Isadora (Masters Among Monsters Book 2) (30 page)

Isadora gasped. Then the male removed his hand from Isadora’s shoulder and leaned over the bed so that his hair fell around Elias’s face. He’d never in his life been attracted to the same sex, but as this vampire’s mouth came within inches of his, Elias’s heart thudded.
 

“I will release you when
I
am ready and
you
promise to behave yourself.”

His eye twitched as he stared into the glowing ones and shook his head. “I make no promises.”

“Then you shall remain shackled.”

As the male made a move to leave, Elias said, “Wait.”

“Yes?” he inquired, tilting his head to the side. His inspection was clinical in nature, but when he stopped on his lips, the blue orbs flared to life again.

“Why am I still alive? What do you want from me?”

“I want to keep you close.”
 

As the male’s fangs appeared, Elias’s gaze shifted to the pointed tips. If possible, they seemed even sharper than Isadora’s. He swallowed, not sure he’d be able to fight the guy off if it came down to it.
 

“I can see what you are thinking in your eyes. Let me assure you, I do not wish for you and me to be
that
close.”

Elias squinted as his heart thundered. “Then—”

“It is my Isa who wants you, and I am of a mind to let her have you. With my permission comes my name and, therefore, my protection, which, let us be honest, you need right now to remain alive. There is only one condition to my granting this.”

Elias knew he shouldn’t ask, but what did he have left to lose? “And that is?”

“I get to watch.”

ISADORA WASN’T SURE what was going through Elias’s mind, and it was infuriating. With every other yielding she had brought to her bed or Diomêdês’s, she’d been able to tell if they were interested or not. Elias, the baffling man, had worked out a way to block her.
 

With Diomêdês only inches from the restrained Elias, she wondered what the proud human was thinking. She couldn’t see his face, so that was no indication. All she could feel was the tension in the air—and it was thick.

She had never thought Elias would be interested in this kind of relationship—a triad—which was one of the many reasons she had let him go all those years earlier. But, when he’d confessed to having a wild streak back at the waterfall, she had seen possibilities. Possibilities she’d only ever dreamed of. One she couldn’t walk away from without pursuing. All she had to do was convince the two males she wanted involved.

“You want to…watch?” Elias asked.

A rumble of anticipation left Diomêdês at the thought, and she could see what he was imagining clear in his mind as if it were already happening.
Yes
, her Ancient was on board even if he had some lingering apprehension about how wise this was. Now she just needed Elias to wrap his mind around what he’d just been asked.

“That is right, Mr. Fontana. Surely you are not naïve to some people’s predilection when it comes to watching one engage in sexual acts.”

The way Diomêdês spoke of his sexual preference so confidently had Isadora’s body heating as if he were already witnessing her perform for him. Only she and Vasilios knew of the horrid torture he’d endured due to his nature and the years after which he’d spent denying that side of him. It wasn’t until he had found her that he’d confided in another. He’d shared with her his past and found that she was more than willing to bond with him in this intimate way. And they’d searched for years for a third who would fit them both.

Could they be so lucky that Elias would be that one? Or was it crazy to even imagine?

The distinct sound of metal jangled as the cuffs were released, and when Diomêdês moved aside and resumed his position behind her, one hand on her shoulder, Elias sat up and rubbed his wrists.

“Do not make me regret freeing you,” Diomêdês advised.

Elias frowned before he looked to her. “Is this what you want?” he asked.
 

Diomêdês’s fingers squeezed her shoulder, urging her to be honest.

“It is.”

Elias raised his eyes back to her sire. “I assume this is my only option?”

“You would be correct. Unless the idea of the members of this lair having their way with you is more appealing.”

Annoyance flickered in Elias’s eyes, but he wasn’t a fool. He’d seen their reaction to him when he’d entered the Assembly Hall. He knew that, the second he stepped foot out of this room, he was as good as dead unless he agreed to this.

“I know why
I
would agree to this,” Elias said. “But why would you willingly deny yourself her body? It’s clear she loves you, so why watch her with someone else?”
 

She waited for Diomêdês to respond, wondering what he would say.
 

“Isadora is mine. I know this, as does she. She wants you to be hers, and the only way that shall happen is if you agree to these terms.”

“And what happens while I’m not fucking her for your entertainment?”

Diomêdês grabbed Elias by the arm and hauled him to the edge of the bed. “Do not speak of her like a common whore. You should be grateful she feels as she does for you, or you would be dead where you currently kneel.”

“Diomêdês,” Isadora said, finally speaking. She placed her hand on the arm that held Elias in place. As she glanced between the two males, she whispered, “I have dreamed of such a meeting over and over, but never were you two quite so angry at one another. Please release him.”

As Diomêdês loosened his grip, she turned to Elias, who sat back on the bed.
 

