Page 2 of With the Stars

“I am a vampire and you are my mate.”

“And you are off your meds.” Minho chuckled, the sounds dancing over Peter’s skin. He sucked in another breath, startled at his reaction. He wasn’t sure he liked his reaction. “Maybe you should leave.”

“Maybe I should stay and you should sit. We need to talk.”

“Nope. Can’t think of anything I want to say to you.”

“Fine. Then sit and listen to me talk. I’ve waited years to have this opportunity. What’s five minutes of your time compared to that?”

“This conversation makes no sense. You look thirty. How could you have been waiting years for me?”

“I first saw you when you were twenty. You’d married Diane a few months earlier. It was a carnival. You were both laughing at the clowns. I knew who you were to me but I stayed away. You were in love and with someone else, had made a promise to her, and I wasn’t going to get in the way. Instead I spent my time watching over you, keeping you safe. How do you think you survived that car accident? You and your son, Rex. I dealt with the door and pulled you away before the fire took hold. I saved both of you.”

Peter remembered that day well. It wasn’t one he was ever going to forget. He’d known they would die. The door had jammed shut and they couldn’t get out. The fire coming closer, the car next to them already blazing, the engine on theirs smoking as flames took hold. He’d known they were going to die, and his only thought was somehow trying to save Rex. As long as his son was safe, he didn’t care about himself.

The door wouldn’t budge, the metal twisted in the crash and heat, and Rex was screaming. Peter had been reaching for him when suddenly the door was gone and he’d stared up into hazel eyes… “You.”

“Yes.” Minho pointed to the chair on the other side of the table. “Please sit with me. I’ve waited a long time. Five minutes is all I ask.”

Peter pulled the chair out, ignoring it scraping along the floor, and dropped into it. He was sitting across from the man who had saved him and Rex. Now he knew him. Now he remembered him. Rubbing a hand across his mouth, Peter shook his head slowly. “Why now?”

“I would never have interfered in your marriage. You were in love and I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that. It wouldn’t have been fair to either of you. I expected to watch you grow older, and eventually die and then keep your sons safe. I made that promise, but then Diane passed unexpectedly. Istayed away to give you time to grieve but now the time is right for me to speak to you.”

“What’s a mate?”

“A mate is someone who is your other half. It’s like marriage but more intense. We rarely separate. Why would we when we’re with the one person who completely understands us? Even me describing it to you is nowhere near enough to explain what a mate is. How important mates are. Mates are everything to a vampire, and you are mine.”

“Vampire,” Peter scoffed.

Minho made a sound at the back of his throat, then opened his mouth. Peter watched the fangs descend and scrambled back, almost falling out of his chair with his need to create distance between them. How had he done that? He had seen them, right? He wasn’t hallucinating. He had seen them. Minho closed his mouth, his eyes tracking every move Peter made. “I’ve surprised you.”

Yes, of course Peter would be surprised. He’d seen something happen that shouldn’t have. “How are they real?”

“Because I’m a vampire. They’re part of the species.” A flash of a smile then Minho held his hand open. “Please sit with me.”

Peter remained where he was. “I think I’ll stay here.”

“If you wish.” Minho glanced outside. “It’s getting darker earlier now. Winter is coming.”

“Yes.” Peter never took his eyes from Minho. His once orderly world was being tipped on its head.

“I’d like to take you out one night. A meal. Just the two of us so we can get to know each other.”

“Why?”

“Why? You’re my mate, my other half. I want to get to know you.”

“I don’t think that would be wise. I have children and I’m not into men.”

“Hmm. I see.” Minho stood, ran his hand along the edge of the table, then suddenly appeared in front of him. One second he stood by the table, the next in front of Peter.

Peter cried out, startled, staggered back a step, then Minho had him in his arms and kissed him. The second his warm, soft lips touched Peter’s, he reacted, but not in the way he thought he would have. Instead of pushing Minho away, his hands gripped Minho’s arms and pulled him close. Opening his lips to Minho’s tongue, Peter moaned into the kiss at the same time as he moved closer to Minho’s body so they touched everywhere.

Minho tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and Peter gasped when a fang nicked his lip. It didn’t frighten him. No, it made him hot, made him burn, and he growled as he kissed Minho back. Minho reacted, his hands sliding around Peter’s body, gripping his ass, moving them until Peter’s back hit the wall. He spread his legs, pushing up against Minho, surprised at how hard his dick had become. How much it ached for Minho’s touch.

Minho moved his hand, cupping Peter’s bulge, and Peter bucked, pushing into Minho’s palm. They moved again until Peter felt a table on the back of his legs, and Minho pushed him back. He lay on the table, Minho covering him, letting him tug his jeans open.

“Kick your shoes off.”

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