Disclaimers Here

Nick woke to the vibration of music, the bass more felt than heard as it flowed through the walls of the club. He slowly leveled himself up onto his elbows, feeling sluggish from his drug-induced sleep.

The only illumination in the room came from the far corner where a floor-lamp braced a high-backed chair. Looking around the room, he squinted against the glare of the low light, noting the expensive furnishings and the personal items setting on the dark walnut bureau. The long, black leather coat draped across the far chair caught his attention, its soft ebony surface gleaming in the dim light.

"LaCroix?" he breathed, recognizing his master's coat. Nick ignored the sharp twinge of complaining shoulder and rib muscles and pushed upright, bracing his weight on locked arms.

A whisper of a voice lightly brushed against his mind, but Nick ignored it, more concerned about his location. Closing his eyes, he let his senses range out into the surrounding area, looking for any clues that would tell him what was going on. He could tell, with the practice of countless years, that the sun had set a good hour ago. Extending his senses fully, the music became clear, as did the sensation of a modest gathering of vampires and humans. Voices merged with the human heartbeats, creating an enticing crescendo of sound that nearly drowned out the music. Raising his head, he opened his eyes again. He was at the Raven.

His senses picked up something else that was intimately familiar. He stared down by the bed and spotted several boxes stacked against the wall, empty dark green bottles intermixed with the full ones.

Nick's gaze fixed hypnotically on those full bottles, his dark blue eyes flashing amber at their close proximity. The hunger uncoiled within him, the dark, aching need spurring him into action. With his gaze transfixed on the crates, he impulsively swung his legs off the bed. Leaning down, his hand had almost closed on one of the cool glass necks when a powerful stab of pain struck behind his eyes. Nick hissed in reaction and rocked back upon the bed. He pressed the heels of his hands against his temples and closed his eyes, riding out the wave of agony until it receded.

Another surge of hunger hit him, effectively overpowering everything else, including the throbbing headache. Nick slipped off the bed and grabbed the nearest bottle, ripping the cork out so he could guzzle the liquid inside. He inhaled the heady fragrance of pure, uncut human blood and raised it to his lips only to suddenly stop. The whisper he had ignored earlier had returned -- stronger and more insistent as it demanded his attention. //Why drink this cold, pale version when there is a hot, intoxicating, living sample just outside the door?// the presence murmured seductively through his mind.

Nick massaged his temple and stared at the bottle in his hand, trying to ignore the voice and his hunger. He could hear all the heartbeats nearby -- so many, attempting to overpower his control. No! The bottle is good enough! he silently screamed, trying to silence the persistent voice while he battled to gain control over his raging hunger. Nick took a shaky breath and swallowed several mouthfuls from the bottle, hoping the blood would give him the added strength to withstand the mounting pressure.

So alive...so many choices, you want to taste all that emotion! the voice in his head pressed, combining with the howling, voracious vampire in an attempt to break free of Nick's wavering control. Go through the door. So many heartbeats... The vampire snarled in agreement; the beast was hungry!

Nick hesitantly reached for the doorknob, then stopped. He didn't remember walking over here.

Turn it! the voice ordered.

No! Nick silently screamed back.

You want it. Admit it!

Stop it. Leave me alone! Nick snarled in frustration as the pressure continued to build. He slowly reached toward the knob, only to have it turn before he reached it. Someone was coming. The sudden rush of adrenaline gave the vampire the needed power to surge forward and take control. He stepped fluidly back into the shadows of the room and waited.

Miklos slipped into the room, not wanting to disturb their sleeping patient and softly shut the door. Turning toward the bed, he frowned, muttering, "What the hell..." as he beheld the empty bed. A faint whisper of sound rustled from the corner to his left. Miklos glanced toward the dark corner just as a fully fanged, crimson eyed, ravenous Nicholas flew toward him. "Wait...Nick...!"

One hundred and eighty pounds moving at vampiric speed collided with Miklos, knocking him to the floor. He groggily raised his head, only to have another sharp pain spear out from his jaw, spreading a shroud of blackness over his consciousness.

The blood from this one smelled good! He was hungry! Nick reared his head back, fangs ready to strike when another odor brushed against his senses, the scent teasing and intoxicating. Slowly lowering his head, he sniffed at the clothes of the still vampire. The light scent hinted of spices, lust, and life. The voracious vampire raised his head and took another whiff. "Humans..." It was coming from the other side of the door. Growling in anticipation, he rose from the still body and reached for the doorknob.

Janette was leaning against the bar, watching the early crowd as they mingled within the club when LaCroix appeared at her side. "It appears tonight will be brisk, my dear," he stated in greeting. Reaching behind her, he brought a full goblet to his lips and took a sip. When he didn't say anything, she coyly glanced at him and asked, "Well?"

