Page 44 of Inhuman Natures #1

Rake

Rake fought back bile. He clung onto the sofa, only realising that his new claws had dug into the soft leather when Shaun tapped on his knuckle.

“Let’s get this over with,” Lynette said, as if the process was an inconvenience for her . “I need to bite you, and you need to vow you’ll follow the laws of the territory.”

Rake didn’t think vampires could sweat, but he felt he might be managing it.

“Hey,” Shaun said. “I’ll hold you through it, all right?”

Rake grimaced. He was supposed to be the Dom between them, not someone who needed their hand held through what should be a simple exchange. “I’ll be fine,” he gritted out.

“Let me do this for you. Please?” Shaun shot him a wide-eyed, pleading look of the sort Rake had seen him give in the bedroom. Even though Rake understood he was being played, he acquiesced.

Lynette held her hand out. “Wrist,” she commanded.

Shaun moved to the arm of the couch, gathering Rake’s free hand in his lap.

Rake tensed at the sensation of Lynette’s soft hands, the contact like stinging nettles on his arm.

Only his connection with Shaun kept him from flinching backwards.

As Lynette leaned down to bite him, Rake chose to look at Shaun instead.

Shaun’s face was pinched with worry, and he squeezed Rake’s hand. Discomfort never affected Rake when touching Shaun. Not even from the very first time.

Just like with DJ. That thought brought Rake back to the current moment, and he hissed as Lynette’s fangs pierced the thin skin at his wrist.

She drank perfunctorily, and whilst it lasted a mere few seconds, time dragged for Rake. Goosebumps broke out over every inch of his body, and he clenched his jaw to stop himself from shuddering. When Lynette drew back, her tongue flicked out to lick at the wound.

Quick as a whip, Rake pulled his hand out of the way. “ No ,” he said.

Lynette raised her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Force of habit. Your vow to me, now.”

Rake did as directed, promising to follow her rule and the laws that governed vampire society—not that he knew exactly what those entailed yet. Once DJ was safe, he’d ask for a complete list.

As Rake made his vow, Shaun slid onto his lap and, after a questioning glance, took Rake’s bleeding wrist into his mouth, replacing the marks Lynette had left with his own. It soothed Rake right down to his soul. He dragged Shaun closer, arm curling around his back.

“Do you all need to feed?” Lynette asked.

“We will,” Kit said. “I take it you’re up for providing?”

“Winnie, contact some of our regulars,” Lynette ordered .

“I can’t stomach the idea of feeding from someone,” Rake whispered to Shaun. Despite the growing hunger coursing through him, nausea rose at the thought of touching anyone other than Shaun or DJ.

Shaun pulled off Rake’s wrist, licking his pink lips. “You’re comfortable feeding from me, though?”

“Of course.”

“Then you can just do that. I’ll drink enough from others to sustain the both of us.”

“Will that work?”

Shaun gave a small shrug. “I imagine so. Lawrence fed from me often. I don’t think he only did it for control. He got nourishment from it.”

That…didn’t make it any better. “I don’t want to put you in the same position he did.” It was bad enough that his fangs throbbed with a need to accept the invitation. But doing so when it was an activity Lawrence had imposed on Shaun was like forcing him to relive his trauma all over again.

Shaun didn’t seem to share Rake’s reservations. He tilted his neck back in offering, exposing his throat. “Please, Sir.”

Rake couldn’t have stopped himself. He dived down on Shaun’s neck, registering the faint, “Oh,” Shaun let out.

The second the taste of Shaun’s blood hit Rake’s tongue, everything else fell away.

Shaun was like a cold glass of ice water on a hot summer day. Crisp and refreshing, going down easy. It quenched Rake’s thirst like nothing ever had before. He drank deep, clinging to Shaun.

“Sir.”

Rake buried his fangs further in Shaun’s neck. He needed more.

“Rake.”

His lips pressed against Shaun’s skin, trying to get more of Shaun’s essence. Knowing that he was consuming Shaun was exhilarating. He wanted to bury himself inside of Shaun, bite him and fuck him and—

“Red, Rake!” The use of the safeword and Shaun’s panicked voice broke through Rake’s psyche. Shaun scrabbled at his biceps, pushing him off. Panic exploded in Rake so fast he sprang to his feet, sending Shaun flying off his lap and onto the floor.

The grey pallor of Shaun’s skin didn’t lessen Rake’s panic, but it was the hurt on Shaun’s face that speared him right to his core. Kit had moved closer to them, crouched low in what looked like a fighting stance.

“Shit,” Rake swore. “Shaun, I’m so sorry. I lost control. I wasn’t able to stop. You’re stronger than me. You should have hit me or something.” He knelt down, not sure if Shaun would allow Rake to touch him.

But Shaun smiled reassuringly and reached a hand out, pressing it to Rake’s chest. “I’m all right. I didn’t want to resort to hurting you unless I needed to.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rake repeated, covering Shaun’s hand with his own.

“You didn’t mean it. Your instincts are in overdrive right now. I’m surprised you stopped at all—it’s hard when you’re new. Lawrence had to monitor my feedings for months.”

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 to breathe in 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.

“Satisfied?” Rake asked Shaun.

“Much better.”

Rake turned to where Lynette and Julia shared another woman between them. “We’re ready to take Lawrence down.”

Lynette broke away from the woman’s shoulder. “We need to rest first.”

“Why aren’t we going tonight?” Rake asked.

“It’s far too risky to go out this close to sunrise. You do know what’ll happen if you step out in it?” Lynette said, voice dripping with condescension.

“But Lawrence was able to go out whilst it was light,” Rake pointed out. “And he’s only a hundred. Surely you can handle it, too?”

“What do you mean, a hundred?” Kit asked. “Lawrence is at least four hundred years old.”

“His paperwork for coming to Brighton said he’d been recreated in the 1950s, if I’m not mistaken,” Lynette said.

“Fucking Lawrence and his fucking lies,” Kit said .

“What’s more likely? That he lied to us to make himself older, or that he lied to Lynette to make himself younger?” Shaun asked.

Kit sighed. “I don’t know. He enjoys screwing with everyone.”

“I bit him when he pledged to me after you moved here, Shaun. His blood didn’t taste old at all,” Lynette said.

A furrow formed between Shaun’s brows. “He drank from me exclusively that week. Would that have affected it?”

Lynette’s eyes were flinty. “It would dilute his blood if he was drinking from a younger vampire. If he’s older than we think, he’ll be more dangerous. All the more reason to wait until we have more backup.”

“Shaun, you said he could still compel you until recently,” Rake said before addressing Lynette. “Would that be something only an old vampire could do?”

Lynette nodded slowly. “It should wear off once the new creation is able to handle feeding without falling prey to their bloodlust. If Weston could still compel Shaun after so long, then I suspect he’s closer to the age that Kit suspects.”

“Don’t tell me,” Rake said in a monotone. “It’ll make him far harder to kill.”

Lynette’s grim face was answer enough.

Rake was over the vampire bullshit already. His heart ached for DJ’s return, and it made it hard to focus on anything else. Even Shaun’s support wasn’t enough.

Rake needed to get his boyfriend back, no matter what.