Page 6 of The Blood Master

“Why do you fear me, Joel? We've talked. I've explained your position here, so why does your anxiety continue to fill the air around us?" Conall spoke slowly, and there was a tenderness there. Joel set his fork aside and pushed his back slightly from the table.

"I feel many things, and I don't know what to trust. I've been used and lied to so much in the last couple of months that I don't know what is real, even inside my own head." Joel was probably saying too much, but Conall wasn't stopping him, so he continued. "I know who you are and what you're capable of. I've seen what you can do, so sitting here making nice and treating me like a valued guest is confusing the hell out of me."

"You are my beloved. You know what a beloved is and how important they are, so why do you question my attraction and devotion? You feel it, too. You just said as much. Open yourheart and your mind, my love, and let the awareness take you. Let Fate help you to see."

Joel heard the sincerity in his words and appreciated that he didn't come at him hard or demand that he believe and understand. The awareness that he had spoken of was there; it was on the edges of his mind, and it showed him life in this new world. He was getting it he just wasn't sure if he believed it. Conall stood and walked over to him. He crouched down beside him and took his hand.

"Your insecurities are clouding your mind. I understand what you are feeling, but it's necessary that you open your mind and don't resist what your gut and senses are telling you. Like I told you before, take that step of faith, and I won't let you fall, I promise." Joel stared at him, seeing the genuine nature of what he was saying reflected in his eyes. The man was saying and doing things that were completely needless if all he planned to do was take advantage of him and toss him out.

"Okay," Joel said that one word, and he meant it. He would let go and believe this man. His gut was telling him to lean into it, and his gut was usually spot on. His gut told him not to go home with Murphy, and he'd ignored it. If he thought about it, he really didn't fear Conall; he simply distrusted that anything good could come from being snatched by a strip club. Conall stood and brought Joel up with him.

“Let’s go back to the living room and talk we have so much more to discuss.” He led him into the living room, and they sat together on the couch. He was very close, and he did not let go of Joel’s hand. He smelled amazing, like the smell of rain on a cool day, fresh and clean. It was a smell Joel loved, and he drank it in, feeling the effects calm and ease his worry.

"I've tried to make it clear that you are in no danger here. I would never harm you or allow anyone else to harm you. You are my beloved, and I will do everything in my power to love, protect, and provide for you. If you have questions about what you are feeling or what I represent, please ask them. I will answer truthfully." He leaned toward Joel and caught his gaze.

Conall’s stare was powerful, and Joel could feel the heat to his bones. He would try to accept, and he would open his mind to what Conall was offering. The need to please this man was something that suddenly washed over him. He tried to push it away but the desire to be thought highly of by Conall Rose was all-encompassing.

“When did you know that I was your beloved?” He decided he might as well ask his questions.

"You whimpered when that thug grabbed your arm. I heard you, and I responded to your pain and distress." Joel listened, and his emotions picked up on the moment and the reaction of the Master. It had startled him at first, believing he was the problem, but it was made clear quickly that it was the bouncer that was the problem. Conall's actions had brought him relief for a few seconds.

"I felt something off the minute I entered the Club. To be honest with you, I went to the Club to start something." Conall leaned back against the couch cushions and sighed. "I was tired of the bears pushing the boundaries and setting us all up for discovery. The existence of the paranormal cannot be found out by the human world; our survival depends upon our anonymity. Cassius and his horde of clowns were pushing the edges and letting the human world into our business. They had to be stopped." He glanced to the side, catching Joel's gaze, and held it.

"The paranormal world stays hidden because anonymity is beneficial to all of us, good, bad, and otherwise, but Cassius considered himself untouchable for some reason. His behavior was going to put us all in danger, with the death of humans and the involvement of the human police. He was sloppy and careless. I admit, I was there to start a war."

"A hostile takeover." Joel corrected, and Conall laughed.

“Yes, hostile takeover.”

"I'm not the only dancer that was there against their will," Joel spoke up.

“They will be released.” He started offhandedly. "I'm not running a welfare agency." He emphasized. "But Victor will see that they are taken care of, so don't worry about them. He will clear their minds of what they experienced and send them back to their old lives."

“Will you clear my mind?” Joel was not sure how he felt about that.

"No, you are my beloved, and your mind cannot be touched. Fate protects you from interference. It's her way of keeping you on a level playing field with your paranormal beloved. I can perform some glamours but nothing that would take away your free will or independent thought process." That was interesting.

“Will the bears come after me?” the thought of retribution suddenly entered his mind.

"Possibly, if any survive, but I will take care of you, Joel. Do not fear them." He was so to the point and honest that Joel found it impossible not to believe everything he was saying. "While they remain a threat, it's important that you stay inside the Coven house we can best protect you here."

“Am I your prisoner?”

“No, you’re my beloved. You are my life.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Conall held his gaze, pushing the awareness forward, and his beloved blinked but did not look away. The awareness was touching him, and his mind was taking in the world of the supernatural. It was a process, but each step brought him closer to a full understanding of Conall's world.

"Will you bond with me, claim me as your beloved?" Joel asked, not fearfully but rather with passionate wonder in his eyes.

"I will claim you, and we will become one in our hearts and minds. Are you ready to become mine, Joel?" Conall was eager to bond, but he wanted to make sure Joel was completely on board and knew what he was asking for.

"They didn't use me like they did the others they said I was too delicate, and they wanted to get their money's worth out of my sorry ass before setting the wolves on me. I danced, and I served, but I was spared some of the harsher treatment." Joel wanted him to know that he hadn't been a part of the worst that the Club had to offer.

“Whatever happened was not your choice or your fault and takes nothing away from your beauty and your allure. Youare mine, and that alone makes you absolutely perfect." Conall leaned toward him, and Joel joined him in a kiss that was both hot and urgent. Their need then took over, and both were pushing for control, taking it deep and impassioned.

Conall let Joel take over for a minute but found that he needed to lead, so he pushed his young man to his back on the couch and followed him down, never releasing his soft, sweet lips. Joel was pulling at Conall's shirt wildly, opening it up and plunging his hands inside to glide over Conall's bare chest and back. His touch was hypnotic, and Conall could not hold back the moan that escaped his lips.

---