Michael always felt a little odd around them.

His mouth would go dry when talking to one.

His heart would pound as if he’d just skipped a step on the stairs when looking at one.

His hands would tingle, fingers aching with a weird urge to reach over and touch their skin when standing near one.

He was fairly sure it was due to the vampire hormones and was just an unspoken thing between humans. Whatever. He could deal with the occasional awkward boner, even if it was in the middle of his work day with five other guys. In fact, he often abused it and took advantage of his strange fetish; having a vampire as a boyfriend or girlfriend was a tricky thing. He’d dated humans, of course, but with a vampire something was stronger. And yet, even that never lasted. The connection was more substantial than anything he’d ever had with one of his kind before, but there was still something missing.

In retrospect, Michael probably shouldn’t have asked Gavin after knowing him for only a few weeks.

“You want to what?” the Brit said dumbly, looking utterly befuddled. Michael instantly felt awkward at Gavin’s expression. Gavin was looking alarmed, as if Michael had just asked if he had a gun.

He wasn’t about to back down, however. “A – A vampire bar. C’mon, you’re a vampire! You have to know at least one,” he said, crossing his arms and internally frowning at the warmth in his cheeks. He wasn’t embarrassed about his question – he was a little flustered at Gavin’s incredulous, slightly angry look, however.

“Yes, I know many, and you sure as hell are not going to a single bloody one of them,” Gavin said, giving an angry, disbelieving laugh as he downed the rest of his drink and put it on the concrete. He scrubbed random drops of water from his face, the result of spending so long in the pool and having Michael dunk him under multiple times, and hefted himself out of the water, his soggy shorts splattering chlorinated liquid all over the pavement. Michael sighed and followed him out sullenly.

“What’s your problem?” he asked, toweling himself off. The good buzz that they’d had going had suddenly vanished with what Michael saw as an innocent question.

“I can’t believe you would ask me that,” Gavin said hotly. “What a stupid question.”

Michael stared at him, surprised at the venom in his friend’s tone. “You’re being a huge baby,” he scoffed, towel-drying his hair upside down until the damp curls were somewhat tamed. “I just wanna meet somebody. Between working with you morons and coming in on weekends, there’s not a lot of time for socializing.”

“Then go to a human bar,” Gavin spat.

Michael immediately stopped what he was doing, the towel hanging limply by his side. Gavin was shockingly upset by such an innocuous question, the Brit refusing to meet his eyes and instead glaring at the sunbag he was packing up. Angrily stuffing whatever items he’d brought into the pack, Gavin stood and faced away from him.

“Ready yet?” he said impatiently without turning.

“Oh my god, you’re being a dick,” Michael moaned before sighing, “Yeah, whatever. I’m ready. I’ll just fucking ask Geoff or someth –”

Gavin interrupted him with a snicker.

“What?” Michael said suspiciously. He could see Gavin sucking his teeth as they walked across the street together, the RT building within sight from Michael’s apartment.

“Have fun with that,” Gavin said simply, a smirk creeping up the side of his face.

Michael shook his head, rolling his eyes. “So,” he said, pursing his lips. “Why do you know a lot of vampire bars?”

Gavin side-eyed him. “Because I like to mingle,” he said sarcastically.

“If they’re so bad, why do you go?” Michael asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t go,” Gavin frowned, as if what Michael had said was offensive. “They’re hard to avoid when you’re looking for your blood slave.”

Michael cringed at the term. It was such a gross way to put it, in his opinion. Slave. Michael liked to think of it as mate. “I thought you once said not all vampires have one?”

Gavin scratched at his nose, clearly uncomfortable with the topic of this conversation. He opened the door and held it open as the redhead entered, the Brit looking thoughtful. “It’s complicated,” he finally said, sitting down at his desk, still in his wet swim suit. The rest of the guys were still taking lunch, leaving them alone in the office.

“Anyways, I thought you were dating… well…” Michael faded off awkwardly, waving a hand in the air to gesture to the room in general. Michael was no stranger to the fact that vampires were very, erm, sexual creatures and had no qualms with casual sex, even between friends. Michael didn’t ask for details despite his overwhelming curiosity, because as the only human in Achievement Hunter, that would be a little odd if he were to ask about his coworkers’ sex lives, no matter how much he wanted to know. Unsure of who slept with whom, it was easier for Michael to just vaguely include everyone in his assumption.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Dating. Right,” he said, obviously quietly mocking the human terms for it. “And yes. But a vamp can’t have another vamp as a blood slave.”

“Stop calling it that,” Michael said. “It sounds so terrible.”

“Sorry. Mate. Better?”

“Much,” Michael said smugly. “So then, what makes up a mate?”

Gavin eyed him, clearly skeptical of Michael’s line of questioning. The two had only known each other a few months, so it was understandable, but even since starting this job, Michael had been dying to ask someone these questions. He had a sneaking suspicion that he wanted to confirm, and Gavin was the perfect person to ask. Or so he’d thought. Clearly the Brit wasn’t completely willing to share this information. Maybe Michael should ask Geoff, who was very open about things such as his sexuality.

“Well,” Gavin said slowly, fidgeting in his seat. His ass left wet marks on the material. “There’s a specific human… designed for a vampire, I guess you could say. Sometimes a human can be a blood slave to a lot of vamps, and sometimes a lot of humans can be with one vampire. It’s all about the blood chemistry with the vampire’s venom. In this day and age, with over seven billion people in the world, it’s rare that a vampire actually finds his or her blood slave. Humans who get on with vamps that aren’t their mate just have to forgo being fed from because otherwise their bodies will reject the bite and get infected. Or they… take the bites and live very short lives.”

Michael hummed in thought, eyes glazing over as he stood, leaning against his desk chair. Gavin watched him with apprehension.

“Why are you asking me all of this?” Gavin asked nervously, fiddling with the drawstring of his shorts. He was beginning to fear that Michael was starting to figure out what Gavin and the rest knew from the moment they saw him.

“Because,” Michael said, shrugging. “I basically live in this room with five vampires. I should probably know at least something from your culture.”

Gavin nodded, but he continued to bit his lip and fret. Most of his worries, however, were wiped clean from his mind when Michael suddenly turned and pulled down his bathing suit, exposing his creamy, supple ass to Gavin, who promptly turned red. His eyes were trained on Michael’s ass as he stood straight up and wrung out his suit.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Gavin squeaked. His heartbeat was suddenly very loud in his head.

Michael glanced over his shoulder at him, eyebrows raised. “What? Like you haven’t seen everyone else’s butt here. Does it really matter?”

Gavin just stared at him in distress, mouth open as he floundered, unable to keep his eyes on Michael’s face for longer than a second before they started to wander down to his buttocks once more. He licked his lips unconsciously, pupils beginning to dilate as he zeroed in on the pale, plump cheeks. They were utterly smooth, begging to be marked, and his thighs were slender and milky white. As Michael shifted to retrieve a dry pair of pants from his bag, his legs parted slightly and Gavin could feel his fangs poke into his lower lips as Michael’s inner thigh was slightly revealed to him. The femoral artery; Gavin could see it just under the delicate skin, one puncture with his fangs through the thin tissue and –

He swallowed thickly, his throat feeling dry and scratchy. Forcing his gaze away, he cursed his beating heart – he felt a lot more for Michael Jones than just lust. As much as he wanted to take the boy right now, just sink his teeth right in and never let go, he couldn’t. The redhead’s blood may call to him, singing sweet, tempting lullabies to him throughout the day, but his big brown eyes and blinding smile meant more to Gavin than that.

“You can look now,” he heard Michael said sarcastically, barely peeking over and breathing a sigh of relief when Michael was fully dressed, shirt and all. Plopping down in his chair, Michael stretched and yawned.

“Glad we took a late lunch,” he commented idly, shaking the mouse of his computer to awaken the machine. Gavin nodded in agreement, still trying to reel in his defective fangs. They were elongated and deathly sharp, arousal being the cause, and Gavin didn’t dare open his mouth. Michael already asked enough personal questions about his alternative lifestyle.

“Gavin?” a sharp voice said from the doorway. Both Michael and Gavin whipped around to see Geoff giving the Brit a very cautious look, his pupils near pinpoints. He could smell the waves of lust coming emanating from Gavin.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Gavin answered, “Yeah?”

Geoff closed the door behind him slowly, glancing pointedly at Michael, who’d turned back to his computer to type in the password.

“Alright, buddy?” Geoff asked, walking over to his desk and setting down the brown paper bag full of what smelled like donuts onto the table top. His jacket was slung over one arm, sunglasses pushing his hair back from his forehead.

Gavin’s gaze slid over to Michael, narrowing when an idea came to him. He was annoyed with the redhead for asking such a dumb question. Vampire bars were dangerous and risky, STDs spread easily between members and people getting accidentally bitten in the haze of arousal. There was no way he was letting Michael, his own, albeit unknowing, mate, anywhere near one.

“Michael wanted to know where the nearest vampire bar was,” Gavin answered casually, watching as the dark-haired man tensed up instantly. Gray eyes darted to Michael immediately as the redhead wheeled around in his chair, looking expectantly at Geoff as if the tattooed man was going to give him an answer. Gavin smirked to himself when Michael’s face paled at the glower quickly seeping into Geoff’s expression.

“What?” Michael blurted, slightly nervous at the dangerous look crossing Geoff’s face.

“Absolutely not,” Geoff ground out. He stepped closer, leaning over Michael. “Those places will fuck you up.”

There was a long silence as Michael digested the odd, ringing sense of authority in his boss’s voice. Geoff stepped away, satisfied that his message had been sent and sat down in his chair.

“What does that mean?” Michael finally asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“It means that you aren’t going, Michael,” Geoff said flatly.

Michael grumbled something akin to you’re not the boss of me causing Geoff to laugh. He almost cursed himself – stupid vampire hearing. They always managed to hear whatever he mumbled under his breath.

“That’s exactly what I am,” Geoff snickered.

“Right,” Michael said, rolling his eyes as Ray opened the door, letting Jack and Ryan in as their lunch break came to an end. He was far from convinced, however. Geoff couldn’t actually stop him; he may’ve been his boss at work, and while Michael found the guy attractive, he wasn’t the boss of him outside this dank little room.

The conversation ended on a rather sour note, but Gavin was breathing easier once the topic was gone from his mind. Michael wasn’t particularly aware of it, but Geoff was the alpha in their little awkward, confusing relationship. He was scary – intimidating, even. Despite being human, Michael had to at least feel slightly under Geoff’s power. Being his mate, he should have already, but Michael was stubborn and unaware of their bond.

Gavin was at least pretty certain that Michael wasn’t going to be going out anytime soon.

---

Michael fucking despised knowing Gavin was right.

He woke with a throbbing headache, a painful ache reverberating up his lower back, and his arm feeling as if it’d been lit on fire.

Not good.

Before opening his eyes and facing whatever awaited from under his closed lids, Michael let out a soft whimper at the pain in his right forearm, the skin covered in what felt like a thousand small pricks digging into the flesh. He curled into himself, talking in the feel of soft, silky sheets under his naked body and abruptly realized he was most definitely not in his own bed.

His eyes shot open, taking in the thick, black comforter he was nuzzling. Eyes focusing beyond that point, he took a moment to process a large wooden dresser directly across from him, a mirror propped up directly behind it, giving Michael a perfect view of himself. He was swaddled in a warm, ebony bedspread, red satin sheets covering the bed. His hair stuck out in maddening curls, the wild strands messy and tangled. He had some serious bedhead.

Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, hissing between clenched teeth at the intense ache in his tailbone. His muscles felt like they’d been chewed on, stretched, and even cut in some places as he checked himself over, rubbing at a few spots where bruises were littering the pale skin. There weren’t many – just a few dark splotches around his thighs and hips – but they were darkening fast. His right wrist was tender with every motion, and Michael was frankly a little horrified at the sight of his forearm.

Two black dots on his arm were at the center of a very angry, nasty-looking bruise that covered the skin on the inside of his arm. It was puffy and red, warm to the touch as Michael brushed it with soft fingers. Pain shot up the limb at even the lightest graze and he quickly abandoned the wound in favor of finding some clothes, acutely aware that he was currently sitting naked in a stranger’s bed.

It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to crawl off the bed. His backside felt as if it’d been stepped on by a goddamn elephant. His gut sank as he began to connect the dots. The hand-shaped bruises, the ache in his back, the sore muscles –

“Where are you going?”

Michael froze at the deep, unfamiliar voice. He managed to steady himself on shaky feet as he turned, eyes locking onto a figure standing in the open doorway. The room had a medieval feel to it, the door having a knocker on the front and an oddly shaped doorknob.

The man standing there was utterly unfamiliar. He looked upset as he looked at Michael, but as his dark, larger than normal eyes roamed up and down his figure, his anger visibly faded. Brushing a hand through his short, spiky brown hair, he hungrily let his eyes linger on Michael’s stomach and – er – lower bits.

“Where are my clothes?” Michael asked hollowly, already having reached a conclusion of who this man was and what he was doing here.

“Burned ‘em,” the guy said casually, stepping closer. He frowned when Michael backed up.

