Stone and Steel: Vampires of Blood and Bones

by B. A. Stretke

  “No one noticed he was gone?” Silas asked a little shocked.

  “No one cared, I’m sorry to say. Wolfe was a loner, lived alone, kept to himself at work. I couldn’t find a single friend, just acquaintances. His life has been rough. According to the records he was put up for adoption shortly after birth, but due to health problems brought on by being born pre-mature, he was never adopted. He grew up in the foster care system and lived in a variety of homes. Seven private homes and three groups homes until he aged out at eighteen." Easton handed Silas several pictures of Wolfe at varying ages.

  "How did he get his name?" Silas looked at the pictures, and his heart went out to this beautifully angry child. His beloved was a born fighter; he could see it in every photo.

  “As you can see from the picture taken immediately after birth, his body was covered in a thin layer of fine brown hair one of the doctors called it a pelt and the other named him Wolfe. Since he was never adopted, the name stuck. Reynolds was the name of the hospital.” Easton explained.

  This was indeed sad but not unlike many others who are born into this world alone and were able to make a functional life for themselves. "What happened that he ended up in a place like Silk Street as an exotic dancer?" He knew there was more to this story, and he also knew he wasn't going to particularly like what Easton had to say.

  Easton looked at his notes and cleared his throat before beginning. It did not escape Silas's notice that Ismael put his arm around Easton, clearly giving him comfort for what he was about to impart.

  “He was supposed to enter an apprentice program to become a low voltage electrician when he aged out of foster care. It was set up by his mentor through social services. It was also arranged for him to reside in this man’s home until such time he could afford his own place. This man received a stipend from the State to offset the cost of Wolfe’s rent.” Easton paused and looked at Silas.

  "I've seen this sort of set up before. It helps foster kids ease into society, and since the State is paying for part of the rent, the kid gets a social worker that checks on him at least once a month. It usually works out really well.” That disclaimer was followed by another cough and Silas prepared himself for the news.

  “Wolfe suffered a lot of bad luck. The man who set everything up and was providing him a home, his mentor, died of a massive heart attack a week after Wolfe moved in. No other provisions were made for him, so he was evicted from the house and apparently his apprenticeship fell through too. No clear statement as to the reason but there was a police report filed claiming Wolfe assaulted his boss. Wolfe spent a few days in jail but was released when the man withdrew his complaint.” Eason took a deep breath.

  “Social services cut him loose because he was eighteen and he spent the next year living on the streets. There are police reports indicating that he was picked up for loitering three times and once for solicitation. But that was during that first year, he’s had no arrests in the past nearly three years.”

  “They gave him hope and then just tossed him onto the street? That seems rather unjust.” Silas commented.

  "His caseworker went on Maternity leave and never came back, his case was transferred but never followed up on and . . ." Before Easton finish, Silas finished it for him.

  “And no one cared.” Silas stood and walked over to stare through the window at Wolfe sleeping and so still. He was going to be a handful, and Silas looked forward to it.

  “How did he get off the streets, or did he?” Silas turned back to regard Easton still seated with Ismael beside him.

  "He worked some low paying jobs, but it was enough to get him a studio in one of those converted motel setups, the kind that rent by the week. Most of his earnings were under the table, so to speak. He's been working for Ed Silky at the Silk Street bar in Toledo for the past eighteen months. He's one of the go-go boys or exotic dancers."

  “Do we know for sure that it was Raymond Roya who took him?” Silas asked.

  “Not definitively but all evidence points to Roya. I’m sure Wolfe will tell us when he wakes.” Ismael stood and walked over to where Silas was staring through the window at his beloved.

  "He will be a fine and capable partner in life, son." Ismael squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "He's young, but his life has made him a fighter.”

  …

  Wolfe opened his eyes and stared at the stark white ceiling, trying to remember what had happened. His body was sore, but he wasn't experiencing the pain from the many beatings by Raymond. He was stronger, still not up to full speed, but he was feeling stronger. Somehow, he was recovering, but how? The room was a hospital or medical center of some kind, but who would bring him here? No one cared what happened to him, and no one was looking for him.

