Changing Owen’s Mind Read online

  To his surprise, Owen grabbed his wrist. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to bring up a touchy subject.”

  Xavier fought back a shiver upon feeling Owen’s touch. It took his shocked brain a second to catch on to the man’s words. Taking a chance, he settled his free hand on Owen’s where he held Xavier’s wrist, and squeezed lightly. “It’s fine, Owen,” he murmured. “I came to grips with not having them, close years ago. I’d always be welcome if I chose to visit them.” Which was absolutely true, and now that he thought about it, with Seth there to keep up his gardens, it wouldn’t be that hard to slip out there for a few days to do just that.

  Maybe he could figure out how to convince Owen to go with him.

  Owen nodded and pulled his hand. Xavier let him go. “I’ll be back.” He turned away and started across the lawn before he did or said something stupid.

  He frowned when he realized Adalric was speaking with Darian—one of their coven’s trackers—and Toni—their coven enforcer. Catlin stood at the grill, scooping cooked burgers onto a platter held by Gallo.

  Stepping into the house, Xavier froze. A couple scents tickled his senses that shouldn’t be there. “Oh, no,” he gasped. Tearing through the house, Xavier yelled, “Seth! Where are you?”

  He received no answer. Using his heightened sense of smell, Xavier found the bathroom, but it was empty. Seth had told him the coven’s second enforcer, Edwin, was missing and under suspicion of going rogue. Several trackers were out looking for him. Except, his scent was here, in Catlin’s house, along with that of a human’s named Chad, who’d been banished from the coven for attacking Seth.

  Fear gripped him. He grabbed the door trim, his chest seizing. Seth was gone, and he’d be the bearer of bad news to his coven leader. He’d be lucky if he escaped with his life. Knowing every second counted, Xavier screwed up his courage and went back outside.

  The second he stepped outside, he drew the attention of just about everyone, probably from his agitated scent. Catlin frowned. “Something wrong?”

  Licking his lips, Xavier bowed his head and stated, “I scented Edwin and Chad in the house, and I can’t find Seth.”

  “What!” roared Adalric.

  Xavier didn’t know if he was relieved or fearful when the coven leader literally shoved him out of the way to get through the door. Unfortunately, Adalric’s pained roar chilled him to the bone.

  Adalric swept back out of the house, his brown irises bled red, and his claws extended. Low rumblings sounded through the clearing.

  Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Xavier backed slowly away from his leader, trying to get between the vampire and his beloved. If he’d imagined some of the worst ways to introduce the human to the paranormal world, this would be near the top of the list—his coven leader turning half feral.

  His movement caught Adalric’s attention, and he froze. Then his leader focused on Toni and snarled, “You. This is twice you’ve failed me, Toni Bastille. If one hair on my beloved’s head is harmed,” he snarled as he stalked forward. “Your life is forfeit.”

  Adalric reached the vampire enforcer and wrapped his claws around Toni’s neck. “Do I make myself clear?”

  Toni didn’t try to defend himself. He lowered his gaze as best he could and replied hoarsely, “Yes, Master. We will find him.”

  Still growling, Adalric released him and turned toward Catlin. “Were you involved in this, Detective?” he accused. “Did you tell them we’d be here?”

  Adalric watched in stunned shock as things went from bad to worse. Catlin frowned and held up a hand. “Calm down, Adalric. You know that’s not true.”

  “Be careful how you speak, Catlin,” Adalric snarled, stalking toward him. “By our people’s laws, you are responsible since the abduction happened in your home. Your life is on the line.”

  Catlin’s eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, his soft spoken lover, Gallo Ricci, a horse shifter, stepped forward and pointed at him. “You just back off. You came to us and we opened our home to you. It’s not our fault that your enemies followed you.”

  Adalric roared and launched toward them. He grabbed Catlin and lifted him, the acrid scent of his anger filling the area. “Get your mate in line,” he snarled.

  Darian and Toni both moved to intercede, but before they could reach him, the sound of fabric tearing filled the clearing. Gallo shifted, his clothes falling away as his body expanded and reshaped. Seconds later, an appaloosa stallion reared, pawing the air. The shifter’s blue eyes flashed and he whinnied in warning.