“What the fuck – you burned my clothes?” Michael repeated angrily. His voice was hoarse. “Did I – Did I come here with you or something?” He rubbed his eyes on the back of his hands. “Why don’t I remember anything – ugh –”

The guy nonchalantly shrugged. “Bad venom does that,” he said easily, tossing a pair of large jeans on the bed along with a black shirt with no design on it. They were far too big for Michael.

“Bad venom?” Michael said blankly. He looked at his arm then, realization causing his heartbeat to spike. “You bit me.”

“Sure did,” the guy said, licking his lips and leering at Michael. “You taste pretty damn good, for not being mine and all.”

“Not being – what the fuck, dude,” Michael said hoarsely, snatching the clothes from the bed as soon as the man stepped away. He tugged on the clothes in a hurry. He couldn’t get away from this guy’s gaze fast enough.

“What’s your problem?” the man said, frowning and crossing thick arms. Michael could at least understand that he’d gone for this guy – he was one helluva looker. But for some reason, his stomach felt like it was going to curl in on itself. Not out of disgust, though that was prevalent as well, but out of guilt.

“What’s wrong with this thing?” Michael demanded, throwing out his arm violently to display the large, nasty looking bite on his arm. The guy barely looked at it, shrugging.

“Usually what happens,” he said dismissively.

“What the fuck!” Michael said angrily. The guy didn’t look the slightest bit surprised at his outburst. “I don’t even know your name! Tell me what the fucking hell happened last night. Right now.”

The guy raised an eyebrow, looking distinctly unimpressed. As Michael began to puff up once more, inhaling a long, deep breath in preparation for a verbal assault on this asshole, the air was knocked from his lungs when he was suddenly shoved against the wall, the vampire in front of him moving too quickly for him to see. Heart pounding, Michael struggled against the man’s tight grip on his jaw. His head was slammed against the wall, effectively stunning him and making his grip on the hand clutching his throat go lax and fall to the side.

“Stop talking,” the man said, lips brushing over Michael’s Adam apple. Michael’s breath hitched, and the scent coming off the man in tantalizing waves made his dick twitch in his borrowed pants. “Ah,” the man hummed. “There we go. You up for another round?”

Michael still had his mind about him enough to hiss out, “No fucking way.”

The man frowned, his grip on Michael’s throat loosening. “You sure?” he said, obviously disappointed.

“Get the fuck off,” Michael said shakily.

The man sighed, but released Michael, who almost fell to the floor. His knees were close to buckling as he glared at the man.

“I slept with you,” Michael said, and just saying the words made him sick to his stomach.

The guy grinned and nodded. “I’d say we did pretty good, too,” he purred, eyes raking up and down Michael’s body. “I wouldn’t say no to a round four.”

“Four,” Michael breathed in horror. “We – we had sex four times last night?”

The guy looked faintly offended. “Of course not. I take my time, baby.”

“Then what the hell –”

“All day yesterday,” the guy said, grinning lecherously. “You came over to my place for a little fun two nights ago.”

“Two nights,” Michael whispered to himself. He felt the urge to puke. “Why the hell can’t I remember anything. Did you – did you date rape me?”

“I already said. It’s the venom,” the guy said, rolling his eyes. “Seems to have worn off. Lucky me.”

“Don’t look so disappointed,” Michael snapped seriously, face beginning to flush. “Why the hell did you burn my clothes? Where are my keys?”

“You clothes stank of who scented you,” the guy said wrinkling his nose. “And your keys are upstairs.”

“Who scented me?” Michael said blankly, shaking his head in confusion. Lights burst behind his eyes at the nauseating movement.

“Yeah, your mates,” the guy said as if Michael was dumb. “God, you weren’t this stupid at the bar–”

“I’m fucking leaving,” Michael said waspishly, face covered in a humiliated flush as he went to move around him. The man let him go, looking at Michael as if he was crazy.

Hell, maybe he was.

The guy’s house was fancy as hell. Cherry oak wood floors, large fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, and glass ceilings met Michael outside of the bedroom. The man followed behind him, audibly smirking as Michael tried to navigate through the enchanting halls. Finally reaching what looked like the living room, he aggressively grabbed his keys and wallet from the living room table top. Now that he really looked around, the place did indeed stir a vague memory plagued with arousal and heat, his body feeling uncomfortably warm.

The vampire sniffed from behind him. “See? You remember at least a little.”

Michael glared at him from over his shoulder, cheeks red. “Shut the fuck up. Where’s the front door?”

“You’re still wearing my clothes,” the man growled, clearly annoyed that Michael was leaving. He pointed to a large pair of glass stained doors anyway.

“Well, you shouldn’t have fucking burned mine,” Michael snapped, forcing himself to walk quickly to the door instead of flat out run. He couldn’t leave fast enough; this guy was giving him some serious heebie-jeebies.

He slammed the door behind him, ignoring the odd look from the passing neighbor walking her dog. He clutched his wallet and jingling keys to his chest as if they were about to be blown away, his heart feeling heavy and stomach like lead.

He had a very hard time getting home. After thirty minutes of walking, he realized he didn’t have his phone and felt like banging his head on the brick wall of the nearest convenient store.

“I don’t want to do this,” Michael said to himself as he walked into the store. The tile of the floor was chilly against his bare soles.

“What was that, sir?” the clerk asked him, looking at him curiously. Glancing down at his shoeless feet, she looked startled. “You need shoes to be in here, sir.”

“Can I borrow your phone?” Michael asked.

Her mouth quirked down, but she led him behind the counter and to the old-fashioned phone hung up on the wall. He took it from the cradle and dialed a number he’d long ago memorized.

“Hello?”

“Ray,” Michael whispered.

“Michael,” Ray said slowly. “Where are you? What number are you calling from?”

“Er – hold on,” Michael rasped, holding the phone away from his mouth and asking the clerk, “What address is this?”

She gave him a weird look but rattled off a bunch of random names and numbers. As Michael was about to relay the information, Ray said, “That’s all the way across town! Where’s your cell phone?”

“Can you just pick me up?” Michael said in annoyance.

There was a sigh of frustration and a long silence before Ray muttered, “Fifteen minutes.”

Michael smiled as he hung up the phone. And that was why he’d called Ray.

---

It showed how slowed down Michael’s mental processes were when he didn’t come to think that calling Ray wasn’t his best idea. Ray couldn’t drive. He may’ve been able to keep Michael’s secret, yes, but Jack probably wasn’t going to.

They pulled up to the side of the gas station slowly, Jack squinting through the windshield as he searched for Michael. Ray was a tad more relaxed, reclined in the passenger seat and glancing every so often at Jack as if the big man was going to drive them into a wall. Michael was wary as he crept out from the store, dressed in an oversized, plain black tee and jeans that were slowly riding down his bruised ass. He looked pathetic and felt like he was about to cry as Jack unlocked the doors for him.

“Michael, where the hell -” Jack started.

“Can you please just take me back to my place?” Michael interrupted with a tired sigh. His arm was beginning to turn an interesting shade of red, his fingers going a tad numb. He didn’t dare look at the wound, afraid that he might see his arm falling off. It sure felt like it was.

Jack pouted but pulled away from the curb obediently and got on the main road back to Austin. Michael was fairly sure he’d been an entire town over, but he hadn’t a clue how he got there. He was inexplicably relieved, however, to be back in the company of his friends, the familiar scent of their van and, by extension, them soothing Michael more than what was probably normal. It didn’t stop him from snuggling into the warm presented to him in the far back of the van.

He could hear Jack and Ray talking to each other in low voices at the front of the car but the redhead ignored them. They sounded as if they were speaking mostly in growls, anyway. It was no skin off Michael’s back to simply turn his head away and into the back seat, the smell of Gavin’s hair gel and Ray’s detergent surrounding him as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. His arm continued to sting and throb, but the pain was dulled by the presence of the two vampires he hardly knew not feet away.

Technically, Michael was spanking new at Achievement Hunter. He was the last one to join, probably for a while, and he was the odd one out. He managed to make a little nest for himself regardless, making some fantastic friends in the process. Hell, he felt closer to these five idiots – who weren’t even his own species! – than anyone Michael had ever known. He supposed it was a bit sad, but they seemed to like him too, even if he wasn’t involved in their freaky sex orgies. No matter how much he wanted to be. As it was, their scent continued to warm his insides and give his head the fuzzies.

He was stirred from his drowsy state by a rough hand on his shoulder shaking him away. He had to forcibly peel his eyes open, mind sluggishly working to process the face staring into his.

Geoff.

“C’mon,” Geoff said with a surprising amount of warmth. “Let’s get you in a bed.”

Michael groaned as light spilled into the car, burning his eyes and causing his head to throb. Geoff was making a weird face as he wormed his hands under Michael’s arms and started to effortlessly pull him out, his vampire strength managing to make Michael feel as light as a plastic bag in Geoff’s arms.

“Why are you carrying me?” Michael asked when he finally realized he was feet off the ground.

“Because you weren’t moving,” Geoff answered. Michael could hear the frown in his voice.

Michael sighed sleepily into Geoff’s bare arm, the smooth, inked skin like silk against his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed as something cold and heavy wrapped around his heart. To his distant horror, tears started to collect in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to.”

There was a long silence as Geoff lugged him through the front door and into the nearest bedroom. Gently setting him down on the bed, Geoff covered him with a blanket and tucked in the corners so Michael was securely wrapped in the soft sheet.

“Yeah, I know,” Geoff whispered, brushing Michael’s hair back. The redhead hummed in comfort, and despite being fairly sure he was dreaming, he fell asleep easily anyway.

---

“Alright, assholes,” Geoff announced loudly as soon as the door was shut. “We’ve got one helluva problem.”

Jack’s fists were clenched. “He reeks,” the bearded man growled. The phrase would’ve sounded a little odd out of context, but it was enough to raise the hair on each mans’ neck.

Gavin pressed a hand to his stomach, face pale. “I think that answers where he’s been all weekend. He – he asked me where a vampire bar was.”

Ryan raised his hand to volunteer, “I’ll do a blood test,” he said. “I got some friends in the medical clinic down the road. I’ll make sure there’re no STDs or infections or anything else we need to worry about.”

Geoff scrubbed a hand over his face, nodding. “Good idea,” he muttered. “This is going to be awkward, but Ryan – can you make sure there are no puncture wounds? God forbid he was bitten. Then we’d have even more of a shit storm to handle than we already do.”

Ryan nodded and slipped soundlessly into the bedroom. Geoff could hear the water running as the blond washed his hands in the master bathroom.

“Gavin,” Geoff grit out, turning to look at the Brit. “What the fuck did you tell him?”

“Nothing! I told him there was no way he was going, same as you told him,” Gavin said heatedly. “It’s his fault; he’s a bloody idiot –”

“It’s our fault,” Ray said quietly. At Gavin’s look of outrage, he explained further. “We’ve been stupid. Humans are a bit thick, but they clearly can be aware of bonds. He’s talked to me about it – relationships with other humans don’t feel right… and while vampires felt better, they aren’t ‘it’ either. He just doesn’t realize that we’re what he’s looking for. Now he’s going out and looking for it himself, and it’s our fault. We should’ve told him from the beginning.”

There was a pause.

“Should we tell him now?” Gavin said hesitantly. None of the five vampires moved, too still to be human, as they thought over their answers.

“Let’s see if he’s alright first,” Jack said slowly, looking nervous. “Then we’ll go from there.”

Geoff nodded in agreement. There was quiet murmuring in the bedroom and Geoff, interest peaked, opened the door as noiselessly as possible.

Ryan was sitting in the middle of the bed, Michael dragged into his lap and propped up in between Ryan’s legs. His bare back was resting against the blond’s chest, his shirtless torso smooth and hairless, but Geoff’s instincts screamed at him that it wasn’t enough. The pants had to go, too. Not only because his eyes craved to see more, but because that foul, foreign stench was coating the simple pair of jeans as well.

Gavin giggled. “Is he sleeping?”

In the dim light, it was hard to tell. Michael’s head was bowed as Ryan’s firm, nimble fingers felt around his neck, combing through his overgrown curls, and softly stroked at the skin.

“Yeah,” they heard Michael breathe, voice thick with sleep.

Geoff approached carefully, trying to remind himself that Michael only saw them as friends as he laid his hands on Michael’s bare shoulders. The skin was warm to the touch.

“How do you feel?” Geoff asked softly.

“Not very good,” Michael whispered.

Geoff frowned, his stomach tightening. “Why?” he said, forcing the emotion from his tone. Michael didn’t need compassion. In Geoff’s opinion, he needed a firm ass-whooping. But not right now, so he settled for running his hands through Michael’s hair, the curls slightly damp with sweat.

“He was an asshole,” Michael sighed, shifting in discomfort. Despite his eyes being tightly closed, his face displayed pain.

An irrational fire began burning in the pit of Geoff’s stomach, anger clenching his jaw. His tone, however, was neutral. “Who was an asshole?”

Michael sighed again. “Two days,” he muttered sleepily.

Geoff shook his head at Ryan’s questioning glance. He didn’t know either. Trying a different route, he said, “Does anywhere… specific hurt, Michael?”

