Jason slowly opened his eyes. Colorful strobe lights flashed across the ceiling of the room through the window over his head. The first thing that caught his eye was his reflection looking back at him. A mirror. Goddess, who puts a mirror over their bed? He tore his eyes off his ghastly appearance and took in his surroundings.

It was a bedroom with an attached bachelor's kitchen and a door on his right that led into a bathroom. The room was dimly lit by a reddish glow from a chandelier in the middle of the room. How romantic... The wall on his left was covered by shelves stacked with all manner of sex toys that left Jason hot under the collar. Jeez, how many butt plugs did one need to fill one hole? However, the bookshelves were no match for the railings on the wall to his right, next to the bathroom. Whips, paddles, and floggers hung in their dozens. Well, somebody must have been really naughty.

Great. They brought him to one of their sex rooms. Jason shivered in revulsion as he thought about what transpired on the round bed he lay on. It was a miracle his sensitive skin didn't catch on fire when coming into contact with the red silk sheets.

"Hem-hem?" The man kneeling beside his bed cleared his throat, drawing his attention. "Good evening, young man. I hoped you slept well." A soft smile crept across Ishmael's face. Must have been him. There were no other males in the room.

As Jason stared into Ishmael's stone gray eyes, his body betrayed him. Jason's hands quickly found his crotch, trying to squash the tent that nearly rose to meet them. Damn, the guy was handsome to the heavens and back! The gods had chiseled the man out of flawless marble.

Jason swallowed, licking his chapped lips. His eyes grazed the hunk's body, from his curly blond hair that touched his muscular shoulders toward his chiseled chest and muscled shoulders laced with tattoos. Jason gulped again. Odin should be praised for creating such a gorgeous creature.

"It seems you've got another admirer, Ishmael," said the female clad in a leather tight jumpsuit.

Thor's brother rose to his feet and chuckled. "It would seem so." His eyes darted to Jason's hands. Jason quickly avoided his gaze. Fuck my dick for outing me. "Don't be ashamed, little one."

Ashamed? How could he not be when they stared at his covered erection like two dogs at a chew toy? Jason lowered his head, not wanting to meet their eyes.

Ismael's hand appeared in front of Jason, touching his chin. The calloused hand raised his head, forcing Jason to meet Ishmael's heart-stopping eyes. "There you are. Now tell us your name." There was no command in his words, only a request.

Did Jason want to tell them? His eyes bounced between Ishmael and the woman named Astrid. A flaming redhead with ruby lips and forest green eyes who winked at him, sending his ears aflame. Jason didn't see himself as a shallow man, but the most eye-catching feature on the woman was her lethal set of breasts that threatened to pop out of her costume.

Astrid smirked and said, "I'm flattered but I'm a tad too old for you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare..." Jason muttered.

"No harm done. I would have been upset if you didn't stare."

Jason's eyes jumped back to Ishmael. "My name's Jason." He quickly wanted to change the subject before his head burst into flames.

"Pleased to meet you, Jason." Ishmael removed his hand from his chin. "I'm sorry for what happened outside of my establishment. I pride myself on keeping the neighborhood as safe as possible but I slipped up."

Was he actually apologizing for the actions of a lowlife vamp who couldn't keep their dirty fangs to themselves? That was ridiculous, to say the least.

"You don't have to apologize for the actions of others," Jason said. How could he have known that a deranged vampire stalked the alleyways?

Astrid walked over to them. The clack of her knee-high boots echoed throughout the room. The closer she came, the harder Jason's heart beat in his chest. Only when she came within reach did he notice the signs of death etched into her skin. Another vampire!

Jason instinctively tried to reel himself in, putting as much space as he could between them. However, the silk bedding prevented him from gaining a proper grip. He ended up flailing about. Goddamn! How could people actually fuck on these sheets? One could use them as a slide.

"Calm down, Jason. She's not going to hurt you," Ishmael said, placing a firm grip on his shoulders.

A hint of hurt flashed across Astrid's face, which she quickly covered up as she sat down on the bed.

"Be at ease... I'm not like my fellow vampires. I've shed the need to hunt my prey. I have a cute and innocent submissive who is my fated." An honest smile flashed across her face. Her eyes glanced over to the window for a second.

Slowly, Jason stopped flailing about and settled down. Not that he could have fought her off if she tried to kill him. He already gave up fighting back in the alley when he thought his life was about to end. A hint of regret settled in his heart. He could have been at peace already...

