It’s a great time to come to the forum, because I just started up the first of the 2012 vignettes. “Retribution” focuses on Ben, a character from my Knights of the Board Room series. His book, Hostile Takeover, comes out in the next month or two. While he’ll of course find his forever lady in that story, in this “still single” vignette, he has an intense club interaction with Celeste de Mille, the nosy business social news columnist who gave K&A men the “Knights” title.  Part One is at the forum. Enjoy!

With respect to accessing the vignettes, remember if you’ve never logged onto the fan forum before, there’s a short registration process. Only a valid email address is required, and that’s simply to prevent spammers from getting on the site. Once you do the registration, navigate away from the site, come back, log in, and you’re all set to access the members-only material of vignettes, exclusive excerpts, graphics inspired by the books, and much more. If you have any problems, email me at storywitch@storywitch.com and I’ll be happy to help.

To subscribe to the monthly newsletter, visit my website, www.storywitch.com, and click on the Subscribe to Newsletter link in the gold bar menu on the left. Thanks for following me on the blog all this time – I hope you’ll find the increased content of the forum or information accessed through the newsletter just as enjoyable!

Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing the forum or newsletter, and very best wishes to you all in 2012!

Just a quick update – In the Company of Witches, second book in the Arcane Shot series, was turned in to Berkley on October 31, and now I’m working on Hostile Takeover,  Ben’s story from Knights of the Board Room. I’m intending to have that turned in to Ellora’s Cave by year end. And of course the first week of December, Lyssa and Jacob return in Bound by the Vampire Queen. Hope you enjoy them!

If you’re not already subscribed to my monthly newsletter (through the left sidebar menu on my website), you may wish to do so, because I have a handful of upcoming appearances that include book giveaways, and of course the newsletter also keeps you informed about all the goodies and happenings on the fan forum. Just this past month, three exclusive excerpts were posted at the forum – Chapter Two of Bound by the Vampire Queen, Chapter Two of Something About Witches, and Chapter One of Hostile Takeover!

Hope everyone had a lovely Halloween, and best wishes as always.

Remember, if you haven’t registered for the new forum yet, you’ll need to do that first, so just jump over there sometime today to take care of that, or you can do it right before 8pm. There’s a short registration process, but the admins have tried to make it VERY easy. Once that’s done, you’ll have access to all the great content you were used to at the old location…and more!

Second, as many of you may know, the JWH fan forum admins have been working furiously to move the forum to a 100% owned site where they have more control over the content you all love. They launched it today – an incredible feat, given the amount of time they had to do this – and it is up and running. The new fan site is http://www.jwhconnection.com. While I haven’t yet changed the gold menu button on my website (my webmaster has to do that), I have put a note at the top of the home page about it and a link to my fan forum detail page to help everyone. But here’s a quick paste of those instructions here:

ACCESSING THE FORUM: Even if you were a member of the old forum, you’ll need to re-register at the new forum. Yes, it’s an aggravation, but PLEASE don’t let it stop you from re-joining, or joining for the first time! The excellent thing is the new forum is 100% owned by the forum admins, which will give them greater freedom with content and the ability to offer you all more of the things you enjoy about my work. If this is your first time joining, or you’re rejoining, here’s what you need to know. When you go to http://www.jwhconnection.com, click the Join button and follow the directions. There are 2-3 screens to fill out, but they take very little time. Once you complete the registration process, navigate away from the site, then come back, login, and you’re all set to go. Email me if you have any trouble!

Thanks to everyone as always!

Also, don’t forget, we have a Bookclub Chat night coming up on the JWH fan forum, August 6, 8-10pm EST. We’ll be talking about Vampire Instinct, as well as taking any other questions/comments about the books you have. The Bookclub night is a lot of fun, whether you want to lurk or participate, so come on out and join us. And of course there are always great giveaways.

Now, if you can’t make it at that time, you’re always welcome to check into that thread later on, because it stays up for awhile and you can read all the Q&A posts. You’re welcome to leave follow up questions there, because I check back throughout the week.

And of course, you can leave a question at the “Got a Question for Joey” thread anytime!

[Note if you haven’t logged onto the forum before – there’s a short registration process, only requiring a valid email address to protect the forum from spammers. Once you complete that registration process, navigate away from the site, come back/login, and the Bookclub Night thread will show up, along with all the other wonderful forum content – free vignettes, graphics, etc…] Hope to see you there!

* * * * *

Daegan was as good as his word. He gave Gideon ten, left his ass on fire, then tied him down spreadeagle to his bed. He put his mouth on Gideon’s cock until he was hard and aching, his ass abraded from clenching against the covers. When he was nearly spurting, Daegan released his legs, but only to hook the ropes under his knees, pull them up to the level of his chest so he was spread like a woman, an incredibly unsettling experience.

“What the—don’t—”

“You don’t get the luxury of refusing your Master, Gideon.” Daegan stood over him on his knees, put his cock up Gideon’s ass while staring down at him. Gideon clenched his jaw, his body shuddering, trembling as Daegan slid deep, withdrew, slid deep again, all while facing him, looking down at him, tied and helpless. “You’ll come this way, upon my command.”

And he did, but it fucked up his mind enough that when Daegan released him, he sprang, tried to wrestle him down. The vampire met him strength to strength, hand to hand, and then pretty much smothered him in the bedclothes as he fucked his ass once more.

But that was okay. It was all okay.

Especially when he woke a couple hours—Gideon couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so deeply—and realized Anwyn was home. He could feel her.

She wasn’t in their apartment, but she was upstairs, in the club. He felt the caressing touch of her mind, the sense that she’d be coming to him soon and he needed to wait on her. It wasn’t fair, because Daegan was with her, but since he wasn’t yet sure he had any feeling in his limbs, and he probably needed to take a shower and make himself a little more presentable once he could crawl to the bathroom, that would be all right. It was all good.

A glass of ice water, so cold the condensation dripped on his forearm, appeared in front of him, held by a familiar hand.

“Rough night?”

As much as he wanted to see Anwyn, it was a pleasant surprise, though a bit weird, to have his brother sitting on the edge of the bed, giving him an amused, understanding look. His tone was dry, the voice of experience, and Gideon couldn’t deny it, not with with the tangled bed clothes, his obvious dehydration and nakedness, and the room smelling of sweaty male fucking.

“Yeah.” Gideon cleared his throat, sat up enough to take the water. “But okay.”

“Hmm. They’re good at that. Taking us way beyond our threshold, but making us okay with it, every fucking time. Even when our heads stay a bit screwed up about it.”

“Yeah.” He was aching and sore in all the right ways, so redundant and monosyllabic were the best he could do.

“Daegan said she’d be down pretty soon. He went up about a half hour ago.”

“Where’s Lyssa?”

“She went up to take the tour. Probably picking out a room we can use for a few hours.” Jacob’s lips tugged in a wry smile. “So I’m not going to be too smug. God only knows what will meet her fancy here. You know, it was a little strange, talking to Daegan, knowing he’d basically wrung you out like a dishcloth during the time we were gone. He looked pretty damn satisfied, though.”

Gideon grunted. Fortunately, his brother was used to that. His brother was used to all of this, too, and there was a comfort to that, to the fact he didn’t need to say anything else about it. Hell, he’d come quite a ways. At one time, he’d believed his brother would be better off dead than bound to a vampire mistress.

Hope you don’t feel that way about your binding to me.

And there Anwyn was, leaning in the doorway. All sexy and perfect in jeans, heels, a tight T-shirt with sparkly things on it that etched out a red heart with a silver dagger thrust through it. Since she’d essentially been out on the town having a fun girls’ night, she was carrying that appealing aura of the unattainable and available at once, which just roused the hunter in him more.

Her sensuous lips curving, she sauntered into the room, the jut of her breasts and casual sway of her hips enough to draw both males’ gazes. Jacob’s eyes flickered with renewed amusement.

“Can you give us a moment, Jacob?” she asked.

“I think you’ll need more than a moment, but sure.” He rose.

Gideon glanced at him, feeling a twinge of guilt at how much he wanted his little brother to scram so he could have Anwyn to himself.

“You heading out before I even get a chance to catch up on what’s happening with my nephew?”

“We’ll have time later. Your Mistress’s company takes precedence over mine.”

“Damn straight. She’s a lot prettier.”

“No argument there. So is my lady. She’s found what she wants and is calling.” Jacob gave him a friendly shove that set everything to aching again, but Gideon managed to cover it with a stoic grimace. When he was even with Anwyn, Jacob paused to give her a nod, a slight bow. “Remember,” he said quietly, a trace of seriousness in his gaze, “You never ask a servant to leave the room. You tell him.”

“I know. But I’m not so much a vampire yet that I’ll be high handed with family.” She pressed his arm with fondness, then let him go. After he left, closing the door behind him, Anwyn turned her gaze back to Gideon, studying him from head to toe, the naked body sprawled and barely covered by the sheet, the muss of his hair. He knew she’d scent the semen that had dried on his chest and abdomen after Daegan brought him to climax on his back like that, as well as what had dried on his balls and in the folds of his cock. She’d smell Daegan’s seed as well, because he’d been as good as his word, pulling out one time to come over Gideon’s ass, a primitive marking.

“You object to being fucked like a woman, Gideon? Like me?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Didn’t really mean it like that.”

“Sure you did.” She took another step closer, was now close enough to run a nail along his shoulder, tip up his chin, let the sharp edge drift over his jugular. She held his gaze with those blue-green ocean color eyes. “But you liked it when he did it. You came harder when he did that to you than any of the other times.”

Bending down, she brought her mouth so close to his he could feel the sweet whisper of her breath. His fingers closed on the sheet, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to keep from touching her another second, no matter the consequences.

“You haven’t welcomed me properly.”

It was all the encouragement he needed. Lunging, he caught her by the waist and pulled her onto her knees on the mattress. Laughing, she knocked him down to his back, held him there with a hand on his chest as she straddled him.

“You don’t worry about being high handed with me,” he said, recalling her comment to Jacob.

“You need high handedness. Quite often.”

He propped his knees up behind her, forming a back rest. When she leaned against that support, they hooked hands so she could rock back, comfortable in her male cradle. “You miss me?” she asked.

“Not a bit. Watched Sons of Anarchy, drank beer, said women are icky and who needs them.” He wondered what Daegan was doing. There was a sense of expectation to her, as if she had something of major import to tell him. It made him a little nervous, wondering if he needed to be up and moving, finding weapons or at least something pointy. She read it from his mind, caressed his palm with her fingers.

“No, love. Nothing like that.”

“What’s going on?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She cupped his face as he stroked her hair, her arms, a familiar touch she didn’t deny him. As he did, he got the myriad scents of a night out on the city. Coffeehouses, maybe a nightclub and a bakery. He hoped she’d brought some bearclaws back.

“Do you ever think of anything other than sex, food or fighting?”

“What else is there to think about? I missed you,” he admitted. “A lot. More than beer or bearclaws.”

“I’m glad. But I wanted you and Daegan to have time together.”

She had her sable locks down, so he twined a strand around his wrist, felt it stroke every nerve ending to life. “What was this all about? Really.”

“You think it was planned? You and Daegan?”

“I may be thickheaded and stubborn, but I’m not dumb.”

