Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pete always tasted sweeter at the moment of orgasm.

Well, technically, most people did. The flood of chemicals from their brains during climax ensured a pleasurable time for everyone involved, vampire and human alike.

But Pete?

Pete was different.

His blood was like every single one of Vegas’ favorite flavors combined into one. At the same time, there was no true comparison. Of the tens of thousands of humans Vegas had fed on in over three hundred years, Pete was absolutely singular.

Could it have anything to do with the fact that Pete was his true mate? Possibly.

Pete’s body convulsed as his orgasm washed over him. Vegas didn’t let another second pass before sinking his fangs into the soft skin of Pete’s neck, still thrusting his hips without any semblance of finesse, determined to draw his lover’s climax out for as long as he could. Pete’s blood sang its way down his throat, repeating the promise on a molecular level and calling for Vegas to do what needed to be done to finally complete the process.

Because, while it was true that Pete was his true mate, the tether stretched between them would not allow their souls to intertwine completely while Pete remained human.

Vegas had it all planned out, had started planning it from the moment the first drop of Pete’s blood passed his lips and he knew that he’d found him.

And it was because of that plan that Vegas held himself back, only taking what amounted to a normal feeding. But even as his hips slowed their thrusts and he started to pull back, Pete’s hands fisted in his hair, trying to hold him in place, to urge him to take more.

Patience, my love , Vegas thought to himself as he licked the wounds closed. Vegas had waited centuries to find Pete. A couple more weeks was nothing.

Pete collapsed, breathless and somewhat pale, onto the pillows behind him. Vegas smiled as he shifted to Pete’s side only for that smile to fade to confusion when Pete rolled away from him.

That was wrong.

His Pete was a cuddler. It didn’t matter if it was after sex, after feeding, after a fight. If they were in bed, Pete was glued to his side.

“Pet?” Pete visibly stiffened which was, again, wrong. “What’s going on?”

“You fucking stopped again,” Pete mumbled into the pillow. When Vegas reached out to touch him, Pete jerked his shoulder away.

Even when they’d first met, Pete hadn’t shied away from Vegas’ touch. And he’d been at his side ever since. Vegas found himself at a loss for what could be causing his lover’s odd behavior.

“Pete, what are you talking about? I fed just as much as I normally do.”

“And that’s not enough,” Pete snapped. “What? Are you afraid turning me means you lose your favorite snack?”

Oh.

Oh.

This argument again.

“Pete, we’ve been over this. Turning you, it’s just not the right time right now.”

The right time would be in two weeks. For reasons .

There was a sadness in Pete’s eyes that almost had Vegas revealing all of his plans just so he wouldn’t have to be on the receiving end of it. But he really didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“Forget it. Wake me up if you get hungry later. Or don’t. I don’t care anymore.”

At that, Pete rolled back over and tugged the sheets up over his head. Any other time, Vegas would have ripped the bedding away from Pete and demanded that the man talk to him. But something about the defeated finality in Pete’s words had him coming up short. Pete was obviously upset but Vegas knew that nothing he could say to him would placate him. Pete wanted something very specific immediately and Vegas would be damned if his carefully laid plans were going to be run afoul because his would-be mate had the unfortunate patience threshold of a human. He’d taught Pete many times in the course of their relationship on the virtues of delayed gratification and it seemed that Pete just needed to learn the hard way.

It would all be worth it in the end.

So Vegas simply rolled his body closer to Pete’s shrouded form and placed a protective hand on his waist. Not so close that Pete would try to push him away but not so far away that they wouldn’t be able to reach each other.

They had learned early on that regardless of their varying moods, neither could sleep without the other’s touch.

Vegas sighed, more to himself than anything else, and just hoped that Pete would understand his reasoning once all was said and done.

***

Pete stared down at Vegas’ still form. It was useless to watch for something like even breathing to make sure the man was asleep. Vampires only breathed when they were awake and even then, it was only if they were speaking because working one’s vocal cords required the movement of air. The only way to make sure a vampire was asleep was to look at their eyes, or, more accurately, their eyelids.

To watch for the tell-tale fluttering that happened during rapid-eye-movement.

Because dreaming was one of the last human characteristics they had yet to evolve out of as a species.

Pete wondered, and not for the first time, what Vegas dreamed of. One of the most powerful men in the country, what did he desire?

A single tear trailed down Pete’s cheek and he wiped it away in frustration. The knowledge that, whatever fantasies the man’s dreams held, he wasn’t a part of them. And that fucking hurt.

Pete would remember the night he met Vegas for the rest of his short life. It was burned into his heart and soul.

Six months ago

“Pete, are you sure about this? If something happens to you, Yaai will kill me and make it look like an accident.” Porsche’s entire body shivered despite the heat of the night. Vampires had nothing on Pete’s granny. That woman was terrifying.

Pete rolled his eyes at his best friend and tugged him down the alley to the hidden entrance he’d been told about. Vampire clubs were notoriously hard to get into; you had to either be invited by a vampire or by one of the humans in their inner circle, their familiars. Vampires kept plenty of humans around them as ready food sources but their familiars were apparently special, favored among the rest.

He’d always been curious about vampires. They fascinated him in much the same way that pain did. However, the various BDSM clubs he frequented were much easier to gain access to. So when, at the monthly submissive brunch he attended, he noticed bite marks on his friend Big, he took the opportunity to ask questions.

The answers Big had provided had led him here, to a dark alley with Porsche giving a password through a hole in a door to a bouncer that looked like he wanted to actually devour them both.

“Okay so,” Pete turned to his friend once they found a seat at the bar, “I know you’re kind of weirded out about all of this but I really appreciate you coming with me. Just give me an hour or so to check stuff out and then we can leave.”

Before Porsche could respond, two of the most beautiful men Pete had ever seen stepped closer to them. Even though Pete had never knowingly met a vampire before and had no real frame of reference, every instinct in his body screamed at him that these two men were exactly what he’d come searching for.

“Only an hour? Surely that’s not enough time for you two gentlemen to experience everything our fine establishment has to offer.”

It was the taller of the two who had spoken, tall and pale with dark brows that wouldn’t have worked on anyone else, human or otherwise. His bright smile was somehow both predatory and cheeky. The combination had Porsche licking his lips.

But Pete couldn’t even pay attention to his friend because the other man’s gaze had him paralyzed.

His hair was pulled back from his face, just barely long enough for some semblance of a man-bun at the crown of his head. Dressed in black leather pants and a red silk shirt, he looked like what might pop up if you Google image searched “21st century hot vampire”.

“Um,” but Pete’s tongue felt too thick for his mouth. In all the research he’d done, none of it made mention of vampires hypnotizing people.

So why the fuck couldn’t he look away?

Porsche to the rescue.

“‘Our establishment’? You guys own this place?”

The smiley one stepped closer to Porsche.

“One of many family businesses. I’m Kinn. This is my cousin, Vegas. Why don’t you let us show you around? Give you boys the full Heartstrings experience.”

Porsche chuckled at the name of the club, the same as he’d done when Pete had first told him about the place and his plan to go. He shot Pete a look that was filled with all the gremlin energy Pete was accustomed to before grabbing Kinn’s hand.

“I’ve got a better idea,” he laughed, tugging Kinn towards the dancefloor. “You come dance with me and your cousin can keep my friend Pete entertained.”

When Kinn turned his head back towards them, the look on his face made it quite evident that he wasn’t accustomed to being manhandled.

But he certainly didn’t put up a fight.

There was a chuckle beside him that reminded Pete of the man Porsche had left him alone with.

“Your friend is either very brave, or very stupid.”

The man’s voice, Vegas’ voice, practically caressed his ears. Pete’s bare arms broke out in goosebumps, skin tingling at the sensation.

“Honestly, a little bit of both,” Pete whispered. The responding snicker made Pete finally turn to look at him again, running the risk of getting lost in the man’s eyes once more. When he did, his breath caught in his throat all over again. “I’m Pete.”

“Vegas.” He cocked his head to the side and Pete got the distinct feeling he was being studied. But Vegas’ scrutiny didn’t feel unwelcome, which was weird. Pete spent most of his life attempting to be as invisible as possible. Somehow, the idea of Vegas really seeing him didn’t fill him with the same existential dread that he usually felt when others tried to do the same. “So what do you want to know?”

The question caught him off guard.

“Huh?”

Vegas leaned in until he was close enough to whisper directly in Pete’s ear.

