by Jamie Craig
Master of Obsidian
By Jamie Craig
Published by JMS Books LLC
Visit jms-books.com for more information.
Copyright 2019 Jamie Craig
ISBN 9781646560806
Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com
Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.
All rights reserved.
WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
* * * *
Master of Obsidian
By Jamie Craig
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 1
Jesse watched with a small, secret smile as the vampire paced around the office. He knew Gideon’s frustration at being trapped in the room wasn’t amusing—and Gideon would be very annoyed if he knew that Jesse was privately laughing at him—but he couldn’t help it. Gideon went through the same dance of impatience and frustration every single day, almost as if he forgot his rather lethal allergy to the sun every morning, only to be rudely reminded when he stepped out for the newspaper.
Gideon would want to leave the second the sun was low enough, so Jesse knew he needed to have his research done, his maps prepared, and his notes in order. He didn’t have time to watch his boss, or note the way the tension made his broad shoulders tight, or the way his dark hair flopped over his forehead. But his strong hands, clenching and unclenching into fists, kept drawing Jesse’s eye. He had nice hands.
Gideon disappeared from Jesse’s line of sight, allowing him to get back to his work. The case they were working on finally had a warm trail, and that was why Gideon was chomping at the bit. In the two years since Jesse had found himself thrown into Gideon’s world, this was the most high-profile investigation they had conducted. Toby Richards, Councilman Richards’ only son, had been found rather brutally murdered, and while it seemed most of the Chicago police force had been assigned to the case, it only took one glance at the savaged body to know it was demon-related.
And there was only one investigator in the city capable of finding the demon culprits responsible.
“We’re leaving in ten minutes,” Gideon warned, his voice drifting from the next room.
“I’ll be ready,” Jesse called back, though that was unnecessary. Of course, he’d be ready. That was his job. The most bizarre job Jesse had ever held, but his job, all the same.
Jesse closed his books and began packing his leather case. It always annoyed Gideon when he brought anything that wasn’t a weapon, but having easy access to his research had saved their asses more than once. Gideon never complained anymore.
“Ready?” Gideon asked, not bothering to check if Jesse answered in the affirmative before heading to the garage.
Jesse fell in step behind his boss and friend, noticing that Gideon’s pants were tighter than usual. He mentally kept a running tally of Gideon’s appearance, noting slight variations and differences on a daily basis. That wasn’t technically part of his job at Gideon Investigations, but he still did so faithfully. Gideon had barely changed since the day they formally met, of course, but that didn’t really matter. Jesse thought he was perfect as he was.
“This is recon,” Gideon said as Jesse buckled his safety belt.
“Right.”
“I want you to keep an eye on the perimeter while I go into the warehouse.”
“Right.”
“But if you see anybody, shout for me. Don’t try to—”
“To engage them. Yes, Gideon, I know.”
“Good.”
It wasn’t that Jesse couldn’t hold his own in a fair fight, but demons and vampires rarely fought fair.
He didn’t need to give Gideon directions from the maps he brought. Jesse wasn’t sure exactly how long Gideon had been in Chicago, though there was evidence that it was since at least before the first fire. Gideon didn’t like to volunteer information about his past. Jesse wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t like to dwell on the atrocities he had spent the last forty years trying to put behind him, or if he had some other inexplicable reason. One day, he hoped Gideon would assuage his curiosity, but until then, Jesse was happy with the information he had.
Jess never pried, though his life had been devoted to information and knowledge, and Gideon was a repository of history, and the stories he could tell almost made Jesse drool. But the man had given him a job when Jesse desperately needed one, and later, somehow, he had become a close friend. And Jesse firmly believed it was wrong to interrogate close friends—no matter how tempting.
There were several things Jesse avoided doing because Gideon was a close friend. He never got Gideon drunk with the ultimate goal of seducing him. He never tried to angle an invitation to his bed. He never kissed him, even when he thought Gideon sorely needed the contact. He never took advantage of the number of times Gideon sat before him, stripped naked, bleeding, and in need of first aid and a sympathetic ear to vent his frustrations. It was true he wanted to do all those things, but at the same time, he was content with the role in Gideon’s life—existence—that he did have. It was a privileged one.
“There’s something about this case I don’t like,” Gideon muttered.
“Just one thing?”
“I don’t think people are being straight with us.”
Jesse shrugged. That was the way of things. People obscured details, hid facts, and forgot particulars all the time. It wasn’t necessarily malicious, though Gideon had the tendency to take it personally. It was their job to compensate for that and find the answers they were looking for anyway.
“Who’s not being straight with us?” Jesse asked.
It was Gideon’s turn to shrug. That didn’t mean he didn’t know; it meant he wasn’t ready to talk to Jesse about it. It was a simple, familiar gesture. It was always the simple, familiar gestures that made him feel warm with appreciation, made his heart feel a little funny.
