Trusting His Vampire Lord Read online

  

  Violet Joicey-Cowen

  Trusting His Vampire Lord

  It’s been three years since Raphael Beaulieu met and ran from his mate. Raff’s longing to be with Ves wars with the horrors in Raff’s past. Will he ever be able to trust the coven leader?

  Lord Sylvestre Desmarais doesn’t understand why his mate denies him so vehemently, but he’s willing to wait as long as Raff needs. He’s waited four hundred and fifty years to find his mate, what’s a few more? He has plenty to keep him busy—moving his coven, looking after his people, and keeping his sister out of trouble, but he craves Raff with every breath.

  Raff is furious and scared when he finds out Ves is moving the coven closer, but with the help of friends, he starts to come around.

  However, Raff’s past isn’t done with him and when he disappears, will Ves be able to find him in time?

  Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 48,010

  TRUSTING HIS VAMPIRE LORD

  Vampires of Whithowe 2

  Violet Joicey-Cowen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Trusting His Vampire Lord

  Copyright © 2018 by Violet Joicey-Cowen

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-555-9

  First Publication: December 2018

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2018 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For everyone who has stuck with me through my tough times.

  I’ve got “Keep F;ghting” tattooed on one arm and “Keep Writing” on the other. They remind me to keep going when times are hard and to keep doing what I love even when I’m struggling.

  Life hasn’t been easy for a lot of people over the last couple of years. There will always be better times ahead. Never give up!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Violet Joicey-Cowen is the proud owner of one rather chaotic life. This includes her son, her menagerie (currently—three dogs, one cat, one guinea-pig, and two hamsters), her friends, and a rather battered laptop she would be lost without. She lives in North Yorkshire in England. When she is not writing she plays a lot of pool and is on a couple of teams.

  She has been writing since she was about ten years old and has always loved escaping into other worlds where the people living there would tell her their stories and she would just have to write them down. She always dreamed of having her stories published so her characters could get out there and meet other people who might begin to love them as much as she does. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her wordpress account or you can find her on Facebook.

  For all titles by Violet Joicey-Cowen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/violet-joicey-cowen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TRUSTING HIS VAMPIRE LORD

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  TRUSTING HIS VAMPIRE LORD

  Vampires of Whithowe 2

  VIOLET JOICEY-COWEN

  Copyright © 2018

  Chapter One

  Raff

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Raff whispered subvocally. Any louder and Ves would hear him, even from the next room. Rage balled in his stomach, threatening to explode and swallow him whole. He glared at the white painted door.

  For a week or so now, Freddie had been holed up with Sol and Eddie. It hadn’t been any of Raff’s business, and he hadn’t been all that interested. Until he realised whenever he came anywhere near them, they all got squirrelly. Something was going on. He knew it. They weren’t as subtle as they thought. He hadn’t expected this. He should have, though. Ves had put up with Raff running away when they first met and hadn’t put any pressure on him to return. He should have known Ves wouldn’t wait forever, that he wouldn’t keep his promise.

  Eddie—Ves’s second-in-command—and Andre—Raff’s friend—had gone down to their rooms in the basement after helping split up the earlier fight between Ves and Sol. Raff had gone down with them. He came back up to the kitchen for coffee and stayed, curiosity getting the better of him. He didn’t need to get any closer, nor did he have to press his ear up against the wooden door. He listened to his would-be-mate talk over property details with Freddie and Sol in the dining room. The coffee in his mouth tasted more bitter than usual.

  Freddie had nearly died the night before. Raff could still smell the blood that had drenched Freddie when he, Sol, Eddie, and Andre found the man in the middle of a storm, buried under rubble, and amid the remains of his destroyed wheelchair. The cloying scent hung in the air. A heady smell for a vampire. Raff was old enough, though, that he could easily push aside his body’s need for the sweet liquid. Had been for decades. It wasn’t any harder than a human smelling bread in a supermarket and choosing not to buy any. Maybe a little less socially acceptable. He smirked. Then the half smile faded. Unless we’re… He stopped his thought in its tracks, wisps of memories curling through his gut.

  * * * *

  Bones stretching skin gone leathery and thin from starvation and dehydration.

  Cramping stomach, desperation, and an all-consuming need for blood.

  Metal hood caged tight around his head.

  Whispers—Are you ready? Have you changed your mind yet?

  * * * *

  Sol said something about taking a break. Raff froze, dragged out of the past. He waited until Sol and Freddie went upstairs before breathing out.

