Vicious In Love - D.D. Dass (book club suggestions txt) 📗

wasn’t the doctor’s fault. Not at all. It was Alocer’s and he could fuck with the fourth leader.  

A satisfied smile tilted his lips as he stretched. “Alrightly, Doc. I’ll be back, just…stay where you’re at.” Fang looked ready to crap his expensive trousers, but nonetheless nodded. Good for him.

As many centuries as he’d done this, it wasn’t hard to reach the Fourth Realms boundaries, though he couldn’t help but flinch at the blinding flash of light that was no doubt doing his retinas in. He staggered on nothingness, stretching and depressing.

The Fourth Realm was freaky shit. A black void that swirled on and on until those sought out were summoned. It would all disappear into what the one sought considered home. Technically though, it was a rather imaginative Realm for God’s and Goddesses alike to chill out, though the leaders could just as easily reside there, if they pleased. Unlike Alocer who was cursed to remain.  

Only Nick and the Goddess were aware of the whys and Lucius frankly didn’t give two fucks. It was none of his business.

“Alocer!” he called, listening to it echo on and on. When he received no response, he took a step in no general direction, roaring, “Aloceeeria, my devoted lover, come to me!” The dub worked like a charm.

The familiar vertigo crashed into him, but then he was welcomed –or rather unwelcomed—by the, as Ian often called it, “red room of Payne”. Fit quite nicely too.

The room smelt heavily of leather, the walls colored a deep, blood-red, chain rattled from where they hung on those walls. Toys, elastic suits, and more unidentifiable objects scattered about. And Lucius thought there was a splatter of blood on the white, tile floors, but quickly overlooked it to take in the black candles that lit the room, white rose petals lined the windowpane where outside, white writings littered the darkness.

Alocer—the bastard—was a real mind-fuck.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lucius rolled his eyes, bearing in mind that the leader hadn’t had much interaction in over a century, which couldn’t be good for his rejuvenation. He almost felt bad for the ignorant bastard, almost wondered what he’d done to deserve such a punishment or why Lucius hadn’t seen it.

Pivoting slowly, his lips involuntarily twisted into a disgusted smile. Alocer was beautiful, even scarred. Lucius didn’t swing that way, but you’d have to be blind not to see it.

The half-brother’s resembled nothing of each other.

Alocer’s inky hair hung in an archaic braid at his shoulder, straight and flat against his God-like features. The warrior was in the chiseled shape of his jaw and the hideous scar that mangled the right side of his face, starting at his eyebrow, narrowly missing his eye to run straight down his sharp cheekbones and end at his contorted top lip. Otherwise, his eyebrows were wings above those detached silver eyes and a strong, straight nose. The male was malice to the very core of him.

“Gawking is rude, Luc,” he said, devoid of emotion. Lucius knew how that scar ruined Alocer, who’d always been narcissistic. His face had been an emotional-buffer of sorts, because no matter how much people loathed him as a whole, they were beguiled by his face. Or rather, had been.

Lucius didn’t know the entire story; all he knew was the once tightly-bound relationship between the blood-brothers was shattered into an ever-going animosity. Alocer did not so much as speak Nick’s name.

Nobody really knew how Alocer had gotten the scar, where or –whom it’d been given by. Every leader tended to keep their fucked up side-stories to themselves. As brothers they owed it to each other. But Lucius still saw everything. Ian though, the third to their fucked up Council was Nick’s best friend. The two behaved as if they detested the other’s very presence, but in actuality, they just understood one another far too profoundly.

From the moment Nick had laid eyes on the shaken eighteen years young untransitioned he’d known him. On levels not even Lucius, who saw all, or even Ian himself, could recognize. Naturally, Ian despised it, despised that someone other than himself was aware of his weaknesses, his faults, his fears.

Warriors would never admit such things. Not even to one another.

“I was simply admiring…As I’m sure you know all about, or you used to at least.” Lucius was dead serious. 

“Why is it you’ve sought me out?” He ambled over to a weirdly shaped gag, rolling it in his hand with anticipation sparkling in his usually cold eyes.

Straight to the chase it was. “Blood, whatever else?” Nobody ever summoned this male, partners excluded and the leaders.

 “Surely you are not requesting I feed his offspring?” He didn’t beat around the bush.

Silver eyes were ablaze with fire, his hand curling around the gag as he hissed, baring his teeth in a sneer. Lucius was not intentionally spurring the male.

 “Your brother, you mean. Say his name, Alocer, say Nicholas, it isn’t quite that hard.”

“That is not my brother,” he spat in response, abruptly blinking his fury away, leaving his eyes lifeless. “Now that I’ve come to my wits, I’m leaving. Or rather, you are.” Just like that, the male began to fade away, image rippling.

Fuckin’ A. “Alocer, I would not have asked if Xaphan wasn’t otherwise concerned…” Instantly, things solidified, becoming real once more.

“With that bitch? With Aetheria?” Alocer would never learn. Calling their Goddess a bitch wasn’t helping him out of exile…But, his brother was ruled by his own obscurity and according to Lucius’s vision, would never end up escaping his own suffering.

“Alocer, she needs to feed…” He would not beg.

“Why can't you or Derik feed her? Oh aye, you’re a selfish bastard and never allow any other to take from your vein but what’s Derik's excuse…?”

