Jamie ignored the stirring in his borrowed pants. “Fuck you. What you do is not love. It’s torture, pure and simple. What do you want from me, Piter? I don’t want you. I’ll never send for you. Just tell me where Nico is.”
Piter threw back his head and his laughter echoed like tiny silver bells in the churchyard. Contempt was clear in his face when he looked back at Jamie. “If you recall, Nico chose me, baby. And do you blame him? Who are you, anyway? Some boy he spent a few days with one winter. A sweet fuck. But Nico has had dozens upon dozens of lovers, gorgeous men, hard bodies and thick, long cocks with appetites to rival my own.” Piter’s mocking gaze traveled over him. “What could you possibly offer him?”
Jamie flushed, the hot blood stinging his cheeks. Piter’s cruel laugh brought to mind the boys’ locker room at school, pinned in the shower, tears in his eyes while his nipples were pinched and twisted, his dick pulled and squeezed by hard hands while others shouted with glee.
His face was slapped, hard, by one of the boys, his teeth cutting his lips. “I catch you staring again, faggot, I’ll fucking smash your face in.”
Jamie hadn’t been staring. He’d kept his eyes on the white tiled floor, rushing through his shower. But the boys had finished practice early and caught him. He’d stifled a cry when his sac was gripped.
“Scream, you little pussy. Bet you squeal like a girl too.”
Jamie clamped his teeth together as his balls were crushed. The tardy bell saved him that time, but the locker room became a place of torture for him, while the staff turned a blind eye.
Tears clung to Jamie’s lashes at the memory. Piter was right. How could Nico ever want him, effeminate and soft? Hardly the companion for such a virile, beautiful man. Better if he….
Jamie sat up. Wait. What was he thinking? He wasn’t that frightened boy any longer. He knew who he was. Those boys hadn’t known him. Piter didn’t know him.
He drew a shuddering breath and looked Piter in the eye, raising his chin, defiant. “You know nothing about me. You have no idea what I can offer Nico. Now, get away from me.”
To his surprise, Piter stood up and gave him a slight bow. “As you wish, baby,” he murmured and strolled away, disappearing behind the church. Jamie didn’t know whether to be relieved or frightened as hell. Why had the creature left when he sent him away? Did he have to go, when Jamie demanded it? An idea took root and he jumped up. He needed to find Nico. Lights lit the stalwart church and he crossed the parking lot, drawn to a statue against the tall stone walls.
He blinked up at the figure of Saint Nicolas, depicting an older version of the man he knew. A fond smile quirked his lips. “Vanity, Nico?” he asked, picturing his lover’s youthful, attractive face. He didn’t mind. It made him all the more human.
Jamie looked over the imposing structure. A church dedicated to Saint Nicolas. Piter’s touch of dark humor. The quiet remained unbroken and he followed the wall to the left, rounding the corner where Piter had disappeared. In a small courtyard of grass, he saw a figure huddled on a bench, face in his hands, and his heart jumped. He walked along the stone pathway and approached Nico slowly, searching for the words to convince him to stay.
He stopped in front of him and waited, trying to calm the rabbit beat of his heart. The silence stretched between them, allowing Jamie’s fear and self-doubts to resurface. What if Piter was right? What if Nico didn’t want him? He felt awkward, his face heating, but held his ground. Even if that was true, Nico needed someone to stand by him. Jamie could do that much for him.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Nico sounded weary, his voice heavy with grief. Jamie dropped to his knees on the icy grass and put his arms loosely around Nico’s waist. Nico made no response and Jamie kissed his forehead. “I love you. This is exactly where I should be.”
He felt Nico tremble and touched his chin, raising his face. Agony swam in Nico’s hazel eyes, and he leaned forward and kissed him. “Come home, Nico. We’ll deal with Piter later.”
Nico shook his head. “I can’t. I believe you when you say the Krampus is my own creation, made to punish me. But when I tried to send him away, he laughed at me. It has gone on for too long. He’s grown too powerful. If I don’t go with him, he’ll take you instead. But, mio Dio! I don’t want to die. Not now, when I have you in my life.”
“No one’s going to die.” Jamie said with conviction. “I won’t allow it.” He glanced up at the church looming over them. “Why here, Nico? What is Piter playing at?”
“This is the Basilica di San Nicola. My tomb is here. Piter thinks it is poetic justice that my life ends here.”
