by Kallysten
The blank look replacing the anger of Lisa's face didn't stop Brett.
"But you brought Leo in. I don't know why you're mad at him, but it doesn't matter. I know you care about him. I do too. And if he lied to us—if he lied to me, I want him to say it to my face. Or else how can I know your Sire didn't force him to go with him?
For a few seconds, Brett thought that he had convinced her. The emotions crossing her face made it clear that she was troubled. But in the end, her tone remained cutting, although now tinged with bitterness.
"Don't expect too much from Leo, or he'll break your heart. He has done it before."
If Brett hadn't had this sense of urgency tugging at him, he might have tried to question her, or change her mind. The uneasy feeling settling in him, however, demanded that he do something now. He needed to know if Leo had gone of his own accord. He couldn't help hoping he hadn't.
"Where are they?” he asked.
Lisa shrugged. “How should I know?"
"You were with your Sire last night,” Brett insisted. “Where?"
"Don't be silly.” The anger was completely gone now, and what had replaced it very much resembled fear. “If you went there, he'd kill you."
"Where, Lisa?"
"I'm not sending you to my Sire's lair to get yourself killed."
"Lisa—"
"No. If Leo went back to him, there's nothing you or I can do about it."
She turned her back on him and walked away. The staircase door swung shut behind her, and Brett watched it for a few seconds, hoping despite himself that she would come back. She didn't.
Anxiety filled his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. Haventown was a large city, going out without a clue where to start would be useless.
Except ... Relief flooded him, as quickly as anxiety had a moment earlier. He had clues. Leo had said he had dropped his things in the apartment he had once shared with Lisa when he had arrived in town, an apartment that was within walking distance. Brett had once been to Lisa's place, before they had moved in together. It had to be the place.
He exited the club and started running.
Chapter 13
"Take her life, Childe."
Leo hesitated. Beneath him, the girl moaned. Mouth on her breast, fingers stroking her clit and rhythmically sliding inside her, he had been pleasuring her for his Sire's pleasure, hyperaware at all times of Nicholas’ presence. Seated against the headboard of the bed, his shirt open to reveal his chest, his cock straining out of his unbuttoned pants, Nicholas had been directing every one of Leo's movements, as he had been directing the girl's.
"I said kill her, Leo. Now."
Leo pressed a last kiss to the distended nipple trembling against his lips. The scent of the girl's orgasm was thick around him, and her blood would be spiked with it, too. So sweet, so flavorful ... A drop of it, and he would come, surely, even though his Sire had ordered him not to. Pulling away was difficult and it took him long seconds, but he finally managed to. He could feel Nicholas’ disapproving glare right away, but he was careful not to look directly at him as he sat up.
"She would have given you her blood if you had only asked,” Leo murmured, keeping his eyes on the girl.
She was still breathing very fast, worn out by pleasure. Leo picked up a corner of the sheet and wiped the wetness from her thighs and, gently, from between her legs. She shivered and let out another quiet moan.
"I don't care about gifts,” Nicholas said gruffly. “Not unless they're the ones I grant. I told you to bite her."
Slowly, his entire attention on Nicholas even if he still wasn't looking at him, Leo stood from the bed. When there was no reaction from his Sire, he was even more daring, and helped the girl to stand as well, holding her hands and guiding her gently. Only when they were by the foot of the bed, where her clothes were piled up, did he dare look at Nicholas. The look on his face was one of surprise, surprise that he wasn't being obeyed certainly.
"You know, it had to happen some day,” Leo said with a slightly bitter smile. “Every time you put me under thrall, I fought to break free. It was only a matter of time before I succeeded."
Understanding replaced the surprise. Leo looked away to help the girl into her underwear.
"Why now, though?” Nicholas pondered aloud. “You've killed many humans for me. Why not this one?"
Pausing, Leo looked at the girl. Her eyes were still blank from the thrall, her cheeks still flushed by pleasure. He could see in her many other humans that could have lived, if he had just been stronger. He wasn't sure how he would make amends, wasn't sure he even could, but he would try.
"Maybe,” he murmured, more for himself than Nicholas, “I didn't have a good enough reason to break free before."
"And now you do? I hadn't realized Beth had such a strong hold on you."
Leo shook his head, but caught himself before he could speak and reveal too much. In his mind, the images of Lisa and Brett were like a beacon drawing him toward what was the right thing to do. One of them might not have been enough to help him resist the pull of his Sire, but both of them, together, were the escape he had needed for years.
He finished dressing the girl, whispering reassuring words to her as he did. She was still under thrall, but the more he talked to her, the faster she would come back to her senses. Behind her, Nicholas held silent for a long time, but Leo could see him grow more and more tense even as the heavy scent of anger wafted from him.
"So you're really taking away our dinner?” he said at last.
Leo tried to choose his words carefully. The last thing he wanted was to antagonize Nicholas enough that he would attack him, but he refused to let him believe that he could change Leo's mind, now or later.
"I am. This town isn't for you. You should leave, Sire, before something bad happens to you."
"Is that a threat, Childe?” The blade of danger in Nicholas’ voice wasn't cutting yet, but it was present, and that alone was a warning to leave now.
