Love's Choices Read online

  “Anything you have issues with or can’t eat?” he asked as he accepted our menus.

  “I know we’re in New Orleans, but I’m not the best with spicy,” I admitted, flushing when he chuckled. Yeah, not like Cajun spices weren’t well known.

  He was very endearing as he ordered for us, getting me a Sprite just in case my stomach was still upset or to make sure I was settled. Appetizers were fried alligator, crab cakes, and frog legs with the buffalo sauce on the side. For the main meal he got us some sort of platter with lots of everything to split.

  “Any objections?” he checked with me when he was done. I shook my head, floored at how cool he was and like such a damn adult. He thanked the waiter and reached over, taking my hand in his. Nothing big, just like he wanted to touch me. “Can I ask a sensitive question?”

  “Always.”

  He smiled at my answer. “You heard from Zibon about his gift. I was there for the meeting and then helped Alastair keep Zibon away from his parents. I wonder—”

  “If I’m going to ask Zibon what my gift is?” I asked, waiting until he nodded, his thumb rubbing over my hand in a comforting way. I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s the right thing to do. I think it would be hard for him to have people ask. But it seems it would be hard to know and be the only one to know when it doesn’t just affect him.”

  “Wise, caring, understanding, just like you,” he praised, raising my hand to his lips. “Would you take my advice?”

  “I’d welcome your advice,” I corrected after a minute of thought. “I don’t know if I’d take it.”

  “I meant that. Sorry, English is not my first language, and I was living in Eastern Europe the past several decades.”

  “Will you tell me about that? About your life?”

  His eyes flashed shock before he smiled. “I’d love to. I’d love to hear about where you lived and your life as well.” He paused for our drinks to arrive before continuing. “I would speak with all your friends and see where they stand. Then I could, or you could, speak with Alastair. It’s is a difficult topic and something Alastair could handle well.”

  I frowned. “I think it would hurt Zibon’s feelings we couldn’t feel we could go to him but went to his mate we barely knew.”

  “I could see that,” he agreed after a minute. “Then maybe the empath, Marissa or Matteo, the one you all know. He’s mated to Nate, your friend, and could easily speak with Zibon. The advice I wish to impart is this is something nice to have a buffer for. If he doesn’t want to tell, then it’s easier. He might want to tell but worry it could go wrong. Wally was excited to hear he will have an affinity for water. What if you have hard gifts?”

  “Yeah, it would be hard on Zibon to break that news to us or carry it.” I sat with what he said. “Matteo might be the best way. I’ll talk with Nate and the others. It’s a good idea, and with all Zibon’s got on him, we all do, it would be nice to not have that hanging overhead.”

  “Exactly.”

  He seemed invested in it besides seeing a possible situation from the outside. “Is there something you’re hoping I’m getting? I mean, you won’t toss me back if I get a dud gift, right?”

  His eyes flashed shock and a bit of hurt. “Not at all. I would like to know if it’s soon, as it’s a tough time for any of us. Mine… Mine almost unraveled my mind. My first one at least.”

  “Can I ask?” I murmured, worrying it was crossing a line. My eyes went wide as I felt tiny shocks in my hand where we touched. “Wow.”

  “Yes, it is a ‘cool’ gift, very super hero sometimes, and amazing in a fight, but one that was very, very difficult to develop, learn with. My second one is like your Dimitri.”

  I nodded, knowing that one. He could tell when zakasacs were near, which was amazing for battle. That would be a cool gift. I sipped my pop and studied Nero. “How does that get more powerful with age? Does the range extend?”

  “Yes, I can sense them for miles and miles.”

  “Wow, so you’re like the safest early warning guy to be around,” I chuckled.

  “Another reason to always be at my side,” he murmured, his voice deep, the implication clear.

  “I’m not against that,” I told him firmly. There, I could be nice and flirt too.

