Equilibrium: MM Gay Shifter Romance (Kingdom of Night Book 3) Read online

  He shuddered involuntarily, collapsing in the chair across from me. "I've never seen anything so angry."

  "Why was it angry?" I asked, wary of anything that could unsettle a werewolf. Especially one as cold and calculating as Victor.

  "Because I was trespassing," he murmured, narrowing his eyes as he watched me. "The creature was protecting you, guarding your mind. It spoke to me and told me you were its possession. Who was it, what did I see?"

  "I don't know."

  "Liar!" he yelled, crossing the distance between us to grab my shoulders. "You must know who it is. That kind of presence can't possibly go undetected in someone's mind, not even someone with no psychic inclination."

  I swallowed hard. "Okay, fine, I know who it is. At least, I know what it is, but I'm not telling you a word until I get to see Remus."

  "Lives are at stake here," he snarled, his nails digging into me. I could see the wolf in him now that there was something at stake, someone he loved and had to protect.

  "You don't think I know that? That truck driver is dead because of me, because I fucking hitchhiked and that thing you saw in my head wanted to make an example out of him. There were others, too. My own grandfather is dead and he warned me about what was going to happen and I didn't believe him. I know who this is, and I know what he'll do if he isn't stopped. I also know the only way to do that. You know next to nothing about what we really are and how we work, and if you want to stand a chance at protecting the people you love, you'll let me talk to Remus."

  His jaw set in anger and he watched me, seemingly planning out an alternative method of torture, when there was a knock on the door. I thought it was his partner in crime, but when Victor looked as surprised as I did, my heart skipped.

  "Don't," I cried, watching as he took his gun out of his back pocket and opened the door.

  A tall blond man was standing on the other side, and for a moment he looked like a hunter. When he stepped into the room, I recognized him as Clarence and breathed a sigh of relief.

  "What are you doing here?" Victor hissed.

  "Hopefully keeping you from fucking up the best thing that's ever happened to you over a drug, you fucking junkie," Clarence said, shoving Victor back into the room. Apparently, wolves didn't have a concept of firearm safety. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  "I could ask you the same," Victor snapped. "I'm not on drugs, I've been following a lead."

  "A lead, a big purple dragon in the sky, same difference," Clarence muttered, finally noticing me. He pulled his own gun immediately. "The hell is he doing here?"

  "He would be the lead," said Victor, shutting the door. "Relax, he's still human but there's something on his trail that isn't. I think we can use him."

  "He screwed us," Clarence said, his gun still trained on me. "You buy that human bullshit?"

  "Well, he won't be human at all anymore if you shoot him," said Victor. "I suppose we could always find out the hard way."

  "Please don't," I said urgently. "I've made peace with dying, but there's something I have to do first and I can't guarantee that I'll be myself enough to help you if I come back. That's if I come back at all."

  Clarence looked at Victor for confirmation. Victor shrugged. "From what little I was able to read of his thoughts, I think he's telling the truth in that regard."

  Clarence slowly lowered his gun and looked between us. "How the hell did you get a hold of him?"

  "He left quite a trail," said Victor. "I've been keeping an eye out ever since a crash not far from the sanctuary caught my attention. Something didn't seem quite right and the Family had been too quiet. Guess you ended your European vacation a bit early, hm?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about," I admitted. "I've been away, but it wasn't on vacation."

  He turned back to Clarence. "More to the point, how did you find us?"

  "You used your card," he said. "Ever since you started spazzing out, I've been watching you. I thought you were relapsing. Hell, we all did, so I started keeping tabs on you. Checking into a pricey hotel and disappearing on the fly is the kind of thing junkie Victor would do when he wanted a fix."

  Victor looked displeased at the candid discussion of his supposedly former addiction. "Well, I haven't relapsed. Since when are you my keeper?"

  "Since your brother's out boning your boyfriend," he said. "Someone's gotta keep your ass in line."

  "Wait, Remus and Sebastian are back together?"