“My ass,” Michael frowned, crinkling his nose. After a thoughtful pause, he added, “My arm.”

Ryan and Geoff shared a look. Heart feeling as if the muscle had frozen over in his chest, Geoff gently picked up Michael’s left arm, but there was no sight of abnormalities on the pale, freckled skin. As he closely inspected the flesh, he noticed a colorful array of bruises that disappeared down his waistline. Geoff’s vision almost went red.

“Geoff,” Ryan whispered. Geoff looked up at the sharp inhale, eyes following Ryan’s horrified gaze down to where the blond’s hands were loosely cradling Michael’s right arm. Even in the dark light, Geoff’s sharp eyes could catch the slight swelling around the redhead’s wrist. But Ryan’s stare was further down, near his elbow, and his time Geoff’s vision did go red.

It was hard to make out; Michael’s tattoo obscured the colors and made it look as if the skin art was bleeding ink down his arm. But a few inches to the side of the tattoo, there was a very distinct bite mark, the skin healing over two puncture wounds with a black, thick scar tissue. Michael’s body was rejecting the venom, but it was trapped under the skin still. The bastard had healed up the two wounds to seal it in, and now a nice infection was festering.

“It’s no use draining it,” Ryan said in a gentle voice, tilting Michael’s lolling head towards the ceiling. Holding two fingers to Michael’s pulse point before moving to feel his forehead, he said, “The infection has already set in.”

Geoff could do nothing but stare dumbly at the blond. He heard the words. He understood the words.

He refused to believe the words.

“Geoff,” Ryan said in a low voice. Blue, icy eyes pierced into the side of Geoff’s face as he looked down at Michael, gazing half-lidded at the redhead’s relaxed face. He was cute when he slept. Brown eyes hazily rolled around the room unseeingly, his cupid bow lips parted slightly. He was beginning to sweat, the infection in his arm heating his body with a fever.

“I can’t do it, Ryan,” Geoff said sadly, voice barely audible. He could hear the three other men in the room shifting around behind him and he closed his eyes tightly at the smell of fear permeating off of them.

“You’re gonna have to, and soon. The fucker injected him a few times,” Ryan swallowed, adjusting Michael in his grip.

“It’s not fair… He doesn’t even know, Ryan,” Geoff breathed, brushing a single red curl out of Michael’s eyes.

“He will after this,” Gavin said. Geoff glared at him over his shoulder, but all he was met with was Gavin’s frightened gaze, and he couldn’t be mad at that. Gavin was just as scared as Geoff was. Difference was, the Brit wasn’t in charge of Michael quite like Geoff was. Geoff was the leader. The alpha. It was his duty to take care of all of these fuckers, and he’d be damned if it wasn’t a full-time job.

“Geoff, you have to,” Ryan whispered, gently breaking Geoff out of his internal monologue.

Geoff shook his head silently, distressed at the very idea of biting Michael without the redhead’s consent. However far in the future it may be, he wanted Michael’s first time with them to be slow and comfortable, hot and steamy – everything he’d ever fantasized in the short months he’d known the redhead.

Not in a rush to rid his body of a foreign poison, a reminder of being taken advantage of. Not to wash away the slate, to clean his body of a stranger’s venom that shouldn’t have even been there in the first place. It was selfish, but Geoff was angry that some fucking stranger from a bar got to taste his blood slave first. Put his grimy hands all over Michael. Left bruises down his waist, a few hickies on his neck.

That someone had left their mark, tainted and impure and completely, utterly wrong on Michael’s body.

Geoff couldn’t even breathe through his anger until a soft hand was placed on his shoulder, making the tattooed man jump and look up at Jack; the man’s eyes were glittering with something Geoff always had trouble naming; something akin to love and I trust you that always managed to make Geoff’s head spin.

“I can’t do this to him,” Geoff said, shaking his head. “What if – what if he leaves?”

“He won’t leave,” Jack said firmly. Ray nodded from behind him.

“He likes us too much to leave,” Gavin said feebly, giving a weak smile.

Geoff looked back to Michael, who didn’t seem to be tuned into the conversation at all. A little part of Geoff hoped he was, if only subconsciously. Perhaps then it would not be so hard to explain afterwards. He caught Ryan’s worried eyes as the blond stared at him.

“Geoff,” Ryan said, a bit desperately.

“Ryan –”

“You literally don’t have a choice,” Ryan interrupted, shaking his head. “Unless you want him to die. Human hospitals wouldn’t know how to treat this.”

“Die?” Geoff parroted. His heart skipped an unpleasant beat.

At Ryan’s nod, well… wasn’t Geoff’s choice already made for him?

“When should I do it?” Geoff said, rolling his eyes slightly at the exaggerated sigh of relief that Ryan released, the blond obviously pleased that Geoff was now understanding and onboard.

“Well, right now would be ideal,” he answered, tilting Michael’s head back once more when it started to loll downwards. Geoff swallowed, eyes locking onto the patch of skin that he’d already known would be the most optimal biting spot. His mouth was suddenly filled with saliva, literally drooling at the mention of finally getting his teeth into the redhead’s neck.

“I didn’t want it like this,” he said stubbornly, the insides of his eyes beginning to sting as he closed them. He was such a cry-baby – sniveling over frustration of not getting his own way. He reminded himself that he was literally saving Michael’s life. There was no alternative.

“I know,” Jack soothed, stroking the side of his face. Geoff leaned into the touch, muscles loosening at the comfort his boyfriend provided.

An idea sprang to mind, causing Geoff’s eyes to pop open. “It’s just my venom that will work, isn’t it? I don’t actually have to feed, right?”

Ryan smiled at the notion and shook his head. “Nope. Just the venom will do. But only yours – ours wouldn’t be strong enough to drive out the infection along with the foreign venom.”

Geoff nodded. “So… right now?”

“Well, we can wait a few minutes,” Ryan said nervously. “Lay him down, get you both comfortable. He was exhausted when Jack and Ray went to get him and now he’s fast asleep, so I doubt he’ll even wake up during it. Er – you’re not gonna – you know –”

“Don’t be gross, Ryan,” Geoff teased, gently easing himself away from the two and standing at the edge of the bed.

“Ryan made it creepy,” Gavin said, snickering.

“Big surprise,” Ray laughed quietly.

Ryan harrumphed in amusement as he shifted to lay Michael back on the streets, making a noise Geoff didn’t know he could make when the redhead’s hand shot out to clutch at his shirt, tugging the blond down so he was forced to lay his chest on Michael’s head. It looked supremely uncomfortable, but Michael hummed in content and caused every brain in the room to short circuit when he nuzzled Ryan’s torso, inhaling slowly as if savoring the scent.

Ryan licked his lips as he gently pried Michael’s fingers off of him, wincing at the pained whimper the other made. He looked at the others. “It’s just his body reacting to his mates’ scent.”

Geoff could watch as Gavin’s eyes lit up, the Brit grinning and stepping closer to Michael. He almost giggled at the grabby-hands motion Michael was making and leaned far enough down for the redhead to reach out and touch him, weak fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt and managing to tug slightly.

Ryan slapped him upside the head. “Stop teasing him, Gavin.”

“Not teasing at all,” Gavin said before worming his way under the sheets with Michael, tucking the older man against his body and sighing in comfort. Catching the looks the others were giving him, he smirked and said, “Jealous?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Geoff, you can go get ready now. If you want to change out of your clothes that would probably be a good idea. If you’re not going to be drinking the blood, it’s gonna have to go somewhere.”

Geoff nodded, but lingered by the door to watch as his lovers squabbled over whether or not it was morally correct of them to take advantage of this time with their unknowing mate. Gavin and Jack seemed to have no issue with it, snuggling close to the redhead and soaking up the warmth given off by Michael’s overheated body. Ray and Ryan tsked and shook their heads, obviously jealous but unwilling to steal cuddling from their sick member.

Feeling as if his stomach was tying itself in knots, Geoff slipped from the room.

His palms were cold as he poured a glass of whiskey. It was purely to calm his nerves, but he forced himself to stop after one glass. He couldn’t imagine a scenario worse than him drunkenly draining Michael completely of blood, killing the redhead in a haze of thirst.

Shivering from discomfort at the thought, Geoff put the empty glass in the sink with shaking hands. This weekend was really doing a number on him. Friday evening, he’d gotten into a small argument with Gavin over whether or not it was time to confront the issue. Having been left with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Geoff now realized that the gut feeling hadn’t been a result of his fight with Gav, but rather a trauma happening to his other mate. He hadn’t been able to contact Ryan or Michael for almost twenty-four hours on Saturday, and then he’d fought with Ray on the phone while Jack was driving Michael home.

It had not been a fun weekend.

His Sunday, in fact, was continuing to grow even worse.

The sharp covers of his canines were beginning to extend already, just the thought of drinking from his blood slave sending pleasant goosebumps down the back of his arms. He could only imagine the taste – a human, a real, live human. The blood of vampires was inedible to other vamps, but Geoff knew that his blood would be just as wholesome and refreshing to Michael as Michael’s was to him.

The different between him drinking Michael’s blood and Michael drinking his, however, was bleak. Michael didn’t have fangs and unnatural ire to his muscles. He wasn’t as strong as them, or as fast. His hunger wasn’t as severe, just more frequent.

The difference was this: Geoff was a prey animal. Michael was not.

And Geoff was about to go chew on his neck while the redhead was at his most vulnerable.

The scent of toxin in Michael’s bloodstream was overpoweringly strong as Geoff made his way back towards the bedroom. He’d very quickly changed into the rattiest tee shirt and jeans he could find, forgoing tennis shoes. Ryan had carried in a staggering amount of towels, covering the bed with some of them and swaddling Michael in the rest.

Closing the door behind him, Geoff swallowed heavily. The scent wasn’t particularly bad, but it was so wrong that it made his stomach twist and curl. There was a sickening edge to the smell that was permeating off of the redhead, one that certainly didn’t belong. It overpowered the boys’ original scent marker – the small signal to other vampires that this human was spoken for.

Geoff wasn’t surprised his scent mark had been violated. It was just that – a pheromone that he’d subtly tainted Michael’s original smell with. It wasn’t noticeable to humans, but both Burnie and Gus had separately pulled him aside to ask why the hell the five men’s scent mark was placed on Michael.

Now, not a single one of them was recognizable through the stench of this fucking stranger.

Geoff’s fists tightened.

“Okay,” he ground out, startling the others in the room, except for Ryan, who was sitting next to Michael’s head with the redhead’s arm in his lap. He was inspecting the bite curiously, poking and prodding at the blackened flesh.

Gavin, Jack, and Ray had moved away from the bed, standing off to the side with varying expressions of anxiety. Geoff could feel the combined weight of their worry and agitation, and through the gap between bodies, he could see Gavin and Ray holding hands, while Jack’s was firmly clasped in Ray’s tight grip.

“Alright, Geoff,” Ryan said, patting the spot on the other side of Michael’s head. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Geoff wordlessly settled on the bed, unable to keep his eyes from darting down at watching Ryan’s nimble fingers resting against Michael’s pale skin. A gaunt, sunken look was already beginning to affect the redhead’s face, the circles around his eyes looking bruised and hollow. Geoff’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. Almost as if he was able to hear the stutter, Michael opened his eyes. His brown orbs were instantly on Geoff.

“H – hospital,” Michael croaked, the words airy and disjointed. “Please take me to a hospital, I think – I think I’m dying.”

Geoff stared at him, shocked, while the others in the room tensed. “No, no,” Geoff said softly. He patted Michael’s hair in a comforting gesture, careful to keep it similar to a gesture that would be seen among two friends. His voice was hoarse as he said, “You aren’t dying. We’re fixing you. Right now. It may be a little… uncomfortable.”

Michael’s eyelids fluttered. “My arm hurts,” he said quietly.

“I know, we’re going to fix it,” Geoff reaffirmed, continuing to play with the man’s hair. Michael’s brow furrowed, but his eyes fell closed not moments later. His muscles went lax and Geoff knew he’d once more fallen into a deep, deep sleep. Looking up at Ryan, he shakily asked, “How do you want to do this?”

“I don’t think he’ll wake up during it, so don’t look so damned panicked,” Ryan told him sternly. He looked thoughtful, even with a pale face and worried eyes. “Using his neck is a good idea. The carotid artery will be the fastest entry point. Him lying horizontal should work, so you can just… you know…”

Ryan gestured to Geoff as if to get on with it. Wiping sweaty palms on the fabric of his jeans, Geoff scooted closer until he was able to fully pull Michael’s paralyzed body into his lap, the redhead’s shoulders resting comfortably on his thighs. He pillowed the head of red curls in the crook of his elbow, grimacing at how chilled Michael’s skin was. He seemed to have very quickly bypassed the fever stage and plunged into cold and clammy category. Licking his lips, Geoff glanced around the room, meeting the wide eyes of his four other mates, and leaned down.

His lips brushed the skin of Michael’s neck, the light flutter of the rapid heartbeat under his breath an aphrodisiac. It was intoxicating to be this close, just within range.

But he couldn’t forget that Michael was nearly comatose in his arms. That he didn’t have consent to do those.

