Thicker than Blood

28. Geordi

CHAPTER 28

Geordi

G asping, I bolt upright, snapping my eyes open.

Elias smiles. “There you are,” he coos. “Gods, you’re even more beautiful. I’ve never seen such beauty.”

His voice booms in my ears, even though I’m somehow aware that he’s nearly whispering. The room is so bright I wish I had sunglasses.

“It takes a bit of time to adjust,” he says, rubbing my back. “Your senses are heightened now. You could hear a fly land on a table.” He lifts his hand, rubbing the pad of his index finger against his thumb, creating a sound that sounds like a power tool. A shudder moves through me, running up and down my spine like an electric current. My eyes burn and my gums throb.

“Ho-how…” I cough, choking on my words, then pause to let it pass.

“Take your time.”

I squeeze my eyes closed and shake my head, slowly peeling them open a few seconds later. “How… long… pain?”

“It’ll only be a few minutes more, darling.” He lifts my hand and kisses it repeatedly. “What a gift you’ve given me. Your soul for eternal life. I hope you’ll find it a fair trade.”

My stomach twists painfully, growling so loud I look around for a wild animal. Elias chuckles.

“You’re hungry. You’ll be insatiable at first—for blood, sex, violence—but it settles soon enough to tolerable levels.”

My mouth waters and my gums stretch painfully. “Food?”

Elias taps the thick vein in his neck. “For now, you’ll feed from me. We’ll get you mortal blood later.”

I launch myself at him, clumsily climbing into his lap and biting at his neck with dull teeth. Huffing in frustration, I pull back.

“Focus, love,” he says. “Desire your meal.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind I’m reminded that it’s weird as fuck to think of Elias as food, but that thought is pushed back in favor of quelling the intense hunger twisting my insides. I direct my gaze to his neck and the vein there.

My jaw throbs as my gums expand and my canine teeth elongate into true fangs. “Fuck.”

“You’ll hardly notice soon enough. Now, darling, feed.”

Without hesitating, I bare my fangs and pierce his vein. Blood floods my mouth, sliding down my throat and putting out the gnawing heat in my gut. The more I drink, the better everything feels. The discomfort eases, sounds normalize, but one thing doesn’t change.

Lust.

My cock swells so rapidly that I sway from it.

“Eat, eat, eat, my love,” Elias says, sliding his hands under my shirt.

I peel my eyelids open to see Tristan chained to the beam and vibrating with rage. The sight stirs a powerful new emotion within me. Something nameless and feral.

I want him to bleed. I want him to die.

“He will, my sweet consort,” Elias says, twisting his fingers in my hair. He tugs my head back, removing my fangs from his flesh and gazing into my eyes. “You should see yourself. Gods, you are stunning. Your emotions are even better.”

“You can feel me?”

“More than ever. You were meant for me, Geordi. You’ve given me new life.”

“Can you ever love me?”

His gaze softens as he brushes his thumb across my cheek. “I already love you in ways a mortal could never understand, but that’s not what you are. Not anymore. Now you’ll know infinite love, as vast as the universe itself. My love is not conditional. It has no end. You can never lose it or me. My love is thicker than blood itself. Our bond is unwavering. It is unbreakable. And everlasting.”

I put my hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the soft thump, thump beating in perfect time with my own.

“I am your life force now, and you are mine. My heart beats with yours. I am your breath, your sustenance, your desire. I am everything you need, and you… you are my entire world.”

Tristan moans, breaking the romantic moment and drawing my attention to him. A growl I didn’t know I was capable of emitting rises out of me, and I’m almost on my feet, ready to tear out his throat, but Elias’s grounding touch on my wrist stops me.

“We’re not done, lover.” He unbuttons his shirt. “Tristan’s last sight will be you coming on my cock, my knot stretching you apart, my name on your lips.”

Tristan growls and pride swells in my chest.

“That’s right, Tristan,” I say. “Everything you wanted is mine.”

He thrashes against his restraints, filling the room with the smell of burning flesh.

“How will we end him, lover?” Elias asks as he nuzzles my neck. “Will you tear his throat out? Or his heart? That’s what he tried to do to you.”

Anger pokes at my brain, and I twitch with the restraint it takes to stay put. “What’s happening to me?”

“You’re a vampire now, darling. Fully. You will learn to control your anger and your impulses, but not today. I could whisper a command to you and you would do it.”

“Because you made me?”

“That’s right. Because I am your maker. Eventually, you will also learn to hear your own instincts above mine, but it’s my job to guide you in the beginning.” He scratches his nails down my back, making me shiver with desire. “Now we know why you were so easy to corrupt and lead astray from your precious rules. It was always in you.”

“Could any vampire make me do things right now?”

“No, just me. My voice is your guide. Only mine.”

I try to take a deep breath but find it unnecessary and end up giggling. “I’ve always wanted you, Elias. Always.”

“And I’ve always wanted you. I just didn’t know your name.”

I run my hand over his pecs, admiring the tattoos there. Unlike with mortals, they’re raised under my fingertips like the true scars they are, etched into his flesh.

