“Oh, Jade!” he cried out at the added pressure. Panting, Stephan clutched him and buried his face into the man’s chest.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Take your pleasure.”
Sweat slid down Stephan’s back as his hips pumped faster—the heat between them was almost suffocating. His breathing was ragged, and Stephan felt as if his heart were going to beat out of his chest. Jayden’s heartbeat, he could hear it, as well. It was as frantic as his. The man’s groans of pleasure vibrated through him, drawing out his own. Each moan was more breathless than the last, and Stephan found himself letting out whimpering pleas.
As his arousal swelled, large tremors ran through him. But the longer they ground against each other, the more frustrated Stephan became. He whined as his release continued to elude him. It wasn’t enough. He needed something more to push him over the edge.
“Jade, I need—I need!”
“I got you, sweetie,” Jayden rasped.
The man’s hips continued to move, his thrusts never stopping, but Jayden snaked one of his hands between them and ran it over their pricks. He dizzily realized that the man was coating his fingers in their pre-cum.
But even dazed, Stephan couldn’t stop his body freezing as that slick hand returned to his ass and slid between his cheeks, brushing at his entrance. Stephan trembled, his bud pulsing as one of Jayden’s fingers gently pressed against it.
Under the gentle prodding and the continued slide of Jayden’s cock, his wariness quickly faded away. Moaning, Stephan surrendered to his burning arousal, barely flinching when the tip of the man’s finger pushed past his clenching muscle. That fingertip slid in and out of him as Stephan’s hips moved once more.
But when the digit slid farther inside, a twinge of pain and discomfort dragged him out of his abandonment. His past tried to creep forward from the depths of his mind.
He gripped Jayden’s shoulders tightly, his nails biting into flesh. “Jade,” Stephan called out in distress.
Jayden shuddered. His chest heaved but his movements ceased. “Do you want me to stop?” The man gasped hoarsely.
Jayden’s offer meant the world to him. And the fear that flared inside him almost forced a yes past his lips. But the rest of Stephan wanted to let the passion inside him free. He didn’t want him to stop. Stephan wanted to experience what he had the other day. Most of all, he wanted them to experience it together. “Don’t stop.”
Stephan’s words were all the man needed. Jayden wrapped his free hand around both of their cocks and, pressing them together once more, the man began to jerk them both off. The finger inside him moved again, thrusting fully in and out. Stephan moaned loudly as an unfamiliar need coiled inside him.
“Jade!” He yelped when the man bumped against something deep inside him, sending sparks of pleasure throughout his body.
“Found it.” Jayden growled in triumph as he unrelentingly rubbed the spot.
Writhing on Jayden’s lap, Stephan whimpered and begged for more as the man touched him so intimately. The constant pressure against the bundle of nerves inside him had tears forming in his eyes. As Jayden pushed another finger past his barrier, Stephan rode them, driving down—wanting to feel them deeper.
“That’s it, Stephan, that’s it,” Jayden hissed, his voice strained.
His sack pulled close to his body, something inside him stretching tight. And then whatever was being pulled snapped, and his release tore through him. Arching, Stephan cried out, his cum splashing between them.
Moments later, Jayden roared and his seed mixed with Stephan’s.
Panting, Stephan slumped against Jayden’s heaving chest. His hole twitched and he felt unusually empty when Jayden’s fingers slid free.
As they held each other, Jayden began to lazily run his fingers through Stephan’s hair. Stephan had never felt so relaxed. And as he listened to the beat of his lover’s heart, sleep pulled him under.
Chapter Nineteen
Two months later
Stephan huffed as he gave the couch one last shove. “There, all done.” He wiped the sweat from his brow.
In the Second Realm, furniture was magically enhanced to make it stand up a bit better against an immortal’s strength. Something entirely understandable, but why did they have to make everything so fucking heavy?
Of course, Stephan seemed to be the only one having an issue. Liam and Jayden hadn’t seemed to struggle at all.
“Having problems, sweetie?” Jayden chuckled as he sat down on one of Stephan’s fluffy pink chairs.
