Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series
folder
Vampire › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
22,788
Reviews:
795
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Vampire › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
22,788
Reviews:
795
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Papa
Note* In previous chapters I have had the little winglets call SAXS Daddy. I have decided to leave some Russian in their demonstrative names. Papa – father Ded – grandfather. I just pulled these off the internet. If these are incorrect, I am willing to accept gentle correction. Therefore, I will be going back and changing Daddy to Papa…eventually
Rainy: The Ancients will make a return in the next chappie. Skell, like Sex, has claimed the derogatory name and made it his own.
Natana:
Q: Oh, and can you please tell how did Skell learned to play the piano - was it mindwalking or the usual way ?
A: Orel Wessel’s drugging has curtailed the Emperor’s gifts. Like the now deleted chapter 3 – Skell didn’t know how to burn. He doesn’t know how to mind walk. He has a shield but that seems to be independent from his core. So…he learned the piano the old fashioned way….practice, practice, practice.
LMS: thanks for the encouragement. There are days, I need bucketloads.
Spirit: hang in there. The only problem with first person narratives is that they don’t get all the info…which in turn means, you don’t get it until someone tells him. The fog will clear. Britta questions…I am not at liberty at this time to discuss it. XD
Candy: Why does Lanny call Skell Hashmalliam? Read on, read on.
The small but LOYAL. Hell Cat whacks for everyone: Rainy; Natana;LMS;AsyenMari; k; Laur; meadows_peak; spirit; Candy and Lioncourt. Special thanks to cvrie1984 for the email
Ooooh, I almost forgot, Kiba21 has sent another luscious drawing…a nude of Marcus and his violin. I have to see if I can load it up on Deivantart (guidelines) I don’t need to be banned off any more sites. XD Yes, I can!! Take a look. Lovely, just lovely.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/60866160/
Chapter 146: Papa
What is the saying, revenge is a dish best served cold? It was going to be a block of ice by the time I finally got to Father Emperor. That was one thing that Orel Wessel knocked into my skull. You follow the chain of command. As I understood it, I was captured because I ran off on my own, so I just had to make an appointment and wait my turn. Which kind of pissed me off.
Another thing that annoyed me was the looks I was getting. Everybody loved the brothers three. I was an interloper. The only one genuinely happy to have me around was tall blue and handsome. Except right now he was trying politely not to gawk at me as I shoveled food into my mouth. Chicken wings, KD and cranberry juice. Bizarre combination but it must have been someone’s favorite. I ate to live. And I ate fast because I usually got the leftovers or else I wasn’t given the time to finish.
Finally a hand came down on my fork hand. I turned and looked over at the golden eyed Lycan. “Alpha….please stop.” He reached out and pet me. A Lycan just petted me. I narrowed my gaze. Haley. He was a friend.
“No one is going to take it away from you.” He pet my head again. Then he jumped and knocked me off the stool. He grabbed me in a desperate hug and somehow he made sure I landed on top of him. Ooof. “I’m so glad you’re back, Alpha.”
“I’m not…”
My words were drowned out by puppy growls then I was attacked by wolf pups and little human look-a-likes. Most of their cries were, “Get off my Daddy!”
I got bit. I got scratched. I got kicked. “Hey! Leave Alpha alone! I knocked him off the chair!”
I turtled. I wasn’t about to start punting puppies across the kitchen.
“SIT!”
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the pack. Everybody sat. Haley did too. Everybody except one pup that was trying to chew my hair off. I rolled to my feet and snagged the little black female by the scruff of the neck. Like mother, like daughter. One braid hit the floor. With the sound of that little metal tip bouncing off the floor, everyone stilled…except for the hellion in wolfs clothing. The little female spread her toes and was trying to scratch me.
“Lord Alpha, may I have my daughter.” A short black haired Japanese woman stepped forward and lifted her arms.
“Lady Elek.”
“No need to be so formal, Alpha. We once were pack mates. Arashi!” The little pup suddenly realized that Momma Lycan was in the room and not happy and suddenly hung limp in my grasp and whined.
“You little faker. If you have the courage to do something, have the courage to face the consequences.” Arashi tried to snap my nose off.
‘You were on Daddy.” Little green gold eyes glittered at me as she growled.
“That’s because Daddy knocked me off my chair while I was eating.”
“Haley!”
Haley climbed off the floor with a sad expression on his face. He took Arashi from my grasp and walked over to Ping. “Alpha is not even back twenty-four hours and you’re jumping on him.”
Ping leaned over and looked at her feisty daughter’s face. “Change now.”
A naked twelve year landed on her feet beside her Father. I turned my eyes away. The cooks came up with dish towels for the naked Lycan pups.
“I understand that this introduction is late, Alpha. The Imperial pups had not yet arrived when you were taken as were your litter.” I kept my face still. Litter? When it was only logical that Lycan’s would relate to the world around them in Lycan terms. My litter. I nodded back to her.
“This is Arashi. As you can tell, the Alpha female of our pups. This is Yuki and Kaori. These are Wolfgang and Ike.”
The two boys snuggled up against their father’s legs. I had a damn good idea who named the boys. Wolfgang? Haley turned and frowned at me. I must have said that out loud. “Wolfgang was the name of my father. And I like Ike.”
I raised my hands and noticed fine trails of blood running my forearm. It wasn’t physically noticeable but both Ping and Haley tensed as I took in my injury, First blood. If I wasn’t puppy punting before, I wasn’t going to do it now. I lifted my forearm up to my mouth and licked my blood from my skin.