She cocked her head, gave him a smile. “Not about everything, I’ll give you that.” Then she sobered. “If I was killed, what do you think would happen, Gideon?”

He pushed himself upright immediately, sliding his arms around her hips and slim back. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Not while either of us is alive.” He was ready to fight without a stitch on, with teeth and nails if needed. “What’s the matter?”

“Sshh.” She put her hands on his face again, but this time he closed his hands over her wrists. There was the side of him that was her servant, and the part that was her protector, and when they came in conflict, his priorities were never confused.

“Don’t sshh me. What—”

“This isn’t about me. I know you and Daegan would move Heaven and Earth to protect me. But it’s an uncertain world. If anything does happen to me, you won’t die. Daegan’s mark on you is stronger than my binding.”

He met her gaze, held there. And it clicked. The thoughts he’d been having about Daegan, the vulnerability, the childhood… “Did you plant those things, lead me to them?”

She shook her head. “You’re not as emotionally closed off as you once were, Gideon. You’ve been noticing things about him, opening yourself up to the details about who and what he is, the way you were doing with me all along. You came to it yourself.”

“So you arranged this because…?”

“For several reasons. One, because it was a requirement of your service to me. I set the terms, and you’ve been procrastinating.”

“Well, not to sound like a girl, but it wasn’t my job to initiate.” At her level stare, he shifted. “Yeah, I was avoiding it some. It’s not so easy.”

“Actually, I suspect it was easy, in a lot of ways, and that was what made you avoid it, avoid confronting that truth. But you did it.” She softened, touched his face. Then she dimpled, that mischievous spark in her gaze. “The second reason was pretty straightforward. Once I have you rewind every detail in your mind, I’ll be ravishing you both every second for about a month.”

“I have absolutely no objection to that reason.”

“I didn’t figure you would.” Catching the hand sliding down to cup her ass, she squeezed it in reproof. Then she sobered once more. “We’re a trinity, but I wanted to make sure the bond between you and Daegan is as strong as what lies between you and me.”

“I’m not that important. As long as you have each other—”

He knew he’d made a mistake the second the words left his mouth. Her gaze turned to frost, chilly enough to make him wonder if Lyssa had taught her that Jedi ice trick that could transform a room into the North Pole. In fact, Anwyn slapped him upside the head, though when she tried for a double play on it, he caught her arm, a warrior’s defense. She glared at him.

“You’ve accepted the truth, Gideon. So why do you keep backing away from it, lying to yourself? He doesn’t love easily. In his hundreds of years, he’s never let anyone in his heart, until the two of us. So if anything happens to me, he’ll need you. I need to be sure you won’t quit on him. The way you feel for him has grown into something as strong as what you feel for me. The past twenty-four hours proved it. Tell me I’m wrong. Call me a liar. And undermine your own worth once more and I swear I will put my high heel all the way up your ass.”

Whereas Daegan being pissed off could just raise his hackles, her ire always struck him straight in the chest, forced him to admit truth, no matter how it chafed. Putting his head down on her shoulder, he pressed his lips to the rise of her breast under the snug T-shirt, a quiet apology. When she sighed, her arms going around his shoulders, he wanted her to take the shirt off, let him rub his lips over the silky pillow of her breast, rising above the scrap of bra he knew she was wearing. Instead, he gave her honesty. “You’re not wrong. I’d take care of him, Mistress. You know I would.”

She lifted his face, her fingers caressing his jaw. “You’d take care of each other. That’s what’s important. You’re so vital, Gideon. In fact, you matter so much, we want the world to know you belong to us. You’ve fantasized about a collar, haven’t you?”

The shift of topic was unexpected, and definitely back out of his comfort zone once more. But hell, most things with them were. He tried to look away, but of course that slim hand, those sharp nails, dug into his face, threatening puncture. “Haven’t you?” Her voice was silk over thorns, telling him he’d better answer.

“Yes. But—”

“You think we haven’t longed for the same? We only needed to be sure that you felt bound to us both emotionally as well as physically. And you are, aren’t you?” That touch caressed his throat, sent a wealth of sensations radiating out from it. It brought his gaze to her beautiful eyes, and he knew he could never lie to her. Especially not about this. He’d told Daegan he loved him, and even if he never said it again, he didn’t have to do so. He meant it.

“Yes, Mistress. I’m bound to you both.”

She nodded, a triumphant expression crossing her face, happiness and pleasure intertwined, along with a fierce, arousing possessiveness.

“We’re going to collar you. A permanent sign of our ownership of your body, your heart and every inch of your soul.”

* * * * *

She had him rise from the bed, go to the shower. She chained his arms over his head, manacled his ankles to the floor, and then she stripped down, thank the gods. However, her purpose apparently was to drive him crazy, not fulfill her own lust. She washed him with the vigor and thoroughness he’d expect to see in a stable when a horsewoman was preparing her mount for show. It painfully aroused him, how she kept her body out of reach, though he watched all those rivulets of water tighten her nipples, follow the curves of waist and hip, the folds of her bare cunt when she bent over in front of him to pick up one of those scrubbing sponges. She used that on him, rubbing it over his testicles and cock, a mild abrasion that, with the soap, had him struggling not to jerk against her touch, particularly when she bade him be still.

When she stretched up to do his hair, she had to lean into his body, so  he got his chance to take a nip from her shoulder, suckle the beads of water on her throat, and feel the sexy little quiver go through her body as she adjusted her stance and trapped his hard cock between her thighs. As she handled his shampooing, it moved his cock in that channel, her inner thigh muscles stroking him as his breath got shorter and his heart pounded.

But she backed off before he could coax her further into it. She shut off the shower, released one of his hands so he could do the rest, and tossed him a towel. He shot her a feral grin. “Don’t trust yourself too close, Mistress?”

She gave him her mysterious look, elusive seductress that she was. “Get yourself free, dry off. Don’t put anything on. Come up to the first level, kneel outside the elevator. I’ll come for you soon. I want that cock to stay hard, but you do it without touching it. I expect you at that elevator in five minutes.”

Staying hard wasn’t a problem. All he had to do was watch the twitch of her ass as she put on a light silk wrap, tied it snug and disappeared. A few minutes later, he knew she’d left their apartments. He dried off, ran his fingers through his hair, gave his face a quick glance. Five o’clock shadow. He took three and a half minutes to give himself a decent shave, and then he was in the elevators.

He didn’t give himself a chance to think about who he might meet, though Atlantis was closed for a few more hours. Thank all the gods, when he stepped off, he didn’t see Jacob, but his brother was probably off with Lyssa, enjoying free run of the club’s diverse bondage equipment. Or rather Lyssa would be using him for her enjoyment of it. The idea of his brother stretched out on some of those torture devices that Anwyn and Daegan had used on him was a little odd, so he put that out of his head.

Though he wouldn’t mind seeing Lyssa stretched out naked on some of those things. Of course, if she ever read that from his mind, he expected he’d be in for a world of hurt. Thank goodness his Mistress was choosing to ignore it—or planning to exact retribution later.

When he heard the tap of those heels, he remembered the first night they’d met, when he couldn’t see her, could only hear her coming up behind him. She touched him now, fingers whispering over his bare shoulder, caressing his jaw. “Follow me.”

Rising, he obeyed. She stayed several steps ahead of him, giving him the pleasure of watching her walk in that thin robe, and distracting him from the fact he was stripped. He was surprised when she took him to the Rose Room, a room of all mirrors on ceilings and walls. It was the place she and Daegan had first come together. But instead of a center pedestal holding a vase of roses tonight, there was a mid-sized iron fire pit, which appeared to be filled with red hot coals, irons and tongs. Next to it was a silver chalice, like the ones he’d seen in churches, holding wine, wine that represented blood. Only his enhanced senses told him he was smelling blood.

He was surprised to see Daegan back in the silk shirt and slacks he’d worn with Shannon and Aaron. The mask was missing though, so he could see the dark eyes and fall of black hair over his forehead. And the shirt was open, underlining the fact Daegan was six foot plus of pure sex. The vampire leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed. The way his gaze coursed over Gideon, taking his time and pleasure in the view, made Gideon remember everything they’d done. Particularly that last moment, when he’d been almost unconscious, but felt Daegan’s lips brush his temple, his hand glide with possessive pleasure down Gideon’s back, over his ass.

Sleep, vampire hunter. You’ve earned it.

Anwyn made a pleased noise. “Lovely images, Gideon. I want you to kneel now. By the fire pit.”

He did, some swirly crazy things happening in his chest, having an idea of what was about to happen. His cock jumped when her fingertips trailed over his bare shoulders again. “Arms held out to your sides, chin up, back straight. Sit on your heels.”

He did it, feeling his testicles press against them. She tugged on his hair. “You’re a warrior, Gideon. Fierce in your loyalty, almost savage with it at times. We’ve talked about it, Daegan and I, and we know a collar that can be removed won’t do. We want something that permanently shows your servitude to us, something that can’t be taken away, given back.”

Yes. He tightened his lips on the involuntary thought, the fervency of it.

“So that is what we are going to give you. And hereafter, if you accept this binding, you also accept what it means. What you mean to us. You never question it again. You are the glue, Gideon.” Her tone was soft. “Do you understand?”

That swirly quality became thick, hard to speak around. “Yes, Mistress.”

“You are not speaking only to me.” Her tone was sharp, snapping his back to a straighter stance. She could do that with the badass routine, tighten up his balls, harden his cock. He had no idea how she did it, when any other woman would just make him want to pat her head and call her cute. He was unsettled, restless and anxious. Alert, almost battle ready. But he obeyed her directive, amended his response.

“Yes, Master and Mistress.”

“Good. There are no restraints in this room, Gideon. Daegan will hold you steady when the time comes, but part of the challenge of accepting this is your accepting the pain of it.” She moved to the chalice, picked up a paintbrush with bristles that almost matched her sable hair. Soft looking. “Hold your position.”

He did, watching her dip the brush in the blood. As she stroked the brush over his throat and wrists, he felt the slick slide of warm blood, sensuous, like the silk of her tongue. It was her blood and Daegan’s, mixed together.

“There are three sets of irons. Each one has two curved metal pieces, like tongs. When brought together they form a fitted circle, a tight manacle over your wrists or throat, measured to make that tight fit. D is cut into one cuff, A into the other, for our shared ownership of you. The trinity, the servant’s mark you bear, is cut into the collar, so the scarring you experience from our blood will reflect those symbols.”

A scar wouldn’t heal on a servant if it was marked with the vampire’s blood. There was a strange feeling sweeping through him, a heat over his skin, a tingling and almost light headedness.

“You’ve worn him out, love,” Anwyn said with amusement, but her eyes were intent on Gideon’s face, he could feel it. “He might need some of our blood when this is done.”

“I worked him hard,” Daegan agreed, pure male satisfaction in his tone. “But he’s strong as an ox, and just as stubborn.” His voice became rougher. “And I’ll hold him up.”

The vampire came across the room then, taking a knee behind Gideon, his hands closing over his forearms, leaving his wrists clear. As he did, it put his front against Gideon’s back, the pleasure of that hard bare chest pressing into his shoulder blades. The position reminded him of how he’d shown Daegan how to throw the ball. Go long, go far. Go forever.

