The Age of Retribution

To 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?” “Yes, Sir.” Though Jesse fully expected it, the first lash across his back made him scream. His skin was resilient to injury, and wouldn’t break under a normal whipping. But Gideon knew that, and had adjusted accordingly. Now it took more to slice the skin open, but that only meant Jesse had the opportunity to feel it more. “One.” The word was barely out of his mouth before the whip landed against the small of his back. He felt the first thread of blood, and his feet and neck tingled as the pain worked through his body. “Two.” Three landed across his ass, as did four and five. Blood dripped down onto his thighs from the searing lacerations, but while Jesse braced for the next blow, the sting of the whip across his left shoulder blade sucked the breath from him. He barely got the number out before a matching stroke landed on his right side. Monique appeared in his line of sight. Per Gideon’s instruction, she had stripped out of her clothes. She toyed with herself, one hand fondling a full breast, the other between her legs, but it was the ravenous gleam in her golden eyes that bored into Jesse. “Seven,” Jesse gasped as the tip of the whip touched the nape of his neck. He couldn’t look away from Monique, and he realized why the woman was so dangerous. No man could resist that look in her eye—though they would probably mistake it for s****l arousal instead of bloodlust. Jesse knew better. She didn’t move in until after Jesse had declared the ninth hit. Her mouth moved down his body, not quite touching his tight skin, until she reached his n****e. Her fangs gleamed in the dim light, and Jesse couldn’t take his eyes from her. He jerked as both Monique and Gideon struck at the same time. The whip sliced across his ass again, re-opening the previous cuts, while Monique clamped her mouth against his chest, her fangs firmly embedded in his flesh. Her hand shot up and grasped the back of his neck, smearing the blood, and she held him as firmly as the chains did while she took a deep swallow from his veins. Jesse shouted, and the shout turned into a moan as Monique pulled another mouthful from his veins. Gideon never stopped, and he forced himself to say eleven, even though his throat was tight and his mouth uncooperative. He thought he could feel each drop of the blood exit his skin. When Monique shut her eyes and made her own appreciative sound, Jesse thought she’d forget Gideon’s rule. He almost begged her not to go when he felt her fangs slide out. But without releasing his neck, she lifted her head and crushed her blood-stained lips to his. “Monique. He can’t count off if you’re kissing him.” At Gideon’s voice, she pulled away, a slight pout curving her mouth. “Then make him scream again.” She reached down and curled her fingers around the c**k ring, forcing the spikes deeper into Jesse’s shaft. “I want to feel it when he does.” “That was the plan all along,” Gideon said. The whip whistled through the air. Another burning slice cut across Jesse’s back. Jesse did scream again, twelve buried somewhere in the sound. Monique grinned with crimson teeth, her fingernail scraping across his shaft, adding a sliver of blood to the drops welling around the ring. He squirmed automatically, the chains rattling against the pillars. “Monique’s not going to have all the fun, is she?” He barely recognized Frankie’s voice, but there he was, hanging on the periphery. “We don’t want him passing out yet, after all.” “He does have a point, Gideon,” Monique said. Strong fingers touched the open marks on his back. “I suppose we can move on to the next course.” Gideon licked along Jesse’s neck, chasing the flowing blood with fangs that scratched along the way, but all too quickly, he was gone again. “Starters are up, people. I don’t want to see a drop of blood on the boy by the time I get undressed.” The vampires swarmed. Jesse’s breath caught in his throat as nails, teeth, tongues, and lips descended. A few had no interest in cleaning the blood already flowing down his back, and they made fresh marks on his arms, torso, and legs. Jesse’s head spun, and he was grateful for the restraints that kept him from falling in the tilting room. His c**k ached, and the ache turned into a more insistent throbbing when a vampire—maybe Frankie—decided he didn’t want to miss a single drop of blood on Jesse’s c**k and closed his mouth around it. Jesse had no choice but to close his eyes and let the sensations of hot and cold, hard and soft, sharp and dull, wash over him. He almost missed the order to get him onto some table. Hands pulled at his bindings, catching him when they became loose, and they carried him to some unforeseen surface, wider than he was, though not as long. Someone grabbed his ankles and dragged him down the table’s length, re-opening the already healing wounds on his back. They stopped when his ass hung over its edge. “Same rules apply.” Gideon climbed onto the table behind Jesse’s head. “Consider his body yours until I say otherwise. He’s already stretched and lubed for whoever wants to f**k him, but his mouth is off limits.” Strong thighs