Page 59 of Worse Fates

“Sex doesn’t always need an end goal. Being intimate with you in any way is incredibly gratifying. But also you are the epitome of my every fetish.”

His eyes go wide, his nervous fingers pausing. “I-I am?”

I hum as I move his jaw to the side and suck kisses into his neck. “You needed me so badly, didn’t you? And the way you begged…” I sink blunt teeth into his neck. “There is nothing better.”

Golden gasps, moaning. “O-oh…”

Reluctantly, I pull away, we’re about to visit my unhinged Maker, I need to have my head on straight. “It’s probably why I failed to be your friend.”

Golden snorts a laugh in surprise. “When have you ever tried to be my friend?”

“Up until you walked into the garden, and now you're sleeping in my bed,” I sigh. “I’m afraid all hopes of our friendship are dashed.”

“I think I’ll manage,” he jokes. Then frowns. “That’s your room I’ve been in?”

I nod.

“Huh…when Ramy put me there on our first night I thought the bed was so comforting, but maybe it…I mean, it smelt like you.”

Groaning, my fingers rake through my hair. “You are a terrible tease, do you know that?”

“I’m starting to learn I could breathe in your direction and you’d be ‘teased’.”

“It would depend if you were on your knees or not,” I drawl back with a sultry edge.

Laughter bursts from him. “You’re the fucking tease, babe.”

“Hm, I still prefer lover.” I kiss his cheek. As much as I’d rather stay here, teasing and loving Golden, the world outsideawaits; as does my Maker. “Remember Vidar can be cruel, he’s been feeding again but it’s only been a few days. So there’s no doubt he’ll be…”

“Grumpy?”

“A prick,” I correct. “Do you remember the rules?”

He rolls his eyes. “Dude, how am I gonna forget three rules that you’ve repeated about a million times?” He counts off his fingers. “Listen to everything you say. Don’t agree to anything. Stay by your side.”

I pause, and after a moment dart out so I can open his door. “Please stop calling me dude.”

“Okay, sweetcheeks.” Golden jumps out, fearless, while every cell in my body begs me to turn back. I love Vidar, but to keep Golden safe I would kill him in a heartbeat.

???

Kai decided to stay back, saying he needed to email his tattoo clients. In truth, Golden’s description of my Maker as a ‘walking corpse with fangs, and dick flopping all over the place’ has put the poor boy on edge.

As I lead Golden through the farmhouse, I keep my hand at the small of his back. And following Ramy’s gentle voice, I find them in the living room.

The carpet is an awful off white, a horrible pattern throughout. As if someone got incredibly drunk, and tried to spell their name in dehydrated piss.

The wallpaper is an absolutely horrendous creamy green. Lace doilies hang off a brown velvet sofa patterned with what I presume are flowers, but resemble inflamed eyeballs.

Where the hell did Ramy find this place?

So taken aback by the design choices, I nearly miss Vidar lounging in an armchair and thankfully dressed. His face remains gaunt, more bone than flesh, yet life glows within his pale eyes. Ramy beside him, Rurik on the other side a few steps back.

Golden shifts. Instinctively, I put my body between him and Vidar. “You’re looking better, Maker,” I say.

Vidar runs one long, broken nail through the doily, the sound of shredding lace filling the room. “Ramy brought me fresh blood this morning. And lucky me, you’ve brought me more.”

“Maker, please.” Ramy lets out a weary sigh