to his face. Except Junjie wasn’t looking at him. The vampire had his head tipped back in the spray with both hands threading through all those dark, silky locks. Junjie was the epitome of wet dreams. He would never meet anyone as sexy or stunningly gorgeous as Junjie at that moment.

“Stop staring and get over here,” Junjie commanded as he wiped the water from his eyes.

“Gotta say I love how bossy you become when you have no pants on.”

Junjie snorted and reached for the soap, but Leo beat him to it. He snatched up the shampoo and held it behind him.

“Let me do the work. You tell me what happened tonight.”

The vampire said nothing for several seconds while Leo focused on pouring the shampoo into the palm of his hand and closing the cap. In fact, Junjie didn’t speak until Leo turned him to face the spray and began massaging the soap through his hair.

“We saw Trin tonight.”

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say he’s not dead yet.”

“No.”

He told a crazy tale of fighting elves, a violent thunderstorm followed by more elves, being rescued by a good elf, a flock of fairies, and some gnomes. They’d gone inside a tree to meet an underground fae resistance force.

By the time Junjie was done, Leo was rinsing the conditioner from his hair.

“My heart hurts for Rei,” Junjie murmured, placing his hand on his chest. “I know he worries about his people, regardless of his words and nonchalant attitude. But I believe he also wants to remain here with Yichen. He’s created a boundary that others keep hammering against. It will weaken soon if we don’t resolve this problem, and Rei might cave to their demands.”

“He’ll return to the fae realm out of duty, and Yichen will follow him,” Leo continued.

“They’ll be miserable there. I know it. I don’t need my gift to see it.”

Leo picked up a cake of rich-smelling soap that was silky to the touch. He had a sneaking suspicion someone in the Zhang clan had made it. This was far too fine to be found in any grocery or bath store. He got his hands soapy and put the cake aside. He ran slick fingers over Junjie’s chest, across tense shoulders, and down over flat abs.

“Then we’ll have to kill Jiang Chong and that elf Trin before anyone can brainwash Rei into making such a terrible decision.”

Junjie opened his mouth, but Leo was afraid he was going to argue, so Leo slid his soapy hands south and grasped Junjie’s semi-erect cock. The vampire’s words morphed into a long moan of pleasure. Bastet, I could listen to that sound all fucking night.

“Leo,” Junjie choked out. Strong hands grabbed his ass cheeks and dug in, massaging muscles and starting an ache deep inside him. A horny voice in Leo’s head begged for him to just stick his ass in the air and demand Junjie rail him straight into oblivion with his enormous cock.

But this evening’s panic attack proved the vampire wasn’t some quick fuck and be gone by dawn. No, Junjie was special. They were going slow, even if it killed him. It was the only way to give them time to figure this out.

Plus, he might want to savor all the ways he could take Junjie apart.

“What’s wrong, Jun-Jun? Want me to help you forget for a bit?”

Junjie shook his head. “I want us to come so hard we forget our own names.”

“That can be arranged.”

Leo shoved Junjie against the wall and grabbed the bottle of conditioner. “Bend your legs. You’re too tall.” The cat shifter squeezed a very healthy amount of the thick, creamy liquid into his palm.

When he turned back, he found Junjie with his legs spread and arms outstretched, ready to pull him in close. That beautiful cock had also swelled thick and erect, begging for his touch.

Leo stepped between his powerful thighs and grasped his dick, smearing the conditioner on the member as he slowly stroked him.

“Leo,” Junjie said in a half groan, half whine.

He huffed a laugh at the vampire’s impatience, but he couldn’t blame him. His own dick ached with need, demanding attention. Another small step forward allowed him to rub his cock alongside Junjie’s. He adjusted his grip and added his other hand, stroking them together.

The first touch of their cocks together had Leo’s eyes rolling into his head. The slick slide combined with the heat and hardness of Junjie’s dick was heaven. The hair on Junjie’s legs brushed his own, adding an enticing roughness to the mix. Large hands swept over Leo’s body in the most wonderful caress that left him purring deep in his throat.