bracketed Jesse’s chest as Gideon knelt over his face. He didn’t offer his c**k to Jesse, but instead faced the other direction. The tight muscle of his ass was only inches away. “That’s mine.” He twisted around in order to meet Jesse’s eyes. “You’ve got permission to use your hands, boy. But only on me.” “Yes, Sir,” Jesse said with a rush of relief. He hated keeping his hands to himself. Not when Gideon was right there to hold, to stroke, even to caress. He couldn’t see the vampire standing at the end of the table. Gideon blocked his view. But he didn’t need to see them to know exactly what was happening. A vampire grabbed Jesse’s ankles, holding his feet in the air. Gideon wrapped his large hands around Jesse’s calves and pulled back, pulling his ass up and opening him wide. “Get out of there, Charlie,” Gideon said good-naturedly. “You f**k him first and everybody is going to complain he’s stretched too much.” Laughter rippled through the crowd. Someone grumbled, and the hands holding his ankles disappeared. “I’ll go first.” The New York accent was familiar. Jesse flashed on a tall, gaunt vampire with a long, skinny c**k. He’d sucked it often. The butt plug was pulled out, to be replaced by knobby fingers. They twisted and prodded, scraping against Jesse’s prostate in the process. “Oh, yeah, this’ll be good. He’s primed.” “Would I bring him less than ready?” Now Gideon sounded slightly annoyed, but Jesse was too transfixed on the flesh lowering to his face. “Eat my ass, boy. I know you’re as hungry as everybody else.” “Yes, Sir,” Jesse muttered before pushing his tongue into Gideon’s hole. He sighed as soon as his tongue touched Gideon’s flesh, and for a brief moment, the whole world narrowed to the vampire straddling his chest—his vampire. One hand snuck around the front of Gideon’s body to find his c**k, which already dripped with pre-come. But he couldn’t remain entirely focused on Gideon. Not when the New Yorker vamp’s hand disappeared, to be quickly replaced by his long c**k. Jesse groaned as the vampire pushed all the way inside. Balls slapped against his ass, but the effect was temporary as the vamp started to f**k him in earnest. Each drive scraped his raw back against the table, and the added sting only made the fire in his belly burn hotter. “Frankie, get over here.” Gideon slid his hands up to the back of Jesse’s thighs and forced his legs even farther apart. “I know you wanted Jesse’s c**k, but you really need to try his balls first.” “Oh, yeah,” Frankie muttered. Hair tickled across Jesse’s inner thigh. Then a fanged mouth closed around his sac, sucking the entire thing inside its cool depths. Jesse groaned against Gideon’s body, not letting his tongue stop even as his eyes rolled back in his head. Nobody tried to be gentle. Nobody spared a second thought to Jesse’s comfort, and that was why he loved Sangre so much. And for the first time, he didn’t have to worry about somebody going too far. He didn’t have to worry about anything at all. He just had to close his eyes and enjoy the c**k plowing in his ass and the fangs hooking on his sac, catching the skin until it broke and added more fresh blood to the air. Frankie’s assault broke the dam of reserve holding back the other vampires. Jesse couldn’t see them, but their touches were unmistakable. Hands over his torso. Someone with nails pulling at his c**k. A mouth latched onto the wrist pumping Gideon’s c**k, pulling so hard at his blood that Jesse faltered in the hand job. The vampire f*****g him buried his c**k in Jesse one last time before erupting. Fluid filled his ass, and he felt it start to drip as the vamp pulled out. “Somebody clean him up before he takes another c**k,” Gideon ordered. A vamp was right there to follow Gideon’s directive, and the cool tongue against his heated flesh almost made him wish he wasn’t wearing a c**k ring. The vampire lapped at the come, its fangs adding streams of blood, prompting a moan from the vampire that vibrated through Jesse’s body. He could barely hear it, but he felt it, all the way up his spine. The mouth disappeared and the vampire declared, “I can’t wait any longer for this one.” When a c**k thicker than the last tore into his ass, Jesse’s scream was muffled by Gideon’s flesh. He tightened his grip convulsively on the length in his hand, but Gideon’s response was to grind harder against Jesse’s mouth. Frankie abandoned his balls. Someone started licking up and down Jesse’s c**k, worming his or her tongue underneath the spiked ring. The punctures scratched wider, adding to the blood dripping down his ass, until Jess didn’t know what was causing what. Despite the physical changes, blood loss still affected him. Blood flowed from his body and into the vampires, onto the table, dripped to the floor. The hands and fangs never let up, not for a second. Gideon never gave him a moment of respite. And Jesse’s flesh absorbed the attention, the heightened sensations, taking him beyond pain. Hot come filled his ass again, and again Gideon instructed the next vampire in line to clean up the mess. Another mouth, another set of fangs, more blood, and a tongue f*****g him with the same speed and fury