Dark Miracle

Rhys saw Szeren's large hand hovering in his peripheral eyesight and hissed at the big male. "Don't touch me!"

"Who is in Amsterdam?"

The question came out as one vicious growl, issued through a snarled mouth as Szeren clenched the hand he'd been about to put on Rhys into a tight fist. Szeren was seconds away from claiming Rhys right here, but he still wanted to know whom his mate thought he was going to run to in the city of sin by the sea.

Rhys had tried to be professional. He had tried to be decent and allow this man his closet since it seemed like that's where he wanted to live. He'd tried to do everything it seemed like Szeren Kizevicius wanted, and now he had this huge, wolfish Viking breathing down his neck as though he'd done something wrong. Well fuck that shit all to hell, Rhys thought. Szeren wasn't even his boyfriend and he was already trying to pull some kind of stupid alpha male crap? Ohhell no.

Rhys's eyes flew open, gleaming with fiery anger. "My friends! My friends are in Amsterdam! And after dealing with you and your bizarre behavior I'm going to need them! Step back! Right now! Back up!"

Szeren looked down at his mate, surprised, amused, and more than a little aroused that the boy had so much spine and fire. He stared at the soft, pale skin of Rhys's throat and nearly groaned aloud, watching the big blood vessels under the satiny smoothness pulse with his mate's passion. Szeren obediently took two steps away from his mate, though he was unable to keep the smirk off his face when he looked down and saw exactly how affected Rhys was by having him so close. Good. Szeren liked knowing he wasn't the only one who was about to burst his pants at the zipper.

"Szeren..."

Aidan's voice intruded on the moment, reminding the swordmaker that they had an audience. Szeren really did groan then, and took a deep breath. He turned slightly to look at his friend, who was standing in the archway between rooms, his arm around Alexandria's shoulders.

"You and Rhys need to talk. Now," Aidan said, anticipating Szeren's first objection. He raised an eyebrow at the swordmaker. "Would you prefer Alexandria and I stayed, or left?"

Using his private mental pathway with the swordmaker, he added,Rhys was very unsettled in the car on the way here, and I also sensed something, though it didn't feel like the undead. I'd like to get Alexandria someplace safe and then go hunt for a bit if you think you can handle this.

Szeren turned back to Rhys who was watching them both warily. "There are some things we must discuss before we begin the search for my family's sword. Would you prefer that Aidan and his mate remain present for our talk, or are you comfortable being alone with me?"

Rhys stared at him. Was he kidding? He shot a glance at Aidan and Alex before speaking to Szeren sotto voce, though he had no way of knowing the Carpathians could still hear him. "I'm fine being alone with you, but Isaw what you want to do with me, Szeren. Do you really think either of us will be able totalk like that?"

Szeren's eyes widened, then he laughed. He hadn't laughed, really laughed, in over four centuries. The emotions flooding his mind and taking over his body were almost more than he could bear, crazy joy and unbelievable shame, soaring happiness, delirious desire, ferocious envy. He'd almost gotten beyond his issues with Rhys being male. He needed him so badly, needed the press of his mouth, the feeling of his sweet lips and the scent of his breath so much that he felt slightly crazed. "Shall I send them home or ask them to stay,sivamet?"

Rhys swallowed, staring into those glacial pale eyes. He didn't know what the word meant, but he heard Alexandria's little gasp upon hearing it, and registered how incredibly warm it made him feel deep down inside when it slid off Szeren's tongue. "Send them home," Rhys said.

Aidan and Alexandria were just suddenly gone, and Rhys was standing there alone with Szeren Kizevicius. Szeren offered him his hand, very similarly to the way Rhys had offered Szeren his earlier, and yes, it occurred to Rhys to refuse it. He could choose to hurt Szeren, to cause some measure of the pain that the big man had put him through, but that wasn't Rhys's way. Of course, he knew if he took Szeren's hand they'd forge a bond, the kind of connection he shared with precious few other people in this world. As Szeren stood there, his arm out, hand waiting, face impassive, something inside of Rhys cracked. He bypassed Szeren's hand entirely. Sliding up to stand chest to chest with the big blond, Rhys wrapped his arms around Szeren's narrow waist and leaned in, ever so slowly, to press his face against the warm, soft flesh of Szeren's neck.

