A Taste of Home Ch. 02

Pen and Ryan were intrigued when they learned that he could stand daylight for most of the day and asked many questions. All pure-line nightwalkers could go about during the day, even if they mostly refrained from doing so. That Kylen hadn't revealed this information to his wife and child was a little disturbing. As was the fact that Kylen didn't touch food or drink at all.

Was it possible that he was different from Ghislain and Micah? Try as he might, Micah couldn't remember his grandfather's behavior during his visit. Had he eaten with Ghislain, Sara and Micah? No, he'd sat at the table with them but hadn't indulged himself in front of Micah at all. Nor had he left the house when there was even a hint of sunlight in the sky. It made him wonder if perhaps only he and his father were able to stand the sun.

Removing the storage disk from his pocket, on which he transferred all the documents his father gathered for Pen, Micah laid it upon the table. He explained its purpose, saying it was information on the family and of their line, as well as Johan's beliefs and work at bringing down those he disliked. He didn't come right out and say Johan wanted to destroy daywalkers; that could come later, after Pen and Ryan reviewed the information.

"I do have a question for you," he said, looking at his mirror-image, still a little disoriented. "Although you have half the nightwalker genes, I detect no visible signs at all. I can't seem to wrap my head around it."

Pen launched into a detailed explanation about the trial at the Rutherford MedLabs and the injections he received, which effectively destroyed all trace of daywalker and nightwalker genes from his body's makeup. The more he heard, the more uneasy Micah became. He remembered again the bits of conversation he overheard as a child, of his grandfather talking to a man named Blake.

Could his grandfather, Blake and the man named Silversmith have developed a substance to carry out the plan? If so, it was a success, and that made Johan Tilea an extremely dangerous man. He opened his mouth to tell Ryan about it and found that he couldn't. He wanted to, but the words couldn't come out.

His eyes fell on a sticker on the door of the refrigerator and found that he couldn't look away. His eyes were as out of his control as his mouth was a moment earlier and a deep sense of unease filled him. Inside, he felt panic and fear, but on the outside, he showed only calm assuredness. He made his excuses, saying that there were other appointments and errands for him to run. They exchanged the niceties of leave-taking, during which he was nothing more than a passenger, there but only observing. Something – or someone – else speaking all the appropriate words.

All the way down the stairs, for some reason he bypassed the elevator, Micah tried to fight the compulsion to move. Nothing helped. He couldn't even pause for a moment during his descent. Several attempts to control his body, to do something as mundane as scratching his nose, failed. Tears of frustration filled his eyes and he screamed silently in the recesses of his mind.

The sensation of moving, without knowing the destination, was the strangest one he'd ever known. Micah couldn't fathom where he was going, which direction his feet would take once he was outside the building where he had met and conversed with his cousin and his cousin's husband. A sick feeling of despair began as he realized he was going to walk straight out into the street. There was less traffic than there would be during rush hour, but it was still a busy thoroughfare, very little chance for him to walk out and avoid being struck by one of the many vehicles.

Moments before Micah would have stepped off the sidewalk, he found himself stopped and physically turned around. There, to his eyes the most wonderful savior, was Simon. Whatever the compulsion that moved him, it vanished almost before he could blink and he sagged, all strength drained from him. Strong arms held him up. Micah stared in wonder into the worried face of the black-haired, brown-eyed man. Oddly enough, the first thought that popped up was that Simon had the same coloring as his sister. Laughter bubbled up at his errant comparison before he succumbed to the darkness.

When Micah opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a car. Strange. The last thing he remembered for certain was sitting in the kitchen with Pen and Ryan. Vaguely he recalled walking down some stairs and out of the building, but he didn't really remember. The images were like images seen through a curtain over a lighted window at night. You could guess what was happening, but nothing was clear.

"What the Hell happened to me?"

There was no immediate answer and he sat up to look around. Alone in the car, Micah frowned and blinked a few times, just in case his vision was faulty and there were really half a dozen people around him. When no one magically appeared, he looked out through the windshield and found that the car was parked in front of a convenience store.

Whose car was this and why was he lying on the back seat? Had he gone somewhere with Pen and Ryan and fallen asleep? That didn't seem too likely, since it was nighttime and a nightwalker had to be very tired to fall asleep at night. Having slept all day, he definitely hadn't been tired.

He reached out for the door handle, figuring he could stand outside and see who came out of the store. If it was someone other than his cousin, a stranger, then he could easily make his escape. Before he managed to grab hold of the handle, however, he smelled a familiar fragrance and relaxed back against the seat. Now he knew whose car this was. Simon. His wonderful Simon. With a sigh and a tingling low in his belly, Micah closed his eyes and enjoyed a moment of happiness. He was with Simon and he was as safe as he could be.

