by Marcy Jacks
Sorin, who was on the ground as if he’d fallen onto his ass, was trying and failing to back away from the people who glared down at Miles.
“Don’t even think about it!” Miles yelled, his face turning red, and it would be only a matter of minutes before more people heard the shouting, before Seth heard it and came up here as well. “You stay away from him! Understand? Don’t go near him!”
Lucian recognized the dragon, a yellow dragon named Van. The three servants behind him, Lucian didn’t know personally, but he recognized them from around the house.
And Sorin looked positively terrified. So much so that it took him another minute before he noticed Lucian standing behind the people that had him so utterly terrified.
The relief on his face was almost enough to make Lucian happy, but he got to work, assessing the situation, and then acting.
“What’s going on here?”
Everyone who hadn’t been looking at him suddenly was looking at him. The servants scattered, as if they didn’t want to be a part of…whatever this was supposed to be.
Van held his ground. “Miles was letting the prisoner walk around.”
Lucian crossed his arms, barely containing the rage that boiled inside him. He felt his eyes changing and some of his golden scales forming across his skin. “The prisoner is allowed to walk around. He doesn’t need permission.”
Van didn’t let it go. It was shocking when the dragon glared at him. “This isn’t his home anymore. The sight of him will terrorize the servants.”
“They can get over it.”
Van’s eyes widened for a split second. “You would seriously put their emotional safety over that thing on the ground?”
Lucian took a step forward, clenching his hands into fists, and then was up into Van’s personal space. Thing? He was going to dare call Sorin a thing? “Yes, absolutely, and you’d better watch your fucking mouth before I smash my fist into it.”
He so wanted to do just that.
“Tsk.” Van briefly turned away. “That’s disgusting. I can’t believe you of all people…you were one of the first dragons here to take over the mansion from the vampires. You saw first-hand what they did to the slaves here.”
“And that’s no excuse to hold Sorin down and pull his fangs out.”
Van’s eyes widened.
Lucian nodded. “Yeah, it was you who did it, wasn’t it? Probably with those other servants who just hightailed it out of here.”
“Lucian,” Sorin said, finally speaking up. “Don’t…it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.” Lucian turned his sole attention back to the dragon in front of him. Van was talented, but not as powerful as Lucian. Lucian could take him.
He wanted to. He wanted to throw this smug bastard’s face down and make him eat the floor for what he’d done.
The only reason why he didn’t was because he didn’t want to traumatize Sorin by making him think he was the violent sort. Sorin had enough of that shit.
Van continued to stare defiantly. “Seth wouldn’t punish the vampire, so we did. It was as good as self-defense.”
That nearly knocked him back a step. “You think attacking a defenseless prisoner is self-defense?” Lucian was so taken aback that he sputtered the words.
“He’s a vampire, hardly defenseless, and the fact that he’s allowed to live, to be in this house where his slaves used to be raped and tortured, is traumatizing them. Keeping him here and making him comfortable is as good as a slap in the face to everyone who suffered under him.”
“They weren’t his slaves, and he didn’t rape or hurt anyone,” Lucian said, his fury rising to the surface again.
He didn’t know if he could hold back. He really didn’t.
“It doesn’t matter. He still let it happen!” Van snapped. “And now he’s being treated like a guest, allowed to fraternize with the alpha’s mate. That is an attack on the servants in this house, and taking his fangs out is defending them. At least then he can’t force a bite onto anyone.”
Lucian glared down at Van. He actually struggled for words. “I like you Van, usually, but your stupidity right now seriously knows no bounds. It’s not defending the servants when he’s not attacking, it’s not remotely close to self-defense, and if anyone in the house has a problem with that, then they can either leave or come through me. If you want a fight over it, I’ll give you one, but he is to be protected so long as he’s here, and you are never going to lay another finger on him ever again.”
