“Harry?”
“It’s nothing.” With a sigh, he leaned against the bar. “I simply needed a short break from domestic bliss. Lucien and I have decided to keep Demi inside for the foreseeable future—no leaving the building until this latest nonsense by Dracul has played out. The boy is not happy.”
“I wouldn’t imagine so, but he should be safe enough during the day, especially if one of you is with him.”
“No.” Harry’s tone brooked no argument. “Lucien would be no match for one of us, and I’m getting too old to go against a young buck like Adrian or any other of Dracul’s traitorous men. Demi is too precious to risk. And, of course, for him this ancient war is just that—old, outdated and stupid. He doesn’t understand the evil Dracul has perpetrated on this planet. It’s all too academic for him, the same way history is for many human teenagers.”
Alex studied the contents of his glass. “I’m sure it must be very hard for him being a hybrid—and a secret one at that.”
Breeding with humans had been something that he’d prohibited for a long time for his men. He’d harbored hope for centuries that they’d be rescued. There was no reason to complicate their lives with human entanglements and offspring. It meant a whole new group that had to be hidden away and vowed to secrets that could get them all killed. The risk that breeding had presented to the humans was enough of a reason to keep his men in check for a long time. No one on his side of the divide had wanted to join their lives with someone only to kill them with childbirth.
Then Dracul, who held no such compunctions, had shown the way forward. The relatively modern practice of cesarean sections coupled with antibiotics made everything safer. He knew that Harry had agonized over the decision to change his adored Lucien into a breeder, but the human had been sure of his desire from the beginning. Demi was the product of a long and loving relationship. And, while his fathers doted on the boy and never spoke of regrets where Alex could hear them, they did face a daunting task raising their son.
The older Demi got, the more rebellious he’d become and he carried all of Harry’s traits compared to Lucien’s—too intelligent, too strong and too much in need of blood to be a human. Soon, they would have to accept that he was becoming a full-fledged member of the cadre, a soldier in this fight against Dracul. Risking the boy would be hard for Harry and Alex, as well, which brought him back to thoughts of Quinn.
Can I form a relationship with this human? Could Quinn ever accept what I truly am? And with all that, would Quinn agree to be changed, to become a breeder for my seed? Do I even want him to?
“I guess this is the place where we’re all going to brood tonight.” With that observation, Val joined them. He already had a glass of clear liquid in his hand. Vodka, no doubt—the man’s drink of choice when he was going for the burn and not the taste.
“What’s eating you?” Harry asked before taking another swallow.
“Other than my inability to find Adrian?” Val jutted his chin toward the stage opposite Quinn’s. “The usual.”
Mackie was practically standing on his head, his half-mop of red hair sweeping the floor of the stage. Next to Quinn, he had the largest group of patrons enraptured by his show. Even a human could see from this distance the bruises marring the boy’s pert ass.
Alex narrowed his gaze. “You’ve been playing hard with him.”
Val shot back half his drink before answering. “Yeah. I’m frustrated, and frankly, scared about this new front opening in the war. I was just getting comfortable with our lives here and was stupidly hoping we’d heard the last of you-know-who.” Grabbing the bottle, Val refilled his glass before it was even empty. “Mackie hasn’t safeworded, but I’m beginning to think he’s trying to be accommodating past his comfort level.”
Alex could well believe that. Mackie worshipped Val, probably because he was the first man to treat the boy with respect and kindness. It would be easy to exploit that devotion. The human had taken to Val’s predilection for bondage and discipline as if born to it. He’d readily accepted blood play, as well. Alex suspected that the truth about Val’s nature wouldn’t faze the boy in the least, if Val ever decided to reveal it.
He hadn’t, not yet—perhaps not ever. Val had a strong moral compass. He’d never wavered from his duty to follow Alex’s orders, either. Nevertheless, he’d strung this boy along for too much time. Even Alex could tell that Mackie saw ‘forever’ in his relationship with Val, and yet Alex also understood why Val hesitated to make that life-long commitment. The loyal man had taken a chance once already and the loss had brought him to his knees in a way no physical injury ever would.
