What's Your Poison? (4 page)

God, he loved it when they bit him.

“We thought you might like to take the opportunity to visit one of my older properties, the castle where Van and I first consummated our love once I turned him. A short honeymoon, if you will.”

Van chuffed lightly, the breath tickling in his hair. “Don’t you love it when he talks pretty?”

“Hmmm. You know I do,” Jacko moaned, pushing closer into Van’s touch as the vampire elder nibbled on his ear. “Yes, I want to go there. Can we?”

Ever since hearing about how his mates met and the awesome sex marathon that had taken place after Van was supposed to have killed Lavi in his sleep, it had been his favourite fantasy. He knew they knew it. Hell, they’d re-enacted it for him even. Seeing where Van had woken as a vampire for the first time was like dangling a piece of forbidden fruit under his nose. There was no way he would say no to seeing some of their history.

“Close your eyes.”

He didn’t argue, just obeyed. He knew what was coming next and he still hadn’t gotten used to traveling via spooky vamp mojo. His wolf preferred good old-fashioned travel methods such as cars where he could lower the window and enjoy all the scents and smells rushing at him in the passing wind. Plus he never felt like he needed to puke after being in the car, and the same couldn’t be said of the Lavi express.

One of his mates, Van he guessed, by feel of the man’s rock hard chest, swept Jacko up into his arms while Lavi hugged them both close. There was a moment of absolute quiet, then the familiar swirling sensation disorientated his senses before the silence exploded with the sounds of a dense forest. There was a breeze rustling the leaves and noises of animals moving around nearby. His wolf growled at the new smells they were unaccustomed to in this place so far away from home territory.

When Van put him down, he immediately bent over to put his head between his knees while two hands rubbed his back and neck. “One day, I swear I will get used to that,” he vowed.

When the knots in his stomach eased, he straightened and took in his surroundings with his eyes. There were enormous trees in every direction, and though he could hear water babbling in a stream or river nearby, he couldn’t see it.

“I don’t see a castle,” he said disappointedly, looking around in confusion.

“We are a few miles out. Myself and Van are very wound up and the excitement is speaking to our darker sides, so we thought to run and fly the rest of the way.”

Perking up, he spun to smile at Lavi. Fly?

Lavi had promised to take him flying since revealing his gargoyle-like other form, but there had been too many emergencies, meetings, discussions and wolf lessons to find a safe time to do it. He’d tried to be patient, but it was impossible to keep anything from his mates when they picked up on virtually every thought that floated through his head. They knew how much he was hoping to try flying.

“Not every thought,” Van said with a sneaky grin that showed a glint of fang.

“Would you like to fly with me?” Lavi gave a flourish of his arm and bowed like a prince at a ball asking for the princess’s hand. “You are finer than any of the princesses I have had the pleasure of dancing with.”

Pleasure? Jacko’s wolf snarled.

“Wrong choice of word,” Van said with a sympathetic laugh. Van nudged Jacko toward Lavi with a smirk.

“Yes I’ll fly with you, if only to make sure you don’t get distracted by any more princesses up in the clouds.” Jacko put his hand in Lavi’s and let himself be pulled into Lavi’s arms.

His vampire looked suitably repentant and Jacko thought about laying another bite on Lavi’s pale throat above the blood red collar of his shirt so everyone could see. His wolf was quite possessive of his mates.

“Please,” Lavi moaned, throwing his head back. It wasn’t often Lavi was this submissive, and Jacko treasured every moment Lavi gifted him with, the same with Van. The trust they had in him turned him on like nothing else, and he was instantly hard, staring at the strip of skin where he wanted Lavi to wear his marks.

Instead of biting like he wanted, he took a page of his mate’s book and decided that the anticipation would make it even better and more intense. He placed a light kiss on Lavi’s throat over the beating pulse and stepped back.

“Hah! I knew that was going to come back and bite us on the ass. Or not, as the case may be,” Van hollered, laughing at the pissed off and frustrated hiss from Lavi when Jacko didn’t do anything more.

“You’re getting sneakier,” Lavi accused, narrowing his blue eyes.

“Must be the company I’m keeping,” Jacko shot back with a smirk, undaunted. Van came up behind him and Jacko knew what the vampire planned to do even before Van’s thick, muscly arms closed around him and swung him up into the air.

