by Lexi C. Foss
He consumed me.
Devoured me.
Owned me.
Each stroke of his finger drew me closer to a fire I would never escape from.
Each brush of his tongue erased my will to fight.
And each growl of approval melted another of my defenses.
I was lost to him, utterly and completely.
Then Damien joined the game, his lips a foreign caress against my neck. His hands on my hips burned through the thin fabric, his erection a prominent hardness against my backside.
I wanted to scream, to run, and to fall between them and beg.
Confusion and fear rioted inside me, chased away by a raging lust that erased the need for logic.
Ryder pinched my clit, the shock of pain shooting through my veins and forcing a gasp from me. He smiled in response, his lips sinister and sweet.
A part of me began to weep, the overwhelming power of the two men drowning me in a sea of insanity and sensual torment.
“Bite her,” Ryder said as he dropped to his knees. “Make her remember you.”
My eyes flew open, shock coursing through me. He can’t mean that. He just said he didn’t share. That was the point of this lesson, right?
I didn’t understand the intent.
Couldn’t figure out what to say.
Then Damien growled, the harsh vibration both a threat and a promise wrapped up in aggressive male intent.
My Prince…
The words taunted my tongue, a plea ready to escape my lips, only to be swallowed as Damien pierced my neck in a bite that I felt through every nerve ending.
Electricity thrummed to life in my veins, my heart shifting into overdrive, only to lose myself in a cloud of toxicity and rapture.
My thighs clenched, reminding me of Ryder’s position between them. What is he—
Oh.
Ohhhh.
I cried out as his teeth teased my sensitive flesh, his hungry rumble fracturing any complaints I intended to utter.
Yes, yes, I thought. More…
He caught my swollen bud between his lips and taunted me with his tongue. Damien’s arms came around me at the same time, securing me against him as he fed from my vein.
I was trapped.
Possessed.
Enraptured by them both.
One mouth at my throat, the other between my legs, driving me onward and higher, demanding my body cooperate and bend beneath their will.
I was theirs in the moment, floating in a sensation of dark bliss with rapture waiting for me on the horizon.
A pinch sent me flying, the sharp sensation from Ryder’s bite below in a place I never expected to desire a vampire’s mouth.
It shot me into another world of existence, blanketing me in fierce oblivion.
Screams left my mouth, my body shaking so violently I couldn’t stand. Damien kept me safe, his mouth working at my throat in tandem with Ryder between my thighs.
He bit my clit, I thought, bewildered and aroused at the same time.
Spasms rocketed through me, my orgasm continuing long past the time it should have subsided. It bordered on pain, the feelings so intense I could hardly remember how to breathe.
If I died right now, I wouldn’t mind. This sort of ecstasy was reserved for the afterlife, not the present. And yet, I felt my reality slowly beginning to awaken around me, the world shifting as sights changed.
We were no longer in a metal box, but in a hallway, and then a suite. And the hard male body behind me slowly morphed into a soft mattress.
Words were exchanged.
Something about children and visiting the harem.
I sensed Damien leaving and Ryder returning, his hands tracing my body as he leaned down to kiss me thoroughly. His tongue introduced me to a unique flavor, one I suspected belonged to me and the intimate bite he’d given me below.
I clung to him, afraid and confused by the fog clouding my judgment.
“You’re okay,” he promised me.
But I didn’t believe him.
This wasn’t okay at all.
He’d just ripped apart my world, captivated my mind, and brought me to heel with a few skilled bites.
Why was I here? How long would he keep me? What happened next?
I couldn’t depend on him.
I couldn’t trust him.
I needed to run, but I had nowhere to go.
“Shh,” he whispered, his lips against my temple. “You’ll learn to trust me, Willow.”
Trust him? Never.
“You sent me to the breeding camp,” I accused, lost to my delirious state. “I was supposed to be a Vigil. Go to the Immortal Cup. Now I’m a snack. A fuck toy. A pet.” And it was potentially the best thing that had ever happened to me. How screwed up was that? I started to laugh, the sound hysterical in my ears.
This wasn’t funny.
It wasn’t even amusing.
Yet I had tears in my eyes that I didn’t understand.
This was all so temporary.
The moment he grew tired of me, I’d become a meal. And wasn’t that hilarious? I’d survived all these years, learned so many things, just to become dinner.
Another laugh left my lips, but it sounded wrong. Broken. Soul-destroying.
“At least as a Vigil, I would have been worth something,” I whispered to myself, forgetting about Ryder.
Except he was still here, listening to every word I’d just said. How much of it was out loud? I couldn’t say. I almost didn’t care. He knew all of this anyway. It was his kind that demeaned mine, sentencing us to a fate of servitude.
“Yes, hunting other humans is a fantastic life for a mortal,” Ryder drawled, his tone grating against my nerves.
“Beats being hunted and preyed upon by monsters,” I replied, shocked by the words leaving my mouth. What had their bites done to me? All my inhibitions were gone, my mind exploding into the open without a filter.
