Yuletide Present

by Deirdre O'Dare

  Chapter 5

  When Rob’s attention again turned back to the discussions, he realized he’d missed a key point or two. They had apparently agreed not to wait to confront Daniel at the next sabbat. It was better to let little more time pass before they took action. It sounded like—whoa, were they really going to go to his home, a delegation of at least six of them? They also seemed to expect him to be part of that group.

  The room spun as a hazy mist reached to enfold him. When he came to his senses, Sean had an arm around him and Mike was looking on with concern. “Hey, are you okay?” Sean’s words came from far away as his face slowly grew clear.

  “Yeah, I think so. Must be something I ate. I got real woozy there for a minute.”

  Someone pushed a chair Rob’s way and he sank onto it gratefully. After a few seconds, the discussion continued and the group solidified their plan. Steve, Melly, Mike, Caroline, Sean and Rob, if he agreed, would first request Daniel meet with them at the bookstore next afternoon. They all felt that six was a good number, representative of balance and harmony.

  If Daniel wouldn’t do that, then they would go to the house. He might refuse to admit them but they’d chance that. Rob had a key, didn’t he? He could simply let them, someone suggested. Steve apparently noted Rob’s horrified look.

  “No,” he said, his tone firm. “We can’t put Rob in such an awkward position. It may even be better if he isn’t involved at all.”

  “I agree there,” Sean said. “That’s asking way too much. Rob has lived with Daniel for some time. He may agree that things aren’t right, but I for one don’t want to see him involved in this.” He put a hand on Rob’s shoulder as he spoke and gave a gentle squeeze. Surely he felt the sigh of relief when Rob exhaled a breath he had barely realized he was holding.

  Another of the younger new members, a quiet man named Bruce said that he would make the sixth member of the group. “I didn’t know Rob has been Dan’s protégé but you’re right, Sean. It isn’t fair to ask him to get involved at this point. I’ll step in to be the sixth person.”

  After everyone agreed that would be best, the talk turned to who should make the initial call to attempt to arrange a meeting.

  At that point Sean spoke again. “I think I should do it. Although I’m relatively new as a member, I’ve been attending for a few weeks now and have butted heads with Daniel a time or two already. I feel like I’ve got several stakes in the game. I’ll bell this cat and even enjoy it, I think.”

  Shortly after that, the meeting broke up and everyone began to drift out until only Rob and Sean remained with Melly and Steve. Steve approached Rob and looked down at him, where he still sat, not quite ready to rise.

  “We tend to forget your situation,” he said. “I apologize. It’s as if you’re two different people, the man who works here with us and then the shadowy one behind Daniel at the sabbats and other gatherings. It’s as if you become invisible when he’s around. I realize he’s a very strong, even an overpowering person. Are you afraid of what he might do?”

  Faced with a question he had been unwilling to consider himself, Rob hesitated.

  “Not for myself, I don’t think. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t do anything violent. He can be almost hypnotic at times, though, something about his voice and mannerisms. Don’t worry, though, I won’t let any cats out of the bag ahead of time. He’ll get no warning from me about what’s going on. To maintain this cover, I’ll have to go home this evening and behave normally, but I think I can do that.”

  Melly shook her head. “Oh Rob, I’m sorry. We’ve put you in a bind here.

  Whatever happens, please believe you have friends. Steve and I feel like you are a brother. We’ll take care of you whatever is needed. I promise that.”

  “I’ve already told you,” Sean put in. “And I repeat all of it again. You won’t be on the street or kicked under the bus, Rob. If it would help, I’d go home with you tonight but I know that wouldn’t work. Still, if anything bad goes down, call me, at any hour. If I’m at work, I’ll get someone over there. I have a couple of buds in the EMT crew, ex-military like me. They could handle Daniel!”

  Deeply touched by the concern and obvious affection of these gentle, caring people, Rob squared his shoulders. “I’ll be okay.” He looked up into the three kind faces and saw the sincerity in their eyes and warm smiles. “I’ve got friends. It’s wonderful, amazing. I’ve really got friends!”

