Page 25

W ith a damp towel, Jayden cleaned the blood off his hands. It didn’t wipe it all away, but it worked well enough for now. Cleaning the various daggers and knives he used took precedence over getting the blood out from under his fingernails.

Jayden’s gaze slid over to the dead woman. At least, he wouldn’t have to take care of her. Apparently, Dante had other people for that. The care of the tools he used, however, was all on him. Not that Jayden minded. He found sharpening blades soothing.

Focusing on his tools, he began the process of cleaning them.

Honestly, Jayden hadn’t expected to have an assignment the day after he officially started his new job—not that he was complaining. It was odd. Jayden felt calmer than he had in years—freer even.

The solid stone walls of his workroom were reinforced with spells, so he heard very little from the residence above. Besides the cries of the criminal, it had been peacefully quiet as he’d worked.

The urges Jayden had were now calm, no longer an unbearable pressure that was crushing down on him to be let free.

His monster was quiet, as well. Though he was visible—just sitting down in the normal darkness of his mind. What confused Jayden was that it appeared Bow had a crayon in his hand. He was drawing on the nothingness of whatever he was sitting on, and staring down, seeing something Jayden couldn’t. Bow was definitely smaller than before, younger even. As to why he was, Jayden didn’t have a clue, because his monster wouldn’t tell him anything.

After he left Dante’s last night, it had taken hours to calm Bow down. The longer it went on, the worse it had gotten. Bow’s fear, at one point, had started to drag him down, bringing tears to his eyes.

He was thankful that Stephan had been there. Jayden was almost positive he would still be a sobbing mess on the floor if Stephan hadn’t brought him back. Murmuring words of love, holding him, offering his protection—a place of safety.

After putting his knives and daggers away, Jayden wiped the blood off his feet. He walked over, avoiding the puddles on the floor, and sat on the steps.

“You okay, Bow?” Jayden asked as he pulled his socks and boots on.

Bow’s hand stilled, and he looked up. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

His monster’s cheeks flushed. “I’m fine!” he snapped, and poofed away.

Ah, it seemed Bow was embarrassed about yesterday. Whatever—he’d get over it, eventually. Taking a deep breath, Jayden visualized his mental walls and tried to strengthen them as Sabriel had shown him.

That done, he made his way up the stairs.

S tephan eyed the obviously insane man. “You want me to, what?”

“I want you to train with a friend of mine,” Dante repeated calmly.

“For what reason?”

“I’m going to be frank with you, Stephan. You have no doubt gained considerable control over your healing abilities. However, your destructive nature, being so closely connected to your emotions, is entirely unpredictable. It makes you a danger to those around you. Suppressing it is not the same as learning to wield it. Nor does it work.”

He glared. “I’m fine.”

Dante snorted. “Can you guarantee that if you lost complete control of all that fury inside you, you would be able to pull yourself back?”

Stephan bit his bottom lip and said nothing—he didn’t know what would happen. Would he be able to pull himself back if he tumbled over the edge? Could he stuff all his hatred back down once it was free? Stephan wasn’t confident he could, and that doubt alone proved Dante was right.

“That’s what I thought. You won’t have to worry about exposing your secret, as the man I’m thinking of has plenty of his own. Once I contact him, I’ll let you know when he’s able to come.”

His shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

Stephan perked up when he heard the front door open and caught Jade’s scent, his smile dropping slightly as he smelled blood. When the man walked into the room, his smile flatlined, and his right eye started to twitch as he took in all the blood coating the vampire.

“It’s done,” Jayden announced.

“Stop!” Stephan screamed when the vampire started to sit down on the cream-colored couch.

A wide-eyed Jayden froze, hovering awkwardly above the seat.

“These sofas are a set. You ruin one, you ruin them both! They are also irreplaceable!”

“Ah…” Jayden straightened and stepped nervously away from the furniture.

Dante chuckled. “Well, I think I should go now.” The man stood and headed out, yelling behind him, “I’ll contact you when I need you, Jayden.”

“Did you seriously walk over here, down the street, where everyone could see you, covered in blood?!”

Jayden looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m going to go…shower.” The vampire fled.

Stephan huffed and shook his head in disgust.

W arm water cascaded from the showerhead, as Jayden ran his fingers through his hair, rinsing out the conditioner that Stephan had insisted he start using.

Okay, even Jayden would admit that walking out in the open while covered in blood hadn’t been the best idea. Considering there was a full bathroom right next to the stairs that led down to his workroom, Jayden could have showered. However, it wasn’t magically reinforced, and he would have felt awful using it.

Maybe Jayden should ask Dante to install a bathroom in the dungeon. Would it be too much? Whatever, he’d ask anyway.

After thoroughly washing away all the blood, he stepped out of the shower and dried off. Jayden found it slightly entertaining that Stephan had remodeled the bathroom to look exactly like his old one had.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Jayden walked into the bedroom. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Stephan lying on the bed, nude. There was a bottle of lube beside him.

Stephan peered up at him from under his long lashes. Laid out the way he was, Jayden could see every flushed bit of him. The sight of Stephan’s half-hard cock had his own perking up.

“Stephan…” Jayden rasped.

“I’m ready.”

Licking his suddenly dry lips, he undid his towel. Stephan’s heated gaze ran over him as the piece of cloth fell to the floor, his prick bobbing as it became fully erect. Jayden released a growl of satisfaction at the knowledge that he had such an effect on his little man .

