Val slammed the door shut. “In position on the bed. Now!”
Mackie scrambled to obey. Perfect form happened in seconds with his hands behind his back, knees spread and gaze downward. Val wanted to find fault with it but couldn’t. So instead, he grabbed a hank of hair and pulled the boy’s head back.
“Did you cleanse?”
“Yes, sir.”
Because he heard a thread of fear in the boy’s tone, Val eased back. He knew better. A good Dom stayed in control at all times. He let go and petted the boy’s head. Then he placed the bag on the bed within Mackie’s sight so that he could see what Val had brought.
First came the cuffs. He held them up. “This is a gift, a reward for doing what I ordered tonight. You won’t have to worry about keeping your hands clasped together.”
He slipped them onto Mackie’s slender wrists, buckled them and attached them to each other. He tested the link to make sure it was secure. Next came a slender butt plug. It was there to tease, nothing more.
“Suck it,” he ordered, holding it up to Mackie’s face. The boy opened and wrapped his lips around the stiff plastic. Val fucked his mouth with it. “Make it good and wet because it’s the only lube you’re getting.”
Mackie’s eyes widened and he sucked and slurped it vigorously until Val pulled it out. “Bend over.” When the boy complied, Val placed a hand on his back and slid the plug up his hole. “Tighten up. If you let it out, there will be hell to pay.”
He watched Mackie clench his hole around the base of the plug. The sight of the winking flesh sent a shudder through him. His jeans got tighter as his cock responded to the stimulation. Ignoring his own need, he went back to the bag and pulled out a penis gag.
Val waggled it in front of Mackie’s once-again-wide eyes. “Because you have such trouble keeping quiet. Open.”
He shoved the gag into the boy’s mouth, admiring how it made his cheeks bulge before he strapped it in place behind his head. “There. Now I don’t have to listen to your bratty demands and complaints. However”—Val pulled out a red cloth—“you understand that in lieu of safewording, you’re going to have to release this?”
Mackie rolled his eyes before nodding. That bit of silent disrespect earned him a nipple twist that caused the boy to bend over and grunt around the gag.
“You really try my patience, boy.”
Val pressed the cloth into one of Mackie’s hands, gratified when the boy clasped it. Not that Val expected him to use the signal. In all their play time together, the brat had never safeworded. Val feared that Mackie’s childhood might have left him with a warped sense of pride. Val needed to keep a sharp lookout or risk hurting the sub.
“One last thing.” He retrieved a black satin blindfold and positioned it over Mackie’s eyes without further comment.
Stepping back, he regarded his handiwork. Yes, this is what he needed, Mackie entirely at his mercy. He could play with him any way he liked now. The boy wanted it, as well. His poor cock was mashed against the cage in an obvious effort of getting erect. The bondage and sensory deprivation aroused Mackie, and that’s what counted. He did this for the boy, just as he’d insisted with Emil. Any enjoyment Val got out of it was secondary and of no consequence. He wouldn’t lapse as he’d done the previous day. He’d been weak and had allowed Mackie to have his way. Val would not make that mistake again.
He would, however, make himself comfortable. He stripped off his jacket, shirt, boots and socks. His jeans stayed on, a reminder to his dick that it wasn’t invited to the party. The bag contained an array of items. So many choices… Too many, really. Testament to how long it had been since he’d amused himself. He chose the Whartenburg wheel first. Val had been on the planet long enough to know this device had once been for legitimate, albeit ineffective, medical use. Now, it was a fun toy to tease a blindfolded play-partner with.
Val began his journey with the device in innocent places such as the front of Mackie’s thigh. The wheel danced along the boy’s skin, eliciting a quick jerk followed by a breathy sigh. The sensitive spots close to his groin made a bigger impression. Mackie bucked his hips forward. Val issued one stinging slap to his ass in admonishment. That kept the boy in place, for a while at least.
When Val ran the wheel across Mackie’s abdomen, the almost concave surface undulated with delightful ripples. The boy was enjoying this far too much, so Val ran the sharp pins over a nipple. Mackie yelped around the gag and shied away. Another slap to his rump had him coming back into position.
