Page 93 of The Vampire's Thirst
His pulse ticked up a notch. His breaths drew fast and shallow as he approached his stepfather. While Bounty showed their non-responsive mother the gift, he took the male by the elbow. “We have something to discuss. Follow me.”
Long before his vampire Awakening, the ritual when he would assume his full powers, Dax was a force of nature. Stubborn, determined, strong. He looked and acted far older than his fifteen years.
The male followed his stepson into an office, closing the door. His demeanor colder and more calculated than it had been in the kitchen, the bastard took a chair behind the desk. “Sit.”
Dax declined the invitation. “I can say what I came to say standing.”
His eyes narrow slits, the O blud den owner shrugged. “Spit it out.”
“I have a deal to offer. It’s two-fold. First, I’ll work for you. You’ve seen the females eye me. They want me, but nobody gets to stick fang or dick in me. I’ll handle the males my own way. Second, Bounty will never set foot in one of your client rooms.”
The male who was his stepfather grinned like he’d struck Darque’s coveted phosphorescent gold.
Despite the lump in his throat which warned he was trading his future for Bounty’s, Dax continued. “The day the deal is broken, I promise you I will no longer bring in business. And the loss of money will cut you like a Spriggan’s blade.” Dax leaned onto his stepfather’s desk, his fingers splayed to hold his weight. “Here’s what else I promise, and maybe this will make you think thrice. I will skin you alive, motherfucker. Alive. Cut your fangs from your gums. And then set you on fire.”
His stepfather probably knew Dax already humped some of the females in the den. Who could blame a teen bloodsucker for liking pussy? He pretty much liked anything that fisted his dick. And that thing never got soft. Dax blamed it on being jacked up on extra libido.
Recognizing a good deal when he heard one, the slime agreed. He didn’t even blink at the threat. Dax wasn’t stupid, though. He knew a time would come when Bounty would be worth the male’s betrayal. His stepfather would break the deal. But before then, Dax would be capable of supporting them, and he would take her and run.
When he walked out of the office, an excited, smiling Bounty met him at the foot of the stairs, her diary open. “Look. I already wrote about my birthday party. The best one ever.” She turned the pages toward him, flowing letters penning her first entry.
Her threw an arm over her shoulders. “There’ll be lots more, little sis. You’ll see.”
From the start, Dax was a hot commodity. Loved by males and females for his youthful bod, bulging muscles, big dick, and inventive activities. Truth be told, he was a randy adolescent. He would have dipped his wick for free. He also got all the free veins he could sink his fangs into. He didn’t need to hunt. Unless he was feeling particularly predatory. Or savagely hungry. Sometimes after a particularly violent or inventive session, he not only dined on a client, but later he over-sated himself with a bloody meal-on-two feet. He figured he was a natural at this whoring business.
He also learned he got off on pain. Giving it. Not so much taking it. But for the females, what little conscience he had made him save his unadulterated bite for those who got off on BDSM. He never released males from the hurt, always denying them the pain inhibitor he could secrete through his fangs. Yeah. Whimpers, screams, and struggles were aphrodisiacs. Strange though, his clients left satisfied, eager for more. Ah. The adolescent vampire. Erotic angst at its best.
Dax barely remembered his birth father, a longtime Firebrand. And the realm had been in bad shape back then. Some say he was a good male, but some claimed he was a cold-hearted bastard. At least he’d had an honest job. He died in battle. In a way, so did his mother that day. His stepdad had hooked her on O after he mated her. The why escaped Dax. She eventually died from grief or addiction. He didn’t know or care. He didn’t attend her Cede, the funeral ceremony, and he didn’t tell his sister.
With his whoring, he eventually saved up enough to run with Bounty. He just did it too late.
After their escape and his Awakening, the Firebrands called him to service. Why him, he couldn’t imagine. He figured the Phoenix had pulled a real boner.
When a position opened in Kole’s office, Dax slipped a word to his sister. The rest was Scath history. Showed how smart and talented she was. Traits he lacked.
He was skilled with the kill, though. Maybe he underestimated the street smarts of the Phoenix. The Firebrands needed murderers with no conscience. Talk about a good fit. Shoe. Foot. Perfect.
A door opened on the balcony above as meaningless laughter, devoid of real pleasure, rolled down the steps. The sound was nothing like the joy which came out of Chiara’s mouth. Dax unfolded his bulk from the chair, lumbered through the hallway, and pushed open the door, banging it against the brick wall.
On the street, he took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, cool scent of clean air. Today, he wouldn’t feed from or fuck an O blud whore.
Today.
Tomorrow was an eternity away.
****
General“Lip” Lipton opened the note a sergeant had just delivered. He nodded before turning toward the command officers and staffers gathered in the tactical operation tent for the After-Action Review in the early morning. He folded the message, tucking it into his pocket. “No word on Colonel Garcia yet. The last information has him scuffling with one of those otherworlders. We have not found a body. Best guess, he’s been captured.”
Mateo Garcia, who commanded his Ranger battalions, had led a mop-up crew into the city to round up frenzied otherworlders. His men returned but not the colonel. Damn fine soldier. And friend. Lip swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Anger and loss were debilitating emotions. So he shoved them aside to make room for the cold reason he needed to command his unit.
Before the message about Matty, he had reviewed thewhat-happened, the description of the battle’s events, KIA stats on both sides, number of wounded, captured otherworlders, weapons and equipment used, and comments on supplies. They had moved on to thewhy, how-to-do-better,andwhat’s-needed. He was closing the AAR.
Lipton recognized his youngest lieutenant colonel, a tall, rangy officer with red hair who led one of the Ranger battalions assigned to SMO Left Bank. “Bozeman was a clusterfuck. We learned it takes fewer of them to overpower us than expected. Our soldiers faltered when they saw how alien our enemy is. Credit to them, they got back into the game quick. I count the fight as a learning experience. But it wasn’t pretty.”
“Did we get video?” Lipton rubbed his neck as he addressed an intel staffer.
“Yes. We’ve scheduled everyone to view the film. The next time, they’ll know what to expect. Hell. They fed on us.” He closed his eyes as if to erase ugly visions.