I nearly attempted to apologize, but he was already replying.
“You think those Vigils never become a snack?” he asked, arching a brow. “Come now, Willow. I sense you’re more intelligent than that.”
That should have been a compliment, yet it didn’t sound like one.
“This entire society is driven by a need to please your superiors,” he continued. “Vampires and lycans choose what they want to do, whenever they want to do it. I could fuck you against the wall right now, and there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it. I could take you against the balcony outside, then snap your neck while I come, and vampires would salivate over your remains. It’s a cruel, unjust world, but it is what it is. Your species is weak. Mine is not. Therefore, you kneel. I don’t.”
I gaped at him, my senses starting to return beneath the cruelty of his words. He sat beside me on the bed, his dark eyes smoldering. I couldn’t tell if he was mad at me for speaking out or angry about the world we resided in. Perhaps both.
How had this evening taken such a sharp turn? My bliss had melted into a puddle of confusion and pain, my future incomprehensible. I no longer knew what to expect, and that terrified me.
Ryder wanted me to trust him.
He promised not to share.
And yet, Damien had just drunk from my vein.
“Do you like this world?” Ryder asked me softly, his palm coming to rest on my cheek. He’d tucked me under the covers at some point. Why couldn’t I remember? Had I fallen into a state of unconsciousness after they fed? All I could remember was the pleasure, some hints of their conversation, and coming to in this bed.
Yet I still wasn’t quite right, the haze of my pleasure still smothering me in a mist of chaos.
“Willow,” Ryder said, his thumb tracing my bottom lip. “I asked if you like this world. Answer me.”
“No,” I admitted on a whisper. It was the wrong answer, yet an honest one. And if he wanted to punish me for it, I wouldn’t fight him.
“And how do you feel about me?”
I frowned, my
eyes trying and failing to study his expression. What did he want me to say? The truth? A lie? Alas, my mind couldn’t create a tale. All I could utter was “I don’t know.”
His lips curled. “Then we’re getting somewhere.”
I didn’t understand. Did he want me to hate him or to worship him?
“I’m not like other royals, Willow,” he murmured, his gaze falling to my mouth. “You’ll understand that soon enough.” He leaned down to kiss me soundly, his touch an imprint on my very soul. “Sleep well, my Willow.”
Something about that statement unnerved me, but I couldn’t for the life of me determine why.
Instead, my eyes slid closed, drowning me in an ocean of thick ink, leaving me to rest on a cloud that was far too soft.
Mint tickled my senses.
Warmth enveloped me from behind.
Protection layered every inch of my body.
Some part of me realized it was Ryder, holding me while he lulled me into a state of comfort.
I swore I even heard him hum a melody, one that followed me into my dreams. But that couldn’t have been real. My life revolved around nightmares, not fantasy.
However, for tonight alone, I allowed it to be real. My future heartbreak over the false hope would be worth the temporary reprieve.
We all had a price to pay in this life. Blood and tears would be mine.
14
Ryder
I combed my fingers through Willow’s white-blonde hair. Her strands were so soft, like silk. I could pet her like this all night, the activity oddly relaxing.
My lesson hadn’t gone as planned. I’d wanted to express that Damien biting her was the only kind of sharing I’d ever allow, but she’d lost herself to the pleasure before I could explain that part. Then she’d gone off on a fascinating rant about what her life should have been.
It demonstrated a significant flaw in her programming, one that would have earned her an execution in this world. But I found the fracture oddly endearing. I wanted to exploit it, draw that hidden part of her out into the open and seduce her.
I knew there was something special about her. A fire that shouldn’t exist but did. I wanted to bask and burn in her flames, to experience every part of her on the way to hell and back.
My sweet, darling Willow.
She had no idea what I wanted to do to her.
Her admissions tonight were just the tip of the iceberg. I was curious as to whether she’d remember all that she had said or if she would think that some of it had been in her head.
She wondered what I would do with her when I was done playing with her. It was a valid concern, one I couldn’t address because I didn’t know. I wouldn’t send her back to the breeding camps, nor would I make her a meal. Both ideas repulsed me. And I certainly wouldn’t give her to another vampire. She was mine.
A buzzing sounded from the monitor near the bed. I frowned at it as a sultry feminine voice said, “You have an incoming call from Silvano.”
“Do I?” I asked, arching a brow. “That’s odd considering he’s dead.”
“Command unrecognized. Would you like to answer, decline, or—”
“Answer,” I cut in, irritated by the insufficient programming. What was the point of artificial intelligence if they couldn’t pick up on a hint of humor?
“Answering now,” the female said.
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the play-by-play.”
“But I haven’t even started yet,” Damien replied.
I snorted. “The AI needs to be updated.”
“I know.”
“Tell Benita to take care of it.”
“Already done,” Damien replied. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”
I continued combing through Willow’s strands, her mind quiet with sleep. “Has someone died?” Because that would be the only reason for his intrusion this late into the night. The sun would be rising soon, and while it didn’t really impact me, the brightness made my kind uncomfortable. Our sensitive senses preferred the darkness.
