CHAPTER SEVEN

A listar didn't begin to relax until he pulled into the garage of the Coven complex. The building was large and housed all of Coven leadership along with guards, soldiers, support and surveillance personnel. Other members resided in neighboring buildings and structures within the Kilconnor compound.

His adored would be safe in his quarters and he planned to convince him to move in the sooner the better. He had no desire to return to his apartment so he might as well make the move now.

"This is really nice." Neal had commented on the landscaping and then the architecture and now the interior layout. "It looks like this place has been here a long time. This isn't any kind of new build is it."

"It's been here a couple hundred years but has been updated and expanded over the years. Master Kilconnor maintains the historical look so the old and the new blend." Alistar didn't know a lot about the structure, but he knew that much. Architectural style and designs were not his interest. He could appreciate a nice look, but he didn't dwell on it.

"Everyone looks so serious." Neal whispered and stepped a little closer to Alistar as they made their way down the hall on the third floor to Alistar's apartment.

"Don't let it bother you." He told him. "They're just showing off for the new guy because they think you're cute." That got a chuckle and Alistar slipped his arm around Neal pulling him up close.

He opened the door and ushered Neal inside his apartment. "It's three bedrooms, two baths, large kitchen and dining room and the living room has a view of the city. Feel free to make yourself comfortable and please make it your home."

"This is huge and lovely. You have good taste, Alistar."

"I hired someone to decorate the place all I asked for was don't make it frilly, but you can do anything you like. You have no restrictions." He pulled him in for a hug and a kiss. "Okay with that said, I want you to move in here with me we're bonded and our lives are entwining so why wait."

Neal looked up at him and then around the apartment. "You think you're ready to have me invade your space?" he asked.

He again pulled Neal in for a full-body hug. "I've been ready for you for years, baby. I am so glad you're finally here." He kissed him hard, going deeply and claiming what was his once again. He pulled back gradually, trailing kisses along his jaw and down his throat. "You taste so good, baby."

"Apart from the blood and death, this is like a dream come true. I can't believe I've been so lucky to have found you."

"I'm the lucky one, my love."

"I'm seeing things for what they are now. The awakening you spoke of simply pulled back the blinders and cleared the haze that kept things secret and out of sight." He smiled so relaxed, and it pleased Alistar.

"This world is an amazing place a little scary with the magics and the monsters but the paranormal in general is not anything to be afraid of. The vampires and shifters are pretty basic actually." He chuckled again and Alistar was discovering how much he loved that sound.

"Are you calling me basic, baby?" Alistar teased.

"Not you, other vampires." He laughed. "You're amazing, wonderful, gorgeous and I love you Alistar." The last few words were spoken in solemn sincerity and they were the words Alistar waited to hear.

"I love you to, baby." He said and Neal pulled him down for a kiss that was both chaste and hungry. He felt Neal explore and escalate until he suddenly pulled back panting wildly and smiling. Alistar loved his enthusiasm.

"I want you so badly I don't know if it has anything to do with my near death or what, but I need you Alistar." Neal was being very open with his feelings and Alistar was feeling the same but first he wanted his adored to eat. The dinner he'd ordered earlier was lost and forgotten in the chaos and his adored needed food before anything else.

"I'm going to order you something to eat. I know you haven't eaten much today, and you need to keep up your strength." Alistar urged, and after a few seconds of consideration, Neal nodded and admitted he could eat.

"What would you like?" He asked and pulled out his phone.

"Something light since it's so late."

"Soup, salad, sandwich, what would you like?"

"Soup and breadsticks. I love breadsticks." Neal told him and Alistar put the order in the kitchen. "It will be delivered in approximately thirty minutes. So, while we wait, I'll get you something to drink." He went to the kitchen and called out. "Fruit drink or protein drink?"

"Fruit drink."

"You got it, baby."

When he entered the living room with the drinks Neal was looking at some snap shots that were framed and on the wall. "You have to tell me about these?" He said.

"They're family that are no longer with me." He pointed out his parents and a sister, Trista. "My parents died many years ago, but they lived full and happy lives. Vampires have an extended life span and so will you, now that you and I have bonded. My mother was human and my father vampire. I took after my father and have full vampire abilities, but Trista took after our mother."

"She didn't get any vampire abilities?" Neal asked.

"She was fully human and unfortunately lived a human life span. It was very hard on my parents. We'd hoped that Trista would find her adored within the paranormal community, which would extend her life, but that did not happen."

"It's only you now? You have no other family?"

