"I don't agree with your decision." Dallis rubbed his four golden eyes then hissed in his frustration as he dug into the waistband of his grey denim pants. He held out a small bundle of linen. "There are four pills in here. Do not let Vance see these. Your life depends on it."
"Thanks. I'm leaving you in charge while I'm with Vance. I've got to get going." Ben placed his hand on the Biromian's shoulder. "Good luck, Dallis. May God watch over you."
"You're gonna need heavenly help more than I am, Ben."
* * *
"I have missed you so much!"
Ben clenched his eyes closed when Vance rushed to him and pushed him down on the bed. Pinned below the traitor, the man he hated more than anyone else, the man he wanted to kill, he went through the motions of kissing him, running his fingers through his hair, and faking smiles. "I've missed you too. How did it go?"
Vance rolled off of him and tossed his obsidian crown across the bedroom. "It went . . . well."
"Did you kill Rav?"
"Let's not talk about that. Right now, it's just me and you. Tonight belongs to us, Ben. Me and you, all night long as a married couple should be. Tirlmayn knows better than to interrupt us tonight, especially after I followed his orders as perfectly as I did. Oh, hey, look in my bag over there. I stopped on the way home at an Elysia moon vineyard where I picked you up a little something. It's nothing much, but I figured we could enjoy it on our first night together in a while."
Ben fixed his white silk robe as he stood and walked over to the backpack near the door. He pushed the flap back to see the bottle of white wine. "Oh, this sounds good. I'll pour us some." He went to the cabinet on the wall and retrieved two wine glasses. "Why don't you go get a shower and get ready for bed?"
"So eager, aren't you? I love that about you. I'll be back. Keep being beautiful, mate."
Ben rolled his eyes when the door was closed then set to work. He poured the glasses to the brim then bent down to slide the bundle of pills out of his slipper. Looking back over his shoulder to make sure the bathroom door was closed, he unwound the fabric and took out one clear pill. The white powder looked like chalk as he pried the capsule apart and dumped the contents into one of the glasses. It instantly dissolved.
"Hey, Ben?" Vance opened the door and leaned around the corner as the steam billowed out. He winked at him. "Wanna join me?"
No. Absolutely not. "Sure." Ben smiled at him then silently cursed under his breath when Vance went back into the bathroom. He picked up the wineglasses and carried them into the steamy bathroom. "Here. Have a drink first."
Vance chuckled as he slipped his shirt and pants off. He took the glass that Ben held out to him then stared into his eyes with a deep intensity.
Ben's breath left his lungs. Why was he staring at him. Did he know?
"What's wrong? You look nervous. I get it. You're just so excited. I am too, baby. I am too."
"Try your wine."
"Actually, I thought we could have a little fun with it. Let me feed it to you."
"I . . ."
"It will be romantic." Vance placed his arm around Ben's waist and pulled him close as he raised the wine glass to his lips. "Take a drink."
"I have my own already poured in there. Let me go get it."
"But that's not as fun, is it?"
Ben kept his lips pressed tightly together as Vance tilted the glass.
"Take a drink, Ben."
He opened his lips and let the sweet wine fill his mouth. He held it in his mouth, waiting for Vance to turn around so he could spit it out somewhere. But Vance did not move. He only stared at him, his mismatched eyes burrowing into his soul. Through all the pain and abuse that Ben had suffered through during the botched relationship with his ex, it had nothing on the sheer unbridled fear he felt in that moment. Before he could move, Vance's metal hand slammed over his mouth as the other hand pinched his nose closed. He was shoved back against the bathroom wall.
"Swallow it."
Ben shook his head.
"Do not play games with me, Benjamin. Swallow the wine."
He groaned as he writhed under Vance's strength, but he could not get free. His lungs screamed for air, but none could possibly enter them.
"You can't hold your breath forever."
Ben whimpered as tears slid down his reddened cheeks. He shook his head again, as much as he could with Vance's hands holding him there.
"Swallow it, Ben. Swallow it!"