  Dinner was amazing. We had a blast, and I learned alligator was good. Not so much frog legs. Those weren’t my thing. I knew I liked crab cakes, and I loved the ones there. The main dish was a huge lobster sitting on top of grilled shrimp and some type of crab claw thing, another peeled crawfish bowl, and a bunch of oysters to finish off.

  Not raw. That was good. I hadn’t said the idea of raw made me… Well, a bit raw.

  But more than the food, it was talking to him, learning all about him. He told me a bit about his parents who had died a long time ago, when a council had decided that ancients were more of a threat than help and had sent out warriors to wipe out a few places where ancients tended to live. After that, they rarely grouped up, which was why what we were doing was a bit dangerous but needed.

  Then he switched to a bit lighter, telling me about how bad he’d been with a sword originally and how mercilessly people had taunted him.

  “I’m not the best,” I admitted, squirming in my seat. “And I know the practice swords we learned on aren’t the right size for me. I actually have small hands for my height.”

  “So that myth about hand size and other things being big is truly a myth because you are not little.” He smiled at his joke, bobbing his head around. “Except for the man-child trying to run for office. No one fights that hard if they truly have a big penis. Unfortunately, it works because he’s spawned more horrid people.” Then he realized that wasn’t exactly date talk. “Why have you not ordered a correct sword after you passed your tests?”

  “Normally the parents do,” I answered, the topic uncomfortable for me. “They were informed I survived my transition, I think Alexander tells all the parents when we pass, but I haven’t heard from them.” He gave me a surprised look, and I shrugged. “My parents are very religious. Very religious. Jesus preaches peace and love and all of that. I was born a warrior, and that didn’t fit. They weren’t bad parents; they might have been if I admitted I’m gay.

  “But I just didn’t fit, and Jesus would never abandon a child, but I think they were relieved I got to leave, as I didn’t fit in their box of how life should be. I know Mom prays for me not to die as warriors die. That is what they do for their people in this war that could be solved if we turned to god and prayed.”

  “I hate to speak ill of your parents, but that’s ridiculous.”

  “It is,” I agreed, letting him know with a smile I wasn’t upset at what he said. “It’s how they live in their part of the coven. God gives us all we need in the cities, and praying to him would save more, save the planet more, than any recycling or actually trying to get shit done. I bet I was conceived during sex on their anniversary or something equally lame and vanilla, as spice is given to us by the devil to entice away from goodness.”

  “They’ve said such things?” he checked, shaking his head when I nodded. “It’s a miracle you came out as amazing as you did. That sounds like cult brainwashing mentality.”

  “Yeah, sometimes,” I agreed, finishing my second pop as he took the bill from the waiter. “Hey, I was going to get at least dinner.”

  “I’m a very wealthy man, and you are not,” he chuckled, slipping his credit card in the book after checking the amount and giving it back to the waiter. He did a double take at whatever was on my face. “I didn’t mean to insult your pride. I invited you. I have the means.”

  “I get a paycheck.”

  “Then buy me a daquiri at our next stop, or a lap dance later,” he offered.

  “Lap dance?”

  “I already have our VIP passes,” he assured me.

  Except I frowned. “Fine, we can watch, but if you want someone shoving their ass in your face, that’s my job.”


  “Please do,” he chuckled deeply, excitement in his eyes that I got jealous… Not that I was sure why I got jealous. I had wanted to keep things light.

  Right?

  I picked out a set of nicer beads for each of my friends, like I got peppers for Mark, as he could eat anything spicy and liked it. Bananas for Lance because the idiot sang the Chiquita Banana song when we got drunk. That sort of thing. Nero found it amusing and asked why I got myself one with skulls.

  “It just looks cool,” I answered with a shrug. It did. “What are you getting your friends?”

  His face was priceless. He simply blinked at me. “I have no idea. I’ve never done such a thing.”

  “It’s my influence,” I teased him, nudging him towards the shirts. He turned around moments later holding up one that said, “I got Bourbon Faced on Shit Street” and I burst out laughing, nodding it was perfect.

