The Art of Death: Pittsburgh Vampires Vol. 11

by B. A. Stretke

  Simon sensed the rising tension in Killian and wondered what it was. Did he not want this to go further because of perceived expectations, or did he stop because he thought Simon wasn’t ready? Either option really sucked right now as Simon felt the pain and stiffness in his groin and tried to move his leg over in order to hide it.

  Killian must have known what Simon needed because he took his right hand and brought it down between their bodies and began to softly caress Simon's aching member, and the experience was nirvana. The caress soon turned to a firm grip after he opened Simon's pants to take his naked cock in his hand. There was no hesitation and no discussion which Simon appreciated.

  Killian moved so that he was staring down into Simon's lust-blown blue eyes as he stroked firm and fast. The expression of pure pleasure that his beloved was wearing would stay in his thoughts forever.

  It had been a lot of years since he’d given pleasure to another. Sex was a self-centered act for him, and his satisfaction had been his only goal. He'd been a selfish lover but not where Simon was concerned. He enjoyed seeing him react so eagerly to his touch, and he treasured the moans and groans of his lustful satisfaction. His love and the need to care for this man was growing fast.

  “I’m coming Killian.” Simon panted out the words.

  "Come then." Killian gave him permission, and instantly, Simon held his breath and came covering Killian's hand with his warm sticky essence. Killian rewarded him with another heart-stopping kiss before extracting his handkerchief from his pocket and giving them both a cursory cleanup. He then with great care tucked Simon back into his pants.

  Simon had barely caught his breath from that explosive orgasm before Killian took his breath away again with a hard, possessive kiss. This wasn't just friendship, Killian found him attractive, and Simon was over the moon. The connection he felt to this man was overwhelming, and he knew it was more than just the desire to help, Killian wanted him, and it thrilled and terrified him simultaneously.

  "What is this between us, Killian. Victor told me to stay away from you that you're not a nice man. But you've been nothing but nice to me, and I feel like I know you, and I trust you even though we basically just met. Is this real, what I'm feeling for you? Do you feel it too?" Simon knew that he'd just put his insecurities on full display once again, but he had to know.

  “I felt it when I touched you that first time. I knew you in that moment.” Killian still held him on his lap and gathered him closer as he explained. “As I have already told you, Simon, you are my beloved. Do you know what that means?” He’d heard Killian refer to him as beloved, but it hadn’t registered at the time as anything more than just an endearment.

  Now he remembered the term and that Victor had made mention of it at different times during their childhood and adolescents. He hadn't mentioned it in a very long time.

  “Victor spoke of finding his beloved when we were kids, but I haven’t heard the word in quite some time, so I thought it was just wishful imaginings of an ancient romantic.”

  "It's real, it's mystical, it's Fated, and it's our destiny my love." Killian punctuated his statement with another greedy kiss that had Simon leaning in and pressing for more.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  It was nearing ten o'clock, and Killian stood up, bringing Simon with him so that he could give him a full-body hug. Simon realized just how much he loved hugs, especially when they came from someone who looked like Killian Frey.

  “May I stop in and visit you tomorrow.” Killian wanted to secure another date before leaving.

  "Victor sleeps until late afternoon, so any time before four would be fine," Simon told him. He acted embarrassed by the fact that they had to see each other around his brother's schedule. Killian didn't mind because it was a temporary situation. Soon enough, Simon would be with him and Victor's control would end.

  “I’ll bring us breakfast in the morning. I’ll be here at nine.” Killian stated and pulled Simon in for another kiss. Those lovely full lips seem to be forever calling him.

  “You don’t have to bring breakfast.” Simon protested.

  "Let me do this for you," Killian told him and kissed him again before he could object. He let his grip ease and began to step back but was hard for him to actually turn and leave. He wanted to bundle the man up into his arms and carry him out of Victor's fucking apartment. He wanted Simon with him, damn this was brutal.

  Just as he turned towards the archway, the front door swung open and then slammed shut followed by Victor bellowing for Simon. Killian instantly bristled at the tone the man took with his beloved and took a step to partially block Simon from whatever onslaught was to follow. When Victor finally burst into the room, he looked mad enough to explode.

  “Get out of my home.” He yelled at Killian. “You have no right to be here, get out.” His voice raised again as he took a supposed menacing step towards Killian but then thought better of it and stepped back while yelling for him to get out.

  Simon tried to step forward, but Killian blocked him with his arm. He didn’t want Simon getting too close to Victor, who appeared unhinged at the moment. Killian wasn't moving, he would not leave his beloved to take the brunt of Victor's anger.

  "Killian is my guest, I invited him here," Simon spoke up to Killian's surprise. He glanced back at him over his shoulder and was quite pleased by the determined look on his face. "You have no right to insult my guest." He added.

  "He blacklisted me with the guards. They are banned from having anything to do with me like I'm some sort of sleazy whore." Victor was practically frothing at the mouth. Killian didn't respond but kept his eyes on Victor and kept Simon behind him. "I'm not allowed near any of them, but I come home, and here he is practically fucking you in my living room." The tone had turned to shrieking, and Killian was about at his limit.

