Beloved Fate [Hands of Fate 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  A kind of cold fury settled in Yannis’s gut. “Someone has threatened you, Beloved?”

  “Me? No.” Nikos glanced over his shoulder, his eyes filled with trepidation. “You, yes.”

  “Me? I do not know anyone from this time period except you. Who could be threatening me?” As much as Nikos saw him as a monster, Yannis didn’t believe for an instant that his Beloved would threaten his life. It just wasn’t in Nikos’s personality to do something like that, something so dishonest.

  “Like I said, they are called the Brotherhood. They told me that they have been around since before the dawn of time, that the Brotherhood was created by a group of humans when the Gods of Olympus started placing your kind on the earth to control them. They worked in secret with the goal of killing your kind.”

  Yannis’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “My kind?”

  “Gargoyles.”

  “Is that what they call us now?”

  Nikos’s head snapped around so fast Yannis worried he might have hurt himself. “You know about the Brotherhood?”

  Yannis shrugged indifferently. “There are always people that hate, Nikos. It matters not what they call themselves.”

  “Yannis, they want to kill you.”

  “That is unfortunate but not unexpected.”

  “How can you say that?” Nikos shouted. “They want to kill you, and they want to use me to do it.” Nikos’s pale face drained even more, every last bit of color fading away. “I can’t, Yannis. I can’t kill you.”

  Against his better judgment, but unable to stay away, Yannis walked into Nikos’s bedchambers and over to stand in front of the man. Nikos’s eyes were anguished, tortured, and Yannis couldn’t stand it.

  He reached down and cupped his hand around the side of Nikos’s face, momentarily caught by the fact that his hand covered nearly all of the side of his Beloved’s head. When he glanced down, staring into Nikos’s eyes, the abject sadness in them was such that Yannis knew what he had to do.

  “I will go, Nikos, and they will leave you be.” Yannis swallowed tightly as he moved his fingers, threading them through Nikos’s short, silky hair. “Once I am gone, they will bother you no more and you can forget you ever met me.”

  It killed a part of Yannis’s soul to say those words to his Beloved, but Nikos’s safety came before his own. If leaving his Beloved would keep Nikos safe and give him back some of the sanity he seemed to be losing, Yannis would do it without question.

  “I don’t want you to leave,” Nikos whispered, stilling Yannis’s heart with his words. Nikos’s eyes moved over Yannis’s face as if committing him to memory.

  “You don’t—why not?” Yannis asked, afraid to hope but unable to stop the sudden thudding of his heart. “I thought I was part of the problem.”

  Nikos ripped away from Yannis and started pacing the hardwood floor. “I told you then that I didn’t mean what I said, and I wasn’t lying. Yes, the words might have been in my heart but not in the way that you thought, and certainly not in the way they came out. You just left before I could explain it to you.”

  “Then how did you mean them, Nikos?”

  “After what happened to my parents, I have no reason to trust anything that isn’t human. However, after everything I have learned through the years, I don’t necessarily have reason to trust anything that is human either.”

  “That is a pretty lonely existence, Nikos.”

  “You have no idea,” Nikos snipped. “I’ve spent so much of my life looking for evil that I forgot that good actually existed in the world. It took Althea basically smacking me upside of the head to make me realize that not being human does not mean evil.”

  “She sounds like a very wise woman.”

  “She raised me after my parents were killed.”

  “I would very much like to meet the woman that raised you, Belo—Nikos.”

  Nikos stopped pacing and glanced back at Yannis, his forehead wrinkled with a frown of confusion. “Why do you keep starting to call me Beloved like you did before then stop and call me Nikos?”

  “Nikos is your name, is it not?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “You’ve made it quite clear that you do not wish to be my Beloved.” Yannis folded his hands together in front of him to keep from clenching them into fists or from reaching for Nikos. “As much as it pains me to acknowledge this, I will not go against your wishes.”

  “My wishes…” Nikos let out a short burst of hysterical laughter, quickly covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “You have no idea what my wishes are.”

  Hope clawed at Yannis’s heart again, dragging him closer to an abyss of darkness that only Nikos could pull him back from. He moved closer to Nikos, his steps slow but sure, uncertain yet confident at the same time.

