Dance Only For Me

by Megan Derr

  "Neither do I," Phoenix said, frowning. "I thought I knew all the powerful sorcerers, at least by name, but that particular one has never crossed my path. But I am a necromancer, and a reclusive one at that, so it is not inconceivable that I would not have heard of him. Jackie?"

  Jackie shook his head. "I don't know. Pa might, but I ain't been able to reach the fool man for a while. Whatever he's done got himself up to over there in Europe or Asia or wherever the hell he is now, he ain't been able to call. If he ever does, I'll ask'em, but we should probably find someone else in the meantime."

  "Ask a Dracula," Amr said. "No one remembers such information better than them. If the name was ever known, there's likely a Dracula somewhere that still remembers it. Let me make some more phone calls."

  "You don't have to do that," Jackie said. "We didn't come here to make you do all the work."

  Amr smiled as he stood up. "I do not mind. Easier for me to phone a few people than for you to go hunt them down or try to call yourself. Being a prince has its uses. One moment." He slipped away again.

  Phoenix sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I do hope we somehow manage to put this matter entirely to rest. I still fear we'll only wind up dead, but I suppose then it will at least be someone else's problem."

  "As to that, the first time I approached you with the matter, you seemed damned determined not to make it your problem again," Jackie said. "Didn't expect to see you a second time. Definitely didn't anticipate you sticking around."

  "I admit I did try to leave the matter alone," Phoenix replied, "but I remembered that once I was not so much a coward." His fingers reached for his face, but he halted the motion and curled them into a loose fist, let it fall to rest in his lap. "I would like to recall what it's like not to be a coward. I am also tired of all the death. Abnormal society has enough problems without the addition of something like Firebrand and his cronies. If we can stop him, I should very much like to, and I can only hope the cost will not be too great."

  "It ain't gonna be," Jackie said. "I'll be damned if I let that bastard take more than he already has."

  Ned gave a soft snort and shook his head. "Hope your right, Sheriff."

  Jackie stifled a sigh. "Stop calling me that."

  "I think you had best grow accustomed," Phoenix said, smiling ever so faintly. "It seems to me the title has been settled upon."

  "I ain't a sheriff," Jackie groused, but he gave up arguing for the present when Ned and Wyatt just gave him smug, smirking looks.

  Amr rejoined them, fingers gliding over the smooth scales of his dragon, which growled sleepily at him as it resettled its head in Amr's lap. "I spoke with two Draculas, and both informed me that Finn Wayland was a man they believed dead. He apparently died around the end of the nineteenth century, though neither could recall an exact date—1890-something was the best they could do. He was killed in a fight, not an unusual death for sorcerers. It was rumored that he was a member of the Kings; they had a somewhat louder presence in those days, apparently. Both Draculas said they would see if they could learn anything more and you are welcome to call upon them this evening. Dracula Morrington will see you at seven and Dracula Desrosiers will see you at seven thirty."

  "Much obliged for all your help," Jackie said as he stood up, extending a hand to shake Amr's.

  "The pleasure is mine," Amr said with a smile and shook everyone's hand. "I count myself most fortunate to have you in my territory. I suspect we will never give you opportunity to grow bored."

  Jackie laughed. "Boredom only leads to trouble, anyway. Ya'll take care now." He led the way to the elevator, leaning against the back wall as it began its descent. "Guess we'd best be splitting up. You're staying with me, demon. Wyatt, Phoenix, ya'll go visit Morrington. Ned and I will take Desrosiers."

  "Very well," Phoenix said, grimacing. "I do not think I will be terribly useful on this venture. Vampires do not generally want to have much to do with me. I am only slightly more bearable than a vampire who has contracted the blood-craze."

  "That's right depressing," Jackie replied.

  Phoenix shrugged. "Once upon a time, I was no better. It's not as bad as it could have been. Not so long ago they would have killed me. These days, I hear that the Alucard Delovely surrendered his title to be with his imp lover and the Dracula Desrosiers adopted a human. Perhaps one day they will not wince and turn away when forced to look at me." The elevators dinged and slid open and Phoenix stepped out first, leaving the rest of them to follow.

  "What should we do until tonight, sheriff?" Wyatt asked.