“You came here to ‘check stuff out.’ I assume that means you have questions. Most humans do. I can help with that.”

Before Pete realized what was happening, Vegas had reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. Pete leaned into the touch on pure instinct, the sensation of Vegas’ hands on his body feeling like the most natural thing in the world.

Pete took a deep breath and called forth the curiosity that had landed him in the club in the first place.

“You guys keep humans around to drink from and they’re just considered regular people. But you also have special humans you call ‘familiars.’ What’s the difference?”

Something about the question brought a grin to Vegas’ face and Pete couldn’t look away yet again. The grin made Vegas look every bit the apex predator that he was but Pete just found himself drawn further in.

“You’ve done a little homework,” Vegas sounded pleased. Pete immediately wanted to hear that tone again. “Our donors, the regular people we keep around, can be fed on by any of us. A familiar can only be fed on by the one who has claimed them.”

Pete hummed to himself. Claimed, the word sent tingles up his spine.

“So familiars are like vampire sugar babies?”

Vegas snorted, clearly not expecting Pete’s mind to take that turn.

“That’s…one way to put it, I suppose. It’s more than that. A familiar can be a lover, a companion, a convenient food source, and any combination of those. The specifics of the relationship depend on the people involved. Most of us simply find a donor we also enjoy the company of and it progresses from there.”

Pete wanted to laugh. It was basically just a specific addition to dating.

But that line of thinking brought another idea to his mind.

“You said a familiar can be a lover. What happens if you fall in love with a human? I can’t imagine a vampire just having a boyfriend or a girlfriend. That seems a little odd.”

Vegas reached down and took Pete by the hand before leading him away from the bar and over to a bank of tables that were roped off. The area still provided ample view of the dancefloor. Pete could see Porsche, still dancing with Kinn. Kinn seemed a bit awkward on his feet, as if it was the first time he’d actually danced in the club he owned. But it was clear from the look on the man’s face that he was perfectly happy letting Porsche touch him and grind on him to his heart’s content.

“Sorry,” Vegas spoke, “I figured we could talk a little easier over here. It’s a bit quieter.” Pete nodded. It didn’t escape his notice that Vegas had immediately taken the opportunity to wrap his arm around his shoulder, holding him close. “To answer your question from before, the nature of our existence demands something a bit more serious than the ephemeral relationship roles that you humans use. Every vampire has a mate.”

Pete raised his eyebrows in wonder, leaning just a little closer into Vegas’ body.

“Like soulmates?”

It would have made sense for Vegas’ responding smile to be patronizing but Pete only felt warmth.

“Something like that. A vampire’s mate will always be another vampire.” Pete felt himself deflate and then immediately shook his head because he didn’t have time to unpack that particular disappointment. Vegas seemed to catch on regardless. He chuckled lowly and placed his free hand over Pete’s knee. “That’s not entirely correct. It’s more accurate to say that a mate will always be a vampire already, or they’ll become one at some point. Either way, both have to be vampires for the mate bond to seal. If both people are born vampires, there will be a draw to the other, no matter the distance between them. The bond will seal itself once they find each other.”

Pete smiled at that. The idea that two people could find each other based on nothing more than a feeling and then once they did, they were just together. Walking through life side by side. No more searching for your other half.

It was stupidly romantic.

“So how is a vampire supposed to find their human future mate if they don’t feel that draw to them?”

“We feed from them,” Vegas answered simply.

And while, yes, the answer seemed simple enough, there were billions of people on the planet! One vampire couldn’t feasibly drink from every human on the planet in search of their mate. That didn’t make sense at all.

When he said as much, Vegas nodded as if he’d fully expected Pete to make that connection.

“True, it may take centuries, or even millenia, for a vampire to find their mate if they’re human. But we have the lifespans to make that possible. If they’re unable to find them in one life, reincarnation ensures the chance will come around again. I’ve been alive for a few centuries now and I’ve never heard of one of my kind having to search the world over for their mate. A human destined to be the mate of a vampire, and thus destined to become a vampire themself, will always be drawn to us. At that point, it’s just a matter of time before they’re fed on by the right one.”

Pete thought back to his own curiosity about the vampire community, the very reason he was even sitting next to Vegas in the first place.

Was the draw he felt the same as the one Vegas was talking about?

At that point, his throat went dry. As he began to cough, Vegas snapped his fingers off to the side and suddenly there was an unopened bottle of water being placed on the table by one of the club’s employees.

Vegas twisted the cap off and placed the bottle to Pete’s lips, encouraging him to drink as he rubbed soothing circles into his back.

“Easy, slow sips, no need to get choked up all over again.” His voice was much closer than Pete expected it to be, right next to his ear and smooth as sin. Pete continued taking small sips until the bottle was empty. When he met Vegas’ eyes once again, the man had a smirk on his face. “I can think of a few things you could choke on that would be much more fun.”

It was such a cheesy line that Pete had to laugh. He didn’t exactly disagree with the sentiment however.

“Nice try,” he replied, shaking his head at the absurd turn his night had taken. When he looked out at the dancefloor, he could see Porsche still dancing with Vegas’ cousin. In the flashing lights, he could see how close their faces were to each other. It looked like they were about to….

“Well, I think those two have the right idea.”

Vegas’ voice was full of mirth but still somehow seductive. And right next to Pete’s ear. Pete could feel the man’s lips as they brushed his skin. His eyes rolled slightly at the sensation even as he stared at his best friend making out with a perfect stranger on the dancefloor. Porsche making out with random people in clubs wasn’t exactly out of character but considering that his current partner was a fucking vampire, Pete was a little surprised.

When he turned his head back to face Vegas once again, he wasn’t surprised by the man’s proximity. Pete instantly felt trapped in his gaze and wondered yet again if vampires could hypnotize people.

But Vegas’ eyes felt like home, not some inescapable daze.

“Fuck it,” he whispered, closing the last hair’s breadth worth of distance still between them. When Vegas’ mouth sealed against his, Pete got the distinct feeling that his body’s need for oxygen had just been replaced with a need for something decidedly more…solid.

Vegas’ fingers carded through Pete’s hair, keeping him close. Pete gasped as Vegas licked into his mouth and let his hands slip into the open neck of Vegas’ shirt. Vegas sucked Pete’s bottom lip into his mouth, letting a growl slip out as he did so. Every muscle in Pete’s body went taut at the sound. He felt a shift in the air around them, hazy with lust barely held in check.

Pete wanted to climb onto Vegas’ lap for the entire club to see that he was the one who had captured the man’s attention, his mouth, his tongue. He only just restrained himself from doing so, Vegas’ grip on his hips acting as a reminder. When Vegas began to pull away, Pete chased forward, not wanting to lose any part of this moment between them.

Vegas grinned as he ran his index finger down the bridge of Pete’s nose, ending with a little boop to the tip that Pete hated that he found cute.

“You’re quite the surprise, Pete.”

Pete felt himself flush at the compliment. Vegas’ eyes darkened as the blood rose in his cheeks, an unnecessary reminder of the man’s true nature. Pete wanted to see more of that nature.

“What would you say if I was interested in being a donor?”

At his words, Vegas smiled and Pete saw his fangs drop down for the first time. Everything about the man screamed ‘apex predator’ but Pete couldn’t help thinking that it couldn’t possibly be such a bad thing to be his prey.

“I’d say I prefer to take my meals in private.”

Pete took a quick look out on the dancefloor to see that Porsche was still making out with Kinn, not noticing the world around them, and made his decision.

“Let’s get out of here then.”

Vegas was on his feet before the words were even fully out of Pete’s mouth, dragging Pete along behind him through the crowd. Vegas took him to a door that led to a hallway lined with various doors. Pete caught glimpses of signs as they passed, ‘Storage,’ ‘Anakinn Theerapanyakul-Owner,’ ‘Kornwit Theerapanyakul-Owner,’ ‘Staff Lounge,’ ‘Electrical.’ It wasn’t until they reached the end of the hallway that Pete realized Vegas had no intention of taking him to any of those rooms. No, Vegas headed straight for the exit at the end of the hall. They were leaving.

The night air was still humid but the sudden breeze on his skin made him take a deep breath. Vegas’ hand still in his own felt grounding, necessary, lest he float away. When had that happened?

Vegas turned and stared at Pete, almost as if he was giving him time to back out, to turn around and go back inside the club and pretend nothing had happened. Pete felt a determination settle into his bones as he squared his shoulders and tightened his grip on Vegas’ hand. The message was clear, I’m not going anywhere.

