Authors: AJ Jarrett
Miles nodded. He wasn’t for sure where this history lesson was going, but he hoped Ben got to the point soon.
“The Village of Ash was run by a man named Asher, and besides being a complete asshole, he was extremely vain. He wanted to be strong and youthful forever. Asher did the unthinkable to get what he wanted. He sought out help from a witch.”
“A witch? How do witches have anything to do with vampires?” Miles’s brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t comprehend how all the things that were supposed to only roam the streets on Halloween night were now everyday beings running loose around town.
“I’m getting to that.” Ben turned on the couch, bringing him closer to Miles. “See, witches are tricksters by nature. They live for creating chaos. She granted Asher his wish. But with that wish came consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?” Miles whispered. He was a little scared to know the terms of that agreement.
“The myth of vampires has been around a long time, and no doubt there were others running around long before we got turned, but in the case of Asher when he accepted her bargain, she not only turned him but his whole village into vampires. He would live forever and be youthful and strong, as would the whole village.”
“So are you part of that village or some shit? If he’s your leader, why do you hunt your own people?”
“He was never my leader,” Ben spat out. Anger caused the man’s skin to flush. “That other village I told you Asher fought with?” Miles nodded. “I’m the son of the man who led that village, Benedict Legrant.”
“I don’t follow. If you weren’t part of Asher’s village, why are you a vampire? Were you bitten?”
Ben looked away from him. “You know how I said witches were tricksters?” He looked back to Miles. “Well this witch thought it would be funny to change our village into vampires as well. So we could fight for all of eternity.”
Miles gasped in shock. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words. What Ben was saying didn’t sound fair. To be living your life then to be unexpectedly turned into a monster had to be rough.
“I never wanted this for myself.” Ben reached out and grabbed Miles’s hand. He dropped his head forward and kissed the top of Miles’s hand. “But this is the life I lead now.” Ben spoke the words against Miles’s knuckles.
As Ben held his head down, his hair fell to the side, exposing a large tattoo on the side of his neck. Miles reached forward and pushed the long strands aside to get a better look. It was a sun with wiggly lines coming off it to represent rays. What looked like a thorn vine circled the outer edges. Miles lightly traced the black-lined tattoo. He felt Ben’s tremble under his touch.
“Beautiful,” Miles whispered without thought. He continued to trace the design. “What does it mean?”
Ben sat up but didn’t release Miles’s hand. “It represents that I’m a Warrior of the Light. It’s my responsibility to keep order in our world and yours. My job is to enforce the laws set forth by the CPB. This signifies what side I fight for.”
“Huh?”
“Council of Paranormal Beings.”
Miles started to giggle. “It sounds like the name of a television channel.”
“It’s not funny. I’m serious in all that I have told you.”
Miles just nodded and continued to laugh. In the entire span of an hour, he learned there were witches, vampires, and some kind of shifters that roamed his friendly little neighborhood. If he didn’t laugh, he would probably fall to the floor, curl up in the fetal position, and cry.
Ben reached out and placed his large hands on either side of Miles’s face. Miles stopped laughing at once. The jolt of electricity that shot through his body from that one touch had Miles’s feelings going from dread to sensuality. He wanted Ben to do more than just touch him, but why? He’d just met Ben, but he wanted to be held, kissed, and fucked by the man.
Miles stared into the blue depths of Ben’s eyes. “What is this power you have over me? I’m scared out of my mind, but all I want is to be close to you. You make me feel safe.” Miles licked his dry lips. “Why, Ben?”
Ben’s eyes traced the movement of Miles’s tongue, and that gave Miles a little satisfaction knowing this feeling of attraction wasn’t one-sided. The hands on his face dropped to knead the muscles at the back of his neck. Miles relaxed into Ben’s strong, steady touch.
“You asked why I was here to protect you. Well, there is a reason for that.” Ben pulled away from Miles, interlocked his own fingers, and squeezed them so tight his fingers turned white.
Miles sat up and reached for Ben’s clasped hands. “What is it, Ben? You’ve already told me some pretty fucked-up shit. I can’t image it could get any weirder.”
He wanted to reassure Ben. No matter how crazy it seemed, he felt a connection to the man. In the short time he had known Ben, he could tell he was trustworthy. Miles just prayed his instincts were correct.
“Miles, magic is a funny thing. There’s a balance of good and evil when magic is involved. For the downside, there is also an upside.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not explaining this very well.” Ben swallowed hard. “See, with vampires, we’re cursed to live forever and have to drink the blood of others, but on the upside we can walk in daylight and eat regular food if we choose to.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Miles was a little relieved. If things went the way he hoped, he wanted to see Ben beyond just at night.
“There’s more.” Ben took a deep breath. “Whenever someone is touched by magic, be it for good or evil purposes, they are given a gift, no matter the circumstances.”
“Gifts are good, right?”
“Yes. The gift magic gives you is a soul mate. The one person who will love you forever no matter what. The bond is felt instantly.” Ben darted his eyes to Miles then away.
Holy shit.
Miles started to gasp for breath. Soul mate? He’d felt an instant connection to Ben. He should have known this was too good to be true. Not that it was a bad thing, but what did this mean for his life now?
