Rise to Live, page 16
part #7 of Rise of the Changelings Series
Remus’s features turned stoic as his green eyes stared at the road.
“Things only nightmares are made of.”
When he didn’t say anymore, neither did Marco. He knew firsthand what nightmares were made of. He bore the scars not only all over his body, but within him as well. But his scars had started long before the war had.
His father had embedded them deep inside Marco. He searched for a way to balance that which he had lived and that which remained for him to experience. Remus was his balance. Marco knew this.
Without his best friend, Marco would have fallen into the dark abyss a long time ago.
So now it was his turn to pull Remus out and show him that although things looked dire, life wasn’t to be wasted on bitter memories, but the happy ones they were going to create.
Chapter Nineteen
Salvador was bone weary, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t give in.
If he let up just an inch, Kraven would kill him. He didn’t understand how the vampire had become so powerful, but he wasn’t without a few tricks of his own.
“Give it up, old man,” Kraven taunted. “You’ll never defeat me. I’ve grown too powerful.”
Salvador was barely standing. Every blow his coven delivered to the Soul Reapers was felt on his very own body. He wasn’t even sure how he was still upright. The pain and injuries should have him unconscious on the ground.
“You are not even a true vampire.” Salvador returned the taunt with venom. “You are a mutt, turned, not born into my glorious race.
There is no way a mutt will ever be as strong as I.”
Kraven let loose a guttural roar as he moved slowly, deliberately toward Salvador. The intimidation tactic would not work on him.
Salvador had bested men ten times more worthy than this piece of dung heading toward him.
Salvador could still hear the fight behind him and was growing weaker because of it. But he stood his ground, watching as the clouds high above became angry and thick. The air was electrified, the currents running along his skin like tiny spiders crawling all over him.
His hairs stood on end from the electric charge.
He was gearing up, pulling all of his energy into a tight, compacted ball right inside his chest. Salvador had to defeat this bastard. He pulled at the Shadow’s remaining power, his coven’s as well. It left them weaker, but soon it wouldn’t matter. If this did not work, they were all dead anyway.
The only regret Salvador had in that moment was not being able to see his mates one last time. They had fled with Rick, a standing order Salvador had issued before they had joined the fight. Omar and Freedman had argued to the point of exhaustion, but Salvador hadn’t wavered. They must remain safe at any cost.
He thought of their eye color, although both blue, one was as light as crystals while the other was the color of summer skies. What he wouldn’t give to gaze into both sets one last time, to feel Freedman taking him as he drove Omar to the brink of madness with thrusts so deep that Salvador could feel the man’s pleasure. The knowledge that he may never lay eyes on them again tattered his weary soul. The feelings brought a quiet acceptance that this was what had to be done, no matter what he wanted, what he craved.
Lightning bolts shot from the sky, the wind kicking up and sending his hair flying in all directions as Salvador felt the energy enter him, charge and electrify his body in a way that not only fed his powers, but gave him the ultimate rush.
His true lineage raced through his veins and reminded him that Kraven was the subordinate, not him. Salvador was muerto desde el útero, not Kraven. The vampire had been human at some point, born of a mother and father, ate, drank, fucked, and whatever else the piteous bastard had done.
Salvador had been born to the darkness, suckled in the arms of Mother Darkness. He had never known the light, never known the issues humans dealt with.
Kraven came at him and Salvador parried the blows with all his strength. At last, Salvador felt the energy building inside of him reach its pinnacle. With centuries of polished practice, he thrust the ball of energy outward, the blast igniting the air all around so forcefully that Salvador flew back and hit the ground.
He could still feel the static in the air as he rolled to his side, his body protesting the movement as he pushed to his feet. He wavered and nearly fell back down on his ass. An intense pain was tearing through his skull as he staggered forward to where Kraven was lying in a ditch twenty feet away.
For the first time in Salvador’s existence, he felt like retching. The pain was so severe, so intense that he wasn’t sure if he was going to pass out into a coma or not.
