Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the 1960s, a travelling caravan of flower children realized that college kids needed to eat too, and were more likely to be open about new ways of thinking if their intellectual curiosity was sated along with their hunger. And so, they parked outside the campus and started cooking. The result of that endeavor was now called The Dinner Table, a 24 hour restaurant that served rich and poor alike; the rich paid extra and the poor paid less. College students got a discount, the homeless ate for free.

Eli and Felix met there just after the lunch rush, when the tables were mostly empty and the staff least likely to overhear them. They ordered coffee, and Eli dropped an extra wad of bills into their server's hand to add to the business' work with the destitute. When the beverages arrived, and they were left alone, thick silence followed. Felix kept his eyes pointed out the window, watching traffic roll past. Eli started to say something, but seeing the way his friend sat there, like he felt obligated to be drinking coffee; like he would rather be out there, with the cars and steady flow of pedestrians, the words died in Eli's throat. It would have carried on like that were it not for the fact that they had a very serious problem on their hands that superseded any personal issues they might be having.

Felix was unaccustomed to using his preternatural gifts. Like most average vampires in America, his family did not hunt and rarely had to flex their predatory skills. But for a few quirks of personality, he was as human as the other students, and so enmeshed in human society that, Eli suspected, Felix often forget he wasn't human. The result was an imperfect control of his powers, and the predicament they now found themselves in.

His command to the partiers at the Gamma fraternity to forget them both, had been incomplete.

"I always wanted to go to college," he said, breaking the tension. "Did you know that?"

A pang of guild dropped like a bad piece of meat in Eli's stomach. Eli had been destined for higher education the moment he was conceived. The House of Rose was old, wealthy, and influential, with many different offshoots and branches. Felix's family, however, was practically invisible in the vampire world. As such, Felix had worked himself tirelessly to get ahead, to bring some sort of distinction to his family. College was his way of doing that.

He turned at last to look at Eli, eyes watery, his face a mask of false calm. "Do you think they'll just kick us out, or will they call the cops too?"

It was Eli's turn to look away. He dropped his gaze to the mug of coffee before him, watching the surface of the muddy liquid vibrate as a large semi-truck passed by outside.

The truth was, he didn't know what would happen. So far, neither he nor Felix had been identified as the other party to a very one-sided fight. The news had made it clear, though, that the police investigation would be thorough; that as they sat there, drinking their coffee, the Gamma guest list was being combed for leads. It wouldn't take much for an identification to be made, for Felix's spell to be undone. Once that happened, human justice would be the least of their worries.

Reveal not thy nature. It was the first and oldest law of Vampire society, reaching back into antiquity before the Hemophage Court had been established. Vampires were not as indestructible as the movies made them out to be. Anyone with enough time on their hands could easily make out the pattern that marked a vampire's most vulnerable times, if they managed to figure out that someone was a vampire.

Eli shook his head, admitting his own ignorance. "But," he added, "it's my fault. I'll take the blame, and I'll take the punishment."

A night sleeping on a lumpy and, most likely bedbug infested hotel, listening to the screams of argument and ecstasy from his neighbors, had given Eli time to think. Felix had been right. If Eli hadn't dragged him to the party, if they had just stayed in and did their homework, none of this would have happened. Eli was also more likely to be spared the harshest punishment if, for no other reason, than his family's name. Even in America, the most progressive of the vampire princedoms, an individual’s House counted for a lot.

Felix smiled, snickered through his nose. "You don't get it," he laughed, sounding forlorn. "Just because my family is poor doesn't mean we don't know the law, Eli. You outrank me. Hell, you outrank everyone on campus. 'The least protect the great.' I'll take the blame because I'm the least, and you're the great."

The quote stung more than just Eli's sense of honor, it spit at the friendship he and Felix had shared over the last eighteen years. They so rarely acknowledged their difference in birthright that it was practically nonexistent. But, Eli reminded himself, he had been counting on that difference to protect his person, and his friend. Then, there was the exertion of dominance last night; Felix was weaker by virtue of blood, and Eli stronger. Like in a pack of wolves, there was always an Alpha.

"We'll figure something out," he promised Felix. "Things always seem worse than they really are."