  Turning, Adalric roared, showing off his fangs. Gallo charged, slamming his shoulder into the vampire and forcing him away from his mate. Adalric stumbled backward several feet before righting himself and roaring at the shifter.

  “Stop right there.” Owen’s clear deep voice rang across the clearing.

  Xavier looked over his shoulder and paled upon seeing his beloved walking forward slowly, a small pistol in hand that he pointed at the ground near Adalric’s feet. The coven leader turned and sneered.

  “What the fuck are you,” Owen mumbled, his gaze roving over Adalric’s features, taking in his red eyes, fangs, and claws. As if remembering himself, the human lifted the gun higher and ordered, “Lie down on the ground and put your hands on your head.”

  Adalric sneered. “Get your beloved under control, Xavier, before I do it for you.”

  Quickly, Xavier stepped forward, his hands lifted in placation. “Just try to relax, Owen,” he murmured.

  Owen frowned, but his gaze didn’t stray from Adalric. “I’ll relax when whatever that is is on the ground subdued.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Toni muttered. “We don’t have time for this.” The big enforcer started toward Owen. “Put the gun down.”

  “Whoa, back off, big guy,” Owen snapped, swinging the weapon to point at the enforcer, instead.

  Xavier scented the spike of anxiety in Owen. “It’s okay,” he said, trying to regain the man’s focus, but his beloved continued to stare at Toni as he approached.

  “I said stop,” Owen ordered.

  Evidently, Toni didn’t care for the human bossing him around, and his control slipped. His eyes hazed for just a couple seconds before regaining control. “Shit, you’re one of them, too!” Owen hissed. When Toni didn’t stop coming, Owen took a step back and steadied his gun.

  Seeing his intention, Xavier sprinted toward Owen, trying to reach his human before he did something that would jeopardize his life in the coven by attacking someone in the inner circle. Just as he grabbed Owen’s hand, the man fired.

  Pain flared through his chest and shoulder, and Xavier grunted. He stumbled the last few steps and practically collapsed on Owen.

  One thought flashed through his mind as he struggled to come to grips with the pain. My beloved just shot me!

  Chapter Three

  Xavier’s weight drove Owen to the ground. His hand struck a lawn chair, and his gun flew from his grip. For a couple seconds, he lay stunned, pinned under the taller, more slender man.

  Then his brain started working again, and he wondered why he hadn’t just run when he had the chance. Something weird was going on here, but shit if he knew what. What kind of creature had red eyes, claws, and fangs?

  Scratch that. I don’t want to know.

  The man on top of him groaned, drawing Owen’s attention…and a fair amount of guilt. When was the last time he hadn’t hit what he was aiming at? How had Xavier moved into his line of fire so fast? Grabbing the injured man’s shoulders, Owen grunted and rolled Xavier’s prone form off him.

  Owen rocked to his knees and peered down at Xavier. The handsome man’s mouth and brows were pinched with pain, but his eyes remained open, telling him he was conscious. Red bloomed on his upper right side near his shoulder. Quickly, Owen whipped his shirt over his head and pressed it to the wound, applying pressure.

  “I’m so sorry, Xavier,” he whispered.

  A shadow fell over them and he looked up. Toni crouched on the ma
n’s other side, and Owen swallowed hard. Had he really seen what he thought he’d seen? Yes. I did. His hearing might be failing with age, but his eyesight remained sharp and true. Something was up with these men. And the horse? Where the hell had the horse come from?

  Not wanting to think about anything—especially how much trouble he was going to get in from his chief—he looked around and scanned the area. Adalric and the other guy he’d been speaking with were gone. Catlin stood beside the horse, trying to soothe the clearly agitated creature.

  “Catlin, call an ambulance,” Owen called. What the hell was his buddy doing?

  To his surprise, Toni shook his head even as he started sliding his hands under Xavier’s body. “No ambulance,” the guy said.

  “Wait, you shouldn’t move him,” Owen said, grabbing the guy’s arm. As if he’d have the ability to stop this big man if he chose to do something…wait, what? “What do you mean, no ambulance? He needs to go to the hospital. He needs to see a doctor.”

