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***Tony's POV***

This is not fucking happening. Where the fuck is Josie? If one god damn hair on his body is out of place, heads are gonna roll.

"Get your asses in here!" I'm pissed, seething.

I look at everyone except the few who were with me. I'm not a happy person.

"How the fuck did he get out with all your good for nothing sorry asses in the house? Do you realize, my beloved is somewhere? A human. A fucking defenseless human. No one sleeps, drinks or leaves my sight until my baby is home. Understand?" I snap my fingers at the sorry excuses for sitters.

"Search. Parties of two. Every inch of this property. Then, we move out in straight lines. Go scent his room. Then get out there. Bring Josiah home." Christian takes the reigns. Good idea, I'm ready to start a god damned bonfire at the moment.

It takes a very small increment of time to see that my love is no where in our vicinity. My heart aches at the thought of him being out there, susceptible to other supernaturals.

I pace, fingertip pads rubbing frantically, heart palpitations on full throttle. I can't deal with the stress. It's so much. I pull at my thick hair while anxiety eats away at me.

"New plan." Christian is loud, authoritative. "Groups of three, everyone report back every twenty minutes. Keep widening the grid until we find something."

Christian grabs my hand, pulling me towards the woods. This fucking sucks donkey dick. I follow because I can't think straight.

My eyes scan the woods, darting from the tree tops to the snow covered ground. I hope above all that my boy isn't in peril. Every inch scanned brings me closer to a nervous breakdown.

"Found something." Greer comes flying towards me. I almost faint with the words. Let's just hope this brings my kitten home.

Gazing over the black striped socks in Greer's hands, my heart takes a leaping gallop. I snatch the footwear, immediately scenting the fabric. Josie was wearing these when I left him unattended.

It's my fault. I should have turned him. I can't believe I was so reckless with my baby. I'm a terrible master.

"Lead me to where it was found." My words are more angry than curious. I'm mad at myself, my coven and just everyone. This could have been prevented.

As we approach the hollow in the midst of the heavily wooded area, my stomach becomes sick. Blood droplets litter the white terrain. They are not enough to cause fatality, however one milligram of my Josie's blood spilled is too much.

Leaning forward to confirm my assumption, I nearly break at the realization. It's his. All of the hundreds of speckles that blemish the blanket of snow, they belong to my beloved.

"Follow the trail." My voice does not speak the order. It is my dearest Christian who takes the reigns, leading the search party.

Our coven of seventy, sans Mage who is tending to his turning beloved, gathers around to dissect the secondary crime scene. The trail leads to the mountains that sit to our West. I push ahead to lead the caravan into mostly unchartered territories.

Silently, we cover miles of blanketed ground until we are greeted with the base of the mountain. Josie's scent becomes stronger as we begin the ascent up the sedimentary formation. Anticipation masks the heavy fear that I feel inside.

The mountain houses a cave that offers two separate paths. The formation splits in two, creating more problems than it solves. Christian instructs half of our group to follow him while I lead my half in the completely opposite direction.

Josiah's scent is everywhere, saturating the natural structure with a sweet smell that would have me leaking in my pants in any other situation. However, as it stands, I can barely control the urge to let my eyes leak out my anxiety.

As we make our third turn around the vast bends that we encounter, a small whimper catches my attention. Rushing forward, I search anxiously for the source.

My eyes blow wide open when a battered Josie lays still along the dirty floor of the cave. Sliding to him on my knees, my hands immediately cup his swollen jaw, my lips kiss his forehead in relief.

Although he is not in the perfect state that we left him, he is here. Now, he is safe.

"Get Christian. Have him meet us at the opening of the cave." My words are far less hasty as they were early. The sight of my breathing beloved has calmed me immensely.

"I've got you kitten. You're safe. I won't let you out of my sight ever again." Josie says nothing as I pick him up, holding him to my chest. I softly rub his back while walking back towards our point of entry.

Christian's eyes light up when he catches sight of his best friend. I allow Christian time to soothe his worried ancient soul, checking over my beloved. Josie has a few cuts and scrapes. The one that obviously needs attention is at the base of his skull.

It takes longer than necessary to bring my boy back to the house. I follow Christian down stairs to the basement. Mage is still tending to his mate. In a few more days, we will be busy teaching the guy the ropes.

I set my beloved on the medical table that Christian usually uses for emergencies. Christian looks over Josie. Nothing looks too bad but, I'm not a doctor. Thank god I have Christian.

"Superficial wounds it appears. I will need to stitch his head up. There shouldn't be much of a scar." Christian walks to the medical supply cabinet, pulling out his suture kit.

I sit beside Josie, holding his hand. He seems to be unconscious. I want to see his crystal blue eyes. I need to ease my distress.

