Despite the fact that he appeared to be hardly older than a boy among humans, Kurt was in fact, over a century old and he’d learned long ago that sometimes when battling against a predator it was better to appear docile than to be fierce.

And the Marquess of Wiltshire was very much a predator.

Blaine was a beautiful predator but, still a predator nonetheless.

Holding himself still, Kurt feigned indifference to the pleasure of being confined within Blaine’s arms and the puff of his breath against his neck.� He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Blaine was unaware of his thundering heart and the lightening racing through his veins at the vampire’s proximity.� The aggravating demon was always quick to pounce at the first sign of any weakness on Kurt’s part and unfortunately for the warlock, his reaction to Blaine was uncontrollable and impossible to mask.

“In the name of the Goddess, would you stop sniffing me,” Kurt huffed.� “It’s rude and invasive.”

“Tell me where you came into contact with a werewolf!”

Kurt closed his eyes, willing himself to ignore the hot coil of excitement that Blaine’s demanding tone had sent spiraling into his belly.

He had desired Blaine from the moment he had caught sight of him across a crowded ballroom.� Kurt wanted him, his mind, body and soul screamed for him.

But Kurt was not a fool.

Those who were stupid enough to fall victim to the seductive charms of a vampire were doomed to be mere shadows of their former selves.� Humans lost their souls, demons had been known to barter away their powers and other vampires often lost their heads.� Blaine had been known to cut a wide path of emotional destruction in both the human and demon world.� He took on many lovers, cared for few and discarded all when he was done.� It was a cult of misery that Kurt was determined to avoid becoming a member of.

“I am not your property, Marquess of Wiltshire and I do not have to subject myself to your interrogation,” he snapped.

“My property?� No dear one, indeed you are not.� But you are mine and if you refuse to answer then I shall simply ask the Council –“

With an audible gasp Kurt was turning in his arms, an expression of pleading and horror across his face.
“You can’t!� You mustn’t!� Please, Blaine don’t.”

Blaine’s brows shot up, the hazel in his eyes almost completely gone, the gold blazing bright.� He studied Kurt with unnerving intensity.

“Tell me you have not allowed your foolishly soft heart to lead you into danger?� Damn it, Kurt what have you done?”

“It is none of your concern.”

Blaine’s mouth settled into a thin line, aggravation rolling off of him in waves.� He cupped Kurt’s chin forcing the slightly taller man to look him in the eyes.� Blaine’s eyes shadowed over then blackened and his handsome features shifted, revealing a bit of the monster housed within.

“Kurt.”

Kurt blew out a resigned sigh.� The clan chief rarely exposed his demon side in public and never had he done so in Kurt’s presence.� The fact that he was so close to losing control was not lost on the warlock and Kurt was wise enough not to borrow trouble.

“A few months ago I discovered a werewolf on the grounds of William’s manor.”

“Did you now?”� The black receded and the hazel tinged gold returned.� Blaine’s golden eyes narrowed.� “Mages and werewolves do not typically abide one another, unless it is a business arrangement.� There must be an item of great value housed within those manor walls if William went through the trouble of securing the blessing of the Council to have one of those feral beasts roaming free within the city, undeclared.”

Kurt’s gaze slid to the floor and his shoulders slumped.� “This particular werewolf isn’t registered with the council.”

Blaine chuckled.� “Dear one, that’s impossible.� The werewolf wouldn’t be permitted to hire out his services if he were not registered with the council.”

Kurt bit his lip.� When he had first stumbled across the werewolf he hadn’t known what to make him but a few minutes with Noah was all it had taken for Kurt to offer him sanctuary.

Like most other werewolves, Noah possessed the fierce strength and heightened senses typical of his breed.� He also changed during the moon and was always prepared to do battle.

Unlike most of his terrifying brethren however, Noah lacked the bloodlust that made him an indiscriminate killing machine when changed.� He only attacked those who were truly threats to him or those he held dear.� Even worse, he was impulsive and unpredictable, inclined to mate with anything that crossed his path and frequently brought trouble down upon his pretty head in pursuit of the fairer sex.

He had been caught coupling with his alpha’s mate.� She had become impregnated and as a result the poor thing had been banished from his clan and treated as little more than a leper among his own people.� He was supposed to be exiled to the country side; Noah’s presence in the city would be a direct violation of the order of the Council and death was the punishment for any foolhardy enough to go against them.

Kurt knew the risk harboring the wayward werewolf but he, better than most, knew the pain of never truly belonging.

