Page 169 of Labor of Love

“Easy pickings.” Shevin smirked. “Easy to fuck and feed from, then discard when it’s time to move on.”

“What will you do if you find your fated mate, and they are human?”

Shevin side-eyed Anatoly. “Use them as I wish. Humans are cattle. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Maybe you should have a human as a mate. It might teach you some humility.”

“We’re superior, and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that.” Shevin’s eyes locked onto someone, and Anatoly watched him straighten on his stool. “Now, he looks like a good fuck. That body and blond hair. Have you seen how he moves his hips?”

Anatoly glanced over at the man Shevin had noticed. “Hmm. He is good looking.”

“Want to fuck him when I’ve finished with him?” Watching the human, Anatoly looked him up and down. Noticing that both Anatoly and Shevin watched him, he strolled over, a wide smile on his face, and when he reached them, Shevin lifted a hand and ran his fingers over the human’s cheek, then let them sink into his hair. He pulled the human closer and kissed him, and Anatoly felt his dick growing hard. He loved watching as well as participating.

Shevin’s hand slid around the human’s back, then down, the fingers pushing inside his jeans. Anatoly heard the groan over the music and watched the human spread his legs. Shevin kissed down his throat, his hand moving inside the human’s jeans. The human’s head fell back, his mouth gaping as he moaned. Shevin locked eyes with Anatoly, and Anatoly nodded.

Shevin pulled his hand free and took hold of the human’s, tugging him as he stood and moved through the crowd. Anatoly followed, his eyes on the human’s nice, tight ass. Once Shevin found a dark corner, he turned the human toward the wall and tugged his jeans down. Anatoly leaned on the wall next to them, watching Shevin roll a condom on his dick, then make quick work of stretching the human. Anatoly watched the human’s eyes widen as Shevin sank inside his ass, then he shook when Shevin bit him.

Anatoly glanced around the crowd, seeing a few looks thrown their way. More than one person was interested in what was happening. Not surprising. Anatoly could see other coupleskissing and touching, a man on his knees as he sucked another off.

“Anatoly.”

Swapping places, Anatoly gloved up, then pushed inside, turning the human’s head so he could bite the other side. The human grunted, his body lax as Anatoly drank, and as soon as he came, he pulled free and ditched the condom. The human rested against the wall, then gave a soft smile when Shevin kissed him before walking away.

Anatoly made sure the human was fine, then also left and rejoined Shevin by the bar. “Good fuck,” Shevin commented.

“He was okay.” Anatoly shrugged, his eyes once again watching people on the dance floor. The orgasm had dulled the itch inside, but Anatoly knew it would return. It always did. Even when part of him denied it, a larger part knew the truth. He wanted a mate. The very thing he teased Shevin about.

Sipping his scotch, Anatoly inhaled, scenting the air, but nothing stood out, and nothing had stood out when he’d crossed the dance floor earlier. Putting the glass back down on the bar, Anatoly stood, nodded to Shevin, and left the club. Outside, he paused, watching the first snowflakes lazily drift to the ground. Looking up, he could see the flakes in the night sky, watching them fall.

Crossing the street, Anatoly began the long walk home. He could have teleported, but he wanted to walk and attempt to put his thoughts in order. A mate. All paranormal beings wanted a mate. That one person who was theirs and Anatoly was no different. He’d never actively searched for him as some of his kind had. He was happy to let nature take its course, and when the time was right, his mate would appear.

But he was over three hundred years old now, and even though Anatoly had plenty of centuries ahead of him, he was becoming lonely. Drinking and partying and anonymous sexwere all fun once, but that fun had worn off years ago. Decades ago. But life carried on, and Anatoly’s life moved on as well. He didn’t want to stand in one place, stagnating, unable to keep going. Some days were harder than others. More so as the years progressed.

Anatoly shoved his hands in his pockets, his head lowered, as he strolled on, the fall of snowflakes bright around him. He slowed and watched them fall, then smiled when one landed on his face. Chuckling softly, Anatoly picked up speed again. Once he returned home, he would sit and decide what he wanted to do. He was aware some vampires decided to walk a different path and ended their mortal existence, but he wasn’t at that stage yet. He didn’t think.

Thinking about vampires had Anatoly remembering his parents. They were mates and still alive, living deep in Russia with a group of other vampires. Humans lived there, too, and a pack of shifters, a harmonious group that worked together. It always surprised Anatoly when he went back home and saw the different species working and living together. Away from where he was born, the species didn’t live so amicably together.

Especially shifters and vampires. Anatoly still didn’t know what had caused the fallout between them, but it was still something so severe that, centuries later, they could barely be near one another. Anatoly didn’t know if it would change anytime soon. Too much hatred and animosity had built up over the centuries since, and the actual reason had disappeared like smoke in the wind.

Phone ringing, Anatoly dug it out of his pocket and arched an eyebrow when he saw Shevin’s name. He’d assumed Shevin would have found another willing body by now. “Shevin.”

“You should have stayed. A group of college guys have come into the club. A couple of them are fuckable too.”

Smiling, Anatoly said, “Go and have some fun. I’ll speak to you later.”

“You’re letting your age get to you. We’re still young, and our cocks work fine, so let’s enjoy all the delicious bodies we can.”

Maybe, once, Anatoly would have spun around and run back to join Shevin, but not now. He wanted time alone to think about his life and where it was going. Possibly he, too, should search for his mate before he decided this life was not for him. “Have fun, my friend.”

Anatoly hung up and put his phone away, adjusting his coat as the wind blew a flurry of snowflakes into his face. Ducking his head, Anatoly trudged on. If the weather deteriorated too much, he’d teleport home, but for now, he’d continue walking, hoping the wind and the gracefully falling snow would somehow clear his mind. Maybe cleanse his soul if he had one. Some days, he wondered.

Sighing softly, Anatoly thought about his past and the first blush of love he’d felt. A gorgeous human girl from a village near where he’d grown up. Long blonde hair and the bluest eyes Anatoly had even seen. She captivated him from the second his eyes landed on her. Oh, Anatoly had dreamed of creating a life with Natalya, only it wasn’t to be. She’d been promised to another, and Anatoly had his heart broken. He’d watched her grow, have a family, age gracefully, then pass away.

His first love was long gone, but Anatoly still remembered her fondly. He remembered his second love too. A vampire named Akim, who knew how to fuck, and Anatoly had thought they had a future together. Only Akim couldn’t remain faithful, so Anatoly had walked away from him. His third love wasn’t even worth mentioning. Smiling, Anatoly chuckled as he shook his head. He didn’t pick the right partners. Maybe it was fate reminding him there was someone out there just for him, butwhere the fuck was this mythical person, because Anatoly was getting fed up with waiting.

As he neared the edge of town, the forest that surrounded the west side appeared. A few trees at first as the number of houses decreased, then gradually more until Anatoly walked among them, reaching out to trail the tips of his fingers over the rough bark. It reminded him of home: the coldness, the snow, the trees with their branches weighted down by the snow lining them. Looking up into the night sky, he saw the strange orange and pink tinge that signaled more snow was on the way.

Home. It had been a long time since he’d felt the air of his homeland on his cheeks, and he had an intense desire to go there now. To see his parents, eat their solyanka, a thick tangy soup with lots of meat that Anatoly ate with homemade bread, to sit with a glass of vodka in front of the fire and talk about their days.

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