  Yannis made sure he kept his claws retracted as he brushed his knuckles over the soft curve of Nikos’s cheek. “Tell me, Nikos, what is it that you wish?”

  Nikos’s breathing stuttered as he inhaled, his face turning toward Yannis’s hand. “I wish you would call me Beloved again.”

  Nikos’s words were whispered, barely a murmur, and yet they resounded inside of Yannis like the loudest trumpet. He barely dared to hope that they meant what he wanted them to mean, that he wasn’t dreaming somehow, locked in a fantasy of his own making.

  Yannis hesitated to ask his question, but he knew it needed to be asked. The air between them needed to be cleared if they had any chance of going forward from where they were now. “And why do you want me to call you Beloved?”

  Nikos’s eyes closed but not before Yannis saw the aching want deep in their cerulean-blue depths. That was all it took to sway Yannis toward a decision that would either bring him more happiness than meeting the Gods themselves or plunge him into the deepest pits of hell.

  Yannis gripped a handful of Nikos’s hair with one hand and snaked the other one around Nikos’s waist, pulling the gorgeous man into the hard curve of his body. When Nikos’s eyes snapped open, Yannis was staring right down into them. He knew that the lust burning in his eyes left no doubt of what he was about to do.

  “I would claim you again, Beloved.”

  Raw need flared to life in Nikos’s eyes. “Yes.”

  Yannis tightened his grip on Nikos’s hair, giving his head a sharp yank to make sure he had Nikos’s complete attention “If I claim you again, Beloved, I will not release you, ever. You will be mine for all eternity. Even when we take our lasts breaths, we will go to the Elysian Fields together.”

  Yannis was shocked and pleased when Nikos pushed closer to him. “Yes,” Nikos whispered. “Please.”

  Yannis didn’t know if Nikos really meant it or if his lust had overridden his common sense, but he decided to let Nikos’s words speak for themselves. Yannis swung Nikos up into his arms and carried him to the large bed set against the wall across from the balcony doors. He gently laid Nikos down in the middle of the mattress and followed him down, settling between Nikos’s legs.

  Nikos’s cerulean-blue eyes shined like sapphires, big and bright and gleaming with desire so hot that Yannis felt like his very skin was scorched. He trailed his fingers down Nikos’s face to his collarbone. The swift rise and fall of Nikos’s chest as he trailed his hand down the man’s chest was a heady invitation to take things further.

  “You are such a gift, Beloved.”

  Nikos shuddered at his words. Yannis didn’t know if it came from what he said or what he was doing. And he wasn’t sure it mattered. Nikos was back in his arms again, and he was there willingly. Nothing else seemed to be important.

  “The Gods chose the perfect Beloved for me,” Yannis whispered reverently as he smoothed his fingers over the silken skin of Nikos’s chest and abdomen. “No man has ever been more perfectly formed. Aphrodite herself must have had a hand in your creation.”

  “Geez.” Nikos’s face flushed, a nervous little laugh falling from his lips. “When you give compliments, you don’t fool round, do you?”


  “I merely speak the truth, Beloved.”

  “I think you’re high.”

  Yannis frowned and glanced around him. “We are not that high, Beloved. Just a couple of feet off of the—”

  “No, no!” Nikos started laughing. “I didn’t mean…it’s just a saying kind of like ‘you’re crazy.’”

  “I do not believe I am crazy.”

  “No, of course not.” Nikos laughed. “I just…I just…” The smile slid from his face, and he suddenly became sober. “No one has ever looked at me the way you do, Yannis.”

  “I should hope not. I would be very displeased if your affections turned elsewhere.”

  Nikos gave him the strangest look as he slowly shook his head. “I don’t think that will be much of a problem.”

  Yannis would just have to make sure that it didn’t. Protecting Nikos and keeping him happy was going to be a full-time job. He could see that now. He would start by claiming Nikos again, cementing the bond between the two of them.

  “I have much need of you, Beloved, but one day soon you will claim me.”

  Nikos’s eyebrows climbed right up his forehead. “You’d let me do that?”

  “There is nothing more sacred between us than our bond, Nikos, but that can only be achieved through trust and understanding. By giving and taking each other, we insure that one is not more or less than the other.”

  “Who are you?” Nikos whispered.

  “I am Yannis, Beloved of Nikos Papadakos.”