  Then it all started to come back. The fight, the men trying to talk him down, and that handsome stranger who convinced him to drink the water. He surveyed as much of the room as he could see from where he was lying, and the first thing his eyes fell upon was that handsome stranger.

  He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, and he was holding Wolfe's hand. It was a loose grip, but the sensation it provided was boosting his strength and sense of well-being. There was no explanation for it perhaps relief, but it was more than just relief, it was renewal.

  The man looked pleased that Wolfe was awake. He’d told him his name before in that dank room, but he couldn’t remember. Although he did remember that he’d mentioned DuCane. “Do you work for DuCane?” Wolfe struggled to speak. The man reached over and got a cup of water and bent the straw so Wolfe could take a drink. He hesitated for a moment remembering the last time this man offered him water.

  "I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I swear this is just water and it will help ease your dry mouth." The man moved the straw towards him, and Wolfe believed him and took the cool water into his dry mouth and down his aching throat. It felt so good he drank until the man took the straw away.

  "Easy, take it slow." He said and set the cup to the side. "To answer your question, I am a soldier in Master Louis DuCane's army. I am a member of Coven DuCane, and my name is Silas Patronne. Do you know Master DuCane?" Silas asked.

  Wolfe shook his head. "No, but they were afraid of him. I heard them talking, and they feared he was coming, so they planned to leave. Hearing their fear eased some of my pain. I wanted DuCane to rip their fucking throats out." Wolfe turned to look at the handsome man once again, he knew Silas was a vampire, but he didn't act like the others, he was considerate and treated him with respect except for the drugging.

  "You drugged me." It was a statement, not a question.

  "It was the only way to calm you and get you to safety. We didn't have a lot of time. The place needed to be secured, cleansed, and destroyed before it drew unwanted attention." Everything he said made sense, but it could just be Wolfe's blurry mind? He loved the sound of this man's voice.

  “Why were you there?” Wolfe remembered Silas talking to him, in that small room and the calming tone of his voice and how it made him feel that he was safe, but he couldn’t remember the words only the sound. Now he worked to keep his focus on the words and not the way the sound of his voice made him feel.

  “My father’s beloved asked me to check out the Perrysburg Coven because he suspected that the brother of a friend was being held there against his will. The man was Simon Wielding, a construction laborer working in Toledo who was last seen at the Silk Street Bar in the company of a man named Raymond Roya." Silas paused. Wolfe couldn't control his reaction when Silas said that name. Roya was a monster, and Wolfe felt himself tense at the memory of the things he'd done to him.

  "Roya abducted you as well?" Silas asked, and Wolfe felt the man lean closer and tighten his grip on Wolfe's hand. He seemed as upset as Wolfe.

  Wolfe was suddenly unsure of the situation he found himself in. Silas looks like a good sort, but no one ever gave him a break, and he wasn't expecting one now. His best option was to get up and leave, but would this man stop h
im? Was he still a prisoner? Wolf didn't want to talk about Roya or any of this shit, he just wanted to go home and try to sort this all out on his own.

  “Am I a prison here?” He blurted needing that answer before any other questions.

  "You're not a prisoner, but you need to stay until you are well. The vampires that used you did considerable damage internally, and although you may be feeling better, you are not completely healed." Silas seemed tense, and Wolfe wasn't sure how to read it.

  Silas felt his panic begin to rise when Wolfe asked if he were a prisoner. That would be followed with when he could leave, and Silas was not ready for that conversation. He didn't want Wolfe ever to leave, and he certainly didn't want him out of his sight while in a compromised physical condition. "We haven't found the people who did this to you and the others. It is important that you remain under our protection until they are apprehended." Silas felt the man's tension spike the moment he made his last statement. Wolfe was not one to trust easily.