  "Watch your mouth," Killian said his voice so deep and dark that it caused Victor to jerk back for a moment.

  "You will stay away from my brother. I forbid you to ever see him again." Victor recovered his courage but stayed a good distance from him. He stuck his nose in the air and crossed his arms on his chest as if he were lord and ruler.

  "I can see whoever I want to see." Simon seethed and moved to try and get around Killian to confront Victor, but Killian kept them apart.

  "You're living under my roof, and I'm supporting you, so you live by my rules. If you don't like it, then you can get out." Victor pointed at the door. Killian felt the impact that those words had on his beloved. Simon's pain struck him like a slap in the face, and that was enough, he would tolerate no more. Simon would never get better, never improve with this asshole shredding him whenever the mood hit him.

  "What makes you think you can talk to him like this? What part of your brain is telling you that I won't kill you where you stand?" Killian stepped forward and towered over Victor, holding him in a crippling stare. Killian was rewarded with a frightened squeak and Victor running towards the door.

  "Just get out," Victor said. His voice shook, and he avoided eye contact with Killian. Killian was not getting out unless Simon came with him. He looked back at Simon who stood slumped over in the middle of the room looking like a lost child and then he glanced to Victor who apparently had a death wish as he feigned superiority while holding the door open. Killian looked at them one more time and then made his decision. Simon was leaving with him.

  He moved swiftly and scooped Simon up and tossed him over his shoulder then he turned on Victor who was suddenly getting into his face and demanding that he release his brother. He was more courageous than Killian had given him credit.

  Killian stopped him with one hand on the top of his head and held him back as he left the apartment. As much as he wanted to knock the guy out, he was Simon’s brother and hurting him wouldn’t endear him to his beloved.

  Victor tried to follow, but he lacked Killian's speed. Killian was in his quarters, shutting and locking the door and setting Simon back onto his feet, within seconds of their de
parture from Victor's apartment. It was a bold move but seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. Hopefully, Simon would see it that way too.

  Simon was dazed it happened so fast he didn't have time to get scared. But now that he was back on his feet and looking around, his anxiety began to surge. He tried to regulate his breathing in an effort to stave off hyperventilating. Killian wrapped him in his arms, and that helped, but the entire incident was still making his head spin and he wasn't completely sure what was happening.

  "You're at my place. It's located on the third floor with other staff quarters. You have nothing to fear. I realize this was a shock for you, but I couldn't leave you with Victor. I know the guy's your brother, but he's also a fucking asshole." Killian rubbed his back and continued to press Simon to his chest. The warmth and security of his beloved should calm Simon and ease his anxiety at being in a strange place. Killian wasn't sure of all the dynamics of the power of a beloved, but he was pretty sure proximity played in his favor.

  “Victor can be difficult and self-centered, but he has never spoken to me like that before. He welcomed me when I arrived and told me I could stay as long as I needed. Now I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Killian once again felt the hurt rising up in Simon. His brother’s words had injured him.

  "You're going to stay here with me. I have a guest room, and I will strive to make you more comfortable than you've ever been in your life." Killian was struggling to try and make Simon feel like he belonged and that he was at home.

  Snatching him from his brother's apartment was naturally causing Simon to feel disoriented because he didn't know or understand Killian's intent or where he would end up. Killian should have explained it to him first, but the situation called for immediate action, and he did not regret removing Simon from his brother's abusive behavior.

  "I'll get your things, and you will remain here under my care. You have nothing to worry about." Killian pressed, trying to make him feel secure regarding his place in Killian's home.

  "I don't have much. I lost all my stuff when that coven in Perrysburg kidnapped me. All I have are the clothes the DuCane soldiers gave me and a few items from Victor, but he'll probably want those things back now." Simon sounded so fucking defeated that Killian almost missed the fact that he'd just opened up about his past. Simon spoke of the coven that abused him in an off-handed manner and referenced the DuCane soldiers. Killian couldn't help but believe that perhaps the upset of this evening could prove to be a good thing for Simon.

  Killian continued to rub his hand up and down Simon’s back while holding him secure to his chest with the other. “That’s the first time you spoke of the Perrysburg Coven, Simon.” He commented softly. “I say fuck’em you should have new stuff anyway.” Killian decided to go in the direction of the theft of his things rather than the abuse. It’s a start and Killian intended to follow Simon’s lead.

  He stepped back from Simon and went to the side table by the front door. He opened a narrow drawer and extracted a cell phone and walked back to where Simon was standing. “Here it’s one of mine but feel free to use it until I get you one of your own.” He was pleased when Simon took it without any comment other than thank you.

  "I have a little savings left." He began. "I can help out here, and I'll find a job and be out of your hair as soon as possible." Making plans was good but making plans to leave was not good. Killian had no interested in Simon's money or ever having him out of his hair. He cupped the sides of Simon's face and tilted it up so he could look at him and hopefully see the depths of the feelings that Killian held for him and him alone.

  "You are my beloved, the person Fate deemed to be mine. I'm not a young vampire, Simon, I have been on my own a very long time. I have a past, and you will no doubt hear of it. But remember that I have never loved anyone in my entire existence until that day, I first laid eyes on you." Killian searched Simon's lovely little face for understanding, and it was there in the contentment that shown so brightly in his blue eyes.

