DID THE TOTEM FALL? (Part Two of Four)
DID THE TOTEM FALL?
A kradamreversebb Fill
Credits: lady_michaelis (writing), va_bites (art), and eirana_regan (proofreading)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Kris Allen, with mentions of others
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Graphic sexual situations, bareback sex, blood play, murder, violence, foul language
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Erotica/Satire
Summary: Was the love of a human powerful enough to save him?
Disclaimers: I’m proud of this baby; I believe Jamie and I raised it to the best of our artistic abilities-my story, his art. We regret to inform you that they aren’t our people--though you all know who Tommy belongs to. References to True Blood and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are here because I love those shows; references to Twilight are here because they’re hilarious. No, Adam does not watch Kris while he sleeps. That’s creepy.
PART TWO: BLOOD AND GOLD
“Tie your heart at night to mine, love,
and both will defeat the darkness
like twin drums beating in the forest
against the heavy wall of wet leaves.
Night crossing: black coal of dream
that cuts the thread of earthly orbs
with the punctuality of a headlong train
that pulls cold stone and shadow endlessly.
Love, because of it, tie me to a purer movement,
to the grip on life that beats in your breast,
with the wings of a submerged swan,
So that our dream might reply
to the sky's questioning stars
with one key, one door closed to shadow.”
- Pablo Neruda (1904 - 1973)
Kris was surprised at how easy it had been to adjust to his new, exciting vampire-filled life. As soon as he had learned to get around the fact that his new friends were capable of reading his mindamong other strange powerseverything else had been normal. More or less. He spent his days working at a coffee shop owned by one of Adam’s friends, hanging out with Brad and Alisan, and helping Adam’s precious Progeny David Archuleta with things as mundane as homework. His nights, however, were spent in the company of Adam Lambert. If there was an ongoing investigation or an issue to resolve, Tommy would be around as well. Kris had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on Adam, who became quite temperamental under stress. On less strenuous nights, they took long walks around the city, and Adam revealed a little more about himself each time. Kris had enough stories to fill a memoir now, but he enjoyed listening to them all the same. This kind of living had bred a sense of contentment in Kris’ heart, and he was perfectly happy with the way things were going.
The dreams, however, had remained. All Kris could really do about it at this point was to force them out of his head by keeping busy.
“Hey, Scarlett.” he pressed an affectionate kiss to the cheek of his boss’ wife. “Sorry for clocking in late; Adam was so cranky this morning. The microwave’s busted, so he had to take his B negative cold. I had to drop him off at the mall to pick up a new one on my way here.”
“Not a problem, honey.” Scarlett ruffled his hair. “Adam may be the nicest man in the world, but no vampire likes his blood cold. You’ve come with your brownies, so you’re definitely forgiven.”
Kris gave her a quick hug before running out front to slide the first tray into the display case. Scarlett Cherry was the kind of woman he would have loved to have as his fairy godmother. She was a quirky but caring character that bustled around the coffee shop in a blur of color, a hostess well-loved by the customers due to her ability to engage people in animated conversation. When Adam had introduced them a few days ago, she had taken to Kris immediately, pronouncing him ‘positively divine’ and ‘seriously darling’. Later into the conversation, he had accidentally let slip that baking was one of his favorite past times. He had ended up leaving Club Mayan that night with a new job, and the drying residue of red lipstick on his cheek, care of Scarlett.
“Hold it, Allen!” a petite brunette chirped, reaching around Kris to sneak a brownie out of the tray. “From now on, I forbid you from strolling into this shop without feeding me first. You know very well that your brownies and I are going to get married someday; they’re the best fucking things in this world.”
“Better than Matt?” Kris asked cheekily.
“Babe, I would choose your brownies over my boyfriend any day.” Alisan Porter cuffed him on the shoulder. “He said he wouldn’t mind being in a polyamorous relationship with anything that comes popping out of your kitchen.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Kris laughed, tying his apron around his waist. “So, what can I help out with today? I heard Allison called in sick this morning.”
“You, Danielle and I will be working the floor,” Alisan replied. “Megan’s on cashier, as usual.”
“I can call Archie to help out if we’re still going to be understaffed by the late afternoon,” Kris offered. “His classes end at three today, so he can probably swing by at four.”
“Praise Elvis for Daywalkers,” Alisan sighed. “They can be such a blessing; it’s a shame there isn’t more of them. Oh, that reminds me; Tommy is waiting for you at his usual table. Don’t linger too long, okay? Dani and I can’t take on all of these tables by ourselves.”
“Copy.” Kris saluted her. “By the way, you should check the refrigerator; I made half a pan of brownies just for you, so you can munch on that to ease the stress. Just make sure to replace the square you snatched off the store display tray.”
“Kris Allen, you are welcome to my first born.” Alisan sounded almost reverent. “I am never going to eat anyone else’s brownies ever again, you hear me? Never.”
Kris made his way to a table in the back area where Tommy was nursing a glass of champagne, looking uncharacteristically peaceful for a vampire who spent his time punishing infidels. He nodded a greeting at Kris, motioning for the latter to occupy the seat across him.
“You look awfully happy today,” Kris remarked. “I take it your job went well last night?”
Tommy smirked. “Oh man, you have no fucking idea. I’m sure you remember Adam sending me off to track down the vampire who kept virgin girls in his basement for purposes I don’t even want to think about, right? Well, I found the guy last night thanks to a lead I picked up from one of ‘em nutty churchgoers. It’s a tame task compared to the rest I’ve had to take on in this lifetime, but the so-called fanger’s identity made all the time and effort I spent on this case worth the while. That’s right; the criminal isn’t a vampire. He’s human, Kris-and a fucking preacher, too.”
Kris shook his head. “You have got to be kidding me. Weren’t there puncture marks on the first two victims’ necks?”
“Apparently, this fucker is under contract with some vampire in the city. His wife is on her deathbed, so he asked the fanger to turn her when the time comes. In exchange, he kidnapped all those poor girls in order to appease her. Both the preacher and his vamp are currently locked in the underground dungeons. With Big Daddy keeping an eye on them, there’s no way they can escape. Adam and I are going to do some grilling tonight; he’s not going to be very pleased when he hears about this. I’m telling you way in advance so you can calm him down in case he feels like staking the bitch before we get any answers.”
Kris sighed. “Knowing Adam, he may end up blowing a hole in the wall like what he did last time. I’ll head down with you tonight if it’ll help.”
“It will,” Tommy said sagely. “He won’t be able to stop himself from wrecking a chair or two, but I think having you around will help decrease the damage.”
“As long as you guys will have less damage repair to pay for, I’m glad to be of service,” Kris replied with a wry smile. “Poor Adam; he doesn’t deserve this. He’s been nothing but kind to us humans. It makes me sick to realize that some people are hell bent on pissing him off just so they can start another war.”
Tommy scowled. “There’s nothing we can really do about it. The fact that I don’t burn to a crisp in broad daylight is already enough reason for people to resent me; it’s like a new breed of discrimination altogether. No matter how ‘safe’ this city is for us, shit hits the fan the moment something out of the ordinary happens. People here are far more accepting than your typical conservative American, but trouble is a universal concept-even the most open-minded human being would lock himself in a makeshift bomb shelter at the very first sign of war.”
“Well, we can’t make everybody happy,” Kris sighed. “I’d bake you brownies as a pick-me-up, but I doubt you would enjoy them very much.”
“If I were human, you know I would.”
“…do you miss it?” Kris asked softly.
Tommy’s expression hardened, making him look older and far more menacing than his normally impassive face allowed him to be. Kris sensed the slow mix of anger and nostalgia course through the vampire’s cold blood, and clutched Tommy’s hand between both of his, squeezing lightly.
“I can feel you, you know? The sensations aren’t as strong compared to how they are with Adam, but I feel you nonetheless. Just from holding your hand, I can tell that your mortal life didn’t hold many good memories for you. I know I’m not in a position to say anything, but there’s no need for you to think about the bad things too much. You seem to be perfectly fine with the way you’re living now, so I think you can ease the pain that was brought upon by your past by creating happy memories with your present.”
“You really are something, Kris Allen,” Tommy said as he shook his head, smiling. “No wonder Adam has grown to be so fond of you-God knows that man needs a dyed-in-the-wool optimist to balance his oftentimes jaded way of seeing things.”
“Seriously, man.” Kris ducked his head, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m nothing great; I’m just pretty keen on people’s feelings.”
“…if we had met when I was still human, you would have probably been the one thing I would have missed most from my mortal life. Once you get turned, you can’t just go back to the family and friends you had when you were still alive. I learned that the hard way a long, long time ago.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Apart from Tommy’s visit, nothing else about Kris’ afternoon had been remotely interesting. As soon as his shift had ended, he’d changed out of his work uniform and left for the dungeons with Monte Pittman, one of the very few humans Adam trusted with his life. Kris had met him a few days ago when he’d stopped by the coffee shop to talk to Lee. It surprised Kris a little to know that such a talented, easygoing, family-oriented man had gotten himself mixed up in the affairs of the city vampires. When he’d questioned Monte’s involvement, the latter merely said that he owed Adam. He had not elaborated, and Kris had not questioned him any further.
“Are you coming down with me?” Kris asked, half-turning to look Monte in the eye.
Monte shook his head. “It’s not my place, Kris. I’ve been there once before, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon. It’s not that I think Adam and Tommy are cruel but as a human, there’s only so much of this that I can take. Adam knows my limits; I’m not going to be rushing in where blood is going to be spilled. I have a wife and children to look after.”
“You’re a good man, Mister Pittman,” Kris said softly. “I can see why Adam trusts you implicitly. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you; I’ll go on ahead.”
“Watch your back, Kris.” Monte squeezed his shoulder. “I’d tell you to steer clear of danger, but that is a wish only a fool would make. Danger hangs over you; stay close to Adam.”
Kris merely nodded, afraid of the words that could start flying out of his mouth if he decided to open it. Almost mechanically, he turned his back on Monte and began descending the steps that led to the dungeons, half-dreading and half-anticipating of what he would see upon his arrival.
“Kris.”
Adam stepped forth from the shadows, looking tense. Sensing his distress, Kris pressed close to him, burying his face into the juncture where Adam’s collarbone met his shoulder, inhaling his rich, musky scent.
“What happened?” he asked softly. “You’re not usually this anxious.”
“Kris, there is something I need you to see,” Adam replied. “And you may react adversely.”
“Adam, you’ve had me for almost over a week now.” Kris reached out to touch his face. “I’ve seen some of what your world has to offer; I can live with what comes with it.”
Adam said nothing. Instead, he led Kris into the conference room, where Tommy was seated across a tall, well-built man with a crown of dark brown hair. As soon as Kris had gotten a better look at the stranger, he froze in his tracks, unwilling to believe what-or whom, rather-he had just seen with his very own eyes.
“…Cale?”
“Hello, Kris,” his old friend said quietly. “I’m so sorry we had to meet again under such circumstances.”
“But you were in Conway!” Kris exclaimed, raking his hands through his hair. “You were just there when I left-at least, that’s the most logical assumption I can come up with.”
“Think carefully,” Cale Mills advised. “When was the last time you actually saw me, Kris?”
“…about three or four weeks prior to today. Come to think of it, you weren’t showing up in class for almost a week. What the heck is going on, man?”
