Chapter Two (Mark)
"What'd you do? Give birth?" I demanded, putting a fist on my hip as Storm and I stood by the baggage retrieval area, our bags in hand and ready. Slade stuck his tongue out at me, making me roll my eyes before I looked at Alexander, who looked uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" I asked at him as Slade snatched his bags up, throwing one over his shoulder and popped out the handle to drag his wheeled suitcase. Alexander glanced up at me sideways before looking away with a frown.
"I dunno. Just a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach." He muttered. I frowned, but said nothing in return. I didn't quite know what to say and I think he was only feeling that way because he didn't want to be here. We'd taken him away from Amber and Mary-Kay; pretty much the only family he truly had left now. I feel that somewhere he was blaming the Gothica Clan for everything that's happened the past couple years, but I didn't want to jump on that bandwagon too quickly, so I kept it myself as Storm led the way out of the airport.
"We're meeting your dad at the hotel, right?" I asked, making Storm nod as he fiddled with his cell phone, probably texting his dad to let him know we were in the city. I looked away from Storm to glance at Slade and Alexander who followed behind us along with Zander, who was struggling with the extra bag he had to carry-- which belonged to Slade. Speaking of Slade, the psychic child was nibbling on his lower lip and looking around cautiously, like he was expecting something to hit us.
For some reason, that made me nervous. I mentally cursed myself, taking a deep breath.
No. Stop worrying. This is a nice comfortable vacation in fucking Italy. I was just nervous because Alexander was nervous and he was just nervous because he was angry.
I just had to lay low, be cool and--
"Mark!" I jumped, accidentally letting a squeak slip out when I felt Storm's grip on the back of my shirt, tearting me back. I blinked and looked around, bewildered when I realized I had almost walked into the road outside the airport. I felt my cheeks flame as a car went by after honking a couple times.
"Get your head out of the clouds," Storm scolded worriedly, putting a hand on my shoulder and pulling me closer to him, "You're gonna get yourself hurt."
"Seriously, mate," Slade agreed with his usual thick Cockney accent, which was slightly further skewed by the injury to his tongue from our battle last Christmas, "Ye mays be immortal an' all dat fancy junk, but ye can still ge' hurt pretty badly."
"Sorry," I muttered, then glanced around at the nice sleek cars that drove around through the city, "Wowww. This place is neat! And it smells nice too. Better than the Detroit Airport, which smelled like some kind of mix between sweat and feet. Smells like bread here."
"Couldn't agree mo'." Slade chirped, then came up to step beside me on the curb as he sniffed the air, then cocked his head curiously for a moment before he seemed to see something he didn't like and quickly turned his back on it, facing me so his face was right in mine. I winced, looking at him suspiciously and opening my mouth to speak when we heard someone call Storm's name.
Storm looked up from his cell phone and I followed his relieved gaze when I spotted Kristophe standing near a sleek black Porsche limousine, holding a sign that read GOTHICA on the front. Storm picked up his things and led us toward Kristophe.
He looked far more comfortable in Italy than he did back at home. His dark hair had grown out a bit, bangs longish and sideswept, almost hiding his right eye. It fell to the nape of his neck in the back and seemed a little unruly, but in a casual sort of way. His blue eyes looked less tired and he looked great in the black silk suit Vladimir had bought for him, specifically for the trip.
"Kristophe, we were wondering when we'd see you again." I greeted. He smiled lightly, tucking the sign under his arm.
"I ended up riding with Vladimir. He insisted. Let me put your things in the back and you can all get in," He paused, glancing at me, "And you're gonna like it inside more than the outside." My eyes widened and I eagerly ran to the back door, throwing it open and leaning inside.
My eyes widened at the sight of the interior of the Porsche limousine. A sleek white interior with checkered black and white seats along with counters lined with glowing red lights to match the ones on the ceiling and outlining the mini fridges. There was even glittering lights along the ceilings and the window at the roof of the limo.
"This is amazing!" I exclaimed eagerly, ducking inside and rolling onto one of the seats. I got in front of one of the fridges as Slade came in shortly behind me, his weirdly colored periwinkle eyes going wide in awe.
"Bloody hell! Zander! Zander, look at this! Totally wicked!" He scrambled inside and plopped into the seat beside me, reaching out and opening the fridge. Inside were a couple glass bottles filled with blood and a couple cans of Pepsi. Slade grabbed a Pepsi and I grabbed up a bottle of blood, popping the cap off and taking a big drink as Zander, Storm, and Alexander finally climbed inside.
