3 Power Corrupts
The big, golden male gazed enraptured at the lithe brunette who straddled him. As often as they shared their bodies, it still awed the older man that all this beauty was his and his alone. The dark tresses framed an angelic face, flushed and damp from their lovemaking. The expressive, espresso eyes were closed and the red, kiss-swollen lips open as the younger man panted at his exertions or mewled his pleasure. It was a sight that never failed to take Vincent's breath away. He reached to caress the smooth chest and gently tug at the tight, dark nipples, earning a low moan of appreciation. Keeping up the stimulation to his mate's sensitive nubs, he let his other hand ghost over satin-soft thighs to drift ever closer to the slender, rosy-hued erection that wept its desire. He thumbed a drop and brought it to his lips and groaned at the salty-sweet taste of his lover that exploded over his tongue. He began a slow stroke in time with his beloved's movements as Wyl rode Vincent's throbbing rod.
"So beautiful, angel," Vincent husked. "So good, so tight."
"Love to feel you in me, Vincent," Wyl panted, locking his scorching sienna orbs on his mate's of smouldering sapphire. "Come in me, make me come."
"Come for me, my Own," Vincent growled.
The deep, possessive, commanding tones, accompanied by a series of rapid, feral thrusts against Wyl's jewel, were an irresistible combination. He threw back his head with a cry of his lover's name and his crème pulsed white and hot against Vincent's lightly furred stomach and chest. He heard the roar of his name as his channel contracted around the rigid flesh impaling him and then the wet heat of his lover's seed filled him. Wyl felt himself rolled with preternatural speed as the last of his orgasm ebbed away. Then he moaned and shuddered as Vincent's fangs pierced his throat. The erotic caress triggered a second smaller climax and Wyl whimpered in Vincent's embrace.
"Feed from me, Mine," Vincent whispered as he tenderly positioned Wyl's head. He closed his eyes in pleasure at the sensation of the younger male's delicate suckling.
Wyl felt Vincent's powerful essence in every cell as he tasted his mate's blood. It seemed to flood his senses, threatening to overwhelm him. It would take many years for him to become accustomed to Vincent's potent elixir. He felt his mate's gentle touches soothing him and he tried to burrow deeper into the protective arms as he licked closed the tiny wounds.
"I love you so much, Vincent," Wyl sighed as he nestled against the bigger body. His sated body was relaxing in the languid afterglow, leaving him drowsy and lowering his defences.
"Sleep, my love," Vincent crooned. "We have a busy time ahead of us."
"Seamus mentioned you and Yasmin were...close," Wyl whispered. The tiny niggle of doubt that had rooted in his heart had finally blossomed into anxiety now they were so close to meeting this woman from his mate's past. He felt his head tilted and he gazed into Vincent's warm eyes.
"What I shared with her as opposed to what I have with you would be like comparing the heat of a candle to that of the sun. I have had lovers, my Own, but she is not one of them. By the time I met her, the call to find my Chosen was strong. We enjoyed each other's company not our bodies. I could not give her what she wanted and would not take advantage of her."
"I'm glad you kept looking," Wyl whispered, burying his head into the crook of Vincent's neck and shoulder.
"Never doubt your place at my side," Vincent rumbled. "You are my Chosen, the other half of my soul. I will love you, and only you, for eternity. The years I waited to find you were worth the emptiness now that I have you to fill my arms, my heart, my soul. Seamus has contacted her to let her know I have found you and we are Bonded. Yasmin is a very talented spell-caster and we will need her expertise to deal with our new challenge. Sleep now, my angel."
Wyl snuggled closer, Vincent's words banishing the last of the worry that had plagued him. He loved the bigger vampire more than he could ever express in mere words, but Vincent had found the ones to assure him he was loved as much in return. He let the thought ease him into sleep.
****
As Seamus drove the silver Mercedes slowly up the impressive driveway to the magnificent villa Yasmin owned, Wyl stared at it with wide eyes. It was a single-story, white stucco building. A veranda encircled it, its roof supported by pillars in matching coral pink. Red bougainvillea, pink roses and white jasmine scaled trellises whilst scenting the air. It was both a visual and olfactory treat.
"It's beautiful," Wyl murmured from his place between David and Vincent.
"Too many flowers," grumbled Gabriel from next to Seamus. A Lycan's sense of smell was hyper-sensitive and the mix of flowers was already proving too sickly-sweet for his taste.
"It will be better inside, love," David soothed. "Yasmin will keep her incense to a minimum and has promised there will only be small clusters of fresh flowers inside." The petit blond caressed the broad shoulder of his large, dark mate. He smiled indulgently at the huffed sigh and the stroke of Gabriel's hand across his own.
"Are we really looking for living mummies?" Wyl asked, looking at Vincent and then David. It still seemed like a plot for a movie to his naive mind.
"Not living, Wyl," David replied. "Simply animated corpses."
"Many of our kind can bend the will of a human to their desires. The danger is, if they are captured, they may remember something to identify their controller. But it is the easiest and preferred method of using a minion," Seamus said. "Some mages posses skill enough to animate golems, others have power and skill enough to use zombies to do their bidding. However, that is an uncommon and ancient power. Our adversary has taken a step beyond even this. I think they are trying to prove both their power and ancient knowledge. They have gone through the full processes of embalming and reanimation, troublesome, time-consuming and very draining for the necromancer. Few would bother with this today, even if the ability was not incredibly rare. Mummies are no more than mindless creatures existing by the will of their master but using one shows we are dealing with someone of unusual skill, strength and power of mind. These minions can't be stopped by gun or knife and will walk through fire or water. There is neither reason nor compassion."
"How do we stop them?" Wyl asked.
"Decapitation. Effectively the mage becomes the creature's mind. Detach its head and the mage cannot control its body. We then burn its remains to ensure it cannot be used again. They are highly effective killing machines," Gabriel growled. "They do not weaken under tooth and claw."
Wyl shuddered and then smiled as Vincent slipped an arm around his shoulders and David gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He had gone from having no one to being a part of a tightly-knit, loving family, from living hand-to-mouth to living in luxury. Although his new life had its dangers, he would not trade it, or the love he had found with Vincent and his new family, for anything. He took a deep breath and smiled at the other vampires. Whatever they faced, he would face it with them.
****