The door opened suddenly and he looked directly into concerned brown eyes. Micah's heartbeat doubled and he felt his breath catch in his throat. As attracted as he was, Micah suddenly wasn't sure he was happy about it. It seemed much too soon for him to be this into the guy, so utterly and completely captivated by him.

"Good, you're awake. I got you a bottle of water in case you need it."

"Thank you," he whispered, uneasy yet unable to look away. "What happened? How did I get into your car?"

"I was at an ATM and saw you come out of the building. There was something off about your expression and you seemed to have been crying. When I saw you going directly for the street, I went over to see if there was something wrong. You fainted, so I carried you to my car and drove here. If I'd known who you were visiting in the building I would have rung them, but..."

Micah frowned and tried to reconcile the story with his memories, but couldn't remember any of that. "I don't know what...The last thing I remember was visiting with my cousin and his husband. I don't remember anything else until I woke up in the car a couple of minutes ago. Thank you."

They sat in the quiet, not talking, until half the water bottle was gone. Something nagged at the edge of Micah's consciousness, a strange feeling that someone was talking to him but he couldn't understand the words. After a while, he asked Simon to take him back to the motel. It wasn't even close to daylight, but he felt unsettled and wanted to be inside somewhere. Micah figured that even though it was the middle of the night, he would call his mother again and talk to her about what he was feeling. She might have some insight, having experienced a lot of stuff with his father and the family.

Simon raised his eyebrow when he heard where Micah was staying. It was a seedy place, backing onto an abandoned industrial area. Micah smirked at the worry, saying that even without biting, he could defend himself against any regular humans who tried to attack him, and being bound didn't prevent him from biting other nightwalkers.

That information surprised Simon. He'd never thought of it one way or the other, but he didn't think nightwalkers would attack one another. Now that Micah brought it up, however, Simon saw that it had its own kind of logic. More questions came up, one after another, but he kept them to himself. He didn't want to take a chance on insulting Micah, who looked somewhat tired, purple bruises staining the translucent skin beneath blue eyes.

"You don't look well, Micah," he commented, keeping his tone soft so he didn't cause offense. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I think so, just a little...drained. I wish I could remember what happened to me. Maybe I'll sleep until tomorrow night and I'll feel better." His hands trembled so much that he couldn't manage to open the door and he cursed beneath his breath.

All the energy that had filled him earlier while getting ready to go meet with Pen was gone. His body craved blood as though he hadn't fed in months, something that only happened to him once or twice in the past. He figured he would look up a blood bar and go out as soon as he was alone, which would let him keep awake until mid-morning at least. Sleeping all night and all day would help, but that wasn't something he liked to do. It left him feeling unbalanced and out of sorts.

Simon came and opened the door for him, reaching in to help him to his feet. Micah swayed and almost fell, his legs weak and unsteady. What was wrong with him? His longest stretch without feeding was almost five months and even then, he hadn't felt as bad as he did now. Whimpering in fear, he clutched at Simon's shoulders the same way a drowning man will grab onto anything that comes into sight.

"Do you need to feed? If that's the problem, you're more than welcome to feed from me. I always thought it was a painful process, but I didn't mind it."

"It can be painful," Micah said with a smile, "depending on the mood of the nightwalker. I've never felt the need to cause pain when it can be so pleasurable for both parties. I could feed, but I don't know if it's a good idea to feed from you again so soon."

He didn't say if it was a bad idea for Simon or for himself, mainly because he didn't know the answer. In truth, Simon's rich – familiar, damn it – blood filled him so perfectly that only a little was necessary. There was no danger of draining the man, even if he fed twice in one day. It was the unknown quantity, the familiarity of the taste, that made him reluctant. Still, feeding would put him to rights quickly. Blood bars were convenient, but he didn't really like frequenting them. At home, he had a few friends and acquaintances who were more than happy to indulge him when needed.

A few moments of indecision and he gave in. It was a foregone conclusion, of course. Simon's offer sounded too good for him to refuse. Almost before he finished nodding his acquiescence, Simon leaned in and started kissing him, hard and deep. If he were a better person, he would pull back and say that sex wasn't necessary and the pleasure would still be great. Still, who was he to say no to sex? Was there any man out there who would say no to sex with a partner as handsome and desirable as Simon was?

Micah found the strength to release his hold on Simon's shoulders and drop them, eager to remove the barrier of his pants. The instant he was bare, his soft black pants around his thighs, unable to fall further because of the spread of his legs, he undid the button and zipper of the jeans his savior, his lover, wore. He didn't push them down, just pushed them open, before removing his mouth from the searing kiss. As much as he might want to keep on kissing, he needs his mouth to feed.

