Chapter 11
TOBIAS
Never in Tobias’ wildest dreams had he expected to be pressed against a mausoleum with Alexander Damianos kneeling before him.
In fact, Tobias hadn’t even considered that Alexander would be generous at all in regards to doling out pleasure – surely it was in his blood to take, not to give?
And yet there they were, surrounded by shadow and death, while Tobias handed control over like doing so was simple.
As Alexander took Tobias’ cock into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around it with practised skill, he’d forgotten all about his plans for vengeance, the way that Alexander was just a means to an end.
There had been no room for thought beside the building urge to surrender and let go.
To mark Alexander, just as he had marked Tobias in the back alley when they’d left the club.
He’d expected regret to surface, but it never hit him. “What now?” Tobias asked as he took his thumb and swiped moisture off the sides of Alexander’s mouth.
“The night is ours,” Alexander replied, leaning in close, his breath carrying Tobias’ scent. “It belongs to us and whatever you’d like to do next.”
That was the moment Tobias should’ve demanded to be swept off his feet and taken back to Alexander’s apartment.
The night was certainly theirs, and he had to utilise it.
If he wanted access to the Damianos ball, Tobias knew he had to leave a strong impression on Alexander – and with a man seemingly driven by sex, Tobias should know exactly what to do.
Time was precious, more so than it ever had been before. He shouldn’t hesitate to take the logical next step in worming his way into an invitation to Rothburn. But when he finally opened his mouth to reply, he spoke without truly thinking.
“I want…”
What? What did he want?
“Name it, and it will be yours.”
Looking into Alexander’s sparkling eyes, there was only one response that felt natural to Tobias.
“I want to know who you are.”
Shock worked its way across Alexander’s face. He drew back, running his fingers through his dishevelled hair – messed up by Tobias’ own hand. It was endearing to watch someone so put together grow so undone. “That seems rather broad, darling. What exactly do you want to know?”
Tobias didn’t know. His mind was saying one thing, but around Alexander, it was as if his body had other intentions.
“Everything,” he answered, feeling greedy and selfish and also completely unable to control the urges he felt around Alexander, most of which had nothing to do with revenge, at least not in the moment.
“You know what I love – books, food, sex – and yet I know nothing about you. And as you said, the night is ours. I’d say we have some time to kill before tomorrow. Care to waste it with me?”
Slowly, the picture of Alexander he’d held for so long was fading, revealing someone he didn’t know and couldn’t claim to understand. He’d been surprised by Alexander. He was breaking out of the mould Tobias had put him in as the Damianos heir.
A powerful vampire living a masquerade as a human. Not to fit in, but because he seemed to almost crave it. He was thoughtful, and careful. Steady. Attributes not usually held by someone who’d been given everything they’d ever wanted.
“Sure.” Alexander straightened and offered his hand out to Tobias. “If that’s what you want. Perhaps admitting this will make me look weak, but I don’t get the impression I could ever refuse you.”
Tobias almost choked at Alexander’s confession, and the crooked grin that came with it.
It was everything he’d ever wanted to hear, but his heart was taking it a very different way than his head knew he should.
He swallowed down the reaction, while trying to ignore a rush of renewed arousal. “I’m really happy to hear that.”
“I can see,” Alexander said, giving him a smile. “But before we go on this adventure you should… straighten yourself up. I may enjoy seeing your trousers unbuttoned, but I don’t want the whole of Oxford to experience it. That’s a sight only for me, at least right now.”
“Jealous, are you?” Tobias joked, quickly buttoning himself up with trembling fingers. “How titillating.”
“The first thing you will learn about me tonight,” Alexander replied, “is that when it comes to what belongs to me, I’m terribly jealous.”
Tobias looked at him through long lashes, unable to hold back an honest smile. “And you really believe I fall under that category?”
Another crooked grin in response. “Yes, Tobias. I do.”
The first stop on Alexander’s tour was the church he had just sucked Tobias off in front of.
The church rose up from the heart of the graveyard, a silent guard full of secrets and history, forever judging the sins of those who stood within its shadow.
It was a large church made of dark stone, weathered by years of rain.
