Disclaimer: CSI and
Ocean’s Eleven or any other fandoms mentioned in the story are not mine. The names of the
all characters contained here-in are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CB
and various other producers. No infringements of these copyrights are intended,
and no money is made of it.
Part 3 – The Trap
*Istanbul, Turkey April 2006*
Danny was awed by the grandeur and beauty of the museum that had once
been a church. He wasn’t a religious man, but standing inside the centuries old
building, watching the sunbeams that streamed through the window onto the
floor, he could understand what people meant when they talked about sacred
places. Places of magic or force...
This one certainly was one and it seemed wrong that it was a secular
place now, a museum for everyone to visit. No, this place belonged into the
spiritual world. He would have loved to just sit down and take time to study
the paintings and intrinsic artwork, the stones and just generally soak up the
atmosphere. They didn’t have the time though... or well that wasn’t correct
either, but they had to look for anyone watching them as if they were under
pressure, as if the month that Benedict had given them was almost running out
on them.
After only two days in Switzerland they had flown to Istanbul, hoping to
both draw out those that were hunting them and maybe, just maybe find a lead on
the Talisman. Still watching the sun as the beam moved almost invisibly with
the passing of time, Danny remembered the conversation they had had with Odysseus
and Hector.
“I don’t know where the Talisman
is now.”
Hector had looked troubled as
he explained quietly. “The night Troy fell I gave the Talisman to Aeneas and he
built the Roman Empire on the foundation of the protection of Athena. But when
the ancient gods were replaced by the Christian religion and the Empire fell
under the attacks of the Goths, the Talisman vanished.”
Exchanging a glance with
Rusty, Danny had asked the question that had burned on his lips. “What powers
does the Talisman have?”
It had been Odysseus who had
answered. “Any city or country that houses the Talisman of Troy will be
invincible for it is then under the protection of the goddess herself.”
Confused Rusty had looked at
the two ancient beings. “But didn’t Troy fall?”
Hector tensed as if he had
been hit. “The Talisman wasn’t in the city when it fell.”
The dark haired vampire had
gotten up and stared out of the window as he had told them of his encounter
with his father and what his father had told him.
“I always knew that you were
blessed by the gods my son. Troy will fade into nothingness soon, and so I ask
only this, bring it to safety, bring it to a place where no one will find it.
No one shall ever yield this weapon again; no city shall ever be protected by
it. For as much as it protects the city is as much it will destroy it in the
end.” Hector’s shoulders had been shaking when he had finished reciting his
father’s words, but his eyes had been dry when he turned around again.
“I didn’t hide it, I didn’t
destroy it and that was my biggest mistake.”
Danny had understood what
Hector hadn’t said, had understood that the power of the Talisman could be used
for good or evil. “We’ll search for it.”
Odysseus had looked at him
with anticipation in his eyes, but Danny had held his father’s gaze and
continued slowly. “If we want to fool Patroclus, we have to keep going with out
search seriously, if we do anything else he’ll figure it out.”
And so they had come to the last capital of the Roman Empire, to the one
city were ancient Rome had continued to live on even when the heart of the Empire
had been destroyed. For a while Istanbul or Constantinople had been the center of
the universe and the city’s center had always been this church.
Standing on the ruins of an even older church, Hagia Sophia had been
built under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I
in 537 AD. And the emperor had made sure that the building which he would be
remembered by was splendid and an example of both his power and his people’s
culture. Smiling lightly, Danny thought of the skyscrapers and how every
country seemed to try and build an even larger one.
People didn’t change.
The first time he had set foot into the building he had felt a shiver
running down his spine. The light was incredible; he had looked at the windows
and remembered reading that the church had almost forty windows, placed so
subtly that it seemed as if the light of the sun reached even the smallest corner.
Justitian’s dream had been severely damaged by earthquakes and fires and
yet it still stood here in the middle of the teaming city. Had it been luck,
fate or was there a higher power involved?
“Danny, look at this.” Following his mate’s voice he found Rusty
studying an ancient mosaic that showed the emperor kneeling in front of the
wooden cross, holding a white marble statue in his hand. There was a Greek
inscription underneath the mosaic and he frowned as he realized that his mate
was reading the inscription.
“First Chinese, now Greek? What’s with you and languages?” Rusty
shrugged and grinned lightly.
“I had this plan of stealing some stuff from a museum and in order to
properly pretend to be an archaeologist I needed to be able to read ancient Greek,
so I learned it. But then you got busted on that deal with the Incan masks and
I...” Rusty’s voice trailed off and for a moment, Danny could only stare at his
lover then he had to fight to not grab Rusty’s hand. Instead he pointed towards
the inscription.
“What does it say?”
“It’s not complete, but says something about the power of the capitol being
handed over.” A shiver that had nothing to do with awe or lust ran over Danny’s
back and he looked at Rusty.
“The power of the capitol.” Rusty paled as he too understood the meaning
behind the words and the image. The power of the capitol, the power of Rome.
“We were right.” Danny nodded and locking eyes with his lover, he
pointed towards the next image, where a glowing statue lay on the floor, and on
its old place on the altar stood a cross.
“And then the power was removed.”
Rusty nodded and once more looking at the inscription he shivered. “The
power left the city to make room for the new religion.”
Knowing enough about Istanbul’s history to understand what his mate
meant, Danny shook his head.
“But where did it go?”
Shrugging, Rusty looked at the next images, craning his neck trying to
be able to read the inscriptions, but they only spoke of the capitols and its
emperors. “Maybe that part is still hidden beneath layers of paint and more...”
Nodding, Danny looked around and saw a sign saying ‘Curator’s Office’.
“Let’s ask him.”
---
* Megistis Lavras, Greece,
April 2006*
“They found the inscription at Hagia Mr. Stendhal.” The dark haired man
shivered as he watched his boss smile cruelly. Once more he was glad that he
was the bearer of good and not bad news. He had seen what the blond vampire was
capable of and didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the cold blooded
anger.
“Good, did you leave the clue as we told you?” He nodded and hastened to
ensure Stendhal that he had indeed done everything to make sure the two young
vampires would find the ancient papyrus and follow its lead.
“Well, then I think it is time to prepare for some guests, don’t you
think?”
Stendhal dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand and waited
until the human had left the room. Only as the door closed behind him, did two
other vampires step out of the shadows. Both were tall and blond, one seemed
younger, less mature and more naïve yet the youthful visage was a deception of
time. They walked in synch although they had only met each other a couple of
months back, still they were kindred spirits, like minded souls. For a while
they were silent then seeing the scowl in the young face, Stendhal addressed
one of them.
“Patroclus, something wrong?”
The young looking vampire nodded coldly and then turned towards the
third member of their group. “You think that this will work?”
His voice was hard, slightly accented and betrayed the youthful
features. The one he had spoken to smiled coldly. “You can say what you want
about Ocean, but he’s not an idiot. They’ll come...”
It was Patroclus’ turn to smile as he grabbed his phone and ordered his
men to go. Looking at his two conspirators, his eyes were hard.
“And we will wait there.”
Once again the youngest smiled, then though he looked at the two others.
“The only thing I don’t understand is, if you’re not after them because of the Talisman,
then what are you going to do with them?”
The smile that now crossed Patroclus’ face made the young vampire shiver
as it bordered on insanity. “We’re going to play.”
---
**Istanbul, Turkey April 2006*
Jason Bourne watched his mate and lover pace in the hotel room. “What’s
wrong with you?”
The dark haired vampire was tense and Jason could feel his anxiety
through their bond. Slowly he got up and reached out to stop Kirill from
wearing a hole into the carpet. His partner’s dark eyes were clouded with worry
and instinctively, Jason tensed himself.
“Kirill, what is it?” Frustration showed on the handsome face as the
hunter shook his head. “I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling about
everything...”
Once more, he looked at Jason and the blond hunter shivered at the dark,
almost unfocused look in his mate’s eyes. “I have these dreams...”
Now, Jason was alert and tense. Kirill never remembered his dreams,
never consciously dreamed unless they weren’t dreams but visions. There were
few who knew of the gift his mate had, few that understood it and even fewer
that Kirill showed the depth of the powers he had not wanted and yet been
given. Jason knew that the gift was part of Kirill’s heritage, part of who he
had been before he was turned, but he also knew that Kirill often hated the
powers that made him see things he did not want to see. Slowly Jason wrapped
his distraught mate in his arms, and equally slowly he felt the tense body
relax.
“What did you see?”
A shiver went through the vampire and stormy eyes met Jason’s. “That’s
what’s confusing me, I didn’t see anything... I just heard them, felt them...”
Kirill shivered again and this time he leaned against Jason, who tensed
even more as he understood the instinctive move as for what it was. His mate
was seeking the shelter and safety of his arms. Kirill was one of the strongest
and most dangerous hunters in the community and it had been ages since he had
seen his mate like this distraught and afraid.
Another shiver ran through the slender body against him and Jason felt
an answering one running through his.
“They were in so much pain... So much pain in their bond and they just
kept hurting them, tried to make them give it up.”
Kirill’s face was bland now; his eyes wide open and far away and Jason
shuddered as he realized how deep in the other world his mate was. Knowing that
he had to tear him out of it, he grabbed Kirill’s hand and pressed him against
the wall. “Look at me.”
Dazed eyes met his and he saw the flash of recognition right before he
covered Kirill’s lips with his. For a moment his mate was unresponsive, then
suddenly the soft lips yielded and with a deep moan, Kirill opened to him and
responded to the deep, loving kiss.
“You’re back with me?” A quick smile crossed over Kirill’s face, but
soon disappeared and the dark haired hunter grabbed his phone. “I have to warn
them, they are walking into a trap.”
Grabbing his own phone in order to call Seth and Riddick, Jason looked
questioningly at his mate. “Who are you talking about?”
Kirill was already dialing, but he still answered curtly. “Danny and
Rusty.”
---
*Las Vegas, US, April 2006*
“Rusty, don’t do this.” Nick had tried for almost an hour now to
persuade the two conmen not to offer themselves up as bait. He had talked to
Rusty, had tried to reason with the blond man, but the only response he had
been given was that they felt as if it were their responsibility.
