Chapter Two (Adam)
Anger ripped through me at the same time as a sliver of horror as I watched the blood ooze from the cut in Seth's palm. It rolled down to the end of his palm, then fell to the floor with a wet plip sound. It was the only sound as Kipp gaped at Seth as if he were insane and Julian paled.
"Prove it." Seth repeated, watching Julian closely. I slowly got to my feet in a way that was threatening to Seth because he also shot to his feet, not caring that I was a good foot taller than him. He didn't back down either, still holding his palm out, letting the blood fall to the hardwood floor.
"That's enough," I said, my voice icy, "Quit being a brat. Julian can handle it just fine."
"Really? Because he looks pretty damn hungry to me." Seth returned, glancing at Julian, who scooted back quickly to the other side of the sofa, gritting his teeth behind pursed lips. Kipp looked panicked, mostly because of the gash in Seth's palm. I don't think he quite got the fact that he was stuck in a room with the very thing he was trying to kill in his video game.
"You'd be hungry too if someone waved a double cheeseburger in your face," I answered coolly, stepping in front of Julian's line of sight to block the view of Seth's palm, not that it would do too much good since Julian's heightened senses could probably smell it, "Now put that away and go clean yourself up. If anyone's looking insane right now, it's you."
"Uhm, duh," Kipp managed, slowly rising to his feet, "You just cut yourself! Are you stupid?!"
"No," Seth seethed past clenched teeth, his eyes glowing with irritation, "I'm trying to prove a fucking point. First of all, you obviously don't know the definition of a vampire. Second of all, you lied to me up until now about all of this shit. No, the best part is that he told you and not us." I narrowed my eyes at him, clenching my fists as Julian quickly got to his feet, staying behind me though.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd flip! You're always talking about staking vampires and, dude, you just gave Kipp a game about killing vampires. So excuse me for not wanting to tell you!" Julian exclaimed angrily. Seth shot him a death glare before looking back at me as I scowled.
"And for your information, I do know the definition of a vampire," I responded heatedly, reaching behind me and grabbing Julian's hand tightly in mine, "It's somebody who survives off drinking blood. It doesn't mean he's a killing machine. In fact, their society has been trying to co-exist with us for... well, a fucking long ass time. Kinda hard when the humans are, oh, I dunno, trying to kill them." Seth blushed at that, throwing his hand down at his side before bringing it back up to point an accusing finger at Julian, making Julian recoil at the droplets of blood that were tossed his way.
"They're the ones who started it! They're the ones killing people! How do you think they get blood? And where do you think the blood in blood bags even come from, douchefuck?! Obviously us! The fact that he hasn't bitten you yet is amazing!" He retorted, dropping his hand to his side again.
"I am so confused." Kipp whined, clutching the sides of his head, covering his ears in an attempt to block us out. I almost felt sorry for him. Kipp had a hard time believing the unbelievable, so this whole thing was probably going to come off as a shock. Then again, there was no proof that Julian was a vampire... Not really.
"Julian won't bite us," I replied darkly, clenching my fists, "He actually gives a shit. Although, right now, I wouldn't mind beating the crap out of you." Seth looked intrigued by that and threw his arms out.
"Come get me, Godzilla." He dared. I didn't even give him a chance to move as I lunged at him and caught him around the waist, slamming him into the floor so hard, I swore I heard his head crack and it gave me pause for a second until his fist came shooting into my jaw. Pain exploded into my mouth and I ran my tongue along my teeth, tasting blood before I narrowed my eyes at Seth, trying to grab his fists and pin them to his chest, but he moved fast and his wounded hand was slick with blood, making it hard to hold onto.
He squirmed like a damn piglet underneath of me and managed to bring his knee up into my gut, knocking the wind out of me as I fell back, breathing hard. I got back to my feet as Seth scrambled to his. He was panting too and started to look a little pale, probably from the blood loss.
"Seth, stop this," I ordered, "You're going to pass out if you keep throwing blood everywhere." Seth fumed at that and lunged at me this time. I caught him around the waist and lifted him off his feet, which succeeded in pissing him off even more. It was like trying to calm a hornet's nest.
