Morvea

By Jennifer Wright

Keddrick has denied claiming his mate for four years, separating them by worlds just to keep the man he loves safe...from him. Can he resist temptation when his love lands on his doorstep in need of help?

Eli has lusted after Keddrick from the moment the vampire stepped through the portal and into Earth. He had desperately wanted to go with Keddrick when the man returned to Pavarus, but it wasn't allowed—not to mention Eli was under the impression that Keddrick was straight. Four years later his wish has come true, but not in the way he wanted. Barely escaping death by the hands of Wayland, head of the human council on Earth, Eli flees to Pavarus in search of help. The line of events that get him there release a hidden secret deep inside of him he never knew existed, and would soon change his life forever.

Keddrick's restraint towards Eli is being seriously tested, and every day Eli stays with him at the coven, the harder it gets. He wants to keep his distance, but at the same time he wants to do everything he can to please Eli. Yet as time goes on, he feels his resolve slowly crumble, his love for the man too strong to ignore. When Keddrick finds out about Wayland's threat on his and Eli's life, he is determined to stop the madman anyway he can, even if that means going against Eli's pleas for him not to.

Through blood and tears, years of love and moments of betrayal, can these two men find their way through the hardships and into a life of happiness in each other's arms?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Mar 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781781842423

Book preview

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Morvea

ISBN # 978-1-78184-242-3

©Copyright Jennifer Wright 2013

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright February 2013

Edited by Rebecca Douglas

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

This story contains 221 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 10 pages.

Finding Home

MORVEA

Jennifer Wright

Book two in the Finding Home series

Keddrick has denied claiming his mate for four years, separating them by worlds just to keep the man he loves safe…from him. Can he resist temptation when his love lands on his doorstep in need of help?

Eli has lusted after Keddrick from the moment the vampire stepped through the portal and into Earth. He had desperately wanted to follow along when Keddrick returned to Pavarus, but it wasn’t allowed—not to mention that Eli was under the impression that Keddrick was straight. Four years later his wish has come true, but not in the way he wanted. Barely escaping death by the hands of Wayland, head of the human council on Earth, Eli flees to Pavarus in search of help. The line of events that gets him there releases a hidden secret deep inside him he never knew existed, and will soon change his life forever.

Keddrick’s restraint towards Eli is being seriously tested, and every day Eli stays with him at the coven, it gets harder. He wants to keep his distance, but at the same time he wants to do everything he can to please Eli. As time goes on, he feels his resolve slowly crumble, his love for the man too strong to ignore. When Keddrick finds out about Wayland’s threat on his and Eli’s lives, he is determined to stop the madman anyway he can, even if that means going against Eli’s pleas for him not to.

Through blood and tears, years of love and moments of betrayal, can these two men find their way through the hardships and into a life of happiness in each other’s arms?

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my wonderful sister, Heather. To say that I appreciated all of your help and support doesn’t express nearly enough of how I feel. You were there for me every step of the way, happily listening every time I babbled on endlessly, giving me courage and words of advice whenever I was stuck. You had faith in me, you have faith in me, and that means everything.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

GQ: Condé Nast Publications

Harry Potter: J. K. Rowling/Warner Brothers

Escalade: Cadillac, General Motors Company

Star Wars: Lucasfilm

Jedi: Star Wars/Lucasfilm

M&P .40: Smith and Wesson

FN Five-seven: FN Herstal

Miata: Mazda Motor Corporation

Die Hard: 20th Century Fox

Prologue

Four years ago

Eli Thatcher stood with his hands clenched in his pockets. He feared that if he pulled them out he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from reaching out and touching the man before him. Instead, he stared at the ground, not wanting Keddrick to see the hurt in his eyes.

And he was hurting. His chest ached at the thought of the vampire leaving him. This last month had been the best of his life. Eli had never thought he’d get this attached to Keddrick.