  * * * *

  By the time he was ready to leave the bookstore, much of Rob’s euphoria had faded. Sean had to leave to get ready for work. Then, Melly and Steve went home, leaving the closing to Rob and the last customer departed about seven thirty. By eight thirty, he hopped on his bike and pedaled off toward home.

  Only it wasn’t home, not really. He hadn’t had a real home for a very long time.

  It might be Daniel’s home but it had really never been his. People said, “Home is where the heart is,” yet he wasn’t even sure he had a heart anymore to be the focal point for a home. How badly and frequently broken could it be and still survive, still exist?

  On the edge of depression, he chained the bike to the porch rail and went inside.

  The house seemed very quiet. Where was Daniel? He walked around and finally dared to peek into the study. Daniel sat at his desk, not in his usual chair, but at the desk, bent over a spread of tarot cards. He jumped when Rob stubbed his toe on a wrinkle in the old carpet and made a scuffing sound.

  “Robbie. I didn’t hear you come in. It can’t be that late already.”

  “About the usual time,” Rob replied.

  Daniel glanced up at the grandfather clock that stood in the back corner of the room. He shook his head. “So it is, so it is.” He exhaled a slow, long breath, nearly a sigh. “Well, fix yourself something to eat if you’re hungry. I’ve got to spread the cards one more time. They’re not talking to me well tonight.”

  “Is there anything you need me to do?”

  Daniel actually looked at him then, as if finally aware of where he was. “Do?”

  Rob found Daniel’s whole manner so out of character, he didn’t know what to think. “Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

  It took the other man a few seconds to respond. “No, I’m not ill. I just have this foreboding. A major change is coming or something drastic is going to happen. Usually the cards will clear the matter up for me, but they’re cryptic tonight. I’m sure it will become obvious shortly. Have your snack and set the kitchen to rights. If you want to come back and sit a bit afterwards, I expect to be here.”

  Still more than a bit puzzled, Rob did just that. He made a sandwich and ate it washed down with a glass of milk. Then on impulse brewed a pot of tea. Once he had the dishes rinsed and loaded, he filled two cups and went back to the study with them.

  He approached quietly and set one cup down near Daniel’s left elbow. The desktop was still littered with tarot cards, scattered about as if they’d been shoved with an impatient hand.

  Daniel looked up. “These ridiculous cards are bewitched or misspelled. They aren’t making any sense at all.” He stood abruptly, picked up the tea, and stalked to his chair. “Put them up, Robbie. I don’t want to touch them again, at least not tonight.”

  This sounded much more like Daniel’s normal manner. Rob gathered the cards and straightened them, then slipped them into a velvet bag that he placed in the upper right hand drawer of the desk. He’d cleaned that desktop before and he knew where everything went.

  Daniel slouched in the easy chair, taking an occasional sip of his tea. Rob took the other chair, a less cushioned and comfortable one, but the place he usually sat. As much as he wanted to go on back to his room, something made him wait. It was almost perverse, this need he felt to observe Daniel and try to riddle out the reason for his strange manner.

  With the afternoon’s emotional discussion still fresh in his mind, he had to wonder if Daniel really had arcane powers. Perhaps enough to pick up a thread o
f the coven’s discontent and their developing resolve to make him step down or to abandon him as their leader?

  He bit his tongue on the urge to blurt this out. He had promised to betray no hint of the plan and he would sooner die than do so, yet the habit of catering to his mentor and lover’s ever whim and demand flowed strongly even now. He strove to turn his thoughts away from the next day and what might happen lest he reveal something by his manner or even that Daniel read his mind.

  He was ready to take the teacups to the kitchen and go on to his room when Daniel finally spoke. He’d set his cup aside and now stretched and stood. “Come, let’s go upstairs. I think I’d rather not be alone right now. The spirits must be restless tonight. I feel my ancestors stirring. First, we should do a small ritual to placate them.”

  Rob lit the candles and stood to the left of their altar while Daniel cast their circle.