He allowed Adam to help him sit, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. The world he had chosen and the world he had left behind weren’t supposed to cross paths. Kris allowed himself to drown into the depths of Cale’s dark brown eyes, trying to assess the emotions hidden beneath the benevolent gaze he had never seen Cale wear before. His skin was paler than Kris remembered it to be, and there were dark rings around his eyes. He looked a little worse for wear, but in some ways, he looked better than he ever did.
“…you’re vampire,” Kris whispered, gripping the edge of the table to keep himself from keeling over.
“I am,” Cale acknowledged the statement with a nod of his head.
“You should explain,” Tommy said quietly. “He deserves to know everything.”
Cale seemed contemplative. “Alright. It happened two weeks before you left, Kris; LA may be vampire central, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any of our own in Conway. We have our fair share of the undead in Arkansas, but they keep themselves well-hidden. Remember the rave party you skipped out on because you had a chemistry test the next day? Well, you should give yourself a pat on the back; that saved you from a whole lot of grief. Some of the vamps had dropped in to join the party, but that was fine with us since they’ve never done anything to harm us, anyway. Things were going fine until some blond Raggedy Ann vampire crashed in and tried to stake Torres. A major fight broke out, shit hit the fan, and people started crumpling to the floor like ragdolls. I almost got Raggedy Ann, but she fucking drained me and left me for dead. If Torres hadn’t turned me, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“I know the fanged folk from Conway; Chris Torres isn’t the cruelest of the cruel,” Tommy interjected. “Although they aren’t as aristocratic as Adam here, they do have a sense of compassion. I’m guessing you were under orders from Torres to find this infidel.”
Cale nodded. “One of his informants from this region told me that our criminal was here. As a gesture of gratitude for saving my life, I offered my services to Torres. I promised that I would get rid of her by any means necessary.”
“You should have fed first, though,” Tommy said sternly. “If I hadn’t found you in the alleyway while I was doing my rounds, you would have been instant prey for the rogues or the fangbangers obsessed with the blood that runs through our veins.”
“Excellent work, Tommy,” Adam praised him. “However, there is another part of the story that Kris must know. Mister Mills, if you would be so kind as to continue…?”
“I got a good look at Raggedy Ann’s face when she attacked me in Conway.” Cale turned back to Kris. “Her identity came upon us as a shock. No one in their right minds would expect one of the vampire-hating O’Connell girls to be wearing a fang face.”
“…which one of them was it, Cale?” Kris asked tensely.
“I think we should let her answer that,” Tommy remarked. “Big Daddy, if you please. Come to think of it, you should drag the preacher along, too.”
The large, burly vampire Adam had appointed as the warden of his prison disappeared into the back. It didn’t take long for him to emerge once more; this time, he had a defiant-looking blond girl in tow. Her hair was tangled and matted, her clothes were torn and covered in bloodstains, and her eyes had a wild look about them that Kris had yet to see on any other vampire. Trailing behind the duo was a bespectacled man in a black cassock, trembling fingers clutching his rosary like a talisman.
Kris stared at her, his mouth agape. “Katy O’Connell,” he breathed. “I don’t understand; you hate vampires.”
O’Connell laughed harshly. “That’s because they’re fucking crazy, Kristopher. One of Torres’ old cronies did this to me; I’m actually much older than you can possibly imagine. God, I should be cursing you to the ground right now, Allen. If you had actually agreed to go out on a date with me that time, I would have drank all your blood by now-or maybe I would have made you my own; you aren’t bad-looking at all.”
“…someone was feeding you human blood?” Cale was incredulous. “No matter where in the world you are, voluntarily feeding on a human’s blood is against vampire protocols.”
“You’re delusional just like the rest of them!” O’Connell screeched. “You’re doing Torres’ bidding because you’re his fucking lapdog! He wants you to kill me for breaking his fucking rules, doesn’t he? This is why you followed me all the way here! I should have killed you in Conway!”
“That may very well be the biggest mistake you could ever make,” Cale said quietly. “You may be older than I am, but I have partaken of Tommy’s blood; you will not stand a chance even if you still have the strength to fight back. However, your fate is no longer mine to be determined. Mister Lambert is in charge of this area; I’m sure Torres would agree that it is his right to make the decision.”
“Even if you are not directly subordinate to me in terms of locale, I will have to issue your punishment, Miss O’Connell.” Adam was eerily calm. “You have committed a rather grave crime along with Reverend Gokey here in my city; I cannot allow that to go unnoticed. You have taken the lives of several innocent young women in order to satisfy your hunger-and as a form of payment from Reverend Gokey, even. I am extremely disappointed in your lack of ethics, Miss O’Connell.”
“You’re one annoying fucker, aren’t you?” O’Connell spat at him. “You cling to your so-called morals because you have nothing else to live for! This is what I hate about your existence, you goddamn fanger! You think so highly of yourselves, but in the end, you’re nothing but a walking carcass!”
“No one’s allowed to speak to Mister Lambert that way, you bitch!” Big Daddy scowled, tightening his grip on her wrists. “You’d better apologize if you know what’s good for you.”
“There is no need to use violence, Big Daddy,” Adam assured him. “I want us all to go home and get some sleep tonight. I prefer that we decide on Miss O’Connell and Reverend Gokey’s fate in the morning.”
“You’re such a prissy little coward!” O’Connell taunted him. “I’ve heard people talk about you, Lambert; you hate getting blood on your hands-this is why you let that blond hick do all the work for you, isn’t it? You’re so fucking full of yourself; you outright refuse to kill anyone because you’re afraid that it’ll tarnish your so-called good reputation.”
“Katy, please.” Kris found his voice, struggling with his words. “Just…stop it. What you did was wrong; you have no right to keep blaming Adam for a crime that you’ve committed.”
“…oh my god!” O’Connell shrieked gleefully. “You’re his fangbanger, aren’t you? You let him fuck you and drink your blood because you’re his dirty little who-”
Kris gasped as Adam leapt from his seat, effectively pinning O’Connell to the wall by her throat. Adam’s posture was rigid, and his eyes blazed with fury. Kris could feel the vampire’s pent-up rage building up inside him, threatening to spill out and consume him wholly. He had never seen Adam this angry before; it was highly uncharacteristic of him to behave in such a way. Beside him, Big Daddy remained impassive. Cale looked like he wanted to intervene, but Tommy’s hand on his forearms stopped him. Reverend Gokey, however, was a pitiful sight. He had crumpled to the floor in fear, whispering prayers and invocations to the Blessed Mother to save his soul from damnation.
“Do not drag Kris into your messes, Miss O’Connell,” he ordered coldly. “Who he chooses to associate with is none of your business.”
O’Connell smirked. “He’s made himself into a little sinner, hasn’t he? Whoring himself out to your kind like a vial of human blood, all ripe for the taking. Tell me, has he let Ratliff fuck him, too? I bet he spreads his legs for all of you because it makes him feel like a free man.”
“Enough of your nonsense!” Adam growled. “Speak no more, and I will be merciful.”
“Oh, but I enjoy seeing you all riled up and furious for once,” O’Connell looked elated. “Had I known that a simple jab at your beloved pet would get you all fired up, I would have kept it up from the very beginning. I regret not sinking my fangs into him for a taste when I had the chance; I’m sure he tastes delicious. Now that I can smell you, I can tell that you haven’t partaken of him just yet. How would you feel if someone beat you to the main course, hmm? He would no longer be yours.”
“That will never happen; Kris is mine.”
“Your orders, sir?” Tommy asked calmly.
“…stake her,” Adam said coldly, knocking O’Connell to the stone floor. “Wipe the preacher’s memories; he was never here and none of this ever happened.”
An ugly laugh tore its way out of O’Connell’s throat. Kris stared at her in horror as she laughed and laughed, not at all frightened at the sight of Tommy sharpening a stake he had retrieved from his arsenal.
“I finally got you to crack, Lambert!” she croaked. “You will be the sinless one no more! This is just the beginning of the chaos that is about to befall you; when the time comes, he will strike you down.”
“Save it for the gods, O’Connell,” Tommy said harshly. “Your time here is up.”
As Adam turned away from the scene, Kris ambled towards him, hands reaching out blindly, overcome with a sudden rush of dizziness coupled with the desire to simply touch. Adam folded him into an embrace, tucking Kris tightly against his strong, hard body. Kris released a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding in; what mattered was that Adam was there. He wasn’t going to leave Kris.
The sounds of O’Connell’s shrieking and the sound of the stake ripping into her body were barely but a whisper. It was almost as if Kris had simply dreamt up the whole thing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Quick! He’s awake-someone go get Adam.”
“I’ll do it. Stay with him, Arch.”
Kris fidgeted a little, trying to blink his world back into focus. As soon as he tried to sit up, a soft hand eased him back down, petting his hair soothingly.
“You’re alright now, Kris,” David said softly. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”
“Hey, Archie,” Kris said softly. “How long was I out?”
“Around two to three hours, I believe. You gave Adam quite a scare.”
“…what happened?” Kris asked groggily. “I feel so drained.”
“It’s the connection between you and Adam,” David explained. “To put it in the simplest terms possible, your blood reacts to his. You fainted because of your body’s reaction to his outburst earlier this evening. This is really quite fascinating, Kris; things like these don’t usually happen unless you’ve already had some of his blood. Neither of you have fed from each other yet, am I right?”
Kris nodded. “Yeah, you are; Adam made it clear that there hasn’t been any need for that to happen, so we haven’t done anything of the sort.”
“I see.” David looked thoughtful. “Have you been experiencing any other strange things lately? Dizzy spells, perhaps?”
Kris shook his head quickly. “Nothing like that. But there is something I’ve been rather curious about; it’s been such a bother lately. There are times when…when I have erotic dreams involving Adam.”
“Normally, I would dismiss that as nothing more than a side effect of the mating process, but I don’t think that applies to your case. I did, however, bring along someone who might be able to help you-ah, here are Adam and Lady Camila now.”
Kris sighed happily as Adam drew him into an embrace. Curling up with David had been nice and comforting, but there was nothing he loved more than being wrapped up in Adam’s arms. He couldn’t remember when exactly he had started to become so dependent on Adam, but there was just something in him that was just so aware of Adam’s presence; it was as if having the vampire at his side was enough to nurse him back to health.
“Kris, I would like you to meet Doctor Camila Grey,” Adam said softly, gesturing to the beautiful dark-haired woman kneeling next to him. “She is a healer---I know this sounds odd given that we vampires are capable of healing ourselves, but I will explain some other time- and was quite insistent that I allow her to take a look at you.”
“Hi, Miss Camila,” Kris croaked, smiling weakly. “I’d offer you a handshake, but I’m a little disoriented at the moment; nevertheless, it’s nice to meet you.”
Camila smiled. “Likewise, Mister Allen. But please, call me Cam; Camila is far too ladylike for my tastes. To spare Lord Lambert from his explanation duties, allow me to speak a little of why they refer to me as a healer-though I believe the term ‘doctor’ is more appropriate in my case. I’m one of the oldest vampires in this city, and I have devoted my time to researching the biological and physiological functions of a vampire’s body. Recently, I have moved on to studying the biological reaction of human mates to their Makers, and it is absurdly fascinating. David here told me of how your body reacted to Lord Lambert’s emotions tonight, and it piqued my interest. I have this running theory in my head, but I don’t know if it matches up to the rest of your ‘symptoms’. Would it be alright if I asked you a few questions?”
