Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

It was late. Darkness still smothered Whixton in its embrace, but it would not last forever. Nicoli checked his watch again as he kept up a speedy pace beside Ethan. He hoped they finished this up quick so he could get home in plenty of time before his parent’s woke up…and so he could catch a couple Z’s before school.

At the moment, though, he had more pressing things to worry about, like why Ethan hadn’t said one word to him since they left the park. The whole family was heading over to Ethan’s small hotel room to take a look at Deloris’ book and, since there was so many of them, they had to go in small groups to avoid suspicion. Ethan and Nicoli were first, with Gavin and Felix not too far behind them. Then there was Andre and Cora, and bringing up the rear was none other than Faith and Conrad.

Nicoli side glanced at Ethan. He was staring straight ahead of him and if looks could kill the next person to wander by them would drop dead instantly. What had happened? Nicoli kept trying to remind himself that he should still be seething over Ethan’s previous actions, but now he could feel nothing but worry.

“So…your family seems pretty nice. Andre’s a bit too grabby, but other than that they all seem pretty decent,” Nicoli said after the silence had just become too much.

“Mm-hmm.”

Nicoli’s face fell. That’s not what he wanted to hear.

“And it’s great they seem so accepting of me. After the rocky start they warmed up quite quickly, which really surprised me.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The anger was coming back.

“Hey, look, a giant purple hippo in a tutu just crossed the road. Don’t see that everyday.”

“Nope, that you don’t.”

That was it. Nicoli planted himself right in front of the other and placed his hands on Ethan’s upper arms to stop him.

“Okay, just what the hell is going on?” Nicoli demanded.

A blond brow rose as Ethan was knocked out of his consuming thoughts and confronted by the angry teen.

“Going on?” Ethan asked, feigning ignorance.

“Yes, you’ve been off kilter since you came back from talking to your dad.” Nicoli huffed, but his features softened when he continued. “What happened? I thought everything was cool since you got his acceptance, but…you’re not the least bit happy. Why?”

“Of course I’m happy. I’m overjoyed,” Ethan said, his words ringing hollow. He looked back to see if the next duo were closing in on them before taking Nicoli by the arm and continuing on their way. “It’s just that sometimes, in order to get what you want, you have to make some sacrifices and this little journey is going to cost something that I wasn’t anticipating.”

Nicoli was only further confused as he was pulled along. Sacrifice something? What did that mean?

“What is it going to cost you?” Nicoli asked.

Ethan was silent for a time. A teal eye then glanced at Nicoli for the briefest of moments.

“It’s nothing to concern yourself with. Don’t worry over nothing.”

Nicoli felt like he had to worry. Not about what Conrad had said to Ethan, but about Ethan himself. He had never seen the vampire so upset and, for an unknown reason to him, it made his chest twist and his stomach feel sick.

“Ethan, come on, you can tell me. I’m your official partner now, remember?” Nicoli coaxed gently through the mind link, but something was amiss. He could feel his words not getting through. They left his mind, but never made it to their destination. Ethan had shut off his mind to everyone and everything, including Nicoli.

**************************************************************

Nicoli sighed when he entered the warm hotel room. He hadn’t realized how cold it was outside but he relished the heat taking the chill off his limbs all the same. Without hesitation Nicoli stripped off his jacket and went into the bathroom.

The faucet ran for a couple of minutes before the water turned hot. Nicoli plugged the drain to fill up the sink and lay his jacket on the counter with the bloodied sleeve submerged in the rising water. He had to prevent lasting staining before the jacket was completely ruined. If anything Nicoli could always lie to his mother and say he cut himself and that’s where the blood had come from. It was close enough to the truth for him.

As Nicoli was washing the dried blood off his wrist he happened to glimpse into the mirror. His reflection looked back and behind his twin he could see Ethan watching him from the doorway.

“What?” Nicoli snapped as he snatched up a nearby bar of soap and began to scrub at his crusty wrist. “You decide to stop being the brooding, oh-woe-as-me, creature of the night and actually talk to me?”

Once again Nicoli was pissed. He had decided to let bygones be bygones with Ethan’s earlier offense and tried to be sympathetic and supportive when the vampire seemed so miserable. And what did Ethan do? Shut him out and disregard any compassion Nicoli had to offer.

There was no reply and Nicoli didn’t care because he hadn’t expected one. Instead he put his focus back on his cleaning as he soaped up the sleeve. A soft sigh pricked his ears and Nicoli jumped in surprise when Ethan’s hands appeared on the counter on either side of him. He was further perplexed when the weight of the vampire’s body leaned against his back. Nicoli was about to growl at him to get off when Ethan said something wholly unexpected.

