His Obsession

Felissia went into the kitchen to start the stew for tonight and came back into the pub a moment later to find Puck sitting in his favorite stool with his head down on the bar. She could tell from the nervous way he kept tugging at the ends of his hair and the whispered string of curses, the vampire was upset about something.

“What happened?”

Puck lifted his head up and she was alarmed to find faint red scratch marks across his face and eyes. Icy fear twisted around Felissia’s heart as a disturbing thought appeared. Chase didn’t touch him, did he?

“Puck said ok.” he answered in an wavering voice. “Th-then Porter came in and shit! Stupid!”

The vampire tore at his hair for a moment then banged his head down on the bar before calming enough to speak again.

“Goddamnit!” he hissed. “Even the Voices were shocked. He actually asked Puck…and he said yes!”

Felissia reached out, laying a gentle hand on Puck’s shoulder and found them trembling. She pieced together that Chase had indeed done something to Puck, but he had permission and now the young vampire seemed to be regretting his choice.

“It’s okay.” she told him in a soothing motherly tone. “Everyone makes mistakes and—”
“Puck didn’t make a mistake!” he exclaimed as his head shot up. “It wasn’t a mistake! Puck really want to kiss—”

He suddenly went pale and rasped covering his mouth with his hand, “Oh God, going to be sick.”

Felissia immediately pulled a pan from beneath the bar she kept for such occasions and laid it next to Puck as he gingerly laid his head down on the bar. He moaned feebly and closed his eyes, trying to subdue his rioting stomach. Felissia was beginning to understand the situation better and smoothed Puck’s hair back.

“I see, this must be all so new to you.”

“All Puck’s life there were only the Voices and people the Voices wanted Puck to help.” he told her. “Then Witchy Poo and you come and Puck has a family. Puck understands family relations.”

“But you have no idea about what you feel about Chase.”

Oh yes you do, The Voices told him. You know exactly what that so called feeling is. It’s the exact same thing your little “Puppy” feels about you.

“Puck knows but not how to deal with it.” he replied sullenly.

“Go slow.” Felissia suggested. “I’m not sure you’re aware of this but you’ve been through quite a lot, Puck.”

“Your intoxicating blood. Your beguiling flesh, it’s mine.” Sin’s voice rasped, the memory of his breath hot against his skin.

Did I not promise I wouldn’t allow any harm to come to you, Puck? Kyriak’s voice echoed inside his mind.

A more disturbing dark recollection stirred deep within Puck. Red hair cascading around bloody red lips announcing “He was fun.”

His mind recoiled from the void and hid beyond where those wicked voices and images would haunt him no longer.

“Puck?” Felissia asked the same moment the more concerned of the Voices did. The vampire shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Still here.”

“This thing with Chase is probably going to bring up some—”

“The memories were already coming back.” Puck told her. “Maeve’s death and meeting the evil its stirred Mikel up pretty bad. Puck keeps hearing things—scary things—Mikel heard.”

“These memories, can you tell me about them?” Felissia cautiously inquired.

Her momma always said talking about scary stuff helped you to get over it but she didn’t want a repeat of the last time Mikel Durant’s memories were unleashed upon Puck. This time there was Chase to be concerned with. As well mannered as he tended to be around her, if he heard the vampire he cared for scream, Felissia knew Chase would try to tear out her throat.

“Three voices. Two male, one female.” Puck took a deep breath, focusing on the faint buzz of the Voices inside his mind. “Puck began to hear them last week after Jingle Jiang’le came here.”

“Then they came again a few days ago, only this time they were real. Puck saw the faces they belonged to. And they—” Puck’s eyes fluttered close as the Voices lightly took a hold of his body.

“They hit and bit Puck. But the scariest one was nice to him. He touched Puck and complimented him then had Chase harmed and Jirou and Medina killed as a gift.” the vampire opened his eyes as he lifted his head up and faced Felissia.

“Do you remember the flower arrangements at Mikel and Maeve’s funeral?”

“Yes.” she responded. “There were carnations and orchids. They were nice, why?”

“Do you remember the roses at the pulpit?”

“Yes, what about the flowers?”

“Kyriak sent them.” Puck told her quietly. “He remembers Maeve and Mikel quite fondly.”

Felissia’s expression turned horrified, “That’s just—” A thousand words leapt at her. Frightening only conveyed the danger there was to Puck and had nothing to do with his twin. Awful or horrible or even wicked didn’t begin to describe the vile nature of the despicable act.

“Evil.” Puck supplied. “They’re… evil.”

