by I. T. Lucas
“Don’t fall asleep on me, Leon. I need an explanation.”
When in doubt, always start with an offense. “I’m still the same guy who you fell in love with.”
“The man I fell for didn’t have two-inch-long fangs.”
He lifted his arm off his eyes and looked at her. “First of all, they are only an inch and a half long. And secondly, I always had them. You just didn’t see them.”
She rolled her eyes. “Because you blindfolded me. Stop giving me stupid answers and tell me why you have fangs.”
“I’m a mutant.”
“What, like in X-Men?”
“Kind of.”
She frowned. “Were you born like that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
She let out an exasperated groan. “Come on, Leon. Just tell me why you have fangs, what are they for, and how come they don’t leave marks after you bite me.”
“I have them because of genetic manipulation.” That might be true. It was what Kian suspected. “They are used for fighting and for delivering orgasms. And they don’t leave marks because my venom has healing and euphoric properties.”
She frowned. “What kind of genetic manipulation? And who did it to you? Or was it your mother? Do you even have a mother? Or were you created in a lab?”
The good news was that she seemed to believe him. The bad news was that she wanted details, and he needed the story to be vague enough to remain as close as possible to the truth.
“I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know how it was done. And I do have a mother.”
“Was the manipulation done on her eggs? Or was she implanted with an embryo created outside of her womb?”
“Neither.”
“So how was it done?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.” Both statements were true.
He didn’t know how the gods' genes had been manipulated, and his mother couldn’t tell him how it had been done because she didn’t know either.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes at him. “You are lying.”
“Everything I told you is true. At least as far as I know.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe you.” She moved away from him and got off the bed. “I’m going to wake up Bowen and ask him what he knows about you.”
“Bowen is with Margaret. Do you really want to talk about this in front of her? She’s going to freak out.”
“How do you know that he’s with her?”
“She woke up when you screamed, and he went to reassure her that everything was fine. She was scared, and he stayed with her.”
“You can’t know that.”
“Yes, I can. My hearing is much better than yours, and I can hear them talking in the living room. If you don’t believe me, open the door and take a peek.”
“You think that I won’t?” She grabbed the towel he’d draped over the side of the dresser to dry and wrapped it around herself.
Leon smiled as she tiptoed to the door, opened it carefully, and then closed it.
Anastasia tucked the towel tighter and walked back to the bed. “You were right.” She sat on the edge. “What else can you do that I can’t?”
“Come back to bed.” He patted the spot next to him.
She shook her head.
“Don’t do that. You have nothing to fear from me, and you know it.”
35
Anastasia
Anastasia shook her head again.
It wasn’t fear that created the distance between them. It was the disappointment.
“I’m not afraid of you. If you wanted to hurt me, you've had plenty of opportunities to do so already. But I don’t know you. I thought I did, but I was wrong, and I can’t pretend like everything is okay when nothing is.”
“Nothing has changed.” He pushed against the pillows. “I’m still the same guy. Would you have thought I wasn’t if you discovered that what I’ve been hiding were ugly scars? Or a disability?”
“Of course not. But it’s not the same.” She brushed nervous fingers through her messy hair. “I know what you’re doing. You’re tossing the hot potato to me, but it’s not going to work. You can’t make me feel guilty when it’s all on you. I shared my most guarded secret with you, and I told you that I have fallen for you. Don’t you think that you should’ve told me who I was falling in love with?”
“Who I am is not defined by my fangs or my glowing eyes.”
She hated having such a conversation in the bedroom, with both of them still practically naked. But the living room was taken, and excusing herself to go get dressed seemed petty. There were bigger things at stake than her discomfort with sitting on the edge of the bed with a moist towel wrapped around her.
Ana shook her head. “You deceived me. All that talk about revving up my engine was just so you’d have an excuse to keep me blindfolded during sex. Do you even enjoy these games?”
Sexual compatibility might not be as important as belonging to the same species, but it had played an important role in how quickly she had fallen for Leon. Ana couldn’t imagine another man who could push all of her buttons like he had.
They had been perfect together. But it had been a lie. Leon had been playing the part of the dominant lover because it provided him with a good excuse to keep her in the dark.
No wonder there was such a dichotomy between his overall easygoing manner and his dominant sexual behavior. One was the real Leon, and the other was an act.
He chuckled. “I admit that I came up with the blindfold idea to hide my fangs from you, but I discovered that I really enjoyed playing these games with you. You are the hottest woman I’ve ever been with, and the games we play elevated sex for me to heights I’ve never thought possible.”
She eyed him from beneath lowered lashes. Did he mean that? Or was it just another lie meant to confuse her? Like the totally normal way he looked now. No more glowing eyes, no more fangs, only a drool-worthy muscular chest and a gorgeous face.