“I’m sorry.”

Nicoli blinked and looked into the mirror at Ethan’s reflection.

“Excuse me?” he asked. He was further confused when the vampire’s chin rested on his shoulder and their cheeks touched.

“I’m sorry I’m such an ass and that I cause you stress and anger all the time. Tonight has been one bad turn after another for you and I’m sorry I didn’t take your feelings seriously when you were upset. I’m lucky to have you around at all in helping my sorry ass, and I should appreciate you more.”

Nicoli could only stare at Ethan’s reflection that stared back. He was flabbergasted. Ethan had apologized and not just any kind of apology. It was one filled with such sincere remorse that it caused Nicoli pause.

“Are you…are you feeling okay?” Nicoli asked as he touched the back of his finger’s to Ethan’s forehead, to see if the vampire was succumbing to some sort of delirium. His answer was the brush of Ethan’s lips against his knuckles and strong arm’s slowly and cautiously slipping around Nicoli’s waist, seeing if they would be pushed away. But Nicoli could not reject the embrace. He was far too intrigued by what was unfolding before his eyes.

“I’m fine, I’m just realizing that you didn’t choose for all of this to happen to you and I’m not making your experience any easier. I just want you to know how sorry I am for everything you have gone through and will go through in the future. It’s the least I can do,” Ethan explained as he held Nicoli tight against him, but there was also a touch of tenderness to it.

Nicoli couldn’t help the heat that rose in his face. It was the first time he had seen such a gentle and open side to Ethan. He had seen a hint of it earlier with that non-too distant soft kiss, but Nicoli never thought he’d see anything more of it.

“Thanks, I guess,” Nicoli said uncertainly, not sure how to take all this, but ever so slowly, Nicoli let a smile show on his face and he leaned back against Ethan. “Really, thanks. I think I needed to hear that from you.” He then tentatively placed his hands over the vampire’s and relaxed fully into the hug. Nicoli couldn’t believe he was giving into Ethan’s sweet actions without a fight, but Nicoli found he just couldn’t help himself. Tit for tat he supposed.

Ethan shared in his smile, but made a face when the human abruptly chuckled.

“You’re just trying to kiss up now to make up for the next time you piss me off, aren’t you?” Nicoli asked with a grin.

“Not my first intention, actually. Let’s just call that icing on the cake,” Ethan said with his good humored smile returning. He then tempted the Fates by gently brushing back Nicoli’s hair and pressing a kiss on the boy’s neck, right below the ear.

Nicoli shivered at the unexpected, but undeniably pleasant, contact and his hand reached up to rest on the back of Ethan’s neck and fingers burrowed into the golden locks they found there.

Ethan glided his lips down the smooth expanse of skin and as he did he could feel Nicoli’s pulse quicken. Ethan heard a light sigh pass those delectable lips and was very aware that the sigh carried his name with it. His grip tightened on the boy. I’m such a despicable bastard, Ethan thought to himself and only to himself as he lightly nibbled the willing flesh of Nicoli’s neck. Nicoli was lined up for death in one way or another, with Ethan as his executioner, and here he was taking advantage of Nicoli’s sweet trust. He truly was a monster.

If Nicoli was aware of Ethan’s conflicting emotions, he didn’t show it. Instead he had positively melted into the other man’s arms and was fully enjoying the heated kisses on his neck. He remembered vaguely that it was at these moments that Nicoli had to be on his guard. That he couldn’t give into Ethan’s advances, but a part of him was so tired; tired of always being angry and always having to resist. To just give into the sensations that his body craved most was heaven and, for a moment, Nicoli didn’t care that he was teetering on a very dangerous fence.

Then, all at once, Ethan was gone. Nicoli’s eyes snapped open and he stumbled back when the vampire released him and withdrew from the bathroom in the blink of an eye. Nicoli stared after the other in confusion before a dark scowl overtook his puzzlement.

“Ethan, what the fucking –” Nicoli immediately hushed when he heard the door to the room opened and Ethan give a soft greeting to Gavin. Now Nicoli understood and he blessed Ethan for being aware of their surroundings. The last thing Nicoli wanted was to have someone catch them in their intimate little moments.

