When one of his eyebrows rose in disbelief, she gave a crazed chuckle. “You don’t know what real betrayal feels like, human.”
As she snarled the final word at him, he gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t I, vampire?”
“No,” she bit out, a fire refueling her resentment at her impending death. “Real betrayal can only be felt when you love someone.”
Elias held her stare without wavering.
“And we both know that you never loved me.”
“Says who?” Then he blinked several times, shocked at what he’d said, and a tense silence stretched between them. It seemed to last hours, not seconds.
Just as she started to drift back towards unconsciousness, she whispered, “You never said…”
His eyes, those strange and beautiful eyes of his, softened for a millisecond. Then they once again hardened.
“If your kind had the capability to love,” he said, “then you would’ve felt it.”
She flinched, wanting to tell him that they could feel. It was just different. The instincts that drove her were more basic. They were ingrained in her very being to survive, not to care. Whereas the emotions he wanted to see, she had long since denied. Buried them the night she had been turned.
As his breath floated across her lips, her eyes slid shut and she drifted… Drifted far, far away with the memory of what they’d once been lingering in her mind.
Present Day—Alasdair’s bedchambers
ALASDAIR KYRIAKOUS LOOKED over to where his human yielding lay stretched out beneath his Ancient and marveled at the predicament he now faced.
The depraved image on his bed had his cock standing at full attention as he walked closer to the scene that was unraveling. A feeding. And not just any feeding. One between the most formidable of their kind, Vasilios, and a human who he wasn’t fully convinced was human at all.
Tension filled the bedchamber, and Alasdair understood that one wrong move, one misspoken word, and the man he’d had his dick inside minutes earlier would be dead before he ever found out what he really was.
Although Vasilios was fully clothed, he was a shocking sight to behold. Covered in blood from the earlier butchery in Thanos’s chambers, he appeared every bit the savage he was. But that didn’t seem to faze Leonidas Chapel. Even naked and vulnerable as the man currently was, Leo was still enraptured by Vasilios.
Alasdair had previously suspected it, but that right there was proof positive. The sinful, wicked side of their nature, the killer instincts they possessed, intrigued this human. With every new detail Leo learned, he became more attracted and more involved. So much so that, when his life had been in danger, he’d offered them the use of him in any way they desired.
Leo was fearless.
Much like he himself had been when he had been mortal, and that made Alasdair…protective.
“Vasilios,” he said.
When his sire pivoted towards him, Alasdair had to tread carefully.
“Yes, agóri?”
Fuck, he knew that tone. It was Vasilios’s version of you dare interrupt me?
“Be mindful,” Alasdair said. “He is not like other humans.”
“Which is exactly the reason this must be done. This way, we will know where he is, what he is thinking, and I can bring him to me whenever I desire…” Vasilios turned back to Leo and trailed the tip of his bloodied finger along his cheek.
Leo’s lips parted.
“Wouldn’t that be a treat for you, human? To come to me—and for me—whenever I command it?”
Alasdair’s cock throbbed under Vasilios’s sensual tone, and when Leo arched off the bed, he knew that the invitation was affecting him in much the same way. He didn’t need to verbally respond—Leo’s body was speaking for him.
“You were right to keep him, Alasdair.”
Alasdair climbed onto the mattress so his knees were by their heads, and when Vasilios straightened to straddle Leo’s waist, he took Alasdair’s mouth in a possessive kiss.
He opened to his sire’s demanding lips, and as their tongues battled for dominance, Leo groaned underneath them. Alasdair pulled his head back and found Leo stroking his thick shaft.
So needy, file mou, he pushed into his mind. Are you sure you understand what you are offering?
A frown furrowed Leo’s brow, but the flush on his cheeks made Alasdair aware that, even though he might not have understood the finer details of his offer, he did understand he would get access to the both of them.
“He is different,” Vasilios nipped at Alasdair’s jaw. “And I want him to be ours.”
Leo was focused on the two of them, and when his teeth clenched and he gave a stiff nod, Alasdair relented.
