RAYMOND'S POV
I ran until I reached the sleek black car and practically threw myself inside.
I couldn't see what was happening in the alley through the tinted windows.
I simply sat there, shaking.
When the door to the car opened a minute later, I jerked in fright.
But it was only Jude who slid into the driver's seat with nary a hair out of place.
There was only a small film of blood sitting on his white shirt.
"Are you alright?" he asked without looking at me, staring ahead.
I nodded, too shocked to speak.
"Good," he said and started the car. "We have a lot to talk about."
I couldn't get the screams out of my head as he began to drive away.
I kept replaying what I had witnessed in that dark alley.
I remembered his movements that were too fast for the human eyes to track.
He had torn through those vampires like they were made out of paper.
I could still see the blood that splattered across the brick walls.
There were the limbs he had torn off and the heads he had separated from bodies.
"You're shaking," he pointed out with his eyes on the road.
"You killed them all," I whispered.
My hands wouldn't stop trembling even after I pressed them into my thighs.
"You just... ripped them apart."
"They deserved it since they dared to touch what belongs to me."
I noticed that his knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel.
"Nobody touches what is mine."
The car suddenly swerved, and he pulled into an empty parking lot.
He cut the engine and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.
"What is wrong?" I asked him as I noticed how pale he had become.
"I am fine, just drained from using too much power," he said through gritted teeth.
He turned to me, his mismatched eyes fixing on me
"I need blood."
My stomach dropped. "Now?"
"Yes, Raymond, now."
"Can't you wait until—"
"Raymond," he growled, "You can either willingly give me your blood or I can take it by force. It is your choice."
I swallowed hard, tugging at my collar as fear threatened to smother me.
"Fine."
Jude unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over the center console.
His cold hand gently brushed my cheek as he turned my head to expose my neck.
I flinched when his lips met my skin.
"Relax," he murmured. "It will only hurt more if you are tense."
I tried to steady my breathing just as his fangs sank into my neck.
I gasped.
But the sharp pain quickly melted into that same strange pleasure from before.
The heat that flooded my entire body pooled in my groin.
My teeth clamped down on my lower lip to stop myself from making any embarrassing sounds.
But a soft moan escaped anyway.
Jude pulled back slightly with blood—my blood—on his lips.
"You seem to be enjoying this," he smirked before glancing down at my bulge.
My face burned with shame as I realized then that I was hard.
"It's not... I don't..."
"Your body can't lie, Raymond."
He leaned back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"And neither does mine."
My eyes followed his lowered gaze and landed on the bulge in his slacks.
When I lifted my gaze, our eyes met again, and something electric circled us.
And before I could process what was happening, his lips crashed onto mine.
It was nothing like our first kiss.
This one was hungry, raw and demanding in a primal way that aroused me.
I lied to myself that he was just neutralizing the venom again.
But this was different.
I knew it deep down
His hands were everywhere—in my hair, on my chest and sliding down my thighs.
He cupped my bulge and squeezed.
I moaned and he used the opportunity to further deepen the kiss.
I pushed him back then, coming right back to reality.
"Stop," I managed to say breathlessly. "I told you that I'm straight."
"And I told you I don't care," he growled before grabbing my wrists.
I tried to push him away but he pinned them above my head with one hand.
His other hand was still on my thigh, inching higher and higher.
My body was hot, my brain clouded by everything that was him.
I wanted him so badly.
The evidence of desire in my pants was enough testament to that.
"Let me go!" I stammered, heaving.
Jude's eyes darkened.
"You signed the contract and now you are mine to do with as I please."
"This wasn't in the contract!" I screamed with a mixture of fear and anxiety.
"You should have read the fine print," he whispered evilly against my ear.
"What fine print?"
"Paragraph six state that I can have you sexually whenever I want."
A shiver of anticipation ran down my spine as I realized that he had played me.
His tongue traced my skin and I closed my eyes in a bid to ignore how good his touch felt and how my body responded to it.
My mind protested.
Suddenly, the air whooshed around us and I felt a strange pulling sensation.
When I opened my eyes again, we weren't in the car anymore.
We were in what looked like a massive bedroom with dark furniture.
It had floor to floor ceiling windows that I didn't recognize.
"What... how..." I stammered, looking around in disbelief.
"Teleportation," Jude said casually as if he was explaining why the sky was blue.
I backed away from him until my legs hit the edge of the bed.
"Take me home."
"This is your home now."
My head snapped up from panic in time to see him stalk towards me.
He stood, unbuttoning his shirt.
"Remember that you have to move in at the end of the week anyways. I just assisted you to speed up the timeline."
"You can't just kidnap me!" I screamed as my jaw trembled with fright.
"It didn't. You agreed to it."
He tossed his shirt aside and revealed eight stone and that were covered in tattoos and symbols that I didn't recognize.
"Now, where were we?"
I tried to dart around him but he caught me easily and tossed me onto the bed.
The impact instantly knocked oxygen out of my lungs and he was on top of me before I could recover.
He held me down and straddled me as he pinned my wrists down.
"Let me go," I muttered weakly.
Waves of heat washed over me as the mark on my neck fervently began to burn.
I squirmed underneath him as our bodies rubbed together.
The frottage delivered a kind of pleasure that forced me to be still.
"You're still in pain," Jude observed as his eyes travelled over my body. "It seems that the kiss wasn't enough this time."
"Then bite me again," I suggested desperately. "Quell the pain."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"There's another way."
"What? There is?" My brows furrowed, and I instantly had a bad feeling crawling up my chest.
He smirked and leaned down to brush his lips against my pinna.
"Yes. There is something that will make the pain stop instantly."
"What is it….?" I drawled, my eyes widening in anticipation
"Suck my cock, Raymond."
