"Eh. This world isn't complete shit. Not yet anyway. I don't mind whittling away a few more years if need be. Think some of the others are more or less on the same page. Only one of us is genuinely pissed to be stuck here now."
"Why?"
"Bael was dragged here, more or less, by his little brother Daemon. Daemon loves it here. All the pussy he can eat and fuck and all that. No responsibilities. But Bael is miserable."
"That sucks for him." I knew a thing or two about feeling stuck and miserable.
"Yeah. It sucks for all of us around him too. But, eventually, Ace and Lenore will focus again, and we will head back. Whether that's five weeks or fifty years from now, it doesn't matter so much right now. How are your thighs feeling? You never did get your ass massage," he said, smirk wicked as he suddenly whipped off his towel.
I couldn't keep the whimper in.
Fine, I didn't exactly try very hard.
"Maybe later, babe," he said, yanking the jeans up his legs. "We have to get a move on."
"Do you think I will feel it?" I asked, climbing out of bed. "When the enthrallment snaps? Did your friend say what would happen?"
"He was short on the details. His account was from ages ago. I don't know. I imagine you will feel something. Maybe a sigh of relief or something."
"Do you think he will feel it? My master?"
"The one who bit you first, maybe. I gotta imagine he feels you somehow. Who is he, the one who bit you first?" he asked.
My stomach tightened as I slowly turned back, not wanting to admit the truth.
"Renwick," I admitted.
"Of-fucking-course it was Renwick," Drex said with a humorless laugh as he yanked his shirt down over his body.
"You know who he is?"
"I think he's the only bloodsucker I know by name and reputation."
"Probably because he's one of the oldest ones in this area," I told him. "I mean, undead oldest. Davor, Davor was the oldest before he was turned."
"Renwick is a brutal fuck," Drex said, very matter-of-fact. Not like he was worried. I guess, what did he have to worry about? He was the kind of immortal even men such as Renwick could only dream of.
Unkillable.
Even supposed immortals like my master had ways to die.
But in a fight, no matter how ugly it might get, Drex wouldn't die.
I guess that gave you a lot of confidence.
"Hey, Drex?" I asked from the bathroom doorway.
"Yeah, babe?"
"Do you hurt?"
"What?"
"Do you get hurt? Do you feel pain?"
"Yeah. Of course. Why? Planning on getting rough with me?" he asked, eyes dancing. "Just a warning, I like to get a little rough back."
"Right," I said, nodding, feeling my stomach roll. "Like Davor? At the club?" I clarified.
"Fuck no. Not like that shriveled dick douchebag," Drex snapped, offended by the suggestion. "You said no, Nova. In my book, that never means keep going until I break and bleed."
"What does playing rough mean to you then?"
"It means fun. A release. For both people. Some hair pulling and ass smacking. Cutting off the air supply to make the orgasm more intense. A little more if someone wants it. But if not, no big deal. It's just a release. That's it. If both people aren't enjoying it, it isn't fun."
"I don't think I'd survive a more intense orgasm," I admitted, sharing a private smile with him as I moved into the bathroom.
"Well, we will have to see about that, won't we?" he asked as I closed the door.
Chapter Ten
Drex
We were a good seven hours into the ride when Nova suddenly grabbed both sides of my cut and tugged hard, making me pull off to the side of the road, figuring the pain was coming back. It had been too long since she had a dose of meds.
The second the bike stopped, she hopped off.
"That's it. Well, I mean, I think that's it," she said, practically bouncing.
"What's it?" I asked, feeling a strange pull inside at the joy that seemed to be emanating from her.
"The enthrallment," she said, pressing a hand to her chest. "I think it snapped."
"Yeah?" I asked, climbing off of the bike too. "Why do you think that?"
"I felt, I mean I think I felt, an actual snap. Like if you pull something further and further apart until it just... snaps," she said, snapping her fingers. "I felt it in my chest. I mean, I think I did. I'm not one-hundred percent."
"Well, I guess we can find a place to stop," I suggested. "And if the pain doesn't come back, then we will know for sure."
"Yes! And I'm not just saying that because my butt is numb," she said, giving me a small smile.
It was a good time for the enthrallment to snap. I was almost out of drugs. And without being able to go to the clubs because of Ace, it was going to be more tricky to find more.