Felix nodded, sighed. He sipped at his coffee in contemplative silence, staring once more through the window. Then, "Where did you stay last night?"

"Some shitty motel," Eli replied. "Worst money I ever spent."

A smile crept up Felix's face. "Gotta get creative," he murmured, flipping his gaze to Eli.

It took a moment for Felix's comment to sink in. Eli stared at him, blankly, mind trying to process why that sentence left him feeling dirty. A shudder rippled across his skin as the import sunk in.

"Ew, gross!" He leaned forward. "You're paying to wash my sheets."

"Nope," Felix replied gaily. "We'll call it your punishment for being a dick last night."

With that, the argument between them, and the anger, was forgiven. They finished their coffee and returned to their dorm room. The first thing Eli did, once back, was to strip his bed. He didn't actually believe Felix had taken advantage of his absence by jizzing on the bed. Rather, it was the principle involved, that Eli was wrong and Felix deserved compensation in the form of amusement.

Talk of the fight at Gamma House had circulated enough to start warping by the time they reached the laundry room of their dorm, the best place to hear the latest gossip and engage in idle, non-school related gossip.

"Did you hear about what happened?" said a girl.

"They probably deserved it," replied another.

"How can you say that?" a male replied, shocked.

"Weren't you going to pledge to them?"

Eli and Felix looked up at the same time, their attention turned to the four freshmen nearby: three young women crowding around a handsome, innocent looking young man in the process of shrugging. His gaze wandered their way. The two vampires quickly redirected their interest, but not soon enough.

"Hey," he said to them, leaving his flock to approach Eli. "Weren't you guys at the party last night?"

Eli's heart beat an uncomfortable tattoo against his ribs. He swallowed, and added a coin to a nearby washing machine. There was no point in lying; their names were on the list.

"We stopped by," he said vaguely. "Left early, though."

"Cody," one of the girls called over to the youth. "Do they know anything?"

The young man stared at them for a moment, eyes narrowing. Eli did his best to act normally, putting on what he hoped was a guiltless expression. He caught Eli's gaze and held it hostage.

"No," he answered after a moment, "they didn't see anything."

He knows! Eli saw it, lurking there behind Cody's eyes, smelling the first stirrings of fear and adrenaline radiating from the youth. To confirm it, Cody stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I thought Theta had a laundry room," he said with a trace of accusation. "You tell Zane I don't need a babysitter!"

Cody spun around and stormed out of the room. The girls followed, throwing apologetic looks to Eli and Felix as they left.

"What was that about?" Felix wondered aloud.

Eli shook his head. "I don't know, but if Zane Drake is involved, then he knows something is up. And if he knows..."

He let the sentence fade away into the ethers, unwilling to speak the rest lest it came to pass for, if the president of the Theta Pi fraternity knew, the vampire authorities were likely to know soon thereafter.

A little over an hour later, Felix and Eli left the laundry room behind, Eli's sheets, blanket and pillowcases fresh and folded. They climbed the stairs that led to their dorm, preferring the exercise they received from such a labor intensive endeavor over the simpler way of simply taking the elevator. The stairwell was almost always empty, whereas the elevator was regularly stuffed with university students trying to get from one level to the next, on their way home or on their way out. It was just easier, in the long run, and faster to take the stairs, especially when they only lived on the third floor.

Felix grabbed the door, letting Eli precede him into their cramped quarters, who then piled his burden onto his bed with a loud exhalation that was almost a grunt. He needed Felix to help him get the fitted, bottom sheet on. Their space was limited, which made doing such a tedious task nearly impossible, lest one person knock over something important, like a computer or, in Eli's case, everything resting on top of the wardrobe beside his bed. Once that task had been completed, each settled into his own bed, pulling headphones over their ears and computers onto their laps.

***

Lucas clutched the stuffed toy bear to his chest, squeezing his eyes tight. Blood pounded in his ears, his heart thumping in his chest, his breathing ragged and refusing to be controlled. Behind his closed eyes, he saw a flash of light that turned the backs of his eyelids into a brilliant scarlet with a web of crimson veins crisscrossing along his field of vision. A crackle, then a boom that shook the windows in their panes and vibrated deep in his chest. He knew about thunderstorms, of course, but this was the first time he'd been close enough to one to feel the power of it, the destructive potential swirling in the atmosphere. The warehouse he had spent his life in had been well shielded from the elements, and from the sounds of nature. The Rose house was different; it was closer to the sky and thus, closer to the storm.

