Chapter 49
~Five years prior~
The little fool.
I could not understand how he had managed to survive for so long before we found each other. He was so prone to disaster, that I often wondered if I were tempting fate every time I chose to rescue him.
I turned to him now and fought to stifle a sigh. "Why are you doing that Tony?"
He continued to watch me, eyes narrowed in concentration as he trained his weapon on my head.
"I had believed that human children were taught not to play with guns." A small black cat passed between us in the quiet alleyway, and he broke his concentration only to watch it pass. When he glanced my way again, he frowned.
"Come on Rien, aren't you just a little bit scared?"
I raised a brow. "Scared for you or scared for me? Be specific Tony."
Finally, with a great sigh of frustration, he lowered the weapon and placed it carefully into his pocket. As he did so, he mumbled to himself, and I looked to the moon.
My meeting with Zahir was fast approaching.
"Stop your mumbling Tony. You know how it vexes me."
He sighed. "If you'd show even an ounce of fear just once I'd feel just a little bit better about the world."
I frowned at his nonsense and spared the moon another glance.
"Why can't I come with you to your meeting?"
"It is a sensitive matter. I cannot have you interfere tonight."
When I looked back at him, he was leaning against the wall, with his meagre arms crossed before him. "I won't interfere. You won't even know I'm there, I swear."
"Ah, but I would know you were there my love, for you would no doubt make yourself known in some clumsy way."
He rolled his eyes and I ventured to continue our pointless conversation. "Where did you procure that weapon? Perhaps you should return it before you do something that will no doubt cause you a great deal of pain and me, a great deal of annoyance."
Tony shrugged. "Lifted it off some gang idiot. He probably doesn't even know it's gone." He shook his head, then smirked. "Amateur."
"Hmm."
"Next time Sunny and them mess with me, I got my little insurance policy right here." He patted his bulging pocket and grinned.
"Is that so?" We both looked toward the entrance of the alleyway to see the said Sunny and his gang of ruffians approaching us. It was evident from the fact that I had not been aware of their approach, that my mind was indeed elsewhere this night.
I looked to the moon once more. Zahir would be delivering the package in but a few short minutes. He was competent and I had no doubt that he would arrive without cause for worry, but this was a delicate matter and I would rest easier if the package were in my hands.
Beside me, Tony withdrew his weapon for all the see. "Don't even think about it Sunny." He trained the weapon on them, though his hands were shaking badly. "You come even one step closer and I'll put one right between your eyes."
The others were not impressed. Sunny snorted and stepped more than a few steps closer. "You won't do it wimp. You've always been nothing but a little pussy."
"Your language leaves much to be desired." I told the ruffian and he shrugged. "Why don't you beat it pretty boy? Me and your friend Tony here got some beef to settle."
"Is that's so?" I asked absently.
"Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face of yours, now would we boys?"
The 'boys' jeered and I could already sense Tony's anger rising to the surface. This, I did not have the time for tonight.
"I must go." I told him and his mouth practically fell open as he looked at me.
"But...you can't go, what about them?" he pointed to the offending group, who now watched us with mere interest.
"There is a meeting I must attend. I have told you this."
"But I need your help. You can't expect me to take them on by myself!" he hissed as I stepped away from him.
"Tony I have a meeting and you have a weapon; use it."
"But—"
"Or flee. Whichever course of action suits you best." A moment later I was off. I turned the corner and was down the block in an instant. I could already hear my Tony's boots battering against the pavement in the opposite direction.
He had of course chosen the second option as I had expected. He could never harm a fly, though he liked to think that he could. I felt the sweet chill of the night air against my cool skin and tried to remember if I had seen Tony in a jacket earlier, but I could not. So far away was my mind, that I had missed the simple details I had long been accustomed to cataloging.
I would rest easy when the package was safely delivered to me. Having such a thing fall into the hands of the enemy would lead to more problems than I had the patience to deal with. Now was not the time for me to hunt prospective thieves. I needed to stay close to my Tony. Therefore, nothing could go wrong this night.
