Page 68 of Map of Pain
«Worse than pets,»Luka said, his hands trembling with controlled rage.«Pets got treats sometimes. Got told theyweregood. Nickwastorturedinto compliance. Broken down piece by piece, then rebuilt into something that couldn’t fucking exist without permission to breathe.»
Marcus absorbed this information with the grim understanding of someone who knewthe worst of vampire nature.“So a survival mechanism?”
«Yes. But there’s more.»Luka’s hands stilled for a moment, his beast stirring uneasily at having to voice what he suspected.«His reactions to being touched, to small spaces, to anyone with authority. The way he flinches like he’s expecting to be hit. The way his body just... surrenders when he’s overwhelmed.»
Luka’s hands clenched into fists before he forced them to continue signing.«I think Nicoletti raped him, repeatedly, and turned it into conditioning so deep that Nick’s body betrays him even when his mind knows he’s safe.»
The silence that followedwasprofound. Even Ophelia had gonecompletely still, her usual detached expression replaced by something that might have been horror.
Marcuswasquiet for a long moment, processing. Then his expression shifted to something almost worse than rage—confusion mixed with sick understanding.
“But that raises a question,”Marcus said slowly.“If the Society found him in that state—broken, conditioned into absolute submission—how did they turn him into a hunter? Into someone cold enough to torture his own brother without hesitation?”
The question hit Luka like ice water. His mind conjured the image: Nick, kneeling, hands positioned to cause himself pain, waiting for orders, not moving until given permission. A shattered thing thathadbeen trained to seek approval through absolute compliance.
What did they do to him?
The thought spiraled before Luka could stop it. If Nickhadbeen that broken, that desperate for direction, whathadthe Society done to reshape him into a weapon? What new tormentshadthey layered onto the foundation of Gianmarco’s conditioning?
Stop.His beast spoke with sharp authority,Stop thinking about it.Can’t imagine more pain for him.Hurts too much.
Luka’s hands stilled mid-sign, his torso seizing with something that felt like physical agony. His heart shouldn’t hurt at all—vampire heartsweresupposedto be still, functional only when needed. But something in his chestwasclenching, twisting, making it hard to think.
Don’t think about what they did to break him again. Focus on anything else.
«I need to ask you something,»Luka began,«about being drawn to humans.»
Marcus’s eyebrows rose with understanding and perhaps a touch of relief.“What about it?”
«How did you know? With your human. How did you know itwasreal and not just...»Luka paused, searching for the right word.«Not just the beast’s desire?»
“Ah.”Marcus settled back into the couch cushions, amber eyes soft with memory.“You’re wondering if what you feel for Nick is genuine or if it’s your beast responding to his vulnerability.”
«Yes. And no.»Luka’s hands stilled for a moment.«My beast is certain. Keeps saying he’s... mine. But I need to understand the difference between claiming someone because they’re broken and...»
“And recognizing someone who chooses you back,”Marcus finished.
«My beast keeps calling him...»Luka paused, feeling awkward about the term.
Marcus’s expression softened with understanding.“Mate? Those are the words that come to mind?”
“The beast uses those words because it doesn’t understand complexity. I don’t like that terminology myself—it implies an inevitability to the relationship, like humans lack the agency to resist becoming involved with us.”His amber eyes grew serious.“Humans always have choice, even when our beasts insist otherwise. That’s what makes their choices meaningful.”
The certainty in those words settled into Luka’s bones like truth. His beasthadn’tbeen responding to Nick’s vulnerability or his need for protection. Ithadbeen responding to the fundamental compatibility, the way Nick’s choices and Luka’s nature aligned like puzzle pieces.
«What about the timing?»Luka asked.«Meeting him when hewasso damaged, when he needed help. Doesn’t that complicate things?»
“It would if you tried to fix him,”Marcus said with quiet wisdom.“If you gave him choices and waited for him to choose you back, that’s the difference between claiming and recognizing.”
Ophelia spoke up without looking away from her phone:“Also, hewastrying to kill you. Hard to argue you took advantage of someone whowashunting you with a crossbow.”
Both vampires looked at her in surprise, then Marcus began to chuckle.“Shehasa point. Traditional predator-prey dynamics don’t really apply when the ‘prey’ is attempting to murder you.”
Chapter twenty-seven
Metal doesn't have nerve endings, genius...
Nick
