Tamir woke as the sun was setting, curled up around Vidar's body. He stretched, climbing carefully from under the covers, trying not to wake Vidar. Vidar's waist-length hair was tied back in a braid, which had curled around his neck as he slept.
Tamir slipped from the room to find Amanda standing in the doorway. She glanced up at him, and back to the ground. Her left eye was black and there was a cut above her eyebrow. Neither had been there that morning.
"Do you need something, Master Tamir?" she asked meekly.
"What happened to you?" Tamir asked, reaching out to lift her jaw. She backed away just enough that he couldn't touch her.
"Nothing. Just the result of falling over last night. It's nothing." She reached up and hid her face behind her hair. "Did you need something?"
"Just—just something to eat please, Amanda. And something for Vidar as well."
Amanda nodded, scurrying down the hallway as fast as she could without running. Tamir puzzled over her behaviour, but was distracted by Vidar's arms wrapping around his waist. He leaned backward and kissed Vidar's neck. "Good morning."
"What are you doing out here, cica?" Vidar asked quietly, resting his head on the back of Tamir's neck. "You're supposed to be in bed asleep with me."
Tamir turned around and wrapped his arms around Vidar's neck, kissing the man. "Just ordering dinner, that's all. Do you know what happened to Amanda's face?"
"Something's wrong with her?" Vidar asked, fighting a yawn. "She sounded fine to me."
"She's got a black eye and a cut above her eyebrow, Vidar."
Vidar shrugged. "Amanda's a great housekeeper, I'm not saying she's not. But she's a bit clumsy. She probably hit it on a cupboard or something." He stepped backwards, pulling a willing Tamir with him, and closed the door. "Come watch the sun setting with me, cica."
~ * ~
Tamir sat in the lounge room, flicking through the television channels. He was bored and on his own. Vidar had taken Amanda and his housekeeper out to do some grocery shopping, and Tamir had declined the invitation. He regretted that decision now.
A knock on the door woke Tamir from the Oprah rerun he'd been sleeping through. He put the remote down and got up, trying not to yawn. He wandered down the hall pulling on his shirt, and opened the door a crack.
"Can I help you?"
The man on the other side of the door smiled at Tamir, and Tamir could tell he was attempting charm. "I'm looking for Vidar Gentson."
"He'll be back in a few minutes," Tamir said, fighting to smile at the man, to appear polite. "Come back then."
Tamir started to close the door, but the man rested his hand on the wood, stopping him. Tamir frowned at the man, confused by the strength the man was showing, holding the door open.
"I think I'll wait inside," the man said, and shoved the heavy wooden barrier. Tamir stumbled back, and the man entered, closing the door behind him. "You said he would not be long."
Tamir didn't know what to do. He didn't know this pale, golden-eyed man, and he didn't know what kind of relationship Vidar had with him. He didn't want to offend the guy, but, at the same time, he didn't think the stranger should be waiting inside. I shouldn't have opened that door.
"The—the lounge room is that way." Tamir directed the man in the right direction, backing away. There was something about the way the man was watching him that scared him. It was almost predatory, and definitely hungry.
The man inclined his head and moved towards the lounge. He sat down and watched Tamir, his golden eyes catching Tamir's gaze. The familiar trance-like feeling overtook Tamir, and he walked over hesitantly to sit on the coffee table in front of the stranger.
"What is your name, pretty?" the man cooed, reaching out to touch Tamir's thigh.
"My name is Tamir. I'm Vidar's…friend."
The man smiled, reaching up and cupping Tamir's cheek. "That's a pretty name. Are you Vidar's new toy, Tamir?"
"I'm not a toy." He wanted to pull back, but the man's gaze held him immobile.
The man leaned forwards, and Tamir found himself mirroring the stranger. Their lips touched, and he smiled, relaxing. This blond man was so much like Vidar, he couldn't help but feel safe with him…
The man pulled back, smiling. He pulled Tamir onto his lap, forcing the young man to straddle him, and kissed his neck. The golden trance broken, Tamir tried to get up, but the man sank his teeth into his shoulder and his nails into his arms, holding him still on the stranger's lap. Blood welled on his shoulder, and Tamir cried out with the pain.
