by Emma Jaye
Was this new world as different to the one he remembered as it seemed? Or were they playing him, getting him back into the frame of mind where they could use him again? Fabian had money, a great deal of money. Had he purchased this island to get Ezra working again? That the other sex demons appeared perfectly happy didn’t fit that explanation, unless they were happy in their captivity, or maybe they were here to conceive.
Ezra kept his eyes on Finn’s shorts, hoping to see evidence of this ‘cage’. He didn’t want a vascellum, didn’t want there to be any vascelli at all, but he couldn’t help being drawn to Finn. He was so... alive. The few humans he remembered feeding from in Fabian’s dungeon had never really wanted him. He’d had to use every skill at his disposal to elicit food from his reluctant prey. When Finn looked at him, the human glowed with desire, just like the vampires.
“Do you mind if I sit?”
A fit, middle-aged male human stood next to him, but he addressed Jericho, not Ezra. Even in this new ‘free’ world, not even humans bothered to talk to him.
Finn, turned around from where he danced on the podium, a frown on his face. He’d felt that? Had he lied about the bond being disrupted by magic?
“Nice to see you again, Razor. Sit where you like. I’m not into all that BDSM stuff, no offence. And Ezra isn’t a sub, he just has a tendency to wander off. Plus, he hasn’t been well. We’re friends, nothing more.”
The man sat on Ezra’s other side, obscuring his view of Finn. He didn’t like it.
“You have me intrigued.” The man’s low, commanding voice took Ezra’s attention.
He wore black canvas shorts and a stretchy shirt that showed off his muscles. Lust hovered around him like a permanent fixture. Without a doubt, even if he preferred men, this man would be doing the penetrating.
“Not interested,” Ezra ground out, hoping he had the choice. As he could no longer see Finn, he looked up to the sky and wondered if he’d gotten tired of looking at it before he’d lost his memory.
“Which is why I am interested. That delicious morsel, who has the whole place drooling,” he inclined his head in Finn’s direction, “can’t keep his eyes off you. People keep propositioning him and he glances at you every time, hoping you’ll be looking back. But as you’re not interested, do you mind if I have a go? He’s lonely and I’ll give him an afternoon he’ll never forget. I gave him a tour of the facilities yesterday, and I was getting somewhere before a little blond bloke showed up and ‘rescued’ him.”
Ezra’s mind stalled. Do I mind? As an active vascellum, thanks to him, Ezra supposed Finn’s nature would encourage him to seek out sexual partners in the same way as a sex demon. But if Finn absorbed energy, and Ezra didn’t take it, he’d eventually die. And Ezra wanted that, or at least he had before he’d met Finn.
He wondered which of his supernatural tormentors had come up with this strategy. It was similar to the one the vampires had used with Matilda and the others. Ezra had still killed them. But they were doomed already; they were killers and Ezra had tried to kill them with as little pain as possible. Finn... Finn was different, and the pain a vascellum suffered when being overfilled has been used to frighten sex demon children since the dawn of time.
His own lack of feeding, his weakness and hunger, probably ramped up Finn’s libido even more. If he fed, it would lessen the pressure on the little vascellum while he considered this situation. The world had changed greatly, and he didn’t know who or what to believe any more.
“He doesn’t mind,” Jericho’s words startled Ezra back to his surroundings. He frowned at the shifter but didn’t contradict him. He didn’t have the right.
A sweaty Finn appeared at Razor’ shoulder.
“Would you like a drink, S– Razor?”
“No, that’s fine, Finn, thank you for asking.”
Ezra glanced between the two. Something had gone on between them that Ezra didn’t know about.
Finn put a bottle of beer in front of Jericho and a glass of red wine in front of Ezra. “It’s not your favourite, but it’s the nearest Malcolm had, according to him.” Finn shrugged, “I wouldn’t know, I don’t know much about wine.”
His words implied that Ezra did. As far as he remembered, he’d never had a drop of the stuff. Finn’s eyes were wide with hope, until Ezra rattled his cuffs.
Finn’s face became even redder.