  Victor glared at me. "I think Remus' social life is the least of your concerns for the moment, don't you?"

  "You wouldn't say that if you knew everything I've done for him."

  "Maybe not," he said, moving closer. "But I'm afraid I can't take your word for it and telepathy is no longer an option, so I'm going to have to verify your claims the good old fashioned way," he said, taking up the knife again. "If I remember correctly, this used to be one of your favorite games."

  I looked away and closed my eyes, but secretly I welcomed the pain. It couldn't be worse than what I was already feeling inside. "He'll destroy you when he finds out what you've done," I warned him.

  Victor smirked. "Whoever he is, if he truly cares about you that much, that's all the more reason to torture you."

  I let out a strangled cry as he made the first incision in my chest. "He's not doing this because he loves me. He's doing this because he hates me."

  Victor chuckled, tracing the knife ever so lightly across my throat. "I hate to break it to you, kid, but sometimes there ain't a whole hell of a lot of difference between the two."

  Chapter 18

  REMUS

  Victor seemed to grow more uncomfortable as Arthur finished recounting his life story for the past few months. Ulric handed him a fresh bottle of water since his voice was even hoarser after talking for so long. Arthur thanked him and drank eagerly--so eagerly that he spilled some water on his chest. He tugged the wet part of his shirt away from his chest and his face started to turn red at his clumsiness. So much for the intimidating hunter.

  Something caught his eye suddenly and he frowned, looking down his shirt. "Holy shit," he muttered.

  "Oh, right," said Sebastian. "Victor carved that into your chest in case you went into zombie mode but it healed mysteriously. Then your Patriarch guy possessed you and attacked Remus, and his hybrid blood activated the sigil somehow. Now you're kind of scarred for life."

  Ulric, Victor and I glared at Sebastian. "What?" He shrugged defensively, looking at Victor. "We're filling in all the blanks, right?"

  "He was...in me?" Arthur asked, shuddering. His horror outweighed all of ours combined.

  "He's possessed at least two other humans that we know of," Ulric said in that calming tone he used so well. "It doesn't mean anything."

  "It does," he choked out. "It means I'm going to become like them. Please," he said desperately, grasping Ulric's hand. "You have to help me finish what I started. If I'm in here when you destroy my body, they can't bring me back."

  Ulric frowned. "Son, your grandfather thought you could be the one to stop the Patriarch and he would know better than anyone."

  "But I don't want to become like them," he said, tears falling down his cheeks as he choked on his own words. "I'd rather die as myself than come back as one of those things. I don't even know why I came back here. This is what they wanted all along."

  "They wanted you in here because they were planning on giving you a mission that would make us kill you," said Victor. "As long as you don't do anything worth killing you for and as long as we know better, I don't think it's going to be a problem."

  Arthur didn't look convinced and neither did Sebastian, but neither of them argued.

  "He's right," said Ulric. "Of course it's a risk having you here, but there's a risk that the Patriarch could possess any one of us. Anyone in this room would be a bigger threat than you. On the other hand, the potential benefits are immeasurable. Do you have any idea why your grandfather thought you could take down the Patriarch
?"

  Arthur thought about it for a moment, frowning in concentration. "He said it had something to do with me being Prentice's weakness, whatever that means. When the Patriarch has fully assimilated to Prentice as his vessel, he'll be weak for a brief period of time."

  "The day of the hunter's moon," I murmured, remembering the moon's words.

  He nodded solemnly.

  "But why couldn't any of us just kill him?" asked Sebastian. "Why does it have to be Arthur?"

  "There must be a reason if Hugh suggested it," said Ulric. "You're sure you don't remember anything else, my boy?"

  Arthur shook his head. "I kind of shut him down when he brought it up," he admitted.

  "And now?" Victor asked. "Would you kill Prentice if you had the chance, if it meant stopping the Patriarch?"

  "Victor," I protested. "You can't ask something like that."

