Disclaimer: I am in no way related to the BSB or do I claim to know their orientation. This is a work of pure fiction and does not reflect the beliefs of the Boys. Anyone under 18 is advised not to read as this story contains content of an adult nature.
Nothing would ever wash our hands of the sins we had committed that day to the one soul who deserved it the least. After the torture was complete, they tied Nick's naked body to a giant pole, high above the stadium hundreds of feet into the air. The sun slowly burned into his delicate skin as the royal family continued their agenda. But no one was listening to the Sons nor even the Goddess Mother herself when she started to speak again. Only one creature caught the vampires' attention that day . . . the Prince of the Almans!
Prince . . . Nick was actually a Prince. All I remembered were stories of glory and magic. I never recalled a folklore with this kind of sick, twisted, dark ending.
"We shall now end the ceremony with the crowning of my eldest Son, Vladimir! May he bring upon our race victory and wisdom," the Goddess Mother announced in her eerie voice. I had to choke back my disgust at her statement. What wisdom could he possibly have when his mind is filled with sick torture strategies for someone who was defenseless against him?
The fanfare began again . . . this time with the crowds screaming twice as loud as before, perhaps their fire rekindled by the fact that Nick was strapped mercilessly to that pole. My mind raced liked thunder, thinking, plotting. But within seconds, I stood up. It was a strange feeling that consumed me, strange and enlightening. I deftly flew to the stadium down to the pole where they strapped Nick's body. To my surprise, I was so quick that not even the guards got to me before I stood my ground below the pole that carried Nick's body. I looked up to the royal family in defiance.
The crowds suddenly hushed in silence at my move, wondering what the hell I was doing. I gazed intently at the royal family and raised my voice. "You have executed his punishment. And so you have celebrated your victory. Do not ruin this day by prolonging this punishment. Let the Alman Prince in my care." I was glad that my voice did not betray the sadness and disdain I held within. I waited for the answer.
But before the royal family responded, I heard the crowds roar again. "Hey, how come he could ask for that and I couldn't?"
"That's not fair. Leave the Alman Prince in my care," cried a wretched female vampire.
"I say burn that oafish thing!" cried out an old vampire.
"We must feed him to the Gringe Monster! He would be good fodder!" cried a haggard old woman vampire.
"I say he'd make a fine meal for our heroic vampires!" cried a young male vampire, who drooled as he said that.
"DAMN YOU ALL!" I heard. It was my voice crying in fury. Again, I managed to miraculously silence this sickening crowd. "You've had your share of your sick entertainment. This is not a savage orgy! We're a race that so many people actually find mystical. Yet I don't see anything so noble in what we have done today."
I was getting too angry to say anything. I didn't want to say anymore. I quickly looked up and gauged the distance between Nick and the ground and began climbing the pole furiously. Within ten big pulls, I was by Nick's side, ripping off the ropes that held his delicate body dangling. I slipped one arm around his waist and placed him on my hips. I turned to gaze into his lavender eyes, only to see an expression I could not fathom. He did not cling to me. He let his hands rest beside his body. I wanted to cry, but was afraid to choke it all out. I didn't know what to tell him.
As if beyond reason, I turned to face him and leaned in for a gentle chaste kiss on his lips. It was the only way I could think of to reassure him that I was on his side. But he only turned his face to look at the pole, perhaps finding it a lot more intriguing than my face at the moment. I didn't mind. I slowly climbed down the pole, never once diverting my eyes from his soiled face.
We made it to the ground without any problems. By now, the soldiers had formed a circle around the pole, eager to fight. But at that moment, Vladimir hushed the crowds and beckoned the soldiers to leave me alone. The stadium became silent as all eyes rested on Nick's soiled body that I held so gently in my arms. I made my exit with suppressed anger.
I heard footsteps behind me closely. But they didn't belong to AJ, Howie or Kevin. Strange. I stopped in my tracks and turned around, still holding on to Nick's body with both of my arms, his barren skin pressed hard against my clothes.
