Page 5 of Dating is for Suckers

The sheer hubris of him thinking he could hold onto her when she’s clearly mine. He snarls at me from behind her head, but I laugh it off. He may be older than me in human years, but I’m far older than him in vampire years. That’s the only reason I was able to attempt a relationship with her for as long as I did.

It was agony holding out like that. Feeding before I came over and eating again after she fell asleep. Just to hold her in my arms for as long as I could before heading back to the coven before sunrise. But I knew I couldn’t keep this up forever.

She was too pure to drag into my world, and I refused to let her potential death stain my soul. It’s black enough without the help. Unable to be satisfied with the soft touches and somewhat satisfied sighs, I knew I had to go back to my roots. Back to the club where trained submissives could take my brand of love. Where I didn’t have to hold back nearly as much.

Underneath it all, I knew Lissa possessed a submissive heart, but I never allowed myself to get close enough to see her reach her true potential. But now. Now that she’s down in my world, drugged so she won’t ever remember, I can finally indulge. I slide up to them and open my mouth, about to tell Rory where he can fuck off when Lissa’s loud screech fills the space.

“What the fuck are you doing here!”

Ice flows down my back as I stare down at her. Her eyes aren’t cloudy like she’s already in subspace. They’re alert and filled with hurt and rage. And I don’t blame her. I’d be pissed, too, if the roles were reversed. But the difference is, I’m fully aware of everything that happens down here. She should be so drugged out of her damned mind that I could brandish a knife, and it wouldn’t even be a blip on her radar.

“You couldn’t even bother to drug her before dragging her down here?” I hiss at Rory, fury rising through my body like a tornado.

“I did fucking drug her. I gave her the drink. Just like I’m supposed to. You can ask Jessica.”

“Oh. I will. Have no doubt.”

A small set of hands push into my stomach as Lissa attempts to force herself in between us, her human strength so pitiful, so laughable. I look down at her, noting the frown of concentration. It’s adorable. So like her. So strong and fierce. So naive. I let her push at me, the frown deepening when neither of us budges. And why should we? We’re the monsters. The owners. The possessors. We move for no one.

“Joseph Anderson, you better explain right now what the fuck you meant about drugging me.”

Ignoring her, I snarl at Rory. Whatever happened, it’s this fuckoff’s fault. It’s his responsibility to make sure they’re incoherent when they come down here. He had one job. One fucking job.

“Yes, Joseph,” he taunts. “Why don’t you tell her?”

Reaching past her, I grab Rory by the throat and force him against the wall. “You will never address me by that name.”

“Joe, stop this! You’re hurting him!” Lissa’s small hands wrap around my arm, and she yanks with all her might.

I turn to Lissa and snarl. “As for you. You should be at home, licking your wounds. Why are you here?”

Before she can answer, Rory smiles, his face a mask of a cat that caught the canary. “She came to me so I could lick her wounds for her.”

I release my grip, smiling as he falls to the ground. “Good luck with that. I’m here now. If there’s to be any licking, it will be from me.”

“What? Don’t I get a say in this?”

I turn, pinning her with my glare. “No. The moment you decided to come down here, you sealed your fate. You belong to me now, and I don’t play nicely.”

“But -. But -.”

“The man you knew was a façade,” I continue, ignoring the fear shining in her eyes. “Down here, this is where I belong. Not with you in your cookie-cutter life, complete with throw pillows. I left you for a reason, didn’t I?”

My words cut her deep. I can tell by the slump of her shoulders. But she needs to know. She needs to know the kind of men that lurk down here. We don’t come home from a long day of organized crime to a warm meal and a kiss on the cheek.

I thought I could. I thought she could fill that need in me. The need to be loved for something other than what I can do with my body, but no. All those agonizing months, I held her in my arms, trying to find a way to make us work that didn’t involve asking Luka to allow me to turn her.

She’s too pure for this. Too pure for my world. Hell, I barely made it to third base with her. I know Lissa wanted to wait, to make sure that what we had was something real, but deep down, I knew it never would be. That’s why I held back for as long as I could. But I had to make a break.

I thought I had, but now, here she is in front of me, all anger and feminine allure. The scent of her, the heat of her, all of it is too much. Reaching deep inside me, I call out to Luka, unsure if I can resist her again. She’s put herself into my path, and this time, I will make her mine.

Though I’ve never turned someone before, I know how it’s done. I know how not to kill her. The only issue is permission. Luka was clear that any progeny made without his permission would be put to death in front of the transgressor so that they may know the agony of losing them. The wrongdoer would not be allowed to die. Instead, they would have to live with the pain, begging for the mercy of death.

Then, if Luka were feeling magnanimous, he would allow it. I can’t allow her to suffer that fate, and I refuse to do the same. One word flashes through my mind, and my knees nearly buckle with relief. Now I know if the temptation becomes too much, if I can no longer resist her, I can make her mine.

Glancing over at Rory, I contemplate what to do. It’s not his fault he brought her down here. And if Jessica is the one at fault for the drink, then it’s her that will be punished. Either way, I have a woman here whose pouty lips belong on my cock. Even though she’s denied me before, I’ll make damn sure she doesn’t deny me now.

“Well, well, my sweet. Seems like you find yourself in a predicament. Caught between two men. One you don’t know and one you only think you know. Tell me, do you think you stand a chance? Do you think we’ll actually let you get away with leaving? You’ve seen far too much.”