by Tiegan Clyne
“Yes.” He frowned. “Was that you?”
He nodded. “I lost control of my powers because I was in extremis. The longer I spend without properly coming in contact with my true nature, the easier it is for me to lose control. If I lose control, I won’t be able to pass unseen among humans, and I’ll put all of us at risk.”
“All of us?”
“Demons. There are many of us. Most of the rulers of Pentepolis are demons in disguise.”
Sebastian frowned. “That sounds…”
“Underhanded? Of course it is. We’re demons.” He tried to smile, but there was no mirth in his eyes.
“How do you stay in contact with your true self?” Sebastian asked. “By being whipped?”
“Pain is one way. Sex is another. The pain keeps me grounded and the sex keeps me fed. I consume sexual energy - that’s what keeps me alive. I can and do eat regular human food, but it doesn’t keep me satisfied. I need life force.”
He saw a flicker of something like guilt in the demon’s face. He wanted to pursue it but didn’t know how. “You fed from my life force in the basement. That’s how you healed.”
“Yes.”
Sebastian felt doubly conflicted in ways he couldn’t even name. He looked away and started drying off. “Am I…”
“Just food to me? No.” Christopher’s voice was thick. “You’re much more than that, and that’s a problem. That’s why the Countess is forbidding me to touch you, because she knows how very much I want to.”
A loud electronic tone ripped through the room, and they both jumped, startled. A voice announced, “Doctor, pick up the phone.”
“What…?” Sebastian started to ask, but Christopher was already out of the bathroom. He followed where the demon led.
Christopher opened a drawer in his bedside table and pulled out a wireless phone. He hit a button and said, “What is it?”
To Sebastian, it seemed that the demon’s already pale face lost another shade. Christopher glanced at him. “I see. Yes. Load up the cryptomorphs and take them to my northern estate.” He hesitated. “I’ll see to him.”
He hung up and began rushing through the room. He grabbed a bag and started shoving clothes and other items into it.
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked, concerned.
“There’s a raiding party coming from the Badlands. It looks like the Kingdom might be attacking. Get dressed - the closet on the left has clothes you can wear, and shoes that will fit you. We have to leave.”
Sebastian, affected by the urgency in Christopher’s voice and manner, hurried to dress. “Why would the Kingdom be attacking?”
“They disapprove of our handling of cryptomorphs, and they’re coming to steal you all.”
He stopped moving. “It’s a rescue party.”
“If that’s how you want to look at it.” He kept packing. “All of you are lab-created. None of you have the least idea how to survive out in the Badlands or in the Kingdom. What they’re doing is as good as a death sentence - it’s taking domesticated animals and releasing them into the wild where they don’t know what to do.”
“I’m not an animal.”
Christopher sighed in irritation and pulled gloves over his scarred hands. “It was a metaphor. I know you’re not an animal.”
“Do you?” Sebastian challenged.
Christopher looked at him sadly, and their eyes met. For a moment, Sebastian was afraid that the demon would take control of his mind again, but he only said, “Yes. I do. Now hurry. We need to get on the road before they get here.”
Christopher tossed an empty bag at him, and Sebastian caught it. He inferred that he was supposed to pack the clothing that had been assigned to him, so he did, shoving the identical black jeans and white T-shirts inside. When he finished cleaning out the closet, he zipped the bag shut.
“Come on,” his captor told him. “Let’s go.”
As soon as they left the apartment, they were stopped by a frantic-looking guard. “The main transport isn’t back. They were taking Stella and Luna to Crown Holdings. Barns two through five are already en route to Crown, too, but barn one will have to go in a passenger van.”
Christopher nodded. “Understood. Are they ready to move?”
“We’re preparing them.” The guard’s eyes flicked toward Sebastian. “Is he…?”
“He stays with me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where is the Countess?”
“En route to Millennia for her meeting with the Queen.”