“Are you ready, Gideon?” Anwyn asked, her eyes full of emotion. Her hand hovered over one pair of the irons in the fire pit.

He glanced back at Daegan, met his dark eyes, then shifted his attention forward to his Mistress. For the two of you, I’m always ready. For whatever you want and need.

“Do you accept our love and ownership of you completely, with no doubts and full surrender?”

He swallowed, knowing he always had to be honest, even if it ruined the moment. “It’s hard for me to accept the way you feel about me. But not because I don’t want it. It’s everything I want…so no matter how hard it is for me to understand or accept the way you both feel about me, I’m yours, in every way. And I hope to God you’ll always want me.”

“Good enough.” She reached out with her free hand, a gentle brush of fingers over his face that briefly closed his eyes as she touched his lips. When he raised his lids, the Mistress took over, the direct stare that told him to lower his eyes, and damn if he didn’t do it. She didn’t require that often, but he could see she wanted his focus to be internal right now. He moved into that state pretty quick, almost a shallow-breathed trance, knowing what was coming. God help him, he wanted it. It didn’t matter that—

Holy fuck. Daegan’s hands locked down on his forearms in an unshakable grip as the first set of tongs closed around his wrist. Anwyn had branded humans for Atlantis’s more extreme activities, and knew the limits of the human body, what amount was needed for the brand to scar and yet not cause medical emergencies. A thirdmark had more tolerance, but also needed the metal to stay long enough to sear the blood into the flesh, activate the chemical reaction that would make his Master and Mistress’s marks permanent. He was making a strangled scream, tears of exertion overflowing as he tried not to rely on Daegan so much, to hold still as possible, but his Master had him, held him steady.

When the tongs were taken away from that wrist, he was gasping.

“One down,” she said, and picked up the other. No time to brace for impact. That was the way his Mistress wanted it. Daegan’s power was definitely needed his time, because it didn’t matter how badass his mind wanted him to be, his body reacted on instinct to the smell of burning flesh, the excruciating pain of it. He twitched and jerked, a hoarse cry tearing from his throat and face muscles working as the second wrist cuff stamped its mark in that location.

D on the right, A on the left. He could see it, see how it would heal up enough to make those initials more precise, always there, now and forever. At the moment they hurt like a son of a bitch. But it was okay. Adrenaline was pumping crazy through his system, and his cock was staying high and hard as a tent pole, because he knew what was coming, the most important one of all. He lifted his head to Anwyn again, gritting his teeth and staring at her through those stress tears. Please…

“You want the collar, love, don’t you?”

He nodded. Daegan brushed his mouth against his shoulder, his body pressing in closer. Gideon felt him right against his ass, his clad knee next to Gideon’s bare calf.

“Lift your chin higher,” she commanded. “Let me see your desire. I’m going to put the collar over the area I bite you to feed. That way those marks will be part of the scarring pattern. Will you like that?”

“I like any mark either of you leaves on me,” he said, his voice a determined rasp.

“Good answer.”

She lifted the iron. “Hold my gaze, Gideon. Watch it happening.”

The mirror made that possible, though he preferred to look at the object, not its reflection, because then he could see her, something the mirrors didn’t provide. He wished he could see Daegan, but he was there, body so close, a vivid reminder not only of the physical demands he’d placed upon Gideon earlier, but the emotional ones as well.

Daegan slid his arm around Gideon’s chest, his other hand curved over his forehead, holding him steady as Anwyn lifted the last set of tongs, the one whose two curved metal pieces were intended to clasp around Gideon’s neck, hold there against the painted blood so he was permanently marked by his vampires. Her hand didn’t waver, and he loved her for it, her understanding of what his soul wanted. Something permanent, that couldn’t be removed. It was too easy for this dog to break his leash. With this, there was nothing to fight. It was there, embedded, his willing submission to them.

It took all he had not to fight Daegan’s hold, the body’s involuntary and sensible reaction to being burned in a way that would likely be terminal if he was human. He smelled his flesh burning, heard his scream and, after a short blackout, became aware of Daegan still holding him fast. Anwyn  had pulled the metal pieces away, dropped the iron back into the fire pit.

Daegan let him fall forward to his hands and knees, though he stayed kneeling behind Gideon, knee brushing his hip, hand lying in a light caress on the valley of his spine. Gideon breathed hard, working through it, staring at the red, abraded bands around both wrists. D and A. As a vampire hunter, he’d fought for the memory of his lost fiancé. Throughout his life he’d always kept his goal just ahead of him, never attainable. Now the goal was in this room. He’d never expected to end up here, but this was where he wanted to be.

Anwyn knelt in front of him, lifted his face, brushed her mouth over his, once, twice. Sweet and gentle, where she’d been brutal moments before. He felt the tremor in her hands, automatically lifted his to close over her wrists, though he thought he might be shaking more. “It’s okay,” he said.

She nodded, eyes luminous, lashes so thick he wanted to kiss them, breathe on them, watch them close and fan her silken cheeks. “The brands will feel better soon,” she said.

“It feels better now.” He coughed, flinched at the agony to his skin. “Really.”

“I can tell.” She stroked his brow, his temple, his jaw. He saw her gaze resting on his wrists, then the collar, her attention clinging to it, and it swept through him like heat. He was all hers. The trinity mark did that, but this was something she’d chosen as a Mistress would, and she’d been a Mistress well before she’d been a vampire. The two together made this moment all the more significant.

He wanted her. Wanted to pleasure her and his Master, while still riding the pain.

Her lashes lifted, her eyes meeting his. “Please,” he said thickly, and he knew there was a fierceness in his eyes that straddled the line between demand and desire.

She straightened, slipped the sash of the robe. Somewhere along the way, she’d donned a scrap of bra and a tiny thong panty, thank the lingerie gods. As he watched, the robe pooled around her, and she gracefully folded herself to the floor, then lay back in a supine position before him. Spreading her legs, she teased the crotch of the panties with her long fingered nails, drying up any saliva he had left in his mouth. “Down to your elbows, Gideon. Put your mouth on me and serve your Mistress as you should.”

The smell of her pussy was nectar. She was aroused, but she’d been aroused for awhile, the heavy musk telling him she’d been worked up well before this minute.

“You’ve been cheating, cher,” Daegan murmured, proving he was catching it, too. “You’ve been listening in.”

“There isn’t a woman alive who could resist watching the two of you in that bed,” she said, her lips curving. “And Lady Lyssa will take extra pleasure in her servant, thanks to me sharing that vision. It’s never a bad thing for a vampire queen to feel she owes us a favor.”

She reached out, tugging on Gideon with impatience. “Now.”

He dropped to his elbows, ignoring the pain in his wrists as he slid his hands under her, cupping her buttocks to angle her up to his mouth. She had a beautifully shaped ass, firm and soft in all the right ways. It made his cock even more eager, that conflicting message between physical agony and intense arousal. She’d marked him, collared him, they both had, and now they were demanding he serve them as required. It quite frankly made him insanely aroused, no matter how lightheaded he felt or drained from what he’d only recently given Daegan.

“Drink, Gideon.” The rest of the blood in that chalice was in front of him, and Daegan tipped it, so it ran down over her mound, into the channel and crevices of clit and labia. Anwyn sighed in pleasure, then gasped as Gideon began to clean her and take in the blood at once. She writhed under the stimulation while he suckled, nibbled and licked, and then made a noise of helpless pleasure himself as Daegan’s well-lubricated finger teased the opening of his sore ass. He pushed in slowly, testing that ground, telling Gideon he was going to get well and truly fucked once more, as often as his Master demanded.

He let go, lost all sense of who he was, pulled into what he was for them entirely. Servicing his Mistress, his Master, the burn of those collar and cuffs on him. It was when he entered this state of pure and perfect service that he didn’t doubt what he was to them. Daegan’s fingers withdrew, the head of his cock replacing them, and Gideon pushed back against him, welcoming him in, flinching only slightly as the flare of Daegan’s broad head pushed through the inner ring of tight muscles, sank deep like a fucking drill.

The vampire’s satisfied grunt of pleasure, her soft, seductive moans, they sent him spiraling. He worked his mouth over Anwyn, getting every bit of that blood and tasting her honey at the same time. He dug his fingers into her ass, an anchor, as Daegan increased his thrust, bumping Gideon’s mouth up against her, working her clit harder. She was crying out, arching up, arms over her head, scratching at the tile floor, seeking purchase.

I want you inside her, Gideon. Take her into mindless climax, while I do the same to you.

He lifted his head as Anwyn’s wild eyes found his. She wanted him to keep going with his mouth, but he understood what Daegan was wanting, and Gideon knew she’d like it as well. Daegan ruled them both when it came to this. That, too, could cause an odd feeling in his chest, and it was one matched by Anwyn; he could tell by the way her gaze fastened on him, her lips moist and eyes bright.

Shifting, Daegan moved with him, staying in his ass and making Gideon cross-eyed with the friction of that angle. Sliding up her body, Gideon guided his cock into her wet pussy. She arched up to him, her arms banding around his shoulders, forearms making contact with the abraded skin on his throat. He didn’t care. He started to thrust, Daegan’s hold on his hips setting the pace, and he grunted himself, cursed as the vampire worked his cock with devilish knowledge.

Better get to work, vampire hunter. She will be very displeased if you lose control and come before she does. She’s even more cruel than I am.

“Well…she’s a girl.” Gideon managed and earned a tight squeeze of her pussy around his cock, a stroke that damn near sent him over. “Jesus.”

He set his jaw, went the rougher, harder route, knowing she was already pretty hot and worked up. Setting his lips to the quivering pale tops of her breasts over the enticing bra, he licked, finding his way into the cup and to the nipples, squeezing both breasts hard in his large hands.

“Love your tits,” he murmured, knowing she liked the crude talk at the right times, and this was a right time, if her unintelligible sounds of pleasure meant anything.

I’ve got you, Gideon. Everything you give is safe with me, remember? Everything.

He remembered Daegan saying that, and knew they both meant it, especially as Anwyn’s gaze swept back over him at the thought, emotion filling her eyes once more. He meant it, too. They were that trinity, a perfect circle, each one caring for the other two, forming a solid triumvirate capable of handling anything, based on the strength of the bonds for each other.

He stroked inside her, deep, loving the feel of her, the arch of her body, the beauty of it. She was a goddess, an earth bound, blood bound goddess, and he would do anything for her. But, oh, fuck, Daegan was too good at what he did. He’d dug his hands into Gideon’s hips, his thighs flush against him, and Gideon was going to die from the pleasure of it.

Anwyn let out a cry of release, and Gideon snarled, the frustration of holding back as she spasmed around his cock, but then Daegan’s hand landed on the back of his neck, outlining that collar of flesh as she reached up, even through her climax, and clasped it from the other side, their fingers overlapping, thanks to the size of Daegan’s hand. The pain of it shot through Gideon, pushing his climax back, but the meaning of it, them squeezing down on that collar of ownership, was overwhelming at an even deeper level than a balls-level climax.

Daegan released then, and Gideon gritted his teeth, bore down on that pain, held onto it even as he reveled at them using him for their pleasure and holding his out of reach until they gave him permission. Just when he thought he couldn’t hold any longer, the gate to heaven was opened.