I took a breath, and I could taste my compeer's anxiety in the night air. He had finally arrived.
I moved quickly through the sodden streets of the small town. We were to meet at the woodland's edge and I was already tardy. I hopped across a small canal and landed on the muddy banking beyond. It took me but a few moments to get there and when I did, I spotted him before he did me. He stood as still as a sculpture, eyes closed, head bowed, as he no doubt listened to the earth around him.
When he did become aware of my presence, he raised his head and smiled as calmly. His eyes alone betrayed his relief.
"Brother." He breathed as he stepped closer. "I was beginning to fear you would not come."
We embraced and his arms around me were tight. "I would not have missed this meeting. When you have a mate, tardiness soon becomes an expected trait." I explained, and he pulled back smiling.
"Of course."
"Did you meet with any misfortune on your journey here?"
His expression grew serious. "None, much to my surprise. Perhaps our stealth has been well thought out on this occasion." I watched as he slowly extracted the package from his robe, and I took it without a sound.
It was far smaller than I had anticipated. I uncovered the wooden box from its velvet casing and lifted the lid. There they stood; three clear vials. It was hard to believe that such small objects would be such a great cause for concern.
"I still do not approve of this venture." Zahir interrupted my musings. I closed the lid and replaced the box into the casing, before slipping it into my robes. "To hand such a thing to hunters feels like suicide."
"They will not use it against us." I assured him. "The hunters have never been senseless killers and we have done nothing to incur their disapproval. Only our enemies will suffer at their hands."
Zahir shook his head, looking away from me and out over the canal. "You put too much trust in them. Our people would see this as an act of treason."
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes risks must be taken to ensure the survival of a specie. If our trust is broken by them, I will take action. Have no fear my friend."
"You have not led me astray yet." Zahir smiled.
I felt the load that had weighted me down this past week, lift from my shoulders at the thought of the safe delivery of the package, and finally, I allowed myself to return his smile.
"I have missed your presence Zahir. The world of humans is a lonesome place."
"Then come home. Your people grow weary of your absence, and I am in need a proper sparring companion. I have defeated the lot of them many a time and I grow bored."
I laughed. "For now I must remain here where I am needed."
"Ah yes, with your human mate." He grinned. "Dare I hope that he appreciates your generosity? Not many would make such sacrifices as you."
"He is an ungrateful little thing, so I would not venture so far as to describe what he feels as appreciation, but he acknowledges it and I am content with that." He nodded, and I continued. "How is the young lord Christophe? It has been a time since I have laid eyes on him"
"He is as foul-mouthed and arrogant as ever, but he is well. "Zahir laughed. "Just last morrow he flayed Augustus with his tongue for stepping on the tail end of his robes."
"He has always had a brutal mouth on him. Even as a fledgling." I commented.
Zahir smiled fondly, then pulled me in for a quick embrace. "I must not tarry Rien. Your father is not yet aware of my absence and I do not wish to alert him of such."
"Very well brother. When next we meet."
And so he was gone, and already I missed his companionship.
It was a slow trek back through the city. So quickly the stress of the night had drained away and in its place an ancient sadness was brewing. It was a strange feeling to miss ones family. Being away from my people for such an extended period of time was something I had become accustomed to during war, but during such times, I had my men with me and my compeer. Now here in this human world I was alone, and even after all this time it was a strange feeling.
I suddenly had a craving for my Tony; to see him, to bask in his company, and to watch him catalog his bruises, which he would undoubtedly have after his encounter with his ruffian friends, but first I would get the package to safety.
......................................................
My eyes drifted to the clock above the mantelpiece.
He should have arrived by now. Surely those damned delinquents had not taken their sport too far. They played their games; perhaps a bit too roughly for my liking where Tony was concerned, but surely they would not taken it too far.