"Put me the fuck down, you bastard! Get your pervert hands off me or I'll rip 'em off! I'll destroy you, you hear me?! Let me go!" Seth shouted, kicking his feet and trying to throw his head back to hit me in the mouth, but I ducked my head back to avoid it. I threw him onto the couch where he kicked before shooting back to his feet.
However, this time when he got to his feet, he wobbled and tried to grab onto something. Julian moved faster and caught Seth under the arms, wincing as he struggled to keep him on his feet. Seth shoved at him, breathing hard as he tried to right himself.
"You're gonna die of blood loss, you idiot," I snarled, then turned on Kipp, who had been covering his ears still, "Kipp, go get a towel or something to stop the blood." Kipp just nodded quickly and fled the room to the kitchen. Seth was looking at Julian closely, eyes narrowed as he panted. He threw his hand out into Julian's face, making Julian gasp and shut his eyes as the blood spattered across his face.
I wanted to step over to Seth and punch him so hard in the jaw he wouldn't be able to chew the pasta he loved so much, but I resisted as Julian peeked his eyes open again to look at Seth nervously.
"I'm not gonna bite you, Seth," He managed, watching Seth's face twist in confusion, "It's like Adam says. I'm not gonna bite you. You can fling your blood at me all you want, but I won't drink it. Even if you're practically offering to me."
"Why?" Seth asked, his expression genuinely puzzled. Julian snorted, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve before giving Seth a sour look.
"Cuz you're my friend, you dumbass." He answered. Seth stared at him for a while longer, the confusion etched onto his face priceless. I almost laughed, but that would only succeed in more violence and Seth was still bleeding. Thankfully, Kipp rushed in with a couple towels and the medical kit that Seth's mom kept in the hall closet. We finally got Seth to sit down and wrap his hand up while the rest of us sat on the other sofa to give him space.
Seth had a terrible temper and one thing we learned, through the hard way actually, was to let him simmer down on his own. Touching him was a big no-no.
"I'm confused." Seth said at last. Kipp snorted, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the arm of the sofa.
"You're confused? My best friend just cut his hand open for no reason. How the fuck do you think I feel?" He demanded, annoyed. I spared him a quick glance, leaning on the sofa with Julian sitting right up against me.
"Like you just stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone," I answered, making him look at me, "Trust me. At least you found out this way. I found out while we were having sex." Julian turned red at that and gave me a look that told me he was going to strangle me. Kipp groaned.
"I really did not need to know that. I mean, I'm cool with you guys being gay and all, you know, more power to ya, but I really did not wanna know your personal life." He complained, making me roll my eyes.
"Can we start from the beginning?" Seth suggested at last, rubbing his temples. He still looked pissed and like he wanted to punch something, but we complied with his question. Julian and I started from the beginning when I had snuck into his house and we ended up having sex. We sorta left out the details, because A) Nobody was allowed to know about Julian being sexy, and B) We didn't need to hear Kipp whine. I explained the moment I saw Julian's fangs and Julian's explanation of their society.
I knew Julian was probably uncomfortable with all of this because his parents had brought him up to keep everything a secret. Not to mention, the rest of his family would probably kick the crap out of us, even Newell, if they ever found out we told two more humans.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kipp said, holding his hands up and making everyone glare at him, "This is crap. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that Julian's been a vampire this whole time?" Julian rolled his eyes and got in Kipp's face, lifting his lip and showing off his fangs. Kipp squeaked and scooted back so far he fell off the sofa and hit the floor. Seth's eyes widened and he looked at Julian with interest now.
Julian hesitated, then got near Seth and showed him his fangs. Seth stared at them as if they were two winning lottery tickets. Julian still looked uncomfortable and sat back as we finished off our explanation. We left out the part about Zephyra hunting us down and the fact that Julian had a demonic parasite living in him.
Mostly because Newell would find out and he would kill us.
While I was positive Newell said Xed's diet consisted of vampires, I'm sure he'd have no qualms eating me. And I wasn't one to back down from a fight, but even I had to admit that taking on Xed would be like fighting King Kong with a bendy straw.