of the previous c**k. Everything devolved into sensations too tightly bound together to pick apart. Jesse lost track of how many vampires f****d him, though he highly suspected some of them had to have had a second go. He was dizzy from the blood loss. It wouldn’t kill him, but enough was being taken, in consistent amounts, to leave him teetering on the edge of euphoria. But it was never quite enough to topple him over. “Enough.” The simple command made the entire room freeze. Jesse felt the difference like a breath being sucked in, and then Gideon was moving, climbing off, and he was left blinking against the sudden light. “My turn.” Smiling around his fangs, Gideon found the leash dangling from Jesse’s collar and hauled him to a seated position. “I’m giving you a choice, boy. Feel like f*****g someone tonight?” Jesse eyed the women in the room, each of them with stained mouths and flashing eyes. He shivered at the thought of burying his c**k in somebody tight, somebody heated with stolen blood from his veins. “Yes, Sir, please.” Frankie separated from the pack and stepped forward. “I asked first, Gideon. Can I have him?” Regarding the young vampire with a thoughtful eye, Gideon perched on the table next to Jesse in an almost conspiratorial pose. It was a familiar position outside of Sangre, one of equals, like he had just come into Jesse’s office and they were discussing a new problem. Here, it felt a little odd, though Gideon’s continued grip on the leash helped. “Would you like that, boy?” His free hand dropped to Jesse’s c**k, pushing the ring so that it dug more into his flesh. “Which do you want, p***y or his tight little ass?” Frankie still reminded Jesse of Jonah, and he just did not have a strong desire to f**k a woman—though all the women surrounding him were more than attractive. “His ass, please, Sir.” The flash of pleasure radiating from Frankie’s smile gave Jesse more satisfaction than he expected. Groans of disappointment came from the crowd, but Frankie ignored all of them, coming up the rest of the way to run his hand up Jesse’s thigh. “Christmas came early this year,” he said. “Yeah, well, be thankful I’m in a generous mood,” Gideon replied. “Get on the couch. On your back.” The latter direction surprised both of them, but Frankie didn’t argue. He hurried to the nearest sofa and stretched out, resting one leg on the back in order to expose his ass. Gideon unhooked the leash from the collar before removing the strap of leather itself and setting it aside. “I haven’t had my taste yet,” he explained. “Now get over there, boy. I want to see you show Frankie what he’s been missing all these years.” Jesse hesitated for a moment, looking at Gideon questioningly, half-expecting some further instruction. But there was no further instruction. There was nothing else to add. Jesse knew what Gideon wanted him to do, and Gideon wasn’t going to change his mind or punish him for following instructions. Even if Jesse had never done anything like this in all the times Gideon had brought him to play at Sangre. He knelt between Frankie’s legs, taking a moment to admire his thick c**k. It was a shame Gideon had monopolized his mouth, because he would have loved to get his lips wrapped around Frankie’s length, sucking him until he filled Jesse’s throat. But the night was still very young, and Jesse thought it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to still happen. He couldn’t, however, resist wrapping his fingers around Frankie’s shaft and stroking him once, catching the tip with his thumb before releasing him. Jesse’s c**k was slick with blood and pre-come, and he didn’t have to worry about making sure Frankie’s hole was ready for him. Chances were good that it was. Chances were good that it didn’t matter either way. He wasn’t going to hurt the vampire, after all. Gripping the base of his sensitive c**k, he guided it to Frankie’s ass and his back arched as the tight muscle gripped the crown. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other vampires flock around to watch. More than one of the males had his c**k in hand, and Monique’s hand was back between her legs. All of them looked jealous. Maybe they didn’t want to be f****d, but Frankie’s general position certainly provoked more than one disappointed murmur. Gideon didn’t share easily. This was a night to mark. As Jesse slowly pressed into Frankie’s ass, a hand settled in the small of his back. He jerked, almost pulling out, and only stopped when he recognized Gideon’s other hand coming around to play with Frankie’s c**k. “As soon as you’re buried in him, it’s going to be my turn, boy.” Gideon said. “And I think, for having the balls to stand up for what he wants tonight, I should let him have a good long feed with me. Both of us, sucking you dry.” His tongue licked across Jesse’s ear. “But only if you beg for it.” Begging for it wouldn’t be a problem. He had been taunted, tormented, with the release that accompanied turning himself over completely. He knew how good it was to let Gideon drink his fill, instead of stopping when they stepped too close to the line. So he would beg for it, loud enough so every vampire could hear