Vegas smiled and nodded his head.

“My bike is in the employee lot in the back.” Pete nodded as they started walking again, side by side this time instead of Vegas pulling Pete along behind him.

The motorcycle in question was in sight when Vegas went tense beside him. All of Pete’s instincts went on high alert as a man stepped out of the shadows of the building.

Vegas apparently recognized the man because he relaxed after a moment.

“I really don’t have time for this Bomb. What do you want?”

The man seemed too calm to Pete. Something about the way he walked right up to Vegas didn’t sit right with him. He fought the urge to step in between the two men, to protect Vegas. The very thought was absurd. Vegas was a vampire, he could surely protect himself just fine.

“The Soikham family send their regards.”

There was a flash of metal and a gurgling sound before Pete could even process what had happened. Suddenly, he found himself dragged down to the pavement, Vegas’ hand still in his own and tugging down, down, down.

Pete looked around but the man was nowhere to be found and Vegas clutched at his own throat. That gurgling noise had come from him.

“Kinn,” Vegas whispered, “go get Kinn.”

Blood seeped out around his fingers as Pete’s brain went into hyperdrive. Vampires had extremely fast healing capabilities, that fact was consistent in all of his research.

So why was the slash in Vegas’ neck still bleeding?

Why was he losing blood so fast?

Could his body not heal because of the sudden blood loss?

Vegas needed blood so he could heal!

Without another thought, Pete lifted his wrist to Vegas’ mouth only to be somewhat shocked when Vegas violently wrenched his head away. That couldn’t be good for the gaping wound in his neck.

“Get. Kinn.” Him repeating the order didn’t faze Pete in the slightest. Pete just took the back of Vegas’ head in his hand and held his wrist to his mouth once again.

“I was already gonna let you do this,” his voice wavered only slightly as he stared down into Vegas’ quickly dimming eyes. “At least this way, it saves your fucking life. Take it!” Pete held his wrist to Vegas’ lips, pressing insistently until Vegas had no other choice but to at least open his mouth. He could feel Vegas’ tongue dart out involuntarily to run along his pulse. That was something.

Suddenly, teeth, but not fangs, scraped at his skin and Pete rolled his eyes.

“Look, if you take too much and I die, I’ll just come back and haunt your stupidly attractive ass for eternity. Now drink, damn it!”

And just like that, like the promise of Pete’s ghost was all it took, Vegas dropped his fangs into Pete’s wrist and began to drink.

In that second, Pete understood exactly why people would want to become donors or familiars for vampires. The exchanging of life, the blurring of death, the roiling intimacy. Pete could definitely see the appeal.

He started to get a little lightheaded after a few minutes but felt at Vegas’ neck. The wound was still there but he could feel it closing, could feel his blood giving Vegas’ body the resources it needed to heal itself. How would it feel for Vegas to feed from him when it wasn’t life or death?

Vegas pulled away with a gulping breath, coughing and sputtering like he’d been starved for air. Vampires didn’t need air, Pete’s hazy mind provided for him helpfully. When Vegas looked up at him, his eyes had changed. No longer dim, the light had returned to them along with something else.

“ Mate ,” Vegas whispered, leaving a bloody handprint on Pete’s cheek as he pulled him closer so their foreheads could touch. “Found you.”

Present day

How could he have been so stupid? Vegas had to have been lying about the two of them being mates. Truly, the only thing that could really confirm such a thing would be Pete getting turned and Vegas had been adamantly refusing to do so for the past five months. He always claimed that the time wasn’t right. That had to be bullshit.

Kinn had turned Porsche within a week of feeding on him for the first time and discovering their status as mates. And in the six months since he’d met and fallen in love with Vegas, Pete knew that Kinn was the less impulsive of the two cousins. So why else would a decision that had come so easy to Kinn, to turn his mate, seem to cause Vegas to come to a standstill?

Pete knew that he could probably find someone to turn him. It wouldn’t be easy considering that everyone in the vampire community knew that he was Vegas’ familiar and essentially untouchable. But he was resourceful and determined. But also, the thought of someone other than Vegas turning him set his skin on fire.

Besides, if Vegas had been lying and they weren’t actually mates, getting turned would only make his new eternal life unbearable.

Vegas could be cruel, that was true. Pete had seen the depths of his depravity and it only pulled him in closer. Because Vegas was never cruel in ways that Pete didn’t explicitly and enthusiastically ask for.

But Pete couldn’t think of any other reason why Vegas kept putting off turning him.

Vegas said he loved him, said they were mates, said that he would turn him at some arbitrary point in the future, said that his blood was unlike any he’d ever tasted before.

Pete gasped and covered his mouth immediately, eyes darting to the still sleeping form of the man beside him in bed.

It made sense. He hated the very thought of it, but it made sense. The longer Pete stayed human, the longer Vegas got to feed from him. If everything Vegas told him was a lie, that he didn’t love him, that they weren’t mates, that he had absolutely no plans of turning him, then it made perfect sense to string Pete along for as long as he could to ensure access to his blood. It wouldn’t matter that there would be plenty of other donors just lining up in the hopes of becoming Vegas Theerapanyakul’s new familiar, as long as he had a human Pete on the line, he had a guaranteed and willing meal.

Pete’s mind rebelled at the very thought, kept falling back on its tried and true repetition of ‘Vegas isn’t cruel like that’ but Pete wasn’t sure how much he believed it anymore. 

The evidence was clear in front of him, in his still beating heart, breathing lungs, aging body.

No, if Vegas’ love was even a fraction of what Pete felt, he would not still be human. Of that, Pete was positive.

He needed to get out. Out of the bed, out of the room, out of the mansion, maybe even out of the city. He just needed out . He couldn’t stay and continue to let himself be lied to over and over again. To look into the eyes of the man he loved and know that he didn’t feel the same.

Vegas would be angry over losing his pet but he would get over it eventually. Unlike Pete, he had plenty of time to do just that.

Pete moved around the room in a haze, unshed tears blurring his vision as he packed a bag as quietly as he could. He could send Porsche for the rest of his things. It was easier to do it this way, while Vegas was asleep and he didn’t have the means to cajole him into staying. This way, Vegas wouldn’t have to lie anymore. Pete was practically doing him a favor.

The tears finally decided to fall in earnest as he closed the door to their, no, to Vegas’ bedroom. His heart was screaming at him to turn around and climb back into bed while at the same time urging him to run and never look back. Listening to either suggestion filled him with dread but only one would get him the closure he needed.

And it wasn’t next to Vegas’ sleeping body.

With a shuddering breath, Pete slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped out into the light. It looked like he was going to have a lifetime of daylight to see yet.

The very thought made his stomach turn.

Chapter Text

Vegas woke up with a sense of unease deep in his bones. That feeling worsened when he reached out instinctively for Pete only to be met with cold sheets. His scent lingered in the air but he’d been living there for months so that wasn’t anything new. Vegas sat up in bed, listening intently to the various noises throughout the house and trying to pinpoint Pete’s heartbeat from among his human staff.

He counted four separate patterns; one was the chef he’d hired after Pete had moved in, two were maids who had been in his employ since they were both in their twenties, and the last one was the guard he’d assigned to Pete for when he needed to go out during the day.

None of them were Pete.

Why wasn’t Pete in the house? With him, in their bed?

Vegas grabbed his phone from the nightstand and stared at it blankly when he realized there weren’t any unread text messages or phone calls from his mate. Pete had rarely left his side since the night they’d met and even then, it was always predicated with some form of message so Vegas didn’t worry too much about him. He’d never just disappeared without a word.

In an instant, Vegas’ mind began to conjure up images of Pete being carried away in his sleep by some rival family to use as leverage against him. But that idea was preposterous. Theerapanyakul vengeance was known to be swift and unforgiving. Vegas had personally wiped entire bloodlines from the face of the earth for lesser slights. Not even the most ambitious of families among them had the generational death wish that would be granted for the crime of taking a Theerapanyakul familiar, and certainly not a Theerapanyakul mate. And Vegas had made it very clear throughout their community that, despite Pete still retaining his humanity, he was to be treated with the same respect that any other mate would be treated.

But if Pete hadn’t been taken against his will, that meant he’d left of his own volition.

That didn’t make any sense either.