“Then that is what he shall be.”
“So, you agree?” Vasilios asked as he lifted his head.
“Would it matter if I said no?”
When Vasilios arched an eyebrow, it gave Alasdair his answer, but his sire was quick to add, “Not particularly. However, I would prefer your acceptance.”
“Then be at ease. I want nothing more than to give you what you desire.”
“Ahh, agóri, you always know exactly how to please me. I shall endeavor to reciprocate the gesture. Keep him here. I shall return.”
Vasilios faded in an instant, and as Leo moved to his elbows, Alasdair shook his head. If he knew his sire, he would be back in less than—“Ahh, yes”—a second.
“Now, where were we?” Vasilios asked from where he’d reappeared—kneeling over Leo, minus all of his bloodied clothes, and clean as if he’d taken a lengthy shower.
This was a first for them. They had shared many lovers in the past, but never had they joined with another or fed another their blood with the sole purpose of connecting their lives. And Alasdair wondered where they would go from there.
LEO EXHALED ON a rush of air. The intense male straddling his waist was now as naked as he, and Alasdair… Fucking hell, what a sight he was to see.
Vasilios’s cock was as arrogant as he was, protruding thick and long in front of him, and the thought of having it inside his body made him so aroused his balls ached. This wasn’t about sex though—it was about survival.
Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, file mou.
Alasdair’s voice seductively slid inside his mind, and Leo’s eyes shifted to the hot-as-hell vampire kneeling by his side.
Feeding isn’t always about sex—not for all of us. However, when it comes to Vasilios, it most definitely is.
“Alasdair?” Vasilios’s voice interrupted their connection, and when Alasdair returned his attention to his sire, he said, “I want him in between us.”
Shit. Okay…shit. This is really going to happen, he thought as Vasilios shifted back on the bed and tugged on his wrist.
“Kneel, Leonidas.”
Leo rose to his knees and then straightened so he was facing the intimidating vampire. Their cocks were like dueling swords as they jutted towards one another, but Leo didn’t dare look.
“Behind him,” Vasilios instructed, never taking his glittering eyes away from Leo’s. “Kneel behind him, agóri.”
Leo didn’t hear anything. Not a shift in the mattress, not the rustling of sheets. But, before he could take a breath, Alasdair’s muscular frame was behind his, and his knees were flanking his calves. Leo shuddered when Alasdair gripped his hips and pulled him flush against his body.
Ahh, that feels good, Leo thought. So fucking good to be molded to him again. And when Alasdair fit his stiff erection between his ass cheeks, Leo moaned and heard a possessive growl in response.
“Oh, yes,” Vasilios said as his strong fingers circled the base of Leo’s cock.
Leo punched his hips forward, unable to help himself, and Alasdair was right there, bringing him back to where he’d been, not willing to let him go just yet.
“I like this very much.” Vasilios came closer on his knees and Leo caught his lower lip between his teeth. When their bodies brushed a
nd Alasdair’s palms smoothed down to join Vasilios in giving him one amazing hand job, Leo’s cock wept all over them with his extreme arousal.
“I’ve waited long enough. It’s time to let me inside, human. Are you ready for that?” Vasilios asked then tongued his right fang.
Leo’s eyes locked on the Ancient’s, and he panted. “What other choice do I have?”
The stunning vampire put his cool lips against Leo’s and whispered, “You have the choice to die, agóri.”
Leo’s stomach fluttered, and his hands shook. He’d known that Alasdair’s sire would be compelling. He was the very epitome of sex and power, and Alasdair was mysterious and untamed.
When Vasilios tilted his head to the side as if studying him, Leo’s cock throbbed even harder. Alasdair’s steel-like length trailed a sticky path up and down his crack, and as the evidence of his desire slicked his channel, the Ancient’s lips tipped into a nefarious grin.
“Leonidas Chapel…”
Oh holy Mother of God, Leo thought as his full name fell off the lips brushing his.