  "No," said Arthur. "It's okay, it's a fair question. I'd like to just say yes, and that after everything he's done I can finally see him for what he is. The truth is, even knowing what he did to our grandfather, I don't know if I have it in me," he said quietly. "Even if there's nothing left of Prentice, even if he is just a shell, I don't know if I can kill him."

  "Good," said Victor, earning a confused glance from everyone in the room, including Ulric. "If you had said you were ready to put him down, I would know you were either lying or extremely naïve. Either way, you'd be useless to us. Now I think we might actually be able to use you."

  "That sounds dangerously like you have a plan," said Ulric.

  "The beginnings of one," Victor admitted. "But it's going to involve something else I know he'll be equally opposed to."

  "Try me," said Arthur. "I'm open to trying just about anything these days."

  "Well," Victor said, pulling up a chair beside me. "For starters, you have to die."

  Chapter 19

  REMUS

  As it turned out, Victor and Sebastian hadn't been kidding about the whole training thing. We had no sooner finished the awkward train wreck that was dinner than the two of them hauled me off to the dungeon.

  I was already clad in the gear Victor had chosen with Sebastian's input, a pair of tight leather shorts and an even tighter mesh top. At least I could be grateful for the fact that the thigh-high leather boots I was wearing didn't have heels, because I was pretty sure they were a women's style.

  "Not that I would complain about a session under normal circumstances," I began, watching the twins as they sorted through Victor's gear, "but don't you think the timing of this is a bit off considering everything that's going on? Never mind the both of you being here."

  "I thought you preferred it when we all did things together," Victor said in a wry tone.

  "Video games are one thing, this is just weird," I said with a slight pout.

  "He's just upset because he knows he doesn't stand a chance against two of us," said Sebastian.

  "Brother, I don't know if truer words have ever been spoken." Victor crossed the room, tying a blindfold around my eyes. "Don't want you getting a peek of things to come."

  "We should be planning our next move against the Patriarch," I protested. "We don't have time for this."

  "Wrong," said Victor. "I think part of the reason your near shift the other night went so badly is that I've been neglecting our sessions. It's therapy in its truest form. Besides, if we can't dominate you in the dungeon, neither of us stand a chance of controlling your wolf form when it makes its official debut."

  "That and after our last session ended so badly, I decided to swallow my pride and take some pointers from Victor," Sebastian admitted grudgingly.

  "You did? Am I really bad enough that you had to go to Victor for help?"

  "Yes," they both said emphatically.

  I sighed. "Point taken."

  "This stuff is a hobby for me, I could take it or leave it," Sebastian admitted. "Seeing you with Victor has made me realize how much you need it to be happy. Honestly, I've always thought that was part of the reason our relationship went south."

  "Sebastian, I --"

  "There," Victor interrupted. "You see that, how his eyebrows come together and the corner of his mouth twitched before he started speaking?"

  "Yeah," Sebastian said hesitantly.

  "That's how you know he's lying."

  "Huh." Sebastian was silent for a moment. "Good to know."

  "Victor!"

  Something smooth pressed under my chin, forcing me to raise my head. I recognized the feel of Victor's riding crop immediately. "A few weeks out of the dungeon and you've gone completely feral. You know better than to address your master by his first name, pup."

  "Alright then, master," I said through gritted teeth.

  "Much better. We're going to have to do something about that nasty tone you've picked up, though," he said with a tsk. "Pup, I've written up a new contract that involves all three of us. Since your vision is impaired at the moment, I'm going to read the terms aloud and help you sign after."

  Without waiting for me to respond, he began, "The submissive agrees to submit completely to both masters in all things. Under no circumstance may he refuse to obey the directive of either master without accepting punishment. The submissive forgoes all rights to veto and agrees that once entered into contract, his body belongs to his masters to be used entirely as they see fit. The submissive agrees to devote himself wholly and entirely to the pleasure of his masters and to endure any and all corrections and punishments, whether earned or not."

  He paused. "Sound good so far, pup?"

  "That's a lot more far reaching than our other contract," I muttered. "And it applies to both of you?"