"So, great," Kipp managed after he had recovered, "So, vampires are real. Mermen are real. Anything else we should know about? Like, I dunno, werewolves or something? Please tell me our biology teacher isn't a demon because she's dropdead gorgeous right now."
"Nooo," Julian drawled, dragging the word out before wrinkling his nose, "But the fact that you think she's gorgeous makes me question your humanity."
"Have you seen her ass in those pencil skirts? Screw pornhub, I just need our yearbook to get off."
"Uhm, ew?"
"You're the one dating the king. Don't you be ew-ing me. What I'm experiencing is perfectly natural."
"You're attracted to our fifty-year-old biology teacher. Double ew."
"She is not fifty!"
"You're right; she was probably around when dinosaurs discovered how to procreate."
"Dude!" Kipp cried in distress. I rolled my eyes and looked away at Seth, who still seemed to be trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been friends with a vampire for years without even knowing and that said vampire buddy was not going to suck his blood and change him into a halfblood. Julian ignored Kipp's tantrum about sexual attraction to look at Seth with a frown.
"You don't need to worry about me biting you, Seth. Really. How do you think I got through all those fights? I just ignored it until I got home. And the blood bags are donated blood, and I'm not hurting anyone by drinking for them either." He explained as best he could. Seth gave him a weary stare before looking away.
"This doesn't make any sense. Vampires are..."
"Supposed to be evil? Trust me, there are evil vampires out there; just like there are evil humans out there. There's always that group of people who ruins it for everyone else in every species." Julian said quietly, watching Seth look away again with a scowl. I sighed, rubbing my temples as Kipp settled down enough to look at Julian.
"So, to finish this fun morning off, we need to make sure you won't tell anyone," I said sternly, glancing at Kipp, who pouted, "Julian's parents would flip if they found out that he was telling people."
"Uhm, no," Julian snorted, "They'll flip on you for telling."
"I'm not the one who flashed my fangs."
"Flashed my fangs? You act like I'm a sorority chick on spring break."
"At this rate, I have no doubt."
"Fuck you!"
"Fuuuuck," Kipp groaned, "Stop, stop. We won't tell anyone. Just stop talking. You sound like an old married couple." At that, Seth turned away from him to glance at Julian and I. He still looked uneasy and defintely like it would take a while to earn back the trust we'd lost.
"Speaking of which, you said Julian's parents are trying to find someone to marry him. Does that mean they're thinking about you?" He asked. I frowned at that. Julian squirmed.
"I really don't wanna talk about that." He answered uneasily. Seth gave him a weird look, then glanced at the clock and cursed as he got to his feet, gathering up the medical kit.
"Fuck, my parents are gonna be home for lunch. Come back tomorrow and maybe we can actually do band stuff." He ordered, looking at each over us before heading to the kitchen. Judging from his heavy footfalls, he was still pissed at us for keeping secrets. It was ridiculous. I'm positive he was keeping secrets from us, but he didn't see us having a cow over it.
Of course, Seth wasn't a vampire. A vampire with a parasitic demon thing living in his brain.
Though, sometimes I questioned it.
"Come on, Julian." I said, looking at him as he got up with a sigh. He paused to look at Kipp, who grabbed up his jacket. Kipp pulled up short when we met in the foyer. We stared at him and he stared at us before clearing his throat and inching his way past Julian, like he was afraid to touch him. He mumbled a quiet "later" and disappeared out the door.
And in a split second, I saw the hurt on Julian's face. I frowned instantly, but he quickly recovered and walked outside. I followed behind him as we headed back down the sidewalk toward his house. He didn't say anything as we walked, but he let me hold his hand. In fact, he squeezed my hand as if he were afraid I'd pull away. My chest tightened at that and I gripped his hand the whole way to the house before we came inside.
"Julian--"
"I really don't wanna talk about it." Julian answered stiffly, leading the way to his room. I frowned, but followed dutifully. I wasn't going to push him. He was upset and while I usually enjoyed poking fun at him to make things a little more relaxed, I could tell he really didn't need it right now. I watched him get settled in his room before I excused myself to the kitchen. I was surprised to see Newell sitting on the counter, kicking his legs back and forth, wearing a gray thermal shirt and matching pajama pants, a warm mug of blood in his hands.
