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“No, I wasn't, but it makes sense. He often went out late at night and came back in the morning looking like he had been through the trenches.”
“He was shifting and prowling the streets the big cats usually go looking for prey at night. It’s a cat thing.” Victor could help the subtle disgust to this tone. "They tend to be loners, not needing the presence of others of their kind, which can make them dangerous.”
“Murphy was very much a dangerous loner. He was friends with Ryan, but I think it was simply to make his work life easier and more profitable; it had nothing to do with any true friendship or connection." Jaden, too, held an air of disgust when speaking of Murphy as well as he should.
“So, tell me what you know of vampires," Victor asked and laid back with his hands behind his head. Jaden laid his head on Victor's chest and got comfortable. This was the life he'd dreamed about; love, ease of existence between them, and loyalty. He could already feel the relationship Jaden was forging and the bond that was taking shape in their hearts, minds, and souls. Together as one, no doubt, no fears, only love and trust.
“Not a lot.” He said but then continued as if remember some things. “They have heightened senses and can run faster than anything on earth even a cheetah. They’re strong and have a lot of dexterity. They’re faces change with heightened emotion they get rigid with hard angles and the eyes turn red. I also heard that they’re teeth elongate which seems likely considering the whole biting thing.” Victor laughed at the finish.
"Yes, the teeth do elongate and get sharper, but only the eye teeth.” He continued to laugh and dropped one arm to pull Jaden up close to his side and hold him there. “Do you know anything about our culture and traditions?”
"You live together in a coven with a leader called a coven master, and he is all-powerful.” Jaden stopped short and rose up to look Victor in the eyes. “Is this the coven house?”
"Yes, it is."
“Oh my God, is Drakon a vampire?”
“Yes, he is.”
"Dean, sweet, gentle, unassuming Dean, is dating a vampire." He seemed incredulous.
"They're more than dating; they are bonded. Dean is Drakon's beloved, and they are a fated match. Drakon recognized him by scent when he entered the Blood Rose for a night out with a friend. He scooped him up and brought him home, where they completed their bond." Victor kept going, hoping Jaden would catch on and make the correlation between Dean and himself.
“I’ve heard that word. Murphy referred to Dean as a beloved and that he would have to be avoided. It didn't mean anything to me until now. The fact shook him up a little, and he even had a theory that it was Dean’s beloved who ended Ryan. I was under the impression that Ryan ran when his crimes became widely known.” Jaden was slowly putting things together.
“Drakon ended Ryan, and the Rose Coven ended Smithers Financial.”
“Because they screwed with Dean?”
"Because they screwed with a beloved. Beloveds are sacred, and the bond is powerful. It brings further enhancement to the vampire and the beloved, be they human or paranormal. It’s not taken lightly.” Victor could feel Jaden processing the information.
“Dean is a lucky guy. It would be awesome to have someone care for you and defend you like that.” Victor could feel the moment that the information shifted into place. Jaden once again rose up on his elbow to look down into Victor’s face.
“You called me your beloved when we were . . .”
“Yes, I did.” Silence fell, and Jaden stared at him, waiting for more. “You are my beloved. I recognized your scent on Dean after he came back from having lunch at your restaurant. You hugged him, and your scent clung to him." Victor adjusted his pillows so he could sit up a little, and Jaden moved to a seated position beside him, still eating him up with his eyes.
"He told me your name, and I went looking for you and found you in that back hall with that beast Murphy.” Victor left it there as tears began to fill Jaden’s eyes.
“I’m sorry I was such an utter disappointment to you.” Victor pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him.
"You weren't a disappointment, my love. You were everything I'd hoped for and more. That bastard Murphy means nothing. I just wish I'd killed him instead of letting him run away." That got his attention, and first, it was a shocked expression, and then it was laughter, and the tension had broken.
“There were a lot of people around, so killing him was probably not an option." Jaden laid his head back on Victor's chest and lovely sigh. “You're the best thing to ever happen to me, Victor."
"You're my beloved, and there is nothing greater in this world to a vampire than their beloved. I’ve waited for you for over a century, and you are my gift and my prize.” He kissed his forehead, and Jaden snuggled a little closer in response.
"A century. Wow, that's hard to get my head around, but I understand vampires have a lifespan way longer than any human. I think I’m impressed.”
“Your life will extend to meet mine now that we have bonded.”
“We’re bonded?”
“Yes.” He said and reached down and ran his fingertips over the scar at the base of his throat. “This is a bonding scar. You and I are one, my love. No going back."
"That goes for you, too," Jaden added. "This is so much more than I ever expected from life, and to receive all of this in a span of a few hours is scrambling my mind.”
"You'll work it out, and once you move in, everything will start to fall into place. Dean was a bit scrambled at first, too." Victor assured. "I know a way to help unscramble your thoughts."