And so he had resorted to the one thing he had not done so far. He
ordered them to stop their plan, commanded them in his role as their clan
leader. “I do not allow it.”
For a long time there was silence on the other side of the world and
Nick wondered if the con man on the other side had hung up on him, then though
a heavy sigh came through the phone and he looked up to meet his mate’s
reproachful eyes. Not wanting to deal with Warrick right now, he turned around
and heard a light chuckle from the other side of the room.
“Rusty, you still there?”
Once more there was silence, but finally Rusty’s voice filtered through
and for the first time, Nick heard a different man in the normally easy going
con man. Rusty was determined and serious, there was no playfulness in the
calm, dark voice and maybe that more than anything else showed the clan leader
how serious this was for the two mates.
“Look Nick, if we don’t do this now, we’ll have to look over our
shoulders for the rest of our lives. Would you want to live like that? Always
knowing that there is some dark threat out there just waiting to hurt you?
Would you put this kind of danger upon your friends, your family... your clan?”
The last was spoken almost silently and once more, Nick realized how loyal the
two con men were despite the way he had treated them and finally turning and
meeting Warrick’s eyes Nick put all the warmth he could in his voice.
“No Rusty, I couldn’t live like that. But you don’t have to do this
alone.”
There was another moment of silence, but when Rusty spoke again, Nick
could hear the emotions in the younger vampire’s voice clearly. Rusty was
thrown by the offer and once more the clan leader felt like a heel. “We aren’t.
You sent us Riddick, Seth is here and both Kirill and Bourne will watch over
us.”
A light laugh came over the phone.
“With those four guarding our steps, we’ll be safe.”
Nick still had a bad feeling about the entire endeavor but he knew now
that there was nothing he could do or say to prevent Rusty and Danny from going
through with their idea. “Be careful.”
Rusty swallowed and Nick felt the love and admiration in the lightly
teasing words that the con man gave him as a parting wish.
“We will, but don’t worry ok? Take your pirate and have some fun with
him ok? You really deserve it!”
Nick stared at the phone and shook his head. The awe and admiration
threw him a bit and he didn’t really know what to do. Confused, he turned towards
Warrick only to find his mate grinning at him, the pirate sobered quickly
though as he drew Nick in his arms. “There’s nothing like a good hero crush to
make people do stupid things.”
---
*Istanbul, Turkey, April 2006*
Rusty watched as Danny examined the copies of the ancient documents that
the curator at the museum had given them. The documents itself were stored in an
acclimatized vault in order to prevent their further disintegration. But the
curator had been willing to give them pictures and copies which as Rusty
guessed had probably a lot to do with a phone call from some Council members as
he couldn’t imagine why the curator would be so open about those incredibly
rare documents. It certainly helped he thought, smiling, to have friends in the
right places.
Right now something else concerned him and it wasn’t the paper and the
symbols that Danny was studying now. It was his mate. Danny had been quiet and
almost withdrawn all day and Rusty knew what was on the dark haired vampire’s
mind.
“Danny?” His lover looked up and the exhaustion was plain to see in the
reddened eyes, the drawn features and with a sigh, Rusty walked over and turned
the lamp off.
“Let’s go to bed ok?” The fact that Danny didn’t object when he pulled
him out of the chair and towards the bed spoke volumes of how his mate felt.
Slowly undressing his lover, then undressing himself, Rusty got them both under
the covers and drawing Danny against his body, he finally felt the older man
relax.
“Who am I?” The words came out quiet, almost silent but Rusty heard them
nevertheless.
“You are Danny Ocean, you are my mate. It doesn’t matter that you have
the soul of some ancient Greek. You are still yourself.”
Looking up Rusty felt his heart break at the insecurity in the dark
eyes. “I love you Danny, you, not some soul or some son of whoever. You!”
Another shiver ran through the body of his mate, then Danny looked up
and once more the pleading and the sudden fear in the beloved eyes made Rusty
want to cry. “Hold me, love me please.”
Heart overflowing with love and tenderness, Rusty held Danny, caressed
him with the intent to soothe not to enflame and under his gentle caresses he
slowly felt the muscles under his hand relax.
“You’re mine Danny and it doesn’t matter whose soul you have. You are my
mate, my partner, my other half.” Danny shivered again, but this time Rusty
could feel contentment instead of fear flowing through their bond and with a
final sigh, his mate fell asleep.
Rusty, on the other hand, stayed awake, watching over his mate and
soothing him whenever dreams seemed to trouble the dark haired vampire. He felt
torn between wanting to throttle Odysseus for making Danny remember his old
lives and being grateful for giving Danny another family, one that cared. But
he knew that in the end it didn’t matter. He loved Danny, they were together.
And their clan was all the family they needed.
---
*Istanbul, Turkey, April 2006*
“It’s at Delos.” Danny looked at his mate and shook his head completely
confused, but he could see that Rusty was more than a bit excited. His mate’s
eyes were glowing and Danny was pretty sure that it was not the light of the
sun that was reflected in those blue eyes.
“Delos?”
Rusty nodded enthusiastically and pointing to various symbols, he
started to explain while his hands were already busy writing notes to Seth,
Kirill and Bourne. “For the Greeks, Delos was considered the birthplace of
Apollo and Troy was always considered to be protected by the sun god. So it
makes sense to take it there, doesn’t it?”
It did make sense, Danny had to give him that, but on the other hand...
“Why would anyone take an ancient, heretic statue to a birthplace of a
heretic god? That doesn’t make sense. I would have thought that the statue was
destroyed or maybe is resting somewhere in the vaults of the Vatican, but to take
it to an island where there is nothing but ruins?”
Rusty looked up and nodded, then his eyes grew cold as he grasped the
paper he was reading and held it against the light. “You’re right Danny, it’s
not making sense, but it doesn’t have to.”
Even more confused now, Danny watched while Rusty cut off a small piece
of paper and retrieved the science kit he had gotten from Speed. Slowly,
meticulously, he dissolved the paper and grabbed another strip. He held the
small piece into the solution and grinned as it turned blue. “These papers are fake.”
He nodded towards the paper and pointed towards the blue strip he held
in his hand.
“They were written with an ink that didn’t exist back when they should
have been written. Whoever wrote them, might have known something about the Talisman,
but he or she definitely didn’t live at the time when it was thrown out of the
church.”
A cold feeling spread through Danny at those words and as if he was
watching a movie, the puzzle pieces fell together and he saw the image that had
been created. “No Rusty, he did.”
Seeing Rusty’s confused look, Danny shook his head and pointed towards
the papers. “These papers were written for us. Someone wants us to go to Delos
and search for the Talisman.”
He could see that Rusty had understood and saw the answering shiver that
ran through his mate. “Patroclus.”
Who else? Danny didn’t understand the depth of hatred that someone had
to carry for another being that made them threaten and kill relatives even as
distant as Rusty was, but he understood enough about people to know that this
entire chase had been nothing but an intricately woven trap.
“It’s a trap.” Danny nodded at Rusty’s words and reached for his phone
to contact Seth and the other hunters. Locking his eyes with Rusty he could see
the same determination in his mate’s eyes that he felt when he thought of their
ancient enemy.
“And we’re going to walk right into it.”
---
Las Vegas, April 2006
“Idiots.”
Nick had to smile at Gibbs’ comment, but his smile never reached his
eyes and he could see Warrick looking at him with concern.
“Why can’t they just walk away and let Hector and Odysseus deal with
it?”
Before he could answer, Horatio’s voice came through the speaker and
hearing the exhaustion in the other vampire’s voice, Nick made a mental note to
call his chief of security later and talk to him. Speed still wasn’t back to
his normal self and it was audible that his mate’s pain was taking a toll on
Horatio too. “Because they know that if they walk into this trap now, they’re
going in with their eyes open. If they turn away, they’ll never know when the
next trap will come.”
It was pretty much what Rusty had told him and although Nick understood
the rationale behind their actions, he still wished for another solution.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Warrick’s comment made him look up,
and instinctively he reached out and grabbed his mate’s hand.
“They are going to be trailed by Kirill, Bourne, Seth and Riddick. I
have a hard time believing that anything can happen when those four are
watching out for them.” Tony had always had the ability to diffuse a tense
situation and once more Nick was grateful for his oldest’s ability to do so
now.
“I’ve found something that worries me.” Horatio’s voice made him tense
once more and before the red headed vampire continued, Nick knew that whatever
it was it was unexpected and not good. “Linus Caldwell has been turned.”
The name didn’t ring a bell at first and he could see from the blank look
that Warrick threw him, that his mate couldn’t place the name either. “Who is
he?”
Horatio wasn’t their chief of security for nothing and his next words
proved it. “He was on Danny and Rusty’s team when they did the casino job.
Danny says that he had a crush on Rusty. He disappeared after the job and
neither of them has heard from him since, but I did some digging and I found
him. He works as a consultant for a security company. I went further and found
out that the company is part of the Stendhal Enterprises Group.”
The last words brought a chill with them that made Nick tense.
“We have an unholy trinity it seems.” Gibbs’ voice was cold and hard and
Nick could only agree with the Marine. Stendhal, Patroclus and Linus...
“They better not lose Danny and Rusty.” This time Tony’s words didn’t
cheer anyone up, but everyone echoed the wish and ending the call Nick looked
at Warrick who was tense. “Not good.”
Nick nodded and agreed. “No, not good at all.”
---
Delos, Greece, April 2006
Rusty was tense. It was one thing to talk about walking into a trap
knowingly and something else really doing it. He had known that in theory, but
now as he walked into the restored house of Apollo he could feel himself
shaking. Instinctively he reached out for Danny. Feeling the strong hand in his
made him relax a little, Danny’s love rushing through their bond made him feel
sheltered but still, he had a bad feeling about this.
They were inside the house now, standing in the patio where once, long
ago, the main area of the house had been. Looking at Danny, Rusty saw that his
mate was as tense as he was, but also that Danny was better than he in not
showing it.
“Where are they?” Danny mumbled more than he actually spoke and Rusty
felt a shiver through him at the steel he heard in Danny’s voice. He knew that
Danny wanted the entire charade to be over, the threat over their heads gone,
but he also knew that Danny despised violence and yet he heard the promise of
death in the cold voice.