“Calm down, Miles. I guess you put two and two together and know that I’m your soul mate.”
Miles gave a jerky nod. He was flattered and a little bit excited, but forever was a long time. He was only twenty-one, and he had barely lived his life.
“Okay, since you’re already freaking out, I’m going to go ahead and tell you this. Every now and again, fate has little hiccups in the grand scheme of destinies, and two people are fated to the same person.” Miles followed Ben’s gaze toward the window. “You’re also the mate to the man standing outside.”
Miles couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Goose bumps ran across his skin, and a nonexistent chill in the air made him shiver.
This must be what shock feels like.
That was Miles’s last thought before everything went dark.
Chapter Two
Ben hated having to be the one to break the news to Miles. Miles was his mate, and he’d be damned if Malcolm got his hands on him. Malcolm was pure evil. The sadistic bastard was cruel as a human long before he ever got turned into a vampire. Rape, murder, and theft were all crimes he had committed. The man had no conscience about the immoral things he did, and becoming a vampire just gave him an added bonus to be malicious. It was as if Malcolm felt like it was his right to cause mayhem and destruction everywhere he went.
Ben and his men had been tracking Malcolm for months, and he’d led them to the small town of Columbia, Missouri. The trail of dead or missing people was like a neon spotlight guiding their way. He was cocky and thought himself above their laws. The only thing that mattered to Ben was putting an end to Malcolm, but little did he know his plans would change when fate dealt him the hard blow of finding his mate among Malcolm’s chaos.
Soul mates are rare to come by.
Of course, paranormals can have relationships with other people, be it another paranormal or human, but there is always something missing. The need to find one’s mate consumes a person, and Ben had given up hope five hundred years ago of ever finding his mate. Then he felt the strings around his heart pulling him toward Miles. When he realized Malcolm was stalking him as well, it wasn’t hard to figure out why.
Fate and magic were sometimes unpredictable, and glitches happened. But to know he shared a mate with Malcolm just turned his stomach. Malcolm wouldn’t cherish his mate. No, he would keep Miles alive just barely so he could gain the benefits a mate brings to a paranormal, without giving Miles the same gift in return by turning him into one of their kind.
He just met Miles but he already knew he loved him. Without a doubt, he would die for him. If given the chance, he would do whatever it took to make Miles happy and to keep him safe.
Ben bent down and lifted an unconscious Miles into his arms. He carried him down the hall and to the room on the left. After several recon missions into this very apartment, he knew which room was Miles’s.
He placed Miles in the middle of the queen-size bed and pulled the covers up to tuck around his body. Miles looked so peaceful as he slept. If someone were to walk in right now, they would never suspect he had just been delivered the shock of his life.
Ben sat next to Miles and stared down at the sleeping man. He couldn’t resist not touching him. Reaching out with his right hand, he ran his knuckles down Miles’s cheek, the skin smooth and soft to the touch. Miles was too young to have his life change so dramatically. This wrinkle- and stress-free skin would come to be marked by worry lines when Miles discovered what true fear was.
Ben shook off the thoughts of what needed to be done and what he needed to still discuss with Miles. For now, he just wanted to admire the man’s beauty without the fear of what was to come.
Miles was a good ten inches shorter than him. He wasn’t frail, but he was thin. Ben didn’t like the way Miles’s bones stood out against his skin. The man needed to eat more, but after watching Miles for the past two weeks, Ben had come to see the workload Miles took on every day, and it had to be a lot for one human. Between working late hours at the restaurant he was employed at and attending school during the daylight hours, it was a miracle Miles ever slept, let alone ate.
Times were different from when Ben grew up, but he knew enough to know college was an important part of a person’s education, and it was expensive to attend as well. The background work he’d done on Miles showed his parents owned a small farm up in Clarinda, Iowa. They barely made enough to get through the winters, let alone send their only child to school.
Ben also noticed in his background check that Miles didn’t keep in touch with his family much, and he was curious to as why that was. If things turned out the way he hoped, Miles would be a big part of his life, the only important thing in his life, and he would need to know the ins and outs of Miles’s life.
The sound of Miles breathing out a soft sigh brought Ben back to the sleeping man. A smiled touched his lips as Miles turned to his side and tucked his hands up under his chin. Miles’s dark-brown hair lay loose around his face. Ben used his fingertips to brush the soft strands away. He liked looking at the pale skin that glowed in the dark room. He thought Miles look like a porcelain doll, very fragile and delicate.
The vibrating of his phone had him scooting to the edge of the bed. With one more glance at Miles, he answered the call.
“Where the hell are you?” a male voice huffed into the phone. “You didn’t call in like you said you would. If you didn’t answer, I was going to assume you were fucking dead.”
“Ye of little faith.” Ben chuckled into the phone. His right-hand man and best friend since childhood, Quinn, liked to be dramatic.
“I have faith, but you never break from protocol. And protocol is to not engage the target but to keep him safe, and then get back to the team ASAP.” Quinn’s voice began to rise.
“Don’t call him that. His name is Miles,” Ben barked into the phone. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t wake Miles.