Come for us, Gideon.

It was in both of their minds, resonating between them. Their fingers tightened on that collar, spiraling him over the edge in a wild jerking intensity, tearing him between overwhelming pleasure and excruciating pain. He came, growling, groaning, cursing. Anwyn caught his mouth with hers, let him cup her head with his hands, dive deep with teeth and tongue. He made another soul-deep sound when her hands left his throat to clasp his wrists, putting her touch on those burns as well.

As he bucked between them, she milked his cock to the very end and beyond. Daegan kept stroking inside of him. They showed their love of every moment of his helpless, passionate violence, holding him between them, keeping him going and savoring their slave’s reaction.

He saw that in their minds, that shared delight. Then, at long last, like the aftermath of a summer storm, there was a deep, clean satisfaction as they came back to earth, all twined together. Daegan’s mouth was back on the valley of his spine, and Anwyn was still holding him in her kiss.

They loved him. It gave his throat that thickness again, because he realized it was the first time he’d really, truly believed it, all the way down to the soul they’d claimed with their third markings. Maybe he wouldn’t hold onto it, maybe it would come and go, because it was an incredible, hard-to-believe thing, but he had it in this moment, and the seed had been planted deep this time. Maybe it would take root, such that one day, none of it would be difficult, accepting this. Accepting their love as a fact, not as something to avoid or push away for fear it wasn’t real. He had their collar, the cuffs, sign of their ownership, and he’d never felt so…right.

They truly loved and wanted to keep him.

As long as you don’t start peeing on the carpet and chewing up my very expensive shoes.

Anwyn chuckled as Daegan sent that thought through their minds. The vampire eased back, catching Gideon’s arms to lift him. “Off your Mistress, Gideon. I want you both in my bed.”

Gideon rose, and though his legs were shaky as hell, he would have been happy to carry Anwyn. Instead, he was a bit mortified to find the two of them flanking him, guiding him, underscoring how unsteady he felt.

“You need more blood, love,” Anwyn observed. “We’ll take care of that.”

He was going to deny it, say they didn’t need to worry about him, but for now he just wanted to be, was floating where words weren’t needed. He was just theirs, to do with as they thought best.

They took him back to Daegan’s bed. Always before, he and Daegan had put Anwyn in the middle, but tonight, they put him there. Anwyn curled up in his arms, Daegan spooned behind him, brushing his neck with his lips and putting a familiar hand on his ass. Gideon’s cock was nestled against her hip, her leg insinuated between his. Daegan stroked his hair. Gideon felt drowsy, not sure if he’d ever let his guard down so much.

“I trust you when I sleep, vampire hunter. You can trust me.”

“You’ll probably…tie me up and shave my head.”

“I could do that while you’re awake. And listen to you curse me the whole time.”

“You could try. Anwyn…I taught him to throw a football.”

“I know.” Her fingers stroked through his hair on the other side as her eyes met Daegan’s over Gideon’s shoulder. “You teach us so many things, Gideon. You always will.”

A small smile appeared on his firm lips. Anwyn had told him he didn’t smile enough, so he’d work on that. Now that smile stayed, as he let himself fall asleep in the arms of the two vampires he served with all he was, all he would ever be. They’d give him blood in a little while, but for now, there was nothing more he wanted, not tonight.

For once, Gideon gave himself to slumber and peace.

After that, I’ll have to take a hiatus from the vignettes while I catch up on Hostile Takeover (Ben’s story) and the next Arcane Shot book, but hopefully I’ll be doing a prequel vignette on Ben in late summer, early fall to get the ball rolling on our vignettes again!

In the meantime, hope you enjoy these last two rounds featuring Daegan and Gideon.

* * * * *

“Well, as much as I like Sons of Anarchy, I’ve got to say that beat the hell out of an SOA marathon.”

Daegan chuckled. In mutual accord, they’d decided to take a little air, strolling around the warehouse district where Club Atlantis was located. There wasn’t much activity this time of night except the occasional sighting of a security guard or homeless person. Here and there they caught a glimpse of a more unsavory element, clinging to the shadows, but nothing of the caliber—or stupidity—that would bother two males capable of dismantling a human body one cracked joint at a time.

“Look at that.” With easy strength, Gideon hiked himself up onto a loading dock and reached behind the stack of empty pallets there. Pulling out a football, he tossed it a few feet in the air and caught it. “They must throw it around when they’re waiting on deliveries. Hey, go long.” He smirked. “Reasonably long, like thirty yards. Not thirty miles down the road.”

“You can’t throw it that far? I’m disappointed.”

Gideon threw, and of course Daegan was already waiting where he’d aimed it, springing with a panther’s grace to catch it out of the air. “I think mindreading is against NFL rules. Toss it back.”

Daegan paused, considering the ball. In about two blinks, Gideon realized he was replaying it in his head, how it had been thrown. Analyzing it. “You’re shitting me. You’ve never thrown a football?”

“The game has not been around that long.”

“Yeah, if you’re ancient.” Gideon grinned at Daegan’s slightly defensive tone. Something the vampire didn’t know shit about. Now there was a Red Sea miracle. He walked across the parking lot to him. “Here, let me show you.”

When Daegan passed him the ball, Gideon palmed it, showed him where to wrap his hand, the L-shape that brought his fingertips along the lacing. “Now, when you throw it, you want to get some spin on it. The key’s the release point, top of the throwing arc, and your footwork. You want to step into it.”

Daegan studied him closely as Gideon made the motion. “Being a vamp, you can probably sling the thing halfway across the universe, with enough force to shatter the laws of physics, but if you’re working within mortal boundaries, this helps.”

“All right.” Daegan took it back from him, positioned his hand as Gideon had shown him. Almost.

“A little further under. There it is.” Gideon helped adjust his grip, stepping into alignment with him. After a brief hesitation, he used the movement of his own body to put the vampire through the proper form, taking hold of Daegan’s wrist to bring the ball back, the pressure of his chest and thigh to demonstrate how he needed to pivot, and come back square with the ball’s direction. It put Daegan’s ass up against his pelvis. Gideon’s hand dropped to his waist, his fingers curving loosely into the belt loop of Daegan’s slacks, his thumb on the rise of his ass. All to help him throw the ball right, of course. But it reminded him, vividly, of what they’d been doing before they’d been role playing for Shannon and her Master.

He was feeling pretty good and loose right now, but the proximity reminded him that neither of them had found release in that chamber. He was tempted to take a bite out of Daegan’s neck, press his cock harder against his ass. He could feel Daegan’s stillness, his awareness of the desire, but before anything could come of it, Gideon stepped back. “I think you got it. Let’s see it.”

“Go…long?” Daegan arched a brow at him. Giving him a tight grin, Gideon took off across the parking lot.

It was a decent first attempt, but Gideon had to use his third mark speed, because it went a little wide and wild. He talked Daegan through it a couple more times, and of course the vampire was a quick study. He was doing an acceptable spin by the time they took a seat on the loading dock and set the ball aside.

“We need some beer,” Gideon noted. “I think there was a place—”

“Thirty seconds.”

Gideon opened his mouth, but Daegan was gone. Thirty seconds? Jesus. He’d time the guy, but wanted to give him the latitude to buy Bubble Yum or Pop Rocks if he wanted to do so. Of course, that made him think of the sexual use for Pop Rocks, the candy’s fizz on the flesh, tingling against the mouth of the person covering them. He adjusted himself in the jeans. If he thought he could get away with it, he’d jack off so his mind wasn’t so much on sex. Food would help.

Hey, some Twinkies would be great if they’ve got ‘em. The yellow cake kind, not the chocolate. And some Fritos. Barbecue flavor.

Eleven seconds later, Daegan dropped a grocery bag next to him, giving him a sardonic look. “Anything else?”

“Did you steal those?”

“I left money by the cash register. Probably overpaid.”

Gideon grunted, started on the Fritos. Daegan tried one, then leaned back on one arm, lifting the beer to his mouth. He’d sat down close, such that the arm was positioned just behind Gideon, his hip brushing Gideon’s, and it didn’t bug him. In fact, it kept him kind of revved.

“Which is why I did it, vampire hunter. We’re not done yet, remember?” Daegan gave him that heavy-lidded look. “And no, you wouldn’t have gotten away with it. Cock getting harder?”

“Not going to tell you if it is.”

Daegan bared fangs, that wicked, dangerous smile that sent another shot of arousal straight to the place in question. Gideon decided he’d move it off that footing for awhile, one, because his curiosity was getting the better of him, and two, because he really did want the snacks. He gestured with the Twinkie. “You can’t throw a football, which is the most pansy-assed thing I’ve ever heard. But sometime during X times a hundred years you had to take advantage of your super-fast, super-hard-to-detect mad skills to peek in a really hot girl’s bedroom. Or hang out in a sorority for a Girls-Gone-Wild video-in-training. If you give me details, I’ll let the football thing slide. I won’t accuse you of being a total girl. Or tell James, because it’s just more fun to make fun of someone if you have help.”

“I haven’t been involved in any sports in the past several hundred years.” Daegan shrugged. “It’s difficult when you can lap the field before anyone moves.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s a lame excuse. You’re just a big pussy nerd with fangs.”

“Sports used to be about testing combat skills; they weren’t for million dollar contracts that put you above the law if you killed your pregnant girlfriend or got caught with illegal drugs.”

“So you’re saying Lancelot didn’t get all sorts of groupie sex because of the way he handled his lance?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”

"So now we can add sanctimonious, self-righteous and pretentious to the list. Oh, I forgot, they’re all the same thing. Pansy-assed. Isn’t there a Latin word for that? Pansius Assidus. I’m sure someone who spends more time reading than watching TV would know the right word."

“If there was, I wouldn’t waste the knowledge on a Neanderthal who only reads cartoon books or magazines with centerfolds of naked women."

“Now you’re just trying to hurt my feelings. And you totally blew off the Girls-Gone-Wild thing.”

“I might be inclined to share a few stories, if you share another Frito.”

Gideon offered him another and Daegan took it. Vamps could eat small bites of things without it messing up their constitution, and Gideon felt absurdly pleased that Daegan seemed to like the taste of something he’d chosen.

“I’ll like tasting it on your lips better.” The idle observation, the way Daegan’s gaze lingered on his mouth, gave Gideon that restless feeling, but the vampire was in a similar mood, willing to be lazy about it, take his time. Of course, that altered Gideon’s interest, perversely ramped it up, but he sat on it, played it cool. Didn’t matter if Daegan could read it from his mind or not, because Gideon knew Daegan wasn’t as cool as he was pretending to be. His cock wasn’t the only one getting hard, and that gave Gideon an unexpectedly pleasant feeling, with the right edgy bite to it. No pun intended.

Daegan offered him an arch look, leaning back again as he took another swallow of beer. His gaze flickered over the area, doing a sweep as he always did. Always watchful. Always protective.

During the lull, Gideon replayed the football lesson in his mind. The crease of concentration on Daegan’s fine brow as he figured out how to do something he’d never done before, something Gideon could show him. He hadn’t ever really thought about Daegan’s childhood, but he guessed it was pretty strange. Not a lot of tossing around the pigskin with Dad or other kids.