Christopher nodded again. “Then she’ll be out of range of any attacks.” Sebastian couldn’t tell if his captor was relieved or disappointed. “Very well. Get the crypts in the van and prepare to defend the estate.”
“Who should drive the van, sir?”
“I will.”
The guard saluted and hurried off to do Christopher’s bidding. Sebastian shouldered the bag he was carrying, and the strap rubbed against the collar around his neck, a reminder that he was as good as a piece of baggage, too.
Christopher beckoned him to follow through the door to the circle drive where several vehicles stood idling. The air in the courtyard was filled with panic, and a cadre of guards, their rifles in their hands, ran past in formation. Sebastian gripped the strap on the bag he carried and stood, visions of a military base in his head. He felt as if he could close his eyes and see barracks and an airfield, but when he looked again, nothing was where it was supposed to be. Something half-remembered threatened to rise in him and choke him, and he pushed it away to focus on the moment.
Another guard drove a six-seater passenger van up to where they stood, and it was barely parked before he threw himself out. He went to Christopher.
“We’ve only got Rupert and Patrice left to transport, and the freezers with…” He glanced at Sebastian. “... from your lab.”
“Have Theo help you load the freezers and take him with you to Crown Holdings. I’ll take Rupert and Patrice in my car.”
The guard rushed away, and Sebastian asked, “Who are Rupert and Patrice?”
“Other cryptomorphs.”
He was excited, though he tried not to be, considering the inopportune circumstances. He had never had a chance to really talk to another cryptomorph, and he hoped that he’d be allowed to do so once they were underway. Christopher walked to the car and opened the trunk. He put his medical bag and his suitcase into the open space and gestured for Sebastian to do the same. He had just finished stowing his bag when the guards returned, leading two people by leashes attached to the collars on their necks. One was a naked man with a wolf-like face. His hands were manacled in front of him, concealing his privates. Sebastian got the impression that the placement of his hands was a matter of convenience for the guards more than any sort of modesty on this man-wolf’s part. The other prisoner, similarly manacled, was a woman with signs of tigers in her bloodline. She was mostly tawny, with black stripes on her hands and arms, and her ears boasted tufts of white fur. She had a beautiful human face and long, curly hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail. Unlike the wolf man, she was fully clothed. Their guards carried a bag for each of them, which they put into the trunk.
“Rupert, Patrice, this is Sebastian. Get in the car.”
Christopher’s tone was gruff. He left the guards to get Rupert and Patrice into the back seat while he pointed Sebastian - literally, with an imperious index finger - into the passenger front seat. Sebastian sat in the car and buckled the seat belt. The other cryptomorphs were put into the back seat, and Christopher pulled away almost immediately.
They drove out through the gates, and almost immediately Sebastian could smell smoke. He looked toward the east, where a black column of smoke was rising toward the sky.
“Helmite,” he said softly, identifying the explosive responsible.
Christopher looked at him strangely. “What did you say?”
“Helmite. It’s a military-grade chemical explosive. It’s a thick, flammable liqui
d that adheres to surfaces and is very difficult to extinguish.” He heard himself, and it as if he’d woken up and caught himself talking in his sleep. He blushed. “I…”
“How do you know about that?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t know.”
Rupert laughed and mock-howled. “Hoo! Spooky.”
Patrice looked at Sebastian in the rear-view mirror, her amber eyes searing into him. He looked away.
Christopher drove west until the gates of the estate were out of sight, and then he stopped the car. He got out from behind the wheel and said, “Come on. Get out.”
Rupert was the first to alight, looking around himself with curiosity. Christopher unlocked his manacles and tossed them in the trunk.
“Thanks, doc,” the wolfring grinned. “You’re all right.”
Patrice snorted at the compliment but held out her wrists for Christopher to unshackle her, as well. He did, ignoring her defiant glare while he did so. Sebastian could see now that she was pregnant, and he wondered if she’d had any say in the matter. He rather doubted that she had. Given the nature of things, he didn’t blame her for being angry.