When his Uncle James had come to Eli a year ago and had told him the fantastic story about alternate realms, vampires and dragons, Eli had been ready to have him committed. His uncle had told him that there were different realms to the planet they lived on, and that Earth was only one of a handful. He’d told Eli of the original realm, Pavarus, and that vampires and dragons and humans had all lived there. He explained to Eli of how the people of Pavarus had come across a stone called a piloats that opened up portals, allowing them to travel to different realms, including Earth. He’d told Eli that after some time the humans had claimed Earth as theirs, and the others had agreed.

For a while, the vampires and dragons had continued to visit Earth, but the human council had decided, for the safety of their own people, that the vampires and dragons would no longer be welcome. The dragons had agreed, claiming that they had no further interest in Earth, but the vampires had felt differently. The sire of the vampires, Darakon, had applauded the humans and how far they’d come throughout history, as their race was wiser than his own people. The humans excelled in knowledge and inventions, and Darakon had hoped to provide his own people with the greater knowledge.

Because there had always been amity between the vampires and the humans, the human council had complied. So, an agreement was made—the leader of the vampires could visit Earth, for one month, once every ten years. As long as the vampire kept the peace, he would be allowed to gather whatever developments and humanisms he wanted to better his people. After almost a thousand years, travelling to Earth had become more difficult for the vampire—when he’d arrived on Earth he had no home to go to, no provisions…nothing. So, Darakon had put his trust in a human on Earth to oversee his estate and finances while he was gone. And that had gone on for the last six hundred years—first with Darakon, then with his successor. The responsibility of managing the vampire’s affairs and belongings had been secretly passed down through the Thatcher generations.

And now it was Eli’s turn.

His Uncle James had thought Eli had been too young still—twenty-five, then—but the man had been ill and had needed to pass on the responsibility before he’d died.

Eli didn’t consider himself a gullible man. Who would really believe in a story like that? But since his uncle had been dying, Eli had decided to humour him. He’d gone along with it, and his uncle had taught him everything he needed to know to care for Keddrick, the new leader of the vampires. As time went by, the story his uncle had told him began to come to life. The things his uncle had showed him—the estates, the bank accounts, the records, all of it had slowly made the story more real. His uncle had always led a very private life, even from him, and now he was beginning to understand why. Eli didn’t know if he wanted to believe it all. He’d admit he’d gone a little crazy himself for about a week, absorbing the fact that vampires, dragons and God knows what other creatures that went bump in the night actually existed out there.

His uncle had passed away only two months before Keddrick arrived. Eli still wasn’t sure he believed it all a hundred per cent, but he’d made his uncle a promise. So, on the first day of November—the same day the vampire came every time he visited—Eli found himself standing at the entrance to a dead-end alley, waiting for a lethal creature of the night to come waltzing out. Eli would admit he was nervous as hell—and maybe a little scared—but the moment he saw the vampire walk out of that dark alley all nervousness left his body. Hell, all words, thoughts, butterflies and anxieties took a hike. He just stood there, staring in amazement at the beauty before him.

Standing at six and a half feet tall, Keddrick radiated supremacy. His strong build and piercing dark eyes made Eli tremble—and he never friggin’ trembled. The man’s long black hair brushed across his shoulders, adding a European look to his beauty. His thin lips lifted at the corners as he smiled at Eli.

At that moment, Eli was lost. Everything in him begged him to run over and plaster himself against the vampire…and it took everything in him not to.

Eli was gay, but he was pretty damn sure this man wasn’t. There was no way someone like Keddrick would ever be interested in a man. Eli was just going to have to keep his libido in check.

And so he had. The last month had been a test of denying himself some of his greatest urges and wants, but he’d done it, and in the end he’d made a friend. It’d been a big adjustment for him, though. He’d had to completely rearrange his life to accommodate Keddrick’s living habits of sleeping most of the day, staying up all night. He worked as much as he could from home, only going to the firm when he absolutely needed to. Keddrick was kind enough to compensate him for the cases he had to pass up from not being able to attend court during the day.

But it’d been worth it, because living with Keddrick had been amazing—sharing dinners together, laughing. They’d even gone to the movies once. And though the holiday meant nothing to the man, Keddrick had spent Thanksgiving dinner with him.