I pushed the main door open and stepped out onto the balcony, where I closed my eyes and listened. I heard the noise from the busy town and I drowned it out along with everything else, focusing my mind on that one solitary heartbeat that had come to mean so much to me. It was faint, but I could hear it in the distance, and I knew in an instant just where he was.
I frowned.
He himself had told me he wished to stay with me tonight. Why then was he at home?
I descended the stairs and crossed the vast yard. Once I was beyond my gate, I ran through the thick brush, taking the quickest routes until I arrived on the dirt road that would lead me up the path toward his home. The closer I got, the more distinct the beat of his heart became.
I crossed his yard. I could hear his foster parents having their usual spat in the kitchen. I gripped one thick column and pulled myself up and unto the low roof. From there I climbed unto a higher roofing that would lead me his bedroom window.
I could hear the spray of the shower in the next room, and I knew he was there. It took me but a moment to slide his window open and slip into his bedroom. The lamps on either side of his bed were on and the room took on a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I took a seat on his bed and picked up the open book on his side table.
A novel.
He only read when he was upset. He said it took his mind elsewhere; allowed him a brief moment of escape from his troubles. I wondered what he could possibly be upset about. I heard the squeaking of the pipes as he turned off the water and the sound of the soft towel brushing against his skin. Then the opening and shitting of the bathroom door; his damp feet padding against the wood floors and finally, he was pushing open his bedroom door.
I replaced the book as he entered the room. His towel was slung low on his hips and speckles of water dripped from his hair onto his naked torso. When he looked up and saw me, he frowned; beautiful eyes narrowing as he watched me.
"What are you doing here?"
Certainly not the welcome I had expected. "What is the matter with you Tony?"
He crossed the room and grabbed his novel from the side table before crawling into bed and turning completely away from me; dampening his hair on the pillow on which his head rested.
When his towel began to slip, he reached down to pull the blankets to cover his nakedness.
"I waited for you." I told him, and he snorted.
"Sure you did."
I reached across and touched his arm, only to have him move further away from me.
"Would you like to explain this odd behavior?"
Finally, he turned and sat up; eyes glinting. "You think I didn't see you tonight?"
I frowned. "I do not understand the question."
He shook his head. "With your pretty boy, across the canal." He accused. "Yeah I followed you, and I saw you with him."
"And what? You thought I was sneaking off to meet my lover?" I smiled in amusement, and his eyes narrowed further.
"Why's everything always a joke to you?"
"I am simply amused. I do not understand why you continuously jump to conclusions."
"I'm not jumping to conclusions. I saw you two and that wasn't a meeting between friends or whatever it is that you said you two are. It was intimate. I could feel it."
"You could feel it." I could not help but smile.
For a moment he only looked at me, then he shook his head and looked away.
I allowed the silence between us to grow. Sometimes he simply needed time to sift through his thoughts so that he could displace his anger.
"Look around you Rien." He began quietly. I did as he bid. "I'm living with people who don't give a damn about me. They're never going to adopt me because I'm just a meal ticket to them. I don't have parents. I don't own a damn thing in this room; not this bed, not these clothes, nothing."
I chose to listen rather than to interrupt, and he continued.
"I grew up having to share every damn thing I have, which means you're the first thing I've ever had in my whole life that I can say is just mine. I don't have to share you. I don't have to give you back, because you're all mine. So if this isn't enough for you, then you better tell me now because I can't deal with this shit. You're either mine or you're someone else's, but I can't share. I won't."
He had said all this while he picked the lint from his sheets; refusing, even now, to meet my eyes.
"You needn't share me my love. I have always been faithful to you and I will never waver." I assured him. He looked up and met my eyes. "What you saw was merely the neighborly intimacy between close friends. You have nothing to fear."
"You sure?"
I smiled as I reached over to pull on a lock of his damp hair. "I am."
The grin that graced his face immediately following my declaration was so bright that I laughed. He was just one big bundle of emotions my Tony.
