by Emma Jaye
Sighing, he leaned his cheek on the fragrant skin. Vampiric body temperature was a degree lower than that of humans, sex demons ran a few degrees hotter than mortals. Ezra felt like a ready heated blanket. Silas imagined having the incubus wrapped around him as he slept.
In less than twenty-four hours, this sweet, perfect body would have been ravaged by multiple hard, vicious vampires. He’d need comfort, someone to hold onto while he cried in despair. Silas’s dick throbbed.
This would never do, he needed to get on with this. Straightening up, his eyes were captured by the erect, weeping dick pressing against the boy’s belly.
Without thought, he closed his lips around the hot, hard flesh. The sweetest moan he’d ever heard left the boy’s mouth as his hips pushed up. Silas reached a hand between the boy’s legs; his finger found the soaking pucker and pressed against it. Ezra’s body yielded to him as if craving his touch. Another moan left the incubus as his hips pumped, wanting Silas’s finger and mouth simultaneously.
A bang on the door caused a spike of adrenaline and he pulled away.
“Sorry, fun time’s over, Silas, time to get moving.”
Cursing under his breath, Silas finishing dressing the disorientated barely conscious youngster before applying a larger dose of chloroform and stepping out of the carriage.
At least he’d had two of Ezra’s firsts.
CHAPTER 6
Shivering, Ezra wrapped his arms around himself a little tighter. He didn’t have a thermometer, but it couldn’t have been much above freezing in the box carriage. The four vampires were ignoring him again, talking, laughing amongst themselves. His thoughts returned to his betrayer.
How could she do this to me? She knew this was coming; we could have moved, fled the country.
The conclusion that his mother had planned for this, had wanted the vampires to take him, was inescapable. Had she known they’d hurt him? Drug him?
Every time he so much as murmured, the nearest vampire glared at him, snarled and showed his teeth. If he carried on, or god forbid, moved, they either asked if he wanted to go ‘night night’ or Silas came over with that stinking cloth. No matter how much he fought or apologised, the sharp-featured vampire stuck it over his nose and mouth, making the world spin and fade again.
He’d made the mistake of shouting for help the first time the train stopped. Now, every time the engine tooted to indicate they were approaching a station, Silas got out that damn little bottle again.
When he’d properly come around, they’d taken his belt, his shoes, even his socks. Even if he got out of the carriage, running would be difficult. It wouldn’t stop him.
His feet were cold and getting colder with every passing minute. He clutched his knees, mind whirling. How the fuck am I going to get out of this? I can’t be like her; I can’t. She’s just a thing to all those men; I’m better than that.
The engine tooting made his heart race. As he feared, Silas stood up from the crate where he’d been perching, and reached for the pocket of his long, charcoal grey jacket.
“No, no, it’s alright, you don’t have to do that. I won’t shout, promise.” Staying conscious was the only possible way he’d escape. Lulling them into a false sense of security, then making a break for it was his only strategy.
The bastard’s mocking smile made Ezra want to hit him so badly his hands ached as he curled them into fists. But if they thought he was resisting, they’d keep an even closer eye on him. Consciously, he relaxed his body.
“Sorry, my dear, we can’t take the chance of–”
Ezra swallowed hard and lied as if his life depended on it. “Thanks, thanks for getting me out of there. She wouldn’t let me out, wouldn’t let me do anything.”
All four vampires watched him. Silas’s lips twitched before he schooled them into a serious expression.
“You think we are knights in shining armour, come to save the little prince from the wicked queen?”
The brutish one, Morvan, let out a bark of laughter. The other two, he thought their names were Robert and Arturo, joined in.
Ezra’s face burned, and he glanced toward the sliding door of the compartment. Darkness had fallen while he’d been unconscious the last time. He’d never been out of his home at night before, but now was not the time to show fear.
“I’m not a child or a prince. I want to work for a living.”