"No, it's just the truth. The police are looking for the person who killed those three people. They'll get a lead, eventually. Goodbye, Nicholas."
The last thing he heard, as he was leaving, was Nicholas’ laughter. It chilled him to the bone, and promised nothing good would come from this last act of rebellion, but it was too late for Leo to backpedal. When Nicholas had showed up at the club, Leo had had no intention of accompanying him home and he had made that clear to Nicholas. But when he had come up with his prey, the threat against her life had been too difficult to ignore. It would have been simpler if Leo could have warned the security, or even the cops that weren't even hiding their presence, but the thought of putting his Sire into danger was still beyond him. Playing along had been the only way he could think of to save her, but even that would have failed in the end if Leo hadn't found the strength to do on his own what he had seen Lisa do so often.
The woman clung to him as they walked down the staircase. Leo tried to support as much of her weight as he could while letting her walk on her own, talking to her quietly to try to pull her out of her thrall.
"Where do you live, sweetheart?"
He wasn't the one holding her in thrall, but she still answered as though he had been, mumbling an address just two streets over.
"Not far at all. How about I walk you home? Would you like that?"
"I'm ... not sure."
"Think about it, think hard. Would you like me to walk you home?"
Whether she wanted him to or not was not an issue for him. They had reached the street, and he would walk her home regardless of her answer. What mattered, however, was that she made up her mind. The thrall was designed to suppress all opinions, all wants and needs that were not suggested by the vampire in control. Now that they were away from Nicholas, the fastest way to break his hold on her was to force her to assert herself. Leo didn't intend to leave her until she was fully herself again.
"I'm still waiting for an answer. It's Laura, isn't it?"
He
had used the wrong name on purpose: another trick to help her break the thrall. He mentally counted up to six before she reacted.
"Lauren. My name ... is Lauren."
"Sorry, Lauren. My mistake. Have you thought about it yet?"
Rather than continuing to hold on to her waist, he let go and took her elbow. She stumbled once, but she didn't fall.
"What ... what was the question again?"
Leo smiled to himself. “Do you want me to take you home?"
She stopped walking as they reached a dorm building and gently pulled her elbow free of his grip. When he looked at her, she was frowning as though trying to remember something.
"Whether I want you to or not, I am home,” she said slowly. Her eyes were scrutinizing Leo, and finally lit up with recognition. “You're the bartender, aren't you? From the club?"
Leo responded cautiously, unsure of how much she would remember. “I am."
She brought a hand to touch her neck then looked at her fingers. She seemed surprised not to find them covered with blood. Her eyes widened when she looked up at Leo again, and a note of fear crept in her voice.
"What ... what did that man do to us?"
"It's called thrall, Lauren. But we shook the thrall off, and you're fine now."
The fear turned into awe. “You saved me."
Leo shook his head, giving her a self-deprecating smile. “All I did was walk you home. Good night, now. Be safe."
He waited until she had stepped inside her building before he walked back to the club. The small streets and back alleys he remembered from more than a decade earlier hadn't changed, and in minutes he was stepping inside On The Edge again. He didn't even think of going back to the bar. He needed to tell Brett and Lisa about what had happened. He had no doubt now that Nicholas was responsible for the deaths around the club in the past few days. At the very least, they needed to ban him from entering On The Edge and hunting there; Leo couldn't tell the police that his Sire was the one they were looking for, but he could close his eyes if someone else tipped them off.
Hand poised over the doorknob, he hesitated. He had noticed the look Lisa had thrown at him when she had gone out with Brett. Anger and disappointment had been shining bright in her eyes, and he wasn't sure she would believe anything he said. Brett would, though. He had to. Leo knocked. The door opened almost right away. Nothing could have prepared him for the immediate scent of fear jumping toward him, or the look of worry on Lisa's face. He couldn't remember ever having seen her so upset, or heard that note of near panic in her voice.
"Where is Brett?"
The question left Leo puzzled and speechless for a couple of seconds. “Brett? I thought he was with you."
He could only watch as she turned away and disappeared in the bedroom. Only seconds later, she reappeared, now wearing jeans and a too large shirt that had to be Brett's rather than the robe she had worn when she had opened the door. She picked up shoes by the door, giving Leo a heated glance.
"He knows you were with Nicholas. I didn't believe he would really try to find you two."
His eyes remained on her fingers as she laced up the ankle boots, but he wasn't really seeing what she was doing; instead, he was trying to understand her fear.
"Find us? How would he? He'll just walk around and—"
"I took him to the lair once."
She didn't need to add anything. In the past few days, Leo had gotten to know Brett enough to realize that he would add it up, and go straight to Nicholas. And Nicholas hadn't fed tonight; Leo had seen to that.
"Why didn't you stop him?"
She pulled so hard on the laces of her boots that one of them broke. She looked at the part she held, frowning in incomprehension, before shaking herself off. She pulled at what remained of the lace and tied it the best she could before standing.
"Because I was too angry to believe he was foolish enough to go,” she spat. “Because I'm losing him to you and you to our Sire and I can't. I just can't. I've spent too much time alone, I can't, not anymore."