“How come you don’t have fangs now?”
“They retract when not needed.”
He’d said that the fangs were meant for fighting and for delivering orgasms. She could vouch for the second one, but how could they do both? If he bit a guy, did he disable him by causing him to climax? For someone who wasn’t gay, that was probably awkward as hell.
“Explain what they are for and how they work.”
He rubbed a hand over his stubble. “I have glands that produce two types of venom depending on the trigger. If I get aggressive, the venom acts more like a paralytic. When I get aroused, the venom acts like a euphoric and an aphrodisiac.”
“I’m relieved that you don’t fight by forcing a climax on your opponent.”
He laughed. “Only you could have thought of something so absurd.”
“It’s not absurd. It could actually work. How come the bite doesn’t leave a trace?” She waved a hand at his mouth. “Judging by their size, your fangs could easily rip someone’s throat out.”
“My saliva and the venom itself have healing properties. You might have noticed that you are never sore despite our vigorous activity, and that you feel invigorated by it rather than exhausted. That’s the venom’s doing.”
It sounded like there were only benefits to getting bitten by Leon, but she was sure that there were also negatives and he wasn’t telling her about the less desirable side effects.
“What’s the catch?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What aren’t you telling me? Will the venom cause me to become like you? Grow fangs and start biting people?”
“No.”
“No what?”
“You won’t grow fangs and you will have no urge to bite during sex. Well, no more than you normally would.”
She’d nipped him a few times, and he’d seemed to enjoy it, but it was nothing compared to what he could do with those monstrosities in his mouth.
�
�Do you also suck blood?”
“No.”
“So whoever did the genetic experimentation on your mother’s eggs wanted to make you more snake-like than vampire.”
He nodded.
“What for? I’m sure these people had an agenda.”
36
Leon
So far, Leon had managed to follow his objective of remaining vague and not actually lying, but Anastasia’s questions were becoming more specific, and it was getting more difficult to do.
“I’m stronger and faster than the average man, and my hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell are more acute. I’m the perfect predator.”
He was quite proud of himself for coming up with that answer. It was all true, and she could come up with her own conclusions.
“I assume it was the government. Did they want to create super-soldiers? Are there others like you?”
Thank the merciful Fates for her lack of patience and the barrage of questions she was throwing at him. He could pick and choose which ones to answer.
“Bowen is like me as well, and so are Peter and Eleanor. We are all special.”
She sucked in a breath. “Do you still work for the government?”
He shook his head. “We are a private organization.”
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “After investing so much effort into creating the perfect soldiers, the government wouldn’t let you go. How did you get out?”
Fortunately, anything that implied military operations could be excused as classified.
“I can’t answer that.”
“Can’t or rather not allowed?”
“Not allowed.”
She shifted, re-tucking the towel that had gotten loose and folding her legs under her. “But you are no longer in the military, so you either escaped or were let go.” She rubbed her brow with a finger. “You said that your unit was dismantled and that you chose to leave. Was that a lie?”
“No. But that’s all I can say on the subject.” He lifted the blanket “Come on. Get in here. You’re cold.”
She eyed the blanket for a second and then let out a sigh. “Fine. But no sex. I’m not done asking questions.”
Leon chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to be.”
What he hadn’t expected was for her to drop the towel and come to him naked.
The vice around his heart loosened its grip as Anastasia laid her head on his extended arm and draped hers over his middle. “You’re always so warm. Is it also part of the genetic thing?”
“I really don’t know.” He turned toward her and kissed her forehead. “Feeling better?”
“Not yet. Do you always bite during sex?”
“Not always, but often.”
“Can you refrain from biting?”
“Not easily. It’s like trying to refrain from ejaculating. It’s possible, but not pleasant.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand. You implied that you’ve never played sexual dominance games before, but you must have bitten other sex partners. How did you hide it from them?”
“I hypnotized them. I couldn’t do that with you because you are immune. Normally, I would have stayed away, but you were a temptation that I just couldn’t resist.”
She smiled sheepishly. “That explains so much. That’s why you pretended to be such a perfect gentleman. You were trying not to succumb to my charms.”
“Indeed. But you are irresistible.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “Everything about you is so damn hot. These lips.” He rubbed his finger over their softness. “These full breasts topped with these succulent nipples.” He cupped one. “And this ass.” He used his other hand to squeeze her generous bottom. “And on top of that you are smart, kind, and fun to be with. How could I have resisted all that?”
“Stop it.” She reached behind her and pulled his hand off her ass. “You are trying to distract me with sex.”
“And it’s working.” He pulled her tighter against him, pressing his hard erection to her soft belly.
“I’m not done yet.”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “Ask away.”
“Other than the biting, what other weird stuff have you done to me?”
