Joseph nodded rapidly. “Okay, that’s good.” He then turned abruptly towards Yuri and stared into his eyes. “Do you see the lynx now, is he there?” Joseph leaned closer, placing his hand on Yuri’s thigh, and the touch was tantalizing. Yuri covered the hand with his own as he looked deeply into the honey-colored eyes of his beloved.

  There staring out at him was the feline within. Joseph’s cat was getting bolder and pushing to be noticed. “Yes, I see him quite clearly.” Yuri took the chance and moved in and placed a gentle kiss to Joseph's alluring lips.

  A soft moan pushed passed Joseph’s lips, and surprisingly Joseph turned and took the kiss deeper. Yuri tightened his arm around Joseph’s shoulders and pressed him closer, taking back control of the kiss as he did so.

  Yuri knew it was the lynx that was urging him on, but Joseph did not fight his animal. Yuri sensed no internal struggle between the two. Joseph was following the instincts of his lynx, which worked greatly in Yuri’s favor.

  Yuri urged Joseph’s lips to part and quickly entered to discover and taste the depths of his beloved and savor their first intimacy. Yuri slid his hand around to the back of Joseph’s neck to control his movements and to hold him securely in place as Yuri continued to explore.

  Reluctantly, after a couple of minutes, he began to slow the pace and moved to place several heated kisses to Joseph’s jawline and down his throat. Joseph tilted his head in submission and moaned salaciously when Yuri sucked a patch of skin into his mouth and teased it before taking a quick taste. It was just a small taste like before, but it reverberated in Joseph, causing an all-over body tremor. Joseph was so deliciously expressive and responsive.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing to me, but damn I am hard as a rock right now.” Joseph panted deep and hard and held onto Yuri’s shirt seeking more contact with the warm flesh beneath. “I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud, but my brain is just a muddle right now.” Yuri adored this little man more with every word that he uttered.

  He still held the taste of Joseph’s blood in his mouth and felt it coursing through him, making every nerve ending sensitized and on fire for this man his beloved. “You can say anything you desire when with me, Joseph. I’m pleased that I make you so hard.” He said and then reached down to press his palm against Joseph’s growing hardness.

  Joseph dropped his head against Yuri’s shoulder and spread his legs giving him more access to his body. “Is this like when those coven guards came and cleared my mind when I saw something I shouldn’t have? Are you playing with my mind, Yuri?” Joseph’s voice was not much more than a luxuriating groan, but Yuri heard and understood every word.

  “I am not playing with your mind, Joseph, and I never will. You are my beloved, the center of my heart, the core of my soul, the love of my life.” Yuri told him and felt a slight stiffening in his muscles before relaxing once again against Yuri’s shoulder.

  Yuri continued to massage Joseph’s fine hard cock as he explained further. “You know what a vampire’s beloved is. You know the serious importance of the Fate-destined bond and what a vampire will do for the love of that person.” He paused while Joseph lifted his head and looked directly into his eyes.

  The lynx was still there, but this time Joseph was front and center as he took in Yuri’s countenance studying every nuance of expression. “It is why I make you so hard and why I can’t keep my hands off of you. Every part of you calls to me, including your lynx, who early on recognized me as their mate.” Yuri finished with a shadow of a smile as he placed a hard kiss to Joseph’s forehead. Joseph’s silence spoke volumes as to the upheaval in his mind. After a few moments, he responded but did not move away from Yuri.

  “Do you mean like Eddie and Robert. Eddie told me about beloveds.” He was making correlations to what he understood. Yuri had high hopes that he would be claiming his beloved very soon.

  “Like Eddie and Robert, Louis and Ezra, Ismael, and Easton you are mine, you are the beloved of the Master.” He pulled Joseph into a tight embrace needing the contact and the sense of togetherness and dropped another kiss to the side of his head.

  “Part of me is excited as hell, and part of me is scared shitless.” Joseph drew his brows together and closed his eyes. “I probably shouldn’t have said that either.”

