Marked (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Sexual arousal or intercourse heightened the powers of a sex demon and the length of his life. While it was possible to bring these powers into maturity by having prolific sex, it stole something from the partner. A little piece of their soul stayed with him. Always. The memories of these creatures or people were ghostlike but invaded his head far too often. It was not something he liked having roaming around, and like most demons, he looked forward to the day he could find his mate. An endless source of pleasure and strength. Food for his addiction, this partner was the one other who could withstand his ardor without eventually dying.

  Was this human his mate?

  He did feel the human was different, but still…he didn’t know. There is only one chance to get the mate thing right. So if this was his chance, he needed to do it right.

  If it wasn’t his mate, it would be a shame to let him die like all the others. An attraction like this was rare for him to feel.

  Tyler decided it would be best to ignore the mate topic for a while. Humans could be touchy about the “being stuck with a demon for eternity” kind of thing, and he didn’t want to watch him run screaming as fast and far as he could. Having a human mate meant a slow seduction.

  It was probably a good idea to find out how Joshua discovered their little game at the Castaway. It was no accident he was there or that he knew the code word, but who would have sent him? Who could have shared their secrets?

  “It’s not often we get new blood at the Castaway. How did you find out about the bar, Josh?” Tyler liked the way his name sounded on his lips. He could tell. The slight change in skin temperature told Tyler the other man was turned on.

  “The Internet.”

  Of course.

  “Everything is on the Internet nowadays.” Tyler laughed. He still wanted to know who to kill. More information. “Even what kind of drinks to order.”

  “Oh that.” Joshua kicked the sand beneath his feet. “It was just a tip from an anonymous comment.”

  “Ahh…” Keeping the comment anonymous would make it more difficult to track, but it wouldn’t be impossible to figure out who left the helpful tip. It was probably some troublemaker or a lower caste demon.

  Joshua was oblivious to his darker mood and continued. “It said I should order one if I wanted to have a good time.”

  “Well, I can promise you’ll have a good time…with me.” It was one thing he prided himself in. He could give great pleasure to his sexual partners. Being a sex demon made fucking as natural as breathing, but with his intuitive gifts, he could always find what brought the greatest satisfaction to his lovers without exchanging any words.

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “I should probably ask how experienced you might be.”

  “Well, I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you mean.” Joshua choked on his laughter.

  Tyler knew he wasn’t a virgin. He could still smell the faint scent of another man on his skin. He would relish marking him as his own tonight. “I am asking you if you’ve ever played any sex games. Little things with toys or things like that.”

  “Kinky, aren’t you?”

  “Just a little.” Kink amused him, as his new bed mate would learn soon, but it was not his only vice. “But that’s beside the point. It’s what you agreed to when you said bottoms up.”

  “Bottoms up?”

  “We struck a deal when you drank with me. You agreed to be my submissive for the night. My toy.”

  Tyler sensed Joshua’s confusion grow as he searched his mind for what submitting to Tyler would mean. His jaw dropped when Joshua got Tyler’s full meaning. “I didn’t know.”

  “That’s no excuse.” Tyler turned and captured the other man in his arms. He brushed the hair back away from Joshua’s face. He could see it surprised Joshua to be held this way, but the way Joshua’s mouth parted slightly, he invited his kiss. “If you want to turn back, you must do it now. It’s your choice, Joshua. If you want me, you must choose to obey me tonight. In all the things I ask of you.”

  “I’ve never done this before.” Joshua began backing away out of his arms. Tyler fought to stay still. Let him run away or make the choice. This must be a choice made of his own free will.

  “You’ve fucked a man before, and you want me to fuck you now. I can smell your desire,” Tyler said.

  “I do, but I think you are asking for more than me to fuck you.”

  “I didn’t say you’d be fucking me. I am the one that gets that pleasure. You can take the easy way out. Just walk away and pretend none of this ever happened, but if you choose to stay, you must submit to me.”

  Joshua’s eyes widened.

  Silence, then finally the answer Tyler hoped for.

  “I want to be with you.” Joshua’s reply was desperate, his voice raw.

