Excerpt Day: Mark of the Beast by Jourdan Lane

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Mark of the Beast by Jourdan Lane
Release Date: 03/2009
Publisher: Torquere Books
Publisher Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1871

Blurb: Sabaan has no idea what to do to make things better between his lover, Nikolas, and his master vampire, Lucien. Heck, Sabaan doesn't know how to help Lucien reconnect with his lover Peter, either. All he knows that the four of them have a connection like no other, and that he has to try to help make it work. When Nikolas gets a little jealous, Sabaan also knows that he has to do something to keep his relationship going strong. Can he make everyone happy, or is it a lost cause? Lovers of the Soul Mates series won't want to miss this one!

Excerpt:

After waiting for a few minutes, I dematerialized into the bedroom next door. Peter was sitting on the coffee table near the couch, taking a long, deep drag off one of those custom cigarettes he'd grown so fond of.

"Looks like it's just you and me again, kid."

"This is getting to be a habit," he said in an exhale of smoke.

"Yeah," I said, sitting beside him. "You know smoking is bad for you, right?"

Peter laughed. "What's it going to do, kill me?"

"Give you bad breath."

"Not these." He leaned over and softly blew into my face. I was expecting that bitter, acrid smell of smoke and old tobacco. What I got in return was a spicy, woody scent, mixed with something almost.vanilla. I inhaled, exploring the scents even more. Peter smiled. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Oddly.yes."

"These are one of Silver's specialties." Peter rolled the cigarette between his fingers. "Nikolas should try them."

"Why?"

"Because they'd help calm him down."

I couldn't help but laugh. "And next we try to get Lucien to start smoking them."

He took another long drag and shook his head. "I don't know where he went. It's too close to dawn for him to be away from the house."

"He'll be okay." I knew he would. He wouldn't have been Master, otherwise. "I'm sure he's gone to ground somewhere and will be back home as soon as the sun sets."

"This will be the first time that dawn will take us without us settling things first."

I nodded. "That's a good rule for you two to have."

"And he's breaking the rules."

"I think we all are, Peter. This.thing that's going on with the four of us? There's not really any standard way of dealing with it. It's just too complicated."

"I used to think we'd be okay dealing with it, but now I'm just scared; scared of everything going wrong and us hurting each other in ways that can't be overcome."

I had nothing to say to that. Sometimes things that seemed so cut and dried could take turns for the worse without any warning whatsoever. I couldn't see that happening to us, but nothing was ever certain.

"That's a valid fear, I guess." I stood and took his hand. "But for now, we need to get you to bed or you'll be spending the day on the floor."

Peter sighed and put his cigarette out in the ashtray before standing. "Will you stay with me today?"

"Of course I will. I hate sleeping alone as much as you do."

Peter started undressing, and I slipped off my robe and crawled into bed. I lay on my side, watching him, admiring him. The boy really didn't know how beautiful he was. Poor thing. He'd been dealing with so much change since he'd become a part of this world. He was still too human in ways to grasp all that he needed to, but he was trying like a champ.

He caught me watching and gave a half-smile. "What?"

"Just admiring the view." Something flashed in his expression and it made me pause. Sure, there was a bit of flattery, but beneath that was.guilt? What on earth? "Peter? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said as he climbed into bed. "Just feeling the dawn."

"Don't lie to me, pretty boy."

"Why me?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Why am I the center of so much sexual attention and jealousy? Do I just make myself seem that available? Is it because I have a hard time saying no? Is it my-"

I put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Because you're you, Peter."

"Sometimes I'd give anything just to be out of my shoes for one night - to not have to worry about all of this shit."

"You know what you'd be then?"

"What?"

"Just another vampire looking to Lucien for approval and acceptance. You know what I think you need?" Peter groaned and I moved closer, taking him into my arms and smoothing his hair away from his face. "You need to learn how to be an asshole."

"Huh?"

Assholes didn't have people fawning over them. Didn't have people bowing at their feet and going to extreme lengths for one touch or for a night of sex. No. They bowed out of respect and hope that the asshole's wrath wasn't turned on them. It wouldn't work for the situation with Lucien and Nikolas - two of the biggest assholes I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing - but it would work with the rest of the coven.

"Yes, I think that's exactly what you need, pretty."

Unfortunately, dawn had already come, and Peter would have to wait until later to hear my suggestions. I thought of another area where he could use some work. The man could be sent on a guilt trip in the blink of an eye. He needed to learn to stand his ground, that it was okay for people to be upset with him. That he couldn't make everyone happy.

What it all boiled down to, was that Peter needed to be dehumanized in a short amount of time. It was necessary for his newly inherited position. A fact no one but me seemed to realize. Humans couldn't lead or rule in this world because they were.too fucking human to get it.

And my Master and my lover were too busy fighting with each other - over me and Peter, both - to notice.