by R Phoenix
Zain hadn’t even seen or heard the door open, but a slight vampire with dark hair and dark eyes stood before him, looking curiously at him. She looked completely non-threatening, again reminding him of some fairy tale version of a witch — just one who had a seriously screwed-up sense of decorating.
If it hadn’t been for the scent of the grave that surrounded her, he might’ve thought she really was a witch. Deciding that keeping his big mouth shut would be the only way he’d come out of the meeting without some kind of tail or extra appendage, Zain just nodded and held Caleb tighter. No way was his pup walking all over the bones of dead people. He’d never get the smell out of Caleb’s mitts, that was for sure.
Liam smiled at her, and it was the sincerest smile he’d seen on the vampire’s lips. It was a little creepy. His deference to the vampire in the virginal white nightgown was almost as freaky as she was. “Lady Desideria,” he greeted warmly, bowing at the waist to her.
She gave a little curtsy, offering an innocent smile. “Childe of Isaiah,” she said formally.
Zain had… no idea what was going on. At all. It was like some strange sort of ritual, and he was glad for his decision to just… not comment.
“Who have you brought with your adorable man-puppy?” Her eyes went curiously to Zain.
His skin prickled, the hairs raising on his arms.
“This is Zain,” Liam said, gesturing to him.
“You’ve met a werewolf who knows when to keep his mouth closed?” she asked in mock-surprise, though her expression quickly melted into satisfaction. “Hello, Pet,” she greeted him. “Or should I say Alpha?” A smile flitted across her lips, and it might’ve been… shy, girlish, even sweet, if it wasn’t for the fact that the woman herself wasn’t so fucking…
Off.
Zain wasn’t stupid enough to get baited by a crazy woman. Nope, he was going to let Liam earn that title of Master he wanted so badly. Looking up at Liam with as humble an expression as he could muster, he let his eyes go wide and innocent. “Master?”
Liam laughed out loud, his belly laugh accompanied by a second laugh — was Zain in a horror movie now? — that was like the sound of soft chimes. She had to have practiced that a thousand times. There was no way anyone could sound that musical, that lyrical, in voice and laugh otherwise.
“Don’t worry,” Desideria said, her eyes locking onto his in a paralyzing moment.
Don’t worry?
She really was insane if she thought it was possible not to worry after the introduction he’d gotten… Oh, and their surroundings, too, which were ten times more terrifying.
The vampiress smiled, almost gently. “No harm will come to you this night,” she cooed, reaching out to press one shockingly warm hand on Zain’s cheek. “You wouldn’t be foolish enough to disappoint Liam.” She patted his cheek, and his relief was overwhelming when she drew back and stepped out of the doorway at last.
Walking into the crazy dead witch’s house of horrors seemed like a really bad idea for both him and Caleb, but when Liam entered it, Zain realized he didn’t have much of a choice.
Whispering low to Caleb, he watched the two vampires walk deeper into the house. “I’m going to make you pay for not warning me about this shit. You might not get to come for a week, Pup.”
“You’re giving me a furry back and floppy ears,” Caleb replied sweetly, batting his eyelashes up at Zain and offering him a smug look.
Zain snorted. “And you’re going to love every minute I’m petting those sexy, probably sensitive ears, so try again, Pup.”
“You wouldn’t have come if he’d told you,” the vampiress said, seemingly out of nowhere, and he jumped.
For fuck’s sake.
“Oh, and she can hear pretty much everything in this house,” Caleb offered helpfully, but he shrank back against Zain as Desideria’s attention shifted onto him at long last.
“Puppy!” she said, clapping her hands in delight. “Oh, oh. Set him down. I want to see his tail wag.” She eyed Liam, pouting before looking back. “His master left before his pup woke last time. I didn’t get to see it work.”
The flooring looked normal enough, and the freaky decorating seemed to stop at the door for the most part. Zain couldn’t think of a reason to argue with putting Caleb down, but he really didn’t think it was a good idea.
“My apologies, Lady. I was pressed for time,” Liam replied smoothly.