“Oh shit, sorry.” Finn looked to Jericho. “Can you undo a hand, or should I hold it?” Jericho didn’t move, but he did nod.
The closer Finn got to him, the more Ezra’s anxiety soared. The smell of his hot skin called to him. The urge to lick the salt off Finn’s flesh outweighed his curiosity about the wine.
“No, no thanks I’m fine.”
“You’ll love it, I promise. I’m not trying to get you drunk. I just want you to have a taste so I can enjoy the pleasure on your face. Come on, Ezra, what’s the harm? Dare to live, like you did the night you first seduced me with those very words.”
Ezra had thought the words sounded odd coming from Finn’s mouth but he didn’t get a chance to reply as Finn held the glass to his lips and tilted. Rich, smooth, decadence spread over his tongue and a memory of piano music and a flustered Finn sitting opposite him flowed through his mind.
He didn’t realise his eyes had closed to concentrate on the flavour and the memory it elicited until he heard a chair scrape. Finn, with cheeks blazing and lust glowing, sat in a chair that he’d pulled over from an empty table. The only free position was opposite Ezra, between Razor and Jericho. He looked tiny between the two, like a lamb between lions. Razor and Finn both glowed with lust and Ezra’s demonic body began rising to the occasion, sensing food.
“He obviously likes his, how about yours, Finn? Take a sip.”
Ezra had to admire the way Razor implied control over Finn. If the youngster took a drink now, he would be obeying the dominant human. Silas had used the same trick on him. Disobeying the next instruction became more difficult when you had already started along the path. Not that Ezra had ever disobeyed Silas except to add a little spice to his lust. He’d learned that Silas simply walked out of the dungeon if Ezra refused him, leaving his fellow vampires to dish out the punishment.
Finn’s perfect, dusky pink lips sucked on the straw of his colourful orange drink. Ezra couldn’t help imagining them around him. Especially as Finn’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Wow, that’s a bit stronger than I thought.”
“I asked Malcolm to make it for you. It’s called Sex On The Beach. Do you like it?” Razor asked.
Jericho downed his beer as if it were water, groaned and stood up. “I’m off before you lot put me off my beer. Ezra, shout if you want to go somewhere,” he added as he wandered toward the bar.
CHAPTER 12
Finn had been uncomfortable with this idea from the start. His original plan to show Ezra how happy they could be together had been twisted and morphed into a scheme to elicit Ezra’s protective instincts. Instincts Finn didn’t know if the demon still possessed. Sure, Ezra had cared when he’d been stuck in that damn tree, and on the way to the trial, but he’d also put him in danger with stupidly strong compulsions when they’d met.
Avery’s plan had sounded workable, until he realised he’d be playing the part of an airhead slut right under Ezra’s nose. At least this time Avery had agreed to give his persona a bit of a boost.
Finn risked another glance at Ezra as he sat opposite him. At least he’d spoken to him earlier, had seemed a little concerned when the cock cage restrained his attempted erection.
“Erm, I’ve never tried it. Doesn’t the sand get everywhere?”
Razor snorted in amusement and was that a slight smile from Ezra? Maybe he’d been wrong about this plan.
“I meant the drink. You are too adorable for words.”
The condescension in Razor’s tone made Finn scowl, he wasn’t a child. “You didn’t say that when I sucked you yesterday.”
Ezra shifted i
n his seat. Finn hoped the image turned the demon on, rather than repulsing him.
“I thought it though,” the big human said, his body language and voice relaxed. “And don’t worry, I like adorable, somewhat bratty subs.” Razor’s lazy, lustful smile sent a frisson of lust through Finn. His dick attempted to fill and the silicone cage pressed on it. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it was bloody uncomfortable.
“There it is again. Arousal followed by pain. What have you got on down there? Some sort of spiked sheath?” Ezra accused.
Finn looked down and then up at Ezra, but thanks to the magic masking the bond, he wasn’t sure whether Ezra felt disgusted, protective or turned on. Finn struck aroused off the list. Ezra’s face was hard, not flirting.