His vision began to turn black around the edges and his legs buckled, but he stayed strong and defiant for as long as he could. Eventually, the pain in his chest was simply too much. Ben let the sticky wine slide down his throat.
Vance stepped back, letting him collapse to the tile floor. "Pathetic."
Ben's chest heaved as he gasped for air and slammed his fists into the floor. He coughed violently then stayed there on his hands and knees as the terrifying realization washed over him. He just drank poison. He looked up through his burning tears to see his husband turn off the water in the bathtub then pick up his communicator from the edge of the sink.
"Twenty seconds. Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen . . ."
Something did not feel right. Ben's head began swimming, but not from the lack of oxygen. This was a dizziness that sunk its roots deep in the back of his head and sent a sharp pain down his spine. It buried its tendrils in his stomach and squeezed.
Vance's eyes narrowed as he continued the countdown. "Twelve. Eleven. Ten. Nine. Eight."
Ben cried out as he lunged for the toilet and vomited. He continued violently emptying his cramping stomach and clutching onto the toilet for dear life as his entire body convulsed. For ten minutes, this continued. His throat was raw and he started coughing up blood when the shivering started. Every muscle in his body clenched and felt like they were on fire. He tried to stand up on his trembling legs, but they were as steady as jelly and he crumpled back down in a pool of his own vomit. Slipping on the slick floor, Ben reached a hand out to his husband. "Vance! Help . . . me!"
Vance only watched him with cold eyes. "What did you put in the wine? And don't try to tell me that this was an allergic reaction or that something was wrong with the wine. I'm not stupid, Benjamin."
"My . . . shoe." Ben fell face-first onto the tiles and screamed, but his scream was interrupted by more blood spilling out of his mouth.
Vance picked up one of the soft slippers, pulled out the bundle, unwrapped it, then shook his head. "What is this? Refined Vitalanum? That's exactly what this is, isn't it? Who gave this to you? From your reaction to the amount, I would say it was an Azimandian or a Biromian who did not take into account the weight variance or the metabolic differences between their hearty races and humans. One of these pills is enough to kill a scrawny human like you."
"I'm dying."
"You're not dying. I didn't make you drink that much of it. Oh, but you will wish you were dead. You feel pretty terrible, don't you? Brace yourself. It only gets worse from here. I'd say it should all be out of your system in . . . twelve hours."
Ben screamed again and tore at his curly hair as he vomited all over himself. It was solid red.
Vance pulled his pants back on then jumped up to sit on the counter by the sink. "You know, I really thought you were a smarter man than this. Dumb move, mate. So? How do you want to pass these next twelve hours? Let's have a little chat. Who put you up to this? Let me see . . . you wouldn't have done this on your own. You're too much of a coward to kill anyone. I bet it was someone from the Azimandian Underground . . . no, the warbringers. Some warbringer didn't like a hybrid on the throne. Am I right? How close was that? So this warbringer threatens to kill you, maybe he attacked you one night, and forced you to do this. Is that it?"
Ben stayed there, spread-eagle, barely drawing a gasping breath. Every time he tried, his insides felt like they were being sliced apart by thousands of dull knives wrapped in barbed wire. His shivering only grew worse. He felt like he was freezing. He felt like he was mel
ting. Sweat rolled down his face and soaked through his robe. Blood trickled from his nose and eyes, but he did not have the energy to wipe it away.
"I knew the minute I opened that bedroom door and saw you that something was up. You wear your feelings on your sleeve. I can read you like a book."
"Traitor. Traitor!" Ben gasped as he lifted his head to look up at his husband. "I know . . . I know everything . . . you did . . . all you . . . all you said . . . to Rav."
"Go on."
"You . . ." He coughed again and his back arched as he dry-heaved and spit out more blood mixed with saliva. "You . . . were recorded the entire time. We just . . . got the footage back."
"I see." Vance crossed his legs and picked at his fingernails. "Good. Now you know why I did what I did. I did it for you. This just shows how ungrateful you really are."
"You're . . . a monster."