  Then he fetched the wine and an apple for offerings and dutifully echoed the lines of the familiar rite. Even in this Daniel seemed less sure, less forceful and dramatic than was his normal wont. The rite duly performed, he went on up to his room and left Rob to set the altar back to stasis once more. Rob even found himself making the rounds of the doors and windows to be sure everything was secured for the night.

  When he entered Daniel’s room, the older man had already disrobed and waited in a dressing gown, sitting on the foot of the bed. Following a familiar routine, Rob undressed, setting his clothes neatly aside and approached nude, dropping to kneel near Daniel’s feet. For a few breaths, he bowed his head and waited.

  After perhaps a minute had passed, Daniel’s hand settled on his head, the touch unusually light and gentle. “You’re a good lad for all your faults. In time you will move on and I shall miss you. There will be others, of course, but I’ll miss you.”

  With his other hand, Daniel parted the robe and then widened his legs to give Rob open access to his prick. Only half hard, it stirred in its nest of dark curls, going gray in spots. Rob reached and wrapped his right hand around it, started stroking slowly, then gradually picking up the rhythm. Daniel leaned back, arms thrust behind him and hands spread on the bed. “Suck me, then,” he said, but the words held little of demand or order.

  Rob complied, doing his best to give satisfaction and release. He knew Daniel’s quirks and catered to them. The slow lick up the bottom side, the tongue-tip swirl around the groove under the head, reaching to roll Daniel’s balls with the free hand and then drawing a fingernail along the perineum with pressure just short of a scratch from asshole to the base of his sac. Finally taking his cock deep and holding, drawing, sucking hard, then pulling back and at last going down hard and fast again. Daniel came then, a quick hard explosion, two final spurts and then going soft at once.

  Daring a look up, Rob caught Daniel with his eyes shut, his face relaxed. The age in that face shocked him. For the first time he saw Daniel as an aging man, past his prime, past the apex and going down to the inevitable waning. A vision flashed across his mind, the traditional death of the Sun King as he reached the decline into darkness.

  It was time; whether he recognized it or not; Daniel was the one who must go to the mock death and let another take that place.

  A peculiar mixture of emotions flowed through Rob at this image. He felt a degree of sympathy, even some distress over the inevitable yet exaltation sang through him, a cry of freedom, of a new sun’s rising with the rebirth and revitalization that was to come.

  He backed away and gathered himself to stand. No bonds or restraints this night, no dragon to bow to. Daniel snapped awake and looked squarely at him. “Do you want to go, then?”

  Rob hesitated. “If you prefer. I won’t ask and I won’t remain unless I’m invited.”

  Daniel frowned. “Go then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Rob gathered his clothes and left the room as quietly as he could. What a strange night it had been. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to sleep or not, but he didn’t need tarot cards to tell him things indeed were changing. For the first time in many years he found himself looking forward to the solstice and even the Yule season. He saw a dim ray of hope shining through the darkness of the past and felt a glimmer that he might be worthy of better things after all.

  Chapter 6

  Despite having worked the three to eleven shift the night before, the hours usually the busiest in the ER, Sean awoke early and got up at once. He grabbed a quick breakfast, filled a travel mug with coffee, and got into his pickup to drive the book store. True, he had volunteered to be the person to call Daniel in an attempt to set up a meeting. After thinking over the situation, he hoped to talk to Steve a bit more before he made the call. Although the store didn’t open until nine, he found the two owners were already there, unpacking some new stock.

  Melly let him in at the back door. “You’re an early bird! I thought you had to work last night.”

  “I got off at eleven,” Sean explained. “This morning I got to thinking about that call. Mike and I are probably the least acquainted with Daniel but I think Mike would be too hostile. I’m glad he didn’t volunteer, but I’m not feeling real sure here. No,” he added quickly, “I’ll do it but I just want to get some input from you two first.”

  Steve dragged a chair back from the main shop and invited Sean to sit. Okay, I can understand your concern. I can do it; maybe that would be best.”

