Chapter 17
Nicholas
Muharib cleaned his body and blade near the stream before heading back to their cave. The beautiful man was missing. Muharib no longer kept him bound. He laid his wet shirt by the fire to dry, then went looking for him. He found him staring at the stars again.
The man had removed his filthy tunic, but the blood of the men who’d ambushed them still stained his elegant hands.
He gathered his long hair over one shoulder, exposing the brass collar and the bruising around it.
He and Muharib had tried everything over the last five moons to remove it, but it would take a powerful witch to break the enchantment.
A vortex of emotions gathered inside Muharib as he watched the beautiful man unnoticed. He seemed to respect him, admired his courage as well as his beauty. A spark of arousal lit inside him before it was gone. Muharib moved in close, gaze fixed upward.
“What is it you look for up there?”
The beautiful man glanced over at him, specks of blood blemishing his face. Muharib’s heart fluttered.
“Me. I’m looking for me.”
Journal entry #18
Muharib slipped a piece of roasted meat past the man’s lips. “You need to eat.”
The beautiful man chewed with effort, shivering despite the fire blazing near his pallet. They should’ve made it to the rendezvous point by now, but he was too sick to travel any further.
Muharib had begged him to take his blood, just a drop of it, but he stubbornly refused.
The man’s eyes drifted closed, and Muharib sneakily added a drop of his blood to the food before waking him to eat a little bit more.
He wiped the man’s face with a damp cloth while watching him sleep.
Journal entry #21
Muharib found him under the stars again. A lot seemed to weigh on the beautiful man’s mind. Muharib brushed his fingers over the pale circle of skin on his neck, where the charmed collar used to be. He yanked his hand back, apologizing.
The man’s lips parted slightly, and he placed Muharib’s palm along his warm cheek. He smiled, and Muharib’s pulse quickened.
Journal entry #23
Muharib crouched at the mouth of the cave, counting the clan of hyenas guarding it.
A pack of wolves approached, their eyes glowing under the red moon.
A roar sounded to the east, ending in a throaty growl.
The group parted for the tawny-colored lion with the lustrous golden mane.
A spotted leopard rounded out the group of predators, eyes clouded and focused on the inside of the sprawling cave.
Muharib turned to the beautiful man, watching in fascination as he telepathically communed with the animals. When his eyes finally opened, flecks of silver danced within their depths. Muharib seemed awed by him.
Journal entry #25
The man now accepted Muharib’s blood willingly, unable to deny he was helpless without it. They didn’t understand what was wrong with him.
Muharib knelt by the man’s sleeping form, pressing his ear to his chest. His heartbeat was dull, sending what felt like a rush of fear through Muharib.
Journal entry #26
The man was like Muharib now, sharp teeth with an even keener thirst for blood. He lacked Muharib’s appetite for vengeance, though.
“What would you have me do, Habibi?”
“Let’s send word to our families, gather everyone we care about, and escape. The collar is gone now. I can get us out of here.”
“They killed my family. They want to kill you. And you’d have me run?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not who I am. They must pay.”
He climbed on top of Muharib, both still naked. “Who are you, Muharib? Not the man you think you need to be, not the man your parents wanted you to be.” He placed a hand over Muharib’s heart.
“Who are you beneath the stars?”
Nicholas’s mouth watered as he descended the stairs, a sign that Gabriel was close by.
Their eyes locked the moment he stepped into the living room, and he could already feel himself wavering from the decision he’d made.
They’d spent the last couple weeks alone and naked together, and now Gabriel eyed his clothed body with clear concern. He put his cigarette out, entering from the patio.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. I’ve got plans with Mateo, is all.”
The same plans he’d had yesterday and the day before. The same plans he’d repeatedly canceled in exchange for hours of foreplay with Gabriel, followed by sleep. He was up to three naps per day now, and he’d lost count of the number of blow jobs he’d received.
“Oh?” Gabriel took a step closer, and Nicholas took two back.
Hurt and confusion flashed across Gabriel’s expression, and Nicholas almost gave in. Almost took back the distance he’d put between them.
“What’s wrong, Nicholas?”
Who are you beneath the stars?
“Nothing, I just… I can’t cancel on him again, and I know if you touch me, I will.”
Gabriel’s stare felt both intimate and intrusive, longing and truth-seeking.
He backed away as if to say he’d respect Nicholas’s wishes. Nicholas had never felt more lost and adrift in his life.
“What time will you be done?”
“I don’t know. I also have to meet Sandy at the shelter for training.”
“I see.” Gabriel slid his hands into his pockets. “Should I pick you up from there when you’re ready?”