“They threatened you.” Danny’s eyes were on him now and seeing them glow
faintly, Rusty understood that it was the vampire in his mate that was thriving
for revenge and quickly reaching out, he tried to soothe away the fear and the
violence he saw in his mate’s eyes.
“I’m here, I’m fine.”
They were silent for a moment, then Rusty felt Danny relax and he
repeated once more. “We will be fine.”
Danny locked eyes with him and Rusty saw the love in them. Reaching out
to draw him closer towards his body, needing the contact and the kiss, he
suddenly felt pain flare through the bond and horrified, he watched as Danny crumpled
in front of him.
“Danny!” His scream echoed off the walls as he knelt down next to his
mate and stared in horror at the perfectly round hole in his mate’s head.
“Danny?” Rusty had never felt such an emptiness in him, never known such
pain. They had only been bonded for a few months, but Danny had become a part
of him and he suddenly understood why mates could not live without the other.
“Danny.”
His hands caressed the dark hair and he was blinded by his tears. Maybe
that’s why he never noticed the men approach, why he never saw the gun that was
pointed at his head; maybe he did see it, maybe he did notice, but with Danny
gone, he saw no reason to fight anymore.
The gunshot resonated through the ancient site, but Rusty didn’t hear
anything, didn’t feel any pain as he fell next to his mate with his one hand
still clutching Danny’s while the other was still on the other man’s face.
---
Delos, Greece, April 2006
“Shit!” Seth cursed as he watched first Danny, then Rusty fall. He had
warned them, had pleaded with them not to go, but the two vampires were as
stubborn as they were resourceful and finally he had given in.
“Seth, we have five mortals walking towards them.” Kirill’s voice came
through the walkie-talkie and Seth cursed once more.
Patroclus was smart, smarter than they had given him credit for.
Engaging mortals to capture the two vampires… Sighing, Seth responded to the
hunter’s announcement, “I can see them, they’re alone, no vampires amongst
them.”
No vampires, no Patroclus, no Stendhal.
“I don’t like this.” Riddick’s voice was cold and hard. Seth didn’t
blame the other hunter for his anger and he fought his own anger hard as he
could do nothing more but watch as the five men bound and gagged Danny and
Rusty and rolled them into carpets.
“We can’t do anything but wait and follow them.” Bourne was calm and
composed and Seth had to hold himself in check before he lashed out at the
other hunter. It wasn’t their fault that they had underestimated their enemies.
He, himself had made the same mistake.
“Let’s do that, we can’t lose them.”
Instead of an answer, he saw Bourne come out of his hiding place and saw
how the blond hunter swiftly followed the group of men. Seth waited impatiently
for a sign or a signal, but before that came, he heard Riddick behind him.
Turning around, he saw the bald hunter crouch next to him.
“Listen, you go with Bourne and Kirill ok? I’ll go on my own.” Riddick’s
eyes were glittering and Seth found himself nodding against his will, then
though he shook his head.
“Why?” Riddick looked over towards the place where Danny and Rusty had
been attacked. “It’s too well planned... I just have a bad feeling.”
It was the same bad feeling that Seth had had right from the start and
so he nodded. “Keep in touch.”
Riddick grinned quickly and handed him a watch and a phone. “GPS is in
the watch and the tracker for my watch works with the phone.”
Impressed Seth smiled and clasped Riddick’s shoulder in greeting. “Watch
out.”
Riddick just looked at him as if he were stupid, then he grinned and
shrugged. “Sure, what else?”
And then he was gone as silently as he had come. Seth turned around to
watch for Bourne and Kirill when he suddenly saw and heard a commotion.
Squinting his eyes, his blood froze as he saw the five vampires that had
surrounded the two hunters. Immediately he drew his own sword and charged into
the fight. It wasn’t the vampires that made him shiver with dread, it was the
sight of a boat lifting anchor and slowly leaving the shores of Delos. It was
the boat that had Danny and Rusty on board.
---
Aubonne, Switzerland; April
2006
“You what?!”
Hector was in deep conversation with Minerva when he heard his mate
scream at someone. He tensed at the rage and frustration that flowed through
their bond and looking at the librarian, he shrugged. “You better go and find
out what’s having him all riled up, before he tears the castle apart.”
Her calm suggestion made him grin, but the grin faded fast as he watched
his mate approach him. There was something in Odysseus’ eyes that made him
flinch and shiver inwardly. “Kirill has lost Danny and Rusty.”
For a moment, he felt as if someone had hit him with a baseball bat,
then he understood the fear and rage that were coursing through his mate.
“How did this happen?”
Odysseus trembled as he told his mate what the Council hunter had told
him. “Patroclus lured them to Delos where he attacked and shot them. Kirill and
Bourne couldn’t intervene because neither Stendhal nor Patroclus were in the
group - instead the bastard used humans to do the dirty work. Kirill and Bourne
tried to follow, but they were attacked by a band of vampires. They got out
quickly, but lost the boat.”
Hector felt ice cold fear and hatred in him. Felt them mix and begin to
change, starting to boil until he trembled slightly. Opening his eyes, he saw
that Minerva had taken a step back from him. He knew why. Knew that the last
time he had felt such a thirst for revenge had been the day when they had found
Odysseus’ son dead in his own palace.
“Megistis Lavras.” Hector turned around at the new voice and his eyes
narrowed as he looked at Methos. The ancient vampire smiled at him. Hector saw
how Odysseus looked at him confused and then shrugging answered Methos with a
smile.
“Bless you.”
Methos shook his head and smiled for a moment, before turning serious
again. “Megistis Lavras. It’s an old Byzantine Monastary in Greece, right on the
coast and it has been Patroclus’ hiding place for the last five hundred years.”
For a moment both Hector and Odysseus just stared at the old vampire,
then Hector slowly walked up to the dark haired man. “How long have you known
this?”
His voice was dark, threatening and he could see how Attila
instinctively reached for his sword in order to defend his mate. Methos though
remained calm as he looked at Hector.
“Twenty five minutes.” Hector stared at Methos, looking deep into the
dark eyes until he was satisfied that the older vampire had not betrayed him
but told the truth.
“Thanks and I’m sorry.” Methos’ smiled lightly and patted his back.
“Don’t worry Hector, I would react the same way if one of mine were
threatened.”
The ancient vampire walked over to his mate and tousled the warrior’s
hair. “Isn’t he adorable? Wanted to defend me, fight the mighty prince of Troy
to save me?”
Attila growled and his eyes flashed, Methos though, only grinned and
handed Hector a map. “It’s the red cross, take the plane to the blue X and from
there go by chopper. The plane is being refueled as we speak, there will be a
helicopter waiting for you and you will get picked up here, in...”
They all heard the sound of the rotors landing next to the castle,
Methos grinned. “Right now actually.”
Hector was grateful that Odysseus was already running to their offices
to grab their bags and swords, he nodded a thanks towards Methos and reached
for his phone, when Minerva cut him off. “Go, hurry, I’ll call Kirill and tell
him.”
Hector looked at his mate and without another word, they both grabbed
the bags they had brought with them and ran outside. They had a score to
settle, but right now Hector could only pray that they would not be too late
for Danny and Rusty. “Hold on!”
---
*Megistis Lavras, Greece,
April 2006*
Danny’s first thought when he woke was that he would kill whoever had
mixed that last drink. He had one hell of a hang over and was incredibly
thirsty at the same time. Then reality came crashing down on him and with a
gasp he tried to sit up only to realize that he couldn’t.
“Good to see that you’re awake.” Something in the voice was familiar and
as he turned his head to look at the speaker, he growled with rage.
“You!”
Stendhal grinned and lazily moved his sword over Danny’s throat. “I’m
glad that you remember me, very glad actually.”
Danny felt fear curl tight in his belly, but it was something else that
made him start trembling. It was the emptiness in his soul, a gaping hole where
Rusty should be and starting to thrash against his bonds, he tried to get free.
Stendhal chuckled at his desperate struggle, but after a few minutes of
watching Danny exhaust himself he pressed the blade closer to Danny’s throat.
“Stop it or the fun is over ok?”
It was at that very moment the bond came back to life and Danny sagged
against the bonds as his soul began to sing again. He sent love and awareness
through the thin connection holding him and Rusty together and immediately felt
an answer through the link, felt his relief mirrored in Rusty’s emotions and
for a moment forgot his current situation.
“Seems like your mate is awake.” Stendhal’s comment made him tense, but
the blond vampire just patted his head and pushed a button so that the table on
which he lay was moved upwards forcing him into an almost standing position.
“I think it’s time to move somewhere else.”
Stendhal moved his hand and immediately four vampires surrounded Danny
and he could feel them loosening his bonds. He briefly thought of fighting, but
with Stendhal keeping the sword right at his throat, he knew that he could not
risk it. They dragged him towards a platform and pulled him up, his hands still
bound, he stumbled more than he walked when he felt shackles close around his
ankles and someone pulled roughly at his arms.
“No.”
He tried to fight, but it was too late and his arms were tied above his
head making him hang from them with almost his full weight. Stendhal had
watched the entire process and now walked up to the platform too.
“Almost perfect.” He looked at Danny and then with one flick of his
sword sliced his shirt in half. A glance at the vampire next to him made him
run over and uncover Danny’s torso. Stendhal stepped back and nodded. “Now you
are perfect.”
He clapped his hands and ordered one of the vampires to bring Rusty in.
Danny heard the command and tensed not knowing what to expect, but his relief
when they brought his mate in unharmed was short lived as he could see the
horror in Rusty’s eyes. Understanding that for Rusty it was as bad to see him
like this as it would have been himself made Danny start to thrash against his
bonds but all he achieved was the metal cuffs cutting into his flesh.
Still looking into Rusty’s eyes he tried to comfort his mate, but
instead felt a surge of love and warmth through their bond as his lover tried
to shelter him and for a moment Danny forgot where they were and basked in the
love and the strength of their bond.
“Now that is a touching scene.” A cold voice penetrated the dream state
he was in and he looked up at the newcomer. Tall, with longish blond hair, he
looked deceptively young but the hatred in his eyes had burned for a long time
and Danny knew immediately who the man was.
“Fuck off.”
