This one is the 6th book in my Instincts series. I absolutely loved getting back to my Instincts vamps and working with them again. This one felt a bit like getting back to my roots with having Daniel and Ryunosuke, two of the original characters from Natural Instincts and Enduring Instincts, in the lead roles. And of course, with Daniel and Ryu leading the way, that means some other familiar faces will be seen too ;-)
For sharing a sneak peek, I took a bit out of Chapter 2. This excerpt gives some hints as to the conflict that'll be happening in the story.
My deepest gratitude to everyone who has stuck with the Instincts series this far. And my appreciation to everyone who's picking it up for the first time. I hope all will enjoy hanging out with my Instincts vampires!
Blurb
Daniel Valente and Ryunosuke Kimura
knew each other for centuries, and when Daniel saw the love Ryu had for him and
how it had endured for lifetimes, their lives became forever entwined. In
recognizing that love, the two vampires became eternal partners, those with a
bond deep and unbreakable.
They’re living in peace and happiness,
until a call comes inviting Ryunosuke to interview for the Tribunal, the ruling
body of vampire society. Both Daniel and Ryu know everything is about to change.
Danger will come with the position and the greatest threat may be from one of
the Tribunal members. Daniel and Ryunosuke’s protective instincts are strong,
their love even stronger, but when old grudges demand retribution, will those
instincts be enough to keep each other safe?
Excerpt:
Incessant
chiming roused Daniel. He growled low in his throat. “Who the bloody hell is
calling?”
Ryunosuke
slapped his hand down on the nightstand. His voice, tinted with a Japanese
accent, left him rough and deep with sleep. “Someone who’s not going to be
happy when I answer.” The chiming stopped before Ryu managed to smack a hand
down on the phone. He picked it up, holding it above his face as he rubbed one
eye and looked up at the name on his screen…Titus. “It was Cal.”
“Figures.
Just because he’s up at an unholy hour, he feels everyone else should be, too.”
Ryunosuke
chuckled softly. “It’s three o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Either
way, he should be more considerate that we may still be in bed.”
“But
to be fair to him, that could be at any time with us and we have been in bed all day.”
Lying
on his stomach, Daniel propped himself up on his elbows. He lowered his head,
placing a kiss on Ryunosuke’s smooth chest. “And what a glorious day it’s
been.”
Daniel
curled his fingers over the top of the burgundy silk sheet and plush comforter,
sliding both lower to reveal more of Ryu’s muscular torso. He willed his nails
to shift to claws and dragged the pointed tip of his index down the center of
Ryu’s chest ever so lightly, going toward the hard abs. His touch earned him a
pleasure-filled moan from Ryunosuke.
Daniel
flicked his gaze up to Ryu’s face. Ryunosuke had his eyes closed, his head
tipped back slightly on the pillow making the veins in his neck press closer to
the surface of his skin. On the left side, over one thick vein, were two
puncture marks from when he’d fed from Ryunosuke a few hours earlier. The marks
were already fading, the healing quality of his saliva making it so the marks
would soon be gone completely, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d mark Ryu
again.
His
samurai. His protector. His partner and love.
Even
when he didn’t realize it, Ryu had always been there for him. And when he did
realize it, when he opened his heart to the enduring love that had always been
there, he found himself consumed by it. He’d lived for centuries and only now
with his eternal partner, could he say he’d found true happiness.
Daniel
caressed Ryunosuke’s cheek. He moved his hand down to Ryu’s ebony hair, fanned
across the pillow. He curled a strand around his finger, then let it slowly
slide off to lay on Ryunosuke’s chest. Ryu usually wore it bound in a long
ponytail, but he loved when Ryu wore it down, especially when Ryu was on top of
him and that silken hair would fall forward to brush along his cheek and neck.
Ryunosuke
slowly opened his eyes, their color so dark they were nearly black, and met
Daniel’s gaze. He laid his hand over Daniel’s. “I love it when you look at me
like that.”
Daniel
folded his arms on Ryunosuke’s chest and rested his chin on them. “I’m not sure
how I’m looking at you, but I know what I’m feeling when I do.”
“What
you’re feeling comes through in your eyes.” Ryunosuke ran a hand over Daniel’s
hair. “That’s why I love it.”
Daniel
took a breath to respond, pausing when the chiming of Ryunosuke’s phone
interrupted. “Let me guess. Cal again.”
Ryunosuke
held up his phone for Daniel to see the screen. “You may be the first vampire
who really does have telepathic abilities.”