He winced, that soft voice poison in his ears. “…been a selfish little boy…hiding away all this…such soft skin…tsk-tsk-tsk”. The words crawled up his throat, panic weighing in on him.

“That’s…complicated.” Goddess, weak frickin’ point there Luc.

Realization lit the male’s eyes and Lucius felt like he’d somehow betrayed Ian.

“He still cannot stand to be held down? Boo fuckin’ hoo.” Lucius growled in warning.

“Do not speak of him as such. You know as well as I that he is justified to it, so you of all males should back off. He’s your brother Alocer, and you should take pride in him.” Alocer blew on his nails and looked up with a chalk-dry expression. And that was why Alocer remained unmissed. He cared for none but himself, he was selfish.

“Were you speaking to me? I was busy not giving a fuck. You’re boring me Lucius, feed the chit yourself or have your brother do it.”

“Wait!” It was too late; he ended up in Fang’s observatory once again. What the hell had he just done? Ruined. He could see the word flashing around in his head, warning him of—his entire body jerked, eyes rolling into the back of his head but he still saw. He always saw. 

The male’s entire future… “Disaster,” the words left his lips with all intentions of being true. 

-o-

~~

The room’s temperature changed abruptly, from cool to a mellow fire. Beth’s eyes strayed from the dried out baggie to find the spot where Ian had stood, empty.

“You do that a lot…” Her head snapped in the direction of his voice. And there he was. Like a drug addict taking their first hit in months, she drank in the sight of him, her thighs working to keep together as she became wet.

She still wanted him and for that, there had to be something completely and undeniably wrong with her.

With a harsh blink, she focused on answering. “Um, do what exactly?” Her throat gave a throb at the words.

“Bite your lip…” his voice was nearly inaudible, but she caught the words anyway, immediately finding that her lip was indeed caught between one of her fangs. Quickly, she released it, licking over the small puncture wound, which to her amazement, healed instantly. Huh, maybe the whole Vamp jig wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Bad habit….Guess I’ll have to stop now.” You don’t say.

As she fumbled, she continued to stare, noticing his eyes were scorching, not from anger but something different –hotter. Something that also screamed run. It was compelling, instinctive, as he took a tentative step closer. Yet Beth’s muscles refused to oblige, leaving her stuck in the middle of the plush bed. She couldn’t even tear her eyes away from him. He completely hypnotized her with the crimson promises there.

He could make her feel so much better. The pull had always been there, her body began to buzz with one thing and ache with another –so much need.

Have you lost it vampire-girl? He’s –Just move. Leave! Run! Stay! Do something.

Every step closer was another sharp, electric force and within seconds, she found herself at the edge of the mattress, staring up at him as he made the last, undecided step. His eyes searched hers and she wasn’t sure what he found, but it didn’t matter when his large hands fell to her waist, hoisting her up so that she stood on the mattress, an inch separating them.

He was still a bit taller, but that turned her on unbelievably. “What if I told you,” he spoke languidly, twining a lock of her hair in a long index finger, almost suggestively. “That I want you…everywhere?” Beth couldn’t remember how to breathe, let alone form words, especially not with his hand splayed at her neck, gently stroking her leaping pulse.

“Would you let me have you? Would you allow a monster into your lovely body? Would you take from me?” His voice was raspy, daring her to deny him as he leaned closer, hot breath fanning her jaw. “Answer me, Elizabeth.”

Oh Goddess, yes. Had she ever had a choice? The thought flittered through her mind as the words fell passed her lips. From the beginning she’d known she wouldn’t deny him. He was dominating, he had control: he had her. It was far too late for second thoughts.

His lips claimed hers and the fight–the resistance–lay in shreds. It waselating. His lips were firm, but soft as he guided her, tongue caressing the seam of her bottom lip in a way that her sighing in surrender. That was all he needed to invade her mouth, tasting the blood there as she remained immobile, unable to think anything beyond Ian Payne was kissing her –desired her.

“Like you mean it, Beth…” it was command, but too soon, he tore away and no. She wanted to cry because she needed more more more.

With no control over her body, she placed her trembling hands on either side of his throat, an eccentric viciousness causing her to bite her nails into the hot flesh. His entire body shuddered and she whined, breasts straining at his chest.

“Good girl,” he hummed, and she closed her eyes, relishing in the strange and dangerous high that accompanied him. A high that had her kissing a male she practically loathed all because he made her feel things that shouldn’t be possible.

And she found herself stretching to kiss him hard, falling into it, her fangs scrapping carelessly at his lip so that he opened with a sharp inhale. As her tongue tangled with his, she felt as if she was fading away from everything but the syrupy taste of him –blood and Ian. His arm circled around her waist, the other tugged her hair so that he was given a better angle.

Beth didn’t care what he did to her as long as they were touching, as long as his mouth stayed on her skin. Involuntarily, her legs wrapped around his waist so that he was supporting her weight and she was impossibly closer to him. Yes was all she thought when his hand slipped underneath her sweater, large and rough as it splayed along the entire span of her belly.

She squirmed. “More.” His lips dragged to her neck, sucking harshly as he chuckled, the hand at her belly leaving to grip one of her ankles,