  "That it does. Of course, we have our requirements as well. The masters take full responsibility for the submissive's wellbeing, both physical and mental. The masters agree to care for the submissive and put his wellbeing above their own. The submissive's needs shall be met according to the will of his masters, including but not limited to at least one weekly session in the dungeon."

  "I'm not going to complain about the regular sessions, but the wording seems a bit extreme."

  "That's the contract, pup. You can take it or leave it, there won't be another one," said Victor.

  "That's blackmail."

  "It certainly is."

  I sighed. "Yes, Master." Maybe I had lost my mind, but it seemed like the best way to guarantee their continued presence. I didn't have long before the harvest moon if Victor's plan failed, and I wanted to be as close to them both as possible, whatever that entailed.

  "Good," he said, sounding surprised that I didn't offer more resistance. "Now, let's review the rights of veto you'll be waiving. Our last contract exempted sexual intercourse, which you later rescinded, as well as the use of physical force. Once we move forward, there will be no exceptions and no safe words. Is that understood, pup?"

  "Hey, hang on a minute," said Sebastian. "I don't care if he has one or two restrictions. I can't hit him anyway, even if it is just for play."

  "We talked about this," Victor muttered impatiently.

  "It's fine," I said, hoping to prevent a fight. "I don't need a veto."

  "Are you sure?" Sebastian asked doubtfully.

  I laughed a little. "After everything we've been through together, the only thing in this world I'm sure I can trust is that you two will keep me safe."

  They were both silent for a moment and I wondered if I was in trouble for not saying "Master." Victor finally cleared his throat and took my hand, gently molding it around a pen. "Go ahead and sign then, pup," he said, his voice rough.

  I made my best attempt at a signature in the spot where he guided me and held the pen out for him to take. "Alright, then," he said. "Sebastian, please put him on the table."

  Sebastian's strong arms hoisted me off my feet and he carried me over to the table I knew so well. There was only one reason Victor liked to use this table and I wanted to protest, not on my behalf but Sebastian's. Nonetheless, the co
ntract was signed and the scene had already begun. Even I knew better than to interrupt it.

  "Do you use these restraints?" Sebastian asked. Victor must have nodded, because he fastened the steel cuffs around my wrists and ankles to keep me secured to the table.

  I could feel Sebastian's eyes on me and heard him chuckle softly. "Gotta admit, he sure knows how to dress you."

  My cheeks glowed hot at the compliment. There was a strange vulnerability in the fact that he could see me but I couldn't see him.

  "What now, Vic?"

  Victor didn't answer audibly, but the metallic sounds his tools made when he rolled them out near the table was answer enough for me. Knife play was close at hand. Heat surged between my legs in a Pavlovian reaction to the sound of metal scraping against metal and I squirmed involuntarily.

  "You're not gonna use those on him," Sebastian said in disbelief.

  "No," Victor replied. "You are."

  The room was so quiet I could hear Sebastian's pulse quicken. I resisted the temptation to argue on his behalf, knowing that my defense would only serve to humiliate him and earn me a hefty punishment.

  "You asked me to show you how to give him what he needs," Victor said in a calm tone. "This is it."

  "I can't hurt him," the other Wolf growled.

  "Sometimes love means hurting someone in a way they need," Victor said patiently. "Either you give him what he needs or you sit around and wait for him to need what you're willing to give."

  With an exasperated sigh, Sebastian stepped closer. "Just tell me what to do," he muttered.

  "Make an incision, just like I showed you on me," Victor said, startling me. They had practiced this? "He'll heal, but go lightly like I taught you."

  Another sigh. "You're sure you want this?" Sebastian asked warily, clearly addressing me.

  I nodded, although I wasn't sure about Sebastian being the one to do it. "Yeah."

  "That is not how you address your master," Victor snarled, striking my flank hard with his crop.

  I jolted. "Yes, Master."

  Sebastian's hand rested against my chest and I could feel its warmth through the thin mesh fabric of my shirt. He pulled the collar down slightly. "Where do I start?"