Sorin's Protector [A Dragon's Growl 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Read online

  A Dragon’s Growl 3

  Sorin’s Protector

  Sorin has been a captive ever since the dragons came and expelled the vampires from his family home. Sorin is young for a vampire, only twenty-five, so he knows nothing of the war between his kind and the dragons. His life has been turned upside down.

  At least his jailer is handsome. Lucian seems like an honorable man, but what are the chances he would ever want something with the enemy kept prisoner in the basement?

  Lucian is a rock dragon, a powerful alpha in his clan, and he volunteered to watch over Sorin. After an attack that nearly cost him his life, he owes Sorin big. Sorin stayed behind and defended Lucian when he could have run away. For that, Lucian feels wholly responsible when Sorin is attacked.

  A passionate night together leads to a misunderstanding that might leave them separated before they can discover the truth they both couldn't see.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 25,426 words

  SORIN'S PROTECTOR

  A Dragon's Growl 3

  Marcy Jacks

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  SORIN'S PROTECTOR

  Copyright © 2017 by Marcy Jacks

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-421-1

  First Publication: June 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marcy Jacks lives and works in Ontario, Canada, with her dog, and she loves writing about gorgeous guys in tricky situations. You can reach her at [email protected].

  For all titles by Marcy Jacks, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/marcy-jacks

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Landmarks

  Cover

  SORIN'S PROTECTOR

  A Dragon's Growl 3

  MARCY JACKS

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  “You can sleep right here. No one will be coming in here to hurt you. You’ll be safe.”

  Sorin looked around the bedroom. It was roughly the size of the one he used to keep, but as far as he knew, one of the servants was using it now as their own private quarters since the dragons had come and taken over.

  This bedroom used to be a spare, set aside for his cousin whenever she came to visit.

  She was dead now, killed by the very vampires who had been sent to rescue Sorin.

  His shoulders slumped.

  Lucian came to stand in front of him. They were the only ones in the room, in his bedroom.

  “Are you okay?”

  Sorin nodded. It still hurt his gums when he spoke. Having his top and bottom fangs pulled out with pliers still hurt like a bitch.

  He supposed it made sense. Sorin was the only vampire left in the house, and those men had just been looking for a place to settle their rage, to exact their revenge, so he was the most logical choice.

  His father might have approved of it had it not been Sorin this happened to.

  Lucian lifted his hands, appeared to hesitate, and then placed them onto Sorin’s shoulders.

  Sorin’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes flying wide. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at the dragon, not when he couldn’t control the trembling in his body.

  “Sorin, I promise you I won’t hurt you. I would never…I mean I can’t let you go or anything, but this wasn’t supposed to happen. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  But Lucian had wanted to hurt him, in the beginning. He’d been like everyone else.

  Sorin had thought saving Lucian would make the servants and the dragons in this house look at him differently. Apparently, it hadn’t.

  Lucian was silent for only a moment, as though trying to figure out how much he said was getting through to Sorin. He might even think Sorin had cracked, considering he’d barely spoken a word since Lucian had gently lifted his lips with his fingers and noted the empty, red spots where his fangs should have been.

  “Sorin, I know I’m a dragon and you’re a vampire, but I promise you, it’s not the honorable way for dragons to attack a prisoner the way you were. If you would just tell us who did it…I already have it narrowed down to a couple of people. They’re all denying it, but if you would just say a name, I would bring them before you for punishment. You wouldn’t face any consequences for it.”

  Sorin’s eyes widened even more just thinking about such a horrible thing. He quickly shook his head.

  No, he couldn’t give names. That could never happen so long as he had life in his body. He would never tell who had done this.

  Because he’d deserved it. The servants in the house, the omegas, they weren’t actually servants. Servants were paid.

  The omegas who lived in this mansion had been slaves and the dragons their protectors. When an omega was captured, taken out of the mansion, and a dragon injured, it made sense that Sorin would become a target.

  He’d been a slave owner. Sorin knew the difference between right and wrong, and he’d never…

  It didn’t matter what he didn’t do. The point was he’d brought his punishment onto himself.

  Now, he just wanted to let it go, wait until his fangs grew back in a couple of months, forget this ever happened, and, with any luck, the dragons might release him. He could have his freedom again.

  Sorin glanced up at Lucian.

  Not that he minded being around Lucian, that was. The rock dragon’s hands were heavy on his shoulders, but they were also warm, and Sorin couldn’t help but like it, even if it was stupid for him to like such a thing.