"Are you talking about my warbringer form? Oh, that only happens when I'm threatened. My body lets the stronger half take over for a while until I'm calmed down or until I run out of special hormones. Then I return to this normal appearance. Nothing for you to be afraid of. No, my dearest Benjamin. You have many more things to be afraid of than me."
"Kill me."
"What's that? Speak up. I can't hear you over the sound of you choking on your own blood."
Ben moaned as he squirmed on the tiles. "Kill . . . me. You can do it. I know you . . . want to. Just do it already. Put me . . . out of my misery."
"Now where's the fun in that?" Vance sighed as he slid off of the counter and knelt down in front of Ben. "But in all honesty, I don't want to kill you, Ben, even for this. Once you stop reacting so violently, I will get you all cleaned up and then bundle you up in bed."
"Don't touch me!"
"I know things looked bad back there on Dualictum. I know I seem like the bad guy here, but you have to listen to me and listen carefully. I did everything for a reason. I can't let my father win. You don't want that either. I know you don't. Ben, you have to trust me."
"Never."
"I get it. I understand."
"You . . . you loved Rav?" Ben managed to ask through a wave of intense stomach cramping.
"That's the part of the fighting that you're the most worried about? Out of everything I said back there, you focus on that? Oh, Ben, I love you. That hasn't changed. I had to get into Rav's head, mess with him."
"You said you had to choose . . . between me and the man you loved most."
Vance sat on the floor and crossed his arms on his bare chest.
"You . . . want to use Nemo . . . as a weapon. You want to bomb . . . everyone."
"I only want peace. I want to end this war."
"By killing?" Ben vomited stomach acid and blood then rolled over to stare up at the ceiling. "You killed Rav."
"To save you."
"To save no one! Tirlmayn . . . will kill me no matter what, if he wants."
Vance reached out to caress Ben's head, smoothing the matted curls under his fingertips. "I won't let that happen. If I tell you something, you have to keep it a secret. I know you're working for the enemy. Being married to me makes you valuable. It makes you a pawn. The Red Sand Rebels made you their leader, didn't they? You can't tell them this, no matter what."
"I . . . make no promises."
"Then I will have to tell you this on faith. Rav may not be dead."
"I already know that."
"All right. Here, let me help you up. You're not puking anymore and your convulsions have calmed down."
"Don't-" Ben tried to stand on his own, but he fell back to the floor in a fit of coughing. "Don't touch me!"
"You're in no position to give orders or to resist me."
Ben grunted in protest when Vance slid his arms under his armpits and lifted him to his feet. He stayed limp there as he was dragged into the bathtub and his robe was ripped from him. Shivering against the cold ceramic, Ben met eyes with his husband once again, but he did not see anger. How could he not be angry after Ben tried to kill him? He gasped in unexpected pleasure when the water was turned on the heat lapped against his skin.
"You're going to be okay. Are you still hurting?"
Ben could only nod his head as the cramps grew stronger. At least his stomach was not trying to escape his body through his throat anymore. He watched helplessly as Vance began bathing him, wiping away the blood with a soapy soft cloth, shampooing his hair, and delicately tending to his every need. How could the demon he saw on the recording from that warehouse on Dualictum be the same caring man who was loving him so tenderly?
Vance rinsed the suds out of Ben's hair then lifted him again and wrapped him in a warm towel before lifting him in his arms and carrying him to the bed. He gently laid him down and bundled the blankets around him. "You focus on getting better. You can make it through this."
Ben's tears were still being squeezed out of his bloodshot eyes by the sheer agony that was shooting through his veins, but he was calmed enough to form coherent thoughts. He rolled his head over on the pillow to watch as Vance set down a bundle of leather and unrolled it. Vials of various sizes and colored liquids glinted in the lamplight. "What are those?"
"These are antidotes for the various poisons I was expecting you to use in the wine. I wasn't going to let you die, Ben. I was prepared. The only reason you're still hurting now is because I don't have an antidote for refined Vitalanum. There isn't one. Lucky for you, it is not always lethal in low doses. I figured you were going to be using something much more potent."