“Your father taught you how to throw a football?”

Gideon slanted him a glance. It was odd, sometimes, how Daegan would follow his thoughts like that and then just come in as if they were having a conversation. He kind of liked it. “No, that was my coach. My dad was a bookworm, a teacher. But he came to my games, found me books and articles about top players and winning strategies, things that made me a better player.”

Daegan made a quiet noise, then Gideon yelped as the vampire caught the back hem of his T-shirt, pulled it up and swiped the cold beer bottle along his lower back. Twisting around, he tried for a punch, and his arm was caught, Daegan using the momentum to turn him, roll him to his side. The vampire had him pinned, Gideon’s arm angled against his spine, Daegan’s other hand on the back of his neck. Gideon went still. He could struggle, try to break the pin, but when Daegan lowered his mouth to his nape, held the contact there, Gideon found himself waiting, wanting.

“You rolled me on the other bag of Fritos,” he said. “Asshole.”

“When you showed me how to throw the football, you wanted to fuck me, Gideon. I saw a glimpse of it in your mind.” Daegan’s grip shifted, going from the back of the throat to the front, holding tight, a Master’s threat in the grip. “You want me to surrender to you, the way you do to me or Anwyn? Top me?”

The smartass response—though not really the smartest answer— was, “Yeah, what you going to do about it?” But that wasn’t the truth, was it? Watching Daegan’s absorption with throwing a football had reminded Gideon of the handful of times he’d caught the vampire watching him and Anwyn, almost like someone who’d stood outside the candy store all his life looking in. Which was crazy, right? He should give the smartass answer and take the consequences.

But part of what they’d been teaching him was not to lie about the emotional shit. Well, not to lie about the unexpected things. They indulged a certain level of bullshit about the expected things.

He waffled on it, and as he did, Daegan levered him back to a seated position, releasing his arm. Shifting to sit beside him, shoulder to shoulder, he lasered him with those dark eyes. Gideon couldn’t tell if he was reading his mind or not, but he had a feeling he wasn’t. Sometimes Daegan did that, wanted to hear it straight from the lips first. “I’m waiting, Gideon.”

He thought it through serious, no wise cracking. When at last he spoke, he did so slowly, working it out.

“Yeah, I do want to fuck you, but not the way you’re thinking. You’ve been in control for so long…I figured you’d like the chance to let go sometime. Not just to me. I’d want Anwyn there, that’s important. I wonder if you could trust us enough to take care of you. Like you do when you sleep."

It was ridiculous, how much that meant to him and Anwyn, the few times Daegan had slept deep, letting down his guard, trusting them to watch over him.

“It’s not like I’m…topping you, or whatever they call it. It’s like I’m still serving you, a different way, a way you can trust me to do, because I’m…" He cleared his throat. "Your servant.”

Daegan’s eyes had gone full dark, elevating Gideon’s heart rate, because that always meant the vampire was pretty worked up, on a lot of dangerous levels. His lips barely moved. "Say the word that was in your head, Gideon. The one you were almost brave enough to say."

“Not sure if I can. It goes against a lot of things…" Hell, it was the truth. He swallowed, hard. Really hard. "Your slave."

That blackness in Daegan’s gaze caught fire. Gideon saw it, accepted it, burned in it. Jesus, he’d follow him into Hell if that’s where the Devil said this guy needed to go. He and Anwyn, they’d link arms with him and go anywhere, do anything to be at his side, take care of him. To be chained to him. So yeah, slave fit. Slave actually felt pretty damn good. Though he sure as hell wasn’t going to say it in front of anyone else, ever.

Daegan’s lips curved then, acknowledging the challenge. But he ran his knuckles along Gideon’s cheek, a surprisingly tender gesture. "Perhaps we will do this fantasy of yours one day. I like it when you open your heart, Gideon. It takes a can opener of monstrous proportions, but when it happens, you always surprise me.” His mouth got firm, taut, making Gideon want to bite his lips. “In there with Shannon, when you called me Master, I wanted to eat you alive. I want to eat you alive now.”

The docks were pretty deserted; there were a lot of shadows. Gideon wouldn’t deny him, he knew that. Not now, probably not ever.

“No, not this time. I want you in the place you belong. My bed.”

Gideon met his gaze. “The dungeon might make more sense. I still have five strikes to go with that strap.”

“That you do. But we’ll hold that for later. As much as I enjoy punishing you, right now, I want this far more.”

* * * * *

Daegan’s bed. He didn’t sleep there with Daegan, not without Anwyn. When they came into the room, Daegan put his hand over Gideon’s before he could snap on the light. Instead, he tangled their fingers together, put his mouth on the juncture of throat and shoulder, where the stretched collar of the T-shirt allowed him access. As he sank his fangs into Gideon’s flesh, just the tips, Gideon’s brain scrambled with lust. It was demand, passion, but it wasn’t rough and violent. There was no fight here. This was pure, overwhelming seduction, Daegan taking everything out from under him. A continuation of the lesson Gideon realized the vampire had been hammering into his head the whole time.

Yes, Gideon. This is you and me. I want my servant, my slave. I want to take him down, be balls deep inside of him, hear his cries of pleasure, his plea for release, and know he’s all mine.

Those capable fingers were removing the T-shirt, opening his jeans with a deft tug, but the words created an overpowering set of wants in Gideon as well. He twisted in Daegan’s grasp, caught his mouth with his own. He locked his other set of fingers around Daegan’s, so it was like they were wrestlers, facing off, about to begin. Or dancers, if Gideon was willing to admit he danced. Which he wasn’t, but if he did dance, Daegan was clearly leading now. He was moving them toward the bed while Gideon did his level best to devour his mouth. When Daegan’s fang speared his lip, Gideon cursed, even as he embraced the pain, his cock becoming even more of a steel bar when Daegan suckled that blood off him. Thank God he’d unzipped his jeans or he’d be in pain. Jesus, the guy was so bloody strong. He maneuvered Gideon back to that oversized bed, spun him and shoved him down face forward. Gideon caught the covers in his fists as Daegan’s mouth landed on his bare spine, his hands inside the open jeans, gripping Gideon’s ass, fondling, kneading.

All the way up on the bed, Gideon. Get in the center on knees and elbows. I want to see your submission to me. It will make me so hard, I might stand over you and jack off against your back, your fine, fine ass. Perhaps it, and the strapping I will give you later, will remind you that you do not have the right to jack off whenever you have the craving. Your seed, your release, belongs to me and your Mistress.

When Daegan reached between Gideon’s spread thighs, gripped his cock in his strong hand, Gideon groaned, fisting the coverlet again. Then he remembered, letting go, spreading out trembling fingers.

“Good man,” the vampire whispered in the darkness. “Good boy. My good slave.”

It was dark, dark and quiet here, like the inside of a womb. One of those crazy montages was playing through Gideon’s mind, the things that led to this moment. Anwyn, curled up between them in the bed at night, but turned face first into Gideon’s chest, holding him close as Daegan held them both, his fingers trailing Gideon’s back, his forearm resting on Anwyn’s hip. Daegan, standing for him at the Council meeting. The vampire had also come to Gideon, found him when he’d bolted from the both of them. When he’d decided to come back, she and Daegan had welcomed him home like people waking up from a grieving period.

Finally, tonight, everything that had happened. But especially that moment where Daegan, not so proud he wouldn’t let Gideon show him something as basic as throwing a football, had underscored he was interested in what Gideon had to offer. That odd candy-store look had been on Daegan’s face as he watched Gideon teach him.

It had always been easier for Gideon to believe Anwyn was the glue that held the three of them together. And he loved his Mistress with everything he was, but now, with Daegan’s mouth trailing over his spine, his fingers caressing him and sending his mind spiraling, he was getting a really off-the-wall, crazy thought.

Maybe Gideon was the glue that made things work for all three of them, and the only thing standing in the way of it being Super-Glue, not Elmer’s, was his refusal to embrace that, what it meant.

He’d do anything for Anwyn, but that wasn’t the end of it. Standing separately in his mind was how he felt about Daegan. He’d die for the guy, fight to the last drop of blood for him. He’d wanted to tear apart the young vamps who’d gotten the jump on him tonight. In fact, he needed to go fight them now, rather than fight the way this felt, unfolding inside him.

“Gideon.” Daegan’s touch softened, stroked his hair. “Easy, vampire hunter. You’re shaking. It’s all right.”

Gideon shook his head. In the darkness, there was nothing but truth. I love you. I love you as much as I love her, damn it. I don’t want to fight that shit anymore. I want you to have everything.

Stillness. Utter weighted stillness. Daegan’s fingers shifted, curved around his throat, brought him up so his ass rested on his heels. The vampire was suddenly on the bed right in front of him, those eyes containing some crimson flame, because Gideon could see their flicker.

“Say it to me, Gideon.” Daegan’s voice had a rough quality. Gideon could make out a strain to his handsome features, an intensity that made him want to touch Daegan’s firm mouth, much as he touched Anwyn’s face when he knew she needed him. So he did. Reaching out to touch, he wasn’t at all surprised when Daegan caught his wrist, stopped him. In fact, it broke Gideon’s heart open even more, because of what it told him.

“I’m going to touch you. Only way you’re stopping me is if you break my arm.”

Daegan’s jaw flexed, and then his hold loosened enough that Gideon brought his knuckles to the male’s face, slid his fingers into his hair to tighten, tug. Daegan had opened the silk shirt, and so Gideon let his fingers slide down his sternum, aware of the thud beneath the firm flesh. Daegan curled back a lip, showing a sharp fang, but his eyes kept their intense lock on Gideon’s face.

“Say it to me,” the vampire repeated. “Can you?”

“Yeah. Not sure if I can say it more than once, though.” But that was a lie. His heart had been saying it for awhile now, with every other thump, the in-between beats for Anwyn. “I love you. Master. I mean it. And everything that means to me.”

Daegan nodded. “I want you take your hands off me now, Gideon. Lock them behind your back, lift your chin. Show me your devotion by obeying. For once.”

That made Gideon grin, no help for it, but the wry twist to Daegan’s lips said he’d intended that response, was giving him a chance to ease up. He knew how hard the emotional could be for Gideon. But Gideon didn’t feel overtaxed by it right now. It felt…peaceful. Right. And overwhelming.

He swayed, but Daegan’s arm slid under his, palm flat on the center of Gideon’s back, steadying him, bringing him close to Daegan’s chest. The vampire pushed Gideon’s face down into his shoulder before he leaned over him, punctured his throat from the back, sinking the fangs in deep as they could go as he held a tight grip on his nape, an excruciating physical and emotional demand. Gideon was held fast, curved over in that submissive posture to his Master.

His fingers locked together, biceps flexing with the effort of resistance. He wanted to touch him. Needed. Fuck…Master. Let me touch you.

Instead, Daegan moved off the bed, shrugged out of the shirt, opened the slacks. In a tantalizing moment, he was completely naked, showing a fierce erection, already tipped with fluid that Gideon’s enhanced sense of smell detected and inhaled like a cocaine fix. For all that he was pale, the guy had a body meant for fucking. Daegan got back on the bed, his gaze on Gideon’s.

Eyes down, servant. And keep your hands behind your back.