“Oh, you’ll be working for your keep, don’t worry about that,” Arturo said, making the other two laugh.
Ezra plunged on, even though they were making fun of him. “Yes, I can. I can read and write, do mathematics, bookkeeping, all the stuff to run a business.”
Silas squatted down in front of him, smelling of sandalwood and chloroform. The others continued to laugh in the gloom from the single lantern hanging in the centre of the carriage. It made them appear even bigger from where Ezra crouched on the creaking floor.
“You don’t like the thought of using your natural talents to make a living?”
Ezra snorted, his lip curling. “Are you kidding? I’d rather die than be like my mother. All those stinking old men pawing at her night and day?” He shuddered. “No, thank you. I’m going to run a global import-export business.”
Silas’s lips twitched as the other three men howled with laughter.
“And how are you going to combine that with your... feeding requirements?” Silas asked.
“Talking of feeding, anyone mind if I get a snack?” The red-haired Robert said.
Without taking his eyes off Ezra, Silas replied. “Don’t draw attention to us.”
“I never do; discretion is my middle name,” the vampire replied. “I’ll see if I can rustle up someone to check him out too; he’s holding his belly.”
Ezra’s stomach growled at the thought of a meal. It was dark now, and he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since seven this morning; if it had been this morning. With the drug, he didn’t know how much time had passed.
“I’ll go with you,” Morvan said.
“Better not. I can slip in and out of places without drawing attention, you look like a mass murderer,” Robert replied.
After pulling a face of disgust, Morvan shrugged. “fair enough.”
“I’ll have the same feeding requirements as I do now,” Ezra stated firmly. “I know I won’t live as long staying a juvenile, but it’s better to live a short, free life than a long one as a slave to your base appetites.”
Morvan slipped off his crate, holding his belly against his laughter.
“That, that is a noble sentiment for one so young,” Silas choked out, his head hanging as his shoulders shook.
His mirth didn’t last long as the ‘sympathy’ face Ezra dreaded reappeared. At least the other three were honest about their contempt, Silas confused him.
“But I’m afraid, like most people in this world, the dreams of the young, are just that, dreams.” He reached into his pocket.
A hard shove on his shoulder put Silas on his backside. Ezra was up and running between one heartbeat and the next. Every nerve and muscle in his body screamed that this was his moment.
Robert, caught him around the waist as he grabbed for the sliding door. A backward headbutt connected with the vampire’s nose, but he didn’t let go.
Ezra’s feet left the floor as he was swung around, and the hated cloth pushed onto his face. He held his breath, kicking and squirming, heart pounding as he tried to free himself.
“Breathe, my dear, don’t make it harder on yourself,” Silas crooned.
Lungs screaming for air, Ezra shook his head, trying to dislodge the cloth. Silas held his jaw and Morvan had a fist in his hair. Male bodies, surrounded him, drowning him under their weight.
I can’t, don’t make me, he pleaded to Silas with his eyes.
“Hush, my little prince, take a breath and it’ll all be better.”
He didn’t want to; he couldn’t, then a fist found his belly. He gasped as pain blossomed.
“That’s i
t, deep breaths, easy now.”
Dots appeared before his eyes as the world spun. As he lost consciousness, he felt himself being gathered up by Silas as the man continued to croon reassurances in his ear.
The last thing he remembered was someone tugging at his trousers and Morvan’s voice. “Hey, get a load of this.”
“SEE, HE’S COMING AROUND, no damage done. He’ll be sore for a while of course, but there’s no internal bleeding. I must say, these are very unusual circumstances, but we all have certain secrets to keep, eh?”
“That we do, Doctor. And we’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this visit to anyone,” Silas’s cultured tone replied.
“Yes, yes, so your man said. A crisp banknote does terrible things to an old man’s memory, don’t you know.”
“Indeed,” Silas replied.
Ezra climbed out of the darkness, and focused with difficulty on the stout, older man standing a few feet away.