Prowling forward, he slid onto the bed, and crouched over the elf. “Are you sure?”

Smiling softly, Stephan nodded.

Jayden leaned down to nip at his neck. He dragged his tongue down, licking the soft, sweet skin, before sucking on Stephan’s collarbone. Stephan moaned, and glided his fingers through Jayden’s hair, then ran them down to massage the muscles in the man's back.

Slipping lower put one of Stephan’s nipples right in front of him. Lazily, Jayden lapped at the small beaded bud, stopping every so often to blow on the wetness he left behind. The man shivered and arched toward him every time Jayden’s cool breath hit the spit-covered flesh.

“Jade…I don’t want to wait. I want…” Stephan whimpered. “I want you inside me.”

After pushing him away, the man bent his knees and hooked his arms underneath, to hold them up—exposing his hole to Jayden’s eyes.

Jayden growled. “Your want is my command.”

Jayden’s mouth watered at the beautiful view. The little pink starburst was twitching under his gaze. Cupping the man’s left ass cheek, he rubbed the small hole with his thumb. Stephan whined and wiggled as Jayden pressed against the fluttering muscle.

He forced himself to release the man’s rounded globe, then grabbed the lube and liberally coated his fingers in the slick substance, before returning to the tight bud. Stephan startled slightly as the cold fluid touched his heated flesh.

After pushing the tip of his finger past Stephan’s tight rim, he worked his middle finger inside. When Stephan began to shift nervously, Jayden rubbed one of the man’s thighs to soothe him. Slowly, he opened him up. Soon enough, each pump of his fingers drew sweet mewls of pleasure from his lover’s lips.

“Does that feel good, Hunny?” Jayden had to stop himself from adding the word ‘Bunny’—he would be sleeping somewhere else tonight if he said it. It was a threat he hadn’t taken seriously, until one night he found himself alone in one of their many guest rooms.

“Yes!” Stephan moaned.

Once he could smoothly slide three fingers in and out, Jayden pulled them free. On his knees, he placed Stephan’s thighs over his, grabbed the lube once again, to slick up his prick.

Jayden took hold of his shaft, and lined up the dripping tip with the man’s pulsing hole. “Take a deep breath and push out. Can you do that for me, Sweetheart?”

Biting his lip, Stephan nodded.

Jayden pushed, and the man gasped as his head popped past the tight barrier. “That’s it. You’re doing great, Sweetie,” Jayden groaned—he could feel the man’s inner walls tightening and untightening around him.

Placing his hands on Stephan’s waist, he rocked forward, working his cock inside. Sweat dripped down his back, and his breathing staggering as Jayden struggled to go slow. The deeper he went, the more Stephan’s body clenched around him. Jayden let out a low moan, and stilled when he was buried fully inside Stephan’s warmth.

His whole body was tense as he waited for Stephan to adjust. “You did it, Sweetheart,” Jayden cooed, panting heavily.

Taking a shuddered breath, Stephan giggled. “I did it.”

There had been so much joy in the small sound, but it sent a vibration through Stephan that made both of them moan.

“I’m going to move now, Sweetheart.”

Jayden slowly withdrew his cock and then pushed back in.

“Oh!” Stephan cried.

His thrusts increased in speed each time he plunged inside. While his attempts were awkward at first, Stephan soon matched his movements. But Jayden’s need to bury himself deeper had him gripping Stephan under his knees to push them back. Snapping his hips, he pounded into the man’s tight hole.

The smell of their arousal permeated the room. Their moans and grunts of pleasure filled the air, drowning out their thundering heartbeats. Jayden had never felt so close to anyone before. It was as if something inside of him was healing. He felt…less broken, less empty. And as Jayden claimed the man who showed him how to love, tears of joy formed in his eyes.

Stephan was so tight, his sucking heat capturing him. It was too much—the heat around him was too much. Jayden felt his climax approaching. His balls clenched each time he drove inside.

Wanting Stephan to fall over the edge with him, Jayden changed his angle, making sure to hit the little bundle of nerves deep inside Stephan each time. Only a few thrusts later, the elf cried out. Stephan screamed his pleasure, and his hole spasming around Jayden’s cock sent Jayden tumbling over too. Roaring, he coated Stephan’s inner walls.

Panting for air, Jayden gently pulled out once he had finished, lowering his lover’s legs down. His little man let out a soft whimper when his prick slid free. His body was feeling heavy, and he had to force himself to shift enough to fall beside Stephan, instead of on top of him.

Jayden groaned and sluggishly pulled the elf into his arms. Placing a kiss on top of his head, he ran his hand over Stephan’s sweat-coated curls.

A hoarse giggle had him peering down.

Stephan beamed up at him. “I did it.”

Jayden let out a deep, raspy chuckle. “Yes. Yes, you did.” Tucking Stephan’s face into his neck, he rested his chin on top of the man’s head.

“Jade?” Stephan asked, his voice muffled.

“Hmm?” he hummed, pulling back just enough to be able to see him when he looked down.

Stephan stared up at him with a rather kittenish smile on his face, before running his pink tongue slowly over his lips. “Can we…do it again?”

Jayden’s eyes widened, and staring down at the luscious little bundle, he discovered his lost libido.