by Ophelia Bell
“Show me your worst, boy,” Nikhil taunted.
Iszak’s head snapped back as though he’d been punched, his eyes flashing with rage at the word … the epithet … Nikhil had used.
Chapter Thirteen
Nikhil
Iszak’s hand shot to the back of Nikhil’s head, fingers twisting in his hair and yanking his head back savagely.
“I am not your boy,” Iszak snarled. Outside the room, lightning bolts shattered through the night and thunder rolled. Nikhil’s skin prickled, every hair standing on end with the crackle of static electricity.
Iszak’s breath was a hot gust against his neck, filled with fiery heat just before his teeth sank hard into Nikhil’s flesh. Nails as sharp as talons clawed down Nikhil’s chest.
His head immobilized, he couldn’t look, but his belly tightened with apprehension when the sharp points of Iszak’s fingers paused at the top of his groin.
Nikhil’s skin was as impervious as a dragon’s, but he still felt pain, and the line Iszak made around his cock and down his thigh seared him with hot agony. He held his breath, struggling to hold back a reaction, but to no avail. When the pointed talon jabbed hard into the sensitive area at the juncture of his hip and groin, his entire body bucked and he gritted his teeth to suppress the cry welling inside him.
Blinding lightning split the sky outside and torrential rain battered the windows, wind howling and forcing the drops in sheets so hard the frames rattled.
A low groan rumbled up from Iszak’s chest. The teeth still gripping Nikhil’s flesh relaxed a touch, his hot, wet tongue darting out to taste. The contact was intimate and almost tender, though the talons continued to claw at Nikhil’s skin, continued their relentless burn into his nerves.
Iszak released Nikhil’s head, raking the talons of that hand over his shoulder. He raised his head and met Nikhil’s gaze.
“You do feel pain now, don’t you? Isn’t it a beautiful thing? I can give you more …”
The wild look in his eyes made Nikhil realize that Iszak had abandoned the idea of giving pleasure and was completely lost in his own world now. This was a man who could truly and completely please his ‘Iilahatan, so why was she still unsatisfied?
He glanced past his torturer at Belah, who watched with rapt interest, her own breathing rushed. She looked just as surprised as he was that this creature existed inside her mate. What else could he draw from her men with just his words?
Nikhil swallowed another cry as a fresh slice of pain shattered his focus, bringing it back to a point in front of him. Iszak’ raked his hand up his belly and Nikhil stared down at the sharp, gleaming curves of his talons, so like a dragon’s, yet so different. Those talons were meant for capturing and holding prey while their owner ripped its throat out.
Nikhil was suddenly positive that if Iszak could draw blood, he would. But something else was happening. The previous repulsion he’d seen in Iszak’s eyes had changed, and when he felt the hot, silken rod of flesh brush against his inner thigh, the jolt of understanding left him reeling.
Iszak may enjoy tying Belah up, but for some reason, had never inflicted this kind of pain on her before. And this was what he truly loved, down to the core of his being. Nikhil’s awareness spiked, his body responding to the arousal of the other man. His taunt had forced Iszak’s beast to show itself, to find its pleasure in Nikhil’s pain, and that power drove Nikhil wild. His arousal surged, the unwanted flood of lust filling him.
He yanked at the bindings again, desperation coursing through his limbs. The storm battering outside the windows mirrored his need to escape, to regain the upper hand somehow—over Iszak or over his own traitorous body, he wasn’t sure.
Iszak let out a rumbling laugh that halted Nikhil’s struggles. “You won’t break free of these ropes. Belah couldn’t either when I used them on her. Now it looks like we found some common ground, finally. What should we do, hmm?”
He kept his gaze fixed on Nikhil’s, but his pointed fingertips dug into Nikhil’s hips and pulled him tight. Their erections pressed together and Nikhil grunted in unexpected pleasure.
“I’m beginning to realize that just getting you into this state is torture enough, which is the hottest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen. Almost makes it feel right for me to do this. Who knew I’d enjoy turning on another man, but only if I knew he hated the idea of it. What changed?”
