Equilibrium: MM Gay Shifter Romance (Kingdom of Night Book 3)

by L. C. Davis

  "Anywhere you like," he said.

  A moment later, Sebastian's hands gripped the collar of my shirt and ripped it open, exposing my chest. I wasn't sure why he didn't just use my arms, but I could venture a guess that it had something to do with my existing scars. His unexpected thoughtfulness was touching.

  My breathing became shallow as I felt the weight of the knife above me, an automatic response thanks to Victor's training. The moment the cold steel touched my skin, I stopped breathing altogether. It wasn't from fear but rather relief. The pain only set in after the knife had long since left my skin. Victor had taught him well.

  "Good," Victor said in a coaching tone. "Now ask him how he feels."

  Sebastian hesitated. "Are you alright?"

  "No," snapped Victor. "That's not what I said."

  Sebastian sighed. "How do you feel, pup?"

  "I'm fine, Master. It doesn't hurt." A familiar calm washed over me, the kind I had once thought only Victor was capable of making me feel.

  "Answer the question he asks you and nothing more, pup," Victor said firmly.

  Apparently, we were both in training. "Yes, Master."

  "Keep asking him questions," said Victor. "You don't like doing this? Then get to the root of why he needs it so you can change it."

  Victor's words made me feel more like an experiment than a submissive. Not that Sebastian seemed to be having an easier time. Victor murmured something to him that I couldn't make out and Sebastian's blade pressed against my throat.

  I gasped in anticipation as the edge of the blade rested lightly on my skin.

  "Why does this calm you down, Remus?" asked Sebastian. He sounded ill.

  "I don't know."

  Sebastian paused for a long moment. "He's lying."

  Victor gave a low, approving chuckle. "You're catching on. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

  Another pause. "Punish him."

  "How?"

  The long silence that followed Victor's question scared me more with each passing second. When Sebastian pulled the blindfold off, I saw that Victor was every bit as confused as I was. Sebastian picked up another knife and for a moment I thought my punishment was going to be having to watch as he cut me. Instead, he flipped the knife around with expert fluidity and offered the handle to Victor.

  A knowing expression passed over Victor's face as he moved to stand in front of Sebastian. "Are you sure about this? I know how you feel about having your blood drawn."

  When I realized what they were doing, I was frozen with horror. "No, don't!" I cried.

  "I'm sure," Sebastian said, ignoring me as he held out his arm. "Can't be that much worse than your bite."

  "Not nearly," he promised, drawing the blade along the outside of Sebastian's upper arm. My mouth watered in an instinctual reaction to the blood that trickled from the wound, but my stomach lurched in horror.

  Sebastian winced slightly but held my gaze. "You wanna give that question another try?"

  I tried to swallow, but there was a knot in my throat as I leaned against the restraints. "Okay, fine. I enjoy the pain and the relief that comes after it. I always have."

  "Why? I mean, I get enjoying pain if it turns you on, but why is it a relief? Relief from what?"

  "I don't know," I muttered.

  Victor and Sebastian exchanged a look and the larger Wolf nodded his assent.

  "No, wait!" I cried before Victor could cut him again.

  Victor glared at me.

  "Please, Masters, wait," I corrected. "Guilt. I feel relief from guilt."

  Sebastian frowned. "What do you have to feel guilty for?"

  "Everything," I said in a strained voice. "Where do you want to start? Jeff is dead because of me and I killed his parents. I've come between the two of you, thrown the entire Lodge into chaos because of it, and even this truce between you two is only temporary. This week of blissful togetherness is going to fade into chaos, too. You'll be at each other's' throats again as soon as I have to choose one of you and either way, nothing will ever be the same. Then there's the fact that I led Hunter into the lion's den where he got disfigured and hasn't left his room since. Oh and you could make the argument that I'm partially to blame for Alex's death, too. To top it all off, I keep lying to everyone I love in a desperate attempt to keep you safe from all the danger I caused when my last set of lies backfired."