“No,” he said too quickly. “I, um… I’m going to stay at my apartment tonight. I have some paperwork for school that I need to complete.”
“You can do that here.”
“You’ll just distract me. I can’t seem to think or do anything when I’m with you.” It sounded accusatory, so he smiled. “Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve been home. I miss my things.”
Gabriel eyed him as if seeing right through him.
“Will you call me if you start to feel unwell?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I’ll have Marcus drop you off.”
“He can just drop me at the closest bus stop. I’ll wait for him outside.” He could feel Gabriel’s penetrating stare on him as he hurried for the door.
“Nicholas…”
His name on Gabriel’s lips sounded like an apology wrapped in reverence. It intensified the ache in Nicholas’s tired heart.
“Did you see the note I left on the nightstand?”
Come find me when you wake up. We need to talk.
“Yeah, we can talk later.”
He sagged against the front door once he was on the other side of it.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?”
“I’m telling you now,” Nicholas snapped. He sighed, rubbing his aching temples. “I’m sorry. My bad mood isn’t your fault.”
He rose from the armchair and crossed to Mateo’s living room window, staring absently into the overcast sky.
“Maybe you should stay seated,” his friend said, sounding worried. They’d met at the fencing club, but ten minutes into the match, Nicholas had to call it quits.
“I’m fine now.”
Mateo muttered a string of words in Spanish, one of which Nicholas knew meant stubborn.
“So you think your dreams are real? I mean, you think what’s happened in them has happened before. In real life?”
Nicholas crossed his arms defensively at Mateo’s disbelieving tone.
“This is why I don’t like talking about them. You think I’m having a breakdown or something.”
“No, I don’t.” He hesitated. “I’m just trying to understand. I mean, vampires don’t exist, Nicky.”
“You’re right. Just forget I said anything.”
“Come on, don’t be like that.”
Nicholas scooped up his bag, charging for the door. “I’ve gotta go. Gabriel will be worried.”
Mateo scoffed. “Oh, really? And why is that? Because he wants you all to himself? I can barely get a hold of you, and Liam tracked me down because he couldn’t get in touch with you either.”
Nicholas swung around. “You’re such an exaggerator, and I spoke with Father Murphy on our way here.”
“Yeah, because I texted him behind your back to let him know he’d better call you before it was too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“Before you vanished behind the walls of Gabriel’s super lush compound, never to be seen or heard from ever again.”
Nicholas gaped at him. “I’ve been busy, Mateo. You’re not the only one with a life.” The lies rolled off his tongue so easily now.
“You know, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I liked it better when you wanted to be a priest.”
“What? You thought we wouldn’t be friends anymore.”
“Yeah, but at least I knew you were safe.”
Nicholas threw a hand up in frustration. “Jesus, Mateo… I am safe!”
Mateo let out a low whistle. “Blasphemy. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“You know what? Fuck you, Mateo.”
His friend shook. “Fuck me? Who are you, man?”
Nicholas flinched at the disappointment in his tone. “I’m me. I’m still me, Mateo.”
“‘Darn’ was as bad as it ever got for you, Nicky. And even that sent you into a Bible-thumping tizzy.” Mateo paced away before turning back. “Something isn’t right with him. With Gabriel,” he clarified when Nicholas frowned.
“Is… is he abusing you?” He narrowed his eyes along Nicholas’s face and arms as if searching for visible bruises.
“What? No. Of course not.”
Mateo only seemed marginally mollified.
“Well, he’s lying at the very least.”
Nicholas pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted by Mateo’s distrust of Gabriel. They’d already had a similar argument in the locker room today.
“What is it you think he’s lying about?”
Mateo ticked the lies off his fingers. “First off, he says he’s a coffee importer.”
“Okay, and?” Nicholas waited for more, jaw dropping when all he got was a guilty expression. “Did you look into him?”
“Well, yeah, of course I did because you’re too na?ve to—”
“Watch it,” Nicholas warned. Mateo knew his history, knew he didn’t trust easily. That his friend thought so little of his judgment now offended him.
“Okay, maybe na?ve isn’t the right word. You’re sheltered, Nicky. I mean, yeah, you’ve been through some shit. Being abandoned, growing up in the system, and then the whole sex addiction thing—”
“It isn’t an addiction,” he ground out. “I never wanted it. I never wanted any of this.”
Mateo held his hands up placatingly. “All I’m saying is, you might not know the signs, or even what to look for.”
“What signs, Mateo?”
Mateo’s lips thinned.
“What. Signs?”
“I don’t think his intentions are good,” he gritted out.