“Stay still.” Val issued the terse order in a thick voice. He was more affected by what he was doing than he’d intended or wanted. To punish them both, he ran the wheel over and over the same nipple.
Mackie whimpered and quivered yet didn’t break his pose. A quick glance confirmed that he still clenched the red cloth. Val moved to the other nipple, his gaze feasting on the way the device caused the nubs to swell and redden. He opened his hearing to the rapid tattoo of Mackie’s heartbeat. It pumped the boy’s blood at racing speed through his veins. Val’s memory of how delicious it tasted was a palpable thing. His fangs descended and his lips split wide with his laboring breath. His gaze fixed on the pulsing at the base of the boy’s throat.
Mackie uttered a muffled shriek and jerked back once more. It shocked Val out of his reverie enough for him to see that he’d pressed the wheel too hard into the boy’s skin. A few beads of blood welled up. Val dropped the instrument as his fingers became nerveless. His nostrils flared at the scent of fresh blood. Memories be damned. Here was what he craved, ripe for the taking.
He lunged forward and grabbing Mackie by the arms, pressed his lips to the boy’s chest. Val lapped up the drops of blood, that salty treat coating his tongue. He closed his eyes in a moment of bliss and tried to regain control. He might have succeeded if Mackie hadn’t moaned and rubbed his nipple against Val’s lips in silent invitation. Val couldn’t resist. He scored more flesh with one fang and feasted on the well of blood. Each time, though, his saliva closed up the scrape as he licked, so he had to open newer lines.
It wasn’t enough. Like giving a man dying of thirst a dribble of water, this small taste of blood only served to incite his need. His control snapped. With a roar, he shoved Mackie onto his back. The boy’s legs flew up, giving Val a chance to yank the plug out of the boy’s ass. Tossing it aside, Val ripped his jeans open, freeing his cock. He splayed Mackie’s legs apart wider, using his body, as he positioned himself between them. He shoved his dick balls-deep with one satisfyingly brutal thrust.
Mackie shrieked again, his head thrown back and his body arching against the assault. All that did to Val’s fervor was expose that beautiful neck to his gaze and his fangs. He sank them into the jugular. The new source of pain had Mackie writhing. His hole clenched around Val’s shaft.
Heedless and mindless, Val tugged at the vein. At the same time, he fucked Mackie’s tight channel. He went slowly at first, taking the succulent blood down his parched throat and reveling at the way Mackie’s swollen tissues caressed his cock. It had been so long since he’d done this, sucking and fucking at the same time. It was glorious, but he couldn’t savor it.
Soon he picked up speed, drilling Mackie’s ass with fast, deep strokes. He bottomed out every time and pulled back far enough so that only his cockhead remained before slamming it back in. He drew such large mouthfuls of blood that they had him choking in his effort to swallow.
Then he came, his orgasm erupting suddenly and painfully hard. His body reared up, bending Mackie almost in half. The boy’s hole closed like a vise and a muffled scream met his ears. On the wane of his climax, he found the presence of mind to lap the puncture wounds closed. He gasped for breath and blinked to clear the fog from his mind.
With clarity came the sudden realization of what he’d done. He scanned Mackie’s front to make sure he wasn’t bleeding out. There wasn’t a spot of blood marring his skin, Val having greedily drunk it all. Fuck, I could have drained him dry. He eas
ed his dick out of the boy’s ass and peered down. Relief at finding no obvious signs of damage made him dizzy.
But, that wasn’t the whole of it. He was almost afraid to turn Mackie on his side and look at his hand. Once more, Val’s head spun. The red cloth was still clenched inside the boy’s fist. Whatever else Mackie might have felt about Val’s loss of control, he hadn’t safeworded without Val realizing it.
Small comfort. He didn’t trust Mackie to know his own limits.
Val tugged the cloth free and released the cuffs. Having both their weights pressing on Mackie’s arms must have been painful. He rubbed circulation in them briefly before removing the gag. Mackie sputtered and spit and licked his lips. Then he grinned.