Tamir tried to fight the man off, but Vidar's doppelganger sucked at his blood, his super-strong arms holding him still. Tamir tried to shove himself off the man's lap, but there was no getting around that super-strong grip.
Something grabbed his shoulders and pulled, reefing him from the man's lap. His nails scratched Tamir, blood welling on his arms, as the man's teeth tore at his shoulder, blood flowing from the wound. Tamir looked up at the man standing in front of him, facing the stranger on the sofa. Vidar.
"Migdür. How dare you touch my Tamir?" Vidar snarled, crouching in front of Tamir in a defensive position, ready to strike.
"Vidar—"
"Upstairs, to your room now, Tamir." Vidar didn't look away from the uninvited guest. "Amanda will see to your wounds."
"Vidar, I'm sorry, I didn't know—"
"Tamir, go."
Tamir inclined his head, holding his shoulder in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He avoided the twin golden gazes and almost ran for the stairs. Tears dripped down his face almost as fast as the blood rushing from his shoulder.
Amanda was waiting outside Tamir's door. She swore when she saw the blood on his clothes, and hurried to catch him when he collapsed.
~ * ~
Vidar held tightly to Migdür's throat, baring his teeth at the other man. His canines where sharp, sharper then they'd been in a long time. "You touched my cica," he growled, his voice animalistic. "No one ever touches my cica, Migdür."
The other man gasped for breath, clinging to Vidar's hand in an attempt to relieve the pressure on his throat. Vidar squeezed harder until the man passed out. Vidar dropped him, spitting in his prone face. His gel-like fluid clung to the man's hair, glistening in the light of the TV.
"Brendan!" Vidar called, hauling the intruder onto his shoulders. The butler appeared in the doorway, bowing. "Get the shovel. You're going to help me."
Amanda charged into the room, panting and shaking. "Master! He collapsed, and I can't get the bleeding to stop!"
Vidar dumped the man from his shoulders, running towards the stairs. "Brendan, deal with him! Amanda, with me!"
Vidar almost flew up the stairs, three at a time, anxious to get to Tamir. He knew something bad must have happened to the young man for him to climb onto his brother's lap, especially after the memories of the streets that Tamir had shared with him.
Vidar grabbed the doorway to turn the corner into Tamir's room, his nails gauging small chunks from the wood as he held on. Tamir lay on his bed, blood-soaked towels pressed to his neck. Vidar ran to his bedside and pulled the towels from Tamir's neck, pressing his lips to the wound and trying not to taste Tamir's blood. If the red liquid danced on his tongue, he'd drink, and Tamir couldn't afford to lose any more blood.
His gel saliva coated the wound, preventing Tamir from bleeding out any further. Vidar repeated the action with the scratches on Tamir's arms, even though they weren't that major. Losing more blood, even that small amount, could be the difference between Tamir surviving, and not.
Vidar sat beside Tamir, smoothing down his hair. His unnaturally pale skin was unfortunately familiar to Vidar.
Sending Amanda off with the dirty towels, Vidar climbed under the covers with Tamir, snuggling close. Resolving not to fall asleep, Vidar rested his head on Tamir's shoulder, careful of his injured arm, and closed his eyes.
Reassured by Tamir's rising chest and thumping heart, Vidar finally succumbed to sleep.
~ * ~
Tamir slept for three days, his colour slowly returning with each hour that passed. Vidar stayed by his side, determined to speak to him when he awoke. He had questions that needed to be answered.
Vidar had seen to the burial of his brother, in the dark depths of his back garden. Migdür would dig himself out, eventually, but not for a few months. He would have to dig upwards almost thirty feet and through a concrete box; Vidar had that cell created for any unwanted family that managed to hunt him down.
Vidar rubbed his eyes on the morning of the fourth day, puzzled at the empty bed beside him. The toilet flushed and he looked to the closed bathroom door, waiting.
Tamir emerged, his balance a bit off. He rested a hand on the wall to steady himself and glanced up at Vidar. He smiled uncertainly as he made his way back to the bed.
"I'm sorry, Vidar," Tamir said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and turning to look at Vidar over his shoulder. "He forced his way inside, and then his eyes, they caught me, like yours do, and I couldn't—"
Vidar pressed a finger to Tamir's lips, resting his weight on his elbow. "Shh, Tamir, it's okay. I understand." Hypnotism! Migdür used hypnotism on my cica! That bastard!