“Welcome home, Lord Alpha.”
“Skell. My name is Skell.”
Haley narrowed his eyes and touched his son’s tawny coloured heads. “Skell, and you made fun of Wolfgang and Ike.”
“I meant no disrespect. It’s was just a shock. The girls have traditional names and the boys are so…northern.”
“Our pack is blended, Alpha. It is to be expected.”
“I apologize for knocking you off your chair while you were eating. I’m just so glad that you are home…even if you are a new brother.”
“I apologize for my litter’s behaviour, Lord Skell.”
I shook my head. “They take their duty as the Imperial pack seriously. They reacted as they saw fit. I bent over and picked my white braid off the floor that Arashi had chewed off. She stood in front of her mother and met my eye easily. “To the victor go the spoils.” I held out the white cord. She glanced back at her mother. Ping nodded her permission. She tentatively reached out. I grabbed her hand and bowed over it, pressing my lips to the back of her hand, then I turned her wrist over and laid the braid in it.
“I was not well when we first met, Lady Arashi but I remember that you lead your pack between the threat and the Little Von Drachenfelds. I am glad that while I was gone, you looked out for my litter.”
The confusion on her face was priceless. It lasted all of a minute then she snatched her hand back with her white prize. “It’s my duty as an Imperial Lycan. One day I will be Elek and I will protect everyone in the House.”
“A word of advice, Lady Arashi, even Elek’s cannot stand on their own. They need their sisters and brothers and sometimes even the help of Vampires to protect everyone in the best way possible. That is why there are packs. Don’t leave them behind.”
“You left Momma and Daddy behind.” Her voice held a tone of accusation.
What could I say to that. It was truth. In the eyes of the puppies, it was their truth. I knelt down before her and looked her earnestly in the eye. “I did not leave anyone. I was taken. I left my pack and I was stolen and kept away from everyone who had meaning. I am only remembering now. I forgot I had important and special people, Vampires, Lycan, Seers around me.”
Ike piped up, “You scared Lord Lex.”
My son. “Yes, I did. I need to find him. I need to find my daughters too.”
“We can track them,” Arashi turned and looked up at her mother. It was cute. She was a carbon copy in miniature form. Ping nodded. Arashi looked at her little puppy pack. “We need to find the Lord and Ladies.”
Oh my god. Puppy parodies of a Lycan hunting howl filled the kitchen and then they shivered down in multicolored wolf pups and tore off. Round puppy fat barrels on short stubby legs with nails clicking on the floor. The white strand of a braid was hanging out of Arashi’s mouth.
“Wolfhound.”
Lanny got up from his chair and followed after them. I would be able to follow his blueberry scent. Haley wrapped his arms around Ping and gave her a lick to the ear. She smiled and bumped her hip into his stomach. “When the Emperor said….” Ping’s voice trailed off. “When your Father said you had been found. I was overjoyed then doubt crept in. Where you who they said you were? Your kindness has just proven it. Welcome home Lord Skell.”
“Thank you Ping, Haley.”
Haley yelped as Ping yanked hard on his ear. “Stay off of Alpha. How many times, do I have to tell you.”
Off in the distance a chorus of puppy howls echoed through the marble corridors of Von Drachenfeld. “You’re litter has been discovered, Lord Alpha.” Ping smiled at me then came forward and crooked her finger. I bent over and she placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. Softly she whispered, “He may not tell you, but Haley has mourned for your loss. Play with him even if it’s only for a while.” She pulled back. “I’ll go and supervise the wayward pack. Arashi can whip them into a frenzy. It can be worse than a sugar high.”
I turned and finished globbling down my lunch.
“You don’t have to eat so fast. No one will take it from you.” Haley reached out and petted me again. I had a flash of his face all flushed with desire and his eyes a deep deep feral gold as he….my fork clattered to the plate. He had taken me. No, he had taken Xavier.
“Alpha?”
Did this body enjoy it? I didn’t fear him so I must have. I gathered up my plates, utensils and glass, set them back on the tray and carried them back toward the sink. You could have heard a pin drop. I turned and looked at everyone. They were staring back at me. I frowned and set my tray in the sink. Then my stomach growled again.
“You are still hungry, Lord?” A German chef stepped forward. “That will not do. I do not know what those bastards did to you, but you are even thinner than before. Your face looks like I could carve cheese on your cheek bone. I will make more of your favorites and bring it to you.”
I felt a flush on my cheeks. The brothers were well loved here. “Thank you…Hans.”
As one all the chefs and cooking staff dropped to their knee and bowed to me. I backed up into the counter. “Welcome home.” The brothers were more than loved, they were family. I felt tears sting my eyes. Orel Wessel had done more than terrorize me. They had bruised the hearts of the people here left behind.
They had bowed to the brothers they had known. Not to me. I lowered myself at the waist and returned there reverence. “I am honored.”
Haley grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the kitchen. “Don’t do that. You embarrass them.”
There were a lot of nuances that were escaping me. Men in Black bowed their heads to me. Servants actually got down on one knee. I could hear yipping and squeals coming from further up the corridor. Haley lead me into the room of chaos. “Why are your pups so much bigger than the winglets?”