They weren’t supposed to be having “intimate little moments” in the first place, Nicoli reminded himself as he quickly splashed his face with the water pooled in the sink to cool his flushed face. He then washed his neck to rinse away any sort of evidence that Ethan’s lips had been there. What had Nicoli been thinking? Again Ethan’s words had really affected him and Nicoli was beginning to realize how addicting those sweet words could be. Felix hadn’t been exaggerating in the least.

Nicoli finished up and exited the bathroom to go meet with the others.

“Ah, there’s the meatbag,” Felix said with his normal smirk. “I thought you were hiding from us or something,” he said as he appeared beside the other boy and just grinned wider at the glare he received.

“Yeah, right, like I’m scared of you, Casper,” Nicoli retorted with a roll of his eyes. He then looked up curiously when Gavin approached him. The man was even more intimidating up close.

“Excuse me, Nicoli, but I would like to check something,” he said, and without further explanation he guided the boy to stand beside Ethan.

Nicoli glanced at Ethan, his question showing in his eyes and the vampire gave him an encouraging smile in answer. Nicoli jumped when Gavin’s hand was placed on the side of his head.

“Don’t be frightened,” Gavin told Nicoli as he placed his other hand on the side of Ethan’s head in the same way. “I just want to see how strong the link between the two of you is.” With that Gavin closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

The feeling that followed sent a shiver up and down Nicoli’s spine. He was getting used having Ethan in his head, but now a distinct new feeling was brushing against his mind. It wasn’t a direct caress, like when Ethan was trying to get his attention, but one that was skittering just on the outskirts of his thoughts, unable to encroach further. It was quite interesting.

Nicoli’s eyes closed and he grunted in slight discomfort when that light brush then began to apply pressure. First it was in one spot then all over. The feeling then lessened and moved off him, but Nicoli could still feel the invading presence in the vaguest of sense. That’s when he realized Gavin was now applying his attentions to Ethan, but Nicoli could still feel it. The man wasn’t just testing their willpower; he was analyzing the mind link itself.

Then it was over. Nicoli blinked open his eyes and shook out his body when the presence retreated.

“I’m impressed,” Gavin said, making the human look up at him. “It could be stronger, but for now it is a stable link. I’m rather surprised that someone of your low mental level could construct something so complicated. You’ve made me proud,” he told Ethan and though his lips did not upturn, his eyes lit up with an inner smile.

Ethan laughed and gave a slap to Gavin’s shoulder.

“As always you know how to insult and compliment me at the same time.”

“In case you didn’t know,” Felix whispered into a confused Nicoli’s ear. “Gavin is basically the teacher of the family.”

“Really?” Nicoli whispered back as the two men continued to talk to each other.

“Yep, both his physical and mental prowess are unmatched by most. Even Conrad and Faith would have trouble if they ever got into a real fight with Gavin. So, Gavin serves as an instructor for any new vampires in the clan and keeps everyone in top form. Always pushing them to make them stronger. It’s quite an amazing sight, really. I’ve watched Ethan train with Gavin a few times and it was unlike anything I had ever seen.”

“Wow…” Nicoli muttered in awe. If Gavin was the cream of the crop he wondered just what the vampire was capable of.

Soon enough the rest of the clan arrived. The hotel seemed even smaller with so many people in it and Conrad looked around with a critical eye.

“This is where you’ve been staying? In this run down little hole?” he asked.

Nicoli gave him a funny look before glancing around himself. He had seen far worse hotels. This one was quaint and rather cozy. He wasn’t sure what Conrad was complaining about.

“Jeeze, your dad is just a snob, isn’t he?” Nicoli asked through the mind link.

Ethan abruptly snorted in laughter and tried to cover it with a cough when he received funny looks. Ethan regained his composer and cleared his throat.

“Well, shall we get started?” he asked the clan.

“Sure, might as well see what all the fuss is about,” Andre answered, but then a devious smile crept along his face. “Unless we want to take a quick break to…refuel,” he said, running a finger down Nicoli’s neck.

The human jumped and quickly put some distance between him and the eye patched vampire while covering his neck with his hands.

“Whoa, hey, I am not a snack,” Nicoli growled at Andre, who only laughed in amusement.

“Andre, stop picking on my human,” Ethan said and it didn’t escape his notice that Nicoli’s glare turned to him. “Nicoli, if you’d be so kind, could you get the book?” he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the dresser it was being kept in.

Nicoli grumbled incoherently as he strode over to the dresser and opened the correct drawer. It was tucked under a few articles of Ethan’s clothes and was still wrapped in the sheet from Deloris’ house. It was the first time Nicoli had seen it since that night and as he lifted it into his hands he could feel his heart race a little. They were finally going to see what secrets lay inside.

