by Ally Blue
She must have. More than once, judging from the half-resigned, half-irritated look behind her cool gaze.
Sam blinked and shook himself when he realized she was speaking. “What?”
“I said nothing showed on tape. No unusual sounds either.” Amy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. “You okay, Sam? You seem a little shaken up.”
Sam tensed. Andre unknowingly came to his rescue. “We had a strange experience in the parlor. We both felt something. There was a temperature drop, and a sort of sound or vibration.”
“I took a bunch of stills,” Sam added, feeling a little calmer with Amy’s gaze fixed on Andre now instead of him. “Didn’t see anything, but maybe I got something on film.”
“And I’m positive I got it on audio.” Andre leaned over and nudged David, who was slumped in his chair with his eyes closed, listening to the audiotape from that morning. “David! We need you, bro.”
David opened his eyes and grinned, showing dimples. He turned off his tape and sat up straight, laying the headphones on the desk. “Whatcha got?”
Before Andre could answer, footsteps sounded in the hall. Bo came into the room, closely followed by a rather red-eyed but smiling Cecile. “Hey, guys,” Bo said. “Sorry we’ve been gone so long. We were talking. What all have you gotten done?”
“I listened to the audio from this morning.” Rising from his chair, David took Cecile’s hand. “Didn’t get anything.”
“What about the video from yesterday, in the old kitchen?” Bo asked. “Did you get to that?”
“Mm-hm.” Amy gave him a pointed stare. “There was nothing paranormal on it.”
Bo blinked and dropped his gaze, and Sam instantly knew he’d been right. Bo cleared his throat. “Okay. Well. What about audio and stills downstairs?”
“Andre and I did that,” Sam said, determined to make Bo look at him. “We got something.”
Bo’s restless eyes cut to Sam’s face. He licked his lips, sending heat shooting through Sam’s groin. “Yeah? What is it?”
“There was a temperature drop,” Andre chimed in. “Sam and I both felt something go past us, but we didn’t see anything. There was a weird sound, though. I think I got it on audio. And Sam took a bunch of pictures, we’re hoping he might’ve caught it on film.”
Bo turned to Andre. “Have you listened to the audio yet?”
“We were just about to.” Andre started rewinding, watching the counter as it ran back to the spot where they’d felt the strange presence. “Okay, here. Listen.”
Everyone huddled around Andre and the recorder. Bo ended up right next to Sam, his shoulder pressed against the back of Sam’s arm. Sam took a slow, deep breath, trying to fight off the fierce wash of need threatening to overtake him. It didn’t help. He could smell Bo’s skin, soap and cologne and the sharp musk of sexual arousal. It was all Sam could do to keep from answering Bo’s desire with his own.
Sam was grateful for the audio recorder. It gave him something to focus on other than the ache in his groin.
“What are you?” Andre’s voice asked from the tiny speaker. A short pause, broken by shuffling feet, then, “What do you want? Are you dangerous?”
Sam tensed all over again when the question came asking the thing to show a sign of its presence. He heard his own voice, then Andre’s, followed by a breathless pause. What came next drew gasps and exclamations from everyone in the room. A sound so deep it was almost beyond hearing, twisting with the suggestion of words that defied understanding. The menace in it raised goose bumps on Sam’s arms.
“What’s it saying?” Bo whispered when the sound stopped. He gestured at Andre. “Play it again.”
Sam clenched his teeth against the unpleasant vibrations the voice sent through him. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when the sound ended. He glanced to his side and caught Bo’s eye. The other man’s face reflected the same mix of fear and excitement he himself felt. For a moment the previous night’s kiss was forgotten in the thrill of this find.
Bo slapped Sam’s back and grinned. “Guys, I think you really got something there. Could anybody understand what it was saying?”
Everyone shook their heads. Sam frowned. “Bo? Don’t you think it sort of sounds like what we heard on the nursery tape yesterday?”
Bo’s eyes went wide. “You’re right. Damn.”
“We never did hear that,” Amy said.
Andre was already moving before she finished speaking. He shuffled through the tapes on the table, found the one he was looking for and popped it into the TV. “Bo, ‘bout where was this?”
