Soul Mates: Sacrifice

by Jourdan Lane

  Lucien slid his hands down the front of my pants. "I'm so proud of you, lover."

  My dick went from half-hard to hard in a matter of seconds. I caught his hands and pressed them tighter, rocking my hips back and forth against his palms. He growled, fangs scraping my shoulder.

  I reached behind me, unbuttoning his pants and working them down. He did the same, shoving mine down to my knees. I tried to spread my legs open, but the pants restricted my movement. I forced them apart, the leather material tearing right in half.

  "Oh, that's going to cost you."

  Lucien grabbed my hips and jerked me back. I flailed, managing to brace myself before my face hit the floor. I barely had time to blink before he pushed inside me. The pain was instant and mind-blowing, and I snarled, attempting to roll and buck him off.

  The moment I moved, the pain was replaced by sheer ecstasy. "Oh, fuck!"

  He fucked me hard and fast, grunting and growling with each thrust. "Do you know how much I loved watching you feed? Do you feel what it did to me?"

  "Like that, huh?"

  "Beautiful. Fucking. Goddamned. Beautiful."

  My damned cock slapped painfully against my belly and I reached down to jerk myself off. Lucien growled and pulled one of my legs out from under me. I twisted and landed on my back and he moved between my legs, holding one of them up above his shoulder as he shoved into me again.

  I rose up, pulling him down for a kiss. We met in the middle and he shoved his tongue into my mouth, kissing me as hard as he fucked me. He licked at my fangs and my body went taut. I pushed him back, growling.

  "No fucking teasing."

  I lay back and this time my head hit a soft, warm belly instead of the hard floor. Lucien changed his angle and I felt as if he'd lit me on fire. I jerked at my dick, wanting so much just to come. I was almost there when Lucien leaned over me. Instead of kissing me, he moved a little farther up.

  Rhys bucked and cried out and I turned my head to see what Lucien was up to. Lucien's face was even with mine when I did turn, his lips stained with blood. I leaned up to lick it away and Lucien kissed me, pushing his tongue between my lips.

  Blood rushed from his mouth to mine. He reached between us and pushed my hand away before wrapping his fingers tightly around me. Hard and brutal strokes followed, but there was an edge of pleasure to the pain.

  I tried to pull him in closer and the slight shift in position made me gasp. "Oh, fuck… right fucking there…"

  "Let me feel you."

  "Lucien, I'm…"

  I bucked against him, body bowing as heat sprayed over my belly. The orgasm was intense, shattering, and it just kept going. I recognized something familiar in the sensations and latched onto it, albeit cautiously. Rhys gasped and panted, fingers tight in my hair, and I fed from his pleasure without another taste of his blood.

  Lucien roared as he came, collapsing onto me. I felt him in my head, helping to sever the energy feed connection with Rhys. I'd managed to get it going; stopping it seemed to be tricky.

  Rhys' belly rose and fell harshly as he tried to catch his breath. I reached up awkwardly and patted his chest. "You okay?"

  "Uh-huh," he answered, voice cracking. "I think I came in your hair."

  "You know, Rhys? I think that's a first."

  Lucien laughed and looked up at Rhys. "Would you like to shower with us?"

  "I don't think I can stand up right now, so I think I'll pass."

  "Okay, then." Lucien kissed me before getting to his feet and offering a hand out to help me up. "Come on, lover. We've a long night ahead of us."

  * * *

  After a quick shower, Lucien and I stood once more in the closet, him handing me things to wear, me tossing them back to look for something else. I finally settled on the third pair of brown leather pants. He handed me a soft, silky black shirt.

  "This one feels nice."

  I took it, grinning. "Of course it does. It's yours."

  "Don't say I never share."

  I slipped it on and smoothed it down. The door to the bedroom opened and I stepped out of the closet after Lucien, smiling when I saw Simon. He carried over a tray with a domed lid over a plate and set it down on Lucien's desk before coming to me and hugging me tight.

  "Oh, Peter. You look wonderful! How do you feel?"

  "I feel wonderful."

  "I'm so glad this is over for you. No more pain, no more episodes."

  I scented the air. "Salmon and a burger?"

  Simon grinned. "I wasn't sure who would be your first feed."

  Unable to resist, I went over to the desk and picked up the lid from the plate. The grilled salmon and veggies used to make my mouth water. But now, I felt nothing. Well, except for a small bit of desire for the salmon. I guessed that old habits died hard.

  Rhys walked out of the bathroom then, fresh from the shower he'd found the energy for, towel around his hips. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Simon and the moment Rhys looked up from drying his hair, he froze. He and Simon stared at each other for the longest time, neither of them moving.

  And I wasn't sure if either of them breathed.

