Their Dark Reflections

by Amanda Meuwissen

  “I can show her, see if it’ll work,” Sam offered. “You can handle the kids for two minutes, right?” His grin was teasing, like he expected Ed to panic.

  Ed did no such thing. “I can. How about I give you two a tour.” He bent to their level, and the twins nodded eagerly.

  Sam led Marie through the dining room toward the side door that connected to the garage. Ed had a car for appearance’s sake, though he rarely used it. Meanwhile, Ed brought the children the other way into the living room.

  “Don’t worry about not touching anything,” he said. “I’m not strict. Why have possessions if you don’t plan to enjoy them. But a few pieces are fragile, okay?”

  They barely responded, too preoccupied looking over the radios, photos, and odd vase, clock, or figurine. They stopped at an old wooden chest against the wall, expensive, with intricate carvings, but it was heavy, which was probably why it hadn’t been on Sam’s to-steal list.

  “Do you want to know what’s inside?” Ed asked, crouching beside them.

  They nodded like before, still shy.

  “Go on, but be careful. The lid is very heavy.”

  Working together, the twins lifted the latch and brought the lid up, revealing a collection of additional photographs, mostly from the past few decades, of landscapes and cities like the others. Ed might still put them up somewhere.

  The children seemed disappointed, not interested in photos, but Ed reached inside to grab on to the false bottom.

  “This chest holds a secret. It’s actually much deeper than it looks.” He set the shelf aside, allowing the children to peer in at his most prized comic books, in plastic sleeves and stacked in neat piles at the bottom. “I have more in storage, but these are my favorites.”

  “You like Spider-Man?” Dawn asked in awe, gazing at the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #42, with Mary Jane’s iconic first appearance and the quote: “Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot.”

  “I do,” Ed said. “Superheroes are like modern myths, epic stories of good against evil with lessons to be learned, and all with very pretty pictures. Spider-Man’s my favorite,” he added in a whisper, making the twins giggle as they agreed.

  They continued gazing at the stacks as if the comics were treasures to be delved into.

  Ed grabbed the book on top, revealing an identical copy below it. “I actually have two of this one, so I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to borrow it, as long as your mother says it’s okay.” He held the book out to whichever twin would be brave enough to grab it first.

  Joey started to, but Dawn was faster than her brother.

  “Hey!” he protested.

  “And as long as you share,” Ed said.

  Dawn let Joey take a corner, both looking reverently at the comic.

  “If your mother says yes, you can take it home and look at it out of the plastic. I’d like for you to take good care of it, but if something happens, I won’t be mad.”

  That seemed to put them at further ease, and eventually, Dawn let Joey hang on to it alone while they turned from the chest to explore the rest of the room. It didn’t take long for them to part the patio curtains and find the pool outside.

  “Can we see it?” Joey asked, both children rushing back to take Ed’s hands and drag him toward the doors.

  A strong waft of their scent struck Ed, and he felt his mouth water. Children smelled different from adults, fresh and new without the pheromones of adolescence, like they’d taste different too—sweeter.

  Ed shook his head. He was definitely too hungry.

  “I-I don’t know if I want you getting close to the water without your mother,” he said, resisting their pull before they could yank him right outside. “And I’m allergic to the sun, so I only swim at night.”

  “How can you be ’lergic to the sun?” Joey scrunched his nose.

  “Can we swim during the day?” Dawn asked before Ed could answer.

  “Well….”

  “Kids,” Marie chided, having returned with Sam.

  “I wouldn’t mind.” Ed turned to her. “It’s spring, warming up every day. As long as you give me fair warning, you can bring the children over and use the pool sometimes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Please, Mama? Can we?” Joey pleaded, and Dawn parroted him.

  “Please, Mama?”

  “We can’t today, and tomorrow’s the barbecue, but… maybe another day, if Mr. Simons really doesn’t mind.”

  “Not at all. And call me Ed.”

  Sam gave him a warm, satisfied smile. The kids were ecstatic, and Marie looked like Ed had given her a wonderful stress relief for the busy summer ahead.