  He supposed he just missed being touched by anyone in a way that didn’t seem cruel. Miles tried to be kind to him, bringing him books and speaking to him, but it wasn’t the same.

  Well, it could also be that Lucian was a handsome man and he had taken it upon himself to be Sorin’s protector. That certainly had an impact as well. Sorin was desperate to know he was safe, and here was a dragon promising him up and down he would keep Sorin from being tortured again.

  Hell that might drive him into the arms of anyone.

  Lucian, however, didn’t seem pleased that Sorin w
as intent on saying nothing. In fact, his expression turned from patient to angry.

  A vampire’s eyes turned black when they were angry or getting out of control.

  A dragon’s eyes turned red, same as alpha wolves and big cats.

  And Lucian’s eyes turned a bright shade of red as he growled and suddenly pushed himself away.

  Sorin stood stock-still, unable to move even if he wanted to as he watched the alpha prowl around the bedroom.

  Despite being only a guest room, it was expansive, with a connecting sitting room and bathroom.

  Lucian went to the bed and to the small futon on the floor next to it. On it was a single blanket and pillow. It wasn’t much compared to what Sorin was used to growing up, but the difference between that futon and the hard thing he’d been sleeping on in the basement, in his cell, looked very much like heaven.

  Lucian stood over it, one hand on his hip while the other rubbed his jaw.

  He growled again, reaching for another pillow from the bed. There were many pillows on the bed, so taking one from the pile hardly ruined the look of it.

  Lucian threw the pillow onto the futon, turning back to Sorin. “I’ll take the futon, and you can have the bed.”

  Sorin heard those words, and he blinked stupidly for a moment.

  The bed was his? Really?

  Despite the pain in his mouth, he needed to know why Lucian was being so kind to him. Wincing only a little, he asked his questions. “Why?”

  Lucian raised a brow, his chocolate eyes revealing just how shocked he was.

  Either at the question or the fact that Sorin had said anything to begin with, he couldn’t be sure.

  “Why?” Lucian asked, repeating the question before clearing his throat and glancing away.

  Sorin thought for a few second that Lucian’s cheeks might have darkened, but that must have just been in his head. He couldn’t be really seeing that.

  Lucian sucked back a deep breath. “I don’t like how you were treated. I don’t like you thinking that all dragons are like that, that we do that to our prisoners. We’re supposed to be better than that.”

  Sorin could definitely read between the lines on that one.

  He meant better than the vampires.

  “But you owe me nothing,” Sorin said softly, his mouth still aching from talking.

  He was a vampire—the sun didn’t sit well with him. He needed blood and food to survive, and he was also weak.

  His healing was either going slower than its usual rate, or the wounds made inside his mouth had been worse than he thought.

  He’d always heard that when a vampire had his fangs ripped out, either by an enemy or another vampire, that it was the worst sort of pain any vampire could ever feel. And humiliation.

  Now he knew for certain that such was the case.

  Lucian still hadn’t answered him. His massive arms were crossed over his large chest, and he appeared determined to look at anything and everything other than Sorin.

  “I never forgot that you saved me,” Lucian said. His voice hardly carried, his words soft.

  Sorin ducked his head. Shame filled his chest, even though Sorin knew shame was the last thing in the world he should be feeling right about now.

  Still, as a dragon warrior, it must have disgraced Lucian greatly to have to be rescued by one of the creatures he despised the most.

  “I’m sorry,” Sorin replied softly.

  “For what? You didn’t do anything, and I’m glad you saved me.”

  Sorin couldn’t tell what was real anymore. Lucian’s words sounded true, but the fact that Sorin was a prisoner in his own home, having a conversation with a dragon a few days after his fangs had been pulled out…it was too much for him to handle.

  He stayed quiet for a time. He wanted to be left alone, but he knew that was impossible. Lucian was his protector, and his jailer. Sorin would be going nowhere without him.

  Strange how he could be glad for that and sorrowful at the same time.

  “Are you thirsty?” Lucian asked suddenly, lifting his sleeve to the still healing wound on his wrist. “It’s been a while since you’ve fed.”

  Not since the day Lucian had discovered what had happened to Sorin. That was how long it’d been.

  And he was aching for a little more blood.

  “You shouldn’t be feeding me so much,” Sorin said. “Even for a dragon, it’s not good for you.”

  A dragon could produce more blood than a human, but a once a week feeding could still take its toll on Lucian.