  Toni shook his head again, then—ignoring Owen’s grip, just like he knew he could—he picked Xavier up and headed toward the house. “Gallo, shift,” he called—which made no sense to Owen even as he followed him, trying to keep pressure on Xavier’s wound. Toni kept talking. “And, Catlin, be prepared. Your buddy is probably about to freak out as soon as his brain starts processing what he’s seen and I’ve got to go as soon as I get Xavier comfortable.”

  Owen had no clue what that meant…until he spotted the appaloosa horse’s body shudder, the skin rippling under the fur. He stumbled to a stop, his hands fell to his sides, and his jaw sagged in shock. What the hell was happening to the animal? A seizure?

  Leaving the animal’s side, Catlin came toward him, blocking his view.

  What the hell is going on?

  “Come on, Owen,” Catlin said, grabbing his shoulder and encouraging him to turn around. “Let’s go inside. We need to talk.”

  There was nothing like those words—we need to talk—to freak someone out. “What?”

  Catlin didn’t answer right away. He just pushed him through the open sliding door and into the dining room. Low growling and the sound of soft footsteps—along with the occasional view of a very angry Adalric—told Owen the man paced the front room. Occasionally, the guy muttered, “Damn it, why won’t Seth answer? What the hell have they done to him?” But Owen couldn’t spot a cell phone in his hand, so that was just…more weirdness on top of weirdness.

  He also didn’t want to think about why Gallo was walking through the sliding door with a t-shirt wrapped around his waist. The man flushed, which was quite a feat considering he was African American, and hustled past and down the same hall where Xavier had been taken. He felt a strong urge to follow, but then he spotted Adalric again and the red still making his eyes seem to glow.

  Catlin handed him a beer and steered him toward a chair. Owen was too confused to resist. Soon, he found himself sitting across from his longtime friend, who peered at him with concern.

  “What…the fuck…is going on?” Owen finally asked, tired of the silence.

  Nodding as if he’d come to some kind of decision, Catlin stated, “Supernatural shit is real. Adalric is a vampire and most of his buddies are vampires. His boyfriend Seth is human and what they call a beloved, or a soul mate. He’s been kidnapped by another vampire bent on taking over Adalric’s coven. Xavier is a vampire, too, that’s why he can’t be taken to a hospital.”

  Owen gaped, shock sliding through him. That had been the last thing he’d expected. In fact, it hadn’t even been in the realm of possibility. “How much have you had to drink?”

  Catlin ignored his question. “It’s true.” He took a swig of his beer and shrugged. “Xavier will probably be up and around in a day or two, hence not being able to take him to the hospital.”

  Shaking his head, Owen frowned. “That’s…that’s.” He glared at his friend and stood. “If you won’t call for the paramedics, then I will. I’m not going to let Xavier die from blood loss or poisoning just because you—”

  The other detective rose from the table. “Come on. I’ll show you.” Catlin grabbed his arm and yanked Owen forward.

  Owen found himself practically dragged down the hall, pausing to push open a nearly closed door on the right.

  “Come on, Xavier,” Owen heard Toni urge—since he couldn’t see around Catlin’s bigger frame. “You need to drink. You’ll heal faster.”

  “No,” Xavier’s snarled. “Don’t want him.”

  Catlin moved and Owen finally took in the scene.

  Xavier lay on the bed, his shirt removed to reveal a lean torso, though the skin of his face and arms were pale. Toni stood near the head, using water and cloths that Gallo handed him to clean the wound. Peter sat on the other side of the bed, holding his arm up to Xavier’s face.

  Why the hell would he do that?

  Before he could voice the question, Xavier’s gaze snapped to Owen. A low growl rumbled through the room, and Owen’s focus lifted to the face of the man in the bed. He swallowed around a suddenly dry throat upon seeing a deep red light in Xavier’s eyes, so similar to what he’d seen in Adalric and even Toni’s.

  “Xavier, calm down,” Toni ordered.

  “Mine,” Xavier snapped, ignoring the other man. His gaze pinned on Owen.

  Owen froze, uncertain what to do. Over the years, working as a beat cop and then as a detective, he’d faced off against plenty of aggressive perps over the years and not flinched. Except, taking in the lines bracketing Xavier’s distinguished features, the man didn’t look angry, he looked…hungry.