  “Thank you, Ed. For the table too.”

  “And the comic!” Joey held it up with a grin.

  “Comic?”

  “If it’s all right,” Ed said.

  Sam had already helped Marie load the table into her father’s truck that she’d borrowed, and after they left, Ed felt Sam’s eyes on him.

  “What?”

  “You’re pretty good with kids yourself.”

  Ed just wished they didn’t smell like appetizers.

  That thought made him very aware of the time, of the sun close to setting, and of his growing hunger that made Sam smell appetizing too.

  “You had some of your comics in that chest the whole time? I need to be a better thief.” Sam’s light chuckle cut off abruptly as he looked at Ed’s stiff expression. “What?”

  “It’s time, Sam. I know where Fitz will be tonight, judging by his patterns—back at the club on Forty-seventh.”

  “Tonight?” Sam’s mirthful expression vanished.

  “I’m hungry. Best not to tempt that.” Ed looked to the front doors, as if to indicate the family that had left.

  “R-right. Okay.”

  “I’ll carry it out exactly as we planned.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “What?” Ed snapped back to him. “You don’t have to. You don’t need to see me like that.”

  “I know,” Sam said determinedly, “but I’m coming with you anyway.”

  SAM HAD to go with Ed. Even if what was about to happen made his pulse ratchet like it was a week ago all over again.

  Ed was meticulous in how he prepared for the evening, choosing a simple outfit and warning Sam as well, “Wear as little extra clothing as possible. No jacket. Less chance of leaving evidence behind. You’ll park your bike at the Hilton so it’s assumed you were there all night, and I’ll pick you up.”

  “In your car?”

  “No.”

  “But the Hilton is across town from where Fitz will be.”

  “I’m aware,” Ed said with a smile.

  All Sam could think about then was Ed whisking him through the city at hyperspeed, which at least helped distract him from what they were going to do.

  Fitz deserved it. He was a terrible man who’d done terrible things. Sam had investigated their backgrounds, and every single one of them had assault charges, worse in some cases, just not full convictions for murder. That didn’t mean they hadn’t committed any, and even if they hadn’t….

  They deserved this. They all did.

  The ride into town felt strangely short, and in no time Sam was already at the Hilton, parking in the underground garage, where cameras easily caught him. He went into the stairwell, finding a blind spot from security as he waited for Ed.

  The only warning he got was two whispered words: “Hang on.”

  The lurch in Sam’s stomach was like the drop from a roller coaster, a mad rush of speed, with nothing but the haze of city lights and motion all around him. He was conscious only of Ed’s chill, and clawed for purchase as if he might drop any moment, finding Ed’s neck and clinging tightly.

  When they came to a stop, they were on a rooftop, looking down at Fitz’s favored strip club from across the street.

  Sam teetered as Ed released him, afraid he might throw up once his stomach caught up to him, but Ed’s hand s
ettled at his waist, the other at the back of his neck, and the cool touch chased away any nausea.

  “Are you okay?”

  “We’re going to have to do that more often,” Sam said.

  The smile Ed graced him with was lovely, but as they started to drift closer, he took a breath, like catching Sam’s scent, and his eyes flickered yellow.

  “B-better not,” Ed said. “I can smell Fitz, but I’ll check to make sure he’s inside. When he heads home, we’ll follow him and end this, right in his apartment.”

  It was even more important that they do things carefully, because they wouldn’t be destroying all the evidence, only everything that pointed at them.

  Ed vanished and returned in moments to report that Fitz was indeed enjoying one of the back rooms of the strip club. They settled in to wait, and Sam thought this would be the hardest part, like the proverbial watched pot waiting to boil. But, like the ride into town, it was over quickly, and Fitz was soon exiting to stumble unsteadily down the street.

  For once, Sam got to experience tailing someone from Ed’s perspective. Suddenly, they’d be down one alleyway or another, on different rooftops, behind different buildings, always out of sight but within view of Fitz. When they finally reached his building, the coast clear down his hallway, as soon as he unlocked and opened his door….