"So you've brashly defied the royal family," Vincent smiled sinisterly. "Not so smart, yet not too stupid."
I let my fury slide because my soul goal was to get Nick back to the hotel safely. Vincent was an obstacle I could do without. "I couldn't say the same for you. You're just plain stupid."
Vincent snarled viciously. "You want to take Nickolas, but you forget who really owns him."
This was ridiculous. Nick? Being owned? I snorted and turned around. This conversation sickened me. I felt Nick shudder against my body and realized that up till now, he was still unclothed. However, I didn't want to release my grip on him, so I merely held him tighter, pushing his body into mine.
"Do not force me to use black magic to retrieve his body from you," Vincent cried out venomously.
I whipped around in fury. "If you wanted him so bad, why didn't you stand up to the royal family? Why wait until I did something? You don't deserve to take him home!"
Before I knew to duck, a wave of deadly energy hit me square on the jaw, forcing me and Nick to part. Both of us landed with a terrible thump. I didn't mind the pain, but I was infuriated that Nick was hurt in the process.
I summoned my innermost rage, not really sure where that would get me, but I was desperate to try something. To my surprise, a bolt of lightning escaped my fingertips and took Vincent by surprise, knocking him down to the dirt and nearly making him unconscious. I quickly made my way to Nick, only to see his lavender eyes widening in confusion.
"Brian?" he asked weakly.
I smiled excitedly. "Nick! You're okay?" Stupid question, but I needed to keep him talking.
He blushed wildly at his nude state. That was when I heard AJ's and Kevin's voice screaming madly. "RUN!!!!!"
I looked up in horror to see an entire mob racing towards me and Nick. I gulped nervously before running up to Nick and pulling him in the direction of the gates of Sangria. We ran as if each breath were our last. I tried to use my levitation powers and thankfully, it worked. Before long, we were nearing the gates, Nick's hand grossly entwined in mine. I gave him a gentle squeeze before we bursted out of the gates of Sangria and into the forest, all the while not realizing that AJ, Kevin and Howie were right behind us, giving us the extra burst of energy.
We ran for about one minutes when I realized that the mob did not follow us out the gates. Funny. They were so gungho about following us. What made them change their minds?
After what felt like a day, we all made it to a hidden cave, buried under a huge forest. The winds started to settle a little, but the cold seeped into the atmosphere pretty fast. I looked at Nick and saw his skin crawling with goosebumps. Before I could offer him my shirt, Kevin had offered Nick his jacket, making me rather envious as Nick grabbed it gratefully.
"Thanks," Nick whispered before turning around and placing the jacket around his waist. I tried my best not to stare, but my will was as strong as a flimsy leaf. I stared.
"So, are ya hungry?" Howie asked uncomfortably.
"What do you think?" AJ mumbled in reply.
At this moment, Nick swallowed and offered his blood. "If you guys are hungry, you can try to drink some of mine."
All of us stared hungrily at his neck, but none of us budged. "Uh, maybe we shouldn't. We can go hunting!" Kevin suggested.
"Uh, yeah, hunting," AJ replied disappointedly. I guess he wanted to taste Nick badly.
I didn't though. Nick was exhausted. He needed to recover. We had to get him something to eat. "Why don't we go ahead and hunt," I took the initiative.
Nick nodded and was about to head out of the cave when I held him back. "Woah there, bud. You're staying in here where it's safe. The rest of us will go."
"But shouldn't someone look after him?" Howie asked.
Kevin looked at me. "Why don't you, Brian. The rest of us can handle this."
I nodded gratefully. "Thanks guys." I was not going to fight that decision. I quickly urged Nick to sit back in the cave while the others left.
We sat in silence for quite a while as I pondered something intelligent or touching to say. My mind drew a blank.
"Thanks," Nick whispered.
I hung my head in shame. "I'm sorry about what happened today. I know it probably doesn't mean much to you now, but I truly . . . "
"Don't." Nick's voice suddenly became eerie. "Don't apologize for them. I don't want to hear it."
My tongue froze as I felt Nick's anger deeply. I was actually afraid of him at that moment.