Jesse never thought he’d fall in love with a vampire. More than that, he never thought he’d fall in love with a man like Gideon. But apparently, that was the way of things, too.
When they reached the warehouse, the surrounding block was still crawling with people. Gideon growled with frustration. Jesse might have reminded him they were going to a very populated, busy industrial area before they left, but it wouldn’t have done any good. Gideon wanted to be out, and nothing would have kept him indoors after the sun went down.
“W
e could do a bit of old-fashioned detective work,” Jesse suggested.
“Meaning?”
“Ask some of these fine people if they saw anybody matching Toby’s description in this area.”
Gideon nodded. “That might not be a bad idea.”
“If you had thought of it, you would have called it a great idea.”
Gideon only grinned.
* * * *
Four hours later, Jesse prowled through an alley alone. He wasn’t sure how they’d gotten separated. It seemed one second he’d been trailing Gideon through the long alley, alternately passing through shadows and green neon lights, and the next, he’d been utterly alone. Gideon had most likely heard a demon, or sensed another vampire, or was distracted by some damsel in need of rescuing, but that didn’t ease Jesse’s nerves.
Jesse lifted his head, scanning the high roofs for any sign of the vampire, but there was nothing. Just more blackness. He wiped the sweat from his eyes, wishing he had a large bottle of iced water. Brown clouds hung low in the sky, almost close enough to touch.
A soft thud behind him caught his attention, and he whirled around, eyes wide, axe raised overhead. Gideon stood feet away, his lips pulling into a smirk.
“Oh, Gideon.” Jesse lowered the axe. “You startled me.”
“Which is why I’m over here and you’re over there with the big, pointy weapon,” came the amused response. With long, sinuous strides, Gideon returned to his side and reached out to take the axe, his cool fingers brushing along Jesse’s. “Don’t worry. You’ll get it back when there’s a real threat.”
Jesse nervously pushed his glasses up his nose, doing his best not to notice that Gideon was standing too close, invading his personal space. “A real threat? Is the area clear of…of demons?”
“I’m still here, aren’t I?”
Jesse chuckled. “Well, of course, I meant demons that are a…a threat.” Gideon’s eyes were inscrutable in the darkness, but he still looked vaguely amused. Jess took a half-step back, seeking some breathing room.
“Now I think I’m a little insulted here.” Gideon handled the axe with a nonchalant ease that gave no indication how heavy the weapon really was. It swung slightly from his fingers as he edged forward, forcing Jesse to retreat until he felt the cold wall of the building at his back. “You don’t find me even a little bit threatening, Jess? And be honest now.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “Because I’ll know if you’re lying.”
Jesse’s stomach dropped. He remembered how frightened he had been of Gideon in the beginning, but he had let that fear go—mostly. Oddly, it wasn’t the fact that Gideon was a vampire that left his palms clammy and his heart thudding. He was more aware of Gideon’s basic masculinity than anything else. “A little.”
The smirk returned. “A little is good.” Gideon lifted a hand and rested it, palm flat, against the wall by Jesse’s ear. “A little keeps you on your toes. Unless it’s not your toes you’re interested in being on.”
Jesse was so distracted by the fact he was thoroughly trapped that it took a few seconds for the meaning of Gideon’s words to sink in. Swallowing audibly, he murmured, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“See, now, I think you do. Smart guy like you, you don’t really need it all spelled out for you, do you?”
And there it was. The definite press of Gideon’s hips against his. The hard outline of a thick cock beneath thin trousers. The heat of the alley didn’t seem nearly as bad as the heat that suddenly shot through Jesse’s groin.
Gideon’s nostrils flared, and Jesse knew he didn’t have a chance at bluffing his way through this, or playing dumb. Questions he’d long suppressed came to the surface of his mind. What did Gideon taste like? What did he feel like? What did he smell like? What the hell was going on in Gideon’s mind? Why this? Why now? Did Gideon see these questions reflected on his face?
“Maybe I do.”
For long seconds, Gideon merely gazed at him. The night shadowed his eyes from Jesse’s careful scrutiny, but the twitch in his jaw and the continued flare of his nostrils sent a dark thrill through Jess’ veins.
“And who would’ve thought that need and want meant the same thing to Jesse Madding,” Gideon murmured. “You want it spelled out for you? Let’s start with A. For arousal.”
The axe clattered to the ground as Gideon tossed it aside, and the hand that had gripped the handle so assuredly was suddenly around Jesse’s wrist. Hard enough to border on pain. Immovable.
Without looking away, Gideon guided Jesse’s hand to their pressed hips. He inched back enough to allow his fingers to come to rest on Gideon’s waistband. “Take me out,” he ordered.
Jesse’s heart slammed against his chest, and he didn’t know if the weight settling in his lower stomach was fear or relief—relief seemed most likely. His fingers were awkward at first, numb and slick with sweat, but he forced himself to concentrate. He worked the zipper down and reached into Gideon’s tight pants to grasp his hard, smooth shaft. Jesse pulled him from the material, gripping him loosely, and looked up with questioning eyes, trying to suppress his excitement. He didn’t want to look like an over-eager puppy.