“Bastard.” Jamie worked to keep his anger in check. He needed to keep his head clear. Standing, he held out his hand. “Come on, Nico. We’re going home.”
Nico widened his eyes, a ray of hope flickering in the fear. “But he’ll kill you—”
“He won’t. Nico, I’m not afraid of him.”
They both looked up at a hiss from the shadows. “Maybe you should be.” Piter strolled up, a sneer marring his face in the glittering lights from the church. Nico stood when he reached them and clasped Jamie’s hand. Piter raised a brow, addressing Jamie, “So far I’ve let Nico decide whether you come with me or not. I’m out of patience. I think I’ll take you despite him.” His voice dropped to a purr, and he stepped closer, the warmth from his body enveloping Jamie. “You’ll like it with me. I’m longing to play with you again.”
Jamie’s heart hammered, but he held his ground. “That’s not going to happen, Piter. Never again. You’re nothing but a shadow made up from our fears. You only have the power we give you. You’ll get nothing more from me. Go away.”
He shuddered when the unmistakable clank of chains rang through the courtyard, and clutched at his sanity as Piter, overcome with fury, shifted before their eyes into the Krampus. The creature’s scream nearly deafened him, and it took all Jamie’s willpower not to crouch down and cover his head in terror. The monster seemed more demonic than ever, horned and fanged. Its clawed hands stretched toward him, but Nico stepped between them.
“Stop, Piter. I’ll go with you, like I promised.”
Jamie grabbed his arm, fear squeezing his chest, making it hard to breathe. “No, Nico. This isn’t real. Stay with me. Please.”
Nico wouldn’t meet his gaze, lifted his shoulders as if defeated.
Ice slushed through Jamie. He shouldn’t have expected more, but he’d hoped…. Tears burned in his eyes and he let them fall, doing nothing to hide his love and breaking heart. It was hard to speak past the painful lump in his throat. “You won’t even fight for me? Do I mean so little to you?”
Nico kept his gaze averted, and hot, scorching anger flashed through Jamie as his heart shattered. He drew his hand back and slapped Nico with all his strength. Nico staggered a few steps and Jamie followed, anguish choking his voice. “You made me love you!”
He clamped his teeth shut, knowing he sounded like a fool. But God! Why had Nico come to him? Made love to him? How was he to live without the tender touches and sweet kisses that ignited his blood and the friendship that kept his loneliness away? A sob escaped him and he shoved a hand against his mouth to stifle them.
Nico looked up, making a sound of pain, and reached for him. At that instant the Krampus roared, hatred and fury in its harsh tones. It pushed Nico aside and swiped a claw across Jamie’s throat. Jamie froze, shocked, as the blood oozed from the shallow wounds, quickly staining his coat.
“No!” Nico raised his hands and shoved against the Krampus’s thick chest, sending it flying backward. The creature struck its head on a stone and slowly sat up, looking dazed. It changed back to its human form, and Piter blinked up at them, pale in the shadows. He put a hand to the back of his head and stared when his fingers came away stained crimson.
“So, you would kill me again, Nicolas,” he stated, climbing slowly to his feet.
Jamie’s patience snapped. He’d had enough. Before Nico could
say a word, he stepped up to Piter, ignoring the throbbing ache from the lacerations in his neck. At least the goblin had missed the artery. “He wasn’t trying to kill you, asshole, as well you know. He was protecting me, as he would any of God’s creatures. As he protected those three boys long ago.”
“It’s true.” Nico’s voice was barely a whisper, and Jamie swiveled to meet his gaze. Wonder dawned in his lover’s eyes, sudden understanding. Jamie thrilled at the joy that accompanied his next words. “You’re right, Jamie! I hadn’t thought… I didn’t see it that way. But you’re right.” He looked searchingly at Piter. “I never meant you harm.”
Fear flashed in Piter’s green eyes, panic, but before he could speak, Jamie wrapped his arms around Nico, capturing his attention. He bent to his ear, asking softly, “Are you ready to forgive yourself? You know God has, long ago.”
Nico’s breath was a contented sigh, filled with peace. “I am, Jamie. Thank you.”
Piter made a strangled sound, but Jamie ignored him, clinging to Nico as his strength deserted him in his relief. Thank God. He roused, tried to lift his head, but Nico covered his eyes with a hand, gently kissed his lips.
