Page 86 of Dead Man Stalking

Madoc stared at him over the desk for a second.

“You love me?”

“Yeah,” Took said. “I do, and I know that what I did—what I thought—is hard to forgive, to get past, but I want to.”

Madoc tilted his head. There was something darkly sensual in the slow once-over he gave Took. It made Took shift in the chair with a slow, familiar cramp of lust. “How?”

“That.” Took pointed with his chin at the envelope. “It’s the only secret I have left. The only one I remember, anyhow. So now you have it.”

Madoc turned the envelope between his fingers. “So if you trust me—finally, now—with this, I have to forgive you. It’d be churlish of me not to?”

“I… nothaveto,” Took stammered. “I just wanted to… I know I can trust you. Whatever you want to do with that, I know it’s the right thing.”

Madoc flipped the envelope open and slid out the old, heavy photo. It was one of the only things that Took still had from back then, from the first time he’d shed his life. He’d been nine or ten and Gabriel had him up on his shoulders. They looked happy. Maybe that was why his mother had taken the picture and kept it long enough to give to Took before he left.

“That’s my father. His name’s….”

“Gabriel,” Madoc said as he propped the photo against his lamp. He smiled thinly at Took’s shocked expression. “I’m not the profiler you are, but I have done this for a long time. When you thought the Hounds might be involved in this, you kept it a secret. That means you had a connection to them, and he let you live. Family.”

Took inhaled. “Okay. What are you going to—”

Madoc leaned over the desk, grabbed Took’s shirt, and dragged him into a sharp, sweet kiss. Blood mingled in their mouths as their tongues tangled.

“I love you,” Madoc said as he leaned back enough to get words out. “I don’t need an apology. All I need is you.”

“I should have trusted you,” Took admitted as he crawled up onto the table.

“You should,” Madoc agreed. He leaned back in his chair and let Took chase his mouth. “And I will point that out in the future, but I still love you. You don’t have to jump through hoops for that.”

“I would,” Took admitted as he brushed kisses over Madoc’s lips and down his throat. He scraped his fangs over the pale, cool skin and left red marks that faded slowly. “At least one.”

Madoc pulled him into his lap. “Okay,” he said as he pulled Took’s head back and gently bit his throat. His fangs pricked the skin, dimpled it, but didn’t sink in. Madoc grazed his tongue over the tender spot as he said, “Say it again.”

“I love you,” Took said. He tensed himself for the sweet slice of pain as Madoc bit down, against the jolt of pleasure as it spread out from there, but instead Madoc leaned back.

“I have waited a long time to hear you say that,” he said as he studied Took’s face. “Took.”

“Really?”

“If you want,” Madoc said. “It’s a stupid name, but if it’s yours…?”

Took hesitated. Part of him wanted to be Luke Bennett again, but that still felt dangerous. “Took,” he said. “For now.”

This time Madoc didn’t hesitate as he bit down on Took’s neck. He lapped tenderly at the wound as he hitched Took back up onto the table and leaned over him.

“Luke. Took. Gabriel’s son,” Madoc promised against Took’s skin. “You’re still mine.”