"You had me scared for a minute there Rien." He confessed, and placed a hand dramatically over his heart. Though to be fair to him, it had been beating erratically ever since we had begun this particular conversation.
"Well now we can both forget about this nonsense. Tell me of your encounter with Sunny."
He rolled his eyes. "Gimmie a break. They didn't stand a chance. I gave them the slip within minutes. Bunch of stupid headless chickens."
"And what became of the weapon?"
He slid closer to me. "I got rid of it. The idea of it was more fun than the actual thing."
"Ah. My coven would have dubbed you weak for such an act."
He snorted. "When I become king, they won't even dare to think it."
"King you say?" He nodded. "What has led you to believe that you will ever become king?"
He shrugged. "When you turn me into a vampire and take me back to your coven as your mate. Obviously I'll rule alongside you...after your old man kicks the bucket I mean."
"I am the youngest son. I am not heir to my father's throne."
"One day though." He chirped happily. "Sunny and them are gonna be sorry the day they messed with me when I show up on their doorstep with our army." He continued with obvious delight.
"Do you truly believe it would take an entire army to massacre your friends?"
"No, but it'll scare the shit outta them...and they're not my friends Rien. How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"Of course." I played along. "And as I have told you many a time, I will not aid you in your quest to become a blood-drinker."
His frown was instant. "How do you expect me to protect you if I'm not like you?"
I scoffed at his nonsense. "It is my duty to protect you my love. Not the reverse."
"That's such bullshit."
Your language—"
"Leaves much to be desired. I know." He interrupted. "But anything can happen and one day you might need my help and I want to be there to give it to you."
"Let us pretend for a moment that the reason you wish to be turned is such a noble one." I began. "What could you possibly do to help? You would still be an untrained and untried blood-drinker and of no use to me. Though I do admire your ambition."
He seemed to consider my words. "I don't know. I could use my awesome new strength to—"
"You will be weak for months after the transition, and once you have recovered you will not have the strength of a full-blood blood-drinker."
His eyes narrowed. "I've got skills."
"I'm sure you do."
Finally, when he no doubt realized he was losing the battle, he sighed. "So you'll never turn me then. Is that it?"
"Perhaps when you are wiser."
"You're not turning me when I'm some shriveled up old man."
"Old age is not synonymous with wisdom Tony."
He only shrugged.
"Like with your weapon, you are simply in love with the idea of becoming like me. If I turn you, it will be when you understand the implications of such a change to the fullest degree, and not a moment sooner."
"I do understand."
I pulled him close and pressed my lips to his forehead. "You do not."
"One day you're going to need help and I won't be able to do a damn thing because I'm just a useless human."
I smiled. "You are brave and sharp and undoubtedly, you possess a determination that borders on insanity. If I am ever in need of such help, you will find a way to give it."
........................................................
~Present~
The vamp went down like a ton of bricks and I focused my attention on my next target. This one was smaller and he moved so quickly, he was practically a blur in my scope. I followed his movements across the courtyard, waiting for the moment he slowed. Just a second; that was all I needed to take the fucker down.
He was slinking across the courtyard like a demon on a mission. I needed to take him out before he reached his target. I readied my weapon and took aim. My finger hovered patiently over the trigger. Almost...almost....almost...Now!
The bastard went down and I released a breath.
Beside me Malik was shaking so hard it was a wonder his skin hadn't vibrated right off his bones. "You need to relax." I told him, and he lowered his weapon before looking at me. His expression was miserable.
"This is crazy. No matter how many you take down, they just get right back up eventually. What's the point?"
"The point is, we're slowing them down. It's better than nothing."
"We need poison tipped bullets and arrows; like the one that took you down. These things are useless."
I looked that the box of bullets by my side. I had about five of those, but I'd decided I'd only use them when I absolutely had to. On Rien's brother for instance.
"You don't need a poisoned anything. With the way you've been aiming, you're likely to take out everyone on our side before the night is over. I thought you said you were good at this."