Gideon fought the overwhelming urge to disobey, to simply tackle him. His muscles were quivering with the strain of self-deprivation. When Daegan moved against his body, his heavy, aroused cock dragged across Gideon’s thigh, making the long groin muscle flex. He had to resist the overwhelming desire to push against Daegan, insist, demand, hell, beg. Especially when Daegan reached behind him, teasingly close to Gideon’s tangled fingers, and gripped his ass, a tight hold as he nudged Gideon’s jaw to the side, sank his fangs in at another spot, making Gideon curse and draw in an aroused breath at once.

But then he got the keys to Heaven. Daegan’s touch moved over Gideon’s clasped hands, loosened the fingers, approval for him to do as he desired. He didn’t need a second invitation. His fingers bit into Daegan’s ass as the male suckled his throat. He felt Daegan’s cock brush his belly again, the damp tip marking him. Gideon ran his hands up the male’s back, over the architecture of powerful muscle, lean, perfect, invincible. And all his, in a way that few understood, particularly when it was him who was the servant, taking the orders. That didn’t matter. He knew what he knew.

Sliding his fingers back into Daegan’s hair, Gideon clutched as the male pulled blood from his throat. His chest pressed against Daegan’s, and the slide of a nipple across his own was enough to send fire jolting down into his balls. He pressed into that cock aggressively now. He wasn’t some girl, willing to wait. He wanted to be fucked, wanted his Master to take him down, take him hard. But he also didn’t want to give up this contact.

You will have the chance again. If you deserve it. Back down on knees and elbows, vampire hunter. I want to take what’s mine. Don’t make me force you. I command you to do all this willingly, surrender the same as you started.

Gideon managed it, though he knew Daegan understood just how difficult it was to give up the contact, as well as resist the need to fight. Somehow he swallowed it down. It was worth it. When Daegan’s body slid over his, covering him, his arm braced along the outside of Gideon’s, he felt something powerful and overwhelming move inside his heart. Putting his forehead against the powerful biceps, he closed his eyes. Bit into the male’s flesh, hard, as Daegan slid his lubricated cock into Gideon’s ass, coming in, and in, and in, until he was fully seated, ever the demanding Master. His Master.

“Fuck, you feel so good. Hold me tight, Gideon. I want to feel you come all the way to your soul.” Daegan began to thrust, and he knew just how to do it. Strong and relentless, hitting the right spot inside, so it was an insistent squeeze, stroke and push all together, making Gideon’s world spiral out of control within five strokes.

“You beg when you want to come. I want to hear it.”

“Fuck…” Gideon muttered it, and Daegan caught his hair, giving him that delicious edge of pain in amid the crazed pleasure.

“All mine, vampire hunter. Your fine, fine ass is mine. Say it.”

“Yours. Fuck, all yours. Please…”

He never thought he’d beg. Never thought he’d love one vampire, let alone two, with this all-consuming fire and need. But with them, his soul was split wide open, every dark fear and need exposed, and the scariest part was, he trusted them with all of it. Anwyn and Daegan. Together or apart, they both owned him. He’d serve them with everything he was, whether they needed him to be a wiseass, give them his challenge and resistance, or this, proof that all of it meant the same thing. He loved them. And nothing would ever change that.

“Keep begging.”

“Please…” He was grunting with every thrust. Jesus, the guy could use that cock, and his strength, to take someone right to the edge of agony and ecstasy at once. Daegan’s balls slapped against his, and then the vampire took his elbows out from under him. With his arm banded across Gideon’s chest, he pressed him down in the quilts, his pelvis tucked in flush to Gideon’s, working him hard against the mattress, pummeling him. He was trapped, overwhelmed by the vamp’s strength, and knew Daegan was making it clear he was completely overwhelmed, submitting to him utterly, no fight. Gideon thrashed beneath him, but the climax was taking him. He humped up against Daegan’s thrust, trying to reach that point, knowing he couldn’t until Daegan said so, but he wanted to let Daegan feel the clutch of his muscles, the flex of his ass, and make him come along for the ride as well. That was half of it, right? He might surrender, but he was never going to be docile.

“Not unless hell freezes over. Thank God. Come for me, Gideon. Come now.”

“You, too…come too.”

They came together, a hot release of seed, male groans of satisfaction. Slick bodies moving against one another, hard muscle giving way, then arching and flexing once more. In that last moment, Daegan’s hands found Gideon’s, and he was staring at their interlaced fingers, the way they clutched and held on, then convulsed as the male vampire’s body bucked and moved with ripples of sheer power against every inch of his. He could break Gideon’s fingers, but he didn’t. He protected, even as he gave him everything.

When the world slowed, Gideon felt overcome, conquered. Willingly conquered, at least for this moment.

Daegan’s lips curved against the back of Gideon’s shoulder. “I always expect that caveat, vampire hunter. But there are some lines you can’t back away from, not once you’ve stepped across them.”

“I don’t want to.” Gideon was flat on the covers, trapped beneath the vampire, and okay with that, particularly when Daegan nuzzled his throat, gave him a nip and worked his hips against his ass, setting off some low level tremors inside. “What the hell are you doing?” His words were slurred.

“Enjoying my slave. I plan to fuck his ass several more times before his Mistress returns. I want her to see I used him well, made him sore.” Daegan slid his arm under his waist, brought him back to the all fours position, pushing him gently to his elbows. “We’re going to take care of those five strikes, then I’m going to fuck you all over again, vampire hunter. I want you exhausted by dawn, so I know you won’t leave this bed while I sleep.”

“Only when I…go fetch your newspaper and…slippers.” Gideon struggled to hold the position Daegan had ordered. His cock was throbbing in response to that threat, Holy Mother. He guessed before this was all done, he’d have a better idea how much stamina that thirdmark actually gave a servant. But no matter what, he had a feeling he wouldn’t outlast Daegan. And that just didn’t sit right. He’d figure out how to keep pace with him. Or make the vampire give out first.

He heard Daegan’s chuckle, then the vampire had left him. Gideon stayed on his elbows, forehead on the covers, and knew his mind was drifting in that place Ella talked about. He was in the state where it didn’t matter what his Master or Mistress wanted; he would provide it, be it, do whatever they wished. If Daegan wanted to shove rebar through his chest right now, Gideon wouldn’t stop him.

“But I would stop anyone who thought they could do such a thing.” The paddle teased his buttock, the curve of testicles. “Your Mistress is on her way home, Gideon. She just told me.”

Pleasure spiraled up in his chest, his lower belly, and he knew Daegan felt it as well. They instantly wanted her here right now. With the sex still ripe and sharp in the room, the idea of plunging her in the middle of it, seeing how she’d twist and sculpt it for her own pleasure, filled the brain waves between them in a heartbeat.

“Soon. She’ll be here soon. She has a special gift for you,” Daegan added. “A surprise. I just made a call upstairs to be sure the preparations are in place for it. And no, I won’t tell you what the surprise is.”

“What am I? Eight?”

“Only in maturity.” Gideon gave a yelp as Daegan spun the strap, gave him an unexpected smack with it. “Count them off, Gideon. Last five. At least until you need discipline again.”

“Asshole. Maybe you ought to add a few, start a credit for me.”

“That’s Master Asshole, and you shouldn’t tempt fate, Gideon.”

Don’t forget the last segment (I think!) of Daegan and Gideon will be posted this week, hopefully Friday, but definitely no later than Saturday. That will be on this blog and the JWH fan forum. Hope my U.S. readers had a wonderful 4th holiday weekend, and that everyone I enjoying their week!

Ruby Night Divine is a gun shop owner. She’s also a witch who knows magic can fail. She’s experienced it firsthand, with full-blown tragic consequences. Smith & Wesson is a whole hell of a lot more reliable, and nothing’s as cathartic as the ability to put a few holes in the things that piss you off. Like Derek Stormwind.

A powerful sorcerer, Derek is determined to get to the bottom of why she pushed him away and ran three years before. He also needs her help. A coven needs training to help them fight a demon and his minions. While Ruby is willing to do it, she’s sure it’s just a ruse to get back in her heart—and her bed. The thing is, that’s where she wants him. Unfortunately, her bed’s already made, she’s this close to losing her soul, and she fears nothing can save her. Not Derek. Not even Smith & Wesson.

I wish this was coming out sooner, but at least we’ll have Vampire Instinct (July 5), Bound by a Vampire Queen (Dec 2011) and Hostile Takeover (maybe late fall) to keep us company until then!

* * * * *

Shannon didn’t know what she’d been expecting. Aaron had told her he was doing this for her birthday, that it was time to go beyond the tentative first steps they’d taken at home, the experiments and ideas, and try them out in a full fledged D/s scene. He’d called it a test run. She’d imagined it like a rehearsal, with lots of laughter, missteps, do-overs and none of the expectations and anxiety that came with the real thing. This was way beyond expectations. She was scared, aroused…intrigued. With one breath along her ear, this male sent sensation straight down to her curling toes. While she couldn’t see him, he was all powerful muscle. The scent of heat and danger to him, along with that impressive bar of steel that was teasing her ass, had alarmed her. But she hadn’t freaked out. Not quite, thank God. The servant seemed to have a knack for knowing just how hard to push. Literally and figuratively.

She had to quell a snort at the thought, but the rest of her wasn’t laughing. The hands curled in her hair suggested he could pretty much do anything he wanted with her. Break her neck, fuck her twelve different ways. But the way his stroking felt, and the slick slide of his body against her, confused her, made her want to see what he would do with her.

It was undeniably frightening, to be bound and at the mercy of strangers, but she had to remember she wasn’t, not really. Aaron was watching. He would keep her safe, no matter what. Beyond that, even though this man was unknown to her, the press of his body, the sound of his voice…they were reassuring. Oddly, she felt that while he might demand things from her that stretched her limits, he also wouldn’t let anything harm her.

Such an entirely unfounded, fanciful thought would normally amuse her, but this moment didn’t call for her usual brand of humor. Later she’d wax philosophical about all this, and Aaron would laugh at her, fully expecting her to dissect all of it that way—but in this second, a lot of other deeper, simpler and more primal things were happening. As well as a few smallish concerns.

She wanted to let loose, savor, but she hadn’t been expecting such a devastating assault on her senses. Did her fiancé really intend for her to completely let go, enjoy the fantasy to the nth degree? How far was too far?

Aaron had commanded her… Commanded, imagine that? It gave her a sexy shiver, just remembering it. He’d commanded her to just feel and react, not analyze. There are no wrong responses. I want to see you get lost in the fantasy. Wow. Could she trust that? The stranger had said “just feel” as well, so he must be keyed into the script.

She took a deep breath. She’d take the leap, and assume her fiancé was totally fine with her enjoying…well, everything, including this male. Worst case scenario, Aaron could punish her if she was too bad.

“That’s a devilish smile.” She heard amusement in the stranger’s voice. Butterflies returned to her stomach as his hands left her hair, slid along her shoulders, then up the length of her bound arms. He was testing the strain on her joints, and then the tightness of the cuffs, sliding his fingers beneath to caress her wrist pulse. “I expect you’re a handful and a half for your Master.”

“I bet you are, too.”

The servant’s dry chuckle sent that ripple of sensation over her skin again. “He just said, ‘you have no idea’.”