Everyone gathered around as Nicoli set the book on the small, round table that was pulled out near the middle of the room. He slowly unwrapped it and he could practically feel the buzz of excitement that rippled over the vampires.

“And you found this in Deloris Mary-Weather’s house?” Conrad asked.

“That’s right,” Ethan replied. “It was hidden in a secret room inside the house, which, I might add, that we may never have found if it wasn’t for Nicoli,” he said proudly as he placed his hand on the human’s shoulder.

Nicoli couldn’t help but beam in pride. The praise was nice and reinforced his importance within the clan.

“My, my, to think of all the times we searched Whixton, thinking something was here, and we never found this,” Faith murmured in awe. She was currently sitting on top of the table since she was too short to see anything from the floor.

“It is promising, isn’t it?” Conrad said softly as his eyes devoured the book. “It has Last Hopes insignia on it and everything. To think, we may be one step closer…” Conrad ran a finger down the cover of the book and didn’t seem fazed when the tip of his finger began to sizzle and smoke. The burned flesh hissed when Conrad placed it on his tongue to cool it. “Andre, you’re on.”

“Yes, sir,” Andre said and rubbed his hands together in delight. “Nicoli, could I have your help?”

“Um, sure, what do you need me to do?” Nicoli asked.

“Since you are the only one who can touch the book could you hold it on its side so I can get at the lock easier? Yes, just like that,” Andre said as the boy tilted the book so it was resting on its spine with the golden lock facing the ceiling. Then Andre began fiddling with a ring on his finger. It seemed as though the band was made of silver – which would be ridiculous unless he was a masochist – and in the center was a smooth oval ruby.

Nicoli watched curiously as one of Andre’s nails wedged itself into the side of the ruby and with a pop it came off. The boy was further perplexed when what looked like bits of wire were sticking up out of the center of the ring.

“What’s that?” Nicoli asked as Andre slipped the ring off his finger.

“This, my dear boy, is a lock picker’s best friend,” the vampire answered as he lined the ring up with the lock and inserted it into the hole. It was a perfect fit.

“Careful, Andre,” Faith warned as she watched intently. She had a bad feeling about this and her feelings were usually right.

“Don’t worry, my little baby doll, I know what I’m doing. I’ll pop this puppy open in nothing flat.” Andre then grew quiet as he concentrated on his task; a turn here, a jiggle there, nothing to it for Andre. It was trickier than normal locks since Andre had to make sure neither of his hands made contact with the book.

As everyone soon learned the book didn’t need contact with vampire flesh to activate. Both Nicoli and Andre cried out when the book began to glow and felt as though it was as hot as the sun.

Andre jerked back from the table and through the ring to the floor before it could melt into his skin. The second the ring hit the carpet it liquefied into a small puddle of metal.

Nicoli, meanwhile, jumped back and began waving his hands frantically. They were burning up! He gasped when Cora took his hands in hers and held them tightly. The chill of her undead skin immediately cooled his hands and he let out a shuddering breath in relief.

“Thank you,” he said with a shaky smile that Cora matched as she patted his hands.

“No problem,” she said as she took a good look at his hands. “Doesn’t seem to be any damage.” The palms of Nicoli’s hands were an angry red, but they weren’t burned or injured. When Cora released the human’s hands Ethan caught her eye. The faintest hint of a smile played on his lips and he gave the barest of nods.

“Thank you.” he said mentally.

Cora tore her eyes away from Ethan and busied herself by checking on Nicoli one last time.

“Think nothing of it,” she replied. “A friend of yours is a friend of mine, and besides, he’s just a boy. Boys always need looking after.”

“Well, damn it,” Andre grumbled as he pried the hardened metal out of the fabric of the carpet. “This was one of my favorites.” It gleamed in the light as he studied his ruined ring.

“I told you to be careful,” Faith told him.

“It’s to be expected,” Gavin said with a sigh as he leaned his hands on the table and stared at the book. “If this is an important secret crafted by Last Hope they wouldn’t make it easy enough for any average thief to break open.”

“I resent that,” Andre murmured as he slipped the metal piece into his pocket.

“Regardless, success can only be found through a series of failures,” Conrad said sagely. “We won’t give up so easily.”