When he glanced my way again, it was in clear exasperation. "That was in high school and this this completely different. These aren't targets, they're people. I can't just...."
"They are targets and they want us dead."
He looked across the courtyard and shook his head. When he brought his hand up to wipe his brow it was shaking. The guy was losing it.
"You need to relax." I told him again.
"I'm not you. I can't just—"he gestured to the battle below. "I can't do this. My hands keep shaking. I can't take aim. I haven't hit one vampire since we started. I—"
I stepped away from my weapon and moved to stand behind him. "What're yo—"
I placed my hands roughly on his shoulders; forcing him to face the chaos. "Those things down there are monsters. They have one goal, and that's to kill us all. You got that?"
"I know that, I—"
"Shut up and listen." I ordered, and he fell silent. "They're not going to stop until they kill you, me, Kaio and very single person in this damn camp. That means we need to step up and do whatever the hell we can to help."
He swallowed. "I understand." His voice came out in a whisper.
He was terrified; plain and simple. The man was completely out of his element and he knew it. I didn't have time to babysit.
"Close your eyes—don't say a word, just do it." I waited a moment. "I need you to take a deep breath, and I need you to relax alright?"
He nodded.
"No one's after you. Those bloodsuckers have absolutely no idea that we're up here, so you can take your time and do this right. You don't need to feel pressured, and you don't need to rush, got that?"
Another nod.
"Think of them as moving targets. They're not people, they're just targets and you need to hit your target." I slowly kneaded his shoulders as I said the words. "You said we're brothers right?"
This time his eyes flew open and he tried to turn to look at me. "We are, we're brothers."
"Good. Now just turn around and close your eyes." I commanded. "I'm sure you want us to get to know each other right?"
He nodded.
"Well, we can't do that if either one of us are dead. So if you want any chance of a relationship with me like you said, then I need you to focus and I need you to relax."
He nodded quickly. "Now open your eyes and raise your weapon. I need you to find a target and aim."
Malik did as requested, and though his hands were still shaking slightly, he had managed to get it relatively under control.
"Have you found your target?"
"I have." He said, and in an instant he prepared himself to fire.
"Stop. I said aim not fire. You need to take your time. Focus on your target, and then release the arrow. There's no need to rush."
"Alright."
"Try to aim for the head."
I released his shoulders then, and just watched him. On the opposite end of the roof, Kaio also watched with bated breath. Malik took aim, he observed his target carefully and finally, he released the arrow, which buried itself in the vamp's leg. Not exactly the head-shot I had been hoping for, but it was a good effort and I told him so.
I returned to my own weapon and searched the courtyard below for Rien. I had caught a glimpse of him earlier, but he tended to disappear as quickly as he appeared. My eyes traveled over the faces, and I squinted to make out each one of them in the poor lighting. Below me was complete chaos. They'd taken the fighting deep under the cover of the trees, far beyond the camp itself.
Everywhere I looked there was blood and carnage— broken bodies, terrifying growls and a lot of senseless fighting. It took me a little over ten minutes to spot him. He had a vamp by the neck and had raised the monster off the ground. I looked through the scope. The look in Rien's eyes was murderous. I took my aim and pulled the trigger. The vamp he held slumped, and Rien's head snapped around. I watched as his gaze traveled up and up until finally, it handed on my own.
I had expected anger, or at the very least...disapproval, but his mouth lifted ever so slightly at the corners and he nodded. I watched then as his hand shot through the chest of the unconscious vamp, and he pulled out the beast's heart, before discarding his prey altogether.
"Holy shit." Malik breathed, and I realized that he had also been watching the scene. When next I looked back however, Rien was gone.
I didn't waste any more time searching for him. I settled behind my weapon and got the job done. There was no way in hell any of us were dying tonight.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
YES YOU HEARD IT! EXAMS ARE OVER AND NOW I'M ALL YOURS!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Check out my book Dominance and Submission over on my profile while you wait for the next one.
Keep sweet!
-DoUbLe.A
-unedited