The Rose On His Grave

Note: Thanks for your support with your reviews, I've really appreciated the feedback :) only one more chapter after this and then it's the end for my short story. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!

 

Chapter Nine:

 

A fire crackled in the hearth, and cinnamon-scented candles sat atop the mantel, flames flickering slightly from the draft coming through one partially opened window. A tall black Christmas tree stood in the far corner, presents beneath it waiting to be ripped open by eager hands. Silver baubles and tinsel decorated the tree along with gold lights. Stockings were pinned to the wall along with various other little decorations.

On the black leather sofa, Seth was curled up against his lover, reading A Christmas Carol, something he did every December. Skulli held him close, resting his head over Seth’s with his eyes closed, occasionally rubbing his chin back and forth over Seth’s silky soft hair. Things were much better now. It had taken a while for Seth’s family to accept him, but they had reached a level of civility now, and that was good enough for him. Relatives came and went all the time, along with friends of anyone who lived in the house. They all eyed Skulli with a mix of curiosity and distrust, but were polite and behaved around him.

Ray’s lover Rikki had moved in a year after Skulli had, and seemed to be the only one that got along well with him, uncaring of what kind of creature he was. Seth’s siblings tended to try and avoid him like the plague, unless they had to talk to him about something. “I think we should go to the cinema tomorrow night, do you fancy it?” Seth suggested as he closed his book, his story now finished yet again. Skulli grinned and nodded as Seth settled back against his chest. He took the opportunity to slide his hand down Seth’s front and slip his hand into his shorts, rubbing him to hardness so he gasped and arched his back, his small firm bottom pressing against Skulli’s erection.

Seth moaned, his head falling back onto Skulli’s shoulder, moving his hips against Skulli’s hand, his moans becoming louder as his lover kissed and nibbled his neck, his other hand reaching under Seth’s shirt to rub a pink little nipple into a hard nub. Seth almost reached his climax but they were interrupted by the sound of the front door swinging open. Skulli’s hands pulled away to wrap around his waist instead, while Seth grabbed a cushion to place on his lap, putting his book on top so it looked like he’d been leaning on it.

Ray came in with Rikki, followed by Seth’s eldest brother Xen, and Mav, who was Xen’s lover and the fledgling of Ray.  Seth smiled up at them, trying not to look guilty, even as Ray eyed his flustered face with weary eyes. “Good evening” he muttered after giving Skulli a brief glance to acknowledge him. Skulli gave a nod and was surprised when Seth suddenly got to his feet and pulled Skulli with him. “It’s almost dawn, we’re going to bed. See you tomorrow night!” with that, he dragged Skulli upstairs, even though dawn was several hours away. He locked the door behind them and practically jumped on his lover as soon as they were alone, their lips locking in a heated kiss.

They tumbled onto the double bed, hands tearing at one another’s clothes, fingers stroking bare skin and teeth nipping at exposed necks. For the next few hours they made love under the sheets, bodies straining against each other, muffled moans escaping pink lips that sucked delicious blood from a broad pale shoulder.

*

“So what do you wanna see?” Skulli asked as he took Seth’s small hand in his and they walked down the snow-covered streets. There wasn’t many decent looking films on, but Seth wanted to go out and get away from his family for a little while, and in the end they decided to go into a random screen room and take a seat right at the back away from the other couples and occasional loners taking their places further down.

It was a two-hour drama, with quite a depressing storyline, and it wasn’t long into the film when Seth decided to slink down onto the floor and unzip Skulli’s trousers, making the Werewolf jump in surprise and then grin down at Seth’s pretty little face looking up at him with big glittering gold eyes.

Seth tugged his boxers down as much as he could, his lover’s already hardening member spilling free close to his eager mouth. The Vampire giggled and began to lick and suck on the tip teasingly, and then took him completely into his mouth, taking care with his little fangs that would lengthen if he grazed the sensitive skin and a tiny bit of blood was spilled. He worked on his lover slowly and teasingly to make it last as long as he could until Skulli came in his mouth and he swallowed every drop as if it were blood gushing from a deliciously warm throat. He then righted Skulli’s clothes and crawled back onto his chair after glancing around to make sure no one had noticed their sexual antics. Skulli took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, wishing he could return the favour but not daring to since his little lover was prone to making a lot of noise while receiving any kind of physical pleasure, from biting and licking, to fucking.