Since the night they’d met and the subsequent beginning of their relationship, they had spent maybe two weeks apart. One of those weeks had been when Pete had gone to visit his granny. The rest of the time had been broken up; a day here, a few hours there, never an extended period of time.

Vegas looked down at his phone once again and sighed as he pressed ‘call’ on Pete’s contact.

Behind him, on Pete’s bedside table, still plugged in, lay Pete’s phone ringing away. Vegas ended the call.

He’d left his phone?

What the fuck was going on?

Vegas tossed the blankets to the side and stormed from the room. Pete’s guard was standing at the end of the hallway, seemingly waiting for his charge the way he always did.

“Rune!” The man twitched at the sound of Vegas’ voice but stood at attention. In the back of his mind was Pete’s voice telling him that he needed to be nicer to his bodyguard. “Where is Pete?”

Rune cast a questioning glance over Vegas’ shoulder before meeting his employer’s angry gaze.

“Khun Vegas, I assumed he was still asleep in your rooms. I haven’t seen him this evening.”

Vegas curled his hands into fists, only just keeping himself from punching the man.

Pete had balked over the idea of having his own guard but Vegas had insisted that he be protected at all times. On the rare occasion that Vegas couldn’t be at Pete’s side, he wanted to make sure that the man he loved was safe. Pete had compromised with Rune, a human bodyguard he could take with him if he ever needed to go out during daylight hours. Any other time, Pete was practically surrounded by other vampires in the Theerapayankul inner circle and thus safe from harm. Pete and Rune had bonded over their shared love of boxing and Pete had been happy about the man’s employment ever since. It wouldn’t do any good for Pete to return home to find his favorite sparring partner with a snapped neck.

“Obviously he’s not with me, Rune,” Vegas fought to keep his voice calm. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be asking you where the fuck he is!” Well, so much for calm.

“I’m sure he left to get something from the store and thought he would get back before you woke up. I’ll just track his phone and see where he went.”

At Rune’s words, Vegas froze.

“He left his phone here.” Vegas could hear the panic in his voice rising but he couldn’t stop it. Something was deeply wrong.

“Um, okay. Let’s just check security footage and see which vehicle he took. Then we’ll track the car and see what’s going on. I’m sure it’s nothing, Khun Vegas.”

Vegas had already taken off towards the security room as soon as the words had left Rune’s mouth. The uneasy feeling kept getting tighter and tighter in his stomach and he didn’t know why but he knew that it wouldn’t go away until Pete was back at his side, safe.

“Move,” Vegas barked the order at the man staring at the bank of computer screens as he threw the door open, letting it slam against the wall. He scrambled to obey once he realized just who had given the order, rolling his chair to the side and as far out of the way as possible while still remaining inside the security room.

Vegas sat down in a second rolling chair and began fiddling with the controls, pulling up different camera angles from all over the house. Frustrated that he couldn’t just speak what he wanted into existence, he didn’t fight when Rune reached around him and gently took the mouse from his hand.

“Let me, Khun Vegas,” he spoke gently, as if to a wild animal. And perhaps he was right. Vegas felt far closer to that than anything civilized. “You and Khun Pete retired yesterday around seven in the morning. I’ll pull up the camera in the hallway outside your rooms at the time and we can fast forward from there to see when he left.”

Vegas watched as Rune clicked around on the screen in front of him until the view from just outside his and Pete’s room filled the space. A few more clicks, a couple of strokes on the keyboard, and a timestamp came up to show 6:45am. The video started playing then, at twice the speed, and as the timestamp hit 6:56am, he watched as Pete came into view. When he got to their bedroom door, he stopped and turned, looking back up the hall. A second later, Vegas was on him, covering his body with his own and devouring his mouth. Rune made a soft noise beside him, plenty used to their overt displays of affection, especially within their own home. Vegas watched himself lift Pete up and wrap the man’s legs around his waist before they disappeared into the bedroom.

The timestamp said 7:00am.

Vegas had to admit, Rune was good at his job.

“Okay, now I’ll just speed it up until we see him leave, follow him to the garage to see what car he takes, track that and Khun Pete is as good as home. No worries Khun Vegas.”

Rune’s words, though plenty optimistic, sounded hollow in Vegas’ ears. He wouldn’t have ‘no worries’ until Pete was back where he belonged, at his side.

There was no activity in the hallway for a while. Vegas had known there wouldn’t be. He’d taken his time eating Pete out for hours until he begged for something more. Only then had Vegas started using his fingers alongside his tongue, stretching his lover out with a deliberate meticulousness that had Pete clawing at his scalp and shoulders. By the time he’d finally sank into Pete’s warm embrace, made love to him the way they both had desperately craved, Vegas couldn’t have told anyone what year it was, muchless the time of day.

When the timestamp said noon, the bedroom door opened.

The air suddenly shifted in the room as all three men noticed two things at the same time; the tears streaming down Pete’s face, and the duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.

“What the fuck?” Vegas whispered to himself but he could practically hear the sentiment echoed from the other two men.

“Um,” Rune cleared his throat, “okay, let’s see what car he takes.”

Rune had done something that made every camera tracking Pete’s movement show up on its own screen. They watched as Pete walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and into the foyer of the house. He made no turns that would have taken him to the garage. Instead, he went straight for the front door, a determined look on his tear-stained face, and opened it. Vegas looked to the screen showing the camera angle from outside the house and watched the love of his life bypass every vehicle in the driveway until he reached the front gate. The gate opened automatically for him and he stepped off the property.

No longer tracking their charge, each screen changed back to the present time and camera angle, causing Vegas to shake his head in confusion.

His confusion made it so that the anger in Rune’s voice took him by surprise.

“Khun Vegas, what did you do?”

Vegas jerked his head up, staring at the man who had never spoken a rude word to him since he’d hired him. Hearing that tone didn’t make any sense.

“What are you talking about?”

Rune’s eyes were black as night, unafraid, as he stared Vegas down.

“Khun Pete was crying when he left. You made him cry. What did you do?”

For the first time, Vegas wondered if Rune was perhaps something other than human. Because no human had ever been brave or stupid enough to do whatever the fuck Rune was doing.

“I didn’t do anything,” Vegas defended himself, unsure why he felt the need to. Rune was his employee. He didn’t have to explain himself to anyone. “I was asleep when he left! You can see me in the bed when Pete opened our bedroom door! He was fine when I went to sleep and I didn’t wake up until an hour ago to an empty bed!”

Vegas wracked his brain, going over every second of their lovemaking in his mind. Had he hurt Pete in some way he didn’t like? They had safe words for that and Pete hadn’t used them. And when he’d fed on him, he’d made sure not to take too much.

Suddenly, the memory of Pete’s fingers desperately holding the back of his head, trying to keep his fangs in place even though he’d finished feeding…Pete had been upset that he’d stopped. But surely that couldn’t be what had made Pete cry, what had made Pete leave.

Vegas knew that Pete wanted to be turned, he knew that it had become a point of contention between them. He’d continuously told Pete that the timing wasn’t right and that wasn’t a lie. He had everything planned out.

Surely, Pete wouldn’t just leave over that. Right?

But the evidence was quite clear in the man’s absence. 

“Goddamnit!”

Sparks erupted from the keyboard before Vegas realized he’d crushed it between his hands.

“Khun Vegas!” Lom, his head of security who’d been silent up until that point, rushed forward to put a stop to Vegas’ destruction but was too late. He gently pried the two halves of the keyboard from Vegas’ hands and sat them back on the desk. “Khun Vegas, I was going to offer to hack into the city’s CCTV network and we could possibly track Khun Pete through that.”

Vegas inhaled sharply at that.

“Yes! Do that! Now!” Lom looked down at the broken keyboard pointedly and Vegas wasn’t sure who he wanted to throttle more, the security guy or himself. Vegas rolled his eyes and turned back to Rune. “Get him whatever the fuck he needs to find Pete. I’m going to start searching for him.”

Before he made it to the door however, Rune spoke up.

“What if he doesn’t want to be found by you?”

The question made him stop in his tracks. Rune had a point. But Vegas didn’t care.

“I woke up to an empty bed because my mate left while I was sleeping without so much as a note. If he doesn’t want me finding him, then he can fucking tell me himself as soon as I find him!”

Rune’s eyes got a flinty look in them as Vegas spoke so he was prepared for the man to argue with him. But nothing could have prepared him for what the man said next.

“Don’t you mean your ‘familiar’ left while you were sleeping?”

