Soulbound Chapter 23

SOULBOUND

By Wes Leigh

This is a work of fiction (or is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.

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Chapter Twenty-Three

In war and in peace, a good enemy can be more valuable than a good ally.

-- From Shogun, by James Clavell

Minerva Smyth walked into the library where Regina and Xavier sat side-by-side, studying the thick tome opened on the desk before them. She stopped just inside the door, neither smiling nor sneering nor making any other indication of how she felt to be returning to the home Xavier had taken from her when he took over as Executor.

Xavier saw her enter the room and stood up. "Minerva," he said, with a slight nod of his head.

Minerva finally smiled, briefly, and nodded as well. "Xavier. Regina." She lifted her chin and said, "There is someone I believe you need to meet."

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The Sheriff himself led the convoy of SUV's driving up the road to the hunting lodge. They parked in front of the main building, climbed out of the vehicles, and walked up the path to the doors of the lodge. The Sheriff carried a handgun on his hip; the six deputies with him carried shotguns in their hands.

As they approached the large double entry, the doors opened and Connor stepped out with Andreas and Gabi on one side and Donny and Ethan on the other.

Everyone stopped and waited.

The Sheriff cleared his throat nervously and spoke. "I'm here in an official capacity, Connor."

"With what? An arrest warrant?" Connor asked.

The Sheriff shook his head. "It's not quite that official," he admitted. "It's more of an official request."

"What's the request?"

"That you accompany us back to Agony."

Connor glanced at his parents, then his friends. Turning back to the Sheriff, he asked, "If I refuse?"

The Sheriff blew out his breath. "Let's just say it would be a whole lot better if you agreed."

Connor turned his back on the Sheriff and said, "I'll go and see what this is about. Donny, you come too. The rest of you know what to do, right?" Seeing them nod, Connor turned back around and said, "Let's get this over with."

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Daniel and Diego were sitting down in a secluded copse of cottonwoods, practicing shifting from human to wolf and back to human, when Daniel's cell phone buzzed. He checked the display and saw Unknown Caller. Touching the answer button, he brought the phone to his ear and said, "Hello."

A raspy voice said, "Hello, Daniel. My name is Dautry. I am inviting you and your vaewolf friend to a special meeting I'm hosting. Tonight. At the Agony courthouse. Second floor conference room. 11 p.m."

The call disconnected.

Daniel looked at Diego.

Diego blinked and asked, It's started?

Yes, Daniel replied. Now the fun begins.

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Daniel and Diego walked up the sidewalk to the courthouse doors. Being so late at night, no one was there, naturally. But the front doors were unlocked. They walked inside and headed for the main stairs, climbing up to the second floor. At the top of the landing, two men dressed in suits and wearing dark sunglasses waited for them.

"Really?" Daniel said with a laugh. "Sunglasses? At night? You guys certainly take your jobs seriously, don't you?"

The men didn't reply, but one pointed down the hall to where another man, also in a suit, also wearing sunglasses, waited next to an open door.

Daniel and Diego walked through the door and found a large room with an enormous table in the middle and chairs all around the edges. Sitting at the head of the table was a very old, bald-headed man. Standing next to the table on the right side were Connor and Donny. To the left, Xavier stood next to Regina and Minerva.

The old man gestured and croaked out, "Please have a seat."

They all pulled out chairs to sit down, except for Minerva, who walked around to the head of the table and stood behind the old man, who began speaking. "I know all of you, and I'm sure you have all met my new assistant, Minerva Smyth." He paused to allow that news to sink in, then said, "My name is Dautry. I am a special agent working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But I'm here tonight as a duly appointed representative of the President of the United States of America. Suffice it to say, I speak with the full backing and authority of the President. Whatever I promise will be delivered, whether it is aid ... or consequences."

He reached for a folder on the table in front of him and flipped it open. "Since September of last year ... eight vampires have died ... four werewolves, also dead ... and two vaewolves ..." He glanced up, staring at Daniel and Diego. His cheek twitched from a muscle spasm. "... two vaewolves have been created."

