Blacque-Bleu

by Belinda McBride

  “Are you still going to go through with this plan of your father’s?”

  He turned his attention back to the vampire. “Didn’t say I was going to.”

  “And you didn’t say that you weren’t.” Bleu stirred the melting cream into his chocolate. He took a sip, then smiled over the rim of the cup as a group of girls walked past their table. The girls giggled, and Bleu winked. Obviously he liked women as well as he liked men.

  Blacque scooted forward on his seat just a bit. “Are you gay? Bi? Have you ever been with women?”

  Bleu glanced away and then leaned in to speak quietly. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else?” Blacque leaned closer and looked straight into his eyes. They didn’t have enough time together to put off important conversations.

  Bleu looked at Blacque and sighed. “I was married. Married with a child on the way when I went to war. We didn’t really label ourselves back then.” He sipped the chocolate and set the cup down. “But by today’s outlook, I was bisexual with strong leanings toward men. As a vampire, I’m less complicated than most humans. Feeding and sex are often intertwined, and I’ll feed as readily from a female as from a male.” He waited for their original server to refresh their water glasses before he continued.

  “My marriage was arranged when I was quite young. I’d known my wife for many years. She was my friend first and foremost. I doubt she’d have been surprised to discover that I was unfaithful to her while I was away. Hurt, but not surprised.”

  Clearly the vampire still carried guilt for the transgressions of his previous life.

  “Did you feel…different? Wrong in your skin?” Blacque asked.

  “Yes, I did. If I’d stayed at her side, maybe it wouldn’t have been an issue. I’d have slept with her and raised our children. In time, my libido would have waned. My attraction to men might have continued, but I’d have remained faithful to her.” He shook his head. “I’ve thought of this often. Many men are unfaithful during times of war; that’s always been the case. If I’d stayed in our small town, I’d never have met the men that I did, would never have visited the clubs of Paris…” His blue eyes held a sad look.

  “We stumbled into a bar one night. I was drunk, and my companions… Once we realized it was oriented toward gay men, they were mortified.” He smiled, no doubt remembering something amusing. “It was a cabaret, I suppose the equivalent of a drag club. There were soldiers there—French and British, even Americans. I saw an officer from my division. He saw me. My friends left in a hurry, but I lingered for a moment, completely wrapped up in the licentious freedom of the place.

  “Days later, I returned to that place by myself, and the officer was there again. Yves took me to a small hotel room that night. We maintained a discreet affair for many months.”

  He lapsed into silence then, lost in his memories. Blacque felt no need to prompt him to continue. There had to have been love between the two, or Bleu wouldn’t have been so deeply affected.

  Their food was delivered. Both men had ordered burger platters and milkshakes. Blacque turned to his with vigor, while Bleu picked at his food, enjoying it but consuming little.

  “Yves turned me without my permission.”

  Blacque looked up in surprise.

  “He truly loved me. When I was in the hospital dying, he sat with me until the end. And then he took my blood and gave me his. Ironically, by saving me, he lost me. Once I was turned, I had to flee Europe. I was too raw and new to be able to pass as human, so he arranged for me to travel to the United States.”

  Blacque swallowed and then took a drink of his milkshake, his eyes never leaving Bleu’s face.

  “What ever happened to him?”

  Bleu’s expression became shuttered. “I’m sure he became someone else or was killed in the course of duty. He was in intelligence, which suited his need to avoid the light. He was very powerful, though, and could function during the day.” The vampire seemed uneasy with the turn of the conversation. He didn’t want to talk about his maker anymore.

  “What about your family?”

  “My wife remarried. My son grew up and had several children of his own. Thanks to the Internet, I’ve been able to track quite a dynasty of my descendents.” He smiled.

  “You ever want to go meet them?”

  Bleu shook his head. “Never. And all the time.” He gave a little laugh. “When I feel very old and alone, I go online and search for them.”

  They finished eating, and after a time, Cindy came and dropped off their check. She clearly wanted to linger and chat, but a crowd of high school students poured in, and she was off again, delivering menus and glasses of water. Leaving their money on the table, Blacque and Bleu made their escape out into the dark autumn night.

