Page 18 of Shadows and Desire

Kannan slammed hard, burying himself deep as the climax took him, shattering his emotional control. He came, filling his lover with his seed, claiming and marking him as his own forever. He held Eric firmly against him while he trembled out the thrill and the excitement pumping through him. Kannan pulled Eric back from where he was balanced against the tile wall and, with his arms wrapped around him, sunk his teeth into the bonding scar and drank deeply of his beloved's sweet essence.

The moment he punctured the flesh, he felt Eric jerk and moan, and he came in a rush, painting the far wall with his seed. This was pure beauty, pure ecstasy. This man, so perfect and present, belonged to him, and he belonged to this beautiful little human. Life was wonderful and complete. He pulled out and licked the wound clean but held his beloved captured in his embrace. "I love you, Eric. No other will ever touch me as you do."

Eric was overcome with emotion, and Kannan could feel the flood overtake him. "I love you too." Eric managed to get out as his voice shook. "Don't ever leave me."

Kannan tilted him back against his arm and looked down into his sweet, expressive face. "On my honor, I will never leave you." He kissed him then thoroughly and completely.

EPILOGUE

Eric moved in with Kannan the following day, and he was set up with an office in Kannan's guest room. He made it perfect for his beloved and introduced him to the IT department located within the club and also to those residing at the mountain lodge.

Kannan wanted his beloved to have all the tech contacts he would need to continue his passion, which was video game development. Everyone residing at the Imperial looked forward to being his test subjects for each new game, development or process he was working on.

It took Eric a while to accept that Kannan would never leave him, but he came around. Little by little with the help of Dr. James, a vampire psychologist within Hadden Coven, helped him deal with some old issues of abandonment. Kannan was happier than he'd ever thought possible and thanked the gods for urging him to reach out and accept the call to come to Pittsburgh.

Nik brought Walker back to Pittsburgh since being apart was not good for either of them. Walker agreed to follow tight rules of conduct in order to ensure his safety and Nik agreed not to be too overbearing. Nik knew that he was stronger and more focused with his beloved by his side.

The new men fit in magnificently, and Nik was impressed with the caliber of the soldiers they were. He was confident that the hex would soon be broken and the Hadden Coven would continue to stand tall and proud. He missed Josef and the others who were working tirelessly at the lodge, looking for a remedy to the darkness and protecting the weak and vulnerable. He called Josef every evening for an update, needing to hear his second's still, calm voice.

"We dispatched the wolf pack that was living in the lowlands," Nik informed and explained the reasons.

“I’m sorry Kannan had to go through that.” Josef sympathized. “We both know the pain of seeing your beloved harmed.”

“Yes, there is no pain quite so sharp.” Nik agreed.

“Zac may have a lead on a possible source to another lead for a man who may have had contact with a charmer.” After Josef said it, he laughed, realizing what a long shot it was.

"Don't laugh, I'll take anything at this point," Nik responded.

"We'll figure this out soon, I have no doubt," Josef stated.

“Soon, this will be over soon.” Nik reiterated forcefully.

THE END