Thicker than Blood

7. Elias

CHAPTER 7

Elias

M y instincts about the mortal are right on. He’s curious and adventurous enough to stay. I raise a hand and within seconds, Benicio is before me.

“Sir?”

“A house cocktail for our guest, please.”

“And for you?”

“The usual.”

“Right away.”

“Who is he to you? A servant?”

“I wouldn’t call him that, no. He’s quite free to do as he wishes, yet he chooses to spend his time pleasing me.”

Geordi’s brow crinkles as he twists his lips. “Is he a lover?”

“No. Would it bother you if he was?”

“Of course not. I’m just trying to understand your lifestyle.”

Chuckling, I lean closer to him. “That would be quite a feat.”

“I guess I don’t get it.”

“Benicio enjoys servitude. He enjoys making me happy and meeting my needs. It makes him happy. That’s all.”

Benicio returns with two drinks on a silver tray—a highball glass for Geordi and a silver goblet for me. Geordi takes the drink, sniffing it before taking a tiny sip.

“It isn’t poison.”

He smiles. “It’s tasty.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“What’s in yours?”

“I think you know the answer to that. I like to have a shot of liquor added, sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter. It enhances the natural flavor.”

I literally feel the shudder move through him.

“Was that hard to get used to?” he asks.

“What?”

“Drinking blood?”

“I don’t even remember. It’s been too long.” I take a sip of my drink. “But as I’ve seen through the eyes of the newly turned, it’s an instinct. As natural as drinking water is to you.”

Geordi nods, sipping his drink again as he casts his gaze around to the room. “What’s the right term for supernatural people? ‘People’ is wrong, but some of my volunteers want to be called creature, or monster, or being. I don’t know what’s right.”

“As you’ve learned, it varies, but ‘being’ is always safe. Person, people, man, woman, none of those are exactly correct, but no one would be offended if you used them.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

His nervous energy vibrates through him, spurring me to ease his discomfort. I ring a bell on the table beside me and instantly three incubi slither their way through the crowd, appearing before me filled with excited energy.

“Friends, we have a guest. Please soothe him.”

Zanis, the elder of the three, surveys Geordi before dropping to his knees. Geordi scoots back slightly but otherwise makes no effort to get away. Zanis, sensing Geordi’s anxiety, rubs a warm hand over Geordi’s leg.

“I’m not here to hurt you.”

With deft fingers, he removes Geordi’s shoes as the other two, Laith and Binx, move behind Geordi. The three of them begin to massage Geordi, instantly relaxing him as they exude their pheromones into a heavy fog around us.

Geordi gazes at me with heavy eyelids and a dopey smile, and I raise my glass to him. Zanis’s fingers move up his thighs, but that seems to agitate the mortal, which Zanis can feel, so he quickly moves back to his feet and calves.

“Would you like more?” I ask.

Geordi blinks slowly a few times before his brow creases. “What do you mean?”

“You can have anything you want here. Any desire or pleasure you seek.”

“Do you mean sex?”

“I do. I see three creatures who would love to take you apart right now if you wish it. There’s no rule about incubi.”

His pulse speeds up as his scent heightens. Ooh, he’s so curious.

“No, thank you.” He clears his throat. “I’m good for now.”

Zanis rises on his knees, stretching his torso slightly so he’s face-to-face with Geordi. He tickles under Geordi’s chin with his long fingers. “If you ever change your mind, Elias can summon us.”

“Thank you.”

The three disappear into the crowd, leaving us alone again. I find myself very curious about Geordi. No one who’s visited here has ever turned down an evening with the incubi. Interesting.

“I have a potentially intrusive question for you, Geordi.”

He turns to me, wide-eyed but open. “Sure. I’ll decide if I answer it.”

I smirk. I do enjoy a bit of spice. “How do you define your sexuality?”

He blinks rapidly as he sucks in a breath. “Um, I’m gay. You?”

“I’m whatever interests me. When you’ve been alive as long as I have, you find the need for boxes and labels is unnecessary. I do prefer the company of men though.”

Geordi clears his throat. “Cool. Good. I mean, yeah, same.” He laughs, but it sounds a bit like he’s choking. “Why do you ask?”

“You turned down the incubi. No one ever does. Sex with an incubus is a mind-blowing experience.”

“I prefer to be in a relationship of some kind. At least a few dates first. I’m not really a casual sex kind of guy.”

“How quaint.”

“Quaint?”

“Aren’t you the least bit tempted?”

“Sure, but I have a lot of self-control. The best outcomes come from proper research and preparation.”

“Is that so?”

He nods earnestly. “Spontaneity leads to trouble in most cases.”

“So how would you approach preparing to fuck an incubus?”

Even in the dim light I can see his cheeks turn pink. Vampire perk.

“If I were interested, which I’m not sure I am, I would start by referring to existing texts about interacting with incubi. I would make sure I knew any potential pitfalls and how to protect myself. You can accidentally bind yourself or commit to contracts if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I’m aware.”

“Of course.” He scrunches his nose. “I’m not sure I could enjoy myself. I might be too distracted to focus on the pleasure part of it.”

“Is that a frequent problem?”

“Yeah.” He offers an awkward smile. “It’s easier to avoid it, honestly.”

“It? Sex?”

“All of it. Sex, dating, relationships. Plus, I’m not like normal people. Most of the guys I meet don’t get me, and I’m tired of explaining.”

How tragic. This beautiful man should be adored, not locked in a lab.

He looks up at me. “Pathetic, right?”

“We all make our choices. Would you like it to be different?”

“Sometimes,” he admits. “I don’t know how though.”

“I could help.”

He searches my face for a moment. “Maybe later. We should focus on the problem we have.”

“Right.” I almost forgot. “Where would you like to start?”

“You could work on asking vampires you trust if they know what’s up. We’re doing the same on our side. None of us want to see it blow up like it did five years ago.”

“Agreed. Do you wish to leave now?”

He shakes his head, setting his jaw. “No. I’d like to try the vaccine now. It could be useful going forward. Will you help me?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

If it works, this will be a huge win for vampires, and if it doesn’t, selfishly, it could be a huge win for me to get past the defenses of this pretty mortal.

“I’m at your service, curious mortal.”