When the film finally ended, they strolled out hand in hand, unaware of some the stares they received from the mortals around them, and made their way slowly through the streets, peering in windows of shops that were just closing up. They headed across the park to the woods, a place they both found soothing despite the things that had happened beneath the cover of the trees years ago.

They stopped, Skulli leaning against a tree, Seth snuggling up against him with a satisfied sigh as snowflakes began to fall upon their heads, melting into their hair. “I love the winter” Seth murmured, pulling back a little to look up at his lover with such a loving gaze that it made Skulli melt inside, and he leaned down to kiss Seth’s cold but soft lips, thinking how adorable the little Vampire looked in his fluffy-hooded white coat that was a little too large, as always. “My little sweetheart” he whispered against Seth’s open mouth, opening his eyes to gaze back at golden orbs blazing at him. Seth smiled and gave him one last kiss before pulling his sleeve back on his left wrist to look at the glinting bracelet there. He read the inscription for the thousandth time, running his finger over the words, ‘Forever and always, S & S’. It made him feel all warm and tingly whenever he looked at it. Skulli had given it him as a present for the their first Christmas together. It was almost exactly the same as the one Skulli had, but this one was to mark the start of a new life, without holding onto the past. Seth had had tears in his eyes when Skulli had slipped it onto his wrist and shut the clasp, fingers lingering on his skin.

He pulled his sleeve back into place and linked hands with Skulli, resting his head against his chest and closing his eyes as snowflakes kissed his blushing cheek. He pulled away again when Skulli tensed beneath his head, looking confused for a moment until he realised why. He spun around in his lover’s arms as John appeared from the shadows, eyes cold and empty as he stared at them. Skulli moved Seth behind him as two other men appeared beside his old friend.

“Couldn’t finish me off alone huh? What took you so long?” Skulli asked with a sneer, eyeing them like they were pesky flies. John growled and stepped a little closer, “I had to wait until you were sure you were safe, until you strayed from that powerful Vampire. It also took me a while to find trustworthy people for my pack. Don’t worry, there are more of us, more than you could imagine, and they’ll be here soon enough. A war is coming to you and these Vampires you betrayed your own kind for, and you’ll be the first to die”. John began to shift, clothes tearing away, his two pack mates following his lead.

Skulli shifted too, shoving aside the first one to attack who had shiny black fur like his own. “Run Seth! Get home!” Skulli growled out as he sliced his claws across the black-furred one’s throat. The other, white-furred and huge, barrelled into Skulli, fangs snapping at his shoulder, claws raking at his chest. Seth couldn’t move, he was paralysed with fear and shock, limbs locked in place, watching helplessly as his lover fought against John and his companion.

The white-furred one was soon crumpling to the floor, choking on his own blood, while John continued to slash and bite at Skulli, and eventually managed to throw him against a tree and stood ready to grind his skull into the ground like Zack had done to Thom those five years ago. Seth bolted into action, hurtling himself into John and locking his arm around his neck, yanking him backwards away from his dazed lover who was struggling to get back up. John growled and swung back and forth, and then backed up  into a tree, slamming Seth into it and crushing him so he screamed in agony, his mind reaching out for his father in desperation. The Werewolf stepped away, so Seth slumped into the snow, face down and groaning loudly. 

John’s long thick, clawed fingers grabbed a long fallen branch and snapped it in half, aiming the sharpest end at Seth’s back. Skulli looked over at the sound of Seth’s cries, vision blurred by blood pouring from his head. His lover’s small form lay in the snow before him, John just a bit farther, ready to impale him on a branch. Skulli stumbled forwards, heart thudding in his chest, terrified, would he make it? He couldn’t watch Seth die, he couldn’t let him slip from his fingers again, he deserved to be able to live the long immortal life he was destined to have.

Skulli managed to reach them just as the branch came down, throwing himself over his lover and groaning as the sharp point pierced his heart and he pushed himself up off the Vampire beneath him. Seth blinked awake when something warm dripped onto his face, and his first thought was ‘Why are the snowflakes warm? That isn’t right’. He looked up to see blood steadily dripping onto him from Skulli’s chest as he knelt over him, and he cried out as John kicked Skulli aside and crouched down. The Werewolf froze though when he felt a powerful presence and caught the scent of the one Vampire he was trying to avoid. John snarled and ran away into the night as Ray appeared and rushed to his son’s side.