Let’s try to avoid them, The Voices told him. The final three you need revenge on are in an entirely different league. You lucked out with Jiang. He was stupid, easily manipulated and wasn’t paying attention to the time. Had you not been immune to sunlight, you know you would have died.

Puck knows, the vampire sighed. But Mikel needs peace.

A few of the Voices giggled while other were more successful in disguising their mirth with coughs and mysteriously produced whistles.

Why don’t you focus on dealing with your feelings for Chase Damien, they suggested.

“Oh Gawd, Porter almost caught Puck!” the vampire exclaimed and thunked his head down on the bar. Felissia began to have an even better idea what happened beneath her feet and patted Puck’s back hiding her amusement.

Porter nearly saw Chase and Puck kissing

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” she said trying not to giggle. “Getting discovered making out is a part of any relationship.”

“ Relationship?! ” Puck’s head shot up. “Oh no! What about Witchy Poo? Puck only likes her as a friend and she doesn’t.”

So he finally noticed, Felissia tried not to laugh. In the time Puck had come to live with them, Talisa had become much more aware and protective than a friend would have. Her granddaughter was certainly too alert to those the vampire was around. She obviously had a crush on Puck.

“Don’t worry.” Felissia replied. “I’ll have a talk with Talisa.”
************************

“Did I just miss something?” Porter inquired watching the cloud of mist slam the door shut behind him. Chase snickered.

“Nothing you’d be too interested in.”

“Let me guess, you came onto Puck and that mist was him getting the hell away from you.”


“Right in one respect, oh so wrong about the other.” Chase watched his friend shake his head as he sat down beside of him.

“You’re right, it is something I’m not interested in hearing.” Porter replied flat. “So ever get around to stopping by your place?”

Chase motioned to the duffel bag sitting on one of Puck’s makeshift shelves.

“I asked for the locks to get changed so look out for a package with my new set of keys.”

Porter rolled his eyes, “Really Chase, you change you locks more often than you change your clothes.”

“Are you saying I’m a slob?!” Chase exclaimed with a laugh. “I’ll have you know I change clothes every day and more so if I destroy them or get filthy.”

“And in your line of work you do both quite often.”

Chase playfully punched his shoulder in retaliation.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Porter asked solemnly. “You don’t have to prove you’re a big bad wolf and Mack’s sure to get antsy now that Medina and Jirou aren’t around.”

“Dad’s been antsy ever since he adopted me.” Chase sighed. “Most wolves go off on their own when they’re seventeen, he made me wait until I was almost nineteen— and only after I promised to ask Medina to come with me.”

“Did you know him and Jirou both reported to my dad once a week? They didn’t think I knew about it but I heard them one time.” the werewolf asked Porter, who shook his head.

“I’m the Alpha’s son but so what? It’s not like I’m going to be the next Alpha just because of the fact.”

“Yeah but I bet Mack would love for you to take over when it’s time.” Porter replied and saw Chase wince.

“Uh, I have to win a fight against him.” Chase revealed. “And though I’m bigger, younger and good in a fight— Dad can still kick my ass. Hell, the last guy who challenged him is missing an ear, three fingers and his tail.”

Porter whistled between his teeth before asking, “So no joining back up with the pack when we go visit?”

“Nope.” Chase smiled fondly. “Actually I promised to stick around here and help Puck with his job.”

“You’re going to wait tables?”

“No! His other job.”

Porter frowned, “Puck has another job?”

“You’re never gonna believe this.. but he hears dead people.” his friend declared with a wide smile. “Kinda like John Edwards…only nuts.”

“Puck has clairaudience? For real, he hears them?!”

“Yeah, he’s linked to them.” Chase went on to explain. “Something happened when he became a vampire and now he‘s all Ghost Whisperer.”

Porter’s mind was awhirl, it explained so much to him. The backfire from his tracking spell. Puck knowing Chase was a werewolf without being told. Talisa’s crystal failing to work properly. There was Puck’s knowledge of teas and broths not to mention creative use of a car battery. And his rabid obsession over a vow to care for Chase…It was because he was a medium!

“Can Puck do anything else?!” Porter demanded. “Can he see them? Does he go into a trance when he talks to them? Do they talk through him?”

“Question one: Puck is immune to sunlight and can turn into mist. You saw him booking it out the door. Question two: I don’t think he can see them because he refers to them as The Voices. Question three: He seems to talk to them normally but I notice sometimes the lights upstairs flickering. Felissia says it happens when Puck is or will get upset.”

Chase snorted, “And question four? Hell yeah they talk through him, they possess his ass! And they do freaky blasts of cold air when pissed off.”