Vegas narrowed his eyes, irritated with Rune’s semantics.

“The fuck does it matter?”

“Khun Pete is human, like me. He’s not fully your mate, Khun Vegas, not yet at least.” Vegas growled low in his throat, a warning for the man to keep his mouth shut. A warning he didn’t heed. “If he’s truly your mate, why would you keep him human? You know how strongly he feels about this. Perhaps he finally got tired of your excuses.”

Vegas’ mind reeled at Rune’s words, at the audacity. What if he was right? No, he couldn’t be.

“Let’s get one thing perfectly clear, Rune,” Vegas bit out. “I don’t have to explain myself or my fucking reasons for not turning my mate to you or anyone else for that matter. When I turn Pete is my business and mine alone. Now, get Lom another goddamn keyboard so he can start searching the city’s network for Pete. Start with the businesses closest to the compound and fan out from there. Call me if you find anything.”

Vegas wasn’t exactly sure where to start searching for Pete but he knew he couldn’t just wait around while the other two men hacked into whatever they needed to hack into. He had to do something.

Mind made up, Vegas quickly changed clothes and left the house. He could cover more ground on his bike and turn the city upside down if he needed to.

He didn’t care what it took. He needed Pete back at his side. Where he belonged.

Porsche liked to think he was pretty easy going about most things in life. There wasn’t a whole lot that he couldn’t take in stride. For fuck’s sake, he’d let a man he’d only known for a few weeks turn him into a vampire without any regrets. Of course, that man had turned out to be the love of his life but again, everything in stride.

One thing Porsche did not take lightly however, was his family, small though it may be. His little brother Chay and his best friend Pete were the only two people in the world that Porsche had known without a shadow of a doubt that he would kill for. And then Kinn had come along and made that number three in the blink of an eye.

Not only that but Kinn had come along and given him the power to kill for the ones he loved, made it so easy.

So it really came as no surprise that as soon as Pete showed up at the doors to the Theerapanyakul compound in tears, Porsche felt the urge to tear limb from limb.

After listening to Pete insist that Vegas no longer wanted him, didn’t love him, would never turn him, had been lying about practically every aspect of their relationship since the beginning, Porsche felt both murderous and confused.

On one hand, he wanted to rip Vegas to shreds for daring to hurt Pete. But on the other, none of what Pete claimed made any sense at all.

He knew what it looked like when a vampire was with their true mate. He saw it every time he looked into Kinn’s eyes. And when Vegas looked at Pete, the look was exactly the same.

But he also knew that, since Pete was still human, he had no idea what that bond felt like. He could only rely on Vegas’ word.

So Porsche waited until Pete had exhausted himself and fell asleep before he stepped out onto the balcony and pulled out his phone.

For his best friend’s sake, he was going to get to the bottom of this and then decide whether or not he needed to kill Vegas.

It would be a shame really. Kinn had told him all about their sordid family history, how they’d only really started working together in the past fifty years or so, actually getting along with each other within the past twenty. Kinn would forgive him eventually though, once he knew it was for Pete.

Kinn loved Pete as much as Porsche did.

A smile flitted over Porsche’s face as he pulled up Vegas’ contact information, listed as “Pete’s Shadow,” and dialed.

While the call connected, Porsche let the anger and frustration bleed out of his voice. He couldn’t let Vegas know everything just yet, not until he got more information.

“Porsche I don’t–”

“Looking for something?” Porsche interrupted the man’s frantic introduction. He heard the sharp intake of breath that told him Vegas had caught on.

“Where is he?”

The panicked tone in Vegas’ voice made Porsche smile. Good. The dumbass had somehow fucked up the best thing that could have possibly happened to him. He should be panicking.

“Why don’t you meet me in the alley behind Yok’s and I’ll tell you the country he bought a one way ticket to?” Porsche lied through his teeth but he was counting on Vegas’ being too fraught with worry to call him on it.

“He’s leaving the fucking country?! Porsche give me the information right fucking now or I’ll–”

“Or you’ll what? Huh Vegas? I don’t know what’s going on between you two but I’m not telling you shit until I get some answers for myself. I’ll see you at Yok’s.”

Without letting Vegas respond, Porsche ended the call.

He’d never been great at math but something definitely wasn’t adding up.

***

Vegas would swear with his dying breath that the only reason his cousin’s mate was able to lay him out on the ground so thoroughly was because the man’s strength was still fairly new.

But even in his mind he knew that would be a lie.

No, the actual reason Porsche, a vampire not even a few months into his fangs, had been able to land a punch right to his jaw with relative ease was because his mind was elsewhere.

Vegas touched his face, feeling the bones of his lower jaw stitch themselves back together. He got back to his feet with a glare at the man standing across from him in the back alley.

“What the fuck, Porsche? You said you knew where Pete was going. I don’t really have time for whatever this is.”

Vegas turned to leave. Pete could be anywhere and he had to find him before something happened to him.

But before he took two steps, Porsche had him shoved against the wall, shiny new fangs bared. On instinct, Vegas let his own fangs drop but he remained still. Porsche was Pete’s best friend and Pete would never forgive him if he attacked the man. At least not without cause. He just needed to wait for Porsche to finish with his little hissy fit and then Vegas would continue his search for his mate.

“Care to tell me why Pete thinks you don’t want him anymore?”

Vegas didn’t get surprised very often and Porsche had managed to do it twice in the last ten minutes.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I woke up to an empty bed and I haven’t stopped looking for him since. He left his phone behind so my men have been checking CCTV footage for hours. I’ve been to every single one of his favorite places in the city. I was halfway to Yaai’s house when you called me. Does that sound like I don’t want him?”

Porsche took a step back, a wary expression on his face, like he wasn’t sure whether or not to trust Vegas’ words.

In any other situation, Vegas would think Porsche’s skepticism was smart. But this wasn’t any situation. This was Pete .

“Why haven’t you turned him then?”

Unable to stop himself, Vegas rolled his eyes. Why was everyone so hung up on that?

“Not that it’s any of your business but I’m going to turn him on his fucking birthday! I’ve been planning this for months, ever since I first tasted him and knew. I haven’t told him because it’s supposed to be a surprise. I thought humans liked surprises.”

Porsche’s eyes went wide at Vegas’ confession.

And then he snorted.

“Oh my god, for you to be as old as you are, you’re a fucking idiot.” Vegas certainly hadn’t expected the man to start laughing, let alone double over from laughing. “I’ll give you one thing though. You’re a romantic idiot at least, and that’s the only reason I’m not punching you again. You shouldn’t have kept it from Pete though. He’s somehow managed to convince himself that you don’t have any intention to turn him at all because you don’t really want to be with him anymore.”

Porsche folded his arms over his chest as Vegas let himself fall back against the wall. What had he done?

“How can he think that?” Vegas whispered, only partially to himself since Porsche was still there. “ I love him, ” sincerity filled his entire being with the words, “of course I want him. He’s my true mate. How could he think…”

But Vegas knew exactly how Pete could think that.

Porsche had just told him. Rune had essentially told him. Pete had practically told him.

Porsche simply nodded at him from across the alley, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“He’s at the main compound. Why don’t you ask him yourself and fix the mess you’ve made trying to be all romantic and shit?”

Chapter Text

Vegas almost jumped from the motorcycle before he’d brought it to a full stop. He already held most traffic laws in an unwavering state of contempt but as soon as the skyscraper that made up the Theerapanyakul Main Family compound came into view, he’d urged the bike even faster. Things like red lights and pedestrians were inconsequential obstacles keeping him and his mate separated. They’d been apart for more hours than Vegas was comfortable with and he needed to see Pete’s face again.

The kickstand had barely touched the ground before his legs were eating the distance between them. Porsche had only told him that Pete was at the main family compound, not exactly where he was within the massive building. Vegas didn’t really care. He’d take it floor by floor until he heard Pete’s heartbeat.

Vegas ignored the odd looks from his cousin’s retinue of bodyguards, vampire and human alike, and beelined for the entrance. As he reached the elevator, a ding sounded and the doors slid open to reveal the smug, grinning face of Kinn.

“Vegas, heard you fucked up.”

Vegas sucked his teeth, using every ounce of self-control in his body to keep from punching his cousin.

“I don’t have time for your gloating Kinn. Give me back what belongs to me.”

Kinn stepped off of the elevator and into Vegas’ space, forcing him backwards. He arched one of his absurdly bushy brows.