“Halfway, more or less.” Bo turned to Sam. “Wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Sam walked around to where Andre was standing. “Here, let me see.”
After a couple minutes Sam found the right spot and started the tape. The whole group crowded around to watch. When the strange sound came, there was no doubt about it. Though not exactly the same as the one on the audiotape, this was similar enough that it had to be related. Chills raced up Sam’s spine.
“What the hell is that?” Cecile said, her voice high and shaky. “Are we in danger here?”
Silence. Sam felt fingertips sliding up and down his back, and realized with a shock that it was Bo, who was standing to his left. He darted a glance at Bo, trying not to show the effect that feathery touch was having on him. Bo stared without focus at a spot in the corner. He didn’t seem to notice he was stroking Sam’s back. Maybe that’s his comfort mechanism. Like a security blanket.
Even if it wasn’t intentional, it felt good for Bo to touch him like that. Too good. Sam stepped discreetly away. Bo’s hand drifted down to pick at a hole in the leg of his jeans. Sam swallowed his thumping heart back down and tried to focus on the subject at hand.
“I think,” Bo said, his voice slow and measured, “that while we may not be in any immediate danger, we need to be extremely careful. We haven’t actually seen anything yet, but we know the history of this house. We know that Cecile, Sam and Andre have all felt things here that are disturbing. We need to keep our wits about us, stay calm and do everything by the book.”
David nodded, his face solemn. “There must be some connection between what’s on those tapes and the things that have happened in this house. We have to figure out what it is.”
“Exactly,” Amy agreed. “And in order to do that, we’re going to have to be very meticulous. No detail is too small.”
“And never investigate alone,” Cecile said, echoing Bo’s instructions from the first night.
“Right.” Bo laid a hand on Cecile’s shoulder. “Cecile, I want you to tell us exactly what you feel, whenever you sense anything, okay? No need to embellish, and no need to keep anything to yourself.” He turned his sharp gaze on the rest of the group. “That goes for the rest of you too. I know that Cecile is our psychic here, but I don’t think we can discount anything in this investigation. You’re all professionals, and I trust your instincts. If you sense anything at all, tell me. Got it?”
Everyone murmured in agreement. Sam wondered if he imagined Bo’s gaze lingering on him.
Bo nodded. “Good. Okay, we’ve got film to develop, who’s gonna volunteer to go?”
“‘Fraid we’re too late for today,” David said. “The drugstore isn’t open on Sunday.”
Amy frowned. “What about that place in Gautier? It’s got one hour developing, and I’m pretty sure it’s open.”
“It closes at four-thirty,” Andre said. “We’d never make it there in time.”
Bo let out a sigh. “Guess it’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow.”
“David and I can take it to Gautier in the morning,” Cecile volunteered. “We can pick up anything else we need while we’re there.”
Bo gave her a wide smile. “That’ll be great, thanks.”
“So what do we do now?” Sam asked. “There’s more tapes to review, right?”
“There sure are,” David answered. “Gotta listen to what
you and Andre recorded this afternoon, plus there’s the videotapes from the nursery that’re piling up.” He grinned. “Plenty for all.”
Amy heaved a deep sigh. “Right. Okay, boys and girls, let’s get busy.”
In the scramble to claim chairs and tapes and headphones, Sam and Bo stood and stared at each other. Bo’s confusion and fear were plain on his face, almost as plain as his desire. Sam’s palms itched with the need to touch him, to run his hands over that dusky skin, to kiss those plush lips. To feel the brush of Bo’s hair against the insides of his thighs.
The mental image of Bo’s head bobbing between his open legs was more than Sam could take. Forcing himself to break Bo’s gaze, Sam turned away and snatched the first tape he found that hadn’t been marked as reviewed. After a moment, Bo did the same. Sam watched him for a long time out of the corner of his eye, thinking about what had and had not happened, and wondering.
Chapter Eight
When David said he’d work through dinner to finish reviewing the nursery tape he’d started, Sam volunteered to stay and finish the other one. Bo gave him an odd look, but didn’t argue. Sam figured Bo wasn’t any more eager than he was to sit at the dining table together and try to pretend nothing was wrong.
