Welcome to Day 26!

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Chapter One

Lying in bed, Randall Stewart watched his lover, Sasha Baros, slide on a pair of sexy leather pants.

“Are you sure we have to go?” He winced at the whine in his voice even before Sasha flashed Randy a glare, his light blue eyes expressing his disapproval.

“I thought you’d enjoy receiving my collar on what is considered our most sacred day. There couldn’t be a more perfect time for us to proclaim our bond.”

“I-I do. I mean, I am. I mean, I do want to celebrate our bond,” Randy said, stumbling over his answer. Never had he expected Sasha to see his reluctance to go to the ceremony as a reflection of Randy’s feelings about being collared. How could he explain to this supremely confident man that being the focus of a room full of supernatural creatures made him extremely nervous? He doubted Sasha ever had a single attack of nerves in his long life.

Sasha climbed back onto the bed and crawled across the mattress until he crouched above Randy. Randy gave a moan as his cock hardened from Sasha’s proximity. Damn thing practically performed on command these days.

“No matter what happens, I’m not letting you go.” The rock hard confidence in Sasha’s voice settled Randy’s jangling nerves. “I don’t care what any other vampire, human or werekin says. You are the one for me.”

Randy melted beneath his lover’s certainty. Deep down he knew he belonged to Sasha, even if some days he worried he wouldn’t be able to keep the vampire satisfied through centuries of life. Hell, before meeting the dominating man, he’d barely been able to keep a guy interested in a second date.

A hard kiss from Sasha’s hot, possessive mouth provided the further reassurance he needed.

“Don’t be foolish, my sun. There is nothing to worry about. This is Samhain, the most sacred day for vampires. The only day of the year we can communicate with our dead to receive advice and prophecy.” Sasha made it sound like a positive thing, but frankly, the whole idea creeped Randy out.

He couldn’t think of a single reason he wanted to talk to the dead, but one look at his lover’s expression, and he knew he had to go. It would look bad if Sasha’s pet didn’t attend, especially since the vampire had announced the upcoming ceremony to give Randy his collar. As it was, Sasha choosing a mere human as his permanent mate had more than one vampire doubting the wisdom of their leader’s choice.

“Having the opportunity to talk to ghosts doesn’t really make me want to go,” Randy confessed.

Sasha’s pale eyes glowed with amusement. “Am I going to have to drag you to the ceremony naked?” He slid off the bed and flipped back the covers. “I don’t have any objection to your bare skin, however all the people I’ll have to kill for seeing your naked body might bother you. As a future doctor, aren’t you supposed to do your best to save lives?”

Randy shrugged. “It would give you more people to talk to on the other side. I’m just doing my part for the ceremony.” He gave Sasha an innocent look through his lashes, knowing that particular expression excited his lover.

With a growl, the vampire crawled back up on the bed and pressed his larger frame onto Randy’s. Sasha hadn’t put on a shirt, and Randy gasped as their bare chests brushed together.

Bingo!

Sasha nipped at Randy’s neck. He barely paid attention to his lover’s words as the vampire nuzzled and nipped at his flesh.

“Oh, right there,” he murmured.

Sasha chuckled against Randy’s throat, sending shivers throughout Randy’s body. A second later, a smacking kiss on his lips told Randy their interlude was over. Sasha slid off the bed again.

“You worry too much, my love. It’s not as if you have to speak to the spirits yourself. You don’t have that skill. It takes many years of training and an inherent ability for magic to talk to the dead. I’ve invited a well-known necromancer to act as the facilitator. She’s the only one who will actually be able to communicate with the spirits. Now get your cute ass dressed in the outfit I bought you.“

Randy sighed and climbed off the bed to stand next to Sasha. His new outfit was one of the many reasons he didn’t want to go. He couldn’t seem to find the right words to convince Sasha that he wasn’t the type to successfully pull off the leather pants look. Unlike the gorgeous vampire standing before him, he didn’t exude sex appeal. He was just Randall Stewart, an awkward medical student lucky enough to have the sexiest man on the planet as his mate.

“That’s not true, my love.” Sasha leaned forward and placed a soft kiss behind Randy’s ear, which immediately sent tingles up and down his spine. He made a soft sound as he melted against his vampire. Sasha wrapped his arms around Randy, easily supporting his weight. “I think you are the sexiest man on the planet.”

Randy sighed. He craved Sasha like a drug. Every morning, he forced himself to get out of bed and leave Sasha’s side. Each time the act took more effort. If he didn’t want to be a doctor so badly, he’d stay snuggled next to his vampire mate, forever.