  “You can say whatever you please,” Yuri told him as he took Joseph’s lips into another all-consuming kiss of hard possession and total control. He began leaning Joseph back into the cushions of the sofa, getting the little man positioned beneath him, intent on bringing them both the pleasure they were seeking when his phone went off.

  He slowly brought the kiss to an end and pulled back to bring Joseph up with him. He pushed the hair back from Joseph’s face and just took in the radiant beauty of this unexpected man for a few moments before pulling his phone from his pocket. Few had his number, and none would call without a serious purpose.

  His eyes never left Joseph’s as he answered. The caller was his second, Tomek.

  “We put down three more who were allied with Aldessa as they tried to break into her cell. One of them indicated, before I killed him, that they had someone following the Master. He was probably lying, but I wanted you to know to be prepared.” He stated.

  “Cut off her life support. It is time that Aldessa met her end. Do a sweep and eliminate anyone who even looks suspicious. I am finished with playing it nice, it is time that the Loire Coven met their new Master. As Louis has pointed out to me, diplomacy can be extremely overrated. This ends now, Tomek.” Yuri spoke clear, and with subtly restrained rage shading his words. He continued to hold Joseph’s gaze, and the young man did not look frightened, which was good. The Master’s Beloved would need to handle many moods.

  “I notified your guards to be watchful in case this worm was telling the truth. Be safe, Yuri.” He said and closed the call.

  “Trouble?” Joseph asked.

  “Nothing that can’t be handled, my love. My Second is a very skilled and resourceful man.” He kissed Joseph once again because the little man’s lips just called for it over and over again.

  “I should go home,” Joseph announced, and Yuri was definitely not on board with that.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Joe felt a sudden desire to go home. He enjoyed Yuri, too much, and he needed to go home and clear his head for a few hours. This evening was just more than he could process in a few minutes; he needed more time.

  The guy looked unhappy when Joe made his declaration but hadn’t commented yet. “I have to be to work at ten in the morning,” Joe explained further as an avenue to escape. It wasn’t like he wanted to leave; he just thought he should leave.

  “You are the beloved of the Master, Joseph, you don’t need to work at the gas station any longer,” Yuri spoke soft, but there was command in his voice, plenty of command and it did sexy things to Joe. But he had to go home.

  “I took time off today and had someone cover for me. I can’t be a no-show tomorrow and make someone come in who thought they had the day off.” Joe clarified his situation. Yuri watched him, and it looked like he wanted to object, but he glanced away towards the window and then back to Joe.

  “I understand your sense of responsibility towards your co-workers and your employer. But you and I are going to have a talk regarding our future, and I’ll warn you now, it does not include you working at a gas station in Mt. Pleasant Michigan.” He cocked an eyebrow and waited for Joe to comply.

  “Yes, sir,” Joe said immediately.

  “Yuri, not sir.”

  “Yes, Yuri.” He corrected.

  “Okay, but I will drive you home.” Joe was about to protest, but Yuri raised his hand and gave that look that said to protest would be futile. Joe was surprised that he recognized that look so soon in their relationship.

  “Okay.” He relented. “But what about my car?”

  “Baylen will drive your car.” Yuri stood and extended his hand to Joe, who took it and was lifted to his feet. No one had ever helped him stand up before, and it felt rather special. Yuri was constantly making him feel special from meeting him at his car to sitting with him at dinner, and then the make-out session that followed. He loved most of this evening. Joe had decided to push the ‘I’m a lynx shifter, and I’m the Master’s beloved’ to the back of his mind for now and just enjoy the moment.

  He sat in the backseat of this impressive vehicle with Yuri tight to his side, telling him all about his home in the Loire Valley just outside the city of Orléans. It sounded wonderful and picturesque, and Yuri sounded very proud of his homeland.

  “Are you and your adoptive parents close?” Yuri asked while gently trailing his fingertips down Joe’s arm. With all the touching and tenderness, it was hard for Joe to stay focused. He paused for a moment before answering. He and his parents had never been particularly close or loving. They all played their part in the perceived family unit, but no one seemed that interested.

