he was being honest when he said he didn’t even know he
had done it. I think someone has taken the memory away,
not that I can work out how. I think maybe he had to make
you, so you could save him. Love is such a strange thing
don’t you think?”
Charm sighed before she continued. “I think he real y
does love you. Just as much you love him, and you do love
him. You know that don’t you? Even though he has hurt you
badly, and wil more than likely do so again, you wil forgive
him every single time. Because this is what love is al
about. In the end, he wil be the one who saves you. When
you lose your pure happiness, he wil bring you to your
loyalty — the one who wil be your greatest love of al .”
“How can I love him? He’s a monster.” Michael shook his
head. “I am not sure I even believe in the stupid dreams
anymore. I didn’t even know I was gay and now you are
tel ing me I wil love three different men during the span of
my life.”
“We’re al monsters.” Charm giggled, “And no one ever
said that al your loves would be male. You can’t help the
ones you fal in love with. There is something stronger which
holds al our love together. Take Kerr; he loves me as a
sister, even though I drive him total y insane at times. I know
he wil always have my back. It’s the same thing which
binds you to my angel, only stronger because the love you
two feel is more than brotherly love. No matter how mad you
are with him right now, you wil soon offer your life for his,
because this is what love is al about. In the end you wil
give up your happiness for his.” She bumped his shoulder
playful y. “And just so you know, the dreams are real. They
have to be.”
They walked along in silence for the remainder of the
journey home.
“We’re home.” Charm cal ed out as they entered the
kitchen. She winked at Kerr, “I found him and now he is
going to go get Chris.” She turned her attention back to
Michael. “Now go and find him. Remember, you promised,
go and find my angel.”
Michael nodded, then dropped his bag on the table and
stared at Kerr. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone,” Kerr said coldly, “He broke the rules.”
The coldness in Kerr’s voice made Michael feel empty.
When Charm had told him they had sent Christian away,
part of him didn’t want to believe it. Part of him was hoping
Christian would be here, waiting for him. Maybe not with
arms open, but at least wil ing to talk, or something.
“Any idea where he is? If I don’t find him, we’l have two
missing people on our hands.” Michael nodded toward
Charm. “She wants him found, and I can’t disappoint the
lady. Besides, you heard her, she made me promise.”
Anger rippled through the room as Kerr repeated
through clenched teeth. “He broke the rules. ”
“Yeah he did, but rules are made to be broken aren’t
they? Besides, Charm seems to think he was tel ing the
truth about not remembering. I’m not saying I’m okay with
this, because I’m not. I’m angry, but we cannot leave him
out there on his own. I think somehow Chris is the key to
this whole creator thing. Why else would I dream about it so
often?”
Fal ing silent, Michael didn’t add he also thought Charm
was right about him wanting to forgive Christian. Even he
didn’t understand the compulsion, or even as Michael had
held him pinned against the wal , he had stil kissed
Christian’s throat. Shit, if he was honest he stil wanted to
kiss him roughly, until Christian hurt as much as he did.
Kerr’s gaze flicked between Michael and Charm before
he spoke. “When I first found Chris and brought him here,
he was living in a house on Range Crescent. You can’t
miss it — it’s no larger than a cottage. It’s made out of
stone, and is probably about halfway along the road. It had
belonged to his grandfather or something. Chris is probably
there now. I think it is where he goes when he is upset.”
Kerr stopped speaking as he gazed at Charm and then
turned to Michael. “Do what you must.”
Nodding, Michael didn’t say anything as he headed for
the door. Range Crescent was only eight blocks away,
heading toward the outskirts of town. It was in easy walking
distance. What was he going to say if he found Christian?
Did he want to say anything at al ? How would Christian
take his reappearance?
§ § § §
Sebastian sat in the stone tower and closed his eyes,
chuckling to himself as he watched the downfal of Christian
and Michael’s love affair. The Eldren had promised him if
he gathered the information they needed — the information
that would bring Michael under their control — then they in
turn would destroy Christian’s life for his part in the demise
of Sebastian’s lover, Ilana. Christian must pay for taking
away Ilana. She had been his, and Christian had no right to
dispose of her the way he did.
“What do you want?” Sebastian snarled when he felt her
presence enter the room.
“I have spoken to Lucio,” she said with a sneer. And with
her tone he knew he wasn’t going to like whatever it was
she had come to say.
“And?” Sebastian gestured for her to continue. He knew
he would get no peace until she had said her piece.
