Chapter Three

Sebastian hugged Nico from behind, clung to him, really, as his heart raced with anxiety that didn’t belong to him. His muscles shook and he felt the urgent need to take action. Do something. He had no idea what, though.

His only thought had been to sink his fangs into Nico’s neck and hope that raising some power would help.

There was a looming sense of something impending that he couldn’t shake.

All of it was coming from Nico. Something about being in Georgia instead of Denver had really unsettled him.

Except that wasn’t quite right. Sebastian reached as far up the bond as he could, mentally probing at Nico’s fears and thoughts, trying to dig through the immediate problem and locate the real issue underneath. He wouldn’t have dared do something so invasive with his former Sire, but Nico had admitted something that made Sebastian a little more confident.

Twelve hours ago I didn’t know vampires existed.

It had taken Sebastian over ten years to understand the Sire bond and learn how to modulate his end of it. Nico had managed to accomplish even more in just a few hours. Either he had a natural talent for introspection or he’d found a very good teacher in Dimitri.

Probably both.

Golden power trickled down the bond. It washed like a soothing hand over the vibrating anxiety. Sebastian pressed his fangs in deeper, trying to draw more power.

And he reached up the bond to touch Nico’s heart and saw the problem wasn’t Georgia, as he’d thought at first. The problem was bigger and more abstract than that. A tangle of responsibility, unfamiliarity, and culture shock. Nico had abruptly been thrust into a leadership role over two vampires older than him before they’d been turned. He didn’t have the expertise for this.

Sebastian cycled golden power in his chest, focused on that soothing wash. He’d always relied on the Belladona Court for everything. His food brought to him, his clothing a uniform, his tasks assigned directly from the Sire. He lived exclusively within the Shade for decades. He wasn’t a leader.

But now this Court—Nico plus one—didn’t have any assets. It didn’t exist in the Shade, there was no castle to call home, there were no human blood slaves to feed on at need.

Would he have to hunt for a human? Surly Nico couldn’t satisfy him alone.

Sebastian had never hunted a human in his entire afterlife.

His spark of worry resonated with Nico’s panic. The soothing power trembled. Sebastian took a deep breath and focused his thoughts. He didn’t need to feed right now. He’d taken more than enough blood from Nico to be satisfied for a week. This was not a problem.

The power settled down again.

Sebastian kept his train of thought positive. Nico needed a home base for his Court and Sebastian could handle that. He knew every inch of the shade, from the Blood Forest to the Albyssal Sea. He would find the perfect place for them to live.

A lot of Nico’s anxiety centered on not knowing anything about vampires, but Sebastian could help there, too. He could train Nico like a new fledgling, teach him the customs of the vampires and the social dances of power. He knew the names of every major Court in the Shade, which ones were positioning themselves for strength under the King—all of them—and how to slip through the political cracks.

Sebastian was only a two-fang. It left him at the bottom of the power hierarchy except for blood slaves. He’d survived at the bottom for decades and knew exactly how useful being unseen could be.

Nico’s golden power settled and the anxiety pouring down the bond came to rest. A single, clear thought floated from Nico to Sebastian.

You’re a four-fang now.

Sebastian growled his pleasure into Nico’s skin. That’s right, he had tiered up. Nico was more generous with his power than any Sire Sebastian had ever heard of. Short of the trickle the Sire bond needed to remain secure, a Sire very rarely distributed any power to his Court. The flow always went the other way, from vampire to Sire.

Sebastian knew most vampires tried to hold on to the power they gained from feeding. They sent a small portion to the Sire and tried to cultivate the rest for themselves. Sebastian had never felt the need to climb ranks. The Belladonna Court provided his food, shelter, and work. It was usually unpleasant work, but then, his life had always been unpleasant.

Nico’s hand slid up Sebastian’s ear and cupped the back of his neck. “I give it to you because I can’t use it myself. It’ll tear me up from the inside out.” Nico’s body relaxed in Sebastian’s hold. “Better that you use it and grow stronger.”

