There had been fleeting moments when he felt like he was tapping into his vampiric side since the hell of that bathtub. Standing in the woods with the fading afternoon sun, the tangy taste of blood in his mouth and a thrum of violence in the air called to his darkest urges.

He should have resisted falling so deep, but with every gust of the gentle breeze rustling through the trees, he smelled the enticing perfume of Kenneth's hunger.

The man wanted to be hunted.

For the entire speech Milton had given them about not holding back, Kenneth had been touching his neck, beckoning Reid's predatory gaze as if involuntarily, which made the slip sweeter because that meant Kenneth wasn't in control of his reactions.

When they had fought in the bedroom, Kenneth had been angry at him for sharing blood when he had done so with Gabriel.

But it wasn't the same.

Not because Reid loathed his father and taking his blood was never by choice. Days afterwards, he'd felt mild pangs and urges, but they went away quickly, and it was only ever a mild inconvenience. Lucas hadn't been this affected, even though he'd taken Kiernan's blood nearly too many times over the last few days.

Reid had thought it was a ripe possibility that Lucas would turn accidentally. Not that he'd have been bothered if Lucas sprouted fangs. But he'd kept that twisted fantasy to himself.

In the dark of the night, when he lay awake, his whispers categorized who would be a vampire and who would be his humans.

Lucas was at the top of the list for vampires. He was strong, muscular, and...handsome.

His eyes were the colour of bourbon, specks of darker brown that could be seen in dim light. So intense. When he stared his gaze made Reid feel naked, stripped of all his defenses.

What was he thinking about again?

Kenneth and blood.

Not Lucas, and the cocky smile that he gave when he thought no one else was watching them.

The last time Reid passed Lucas his plate of food, their fingers brushed, and he felt like a lightning bolt had struck him. That wasn't him romanticizing their encounter; he worried he had fallen ill and was going to die from some vampire malady that made his heart flutter and stomach knot painfully.

They hadn't spoken about Lucas ignoring him for a week and a half. But the man had taken to calling him love again, so Reid was happy to put it behind them.

Except, they should talk.

Next time they're alone.

He wondered what Lucas's smile would look like then.

Shit. No! Lucas, go away, you seducer!

He needed to stay away from the guy. He was dangerously on edge. He hadn't been with Rowan since the night they shared together.

He was harbouring a constant, aching arousal.

His vampire side purred at the thought of Lucas taking advantage of his needy state.

He focused his roguish thoughts on Rowan. Her soft skin. The taste of her lips. Her cute giggle. The way her body fit perfectly against his.

Well, that distracted his mind from the man who had become a dark temptation these last few weeks, but it backfired. All his blood rushed down south, and now he was stuck staring at Kenneth with a noticeable hard-on while the man gave him a curious cock of an eyebrow not far away, his stick of pain that had left aches across Reid's skin held tightly at his side.

Kenneth; that's who he needed to focus on.

His arousal wasn't waning.

He was reprobate, but he blamed it on being excited when Kenneth looked at him lately, longingly, as if Reid had something he wanted beyond logic. The man refused to acknowledge that his addiction was his own doing. Vampire bites and blood were addictive, but not to the extent that Kenneth had been suffering unless the person really, really had a fetish for it.

Reid wasn't denying that he had a hand in Kenneth's suffering, and he carried guilt for his part. But Kenneth's struggle to move on was calling to Reid's darkest impulses.

The man was meant to be his companion.

It would only be a matter of time before Kenneth accepted the truth.

'He wants you to show him,' the whispers sang. They were louder the closer night came. It was unsettling, but Reid had begun to grow used to their mad ravings.

"Come at me," Kenneth ordered, his green eyes fierce.

Kenneth had been talking to Milton in a hushed voice for the last ten minutes. Reid hadn't cared to listen, even though they spoke of him and debated how much he could take as a novice.

Milton was on the strict side of having Kenneth kick his ass because that was the only way they'd learn what he was capable of. Kenneth had been arguing that Reid had hollow bones and would die if he hit him without holding back.

Hadn't he been using all his strength when he'd been beating Reid with that pain stick?

"No," Reid whined. "You're scary."

Milton sighed from the sidelines. He was scary. Reid had never known this side of Milton before, and he didn't know if he could look at the man the same after hearing him lecture Kenneth on his form and threaten to beat his ass if he didn't get it right.

"Reid," Milton said, pulling his attention. "Don't worry about winning. Try to stay on your feet. That's all you need to focus on."

"Easier said than done," Reid grumbled. He looked back at Kenneth, and his heart leapt against his chest. His body was swathed with aches from the stick Kenneth held at his side.

He wasn't afraid of pain, but he wasn't going to look for it.

Even if he had technically volunteered when he'd asked Milton to train him, he was rethinking the decision now.