Iszak’s rough touch shifted, his hands moving down between them until they brushed Nikhil’s inner thighs. The poking talons grazed Nikhil’s balls, making him flinch, but the ensuing caress made his erection pulse with pleasure. With his other hand, Iszak raked the tip of a talon along the underside of Nikhil’s hard length. He tensed with hyper-awareness of the sharp point against his delicate flesh. It didn’t help to remind himself that Iszak couldn’t pierce his skin—he still wasn’t the least bit interested in feeling pain there.
“Please, no,” Nikhil said, hating the sound of his own plaintive voice. He was not a man who begged.
“Tell me what changed, Nikhil. What did I do to be blessed with this?” He wrapped a hand around Nikhil’s hard cock and stroked. Nikhil’s eyelids fluttered closed, his body rocking into the other man’s touch. What he saw now in Iszak’s eyes was the thing he so often felt when torturing a prisoner … he was nothing but a piece of meat to this man. A thing to provoke a reaction from, and Nikhil was most certainly reacting.
“You took my bait,” Nikhil croaked. He forced himself to remember that this was all for Belah, that Iszak had needed a push, and what he endured now was exactly the reaction he’d been going for.
“I think you hate how good this feels more than I do,” Iszak murmured. His stroking sped up and Nikhil groaned, for the first time grateful for the ropes holding him up because he might have collapsed from the pleasure. “This is what gets my blood hottest, you know. Not the way my talons dug into you and made you hurt, but the fact that getting you worked up like this causes you so much pain. Did you know Belah’s submission happened like this? Not exactly, of course, but we didn’t need to lay a finger on her to break her.”
He took a step back, releasing Nikhil from the torturous, unwanted pleasure. Nikhil opened his eyes to see Iszak clutching his own cock and slowly stroking it. The distance was just far enough for him to feel the other man’s heat, yet not the touch of his skin as his knuckles pistoned over his length.
“You withheld your Nirvana from her,” Nikhil said, finally understanding the complexity of Iszak’s sadism. It was about more than just physical pain for the man. He felt a surge of respect that was accompanied by curiosity. How far would he go? And was Nikhil willing to endure seeing this to the end?
Not that he had a choice, so he may as well enjoy it. His cock agreed, involuntarily twitching.
The reflex wasn’t lost on Iszak, who smiled at him, then turned to his brother. “Bring that candle over, Luke,” he said. “Then you’re on his six.”
On my six. Nikhil blinked at the phrase and glanced between the pair, scrutinizing them more closely. He’d spent almost no time with these two, but he should have noticed by their bearing that they had military training. That knowledge suddenly made all the pieces click into place and he cursed himself for not choosing a safe word. Not because he couldn’t endure their torture, but knowing more of who these men were reminded him of his mission, and he couldn’t discount the significance of their training to his larger goal. If there was one thing he’d learned over the centuries, it was that Fate had some twisted schemes when it came to showing people their destinies, and to throwing them together with exactly the partners they were best suited for.
If anyone could break him, they could.
He couldn’t stop now, though, and the presence of the lit candle now hovering over his hard cock wasn’t going to stop him from following through on this promise. Iszak held the thick column of wax with one hand and gripped the hea
d of Nikhil’s cock with his fingertips, angling him parallel to the floor.
Lukas slipped behind him and he heard the subtle zip and rustle as the other man slipped out of his jeans before sidling up to Nikhil’s back. His skin prickled with an odd tickle, and he heard a distinct crackling sound and jumped when the sharp sting of electricity hit his spine between his shoulder blades.
Lukas chuckled and slid his hands around Nikhil’s chest, splaying his fingers before circling his nipples with little caresses. Except they weren’t caresses so much as a means to torture him more. He tensed as another charge of electricity hit his nipples and glanced down to see bright, silvery arcs jumping from Lukas’s fingertips into his skin.
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Lukas purred behind him, shifting closer until Nikhil could feel the other man’s erect cock resting full length against the cleft between his cheeks. “I could make it hurt, but I’m pretty sure what you feel now is just surprise. Close your eyes and let it happen, Nik.”