Val drained his glass a second time in one long gulp. “I’m thinking now’s a good time to cut ties with the boy.”
Harry grunted in surprise. “Why? He’s perfect for you.”
Val grimaced. “Maybe, but I’m not perfect for him. All I can offer him is pain—and not the kind I deliver in the playroom.” His grip tightened enough to make Alex worry he’d break the glass.
Wrestling it from Val’s fingers, he put it on the bar along with his own. “Now is not the best time to make any major decisions. Our emotions are too heightened.”
“Is that why you got involved with that one?” Val asked with a toss of his head in Quinn’s direction. “You don’t think taking a human to your private bed constitutes a major life decision?” There was more insubordination lacing his words than Alex had heard in over a thousand years.
“Point taken,” he replied with more testiness than he’d intended. “I’m obviously not the one to give advice in this arena.”
“Sorry, boss.” Val was instantly contrite. “I’m just not good with this stuff. I’m better at pounding guys into the ground. I guess I’m looking for reassurance that you’ll have my back on what I decide.”
Alex also regretted his response. “Of course.”
“I want to make sure he’s taken care of. You know, money-wise.”
“Whatever you want,” Alex was quick to reassure him.
Val nodded. “Yeah, well, I haven’t quite decided.”
Harry sighed and added his glass to the others. “On that note, I suppose I should return to my quarters and the bliss that is my family life. Good night, gentlemen.”
They murmured in return, then Val left a second later. He’d schooled his expression back to no-nonsense bouncer. Alone again, Alex leaned against the bar and returned his gaze to Quinn. The large clock hanging on the wall told him that the boy was due for a break in less than fifteen minutes. Given that he’d refused lap dance requests, he’d be available for a little quality time with Alex. Val wasn’t the only one who needed to de-stress. As he waited for the minutes to tick by, Alex worked out a nice fantasy that he hoped Quinn would be interested in.
He didn’t have to elbow his way through the crowd still lingering around Quinn’s stage at the appointed hour. Humans tended to give him a wide berth and the club members were no different. It was moments like this that gave him a glimpse into what drove Dracul in his quest for dominion. Being superior to humans was seductive. It took effort to not feed that beast lurking within him.
Except in a case like this where he was going to claim what he considered his, he didn’t even try to bank the power humans instinctively felt and feared. Quinn was in the process of accepting last minute tips and declining last-minute invitations when Alex arrived at the stage. The boy smiled brightly then squeaked in alarm as Alex grabbed him by the waist and carried him away.
“Alex! What are you doing?” Quinn tried to pull away from his embrace. “I’m covered in sweat.”
“Yes, I know.” He inhaled deeply, savoring the boy’s scent—a combination of some kind of body spray and the natural tang humans exuded.
Quinn chuckled. “I’m going to ruin your million-dollar Gucci shirt.”
“It’s Armani, and I didn’t spend nearly that much on it.” He took the stairs two at a time, not really caring how much attention he was drawing.
“Oh, I stand corrected, but my point remains.” Even as he said it, though, Quinn ceased his squirming and wrapped his arms around Alex’s neck. “Where are we headed?”
“You’ll see. I know you have time because you seemed to turn away all requests for lap dances.”
Quinn snuggled in closer. “How did you know that? Were you watching me?” The tickling of his warm breath against Alex’s neck hardened his cock.
He flicked his gaze into those bright blue eyes. “Always.”
Quinn’s pupils blew open in seconds and his lips parted on quickening breath. A peek at the boy’s crotch confirmed that he, too, was aroused. Alex quickened his pace, entered the room he’d reserved and kicked the door shut.
Quinn glanced around. “One of the playrooms?”
“Mmm.” Having waited for hours to give in to his urge, he leaned down to kiss the boy. Quinn met his mouth with. By the time they broke for air, Alex had turned the boy vertical. He cupped the naked, sweaty ass and mashed their pelvises together.
Quinn clutched at Alex’s biceps. “Do you want to, um, play?”
