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Closing the large door to his bedroom as quietly as he could, Daniel stepped out into the hall and slumped against the wall.
The man inside, Steve McGarrett, slept soundly on Daniel's wide canopy framed bed. He was, for all intents and purposes, dead to the world.
Daniel rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He had used the art of the thrall on Steve to assist him in falling into the Sleep. Steve was suffering conflicting emotions, anxiety, and a fair amount of confusion, not to mention physical exhaustion from the chase through the jungle and Danny purposefullly sapping his strength to gentle him down. Understandable under the cirumstances. This had been an unusual night for both of them.
Daniel pushed off from the wall and wandered down the hall, lost in thought. This wasn't exactly how he'd ever expected this to go. Or even to happen at all. He'd given up listening for the Call a lifetime ago. He contented himself with his Thralls and never looked for more. To hear a mate Call to him after all this time was unsettling to say the least.
Vampire mates were rare and considered very precious. A vampire could go their whole existence without hearing a true Call. And Steve, an untouched human, not a vampire himself already, was even rarer.
Having a Thrall, or 'Consort', was the norm. A Thrall was a human taken under the influence of a master vampire. Thralls were under the power and protection of their master but remained human in body. The masters received companionship and a steady source from which to feed safely. In exchange, Thralls received protection and long life. Vampires and Thralls were bonded together by a mutual telepathic link.
Slaves, on the other hand, were completely under the control of the Vampire Master who made them and had no free will of their own. They were, for all intents and purposes, zombies with no thought or desires other than to accomplish the tasks they were given. A few truly powerful Vampire Masters of old had even been able to amass enough Slaves to form armies for themselves but, luckily for the general population, it required a vast amount of power and concentration and was too draining for most Vampires.
Daniel had had several Thralls over the years and a few Slaves, though that was mostly in the beginning of his life with vampiric powers. He only created temporary Slaves these days and only if he really needed them for specific purposes. Gone were the days when many Vampire Masters created a household of Slaves to cater to them. Daniel was glad of it, he'd never liked the practice.
And now. Now he had Steve. A true Mate. A precious, invaluable treasure he had given up all hope of possessing for himself so long ago. And such a treasure he was. Danny felt his lips curl into a smile and a warmth flow throughs his veins he usually only felt after a rather satisfying feeding as he thought of his Mate, his lithe form, full of strength and grace and unmatched beauty. Just lying next to him had been agony and ecstasy combined. He longed to devour him, mind, body, and soul, and to be devoured by his Mate in return.
The Call was strong between them and it required all Daniel's willpower not to initiate the bond right there and then and to take his Mate in the full joining. Steve had been through enough for the time being and needed rest.
Also, Daniel still remembered the fleeting horror in his eyes as he had taken in the scene of Daniel feeding off the boar's heart and the fear that had prompted his flight into the jungle. However strong the impulse to bond was he knew Steve deserved explanations of what this force was that had hold of them, who and what Daniel was, and time to consider it all. He deserved everything it was in Daniel's power to give him and he resolved to give his Mate no less.
Already, though he had only just left Steve in his bed a short while as these thoughts tumbled in his mind he felt the pull to be close to his Mate and the phantom push to get back to him as quickly as possible. He'd been taught that the frantic nature of the Call would diminish in time once they were bonded and would turn to something soothing and comforting, but right now it felt imperative he have Steve physically close. It must be a mutual thing, Daniel mused, as he felt Steve awakening in the bedroom just as he turned in the hall from his aimless pacing to go back to him.
The sheer want running through the fledgling bond between them was enough to make Daniel nearly stumble as he quickened his pace to get back to his love. The warmth he felt before was building towards fire as he reached the door and sensed Steve longing for his presence and his touch.
Knocking so as not to startle his sensory drunk Mate, he entered the bedroom and felt a rush of pleasure at seeing him awake and somewhat alert, his eyes darkened with desire for Daniel and his thoughts solely focused on him as he reached out a hand to beg Daniel to be with him.
Daniel smiled and went gladly.