  Chapter 7

  The breeze carried all sorts of information to Blacque’s nose. He glanced up at the moon and noted it was about a week out from being full. That’s why his senses were so acute. He smelled the trail of a bold coyote that had been coming down into town, plundering trash cans, most likely. He also scented a feral cat and the trails of dozens and dozens of people who’d come in and out of the diner.

  He smelled Bleu and the scent of their mingled sweat and semen. If he smelled it, how could Cindy have missed it? His uneasiness surfaced once again.

  “How would you like to see Arcada the way I see it?”

  He looked over at the vampire curiously.

  “Let’s drive out to your place. We can go from there.”

  “How do you know where I live?”

  Bleu slid into the cab of the truck and pulled the door closed behind him. When Blacque climbed in, Bleu just looked away with a smile. He wasn’t going to answer, and really, did he need to know? He started the truck and headed out of town, feeling full, content, and oddly happy.

  They didn’t talk during the trip, and when Blacque pulled up in front of his house, both men stood next to the truck, partly to check for intruders and partly just to bask in the pleasure of the night. He’d never had trouble inside the city limits, but it never hurt to be prepared.

  “You might want to shift.” Bleu’s eyes glistened in the moonlight. His hair ruffled in the breeze. Blacque waited a moment and then began to undress. No need to go into the house to get naked. He kicked off his boots and pants and then peeled off the tight T-shirt.

  Bleu never looked away. Blacque enjoyed the lazy feel of his cockstand rising. Under the caress of the moon, he was comfortable in his skin, confident in his sexuality. His cock was heavy and thick. His gaze lingered on Bleu’s face, and then his head dropped back in a moment of languid sensuality. Bleu was watching him, and it felt good. Bleu wanted him, and that felt better than good.

  He inhaled, calling the change down, momentarily held in its grip as his cells shifted and his molecules danced. His muscles went taut, and fleeting pain shimmered through his vision.

  When the pack ran, they took turns shifting, guarding the others during that brief moment of helplessness. Bleu looked away and scanned the house…the forest…and Blacque knew the vampire had his back.

  Finally he was on all fours, and he shook vigorously, enjoying the feel of fur and flexing muscle. The wolf always felt good. It never questioned motives or intentions. It never worried about its sexuality. He bent down and bowed, stretching his long legs, casually inviting the vampire to play.

  Bleu grinned and knelt on one knee, then reached out to run a hand over Blacque’s massive body. “Is this okay?”

  He shook again and gave the vamp a quick lick on the chin.

  Bleu ran his hand down the length of his back, stroking along the long muscles of his spine. Blacque shivered with pleasure. He rested his chin on Bleu’s broad shoulder, letting his eyes droop in pleasure as those wonderful hands buried themselves in the deep ruff of his fur and then down under his belly.

  When those hands wandered between his hind legs, he automatically sat, protecting his most sensitive parts.

  Bleu gave a husky
laugh. “It’s all there, Blacque. You are officially the first wolf I’ve ever met with body piercings!”

  Blacque dived to the ground and rolled on his back, giving his belly to Bleu. When the pleasure became almost unbearable, he leaped to his feet and shook out his fur, looking expectantly at Bleu.

  “Ready to go?”

  Blacque panted, staring steadily up into his face.

  “Let’s go visit the good people of Arcada.”

  As a general rule, Blacque didn’t notice much about the world around him when he was shifted. Yes, he was tuned in to the scents of the evening, to his surroundings—survival demanded his attention. But he rarely noticed the clarity of the sky or the beauty of the nightscape.

  He loped next to Bleu, moving at an easy pace. Part of him worried about the vampire—was he moving too fast for him? Did he have the stamina for a long night of running? Bleu surprised him, gliding along at a steady run. They traveled in silence, never so much as disturbing a deer grazing in a meadow or an owl watching them solemnly from a branch above their path.