him and ache to be the one to fulfill his desire. “Yes, Sir.” Jesse sighed once the c**k ring hit Frankie’s ass. The vampire constricted around his shaft, almost pulling a whimper from his throat, and the pressure against the ring was incredible. Enough to almost make Jesse think he couldn’t take it anymore. Almost. Gideon slid his fingers down from Jesse’s back, between his cheeks to find his stretched and ravaged hole. He twisted four inside, almost brutally, while he settled into a position over Jesse’s back. Jess gritted his teeth, determined not to cry out yet, and waited for the blunt tip he knew so well, for the violent entry he knew Gideon would make, for the satisfaction of being filled by the vampire he loved more than life itself. Gideon didn’t disappoint. The weight of his body crushed Jesse’s into Frankie, prompting the other vampire to clutch at Jesse’s hips, but it was the furious drive of his c**k into Jesse’s ass that made everything that had happened prior mere foreplay. “Please…Sir…please…please…” Jesse didn’t know quite what he was begging for. He didn’t want to be bitten just yet, and each hard thrust was everything that Jesse could have wanted or needed. Gideon drove him into Frankie’s passage, forcing Jesse’s c**k deep into the vampire’s tight body. In spite of how Gideon had described it, Jesse didn’t so much f**k Frankie as he was pummeled between the vampires, locked in the middle as the one below rose to meet each bruising thrust while Gideon tore into his aching channel. He couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to. He could barely breathe. At one point, Gideon even wrapped his powerful hand over the front of Jesse’s throat and squeezed, making him arch away from Frankie and harder into Gideon. The constriction around Jesse’s c**k and throat increased until he felt like he was nothing but a throbbing mass of flesh. He would have come then if Gideon had given him permission. The lack of oxygen increased his vertigo, and he could only tell the difference between up and down because of Gideon’s solid weight behind and above him. Always there. Unquestionable. Frankie began to writhe beneath Jesse, his earlier crude coaxing morphing into desperate cries. Not that there was anything Jesse could really do on the matter, not with Gideon in control of their movements, but he somehow found the means to worm his hand between their bodies to find Frankie’s thick c**k. In his ear, Gideon chuckled. “Hungry for it, aren’t you, boy? Maybe next time, we’ll find a way to stuff your throat at the same time.” Jesse was hungry for it, and every sensitive spot on his body, every fresh bite in his muscles, every drop of sweat rolling into an open wound, reminded him of just how hungry he was. When he managed to open his eyes, he looked up into watchful faces, straining against each other to get one more drop of blood. The part of Jesse that could still think wondered if any of the vampires tasted a difference. But even that part would be silenced when Gideon struck. The thought made Jesse arch his neck in an invitation that was always understood. The hand around his throat disappeared. On the next stroke into his ass, Gideon bore his weight further down, forcing Jesse closer to the other vampire. “This is your chance, Frankie.” Gideon mouthed the scars that branded Jesse as his. “You want a taste, take it now.” Jesse had never seen Frankie so excited. Golden eyes gleamed, and his lips curled back from his fangs. He didn’t know how they timed it. Whether it was a glance between them, or some innate vampire thing. He only knew that both vampires buried their razor-sharp fangs into his neck at the exact same moment. “God!” His own voice was startlingly loud, climbing above all of them and bouncing off the ceiling. He stared straight ahead until his eyes unfocused and the world swam in an underwater blur. Gideon never let up on his punishing rhythm, and Frankie just seemed to get tighter, burn hotter. In a different situation, a calmer context, he would be able to stop his orgasm, wait until Gideon gave him permission. The simple, low directive, come, would give him the extra thrill he needed. But in this situation, waiting wasn’t possible. It was a literal, physical impossibility. Even with the c**k ring constricting his flesh, he couldn’t withstand the amazing force of pleasure rushing through his body. The loss, and then the bodily weakness, that signaled his final release. And the pair of mouths, working in tandem, just sent him in an even faster spiral. He felt Frankie break first, the warm splash of come across his stomach gluing them together. Frankie was also the one to tear away from his throat first, a loss Jesse felt so acutely, he would’ve dragged Frankie back if he had the muscle control. But he couldn’t really blame Frankie for playing it cautious. Gideon had been clear in his instructions. As far as the vampires here knew, Jesse was as frail as the next human to walk through Sangre’s doors. But Gideon continued to drink. He pulled viciously at the blood flowing through Jesse’s veins, feeding more deeply than he’d had since they returned to their own dimension. Without