Nick sighed and tried to find a more comfortable position. "I'm just tired today."
I failed to respond to his statement and the silence pervaded the atmosphere.
Nick looked at me with a hurt expression. "You seem a little distant."
I cringed at his choice of words. "Same to you."
"Listen, Brian. You . . . should be careful. Your people should not try to taunt the Almans any further. I don't think that a bloodbath will solve anything." Nick's voice was quiet, lulling.
I raised my face sharply to peer at his eyes, only to see an unreadable face. "It's a war that I have no control over. I guess we can only blame it on our ancestors."
Nick became quiet all of a sudden. I felt my hairs stand on end. We had never had problems carrying a conversation before. So what had changed?
Nick looked at me, as if analyzing every wrinkle on my face. Then, in his soft-spoken voice, he said, "Your race dwells on the past too much."
I opened my mouth, but held my tongue. In a way, I wanted to argue with him. It was a nationalism thing. But I thought about what he had gone through today and felt too undeserving to counter it.
Instead, I changed the subject. "So why have you killed so many of our kind? They don't call you the soul-snatchers for nothing. Tell me why and how you ruined them!"
Nick sighed. "I need to defend myself. There is no other way."
I looked at him, a little more critically than I had wanted. "But you lured them in the first place, and then you kill them for approaching you?"
I was sorry the moment those words escaped my mouth. I waited for Nick's response nervously. He stared at me nervously. "I never intended to lure anyone. I . . . "
"Nick, don't explain. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I just don't know why we have to be enemies."
Nick suddenly looked up, rather startled. "I didn't think we were to that point yet. We aren't enemies, are we?"
I had to pause to think. "No, we aren't," I mumbled weakly.
The silence was overwhelming by now. I sensed the fragility in Nick's spirit now, the uncertainty. Nick looked at me cautiously, as if disturbed by my subtle invasion of his mind.
"So what are you planning to do now?" I asked, trying to break up the tension.
"I'm at your mercy," Nick said softly, his voice sounding like he had surrendered already.
"You know that's not true," I urged.
Nick gazed into my eyes, as if challenging me. "Then I will go back home."
I stared at him sadly. That's right. He had to go back to the Almans, had to warn them to prepare for a nasty bloodbath so that they could kill all the vampires in return. Or maybe, I could convert him . . . make him fall in love with me . . . make him love the vampire race as his own. Why not? He already had our blood running through his veins. He was now a hybrid. How could his people accept him now, knowing that we planted our seed in him?
I walked over to sit closer to him. I let my hands slide up his thigh until they found his hands resting comfortably on his lap. I had to seduce him. I needed him to love me. Maybe then, we could change from being enemies to friends. I pulled his hands until they were millimeters from my lips and I kissed them ever so gently. He smelled so good. I hungered for his blood so bad, but I didn't let my fangs dig into his soiled skin. "Then I will go with you."
Nick quickly pulled his arm away. "Why?"
Why? What did that mean? I quickly looked at his face, only to see the expression of a young boy who did not know the power of his attractiveness. Every inch of his body was crying out to be touched, yet he was completely ignorant of it. Huh. Typical teenager. Clueless. Blonde. Just because he was Alman prince didn't mean that he was sharp. "I want to be with you. Nick . . . I like you a lot." I didn't want to say love and scare his already violated body away from me.
"What about Kevin, Howie and AJ?" Nick bit his lip uncertainly.
"I'll leave it up to them. But seeing as they also kinda helped me rescue you, they're probably banished from Sangria as well."
I thought he was going to jump up and run away from me, but instead, he had a small smile on his face. "You might regret this some day."
I smirked. "Well, that some day is not today."
Nick simply stared into the fire. "When that day comes, I'll remind you of what you said today."
I felt my heart skip a few beats. Something about the way he said that line made my skin crawl. "You're scaring me."
Nick smiled. "I have every intention of scaring you. You're no longer living in a sheltered world, Brian." Then, Nick's expression saddened. "You'd wish your parents were here to help you out, to show you some love."
