After they enjoyed themselves on several more surfaces, like the top of the cabinet, the bed, and even the shower, January and Elias found themselves naked and cuddling beneath a clean sheet on the bed. The vampire's long fingers dug gently into the Omega's scalp as they relaxed. He would also gently kiss Eli's temple or the top of his head every several minutes.

Elias hummed softly, leaning into every touch, returning the gentle affection that the vampire seemed to bask in like a cat who'd found a warm spot over a furnace vent.

"I should have known you'd be a snuggler," Elias said with a soft giggle. "I really like it, though." The Omega let out a long, content sigh as he curled into his new mate. "It makes me feel all noodley and relaxed." Eli looked at the soft pleasure painted on January's face while the wolf drew lazy patterns on the vampire's cool skin. "You love being touched, huh? Not just in a rawr-sexy way, warm fuzzy stuff, too."

"Oh yes," January freely admitted. "I enjoy it all, any contact with someone I care about. I enjoy it even more now that the gods have chosen me as one of your mates. I never would have dreamed of it...I was quite close to giving up." He frowned as he briefly thought about the general pain of his past failures. Jany had gone into every relationship with hope. Every time a lover left him, he would feel pain. The pain ranged from person to person and how long the relationship lasted. Still, there wasn't a single lover he hadn't mourned throughout the centuries.

January had witnessed other vampires becoming colder and less attached to their emotions. Many began to ignore feelings such as empathy, camaraderie, trust, and goodwill towards others. They simply became more selfish. On the other hand, the werewolves and humans would generally better themselves as the years passed. Some were just like the vampires that became colder, but most of them tried to be kind. The empathy that werewolves and humans felt towards others who shared the same kind of pain that they did always astounded him. That's why Jany always gravitated to them more than his own kind. He'd begun to think he'd never come across a lover who cared enough about him to stay.

"No, you can never give up," Elias demanded as he squeezed the other man tightly. His words and actions seamlessly pulled the vampire away from his thoughts. "And now you don't have to even think about it."

"Don't worry, my lovely jewel," January responded as another genuine smile formed on his face. "Such thoughts will soon be a distant memory."

"Good." The Omega was quiet momentarily before peeking up at January, a pink blush rising to the wolf's cheeks. "Hey, Jany? Umm, that was a lot of...activity earlier. Aren't you, you know, hungry?"

January shook his head. "I'm old enough to only need a small amount of blood every several months, even with a lot of 'activity,'" he explained. "Very young vampires and recently-turned vampires are the ones that need a daily taste for the first year or so." The vampires could consume many kinds of blood, even blood from their kin. Human blood was the best for weaning them, as it generally did not cause side effects. The exception was if any of the donors consumed garlic or spicy food, as it would also bring a sense of spiciness to the blood, which most vampires did not like. January, however, had grown to enjoy it.

"Oh," Eli said softly, sounding disappointed as he rubbed his cheek idly against January's chest.

A slight smirk tugged at the purple-eyed man's lips. "Could it be that you are offering, my beloved?" Jany questioned. "Werewolf blood is a stimulant to us, very much like coffee...and from just the taste of Mateo's blood last night, the blood of any one of my mates is sure to be delicious. You're not afraid that I'd draw more than I need?"

"Of course not," Elias said, looking at the vampire as though he'd said something silly. "You're my mate. You can hurt me a little, as long as I want it, and everything is, umm, consensual." Eli blushed harder but continued. "You wouldn't be able to actually harm me, though. It would make you too sad. Like your heart was breaking. It’s part of the bond, at least with us wolves. I imagine it’ll be the same for you." The flushed Omega drew little circles on January's chest with his fingertips, avoiding the vampire's compelling violet eyes. "And you could bite me if you wanted to. You don't have to. It's cool if you'd rather not. I just thought maybe you might need some. But if you're already full... I know you probably have tons of people you've had a chance to drink from before you met us. There were probably people throwing their necks at your mouth constantly."

January couldn't help but laugh. The laughter held a touch of surprise, joy, and desire. How was it that the young Omega made him so happy in such a short amount of time? Elias seemed to sense what Jany needed before the vampire realized he needed it. "How could I ever resist such an offer?" He responded as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss along the Omega's neck. "Elias, my love," he pleaded in a low, sultry voice. "Would you allow me a taste of your bold blood?"

"Mmm, yeah," Eli answered, voice rough as he wondered how it was possible to feel so turned on when his mate had made him cum so many times already. He tipped his chin up, which meant submission to his wolf but so much more with January.

Jany gave the area a gentle lick, ensuring his power passed through. He wanted to numb the area enough so that, after the initial sting, Elias wouldn't feel much pain. He then allowed his fangs to extend enough to form an even set of punctures as he carefully bit down. Drinking blood in such a primal manner was always a bit messy, despite how careful a vampire could be. Some of Eli's blood trickled past the corner of his lips as he took in his mate's fantastic taste.

Eli squeaked softly, fingers digging into January's strong arms as he squirmed beneath him. The bite was a distant sharpness that excitedly made the Omega's heart thump. He drew in the scent of his own blood, imagining what January looked like with his powerful body over him, caging Elias in as the vampire took carefully from the wolf's bared throat. That mouth on him...the sensation seemed to go straight to his cock. In moments, he was blind with rapture, shouting as he came, nails digging into whatever bit of the vampire's skin he could reach.