And so, the vampires set out to open the obstinate book any way they could: They tried using their collective mental power to force the book open, Gavin took it upon himself to try and pry the book open with his bare hands, which resulted in his hands becoming badly burned, and Andre even snuck into the supply room of the hotel and stole a hammer to bash the lock off, but all of their efforts proved futile.

After an hour of failed attempt after failed attempt, Faith and Gavin did the only thing they could. The two currently had the book back on the table with their hands hovering just mere inches above it with their eyes closed.

It was explained to Nicoli that the two were trying to analyze the book with their mental abilities. Since Faith was small in size her physical strength was weaker than the others, but her mental power outshined all of the clan. The only one who had a chance of rivaling her was Gavin and that’s why they were set on the task of examining the mysterious book.

“Do you have anything yet?” Andre asked impatiently. With nothing to do the others were lounging around the room, waiting for news. Conrad paced the floor, as only Conrad could do best. Andre had sat himself in a free chair with Cora sitting on the floor in front of him so he could play with her hair and Ethan, Felix, and Nicoli occupied the bed.

“Have you ever heard that “patience is a virtue”? If not I highly recommend that you look into it,” Gavin grumbled, but didn’t break his concentration.

Andre sighed irritably and rolled his eye. Gavin was such a wet blanket sometimes. His gaze traveled to the bed. Ethan and Felix were sitting on the end of the bed, watching the television on mute so as not to disturb the others, but Nicoli was lying down at the head of the bed and Andre realized that the boy hadn’t moved in quite awhile.

With a warning pat to his fledglings head, Andre got up from the chair and cautiously approached the bed. The human was lying on his side and his eyes were closed while soft, even breathing rolled from his lips. Andre couldn’t help but smile. The boy was such a cute little thing.

Andre was well aware that Ethan was watching him as he slowly kneeled on the bed and leaned over Nicoli. With the gentleness of a lover, Andre moved the strands of hair away from the human’s face and tucked it behind Nicoli’s ear.

“You’re not falling asleep on us, are you?” Andre whispered softly and his voice carried a purr to it. He watched as Nicoli stirred and opened his eyes just a crack. Nicoli looked at Andre and stared at him for a moment, but he didn’t seem overly perturbed that the vampire was so close to him.

“That was the idea,” Nicoli murmured before grabbing his pillow and putting it over his head, effectively ignoring Andre.

A deep chuckle rumbled in Andre’s chest.

“Sleeping in a room full of vampires. That’s a lot of trust you have.” Andre was about to pull the pillow away to see more of that pretty face, and maybe get a little nip at the boy’s neck, when a tug stopped him. Fingers dug into the back of his pants and with one, good yank Andre was sent rolling onto his back. The vampire was left staring at an upside down TV as his head dangled over the end of the bed. A few more inches and he would have tumbled right off the bed.

“I’m not going to say this again,” Ethan said as he placed his hand on the other side of Andre so his cousin was trapped between his arm and his hip. “Hands off my human.”

“Awwwe, Ethan, don’t tell me you’re starting to catch Gavin’s wet blanket disease,” Andre huffed with a pout as he tried to wiggle away, but to no avail. “We’re family and family is supposed to share. You can’t hog him all to yourself.”

“Oh yeah? Watch me,” Ethan challenged as he held the other down.

“Andre, the boy isn’t some kind of toy,” Cora said disapprovingly as she took a seat in the abandoned chair.

“Toy or not, it doesn’t give Ethan liberty to tell me what I can and can’t do,” Andre said and, with an impressive turn of his body, pulled Ethan off balance and sent them both falling to the floor. Once there the two started to wrestle, but the family didn’t pay much mind to it being serious since the two men began to laugh as they rolled around.

“Jesus Christ, can’t you guys wait till commercial?” Felix snapped as he turned up the volume to tune them out.

The ruckus didn’t distract Faith or Gavin in the least. They continued their probing and prodding while trying not to activate the books defense mechanism. Finally, Faith sighed as she lowered her hands to her lap and opened her eyes. Her features were very troubled.

“Are you getting the same feeling I am, Gavin?” she asked softly, though she already knew the answer.

“I’m afraid so,” he replied. Gavin’s voice had hardened, the new information they had learned didn’t put him in the highest of spirits.

That was enough to draw Conrad out of his pacing.

“What is wrong?” Conrad asked as he came to the table and was followed by everyone else, except for Nicoli who was sleeping soundly once more.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we will not be able to get into this book on our own,” Gavin informed him.

“What? And why is that?” Conrad questioned.