The ancient vampire sneered at Rusty when he cursed him like that. Danny
watched with dread as their enemy walked up to his mate. He had never met
Patroclus before and yet something in him trembled at the mere sight of the
vampire.
“Leave him alone.” At his demand Patroclus turned around and walked up
to where Danny was bound. For a long time he just stood there and stared until
he looked up and Danny gasped as their eyes met.
Memories suddenly flooded his mind, memories of a life he had once
lived, of a fight he had fought and lost, of pain and torture. He had met this
man before in another life and the images that flooded his mind were of pain
and death and instinctively he jerked back as Patroclus reached out.
“No.”
The ancient vampire had tensed at his reaction, but slowly a dark smile
started to grow on his face. Danny started to shiver as he saw the hand come
closer and closer until the hated vampire touched his skin. “What a wonderful
surprise to meet you again Telemachos.”
---
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Rusty knew that Seth and the others were right on their trail, and that
it would be a matter of hours maybe until they were safe again. Still, watching
Danny bound and trembling was the hardest thing he had ever done and he was
sure that it would get worse. Patroclus stalked towards him and seeing the
hatred and pure evil in the pale blue eyes, Rusty shivered. It was hard to
refrain from lashing out at the man who so obviously terrified his mate, but
officially they didn’t know who Patroclus was and not wanting to blow their
cover, he looked at the ancient vampire with a defiant stand and hatred in his
own eyes.
“What do you want?” It was a cruel smile that now crossed the
deceptively young face, but instead of answering Rusty, Patroclus turned around
and walked back so that he was standing right in front of Danny. Rusty felt
fear running through him as the ancient vampire ran a caressing finger over his
mate’s naked chest.
“Where is the Talisman?” It wasn’t hard to look shocked. Rusty only now
realized the extent of the trap that Patroclus and Stendhal had laid out for
them. Not only had he lured them onto the quest, then to Delos, but now he was
about to question them about something he knew very well they couldn’t know.
They had never had a chance. The realization hit him hard, but the
knowledge that help was on its way made him look up defiantly and shrug.
“What Talisman are you talking about?”
Patroclus turned back towards him and even across the room, Rusty could
feel the fury and hatred. Silently, he sent an apology to his mate and was
instantly overwhelmed with love. They had talked about this, had talked about
the possibility of one of them being used against the other and had decided on
how to play their parts. Still though, Rusty wanted to avoid his eyes as
Patroclus gave a wave of his hand and one of the vampires that had tied Danny
up stepped forward.
He held a long leather whip in his hand and Rusty almost blew his part
as he was forced to watch how the tall man lifted his arm and slapped the
leather band across Danny’s back. His mate’s body jerked in its bonds, but Danny
himself didn’t utter a word and with trepidation Rusty watched as the whip flew
once again and once more Danny’s body jerked forward.
“Does this help your memory?” Rusty’s mind told him to say no, but his
entire soul and heart screamed yes and yet before he could say anything, Danny
spoke. “He doesn’t know what you’re talking about and neither do I, just for
the record.”
Looking up, Rusty’s eyes locked with Danny’s and he saw the
determination to see this through. No, he pleaded silently through their bond,
don’t set yourself up for even more pain and hurt. Danny’s eyes flashed then
almost as if he had heard Rusty’s thoughts and a wave of protectiveness rolled
over the blond vampire.
Rather me than you.
It wasn’t a thought or anything tangible and yet Rusty could feel the
words in the emotions through their bond. And then there suddenly was nothing,
no emotions, no love. Before he could say anything, do anything, Rusty saw the
whip come down again and again and with growing anger and rage he realized that
Danny had shut himself off in order to spare Rusty from feeling his pain.
“Let him be.” Patroclus raised his arm and the lashes stopped
immediately. The ancient vampire turned towards Rusty and looked at him coldly.
“You ready to talk?”
Defiantly staring at Danny, Rusty took a deep breathe and started to
speak. “We followed its trail from the ruins of Troy to Berlin and from there
to Italy and on to Istanbul. But all we did was following signs until the Hagia
Sophia, where we found old documents that pointed us to Delos.”
Patroclus looked at him closely and then with a cruel smile, he nodded
at the vampire behind Danny. Immediately the strikes fell again and this time
Danny could not shield all the pain from Rusty and he cringed at the red hot
sensation that seemed to run through his mate and looked at Patroclus
desperately.
“I told you the truth.”
The ancient vampire just grinned and shrugged. “I know.”
He walked towards the table where whips, knives and other torture
devices were laid out. Smiling coldly, he selected a small knife and walked
towards Danny.
“You followed my trail.”
Rusty wanted to answer, but just as he took a deep breath to give a
heated reply, Patroclus stood right in front of his mate and pointed the knife
at his chest.
“You know I can do a lot of damage without killing you and cause a lot
of pain... How do you think your mate would like this?”
Danny tried to avoid the knife, but the bonds were too strong and
helplessly Rusty watched as the blond vampire cut a shallow line right across
Danny’s abdomen. Danny jerked back once more, but at the same time the whip
lashes had started up again and Rusty had to watch his mate being tortured and
whipped.
Still Danny tried to keep the pain in, but as Patroclus pressed his hand
against the shallow cuts, his resolve crumbled and he cried out in pain. It
wasn’t just his resolve, but also the shields he’d kept up to protect Rusty and
as the cry echoed through the hall, Rusty was swamped with the pain and fear
that his mate really felt. It overwhelmed him, made his soul weep and
desperately, he pleaded with Patroclus to let Danny go.
“Please take me instead.” But the only answer he received was cruel
laughter as Patroclus ordered the vampires to stop their torture of Danny.
Rusty saw him coming towards him, but his mind and eyes were focused on his
mate trying with all he was to stop the other vampire from feeling this
terrible pain.
“So far have we come. Three thousand years and still the ancient methods
are the most efficient.” He opened a box, reached in and showed Rusty the
contents. “Do you know what this is?”
It was a white, almost crystal like substance and confused, Rusty shook
his head.
“It’s salt.”
Horrified, Rusty watched Patroclus walk towards Danny who was hanging
limply in his bonds, his body bloody and torn. “Do you know what salt does if
it is poured onto fresh wounds?”
He wasn’t sure if Danny had even heard their captor speak, nevertheless
he strained against the two vampires that held him down desperately trying to
escape and save the man he loved with all his heart.
“No!” Rusty’s scream echoed through the room and was soon joined by
Danny’s painful cries as Patroclus opened his hand and started to rub the
powder over Danny’s wounds. His mate’s body jerked in his bonds and once more
Rusty’s mind was flooded with pain.
“Please, you got what you wanted, you have me.” The last word resonated
through the room and suddenly all movement stopped.
Patroclus turned around and stalked towards Rusty. “What are you talking
about?”
Rusty knew that he had just blown their cover, but he also knew that it
didn’t matter; all he had to do was stall for time until the hunters found
them.
“You want me, Achilles’ descendant and not Danny.”
---
*Between Switzerland and
Greece, April 2006*
Odysseus sat in his chair completely still, his hands were folded
tightly in his lap and his face was a pale mask of indifference. Hector watched
his mate and saw through all the masks without even trying to. Odysseus was
scared.
The entire situation had shaken the ancient warrior to his core and
slowly Hector sat down next to the blond man and held him close. He could feel
the small tremors that ran through his mate’s body and gently started to soothe
the trembling muscles. “They will be ok. We will find them.”
Odysseus’ eyes were haunted as he looked at him and Hector shivered at
the pain he saw in the green depths. “He will recognize him.”
Looking straight into Odysseus’ eyes, Hector didn’t even try to lie and
give false comfort to his mate. “Yes he will.”
Shaking, Odysseus looked up and shook his head almost as if he were
trying to push his thoughts away. “I can’t go through this again, I only just
found him.”
The whispered words were broken and the haunted look in his mate’s eyes
threw Hector back to the past and the moment they had found Telemachos.
“No” Odysseus sagged onto the
floor next to the mutilated body of his son and desperately cradled the dead man’s
torso in his arms. “Please, you can’t be gone.”
Hector felt the pain through
their bond and sat down carefully before he pried the dead body with equal care
from his mate’s arms.
“No, let me hold him.”
He wanted to let his mate do
just that and yet he knew that the pain would only intensify and so he gently
pulled the body from the other warrior. Odysseus shivered once, then he tensed
and as he looked up, Hector saw hatred and fury in the green eyes.
“Who did this?”
With a jerk Hector returned to reality and saw in Odysseus’ eyes that
his mate had remembered too. Another shudder wracked the strong body in his
arms, then Odysseus gathered himself and as he opened his eyes once again,
Hector saw the strength and determination of the warrior king he had fallen in
love with all those years ago.
“We didn’t know then.” No, they had had no idea that Patroclus was
following them like a shadow, that the former friend of Achilles had been
turned and was out for revenge.
“Now we do know and we are stronger than ever.”
He could literally feel that strength humming through their bond. It was
a strength born out of fire and pain and yet it was tempered by the love they
shared, tempered and turned so that it would never turn against them but aid
them.
“We will fight him.” And once more Cassandra’s words flowed through
Hector’s mind as he remembered a dark night and a whispered promise.
‘There are things which are
veiled from my eyes, but much that I see. A descendant of Achilles will return
and then the circle of hatred and violence will come to an end.’
The circle of violence and hatred, of pain and suffering was about to
come to an end. They would see to it.
---
*Outside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Kirill was completely still as he stood on the hill opposite the large
monastery and watched the comings and goings. His stillness belied the
restlessness he felt inside ever since he had dreamed of Danny and Rusty. The
beautiful monastery was lying silent and lifeless at his feet and yet, he knew
that there were people in there.
He knew that Rusty and Danny were in there. It was the place of his
dreams.
“Love.” He looked up as Jason called him lightly.
“This is the place.” Seth and Jason looked at each other and then at
Kirill again, but before they could even ask him anything, Kirill spoke on. “I
have dreamt of this place.”
Seth still looked unconvinced, but Jason nodded. They had Methos’ words
and Kirill’s dreams; it was everything he needed for comfort. Glad and relieved
that his mate believed him, Kirill nodded once more, before the three vampires
began their silent descent towards the large building.