And so it was with a clear head that Geoff allowed his fangs to fully extend and pierce the milky flesh. He hinged his jaw and let it hung open, pointedly leaning away so that none of the blood would touch his taste buds. His venom released like a bull waiting at the gate, excitedly washing through Michael’s bloodstream and cleansing it of the stranger’s poison. The sensitive covering of his fangs could feel the pace of Michael’s heart speed up with the sudden introduction of a foreign – but much desired – substance. Michael himself was almost completely unconscious in his arms, eyes closed and breathing shallow. His chest, wrapped in towels, was rising and falling too quickly to be normal.

Geoff’s fingers tightened around the nape of the man’s neck as he felt his fangs lock into place, his body involuntarily preparing for a feeding. His erogenous zones became sensitive, his own breathing speeding up. A powerful wave of heat abruptly rolled off Michael’s body, causing Geoff’s pupils to blow out as the scent of arousal seeped from the redhead’s pores.

Though he honestly shouldn’t have been, Geoff was caught off guard when Michael’s eyes suddenly flew open.

He definitely didn’t except the fist to come flying towards his face.

---

Michael didn’t consider himself to be a stranger to pain.

There were a lot moments in his life where he had to confront the unpleasant sensation. In the sixth grade or so, he broke his arm wrestling with his brothers on the stairs. That had brought him to his knees, crying out to his mom for help. It wasn’t too frequent, but he also had chest pain every once and a while, which could easily incapacitate him for days. He tried to strong-arm his way through it, and normally it worked.

But this was a new experience, even for him.

With sudden, renewed energy, he wildly swung his arm at whatever was latched onto his neck. He recognized the scent as Geoff’s, the faint smell of cologne and an unnamable musk, but nothing registered in his mind aside from the screaming agony in his right arm. The inside of his forearm seemed to have been lit on fire, the skin feeling as if it was eating itself alive. His breath caught on a scream, adrenaline heavy and thick in his veins. In blinding, panic, he swung at what he thought the source was.

Before he could make contact with the figure gripping the back of his neck like a vice, his arm was caught in a strong grip and pinned back to the bed. His legs, though barely twitching despite his frantic orders, were similarly held down, but he could feel their hesitation when Michael let out a pitiful cry of pain at the sudden lance of agony through his wrist. A memory sparked in his mind, and he remembered being held to a bed, arm twisted behind his back as he was mercilessly pounded into the mattress in a haze of animalistic lust.

In his panic, Michael hadn’t even noticed that there was a slight stinging in his neck until Geoff suddenly reared back. Something warm and runny traced ticklish paths down Michael’s neck and chest.

In a way, Michael had still held onto a distant hope that it wasn’t Geoff who was feeding from him, but there was no denying it was the tattooed man now that he was looking down on Michael with nothing short of a horrified expression.

With the arm awkwardly trapped between him and Geoff’s chest, Michael pushed weakly at him, heart pounding in his ears. His head swam with confusion and fear, the latter only increasing when Geoff refused to release him. He could hear himself making tiny, choked noises in between gasps.

“Michael – Michael, hold still while I seal it up –” Geoff stammered as Michael continued to struggle weakly in his arms.

“Get off,” Michael croaked hoarsely, feeling light-headed. When Geoff’s hands still remained tight around his shoulders, Michael whimpered a fearful, “Geoff, let go!”

At the sound of his name, Geoff immediately slackened his grip. The hand around his wrist was causing a searing pain to rip up his arm with every movement, even as his back hit the bed again. He rolled to the side and clutched at the hand around it, crying out something pathetic in an attempt to make whoever it was let go. It did – they pulled away as if Michael’s touch had stung them.

Something warm and moist was spreading beneath his neck, coating his skin with sticky residue. Not wanting to think about what it was, Michael simply settled for laying half-curled into the fetal position and sorely clutching at his injured arm. The burn in his forearm began to subside until it vanished completely. He couldn’t see it from where he was laying, the side of his face pressing into the sheets below him.

It was deathly quiet.

“Michael?” Gavin called softly. Michael couldn’t tell where he was in the room, but he was close.

Realizing his breathing was loud and noisy in the room, Michael made a conscious effort to calm down. He didn’t answer Gavin’s pleading tone, still very confused and frightened.

He didn’t, however, feel unsafe.

There was a hand hovering just over the skin of his shoulder. “Michael, you’re bleeding. Let me at least seal it.”

“‘M not bleeding,” Michael finally mumbled, closing his eyes. His blood felt too hot in his veins, and in the absence of adrenaline, a new thrill was beginning to register. He discreetly folded his legs to hide his erection.

“Just let Geoff fix it,” Ryan’s deep bass said soothingly.

“I’m not bleeding,” Michael articulated, shakily raising his injured wrist. There was no sign of blood there, only swelling in his wrist. Michael frowned, a buzzing in his mind. There’d been something else, hadn’t there?

There was a pause. “From your neck, Michael,” Geoff said in a strangled voice. He reached forward, cautiously as if not to alarm the redhead, and gently pressed two fingers to the side of Michael’s neck. True to his word, when Geoff pulled back his hand, it was coated in a thin layer of scarlet liquid.

Michael stared at it with half-lidded eyes, exhaustion sweeping over him. It’d returned from earlier, but he realized dimly that he no longer felt as if his insides were wilting. Earlier, he’d been fairly sure that he was dying and had asked to be taken to the hospital, but now all he requested was a good nap.

Geoff seemed unsatisfied by his lack of response. He loudly sniffed at the air and seemed to come to a decision. No longer respecting Michael’s personal space, Geoff slid his hands under the redhead’s body and gently rearranged him to be splayed out on his back. Michael’s head lolled to the side, a dull ache spreading up the right side of his neck. His breathing had slowed to a healthier pace and he was almost asleep by the time Geoff had settled him down.

“I think he fell back asleep,” came a low whisper. It took Michael’s sluggish brain a while to realize it was Ray. He felt a surge of warmth at the sound of one of his best friends.

“What happened?” another voice demanded quietly. Jack. The mental echo of the bearded man’s name sent another wave of warmth rushing through the redhead’s heart. Jack, Jack.

“I think it just startled him at first,” Geoff said calmly. A warm hand rest on Michael’s jaw and gently pushed his head up to bare his throat. “And I think his wrist is sprained, so don’t touch it, Gav.”

There was a sound of agreement before it fell quiet once more. Michael got the uncomfortable feeling they were looking at him. His worry, however, flew out the window in favor of a larger one when he felt something slick and heated brushed the sore skin of his neck.

The pain receded until his neck was simply tingling pleasantly. The feeling flooded directly to his head before billowing out to his entire body. His breathing slowed even further, muscles relaxing into limp masses until he was completely boneless against the mattress. The sound of his deep, restful exhales was the only noise to break the thick silence.

Despite Michael’s sudden exhaustion, however, he remained awake.

“Was that good enough?” Geoff whispered nervously a few moments later. There was a faint click that Michael knew by heart. It was a sound he heard many times in the office – the sudden retraction of Geoff’s fangs.

“Look for yourself,” Ryan said softly, a smile clear in the barely audible words. A weight dipped on the bed next to Michael’s hip, gently hands lifting his arm from the bed. Whoever it was, they were careful to support his wrist.

“It’s cleared up,” Geoff said in an awe-struck voice.

Ryan chuckled quietly. “Why are you surprised? Alpha venom is potent as hell.”

“Yeah, but that’s just amazing,” Ray hummed. Another weight sat on the bed, this one closer than the last. Michael could feel a knee brushing against the exposed skin of his waist. He was fairly sure it was Ray. “It was fast, too.”

“Faster than I thought,” Ryan admitted. “Faster than it normally is. Sometimes in hospitals, they have to repeatedly inject the right venom into the human.”

There was a pause before Geoff made a sound of disgust. “This way was a lot easier.”

There was a tsk of mutual agreement.

“I’m going to draw blood,” Ryan announced after a peaceful lull in the conversation. “Anyone who can’t handle themselves will wait outside the door.”

It didn’t sound like anyone moved.

Michael could hear them settling into spots around the room, casually hunkering down in one bedroom. From how close their voices sounded, Michael was fairly sure that Ryan, Geoff, and Ray were sitting on the bed, while Jack and Gavin perched themselves some other place in the room. Gavin was surprisingly quiet, almost worryingly so. Michael almost said something, but bit his tongue for fear of ruining the illusion that he was asleep.

The crinkle of plastic was Michael’s only warning before a cold, wet piece of cloth was swiped on the crook of his good arm. He couldn’t have flinched if he’d tried, his muscles far too lethargic, but it made him mentally jolt for a moment. He wondered if they still thought he was sleeping as Ryan worked methodically next to him to prepare sticking him.

Michael wasn’t horribly afraid of needles. He felt Ryan’s finger pull the skin slightly taut before sticking the needle in with barely a prick. Someone in the room took a sharp inhale of breath, but that was the only interruption on the otherwise completely silent drawing of blood.

Ryan cleared his throat in between taking samples. “Did you, ah… taste any?” he asked lightly as the third vial was being filled.

A hand rested on Michael’s thigh as Geoff spoke. “No,” he said proudly. “Not on my fangs and when I sealed him up, my venom blocked it. Not one drop.”

Michael internally frowned and couldn’t help but feel that Ryan relaxed at that. It couldn’t have been that big of a deal, to accidentally drink from someone. He was slightly offended that they were so damned worried about accidentally tasting him. Who the hell knows, maybe he tasted good!

“Alright, done,” Ryan announced a few moments later. Glass clinked together as he gathered whatever equipment he’d brought with him. Michael felt him rise from the bed, and Geoff’s weight followed with.

“I’ll take this to my guy,” Ryan said mysteriously. “Let him sleep in here. It doesn’t really matter.”

Gavin didn’t seem to like that idea. “But –”

“He won’t know,” Ryan persisted, and Michael had to frown at that.

Gavin spent a long moment of deliberation before huffing out a rather sour puff of air. “Fine,” he grumbled.

The bedroom door opened and Michael heard them pile out from the room. There was a murmur of voices right in the doorway, unintelligible to Michael, but then the door closed. He breathed out a sigh of relief and almost opened his eyes, but the sudden sensation of someone stroking his forehead almost made him jump out of his skin.

“Stupid idiot,” Gavin’s voice sighed. “You caused a fight between almost all of us, and you weren’t even there.”

Michael’s stomach clenched. Oh, great.

“You look a lot less angry when you sleep,” Gavin commented. Michael’s heart hammered in his chest at the close contact. Gavin had to be only mere inches away, and the feel of his hands running through Michael’s hair was rapidly becoming addicting. “Bloody cute idiot. Do that again, and we’ll suck you dry.”

Michael nearly smiled. That was one of Gav and Geoff’s favorite threats. He knew they’d never touch him. They wouldn’t even roughhouse with him, much less allow their fangs anywhere near his skin.

“You scared us,” Gavin whispered, and that voice was the only sound in the room. Michael had trouble thinking straight with the feel of Gavin’s nails slightly scratching his scalp. “You’re still scaring us, but you’ll be okay now. Geoff’s venom fixed you up. A mate isn’t supposed to go sleeping around, much less getting bitten, by other vampires, but your alpha mate’s venom will reverse anything bad that could’ve developed.”

Michael’s heart skipped a beat. Wait, what?

Gavin sighed heavily, palm flush against the redhead’s skull. Michael wasn’t sure if he imagined the feel of a soft pair of lips pressing against his forehead.

“Night, love.”

---

While Geoff also needed sleep, vampires only required an hour or so per night to function properly. He was out of the loop in terms of human sleeping patterns after spending so long reserving himself for his blood slave and when Michael didn’t wake up for eight hours, he grew worried.

Jack told him it was normal, so the tattooed man refrained from bursting into the room and vigorously shaking the redhead awake like he wanted to. Instead, he sat on the couch with Gavin in his lap as they played GTA V and planned a Things To Do. It wasn’t too exciting, but thinking of ways around the HeliCarrier glitch took his mind off of the bigger problem at hand.

Jack was reclined on the larger sofa with a book in his hand and Ray was sitting tangled up in his legs, using Jack’s left one as a backrest and the right one to prop up his knees. He was furiously tapping at the buttons of a 3DS and Jack was flipping pages every minute or so, but Geoff got the feeling that they had their mind on other things.

Ryan pulled into the driveway one in the afternoon. Michael had been asleep for an entire eight hours, but just as Geoff was about to wake him up, Ryan opened the front door with a tired, relieved smile.

“Nothing to worry about,” he announced. “No STDs, no infections. Blood work all came back negative.”

“How’d you get it so fast?” Gavin questioned, standing up from the couch.

“I have my ways,” Ryan said mysteriously. He glanced at the bedroom door and frowned. “Still not up? What time is it?”

“It’s one,” Geoff answered sullenly.

Ryan hummed but didn’t look particularly worried. “It’s alright,” he assured Geoff, carefully watching the other. Geoff almost rolled his eyes at the knowing look in the blue eyes. “Humans can sleep for… freakishly long amounts of time.”