  Lucien turned from his spot near the bed and raised a brow. "Simon, I think you may have met Rhys before. Rhys?"

  "We've met," Rhys said softly. "Hello, Simon."

  The chemistry between them was so strong, so palpable. Both of their hearts were beating hard and fast in their chests. A bead of sweat and water rolled down the middle of Rhys' chest and Simon made an odd sound, stepping back.

  "Simon? Can you arrange for Rhys to have the closest guest room, please?"

  Simon nodded to Lucien. "Of course."

  He left, moving from the middle of the room out the door faster than I'd ever seen him go before. Rhys stared after the closed door, a stricken look on his face.

  "How long will you be in town, Rhys?" Lucien asked.

  Rhys shrugged, a slow, graceful rise and fall of his shoulders. "It's pretty open-ended."

  "Well," Lucien said with a smile. "You are more than welcome to stay at the mansion and make yourself at home."

  Rhys seemed to be considering a lot more than just how long to stay in town.

  "Take your time and just relax," Lucien added, "Your room might take a little while to get ready. Don't leave this room, though, or you'll be locked out until Peter or I can scan you back in."

  "Thanks, Lucien. If you don't mind, I think I'll crash on the couch here for a while."

  "I don't mind at all. Just be sure you eat first. You are welcome to sleep in the bed."

  Rhys just smiled, but I noticed it was a sad smile instead of a happy one. Before I could say anything, Lucien grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the door. "We have a lot to take care of tonight."

  As the door closed, we started walking. "How long was I out for?"

  "Not long. I took you on Tuesday, it's now Thursday."

  "No complications?"

  He looked at me as if having a wolf-form wasn't enough. "For most of last evening, you were in and out of wolf form. It seemed your body couldn't decide whether it wanted to hold wolf or human form."

  "Being stuck in wolf form would have sucked."

  Lucien nodded. "I'm superficial enough to agree."

  "I think I might be offended." I rolled my eyes, smirking. "So. What's been happening while I was out?"

  "There'll be more than enough time to catch up after we've played a bit—and you've learned a thing or two."

  * * *

  We pulled up at Rave and I grinned at Lucien. "Oh. My. God. Are you taking me hunting?"

  "I am, lover."

  Excited and eager, I opened the car door and got out. I was at the door, pushing my way through in a matter of seconds, and Lucien was there to grab me back. He spoke quietly at my ear. "Now, now, don't go barreling through here like the big, bad monster."

  I realized that I might have been a little too eager, considering I'd never even seen the bouncers as I passed them. I slowed, turning to face
Lucien as we made it inside the club. The music was pumping, loud as ever, the bass like a heart beating in my chest.

  The place was alive with energy, desire thick in the air.

  "Where shall we start?"

  "The dance floor, of course."

  He grabbed my hand and led me onto the floor. The only thing louder than the beat of the music was the heart beats of the people surrounding us. They were loud and strong, enticing. The scent of sex was everywhere, and it was strong, even over the smell of alcohol-laced sweat.

  Immediately, I spotted a couple near the center of the crowd. They were dancing and grinding together, hands roaming as they kissed. Cute young men, but somewhat plain. What drew me was the want and need surrounding them.

  I moved to them, circling them, stopping behind one of them. Lucien stopped behind the other and whispered in his ear. I nuzzled against the man before pressing my lips to his ear.

  "Mind if we join you?"

  "I—" The man's heart thudded heavily in his chest and he glanced up at his partner—who had his head back against Lucien's shoulder, letting Lucien suck at his neck. "S-sure."

  My hands smoothed down his hips, around his belly, tugging him close. "You don't know how happy that makes me."

  The man groaned and ground against me and Lucien's wise words went through my head. I remembered him warning me about how I'd want to fuck and feed at times, instead of just getting blood. Suddenly, I was glad we'd never come to any decision on how monogamous we'd be… Or not be.

  But I didn't want to fuck. Not tonight. I wanted a taste of desire-rich blood, to feed and not be remembered.

  Lucien crowded the man's partner, forcing him to walk, so that we could move to a darker corner of the dance floor. I sucked up a mark at the man's neck and he bared his throat. It seemed so natural to just strike then, but I was used to being at The Den and at Iniquity, where people expected to be dinner—or at least a snack.

  "Lucien?"

  "You're doing fine, lover. Just take a sip."

  "Don't I need to… I don't know… do something to him first?"

  "Your power comes naturally, Peter. You don't have to do anything. Just strike."

  I nuzzled the man's neck, the scent of his desire still strong. I set my fangs against his neck and bit down. The first spurt of blood was fucking ecstasy, as were the second and the third. I held him close, taking long, slow pulls.

  Something. There was something I was supposed to…

  Heartbeat.

  As his sped up and skipped, I pulled off, licking at the wound. The man was still swaying and rocking against me, completely oblivious to what had just happened. I gave him a nudge.