“You better mean us, wolfie or else there will be some bodies hitting the ground when we return to the coven.” Van growled in his ear for effect and it made him shiver. He loved it when Van got all snarly. His wolf responded to being claimed like it was foreplay and he got hard as Van continued to rumble softly.

“You know I only see you and Lavi.” It was true. He could appreciate beauty, but none of the men in the coven, pack or even on TV did anything for him. He was a two vamp wolf.

“Good,” Lavi announced, sounding slightly mollified.

He didn’t struggle in Van’s arms, he just let the vampire continue to hold him up. He felt cared for and protected like this. He didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy it too often with the demands the coven and alliance put on his mates. He didn’t begrudge it, because other people needed his mates’ help. However, it was hard to be shoved off to safety all the time or kept out of the serious discussions because the information might make him a target.

“Why did you not tell us you felt this way?” Lavi’s voice was soft, and the vampire was suddenly right in front of him, arms coming up to rest around Van’s shoulders so Jacko was in a cocoon of his mates’ bodies.

Jacko shrugged, feeling guilty for spoiling the mood. All the points they made as to why he wasn’t involved were respectable ones, valid even. But he still wanted to be a part of the bad stuff as well as the good. That was what partners did. They shared the burden.

“Then let us enjoy the time we have free together now and discuss the rest once we get back. Anything you wish to know we will tell you, sweet wolf.”

His wolf whined, and Jacko couldn’t resist shoving his face into the crook of Lavi’s neck and taking in a deep breath, nuzzling close in thanks. Van did the same on his neck and he giggled when the mischievous vampire nipped him. His arousal jerked as he tensed at the teasing bite and he moaned.

“Quickly, Lavi. Serum or no. I want our wolf spread out on the white silk sheets of the king’s quarters for us to ravish.”

“I want that as well,” Lavi said, eyes flashing with such intensity that Jacko knew his mates had plans for him when they got to the castle. Hopefully very detailed and thorough plans. Lavi walked backward, all the time keeping his gaze firmly set on Jacko, and Jacko licked his dry lips.

The first pop of bone reminded him of the sickening reality that Lavi’s shift was not like his. The vampire couldn’t simply flow from one form to the other. It wasn’t even like the uncomfortable and painful changes Jacko had endured before Zeke taught him how to call his wolf forward correctly. This transition was agony, and horrifying to witness. He hadn’t realised he’d blocked it out until he was face to face with the prospect of watching it all over again.

“No, stop!” He couldn’t take any more—flashes of the last time Lavi had transformed, the horrible snap and crunch of bone shouted out to him from his memory and he no longer wanted to fly. Not if this was the price. If Lavi’s creature caused him this much pain, then he never wanted to see the thing again.

He struggled out of Van’s arms and ran to Lavi, hands outstretched as if to ward off the change. They could run from here. He could shift and go as a wolf to keep up with them, but he couldn’t watch that again. Not any time soon.

“Be of ease, wolfie. You are not the only one who has been listening in your lessons on shifting. I promise you that it is nothing like before. There is still pain, but not much. It now feels more like I am stretching stiff muscles.”

Zeke’s lessons had changed his life. He didn’t fear his wolf or the shift anymore. It was a brave new world.

“But you don’t like Zeke,” Jacko pointed out with suspicion. It was true. Every time Jacko had a lesson with the older wolf, Lavi got growly and hissed at everyone. The elegant accent became patronising and he sniped at Zeke every chance he got until Jacko had banned Lavi from attending his lessons.

It had just caused trouble, and Zeke wouldn’t let any insult slide. When Zeke retaliated by sending Lavi a
monster-in-law
bouquet of blood oranges and the other time he’d hidden wind-up chattering teeth in a pair of Lavi’s shoes, Lavi had hit the roof. It was a good thing Lavi liked Ashlock, or else Jacko would have been down a teacher from about day three. Honestly, the two were as bad as each other.

“You’re not supposed to think that. You’re supposed to agree that Zeke is an obstinate and ungrateful mutt,” Lavi growled, pouting ever so slightly.

“I am on your side, but I think both of you like being pissed at each other.” Also, Jacko and Van liked reaping the benefits when Lavi needed to burn off some frustration. “And you just proved my point. You dislike him, so why would you listen to his advice?”

Van came up behind him again and pulled him back gently. “He’s been practicing. Watch.”