“I hope we are not too late.” Jason’s words were silent, but both Kirill
and Seth heard them and Kirill could see how Seth tensed completely, before
turning around with glowing eyes.
“We won’t be.”
But as he remembered the screams and emotions from his dream, Kirill
couldn’t help thinking that maybe Seth’s answer was born more out of hope than
conviction.
---
Part 4 - Captured
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Danny had never known such pain in his life. His body was on fire, but
what hurt almost more was seeing Rusty suffering with him. He fought the
darkness, fought to stay conscious because somehow he knew that him collapsing
would be worse for his mate than any pain he could feel through their bond. It
was this knowledge that made him hold onto his walls, onto the shields even
when the lashes fell onto his abused back again and again. It was one single
thought in his mind, one single mantra that kept him going.
Let them leave Rusty alone, let him be spared.
He wasn’t conscious of his thoughts, wasn’t realizing that he was
whispering Rusty’s name again and again. He saw Patroclus walking towards his
mate, noticed how Rusty paled and watched their captor walk back to him. There
was a cold smile in his face and he shuddered at the cruelty beneath the golden
shell and instinctively tried to shield himself and Rusty from the pain.
“No!” Rusty’s pained scream registered at the same time as pain started
to race through his body, he didn’t understand what it was that was rubbed into
his wounds, but it made them throb and pulse with fire and needles. He heard
himself scream, felt the pain through out his entire body. He saw the moment
when his shields crumbled and somehow seeing his pain in Rusty’s eyes made it
even worse. Darkness tugged at him again just as Rusty screamed his name,
screamed Patroclus’ name and although he fought it he wasn’t strong enough
anymore.
When he woke, his body still was on fire and the pain had only lessened
marginally. Something else though had changed and for a moment he shuddered
before he opened his eyes. It was completely silent.
Patroclus stood in front of Rusty, his entire body tense, hatred coming
off him in waves and Danny felt fear in his stomach as he saw how his mate
stood his ground and glared at Patroclus. His own pain was forgotten as the
ancient vampire raised his hand and slapped his mate.
“No!” He tore at his bonds as his core screamed to protect his mate, but
the leather and metal bonds were too strong for him and if anything his
desperate struggles only seemed to amuse the vampires standing around them.
Patroclus however turned around and his eyes were burning with rage this time.
“So you knew who you are?” Despite the hatred in his eyes, his voice was
calm and that scared Danny more than if he had screamed. He had learned long
ago, that it was the silent ones, the controlled ones that were the most dangerous.
Angry people made mistakes, but those that were able to control their anger
were deadly.
“I was thinking that maybe Bourne and Kirill had followed you without
your knowledge, but it seems I was wrong. It seems you were trying to trap us.”
Danny’s eyes met Rusty’s for a second and he saw the same shock and fear
in the blue depths that he felt himself. How could Patroclus know?
“It was a good plan, stalling me, playing for time until your knights in
shining armor appear. Taking me down and becoming heroes throughout the vampire
world.”
No, Danny thought, they had never seen themselves as heroes. All they
wanted was to live their lives in peace and without an ancient shadow looming
over their heads. Patroclus walked up close to him, forced him to look him into
his eyes and once more memories of a past life woke in Danny, but this time his
mind was too tired to resist and the images took hold, showed glimpses of torture
not unlike the one he had just gone through, showed him a younger image of
himself lying bleeding on a dirty floor as Patroclus bent over him.
He jerked back as the implications hit him and another shiver of fear
ran through him. Patroclus laughed. “You remembered me.”
It was the cruel laughter that chased away any fear and eyes glowing
Danny snarled at his captor. “You killed me then, but you won’t kill me now.”
Another laughter rang through the hall before Patroclus stepped back and
looked at both Rusty and Danny.
“Of course you are still waiting for your knights, but I have to
disappoint you. Bourne and Kirill are dead, a tragedy of course, but I am sure
that the vampire world will survive. You though...”
He trailed off and was silent for a second. Danny’s thoughts raced as
the words penetrated the fog of pain and darkness that surrounded his mind.
Bourne and Kirill dead? A shiver ran through him as he thought of the two vampires
and a deep sadness made him shake his head. They couldn’t be dead, not because
they had tried to help them. At the same time another thought made him frown.
Patroclus had not spoken of Seth and he knew that their surrogate sire had been
with the two hunters. Was Patroclus bluffing?
“Your knights will not come to your rescue.” The ancient vampire stood
right in front of him now and Danny shuddered at the calculating gleam in the
pale blue eyes. His voice was low, more a whisper as he spoke coldly, deliberately.
“I could keep you here forever, feed you blood, just enough to keep you alive,
take turns in torturing you and your mate. Do you remember how I killed you
Telemachos?”
Again flashes of his former life ran through Danny’s head and he
shivered as they flooded his mind and he jerked in his bonds as he watched his
former self being tied to the floor, watched how Patroclus moved down and he
screamed as his soul remembered the pain of being raped again and again.
“What would you do if I offered your mate to my men?”
All his memories dissolved and nothing but hatred and fear remained in
his mind and heart as he saw how their captor looked at Rusty with a
calculating gleam in his eyes.
“No.” He managed to speak quietly, calm himself down enough to get the
words out without a quiver and Patroclus turned around surprised.
“You will not harm him or I will kill you and every person who touches
Rusty.” He was surprised how his voice sounded, how the hatred he felt right
now transformed it into something deadly, something cold and hard like a knife
and to his surprise Patroclus took a step back at his words. The ancient
vampire looked closely at him and then at Rusty, before he nodded at one of the
vampires next to him.
“Take them down to the cellar and kill them.”
Danny saw how Rusty paled at the cold words, and felt his blood freeze
as he understood that they were going to die here. And still, at the thought of
what Patroclus had been about to do to Rusty, Danny couldn’t help but feel
relieved.
Hard tugs at his bonds made him scream with renewed pain, but then his
arms were freed and he tensed, ready for attack, but his body was too much in
pain, too exhausted to fight and so he slumped to the ground.
“Danny!” Fighting the darkness he raised his head to see four vampires
forcing Rusty towards the door and once more he felt relief that the torture
was over for him and his mate. They would die, but at least they would die
together. But before the relief could take hold a fifth vampire stepped into
his line of sight.
---
*Outside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Seth was afraid. They were running out of time. He didn’t know why he
knew it, but maybe he had indeed formed some kind of bond with the two young
vampires. Not a mate’s bond, not a child – parent bond and yet something that
enabled him to feel something, to detect hints of them. Danny was a distant
relative. Maybe that was how the faint bond had formed and maybe he was just
scared and saw signs where there were none.
“Seth.” Bourne had stopped and now put a hand onto his arm as he walked
on.
“What?” They couldn’t afford to stop, every minute could cost Danny and
Rusty dearly and the thought of how much time they had already lost made him
growl at the light haired vampire.
“We have to approach from a different way.” Bourne pointed down and Seth
had to acknowledge that the hunter had a point. The path they had chosen had no
cover and looking at the older vampire he sighed knowing that Jason was right.
He didn’t like it, but he knew that he was.
“Down there and under the water.” Kirill pointed towards the steep wall
of rocks that led right into the sea and exchanging a look, Seth and Jason
nodded slowly. Seth could have cried out in frustration as he realized that
this path, although safe and out of sight, would set them back another hour or
two.
“Where is Riddick?”
Kirill had his phone in his hand and looked at it annoyed. “He’s got his
phone turned off.”
Seth nodded almost absently. “He always does that when he’s hunting.”
The thought of the other hunter had calmed him. Riddick was close, once
again he didn’t know how he knew, but he knew it. Riddick was out there,
hunting and waiting for the right moment.
His heart was lighter as he followed the two Council hunters towards the
cliff.
---
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
He had stood in the shadows when they brought Danny and Rusty in. Had
watched from the sideline when Patroclus had started to torture Danny and he
had cheered at seeing the hated vampire cry out with pain. Danny had taken
Rusty from him, had bonded with him before he had had a chance to do so.
It was right that he paid for it. To his surprise it had been Rusty who
had broken first, revealing that he knew about his heritage, about Patroclus’
hatred and helplessly he had watched how the blond con man had played all of
Patroclus’ buttons until the ancient vampire had exploded.
“Take them down to the cellar and kill them.” Anger coursed through him
as he heard the order and as soon as Rusty was out of the room, he stepped
forward and crossed the room to face Patroclus.
“Linus.” Danny Ocean’s voice was weak, but he still managed to put
enough disdain into it for Linus to feel like the insecure, green boy he had
been only months ago. That time was over though; he had made his choice that
night when he had watched Stendhal fight Danny and Rusty in front of Reuben’s
mansion. He had chosen the right side, the strong side. He had chosen to be a
winner, had offered his services and when Patroclus had asked him for several
favors he had always delivered.
But he had named a price. And he was going to ask for it. “You promised
me Ryan.”
Patroclus looked at him and then at Danny who had paled at hearing the
four words. When the ancient vampire met his eyes again, there was a
calculating gleam in his eyes, before he nodded. “You can have him. We can’t
kill Ocean in this case, because Ryan would die then too, but we’ll keep him
alive. That way, he can enjoy it too.”
Danny’s scream echoed through the room as he thrashed against his
captors and his bonds, but he was easily overpowered and led from the hall.
Linus’ eyes followed him while he gave the orders for Rusty to be brought to
his room.
“They will be killed tomorrow night, so I suggest you make the most out
of the time you have.” Patroclus’ words made him smile while his cock hardened.
“I will, don’t worry.”
---
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Rusty had heard what Patroclus had said and, as he was led away by the
two vampires guarding him, he felt nothing but a deep sadness. Weirdly enough,
it wasn’t fear that he felt, just grief that he and Danny had had the world in their
hands and yet lost it after such a short time.
They would die. Names of friends came to his mind, images of people that
mattered and his grief just got stronger.
Seth, their surrogate sire, the vampire who had taught them all they
knew, who had been there when they had been scared and confused. Basher, his
and Danny’s real sire, what would he feel when he heard about them? Jack and
Will, the pirates who had promised them a trip on the Pearl, the two mates who had unconditionally welcomed them at
Sanctuary. Nick and Warrick, the clan leaders, two men he respected above anyone else...