  I shook my head, more disgusted with myself than I had ever been now that all my sins were listed out loud. "The moon is wrong about me being some pure hybrid between vampires and werewolves. The Patriarch had it right from the beginning. I'm not a savior, I'm an abomination."

  Sebastian stared at me with a helpless look on his face, then glared at Victor.

  "This is good," Victor said in a soothing tone that reminded me a bit too much of Ulric's. "Sometimes you have to open the wound for it to heal."

  Sebastian moved closer and cupped my face in his giant hands. "Besides the lying, you had no control over any of that. You haven't come between me and Victor. If anything, you've brought us together and given us a common goal we never had before."

  "And what's that?"

  "Protecting you," Victor said, placing a hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "You were worth putting aside our differences long enough to remember how well we work together when we try."

  Tears stung my eyes as he spoke. "Do you mean that?"

  "Of course we do, ya filthy liar," Sebastian said, playfully tapping my chin with his knuckles.

  "What about after I make my decision?" I asked, sniffing. Dying in the place of both kingdoms I could handle, but the thought that they wouldn't even have each other when I was gone was unbearable.

  "We've talked about that," said Victor. "We've decided to stay together, regardless of the decision you make. Whoever loses will stick around for you and the rest of the pack. We both think this entire ordeal has put too much pressure on you and that's why you're having such a hard time choosing. Ulric agrees. It was Sebastian's idea and I support it wholeheartedly."

  His words soothed fears in me that I hadn't even realized were there. "Thank you," I whispered, looking up to make eye contact with each of them. "I love you both so much."

  They exchanged a look before they both leaned in, each placing a kiss on my cheek. "And we love you, pup," Victor whispered in my ear, his tone sultry.

  "Let's get him cleaned up," said Sebastian, ruffling my hair affectionately. Between the two of them, they made quick work of the restraints and Victor cleaned both of our cuts. Sebastian put up a fuss, reminding me that even though they were working together, nothing was going to change all that much.

  "Well, I think you've earned the right to handle the aftercare this time," said Victor once we were outside the dungeon's private showers. "I'll leave you to it."

  "No reason you can't stay," said Sebastian, carrying me inside.

  "I suppose not," Victor said, looking away as Sebastian helped me out of my robe and the outfit he had picked out. I remembered his reaction to my getting partially undressed in front of the both of them the night before the funeral and wondered if I had finally stumbled upon the edge of Victor's comfort zone.

  "We can always meet you downstairs," I offered.

  "No," he muttered.

  Sebastian picked up on his discomfort and seized on it. "What's up with you? Goddess knows you've seen us both naked enough times."

  Victor's left eye twitched noticeably. "Drop it, Sebastian,"

  "We did just get out of a session where you both dominated me," I reminded him. "It's just kind of weird that taking a shower would be taking it too far."

  Victor clenched his jaw. "That was different. Our clothes were on the entire session."

  Sebastian snorted in amusement. "So it is some weird modesty thing. Don't worry, you can stand over there while I get our boyfriend all nice and sudsy," he taunted, helping me underneath the water. He looked down at his jeans with a dramatic sigh. "These aren't waterproof. Avert your eyes, Vic. Would
n't wanna tarnish your delicate sensibilities," he said, stripping down.

  Victor rolled his eyes but kept them notably averted from the both of us. I couldn't help but giggle when Sebastian started tickling my side in an obvious attempt to torture Victor, who was determined not to look over. "Sebastian, stop!" I squealed, inadvertently playing right into his hands.

  "Oh, for fuck's sake," Victor muttered, angrily stripping off his clothes before joining me on the other side of the shower. "You two have to make a big deal out of everything."

  I was still struggling to stop laughing, and Sebastian intermittently pinching my sides wasn't helping. "It's just a shower, Vic. You didn't have to stay."

  He still looked vaguely annoyed as he grabbed my shampoo bottle and started massaging the gel into my hair until it formed a thick lather. "Do you really want that ogre touching your hair? You'll end up bald."

  "Hey, I can be gentle when I need to be," Sebastian said, presently scrubbing his own hair with a bar of soap.

  "Your definition of gentle still killed my pet rat."

