Master: Crimson Read online

  He tried to chase that thought away, but something compelled him to look in the mirror for the first time in days. Gabriel nearly toppled over when he met the gaze of his mirror twin. His face was greenish-white, with a waxy sheen to it, almost as if he were made of plastic. His eyes were bloodshot and dry, his eyelids sagged unpleasantly, and his mouth hung open like a hooked fish. Worst of all, his teeth looked…sharper, somehow. Ridiculous. Scoffing, Gabriel pushed a finger to one of his canines. It wiggled slightly under his touch. Forgetting to breathe, Gabriel grasped the tooth with a trembling finger, giving it a tiny tug. It nearly came out of his mouth.

  Yelping in fright, he frantically tried to shove it back into position, surprised to find that it slid back into place as neatly as a sliding glass door on its track. A thin ribbon of blood poured from his irritated gums onto the curve of his tongue. Immediately, he hit the floor. The taste was so overpowering, so utterly intense, that his legs simply refused to support him any longer. GOD, oh FUCK, oh, GOD! The blood was like the best juice from a rare cut of sirloin, only thicker and more alive. All at once, Gabriel was hungry, horny, and humiliated by the sudden twist of need that nearly bent him in half. Crimson…crimson…let me have it…and then he fainted.

  When he came to, he spent the next fifteen minutes brushing his teeth with eye-watering force. He gargled with mouthwash three times before the taste of blood had officially disappeared from his mouth. Don’t you wonder…why you liked it? No, I don’t. He absolutely refused to give in to Raiden’s mind-fuck. Even if that small sample of blood had made him feel more alive than he had in days. Even if he heard the quickening of his makeup artist’s heart when she had leaned in closer to his face. Even if he wondered how her blood would taste.

  “I pulled your car around to the back. I’ll walk you out. Shugo’s waiting for me outside.”

  Joe’s voice effectively startled Gabriel out of his reminisces. He proceeded to follow him down the hallway, refusing Joe’s offer of assistance when he almost lost his footing. It was nearly dark, so Gabriel knew that he must have spent more time unconscious than he had previously realized. He wanted to ask Joe how long he was out, but he was afraid to hear the answer.

  * * * *

  As he watched the limo pull away, Gabriel sat forlornly behind the wheel of his just-purchased, custom-designed silver BMW M3. His hands gripped the steering wheel to rein his vision back into check. He had rolled down his windows in hopes that the circulation of fresh air would clear his head, but it clearly wasn’t working. He was dizzy, thirsty, and cold. It’s the middle of April. I shouldn’t be wearing this coat. The time of year, however, had nothing to do with his body temperature. Gabriel knew he couldn’t fool himself for much longer. There was something seriously wrong with him, and he needed to figure out what it was before it was too late. Perhaps the next time Joe offered to call the doctor, he wouldn’t resist. Damn you, Raiden.

  “Gabriel-san!” A tenor tone warbled, practically destroying his hearing with the force of its resonance. Grimacing, Gabriel turned toward the origination of the voice and nearly shrieked when he noticed a pair of adoring eyes directly above his own, staring at him in rapturous amazement, as well as awed fear. Gabriel‘s expression softened when he appraised the exquisiteness of the creature standing beside his car.

  The boy was no older than seventeen, the epitome of youthful beauty and promise, the kind of boy mothers would gladly flaunt in public, and fathers would secretly admire out of the corner of an eye. A boy who would invite stares, rather than reject them. His eyes, perfectly slanted, were a stunning shade of light brown, with tiny flicks of gold along the outskirts of the iris. Perfect lips, full and generous, begged for kisses to corrupt them. There was a gleam of charmingly crooked teeth, which reflected in the dusky twilight like pearls, and looked as smooth. Long, shaggy, impeccably dyed auburn hair framed the oval-shaped face just right. Bangs brushed alluringly against the curves of sculpted cheekbones. His skin was fresh and untainted by blemishes, with a tawny richness that boasted its own natural sheen. Tiny beads of perspiration adorned his silken upper lip like miniature diamonds. In short, he was a walking wet dream.