  Jackie settled his hat on his head, peered up thoughtfully at the cloudy sky. "I say we do a whole lot of nothing. Get the feeling pretty soon we ain't gonna get a chance to rest. We can also start focusing more on Firebrand. Up till now we've been stumbling about trying to figure out which way was up. Let's look more at him, rustle up whatever information and theories we can." He looked at Ned. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us what you know?"

  "Do what I can, but I don't know much about him," Ned said. "Like I said before: they made certain we didn't talk to each other in that nightmare house. But I'll do whatever I can to help get rid of him for good."

  "You're surprisingly cooperative lately," Jackie said. "What changed your mind?"

  Ned cast him a sideways glance as they continued on down the street headed back to the club. "A stubborn gunslinger."

  Jackie rolled his eyes, refusing to smile, but not inclined to protest when Ned moved closer to him, arms occasionally brushing as they walked.

  Part 07: When the Stars Go Blue

  "Thank you for agreeing to see us," Jackie said, shaking Ontoniel Desrosiers' hand before taking a seat on the sofa he indicated. "It's muchly appreciated."

  "I am happy to help," Ontoniel replied, sitting back in his own seat. His study suited him—wood and leather and warm reds and golds. It smelled like old books and worn leather, a hint of expensive cologne. Like any vampire, Ontoniel was beautiful—all the more, Jackie thought, because he wore his centuries of age with such class and ease. He also smiled more than any vampire Jackie had met before. "I was not expecting to be asked about Finn Wayland. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much. I recall that he was not a man of society, but shoved his way into it by way of the man who sponsored him. He was born here in the states in the early eighteen hundreds, I believe, but I could not tell you where exactly. A sorcerer of admirable skill, that I will concede, but he thought arrogance a substitute for manners and it earned him the ire of most of society at the time. It did not help that his sponsor was a wealthy, powerful figure of the time. Marion Howler, do you know that name?"

  "Ayah," Jackie said quietly. "I do, at that. Howlers were a big alchemist family once, but Marion got none of that ability. Being around abnormals all his life sort of made him one of them, in terms of longevity and certain immunities, but he had not even a drop of magical ability himself. He sponsored the hell out of abnormals with talent but no funds… Well I'll be double-damned. You don't think…?" He glanced at Ned.

  "I don't know who that is," Ned replied. "But a rich bastard who didn't have magic but should have? Sounds like a good possibility to me."

  Ontoniel tipped his head back, gaze sharp as he looked at them. "It was rumored for years that Marion had ties to that tiresome cult, the Kings I believe it was called? Finn Wayland never denied the rumors, though he certainly did not confirm them either. But Marion was killed in one of the early fights that led up to the Civil War, and Finn was killed in a fight near the end of the century. If they were part of the Kings, they are no longer."

  Jackie frowned. "I thought the Howlers lived in New York. What was Marion doing so far south he got caught up in the Civil War?"

  "I do not recall," Ontoniel said. "I am sorry I cannot help you there, but I honestly was not paying attention to much of anything beyond these walls at the time. I was entirely focused upon personal matters and keeping my territory safe during those turbulent times."


  "You've given us more information in a few minutes than I've been able to find in months," Jackie said. "Can't thank you enough, my lord."

  Ontoniel waved the words away. "I am glad I could offer assistance. It sounds as though you are in quite the situation. You remind me a bit of my younger son. Johnnie is not happy if he is not doing something reckless and worrying me to death." He smiled faintly. "If there is one thing I know about humans, past the myriad flavors of their blood, it is that they cannot resist danger. I hope you are able to resolve your matter quickly and without coming to harm."

  Jackie and Ned stood, shaking his hand again. "Thank you again, my lord. Take care, now." A servant showed them to the door, and Jackie settled his hat on his head. "Guess we can head on home and wait for the others to get back."

  "I got somewhere else in mind," Ned said. "If you can spare a little time, Sheriff."

  "Stop calling me that and I reckon I could," Jackie replied.

  Ned smiled and stepped in close, curling fingers around the back of Jackie's neck and drawing him down into a soft, but lingering kiss. Jackie wasn't inclined to protest, sliding his hands around Ned's waist and settling them across his back, making soft noises of approval as Ned proceeded to melt every brain cell he had left.

