I can only swallow back my desire to give him whatever he wants. It hurts me, physically and emotionally, to see him in so much pain. In a strange sense of cruel progression, I was finally beginning to see glimpses of the Verando I loved. I could see who he would become, see the path that would lead him into my life. I could not alter it.
Capturing his face in my hands, his eyes tell me he wants me to kiss him. Randy had hoped I would lean into this trap, the desperation, as others saw just what I had. The mastermind behind the warlord, I was to experienced with his current self for this to work on me so easily. While I needed him to love me, I needed to stop risking my future with the version that was my own.
I had to show him, through loyalty to himself, that I was worth waiting for. "Everything you do and everything that you are will bring you to me. Randy, I will do everything in my power to wipe this whole thing from your memory and then you will just.. go on.. living your life. You're going to find me, and we are going to help each other. It's written, it's going to happen."
He's already shaking his head and I tighten my grip on his face, forcing him to keep my gaze as I feel him attempt to recoil. "No. No. I don't want to forget, I don't want to go back to drugs and-"
"Randy." My voice is stern, I brush his cheeks with my thumb and bring a smile to my lips, trying to reassure him. "You and I are exceptionally good at figuring out avoiding the end of time, we've done it... hmm.. twice now I think. Also, I'd like to remind you that I like you for a lot more than just this part. Come on." Taking his hand in mine, I lead him through the crowd.
Down from the viewing box, I lead him through the halls and into the main theatre where we could experience the roar of the crowd. It truly was a site to behold, something I never would have expected from a dictator with a reputation such as his. Even though he was only set to make a very small appearance, those willing to show up to support him, and us, was inspiring.
The crowd was bigger than I could have imagined, tightly packed into the theatre where every space was filled. Siren's and lycans working together to bring peace, the scent of burning atmosphere heavy in my nose reassures me the crowd is full of magic users. While it wasn't a family event, it gave me hope that one day soon my children would be able to partake in something like this.
"I love you because you inspire people to do amazing things. You would do whatever it took to keep your family safe and happy." Leaning on the door frame, I let the atmosphere flood my senses, drowning in the overload and enjoying the flex of power in that I could sense the hundreds of heart beats, rumbling like a drum below the volume of the crowd. I could smell their food, their excitement, the intoxication and arousal of a Siren concert.
My nerves were alive, every fiber cataloging the inventory before me. Verando takes the stage to a hearty greeting, I note the nearly skin tight black shirt and the clingy material as the top of a body suit Marcello had commissioned. A protective layer, a warning, that we were prepared for retaliation.
"This will be my last appearance in Europe from some time, as I have buisness to attend and a honeymoon to enjoy. But the message we leave behind is not one to be forgotten. To make it through this, we must all rally, for even though there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we have yet to see the true colors of our enemy. Look not at your fellow man, but the ones who hide behind the lines of exspenable bodies and make commands of which they know no consequences.
We must keep moving forward. Look to your heroes and support with your voice, with your actions, with your funding. We are calling for an end to all Artifice interference."
I feel the concern catch in my throat. Every threat on Artifice has been met with prompt retaliation. But, with Caspian in our custody, perhaps now we the time to make such claims.
"Do not support businesses who do not except who you and your neighbors truly are. Protect one another. We are all in this together."
The deafening sound of the crowds approval makes me cover my sensitive ears. Randy glances towards me, shifting uncomfortably. "I thought you were the famous one?" he mumbles.
I scoff, rolling my eyes in the trademark warlord fashion. "Apparently I'm not as likeable." I grumble, it used to bother me more in the early days. Now I was just appreciative that others saw in him what I did. He could be funny, witty, charming, among the dangerous side notes that lingered below the surface. "We make a good team. You... don't necessarily look human. But people like what you have to say. You connect better than I do, I grew up in a castle, it's a little more challenging for me to say the right things."
"Aren't you really rich?"
Running a hand through my hair, I can only shrug once more. "Not anymore. That money is long gone I'd imagine, Kings don't just have rooms of gold, you know. At least we didn't. I was in the middle of an active war when I 'died'. Frankly, we hardly had a place to sleep and it was you and Marcus who funded a lot of our foot travels with your gambling. We had allies who helped but I was never meant to be King, so I had very little resources or ability to access any of my father's money."
It was difficult to get used to, sleeping outside or in shadey taverns. The amount of walking we had to do had been good for my fitness but I couldn't lie and say I wasn't enjoying a more comfortable life style. "When we arrived in this time, you and I had some ups and downs. They needed us in different ways, you started singing, I had to help fix the weather. You have always been better at making money, we found each other again after some time apart. We always do."
Randy frowns, listening to Verando sing, looking as though he was trying to picture himself in this life. "We fight a lot?"