“ Belongs to you? You know as well as I do that familiars are free to leave if they feel their masters have treated them unsatisfactorily.”

Vegas let out a growl at Kinn’s words and tried to push past him. Kinn shoved him backwards a few feet.

“Cut the bullshit Kinn! I know he’s here!”

Kinn chuckled with a shake of his head, as if Vegas was being an unruly child. His easy laughter made Vegas see red and before he’d consciously made the decision, Kinn was flat on his ass on the marble floor of his own lobby. The slight twinge of pain in Vegas’ fist was the only indication that he’d moved.

Bodyguards surrounded the two men in a second, one rushing forward to help Kinn back to his feet. Kinn narrowed his eyes but waved his men away before they attempted to grab Vegas.

“Really Vegas? It took us decades to put this city back together after our fathers’ petty squabbles. Is one measly human really worth you starting another family war over?”

Vegas itched to punch Kinn again. Nobody got to talk about Pete like he wasn’t the most important person in the world.

“I would burn this world to the ground for him without a second thought,” Vegas ground out. He needed Kinn to understand what Pete meant to him. “Kinn, Pete is my Porsche.”

At his declaration, Kinn’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.

“Good. We put him up in Kim’s old apartments until you got your head out of your ass.”

Vegas blinked. It took a second for Kinn’s words to sink in. But the moment they did, he bolted for the stairwell.

***

Pete brought his knees up to his chest and stared at the television, unseeing even as one of his favorite lakorns played. Someone had brought a tray of food up a few hours ago but he couldn’t bring himself to eat anything. Maybe he was being melodramatic but he couldn’t find it within himself to care.

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes that he angrily wiped away. He was so tired of crying. And over a man that didn’t even care! It was such a waste.

The apartment door opened and he sniffed before turning his head, fully expecting Porsche to have returned to check on him. Or maybe Kinn had sent someone up with more food. He wasn’t really knowledgeable when it came to human nutritional needs but Pete was grateful for the effort.

But it wasn’t Porsche, and it wasn’t one of Kinn’s staff.

“Pete!”

Pete jumped up from the couch and whirled to face the man he’d left alone in bed not even 24 hours ago. Why did it hurt to look at him again?

“Vegas? Why are you here?” He could see the shock on Vegas’ face when he took a step back.

“I’m here to bring my mate home.”

The word, mate , uttered with so much sincerity, filled Pete with pure rage, reminding him of why he’d left in the first place.

“Stop fucking lying to me!” Pete shouted, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. “I know you don’t actually love me but you could at least do me the common courtesy of telling me the fucking truth.”

Vegas had the audacity to look confused at his outburst and Pete almost crumbled.

Almost.

“I don’t love you? Pete, you’re the only person I’ve ever loved. I’ve never lied to you about that, or about anything else.”

Pete folded his arms across his chest to keep his hands from reaching towards the man. He wanted to believe him. He desperately wanted to believe him. But the fact that his heart was still beating just wouldn’t allow it.

“Porsche was Kinn’s familiar for two weeks. Two weeks! Kinn turned Porsche after two fucking weeks. Because Kinn knew that Porsche was his mate and they didn’t feel the need to wait any longer since they’d found each other. But you? You have strung me along for six months, all the while claiming that I’m your mate while keeping me human and thus making sure I have no way of proving your claims. So don’t come in here and tell me that you love me and that I’m your mate and you’re taking me home. Because if any of that were true, my heart would not still be beating!”

Pete breathed out a harsh breath, leveling Vegas with an icy stare that had the man flinching backwards. He looked like he was about to open his mouth to say something but Pete shook his head and continued.

“But no, every time I bring it up, you just repeat the same bullshit over and over again about how it’s not the right time. When is the right fucking time? Does it even exist? Or is that just the best excuse you could come up with to keep me around? Make sure I keep the bar open for business? I’m not your fucking mate, am I? I’m just your favorite gullible little snack.”

Pete’s legs went weak and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He didn’t fight as Vegas’ arms encircled him. He was so tired of fighting.

“Your birthday,” Vegas whispered against his neck. Pete tensed up.

“What about it?” His voice was watery and hoarse.

“I was waiting until your birthday to turn you.”

Pete thought for a second. Two weeks. His birthday was in two weeks. Confused, he turned in Vegas’ arms to look into his eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I wanted it to be special, a surprise. Your last birthday as a human and your first as a vampire.” Vegas brushed his thumbs across Pete’s cheeks. “The night we met, you forced me to feed from you and saved my life all while threatening to come back and haunt me if I killed you on accident. I had never met anyone like you before. Your birthday was only a few months away so I planned it all out. I’ve been alive for three centuries, six more months was nothing. But Pete, if I’d known that waiting would cause you so much heartache, would cause you to think that I feel anything less than complete love and devotion for you, I would have turned you that same night. I’ll turn you right now if it’ll make you believe me, if it’ll make you come back to me.”

Pete looked into Vegas’ eyes, at the tears gathered there, and sucked in a breath.

Vegas had wanted it to be a surprise. A special occasion. An ending and beginning all wrapped into one.

“Pete,” Vegas’ voice was just a broken sound, “don’t leave me. I’m begging you, please stay with me. I love you Pete, so much. I mean it, I’ll turn you right now. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, just don’t go.”

Tears streamed down both men’s faces as they clung to each other. Vegas ran his hands through Pete’s hair and down his arms. He buried his nose in Pete’s neck, inhaling his scent; afraid that if he let go, it would be the last time he was allowed to touch the man he loved.

“I ruined the surprise,” Pete whispered against Vegas’ chest, voice small. Vegas placed his finger under Pete’s chin and tilted his face up until their eyes met again.

“No, no baby, you didn’t ruin anything. It’s stupid, I should have just turned you when you first asked me to.”

Pete fisted his hand in Vegas’ shirt and pulled himself up straighter.

“You were trying to do something sweet and romantic and I let my insecurities get the best of me.” He shifted up onto his knees and pressed his forehead to Vegas’. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of eternity with you, if you’ll still have me.”

“Pete,” Vegas breathed out a relieved sigh and returned his smile, “I’m never letting you go.”

Vegas got on his knees so he could be eye-level with Pete once more, the need to kiss him stronger than any bloodlust he’d ever experienced before. Pete only sipped at his lips at first, tentative. Vegas curled his hands around the back of Pete’s neck and pulled him closer to him. Pete pressed his torso along Vegas’, not allowing an inch between them, as he sucked at Vegas’ tongue. He smiled against his mouth as the sensation of rightness settled over him.

In Vegas’ arms was where he belonged, where his soul’s peace could be found.

“Do you want me to turn you here or at home?” The words whispered at his pulse made it quicken but Pete shook his head and pulled back.

“My birthday is only two weeks away now. And, even though it won’t be a surprise anymore, I do like what you talked about. About it being my last and first birthday.” A soft smile brightened Vegas’ features and Pete returned it. “Let’s go home.”

Pete had insisted that he didn’t need a huge party but Vegas had pulled out all the stops. He’d convinced Kinn to close the club for the evening and had it completely redecorated. The normally red lighting had been swapped out for blues and purples. The black velvet draperies that adorned the walls had transformed to an entire spectrum of varying shades of blue. Even the guests in attendance were wearing blue!

It was Pete’s favorite color but he’d certainly never expected for his entire party to be themed around it.

Pete giggled as Vegas sucked a mark into his neck, a promise for what would come later. He was that perfect level of tipsy where everything felt just a little bit fuzzy, jokes just a little funnier than usual, skin a bit warmer than normal.

“Happy birthday sweetheart,” Vegas whispered for the nth time that night since they’d arrived.

“Hey! I’m stealing the birthday boy for a dance!” Porsche’s voice carried easily over the music as he tugged at Pete’s arm. Vegas let him go reluctantly as Pete allowed himself to be thrown over Porsche’s shoulder and carted off to the dancefloor. Vegas remained seated, watching with a smile on his face as Pete danced with his friends. Pete was quite tipsy and that translated to him being very cuddly, giggly, and even more impossibly adorable than normal.

Vegas almost wished that his heart had a beat of its own so that it could match Pete’s. But then, it would only be a few more hours before Pete’s stopped beating too.

Then they would truly match.

In every way.

With that thought swimming through his mind, Vegas got up from the VIP section and made his way onto the dancefloor. He didn’t go straight for Pete. No, he skirted the edge of the small crowd that had gathered around the birthday boy, watching his tipsy, clumsy dancing with cheers and applause. Pete was adored by everyone and Vegas loved seeing the clear evidence of that. He’d already been adopted into the community and soon it would be official.