Sex he could get anywhere. Finn wanted to fall into the arms of someone who wanted and cared about him, the person who had already claimed his soul. Right now, Ezra appeared to care a little, but he didn’t want Finn, not yet. That needed to change. Starting with sex as a motivation with a hungry incubus couldn’t be a bad idea.
“Why, do you want to see it?”
Razor roared with laughter. “Oh, I do like you.”
Finn gave his fellow human what he hoped was a confident smile. “Well, you can’t have me, not permanently anyway. Good thing is, you can play me as much as you like, and you won’t get addicted. Isn’t that right, Ezra?”
The demon blinked, clearly not having thought of the advantage a vascellum had over a sex demon. “I... erm... suppose so.”
Finn gave him a bright smile, although a fist pump might have been in order. “No suppose about it. Avery told me it never happened with Frederick. He took over gathering food for him while Avery did other stuff.”
Ezra didn’t say a word, but he did appear thoughtful. Finn itched to give him more wine, just to see that expression of pleasure again, but he wasn’t sure it would be appreciated.
Razor leaned over and gave Ezra another mouthful of wine. If Finn’s fellow human expected any thanks from the demon, he didn’t get it.
“That’s not for everyone though,” Razor replied. “I don’t know many subs who want to be club bunnies twenty-four seven. Even those that work in clubs have other roles.”
“Club bunnies?” Ezra asked.
Finn nearly cheered at his engagement in the conversation. Razor was annoyingly good at this. Finn had already mucked up by saying he’d sucked Razor; he was meant to have been staying loyal to Ezra, but the dominant had moved to cover his error easily.
“Club bunnies are submissives who make themselves available to dominants visiting the club to play with or to practice techniques before they try them out on their own subs. Experienced dominants like myself offer services to inexperienced submissives in the same way. Once he’s properly trained Finn would get all the action he could possibly handle, probably more to tell the truth.”
“Finn isn’t a ‘club bunny’ and he doesn’t need training.” Ezra’s mouth twisted in a sneer as he spoke.
Razor shrugged. “No, no he’s not a bunny and he can’t begin training, not at the moment anyway. Without a demon to drain off his energy, it’d kill him.”
The cuffs clinked as Ezra shifted, his body tense. “Didn’t stop you from making him suck you.”
Razor leaned forward in his chair, becoming larger, more imposing. “He didn’t say no and that was before I knew what he was, before I caged his sweet pink cock, so he couldn’t play on his own.”
Ezra’s dark eyes flicked to Finn, accusation shining.
“You lied to me.”
Finn shot to his feet, embarrassment and frustration bubbling over. “And you haven’t lied to me? You promised we’d be together, that we’d look after each other. And now I’m here, having to turn down guys like him, having to–” he halted his tirade and took a deep breath, closing his eyes to settle himself.
This is so damn stupid. I’m not a demon, not a natural liar, and everything is going to shit again because I can’t handle it.
“I can’t go back to being a student again, I need–”
“Finn,” Razor said in a low voice. “Go back to your room.”
He opened his mouth to protest.
“Now, Finn.”
His eyes flicked between his demon’s unreadable expression and Razor’s hard one.
“I may not be a demon, but you do not want to irritate me,” Razor added.
“Are you threatening him, human?” Ezra growled, completely ignoring Finn.
Fucking ‘Finn the mushroom’ time again.
“I am still here you know. I’m young. I get it.” He waved a hand above his head, indicating everyone present. “You lot are all older than time and think you know what’s best for such a stupid kid. But I’m not stupid.” He pointed a finger at Ezra.
“I chose to be with you, and I am not fucking Avery, any damn succubi, or anyone else if you don’t want me. If I have to stay celibate, like you intended when you were my age, I’ll do it. I’m not an incubus, I can do that.”
He turned to the now silent crowd who were all watching. “The rest of you can stick your plan for me to prove to him that life is fun. It isn’t, not with him like this. It was fucking fantastic before the rest of you bastards stuck your noses in. We were fine on our own, more than fine. And the cock cage stays on ‘cause I fucking well like it.” Deafening silence accompanied his last shouted words.