“I’m afraid it is beyond our capabilities, Father,” Faith told him. “It is enchanted with a very powerful, high level magic spell. Something we, as vampires, can’t negate. The only way we’re going to be able to break it is if we enlist the help of a witch with equal or higher abilities.”

A groan issued from a few of the family members. Vampires and witches weren’t enemies, but the two races weren’t on the friendliest of terms either. To find a witch that would be willing to help the clan in their endeavors would be nearly impossible.

Ethan and Felix shared a glance. They both knew that the only witch family in the area were the Fairbrooke’s and that they had a direct link to at least one of the Fairbrooke’s, but it would be to much of a risk to Nicoli and the clan if they exploited that connection. That and given Ethan and Amelia’s first meeting, it was certain the little witch, and possibly her entire family, would refuse to help.

“How perfect,” Conrad grumbled as he raked his fingers through his hair. “Are you sure it’s the only way?” The clan leader gnawed at his lip when he received two nods. “Even if we did find someone, I am reluctant to have outside help.”

“A bit paranoid, are we?” Andre asked as he teased his finger over the cover of the book.

“Do not confuse caution for paranoia, my friend,” Conrad murmured. “If even a whisper gets out that we are on some sort of lead it could get back to him and I’ll be damned if that bastard has any sort of jump on us.”

Conrad’s ear perked when he heard a rustle from the bed and turned to see Nicoli sitting up and was obviously heavy with grog.

“Take the boy home,” Conrad ordered Ethan in a low tone. “He is useless to us for the moment and I want him out of my presence.”

“Yes, sir,” Ethan said, knowing that his sire wanted time to contemplate on the situation and having Nicoli there – who was still considered an outsider – would only serve as a distraction.

Ethan walked over to the bed and placed his hand on Nicoli’s shoulder. The teen was obviously still sleepy as he stared at the vampire with half-lidded, bleary eyes.

“Hey, let’s get you home, okay?”

“Did you guys open the book?” Nicoli asked as he rubbed at his eyes.

“Not exactly. We’ve hit a bit of a snag.”

*******************************************************************

Nicoli rubbed his arm as he walked. His sleeve had still been wet when he put it on, so his arm was freezing.

“So, let me get this straight,” Nicoli said as he looked over to Ethan, who was walking beside him. “We can’t open the book without the help from a witch because of the spell that’s on the book? Do I have that right?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Ethan replied.

“Greeeat, how wonderful. Do you guys know any witches that would be willing to do that for you?”

“Not any that are personal friends of the family. There is a chance we could hire one, but if they aren’t strong enough to break the spell then that would be a waste of time and a risk of information being leaked. A precaution we always have to be aware of,” Ethan explained.

“Jeeze, we never get a break, do we?” Nicoli asked with a sigh.

Ethan laughed.

“Of course not. That would make everything far too easy.”

“So…what are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure, but Conrad will think of something. He always does.”

The two walked on in silence. The only sound that filled the still night was Nicoli’s footsteps. Each had their own thoughts about the situation at hand, but neither listened in on the others reflections. That was when Nicoli decided to speak of one of his man thoughts.

“Ethan, can I ask you about something Conrad said?” he asked.

“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Ethan and Nicoli shared a chuckle at the play of words.

“Well, when I was waking up I heard Conrad say something like if word got out of what we were doing it could get back to him and your dad wasn’t exactly happy about that. Who was Conrad talking about?” Nicoli inquired. He waited patiently when Ethan didn’t answer right away. A grave expression overtook the vampire’s smile and it only reinforced Nicoli’s curiosity.

“I suppose there would be no harm in telling you, since you’ll probably find out in one way or another anyway,” Ethan finally said and took a deep, collective breath before continuing. “Conrad was referring to a vampire named Dimitri. He is the leader of his own clan and, well, our clans have been rivals for many years.”

“Oooh, I get it, so Conrad doesn’t want his rival finding out that we have the book. That makes since,” Nicoli said, thinking it reasonable.

“There’s something else,” Ethan said before the subject could be dropped.

“…What’s that?”

Ethan paused again. The information he was about to give was a long, suffering pain that his father had dealt with for years.

“Dimitri…is Conrad’s brother.”

Nicoli reacted just as Ethan had anticipated. The human stopped in his tracks and stared at the vampire in utter disbelief.

“His brother? No way. You just mean his vampire brother, right, not his brother, brother.”