"You brought antidotes?"
"Like I said, I wasn't going to let you die. Of course, I was going to make you drink the poisoned wine, but I didn't want you to suffer." Vance crawled into bed next to him and switched the lamp off, leaving them surrounded in darkness.
"I have to kill you." Ben hated the feeling of the monster beside him, but he loved the warmth of his husband so close to him. "I have to kill you."
"I know."
For some reason that he could not understand, Ben gathered his energy to scoot closer to Vance's side. "Why won't you kill me? We're enemies."
"We may be on opposite sides of this war now, but you will always be my husband. I won't kill a man when he's down and can't fight back. You deserve a death better than that."
"I hate you."
"I know. I know you do. And you have plenty of reasons to feel that way. Please know that I have reasons for what I've done. I'm not proud of any of it. I'm losing control. I know it's no excuse, but I can't control the urges, the anger, any of it. I can't. Tirlmayn is forcing hormones and drugs into me to turn me into a warbringer. I wanted it, but not now. I just want it to stop. I lose all say in the matter and I go crazy. I get so violent. I know you want to kill me. That's no secret. We are enemies now, but tonight . . . I am your friend. I am your husband. I am your caretaker. Tomorrow, you may turn against me, but tonight? Let us have tonight."
Ben closed his eyes and whimpered through another round of severe cramping.
"Shh. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here, Ben. Have I ever sung for you?" Vance gathered Ben in his his arms and rocked him slowly to help ease his pain. "I will tonight. I will sing you the song that is on my wedding band, the song I wrote for you. It wasn't until the long flight back from this latest mission that I thought of you and finally wrote the words."
Chapter 5
Sizzling bacon popped in a skillet nearby, filling the yellow and brown living room of the small compact house. The coffee maker gurgled with freshly-brewed coffee, the orange numbers of the clock on the stove read 12:45, and two bottles of vodka were empty. Part of their contents had spilled from where they sat on the wooden coffee table and pooled around a stack of sheet music.
Rav stirred where he had passed out on the golden shag carpet with his legs up on the arm of the hunter green sofa with his skinny jeans around his ankles. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his sore eyes. He spotted Vance dancing in his boxers to pop music in the kitchen while fli
pping pancakes like an expert. "Vance?"
He turned the music down then scooped out two pieces of greasy bacon onto a chipped blue plate. "Good morning, mate. I made breakfast."
"Why does that clock say it's after noon?"
"Because it is. I only got up about fifty minutes ago."
"Why are my pants pulled down?" Rav stared down at his boxers as he tried to remember what happened the night before. "Did you do something to me?"
"Absolutely not, mate. You got really, really drunk and you said that your pants were uncomfortable, so you stopped doing the limbo and you pulled them off before you fell asleep there."
What did he say? "Limbo? What?"
"Well, I call it the limbo, but it really wasn't anything that sophisticated. We were trying to see who could crawl under the coffee table with a full shot glass in their mouth without dropping it."
"I don't feel good." Rav pulled his pants back up and buttoned them. Then the realization came to him. "I'm still fifteen. Oh, shit."
"Of course. You didn't age overnight."
He laughed. "I've gone through stranger."
"So, I took the liberty of calling school and telling them we were both sick with food poisoning from your cooking."
"I didn't cook anything."
Vance set another plate on the table. "It was an excuse, Rav."
"Are you saying I can't cook? Oh, my head hurts."
"Welcome to the party life, my mate. Come up here and eat with me."
"Can you put some clothes on?" Rav asked, attempting to ignore his friend's lack of proper clothing.
"It's my house, my rules. I haven't worn pants at breakfast since my mother died."
Rav shuffled wearily to the acrylic-topped table and sat down next to his friend where the plate in front of him had already been piled with bacon, poached eggs, and a stack of miniature pancakes complete with rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream. "Whipped cream? Sprinkles?"
"What? That's the only way to eat pancakes. Want some tequila on top?"
Tequila? "Are you serious? You've lost your mind."
The Genesis Sequence Books 6-10 Page 30