Bad Blood (6 page)

“Except-Except I’ve never…”

“Never what? Tell me, sweetheart.” He massaged Blaine’s groin gently, trailing kisses down his jaw.

“You know…done this. I’ve never done this before.”

His eyes shining, Kerrick stared down at him. “I won’t hurt you, sweetheart. I’ll always take care of you.”

Blaine nodded, tears suddenly choking the back of his throat. Why the hell was he tearing up? It was only that no one had ever shown him tenderness before. At least not since his mother, so long ago—his grandfather had been kind, but concentrated mostly on toughening Blaine up. He’d wanted Blaine to become a strong leader for the pack, and that meant no coddling. This unexpected gentleness got to him in a way he’d never anticipated.

Kerrick maneuvered Blaine gently backward toward the bed, and eased him down on his back. Kerrick helped him out of his jeans, and looked around the room wildly as if he were searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

“Hm? Oh, some kind of lubricant. Do you have anything we could use?”

Blaine blushed at the significance of the word lubricant. He shrugged. “Maybe something in the bathroom cabinet.”

Kerrick rushed in, and Blaine heard him rummaging around. He came back out triumphantly with a fat jar of petroleum jelly. “This will work.”

Blaine shivered. They were actually about to do this. He was going to be claimed as a mate by Kerrick. His erection, which had been rather urgent, began to flag as the enormity of what he was doing hit him right between the eyes and then traveled farther down. He lay back on the bed and gripped the sheet tightly in both hands, gritting his teeth and preparing for the worst.

“Hey, relax, baby,” Kerrick said, kneeling between his legs, after finally peeling off his own clothes. Blaine glanced down at him and saw his huge cock pointing up at the ceiling, shiny red and hard as stone. He was about to push that enormous thing right up his…

“We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, pet,” Kerrick said gently, stroking his thigh.

“No, no, I’m ready. I can do this.” Blaine tensed his body and slowly spread his legs. Kerrick didn’t have to use a condom, since human diseases didn’t affect them.

Kerrick grinned and began to stroke Blaine’s balls. “You’re not facing a firing squad, pet. Relax and we’ll take it slow and easy.”

Blaine snorted. “Slow maybe, but easy?”

“Easy for me, anyway,” Kerrick said with a wink.

Blaine spluttered out a laugh, but Kerrick stroked him again and kissed the head of his cock. “I’d never hurt you.”

Blaine nodded, his eyes feeling suspiciously wet again. “Okay.”

Kerrick leaned over and began to kiss and caress Blaine’s cock with his tongue. It felt so incredible that Blaine could only gasp and arch his back at the pleasure. Nothing had ever felt so wonderful before.

When Kerrick moved his tongue down to lap over his tightly puckered hole, Blaine stopped thinking coherently. Kerrick slipped in a well-lubed finger, and then watched Blaine’s face carefully to make sure he was relaxed before he slipped in another one. When Blaine tensed over the intense penetration, he spent a long time massaging and gently stretching until Blaine nodded and thrust his hips forward for more. When his finger brushed over Blaine’s prostate, he opened his eyes wide in amazement as his cock thickened and filled out in a rush.

“W-What is that?” Blaine cried, but Kerrick simply smiled and kept rubbing over the spot again and again until Blaine thought he might go out of his mind. He reached blindly for comfort, and Kerrick bent to kiss his cries away, murmuring nonsense words of love to him. He pulled his fingers away and Blaine whimpered at the loss, but right away Kerrick pushed back his knees and carefully guided himself into Blaine’s body.

Blaine clenched down in surprise, but then relaxed, as cautiously, gently, Kerrick pushed in farther, taking Blaine’s shaft in his hand to stroke it tenderly. He gave a little thrust, and Blaine thrust back to meet him instinctively. He eased his way in slowly, until he was in so deeply that Blaine could feel the soft hair on Kerrick’s groin. With surprise, Blaine realized that most of the discomfort was gone, and now there was only growing pleasure and excitement. He wanted to get closer, and he pulled at Kerrick’s shoulders. He began to move in long, slow, sweet strokes that slowly drove Blaine crazy with need.

