Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

by N. J. Nielsen

  Christian. What the hell am I doing?

  Lying back in the bed, he stared at the ceiling for a very

  long time, trying to reconcile with himself what he had just

  done. Hoping it was just a vampire thing and not part of

  who he real y was. Actual y, Michael hated knowing this

  wasn’t the first time the little nagging voice that appeared in

  his head was making him doubt himself. As Christian rol ed

  over and threw an arm across him, Michael didn’t remove

  it. Rather, he kept gently caressing it until he drifted into

  sleep.

  CHAPTER THREE

  You can’t run.

  Your past will bite you on the arse at some stage.

  Waking up around midday Christian panicked. The

  sensation of something pressing down upon him was

  overpowering. It felt as though there was someone else

  besides Michael and himself in the room, someone just

  waiting and watching. Someone who wished to cause them

  both harm.

  Letting his senses wander, he tried to locate exactly

  where the feeling was coming from, but it disappeared as

  fast as it came. It terrified him enough to want to wake

  Michael. Deep down, Christian knew whatever he had felt

  was pure evil. He lifted his cheek off Michael’s chest and

  tilted it so he could whisper into Michael’s ear, pleading

  with him to wake up. It stil amazed him that in the week

  since Michael, Doyle, and he had faced down the guys in

  the park he had woken each evening wrapped around

  Michael. Luckily he had always managed to get out of bed

  before him so he wasn’t sure Michael even knew.

  A shiver raced along his spine as Michael only half woke

  as he turned, wrapped his arm around Christian, and pul ed

  him in for a deep kiss. In amazement, Christian froze at the

  contact, pul ing away after a moment, though for one brief

  second, or maybe twenty, he had responded and

  thoroughly enjoyed it. Pushing the thought aside, Christian

  started shaking Michael awake.

  The weirdness struck him as important, and he knew he

  needed to tel Michael about the strange presence he had

  felt. Yet he couldn’t explain it wel , not when the kiss was stil

  fresh in his mouth and especial y not while he wanted

  another. As the feeling of being watched came again

  Christian clamped his shaking hand over Michael’s mouth.

  The fingers of his other hand pressed firmly to his own lips

  in sign for silence. He leaned in a little more as Michael’s

  hand froze against his back, holding him close as Christian

  searched the room.

  “What?” Michael whispered when Christian final y moved

  his hand enough to al ow Michael to talk.

  “There was somebody in here watching us. I’m not lying. I

  swear it.” His voice stil shook slightly, but his hand had

  moved from Michael’s face and now rested on his chest; he

  knew Michael would be able to feel it trembling.

  “Who?” Michael’s gaze drifted around the room.

  “I don’t know. It woke me up. It was the strangest thing. It

  scared the crap out of me.” Christian felt idiotic. Maybe it

  had just been a dream and no one had been there at al .

  Maybe this just was a reaction to Charm’s odd bit of poetry

  the other week. Or maybe it had kicked off another very

  realistic dream. He had been having a lot of them lately. He

  fucking hated those dreams.

  “Sorry, I guess I just freaked,” Christian said, feeling like

  a complete loser for acting like he had.

  “Did you see anyone?” Michael pushed himself into a

  sitting position. He studied Christian’s face and Christian

  thought just maybe Michael believed him, and it made him

  feel less of a idiot.

  “No. It was just a feeling, but it was enough to wake me

  up.” Christian let his gaze wander around the room, trying to

  find something to prove he wasn’t losing it. Warily, he

  watched as Michael slipped out of bed and walked quietly

  to the door without even bothering to dress. Should he

  fol ow? And why didn’t Michael even comment on the fact

  he was naked as the day he was born? Sitting up, he

  looked at Michael, who pressed his eye to the slight crack

  in the door as he pul ed it ajar and he peered into hal . Then

  he opened it al the way and Michael slipped out into the

  hal , leaving him to wait in their room. Christian breathed a

  sigh of relief. And he felt his briefs fil ing with his hard-on.

  Something that he couldn’t quite grasp a hold of was

  pushing at the edge of his mind as he thought about

  everything that had happened since Michael had come into

  his life. Suddenly it hit him — Michael had never once

  asked him about his the scars covering his body. Just the

  thought of them made Christian stare down in shame at the

  wreckage adorning his skin. How he hated seeing them.

  Actual y, he was glad Michael hadn’t asked because he

  was ashamed to admit he didn’t know how he had gotten

  them. Every time he tried to think about it he got a massive

  headache, so he tried not to think about them at al . His

  thoughts came back to the here and now when the

  bedroom door opened.

  “I didn’t find anything in the house,” Michael said as he

  came back into their bedroom. He crossed the room to the

  windows, slightly parting the curtains and peering outside.