Lowering Caleb to the floor, Zain was glad that Liam had insisted on the leash as they’d left the house. Somehow, holding on to just that much of Caleb gave Zain a measure of comfort.
Desideria made a face at him, but she went to Caleb’s side and offered out her hand. As though he knew what she expected, he sniffed her fingers cautiously, and she looked pleased.
Caleb flinched as her hand smoothed through his hair, but she ignored it.
“Such a good boy,” she crooned, crouching down beside him. “You want to make your master and alpha so happy, don’t you, Pup?”
Caleb let out a soft, strained whine.
“Are you sure I can’t see if I can take his voice?” she asked, looking hopefully up at Liam.
“My Lady,” Liam said, a hint of warning in his voice.
The vampiress scoffed at him, waving a hand in dismissal. “A bit of fur, and a bit of work on those ears, then.” She smiled at Zain. “Tell me what you want, Pet. Go on,” she encouraged when he hesitated. “You’re quite good with that tongue when you want to be, after all, aren’t you?” she teased, like they were having a perfectly normal conversation.
He had to talk with the fucking crazy lady? He and Liam were really going to have to work on their communication skills.
Swallowing over the lump in his throat that seemed to be taking up residence there, he tried to give her a smile. “Thank you for your help, Lady.”
Fuck, was that even polite enough?
Forcing the words out, because he didn’t want to end up with a full dog on his hands who was now mute, Zain did his best to speak. “Master and I discussed just a bit of fur on his back. Not much, just a light amount down his spine leading down to his tail. And his ears, um, proportional to his head, but more upright than floppy and so they match the coloring on his tail.”
Was that it? Had they talked about anything else? Zain wasn’t sure his brain was working enough to be one hundred percent sure.
When her hand shifted to the top of Caleb’s spine, the pup went rigid, and he let out a soft whimper. Zain wanted to pull him close, to protect him, still not really sure how this vampire was going to do something like what he was asking for. But if she’d done the tail…
“He’ll look adorable,” she said, sitting down on the floor and letting the nightdress billow out around her before the cloth settled down around her. “One day, I will call in these debts, childe of Isaiah,” she said absently, sliding her hand down Caleb’s back.
“And I will repay them, gladly.” Liam said without hesitation, bowing his head.
Because yeah, promising vague repayments to the crazy woman seemed like a brilliant idea…!
He was going to have nightmares of this place.
Desideria put one hand on either of Caleb’s cheek, urging him to look up at her. He was really shaking then, his tail tucked between his legs. “Give me a wag of that lovely tail of yours,” she encouraged him.
Caleb’s tail didn’t budge.
“It won’t hurt this time,” she promised.
It had hurt before?
Fuck. They were really going to talk about this shit when they got home. Not sure what she would do if Caleb didn’t wag like a performing monkey, Zain knelt down beside them. If anyone was going to manipulate Caleb into performing, it was going to be him.
Liam certainly wasn’t stepping in to help.
Running his hands over Caleb’s back and sides, he tried to let Caleb know he was sorry for bringing him to the witch… especially if she ate them all. “Are you going to show her what a pretty pup you are? Once you show her
then she can finish making you nice and pretty for Master and me. Don’t you want that, Pup?”
For fuck’s sake. He wanted to growl out at Caleb to just wag the fucking tail so they could get this over with and go home.
Home?
Caleb’s tail wagged, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was just a little, but it seemed to be enough to please the vampiress. She cooed but didn’t speak, and this time when she touched the top of Caleb’s spine, she did so almost…
Lovingly.
The pup whimpered a little, but he didn’t pull away. For a moment, Zain forgot about the madwoman sitting next to him as fur the same color as Caleb’s tail began to slowly sprout from his skin. It was easy to lose himself when everyone was quiet, when he could only hear his breathing and Caleb’s, their heartbeats, and his vision remained focused on the art that was being created in front of him.
Desideria absently hummed, fingers lightly running along Caleb’s back. Little by little, bit by bit, fur appeared like she was flicking a paintbrush along his flesh.
