by Kira Stone
Teake projected thoughts of what could happen. The wooden beams inside the walls splintering into a thousand wooden projectiles, piercing the hearts of the undead. Unnaturally white bodies being trapped under the rubble as dawn broke over the horizon, burning any exposed flesh to cinders…
No! You lie!
The ground heaved again. More rocks fell from the walls of the ruined sanctuary. They were rapidly approaching the point of no return. Teake used all his will to keep from being crushed by forces around him as he tried to drag Sebastian into the realm of reason. Listen to Gaia if you will not heed me.
I’m no witch. I don’t need to bow to the laws of nature.
All who crawl upon her surface are subject to her. She will have your obedience, one way or another.
Haven’t I suffered enough? Why can’t she leave me alone?
A welter of confusing images flicked over the connection. Imperfect images, but it gave Teake a rough idea of what Sebastian was going through. He was as much at the breaking point as Gaia herself, and this bond had been the last straw.
Teake poured soothing acceptance and peace upon the vampire’s rage. Instead of redirecting his rage toward Teake instead of the universe at large as he expected, Sebastian collapsed in a heap on the fresh pile of rubble at his feet. The torrent of raw energy became a trickle, then stopped entirely. Teake sighed with relief. Considerable damage had been done to the rolling countryside around them, but it could have been far worse.
Teake sank to his knees on a small patch of grass. Sweat poured from his brow, but he was too tired to wipe it away. “For what it is worth, I am sorry.”
“Save it. Your words mean nothing to me.” The leather-clad vampire stood up, keeping his face averted so Teake couldn’t see the lie in his blue eyes. Little did Sebastian know that his mind broadcast the truth. I’m sorry too.
“Can I assume you will not attempt such a stunt again?”
“I would if I thought it’d get me out of this mess.” Sebastian prowled around the new rubble. “I’m Kassian’s partner, not yours.”
The ache of an old wound rose within Teake, the memory of losing Forrest. He pushed it away with a blast of ice-tinged air. “The situation does not have to be permanent. Once we conduct the Blood Oath, you may choose a different path, without penalty.”
What had been indistinct shouting at a distance slowly resolved into recognizable words -- people screaming for Sebastian and others they feared missing or worse. The vampire responded, guiding the searchers to their location. Soon the couple they’d passed earlier stepped out from the mangled bushes and into the nucleus of the disaster zone.
“Thank God, you’re okay!” Steven said, rushing forward. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
Sebastian stuck his battered hands into his pockets. “Yeah.”
“What the fuck is going on?” A dark-haired vampire, one Teake hadn’t seen before, joined them. His robe hung open, exposing a column of white skin from his throat to his toes. His cock was trussed up in an elaborate leather harness. Several ugly red welts adorned his chest and thighs.
“The witch and I had a disagreement. It got out of hand,” Sebastian explained.
“A human ruined my party and he’s still breathing?”
Ah, so the newcomer must be Kassian, Teake surmised.
Sebastian seemed distracted as he stared at his lover’s naked body. “He’s a witch, a human. It’s what they do.”
“He’s a witch,” Kassian mimicked in the same careless tone. “He destroyed my house, upset my guests. Embarrassed me! I want his fucking blood!”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” Lord Allen advised his friend. “He’s under the protection of the vampire council as long as he’s on our turf.”
“What about me? My friends? My fucking house? You sure as hell didn’t protect me from him.”
“That matter will receive a full investigation, I assure you of that.”
“That’s not good enough, Rani.”
Lord Allen didn’t so much as blink when hit with the full weight of Kassian’s angry stare. “That’s our law.”
Kassian tilted his head back and gazed up at the starry sky, as if seeking divine counsel. Then, quick as lightning, he launched himself at Teake. Somehow Lord Allen got there first and both vampires went down in a tangle of limbs at Teake’s feet.
When they broke apart, Kassian had added another bruise to his battered body. Rainer seemed untouched.
Kassian radiated anger, his fists clenched at his sides. “Stay out of this, Rainer.”
Lord Allen glared back, his body tightly coiled in preparation for the next attack. “You’re not a lord yet. My word still outranks yours. Would you like me to bring you up in front of the council for violating one of our oldest laws?”
“Fuck you, Rainer.”
“Not while I’m around,” Steven muttered softly. Louder, he said, “Look, it’s almost dawn. Why don’t we call a truce for tonight?”
“I’ll not have that piece of trash roaming around loose. He’s already ruined enough of my possessions,” Kassian replied hotly. The glare he directed at Sebastian was unmistakable; he obviously counted the blond vampire among his damaged goods.
Rainer brushed off his clothes. “No one is saying you’re required to put him up for the day. He’s welcome to stay with us if he likes.”
Teake’s response to that was gut-clenchingly visceral. He’d rather spend the daylight hours in a river of ravenous piranha. “No. That is not possible.”
“I can’t guarantee your safety otherwise,” Rainer pointed out.
As if staying with any vampire could be considered a safe act for a human. Teake knew of some -- perhaps the human known as Steven among them -- who liked the thrill of consorting with vampires. Teake didn’t count himself among them. “I can see to my own safety.” It was a struggle, but he forced himself to add, “I thank you for your consideration.”