Frankie anchoring him, Jesse’s head fell back onto Gideon’s shoulder. Gideon’s growls reverberated through both of them, and when he slammed into Jesse’s ass one final time, even Frankie was trembling. Everybody but Gideon faded from Jesse’s perception, and he only remained aware of Gideon because the vampire did not release him. The edges of his vision darkened more and more, and the growls, groans, and murmurs of the crowd surrounding them dulled beneath the roar in his ears. Jesse floated somewhere on the fringes of consciousness when he felt Gideon retract his fangs. His soothing tongue licked over the puncture wounds, while his arm stole between Jess and Frankie’s chests to hold him closer. “Anything for my boy,” Gideon said into his skin. Jesse tried to say, “Thank you,” but his voice failed, and he could only mouth the words. * * * * Jesse felt great, but he couldn’t very well demonstrate that. When he emerged from the bathroom in a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of jeans, all the vampires looked a little crestfallen, like Gideon had taken away their favorite toy. He still wore the collar, but only to disguise the fact that Gideon and Frankie’s bites had already healed. Gideon placed him at the bar and ordered him to stay there and not to talk to anybody. Jesse obeyed, but his gaze never strayed from Gideon as he moved through the small group of vampires, talking to and even kissing them when the mood struck. Dull banging rang throughout the club. With a frown, Jesse tracked the noise to the front door, and watched Gideon head to answer it in clear annoyance. Someone was late to join the party, obviously. Gideon was likely to send them packing. Alarm shot through him when the door opened and Detective Derek O’Dell appeared in the entrance. It wasn’t that he feared cops doing something as foolish as raiding Sangre; Derek wasn’t just any cop. But seeing their friend hovering on the threshold in clear agitation was never a good sign. Gideon glanced back at the other vampires before zeroing in on Jesse. With a crook of two fingers, he beckoned Jesse over. Jesse didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even try to pretend that he was weak from blood loss or sore from all the f*****g. Jesse had bigger concerns than keeping up that particular charade. Especially when he got closer and had a clearer view of Derek’s face. “What’s wrong?” Derek’s prematurely gray hair stood up in even wilder shocks than normal. “I just came from your place. Michelle filed kidnapping charges, so a unit got dispatched to go pick you and Dominique up.” “You’re not serious? Kidnapping charges? She got the police involved?” “You’re really surprised? You took her foster kid, Jess.” Derek held up a hand to cut off the protest already forming on both Jesse’s and Gideon’s lips. “Save it. My point is, I hooked in on the unit that went over, to try and keep things as calm as I could. Social Services took Dominique, who, by the way, is a little hellion. But they also arrested you. Well, that guy that looks like you. He didn’t try to say he wasn’t you, but I knew the difference.” Most people who knew them would. Superficially, JT looked just like him. Which made sense, since JT was him from another dimension. But Jesse was far rougher around the edges. While JT led a relatively quiet life in his London, Jesse had a much more tumultuous existence. “Let’s go get him,” Jesse said, taking a step toward the door. “We can’t just leave him there. Plus, this is completely ridiculous. Michelle knows I didn’t kidnap her.” Derek grabbed Jesse’s arm. “You go down there, and they’re going to lock you up, too, while they sort it out. Because your fingerprints match, remember? You really want to try and deal with all that craziness, too?” “Derek’s right.” Gideon shrugged at Jesse’s incredulous look. “Someone’s got to talk some sense into Michelle. You think you can do that behind bars?” “What are you going to do then? JT didn’t sign up for a stint in jail. And Dominique…” Jesse didn’t even want to think about what the girl was going through. She had lost too many people, been shuffled around the system too much, for something like this to just roll off her back. And she already didn’t like Michelle. “I’m going to find out what I can and talk to JT. The more we know, the smarter we can play this.” Fishing in his pockets, Gideon pulled out his keyring. “Take the car and go home. I’ll get a ride with Derek to the station.” “I can take the two of you home again when you’re done,” Derek said. Gideon frowned. “Two? Jesse’s not going.” “No, I know.” He jerked his head toward his darkened car at the curb. “I brought the other Jesse’s boyfriend along. He’s the one who told me where you two were tonight.” “David? David isn’t even supposed to be in this dimension.” “Don’t look at me. I can’t even begin to tell you how weird this entire night has been.” Jesse took the car keys from Gideon, though he still didn’t like the idea of just quietly going home when Dominique was God knew where, JT was being held for a crime he didn’t commit, David was in the wrong dimension, and Michelle had apparently lost her f*****g mind.