Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction, which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a companion story to "A Light in the Darkness." The story lines are related and the characters occasionally interact, and the frequency of this will be increasing. The stories begin at roughly the same time, and this chapter, as well as the next few, pairs with Chapter 5 of A Light in the Darkness. My sincerest thanks go out to Darryl AKA the Radio Rancher (darryltheradiorancher@gmail.com) and John aka Tigger who kindly edited this chapter, and to Kelly for his very helpful suggestions. And thanks to everyone for writing such encouraging emails.
I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. It's closed membership to avoid spams and flames, so just let me know!
****SPECIAL NOTE: Immediately following this chapter, the action continues in "A Light in the Darkness" Chapter 5.
Things That Go Bump, Chapter 18
"Feelings"
By Saturday evening, Sebastian had Musa's confirmation that the charges had been set around Sekhmet's tomb and the surveillance system was in place, and Americ had confirmed that the body of one of the missing teens from the Greek fishing village was found, drained to the point of desiccation, in central Europe. But someone was apparently restraining Aethon, so there was no swath of destruction to pinpoint his path. It's amazing what you can come to hope for, Sebastian mused to himself.
Some time later, James and Avery walked into the room laughing, having returned from an intensive day of training with the 'assistance' of Sarah Light. James was bubbling as he recounted the highpoints, which involved dueling the young major. "I did finally beat her," he said. "It was so cool...."
Sebastian raised his eyes. "Major Light is a battle-hardened wizard.... But it might not hurt to remind her that you bested me...."
"And none too happy about losing even once to a newbie.... But I'll make it up to her," Avery said.
Sebastian laughed and shook his head. "You like her...." Avery blushed and shrugged.
"So, we're going to a birthday party tomorrow.... We need presents.... I can't even remember when I left the compound," James said. "Think we can hazard getting out for a couple of hours...."
"It couldn't hurt, under the guard of the world's oldest vampire and the world's most powerful wizard," Avery said.
"You can come too, if you want, Avery," James said, teasing. "Steve and Chris are fit to be tied...."
"I don't like it," Sebastian grumbled. "We'll have to drive into the city then.... We can't risk them being seen.... We'll take some bodyguards to watch them...." James ran off to find the boys playing in the game room and tell them the good news. Fresh air!
"So," Sebastian asked, "how's it going, really?"
Avery shook his head. "Absolutely remarkable.... He's learning faster, and growing more powerful more quickly, than anyone I've ever seen.... Myself included.... And my teacher was even more exceptional than I knew," Avery said, raising his eyebrow with a hint of appreciation and accusation.
"Avery, I couldn't tell anyone.... Richard lived under my roof for almost two centuries and I never told him.... The only person I ever told was James...."
"You could have told me," Avery said softly, stepping closer to the boyish looking ancient, over whom he towered, running his fingers through the familiar black hair.
Sebastian put a hand on Avery's chest, laying his head on the opposite shoulder. "I know, I knew then.... But I didn't want to burden you...."
Avery slipped his arms around Sebastian, and the two stood that way for a few minutes, comforting each other as they had so many times over the course of centuries of war and terror, all of which paled into the present. Neither of them noticed the footsteps retreating from the door, and heading for the stairs.
James, who was walking down from the second floor with Chris and Steve, bumped into Sarah, who had a strange look.
"What's wrong Sarah, you're not still sore about today are you?"
"Hmmm? No," she said, distractedly.
"What's wrong," he asked again, letting the other guys go.
"Oh.... I guess I just walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see...." He cocked his head questioningly. "Avery and Sebastian...."
"Oh!" He laughed and now she was looking at him curiously. "No, no, I don't know anything.... They're really close, so I can imagine what it might have...."
Sarah blushed at her own spark or jealousy, particularly in light of James's lack. "Sebastian had a head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest, and Avery was just ... holding him...."
"They've been friends for more than twenty times as long as I've been alive, Sarah.... But Avery likes you, and Sebastian ... well, I'm not worried.... Though I imagine they had some fun when Avery was a teenager," James added with a naughty smile.
