Page 10 of Blood and Vengeance

Chris was thoughtful, not reacting immediately, although his eyes were clearly shouting vulgarities. "When do we leave?"

“Tomorrow, Master Rose has given me permission to remain during this time of change. He is aware that I have found my beloved and that we are getting our lives aligned.”

“That sounds so pragmatic.”

"It is not; this is the most important, most meaningful part of my entire life, and I have lived a very long life. Finding you was a gift and a blessing, and every vampire knows the solemnity of the bond.” He took a deep breath and tightened his arms around Chris. “I knew my beloved was in the room the moment that I entered.” He went back to the events of the previous evening to make himself and his feelings clear.

"I began searching immediately, and I found you. I came to stand beside you, and then suddenly you reached out and clutched my arm and asked me to dance. It was magnificent, and it marked our beginning.” Chris looked up at him with a beautiful smile this time, and Arman took those luscious lips in a kiss that left no doubt as to how he felt about this man.

“I experienced something the second that my hand connected with your arm, but I thought I was reading more into the moment than was there. I felt a jolt of familiarity and desire,” he chuckled, “desire was there in full force.” Arman smiled at his honesty. Chris leaned against him once again, and Arman held him, soaking up his scent and his presence, so strong and so sweet.

“Your life will be as comfortable and as beautiful as I can make it. I will be there at your side, and you will want for nothing, Chris. I will provide, protect, and I will love you till the end of time. Be mine, sweetheart, please be mine."

***

Chris pressed his face against Arman’s crisp black suit jacket and took a deep breath. His smell calmed him and cleared his scrambled mind. The bond, the connection, the changes coming at him were chaotic, but he had no desire to decline or attempt to walk away.

This was his life now, and that understanding had flooded his mind since last night, and he saw this new life as clearly as he saw Arman. This wasn't what he'd expected going into this weekend, but whatever this was, he wasn't going to continue fucking it up by being coy or fearful. There was something solid and real here, although a little insane. He smiled at his thoughts.

Arman was so much more than an art dealer. The Trento Coven, like the Rose Coven, existed outside normalcy and outside what would be considered legal in many respects. To call them a crime syndicate was probably closer to the truth than calling them simple businessmen, industries, or corporations.

"Okay, let me make some calls and pack." He relented, feeling that the decision was correct but still slightly off balance by the urgency of it all. “Am I doing the right thing?” He verbalizes to Arman.

“You’re doing the right thing.” Arman chuckled and then took Chris’ lips in another ravenous kiss.

CHAPTER SIX

Arman wanted to get out of Chicago and back to Belleville as soon as possible. Being in a city that was not his own left too much up to chance, and the safety of his beloved was continually at risk. There were factions in Chicago, be they vampire or shifter, that would take great pride and glory in harming what he holds most dear.

Chris finally came around and agreed to protection, and he has agreed to go with him. Regardless, with or without agreement, they would be going back to Belleville in the morning, and Arman was not leaving without Chris. He could take all the time he needed to come to terms with his new existence, but he would do it in Belleville with Arman, and that was final.

They headed out front to the waiting car with Arman staying alert and watchful. This was not his town, and the undercurrent that touched him was anything but friendly. The Rose Coven was powerful, and it held itself above the petty battles and inconveniences of others, but there were those in the shadows that wanted chaos . . . at any cost.

He kept Chris behind him and held his arm until they were in the car. His driver had Chris' address, and they were quickly on their way. His guards were in another vehicle closely behind them. They drove in silence, Chris obviously lost in his thoughts, and Arman watching everything. There was something in the wind. All these years on this earth as a warrior knight, executioner, champion, soldier, and fixer had sharpened his instincts to notice the slightest change in the air, the mood, the land, and he was feeling a change.

Chris tightened his grip on Arman’s hand and looked over at him. "This is the choice you're making. You want this?" The silence was not to process his own feelings but to analyze Arman's. "I've seen who you were and who you are. How will I be enough for you?"

Within a few minutes, the car came to a stop at the curb in front of Chris’ apartment building, but Arman signaled for his driver to wait. He turned to Chris, and he cupped Chris’ face in his strong hands, tilting it so he could look into his eyes. He trained his gaze on Chris, taking in every nuance of expression. He wanted no misunderstandings and no thoughts of not fitting in.

"There were no choices made, my love. I found you, my Fated love, the love that I have been looking for all my life. I knew you were in the world somewhere, and I always watched for you. Friday night was the night Fate brought us together." He kissed him quickly; he couldn't resist taking a taste as he continued.

"I can tell you in all honesty that I want this; I want this very badly. You are mine, and I will never let you go." He kissed him again. His thumbs stroked Chris' cheekbones as he held him tenderly.

"I have no power, no influence, no degree, no assets of any value I . . .” His words were cut short with a hard kiss that slammed into him. Arman was making his mark and making himself clear. When he finally pulled back, he looked at his beloved, knowing that he was enough; he would always be enough.

“Your power and your influence reside right here.” Arman placed the palm of his hand over his own chest. “You are my heart.” Chris leaned forward and rested his forehead on Arman's chest. Arman threaded his fingers through his hair gently and placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. "You are all that I need, Chris, just as you are.”

***

"There looks to be someone following Arman and his beloved. I don't think he's aware of it yet. They're keeping back and switching out; it's a professional surveillance by the look of it." One of the guards watching the situation reported to Drakon.

“Do you know who they are?”

“No, I haven’t gotten a lead on them yet. They’re fast and subtle.”

“Keep following them. Has Arman spotted you yet?”

"Oh yeah, he had us pretty quickly, but he knows who we are and hasn’t confronted us.”