Ascension - Book Eight - Man x Man

Chapter 9

The music is loud enough to hide the majority of conversation save for those in close company, for a brief moment I considered teasing him that I hadn't agreed to another auction. Keeping my arm entangled in his, was more to my benefit- for every set of eyes that passed over him was a potential threat to my flawed, animal mind. The party was overflowing with strange-looking characters, from outlandish outfits to various designs that hardly concealed anything at all.

 Beyond the casual frustration of lingering gazes on us, I couldn't fault the wolf for my insecurity. Turning up the sensitivity on my ear implants, I square my shoulders and wipe the concern from my face. I reminded myself quietly that I wasn't expected to befriend these people, I was supposed to behave as I would at any social event. 

It was normal for people to be curious, I'd heard the news stories, more time than once they had wondered if I'd gone and died again. 

Little did they know, they weren't far off. 

As the provocative music shudders from the speakers, the siren music conformed to the popularity standards. While a good deal of their songs were risque, there was an upbeat tone that was less about luring one to death and more about the fun of existing. It would seem Tiberius had found a new muse and that was living among humanity. 

"Tiberius is changing it up?" I muse, glancing up at Verando as he snags me a drink off a passing tray.

 I happily accept, taking a sniff and deciding it was champagne before taking a sip. 

"Anarchists like this dribble, I suppose. It is an improvement from the old stuff. At least now, no one suspects that he's drooling over their souls." 

Scanning the room casually, his hand slips around my waist to pull me to his side as a small group shuffles by, dangerously close in their intoxicated wandering. The low rumble in his chest brings on a sense of pride as I glimpse up at him as innocently as I can manage, amused by his slip. 

"It is I who needs to learn to relax, I fear." 

I offer him my glass, "Liquid courage. We've been at war for years, you haven't had a lot of downtime since my father-" I pluck an imaginary thread from his coat, irritated at my inability to leave the past in the past. "I don't think you've ever had downtime. Would you rather I go home?" 

"No." Verando's grip tightens on my waist, lifting me onto my toes with the intensity of his claim. His arm like a vice, firm against my solid form, the reassuring pressure caught my breath in my throat. 

He was not everyone's preference but by the gods was he mine. 

"I think I quite like you right here. You're doing well, you should be rewarded." 

Swallowing, my gaze meets his, admiring the way the dim lighting couldn't touch the lightness of his eyes. He was playing the game, it would seem, attempting to lure me back to him with hot buttons like rewards and punishment. In the mix of people, alcohol, and the various other scents of public displays, his own was muted enough that I could think past it. 

"Are you tempting me, Mr.Mercer?" I exhaled as I opted to swallow the remainder of the drink that he had shown little interest in. 

A camera flash distracts me yet there is no release on his hold, only a slackening to allow me to put my feet on the ground. A mouse of a man approaches, curiously sweeping his eyes up and down my form in a way that is strange to me. 

Inventory, perhaps, considering the way he wets his lips yet his eyes hide any sexual intention. 

"Oh, Your Majesty." He snakes his hand to shake mine, thin beneath close-cut sleeves. I instinctively sniff, unimpressed by the odor from someone who looked so greasy.