Sarah shook her head and couldn't help but smile. "I come from a ... very different world than most humans ... wizard and all ... but you guys.... Biblically old vampires, rogue consuls, conspiracies and murdered immortals.... It's all making me feel really small.... Never mind that, in my world, Avery is ... well, nearly what Sebastian is among vampires...."
"If anyone could, I know how you feel," James laughed. "Sebastian is two hundred times older than me and one of the most powerful beings on earth.... But for some reason I don't understand, and he doesn't fully either, I imagine, we were brought together.... Do you believe in fate?"
"No, I don't" Sarah said, "I believe in destiny...."
"What's the difference," he asked.
"Fate is a mindless march toward an end that's already set.... We're just cogs in a machine.... Destiny, at least the way I think about it, means there are certain things we're meant to do.... We have roles to play, but we have to play them according to our own judgment, and we can ignore it and turn our back on it.... Sebastian could get up tomorrow and take you to Tahiti and you could enjoy the rest of eternity together and let the rest of the world fall apart around your ears...."
"He would never...."
"No.... But he could, its up to him.... Not fate...."
"Maybe fate made him who he is, took that choice away...."
"James, do you believe that Sebastian is a GREAT person?" He nodded. "Is that because of who he is, or because he got lucky and fate made him that way? Fate is an excuse, and it robs us of all our worth.... Destiny gives us a direction and puts value on what we do...."
"A warrior and a philosopher," James said with a smile, putting an arm around her slight shoulder, dwarfing her by proximity.
"Actually, battle wizards are all trained in philosophy," she said with a laugh.
"Listen, Sarah," James said, changing the subject slightly. "Sebastian, Avery and I, perhaps you, Chris, and Steven, if you like, will be going down to Richmond tomorrow for a party.... So anyway, tonight we're heading up to do some shopping.... I'd like you to organize a few of your associates to go with, but we need some low key sorts who can move around with a bunch of teens unnoticed.... Can you handle that?"
"Yeah, will do.... And thanks...."
"Thank you, Sarah...."
With a last smile, James walked off toward Richard's room, doing his rounds. He knocked softly on the door. "Come in," Richard called softly.
James stuck his head in with a smile. "How's it going, guys?"
Pete smiled weakly, but looked comfortable propped up on pillows, covered with a thin white sheet.
"I'm pretty tired," he answered after a moment.
"That's the way it's supposed to be with new-born vampires," Richard said, soothingly. Smiling slightly at James, Richard added, "Not that you'd know it from your friend here...."
"James was always special," Pete nearly whispered. Seeing James look at him with a puzzled smile, he continued, "All your friends knew you didn't really want to play ball, but ... you were the best one of us.... Not only the best player, the most sportsmanlike, the most inspiring.... Great student.... The only thing I always wondered was why you never warmed up to Chris, at least til recently...."
James smiled and sat next to Richard. "I guess ... I could sense in him what I wasn't ready to admit about myself...."
"Makes sense.... You really opened up to him after Sebastian.... Speaking of ... he's here, Chris.... And Steve too?"
"They're here.... We're all being protected by Sebastian's men...."
"Sebastian's men? I know he's rich and all but...."
Gently, James put a hand on his arm and gave him the quick run-down on who Sebastian was and their current situation. "But Richard can give you all the details as you feel up to it...."
The wheels in Pete's mind were turning fast. "So I was ... this all happened to me because ... I was at the wrong place at the wrong time?"
"They were hoping to get their hands on someone close to Sebastian to hurt him...."
Biting his bottom lip, Pete whispered, "If I'd never come here...."
Richard flinched and looked away, while James's hurt look couldn't be masked. "I'm sorry, Pete.... I know this is all my fault, and I hope you'll be able to forgive me someday," James said as he stood and walked to the door. "Richard, I'll just be ... upstairs if you need me...."
In his room, James sat in a tall chair just on the edge and grabbed the violin Sebastian had given him. Doing exercises, he'd found, cleared his mind, so he began to play scales and the like, before playing the few simple songs he knew. "You sound sad," Sebastian said from the doorway.
"You can feel my emotions," James said with an almost bitter grunt.