  Through the open window Christian could hear the

  neighbour’s kids playing in the street. It al seemed so

  normal, which gave him pause to wonder if maybe he was

  going crazy.

  “I’m not making it up,” Christian pleaded, wanting so

  badly to be believed. “There real y was somebody here.”

  He tried not to ogle at Michael’s naked form standing at the

  window, mainly because he didn’t want to be caught doing

  it, or get a punch to the head for enjoying the view.

  Michael closed the curtain and turned, “I believe you.”

  Averting his eyes, he stopped himself from staring at

  Michael’s half-hard cock as it hung heavily between his legs

  nestled in those soft dark curls. He only knew they were soft

  because he might have accidently-on purpose, once or

  twice, run his fingertips through them for a few moments at

  a time while Michael slept. His fingers itched to do it again.

  Biting his lip, he wondered why Michael stil hadn’t asked

  why he had been the only one to wake up naked. In his

  defence, Christian had ful y intended to put Michael’s

  boxers back on last night. But they were too drunk to find

  them, so he left him naked after pul ing off his clubbing

  clothes. Wel that and Michael’s body was nice to perv at,

  which he had done a lot of last night, looking and maybe a

  little bit of touching.

  “I real y do.” Michael tilted his head and Christian felt a

  deep blush creep up his throat and face. He had been

  caught. Damn it!

  “You do?” Christian was both surprised and relieved.

  One of the others would have just dismissed this as

/>   nonsense. He was sure the others only tolerated him half

  the time because he was a vampire — one of them.

  “Of course I do,” Michael said as he returned and sat on

  the bed, pul ing the sheet across him as he did. It amazed

  Christian how Michael never seemed to feel self conscious

  when he was naked.

  “Why?” Christian had to ask. He felt a little confused

  about it al and a naked Michael sitting next to him wasn’t

  actual y helping his brain think any clearer.

  “Because you believe it to be true,” Michael shrugged.

  “And besides, my mother always said to trust my instincts.

  Right now my gut is tel ing me to believe you. So it’s what I

  am going to do.”

  For some reason Christian didn’t know how to respond

  to that. He studied Michael and wondered why Michael had

  never pressed for them to get separate beds. Was even

  aware of how many nights they had slept in each other’s

  arms? Should he tel him they had just kissed? No, it was

  better left unsaid. He didn’t want Michael to suddenly get

  uncomfortable and want to change things. Because he

  liked the way things were between them. Maybe Michael

  did too.

  Slowly relaxing, Christian didn’t think as he impulsively

  threw his arms around Michael’s neck and kissed him on

  the cheek. “Thank you for believing me.” Christian lay back

  down and sighed. It felt nice, having someone who trusted

  him and didn’t argue and tel him how idiotic he was being.

  It wasn’t his fault weird shit seemed to fol ow him around.

  Closing his eyes, he sighed as he felt Michael brush the

  hair off of his forehead. The gentle touch was enough to lul

  him back to sleep.

  Once Christian was truly asleep Michael left to do a

  more thorough search of the house. He hadn’t wanted to

  admit to Christian he also felt something was not right.

  Though to be honest, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling,

  but it was odd and it definitely had a creepy factor to it. This

  time he pul ed on his jeans before leaving the room. He had

  been too embarrassed to ask why he was naked, just in

  case he had done something stupid while drunk. It wouldn’t

  be the first time; he shuddered as Gina Montgomery

  flashed into his mind. If he had a do-over she would be one

  mistake he would never repeat. Ever!

  “I had a dream about you and it scared the fuck out of

  me.”

  As he walked slowly down the hal , Michael was startled

  when Charm spoke closely behind him. Fuck, she had

  scared the living shit out of him. Clutching his stil -bare

  chest, he glared at her.

  “What was it?”

  “The creator… He knows you’re here. He’s been

  watching you. You are what he fears, and he hates you for

  taking what was his. You wil be his undoing.”

  Charm looked confused, yet Michael knew she was

  scared because she was shaking.

  “Tel him how you feel,” she continued. “You wil need him

  in the end. In my nightmare the creator was terrified of you

  and him getting close.” Michael gave her a sceptical look

  and she rol ed her eyes at him. “I never said it made

  sense.”

  “Him who? Who am I tel ing how I feel?” He noticed her

  hands were trembling.

  “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  It made Michael wonder whether Charm’s dream was

  just a twisted nightmare or whether it was some sort of

  omen. Reaching out, he gently took her hand in one of his.

  He wanted to offer her some kind of comfort as she was

  stil shaking and he gently caressed the back of her hand

  with his thumb. They pul ed apart as Kerr spoke from

  nearby.

  “What’s going on?” Kerr glanced at the hand Michael stil

  held within his own before his eyes rose to their faces.

  “Nothing,” Charm replied before turning and walking

  back into her room, shutting the door with a bang. Michael

  just shook his head.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Kerr asked as they both stared

  at the closed door.