“Yes.” Damien cleared his throat. “Garland.”
My eyebrows lifted. “How?”
“I killed him.”
“Ah.” I never much cared for the old vampire. Hell, I didn’t really like any of my kind. Damien was the exception, probably because I’d created him. His sister also qualified as an exception, mostly because she wasn’t actually one of us.
Her mate, however, was a different story entirely.
Ignoring my walk down memory lane, I focused on the reason for Damien’s call. “Why?”
“I walked in to find him entertaining some of his friends in the penthouse. They’d already gone through six of your harem members before I arrived.”
“How many are left?”
“Of his friends, or your harem?”
“The harem.” I’d trained Damien myself. He would have killed all of Garland’s friends, minus maybe one whom he would use to send a message. No need to go into the details, as it was exactly what I would have done in his situation.
“Eight,” he replied. “They’re scared shitless, too.”
In other words, not my type. I preferred to play with fire, not mingle with mice. “I trust you’ll take care of them.”
He grunted. “You could use a fuck more than me. I’ve been regularly active. Meanwhile, you’re playing with a pet that you’ve barely touched after how many years of inane celibacy?”
“Aww, I didn’t realize you cared,” I drawled. “Will you be grading me on my technique next?”
“Do you even know how to fuck in your old age?” he tossed back.
“Have you forgotten that I had nearly four thousand years of experience before I turned you?” I asked him.
“Yes, yes, I know, you find this all boring and dull. You miss the fight.” I could hear him rolling his eyes.
“You’re only a thousand years old, Damien. Give it another millennium or two and you’ll understand.” There was an art to devouring prey—an art my kind seemed to have forgotten.
“I’ll never understand turning down available pussy,” he replied.
“Is it available or coerced?” I asked him.
“Asks the male who just consumed his pet in an elevator like a man starved for a good meal,” Damien returned. “I never heard her consent.”
“It was implied when she came.” I brushed my knuckles across her cheek. “Besides, you’re the one who suggested I work on her sexual reactions. I feel she’s coming along quite nicely, don’t you?”
“Hmm,” he hummed, not sounding all that confident in my reply. “Well, as entertaining as this conversation is, I didn’t call to discuss your lack of a sex life or the status of your harem. I have the situation handled, but another has arisen that requires your attention.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“Lilith called here for you. She wants you to phone her back immediately.”
My lips curled. “Does she?”
“Yes. So shall I detail the murder scene for you next while you stall? Or did our side conversation provide a sufficient waiting time for you?”
“This is why I keep you around,” I informed him. “You know exactly how I’ll handle each and every situation.”
“Not every situation,” he replied. I didn’t need to ask to know what he meant—he was referring to Willow.
I’d caught the surprise in his gaze when I tucked her gently into the bed. It rivaled his expression when I advised him to stop feeding in the elevator before lifting her into my arms to carry her to my new suite.
Willow served as an anomaly.
A different kind of experience.
A challenge I didn’t fully understand.
I had never treated females poorly in the past, but I also never provided care in the way I had with Willow. He hadn’t asked me why, which was good because I didn’t have a ready response for him.
“I suppose I should return Lilith’s call. Care to place wagers on what she wants?”
; “My guess is she found out about your culling from earlier this evening,” Damien replied.
“Likely.” I frowned. “But that would mean someone fed her the information.”
“You’re surprised?”
“No, I’m curious. It would be in our best interest to determine who spoke to her. Then we can use the communication channel to our advantage.” It would allow us to ensure the information flowing to Lilith was the information we wanted her to receive.
“True. I’ll look into it.”
“Good.” I stared at the panel on the wall. “How do I hang up?”
Damien laughed. “I’ll provide you with a tutorial later. After I disconnect, tell the AI you want to call Lilith. Her number is already programmed.”
“You’re a good friend,” I told him.
“Which is why you’re giving me exclusive access to your harem,” he replied.
“Call disconnected,” the AI chimed in.
Apparently, Damien had hung up before I could say another word. Not that I had one for him. If he wanted to play with the brainwashed members of society, I wasn’t going to stop him. The only one off-limits to him was Willow.
Blowing out my breath, I focused on the screen above the nightstand. “Call Lilith,” I said.
I waited for a response.
Nothing happened.
“Yeah, just tell the AI to call Lilith,” I muttered, rolling off the bed to more closely study the panel. “Activate,” I said, reading the button at the top right. “Sure, let’s go with that.” I pressed it and half expected something to explode, but no, that sultry voice just started talking again.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“You could reprogram yourself for me and save me a lot of time,” I suggested.
“I’m sorry. You could reprogram yourself for me and save me a lot of time is not a command I recognized.”
“Of course it’s not.” Fucking AI. “Just call Lilith.”
“Calling Lilith,” she replied immediately, sounding quite pleased with her ability.
I was in the middle of rolling my eyes when Lilith answered, “What took you so long? I phoned your progeny over an hour ago, and why the hell don’t you have your own phone?”
