A Vampire Chew Toy

PrologueMars O’Ceallaigh looked around the luxurious dining room in the underground mansion and wanted to throw up. He hated when people turned being a vampire into a cliché. There was no reason for underground mansions. They could walk in the sun like any other species, and blood slaves? He forced his body not to tense as he watched them. Several barely dressed humans were looking into the nothingness with glassy eyes. They weren’t dead, but not far from it. Half-starved and anemic. It wasn’t the worst place he’d seen, but it wasn’t one of the good ones either. Being a blood slave was never a good thing, but there were different levels of hell. He hated vampires. They’d tracked the slime arranging these get-togethers for weeks, and since Mars was the only vampire on the team, he was the one who got to go undercover. Joy of joys. He hated undercover work, and he hated vampires. “See anyone you like, Mr. Kelly?” Mars kept his face blank and slid his gaze over the humans lined up by the wall. Most of them were young women, but there were a few men, too. One tall, muscular man caught his attention. Attractive, a bit cocky judging by the defiance in his eyes. The kind of specimen he’d have tried to lure into his bed had he been a shifter. Feeding from humans had been forbidden for three hundred years. Mars was unsure whether he thought it was a good idea or not. With the ban in place, places like this could flourish. Without it, every human was at risk. There was a treaty between vampires and shifters. They would remain hidden from humans—both vampires and shifters. Vampires would lend their mental abilities should a human see a shifter change shape or do something else to give themselves away, and shifters would donate blood, either by allowing vampires to bite them or by providing blood through blood bags. Nowadays, it was almost always blood bags unless you were in a relationship or had one-night stands where bites were allowed. It was all very tedious. Mars believed it best to keep their existence hidden from humans since humans tended to overreact when it came to…everything, and they outnumbered the members of the supernatural community a hundred times over, but he missed humans. Both feeding from humans and having closer relationships with humans. Shifters were so… He was being unfair. There were shifters he liked, sort of. A few. Murrie. He was at ease with Murrie, but he wouldn’t eat from him. Human blood was what tasted best, no doubt about it, and more and more donated human blood found its way into vampire hands. It was okay. As long as stealing bags from a blood bank was all they did, Mars was willing to look the other way. This though. Underground mansions with blood slaves, vampires hosting blood orgies, humans trapped, enslaved, abused, and whatever else they did to them in places like this was not okay. And it pissed him off that he had to be here. Why didn’t they have any other vampires on the team? Sure, there were far more shifters than vampires around, but couldn’t Murrie have hired at least one more? He swallowed a snarl and focused on the blood slaves. Humans might be weak and short-lived, but it didn’t make it okay for the supernatural community to take advantage of them. He inspected the biggest human again. He looked to be in better shape than the others. Maybe he hadn’t been here as long, or maybe he used his strength to make sure he got the food he needed. No matter the reason, he stood out. He moved on to the next, a gaunt woman so pale he feared she wouldn’t survive another feeding. Quickly, he moved forward. He might have to feed to keep up the appearance, and he didn’t want the team to find him in bed with a corpse when they stormed the place. Seeing the humans in the state they were in should be enough, but Murrie wanted them to be caught in action to prevent anyone from walking. He was right. The judge was a d**k, and he always allowed vampires to get off easier than they should, so Mars would make sure there was action. He wasn’t the only guest here tonight, but he was the oldest, so he had first pick. Maybe he should take the woman, he could bite her, smear some blood around and pretend to feed. He was old enough not to give in to his urges. He could taste her blood without drinking. If she went to someone else, they might drain her if Murrie and the rest weren’t quick enough. Motion farther down the line caught his attention. A short, thin man stumbled. Oh, f**k. If he couldn’t stand in line without fainting, how would he survive being fed on? The host hissed. The name he’d given Mars was Leonardo, but it wasn’t his real name. They believed he went under Ezekiel Wright and had been for at least the last fifty years. He wasn’t in charge, but he was high enough in the hierarchy that they wanted to get him. The leader of the feeding ring, Louis Boucher, wouldn’t be here today. They had lost track of him months ago but hitting this place and bringing the ones working here in for questioning would hopefully give them something new to go on. Before Mars could