Rhys's head was immediately inundated with images, sounds, scents, events, some in color but most in black and white, and he clung to Szeren, shuddering, drawing in the very real, very clean, earthy scent that was uniquely his. That scent and the feel of so much hard, strong male flesh under his fingertips helped Rhys push the psychic overload out of his mind.

Szeren went rigid the instant Rhys's sweet body collided with his, all of his willpower draining away. All of his good intentions, his plans to have Rhys find the Kizevicius clan sword so that he could use it in the honor death ritual, leaving Rhys unmolested to live his life out normally, disappeared with the press of their bodies and the feel of Rhys's arms around him. Szeren was going to claim him; he had to claim him, but he was going tell him everything first.

Gathering that tight, sweet body against him, Szeren lifted him up and carried him swiftly through the first floor to the stairs, and up to the master bedroom. Rhys was supposed to sleep here, as Szeren, of course, would rest beneath the earth, but for now this would serve as their room. Sweeping over the room's threshold, Szeren shuddered as Rhys's teeth nipped at his throat, the small sting nearly undoing him. "I know this is all going to seem strange to you, but it is strange to me, too. I'm going to tell you everything, but if you have questions, you ask me, all right?"

Rhys nodded, his fingers tracing Szeren's face, the pads of his fingers running gently over Szeren's cheekbones, his nose, his jaw, and finally, his lips. "Is it too much to ask... before you start talking... Would you kiss me?"

"I'm very worried that if I kiss you, I won't be able to stop," Szeren said, seriously. "It's the only reason I haven't kissed you already, though the fates know I want to. Perhaps," Szeren looked speculatively at Rhys's mouth, and the hot look made Rhys squirm. "Perhapsyou could kissme."

Rhys stared at Szeren's luscious, full lips, then thought about kissing him and trying to stop, thought about pressing against that mouth, licking inside it with his tongue and tasting the wonderful flavor that would be Szeren, and knew that Szeren was absolutely right.

"Talk fast," Rhys said, gasping as his hands moved restlessly over the rest of Szeren's body. Even exploring over his clothes was a treat, and Rhys was light-headed with want.

Szeren bent down, untying his boots and pulling them off before tugging Rhys over to the bed. He propped a few pillows up and settled back against them, then drew Rhys in against his chest, pleased at how well the male fit against his body.

"I am Carpathian, like Aidan and Alexandria," Szeren said. Aidan had already shared how much he'd told Rhys. "What Aidan didn't tell you is that the stories and myths of vampires came from our race."

Rhys stiffened instantly at the mention of vampires. Szeren noticed it, and filed the reaction away for later.

"We are not human, Rhys. We don't age like humans; we don't eat food, or sleep like humans. Our bodies process energy differently, and our minds work differently which is why we have some psychic abilities. We communicate differently with each other, using telepathy.

"But the trade for our greater strengths and skills is the need for sustenance of a different kind. We feed on human blood. We do not kill to obtain it, and our donors are usually none the wiser after we have fed. We are also sensitive to sunlight and must avoid it. The earth rejuvenates us, the minerals in the soil strengthen us, and so we sleep beneath the soil when the sun is high."

Rhys frowned, doing his best not to panic, not to let his imagination run wild. "So, you're a vampire, basically."

"No, I'm not. I'm Carpathian. A vampire is something else, something evil."

"I don't understand."

"A vampire is a Carpathian male with a soul stained by evil, who has chosen to give up his honor, give up his soul for the rush of feeling and power he gets from taking a life during feeding. Our males all begin life with the potential to become vampire. Over time, darkness accumulates on our souls, and eventually, we will turn vampire if we do not find the other half of our soul, our lifemate, and bind them to us. If we cannot find our lifemate then the only other option is the honor death: walking into the sun."

"So all vampires were once Carpathians?"

"Yes."

"But not all Carpathians are vampires?"

"Correct."

"And you're telling me all of this..."

"When a Carpathian finds the other half of his soul, he has the ability to bind that person to him with the Ritual Words, a spell that is unbreakable. The other person has no choice in the matter; they eventually adjust, and our laws are written so that a male must place the care and happiness of his lifemate before his own needs. I've always thought it unfair, and I decided if I ever found my lifemate, that I would be honest with them, try to give them some choice in the matter."

Szeren released Rhys from his hold and urged the male to scoot around so that he could look into his face.

"I believeyou are the other half of my soul, Rhys, and I think you feel it, too. I feel the need to speak the binding words strongly, but I will not say them without your consent. I will not take away your freedom if this isn't what you want as well."