"I didn't hear any screaming," He mused as I went to the fridge to take out a package of ham for a sandwich, "But obviously something went wrong. Julian looks angry." I frowned, glancing at him out the corner of my eye. I could tell he was probing for answers, but there was no way I was gonna tell him that Kipp and Seth knew about vampires and mermaids.
"Teenage angst." I answered. Newell made a face at that, scowling as he sipped his blood, licking it off his lips like a child drinking hot chocolate.
"I hate teenagers. Obnoxious brats who think love is all that matters." He muttered dryly. I smirked at that, keeping my back to him, though, to hide my amusement at his comment. I could hardly imagine Newell being a teenager.
"You weren't like that?" I asked, taking out a loaf of bread and placing ham on a couple slices. Newell watched me as if every move I made was a threat to his very existence, blue eyes narrowed and his dark hair brushed across his face.
"I was leading an army of terrorists when I was your age."
"Oh, right. Forgot. You were mini-Hitler. Really mini."
"I don't like your humor. It reminds me of Vladimir's."
"Vlad's a funny man."
"When he's bleeding." Newell tacked on, seeming delighted with that image as he closed his eyes dismissively before continuing his drink. I rolled my eyes, lathering a layer of mustard onto the sandwich before putting everything away and taking a bite to see Newell eyeing me.
"What?" I asked flatly. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, using his pinky to gesture to my sandwich.
"How can you eat that? It smells awful."
"It's the mustard."
"It's rank."
"What? Were you born in the sixties? Nobody uses rank anymore."
"I was born in the thirties, actually," Newell said sourly, narrowing his eyes at me as if he were looking at an insect and debating whether to crush it or burn it with a magnifying glass, "And it doesn't matter what word I use. Disgusting, revolting, loathsome, repulsive, abominable, rank, foul. They all mean the same thing."
"Oi," I protested lazily, gesturing to him with my sandwich and sending a glob of mustard to land the couple feet between the bottom of his feet to the floor, "I put up with your nasty shit habits. This whole damn house drinks blood. I could easily make a few complaints about that, but I take it. So shove off."
"Oh, please," Newell drawled, lifting a brow and giving me this kingly look that pissed me off to no end, "Blood is delicious. It's nutritious."
"It tastes like a spoon."
"That's because you're a human. Blood doesn't really taste like that. At least, it does at first," Newell began, getting an eerie look on his face that made me back up a good step, "Swish it around in your mouth, bathe your fangs in it, let it settle on your tongue. It's warm and wet, sweet and pungent. It's like a pomegranate. Juicy." I grimaced and dropped my sandwich on the counter, making Newell raise an eyebrow and return to his I'm so better than you look.
"Lost my appetite."
"I concur. Your sandwich has actually succeeded in making me nauseous."
"Good. Now we're even." I answered, making Newell glare at me until there was a loud crash. His eyes widened before he set his mug down, hopping off the counter and following me as I rushed out of the kitchen to Julian's room where the crash had come from. As we neared the door, there was a few thumps and another crash. I threw the door open, Newell going under my arm into the room first, only to duck, narrowly missing decapitation from a textbook.
Things were flying around the room, smashing into walls and the glass in the window had exploded outwards, letting the icy cold air rush into the room, whipping the black curtains around crazily.
Julian was sitting on his bed with his back to the wall, his knees curled to his chest and his face buried against them, his arms around them tightly. He hardly seemed aware of what was happening around him.
"Julian, enough!" Newell barked in a tone that seriously made me wonder if he was related to Mrs. Grey. Julian looked up, his eyes red and puffy. He blinked and looked around, his eyes wide as if he had just noticed the things around the room. They instantly froze in mid-air, then crashed to the floor.
"W-What the hell?" Julian managed. Newell frowned as I crossed the room, avoiding broken glass before I got on the bed, gesturing for Julian to come to me. He obeyed, crawling across the bed and into my arms.
"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning. Julian grimaced.
