Page 50 of Zodiac Beasts

Harder. I wanted to push him to the limit. “An implantation ceremony doesn’t have to be consensual at all. But you already know that.” I put enough tension on the black jewels around his neck until the threat was fully communicated. This small piece of jewelry was the only thing that made him safe to her, and kept him safe from me. And yet, it would be so, so easy to… “I could take you, and then I could make you fuck my mate for my amusement whenever I wanted. You could be my perfect, little Omega conduit.”

A piercing sensation sank into my neck suddenly and violently. My whole body went stiff then limp. Ceto finally shoved me away, sending me rag dolling onto the tile floor as all strength had been sapped from my muscles. The necklace broke from the sudden force and leverage, and the gems of his enchanted anti-fertility charm scattered, bouncing on the tile floor.

He watched the beads tumble with wide eyes, and his otherwise dark complexion damn near blanched as the last glint of black disappeared under a display.

“I was waiting for you to call on your other bloodline.” I channeled directly into his mind. He couldn’t channel back anymore though. A shame. I used to enjoy sinking into his twisted thoughts.

Ceto grabbed a rag to aggressively wipe himself clean, likely not wanting to acknowledge that he was a mess because he was most turned on when he was being actively threatened. It was spitefully that he zipped up and straightened out his clothes, while his inhales and exhales were forcefully controlled to calm himself down.

“I can’t imagine what she sees in you.” His tone was cross, laced with potent venom.

“Some shifters have fucked up fantasies. What can I say?” I’d have laughed if I could. “Shifters like her… and shifters like…”

The scowl on his face clearly picked up on the implication. I was glad I could still taunt him. If not for telepathy, I wouldn’t be able to communicate at all. The paralyzing venom had spread quickly through the rapid pumping of my vampire heart, though as a result of my body’s natural ability to heal and expunge my own blood, it would dissipate in short order. This was nowhere near my first rodeo.

“Well, lucky for Lila, it sounds like her options aren’t limited to a single fucked up fantasy, so you won’t mind if I try and help her out of her situation.” That was the bite I was looking for. I wondered if he even noticed that he just admitted he wanted Lila. Whether it was to spite me or not was irrelevant.

A tingle started to return to my most outer appendages as the venom wore off. It took a lot of mental fortitude to reject that magic.

“Not at all. Why don’t you show her who you really are during the full moon, and we can see whose family legacy is the strongest.” What I actually wanted to suggest was that he watch her shift so he could identify those scales on her back, but saying things politely and like I was asking a favor wouldn’t suit my image.

“I just told you I wasn’t going to kill her.” Ceto sighed, then he walked over to the door. I could still hear his heart pounding, but he was trying his best to appear composed in front of me. He grabbed the handle, but hesitated to push open the exit. He just held it, unmoving, and took a ten count to catch his breath. “But there’s a reason I spend my full moons behind warded walls.”

I propped myself up on my elbows, as more of the venom cleared. I stretched my jaw, until my mouth got its muscle back. “You’ve never spent a full moon with me, so it’s hard for me to imagine what it’s like to be an Omega Hybrid. Stop being so afraid of your own existence, and embrace it for once.”

Ceto creased his brow. “This is why it never worked out, you know.” His fingers still lingered on the handle, but he couldn’t quite seem to commit to kicking me out. “You know how to play everyone you meet so damn well, but you can’t seem to figure out when enough is enough.” He started to nudge the door open, then stopped again halfway. “I’m not going to ask for a truce, because I doubt you’re capable of one, but Lila is still my coworker, and she still spends a majority of her week with me. For better or for worse, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other because of her, and only for her. So I would appreciate it if you could keep your fucked up fantasies in check.”

Without another word, he shoved the door open. And he stood there, expectantly, as he waited for me to leave. “Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, or did you just come over here to feel me up?”

I got to my feet, though my legs still felt weak underneath me. “Honestly, I just wanted to set some ground rules.” I shook a hand through my hair, slowly testing each of my limbs with innocuous motions. “Since you decided to trick my mate into spending the full moon with you, I’m allowed to make demands.”

He lifted his chin, but he didn’t say anything. He just waited expectantly for me to get it over with.

So I continued. “I don’t care if you fuck her tomorrow night. I don’t even care if you try to mark her. If you want to tie yourself to me, then you can take all the risks you want, so long as she’s having a good time. But if you fucking hurt her, there’s not a ward, ancient god, or legacy in this world that will be able to pry my hand from your neck.”

Ceto tipped his chin. “If I were to harm her in any way, I would hope you’d do worse than that.”

A gentleman’s agreement. I could accept that. I took an unsteady step, while my body figured out how to move again amidst the dissipating poison.

“Oh, right—one last thing.” I said as I locked eyes with him while standing in the doorway.

“What now?” His exasperation had passed boiling anger and settled into resignation. It was funny how an orgasm could sedate even the most uptight among us.

“Happy Birthday.”

“Fuck you, Marcus.” He mumbled, and I could feel the love and affection in his adorable hate.

That jingle punctuated the quiet night, as that glass door fell between us.

I felt my fangs as they retracted. I’d been more riled up being around him again than I wanted to admit. He still did that to me, no matter how bitter I tried to be over his rejection.

Always too far, huh.

There was probably a lot of truth to that. I was still unsatisfied with how our relationship ended. I never hated Ceto, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about his friendship with Lila. He wasn’t the weak Omega he pretended to be around me. I’d seen his other faces. I’d seen his demons. That was part of what had drawn me to him in the first place.

No matter what he said, we were more alike, and unfortunately more compatible, than he would ever accept.

But… still, I hadn’t seen how he reacted while forcefully shifted. I’d really never seen him around someone with a magic seductress pull. Did he have any idea what he was getting himself into?