Knight growled and squeezed his fingers on Elliot’s hips, as if he were about to turn Elliot around, bend him over, and fuck him against the hood of the SUV out in the open, regardless of this being a public road. But instead, Knight pulled away and gave Elliot one more kiss before opening the door for him.
“I only wear black.”
Elliot’s smile widened, and it didn’t even hurt his face anymore. “Dark Knight then.”
He got inside the car, and at that moment it didn’t even matter just how much horror he’d been through since they met. When Knight leaned down to fasten Elliot’s seatbelt, Elliot knew it’d been worth it.
“Much better,” Knight said.
They made out for a few more moments, but then it was high time to go, and Elliot braced himself in the seat. The restraints weren’t exactly comfortable, but since it was a cold day, he didn’t really mind the thick outfit, even if its presence meant he’d need to be helped with everything from switching on the TV to preparing food.
Elliot became tenser as they approached the grounds that belonged to the Kings of Hell MC, but it was the cool touch to his neck that made his skin crawl and told him Fane was there. The ghost slid his hands down Elliot’s chest and hugged him from behind the seat.
“At last. I’ve missed you, my sweet. I even worried that you wouldn’t come back. What a terrifying thought that was. Were I human, I would have surely not eaten for days.”
Elliot licked his lips, unsure if he should speak or stay silent. He wished to ignore Fane, but Knight had told him to appease the ghost, and in terms of pure logic it did make sense. No point in agitating the lion you were trapped in a cage with. “I missed you too,” he mumbled in the end.
He briefly met Knight’s gaze and saw the big hands that he so enjoyed on his body squeeze the steering wheel harder. But Elliot would do as he was asked, regardless of his true feelings. He barely kept in a shudder when Fane’s cold touch wound itself around his neck in the parody of a hug.
“Did you, really? You’ve been cheating on me with this man all the time. But fear not. All I need is a body. Once I have Laurent, I will be able to satisfy you in any way you want,” Fane insisted, petting Elliot’s chest.
Elliot glanced back into the handsome face that now seemed almost angelic, with only a frown of concern marring its perfect features. He could see how a young man in search of fulfilment could get lost in Fane’s blue eyes, desperate to please a man both so alluring and powerful.
“You cut my eye out. I wasn’t exactly able to get to Laurent from a hospital bed,” he said through gritted teeth, unable to hold back the anger when he thought back to the torture Fane had put him through.
Fane deflated and leaned in even closer kneeling between Elliot and Knight as he pulled Elliot’s head to his chest, which contained no breath or heartbeat. “I’m so sorry. Anger got the better of me. After being cheated by past lovers so many times, I lost my mind. But I care for you. I promise this will never happen again. Once I have a new body, we will be together forever.”
The promise caught Elliot off guard even though a part of him knew just how evil Fane was. But then Elliot remembered the stories of past lovers who’d supposedly cheated on Fane, used him for his money, or simply tried to leave, and he wasn’t so sure if Fane was lying. “You said I’m not good enough for you. You like pretty boys like Laurent.” Was he being too angry? Should he have just smiled and nodded, like Knight suggested? That would have surely come off as fake.
Fane exhaled, and his cool lips rubbed against Elliot’s jaw, sliding lower, all the way to his neck. “I’m so sorry. You know it’s not just about looks. I value your dedication to me. It’s just... this state that I’ve been in for centuries takes away my humanity bit by bit. You need to help me, Elliot.”
Elliot inched away from the touch but looked back into Fane’s eyes, which were cool, almost watery. “Does it? How does it feel?”
“Like a big black void always surrounding you. I’m forever left unable to sample the warmth of another man. Of you.”
Elliot glanced up at Knight, self-conscious about the parts of the conversation that Knight could hear. “I know how that feels,” he whispered. No matter how much affection and dedication Knight showed him, he would never be willing to give himself to Elliot completely.
Fane on the other hand declared he would, but none of his promises could be trusted. He enforced his will with physical abuse of the worst kind, and who was there to guarantee Elliot that the two of them would remain together after all of this was over?