Tamir sat back, resting his head on Vidar's stomach. "I feel so bad for doing it, Vidar."
"Shh, it's okay, Tamir. It wasn’t your fault."
Vidar lay back, resting his arm over Tamir's shoulders. Tamir gripped his arm, holding it close, his face turned towards Vidar's. "My neck hurts like hell. What did he do to me?"
"He bit you and caused a lot of damage when I pulled you from his grip. It'll take a while for your body to heal, so don't get the gel wet." Vidar kissed Tamir's forehead. "I'm sorry," he whispered, looking the man in the eye.
"It's okay." Tamir pressed a finger to the bite wound in his neck. "No one's bitten me like this before. Except you, that is," he said, with a timid smile. "But you don’t almost kill me doing it. With you, it feels good. With him… it was just terrifying." He kissed the crook of Vidar's elbow. "I don’t want anyone to touch me ever again. Except for you."
"He won't touch you again," Vidar promised, rubbing Tamir's shoulder. "No one will hurt you again."
Tamir crawled up the bed and lay with Vidar, wrapping himself around Vidar's cooler body. He mumbled something, but Vidar missed it. Instead, Tamir's stomach grumbled.
Vidar smiled. "Come on, cica. You need to eat."
Tamir buried his face into Vidar's neck in protest. Vidar smiled and sat up, removing Tamir's pillow. Tamir glared at him, but reluctantly climbed from the bed again. The pair got dressed, then, arms linked, went down to breakfast.
~ * ~
Tamir rubbed at his scarred neck as he walked into the kitchen. Amanda, who was icing a cake, looked up at him in puzzlement.
"Is there something I can do for you, Master Tamir?" she asked, pushing some hair out of her eyes and leaving a streak of icing on her forehead.
"No thanks, Amanda. I'm alright." He smiled at her, then frowned. "How did you get that bruise on your neck?"
Amanda blushed. "Nothing. Just hit my neck on a drawer this morning. If you don't need anything, Master Tamir, I must ask why you are down here."
"I wanted to make Vidar something to eat," he said smiling at her. "I've been here for over six months and I don't think I've ever seen him eat anything."
Amanda smiled at him, though her eyes were wary. "I can assure you, Master Tamir, that Master Vidar gets all the sustenance he needs."
"Still, I'd like to cook him something—"
Amanda smiled at him again, gently pushing him towards the door, despite his protests. "I can assure you, Master Tamir, I don't need any help feeding Master Vidar—"
She stopped, snatching her hands back from his chest when Vidar appeared in the room. He glanced first at Timar's chest, then at Amanda. She blushed, putting her hands behind her back and bowed her head. Tamir looked between the two of them, confused. Something was happening here, and he was sure it wasn't good.
"What—?"
"Your bath's ready, Tamir," Vidar said in his soft voice, smiling at him. "I came to see if you wanted company."
"Sure," Tamir said, He glanced between Amanda and Vidar, then grabbed Vidar's hand. "Come on."
"You go on ahead, cica," Vidar said with a gentle smile and a small tug to release his hand. "I'm just going to get something from the kitchen, then I'll be up."
"Oh. Okay." He looked between Vidar and Amanda, then shrugged.
He walked off, heading around the corner in the wall. He didn't like the look Vidar was giving Amanda, and decided to stay around in case something happened. He made sure to hit the creaky stair a few steps up, but then carefully stood in the corner at the bottom of the stairs that looked around the wall to the doors of the kitchen.
"I told you not to touch him, Amanda. Did you not benefit from the last lesson?" Vidar hissed, his eyes narrowed in fury.
Tamir's eyes narrowed as well, puzzling it out. What was Vidar on about, the 'last lesson'? Surely Vidar couldn't mean he—
Vidar lashed out, catching Amanda on the cheek. "He is mine only, Amanda. You are not to touch him. You take your orders from me, not him." Vidar stood above Amanda, his teeth bared.
Tamir stared in horror, then felt his lip curl back. That bastard. Tamir had thought Vidar to be a very gentle soul, but it seemed was he wrong. Tamir's fists tightened, but he didn't move. If he touches Amanda again…
Vidar crouched in front of Amanda, who had sunk to her knees. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her up, close to his face so he could look her in the eye, and lifted her off the ground.