She closed her eyes, clutching the cuffs as he pressed his mouth to her shoulder. His touch dropped to her hips, fingers molding low to touch flesh, but only after he’d followed the line of the waist cincher, learning her shape.

“So he can talk in your head,” she said. It was all role playing, but she wanted to get into the fantasy, just as Aaron had said. Being a little afraid was part of it, but she didn’t want to be too scared to ask questions. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, after all. “Would you…tell me more about being a servant?”

There was a long pause, and it was almost as if he was searching for an answer in himself that he might not have ever articulated, not to another person. It reminded her of her early struggles to tell Aaron what she felt, her desires to be a submissive. The vulnerability that came with those conversations…she sensed it in the male’s response. Maybe she was making things up in her head, but it made her feel closer to this stranger, a common, vital bond between them.

“You serve your Master,” he said at last, slowly. “Whatever he desires, whatever he needs. Sometimes you know what he needs before he does. Mine sometimes needs an asskicking.”

She swallowed on a chuckle as he moved to trace her abdomen, up, up. “Ah…” She quivered as he cupped her breasts. Didn’t touch her nipples, merely held the weight. It was the most incredible feeling, to be handled this way, a body restrained to be used for the pleasure of two men she didn’t even know. Aaron was watching. Was he getting hard, imagining it was his hands on her breasts? Or was he imagining what he would do to her when they were done? Reasserting his claim on her, that deliciously male territorial nature. The savagery of it scorched her blood.

“What do you do for a living?” The servant followed the outside of her breasts with his knuckles. Her nipples were drawing up, hardening, begging for contact now. Though he kept away from them, he was looking over her shoulder, staring at them. In her peripheral vision, she had a vague impression of dark hair falling over the brow of a strong face, vivid blue eyes, a warrior’s serious expression. She knew from tactile, real time experience that he was wearing nothing but a pair of tight brief shorts that left nothing to the imagination. She swallowed against the incredibly arousing hold of that corset collar.

“Books. I do…books.” They weren’t going to need to gag her. She was losing the ability to talk.

Her sexy tormentor grew serious. “Shannon, my Master requires a clear answer to a question. Focus.”

The sexy rumble, the edge of command in the servant’s voice, did exactly that. Aaron knew this about her. A command could steady her, help her find her center. This was the most amazing experience ever. She wasn’t sure she ever wanted it to end. “I work in a bookshop. They call me…a book pimp, because I love books so much.”

“My Master likes books as well. You’ll have a lot to talk about. When he wants you to talk. First, he prefers to hear you scream.”

Okay, there went her focus, like a baby elephant slamming his arse onto a down pillow, a volcano eruption of feathers.

“What else do you like to do?”

She let out a whimper as he finally touched her nipples. A brush of sensation with his fingertips, then another. Back and forth, back and forth. “Oh…” She was writing in her tight bonds, not able to move enough, and the stimulation was immediate and intense. “Oh, God…”

“We asked you a question, Shannon. Answer it.”

For a servant, he was pretty damned masterful. And relentless “Music,” she gasped. “Oh, God, that feels good. I play…guitar. Love to dance.”

“You’re dancing now.” His touch slipped away from her nipples, then he gripped her breasts again, squeezed and kneaded. As she was undulating against that touch, it was rubbing her ass against him. Aaron and she had talked about this fantasy. She didn’t want any other male inside of her, and she still didn’t, but it was a titillating sensation, to have an aroused cock so near, knowing it was more than ready to fuck her. Knowing she was helpless, if this male wanted to break the rules. Something was taking her over; thinking of this as a fantasy was getting tremendously harder.

“Love the tongue stud,” the servant murmured, his mouth teasing the corner of hers. “Saw it when you were panting with lust there, wiggling that hot little ass of yours against me. Put that tongue out here, so I can play with it a minute.”

She did, and was amazed at how provocative his tongue could be, rolling over that metal stud, caressing the corners of her lips. “That would feel fucking good against my cock. I bet your Master loves the way you go down on him.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. Her senses were being overwhelmed. A sexy stranger’s hands, her fiance’s eyes on her, and the sense that they were waiting for one more to join the party.

Or maybe not. Maybe he was already here. The servant said his Master could read his mind, but of course that was role playing, right? He had to be within earshot.

When she shifted her gaze as far as she could in both directions, she didn’t see anything. It was so unnerving, to have her head immobilized and only a limited sight range. But then she glanced left, as far as she could, and started under the servant’s hands. A tall male stood there, though she was absolutely sure no one had been there a moment before. No one could move that fast. Maybe there was a hidden panel in the wall. It was an impressive effect, but even more impressive than that was the “vampire” himself.

He was all in black, leaning against the wall. And he wore an incredible mask, shaped like a raptor’s head, complete with a sharp curved beak. Sleek brown short feathers layered the upper part of his face, but left his jaw and sensual, cruel mouth visible. Where longer feathers folded into the sides of the mask, she could tell he had short dark hair. He had his arms crossed over his chest. The male behind her had more of a brawler’s build. This one had a lean physique that nevertheless emanated even more power.

She jumped as the fire started in the grate with a pop of noise and flame. “More heat,” the servant murmured at her ear.

“Magic,” she managed.

“Well, a gas log remote,” he offered, showing it clasped in his hand. She snuffled on a hysterical giggle. Then that creature against the wall moved, claiming her full attention again. When the flames caught the glint of dull metal, she realized the vampire wore two pewter talons, on his middle and fore fingers. One had the head of a dragon on the largest knuckle, the other the head of a wolf. The tips were wicked sharp points, and, even more disturbing, curved razor blades arched over the heads of the dragon and wolf.

“He’s your Master,” she said on a really dry throat.

“Mm-hmm. He has a different kind of magic for you now. Time for you to be quiet.”

“No.” Alarm surged in her chest, making her choke out the protest.

The servant caressed her hip, then he slid down, parting her labia. Shannon bucked up against the stimulation, not expecting it, not expecting that knowledgeable caress of her clit. “You know you serve your Master here,” he said. “Will you trust him?”

“Can I trust…either of…you? Oh…fuck.” The hoarse, animal sound that came from her throat startled her.

“Oh, us you definitely can’t trust.” The servant pushed inside her pussy with his thick fingers, just a little, but it jolted her. It had been a long time since anyone’s fingers but hers or Aaron’s had been there. “But do you trust your Master?”

She lifted her eyes toward that mirrored window. Aaron had given her this, this ultimate fantasy, more than she’d ever anticipated. But beyond that, he’d been willing to take this journey with her, figure out what she truly wanted. As dangerous and out of control as this felt, if she said she didn’t want this and truly meant it, he’d be in the room in a minute, taking care of her. He was taking care of her now.

“Yes, I do.”

The vampire shifted before her. His eyes, visible through the mask openings, were like a raptor in truth, all darkness. Jesus, they did a good job with special effects at this club. “Gag her,” he said in a voice of velvet sin. “Her voice no longer matters. She’s here for my pleasure.”

She was afraid of being gagged. Maybe she could talk them out of it. “But your servant said…the things I could do with my tongue…”

Those solid black eyes flashed. Pure, piercing command, and a rebuke that didn’t require words. The servant’s fingers gripped the tight fit of her waist cincher, enhancing the sensual restraint it offered and ironically reminding her of the terms of her submission.

“You’re trying to control things, darling. Are you panicking?”

“A little.”

“Hmm.” He nuzzled her shoulder, well outside the area the vampire commanded as his non-taloned hand wrapped around her throat, putting pressure on the corset collar. She gasped at the sensation, the way the male pinned her in place with just a gaze and that weighted silence.

“Don’t play with him, Shannon,” his servant murmured against her skin. “He’s a predator, and he takes it as a challenge. I promise you’re not up for that. Not this first time. Remember—just feel.”

Okay, she defied any woman not to panic—a lot—when overwhelmed this way. Before she could make another sound, the servant had drawn back from her to retrieve something outside her range of vision and come back with a ball gag he pushed gently into her mouth, situating it firmly on her tongue, pushing it down. He followed it up with a thick wad of cloth that further stretched the inside of her mouth and would absorb unsightly saliva. Finally he held it all in place by situating a wide strap between her teeth and cinching it against the corners of her mouth like a horse’s bit, buckling it tight behind her head to hold it in place.

The vampire had kept his hand on her throat throughout, his dark eyes tracking every expression on her face, his mouth set in that firm line. She was breathing fast, the thin skin of her nostrils flaring. As much as being rendered completely voiceless alarmed her, she was twice as aroused now. The more helpless she became, the hotter she was getting. Aaron knew that about her, too.

When the servant drew his touch back to her waist, the raptor mask cocked, the direction of the beak helping her follow the vampire’s gaze. He was looking at her breasts, though she couldn’t tilt her chin down to see what he was seeing.

A moment later, she let out a strangled noise as the tips of those talons scraped her right breast. They had her nerves so worked up, she was sure it felt far sharper than it was, but she couldn’t see what he was doing, couldn’t look down, and those things had razor blades. She could feel that point moving toward her vulnerable nipple.

The servant cupped her breasts, held them up for his Master. When that sharp point dragged over her nipple, she cried out into the muffled wadding, but she was arching toward the sensation, not away. Her pussy was wet, dripping against her leg. She was helpless to them.

“Blindfold her.” The vampire was implacable. “And remove the collar and side bars attached to it. I want access to her throat.” Those stern lips curved in treacherous intent. “If I want her to keep her head still, I’ll use my hand as a collar and remind her.”

“No, no…” She didn’t know why her mouth was making that muffled protest, when every part of her was saying yes. Now she knew why “oh God, no, no, no” were never chosen as safe words. Regardless, she would have to fully trust, fully surrender to all of it, because that was what Aaron knew she wanted, needed, craved. Somehow being brave enough to face that was honoring this gift, and his willingness to be her Master. All three of these implacable men—including the one behind the window watching—knew it. In her dreams, she’d hungered to serve as a submissive, but never had the reality of it. This was the reality. Part of her ready to bolt screaming, another part reaching, wanting, her mind whirling and about to break free of something that might be good or bad to leave behind. But it was all out of her hands at this point. Almost.

The blindfold was a soft silk, and fit like a glove against her eyes and temples. The servant smoothed it over her face, petting her. As the world went completely black, she tried not to let her teeth chatter with nerves.

“You feel this?” The servant pushed something soft against her palm, his fingers caressing her bound wrist above the cuff. Reflexively, she closed her fist over what felt like a rubber ball, maybe another ball gag, a smaller one.

“Vampires are much more sadistic than humans,” the servant said. “My Master doesn’t believe in safe words.”

The grin in his voice held a taunt, a challenge directed entirely toward the vampire, not her. It gave her a chocolate sweet taste of the erotic undercurrent between the two males. Suddenly, she could envision the fierce vampire, his eyes still hidden behind that mask, pushing the male servant to his knees. He’d fuck him on the floor right before her for the impertinence. Blindfolded, she’d hear the hoarse grunting of a man being punished and pleasured at once, both sensations so intense they’d almost be unbearable. But he’d have to bear it, because it was his Master’s will.

Holy God, it just made her hotter and wetter. She had to struggle to focus on the servant’s next words.