And now his vampire had to leave. It would be another decade before he got to see Keddrick again, and that was tearing Eli apart.

Here he stood, once again, at the mouth of the alley that held the portal back to Pavarus, only this time it was to say goodbye.

He looked up when he heard Keddrick step closer, and was shocked when the man wrapped his arms around Eli and hugged him close. Eli let out a deep breath he’d been holding and melted into the hug. He circled his own arms around Keddrick, relishing in the smell of his cologne.

I’m going to miss you, he whispered, unable to hold it inside.

I’m going to miss you too, my friend, Keddrick replied.

Eli’s eyes threatened to burn with tears at the word friend. He knew that was all he’d ever be to Keddrick, but he didn’t have to like it.

He pulled out of the warmth of Keddrick’s arms, too afraid that he’d never let go if he held on any longer. He cleared his throat. You should go while the sun is still low in the sky.

Pavarus was twelve hours ahead of Earth, so the nine a.m. sun should be tolerable for Keddrick. With Keddrick’s old age and the fact that vampires can run ten times faster than any human, he could survive the sun exposure on Pavarus long enough to make a mad dash to his castle from the portal. Twenty seconds under the sun would singe him a little, but he’d make it, especially with the help of his rapid healing capabilities.

Keddrick took a step back and looked at him. In the darkness, Eli couldn’t see the gold flecks that graced Keddrick’s dark brown eyes, but he knew they were there. And he envisioned them now, the way they’d pierced Eli through and through every night at the dinner table, every morning as they’d gone their separate ways to go to bed, every time they’d laughed…every moment they’d spent together. Every time Keddrick had looked at him, he’d melted more and more inside.

Goodbye, Eli. Keddrick smiled. I’ll see you later.

Eli nodded, though he couldn’t find it in him to smile back. Goodbye, Keddrick. And his heart sank as he watched the vampire turn around and disappear into the shadows of the alley.

I’ll see you later, but not soon enough.

Chapter One

Present day

Eli looked up from the brief on his desk when his secretary poked her head into his office. He frowned at the nervous look on her face.

Mr Thatcher, you have some visitors, she said hesitantly.

Eli looked at his watch. Who is it? I’m due in court in forty-five minutes. I don’t really have time.

His secretary’s eyes widened a little. Oh, I think you should make time for them.

Before he could respond, three men pushed their way through the door. Eli automatically stood. Who did these men think they were, just barging into his office like that?

Mr Thatcher, I’m sorry. His secretary’s voice was shaky as she clung to the door frame.

Eli assessed all three men. He took in their rigid posture, the firm expressions on their faces, and the subtle bulges beneath their suit jackets.

Oh goodie, they’re carrying guns.

Eli kept his own expression calm. It’s all right, Claire. He spared a quick glance at her, giving her a small, reassuring smile. Could you please clear my schedule for the day?

Her eyes widened farther, but she quickly averted her gaze to the floor, obviously confused and nervous. Yes, Mr Thatcher.

Thank you. That will be all, Claire. Eli watched her hand shake as she reached out to grab the doorknob then closed the door behind her. Eli focused back on the men occupying the room. So, gentlemen, what can I do for you?

The man directly in front of him said, Mr Wayland wishes to see you.

Eli swallowed hard. Wayland was no stranger to him, but Eli had never met him personally before, and he had a feeling meeting him now wasn’t a good thing. Wayland was head of the council, here on Earth, who controlled the travelling between realms. Word was that he was a mean SOB who had no patience or kindness. He was a stickler for having complete control, and made it very clear that if you stepped outside his set margins, you paid for it. Word also was that he was a psychopath, so Eli really didn’t like that the man wanted to see him.

Eli straightened his form—he didn’t want these guys to see his apprehension. All right, he said with more confidence than he felt. He followed the men out of his office and to the elevators. Once the elevator doors had closed them in, he looked to the guy that had spoken before. Can I ask what this is about?