  "Thank you for the dance," I said at his ear. "Enjoy your night with your lover."

  Lucien and I slipped away without another word. We walked to a more deserted area near the wall and I leaned against it, frowning.

  "Okay. I've got questions."

  "I figured you might," he said with a smile.

  It was amazing how we could talk normally and still hear each other without having to yell over the music.

  "How do you do the clouding of their minds? How do you make them forget the encounters?"

  "It is a thing that comes naturally, so I'm not sure how to explain it. You don't really have to do anything."

  "So…what? I just have to think that I don't want them to remember and my power will take care of the rest?"

  "For the most part." Lucien shrugged. "Now, there are times when someone might be resistant. Eye contact with them with a force of will against them is very persuasive."

  "I see."

  "The best advice I have for you is to not think about it. Just do it. Just feel it. If it feels wrong, you'll know it. When it feels wrong, you move on." He stepped forward and kissed my brow. "Want to try it again? How about picking someone out of the crowd and calling them over here?"

  I nodded and looked around his shoulder, searching the club for someone to call over. I found him within seconds. A young blond who was on his way to the back room. Lucien stepped away and leaned against the wall beside me and I moved away just a little.

  I focused on the blond, and just him, wanting him to come to me instead of continuing his trek to the back room. I could be what he needed. What he wanted.

  The blond looked up and his eyes met mine, bottom lip caught between his teeth. In that moment, I knew I had him. He came to me without hesitation, stepping up so close I almost grinned in victory.

  "Don't bother with talking to him."

  I framed the man's face and pulled him in, then nuzzled at his neck. His head fell back and I set my fangs, piercing his flesh. His fingers curled into my shirt, a moan of pleasure passing over his lips. I only took a few sips before pushing him back.

  I wanted him to move on. To continue his walk to the back room where he'd been headed before. Something passed behind the man's eyes. Not confusion, but more like a moment where he'd had a sudden idea to do something and had been sidetracked.

  He looked at me absently, as if I hadn't just had him in my hands with my fangs deep into his neck. Oh, this was nice. I turned to Lucien with a grin.

  "Just takes practice, I guess."

  "It does." He leaned in and licked at the corner of my mouth. "You want to hit the street for a straggler?"

  "Sounds good to me."

  "Then we'll go to the club and see some familiar faces."

  That sounded even better.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lucien and I quickly found the exit and started down the street. We'd made it two blocks when pain shot through my chest. I had a moment of paranoia, thinking that somehow the episodes had come back.

  And then Lucien cried out in pain and fell to his knees. We'd been through this. I knew exactly what this was. Something was wrong. One of our own was hurt—somewhere.

  I knelt beside Lucien. "Who is it, baby?"

  "Don't know. There's too much. Too many…" He growled and pounded his fists against the pavement. "Goddamnit, so much fucking pain!"

  I started to tell him that if he stopped pounding the pavement, it would be less, but realized that he was trying to use one pain to drown out another. Lucien's cell phone rang and I felt through his pockets, finding it quickly. I flipped the phone open.

  "This is Peter. What's happened?"

  On the other end of the line, I could hear nothing but hysteria. The screams of fear and pain and panic loud.

  "Peter?" Silver yelled.

  "Yes! What's happening, Silver?"

  "There's been an explosion at the club."

  My gut twisted, fear and anger setting in. "We'll be right there."

  I shoved the phone into my pocket and tried to help Lucien up. It took a moment, but he finally managed to get his sensations under control. His eyes met mine, but I could tell he was afraid to ask and find out the answer to his question.

  "Tell me," he snapped.

  "There's been an explosion at the club." At my words, a look of defeat passed over his face, a look of failure. "No…"

  "We need to get going."

  "If I cannot protect my people, what is the point?"

  "Our people, Lucien. These things are not just your weight to bear anymore. But right now, we have to get to the club, find out how bad things are."

  He got to his feet, seeming to shake off his moment of shock. We found the car and Lucien took the driver's seat. He was driving away from the curb before I managed to even get the door closed. He didn't bother with speed limits or traffic laws and how we didn't have cops trailing us to the club, I'd never know.

  I could smell the smoke before we pulled into the parking lot. The car was left running, doors open once we came to a stop. I rushed toward the club, horrified. There was so much damage to the Iniquity side, that I was surprised the entire structure wasn't laid flat. There were injured everywhere. Dead everywhere. Bodies littering the ground, blood pooling and mixing with the charred embers.

  I stopped i
n my tracks, Lucien stopped beside me. I shook my head. "My God…"

  Silver jogged up to us. "I swear, we've been checking the club every night before opening. It was all clear."

  "Then it had to have been done after it was checked," Lucien said.