Page 5 of Always Eros

“Briefly. We’ll be here when you wake up. It’s a whole new world now, Henry, but you’ll never be alone. We will always be with you.”

I nod, relaxing as Yves lays me back in his arms. Alessio tilts my head to expose my neck and Leander strokes my thigh.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Yves whispers.

“I’m not changing my mind.”

“Sweet prince,” are the final words Yves says as his teeth sink into my neck.

I pray that come morning I do not regret my decision. I somehow already know I won’t.

Chapter One

EROS (HENRY)

Current Day

“I want to kill something,” I mumble into the darkness, flicking a rock from the roof where I’m perched. Two nights without a job has left me restless, and I need something to do instead of flirting with fanciful thoughts of fated mates and romance.

It’s been four months since Bowie entered our lives, and only a month less than that since Tru came. Now two of my brothers have what I can only find in my poetry and erotic short stories. The lack of romance in my life is making me surly.

I’m grabbed from behind, but instead of reacting, I push Thorn off me. “Nice try.”

“I can never scare you,” he says, plopping down beside me.

“You can’t sneak up on a vampire. You know this.”

“Someday, one of you will be distracted enough and it’ll work.” He takes a drag from his clove cigarette, the sweet spicy smoke tickling my nose. “Whatcha doing up here?”

“Nothing. Waiting for someone to fuck up so I can make them bleed.”

“Hungry?”

“Bored.”

“Let’s go to Lair.” He bumps his arm into mine. “The guys are heading over too.”

“Oh goody, more togetherness.”

Thorn chuckles, dragging me to my feet by my elbow. “Come on, sourpuss. You need a drink, some dancing, and maybe a pretty boy to lure to your bed.”

“That’s the entire problem, Thorn. I can’t find anyone appealing lately.”

“Well you certainly won’t find any tasty morsels sitting up here like a gargoyle.”

“Fair enough.”

We both jump down, landing softly on our feet and heading towards the direction of the club, but Thorn stops me a few blocks down, pointing to his racy sports car. Three men stand around it, as if deciding their best angle for stealing it. Foolish mortals.

“Get the fuck away from my car,” Thorn growls on our swift approach, assuming his aggressive demeanor. It’s always fascinated me how he can be so chill and goofy one minute and absolutely murderous the next.

“What are you gonna do if I don’t, rich boy?” the biggest of the three asks.

Thorn sighs, glancing at me. “I guess you won’t be bored anymore.”

“Nope.”

“I’ll count to three,” Thorn says, casting an ominous look at the would-be car thief. A smart mortal would run right now. “If I say three, you die.”

---