Later, when he’d joined the wrestling team of his high school, he’d always felt awkward in the locker room. Mostly because he’d gotten erections at the most inopportune times. It had been embarrassing, and some of the other boys had often locked him out of the showers because of it, not wanting him there when they showered. They’d bullied him because his body did things he had no control over.

He’d quit sports then, and Nina had been disappointed because of it. She’d accused him of not being able to stick with something. Of course, he hadn’t been able to tell her what had really happened, because no 15-year-old boy talked to his sister about sexual stuff. He’d promised himself then that he wouldn’t disappoint her again. She had fought to gain guardianship of him in order to move out of the last foster home they’d stayed in, after their foster father had abused her, and Eddie didn’t want to seem ungrateful and load any more worries onto her shoulders.

Had those incidents been indications of what his true nature was? The true nature that Luther was claiming was now emerging because he was a vampire?

Had he hidden his urges so far in the depths of his psyche that he’d been completely blind to their existence?

What would happen if he stopped fighting his desires from emerging? Would they destroy his relationship with Nina, his friendship with Thomas, and the life he’d built for himself?

Would people treat him differently if they knew? Most of all, would Nina look at him with disappointment in her eyes again?

22

Thomas stood in the shower and let the warm water run down his body as if it could wash away his worries. Another night had passed without any sign of the four vampires who’d killed Sergio and his mate. And while he knew intellectually that he couldn’t have prevented this tragedy, in his heart he felt responsible.

He tried to put the thoughts out of his mind, but that only meant that other thoughts pushed to the forefront. Thoughts about Eddie. He hadn’t seen him all night, and after checking the staff roster, he’d realized that Eddie had taken a vacation day. Samson himself had authorized it.

Strange, neither Eddie nor Samson had mentioned anything to him. And Eddie had left on his motorcycle as soon as the sun had set.

Thomas reached for the soap and lathered up, cleaning the grease from his body after he’d tinkered with one of his motorcycles for a few hours. It had helped him focus. He had to do something. Sitting around and waiting for the next atrocity to happen was not an option.

Tomorrow night, he would go out and search for Xander, the man who’d asked him to join Kasper’s disciples. He would use him to ferret out the others and then figure out how to destroy them.

Feeling better about having formulated a plan, he rinsed the soap off his body and turned off the water. There was silence now, but it was interrupted by the even breathing of a man other than himself. He inhaled and recognized the scent.

“Leave!” he ordered and continued to stare at the tiles that lined his oversized shower stall.

But no sound of footsteps followed his command.

“Eddie, get out now! You can’t be in here. I don’t have the strength to suppress my desire for you, not today. You’re better off locking yourself in your room. Leave! Please leave!”

He braced one hand against the tile wall, steadying himself while his body betrayed him, his cock pumping full with blood, making it rise like a Phoenix. There was no way he could turn around now. It was bad enough that Eddie could see his naked backside. Showing him his erection and admitting that he was powerless in his presence would only make things worse.

When he heard bare feet on the floor, he almost let out a sigh of relief—until he realized that they were coming closer instead of moving away. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, fighting against the urge to turn around and pull Eddie into the shower with him.

“You have to leave,” he begged once more, but it was too late.

Eddie’s hand touched his shoulder, turning him around to face him. Eddie’s brown eyes looked straight at him, connecting with his gaze, before they wandered down his body, stopping at the place, where Thomas’s cock stood erect.

Thomas’s heart stopped beating as he let his gaze travel over Eddie’s body. His chest was bare. Tight abs flexed just above his low-riding pajama pants. The thin material tented at Eddie’s groin. Thomas’s throat went dry. He was unable to swallow.

Nor was he able to move when Eddie’s hand stroked over his chest, grazing his nipple and turning it rock-hard in an instant. But Eddie’s hand didn’t remain on his chest. It dove lower, went past his navel, and reached the thatch of hair that guarded Thomas’s sex. When his fingers combed through the coarse hair, Thomas held his breath, afraid of breaking the spell. At the first contact of Eddie’s hand with his cock, Thomas let out an involuntary groan. Then his breathing went into overdrive.