by Emma Jaye
Despite the generous size of the traditionally furnished room, the walls were closing in. His eyes flicked from the window behind Alpha Henry to the door. He might not be wearing chains, but with shifters between him and both exits, he didn’t have a hope of escaping. Pixie and Finn flanked him; Milo sat on Finn’s other side. Jericho and the twins stood between him and the door.
He wasn’t sure why the twins were there, although they would probably be handy in a fight. He tried not to glance at Avery and Silas who sat on either side of the Alpha on the other side of the desk. The three looked like a judging panel about to pronounce a pre-determined guilty verdict.
“May I?” Avery asked.
“Please do, Council Leader,” Henry replied.
Ezra rolled his eyes. All so fucking polite. He lounged on his chair, arms folded and legs spread, like a petulant teenager. Silas’s raised eyebrow proved he knew Ezra was putting on an act. Being a bloodsucker, the bastard could smell his fear, was probably getting a kick out of it. Ezra hoped it’d make him sick.
Avery got as far as saying, “Lady and gentlemen, I–” before Ezra snorted. The impeccably suited blond raised an eyebrow. “You wish to say something before we begin, Mr Erotes?”
Behaving like an angry child was so much easier than being a sensible adult.
“Yeah, yeah I do. One, I’m no gentleman. I’m a lowlife back alley fucker and proud of it. I’d rather be what I am than look down my nose at everyone else all my life. And two, why am I even here? It’s not as if anything I say is going to change things. Just lock me up again, it’s what’s going to happen anyway. Why prolong the agony, unless you’re doing it so he can get his jollies?” Ezra waved a hand in Silas’s direction.
Finn touched his arm. “I’m sure they’re trying to help.” Finn oozed compassion, but he didn’t, couldn’t, understand what was going on here.
Ezra rolled his eyes. “Right, and I’m the sugar plum fairy. I would say ‘no offence’ Pixie, but I’d be lying.”
Every face in the room frowned except Silas who wore the slight smirk that had always pissed Ezra off.
“Enjoying yourself are you, Silas? You can ‘my dear’ all you fucking well like but I’m not a frightened kid any more, I–”
Finn got up, and without a word, climbed onto his lap, took his face in his hands and gave him a most thorough kiss. Ezra found his arms around the human, blinking in silent surprise when Finn pulled back after half a minute.
“Listen to what they have to say, for me.” Those beautiful green eyes and pouting mouth, red from their kiss, were impossible to resist. Disappointing Finn had become impossible.
“For you?”
Finn nodded, slowly.
A smile crept across Ezra’s face. Finn was the only person who mattered, he should remember that. Sinking back into the comfort of ‘smutty’ was exactly what he needed.
“What do I get if I’m good? Because I can think–”
“Fabian filed his claim on you. Our record keeper, Council Member Levine, ratified its legality. Unless we can prove he abused you when you were his apprentice you will be returned to him to serve out the remainder of the contract which is eleven months. Fortunately, his appeal that as your mother is deceased, the end of the contract is at his discretion to define, is invalid.”
Shooting to his feet, Ezra barely stopped Finn hitting the floor. As he couldn’t speak about it, the chances that he wouldn’t be tied with a bow and delivered back to Fabian were non-existent. He couldn’t even run because of Finn. The thought of Finn experiencing, even second-hand, what he had, jangled every nerve. Humans were delicate; they could die of fright and what–
The eyes of everyone in the room followed him. Like a fucking specimen, just like before. After setting Finn back on his feet, Ezra took a step toward the door. Jericho straightened, his arms uncrossing.
“The storeroom is still set up for you,” the Alpha’s voice rumbled behind him.
Ezra looked up at Jericho, tilting his head to one side. “We’re getting on fine, right?”
Jericho nodded warily.
“Well, as we’re such good pals, I have to admit to feeling a touch frustrated right now. So, as an orgy is probably out of the question, would you mind if I punched you? It’d help release a little tension.”
Multiple snorts of amusement came from behind him.
“I’d be careful what you agree to, he’s had a little–” Silas said.
Jericho ignored the vampire. “Go for it, short stuff.”