  When he drew back, they weren't standing in front of Ontoniel's house anymore. Instead, they were in what seemed to be a tidy little living room with a small sofa, a chair, and bookcases overflowing with books, all of it layered with so much demon magic it made his temples throb. It looked like a place used often and meticulously cared for. There wasn't a speck of dust, not even a smudge on the glossy wooden table wedged between the sofa and the wall. "This your place?"

  "Yes," Ned said quietly. His eyes danced around the room, hands hanging casually at his side but the fingers moving restlessly. Jackie reached out and ran his fingertips over Ned's scalp, pressed his thumb just behind Ned's ear. Ned leaned into the touch, eyes closing. When he opened them again, his gaze landed on Jackie, eyes the color of autumn leaves in the light of a harvest moon. "You're one of only three people I've ever brought here. One I haven't seen since his one and only visit, and the other I had to kill. I would prefer you not follow their examples, gunslinger."

  "I don't aim to," Jackie said quietly and tugged him in for another kiss, sliding his fingers across warm skin, wrapping his other arm around Ned's waist and holding him tight. "You're something else again, demon. What am I supposed to do with you?"

  Ned laughed softly against his mouth, a hint of cinnamon tea on his breath. "You're supposed to spread out naked on my bed and let me fuck you."

  "You're a demanding little shit, but I suppose I'll let you have your way," Jackie said, ignoring every single bell clanging a warning in his head. He wasn't Ned's consort. Whatever they were doing wasn't ever going to last—but damn it, he just didn't care. Something about Ned hooked him deep and reeled him right on in.

  Jackie went easily as Ned pulled away and led him down a short hallway to a bedroom as cozy and well-tended as the living room. The bed was a worn four-post with charms and talismans hanging from hemp, silver, gold, and silk bands. The smell of cinnamon wafted around the room. "I have this growing suspicion you like cinnamon."

  "Especially when it comes in the form of candy," Ned agreed and pulled Jackie's hat off. He threw it aside, then shoved Jackie's duster from his shoulders. "Lose the guns, cowboy."

  Jackie laughed as he obeyed, untying and unbuckling the gun belt. He hung it carefully around one of the posts at the headboard, then set to work on the rest of his clothes. He got distracted halfway through by the sight of Ned, body fit, trim, and beautiful even with the rune scars. They made his unmarked skin seem even darker, and combined with the dim light, it looked black. Goose-bumps raised all over Jackie's skin as hot, red-gold eyes landed on him and Ned wrapped one hand around his cock and stroked it lazily. "Finish stripping, cowboy."

  "A-ayah," Jackie said and did as told, barely shoving his jeans and underwear off and out of the way before Ned was on him, pushing him down onto a soft, warm quilt. Sharp claws scored Jackie's skin, leaving long red marks across his chest. Ned chased the marks with his mouth, tongue hot, leaving his warm skin damp and making him shiver in the cool air. Ned shoved his thighs apart and settled between them, mouth working slowly down his body, licking teasingly at his cock when he reached it. His hands still rested hot and heavy on Jackie's thighs, claws pricking ever so slightly. Jackie reached out, fingers moving over Ned's skin, fascinated as ever by the roughness of the rune scars and the smooth skin between them. He splayed his fingers across the back of Ned's neck as the teasing turned into determined torment and he got a quick, wicked grin right before Ned sucked him on down.

  Jackie groaned, trying to get words out and failing miserably, not able to do more than cling, hips twitching, pushing his cock deeper into that hot, wet mouth, breath catching with every swallow and flick of tongue. "Damn—" He pressed his fingers against Ned's scalp, desperate for purchase he couldn't get, fucking into Ned's mouth as deep as he could get and hell if Ned didn't take it easy as anything, looking up through his lashes before showing Jackie just how much he'd still been holding back.

  He came apart with a shout, shuddering as he spilled down Ned's throat, fingers sliding from Ned's skin to flop on the bed. Ned's mouth traveled back up the path it had first taken down Jackie's torso, nipping at his throat, his jaw, before finally taking Jackie's mouth in a rough, hungry kiss. Jackie looped his arms around Ned's neck, held him close until the kiss eased up to something slow and easy. He trailed his hands lazily over Ned's skin, admiring all the wiry, compact muscle, the sharp cut of his hips, an ass that felt just fine indeed in his hands. Ned chuckled softly as he finally pulled away, shifting enough to spread Jackie's legs wide again, fingers teasing over his hole.