"Wow." Zander commented, blinking as he looked around the inside. Alexander merely frowned, though, which meant Vladimir's attempt to impress him failed. Storm looked a little irritated. He knew his father was trying to woo Alexander with his money, but obviously it wasn't working.
"Well, I like it." I snorted at their expressions. Alexander glanced at me flatly.
"I guess it's okay. But after this, I'm taking a taxi." He decided stingily, making me roll my eyes before I looked at Storm, who raised an eyebrow.
"I'd join you, but I don't trust leaving Mark alone in a limousine in Rome." Storm responded, making Alexander smirk. I pouted and shrugged my shoulders before taking another gulp from the bottle of blood. Slade sighed, kicking back in the seat beside me as he took a sip from the can of Pepsi.
"Ye bof are a bi' lame, don't ye fink? Ye ain't havin' no fun. What was the point in comin' fo a vacation if no one's 'bout to join it?" He asked with a wistful sigh. Zander took a polite sip of his Pepsi, glancing at Slade pointedly.
"We came here for protection from their world," He responded sternly, making Slade and I pout further, "And it wouldn't be our problem if you guys hadn't dragged us into it. I'd much rather be back at home with the Priestess."
"The woman gave birth to me," Slade retorted, smartly, making Zander roll his eyes, "I dun mind takin' a lil' break from all 'er worryin' and whatnot. An' I fink Mark wants to enjoy this country jus' a lil' bi' as well, so all of you sod off."
"Sod off?" I asked, confused. Slade glanced at me with a smirk.
"Means fuck off, mate."
"Oh! Teach me more." I urged eagerly. I loved hearing Slade use British slang words. It was so weird and sometimes it didn't make sense to me, or even sound right since I didn't have an accent, but he'd forced me to watch a couple episodes of some popular British show so I could fake an accent. Slade grinned and rushed in to explain. All the while, I noticed Zander scowling down at his drink, probably annoyed that Slade was just teaching me other curse words. Storm merely sighed, sitting back in his seat, one leg elegantly folded over the other.
He had really long legs, because he was so tall. And he was getting taller, I noticed. He'd gotten at least two inches taller, but I was still stuck. I didn't understand how to control the aging when it came to being a vampire, or as Slade called them, vampies. It wasn't entirely fair and Storm kept putting off teaching me.
There was no way in Hell I was gonna let him age until thirty and leave me stuck at eighteen. Otherwise, we're gonna have a serious problem here.
"I wanna see the sights here," Slade said after a while as he turned to peer out the windows and I turned along with him, "The Colosseum is here, yeah? It'd be wicked!"
"Sit down," Zander scolded, giving Slade's shoulder a tug, "And finish your Pepsi. I don't want you spilling it in the room." Slade huffed and rolled his eyes. I looked up at Storm, shifting a little in my seat, feeling uncomfortable that I wasn't as close to him as usual. I was used to sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, but now Zander and Slade sat between us and it made me uncomfortable.
"So, what's the name of the hotel we're staying at?" I asked. Storm glanced up from texting on his phone, but only for a moment before looking back down. I really hated his new phone. I just wanted to crush it under my shoe.
"It's called St. Regis Grand Rome. It's a five-star hotel at the heart of the city." He murmured, studying something on the screen before cursing. I frowned and just slumped back in my seat, making a pop noise with my lips.
I really hope that we visit somewhere over water so I can accidentally bump into Storm and accidentally knock his phone into a really fast moving river or a super deep lake.
Or maybe it'll just explode in the middle of the night.
The rest of the car ride wasn't all that exciting. Zander made Slade sit still, even though I could tell he was itching to bounce around. That or he was nervous about something because he kept shifting uncomfortably. I looked at Alexander, who had popped his ear buds back in and was looking down at the floor of the limo, ignoring all the sights.
I had a feeling that Alexander was also not going to enjoy this vacation.
Lame!
Was I really the only one who wanted to run around and see the sights?
The limousine finally pulled up the hotel and we all piled out as Kristophe went to park the limousine. Storm walked in, his head still down as he texted someone before looking up as he approached the registration desk with a quick, careless smile before requesting our room and the name it was under.
"Si, signore. The name Gothica has two designer suites and an ambassador suite reserved. I will call to let your father know that you have arrived and send a butler to take you to your room." The women requested as she typed something on the computer before picking up a nearby phone, just as Storm reached for his own. I frowned, then turned my back to them to check out the lobby.