  “No. I want to, Let me explain first though. I’ve got an interest in Rob, in his situation. It sounds silly to say I have a crush on him, and not quite right, really. But I’ve got some feelings, a little confused right now, but I care about him. The guy has had a big ass load of shit dumped over him—almost all his life. Seems Daniel has added another big pile, in my view. The big thing I want to be sure is that Rob doesn’t get hurt.”

  Melly and Steve both nodded. “We agree. We offered Rob a job here when we barely knew him and he has never disappointed us. The situation with Daniel has worried us for some time but we didn’t know how to intervene, what would be best.”

  “Right now I want him out of Daniel’s house and out of his influence even more than I want Daniel out of the coven, but we should be able to accomplish both things if we handle this right. I’d sure rather meet with the man on neutral ground than in his home…” Sean paused, then went on. “Do you think he’ll agree to a meeting?”

  The other two exchanged a long look. Finally Steve nodded. “I’m with you there and I think he will agree if there isn’t too strong a hint of a threat—that has to come in the face-to-face discussions. Can you be that non-committal?”

  Drawing a deep breath, Sean hesitated. “I think so. I’ll just say a few of us want to discuss the coming solstice ritual and observance before we get into any real preparation, and that maybe the UU’s hall isn’t the best place to either discuss or conduct it.”

  “I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Steve agreed. “I think he’s an early riser so why don’t we just get this out of the way?”

  Sean took his phone from his shirt pocket and dialed. Of course Rob answered.

  Although he didn’t try to disguise his voice, Sean only said, “Good morning. Is Daniel up?”

  “We were just finishing breakfast,” Rob said. “Do you want to talk to him?”

  Sean could hear a fine trace of uncertainty in Rob’s tone but it was very subtle.

  He hoped Daniel wouldn’t pick it up. “If he’s free.”

  There was perhaps half a minute of silence before he heard a thump, a click and then a voice.

  “Cousteau here. What can I do for you?” The self-proclaimed arch mage sounded somewhat gruff or curt but not overly hostile.

  Sean plunged right into his pitch rather than get sidetracked with idle chat.

  “Some of us would like to get together with you as soon as possible about the solstice ceremony. We think we need to talk it over some more before we get into working on the arrangements. For one thing, we have doubts about the UU Hall being the bes
t place to do it. Could you meet a few of us this afternoon, say at the bookstore or the coffee shop?”

  He heard Daniel harrumph and grump a bit. Finally he said, “All right then, two o’clock at the coffee shop. I can let you have an hour although I have many responsibilities, as you should know.”

  “That’s fine. Thank you so much,” Sean had to force the last words out, but he did it before he hit the disconnect icon.

  Steve and Melly each gave him a high five and a big grin. “Well done!”

  * * * *

  Rob took the handset back and hung it in its holder. He wasn’t sure why but Daniel refused to use a mobile phone. All he said was it didn’t work with his status and image. Daniel really took his arch mage role seriously and played it to the hilt. Maybe he had a point. Gandalf or one of the instructors at Hogwarts would look foolish with a cell phone tucked into their sash or a pouch slung on their belt. They were clearly part of the paradigm Daniel emulated.

  Although Rob hoped Daniel wouldn’t insist he go along to the meeting, of course he did. Rob sat silent as Daniel drove downtown and parked around the corner from the coffee shop. Anything he might say would only create problems, for he knew he couldn’t keep his anxiety and troubled feelings out of his speech. He’d been on pins and needles since Sean’s call.

  They got out of the car and walked in together, Rob a half step behind. For once Daniel wasn’t wearing the purple cape. Perhaps he’d noticed how many people stared and not all with a look of respect.

  The six delegates waited at tables they’d pulled together to accommodate the entire group. Sean later told Rob he was sure Rob would be there as of course he was.

  Daniel paused for a few seconds when he saw the lack of smiles on the faces turned his way. Rob could see his mentor suddenly sensed all was not sunshine and blue skies. Steve stood and waved Daniel into a seat at the opposite end from where he sat.