“Tempting, but then we’d miss the ceremony,” Sasha responded.

“That was kind of the point.” Randy smiled.

Sasha smacked Randy’s ass. “Get dressed.”

He made sure Sasha saw his pout before he crammed his body into the tight leather pants and slid the zipper up with special care. The unforgiving fit didn’t allow space for underwear.

Looking up, he caught Sasha licking his lips. “Forget about it,” he warned. “I’m not getting out of these pants until after the ceremony, and even then, it might take a shoe horn and two of your strongest guards.”

Sasha laughed. The vampire smiled more these days, especially after Randy had permanently moved in with him. Sasha claimed it was because he’d found his mate. Smooth talker.

The ruby flashed on Randy’s finger as he slipped on his shirt and fiddled with the buttons. He paused to admire the thick chunky jewelry. He’d tried to return it several times after finding out it had belonged to Sasha’s father. However, his lover only took it back to have it resized before sliding it onto Randy’s finger again.

He’d given up. He realized he couldn’t out-stubborn a vampire. They had all the time in the world to argue. He yanked on his favorite boots. They were comfortable and turned Sasha on whenever he wore them. Something about giving him a badass edge.

“Come, pet, let’s show everyone how beautiful you are.”

Randy rolled his eyes as he followed his mate out of their rooms.

Yeah, he was the beautiful one. He shook his head at Sasha’s blindness.

“I can hear your thoughts, my sun.”

Randy resisted the urge to laugh. As long as Sasha found him attractive, that was the important thing.

“I am the envy of my clan,” Sasha insisted. “No one has a lover as smart and as wonderful as mine.”

“Not that you’re biased or anything.” Randy gave a snort of laughter. No one could persuade Sasha that Randy was less than perfect, even though several people had tried. He’d heard them in the club as they pretended he didn’t exist and tried to sweet talk their way into his lover’s bed. Although it annoyed Randy, he didn’t feel threatened. If Sasha didn’t want Randy anymore, he’d tell him, but he wouldn’t do it by taking someone else to his bed.

As they stepped out into the hall, Randy’s shoulders started to itch. “Do they have to follow me everywhere?”

“Who?” Sasha didn’t even turn to acknowledge his sulky question.

“The fae you have stalking me. Just because they’re invisible doesn’t mean I can’t feel them.”

Sasha stopped and turned to stare at Randy. Randy shifted uncomfortably beneath his searching gaze.

“Have you always been able to sense your guards?”

Randy shook his head. “Only the past few weeks.” Believing it was his connection with Sasha that heightened his senses, Randy hadn’t bothered mentioning it before. Based on Sasha’s expression, perhaps he’d been wrong.

“We didn’t know you could feel us.”

The fae materialized in the hallway and gave Randy the same searching gaze his mate had just gifted him with. The fae guards, Rael and Vallin, towered over Randy as their transparent wings glowed under the dim lights.

“I didn’t used to be able to, but the last few weeks I can tell if you’re around.”

“We will revisit this development after the ceremony,” Sasha said. He wrapped an arm around Randy, pulled him closer and away from the fae, only to have a white wolf trot up to them.

“Hey, Dustin, you coming to the ceremony?” Randy asked the shifter.

The wolf barked.

“Cute.” Sasha glared at the wolf. “You know the only reason I’m letting you attend is because you are the protector of my sun.” He turned to the fae. “You two might as well go home. You won’t be needed. There are enough vampires to protect my lover without your help.”

“As you wish.” Vallin bowed before vanishing, as did Rael. Randy frowned at the empty space. His back still twitched madly. The fae hadn’t left despite their agreement, but if they wanted to attend the Samhain spooky celebration, who was he to rat them out? Sasha had made an agreement with the Unseelie to watch over Randy, but the vampire couldn’t really control them. The fae were a wild breed and always did as they wished. As long as they stayed within the guidelines of their contract, Sasha didn’t complain.

Shaking his head at the two men so they knew he was aware of their presence, Randy followed Sasha out of the club and into the building next door. Apparently, really big ceremonies now took place there. This was Randy’s first time at the warehouse Sasha had renovated. His lover had wanted it to be a surprise. The construction crew had barely finished two days before the scheduled ceremony. They cut the timeline so close Randy thought Sasha was going to have kittens—big saber-toothed ones that spit flames and possibly bit off the heads of tardy construction workers.