“Are you all right?” Val demanded.
“Yes,” came the breathless, sleepy reply.
“Did I hurt you?” Val slipped the blindfold off Mackie’s head as he asked.
The boy smiled up at him with a dazed expression. “No. It was amazing.” Emotion showed through the boy’s lovely green eyes.
Val jerked back. He’d seen that look before—adoration to the point of worship. He’d been in this place where a human boy put his love and trust in him. The memory of it hurt so much that he rubbed his fist over his heart. No, he couldn’t take it. Mackie didn’t understand. That way led to death.
He stumbled off the bed. A scent caught his nostrils and made them flare. Mackie had climaxed. His dick had overcome its confinement and now Mackie’s semen coated the inside of the plastic.
Mackie struggled to prop himself up. “Val?”
“Stay.” He held his hand out.
He headed for the bathroom, his mind running through the things he needed—wet cloth, dry one, water—the things Mackie required after Val’s hard use of him.
“You’re staying, right?” The plaintive tone tugged at Val’s guilt.
“Of course.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to take care of you, Mackie. I promise.”
Only that meant going back to keeping his distance. He couldn’t be trusted with the boy. He should have known that about himself. That he didn’t… That he’d had the hubris to think he could play the Dom and not get involved was unbearable. He hadn’t felt such self-loathing since… No, that wasn’t going to help. He would drive himself mad if he couldn’t find a way to lock his emotions and needs down tight.
Worst of all, he would hurt Mackie. Again. It was already too late. The boy wouldn’t understand, not now. Eventually, though, Mackie would come to realize that Val was poison to his happiness and his very life. The boy would accept that the best path forward for the both of them was to take divergent ones.
Chapter Nine
“Val’s been avoiding me.” Mackie made the complaint to Quinn as they leaned against the dance-floor railing, watching the boys on stage. Wednesday night was the beginning of the weekend for lots of people. The club was filled up with guys trying to get their freaks on.
“Really? He seems so attentive.”
“Huh! Yeah, if you mean he makes sure I’m fed and watered, like I’m a horse or something. That’s the extent of it, though. Oh, and, he took me out shopping yesterday and to my hair appointment. My own personal chauffeur, bodyguard and bag carrier. That service ends at my bedroom door, however.”
It had been only a couple of nights since the jaw-dropping fuck and feed that Val had delivered. What had started out as an arousing, yet sedate, play session had ended in the ride of Mackie’s life. The way Val had claimed his ass had left a deep ache that Mackie could still feel if he tightened his sphincter. The residual reminder of the night was helping him stay strong under the pressure of the battle, but its effects were waning.
He was still processing how he felt about being a feeding source for a real vampire, instead of the pretend one he’d always thought Val to be. He ran his fingertips along the jugular. There was barely any evidence of how the man had sunk his teeth in. “Does it make you come extra hard when Alex drinks your blood?”
Quinn’s eyelids drooped. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I don’t have anything to compare it to other than jerking off, but wow.” He peered at Mackie. “Wait a minute. Are you saying Val drank from your vein?”
On a sigh, Mackie dished what had happened. He’d intended to keep the event private under the assumption Val wasn’t ready to be open about their renewed relationship. Now that it seemed like Mackie had misinterpreted Val’s intent, there was no reason to keep everything on the down-low.
“I didn’t know if Val wanted that to be common knowledge,” he finished. “And I was trying to be a good boy.” He grimaced. “All bets are off now. He’s retreated from any kind of play. Damn, I pushed him too fast.”
Except he hadn’t really been responsible for Val’s epic meltdown that night. Mackie had been as surprised as he had been delighted with how the night had turned out. That was until he slowly realized that he was back to square one—or worse.
“What a jerk.” Quinn scanned the room. “Why can’t he accept how fabulous you two are together?”
“Beats me. Or, doesn’t beat me. As in, I could really use a good spanking right now.” Across the room, Warren smiled and raised his glass to Mackie.