"Only me now." Alistar never considered himself alone since he always felt like his family were with him. "How about you do you have family other than you brother Byron."

"No, it's just me and Byron." He didn't seem sad about it, more resigned. "I never knew our dad, and he left shortly after I was born. Byron told me it was no great loss. He wasn't much, and we lost our mother when I was fifteen and Byron was twenty. Byron took over guardianship of me until I was eighteen."

"I see now why you two are so close."

"He's a good man, and he'll warm up to you. Just give him time."

"As long as you've warmed up to me, that is all that I ask."

"I'm very warm, sweetheart, very warm," Neal responded.

"Sweetheart, is it." Alistar teased and pulled Neal back into his arms.

"Lover?" Neal tried with a half grin.

"Lover is good, too." Alistar trailed kisses down his neck and along his shoulder. Neal's hands smoothed down Alistar's chest and settled on the growing hardness that was becoming so prominent between them.

"Is this for me?" He whispered and took him in hand.

"Always." Alistar answered breathlessly. All talk ended and Neal slid down Alistar's body to kneel before him. He looked up at him with that need and desire clear in his eyes and Alistar felt it right to his bones.

Neal knew he was being forward and demanding, but it felt right. He wanted to touch and taste his lover, and he wanted it now. Alistar remained still and watched while Neal opened his pants and pulled them partially down, exposing the thick hardness within. Alistar was built like no one Neal had ever seen. He was magnificent, but thankfully, he managed to keep that observation to himself.

Lately, everything he thought seemed to pour out of his mouth, not that he was ashamed or embarrassed by any of it. His thoughts and feelings were valid, and right now, all he could think about was getting that hot, pulsing cock between his lips.

He let out a salacious moan before grabbing the base and slipping the girth into his mouth, taking it as deep as possible. The flavor was sharp and tangy and set his heart on fire. The need to devour was fierce, and he experienced a wildness that pushed him to take what he wanted.

Alistar threaded his fingers through Neal's hair, cupping the back of his head and taking some control. He thrust gently, finding his own satisfaction within the moist heat of Neal's mouth. Neal glanced up at him and again saw the raw desire and the urgent need in his stance and expression. It pushed Neal to go harder and deeper, taking all he could, stroking and building the sexual momentum to an unbearable height.

Neal took him down his throat as Alistar thrust forward and came in a heated rush, filling Neal's throat and mouth with his warm essence. The taste was glorious, and the sensations that raced through him were intense, sending a shiver down his spine and forcing a desperate moan from his lips.

Alistar grabbed him under the arms and lifted him to his feet and planted a kiss of similar desperation to Neal's lips as he held onto Alistar's upper arms. The kiss went on and on until there came a knock at the door. Neal jerked back in surprise and Alistar laughed softly.

"It's just the food deliver my love." He assured and quickly tucked himself back into his pants and zipped up. Neal headed to the bathroom and washed up before meeting Alistar back in the living room. Alistar took their glasses and walked over to the kitchen. "I'll get us more to drink I'm sure you're thirsty." He teased.

"I'll answer the door." Neal offered, and Alistar nodded.

Elan received the report on the drycleaner and Franchesca Ball two entities he believed were behind the recent rash of disappearances of both human and paranormal staff. The thought of what was taking place made his blood boil with rage at the fact they operated in the open and no one including him had a clue what was happening.

The only reason the situation came to light was because someone spotted a suspected rogue at the drycleaner. It was believed isolated and a single issue but as it turned out there was something much more widespread and insidious going on. The rogues were working for someone.

"Does the practice extend to anyone else in the Eastover area?" Elan asked Rian who had conducted the investigation and provided the report.

"Not that I have found it, but it is very unlikely that the closest neighbors didn't have some clue what was happening and chose to ignore it. It's been going on for nearly five years, so someone knew something." Rian's anger was barely in check.

"Find out if they knew and deal with them accordingly. I leave that in your hands, but Franchesca is mine." Elan would make an example of her and her minions. There is no room in this world, Elan's world, for monsters like her, and he would weed them out wherever they dare to take root.

"Her husband Reginald is not involved and seemingly unaware of the activities."

"Inform him after we complete the purge, not before. Check him out thoroughly and his associations."

"Yes, sir." Rian was about to leave Elan's office when he received an alert from the underground garage. "I distributed pictures of the vampire guards and staff working for Franchesca to make sure none would show up here on Coven grounds, and I just got a hit from Dax in the garage. He recognized one of the guards and said he arrived here an hour ago."

