5. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
N icolono eyed Hacen with a look of false calm. “Tell me, Hacen, how exactly does a vampire lose a witch? Especially one that doesn’t even know he’s a witch.”
Nicolono leaned back in his office chair. He wasn’t a big man, not nearly as big as Gary had been. He was tall, but thin, which was often deceptive to most people who didn’t know they should fear him.
Hacen should’ve known better than to make such a big mistake. It would have been Gary getting punished, but he was dead.
He’d miss Gary’s…violent skills. Gary had certain talents in certain areas.
Nicolono smiled pleasantly.
There was a knock on the office door. “Come in.” He watched as Angel led in a very naked dark-haired man who had tears in his eyes and was trying to shield his private bits.
“Bring him clothing. He is my mate, not some common blood whore. And let everyone know not to touch him. Death is what awaits if they do. ”
Angel nodded and left the room.
Nicolono had found his mate last week, and already his wife had wreaked havoc. He’d finally found someone who would counteract the language barrier she had created. He should’ve been getting an erection from seeing his mate, but he hadn’t fixed that curse yet.
Nicolono crooked his finger at the young man.
He watched the human’s lean body as he walked.
Nicolono had always liked his meals young.
His mate’s beauty was particularly special.
He had dark hair and a body made for fucking.
He had met the man at a club. The beauty had been dancing with an abandon that appealed to Nicolono.
He hadn’t approached him immediately but rather he had waited for a more opportune time to take what was his.
He was getting angry, though, at the curse his wife had put on his poor cock. His anger grew exponentially every time his mate stood in front of him.
He patted his knee and the naked man sat stiffly. Nicolono ran a hand down the man’s chest and kept a firm grip on his waist. “What’s your name, boy?”
“Jules,” his mate said, fear rolling off his tongue with each tiny bit of air he expelled.
Nicolono smiled. He’d have to reward Thomas for lifting the language barrier curse from his mate, even if the warlock couldn’t lift the erectile dysfunction curse. So many curses his wife had put on him. That woman was a menace.
Warlocks did have their uses after all. Not as useful as a male witch, apparently.
There were far too many warlocks in existence for them to be of use for very long, especially one who was a scared little twit like Thomas.
Now, a male witch was a very rare thing.
There was only one in existence and Hacen had let him slip through his fingers .
“Just relax, Jules. I would never hurt you.” Nicolono’s hand slid farther down his chest and rested under his belly button. The boy’s softened cock twitched a bit despite his fear, speaking more of his youth than his pretty face did. “How old are you, boy?”
“Nineteen years old, sir,” Jules whispered.
Nicolono was glad it was Angel and Frederick, who had captured Jules for him.
They were the best at being persuasive without getting rough with the blood whores.
Of course, most of the humans who lived at the mansion came of their own free will.
It was good money after all, and they could come and go as they pleased once Nicolono was sure they would keep their mouths shut.
Nicolono had waited a couple of days before bringing him home where he belonged.
“So young. I’m a hundred and eighty-seven years old.” Nicolono gave the boy a smile when his big brown eyes rounded. “Vampires are very old creatures, Jules. To hear my wife tell it, we’re also very hard to live with.” Nicolono eyed Hacen. “Doesn’t Silvia say I’m impossible?”
“Yes, sir.” Hacen stood inside the door with his hands clasped behind his back, like the soldier he used to be, before he’d become part of the Stavros coven.
It was because of his fighting ability that Nicolono had taken him on in the first place.
He had shown his worth over the past ten years and if he took a few liberties then Nicolono had always overlooked it.
Hacen eyed the boy in Nicolono’s lap with hunger and a large serving of lust.
Nicolono ran a finger down Jules’ limp cock, caressing it.
Hacen could watch as Nicolono got Jules hard.
Nicolono would allow it, even though he wanted to rip the man’s throat out.
That would have to wait until Hacen was of no use to him.
Nicolono had not gotten to be so old without learning patience.
“Is Shawn upstairs beside my wife?”
“Yes, a cell over.”
“Do you think it was wise to let Gary drain him?” He strictly forbade draining a blood whore in his coven. It was the one rule Nicolono had kept after he’d killed the old coven leader. Blood whores were their lifeline, and killing one was counterproductive.
“No, sir.”
“But you did anyway. Gary was careless and now that reflects badly on you.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” Hacen’s voice shook as he spoke.
“The one person that could lead us to the only male witch in existence and you let him die. You should thank the witch for bringing him back from death.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jules’ cock twitched against his hand and he wriggled around on Nicolono’s lap.
Nicolono smiled as Jules’ face colored the prettiest shade of pink and the young man started to cry.
He trembled in Nicolono’s arms. “It’s okay, boy.