The engine tooted. “Well, that’s my signal to go.” The balding man held up a small black bag.
“Would you mind going a stop up the line with us, just to make sure? There’ll be a train back in an hour or so. I’ll up the fee to ten pounds. Is there anyone at home who’ll miss you?”
The man’s eyes lit up at the thought of an extra fee. Ten pounds was a significant amount.
“No, no one. I have a cleaning woman who comes in three days a week, but she’s off visiting her sister in the Cotswolds. Women and their families, eh?” The man chuckled.
“So, you won’t be missed?” Robert’s voice dropped an octave, as he looked the man up and down.
The doctor’s eyes flicked between the three vampires who were closing in on him as the carriage lurched into movement. “Well, yes of course I will. I’m a well-known pillar of the community.”
“You’re a has-been drunk who’s been struck off the medical register,” Robert said.
“How, how do you know that?”
Ezra drew in a sharp breath as the three vampires surrounding the man all revealed sharp canine teeth.
“It’s odd what people tell you when you ask the right questions,” Morvan’s words were muffled by his teeth.
“Do you have to do that right–” As Silas said the last word, Morvan’s hand went over the doctor’s mouth from behind and he sank his teeth into the man’s fat neck. The other two ripped the man’s sleeves and bit into his pudgy wrists as the doctor fought for his life.
Ezra threw himself backward against the wooden side of the freight carriage, his feet peddling in futile effort to escape.
Silas caught him, holding him against his chest as he struggled without a particular goal. He couldn’t get away, but he couldn’t just sit and calmly watch a man be murdered before his eyes.
“It’s alright, don’t distress yourself, my dear. It’s only a human, an old human and sick one at that. He had no more than five years of painful, deterioration left. This is kinder, plus, this way, his death serves a purpose, feeding a higher species. My kind helps keep humanity healthy; we weed out the ones who are a burden on the rest.”
They farm people?
Morvan, lifted his face from the man’s neck, his arms holding the limp body up. “You want some, Silas? He’s a bit sluggish, but not too bad.”
Ezra couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blood dripping down the vampire’s chin.
“I’ll wait till we get home, thanks anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” Morvan rumbled and thrust his fangs back into the fleshy neck.
When they were finished, they dumped the body against the door of the carriage, Ezra sat silent, unable to tear his eyes away from the lump of flesh that had been a person a few minutes ago. The pale face was slack, eyes staring, mouth open. He’d never seen a dead body before, certainly never seen someone die. Murdered, he was murdered.
Silas’s argument was the same one humans made for managing animals. Mother said we were different, better than humans, but that’s what I am, right now anyway. His mind whirled through the arguments, trying anything to mentally distance himself from the body a few feet away; from whatever these demons wanted with him. Will they kill me as easily as they did him? But they came a long way for me; I must be worth more, they wouldn’t just... would they?
“Cover it up will you, Robert? At least turn it over,” Silas said.
“Getting sensitive in your old age, Silas?” Arturo replied. The others chuckled.
“No, I just think my father would prefer his new toy not to be catatonic when he gets him. Sheltered upbringing, remember?”
The three vampires turned to him. Ezra swallowed, his heart rate going up another notch. He was sure the other demons could hear it.
Morvan’s eyes widened. “You mean he’s never seen–”
“I doubt if he’s even seen a cat kill a mouse,” Silas drawled.
“Fine, I’m fine,” Ezra managed to squeak. Appearing any weaker than he did already didn’t seem like a good idea. These vampires preyed on the vulnerable.
Morvan waved a shovel-like hand in his direction. “See? He’s fine. Might want to give him another rest though, he’s going to be very busy when we get home.”
Robert sniggered. Silas reached into his pocket.
Ezra scooted away from him, babbling. “I’m not tired, really, I’m fine, I–” Robert was behind him, holding his arms behind his back before Ezra saw him move.
“This would be so much easier if we could compel him,” Robert grouched. The cloth came down on his face, the sweet smell caused dizziness to curl around him within seconds.