“Sleep, mio caro,” he murmured, and Jamie instantly sank against his chest, safe, and fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
NICO SAVORED Jamie’s weight against him, then he scooped him up and laid him on the bench, removing his own coat and draping it over Jamie’s shoulders and back. Piter made an impatient sound behind him, demanding attention. Nico drew a steadying breath. This wouldn’t be easy, despite what he’d made Jamie believe.
Straightening, he took a moment to look at the silver blanket of clouds and the glittering fog gathering around them. The night was turning bitterly cold, and Nico rejoiced in the icy sting against his skin. It made him feel alive, human. He wanted this for himself as well as Jamie, the chance at a normal life, free of nightmares. But first he would have to say good-bye to Piter.
He turned to the creature he’d brought to life through his own guilt and fear. Fury smoldered in Piter’s deep green eyes, his hair a golden curtain around his exquisite face. Heat flushed Nico’s cheeks. He’d never thought of it before, but Piter was his boyhood fantasy, his idea of what an angel would look like, if he became flesh. No wonder he had surrendered so easily to the man’s practiced seduction, given his virgin body over to his skillful fingers and mouth.
Piter watched him, and the anger drained from his eyes, replaced by a warm glow. He closed the distance between them and ran a gentle thumb over Nico’s mouth, startling him. Piter nudged his lips open with a finger and Nico reflexively touched it with his tongue.
“There’s my naughty boy,” Piter murmured. “Always so proper and righteous, with a fire underneath waiting to be ignited. Come with me! There is a power in you, given from above. Let us travel the world together and remind people to fear this God they’d rather ignore.”
Nico widened his eyes. Piter waited, flushed with passion, lovely and terrible, and loathing rose up inside him. If he had created Piter, than this was a glimpse of Nico’s darker nature, the lust for power and domination inside himself. He took a step back, needing the distance between them.
Piter dropped his hands to his sides, his lips whitening. “So be it. If you will not join me in life, then you will join me in hell.”
Nico blinked, and the Krampus was there. Claws gripped his shoulders and he was dragged against the Krampus’s hard chest. The goblin’s black tongue snaked out and scraped up Nico’s neck. A hard nail ran down his back, making Nico shudder. He clutched at his sanity as horror swirled in his mind. Fear pooled in his stomach, weighted his limbs as he was drawn irresistibly into the goblin’s embrace.
“God forgave me,” he reminded the Krampus, hating the pleading note in his voice.
“Forgiveness does not change what we did. We are murderers. I killed those children and you stole my life. We must accept our punishment. We deserve damnation.”
The Krampus tightened his hold, squeezing the breath from Nico’s lungs. The creature smelled of rot and despair. Nico’s mind reeled. He didn’t want to die! He wanted his life with Jamie and the chance to bring some peace to the world. But the Krampus crushed the life from him. Fire licked at him from the abyss.
“Dio mi salvi!” he cried out, desperate for God’s intervention. If he had been forgiven, why did the Krampus still hold this power over him? If he’d forgiven himself, what was left?
Acceptance.
Tears made the Krampus a blurred nightmare but Nico clasped him, putting his lips close to the goblin’s ear. The heat and stench came near choking him. “You are my inner darkness, Krampus. I accept that, but I don’t give in to you.”
Pain shot through Nico like pricks of acid on his skin, and he screamed in agony as the goblin seemed to melt into him. They became one, and for one terrible instant the Krampus took control. Power burst in Nico’s mind and body. He could do anything! The world lay at his feet, its people fools for the taking.
“No!”
Something snapped in his mind, Piter’s screech ringing in his head, his teeth and bones aching as the high-pitched sound resonated throughout his body. Time held still, a long heartbeat, and then Piter was gone, as if he’d never been. Nico fell, the stones jarring his knees, pain shooting up through his bones. The silence in his head was deafening. Pain and fear warred inside him. He blinked his eyes open, part of him believing the Krampus would still be there to drag him into nightmares. Or worse, lovely Piter would come to him, seduce him with promises while he was weak.
Snow drifted to the ground and Nico raised his face, laughing aloud as the cold flakes stung his skin. He was free! He rose to his feet, swaying, giddy with relief. The Krampus was gone, a dark memory, a caution against temptation. Openly weeping, Nico glanced at Jamie asleep on the bench.