Red faced, he turned and walked across the bar area with as much dignity as he could manage, considering every pair of eyes in the place was probably glued to his crotch.
“Finn, wait,” Pixie called out.
Finn silently gave her the finger and carried on walking. He knew he couldn’t go far without the bond kicking in, but he could hide out and pretend to be alone, just for a while.
At the last minute he changed his mind about going back to his room and marched down the beach toward the sea. The patter of fae feet behind him added to his anger.
“Leave me alone, Pixie. I’m going to swim, that’s all. I would run, but we both know that’s fucking impossible with him chained to a chair.”
Taking a few running steps, he dived in. The water closing over his head was warm, not the cold shock he remembered from home. It just reminded him how far from home he’d come. He missed his mother, his brother’s stupid banter. Would he ever be able to tell them about his new life? Would he even see them again seeing as he was tied to a stupid, depressed supernatural? The old Ezra would have charmed his family. Finn didn’t want to think how this new Ezra would treat them.
Finn swam underwater, revelling in the serenity till his lungs began to hurt. He surfaced and sliced through the gentle waves, stretching his body, concentrating on the movement of muscles and breathing. The pair of dark seal heads bobbing in the waves twenty metres away, he ignored. They didn’t understand that he couldn’t contemplate ending his life, not while Ezra lived. The physical chains were only on Ezra, but they were just as effective at restraining Finn.
CHAPTER 13
Ezra watched Finn almost run away from him, with Pixie in hot pursuit. Knowing he had caused Finn’s pain hurt but Finn’s reaction, his defiance and spirit, surprised him.
“You’ve upset your vascellum,” Razor drawled.
“His name is Finn,” Ezra ground out and immediately regretted it as the confident human’s eyebrow quirked. He’d never met a human as confident as this one. His mother’s humans were all led around by their dicks and the ones in the cellar had been terrified and hopeless.
“So you’re one of Avery’s pets?”
Instead of being cowed by the comment, the human with cropped salt and pepper hair smiled.
“Maybe he’s one of mine.”
Ezra snorted at the thought and glanced to where Finn had disappeared. The boy’s upset still nagged at him through the bond, but it wasn’t quite as raw as it had been. The succubus, Freya, had taken Finn’s place on the podium, but her dancing was slower, more sensual than Finn’s raw display. Ezra a
dmired her skill, but the bump and grind did nothing for him.
“I’m not addicted to him, not physically anyway. He’s a friend, a business partner more than an employer. I’ve learned a lot from him and he provides a unique challenge for someone with my interests. I don’t request he subs for me unless I think I have something to surprise him, which, as you can probably guess, is few and far between.”
Business had been Ezra’s dream before he’d become adult. Even though he wanted to despise his relative, his curiosity about how Avery combined his feeding requirements with an obviously lucrative business rose.
“What business?”
Razor tilted his head to the side. “I’m not sure the council leader would be happy for me to discuss his business interests with a potential rival.”
The implication that he, bottom of the heap Ezra Erotes, could actually be a genuine rival of Avery tickled at his pride even as his rational mind dismissed the absurd suggestion.
He snorted. “As if. From what’s been said I run a seedy little sex shop in a small seaside town. Hardly a rival for this.” He indicated the resort with his chin.
“And he’s had many centuries to amass a fortune, much of which he gathered from fellow sex demons when he had Frederick. Although granted, he’s invested wisely since then.”
“So, what do you do for him?”
“I run this resort. His sons and daughters run other ones around the world but all of them visit each other’s establishments on a regular basis to prevent addiction.”
“Are you saying sex demons these days don’t addict humans?”
A predatory smile lit Razor’s face. “I wouldn’t say that. But it’s not common and it’s considered carefully by all parties. Any arrangement also has to be ratified by the sex demon council before it goes ahead. The human needs to be fully informed and not compelled. Times have changed, my friend, for the better.”
Is he telling the truth? As a human, Razor could be easily compelled to trot out any story Avery, or even Silas, desired.