It had been a week since Alic had come to collect him, bidding him to stay in Eli's room. For the first time, he regretted that decision. Eli's room was above ground, and even surrounded by the scent of his Master, he felt unsafe, aware of the distance between his feet and solid earth. Maybe it would have been better if there were rain accompanying the storm, but so far, it remained dry. The wind howled its protest against the presence of the house, kicking up dirt and debris that scratched at the outside walls; monsters in the night seeking him out in Eli's bed.

Flash.

Crackle.

Boom.

At last, the sky opened up, and the rain hissed like a protective serpent, creating a barrier of sound that deadened the lightning and thunder that, for the past five minutes, had been threatening him from beyond the windows. Carefully, cautiously, his fingers pulled at the soft fabric of the blanket covering his head. It tousled his hair as he slid his face free, still clutching the teddy, still squeezing his eyes shut. The beat of his heart eased, and his breathing softened as the cool air of the room kissed his face.

He knew it looked silly: a grown man hiding under the blankets as a tempest brewed outside. If he were anyone else, he might have thought it funny too. But a Thrall, especially a Venom addicted Thrall, was not like any other human. Storms were dangerous things, and even in the warehouse, shielded from them, the old customs were still observed whenever a storm passed overhead. Sit down, lest lightning be attracted to the body; close the eyes lest ghosts be attracted to the vision. No one knew when the customs had begun, when the taboos had been put into place, but every Thrall living knew them, was taught them at an early age.

A knock at the door preceded the entry of his Master's Father. Alic Rose stood, framed by the light of the hallway beyond, a look of gentle concern etched into his features. He approached, but remained a respectful distance from the bed, keeping with his own special customs about ownership and propriety. His wife followed him in, her voluptuous, athletic figure stiffening when she saw Lucas on the bed, wearing a long shirt that Eli had left behind.

"We were concerned," Alic began, looking briefly to his wife to confirm his statement.

"The storm, sir," Lucas replied by way of explanation.

The female vampire nodded. "We thought as much. But you do need to eat, Lucas."

Lucas opened his eyes, peering through a sliver of space between eyelids. The lightning appeared to have passed, though he could still detect the faint rumblings of thunder in the distance, rolling over the landscape and shaking wandering spirits free from the ground. Without the electrical force of the clouds discharging, the ghosts would not be able to make use of him, would not be granted the temporary bodies of light and potential they craved.

"You're in a Vampire house," Alic added in a soft, coaxing tone. "No spirit can harm you here. You know that, don't you?"

He released his death grip of the stuffed animal, though he still held it close to him. Of everything in the room, in the entire house, it was the one item with the strongest sense of Eli's presence and through that, he felt a modicum of protection in his heart, though his body still sizzled with the fear that a specter would appear out of nowhere and gobble him up. No one had ever told him that being in a vampire's house would protect him from the psychic threats beyond. Then again, there was a lot that he couldn't be told, couldn't be instructed in, lest he make assumptions about his Master before actually meeting him.

Just as he had swung his legs over the edge of the bed, a new fear charged at him from the ethers that nearly made his heart stop. Along the psychic link connecting him to Eli, he sensed danger to his Master. But the danger was not moving toward Eli, cozy in his dorm room. It was swiftly moving toward the Rose House, like the shadow of a cloud on the earth as it passed the sun, dark, ancient and deadly.

Alic seemed to have sensed it as well. He swiveled on the spot and disappeared from the room, a strong wind following in his wake.

"Great," Eli's Mother said, rolling her eyes. "What does she want?" She turned back to Lucas, adding, "Come along. Your dinner is getting cold."

She, Lucas learned, was Cwenhild Drake, arriving just as his bare foot landed on the wood floor of the ground level. Alic, waiting for her at the open front door, greeted her coldly. She was dressed all in black, and though the rain was coming down with true ferocity, not a drop seemed to stick to her. Her hair was dark, pulled into a matronly bun, and behind her eyes, Lucas detected the glint of death.