  Gabriel swallowed hard, his whole body shaking, the impact of the boy’s beauty hitting him physically. All forces of negativity fled his body, leaving him with a sense of buoyancy and light-headed, giddy delight. The boy, sensing his admiration, smiled and leaned seductively forward, propping his elbows casually on the car’s open window. Though his pose exuded youthful nonchalance, Gabriel could hear the rapid fluttering of his heart underneath the designer t-shirt. More importantly, he could sense the boy’s arousal. He couldn’t stop a swell of pride (or a swell of something else, for that matter) from forming. Even when I look and feel like Death incarnate, I can still turn heads. Good to know.

  “I—I can’t believe it’s really you,” the boy gushed in barely intelligible English, eyes widening slightly as Gabriel rewarded him with a small smile.

  “And who are you?” Gabriel asked, deliberately wetting his lips. The boy’s eyes followed each ministration of his tongue with ravenous yearning, and Gabriel had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing. So much for a challenge. The boy smiled even wider, displaying his grin in all its uneven glory.

  “I’m your biggest fan,” he declared, speaking slowly so that Gabriel would understand his heavy accent.

  Oh, that’s original. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, recovering his amusement as the boy flushed underneath his inquisitive, slightly mocking stare.

  “I—I know you must get that all the time, but…you have to believe me, Gabriel-san. There’s no one I admire more than you,” the boy breathed, resting his chin on his forearms in a way that was both adorably childish and annoyingly immature.

  “Did you come for the show? If so, I‘m sorry,” Gabriel replied, ignoring the shots of hunger assaulting his mouth like gunfire. He pretended not to notice when the boy shifted uncomfortably in place, discreetly pressing his erection down with one hand while supporting his chin with the other. Oh, he has to stop that. He has to stop that now.

  “How could I be disappointed? I came for you,” the boy drawled, his voice husky; his eyes meeting Gabriel‘s gaze with unflinching desire. Gabriel had to admit, he was impressed. The boy was utterly shameless to the point of being comical, but he sure knew how to play the game. Gabriel was more than a little turned on by this, and he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this beautiful creature would offer a decent distraction from the pain he had suffered of late. Dare I?

  “But surely you are a little upset!” Gabriel insisted, smirking a little as the boy shifted involuntarily against the car’s warm metal door.

  “That doesn’t matter now, Gabriel-san. I can see you up close! I hid behind the dumpster until everyone was gone just to see if you’d come out. I can’t believe you’re actually talking to me! I can smell your cologne, it’s so wonderful, and, and— you look so amazing, Gabriel-san!” the boy babbled, rocking his hips furtively against the side of the car as he elaborated on Gabriel’s appeal. It was becoming harder and harder for Gabriel to contain himself.

  “Amazing?” He inquired dangerously, delicately brushing a bead of sweat from his brow and rubbing it between his fingers. The boy suddenly looked uncertain, as if he feared he had said too much.

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Don’t be. You look pretty amazing yourself,” Gabriel affirmed. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes at the boy’s over-the-top reaction to the compliment. Really, is there no such thing as subtlety anymore? Kids these days…

  “Gabriel-san, wh—what do you mean?”

  “Come, now. I’m sure you know how beautiful you are. People must tell you every day,” Gabriel chided, risking his future more and more with each passing word that fell from his lips like swollen fruit from a tree.

  “They do,” the boy agreed matter-of-factly. “But you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to say that to me,” he finished. The corniness
of his sentence nearly killed Gabriel’s mood.

  “How old are you?” Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes in tense anticipation. If he’s any younger than 16, I’ll just have to forget it. Can’t add pedophilia to my long list of indiscretions. Though come to think of it, the age of consent in Japan varies depending upon the area. Now here was a tempting thought.

  “I’ll be eighteen in twenty-nine days. Wanna see my id?”

  The boy offered it to him, but Gabriel didn’t take it. Instead, he gazed at him for a full minute, weighing out his final decision. What if he tells? Oh, he won’t tell, a familiar voice chuckled in his head. He won’t be able to. Gabriel’s eyes darkened, as if a storm cloud had passed over them, but the boy held his stare. As intimidated as his pulse indicated he was, there were blatant signs of desire beneath the fear. It was in the way his tongue caressed his bottom lip slowly. It was in the way his small shoulders heaved with every breath. It was most definitely in the way his fists clenched and unclenched, as if they wanted to reach out to take the tempting treat in front of them. Please, those gorgeous eyes begged. Please. With a low growl, Gabriel moved to the side and opened the passenger door with a quick flick of the wrist.