  Why the hell is Ves doing this? He said he wouldn’t push me. That son of a bitch. So much for waiting until I’m ready. He’s going to just come in and take over. I don’t want a mate. He’s just like…no, I’m not thinking about him. I got out of there, and Ves isn’t going to have me either. Just because he’s coven leader doesn’t give him the right to come in and take whatever or whomever he wants. Shoving the panicky, trapped feeling to the back of his mind, Raff let his anger build.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The door banged loudly into the wall with a noise that spoke of future repair work.

  Ves’s hands stilled on the paperwork he had been gathering together. He turned his head slowly to look at Raff. “Excuse me?”

  “You. And the property details. And the being squirreled away with my friends. And everyone avoiding looking at me whenever your name comes up. And no one tel
ling me what’s going on. What are you up to?”

  “I…”

  “Are you moving your whole damn coven here?”

  Ves sagged a little. He sighed. “Yes.”

  Raff bounced on the balls of his feet. “You said you weren’t going to push me.”

  “Not push you?” Ves straightened from where he’d been bent over the table. His face hardened, and he glared at Raff as he turned to face him properly. “It’s been nearly three years!”

  “What? And you thought ‘That’s enough’? ‘He’s had enough time’?” Rage fizzed in the back of Raff’s head and in his belly.

  “It was already past time to move the coven when I first met you. I didn’t want to move even farther away.”

  “So, you’re moving it here? To where I came to get away from you?”

  Ves paled as if Raff had struck him. Ves’s hands clenched convulsively, seemingly of their own accord, and Raff briefly wondered if he had gone too far.

  “Christ, Raff, I only want to be closer,” Ves exploded. “I’m not pushing you. I’m not forcing you into anything before you’re ready. I only want to be closer to my mate.”

  Raff stalked closer. “I’m not your mate.” The words came out through gritted teeth. “And I never will be.” He stopped when they were almost chest to chest. “When are you going to get that through your head?”

  “Never. You are my mate. You may not want to be. We might not ever bond. But you are my mate. Every part of me tells me it’s the truth. Every part of me is crying out for you. How can you deny it? How? Christ, I’m moving the coven here so I can be closer without putting any pressure on you. I need to be closer. Don’t you?” Ves petered off. His voice had gone from angry shouting to low, pleading tones.

  “I…” It was Raff’s turn to trail off, words sticking in his throat. This close to Ves, the man’s scent overpowered his reason. His head swam with it, and his cock filled. He stared at Ves, barely needing to tilt his head to look directly into his eyes. They were dilated so far the silvery blue was eclipsed, leaving only the thick, outer navy ring.

  Raff’s breaths shortened until he was almost panting. A low growl rumbled through Ves, vibrating in Raff’s chest and lifting every hair on his skin. “Ves.” Raff’s voice had vanished, leaving a shaky whisper in its place.

  He didn’t know what Ves saw, but he grabbed Raff’s shoulders and yanked him forward. The kiss was rough, more teeth and desperation than lips, tongue, and desire.

  Raff reached out to push him away, but twisted his hands into the material of Ves’s top, pulling him closer instead.

  Something crashed when they thudded into the wall beside the door, but Raff was too caught up in the feel and smell of Ves to see what. Ves kicked out at the door, and it slammed shut. They fumbled at each other’s clothes, cloth tearing and buttons popping.

  The heat of Ves’s hard shaft scorched Raff’s hand at the exact same moment Ves closed cool fingers around his own cock. The smell of their combined arousal made his head swim. His teeth sharpened, and he trembled with the urge to sink them into Ves. He gasped and moaned in the direction of the ceiling. The sensations swimming through him and rippling under his skin were ones he’d denied for three years.

  One-handed, Ves pushed his and then Raff’s trousers down to midthigh. He crowded Raff up against the wall and buried his face in Raff’s neck to suck on his pulse point without breaking skin.

  “Fuck,” Raff gasped, head thrown back. Every pull on his neck might as well have been directly connected to his cock.

  Ves pushed Raff’s arm aside and stretched his hand around both of them, heated, rigid flesh sliding together in Ves’s tight grip.

  “Ves.”

  Ves growled against Raff’s neck. He thrust hard into his own grip, cock and hand the perfect combination to bring Raff to the edge far faster than he would have thought possible. Even the friction caused by a lack of any lube added a bite of discomfort that only turned him on more.

  Licking up Raff’s neck, Ves sucked on the underside of Raff’s jaw before scraping his fangs down the taut flesh.

  Raff was done. His balls drew up against the base of his cock, and he was coming. He gasped and shook in Ves’s hold. He would have fallen to the floor if it weren’t for Ves pinning him there.