“Winglets? Hahha. I like that. Winglets.” Haley swung around and wrapped me in a hug. He set his chin on my chest and looked up at me, “Lycan’s age faster. We have to. The Den is a dangerous place. There are always fights for ranking. If a dominate female falls…unless her litter is defended or able to run away, they are killed. A father falling, is of no consequence. The litter is born as wolves. The puppies age quicker. They stay as wolf puppies until they can change on their own into human form. They are only six years old but they look like twelve year old humans. This is why we look older than we are. It takes a while for our inner selves to grow into our bodies.”
Suddenly the chaos just ground to a halt. I was spotted at the door. I didn’t even know their names. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. Just looking at them…they were so beautiful and pure. I started crying…no sobbing. My legs gave out from under me and I sank to the floor. I would have dropped like a dead weight but Haley lowered me.
“Are you hurt? I only cry when I’m hurt.” I blinked my vision clear and saw the red headed girl standing in front of me peering at me intensely.
“Actually, I’m happy.”
I was ringed with eyes; five Lycan puppies, One Alpha female Lycan, one immature Alpha male Lycan; three artic blue glazes from my loins and a dark brown one of a werewolf. I looked up at him but nothing came to mind.
“You probably don’t remember me, Lord. I was much younger and terrified and in truth, we probably were only in each other’s company a couple of days.. I’m Ronan. I’m the resident schoolteacher for everyone.”
“My condolences.”
He grinned and laughed out loud. “You get used to the noise. Please come in. Everyone back to their seats. Human form please.”
I could hear the puppy groans then one by one they trotted off behind a wall and then walked out boys and girls fully clothed. The winglets hurried back to their small table and pint sized chairs and sat there looking like little angels. I smiled. I wasn’t an angel…un…we weren’t angels.
The red headed little girl stood up. “My name is Callia. I am six years old and 10 and a half months. I was born first. I like ponies.” She did a little cursty and sat down. Her eyes sparkled at me.
The black haired girl stood up. “My name is Raissa, I was born second. I like wolves.” The puppies let out a yip of YEAH! Ping was standing off in the corner. One little throat clearing ended that little outburst.
The little white haired boy just stared down at the table and played with his fingers. Ronan knelt beside the table. “Alexander…don’t you want to tell your father about yourself?” He shook his head. “Shall we come back to you?”
He shrugged.
I guess hugging your father while he had a mental meltdown would make any little boy uneasy. I reached out and took a small chair and perched on it. My knees were up in my face but I had to get down to his level.
Mini Ping hopped up. “I am Arashi. It means fierce. I am the alpha female of the litter.”
“You are so full of yourself.”
“Shut up, Yuki”
“You shut up, Arashi.”
“Kaori…”
“ENOUGH! What have I told you girls?”
In trio the little puppies sat back on their chairs and chanted, “The only ranking that matters in the classroom is Mr. Ronan’s.”
“Wolfgang, please continue.”
This boy was a mix of Ping’s features and Haley’s coloring The girls had Ping’s blue black hair. “My name is Wolfgang. I am named after my grandfather. He was in the Northern Alpha pack., I like to dance.”
“Good, Wolfgang. Ike.”
Ike was built like a tank. Ping’s massive father came to mind back in Toyko. That was…Sex’s memories.
“I’m Ike. I’m the alpha male. I like to draw!”
Yuki and Kaori introduced themselves then everyone turned and looked at Alexander. He was still looking down at the table. I cleared my throat. I noticed Haley and Ping clasp hands. That was cute. Lanseng was over in a corner trying to blend into the wall.. Right like the jolly blue giant was going to blend into a black chalkboard littered with brightly colored construction paper.
“My name is….” I blanked. Sex, Xavier, Azrael, Skell.
“Once upon a time…” I looked over at Lanny. “there was a lonely little boy. He got bit by a Lycan…” Everybody gasped, “but his Father was a mage and protected him so he didn’t turn into a werewolf because he was really really young at the time. As he got older, he lost his sight, he couldn’t see. Because he couldn’t see, he hated everyone and everything and he turned away from his family.” Everyone turned and looked and Lanseng, even little Alexander.
He grew up mad and hurting because no one wanted to be his friend. He thought nobody loved him so he ate and ate until he was really big, then…a vampire fell in love with him. The vampire saw how beautiful the boy was inside and helped him get fit and fixed his eyes so he could see again. They fell in love and the vampire turned the boy into a vampire. A special vampire. A vampire that hadn’t been seen in centuries.”
“Like Ded!” Raissa called out.
“Yes, just like your Grandfather. At first, his wings were red just like his hair. The Vampire was happy to have the boy at his side. But then everyone saw how beautiful he was and tried to take him away from the Vampire. Some wanted the boy just because he was pretty. Some wanted the boy because he could do something for them…and some wanted to hurt the boy.”
Puppy growls rose up from the Lycan table.
“Those people hurt him so bad they changed him. His red chair changed to white. His red feather turned to white too…then those feathers turned into fire.” Lanny matched this red gaze with my green one.
I got glances more over at me with my white hair slicked back and braided down my back to my waist.
“That fire hurts him. Everytime he has to use it, it makes his body smaller and smaller. He has to eat more and more so he doesn’t disappear.”
“But…he did disappear. Papa’s been gone all our lives.”
“Your Papa is special. He made your Ded. He gave Ded wings. Someone else knew how special that boy is and when they had the chance they stole him away. He didn’t see you come into the world. He missed out on your first words, your first step, your first tooth…so many things. Those bad people kept him locked away and did horrible things to him to keep him there. They used drugs…..