I tried to hug Nick, realizing that our vampire race had pretty much destroyed his confidence, his modesty. I felt him shiver under my embrace. Why did he have to suffer so much more than anybody else? I felt something hot on my skin as I realized that Nick's tears were falling freely onto my body. I was scared, scared that he would lose his mind.
I gently pulled him back. "Nick, back at the stadium, you . . . said something about your people, that we would wait a long time for your people's punishment. What did you mean by that?"
Nick looked at me with an emotion that I couldn't fathom. "Do you think that by having the royal family completely humiliate me that my parents will come and save me? Brian, they have took my virginity away. They stole my wholeness. Plus, I now carry the blood of a vampire. The penalty for converting is eternal torture!"
I swallowed, afraid to even ask what kind of torture was in store for him. "Then, what did you mean when you said that you're going home?"
Nick's expression softened. "Back to the U.S., back to where we had a fun life! I mean I don't have to sing again. I'll be content to just go back to my home in Florida. And I must do that before word of my rape gets back to my people. They'll be furious with me once they've found out."
I had to stop him. "How do you know your parents will try to hurt you. They're probably worried about you."
Nick's eyes changed from their nice lavender to a mysterious gray. "Instinct." I knew he was lying! I could tell by the waver in his voice. He was holding something back, but I couldn't tell why.
"So you wanna go back home, huh?" I repeated stupidly.
Nick nodded his head. "I thought I could change the stars, thought I could change my fate. I believed that if I wanted a normal life enough, that I would get it. I never wanted it to be this way, Brian. But it's starting to happen all over again."
"What's starting to happen?" I asked nervously.
Nick looked at me sharply. "The next big step in evolution. Everything happens in a step-wise manner. A catastrophe occurs, and then we adapt. That's what defines Earth."
I started to shudder, wishing that Nick was only being delusional. "So . . . something bad is going to happen soon?"
Nick suddenly leaned into me, his head resting on my shoulders. "Brian?" he whispered. "Will you always remember me this way?" He snaked his arms around my waist.
"Nick!" I chuckled. "I'm always going to love you!" But then, I thought about what he said and frowned. "You're not going to die!"
"No." Nick answered disappointedly. "Unfortunately not." With that, he pulled away leaving me in utter confusion. His eyes became a purposeful emerald this time, which made my muscles start to twitch, especially in my groin area. What kind of an effect was he having on me?
"So . . . ummmm . . . when do we leave this place?" I asked timidly, trying to hide the lust that was surfacing in my mind. It was as if Nick could turn on and off sexuality like turning a light switch on and off.
"Once the others get back," Nick answered absentmindedly. But then, he looked at me carefully, and said, "Oh, sorry." His eyes turned from an emerald to a lavender again, and the intense horniness that I felt went away, only to be replaced by a strong desire to touch him.
"What just happened?" I asked him.
He looked at me sheepishly. "Apparently, my body produces an aura that evokes lust in the people around me. It just takes a lot of energy to suppress that aura. Sorry about that."
"So when your eyes changes colors, that's what that means?" I asked, really confused now.
Nick shook his head. "No, the change in my eye color means something different. No, I usually am able to suppress the aura, but when I lose my focus, I sometimes, forget . . . and you know . . . " Nick blushed.
"Well, I don't think you're suppressing your aura enough," I said as I embarrassingly look down at my raging, throbbing proof of my lust.
Nick blushed even more and looked another way. I wanted relief. As inappropriate as it may sound, I wanted him to do that relieving. But before I had the chance to vocalize my innermost desires, he walked to the opening of the cave and muttered, "I'll give you some privacy."
I stared in total disbelief at his immaturity! How could he? This was an outrage. Was he not sensitive to all of this? Did he just walk out on me? But then, I became more rational. I knew I couldn't rush into an intimate relationship with him too soon. He was too fragile. But I couldn't help thinking that maybe, once he's recovered from all of this, that he would one day accept my love.
I smiled, thinking that in a way, his action was cute, naive, simplistic. Funny. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him in such a different light.
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