It was nothing like a werewolf’s change, which was violent and sometimes even messy.
“Can I touch?” Zain found himself asking, his mouth dry and his voice hoarse.
The vampiress blinked, as though just realizing he was there. For a moment, he was sure he’d made a mistake by speaking. But her smile turned bright, and she inclined her head to him. “Just the top for now,” she cautioned. “It’s going to be sensitive, and you don’t want to hurt your pup, now, do you?”
“Will his ears be sensitive? I mean, when I pet them, will it give him pleasure?” Zain couldn't believe the words escaped him, but he was too curious to keep silent. He gingerly reached out, stroking his fingers over the fur at the top of Caleb’s back. It was shockingly soft, just like the tail.
She winked at him, her eyes bright. “Are the ears he was born with already sensitive?” she countered. “I only…” Desideria paused, considering her words. “Add,” she decided, “to what is already there. You can’t create something from nothing, Pet. There must be… a foundation to build upon.”
The words held more weight than they should have, but he couldn’t make sense of them.
“They’re already sensitive, but I wanted to make it even better for him.” Fuck, was that rude or something? “I apologize if that’s stupid or… rude?”
He was going to end up as part of the crazy lady’s fence. He just knew it.
“He’s so sweet,” she remarked, glancing up at Liam. “Why is he helping you?” she asked, her voice honeyed.
Zain thought that was a really good question. He wasn’t sure what the hell he was thinking anymore.
Liam looked at her, but his look was more like an exasperated family member than anything else. “Because I am paying him.”
“And because he loves the pup, as you will when you allow yourself to,” Desideria said thoughtfully. She went back to stroking Caleb’s back, the pup shivering as soft fur spread from where her fingertips touched him.
“Desi, do not be—”
Desideria made a face at him. “Love is not a weakness, darling. It can raise us up and make us stronger than before. And sometimes…” Her eyes half-closed, but her fingers smoothed along the gap between spine and tailbone. “Sometimes these things happen all at once, for reasons we don’t understand. Don’t they, Alpha?”
“I…” He couldn’t decide what to say. Was telling her what she wanted to hear the right thing or not? Hell, he wasn’t even sure what he felt, let alone how to express it. “It’s intense… and I…”
Did he love Caleb? That fast?
Fuck if he knew, and if she had the answers, she didn’t give them.
She patted Caleb’s ass then scooted up, fingers curling around his ears as she leaned down to nuzzle against his forehead. “Almost done, precious,” she whispered against his skin. “Then your boys can take you home.”
Was it weird that his skin almost crawled at watching her nuzzle his pup? His wolf was restless beneath his skin, displeased. Caleb was his… Well, his and Liam’s.
Caleb let out a soft whine, squirming, but she clucked her tongue at him. “None of that now,” she said firmly. “You’ll like this part. It’ll feel so good when your alpha scratches behind your ears.” Her voice was hypnotic as she went on, dreamy and lilting, “His rough fingers along your silky fur, fingernails scratching in just the right places… It’ll make that tail wag, puppy. Now hush and let me work.”
Zain couldn’t deny that he liked the sound of it, and the idea of Caleb’s leg thumping against the ground when he scratched just the right place made him squirm a little as his pants grew tighter.
He glanced up to see Liam, who stood with his arms crossed against his chest and a dissatisfied look on his expression, but the vampire didn’t interrupt.
This time, the silence didn’t break until Caleb’s ears were perfect — elongated just enough to be in proportion with the rest of him, furred tips slightly draped over in a way that somehow looked perfectly natural despite how utterly insane all of this was.
She drew back, and this time when she patted Zain’s cheek, her hand was ice cold.
Fuck. He didn’t want to think too much about that, so he focused on the ears instead.
“They’re perfect.” There was probably more that she wanted to hear, like praise for her ability or even marveling at her freaky ass skills, but all Zain could do was look at the gorgeous ears that twitched and responded to Caleb’s subtle movements.