"Only when you open yourself up, not right now...." James looked up at the concerned look on Sebastian's face, feeling again almost taken aback by the sharp beauty of his form. The elegant black pants and white shirt, the pale skin, dark hair and eyes. To James's taste, he was the definition of sex. James looked at him and let go, just a little, just a taste, and he saw the sadness in Sebastian's eyes as he felt it.
In almost a blink, Sebastian stood over him, running a hand through his honey colored hair and softly whispering, "It'll be alright, sweet boy.... Let him blame me, I'll gladly...."
"I blame myself too," James whispered, again finding himself in tears. "If I'd never...."
"None of us knew this could ever happen.... If anything, given my position, this should have been the safest place in the world for any of us to be...."
"I know.... It's just...."
"Do you blame me? After all if we'd never met...."
"If we'd never met, I'd never have been happy.... But I feel guilty, because I wouldn't change that, even knowing that Pete would still be alive if...."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, the world will probably be destroyed anyway, so Pete would definitely still die in that scenario.... But in this scenario he lives again, and with you by my side, the whole world might just make it...."
James smiled and wiped his eyes, shaking his head. "But ... what do you mean? You're not serious...."
Sebastian sat on the bed across from James with his head in his hands. "This situation ... only you and Avery really know about Sammael.... But only Avery grasps the full ... significance of that name, of who this is...."
"So you've been bearing the burden alone," James said disapprovingly as he moved to Sebastian's side. "So, tell me...."
"James," he whispered, "you and I are playing a part in the last great battle of a war that began before this planet was formed, before life existed in the expanse of space and time.... Sammael has been known by many names.... The angel of death, the satan, Lucifer, the prince of darkness, the deceiver, Iblis, the destroyer.... He is the sworn enemy of order, of peace, the enemy of the God of the universe, with an ego to match.... He is significantly weakened by operating directly in our world, and by being cut off from his angelic root.... But he is to me, what I am to Pete, in terms of strength and cunning...."
"You make it sound hopeless...."
"It would be if I had to face him alone, but with the Council at my command, with you at my side, a long lifetime of allies ... and I still don't yet know what to make of the boys, William and Chase... we might just still be able to foil his plans...."
"For now, at least," James added, but squeezed his hand. "And if now is what we've got, we've got to make the most of it...." James kissed Sebastian on the cheek sweetly, and added, "But first, let's go shopping!"
In a small caravan, James, Sebastian, Avery, Chris, Steve and Sarah left with an elite escort of young wizards dressed for town. Mostly they were just getting out of the house, since only Sebastian had met the boy. Chris and Steve got him a bottle of cologne, based on Sebastian's description they picked out a scent that was sweet but masculine. Avery was about to pick out a Kama Sutra book, but Sarah directed him toward a high-end mp3 player. "What," he asked her. "They've got technology to help the blind read books!"
"Avery, the boy is sixteen! He'll have friends over...."
"Yeah, so.... Show me a sixteen-year-old who knows enough about sex.... The fun parts, anyway...." She smacked him on the head as she lead him away.
James and Sebastian, meanwhile, were browsing, when James began to feel something nibbling at the edge of his consciousness. He smiled, and Sebastian asked, "So you can feel it?"
"Yeah," James laughed. "Somebody's checking us out...."
"You, specifically.... We've neglected this aspect of your training, hunting.... One way to tell an easy mark is to go after someone who wants you as much as you want them.... You should only feed off of these people once you've gotten control over your appetite. Your control is pretty good, especially for your age.... Still, accidents will happen, that's why I prefer to go after the ... bad element.... In any case, who's checking you out?"
They looked around, and James was able to pinpoint the target because, when they made eye contact, her heartbeat went through the roof. She was kind of cute, maybe on the border of cute and plain, brown hair, glasses, maybe twenty-four, and apparently had a thing for the young jocky type, but would never have the confidence to approach a guy like James.