Did we? I consider this. "You're a real asshole sometimes. You're also a lot older than me. I had a lot of growing up to do, you had to learn to stop lying to me and trust me. We are both kind of fucked up, you know."
"I thought you were young.. you look my age." He wrinkles his nose.
I snicker. "I was twenty three when we met, you thought you were in your forties. Lycan's don't age like mortals do. It's fine, I have daddy issues and you seemed like you needed some fresh blood." The look he responds with tells me he can't decide if he's horrified or uncertain. I decide to let him stew on that as the song ends, all this talk was making my wolf threaten to go savage. I steal a whiff of the collar of my shirt, the scent was fading, it was time to reclaim what was mine.
"Do you feel comfortable finding Cas and going back home?" I ask, trying not to look to impatient.
"You trust me on my own?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
Not particularly, but I was in the mood for bad decisions. "You keep escaping, I think you're old enough to be back where we left you before your future self gets home. If you think I'm a stickler for the rules, a lecture from your own pompous ass might be an enlightening experience. Please, just be careful." I hand him my phone. "Verando is on speed dial, you just press this button. If you need me, this is how you will reach me. Please keep the fornicating to a minimum, you have plenty of children."
Taken aback, he takes the phone. "I do?"
"Mmm... five... six? I've kind of lost count." Stretching up on my toes, I kiss his cheek. "Just be good." I hadn't gotten to play much with my lycan body lately, moving through the crowd with inhuman speed and agility, I make my way to the stage. It didn't occur to me that it might be seen as an attack, feeling all eyes trained on me, I jump onto the stage and raise my hands in a show of innocence.
The red dots covering my chest, guns trained, cause Verando to quickly grip my wrist and yank me to his chest. "Have you gone absolutely mad?" He scowls, clutching me to his body. I yank off his microphone head piece, tossing it to the ground with a devious grin.
"You looked so delectable, I had to get a closer look. Besides, nobody should get to see you like this but me. Look at you, you're practically naked." I tease, hearing the flurry of cursing from the downed head piece. "Oops."
"You're ridiculous. Marcello has probably had a heart attack." He tightens his grip on me, capturing my jaw in his hand as he brushes the back of his fingers over my neck. "You've been kissing someone." His thumb skirts over my lower lip.
"Let's not talk about it here." Gesturing to the crowd with my eyes, I capturing my lower lip in my teeth. "There's someone I'd like to kiss, if I'm allowed."
Considering his options, he takes a slow inhale of me, skirting his nose over my hair. "You're also a little drunk."
"Hardly. Is that a no?"
"Get a room!" Tiberius calls over the playful chirp of his guitar. "Or get it over with! This is a party!"
The crowd chants for us to kiss, I shrug innocently, clinging impossibly close to him as he bends to capture my lips with his own. I was wrong in that kissing the younger version was the same, I was on a high with the experience of his lips on mine. Tasting him with my tongue, urged on with the applause and the way his claims me so intently. Melting against him, I flush as he breaks the kiss. "Now that's a kiss. I might need another one of those."
Stooping down, he captures my legs, hoisting me up into his arms like a bride as I throw my arms around his neck. Embarressed, I do my best royal palm wave as I'm carried off the stage back behind the curtain. "Show off." I tease.
"Kissing my younger self, are you?" He was a stickler for those details.
"You are quite persistent." I retort with a sigh, allowing him to set me down. His nose skirts over my hair again, I note he's quite close to me. "You can stop investigating, yes, it was your younger self. I'm sorry, he does look a lot like you, you know? He wants to have sex with me, I keep telling him no." I argue bluntly, shivering as his hands travel down to grip handfuls of my ass. "Are you upset or turned on? I'm a little to buzzed to tell."
Growling low in his throat, Verando presses me to him, "You smell incredible. It's been driving me insane all night."
"Well with your 'incredible self control' I couldn't even tell." I quote, trying not to cling to him to provocatively with so many people wandering around back stage. We were standing in the open, surrounded by staff and performers, there was little space to engage in such lude behavior and yet he was practically prepared to take me right where we stood.
"You've gotten quite sarcastic." He loosens his grip on me, straightening as I cling to him. "Is that any way to talk to your Alpha?" My heart pounds in my chest, excited at the thought of play. "Perhaps I've been to kind to you? You've played on my sympathies and now you take advantage? Seems like you've gotten to comfortable."
Swallowing back my sarcasm, I catch my lower lip in my teeth. "How would you prefer me to ask?"
Verando's hand captures my chin, I practically shudder with excitement. My wolf has kindly taken a back seat to my nature, I was drowning in excitement, he must see it on my face for he allows the tiniest smirk to form at the corner of his lips. "You must be quite desperate to entertain such a public venue."
