(JO POV)After about an hour of pacing around the bedroom, randomly lashing out at Deirk and Dane, accusing them of everything under the sun, they watched me with concern and helplessness. Eventually, they decided I needed to eat something."What will you eat right now?" Dane asked."Meat. I want fucking meat," I responded. Dane and Deirk just shrugged and turned to the fridge.It was a good thing they'd gotten all kinds of other food in the house. My typical choices weren't appealing. At all. In fact, the idea of eating a banana made me gag. I jumped onto the bar, crossing my legs and balancing on the edge with an almost unnatural ease. My newfound balance was vampire-level perfect, and it seemed to fascinate and disturb Dane.He just stood there, observing me with an expression I couldn't quite interpret. After a minute of my precarious balancing act, I spat out a sharp "What?" at him.He sighed. "Nothing, kitten."I wasn't having it. "No, you were thinking something. It's not f
(JO POV)"You're not coming, Percy," I declared.Percy looked a bit hurt. "Fine, have your fun."Deirk laughed. "You two are cute... but Jo was stuck before because we stayed with her for too long in the whitespace. I'm worried it'll happen to you.""I'm not a newbie," Percy protested.Dane laughed and said, "he'll be fine."We moved to the living room. Dane took my hand, pricking my finger, but he withdrew and spat out the blood, his expression twisted with discomfort. I got so angry immediately. How dare he waste blood? My blood. "What? Don't like me anymore?""No, I love you, kitten," Dane whispered. "But all I can taste is him right now. I'm sorry, I just can't."So, we used Deirk as the connection for Percy and me while Dane fed on Deirk's wrist. We entered Dane's whitespace, and Percy was visibly stunned. We navigated through a few early memories. Deirk playing with his older sisters, Dane almost falling into a river while catching grasshoppers, only to use them for fishing af
(PERCY POV)I pouted when we ended it so quickly. While I was curious about why Mag was such an asshole, that wasn't the biggest thing on my mind. What I really wanted to know about was the man I was falling in love with. He was so old and had lived so many lifetimes compared to me. I wanted to explore them all. I pouted again. Deirk noticed immediately and pulled me into his lap. "What's wrong, Carnio?" I whispered, "I wanted to see more of you." Jo interrupted, "No, I need a minute, not right now." Deirk shifted me off his lap, looked at me, and winked. I couldn't figure out why he winked. Then he stood and pulled Jo into his lap. I wanted to get jealous, but I was starting to understand why he was the way he was with her. She was an adult, but something happened to her when she was younger. Something bad. Something she wasn't old enough or strong enough to deal with yet. I could sense it, having grown up with so many foster kids who lived in group homes before the orphanag
(DANE POV) Mag walked in and flipped onto the bed like he owned the place. Everyone tensed up. "Well, I figured you four were doing the sun thing. How sad I was when I realized I'd been waiting in the bathroom all day for no reason," he said mockingly. Deirk glared at him. "You're not welcome here." Mag laughed, a sound that grated on my nerves. "Well, I pay for it, so I figure I can come when I want." "No," I said firmly. "Leave. I pay for this, so you have no claim. This is breaking the contract. " Mag shrugged. "No, it isn't. I'm just sitting here. Unless I touch him," he pointed to Deirk, "then I'm not breaking anything... well, I wouldn't say that, but I'm not breaking the contract at least." I stood, ready to enforce the boundaries, but Mag stood with me and said, "Sit down, son. I'm not going to cause trouble unless you do." Jo whispered, "What do you want, Mag?" He looked at her and smiled evilly. "You don't want the answer to that." Jo stood up, her defiance show
(DANE POV) Jo and Percy were bawling, tears streaming down their faces. Deirk was totally still on his knees beside them. Thankfully, they naturally put Jo between them. Mag flipped me onto my stomach and ripped my clothes off in a split second. The bites started almost immediately. Thankfully, he usually did it so fast that Jo or Percy probably couldn't see it happening. It was another one of those twisted pleasures he relished, bending time to inflict as much pain on me as possible. I cried out, and Percy surged forward. I watched as Jo grabbed his arm, stopping him. Mag stood in front of them, slowly unbuckling his pants. "Look at you, so pathetic. You think you can protect them, Dane? They're just as weak as you are." I hated him so damn much. He was torturing my family right in front of me. I didn't care what he did to me, but seeing the look on their faces killed me. Knowing the conflicting emotions that would come from this for Jo tore me apart. Deirk would neve
Mag making us have sex to stop him from messing with Dane anymore was the lowest blow he could manage. I wanted him dead even more than I had before. While it was happening, all I could think about was how much I actually seemed to enjoy it, and how much I wanted to kill Mag. The enjoyment was probably due to Mag's blood and his twisted thoughts. Maybe he was using me vicariously because he couldn't use Deirk to imagine that, so he used me instead.After it was over, we huddled together on the shattered remains of the bed, all lost, all crying, all panicking. We clung to each other, shaking with sobs and fear. Deirk stood up, grabbing clothes from a random drawer. I noticed what they were... long sleeves and loose pajama bottoms.He tried to do Dane first, but Dane waved him off and said, "Take care of them. I'll be okay."He knelt beside me first, trying to help me into the thick long-sleeved shirt. His hands trembled as he pulled it over my head, his eyes haunted. He was the onl
(DEIRK POV) I was panicking. I couldn't think. My heart felt like it was caving in. "No way in hell will I willingly let Mag anywhere near Percy!" I shouted, my voice cracking. I felt like the room was closing in on me, the horror of what Percy suggested biting at my sanity. "Are you out of your mind?" I paced the room, every step fueled by my desperation to protect him. "We can't do this. I can't let this happen. Not to him." Jo cut through my panic. "Are you kidding me? You can't just walk out. Not right now!" Her words hit like a slap. I spun to face her, ready to argue, but she stood firm, her eyes blazing. Percy refused to go with me, standing his ground. His resolve only increased my fear. How could he even consider this? Dane's voice was weak but insistent. "Deirk, please... calm down. Let my eye heal, and I'll take care of this. I'll take care of everything." His words barely penetrated the fog of my panic, but I forced myself to listen. I had to pull it together.