“I may not be able to answer them according to your expectations, but yeah, that’ll be fine with me,” Kris replied, pulling himself to a sitting position.
“These will be of the rather probing nature, though,” Camila warned him. “Lord Lambert, I pray that you keep your wits where they are. Mister Allen, I need to know if there have been occasions on which you have sexually desired Lord Lambert.”
Kris whimpered a little, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. He had wanted to keep the dreams a secret from Adam, but judging from how the mention of those dreams had intrigued David and Camila so much, it would be foolish to continue to hide them.
“I think I unconsciously have?” he mumbled, the statement sounding more like a question than anything else. “I’ve had several dreams where uhm, Adam and I are…you know. I haven’t had the urge to like, hump his leg when I’m awake, though.”
“I went through similar experiences when Cook and I began to get intimate,” David remarked thoughtfully. “This just strikes me as odd because Adam and Kris clearly aren’t having sexual relations.”
“Will this be a problem for us in the future?” Adam queried. “I do not wish for Kris to faint every time I express severe changes in emotion. There must be something I can do to somehow lift this frustration off his shoulders.”
“There is,” Camila replied. “It’s a simple solution, really; but I don’t know if you’re ready for it.”
“Pray tell,” Adam said wearily. “At this point, I am willing to do anything to keep Kris’ energy levels up; I am responsible for him, after all.”
“Then you must allow him to drink your blood,” David said softly, his face inscrutable and hauntingly beautiful under a veil of moonlight. “You must allow him to become one with you.”
“I do not wish to compromise his sanity,” Adam frowned. “You know very well how our blood affects humans; everything will begin to operate on overdrive for them.”
“He can take it,” David insisted. “As your child, I am in no position to argue with you. I do, however, know when to challenge your desire to behave so nobly all the time. Kristopher is your human, Father; if anyone is capable of ingesting your blood, that someone would be him.”
Kris observed the dynamic between Father and Son in silence, amazed at how still David stood as he held his Father’s gaze, eyes gentle yet unwavering. Adam beckoned him close, tugging him into an affectionate one-armed embrace as he pressed a kiss to David’s hair.
“You have grown well, David,” he said softly. “I am proud of you.”
David beamed. “You raised me to be this way. The best Makers allow their Progeny to learn and experience certain things on their own, remember? If we see things eye-to-eye all the time, then we will certainly fail miserably in making decisions; a little disagreement is necessary from time to time.”
“And to think I was once regretful of having to turn you at such a young age.” Adam shook his head. “Had you been older then, I do not believe things would have turned out the same way.”
David hushed him. “Stop it with the regrets. You have other things to take care of, I believe. Kristopher looks exhausted; I’m sure he would like to rest comfortably.”
“Monte is waiting with the vehicle, Lord Lambert,” Camila reminded him. “Tommy and Isaac are to escort you home tonight. If you need me, I’ll be down in the labs.”
“Thank you, Camila.” Adam inclined his head, rising to assist David in pulling Kris to a standing position. “Also, I sent Taylor over to deliver Miss O’Connell’s remains to your laboratory-although I still cannot understand your need for them.”
Camila smirked. “Think of bones, Lord Lambert. There is so much you can learn about a man once you examine his skeletal remains. In this case, I believe there is much we can learn about this strange vampire by going through what’s left for her. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.”
“I honestly would not know what to do without you, Cammy,” Adam said affectionately, giving her a light peck on the cheek. “If you find out anything, feel free to drop by the apartment.”
“Will do, sir,” Camila replied. “Have a safe trip home.”
“Can you walk, Kris?” Adam asked solicitously.
“I can manage,” Kris answered, grimacing a little. “I’m still a tad woozy, though.”
“After tonight’s events, I am not in the mood to take any more risks,” Adam declared, lifting Kris up in his arms as one would do a lover. “We can get things done faster if I carry you.”
“I feel like a Disney princess,” Kris mumbled, tucking his face into the crook of Adam’s neck.
“The role suits you, though,” David laughed lightly. “Well, I guess I can go now; it seems that Adam has everything under control. I’ll stop by after my classes tomorrow to see how you are faring.”
“Get home safely, David,” Adam instructed. “Stay close to Cook; I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
“I will,” David promised. “And please, don’t worry too much. I know you trust your instincts, but I don’t want you to exhaust your energy on something that could just be another crime in this city.
“You did not hear what she said, Davey,” Adam said softly. “Right before Tommy raised the stake to her heart, she said something about someone coming. It sounded apocalyptic.”
Kris shivered in Adam’s arms as he pressed in closer, trying to ease the tension that was flowing through his body. Still, he kept his face buried in Adam’s neck, too afraid to see the anxious expression on the faces of both vampires.
It was going to be a long, long night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kris peeked out from the swaddle of blankets, watching quietly as Adam puttered around the bathroom, dressing down for the night. As soon as Monte had dropped them off, he had Tommy and Isaac follow them into their apartment to make sure it was free of anything that could possibly endanger Kris. They had left after Tommy deemed himself satisfied-which had taken awhile, though--leaving Kris with a rather frustrated and tight-lipped Adam. He had been on edge throughout the whole trip home, and Kris’ gestures of affection had done nothing to soothe him. Bothered by the awkward silence that had suddenly fallen upon them, Kris excused himself and burrowed under the covers, not caring very much about how childlike he was being. If he couldn’t soothe Adam’s worries away, then he was a failure as a companion.
“…I apologize for tonight,” Adam said softly, sinking down onto the bed next to Kris. “I am used to dealing with offenders in such brutal ways, but this is the first time that someone dear to me could be in danger because of my own doing. I have many enemies, Kris; I should have never dragged you into this.”
“So, are you saying you want me out?” Kris asked incredulously. “Are you releasing me from your care? I thought I was your human, Adam; I thought I was yours.”
“I care too deeply for you to allow such dangers to enter your life,” Adam argued. “I do not wish to cause you suffering, Kristopher!”
Kris shook his head. “I would suffer more if you force me to keep away from you! I don’t want to be apart from you, Adam! We are the only ones who can truly understand each other because my blood calls for yours. I spoke to David about it, and he says this only happens when people must be mated.”
“Kristopher, what you are asking for is-”
“Never mind. You’d turn me down again, anyway.”
Kris looked away, wanting more than anything to be someplace else at the moment. Maybe Tommy would welcome the company; he did say Kris was welcome to drop by anytime. Anything was better than being stuck in a room with someone who was too noble to give in to his desires.
“You are not allowed to leave this room, Kris.” Adam’s grip was vice-like on his wrist. “Anything could happen under the absence of my protection.”
“If you’re capable of reading my mind just like that, then you must understand why I can’t be around you right now,” Kris muttered. “I’m not a child, Adam. I’m a man, just like you.”
Something inside Adam seemed to crack, and the walls Kris had never been used to seeing crumbled slowly. He felt arms wrap around him from behind, cold lips pressing kisses to his cheeks.
“Is this what you desire, Kris?” Adam asked softly. “Am I what you desire?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone else before I met you,” Kris replied, turning a bit so he could face Adam. “It isn’t just my blood calling out to you, Adam; it’s my heart, too.”
“And if my heart was still worthy of yours, you know very well that it would be calling out to yours as well,” Adam sighed. “But what can I offer you, Kristopher? I am but a dead man.”
“You aren’t dead to me,” Kris whispered, leaning forward to ghost his lips over Adam’s. “Drink my blood, Adam. If it’s going to make you feel alive again, I want you to drink my blood.”
“Leave everything to me,” Adam instructed, pinning Kris to the bed with his weight. “I am going to use one of my abilities to make the experience pleasurable for you.”
“I trust you, Adam.”
Adam gracefully slithered down his body, revealing a new patch of skin each time he undid a button on Kris’ shirt, stopping every so often to kiss and lick at his flesh. Kris shivered in delight, suddenly desperate for something he could not even give a name to. It was as if Adam was awakening all the sexual desires he had no idea he was actually capable of having. For the longest time, Kris had lived the life of a good pastor’s son, straying away from sex and all things considered sinful. But now that he was lying naked beneath the man-a vampire, no less-he adored, he could not understand how people could perceive something so undeniably beautiful as something so wrong.
“We make a beautiful picture, yes,” Adam murmured, nosing at the flesh of his inner thigh as he pushed Kris’ sleep pants down to his ankles. “You look so delectable like this, naked and willing for me. I will show you true pleasure, my beloved. After you have had me, your God will revoke your ability to speak and think coherently. I will make it so, so good for you.”
The effect of Adam’s words was electrifying. Kris moaned a little, shivering as Adam moved off him to travel further down his body. The vampire settled himself between Kris’ legs, licking lightly at the pre-cum oozing from the slit of his erection.
“You have touched yourself here before, have you not?” Adam asked softly, jerking Kris’ cock roughly. “You lead the life of a good Christian by day, but when you lie alone in bed at night; all that virtue goes flying out the window. You allow your hand to slip past your waistband, and you grip your cock in a similar fashion as to what I am doing now. You jerk yourself oh so slowly, pretending your hand belongs to the nameless, faceless man you have always fantasized about.”
“Fuck, Adam,” Kris breathed. “Please!”
“Please what, my love?” Adam bent down to lick a long stripe up his cock. “What do you want me to do to you? All you have to do is say the words.”
“Your-your mouth,” Kris replied hesitantly. “I want it-oh god-I want it on my cock.”
He looked away, unable to meet Adam’s eyes, cheeks burning in embarrassment. Sensing the sudden shift in his mood, Adam rested his cheek on his thigh and stroked his hip, soothing Kris instantly.
“You do not have to be shy when it comes to being vocal about your desires, Kris. I want to know exactly how I can bring you pleasure; I do not wish for you to be shy around me.”
“I’m sorry,” Kris apologized. “It’s just that I’ve never really had someone whose primary goal is to make me feel good. All my life, I’ve been desperately trying to please others.”
“Which is noble yet unfair.” Adam pressed a kiss to the inside of his knee. “Let go of all your inhibitions, Kris; tonight, it is all about you.”
Kris gasped as Adam pulled his legs apart, sliding his mouth over his cock without warning. He took Kris swiftly and with practiced ease, his tongue licking over and around him as he sucked. Kris could only moan helplessly and clench tightly at the sheets as he wantonly arched off the bed. Adam’s eyes were bright and hot, holding him in their captive gaze as he allowed his fangs to scratch lightly along the overly sensitized skin of Kris’ cock, eliciting an elated gasp.
“God, yes!” he panted. “Take me, Adam! Fuck, make me yours…”
His words seemed to have awakened something in Adam. The vampire pulled Kris to him and devoured his lips in a hungry kiss, fangs nipping lightly at his lips while his tongue licked into Kris mouth. Kris locked his legs around Adam’s waist to pull him closer, kissing him back desperately. He shivered a little as Adam’s lips drifted to his exposed neck, knowing full well what was about to happen.
“Adam, please…” he begged. “I want you to drink from me; I feel like I may lose myself anytime.”
“Oh, my darling,” Adam purred, scraping his fangs against Kris’ neck. “I have not fed from a human in years because I have never felt the need to do so. I was one of the few vampires strong enough to survive on hospital donations. This is the first time someone’s blood has sparked such a desire in me.”