Kerrick was breathing faster too, and he groaned out Blaine’s name. His hand moved faster on Blaine’s cock, until Blaine felt himself exploding, his come jetting from his cock in white bursts of pleasure that covered Kerrick’s hand and spilled over. Kerrick gave one more hard thrust and then he was coming too, helpless cries joining with Blaine’s. He fell down between Blaine’s legs and buried his face in his neck. “Mine,” he growled softly, but sounding fiercely possessive all the same. “This is mine.”

He turned Blaine’s head to the side, pulled off the bandage and bit down on the back of Blaine’s neck again, right into the still open wound. No matter how hard Blaine struggled or cried out, his strength wasn’t great enough to cast him off. He felt the venom surge into his bloodstream, again like a river of fire, and when it reached his brain, his mind was invaded by alien images that shoved his own thoughts out of the way and settled in to possess him. He was helpless to fight them off any more. This was more of the claiming that Kerrick had spoken of and Blaine was helpless to prevent it. Even his thoughts were no longer all his own.

They drowsed together as the shadows lengthened on the wall in the quiet room, just holding each other and not saying anything. Blaine should have known the peacefulness couldn’t last. When the soft knock sounded on the door, he couldn’t say he was all that surprised.

“Alpha?” came an unfamiliar voice. “Sorry, sir, but we need you downstairs. A fight has broken out.”

Cursing softly, Kerrick rolled to his side, dropping a quick, hard kiss on Blaine’s lips. “So soon?” Kerrick muttered, groaning. “I’m coming,” he called out in a louder voice. He sat up on the side of the bed and sighed. Looking over his shoulder at Blaine, he lifted one shoulder. “Sorry, pet. I need to deal with this.” He got up and went into the bathroom with his jeans in his hand. Blaine listened to him cleaning up for a moment before getting up, wincing only a little at the slight soreness in his ass and following Kerrick into the bathroom. Kerrick smiled at him as he stood in the doorway, and offered him a warm cloth.

“I’m sorry I have to leave you,” he said again. “Let me go take care of this. We need to put a quick end to any kind of arguments between the two factions. They have to learn we’re all one pack now.” Kerrick kissed him again as he strode past him and took off out the door, leaving it unlocked in his haste.

Blaine used the cloth quickly and then turned back to the bedroom for his clothing. He got dressed and headed out to the hallway, hearing loud voices by the front door. Slowly, he descended the stairs, taking in what was going on below him. One of his pack, an older man named Carlson, was being held with his arms behind his back by a burly Dire Wolf. Carlson was furious, struggling against the bigger man while Kerrick stood between him and another big Dire. The other Dire was young and casting angry glances at Carlson but making no other aggressive moves.

“He needs to stay away from my daughter! She’s too young for a mate, and I wouldn’t allow him to touch her anyway.”

Kerrick had his arms folded over his chest and a harsh frown on his face. “How old is this female?” he asked the Dire beside him.

The younger man shrugged. “Old enough, alpha. Maybe twenty or so. I don’t even know her. She was helping me bring in firewood this morning. We talked a little.” He lifted one shoulder and glanced over at Carlson. “She let me kiss her, and this one saw us. He rushed over and tried to strike her, so I stopped him.”

Blaine knew they were talking about Marla, a young female in his pack and Carlson’s daughter. Carlson had actually been looking for a mate for her, but Blaine knew he probably didn’t approve of her having anything to do with the Dires. Blaine watched silently as Kerrick turned back to Carlson. “Is it that she’s too young or that you don’t want her with one of my pack?”

“Does it matter?” Carlson yelled furiously. “I forbid it.”

Kerrick leaned toward him menacingly. “You don’t make the rules, here. Your alpha does. My men need mates, and if the female is willing and old enough to consent…” He looked meaningfully around the circle at his own men. “Then they can each make up their own minds. And you—” he pointed at Carlson, “—will stay out of it.”

Carlson glared up at Kerrick, but as Kerrick returned the stare, Carlson dropped his gaze.

“You’re all members of the same pack now, and you need to act that way,” Kerrick continued. “Let him go,” he said to the man holding Carlson. As he was released, Carlson cast an angry glance at the young Dire, but didn’t try to attack him again. “You’ll both be given five lashes for fighting.” Carlson gave a wordless cry, but the younger Dire bent his head. “Sentence to be carried out immediately. Present yourself in the courtyard.”

Blaine must have made some kind of soft noise too, because Kerrick glanced up at him standing on the stairs. “Blaine,” he said firmly. “Come down, please.”