“Shut up!” Stephan stuck his bottom lip out and pouted. He stomped over to his bed, plopped down on the edge, crossed his arms, and glared at nothing in particular.
Well…it wasn’t just his bed now. It was their bed. When they’d started the move, they’d decided to share a room. After a few renovations, their bedroom was a mixture of blacks and pinks.
Not enough pink if you asked him, but Jayden refused to sleep in a completely pink room. The frustrating man also refused to sleep surrounded by stuffed animals. The rule now was that Stephan was allowed to sleep with one. One! How could Jayden think he could possibly choose one out of the hundreds he had?
His poor collection was now displayed on built-in shelves along one side of their bedroom. It wasn’t fair. He just wanted to cuddle with all the fluff. If Jayden would just try it, Stephan was sure the man would understand.
Grinning, Jayden sat next to him and wrapped his arm around Stephan’s shoulder. “Still pouting about your stuffed animals, pudding pie?”
“No—” His words froze in his throat as he realized what Jayden had just called him. “P-pudding p-pie?”
“I thought I’d try it out. Liam said nicknames are a must for couples.” The man’s head tilted. “What about cupcake?”
“You’re not calling me a pastry good!” Stephan screeched. “What’s wrong with sweetheart?”
Jayden stared at him vacantly. “Liam pointed out it wasn’t cute enough. I thought about it and decided I agree.”
“Why the hell does it have to be cute?”
“You’re cute.”
“I am not!” Stephan snapped.
Completely ignoring his protest, Jayden snapped his fingers and said, “Honey bunny!”
Stephan gasped in horror. “You cannot call me that!”
Jayden nodded and grinned. “I like it. Honey bunny it is.”
“Jade!” he whined.
Liam, that bastard. He did this! Oh, Stephan was so going to make him pay.
Kissing him on his forehead, Jayden continued to smile. Stephan sighed. Well, at least he was happy.
It was something the man was doing a lot lately—smiling, that is. Not that he hadn’t smiled before, but they had been snarlier, more like sneers.
Jayden seemed to be happier than ever before. It may have been a bit conceited on his part, but Stephan thought it was because they were together. Well, he hoped it was, as Stephan was happier, as well.
His fears also seemed to be lessening. Stephan felt more comfortable with his desires now. Though they still hadn’t had intercourse—not that they hadn’t done a lot of other stuff. Not that he hadn’t tried for more. Jayden had wanted to wait, though, insisting Stephan wasn’t ready yet.
To be honest, considering when he asked, Jayden had probably been right. However, now he was ready. Stephan wanted to join with him—even if he still wasn’t sure if the man would fit.
“That’s the last of it, right?” Jayden asked.
“For now. We’ll have to move the books once the library renovations are done, but that’s about it. All the spare rooms can be finished over time.”
Jayden grunted and pulled him onto his lap, then rested his chin on top of Stephan’s head.
At a knock on the door, Stephan called out, “Come in.”
Liam walked in. “It’s time for you to meet the group.”
* * * *
Jayden’s insides tightened as they followed Liam over to Dante’s place. He
didn’t like people and he hated crowds. It was something Jayden was sure would never change. Being crowded, for him, was a hellish experience.
The fact that he was willingly—reluctantly—going to a meeting that would be focused on him was crazy. Yet Jayden was still going.
He fought to keep his face blank as he walked through the doors. Jayden’s shields were wavering. Though, it seemed what he’d learned from Sabriel Argent—who turned out to be a councilwoman—was actually helping. Walking into the packed mansion was a little less painful than the first time. However, it was still pretty terrible.
They were surrounded the minute they passed the threshold, and every single fucking person was talking at once. As their voices mixed in with their thoughts, Jayden was only able to distinguish a word here or there.
His monster—now named Bow, courtesy of Stephan—roused and stared wide-eyed in horror. Then he started to panic.
“Flee! Flee! It’s not safe!”
“Oh for the love of…calm down, Bow,” Jayden snapped.