  Blacque normally saw the world in black-and-white when he was a wolf, but this night he saw the dazzle of the stars and the feathery shapes of leaves and branches etched against the sky. He saw flowers that opened only after moonrise; their scent was light and magical on the breeze.

  They came to a clearing where a small craftsman-style house sat. It was charming, landscaped with whimsical touches. A perfectly tuned wind chime sang in the darkness, and Bleu slowed to a halt.

  “You know Kell and Pim?”

  Blacque had seen the odd little couple around town several times. They were short, very nearly sexless, and tended to keep to themselves most of the time. They owned a small jewelry boutique, where Kell produced breathtaking works of art. Even Blacque occasionally gazed in the window of their shop, admiring his artistry with precious metals and gemstones.

  He’d never spoken with them, though. His wolf was always a bit spooked by them.

  Bleu stepped lightly onto the porch, gesturing Blacque to follow. The vampire glided in absolute silence; not even a whisper of a footstep testified to his passage. They moved to the side of the house, where a gentle light shone through a window.

  “See what our little odd couple gets up to after dark?” There was a smile in his voice as he spoke, and Blacque peeked in through a gap in the lace curtain.

  If he’d been in human form, he’d have gasped. He wasn’t sure who was who, but the androgynous little couple was truly anything but!

  “Kell is the male. He’s an ice elemental.” Pim was obviously fire. They were tall and elegant, magical and breathtaking. Normally Kell looked like a teenage boy with his pale skin and lank black hair. Now he was forbidding, naked, and muscular. His black hair cascaded in thick waves down his back. He was smiling, building ice sculptures in the air. Just as quickly as they formed, Pim waved her hand, dissolving them to mist. She laughed, her vibrant red hair dancing like fire around her body.

  Blacque stepped back, unwilling to spy for much longer but reluctant to walk away.

  “Magic, yes?” Bleu stepped from the elevated porch and landed lightly on the grass that rolled away from the house. “I know little about them, but they are young and unskilled still. Otherwise I wouldn’t have risked showing you.”

  Young and unskilled. In spite of his age, Blacque felt the same way. He looked back at the couple, feeling the responsibility of their secret resting on his shoulders. Just days ago, his only responsibility had been to himself. Now he felt the weight of his sister and his father, Bleu, and now these two.

  Oh yeah…the pack as well. Every connection was a bit more of a burden, and the pack was the heaviest of them all.

  They eased away from the house, walking instead of running. Bleu’s hand occasionally brushed his ruff, his fingers tracing through the fur. Blacque bumped into his leg, enjoying the contact.

  He’d willingly spend his nights like this—walking and simply enjoying the world he lived in and the company of the man by his side. But he couldn’t do it. He had one more night, and then Blacque’s life would change.

  It hurt a little, knowing he’d spent years just yards away from Bleu, years in which he could have lived this magical life.

  But in the end, they’d have parted. He might not have known it would be like this, but the end would have been the same. He was the heir to the alpha. It was better this way, safer for his heart. He’d had this one weekend to learn who he was and what passion with another man could be. Now he knew he didn’t want to let Bleu go. Ever. But he would.

  He’d still keep an eye on the vampire, make sure he was safe and never hungry. Any more than that, he couldn’t even consider.

  In fact, feeding Bleu would prove to be a problem. Feeding meant sex with Bleu. If he did it, their affair would undoubtedly continue. If someone else did it? Even the thought had the wolf baring its fangs in anger. Fortunately the wolf had a very short attention span.

  They walked into the dense forest, following game trails that were nearly invisible. Blacque led, picking up scents, discarding some, taking a moment to examine others. He came across the spoor of a fox—but it wasn’t really a fox. He paused and considered the trail. Should he follow it and see where it led?

  Until this night with Bleu, he’d never have considered that the fox might be something else completely.

  In time they made a huge loop, coming back to the region near his house. They wandered into a yard that was slightly familiar. Blacque scented the air and tried to remember when he’d been here before. It must have been long, long ago.