By the time his tape finally ran out at eleven-thirty, Sam was exhausted. He popped the tape out, wrote “reviewed” on the label and switched the equipment off.
“Hey, David.” He nudged David’s shoulder. “You done?”
David nodded as he removed his tape and took his headphones off. “Yep. I got nothing here, what about you?”
“Nothing on this one either.” Sam yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Damn, I’m tired.”
“No shit.” David stood and placed his tape on the “reviewed” pile along with Sam’s. “Let’s go. I’m ‘bout ready to hit the sack.”
They trudged upstairs in silence and parted ways at the top of the steps. Sam shuffled into the bathroom, yawning so hard his eyes watered. He brushed his teeth then stumbled across the hall to his bedroom.
Bo was sitting on his bed. It took Sam a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t his imagination.
“Bo?” Sam leaned against the doorframe, too tired to stay upright without support. “What’re you doing here?”
Bo rose slowly to his feet, fiddling nervously with the hem of his T-shirt. “I wanted to apologize. For last night, and for this morning.”
“There’s no need to—”
“Yes, there is.” Bo stuck his hands in his back pockets, took two steps toward Sam and stopped. “I shouldn’t have let things go so far last night. And I sure as hell shouldn’t have brushed you off this morning. You were right. We need to talk.”
Sam pushed away from the door, suddenly feeling very awake and wanting answers. “Okay. So talk.” He took a step toward Bo, watching Bo’s gaze flick down his body. “Why’d you let me kiss you? I know you’re married. You say you’re straight. So why’d you let me kiss you?”
“I…I just…” Bo ran his tongue along his upper lip as Sam moved closer. “I don’t know.”
The mingled fear and lust in Bo’s eyes made Sam bold. He reached out and lifted a strand of Bo’s silky black hair, letting it slide between his fingers. Bo gasped and stepped back.
“You wanted me to kiss you.” Sam dropped his hand. “Didn’t you?”
Bo wouldn’t look at him. “Maybe I did.”
Sam laughed, the sound short and sharp. “Maybe. Yeah.”
Bo made an impatient noise. “Come on, Sam. Don’t be like this.”
“Like what?” Sam brushed past Bo, pulling off his shirt and tossing it on the floor. He could practically feel the weight of Bo’s gaze on him. “Look, Bo, it’s pretty obvious that you have issues. That’s none of my business. You have to work them out for yourself, I can’t help you.” Sam turned to look at Bo. “But until you can admit that you’re attracted to me, we have nothing else to discuss.”
Bo’s expression hardened. “What about you, huh? I’m not the one that made the move, in case you forgot.”
“May as well have. You had your hand on my thigh.”
“You kissed me, not the other way around!”
“Yeah, I did.” Sam sat on the bed and leaned back on his hands, legs spread. “Because I want you. I can admit it, why can’t you?”
Bo crossed his arms. “You’re gay. Fine. I’m not. It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe it,” Bo continued before Sam could say anything. “Doesn’t much matter what I want, either. I’m married. I have a family. Nothing can ever happen between us, Sam. Nothing. You have to understand that.”
Sam stared at Bo’s flushed cheeks and snapping eyes and wished he could argue. He wanted to throw Bo to the bed and show him exactly how good it could be. But he knew he couldn’t. No matter what he wanted, no matter what Bo wanted, it wasn’t going to happen.
Sam sighed. “I know. I can’t pretend I’m not disappointed, but I do understand. But, Bo, why can’t you at least admit that you want me too? It won’t go any further than this room, I promise.”
Bo looked away, running a hand through his hair. “Please don’t do this.”
“I just want to know,” Sam said softly. “That’s all.”
Bo stared at Sam, his expression unreadable. “I can’t give you what you want, Sam. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
The tension in Bo’s body told Sam clear as day that he wasn’t budging an inch. Sam nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Okay.” Bo edged toward the door, watching Sam warily. “So, are we good?”
Sam forced a smile. “Sure. ‘Night, Bo.”