No, he said simply.

Oookay.

They walked quickly through the lobby of his building and out to the bustling New York City street, where an SUV waited for them. He was ushered into the back with one of the men, the door slamming closed after him. He had no sooner settled himself in his seat when he felt a slight pinch and stinging on the side of his neck.

He whipped his head to the left to the guy sitting next to him…who was holding a syringe in his hand.

What the fu—?

But before he could finish, everything went dark.

* * * *

Eli groaned as he rolled his head back, his brain feeling like it’d been replaced with cotton.

Hey, a familiar voice said to his right.

Eli’s eyes snapped open and he looked over to see Rick, one of his and Keddrick’s bodyguards, tied to a chair. Larry, their other bodyguard and Rick’s best friend, was also tied to a chair next to Rick. Eli looked down at himself—yup, tied to a chair.

What the hell? Eli struggled against his bindings, his wrists burning as the rope scraped against his skin. He tried looking over his shoulder to get an idea of what kind of knot tied his hands together, but he couldn’t see. He leaned to the side and saw that the knots tying his legs to the chair were pretty intricate—there was no way he’d be able to wiggle out of those. What the fuck is going on?

Don’t know, Rick replied. We just woke up ourselves.

Eli took in his surroundings. It looked like they were in an empty warehouse. Garbage lined the walls. There were broken boards everywhere and spare pieces of metal sheets leaning against the support beams. Even though the windows were so dirty he couldn’t see out of them, light filled the big room.

All right, let’s add this up. Old empty warehouse and we’re tied to chairs…yup, we’re in trouble.

The last thing I remember was those goons coming to my office and asking me to come with them because Wayland wanted to see me.

Rick snorted. Well, that’s more than what we got. Those assholes came busting into my house and shot up me and Larry without a word.

Eli tried shaking the fuzz from his head. What did they give us?

Probably the standard shit for knocking a guy out, Larry said. Leaves a nasty bitter taste in your mouth, doesn’t it?

Eli nodded in agreement and looked over to Larry. Do I want to ask how you know what the standard ‘shit’ for knocking a guy out is?

Larry just grinned and Eli got his answer. Eli knew that when he and Keddrick had hired Rick and Larry, they were getting a couple of guys that were on anything but the straight and narrow. Not only did these two crooked ex-military bulldozers refuse to play by the book, but Eli was pretty sure they’d burnt it years ago. If he remembered correctly, it was Rick that had said, Those wrinkly pieces of paper were great for wiping my ass with.

As snarly as these two seemed, they were a couple of the nicest guys Eli had ever known, and had quickly become his friends.

Good afternoon, gentlemen.

They looked over to see four men enter the room. Eli recognised three of them as the ones that had shown up at his office. The fourth, he assumed, was Wayland. Aside from the fact that the guy personified what an intelligent, psycho, secret council leader would look like, he also had a British accent. Since the council was based in the United Kingdom…well, two plus two equals shit on my plate.

Good evening, Mr Wayland. Might as well clarify by throwing it out there.

Ah—Wayland clapped his hands together and smiled—so no introductions are needed, I see.

Ding, ding, ding. One point for the dead man.

And Eli knew he was dead, mainly for the fact that the three goons were carrying their guns in full view now. Oh yeah, then there was the fact that they were tied to fucking chairs in an empty warehouse!

Well, gentlemen, I think I’ll just get straight to the point as to why we’re here. Wayland began pacing back and forth before them. "It came to me as quite a surprise, and displeasure, that there was not one, but two unauthorised openings of the portal located here in New York."

Eli froze as memories of the last few days came rushing up front and centre.

Almost three weeks ago, a man named Wesley had somehow slipped through a hidden open portal beneath a waterfall in Louisiana. The guy had been stuck on Pavarus for two weeks, and it was there that he’d met Remus, the commander of the vampires, and had quickly fallen in love.