A keening noise escaped Kris’ throat as he felt Adam’s fangs sink into his neck. It was an oddly pleasurable feeling; he felt light-headed yet hyperaware of everything at the same time. Adam was purity and sin all rolled into one-he felt like he was caught in between Heaven and Hell with the flames of Purgatory licking at his skin. Kris sighed softly as Adam drank his fill, the sharp sting of pain gradually dulling to a faint throb.
“Kris. Get my fingers wet. Hurry.”
Adam’s thoughts echoed in his head clearly, surprising Kris just a little. Recalling Adam’s telepathic abilities, he relaxed and took Adam’s outstretched hand, sucking his fingers into his mouth.
“Yes. Exactly the way I want it. Good boy, Kristopher.”
Kris squirmed with delight at the appraisal as he continued to lave Adam’s fingers with his tongue. At last, Adam extricated his fangs from Kris’ neck, looking uncharacteristically flushed.
“That will be enough, my darling.”
He withdrew his fingers from Kris’ mouth and returned to his place between his splayed legs, nudging tenderly at Kris’ entrance with his saliva-slick fingers. Whimpering softly, Kris spread his legs further apart, allowing Adam free reign to probe him as he pleased.
“This will hurt a little, alright?” Adam asked quietly, positioning his fingers at Kris’ hole. “I need you to relax and breathe. Can you do it for me, Kris?”
“Yes,” Kris whispered. “Just…please, Adam.”
“Hush,” Adam soothed him. “I will provide you with your release.”
Kris’ breath hitched in his throat as the first of Adam’s fingers breached him, pushing deep into the very core of his person. He had thought about pressing in with his own fingers when he was younger, wondering how it would feel to be filled by a man, but he had been too scared that his parents would find out about his doings. He had fantasized about it countless times, but nothing could compare to the reality of it all.
“Relax, my love,” Adam advised, pushing in a second finger to join the first. “It will get better; I promise.”
As soon as Kris’s muscles began to relax around him, Adam executed a push-pull motion with his fingers that left Kris breathless. Something inside him had been touched, and he felt like he was spiraling off into a universe hundreds of light-years away.
“…oh god!” he breathed. “Adam! That was-that was…”
“Your prostate.” Adam smirked, pushing in deep again. “It is that place in a man’s body that works as the pleasure center during intercourse.”
“Do something, please,” Kris begged, wriggling his hips shamelessly.
“Leave everything to me, Kris.”
Adam dove back in between his legs, sucking Kris’ cock into his mouth again as he fucked him with his fingers. Kris twisted his fingers in Adam’s hair, hips canting upwards to meet Adam’s thrusts. Moments later, he cried out his release, body going limp in Adam’s arms.
“Rest,” Adam said softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Things will be clearer come morning.”
Kris slept.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“You’re walking funny.”
Kris rolled his eyes, inviting himself into Tommy’s apartment. “Good morning to you too, Tommy. Adam said he had important business to attend to, so I figured I’d come over. And since it would be rude of me to bring pies, I brought a few bags of O negative for you.”
Tommy accepted the basket. “Sorry about the heavy drapes. Cale can’t walk in daylight, so I had to make a few adjustments for his convenience.”
“…you mean he’s here with you?” Kris arched an eyebrow.
“Puncture marks,” Tommy pointed out, yanking down the collar of his shirt. “They’re all over me, actually; but hey, you don’t need to see the rest.”
“So you had sex?”
“Of course we did,” Tommy replied casually. “Real good sex, too. Your childhood friend kicks ass in bed; I don’t think I’ve screamed that loud in a long, long time.”
“That’s probably because you haven’t had sex in a long, long time, either.” Cale emerged from the bedroom, smirking. “You sounded thoroughly debauched last night.”
“I have no time for random screwing around, okay?” Tommy glared at him in the midst of preparing their version of breakfast. “Unlike most fangers, I have a highly demanding job taking over my life.”
“Then what was last night all about, hmm?” Cale asked teasingly, dipping his fingers into the waistband of
Tommy’s briefs. “That can be classified as random screwing if I do say so myself.”
“Uhm, guys?” Kris piped up. “Hello; innocent bystander here.”
“Oh, you lie,” Cale chuckled. “We can smell the sex on you, Allen. There ain’t anything you can hide from a vampire. Even after you’ve washed the smell off under running water, we can still trace the remnants.”
“So, was it good?” Tommy wanted to know. “We all know from the giant bulge in Adam’s pants that he has a huge dick; I don’t know how it can fit into anything, really.”
“We didn’t go all the way, okay?” Kris muttered, feeling his face heat up for what seemed to be the nth time. “He just uhm, used his fingers. And yeah…it was good.”
“…I can’t believe I’m asking my best friend on how he got deflowered by a vampire,” Cale shook his head. “I’m still trying to get used to all of this, man.”
“Well, I can’t believe I’m standing here talking to my best friend who is now a vampire that spent the night having sex with another vampire,” Kris said with a wry smile. “It takes a lot of getting used to.”
“While you two are contemplating on the newness of all this, I suddenly have a bone to pick with Adam,” Tommy declared. “If he had important business to take care of, then why didn’t he drag me along? This is the first time he didn’t ask me to come with him, so it worries me. Did he say anything strange to you last night, Kris? Any noticeable change in his behavior will prove to be useful.”
“We all know that he got upset by the situation with Katy,” Kris sighed. “Even Archie couldn’t calm him down, so it was really quite alarming. He was deeply bothered by something that Katy said before you staked her. Regrettably, it has slipped my mind by now.”
“Wait.” Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, tipping the contents of his glass into his mouth. “I’m trying to remember what it was.”
“She said something about someone coming,” Cale said darkly. “It sounded like a warning.”
Kris shivered involuntarily as Tommy sank onto the sofa, his normally impassive face lined with worry. He took another swig from his glass before getting up again, pacing the length of the room in erratic strides.
“This can only mean one thing.” He wrung his hands nervously. “That O’Connell girl has a Maker; I believe he is a very powerful vampire. I hate to confirm the worst of my suspicions, but I think he’s on to Adam. Knowing Adam, he’s going to behave like a fucking noble and claim this fight as his own so no one else will get hurt. Heck, he’s probably gone to Arkansas to get some information from Torres!”
“We need to go after him!” Kris exclaimed. “We can’t just let him fly off there to die like a martyr! Tommy, please! If there’s anyone who would know what to do in this situation, it’s you.”
Tommy nodded. “Okay. But we’ll have to wait for sundown until we move; most of our allies cannot go about at the moment. There are, however, a few things we can do right now. Cale, I need you to call the airline to check what time the earliest available flight to Arkansas leaves. Kris, you must head on down to UCLA to consult David; we need his insight on this. I will send Brad to accompany you. As for myself, I think a visit to Monte is in order.”
“Alright,” Cale agreed. “Once you make the final arrangements, give me a heads-up; they’ll need to know how many in-flight coffins we’re going to need.”
Kris curled himself into a ball on the sofa, suddenly aware of Adam’s absence. He felt cold, somehow, and slightly weak. Sighing softly, Tommy moved to sit with him, lifting Kris’ head to prop it on his lap. They sat quietly for awhile; the sound of Tommy’s fingers scratching lightly at Kris’ scalp serving as the only noise in the heavy silence.
“…can I ask you something, Tommy?”
“Anything.”
“Are we going to be okay?”
A pause.
“I don’t know, Kris. But we have to keep faith. We have to believe in Adam.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If David was still human, Kris would have probably thought that he was having a heart attack. In accordance to Tommy’s plans, he had gone with Brad to see David to break the news, and his reaction had been almost too much to bear. Kris had always associated David with the quiet dignity that seemed to emanate from his very core, but there was no trace of that on his face at the moment. He looked grim and somewhat defeated; it frightened Kris because he had never run into anyone who could put that look on the wisest vampire he knew.
“…I should have anticipated this,” David said shakily, suddenly sounding very young and all of nineteen years. “He was more worried than usual last night; I should have expected him to go on ahead and do something foolish. I am to blame for this.”
“No.” Kris shook his head, placing his hand on David’s. “It’s my fault, too. I shouldn’t have let him go this morning. I already had a feeling that he was going to act on last night’s events, but I still let him go.”
“You two should stop blaming yourselves, ‘cause that’s not going to solve anything,” Brad cut in. “I know this kind of shit is hard to make sense of, but you have to think logically. Instead of convincing yourselves of having to take the blame for his actions, why don’t you plow on ahead and make intervention plans? Some of you guys are flying over, right? You should talk about more important things like who to dispatch and which flight is going to be the best one to take.”
“Thank you, Brad,” David seemed to relax a little. “I needed that little kick to my, uhm, behind. What else did Tommy say, Kris?”
“That’s just about it,” Kris replied. “He did say he was going to Monte’s. I don’t know exactly what Monte does for Adam, so I’m a little confused.”
“He’s a researcher,” David explained. “He studies vampires and writes his research based on unbiased human perspective. Not so long ago, Adam saved the life of one of his daughters when one of the LA rogues kidnapped her for feeding purposes. Since then, Monte’s been aiding us with his research. Recently, he’s been researching the Daywalker phenomenon with Doctor Grey, but all they’ve managed to come up with is that it’s sort of genetic. Adam and I come from a bloodline of Daywalkers, but it’s too difficult to trace its origins because the lineage goes too far back in time. Tommy and Cook are what you can call distant cousins, so we must have all come from the same Primordial.”
“Still, why would Tommy feel the need to go to him?”
“Monte knows Chris Torres,” David answered. “Mister Torres was one of the vampires who contributed greatly to his research. If there’s anyone who can help us gain entry into the Conway camp, that would be Monte. I believe Tommy is going to ask him to come with us.”
“How much backup are we going to need?” Kris asked. “Obviously, we can’t take everybody.”
“Leaving LA unprotected will not be suitable to our advantage,” David agreed. “Law dictates that I should be the one to temporarily assume power in Adam’s place, but I feel I will be needed more in Conway. Brad, tell Cassidy that I will leave him in charge; I trust his decision-making skills.”
“So, I’m guessing you’ll be taking Cook along, then,” Brad remarked. “I agree; he’ll be better off assisting in Conway. Your Mate’s terrible temper may hinder clarity of thought.”
“My thoughts exactly,” David affirmed. “I will also be asking Doctor Grey, Isaac and Taylor to accompany us. I’m sure Tommy and Cale have already made up their minds about what they are to do.”
“Tommy’s having Cale deal with the travel arrangements,” Kris informed him. “As of now, that’s just about everything that we’ve settled. If Tommy has made any new plans, I’ll find out about them as soon as I go back to his place.”
“I see,” David nodded. “Alright, then; I will return home for a little while to wait for Cook. Once we’re ready, we’ll join you at Tommy’s. Please don’t hesitate to call me in case you have any updates or changes in the itinerary.”
“I will,” Kris promised him. “See you later, Arch.”
With a heavy heart, he watched David exit the coffee shop, feeling guilty that he had been the one to put that look on David’s wise, innocent face. He thought of Adam, and the very image of his face caused a feeling of pain to coil itself around Kris’ heart. He knew very well that Adam was more than capable of defending himself, but he was having difficulty fighting the feeling that something was bound to go wrong.
He just hoped that they wouldn’t be too late to stop it.