  The fingers retreated after a moment, but returned almost immediately, slick and warm. Ned caught Jackie's gaze as he pushed one finger inside, and it was far too easy to get lost in those eyes. "You got the prettiest eyes I ever seen, demon."

  Ned froze, clearly startled, then dipped his head to drop sucking kisses on Jackie's stomach as he slid a second finger in to join the first, stretching Jackie wide in a way he hadn't felt in too long—not since the last time he'd been with Roman, and that had been hasty, perfunctory. He'd thought there'd been something with Roman, hell with all his previous lovers, but one searing kiss from Ned stripped any remaining shine old memories might have held. "Come on, demon," Jackie said on a gasp, pushing into those sure, clever fingers, taking them deeper. "I ain't some greenhorn at this."

  "No, you certainly ain't that," Ned said with a laugh, withdrawing his fingers and lining up his cock, pushing in slowly, hitching Jackie's legs up to wrap around him before bracing his hands on the bed on either side of Jackie. He moaned as Ned slid all the way home, not able to remember the last time he'd felt so achingly, pleasantly full. Ned bit sharply at his chin, stole a quick kiss, then began to fuck him with long, slow strokes fit to drive Jackie mad.

  When Jackie reached up to cling to him, Ned captured his hands and pinned them to the bed, grinning as only a demon could when Jackie scowled. Before Jackie could challenge it, however, Ned picked up his pace, slow becoming fast, driving in deep and hard. Sweat put a fine sheen on his skin, dripped from his face as he seemed to do his damnedest to fuck Jackie through the mattress, fingers tight around Jackie's wrists. Jackie angled up to drop kisses on whatever he could reach, moaning when Ned turned his head to give him a proper kiss, tongue fucking his mouth as surely as that cock fucked his hole.

  Ned came a few minutes later, pumping into him one last time before shuddering in Jackie's arms. Jackie held him tight, following over the edge a moment later. He grunted as Ned's full weight pressed down atop him, skin hot and slick and almost too much. "You're heavy for as small as you are, demon." Ned bit his shoulder, making Jackie grunt, but only seemed to settle more comfortably atop him.

  The air was pleasantly co
ol against Jackie's skin, though he knew pretty soon it would start to chill. He made a soft noise of protest when Ned rolled away, but he rolled back after a moment and used his t-shirt to clean them up. Tossing it toward a hamper in the corner, he immediately draped himself along Jackie's side again. Jackie settled more comfortably in the bedding, idly stroking Ned's skin with one hand. The other reached out to toy with some of the talismans hanging from the nearest bedpost. "Where'd you get all these?" he asked. "There's at least a hundred just on the bed." There was hundreds more of the things draped and hanging around the rest of the room, countless charms and talismans with nowhere else to go. It seemed unbearably lonely, somehow. "You collect them?"

  "I make them," Ned said, not bothering to open his eyes or even move as he answered. "I don't exactly get out much; too much chance of Firebrand and his cohorts hearing about me. Too many people wind up dead when that happens."

  Sadness washed through Jackie, picturing Ned hunkered down in his little cabin, making talismans and charms, reading books, with no one to keep him company. "That don't seem right."

  "There's a lot about me that ain't right," Ned replied. "It's not so bad, most days."

  Jackie didn't believe that by half. Demons were not solitary creatures. They loved their territories for all that they were bound to them and could never leave, and demons wanted nothing as bad as they wanted their consorts. Living a life of solitude was just one more nightmare for Ned, of that Jackie had no doubt. He didn't comment though, just held Ned close and pressed a kiss to his temple.

  Ned pulled away and sat up, moved to the far end of the bed, and began to fuss with the charms there. After several minutes, he crawled back to Jackie and fastened something around his neck. Jackie picked the talisman up, admiring the pentacle set with a round ruby in the center and smaller bits of dark orange amber at each of the points. It was warm with powerful magic, causing his skin to prickle. "It's beautiful. Not sure why you're giving it to me, though."