Blood Prize {Bloody Dance Series #1} BoyxBoy

NINE

Soji stirred at my touch. He sat up straighter in the car looking around. I watched as he rubbed at his eyes before looking over at me. He smiled and it was a completely different smile then Ban had ever given me. This smile spoke to the pure innocence that filled him. It made my breath catch.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked covering his mouth as he yawned. He stretched out his arms his fingers pressing against the ceiling in the car as he tried the best he could to shake out his limbs. I found myself thinking about how beautiful he was. A beauty that could be place next to Ban and hold it's own. That was rare within itself.

The car was stopped at a Bounty Hunter bar. If he wanted to actually shake out his limbs, he could do that. I unclicked my seat-belt as he looked out the window. I could see his frown from the reflection in the window.

"First day free and you want to get drunk?" He asked looking back at me. Why was there so much judgment in his voice. What was wrong with having a drink? He was still young, he was so innocent. He probably never drank anything stronger than coffee a day in his life.

Why was that so . . . Appealing? Maybe it was the demon in me. It made me want to grab him and see how much bad was actually inside of this pure boy. It made me want to taint the innocence that wrapped around him. Of course in the end, I would keep my hands to myself. He was a white mage. The world needed more people like him.

"It's a Bounty Hunter bar. I'm shopping." I needed someone to hunt. I had to get something to eat or Soji was going to start looking like a juicy burger and fries. He was already the preferred meal of the day. That didn't mean I could have a sample.

Getting out of the car I walked into the bar with Soji on my heels. I could feel the eyes on us, but I ignored them all as I looked at the board. Closing my eyes, I waved my hand in front of the pictures. I didn't care about the money. I wanted to find someone that was in this town.

It only took a moment for one of the pages to float of the board. Reaching down I picked it up looking at the picture. It was a bear of a man worth ten thousand credits. It wasn't going to be any big haul, but it will get me a meal and gas to make it home.

Reaching into my pocket I could feel the horn from Maya. I was happy that they hadn't stolen it from me. The only thing that I lost was my music. No, I lost something more important than music. Shu was gone. I squeezed my eyes shut against my grief. For now I just had to make it back to Amy and Rai.

"This is where we part ways." I turned around to look at Soji. He was looking up at me. I noticed that I was taller than him. Our height difference was probably the same between me and Ban. Only in this case I was the tall one. In this case, I was the demon. I licked my lips as he chewed on his bottom lip.

His eyes held this look in them that I couldn't read. The feeling that I saw him before passed over me again. When he looked at me, it was as if he was looking through me. As if he somehow saw me at my darkest moment and brought me into the light. No one but Kaleb has ever done that for me.

Soji was just a child as well. Maybe I felt this way towards him because he was light and I was darkness. Maybe the tiny part of me that was still human wanted his light. My fingers reached out brushing his hair behind his ear. He only smiled at me. His smile . . . It was breathtaking.

"Give me one second." He held up his finger he backed away from me. Why was I giving him any seconds? Why did he need a second? I watched as he went over to the bartender. He had whispered something into the man's ear before he was allowed to use the bar's phone. What was he doing?

Whoever he called only talked to him for the better half of three minutes before he walked back over to me. His smile was still on his face if not brighter than before. Why did I feel like I saw that smile before? Most of the years, I've been a demon I lived in a fog. Did I meet him before? He was just a child though. He wasn't a demon. He was human, he was a white mage. It was impossible for me to know him.

Maybe I met someone pure while I was in my fog. Maybe that was why Soji reminded me of someone that I knew a long time ago. Two hundred years was a long time to be alive. Most of my memories were only of the hunger that I felt. In my moments of clarity, Ban was the only thing that was there. There was never anyone good until Kaleb. There was never a Soji.

"I'm all yours." How could he say that with a smile? Did he know what it meant to say those words to a demon. No, he didn't seem to have a care in the world. "I'm so sorry. I didn't ask your name. I'm Soji." He offered me his hand. His tiny fingers outstretched as they waited for me to grasp them.

"Zero," I answered taking his hand. He was warm. Touching him felt . . . Good. As if he was stirring the soul inside of me. Did I even have a soul? I was a demon, I was pretty sure you lost things like a soul when you die. Or maybe I did have a soul. My soul was tiny and hidden in the darkness that rested inside of me. Maybe Soji touch showed my soul that light still existed in this world.

"Ban called you, Natsu." He said and I frowned at the name. Ban always called me Natsu. I didn't know who Natsu was. Maybe it was someone Ban knew long before me. It was annoying. He was always saying that name. He whispered it to me doing the times we were alone. He made it penetrate my mind. As if he could force the name into my heart. I rejected the name Natsu just as forcefully as I reject Ban. I wasn't Natsu, I'm only Zero.

"I'm Zero." I repeated walking away from the bar and down the street. Balling up the page that held the outlaw I was hunting the closer I got to him the warmer the page grew. The whole time we walked Soji kept up a happy never ending line of chatter. He talked about everything from his dislike of milk to why he thinks there's life on other planets.

It was so different than what I was used to. Normally everyone was quite. When I went to look for outlaws, I was always alone. I didn't have my earplugs to block him out. I was reaching my breaking point. I had half a mind to reach over and drink him. That would be one way to get him to shut up.

Reaching out I grabbed Soji by the collar. I slammed him into the wall of the alley we had ventured down. He stopped talking as he looked up into my eyes. Blue eyes so bright and clear held my golden ones. I didn't see any fear in him.

Instead, he reached out touching my cheek. His fingers were so warm. They brought me a sense of peace that I never felt before. Leaning down I pressed him further into the wall. What was I doing? His hand fell away from my cheek and down to my chest. I could hear the way his heart was racing. Yet I knew it had nothing to do with fear. Why? Why didn't he fear me? Why was he letting me lean down closer?

Before I could decide what I was going to do to the white mage the page in my hand caught fire. Soji and I both pulled away from each other as the ashes of the page blew down the alley. My eyes followed the aches as I saw the bear man walking towards us. I love it when dinner comes to me.

I watched as the outlaw rolled his shoulders. He was cracking his knuckles a twisted smile on his face. Maybe he thought he was about to have two easy targets. Together Soji and I didn't look like a very threatening pair. We looked like two teenagers trying to make out in an alley.

I was so hungry though. I didn't have time to do my normal taunting. I didn't want to hear his last words or know if he was sorry for the people he killed. All I wanted was to meal I was about to receive.

I rushed down towards the man. He went to swing at me, but I leaped up. Coming down on him he grabbed me into a big bear hug. It was pointless really. My fangs pressed down as I bit into the man's neck. He tasted like something fired in dirty grease. I gagged but continue to drink from him. I needed this meal even if the blood wasn't up to the standards that I would have liked.

What did this say about me as a demon? I had someone who blood would be better than a five star meal. I was drinking dirty grease though. Maybe this was the time that you think back and reflect on the choices that you made in life. Funny as it was I think it was my good choices that brought me to this moment.

The outlaw fell to the ground as I continued to drink from him. Until the last drop was gone, I didn't pull away from him. When I finished, I moved back wiping the blood from my lips. My eyes shifted as I looked at Soji. He didn't seem bothered by the sight of me feeding. Even Shu looked away the first times that he had come with me. What was with this guy? Who was Soji?