The falling water from the shower and the rising steam gave the feeling of being in another world, away from the rest of the clan. All their troubles disappeared.

Junjie dipped his head and captured Leo’s mouth in a drugging kiss. His hips thrust upward, moving his cock in Leo’s hands while his tongue plunged in and out, matching the rhythm and threatening to destroy what remained of Leo’s self-control.

And then the vampire upped the ante.

“More,” Junjie growled. He placed one hand on the back of Leo’s thigh and the other under his ass, allowing him to pull Leo in even closer. Leo had no choice but to brace his hands on the wall behind Junjie. Their cocks caught between their bodies, Junjie thrust again and again, the sensation sending toe-curling shockwaves throughout his body. Leo shifted his hips in time with Junjie, getting lost in their slick skin and astounding heat.

Junjie broke off the kiss and dragged his lips along Leo’s jaw to his vulnerable throat. Teeth grazed, the sharp points of his fangs causing goose bumps to break out across his arms. A needy whimper broke from Leo, and he didn’t fucking care. Junjie’s last bite had been electric, and he wanted that now.

“I want to fuck you,” Junjie snarled between clenched teeth. He hiked Leo’s leg up, so it nearly rested on his hip. His other fingers dug into his ass, spreading his cheeks and exposing his greedy hole. “Need to stretch and fuck you. Possess every bit of you.” With each word he spoke, his fangs scraped skin, teasing him as they continued to thrust frantically.

“Oh, fuck yes, Jun—” The rest turned into a shout as Junjie struck like a viper. Lightning arced from his neck to his dick. His orgasm ripped through him without warning, the entire world going white with a pleasure so intense brain cells died in its making.

Leo was coming down from his high when Junjie pulled his mouth from Leo’s throat and cried out. His pistoning hips lost their rhythm as his cock swelled and pumped his sticky load between them.

Junjie released his thigh and slid his hands along his spine in the sweetest caress while lapping at his neck. A crooked smile spread across Leo’s lips as he rested his head on his lover’s shoulder.

“You okay?” Junjie panted, his warm breath brushing across Leo’s wet skin.

“So good. You?”

“Head’s a little fuzzy, but nothing as bad as the last time I drank your blood.” Junjie lifted his head, and Leo did the same so he could stare into the vampire’s eyes. His face was beautifully flushed, and his grin was lazy. At best, he was tipsy, but not drunk.

“Leo, about the things I said during…”

The cat shifter made a dismissive noise as he turned to the spray to wash away the smears of cum on his stomach and cock. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone says crazy things during sex. There’s no blood reaching your brain. No one means what they say.”

“I do.”

Every muscle in his body stiffened as his brain feverishly searched for a replay of what Junjie said. Stuff about fucking, stretching… Shit … stuff about possessing.

He didn’t need to look around to know the vampire had moved closer. Junjie didn’t touch him, but the air between them tingled along his skin.

“I didn’t mean possess you like ownership. I-I just like you. A lot. And this sexual side of our relationship means something to me. I know that you’re not a tied-down relationship person and I’m not asking you to change. I…I thought you should know how I feel.”

Leo’s heart raced, but for the first time in his life, it wasn’t with a sense of panic. No, what he felt was elation. Joy. Pure, unadulterated joy. He’d guessed at Junjie’s feelings a while ago, but he was impressed with the vampire’s bravery at confessing those feelings and clearly not expecting to get anything in return.

Grinning so wide he was in danger of pulling a muscle, Leo spun and pulled Junjie close. The vampire’s eyes widened, and he gasped.

“Silly bloodsucker. I like you too. A lot. You’re right. I don’t do relationships and I’m unreliable, but I don’t want to be a flake where you’re concerned. I want to be someone you can rely on while we get to know each other. Tomorrow is full of things we can’t plan for, but I can promise to be honest with you and help you any way I can.”