Despite his love for Remus, Wes had been scared of the strange realm, so four days ago Keddrick had sent him through the portal that opened in New York City. Wes had had instructions from Keddrick to contact Eli and had been promised that Eli would get him home. And he had. But Wes had been back in Louisiana no more than a few hours before he’d realised that Earth was no longer his home. Pavarus was where he belonged—with the man he loved. So, yesterday he’d hopped a flight back to NYC and had begged Eli to send him back.

Eli had had his own instructions from Keddrick. If Wes wanted to go back to Pavarus, Eli had to test Wes to make sure he meant it. Eli had, and Wes had passed.

So, Eli had sent him back.

The trick was that the only thing that could open a portal was a piloats stone, and only two people had them. Keddrick was one, and this asshole in front of him was the other. Unbeknown to the council, Keddrick had chipped off a piece of his piloats and had had it embedded into the back of a little gold cross that currently hung around Eli’s neck. Eli had used it to open up the portal for Wes so he could go back to Pavarus. The only downside to Eli’s mini piloats was that the thing could only open a portion of a portal, and stepping through a partially open portal was extremely painful. Eli had given Wes a heavy duty painkiller to help with that, though.

Another tricky part was that the human council was extremely meticulous about travelling between realms, and demanded that strict rules be followed in using them. Basically, no one was allowed to travel without their express permission. But Keddrick had also instructed Eli to keep the human council out of it. He hadn’t wanted to create a ripple in the already delicate agreement allowing Keddrick access to Earth. Keddrick had led Wes to believe that all humans were welcome to travel to Earth, but that was not the case. If the council found out about it, they’d be pissed off. Eli agreed that Wes’ travelling should remain a secret. He figured what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

So how the hell did they know?

Would you care to tell me, Mr Thatcher, what it was about?

Eli tried hard not to gulp. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Wayland let out a disappointed sigh. I’ll let that one go this time, but from here on out I want the truth. It would be in your best interest to not be coy with me. Wayland stopped his pacing and came to stand before him. Now, why was the portal opened?

Eli lifted his chin a little. Keddrick had asked him not to say anything to the human council and Eli planned on honouring that request. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Wayland tsked and shook his head. He looked to his three goons and gave a slight nod.

Eli’s pulse kicked into overdrive as the three men holstered their weapons and stalked over to stand before each of them. Before he knew it, his jaw was threatening to dislocate from the menacing punch the asshole in front of him had delivered. And, from the sounds of it, Rick and Larry were suffering the same onslaught.

Eli swore and shot Wayland a livid glare. Who did this guy think he was? He couldn’t do this to them.

Before Eli could speak, Wayland stepped forward again. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, do you think maybe you have an answer for me now?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Wrong answer again, Wayland said, frowning as he moved back.

The three goons took their places again in front of them. This time his goon landed a solid blow to his left eye and one to his gut. Eli wheezed as the air rushed from his lungs. He swallowed rapidly, trying his hardest to not throw up. He glanced to his right and saw the enraged looks on Rick’s and Larry’s faces. Eli didn’t know if he’d ever seen them that pissed off.

Wayland stood before him again and clasped his hands together in front of him. Do you have an answer for me now?

Eli stared in disbelief. This man was crazy. He was beating him and his friends up, all because a portal had been opened a couple of times? What the hell does it matter if a portal was opened?

What does it matter? Wayland stepped closer, crowding Eli. Do I look like an idiot to you, Mr Thatcher?

Yup, Rick said next to him.

Wayland’s eyes narrowed as he glanced over to Rick. He then looked to one of his men who, with Wayland’s commanding nod, stepped forward and punched Rick so hard it made Eli’s teeth hurt.

As Rick grunted and spat blood at the goon, Wayland focused on Eli. I assure you, Mr Thatcher, that I am not wet behind the ears. You think that I don’t know about your and Keddrick’s plans? You think that I don’t know what you’ve got hidden in that shoebox under your bed?

Eli furrowed his brow. Plans? Shoebox?

Do I look like I wear a dress and go to tea parties, Mr Thatcher? As Wayland’s voice began to rise, so did Eli’s