When Reid didn't close the space between them, Kenneth exhaled in agitation. "If you don't want to learn how to fight, leave." He pointed his stick towards the tree line that obscured the house. Before Reid could reply, he lowered his stick and said coldly, "Give yourself to Azrael while you're at it, because that's what you'll be doing. He hasn't been watching soap operas and whining. You'll stand no chance against him. He'll laugh at how pathetic you are."

The hurt from Kenneth's words was a fissure of an ache deep in his heart. Reid tried to even his breathing but failed, his chest rising quicker, and he saw a flicker of regret in Kenneth's gaze before it was overtaken by dispassion once more.

Kenneth scoffed. "Give him Rowan while you're at it."

Reid's fingers tightened on the glossy wood of the stick he had been holding lazily.

"Why do you think he hasn't come after her?" Kenneth shook his head, snorting. "He knows that the baby is already his. It's not like you could put up a worthy fight to protect them. You won't even protect yourself when you face him. You'll lie down, cover your head, and wait for somebody else to save you."

The startled look on Kenneth's face when Reid closed the space between them with a low growl might have been comical if Reid weren't close to choking on his rage.

He didn't actually want to hurt Kenneth, even if he swung his stick with intent to cause pain.

His attempted strike was blocked so quickly that he was left with a sore arm and wondering what had happened.

Then, a booted foot hooked around his ankle.

Reid hit the ground hard, pain igniting across his hip, gasping, with Kenneth staring down at him.

"Ow!"

Kenneth turned away with a scoff.

Reid flung his hand out, gripping the man's pant leg, and Kenneth stopped, glancing back with a raised eyebrow.

"If I go all out, I'm afraid I'll break you," Reid rasped.

"You wouldn't break me in a million years, twerp."

He ran his palm up Kenneth's shin to his thigh.

He could smell the enticing waves of apprehension and excitement that Kenneth was giving off without realizing it.

The man wanted to be bitten.

Kenneth was practically screaming for a vampire to take him. It was maddening. Why couldn't he say it aloud? They could stop this dance, which they both knew would result in one outcome.

"But you're so..." Reid feigned a disgusted grimace. "Human."

He expected the stick when it came down, laughing past the pain.

He thought he knew agony.

Walking out of the woods was an endeavour. Every step he took was torture. The hurt hadn't hit him while they fought, laughing and trying not to die.

He hadn't fallen for Kenneth's goading again. He knew the cruel words were only to get him fired up, but it wasn't necessary. Fighting with sticks was, weirdly, enough to get his adrenaline coursing like never before, and he had been exhilarated.

Now he was in agony.

"Ow," Reid whined with every step.

He saw Kenneth giving him a careful side-eye, worried. Reid offered him a beaming smile and received a fond scoff in response.

He limped from the tree line with the taste of blood in his mouth, and a lot of shame. He had only managed to hit Kenneth once.

He knew Kenneth was a force, but fighting him was an experience of pain.

Everyone was out in the yard, sitting at the large garden table, which was fantastic. They all got to watch him limping pathetically. Even Anna, Wyatt, and Uriah had graced the setting sun with their rare presences.

Uriah was a big guy but quiet. He'd never heard the vampire talk. He was constantly scrolling on his phone.

Micio was overseeing his lowly servants from his perch on the deck railing above.

And, as the cherry on top of his foul mood, Asha was staring at Reid in that intense way she did so well to freak him out.

Putting his dramatics on the back burner, it could be worse; not everyone was present.

Chester was locked away for everyone's safety, and Lucas was still on bed rest, healing.

Kiernan was upstairs in the refinished attic and hadn't come down for weeks. He had a bathroom, and Axel brought him blood.

The thought of Kiernan's state made Reid's throat constrict. He wasn't stupid, even though everyone treated him like he was. He knew something had happened.

His father had played a trump card, and it had paid off.

Kiernan had quit.

Even now, reaching out to Kiernan through their bond, Reid felt a faint wave of misery and nothingness. Kiernan was mentally cutting off their connection. Reid didn't know that was possible, and he hated the feeling of loss. He wished Kiernan would let him in.

Reid couldn't fight this battle without him at his side.

Axel, lazily sitting in a garden chair, gave Reid's hundredth 'ow' a curious smile. "Shit, kid, are you okay?

With the side of her head resting on Axel's shoulder, Crystal made a sympathetic noise.

Gianna frowned, sitting straighter. "You look rough."

"He beat me up," Reid complained, pouting at Kenneth.

Kenneth ruffled Reid's hair. "He's fine."

Reid groaned. "That's what someone who just beat a guy up would say."

Laughing, Milton clapped Reid on the back in passing, upsetting bruises and making him hiss through his teeth.

"I was hoping," Milton said when he reached the pavers, "Kiernan would be here for this conversation, but we can't wait any longer. We have to speak about our next moves."

"Don't wait," Axel said gruffly, lighting his cigarette, and the heaviness of the statement had everyone's expressions falling.