“Drugs are bad!”
“Yes, Yuki, drugs are bad. They used that on your Papa every day. They did it so he wouldn’t remember there were people out here that loved him and missed him. They made him forget who he was.” Lanseng came forward and knelt beside the small table. He hunched over and looked Alexander in the arctic blues, “Yesterday, your Papa still had drugs in him. He woke up in a strange place. He couldn’t remember any body. Alexander, do you remember that stray cat you found? Do you remember how scared it was to be in a new place. It cried and it hid and wouldn’t let anyone touch it.”
“It scratched me.”
“Because it was scared. Yesterday, your Papa was like that stray cat. You went to pet it and it was still so scared.”
Alexander turned and bounded toward me. I caught him in my arms and held him tight. “Papa…..”
I closed my lids as tears stung the corners of my eyes. I opened my arms and got Callia and Riassa pinned to me as well. “I was looking forward to meeting you and I missed it.”
“Your meeting us now.” Callia returned logically. I kissed her forehead. I kissed Raissa’s cheek and I butted heads with Alexander. They were beyond baby smells. I inhaled each of their essence. Every single one of them was candy….they were definitely my kids. Callia was a rootbeer sugar stick. Raissa was a grape lik-it. Alexander was…..I buried my nose in his hair. Alexander was vanilla cake.
I hung onto my children until Ronan pulled the teacher card and forced everyone not six years old out of the classroom. Ping, Haley, Lanny and myself found ourselves kicked to the curb. I saw a feral flash in Ping’s eyes as Haley turned to go with me and Lanny. He quivered for a moment then hurried to her side. I kept my mouth shut. I think the Imperial pack was about to be enlarged.
Lanny gave me the ten cent tour. We ended up in the entertainment room with a bucket full of chicken wings which I piranha’d in under five minutes. I burped and laid back on the leather sofa. I wasn’t used to waiting. Lanny sat off in a lounge chair staring at me with a low degree of simmer. His offer was on the table. Well, it was on the bed…or the sofa in this case. It wasn’t like Kevin. There were so many relationship lines here.
“Is there a piano here?” Resist temptation with another temptation
“Piano? There is a music room.”
I popped up. Lanny sighed then got up and lead the way down another corridor. This place was freaking huge…and Lanny was deliberately swaying his hips so his long blue hair swung from right to left giving me tantalizing glimpses of his gluteus maximus. Evil Seer. I stumbled to a halt at the door to the music room.
It hadn’t been a dream.
A crimson concert grand.
“No one is allowed to touch it.”
A vision of black hair streaming from swimmers shoulders to a narrow yet firm waist. He played his emotions. I crossed over to it and flipped up the lid. I let my hands caress the carcass before moving my hands down to the ivories. It was beautiful to the touch.. I played a few chords. It made the piano back in the common room at Orel Wessel sound like a child’s toy.
I started as a hand touched my face. I looked up at Lanny. “May I kiss you Lord Hashmalliam.?”
“Why do you call me that?”
“I was sent to serve Hashmalliam. I came to the Imperial brothers too soon. You had yet to emerge. I have told you before that my timing is off. I thought it was Azrael…but it is definitely you. I am for you. This body is for you. Command me to you pleasure or your purpose. I will follow.” Lanny bent over and gave me the time and room to turn away from his intention if I so desired. We started with an open mouth kiss. Just lips moving against each other then he opened wider at my gently prodding with my tongue. He sucked me into his mouth. His thumb kept sweeping over my cheek. The taste of blueberry filled my senses.
“Lanny…”
“Do not reject me out of hand, Lord Skell.” Lanny backed away, nodded his head in my direction then glided out of the music room. I watched him until the last flick of his blue hair disappeared around the corner.
I let my hands play scales until I warmed up. The piano’s tone was absolutely breath taking. I began to play my latest favorite – “The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise” I always had to be on guard when I played. I was always under surveillance. Every expression was analyzed and used against me. There was nothing here, no cameras, no recorders. I gave myself permission to play what I wanted, and how I wanted and to feel the music as it flowed around me. I learned the piano quickly, but I had proven to Orel Wessel that it was important so more often than not, it was barred from me.
I was really getting into it.
“Who the hell is touching his piano! You know it’s off…” My music came to a jarring halt and I pivoted toward the door. Father Emperor stood there his eyes still hard with his anger had someone touching his piano. “Sex.”
“My name is Skell.”
“Get the hell out of this room.” I bit back my retort. Never touch another man’s rhubarb. I just ran my grimy fingers all over it.
The happiness that had filled my chest a few moments ago deflated to that sharp ache that had sat there since I woke up. I slid off the bench, closed the lid and gave the Lord Emperor a bowed head in acknowledgment. I was just a quest in his house. I headed out the door of the music room. I paused for a moment but I heard…sobs. I glanced back into the room and saw the black haired vampire sprawled across the lid of the crimson piano, hugging the instrument.
I felt a sharp stab in my stomach and I had taken two steps back into the room before I stopped myself. I was not the brother he wanted. I held a hand against the ache in my gut and walked back down the cold and lonely corridors.
What had Lanny said? There once was a cold and lonely little boy…that’s what I felt like right at this moment. Chilled to the bone and alone against the world. I’d survived once. I can do it again. This family feeling was nice but if I was going to make it…if I was going to complete my mission, I had to lock it down. I had to frosty and I had to stay that way or Orel Wessel would win. That wasn’t going to happen. Family was for the brothers. My path was alone. So be it.
