Chapter 21 #3
The thought left Marcus feeling as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. Leave Ethan behind? After just one day of waking wrapped around Ethan’s body, he couldn’t imagine waking in his cold bed alone. Couldn’t go back to that.
“Your pet has some sharp teeth there, dear brother,” Rafe teased.
“He’s not a pet,” Marcus snarled, instantly bristling at the description. Ethan was so much more than a pet.
“Yet another reason to take our place on the Ministry,” Winter deftly pointed out.
“What?” Ethan said. Some of the anger slipped from his voice as he turned toward Winter.
“Humans have only two places in our lives—pets and blood slaves,” Winter continued.
“I can guess what a blood slave is,” Ethan said with distaste. “What’s a pet?”
“Not much better than a blood slave, really.” Rafe’s expression softened a little. “A pet is a plaything and usually a servant of sorts. But mostly a cherished chew toy. No vampire would risk his life over a pet. And ultimately, they are extremely disposable.”
“But that’s not Ethan,” Bel interjected with such sternness that it surprised Marcus. “He means a great deal more to Marcus. He’s an equal.”
“A part of the family,” Winter added, and it was like Marcus could suddenly breathe again.
“And if I’m a part of the family, that means I get to help too.”
Marcus groaned and Rafe chuckled.
“Oh, you’ve got a smart lover there, Marcus.”
“You can’t, Ethan. It’s too dangerous.”
“But he could be quite useful. Pets are a wonderful part of a household. They can travel with vampires and are largely overlooked. They hear so many interesting things,” Winter said.
“And pets love to gossip,” Rafe said with new enthusiasm. “Let’s get him a collar!” Rafe hurried through the living room and down a hall that led to his bedroom.
Marcus wanted to shout back at Rafe and the rest of his brothers that Ethan was definitely not a pet. Ethan had become his heart, his happiness. He most certainly wasn’t disposable or something to be overlooked. And Marcus would most definitely risk his life over Ethan’s safety and happiness.
“So…vampires don’t date?” Ethan asked.
Winter groaned softly and closed his eyes.
Bel looked a little uncomfortable, but he at least held Ethan’s gaze.
“No, we don’t. We don’t form alliances easily for fear of being manipulated or used in power plays.
The Variks are unique because we are brothers.
We already had a tight familial bond before we were reborn.
And I have a feeling it’s why others are worried about our intentions. ”
“But what about with humans?”
“You’re food,” Winter said shortly. “How many hamburgers have you given your heart to?”
“Winter!” Marcus snapped, but Ethan shrugged.
“He’s not wrong,” Ethan said. He turned and looked at Marcus. “How many people have you bitten over the years?” Marcus flinched and Ethan smiled softly. “And how many of those people did you care about? Did you know any of their names or dreams?”
“No. Not one.”
“It’s easier that way. Just a quick transaction. Why should you care about humans so long as our numbers are still growing, and you’ve got easy access to a source?”
Marcus reached out and placed his hand firmly against Ethan’s neck. “You are not food to me.”
“I know.”
Rafe’s heavy footsteps echoing off the floor drew their attention back to him as he returned carrying a large box that looked sort of like a trunk. After directing Bel to move his violin, he placed it on the table and flipped open the lid with a flourish.
“I’m sure we can find something suitable for your little pet to wear,” Rafe announced.
“Rafe—”
“No, he’s right,” Ethan interrupted as he stepped closer to the box. “If I pretend to be your pet, then I can more easily blend in. I can talk to other pets. Get gossip and maybe even spread a little.”
“Our own little human spy,” Rafe said. There was a wicked glee to Rafe’s voice that had Marcus shaking his head as he approached the box as well.
“Holy shit! How many pets have you had?” Ethan cried out as he looked in the trunk. Marcus looked in as well and winced. It was filled with collars of all types. “And what happened to them all?”
Rafe glared at Ethan. “Calm yourself, my little piranha. I haven’t killed off any pets…yet. In truth, I haven’t had what you’d call a real pet.”
“My twin likes the idea of a pet, but doesn’t like the responsibility of caring for one,” Bel teased. “But he does like dressing humans up in collars.”