“Suit yourself,” Rainer replied with a shrug. “Seb, what about you?”
“As long as the only thing that collapses on Kass’s bed is me, I’ll be fine too.”
Kassian shook his head. “Not tonight, you’re not.”
Sebastian ran a hand over his haggard face. “Look, can we skip the dom routine tonight? I promise to beg pretty tomorrow, but right now I have a splitting headache and a craving for sleep that even the dead can’t equal.”
“Sleep or die, I no longer care. From now on, I’ll be sharing my bed with another.”
Teake felt the sting of shock echo over their still tenuous connection as Sebastian replied, “Who?”
“Me.”
A feminine figure moved out of the shadows. Like Kassian, she wore nothing but a robe she hadn’t troubled to close. Red hair, a most unnatural shade approximating fresh blood, hung in a tangled mess down her back.
“Marta?” Sebastian was seething.
Teake sensed they knew each other, and the revulsion was mutual.
“Ah, there you are. I’d wondered where you’d gone,” Kassian said in greeting.
The woman flattened herself against his side, a leech clamping onto fresh prey. Kassian put his arm around her shoulders as she rubbed her body against his. His fingers toyed with her bare breast in full view of everyone.
She gazed at Sebastian, her dark eyes glittering with victory. “Making sure a few of your more… distraught guests got home safely.”
“How thoughtful of you, my dear. It’s nice to know that someone is looking out for my best interests.”
“I’m always willing to give you a hand.” Literally as well as figuratively it seemed, for Marta reached out to stroke the angry vampire’s bound cock.
Teake worried that whatever distress the blond vampire felt now would cause him to finish what he’d started, total destruction of the region. Thankfully, Sebastian appeared to have his emotions under control. For the moment.
Thus reassured that they weren’t in imminent danger, Teake turned his attention to the vam
pire he was obligated to bless with a Blood Oath. Any respect he might have managed to dredge up for Kassian vanished as his paid whore -- for Teake couldn’t imagine her to be anything else -- continued to manipulate his cock in front of the small gathering. No man, dead or alive, deserved to have his face rubbed in a partner’s betrayal so publicly.
“As you can see, Sebastian, there will be no room for you in my bed tonight.”
“I’ll find another room to sleep in then,” Sebastian said, his voice tight.
“As long as it’s not under my roof, I don’t care where you go. I’m done babysitting you.” Kassian turned his back on the group, Marta moving with him like a second skin. When he got to the place where the hedges began, he glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, and Seb? Don’t call on us too early when you come to remove your meager possessions tomorrow. I have a feeling we’ll be… occupied for some time.”
As they sauntered out, Steven embraced Sebastian. “You’ll stay with us. No problem.”
“Slight problem,” Rainer corrected. “Teake has refused our hospitality, and one can’t be separated from the other. Unless I’ve misread the situation?”
“You are correct, Lord Allen.”
Steven nudged Sebastian, who still gazed at the spot where his partner had disappeared through the damaged foliage. “I hate it when Rani gets cryptic. Do you know what they’re talking about?”
The blond vampire slowly sank to the ground as if his legs had deflated. “I’m enslaved to the witch until the oath is over.”
“What?” Steven spun around to face Teake. “No being owns another against his will. No one!”
Teake silently applauded the human’s loyalty toward his undead friend, even though it was another conflict they didn’t need right now. “Mother Nature does. I am as much a slave to him as he is to me. That is Gaia’s will.”
“So if he wants to stay with us, you’ll come?”
Slowly, Teake shook his head. He wouldn’t spend a night under the roof of the vampire who had murdered Forrest, no matter how unfair that decision might seem to Sebastian. “No.”
“He’ll die in the sunlight. Have you forgotten that?” Steven demanded.
Teake let a little of his power seep out to convince Steven he told the truth. “If I had any doubt Sebastian would come to harm while in my care, I would not risk it. The sunlight will not harm him, I promise.”
Steven didn’t look convinced. “Rani, do you trust him?”
Teake withstood the vampire lord’s probing gaze. Finally, Lord Allen said, “Trust, no. However, because of their bond, what hurts one will hurt the other. I do believe the witch cares enough for his own hide to keep Seb safe.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find us.” Steven went to his lover’s side. “Let’s get you home. Seb might be safe come dawn, but I’m not taking any chances with you.”
They left the clearing, arms wrapped around each other. Teake felt Sebastian’s heart tighten with longing. It echoed the deep ache in Teake’s own breast. He hadn’t been that close to someone, had that kind of mutual caring, since Forrest. The difference for Teake was that he knew he’d never fall in love again. Sebastian was still chasing that dream.
Teake couldn’t help him there, but he could help the young vampire survive long enough to find his soul mate, should Gaia will it. “Come on. Let us choose a place to make our bed.”
Chapter 4
Looming Darkness
Sebastian stretched out on the pile of broken rock as if it were a feather bed. “This’ll do for me.”
“I thought your death wish only applied to humans.”
He sat up, his blue eyes narrowed with mistrust. “You told Rani you could protect me from the sun.”