Frowning, Jacko allowed Van to move him away.

Exactly as they had promised, this time the change was much different. The noises were still gross, but Lavi didn’t look in as much pain as last time.

Finally, the transformation was complete and Jacko walked with Van to greet the different version of Lavi. In this form, Lavi’s body had a greyish stone quality to his skin. The hulking winged figure had two intricately curved horns tapering up into deadly looking points. Van drew them to a halt a few feet away and waited. Jacko remembered Van explaining that Lavi could be unpredictable in this form and liable to react instinctively.

He stared at Lavi and smiled when his creature-like mate tipped his head to the side. Jacko only stared back calmly.

Lavi’s beast chuffed at them and fluttered his wings as if impatient, and Van laughed happily and let them close the distance. Van went straight for Lavi’s wings, stroking the leathery appendages as they unfolded and curved around them both. Jacko reached up to smooth one of Lavi’s horns, mimicking what he’d done when his mate had revealed himself to Alpha Remy.

“You are still beautiful, no matter your form,” he sighed, going up on tiptoes to follow the patterns on the horn with his fingers. He still only managed to reach half way. Lavi crouched so he could reach and he kissed the beast on the shoulder to say thank you.

“And vain,” Van added with a smirk, but didn’t stop caressing their mate.

Lavi snorted and smacked Van’s ass with his wing.

“Go on, you two. The first one to the castle gets to top first,” Van declared before giving Jacko a quick kiss on the lips and zooming away in a blur.

Jacko didn’t have time to shout out a retort before Lavi grabbed him and shot them up into the sky like a rocket. He screamed with fright as butterflies raced around his stomach and his wolf protested at being off the ground. When he’d imagined flying, he hadn’t expected to be hurtling through the air toward the clouds like he’d been shot out of a cannon.

“Lavi! Oh my God.”

Their upward momentum finally stopped and there was a tense pause where they weren’t moving at all, suspended in the air while Lavi readjusted his hold. Jacko wrapped his arms around Lavi’s neck and his legs around the vampire’s waist. The moment ended and they dropped, falling through the air and Jacko screamed again, clinging on as tightly as he could. Why the hell had he wanted to do this again?

Lavi snapped his wings out wide and they started to glide instead of fall.

“Holy fuck,” he exclaimed, shaking with adrenaline.

Lavi snorted in his ear and Jacko got the feeling he was being messed with.

“I swear to God, Lavi. If you drop me and I die, I’m coming back to life to haunt you for the rest of your days. Forget ever being able to come again, because I’ll use my ghostly powers to freeze your fucking balls off,” he swore, entirely serious. At least about the ghost thing.

As he watched, the great leathery wings adjusted and stretched out further until they bounced in the air and he felt the cold wind warm slightly. Lavi must have caught a current. He risked letting go the tiniest bit so he could look around and see the dusk clouds above him part and make way for the beginning of night. One by one, the stars appeared in the sky as big shining balls of light and he caught his breath at how beautiful it was up here. A blanket of deepening blue and glittering white.

The winds lashed at his hair and clothes, but mostly Lavi’s much bigger body protected him and he stayed warm by huddling closer. Now he remembered why he wanted to fly. The sky looked like it was a masterpiece painted just for him, with blues as bright as the shades in Lavi’s eyes and darker greens as deep as Van’s as the sky grew blacker still into night.

Lavi’s larger fingers started to knead his hips and Jacko felt a zing through his mate connection, a new awareness open up between the three of them. He caught glimpses of trees rushing by him and flashing images of his own face looking back at him. He must be seeing what Van and Lavi were. The image onslaught continued, and in his mind, he thought he could feel the bond between his wolf and his mates getting stronger, almost tangible even.

“Wow.”

It should be impossible, but he swore he was beginning to hear Van’s thoughts. He could hear his mate thinking about laying him out a big bed draped in fine fabrics and adorned with priceless jewels and he saw the castle he’d never been to or even seen before in great detail. He knew there was a single crumbled turret where Van had broken the stone with the head of an invader who tried to get to Lavi. He could also see a large room—no, a vast dungeon—filled with mountains of gold and treasures, and he could feel that Van wanted to take him there as well, fuck him right on top of the gold and silver as the treasure glittered around them in the firelight. There was no way he could know about any of that.