The Hunt

A/N: As promised - the update as fast as possible. I was very productive yesterday and added about 3ooo words to the 2ooo I had written the day before already ;). Hope you enjoy it!





Chapter 30



River sat in a dark hotel room. He was confused. He had… He had been so sure of Andreji, for a short while, before Demyan had tumbled into their life. He had been certain that things were developing in the right direction. Andreji had been so kind. Going out together, the sex… The vampire had even cooked for him. Despite everything Andreji had not been telling him, River had gotten the impression that they were getting on fine, that Andreji cared about him on some level.



And now… a dump ache was pulsing through his hand. Had he been so mistaken? Had Andreji only masked himself as someone else and River had finally come to see his real character? Or had River just finally caught a glimpse of Andreji’s temper? In any case, a glimpse had been enough. River needed time to stomach this, to make up his mind.



There was no point in running away from Andreji; if the man wanted to find him, he would. Also, despite what had happened, River did not really feel endangered by his Master. His wrist hurt, granted. Still, had Andreji put his will to it, he could have hurt River far worse. This was merely a warning. Only that River did not have a liking for this kind of warnings. He was going to stay in Le Havre and continue his Aikido lessons. Fortunately he had had the mind to pack his Aikido dress. Time would hopefully help him to arrange his thoughts.







The fire in the library was burning low when Demyan stepped in. “Everything quiet?” he asked Andreji, who sat in the semi-darkness. “Where is River?”



No reply.



Demyan took the second seat at the fire. “I talked to her. She wants to meet me as soon as possible.”



Andreji nodded, deep in thoughts. “And I take it that this is your wish as well.”



“Yes. I just need to see that she is well.”



Andreji held his hands up. “No need to apologise. I will take you to one of my houses in Southern Norway. There you can reminisce in safety.”



“And your fledgling?” Demyan asked surprised.



“I fear he has had enough of me for a little while.” Andreji straightened up, and left the room.



Demyan followed him with his gaze appraisingly.







Two nights later, they stood on a ferry that brought them and their rented car to the Norwegian coast. The night was fresh and windy. Andreji’s white strands were dancing wildly in the air as he stood, arms crossed, and watched the dark floods.



Demyan eyed him, in the same manner he had eyed him throughout the whole journey. “What has happened between you and him?” he finally asked.



It took Andreji a moment to reply. “He just provoked me in the wrong moment, and I let control slip a bit.”



“A bit?” Demyan asked sceptically. “Andreji, what did you do to him? I have not seen him since that evening…”



Andreji’s head turned around abruptly. A cold stare met him. “Watch what you are saying.” He turned back to seeking the horizon. “He has taken a room in a hotel in Le Havre. A hotel, not a hospital or a graveyard.”



“I did not mean to…” Demyan sighed. “I am sorry. I should know better, but you can be ruthless when someone betrays you…”



“And you think the boy is the type of person who would do that?” Andreji questioned his reasoning.



“Not maliciously, no. But you do not make a difference between accidental and purposeful betrayal, do you?”



“Depends on the person,” the taller man countered.



“Come on! I have never seen you weigh such matters. Your judgment upon those who had betrayed your trust was always immediate and harsh. Name me but one case to which this does not apply,” Demyan challenged him.



Andreji turned slowly around and smirked. “You. And for your sake – Sage. And I have still a score to settle with your maker.”



Demyan nodded in defeat. “Touché.”







Andreji opened the door to the small house that they had arrived at. The first thing he did was kindling a fire.



“Freshly chopped wood?” Demyan noticed.



“Sure. It was to be expected that you would want to meet her, was it not?”



“It smells strange in here. Not like you.”



“I let the house to a human until recently,” Andreji explained. “Therefore it has proper heating as well; I just wanted to get the room warm quicker.” He left the room to switch on the main heating.



Demyan in the meantime found a water boiler and a pack of tea. He handed Andreji a hot drink when he came back.



“Thank you.” The tall man sank into an armchair in the small livingroom.



“You look tired and distressed, if I may say so,” Demyan noted.



Andreji nodded, playing with the teabag in his cup. “I am dissatisfied with the way things are going lately.”



“How so?” Demyan occupied the sofa opposite him.



Andreji looked up at him, as if he were weighing his options. He frowned. “Would you mind staying here for a little longer? I honestly do not want to get rid of you; I am glad that you are alive and relatively well, and I would love to have you around, it is just… I think you influence my behaviour towards River.