My eyes widened at the large sparkling chandelier in the room, which held a gold, white, and red scheme to it. At the center was a large glass table, away from the round registration desk. I felt Slade come up beside me, oogling.
"Why in blazes did I ever go to America? Look at this place! It's beautiful! Agh! I wish I was rich!" Slade complained, stomping his foot and pouting. I grinned, looking at him.
"Maybe next time just you and I can come to Italy." I pointed out. Slade grinned in agreement until Zander frowned, standing right behind us, clearing his throat. Slade grimaced and I scrunched my nose up in irritation, turning to him as he folded his arms over his chest.
"And just how would you handle his seizures?" He demanded. Slade groaned and gave Zander's sleeve a harsh tug while at the same time bumping his knee into Zander's thigh as a warning.
"Quit bein' such a stick in tha' mud, Zander! Ye never let me 'ave any fun anymo'! An', 'sides, I haven't had a seizure since Christmas, an' tha' was only cuz I 'ad too much ta drink!" He whined, making Zander grimace as if he wasn't fond of the memory. I raised an eyebrow, then looked up as a butler arrived to speak to Storm, who was both fiddling with his phone, talking to the butler, and handing a form to the woman behind the desk.
"He's so fucking busy." I grunted at last in irritation. Slade followed my gaze to Storm, then sighed.
"Tell me 'bout it. I never seen 'im so uptight afore. 'Is actually rather unnervin'." He pointed out, putting a hand on his hip. Zander frowned, adjusting his bag on his shoulder as he glanced around a little before looking at me, surprising me with a smile.
"Don't worry. It's just the first day. Once the paperwork and stress from riding is over, he'll be back to himself. He's probably still worked up over the plane ride." He assured. I blinked, then nodded slowly. Maybe Zander was right. Storm hated planes. He'd been very slow when we boarded back in Detroit and during take off, he looked like he was going to be sick. In fact, after we were in the air and stable, he rushed to the bathroom to puke. He never told me why he didn't like planes, though.
Just that they made him sick.
Strange, because he had no problem when it came to cars or trains or boats.
We gathered up our things once Kristophe caught up with us and we piled up to the rooms. They were all on one floor, just on seperate ends. We didn't have to go to our rooms, though, because Vladimir was already waiting in the hallway for us on his cell phone. As soon as he saw us, though, he hung up and smiled.
He looked as dashing as ever with short black hair cut, probably cut by some designer hair dresser, and eyes as sharp as blades of ice. He wore a sleeveless black turtleneck and gray slacks with loafers.
But he could look as he could as he wanted and I still wouldn't like him. I kept that to myself, though. While Alexander could forgive Vladimir for all his vicious acts so easily, I couldn't. I still hated Vladimir for getting my family killed, but I only put up with him for Storm because I knew Vladimir was pretty much the only family Storm had left.
Funny, because it was Vladimir's fault that Storm only had him left.
And that too was something I never brought up, even in an argument.
Storm may act all big and tough a good amount of the time, but when it came to his father, he was majorly soft and if you poked the wrong spot, he'd deflate like a bubble gum bubble.
"Wonderful," Vladimir greeted us brightly, pausing to wave the butler away, who bowed before taking the lift down to the main floor, "It's a pleasure to have you all joining us for a lovely vacation. I honestly have no real plans while we're here, so you're free to do as you please for the rest of the trip. We'll be here about two weeks, give or take a couple days."
"Thank ye for invitin' us," Slade exclaimed brightly, always the suck up when it came to Vladimir and I guessed it was because Vladimir was filthy stinkin' rich while Slade lived in one of the smallest dorm rooms at Concordia University-- and a tiny apartment back in Detroit, "S'real nice of ye, Mr. Gothica, sir."
"Of course," Vladimir responded just as enthusastically, probably catching onto Slade's little act, "Anytime, Slade. I love having you all come with us. You're part of the family after all." I wanted to scoff at that, but I kept myself silent as Vladimir glanced up, his eyes flickered to Alexander, who had taken his ear buds out, but he was fighting the urge to look at Vladimir.
Those two were impossible.
According to Storm, they loved each other. It was obvious. They'd even kissed! William had told me after I bribed him and I was surprised to hear that Alexander would do something so bold, and with Vladimir of all people, but after discovering that Vladimir hadn't killed Newell, Alexander was hardly going to date a man known for torturing a disabled vampire.
Weird description.
Disabled vampire.
Newell, my cousin apparently, had some weird condition where he looked like he was eight or nine, but he was actually thirty. At least, that's what he claimed. I had a strong feeling he was older than he was letting on. But we had left him behind in the United States under the watchful eye of William and several other handpicked guards. That still didn't reassure me, though.