Desideria beamed, and she held out a hand in Liam’s direction. Without a word between them, he crossed to her and helped her to her feet, enveloping her in his arms. She looked even smaller against his broad chest, slender limbs that much thinner against his muscular ones. Zain couldn’t help but admire Liam’s body — which was part of the reason he was in this mess.
She pulled back from him, then said cheerfully, “All of you can leave now.”
Thank fuck. Zain was smart enough to say it more reasonably, though. “Thank you, Lady.”
Caleb instantly launched himself at Liam’s feet. At first, Zain was a little offended. He’d been the one to sit there with him and help him through… but when he saw the way Liam’s expression softened and the vampire leaned down to pick their pup up, he understood.
There was definitely still a very human brain in that head.
Liam chuckled, though it sounded a bit strained. “Yes, thank you. We will speak soon.” He added something in a language Zain didn’t understand, and the vampiress laughed before responding in kind.
As Liam led them out of the house, Zain couldn’t help but shiver as they walked through the crazy gingerbread house’s dead garden. Zain’s body didn’t start to relax until they were safely tucked in the back of the car, Caleb draped over both of their laps in the back seat.
Running his hands down the tempting fur that trailed down the back of Caleb’s spine, Zain shook his head. “You know the craziest people, Liam.”
“She is… exasperating,” Liam acknowledged, his own finger running along the edge of one of Caleb’s ears and making it twitch. “Crazy…” He considered for a moment. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, her talent is undeniable, is it not?”
Zain ran his fingers over the soft fur that covered Caleb’s spine. He loved the way Caleb arched into his touch, the way a low whine escaped the pup. “It’s incredible… I kind of had this picture in my head about what it would look like, but this is even better than I imagined.” He smiled as Caleb’s tail started to wag, clearly pleased with the attention he was getting. “You were such a good pup.”
“You spoil him,” Liam grumbled. “I do not care if you… love him.” The distaste in the vampire’s expression was more than obvious. “He must have boundaries.”
“I’ve only known him about twenty-four hours. Love doesn’t work like that.” Obsession did, but Zain thought that one nut in the family was enough. “And anyway, you give him enough boundaries. He also nee
ds someone to pamper him and tell him what a good pup he is, especially when he’s humping and begging to be jerked off or fucked.”
Caleb let out a soft bark in agreement, tail thumping against his leg as Liam stroked behind one of the newly soft ears.
Liam shook his head, but he didn’t argue. “Then you’ll stay?” he asked, but it felt like more of a statement — an order, even — than a question.
“He’ll be our pup?” Zain thought he was insane for even considering it, but the thought of walking away from the pup… and from his insane master was almost impossible to imagine.
Caleb looked up at Liam, letting out a soft whine and pawing at him before nuzzling his head against the larger man’s chest.
“I suppose,” Liam said, grudgingly, but before Caleb’s tail could wag too much, he cautioned, “As long as he remains a good pup. If he begins to rebel again… I will discipline him, and I have the final say on what happens to my slave.”
Zain had a feeling he’d learn how to handle the master just as easily as he’d learned how to handle his pup. “I understand, but you’ll listen to what I say about training and learning how to keep him in the right headspace? We both want him to be a good pup who wants to stay that way and not constantly fight it. You’ve liked the changes you’ve seen so far. Look at these ears and that fur… and he was so good for the crazy fairy tale lady. You liked that.”
“I did,” Liam acknowledged. “But that does not mean that I will… look for love.” He snorted. “Crazy, indeed. But affection? I suppose I have enough of that for the pup, and I will tolerate you as long as you make yourself useful and do not get in the way.”
Aw, he sounded almost like he was proposing. “Of course, I understand completely.”
“Good. Then we have an understanding, Pet?”
Zain looked down at Caleb, meeting his eyes, and they shared a look — and a grin. “We have an understanding.”
Zain paused, then looked at Liam.
With a smirk, he added, “Master.”
A pup to pet and play with, and a master to tease and torment…
Yeah.
He could definitely get used to this.