  “Ready?” Ed whispered.

  “Ready.”

  Ed zipped them inside, hiding in the shadows but leaving Sam standing in Fitz’s living room.

  “The fuck are you doing here?” Fitz slurred, slamming his door shut behind him.

  “If you know anything about Midnight,” Sam said calmly, “now is the time to tell me.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Fitz laughed, taking out his switchblade.

  “Anything at all could go a long way to making this easier on you.”

  “You got some nerve, coming in here, not even armed. I don’t know shit about Midnight, but if I did, I’d still carve up that pretty face before I told you anything.” He lunged forward with a snarl, taking an angry, intoxicated swing, but Sam didn’t bother dodging.

  Fitz’s hand froze in midair, his wrist snatched up by Ed.

  Eyes glowing and fangs already extended, Ed squeezed Fitz’s wrist so hard, Sam heard bones crack. Before Fitz could cry out or his fingers could slacken on the switchblade, Ed swung his arm down, still holding Fitz’s wrist, and stabbed into his side.

  Fitz tried to scream, but Ed spun him so fast and slammed him up against the wall with such force that the sound was knocked out of him. His eyes blinked in disbelief, staring at Ed’s monstrous face.

  “My apologies. I don’t usually cause my victims unnecessary pain, but we need to make this look believable.”

  Ed swooped in to bite Fitz’s neck and twisted the knife in the same motion, Fitz’s scream once again getting lost, though he managed to sputter.

  “The fuck…. Wh-what the fuck?” He tried to push Ed off, but Ed was an immovable wall.

  Sam watched from the same spot Ed had left him, in the middle of the room but still only a few feet from where Ed was feeding, much tidier than last week, not spilling a single drop.

  Until he yanked the knife free to let Fitz bleed out onto the floor.

  “We don’t want them questioning how much blood you’ll be missing,” Ed said, swinging the knife up, still in Fitz’s hand with Ed’s wrapped securely around it, and sliced through his bite marks to hide the puncture wounds. He returned then to drink from the pulsing gash, finally letting the knife drop.

  Fitz’s glazed eyes found Sam and stayed on him, pleading silently through his pain for Sam to help him. Sam wouldn’t, even if he thought this was wrong or cruel, but he kept waiting for the freak-out to hit him.

  His stomach was in knots, pulse racing, breath coming in pants, but it wasn’t like last week. Back then, he’d feared for his life too. Now, he knew he didn’t have to.

  Ed drank slowly, but Fitz’s eyes eventually went blank, and Ed dropped him in his own puddle of blood. Once again, Sam saw satisfaction and sated desire on Ed’s face as he licked his lips clean, the only blood on him being a little on his sleeve.

  “Did you touch anything?” Ed turned to Sam with his eyes still glowing.

  “N-no,” Sam said.

  “Then stay still.”

  Ed moved around the apartment like the same blur Sam had seen before, and when he’d finished, he stood beside Fitz’s body.

  “All is well. The only fingerprints here are his. Sam? Are you okay?”

  Reality snapped back into place. Sam was unsure of the passage of time, but Ed was Ed again as he came over, with green eyes and a concerned scrunch to his brow.

  “Yeah,” Sam said, surprised maybe, but honest. “I’m good.”

  ED WAS so, so good.

  All the drink and drugs hadn’t soured Fitz’s blood. It still tasted amazing, and Ed felt that wonderful ecstasy he always did after feeding. He kept waiting for something else to spoil the evening, for Sam to admit he couldn’t handle what Ed was or seeing him take someone’s life again.

  Ed brought them back to his home to clean up. Sam’s bike was still at the hotel with footage of him going inside and never leaving. They were ghosts, with no proof that they had been anywhere else at all.

  But Sam was quiet.

  “Would you like to shower?” Ed asked.

  “Do I need to?”

  “No. There’s nothing on you, but we should still wash your clothes to be sure.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.”

  They went to the basement and stripped down to their underwear to load the clothes into the washer. Ed thought it would be impolite to stare at Sam’s bared form, because while they’d seen each other in swim trunks, the tight fit of boxer briefs left far less to the imagination.