"I will start an IV. No telling how long he was out there. Can you hold his arm still while I start the drip?" Christian is in full professional mode. I like that because he is a damn good doctor. His expertise has came in handy more than I care to admit.

While holding down my beloved, I can't help but feel the guilt wash over me in full crashing waves. His beautiful skin is blemished with bruises. I should have protected him.

"You have to stop that. He's here. He is fine. Josie will make a full recovery. Just be thankful. We will make sure that it never happens again." Christian chastises me softly.

He's right. I have to be grateful for what did not happen, instead of worrying about what could have happened.

"Josie should be waking soon. He was definitely dehydrated. I'm positive he is exhausted. Just be patient Tony." Christian calms my ailing nerves even more with his promise.

I lean down to kiss Josie on his swollen lips. A small hum slips past his lips. It doesn't take a genius to realize, I devour him. I kiss him so fucking deeply. My tongue massages Josie's, his taste seeps into my system.

"Sire. I'm sorry." Josie whimpers. His limbs flinch. I pull him into my arms carefully, running my fingers through his hair.

"Nothing to be sorry for, love. You are here and safe. I love you. I was so damned scared I had lost you." My lips blubber the words that are deep in my soul. My whole life would be worthless without him.

"I tried to out run them. I couldn't. I'm not fast enough." Josie tries to convince me of his effort. It is unnecessary. These are things I already knew.

It has been stupid, irresponsible to leave my boy defenseless.

"How do you feel kitten?" I pull Josie's chin up with two fingers to look into my baby's eyes.

"Tired. I'm okay though." Josie gives me a small nod.

"I have a request of you, love." I sit down, pulling Josie into my lap. I wrap my arms around his tiny waist. My fingers lock against the small of his back.

"Anything Sire." Josie smiles angelically at me. That smile could soothe my every worry.

"I would like to change you. I want you to be by my side forever. There is no need in taking such hazardous risks any longer. Would you do me the honor of being my beloved, taking on my form and ruling this coven beside me?" I few a weight lift off of my shoulders as I plead with my beloved.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Please change me Antonio. I want to be with you forever. I love you." Josie wraps his arms around me, kissing me with every bit of passion his little body can contain.

The kiss is starving, hot and fucking perfect.

"This will hurt. I will be right here when you wake. You will not feel it for long though." I brush Josie's curls off of his forehead to place a sealing kiss on our contract.

Josie lays back in my arms; his neck falls back showing me the pulsing vein that I will drink from before injecting my venom.

My fangs descend. I begin with a sweet kiss, my fangs sink into the lush flesh below his ear. I drink heartily to remove as much blood as possible. This will make the transformation smoother and shorter.

I inject the venom next, sealing Josie's future to mine for immortal eternity. Josie's body falls limp in my arms before it seizes. I hold him tight, expecting the reaction. His eyes close with a soft breath expelling from his sweet lips.

Gently, I lay my beloved down to rest. He should be up in a couple of days. For now, he must be kept safe.

After this, we can train Josie to fight and protect himself.

"Come Tony. We will prepare your room for your beloved." Christian pulls my arm. My eyes glance over my love. He's so fucking precious. A true angel sleeps among us.

Nodding my head in acceptance, I follow Christian out of the basement. Christian locks the door before putting in the code to keep our two newborns safe.

"He's going to be stunning." Christian turns to smile at me.

"He already is." I feel the grip of his love in my heart. His change is felt in me now that we are connected in a way of our Sire bond. I will feel him, hear him and most certainly love him.

There is a special bond because he was made for me. How lucky I truly am. My love is a gem that I will cherish for our entire lives, which will be forever.

"I'm happy you finally took the step." Christian helps me clear Josie's room. We bring all of his belongings into my room. I take careful steps to assure that my love will be completely satisfied when he wakes.

After hours of making sure that everything is perfect, Christian and I go to the kitchen.

My trusty Brandy awaits. Pouring two tumblers, I set a couple of ice cubes into the glasses. With a cheers, we toast to new beginnings.

"To your beloved being found and mine coming around." Christian sighs heavily. I understand his turmoil. I feel guilty that my beloved chose me long before he even knew that we were fated.

Christian hasn't been dealt the easiest hand by fate. However, he is more than capable of fighting the battle. Christian is a special soul. I have no doubt he will be equally blessed at the end of all this.

I work around the kitchen, preparing a meal for us to eat. Afterwards, we will check on the newborns. For now, we wait.

"I do need to tell you what I have learned." Christian accepts the plate I place before him with a genuine smile on his lips. I nod in acceptance before sitting to enjoy my meal.

"What is it?" I ask without much curiosity.

"Josie was lured out of the house. By his sister." Christian speaks words that make my fork clatter to the ground, causing anger to lick at my hardened veins. That's one woman who has no business being in contact with my beloved.