Page 105 of Inhuman Nature

Still upset with himself, Rake focused on the practicalities. “You need to feed to replace what I took.”

“I will.”

“We all need to get to full strength,” Kit said. “Then we can face Lawrence.” He was now perched atop an armchair, feet on the seat and butt balancing on its thin back. It seemed uncomfortable, but Kit appeared unbothered.

A few people were ushered through the doors by some of Lynette’s creations. Kit moved towards them in a blink, grabbing one man’s hand and dragging him back towards his seat. Kit whispered suggestions to the man, layering on compulsions to keep him calm.

But Shaun, despite how hungry he must have been, didn’t do the same. Rake frowned when the other man’s face lit up.

“Lawrence’s pet,” the man said.

Rake cocked his head, pursing his lips. The man was familiar—one of the club’s usual patrons. Rake didn’t like the gleam of interest in the man’s eyes as he stared at Shaun.

Shaun’s face was impassive, but Rake knew something was wrong.

“How do you know him?” Rake asked the man.

“I’ve…had him before.” The man spoke slowly, as if he couldn’t parse his own words.

“Rake, it’s fine,” Shaun said.

“What does he mean?” Rake asked. “He’s ‘had’ you?”

Shaun pressed his lips together.

“Tell me, sweetheart,” Rake said, cajoling.

“He’s one of the Doms here who Lawrence lent me out to. Only once or twice.”

Rake wanted to tear the man apart piece by piece. More so when the man just looked dopily around the room, unaware of the turmoil he’d caused. It made Rake’s blood boil. The man shouldn’t get away with making Shaun uncomfortable.

Rake advanced, overshooting his distance by only a few inches this time. It put him right in the man’s face. They were eye to eye, and Rake reached deep down inside of himself. There was some new inhuman part of him—instincts that hadn’t been there before—that told him he had the power to make this man bend to his will.

And because Rake could do whatever he wanted, he let the words pour out of him. “You will never so much as look in Shaun’s direction again. You’re not worthy tobreathein his presence.”

It took a few prolonged seconds, and then the man choked. Rake couldn’t help but feel a lick of satisfaction at the man’s reddening face as he gasped for air.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lynette demanded, striding over from where she’d been with Julia.

Rake shrugged. “I don’t want Shaun feeding from him.”

Lynette tugged on the man’s arm to get his attention. “Breathe,” she commanded. He did as she said, sucking in lungfuls of air in an overdramatic display.

“Rake, I would have fed on him…” Shaun trailed off upon seeing Rake’s face. “Or not.”

“I’ll take that one,” Kit offered, jumping up and dragging the gasping man back to his seat.

“That’s the first and last time I let you get away with those sorts of antics,” Lynette said to Rake. “The only reason I’m giving you this one is because I’d like to think you weren’t aware of how powerful a compulsion can be.”

Rake didn’t bother telling her he knew what he’d been doing. Before he could cause any further strife, however, Shaun pulled him away from Lynette.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Shaun hissed.

Rake was pretty sure Lynette could hear them both, so he just gave Shaun a wan smile. “Go feed. You must be starving.”

Shaun shot Rake a we’ll-talk-about-this-later look, but took the already compelled human’s wrist and bit. Rake found as much as he had no desire to touch anyone else, watching Shaun feed was working for him. Shaun looked up at Rake through his lashes with his mouth fastened to the man’s wrist, and Rake was relieved to see colour return to his cheeks as he fed.

When they were done feeding, Shaun and Kit wiped their mouths with startlingly similar gestures.