“You see, I built up trust in him relatively fast, because I felt the need to have someone I could trust. And then you came along, and the need was gone. I do not think I would have tried to intimidate him the way I did three nights ago had you not been around. I would have been more patient with him.”



“So you want to try to outwit yourself?” Demyan asked, half serious, half amused.



“Call it whatever you like. You know that I am stubborn; I found it refreshing to open up to him for once, and I do not want my stubbornness to get the better of me.”



“And you think it will do the trick to part from me?” Demyan questioned his fledgling’s reasoning.



“Yes. I think it will suffice not to have you at hand. I have stopped any other activities that might have compensated me for the things I lack in my life already.”



Demyan raised an eyebrow in approving surprise. “I figure you will leave me soon, then?”



Andreji nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper that he handed over to Demyan. “This is the number of a friend.” He also retrieved a mobile phone and something that looked like a passport. “Your new identity, just in case you are checked. My friend speaks German, so you should be able to communicate. He will help you if you need anything, also in the unlikely case that you should be attacked. I already fed this number and my own into your mobile. I will be back at the end of the year at the latest.”



Demyan nodded in understanding. “Where can I sleep?”



“There’s a trapdoor under the stairs to the upper floor that will lead you to the cellar. I have also left a few weapons there, just in case.”



“I see.”



“I left you some money in the cupboard. It will be best to open up a bank account. I am sure Sage can assist you when she has arrived.”



Demyan nodded again. “Why did you not take him here, since it is safer than France?” he asked interestedly.



Andreji shrugged minutely. “Norway is farther away from Scotland, true, but it is also farther away from London. I thought I could afford the risk in order to be able to offer the boy a bit contact to his family.”



“You truly like him, do you not?” Demyan asked intrigued.



“I truly want him to like me,” Andreji evaded a direct answer and rose.







River sat in his hotel room. It was six days since his argument with Andreji. It was sixteen days since he had last been intimate with him. And it was even longer since he had last drunken from his Master. River had still had the hope that Andreji had made up or at least exaggerated the effects his absence would have on him, but now he could feel them.



He was sitting on the bed, knees drawn to his chest, the blanket covering everything but his face. A remote control was looking out of the wrapping. River changed the TV channel every few minutes. He still managed to give the lessons accordingly, but apart from that nothing interested him. He was unbalanced, moody. The thought of going back to Andreji crossed his mind every now and again. In a way, he longed for that. And yet he discarded it each time. He wanted Andreji to come to him. The desire of seeing Andreji step into the room, apologising, was running like a stream of hot honey through his veins. Just this once. Just one time the confession that he did mean something to Andreji.







The following evening, River’s mobile rang. His hand shook slightly as he switched it open. His greeting betrayed his nervousness. “Yeah?”



“It is Andreji. I was wondering if we could meet and talk things out.”



That voice… River breathed through to collect himself. “Sounds reasonable. When and where?”



“I thought I could order a private table in a nice restaurant…”



“No cook can compete against you.” River rolled his eyes. Now he was issuing compliments already!



“If that is what you want…” Andreji replied smoothly.



Exactly. Do what I want for a change. “Yes. I would prefer that.”



“Anything special that would suit your palette?”



River could not think of food at this point. “Surprise me.”



“When do you wish to dine?”



“What’s the time, now?”



“Half past five.”



“Uh, okay. What about eight o’clock, then?” River looked around in the room, asking himself whether he had some clean clothes left.



“I will do my best,” Andreji replied.



“W… Well, until then,” River said uncertainly.



“Yes. Thank you for agreeing.” Andreji hung up.



Thank you for agreeing? The world was upside down. Barely a week ago Andreji had reminded River of who was Master and who was fledgling and now he thanked him for agreeing to a meeting? River had been sure that Andreji was mad at him. Was he not? It had not sounded like that. And what reason had Andreji to play games? River did not know.



He stepped under the shower.







At five past eight, River stepped out of the taxi, two houses from Andreji’s, and hurried to get inside, since the weather had grown pretty nasty. It seemed that Andreji had kept his promise. The smell of delicious food lay in the air. With pounding heart, River slipped out of his coat and hung it up.



As he went around the corner, he saw Andreji standing at the end of the corridor in the door to the library. He stopped. The sight triggered a strange reaction in his body. The tension that had built up in him in the past days melted noticeably. “Hello,” he greeted Andreji meekly.



“Good evening.”



River looked about. “Where is Demyan?”



“In Scandinavia. He wished to meet Sage.”



“I see.” He shivered in the cool corridor.



“Do you want to come in? It is warmer in front of the fire.” Andreji stepped aside.