A shiver ran through him at the thought of their clan leaders. He had
not spent much time with them, but he knew that Nick would blame himself and he
shook his head. Rusty hoped that Warrick would take care of Nick, when out of
nowhere he was flooded with terror; Rusty gasped and stilled, shivering as he
determined the source. “Danny!”
He hadn’t realized that he had screamed his mate’s name, but the guards
reacted immediately and pushed him forward. “Move.”
One of the vampires shoved him forward, but hesitated as someone called
out ‘stop.’ Rusty felt even more terror coming from his lover and tensed. It
seemed as if Danny was reaching out for him through their bond and then
suddenly everything was gone. Nothing but emptiness where terror and love had
reached for him and, as Rusty sent his love over, he felt the bleak darkness of
an unconscious mind come back to him.
“Danny.” This time he didn’t scream the name, but whispered it, terrified of what had happened to
his mate. Caught up as he was,
he didn’t notice the arrival of another vampire and only looked up when his
name was spoken. He recognized the blond man immediately and gasped in shock.
“Linus!”
There was a cruel smile in Linus’ eyes and Rusty shivered as he shook
his head before nodding at him in a mock gesture. “Rusty.”
Again there was something in his eyes that made Rusty shiver; still he didn’t back away as Linus
stepped up close, invading his private space and came even closer until Rusty
could almost feel the other man’s breath on his skin. A shiver of repulsion ran
through him but Linus only laughed, then, without taking his eyes from Rusty,
he addressed the two guards. “Take him to my room and prepare him for me.”
For a moment, Rusty didn’t understand, but then fear woke in him and he
understood what had caused Danny to freak out. Still, he met Linus’ eyes coldly
and only jerked his head away as Linus leaned in to brush his lips against
Rusty’s. Linus laughed and nodded at one of the guards, who grabbed Rusty in a painful grip and forced him to endure
Linus’ touch.
“You better accept it, Rusty, you’re mine now.”
Something broke at those words and he struggled against the hands
holding him still, fought with all the tricks that Seth had taught him, but in
the end he was one against four,
and as something hard landed on his head, Rusty crumpled to the ground.
---
*Outside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Kirill closed his eyes, listening for something that would tell him
where Patroclus and his gang were, but the louder the silence got, the stronger the feeling of urgency
became, and as he opened his
eyes, he saw the same concern
mirrored in the face of his mate.
“We have to go inside.” Seth’s words broke his almost trance, and looking at the two other hunters, he nodded.
“You search for Danny and Rusty;
Jason and I will look for
Patroclus. I have a feeling that we can leave Stendhal for Riddick.”
For a second the hunters smiled, but it faded fast as they moved towards
the door. So far they hadn’t seen any guards, but they all had been waiting
long enough to believe the silence. Sharing looks, they immediately began to walk in step, each of them covering an
angle and Kirill could feel how all his senses tuned higher, how his entire
body grew more alert. It was like a transformation from vampire to hunter, and he knew that in this state his
body was a weapon. For a second he concentrated on his mate and he felt the
same changes take place in Jason. Their eyes met and Kirill shivered.
He loved Jason, but when his mate was on the hunter level, he also
feared him. He knew that while he might be able to turn his body into a weapon, Jason was on a different
level. Jason became a weapon.
---
*Outside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
“Let’s go down here.”
Odysseus watched as Hector gave their pilot some coordinates. The young
man nodded and started to descend slowly. “Where are we going?”
He could see the monastery and he knew that behind the massive walls, Patroclus was alone with Danny and
Rusty. A shiver ran through him at the thought of what his enemy was able to do
to them.
“It’s the end of an escape path from the monastery.” Hector’s voice was
cold, hard, and Odysseus saw
that the congenial, joyful Council member had disappeared. Hector was ready to
fight and almost as in response to his mate’s transformation, he could feel the
fear for Danny turn into resolve and then into anger.
“Patroclus will not face Kirill or Bourne in an open fight. He will send
his minions out to fight and he will run.”
A shiver ran through Odysseus at the words, but even more at the language Hector used. It had been a long
time since he had last heard the ancient dialect of Troy, but as he looked at
Hector, he knew that it fit. Patroclus
had killed Hector of Troy and it would be Hector of Troy who would get
revenge for it. “So we do nothing.”
A smile ran over Hector’s face as he got out of the helicopter, when he
looked up though, his eyes were hard. “We wait.”
---
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Rusty fought his way out of the darkness, fought to get back to reality
and he tensed. Dread filled him as he realized that he was tied to a bed, arms
above his head, legs spread. Rusty fought the fear and he tried to keep himself
calm, but he still couldn’t prevent the shiver that ran over him as a cold
breeze made him painfully aware that he was naked.
A hand on his leg made him tense and he recognized the voice
immediately. “No playing dead anymore, it’s time to face me.”
Rusty refused to show any weakness and put all the disgust he felt in
the glare he sent Linus. Linus grinned and kept running his hand over Rusty’s
body. The touch made his skin crawl, made him shiver with fear, but he kept his
emotions carefully locked away. He could feel Danny through their bond and he
didn’t want his mate to feel what Linus did to him. Love warmed him and for a
moment he let himself float in it.
“Ah.” The pain of the slap to his
face came unexpectedly; his side
was throbbing and he opened his eyes as another blow, this time close to his
kidneys, made him cry out.
“No Danny here to save you today, no Reuben to intervene. You are mine now for the rest of your existence.”
The evil look made him shiver, but still he glared at Linus. “You cannot
break our bond.”
The words earned him another blow before Linus stopped and coldly stared
at him. There was something assessing in the cold eyes, something that made
Rusty wish he hadn’t spoken, and
yet it was against all he believed in to just give in without a fight. Still, he couldn’t shake the terror as
Linus slowly began to undress until he stood next to the bed, naked.
“Your bond, yeah. He
feels what you feel, doesn’t
he?”
Once more Rusty felt the hated hands on his body, but this time they
twisted his nipples until he groaned in pain. Linus stopped,
but his eyes mocked him as he reached for something, and eyes still locked with Rusty, he put the clamps on the
tender nubs. It felt to Rusty as
if tiny little knives were cutting into his flesh, and he couldn’t hold back the scream as Linus climbed on top of
his body and sat down hard on the clamps.
“I wonder what Danny’s feeling right now.”
Rusty shivered, his mind flooded with pain and fear, but even worse was
that he could feel his shields falter, could feel how he couldn’t block Danny
out much longer. Hands closing around his neck jerked him back to reality.
“Suck me.” Linus had moved and his cock was right in front of Rusty; for a second he was tempted to bite,
but as if Linus had read his thoughts, the grip around his neck got stronger
and, hissing with anger, Linus
looked at him. “Suck me and if one tooth touches me, I’ll give your Danny to
Patroclus’ men.”
The threat was enough to terrify Rusty and he gasped, wanted to say
something, but before he could speak, Linus shoved his cock into Rusty's mouth and down his throat. It
hurt; the legs on his chest
pressed the clamps deep into his flesh, and the hard cock thrusting in and out
of his throat, the hands still gripped his head. But worst of all was the
knowing, mocking look in Linus’ eyes, the cruel grin, and the laughter at his
humiliation. “What does Danny think of you now? What do you think? You are
betraying him, betraying your bond.”
His mind
tried to block out the mocking words, but the pain made him unfocused and he
saw the truth of Linus’ words as his torturer thrust in once more and came. The
taste felt wrong, disgusting and Rusty gagged at the seed running down his
throat. Linus just watched him coldly as he withdrew then narrowed his eyes and
slapped him hard. “You better get used to my taste, as it will be all you know for the rest of your life.”
Rusty’s heart and mind struggled to understand what Linus told him and
he shook his head. “I will always be Danny’s.”
His voice
was hoarse from the abuse his throat had endured; still, he clung to his words,
the knowledge that nothing could tear him and Danny apart.
“But Rusty, don’t you get it? Danny won’t want you anymore; you really
think he’ll still love you after I’ve fucked you?”
Linus was hard again and Rusty shivered as he saw him kneel between his
legs. “No, please...”
His entire body was tense, his mind crying out against the violation
while his soul clung even harder onto the bond with Danny.
“Say goodbye to your mate.”
The pain of the first brutal thrust was excruciating, and Rusty heard himself scream, saw
Linus’ laughter and felt his body jerk helplessly as Linus continued to rape
him. A sharp twist on his abused nipples made him cry out, but all he managed
was a whimper, and it was that last bit of pain that broke his barriers and
shields against Danny. For a moment, Rusty remembered every hateful word Linus
had uttered, felt fear grip him and turn into terror as the wide open bond
remained empty and for the first time since the entire ordeal had began he felt
tears gather in his eyes. “Danny.”
Linus laughed at the broken whispers, but even as Rusty shivered under
the continued onslaught of pain, he felt warmth flood him, love was pouring
along their bond and Rusty felt Danny’s care and concern. It almost was as if
Danny was trying to wrap him into a cocoon of love so that Linus’ hatred
couldn’t hurt him. It didn’t work of course, and Rusty cried out at each cruel trust; still the pain in his soul had lessened.
“You’re mine.” The cry made him shiver and he felt the hot come flood
his body, felt the sting as the salty liquid came in contact with his injuries,
but he knew that Linus was wrong. He had raped him, had abused him, but he had
not broken his bond with Danny.
---
*At the entrance of the
monastery of Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
The attack came suddenly but the vampires were no match for the three
experienced and deadly hunters. Patroclus had believed in safety in numbers,
yet as Seth watched another vampire turn into dust, he caught the feral look in
Kirill’s face and grinned. Safety in numbers was nothing against the rage and
deadly force of the Council hunters.
“Search for them.”
Bourne had looked at him and as Seth saw that the mates really had the
fight under control, he grabbed the nearest vampire and brought him down.
“Where are they?”
The dark haired vampire sneered at him. “They’re dead.”
For a second Seth felt numb. He had lost them, had failed once again to
protect someone dear to him. Kirill’s scream brought him back and he looked up.
“He’s lying. They’re here; it’s the place from my dreams. They’re here and they are in terrible pain.”
