Page 5 of Inhuman Nature

The drive to the service station only took five minutes, but the tension in the car had Shaun shuffling in his seat. He kept one hand pressed to his abdomen. It wasn’t even pretence anymore. His stomach ached with worry.

When Lawrence parked, Shaun ran from the car to the bright lights of the petrol station. The harsh fluorescents made his eyes water when he entered the shop, but he made a beeline for the bathrooms at the back, right next to the row of wilted sandwiches. Even as Shaun hurried past, the checkout person didn’t so much as raise their head from their glossy magazine.

Light but insistent footsteps behind Shaun had him moving faster, but he didn’t turn around. He already knew it was Lawrence.

Shaun burst into the bathroom, breathing like he’d justfinished a cross country race. He tried to lock the door, but fumbled with the handle for too long.

The door swung inwards and Lawrence stalked inside, flicking the lock shut behind him with a resounding click.

“I kinda wanted some privacy,” Shaun said.

Lawrence looked down at him, pursing his lips. “You seem to be under the impression that this is something it isn’t.”

Shaun backed away, wanting to put any measure of distance between them. “I thought you were taking me out for my birthday, like you promised.”

“I made a lot of promises, Shaun. But do you remember the first one I made to you?”

Shaun swallowed. Of course he did. “No,” he said, regardless.

Lawrence smiled, all teeth. “I promised I would bite you. You begged me for it.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“No. You don’t get to do that. You”—Lawrence stepped forward—“owe me. I’ve spent months listening to your every errant thought. I’m due some compensation for the effort.”

Shaun had poured his heart out to Lawrence every night since they’d started talking. His worst fears. His deepest truths. His secret yearnings. Lawrence wasn’t wrong; Shaun had told him everything, and Lawrence had read every word and responded with compassion.

“I’m sorry,” Shaun said, meaning it.

In a blink, Lawrence was inches away from him. “You’re such a sweet boy.”

Shaun took in a ragged breath as Lawrence used a finger to tilt Shaun’s head to the side, exposing his vulnerable neck.

“I hope you taste as sweet as you sound,” Lawrence said, one sharp nail pressing into Shaun’s skin, right under his jaw.

“Will it hurt?” Shaun asked, thinking that he knew the answer already.

“Yes.”

Shaun screwed his eyes shut. He reached into his pocket and held on to the glass wolf, as if the touch alone would ward off the pain.

Lawrence, for perhaps the first time, hadn’tlied.

It did hurt.

Chapter One

DJ

Brighton, England

Present Day

The sub was there again.

Despite DJ’s current position—kneeling at Rake’s feet—his attention didn’t sway from the red-haired wisp of a thing who trailed his Dom across the club. The sub hardly looked old enough to be there at all, but DJ had seen him twice before. Given the stringent checks that DJ and Rake had recently gone through to join the club, he doubted that anyone underage could get away with tricking the staff.

The sub’s delicate throat was encircled with a thick, red leather collar covered in spikes, with a large buckle at the back that looked notched one hole too tight. Now, DJ wasn’t the most discerning when it came to matters of fashion, but he knew his collars. If there had been any indication that the sub liked it, DJ wouldn’t have blinked. He’d seen all sorts of getups, both here and at their previous club. But, given the sub’s expression as he followed his Dom, he wasn’t into anything being offered.