“Run!” Bow dropped to his knees in the darkness and covered his head as he continued to scream.
Great. Just great. Well, it was on par with what he had learned about his monster. Bow seemed to have most of Jayden’s emotions. However, the bad ones were ramped up—his pesky trust issues, his urges to kill and torture…his hatred of most people.
But, being crowded seemed to cause a level of fear in Bow that Jayden couldn’t ever remember feeling. The last time he visited Stephan at his office in the city, Jayden had learned elevators were a big no-no.
At times, his monster seemed to be more child than adult. And Jayden could swear his monster was smaller than when he first appeared. All in all, it made him wonder when exactly Bow had been created and how long he had hidden away.
Which was not something Jayden had time to think about right now. Nor could he with all the distractions.
Jayden let out a heavy sigh and tried to stifle the noise in his head by ignoring everything. He felt a bit better when Stephan gripped one of his hands.
A husky yet still feminine voice rang out. “Would you all back the fuck up? You guys are so annoying. Move!”
The crowd around him became dead silent, and the horde backed up and parted. A tall woman wearing jeans and a tight black top that showed off every curve walked through the space.
Damn, Jayden was pretty sure she was taller than him. There was a no-nonsense look on her face, and her green eyes were piercing. Interestingly enough, a man shorter than Stephan clung to her.
He wasn’t getting anything from her. Not a single thought, which was nice for a change.
Jayden couldn’t hear the thoughts of the little man beside her either. But it didn’t feel as if the man was particularly powerful.
Over the past few years, he’d begun to be able to tell the difference between those who were powerful and those who had never been powerful but had instead gained from aging. As immortals aged, their healing abilities, mental walls, etc. tended to grow stronger.
The small man was old—older than even Dante. Not that Dante was young, but he had both age and natural power.
The skill Jayden had developed was pretty useful. It helped him pin down the truly dangerous individuals. For instance, the king—the man was a damn powerhouse. King Adrian had been born with strong abilities, and age had just made them terrifying. If Jayden were to guess, the small man was probably around the same age as the king.
His eyes widened when the woman let out an unflattering snort and said, “Dante, you’re fucking useless.”
The little man beside her giggled. “Baby, that’s not nice.”
Jayden peered at Dante out of the corner of his eye. The man looked unfazed by the insult. In fact, he looked amused.
Smiling, Dante announced, “Well then. This lovely woman here is Lily Wolfhart, my second-in-command.” She flipped him off at the lovely comment, but he ignored it and continued. “The man suctioned to her side is her husband, Asa.”
Well, well, what an odd couple, Jayden thought. Holding out his hand, he murmured, “Name’s Jayden. Nice to meet you.” He forced a smile but was pretty sure it came out more as a grimace.
While the physical voices were gone, the thoughts were still there, not to mention Bow seemed to be having a complete breakdown. Jayden was actually getting a bit worried. The poor thing was curled into a ball, screaming and crying. Everyone was still too close for him to calm down.
Lily looked down at his hand and then back up. “You’ll understand if I don’t shake, right?” she asked, suspicion in her eyes.
He dropped his hand, a real smile sliding onto his face. Ah, she didn’t trust him—his kind of woman.
Tilting his head, he replied, “I understand perfectly. I will say I wouldn’t have tried to read you.”
It wasn’t a lie. Jayden wouldn’t have tried. That didn’t mean he could have stopped it from automatically happening. Yeah, his control still sucked. Apparently, those lessons would come after Jayden learned to block better.
“I know enough to know that it wouldn’t have mattered.”
His smile widened. “Beautiful and smart.”
A loud throat-clearing and a tug on his hand had him looking down. Stephan’s bottom lip was sticking out and he was glaring. Was his little honey bunny jealous?
Jayden slipped his hand free from Stephan’s, placed his palm in the middle of the man’s back, and brought him forward. “This adorable man here is Stephan Everwood. My boyfriend.”
There were a few gasps from the until-then silent audience surrounding them. He guessed they didn’t meet one of the Second Realm’s richest men every day.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily. You, as well, Asa.” Stephan beamed.