The last phrase made Seth look at the vampire he held again and
something in his eyes must have told the other vampire that the truth was the
only option. “They’re on the first floor, right wing, third cell.”
Seth brought his sword down almost before the vampire had finished the
sentence. Dust swirled through the air and he sneered in disgust, but then he
ran towards the staircase and the right wing corridor.
They had to be alive.
---
Danny’s cell was an unused monk’s cell, quite nice with white walls and
a clean bed, but Danny hadn’t noticed anything. He was curled up in a ball, his
body shivering and aching with the after-effects of the torture he had endured.
The wounds on his back were still open and bleeding, his own healing ability
not able to counter the salt that had been rubbed in. Still it wasn’t his own
physical pain that made him sob with pain. It was the emotions filtering
through his bond with Rusty. It all was numbed as if the bits and thoughts were
filtered before they came to him and most likely they were. Rusty had shielded
himself, closed his side of the bond just as Danny had done during his own
torture. And yet it was enough, the pain was terrible enough and he wanted to
reach out and hold Rusty, wanted to help him and yet couldn’t.
His helplessness made him cry out.
Again and again he prodded the barrier, felt it become weaker and
dreaded the reason for it. He knew that there was a limit to how much pain
someone could hold back and a shiver ran through him. “Please not Rusty, please
save him.”
Once more he tried to reach out and suddenly was flooded with pain,
fear, sadness and shame. His body shook as he understood what was happening in
Linus’ room, and he sobbed at
the fear and shame he felt from Rusty. The last made him pause, just as another
wave of terror hit him and he cried out as this time the fear was different and
directed at him. He tensed as he understood; Rusty feared him, feared that he wouldn’t want him anymore, that
he would reject their bond. “No, never. I’ll never give you up.”
The words echoed softly through the room and Danny closed his eyes,
forced himself to forget his own pain as he concentrated on their bond,
concentrated on his mate and almost as if he was reaching along a rope, he
could feel himself draw Rusty’s soul towards him. “Let me take your pain.”
He didn’t know that he had spoken out loud, didn’t know that right at that
moment Seth had opened the door of his prison. “I will never let you go.”
He could feel the terror fade and shivered at the onslaught of pain,
felt as if it was his own body that was being brutally raped, but most of all
he felt Rusty clinging to him and he felt himself clinging back just as hard.
---
Seth stared at Danny and felt both tears in his eyes and a burning
hatred in his body. Danny’s body bore the signs of the torture he had endured,
his back was a bloody mess, the
wounds were still festering and blood was dripping onto the floor. It was the
pain in Danny’s eyes though that scared him. Danny stared at him, but his eyes were not looking at him; he was somewhere else and as he
suddenly screamed, Seth jerked
away.
“I will never let you go.”
It was his first clue; the second was the shivers that wracked his body
as he kept mumbling Rusty’s name over and over. Seth growled silently as he
understood. Rusty was being tortured and the torture hurt Danny as if it was
his own body that was in pain. Closing his eyes, Seth reached out and gently
touched Danny’s hand, he wasn’t surprised when Danny flinched and slowly stared
to speak to his adopted childe. “Danny,
it’s Seth.”
A shiver wracked Danny, then his eyes suddenly cleared and Seth saw
awareness and recognition return.
“Seth.” His voice was
hoarse from screaming, but Seth was still glad that Danny was lucid, and softly he put a calming hand on
Danny’s shoulder.
“What happened?”
Shivers ran through Danny as he shook his head and his eyes were bleak
as they met Seth’s. “Linus asked for Rusty. He’s…”
Danny shivered and curled his arms around his body as he rocked forward
and backwards unconsciously. Seth understood without being told what was
happening to Rusty. Forcing himself to look at Danny, he took a deep breath and
made him look at him. “Can you locate him? Do you know where Linus has Rusty
captive?”
Seth watched carefully as Danny’s eyes closed, and he could see the shivers of pain that wracked his body, but
he was unprepared for Danny’s scream and collapse. “Danny, Danny where is he?”
For a second, Danny’s eyes opened, focused but the pain in them shook
Seth to the core. “Linus’ room. He’s draining him.”
Danny collapsed again, one hand reached out as if he were reaching for
his mate. Seth hesitated less than a second before he left the cell and almost
thanked the vampire who attacked him. Disarming him easily, he took him by the
neck and growled lowly. “Where’s Linus?”
The young vampire shook with fear as he pointed towards the stairs. “The
floor right on top of this room.”
Sighing thankfully, he ran back into the cell and lifted Danny up
without any effort; he was glad
for his strength as he carried Danny up the stairs with Danny’s last words
urging him on.
He’s draining him.
---
*Inside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
Rusty trembled as he saw Linus approach the bed once more. He hated
himself for this weakness, but he couldn’t stop fearing the man who had not
only raped him, but had done so with glee and a sick joy at seeing him in pain.
A shiver ran through him and he wanted to curl in a ball, wanted to hide
himself from the lust he saw in Linus’ eyes. “Let me go.”
He had promised himself that he would never beg, but as he saw how Linus
carelessly shrugged his jeans down, he didn’t have the strength in him anymore.
Warmth and love flooded him suddenly, making him gasp as his pain and fear
disappeared for a moment, and
all he felt was love flowing through his bond with Danny. It renewed his
strength as it had during the entire ordeal. For a second he closed his eyes
and focused on the bond, on his mate.
Pain in his nipples made him gasp and he opened his eyes to meet Linus’
furious gaze. “Don’t close your eyes when I’m in the room.”
Rusty could feel the anger from the other vampire, but instead of
frightening him, it made him stronger. Linus had not yet broken him or his bond
with Danny, had not managed to make him lose his hold onto the bond, and that knowledge alone gave him
the will to fight again. Rusty flinched as the blond vampire slapped him hard,
hurting the skin that had already started to bruise from the previous slaps.
“I won’t let you go,
Rusty.” Linus’ face was twisted into a terrible laugh as he knelt between
Rusty’s legs.
Shivering with fear and the memory of the pain and humiliation, Rusty
tensed up as he felt cold fingers at his abused entrance. Not again, he pleaded
silently, not again, please no...
“You won’t see your mate again Rusty. You will die here in this bed and
the last touch you will know will be my hands on your body.”
Terror gripped him at that but still he could feel Danny holding onto
him, and in his mind he reached out to hold onto their bond, to keep his mate
close. “Danny.”
He hadn’t realized that he spoke the name out loud, but Linus’ growl was
answer enough. “No Danny for you anymore. You are mine now and it will be my
blood that will run through your veins when you die.”
For a moment Rusty didn’t understand, but as he did, panic slowly grew
in his belly. He forced himself to remember what Basher had told him a while
ago. “Once you’re bonded nothing, not
even death can break that. You are one with the other, one soul and one heart.”
Holding onto those words he forced himself to meet Linus’ eyes with his
as he shook his head. “It won’t change anything. I am bonded to Danny and he is bonded to me. You can’t break
that.”
He could see that Linus was seething, but he had stopped caring. He
would die today and so would Danny.
Sadness engulfed him at the
thought of how little time they had had together, but he couldn’t change it. At
least they would be together even after dying.
“Are you
sure? Filled with my blood, his soul won’t recognize yours anymore and you will
spend eternity without him, eternity with me in your soul.”
It was the faint whisper of fear that he felt from Danny that made him
panic and he fought against Linus as the other vampire bent down to drain him.
“No!”
His scream echoed through the room and then he sobbed in pain. This was
nothing like when Danny drank from him, nothing like his turning had been. This
was painful, tainted and he gasped as he started to feel himself slip away.
“No.”
And yet his voice was a mere whisper and darkness tugged at his mind
with the lure of a pain free sleep,
and for a moment he wanted to give in. Right then a burst of light and warmth
chased the false promise and the numbness away, and suddenly Danny was there,
standing only a couple of feet away reaching out with his hand.
“Don’t give in; hold onto me love, please.”
He reached out once more and Rusty shivered as he saw his mate’s dark
eyes shine with the shared pain but still full of love. He wanted to lift his
hand and reach out, but he felt too weak, too tired.
“You can do it; I’m right
here. Please Rusty, just a little bit closer, please love, please.” It was the
fear in Danny’s eyes that made him reach out again, and this time he managed to grab Danny’s hand. His mate grasped
it and held tight. “I won’t let go Rusty no matter what, I won’t let go.”
Sudden pain in his side made him jerk and the image of Danny disappeared
and he was back in the hated room, back with Linus who grinned at him as he
held his own bloody wrist at Rusty’s lips. “Drink.”
Rusty tensed up once more, but in his mind he held onto Danny while he
pressed his lips together, refusing to drink any of the blood that tainted his
lips now.
“I told you to drink.” Linus slapped him again and Rusty wanted to
scream out in pain, but he kept his lips closed and just moaned.
“I will make you scream with pain until you drink my blood.” The other
vampire moved and Rusty watched with horror as he coated his cock with the red
blood.
“I told you, my touch, my blood, my cock and no one else until you die.”
Linus positioned himself and Rusty prayed for strength, prayed for death, for
anything but this pain. “You should have been mine you...”
Whatever Linus had wanted to say was lost in the sound of glass
shattering. Rusty had the impression of a dark shadow moving at lightening
speed and he tensed, but before either he or Linus could react, Riddick was on
them. The tall vampire growled at the sight of Linus and Rusty and within
seconds he had torn Linus away from Rusty and literally thrown him across the
room. Linus crashed against the table and screamed as the furniture made a sickening
sound before breaking.
Rusty watched in horror and relief as Riddick stalked over to where
Linus was laying. He had his sword in one hand and a gun in the other, but as
he stared at the fallen vampire he put both away.
“Damn.”
The annoyed murmur scared him and although he knew rationally that
Riddick would never hurt him, he still shrank back as much as he could in his
shackles as the large hunter walked towards him.
---
Riddick stared at the body of Linus Caldwell. When he had seen what the
blond vampire was about to do he had lost it and thrown him through the room,
but now he cursed his reaction. He wanted to turn the vampire to dust, but he
couldn’t. Linus Caldwell had broken his neck in the fall and to take his head
now would be against the rules. For a long time Riddick fought with himself,
but in the end managed to subdue the urge to kill. “Damn.”