He closed the folder. "And the town of Agony has been in complete turmoil. Humans have been asking for ridiculous amounts of therapy and medication from local doctors. Countless resources have been expended covering up the deaths of high school students and their parents. I'm surprised the national news hasn't gotten wind of it yet! And now, lycan packs in neighboring states have been preparing for war, while vampiric Covenants across the nation are transferring assets into special accounts for easier liquidation, creating chaos in every major financial market. In short, you young people have instigated quite a mess."

He pushed his chair back and stood up. Placing his hands on the table, he leaned forward and stated, "Allow me to be perfectly clear. This situation will not continue. We will be returning this town to the status quo that existed two years ago. The vampires and werewolves will enjoy an uneasy truce, holding each other in check, without taking any more lives. This ceasefire will influence werewolves and vampires across the nation to settle down once again. And all will be at peace in our fair land. I believe that is something we can all agree would be good to see. Am I right?"

Xavier nodded. "And what will it cost to have this ... peace?"

Dautry pursed his lips. "Why ... nothing at all. We simply all agree to cease all hostilities effective immediately and get along with one another."

"And if we don't?" Connor asked.

Dautry mumbled, "The consequences would be unpleasant. I have government forces prepared to turn this town into a barren prairie. One phone call from me and it begins. You don't want that to happen."

Dautry turned his gaze upon Daniel and grimaced, as though experiencing a sudden pain, "And then there is the little matter of what to do about the vaewolves. They did not exist a year ago, so they bring a new factor into the equation." Daniel didn't respond, so Dautry continued, "It's impossible to put that genie back in the bottle, so we won't even try. Instead, the country is willing to allow the vaewolves to provide a third `check and balance' on the situation here in Agony. The vampires and the werewolves and the vaewolves will all live in harmony, keeping their heads down, maintaining their secrecy as they have for so many years, not bothering each other, but all watching and correcting the behavior of the others."

Connor snorted. "There are only two of them. How are they going to keep the rest of us under control?"

Daniel shrugged and spoke for the first time. "Two is all we need."

Xavier snorted as if he found that hard to believe. "So as long as everyone behaves ... as long as everything stays calm, the government leaves us alone?"

Dautry nodded.

Xavier stood up. "Then we have an agreement." Regina stood up next to him and they both disappeared.

Connor and Donny stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word.

Dautry studied Daniel and Diego carefully. "There will be no more podcasts. And no more vaewolves created. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly clear," Daniel replied.

"Good. If it happens again, I step in." Dautry stood up and motioned for Minerva to follow him as they slunk out of the room. When they reached the hall, the bodyguard at the door followed them. At the stairs, the other two preceded them down to the first floor and out to the cars. They climbed into the back of black SUVs and drove away.

Inside one SUV, Dautry lit up a cigarette, not caring whether Minerva liked it or not. He had a lot of planning to do, and he found a cigarette helped him focus. He would have to find a way to remove the vaewolves from the equation; they were a destabilizing quantity that simply couldn't be tolerated. As for the lycans and vampires, he wasn't sure he could trust those young fools to do as promised. Operation Bonfire might very well be necessary. He didn't want to do that, since many humans could be injured in the course of the operation, but he was certain he could justify any collateral damage. Now, the vaewolves ... what to do?

He leaned back, blew out the smoke, and began planning.

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Daniel and Diego teleported back to their own homes, each into his own bedroom, checking quickly to be sure they hadn't been missed by their families.

As Daniel climbed into bed, Diego asked, What's next?

We've flushed them into the open. Now we take the fight to them, Daniel replied.

From his bedroom across town, Xavier's mental voice was full of menace. That bastard Dautry is calling all the shots. He has to pay, Daniel.

Daniel replied, He will, Xavier. I promise you that. Oh, and I just want to say, you're all doing a terrific job. Dautry doesn't have clue how we're playing him.

But will it be enough, Daniel? Xavier asked. You heard Dautry. He has the President's blessing for everything he does.

I doubt that, Daniel said. The operation is probably hidden, with a dozen ways to keep the President's hands clean if it goes wrong. My plan is to make it go very, very wrong.

Connor laughed and said, They won't know what hit `em. Connor punched his own pillow to emphasize his point, transmitting an image to his soulmates of the pillow transforming into Dautry's face.