“You respond so well. I see the appeal you hold for my Alasdair. It pleases me greatly. You are so fair and light, whereas my Alasdair and I are dark. So very, very dark…”
As his voice took on an ominous tone, Leo’s eyes closed and a thrill rushed through him. Then Vasilios’s warm, wet tongue drew a sultry line along his stretched neck.
“Are you ready to give in to that darkness? To sell your soul to us? Because that is what you are doing. Handing your soul over for me to command.”
Leo forced his eyes open and craned his head back, searching for Alasdair’s guidance. Seeking the reassurance of the vampire who’d become his obsession.
“You trust him, do you? Do not mistake his reluctance to end you as kindness. Alasdair is a selfish being. He is beautiful and ruthless,” Vasilios promised. “I taught him well. And when you are his, you will thank me for my tutoring. You like what you see when you look at him, don’t you, Leonidas?”
As Vasilios’s breath grazed the shell of his ear and Alasdair’s eyes locked onto his, Leo’s head started to spin. The promise lured him in, casting some kind of magic, because he heard himself whisper, “Yes. He—” His words halted as the fingers around his erection tightened, and his breath caught from the pleasure of it.
“He what, agóri?”
Unable to stop himself, Leo licked his lips, remembering the feel and the taste of Alasdair on them. “God, he, ahh… Fuck. He turns me on.”
“Yes… He has that effect on most who see him. Do you know what I thought the first time I saw Alasdair?”
“No.” Leo gasped when sharp teeth nipped his earlobe, and he turned his head to find Vasilios so close that their lips brushed.
“I thought I would kill to have him. And so I did.”
At the fierce intensity of those words, Leo’s body tingled from head to toe. It felt as though every nerve were alive and being stroked.
“Who did you kill?”
“Uh ah,” Vasilios said, flicking his tongue over the corner of Leo’s mouth. “You were there in the temple all those years ago. Why don’t you tell me? Prove what you say is true.”
Vasilios’s demeanor demanded the truth. No matter what price he might have to pay. So Leo gave it.
“His fiancée. The woman on the stairs of the temple that day.”
“You mean the little harlot who wanted his money,” Vasilios hissed. “Who wanted his title and his name and deserved neither. Yes, it was she. A vapid little thing who left a bitter aftertaste,” Vasilios paused and then asked, “And what of you, Leonidas? What do you want?”
Fierce possession and obvious affection were revealed in those twisted words, yet Leo found them oddly touching. It might have been a perverse reaction, but in that moment, he wanted what they shared. He wanted that bond. That kind of loyalty.
“I want you both.”
“Gluttonous. I like that.”
As an immoral smile curved Vasilios’s lips, Leo’s cock was released and two firm hands held his head still—Alasdair.
“Once this is done you will be bound to us. You will belong to me and, in turn, Alasdair. Do you understand?”
His blood raced around his head as Vasilios’s words sank in.
“We will command you, protect you, feel pain for you, and we will kill for you. In return, you will be ours and you will do as you are told.” Vasilios pressed his lips over the pulsing vein of his neck.
Leo moaned.
“Is that a yes, human?”
When Alasdair’s tongue joined Vasilios’s in the seduction of the flesh, trailing along the outside of his ear, Leo thought he was in danger of passing out—he was that fucking hot all of a sudden. Then Vasilios raised his head and took Alasdair’s lips in a vicious kiss.
Yes. Fuck yes, I want in on that. It was stupid, and he was probably reacting from being lonely, but when Vasilios yanked his head back, Leo knew he’d never wanted anything more than to be theirs.
“So, yes or no, agóri? Make your choice.”
Leo tried to think. Tried to remember the goal in all of this other than to live. But when Elias came to mind, Alasdair snarled like an angry dog. Knowing he had to at least push for some power of his own when it came to these two, he gathered what courage he had and forced himself to speak.
“If I say yes, I want something in return.”
Vasilios scoffed. “What makes you think you have the right to request anything?”
“Because I can help that vampire, the female. I can take you to her and you know it or I’d be dead already.”