"Hey." Jason flinched as Ishmael touched his cheek. Not because he was afraid of him, but of the pain that accompanied his touch. He would never enjoy another's touch without suffering for it. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, you didn't. Every time someone touches me it burns." The admission slipped out of his mouth. Jason didn't know why he told them, but deep down, he knew he could trust them. Crazy... maybe he was.

Ishmael swore and rose to his feet. His action caused Jason to flinch. The hulk quickly dashed back to the bed. "Sorry for that. I'm not mad at you, little one, but at those who scarred you like this." His warm palm hovered over Jason's cheek for a moment, even that caused a slight tingle to prick Jason's cold skin. "Can you tell us who did this to you?"

Hot tears slipped out of Jason's eyes, burning as they ran down his cheeks. Telling them wouldn't change his fate. Amina's taunts flashed across his mind. 'The Collective will never believe you either. So accept your fate and move on.'

Nobody would believe him.

Jason shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Nobody can change the past." His voice cracked under the strain.

"It does," Astrid replied in a harsh tone. "No living being deserves such a fate."

"She's right, Jason. Whoever did this to you needs to pay, and I'll make sure that they do. This needs to be heard by the Collective. You've been touched by veil fire, and if my suspicions are correct, a piece of your soul has been used in a forbidden ritual. So please, I beg you..."

The hollowness in his chest screamed out for vengeance, the hollowness that once was his beloved brother, friend, and compatriot, Oz. Glancing up, Jason peered into those gorgeous eyes and then gave into their request. He sighed and began telling them the grim tale in which he lost his wolf.

***

After an hour of storytelling, Jason ended his tale as a sobbing mess. The room was silent, even though a party raged behind the window at Jason's back below. The room must have been soundproof. Jason sat on the bed, staring at his pale hands in defeat. The recounting of his ordeal had taken its toll on his psyche. Jason wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep for an eternity until his body gave out and died.

His captive audience had grave expressions punched into their faces. They didn't speak or move from their seats. Ishmael stared at the wall while he sat on a purple chair in the corner of the room. While Astrid sat perched on the edge of the bed with her hands clutched in her hair.

"Amina Mac Naire," muttered Ishmael. Pure rage seeped into every syllable. "I'll inform the Collective of this. There's a reason we don't mess with souls. Once we trample into the domain of the gods without respect, the consequences could be our undoing. The gods are not a forgiving bunch."

"What are we going to do? We need to keep him safe. If Jason leaves, there's no guarantee that he'll survive. It's a wonder he didn't already walk into a vampire and gotten himself killed," said Astrid.

Ishmael stared at Jason for a while before he spoke. "He's staying here."

What?! No. They don't even know me, so why would they want to waste their time looking after a broken soul?

"You don't have to," Jason replied with a fake smile. "I'll be more trouble than what I'm worth. If I stay here, more vampires will swarm the place and threaten your business."

Ishmael stood up from his chair and walked up to the bookshelf, and retrieved what looked like a dog collar. He began chanting a few words, and then the leather collar started glowing green before it faded.

He then walked up to Jason and said, "I've enchanted this collar to hide your scent. It will allow you to wander about without fear of being attacked because of your scent."

Jason reluctantly took the collar. The black leather was plain, with only five studs and an O ring. Soft to the touch, he stared at the collar, unsure if it was a smart idea. If Jason were still a werewolf, he would have been insulted. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to wear the collar in order to avoid becoming another bloody meal.

Jason slowly brought the collar up to his neck and clipped it on. At least it was soft and didn't burn his skin. Jason caught Astrid's eyes as they slacked. Her tensed shoulders eased.

"Well, at least the collar works. I can't smell him anymore," Astrid said with a sigh.

"Thanks." Jason traced the collar under his neck. A slight hum tickled his skin. "I don't know how I can repay you." He couldn't. Jason only had about six hundred dollars left and that wouldn't even be enough of a payment for saving his life.

Ishmael then said, "If you really want to repay me, then you'll work for me as an assistant. There are usually a lot of things that need to be set up when we host functions and Michael always complains that there aren't enough hands around when he needs them."

"That's too much—"

"Nonsense. This isn't a debate, Jason. You're working for me and that's final." Ishmael climbed off the bed and strutted over to the door. Jason had to cover his growing junk again when he glimpsed Ishmael's delectable ass in his leather trousers. "Astrid here will show you to your room. Good night, Jason." Ishmael's eyes fell again on his hands and smirked devilishly. "Enjoy your dreams."