“He wants to be the first to find out how strong he is, you know that, same as he wants–” Silas’s words faded with his awareness.
CHAPTER 7
His stomach heaved, but there was nothing in it to come up. Ezra laid back, feeling like a used dish rag, and forced the image of the dead doctor’s face away. Silas must have put more of the drug on the cloth or held it to his face for longer.
That’s not wood or flesh beneath me. His eyes shot open. He was in a bed, in a small bedroom that looked like one of his mother’s. The chest of drawers had a piece of white lace laying on it, together with a silver mirror and hairbrush set. The washstand next to it held a porcelain bowl and jug with a scarlet Chinese design.
Where the hell am I?
Pushing back the heavy blanket, relief washed over him. His clothes were intact. Then he looked closer; neither the buttons on his shirt or trousers were correctly fastened. His heart missed a beat. What... what if they did it to me while I slept?
Closing his eyes against the surge of fear, he tried to determine if he felt any different. His mother had drummed it into him time and again. Once they were adult, sex demons needed to feed several times a day or they weakened, often losing their minds before dying of starvation. The process could take months in a fully mature demon, but in the newly adult, even a day without sex could cause irreversible physical or psychological harm. The loss of a sex demon’s virginity was a carefully planned event, with the youngster’s parents ensuring the availability of enough safe prey for at least the first couple of years.
Choices about whether the young demon wanted to have, or could provide for, addicted humans needed to be made. Many of his mother’s regulars had been with her for years, they needed her as much as she needed them. She treated them like pets; some even wore collars. And they loved it.
Drawing on the memory of the noises that came from his mother’s rooms, caused the familiar disgust. Thank fuck for that, I’m still me. The conclusion had him wiping a shaking hand down his face. But he wasn’t naive enough to think his virginity would last long around his captors. Even if he stayed human, that condition didn’t bode well for a long life around a bunch of vampires. A shudder wracked his body as he remembered the doctor’s dead, slack face.
Unless I’ve been rescued. He examined the room with new eyes. Is this the bedroom of a vampire? He couldn’t picture Morvan in here. He sniffed, ther
e was a faint scent of perfume. Pushing the speculation aside, he turned to more immediate concerns.
His mouth felt like a bird had nested in it, and his belly rumbled. How long has it been since I ate? Food wasn’t the only bodily function that required attention. He needed to find a chamber pot.
Throwing back the ornate, embroidered bedspread caused a crackle. He flipped the cloth back to reveal a sheet of paper covered with an ornate script.
Welcome to your new home.
This was your mother’s room while she was here and if you behave, it will be yours.
Obedience will be rewarded. Disobedience will be punished. Rest and prepare yourself, using the soap and water provided, for your introduction to our clan. Be ready an hour after sunset.
Serve well, and once you have completed ten years of continuous obedient service, you will be free to leave.
Do not disappoint me.
Fabian.
Ezra snorted. The chances of him slipping into his mother’s role with a ‘yes sir, thank you sir, fuck me sideways sir,’ and a cheerful smile, was nil. She might enjoy doing anything to suck the last bit of desire out of her shuffling, near dead sycophants, but he would never be that desperate, or that pathetic.
He got out of the bed that had seemed so comfortable a moment ago and now disgusted him. That his mother had moaned and groaned on here while multiple vampires spent themselves inside her made him nauseous.
Leaving the letter on the bed, he pulled the hideous, flowery chamber pot out from under the bed. Hopefully, all the vampires would get from him was what he’d left in the pot.
He went to the window, again regretting that the bastards had taken his socks and shoes. The wooden floor was cold.
Pulling back the heavy velvet curtains revealed the view from a second story room of a tall, dark stone building. It wasn’t a castle, more like a tenement block. The lights of a city twinkled in the distance. Similar buildings to this one crowded in on each other and a castle sat on hill at the centre. Edinburgh?
