Thicker than Blood

16. Elias

CHAPTER 16

Elias

A fter reluctantly allowing Geordi to leave, I call for Benicio.

“Sir?”

“A fresh shirt please.” I hand him the soiled one. “Hang this somewhere. I don’t want it laundered.”

Benicio raises an eyebrow and actually smirks. “How very interesting.”

“To me as well. Have you seen Lucius?”

“Do you not hear the ruckus his mortal makes?”

I tune everything else out for a moment, focusing on Lucius’s scent. “Ah. Thank you.”

Benicio leaves, and as I drain my wine glass, he returns with a crisp white shirt and helps me into it. I twist around, cupping his chin and gazing into his adoring eyes.

“Have you allowed yourself a bit of fun lately?”

“My life is filled with joy as it is.”

“Beni. I want more for you.”

He glances past me for a brief moment. “I’m happy, I promise. I’ll know when I want more. For now, your pleasure is mine.”

Nodding, I caress his cheek. “Very well.”

I head off to find Lucius. I have to talk to him about what occurred tonight with Geordi. He’s the only one who thinks like me, carefully weighing all possibilities. I pass Hendrix sitting in a velvet chair and receiving a lap dance from a male siren. As I meander deeper into the club, I spot Soren chatting it up with a handsome mortal, then the scent of blood and sex tickles my nose, drawing me to a dark corner where Lucius has a mortal on his lap riding his cock. I lean on a column and watch for a moment. I do enjoy Lucius’s indulgent approach to sex. It almost rivals mine.

He’s sucking the man’s neck—not feeding, just marking him. He notices me, turning his sex-drunk eyes to me and smiling.

“My friend. Do you want a sample?”

“No. I’m quite satiated.” I sit in the velvet chair beside him. The mortal on his dick turns to me and smiles, but it morphs into another moan as his cock spills a trickle of cum. “How many times have you made him come so far?”

“Three. I think he’s about done, but he feels wonderful. I do love Americans. They’re so enthusiastic.”

Chuckling, I raise my hand and a server appears with my favorite drink. Perks of being me—I don’t have to ask for what I want.

“Thank you, Sergio.”

He nods, lingering for a moment. “I’m at your service if you’re in need of anything else.”

I’m regularly offered blood and sex by all the attendees and workers, but no one could pique my interest after the sweet treat I had earlier.

“I’m good.”

He leaves and Lucius grips the mortal’s shoulders, slamming his hips up into him and bringing himself to orgasm. His muscles twitch as he drinks from the wound in his lover’s neck. The mortal’s eyes are trained on me, and judging from his scent and the haze in his eyes, he very much enjoys being watched.

After a few moments, Lucius carefully withdraws himself from the man’s body, making sure he can stand safely. Lucius whispers to him, and the man smiles, allowing himself to be led away by one of our servers. They’ll ensure the mortal is cleaned up, dressed, and provided with snacks to help with the blood loss.

Lucius sits back in the chair, legs splayed and his magnificent cock still out, hanging heavy on his leg. He drags a hand through his hair, gazing at me with a satisfied smile.

“Why don’t I visit more often? I love this place.”

“Don’t like the European offerings?”

“None of them approach the pure hedonism of yours. How did your interaction go?”

“That’s why I sought you out. I knotted him.”

Lucius raises an eyebrow. “Did you? When was the last time that happened?”

I rub my forehead. “I’m not sure, but it was a very long time ago.”

“What would you like to do about it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes you do, or you wouldn’t be thinking about it.” Lucius grins. “You want to turn him, don’t you?”

“No. Of course not. I don’t do that.”

“But you could.”

“What if it were to happen again? What a tragedy it would be.”

“Life is filled with endless tragedies. Especially our lives. What if it’s a happy ending?”

I scoff. “Does that exist for a vampire? There is no ending.”

“Even better. A happy eternity.” He tilts toward me. “You like him.”

“Put your dick away. I can’t take you seriously like this.”

Lucius chuckles, tucking his soft but still impressive cock back into his slacks. “Better?”

“Yes. Of course I like him. I don’t fuck people I don’t like, but it’s no more than a passing fancy.”

“Does your knot agree with that?”

“I need to understand why it happens. I actually thought it had worn off or something. It’s been so long.”

“There is the one theory Sade had.”

Nodding, I glance around the club at the tables of beings drinking, feasting, and fucking. “I considered that, but wouldn’t Geordi know if he was partially supernatural? With all his blood research it should’ve shown by now.”

“Unless he doesn’t know what to look for, and honestly, how would he?”

“Perhaps it’s why he smells so delightful.”

“Just to you, my friend. He smells pleasant and mortal to me, but nothing special.”

“Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser.”

“Indeed. Did he please you?”

Flashes of his moans and the taste of his blood tease my memories. “Immensely. I desperately wanted to take him upstairs and lock us away until I’d had my fill.”