“Elias is as perfect as you think he is, Tristan.”

Tristan grunts.

“Everyone wants him, but he’s mine now. I’m worthy of him. He chose me.”

“Shut up,” Tristan growls.

“No.” I wiggle out of my pants, drawing a sweet moan from Elias as he runs his hand down my back to my ass.

“Look at my prize, Tristan. Just look at him. All for me.” Elias turns his head to glare directly at Tristan. “You don’t deserve to look upon such beauty, but I’ll allow it simply because it’s the last thing you’ll ever see. Consider it a parting gift.”

“You’re being cruel, Elias.”

“Am I?” He releases me long enough to stand. “It wasn’t cruel when you attacked him? You tried to take him from me, Tristan. Did you think I’d be kind?”

Tristan shakes his head. “I deserve death, but you don’t have to torture me.”

“No, I don’t. But I like it.”

I chuckle as Elias kicks off his slacks. His cock hangs heavy between his legs, thick and veiny, and my hole actually clenches with need. Tristan moans and the sound draws a wave of possessive jealousy out of me.

I caress my lover in long strokes, glaring at Tristan. “Mine.”

“That’s right,” Elias says, tugging my head back by the hair and bending to kiss me hard. “For how long?”

“Eternity,” I whisper as a smile spreads across my lips. “Never ending.”

“Never.”

Elias sits on the bed again, lying down and pulling me on top of him. As our lips meet, I soon forget about the vampire chained to the wall, and lose myself in my vampire’s kiss.

I’m desperate for his cock, rutting against him like an animal in heat. “No one else ever?”

“Never,” he replies, biting my bottom lip. “Only you.”

My eyes sting with unshed happy tears as I squeeze his cock between my thighs. “I need you inside me. Badly.”

“I need the same.” He rolls us over, but rises on his arms to keep his weight off me, though I don’t think it would bother me much anymore. His eyes pulse as he drags his hand down my torso before cupping my erection. “Gorgeous.”

“Please.”

“You beg so prettily.”

He moves away, and I growl. “Come back.”

Elias chuckles. “Come, darling. Sit on my cock.”

“Oh, hell yeah.” I scramble up, climbing onto his lap and rubbing my crease over his naturally slick cock. “You feel so good.”

“Just wait. Your senses are heightened, remember?”

I nod, shivering as he reaches between us and lines the head of his cock up with my entrance.

“Another surprise…” He nips my chin. “You’ll always be ready for me. No need to stretch and prepare.”

“No?”

He rubs his fingers around my rim, dipping in just slightly. “So soft already. Waiting for me.”

He enters me in one long thrust. My jaw drops, and I’m expecting pain, but what I get is so much more. My body melts around his, my channel squeezing his cock like a mold, and the intense emptiness and need I felt just seconds ago is soothed.

Elias grips the back of my neck with one hand while holding my hip with the other, and as he moves within me, my eyelids flutter from pure relief.

I open my eyes to find Tristan watching with nothing but hate on his face. He could look away, but he chooses not to for some reason. A glutton for punishment?

My thoughts quickly shut out the angry vampire in favor of what’s happening between my legs. Elias pumps his hips, fucking into me with long thrusts that hit me perfectly each time. All I can hear is his slight breathing and the faint beating of his heart. I’m awed by the lack of heat or sweat on his skin and the glowing love reflected in his eyes. I hold his gaze, lost in a sea of emotions I never even hoped to experience.

I love you, Geordi .

I hear the words though his lips never move. His love is just for me, not to be witnessed by the undeserving.

I focus on my thoughts, hoping they reach him too.

I love you, Elias.

He smiles, and it’s unlike all the others I’ve ever seen. It’s pure and real, untainted by his reputation or appearances. It’s a smile just for me.

It’s not long before my body stretches even more, making room for his magnificent knot. He pounds my prostate until I scream his name as I’m overcome by unimaginable pleasure. My cock spills between us, pulsing with long streams of cum. More than I’ve ever produced before.

Elias tenses, gripping the back of my neck as he pulls my face into the crook of his. He cries my name, and when he comes, I can literally feel his release spreading through me the way his blood did before. The intensity brings tears to my eyes, but they don’t fall.

I blink several times, realizing I’m clawing his shoulders, and as his blood drips down his back, a new wave of hunger hits me and I bite, sinking my teeth into his neck.

The combination of his blood in my mouth and his cum in my ass is nearly too much. I hold on to his shoulders to keep from passing out from the overwhelm, but the more I drink, the better I feel. I glance up to see Tristan still watching, still glaring.

Pulling my teeth away from my lover’s neck, I flash a dazed smile at Tristan. “Let’s keep him, Elias.”

“What?”

“Keep him. Hanging from the ceiling just like that. Forced to watch our love.”

Elias chuckles. “How very brutal. I love it.” He kisses my cheek. “But we aren’t savages, love. We’ve had our fun, and now it’s only fair we release Tristan to receive his ultimate punishment.”

“Hmph. If you say so.”

