A hitched breath escaped from Eddie’s mouth, and his eyes shot open, his gaze colliding with Thomas’s.

“Oh God, Eddie, I’ve wanted you for so long. I want you even more now.”

In slow motion, he pressed his lips onto Eddie’s. Tilting his head to the side, he drove his tongue between Eddie’s parted lips, stroking gently against his counterpart. The contact sent a heat wave through his body and straight into his cock, making him grind his hips against Eddie.

With long and sure strokes, he explored Eddie’s mouth and dueled with his tongue, feeling how the young vampire in his arms gave up resistance and rubbed his body against Thomas’s.

When Thomas felt Eddie’s hands grip his ass and yank him even harder against him, a groan slipped over his lips.

He plundered Eddie’s mouth, reveling in his taste, the firm strokes of his tongue, and the hard press of his lips. He’d always loved the way a man kissed: with determination and strength.

And Eddie was no different: he kissed like he meant it, even if Thomas had been the one to initiate the kiss.

Eddie palmed his ass, squeezing his flesh in the same rhythm with which he ground his groin against Thomas. There was no mistaking the heavy bulge in Eddie’s pants. His lover had a hard-on of massive proportions. That fact shot another flame of white-hot heat through his body: he could arouse Eddie within seconds. It gave him hope that things between them would progress quickly and become even more intimate soon.

All of a sudden, the ring of a telephone tore through the sounds of heavy breathing in the room.

Eddie ripped his lips from him, releasing his hold on Thomas, and pushed him back a foot.

Panic shone from his eyes. “People will find out.”

Another ring sounded.

Eddie turned to the door and ripped it open.

“Eddie, please . . . ”

But Eddie rushed outside and down the corridor. Thomas slammed the door shut, frustrated.

Maybe kissing him in the office, where anybody could walk in on them at any time hadn’t been the smartest idea. Clearly, once Eddie had heard the phone and regained his senses, he’d panicked.

Thomas shoved a hand through his hair. He’d talk to him at sunrise when they were both home, and tell him that he would from now on confine his displays of affection to their home, where they had all the privacy they needed.

The phone rang a third time. Thomas turned to the desk and lifted the receiver. “This is Thomas.” His voice sounded huskier than usual. No wonder—after all, he’d been ready to fuck Eddie against the wall in his office.

“Please stop your people from looking for me,” a familiar voice came through the line.

Thomas was instantly alert. “Al!”

“Listen, I can’t talk long, but just forget about me.”

“What’s going on, Al? Why did you sell the shop?”

There was a brief pause during which Thomas could hear a heavy breath being expelled. “It was safer that way.”

“Safer? Did anybody threaten you?”

“Don’t get involved, Thomas. You’ll only regret it. I did what I had to do,” Al shot back.

“We can protect you. Scanguards can—”

“Nobody can protect me from them,” Al cut him off. “It’s better to get out of their way.

They’re too strong.”

“What did they threaten you with?” Thomas asked, hoping to get through to him.

“It doesn’t matter. Just let it rest, or people will get hurt.”

Thomas sighed. “People have already gotten hurt. Sergio and his mate are dead.”

A gasp echoed through the line. “Fuck! He must have resisted them. But I’m not stupid enough to play hero. Let them have what they want and get out. You can’t stop them.”

“I can and I will! But I need your help. Where can I find them now?”

“I don’t know. And I’d rather keep it that way. It’s safer not knowing.”

“Al—” But the click in the line indicated that Al had disconnected the call.

“Shit!” Thomas cursed. He didn’t have to be a brain surgeon to put two and two together: Kasper’s disciples were behind this. They were the newcomers and they had scared Al into selling and leaving town. They’d tried to do the same to Sergio. Only Sergio hadn’t complied.

Thomas ripped the door open and stalked down to Zane’s office. He had to find the nest of vampires who were forcing the good vampires of the city to leave so they could replace them with their puppets.

At Zane’s office, Thomas rapped his knuckles on the door. “Zane?” Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and saw Zane sliding a silver blade into the sheath strapped to his ankle.