“Tesoro mio,” he murmured, taking a knee beside him. He brushed the glorious red hair from his face, placed a kiss on his lips, and with a mere thought, took them home.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
JAMIE WOKE, languid and happy. He snuggled into the comfortable bed, luxuriating in the sensual feel of silk sheets against his skin. It took a few moments to throw off his drowsiness, and he rolled to his back, watched the ripples of light dance across the ceiling. Odd. Like being underwater.
He sat up and looked curiously around the unfamiliar room. Wow! The furniture was a lush cherrywood with leaves and grapes carved in pretty designs. Seascape oil paintings adorned the walls, but what caught his breath was the wall of windows across from the bed, the glorious sea spread out in front of him. The muffled sound of the waves was a symphony, soothing the questions tumbling inside him.
He kicked off the richly embroidered bedspread, heat swirling in his stomach as the sturdy pillars of the four-poster bed brought wicked images to mind. Where was Nico? He found a silk robe and slippers waiting on a chair for him and he smiled as he put them on. The smell of coffee drew him across the room and he looked in delight at the table and two chairs snug in a windowed alcove, coffee and sweet bread displayed temptingly in delicate china on the pretty tabletop.
After pouring a cup of the aromatic coffee, Jamie approached the glass wall. Doors opened onto a wide stone patio with a light dusting of snow on the paving. His breath quickened when he caught sight of Nico looking across the sea. His dark curls lifted in a gentle breeze, his robe of dark blue clinging to his sleek body. Jamie’s heart pounded, and, suddenly shy, he turned back to the table, putting his cup down. A gilded wall mirror caught his attention, and he went over to it, tilting his head when he noticed the angry red lines on his neck.
The patio door opened and he watched in the mirror as his lover crossed over to him, a smile playing on his lips.
“Good morning,” Nico murmured, wrapping Jamie in his arms from behind and nuzzling his ear. He planted kisses along the scars on his neck, raising his head at Jamie’s questioning look. “I healed them as best I could,” he
said, touching the score marks tenderly. “But I’m afraid there will always be faint scarring.”
Concerned, Jamie glanced at the robe covering his body. Regret touched Nico’s face and he undid the belt at Jamie’s waist, allowed the robe to fall open. Jamie sighed. Pale, paper-thin scars crisscrossed his body from chest to thighs. He could only guess how horrible his back must look.
Nico kissed his cheek, then holding his gaze in the mirror, cupped Jamie’s slight breasts, grazing his thumbs over the pink-tipped nipples. Jamie groaned, letting his head fall back on Nico’s shoulder as pleasure sparked along his body, tingled in his growing dick. He cried out in surprise when Nico scooped him up with a delighted laugh and carried him across the room, tossing him into the center of the bed.
He crawled after him and Jamie put up a hand to halt him, smirking at Nico’s confused look. “First things first. Where are we, Nico?”
Nico chuckled. “Oh. We’re in my home outside of Salerno. We were both too tired to travel further.” He pulled Jamie to a sitting position and pushed the robe off his shoulders. Jamie shivered deliciously when he nibbled along his collarbone.
“And Piter?”
Jamie’s heart jumped at the sight of Nico’s joy when he raised his face. “He’s gone! You were right, tesoro mio. I wasted so many years doing penance when I should have focused solely on spreading God’s word of peace. My specter won’t haunt us ever again.”
“I’m glad, for your sake. No one should live with the fear you’ve endured for so long.” He let his breath out in a playful sigh when Nico pushed him back on the bed and straddled his hips. “So, you mean to make up for lost time, then?”
“For many years to come, cuoro.” He rocked a little, rubbing their cocks together through his silk robe. “I can think of a thousand ways to thank you, my heart.”
Jamie lost track of the conversation as bliss swam through his senses. The silk and steel sliding over his dick brought a groan of need from deep inside him. He reached down and deftly undid the belt on Nico’s robe, then tugged so it fell in a soft pool around him. Putting his hands on Nico’s slim hips, he nudged him forward. “I can think of one way you can begin,” he said, voice thick as he watched Nico’s perfect cock come closer. He rose up on his elbows and licked the swollen head, moaning his pleasure as Nico’s taste burst across his tongue. The moisture returned and he licked the pearl drop of precum, holding it on his tongue.
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