Whispering words of reassurance, he let his fangs lengthen and sharpen, waiting a beat for Simon to tilt his head in acquiescence. He couldn't wait for a verbal acceptance, even though he was aware of the dangers of assuming too much. A moan of pleasure escaped as the first splash of hot blood filled his mouth. Once more, the taste of copper and sweet life exploded on his tongue, joined immediately by that other, sweeter taste. He was right; it is home and love, as powerful as the most explosive substance in the world.

A few swallows were all Micah needed to feel completely recharged, and he gently disengaged, licking up all trace and closing the small punctures. In some movies, the teeth marks were large and bloody, left to bleed once the nightwalker (or, in the old days, vampire) finished feeding. In reality, they were little more than what one would receive from a syringe; small pricks fading with the healing saliva applied.

They were still in the parking space in front of Micah's motel room, but neither man was conscious of the fact. They were out in the open and uncaring that they would be in private by walking half a dozen steps to the door. Luckily, Micah's room sat around the side of the motel, bathed in darkness thanks to a burnt light. This place couldn't afford the new lighting system most places now used, keeping to the old sodium posts and electricity. Unless someone parked or passed very nearby, they were virtually invisible.

Micah found himself turned and shoved face down over the trunk of the car. Simon pressed down on him, one hand stroking his side while his mouth played havoc on his earlobe. Simon pushed down his jeans with his other hand just enough to free his cock. A few quick pulls spread the slickness already leaking from his slit.

Micah whined when Simon lifted himself off, but it wasn't for long. Simon simply moved back enough to do what his body craved. His foot nudged Micah's legs further apart, and Micah adjusted his position, lifting his ass to be more easily accessible.

His clothes felt uncomfortable and he wanted to be rid of them. They felt hot and sticky from the sweat that covered his skin as he waited for the push that would see him filled. A hiss of discomfort escaped as the rigid staff entered his passage, spreading him with little regard to his pleasure. He fought against the urge to scramble away, biting his lip to keep any complaints or cries inside. It would get better in a moment, if Simon just kept still for a moment.

"I'm sorry...I...I couldn't help..."

Simon stayed still, thankfully, and Micah breathed until his body relaxed against the intruder. "I know. Just give me a minute." His body was quick to heal, so he wasn't too worried. "Now, move now and fuck me."

"God, you look incredible, stretched out over my car with my cock in your ass."

Shivers chased up and down Micah's spine. He stretched his arms up over his head as he lay on the cool surface of the trunk. There was no purchase for his fingers, which curled helplessly. The feel of that hard cock dragging out, the short pause as it stayed still poised just inside his tight ring and then the hard thrust combined to make Micah clamp down on his lower lip. Even if he didn't care, he didn't want to be too noisy out here in the open. Rising up on his toes, he squeezed his inner muscles as tight as he could while circling his hips.

Again and again, his body accepted the hard thrusts, demanding more and harder contact. Flesh slapped against flesh, pushing him further toward the edge of release. Micah knew he wouldn't last long, yet he wanted something more. His position prevented him from reaching down to his cock, his body rocking helplessly, yet it rubbed with painful pleasure against the curve of the vehicle. That wasn't what was missing.

With the little leeway left to him, Micah altered the tilt of his body and finally the invading cockhead nudged his prostate as it moved in and out. That was it! That was the final stimulation he needed and he erupted, spilling his juices out onto the car and his own body.

Vaguely he felt Simon join him in climax, coating his inner passage with come. It was as amazing, if not more so, than their encounter in the club. Still, just like then, Micah was aware that for Simon, this had been about his own pleasure. Likely, it was little more than the feeding that made Simon too intent to do more than just fuck. He remembered at the club, when the feeding came at the end, and didn't know what to think anymore.

There shouldn't be anything for him to complain about, Micah mused, since selfish or not, he thought their coupling incredible and more than satisfying. His legs were like jelly, his muscles were limp and the tremors of a fantastic orgasm still made him shudder at random intervals.

"I think we should go inside," he murmured, trying to gather up enough energy to move. "You're welcome to come in and use the shower if you'd like."

"I'd love to come inside. Would you mind...I mean, would it be all right if I stayed for more than a shower?"

Simon sounded tentative and Micah looked over. Those dark eyes, black in the night, seemed to bore right into his soul. In them, Micah allowed himself to see desire and maybe even a little tenderness. Not love, it was much too soon for that emotion, but something that might become love at some point if allowed to flourish.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I won't need to sleep for several hours yet, and some company would be nice." It was barely midnight, which left them with more than six hours together, although Simon would likely need some sleep at some point during the night. "Yes, the company would be wonderful."