(PARTE TROIS)
A kradamreversebb Fill
Credits: lady_michaelis (writing), va_bites (art), and eirana_regan (proofreading)
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Kris Allen, with mentions of others
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Graphic sexual situations, bareback sex, blood play, murder, violence, foul language
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Erotica/Satire
Summary: Was the love of a human powerful enough to save him?
Disclaimers: I’m proud of this baby; I believe Jamie and I raised it to the best of our artistic abilities-my story, his art. We regret to inform you that they aren’t our people--though you all know who Tommy belongs to. References to True Blood and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are here because I love those shows; references to Twilight are here because they’re hilarious. No, Adam does not watch Kris while he sleeps. That’s creepy.
PART TWO: BLOOD AND GOLD
“Tie your heart at night to mine, love,
and both will defeat the darkness
like twin drums beating in the forest
against the heavy wall of wet leaves.
Night crossing: black coal of dream
that cuts the thread of earthly orbs
with the punctuality of a headlong train
that pulls cold stone and shadow endlessly.
Love, because of it, tie me to a purer movement,
to the grip on life that beats in your breast,
with the wings of a submerged swan,
So that our dream might reply
to the sky's questioning stars
with one key, one door closed to shadow.”
- Pablo Neruda (1904 - 1973)
Kris was surprised at how easy it had been to adjust to his new, exciting vampire-filled life. As soon as he had learned to get around the fact that his new friends were capable of reading his mindamong other strange powerseverything else had been normal. More or less. He spent his days working at a coffee shop owned by one of Adam’s friends, hanging out with Brad and Alisan, and helping Adam’s precious Progeny David Archuleta with things as mundane as homework. His nights, however, were spent in the company of Adam Lambert. If there was an ongoing investigation or an issue to resolve, Tommy would be around as well. Kris had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on Adam, who became quite temperamental under stress. On less strenuous nights, they took long walks around the city, and Adam revealed a little more about himself each time. Kris had enough stories to fill a memoir now, but he enjoyed listening to them all the same. This kind of living had bred a sense of contentment in Kris’ heart, and he was perfectly happy with the way things were going.
The dreams, however, had remained. All Kris could really do about it at this point was to force them out of his head by keeping busy.
“Hey, Scarlett.” he pressed an affectionate kiss to the cheek of his boss’ wife. “Sorry for clocking in late; Adam was so cranky this morning. The microwave’s busted, so he had to take his B negative cold. I had to drop him off at the mall to pick up a new one on my way here.”
“Not a problem, honey.” Scarlett ruffled his hair. “Adam may be the nicest man in the world, but no vampire likes his blood cold. You’ve come with your brownies, so you’re definitely forgiven.”
Kris gave her a quick hug before running out front to slide the first tray into the display case. Scarlett Cherry was the kind of woman he would have loved to have as his fairy godmother. She was a quirky but caring character that bustled around the coffee shop in a blur of color, a hostess well-loved by the customers due to her ability to engage people in animated conversation. When Adam had introduced them a few days ago, she had taken to Kris immediately, pronouncing him ‘positively divine’ and ‘seriously darling’. Later into the conversation, he had accidentally let slip that baking was one of his favorite past times. He had ended up leaving Club Mayan that night with a new job, and the drying residue of red lipstick on his cheek, care of Scarlett.
“Hold it, Allen!” a petite brunette chirped, reaching around Kris to sneak a brownie out of the tray. “From now on, I forbid you from strolling into this shop without feeding me first. You know very well that your brownies and I are going to get married someday; they’re the best fucking things in this world.”
“Better than Matt?” Kris asked cheekily.
“Babe, I would choose your brownies over my boyfriend any day.” Alisan Porter cuffed him on the shoulder. “He said he wouldn’t mind being in a polyamorous relationship with anything that comes popping out of your kitchen.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Kris laughed, tying his apron around his waist. “So, what can I help out with today? I heard Allison called in sick this morning.”
“You, Danielle and I will be working the floor,” Alisan replied. “Megan’s on cashier, as usual.”
“I can call Archie to help out if we’re still going to be understaffed by the late afternoon,” Kris offered. “His classes end at three today, so he can probably swing by at four.”
“Praise Elvis for Daywalkers,” Alisan sighed. “They can be such a blessing; it’s a shame there isn’t more of them. Oh, that reminds me; Tommy is waiting for you at his usual table. Don’t linger too long, okay? Dani and I can’t take on all of these tables by ourselves.”
“Copy.” Kris saluted her. “By the way, you should check the refrigerator; I made half a pan of brownies just for you, so you can munch on that to ease the stress. Just make sure to replace the square you snatched off the store display tray.”
“Kris Allen, you are welcome to my first born.” Alisan sounded almost reverent. “I am never going to eat anyone else’s brownies ever again, you hear me? Never.”
Kris made his way to a table in the back area where Tommy was nursing a glass of champagne, looking uncharacteristically peaceful for a vampire who spent his time punishing infidels. He nodded a greeting at Kris, motioning for the latter to occupy the seat across him.
“You look awfully happy today,” Kris remarked. “I take it your job went well last night?”
Tommy smirked. “Oh man, you have no fucking idea. I’m sure you remember Adam sending me off to track down the vampire who kept virgin girls in his basement for purposes I don’t even want to think about, right? Well, I found the guy last night thanks to a lead I picked up from one of ‘em nutty churchgoers. It’s a tame task compared to the rest I’ve had to take on in this lifetime, but the so-called fanger’s identity made all the time and effort I spent on this case worth the while. That’s right; the criminal isn’t a vampire. He’s human, Kris-and a fucking preacher, too.”
Kris shook his head. “You have got to be kidding me. Weren’t there puncture marks on the first two victims’ necks?”
“Apparently, this fucker is under contract with some vampire in the city. His wife is on her deathbed, so he asked the fanger to turn her when the time comes. In exchange, he kidnapped all those poor girls in order to appease her. Both the preacher and his vamp are currently locked in the underground dungeons. With Big Daddy keeping an eye on them, there’s no way they can escape. Adam and I are going to do some grilling tonight; he’s not going to be very pleased when he hears about this. I’m telling you way in advance so you can calm him down in case he feels like staking the bitch before we get any answers.”
Kris sighed. “Knowing Adam, he may end up blowing a hole in the wall like what he did last time. I’ll head down with you tonight if it’ll help.”
“It will,” Tommy said sagely. “He won’t be able to stop himself from wrecking a chair or two, but I think having you around will help decrease the damage.”
“As long as you guys will have less damage repair to pay for, I’m glad to be of service,” Kris replied with a wry smile. “Poor Adam; he doesn’t deserve this. He’s been nothing but kind to us humans. It makes me sick to realize that some people are hell bent on pissing him off just so they can start another war.”
Tommy scowled. “There’s nothing we can really do about it. The fact that I don’t burn to a crisp in broad daylight is already enough reason for people to resent me; it’s like a new breed of discrimination altogether. No matter how ‘safe’ this city is for us, shit hits the fan the moment something out of the ordinary happens. People here are far more accepting than your typical conservative American, but trouble is a universal concept-even the most open-minded human being would lock himself in a makeshift bomb shelter at the very first sign of war.”
“Well, we can’t make everybody happy,” Kris sighed. “I’d bake you brownies as a pick-me-up, but I doubt you would enjoy them very much.”
“If I were human, you know I would.”
“…do you miss it?” Kris asked softly.
Tommy’s expression hardened, making him look older and far more menacing than his normally impassive face allowed him to be. Kris sensed the slow mix of anger and nostalgia course through the vampire’s cold blood, and clutched Tommy’s hand between both of his, squeezing lightly.
“I can feel you, you know? The sensations aren’t as strong compared to how they are with Adam, but I feel you nonetheless. Just from holding your hand, I can tell that your mortal life didn’t hold many good memories for you. I know I’m not in a position to say anything, but there’s no need for you to think about the bad things too much. You seem to be perfectly fine with the way you’re living now, so I think you can ease the pain that was brought upon by your past by creating happy memories with your present.”
“You really are something, Kris Allen,” Tommy said as he shook his head, smiling. “No wonder Adam has grown to be so fond of you-God knows that man needs a dyed-in-the-wool optimist to balance his oftentimes jaded way of seeing things.”
“Seriously, man.” Kris ducked his head, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m nothing great; I’m just pretty keen on people’s feelings.”
“…if we had met when I was still human, you would have probably been the one thing I would have missed most from my mortal life. Once you get turned, you can’t just go back to the family and friends you had when you were still alive. I learned that the hard way a long, long time ago.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Apart from Tommy’s visit, nothing else about Kris’ afternoon had been remotely interesting. As soon as his shift had ended, he’d changed out of his work uniform and left for the dungeons with Monte Pittman, one of the very few humans Adam trusted with his life. Kris had met him a few days ago when he’d stopped by the coffee shop to talk to Lee. It surprised Kris a little to know that such a talented, easygoing, family-oriented man had gotten himself mixed up in the affairs of the city vampires. When he’d questioned Monte’s involvement, the latter merely said that he owed Adam. He had not elaborated, and Kris had not questioned him any further.
“Are you coming down with me?” Kris asked, half-turning to look Monte in the eye.
Monte shook his head. “It’s not my place, Kris. I’ve been there once before, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon. It’s not that I think Adam and Tommy are cruel but as a human, there’s only so much of this that I can take. Adam knows my limits; I’m not going to be rushing in where blood is going to be spilled. I have a wife and children to look after.”
“You’re a good man, Mister Pittman,” Kris said softly. “I can see why Adam trusts you implicitly. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you; I’ll go on ahead.”
“Watch your back, Kris.” Monte squeezed his shoulder. “I’d tell you to steer clear of danger, but that is a wish only a fool would make. Danger hangs over you; stay close to Adam.”
Kris merely nodded, afraid of the words that could start flying out of his mouth if he decided to open it. Almost mechanically, he turned his back on Monte and began descending the steps that led to the dungeons, half-dreading and half-anticipating of what he would see upon his arrival.
“Kris.”
Adam stepped forth from the shadows, looking tense. Sensing his distress, Kris pressed close to him, burying his face into the juncture where Adam’s collarbone met his shoulder, inhaling his rich, musky scent.
“What happened?” he asked softly. “You’re not usually this anxious.”
“Kris, there is something I need you to see,” Adam replied. “And you may react adversely.”
“Adam, you’ve had me for almost over a week now.” Kris reached out to touch his face. “I’ve seen some of what your world has to offer; I can live with what comes with it.”
Adam said nothing. Instead, he led Kris into the conference room, where Tommy was seated across a tall, well-built man with a crown of dark brown hair. As soon as Kris had gotten a better look at the stranger, he froze in his tracks, unwilling to believe what-or whom, rather-he had just seen with his very own eyes.
“…Cale?”
“Hello, Kris,” his old friend said quietly. “I’m so sorry we had to meet again under such circumstances.”
“But you were in Conway!” Kris exclaimed, raking his hands through his hair. “You were just there when I left-at least, that’s the most logical assumption I can come up with.”
“Think carefully,” Cale Mills advised. “When was the last time you actually saw me, Kris?”
“…about three or four weeks prior to today. Come to think of it, you weren’t showing up in class for almost a week. What the heck is going on, man?”