Van still didn’t look convinced. “Right, give me shit when I’m actually trying to keep the servants from flying apart over this. Some of them are crying themselves to sleep at night because they can’t stand that he’s in this house.”
“They do?” Sorin asked.
Van sneered at the sound of Sorin’s voice, but he said nothing. He turned his attention back to Lucian. “You can’t keep an eye on him forever. Besides, you’re worse than I am.”
Van’s smile turned to something a little less self-congratulatory and more self-righteous.
“What are you talking about?” Lucian asked. So close. He was so close to punching Van’s nose inside out.
“Word gets around fast with the servants. Enough people overheard it when Miles ran to Seth. You’re fucking rapist scum. Even I wouldn’t have gone that far.”
Lucian lost it. All self-control gone, he acted without thinking. His fist flew.
The crack against his knuckles felt great, amazing. It was the thing he’d thought about doing the second he’d realized he had the man who tortured Sorin right in front of him.
The only reason why he’d held back at all was for Sorin’s sake, but this time he let it fly, and he didn’t stop there. Miles and Sorin both cried out, scrambling to get out of the way as Lucian followed Van to the floor and started to pummel him.
Van fought back, and though Lucian was stronger, was able to get more hits in, Van still gave as good as he got.
He attacked Lucian’s jaw. He got in two good punches, and the pain only fuelled Lucian’s rage all the more. Blood started to fly in tiny little droplets that were going to ruin the carpet, but Lucian didn’t care. He didn’t care when he heard shouts for him to stop or when he felt hands grabbing at his shoulders, trying to pry him off.
He wouldn’t allow himself to be pulled away, not until he beat the living piss out of the man beneath him for daring to call him such a terrible thing.
To prove that other people, even a piece of shit like this, thought he was as despicable as he thought himself to be.
“Lucian! Cut it out! Right now!” Seth’s voice cut through the haze of rage, barely managing to meet him, but even then, Lucian wouldn’t allow himself to be pulled away from the target of his rage until he ran completely out of energy.
And then it wasn’t his decision anymore, as hands beneath his armpits suddenly yanked him off of Van’s body.
Van scrambled back, coughing, wiping away the blood from his face as he glared at Lucian.
Lucian had practically turned Van’s face into raw meat. It was gross to see, but Lucian still breathed heavily, wanting more.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” he roared.
Van flipped up his middle finger. “Get fucked, vampire-loving sack of shit.”
Lucian roared again, fighting against his alpha, and as tired as he was, he still managed to drag Seth forward a few steps, desperate to get at Van, to grab him and kill him.
Until Sorin ran around Miles and Van and flew into Lucian’s arms.
The force of the smaller man’s body weight was enough to knock the wind out of Lucian’s chest. The shock froze him, and because of how Seth tried so hard to yank him backwards, he nearly fell back.
“No more fighting,” Sorin begged, burying his face into Lucian’s chest. “Don’t fight over this, please.”
Lucian’s heart beat so unbelievably hard and fast in his chest it was almost as if there was a drum inside there and a three-year-old banging against it with
all the strength inside him.
Slowly, Lucian lifted his hands, putting them around Sorin’s body, and the warmth of Sorin in his arms was enough to make his knees tremble, and his body became weak.
Lucian held on tighter, tight enough that he knew he must be hurting the smaller man, but he couldn’t bear to let him go.
Sorin looked up at him, desperation in his eyes. “It’s not true what he said. You’re not a rapist. You didn’t take advantage of me. I promise I knew what I was doing and I wanted it. I still want you, and I don’t want Seth to punish you!”
Sorin looked around Lucian’s chest. Lucian had only ever seen Sorin’s beautiful eyes swimming with tears a few times before, and the last time was when he’d discovered that Sorin’s fangs had been yanked out. “Seth! Don’t punish him! Please! I don’t want you to hurt him. I need him. Please don’t hurt him!”
Sorin had more power in his smaller body than Lucian would have given the man credit for, what with the way he held on as if terrified Lucian would vanish if he let go.