  Sebastian looked crestfallen. "Not cool, man. You promised you'd never bring that up again."

  I arched an eyebrow. "What happened to the rat?"

  "Suffice it to say that verndari wolves who've just begun to shift often learn the extent of their grip strength in unpleasant ways," said Victor.

  "Especially unpleasant for Pavlov," Sebastian grumbled.

  I reached up to give his face a conciliatory stroke. "I guess even gentle giants go through an awkward phase. Good thing I'm a hardier pet."

  Victor rolled his eyes and finished rinsing my hair, combing his fingers through it until there were no more tangles. In the beginning, it had felt strange and a bit embarrassing to allow someone else to perform such a basic task on my behalf, but I had come to look forward to this post-session pampering and the strange intimacy that came with it. Having Sebastian involved was certainly a change of pace, but I wasn't complaining.

  "How's your cut?" Sebastian asked, turning me to face him.

  "It's fine," I said, glancing down at the wound that had at least stopped bleeding.

  He frowned. "You usually heal faster than that."

  "He hasn't fed on wolf's blood in a while," Victor said, his voice stiff with guilt.

  "There's been a lot going on," I said immediately. "I haven't even thought about it."

  That part was a lie. I was always thinking of blood, even if being part werewolf again had made the vampire urges less urgent.

  "He can bite me," offered Sebastian.

  "You've already been traumatized enough for one day." said Victor.

  "I was not traumatized," he snapped. "It's not a phobia, it's just strong dislike. Anyway, it's different with Remus. He's bitten me before and it was fine."

  "Oh, I know. He smelled like you for a week after you came back from your little date."

  Sebastian smirked. "That wasn't just because of my blood, but keep dreaming."

  "Please don't fight over this," I groaned. "I'll just bite Brendan again."

  That made them stop, but it didn't settle the matter. "We'll trade off," Sebastian suggested. "He'll bite me first, then you."

  "Why do you get to be first?"

  I rolled my eyes, starting to feel like a model airplane again. Before they could draw straws, I leaned up and swept the hair away from Sebastian's neck and draped my arms around him before biting into his warm flesh. His body jerked from my surprise move, but a moment later he was moaning in bliss and I could feel one part of him growing stiff while everything else relaxed. His blood was a familiar taste now, but I knew it was one that would never grow old. Notes that had been hidden the first time I had bitten him danced on my tongue and I moaned into his neck in delight, all but forgetting Victor's presence. His heartbeat, which was always background noise in the back of my mind, quickened in agitation, reminding me that we were still a party of three.

  Summoning all my willpower, I stopped drinking from Sebastian and pulled away long before I was sated. Sebastian's grip tightened around my waist, where his hands had settled in an attempt to pull me closer. He wore a confused frown that told me I wasn't the only one who wasn't yet satisfied. I leaned up and kissed him as a promise of things to come. When I turned to Victor, he was watching us both, his lips set into a stern line and an unmistakable look of hurt in his gaze. Fortunately, I knew how to make that look go away.

  Draping an arm around Victor's neck, I pulled him closer and bit into his flesh with far less care than I felt obligated to show Sebastian, letting the rich bouquet of his blood flow into my mouth. His breath dragged on its way past his lips. After being bitten so many times, his reaction to the pleasure that accompanied my bite was subtler than Sebastian's, but just as strong. I felt safe drinking his blood until I was more than satisfied and licked my lips as I finally pulled away, determined not to let a single drop of it go to waste.

  When I reached between our closely pressed bodies out of curiosity, I realized that Sebastian wasn't the only one I had riled up. "Remus," Victor said, his lip curling around my name in the most half-hearted protest when I wrapped my hand around his shaft. A glance over my shoulder revealed that Sebastian was still hard and he was watching us with a cloudy, unreadable look in his eyes.

  "You share everything else," I said, my voice low in disbelief that I was actually speaking the words that had flitted through my mind on so many occasions out loud. I swallowed hard, emboldened by the need that feeding and our mutual session had only partly satisfied. Now that my vampire nature had known the taste of them both, it had uncovered a far more human urge to know them both in other ways. "Why not me?"