  Nero really liked alligator, I learned at dinner, so while he was picking colors and sizes for t-shirts, I actually found a cute gator plushie with a jester hat on it that had “New Orleans” written on the tail. I thought he’d like it. At least laugh.

  As I headed to him, I stopped, looking at the masks, focused on one actually.

  “Allow me?” Nero murmured, lifting it off the hook.

  “What? No, I’m fine,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Sorry, lost in thought. I hate masks. I mean, most of them creep me out. And I hate clowns.”

  “But you like this mask?” he checked, holding it up for me.

  “Yeah, I mean the coloring with the feathers and designs on it are gorgeous. It’s just, normally they look like death masks to me, or soulless sort of—yeah, creepy.”

  “And when you see this one?”

  “Crying. It’s like a mask to hide something was so beautiful the person cried. I don’t know. It just, like—”

  “It’s art, Verge. There is no wrong answer.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. “Your soul is so pure and good it shows in how you see things. Let me get this for you so you always remember our trip, yeah?”

  “Okay,” I agreed, smiling as he did. “Still not letting strippers shake their asses in your face.”

  He threw back his head and laughed as we went to the register. I realized he had way too many shirts, and he confessed he got them for my friends too. I let him.

  We were walking towards the daquiri place, him holding our bags and his hand in my back pocket again. I actually reached into my bag and pulled out the gator. “I got you something too. Mine’s silly.”

  “I love it,” he chuckled, leaning in and kissing my neck. “It’s amusing and fun, just like you.”

  “You too,” I admitted, and he squeezed me ass in response.

  “Let’s get a drink and head to one of the places I have passes for so you can see it, say you’ve been, and we can stay if you like it.”

  “But you don’t think I will?” I checked.

  He chuckled deeply as he guided me through the shop’s door first. “Not after learning you won’t like men shaking it at me.”

  Oh, this should be fun.

  “Let’s split a big one and put in a few flavors,” I offered after looking over the place. It had hit me that we’d be close then, sharing a drink.

  And no place for anyone else to get near him.

  His lips twitched as if guessing what I was doing and nodded, picking the plastic keepsake cup and said he wanted peach. “I want sweet flavors like my date.”

  “Charmer,” I chuckled, but it worked; I chilled out a bit. We added strawberry and apple before I paid the lady, thanking her. His hand went right back into my pocket as we walked along the street. He told me which way, and we chatted as we walked. A few minutes later, we arrived at what looked like a dive college bar and went inside.

  It was a dive, but a dive with mostly naked guys dancing on the bar and around the place, obviously working there. Nero snickered, shaking his head, and I glanced where he was looking… Only to find they were having an amateur competition of wet white briefs, pouring water all over some guy in the corner with a number written on his chest in marker for his entry.

  Nero turned me and kissed me deeply for all to see. Then he pressed his lips against my ear. “Your fangs were coming out. This is also why I brought you. You’re young and not used to dealing with our intense range of emotions outside of a controlled environment. It would do you some good to learn control as we all have to.”

  “I didn’t realize,” I admitted, shaking off my mood. What was with me?

  “None of these boys, these humans are anywhere in your league,” he assured me.

  “But you’re not mine, and they could take you,” I grumbled, realizing why I was so agitated. He moved us to a back corner and pressed me up against the wall, studying my eyes. I got anxious. “We said we’re together or want to be, but I’m with Gaius, and you guys like having me play. That’s not like Wally walking into a place with Roarke and knowing Roarke wouldn’t play, would get flattened if he did, or Wally has any say in it.”

  “Well, they’re mated, so that is different, but I am on a date with you. You are my date and have full say.”

  “During the date,” I checked, waiting until he nodded. I still didn’t like that.

  “Do you want say past that?” he asked, and I knew we were in dangerous territory. If I said yes, so could he. He gave me a soft smile and a gentle kiss. “If you tell me you want it, there would be one thing I would ask only.”

  “What?”