Diego snickered and replied, I'm glad you guys are my friends. I would hate to have you as enemies.

More than friends, Diego, Daniel said with a wistful smile**. We're soulmates.** Daniel's smile turned to an angry scowl. That's something these fuckers failed to consider! And it will cost them.

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Dalton Ridge was another small town about an hour and a half from Agony. They didn't have a very good football team, so no one expected them to put up a significant challenge for the mighty Cougars, who were rolling over every opponent. That's why it came as a grating shock to the Agony fans when the Dalton Ridge Eagles managed to break through the offensive line, knocking Donny McCoy back into Daniel Anderson and causing a fumble all the way back to the Cougar ten-yard line. Fortunately, the Cougars recovered the ball, but the shock was even worse when both Donny and Daniel didn't get up right away.

Donny rolled on the ground, clutching his ankle. The tinted face shield on his helmet kept anyone from seeing the agony on his face as he grabbed at his foot.

Daniel sat on the ground next to Donny. Daniel had removed his helmet and tossed it aside in frustration. Now he was clutching his right wrist, grimacing in pain.

The referees whistled for a time out as trainers and coaches rushed onto the field. The Cougar offense stood to one side, anxiously waiting to see if two of their best players were going to be able to continue. After several scary minutes, both players managed to struggle to their feet. Daniel held his arm to his side, cradling his wrist. Donny kept his foot off the ground, throwing his massive arms across the necks of two shorter men on each side of him, who helped him to hop off the field.

The crowd clapped and shouted encouragement as the two injured boys left the game. Both headed for the field house, finished for the night, and possibly for the rest of the year.

Daniel's parents stood at the railing at the bottom of the stadium, hoping to catch Daniel's attention. He looked up and saw them, then waved his uninjured hand and grimaced. "I'll be okay," he shouted.

Mike Anderson held his wife Judy in a tight hug. "I KNEW this would happen," she mumbled.

"It's football," Mike said. "He'll be okay."

"I want to go to him," she insisted.

Mike chuckled. "Hon, we can't do that. It'll embarrass the boy. He's okay, and he'll be back out soon enough." He turned his wife and led her back to their seats.

Across the field, Daniel waved the trainers away and slipped his shoulder underneath Donny's arm, holding him up as the two of them continued on into field house together.

Up in the stands, the band played the school fight song to encourage the fans and the team. With the second-string quarterback going in for Daniel, they needed all the encouragement they could get.

When the band finished playing, the director told them to take a ten-minute break. Diego set his snare drum to one side and headed up the bleachers to the restroom. Xavier did the same, following behind Diego.

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When the field house door closed behind them, Donny stopped hobbling and playfully shoved Daniel. Daniel reached up and pulled off the other boy's helmet, revealing Connor's handsome face. Daniel smiled and slapped Connor's cheek affectionately with his "injured" wrist.

Xavier and Diego teleported into the room, standing before Daniel and Connor. Xavier began helping Daniel strip off his jersey and pads. Diego reached down to untie Connor's pants.

Connor smiled and asked, What are you two cuties doin' in the field house? Won't the band miss you?

Diego smiled and replied, Not for several more minutes. And I think they'll do just fine with a couple of us gone for a bit.

Xavier knelt down and started untying Daniel's cleats. The more important question is how will Donny do playing in your spot on defense.

Connor shrugged. These guys aren't that good. Donny will be fine. I just hope he doesn't get blood on my jersey.

That's what you get for trading places, Diego teased as he yanked Connor's trunks down his thick legs.

When Daniel and Connor were both stripped of their uniforms and gear, they helped Xavier and Diego to quickly shed their band uniforms. Then all four rushed into the shower room, turning on two spigots next to each other. They huddled together under the hot spray, holding each other, pressing together, groaning as they kissed, nibbled, tweaked, and stroked each other.

Xavier fell to his knees, sliding his mouth over Daniel's cock and burying it deep in his throat in a single pass. Daniel still wasn't quite long enough to enter the back of his throat, so Xavier slid back up to the cap, swirling his tongue all around, then slamming down to the base again, holding himself there, creating as much suction as he could.