Jude’s POV“Run!” I shout, shadows shooting forth to shield Raymond as scouts fire charmed arrows, the city blurring around us. The streets are a mess—cars honking, lights flashing, people screaming as we dodge by. Those guild bastards are on our tails, their cloaks flapping like vultures, and my blood’s boiling. “Stay close, sunshine!” I shout, clutching his hand, his light flashing wild under his flesh.Raymond’s panting, eyes wide yet angry. “They’re fast, Jude!” he says, voice hoarse, ducking an arrow that burns the air with malevolent power. “Where the hell we going?” His light flashes, sending one scout back, but more are coming, their knives glinting under lamps. I can feel our relationship humming, linking us together, and it’s the only thing protecting me from losing my shit.“Away from these pricks!” I snarl, yanking him into an alley. My shadows wrap around us, covering our footprints, but the scouts are merciless, their boots pounding behind. I’m enraged—pissed at them, pi
Raymond’s POV“The sun feels amazing,” I giggle, stepping into the light, Jude’s hand firm in mine, his shadows winding around us like they’re jealous of the warmth. The city’s alive around us—cars honking, people yelling, odors of coffee and asphalt mixing in the air. My skin’s tingling, hybrid abilities flashing under it, light and dark grappling but not battling anymore. “Jude, you feel this? It’s like… I’m alive, very alive.”He’s squinting at the sun, grumpy as hell, yet his eyes soften as they settle on me. “You glow in the sun—beautiful,” he adds, voice all scratchy, like he’s afraid to say it. His shadows flutter, wrapping closer, and I grin, leaning against him. “You too—my grumpy sun,” I taunt, and he snorts, but his hand squeezes mine, warm and steady. Damn, I love him, and the way our relationship hums, I know he feels it too.We’re in some mortal metropolis, maybe Chicago, I don’t know—tall skyscrapers, unclean sidewalks, normal life. After the shrine fight, we needed a r
Jude’s POV“That damn Hollowkin’s from Calix’s shit,” I growl, pushing Raymond through the portal, his hand sticky in mine. The air’s all weird, humming like a broken engine, and my gut’s yelling we’re headed for danger. The portal spits us out in some busted-up ruin—cracked stones, plants everywhere, and a weird light coming from a shrine up ahead. “You feel that, sunshine? It’s tugging us.”Raymond’s eyes are enormous, his new hybrid glow flickering, like light and dark are struggling inside him. “Yeah, it’s… calling me,” he replies, voice trembling but forceful, like he’s terrified but won’t back down. “That temple—it’s in my dreams, Jude. Calix’s curse is here.” He squeezes my hand, and gosh, our bond’s humming, linking us so tight it’s like we’re one guy. I wanna grasp him, kiss him till the world goes quiet, but there’s no time.“Stick close,” I mutter, shadows wrapping around my hands, ready to crush anything that moves. The shrine’s a mess—broken pillars, old carvings, Seraphi
Raymond’s POV“Goddamn, my head hurts,” I say softly, hardly opening my eyes. Jude is right there, and his face looks tense and scared, like I'm going to crack. My body feels like it has been through a meat grinder. There are fangs stabbing my gums and this strange hot-cold thing coursing through me. “Jude, what the hell is wrong with me?”He is on his knees next to this old bed, holding my hand so tightly that it hurts, yet I don't move away. Raymond, you're changing. He continues, "It's freaking me out," and his voice sounds rough, like he hasn't slept in days. His dark eyes are looking me over, as if I may suddenly disappear. "That transformation ritual is messing with your Seraphin blood. You’re a hybrid now, like me. But it’s… it’s rough, man.”I try to sit up, but my muscles scream, something wild tearing through me—light and gloom clashing in my veins. I suck in a breath, holding to his arm. “Rough? It’s like I’m being ripped in two, Jude. I feel you, though—like you’re inside
Jude’s POV“No—Raymond!” I yell, my voice all fucked up, cracking like I’m some scared kid, catching him as he drops, his blood soaking my hands, hot and sticky, the Seraphin blade’s glow fading where Calix stabbed him. The temple’s dark as shit, air thick with dust that chokes me, that sour magic stink burning my nose. Raymond’s face is white as a ghost, eyes fluttering, breathing all shallow, blood pooling under him on the cold stone floor. My chest’s killing me, like someone’s squeezing it tight, my arm throbbing where Calix’s blade cut me, but fuck that—it’s nothing compared to the bond screaming in my head, Raymond’s heartbeat fading, weak, like… like it’s gonna stop. “Raymond, hey, stay with me,” I say, voice breaking bad, cupping his face, his skin cold but his eyes finding mine, still fighting, still him. “You… you can’t leave me, okay? You hear me?”He gasps, small and shaky, his hand grabbing mine, weak as hell but holding on, blood mixing between our fingers, warm and gross
Raymond’s POV“Fuck, it’s… it’s back,” I choke out, grabbing my chest, the curse burning like someone jammed a hot coal under my ribs. I’m down on my knees in the vampire realm’s dirt, all cold and muddy, my hands sinking into the muck. Jude’s right there, crouched next to me, his hand rough but warm on my shoulder, holding me so I don’t fall apart. His blood’s still smeared on my shirt from that fortress fight, his side bandaged quick but leaking red, and his eyes are sharp, staring into mine, scared shitless. The air’s cold, smells like wet moss and rusty iron, but my head’s spinning like crazy, a vision hitting me—a glowing relic chunk in Calix’s hand, some temple in the mortal world, vampires screaming their lungs out. The bond’s thumping hard, our heartbeats all jumbled, keeping me from totally losing my shit. “J-Jude,” I stammer, voice all cracked and wobbly, “it’s… it’s showing me something. A-a temple. We gotta… gotta go.”Jude’s grip gets tighter, his claws brushing my skin,