I kill better when I’m by myself anyway.
* * *
Rainy: The Ancients will make a return in the next chappie. Skell, like Sex, has claimed the derogatory name and made it his own.
Natana:
Q: Oh, and can you please tell how did Skell learned to play the piano - was it mindwalking or the usual way ?
A: Orel Wessel’s drugging has curtailed the Emperor’s gifts. Like the now deleted chapter 3 – Skell didn’t know how to burn. He doesn’t know how to mind walk. He has a shield but that seems to be independent from his core. So…he learned the piano the old fashioned way….practice, practice, practice.
LMS: thanks for the encouragement. There are days, I need bucketloads.
Spirit: hang in there. The only problem with first person narratives is that they don’t get all the info…which in turn means, you don’t get it until someone tells him. The fog will clear. Britta questions…I am not at liberty at this time to discuss it. XD
Candy: Why does Lanny call Skell Hashmalliam? Read on, read on.
The small but LOYAL. Hell Cat whacks for everyone: Rainy; Natana;LMS;AsyenMari; k; Laur; meadows_peak; spirit; Candy and Lioncourt. Special thanks to cvrie1984 for the email
Ooooh, I almost forgot, Kiba21 has sent another luscious drawing…a nude of Marcus and his violin. I have to see if I can load it up on Deivantart (guidelines) I don’t need to be banned off any more sites. XD Yes, I can!! Take a look. Lovely, just lovely.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/60866160/
Chapter 146: Papa
What is the saying, revenge is a dish best served cold? It was going to be a block of ice by the time I finally got to Father Emperor. That was one thing that Orel Wessel knocked into my skull. You follow the chain of command. As I understood it, I was captured because I ran off on my own, so I just had to make an appointment and wait my turn. Which kind of pissed me off.
Another thing that annoyed me was the looks I was getting. Everybody loved the brothers three. I was an interloper. The only one genuinely happy to have me around was tall blue and handsome. Except right now he was trying politely not to gawk at me as I shoveled food into my mouth. Chicken wings, KD and cranberry juice. Bizarre combination but it must have been someone’s favorite. I ate to live. And I ate fast because I usually got the leftovers or else I wasn’t given the time to finish.
Finally a hand came down on my fork hand. I turned and looked over at the golden eyed Lycan. “Alpha….please stop.” He reached out and pet me. A Lycan just petted me. I narrowed my gaze. Haley. He was a friend.
“No one is going to take it away from you.” He pet my head again. Then he jumped and knocked me off the stool. He grabbed me in a desperate hug and somehow he made sure I landed on top of him. Ooof. “I’m so glad you’re back, Alpha.”
“I’m not…”
My words were drowned out by puppy growls then I was attacked by wolf pups and little human look-a-likes. Most of their cries were, “Get off my Daddy!”
I got bit. I got scratched. I got kicked. “Hey! Leave Alpha alone! I knocked him off the chair!”
I turtled. I wasn’t about to start punting puppies across the kitchen.
“SIT!”
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the pack. Everybody sat. Haley did too. Everybody except one pup that was trying to chew my hair off. I rolled to my feet and snagged the little black female by the scruff of the neck. Like mother, like daughter. One braid hit the floor. With the sound of that little metal tip bouncing off the floor, everyone stilled…except for the hellion in wolfs clothing. The little female spread her toes and was trying to scratch me.
“Lord Alpha, may I have my daughter.” A short black haired Japanese woman stepped forward and lifted her arms.
“Lady Elek.”
“No need to be so formal, Alpha. We once were pack mates. Arashi!” The little pup suddenly realized that Momma Lycan was in the room and not happy and suddenly hung limp in my grasp and whined.
“You little faker. If you have the courage to do something, have the courage to face the consequences.” Arashi tried to snap my nose off.
‘You were on Daddy.” Little green gold eyes glittered at me as she growled.
“That’s because Daddy knocked me off my chair while I was eating.”
“Haley!”
Haley climbed off the floor with a sad expression on his face. He took Arashi from my grasp and walked over to Ping. “Alpha is not even back twenty-four hours and you’re jumping on him.”
Ping leaned over and looked at her feisty daughter’s face. “Change now.”
A naked twelve year landed on her feet beside her Father. I turned my eyes away. The cooks came up with dish towels for the naked Lycan pups.
“I understand that this introduction is late, Alpha. The Imperial pups had not yet arrived when you were taken as were your litter.” I kept my face still. Litter? When it was only logical that Lycan’s would relate to the world around them in Lycan terms. My litter. I nodded back to her.
“This is Arashi. As you can tell, the Alpha female of our pups. This is Yuki and Kaori. These are Wolfgang and Ike.”
The two boys snuggled up against their father’s legs. I had a damn good idea who named the boys. Wolfgang? Haley turned and frowned at me. I must have said that out loud. “Wolfgang was the name of my father. And I like Ike.”
I raised my hands and noticed fine trails of blood running my forearm. It wasn’t physically noticeable but both Ping and Haley tensed as I took in my injury, First blood. If I wasn’t puppy punting before, I wasn’t going to do it now. I lifted my forearm up to my mouth and licked my blood from my skin.
“Welcome home, Lord Alpha.”
“Skell. My name is Skell.”