  “Stop letting Gaius finish on your face.” He cleared his throat when my mouth fell open. “I don’t like it. He would never let you finish on his face. He’s not treating you like a whore, or demeaning you, but it’s making you smell like him, and it comes from his overly competitive side. I understand we started our interest in you together, and it’s fair you said it be just us, but that upsets me. Would you stop doing that for me?”

  “Yes,” I agreed, not that big of a fan either, and totally seeing it from his side.

  “Then I am yours, all yours, to have whatever say you want. Tomorrow we have a meeting, and there will be fun for us there, but if you don’t want a human shaking his ass in my face, they won’t.”

  “Good.” I gave him a heated kiss, my fingers digging in his stomach. “I’d rather you fuck me on the bar for all to see if you want attention than one of these little twits wagging their junk at you.”

  “Would you wag your junk at me?”

  “Yes,” I growled, kissing him again.

  “We will have to tempt one to teach you to feed,” he reminded me. That was fine, it was us then. I could deal with it then.

  5

  We didn’t stay at that place long, the moment guys saw Nero in all his sexiness, looking of money and class, they were all over him. I wasn’t a fan of that… And maybe the place. I thought it was the vibe of the place that rubbed me the wrong way too. It could have been fun for a drunk guys’ night out, but yeah, I wasn’t feeling it for a date.

  It was a couple of blocks to the hotel, and Nero said he’d put the bags up, but I went with.

  And got on my knees. I gave him deep throat fun, sucking him with all I had, reminding him I was who he wanted.

  “Tonight, you will be in my ass on that bed, right?”

  “Without a doubt,” he growled, kissing me silly after he yanked me to my feet. He thanked me profusely, loving I got jealous even if it upset me to be.

  I got it. I’d get hot if he got jealous over me too.

  We went to the next place just a block away from the hotel, and it was a completely different vibe… And the guys were naked. Naked shots guys. My mouth fell open, and Nero reached over and closed it, chuckling.

  “Love, come take a shot off this one,” he purred, taking my hand and pulling me over to a cute little twink.

  “What would you like?” the shorter, lean human asked me.

  Heat flared in Nero’s eyes, and I decided to try something. “My lover and I would
like to do some body shots. Together. You interested?”

  “Oh yeah,” he panted, his body telling us it was true. “Yeah, totally.”

  Nero was a goof and ordered us four blow job shots and asked me to go first. The little human led us to the back, hopped up on the pool table, and laid down. I set the glass right by his groin on his lower stomach, and his dick tapped my face.

  “Sorry, you’re hot,” he whispered, looking a bit mortified.

  I did the shot and rubbed his stomach. “And you’re fun. Lover, why don’t you go next?”

  “Gladly.” Nero moved so he was mostly leaning over the guy and took his shot, his eyes never leaving mine. “Delicious.”

  “Are you working all night?” I asked the human.

  “No,” he panted, staring at me with big eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever gotten that sort of reaction so fast from a human, even in college or other clubs I’d hit.

  Then it hit me. I’d transitioned. We were alluring to humans. I glanced at Nero, and he smirked at me as if waiting for me to have put it together.

  He leaned over and nibbled on the human’s ear. “My lover gets jealous, but I like to see him play. Would you play with my Verge?”

  “Oh yeah,” the guy groaned. “I get off in an hour.”

  “We’re going to the dance club across the street next. Meet us there and bring friends if you want,” Nero offered, shooting me a look that something more was going on.

  The guy agreed, and we did our other shots, Nero tipping the human a ridiculous amount before we moved on. We found another shot guy and did the same, this one more forward and grinding against me as he slid off the table he’d laid down on for the shots.

  “Mmm, you’d look good inside him, love,” Nero said for both of us to hear, and my eyes went wide. “A nice Verge sandwich.”

  The human and I both groaned. Yeah, I was so in.

  “You could do that to me too,” Nero told me after we were alone, his fingers teasing the waist of my jeans. It was distracting, and I missed what he meant. “Do me, I mean.”