“Now what?” Sebastian asked. “I assume that they’re attacking from the east. Are we going west?”
“No. Crown Holdings is to the west, and that’s going to be their target. We’re going north, toward Kevdon.”
“Oh, no,” Rupert object, shaking his shaggy head. “They don’t like our kind.”
“We’re going toward Kevdon, not into it,” Christopher said sharply.
He patted down both of the other cryptomorphs, although what he was checking them for was unclear. Sebastian was certain they couldn’t have been carrying weapons. He took a small black metal controller out of his pocket and pressed it to each of their collars, and when he did, the collars emitted a high-pitched electronic squeal. Rupert howled and Patrice glared at the unwelcome noises. When he was done, he tucked the controller back into his pocket.
“Your collars are keyed to me, now, and not to the Countess. Their lethality hasn’t changed. Now get back in the car.”
They rode for two hours, heading a short way east and then turning north. All along the eastern horizon, more smoke blackened the sky, and the smell of burning was almost overpowering. Rupert napped throughout the ride, and Patrice glared stonily out her window, so the conversation that Sebastian had hoped for never materialized.
They reached the outer edges of a tall privacy fence with sturdy brick posts, and Christopher followed it closely, leaving the main road and turning down a dirt track that curved and hugged the artificial boundary. After what seemed like forever, they reached a gap in the fence and a closed metal gate. Christopher pressed a button on the dashboard of his car, and the gate jerked open, then slowly slid back on squeaking wheels. A large house stood on the other side of the gate, connected by a breezeway to an equally large barn.
Christopher parked in front of the house and looked up at the darkened windows. Sebastian looked, too, and it seemed like the building was glowering at them, resenting their intrusion into its sleep. It was clear that nobody had been at this place for a very long time.
“Get out,” their captor commanded quietly. Rupert and Sebastian obeyed, but Patrice hesitated. Christopher turned toward her with a scowl, and she reluctantly climbed out, too.
Christopher opened the trunk and collected his medical bag and suitcase. Sebastian grabbed his bag, too, as did the other two cryptomorphs. Before Patrice could take her bag, the dragonel took the strap and smiled at her.
“I think you’re carrying enough,” he said kindly with a nod toward her abdomen.
Patrice glared at him and pulled her bag out of his hand. “I can manage.” He was surprised and stung, but he let her go. She turned toward Christopher. “I suppose we’re sleeping in the barn?”
“In the house.”
All three cryptomorphs were surprised. Christopher, his eyes full of storms and agitation, led the way up the steps to a veranda that surrounded the house’s first level like a dust ruffle on a bed. He palmed the lock, and the door sprang open. He pushed through and left the door ajar, trusting them to come in after him.
Sebastian hesitated, looking toward the east. The sky was dark with the smoke from the distant fires, but in the far distance, he saw occasional flashes of silver, darting specks among the sooty clouds. War planes. As Rupert went up the steps and into the house, Sebastian looked around them. The house, the barn, the fence… it was all set up to look like one big farm. No army would think twice about it as a viable target.
Patrice was next to go into the house, and by the time Sebastian had made it up to the second step, Christopher had emerged, looking for him. He took the bag out of Sebastian’s hand.
“Come inside,” he said, but it sounded more like a request than a demand. His voice was softer than it had been when he’d spoken to the others.
Sebastian walked ahead of him and into the house. Christopher closed and locked the door behind them.
The door opened into a small front room that boasted a sofa, a TV and a rocking chair. A hallway to the left led to a kitchen, and to the right there was a bedroom with a wide, four-poster bed. Stairs straight ahead of the door led up to the second floor.
“Patrice, Rupert - you’ll sleep upstairs,” Christopher said. “You can each pick a bedroom, and each of you will have your own bath. Make yourselves at home.”
“Are you kidding me?” she snarled. “At home?”
“Yes. This is where we’ll be staying until the raids are over, so we might as well get comfortable.”