He was inducing her transition without her consent, which was eating him up. Perhaps he could hint at it?”
“As I said, my venom has healing properties.” He swallowed. “It can make you healthier, and if we stay together, it might prolong your lifespan.”
“How?”
“You won’t get sick.” If she started transitioning, she would definitely feel sick, so he needed to qualify his statement. “Not seriously anyway.”
“So, are you saying that your venom can cure cancer and heart disease?”
If she turned immortal, she would never suffer from either.
“Potentially, yes. I’m not a scientist, but I believe so.”
Anastasia smiled. “So far, it seems like I hit the jackpot with you. There must be a catch. What is it?”
You might die.
But that was very unlikely. Anastasia was young and healthy, and the clan hadn’t lost a single Dormant yet. On top of that, the Clan Mother was due to arrive at the village next Friday, so if Anastasia’s transition was rough, she could give her a blessing. It had worked for other difficult transitions.
Still, it wasn’t a hundred percent guaranteed success, and he needed to give her a fair warning.
“It’s like an immunization shot. It’s remarkably effective in preventing serious disease, but in some rare cases, especially for the elderly, it can cause complications. You are young and healthy, so the chances of that are nearly nonexistent. Knowing that, would you take the shot or refuse it?”
“Of course, I’d take it.”
It was as close as he could get to obtaining her consent without telling her everything. Hopefully, she would remember that when her transition started.
“There you go.” As a huge weight lifted off his chest, he wrapped his arms around her, and flipped them so she was lying on top of him. “There is one catch.”
Her brows dipped low. “What is it?”
“You can’t tell anyone. My life and that of others like me depend on keeping our existence a secret. You hold our lives in your hands.”
Her eyes widened. “If the others find out that I know, will they demand that you kill me?”
“No one will demand your death. But they might demand that I keep you imprisoned. How do you feel about becoming my sex slave forever?”
“I don’t mind being your sex slave, but I do mind being a prisoner. How about we don’t tell anyone that I know?”
“It’s too late for that. Bowen heard you scream.”
“You can tell him that I had a nightmare.”
“He probably heard everything we talked about in here. His hearing is just as good as mine.”
“Damn.” She rested her forehead on his. “What are we going to do?”
At least she was talking about we and not I, which was a good sign.
“I’ll talk with him. He owes me a favor or two. But no word about any of it to Margaret.”
“I will never endanger your life, Leon. I love you even though you kept secrets from me. You had a good reason.”
“You have no idea how glad I am that you understand, and even more that you accept me with all my oddities.” He took her lips in a soul-crushing kiss.
When he let go to allow her to suck in a breath, she cupped his cheek. “I love you, so of course I accept you. But don’t ever lie to me again.”
37
Richard
“Good morning, Richard.” Kalugal pulled out a chair and sat down.
Most days they met at the construction site, where Richard had a desk in one of the homes that was already framed, but today Kalugal had asked him to meet at the café. It reminded him of the meetings he used to have with clients at Starbucks.
It seemed like it was a lifetime ago.
Richard didn’t miss his traveling days at a
ll. Living out of a suitcase and sleeping in a different bed each night had been fun at first, but he’d grown tired of it, which had been one of the reasons he’d joined the government program. That too seemed like a distant past, even though less than a year had passed since he’d escaped it with the clan’s help.
A lot had happened since then. He’d fallen in love, had turned immortal, and had changed professions. Supervising Kalugal’s construction project was a challenge for someone who’d never been involved in the trade, but he was learning on the job, and so far, he’d managed not to screw up.
“I don’t have a lot of time before I need to head out to the office.” Kalugal reached for the cup of coffee Richard had gotten for him. “Let’s do this quickly.”
“No problem.” He pulled a stack of brochures out of his briefcase and handed Kalugal the first two. “The top is the hardware that Gavin specified for the doors and windows of the secondary residences. But take a look at the second brochure. I think that they look better and are about the same quality. The only reason they cost less is that the manufacturer is not as well known.”
Kalugal scanned both brochures and then handed them back. “I’ll go with your recommendation. What’s next?”
“The bath fixtures.” He handed Kalugal a whole stack. “Everything is top quality, but it’s a matter of taste. I need you to choose bathtubs, sinks, toilets, and bidets. Also, are we going with everything white? Or do you want to mix it up? White is the least expensive.”
“Let’s go with white. It will match most decors. And as for the fixtures, I’ll let Jacki choose. I don’t really care.”
“No problem, but I need her to make the selections by the end of the week. I need to place the orders.”
“Very well.” Kalugal put the stack of brochures into his designer satchel. “Anything else?”
“That’s it for today. The framing on your site is nearly done, and they are going to start on the mechanicals in a couple of days. On Kian’s site, they are just starting framing.”