"An excellent vintage, as usual," LaCroix replied, as a slight smile dancing across his tired features. "I would expect no less, knowing your taste as I do."

Janette nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the compliment. Glancing at her sire, she noted the fatigue that was engraved on his visage and frowned. "Did you get any sleep today, LaCroix?"

"I don't need as much sleep as you young ones, Janette," he replied with a touch of haughtiness in his voice. He wouldn't admit to feeling any weakness, not even to his beloved daughter.

Janette expressed her exasperation at LaCroix' remark with a cutting glare, then turned back to her drink. Worry for her family resurfaced, eclipsing her annoyance. "How is he doing?" she quietly asked.

"Nicholas was sleeping when I left him a short time ago." LaCroix glanced away from his child to gaze out at the crowd. "I believe he's better, though Tabari insists on being a complete pessimist."

"I hope you're right, LaCroix." An altercation off to her left drew Janette's attention for a moment. However, one of the bouncers quickly moved in to deal with the problem, allowing her attention to return to LaCroix.

"What has Tabari so worried?" Concern mingled with her natural curiosity. She was eager to hear the latest concerning her paramour. Since the Moor had relieved her around noon, there may have been some *unsettling* changes while she slept.

"Tabari still insists the worst is yet to come." LaCroix frowned as he glanced toward the angry voices rising over the din of the crowd. "Luckily, we managed to get several bottles down Nicholas while he was sedated." Taking a sip from his glass, he added, "He finally began to heal this afternoon."

"That's good," Janette sighed, feeling some relief at this good news, "I was beginning to worry. Is this reaction an effect caused by Gautier's blood?"

"Evidently." LaCroix brought the glass up to his lips, then stopped. The old vampire felt something brush against his mind: a flash of predatory exhilaration. Concerned, he stepped away from the bar, certain something was wrong. A sharp, angry voice knifed through the normal clamor of the club, coming from a small crowd to their left. A bright orange Mohawk hairstyle was all that could be seen of the person at the center of the altercation. He felt another tingle, a slight touch really, teasing and warning at the same time. He glared at the escalating argument coming from the dance floor, his eyes narrowing in irritation.

LaCroix began to move toward the squabble, his annoyance rising at the disturbance, when an unexpected occurrence alerted him to a more personal and immediate concern. Noting movement where none should be, he saw a familiar figure stagger out of the corridor that led to the private living quarters of The Raven.

"What's Miklos doing here?" Janette's voice, heavy with worry, catapulted the elder vampire into motion, as Janette hurried toward the unsteady bartender.

LaCroix realized the teasing sensations he had been feeling must have been originating from Nicholas. He opened his link to his son wider, in an attempt to locate his confused child. The tingle along the link led across the dance floor, toward the back of the bar. Moving through the crowd, LaCroix continued to stretch the link to its fullest, determined to pin down Nicholas' location.

He was striding through the crowd when the young man with the Mohawk pushed away from the bouncer and collided against LaCroix. Suppressing the growl that instinctively began to rumble forth, the ancient vampire glared at the burly bouncer, who also happened to be a vampire, and firmly stood the drunken human back on his feet. The angry man, dressed in a black leather biker's jacket, dark jeans and a ripped T-shirt raked everyone surrounding him with a blistering gaze as he clumsily tried to evade the bouncer's attempts to eject him from the club.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" the punk biker exclaimed. "I want to know where he took her!"

"Come on you. It's time to leave," drawled The Raven's bouncer.

"No! I'm not leaving without my date. Where'd he take her, damn it?" the punk snapped, pulling away and stumbling against LaCroix again.

"Who took your companion?" LaCroix inquired, spinning the man around and pinning him with his gaze. Even with all the alcohol he'd consumed, the human didn't stand a chance.

"A wild lookin' dude. Blond...funny colored eyes. He took my date," the human whined. LaCroix moved swiftly onwards as the bouncer pulled the now pliant punker toward the door.

LaCroix stepped into the shadows skirting the fringe of the crowd, closed his eyes, and reached down the link, attempting to gain a better idea of his child's location. He felt a brief moment of relief when he realized Nicholas was close by, but it was quickly washed away when he sensed the red haze of hunger enveloping his son. The vampire in Nicholas was very much in control...and playing with its prey.

Where are you, Nicholas! LaCroix stepped away from the milling humans, letting his tenuous connection lead him toward his son. He smiled in triumph when the taut line of their link pulled him toward the storage area behind the bar of The Raven. Striding quickly down the dimly lit corridor, LaCroix concentrated on maintaining contact with Nicholas. The intense hunger that was pulsing down the link from his son was quickly escalating toward one driving need. He didn't have much time!