“He’s both, actually,” Ethan answered, which only caused Nicoli’s eyes to widen further. “Dimitri is Conrad’s biological older brother and Blood Brother. We call people like that Twice Siblings. Conrad also had another Twice Sibling, his oldest brother Isaak, but…he died before I was even turned.”

Nicoli’s mind reeled. He hadn’t seen that coming at all. Twice Siblings. One brother dead and another a rival. It was all too tremendous to wrap around his brain.

“Wait, so…when you say rivals, do you mean the usual brotherly rival, or do you mean–”

“Dimitri is our enemy,” Ethan finished for him. “The most cunning and devious of enemies and he and his clan want nothing more than to spill our blood in battle and us them.”

“But, if Dimitri is Conrad’s brother that means he’s your uncle, and related to everyone else in the clan as well. You guys are all family. How can family become enemies?” Nicoli asked. His heart almost broke at the pained expression Ethan had as the man peered up into the partly cloudy sky.

“In some cases there is no difference between friend and foe, just like, in our case, there is no difference between family and enemy. Like I told you before, these Hearts have ripped people apart in the worst ways, and this is one of the ways I was talking about.”

“That’s so horrible,” Nicoli murmured. A deep sympathy welled in his chest for Ethan and his family, especially for Conrad. “But how did that happen? What could turn Conrad and Dimitri against each other?”

Ethan sighed as he slung his arm around Nicoli’s shoulders and continued their excursion.

“It’s a long story. Too long to tell in the minimal time you have tonight. All you need to know, for now, is that Dimitri did not see eye-to-eye with Conrad and Isaak’s moral’s or beliefs and so he branched off and started his own clan that was shaped in his image. It’s a conflict we have been dealing with for awhile and one we may never overcome,” Ethan told him. “And the reason I am telling you this now is because your allegiance is with us, which puts you right in the thick of our rivalry. You’re as much a target as myself or the others.”

“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Nicoli grumbled as he scowled at Ethan. “You couldn’t have warned me about any of that before I agreed to this?”

“I didn’t want to scare you away,” Ethan said with a grin.

“Prick,” Nicoli muttered, but found himself huddling closer to Ethan and finding comfort in the arm that was around him. The prospect that he could be on the receiving end of the wrath of Conrad’s brother was terrifying. A long family feud was something no one should get involved in, whether they were vampire or human. Nicoli had one glimmer of hope, though. There was no certainty that he would even meet Dimitri or his clan. Nicoli could glide on by without witnessing any deadly family squabbles…it was unlikely, but a possibility Nicoli was determined to hold onto.

Soon enough the two arrived at Nicoli’s house. The teen looked up at his window then at the sky. It was late. He was exhausted. What made it worse was that he was only going to get a couple more hours of sleep before he had to get up for school and go take his dreaded math test. He was going to fail. He just knew it.

“Well, you know the drill,” Ethan said, drawing Nicoli back to reality.

The human turned to see Ethan had his arms held out, waiting for Nicoli, who sighed. The only way in and out of his room was through his window and the only way to do that without falling to his death was to have Ethan use his mighty vampiric powers.

“All right, let’s just do this,” Nicoli said as he trudged over to Ethan and slipped his arms around the vampire’s neck. Arms were quick to tuck under Nicoli’s legs and around his back to hold him securely.

With a mighty leap, Ethan sent them hurtling into the air and made it to Nicoli’s window in a flash. That’s where he hovered as the window opened with invisible help.

Nicoli had learned awhile ago from these late night excursions that Ethan couldn’t really fly. The ability was more of a temporary hover, but one that was useful nevertheless.

With Ethan’s help Nicoli clambered into his room. His lack of grace nearly had him face planting into the floor, but he recovered just in time to see Ethan slip through the window with ease.

“Show off,” Nicoli grumbled as he peeled off his jacket and tossed it haphazardly at his computer chair. A yip from the bed drew his attention and a wide smile immediately followed. “Hey, there’s my baby boy, did you miss me?” Nicoli asked as he ruffled Beethoven’s ears and gave the dog many pets.

“Man, tonight was just insane,” Nicoli said as he turned on the light so he could see better. “And we didn’t even get the book open. How depressing.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll crack it open one way or another,” Ethan said reassuringly as he looked around the boy’s room. “Nicoli, there’s something I have to ask you,” he said after awhile.

“Okay.” Nicoli stared at the vampire as he sat on the bed beside Beethoven, who demanded more pets.

“What is the true reason you decided to go along with my crazy idea? Why did you agree?” Ethan asked. His tone and face showed he was being completely serious. Something that always unnerved Nicoli.