“Eight hours,” Gavin muttered, sneering. “That’s ridiculous. What a stupid way to evolve. Sleep is completely useless.”

“He’s been through a pretty big ordeal, Gavin,” Jack pointed out.

Gavin’s eyes darkened. “An ordeal he brought on himself.”

Ray frowned and snapped closed his DS. Glaring at Ray lightly, he said, “We’ve already talked about this.”

“You talked about it.”

“Ugh. I’m not arguing with you about this, Gav.”

“Yeah, because you know I’m at least partially right.”

Ray rolled his eyes but wisely pursued the topic no further. His gaze darted to the door before looking at Geoff with bright eyes. “He’s awak -”

The bedroom door opened in the middle of Ray’s sentence, the Puerto Rican immediately going silent. There was a moment of shock where Michael looked at them and they looked at Michael, no one saying a word or moving an inch.

Michael was significantly better since he’d first arrived with Jack and Ray. He no longer looked two inches from death, but his hair was a rat’s nest and there was dried blood caking the side of his neck. Geoff could feel the others’ lust kick up a few notches and realized that in all the chaos, no one had thought to feed lately.

Sucking in a harsh breath, Geoff said, “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

The spell was broken. Everyone relaxed slightly with the casual tone of Geoff’s overused phrase.

“What time is it?” Michael asked grumpily, rubbing his eye. His voice was hoarse as hell. “And where is my shirt?”

Geoff could see Ray bit his lip at the latter question. “It’s one in the afternoon and you didn’t come here in your shirt,” Geoff said in a tight voice.

“I only slept a few hours?” Michael asked confusedly. He looked slightly lost as he glanced down at his naked torso. “And – and I know, I remember. Just – gimme a shirt. Can I borrow a shirt?”

As Geoff swallowed at the slightly panicked tone and felt like hitting himself on the head for not thinking of dressing Michael properly. He had no idea what had happened the night before but Michael was probably feeling slightly violated. The bruises on his hips were prominent as he thanked Ryan for the spare he was handed, pulling the plain blue tee over his head with vigor. Smoothing down the front, Michael suddenly looked a lot smaller in Ryan’s clothes.

“Do you want to change pants, too?” Gavin suggested after an awkward pause.

Michael averted his gaze. “No, I – I can do that at my house,” he answered, scratching his nose.

“How do you feel?” Jack ventured.

Michael didn’t look up. “Better,” he said tonelessly. “Tired, though.”

“You slept around eight hours,” Geoff said gently.

Michael’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh…”

There was another awkward pause.

“Th – thanks,” Michael said in a voice not much louder than a whisper. He seemed surprisingly nervous as he shifted this weight back and forth between his legs. “I’m gonna go home and change. It’s… it’s Monday?”

“Sunday,” Jack corrected gently.

“Right,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Sunday. Good, then I didn’t miss work. Okay, well, uh… thanks. See you at work tomorrow, I guess.”

Gavin stammered out a few nonsensical syllables as Michael started edging towards the front door before finally managing, “No! No, no, you look like a horror movie prop. At least stay to clean up in the bathroom.”

Michael stopped and nodded slowly, absently agreeing. He looked horribly lost as he hesitated in the entrance hall. The blood coating his neck only added to the distressing image.

After sharing a small conversation only in glances with Ray, Geoff inched forward with his hands held out in a placating gesture. Michael didn’t react and allowed Geoff to lightly grip his elbow.

“The bathroom is this way,” Geoff said, gently directing the redhead back inside the main bedroom and into the master bath. Flicking on the light, both men winced at the bright glare. However, Geoff was more so disturbed by the sudden exposure of even more brutal love bites and bruises, the florescent light throwing the injuries into high definition. With Geoff’s heightened eyesight, it was in far too much detail.

He forced his eyes from the battered skin and instead focused on unraveling the washcloth from the mounted hook. After running the water until it was warm, Geoff carefully dipped a corner into it and glanced at Michael.

The redhead seemed out of it still, but he was looking at least a little sharper. The fog over his glassy eyes was clearing and he took to apprehensively watching Geoff wet the cloth. He didn’t question having Geoff help him, which Geoff found odd.

“Wanna sit?” Geoff suggested, pointing at the toilet.

Michael shook his head. Visibly bracing himself, he tilted his head gingerly to the side, baring his throat to Geoff. Slightly amazed that Michael would give forth such a strong display of trust, the tattooed man slowly began to wipe away the smears of blood. He felt Michael wince slightly as he stroked over the spot where Geoff had bit into him.

Geoff’s eyes widened at the pretty sight that greeted him under all that blood. Two penny-sized pearly ovals had claimed the skin directly over his carotid artery. They were blindingly white and extremely noticeable, even against skin as pale as Michael’s. Geoff flushed and ran the towel over the spot a few more times. He was oddly aroused and satisfied at the sight of his personal mark on his own human mate. Also faintly worried; when Michael was back to normal, Geoff was going to get his ass beat.

He hurried to finish up the redhead’s neck. Michael was staring mindlessly into space and luckily didn’t catch his reflection in the mirror.

When the skin was finally blemish-free, Geoff washed the cloth under the running water. Before Michael could react, Geoff steered him out of the small room, keeping an eye on the bite marks. His fangs tingled.

“And your wrist?” Geoff asked, eyeballing the swollen appendage.

Michael frowned and seemed confused. “It’s, uh… sore. I – I don’t remember hurting it?” He asked the question as if Geoff would know.

“What do you remember?” Geoff asked. Michael seemed to quickly be returning from his stunned state, and Geoff knew he was feeling better when Michael characteristically furrowed his brow in thought.

“I… I remember leaving work and stuff Friday night,” he edged. Geoff’s eyes could’ve rolled across state lines. “But anytime after, uh…” Michael’s face went bright red. “I don’t remember. I – thanks and all, Geoff, but I gotta go home. I just want to sleep.”

“You’ve slept for eight hours already,” Geoff pointed out. “And you don’t need to lie – we already know you went home with someone.” He refrained from mentioning the vampire bar after a second of hesitation, deciding that it was a conversation they needed to have a different time.

Michael side-eyed him, and even with his dead-tired gaze and crimson colored cheeks, he was able to sarcastically ask, “Wow, how could you possibly tell?”

“My vampire senses,” Geoff half-lied. While he hadn’t telepathically known Michael had been in distress, a dreadful gut-feeling had plagued him the entire weekend. The scent of another vampire had slammed into him like a brick when he’d opened the car door yesterday, confirming his worst fear, but in the back of his mind, there was a part of his brain that wasn’t shocked or angry.

Ray was right. Michael knew there was something missing in his life, and while he couldn’t see what it was, he was certainly the type of man to go out and look for it. Geoff should’ve known that.

Michael’s eyes lit up slightly and Geoff internally cringed. He’d just opened himself up to the topic of his vampire abilities, something Michael held an insatiable curiosity for. They – meaning Geoff, Gavin, Ray, Ryan, and Jack – often tried to dissuade the redhead from asking such questions under the guise of it being ‘too personal’. Geoff was the only one of the five to willingly, albeit vaguely, answer his questions.

“Are you being sarcastic?” Michael asked, a familiar excitement causing his voice pitch to rise.

Geoff couldn’t hide a smirk. “A little,” he allowed. He knew that normally he wouldn’t have divulged that particular piece of vampire trivia, but it was good to see Michael light up. In an attempt to goad him further, Geoff continued, “I didn’t actually know, but it’s like a sixth sense.”

“You have a sixth sense that tells you when someone’s had sex?” Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

Only when it’s my mate having sex with someone other than me. “Certain people.”

Michael’s face twisted into an expression of disgust. “And I’m included in that? Why?”

Geoff swallowed. This was edging extremely close to a topic he wasn’t ready to discuss. “Not sure,” he lied. “Probably because I spend so much time around you. You’re one of the only humans I see on a daily basis.”

“Charming,” Michael rolled his eyes. “Lucky me.”

Geoff glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Michael was smiling.

“Are you feeling better?” Geoff asked.

Michael shifted back an unperceivable few millimeters, but Geoff caught it. The redhead’s eyes hardened with the change of topic and his smile disappeared.

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing. “My neck is sore…?”

Geoff stared at him. It was definitely a question.

“I… I don’t remember getting hurt there,” Michael continued pointedly. Geoff bit his lip, refusing to hit that distinct line of conversation just yet. Michael needed time to relax and let his body heal itself, with Geoff’s venom as an aid.

“Bad venom will do that,” he said neutrally instead, shutting Michael down. After he said the words, he realized that Michael might remember Geoff biting him. He averted his eyes from the redhead, slightly worried that he’d just inadvertently rejected Michael.

Regardless, he still wasn’t expecting Michael to go stiff, eyes closing off. His body language changed to a slightly more aggressive stance, muscles tensing. The cords of his shoulders tightened as he turned away from Geoff with a curt nod, jaw set.

“Right,” he said coolly. “Bad venom will do that.”

Geoff was wordless with confusion and alarm.

“Thanks and all,” Michael said indifferently. Geoff stared at him in surprise, the acidic undertone of the words sounding odd in Michael’s voice.

“Michael –” Geoff started, but Michael was already walking from the room. Geoff frowned and hurried after him. He reached out a hand to catch Michael’s shoulder, but after a moment of hesitation, he let his arm drop back to his side.

All pairs of eyes landed on them when they entered the living room. They glanced at Michael before staring at Geoff, and he couldn’t help but feel there was something accusatory in their gaze.

“I’ll see you all on Monday,” he said coldly before walking to the front door. Geoff made a noise of dismay and followed after him once more.

“Michael –” he tried again in a much more pleading voice.

Michael turned to him with frigid eyes. Something unidentifiable ghosted through the russet orbs, but it was gone in seconds, and Michael was left staring carelessly at him. The words died on Geoff’s tongue.

“Thanks, Geoff.” Michael said with finality. He opened the door and glanced at the others, who were in the process of rising. “See you at work.”

The bang of the door slamming shut echoed through the house. Geoff didn’t move, staring at the oak wood of the door in shock.

“What are you doing?” Ryan demanded, turning Geoff around by a firm hand on his shoulder. “Where is he going?”

Geoff frowned. “Home, I’m guessing.”

“How is he going to get there?” Ryan asked slowly.

“I don’t know,” Geoff said honestly. His heart stung by Michael’s abrupt dismissal and he couldn’t stop the untruthful words from spilling out: “I don’t care.”

Ryan reeled from him, stepping back as if afraid. Geoff pushed passed him and, ignoring the rest of the men in the room, calmly walked to the guest bedroom and closed the door.

And immediately shred the bed to pieces in rage.

---

Michael was wearing his long-eared banjo beanie and a strong blush when they came into work the next morning. The long ears had been strategically placed to rest around his neck. The sight almost made Geoff laugh. He was far too sullen to even crack a smile, however, so after appreciating the image for a few brief seconds, he wordlessly sat down at his desk.

He wasn’t quite man-enough to formally apologize just yet. As the others lingered slightly in the doorway, Geoff found himself locked into an intense round of the quiet game between him and Michael – one that he couldn’t help but feel he’d already lost.

Coming into the room last, Gavin chucked his stuff down with a huff. He stared at Michael for a long moment before throwing any pretenses out the window.

“How the hell did you get home last night?” he asked in a normal, if not slightly agitated, tone.

Michael barely glanced at him. “Bus.” He answered shortly.

“How did you find a bus?” Gavin asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Bus stop.”

“Oh. Well, how’d you find that?”

“Looked for it.”

Gavin pursed his lips at curt replies. Trying one last time, he politely asked, “How’s your wrist?”

Michael hesitated to answer that one. “Fine,” he muttered, lowering his hand so that it was hidden under his desk. Gavin waited in silence and Michael resentfully continued, “… sprained.”

“You went to the doctor?” Jack asked, surprised.

Michael shook his head, still staring at his computer screen. “I know what a sprain feels like.”

Geoff frowned but bit his tongue against commenting.

“When did you sprain your wrist?” Gavin said. Geoff could tell he was trying to coax Michael into a conversation, most likely to subtly show the redhead that nothing had changed between them. Geoff admired Gavin’s persistence.

Michael, however, did not seem to care. He simply shrugged in response.

Gavin gave up after that. In the situation they’d been given, there was nothing he could to do to drag a sense of normalcy from Michael if the redhead wasn’t open to it.

The day went by slow. They happened to record nothing that included Michael, but even so, the energy level in whatever video they made was significantly low. Geoff was in a pissy mood all day; never directly at Michael, but the circumstances in general. It wasn’t fair to blame Michael for reacting as any human would’ve.

For a ‘superior being’, as society so dubbed it, Geoff could be infinitely stupid. While he didn’t know the exact moment in time in which he stuck his foot in his mouth, he did know that somewhere along the line he’d messed up. Said something to drive Michael away. Thinking back on the conversation, Geoff was fairly sure he’s accidentally insinuated that biting Michael had been something Geoff didn’t want to do.

He couldn’t believe how utterly wrong that was.

Geoff wanted to tell him, I’ve wanted to bite you for months.

He wanted to say, I’ve wanted a relationship for longer than that.

He wanted to whisper, I’ve been in love with you since you came into my life.