  Tyler gave in to his temptation and swallowed the other man up in his strong embrace. He dropped his lips over the other man’s, slowly drawing out the kiss. Exploring the outer reaches with a butterfly’s caress. Joshua invited him in, and he was lost in heaven. His tongue stroked, and Joshua met him with a zest that only served to incite Tyler’s lust.

  Tyler felt the other man move closer to his body, curling in his embrace. It felt so right, and yet he hoped it wasn’t too much too soon. Tonight could be enough to scare a lesser man away for good.

  “I want you,” Joshua moaned against his lips.

  “Not yet, my sweetling, but soon.” He backed his mouth away just enough to speak against Tyler’s lips. “Joshua, you must be patient. I am taking you to a special place that has been kept secret for generations. You must not fear me. Listen and obey me in all things, and I will keep you safe. Very soon, you’ll be mine.”

  Tyler cupped the other man’s sex in his hand, and he felt Joshua push against the pressure and moan. He was very much turned on, and his cock was as hard as a rock. Joshua bucked against his touch, rubbing into his hand.

  “Easy does it,” Tyler said, realizing the young man was about to come in his hand. He was so close it seemed a shame to tell him to stop.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop myself.” Joshua looked embarrassed, and while his face went crimson, he pulled his crotch away from Tyler’s hand.

  “Do you like my touch?” Tyler asked him, knowing his mate could barely stand to stay clothed this close to him. Joshua craved his touch like a thirsty man in the desert needed water, and he wanted him just as badly.

  Tyler had the ability to turn that attraction on or off. The glamour pulled in humans like flies. Sex demons could turn the glamour to be kind to their victims if they wanted. The strong sexual attraction or glamour could be used on anyone, but to their mates they held an especially strong attraction. Intense contact with demons required an energy exchange, and he felt himself wanting to give it back to Joshua. For the first time in his many centuries of life, he wanted to give as much as he took. And it was not to a powerful incubus lover like himself or a demon underling as he was expected to take as a lover. He wanted to give everything he had to this frail human.

  At first he questioned it, but he felt his inner beast stir. He never wanted anything more than Joshua.

  Human or not, Joshua was his mate.

  Joshua moaned louder, moving in union with Tyler’s hand on his pelvis.

  “It’s okay.” Tyler decided to use the distraction to make the transition to his world. Through the looking glass, so to speak. The next step they took would be through the veil, out of the world of the mortal and into the immortal. A black mist surrounded them as they passed, and if anyone were watching them, they would have just seemed to disappear in the distance. Most people would not make anything of it, especially in the darkness. “No one else can see us now. I’d like for you to come for me.”

  “I should probably wait.”

  “Remember when you said you would listen and obey? You can start that anytime now.” Tyler needed him to feel comfortable with his commands.

  “I want you,” the young blond
man answered.

  “And I want you to come for me.” Tyler squeezed Joshua’s balls to emphasize his point. If he refused to accept an order in the circle, Joshua would be considered rogue and not under control. Which ultimately could mean his death. “Trust me, Josh.”

  Joshua’s breath came ragged and his body tensed before he followed the order and released himself to his lust. His eyes closed in pleasure. Josh’s cock stiffened, his balls hardened. Warm cum spurted out, coating Joshua’s pants. Tyler was pleased as he felt his partner pushing against the resistance of Tyler’s hand on his cock.

  Tyler held him close, inhaling the other man’s scent. Joshua smelled clean but earthy, like wood shavings, and that scent became more pronounced when he came.

  “Thank you,” Joshua leaned in close and whispered.

  Tyler was immediately humbled.

  When Joshua thanked him, he whispered against the young man’s neck. “No, I should thank you for that gift.”

  It was a lovely gift to hold him tenderly in his arms as he came for the first time with Joshua. Before they entered the circle. This was time they shared only with themselves and not Tyler’s brethren.

  Joshua seemed startled suddenly as if he noticed his surroundings had changed. “What happened? Where are we?”

  “I said I was going to take you somewhere special,” Tyler announced.