He called to his coven, who themselves looked as if they were ready to fall over. The Soul Reapers had disappeared after the release of Salvador’s energy. They were nowhere in sight. Salvador turned back to Kraven, who was lying there in a contorted mess, but was not dead. He couldn’t understand how the vampire had withstood the force directed at him, but he could feel the life still flowing through the wretched creature’s blood.
“We must contain him before he regains his powers.” Salvador was at a loss to explain what was happening, but he knew time was of the essence. Kraven had to be buried on holy grounds, in a heavily chained coffin that was draped with religious items. It was the only true way to trap a vampire. He would need help. If Salvador entered holy grounds, it would be the equivalent of walking out into the sun.
Pulling Kraven’s limp body from the ground, Salvador could think of only one place to bury this man that would ensure he never escaped.
Shelton.
Guardians would need to be appointed to make sure Kraven’s grave was never disturbed. If the vampire rose from the ground, his Soul Reapers would as well. Kraven was demented, true evil incarnate. He had to be guarded and watched over for all eternity.
Choosing the guardians would be left up to Enrique Marcelo.
Salvador knew the changeling to be honorable. The alpha would make sure that Kraven never escaped his bound grave.
With that in mind, Salvador began his journey to the small town of Shelton where he would find a human to help him bury the monster lying unconscious in his arms.
Remus helped Rick carry Miguel and Dorian into their rooms. He didn’t like the way Miguel was looking. The man was pale, his veins pronounced, and he was gazing up at Remus with a glassy look.
Benito pulled the covers back as Remus laid him down on the bed.
He wasn’t sure what to say to the man’s cousin. It was more than obvious how Benito felt about Miguel. He had dark circles under his eyes and he kept rubbing at his brow as he stared at his cousin.
“Let me know if you need anything.” What else could he say?
Remus knew the two, but not that well. He’d do anything he could to help, but right now he felt as if he were in the way.
Stepping from the room, he walked down to the one he shared with Marco. A lot of the motels they had found along the way were deserted. Some needed the sheets stripped off, the bare mattress more appealing than what had possibly been stained into the linen. Other rooms looked as if they had been made, but forgotten.
Remus and Marco had lucked out and found a room with unused sheets. The bed was still nicely made, the corners tucked. They had to break into the rooms when the group stumbled onto a motel, but it was better than sleeping in the truck.
“Hey,” he said to Marco as he shut the door behind him. His mate was sprawled out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “You all right?”
His mate looked as if he was in deep thought as he cut his eyes over to Remus, his head following slowly. “Do you remember when we were twelve and you convinced me that snake hunting was a way to prove our manhood?”
Remus remembered. Marco’s backyard had been overgrown with weeds and the snakes thought it the perfect place to hide during the day from the hot sun. At the time, Remus was a little more adventurous, thinking snake hunting was like playing king of the jungle. He was scared shitless, but loved the danger it presented as well. “Yeah.”
Marco rolled to his side, propping his head on his hand. “Were you trying to tell me something back then?”
Remus furrowed his brows, wondering what in the hell his mate was talking about. “What would I be trying to tell you?”
“Never mind.” Marco went back to lying flat, staring at the stains above.
Remus moved into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out, turning Marco’s head with gentle fingers. “No, tell me.”
Marco swallowed repeatedly as he tried to pull away, but Remus refused to let him go. “You’ve never had a problem talking to me before. What gives?”
Pushing Remus’s hand away, Marco rolled to his feet. “I witnessed something today that rocked my very foundation. What those vampires could do was astounding. But that’s not what really bothered me.”
“What bothered you, Marco?”
Marco rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, his features tense as he moved away to stand by the dresser. “I was surrounded by real predators, men who deserved the title. I tried to help the bears, and they looked at me like I was a joke. I’m a freaking leopard. I’m supposed to be lethal and deadly, but I can’t even intimidate the juveniles in our leap.”
