Page 43 of Inhuman Natures #1

Shaun

“This is ridiculous.”

It wasn’t the first time Shaun had heard Rake express such a sentiment. It was, perhaps, the fourth.

They were waiting for Lynette to show her face. Before they’d arrived at the club, she’d gone to fetch a recovering Julia from her home, fearing that Lawrence might go after her again.

Shaun, Rake and Kit had been unofficially confined to the main room of the closed dungeon whilst some of Lynette’s creations milled around, cleaning and doing maintenance jobs.

“They have no sense of urgency!” Rake raged. “Why are we just sitting around here? We should go after Lawrence and get DJ back ourselves.”

“We can’t do that without Lynette’s say-so,” Shaun said, though he agreed with Rake. “She told us to wait. If we defy her will, she could banish us.”

“Then we get banished,” Rake said. He flopped back on the sofa, Shaun shuffling beside him where they sat with a view of the entire room.

“Good luck getting DJ back if you’re busy fighting for your life against Lynette and the rest of the territory leaders,” Kit said as he wandered over to a flogging post, tilting his head in contemplation.

Rake ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands. Shaun grabbed both of Rake’s hands to stop him from doing any damage, given he could now easily pull his hair out at the root.

“Lynette will be back soon,” Shaun said. “And we’ll go about doing this the way she wants. We’ll get her help, and we’ll get DJ back.”

“What if Lawrence has…” Rake trailed off, staring at their clasped hands. “To DJ,” he finished, leaving the question half-unsaid.

Shaun gave a short, sharp shake of his head. “No.” He knew his creator. “Lawrence took DJ for two reasons—leverage and revenge. He won’t need to do anything worse to him. Keeping him away from us is the punishment.”

“You can’t be sure.”

“But I have to believe it.”

Rake sniffed, then pulled Shaun onto his lap, burying his face in his neck. Shaun held on tight, trying to be strong for Rake but feeling utterly inadequate.

“If it helps, I don’t think he’ll do much more to him, either,” Kit said. “DJ looks far too much like an actual adult.” Despite his words, his tone was casual.

Kit wandered over to the St Andrews Cross—the same one where Shaun had watched Rake and DJ scene. It seemed like years ago, not a matter of weeks.

Shaun decided they needed a distraction. “You ever used one of those, Kit? ”

Kit put both hands on his hips and glared at him. “Take a girl to dinner first, Shaun .”

“Just asking,” Shaun muttered into Rake’s shoulder.

“Well, for your information, I haven’t.” Kit walked over to a sex swing that was bolted to the ceiling. “Or this, in case you were curious.”

“What about the spanking bench?”

“No comment.”

Rake lifted his head. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. You’re a classic brat.”

“Excuse me,” Kit said, placing a hand on his chest in the manner of a scandalised maiden. “That is a grievous accusation. I will not stand for such baseless slander.”

“So you should sit down,” Rake said.

It took Shaun a few seconds to recognise the joke, and then he was shaking with laughter. “That was terrible.”

“I thought Kit might appreciate the dad joke,” Rake said.

Kit made an offended noise, and the faintest of flushes rose on his pale cheeks. For a minute, Shaun felt lighter, but Lynette’s entrance through the front door spoiled his mood.

Julia, whom Shaun had last seen bleeding out on the ground outside the hospital, was curled into Lynette’s side, Lynette’s arm around her protectively despite being several inches shorter than her.

Shaun stilled as they looked his way, Julia’s eyes widening with recognition. Shaun knew the traumatic events of that night had confused her, but it hurt to see someone scared of him. Not least someone whose life he had saved at significant personal cost.

If Shaun had obeyed Lawrence’s will, Julia would be dead and gone, and both Rake and DJ would be safe. He couldn’t help but resent her. Unlike them, she would get to choose her own fate in becoming a vampire.

Lynette surveyed them as she approached. “You reached the flat in time?” she asked.

“No. I didn’t,” Shaun replied. “Lawrence took DJ and recreated him against his will. Lawrence is out of control. You have to stop him.”

“Don’t tell me how to run my own territory.”

“Oh, so you planned on letting him run rampant?” Kit asked.

“Of course not,” Lynette snapped. “You should be careful how you talk to me, boys, because you’re all on thin ice.”

As much as Shaun had been trying to stay calm, this was a step too far. “How are we the ones in the wrong here? You imprisoned me and didn’t believe my story, which led to DJ being kidnapped and Rake almost dying! You promised me you would keep them safe, and now both of them are vampires.”

“Which was going to happen anyway,” Lynette said. “Seeing as you informed them of what we are.”

Rake tensed under Shaun, but neither of them disabused Lynette of the notion. “That isn’t the point,” Rake stressed. “You need to help us get DJ back from Lawrence.”

“We will. I needed to protect my people first.”

Shaun chanced another look at Julia. “I didn’t hurt you,” he said in his softest tone. “I promise I only ever tried to protect you.”

Lynette pushed Julia behind her. “Don’t address her.”