A whimper was the only answer he got and he cursed silently as he turned
around to look at Rusty. One look told him that he had come too late; Rusty’s eyes were dilated from blood
loss, his skin sickly pale and the blood that had been forced onto his lips
stood out almost obscenely. But it was the expression of shame, fear and terror
lurking in Rusty’s eyes that made him want to turn around and take Linus’ head
despite the rules.
Slowly approaching the shivering vampire, Riddick froze as Rusty shrank
back and stared to tremble as he came closer. He swallowed the grief he felt at
seeing the young vampire like this and he spoke softly, gently, using the voice
he had normally reserved for his girls or Eric.
“I'm not going to hurt you,
Rusty; you’re safe now. It's
over.”
He didn’t say that everything was fine; he knew that it wasn’t. Debating what to do if the other vampire
didn’t calm down, he sighed in relief as Rusty relaxed and a shudder went
through him. “I am going to wash this blood from your lips and face ok? Don’t
be scared, I won’t hurt you.”
He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wet it before returning to
Rusty again. “I’m going to touch you now.”
His movements, his touch were gentle, but still Rusty flinched for a
second before he held still. “It’s ok,
Rusty, you are allowed to be afraid, but it's over now. You’re safe with me.”
Once Rusty’s face was cleared, Riddick found the key for the shackles
and opened them. Rusty shivered again and curled up in a tight ball, hugging
himself and whimpering quietly. Riddick swallowed hard and went to his bag to
grab some blood. He had stocked up with some real blood before coming here and
he was glad for doing so as he poured some into a glass and held it out to
Rusty.
“You have to drink,
Rusty, you lost too much blood.”
Rusty looked at him and bolted to the bathroom. Riddick sighed as he heard retching and then water running. This was bad, and he
understood Rusty’s need to wash Linus off him, but he needed him to drink.
The sound of fighting on the lower level of the monastery brought
Riddick up, but as much as he wanted to hunt down Stendhal, Rusty needed him
more. He searched the room and found a pair of sweats and a sweater that would
fit Rusty and brought them to the bathroom, where he put them down outside and
called Rusty. “I put some clothing by the door, just grab it ok?”
There was no answer, but the door opened and Rusty grabbed the items
before he closed the door again. Five minutes later Rusty walked out, his face
down, his eyes hooded with hunger and shame.
“Rusty, you have to feed.” Riddick guided him to another room and sat
him on the sofa; he was troubled that Rusty had not
spoken a word so far and the refusal to drink worried him even more. The
younger vampire looked up gratefully but once more pushed the drink away.
“I can’t... he... he said... Danny, he said after he drained me, I would
lose Danny forever.”
Hot anger surged through Riddick as he understood the reason for Rusty’s
refusal to feed. Gently he took Rusty’s hand into his and forced the other
vampire to look at him. “No,
Rusty, you can’t lose Danny, you can’t lose your bond with him. But you have to
drink this or you can’t heal.”
A harsh laugh escaped Rusty, making Riddick flinch, but he looked at
Rusty with a steady gaze. “Heal,
yes, because you will heal again. You will heal together with Danny and with
the help of your friends. You are not alone, Rusty, and I promise you, you will heal.”
He was relieved to see tears in Rusty’s eyes, the stoic mask hadn’t
seemed right on the usually so vibrant vampire. A sob escaped Rusty and he
shivered violently. “I never wanted this. Never wanted him...”
Shaking his head, Riddick reached out to touch Rusty and when the other
vampire didn’t flinch away or tense, he pulled him in his arms. “I know, Rusty, we all know that. It wasn’t
your fault, nothing that happened was. No one blames you.”
He held the shaking vampire and silently counted the minutes that he had
until he would have to force Rusty to drink the blood. He was just about to do
it, when the door burst open and Danny rushed into the room closely followed by
Seth.
“Rusty.”
Riddick released Rusty from his arms and the mates clung to each other
desperately, shaking with remembered horrors and relief that it was over. Danny
was as pale as Rusty was, Riddick noted, and as he looked closer he saw the
marks of torture on the dark haired vampire’s chest and back. But as Danny
looked up, he saw more than just pain in the dark eyes. There was fear and hatred,
yet everything was blinded by the love that shone there.
“Thanks.”
It was a simple word, but it meant so much that Riddick had to swallow
hard. Reaching for the blood he handed it to Danny. “You’ve both lost too much
blood. Drink this.”
Danny nodded and looked at his mate. For a long time they seemed to have
a conversation without saying anything, then Danny drank the blood and the next
glass that Riddick handed him. “Rusty,
too.”
But Danny only nodded and continued to drink until he had finished the
fourth glass. Then he softly caressed Rusty’s face
and guided him to his neck. Rusty shivered once, but then sank his fangs into
Danny’s skin and slowly started to drink.
Danny looked up and across the room his eyes met Riddick’s. The hunter
smiled slightly as he understood what Danny had done and why. It was the con
man’s way of cementing his bond with Rusty and yet it was more. It was the
first step of the healing process.
---
*Outside the monastery of
Megistis Lavras, Greece, April 2006*
To wait and do nothing while he knew that his enemy had his son, was one
of the hardest things that Odysseus had ever done. Rationally, he knew that
Hector was right and that Patroclus would try to leave, still waiting had never
been his strength and as his eyes met Hector’s he saw that his mate felt the
same.
“When this is over, I need a holiday.” Hector smiled and nodded, and
Odysseus fell silent again. It had been a long time since he had been in a
fight like this, a long time since he had last hunted someone, but as the
minutes crept by, he could feel himself slipping into the familiar mindset of
complete and total control over his emotions and reactions. It was a state of
coldness, one that allowed him to transform himself not only into the warrior,
but also into the killer that he needed to be when he wanted to come out of
this alive.
Odysseus wanted the circle of hatred and death to end right here and as
he looked around and down to the old monastery he thought that it was oddly
appropriate that the final battle with Patroclus would be in Greece. Hector
tensed next to him and as Odysseus looked at his mate he saw that every muscle
was ready for attack. Their eyes locked and Odysseus shivered at the dark, cold
hatred in his mate’s eyes. It wasn’t rage and it wasn’t the burning hatred that
he felt when he thought of the other vampire and how he had killed his son.
Hector’s hatred had been kept under a tight lock for almost three millennia and
like carbon turned into hard diamonds under the right amount of pressure,
Hector’s hatred had transformed from the burning rage into a cold, calculated
loathing. Their eyes held for another second and then Hector suddenly grasped
the hilt of his sword. For a second, they both listened and smiled darkly as
they heard the frantic steps that came closer with each moment.
“He is mine.” Hector’s eyes bored into Odysseus and Odysseus nodded and
watched with a mixture of anxiety and awe as his mate closed his eyes, opened
them again and finally stood upright at the moment when the hidden trapdoor
opened and Patroclus stepped through it.
“We have been waiting for you.”
The words were spoken in the ancient language and Odysseus saw how
Patroclus tensed and paled as he saw them. For a moment the other vampire
seemed inclined to run back into the tunnel, but then he turned around and a
sneer crossed his face. “You couldn’t kill me last time, what makes you think
that you can do it now?”
Odysseus held his breath when Hector stepped fully into the bright
sunlight and raised his sword. The blade glinted in the sun and the large
diamond in the hilt flashed as a ray of light caught in it. Hector was dressed
in black, his hair dark and as he stood there he looked like creature from an
ancient time, an avenging angel or more accurately, like a warrior god.
Slowly he took another step towards Patroclus and Odysseus saw how the
other vampire shrank back under the power that seemed to ooze from Hector.
“I made the mistake of turning my back to you the last time we met. I
saw no reason to fight you, no reason to kill a young boy, but since then you
have given me many reasons to kill you. And that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
From the corner of his eyes, Odysseus saw two vampires stepping through
the trapdoor and he stood up ready to defend his mate, but he calmed down as he
saw that it was Jason and Kirill that had followed Patroclus through the hidden
passage. They both had their swords drawn, but one look from Odysseus had them
stepping aside and lowering their weapons. Odysseus smiled curtly as they came
to stand next to him and turned back to his mate.
Hector had not noticed the arrival of the two hunters and Odysseus felt
a thread of fear run through him as he saw how his mate once more raised his
sword, saw how Patroclus unsheathed his weapon and immediately attacked Hector.
The two weapons clashed and Odysseus watched transfixed as his mate fought
against the man who had killed him three thousand years ago.
And he prayed to the gods of old that the curse they had lived under for
all those years would be lifted today, prayed for his mate to win and for
Patroclus to lose, prayed because he knew that even with Hector’s grace and
power, there still was a possibility that he could die.
Odysseus knew should his mate die, then he would kill Patroclus and it
would be the last thing he’d do.
---
Jason was transfixed by the sight he was presented with. Hector and
Odysseus were both old and powerful vampires, he had known that for a long
time, but he had never seen either of them like this. Oh, he had seen them
fight of course, had seen them battle against humans and other vampires, had
seen them fight against rogues, but he had never seen such a display of power
and strength.
Hector fought with skill and force and although Patroclus clearly was an
experienced fighter, he stood no chance against the taller, stronger vampire.
Jason noted the tension that ran through Odysseus, recognized it as fear, but
he also realized that the fear was born from the bond and not from reality.
Hector was never close to losing, never even came in touch with the other
vampire’s blade and after not even five minutes, the fight was over and
Patroclus was on his knees in front of Hector.
The ancient vampire raised his sword and for a moment Hector’s and
Odysseus’ eyes met and Jason saw the relief in their eyes. He didn’t know the
exact story behind the feud between Patroclus and the two Council members, but
he knew that both Hector and Odysseus had suffered. Three thousand years of
hatred. Jason shivered; he couldn’t imagine hatred so deep that it lasted for
such a long time. He watched the glinting blade moving through the air, heard
the cry of anguish as Patroclus died, saw how Hector collapsed while dust was
dancing around him, watched how Odysseus was immediately at his mate’s side and
saw how they held onto each other shaking with relief and grief.
A hand on his shoulder made him look up and he saw that his own mate was
standing next to him. Kiril’s eyes were dark with understanding, but a smile
lit them as he nodded towards the two Council members. “Let’s give them some
time to recover.”