“He is returning to me what once was mine.” She
chuckled as Sebastian’s opened his eyes and stared at
her. “Lucio is giving me Christian to do with as I wil .”
Sebastian’s hand slammed down on the arm of his
chair. “No! Christian is mine.”
She snarled. “See, there you are wrong. Christian was
mine long before he was ever yours.” She had the audacity
to wink at him before she turned and left.
Picking up his glass, Sebastian threw it at the closing
door. Fury roared through him as he listened to her cal ous
laughter fading away.
Standing up, he paced the confines of his room. How
could they do this to him? Christian was supposed to be his
reward. How could they give Christian to that bitch?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sure I regret it — now.
As Michael approached the house he found Christian
sitting outside on the low wal staring at the front of the little
stone cottage. Walking up he saw Christian had a bag of
clothes at his feet. Hopelessness surrounded him and he
looked devastated. The cottage was familiar to Michael,
but he just couldn’t put his finger on why. Had he been here
before? Michael stood close behind Christian, close
enough to see the tremor run through his body. He fought
the urge to wrap his arms around Christian. Honestly he
wasn’t quite sure whether he was ready to seek comfort, or
to give it just yet. They were silent for a long time.
“I think this is where I did it,” Christian mutter
ed.
Christian’s face seemed to be lost in memories and
regrets. “I think this is where I changed you. I couldn’t bring
myself to go inside. I’m scared shitless of what I might find.
It smel s so wrong. Does it smel wrong to you?”
Something held him back so Michael didn’t voice his
agreement as Christian opened his clenched fist and held
out the key toward him. It was obvious just how much
Christian’s hand shook as he al owed him to take it. Taking
a deep breath, Michael squeezed gently. He knew
Christian wouldn’t fol ow as he walked toward the front of
the house, his trepidation growing with every step he took.
Memories niggled at his mind and Michael felt strange
as he unlocked the door and pushed it open. His nerves
almost failed him. Christian was right; the wrongness in
smel was the first thing to hit him as stepped inside. But he
wasn’t nearly prepared enough for what he found.
“Holy Fuck!” Michael jumped in shock before quickly
turning to the side, doubling over, and vomiting, his
stomach churning at the sight before him. His gaze locked
on the two bloodless corpses that lay at the end of the bed,
thrown aside as if they were nothing. They looked like
petrified wood, their clouded eyes were lifeless and staring,
their mouths open as if in a terrified scream. Had he done
this to them? If so, why couldn’t he remember? What was
blocking the memories of what happened?
Clothing was strewn across the floor. Michael wanted to
scream when he recognised some of it was his own, black
jeans and the dragon shirt Gypsy had given him last
Christmas.
Trembling, he walked to the bed. His and Christian’s
scents came to him, stale and unappealing. What had they
done here and why couldn’t he remember? Michael refused
to acknowledge the two corpses as he pul ed his matches
from his pocket and lit one. He didn’t want to look too
closely in case he recognized who they were. What if they
had once been friends? Michael threw the lit match onto the
bed, watching as the sheets caught fire, eating any and al
sins had occurred in this house. Michael was stil feeling
sick as he turned and fled the cottage.
Relief hit him when Christian was stil sitting on the wal
when he emerged. Trying desperately to calm himself,
Michael made sure his face was a mask of indifference as
he came out. He was determined he would never speak
about what he found inside. It was bad. It was something he
never wanted to think about again because whatever
happened here, Michael knew he was a very big part of.
Thank God there were no other houses close by. Maybe the
cottage would burn to the ground before what was inside
ever came to light.
Michael tugged on Christian’s hand until he stood
beside him and he didn’t let go even as they walked away.
The fire inside the little house had real y taken hold and by
morning there would be nothing left except an empty shel ,
hopeful y destroying al evidence of what had once been
kept secreted inside
With his stomach stil churning, Michael shuddered as
they approached the corner and turned onto Bushman’s hil ,
his stomach was winning the battle to empty itself again.
“We’re going home,” Michael stated. “We’re never coming
here again.”
They walked in silence to the bottom of the hil .
“Are we even now? I took away your life so you destroy
my home?” Christian cringed at the withering look Michael
threw at him.
“No, I guess we wil never be even,” Christian continued.
“Where can I go now? The family doesn’t want me there. I
have no where left to go.” Tears clogged his voice.