  “Get in.”

  A small whimper of expectation escaped the boy’s throat, and that sound destroyed any last smidgen of reasoning Gabriel possessed. He started the ignition not two seconds after the boy had taken his seat. As Gabriel drove them to their destination, he heaved an inward sigh of relief. So this is what I needed! This is what would jumpstart his healing process. He was positive. He could satisfy his lustful, forbidden cravings for boy-flesh in order to drown out the trauma of Raiden’s assault—and all would be well. It had been so long since he had indulged in this particular guilty pleasure, after all. Just once more couldn’t hurt. Any thought of right or wrong flew out the window of his mind as he listened to the throbbing thumping thrumming from every part of the boy’s pure flesh. It was by far the sweetest music he had ever heard.

  * * * *

  “Gabriel-san, where are we?”

  “Does it matter?” Gabriel purred. He cupped the boy’s cheek possessively between his thumb and first finger. They were in the backseat of his M3, parked in the most hidden area of a deserted parking garage. There was no one else in sight, and the lights were dim enough to bathe everything in a sultry glow. Gabriel had removed his coat, the heavy material suddenly suffocating him. He felt as faint as before, but this time, it was more from lust than from anything else. He hadn’t been this hard since Raiden—

  “Do you want me to suck it?” the boy panted, thankfully interrupting Gabriel’s thoughts before they could further disturb him. He knelt submissively on the car seat. Gabriel smirked, running his middle finger along the outside of the boy’s shapely mouth, grinning in satisfaction as the boy’s lips parted in pleasure.

  “Shh. Just relax. I’m going to make you feel good. You want to feel good, don’t you?” Gabriel teased, sliding one cold hand underneath the boy’s shirt to tweak a perky nipple. The boy gasped, unable to conceal his reaction.

  “What are you going to do?” he moaned, hips already undulating. Gabriel yanked his shirt upwards, removing it in one fluid motion and then tossed it on the seat beside him. Before the boy could even realize he was shirtless, Gabriel had removed his own as well.

  “This,” Gabriel whispered, pressing their mouths together as he gently pushed the boy on his back. The taste of him was exquisite, like some fine, honeyed wine with traces of tart. Gabriel’s mouth suddenly ached worse than it ever had before. His teeth were begging for something he didn’t understand. With a prickle of fear, he broke the kiss. The boy reached hungrily for his own arousal, shocking Gabriel with his unabashed sensuality as he began to stroke himself through his pants.

  “What else?” the boy gasped. He pulled his zipper down with practiced speed; unceremoniously shimmying his pants down to his ankles. To Gabriel’s astonishment, the boy began to masturbate in front of him, squirming with each pull and thrust.

  “Whatever you want,” Gabriel growled, releasing the leash of his control as he swatted the boy’s hand to the side. With no further warning, he silenced the boy’s intended protests with a quick tug to his erection. In the back of his mind, a tiny voice pleaded, Please, please stop before it’s too late, but he cut its vocal chords before it had a chance to speak any more such blasphemy. He needed the boy, and more importantly, he needed release. As he continued to jerk the boy off, Gabriel pulled down his own pants to liberate his straining cock, which slapped against his muscled abdomen as it was freed. Moaning loudly, Gabriel settled himself between the boy’s legs and suckled on the inside of his knee. The pulse there was so strong, so sweet. Belatedly, he realized the spicy scent of blood was fairly asphyxiating him with its potency.

  The boy’s entire body was heated to an amber shade in the muted lighting. His erection was positively engorged with blood, its bobbing stiffness reminding Gabriel of his own pressing need. Looking up, he met the boy’s blurry eyes with uncontained desire.

  “I can put my mouth anywhere you want me to. Anywhere,” Gabriel promised heatedly, moving his mouth towards the center of the boy’s need to prove his point.

  “Gabriel-san!” the boy cried, flinging his head from side to side in ecstasy, clutching the car’s leather upholstery as if he wanted to tear it apart.