“Maybe you are not dead because I wish to fuck what Alasdair has.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed, but he couldn’t deny that the words were a fucking turn-on. “I don’t see him stopping you.”
“You are quite impertinent for someone whose life is precariously close to ending.”
As Alasdair’s hips continued to roll against his ass, Leo grew more confident. Vasilios’s stiff length made it more than obvious how aroused he was, and it was a hell of a rush to know that something as powerful as he wanted him.
“I don’t think so. You’re arrogant and almighty around here, but you’re also self-indulgent. You want me—that’s obvious. But you want more than that. You want us, like this, in your bed. And you want to be inside me while I suck his cock—”
Vasilios’s hand cupped the back of his neck. Deciding that it was now or never, Leo kept his eyes on the frightening male. Then he vowed, “I’ll give it to you, all of it, if you promise me one thing. If not, you may as well forget finding the female and kill me now.”
Vasilios’s eyes shifted to Alasdair. “Should we humor him? Is his demand an impossible one?”
Knowing that Alasdair was about to pry inside his mind, Leo blanked his thoughts as he’d once been instructed he could.
Be careful, file mou, Alasdair warned. Then he admitted, “I cannot say. He seems to have mastered the trick of deception.”
“Has he? Well then, what is your opinion? Is his life worth one little promise, agóri?”
“You tell me.”
Leo watched with eager anticipation as Alasdair swiped his fingers over the plump, wet head of his cock. Not fucking fair. I can’t think when he’s doing that. But Alasdair wasn’t done with raising the temperature in the room just yet. He then offered his fingers to his sire’s lips for a taste. As Vasilios sucked one clean, Leo held his breath. Hell, there was no way he would get through this without exploding if they didn’t stop with that kind of shit.
Vasilios hummed, and it sounded like a fucking purr. “Very well. Tell me your demand.”
The order was unexpected, and when Vasilios continued to lick Alasdair’s fingers one by one, Leo couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.
“I’d rather taste this from the original source, but if you cannot find your tongue, Leonidas, I am more than happy to pull it out of your mouth and show it to you.”
“Elia
s,” he blurted out. “Promise me you won’t kill him.”
A cruel and calculating grin morphed the Ancient’s lips, and then he nodded. “Done. I accept.”
Leo was shocked by the easy agreement, and then Alasdair’s hands were back at his head, holding him in place. Vasilios sank his teeth into his own wrist, and Leo sucked in an anxious breath. As the Ancient placed his wrist to Leo’s lips and their eyes met, he issued the order.
“Drink.”
Present Day - Thanos’s bedchambers
DIOMÊDÊS STOOD IN the shadows of the somber bedchambers where he’d been keeping vigil over Thanos and his Ancient for the past several hours.
Eton had extinguished all the candles after the final slither of silver had been extracted, and he’d taken up as a permanent fixture beside his ailing protégé. The room was grave, the mood bleak, and although Thanos’s life had been spared, the agony of getting him to that point had taken a toll on them both.
After Vasilios had left to search for Alasdair and the infinitesimal human, Diomêdês had moved to his current locale and tried to reach out for Isa to no avail. Her mind was shut down to him, and if the discomfort radiating up his forearms was any indication, she was in deep distress. Unlike a punishment, which they could control and isolate, mortal wounds tore at both the Ancient and the first-sired.
It had been many years since he’d felt her in such a state. In fact, he could only remember feeling it once before—the night they’d first met. Unlike that night, however, her panic and emotions were tied to him now. With every passing minute he stood idle, Isadora’s presence dissipated. He needed to locate her. But for now, she was unreachable.
A tortured groan shattered the silence as Thanos shifted atop the large bed on the far side of the room, settling the best he could. They were in a world of trouble. The kind they’d never seen or dealt with in the past. Not only was Thanos indisposed, but Eton, who was a ghastly image of his former self, was close to being of no use also. Now, more than ever, he had great cause for concern over his first-sired and himself. For, if the insistent ache in his extremities was any indication, the two of them had very little time.