  It wasn’t all their fault; Joe had remained distant emotionally since a very early age. They told him he was adopted when he was five, just before he started school, and Joe remembers the moment like it was yesterday. They sat him down at the kitchen table and told him that he wasn’t their real son. They said that he had no parents and that they took him in, but he was not their real son.

  In Joe’s child’s mind, he assumed for years that their real son was going to show up at some point, and he would have to leave. He believed that he was just some sort of bizarre place holder for the real Banks boy, so he made sure to keep an emotional distance.

  Their disappointment in him scholastically was a constant issue, and then that was compounded when he came out to them at seventeen. It wasn’t as if he were dating or even pursing the lifestyle; he just thought he should be honest about himself. They weren’t amused and told him that he would have to find his own lodgings once he graduated high school.

  “No, we are not close.” And that was the honest truth.

  “I wasn’t close with mine either,” Yuri remarked lightly. “My father had many sons, and he didn’t like any of us.” Yuri gave a wry smile and dropped another kiss to the top of Joe’s head. Joe had been kissed more in this one day than he had in his entire life.

  “Doesn’t matter, my love, now that I have found you, we will always have each other.” Wow, that was solid and hit Joe right where he lived. He wanted so badly to have someone of his own, someone who looked out for him and was always there when he needed him. He needed someone to . . . love him. He reeled on that thought and fought to suppress it, not wanting to get his hopes to a place that the inevitable hurt would kill him, figuratively speaking.

  This was Master Yuri Petrov, a European Coven Master; a powerful and ruthless, if that phone call was anything to go by, Master Vampire. He was Joe Banks, a man who barely graduated high school, a man who works at a local gas station and a man who, although rarely backs down, couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag.

  Several of the other beloveds were smaller weaker men, but they all had something going for them that set them apart. Ezra was magical, Easton was a computer wizard, even Eddie was strong and smart in his own right. What did Joe have to offer apart from being a shifter who couldn’t shift? How could he ever hope to keep a man like Yuri satisfied and happy for any length of time?

  They pulled into Joe’s driveway and parked, and Baylen brought Joe’s car up beside them and also parked. Baylen, there was a mystery, the man saw Joe as no more than shit on his shoe until Yuri took an interest in him. He acts sincere, but how can Joe ever get beyond that first meeting and ever be able to extend any amount of trust in his direction.

  …

  Yuri could feel his beloved’s anxious thoughts and tried to soothe him with easy conversation and a gentle touch, but he was too caught up in his own mind. Yuri turned Joseph to look at him directly. “You are very important to me, Joseph and I will strive to make you as comfortable as possible as we explore this new bond and look to our future together.” He stared into Joseph’s eyes for a few seconds connecting with both sides of the man, the wild and the hesitant. “Don’t worry, Fate is always right and brings together people for the pleasure and betterment of them both.”

  Joseph nodded and dropped his gaze, and Yuri could not resist a final kiss to those beautiful lips before helping Joseph from the car. Baylen and Andre remained outside as Yuri walked with Joseph to his front door.

  He saw the confusion in Joe as he stared at the door with the key in his hand. “What’s wrong, Joseph?” He asked and placed a hand on his arm.

  “My door is unlocked.” That was all that needed to be said. Yuri stepped in front of Joseph, effectively protecting him from anything or anyone who may be inside the small rented home. He took the handle and pushed the door open, blocking Joseph when he tried to step around him.

  “Stay behind me.” He said as he glanced back at his two guards. Without a word, Baylen circled around the back of the house, and Andre stayed out front.

  Yuri stepped inside, and Joseph followed close behind. Yuri wasn’t sure how Joseph kept his home, but he was pretty certain that the mess that lay before him was not of Joseph’s doing. This belief was confirmed when Joseph let out a shocked exclamation.

  “What the hell happened to my place?” Joseph went to step around Yuri, but he stopped him.

  “Wait till I make sure whoever did this isn’t still here.” Yuri checked the living room and kitchen with Joseph still close behind him. He could feel the young man’s upset at the destruction of his things. But the tone of his upset changed when Yuri opened the bedroom door.