As the vampires had taught him for their own amusement, Ezra put all his weight into the punch, twisting from the hips. The satisfaction as Jericho let out an ‘oof’ calmed his nerves a little.
The big man scowled as he rubbed his belly. “Nice one. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises. I can scream real good too, can’t I Silas?”
Swallowing down the heart-stopping fear, he focused on Avery as the vampire didn’t rise to the jibe.
It wasn’t easy attacking the sympathy on that perfect, privileged face but the pain in his hand helped a little. Jericho’s belly was like a bloody rock.
It was Finn who counted, not him. Ezra had never counted, except as a source of amusement or annoyance. He’d been stupid to think things would ever change.
“I know you haven’t done it yet; I’d feel it if you had. Will you, if he agrees?” he asked the other incubus.
“Ezra, we’ve already discussed–” Pixie started.
“Not your business, fae,” Ezra said without breaking eye contact with his relative. The thought of losing Finn to his cousin felt like his guts being pulled out, but Finn’s survival mattered more than one stupid, damaged incubus’s pain. It’d taken feeling Finn’s distress up in that tree, and Fabian’s visit, to wake him up.
“Ask Silas. The chances of Finn surviving if–” Ezra swallowed hard, clenching his fists to hide the shaking. Silas would be able to smell his fear, but he didn’t need to give the rest of them a show.
Finn stood up, and wrapped his arms around Ezra’s waist. His warmth, his love, only made it worse, but Ezra couldn’t bring himself to push his vascellum, his love, away. It’d happen soon enough.
“You’ll have to get a place nearby, until... Silas, could you–” Asking the vampire for anything had his blood boiling, but it was the only way to ensure Finn didn’t suffer too much.
“Would you listen to me, you stupid, stubborn man?”
The vitriol in Pixie’s voice made him smile, but he ensured Silas gave him a slight nod before he sat down and turned to her. Finn climbing back onto his lap obscured his view of the other supernaturals. Ezra’s arms wrapped around him automatically. Who knew when it’ll be the last time?
He placed a kiss on Finn’s temple then plastered a smile on his face before he thought about it anymore. Blubbering in public would be humiliating, and he had enough of that in his immediate future.
“Well come on, spit it out, Pixie,” he said. “I’m looking forward to my traditional condemned man’s last meal. I want to see what the big bad Alpha has got in his shorts. That goes for the rest of you too. You know what they say, a pack that fucks together, stays–”
“You might not have to go.”
He blinked at the tiny pink woman. “Did you not listen? Unless we can prove–” His throat closed up. “Fuck, that is really fucking irritating,” he finished as he blinked away stupid, traitorous tears. He was better, harder than this. The man who had made him weak, had shown him how to love, gave him a squeeze.
“Council Member Shanae, the witch delegate, can broadcast a person’s memories. You wouldn’t have to speak, or write, just re-experience what–” Pixie started.
Ezra shook his head vehemently. “No, no bloody way. Do another nine years? I barely–” He stopped and glanced over at Silas. “Tell them.”
“As a former clan member of the accused, my evidence is inadmissible, and I was only there for some of it. Besides,
it wouldn’t be in real time. Apparently, your testimony would take a single day.” Silas polished his nails while he spoke, as if bored.
“They’d see everything? The whole council?” Ezra blinked at Avery, not believing what he was hearing.
“And feel it. These would be your memories, not a magical camera.”
Ezra blinked. “You’re willing to do that, for me?”
“We’re willing to do that for the sake of justice,” Avery pronounced, as stiff as a board.
“Plus,” Silas said with a mocking smile, “the council want to trial it as a new kind of punishment. The prison is getting a little overcrowded.”
Ezra knew exactly why the vampire loved this idea; the pain and fear that would radiate from everyone experiencing Ezra’s memories would probably fill the demon for a year.
“And I suppose you’ll be there?” Ezra asked.
“Of course, my dear. Some of the delegates, may, shall we say, require a little help dealing with what they experience. Besides, I’m curious about the years I missed. Bear in mind that you cannot be prosecuted for anything you were forced to do.”