Haley narrowed his eyes and touched his son’s tawny coloured heads. “Skell, and you made fun of Wolfgang and Ike.”
“I meant no disrespect. It’s was just a shock. The girls have traditional names and the boys are so…northern.”
“Our pack is blended, Alpha. It is to be expected.”
“I apologize for knocking you off your chair while you were eating. I’m just so glad that you are home…even if you are a new brother.”
“I apologize for my litter’s behaviour, Lord Skell.”
I shook my head. “They take their duty as the Imperial pack seriously. They reacted as they saw fit. I bent over and picked my white braid off the floor that Arashi had chewed off. She stood in front of her mother and met my eye easily. “To the victor go the spoils.” I held out the white cord. She glanced back at her mother. Ping nodded her permission. She tentatively reached out. I grabbed her hand and bowed over it, pressing my lips to the back of her hand, then I turned her wrist over and laid the braid in it.
“I was not well when we first met, Lady Arashi but I remember that you lead your pack between the threat and the Little Von Drachenfelds. I am glad that while I was gone, you looked out for my litter.”
The confusion on her face was priceless. It lasted all of a minute then she snatched her hand back with her white prize. “It’s my duty as an Imperial Lycan. One day I will be Elek and I will protect everyone in the House.”
“A word of advice, Lady Arashi, even Elek’s cannot stand on their own. They need their sisters and brothers and sometimes even the help of Vampires to protect everyone in the best way possible. That is why there are packs. Don’t leave them behind.”
“You left Momma and Daddy behind.” Her voice held a tone of accusation.
What could I say to that. It was truth. In the eyes of the puppies, it was their truth. I knelt down before her and looked her earnestly in the eye. “I did not leave anyone. I was taken. I left my pack and I was stolen and kept away from everyone who had meaning. I am only remembering now. I forgot I had important and special people, Vampires, Lycan, Seers around me.”
Ike piped up, “You scared Lord Lex.”
My son. “Yes, I did. I need to find him. I need to find my daughters too.”
“We can track them,” Arashi turned and looked up at her mother. It was cute. She was a carbon copy in miniature form. Ping nodded. Arashi looked at her little puppy pack. “We need to find the Lord and Ladies.”
Oh my god. Puppy parodies of a Lycan hunting howl filled the kitchen and then they shivered down in multicolored wolf pups and tore off. Round puppy fat barrels on short stubby legs with nails clicking on the floor. The white strand of a braid was hanging out of Arashi’s mouth.
“Wolfhound.”
Lanny got up from his chair and followed after them. I would be able to follow his blueberry scent. Haley wrapped his arms around Ping and gave her a lick to the ear. She smiled and bumped her hip into his stomach. “When the Emperor said….” Ping’s voice trailed off. “When your Father said you had been found. I was overjoyed then doubt crept in. Where you who they said you were? Your kindness has just proven it. Welcome home Lord Skell.”
“Thank you Ping, Haley.”
Haley yelped as Ping yanked hard on his ear. “Stay off of Alpha. How many times, do I have to tell you.”
Off in the distance a chorus of puppy howls echoed through the marble corridors of Von Drachenfeld. “You’re litter has been discovered, Lord Alpha.” Ping smiled at me then came forward and crooked her finger. I bent over and she placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. Softly she whispered, “He may not tell you, but Haley has mourned for your loss. Play with him even if it’s only for a while.” She pulled back. “I’ll go and supervise the wayward pack. Arashi can whip them into a frenzy. It can be worse than a sugar high.”
I turned and finished globbling down my lunch.
“You don’t have to eat so fast. No one will take it from you.” Haley reached out and petted me again. I had a flash of his face all flushed with desire and his eyes a deep deep feral gold as he….my fork clattered to the plate. He had taken me. No, he had taken Xavier.
“Alpha?”
Did this body enjoy it? I didn’t fear him so I must have. I gathered up my plates, utensils and glass, set them back on the tray and carried them back toward the sink. You could have heard a pin drop. I turned and looked at everyone. They were staring back at me. I frowned and set my tray in the sink. Then my stomach growled again.
“You are still hungry, Lord?” A German chef stepped forward. “That will not do. I do not know what those bastards did to you, but you are even thinner than before. Your face looks like I could carve cheese on your cheek bone. I will make more of your favorites and bring it to you.”
I felt a flush on my cheeks. The brothers were well loved here. “Thank you…Hans.”
As one all the chefs and cooking staff dropped to their knee and bowed to me. I backed up into the counter. “Welcome home.” The brothers were more than loved, they were family. I felt tears sting my eyes. Orel Wessel had done more than terrorize me. They had bruised the hearts of the people here left behind.
They had bowed to the brothers they had known. Not to me. I lowered myself at the waist and returned there reverence. “I am honored.”
Haley grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the kitchen. “Don’t do that. You embarrass them.”
There were a lot of nuances that were escaping me. Men in Black bowed their heads to me. Servants actually got down on one knee. I could hear yipping and squeals coming from further up the corridor. Haley lead me into the room of chaos. “Why are your pups so much bigger than the winglets?”
“Winglets? Hahha. I like that. Winglets.” Haley swung around and wrapped me in a hug. He set his chin on my chest and looked up at me, “Lycan’s age faster. We have to. The Den is a dangerous place. There are always fights for ranking. If a dominate female falls…unless her litter is defended or able to run away, they are killed. A father falling, is of no consequence. The litter is born as wolves. The puppies age quicker. They stay as wolf puppies until they can change on their own into human form. They are only six years old but they look like twelve year old humans. This is why we look older than we are. It takes a while for our inner selves to grow into our bodies.”