  “That’s how you see yourself?”

  “Am I not your Beloved?”

  “Yes, but—”

  That was all Yannis needed to hear. He swooped down and covered Nikos’s lips with his own, capturing the rest of his words with his mouth. Yannis’s calm was shattered with the hunger building up inside of him.

  The touch of Nikos’s lips against his was a heady sensation that Yannis was now addicted to. He could kiss Nikos for hours on end and never tire of the man’s sweet taste. Nikos moaned and parted his lips, and pleasure radiated outward as Yannis’s tongue swept into the moist, cavernous mouth of his Beloved.

  Yannis closed his eyes as he held his Beloved in his arms. He prayed to the Gods that Nikos wouldn’t refuse him. His wings spanned out, curling around their bodies, cocooning Nikos in his arms.

  He inhaled his Beloved’s scent, the beast inside of him growling low, in a dark, deep secret place that told Yannis their bonding was well on its way. His arms slid down Nikos’s back until his hand rested at Nikos’s waist. The warmth of his Beloved’s flesh was intoxicating.

  “Are you going to claim me again?” Nikos asked nervously.

  “Yes, Beloved,” Yannis answered as his lips grazed softly over his Beloved’s neck, skimming along his throat. His fingers ran over Nikos’s cheek as the man kicked his pajama bottoms free. Once they were gone, Yannis pulled Nikos back into his arms. The heat of their naked flesh finally touching unhindered sent fire through every part of his body.

  His cock swelled against Nikos’s sinewy abdomen, prodding the man’s flesh as Yannis tilted his Beloved’s head back, capturing his lips. The world around Yannis faded as he surrendered to Nikos completely. His doubts and reservations were gone, replaced by contentment and peace.

  His Beloved was in his arms again, and Yannis never planned on letting Nikos go.

  Nikos pulled away, looking up at Yannis with those liquid cerulean-blue eyes that had the ability to make Yannis’s heart stop beating. They had grown darker with desire as his pink tongue slid across his bottom lip.

  “How does a gargoyle claim his Beloved?”

  “With all that is within him,” Yannis replied as his hands smoothed down Nikos’s skin until they cupped his flared cheeks. Nikos’s head fell back as his eyes began to close, a moan rumbling from his lips, showing Yannis how well Nikos would respond to his touch when he took him.

  “You are a beautiful creature,” he said as his knuckles ghosted over Nikos’s throat. Dipping his head, Yannis ran his tongue over Nikos’s lips and then slid his tongue into the warm heat of Nikos’s mouth.

  Nikos’s arms reached up and snaked around Yannis’s neck as he opened wider. Yannis was desperate to make sure Nikos was pleasured in every possible way. He pulled Nikos harder to his chest, his Beloved instinctively wrapping his legs around Yannis’s waist. The feel of Nikos’s ass resting on his cock had Yannis growing impossibly harder.

  “Claim me, Yannis,” Nikos shamelessly begged as he pulled his kiss-swollen lips away from Yannis.

  “Anything my Beloved wants.” Yannis, with his wings still wrapped around Nikos, ran the tips of his fangs over Nikos’s throat.

  “You want to bite me again,” Nikos stated.

  “I do too,” Yannis agreed.

  A growl ripped from him when Nikos tilted his head back, willingly giving Yannis the precious gift of his blood. He reined in his instincts to pin Nikos down and drink until sated. Nikos was giving himself freely. There was no need.

  “Take it,” Nikos said as he swallowed. “Drink from me.”

  Yannis licked a path with his tongue from Nikos’s collarbone to his jaw, teasing his Beloved’s skin instead of biting. This was not something he cared to rush. This was their mating. Yannis would take his time and explore Nikos, giving him the ultimate pleasure.

  Their breath mingled as Yannis stole a few light kisses before trailing down Nikos’s shadowed jaw. The rasp of Nikos’s whiskers scraped Yannis’s lips before his tongue continued down Nikos’s smooth neck, his fingers ghosting over Nikos’s shoulders, the pads feeling Nikos’s flesh raise in goose bumps.

  Nikos’s fingers grabbed Yannis’s hair, curling into the long, ink-black strands and tugging as he whimpered. Yannis trailed his lips over Nikos’s chest, barely touching flesh, just taking in the overwhelming scent, pulling it into his lungs where it soaked into his very being.