Close his eyes and let it happen? Fuck. Where was Belah? He hoped she was enjoying this. He glanced away from the flickering candle that Iszak threatened him with and found her lounging opposite him in a huge armchair beside the roaring fire. This was all just a show to her, but the look in her eyes reminded him how much she wanted what he was receiving. Oh, the things he would do to her once he was allowed to give her pleasure again.
Lukas’s electrified touch trailed up and down his torso, tickling over his hips, up his spine. The first few times the energy zapped him, he reacted with surprise, but soon had to agree that it didn’t hurt. What would hurt was what Iszak seemed intent on doing to him. He was apparently waiting for enough wax to pool in the bowl around the wick, but while he did, his hand trailed a maddening caress up and down the length of Nikhil’s cock.
“Just fucking do it,” Nikhil growled.
“Waiting for Lukas to tell me you’re ready,” Iszak said, his gaze flashing.
What the hell did Lukas have to do with it? The sudden invasion of cool liquid seeping between his clenched ass cheeks made him curse.
“Fuck!” he yelled, then bit his tongue. No weakness, for fuck’s sake. Don’t show them weakness. Lukas laughed, his face close to Nikhil’s ear. Then he brushed his lips down Nikhil’s neck and lightly bit his shoulder while spreading Nikhil’s ass apart and probing with his fingers.
“How humiliating would it be to get fucked by another man in front of her? Do you think the enjoyment will be worth the humiliation? If it makes you feel better, I’ll be happy to give you a chance with my ass later.” Lukas’s slippery fingers pressed against his hole and Nikhil forced himself to relax.
He’d been down this road before, but only once in his life. Belah was the only other person he’d allowed to become so intimately acquainted with his body. He fixed his gaze on her, ignoring everything else but the rise and fall of her beautiful, creamy bosom and the way her nipples strained against the silk of her gown. She was leaning back in the chair, her arms resting on the sides, her fingers clutching at the armrests, every bit the poised queen he remembered. He wondered if she had silices wrapped around her thighs beneath that gown, digging into her flesh to keep her in that constant state of pain and pleasure she loved so much. He couldn’t tell from here. Her knees were demurely pressed together and her feet on the floor, but she shifted ever so slightly as though either uncomfortable or highly aroused.
He wouldn’t engage her more than that look—he didn’t want to encourage the men to torture him any more than necessary, but he begged with his eyes for something more from her to help temper what was happening.
’Lukas pushed his fingers into Nikhil and he let out a soft grunt of surprise. Belah’s gaze darkened and she licked her lips.
You wish you were the one torturing me, don’t you, my love? Or that I was torturing you, he thought to himself, but thoughts soon abandoned him in favor of sensation when Lukas twisted his slick fingers and pushed against the core of Nikhil’s pleasure. His entire body tensed and an involuntary groan escaped his lips. His cock pulsed hotly in Iszak’s grip.
“Now,” Lukas said.
Nikhil’s mind was clouded with pleasure, his entire body tingling from the delicious pressure of those fingers on that perfect spot inside his ass. The fingers disappeared from both front and back for a split-second, and Nikhil had the strangest sense he’d entirely lost touch. Then something hot and thick pressed against his tender opening, Lukas’s fingers dug into his hips, and his lips brushed at his ear.
“I think you’re hot enough for it now,” Lukas said as he held him tight and pushed his cock in deep.
At the same moment, Iszak’s rough grip tightened around the head of his cock and molten heat charged up the length. Nikhil bucked and cried out, though he was confused where the pain ended and the pleasure began. The heat that coated his cock tightened the skin, flooding him with fresh sensation. Lukas’s cock stretched his ass, the burning sensation just as painful as the wax on his cock, but as he thrust in, he hit that unbearably glorious pleasure spot with just enough pressure to make Nikhil’s entire body sing.
Nikhil grasped at the ropes above him. Even though he was bound, he felt like he was losing himself, falling, or flying—he couldn’t be sure which. His pleasure intensified when Iszak tipped the candle a second time, trickling a fresh trail of pale molten wax up along his throbbing length.