“No,
his impatience is predictable.” Daniel snatched the phone from Ryu’s hand.
“I’ll handle this.”
“I’m
not sure—”
Daniel
accepted the call and put the phone to his ear. “Cal, darling, to what do I owe
the pleasure of you calling?”
Titus’s
deep baritone voice, colored with annoyance, came through the phone. “You owe
it to nothing. I was calling Ryu’s phone. Not yours.”
“What
a rude little bugger you are. First calling and disrupting us in bed, then
saying such a thing. It’s amazing my manners are as impeccable as they are with
having you for a master.”
Titus
snorted. “Yes, you’re a real charm school graduate. And all you two do is lie
in bed. It’s time for Ryu to get his ass up and do something useful. Give him
the phone.”
“As
much as I would love to do that, we’re about to become otherwise engaged. If
you could call back this evening, that’d be lovely.”
Titus’s
voice shifted to a growling tone. “Daniel. Put Ryu on the phone.”
“Now
that’s not a very pleasant tone of voice. I think I’m going to let you go until
you decide to change it.” Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear, Titus’s
voice bellowing, “Daniel!” and promptly getting cut off when Daniel ended the
call. He turned a bright smile on Ryunosuke. “There. All taken care of.”
Ryunosuke
shook his head. “No, I really don’t think it is.”
The
phone chimed again with an incoming call.
Daniel
glanced at it. “He’s always terrible when he doesn’t get his way.” He answered,
putting the phone to his ear again. “My, my. Aren’t we living up to our
cognomen today and being the stubborn little hot head?”
“That’s
not what it means!” Titus paused. “Not completely
what it means.” His voice sharpened again. “I didn’t call to debate with you. I
need to talk to Ryu.”
“Who
said we’re debating? I’m having a perfectly lovely conversation.”
“Put
Ryu on the phone! Now!”
Daniel
shifted his voice to a singsong pitch. “Wrong tone of voice again. Good-bye.”
This time, he disconnected faster than Titus could yell.
Speaking
through his laughter, Ryunosuke reached for the phone. “You better let me
answer it if he calls back, before you make his head explode.”
Daniel
relinquished the phone to Ryu. “There are no ifs about it. He will call back.”
As if
in reply to his words, the phone chimed.
*****
“I’ll
take it from here,” Ryunosuke said and answered the phone. “Hey, it’s me.”
“It’s
about damn time!” Titus roared.
“You
know, Daniel was right. Your tone could do with an adjustment.”
“I
have this tone because of him. He always was a brat, but he’s becoming an
insufferable one now. You need to stop spoiling him and letting him get away
with whatever he wants.”
Ryunosuke’s
attention and gaze drifted from the conversation as Daniel climbed out of bed.
He drank in the flawlessness of Daniel’s ivory skin, his lean and toned body.
Daniel’s cock jutted from a small patch of finely trimmed hair and was half up,
the foreskin slipped back just enough to give a glimpse of the head; and
Daniel’s shaven sac made Ryu want to move his tongue over the soft skin of it.
Walking
toward the bathroom, Daniel glanced back at him, a knowing and sensual smile on
his lips.
Ryunosuke
kept his gaze on the round, firm curves of Daniel’s ass until he disappeared
into the bathroom. He cleared his throat. “I’m pretty sure he’d enjoy any kind
of discipline I’d give him.”
A
single laugh came through the phone and Titus’s voice followed, calmer than
before. “You’re probably right. I take it everything’s been well? Quiet?”
“Yes,
very. Whenever we’ve ventured into London, any vampires we’ve come across have
been nothing but polite and respectful. We haven’t had any excitement since
Renart’s trial.”
“That’s
good. It seems things are finally settling down and our society’s stabilizing
again from the waves Isaac’s little rebellion caused. Bellerose and Troy are
back in Chicago now. I’ve heard Bellerose’s followers have even welcomed Troy
back, but then, that was anticipated.”
“Still
got spies on them?”
“Have
to. I don’t like it, but the majority in the Tribunal wanted it and honestly, I
couldn’t argue their point. Especially if there’s even still the smallest
chance of Bellerose becoming a district judge.”
“Amazing
he has any chance with having a…I’ll call him, reformed traitor in his bed.”
Titus
gave an amused snort. “That reformation was the only thing that kept his head
on his neck, but yes, Bellerose does have that very heavily against him. What
he has in his favor is that his influence in Chicago is undeniable.”