Which no doubt explained why Noah had so swiftly earned a place in his heart as best friend, brother and confident.� They had spent many hours sharing stories of their childhood, tales of their various exploits and bonding over games and music.� For all his outward fierceness Noah was a gentle, somewhat broken soul and Kurt would do whatever was necessary to protect him, if need be he would lay down his life in exchange for Noah’s.

He had little doubt the wolf would do the same.

“Noah did not hire out his services.� If you must know he was rejected by his clan and exiled by the council because he…”

A triangular brow arched as Kurt hesitated. “Well?”

“He had a bit of a dalliance with his alpha’s mate.� Noah is very sweet he is just…usually lustful and a bit impulsive and doesn’t like to kill for the sake of killing, unlike certain other creatures,” Kurt snapped.� “Satisfied?”

“You’ve taken up the cause of a horny, exiled, werewolf?”

“Don’t you dare mock Noah!”

The golden eyes shimmered with mirth.� “I wouldn’t dream of insulting your friend.� My enjoyment is at the thought of William discovering just what you get up to within his manor walls.”

“My household and what takes place within is none of your concern, Marquess.”� A deep male voice echoed through the darkness as the Duke of Rochdale climbed the steps from the garden.� “And neither is my apprentice.”

Kurt rolled his eyes as Blaine’s arm tightened around his waist and a cruel smile twisted the vampire’s lips.

The two men had been rivals since William and Kurt had arrived in Paris.� Thus far, the hostilities had not descended into all out war but Kurt sensed it was only a matter of time.

Until that day came they took an obscene amount of joy in provoking one another.

“Do you think you frighten me, mage?”� Blaine scoffed.

William slowly crossed the terrace, his hand smoothing down the charcoal gray jacket he’d worn over his black waistcoat and white knee breeches.

He was a tall gentlemen, with a thick mane of brunette curls that started to show golden highlights centuries before. He had a dimpled chin and piercing honey colored eyes that belied his ruthless nature.� Most considered him handsome though he lacked the sheer force of personality that Blaine possessed.
Halting near the stone railing, William folded his arms over his chest, his expression smug and mocking.� That could only mean one thing.

Cautiously, Kurt opened his senses, and was not surprised to find there was an unmistakable wall of magic surrounding the mage.� William was arrogant, but not stupid.� He would never approach any vampire, let alone one as powerful as Blaine, without some type of protection spell.

Kurt wondered if William actually understood that Blaine was no ordinary vampire.� He was a clan chief and William while a powerful mage was not as powerful as Blaine.� No protection spell he could erect would do him any good if Blaine were hell bent on ripping out his throat.�

“Have no doubt that when I desire to frighten you, devil spawn, that’s exactly what I shall do.”� William taunted.

Oh blessed be, the man truly was an arrogant ass.� Kurt exhaled and prayed that Blaine would have the sense to restrain himself.

Taking advantage of the distraction William provided, Kurt slipped from Blaine’s grasp and moved to the center of the terrace, between the two men.

“As my presence hardly seems necessary, I will leave you two gentlemen to entertain one another,” he muttered.

William stepped towards Kurt, extending his hand and grabbing Kurt’s arm.� “Forgive me, Kurt-“
The words had scarcely left his mouth when he was abruptly slammed against the brick wall of the manor, Blaine’s hand wrapped around his throat, nails biting into the tender flesh.� His eyes had shifted to bottomless black, his features twisted into a grotesque parody of humanity, his fangs extended.

Shocked by the sudden violence and the ease at which Blaine had breached William’s considerable defenses, Kurt hurried to the vampire’s side, laying a trembling hand on his shoulder.

“Please, my lord, no,” he whispered, his voice soft, pleading, terrified.� The air swirled with danger and the promise of death.� Conventional wisdom would have dictated Kurt keep his distance from a fully changed vampire but conventional wisdom had never had a place when it came to Kurt and Blaine.� “Please, my lord.� He meant no offense.� Blaine, �let him go.”

There was a moment when William’s life hung in the balance; then with a low growl Blaine tossed the larger man aside and turned to grab Kurt, his features once again smoothed back to his impeccable beauty but his eyes still black with hunger.

“Take heed, dear one, I have attempted to cultivate a measure of patience in my pursuit of you –you are after all, young and inexperienced-but that patience is swiftly abandoning me.� I will not have your protector pawing at what’s mine and I shall not suffer any fools who attempt to keep you from me.� Most importantly dear one, I will not wait much longer for you to decide to come to me.”