“Those bears were assholes,” Remus said as he stood. “Sometimes predatory creatures think they’re above everyone else.”
“That’s my point, Remus. I’m a predatory creature. I shouldn’t have been looked down on, but I was. I’ve dealt with that shit every day of my life, but to see another breed treat me the same way the leopards do drove that fact home.” Marco’s lips thinned as he gazed angrily at the bed. He was avoiding Remus’s eyes. The man looked like he wanted to punch something.
“Not everyone can be strong, Marco. Hell, I’m a leopard, just like you, and I’m scared shitless half the time, unsure if I’m going to make it through the day.”
“That’s different, Remus. This is war. Everyone is scared. But back home, or in any other circumstance, would you have let the bears talk to you that way?”
Hell no. Remus would have gone toe-to-toe with them. He didn’t allow anyone to disrespect him. He may not know a damn thing about breaking and entering, or rescuing someone, but he never allowed anyone to walk over him like a doormat.
As he watched his mate, he could see that what the bears had done really affected the man. Marco felt slighted, insulted. His best friend had dealt with bullies and people who hadn’t respected him his entire life. Remus had tried to shield him from those types of jerks, but it seemed even now, mated to Remus, his promise of protection just wasn’t enough.
He wasn’t sure what to say to Marco. How do you soothe a man who feels less than a man? Marco’s ego was bruised and hurting. His mate needed some kind of control or he was going to keep pulling away from Remus.
There was no way he was going to allow that to happen. Marco meant too damn much to him. Closing the distance, Remus grabbed Marco and enveloped the smaller guy into his arms. He made sure his mate was looking at him before he spoke. “Fuck me.”
Marco stood there for a moment as if Remus had spoken a foreign language and he couldn’t understand the words. Then his eyes grew slightly larger. “You want me to do what?”
Remus stepped back and disrobed. He laid across the bed, spreading his legs and exposing his most intimate area, his asshole.
“Have your way with me.”
Marco’s eyes darted to where Remus was playing seductively with his hole and then the black-satin orbs quickly shot away. He sucked his bottom lip in and started chewing at his nervously as he crossed his left arm over his right. “If you are trying to make a point, I get it. You’re the dominant male between us.”
Goddamn, the man was thickheaded as hell! Remus wanted to beat the man over the head with his cock. He jumped up from the bed, crossing the scratchy carpet, and pulled Marco to him. “Touch my ass.”
When Marco didn’t move, Remus grabbed his mate’s hand and pushed it behind him. “You know exactly where I want your fingers.”
Tentatively, Marco’s hand skidded across Remus’s buttock and then dipped into the crease. Eyes fluttering closed, Remus told himself not to jerk back, not to tense. As Marco explored him, Remus moved them closer to the bed, encouraging his mate to go further with his fingers than just touching the outer muscle.
He turned, crawled onto the bed, and got on all fours, lowering his shoulders. “It’s just me, Marco. Don’t be intimidated.”
Marco nodded absently as he undressed, his dark eyes never leaving Remus’s ass. If Remus wasn’t so fucking nervous, he would have smiled at the innocent fear in his mate’s eyes. “Nobody’s ever fucked you,” Marco stated with absolute certainty. “Why are you letting me?”
Flipping over until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, Remus reached for his mate, pulling the man into the apex of his legs.
“Because,” Remus started, hoping he could voice his thoughts properly so that Marco would understand him. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure why himself, but it was just…god, he was going to fuck this up. “You need this.”
Marco pushed at Remus, his features turning stormy. “This is a pity fuck?”
“No.” Remus grabbed Marco before he could walk away. “I need this. I need to show you what I’m willing to give to you to let you know how much our mating means to me.” Remus was becoming frustrated. He wasn’t voicing his thoughts correctly. It still sounded like a pity fuck to his own ears.