“Let us show you who we are, Elias. I do not believe you would hold such hatred if you truly understood our kind.”

Elias’s eyes were full of confusion and regret as he asked, “Why are you doing this when one word would secure my death? I tried to kill you.”

“As I have
you
,” she stressed. “We both failed. There is a reason for that. One that I believe is quite simple.” She looked to Diomêdês and then back to the one who seemed completely mystified before whispering, “Love.”

LOVE? NO, IT isn’t possible.
But as he stared at the beautiful face studying his every move, it sure as fuck felt possible.
 

“It can’t work, Isadora,” he said under his breath.

Before he could blink, she was kneeling in front of him on the bed. She had his hands in hers, and her eyes were wide and guileless as she peered up at him.
 

“Don’t say no,” she pleaded, bringing her fingers to his lips. “I can’t bear to hear you say no.”

His eyes flicked to the one watching them from the side of the bed, and he was shocked to see such a soft expression on the male’s face.

“I can’t do it again, Elias,” she whispered.

Before thinking about it, he put his arms around her shoulders, and the fierce, stunning vampire crawled into his lap.
 

“What can’t you do?” he asked.

“I can’t let you go. Not again.”

He swallowed the anguish back as she placed her hand over his chest, where his heart thumped. “Isadora, this is not
—”

“Just as I could not end you,” she confessed, resting her ear to his chest. “Because, even if you are not with me, even if you are dead or gone, you are still here.” She touched her fingers to her throat, where the rose lay. “I do not have a beating heart, but I know how to love. This is my heart,” she told him. “These feelings for our kind? They are so hard to find, but with you, I found them. I love you as I have only loved two before. Please stay. Please stay with me and let me show you.”

Elias smoothed his hand over her hair and knew he felt the same. Ever since he’d opened Leo’s office door and seen her again, he’d been fighting his feelings for the female in his arms. But, with every moment he spent with her, he fell harder and harder.
 

If he’d loved Isadora Nikitas before he’d known what she was, somehow seeing her strength through what he’d tried to do made him love her even more.
 

He found her Ancient’s eyes and knew right then there was no fucking way he was going anywhere.

“Okay. I’ll stay. But I have a condition of my own.”

She pulled back and looked up at him expectantly. Tears streaked her face, and the woman he’d once loved was right back in his arms again.
 

He ran a palm over her hair and said with a smile, “I need a shower.”

GOD,
WHEN VASILIOS had said that he’d be gone for a while, Leo hadn’t thought he’d meant
all
day. But it had been hours that he’d waited for the vampire’s return—or Alasdair’s. When neither had arrived, though, he’d lain down on the bed and must’ve fallen asleep.
 

Now, there he was, waking up alone—again.

He hadn’t seen Alasdair since their altercation in the Assembly Hall, and he’d been trying to avoid thinking about it since it made his stomach knot. He hadn’t meant to hurt either of them back there. He’d just been so angry and frustrated at them. They were two of the most obstinate males he’d ever met. Arrogant and superior in every way. And their customs and ways were… Well, they were brutal.

Not to mention whatever the hell was going on with his hands. He’d literally singed two of the most powerful creatures on Earth. Burned their skin. That was unbelievable. It also made him think that everything Elias had been trying to tell him might be the truth, and if it was…
 

What the fuck will that mean?
 

Vasilios had assured him that Elias was still alive, or he would’ve been notified. So it was likely his boss was sitting in some cell, cradling a broken finger, hand, or worse. And Paris? He had no clue where he was, but Vasilios had told him that he would find out.
 

It was odd, but he felt like he was starting to understand the way of these vampires. They were definitely governed by their intense moods and usually dark in nature. Yet at their core ran a deep sense of loyalty to one another. They all seemed to understand what the other needed and gave it—even if it was a gift to torture.
 

They were savage and raw, but at the same time, there was no subterfuge to their actions. They were honest with their intentions, and Leo wondered if he would ever have that loyalty from the two he had bound himself to.

“Good morning,
file mou
.”

Alasdair appeared at the foot of the bed, and Leo had to catch his breath. God, he was just so beautiful. He’d changed clothes since the last time he had seen him and was now wearing a golden robe made of the finest silks one could buy.

His inky colored hair was styled perfectly. Short on the sides and slicked back at the top, the gold leafed laurel from Leo’s visions placed upon his head like a crown. He’d done something spectacular to enhance his eyes and Leo wanted a closer look.

Leo swung his legs over the side of the mattress, and as he stood, he wrapped the tie of the black robe around his waist. Then, slowly, he made his way towards him.
 

As he got closer, he could see that Alasdair had applied a heavy eyeliner around his almond-shaped eyes and accentuated his eyebrows, and the stunning, gold paint on his upper lids glimmered in the light. He resembled an Egyptian prince.
And fuck
, it was the sexiest thing Leo had ever seen.