“What a beautiful vampire you will be.” He cups my chin. “You feel so good inside. So soft and welcoming. Your body is perfect for mine.”

I nod. “Your cock is made for me. I love it.”

“Your pleasure is mine too. Your smiles, your tears, your breath—all mine.”

“Yes. I didn’t know it, but I was looking for you all along.”

“Same.” He kisses my nose. “Rest now. Once my knot subsides, we’ll finish things here and rejoin our friends.”

“I don’t want to rest. I want to end this with Tristan. Can I have his blood?”

“To drink?”

I scrunch my nose. “No. To research.”

Elias chuckles. “Still my curious one. Of course you can.”

More than an hour later, Elias’s cock finally slips from my body and the emptiness is profound. I hate it, but there are more pressing issues. Tristan was forced to listen to us talking about our future together, my new lab, the party we’ll have to celebrate our union, and me moving in. The only obstacle I have is telling Meredith what happened to me.

Benicio appears out of nowhere with fresh clothes, a bowl of warm water, and washcloths. He very politely averts his eyes from our naked bodies, but stands nearby waiting for instructions.

Elias sweetly cleans me off, then himself, before dressing in fresh clothes again. Once he’s clothed his demeanor shifts back to businesslike. His expression hardens as he surveys Tristan, who just looks exhausted now.

Maybe we shouldn’t kill him. Maybe we should?—

“If I were to let you go, what would you do next, Tristan?” Elias asks, glancing at me as he interrupts my sentence. “And remember, you can’t lie to me.”

Tristan squirms, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “You know what I would do.”

“Tell me. I want Geordi to hear it.”

“You’ve given me no choice but to defend my pride,” Tristan says as his eyes glow red. “I could not stand for your humiliation. It would ruin me.”

“Don’t forget, you’ll be a target as soon as word gets out that it was you who turned on me. Perhaps they already know.” Elias taps his chin as if in thought. “So… I could release you and wait for you to be hunted down by our kind or?—”

“No, Elias.” Tristan’s voice shakes. “Please. I beg of you.”

A devious smile dances on my lover’s lips. “Very well. I’ll show you mercy on one condition.”

“What?”

“Apologize to my consort. And mean it.”

I sense the moment Tristan tenses, his body cold and thoughts filled with rage. “I won’t.”

“Are you sure? You’d do well to remember your choices.”

Tristan closes his eyes for a moment. “Fine,” he mumbles.

Elias wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. “I’m waiting.”

Tristan looks up, focusing on me. “I’m sorry.”

“For?” Elias prods.

“Attempting to kill you.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Elias turns to me. “Are you satisfied with his apology, love?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Elias steps closer to Tristan, and I’m assaulted by a wave of his dark emotions—anger, pity, frustration—nearly causing me to stumble.

“It’s such a shame, Trist. You could have had anything you wanted with your beauty, but you were greedy. It pains me to do this.”

Tristan’s face is a hard mask. “Oh please. You delight in killing. I’m not special to you. To be clear, you mean nothing to me, Elias. You were a conquest for power. Nothing more. Now, do what you must.”

Without hesitating, Elias reaches up and claws the front of Tristan’s throat, easily ripping the flesh apart as he pulls him off the wall, his restraints spilling to the floor in broken pieces.

I watch in awe as Elias rips Tristan’s head from his neck like he’s breaking a soft cookie in half. Tristan’s body slumps on the floor, while Elias holds his head by the hair. Tristan’s face is frozen in a mask of shock.

Elias, unflinching, turns around and hands the head to Benicio. “I want it and Fisher’s head on display tonight at Paradiso. It’s a clear message about what will happen when someone else gets a bright idea.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please also gather Tristan’s blood in a container. A gift for my consort.”

Benicio bows his head with a smile on his lips.

Elias turns his gaze to me, and as it immediately softens, he smiles. “Come, my love. Let’s shower and change. Then we’ll join our friends and celebrate our love.”

I nod, still processing what I just witnessed. “Will I ever be like that?”

“Like what?” he asks, leading me up the stairs.

“A killer?”

“You already are. The good news is that in this day and age, it’s rarely necessary. We get our blood donated, and fortunately, uprisings are rare. Will you want to kill? Yes, at first. Your monster very much wanted to tear Tristan apart, but you’re still too close to your humanity to allow it. It’s charming.” He pauses, kissing my hand. “Someday, you’ll forget what it felt like to be mortal. You’ll forget society’s arbitrary rules and constructs. You’ll adopt those of the supernatural world.”

We finish the walk upstairs, and once we reach the landing, I throw my arms around his neck. He chuckles, squeezing me tight.

“What’s this?”

I step back, gazing up at him. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“All of it. For the first time since I lost my family, I have a purpose again. A future. I’ve just been existing, thinking if I threw myself into my research, I’d find happiness, but I was never going to because I wasn’t fully me yet. Because of you, I am.”

He rubs my cheek. “We’re going to have a beautiful eternity together. Are you ready to step into all that you are, my love?”

“I’m ready.”