"If you think I will stand for one more breech of my rules, Amanda, you have another thing—"
Tamir reacted. He raced forward and grabbed Vidar's raised arm, dragging it from where it'd been poised to strike again. For a second, Tamir thought Vidar's canine teeth were fangs, but they vanished too quickly. Maybe he was just seeing things.
Vidar didn't release Amanda, so Tamir stepped between the maid and the master, shoving him hard in the chest. While not normally enough to even rock Vidar, it was enough to send the shocked man stumbling back against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing, Vidar?" Tamir demanded, standing guard in front of the woman. "Why did you hit her?"
"Get out of my way, boy, this is no concern of yours—"
"Bullshit it isn't." Tamir turned towards Amanda, quickly examining her face. A split had opened just below her eye that was bleeding slightly. He took a tissue from his pocket and pressed it to the cut, even as Amanda recoiled from his touch.
"What—the—hell, Vidar?" he demanded, turning to face the other man. "You shouldn't hit her at all, whether she touches me or not!"
"Because you're mine, you little—"
"I am no one's, Vidar," Tamir snapped, "especially someone as bigoted and abusive as you!" He turned back to Amanda and helped her walk back to the kitchen.
Vidar grabbed his shoulder, spinning Tamir around just as he let Amanda go. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Back off, Vidar," Tamir cautioned the other man coldly. "I'm warning you now. Back off."
"Why are you defending her?" Vidar snapped. "She's just a servant—"
"She's the only person in this house I can speak to, aside from you!" Tamir shoved him in the chest, but this time it did little more than jar his wrists. "Everyone else keeps their head down and pretends they can't speak! And now I know why." He narrowed his eyes at Vidar. "Because you're abusive when you're jealous."
Vidar stared at him. "Tamir, I—"
"Save it." He glared at the man. "What reasons could you possibly have to hit her?"
"She—"
"Doesn't deserve it, Vidar. If I step out of line, what are you going to do? Hit me too?" Tamir bared his teeth in a sneer. "Tell you what, the next time she steps out of line, take it up with me. I'm taking responsibility for her."
"Tamir, why are you—"
"Bec
ause you are an arrogant—" He shoved Vidar in the chest with every word, making the man back up a step. "—abusive—moron who thinks it's all right to hit people!" He stared at the man. "If she shows up with any more bruises, Vidar, I'll hit you."
Vidar stared, open-mouthed, at Tamir.
"Now get in there and apologise."
Vidar stared at him. "You want me to what?" he asked, incredulity in every word.
"Apologise, right now." Tamir folded his arms, glaring at him. "Or I walk out of here forever. And I will take her with me."
"Why are you sticking up for her?" Vidar demanded, obviously jealous again.
"Because she's my friend, Vidar. And I stick up for my friends."
Vidar sighed, though it was obvious he was still very much annoyed. "Fine." He vanished into the kitchen, Tamir following.
Amanda's face was being seen to by Brendan. The butler jumped when Vidar appeared over his shoulder, then bowed out to stand behind them. Vidar looked decidedly uncomfortable, but managed to squeak out an "I apologise for my actions," that made Tamir nod in satisfaction.
"I'll be having my bath on my own," Tamir said, following the blushing blond out of the room. "I'll speak to you tomorrow. If I feel like it."
Tamir left before Vidar could answer. He simply stared after him, confused, but obviously decided not to press his luck. There would be time to set Tamir to rights.
~ * ~
The bath was just what Tamir had hoped. He sank into its deep warmth, closing his eyes and letting his body float as it warmed his spirit and soaked away his anger. He had really been shocked at Vidar's actions, but there was something about him hitting Amanda that he'd enjoyed. Not that the target was Amanda, far from it—he didn't want that girl hurt, ever. But maybe, just maybe, that Vidar would one day hit him too.
Tamir sank in the bath, letting the water cover his head. Not only was he a gay, but he enjoyed the pain. They had done little more than masturbate with each other, but Tamir had found it harder and harder to hit orgasm without Vidar biting him or causing him pain in some way.
Blood Lovers Page 4