Page 5 of Shadows and Desire

“His name is Eric Bruce. He’s twenty-two years old and lives in an apartment downtown.” He handed Kannan Eric’s wallet along with his watch and his phone. It bothered him to have so many touching his beloved, but he knew he had to deal with it.

“It will be over soon, and you will have your beloved to yourself. It’s important that he be examined, and his injuries be treated.” Master Hadden was holding him together and he seemed to know what he was feeling at every turn. He never knew a leader quite like Nikolas Hadden.

He was a good and caring man connected to his people as a Master should be. He found that every day he spent in this Coven made him glad that he’d answered the call. Not all masters and covens were like his birth coven in Boston.

“Take a week off to be with him and to bond. I wish I could give you more, but our situation makes it impossible, I’m sorry.” The Master told him, and he sounded sincere in his regret.

"I appreciate any time that you can give me, sir," Kannan responded and kept his eyes on Eric. If only he'd known sooner, he could have prevented this.

“What ifs will get you nowhere.” Master Hadden stated having read Kannan’s thoughts. “You saved his life, and he is here with you now and that is all that is important. Keep him close and keep him safe.”

"Yes, sir, I will." Kannan would protect him for the rest of his life.

Cal was angry. He was an old wolf, and he wasn't used to uppity vampires knocking him around and telling him what to do. That young human belonged to him. He made a deal with the friend, and that young man was to be his for the night. The vampire had no right to interfere. He'd agreed with Ron not to do permanent damage, but Eric was refusing to play along, so any injuries were his own fault.

"I'll find Eric, and that young man will pay up," Cal told Rule, spatting on the ground and indicating his disdain for the man. "Instead of entertaining just you and me, he will entertain the pack." He laughed at the scene that came to mind.

"No human would survive that, especially not the way Decker deals with his lovers." Rule pointed out, but Cal didn't care. He wanted that human to pay for humiliating him with the vampire. Decker was their leader. He called himself Alpha, although they were simply a loose-knit group of wolves, barely a pack. But if he wanted to be called Alpha, no one challenged him.

Decker was brutal, and a human would never live through a night with him. Most paranormals avoided him unless they enjoyed getting messed up, and he definitely messed them up. He loved blood and pain. It got him off, and he didn't care how it affected anyone else.

"He won't kill him." Cal tried to assure us, but he knew it was likely. "He'll just make him suffer a bit."

"That vampire is a Hadden soldier. Do you really want to piss off Master Hadden?" Rule was not on board for the revenge and was not interested in antagonizing the Coven.

“Hadden has bigger problems than us. He isn’t going to worry about some human.”

“So, what is your plan?”

“Let’s talk to Ron.”

Kannan stayed close to the bedside of his beloved throughout his examination making sure he was safe. The doctor posed no threat it was just an unbelievable level of protectiveness he was feeling toward this young man. When he was finished, the doctor had his assistant leave and he gave Kannan the rundown on his beloved’s condition.

“He suffered a contusion to the left side of his head, but it doesn’t appear to be too serious. Although he is unconscious, I believe a large part of that is due to panic and fear. His brain shut down rather than deal with the attack." The doctor was very sympathetic toward Eric rather than academic in his explanation, which Kannan appreciated.

"Will he wake soon?" Kannan didn't understand the effect of panic on the human psyche and wondered as to the time frame he could expect.

“Oh, yes most definitely but he will probably still be suffering from the fear he felt at the time he passed out so be prepared.” He explained the situation a little further and Kannan felt he had a handle on what to expect.

"He has scrapes and bruises, but overall, he is in good shape and will recover fully."

“Thank you doctor.” Kannan was so relieved he took a deep breath and let it out slowly allowing himself to calm down.

"You got to him in time, Kannan." The doctor said as if he knew that was Kannan's guilt. "They didn't have time to do him serious harm. You saved him." Kannan nodded, accepting the doctor's words but not completely letting himself off the hook for not acting sooner.

"Let him rest, and he should be fine when he wakes." The doctor left, and Kannan sat down on the edge of the bed and simply stared at his beloved for nearly half an hour. The night had turned into more than he could have ever imagined, and his life was now forever changed. He felt a growing excitement for the life that lay ahead of them.

He wasn’t one to sit around and think about the future or his beloved he took each day as it came. He thought about his own beloved when someone he knew found theirs, but he never considered that he would be human and would be so beautiful.

His blonde hair and smooth pale skin called to be touched, and he could not resist. He remembered from the bar that Eric's eyes were a deep, vibrant blue, and he wished his love would wake up so he could see them again. He ran his hand down Eric's arm and then across his chest.

There was warmth and strength beneath his touch his beloved was recovering. The doctor had removed his clothing down to his t-shirt and briefs. It was necessary to complete the examination, but Kannan wondered how he was going to explain that to Eric when he woke.

If he was still frightened, there may be little time to explain. He pulled the covers up to his neck and tucked them in. He laid his hand on his chest and kept it there, needing contact for his own sense of peace.

It was nearing morning when there came a knock at his door and since his door was not locked he waited for whoever it was to come in. A few seconds later, Gage came walking into the bedroom. He looked at Kannan and then at Eric and smiled.

“You lucky bastard.” He said and smiled.

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