I won’t hurt you.” Jules’ cock twitched again.
“To be so young as to get it up even when you’re terrified.
You’re so very precious, young man. Would you like me to keep touching you? ”
Jules bit his lip and wriggled around even more.
Nicolono wrapped his hand around the semi-hard length.
“My wife is very angry I found my true mate. She wants to kill you, I’m sure.
” When Jules’ cock started to soften and he shook in Nicolono’s arms, he said, “Don’t worry, boy.
She’s locked away and will soon be dead.
She can’t hurt you. She’s just a witch, after all. ”
Yes, his wife was a witch, like the male witch who’d slipped through Hacen’s fingers.
Nicolono kissed the place on Jules’ neck where he would soon bite.
As soon as he seized the male witch and had him lift the dreaded curse.
Just a quick peck so that he could smell the blood underneath the boy’s skin.
He pulled away before he bit down. It wouldn’t do to use his mate as a blood whore.
Nicolono met Hacen’s gaze. “When was the last time you had sex, Hacen?”
“Several weeks ago, sir. I was in a bar and fucked a woman in the bath—”
“Do you think I want to know more about your sexual escapades that what I asked?” Nicolono’s voice rose with each word he spoke.
His hand stilled on Jules’ cock as he stared Hacen down.
“No, sir. Sorry, sir.”
He patted Jules’ backside with his free hand and said to him, “Wait right here for me and I’ll finish what I started.” He gave the cock in his hand one last squeeze before he stood, putting Jules on his feet.
Jules immediately grabbed his cock and held on to it as if it was his toy and he hated Nicolono touching it.
Nicolono smiled his warmest smile. Jules started to tremble and then the tears flowed like water.
His mate smelled of fear and Nicolono wanted to roll in it.
Yes, he was rather fond of his new-found mate.
He could already feel himself growing attached to him.
“Shall I have Thomas put a curse on you? Or maybe my wife would hobble you. She’s very good at causing pain with her damned curses.
” Nicolono had always thought warlocks were the dark lords of the magical community, even the faeries had bowed to them.
Of course, that was long ago, even before Nicolono’s time.
Thomas had proved too weak to be a lord of anything.
Still, he’d reward the little warlock and maybe keep him on for his own uses.
He turned back to Hacen, and his smile fell. “Do you know what it’s like to find your mate and not be able to bond with him? ”
“No, sir.” Hacen took a step away from him. Hacen shifted his eyes downward as if the carpeting held something fascinating. Nicolono smiled inwardly at the telltale sign of a lie.
Nicolono leaned against the edge of the desk and folded his arms in front of his chest. “I would suspect not.” He eyed Hacen for the longest time without saying a word. “Did you know I can smell it when people lie, including you?”
Hacen shook his head, confusion clear in his expression.
“Yes, my mother said it was because my great-great grandmother was a wolf shifter.” Nicolono chuckled. “Can you imagine, a wolf and a vampire, a mated couple? My mother tells me it was a true mating. She could smell it when someone was lying as well, you see.”
“You killed the human that would help me bond with my mate.”
“That was Gary.”
“Gary is dead. Now his mistakes are yours.”
“The witch brought him back,” Hacen said as if it excused the fact that he let another member of the coven break coven law.
“And now he doesn’t trust me. He won’t even give my coven members his blood anymore. He’s certainly not going to give me information, is he?”
“Let me torture the information out of him.”
“You know I don’t like to get my hands dirty in that way.” He might hold a man against his will for a day or two to have some fun, but he always wiped their memory after he was finished with them.
“How many humans have you drained dry the way Gary had?”
“No one, sir.”
“Lie.” Nicolono took a swipe with his long nails across Hacen’s stomach. He cried out and blood immediately started to saturate his shirt. “How many?”
“Hundreds.” To Hacen’s credit, he stood there, staring straight ahead.
Nicolono shook his head in disgust. “Do you know the council will be on my ass once they learn of this? I’ve been hiding it from them for too long. I can’t keep covering for you and your stupid friends.”
He rose from the desk and walked around Hacen. Nicolono could see him trying to struggle to break free. He lifted the metal spear off the wall and stood for a moment, taking in the weapon, feeling the weight of it and the cool metal against his skin.
When he turned back, he found Jules’ eyes riveted on him. His whole body trembled. “I’m not going to kill him, Jules. I’m going to do something far worse.”
Jules slowly turned, facing away from Nicolono.
“Yet another of your sins, Hacen. Making my mate turn his back on me.” Nicolono put the spear back on the wall.
“Bring Thomas to me and stay in the room while I talk to him. You’ll want to know the kind of curse the ancients will bestow onto you.
Nicolono smiled, their curses are always worse than death. ”