by Joyee Flynn
“I have your order, sir.” A nice-looking middle-aged man said with a smile as I opened the door.
“Thank you so much,” I said, signing the slip and handing him two twenties. “I wonder if there’s a pharmacy here also? Or maybe just access to a first aid kit?”
“We can call a doctor if you need, Mr. Marius,” the man answered, his eyes going wide as he discreetly tried to glance around me. Malachi was safely in the other room, so I didn’t have to worry, but I didn’t need a concerned hotel staff member either. I glanced down and saw his name was Tom, deciding to lay it on thick.
“Oh dear, no doctor needed.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “My partner has a sun allergy, but does that stop the man from being out in it any time I’m not around to stop him? Hell no! The man is burnt like a crispy critter. I was just hoping for some aloe and maybe burn cream to put on the blisters on his cheeks.”
“I understand,” he said with a wink. “My wife is the same way. Woman’s allergic to shellfish, but she still sneaks shrimp every once and while. Then she’s sick as a dog the next few days. Personally, I think she does it just for the TLC and attention I give her afterwards.”
“That’s a good point,” I playfully gasped. “I bet that’s what my little man has been doing, too! Oh, I should withhold favors from him. That would get him to stop frying himself in the sun.”
“Probably not if he’s that stubborn.” Tom smirked as I shook my head at the truth of his statement. “I’ll talk to the concierge and worst case, he’ll call up and get a list of what you need. We can send someone out to pick it up. Might cost a bundle, or we can help you find a drugstore.”
“The money’s fine,” I said, waving away his concerns. I was more worried about leaving my mate unattended in the shape he was in. “I need to be pampering my baby. So yes, if you need to send someone out, that’s fine with me.”
“I’ll see to it, Mr. Marius.”
“Thank you, Tom, you’re a godsend,” I replied gratefully as I closed the door. I wheeled the service cart into the other room where Malachi was glaring at me as if he wished me bodily harm. “Malachi? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, you’re allowed to flirt with whom you like,” he answered in an ice-cold tone as he looked away from me. My little mate was jealous!
“He’s a married man for one, baby,” I cooed as I stopped the cart by the bed and sat down. “Secondly, I was being overly nice because he seemed to freak when I requested medical supplies. We can’t have people thinking I’ve got an injured, beaten, bitten man in here, sweetheart. That could be really bad, right?”
“Oh, right,” Malachi whispered staring down at his hands. “I just thought you were a flirty man. I mean there’s the one woman demon that seems to get off on flirting with everyone there. So I know what that is at least.”
“No, I’m not a flirty man.” I snickered, the idea of me being a flirt amusing. “I don’t even consider what I did flirting, more being overly nice to get what I want. Now, no more of that, it’s settled. Let’s get you fed before he comes back with supplies. You’re going to need to rest and drink from me.”
“Okay,” he said, his eyes glazing over with lust as he looked up at my face and then to my neck. I could tell he liked the idea of being close enough to drink from me if the tent in the sheet was any indication. Pretending I didn’t see it, I set the tray on either side of his lap. “What is this?”
“It’s chicken noodle soup,” I answered as I helped show him how to use the spoon correctly. “It’s what my mother always gives us when we weren’t feeling well or are injured. It’s easy on your stomach but has healthy veggies and chicken.”
“I’ve never had anything but raw meat before,” Malachi whispered, looking at the bowl of food as if it might bite him. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I picked up the other spoon, dipped it in the soup, blew on it to cool it, and ate it. That seemed to appease his concerns because the next moment, Malachi was doing the same thing. “It’s delicious!”
“Yeah, I’ve always been a fan.” I chuckled as I handed him the bread. He smiled widely as I showed him how to use the bread to suck up the broth and eat it that way as well. Again I was smacked in the face by just how innocent he was when he giggled as the bubbles from the ginger ale tickled his nose. “Oh, you and Patrick are going to get along famously.”
