Silver

As the creature strode from the room, Rayner trailing in its wake, it failed to notice the spasm of pain on Rayner's face and the fleeting few seconds of awareness before the blank look returned.

In an outhouse close by Rawson's home, the vampire opened a stasis tube. The tube opened into three compartments. Quickly the creature stripped his three victims, pausing only briefly to admire the beautiful bodies naked, before securing each young man in place. The tube would keep the men in suspended animation until the vampire could get back to its homeworld. It set the tube to ensure its weight was at a manageable level for its strength and then loaded it aboard a much more powerful snow sled.

"Soon," he whispered caressing the tube.

Tristam, Uist and Xavier had leapt into a snow sled as soon as they had ensured the children in Xavier's decontamination unit were unharmed. They knew the creature had a head start, but they knew its destination. Tristam called the Elite and advised them of their destination and a rendezvous was arranged. They charged into the house and found the freshly dead body of the maid. Tristam and Uist's screams of pain and loss caused even the men of the Elite outside to shudder. With only one other known destination, three sleds raced to Rawson's house, only to find the place deserted.

They had missed the creature. Tristam and Uist's undulating wail rent the air.

In its guise of Rawson, the vampire stretched out on his bunk aboard the cargo vessel. Safely in the voluminous hold was his personal, precious cargo. Several ships had left around the time of his departure and there was nothing to say he had even left the planet. He had used his powers to get himself smuggled aboard by the ship's Captain. This was his room. When they next made touch-down, he would adopt another persona and obtain a nice ship and get himself home. He smiled, superciliously; his family would take a step up his world's social ladder with the addition of three such perfect specimens as his new brides. He was sure that once he had sated his own lusts, he would be able to have others of his kind pay to enjoy them.

He sat up suddenly as the lights dimmed, the room lit only by a dim flashing red light.

"Security Elite boarding. This is not a drill. All crew to their rooms. Repeat. All crew to their rooms. This is not a drill." The disembodied ship's AI intoned.

Rawson snarled. There was no way for him to have been found. Thoughts that the captain was a smuggler flitted through his mind. He morphed into his true form and made his way to the hold. He would not leave his cargo behind; they represented too much to him.

The hold's lights had also been dimmed and the red flashing light created dark patches of shadow and an eerie feel to the huge hangar. He screeched with fury as he found his stasis tube was missing.

"I thought this would be where you went first," Tristam came into view at the top of the passageway. "The tube is safe with Xavier. He is already freeing our spouses."

Rawson growled and stepped sideways to match the movement of Tristam. He glared at the man, keeping his movements parallel to the human.

"They won't come out of stasis for a few hours," Rawson sneered. "More than enough time to deal with a mere human and put them back under my control."

"You won't lay a filthy hand on them again," Tristam vowed.

"Do you think you can defeat one of my kind?" Rawson hissed. He moved forwards rapidly, surprised at Tristam's own speed as the male vanished quickly.

As they faced each other next, the distance had closed and Rawson could clearly see the look on Tristam's face was on of confidence, not fear. The creature growled low in its chest as it extended its wings to look more intimidating. It stalked towards Tristam, who simply struck a defensive pose ready for the imminent attack.

As the creature hurtled towards the man, it was intercepted and pinned to the ground. Shrieks of fury became shrieks of fear. Strong teeth tore at the vampire's flesh and claws shredded wings and slashed at its legs. It wasn't being attacked by a human. Although the creature had vast recuperative powers, it needed time to get away and heal. It tried to attack in its turn, only for its opponent's teeth to latch at its throat. Thick fur deflected the vampire's own attempts to claw and it could feel its strength ebbing. As though from a great distance, the creature heard Tristam's voice one last time.

"You tried to take what was most precious to us. No-one touches what is precious to us with without due retribution". With a downward slash, Tristam severed the vampire's head, watching dispassionately as the creature turned to dust.

Uist stood, but it wasn't the Uist anyone would recognise. As a Warrior, the cat-man could for short, intense periods, become a creature of PrideHome's past. He was more beast than man, covered in thick fur, his teeth and claws longer and sharper. It was a secret known only to the six and to a select few on PrideHome. No-one would know this was how the vampire had been defeated. As Uist's body resumed his normal form, bruising and scratched became apparent and the cat-man was dazed from the fight and the change. He nuzzled Tristam and allowed himself to be led away.

It had taken a full day of complete bed-rest before the three younger males had been permitted to move by highly attentive older mates. They were aboard Silver Star, none of them wanting to return to Jonas' home following the death of the maid and Jonas and Tara were staying in town while their home was gutted and cleaned.

Tristam nuzzled Rayners hair from his face and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Without our bond, I might have lost you," Rayner whispered.

"I would have gone to ends of the universe to find you," Tristam replied. "I need to make you mine again."

"Yes, please," begged Rayner. "Let me know I'm yours."

Slowly and tenderly the bigger man prepared his young spouse. His fingers sought the tiny portal as he sucked on each dark nipple till they were twin peaks of sensitised flesh. His tongue flickered down to the light trail of hair that led to Rayner's public pelt. He paused, inhaling his mate's musk deeply, causing Rayner to cry out in pleasure and buck his hips causing the engorged, the slender shaft to bob enticingly. Licking the reddened head, Tristam slid a second finger into the velvet channel and purposely rubbed Rayner's sweet spot till the dark beauty begged to be filled. Thrusting a third finger in briefly, Tristam then positioned his aching flesh at Rayner's glistening entrance and then sank in to the hilt in one slow thrust. Rayner panted shallowly as he accommodated to the large intruder until his body welcomed it. Soon they were locked together in bliss, kissing desperately as their bodied soared to completion and as they flew they cried each other's name in their joy before settling once again cuddled closely, sharing breaths.

Tristam's arms tightened around his precious mate. He knew that Uist and Xavier were as equally urgent to reclaim their younger mates, but the other two males were a little more fragile than Rayner following the rapid blood loss. They needed a little longer before they would be able to share the same joy as he had just experienced in reclaiming his spouse. He kissed the top of the curly head beneath him, smiling at the soft snuffles indicating his mate was already asleep. Content, the bigger male allowed himself to join Rayner in sleep.