Bo returned the smile, clearly relieved. “‘Night. See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, see you.”
Bo hurried out and pulled the door shut behind him. Sam flopped back onto the bed with a deep sigh. He lay there staring at the ceiling and thinking for a long time. Wondering why he needed so badly to hear Bo admit that he wanted him. Why did he need for Bo to say it, when he could see the desire in Bo’s eyes every time they looked at each other?
Eventually he fell asleep, sprawled half-on and half-off the bed in his jeans and sneakers, with a thousand unanswered questions whirling in his brain.
“Harder. God, yes, fuck me…”
The whispered voice held a hint of the familiar, but Sam couldn’t see the face of the man straddling him any more than he could make out where exactly he was. The room seemed cramped and blurry, the angles all wrong. Strong thighs pressed tight against Sam’s hips, snug heat around his cock. He thrust up with all his strength, his lover slamming himself down to meet each blow.
Fingers raked his chest as the man came, his prick twitching. Semen splashed onto Sam’s lip. He licked it off, the taste sharp and bitter and head-spinning. His cock swelled against the pulsing hole encasing it, tingling heat spread outward from his groin and he came with a growl, shooting deep inside the mysterious man’s body.
The sight of hard black scales and claws instead of his hand shocked him. But part of him relished the power it implied. Something dark and primitive bubbled up inside him, and he obeyed its unspoken command without question.
One swipe of those long, curved claws was enough to eviscerate the man he’d just finished fucking. The gutted body crumpled without a sound, falling backward onto the bed. A beam of moonlight illuminated the dead face, and Sam couldn’t even scream this time…
Sam’s eyes flew open. He sat up and stared around, half-expecting to see a dead man in a pool of blood in his bed. All he saw was a tangle of sweat-damp sheets. He collapsed onto his back, weak with relief.
“Fuck, it was so real,” he said out loud.
Part of him was very glad he couldn’t remember the dream man’s face.
Twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, Sam headed downstairs to the kitchen. No one else was there, but someone had made coffee. Sam poured himself a cup and wandered out to the sun porch, wondering where everyone had gone.
The low murmur of voices drew him to an open window. Bo stood not far from the back steps, wearing nothing but the same tiny shorts he’d worn the previous morning and a pair of battered running shoes. His bare skin shone with sweat, putting every defined muscle into sharp relief. Sam almost didn’t notice Amy standing next to him, talking in low, urgent tones.
Sam started to call to them. The words dried up in his throat when he heard his name. He drew back a little and strained to hear.
“I’m not stupid, Bo,” Amy was saying. “And neither is he. You think he’s not gonna notice? You think no one else will?”
“For the last time,” Bo said through gritted teeth. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Nothing’s going on. I haven’t—”
“I’ve seen the look you get on your face when he’s around,” Amy interrupted, hands on her hips. “Do you really want me to remind you how I know what that look means?”
Bo looked away. Amy laid a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s been years since it happened.” Her voice was so soft Sam could barely hear her. “I believe you when you say it hasn’t happened since. And I believe that you’ve been faithful to Janine, and that’s admirable. But you’ve been lying to her and to yourself, and that’s not so admirable.”
Bo shook his head. “I’m not gay, Amy. Just drop it.”
“What about Sam?”
“What about him? I told you, there’s nothing.”
“Just stop thinking about yourself for one second, huh?” Amy started pacing, red curls flying in the breeze. “You want to pretend you’re not attracted to him? Fine. Whatever. But what about Sam’s feelings?”
Sam’s chest went tight. Oh fuck, she knows. He leaned against the windowsill, trying to breath.
When Bo spoke, his voice sounded shaky and uncertain. “What makes you think Sam feels anything for me?”
“I’m not saying it’s anything serious. Hell, I barely know the man, maybe I’m way off base. Maybe he’s as straight as he seems.” Amy stopped and gave Bo a serious look. “But I can tell that he’s at least attracted to you. Possibly more than that. If you’re going to keep hiding from yourself, then for fuck’s sake stop giving him that come-on look. Don’t let him think you’re interested if you’re not.”