The elder vampire hurried past the stacked crates of liquor, moving deeper into the storage area of the Raven. A wild burst of ecstasy screamed up the link from his son as LaCroix rounded a corner in the maze of stacked alcohol. He suddenly stopped when he located Nicholas, an unresisting mortal draped in his arms.

Nick stood with his back to the wall, a young woman enclosed within his arms, completely enthralled to his will. He brushed her long silvery hair aside and bent down to lick at her extended neck. A rumbling purr of pleasure echoed through the room as her uniquely feminine scent washed over him. Dragging his lips back to her mouth, he pulled her tightly against him with one arm and kneaded her buttock with the other. His tongue invaded her mouth, his kisses savage and intense.

A moan of intense pleasure escaped her as she melded against him, running her hands up his chest to encircle his neck. Her green eyes closed and she panted for breath when Nick moved off her mouth. He dragged his tongue down her throat, enjoying the taste of his prey as he teased the vampire closer to release. His mouth opened into a fanged, predatory smile. He was enjoying this one. So much emotion was packed into this small female.

Sensing his master's arrival, the vampire glanced over his prey and acknowledged LaCroix' presence. His growls of ecstasy rumbled into a snarl of warning when the elder vampire started to advance.

"She's mine!" he snapped, his eyes red from his hunger and rising lust. The intensity of his emotions was palpable to the naked eye.

"Nicholas, there is better prey available than this scrawny girl."

"Back off, LaCroix," he hissed, then kissed and mouthed the young woman's face. "I like this one." He brought one hand up to her breasts, squeezing and stroking her. Another spike of lust shot through him as he felt her nipples harden through the thin material of her blouse.

"You really don't want to do this." Though he wished Nicholas would embrace his nature, he knew taking this girl might well destroy his son. LaCroix stared back at his son's crimson eyes, forcing his own to stay blue. He frowned when a strange expression suddenly crossed Nicholas' face, worry causing him to mentally tense in dreaded expectation.

The blond vampire looked down at his companion with a cold calculating gaze. Her eyes were closed, her complexion flushed as she floated in the erotic sensations he was stirring within her.

"I can have her; she wants it." With a nasty sneer, he glanced back at his 'master', his voice cold and hard. "He wants it."

"Nicholas..." LaCroix began, then stopped. After 800 years, he'd learned every nuance, every subtle shift to his son's voice, his body language -- everything. Something was different, alien. Suddenly Tabari's warning flashed through his mind. "Gautier established a link... He'll use any means necessary to control Nicholas. He wants him back." With Tabari's words echoing in his mind, he mentally reached for his son, hoping all he'd sense would be a hungry vampire. His anger swelled, flowing through him as hot as newly erupted lava when he realized much more was evident within his son.

Gautier had seized control of his son's mind!

"I'm not giving him back," Nick's voice growled, deep and sensual. He smiled a vicious, predatory smile when Nick/Gautier realized LaCroix understood what was happening. Bending his head down, he scratched a small cut along the young woman's jaw with a fang then casually licked the blood that oozed onto her skin.

"You can't have him, Gautier!" LaCroix growled and stepped toward Nick, his own eyes glowing with a golden fire.

"Watch me!" he growled, then laughed, the sound hard and malicious. "You can't stop me. I control him, not you. He belongs..." the braggart tone suddenly stopped. Nick bowed his head, the internal struggle he was fighting clearly showing on his face. He loosened his hold on the young woman, who groaned in protest.

"La...LaCroix?" Blue eyes lifted to peer at his master, confusion and fatigue paramount. He looked down at the small lady still loosely wrapped in his grasp. With a frown growing more pronounced on his face, Nick stood the young woman up and stepped away from her, backing up until he felt the wall, and flattened himself against it.

LaCroix quickly spun the human around and slipped into her mesmerized mind. "You simply took a short walk outside the club. You remember none of this. Go rejoin your friends." The command echoed and surrounded her. He looked up and saw Tabari standing just within sight. Annoyance and relief intertwined within him as he gave the young woman a little push and propelled her toward the silent Moor, trusting he would deal with the human woman.

LaCroix slowly walked toward his son, who had sunk to the floor, his head resting against his upturned knees. Squatting down, LaCroix briefly ran his fingers through his son's unruly blond hair. He could feel Nicholas' self-disgust, his defeat at what had almost happened. "Come with me, mon fils," LaCroix coaxed, pulling his son to his feet. "Let's go find Janette, hmm?"

To Chapter 13

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