River nodded and forced himself to move. The situation felt awkward. Just as he slipped past Andreji, he felt a hand on his arm. The grip was much gentler than it had been a week before, and yet River was startled nonetheless.



Andreji pushed his sleeve up and examined the greenish bruises he had left on River’s wrist. He slowly closed his eyes and brushed tenderly with his lips over the sensitive skin.



River shuddered again, but this time not from the cold. The desire to give in to his need for his Master rose in him.



“I am sorry,” Andreji whispered. He carefully pulled the sleeve back into place, but kept River’s hand in both of his.



River looked to the floor and nodded minutely. “I went too far, too. I just…” He brushed the hair out of his face. For a moment, the world had only consisted of him and Andreji; now, the reason for their fight was coming back to him. “The idea of you with others… sweating, panting…”



Andreji placed a finger on River’s lips. “I have not been indulging in such activities for quite a while,” he conceded silently.



River frowned in confusion. “But you said…”



“-that it is none of your business if I do. Which I would not have said if you had not angered me by switching on my mobile.”



“I know I intruded upon your privacy… I-“ River was hushed up by Andreji again.



“I do not care if you read what is on my mobile. I told you why I was upset already. Let us forget about everything, can we not? I figure you still have some questions for me, and I have a meal for you. Shall we not share that?”



River smiled assuaged. “Yes.”



Andreji motioned for him to take a seat at the small table he had erected in front of the fireplace. A moment later, his Master came back, carrying a plate of salad.



River smiled shyly, a little embarrassed to be served.



“What would you like to drink?”



River thought of a glass of the wine he had bought a while ago, but settled for “A glass of water will be fine” then. Even though he was relieved that they had settled their dispute, Andreji was right – there were a lot of questions he needed an answer to. He wanted to keep his head clear for the forthcoming conversation.



Andreji set a glass of water for River, and a glass of tea for himself on the table and sank down into the second armchair, crossing his legs.



River forked some pieces of his salad. “What’re these grains?”



“Toasted pine nuts.”



River nodded and shoved the fork into his mouth. He raised his eyebrows. “Hm, that’s tasty. Gives the whole salad a special note…”



Andreji smiled mildly. “Does it?”



River felt awkward, suddenly, discussing the taste of food with a vampire. “I think I’ve asked you that before, but… Do you really not mind not being able to do this?”



Andreji put up another small smile. “There are more important things.”



“I guess so.” River looked down on his plate. Picking some more salad up, he pondered how to start their conversation about those more important things without ‘ambushing’ Andreji with his intimate questions. “Would you mind telling me something about your time as human?” he asked neutrally.



“Would you mind making your question more precise?” Andreji asked back politely. “What is it that interests you exactly?”



“Everything, of course,” River replied smiling. He tried to narrow down the topic. “Uhm, since you said I should, I asked Demyan to tell me a bit about you,” he explained, because he was not comfortable with talking about things that concerned Andreji’s past in his presence that Andreji had never mentioned.



The elder man nodded and played with the tea bag.



“He said your father wasn’t very fond of you…”



“No, he was not.” Andreji smiled benignly and waited for River to continue.



“What happened?”



“When?”



River sighed. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”



“It is not easy for me, so how could I make it easy for you? Pose a precise question and I will answer it, but I am not going to start a monologue about my life.” River noticed that one of Andreji’s feet moved rhythmically. The man was tense.



“I see.” River thought again. “Demyan said your father took you in after your mother had died, since he lacked an heir-“



“Not immediately. He took his time,” Andreji corrected. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.



“Where did you stay in the meantime?” River jumped at the comment.



Andreji shrugged, turning the glass on its saucer and averting his gaze to look into the flames instead. “I learned early on how to get by on my own.”



“I figure,” River murmured.



“I could help out here and there to earn me food and sometimes a sleeping place,” Andreji divulged.



River nodded. “But at some point he picked you up, and he taught you his trade, in his smithy?”



Andreji nodded. His lips were pursed, his eyebrows knit.



“And then his wife delivered him a son, and you were uncalled-for?”



Another nod.



“What did you do then?”



Andreji smirked. “Well, he did not throw me out immediately – infant mortality was still high those days, you see – but the older the other one became, the more he mistreated me. So, at some point I took my leave. I knew there was nothing to gain for me there.” Andreji sipped at his tea. “I offered my services to the diverse war companies that were travelling the lands at the time and scraped through that way.”



“And when did you get to know Demyan?” River asked intrigued.