Her voice broke on the last words, and she heaved in a dry sob. Leo opened his arms to her, and she stepped into them, burying her face against his shoulder as he held her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, wishing he had known what to say to reassure her, but unwilling to give her, or himself, false hope.
"How long ago did he leave?” he asked when she had stopped shaking.
"I don't know. Ten minutes, maybe."
Without adding another word, they descended the stairs together, hand in hand. They didn't start running until they were in the street. Leo tried not to imagine what they might find when they reached the lair. He couldn't bear it.
* * * *
The street was quiet, lined with what, at the beginning of the previous century, had been thriving factories. Thirty years earlier, a developer had converted them all into luxury lofts, helping to bring new life to the center of Haventown. Three decades had seen the high society citizens slowly leave, replaced by less affluent ones and a few vampires. Children ran through the street during the day, but at night, few people ventured out. It was one thing to know your neighbor was a vampire, and something else altogether to walk by him at nighttime.
Brett had last been there a few weeks after he had first met Lisa. He had never actually been into her apartment, but he had come to her door to pick her up once. It had been the evening when she had shown him the building that had in time become On The Edge.
He found the building easily; its façade of red brick and white trim was distinctive enough. Once inside however, his memory failed him. Had it been on the third or fourth floor? He climbed to stairs and tried to remember the last time he had done so, excited rather than anxious, curious about what it was Lisa wanted to show him rather than afraid of what he would find. When he reached the third floor, he already knew the apartment wasn't there, and the crying of an infant, followed by a faint lullaby behind the apartment door, only reinforced his impression. He rushed up the last flight of stairs and did not hesitate before walking to the door and banging on it with his closed fist. The other fist, hanging at his side, held a stake tightly.
"Leo?” he shouted. “Leo, are you there?"
There was no answer, but the door handle turned, just enough for the door to open an inch, no more. Brett could hear steps behind the door. He waited a few more seconds, and when the door didn't move anymore, when the steps had stopped, he pushed the door open.
"Hello?” he called into the dark space. “Leo?"
He could hear steps again, coming from the room past the foyer. He advanced, wishing the light filtering from that second room wasn't so faint. His palms were slick with sweat, and he tried to secure his grip on the stake a little more as he moved on.
"Leo?” he called yet again when he entered a bedroom. The large bed was unmade, and the light came from a lamp on the night table.
"Leo was here,” a calm voice said, just behind him, “but he left. Went back to Beth. Or at least that's what I thought. Do you know you smell like him? Like both of them, actually."
Brett jumped away from the man—the vampire—at his back, and he turned to look at him. His heart was beating wildly from the shock of being so close to someone he knew didn't hesitate to kill humans. The stake seemed like a poor defense suddenly, especially given Brett's lack of familiarity with the weapon.
"Don't come any closer,” he said, as strongly as he could manage.
The vampire tilted his head to one side and chuckled. Even in the poor light, Brett could see his eyes sparkle with amusement.
"You're the one who entered my lair. With a stake, no less."
Two steps took him within arm's reach; all Brett could see was his eyes. He couldn't have said what color they were: blue maybe, or perhaps gray. Deep, so deep—
"What is your name?"
The word came out before he had even understood the question. “Brett."
"Brett,” the vampire repeated, the word like a caress. “Brett who c
ame looking for Leo, and who carries both his scent and Beth's. Interesting."
Locked in the other man's gaze as he was, Brett didn't notice Nicholas’ rising hand until it was pulling at his collar, exposing the bite mark on his neck.
"More and more interesting. Maybe he didn't go back to Beth, after all. Maybe my own Childe went against my explicit orders to go back to you. Is that it?"
It was so hard to think...
Brett wasn't sure he could have answered that question at a normal time. At that moment, with his mind feeling as though it were wrapped in cotton, he couldn't manage to form a thought, let alone express it.
"I ... don't know."
The finger that had touched his neck now followed his lips, too rough to be a caress, the nail digging in just on the edge of pain, but Brett couldn't even think of wanting to move away.
"Maybe both,” the vampire mused, his eyebrow rising a little in surprise. “Did you seduce both my Childer, human? Answer me."
Throat dry and heart still beating too fast, Brett had some trouble answering, but he couldn't not have answered.
"They seduced me."
The vampire snorted. “They're very good at that. Take off your shirt."
Brett did as he was asked without thinking for a second. The stake was hindering him, so he let it fall, barely aware of the clatter on the wooden floor. The buttons parted easily beneath his fingers, and his shirt joined the stake. Fingers ghosted over him, touching his arms, his chest, his back, his neck again.
"Only Leo, then. Beth doesn't bite you?"
"No.” It was easier to answer without those eyes looking through him, but Brett's mind still felt as foggy.
"She slept with you without biting you?"
"Yes."
The eyes were back, pinning Brett in place, deeper than ever, it seemed. Some part of Brett was sure that if he leaned a little too close, he might fall into a well as endless as it was dark.
"How interesting, indeed.” Even the voice was dark now, the fire of danger casting no shadow, the threats cold as the deepest waters. “You must be very special to her. Special enough that she would come back to me for you. And if she did, Leo might just join her, and you. What do you think?"