"She'd definitely give herself willingly," Sebastian said, picking up on some of her stray thoughts. "Hunting my way takes more concentration, as the targets are wilier.... You have to probe them one at a time.... Look for stray thoughts that give away their true natures, then probe deeper til you find what you're looking for.... You seem to have a particular taste for child molesters, but murderers, rapists.... They're all around us.... It's amazing what the world looks like from the inside of the minds of the average mall crowd...." Pointing to one woman, he said, "She's here because she's afraid to go home to her drunken husband.... And he, he's lost his job but doesn't want his parents to find out.... And sketchy ball-cap guy?" Sebastian asked the last, nodding in the direction of a man in his early thirties.
The man was eyeing the crowds closely, looking for something. Sebastian felt James tense up as the man started toward an unkempt and somewhat strange boy in his early teens, and he grabbed James's arm, shaking his head. "Concentrate," Sebastian whispered, and he felt James relax. "Outer impressions aren't what they seem.... We have insight and we must learn to act on that...."
James shook his head. "Sketchy cap guy works for the homeless mission?" Sebastian nodded.
Changing the subject, lesson ended, Sebastian asked, "So what shall we get for our young friend."
"I don't know.... Maybe we should invite them to come up some weekend and take them out some...."
Sebastian smiled. "I like that idea, and I have a little something else in mind to go with it...."
"Do tell," James asked, and his smile widened as Sebastian filled him in. "Perfect," James pronounced.
For dinner, they went to a very nice restaurant where Sebastian was somewhat known, so they got a private room for their little crowd. They had a nice meal together and all sat around talking, including the young wizards, some of whom were getting noticed by Steve to the point of distraction. Steve was sort of flirting with one young man, in particular, a tall, dark-haired man, about two inches taller than Steve, with a gracefully muscular figure. About twenty four, his face was ruggedly handsome, and unnaturally royal blue eyes shined out when he smiled. And he was smiling, enjoying the attention of a member of Sebastian's household. Chris, however, was not enjoying it at all.
James noticed, but he couldn't just get up from dinner and correct Steve in front of everybody. Besides, he was having a quiet conversation with Sarah, who had had a conversation with Avery and was feeling a lot better about everything, understanding the complex relations the man had with the group a little better. He had also told her about the still recent loss of his last lover. When Chris got up with a dark look on his brow, however, James followed him to the bathroom, excusing himself. He heard the boy sniffling in a stall.
"Chris?"
"What?"
"Are you okay, buddy?"
Chris cleared his throat. "I'm ... fine...."
"Come out here and talk to me, bud...." Slowly Chris stood and opened the door. James reached out and wiped his face, pulling him into a hug. "What's wrong?"
The boy shrugged in James's arms. "Usually, I'd go to Pete to talk about this kind of stuff...."
"You can talk to me...."
"I guess I'm feeling a little jealous.... At school, you know, there aren't so many.... But in this circle, there's a lot of guys, and even if they aren't gay, everybody's so cool, Steve just feels free.... After we got comfortable around Sebastian's place it started.... He flirts with any guy, he's real nonchalant about it.... But tonight he's just going too far...."
"Have you told him how it makes you feel?"
"Yeah.... He says he's just kidding and all, but I don't know.... I don't know if ... if a better offer came around, whether he'd say no.... And I want something more ... serious...."
James squeezed him tight. "Chris, there is no better offer, and if Steve doesn't get that, he's an idiot...." Chris squeezed him back and relaxed a little bit. "I just told Pete today, the reason I never warmed up to you before is that I guessed I saw in you what I wasn't ready to admit about myself, but if I can tell you the truth, it was more than that.... A part of me wished I had what Pete had, with benefits," James added with a laugh. "If I hadn't met Sebastian, if I had ever come to my senses.... Just don't ever doubt yourself, don't doubt that you deserve the best, and that you have a right to demand it...." Turning Chris to face the mirror, he asked, "What do you see?"
"A skinny nerdy boy looking out of place standing next to you!" The easy way he demeaned himself made James a little angry.
"LET me tell you what I see," he said perhaps a little forcefully, taking Chris by the shoulders and turning the boy to face him. "I see a thin, handsome, well kept young man, with a brilliant smile and a good heart, who's stronger than anyone realizes.... Your brown eyes are perfect, and that shaggy brown haircut really is awesome! I wasn't kidding, if I wasn't with Sebastian and you weren't with Steve, you'd have my undivided attention! Look at Sebastian, when you'd describe him, would you say skinny and pale?"