"I didn't mean to get like that," He managed, wiping at his eyes vigorously, making them redder, before he sniffled, "I wasn't paying attention. I had no idea it was actually happening." Newell curled his lip, hardly looking comforting as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Yes, that's it," He sneered, "Let's give demonic abilities to a snotty teenager who's crying because he has no friends." Julian flinched and pushed away from me to glare at Newell hatefully.
"You don't understand, so what the hell are you bitching for?! You don't even have any friends!"
"Good thing too," Newell exclaimed, dropping his arms to his sides, eyes glowing dangerously, "They're a hindrance. Friends will drag you down, especially in your situation, or are you still so stupid that you don't even realize what's happening around you? You're being hunted by a terrorist group that makes al-Qaeda look like The Little Rascals and a host to one of the most powerful and unknown forces on the planet. Friends will be killed to get to you. The fact that you're even around that human is putting his life in danger."
"I'm not scared of vampires." I snorted. How many times did I have to repeat that? Oh sure, I knew they were stronger and older, but that didn't make them better than me. And I promised Julian that I wouldn't die, so I wouldn't die.
"Good for you," Newell said sarcastically, "What do you want? A Grammy? If you were to face Orion or Giorgos, you would never survive. They don't care about you. You're just a dog toy lying in a yard with the lawn mower just inches away from you. They'll happily run you down and spit out your pieces to get to Julian."
"S-Stop that!" Julian managed, looking scared at the mere thought. Following his protest, a textbook flew at Newell, who threw his arm up and caught it before throwing it at Julian, only to have it stop an inch from Julian's face before it fell to the floor. Newell glared at him.
"I'll never understand why the demon inside you, chose you of all people. You're irresponsible, uneducated, reckless, and, to be quite blunt, stupid. You're going to get everyone around you killed." He sneered hatefully, making my blood kick into overdrive. I think I'd had about enough of this bullshit. I got to my feet, ready to kick Newell on his ass, no matter how childish he looked, but Julian was already heading for Newell, who didn't move an inch.
He didn't have to because Xed was right between Julian and Newell in the blink of an eye. I didn't like how close he was standing to Julian, so I instantly came forward and put myself in front of Julian, facing Xed with narrowed eyes.
"Don't care what you are either," I spoke in a low voice, "Touch him and I'll make you regret it." Xed's mismatched gaze glinted, his expression betraying nothing, his muscles the only thing twitching.
"Stop," Julian snapped suddenly, coming to stand beside me and putting his hand on my arm, "Look, we're just tense, all right? All of this crap on trying to research the parasites and hiding from Zephyra is making us nervous. We need to... calm down, okay? I'm sorry for getting mad." I looked at Julian, mildly surprised. He was usually the one to jump up and start fighting without a second thought. For some reason, that made me suspicious. Was it the demon in his head telling him to do that? Sometimes, I wasn't sure and that made me want that thing out even more.
"I'm just warning you," Newell started coldly, "Far be it from me to preach you on common sense. To be quite frank, I couldn't care less should you or anyone else die. So long as I make it out alive, to hell with the rest of you." I saw a tic work into Julian's jaw as he fought to control himself. This time, I stepped in.
"Fine," I stated, "Same goes for us. Right now, we're just using you to find out more. If Zephyra asks for you, don't think for a second I won't hand you over to keep Julian alive and safe." Newell's lip curled in a cold smirk.
"I'm really starting to hate you."
"The feeling's mutual."
"Tsk," Newell stepped back, "Come on, Xed. I think it's about time we found you something to eat." I didn't move from my poised stance until Xed had retreated with Newell leading. Julian and I watched them head down the hallway, both of us glaring.
"I'm starting to understand why Vladimir wants to hurt him." I deadpanned. Julian laughed bitterly, fangs flashing in the hall lights.
"Agreed. He's like that really annoying cousin that you just want to beat the crap out of us, but you're afraid of pissing off his mommy."
"Xed as his mother is a disturbing thought."
"Eugh, I don't want to think about them," Julian decided, shaking his head and turning to me, his expression settling into something calm before he smiled, "I want to think about something else."