The crowd parted easily for Vegas as he moved to step up behind his lover, his familiar, his mate. Pete didn’t flinch when Vegas slipped his hands around his hips and pulled him back, flush against his own body. He knew Vegas’ body as well as his own, merely an extension of each other. Pete tilted his head back until it rested on Vegas’ shoulder, continuing to sway with the music, a goofy smile on his face.

When the song changed, Pete turned and threw his arms around Vegas’ neck.

“Thank you for my party,” he whispered against Vegas’ cheek. Vegas could only smile as he gripped Pete’s hips tighter, pulled him closer.

“You’re very welcome, darling.”

He let Pete guide their movements, content just to have him against his body and in his arms.

Pete, however, was not content merely being in Vegas’ arms.

Because while a tipsy Pete was indeed more cuddly, giggly, and adorable than a sober Pete, he was also very easily aroused.

Vegas groaned as he began sucking at where his pulse would be, right there on the dancefloor! Pete licked at the spot he’d worried before dragging his tongue up to Vegas’ ear. When he bit down on Vegas’ earlobe, Vegas’ hands tightened their grip on his ass of their own accord. Pete giggled as Vegas ground their pelvises together in some vain effort to both keep up the charade of them merely dancing with each other and to let Pete know the exact result of his actions. Pete switched to the other side of his neck and started to suck another mark into his skin. Vegas chuckled, breathless.

“Practicing, sweetheart?”

He could practically hear Pete’s eyes roll in his head.

In response, Pete trailed his hand down Vegas’ chest between them until he came to a stop over the rather noticeable bulge. Vegas hissed as he cupped him through his trousers, an absolutely feral grin on his face as he did so.

“Marking my territory,” came his coy reply. “For everyone to see what’s mine.”

It never failed to send a pleased vibration through his nerve endings whenever Pete’s possessive side reared its head. The very thought that this perfect creature desired him just the same filled him with more joy than he’d experienced in his already long life.

“That’s never going to be in question, love.” Pete’s eyes cleared a little at his words before he shrugged with a little smile.

“Doesn’t hurt to be sure.”

***

Pete was slightly surprised that he didn’t feel nervous.

A normal person would feel nervous before they were about to die.

Right?

But, Vegas always liked to say that Pete wasn’t normal so maybe it made perfect sense that the idea of death didn’t bother him in the slightest. Of course, there was hardly anything normal about his death. Or, for that matter, even permanent.

The only thing he felt was eagerness. His human death meant a new life. A life with the man he loved by his side for eternity. 

The moment they got home from his birthday party at the club, Pete tugged Vegas into the bathroom and stripped them both bare. After creating a veritable mountain of bubbles in the bath, he ushered Vegas into the tub and directed him to sit down. Vegas did as he was told with an indulgent smile on his face before taking Pete’s hand as he climbed in after him. Pete instantly climbed into Vegas’ lap, straddling his waist, and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck.

“Tonight was perfect,” he whispered. “Thank you so much.”

Vegas carded his fingers through Pete’s hair, dampening the strands.

“You’re perfect, Pete. And I’m sorry that I made you wait so long for tonight. I’m sorry for every second of doubt that I made you feel. And I’m going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I swear.”

Pete shook his head and leaned in closer, letting his breath ghost over Vegas’ forehead before he pressed his lips between his brows.

“All I ask is to be yours.” When he reached between them and took both of their hardened cocks in his hand, Vegas let out a growl that made the bubbly water around them ripple. Pete couldn’t help but grin in response. “Make me yours.”

Vegas placed his hands under Pete’s thighs and pulled him closer until their bodies were flush. The closeness forced Pete to abandon his dual handjob as there wasn’t any room to move between them. But the friction made up for it. Even with the water lapping around them, every nerve ending in Pete’s body was on fire. It was like each skin cell was being electrocuted and he could feel the tiny individual shockwaves that were being created with each spark.

That familiar safe, slightly buzzy, feeling started to settle over him, a weighted blanket that held him secure and protected. The feeling of Vegas all around him.

When Vegas began opening him up, Pete gripped the man’s shoulders tight. Nails sank into flesh leaving indents in their wake. Pete’s mind kept going static with every gentle probe of Vegas’ fingers. There certainly wasn’t enough water in the tub to make them float but that didn’t seem to matter to his brain. He didn’t know which way was up or down but couldn’t really even find it within himself to care. Not when Vegas’ fangs scraped at his chest and his tongue soothed the marks left behind.

Pete practically rutted against Vegas’ abs, the friction stoking the flames within him.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Vegas encouraged, making Pete whimper into his neck. “Let go for me.”

Vegas’ fingers already had Pete on edge but the combination of his voice and his words ensured that he was a goner. Pete threw his head back with a cry as he came in thick ropes on Vegas’ chest.

Pete barely had time to come down before Vegas suddenly stood up in the tub and wrapped his legs around his waist. Pete expected to be put down once Vegas had stepped out of the tub, wrapped up in a towel to dry off, their usual bath time routine. But instead, Vegas kept Pete’s legs secure around him and started walking back to their bedroom, not caring in the slightest for the water he trailed behind them in his wake.

Pete giggled as Vegas bounced him on the bed, still somewhat loopy from his previous orgasm. Vegas trailed kisses down his chest, across his stomach to each hip bone, then to the base of his cock. It was so soft, gentle, quite different from their usual lovemaking.

But it made sense that Vegas would want this time to be a little different. How much did Vegas normally have to hold back? Once Pete was no longer human, no longer quite as fragile, he wondered just how much Vegas would give him. Just how much he could take.

Vegas pulled Pete’s body to the edge of the bed and lifted one of his legs up to his shoulder. Pete heard the cap on the bottle of lube pop open and he mentally tried to calm himself down. He didn’t want to come again without Vegas inside him.

“Eager pet,” Vegas hummed as Pete’s ass contracted when he dragged his lubed fingertip around the rim. “Don’t worry love, I’ve got what you want,” his voice was low, almost more of a rumble than actual words. Pete’s body shivered in anticipation. “Right here.”

The two word sentence was punctuated as the head of Vegas’ cock slipped inside him. Pete gasped as Vegas sank in to the hilt, not waiting for his body to adjust. The sting of it set Pete’s already singed nerves on fire once more. He mewled, cried out, hissed, made noises that were wholly inhuman, as Vegas set a punishing pace; his favorite kind. Vegas twisted his fingers in Pete’s hair, forcing Pete to meet his stare. In his eyes, civilizations rose and fell in the span of a blink. Pete had never felt so willingly trapped in that knowing gaze. When their mouths collided, he greedily sucked at Vegas’ tongue. He needed to be closer somehow.

Pete could feel his second climax already building inside him with every stroke against his prostate. It was inescapable, just like the man hastening its arrival.

“Vegas, Vegas, Vegas , close…so, so close,” he panted against Vegas’ lips even as they continued to kiss his face. He could feel Vegas smirk against his cheek.

“Forever, Pete,” he whispered, “is that what you want?”

Pete nodded his head, frantic with need.

“Yes! Please, yes!” His voice was little more than a breathless whimper but it didn’t matter.

Every decision, every moment, everything had brought him to this place and time. Destiny, fate, divine providence, whatever it was called, Pete had no doubts. Staring into the depths of Vegas’ eyes and seeing eternity looking back at him, the choice was easy.

With all the other sensations wreaking havoc on his body, Pete barely registered when Vegas’ fangs sank into his neck. But his body knew the feeling well, knew how to respond. It was almost Pavlovian at this point, the way he climaxed with the first pull from Vegas’ mouth as he fed.

Only this time, he didn’t stop.

The rapid blood loss coupled with the euphoria left over from his orgasm caused Pete’s head to loll back on the bed. He felt weightless, unmoored, but perfectly content beneath Vegas’ body.

Vegas.

His forever.

The world grew dim. Dying was exhausting.

Suddenly, warmth gushed at his mouth and flooded his throat. Vegas’ voice was far away and he longed to get closer to it once more. The warmth smelled and tasted like Vegas. Surely, that was the way closer to him. Pete latched onto the source of the warmth and let it fill his mouth. He swallowed it down eagerly, letting it flow through his body like a wildfire.

“That’s it love, drink up,” Vegas’ words were closer so that meant he’d been right. The warmth was the way closer to Vegas.