  Joshua’s wide blue eyes looked around from couple to couple. The shapes were mostly human-looking silhouettes by the light of the bonfire. Not that it mattered since Tyler had let his glamour settle in over Joshua’s vision and wove a light protection spell to help Joshua see what Tyler wanted him to see.

  Many demons had already begun the games. Some were kissing each other, talking or laughing amongst themselves, but all of them were touching.

  “I’m not sure I understand…” Joshua raised his eyebrows slightly. Confusion fogged his sea-blue eyes.

  “When you came into see me tonight, I didn’t think you knew the rules of the game, and now I know I was right.” Tyler sighed.

  “Game?”

  “Yes,” Tyler explained patiently. “My bar, my game, my rules. We have a code word that says you would like to be a sex slave for the night. A word you seem to have stumbled upon and used with me when you gave me your drink order.”

  “Oh.” Joshua’s eyes widened.

  “I don’t want to take advantage of you, but I couldn’t stand the thought of another man having you first. Do you still want to do this? Tell me you do.”

  “I…I think so.” But Tyler noted the hesitation and the fear in his words. Public sex was not something he had agreed to, nor the public humiliation of obeying another man in public and submitting sexually.

  “Come sit with me by the fire, dear sweet Joshua. We should get to know each other better before the games begin. You can tell me about your life.” Tyler pulled him closer to the flames and then sat cross-legged in the sand. He was pleasantly surprised when Joshua felt at ease next to him already. Their legs touched, and it just felt exciting and new but very comfortable at the same time.

  “Have you been with many men before me?” Joshua asked.

  “Everyone before you was just another nameless face. None of them compare to you.”

  “I bet you meet a lot of guys in the bar. Every night. You could have a different man in your bed every day of the week.”

  “I don’t want you to worry about any of my other lovers. They don’t matter anymore. There’s only one man I want in my bed, and that’s you.” Jealousy wouldn’t help comfort Joshua or ease his tension.

  Joshua’s breath hissed in.

  Tyler smiled. He knew he was getting under the young man’s skin. “Tell me about yourself. I want to know your dreams for the future and who you are.”

  “I am not really that special. I am working to be a cop, but there’s no guarantee I will get through the police academy. They’re brutal in there.” Joshua’s Adam’s apple rose and fell. Tyler wanted to suck it, lick the nub, kiss it, and work his way down Joshua’s body to the other end.

  “Tell me about it. I want to know everything about you,” Tyler whispered.

  They talked for a while.

  Tyler couldn’t share as much about himself just yet, but the man had a past, hoped for a future, and he found himself very interested in every word that came out of Joshua’s mouth.

  “Tell me about your family.”

  “What’s to tell?” Joshua shrugged. “My parents never accepted I was gay. They kicked me out when I was sixteen. I didn’t think I could ever forgive them for that, but then I was wrong.” Joshua sighed deeply and struggled with the words. Tyler felt a wave of sadness overcome his new lover suddenly.

  “Something happened…” Tyler spurred him on. He needed to know why this brought such a painful sorrow, and Joshua looked like he might not continue.

  Joshua nodded. “They died two months ago in a car accident. I was notified by the lawyers to settle up the estate. My brother still won’t talk to me, but I had to let go of all the anger I felt for my parents. I just wish I talked to them before that. I think they would have accepted me eventually. They may not have been the best parents, but I did love them.”

  Tyler bit his lip to keep from bursting out. The emotion was too powerful but he also got flashes of the thoughts and repressed memories of Joshua. Beaten to a pulp by the hand of his father, he hid in a closet. Yeah, that gem didn’t help Tyler to like them more. It wasn’t that Joshua was kicked out, but he left willingly.

  Joshua was protecting his parents. It was a good thing they were already dead because if Tyler caught sight of them on the street, he would be tempted to kill them again.

  “It’s not enough. You were a child. You deserved a family that loved and wanted you.” Tyler felt a fierce protectiveness of this human. It was strange to feel this way about a virtual stranger, but he liked the way it felt. The emotions felt good.

  “Thanks,” Joshua muttered. His eyes tilted down to the sand.

  “Let me love you.” Tyler let Joshua interpret it however he wanted, but he was dead serious. Tyler could love him fully, body, soul, and mind as he was. He didn’t need to make Joshua something he wasn’t.