Sasha opened the door for Randy and Dustin to pass through, taking the lead again once they all entered. Randy’s booted feet immediately sank into the soft wool rugs covering the floor. Dozens of elegant chairs, couches and tables littered the cavernous interior, and most of them contained a vampire or two. Some sat with their human pets by their chairs, others sat alone.

All the furniture looked antique, as did the elaborate chandeliers hanging from the rafters. Only the open beams above him and the sheer size of the space told Randy this had once been a warehouse. The entire building looked rich, elegant and over-the-top luxurious. It suited Sasha perfectly. Randy played with the ruby on his finger as he followed his mate across the floor.

Looking around, he noticed someone had pulled a group of chairs into a circle leaving an exposed piece of flooring in the middle. Within that circle was another one created with what looked like salt.

Why salt?

Sasha turned to Randy, wrapped his arm around Randy’s waist, and pulled him closer. “We need to contain the spirits once we call them. With the salt circle, we can communicate with the dead without setting them free.”

Randy nodded as if it was perfectly acceptable to want to talk to dead people. He preferred his dead to stay dead and gone, thank you very much. He stuck by his initial assessment of the ceremony—creepy.

Sasha greeted people as they passed, never letting go of Randy the entire time. Randy jumped when a brush of fur slid across his fingers, startling him for a moment. He’d forgotten the shifter had tagged along. With a relieved sigh, he sank his fingers into the wolf’s thick coat. Being kidnapped together had made them close friends. Randy knew Dustin had only come to the ceremony to calm Randy’s nerves and for support, not because the shifter really wanted or needed to attend.

Randy scanned the room quickly, careful to avoid meeting any vampire’s eyes and risk offending someone. He didn’t see Dustin’s mate, Lewis. Since their abduction, the beta of Dustin’s pack had made it his goal to stick close to the smaller wolf shifter. It made for some interesting encounters. Dustin wasn’t particularly happy with the attention, or at least, he pretended not to be. However, Randy had caught Dustin giving Lewis wistful glances when the other man wasn’t looking. He still hadn’t asked Dustin the details of their history. From the few encounters he’d witnessed between them, he could see Dustin couldn’t or wouldn’t get past it to pursue their relationship.

Sasha took his seat in the largest chair in the circle and pointed to the purple velvet-covered pillow by his side. That was one thing Randy still hadn’t gotten used to yet. Vampires considered humans pets, and, as such, seated them on pillows on the floor. Although Randy knew Sasha considered him more of a partner than a possession, it would reflect poorly on Sasha to break tradition and have a human sit beside him in a chair.

Randy didn’t mind too much, and he hated to make waves. Besides, they rarely attended formal events, and when they were alone, Randy sat on the furniture like anyone else. Randy settled on his knees beside Sasha’s chair without comment. He let out a sigh when Sasha sank his fingers into his hair and stroked his head.

“Is everything prepared?” Sasha asked Tian, his right-hand man, as he approached. Dressed entirely in black with his silver hair pulled up and away from his face, the elegant vampire looked sterner than usual. Tian was one of the few vampires, besides Liam, Randy felt comfortable around. The others always looked at him as if wondering if he could become their next meal. Sasha’s bragging about the divine flavor of Randy’s blood didn’t help his nervousness either. He missed Liam. The man’s sense of humor would’ve helped settle Randy’s nerves, but the vampire had gone out of town to visit friends and was celebrating Samhain with them.

Tian raised a brow. “The necromancer is already here.” He beckoned to someone behind him. A figure in black separated from the shadows on the wall and approached. Randy hadn’t seen her when they first entered the building, and from her appearance, he could see why.

Her entire outfit was as black as the night sky while her shadow-colored hair fell to her waist and emphasized her ghost-pale skin. The gaze she turned toward Randy made his stomach churn. Her eyes were entirely black with no whites at all. Spooky. So far, nothing had changed his expectations about this night. It had all the hallmarks of a horror story.

Sasha stood and slid a hand beneath Randy’s arm to help him up also. After making sure Randy was steady on his feet, Sasha faced the necromancer.

With a graceful bow, Sasha took her hand and lifted it to his lips.

“So nice to see you again, Stella.”

The necromancer gave him a cool smile. “Always a delight, Sasha.”

Sasha released her hand and wrapped an arm around Randy’s waist in a show of possessiveness. “This is my mate, Randall Stewart. Randy, this is Stella Nallen, one of the foremost necromancers in the country.”

“Nice to meet you.” Randy gave a polite smile but didn’t offer his hand. Sasha didn’t like it when strangers touched him.