  Then again, Sam had already seen Ed naked, and the memory of that made him blush. He reddened further when he realized Sam was staring at him.

  “Are you going to shower?” Sam asked.

  “Just to rinse off. Sam—”

  “I keep waiting to feel afraid,” Sam cut him off, calm despite his words. “To be disgusted or horrified. Is there something wrong with me that I’m not? That all I want to do right now is kiss you?”

  Ed straightened in surprise, but whatever hammer he’d feared might fall, that Sam had apparently feared too, didn’t seem to be coming. “No. We ended an evil man, giving me something I need and keeping you safer. It isn’t wrong not to mourn him.”

  Sam nodded like he knew that but was still conflicted by his lack of… feeling conflicted. He stepped closer to Ed with clarity solidifying in his gaze, as the washer filled the basement with white noise. “I think I like how terrifyingly powerful you are, and that you can still be so gentle with me.”

  “W-well… you’re worth being gentle for,” Ed said, grasping Sam’s hand to lead them back upstairs before his nerves could get the better of him.

  He still wanted to rinse off in case he’d missed any errant spots, but he didn’t want to lose sight of Sam. He even left the bathroom door open a crack. When he returned from the shower a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist, Sam sat on the bed with his phone beside him, looking bemused.

  “My calendar just reminded me.”

  “Of?”

  “We need to make a pie for tomorrow.”

  Ed laughed. “Tonight?”

  “I’d have to come over pretty early in the morning. Or….”

  “Or?” Ed approached him slowly.

  “Or I could stay.”

  “Or you could stay,” Ed repeated.

  “So, I’ll tell my friends not to expect me?” He waved his phone at Ed.

  “You can message them in a minute.”

  Ed got closer, and when Sam parted his legs, he walked right between them. He took the phone and set it aside, and then grasped Sam’s face to kiss him. He wasn’t hungry now. If there was ever a time when Ed believed he could control himself, it w
as this moment.

  Sam clutched his waist, and as they kissed, he tugged the towel loose to let it fall to the floor. Ed felt his face heat up, knowing he was now naked between Sam’s legs, but he didn’t pull away. He tipped Sam back and started to climb onto the bed.

  Sam scooted up the mattress, trying to keep in contact with Ed’s mouth, but they had to part eventually to situate themselves. He stared at Ed hovering over him and looked down the full length of his body. Ed wanted to look at Sam the same.

  Reaching for Sam’s underwear, he waited for a sign that it was okay, and Sam’s frantic nod was clearly permission. Ed slid them down Sam’s legs and tossed them to the floor. He was so beautiful, every human scar and mark and tantalizing tan line.

  Sam grabbed Ed by the back of his neck to drag him in for another kiss, and Ed finally lowered his body to settle on top of him. The slide of their bare bodies made Ed tremble. They writhed against each other, rolling to be side by side, and Sam’s hand drifted down to take hold of Ed between them. Ed thrust into his grip, feeling a growl build in his throat.

  “You can do this. I’ll show you,” Sam said, rolling them further until Ed was on his back, and then he slithered down to get between Ed’s legs.

  Ed’s eyes sharpened, flashing yellow, his fangs growing no matter how hard he tried to keep them back, but he thought, this time, maybe he could keep it to just that. Sam looked at him and had to see it all, his bestial side, but it didn’t make him flinch or pause as he descended to take Ed into his mouth.

  Ed roared and clutched at the sheets.

  He was uncut, and Sam quite the opposite, but that didn’t give Sam pause either. He used his tongue with delicate reverence around the skin, down beneath Ed’s balls and up to his tip, where he took him in deeper and sucked hard.

  It was wonderful, how fervently Sam attended to him, but Ed didn’t want to come like this. He wanted to pleasure Sam too.

  Coaxing Sam upward, Ed grasped his shoulders and flipped them, careful as he kissed Sam since his fangs were out. He didn’t trust himself to tend to Sam in kind, but the wetness Sam had left between them made it easy to grind together with a smoother slide.