Newell was pretty pissed that he was caught so easily, and I had a strong feeling he wasn't going to give up. And if the day came that he'd ever escape, he'd slaughter us. Mostly Vladimir since Vladimir took a sick thrill in tormenting him. I'd only been near the room once and that one interaction terrified me because Newell wasn't just screaming; he was screeching.
Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
"Anyway," Vladimir went on, making me look up, "I could only get us three rooms. I've set a budget for myself because I tend to get out of hand."
"You bought three suites." I deadpanned. Vladimir gave me a very fake smile and dropped his hand on my head, ruffling my hair, making me twitch. He withdrew his hand to put both on his hips.
"That's part of the budget. Be quiet, Mark. Anyway, so... I was thinking two per room. Unless someone has objections about that." He added. Everyone's eyes went to Alexander, who was just looking at Vladimir suspiciously. Once upon a time, Alexander would have been staring at Vladimir with such childlike admiration, but now he looked a little weary of being around Vladimir. However, to our surprise, Alexander didn't object, just shrugged.
"Excellent," Vladimir looked more relieved than excited now, "Then let us all get settled in. Alexander, you can follow me." Alexander said nothing as he followed Vladimir a few doors down the hallway while Kristophe pointed out our rooms to us.
"Wah, we have a suite." I managed. I should be used to it, but this hotel was probably one of the fanciest I'd ever been to. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a cozy, warm living room complete with flatscreen and sofa.
"Finally." Storm sighed in relief as he dropped his things in the bedroom, walking ahead of me. I blinked and followed him into the bedroom where he was removing his shirt. I felt my face warm up as he slipped his button down shirt off, revealing the hard flexing muscles in his back. I could just see the tension and stress behind them, which made me melt a little.
"Hey... Uhm, they have a big bathtub here." I pointed out. Storm looked at me, then looked toward the bathroom, probably spotting the bathtub before he smiled. A familiar slow and sensual smile that gave me goose bumps.
"So there is. Why don't we try it out?" He asked. I tried not to nod eagerly as I stripped my clothes off, folding them up on the bed as I let Storm go in ahead of me to turn the bathtub on. I could hear the water rushing and splashing into the bathtub. After a couple minutes, I crept to the door and peered inside.
My face flamed at the sight of Storm standing there, completely stark naked. I let my eyes slide up from his bare feet, one up on the side of the tub and the other firmly planted on the marbled floor. I trailed my eyes up his long, muscular legs to the firm butt that were made for leather pants, to the proud thick manhood between his legs with the very faint happy trail leading to his bulging six pack. His strong pecs where two powerful arms branched off, leading to long, tapered fingers that made me squirm uncomfortably at the tightness growing in my pit. Or was that the hardness between my legs?
And finally, my eyes landed on his and I realized he was staring at me. I squeaked, then quickly came inside the bathroom, making Storm smile. I shut the door and watched as he got in, using his legs to stir up the bubbles inside.
The heavy scent of wild orchid and a hint of something else that made my senses tingle. Storm settled himself down in the tub and pulled me in with him so I was settled in his lap, enjoying the feeling of our legs sliding together in the warm water.
"Oh, this is perfect." I moaned at the feel of the warm water caressing my skin-- and Storm's hands running up and down my back. Storm smiled against my neck as he pushed my hair back. I shivered and rested my hands on his legs, running my hands along them.
"I'm glad to be off that plane," Storm admitted after a while, making me tilt my head back against his chest to look up at him to see him looking at me with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry I've been weird lately. I just... really hate planes."
"Why?" I asked, incredulously. Storm looked uncomfortable, and I couldn't tell if it was the heat of the bath or the embarrassment making his cheeks flush, his dark hair sticking to his temples.
"Planes crash."
"Boats sink."
"I can't die from drowning."
"You're afraid of hitting the ground?"
"I'm afraid of hitting whatever's down there." Storm muttered. I smiled lightly, shifting a little in his lap, running my hands up his thighs before reaching up with one hand to touch his cheek. He took my hand and brought my fingers to his lips where he licked and nipped at them gently.
"You don't have to be afraid. Next time you get freaked out, just close your eyes and hold my hand." I responded, making Storm sigh blissfully at the thought. He laced our fingers together. I smiled for a moment, then remembered Alexander and the fact that he was sharing a room with Vladimir, which made me frown.
I wondered how they were doing...