“And you don’t get to speak to Shaun in that manner,” Rake said, his voice low and demanding.

“You are a newly recreated vampire,” Lynette snarled. “Don’t you dare—”

“Shaun’s my sub,” Rake interrupted. “And I’m telling you to pay him the respect he’s due.” Rake’s words held a warning. But it was more than that. It was a claim.

Shaun couldn’t help but examine how Rake’s statement of ownership made him feel.

Wanted. Needed. Safe .

They weren’t empty words, either. Nobody had ever come to his defence like Rake and DJ had. They’d been protecting him since the first time they met.

Lynette gave Rake the sort of look that had Shaun’s eyes drifting to the floor. “You’re still in my territory,” she said. “You will all speak to me as befits my station.”

“As much fun as this little Dom-off is, I think it’s about time we discussed what we’re going to do about Lawrence,” Kit said, cutting off both Lynette and Rake. “We need to kill him.”

“I have not yet passed judgement,” Lynette said.

“Well, you should,” Rake said.

“I don’t need to be told what to do by someone who has been a vampire for all of five minutes.”

Kit made a show of looking at his watch. “It’s more like a few hours by this point.”

Lynette looked close to eviscerating Kit, but Julia tugged on her sleeve. “Mistress. I would like to speak to you. Away from here.”

The Domme’s features softened. “Of course.” She nodded towards them as she spoke to one of her creations. “Make sure they’re kept comfortable.” Shaun assumed her order translated to ‘make sure they stay here’.

The vampire, a wiry woman whose outward appearance was that of someone in their mid-forties, nodded deferentially.

Rake threw up his hands, startling Shaun where he still sat on Rake’s lap. “This is useless.”

Lynette ushered Julia up the stairs, where Shaun hoped he’d never have to go again.

“I’m sorry,” Rake blurted once Lynette was out of immediate earshot.

“For what?” Shaun asked.

“For”—Rake made a vague gesture with one of his hands—“calling you my sub without speaking to you about it first.”

Hurt lanced through Shaun. Maybe Rake had only said it to get one over on Lynette. “If you don’t want to be my Dom, that’s okay,” he said as casually as he could, even though he felt sick.

“What? No! I mean, you want to be my sub, right?”

“I’m going to stop you both right there,” Kit said, sauntering over to them.

“Rake. Shaun would very much like to be your sub. Shaun. Rake would very much like to be your Dom. With the power vested in me by being a nosy little bitch who can’t stay out of other people’s business, I hereby pronounce you Dom and sub.

You may now spank your partner.” Kit finished with a flourish of his arms, as if he might actually expect Shaun to bend over on Rake’s lap right then and there.

Well, Shaun supposed they were in the right place to do such a thing .

Rake stared at Kit, his thick brows high on his forehead. Shaun threw his head back and let loose a cathartic laugh.

“He’s right, isn’t he?” Rake checked.

Shaun just kissed him.

He ended up having to use more kisses as a distraction as the night wore on into morning. By the time Lynette returned, Kit was pretending to nap on a sofa as Shaun once again talked Rake down from going after DJ by himself.

There was a palpable tension in the air when Lynette and Julia walked back into the room. Two of Lynette’s creations who’d been sitting at the bar turned in unison, and Kit sat up. Shaun couldn’t figure out what had changed until he noticed Julia’s scent.

Lynette had recreated her. Shaun whispered just that into Rake’s ear, as he was far too new to tell. To Shaun’s shock, Julia headed for him. He couldn’t stop himself from stiffening.

“You saved my life,” she said.

While his first impulse was to tell her that’s what he’d been saying all along, tact would go further. “I’m glad you didn’t become another of Lawrence’s victims.”

“Wait, you remember now ?” Rake said to Julia, incredulous.

Kit cut in. “Vampire perk. Remembering all the times you were compelled. Or, you know, not so much of a perk when you spent the last few months of your mortal life with someone like Lawrence.”

Shaun caught Kit’s eye, trying to convey his understanding. After a long second, Kit’s gaze darted away as he gnawed on a thumbnail.

“Lawrence grabbed me that night when I was walking home from here,” Julia said .

“Waited until Steve thought she was safe and then swooped in,” Lynette added. She cast an unimpressed look at her creation, who lowered his head.

“Lawrence told me I was going to die,” Julia continued. “That he was going to get Shaun to do it. I remember little after that. I saw your face, and then I woke up in the hospital.”

“I took you there,” Shaun confirmed. “And had to fight Lawrence off when he tried to kill me for it.”

“Thank you. Sincerely. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you.”

Before Shaun could respond, Lynette broke in. “I need you to make your vow to me now, Rake.”

Rake’s jaw tensed, and Shaun worried Rake might refuse point-blank. But he gave a small nod. Shaun only hoped he wouldn’t bolt at Lynette’s touch. Their peace still seemed tenuous at best.

Shaun would just have to keep Lynette on their side until this whole thing was over and done with.