Chris looked at the ground, blushing and shaking his head, "No! He's beautiful...."
"Look again, then, Chris, because most of what you're putting down about yourself are characteristics you share with him! And, by the way, one thing I didn't mention.... The first time I mentioned you to Steve, he commented on how hot your ass was!"
Chris blushed hard. "Really?"
"Really! And I wasn't disagreeing," James said, giving him a swift pat on the ass like he might a teammate. "Do you want me to talk to Steve?"
"No!"
"Well, I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but it might get the point across...."
"What," Chris said curiously.
"Well, have YOU ever flirted with a guy in front of Steve?"
"NO!"
"Well.... Maybe now's the time.... He might decide he doesn't like how it feels either...."
"He'll just think its funny.... Besides...."
"Don't even say it, they'll be interested.... Hell, steal the attention of the guy he's been all googly over...."
Chris smiled and shrugged. "I don't know...."
"Me either," James laughed, "but Steve needs a lesson, but if that guy is anything like me, and I think he might be, you'll be just his type...."
"What type is that?"
"Cute little fellas who're all man!"
They walked out together and returned to their seats, and James shot Sebastian a smile, along with a lightning fast update, earning a laugh in return. Meanwhile, Chris returned to his seat between Steve and the cute wizard, Marcus, and joined in their conversation. Soon, Chris was making eye contact with the big man and lightly brushing his hand when they spoke. Marcus's focus was locked on Chris almost as soon as he joined the conversation. At first, Steve redoubled his efforts, nearly making a fool of himself, before sulking poutily and talking to a young woman across the way. James noticed Chris lean in and whisper something to Marcus, making the man laugh and quickly look to Steve, before returning his gaze to Chris. As they all finished and got up to go, Marcus told Chris pretty loudly, "Hit me up if you want to hang some time, Chris.... See you later Steve...." Steve nodded disinterestedly and James smiled, realizing that Chris had whispered to Marcus that he was trying to make his boyfriend jealous.
On the way back to the estate, Steve and Chris were riding with James and Sebastian. Steve sat with his arms crossed, saying nothing.
"What's wrong," James asked, repressing his laugh.
Steve fumed for a second and responded, "That guy, Marcus! He was hitting on Chris! You heard him!"
"Which one was Marcus," Sebastian asked, as if he was still in the dark. Steve described him and Sebastian got a look of recognition. "OH! But I thought YOU were flirting with HIM...."
Steve's face turned red. "I ... well ... he was very cute...."
"So, when you flirt with him, it's okay, but when he flirts with Chris," James asked, letting the question trail off.
"Well, but ... he was alone, but Chris is my boyfriend.... He knew that...."
"You knew that, when you were flirting, too.... How do you think that makes me feel? Maybe you think that he should have been flirting with you because ... because you're better than me," Chris asked with deep feeling, taking them all aback. "Is that it? You're the hot, beautiful boy, and I'm the loveable, geeky sidekick? What burns is that he liked me better, even though it's obvious you should be the one? Is that it?"
Steve's face turned purple, but none of them could tell whether it was from rage or embarrassment. In either case, he said nothing, and when they arrived back at the house, he stormed out of the car off to who knew where. Chris sat in the car, stunned, until Sebastian reached across and put a hand on his knee. "Chris, come inside.... You had every right to be upset, you need to remember that." As they climbed out, the second car was arriving.
Marcus walked over to Chris and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you said you only wanted to show Steve how it felt, and I hope things work out for you guys, but ... I meant what I said.... I do like you," he said, blushing cutely, as the expression of uncertainty looked so out of place on his perfect and masculine face. Chris blushed but felt a rush of confidence.
When Chris got to his room, he found it empty. A few minutes later Steve stood in the doorway and watched him for a few seconds before clearing his throat to announce himself. Chris looked up but kept going about his business silently.
"Can I come in?"
"I suppose, if you feel like you need permission," Chris said, a little coolly.