(DANE POV) The pain in my face was excruciating, like hot needles stabbing into my eye socket and temple. Every movement sent white-hot waves of agony through my head, and it took all my willpower not to let it show. I had to be strong for the others. Seeing the worry and fear in their eyes, I knew I couldn't let them see how much I was truly suffering. They needed reassurance, a rock to hold onto in this storm of terror and pain. Each breath felt like it was tearing through my chest, and my groin throbbed with a deep, aching wound that still bled internally. My vision blurred, and I had to fight to stay conscious for Jo, Deirk, and Percy. But the consequence of everything...the torture, the trauma, the responsibility...was crushing me. I couldn't let go, not yet, not while they still needed me. Finally, the exhaustion took over, and I let myself slip into unconsciousness. The pain was overwhelming, but knowing Jo was still safe in my arms and seeing Deirk's vigilant perch,
(DEIRK POV) The struggle had been almost overwhelming for hours. Mag was vulnerable and weak, and all I could think about was how easy it would be to rip him apart. Every time I tried to push the thoughts away, the memories came flooding back, vivid and sharp, slicing through my mind like the knives he used on me for centuries.I leaned back, trying to escape the constant loop of flashbacks. Percy lay beside me, close enough that I could feel his heartbeat against me. He always knew when I was close to breaking. His touch was steady, tracing shapes across my chest.He was trying to remind me I was still here, still in control. But the memories were relentless.The first time Mag strapped me down, I thought I'd die from the pain. I could still feel the cold metal biting into my wrists, the restraints cutting into my skin as he stood over me. The blade he used wasn't sharp. It was dull, dragging across my chest just deep enough to make me scream but not enough to kill. He enjoyed it
(DANE POV) I stood outside the room where Mag was held, feeling the moment's gravity. For 1,200 years, this man had been my "Daddy," inflicting pain, manipulating me, and shaping my life in his twisted image. Yet, there were times when he provided care and shelter, giving me some stability in the chaos. Now, the roles were reversed, and it was my turn to take care of him. A responsibility I never imagined. I opened the door and stepped inside. The air was thick with the smell of blood, remnants of the recent horrors that had unfolded. Mag lay on the floor, battered and broken, his once formidable presence reduced to a fragile shell. "Mag," I said as I approached. "It's time to get you cleaned up." He didn't respond, his vacant stare fixed on the ceiling. The man who once controlled everything now seemed utterly defeated. I crouched beside him. "Let's get you up and into the shower," I said, offering my hand. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt more than it has to." Mag's eyes f
(DANE POV)I didn't want her to deal with my insecurities right now. She had enough on her plate. Between last night's chaos and everything still unresolved, burdening her with my doubts felt selfish. But I couldn't shake the nagging thought clawing at me for what seemed like forever.She pulled away slightly, her expression shifting as she processed what I had said. "What? No, Dane, you know I chose you. How long have you been dealing with that and not said anything? What the hell?"Oddly enough, seeing her getting worked up over this made me feel a little better. It was like a reminder that she did care, that this wasn't just something trivial to her. I shrugged, trying to downplay the unease that had been messing with me for days. "I didn't want to upset you more."Without hesitation, she pulled me down until I was practically kneeling in front of her so we were at eye level. She gripped my shoulders, and the intensity in her eyes forced me to focus on her and nothing else. "I ch
I left Deirk, Jo, and Percy curled up in bed asleep, intertwined after the chaotic night. They refused to sleep in different rooms, insisting on sticking together. They insisted on the same during sex with us, effectively turning it into our first foursome. I didn't dwell on why. Maybe they sought comfort, or perhaps they were afraid of us. Nevertheless, it was the right decision. I had to restrain Deirk more than once to prevent things from escalating. I hoped I had done it subtly enough that Jo and Percy didn't notice, but I wasn't so sure. They seemed more aware than they let on.As I stepped out of the room, I found Dom and Marshall loitering in the hallway. Seeing them there so early wasn't surprising, but there was something different about them. There was a hunger and eagerness in their eyes that I hadn't seen before. Lately, they had been pushing boundaries and testing limits, as usual, but this time it felt different."What's up?" I asked, heading toward my office. I had a