“No shit,” Ezra said as his mind whirled. He knows. Who am I kidding, of course he fucking knows what I did to those humans. Nobody deserved to experience what he had, apart from Fabian and his clan. The thought of them going through it was the perfect revenge, if he didn’t have to do it himself. That didn’t appear to be an option.
Finn shifted on his lap. A tap opened and drained away every inkling that this could be a good idea. Even if Finn missed the broadcast, the human would experience Ezra’s emotions through the bond. Being called a ‘slut’ by a horny middle-aged human had caused the boy in his arms to run out into the night, nearly naked.
Another year with Fabian, probably under close supervision, or it all again in a day? If I do everything right, keep my head down... Fuck, I can’t believe I’m going to say this.
Finn looked up, confusion and trust clear in his bright green eyes. Finn’s hand touched Ezra’s cheek. He put his hand over the smaller one and smiled. Doing the moral thing after so many years felt surprisingly good. Well what do you know, I’m crap at being a demon as well as everything else. He smiled.
“No. No, I’m not doing it.”
He winced at the clamour of voices, but he only had eyes for Finn. “A year’s not so long, Beautiful, and Avery will look after you. You can get a nice little flat nearby, so the separation thing won’t be a problem.
“Avery can drain off any energy you pick up; that’s why last night happened in case you didn’t know. I would have agreed if I’d been in my right mind so don’t worry about it. I don’t want you setting foot in that place. I’ll be fine. I promise.” The last lie didn’t come as easily as the others he’d told Finn.
“What about the others?” Ezra couldn’t stop himself meeting Avery’s pure blue eyes.
“Not my problem. Finn’s is. Come on, let’s go make the most of that nice comfy bed.” He shifted his weight in preparation for standing up. He couldn’t smell himself on Finn, and he wanted to rectify that situation as soon as possible.
“You know you weren’t the first,” Silas said. All eyes turned to the vampire as he finished examining his nails and looked over at Ezra. “Do you really think you were the last, or that there won’t be more in the future?”
Ezra stilled, remembering the threats, the false promises, from the softly spoken man on the other side of the table. The man who had held him together and dealt the final blow. He’s lying, isn’t he?
“As the only demon with a bonded vascellum, you’re likely to have a great many children of your own, and be central in the conception of every sex demon till another vascellum is found. You and Finn won’t be able to help everyone, just as Avery and Frederick couldn’t. The desperate and the stupid will still go to people like Fabian. Are you really going to condemn others, perhaps your own grandchildren, to that?”
“There’s not some poor sod there now is there?” Jericho’s rumbling voice was so low Ezra felt it more than heard it.
All eyes shot back to Silas, who wore a ‘who me’ expression.
“Why’s everyone looking at me? I haven’t been there in over a century. But as Fabian’s keen to get Ezra back immediately, I presume they are lacking a sex demon right now.”
Avery sat forward on his chair. “Right now?” His honey smooth voice had a bite in it that proved he was Council Leader for a reason. He certainly didn’t sound like the petulant brat Ezra did.
Silas waved a dismissive hand. “Most vampire clans have sex demons visit on a regular basis. It’s usually a mutually beneficial–”
“Has anyone checked?” the Alpha interrupted.
Avery shook his head. “Species are self-governing unless there is a complaint by a member of another species and,” he paused to rub his temple. “Fabian was Leader of the Council until a decade ago; he’s still head of the Vampire Council.”
Henry sighed. “It appears we have another issue for council.”
“So, is Ezra testifying or not?” Milo asked. Ezra scowled at the small shifter for bringing the discussion back to him.
“He’s testifying,” Avery declared.
“I’m bloody well not,” Ezra shot back. He didn’t stop Finn getting off his lap. Being between two arguing demons could be a dangerous situation.
“Fine with me, my dear,” Silas drawled, a half smile on his lips. “After Fabian has finished with you, what’s left will be my guest for the crime of perjury. I’ve got a nice, dark, and very chilly single cell all ready for you.”
Over the multiple voices raised in denial, Ezra only heard Finn’s. His confusing, stupidly loyal, beautiful boy stood in front of the powerful vampire with his arms crossed.