The necromancer took in Sasha’s protective stance and gave Randy a short bow of acknowledgement before turning back to Sasha. “I am ready whenever you are.”

“Excellent.”

Sasha lifted a hand, and the crowd fell silent. “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming to celebrate Samhain with us. We are delighted to have Stella Nallen to assist with our celebration this evening. If you want to speak to a particular spirit, please come sit in one of the chairs by the salt circle, and Stella will take your requests when she is ready. We will begin soon.”

Randy peeked at the necromancer from beneath his lashes. He’d learned not to look at vampires directly. They either took direct eye contact as a challenge or an invitation. Were necromancers vampires? He didn’t know anything about necromancers, and from her appearance, he didn’t wish to learn more.

She fiddled with something in her hand as she moved around the circle. Randy noticed her sending him looks from time to time. Finally, Sasha spoke up.

“Is there a problem?” Sasha asked, his voice cool and firm.

“I was looking at your pet. He’s a vibrant creature, isn’t he?”

“Yes. Randy is my sun.”

“Oh, I hadn’t heard.” Surprise laced the necromancer’s voice along with something else, maybe a touch of envy.

“I am very lucky,” Sasha purred. Sasha never resisted the temptation to point out how wonderful he found Randy. Sometimes, it became embarrassing.

“I had hoped you’d share your boy, but I see now that is out of the question.” Randy hoped he hid his relief. He didn’t want to offend, but the thought of her touching him made Randy want to throw up.

“No. I don’t share Randy, ever.” Sasha’s tone left no room for any misunderstanding.

The necromancer sighed. “I figured not. Never mind. I’ll find someone else to help open the ceremony.”

Confused, Randy spoke up. “What did you need me for?”

“I use a drop of human blood to spark the circle and activate the protection shield. Vampire blood doesn’t have enough life essence.”

“How do you get at it?” He shuddered at the thought of her mouth coming anywhere near him.

She held up a pocketknife she’d concealed in her hand.

Randy took a deep breath. “I can do that.” By volunteering, he hoped Sasha would at least feel Randy wanted to participate in the ceremony. Well, the leather pants should’ve really been concession enough, but Samhain was important to Sasha, and Randy didn’t want to put a damper on his vampire’s spooky bonding with spirits. He had years of enduring this day ahead of him. He’d best begin how he planned to continue. Even though vampires as a whole considered Randy the lesser of their pairing, he knew Sasha wanted them to be as equal as possible. Part of that equality consisted of Randy manning up and taking on some responsibility. This looked like a good place to start.

“Are you sure?” Sasha gripped Randy’s chin and forced him to look into the vampire’s eyes. “You don’t have to, my love.”

Sasha’s concerned expression melted Randy’s heart.

“I want to do this for you,” he insisted.

The brilliant smile he received told Randy he’d made the right decision. “Very well, but I will be the one who deprives you of your drop of blood.”

Randy looked down quickly so Sasha didn’t see his smile. Although he donated blood to Sasha all the time, his vampire lover obsessed over every drop.

Sasha looked over at Nallen. “Are you ready?”

Nallen pulled a long red crystal out of her pocket. Randy whimsically thought it looked like a wand. Muttering some sort of gibberish he didn’t understand, Stella held the crystal above the salt circle. The stone made a soft hum and glowed like trapped fire.

“I’m ready when you are.”

Sasha took Randy’s hand and held it to his mouth. A fang slid out of the vampire’s gums and sliced through Randy’s fingertip. He sucked in his breath at the sting. When Sasha bit his neck, it was all pheromones, sex, and orgasm. Biting his finger actually hurt. Holding Randy’s hand over the circle, Sasha squeezed until two drops fell upon the salt.

Ouch!

Nallen muttered a few more words, and a soft whooshing sound filled the air. Red flames lit the circle, flashing up six feet before settling down to a low two-foot barrier.

“Wow,” he whispered, looking at the glowing lights. If he didn’t know they’d made it to keep spirits inside, Randy would’ve thought it a pretty sight. As it was, he tensed at the thought of a circle filled with ghosts.

“Easy, my lover. You’ll be perfectly safe,” Sasha said in a low voice right into Randy’s ear. He doubted anyone else could hear the vampire.

Nallen gave Randy an appraising look. “I should take you with me everywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a strong circle before.”

Sasha held up Randy’s finger and licked the wound. It stopped bleeding immediately as the wound vanished. He wrapped a protective arm around Randy before addressing the necromancer.