"I'd allow you take me right here if that's what you desired." I plead, my hand sneaks down and he grips my wrist with a low growl. "Please." I'm not beyond begging, not when he looked at me like this, not when I felt so out of control. "Make an example of me."
Taking my hand, he leads me back behind the heavy curtains that hid the various riggings, slipping off his belt, he demands for my wrists as he fashions the leather around them to form cuffs. "Can you keep quiet?"
I nod. "Can you?"
His eyes catch mine, burning as he searches my face. "I intend to make you reconsider your sarcasm." Verando hoists my hands up and where I expect to be gagged, I see he has no such intention. Taking one of the weighted ropes, he slips it through my belt cuffs and holds up his knife. "I imagine you trust me enough to cut your free, in the event of an emergency. Let me remind you that it's your job to keep quiet, drawing attention to yourself would leave you quite exposed. Only I may see you like this. Understand?"
I nod, cheeks red, feeling the strain my arms as he pulls the rope to lift me off the ground and then tie it to one of the anchors. "I hope you know what that rope leads to."
"Your undoing if you continue your sass. Should I just leave you here?"
With a whine, I take a slow breath. "Please Alpha." I plead. Approaching me, he yanks my pants down just enough to expose my ass, hooking my legs around his hips as I hear the zipper of his pants. At this position, I was completely at his mercy. Feeling his length slide against me, I shudder as I attempt to consider what I'd gotten myself into.
Lifting my shirt, his mouth finds my nipple, sucking and rolling it between his teeth. I curse under my breath, tilting my head back as my over sensitive body begs for more. "You smell amazing." He traces his tongue over the welt of a fresh bite mark on my chest. "Don't answer."
I bite my lower lip and nod.
Tortureously slow, I listen to the music roll in the background, the sound of the crowd as he kisses and bites my chest. I'm covered in marks, hickies litter my body by the time he's done with me, shaking and impossibly hard.
Sliding into me in one cruel stroke, I nearly scream, biting into my arm to stop the sound. The light eyes watch me, enjoying my pleasure, my pain, my desperation. It was to much, I wanted to beg him to forgive me and at the same time, I'm limp in his arms, completely at his mercy.
There would be no talking my way out of this, he did not want to hear me, he wanted to use me as he saw fit as punishment for my bold display. Yet he watches me so carefully, gaging my every move, knowing me so well of what I could take. With no wall to brace against, my body moved on it's own, with no consideration for my preparedness or ability to cope.
Verando doesn't offer me his mouth, I finish, hardly able to contain myself as I pant against my sleeve. He moves against me, slow as to keep our position hidden. "You really are desperate if you're done already."
My body trembles wildly, I moan against my sleeve, fighting to keep quiet as I resist the sensation of his continued pace. My legs tighten on his hips, I want all of it and yet I'm on the edge of my sanity as I shut my eyes and lose myself in the feeling of him taking me.
"Gods you're so beautiful." He murmurs, one of his hand coming up to capture my face. "Nic." He moans, and I know he's close. I feel myself nearing the edge once again, the rope tugs on my wrists and I hear the confused conversation of the extra weight the rope held. Once more, it tugs, dropping me against him and I nearly cry out. He curses under his breath, taking the knife out of his pocket to cut the belt in one smooth fashion. The rope slings into the air, suddenly free of my weight.
Verando presses me into the wall, the cool concrete a shock to my system as I sink my teeth into his shoulder and cling to him. "I love you." I manage, to my surprise it's him who can't contain himself, moaning loudly against my neck as he finds his release. I follow quickly behind him, dazed, in a state of disheveled that Tiberius would surely enjoy.
"Damn it." He murmurs, supporting me so that I can catch my breath. "Looks like we're going to have to practice more. You spoke." He kisses my cheek gently, rubbing his nose against mine. I'm hardly coherent, panting, trying desperately to even remember my name.
Sliding off of him, I stand on shakey legs, my sleeves unrolled and hanging loosely around my wrists, my shirt untucked and haired a tangled, lightly sweaty mess. My hot cheeks have me searching for air as I smack my way out of the curtains to get the cool air of the stage on my face. Tiberius giggles, he must have come looking for the source of the delicious lust.
My pants are still half past my ass, I pull them up with a dignified jerk, buttoning them as I carefully begin to reroll one sleeve. "Yes?"
"You're both ridiculous." But he seems quite amused.
Verando appears beside me, I wipe my completion off his lycra shirt with my sleeve before rolling it back up to my elbow. His disgust causes me to crack a giggle and snort, I'm euphoric and couldn't care to hide my shame. "Absolutely not. Remove that shirt at once."
I stoop to lick his chest and he firmly places his hand on my shoulder. "You're a foul creature, Nicolas Mercer."
"Can we keep him?" Tiberius suggests, thoroughly amused.
"Don't you forget it. Now carry me to our room, I can't walk."