"What will happen if you don't speak the words? If you don't bind us together? Will you... turn?" The idea of Szeren becoming some evil monster was unthinkable.

The look Szeren gave him was unreadable. "If you reject my claim, I will seek the sun. Truthfully, it is why I came home. I am... very close to turning. The darkness has grown strong in me. I've let Aidan take my blood so that he will be able to hunt me when the time comes."

Rhys heard a strangled sound of protest and realized he was making it. "So what do these words do? What will happen when you speak them?"

"Honestly?" Szeren said, running his hands up and down Rhys's arms in a soothing gesture, "I don't have any idea. No Carpathian has ever claimed a male lifemate."

Rhys's jaw dropped. Szeren shrugged. "Lifemates are female, the light to a male's darkness. As far as I know, I'm the first who's ever called a male."

Rhys frowned, his eyes troubled as he looked at Szeren. "Does it bother you?"

Szeren nodded, continuing to soothe Rhys with strokes and caresses. "Some, yes. Lifemates do not lie to each other, Rhys. If we do establish the bond, we'll have our own telepathic bond, and we'll learn to merge our minds. We'll live in each other's heads. There are no secrets between lifemates, ever."

Rhys rose up onto his knees and moved into Szeren, putting his arms around the Carpathian's neck. "I've dreamed about you for eight years, Szeren. I know every inch of your body. The idea of you becoming something that has to be hunted makes me cold inside. Say the words. Bind us together."

"You truly mean this?" Szeren whispered, his eyes closed. "Please be sure, Rhys. It can't be undone. Once we're bound, I'll have to convert you and you'll be Carpathian, like me."

Rhys frowned again. "How would you do that?"

"Through three blood exchanges. I will not lie to you, Beloved; the process is extremely painful. Once done, however, you would be as I am, requiring blood to survive, needing to avoid the sunlight, and utilizing the minerals of the earth to replenish the strength of your body. You would be, for all intents and purposes, immortal."

Rhys's head spun; it was a lot to take in. He wasn't even sure exactly what he was, and he was contemplating becoming something else.To be with Szeren, a tiny voice whispered in his mind.To be with him forever.

"Would I still be psychic?" Rhys asked.

Szeren nodded. "You would still be all the things you are now. You would just be more. Carpathians can do... many things that seem amazing to humans."

Rhys grinned at him. "Like turn into bats?"

Szeren smiled indulgently. "Shape-shifting is one of our gifts, yes."

Rhys's jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

Szeren just stared into Rhys's incredibly beautiful dark blue eyes and nodded. Rhys's heart gave a little jump in his chest. Suddenly, orientation was totally unimportant. So was his townhouse, his website, his business, and everything else he'd spent so much time and energy chasing the last few years. The connection he felt to this person, the amazing, soul-deep bond that he felt to Szeren Kizevicius was more important than anything else in his world.

"I'm yours, Szeren," Rhys said. "Say the words. Bind us together forever."

Lacing their fingers together, Szeren pulled Rhys against him until they were chest to chest again. Rhys had no choice but to wrap his long legs around Szeren's waist to maintain the contact, but oh, did it feel right! Szeren spoke the ritual words first in the ancient Carpathian tongue, because he felt like he had to, but then he spoke them in English, so that Rhys would understand what he'd said, and what it meant.

"Te avio palafertiilam. Entolam kuulua, avio palafertiilam. Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed.Elidamet andam. Pesamet andam. Uskolfertiilamet andam. Sivamet andam. Sielamet andam. Ainamet andam. Sivamet kuuluak kaik etta a ted. Ainaak olenszal sivambin. Te elidet ainaak pide minan. Te avio palafertiilam. Ainaak sivamet jutta oleny. Ainaak terad vigyazak.

"You are my lifemate. I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection. I give you my allegiance. I give you my heart. I give you my soul. I give you my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life will be cherished by me for all my time. You life will be placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate. You are bound to me for all eternity. You are always in my care."

Rhys felt the psychic threads that linked them transform into solid bands, their connection, initially tenuous, became immutable and almost physical it was now so real. Rhys actually thought he might be able to reach out and touch their bond it was so bright, so strong, so incredibly authentic and breathtakingly genuine. His reverie was erased by the first touch of Szeren's mouth to his, the amazing press of those full, lush lips against his own. Rhys expected the world to come apart. After all, just touching a hand was enough to give him apoplexy among strangers, but with his mate, his husband, things were different.