  Yannis pressed his hands into the mattress, keeping his weight off of Nikos as his tongue snaked out, circling around the brownish-pink nipple. His tongue flicked over the tight peak, feeling the nub grow tighter as the cool air touched the wet skin.

  “Please,” Nikos begged, his voice raspy and raw.

  Yannis closed his teeth over the peak, rolling it around before he kissed the moist flesh and then moved to the other. His beast was at the surface, his fangs razor sharp as he nicked Nikos’s flesh over his heart and then ran the tip of his tongue over the sweet nectar.

  Sweat broke out on Yannis’s body as his limbs shook. Taking his time, savoring his Beloved’s body took every ounce of self-control he possessed. Nikos truly was a gift from the Gods. His body was giving, soft, and tasted like pure ambrosia.

  He closed his lips over Nikos’s side, laying small, light kisses over his heated flesh as Yannis worked his way down the smooth and firm body. Nikos shuddered under him, his hips grinding into Yannis’s.

  As he took Nikos’s hot, thick cock into his mouth, his wings shot out, fluttering and fanning, shielding them from the outside world.

  “Y–your wings,” Nikos stuttered and groaned as Yannis’s tongue ran the length of his engorged cock. “S–so beautiful, Yannis.”

  Yannis swallowed Nikos’s cock and then pulled back, his hands landing on Nikos’s thighs, spreading them apart as he gazed down at the man’s beautiful body. He ran his tongue up one thigh and then down the other, leaving behind a trail of moisture before he straightened. Running his fingers over the pre-cum that was leaking from his body, Yannis used it as lubricant, his fingers circling Nikos’s hole, and then he sunk two fingers deep.

  “Yannis,” Nikos groaned as his head rolled back, his eyelids fluttering.

  Yannis leaned forward, sucking the flesh at Nikos’s throat into his mouth as his tongue laved over the soft skin. The heady combination of Nikos’s scented arousal and the smell of his blood drove Yannis’s beast to the brink.

  He needed desperately to taste Nikos, to drink from him. Yannis couldn’t hold out any longer as his fangs ached to sink
into Nikos’s soft flesh. In one fluid motion, Yannis removed his fingers, bit into Nikos’s jugular, and thrust his cock deep into the man’s body.

  “Uh,” Nikos grunted loudly as Yannis took him, drank from him, and fell to his Beloved’s desires all at the same time.

  An erotic possession took over as Yannis circled his arms around Nikos’s body, holding him close as he slid his cock in and out of Nikos’s tight grip. It felt like a tight fist was wrapped around his shaft as Yannis pulled in mouthfuls of Nikos’s sweet-tasting blood.

  As he pulled his fangs free and licked the wound, he saw his creation, along with Nikos’s birth over a thousand years later. Their two lives raced alongside each other at the speed of light as they played out until they crashed and intertwined, forever binding them together.

  Nikos gasped as he reared his head back. “Beloved.”

  “Yes,” Yannis said with joy as he rolled, placing Nikos atop him, his wings wrapping around them to create a private veil as Yannis thrust his hips, driving his cock deep into Nikos’s ass. He used one sharp claw to cut a line over his heart, and then he hoped and waited.

  Nikos gazed down at him, breathing harshly through his nose, the skin between his eyes wrinkled and the bottom of his eyes pushed upward until Nikos’s eyes were almost closed. The possessive expression on Nikos’s face could not only be seen, but felt.

  His nostrils flared as his lips thinned. The white around his cerulean-blue eyes was colored bloodshot as moisture built, threatening to spill. Nikos fell forward, sinking his blunt teeth into Yannis’s skin, claiming him.

  Yannis shouted as his release exploded, bathing his mate’s silky channel, completing the claiming as Nikos’s cum erupted between them. “Mine,” Yannis growled possessively as he cupped Nikos’s face. “You are my Beloved.”

  The tears finally fell as Nikos nodded. “As you are mine.”

  Chapter 6

  Nikos rested his head on his hand as watched Yannis’s chest rise and fall as he breathed. Even sleeping, he was amazing. Nikos knew something seriously profound had happened between them. Even if he didn’t fully believe in Gods and Goddesses, he believed that Yannis believed in them.