Once again the initial rush of pleasure hit him, the taste of the wolf's blood electrifying and wonderful. The touch of his mind followed almost instantly. This mind might be less focused on the "now" than Justin's, but it was far more intense; a strong, vibrant, and aggressive personality coursed through it. For an instant Thomas was drawn back into his own past. The last time he had touched a mind with that intensity, its owner had done terrible, wonderful things to and with him.

Ian, however, was neither a psychopath nor a sadist, only iron-willed, and as pleasure spiraled up once more Thomas was able to dismiss the memory and simply savor the blood, enjoy the flood of delight, and let his arousal rise with it. Ian was a hedonist at heart, and Thomas could feel his suspicion and paranoia drop away, replaced with pleasure that escalated into arousal, more than matching Thomas'. A flash of curiosity pressed itself on their minds as Justin made his continued presence in the bond felt, as it flowed through Thomas into both of them. The wolves reached for each other's minds, with wonder at the closeness of this contact, mingled with familiarity -- intimacy even. Thomas realized that they were not brothers as he had assumed, but lovers. Even as Thomas still fed from Ian's wrist, Justin leaned in and kissed Ian hard, passion flaring through the link.

Thomas shuddered. It felt so good ... It had been so long, so very long ... Not just since he had shared blood, but since he had had sex. What the two werewolves were doing and feeling had him incredibly aroused. He wanted to join them, to kiss them both, and do everything beyond.

He managed to cling to his self-control enough to draw back from Ian's wrist once he'd taken what he needed. He sat back, breathing hard again, fighting to get himself under control. The wolves broke off their kiss. They were both panting as well.

"You were right," said Ian. He glanced at Thomas. "I'm sorry."

Thomas shrugged. "It's good to be wary of vampires. Plenty of us deserve our reputations."

"But you obviously don't," said Justin. "You're a very nice vampire." He grinned. Thomas swallowed. He looked from one canine grin to the other, and could feel that they were both still aroused. Not that he needed to feel it, what with the naked truth right in front of him. His own reaction wasn't as obvious, but it was as strong. He licked his lips as the two continued to grin at him, feeling a sudden sympathy for rabbits and deer and all other prey. There was a certain thrill in that thought.

"It's cold out here, and not very comfortable," said Justin. "Would you like to come back to our den with us?" His emotions made it clear that there wouldn't be much rest there.

"We're practically strangers," Thomas said, a little hesitantly. "I'm not sure ..."

Justin chuckled. "We know each other well enough to know what we want. If you're really not comfortable, though, that's all right."

Thomas hesitated. He was sure the wolves wouldn't force him into anything he didn't want, but what made him uncertain was realizing how much he really did want it. Was he only desiring them because it had been so long? Was he really attracted to them? Did it really matter? "Okay," he said suddenly. He got to his feet, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.