Dante clapped once. “Well, now that that’s out of the way. Everyone, this is Jayden…” The man trailed off.
“Everwood!” Stephan piped up.
Jayden’s jaw dropped.
“Ah…yes, Jayden Everwood. He will be our new executioner. Liam, who most of you know, will be helping him adjust to his new position. I want all of you to welcome him as if he were of your blood, as family. He is one of us now.” Dante’s eyes became cold, and his next words were sharp. “As it has been a few years since we’ve had an executioner, I’m going to remind you to keep his identity a secret. I suggest you keep the punishment of revealing him to those you shouldn’t firmly in mind. Jayden will be known as an enforcer to the public and nothing else.” The cold look seeped away as if it had never been there, and the man smiled cheerfully. “Now, feel free to introduce yourselves and ask questions. Without crowding him, of course.”
They descended on him quickly, throwing names out. Jayden really had no chance of ever remembering all of them. As he was sure he’d see a lot of them, the only ones he locked firmly in his mind were the four enforcers—Violet, Lizzy, Hunter, and Rain. Jayden was grateful to find out that they all seemed to have strong walls.
He ignored most of the questions because, honestly, his life was none of their damn business. The ones Jayden probably could have answered, he hadn’t found himself able to concentrate enough to do so, as he was still trying to calm Bow.
It was slow to wind down, but it did eventually, and most were accepting of him not answering shit. Many now just stood quietly in the large room, waiting as the remaining Zaytari members introduced themselves.
Jayden thought he was being rather good. He hadn’t scared or raged at a single person as they battered him with questions. With their thoughts still crowding his mind, and Bow freaking out, Jayden deserved at the very least a pat on the back.
“Why do you even deserve to be our executioner? It’s a bit ridiculous for you to just come in and be given such a high position. You haven’t even worked for it!”
But of course, one little shit had to ruin it. The snarky comment came from a man who was tall but lacked the necessary muscle to benefit from his height. From the man’s thoughts, Jayden picked u
p that the guy was a bit of a bully—not to mention an asshole.
While a few others had called out in agreement, their hearts weren’t in it. The guy in front of him, well…he was just a self-entitled prick who never really had to work hard for anything in his life until now.
In a well-practiced move, Jayden slowly tilted his head. He stared into the idiot’s eyes, his face void of any emotions. “Do you want me to show you? I can. I, of course, can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it, but I know I will.” Jayden’s words came out flat and detached.
The man swallowed. “Is that a threat? The Zaytari are the law. You’re supposed to protect, not threaten.”
Jayden let loose a sharp burst of laughter. He ran his gaze over the others in the room. “Let me make something clear before there are any misunderstandings. I’m here so I can torture and kill.” He smirked and added, “Legally, for once.”
“Jade!” Stephan whisper-yelled.
Jayden crossed his arms. “I’m not a friendly person. Matter of fact, I just don’t like people. I would suggest you not test me, as you won’t like the outcome. To be honest, out of all of you, Lily and Dante are the only ones who would have a chance against me.”
Jayden peered at the two in question. Both stood there silent. Dante was smiling stupidly as if his mind was elsewhere. Lily looked as if she approved—ah, they would get along well.
* * * *
Dante knew some of his younger members would be cranky. Actually, now that he thought about it, at twenty-five Jayden was the youngest. Though, in Dante’s opinion, what the man had been through had added a few thousand years.
Overall, the situation was going as he assumed it would. Jayden was going to put them in their place—he expected no less. While Dante wanted his members to get along, he wouldn’t hold his breath. Some personalities just didn’t mix well.
Jayden was their executioner, and in the Zaytari power structure, he ranked directly under the second-in-command. The only others close to him in the power structure were the ones in charge of Dante’s branch offices located around his territory. Jayden’s position of power would draw plenty of jealous hotheads, like a fly to a light bulb—well, in Jayden’s case, more like a bug zapper.
Stephan's Monster [Vampires of Vadin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 15