"Pete attacked Josh," Damion said, his face red.
"About time too! What did Josh do to provoke this!" Christov said delighted, "See Henri I told you it would never last! Pete, you hit him in the nose! You bruiser you!!"
"Quiet Christov," Henri said, "Damion, Pete would not attack Josh. Obviously there has been a misunderstanding. This is all my fault. Louis blame me not Pete."
"How it it your fault?" Daniel said good good-naturedly.
"It's not Henri's fault," Pete cried, going protectively to Henri. "Damion, I read Josh's mind."
"YOU READ MY MIND!" Josh yelled, dabbing the sheet on his bloody nose, thinking of his latest embarrassing Pete fantasy.
"Yes!" Pete yelled, turning red, thinking of Josh voiding bloody urine on his thighs.
"OH MY GOD HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU READ MY MIND!!" JOSH YELLED, "DON'T ANYONE READ MY MIND!!"
"Why what are you thinking about you kinky little bastard?" Christov taunted Josh. He tried to take a peek in Josh's shielded mind.
"My son may have eccentric notions, but only as a result of Pete encouraging him in this sort of misguided thinking," Damion growled.
"I'm sure Josh hardly needed much encouragement to be kinky," Daniel teased.
"Daniel this is serious. Pete obviously has an unhealthy obsession for our son. Why else would he read Josh's mind? Pete you have no right to embarrass my son by invading his privacy. I would prefer you, as you young people say toady, back off of my son for a while."
"Back off?" Pete cried, dropping the can of whip cream.
"For both of your sakes I'm requesting you do not see Josh," Damion said firmly.
"You think you're so special, Damion! Might I remind you your Marquiseship Josh was a whore once!" Christov sneered.
Damion's mouth flew open then it slammed shut. Sucking in air, he managed to reclaim his control before he acted on his first impulse to tear Christov apart.
"What my son did in his short mortal life span is none of your concern," Damion said quietly.
"Pete, I'm, I," Josh cried, swept away with further embarrassment, "Pete I was only fifteen and homeless at the time. My mom kicked me out!!"
"Josh, I don't hold it against you," Pete cried, trying to go around Damion to get to Josh.
"Your son? Why aren't you living with your son?" Christov said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Oh silly me. Your Les' your teenage boy friend. You're busy raising him. Has his mother figure Dora moved in yet? Just one big happy family the three of you."
"I asked you to leave Pete," Damion said in his most coldest voice, "Christov my business between myself and my partner Les is also none of your business." Damion took a quick, painful glance at Daniel. Daniel turned his face away. The sympathy on his ex-lover's face hurt Damion even more than if Daniel had been angry or even indifferent at him.
"Obviously if my son trusted you Pete he would have shared with you this unsavory subject matter of his mortal past. This subject is private to our family, and our family alone," Damion went on to say in a voice filled with edgy anger.
"Damion calm down," Daniel said, "Pete, Henri, Christov you should all go now. Josh is leaving tomorrow. He really needs to pack."
"Promise me Pete if you really care about my son give him sometime to think about how he really feels about you. Before the two of you commit yourselves to something foolish," Damion begged, his body now sagging on his fine bones. Concern and worry on his face.
"Sure, I promise," Pete said in a faltering voice having no idea what Damion was talking about.
"No, Pete, I want to ask you." Josh jammed his hand into his jeans pocket, fishing for the ring.
Trapping Josh's hand in his pocket, Damion said firmly, "All I am asking is before either of you do something drastic with your lives please give each other a little time apart. Then I promise. No, I swear I will give you both my blessings and my support."
"You'll give us your blessings for us to continue dating?" Pete asked, utterly confused.
"Oui dating. What ever else would you want to do?" Damion said, squeezing Josh's hand. " I promise you Josh, abstain from each other while you're in Chicago and you'll have my blessings."
"Promise?" Josh demanded.
"Promise," Damion practically begged.
Did you ask for my blessings when you went through a promise ceremony with Les? Josh thought angerly to himself,. He hasn't kept one vow to you. Not a one. The two of you might as well be room mates except he's allowed to cheat and you're not. When does promises mean anything around here?
"I promise not to see Josh until he comes back to New Orleans," Pete said sadly.
"I promise too," Josh said, staring resentfully at Damion, "I promise you I will not see Pete. And Pete I promise you you're going to be the first person I'll want to see when I get off the plane from Chicago. And dads I promise you Pete and I are going to be together."
"I promise you Josh you'll both be better off having this time apart from each other," Damion said, keeping himself firm despite the resentment and disappointment radiating from Josh.
"Shall we go out the window or out the back door?" Christov said mockingly.
"I'm sure the back door will go for garbage like you," Andre haughtily said, coming into the bedroom. The master vampire smiled royally, his youthful appearance of a boy sixteen was a lie. He lived on the earth for seventy years along with Daniel and Damion. Daniel and Damion were put onto the world of vampire when they joined a coven as young men in their twenties and had their blood consumed by a master vampire Pylades an Athenian vampire. Later Pylades added Andre's sister Veronica to his coven. Andre was Pylades' favorite and first born. To Andre went the wealth of ancient blood and power. After years in Pylades' coven, the four left nominating Andre as their leader and protector. The lovers, Damion and Daniel, discovered a new race of vampires--Day walkers. They adopted Trisha and Josh two orphans. Mortals were metamorphosed into being sun walkers the night of the great new creation by the spirit of Anton the first vampire born of man and woman in the upper Paleolithic period the later old stone age. Anton returned to body in the twentieth century for a short time with the help of Damion's stolen blood. The night walker race was born during the Paleolithic time after the death of Anton. Like an angel's Anton's spirit coupled with a dying woman transforming her in night walking vampire. From her night walking fledglings were born through the exchange of blood. Most day walkers choice to stay in their mortal parent's home, hiding the truth about themselves from their families and friends. Daniel and Damion became friends with the vampire Henri, his fledgling Christov and Christov's adopted fledging Pete.
"Out the front door. Christov you're being unfair," Daniel said, trying his best to calm down the situation, "Damion is not a snob. He's never been a snob and you know it. He's acting out of concern for both Pete and Josh."
"I volunteered to keep tabs on you while you're in Chicago," Andre said in his most authoritative coven master voice.
"Do what on me!" Josh yelled.
"You'll need protection from the Chicago covens," Damion said, "Andre will stay in the back ground frightening away potentially dangerous night walking rogues or ancients foolish enough to try to harm you."
"Good idea to get Josh a baby-sitter," Christov snickered.
"Andre is not Josh's baby-sitter," Louis said, biting down the contempt he was starting to feel for Christov.
"Come on Henri and Pete let's go home and leave Josh and his baby-sitter alone."
Damion shot Christov a look of pure fury.
"Let's leave Josh alone to pack," Christov quickly amended, mollifying Damion. As he left Christov stuck his head back into the bedroom, yelling, "Baby-sitter!"
Christov hurriedly followed Henri and Pete out of the house before Damion could make a retort back.
"How that rogue has stayed alive as long as he has," Damion dismally said.
"No one takes a whore seriously. He belongs to all covens and to no coven. He's a whore for any individual's use. Hardly worth killing much less worth what he charges. Besides, Henri is by means of the dark gift my cousin which makes Christov my second cousin. And Pete is my sister Veronica's orphaned fledging. So by blood line they all are under my protection," Andre said ruefully.
"I don't need Andre to come with me to Chicago," Josh protested, feeling like he was in a bad dream.
"Of course you don't," Daniel said patiently, "But just in case it doesn't hurt to have a friend around in case of an emergency. You know Josh not all night walkers are tolerant of sun walkers being there territory."
TBC