But he wasn’t sure if Michael would see those as lies, too.

And as the days progressed, he realized that Michael was completely shutting him out.

It was noticeable. Geoff didn’t exactly try his best to reconcile with Michael. He assumed that the redhead was just like any other male human he’d encountered – they didn’t need to talk about it, they just needed things to go back to normal.

It became clear that Michael needed more than that by next Friday.

An entire week of Michael avoiding them, and the redhead’s absence was a little more than haunting. The only time they heard him speak was when he recorded a Rage Quit on Thursday, and Geoff had had to stay late in the office to listen to it. He couldn’t help but notice the slight drag to Michael’s tone, as if the idiot wasn’t getting enough sleep.

It was quickly developing into a problem. It was no shock to any of the vampires when Burnie came into the office Friday morning, a somber expression on his face. Both Gavin and Michael weren’t in the room, but Geoff soon realized that Gavin was trailing after Burnie with a nervous look in his eyes. Geoff’s stomach dropped.

“Hey, Burns,” he started casually, turning to look at the man with a small smile.

“I think there’s something we need to talk about?” Burnie suggested. Geoff sighed. He was using the ‘I need to talk to you as a friend but I’m being your boss, too’ voice.

“I think there’s not,” Geoff answered lightly. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted slightly.

“I think that someone else thinks that there is,” Burnie said, eyes glancing at Gavin before darting away.

Geoff stared at Gavin. “Seriously?”

“It’s your bloody fault!” Gavin burst, uncrossing his arms in a fit of nervous anxiety. “You said something insensitive and ruined everything in a span of five minutes –”

“He freaked out at nothing!” Geoff said hotly. “I – I explained why he couldn’t remember much and he just went silent and left. How is that my fault?”

“What did you say?” Burnie said calmly.

“I told him that bad venom can be the cause of memory loss,” Geoff said truthfully. After a pause, he tacked on, “In more or less words.”

“Well, obviously something you said struck a nerve,” Burnie replied. “He’s refused Gus’ invitation to be on the podcast, which he’s never done, and Gavin won’t stop coming in my office to talk to me about it.”

“That’s a little private, don’t you think, Gav?” Geoff said almost desperately, but even he knew it was a lost cause. Burnie was one of his closest friends and this definitely wouldn’t be the first time he’d butted in on Geoff’s personal life.

Burnie knew this as well. He rolled his eyes and said, “Fine. If you want me to approach this as your employer, then so be it. Your videos have been a little subpar lately and I suggest you fix it.”

“Subpar?” Geoff snorted. “What the hell does that mea–?”

“It sounds as if you’re recording at a funeral,” Burnie said flatly. “It’s hard to listen to, if I’m being honest. Also, the fans are bitching about the lack of Michael.” Burnie paused to study his friend’s face. “Just sit him down and explain.”

“Explain,” Geoff grumbled. “That’s what caused this in the first place –”

“You misunderstood,” Burnie interrupted. “I meant explain everything.”

Geoff’s heart skipped a beat. He looked away. “I can’t do that.”

Ray cleared his throat, speaking up for the first time. “Actually, Geoff, I kind of agree with Burnie.”

Jack nodded. “I think it would solve a lot of problems,” he said, and Ryan nodded.

“Thanks, Burns, you’ve successfully turned everyone against me,” Geoff sighed sarcastically, bowing his head to run his hands through his hair. The muscles of his back and shoulders ached with the movement and he regretted not getting any sleep in the past four days.

Burnie scoffed. “I’ve turned no one,” the vampire said jokingly. He patted Geoff’s shoulder. “I’m just here to convince my stubborn friend to pull his head from his ass.”

“Thanks,” Geoff replied dryly.

Burnie hesitated. His hand rested on Geoff’s back and his voice went soft. Geoff could practically feel him shift back into concerned friend-mode. “I don’t know why you’ve waited so long. He clearly already likes you.”

“Huh?”

Burnie looked slightly confused. “You’re joking, right?”

There was silence.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Burnie squawked.

“Not completely,” Geoff said in a rush. “We don’t want to scare him off –”

“You’d think that in between five of you, there’d be at least an ounce of common sense,” Burnie said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re vampires, you fucking morons – god. I hate all of you. Have you never watched one of your own content videos before?”

Geoff felt his face growing warm. Ray answered for all of them with a quiet, “Well, duh –”

“He looks at you – all of you – as if he’s waiting for you to make a move!” Burnie exclaimed. “Goddamn, I thought you understood that. Vampires always make the first move in a relationship. Did you forget that?”

Geoff flushed fully now, embarrassment coloring his cheeks a light pink. “A little,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I haven’t been with many humans in the past decade.”

“You been with none,” Ryan pointed out.

“I meant been around,” Geoff said, smiling slightly. The news Burnie had brought was beginning to lighten the weight around his heart.

“So you’re going to tell him?” Burnie asked quickly.

Geoff bit his lip. Before he could answer, a different voice piped up.

“I think you should do it, and do it now,” Lindsay said from the doorway, mouth fixed into a frown.

“Why?” Geoff said, standing from his chair. He could feel the atmosphere change into something more serious.

“Because he just left to spend another Friday night at a vampire bar.”

---

Michael had no idea how foundation worked, and now without Lindsay to help him, he was just butchering it more and more.

It was a few shades too dark and looked oily on his skin. He rubbed at it every few minutes while driving, glancing in the rearview mirror and making an irritated noise. It looked like dirt was smudged in a long line down the column of his neck. He glowered at the image, upper lip curling at the heavy bags under his eyes. That paired with his messy hair only added to the flustered image he presented.

He pushed at his tired eyes with the heel of one palm. The sun was setting over the horizon, casting odd shadows across the road he was traveling down. It wasn’t far to downtown, but he was quickly beginning to lose his earlier excitement, though his best friend had done a fair job stepping on his toes already.

Lindsay had been irritated with him all week, and for good reason.

“I can’t believe I got so unlucky,” she had sighed not half an hour before. “Being best friends with you is like being best friends with a brick wall.”

“I’m a lot more handsome than those red bastards,” Michael had joked half-heartedly, cringing when she sharply pushed his head upwards. He had rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

“This is such a pretty mark,” Lindsay had sighed, rubbing a single digit across the two points. Michael had shivered under the touch, the skin extremely sensitive ever since Geoff had… yeah. “He did a good job, at least.”

“Shut up, Lindsay!” Michael had snapped, pulling away slightly. She’d tightened her fingers around his neck to keep him in place.

“I’m serious – Geoff did a very good job. Do you know if he took blood or not?”

“I don’t think so.”

She’d tsked. “Ah, well that makes sense. Blood tends to taste like a drug, especially when it’s new and… from a mate,” she’d said, hesitating slightly. She’d known that Michael was still touchy on that topic. “A lot of vamps tend to do the ‘double bite’.”

“What’s that?”

“Getting a little too excited and accidentally chomping down a few times.”

“That’s horrific.”

“Not gonna lie, I’ve done it once or twice myself.”

“You’re horrific.”

She’d smacked him lightly and continued to work on his neck, carefully applying generous amounts of foundation and concealer before unhappily tossing a vial to the ground. It’d smashed into pieces on the warehouse floor.

“What was that?” Michael had gawked when she pulled back. He’d touched the skin of his neck nervously, grimacing when he felt the slick slide of liquid over his skin.

“It’s way too dark,” she’d explained angrily. “I’m not anywhere near your complexion type. Remind me why you need this again?”

Michael had pursed his lips. “I’m going out tonight,” he had hedged. She’d narrowed her eyes at him.

“So you’ve said,” she’d said plainly. He’d known since his initial request that she’d be unhappy with his plea for help. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea. Where are you going out?”

Lindsay knew him far too well. Knowing he couldn’t flat out lie to her, he’d muttered, “A bar downtown.”

She’d not been pleased with that answer at all. “What bar?”

“I’ve been to it before,” he’d said honestly.

Lindsay’s eyes had narrowed. “Oh, really?” she’d said, raising both eyebrows. “And are there vampires at this bar?”

Fuck.

“Probably,” Michael had replied nonchalantly. He’d idly wiped his slimy fingers on the table he’d been sitting on. After a prolonged silence, he reluctantly said, “Yeah. It’s the same bar as before.”

He’d been surprised to feel her arm smack him square on the bicep. He’d yelped and glared at her, the muscle aching.

“Goddammit, Michael. I hate you sometimes,” she’d ground out. “I’m not helping you with your dumb make-up project.”

“What? No, wait!” he’d protested, jumping down from the desk. Stepping over the shards of glass, he’d followed after her pleadingly, grabbing the back of her tee shirt and whining. “C’mon, Linds. The mark is… embarrassing. And the foundation’s all greasy and smeared.”

“I’m not helping you cover up that mark,” she’d said warningly. He dropped her shirt at the threat in her tone.

“What’s your deal?” he’d demanded, still walking behind her.

“You already know they are your mates,” she’d said, stopping and gesturing rather angrily towards the AH office. Michael had clenched his teeth. “And you already know what happens when you go to those kinds of places. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull -”

“I’m not trying to pull anything,” Michael had said heatedly. “They don’t want me as their mate, Lindsay.”

“So what, you’re going to find somebody at one of those bars?” she’d snapped. Michael had been shocked by the sting in her tone. “You’ll be lucky to find one clean of STDs.”

“I’m not going home with anyone this time,” Michael had hissed, cheeks reddening at the memory. “I’m not stupid enough to make that mistake again.”

“Obviously you are,” she’d told him with a dirty look. “I’ve already told you, like, a bajillion times. There’s no possible way they don’t ‘want’ you, Michael. If you really are their blood slave, then they are genetically inclined to be attracted to you.”

“Maybe physically,” Michael had muttered, and that had been the end of that. Monty had walked into the warehouse and abruptly shut down the conversation they’d already had dozens of times. Michael had practically fled from the building and to his car.

He sighed and pulled up to a stop sign, leaning his head forward to rest on the steering wheel. Why was he doing this? For attention? For them to notice that he was hurting?

He wanted to believe he was doing this for himself, though he was fairly certain that wasn’t true. As much as he wanted an apology, Michael wasn’t completely sure of who he wanted one from, or why. The best he could think of was one from Geoff for repeating the words that’d been said to him that morning after waking up in a stranger’s house, but Geoff couldn’t possibly know that.

Letting out a strong exhale, Michael sat straight up and continued through the stop sign. He’d already stopped at home to get dressed and was now heading towards the bar. He couldn’t help but feel nervous, palms slick with sweat as he turned the wheel into the parking lot. The pounding of the bass could be felt through the sole of his shoes as he walked towards the door. Bypassing the line, he went straight inside the doors with no problem, as the bouncers didn’t stop him. They didn’t stop humans.

As much as it was described as a bar, the atmosphere was nothing like one. Michael thought of it more as a club, with loud, trashy music and blinding techno lights. It was unbelievably cliché and disgusting, but the heart-stopping rhythm the entire room possessed gave Michael an adrenaline high that he quickly became addicted to. He bee-lined to the bar and ordered a drink immediately, using that as his anchor as he perched on the edge of the wooden table, eyes raking the crowd.

It was indeed very unhygienic in here. Neither Lindsay nor Gavin had been wrong when they’d warned him about these kinds of places. Strangers were rutting against one another unabashedly on the dance floor, and over in the ‘sitting down’ section of the building, Michael was fairly sure people were having sex on the couches. There were about twice as many vampires as there were humans, which wasn’t surprising, but Michael was shocked to see the amount of bite marks the humans were hosting.

Michael felt uncomfortable at the sight of these humans. They bore the marks proudly, as if presenting badges they’d earned, but Michael viewed them more as tract marks. That’s what the venom was like, after all; a potent drug. It’d affected him a lot like a drug would. There was no difference in Michael’s mind.

He couldn’t, however, understand how they were all up and walking. After a few hours with a stranger’s venom in his bloodstream, he’d been down and out for the count. If Geoff hadn’t… helped him, Michael was certain he would’ve been dead within a matter of hours. Here, there were marks that looked years old.

He was also shocked to see humans being bitten by more than one vampire at the same time. It generally seemed to be consensual, but it still gave Michael the shivers. This entire place gave Michael the shivers.

What he was doing here, he didn’t know.

Someone slid into the seat next to him. Jumping slightly at the low chuckle, Michael spun to see a larger man in his mid-thirties grinning down at him. He had tousled brown hair and pretty blue eyes, stubble coating his lower jaw. All in all, one-hundred percent Michael’s type.

And yet… something didn’t feel quite right.

“Hey, there,” the man greeted smoothly.

“Hi,” Michael said, giving a dorky little wave.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” the man said conversationally. He quickly ordered two drinks from the bartender, despite Michael’s Jack and coke sitting right in front of him. “First time?”

“Not exactly,” Michael laughed. He ran a hand through his hair. “Second time.”

The man grinned wordlessly and sniffed the air, and Michael suddenly got the feeling he shouldn’t have said that.

“Uh, I’ve already got a drink,” Michael told him when the bartender came back with two glasses. The man pushed one over to him anyway.