“Fortunately for you, your Master has a touch of mercy. If something becomes too much, you drop this. Don’t worry, we’ll ask if you dropped it by accident, in case something my Master is doing affects your motor skills.” A wicked note of pleasure entered that rough, sexy voice. “Nod if you understand.”

She did, a quick jerk.

The vampire spoke now, not in the stern tones he’d used thus far, but in a sensual voice that caressed her ears. “It was almost a shame to put a blindfold on her. She has beautiful eyes. The colors of the ocean during a storm.”

“She’s beautiful, period. Totally fuckable.” The servant’s voice became a feral growl that made her quiver anew. “That’s what your Master will do when we’re done. We’ll wear you out, make you scream. Then he’ll come in here, fuck you hard, remind you that you belong to him. Probably work over this fine ass of yours, put some stripes on it. It’s what I’d do.” When he cupped her buttocks, squeezed hard, it set her to rocking against him again, a shameless, involuntary reflex of lust. She panted through the gag, thinking of Aaron coming in with a strap or cane…or just spanking her with the flat of his hand. He had strong hands.

She was robbed of voice and sight. She was just a body to serve them, as the vampire had said. And she’d never been so turned on in her life. Everything was throbbing. Those chains digging into the outside of her labia were wet, she could tell by how it felt, the air caressing her cunt. It clenched in reflex as that talon passed over the top of her breast, perilously close to her nipple again. Then gooseflesh rose as the feathered mask followed the same path. The vampire had taken it off, was teasing her nipples with the feathers, back and forth, relentless stimulation like the constant brush of the servant’s hands. She swayed against the stimulation, gurgling against the gag, panting.

“You’ve fantasized about vampires since you were a little girl,” the vampire said. Though the servant had that tough, deep timbre, there was something about this one’s voice that compelled strange, crazy things inside her. She could listen to him talk for a few decades and never move from this spot. “But I bet the little girl didn’t imagine anything like this,” he continued. “A vampire requires absolute submission and surrender from his servant, but from his food…he demands whatever he wishes. Your blood is only part of it. You are feeding his pleasure, his desire, his demands. I’m strong enough to take anything I wish from you and make you offer your life to me for more.”

She sucked in a breath as the razor blade bit into her right breast. Just a tiny, tiny cut, that quick sting like a paper cut. She cried out, though, as the vampire pressed his mouth to it. He was so close to her nipple as he suckled that taste away. He could probably do all sorts of acrobatics with that tongue, things that might make her lose consciousness.

When he slid behind her, she realized the wall of muscled support the servant had provided was gone. Now it was just the vampire.

No, the servant was back. His presence steadied her, oddly. However, as he unlaced the corset collar from the front, just as the vampire had ordered, it was a powerful, almost dizzying sensation. She had the freedom to move her head, but before she could, the vampire had placed a hand over her forehead and used that hold to pull her head back against his shoulder at a straining angle. He held her fast. Those dual talons moved down her sternum, avoiding her neck. She could hear her pulse hammering so close to that sensual threat.

I’m strong enough to take anything I wish from you and make you offer your life to me for more.

Mentally, she was just gone. There was no club Surreal, there was no carefully planned fantasy. In her mind, she was in a room with a vampire and a servant, delivered to their demands and desires, her Master watching all of it with still eyes and pounding heart. His hands would be clenched and his cock hard, seeing what they were doing to her, his property, making her crazy at his command. This was no fantasy. This was the reality she wanted, she craved, no matter if she died from fear, longing or the power of the desire building in her.

“I want to suck on her tits,” the servant muttered. “Jesus, those nipples are practically begging for it.”

“Ask me.”

A hesitation. For some reason, even blindfolded she could sense the two males’ gazes meeting over her restrained body, that lingering challenge arcing between them. But the servant didn’t push it. Not this time.

“Master, let me suck on her nipples. Let me give her pleasure. Let me give you pleasure by doing it.”

A nod against her head from the vampire, and then the servant’s callused hands framed her breasts. She sensed him going down, the pressure of his hip against her inner thigh as he planted a knee between her spread feet. She screamed against the gag as he covered one nipple with his mouth. So much sensation… He was right, she was dancing in truth, because she jittered as much as she was able against that devastating assault. Then the vampire clamped his hand on her neck, collaring it. What felt like really, really large, curved fangs slid hard and wet against her carotid.

My, what big fangs you have… Her sense of humor really had the oddest sense of timing, but it was swallowed by the intensity that rolled over her as her whole body yearned toward that base, most primal fantasy, a vampire’s fangs piercing her, possessing her, feeding off of her. His servant had a mouth made for sin, suckling, nipping her. He moved to the other nipple, making sure they received equal attention.

“Eat her pussy. Make her come. I want it to rip through her while I’m feeding.” The vampire’s voice was a near hiss, impossible to disobey or deny. She struggled, though again she had absolutely no idea why. She was being assaulted on all sides, and cried out as the vampire’s other hand slipped down her back to her buttocks. He slid his touch intimately between them, playing with the rim, gave one cheek a sharp pinch. “Behave for us, perform well, or your Master will decide you need a good ass fucking to remind you of your place.”

Dirty words, sordid threats. They just made her hotter. Those talon fingers tightened over her throat. She realized he was keeping her head tilted up so high because that razor blade would be right below it. But she wasn’t afraid of that. The vampire emanated such utter control, she knew any cut would be deliberate, done with utter precision. Those fangs slid along her carotid again.

Then the servant’s touch shifted to her upper thighs. He’d gone down to both knees, because she felt them pressing against her spread feet. Bracing himself on her thighs, fingers exploring her flesh, he started by lapping up the arousal on her thighs, his hair brushing her clit and labia, teasing them as he got closer and closer to her core, as she moved more violently against him, restless demand. His hands replaced the vampire’s on her hips and ass to hold her steady for what he wanted. The vampire went back to her breasts, alternating between sharp jabs, the occasional kiss of the blade, lingering caresses and writhing pinches. He didn’t draw blood with the blades again, simply kept her nerves on high alert with the delicious threat. When he slid his fangs along her throat once more, his other hand tightened in her hair and she knew he was getting ready to bite her. Everything in her stopped, waiting, like a rabbit in the hands of a hunter, strangely trusting and terrified at once.

“Gorgeous hair,” he murmured. “Irresistible. Just like my cher’s.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant, didn’t have the brain to wrap around it, because his servant’s mouth found her pussy then. Oh, God… How many times had she invoked God tonight? Hopefully, He’d forgive her, because this kind of skill called for reverence.

Lips played with her clit with total authority, tongue easing inside, swirling, suckling her juices and playing with the pleasures of those slick petals. She was rocking again, held fast at the throat by the vampire as her lower body moved as much as the servant allowed. And as overwhelming as all those incredible sensations were, the two of them kept adding to it. The servant parted her buttocks, his fingertips playing there like the vampire’s had done. Throughout, he kept teasing, suckling, nipping and scraping her cunt, only now he started to apply himself in earnest. She could hear those sexy wet noises his mouth was making, feel that delicious rough sandpaper of his upper lip and jaw against her thighs.

She was wailing against the gag, and then she shrieked as the vampire’s grip tightened and his fangs pierced her artery. It hurt, God it hurt, because he did have large fangs, but it was overwhelmed by the rush of endorphins matched by the raging pulse between her legs. They were going to meet somewhere in her chest and make her heart explode. The metallic scent of her own blood filled her nose. A vampire was drinking from her, his servant eating her pussy, and an orgasm was about to overwhelm her, one she couldn’t stop, even if she wanted to try.

“Please…” She was incoherent against the gag, but she kept saying it. Then, like the voice of a beloved fallen angel, she heard Aaron’s voice. He was in the room now.

“You can come, Shannon. Come for me.”

She let go on the last word, helpless to do otherwise. It was like nothing she’d ever felt, an incredible chaos of pleasure, agony, yearning and sheer ecstasy. She screamed herself hoarse, the waves of sensation pounding her, spinning her. She was held between two points, those two powerful sets of hands, and they didn’t give her a moment’s respite. The servant kept his mouth working between her thighs, the vampire feeding from her throat, as she came and came.

Even when she went limp at last, she was aware of the vampire’s feral, hungry growl in her ear, the ease of his fangs as he finished his meal and began to lick her throat instead. She convulsed, making small cries against the gag. No matter how many nerve endings existed in pussy, breasts, nipples, she was pretty sure, at least in this moment, her neck was her biggest erogenous zone. The more he nuzzled it, the more she kept doing those jerky, bleating aftershocks. It was incredible.

She knew now why submissives couldn’t be trusted to use their safe words. She would have happily died from whatever the three of them wanted to do to her. She was still jerking, making those little noises. Vaguely, she realized the vampire had reached up toward her bound hand, a gentle flesh and blood manacle of her wrist as he pried the rubber ball out of her palm. “You didn’t let go.”

She could argue with him, because she’d let go on so many levels, but she wasn’t sure how to get back to coherence. Her mind was a fog, no control over her limbs. More funny sheep noises as the servant licked her clean, nipping her to make her jump. He hummed, a very satisfied male chuckle against her flesh. “You’ll do, darling,” he murmured.

He was this vampire’s servant, for certain, but there was a different Dom/sub dynamic here than between her and Aaron. They’d acted as two alpha males pursuing the same goal—her utter surrender—with relentless synchronization. This male might submit to this vampire, but she couldn’t imagine him submitting to any other male. Perhaps a woman…

She didn’t know where that thought came from, but with her mind drifting in that heavenly subspace, so many things were clear and made sense. She could almost feel the presence of a third. The servant had a tentative tranquility backed by the presence of healthy female energy, an energy that had to be a vital part of the equation between these two men. And for tonight, she’d gotten to be a part of it. She was in a drifting state of bliss, never wanting to come down.

“Oh yeah, she’s gone.” The servant was caressing her face now, her shoulders. He stroked her body, using his touch to ground her to earth, whereas moments before he’d used that same contact to cut her loose, help her fly. When he shifted behind her, she realized the vampire was gone.

The servant pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her shoulder. Loosening the gag, he removed it, but he left the blindfold. A bottle was brought to her lips, giving her a needed drink of water as he cleaned around her mouth with a soft cloth.

“Your Master wants you now, darling.”

Her senses reeled as the servant fitted that corset collar on her once more. She couldn’t possibly…but maybe she could. Someone else’s hands took over the snug lacing, the restriction that reminded her she was owned by another. Remarkably, that simple thought tightened everything in her body. She could become aroused again during this delicious floating feeling. Who’d have thought it? She had no shields, no reservations, no self-consciousness right now. She wanted Aaron inside of her. She needed him. She would beg for her Master’s cock, to be taken, to have that sense of total connection, the only thing that had been missing in the whole remarkable experience. He hadn’t overlooked it, though. He was here.

She felt Aaron’s hands, his lips brush hers, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you. I love you.”

As the kiss deepened, her fully open heart spilling into his waiting touch, she felt the servant’s hands slip away. The place on her neck throbbed, her body vibrated, and all of her yearned to continue the gift they’d started. Aaron had brought her to the starting gate of this new journey between them. But the vampire and his servant, whoever they really were, had launched them.

Based on such an unforgettable experience, she knew the possibilities going forward were endless.