"Are you going to invite me in, Alic?" she asked in a naturally hoarse voice that made her seem out of breath.

Alic held his ground. "That isn't likely," he answered. "And I believe you know why."

Cwenhild shrugged. "No matter." She pulled a sheet of paper from a pocket inside her dark leather jacket, handing it to Alic. "This is a recommendation from the local council that your son be removed from the general population of that school he's attending, and placed under the observation of my son, Zane."

Alic's eyes scanned the paper. "For what?"

"He was identified as a person of interest in a fight that got out of hand at one of the fraternities near the university. The record has been wiped, of course, but the fact remains that he was very nearly in danger of exposing our world to the humans. He requires supervision."

A deep, rumbling laugh erupted from Eli's father. "Eli has been living among humans his entire life. He knows the laws, and he wouldn't..."

"He did," the woman cut him across. "If Zane hadn't gotten the information to me, Eli would very likely be sitting in a human interrogation room right now. This is why we established Theta Pi, Alic. And why he should have been forced to join it before being allowed to leave your house."

***

Eli had the room to himself for the first time in weeks. Felix was away, studying with one of his work groups that Eli was sure he had joined because it was populated by beautiful women. Neither had mentioned the fight to each other, and the threatening shadow it had cast over their lives seemed to be lifting at last. A general consensus had been build up among the student body that, in spite of the viciousness of the attack, the Gammas had probably deserved the beating that they had received. This view was backed up by an administrative punishment against the Gammas from their fraternity headquarters, and a censure from the school for hosting a party that had gotten so quickly out of control.

The lack of his roommate's presence had given Eli the perfect excuse to lounge on his bed, naked above the covers. Like any hot blooded vampire male, he and Felix needed to get rid of a buildup of Venom every once in a while. Usually, it took place in the middle of the night, beneath the cover of darkness. For that reason, they were both fond of sleeping with music playing in their ears. It was rare for either to be able to get off in full privacy, either in the shower, or their own bed. Sensing another opportunity would not arise for some time, Eli decided to take full advantage of it.

The room was a comfortable temperature, the overhead light turned off so that the only illumination came from the window above his bed, letting in a soft, liquid glow filtered through the rain drops clinging to its surface. Between his spread thighs, his nuts hung low and cozy in their protective pouch, heavy with his juices. Though he badly wanted to touch himself, he kept his hands linked behind his head, watching the rise and fall of his stomach as he breathed, abdominal muscles flexing and relaxing with each inhale and exhale. Ever eager to be played with, his cock was half hard already, lounging on its belly atop the pillow of his scrotum, guarded at the base by a well-trimmed patch of dark hairs. Sensing his gaze upon it, the tan skin started tightening, blood rushing to inflate it in length and girth. A moment later, it was lying on its side across his hip, pulsing and trembling, begging to be touched. A droplet of clear liquid oozed from the hole and onto his flesh, warm and inviting. With a flex of hidden muscles, he brought it fully awake, forcing it to roll onto it's back, the head resting halfway across his navel.

His cell phone rang on the bed beside him. Thinking it was Felix, letting him know how late he was to be, Eli answered it without checking the display for the caller's information, grabbing his dick and giving it a long, promising stroke from base to tip, then dragging his palm over the slick spit hole.

"Hello?" he answered breathlessly, his stomach muscles contracting as a wave of pleasure rolled down him.

"We need to talk."

It was his father. Eli dropped his cock at once, and sat up.

"Dad? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

"Come home, now," Alic growled, his voice infused with preternatural vocalizations that, even through the digital waves travelling to the phone's internal radio, latched onto Eli's brain and stirred instinctive fear. Eli was on his feet, clutching the phone to his ear with one hand, and holding the door knob in the other when his own nature reasserted itself.

"Why?" he asked, letting go of the door and stepping away from it, looking around the shadowy room for the pile of clothes he had discarded. They sat in a bundle beside his bed.

"Are you coming, or do I have to come get you?"

Eli stiffened at the threat. "It's raining outside," he said. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"If you're not here by midnight," Alic replied, "I will come get you."

The line went dead.