Suddenly the chaos just ground to a halt. I was spotted at the door. I didn’t even know their names. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. Just looking at them…they were so beautiful and pure. I started crying…no sobbing. My legs gave out from under me and I sank to the floor. I would have dropped like a dead weight but Haley lowered me.
“Are you hurt? I only cry when I’m hurt.” I blinked my vision clear and saw the red headed girl standing in front of me peering at me intensely.
“Actually, I’m happy.”
I was ringed with eyes; five Lycan puppies, One Alpha female Lycan, one immature Alpha male Lycan; three artic blue glazes from my loins and a dark brown one of a werewolf. I looked up at him but nothing came to mind.
“You probably don’t remember me, Lord. I was much younger and terrified and in truth, we probably were only in each other’s company a couple of days.. I’m Ronan. I’m the resident schoolteacher for everyone.”
“My condolences.”
He grinned and laughed out loud. “You get used to the noise. Please come in. Everyone back to their seats. Human form please.”
I could hear the puppy groans then one by one they trotted off behind a wall and then walked out boys and girls fully clothed. The winglets hurried back to their small table and pint sized chairs and sat there looking like little angels. I smiled. I wasn’t an angel…un…we weren’t angels.
The red headed little girl stood up. “My name is Callia. I am six years old and 10 and a half months. I was born first. I like ponies.” She did a little cursty and sat down. Her eyes sparkled at me.
The black haired girl stood up. “My name is Raissa, I was born second. I like wolves.” The puppies let out a yip of YEAH! Ping was standing off in the corner. One little throat clearing ended that little outburst.
The little white haired boy just stared down at the table and played with his fingers. Ronan knelt beside the table. “Alexander…don’t you want to tell your father about yourself?” He shook his head. “Shall we come back to you?”
He shrugged.
I guess hugging your father while he had a mental meltdown would make any little boy uneasy. I reached out and took a small chair and perched on it. My knees were up in my face but I had to get down to his level.
Mini Ping hopped up. “I am Arashi. It means fierce. I am the alpha female of the litter.”
“You are so full of yourself.”
“Shut up, Yuki”
“You shut up, Arashi.”
“Kaori…”
“ENOUGH! What have I told you girls?”
In trio the little puppies sat back on their chairs and chanted, “The only ranking that matters in the classroom is Mr. Ronan’s.”
“Wolfgang, please continue.”
This boy was a mix of Ping’s features and Haley’s coloring The girls had Ping’s blue black hair. “My name is Wolfgang. I am named after my grandfather. He was in the Northern Alpha pack., I like to dance.”
“Good, Wolfgang. Ike.”
Ike was built like a tank. Ping’s massive father came to mind back in Toyko. That was…Sex’s memories.
“I’m Ike. I’m the alpha male. I like to draw!”
Yuki and Kaori introduced themselves then everyone turned and looked at Alexander. He was still looking down at the table. I cleared my throat. I noticed Haley and Ping clasp hands. That was cute. Lanseng was over in a corner trying to blend into the wall.. Right like the jolly blue giant was going to blend into a black chalkboard littered with brightly colored construction paper.
“My name is….” I blanked. Sex, Xavier, Azrael, Skell.
“Once upon a time…” I looked over at Lanny. “there was a lonely little boy. He got bit by a Lycan…” Everybody gasped, “but his Father was a mage and protected him so he didn’t turn into a werewolf because he was really really young at the time. As he got older, he lost his sight, he couldn’t see. Because he couldn’t see, he hated everyone and everything and he turned away from his family.” Everyone turned and looked and Lanseng, even little Alexander.
He grew up mad and hurting because no one wanted to be his friend. He thought nobody loved him so he ate and ate until he was really big, then…a vampire fell in love with him. The vampire saw how beautiful the boy was inside and helped him get fit and fixed his eyes so he could see again. They fell in love and the vampire turned the boy into a vampire. A special vampire. A vampire that hadn’t been seen in centuries.”
“Like Ded!” Raissa called out.
“Yes, just like your Grandfather. At first, his wings were red just like his hair. The Vampire was happy to have the boy at his side. But then everyone saw how beautiful he was and tried to take him away from the Vampire. Some wanted the boy just because he was pretty. Some wanted the boy because he could do something for them…and some wanted to hurt the boy.”
Puppy growls rose up from the Lycan table.
“Those people hurt him so bad they changed him. His red chair changed to white. His red feather turned to white too…then those feathers turned into fire.” Lanny matched this red gaze with my green one.
I got glances more over at me with my white hair slicked back and braided down my back to my waist.
“That fire hurts him. Everytime he has to use it, it makes his body smaller and smaller. He has to eat more and more so he doesn’t disappear.”
“But…he did disappear. Papa’s been gone all our lives.”
“Your Papa is special. He made your Ded. He gave Ded wings. Someone else knew how special that boy is and when they had the chance they stole him away. He didn’t see you come into the world. He missed out on your first words, your first step, your first tooth…so many things. Those bad people kept him locked away and did horrible things to him to keep him there. They used drugs…..
“Drugs are bad!”