Autumn had painted the mass of vines up the stonework a deep red, as though holy wine had been cast over the facade, giving the impression that the old stone blocks bled out from the mortar.
It would’ve looked entirely unwelcoming, if warm light didn’t spill out from stained-glass windows.
“Have we come here to confess our sins?” Tobias asked, the question echoing around the stone entrance they passed through. “A bit much for trading blow jobs.”
Alexander laughed, before opening the next set of doors and gesturing for Tobias to enter. “Not exactly. That would suggest what we just did was a sin, and I happen to think it was something entirely different.”
“Then what are we doing here? Exposing how deeply religious you are? Because after what you’ve just done outside, I can’t believe you’re a very pious man.”
Tobias was aware that Alexander had visited this church before – he’d seen him come and go several times while watching him prior to their official “meeting” – but had never bothered to wonder why.
Alexander’s relationship with religion didn’t matter to Tobias’ overall goal.
And Tobias never followed because he wondered, if anything larger than life did exist, what it would think of Tobias now he had become such a monster.
He pushed down those concerns as lively chatter sounded in the distance.
Alexander came into step beside him. “You wanted to find out more about me. If that’s still the case, we’ll start here. I wasn’t going to come tonight, since it’s not my usual shift, but more hands are never amiss.”
Tobias’ next inhale was full of the scent of food. They rounded into the main atrium of the church, with a dramatic ceiling and rich stone carvings, but it was the crowd at the heart of the room which took Tobias’ breath away.
Humans congregated everywhere he looked. Some stood behind tables, scooping soup out of large vats and pouring it into bowls. A queue of smiling, chatting people waited for their serving before finding a seat amongst the pews.
The moment Alexander rounded the corner, all the attention fell on him, but instead of scorn, he was met by a chorus of welcomes.
A crowd gathered, with people hugging Alexander and shaking his hand.
An unwanted twinge spread in Tobias’ chest. Without thinking, he reached up to massage it, unable to work out why a roomful of mortals treated Alexander like he was their saviour.
It took opening himself up to their auras to see why.
They were thankful. Warm like butter, bright like rays of sun in spring. And that emotion was all in response to Alexander. Shifting his focus to Alexander, he was shocked to see the brilliant, pale-pink light of dawn encasing him.
Happiness in its truest, rawest form.
Although the rush of people separated them, Alexander kept finding Tobias amongst the crowd. He mouthed an apology, one Tobias waved away in favour of studying the way Alexander was interacting with mortals.
A banner hung between two stone pillars. It was a makeshift sign, each of the letters painted on in different bright colours. Tobias took it in, reading the words and feeling his heart sink into his stomach.
Oxford Soup Kitchen.
“Is that open mouth from surprise, or something else?” a voice said from his side. Alexander was there, studying him warily. “Maybe because you expected my hobbies to consist of buying fancy cars and taking lavish trips to expensive clothing stores?”
“I’m… just trying to work out what this is,” Tobias answered. “Do you come and help here?”
“Well, it’s my soup kitchen. The least I can do is help out with my own charity every now and then.” Alexander rolled his sleeves up, exposing his perfectly sculpted forearms. “And since we’re here, let’s get to it, shall we?”
Tobias took in the room again. He couldn’t put together words to describe the way he was feeling. It was as though he was in a trance, completely knocked off centre by the whole thing. He’d really convinced himself that Alexander would’ve been as hateful as his father. Not… this.
“Tobias?” A firm arm wrapped around his waist. “If you’d prefer to go, we can. I won’t be offended.”
Every part of Tobias felt warm. There was a small, nagging part of him that wished to turn and run, to pretend he’d never seen this side to Alexander.
Humanising the enemy was one thing, but discovering a Damianos whose legacy was not all pain, death, and destruction was quite another.
It would make it harder to do what needed to be done.
“I don’t think you’ve ever been this quiet,” Alexander said, nudging Tobias’ side. “Well, actually, you were rather speechless when you had me in your–”
“I’m just taking it all in,” Tobias replied after a moment, forcing a smile that likely didn’t reach his eyes. He drew back a step, knowing he wanted to stay pressed to Alexander, but refusing himself the weakness of that desire. “Now put me to work, professor. I prefer when my hands are busy.”