  “Here?” Gabriel groaned, dragging his swollen lips closer and closer to the inside of his thigh. The boy bucked even more frantically, begging in a ragged tone that sent sharp sparks to the base of Gabriel’s libido.

  “Please, please, please…”

  Gabriel carelessly raked his nails over the boy’s jutting hipbones, reveling in the soft gasp of surprise that emanated from those parted petals. Those lips…that tongue…Oh, God, I’d make him blow me so deep. How Gabriel would love to shove his cock in and out of that mouth until it trembled around him with exhaustion and anticipation and pure want. What he would give to have those delicate throat muscles quivering underneath his forceful ministrations. He wanted to feel the minute-tears of flesh as his cock forced its way deeper and deeper down that tight passageway; to stifle the boy’s scream as he exploded liquid fire into that velvety cavern. And then…and then…Gabriel licked a trail of sweat from the upper thigh to the inner, barely noticing the bruises his tongue was leaving in its wake.

  The boy’s pulse pounded faster, so fast Gabriel could almost smell the beats. The pulse had a song, and its lyrics were BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD! The need for it broke every ounce of his resistance, and he finally lost control. Grasping the boy’s jutting erection, Gabriel gripped the boy’s thigh tightly with his other hand; dragged his nose along the skin, following the trail of the pulse to the femoral artery. The boy thrust up and down, frenzied by his touch, so close already.

  “Please, Gabriel-san, please!”

  One taste…just one taste…and then I’ll be free. Gabriel had no time to react as his incisors burst out of his mouth, sinking into the flesh with lustful abandon. The skin was pierced so easily, melting like cheap chocolate, and then there was no more thinking. He tuned out the boy’s sharp scream of pain and removed his hand from its previously pumping position, automatically fastening it over the squealing mouth. In the process, he broke a few of the boy’s teeth. When the scream turned into a series of shrieks, Gabriel absentmindedly grabbed his discarded tee-shirt and jammed it inside the boy’s mouth, strangling the sound.

  The boy’s blood was everywhere—dominating his mouth, blowing through his nose, buried in his skin, mingled in his hair, imbedded beneath his nails. Its ruby thickness clouded his brain until all thoughts were erased and replaced by pure sensation. He sunk his fangs in deeper and deeper, tearing through layers of skin and muscle and sinew as he sought to fill the void. There was no delicacy, no romanticism, no tenderness to his touch—it was all harsh, hot, and hard, rough plunders of the hands rather than gentle caresses, ravage by fangs in place of sweet suction. The boy’s
agonized moans were a distant sound, fading by the minute.

  Gabriel continued to drink, the sharp liquid speeding eagerly down his waiting throat, each swallow more tantalizing and addicting than the last. His cock twitched furiously against the frigid interior of the car seat, so he quickly obliged its need. His actions became more and more desperate as the leather heated with the friction of his thrusts. So good, he’s so good…He was dimly aware that the boy’s struggles were waning; then, he felt a fierce, unfamiliar force of triumph staking its claim within him. Rejoicing darkly at his conquest, he sneered against the paling flesh and sucked one last time, hips moving in a blur. He smelled the rush of semen before it even left his body and braced himself for the oncoming climax. Wrenching his mouth free of wound, Gabriel ground his cock into the seat with a final thrust, jetting all over the upholstery. He arched his back in a perfect kink, screaming until his throat was raw, hands clawing and clutching at thin air as his body completed its satiation. A small, warm spurt of something landed on his thigh; he realized that the kid had gotten off after all—without any stimulation. Virgin.

  The most primal, terrifying sound he had ever heard clawed its way out of his throat. He didn’t recognize it, but the shaking of his shoulders indicated that he was laughing, laughing and screaming, the sounds of pure lunacy dampening the air around him with their sweaty insistency. The body was so quiet beneath him, sepulchral-still in the thickening twilight of his mind. An ominous dirge sounded in his head, its mournful bells mocking the joyful glee he had yet to abandon. He sat frozen in an inhuman posture, hands splayed on either side of body beneath him, back arched farther than a cat’s, jaw tensed in savage satisfaction as the vestiges of their orgasms rapidly cooled on the lukewarm leather beneath him.

  As he slowly came back to himself, Gabriel realized that his teeth no longer ached.

  * * * *