“Yes, Yuki, drugs are bad. They used that on your Papa every day. They did it so he wouldn’t remember there were people out here that loved him and missed him. They made him forget who he was.” Lanseng came forward and knelt beside the small table. He hunched over and looked Alexander in the arctic blues, “Yesterday, your Papa still had drugs in him. He woke up in a strange place. He couldn’t remember any body. Alexander, do you remember that stray cat you found? Do you remember how scared it was to be in a new place. It cried and it hid and wouldn’t let anyone touch it.”
“It scratched me.”
“Because it was scared. Yesterday, your Papa was like that stray cat. You went to pet it and it was still so scared.”
Alexander turned and bounded toward me. I caught him in my arms and held him tight. “Papa…..”
I closed my lids as tears stung the corners of my eyes. I opened my arms and got Callia and Riassa pinned to me as well. “I was looking forward to meeting you and I missed it.”
“Your meeting us now.” Callia returned logically. I kissed her forehead. I kissed Raissa’s cheek and I butted heads with Alexander. They were beyond baby smells. I inhaled each of their essence. Every single one of them was candy….they were definitely my kids. Callia was a rootbeer sugar stick. Raissa was a grape lik-it. Alexander was…..I buried my nose in his hair. Alexander was vanilla cake.
I hung onto my children until Ronan pulled the teacher card and forced everyone not six years old out of the classroom. Ping, Haley, Lanny and myself found ourselves kicked to the curb. I saw a feral flash in Ping’s eyes as Haley turned to go with me and Lanny. He quivered for a moment then hurried to her side. I kept my mouth shut. I think the Imperial pack was about to be enlarged.
Lanny gave me the ten cent tour. We ended up in the entertainment room with a bucket full of chicken wings which I piranha’d in under five minutes. I burped and laid back on the leather sofa. I wasn’t used to waiting. Lanny sat off in a lounge chair staring at me with a low degree of simmer. His offer was on the table. Well, it was on the bed…or the sofa in this case. It wasn’t like Kevin. There were so many relationship lines here.
“Is there a piano here?” Resist temptation with another temptation
“Piano? There is a music room.”
I popped up. Lanny sighed then got up and lead the way down another corridor. This place was freaking huge…and Lanny was deliberately swaying his hips so his long blue hair swung from right to left giving me tantalizing glimpses of his gluteus maximus. Evil Seer. I stumbled to a halt at the door to the music room.
It hadn’t been a dream.
A crimson concert grand.
“No one is allowed to touch it.”
A vision of black hair streaming from swimmers shoulders to a narrow yet firm waist. He played his emotions. I crossed over to it and flipped up the lid. I let my hands caress the carcass before moving my hands down to the ivories. It was beautiful to the touch.. I played a few chords. It made the piano back in the common room at Orel Wessel sound like a child’s toy.
I started as a hand touched my face. I looked up at Lanny. “May I kiss you Lord Hashmalliam.?”
“Why do you call me that?”
“I was sent to serve Hashmalliam. I came to the Imperial brothers too soon. You had yet to emerge. I have told you before that my timing is off. I thought it was Azrael…but it is definitely you. I am for you. This body is for you. Command me to you pleasure or your purpose. I will follow.” Lanny bent over and gave me the time and room to turn away from his intention if I so desired. We started with an open mouth kiss. Just lips moving against each other then he opened wider at my gently prodding with my tongue. He sucked me into his mouth. His thumb kept sweeping over my cheek. The taste of blueberry filled my senses.
“Lanny…”
“Do not reject me out of hand, Lord Skell.” Lanny backed away, nodded his head in my direction then glided out of the music room. I watched him until the last flick of his blue hair disappeared around the corner.
I let my hands play scales until I warmed up. The piano’s tone was absolutely breath taking. I began to play my latest favorite – “The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise” I always had to be on guard when I played. I was always under surveillance. Every expression was analyzed and used against me. There was nothing here, no cameras, no recorders. I gave myself permission to play what I wanted, and how I wanted and to feel the music as it flowed around me. I learned the piano quickly, but I had proven to Orel Wessel that it was important so more often than not, it was barred from me.
I was really getting into it.
“Who the hell is touching his piano! You know it’s off…” My music came to a jarring halt and I pivoted toward the door. Father Emperor stood there his eyes still hard with his anger had someone touching his piano. “Sex.”
“My name is Skell.”
“Get the hell out of this room.” I bit back my retort. Never touch another man’s rhubarb. I just ran my grimy fingers all over it.
The happiness that had filled my chest a few moments ago deflated to that sharp ache that had sat there since I woke up. I slid off the bench, closed the lid and gave the Lord Emperor a bowed head in acknowledgment. I was just a quest in his house. I headed out the door of the music room. I paused for a moment but I heard…sobs. I glanced back into the room and saw the black haired vampire sprawled across the lid of the crimson piano, hugging the instrument.
I felt a sharp stab in my stomach and I had taken two steps back into the room before I stopped myself. I was not the brother he wanted. I held a hand against the ache in my gut and walked back down the cold and lonely corridors.
What had Lanny said? There once was a cold and lonely little boy…that’s what I felt like right at this moment. Chilled to the bone and alone against the world. I’d survived once. I can do it again. This family feeling was nice but if I was going to make it…if I was going to complete my mission, I had to lock it down. I had to frosty and I had to stay that way or Orel Wessel would win. That wasn’t going to happen. Family was for the brothers. My path was alone. So be it.
I kill better when I’m by myself anyway.
* * *