The Age of Retribution

Chapter 1To the ignorant observer, Sangre didn’t just look closed, it looked abandoned. Jesse eyed the building from the car, shivering beneath his thin blanket. He would have asked Gideon what was happening, but the rules were already in effect, and he wasn’t to speak unless spoken to. He waited in the passenger seat, his hands resting in his lap, as Gideon circled the front of the car. There weren’t any lights to illuminate his face, and his silhouette seemed even larger in the shadows. Gideon yanked the passenger door open and hooked the chain around Jesse’s leash. A light tug had Jesse easing out of the car, dropping to his hands and knees on the sidewalk. He would have protested this, but the street was abandoned, and he didn’t have the right to protest anything. He had agreed to all of Gideon’s rules before putting the collar on, and that included arriving naked, except for his briefs, and on his knees. Jesse kept his head down as he followed Gideon to the heavy door. One single knock and it swung open, revealing the rather subdued interior. There was music, as always, and red and yellow lights, but the din Jesse had learned to associate with the club was absent. From his angle, he couldn’t see how many vampires were present, but he knew it was far from the normal amount. Somehow, instead of relieving his anxious excitement, it only made it worse. Heels clicked across the floor, approaching at a swift gait. Jesse caught long, pale legs, and followed them up to see a vampire he more than recognized. A fall of long, dark waves over slender shoulders. Wide brown eyes that glittered with gold even when she wasn’t in vampface. Nose and mouth just a fraction too wide. Monique. She had been one of the very first vampires he’d encountered at the notorious vampire club. She was one of the few that insisted on sharing him with Gideon every time they came. “I have everything set up for you,” she said to Gideon. “Slater’s gone, so we don’t have to worry about him hanging around and spoiling our appetites.” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “Someone really needs to buy the little cretin out. Sangre would be so much better under different management.” Gideon scanned the room. “Is everybody here?” “Everyone but Eric. He had to go to Milwaukee for some emergency.” Her lustful gaze swiveled back to Jesse, while her tongue swept over her lower lip. “He is going to be so upset when he finds out what he missed. This is an absolute treat.” “Well, Jesse’s deserved it.” Now both vampires regarded him, eyes so hot and hungry they sent shivers through Jesse’s flesh. “Now that he’s home again, I thought it was time to give him a little something special.” Monique stepped forward and crouched in front of Jesse. She ran a long, plum-painted fingernail over his mouth, down to the throb of his pulse in his neck. “I’ve waited a very long time for this,” she said, her lower inflection directing the words specifically to Jesse. “It’s good to have you back.” Jesse couldn’t help a small smile. “Thank you.” It was good to be back. The vampires in the club had obviously been handpicked by Gideon. Kneeling at his feet and knowing that the vampires waiting for Jesse all knew him, all wanted him, all had longed to sink their fangs into his flesh to drink deep, made his attempt at the b**m club in London before he’d discovered Gideon was still alive seem even more futile. How could he think that some random vampire in some unknown club would ever give him the satisfaction he naturally found with Gideon and Sangre? “The racks are already set up.” Though she didn’t straighten, the tone of her voice clearly meant she was speaking to Gideon. When her gaze flickered to Jesse’s wrists, however, she frowned. “You didn’t put him in cuffs already? All Slater has is iron.” “Iron’s fine.” With a tug on the leash, Gideon headed through the various couches dotting the floor to a cleared space behind them. Jesse had no choice but to fall to his hands and crawl along behind him. “The whole point of the racks is to get his blood flowing first anyway. If it chafes a little, all the more for us.” Jesse shivered at the thought of the irons closing around his wrists and ankles, biting into his skin until small streams of blood traveled down his arms and into the waiting mouths of the vampires surrounding him. The smell of the blood would drive the vamps into a frenzy. Jesse didn’t think any of them knew that he wasn’t a mere mortal. He didn’t want them to know and he doubted Gideon would have broadcast the news. He had expected something ornate. There were certainly enough ropes, chains, benches, and devices in the club to keep him immobile for the rest of the night. But the set up Gideon had requested was about as basic as he could get. There were four shackles attached to two pillars. They were spaced far enough apart to stretch Jesse’s limbs, exposing every inch of his body, without becoming too painful. But it would definitely leave him vulnerable to every creature in the room. There were less than a dozen vampires in all, more men than women, all familiar faces though Jesse couldn’t put names to some. In Sangre, names weren’t important. Here, he was the toy to be used, the hole to be filled, the body to be taken. He gave himself over to them, trusting Gideon to keep him safe. Though they knew his name, few cared. He was Gideon’s pet. Within these walls, that was all he wanted to be. He waited patiently as Gideon greeted the others, chatting and laughing for indeterminable minutes, all the while ignoring Jess. The other vampires didn’t. They kept stealing glances in his direction, licking their lips, fidgeting. A slight young man with blond hair that kept flopping over his forehead braved advancing, though one look from Gideon stopped him from getting too close. “Are you going to let him f**k anybody tonight?” he asked Gideon, his blue eyes blazing with hunger. For