Blaine descended the stairs, knowing what Kerrick was about to say and still finding it hard to believe he’d really punish him after what had just passed between them. Kerrick was in full alpha mode, though, and with a sinking feeling, Blaine knew what he would do next. Kerrick’s face was hard and implacable.

“Blaine,” he said, nodding at him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “We have to flog two of the pack members. I think it would go a long way to soothe hurt feelings all around if you show all of our pack that you’re willing to step up and take your punishment alongside them for shooting at me. This pack needs discipline, and it’s up to you to set a good example.”

Blaine felt a black fury wash over him—the feeling so strong, so all-encompassing that he couldn’t speak for a moment. It wasn’t only because of the insult to his leadership, but because Kerrick really meant to go through with this public humiliation. He met Kerrick’s gaze, his head held high and rigid. Unflinchingly, he spit out the words. “Give it your best shot, Kerrick. If beating us helps you keep discipline, then do whatever you have to do.”

Kerrick’s face flushed, but he stepped up beside Blaine and spoke urgently in his ear. “Don’t undermine my authority. We
talked
about this. It’s important to get it out of the way so we can move forward together.”

Blaine flinched violently away from Kerrick’s hand and flung him an angry, unforgiving glance. “Together, my ass. Do it then and get it over with, but keep your hands off me.”

Kerrick tightened his mouth but nodded at his men who were standing silently at the back of the crowd that had gathered in the hallway. One of them took Carlson by the arm and led him past Blaine, while another took hold of the young Dire. Kerrick stepped forward but didn’t touch Blaine—and a good thing, because Blaine didn’t trust himself at that moment not to knock Kerrick’s head off, no matter the consequences.

 Stiffly, Blaine turned and followed the others from the hall, his face burning. He could feel Kerrick probing his mind, so he let him see all the rage he was feeling. After a moment or two, Kerrick’s probing quickly retreated.

Once outside, the Dires led the three men to the front lawn and the big oak tree growing there near the edge of the yard. “Strip,” Kerrick said softly, and the other two began to take off their clothes, looking down at the ground. Blaine stripped too, but he kept his eyes on Kerrick the entire time, challenging him silently with his gaze. When he’d stepped out of his jeans, he held his arms out to the sides, never taking his eyes off Kerrick.

“Does this excite you, Kerrick? Should I put on a show for your boys? Do you like them watching me?” He took hold of his cock, and Kerrick quickly stepped up beside him.

“Stop it, Blaine,” Kerrick said, grabbing his arm and turning him toward the tree, where the flogging would take place. A large iron ring had been nailed to the tree so the bloodthirsty bastards could tie up their victims. They’d certainly been busy since they’d taken over, adapting Blaine’s lodge for their own needs.

Turning his back on him, Kerrick gestured toward Carlson. “Secure this man first. Blaine will watch to learn how proper discipline is administered.”

Blaine made a rude noise and crossed his arms over his chest as Carlson was taken to the tree and his wrists secured. One of the Dires stepped forward with the flogger. It wasn’t that scary looking, really. It was leather, of course, but not braided or studded, like some Blaine had seen. The strands were actually pretty thin, not thick or heavy, and they would sting more than anything else. As punishments went, this flogging wasn’t going to be severe in any way. Still, the idea of Kerrick applying those lashes to him…

Kerrick turned toward Blaine and held out the flogger in his hand to show it to him. “I’ll only give him five strikes of the flogger. It will sting, but it won’t draw any blood.”

Blaine lifted his head and glared at Kerrick. “And you told me just a short time ago that you’d never hurt me. Nice to know how worthless your promises are.”

He saw Kerrick firm his jaw and knew that his words had hit their mark. All that had passed between them had meant nothing then. Kerrick knew how Blaine felt about this—he couldn’t have made his objections any clearer. Yet he was here, the entire pack about to witness his shame. It wasn’t so much about being naked in front of them—shifters were often unclothed in front of each other and no one thought much about it. Rather it was the humiliation of being made to strip and submit to having his hands tied for punishment. Punishment. No one punished the alpha of the pack.

Except he wasn’t the alpha any longer—that had been made clear enough to all of them. He felt as if his whole body must be flushing a bright red, and he knew he could never face his pack after this humiliation. He had to leave this place and never come back. Kerrick’s arrogant dismissal of his concerns had left him no other choice.