“I can.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Teake sighed heavily. He’d exerted more energy than he’d had to spare. His system was out of balance, and the last thing he needed was to start another argument with his rebellious Guardian. “I will deflect the sunlight so it cannot touch you, but it takes energy. The smaller the area I have to cover, the longer I can maintain the shield.”
“Great, so not only am I bound to a meat-eating witch, but he’s also a weak one. Gaia must really hate me.” He launched himself off the rocks and landed a few feet away from Teake. “I guess we’re shacking up with Rani after all.”
“You are wrong on two counts.” Teake extended tendrils of thought, searching for a space among the rocks and trees big enough for their needs.
“This should be good,” Sebastian muttered. “Tell me, O Great Witch, how am I wrong?”
“First, we are not seeking shelter in the house of Lord Allen.”
“Sure, because you have to make my existence as uncomfortable and complicated as possible. Got it. And number two?”
“I do not eat meat.” Teake expanded on a promising lead nearby and followed it into the ground. It opened into a chamber. Seemed big enough for their needs, but he had to find the entrance and check it out to say for sure. “Are there any caves nearby?”
“I’m not sleeping in a cave,” Sebastian retorted.
“A lot of animals spend their days in a cave or hole, coming out at night to feed. You should be quite comfortable.”
Sebastian got in his face. “I’m not an animal.”
Exhaustion was turning Teake’s limbs into lead weights. Good thing, too, otherwise he might be tempted to kiss the indignation from Sebastian’s handsome face. “I meant no offense.”
“Like hell you didn’t. You hate vampires, even Rainer who is one of the best friends a human could have around here.”
With friends like the murdering vampire lord, Teake didn’t see a reason for the locals to cultivate additional enemies. “I do not need Lord Allen’s friendship.”
A bit of seek and find revealed a cellar under the remains of the old church. The fresh fractures in the surrounding rock made it likely that Sebastian’s temper tantrum had uncovered it. It could have been a communal cellar for the storage of goods during the winter months. It could have been used for many other things over the years too. The detritus left behind had no clear purpose.
However, there was an earthen shelf that could serve as a bed. Best of all, the only part Teake had to shield from the sun was the narrow entryway.
Sebastian stuck his head through the opening. “What’s that? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Our bedroom.” Not comfortable with how cozy that sounded, Teake hurried on. “At least for today.”
Sebastian ducked under a low, bowed ceiling beam and joined Teake in the damp enclosure. “I have to tell you, witch, I’m not impressed. The first night I spent with Kassian, I got a luxury suite and a bottle of good champagne out of the deal.”
By the dark shadows crossing over the man’s pale face, Teake surmised that the memory was far less pleasant than the words conveyed. “I do not bribe men to sleep with me.”
“No, you just tie them up.”
The accusation stung. He’d never forced himself on an unwilling partner. Could the vampire say the same? “You are safe from my advances, I assure you.”
“All that drivel about helping me celebrate my bond with the earth was meaningless, wasn’t it? You used me to suit your own purpose, just as Kass --”
Sebastian choked off the rest of that response. Teake didn’t need the link to finish it for him. Just as Kass used me. Why would the vampire stay with another who treated him so poorly? Surely he’d had other offers. His rough and ready nature combined with good looks and a sly sense of humor…
For a second, Teake went back in time. His hand around the vampire’s cock. The smell of sex, sweat and leather. The power that had surged through both of them as Sebastian came…
To hide his growing erection and distract himself from further pointless recollections, he said, “It is time to seal us in.”
* * *
In the early morning air, disquiet filled Teake’s mind. They’d been l
ying side-by-side for only a short while before strange thoughts entered his consciousness. He could sense Sebastian beside him, but there was no faint stirring of breath or steady respiration brushing against his arm. A living spirit trapped inside a dead body. Unnatural.
Teake started to tremble. Panic surged through his veins. It made no sense, but the feeling persisted despite his best attempts to shun it. He needed to get outside where there was room to breathe. He had only to make it to the cellar door. Escape would be easy. He tossed off the heavy cloak he’d spread over both of them.
He thought the vampire was too deep into his unnatural slumber to notice, but Sebastian stirred when the cold air slapped their bodies. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
As if a switch had been thrown, the panic receded. Teake’s mind cleared. It was almost… magical. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Whatever.”
They both settled down again. Teake closed his eyes and reached for the darkness. Almost immediately, the panic returned.
Unnatural.
Trapped.
Can’t breathe.
Again, Teake sat up with his heart beating frantically in his throat. He’d never experienced terror like this before. What on Gaia’s Green Bosom was wrong with him?
Groggily, Sebastian spoke. “What is it this time?”
As before, the trapped feeling receded the second the vampire woke. Could it be these feelings belonged to his Guardian rather than himself? “Nothing. Sorry. It will not happen again.”
But it did, the second they were on the verge of sleep. Fighting to control the fear swamping his mind, Teake reached out for Sebastian via the mind link they shared. One fast glance was all it took to confirm his hunch. Though it made little sense, the vampire feared the interval when his flesh would become inert, unresponsive even to his own commands.
Now that Teake knew the cause, what could he do about it? Should he even attempt to do anything at all? Sebastian hadn’t been very open to his assistance thus far.