Daniel dropped his hands to Xavier's head, gently massaging Xavier's dark hair, running his hands down the side of Xavier's head to play with his earlobes. He pressed his hips forward against Xavier's face, closing his eyes and moaning from the sweet sensation of having his cock fully encased by his lover's mouth.

Nearby, Diego and Connor were locked at the lips, biting and nipping at each other. Their hands slid up and down, grabbing butt cheeks, squeezing, roaming up smooth backs to grasp strong shoulders, then slide back down again. Connor, being so much taller than Diego, knelt down slightly and lifted the smaller lad off his feet, holding him against his chest as they kissed. Diego bit Connor's lip playfully, then pushed his tongue into Connor's mouth, moaning when Connor sucked on the invading flesh.

Diego pushed off and said, Let me down, Connor.

Connor released him and Diego landed lightly on the floor. He grabbed a bar of soap and began rubbing Connor's eight-inch cock, coating it in a slippery layer. Then Diego spun around and pulled his butt cheeks apart. Hurry, Connor, he thought, we don't have much time.

Connor pointed his thick cock down slightly, lined it up with Diego's pucker, and slowly pushed inside. He groaned and closed his eyes as Diego's body accepted him, gripping him in a warm, tight embrace.

Xavier grabbed Daniel's butt cheeks and used them to pull Daniel forward a fraction of an inch more, pressing his cock as deep into Xavier's mouth as it would go. Now, Daniel, Xavier said.

Daniel shook as his body transformed into a vaewolf. Blonde hair sprouted everywhere. His face shifted into that of a wolf. His eyes glowed golden. And inside Xavier's mouth, Daniel's cock swelled thicker and longer, growing to a solid eight inches that now forced its way down Xavier's throat.

Xavier gagged but held on, swallowing convulsively as Daniel's bigger cock filled his throat. Xavier's eyes glowed bright red and his fangs extended slightly, not enough to penetrate Daniel's cock, but enough to sting and make Daniel howl silently.

Diego arched his back and transformed into his own wolf, his body covered with dark black hair, his short cock growing now as well, thicker but still only six inches or so in length. He grabbed Xavier's butt and pulled it back, sliding his cock inside in a single, quick thrust.

Xavier gasped, loving the feeling of having one lover in his throat and the other shoved inside his ass. He pushed back against Diego, forcing him even deeper. Then he slid Daniel's cock out and nibbled on the cap, before sliding it back in.

Connor grunted and shifted into full wolf form. Diego's bowels resisted futilely as Connor's thick cock grew even thicker and stretched out deeper, filling Diego completely. With the mating heat fully upon him, Connor began pounding into Diego, smashing the younger boy forward with each powerful thrust, shoving Diego fully inside Xavier as well.

Daniel began humping Xavier's mouth, building to the violent crescendo his body craved.

Xavier felt Daniel's cock throbbing and hot liquid striking the back of his throat.

Connor closed his eyes and shoved himself deep inside Diego, holding both their bodies still as Connor's cock pulsed over and over.

Diego collapsed forward onto Xavier's back, groaning as his balls sucked up into his body and clinched, sending their seed up into Xavier.

Xavier's body shook and his cock quivered as cum poured out in thick, long strings onto the floor of the shower, washing slowly down the drain.

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Out on the field, the Cougars' second-string quarterback had managed to get them within field goal range, giving them a 10-0 lead.

Now the defense was asked to hold the Eagles, which everyone was confident they would do.

Donny, wearing Connor's tinted helmet and jersey, led the defense onto the field.

The offense lined up. The quarterback called for the ball. Donny rushed around the end of the offensive line, chasing the quarterback out of the pocket. `Hey, this isn't so hard,' Donny thought. Then the fullback doubled back and leveled Donny, sending him flying backward. As Donny lay on the ground, staring up at the stars as he struggled to get his breath back, he thought, `I sure hope Connor appreciates this.'

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Daniel caressed Xavier with one hand and reached out to stroke Connor's cheek with the other. Diego watched Daniel, a contented smile on his face. Daniel thought, Now that we've got that out of the way, we can finish this. Are you guys ready?

The determined grins Daniel saw on the faces of his soulmates told him everything he needed to know.

The end of SOULBOUND, Chapter Twenty-Three