Lucian’s heart…it warmed. He’d never felt such a heat spreading through him before in his entire life. It was a wonderful feeling. Better than sex. Better than putting on socks fresh out of the dryer, and he pressed his nose to Sorin’s hair, inhaling the scent of this man, the man he wanted more than anyone and anything else in the world.
And he knew in that moment that he would never let Sorin go.
Seth seemed to be screaming something at Van. Lucian could hardly pay any attention to this. He didn’t care if this was real, if Sorin was making this up because of his guilt over absolutely everything. He didn’t care if this was a dream because perhaps Van actually knocked him out when they’d been fighting.
He would stay in this reality for as long as possible. For the rest of his life, he would stay here, and he would be happy with it.
“Fine! Fuck!” Van eventually yelled. “But you’re not going to make me give you those names! I don’t give a shit what you do to me! Someone has to protect those shifters!”
“That’s not for you to decide,” Seth snapped, his eyes blazing red, and Lucian only knew that because he finally let himself look up and see what was going on.
Miles was in Seth’s arms, not exactly in the same way as Sorin was buried into Lucian’s, but together the fox shifter and dragon stared at Van as the man backed off, holding his cheek.
Miles’ fox tail swished angrily behind him. Lucian had never seen the man glare so hatefully at anyone in the house before.
He supposed there was a first time for everything.
Lucian stared lovingly down at the man in his arms, taking pleasure in this strange connection they shared once more before he knew he was going to have to deal with reality, and Seth’s anger.
And when Seth turned his attention back to Lucian and Sorin, he didn’t look angry, shockingly enough.
He looked…thoughtful.
“What?” Lucian asked.
Sorin’s grip around Lucian’s waist tightened.
That heat in Lucian’s heart strengthened. He wanted so badly to believe that Sorin knew what he was asking for when he came out of the bathroom and hadn’t just been searching for any way possible to keep his protection in place.
Holy Christ, Lucian knew what this feeling meant. He was stupid for not having put it together sooner.
How could he be in love with someone so soon? Someone he barely knew? But that was exactly what this powerful feeling was. He was in love with Sorin. He wanted to protect Sorin with absolutely everything he had.
But first, he had to know exactly where Sorin’s head was. He had to make sure Sorin didn’t carry this guilt around for the rest of his life.
And make sure Sorin was on the same page as Lucian was. Otherwise, Lucian would definitely end up using him if Sorin didn’t love him back.
The thought that Sorin might not love him back made that warmth in his heart chill just a little. A fear crept into his heart that the man clinging to him might not love him.
Lucian looked down at Sorin’s head of hair, hating that it had to be cut short. He wished it were long again because that was how Sorin liked it, and as Lucian threaded his fingers through the strands, he just wanted there to be more length to it.
Why did he have to be so beautiful? Even if Sorin was just desperate to be kept safe and was clinging to Lucian because he was terrified of being attacked again, Lucian would never blame him for that.
“Lucian?”
Lucian looked back up at Seth. He’d honestly forgotten that he’d been talking to the man.
“What?”
Seth lifted a brow. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
Lucian looked down at Sorin. The smaller man timidly glanced back up at him.
Lucian shook his head. “No.”
Kind of embarrassing that he’d zoned out like that, but it was what it was.
Seth sighed. “I’ll deal with Van later. Find out if there were any others involved. Unless Sorin wants to just start giving names.”
Sorin tensed. He shook his head.
Lucian’s heart ached so badly for him.
“All right then,” Seth said, his gaze returning to Lucian. “I think we need to have another talk about your punishment.”
Chapter Six
Sorin heard that word, and he immediately came back to life. “No! You can’t punish him! Stop trying to punish him!”
He left the safety of Lucian’s arms, only to be pulled back by the dragon.
“Sorin, no, no, don’t do that.”