  "I won't be used." Wolfe grated out between clenched teeth, and he fought to get out of bed. Silas stood and took him by the shoulders and eased him back down onto the bed and held him there with a hand on each shoulder.

  "No one is going to use you here," Silas spoke directly and with considerable intensity. It was enough that Wolfe stopped struggling and looked up at Silas as he leaned over towards him. Silas was making it clear that he was not a man to be trifled with.

  “Those people, the ones who took you are an abomination to our kind. Their conduct threatens our anonymity and our very existence. Such repulsive acts were outlawed centuries ago and now carry a death sentence. We do not take such atrocities lightly." Silas took a breath, calming himself, and then continued. "You're under the protection of Coven DuCane. There's nowhere on this planet that you'd be safer than you are right here."

  The thought that anyone here would dare lay a hand on Wolfe was unthinkable, and Wolfe's fear of such was outrageous. He was Silas's beloved, and that was enough to garner the man deference and respect all on its own. But the fact that he fiercely resisted and was willing to fight to his death against those aberrations of the vampire species afforded him an added measure of admiration.

  Silas continued to look deeply into Wolfe’s surprised gaze and let his hands move to cradle the sides of his face. The craving to kiss those firm scowling lips surged through him, but he managed to resist and simply dropped a kiss to his forehead.

  Wolfe took a deep breath and studied the man standing over him. Silas was sincere with his words the strength and purpose rang through, and Wolfe would have been hard-pressed not to believe him. This was Coven DuCane, and they were not monsters. Not all vampires were soulless killers.

  Wolfe found himself staring at Silas's lips and wishing the kiss to his forehead had been more intimate, but they were strangers. He wanted Silas, his masculine features, dark hair, and his dark eyes with their prominent brow all came together to describe Wolfe's ultimate desire. But this guy was just there to help, he didn't feel anything for Wolfe apart from pity.

  “I don’t need your pity.” Wolfe verbalized his indignation and was taken aback when a smile suddenly graced the hard looks of the vampire holding him.

  "I'm not offering you any, but I am offering a safe place to stay while you heal and my friendship," Silas said and Wolfe had no come back for that. It sounded, as everything the man had said, sincere.

  Wolfe nodded, not ready to voice the words thank you just yet. Silas took the cup of water and put the straw back to Wolfe's lips. The coolness was so lovely he was sure he could feel the hydrating qualities the moment it hit his system. Raymond gave him little to drink, and even when he did, it was simply to make him strong enough to last another day. Another day to torture and slowly drain to his life away.

  When it was finished, Silas took the cup and set it aside but continued to touch him. His right hand smoothed the hair away from Wolfe's brow, and it was a comforting touch definitely not what Wolfe was used to. He took a deep breath and felt his eyes getting heavy, but it wasn't drugs this time, Wolfe knew the difference. He was tired and needed to sleep.

  "Go back to sleep my love, you need to rest in order to heal. We'll talk again when you wake. Sleep well, Wolfe." He felt the kiss again on his forehead, and the feather-light touches to his face, and then he was out.

  …

  Silas continued to check on him periodically throughout the night, but Wolfe slept deep and did not wake. It was a good restful sleep which would go far in bringing the man back to himself. Silas had fed him once more during the night and noticed the old revulsion to feeding others was definitely not present when it was his beloved he was feeding. In fact, he found the act quite erotic and going by the hard-on that Wolfe was sporting, he enjoyed it too.

  He met his father for breakfast in his quarters following another check on Wolfe. Easton was present for a few minutes but excused himself to go and oversee the installation of a new satellite connection and disruptor that he developed for the field agents. He was certain that Easton left in order to give Silas time alone with his father, and he appreciated his sensitivity and understanding.

  “He’s still asleep. The doctor said he may sleep for several more hours. If he wakes before I return, they will call me.” Silas felt on edge, expectant and restless all rolled into one as he waited to speak to his beloved once again.

  “Have you gotten any rest?” Ismael asked as he refilled Silas’s coffee.

  “A little.” He said but didn’t elaborate.