The
bathroom door opened. Daniel stepped out with a black robe tied so loosely it
barely had a point for being on him. His attention on Daniel again, Ryunosuke
managed an, “uh huh”, into the phone.
Daniel
stepped up to the foot of the bed. “I’m running down to the kitchen. Do you
want anything?”
Ryunosuke
shook his head, more focused on waiting for the folds of the robe to open and
give him another glimpse of Daniel’s cock than forming a full answer.
Titus’s
voice sounded in Ryunosuke’s ear. “Tell Daniel to put on some clothes so you
can pay attention to what I’m saying.”
“He
has clothes on. Sort of.”
Daniel
walked along the bedside, drifting his fingers under the comforter to
Ryunosuke’s thigh, then to Ryu’s hard cock pushing up against the sheet. He
gave it a pump and rubbed his thumb over the slit. He winked at Ryu, then
turned for the bedroom door.
Ryunosuke
took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. “Sorry. He just left to go
downstairs.”
“You’re
far too easy.”
“As if
you’re any different with Andreas.”
“I
can’t deny it. But now that Daniel’s gone and I’ve got your attention, we can talk. We were on track with talking
about Bellerose. The Tribunal has the districts drawn up for local courts
around the world and we feel we’re ready to begin establishing the courts and
nominating judges, except for one small thing. We’re not even complete. Lady Geneviève has already stayed on much longer than she had
promised after her daughter’s birth and we need to find a replacement for her.
You know where I’m going with this, right?”
Ryunosuke
did know. It was something he and Titus had talked about in recent months, but
it still wasn’t something he was entirely sure about. “Yes, I do. But I’m
undecided on if I want to pursue it or not.”
“I
know, but I think it’d be good for you. Even more, it’d be good for all
vampires, us as a society.”
Ryunosuke
snorted. “Spoken like a true bureaucrat. They’re starting to rub off on you.”
“If
you weren’t such a dear friend, I’d kick your ass for saying that. But, since
you are a dear friend, I’m going to listen to you and agree. That was pretty
bad, wasn’t it?”
Ryunosuke
laughed. “It was.”
“Now
do you see why I need you even more on the Tribunal? To help prevent me from
turning into a bureaucrat.”
“It
might be one of the main motivating factors for me to even consider it.”
“At
least something’s motivating you to think about it. The other Tribunals have
brought forth some nominations between them all, while I haven’t given any…yet.
They all know I’m going to suggest you.” A smile came through with Titus’s
words. “But I thought it would be good if you knew.”
“I
appreciate the consideration, but you might be setting yourself up for failure.
I’ll need a majority vote to get on, and other than you and Egill, I don’t
think anyone else will vote for me.”
“Not
true. I’m fairly certainly you’ll have Rajnish’s vote. That only means you’ll
have one more to win over.”
“Well,
I can tell you for sure who won’t give me his vote and he’s one of the main
reasons I have my reservations about pursuing this. The more time he and I
spend within any kind of reasonable proximity, the greater the chances of old
grudges rearing their heads and one of us tearing out the other’s throat.”
“Or,
you may find he’s not the old enemy you once knew. I’ll admit, he’s surprised
me in the time since I’ve worked with him.”
Instant
annoyance washed through Ryunosuke. His voice sounded tight as he spoke. “I’m
glad you guys have gotten to be such good friends.”
“I
didn’t mean it that way and we’re certainly not
friends. All I mean is that I’m able to work beside him without wanting to open
his throat with each passing minute.”
“That’s
nice you have that control. I’m not so sure I do.”
Titus
sighed. “If you really don’t think you can work beside him, then I won’t nominate
you. I’ve known from the beginning you’ve been uncertain about it, both because
of Li and the position in general. All I’m going to say is, you’re the only one
I want in this position, beside me. You’re a great warrior and a strong
leader.”
“I’ve
never led anyone.”
“That’s
what you think. What you don’t know is, others would follow you. You’re strong
and intelligent and—”
“Scorned.
I’ve always been an outcast for saying I was turned by a demon.”
“And
through that, how many fucks did you give for attitudes others showed toward
you? None. That’s the kind of strength the Tribunal needs. Someone who knows
the truth and will stand by it even if everyone else doubts it.”
Ryunosuke
replied with an indiscernible grumble. Damn Titus. He always knew how to get
what he wanted. “I’ll bet back in your Centurion days, you could’ve convinced
your legion to walk naked through fire.”
“If I
said naked, they were pretty much game for anything. So, does that mean you’ll
come to Vienna and go for this?”