“Skulli! Help him, dad help him!” Seth gasped out as he tried to sit up, his crushed ribs slowly snapping back into place. Ray looked at the Werewolf that was beginning to shift back into human form, and reached over to pull the branch out of his chest. “Seth…there isn’t anything I can do…Werewolves can’t heal from our blood, he’ll just reject it ” he said, quiet and sad, as he studied Skulli’s slack face, eyes staring dimly at them, but still blinking. Seth crawled over and pulled Skulli close to him, “Skulli, you’re going to be alright, I’m here” he whispered, tears spilling down his cheeks. He ran his fingertips down Skulli’s nose to his lips, and then stroked hair out of his dull amber eyes. “L...love…you…” Skulli choked out, blood trickling out the corner of his mouth. Seth put his forehead to his dying lover’s and gazed into his eyes as he replied, “I love you so much Skulli, thank you…for everything”.

Seth began to sob as Skulli hissed his last breath and his smoky amber eyes blinked, no more. “Skulli…” Seth whimpered, and reached up to gently close his eyelids, kissing them with trembling lips. Ray eventually tugged his son away and pulled Skulli’s limp cold body into his arms after covering him with his coat, “Seth, get onto my back, come on sweetheart”. Seth stumbled over to his father and climbed up onto his back, burying his face in his father’s shirt as they soared up into the air and flew towards their house, where the Christmas lights twinkled at them from below.

They landed in the back garden, such a sudden fast landing that any nosy neighbour would have only seen a slight shift in the dark, like a bat fluttering by. The specially planted trees lining the large garden helped to give them cover as Ray lay Skulli on the ground and went inside, soon returning with the others as Seth stayed sitting with Skulli‘s head resting in his lap, silent sobs shaking his small frame as he stroked the blood-matted hair beneath his fingers. Scarlett knelt beside him and put her hand on his arm, while Xen sat on his other side and put an arm around him, kissing his cheek and telling him everything would be okay.

Zack went to the end of the garden and began to dig a hole with his hands, and Scarlett soon joined him. Ray returned a few minutes later, a sleek black coffin lined inside with black silk, perched on his shoulder. He set it down carefully and took Seth’s face in his hands, “I’ve had this coffin for a century, it’s time I got a new one”. Ray’s heart was breaking at watching his son cry, so young, too young to have to deal with something so life-shattering. Seth just nodded, and looked back down at Skulli’s serene face without even glancing at the coffin nearby.

Ray stood up and moved away, and was grateful when Rikki came to stand beside him, slipping his hand into his own and holding it tight. Scarlett gently pulled Seth away, so Xen and Zack could pick up Skulli’s body and set it in the coffin. Seth whimpered and yanked his arms out of his sister’s grip, kneeling next to the coffin and peering inside, only to begin sobbing once more at the sight. “I want him dressed! He should be wearing his favourite boots, they’re under my bed… and his leather coat, it’s still on the back of the armchair in the living room…” Seth mumbled, crossing his arms on the edge of the coffin and resting his chin on them, closing his eyes and willing it all to be a nightmare, a past life that had been and gone, although reality struck when he realised Skulli wasn’t the one that reincarnated. He would never be coming back. The thought made Seth’s heart twist painfully, his sobs becoming louder and more desperate.

Rikki appeared with some clothes, including the leather jacket, and his boots. He helped Seth to dress him and then stood back as he said his goodbyes. “I’ll see you again soon Skulli, I promise. We’ll be together in peace just like we wanted” Seth whispered, leaning over to kiss his lips one more time before moving away and allowing his father to hold him close. He couldn’t bear to watch them close the lid and lower the coffin into the hole his siblings had dug. When the hole was filled in, they filed back into the house, Seth silent and dazed.

Outside the snow began to fall again, swirling in the wind like glitter in a snow globe, and Seth sat watching it from his bedroom window, but all he could see in the whiteness was the blood that stained it in those woods that had been their secret place. The place of fights, death and moonlit walks. His father stood beside him, asking what he wanted inscribed on the stone slab he was ordering. Seth looked down at his bracelet and smiled a tiny, sad smile.