"Can we talk?" Steve closed the door behind him, anticipating an affirmative response.
"What do we have to talk about?"
"I wanted to ... about what you said in the car.... I," he paused and Chris looked up at him expectantly, expecting an apology, something, anything but what he said. "You were right...." Chris sat down and looked up at him slack jawed. "Partially.... When James first told me about you, I thought you were pretty cute, hot actually, but in the sort of geeky cute sidekick kind of way, and I thought about me as the leading man hottie. You were right, I think I thought about myself as able to get whoever, whenever, and I guess I thought of myself as doing you some kind of favor, subconsciously. I KNOW I WAS WRONG, but I never did anything to change the way I approached us.... I know you could get most any guy you wanted to.... You're beautiful and sweet, and you've got character.... And the truth of the matter is, I don't deserve you.... I don't deserve you, and I got you and treated you like I was doing you a favor.... How fucked is that?"
Chris looked up at him, trying to hide some of what he was beginning to feel. "What now, then?"
"I was gonna ask Sebastian if maybe he'd send me somewhere else, maybe to another consul for protection.... I don't want to make you uncomfortable ... if you want to see somebody else...."
Chris laughed, a little bitterly but mostly at Steve, and shook his head. "You're a moron, you know that?" Steve looked at him, unsure of what he meant. "All I wanted was for you to realize that you were going overboard with the flirting and that it really hurt my feelings.... I wanted you to say you're sorry and that I'm important enough for you to do better, to say you love me and you're sorry.... But instead, you'd just throw it all away for my own good! You're a fucking moron!"
"I am sorry...."
"I believe that...."
"And I do love you...."
"I think you believe that...." Steve looked crestfallen and turned to go, but he felt Chris's hand on his arm. "Steve, I'm not giving up on us just yet! I'm afraid I want something more serious than you do, but ... I'm willing to find out...." Steve turned slowly and wrapped his arms around Chris.
"Are you sure?"
"Shut up and look pretty for a little bit," Chris said with a laugh, and Steve soon joined him.
They talked for a while, really opening up to each other about their hopes and dreams in a way they hadn't before, though things got awkward briefly at bedtime, when Chris had to tell Steve that, yes, they would still be sharing a bed. When Steve crawled beneath the sheets in his boxers, Chris cuddled up to him and put his head on the boy's chest. When Steve smiled down at him, Chris rolled over on top of Steve, between his legs, feeling the boy stiffen into the soft skin of his smooth belly.
Chris licked playfully at Steve's nipples and felt Steve's cock throb in response. Steve leaned down and kissed Chris with passion. Chris lowered himself down Steve's body, teasing his abs with his tongue. Kneeling between Steve's knees, he removed the big boy's underwear and leaned over to lick the underside of his thickening penis, a nice length and not too thick to be fun, as Chris had so often noticed as Steve buried it inside of him. Chris sucked on the boy's balls, bringing moans to his lip, before licking his way back to Steve's tight hole. He teased it with his tongue, rimming Steve slowly until it began to relax. Steve moaned as Chris tongue-fucked him more and more insistently. At last, Steve grabbed Chris and pulled him up to kiss him, whispering, "Do you want to fuck me?"
"Really," Chris asked, huskily, sounding excited.
"Really!" Steve grabbed his knees and lifted his butt, while Chris slid a pillow under him for support. Adding a fist full of spit to the cum that was lubricating his cock, he lined up with Steve's virgin ass. Chris's thin cock slid in past the head with a pop as Steve relaxed, and the big boy cried out as more pain than he expected accompanied his first invasion. Chris's cock was shorter than his and a little thinner, but it was more than big enough to do the job for Steve. As Chris slowly inched in, Steve continued to gasp and groan, grasping at Chris's thin frame as if holding on for dear life. When he was all the way in, Chris leaned in to kiss Steve, apparently hitting just the right angle, because as they kissed, Steve embraced him tightly and nodded that he should begin. Chris began fucking him slowly, never breaking the kiss, as Steve began to moan into his mouth. Steve's grasping embrace was very exciting to Chris, who sped up a little. He felt Steve's ass spasm as the boy came between them. Chris, however, wanted to make it last, so he kept on pumping. He fucked Steve for another fifteen minutes before he finally picked up the pace a little and came almost on demand, shooting a massive load inside Steve, who was, by this time, hard again.