“Is that like your man?” Malachi asked, setting down his drink and the spoon. “I can’t think a god of a man like you is alone, Victor.”
“There’s no one else but you in my life now or ever again, baby,” I answered, and in my heart I knew it was the truth. There would never be another for me but Malachi. “Patrick is my brother Stefan’s mate and in a way is a lot like you. He was held against his will and hasn’t experienced much either.”
“You have a real family?” he asked his eyes going wide. I sat cross-legged across from him and the tray as I filled him in on my family and their mates. Then I told him all about our weekly eating events where we all tried something new and basically ordered everything on the menus. He smiled, looking almost longingly at the idea of being around a family as he inhaled his food.
Malachi had just finished when there was another knock at the door. I gathered up his tray, leaving the extra bread and pop on the nightstand and wheeled it back to the door. First it was the courier with the blood, but just as we finished Tom came back with the supplies I asked for. I tipped them both handsomely, said my thank-yous, and returned to my mate.
He looked at me curiously as I settled him down and in bed and removed the sheet. I explained what the aloe and burn cream was as I gently applied it to him. Rubbing it in gently, I ground my teeth as I got a good look of every inch of his battered body. I also had to ignore his gasps of pain at times and then moans of pleasure.
“Thank you, Victor,” Malachi whispered as I leaned over and put cream on his cheeks. I smiled at him as he leaned forward. I knew what was coming, but I didn’t stop it. Though I wasn’t expecting Malachi’s idea of a kiss. He snarled and bit my bottom lip hard, tearing it open as it started to gush blood.
“What the fuck, man?” I shouted and jumped back. “Why would you hurt me like that? I’ve been nothing but nice to you, Malachi!”
“I–I thought, I’ve s–seen it,” he stuttered as I got off the bed and raced into the bathroom. I wet a washcloth in cool water, before applying it to my cut lip and teeth marks as I took several deep breaths. Something wasn’t right here. He didn’t seem as if he wanted to hurt me, but what the fuck? I shook my head in dismay as I walked back into the bedroom. Malachi was sitting up, knees pulled to his chest as he sobbed with his head down.
“Don’t cry, baby,” I whispered as I sat on the bed next to him. “I just don’t understand why you did that. Can you just explain it to me?”
“I’ve seen people kiss before, and that’s what they’ve done,” he sobbed, and I finally got it. He’d learned what kissing was to demons, and it seemed it was just as sick and twisted as their ideas of how to live life. “They’ve had sex in front of me, too, and it’s always about blood and yelling and biting.”
“They like to inflict pain and be violent,” I said as I hugged him close. My lip was already healing over, and I licked the last of the blood away. “How about from now on let’s not try anything you learned from them, okay? That’s not how people who care about each other kiss, baby. I’m scared at their idea of sex if this is what they do for a kiss.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Victor,” he whispered as he buried his face in my neck. “I just wanted to kiss you, not hurt you. But that’s what I thought kissing was, and I felt conflicted. I didn’t want to be mean, but I want to be with you.”
“It’s okay, baby,” I soothed as I placed gentle kisses on his temple. “That’s a kiss, Malachi. It’s different when on the lips, but it’s gentle and loving. It’s not meant to cause pain, though it can be passionate and needy sometimes. But it’s never to hurt your partner.”
“P
lease show me what you like,” he begged as he lifted his head. I couldn’t resist his pleas. Plus I knew if I denied him now after he felt so guilty for what had happened, I might do more damage than good. I leaned down and brushed my lips of his lightly.
“That’s a kiss,” I whispered against his lips before giving him another, firmer one. “That’s a kiss, too. You like them, right? But there’s no pain, is there?”
“No pain,” Malachi agreed as he kissed me gently this time. “But I feel something strange I’ve never felt before. It’s like I want you to own me, consume me, and brand me as yours.”
“In time, baby. You’re too hurt to have sex, and I want your first time to be magical, okay?”