Pete continued to drink until his senses turned sharp. There was metal in the air. Pockets of moisture bursting against his skin on a molecular level. When he opened his eyes and the world came into focus, Vegas was right there over him, holding his wrist to Pete’s lips. Had colors always been that bright? Had he been partially blind before?

When Vegas tugged him up into a sitting position, Pete let go of his wrist. Like he’d done so many times before, he watched Vegas’ skin stitch itself back together. Idly, he felt at his neck for the bitemarks that were always there after Vegas fed only to feel smooth skin under his fingers. Pete opened his mouth to ask a question but it left his mind in the split second that it took for his canines to elongate into fangs. He ran his tongue over the new addition to his mouth and laughed softly to himself.

Vegas took his hand and brought it to his lips, placing a chaste kiss to his knuckles before he looked into his eyes. As he did so, Pete gasped.

When Vegas had been feeding from him, he’d been weightless, no longer bound by the laws of gravity. But looking at Vegas with his new eyes, it was like he could feel a tether stretched between them. An indestructible cord made from stardust and the atoms of creation connected them together.

He grabbed Vegas’ face in his palms and pulled him closer until their foreheads could touch. In a voice that was more air than sound, Pete spoke.

“ Mate .”

Chapter Text

The man hadn’t been easy to track down. His family had plenty of resources and bounced him between an assortment of safehouses in multiple countries. It wasn’t like he could show his face in Thailand anymore. He’d made an attempt on the life of a Theerapanyakul. His days were numbered already.

Pete grinned at the screen, at the CCTV footage playing on a loop.

After learning from Vegas’ talented IT specialist, Pete had managed to hack into the network used by the Soikham family. Bomb, the man who had tried to kill Vegas the night they first met, had been pushed into hiding by his family. Both for his safety and for the family’s. Interestingly enough, Bomb had apparently acted without the knowledge or approval of his family leaders when he’d slashed Vegas’ throat in the alley that night. That was the only reason the family had been allowed to remain alive.

When Kinn found out, he’d insisted that the slight could not be ignored. Vegas, in some strange bout of level-headedness, asserted that the attempted murder had merely served to help him find out about Pete’s status as his mate a little sooner. He knew that the man would live out the rest of his life constantly looking over his shoulder and the idea of that was enough for him for the time being.

Pete did not share that sentiment.

And now that he’d been turned, he possessed the abilities to rectify the wrong done to his mate.

When Pete had gotten the alert that a person matching Bomb’s description had been caught on CCTV in England, he’d done some digging. The Soikham family owned properties all over the world, in their name. So Pete found it quite odd that England wasn’t on the list of countries where they held any deeds. He dug into properties owned by their shell companies. Nothing there. He dug into land or property still in the name of family members known to have been dead for centuries. Nothing there either. Then he started looking into aliases that the family members had used throughout the years and bam !

The Soikham family owned a single castle and its land in the English countryside under the name Duangkamon Sheikham, a known pseudonym of Bomb’s maternal great-grandmother. It appeared as though the property had been purchased with cash and the only paper trail was the deed itself.

But that was all Pete needed.

Twenty-four hours later, Pete was sitting in a very comfortable chair staring at a very terrified Bomb Soikham wrapped in chains.

“Who–who are you? What do you want?”

Pete cocked his head to the side as a slow smile formed on his face.

“Aww Bomb, you don’t remember me? I feel like I should be offended. I certainly remember you.” Pete turned the knife over in his hand, the exact same one the kneeling man had used to slit Vegas’ throat. The blade stung as he ran his fingertips over it. Silver blessed and forged by monks, it had been a funny heirloom the Soikham family liked to hand down to each new generation. Pete found it funnier to steal.

He saw the moment recognition dawned in Bomb’s eyes, the realization that hit the man like a train. His scent went acrid with fear and anger.

“How did a fledgeling like you get my family’s blade? You’re not worthy to touch its hilt! You think you can kill me that easily? My family will come for you. There will be nowhere on this miserable planet you can hide!”

At that, Pete laughed out loud. When he stood up from the chair, Bomb flinched.

“Just like there was nowhere for you to hide? Oh sure, you slipped under the radar for a while. But that was only because I was still new to my fangs. I had some things to learn first before I could really come after you.” Pete ran the tip of the blade down the man’s cheek, delighting when the wound didn’t heal automatically. “But now I’m here, and you’ll pay for what you did. Or, I guess what you failed to do.”

Pete squatted down in front of Bomb and grinned, letting his fangs drop with glee. Bomb looked completely lost, still trying to figure out just what he’d done to incur the wrath of such a young vampire.

He felt a tug in his chest and chuckled to himself. That hadn’t taken very long at all.

“Maybe I should just wait for my mate to arrive and then it’ll all make sense. Or maybe I take this blade and use it to separate your idiotic head from your useless body. That way, when he gets here in a few minutes, there will be a nice present waiting for him.” Pete made a slicing motion through the air that made Bomb jerk back. In his haste to get away from the blade, he fell backwards onto the stone floor.

“Mate,” he muttered. “Failed to do.” He let out a gasp as Pete watched a second wave of realization hit the man. “Vegas Theerapanyakul!”

“Oh good, your memory isn’t quite as shitty as the rest of you,” Pete clapped his hands.

The tugging sensation tightened. Any minute now…

“Pete?” Vegas’ voice never failed to fill Pete with warmth.

“In here love,” Pete called out to him. His footsteps echoed through the foyer as he drew near.

“Sweetheart, why the fuck did you run off to the middle of nowhere in fucking England of all places? If you wanted a castle, you could have just said so. Oh, hello?”

Vegas stepped around the corner into what counted as a living room to be greeted by the sight of his lover standing behind a familiar looking man with a blade pressed against his throat.

“Surprise! Recognize this motherfucker?” Pete’s grip on Bomb’s hair tightened as he tipped his head back so Vegas could get a better look at his captive.

“Bomb? Bomb Soikham? Sweetheart, what is this?” Pete knew from the overly indulgent look on Vegas’ face that he found the situation amusing but he still felt the need to explain himself.

“He tried to kill you, Vegas. He doesn’t get to just get away with that.”

Vegas chuckled at Pete’s words and shrugged.

“Lots of people have tried to kill me. It’s just a fact of my life. Are you gonna go after all of them too?”

“Well if you would be so kind as to give me a list, I would have a good starting point. And you said I should find a hobby anyway.” Vegas and Pete both laughed, practically ignoring the man still bound between them. 

“I would have gotten around to it eventually. But, if you really want to kill him, I’m not gonna stop you.”

Pete pressed the knife’s blade flat against the man’s throat. The sizzling sound was quite interesting.

“I really want to kill him,” he replied, letting a whiny tone filter through his voice like a teenager begging to stay out past curfew. It made Vegas laugh again as he made a ‘carry on’ motion with his hands. 

“Go ahead babe.”

Pete leaned down and used the knife to turn Bomb’s head so he faced him. With a fanged grin, Pete whispered softly,

“The Theerapanyakuls send their regards.”

The blade separated head from body with far more efficiency than Pete expected. It was almost too quick a death for the man who had dared to try and kill his mate. Pete let the head roll off to the side as the man’s body slumped to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. When he looked back up, Vegas was staring at him with all the heat and passion he was accustomed to.

“Fuck, I love you,” Vegas breathed, easily sidestepping the body and pulling Pete against him. “Never had anyone kill for me before. That was so fucking hot.”

Pete responded by jumping up into Vegas’ arms and wrapping his legs around his waist. Vegas’ hands naturally found their home cupping Pete’s ass.

“If you get me that list I asked for, you can see it again and again.” He punctuated his sentence with a slow kiss that had Vegas grateful for the fact that they didn’t have to come up for air. He pulled his head back after a moment, shaking his head.

“I’d rather see you naked right now. We can worry about the list some other time. Where’s a bedroom in this place?”

Pete tossed his head back and laughed.

“What? You don’t want to fuck me in front of the severed head of your enemy? I thought you’d be into that.”

Vegas scoffed and playfully smacked Pete’s ass.

“Come on, I have a little bit of decorum.”

Pete rolled his eyes but directed Vegas towards the closest bedroom he’d noticed when he’d memorized the schematics of the castle.

He wasn’t really sure what karmic lottery he’d won in order to spend eternity with Vegas but he didn’t plan on wasting a single second of it.