  Sebastian's eyes became sharp as he snapped out of whatever trance my bite had put him into. "You're joking..."

  I was about to save face by letting him think he had called my bluff when Victor's body pressed against me from behind. He wrapped a strong arm around my waist to pull me closer, pressing his erection dangerously close to my crevice. One slip was all it would take...

  "I don't think he's joking, Sebastian," he said, his voice low and husky with a familiar tone. It was the voice I had only ever heard him use in the dungeon, until now. He reached around and took me in his hand, letting my shaft rest in his palm while his thumb stroked the top of it with maddening gentleness. "Feels pretty serious to me."

  Sebastian looked at us like we had both gone mad. "Weren't you the one freaking out ten minutes ago about getting naked? Now you wanna fuck him at the same time?"

  Victor kept stroking me and firm hold was the only thing keeping me from sinking to my knees. "That would be impractical. I was thinking one of us could fuck him while the other one sucks him off."

  I gulped. "Victor..."

  "Be careful what you wish for, kiddo," he purred dangerously in my ear. Another stroke and I shuddered. "Hurry up and decide. I don't think he can last much longer."

  Sebastian muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and I thought he was about to leave when he dropped to his knees in front of me.

  "Sebastian, I --" I cut off with a sharp gasp as Sebastian bent his head to take me into his mouth, his hands gripping my hips to keep me in place, as if Victor was going to let me go anywhere. "Oh, fuck."

  Victor was quick to respond and the head of his cock nestled between my cheeks, pressing impatiently against my entrance. Before I could protest, Sebastian's tongue glided around the head of my dick in a skillful maneuver that was undoubtedly intended to distract me. The attempt was a resounding success and the tight ring of muscle around my entrance relaxed just enough to allow Victor full passage inside of me.

  I let out a sharp cry of pain, but it soon turned into a moan of bliss as Victor ground against my prostate while Sebastian's mouth had formed the most delightful suction on my cock. With my left hand, I reached behind to grope Victor's shoulder for support while my right played with Sebastian's damp hair.

  From the moment I had first seen them together,
my mind had been plagued with the suspicion that the Fulton brothers would be far more dangerous united as allies than they were as enemies. As Victor thrust himself even deeper inside of me while Sebastian held me in place and kept me far too distracted to put up any resistance even if I had wanted to, that suspicion was confirmed as a reality.

  Light flashed behind my eyes as Victor hit my spot with deadly accuracy and my knees buckled. He held me upright and his thrusting showed no sign of relenting as Sebastian withdrew my cock from his mouth only to take it all in at once. Sebastian's hand wrapped firmly around the base of my shaft and he began sucking me off with renewed greed.

  "Ease up," Victor warned, shifting his angle just slightly. The pain pulled me back from the brink, but the vibrations Sebastian's growl of protest sent through my sensitive member threatened to undo me.

  "Fine, have it your way," Victor said with a low chuckle, nipping my neck. He bit down a bit harder than I expected and the unexpected pain, combined with Sebastian's efforts, made me come without warning.

  Sebastian growled low in approval and his refusal to release my spent member right away made me squirm against Victor, impaling myself even more thoroughly on his shaft. When Sebastian finally released me and raised his head, his eyes were still shining with lust. The sight of his tongue traveling around my tip to taste the last bit of my cum that he hadn't swallowed threatened to make me hard again.

  "You taste fucking amazing," he said, his voice rough with hunger.

  "On your knees, pup," Victor said, bringing us both to the tile floor in one swift movement without pulling out of me. I found myself on my hands and knees with Victor's cock buried deep in my ass and Sebastian's member standing at full attention inches away from my face.

  Sebastian gave Victor a quizzical look, but Victor ignored him and grabbed a fistful of my hair, tilting my head back. "I think you should return the favor, pup. Don't you?"

  My mouth watered and my tongue darted out over my bottom lip at the thought of tasting Sebastian. If his cum was even half as sweet as his blood, I was in for a treat. I managed as much of a nod as Victor's grip on my hair would allow, but he didn't release me.