“I trust you, Victor.” He nodded, and I felt the truth of his words down to my very soul. “I am sorry I hurt you, that was never my intention. I want to love you, please you, and make you happy.”
“All is forgiven.” I smiled at him as I moved away to grab the cooler of blood. “We just need to talk about these things. And we both need to try and be patient with each other.”
“Why would I have to be patient with you? What is that?” Malachi looked at the bags of blood I put on my lap as if it was a twelve-foot rattlesnake. Inside I sighed about how much my mate needed to learn about the world, but part of me reveled in the idea that I would be the one to teach him. Plus it meant us spending a lot of time together, which I liked as well. But what if I couldn’t be what he needed to adapt to the world at large?
Chapter 3
“One question at a time.” I chuckled. “This is how we get our blood. Humans donate it, and my family owns a company that handles that.”
I explained most of how the company worked, answering his questions as they came up. Malachi might not have had any type of education, but he was very smart. When I was done, he watched how I sank my fangs in the top of the bag and drained it. I repeated it with two other bags, and then stuffed them back in the cooler so as to not leave any evidence behind.
“It’s not brutal or repulsive when you do it like that,” he said after a moment as I moved back to him. “Every time I’ve seen someone drink, they’re tearing flesh and making a mess. Plus they hurt the person as they do it. But what you did seems…”
“Civilized?” I asked, trying to help him fill in the word when he couldn’t seem to think of one.
“Yeah, I think I know what that means, and it sounds right.” He nodded and then stared up at my face. He opened his mouth and then shut it again, and I knew he wanted to ask me something important. I gave him a nod of encouragement as his cheeks flushed. “Was I civilized when I bit you on the neck when we met?”
“Yes, you were,” I answered after a moment to collect my thoughts. “But in our world you cannot mate someone without their permission. So we’re never going to tell anyone how it happened besides my family, okay? They’d take you away from me, and I don’t want that.”
“I am sorry,” Malachi said gently and looked away. Every inch of me was screaming to comfort him and wipe that look of despair off his face. So I did. Turning his head back to me, I mashed my lips down to his. I felt the moan in his chest as I kissed him like a thirsty man.
“Open for me, baby,” I groaned as I licked his lips. He did as I asked, and I slid my tongue in over his and explored. Malachi was a fast learner, running his tongue around my lips slowly. I plundered his mouth, needing his submission to me. He gave it freely, letting me take the lead. I wrapped my arms around him and rolled us over so he was straddling my hips.
“I want you so much, Victor,” he hissed as his hands ran down my sides. “I want to experience everything with you and never stop.”
“Bite me, baby,” I ordered, staring up into his deep blue eyes. “Take what you need from me, my mate.”
“Thank you,” Malachi moaned, giving me a quick kiss. He worked his way along my jaw to my neck, licking the skin over my jugular before sinking his fangs into me. I cried out softly in pleasure, holding his head to me when I felt him go stiff as if he was worried he hurt me.
“Feels so fucking good, baby,” I panted, and he relaxed. I moaned as he started to take deep pulls of blood from me. Grabbing his hips, I ground my cock against his, losing my towel in the process as I moved him to meet my motions. He gasped as he kept drinking from me as I humped our bodies together. After several minutes of pure heaven, I knew I was getting close. “Come for me, Malachi. Let go and come all over your mate.”
“Victor,” he yelled as he lifted his head. I felt his warm cum cover my groin as his pleasure spilled all over me. I bit my lip to keep from screaming and maybe scaring my mate as I followed him over. His hips met mine as we tried to draw out our pleasure.
“Amazing,” I gasped as I tried to catch my breath a few minutes later as I felt my limbs again. It had been the most mind-blowing orgasm of my life and I’d just rubbed off on him. I couldn’t wait to experience everything else with my little mate. Then I had a visual of his plush lips wrapped around my ten-inch cock and almost came again.
“I’ve never had that happen before,” Malachi panted as he licked my bite closed. “I mean I’ve seen men come before, but I never have.”