He threw his head back with a groan. His mind reeled and he tried to cling to his identity, but lost even his small connection to that.
“That’s right, give it up. You’re ours now,” Iszak said, coating his cock in yet another layer of wax, but the previous layers protected him and all he felt was tight heat as the coating hardened and clung to his sensitive skin. His cock was hotter and harder than he’d ever imagined, pleasure straining under the surface.
Iszak disappeared for a second to set the candle down and pick up a small bottle. With Lukas still fucking Nikhil with slow, deliberate strokes, he didn’t have the presence of mind to put a thought together. He wasn’t coherent enough to ask or even wonder what Iszak was going to do next, but none of the previous maliciousness was present in the man’s eyes. All Nikhil could see was pure, raw lust and that constant need both men had when they looked at either him or Belah.
Iszak bent over and blew along the length of Nikhil’s cock and he felt the wax harden further until his entire cock felt encased in ice. The heat dissipated quickly, the pain he’d expected to linger nonexistent. Then Iszak wrapped his hand around it and squeezed. The wax crackled and fell away in crumbles, leaving his skin fully exposed to Iszak’s continued breath.
Iszak held Nikhil’s cock cradled in one hand while he tipped the bottle above it. Nikhil braced himself for more discomfort, but only felt warm liquid as the scent of jasmine hit his nostrils, making him groan. Belah’s favorite oil to use during sex—he’d recognize that smell anywhere.
One long, slow stroke of Iszak’s hand and Nikhil lost all sense of gravity. His mind spun with the room around him. Soft lips found his and he latched on, grateful for the kiss to ground him. Iszak’s strong body pressed against his, his hand moving and pressing Nikhil’s cock against his own, wrapping his hand around them both together.
The sensation made him balk and try to twist, but there was nowhere to go. Iszak let out an admonishing rumble and squeezed their dicks tighter together, threaded his other hand into Nikhil’s hair again, and gripped tightly. He pulled Nikhil into his kiss. Teeth grazed his lips once then bit down hard.
“Fuck!” Nikhil yelled, pain lancing through him as brightly as the pleasure that invaded his entire body from front to back. He glared at Iszak, who merely gave him a sardonic smile before leaning in and taking his mouth again, just as fiercely, but less violent now while his hand continued to pump their cocks together.
Nikhil kissed him back, the rising pleasure overtaking him with need for a de
eper connection. At his back, Lukas’s breath gusted over his neck and sharp, tickling shocks skittered over his sides where Lukas clutched at his hips and waist while he fucked him.
He was lost. Completely and utterly lost, but regretted nothing because this was all for her. And when the pleasure inundated him completely to the point that he no longer knew where he ended and these other men began, she was there.
His body shuddered as he surrendered to the pounding invasion and the rough stroking from both Belah’s mates. The sensations flooded his body until he burst from them, and she was there, her soft lips against his cheek, her gentle hands sliding up his arm and her fingers twining with his as the power of the climax charged through him.
Iszak released his mouth out of reflex as his orgasm took hold. Both men groaned and bucked against him, their semen flooding his ass and coating his belly in turn, but all Nikhil cared about was the pair of blue eyes that met his.
“I am your beast to tame, my love, my master,” Belah whispered, then kissed him softly on his bruised lips.
Chapter Fourteen
Gavra
Gavra would’ve bent over and invited Silas to fuck him if it meant being able to touch Assana. Her distance was pure torture, but her erratic aura was enough to remind him how tenuous her control over her sanity was. They stood at the edge of the dry lake bed, waiting for midnight to arrive. Assana’s scent filled his mind, though there was the cushion of Silas and Aodh separating them.
He tried to focus on their task, pulling his brother away to discuss the details. Aodh followed, his expression dark, his jaw tense.
“This isn’t what you planned, brother, but we have to make the most of it. Nikhil can’t help us yet.”
“I don’t trust Nyx,” Aodh said. “Especially without Neph in the Haven to temper her wild moods and Nereus gone as well. If she’s as mad as Assana says, this won’t be easy.”