"Find him do whatever necessary but find him." Elan exploded. He then put in a call to Alistar to warn him to keep his adored close but there was no answer. "Check on Alistar first, he brought his adored back to his quarters last night and he's not answering his phone."

"Yes, sir." Rian rushed from the office, and Elan arranged to visit Eastover.

Alistar was refilling their glasses when he heard what sounded like a scuffle at the door. He raced from the kitchen in time to see some asshole vampire holding Neal by the neck with a knife positioned under his chin. "Stay still, baby." He told Neal.

"What's your plans?" He spoke to the vampire, who looked out of his depth and on the edge of panic. He had to keep him calm until he could get Neal out of his clutches. A nervous vampire with a knife was not a good combination.

"I'm taking him with me. Back up, or I'll kill him right here in front of you." He threatened.

"And then I would rip your head off and feed it to the dogs," Alistar stated cold and final.

"I'm leaving, and he's coming with me." He stuck the tip of the knife into Neal's flesh, drawing blood.

"You're not leaving here alive; it's just a matter of how painful your death will be." Alistar started stepping from side to side, all the while watching for an opening. The guy was losing his nerve but was not yet ready to give up. "Let him go, and I will make it quick, but harm him, and I will make you suffer for days before I finally give you the sweet release of death." The guy started to back up still holding Neal and pulling him backward with him.

A knock at the door behind him startled the guy just enough to give Alistar the edge. When he glanced to the side, Alistar grabbed the knife he was holding to Neal's throat by the blade. It cut deep, but Alistar held tight and twisted it backward. He pulled Neal free with his other hand and watched him scurry away on his hands and knees.

Alistar held the knife to the guy's throat and opened the door behind him. Standing there were two guards who stepped back. "I'm going to kill you, but I'm not doing it in my quarters in front of my adored." He told him, and once they were far enough down the hall, he buried the knife in his throat. He held his gaze, watching the life drain out of him.

"She was going to kill me if I didn't bring him." He stuttered as blood poured from his mouth.

"Franchesca Ball?"

"Yes, she wanted the power of his blood. She has killed many." That was the last he had to say as his body slumped and Alistar dropped him to the floor. He wiped his hand on his pants and then turned to the two guards.

"I want him incinerated." He ordered. "I don't trust that fucking witch. Everything associated with her must be burned."

"Master Kilconnor is handing it and there will be nothing remaining when he's finished." Rian told him as he came up behind the guards. "I'm sorry your adored was bothered. Go to him and let us finish this."

Alistar nodded his appreciation and hurried back to his apartment eager to get Neal into his arms and to assure him that the nightmare was now over.

Elan entered the property with a team of guards who fanned out and searched the area, killing those who were a party to the slaughter and rescuing those who were being victimized. It was a very dark day for the Coven, and it was made evident by each horror that presented itself within that mansion.

He found her in the basement pool room, readying herself for a private soak. The pool was small, approximately twelve by fourteen feet, and it was filled with blood. The entire room smelled of pain and death, a sickening sweet odor that turned the stomach. She was dressed in white chiffon and looked surprised to see him.

"Who let you in? Why are you down here? You can't be down here." Her angry outburst had no effect as Elan walked toward her.

"You're an abomination." He stated, and in one swift move, he swung his sword and took her head off. One of the guards came up to stand beside him, and he looked shell-shocked.

"There is so much here, Master, so much awfulness but no survivors."

"Neal survived," He told him and that one little victory seemed to ease some of the sadness. "Burn it to the ground and salt the earth." He ordered as he walked away.

Alistar found Neal by the door, waiting breathlessly for his return. The moment he stepped into the apartment, his arms were full of his adored one. "It's okay, my love. He's gone, and you're safe."

"But what about the next time? When will they stop coming for me?" he cried into Alistar's chest.

"No one will be coming for you, the Master has ended it," Alistar explained who was behind it all and her reasoning for the torment she caused.

"If you hadn't come along, I would have been killed like all those others." He trembled at the thought.

"Fate made sure I was there for you."

"Thank you for staying close and not letting me do anything stupid. I can't believe I worked for a serial killer. I may not have the nerve to leave this apartment for days, maybe months." Neal held tight to Alistar.

"You're safe, I'll always be there for you." Alistar kissed the top of his head and led him into the living room. "I love you, Neal."

"I love you too, Alistar."

"I'm going to order you another dinner and hopefully this one you'll be able to eat." He chuckled.

"You answer the door this time."

"Definitely."

THE END