Rupert, naked and proud of his body, strolled through the house, exploring. “Nice digs,” he complimented. “Who owns the place?”
Christopher put the bags down on the floor and crossed his arms. “I do.”
“Homey,” the wolfring nodded. “I mean, I guess this is what a home would be like.”
Patrice went up the stairs and turned to the left. Sebastian heard a door shut, then the creaking of an old mattress. Rupert smiled.
“Don’t mind her,” he told Sebastian. “She’s out of sorts. She’ll warm up to you eventually, or she won’t. Not much you can do about it.”
“Maybe she isn’t feeling well,” the dragonel suggested.
Christopher picked up the bags again. “She’s fine.”
The two cryptomorphs watched their captor take the bags into the master bedroom. When he had left the room, Rupert extended a hand.
“So, you’re Sebastian. Nice to meet you.”
They shook hands. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“So, you’re the chosen one,” Rupert commented. “I mean, I get it. I can see what he sees in you. You’re awfully pretty.”
He was thrown off by the comment. “Uh… thanks. What do you mean, ‘chosen one?’”
“The one the good doctor has decided to claim. He hasn’t had a pet in a long time,” the wolfring answered. “I was sort of hoping to get the job, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. He’s always had a taste for the exotics.”
Sebastian frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Yes, Rupert,” Christopher said, his voice hard. He rejoined them from the master bedroom. “What are you talking about?”
The wolfring grinned. “Oh… nothing. Babbling.” He winked at Sebastian. “I’ll just go see what room I get. Should be nicer than a barn stall. But then, you’ve never stayed in one of those, have you?”
“No,” Sebastian told him. “I haven’t. And I’ve had some experiences that I’m sure you couldn’t endure.”
Rupert looked like he wanted to laugh at him, but the look in Sebastian’s eyes stilled the sound before it started. He cleared his throat and turned away from the dragonel, casting a nervous glance at Christopher.
“Right. So… I’ll explore. Am I allowed to explore, sir?”
“Yes. You may.”
“Thank you.” He turned and went up the stairs, leaving Christopher and Sebastian
alone.
“What was that all about?” the dragonel asked.
“He’s jealous.”
“Ah.” Sebastian nodded. “He wants you.”
“So it seems,” the demon sighed. “I’m not a dog lover, though.”
“Dragons are more your style?”
The comment came out more waspish than Sebastian had intended, and he expected a strong reaction. Instead, Christopher said, “Very much so.” He picked up the telephone and dialed a number. While the line rang, he told Sebastian, “Make yourself comfortable.”
He hadn’t been comfortable since he woke up in the basement at Crown Holdings, but he tried to obey. He sat down on the sofa and waited.
Sebastian’s sensitive hearing told him when the person Christopher was calling picked up the line. “Give me news, Christopher,” the Countess’s voice said.
“The estate has been evacuated and I have the most valuable cryptomorphs with me at the house, Your Grace,” he reported. “The majority have been sent to Crown Holdings.”
“Good.” She sounded annoyed. “This incursion could not have come at a worse time. Keep track of the news and don’t let them find you… or him.”
Sebastian knew instinctively that he was the ‘him’ she was talking about. He looked away, trying to conceal that he was eavesdropping.
“I will protect him with my life.”
There was a hesitation, then the Countess said, “I lift my prohibition from you. I need you to be at full power. Feed as you will, from whom you will.” She chuckled. “It’s not as if you haven’t found a way around my rule, anyhow.”
Christopher smiled. “Thank you, Your Grace. Stay safe.”
“I’m in the safest place I can be. The Kingdom would never move on Millennia. Stay in contact. Make certain to continue gathering samples from the males and let me know if your situation changes.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Countess ended the call, and Christopher put the phone aside. He came to the sofa and sat beside Sebastian with a sigh. Rupert returned to the sitting room and flopped into an armchair, his leg draped over the arm. He was still blissfully nude, and he idly began to palm himself.