“Well, you’ve better make sure there’s room for two, because where he goes, I go.”
The glint in Silas’s eye as he sat forward in his chair had Ezra on his feet. “You stay away from him, or I’ll–”
The deep, dark eyes that had once meant safety turned to him. “You’ll what, orgasm me to death? You tried that already, but I wouldn’t say no to another attempt sometime.” The vampire held up a slender finger. “One day, my dear, just one day in real time, and it’ll be finished, once and for all. Neither you, nor Finn, will have to worry about it ever again. I’m sure the council will grant you a pardon if you cooperate. Fabian is a far bigger fish than you. But it’s your choice. And, I will personally make sure he sleeps through it.”
Avery nodded his agreement, but Ezra still hesitated. Was Silas telling the truth about protecting Finn? The vampire loved comforting people in extreme distress; Finn would be a goldmine for him if the sleep compulsion slipped during the memory projection. And what about the aftermath? It had taken him years to–
Finn flipped around, mouth open for a second before it snapped shut and his eyes narrowed. “You’re refusing for me? Seriously? You’d rather be in prison for years than have me share something horrible you experienced? Well, thank you very much. You really think I’m that weak? Do what you bloody well want, you always do, you selfish bastard. Maybe Avery will be better for me anyway.”
Ezra grabbed for the back of a chair as all the strength left his legs.
“Ouch,” murmured one of the twins in the screaming silence.
Avery spoke up, turning the knife further. “Being bonded to a vascellum takes a maturity some never reach. You are the youngest sex demon by several hundred years and you are clearly affected by your unfortunate early life.”
The mild, superior expression on his relative’s perfect face lit a fire in Ezra’s belly. “Well fuck you too. I’d like to see how a mature, silver spoon bastard like you would deal with–” He growled in frustration as his throat closed on the words. The more stressed he became, the stronger Fabian’s compulsion took hold. It wasn’t only the bastard’s name he couldn’t say now, ‘what happened to me,’ was also beyond his ability to utter.
Everything wa
s spiralling out of control. He needed an exit, needed to see the sky, to be with someone who really understood what they were asking.
Even Silas’s name stuck in his throat. Instead, he pointed at the vampire, his hand shaking. “You. Alone. Outside.”
After a glance at Avery who gave a wary nod, Silas got to his feet and indicated Ezra should precede him out of the room.
Without stopping, Ezra marched out of the office, the imposing front door of the pack house and over to the middle of the lawn. Flopping down on his back, he stared up at the sky, chest heaving to pull as much free air in as possible.
Fluffy white clouds travelled the expanse above, uncaring of what went on below. Apart from Finn and the ocean, it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was so big, so free. He’d often dreamed of being a bird and simply soaring away from everything. After he’s lain there for several minutes, his heart and breathing slowed till black specks no longer danced at the edge of his vision.
Long, grey-clad legs stopped beside him. “I hope you’re not expecting me to get down there. These trousers cost three hundred quid.”
Ezra kept his eyes on the clouds. “I can’t do it, not again. They don’t understand; they can’t. They’ll all see...”
Silas sighed and folded to the grass beside him. “They’ll see what? A young incubus in an untenable situation, doing his best to survive? You were scared shitless, beaten, abused and you still survived, no thanks to me. You even managed to manipulate us a lot of the time.” Silas let out a wry chuckle. “That really pissed Fabian off. I wouldn’t worry if I were you. You’ll come out of this with a pardon and smelling of roses. I’m not sure about me though; I might end up in my own prison.”
Ezra tore his gaze away from the oblivious clouds. Silas stared at his hands, not the heavens.
“You’re a bloody odd vampire. You always did confuse the hell out of me. Why are you pushing for this if it’ll land you in the shit?”
Silas let out a wry snort of laughter. “Because I should have stopped it sooner; should never have started it. I knew what was in store for you, but picking you up was a major responsibility. My mother even reminded Morvan to follow my orders to the letter as we left. Every child wants to make their mother proud.” He winced and glanced away. “Sorry, every child apart from you.”
