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It was possible that Cai was keeping enough emotional distance to have only a peripheral sense of Rand's feelings. He might not even have an actual view of what Rand was doing. Now that he was here, Rand wasn't sure he could take it all the way. It wasn't just cold feet. If the Dom he was supposed to meet wanted to do a public scene, he wasn't sure how he'd handle that. He'd told Anwyn whatever it took...had he lost his mind?
He ordered a soda and consumed a bracing swallow. Using his one free hand, he rubbed his leg, an absent massage to ease the twinging the cramped cab ride had caused it. The thing kept flaring up at inopportune times, but Rand hoped tonight wasn't one of them.
Turning from the bar, he surveyed the lounge.
You'll know the Dom I've assigned to you when you see him. She might have missed on that one. There were a lot of males in here with the Dom vibe happening, and...
There he was. The male he was immediately, instantly sure was Wolf.
And suddenly, Rand wasn't sure of anything.
Aching for and craving Cai's touch for two weeks, remembering every single thing the male had done to him and made him do, had led to a lot of very uncomfortable nights and days, and a lot of jacking off. So much that Rand had reached that empty point where he hadn't had the heart to do it anymore. Even though his cock stayed in a semi-alert state, as if waiting to spring to full life at Cai's command.
Well, it was wide awake now.
Wolf was as big as Rand. He had polished charcoal skin, and muscles that rippled like an onyx statue, liquefied and come to life. His eyes were light-colored, almost silver when he turned his head and they caught the room's illumination. The firm line of his mouth enhanced the sternness of his carved, granite features.
But there was one quality that overrode all the others, became the ice cream substance to the sundae, while all the rest was chocolate sauce, whip cream and cherry.
Wolf was a vampire.
It made sense, so much damn sense. Anwyn's cryptic answers hadn't been evasive in the wrong way. Well, okay, there had been that note of female satisfaction underscoring the words Wolf is exactly the kind of red flag you're seeking.
But Rand had to hand it to her as a Domme--she'd apparently known holding back that vital tidbit of info would result in this flood of feeling inside him, strong enough to be like a beacon to another vampire, wherever he was.
She also knew that if Rand had interacted with a mere human, someone he wouldn't view on the same level as another shifter or a vampire, he couldn't let himself go as much. That wasn't going to be a problem now.
The wolf in Rand sat up and was ready to fight, the type of fighting that would mean blood, yes, and some pain, but that would all be part of the pleasure. He almost bared his teeth, feeling his beast surge to the forefront when Wolf locked gazes with him.
The male wore a pair of dark, shiny pants and boots. Nothing else. The pants were a second skin that were going to get a hell of a workout when he moved. The waistband was low, below his hipbones, so every abdominal muscle showed. Since the pants tucked into the boots, Rand saw the crop stuck in one of them. This Dom could do exactly what Anwyn had suggested. Fuck a sub's ever-loving brains out.
Wolf lifted a hand, crooked a finger at him and pointed to the floor at his feet. The light in his eyes said he knew exactly how Rand would respond to that. Rand didn't disappoint. Sitting down the drink, he presented his middle finger. Then he silently spoke two words, mouthed in best Cai-fashion.
Fuck. You.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wolf grinned like a lion about to tear apart his dinner. He jerked his head in the direction of the private rooms, turned and strode away. Rand was right. Those pants were getting a hell of a workout. His own cock was hard against his jeans, his muscles twitching with adrenaline. Let's do this.
If Cai didn't reach out, if Rand had to absorb the hurt, face the truth that he was facing loneliness again, then this would be a hell of a balm for it.
At least for tonight. Because as Rand well knew, good sex only lasted that long when it didn't offer anything to the heart. But he'd take it. Hell, Rand better get used to it, if Cai decided not to tune in ever again.
Warring with mixed emotions, he crossed the floor, and went into the room where Wolf had left the door standing open.
Spartan. Not much in there but a wrestling mat, some manacles on the wood floor, the attached chains draped from the ceiling. A padded bench was anchored close to them.
"Before the night is over," Wolf said, in a voice so deep the vibration resonated inside Rand's chest and--holy hell-- made his nipples tighten, "I'll have your ass over that bench and be fucking you until you bleed."
Rand bared his teeth again. He bent and took off his boots, then surprised the male when he began to unbutton his shirt, shrugged out of it, and opened his jeans to remove them. He was way too aware of Wolf's scrutiny as he stripped himself to the skin.
"I fight better this way," Rand said, straightening, pleased his voice sounded just as steady. "How about you? Can you even breathe in those pants?"
Wolf knew the warrior code. Evenly matched, evenly weaponed. Though when he set aside the crop, removed his own boots and took off the pants, Rand rethought that. Holy mother of God. Cai would have said holy fucking mother of fucking God, fuck it all.
If Rand did get plowed with that thing, he hoped one of the items Wolf had close to hand was enough lube to grease a truck through a key hole. Wolf's white teeth flashed at his expression.
"Want to give up now, whelp?"
Wow. Anwyn might have prepared Wolf for Rand being "other," since obviously some vampires could pick up traces of what was humanoid but not human, but she wouldn't have let slip exactly what Rand was. Therefore, he had to conclude Wolf's choice of male insult was fortuitous chance. He also had to remind himself of something very important about the fight that was about to happen.
He had to lose.
Must. Lose. Must. Lose.
Rand snorted at Wolf's insult. "I think the weight of that thing might unbalance you. Want to tie it to your leg before we get started?"
Wolf chuckled, and he was in motion. Rand met him, barely remembering not to shift as he would in a fight with another shifter or creature who lived in a world where shifters, vampires and Fae were realities. But it was hard, because the wolf wanted badly to come to the top and take over.
He learned a couple things fast. Wolf was more than just an intimidating Dom and a big bastard. He was combat-trained. Rand was a good fighter himself, and had some training, but he relied a lot on experience and his strength. Wolf had matching strength but superior skill, and quickly gauged Rand's weaknesses. He started whittling away at them, taking over the fight. That was when the gloves really came off.
Rand's next punch brought blood, and the two males landed against the bench, nearly tearing it free from the floor. Rand briefly wondered what it would take for anyone to interfere with what was happening in here. He suspected only if Anwyn thought the property damage was tallying up too high. Since the bench was the only thing breakable, beyond the walls themselves, Rand figured all was good.
Wolf flung him back toward the mat. Rand rolled away, flipped and went in low, bowling the guy over at the legs.
Anwyn's wisdom increased Rand's debt to her. A human Dom might have had Wolf's combat training and a decent level of strength, but there was a difference between a man trained to be a predator and a male who actually was one. When his own instincts kicked in, Rand didn't have to rein it back the way he would have if Wolf was human. Rand could let all of it come out. The frustration, the need, the giant ball of emotions he'd been sitting on for weeks.
He did note that, no matter how dirty the fight was getting, the one thing Wolf wasn't taking advantage of was Rand's leg. Anwyn had pried that one out of him on her follow up call, when she'd insisted on knowing if he had any physical issues that should be considered. Since third marks were considered pretty invincible, he had to conclude Daegan or Gi
deon had given her the heads up about it.
Wolf wasn't holding back in any other way, so Rand didn't feel coddled. But he wanted to make damn sure of it.
He wrenched the guy's arm on the twist a little too enthusiastically and got a solid slam in the face with Wolf's elbow that had him seeing stars. Wolf flipped him in that split second of disorientation and had one of the manacles locked around his wrist. Rand whipped the free chain at him, but Wolf dodged, swept his legs and secured another manacle on his opposite leg. Then he was at the wall, drawing up the chains, limiting his mobility.