He allowed Adam to help him sit, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. The world he had chosen and the world he had left behind weren’t supposed to cross paths. Kris allowed himself to drown into the depths of Cale’s dark brown eyes, trying to assess the emotions hidden beneath the benevolent gaze he had never seen Cale wear before. His skin was paler than Kris remembered it to be, and there were dark rings around his eyes. He looked a little worse for wear, but in some ways, he looked better than he ever did.
“…you’re vampire,” Kris whispered, gripping the edge of the table to keep himself from keeling over.
“I am,” Cale acknowledged the statement with a nod of his head.
“You should explain,” Tommy said quietly. “He deserves to know everything.”
Cale seemed contemplative. “Alright. It happened two weeks before you left, Kris; LA may be vampire central, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any of our own in Conway. We have our fair share of the undead in Arkansas, but they keep themselves well-hidden. Remember the rave party you skipped out on because you had a chemistry test the next day? Well, you should give yourself a pat on the back; that saved you from a whole lot of grief. Some of the vamps had dropped in to join the party, but that was fine with us since they’ve never done anything to harm us, anyway. Things were going fine until some blond Raggedy Ann vampire crashed in and tried to stake Torres. A major fight broke out, shit hit the fan, and people started crumpling to the floor like ragdolls. I almost got Raggedy Ann, but she fucking drained me and left me for dead. If Torres hadn’t turned me, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“I know the fanged folk from Conway; Chris Torres isn’t the cruelest of the cruel,” Tommy interjected. “Although they aren’t as aristocratic as Adam here, they do have a sense of compassion. I’m guessing you were under orders from Torres to find this infidel.”
Cale nodded. “One of his informants from this region told me that our criminal was here. As a gesture of gratitude for saving my life, I offered my services to Torres. I promised that I would get rid of her by any means necessary.”
“You should have fed first, though,” Tommy said sternly. “If I hadn’t found you in the alleyway while I was doing my rounds, you would have been instant prey for the rogues or the fangbangers obsessed with the blood that runs through our veins.”
“Excellent work, Tommy,” Adam praised him. “However, there is another part of the story that Kris must know. Mister Mills, if you would be so kind as to continue…?”
“I got a good look at Raggedy Ann’s face when she attacked me in Conway.” Cale turned back to Kris. “Her identity came upon us as a shock. No one in their right minds would expect one of the vampire-hating O’Connell girls to be wearing a fang face.”
“…which one of them was it, Cale?” Kris asked tensely.
“I think we should let her answer that,” Tommy remarked. “Big Daddy, if you please. Come to think of it, you should drag the preacher along, too.”
The large, burly vampire Adam had appointed as the warden of his prison disappeared into the back. It didn’t take long for him to emerge once more; this time, he had a defiant-looking blond girl in tow. Her hair was tangled and matted, her clothes were torn and covered in bloodstains, and her eyes had a wild look about them that Kris had yet to see on any other vampire. Trailing behind the duo was a bespectacled man in a black cassock, trembling fingers clutching his rosary like a talisman.
Kris stared at her, his mouth agape. “Katy O’Connell,” he breathed. “I don’t understand; you hate vampires.”
O’Connell laughed harshly. “That’s because they’re fucking crazy, Kristopher. One of Torres’ old cronies did this to me; I’m actually much older than you can possibly imagine. God, I should be cursing you to the ground right now, Allen. If you had actually agreed to go out on a date with me that time, I would have drank all your blood by now-or maybe I would have made you my own; you aren’t bad-looking at all.”
“…someone was feeding you human blood?” Cale was incredulous. “No matter where in the world you are, voluntarily feeding on a human’s blood is against vampire protocols.”
“You’re delusional just like the rest of them!” O’Connell screeched. “You’re doing Torres’ bidding because you’re his fucking lapdog! He wants you to kill me for breaking his fucking rules, doesn’t he? This is why you followed me all the way here! I should have killed you in Conway!”
“That may very well be the biggest mistake you could ever make,” Cale said quietly. “You may be older than I am, but I have partaken of Tommy’s blood; you will not stand a chance even if you still have the strength to fight back. However, your fate is no longer mine to be determined. Mister Lambert is in charge of this area; I’m sure Torres would agree that it is his right to make the decision.”
“Even if you are not directly subordinate to me in terms of locale, I will have to issue your punishment, Miss O’Connell.” Adam was eerily calm. “You have committed a rather grave crime along with Reverend Gokey here in my city; I cannot allow that to go unnoticed. You have taken the lives of several innocent young women in order to satisfy your hunger-and as a form of payment from Reverend Gokey, even. I am extremely disappointed in your lack of ethics, Miss O’Connell.”
“You’re one annoying fucker, aren’t you?” O’Connell spat at him. “You cling to your so-called morals because you have nothing else to live for! This is what I hate about your existence, you goddamn fanger! You think so highly of yourselves, but in the end, you’re nothing but a walking carcass!”
“No one’s allowed to speak to Mister Lambert that way, you bitch!” Big Daddy scowled, tightening his grip on her wrists. “You’d better apologize if you know what’s good for you.”
“There is no need to use violence, Big Daddy,” Adam assured him. “I want us all to go home and get some sleep tonight. I prefer that we decide on Miss O’Connell and Reverend Gokey’s fate in the morning.”
“You’re such a prissy little coward!” O’Connell taunted him. “I’ve heard people talk about you, Lambert; you hate getting blood on your hands-this is why you let that blond hick do all the work for you, isn’t it? You’re so fucking full of yourself; you outright refuse to kill anyone because you’re afraid that it’ll tarnish your so-called good reputation.”
“Katy, please.” Kris found his voice, struggling with his words. “Just…stop it. What you did was wrong; you have no right to keep blaming Adam for a crime that you’ve committed.”
“…oh my god!” O’Connell shrieked gleefully. “You’re his fangbanger, aren’t you? You let him fuck you and drink your blood because you’re his dirty little who-”
Kris gasped as Adam leapt from his seat, effectively pinning O’Connell to the wall by her throat. Adam’s posture was rigid, and his eyes blazed with fury. Kris could feel the vampire’s pent-up rage building up inside him, threatening to spill out and consume him wholly. He had never seen Adam this angry before; it was highly uncharacteristic of him to behave in such a way. Beside him, Big Daddy remained impassive. Cale looked like he wanted to intervene, but Tommy’s hand on his forearms stopped him. Reverend Gokey, however, was a pitiful sight. He had crumpled to the floor in fear, whispering prayers and invocations to the Blessed Mother to save his soul from damnation.
“Do not drag Kris into your messes, Miss O’Connell,” he ordered coldly. “Who he chooses to associate with is none of your business.”
O’Connell smirked. “He’s made himself into a little sinner, hasn’t he? Whoring himself out to your kind like a vial of human blood, all ripe for the taking. Tell me, has he let Ratliff fuck him, too? I bet he spreads his legs for all of you because it makes him feel like a free man.”
“Enough of your nonsense!” Adam growled. “Speak no more, and I will be merciful.”
“Oh, but I enjoy seeing you all riled up and furious for once,” O’Connell looked elated. “Had I known that a simple jab at your beloved pet would get you all fired up, I would have kept it up from the very beginning. I regret not sinking my fangs into him for a taste when I had the chance; I’m sure he tastes delicious. Now that I can smell you, I can tell that you haven’t partaken of him just yet. How would you feel if someone beat you to the main course, hmm? He would no longer be yours.”
“That will never happen; Kris is mine.”
“Your orders, sir?” Tommy asked calmly.
“…stake her,” Adam said coldly, knocking O’Connell to the stone floor. “Wipe the preacher’s memories; he was never here and none of this ever happened.”
An ugly laugh tore its way out of O’Connell’s throat. Kris stared at her in horror as she laughed and laughed, not at all frightened at the sight of Tommy sharpening a stake he had retrieved from his arsenal.
“I finally got you to crack, Lambert!” she croaked. “You will be the sinless one no more! This is just the beginning of the chaos that is about to befall you; when the time comes, he will strike you down.”
“Save it for the gods, O’Connell,” Tommy said harshly. “Your time here is up.”
As Adam turned away from the scene, Kris ambled towards him, hands reaching out blindly, overcome with a sudden rush of dizziness coupled with the desire to simply touch. Adam folded him into an embrace, tucking Kris tightly against his strong, hard body. Kris released a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding in; what mattered was that Adam was there. He wasn’t going to leave Kris.
The sounds of O’Connell’s shrieking and the sound of the stake ripping into her body were barely but a whisper. It was almost as if Kris had simply dreamt up the whole thing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Quick! He’s awake-someone go get Adam.”
“I’ll do it. Stay with him, Arch.”
Kris fidgeted a little, trying to blink his world back into focus. As soon as he tried to sit up, a soft hand eased him back down, petting his hair soothingly.
“You’re alright now, Kris,” David said softly. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”
“Hey, Archie,” Kris said softly. “How long was I out?”
“Around two to three hours, I believe. You gave Adam quite a scare.”
“…what happened?” Kris asked groggily. “I feel so drained.”
“It’s the connection between you and Adam,” David explained. “To put it in the simplest terms possible, your blood reacts to his. You fainted because of your body’s reaction to his outburst earlier this evening. This is really quite fascinating, Kris; things like these don’t usually happen unless you’ve already had some of his blood. Neither of you have fed from each other yet, am I right?”
Kris nodded. “Yeah, you are; Adam made it clear that there hasn’t been any need for that to happen, so we haven’t done anything of the sort.”
“I see.” David looked thoughtful. “Have you been experiencing any other strange things lately? Dizzy spells, perhaps?”
Kris shook his head quickly. “Nothing like that. But there is something I’ve been rather curious about; it’s been such a bother lately. There are times when…when I have erotic dreams involving Adam.”
“Normally, I would dismiss that as nothing more than a side effect of the mating process, but I don’t think that applies to your case. I did, however, bring along someone who might be able to help you-ah, here are Adam and Lady Camila now.”
Kris sighed happily as Adam drew him into an embrace. Curling up with David had been nice and comforting, but there was nothing he loved more than being wrapped up in Adam’s arms. He couldn’t remember when exactly he had started to become so dependent on Adam, but there was just something in him that was just so aware of Adam’s presence; it was as if having the vampire at his side was enough to nurse him back to health.
“Kris, I would like you to meet Doctor Camila Grey,” Adam said softly, gesturing to the beautiful dark-haired woman kneeling next to him. “She is a healer---I know this sounds odd given that we vampires are capable of healing ourselves, but I will explain some other time- and was quite insistent that I allow her to take a look at you.”
“Hi, Miss Camila,” Kris croaked, smiling weakly. “I’d offer you a handshake, but I’m a little disoriented at the moment; nevertheless, it’s nice to meet you.”
Camila smiled. “Likewise, Mister Allen. But please, call me Cam; Camila is far too ladylike for my tastes. To spare Lord Lambert from his explanation duties, allow me to speak a little of why they refer to me as a healer-though I believe the term ‘doctor’ is more appropriate in my case. I’m one of the oldest vampires in this city, and I have devoted my time to researching the biological and physiological functions of a vampire’s body. Recently, I have moved on to studying the biological reaction of human mates to their Makers, and it is absurdly fascinating. David here told me of how your body reacted to Lord Lambert’s emotions tonight, and it piqued my interest. I have this running theory in my head, but I don’t know if it matches up to the rest of your ‘symptoms’. Would it be alright if I asked you a few questions?”