“Then consider yourself lucky to have this one time. My lover isn’t available for lease.”

Randy turned his head again to hide his smile. Sasha didn’t know the meaning of subtle. Looking around, he noticed Dustin had settled at the back of the room to guard the door. No one was going to sneak into the warehouse with the guard wolf on duty. Not to mention, the itching hadn’t left Randy’s back. The fae had to be close. He wondered if they’d come to speak to one of their own. After all, he didn’t know much about Unseelie beliefs in the afterlife. He turned his attention back to the necromancer as she spoke to the empty circle.

“People of the Otherworld, I beseech you to come and speak with us. To communicate with the ones you’ve left behind. To share with us your knowledge and answer the questions that plague the living.”

Randy’s mouth dried in terror as misty forms drifted out of the floor. The spirits oozed from its depths like a monster rising out of the sea. Randy forgot how to breathe.

Oh, fuck.

Sasha pulled him closer. “Be calm, my sun. They mean you no harm.”

“Uh huh.” Why did he not believe that? He needed to get the hell out of there, but his feet were frozen to the floor like heavy blocks of ice. As the mist started to separate and form into bodies, Randy’s fear escalated. His hands trembled, and his spine turned to a mass of jelly.

Surely, no one would notice if he broke free and slunk out of the warehouse. Well, no one besides Sasha. He was almost positive his lover would eventually relent and give him his collar anyway, probably, maybe. Hell, he wasn’t sure he even cared at this point if it meant getting away from the spirits forming in the circle.

One face in particular caught his attention, probably because of its eerie resemblance to Randy’s father. For a brief moment, he felt an insane urge to call his mother to find out if his father was still among the living. Surely, she would’ve called Randy if he’d died. He might not see eye to eye on everything with his parents, but they hadn’t completely abandoned him. It wasn’t until the man became clearer and wings formed on his back that Randy realized this wasn’t his farmer dad. The man stood proud and strong, his body growing more and more real before Randy’s fascinated gaze until only a faint silver glow identified him as a spirit instead of one of the living. A crown perched on the man’s head, a subtle circlet proclaiming him someone important. Someone used to having others do his bidding.

Only the wings stopped Randy from proclaiming the man kin. Well, the wings and the fact that the dead king scared the piss out of him. When their eyes met, he gave a gasp, letting out the breath he’d unintentionally held in when the spirits began to arrive.

Randy heard people muttering around him, but it sounded more like a sea of noise than identifiable words. The room spun slightly but steadied when Sasha pulled Randy closer to his side.

“Easy, love.”

Randy straightened. He wasn’t a too-stupid-to-live heroine who needed her strong man to rescue her. Shaking his head at his idiocy, he pulled slightly away from his lover, giving Sasha a reassuring nod he didn’t entirely feel. He also emptied his thoughts so his friendly neighborhood vampire mind reader wouldn’t know he was completely freaked out. Sasha had enough to deal with without his lover having a meltdown. Like he kept telling his parents, Randy was now an adult, and it was time to act like one.

His gaze dragged back to the spirit of the king, oddly fascinated by the dead man. Even though dozens of others floated past, Randy didn’t pay them any attention. His analytical mind tried to determine who the man might have been while living, and how long ago he’d died. The fae lived for centuries, but according to his bodyguards, they weren’t always the most current dressers at court. That placed the man’s death anywhere between hundreds of years to today.

Sasha spoke, breaking into his thoughts. “I’ve got to go deal with idiots fighting over who goes first. Will you be all right by yourself?”

“Of course.”

Nope. Not in the least.

As Sasha smiled at him, Randy realized how far he’d come in blocking his lover’s mind reading.

“I’ll be fine,” he insisted when it looked as if Sasha wasn’t going to move from his side.

He watched with amusement as Sasha beckoned Dustin from his post by the door. The wolf walked up and gave Sasha a puppy dog head tilt. Randy snickered. Dustin could speak into a person’s mind if he felt inclined, but most of the time, he made other people work for it.

“Watch my mate!” Sasha demanded. With a kiss on Randy’s forehead and a nod to the shifter, Sasha left the pair.

“I guess it’s you and me. You can guard me against psycho spirits, and I’ll keep an eye out for Lewis.”

Dustin gave a soft disparaging snort, quite expressive for a canine.

The wolf pack’s beta made a habit out of surprising Dustin with his presence, whether Dustin wanted him around or not. They were supposedly mates, but Dustin fought the bonding to keep his autonomy. Randy sort of understood the stubborn werekin’s point of view, but he never said it out loud. He didn’t want to be fodder for one of the shifters’ famous arguments.