“That was your first orgasm?” I asked, shock in my voice as I froze under him.
“There were always people around.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t like I wanted to be there, and while they had sex in front of me sometimes, it wasn’t like this. I didn’t like to watch it, and it didn’t turn me on. Though it’s not the first time I’ve been covered in cum.”
“What does that mean, Malachi?” I whispered, fear coursing through me that on top of everything else my baby had been raped.
“Some of the guys got off on biting me hard and making me uncomfortable,” he said gently as he nuzzled his face in my neck. “They used to jack off on me so I’d cry in horror as they covered me with their seed.”
“Oh that’s just fucking gross.” I sneered, a pit forming in my stomach from how sick and twisted the demons who’d held him were. “They never entered you or forced you to please them, did they?”
“No, nothing like that,” he replied as I held him to me tighter. I felt relief flood my heart. “They just liked to do mean things to me because they knew I was a sensitive.”
“A what?”
“My gift is to feel other people’s pain or if they’re hurting,” Malachi explained as he shivered in my arms, and I knew it wasn’t from being cold. “I can feel if they’re in physical, emotional, or mental pain as long as they’re not that far from me.”
“That sounds like a curse more than a gift,” I snorted before I could filter myself. “Sorry, baby, I just don’t like the idea of you feeling pain, even if it’s other people’s.”
“No, I get it. What’s your gift?”
“I can shoot fire or manipulate a flame.” I cringed, knowing how much demons hated fire for obvious reasons.
“That must come in handy as a warrior.” He chuckled, and I rolled us over so I could get a good look at him. There wasn’t any anger or fear on his face, just blind trust. “I mean you need that to kill the demons, right?”
“You really hate them, don’t you?” I asked, more of myself as it sunk in that he might genetically be like them, but he felt for demons the way all vampires did… that they all should die.
“More than you’ll probably ever understand,” Malachi answered, his tone and features going cold. “I want them all dead. I’ll tell you exactly how to get at them, where the caves lead to, and which to be wary of. I want to know that they’re gone and I can never go back to them again.”
“We’ll take care of it, baby,” I whispered as I ran my hands over his arms. I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss before rolling off the bed. Walking into the bathroom, I wet another washcloth to clean us up. When I returned to the bed and crawled towards him, Malachi spread out for me, having realized what I was going to do. “I like to take care of you, Malachi.”
“I’m glad,” he
panted as I wiped off our combined seed, first off him and then myself. “But I want to do the same for you, Victor.”
“Oh, that was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.” I chuckled as I lay down and pulled him to my side. It wasn’t enough, so I pulled him to sprawl over my body before reaching down for the sheet. I covered us up as we wrapped around each other. “You took care of me just fine, baby.”
“This is the best day of my life.” He yawned. I wasn’t sure what to say, and before I could reply, I heard his evened out breathing. It seemed the blood he’d had from me earlier had fixed whatever had been causing his labored breathing. And already his skin was healing since he drank from me again. I’d see to it he got everything he needed and do whatever I had to heal him body and soul. So maybe it was the best day of my life as well?
* * * *
A knock on the door woke me, and I glanced over to the clock to see Malachi and I had slept several hours. It was now almost nine at night. And our visitor had to be Damian. I gently moved my mate off my body, grabbed some running shorts out of my open suitcase, and yanked them on. He was just starting to knock again as I pulled the door open.
“I hate flying commercial,” Damian grumbled as I pulled him into my arms. “They took the Marius jet and the council jet to get to Ireland in several trips. I hope you appreciate that I had to squeeze my six-four frame in coach with a woman who talked nonstop and flirted constantly with me. She even asked if I wanted to join the mile high club.”
“Yes, I’m forever in your debt for having to endure that.” I snickered as he entered. I went and picked up a room service menu and thrust it in his hands. “I’m going to order more food for my mate, and I’m hungry, too. What do you want?”