He showered the human’s swollen lips with a few light kisses. “Only a little and only if you want. I mostly want to fuck you, and I’m afraid if I take you upstairs, we’ll never leave.”
Quinn’s grip tightened and he chuckled. “Oh, well…” He swallowed hard and his pulse rate sped up. “Fucking sounds awesome—and maybe a little bondage?”
Alex smiled at him. “My very thought, dearest boy.”
He set him on his feet, and hooking his thumbs in the thong, shoved it off. Money went flying all over, but neither of them paid much attention to it. The sight of Quinn’s erect dick, so hard and weeping already for him, derailed Alex’s plans for a moment. He grabbed the hot shaft, eliciting a satisfying gasp, while he kissed Quinn senseless again. When, once more, they stood gasping for breath, he herded the boy over to the spanking bench dominating the room. It was set particularly high, intended to make it easier for Val to play without having to bend over or squat. It stood at the perfect height for impaling an upturned human ass.
He twirled Quinn around to face it. “I want you to kneel on the lower riser with your legs spread, bend over the top one, and put your hands by your head so that I can cuff them. Do you think you can do that for me?”
The pulse at the base of Quinn’s neck beat a rapid tattoo. Excitement or fear? Such a fine line, but the boy’s response to his request would tell the tale.
Quinn nodded once and pulled away. After only a brief hesitation, he climbed onto the bench, putting himself into position without any noticeable hesitation. He laid his cheek on the padded bench and stared across the room. He looked like the quintessential sacrificial virgin, offering his ass to Alex’s gaze and his cock. It was breathtaking in its simple show of trust.
“Good boy,” he murmured before tearing off his clothes.
Quinn’s gaze shifted to watch him and the boy rolled his hips in a telling way. Alex sauntered to his side and ran a soothing palm down the taut globes of Quinn’s ass. He patted it gently in reassurance before grabbing the nearest padded cuff, then he wrapped it around Quinn’s wrist.
“I’m going to make this loose enough that you can slip free if you need to, all right?” When Quinn just nodded, Alex walked over to the other side, careful to keep touching the human in a constant show of care. “If I do anything you don’t like, you say ‘red’. I’ll stop immediately, understand?”
Another nod and a sigh. “I trust you, Alex.”
You shouldn’t.
The stray thought caught him by surprise. He was worried that this boy was too ready to believe the best in him—in anyone, perhaps—even after the betrayal he’d weathered. It scared the shit out of Alex, so much so that his dick started to flag. He stroked it after securing the second cuff and mentally chastised himself for being so easily spooked. He’d promised Quinn a good time and he wasn’t going to let worry about Dracul or anything else stop him.
His dick didn’t need a lot of coaxing to stiffen. As he went to grab some lube and a condom, he continued with languid strokes until he needed to stop or risk blowing before he got inside Quinn. This was not going to be any kind of slow lovemaking. He’d watched the boy for far too long to do anything other than basic prep followed by a hard fuck.
He rolled the condom onto his cock and slicked it before squirting a healthy dollop on two fingers. Quinn waited patiently for him, his labored breathing assuring Alex that the boy was as eager as he was. He placed the lube on the top bench where Quinn could see it, a reassurance and a clue that things were going to get intense very fast.
With his clean hand, he patted that delightful rump while he pressed his slick fingers against the puckered ring. It opened for him with little effort, additional testament to how aroused the boy already was. Alex easily slid the fingers in and as deep as he could send them. He thrust a few times while scissoring them to loosen the hole. It took very few passes before the channel relaxed. Then he crooked his fingers to stroke Quinn’s prostate, and the way the boy jerked and gasped was tremendously satisfying.
So was the whimper that came on the heels of Alex pulling out. He smiled then grabbed the lube to squirt more onto three fingers before sliding those in. Quinn groaned and thrust back to meet the invasion. His hole clenched in silent invitation for Alex to…what? Go faster and deeper or replace them with his cock?