“I may not be able to answer them according to your expectations, but yeah, that’ll be fine with me,” Kris replied, pulling himself to a sitting position.
“These will be of the rather probing nature, though,” Camila warned him. “Lord Lambert, I pray that you keep your wits where they are. Mister Allen, I need to know if there have been occasions on which you have sexually desired Lord Lambert.”
Kris whimpered a little, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. He had wanted to keep the dreams a secret from Adam, but judging from how the mention of those dreams had intrigued David and Camila so much, it would be foolish to continue to hide them.
“I think I unconsciously have?” he mumbled, the statement sounding more like a question than anything else. “I’ve had several dreams where uhm, Adam and I are…you know. I haven’t had the urge to like, hump his leg when I’m awake, though.”
“I went through similar experiences when Cook and I began to get intimate,” David remarked thoughtfully. “This just strikes me as odd because Adam and Kris clearly aren’t having sexual relations.”
“Will this be a problem for us in the future?” Adam queried. “I do not wish for Kris to faint every time I express severe changes in emotion. There must be something I can do to somehow lift this frustration off his shoulders.”
“There is,” Camila replied. “It’s a simple solution, really; but I don’t know if you’re ready for it.”
“Pray tell,” Adam said wearily. “At this point, I am willing to do anything to keep Kris’ energy levels up; I am responsible for him, after all.”
“Then you must allow him to drink your blood,” David said softly, his face inscrutable and hauntingly beautiful under a veil of moonlight. “You must allow him to become one with you.”
“I do not wish to compromise his sanity,” Adam frowned. “You know very well how our blood affects humans; everything will begin to operate on overdrive for them.”
“He can take it,” David insisted. “As your child, I am in no position to argue with you. I do, however, know when to challenge your desire to behave so nobly all the time. Kristopher is your human, Father; if anyone is capable of ingesting your blood, that someone would be him.”
Kris observed the dynamic between Father and Son in silence, amazed at how still David stood as he held his Father’s gaze, eyes gentle yet unwavering. Adam beckoned him close, tugging him into an affectionate one-armed embrace as he pressed a kiss to David’s hair.
“You have grown well, David,” he said softly. “I am proud of you.”
David beamed. “You raised me to be this way. The best Makers allow their Progeny to learn and experience certain things on their own, remember? If we see things eye-to-eye all the time, then we will certainly fail miserably in making decisions; a little disagreement is necessary from time to time.”
“And to think I was once regretful of having to turn you at such a young age.” Adam shook his head. “Had you been older then, I do not believe things would have turned out the same way.”
David hushed him. “Stop it with the regrets. You have other things to take care of, I believe. Kristopher looks exhausted; I’m sure he would like to rest comfortably.”
“Monte is waiting with the vehicle, Lord Lambert,” Camila reminded him. “Tommy and Isaac are to escort you home tonight. If you need me, I’ll be down in the labs.”
“Thank you, Camila.” Adam inclined his head, rising to assist David in pulling Kris to a standing position. “Also, I sent Taylor over to deliver Miss O’Connell’s remains to your laboratory-although I still cannot understand your need for them.”
Camila smirked. “Think of bones, Lord Lambert. There is so much you can learn about a man once you examine his skeletal remains. In this case, I believe there is much we can learn about this strange vampire by going through what’s left for her. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.”
“I honestly would not know what to do without you, Cammy,” Adam said affectionately, giving her a light peck on the cheek. “If you find out anything, feel free to drop by the apartment.”
“Will do, sir,” Camila replied. “Have a safe trip home.”
“Can you walk, Kris?” Adam asked solicitously.
“I can manage,” Kris answered, grimacing a little. “I’m still a tad woozy, though.”
“After tonight’s events, I am not in the mood to take any more risks,” Adam declared, lifting Kris up in his arms as one would do a lover. “We can get things done faster if I carry you.”
“I feel like a Disney princess,” Kris mumbled, tucking his face into the crook of Adam’s neck.
“The role suits you, though,” David laughed lightly. “Well, I guess I can go now; it seems that Adam has everything under control. I’ll stop by after my classes tomorrow to see how you are faring.”
“Get home safely, David,” Adam instructed. “Stay close to Cook; I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
“I will,” David promised. “And please, don’t worry too much. I know you trust your instincts, but I don’t want you to exhaust your energy on something that could just be another crime in this city.
“You did not hear what she said, Davey,” Adam said softly. “Right before Tommy raised the stake to her heart, she said something about someone coming. It sounded apocalyptic.”
Kris shivered in Adam’s arms as he pressed in closer, trying to ease the tension that was flowing through his body. Still, he kept his face buried in Adam’s neck, too afraid to see the anxious expression on the faces of both vampires.
It was going to be a long, long night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kris peeked out from the swaddle of blankets, watching quietly as Adam puttered around the bathroom, dressing down for the night. As soon as Monte had dropped them off, he had Tommy and Isaac follow them into their apartment to make sure it was free of anything that could possibly endanger Kris. They had left after Tommy deemed himself satisfied-which had taken awhile, though--leaving Kris with a rather frustrated and tight-lipped Adam. He had been on edge throughout the whole trip home, and Kris’ gestures of affection had done nothing to soothe him. Bothered by the awkward silence that had suddenly fallen upon them, Kris excused himself and burrowed under the covers, not caring very much about how childlike he was being. If he couldn’t soothe Adam’s worries away, then he was a failure as a companion.
“…I apologize for tonight,” Adam said softly, sinking down onto the bed next to Kris. “I am used to dealing with offenders in such brutal ways, but this is the first time that someone dear to me could be in danger because of my own doing. I have many enemies, Kris; I should have never dragged you into this.”
“So, are you saying you want me out?” Kris asked incredulously. “Are you releasing me from your care? I thought I was your human, Adam; I thought I was yours.”
“I care too deeply for you to allow such dangers to enter your life,” Adam argued. “I do not wish to cause you suffering, Kristopher!”
Kris shook his head. “I would suffer more if you force me to keep away from you! I don’t want to be apart from you, Adam! We are the only ones who can truly understand each other because my blood calls for yours. I spoke to David about it, and he says this only happens when people must be mated.”
“Kristopher, what you are asking for is-”
“Never mind. You’d turn me down again, anyway.”
Kris looked away, wanting more than anything to be someplace else at the moment. Maybe Tommy would welcome the company; he did say Kris was welcome to drop by anytime. Anything was better than being stuck in a room with someone who was too noble to give in to his desires.
“You are not allowed to leave this room, Kris.” Adam’s grip was vice-like on his wrist. “Anything could happen under the absence of my protection.”
“If you’re capable of reading my mind just like that, then you must understand why I can’t be around you right now,” Kris muttered. “I’m not a child, Adam. I’m a man, just like you.”
Something inside Adam seemed to crack, and the walls Kris had never been used to seeing crumbled slowly. He felt arms wrap around him from behind, cold lips pressing kisses to his cheeks.
“Is this what you desire, Kris?” Adam asked softly. “Am I what you desire?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone else before I met you,” Kris replied, turning a bit so he could face Adam. “It isn’t just my blood calling out to you, Adam; it’s my heart, too.”
“And if my heart was still worthy of yours, you know very well that it would be calling out to yours as well,” Adam sighed. “But what can I offer you, Kristopher? I am but a dead man.”
“You aren’t dead to me,” Kris whispered, leaning forward to ghost his lips over Adam’s. “Drink my blood, Adam. If it’s going to make you feel alive again, I want you to drink my blood.”
“Leave everything to me,” Adam instructed, pinning Kris to the bed with his weight. “I am going to use one of my abilities to make the experience pleasurable for you.”
“I trust you, Adam.”
Adam gracefully slithered down his body, revealing a new patch of skin each time he undid a button on Kris’ shirt, stopping every so often to kiss and lick at his flesh. Kris shivered in delight, suddenly desperate for something he could not even give a name to. It was as if Adam was awakening all the sexual desires he had no idea he was actually capable of having. For the longest time, Kris had lived the life of a good pastor’s son, straying away from sex and all things considered sinful. But now that he was lying naked beneath the man-a vampire, no less-he adored, he could not understand how people could perceive something so undeniably beautiful as something so wrong.
“We make a beautiful picture, yes,” Adam murmured, nosing at the flesh of his inner thigh as he pushed Kris’ sleep pants down to his ankles. “You look so delectable like this, naked and willing for me. I will show you true pleasure, my beloved. After you have had me, your God will revoke your ability to speak and think coherently. I will make it so, so good for you.”
The effect of Adam’s words was electrifying. Kris moaned a little, shivering as Adam moved off him to travel further down his body. The vampire settled himself between Kris’ legs, licking lightly at the pre-cum oozing from the slit of his erection.
“You have touched yourself here before, have you not?” Adam asked softly, jerking Kris’ cock roughly. “You lead the life of a good Christian by day, but when you lie alone in bed at night; all that virtue goes flying out the window. You allow your hand to slip past your waistband, and you grip your cock in a similar fashion as to what I am doing now. You jerk yourself oh so slowly, pretending your hand belongs to the nameless, faceless man you have always fantasized about.”
“Fuck, Adam,” Kris breathed. “Please!”
“Please what, my love?” Adam bent down to lick a long stripe up his cock. “What do you want me to do to you? All you have to do is say the words.”
“Your-your mouth,” Kris replied hesitantly. “I want it-oh god-I want it on my cock.”
He looked away, unable to meet Adam’s eyes, cheeks burning in embarrassment. Sensing the sudden shift in his mood, Adam rested his cheek on his thigh and stroked his hip, soothing Kris instantly.
“You do not have to be shy when it comes to being vocal about your desires, Kris. I want to know exactly how I can bring you pleasure; I do not wish for you to be shy around me.”
“I’m sorry,” Kris apologized. “It’s just that I’ve never really had someone whose primary goal is to make me feel good. All my life, I’ve been desperately trying to please others.”
“Which is noble yet unfair.” Adam pressed a kiss to the inside of his knee. “Let go of all your inhibitions, Kris; tonight, it is all about you.”
Kris gasped as Adam pulled his legs apart, sliding his mouth over his cock without warning. He took Kris swiftly and with practiced ease, his tongue licking over and around him as he sucked. Kris could only moan helplessly and clench tightly at the sheets as he wantonly arched off the bed. Adam’s eyes were bright and hot, holding him in their captive gaze as he allowed his fangs to scratch lightly along the overly sensitized skin of Kris’ cock, eliciting an elated gasp.
“God, yes!” he panted. “Take me, Adam! Fuck, make me yours…”
His words seemed to have awakened something in Adam. The vampire pulled Kris to him and devoured his lips in a hungry kiss, fangs nipping lightly at his lips while his tongue licked into Kris mouth. Kris locked his legs around Adam’s waist to pull him closer, kissing him back desperately. He shivered a little as Adam’s lips drifted to his exposed neck, knowing full well what was about to happen.
“Adam, please…” he begged. “I want you to drink from me; I feel like I may lose myself anytime.”
“Oh, my darling,” Adam purred, scraping his fangs against Kris’ neck. “I have not fed from a human in years because I have never felt the need to do so. I was one of the few vampires strong enough to survive on hospital donations. This is the first time someone’s blood has sparked such a desire in me.”