(JO POV) I woke up to the unsettling emptiness beside me. Percy was still there, deep in sleep. Dane and Deirk were gone. I slipped out of bed. The silence weighed heavily, broken only by a distant, rhythmic sound that made my skin crawl.As I moved closer, the noise became unmistakable.Agonized groans accompanied the sharp crack of a whip. My heart pounded as the sound pulled me toward a door I had never noticed before. It was slightly ajar, with a sickly maroon light spilling into the hallway. I pushed it open and stepped inside.The room was a nightmare. Mag knelt in the center, shackled and bleeding. His body was crisscrossed with fresh wounds. Dane and Deirk stood over him, their eyes solid black, their faces crawling with red veins that pulsed with rage. Their need for total vengeance was consuming them. The brutality was terrifying to witness."Did you think you'd escape this, Mag?" Dane snarled in that thick accent, lashing the whip across Mag's back. "That we would just o
(DEIRK POV)The moment I saw Marshall with those knives, everything I thought I had buried came surging back, tearing through the mental walls I had so carefully constructed.I was thrust back into the nightmare, and suddenly, it wasn't Marshall holding the blade...it was Mag.His twisted grin, the way he'd relish in our pain, the unbearable torture that followed. Mag didn't just inflict physical wounds. He cut into our very souls, leaving scars that never truly healed.He always started slow, like he was savoring the moment. The first cut was an intro, a reminder that the nightmare was beginning all over again. He'd look me in the eye, a sickening smile, and then drag the blade across my skin, just deep enough to make me scream but not deep enough to be fatal. The real agony came later, drawn out over hours, sometimes days.The burn of silver seared through my skin, leaving marks that would never fade. The scent of burning flesh, my own flesh, still haunted me. Mag would just laugh,
(DANE POV)Marshall had always claimed to be bisexual, so I decided it was time to let him prove it. It was the only way I'd consider letting him continue attending the male events he enjoyed so much. Tonight was his test, and Mag was about to become his plaything.I turned to Marshall, who was already eyeing Mag with a dark gleam that matched the twisted grin spreading across his face."Have your way with him," I said as I tossed him a set of knives. He caught them mid-air with ease, his excitement noticeable. "Break him from the inside out. Make it count, and don't hold back. You might want to stretch him a bit, loosen up... you know, to get things going in easily."Mag's eyes went wide, his bravado shattering as the reality of his situation hit him. The fear consumed him, and the blackness in his eyes betrayed his panic. He began to unravel, his desperation flooding the room."Dane, please! You don't have to do this!" he stammered out in a rush. "I didn't mean it... I was just tryi
(DANE POV)Mag slid into the leather jacket, his excitement radiating off him like heat from a fire. He looked at me, his eyes gleaming with what he believed was shared anticipation. "I knew you'd like it," I said, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Figured it would help you settle in before you dive into things at the school."He beamed, completely convinced that he had finally won me over. Inside, though, all I felt was cold resolve. I might have been excited...if he hadn't crossed the line, if he hadn't forced Jo into that unbearable situation. But he had, and now, he had to pay.Deirk played his role perfectly, not giving anything away as Mag eagerly shrugged off his sports coat and slid into the jacket like it was a badge of honor. It fit him like a second skin, making him look every bit the predator he fancied himself to be. Deirk and I exchanged a brief knowing glance. The first part of our plan had succeeded. Mag, completely oblivious, was wrapped up in his delusions
(DANE POV) I slammed my phone down, the sharp sound breaking the silence. Two weeks had passed since we found out Jo was pregnant, and now, after what seemed like forever, the message I'd been waiting for finally came through. Mag was coming home.Tonight.Deirk looked up from across the room, his eyes meeting mine. He didn't need to ask what had me on edge, but he did anyway. "What now?""It's happening," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "He's coming tonight.""Tonight," Deirk echoed, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "Perfect. Full moon and all.""Yeah," I agreed, the plan solidifying in my mind. "We're going all out."The hunt had been meticulously crafted, not just as a hunt but as a punishment. Tonight, the academy's halls would become a battlefield. Slaves and wards who had stepped out of line, or those whose masters wanted to teach them a brutal lesson, would be let loose. They could run, they could hide, but escape wasn't an option. The vampires would be released to hu