Kurt’s heart slammed against his chest, but not in fear, despite the iron grip that dug into his arms and the savage gleam in those bottomless black eyes.� No, it was pure exhilaration that rushed through his blood making him heady and weak.

“Are you threatening me?”� he whispered.

Blaine framed Kurt’s face with his hands, staring deep into his eyes before covering his mouth with a harsh, possessive kiss.

Blaine was drowned in the kiss.� Kurt tasted like sweetness and light, like pure unfiltered joy.� Kissing Kurt was like getting back everything he’d given up before he’d realized just how precious they were to him and Blaine ached to continue kissing him, to mark him and claim him as his own.

At the touch of Blaine’s lips against his Kurt realized the fantasies that he’d allowed himself to indulge in paled in comparison to the real thing.� Blaine’s tongue swept across his bottom lip, teeth nipping gently until Kurt granted him entrance.� The slick slip and slide of their tongues over and around each other as they battled for dominance fanned the flames of their desire and Blaine pressed Kurt closer to him, his hands roaming possessively all over his body.

Blaine quickly emerged as the victor in their fight for control.� He tangled his tongue with Kurt’s and simply invaded the youth’s mouth.� He plundered every inch of Kurt’s mouth, simply taking the pleasure he sought and demanding Kurt seek satisfaction in turn.� The need for breath finally drove Kurt to break the kiss, turning his head away with a low moan.

They stared at each other for one long, unbroken moment.

“You asked if I was threatening you,”� Blaine said quietly, “No, dear one, I am promising you,” he whispered against Kurt’s lips, and then Blaine turned swiftly, releasing Kurt and disappearing from the terrace at a dizzying rate of speed.

Kurt pressed his fingers to his lips and felt as if his entire world had been torn asunder.

He had always sensed the volatile emotions that lurked just below the surface whenever Blaine was near.� It was like throwing a lit match onto a powder keg. �An explosion was inevitable.

But he’d never imagined that a mere kiss would have the power to move the earth from beneath his feet.
Hearing a faint grunt of pain, he smoothed the shock out of his face and schooled his expression to one of pure blankness.� The last thing he needed was for William to pick up on his unwelcome vulnerability to the clan chief.

He had settled himself just in time, as William moved to his side, a scowl marring his handsome features and his dark eyes smoldering with rage and ill concealed hatred.

The man was accustomed to being master of his domain.� He was not only a powerful mage, but, with Kurt’s assistance had acquired a massive collection of magical weapons that would make any demon, no matter how powerful, hesitant to challenge him.

Now Blaine had effectively proven that he was capable of ripping William to shreds and leaving him a rotting corpse in the London’s gutters. �It was little wonder that the hands that smoothed the fabric of his jacket were not quite steady.

“Damn bloodsucker,” He spat. “How did he slip into London undetected?’

Kurt rolled his eyes.� “A demon does not survive thousands of years without learning how to move about in shadow and secret,” Kurt pointed out dryly, as he scanned the seemingly empty gardens.

William was far from appeased.� “Skilled demon or no, I intend to have a word with my men.� They have clearly grown lax in their duties.”

Indeed, as they have yet to realize there is werewolf seeking sanctuary within your walls, Kurt thought.� “Lax? I highly doubt it, they are terrified of you.”

With a shake of his head, William made an effort to act as if he had not just been handed his ass by an infuriated vampire.

“And you, Kurt?”� William demanded, his fingers trailing a suggestive path across Kurt’s cheek. “Are you terrified of me?”

Kurt took a determined step back.� William was handsome and, when he made the effort, a charming companion, but Kurt had no interest in their relationship being anything other than professional.

“Not especially, no.”

“Hmm…why does that disappoint me?”� William asked with a rueful smile.

Kurt exhaled harshly and shrugged.� He had no desire to stroke William’s ego or any other part of the man but he also had no desire to be in such close proximity to Blaine in light of recent events.

And then there was Noah to consider.� The less time William spent at the manor, the less the chances of the werewolf being discovered.

“Perhaps we should leave London, travel a bit?� A change in scenery might lead to changes in…other things.”� Not bloody likely, but if gets you away from Noah and me away from Blaine there’s no harm in letting you think so, Kurt thought.

“Overcome with a sudden desire to travel?”� William asked, surprise coloring his tone.

It was a legitimate question.

Over the years Kurt had never made any secret of his aversion to their constant flittering from place to place.� It was not that he didn’t understand the need to avoid settling in one place for too long.� Humans were not overly observant but even the most obtuse among them would notice that their neighbors did not age.� But with William it was constant state of go, go, go and Kurt longed to have a more permanent existence.