The house vamps had a pool going on how long it would take Dustin to give in. So far, Randy had refused all offers to enter his stake. He thought it was bad karma to bet on other people’s relationships, and negative energy had a way of biting you in the ass. He gave Dustin a friendly pat before looking back toward the circle.

“Damn, I have to remember to stop doing that,” he muttered.

Since Dustin had acted as Randy’s pet when they’d first met, he still had the tendency to pet the shifter or scratch him behind the ears. Dustin didn’t mind, but Randy knew both of their mates certainly did. Although it was Sasha’s fault Randy occasionally still thought of Dustin as a pet, he didn’t want to anger Lewis and start a shifter-vampire war.

Randy gave a start as he looked back to find the spirit king’s eyes on him. With an eerie smile, the king brushed past the others and floated to stand in front of Randy. Only the glowing circle gave Randy any sense of protection against the ghost who stood as close as possible to the bordering flames.

“Good evening, child of mine.”

Randy jerked back, startled at the voice in his head. “I’m not your child,” Randy replied stepping away from the circle, certain it was the man before him talking.

“Not directly, but you are definitely one of my descendants.” He tilted his head as he examined Randy. “Mostly watered-down human, but not without redemption.”

Randy took a step back, almost certain he didn’t wish to be redeemed, especially not if it meant coming to the attention of the crowned spirit. Looking around, he saw the necromancer on the other side of the circle, paying no attention to him. She’d be no help.

He turned to seek out Sasha.

His lover stood between two vamps who glared at each other, each looking ready to rip the other’s throat out. Randy sighed. His mate would be no help.

“Is there a problem?” The necromancer drifted forward, her feet hidden by the long dress she wore. For a moment, he felt a mad urge to see if she actually had feet.

“You’re sure they can’t get out of there?” Randy asked with an eye on the spirits.

“Of course, I’m sure.” She turned to the spirits with a proud expression on her face. Randy could tell she liked her job, but then if your job entailed raising the dead, there were probably few perks. She gave Randy what she probably thought was a friendly smile, but it made an iceberg lodge in his chest. “If you tell me your question, I can pose it to the spirits.”

“Um, why can’t I talk to them myself?” Randy wondered if he’d committed some sort of supernatural faux pas by talking to the king. Was it bad manners to talk to them directly?

Stella laughed, a surprisingly appealing sound from such a scary-looking woman. “Because only necromancers can talk to spirits.” She patted him on the shoulder like a not-too-bright child. Dustin growled and bared his teeth.

The necromancer snatched her hand back. “Sasha does keep you on a tight leash, doesn’t he?”

“Yep.”

Randy had no problem being watched over. He’d already been captured once, and Ustin, Sasha’s psychotic brother, still hadn’t been found. If Sasha wanted Randy guarded, he didn’t have any objections at all.

“She’s an idiot.” The fae king’s dry voice made Randy hold back a snort of laughter. There really wasn’t anything funny about the situation, since apparently, he wasn’t supposed to understand the ghosts.

The necromancer turned her freaky eyes toward the spirits. She must have said something to the king telepathically, but Randall only heard the king’s reply.

“Or what?” the fae king taunted.

Randy didn’t particularly like the king’s spirit, but the ghost did have a point. What could she do?

The king laughed at something the necromancer said. Randy thought the spirit was going to rat him out as the ghost glanced over at him.

At that moment, Sasha returned to Randy’s side.

“Miss me?” he asked.

“Of course.” Usually Randy would’ve teased Sasha, but with the ghost and necromancer looking on, he really had missed the presence of his lover. Sasha made him feel safe.

Stella broke into Randy’s thoughts. “Are you ready to speak to the spirits, dear Sasha?”

Sasha nodded and, with his arm around Randy, turned to address the crowd. “Thank you to everyone for coming today. After you’ve had a chance to commune with your spirits, I hope you’ll stay and watch the bonding between my pet and myself.”

A warm glow filled Randy as he saw the adoration in Sasha’s eyes.

“Aww, isn’t he cute?” Randy ignored the dead king’s sarcastic tone and smiled at his lover. As much as he wanted to receive Sasha’s collar, he really wanted to get the hell out of the freaky building with its scary ghost circle.

Sasha rubbed Randy’s back as if he knew Randy’s nerves were shot. “In a few hours, we can be out of here and enjoy our newly sanctioned relationship together.”

Randy knew he would clutch onto those words to get through the evening.