“Not everyone wants you gone, Chris. Charm wants you
back at home, she sent me out to find you. She made me
promise to find you and bring you home.”
Michael must have sensed Christian’s confusion
because he squeezed his hand in comfort. “Don’t think I
have forgiven you, because I haven’t. I don’t know if I can,
but I need you to come home. I want you there.”
“Why do you want me there?”
Michael was silent for a moment. “I just do. It may just
take me a little time to work through being angry with you.”
“Then why are you stil holding my hand?” No sooner
were the words out of his mouth than he regretted saying
them. Pain rushed through him as Michael realized they
were and let him go.
Christian’s face crumpled. “No one wil ever forgive me.
We were never ever meant to make another of our kind —
that was the golden rule. It’s the reason why you were so
much of a shock. And al along it was me. Do you think I
created the others? Do you think I murdered al of them
too?”
“No. Sebastian is pissed at you for making me. That’s
why he wants to destroy you and why Charm thinks I wil die
for you. Not because I’m in love with you, but because you
created me.”
Christian felt so confused. “I don’t understand.” Michael
must have thought he was talking about something else, not
realising Christian was real y asking if he was stil in love
with him.
“Nobody does, and the only thing we have to go on is
some crazy arsed dreams. Until this whole mess is sorted
out, you will be coming home with me and you will be
staying,” Michael said with conviction as they walked up to
the house.
Fear wracked him and Christian balked as Michael
pushed him through the front door.
The moment he entered the house, Charm threw herself
at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You came
back. Thank God.” It was as if Charm had been standing
just inside the door, waiting for them. “Don’t you ever leave
again,” she growled with force. As weird as it seemed,
Christian loved the fact Charm wanted him back in the
house. It was Doyle, Kerr, and Michael he had to worry
about.
Feeling the need for some distance, Michael grabbed
his bag off the table where he had left it earlier and headed
straight to the attic room. Right now he didn’t want to watch
as Christian awkwardly tried to comfort Charm. The attic
room would now be his. Real y, Michael was stil too angry
to even think about returning to his old room and too
disgusted in himself for wanting to be there, wanting to be
wrapped within Christian’s embrace, wanting to feel
Christian’s skin against his own, and wanting to do so
much more. Why did Christian’s body stil cal to him even
after he discovered it was Christian who had fucked up his
life beyond repair?
Sleep was far from his mind as Michael spent the rest of
the night stacking everything against the wal s so he had
enough space to breathe. By dawn he was exhausted and
fel eagerly onto the bed. As he lay there relaxing he
was cleaning. As tired as he was, he didn’t want to sleep
because he knew the voice would be back. But it was a
battle he lost.
Michael watched the fog roll across the ground. It
seemed as though it was alive. It wound itself around his
body like living tendrils of smoke coming up to kiss him.
In the silence the voice waited for Michael to speak.
“I know who you are. You created the rest of them, all
except me. Are you scared?” Michael waited for a
response and when none came he continued. “You
should be. I’m going to destroy you. One way or another I
will see you dead.”
“Ha!” It was short and simple, and very childish. “You
don’t know what you are talking about. You have no power
over me. The one time you did, you let the pain of the
truth get in your way. Now you have lost him.”
“You’re wrong,” Michael spat back. “Chris will always be
mine. Just because I’m angry doesn’t mean I have lost
him. We will—” Michael stopped, struck by a sudden
realization, “Is this why you told me what you did? So I
would push him away? It’s not me you are frightened of is
it? It’s the two of us together. I wonder why.”
Michael woke as an angry scream ripped through his
entire being. There was now a clear understanding in his
thoughts. It was not he who was going to be the creator’s
undoing, it was going to be him and Christian together.
Christian! What was he going to do about him? Stroking
the empty spot beside him, Michael pushed himself up off
the bed and descended down to his other room.
Christian was snoring lightly, sprawled across most of
the bed. A smal bunch of feathers was perched on the
pil ow beside his head. Rubbing his arms, Michael watched
them for a few moments, deciding what to do. Careful y,
Michael moved Drack back to his perch. Standing beside
the bed he hesitated for only a moment longer before he
stripped off his clothes, and manoeuvred himself into bed.
As he snuggled closer, Christian stirred in his sleep but
didn’t wake as Michael wrapped his arm around him.
Satisfied that Christian was stil asleep, Michael pul ed
Christian close, spooning him, gently kissing his shoulder,
and then closed his eyes fal ing into a dreamless sleep .
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