But now, now all he longed for was to put miles of sand and sea between William and Noah and Blaine and himself.

“Why not?”

“For one, there is the matter of the bothersome war being waged throughout Europe at the moment, if you recall,” William drawled, “and while winter does put a certain cool into the heat of battle, my sources tell me that the foolish Archduke Charles is plotting some sort of uprising in Austria which will undoubtedly spark all manner of nasty retaliation.� We can only hope Vienna is spared his lunacy.

Kurt shrugged.� “The Continent is not the only place beyond England.� We could visit India or the Americas or-“

“Kurt, you are well aware I abhor the colonies,” William interrupted, derision coloring his tone.� “The society is tedious, the entertainment is rudimentary at best, the natives are savages and the settlers little more than.� Besides, my negotiations with the Fey are not going as well as I would have hoped.”

Kurt’s heart sank.

For all of William’s magic, he was still human and it was only a special potion of rare herbs and elixirs that managed to keep his mortality at bay.

Herbs and elixirs that could only be made by Fey magic.

That explained why William had rushed back to London and why he wouldn’t dare leave until he was certain he had procured enough of the brew to last him several weeks, if not months.

They were stuck there for the foreseeable future.

“What is wrong?� You’ve never had a problem bartering for your potion before?”

William scowled. “Samuel is unsettled.”

Kurt smiled.� “That is hardly surprising.� Prince of the Fey he may be, but Sam has always been flighty and a tad unpredictable.”

“It is worse than usual.� For the past three months I have sought an audience with Sam, each time offering my finest possessions for the privilege and each time I have been told he is not receiving.”

Kurt frowned.� Sam’s Fey were notoriously erratic creatures but they had an insatiable desire for magic and bottomless curiosity for magical items.� Sam was more child than man sometimes and if you offered him the right trinket, nothing less than his impending death would keep him away.

“Have you offended him?”

William’s jaw knotted with tension.� “I would never be that foolish,” he declared.

Says the man who just provoked the most powerful vampire in all of merry old England. Kurt thought bitterly.

“No, Prince Sam is either attempting to unnerve me into offering something specific or he’s gone into hiding,”� William’s voice cut into Kurt’s thoughts.

“Why would the Prince of the Fey go into hiding?”� Kurt wondered aloud.

“That’s a good question; unfortunately none seem to have the answer.”

A silence descended as they both considered the possibilities.� While Kurt had no doubt that William’s only concern was for his precious potion, Kurt prayed that Sam was well.� There was a certain affinity between the Fey and his mother’s people and Kurt had always felt a connection to the Prince.�

They had met when Kurt accompanied William to one Sam’s balls and the two had become fast friends. �

The Fey Prince had offered him sanctuary and a place among his brethren despite the fact that Kurt was only a half-breed and a warlock to boot.� In addition to Noah, Sam was one of the precious few connections Kurt had.

“So what do you intend to do?” Kurt asked.

“Make him an offer so tempting he cannot resist meeting with me.”� William shot Kurt a searching look.� “Speaking of, did you have a peek at Lord Hudson’s new collection?”

Kurt shook his head impatiently.� It had taken less than a half an hour to search through the Egyptian collection currently being displayed in Lord Hudson’s private viewing room.

Not only were the statues badly chipped and the pottery lacking the barest hint of magic, several were out right fakes.

“Not a bit of magic amongst the lot.”

William sighed.� “Not entirely unexpected but still a pity.� Perhaps I shall have a greater bit of luck at Lord and Lady Howell’s soiree.”

“Did Lord Howell purchase new artifacts?”

“No but rumor has it he’s recently acquired a very young and very beautiful mistress.”

Kurt frowned in confusion.� “What possible interest is that to us?”

“Us?� None.� But if Carl is spending time with his mistress, Emma might welcome some company of her own.”

Kurt blanched and gave William a tight smile.� “I see.”

William extended his arm and Kurt took it gingerly.� “I thought you might.”� He said as he escorted Kurt out of the garden, through the party and to the front walk to await their carriage.

As the duo left the terrace Blaine stepped out of the shadows, a small smile playing on his lips.

Ridding himself of William Schuester had just become infinitely easier, that is if he could beat the Duke to an audience with the Fey Prince
.�
And Blaine was quite certain he could.� After all, the receiving order was clear: demons took precedent over humans.

He would meet with Sam and ensure that William Schuester would be a thorn in his side no longer, and that would bring Kurt one step closer to being his.