by N Gray
With light fingertips, I touched his face, but he didn’t stir. He was in a deep sleep. I’d never seen him sleep so much in all the time I had known him.
Gurgling sounds echoed from my stomach. Over the last couple of days, I had eaten little, but this morning I needed a good breakfast with eggs and bacon. Finding my way to the kitchen would be a challenge since the walls kept changing, and I could never remember where anything was. Wandering around the Labyrinth, however, would alert the bodyguards, and I could ask one of them to take me to the kitchen.
When I opened the bedroom door, there was someone standing in my way.
“Morning, ma’am,” the guard said with a British accent.
He loomed over me and gave me a boy scout smile; it was all innocent, yet scary at the same time.
“Please don’t call me ‘ma’am’. Blaire will do just fine. Who are you and why are you standing here?”
“Sawyer, ma—Blaire.”
Sawyer was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and enough muscles to scare any human away. He had a number of tattoos peeking out of his clothing which ran down both arms. He had an all-year-round tan and curly black hair, a black beard, dark eyes, and a smile so big and genuine that it would easily make most ladies melt in his arms. When he smiled, he revealed perfect teeth, the tips of his canines subtly showing.
“Where are you from Sawyer?”
“Britain, but my parents are Egyptian.”
That would explain the dark features and perma-tan.
“Why are you so far away from home?”
“I used to be in the British Armed Forces, but when I was attacked, I received an honorable discharge and moved here for work.”
From what I understood, England was a little slow with their laws in protecting vampires, witches, and were-animals. The monsters were allowed to work, but only if no one found out what they really were. It was unfair, but it still happened in some parts of the world.
“I’m sorry. Which animal attacked you?”
“Were-jackal,” he said, and the boy scout smile was back.
“I didn’t know there was a jackal pack in the city?” I asked, frowning.
“There isn’t. I’m the only were-jackal in Sterling Meadow. The wolf pack took me in.”
“It’s rare for an animal group to accept a different species. That’s awfully generous of Shawn. I hear he is a tough nut to crack.”
He chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly, but yeah, it was kind of him to offer me a place in his pack.”
“You didn’t mind the change?”
“Nah, not at all. I’ve never been this strong, and it takes a hell of a lot to kill us. Plus, we are in demand by master vampires, so we get to travel.”
There was movement behind us. I excused myself and closed the door again.
Sebastian sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard. “Morning,” he said. “Where’d you get to?”
“Nowhere. I was up before you and in need of food. When I opened the door, Sawyer was standing there, so I was just chatting to him.”
He smiled lazily at me.
If I didn’t know he was with me last night, I would have said he had been out drinking and was nursing a hangover.
“Are you all right? You look kinda sleepy still.” I sat on the bed near his feet.
His eyes rolled back into his head. When he could focus again, he said, “I just feel sleepy, otherwise I’m fine.”
I felt my frown deepen and said, “Has this ever happened to you before?”
Sebastian shook his head. It was a slow movement, then he answered, “No, never. I feel utterly relaxed. It’s usually what I do to others; not the other way around. I could never do this to myself.”
“I wonder,” I said, thinking about it. “When I woke up, you were still sleeping. All I did was lie against your back and think that you should carry on sleeping if you were tired.”
He frowned at me.
“Sebastian, I’ve never asked you about the full extent of your abilities. I know you can melt metal, but can you help someone sleep? The last two evenings, when you’ve pulled me into your arms, I’ve fallen asleep immediately. Now that I think about it, it usually takes me a short while before I sleep.”
Something I’d said was like a shot of adrenaline that brought Sebastian out of his dreamy haze.
He cleared his throat and said, “The last two evenings, I’ve pushed a little power into you, but it was just enough to help you sleep. Especially with everything that’s been going on with that voodoo priest, I wanted you to get a good night’s rest.” His last words trailed off softly.
“Which is what Seraphine and Désiré have been trying to teach me these last two months. To help me absorb power, and to use it against its source. But it was only two days ago that I finally got it right, when I was with Seraphine.”
“Which means that when I held you last night and helped you to sleep, you stored some of that power and used it against me this morning.”
I shrugged. “Not on purpose, I swear. You looked so peaceful this morning, I just wanted you to sleep. I wanted you to rest.”
“We need to speak to Léon about this,” Sebastian said as he climbed out of bed.
“What do you mean?”
“In all the years I’ve lived, I’ve never come across anyone who could do what you did. And you aren’t a witch, or a necromancer, or a vampire. You are human. When Seraphine mentioned to me that she wanted to teach you, I didn’t fully comprehend what that would mean.” He grabbed some clothing out his cupboard. “Léon might know more or know of someone we could talk to. He has more connections than I do.”
“Why do you think it is that important?”
“Who knows what it means? But if any powerful monster or being hears about this and knows what you can do, then there’s no telling what they might do to you.” He stared at me, wide-eyed, a flash of panic behind his gaze. I stared back at him as I tried to process this bit of information. “Let me get ready,” he said, and he went into the bathroom.