"Yeah?" I asked, facing him and stepping closer. I savored the heat radiating off his body, warming me from the icy chill in his bedroom due to his busted window. Julian nodded, studying my face as if he were trying to find answers to all life's problems.
So I gave him a good answer and kissed him. Not a quick, small kiss. That wasn't my style. I reached up to grab the back of his head, bringing it forward and burying my tongue in his hot, wet mouth. Julian moaned at that, putting his hands on my chest, letting them wander my pecs. I put my other arm around his waist, jerking him up against me to feel the hard bulge in his jeans. We broke apart, saliva breaking between us as he panted.
"I'm cold. Warm me up." He breathed, grabbing at the lapels of my jacket, jerking me closer. I smirked, admiring the way his fangs seemed larger at this angle, glinting like a pair of dangerous daggers ready to sink into my throat and suck my blood away.
Not that I would let him do that.
I was happy being human. I didn't want to be a vampire.
I could kill anyone as a human, so being a vampire didn't matter to me. I could take one down if I wanted to, because I'd done it before when I had rescued Julian from Zephyra not too long ago.
But the whole neck biting thing didn't apply to me. I could ravish that pale throat all I wanted, leaving dark hickeys that made Mrs. Grey want to throttle me. In fact, I was still surprised that she hadn't broken my neck or at least knocked out all my teeth.
Call me masochistic, but she could get as pissy as she wanted and I would never stop.
I dipped my head down to Julian's throat, parting my lips before clamping them on his throat. He purred like a content cat, threading his fingers through my hair to hold me against his neck. I sucked hard on his throat, licking and nipping at his soft skin. I felt his mouth on my throat, which instantly made me pull back to see his eyes flicker from blue to red and back again, his fangs dripping with saliva. I narrowed my eyes, tightening my grip on the hair on the back of his head, making him wince as I got near his face, licking at his lips.
"You're not allowed to bite me." I ordered. Julian licked his lips at that and nodded, grimacing as I let go of his hair. He rubbed the back of his head, pouting at me before he rose on his toes to kiss me quickly on the mouth before dashing down the hallway. I scowled at that and went after him.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked, dodging his steps as he headed for the living room.
"Not having sex in my room," Julian retorted, making me frown as he dropped his sweatshirt off in the hallway, moving to take his t-shirt off as we entered the living room, "It's fucking cold in there."
"Your parents are already going to slaughter you for destroying your bedroom. What'd you think they'll say if they find out you had sex in the living room?" I asked flatly, glancing around at all the nice places we could fuck. This was a bad idea. Every sense in me told me it was. What if someone walked in? What if Newell and Xed came back? Or Alexander and Vladimir?
Or worse, Mr. and Mrs. Grey.
The thought made me shudder, but I could easily imagine pushing Julian down onto one of the black leather sofas, ravaging him until he couldn't move anymore. Throwing him up against the cabinets full of DVDs, an old record player, and other odd trinkets that vampires probably wouldn't own in the movies. Or laying him across the coffee table.
"They won't know," Julian said as he tossed his shirt away, shaking out his hair before he kicked his shoes off, "And seriously, you have no idea how many times Alexander and Vladimir have done shit in here that my parents don't know about."
"Eugh, don't say that or you might make me soft."
"And I know the perfect way to change that."
"If it involves your mouth, then I agree."
"Sounds good to me." Julian agreed with a shrug. He approached me with a sexual saunter that instantly made me rock hard for him. I was relieved that he seemed to have gotten over Seth and Kipp, for now anyway, and everything that Newell had said earlier. I didn't want him to focus on them, or Zephyra, or that filthy demon in his head.
That was another thing that irked me. Could this thing see what we were doing? Could it feel us? I didn't want anyone to know what Julian was like whenever we had sex. He was disobedient, obnoxious, and bratty any other time, but once we were getting down and dirty, Julian became a seductive little sex slave. I wanted to be the only one to see him like that. I wanted to be the only one to touch him like that, make him squirm and beg and whimper.
Because in the end, no matter what anyone said-- Zephyra, Mrs. Grey, Alexander, Wulf, or Daimonas.
Julian Alexander Grey was mine and mine alone.