Dominic smiled at the awe in Danny’s voice when he tentatively reached out to touch the collar. He knew it was an impressive piece of jewelry. He had meant it to be when he commissioned it many years ago. It was to grace the neck of his personal donor, a position that he hoped Danny would readily accept.
The collar itself was made of the finest butter-soft black leather.
Fitted into the leather in perfect symmetry were four gemstones—a natural red ruby, a crystal clear diamond, a deep green emerald, and a blue sapphire. Dominic’s personal emblem, a blood red tear dripping from the corner of a half moon, was embossed in gold between each gem.
“In vampire circles, it’s the height of bad taste for a vampire to drink from someone that has an exclusive contract with another
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vampire. To insure that doesn’t happen, because it can start wars between covens, exclusive donors wear collars to designate them as taken.” Sully waved his hand at the collar Dominic held. “That’s the collar Dominic had made for you.”
Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “He had this made for me?”
“Well, not you particularly.” Sully snickered. “He had it made for his blood donor. In this case, that would be you.”
Dominic frowned when some of the wonder fell from Danny’s face and he withdrew his hand. “It is his,” Dominic growled silently.
“Tell him. It is his and his alone. No one has ever worn it before him.”
Sully sighed deeply as he rolled his eyes. Dominic was going to punch Sully right in the mouth first chance he got. “Dominic says that no one has ever worn the collar before you. It’s yours and yours alone.”
“Really?” Danny whispered.
Dominic nodded when Danny peeked up at him through the fall of his sunlight-blond hair. He held the collar out and gestured to Danny’s neck. “Ask him if he will accept it.”
“Seriously, Dominic?” Sully snapped back silently. “Just put the damn thing on him. He’s already signed the contract.”
“Do it!”
“Fine.” Sully slouched down in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he glowered at Danny. “Dominic wants to know if you will accept it.”
“I have a choice?” Danny asked.
“Apparently,” Sully grumbled.
Dominic shot Sully a short glare. He’d have to talk to his friend about his manners once he was back on his feet. Sully didn’t much like humans, and Dominic knew he had good reason not to. Sully had experienced some pretty horrific things at the hands of humans.
But Danny was different. Dominic knew it deep down in his soul.
Danny wouldn’t chase them from their home or burn it to the ground.
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He wouldn’t try to bury a stake in their hearts or turn them over to the people that hunted his kind. Danny wouldn’t betray them.
Dominic jerked his gaze away from Sully when he felt Danny’s fingers touch his wrist. He held the collar up, asking with his gesture if Danny would accept the item from him. It just felt better coming from him even if it was silent communication.
Danny stared at the necklace for a moment then looked at Dominic. He stared for so long that Dominic started to lose hope that Danny would take the collar. He glanced away, not wanting Danny to see the need in his eyes, and started to place the necklace back in the box when he once again felt Danny’s hand on his wrist.
“I’ll accept it,” Danny whispered.
Relief flooded Dominic, and something he thought might be happiness, but he wasn’t sure. It was another emotion he wasn’t used to. None of the emotions he’d been dealing with since meeting Danny were ones he was used to. And all of them confused the shit out of him.
When Danny leaned closer then tilted his head back, Dominic lifted the collar and wrapped it around Danny’s throat. His hands trembled so much that it took him a moment to get the clasp closed and sealed.
He quickly pricked his finger and let a couple of drops of his blood drip over the latch closure. It wouldn’t prevent the collar from being removed, but it would warn others that Danny belonged to him, and, hopefully, keep them away.
Danny now belonged to him, and Dominic would fight with everything in him to keep the man at his side. There was something more to Danny than just his position as a blood donor. Dominic didn’t know what that something was, but he did know Danny was special.
“I have a question,” Danny suddenly said.
Dominic cocked an eyebrow.
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“If I’m wearing a collar, how do you feed?” Danny asked. “I mean, last night you drank from my neck. Does the collar mean you drink from somewhere else?”