My mouth was dry, and my clothing clung to my body. I replayed the conversation with Sebastian, trying to come to terms with the fact that I had been able to put him to sleep using the little bit of power he had pushed into me, whether it had been accidental or not.
Shit. I needed to be careful what I said around others, and what I did going forward.
I wasn’t hungry anymore.
Once Sebastian was dressed, we maneuvered through the different hallways and grabbed lunch. I moved food around my plate, ate a piece of chicken, and drank a cup of coffee. Sawyer, the bodyguard, walked with us, but he sat at a nearby table to give us our privacy.
Sebastian looked up. It seemed as though he was staring at something I couldn’t see. Then he said, “Léon is awake.”
“How do you know?” I asked as we rose from the table.
“He is my brother. How could I not know?” He winked at me.
That didn’t answer my question, but it did seem like they had a metaphysical connection with one another—perhaps something similar to what Sebastian and I shared.
We left our dirty dishes on the counter, with Sawyer trailing behind us.
It was late afternoon, and the three of us were sitting in Léon’s office as Sawyer stood by the door like a dark angel. We gave Léon the short version of what had happened earlier and what had happened a few days ago with Seraphine. He sat in a chair across from us behind a glass table, pressing his index fingers together in the shape of a steeple and holding them against his forehead.
He went still like all vampires could, like they were sculptured out of stone: beautiful, flawless, and cold. I focused on his chest to see if he was breathing and immediately kicked myself. Vampires didn’t need to breathe, but they had to inhale to speak.
“Is this something you can do with little thought?”
I shrugged. “Like I said, it’s new to me, so I don’t know.”
“Stand up,” Léon said,
rising to his feet. He moved like liquid; quick and fluid. He took a step toward us and held out his hand.
“Why?” I asked as I stood, but I didn’t go to him.
He took another step, put his hands on my shoulders, and said, “I want to try something, and then you must try it on Sebastian.”
“What are you going to do? It better not hurt,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
He laughed softly; the sound was smooth and velvety, and it swirled around the room, caressing the back of my neck and tickling down my spine. It tightened things down below, and I shivered with pleasure. A surprised ‘O’ sound escaped from my lips, and I stared up into Léon’s eyes. Normally, I wouldn’t look any vampire in the eyes— they had the ability to control your mind with just a stare—but, somehow, it either wasn’t working now or Léon wasn’t trying to use his wiles on me.
Léon’s dark blue eyes had bled into the white, and I wanted to drown in their deepest ocean color. His hands were still on my shoulders, his fingers massaging them ever so gently. The heat from his fingertips vibrated through to my bones. The silky sensation of his laugh still swirled around me: as lightly as a feather, it moved up and down my back, then switched to my front and moved below—to my hips and between my legs. I pushed him away from me. He didn’t hold on, even though he could’ve, and he fell to the ground. I fell onto the couch beside Sebastian.
Léon laughed again, but it wasn’t like before. It wasn’t soft or smooth; it was loud and diabolical.
“Now use it on Sebastian,” he said, still sitting on the floor.
I moved away from Sebastian as far as I could whilst still staying on the couch. I didn’t trust my legs to stand and keep me steady.
“No,” I said, and I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. “What was that, Léon? What were you trying to prove?”
It was Sebastian who answered. “Léon’s power seeks your undisclosed desires, Blaire, and offers them to you. He can pleasure you without touching.” He grimaced at his brother. “Usually—although I see that, today, he made an exception.”
“I’m sorry, brother.” Léon stood, but he didn’t hide the fact that the front of his black pants was damp. “What a fucking ride. Hold on to this one,” he said, pointing at me.
“Did you just—” I pointed at his crotch.
“Oh yes, my dear.” He winked at me. “I wouldn’t mind doing it for real sometime. Should you ever get bored of my little brother, you know where to find me.” He started undoing his belt buckle as he walked toward his desk.
Heat crept up my neck, and my cheeks flushed. I moved on the chair to straighten my shirt, and the orgasm caught me again; I whimpered in pleasure, writhed on the seat and fought not to squirm. I dug my fingernails into the armrest to keep still.
“Why aren’t you touching Sebastian? It won’t stop until you give it to him.”
The look on Sebastian’s face must have shown his brother something because Léon added, “You mean the two of you haven’t done it yet?”
“No,” Sebastian said, with either a hint of frustration or regret—I couldn’t tell which.
I wasn’t looking at either of them; I was too busy concentrating on a book on the shelf. It was bound in leather and covered in dust. I couldn’t read the title on the spine, no matter how hard I squinted at it.
“Oh, I’m sorry, brother.” He chuckled wickedly, and I heard a door open. “Touch him, Blaire, otherwise it won’t stop.”
Shit, mother… asshole.
My fingertips were pulsing with his power. I reached out for Sebastian, but before I could touch his shoulder, he grabbed my hand. I pushed the orgasmic power Léon had given me into him as fast as I could. Sebastian writhed with pleasure in the chair beside me and let go of my hand. I forgot about the old book I was looking at and watched Sebastian. As he hardened against his pants, I could see the length and girth of him and how he was pressed flat against his right hip.