"How was it," Chris asked, smiling cheekily at the boy beneath him.
"Fucking awesome," Steve gushed. "This ass is yours whenever and however you want it...."
"In the meantime," Chris smiled seductively, reaching between them and squeezing the fat, throbbing member between them, "why don't you take my ass for a spin...." Steve grinned, feeling happy to oblige, as Chris's cum began to leak down his muscular ass cheek onto the bed.
"I guess they are making up," James said, smiling at Sebastian as they lay in bed. "Kind of makes me horny," he added, bringing a smile to Sebastian's lips, as he leaned in hungrily for a kiss. Sebastian rolled over onto his stomach and presented himself, and as James rolled into position on top of him, he again looked down at the one imperfection of Sebastian's body. Caressing it with his fingers, he asked, "Why do you have a scar.... When we feed on them, they don't even have a scratch, but you have a scar here...."
"That's where Resheph took me.... Killed me.... I always figured that when you're turned your body didn't regenerate the death wounds...."
"But?"
"But I've examined your body," he said, adding with a wistful smile, "every inch of it from head to toe.... Not a single one of the gunshots that killed you left a scar.... You're the only vampire I ever met without a scar...." Sebastian trailed off, feeling the pleasant pressure of the weight of the muscular boy laying on his back, as well as the pleasing pressure of James' cock against his ass. He shivered as James kissed the scar on his shoulder, licked his neck and nibbled his ear. Soon all was forgotten but the two of them, lost in a love that kept their hopes alive.
The next day was one of relative calm, as James continued his training with Avery and Sarah, while Sebastian administered the council, as well as his own region and Chang's. He couldn't help himself. Every hour or so, he accessed the video feed to Sekhmet's tomb, needing reassurances that she was still there. The face behind the myth of the goddess, so transformed by her cult that some began to worship her as benevolent, or morally neutral, haunted him from his earliest days. Fierce and cruel as Resheph had been, Sekhmet's bloodlust had threatened the Egyptian civilization in its formative years. And Resheph liked to go around in his pleasing human form, tall and seeping sex, with dark piercing eyes and wild curly hair.
When Sekhmet would go for a hunt, she would kill so many unnecessarily that blood literally ran in the streets of towns, or stained the sands of the nomadic encampments. The Egyptians finally made a cold deal with her; she would be treated as a goddess, brought regular offerings, and in return she would cease her random and awesome destructions. This brutal reality was transformed by her cult into the story of the anger of Ra at human injustice. The Egyptians taught that Ra, in his anger had sent the goddess Hathor, in the form of Sekhmet, "the eye of Ra," to punish the world. But Sekhmet's bloodlust was so great she nearly destroyed humankind. Only when Ra poured red alcoholic beverage into the river, turning it red like the blood she so loved and intoxicating her as she consumed it, did the destruction cease. The Egyptians reenacted this at the annual flood. In truth, Sekhmet's cult did "reenact" this regular offering to the "goddess," but the regular offering was not alcohol.... It was a steady supply of human playthings that kept her in blood and allowed her to satisfy her sinister sadism. The dark cult of Sekhmet persisted in secret until Sekhmet went into "hibernation".... Even then, some of her "priests" were vampires and they kept her memory "alive" by continuing to receive her offerings for some time after the monster slept, until the Egyptians got fed up with it....
Heaven forbid she should wake up.... Surely Sammael didn't need any of these ancient vampires to destroy the world, but Sebastian knew, whatever his plan, the reason was that Sammael found it more ... interesting ... to do it this way.... Sammael was going to destroy the world, but he was intent on enjoying it in his own demonic way....
Again, with a heavy sigh, Sebastian pushed away from his desk. Soon, they'd be away from all of this for a few hours, basking in the glow of a strange, happy little boy at his birthday party. Little did he realize that what he found there would be stranger by far than that world he was, if briefly, escaping.