  “Once more won’t hurt anything,” Lucian said softly. He let out one of his claws, pointing it to his wrist, as though getting ready to make the cut.

  Since Sorin couldn’t make a bite, Lucian had to cut himself the last time Sorin needed to be fed.

  Sorin hated that for him, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling an immense amount of gratitude.

  Clearly, he was a bundle of nerves and was mixed up about a lot of things. He wanted things and didn’t want them at the same time. He was eager for other things and yet anxious about them.

  And the fact that the taste of Lucian’s blood made his mouth water, as well as his groin stir, was more than enough to make him look for a way out.

  He didn’t make sense even to himself.

  “Can I…have a shower first?” Sorin asked, carefully glancing up at the other man.

  He hoped he wasn’t giving himself away. He didn’t want to let Lucian know that, sometime after his attack, his dick had started to get hard just with the thought of Lucian touching him, holding him as Sorin drank from him.

  Hell, Sorin had been so emotionally and physically weak that first time he’d needed feeding after his fangs had been pulled that holding Sorin in his arms had been exactly what Lucian had needed to do. Hugging Sorin from behind while Sorin drank his fill of blood and then continued to hold him after Sorin had enough and cried like a little girl after the fact.

  His mouth had hurt after drinking, and he’d been so swept up in the emotion of being held like that, of feeling some form of comfort, that he couldn’t help himself.

  His father, Varrick, would have been ashamed if he’d seen it.

  Sorin hadn’t cared either. He’d needed to let it out.

  Maybe that was why he was having so much trouble with his body whenever he thought about Lucian, about what he smelled like and what his body had felt like when Sorin had been sitting in the man’s lap drinking from his wrist.

  Yes, that had to be it. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, and Sorin was relieved to have thought of it.

  This had nothing to do with anything shameful, and he wasn’t a pervert for getting hard while thinking about his jailer.

  Lucian was a handsome man, dragon or not, and he’d comforted Sorin, promising to protect him when he’d been at his most vulnerable.

  Despite the short amount of time they’d known each other, they had gone through a lot together.

  That was more than enough to make a young, healthy, twenty-five year-old vampire have these thoughts and desires. Nothing more and nothing less. He shouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

  “You still with me?”

  Sorin jerked out of his stupor, looking up at the taller man, into those deep brown eyes, and noting the concern there.

  As well as the soft smile. “You spaced out a little. Are you okay?”

  Sorin cleared his throat. “I am. Thank you for asking.”

  He winced and touched his mouth.

  Lucian’s soft smile left his face. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be making you talk so much. Yeah, if you want to get cleaned up, that’s totally fine. I guess you already know where the bathroom is.” Lucian smiled at that, as if he was trying to make some sort of funny joke. To lighten the mood.

  Sorin tried to smile back at him, but he couldn’t seem to make it happen, so he gave up. “Yeah, I know.”

  Lucian cleared his throat. “Some of your clothes are on the way. I’ll
put them by the door when you’re finished. You can throw those in the corner and I’ll get someone to send them to the wash.”

  Sorin looked down at himself. The clothes he had been wearing when he’d been captured were his silken pajamas. He’d basically stayed in pajamas after his capture. It would be nice to wear some proper day clothes again.

  Once again, he found himself feeling incredibly grateful for this small kindness, even though he knew Lucian was doing it mostly for the sake of his own guilt.

  He was doing this for himself, and not for Sorin.

  Sorin just went into the bathroom anyway. He didn’t wait for Lucian to say anything else or to change his mind.

  He closed the door behind him, considered locking it, wondering if Lucian would tell him he wasn’t allowed, and then tested his luck and locked the door anyway.

  He heard no complaints on the other side. Lucian must have heard the lock clicking, but apparently he was going to leave Sorin alone.

  Sorin sighed, relieved.

  He looked longingly at the shower and immediately started to strip, though it was careful and slow work with his arm still hurting the way it did.

  The people who yanked his fangs did have to hold him down. His arm wasn’t broken, which was what he’d been told by the dragon and omega in the house who did the most first aid, but it was still incredibly tender and, when he’d first been checked over, fractured.

  The dragon who’d grabbed him had been strong.

  He’d actually been X-rayed. Sorin was shocked the dragons had brought that sort of equipment into the house when they’d taken over.

  It didn’t hurt quite as much, which made him think the bruise had healed somewhat. It was probably also why the spots where his fangs still hurt so damned much.

  His body seemed to be focusing all his energy to his arm, with his mouth next in the line for healing.