“A real case of spirit possession!” Porter exclaimed in delight. “I officially change my opinion of him. He’s a severely cracked sonofabitch but has the most unique abilities I’ve ever seen.”

“Porter, you’d probably be fucked up too if you got raped.”

The excitement visibly drained from the young sorcerer. First his eyes went wide, then he took in a sharp breath as his face emptied of almost all color. Then Porter slowly drew a hand to cover his mouth as his jaw dropped at a snail’s pace.

“Remember how tore up I was when our parents died?” Chase inquired and Porter nodded mutely. “Puck got worse and he still has scars.”

“Oh…fuck. ”

“Don’t let on you know about that, okay? You blab, it might set Puck off and I’d hate to see what that looks like.”

Porter nodded, “And then there would be Felissia and Talisa to deal with.”

Both young men winced, each for their respective reasons.

“Talisa would hate me forever.” Porter moaned.

“Gray would use me as a dart board for every piece of silverware she owns.”

“Na-a, they’d probably just yell at you a lot.” argued a new voice from the top of the stairs. The werewolf and his friend looked up and saw Puck standing at the door with a wide grin.

“Miss Felissia and Witchy Poo are having a long girl talk so Puck decided to come back.” he announced coming downstairs. “The Voices said you were talking about Mikel.”

“Mikel?” Chase said. He tried to remember where he’d heard that name before and it took him a moment before he recalled Felissia calling Puck that name.

Puck nodded, “Mikel Durant, Maeve’s brother. He’s one of the Voices, you were talking about him.”
“We were talking about— ” Porter began before Chase slapped his hand over his friend’s mouth.

“Yeah Puck, we were talking about him.” the werewolf said with a false sense of airiness. “We don’t know too much though, but you do right?”

“Uh huh, Puck hears him at times.”

“So what does he say— Mikel that is. ” Chase said through a fake smile as he removed his hand from Porter’s mouth. His friend got the message.

“He mostly screams.” Puck replied. “Says his sister’s name sometimes but he pretty much always screams.”

“Why?” Porter asked.

“He saw— ” the vampire frowned and a distant look crossed his features. Chase knew it for what it was and wasn’t surprised when Puck said casually, “You really shouldn’t ask him these kinds of things.”

“And hello to all of you as well.” Chase muttered and the Voices laughed tugging Puck’s voice in several directions at once.

“Porter meet the Voices. Voices, you already know Porter.” the werewolf introduced.

“Now, now Chase Damien. After all we’ve done you really ought to be nice.” the Voices replied. “There’s no need to be rude.”

“So you’re the Voices, the Ones Who have Come Before, the all knowing spirits! ” Porter exclaimed. The Voices gave him a sour look as the young man continued to gush.

“You have no idea how much this means to me. Actually speaking to the all knowing spirits. I have so many questions…”

“Keep’em short. Puck can wake up at any moment and we’d hate to explain why you’re going on and on about something he has no idea about.” The Voices flashed a bright smile eerily similar to Puck’s own. “’K-ay?”

“Oh sure!” Porter replied. “So uh, how many of you are in there with Puck?”

“Fifty, give or take.” The Voices answered with a droll expression. The young man whooped in delighted amazement.

“Do you recall your names? What are they? Ho— ”

The Voices interrupted him by making the sound of a buzzer and announced brightly, “I’m sorry your time is up! Enjoy your consolation prize and remember…”

The playful Voices’ expression turned dark, “You fuck around with Puck, we’ll go Silent Hill on your ass. Ta!”

A moment later Puck let out a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes. He noted the pallor of Porter’s skin and Chase with his hands over his mouth.

What did you do now ! he demanded of the Voices who began giggling in delight.

We made sure the neighborhood sorcerer didn’t decide to curse you because his crush likes you better than him.

Puck sighed, He wouldn’t have cursed me.

Oh really, a few of the Voices retorted while the others continued to laugh. Ask him what all he was doing today. Ask about those black thorn vines he went and bought.

“Porter did you buy some black thorn vines today.” Puck asked politely. If it were at all possible, Porter went paler. Chase turned on him.

“Now I may not be Harry Potter or fucking Merlin but I know enough about spell ingredients that those vines are for ba— d shit.”

“H-how did you …?” Porter stammered and when Puck gave him a hurt look, he rushed to explain. “I thought you were doing it purposely, making me look bad in front of Talisa.”

“Puck, thinks he should go now…” he replied and before Chase or Porter could stop him, he was already mist and sped from the room.