“It’s free,” he said invitingly. “I’m Morg, by the way.”

Michael almost choked on his newly offered drink. “Interesting name,” he snorted, taking a long swig from the cup. It tasted deliciously fruity, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

“It’s short for Morgan,” the man explained, chuckling slightly. “What’s your name?”

“Michael. I’m human,” Michael blurted without much thought. He frowned. “Whoops, sorry.”

The man didn’t seem put off at all. If anything, he even smiled. “No worries. I’m a vamp,” he said winking. Without further ado, he opened his mouth and allowed his impressively large fangs to Michael. They were incredibly long and reminded Michael vaguely of a Saber-Tooth.

Raising his eyebrows, Michael mumbled, “Wow.”

The man smirked and retracted them. “That’s what most of the humans say,” he said, satisfied. “Wanna try ‘em out?”

Michael was surprised and slightly disappointed to feel absolutely no drive towards the man. He was handsome, that was for sure, but there was no spark. His confidence and aggressive behavior was attractive – alluring, even. And yet, Michael found himself shaking his head.

“I think I’m good, actually,” Michael said.

The man sniffed loudly once more. “I don’t smell any scent marker?” he said in a questioning tone.

“I don’t have a mate,” Michael said without thinking. He bit his lip, knowing that while this man didn’t seem like a bad guy, it was still unwise to be spouting off that he wasn’t here with anyone.

“Then why don’t I just have a little taste?” Morg said persistently. He leaned in slightly and Michael could see his fangs beginning to once again expand. “I’ve heard my venom is like heroin.”

“I’m not big into hardcore drugs,” Michael said flatly, leaning backwards. “Or strangers, to be honest.”

“Well, you don’t have to be into strangers,” Morg said with some annoyance. He leaned in closer. “I’m into you. You should be flattered.”

This guy definitely gave Michael the creeps now. Shuddering slightly, Michael slid from the barstool and stepped back, still holding his drink. “Ew. No. Sorry, but I’m not really into self-entitlement.”

Morg looked faintly disgusted. He straightened and sneered down at Michael. “Humans are so damn bratty,” he said with a roll of the eyes. “I don’t know why so many of them think they’re the ones choosing to fuck.”

“I think that’s called rape,” Michael said coldly. He left his drink on the bartop and allowed himself to be pulled into the lull of the crowd, the beat of the gyrating bodies quickly taking his mind off the rather unsettling encounter. He supposed it wasn’t horribly shocking to meet a creep like that here – this place was probably full of them, in fact – but it was unnerving to be so crassly approached by one.

His skin became warm and flushed with the sudden increase of body heat surrounding him. Before he knew it, he was sweating and breathing heavy in the midst of the pounding beat. His chest pulsed along with the rapid tempo, vibrations setting his teeth on edge. He didn’t dance much, instead choosing to roam among the many bodies. Hands slide along his sweat-slicked skin, tracing paths of flame across his pale flesh. It was intoxicating, and Michael quickly became light-headed and breathless in the influential atmosphere.

He only became aware something was wrong when he felt his the skin of his wrist nicked.

He pulled back harshly, barely noticing the song changing over the roaring in his ears. A woman was staring back at him with black eyes, her tongue darting out to swipe across her cherry red lips. She was attractive; young, thin, and blonde, with smudge eyeliner outlining her ebony eyes. Running a hungry gaze up and down Michael’s body, she moved closer, not minding the push and shove of the people around them. Her hair seemed to be shifting through colors rapidly, and it took Michael a full five seconds to realize that it was because the lights around them were changing.

“You smell so good,” she moaned and rutted against him. He felt no sexual inclination towards this woman – or any women – but his dick began to harden regardless. Recognizing this as wrong, wrong, wrong, he pulled back with a grunt.

“I don’t – I’m not…” he stammered, the words coming out slurred and fumbled. Frowning, he reached up a hand to circle his windpipe just slightly, as if that was the cause of his sudden disorientation.

“Where am I?” he asked her, blinking. A sudden rush of memories slammed into him and he abruptly felt like crying.

I’ve been slipped something, he realized as he began to disentangle himself from the crowd. Stumbling to the door, he hit the frame of the entrance with his shoulder and almost fell to the floor.

“What the hell,” he mumbled, clutching at his head. The room spun around him and it was easier to just lean uselessly up against the wood. “What the hell…”

I need to call Geoff.

The thought came to him in a wave of panic. He had to get out of here – and why were his pants so tight? He’d popped a boner without even realizing it, but now it was the only thing he could think of. His clothes were far too hot on his skin, restricting him in the most awkward of ways. Every move felt sluggish and disjointed. His tongue couldn’t sit properly in his mouth and he kept smacking his lips.

While continuing to lean heavily against the door frame, he felt around in his pockets. No phone, but he did have his keys and wallet. None of those, however, helped him call Geoff. Panting slightly, he squeezed his eyes at the onset of a headache, temples throbbing as he grabbed at the wooden frame to steady himself, though he hadn’t moved.

“Call Geoff,” he chanted quietly to himself. “Call Geoff… Call Geoff…”

“Do you need help?” a man asked. Michael almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden booming voice and spun around, almost managing to trip in the process.

His vision had gone blurry, smearing the man’s facial features together until he just seemed like a giant blob. He was tall, but his voice was friendly enough.

“Can I borrow your phone?” Michael slurred. He gritted his teeth. I sound absolutely pitiful.

“Yeah, sure,” the man said, and Michael was fairly sure he nodded. A gentle hand carefully grabbed him by the elbow and began to lead him outside. Cold air hit him like a tidal wave, washing away some of the confusion. The sun had fallen hours ago, the only light source in the alley being the sliver of moon left in the sky.

The side entrance was held open by the man’s foot as he searched his pockets, pulling out a black-cased iPhone. Handing it to Michael, he said, “Take all the time you need.”

“Thanks,” Michael said shakily and turned away. With the reintroduction of fresh air to Michael’s lungs, he was able to so speak more clearly. His headache, however, only strengthened. With trembling fingers, he dialed Geoff’s number and held the phone up to his ear.

It only rang once.

“Hello?”

“Geoff,” Michael croaked. There was a stunned pause on the other line.

“Where are you?” Geoff demanded a moment later. He sounded angry.

Knowing that he hadn’t spoken to Geoff in almost a week, he didn’t hesitate to say, “Please come pick me up, Geoff, please.”

“Where are you?” Geoff asked again. Michael couldn’t decipher the tone through the crackle of the shitty reception. He walked further into the alley to get more bars. His footsteps were loud in against the wet ground. Looking down, he thought that the water almost looked red in the dim light.

“The – The vampire bar in south Austin,” Michael answered breathily. “I – I’m in an alley on the side of it, do you want me to walk to the street? Are you coming to pick me up?”

“We’re already on the way, Michael,” Geoff assured him. Michael nodded to himself and felt his chest shuddered with heat. “No, don’t walk to the street. We’ll find you. It’s easier for someone to pick you off if you’re standing by the street corner.”

“Okay,” Michael breathed. “Okay.”

There was a slight shuffling noise as the phone was handed off to someone else. It was Ryan. “Did you take anything?” the older man asked without skipping a beat.

“No,” Michael said truthfully. He didn’t take drugs, especially ones served at clubs such as this.

His voice must’ve been more wobbly than he thought, because there was a long pause before Ryan finally asked, “Is there a possibility that someone slipped you something? In your drink or maybe in your food?”

“A guy bought me a drink,” Michael murmured. “But it’s not date rape.”

“How do you know?”

“I… I think it was an aphrodisiac,” Michael whispered, shivering slightly. A flush of heat was sent downward and his dick twitched in his pants. “Please just come and pick me up.”

“We’re coming, Michael,” Ryan said quickly.  “We’re just down the road, almost there.”

Michael felt unreasonable tears bead his eyes. He belatedly realized it was from the slight sting in his wrist and raised it to eye level, having to squint to see the small drop of blood running down his forearm. “Please hurry.”

“We are,” Ryan said firmly. There was a long pause and Michael heard more shuffling. He could hear the slam of a car door from the other end of the line. It was still Ryan, however, who spoke next. “What number are you calling from?”

I’m, uh… I don’t have my phone and I’m using someone else’s,” Michael said.

There was an even longer pause. “Who’s in the alley with you?” Ryan asked dreadfully slow.

“Some – some guy –” Michael stuttered, but he was abruptly cut off when something hit his upper back from behind. Already standing on unsteady feet, he was easily thrown off balance and went tumbling forward, reaching out his arms to grab onto something. His hands were greeted with warm flesh and he found himself with his back up against the wall, his shoulder blades digging into the brick uncomfortably hard. The phone was knocked from his hand as his wrist was pinned to the wall and he heard it clatter to the floor.

A hand wormed around his neck and pressed his head to the wall. A choked sound escaped his throat but it was quickly muffled when a mouth latched over his and swept away his sounds. He felt something pointed graze his tongue, not breaking the skin, but it sent a jolt up his spine. Something firm and warm pressed against his front, further pushing him into the wall, and a sharp nip was given to his lower lip before pulling away from the forceful kiss.

The skin of his jaw was nipped and sucked before the mouth reached the tender skin of his neck. Michael gasped, but the vampire hesitated at the spot before moving on. Traveling down the length of Michael’s arm, it instead chose a spot on his wrist and dug in. Wickedly sharp fangs easily dug pierced the delicate patch of skin on the inside of his wrist. Anger at the violation was hot and tangy on his tongue, but there was nothing he could do as the vampire buried its fangs deep into his bloodstream before withdrawing rather suddenly. It didn’t even inject its venom into him, instead sealing its lips over the wound and sucking.

Without the venom, the bite was no longer sensual or passionate. Michael screamed in pain as white-hot tendrils of fire spread through his arm and resonated up his shoulder, pinching and setting alight every nerve it could reach. He struggled in its grasp but his efforts were too weak. His wrist stung and throbbed under the harsh grip as the vampire adjusted its stance to secure Michael into place.

He could feel every disgusting pull of the thing’s mouth. The skin bruised almost instantly with each crude suck and the sensation of copious amounts of blood leaving his body was dizzying. A wave of light-headedness hit him in only a few seconds after being bitten and he felt his energy being sapped directly from his core.

For a few long, painful moments, Michael thought he was going to die.

What a stupid end. His life had been nothing so far, and to have it cut off in the middle by a stranger in an alley would’ve been the icing on top of his pitiful cake. He couldn’t let it end like this – he hadn’t apologized to Geoff yet. He hadn’t kissed Gavin on the mouth, he hadn’t grabbed Ryan’s ass playfully. He hadn’t taken Ray out on a romantic date and he hadn’t stared into Jack’s eyes long enough.

He hadn’t made a damned move yet.

He squeezed his eyes closed against the onslaught of pain and anguish, heart pounding in his chest and giving more and more fuel to this monster currently draining him of blood. Michael was going to die, alone and cold in an alleyway, and all he could think about were the things in life he’d yet to do. The leech attached to his arm readjusted its grip once more, pressing further into the two open, weeping wounds on Michael’s neck. Michael could feel the blood leaving his body in thick swallows.

But a certain group of five people had his back.

The mouth on his wrist was violently ripped away in a flurry of motion, the warm body against his suddenly disappearing. Michael’s eyes shot open but an intense dizzying sensation of relief swept through him too quickly to allow his brain to properly digest the scene. He fell sideways, one knee hitting the concrete as he clutched weakly at his arm. Blood continued to seep from the two puncture wounds, coating his hand and dripping to the concrete.

Hands grabbed at his and pulled it away from the wound. Before he could fully register what was happening, or who was kneeling in front of him, someone was leaning towards him. He closed his eyes and felt something press against the injury, stemming the flow, before an argument broke out in many voices.

“– not a hospital, I’m sure –”

“– two liters, I think?”

“That’s not two lit –”

“– doesn’t matter,” a louder, more powerful voice cut in, stopping all other conversations. The pressure against Michael’s wound didn’t falter, but he could tell someone had switched places.  Michael’s eyes fluttered open.

Geoff’s piercing gray eyes were staring intently into his. The older man was only inches away and Michael could see, even through his blurry vision, that the other’s pupils were dilated almost completely, the black swallowing up the gray.

Reading his expression expertly, Geoff studied him for a few long seconds before relaxing slightly. “You’re okay?” he guessed with a meek smile.

Michael nodded shakily. “I’m okay,” he whispered, the words barely audible. His hand weakly wrapped around Geoff’s, the one that was currently holding something soft and absorbent up to his wrist.

“I’m going to take this off and seal the wound,” Geoff warned him. Michael nodded and thrust forward his arm, waiting impatiently. The fog around his mind was beginning to clear with the arrival of his saviors. The aphrodisiac had left his system when the adrenaline from being bitten had kicked in and the blood loss had slowed. He felt dizzy as hell, but even through the haze, he could feel Geoff gently running his tongue over the two punctures. Michael couldn’t stop the shiver that passed through his shoulders.

Geoff leaned back. There was a small smear of blood on his chin, but he wiped it off hastily with the back of his hand. With his other hand, Michael reached to feel for a mark and for a moment he feared that there would be one, still have a gouge of flesh missing, but the skin was seamless and smooth. He looked at Geoff and his vision sharpened slightly.