“And little else,” Rafe added as he dug through the collars. He picked up a leather one with long, metal spikes and held it up to Ethan. He made a face and dropped it back in the pile before picking up a pink one with a gold tag dangling from it.
“I’m not allowing Ethan to wear something that’s already been worn by one of your many sexual partners,” Marcus snarled.
Rafe looked up at his older brother with an expression of false surprise. “But they’ve all been washed.”
Several of them snickered, including Ethan, who was also digging through the trunk with Rafe.
Something about Ethan’s enthusiasm and curiosity was sending the most inappropriate tingling through Marcus’s body.
He didn’t view Ethan as a possession, but the idea of Ethan wearing a collar that marked him as Marcus’s property held a dark thrill.
All the world would know that Ethan belonged completely to Marcus.
Ethan picked up a collar that sparkled brightly in the light, studded with what looked to be rhinestones and fake gems. Of course, they could all be real gems. Rafe had the wealth for it and really was that careless with valuables.
Ethan held it to his neck and grinned up at Marcus as if he knew exactly how he was tempting him.
“If we are going to continue with this farce, then I will order a collar for Ethan myself. Something that is just for him.”
Rafe looked up at him as if he’d lost his mind. “It takes time to find a good collar, and you don’t want to just buy one off the rack.”
Ethan gasped and pressed his hand to his chest. “Do I really mean so little to you that you’d buy off the rack for me?”
Winter laughed and Bel made a noise but tried to muffle it by covering his mouth with his hand.
Marcus just sighed. “You’d rather wear one of Rafe’s sex-soaked collars worn by someone that he doesn’t even remember than a brand new one because it’s off the rack?”
“Maybe. These I’m sure were chosen with love and care.”
“And all were special orders,” Rafe added.
“Unlike his partners,” Marcus grumbled, which only made both Rafe and Ethan cackle.
“Fine. Fine,” Rafe finally said. “You want something new and never worn.” Rafe leaned over the trunk and dug down to the very bottom. He pulled out a small box and handed it over to Ethan. “I purchased that a long time ago and was saving it for my own pet, but you can have it.”
Marcus moved closer to Ethan as he lifted the lid.
Inside was a collar made of what looked to be incredibly soft leather.
Square sapphires ran through the center along the entire length and were in shining gold casings.
There was a solid iron ring near the closure that would serve for a leash and a second smaller ring at the front.
From it hung a gold pendant with an elegant V stamped into it. For a collar, it was exquisite.
“Are you sure?” Ethan asked softly, even as one finger strayed across the collar in a light caress. “It’s so beautiful.”
Rafe shrugged carelessly. “My lovely Bel is right. I’m more enamored with the idea of having a pet than actually possessing one. Too much work. I’d rather just buy pretty things for people who pretend for a short time to be my pet.”
“Thank you, Rafe. It is very beautiful,” Marcus said, but Rafe was quick to wave off his comments.
It stuck with Marcus that Rafe wouldn’t meet his gaze.
His motions as he placed all the other collars back and closed the trunk seemed rushed and a little nervous.
He had a feeling that there was more to Rafe’s lack of a pet than just being resistant to caring for someone.
It seemed a little hard to believe, but he wondered if Rafe was really looking for something closer to what Marcus had managed to find with Ethan.
They continued to talk for another hour, speculating on which of the factions could have been behind the attack on Marcus’s town house as well as the deaths of Percival and Armand.
They even wondered if someone on the Ministry could have orchestrated the attacks to secure their own power in the Ministry.
But they could come up with no definitive answers until they had more concrete information.
Sadly, Marcus had to admit that his mind was no longer entirely on the conversation.
His eyes kept straying to the small box tightly clutched in Ethan’s hands.
He was grateful Ethan didn’t suggest trying it on at Rafe’s.
No, he wanted them to wait until Ethan was in his bedroom and the door was locked behind them.
He wanted to see it for the first time shining around his neck while Ethan kneeled in the center of his bed completely naked.
Ethan most definitely was not a pet, but Marcus still wanted to possess him completely and drape him in riches, to pamper him and care for him. Ethan was his, and tonight he was going to revel in that possession.