“That was still in my ‘home’ village. He came by one evening and demanded that his horse be shoed newly. Hearing what he was willing to pay, my father sent me to take the job on. I was… seventeen or eighteen at the time. Somehow I caught his eye, and he invited me to have a drink in the local inn. I welcomed the diversion. But when he started to make eyes at me, I gave him my opinion on his kind and left.”



River snorted. “I can imagine that.”



Andreji smiled.



“And what did he do then?”



Andreji shrugged. “He stayed, and I think he tried to find out more about me. Whatever there was to get to know about a nobody like me. After a short while, a week or two, however, he probably realised that his chances to get me without force were below zero, so he moved on. Nonetheless, I ‘stumbled’ over him again and again. He came back to the village twice before I left it, and we met almost regularly in some inn afterwards. Of course I grew suspicious. But I thought he was just a lovesick fag. Today they call them ‘stalkers’, only that back then one could not get a restraining order.”



River chuckled.



Andreji twinkled. “In any case, I thought he could not match me physically, so I did not worry about him. I even let him pay my beer at times.”



River shook his head amusedly. “You took advantage of him.”



Andreji put up a shocked face. “Do you think I should call him and apologise?”



River laughed.



Andreji rose and lifted up his empty plate. “Main course, then?”



“Yes.”



Andreji disappeared into the kitchen and started rummaging there.



River got up and stepped to the window. He felt feverish, and not just because he sat too close to the fire. He opened the window to air his mind, feel a cool breeze on his skin. This was the conversation he had always desired. Why could it not always be like that between them?



Steps approached behind him, and River shut the window again.



“I hope that is okay with you. I did not exactly have the time to prepare a big joint, but then again – you have lost your appetite for such things already, have you not?” Andreji eyed River knowingly as the young man sat down.



Indeed, River had stopped eating certain kind of food, food that seemed dry and stringy suddenly. The gratin in front of him looked fine. “How do you know?”



“I take a look into the refrigerator every now and again.”



River felt caught, somehow, but was positively surprised that Andreji watched his development so closely, that he showed this amount of interest. “So,” he tried to take up their previous topic again, “you once said Demyan waited for the moment when you were the weakest to get hold of you. When was that?”



Andreji seized his glass again. “Well, even though I was no mercenary and therefore did not fight myself, I was severely wounded during an assault. I guess he was there to feed on the almost dead – a common thing to do for vampires at the time. I had no idea of such things back then, of course. In any case, he found me, took me to a solitary homestead and took care of me there. That included feeding me his blood.”



“He just fed it to you? Without asking for your consent?” River asked aghast.



Andreji smirked. “I doubt I would ever have consented. Although that might be hard for you to imagine, I was much more stubborn, ruffian, and egocentric then than I am now.”



“Why was he so set on making you his fledgling, then?”



Andreji smirked. “I have no idea. Ask him. Perhaps he just needed a task, and I definitely gave him something to do…”



River looked at Andreji with fascination. Pictures of a wild, uncivilised version of him, dressed in worn out clothes, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, played before his inner eye. “What did he have to do?”



“Well, tame me, teach me manners, teach me my letters… It only worked when he stopped trying to establish his position above me. I refused to accept anyone as my Master.”



“Yes,” River chipped in, “Demyan mentioned that.” A different thought crossed his mind. “The way I understand you, you weren’t interested in men at the time. But did you have any serious relationships with women? Did you ever think about founding a family?”



Andreji chuckled. “No. And how could I have, without a safe income or a house? I managed to feed myself, but I had no interested in being responsible for other people.”



“Which doesn’t mean you didn’t have your fun with women…” River animated him to go on.



Andreji smiled smugly and shrugged. “Never without their consent. I might not have been Mr. Charming, but my looks sufficed to… you know.”



River nodded, forcing himself to smile. “But… I mean, you didn’t have any contraceptives back then…”



Andreji shrugged once more. “I was never confronted with a result of these activities. It might be that there is a great-great-grandchild of mine somewhere, but I have no knowledge of that. Neither do I care.



“Did you dream of founding a family before you accepted this path?” Andreji suddenly asked back.



River poked in the remains of the main course. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I guess I expected to end up in a long term homosexual relationship at some point in my life. That sort of excludes having children – at least for me.



“So no second thoughts on becoming a vampire in the light of not being able to sire little Rivers?”



River had to involuntarily laugh about Andreji’s phrasing. Then he turned his mind back to the seriousness of the matter. “I don’t know. It feels strange making such a final decision. You never know what life holds for you. But it’s too late now anyway, isn’t it?”



“Yes, it is.” Andreji swallowed the last drop of tea that by now was probably cold.