“You’ve got at least one fan,” Quinn observed. “I hear he is like a gazillionaire, never married. If you play your cards right, you could become Mr. and Mr. Frederick Warren.” Quinn straightened. “Hey, you know what? You’re like my best friend and I don’t even know your full name.”
“Mackenzie Fraser.” Mackie made a face. “Not that I like using it. It reminds me of my family, and I’d just as soon forget them.”
“Okay, so you marry the guy and become Mackenzie Warren. It has a nice ring to it.”
Whirling around, Mackie leaned his back against the railing and pouted. “I’m not going to marry that man. I don’t want to give him a lap dance, either. I want Val. Just Val. I love the stupid idiot, which makes me a complete fucking moron.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry.” Quinn wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rested his head against Mackie’s.
But Mackie’s attention was already taken by the sight of Val. He was walking briskly through the club in the tight-assed manner Mackie now knew meant the guy was trying not to bullet his way alien-style.
“Something’s up.” Straightening, he gently dislodged Quinn and headed after Val.
Quinn was right on his heels as they went to Alex’s office. Kitty had beaten them there, as had Emil and Harry. And of course, Val stood to one side. Once again, everyone had their eyes peeled on the flat screen on the wall.
“Oh, no, not again,” Quinn murmured.
Alex’s head whipped around to face them. He gestured with his hand and Quinn fled to his side. The man embraced his lover tightly as they watched the drama unfold.
Mackie caught Val staring at him without expression. There was no invitation to join him. Hardly a surprise there. Although Mackie would have liked to have the comfort, he had his pride. He wouldn’t ask when no offer had been made. Instead, he braced his legs and folded his arms to watch the misery playing out on the screen.
This time, there was no on-camera death, thank God. A naked African-American woman was screaming as four cops brought her down. She’d run riot through the Harvard Bookstore. It looked like a tornado had hit it. And while the station blurred out her private parts, it didn’t keep one from seeing that blood was splattered over a fair amount of her. It was the glass, he realized. She’d broken windows and countertops. Whoever had filmed the scene must have been holding their phone right through the broken frame of the storefront.
As the woman was carried away, still screaming, the reporter came on with a split screen. He talked about how this was the fourth case of what police believed was the poisonous effects of a dangerous new drug. He reminded the viewers that both the governor and the police had only yesterday issued a joint statement warning against its use.
Kitty shook her head. “That poor, poor woman.
What a horrible thing to do to anyone. Excuse me, boss. I’m going to go polish my bar.” She strode out of the room, stone-faced.
Alex turned off the television. He’d seen enough. They all had. No one said anything for a few seconds until Alex turned to Harry. “Give me some good news.”
“As it happens, I can. I’ve been experimenting with my own blood, Lucien’s and Demi’s. I think the key to neutralizing the effects of this drug is in the hybrid cells. So, I’m concentrating now on the boy. He doesn’t mind, makes him feel useful and it lets me keep an eye on him. He has an interest in chemistry. That surprised me, actually.” The man smiled with obvious pride.
“Great,” Val chimed in. “So you think you can fix this problem and help that woman we just saw?”
Harry’s face fell. “I’m not sure of that. I think I can neutralize it, not cure it.”
Val shook his head slowly. “Meaning?”
“I can stop it from progressing, but I don’t think I can repair the damage already done.”
“It’s something,” Alex interjected. “We can perhaps find a way to get it to the humans. Duncan mentioned a doctor who seemed brighter than average. Maybe we can funnel it through him.”
“Without his learning the source?” Val scoffed. “I don’t see that happening, boss.”
“It’s a tangle, to be sure, and we’ll figure it out once we get to that point. It might be enough to throw Dracul off this scheme once he learns we have something to counter it. There’s no value in it for him unless it escalates. Please carry on, Harry. Let me know if you need anything.”
The man left with a wave. He gave Mackie a sympathetic smile, as well, as he passed. That act of kindness irritated Mackie. This was all Val’s fault. Now everyone pitied him because he loved someone too idiotic to acknowledge loving him back.
Mackie stepped forward. “Alex, is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yeah,” Val replied. “Go back to work.”
Dangerous Dance Page 15