  Fangs closed tightly on the juncture between neck and shoulder, but didn’t bite down, didn’t pierce his skin. One more thrust of Ves’s hips, and Raff felt the wet heat of the man’s release join his own. Ves growled against his neck again. They stood there for a long moment, basking in their joint release, the smell of mate and cum, and each other’s presence.

  Then Ves stepped back. “Shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Reality crashed in, clearing Raff’s head. He put both hands to Ves’s chest and shoved him farther away. He glared at Ves. “I hope you enjoyed it. Because it’s never happening again.” As he spoke, he pulled his trousers up and straightened his clothing. Raff pushed away from the wall and stalked from the room.

  Raff wasn’t going to be owned by another person. He had only just escaped the first time a coven leader had taken a liking to him and had then wound up a prisoner of an even bigger monster and experimented on for years. Several friends had died because they helped him. He wasn’t going to let any of it happen again, no matter how badly he ached to run his fingers through Ves’s hair and find out if the blue-tipped black locks were as silky as they looked.

  He couldn’t shake thoughts of what he and Ves had done. He didn’t know what was worse. That Ves had paid no heed to what he knew Raff wanted, or that Raff had enjoyed every second.

  Chapter Two

  Ves

  Watching his mate leave the room, body stiff with anger, Ves struggled for control. He’d come so close to biting Raff. He wasn’t sure if a bite while they were so thoroughly wound up would have bonded them or not. Same-sex pairings between females didn’t have to involve penetration to bond them, so why should the same be necessary between men?

  The thought of sinking his cock and fangs into his mate sent a shiver of want through him, and his cock gave a renewed twitch of interest. It might not be needed to bond them, he didn’t know for sure, but his body sang with the desire to do just that.

  Not that it looked like their bonding would ever happen. Raff was adamant on the subject. “Damn it,” Ves breathed out. He had really hoped moving closer to Raff would ease things for them both. Instead, he had gotten Raff more pissed off at him before the move could take place. His mate felt further away than ever, even with their combined cum drying on his hand and his dick still out. As carefully as he could to avoid spreading the sticky mess all over his clothes, Ves tucked himself back away and went to wash up.

  He spent about an hour looking through the paperwork Freddie and Sol had prepared for him with Eddie’s help. There were a few properties he liked the look of. Some were definite yesses and some were maybes. He gave Perry a quick call before heading out to go see him.

  The pack alpha himself opened the door when Ves knocked.

  “Lord Sylvestre Desmarais, come in.”

  “Alpha Peregrine Wyndham, it’s good to finally meet you in person.”

  Two could play at the formality game. Ves held his hand out. At least neither of them had started adding in all their middle names. They’d be here until the damn contract on the house was signed.

  The alpha made a face even as he reached out to shake. “Perry, please.”

  Ves smirked inwardly. “And I’m Ves.” He released Perry’s hand and walked into the house at Perry’s gesture.

  Perry closed the door and moved past him. “My mate will have supper ready soon. Would you like to stay and eat with us?”

  “Of course. Perry”—Ves touched the man’s arm, stopping him in his tracks—“before we go through…I just wanted to express my gratitude for saving my mate’s life. You saved so many that day, and you had no way of knowing my mate was among them, but if it wasn’t for you, he wo
uldn’t be alive today. Vampires aren’t easy when we’re blood-crazed, I know that. I don’t have the words so…just, thank you.”

  Perry glanced toward the kitchen. The sound of some electrical gadget started up, masking what Perry and Ves were speaking about. Though by the smell of things, there was no food involved. In the kitchen, yes, but not with whatever was making the sound. The alpha’s mate must be deliberately giving them privacy. “You don’t have to. I understand. Charlie could have died in that place, too. If anyone, it’s him you should thank. If it wasn’t for his determination to stay alive and his courage in getting out of there, neither of us would have our mates.”

  “Not that I have Raff.” Ves could have bitten his tongue off. He shouldn’t have let that slip.

  “Aye, he’s a strong-willed one. He’s your mate though, Ves. He’ll come around.”

  “I don’t know about that. Why am I even talking about this?”

  “Easier with someone you don’t know? And maybe you don’t spend much time around other coven or pack leaders. You vampires can be a stiff lot. I understand the weight of everyone relying on you. Come on, we can talk business while we eat.” He clapped Ves on the shoulder and guided him through to a large open kitchen. The room was done out in warm tones, with oak cabinets, granite counter tops, and slate flooring completing a rustic feel.

  “Ves, my mate, Charlie Wyndham. Charlie, Lord Sylvestre Desmarais, leader of the Desmarais coven.”

  The young blond finished drying his hands on a towel and stepped forward to shake Ves’s hand.

  “Ves, please. I knew you were mated, but my second didn’t tell me you were married. Congratulations.”