A keening noise escaped Kris’ throat as he felt Adam’s fangs sink into his neck. It was an oddly pleasurable feeling; he felt light-headed yet hyperaware of everything at the same time. Adam was purity and sin all rolled into one-he felt like he was caught in between Heaven and Hell with the flames of Purgatory licking at his skin. Kris sighed softly as Adam drank his fill, the sharp sting of pain gradually dulling to a faint throb.
“Kris. Get my fingers wet. Hurry.”
Adam’s thoughts echoed in his head clearly, surprising Kris just a little. Recalling Adam’s telepathic abilities, he relaxed and took Adam’s outstretched hand, sucking his fingers into his mouth.
“Yes. Exactly the way I want it. Good boy, Kristopher.”
Kris squirmed with delight at the appraisal as he continued to lave Adam’s fingers with his tongue. At last, Adam extricated his fangs from Kris’ neck, looking uncharacteristically flushed.
“That will be enough, my darling.”
He withdrew his fingers from Kris’ mouth and returned to his place between his splayed legs, nudging tenderly at Kris’ entrance with his saliva-slick fingers. Whimpering softly, Kris spread his legs further apart, allowing Adam free reign to probe him as he pleased.
“This will hurt a little, alright?” Adam asked quietly, positioning his fingers at Kris’ hole. “I need you to relax and breathe. Can you do it for me, Kris?”
“Yes,” Kris whispered. “Just…please, Adam.”
“Hush,” Adam soothed him. “I will provide you with your release.”
Kris’ breath hitched in his throat as the first of Adam’s fingers breached him, pushing deep into the very core of his person. He had thought about pressing in with his own fingers when he was younger, wondering how it would feel to be filled by a man, but he had been too scared that his parents would find out about his doings. He had fantasized about it countless times, but nothing could compare to the reality of it all.
“Relax, my love,” Adam advised, pushing in a second finger to join the first. “It will get better; I promise.”
As soon as Kris’s muscles began to relax around him, Adam executed a push-pull motion with his fingers that left Kris breathless. Something inside him had been touched, and he felt like he was spiraling off into a universe hundreds of light-years away.
“…oh god!” he breathed. “Adam! That was-that was…”
“Your prostate.” Adam smirked, pushing in deep again. “It is that place in a man’s body that works as the pleasure center during intercourse.”
“Do something, please,” Kris begged, wriggling his hips shamelessly.
“Leave everything to me, Kris.”
Adam dove back in between his legs, sucking Kris’ cock into his mouth again as he fucked him with his fingers. Kris twisted his fingers in Adam’s hair, hips canting upwards to meet Adam’s thrusts. Moments later, he cried out his release, body going limp in Adam’s arms.
“Rest,” Adam said softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Things will be clearer come morning.”
Kris slept.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“You’re walking funny.”
Kris rolled his eyes, inviting himself into Tommy’s apartment. “Good morning to you too, Tommy. Adam said he had important business to attend to, so I figured I’d come over. And since it would be rude of me to bring pies, I brought a few bags of O negative for you.”
Tommy accepted the basket. “Sorry about the heavy drapes. Cale can’t walk in daylight, so I had to make a few adjustments for his convenience.”
“…you mean he’s here with you?” Kris arched an eyebrow.
“Puncture marks,” Tommy pointed out, yanking down the collar of his shirt. “They’re all over me, actually; but hey, you don’t need to see the rest.”
“So you had sex?”
“Of course we did,” Tommy replied casually. “Real good sex, too. Your childhood friend kicks ass in bed; I don’t think I’ve screamed that loud in a long, long time.”
“That’s probably because you haven’t had sex in a long, long time, either.” Cale emerged from the bedroom, smirking. “You sounded thoroughly debauched last night.”
“I have no time for random screwing around, okay?” Tommy glared at him in the midst of preparing their version of breakfast. “Unlike most fangers, I have a highly demanding job taking over my life.”
“Then what was last night all about, hmm?” Cale asked teasingly, dipping his fingers into the waistband of
Tommy’s briefs. “That can be classified as random screwing if I do say so myself.”
“Uhm, guys?” Kris piped up. “Hello; innocent bystander here.”
“Oh, you lie,” Cale chuckled. “We can smell the sex on you, Allen. There ain’t anything you can hide from a vampire. Even after you’ve washed the smell off under running water, we can still trace the remnants.”
“So, was it good?” Tommy wanted to know. “We all know from the giant bulge in Adam’s pants that he has a huge dick; I don’t know how it can fit into anything, really.”
“We didn’t go all the way, okay?” Kris muttered, feeling his face heat up for what seemed to be the nth time. “He just uhm, used his fingers. And yeah…it was good.”
“…I can’t believe I’m asking my best friend on how he got deflowered by a vampire,” Cale shook his head. “I’m still trying to get used to all of this, man.”
“Well, I can’t believe I’m standing here talking to my best friend who is now a vampire that spent the night having sex with another vampire,” Kris said with a wry smile. “It takes a lot of getting used to.”
“While you two are contemplating on the newness of all this, I suddenly have a bone to pick with Adam,” Tommy declared. “If he had important business to take care of, then why didn’t he drag me along? This is the first time he didn’t ask me to come with him, so it worries me. Did he say anything strange to you last night, Kris? Any noticeable change in his behavior will prove to be useful.”
“We all know that he got upset by the situation with Katy,” Kris sighed. “Even Archie couldn’t calm him down, so it was really quite alarming. He was deeply bothered by something that Katy said before you staked her. Regrettably, it has slipped my mind by now.”
“Wait.” Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, tipping the contents of his glass into his mouth. “I’m trying to remember what it was.”
“She said something about someone coming,” Cale said darkly. “It sounded like a warning.”
Kris shivered involuntarily as Tommy sank onto the sofa, his normally impassive face lined with worry. He took another swig from his glass before getting up again, pacing the length of the room in erratic strides.
“This can only mean one thing.” He wrung his hands nervously. “That O’Connell girl has a Maker; I believe he is a very powerful vampire. I hate to confirm the worst of my suspicions, but I think he’s on to Adam. Knowing Adam, he’s going to behave like a fucking noble and claim this fight as his own so no one else will get hurt. Heck, he’s probably gone to Arkansas to get some information from Torres!”
“We need to go after him!” Kris exclaimed. “We can’t just let him fly off there to die like a martyr! Tommy, please! If there’s anyone who would know what to do in this situation, it’s you.”
Tommy nodded. “Okay. But we’ll have to wait for sundown until we move; most of our allies cannot go about at the moment. There are, however, a few things we can do right now. Cale, I need you to call the airline to check what time the earliest available flight to Arkansas leaves. Kris, you must head on down to UCLA to consult David; we need his insight on this. I will send Brad to accompany you. As for myself, I think a visit to Monte is in order.”
“Alright,” Cale agreed. “Once you make the final arrangements, give me a heads-up; they’ll need to know how many in-flight coffins we’re going to need.”
Kris curled himself into a ball on the sofa, suddenly aware of Adam’s absence. He felt cold, somehow, and slightly weak. Sighing softly, Tommy moved to sit with him, lifting Kris’ head to prop it on his lap. They sat quietly for awhile; the sound of Tommy’s fingers scratching lightly at Kris’ scalp serving as the only noise in the heavy silence.
“…can I ask you something, Tommy?”
“Anything.”
“Are we going to be okay?”
A pause.
“I don’t know, Kris. But we have to keep faith. We have to believe in Adam.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If David was still human, Kris would have probably thought that he was having a heart attack. In accordance to Tommy’s plans, he had gone with Brad to see David to break the news, and his reaction had been almost too much to bear. Kris had always associated David with the quiet dignity that seemed to emanate from his very core, but there was no trace of that on his face at the moment. He looked grim and somewhat defeated; it frightened Kris because he had never run into anyone who could put that look on the wisest vampire he knew.
“…I should have anticipated this,” David said shakily, suddenly sounding very young and all of nineteen years. “He was more worried than usual last night; I should have expected him to go on ahead and do something foolish. I am to blame for this.”
“No.” Kris shook his head, placing his hand on David’s. “It’s my fault, too. I shouldn’t have let him go this morning. I already had a feeling that he was going to act on last night’s events, but I still let him go.”
“You two should stop blaming yourselves, ‘cause that’s not going to solve anything,” Brad cut in. “I know this kind of shit is hard to make sense of, but you have to think logically. Instead of convincing yourselves of having to take the blame for his actions, why don’t you plow on ahead and make intervention plans? Some of you guys are flying over, right? You should talk about more important things like who to dispatch and which flight is going to be the best one to take.”
“Thank you, Brad,” David seemed to relax a little. “I needed that little kick to my, uhm, behind. What else did Tommy say, Kris?”
“That’s just about it,” Kris replied. “He did say he was going to Monte’s. I don’t know exactly what Monte does for Adam, so I’m a little confused.”
“He’s a researcher,” David explained. “He studies vampires and writes his research based on unbiased human perspective. Not so long ago, Adam saved the life of one of his daughters when one of the LA rogues kidnapped her for feeding purposes. Since then, Monte’s been aiding us with his research. Recently, he’s been researching the Daywalker phenomenon with Doctor Grey, but all they’ve managed to come up with is that it’s sort of genetic. Adam and I come from a bloodline of Daywalkers, but it’s too difficult to trace its origins because the lineage goes too far back in time. Tommy and Cook are what you can call distant cousins, so we must have all come from the same Primordial.”
“Still, why would Tommy feel the need to go to him?”
“Monte knows Chris Torres,” David answered. “Mister Torres was one of the vampires who contributed greatly to his research. If there’s anyone who can help us gain entry into the Conway camp, that would be Monte. I believe Tommy is going to ask him to come with us.”
“How much backup are we going to need?” Kris asked. “Obviously, we can’t take everybody.”
“Leaving LA unprotected will not be suitable to our advantage,” David agreed. “Law dictates that I should be the one to temporarily assume power in Adam’s place, but I feel I will be needed more in Conway. Brad, tell Cassidy that I will leave him in charge; I trust his decision-making skills.”
“So, I’m guessing you’ll be taking Cook along, then,” Brad remarked. “I agree; he’ll be better off assisting in Conway. Your Mate’s terrible temper may hinder clarity of thought.”
“My thoughts exactly,” David affirmed. “I will also be asking Doctor Grey, Isaac and Taylor to accompany us. I’m sure Tommy and Cale have already made up their minds about what they are to do.”
“Tommy’s having Cale deal with the travel arrangements,” Kris informed him. “As of now, that’s just about everything that we’ve settled. If Tommy has made any new plans, I’ll find out about them as soon as I go back to his place.”
“I see,” David nodded. “Alright, then; I will return home for a little while to wait for Cook. Once we’re ready, we’ll join you at Tommy’s. Please don’t hesitate to call me in case you have any updates or changes in the itinerary.”
“I will,” Kris promised him. “See you later, Arch.”
With a heavy heart, he watched David exit the coffee shop, feeling guilty that he had been the one to put that look on David’s wise, innocent face. He thought of Adam, and the very image of his face caused a feeling of pain to coil itself around Kris’ heart. He knew very well that Adam was more than capable of defending himself, but he was having difficulty fighting the feeling that something was bound to go wrong.
He just hoped that they wouldn’t be too late to stop it.
(PARTE TROIS)