Harlow would never admit it, but fucking Foxx may have been the best sex he had ever had. Every single round of it. God, Foxx had let him manhandle, bend, and fuck him any way he wanted. He had never seen someone zone out so much during sex. Why had he bothered to hold back from being with men again?
Though this was going to be a lot of trouble once Tony found out. He smirked at that. Harlow was going to have so much fun messing with his boss. He may even outright tell him that he was fucking Foxx. Oh, the look on Tony’s face would be priceless. There would be so many questions that he was going to happily answer in the smallest detail. It would be glorious.
Opening his eyes up, his smirk widened at the slim form of Foxx beside him. The vampire’s back was plastered against his chest, and he was softly snoring. His grin widened as he scooted back, intending to kiss the nape of his neck and start a little something…but froze as the covers slipped, revealing more of the vampire’s naked back.
He eyed the cross-shaped scar between Foxx’s shoulder blades. Harlow had forced himself to ignore it last night, as other things had been more important, but now he found his curiosity piquing again. He lightly traced it with his fingers. It was surprisingly deep. Not as if the cross had touched the vampire’s skin once, but as if someone had placed it there many, many times. Which made sense, as it took a lot to scar a vampire.
One way to scar them was to repeat an injury without allowing it to heal. Of course, the scar could have been from when he was human, but that was doubtful. Yes, if a vampire had been scarred before they turned, those scars would remain, but they would fade a little. This scar was way too deep and noticeable.
Foxx’s body stiffened under his touch. Jerking away, the vampire rolled and met his gaze with wide, fearful eyes.
Harlow winced and held his hands up. “Woah, Foxx. Relax, it’s just me. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Foxx licked his lips, some of the fear fading. “It’s fine. I just don’t like people touching it.”
“Run in with the church?”
The man clutched at the covers. “You could say that.”
“It’s deep.”
“Happens when an act of harm is repeated over and over again.”
As a weird silence permeated the air, Harlow began to feel off. He wanted Foxx to shut up sometimes, but not like this.
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Harlow pushed, feeling even weirder that he was pushing for more information instead of less. Weird that he even cared or wanted to know. This whole thing was weird. Fucking a man, waking up and trying to be considerate…strange.
Foxx sighed and sat up, the covers slipping to his waist. Harlow had to hold back his grin at all the marks he had left behind. Vampires healed quickly, but not as quick as in those silly movies. Just faster than humans did. Usually, small marks took a while, as he could only guess that their bodies didn’t see them as a priority to heal. While they would fade faster than on a human, they would stick around long enough for him to appreciate.
“To speak on the scar, I’d have to talk a bit about my turning. I’m going to be brief about it.” He shuddered and pulled the covers up and around him.
“Be as vague and brief as you want.”
* * *
Foxx sat there clutchingthe covers and trying to not let the memories come back, alongside the hurt at what happened and what followed. “After my turning, I was betrayed by the person who I was supposed to turn with, and then was handed over to the church. There was this bastard of a priest at the convent. The man was a sadist, and kept me alive for long-term punishment. That is about it…”
That wasn’t it at all. There was so much more to it. It wasn’t just a person. It was his lover. The man who was supposed to stand by his side in all things. The man Foxx had thought was the love of his life. The man he’d planned to spend the rest of his years with, even before they’d discovered that life could be an eternity.
If the pain of his betrayal and abandonment had not been enough…what had happened at the convent…the violation…
His back involuntarily stiffened as phantom pain flashed through him, drawing a gasp from his lips. The memories flooded back. But then they cleared as a warm hand cupped his face. Blinking, he looked into Harlow’s light brown eyes.
“You went somewhere.” The man's eyes were narrow. There wasn’t any concern there… He wasn’t sure what he saw in Harlow’s eyes. “You okay?”
Foxx took a shuddered breath. “I’m fine… As I’m sure you know, not all holy men are good. It was not a pleasant stay. And I can’t say I have ever rediscovered any love for any branches of Christianity since. I hate them, to be honest. So much hypocrisy.”
Hypocrisy he had seen with his own eyes, felt in the pain and degradation of his body. The only reason he had gotten holy water was because Tony had provided it to him in safe-to-load vials. Which he used gloves to load and touch. He’d never actually seek out any ‘holy’ men for such things.
Harlow’s hand dropped away. “In my experience, being contradictory is a must for most holy men.”
Foxx snorted. “True.”
“Did you kill him?”
Unflinchingly, he met the human’s eyes and replied honestly. “I did.”
Harlow smirked. “Painfully, I hope?”
