Fuck! An angry flame shot through his heart.

Instead of returning the blow, Thomas straightened and glared at him, the dark power in him eager to push to the surface, demanding retaliation. His body hardened, preparing itself for a fight, a fight with himself. “Does that make you feel better?”

Eddie gave no answer; instead he simply stood there, glaring back at Thomas.

“Even if it does, it won’t change the fact that you enjoyed being jerked off by a gay man.”

Or that Thomas would play that image back next time he stood in the shower and stroked his own cock until he came.

Eddie turned on his heels and fled.

Thomas braced his hands on his thighs and fought against the feeling of nausea. The invisible battle inside him was already raging. His two sides, the good one and the evil one, faced off with each other. Thomas tried to calm his mind and bring peace back into his heart, but bright sparks started dancing on his hands. His vision now tinted red, and he realized that his eyes were glaring red. Sharp claws emerged from his fingertips and dug into his pants as he held on for dear life.

The next attack knocked him on his knees, white sparks now flying around him.

The power within him was threatening to escape. It would attract other vampires if he couldn’t contain it. With the last of his willpower, he slashed his right claw over his abdomen, cutting deep into his own flesh. The pain made him cry out, but it did what it was intended to do: it stopped the dark power and made it retreat into safety, deep inside him. The sparks of light extinguished and darkness soothed him. He’d conquered it once more. But each time the dark power made an appearance, it seemed to be stronger and harder to vanquish. It was time to beat it back into submission. Literally. And he knew exactly where to get what he needed now.

12

After running home as if the devil were chasing him with a stake, Eddie jumped onto his motorcycle and thundered down the hill into the city. Feeling the wind blow around his heated body made him feel a fraction better. However, it did nothing to wipe away the embarrassment he felt: he’d let Thomas touch him intimately. Hell, he’d encouraged him, spurred him on! What the fuck had gotten into him? Temporary insanity most likely! There was no other explanation for it. Because he wasn’t gay! He’d never been attracted to a man before. So why the fuck had he enjoyed Thomas’s hands on him? Why had he surrendered to his kiss and returned it with such passion? What was happening to him?

Without conscious thought of where he was heading, he made his way through downtown traffic and finally found himself in front of Nina’s building. He lifted his head and looked up to the top floor. There was light. Somebody was home. He sighed. Maybe he needed to hang out with his sister for a while to take his mind off things. She would distract him somehow.

He parked and dismounted his motorcycle in front of the entrance. As he removed his helmet and locked it onto the back of his bike, he swept a long gaze over it. Thomas had given it to him.

He’d said at the time that it was one of his older bikes anyway, and that he didn’t ride it anymore. When Eddie had wanted to pay for it, Thomas had refused to take any money. Just like Thomas wouldn’t take any rent for the room Eddie was calling his own. It suddenly hit him: he lived the life of a kept man. Thomas was showering him with gifts and paying for his living expenses the same way a man would treat his mistress.

Eddie tried to shake off the thought, not wanting to go down that road, but it was hard not to connect the dots now. From the moment he’d become a vampire, his life had changed. At first, when he’d been groomed by his sire, Luther, he’d not even thought of women because of the thirst for blood that had gripped him violently. Had something happened during his turning that had killed his desire for women? Had something gone wrong so that he now liked men?

Pushing these thoughts into the background, he walked to the entrance door, when it opened and one of the tenants stepped out. He’d seen the guy many times before and greeted him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

The tenant held the door for him and let him get inside.

“Thanks, see you!”

Slowly, Eddie strode up to the top floor. When he reached the landing, he walked to the only door on that floor and pressed the doorbell. He heard a curse from the inside and recognized Amaury’s voice. It appeared he was interrupting his brother-in-law. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to stop by unannounced after all. Did he really want to be in the presence of these two lovebirds?

Eddie took a step back, half turning away, when the door opened. Amaury’s massive body filled the entire door frame. His shirt was askew, his hair ruffled. Yep, he had definitely interrupted something.