He decided it was the latter—or maybe that was his dick calling the shots. Whatever. With the speed of his species, he replaced his fingers with his rod. He was buried to the hilt before Quinn drew his next breath. They both groaned and trembled. Alex’s own lack of restraint was both surprising and disturbing. He stood for a few seconds with his fingers grasping Quinn’s hips to steady his stance and regain control. If he let go, he could hurt his boy, and that would never do. He was better than that—or at least he’d used to be. Quinn was throwing him off-balance in more ways than one.
Once he felt he could continue safely, he started thrusting, slow and shallow at first with a nice long drag out until all but the head of his cock remained buried inside Quinn’s grasping channel. That was followed by a steady balls-deep impalement. He managed to repeat pulling out and driving back in for a few passes before Quinn’s ever-needier whining and his own impatience forced him to pick up the pace. Soon, he was drilling that tight ass with fast, hard strokes.
Quinn moaned and writhed with increasing fervor. His fingers were clenched as tightly as his hole and he jerked at the cuffs holding his hands in place. But he didn’t safeword, and the way the boy bucked into every thrust confirmed that he was enjoying this little bit of bondage-fucking.
“Please,” the boy begged with a stuttering, gasping voice.
Alex tightened his fingers enough to turn the flesh under his tips red. “Please what, baby?”
“H-help me.” Quinn bucked as much as Alex’s hold would allow. “I need…”
Alex smiled. “Oh, yes, of course. Do forgive me.” Leaning over, he moved one hand to clasp the human’s dick. One pump was all it took to send ropes of cum spurting out.
Quinn howled with his release. His movements became more frantic and his hole clenched around Alex’s rod tight enough to make him grimace. But then it relaxed again, and that was the only opening Alex needed. His climax forced a roar from his lips that blanketed the human’s cries. He slammed his dick in as deep as it could go. His balls brushed against Quinn’s, and that brief, soft touch was electrifying enough to make them both shudder out more cum.
Panting like an overheated dog, Alex closed his eyes and covered his lover’s body with his own. They were both sweaty now, and their skin stuck together, back-to-chest at various points. He came to himself enough to plant appreciative kisses along Quinn’s spine, while roaming his hands up and down the boy’s flanks. Quinn lay unmoving, other than a little flutter of his fingers.
“Are you all right?” Alex finally managed to ask, mindful of ho
w bondage was new to the human.
“Hmm.” That was all Quinn said, and his boneless repose telegraphed how truly relaxed the boy was.
Alex slid his finger to touch Quinn’s femoral artery. The feel of the pulse along with the sound of the boy’s heartbeat drove a new hunger within him. All he had to do was place his mouth on the carotid, let his fangs descend, bite and suck, and all that sweetness flowing through his boy would be his. He could taste it already, based on Quinn’s generous offerings from the night before. But that had been given, not taken, and there was a big difference between pricks on a finger and bites into a spot that could leave one drained dry.
He pulled away, straightening so that he wasn’t so close, so tempted. If and when Quinn ever learned of Alex’s true nature and offered that gift of pain and blood, Alex would take it and never drink from another. Now was not that time. It was too soon, and Dracul’s antics required more focus than he would be able to give if he became even more entangled with this human than he already was.
He ran his hand slowly down Quinn’s spine, counting the vertebrae, enjoying the way Quinn’s back rippled with the attention. Even now, he was far too distracted. Adrian had likely already selected his next victim, was probably draining some poor soul’s life blood to leave hanging somewhere else in the morning. There was nothing he could do to stop it, but he needed to remember that he had a job to do.
And fucking Quinn was not it.
With a sigh, he pulled his still-hard dick carefully out of Quinn’s ass. Then he unbuckled the cuffs, massaging each wrist to make sure they were okay. Quinn watched him with sleepy eyes.
Alex brushed some strands of hair that had fallen across the boy’s face. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned and back to work. Break time is over for the both of us, I’m afraid.”
“Okay,” Quinn replied in soft voice that was laced with satisfaction. He let Alex help him back to his feet and swayed into him briefly. “Can we do this again? The fucking, I mean, after my shift ends?”
Blood Dance Page 19