  It didn’t matter that Joshua wasn’t an overly large male or didn’t work out at a gym regularly. His cock was already straining at the thought of being inside of his new boy toy.

  Joshua looked back up him, stunned, but before he could speak, Tyler kissed his dark-pink lips. His mouth was soft and pliant touched in the softest caresses but then grew with passion and pressure. Seconds passed into minutes as he slowly explored the depths of the other man. Joshua’s mouth opened for Tyler willingly, and he tasted as sweet as honey. Tyler advanced. Joshua retreated. Joshua submitted in his arms and moaned softly against Tyler’s mouth. Their tongues dueled, but Tyler demanded absolute domination.

  The more Joshua gave, the more Tyler wanted.

  Intensely addictive just began to describe what he experienced.

  Everyone and everything around them seemed to disappear when they were together. Tyler pulled himself away from Joshua and awoke from his stupor to the sound of crashing waves on the shore and the Ringmaster introducing himself as Cirque du Freak. Joshua clung to Tyler, and he had to tear him away so he would be ready for the orders to come.

  “It’s time,” Tyler whispered against the other man’s lips.

  “Bottoms up!” Cirque du Freak commanded. His black clothes were reminiscent of a Victorian era, with lacy cuffs and topped off with a stove pipe hat. Cirque du Freak prided himself in his pomp and presence. He loved to be the center of attention, but he wore shades of black and never any color. His intense chocolate-brown eyes shimmered with glee.

  “He means you, sexy. Stand up, Joshua.” Tyler urged Joshua to his feet.

  “I don’t understand.” Joshua was disoriented from his kisses. The man had no clue that he agreed to be his bottom for the night or to submit to him in every way. For a moment,
Tyler felt sorry for him.

  “You don’t have to understand. Just do as I say and you will be fine,” Tyler insisted.

  Joshua stood up, curious what would come next. His eyes darted between the ringleader and Tyler.

  “Well, well, well. Looks like we have some tasty morsels tonight!” The ringleader laughed deep and maniacally. His oversized top hat and Victorian pin-striped dinner jacket were oddly out of place and overdressed for the casual beach atmosphere, but Cirque du Freak was always a bit of a pompous ass. He lived for nights like this where he could be the center of the world for some poor human or other worlder’s fantasies. Other worlders were the nickname he gave to everyone who lived their days in the human realm, magic or not.

  Cirque kept up a layer of magic that made him glamorous in everyone’s eyes. The magic danced with the flames, glittered with lies and lust.

  “Bottoms, tonight your strength will be tested. Every one of you will be paddled into submission. There are no rules but one. If you are weak and beg for mercy, you will be punished, but if you please us well, you will be mastered, giving you more satisfaction than you have ever experienced here on the Earth—or beyond.”

  Tyler felt proud Joshua hadn’t backed down after hearing that dramatic production by Cirque. It would not be the first time a human had run screaming into the overwhelming darkness.

  “Let the games begin! Bare your bottoms.” Tyler nearly laughed aloud when he felt the wooden paddle materialize in his hands after Cirque made a theatrical wave with his hands.

  Every man who stood by the fire disrobed, baring their flesh. Except Joshua, who looked uncertainly back to Tyler. He could command him with a few words, a druid spell he remembered from his youth. Instead he let free will reign. He didn’t want Joshua’s memories to be clouded with spells or magic. Joshua must do this on his own. “Joshua, do as he says.”

  “I’ve never done this kind of thing before.” Joshua’s voice trembled in fear.

  “Do you want me tonight? Then don’t question, just obey.” Tyler knew he would not want to be the center of attention or receive helpful practice from the other demons, particularly Cirque. And if he disobeyed Tyler, other demons would feel Joshua was not properly mastered. They could step in and interfere in the training or punishment. Cirque was the one demon he did not want to see involved in Joshua’s training. With Cirque’s high pain threshold, he used torture to feed off his lovers. He had an especial affinity for skinning his victims alive and listening to their screams. Tyler didn’t want Joshua to think about consequences or even tomorrow. “You and I are all that matter.”