react, Ezekiel was in front of the human. The slap he gave him had his head snapping back, and he stumbled into the wall. s**t. A slap like that was enough to give a human a concussion; fragile beings. Mars moved to stand next to Ezekiel and looked at the man. Short, thin, bruised, terrified. The scent of his fear had Mars’s fangs dropping. Yes, he was a predator. He could fight it, but he believed dropping some fangs would be okay in a company like this. Ezekiel gave him an unimpressed look. “This one? He’s trouble.” He didn’t look like much trouble with the wall the only thing holding him upright. His arms were covered in ink and his almost black hair teased his eyes. Maybe there had been a lot of attitude once. If there had, it had been beaten out of him now. Before Mars could reply, Ezekiel yanked the man forward and sank his fangs into his throat without controlling his mind first. Humans were easy to enthrall, a mental connection could be formed from a distance, and while eye contact made it easier, it wasn’t necessary. The man gasped, and Mars had to force himself not to wince. There were both old scars and fresh bites all over his body, telling him he’d been here a long time and was used to Ezekiel’s treatment. Bites without mind control hurt a lot, and Ezekiel hadn’t been gentle. “Sample him.” Ezekiel pushed him toward Mars. “He’s my favorite. AB negative, flexible, and perhaps not as tight as he was when he came here, but still better than most.” Mars pressed his lips together not to snarl. Ezekiel buried his hand in the man’s dark hair and yanked so his throat was exposed. Mars bent down and caught the blood trickling from the bite with his tongue. The man was shaking, the scent of fear so strong Mars could taste it. The rich flavor of his blood had Mars biting back a groan. He hadn’t had AB negative in centuries, at least not directly from the source. He might have scored a blood bag, maybe. He couldn’t remember. f**k, he tasted good. Mars lapped at him, wanting more. “Intriguing?” Ezekiel wore a smug expression. The fucker would die. “Yes. I think I’ll have him.” The man didn’t make a sound. Blood kept trickling down his throat and pooled by the hollow of his collarbone. Mars licked it, heat coursed his body, and his c**k hardened in his pants. He pushed the sensation away and licked the puncture wound. It took several licks to seal it enough for no new blood to well up. Vampire saliva hurried the healing along, but it didn’t have the ability to make a wound disappear as pop culture sometimes depicted it. Now he wished he could. Despite not being the one who had bitten the human, he wanted the wound gone. Had it been his bite, it would have been different. Had the man allowed him to bite him, it would have been different. If he’d been healthy and could spare a few swallows of blood, it would have been different. But no matter how much Mars wished he’d taken this man with his amazing blood home, and that he’d come to his bed willingly, it wasn’t the case. “Do you wish to partake in the main entertainment here—” He gestured around the room. “—or do you prefer a private bedchamber?” “Private, please.” Maybe he should stay in the dining room. Their research told them there would be an orgy. Important people—like the persona Mars pretended to be—got to pick a partner. The remaining guests gathered in a group with some of the staff and they amused themselves with the remaining blood slaves. s*x and blood until the guests were sated. It turned his stomach, and yet part of him was intrigued. “Pick a room.” Ezekiel motioned at the door leading out into a corridor with several doors. He’d opened one of them to show a bedroom when Mars had arrived and had told him all rooms were bedrooms equipped with anything one could need for a night of fun. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know exactly what it was equipped with, but he could guess. The human didn’t move, so Mars had to push him forward. The scent of fear was still there, but he had the distinct feeling of the man shutting down, putting himself away, and it annoyed him. It was a defense mechanism, but he wanted him awake and alert. He opened the first door and ushered the man inside. “I’ll be right back.” He closed the door, leaving the man alone in the room, and went back into the dining room. A female vampire had picked the big man Mars had been looking at, but no one had bitten anyone yet. It should be enough to haul them all in for questioning as it was, but Murrie wanted bites. “Did you forget something?” Ezekiel’s tone was neutral, but there was annoyance in his gaze. “Ah, I was wondering, how many do you need out here?” “If you wanted more than one, you should have paid extra.” Mars gave him a fangy grin. “Of course.” The female yanked the human she’d picked to a couch, looked into his eyes for a second, and Mars watched as he melted into the cushions. She straddled him and bit into his neck. And there it was. He reached for the watch on his wrist and pushed the button to signal for Murrie and the rest to storm the place. Then he turned