The smile that greeted him reminded Jess of some of the pictures in his father’s books, the ones that were kept under lock and key in the back of the cupboard Jess was never supposed to have seen. He had, though. He had been far too curious to restrain himself, and the memory of the devils, smiling over the seething bodies at their feet, superimposed over Gideon’s features for a moment long enough to make Jesse’s cock jump.
“That wasn’t hard, now was it?” Gideon taunted. A soft chuckle filled the space between them. “Except I am. And do you know why, Jess?”
Jesse shook his head mutely. He couldn’t form any words, his throat too constricted to allow that much air to pass. He moved his wrist without thought, stroking Gideon’s cock from the bottom to the top and then back again.
Something hard glinted in Gideon’s eye, and the grip around Jesse’s wrist tightened. “I asked you a question. I expect you to use your mouth to form all those pretty words you like so much.”
Jesse’s cock jumped again. “I…no. No, I don’t know why, Gideon.”
He leaned in as if he was going to kiss him. At the last minute, Gideon turned his head and skimmed his mouth over Jesse’s cheek until it settled over his ear.
“Because I see you. I see the way you look at me. Do you have any idea how hungry you look?” Jess shivered as Gideon snaked his tongue out and traced along his lobe. “Do you have any idea how hungry that makes me?”
Jesse was suddenly very, very aware of how close Gideon’s mouth was to his neck, and how delicate his skin was. A hint of fear skittered down his spine, but that was far from the strongest reaction Gideon was pulling from him. He shook his head, but remembered Gideon wanted him to speak, and murmured, “I…I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know that I dream about sinking into you? Or didn’t know that when you look at me, you clench your ass every single time?”
There was no sense in denying he had a strong physical reaction to Gideon—though he wouldn’t characterize it as every time. “I didn’t know you dream about me.”
“And why wouldn’t I?” The hand around Jesse’s wrist disappeared, only to reappear at his belt. Jesse didn’t feel Gideon’s light fingers as he undid the buckle and opened up his pants to free his aching cock. “You walk around the office with a hard-on. You look at me like a puppy desperate to be petted.” Jess gasped as Gideon stroked once, hard, up his length. “And you make that gorgeous O shape with your mouth that’s just begging to be filled. Tell me how I’m supposed to resist.”
Jesse licked his dry lips, but it didn’t seem to help. Gideon followed the small gesture with his eyes. He didn’t know how to respond to that, though he suspected Gideon still wanted him to speak. As his glasses slid down his slick nose, he shook his head.
Pulling back, Gideon clicked his tongue. “Someone’s not
learning his lessons.”
He stepped back without warning, and Jesse nearly stumbled forward. Gideon caught him with a strong hand around the back of his neck, and the next thing Jess knew he was being forced to his knees.
“Time for the letter B,” Gideon said. “And pardon me for being crude here, but…hell, why am I apologizing? Blow.”
It wouldn’t occur to Jesse to resist, even if Gideon couldn’t break his neck with a twist of his wrist. Gideon’s commanding tone didn’t leave any room for denial. He trembled as he opened his mouth and leaned forward, closing his lips around Gideon’s cock. The second the cool, velvety skin touched his tongue, Jesse moaned. Gideon increased the pressure on his neck, forcing him to relax his jaw and swallow Gideon’s cock to the root.
“That’s it.” Gideon sighed. He held him in place as his other hand came up to stroke the hollow of Jesse’s cheek, a gesture almost frightening in its gentleness. “You feel fucking amazing, Jess, but I knew you would. You don’t do anything halfway.”
Jesse wanted to return the sentiment. Gideon felt more than amazing. He rolled his tongue around Gideon’s shaft, waiting for the implicit, or explicit, permission to move again. He closed his eyes, savoring the way Gideon tasted, the way he completely filled Jesse’s mouth. He looked up to Gideon through his eyelashes, waiting.
The grip at the back of his neck loosened but didn’t entirely disappear. “Suck me,” Gideon said. The hoarseness of his voice surprised Jess; perhaps he wasn’t the only one treading on thin ice here. “And think of it this way. You want me good and wet because I didn’t Boy Scout and bring any lube with me.”
Jesse’s chest burned. Gideon’s dark promise had stolen the air from his lungs. He took a deep breath through his nose as he pulled back, dragging Gideon’s heavy cock through his lips. He gripped Gideon’s hips with both hands, and then began bobbing his head. Hollowing his cheeks, he created as much suction as he could with each stroke.
The muscles flexed beneath his palms, the flesh cool and hard as he molded his fingers over it. Every time Jess sank down Gideon’s length, Gideon clenched his ass. If Jess had been a little bolder—or didn’t have his mouth full—he might have commented that maybe Gideon was the one eager to get fucked.