Sebastian reclined along the length of the couch, Nico settled between his legs, Sebastian’s teeth in his neck. He rubbed one palm down Nico’s chest and belly, back up, soothing. Was his Sire calm again?

He was prepared to slide his teeth free when Nico’s grip tightened. Power throbbed down the bond. It thrust Sebastian into arousal and he couldn’t stop his hips from sliding up against Nico’s ass.

Nico arched into him with a moan. “I love your bite, Sebastian. It makes me so hot.”

Nico’s hand caught Sebastian’s and dragged it down Nico’s belly. Under the band of his sweats. Sebastian cupped Nico’s erection and growled. Nico’s cock thickened under his fingers, he slid his hips up and pushed the length through Sebastian’s palm.

Sebastian tried not to rut, he did. He wasn’t supposed to cum and he took that command seriously. He’d completely lost control under the golden power. But it was hard to resist when Nico tipped his hips so Sebastian’s hard shaft ran between his cheeks with only the layer of sweats to separate them.

Nico’s erection fit perfectly in his palm. Sebastian swiped the head with his thumb, spreading precum as it leaked. He squeezed the head tight and pulled his hand down, so Nico had something to push against.

Nico shook in his arms, but this time it was desire and need.

A race for Nico to cum before Sebastian lost all control.

He twitched his hips against Nico’s ass, imagining his hard shaft deep inside his Sire.

“Oh, yes. Sebastian. I want to ride your cock. I want to be full.”

Sebastian gripped Nico’s shaft and pumped his hand. He had to clear his mind. Nico was picking up every thought and feeding them back to him. He wanted to fuck Nico over the edge of the couch, the sweats around their ankles, Nico cumming so hard it wiped out every worry he ever had.

Nico moaned, “Yes. Yes, fuck me, Sebastian.”

Sebastian dug his teeth into Nico’s flesh until his nose was buried. He couldn’t obey. He couldn’t. He was going to cum the second his bare cock touched Nico’s ass. He kept one hand on Nico’s shaft, now slick with precum and leaking heavily. The other he shoved two fingers into Nico’s mouth only long enough for his Sire to swipe his tongue around. Nico arched. He knew what was next.

Sebastian slid his hand between them and pressed two fingers to Nico’s hole. They slid in easily, as if Nico’s body was meant to be penetrated. As if Sebastian’s belonged inside, whatever part of him he used. He slid his fingers as deep as they would go. Two knuckles. Almost three. He wanted to stretch Nico’s hole.

Nico moaned. The command to be fucked echoed into Sebastian’s heart again and again. Sebastian’s eyes closed as he resisted.

He plunged his fingers in with every echoing chant. His knuckles bumped over Nico’s prostate. He focused entirely on Nico’s body, the way he arched off of Sebastian’s chest and how every muscle in his legs trembled. The way his ass shook under Sebastian’s thrusting fingers.

The friction shifted his sweats downward. Sebastian tracked the slide of the waistband over his cockhead, jerking down his shaft, and eventually across his thighs. He could have stopped it, but he didn’t want to. He could have released Nico’s cock and yanked the sweats back up but his Sire writhed above him and every wave of his body had a chance to graze Sebastian’s erection and torment him a little more.

It was torture of the best kind and Sebastian was making it worse on purpose. His shaft trembled. His breath came short and hot against Nico’s throat. He employed his entire body to keep climax at bay.

And he still hoped Nico would arch up just a little further, a little higher, just enough to catch Sebastian’s cock with his ass and—

“Yes, there—“ Nico choked. “There, there, there—“ His body jerked.

Nico’s climax spilled over his chest, all over Sebastian’s hand, and ran down his balls where Sebastian’s fingers thrust into Nico’s hole. His climax surged a second time, leaving him dripping onto Sebastian’s straining cock and balls.

