“Technically, you don’t have enough energy right now to influence him. It’s probably the only time in your life that’ll happen. It’d better be, anyway. I can’t be dropping everything to tether you to this plane every time you get protective,” Lucian said. The bastard.
“He’s right. You’re still sexy, but the constant arousal I usually feel around you isn’t there,” Liam said.
“See. He’s in his right mind and consenting,” Lucian said, ripping open a portal right next to him as he spoke, and scooping Ayden up into his arms like he was some damsel in distress.
“Come, human,” Lucian said, stepping them through the portal and into Ayden’s lair.
Immediately, some of his energy returned. Not enough to recover, but enough to move under his own volition. A demon’s lair was secreted away in the dimension of their birth, the place where they were most powerful.
Sensing the change in him, Lucian set him down gently on his feet. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Lucy!” Ayden snapped, fear making him revert to the nickname he seldom used.
Lucian just winked at him over his shoulder and stepped back through the portal, closing it behind him. In his current state, Ayden didn’t have enough energy to open a new one either. He was stuck there with temptation personified in Liam’s form until he could generate enough desire in the human to feed on and get them back to the city.
“You scared me,” Liam said, moving closer with hesitant steps.
“You should be scared now,” Ayden said, rooted to the spot.
Liam smiled. “Why? In case you give me more pleasure than I’ve ever known? Take care of me better than anyone ever has? Give me everything I need to be happy forever?”
Ayden swallowed hard, forcing himself to look away. It didn’t help much because then he was looking at his massive four-poster bed.
“If you use the restraints to chain me to the bed, I might be able to convince myself to stay put instead of biting you.”
“Is that how you bond? Biting?”
“Yes.”
“Will it hurt?”
Ayden snapped his eyes back to Liam, groaning as he realised the human had toed off his shoes and socks and was now unbuttoning his shirt.
“If you chain me to the bed and give me enough desire, I can go chase down other prey to finish recovering,” Ayden said.
“No!” Liam snapped, throwing his shirt on the floor and stalking over to stab a finger at his chest. “If you’re fucking anyone, it’sme. If you’rebondinganyone, it’sme.”
“I wouldn’t bond anyone else. I only want you.”
“Good. Then hurry up and get your dick in me so you can get your fangs in me already.”
“Liam.”
“Ayden,” Liam shot back, shoving his pants down and stepping clear.
Fuck. He was naked. Ayden’s mouth was watering. His cock was aching. He was dizzy with the sensation of Liam’s desire for him, hisneedfor him, and it still wasn’t enough. He was starving. Starving for his human. His mate.
It was the intoxicating taste of Liam’s energy that finally convinced him. That, and Ayden’s instincts screamingmateandbiteon repeat. He was old enough to know how his nature worked. Liam truly desired this. Truly desiredhim. Not just to fuck, but to bond.
Ayden was done waiting. The stream of energy Liam was feeding him gave him enough power to burn off his clothes in a flash of flame.
“Stop that! You’re going to tire yourself out again, and we’re only just getting started.”
Reaching up, Ayden removed his glasses, folding them to place them carefully aside along with the last of his restraint.
CHAPTER 8: LIAM
Hadhe fully thought this through? Maybe not. Was he going to let that stop him? Fuck no.