“Geoff,” he said in a rough voice, reaching out for the man. Blood covered fingers twisted into the fabric of Geoff’s shirt, but he made no move to pull the man closer.

He knew his life wasn’t in danger any longer, but he couldn’t stop the words from coming out regardless.

“Am I your mate?”

---

Geoff laughed, slightly nervous, and unhooked Michael’s fingers from his shirt without answering. Pushing them back to the redhead’s chest, he glanced over his shoulder and directed his next statement towards Jack.

“Can you bring the car around front?” he asked, shooting the bearded man a grateful look when he immediately nodded and turned back inside the club.

Ryan moved forward and knelt next to Geoff, pushing him slightly to the side. Gavin and Ray were nowhere to be seen.

“How do you feel?” Ryan asked him, bringing the redhead’s attention back up front.

“Not as bad as last time,” Michael answered, sounding much more articulate than when he’d been on the phone earlier.

“This is the last time,” Geoff told him sternly. Michael didn’t seem to take his words too strongly to heart and Geoff knew they’d be having a more serious conversation about that in the future. But first –

“Am I your mate?” Michael asked again, in a much louder voice. Geoff flinched, glancing desperately at Ryan as if he could give him a better answer.

“Michael –” Ryan started but Michael started to shake his head.

“A yes or no will suffice,” he growled, leaning forward slightly. His glare intensified, growing impatient. “Just tell me!”

“Yes, Michael!” Geoff snapped, biting his lip and searching the redhead’s eyes nervously. “You’re our bloodsl – our mate.”

Michael’s exhale trembled slightly and he closed his eyes tightly. “That’s why the venom worked,” he said slowly. “Why your bite didn’t hurt like the other ones.”

Before Geoff could get a word in, Ryan quickly cut him off. “How many other bites, Michael?” he asked seriously, frowning.

“Just… just this one and the other one,” Michael muttered. He blinked tiredly, brow furrowing. “It’s also why he said I had a scent marker… thanks, for that.”

“What?” Geoff said, thoroughly confused.

Michael switched topics without hesitating. “Can you drive me home?” the redhead asked pitifully. Geoff had never heard him sound so defeated.

“Y – Yeah,” Geoff mumbled, hurrying to reach forward and heave Michael’s arm over his shoulder. When Michael went completely ragdoll with what Geoff assumed was exhaustion, he glanced at Ryan. Decided to steamroll right over Michael’s remaining dignity, he picked the redhead up bridal style instead and Michael didn’t complain.

The ride home was fucking awful.

Gavin and Ray got to the car late and there was blood on their knuckles. Geoff didn’t want to ask, and even felt a twinge of jealousy at what they got the chance to do, but Jack was relentless in his line of questioning. The car was filled with yelling and arguments the entire way there. Michael, who was riding shotgun for once, seemed to be passed out with his head on the dashboard, and Ryan was listing off the symptoms of shock to look out for. Despite knowing that Michael was perfectly fine at the moment, Geoff couldn’t help but imagine him pale, sickly, and clammy all over again.

He pulled into the driveway after a rather reckless journey. Being the first one out of the car, Geoff was also the one to pull Michael from the passenger seat. He was warm and breathing deeply in his arms, not even stirring as Geoff gathered him.

Jack opened the doors for him as he went through the house, heading towards the master bedroom. Gavin, who looked supremely confused, followed after him quickly while the others lingered behind.

“What are you doing?” he asked as Geoff set the redhead onto the sheets. “It’s almost midnight and I doubt he’d like waking up to… us. Shouldn’t you put him in the guest bed?”

Geoff barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Guest bed is a little unusable right now, if you don’t remember,” he said quietly. “Besides… he knows.”

There was a shocked pause. “You told him?”

“He already knew,” Geoff said as he shook his head. He frowned slightly. “I think he knew for a while.”

And even as he said the words, he knew them to be true.

“What?” Gavin said in utter befuddlement.

“He remembered that I bite him,” Geoff explained, dragging Michael’s upper body towards the higher part of the body so he was lying in a more comfortable spot. “And Lindsay is his best friend. I’m sure he connected the dots after asking her a few things about vampire culture.”

“Then why didn’t he want to be around us?” Gavin demanded. His eyes widened as he mentally answered his own question. “Does he not like us?”

Geoff shook his head slowly, though he’d yet to confirm anything concrete, even within his own mind. As he looked down at Michael’s peaceful expression, his instincts soothed his fears. “I don’t think that’s it,” he said. “His first reaction to being in a dangerous situation was to call me, and he was very out of it.”

Gavin nodded in agreement, having heard Michael’s slurred speech over Geoff’s phone when he’d set it to speaker in the car.

“Why did he go back to that bar?” Gavin questioned aloud.

“To get our attention? I really don’t know, Gav,” Geoff said, shrugging helplessly.

“You don’t seem too upset over all of this,” Gavin said with narrowed eyes as Geoff sat down on the bed.

Burying his hand in Michael’s red curls, Geoff could only shrug. A small smile curled his lips.

“I guess I just found a little peace of mind.”

---

Michael woke up with the worst hangover he had ever had.

He stumbled from the bed with little less than perfect grace, flying into the nearest bathroom he could find. Not sparing a single fuck, Michael hunched over the unfamiliar toilet and emptied his stomach’s contents into it, hands clutching the porcelain seat with desperation.

Oh, god. My fucking head.

His vision seemed to throb with each bound of his aching head. The stream of bile dwindled until he was simply dry heaving into the bowl, stomach clenching repeatedly as it emptied itself completely. Sweat broke out across his forehead and upper lip, unpleasant chills running down the back of his arms and legs.

Not exactly the perfect way to start the day.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. Raising his head, he peered blearily at whoever was towering over him, a toothbrush sticking out of the figure’s mouth.

It was Gavin.

“Hi, Michael,” he said in his typical coo, though the words were slightly distorted around the plastic. “Not a very good morning?”

Michael glared at him. Gavin didn’t seem to hold any sympathy for him – in fact, there was definitely mirth glowing in his hazel eyes. Wordlessly, the Brit turned back to the mirror and continued to brush his teeth.

When Michael’s stomach finally stopped cramping, Gavin had exited the bathroom, giving a firm pat to Michael’s shoulder, and Jack had come in. He, at least, seemed to pity Michael to some extent and after brushing his teeth and combing down his bedhead, he reached down to hand him a cup of cold, clean water. Giving Michael an overly friendly rub on the back, Jack then excused himself and left.

Ray came in next, and he was sporting a grin before he’d even entered the room.

“Morning, Michael,” he chirped happily. Michael almost laughed at the sight of the Puerto Rican’s bedhead. Leaning over the redhead to peer into the toilet, Ray sighed in relief. “Good to see you flushed. Move over a few inches, will ya?”

And without a second thought, Ray had taken out his dick and was taking a piss.

At this point, Michael didn’t even argue. He instead took to sprawling across the floor, ignoring the loud noise of Ray’s stream hitting the toilet bowl. Ray finished, tucked himself back in, and – to Michael’s shock – planted a solid kiss on his temple.

I might still be drunk.

Why Michael was in their house, he still wasn’t sure. He had trouble thinking through the headache that hammered at his eyes and was content with not worry about it for a while, instead choosing to simply lay his cheek against the cold tile floor.

As a result, Ryan almost stepped on him.

“Oops – sorry, Michael,” Ryan apologized rather tiredly. He seemed exhausted. “Why are you lying on the floor?”

“Dunno,” Michael grunted truthfully. “Why do you look so tired?”

Ryan smirked. “Dunno,” he parroted.

“Why am I here?” Michael questioned, slitting an eye open just in time to see Ryan freeze. Slowly, the blond lowered his hand to put the glass back onto the table.

“You don’t remember?”

“I have a headache,” Michael said in lieu of an answer. “And a hangover.”

Ryan pursed his lips and reached into the medicine cabinet for an Aspirin. He could hear a brand new bottle of the small pills, pills vampires didn’t even need, being opened and Michael almost grinned. Almost.

“Here,” Ryan said, handing him two along with another cup of water. Michael took the pills greedily.

“I’ll report back when the headache goes away,” he told the blond, settling back against the cool tile flooring. Ryan rolled his eyes and left, but not without a slight smile.

Slowly but steadily, the medicine began to take effect. And when the pain receded, Michael’s memory developed, like a film on an old camera. He could see everything in blinding, unpleasant detail: the pounding bass of the club, the bodies swinging in time with the music, the man whose phone he’d borrowed shoving him up against the wall and chewing on his wrist, and even Geoff’s face was there.

And with Geoff’s face, their conversation was renewed in Michael’s mind.

Am I your soulmate?

“Why did I ask him that,” Michael moaned into the bowl, hands clenching as embarrassment flushed his face scarlet. “Why did he answer…?”

“Because you deserved an answer,” Geoff said from behind him. Michael didn’t even have the energy to jump, his hangover delaying his reflexes until they were nonexistent. He slowly dragged himself to a more regular sitting position and glanced up at Geoff before quickly averting his eyes. The tattooed man was wearing a loose, see-through white tee shirt and boxers – nothing indecent, but Michael still felt he was violating the older man’s privacy.

“Get off the floor,” Geoff laughed quietly, and Michael was surprised to hear the genuine cheer in his voice. He was in a far better mood than Michael had woken up in.

“Just leave me here,” Michael mumbled half-jokingly. “To drown in vomit.”

“That’s disgusting,” Geoff told him before cutting right to the chase. He reached down and wormed his hands under Michael’s arms and physically lifted him from the floor. Scrambling for something to hold on to, Michael ended up clutching at Geoff’s arms.

“Goddamn, give me a warning first,” Michael yelped. He stumbled when Geoff set him on his feet.

“Here’s some mouthwash,” Geoff said with a smile, shoving the bottle of green liquid into Michael’s hands. “And if you want to take a shower… you are wholeheartedly invited to do so.”

Michael shot him a dirty look but couldn’t deny that he smelled a bit ripe. “Wait,” he called when Geoff turned to leave.

Michael chewed on his lower lip for a moment, thinking over his words, before finally muttering, “Do you… just not want me as a mate or something? Because – Because I know you know, since you said yes to my question last night. But, like, you never made it clear and you never told me, and I’ve known you all for months. So… I can understand just not wanting to tell me we’re mates if you didn’t want me as your mate. But I think I should at least be told outright that it’s not going to happen if it isn’t.”

At least Michael was man enough to look into Geoff’s eyes as he made his confession. He watched with trepidation as Geoff’s gray orbs widened slightly, cheeks pinking just enough to be visible to Michael’s human eyes. His mouth fell open and Michael waited patiently for words to come out, but a budding of hope was blossoming in the redhead’s chest even as they stood in silence.

“That’s not it at all!” Geoff practically shouted when he was finally able to form the words. “God – everyone in this stupid company has the worst communication problems.”

“Including you,” Michael muttered, eyes cutting to the side. A smile was curling his lips, however, and he could help but feel excited.

“Including me!” Geoff agreed with vehemence. He stepped closer, startling Michael slightly when he was suddenly pushed against the counter. Geoff crowded him, leaning over him and forcing Michael to crane his head to look into the tattooed man’s eyes.

“I didn’t tell you because we – me, Gavin, and the rest – already found each other,” Geoff breathed, and Michael had to frown at that.

“And – and you were happy to leave it like that?” he guessed in confusion. His throat tightened.

“No, no – there were five of us. I – I didn’t want to scare you off, Michael,” Geoff admitted softly. Michael could feel the breath of the words ghost over his lips. “Five vampires as a mate – I wouldn’t have blamed you if you ran. I wanted to ease you into it.”

Michael laughed breathily. “For the most part, it worked,” he said truthfully. “It’s been an awesome few months, Geoff. And I definitely… got used to you.”

Geoff smiled and let out a small, relieved puff of air. Michael could feel his chest deflate with the tension of it releasing. “I’m glad to see my plan worked, then,” Geoff murmured and – oh.

He was leaning down.

Holding his breath, Michael’s insides warmed and wriggled as Geoff inched lower, lips hovering just over Michael’s. Giving in, Michael closed the distance and connected them, a burst of heat in his chest causing his entire body to tingle and shudder. His fingers unclenched around the countertop and his weight was instantly supported by Geoff’s hands holding Michael to his body. Their fronts were flush, but Michael could focus on nothing more than the sensation of Geoff slowly dragging his tongue across Michael’s lower lip.

Asking for permission.

Without hesitation, Michael parted his lips. He felt the sleek muscle glide in and meet with his own, rubbing sensually along the sides before roaming further into his mouth. Michael sighed in bliss and relaxed further into Geoff until the tattooed man was completely supporting his weight. His arms looped around Geoff’s shoulders and he deepened the kiss himself, sparks igniting deep in his stomach when Geoff nipped at his lower lip. The older man pulled away with obvious reluctance, but Michael was overjoyed to see the flush on the other man’s cheeks, though he was certain he wasn’t faring much better.

“If you ever,” Geoff panted, “pull a stupid stunt like that again –”