In a sudden burst, the door to the bedroom flew open as a confused Maribelle froze in place and outright gaped at the scene before her. Her hazel eyes widened in horror as they narrowed in on the blood trailing down Eli's neck and the stranger's chin. Instinctively, she shifted into her wolf form and leaped at the vampire, knocking Jany off the bed and pinning him to the floor with her paws. Maribelle was larger than Eli's wolf form but smaller than Pax's. Her hazel eyes stood out in contrast to the black pelt. The menacing growl that she let loose spoke volumes about how she'd rip the man's limbs apart for daring to hurt her precious cousin-in-law.

Eli yelped, slapping his hand over the neat punctures in his throat, lucky that January had removed his fangs when the door had been flung wide. The blood had slowed to a trickle but had already left a crimson trail down his chest.

"M-Maribelle?" Elias stammered. "Wha-?"

January held his hands beside his head in a display of peaceful surrender. "It was with complete and sober consent," Jany explained. "I would never hurt my beloved Omega."

Maribelle's eyes narrowed, but she continued to growl menacingly.

Eli was looking like a hot mess, in desperate need of a shower to clean off the blood and cum. He was also bare-assed naked. The Omega didn't think of anything as he hurled himself off the bed to wrap his arms around Maribelle's furry neck. Eli nuzzled at the dark wolf's chin.

"It's okay, Mari. Please, don't hurt him!" Elias begged. "He's my mate. We found him last night!"

The wolf made a confused sound before finally stepping back and off the pale man. When she shifted around, she was as naked as the two of them. "Okay...we all need clothes right now," Maribelle responded shakily. "And I'm going to need a drink and a few more El hugs."

"Uh, yeah," the Omega agreed, turning scarlet and covering his crotch. "Follow your nose to our usual room, and you can raid the closets. I think Mat brought some things in here that we can wear. Do you maybe mind if we grab a quick shower?"

"Alright. You two shower; I'll find something of my cousin's to wear, and we'll meet back here?" Maribelle suggested.

The shower was longer than anticipated, mainly owing to Eli's inability to keep his hands and mouth off his new mate. The punctures in his neck had healed rapidly, even faster than what was expected, considering that January hadn't been able to probably seal them. Elias wasn't sure if it was because the wounds came from a vampire. After all, that vampire was his mate, or he was getting better at healing for some odd reason. When Eli walked out of the bathroom, hand in hand with January, it was with damp hair and a burning blush as he realized the other Omega had no doubt heard and smelled everything that had happened while the pair were supposed to simply make themselves a bit more presentable.

She had plenty of time to mix herself a little Sierra Mist with some Hypnotiq to drink by the time the two men were done. Mari all but downed it and left the glass in the sink. Though Maribelle had an eyebrow raised when they gathered back together in the room, her hazel eyes remained warily on the vampire.

"Let's see it, then," she urged as she motioned towards Eli's bonding stone. "What color is he?"

When the green-eyed Omega lifted his necklace for her to see, the vivid purple that now joined Pax's yellow and Mateo's red was unmistakable.

"Kindred Khonsu!" she hissed. She raised her head to gape at the pale man's purple eyes. "Rutting Ra!"

"You can't tell anyone," Elias begged, reaching out to take Maribelle's hand. "You heard from the devotees? I'm scared they'll hurt him or try to separate us. It's not some screw-up with the stone. He's meant to be our mate. It's different, but it's not wrong. Please..."

Maribelle squeezed the other Omega's hand and tugged him into another hug. "El, hun, I'd never do that. You're family...and that means he's family too," she insisted. She tilted her head as she regarded the other redhead in the room. "I'm sorry, what's your name? I'm Maribelle, Pax's cousin."

"January," the vampire responded with a relieved smile. "But friends and family call me Jany."

The young woman let go of the Omega to extend her hand out. "Elias calls me Mari. You can call me Maribelle," she replied, still quite miffed from seeing her brother-in-law dripping with blood.

"Enchanté de faire votre connaissance, Maribelle," Jany practically purred as he pressed a kiss to the female werewolf's knuckles. (Pleasure to meet you/enchanted to make your acquaintance)

Mari hated how her body reacted to the man's voice and touch. Were all vampires innately sultry? She quickly took her hand back and let out a soft huff. "Don't get all cocky. The only reason I'm not giving you a beating is cause El and Pax wouldn't like it."

"Understood," January stated.

"Wait a sec," Elias mused aloud. "Why were you rushing about the house in the first place, Mari?"

"Oh, right!" Maribelle responded as a blush formed on her cheeks. She tucked her long dark hair behind her ear to show off her bonding stone earring. The dangling gem was a solid, deep aquamarine hue all the way through. "I finally found him...or, rather, he all but crashed into me...the point is, I wanted to come over and show you guys!"

"Congratulations!" Eli said with a grin and a hug for the other Omega. "Tell me all the things."

Maribelle felt a blush rising to her cheeks. "Well, you see...his name is Klaude. He's a human," she began. "After those two weeks of searching, I took a break and went shopping on the human side of town. And, of course, that was when I pretty much crashed into him. I was holding too many bags, and as he began to help, the Khonsu stone flashed so bright I was nearly blinded." She rubbed her nose in a nervous gesture. "I tried my best to explain to him what it meant. He knew about Omegas searching for mates but didn't know anything else."

Elias made a delighted little squee. He'd certainly come a long way from how he'd seen things before he'd mated Pax and the others. Elias could see Maribelle's mate as a positive thing.

"Where is he?" Eli asked. "How is he not glued to your side right now?"

The redhead knew how strong the pull was to touch his mate. It was powerful when an Omega was newly mated. Eli blushed, realizing his side was pressed up against January. He didn't move, however. He liked feeling his mate close.

Mari's face burned with a full-on blush. "Th-that's why I came here. I told my parents I was moving in with him in a few hours. I just wanted to let Pax, you, and Mat know that I'm gonna be on that side of town, too," she concluded.