“Some dominant males,” he began as he laid back on the bed, pulling Marco over him, “just want to let go, let the responsibilities fall to someone else for once.” Remus didn’t know one dominant male who allowed his mate to fuck him, but he had to get through to Marco.
His mate looked skeptical, but reached between Remus’s legs and picked up where he left off. One fingertip penetrated him and Remus froze.
“You were always such a terrible liar,” Marco said. “But is this what you really want?”
Remus wasn’t sure what he was asking for. All he knew was that he wanted Marco happy, secure in who he was. “Yes.”
Remus relaxed, seeing the truth in his mate’s deep dark eyes.
Marco was intimidated by what Remus was asking, but willing to please him.
He may be the alpha of the two, but in the bedroom, he would gladly take turns fucking and being fucked. Remus’s legs began to tremble when Marco rubbed some lube down between his ass cheeks and over his quivering hole. His head fell back on the pillow, his lips parting to suck in gasps of air as Marco slid one thick finger inside his ass. Every breath was audible in the room as Marco’s weight made the bed dip.
He moaned as Marco zeroed right in on his sweet spot, stroking it several times before adding a second finger. Remus’s cock shot a spurt of pre-cum into Marco’s soft hand as his eyes grew round.
Remus smiled up at him.
“How am I doing?” Marco asked as he added a third finger, carefully stretching Remus’s muscles. He groaned as Marco’s fingers worked in and out of him.
“Perfect.”
Remus closed his eyes as Marco pulled his fingers free and replaced them with his cock, slowly pushing his way in, a long groan falling from between his clenched teeth. He arched his back, his eyes sliding closed as Marco lifted his legs over his arms and pushed right inside. “Fuck!” Remus shouted. His eyes watered as his fists gripped the sheets tightly.
As Remus tried to breathe his way through the pain, Marco’s deep dark eyes were smoky and filled with concern, as he looked down at Remus. The feeling of being full didn’t even begin to describe the experience. His legs quivered to wrap themselves around Marco, but he was too afraid of hurting his mate. Remus felt his cock tingle, aching for release, his balls drawn and tight already. Marco blinked, his dark eyelashes fluttering slowly at first then more rapidly as the seconds passed. His head tilted to one side as he stared down at Remus. “I never knew this could feel so damn good.”
Slowly, Marco’s tongue gained Remus’s attention as the smaller man licked his way around Remus’s neck, kissing and nipping as he palmed Remus’s balls, which were tight and hard.
He groaned when Marco slid his tongue down his throat, turning the pain into pleasure. Marco pulled back, his cock grazing along nerve endings that made Remus shiver. Tiny explosions were going off inside Remus as Marco fucked his ass.
The sensations had Remus’s blood on fire. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, staving off his orgasm, wanting this time with the man that he loved to last forever. His body was thrumming and his cock was thickening as Marco thrust harder, deeper, and faster into his ass.
“I’m close,” Marco said as he pressed his fingers into Remus’s hips, his cock sliding in and out of Remus’s ass with greater speed as a growl ripped from Marco’s chest.
Remus didn’t have to wait long. Marco blanketed his back, sweat trapped between their strong and hard bodies as Marco grazed his lips over Remus’s shoulder, sending shudders of pleasure throughout his body. “I want to claim you again,” Marco whispered into his ear as he licked around the shell of it.
“Do it,” Remus found himself begging. “Bite me, Marco.”
Marco held on as his hips snapped with unbelievable speed. His cock continued to graze over his nerve endings before Marco released his teeth, his tongue gliding over his skin as he growled his release.
Remus could feel every spurt of Marco’s hot seed in his ass.
Remus erupted, his seed hitting his chest and chin. Remus spurted again when Marco leaned forward and licked the seed from his neck.
“You taste good.”
Remus reached up and grabbed his mate, pulling him down into his arms. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.” Marco snaked his hands behind Remus’s neck and held on, a contented sigh falling from his lips.
They were two people who understood each other, needed each other, had always been there for one another, and Remus couldn’t love Marco more for that.