Szeren's mind slid into his with confident ease, owning his senses completely as he let Rhys dominate the kiss. With a thought, Szeren wished their clothing gone and Rhys was suddenly completely naked in the larger man's lap. He jerked, surprised, then shuddered at the feel of all that warm flesh against his own, moaning into Szeren's mouth. His skin was hot and felt too tight, and he writhed in Szeren's lap, pressing and grinding his naked ass against the very hard erection he was sitting on.

Szeren found whole volumes of The Dream in Rhys's mind, showing him over and over in graphic detail exactly how his lifemate wanted to be touched, how he liked to be pleasured. It was extremely gratifying to star in somebody's fantasies, particularly when the fantasies were so incredibly hot. As Szeren sped through years' worth of The Dream he couldn't deny that his sexy lifemate had an amazing imagination. Either that or his psychic skills really were the most astounding that Szeren had ever encountered because half of what Szeren was seeing seemed lifted from his own mind, his own fantasies, when he'd been capable of having them.

The two men slowly maneuvered until they were lying side by side on the big bed, Rhys held in Szeren's arms. Szeren groaned as their cocks slid against each other. He immediately gripped his erection by the base to keep from shooting right there, just from the sensation of rubbing against his lifemate. Rhys brushed kisses across his face and started kissing and nuzzling down his neck and chest, making sweet little happy noises in his throat as he traveled down Szeren's lightly furred chest.

"It feels way too good just being naked with you," Rhys said.

Szeren couldn't say anything, because Rhys had reached down, knocked his hand away, and gripped both of their erections loosely in his hand. He started to lazily stroke them, using Szeren's foreskin to tease his own cockhead, and letting his own copious pre-cum lubricate them both.

"You're going to make me cum," Szeren said, his voice gruff as his hips thrust helplessly up into Rhys's grip.

"Yeah, I am," Rhys said, his voice a sexy rasp in Szeren's ear as he undulated against Szeren's body, shuddering as his climax hit and he cried out, his back arching, bowing, his hot seed spewing over his hand onto Szeren's hip.

"Rhys!" Szeren cried, his head going back as he followed his lover over the edge, coming in several strong, hard spurts. Rhys pumped him through it, loving how wild Szeren looked with his teeth clenched and his blond hair tumbling around his face.

Rhys wiped them up with the edge of the sheet and they snuggled, though they couldn't lay against each other for very long without touching or kissing. Before Rhys knew it, they were once again making out with abandon. His hands were all over Szeren, seeking to learn all the places that he'd only known in memory or dream up until now. Likewise, Szeren was ardent in his exploration of Rhys's youthful body, learning all the spots that made his lifemate shiver, moan, or shudder with desire. In very little time, they were both hard again, straining and writhing against each other, kissing with their fingers tightly entwined in each other's hair.

"Need you," Rhys said, gasping, pushing his leaking erection against Szeren's equally hard length.

"You are not Carpathian yet," Szeren said, holding him against his body. "I don't want to hurt you."

Rhys laughed, and rolled Szeren under him. He looked down at the man who was now, for all intents and purposes, his husband. "Who said anything about you hurting me? I said I needed you. I didn't say how."

Szeren's eyes widened, his blond brows practically disappearing into his hairline as Rhys grinned down at him. "If that's what you want," Szeren said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

But Rhys had been in Szeren's mind as well, and knew it wasn't just what he wanted... it was what Szeren wanted, too, but would never admit to desiring.

"On your hands and knees, big guy," Rhys purred.

Szeren obeyed, slowly crawling onto his hands and knees, his heart pounding madly as his cock dripped. He wasn't sure which scene from which dream Rhys was going to play out or even if Rhys was going to play out one of his dreams at all. He was almost beyond caring. As he felt Rhys's hands stroke over his hips, felt the long, hard length of Rhys's dick nestle in the crease of his ass and slide up and down in a slow, tantalizing tease, Szeren trembled and had to fight cumming as his balls tightened and his own cock pulsed.

Rhys's knowledge of sex was very limited. Beyond his dreams, he'd spent time reading some "how to" style essays on the web, reasoning that it was always good to know how to use every piece of equipment one happened to carry. He'd also had the City of San Francisco's safe sex classes in school, which were far more explicit than even the website's "how to's" in some instances. That was the extent of his training, and honestly, staring down at Szeren and understanding the trust he'd been handed, he was totally terrified.