“You’re an asshole, Léon,” he said to his brother before glancing at me. He reached for himself and rubbed over his pants until he orgasmed.
We kept staring at each other: I watched him enjoy himself, and he watched me take pleasure in the view. It was very erotic, and I struggled to avert my eyes.
Where Seraphine’s power had hurt as it had made its way up my arm and neck, Léon’s power was most pleasurable. I prefer pleasure over pain any time of the day, but a warning would have been nice.
My mouth was dry, and I had to swallow a few times before I could eventually speak. “What the fuck was that, Léon? You can’t do that to people without consent.”
Léon walked out of the bathroom in clean underwear, but he was still wearing the same shirt. “I had to see what your power could do, Blaire. Whether it was something real and worthwhile. I couldn’t warn you. I needed your response to be raw and genuine.” He smiled, and I saw the points of his fangs. “Didn’t you enjoy it?” he asked, oozing with confidence.
“I’m not a guinea pig for you to test on, Léon.” My anger was back, and it made me feel better.
“My apologies, Blaire, but I had to see for myself what you were capable of.” He gave a slow bow of his head.
Sebastian stood up and went to the bathroom.
Léon opened a closet door, removed a pair of pants, and started pulling them on. “Do you like what you see, Blaire?”
My glance swept up to his face, and I saw that he was watching me carefully, with that dark gaze of his which could cause things down below to contract in fearful pleasure. He stood, slowly pulled up his pants, and fastened them. His long fingers ran down the front of his pants, and my eyes followed as he cupped himself, then touched his stomach, and moved up to his chest.
I dug my fingernails into my skin until it hurt. Heat crept up my neck and cheeks, and I felt the lines between my eyes deepen as I shook my head.
He must’ve done something to me.
“No,” I said, turning my head so that I was facing the bookshelf.
“No?” He made it a question. “’No’ because you dislike what you see, or is it that you do like what you see?”
Vampires could smell lies, so I didn’t bother.
“That I do,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Open your eyes,” he purred.
When I did, Léon was in front of me. I hadn’t heard him move. One of his hands was on the armrest and the other on the back of the couch, which left his face and body uncomfortably close to mine. I leaned back into the couch so that our faces didn’t touch and closed my eyes again. I didn’t want to look into his eyes; the drowning blue of the sea. I didn’t want to be under his power again.
“Do you want to touch me?” His smooth whisper caressed my cheek.
I didn’t trust my voice, so I just nodded. He took my right hand and placed it on his bare chest, which made me look at him. A minute ago, he had been wearing a shirt; now, he was naked from the waist up. I could feel his heart beating in his chest. Vampire hearts would only ordinarily beat if they’d recently consumed blood.
“You make my heart beat, Blaire. Can you feel it?” he whispered, close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my face.
The bathroom door opened, and a blur came past, swiping Léon away. Sebastian and Léon hit the bookshelf hard enough to dislodge all the books and break half the shelves. They were too fast for my eyes to follow; there were cries, the snapping of teeth, and punches. They both got up, Sebastian flew into Léon again, and they went crashing into the opposite wall. I jumped off the couch and Sawyer came behind me, lifted me over the couch, pulled me into him, and held me against the wall.
“I think it’s best if we leave, Blaire. They will not stop until first blood.”
Sawyer opened the door and we left, closing the door behind us. We stood there listening to the sound of yelling and things breaking. They crashed into the wall and the door shook, causing a crack to form at the bottom of it.
“Shouldn’t we try to stop them? They’ll
kill each other.”
“They can’t kill each other, Blaire.”
“Have they done this before?”
“They disagree often enough.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, then?”
“They get into it at least once a month.”
After ten minutes of things being smashed and both of them yelling at each other, the door finally opened. Sawyer and I backed up against the far wall. Léon and Sebastian had their arms over each other, like one was trying to keep the other upright. Sebastian’s shirt was torn, each had a bloody nose, and Léon’s left eye was swollen.
“Who won?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“Sebastian,” Léon said. “He always wins.” He hugged his brother and gave him a pat on his back. “As I mentioned to him, we need to be careful now that we know of your talent. There are others out there who would kill to get their talons on you. And, I do, however, have to apologize to you, my dear. It would seem you enthralled me to such an extent that I forgot my manners. Besides, my brother doesn’t share well.” He said the last part playfully and smiled mischievously.
Sebastian punched Léon in the ribs, who cried out.
“There. Now we’re equal.”
Chapter 12
IT WAS EARLY EVENING, AND I HAD enough time to freshen up before Ralph came to pick me up. Sebastian had healed by the time we got to his room, so he didn’t need any medical attention, but he did shower again. By the time Sebastian was done, Ralph was already outside, waiting for me.
“Before you leave, I want to talk to you about what happened in Léon’s office.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
I felt heat creep up my neck and onto my face.
In hindsight, I would have preferred avoiding any conversation that related to what Léon’s ‘touch’ did to me, and how he could do all those things without really touching me at all. The feel of his hands on my shoulders, his heat moving through my bones, under my skin and…
“First, I need to apologize for how my brother behaved,” Sebastian said, pulling me out of my daydream.