  “Move quietly. She’s outside waiting.” Bleu’s whisper floated to him like the breeze, and Blacque looked up at the man’s face. Bleu was intent, staring at the porch of the old house.

  That’s when he knew were he was—Mrs. Neville’s house. She’d been his English teacher in high school. Over a decade had passed, and she’d been old back then. She must be elderly now.

  They worked their way through the shrubbery and moved close enough for Blacque to see her sitting on a swing on the porch, waiting patiently, gnarled hands folded in her lap. Her glasses gleamed in the moonlight, and her hair was silvery white. She looked ancient yet oddly young.

  Bleu knelt, and Blacque hunkered down on his belly, watching as the elderly teacher rose and moved stiffly to the door of the house. She vanished for a moment, and then soft strains of music floated out onto the air.

  When she returned, she was wearing a long-sleeved sweater over her soft, feminine dress.

  “Watch!” Bleu rested a hand on Blacque’s shoulders. Anticipation had them straining to see through the bushes.

  The man came to her like a dream, a misty cloud that filtered in from thin air. As Blacque watched, the mist slowly took shape, whirling and shifting until a man stood there. He was formed of gray and white, indistinct, yet his features were plain to see. He wore a uniform, one from another era. His light-colored hair was neatly cut and combed. With an exclamation, she rose to her feet and met him as swiftly as she could.

  They radiated joy, an elderly woman caught tightly in the arms of a young man. As Blacque watched, they remained in their embrace, moving slightly to the music in a ghostly dance. They kissed, and Blacque glanced away, feeling like an intruder on their stolen moment.

  An incubus? He glanced up at Bleu, looking for answers.

  “Ghost,” he whispered. Bleu continued to watch, swallowing hard before turning away. “They get one dance, maybe two, and then he loses form.”

  Bleu rose, and Blacque followed him from the garden. They didn’t speak again until they returned home and Blacque returned to his human shape. Even then, they didn’t speak of what they had seen in old Mrs. Neville’s garden.

  Chapter 8

  “It’s getting late. I should probably go back to the shop.”

  They sat in the warm little kitchen of Blacque’s house, each man cradling a beer. Blacque drank his while Bleu only sipped. They’d
pulled the curtains tightly closed and kept the lights down. Bleu glanced at the clock. He had plenty of time to run back if he left soon.

  “You don’t have to go. Not yet. I can drive you.”

  Bleu shook his head and took another sip, savoring the fine flavor of the dark ale. “You need sleep too. And I can actually run much faster than I showed you tonight.”

  “That takes energy, doesn’t it?”

  It did, and frankly, Bleu didn’t have the reserves to flash-run home. He stood, stretching his arms.

  “Bleu, you can stay here.” Blacque’s cheeks went slightly pink. How odd to see someone so tough be so shy.

  “I’m just not comfortable sleeping in a house, especially one I’m not accustomed to. Too much chance of light.” He smiled gently. “I can think of nothing better than falling asleep in your arms again, Blacque.”

  The wolf stood, still looking a bit awkward. “Downstairs…I have a basement. It’s not finished, but there’s a bed down there. It was started as an apartment, so it’s not too bad. I checked it earlier, put fresh bedding on…”

  “Are you offering me a place to stay, or are you asking me to stay with you?”

  “Asking.” He looked uncomfortable but was able to meet Bleu’s gaze.

  “Cool.” He rose and leaned over the table, then kissed Blacque gently. “Show me.”

  The shifter stood, facing him from the other side of the table. Bleu studied him in the warm light. Since he’d shifted, his hair had grown a bit, and his skin glowed with an inner light. Funny, Bleu had never noticed how beautiful the shifters were when they were this close to their magic. That’s what it had to be, because he could think of no science that would explain their ability to become something else completely.

  He exhaled, realizing he’d been holding his breath.

  “This way.” Blacque turned away and led him to a door at the back of the kitchen. He could see there was an outside entrance to the basement, and as they descended the stairs, that the door to the outside was also the entrance to the kitchen. If Blacque ever decided to rent the basement, he could lock the kitchen door for privacy.