Sorin looked back at Lucian, horrified with himself for the outburst and heartbroken that Lucian would stop him from trying to defend him.
Sorin glared back at Seth with everything he had. “Don’t punish him. I’m not a child. I knew what I wanted. You can’t do this. It’s not right.”
His eyes burned with angry tears he refused to let fall. He was so angry about everything. He just wanted to glare holes into the man.
Seth crossed his arms. Sorin really thought he was going to get shot down right then and there.
“Okay, first of all, I wasn’t going to talk to him about what you thought I was going to talk to him about.”
Sorin blinked. “Wh-what?”
Seth sighed. “Lucian, give him some blood already. He’s looking pale even for a vampire.”
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Lucian said, and he sliced his palm with one of his claws before Sorin could tell him not to. The man raised his hand to Sorin, and as much as Sorin wanted to keep fighting and arguing, there was nothing to be done for it.
He was so damned hungry. The sort of hunger that could not be satisfied by anyone’s blood, and Lucian’s blood always tasted so great.
His skin felt dry and thin.
He put his mouth to the wound like a starved animal, moaning at the flavor, and the pain.
He’d almost forgotten about his missing fangs, but he got over that quickly as he gently sucked the blood, savoring the flavor before swallowing.
Miles smiled softly at him. “Does that feel better?”
Sorin nodded, though he tried to keep his gaze on Seth as he drank.
“We can talk about this right here or go to the library,” Seth said. “Either way, I think there was a misunderstanding here.”
Lucian’s hand touched Sorin’s hair. The shock of that touch was enough to make him stop drinking blood for a split second, but then he was able to let himself enjoy it. He closed his eyes, drinking as the man he loved petted his hair.
Felt so good. Tasted good. He loved Lucian. He really did.
It was kind of sick when he considered the circumstances, but he didn’t care.
“I don’t think I’m going to be moving him right now,” Lucian said. His tone of voice sounded affectionate, and Sorin’s insides warmed as a result. “He might not have his fangs, but he has a strong grip on my hand.”
Was Lucian saying anything about Sorin’s suction capabilities?
He would have laughed if he could because now Sorin wanted to put those supposed skills to the test on Lucian in another way.
The escort Sorin had lost his virginity to had said it was a great way to please loved ones. Sorin wanted to try it.
Seth chuckled. “All right, well, I’m thinking that Miles might have misunderstood when heard what happened in your bedroom, and I think you’re beating yourself up too much.”
Sorin moaned. He could get behind those words.
Lucian shook his head. “No, Seth, I shouldn’t have touched him. It was wrong of me. Ow!”
Lucian stared down at Sorin, and Sorin glared up at him.
Just because he didn’t have his fangs didn’t mean he couldn’t bite down on the man’s flesh and make him regret those words.
“I think you need a mirror so you can see how you’re looking at him and how he’s looking at you,” Seth said. “I know that when I wanted our men to take mates in the house I meant the omegas, but if there’s something between you two, then you shouldn’t hide from it.”
Lucian’s attention snapped to Seth. Even Sorin pulled his mouth away from the sweet taste of Lucian’s blood to look at the man.
“What do you mean?” Sorin asked, looking up at Lucian then away, a sadness sweeping over him. “Vampires and dragons don’t mate.”
He felt the silence all around him after that statement. He didn’t know what to think of it. Not really. Not when he was so sure about this.
“Are you sure about that?” Miles asked.
“It’s never happened before.” The idea of being Lucian’s mate, the one fated to be with him for the rest of their lives…it was too good to hope for. He would rather live in reality.
“Okay, well, who told you that?” Seth asked.
Sorin blinked at the alpha. At first he wasn’t sure he should give that information away, considering he knew what Seth felt for the man. He decided to answer anyway. “M-my father.”
Seth nodded, showing no signs of anger at the mention of the person he hated most in the entire world.
“Right, well, are you sure he didn’t just make that shit up to hold on to his bullshit conspiracy theories?”