  Needing time to work out what to say, Michael shrugged

  his shoulders as they headed toward the kitchen. “She had

  a nightmare about me.” He turned and glared when Kerr

  started to chuckle.

  “What?” Michael demanded. It wasn’t even fucking funny.

  Stil Kerr didn’t speak.

  “Answer me, damn it.”

  “What do you want me to tel you?” Kerr asked in al

  seriousness.

  “I just want the truth. I’m tired of al the bul shit. I didn’t

  choose this way of life, someone took away my rights.

  Honestly mate, she just scared the fuck out of me when she

  told me about her dream.” Michael gestured back toward

  Charm’s room.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Kerr shook his head. “She is

  just as much a mystery to me as she is to you.” Kerr rubbed

  a hand over his bald head. “She is who she is. But to be

  honest, we have been al having weird dreams lately about

  you.”

  “Do tel .” Michael arched an eyebrow.

  It felt weird for Kerr to study him and Michael saw his

  anger and frustration rising. Stil he didn’t understand why

  he was stil pissing Kerr off so much.

  “Doyle seemed to know a lot about you. Long before it

  happened he knew that you were going to become one of

  us. Real y, thinking back he was the first one to dream

  about you.”

  “And here I am!” Michael said with just a little bit of

  sarcasm thrown in. Maybe it was the reason why Doyle was

  so standoffish with him. “You know it is kinda freaky how

  you have al been dreaming about me and I didn’t even

  know you people existed.”

  Kerr rol ed his eyes and gestured toward Michael. “And

  here you are,” he repeated just as sarcastical y as they

  entered the kitchen.

  Grabbing Charm’s packet of cigarettes off the end of the

  counter, Michael lit one before sitting down at the table.

  Kerr pul ed a couple of beers out of the fridge. He sensed

  Kerr wanted to tel him something and he knew it had to do

  with why he seemed to be angry with him. Michael thought

  he would make it easy and get the bal rol ing.

  “Why are you so pissed off with me? What have I ever

  done to you?”

  Silently he waited as Kerr watched him for a moment,

  probably deciding what to tel him. “Charm seems to think

  there is something to these dreams we have al had. She

  insisted Chris and Doyle needed to be the ones to watch

  you the night we brought you home. Between her and Chris,

  it has been a freaking bizarre year.” Kerr shook his head,

  and Michael felt for him.

  Michael took a mouthful of beer before he spoke. “Did

  you think any of these dreams are real?”

  Kerr nodded, “The consensus is you wil protect us al .

  You wil have three great loves within your life span and two

  of them wil be within our family. Your first true lov
e wil be

  family.” Kerr sipped his beer as he watched Michael

  closely. Michael saw the smirk tugging at the corner of

  Kerr’s mouth. “As wil be your last.”

  “Who?” Michael felt a little embarrassed as he took a sip

  from his drink. His mind’s eye was picturing the only woman

  living in the house.

  There was no denying Charm was beautiful — her eyes

  pul ed you in and held you into her spel and terrified you al

  at the same time. And yet… somehow you were drawn to

  her anyway. Like a moth to a flame. But being in a

  relationship with her would be scary as fuck. He seriously

  doubted he would survive such a crazy arsed love. Maybe

  there is someone I just haven’t met yet, he thought. But by

  the look on Kerr’s face he knew he was very much

  mistaken.

  Kerr grinned like a maniac and it worried Michael.

  “Christian wil be your first, but, not your greatest. Your

  greatest love wil also be from the family. Before you ask,

  no one has told me who. I don’t know whether anyone

  knows or if the person knows and just doesn’t want to admit

  it. Maybe we wil have others come and join the family. I can

  tel you it isn’t me.”

  Choking on the mouthful of beer he was just about to

  swal ow, he spat most of it back out over the table. He

  coughed so much Kerr had to pound on his back, while

  laughing madly.

  “Arsehole!” Michael coughed.

  “Don’t worry; I think it may be one dream which is wrong.

  It’s not like we have a lot of practice in this sort of thing. In

  the three years we have al been together, this is the first

  time that we have had connected dreams — dreams

  featuring you. When I saw you and Charm holding hands, I

  thought…” he left it hanging.

  It made Michael feel good when he realised he could

  make Kerr even just a little bit uneasy or maybe jealous just

  by being here. “You thought I was trying to seduce her,”

  Michael finished for him. He smiled because Charm would

  probably have knocked him on his arse if he had tried to hit

  on her. He didn’t think she would be open to the idea of

  being intimate with him, even if she did look at him weirdly

  sometimes.

  “Wel , yes. I did,” Kerr said a little bit sheepishly. “But

  maybe the dreams aren’t wrong. You did protect Chris last

  night and even managed to get him home without too much