He was wet with Nico’s cum and hard enough to pound nails.

Sebastian’s hips bucked. He nearly shoved himself into Nico’s body despite the consequences. His cockhead was so sensitive, just the pressure of running against Nico’s ass could have done it.

He tipped Nico forward so he had to catch himself on the arm of the couch. Sebastian’s fangs ached when he slid them free and he moved in a flash halfway across the room. His sweats still clung to his thighs. His cock and balls dripped with Nico’s cum. His own dribbled at the head, leaking and ready to explode. He panted.

Sebastian kept his eyes fixed on Nico as he straightened himself out on the couch and licked his own fingers clean. His Sire’s eyes were dark and heavy. No signs of anxiety or fear trembled in their bond, just desire.

Sebastian swallowed heavily, tasting the tacky remains of Nico’s blood. “What’s the punishment for cumming?”

Nico’s eyes flashed at him. “Not cumming is the punishment, Sebastian. You knew the rule was in place when you got yourself into this mess.”

Sebastian closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. “Yes, I did,” he sighed. When he opened his eyes again, Nico lay on the couch, his head propped in one hand and his sweats in a tangle at his feet. His oversized t-shirt had been thrown over the back, leaving him gloriously naked for Sebastian’s eyes. His spent cock lay against his thigh, still wet from climax.

Sebastian wanted nothing more than to lick him clean.

“Do you need help with your arousal?”

Sebastian curled his lip at what he thought was a teasing question—making him cum was not helpful—but Nico’s face was serious and Sebastian felt no laughter in the bond. He swallowed the bite of anger and said, “I’m not sure what you could do.”

“I learned a few things when you reached up the bond,” Nico said. He lifted his free arm and stretched it out toward Sebastian, like he was grasping something in the air between them.

“You felt that?” Sebastian asked. He was surprised Nico noticed anything in the middle of his panic.

“Oh, yes. It was very intimate. You’ll have to do it again when I’m not freaking out,” he said. “But for now, let me try…”

His fingers closed on nothing, but Sebastian felt a tug in his heart. A steady, small pull that reached down into his gut and funneled backward, toward Nico.

Sebastian immediately relaxed as his body came off the edge of climax. It was a soft fall backward. All the tension and adrenaline slowly bleeding away.

Nico’s body shifted on the couch as he experienced the opposite effect. His breath came a little shorter, his eyes sharpened on Sebastian, and his cock stiffened again along his belly.

As Sebastian’s arousal faded, Nico’s intensified.

He watched his Sire slowly pull the last of it free. It wasn’t satisfying at all, but he also didn’t feel like he’d been punched in the balls.

“Nice trick,” he said.

Nico panted and he dropped his grasping hand. “Learned from the best.” His hand fell straight to his cock where he rubbed his thumb over the glans and pushed his hips up into his fist. Sebastian watched him explore the shape of the arousal, catch the edge of it, and lean back with a deep and satisfied groan as he came on his own chest.

Sebastian burned the image into his brain. Nico’s eyes shut tight, his lower lip caught by teeth. The flex of his abs and the arch in his back. Legs tight, thighs wound, toes curled.

Cock throbbing.

Beautiful. Somehow his. An image he needed to learn how to protect from the ravages of the world of vampires.

Before Nico could open his eyes again, Sebastian fled to the bathroom. He needed to put some distance between them. He needed time to think without Nico’s body distracting him, without his voice begging for more. And he needed to clean up. Again.

Nico called after him, satisfaction making his voice lazy. “I have a plan, by the way.”

“Oh?”

“We’re going to steal a bunch of shit from Wally World.”

Wally…. The big conglomerate storefront?

Sebastian caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the sink. His skin was flush with fresh blood, he was a mess of cum, and he needed a haircut.

He had a Sire with no experience or assets, and had spent the last several hours fucking himself drunk on power.

What in the Shade kind of Court had he found himself in?