  "Your blood will heal him and assist in your bond. He will feel the pull just as you do, Silas. If Easton and I can come together and find common ground, then you and Wolfe will have no trouble at all." Ismael smiled, and Silas agreed with his statement.

  "I admit, I had my doubts in the beginning, but you two have made me quite jealous of your mutual love and devotion." Silas's sarcasm had Ismael laughing.

  "It was a hard road, but worth every step," Ismael told him.

  "Wolfe is a guarded and suspicious man. It will take me time and effort to get through to him, but I'll get there." Silas assured.

  “Ira left last night to join Caleb and Archer in Elkhart, Indiana.” Ismael changed the subject to a very serious topic. “Several of the members of the Perrysburg Coven were traced there. I didn’t alert you because you were with your beloved and there was no certainty that the men would be found. Your responsibility right now is to the care and healing of your beloved.” Ismael gave him the information and also explained himself.

  Silas nodded, but it was hard not being with Ira on this search. "These men are vermin, and they need to be exterminated."

  "And they will be," Ismael stated as fact.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  When Wolfe woke, he found that he was strong enough this time to sit up and swing his legs off the side of the bed. He looked around the room, but Silas was not there. He was surprised by the feeling of disappointment that came over him.

  He stretched and felt the pull of sore muscles, but apart from that, he felt physically okay. He wondered what they had done to make him heal so fast. Then the thought hit him, he wished Silas was there, he had questions and as much as he refused to admit it, he liked his company. Silas made him feel like everything was going to be okay. He knew it was ridiculous because he barely knew the guy and he shouldn't be having these feelings.

  Wolfe learned at an early age that it was dangerous to depend on people and even more dangerous to fall for them. Not a single soul in his life had ever come through for him, and he was stupid to think that Silas was going to be the first. He was hotter than hell and looked like he could handle any situation that came his way, and he made Wolfe want. Silas was dangerous. He had to keep a clear head and remember that no one had ever done him a favor that didn't end up costing him eventually.

  No free rides in this world kid, was what Ed had told him. It was cold, but it was true. Ed Silky found him sleeping in the alley behind his establ
ishment and offered him a job washing dishes. After working the kitchen for about six months, Ed asked him if he wanted to audition for a dancer position that had opened and the rest was history.

  It wasn't exactly his career of choice, but it kept a roof over his head, and for that, he was thankful. The clientele was basically middle-income businessmen and laborers from around the area, not many problems had arisen since he began dancing. Ed normally ran a strict no-touch policy that was adhered to mostly. Some dancers snuck around and met customers outside or in the back for paid pleasure, but Wolfe had not succumbed to that financial temptation as of yet anyway. Not that he didn't get plenty of offers.

  He told himself that he didn't want to look back at his time on this earth as having spent part of it as a whore. He tried not to judge others since everyone came from different experiences and were on different paths, but he often found their behavior gratuitous and tiring. The little extra they made was not worth the degradation, there were no high rollers at the Silk Street.

  His thoughts suddenly came forward to the night Raymond Roya walked in, and he felt a shiver course down his spine. Roya had the look of a heartless predator as he surveyed the dance floor and the patrons. The dancers stayed away from him, even the flirty ones, sensing his intent was dark.

  But that kid at the edge of the stage who was taking in the action but ignoring the danger lurking near was a prime target for such a slimeball as Roya. He lured the kid outside and Wolfe, contrary to his better judgment, followed fearing for his welfare. But in the end, Wolfe had been no help at all. He was no match for Roya and his accomplice outside. They took them both.

  Wolfe slumped where he sat as his thoughts turned to the darkness and despair of the time spent with the Perrysburg Coven. Up until they began feeding on him Wolfe had been blissfully unaware that vampires actually in reality existed. In the beginning, he assumed they were freaks pretending to be bloodsuckers, but as the days wore on the reality of his abductors became clear and with it his belief that death would be his only escape. Then came Silas; tall, forceful, and commanding into Wolfe’s dark and dirty tomb.