The teen didn’t answer for awhile. He tried to think of the correct answer behind his motives, but could think of none.

“I don’t really know myself,” Nicoli finally answered. “Maybe because I just wanted to, or because I was bored, or because I wanted to feel important. I don’t know. I just agreed to do it and that’s that.” He stood up as he looked Ethan over carefully. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, I suppose,” Ethan replied as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I’ll be going now. I know you’re tired and you should get some rest. You’ve had a tough night.” Ethan made to disappear through the window when a tug on his sleeve stopped him. He turned to see what Nicoli wanted and surprise filled every fiber of his being when the human’s warm, soft lips pressed against his.

Ethan could only stand there as Nicoli’s arms wrapped around his neck and the boy’s body relaxed against his own. It wasn’t hard for Ethan to give in to the sweet, endearing kiss. One arm slipped around Nicoli’s slim waist and his other hand held the back of the human’s head.

The kiss was innocent at first, but soon the mouths opened up to each other and Ethan tentatively ran his tongue along Nicoli’s bottom lip. He did not expect to be accepted so easily, but Nicoli’s own tongue drew Ethan’s into his mouth in invitation. The kiss was neither aggressive nor fierce, but remained slow and sensual. The two tongues danced around and against each other, exploring every secret the other offered willingly.

It was too soon when Nicoli pulled away. Ethan stared into the deep, mesmerizing blue of Nicoli’s eyes, wondering if that had really just happened. They continued to be wrapped in each other’s arms, though, so it couldn’t have been an illusion.

“Now what in the world possessed you to do that?” Ethan asked. “I thought you were highly against any sort of unnecessary touching?”

Nicoli smiled softly at him and, to Ethan bewilderment, stared at the vampire with nothing but pure affection.

“You just looked like you needed a kiss,” Nicoli said, using Ethan’s own words to explain his actions. Nicoli then leaned forward to graze Ethan’s lips with his own, but before another kiss could ensue Nicoli head fell to the vampire’s chest. “Plus, I’m deliriously tired,” he said as he snuggled into Ethan’s shirt.

Ethan chuckled and held Nicoli to him in a tender embrace, relishing the contact and the human’s warmth.

“So, you’re saying if I want to get any sort of attention out of you I have to wait until you’re almost passed out from exhaustion?” Ethan asked in amusement.

“Yep, that about sums it up,” Nicoli replied as he lifted his head to look up at the other. “Ethan, I want you to do me one favor.”

“What’s that?” Ethan asked curiously.

Nicoli’s hand brushed against Ethan’s wavy bangs before he stroked the vampire’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Please, don’t be sad anymore,” Nicoli pleaded. “It’s just…not you. It’s all wrong for you to be sad and miserable. You’re the kind of guy that’s supposed to be happy. Your face just lights up when you’re smiling and it makes me feel better when you do. It makes me feel safe and secure when you smile. But seeing you sad makes me sad. It’s just not right.”

Ethan couldn’t help but give Nicoli the smile he asked for. He cupped the human’s cheek with his hand and his smile softened even further when Nicoli leaned into it.

“All right, I’ll try not to be sad or upset around you anymore. If that’s what you really want,” Ethan said.

“It is.”

Nicoli was so irresistible in that moment that Ethan just had to lean in for another kiss. The touch of their lips was delectable and intoxicating. Ethan could have kissed Nicoli for the rest of the night, but the boy pulled away and rested his head against Ethan’s chest once more.

They stayed like that, entangled in each other’s arms for a few moments. It was when Nicoli’s body began getting heavy did Ethan realize he was starting to fall asleep in the vampire’s arms.

With a last kiss to the top of Nicoli’s head, Ethan picked him up and gently laid him down in his bed. After removing Nicoli’s shoes he pulled the covers over the boy, who didn’t stir. Nicoli was asleep.

Ethan stared down at Nicoli for awhile and smiled. He really was a sweet kid when he wanted to be. As Ethan stood there he had the thought that no one could kill someone like Nicoli. Not if they knew him. It gave the vampire hope that Conrad would not be able to go through with his threat, not if they were going to be working together for a long time. It was a slim chance, but Ethan always trusted in his feelings.

After turning out the light and giving Beethoven a pat on the head, Ethan made his exit into the cold, dark night and made his way back to his family. As he went Nicoli’s words lingered in his ears.

“Please, don’t be sad anymore…”

=====================================Ch. 24 End