  "Everything about you spoke to me in that moment without you ever saying a word. You are my beloved, and this is not just for a day or a week or even a year, this is forever my love. It is you and I until the end of time." Killian wasn't sure where his pretty words were coming from, but they flowed so naturally when holding and looking at his beautiful beloved.

  Simon was blown away by the events of the past few minutes. His brother turned on him savagely, and then Killian picked him up and carried him away. Now he was in Killian's quarters wondering what to do next. He looked down at the phone in his hand, and an errant thought struck him. He wished he had someone to call. His friends were scattered, they left Pittsburgh just as he had and he felt disconnected from them now. The only family he had left was Victor. There was no one for him to call and the desolation of that thought along with Victor's betrayal left him feeling that perhaps the DuCane soldier who fed him didn't do him a favor when he saved his life.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Killian reacted sharply to the sudden flood of despair that filled the space between him and Simon. He took Simon in his arms and pulled him tight to his chest then picking him up and carried him to the couch by the window. His previous belief that Simon was better off here in his quarters began to waver as Simon lay motionless in his arms. His sadness was palatable.

  "Why are you so sad baby just tell me what's wrong." Killian was ready to beg if he had to. "I'll do everything in my power to make it right. I'll take you back to your brother if that's what you want." It was the last thing he wanted to do, but if Simon asked, he would do it.

  "I don't have anyone to call." He said through barely suppressed tears. He held the phone and stared at it. "I have no one. I went to Toledo, thinking I would work for the builder for a while until I could find the job I really wanted. I thought that I would make friends there and build a life. Instead, I went to a strip bar and got abducted because I was too stupid to recognize a creep." Killian held him and listened as Simon unloaded all that happened all that tormented him. He told him everything.

  "I'm nineteen, and I'm completely fucked up."

  “You’re not fucked up. You had some unfortunate experiences which could have happened to anyone.”

  “It wouldn’t have happened to you.”

  "You're not to blame, Simon. The bastard who hurt you is to blame don't internalize this like something you did. You had every right to go out and have a good time. You did nothing wrong." Killian insisted.

  “I should have stayed in Pittsburgh. I never should have gone to that strip bar.” Simon repeated his lament regret hanging heavy around him.

  “You have the right to live your life as you see fit without being assaulted. Your decisions were not bad, the people who took advantage of you were bad. This is not on you.” Killian shot back.

  “Why do you put up with me? I’m a hopeless mess.” Simon had a cursory understanding of what a beloved was so on some level he did understand why Killian was there and trying to help. The connection he felt with Killian has led him to accept that there was a growing bond between them. His presence calmed him, his touch invigorated him, and his words made him feel that everything was going to be okay.

  From what he could recall about the relationship of beloveds in the vampire world, they were as Killian had said, a full-on lifetime commitment. It was a bond that once forged, could never be broken. Killian was everything Simon ever dreamed of and ever wanted in a partner so strong and capable and above all-loving. So why was he demurring, why was he trying to poke holes in this relationship? The truth was, he thought Killian deserved better.

  “I don’t know what it is that’s going through your mind right now, but I can tell from the look on your face that it’s not constructive or encouraging." Killian began, and his voice was different. It was no longer gentle prodding and persuasive it now had an edge, a hard edge.

  "You had some awful shit happen to you, and for that I am truly sorry, but attacking yourself is not going to h
elp you get stronger or regain your confidence. The path you're taking right now is going to lead nowhere but down to depression and self-loathing, and I will not allow it." He held Simon's chin in place so that he had to look at him, he could not look away.

  "Now listen to me, this is how things are going to be. First and foremost, no one gets to talk about you in a demeaning manner, not even you. Secondly, you're going to stay here with me. You can have the guest room for now, but I intend to claim you, and in time you and I will share everything because that is what bonded couples do. Lastly, you and I are a couple, don't doubt that for a second. I will be exclusive, and I expect the same from you." Killian finished with his gaze baring down on Simon with an intensity that shook him to the core.

  "Do you agree to be mine, Simon?" He stated, and Simon found himself nodding under the weight of that stare. "Words, baby. I need to hear you."

  "I agree." Simon wanted to say so much more, but words escaped him. All he could think about was the warmth of the man who held him and the promises he made. He'd had a small taste of this man, and he wanted so much more.

  Simon wanted to be loved and cherished, held and protected. This was the last thing in the world that he thought would happen to him. Finding someone like Killian and feeling such a strong attachment so quickly should scare him, but it didn't. Nothing about Killian Frey scared him. "I want to stay with you, Killian and I'll see Dr. Langley if you want me too." He wanted to get better, he wanted a real chance with Killian, and if that meant talking to a doctor, then he would do it for Killian.

  Killian continued to hold him and devour him with his eyes. His expression softened, and Simon even detected a slight smile, it wasn't big and was barely there, but Simon saw it and it melted all of his reserve. Simon reached up and touched the side of Killian’s face before pulling him down for an affectionate kiss.