Alex apparently needed a much more private setting to continue the conversation.
Chapter Seventeen
“What the fuck was that?” Dageus demanded, landing with a hard thud on the stage of the darkened theater across town. Anger coursed through his blood like a heady wine, and he shot to his feet to glare at the vampire. Alex stood there, a statute. Pure, unadulterated rage poured through Dageus, directed toward the son of a bitch that interjected himself into his life.
“How could you even consider going anywhere with that poor excuse for a dancer?” Alex hissed, a deep pain in his tone. The insult obviously meant a great deal to him. “He is nothing.”
Dageus rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? I was going to dinner and a movie with the guy, maybe get seduced and wake up next to someone I want for once! I finally get the balls to admit to my brothers that I’m gay, and I finally go to pick someone up to show them, and you show up! Can’t you see you’ve done enough in my life? I wasn’t exactly prepared to explain that I didn’t like girls. With that little display at the theater, you cornered me! Damn you, Alex! Damn you to hell!” he screamed. Even he hadn’t realized he felt that way until that moment. He resented the shit out of the vampire for making him acknowledge his desires. The tenderness that he’d felt for Alex the night before faded with an uncompromising fear. He struck suddenly.
Alex’s head whipped back from the blow, his bottom lip blossoming with blood, and it sprayed across the stage from the whiplash. Dageus heard a low growl before he was knocked off his feet to the floor. He snarled, pushing against the invisible hands that held him in place. Alex stood over him. His eyes glowed a faint red, the blue in them disappearing with his anger. He stood silently above him while Dageus regained his breath. Alex’s eyes flashed with anger when he caught sight of the healing marks on Dageus’s neck that disappeared under his shirt line.
Not saying a word, Alex bundled up the two ends of the shirt in his hands and tore it apart to reveal the wide expanse of his chest.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dageus demanded, still unable to move, held in place by the Master’s power. “I just bought that shirt, you jack ass!”
Surprisingly tender hands touched his torn flesh. Dageus felt his body being picked up by invisible hands. The hands continued to soothe, caressing the bruises left by his brothers.
“Did they hurt you for letting me touch you?”
Dageus struggled at the question. “None of your damn business!” he hissed with a little less force than before. His body was turning pliant under the gentle strokes of the vampire. It was hard to hold onto the anger when Alex was touching him. Regret was tickling at the edge of his senses for striking out at the vampire, even if he was almost healed just in the few seconds since. He felt the first stirrings of arousal. It wasn’t the starved passion of before but a desire almost like love.
Alex’s face hardened. “Did they hurt you because of me?” he demanded, his voice taking on an inhuman note. The mental strength of his mind tightened around Dageus’s body. Dageus cried out in pain. Immediately the pressure lessened. “Sorry,” Alex muttered.
Dageus sighed in defeat, oddly aroused and breathless from being held down. “They didn’t hurt me because I like boys. They didn’t hurt me because I was with you,” he offered, relaxing into the power that swirled around him. Alex took a tentative hand and put it on his cheek.
“Then why, pet? Why did they hurt you? It was the Ravyns, wasn’t it?”
“It was my penance,” Dageus found himself saying, knowing that he didn’t need to offer the explanation but somehow feeling that he owed it to him. “I broke the loyalty of my brotherhood. I kept something from them that is an integral part of my soul. As Ravyns, we don’t have any secrets. We are one. Keeping something as
Chapter Seventeen
“What the fuck was that?” Dageus demanded, landing with a hard thud on the stage of the darkened theater across town. Anger coursed through his blood like a heady wine, and he shot to his feet to glare at the vampire. Alex stood there, a statute. Pure, unadulterated rage poured through Dageus, directed toward the son of a bitch that interjected himself into his life.
“How could you even consider going anywhere with that poor excuse for a dancer?” Alex hissed, a deep pain in his tone. The insult obviously meant a great deal to him. “He is nothing.”
Dageus rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? I was going to dinner and a movie with the guy, maybe get seduced and wake up next to someone I want for once! I finally get the balls to admit to my brothers that I’m gay, and I finally go to pick someone up to show them, and you show up! Can’t you see you’ve done enough in my life? I wasn’t exactly prepared to explain that I didn’t like girls. With that little display at the theater, you cornered me! Damn you, Alex! Damn you to hell!” he screamed. Even he hadn’t realized he felt that way until that moment. He resented the shit out of the vampire for making him acknowledge his desires. The tenderness that he’d felt for Alex the night before faded with an uncompromising fear. He struck suddenly.
Alex’s head whipped back from the blow, his bottom lip blossoming with blood, and it sprayed across the stage from the whiplash. Dageus heard a low growl before he was knocked off his feet to the floor. He snarled, pushing against the invisible hands that held him in place. Alex stood over him. His eyes glowed a faint red, the blue in them disappearing with his anger. He stood silently above him while Dageus regained his breath. Alex’s eyes flashed with anger when he caught sight of the healing marks on Dageus’s neck that disappeared under his shirt line.
Not saying a word, Alex bundled up the two ends of the shirt in his hands and tore it apart to reveal the wide expanse of his chest.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dageus demanded, still unable to move, held in place by the Master’s power. “I just bought that shirt, you jack ass!”
Surprisingly tender hands touched his torn flesh. Dageus felt his body being picked up by invisible hands. The hands continued to soothe, caressing the bruises left by his brothers.
“Did they hurt you for letting me touch you?”
Dageus struggled at the question. “None of your damn business!” he hissed with a little less force than before. His body was turning pliant under the gentle strokes of the vampire. It was hard to hold onto the anger when Alex was touching him. Regret was tickling at the edge of his senses for striking out at the vampire, even if he was almost healed just in the few seconds since. He felt the first stirrings of arousal. It wasn’t the starved passion of before but a desire almost like love.
Alex’s face hardened. “Did they hurt you because of me?” he demanded, his voice taking on an inhuman note. The mental strength of his mind tightened around Dageus’s body. Dageus cried out in pain. Immediately the pressure lessened. “Sorry,” Alex muttered.
Dageus sighed in defeat, oddly aroused and breathless from being held down. “They didn’t hurt me because I like boys. They didn’t hurt me because I was with you,” he offered, relaxing into the power that swirled around him. Alex took a tentative hand and put it on his cheek.
“Then why, pet? Why did they hurt you? It was the Ravyns, wasn’t it?”
“It was my penance,” Dageus found himself saying, knowing that he didn’t need to offer the explanation but somehow feeling that he owed it to him. “I broke the loyalty of my brotherhood. I kept something from them that is an integral part of my soul. As Ravyns, we don’t have any secrets. We are one. Keeping something as
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