Junjie flashed him a questioning smirk and Leo groaned. He hadn’t been super honest with Junjie in the past.

“Okay. I promise to be honest about my feelings toward you. Besides, you already know my biggest secret.”

“Agreed.” Junjie sealed their bargain with a slow, tender kiss that left Leo’s heart swooning. Could this man be any more perfect?

As the vampire lifted his head, his gaze caught on Leo’s neck and his smile dissolved into a frown.

“Please forgive me,” he whispered in a strangled tone.

“For what?”

“I bit you without asking permission.”

Ah . Yeah, that probably was a big deal in the vampire world. Partners got consent. Leo had just thought it was sexy.

“You are forgiven.” Leo reached up and took Junjie’s face in both of his hands. “From this day forward, you have my blanket permission to bite me whenever you want. Wounded and need blood? Bite me. Feeling peckish and need a snack? Bite me. Fucking my brains out and want to send me screaming over the edge? Bite me.”

The tension and worry disappeared from Junjie’s face, and he kissed one of Leo’s palms. “Thank you.”

Leo released him and moved so he could step into the spray of hot water.

“However, you know I can’t feed from you exclusively,” Junjie tossed out as he turned off the water. “I wouldn’t want to put your life in danger.”

Leo glared silently at Junjie’s back as he thought about the vampire sinking his fangs into anyone else.

Oh, hell no.

Hell to the fuck no.

That was not happening. Ever again.

Leo let that subject drop for now as they climbed out of the shower and dried off.

“Are you planning to stay for a while longer?” Junjie inquired as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

Leo stood with his fluffy pale-blue towel held in front of him with both hands. He’d just been trying to figure out what to do next. Normally, he would stay with Erik in his cat form until the sun rose, which was still a few hours away. But after what happened, he was left wondering if maybe he should leave for a few hours to give them some space. Not that he wanted to leave.

“I could stay…if you want. Is there something you need?”

Junjie seemed to look everywhere but at Leo. They had frotted in the shower and come hard enough to make him temporarily forget how to breathe, and now this sexy man couldn’t meet his eyes?

“I was wondering if you would stay with me. In my bed. In your human form. Not all day, of course. Maybe just until I fall asleep.”

No. Stop. If this vampire became any more adorable, Leo was going to die from it. No one should be allowed to be this cute.

He tossed aside his towel and wrapped his arms behind Junjie’s neck. “How about I go check on Erik one last time while you get snuggly in your bed? I’ll join you in a minute.”

The smile that blossomed on Junjie’s face could have stopped time. It definitely stopped Leo’s heart. He grabbed a brief kiss and shifted into his cat form. Junjie let him out of the bedroom so he could pad across the hall. With a bump of his nose, he wriggled his way through a crack in the door. His sharp cat eyes scanned the semidark room for any signs of disturbance or Jiang Chong lurking in the dead realm. He possessed the same catlike vision in his human form, but it was more precise when he was a cat.

Everything appeared fine since he’d last stopped in Erik’s room. He crossed to the bed where Erik lay under a soft yellow blanket filled with cavorting cats of all colors and sizes. There was a plush rabbit doll on one side of him and a large koi fish doll under his arm, just like the fish he fed every day in the various ponds on the Zhang property.

After getting his fill of a soundly sleeping Erik, Leo trotted across the hall to Junjie’s room, where he found the lights out and there was a soft rustle of the blankets as the vampire got comfortable. The cat jumped onto the bed and shifted into his human form so he could pull the blankets down.

“Erik?” Junjie murmured.

“Sound asleep and safe. Nothing to worry about except for the fact that I like to burrito in the blankets while I sleep.”

Only, Leo didn’t wrap the soft blankets about his body and turn away from Junjie as he got comfortable. He actually laid his head on Junjie’s chest, his ear right over the vampire’s heart, while dropping his arm across his stomach. Junjie pulled the blanket up higher so that it covered most of Leo’s chest and back.

“Comfortable?”

“Completely.”