“I
guess it does. It’s not as though I have any pressing plans at the moment.”
Daniel
walked into the bedroom carrying a bowl of sugar and a bowl of fresh
strawberries, his favorite things to eat when first waking. The robe had spread
more open on his chest, slipping slightly off his shoulders, probably from him
moving around and not caring to fix it since he’d barely put it on to begin
with.
“I
take that last part back,” Ryunosuke said.
“Did
Daniel just walk in?”
“Yeah.”
“Then
I’ll let you go. I’ve got to get ready to meet with the others since I’m
running behind thanks to his games.” Titus paused for a moment, his voice
softened. “Thank you, Ryu.”
Ryunosuke
grinned to himself. “If I’m getting a thank you, then this really must be
important to you.”
“You
know, I’m going to do all I can to avoid becoming a bureaucrat Tribunal member.
You need to make sure Daniel doesn’t rub off on you and make you a brat.”
“Sorry,
but there’s no way I’m ever going to make him stopping rubbing off on me.”
“You
took that a little too literally. Either way, I’d never suggest you ask that of him. I might be rude, as Daniel
says, but I’m not a complete ass.”
Ryunosuke
burst out laughing. “I completely agree with that self-assessment.”
“And
now, I’m going to end being rude and let you and him get to doing that literal
action. I’ll call you tonight and let you know the reactions from the others
when I nominate you, and with flight plans.”
“Perfect.
Thanks. And, jokes aside, it really does mean a lot that you have trust in me
to do this.”
“You
always have my trust. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“All
right. Bye.” Ryunosuke hung up the phone, gazing down at it for a moment before
placing it on the nightstand.
Daniel
slid onto the bed, lying on his side, the two bowls set on the bed before him.
He dipped a strawberry into the sugar and took a bite. “And what did he want
that couldn’t wait and that has you so flattered with his trust?”
“That
it’s time for me to see if the Tribunal will accept me to fill the empty seat
from Lady Geneviève.”
Daniel stared at him. He lowered his gaze, fixing it on the sugar
bowl as he dipped in another strawberry. “I see.”
“You don’t sound very pleased or excited about the prospect.”
“No, I am.” Daniel exhaled a heavy sigh. “Somewhat.”
Ryunosuke shifted on the bed to be closer to him. “What is it? I
thought this was something you wanted me to do.”
“It is…or it was.” Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m
trying to say. When Cal first mentioned about you becoming part of the
Tribunal, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity. But more time’s passed
and it’s brought some concerns to mind.”
Ryunosuke laid his hand on Daniel’s arm. “Like what?”
Daniel lifted his gaze to Ryunosuke’s. “I’m worried it’ll put you
in danger. Being on the Tribunal is a high profile position. Any vamp with a
grudge or wanting revenge for a perceived wrong could come after you. Not to
mention, someone who you already know doesn’t care much for the fact that
you’re still breathing will be sitting only a couple of chairs away from you at
every meeting.”
Ryunosuke picked up the bowls and moved them to the nightstand. He
slid close to Daniel, caressing his cheek. “I’m not worried about random vamps
coming at me. I’ve lived with that all my life and it can happen at any time.
As far as Li Kang goes, I beat him once. If it comes down to it, I can do it
again. With more permanent results.” He rested his forehead against Daniel’s,
hushing his voice. “I’ll never let anything happen to me, because I know I need
to live for you. And I will always, always
protect you.”
His eyes closed, Daniel whispered. “I know. It’s foolish of me to
have these worries.”
“No, it’s not. I think what’ll be best is to go to Vienna, see
what the Tribunal has to say, and if it’ll even be offered to me. We’ll make
the final decision from there. Together.”
“Perfect.” Daniel drew back, a smirk curving the corners of his
lips. “Though, I must confess to one other little issue I have with all of
this. I’ve gotten used to having you all to myself these past months. I’m going
to be jealous of anyone taking your attention away from me.”
Ryunosuke slid a hand along Daniel’s neck, cupping the back of it
under his hair. “But you’re the only one I’ll ever give this kind of attention
to.”
He leaned forward and met Daniel in a kiss. Daniel parted his lips
for him, and Ryunosuke eased his tongue into Daniel’s mouth. The sweetness of
sugar and strawberries lingered on Daniel’s tongue. Lust shot through
Ryunosuke. Thoughts of the Tribunal, of an old enemy returned, faded under his
need for Daniel. In that moment, they had each other and that was all either of
them needed…
© 2015 by S.J. Frost and MLR Press
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