  Joseph dove for the door and tried to close it while Yuri was stepping inside. “You don’t need to go in there. No one is in there, nowhere to hide.” Joseph was becoming frantic as he attempted to thwart Yuri from getting a look at the interior. But it was too late, and Yuri was standing just inside the doorway surveying the room. He saw a dresser upended, and the contents were strewn about the bed and floor along with a bedside table drawer that had been emptied onto the bed.

  The closet was also open, and a stack of magazines flowed out onto the floor. Yuri took it all in, and the vision was quite stimulating, rousing him in a way he hadn’t indulged in for many years. There was much more to young Joseph than met the eye. Looking about the room, he suddenly praised Fate for choosing a beloved so perfect for him in every way.

  He looked over at Joseph, who was desperately trying to push the assortment of sex toys back into the drawer while kicking the many pairs of delicious-looking lace panties under the bed. Yuri walked up to him and stayed his hand, drawing his attention.

  Joseph was blushing and trying to hide his face, but Yuri would not have his beloved be embarrassed over something he found particularly arousing. He had an appetite and penchant for such submissive and delicate sexuality in his partners, although he had not indulged in so long. He didn’t have the time and nor the right partner, until now. His beloved was turning out to be indeed his perfect match.

  He bent and snagged a pair of the lovely lacy silk panties before Joseph could get them out of sight. He ran them through his fingers as he stared down at Joseph, who was struggling to look at anything but him. “These are gorgeous.” He said on a sigh and had Joseph snapping his gaze up to him.

  “One more reason my adoptive parents cut me loose,” Joseph mumbled and looked over at the suggestive magazine cover lying beside them and tried to kick it out of sight.

  Yuri took his right index finger and stuck it in the waistband of Joseph's pants and tug them down just an inch to see the delicate, white lace of the silky thong panties beneath. Yuri cocked an eyebrow at Joseph after giving the room one more glance.

  “I’m not a freak. I like how they feel, they’re comfortable.” He defended as best he could, but Yuri found nothing wrong with his beloved’s choice in underwear. He found the items absolutely lovely, especially the tiny thong that Joseph was currently wearing.

  “I think they are exquisite and look lovely on you. So pretty. I can’t wait till you model them all for me.” Yuri moved closer and stopped Joseph as he tried again to hide his secrets. “Don’t hide from me, baby. Nothing turns me on like delicate sexy things, and your reading material is right up my alley, sweetheart.” He cocked a wicked smile at his flustered little man.

  …

  Joe wanted so badly to curl up and die. The minute he walked into his home and saw the mess, he knew his secrets were going to be on display. His adoptive parents knew, and Eddie knew about the underwear kink but not the other stuff. Now here he was with the most amazing man ever, and he looked like some sort of freak. The sex toys were bad enough because he had a lot for one man, but they had to dump out his entire drawer of lacy women’s underwear. Why?

  The earth needed to swallow him whole, right now, before he had to explain the magazines to this gorgeous ultra-masculine man. Joe was just waiting for the man to cringe and walk away, but he didn’t. He was saying things Joe hadn’t expected at all.

  Yuri liked what he saw, and he likes the lacy thong that Joe was wearing. It was in his eyes and his expression. He was turned on. He helped Joe gather everything up and stow it back away, although Yuri stopped to peruse one of the magazines nodding his head and smiling seductively as he flipped through the pages.

  Joe had a bit of a dominant, submissive daddy kink, and no one on this earth knew about it until today. “This is so embarrassing. I can’t call the cops; I can’t let them see this stuff. This is a small town, and I’ll never live it down if any of this becomes public knowledge.” Yuri snapped his head to gaze at Joe and tossed the magazine with the others in the closet, and closed the door.

  “This is no one’s business but ours. It is nothing to be ashamed of baby; you have a right to your desires just as anyone else.” He stepped closer to Joe, who just stood there transfixed by the moment. He cupped Joe’s face in his hands before placing another heart-stopping kiss to Joe's lips. He loved the way this man kissed all hot and controlling.