  “Uh…” Owen paused, uncertain of what to say. Sorry I shot you seemed so inadequate.

  “Owen, don’t move,” Xavier ordered gruffly. “Everyone else needs to get out.”

  With Xavier’s gaze pinned on him, Owen wasn’t certain he’d be able to move anyway. A warm flush heated his body and his heart thudded in his chest. As freaky as that red light appeared on Adalric, on Xavier it looked…sexy and hot, and oh shit, Owen felt his shaft thicken, filling the crotch of his jeans.

  Everyone actually did exactly as Xavier said, filing past him and out of the room. Toni paused behind him. “Don’t do anything you might regret,” he warned, and Owen wasn’t certain to which of them he spoke, but then closed the door behind him.

  Owen stood there, trying to get either his feet or his mouth to work. He had no idea what was truly going on, and now that he was alone in a room with a man that pushed all his buttons, he wasn’t entirely certain he wanted to know.

  Except, when Xavier shoved to a sitting position, causing blood to ooze from the gunshot wound near his right shoulder, Owen lunged forward. “Wait, wait, don’t do that. You shouldn’t get up,” he said.

  The second he touched the man’s chest and good shoulder to push him back down, Xavier snarled. Owen tried to pull away. Then the world spun and Owen found himself sprawled on the bed with Xavier over him, pinned by a surprising amount of strength in the guy’s lean body.

  “Whoa, what—” He swallowed hard when Xavier lowered his head and ran his nose along the skin covering the tendon that ran along his neck. He started just below his ear and trailed lightly all the way to where his neck met his shoulder, then laved his tongue over that area.

  Tingles spread across Owen’s skin and down his chest, making his nipples pebble. “What are you doing?” he finally managed to gasp.

  “Giving us what we both need,” Xavier crooned.

  The soft, warm breath across his damp skin caused the hairs of his neck to stand on end. He clutched at Xavier’s arms and tried to think of anything other than the pleasure of finally having another male’s body pressed against his own.

  How did I end up like this?

  Then he remembered. “Wait. Your wound. You’re injured. You’re confused.”

  Xavier actually chuckled, then nipped the soft flesh of his shoulder. “You think this is my first gunshot wound? It was a through and through, handsom
e. A little blood and I’ll be fine.”

  “A little blood?” Owen repeated dumbly. Does Xavier actually believe he’s a vampire?

  “Mmm-hmm,” Xavier hummed. “Don’t worry. You’ll love it.”

  Teeth that felt far sharper than they should scraped along his damp flesh. “You gonna bite me?” Why did that excite him? Why did he feel the sudden urge to beg the man to do just that? The whole situation was completely insane!

  Instead of responding, Xavier did just that. He bit him.

  Owen felt two sharp teeth sink into his skin. Pain shot through his shoulder and he gasped. Just as suddenly, the pain disappeared and tendrils of pleasure swept along unsuspecting nerve endings, setting them on fire. He moaned as his cock swelled even more and his testicles pulled tight.

  “Holy fucking shit!” he groaned, his eyes widening in shock at the rising crest of orgasm threatening him. He scrabbled with the button of his jeans, but his figures seemed to fail him. He feared he’d come in his pants, but then another hand pushed his fingers aside, made quick work of opening his fly, and reached into his boxers.

  Feeling a calloused, long-fingered hand wrap around his prick, he sucked in a shocked breath. “Uh-ugh!” he roared, losing it on the first stroke. His balls tightened flush to his body, forcing cum up his dick, spraying his chest.

  Heady endorphins pinged through his system. His body twitched and shuddered through an orgasm better than anything he’d felt in…ever. “My God,” he gasped, staring at the white ceiling above him.

  The feel of Xavier’s tongue lapping at his neck drew his attention. He blinked and turned his head slightly, trying to peer at the guy. “What the hell just happened?” he whispered.

  Xavier lifted his head and smiled down at him, his dark eyes shining. Suddenly, confusion flashed across his face and he glanced around the room as if just taking in his surroundings.

  Grimacing, Xavier flopped onto the bed next to him, lifted his good arm to cover his face, and muttered, “Shit.”