Luis whined. A bite would feel so, so good right now. His knees tried to come up, to prompt Julien for more, but the man quickly pinned them back down.
“But we don’t do things on your timeline, do we,mon cœur?” Julien smiled and there were fangs. “It’s whatever I decide.”
He kissed Luis again, touched him everywhere except for where he needed it. He kissed Luis until his lips were swollen, until his brain was liquid, before easing off. Luis forced his eyes open.
Julien shifted back to a seat, taking a deep breath, turning his full attention back to Karim. The arms of the leather chair were in tatters.
“You look good like that,” Julien said, “wanting.”
Karim’s nails tore further at the leather.“Jules.”
“What do you think, have you learned something this evening? Should I be merciful?”
“You’re rarely merciful,” Karim said.
Julien’s hand set down on Luis’s upper thigh. His thumb teased the skin, and Luis whined again. “What was that? Do you need to go to the playroom?”
Karim bared his fangs. “I’ve learned my lesson,” the words sounded compressed. “We should go to bed now.”
Julien smiled. “Good choice. Come here.” He held out a hand and Karim stood, walking stiffly back to the bed.
Closer, he looked a different sort of ruined from Luis. Like he’d been gritting his teeth and was barely managing even now to hold back.
“Help me get him up,” Julien said. Karim immediately scooped Luis up like he weighed nothing. Julien pulled back thesheets and they settled Luis to a seat against the headboard. The him of an hour ago would’ve protested being so manhandled, but Luis sighed now at being cared for.
“Be right back,” Julien said.
In the silence after his departure, Karim took a seat beside him and then took his hand.
“You okay?” He asked.
It was a genuine ask, so Luis tried to push through the glossiness to assess. He felt… strange. Like he was drunk or bite hazed. Softened, despite the burn of arousal still in him. It was a good space though, nothing was worrying him.
“I think so. Is it always… like that?” He asked. His speech was still off.
“Sometimes,” Karim said. “Julien likes… control. It’s a part of our dynamic, and maybe yours if you want it to be. Julien will explain everything tomorrow, so don’t worry.”
Luis nodded, head tilting onto Karim’s shoulder. “Okay, I won’t,” he said. He liked the way he felt, and was in no rush to pull himself out of it.
Eventually, Julien returned with two bottles. The dark red labeled one he handed to Karim, and label-less orange one to Luis. It was freshly made juice.
“I want you to try and drink all of it,” Julien said.
Luis was slow, uncoordinated, but the juice was good so he kept at it. It was silent as they drank, and Karim didn’t even complain about the bottled blood.
When they were finished, Julien took their empty bottles and set them aside.
“Good job,” he said. He leaned over and kissed Luis, then Karim. He lingered with Karim a few seconds longer, before pulling back. “Now it’s bed time.”
They shuffled down under the blankets, and Karim cuddled in close, an arm thrown over Luis’s middle. It was agood weight, and Luis curled his own arm over Karim’s to keep it there. Luis assessed himself again silently, and found that he felt easy and unbothered by what had happened. Like he’d jumped into the deep end, but found arms to buoy him and keep him safe.
Julien picked up his book from the bedside table, and one of his hands found its way to Luis’s hair.
Luis sighed, happy, and closed his eyes.
Chapter Twenty Seven
“Evening,” Karim said as he opened the back door. Luis was seated on one of the patio chairs, finishing booking the vampire-friendly movers on his phone. He had to go back to work on Monday, and needed to get his new place settled.