some reason, this amused Gideon, and he c****d a single brow. “Why? You want his c**k, Frankie?” “f**k, yes.” The answer came so quickly, Gideon laughed. “We’ll see.” Jesse’s c**k twitched at the thought of burying himself in Frankie’s ass. Gideon had allowed him to f**k women in Sangre, but never another man. But Jesse sensed that Gideon was going to be in a very indulgent mood, which meant he wouldn’t keep a firm hand on the vampires using Jesse’s body. He was glad Gideon thought to fit him with a c**k ring before they left the house, because he was certain that without it, he wouldn’t have the control to stop himself from coming too soon. The sharp points studding the ring dug deep into his growing erection, each second of pain already accentuating his arousal. “Tell you what.” Gideon was still addressing Frankie. “You get the rest of his clothes off, while I pick out what whip I’m going to use on him.” His gaze was heavy when it came to rest on Jesse. “I want to make sure it hurts when he bleeds.” Frankie didn’t waste time approaching. He crouched in front of Jesse and ran his hands over the lacework of scars mottling Jesse’s torso. “I’ve wanted your c**k in my ass since the first time I saw Gideon jerk you off.” He reached the briefs and tore them off, catching Jesse’s shaft in the palm of his cool hand as it came free. “Every time you f**k Monique, I hate her a little bit more.” Something about the vampire pricked at the back of his mind. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the bold, almost challenging, declaration of how much he wanted Jesse’s c**k. It only took a moment for it all to click. The vampire reminded Jesse of Derek’s nephew, Jonah, right down to the shade of his eyes. The realization coupled with the vampire’s touch sent a new wave of arousal through him. Frankie’s nostrils flared in response. “Up, boy.” Gideon’s order sent Frankie scurrying out of the way, leaving Jesse to obey automatically. He kept his hands behind his back, his head bowed, but not before he caught sight of the single-tail leather whip dangling from Gideon’s hand. “Cuff him in.” Monique was the one to grab Jesse’s leash and lead him between the two posts. Gripping his wrist, she pulled it up and to the side, locking him into a heavy iron manacle. She did the same with his other wrist and both his ankles, until he stood in a stretched X position. “First rule.” Gideon addressed the vampires who had pressed closer for the show. “You want to play, you wear fangs. At all times. That means if you kiss the boy, you wear fangs. If you suck his c**k, you wear fangs. If you lick him clean, if you do anything, you wear fangs. Don’t, and you go home.” Some of the vampires nodded. Some licked their lips. Some just continued staring at his vulnerable body, their eyes glowing with hunger. Jesse tensed slightly at the first rule, but it was an automatic reaction, his flesh responding to the threat, even if Jesse viewed the rule as more of a promise. “Second.” Gideon prowled around the racks, passing out of view briefly as he circled behind Jesse. “No deep feeds unless I say so. You can bite to your heart’s content, but if I see anyone taking more than a mouthful at any given time without my permission, I will rip out your tongue and shove it up your ass, along with any other dangling appendage I see fit to remove.” Jesse kept his head down, his eyes glued to the ground. He didn’t want any of the vampires to be able to read his face. He hoped a few of them had the balls to ask Gideon’s permission for a deep feed. The rule wasn’t in place to protect Jesse, it was simply to remind everybody of Gideon’s control. But he wanted the euphoria that always came with being pushed right to the edge and then over it. “Third. No toys. The only toy to touch his skin will be at my hand. You want to play with the boy, you use only what you’ve got attached to you. Hands, nails, c***s, p*****s, I don’t care.” He smirked at Monique as he passed by her. “I’m sure you’re more than creative enough with those to make do.” Gideon came to a halt in front of Jesse again, the tail of the whip flicking against his thigh as he rotated his wrist in preparation. “The important thing is to have fun. You got invited to our little welcome home party because I trust you. Don’t make me regret it.” The stakes were different now. Gideon and Jesse both knew it. Any injury inflicted would heal. If it turned into some sort of feeding frenzy Jesse didn’t like, the chains wouldn’t hold him in place. But despite the differences, everything still felt familiar to Jesse. Gideon was still unequivocally in charge, his will the only thing that truly mattered in the room. Jesse still wanted to be at the vampires’ mercy—or lack thereof. He wanted them to admire his body, hunger for it, and then claim it anyway they could. The longer he stayed shackled in place, the more he forgot who he had become in favor of who he once was. Heat crawled over Jesse’s skin as Gideon stepped closer. Using the handle of the whip, he nudged Jesse’s chin upward, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Welcome home, boy,” he murmured. “Thank you, Sir,” Jesse responded at a matching volume. He desperately wanted to lean forward and feel Gideon’s mouth. His lips tingled for the contact. Gideon tilted his head, and for a moment, Jesse thought he would get exactly what he wanted—until Gideon took a step back. His features shifted. Familiar brown eyes turned gold, while fangs he had loved for years descended. The six weeks he’d spent believing Gideon was dead had done little to diminish his memory, but nothing compared to finally having him back in front of him. Slowly, Gideon circled around the left rack. Or behind him. “Feel free to undress during the show,” Gideon said, clearly addressing the vampire audience. “Though don’t expect Jesse to be able to appreciate it just yet. He’s going to be too busy counting off, aren’t you, boy?”