Page 5 of Come and Get Me
I wasn’t surprised by how well-trained Ivan was. He really hadn’t put up much of a fight when Théoden had been housebreaking him. I thought he’d balk and snarl his way into a painful submission, but he kind of just went with the flow. Smart on his part, fighting Théoden would only bring you misery and him pleasure.
“You think so?” Théoden asked me.
I blinked when I looked at him. “Huh? Sire?”
“You think I get pleasure from your pain, pet?” he asked me.
Ahhh, I’d been so deep in my thoughts about Ivan and how complacent the werewolf was, once again, I had forgotten that Théoden was reading my mind. “Honestly, Sir, yes,” I said, being truthful. If I were to lie, that would just piss Théoden off.
He smirked. “Well, it depends, really. I’d much rather give my boys…” and then he paused and looked down at Ivan, “and toys pleasure over pain. But if I have to do the latter, then I will enjoy it. Mainly, because I know that in the end, my goal would have been achieved and my boys and toys would be better off for it.” Théoden had made himself comfortable on the sofa now, returning back to his vampire TV series,Hunger, which actually starred real vampires, so no special effects were needed.
It was pretty popular, too. I was curious as to how much was acting and how much was real. Like, did the humans really get bitten in those scenes? Was the sex real? These days, there were very little rules. No FCC to say what was allowed and what wasn’t. Back in the day, everything was all fake, but great acting and effects made it seem real. Not these days. The only things that weren’t real were onscreen deaths in entertainment, and that was only if the actors were a part of the Citizen Actors Guild. Now, what went down in the arena was a different story. Those humans were criminals, like I used to be.
Anyway, I snapped back to the present and looked at Théoden. He was sitting silently as he stared back at me with an expression that proved he had probably been reading my mind the entire time I had been rambling.
He snorted. “I was, you fucking airhead. The things that take up your interest baffle me at times.” He sighed and shook his head. “Nevertheless, you and your brother are expected to service King Evander tonight. The King is sending someone to collect you within the next fifteen minutes. In the meantime, we have some things to discuss.” He gestured for us to sit down, so we did, both taking a seat on the loveseat opposite the sofa he was sitting on.
“Is this about Josef, Sire?” Dante asked.
Théoden nodded. “Tomorrow night is the full moon, and they say you and he will solidify your bond. Now, I don’t know what to expect from your union, as nothing of the sort has ever happened. However, this is what I do want to happen. You will live with Josef and run the pack by his side in my best interest, not his. Is this clear?”
Dante nodded. “Yes, Sire.”
Seeing how devoted Dante was to Théoden, I couldn’t help but think about how far he had come. I remembered his growling and snarling, baring teeth and shit, threatening motherfuckers, and claiming he’d never bow down. Now, he had been tamed by Théoden and was loyal… as loyal as any canine was to its master, I supposed. Théoden threatening his mother played a big part in housebreaking Dante, of course. Our Father will always get his way.
Dante didn’t even offer up any protest when Théoden pierced his penis with the Jacob’s ladder. He took that pain like a champ the whole time, even impressed Marco. Donovan didn’t want to watch, I guess he was reliving the time he had to go through it. Dante had even had his nipple re-pierced, as well.
I figured he saw it as a gift, the same way Théoden had wanted me to see my own piercings as a gift the night he gave them to me. Of course, it was hard for me to see it his way at the time, because I’d beenembracedand was also being punished that night. I looked over my shoulder at several of my brothers and nephews who were walking past us towards the elevator. When the doors opened, they climbed on to start their night.
“Focus on the conversation at hand, Noel,” Théoden snapped, and I turned back toward him and straightened up.
“I’m sorry, Father,” I apologized.
“Dante, I want you to sire a child within a week after you and Josef’s ritual. That area needs a Lord and I want one that I’m hoping will be as immune to wolf’s venom as you are,” Théoden said.
Dante nodded. “I will make sure it’s done, Sire. Does it matter who I choose?”
Théoden shook his head. “Not to me, but considering you have dragon’s blood in your veins, you may want to choose a male. Female and male dragons don’t get along. The smart thing would be to embrace a human who wants to be a vampire, if only to minimize how much time you’ll have to spend on training him.”
“Makes sense, I really don’t have the patience to deal with a whiny vampire, especially if he’s to be my Lord,” Dante stated.
“Not to mention, all of the wolves you’ll have to turn. That’s a lot on your plate,” I pointed out.
“Another thing to take into consideration, you’re right,” Dante said as he sat back, biting his bottom lip.
“Show them no mercy, Dante. Always, you are an extension of me,” Théoden said. “Never forget that.”
“I will make you proud, Father,” Dante promised.
Speaking of wolf venom, something came back to me and I’d been meaning to ask Marco this question, but didn’t want to risk his wrath. Something Marco had told me that left me confused after our battle with Josef and his wolves.
“Father, can I ask you something that’s been on my mind?” I asked.
Théoden nodded. “What is it?”
“When I first started training with Marco, he once told me that wolf venom can make vampires sick, but it killed Ryu,” I pointed out.
Théoden smirked and shook his head. “Marco told me that night that you’d been working his nerves with your incessant questions. I reminded him that’s what babies do, ask a ton of questions. I was not aware that he’d given you half-assed information. I will speak to him about that.”