“Oh yes, that happens all the time with you. Let me name all the lovers you’ve wanted to do that with.” He taps his chin while I narrow my eyes. “I’m coming up with nothing.”

“I’m aware of how odd it is.”

“That’s good. What will you do about it?”

“I have no idea. He may not even give in again. He has some sort of rule-following fetish.”

“Ahh, but now he’s had a taste of the great vampire Elias, and he’s only mortal flesh and blood. He’ll be back.”

“And then what? Shall I lock him away while the world burns around us?”

Lucius reaches over and puts his hand over mine. “My dearest friend, the world is not burning. We’ve been through this sort of thing a thousand times, and we’ll see it a thousand more before the sun burns out. It’s but a bump in a very long road. Enjoy yourself with the curious man.”

“Perhaps. How was Tristan?”

Lucius removes his hand, leaning back in his seat. “Lovely. Eager. It was going quite nicely until he started peppering me with questions about how to get into your bed. Why do you avoid him?”

“I don’t know. He’s very charming and obviously gorgeous, but something doesn’t sit right with me. You didn’t notice anything off?”

“No. I fucked him hard and planted images of the both of us unraveling him together. He came like a geyser and screamed your name. I fear he’s obsessed.”

“Perhaps it’s the thrill of the chase.”

“No. He’s committed to his desire for you. I think you’re right not to fuck him. He’ll never let you go then.”

“I’ll continue to avoid him. Besides, my interest is elsewhere at the moment.”

Lucius gets a mischievous glint in his eyes. “He is very lovely. You should invite me to join you both. We had so much fun during our time together, didn’t we, love?”

The very thought of Lucius touching my beautiful mortal ignites my anger, spreading rage through me. My fangs drop and my eyes burn. Lucius throws his head back, laughing, making it clear he was only goading me.

“Now tell me again that he’s not special to you,” he says.

“You’re being an ass.”

“As is usual for me. My friend, you’re in danger.”

I scoff at that. “Hardly. As if a mortal could do anything to me.”

“That’s not the kind of danger I speak of.” He leans over and taps my chest over my heart. “Even an immortal creature of the night can lose his heart to love. What a shock it will be to the supernatural world to lose the ultimate lothario to the arms of one mortal man.”

“You’re way ahead of yourself.”

“I am a trendsetter.”

Shaking my head, I end up laughing. “I do adore you so.”

“The feeling is mutual. Maybe that’s your problem with Tristan. You’ve never been truly satisfied bedding vampires. I did my best and you still lost interest.”

“I didn’t lose interest in you. If I recall correctly, I lost you to a sex cult.”

Lucius chuckles. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.”

“Funny.”

“A hundred years of that. I’m surprised my dick didn’t fall off. I doubt I could handle you again.”

“You looked like you were doing just fine earlier.”

“Mortals aren’t the same as vampires, and no one is the same as you.”

“You flatter me.”

“I never forgot our passion. Have you?”

“I would never deny you an invitation to my bedroom.”

“Even now?”

I open my mouth to invite him up right now, simply to prove a point, and perhaps to get the mortal out of my head, but my words evade me.

Lucius smiles knowingly. “It’s worse than I thought.”

“Shut up, Lucius.”

He pats my hand. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re due. You’re nearly a thousand years old and have yet to be struck by Cupid’s bow even once. Maybe it’s time.”

“Maybe I’ll fuck his brains out for a month or two then move on like I normally do.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I’ll enjoy the show.”

“I came to you for clarity.”

“Did you not receive it? Let’s recap, shall we? Your knot showed up for the first time in decades, leading us to assume there’s something unusual about the mortal. You haven’t stopped thinking about him. You want to lock him away. You’re jealous and possessive over him. I suspect you’d kill anyone who touched him. Have I missed anything?”

“No,” I mutter.

“My conclusion is that the mortal is special, possibly supernatural, but whatever the case, he’s important to you. He may even change your life. If I were offering advice, I would tell you not to overthink, to allow your instincts to guide you, and see what happens. How’s that for clarity?”

“Like a bucket of bitter blood, but I appreciate your honesty.”

He stands, tucking in his shirt and zipping his slacks. “Come, my friend. Let’s get another drink and enjoy the debauchery around us. Tomorrow, we’ll face the problems the day provides.”

Rising to my feet, I nod. “Thank you.”

Lucius wraps his arm around my shoulders. “My pleasure.” He kisses my cheek, and I lean into him for just a moment. Lucius is the only being I feel safe enough to let down my guard with.

“A final word?”

I nod. “Go on.”

“The heart is as vast as our eternal walk. Just because you haven’t loved before, doesn’t mean you can’t. Accept whatever the mortal brings to you. Embrace it. Be open to surprises. Even an old vampire can learn new tricks.”

“Is that the saying?”

“Something like that.” He chuckles, squeezing my shoulder. “Come on now. I’m parched.”

Maybe he’s right and there’s more to Geordi than I’ve realized. I suppose time will tell.