“What would happen if I stopped drinking your blood, now? You said the restlessness and all that comes from not being with you. So as long as I’m around you that wouldn’t be the problem, would it? If I didn’t drink your blood any longer, would I still turn into a vampire or would I be stuck somewhere in between?”



“You would become a vampire all the same. It would merely take longer and you would be weaker.” Andreji rose once more. “Dessert?”



River shook his head. “Not yet, thank you. I’m full.” He hesitated. “Perhaps a glass of that wine I bought recently…” After all, things were going well.



Andreji smiled amusedly and went to fetch it, taking the dishes with him.



River pushed the table aside and stretched his legs. “Thank you,” he said as he took his wine from Andreji’s hand. “I was just wondering,” he continued their conversation, “if the amount of blood that is fed to a fledgling influences his ‘quality’ as vampire, is there something like a schedule or a set of rules for the whole process?”



A smirk. “There are different theories. Some preach that we have to follow the moon calendar. Others say the fledgling needs to not only drink vampire blood regularly but that he also needs to live on blood exclusively – a technique rarely used. I do not suppose I could coax you to live on that diet, could I?”



River wrinkled his nose. “No thank you; I’ll have that soon enough.”



“A third theory is that the fledgling should not eat or drink for three days before the blood infusion. Then there is the belief that still being exposed to the sun will interfere with the process, and so on. Of course, the theories can be combined.”



“And what theory do you follow?” River asked.



“My own. That it is more important that the fledgling is at ease with his situation, that he is healthy in mind, body, and soul. I have not managed to give you that completely, but I had that in mind when I dissociated from the Scottish clan.”



And when you brought me here, gave me my things back, let me see my family, River added in his mind. “I know I’m… I’m demanding too much from you,” he felt compelled to acknowledge. “I… I’ve been reading things into your actions that fuelled my hopes that there might be more between us, even though you warned me again and again that you had no romantic interest in me…” He broke off.



“This is not your fault. A fledgling is meant to fall for his Master. I am the one who should have overcome his doubts and insecurities sooner. I should have realised from the start that you needed more closeness than it is my habit to allow.”



River was anxious. “What do you mean to say?” he asked in irritation. It almost sounded as if Andreji was declaring that they had failed!



Andreji closed his eyes for a moment, as if it cost him a lot of effort to speak out what he was going to say. Then he locked eyes with his fledgling. “What I mean is that I want you to stay with me. And I do not think that you are going to do that in the long run if I go on being the solitary person I am.” He paused and gazed at the flames. “You have a positive influence on me. Usually I grow tired of people quickly; most lovers annoy me within weeks if the affair is more than just casual. You do not. I like having you around. I like the way you treat me.”



River could not believe his ears. His heart pounded fiercely.



“I told you earlier that I do not share bed with my donors lately.” Andreji shrugged. His eyes were narrowed. He massaged one hand with the other. River could see that the calm, casual way in which he sat in the armchair was a pose to hide what was going on inside of him. “I just do not feel the need to. I guess that my affairs are a compensation for something that is usually missing in my life. You give it to me. Not as much as you could, but that is my fault.”



River’s respiration was exhilarated. Were his cheeks burning because of the heat that radiated from the fire?



“If you are still interested, I would like to attempt a serious relationship-“



“I’d love to!” River blurted out.



Andreji lifted his hand. “Let me finish first.” He rubbed his nose thoughtfully. “I would like to try this, but I owe you a warning. I am not only so withdrawn out of self defence. It is a measure of self control as well, of containing my temper. You have already made contact with it.” Andreji pointed at River’s wrist. “Where that anger came from, there is more of it. A week ago I channelled it; I was still in control of it. But the farther you penetrate me, the closer you get to my core, the closer you will get to the angry part of me. That is the risk you would take.”



River nodded silently in understanding.



“I think you have the potential to calm me, to pacify me, but I think I owe you that information before you make your decision.”



River nodded again and looked at his beautiful Master. Andreji looked tired. He bent towards him and took one of Andreji’s hands into his. “I don’t really think I have a choice.” He slid onto his knees to be closer to his Master without pressing him too much. “What about you not drinking my blood? Has that anything to do with the rest?”



Andreji combed with his fingers through River’s hair. “Of course. It enhances my feelings for you, including jealousy and the desire to dominate you.”



“I see.” River put a hand on Andreji’s knee. “Let’s go to bed. I’m on turkey,” he said bluntly.



Andreji smiled in surprised amusement. “And the dessert?”



“I’ll eat that later.”







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