and went back to the bedroom with the tasty human he wouldn’t touch. It didn’t take many seconds after he’d closed the door behind him before there was a commotion in the corridor. Part of him wanted to go out there and help, but his orders were to stay with his prize. There had been raids where the vampires had killed all the blood slaves before they’d managed to stop them—as if it would save them—so Mars was now on guard duty. The human stood in the middle of the room. He hadn’t moved since Mars had entered, hadn’t spoken or looked at him. “You can sit.” Better he sat than fell. The man dropped to his knees as if he was about to give Mars a blowjob—not what he needed to be thinking about right now. “Relax, you can relax. We’re waiting for some buddies of mine.” The tension was instant, and Mars cursed himself. Of course, the man would assume he meant more would come to party on him. “Not like that. My work colleagues.” It didn’t calm him. “We’re…law enforcement.” They were, but the supernatural law, not the human one. This poor man would show up somewhere in a day or two without a single memory of what had happened. They couldn’t do anything about the scars, though, and he’d most likely suffer from nightmares for the rest of his life. Mars did an excellent job removing memories, better than most, but some mental scars would never heal. They were buried too deeply in the subconscious. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. “Mars, you in there?” Murrie’s voice was deep and growly, but Mars was glad to hear it. He yanked the door open. “Evening, boss.” Glaring brown eyes met his. Murrie’s bear was so close to the surface, Mars could almost see the fur coming through his human skin. Normally, Murrie had blue eyes and honey-colored hair, looking a bit like an overgrown surfer dude. Mellow, carefree, and quick to smile. Now his colors were darker, and there was a deadly air around him. “All well?” His voice was growly, but relief shone in his eyes. Mars grunted. He wasn’t suffering, but he couldn’t say the same about the human, could he? He was rocking back and forth where he sat on the floor, and Mars wasn’t sure he could keep it up for long. Soon, he’d topple over. “I see.” Murrie reached into the black backpack he had slung over his shoulder. There were evidence bags, a first aid kit, and a few other things. What Mars hadn’t known was it also included a bag of colorful little chocolate balls. Murrie often had a bowl of M&Ms on his desk, but to bring them to a crime scene…Murrie grabbed a blue little ball and walked over to the human. Gently, he cupped the man’s face and brought the chocolate to his mouth. At first, the man squeezed his lips shut, but when Murrie grumbled it was an M&M, he opened. Mars would never understand Murrie’s fascination with candy, but in this case, he guessed it was a good thing. The man stopped rocking, and Murrie spoke low and soothingly, explaining who he was and what they were doing. He didn’t go into details but asked some questions. Every time the man, Devin Jace, answered, Murrie gave him an M&M. It didn’t matter if they had any use for the answer or not. As soon as he spoke, Murrie handed him a chocolate. It didn’t take long, it was obvious Devin didn’t know much—he didn’t know the names of the vampires coming to visit, he knew Ezekiel as Leonardo, had never heard the name Louis Boucher and hadn’t known any of the other humans. He didn’t know how long he’d been in the mansion—several months. Judging by the scars, Mars would guess a year. And someone had fed him vampire blood at some point. It was possible. Vampire blood sped up the healing in humans—not in shifters, which was strange. Mars was sure there was an explanation, but he’d never understood it. And it was another reason for keeping their existence hidden from humans. If they learned vampire blood could cure all ills, there would be drained vampires everywhere. Murrie squeezed his eyes shut before turning and giving Mars the look, the one saying wipe him clean and make it good. “All yours.” The reaction was instant. Devin jumped to his feet, a terrified wail filling the room, and Mars glared at Murrie before diving for him. “Smooth.” “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” Murrie grimaced. “Calm him and do your thing.” Mars tried. He tried forming a connection, but he was blocked. What the f**k? He grabbed Devin’s chin and looked deep into his eyes as he pushed his entire aura at him. Nothing. No connection. No control. Shocked, Mars looked at Murrie. “I can’t. I’m blocked.” All the while, Devin was screaming, clawing, kicking. “Are you kidding?” Mars snarled. “Does this look like a joke to you?” Murrie flashed teeth, sharp bear teeth. Mars flashed his own back in reply. “Okay, okay.” Murrie raised his hands. “Can you at least calm him?” Mars did his best to exude peace and relaxation, but it had no effect on Devin. Murrie, on the other hand, started showing signs of drowsiness. He shook himself. “Nope. I’m falling asleep, not him. We’ll have to bring him to the house and take it from there.”