Ancient Grudge

"Are you sure? Do you really want that?"

"Yes," Justin whispered. "Lucy described to me what it's like. I want to try..."

Justin bared his neck. Ean licked his lips.

"They will see the marks," he said.

"I will cover them. Please, Ean!"

Ean's canines extended and sharpened. Carefully holding Justin he leaned down; placing the tips of his teeth at Justin's neck he took a deep breath and then pierced the skin, letting the warm blood flow into his mouth.

Ean could hear Justin gasp and felt his hands grip his shoulders, but he knew it was from pleasure. Ean could taste all of Justin's feelings in his blood, and he felt so much love for himself that his eyes teared up. When he was done and had pulled out, he laid propped up on one elbow looking down at Justin. His beauty seemed to have suddenly doubled. Justin was smiling and breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" Ean asked.

"Yes..." Justin's smile widened. "I never guessed it would feel that wonderful."

He reached up and wiped the tears from Ean's cheek. Leaning down, Ean kissed him deeply and slowly. After that they simply lay entangled in each other, gently touching and sometimes kissing, until a polite knock on the door followed by Lucy's voice informed them that it was time for Justin to go.

They washed up and dressed quickly, then returned downstairs to Lucy and Ben, who both grinned at them. Lucy had been on a shopping spree and held a heavy bag in her hand.

"We have to go, kid," she said to Justin.

He nodded. Turning to Ean, he smiled sadly.

"I'll call."

He threw his arms around Ean, holding him tightly, and whispered in his ear:

"If we can't think of a good solution to this, then I'll come with you next time."

Ean kissed him.

"Next time," he repeated.

Justin nodded. Letting go of Ean, he and Lucy said goodbye to Ben and then left. As they slowly walked down the street Justin kept looking back, and Ean kept staring after them until they were out of sight.

"It will work itself out, man," Ben said. "You always did have a tendency to land on your feet."

With a small smile, Ean thanked Ben and left the store to return home.

******

The following night Adele walked through the mansion, her face tight with anger. Armand had started refusing her, saying that she "just wouldn't do". As far as she knew, he hadn't taken anyone else into his bed, but that didn't make her feel any better. She knew exactly why he was acting like this. It was because of him.

She stopped; she was right outside Justin's door. She glared at it, longing to go in there and slice that innocent look off his face. Adele could here him in there, talking to Lucy. Lucy...! She was almost as annoying as Justin.

"We have to be really careful. I don't want to think about what would happen if we got caught."

Adele smiled to herself. It sounded like Ms. Perky and Pretty Boy were up to something. Careful not to make any sounds, she kept listening.

"I know," Justin said. "I don't like sneaking around any more than you do, but I don't know what else to do."

"I'll tell you what we're going to do. Next time you meet Ean, we'll go with him."

Adele's eyes widened. Ean?! Ean of the Tenumago?

"You're right," Justin sighed. "I've been trying to think of a way for us to be together without anyone getting hurt, but I don't see how we can. And I know I'm being horribly selfish here, but I just can't give Ean up. I just can't."

"It will be allright. The Tenumago can defend themselves. Maybe they could negotiate with Armand, or maybe when we join them we could leave town. It will work itself out, somehow. But you know we can't stay here anymore, now that we have an option. This place isn't good for either of us."

"I know, Lucy. Next time we meet Ean, we'll go with him."

Adele's ruby-colored lips curved into a wicked smile. It seemed as though Pretty Boy had fallen head over heels for Ean, of all people. She laughed silently as she walked down the hall. Finally she knew how to get rid of Justin. And it was almost too easy!

******

Justin was stretched out on the bench in the garden. Lucy was out running in the woods, something she loved doing. He had a Stephen King paperback in his hand, but he wasn't reading. He was thinking about Ean and the changes in his life that were imminent. It scared him a little when he considered the possible consequences of his actions, but he was determined to join the Tenumago along with Lucy.

It had been two nights since he and Ean made love. They had spoken on the phone a few times, and had made plans to meet again in two nights. Justin smiled as the vivid memory of having Ean inside his body filled his mind. Letting his hand wander down he rubbed the growing bulge at his crotch.

Hearing a noise in the bushes he sat up.

"Who's there?"

Ean stepped forward, smiling.

"I made sure to make some noise. I didn't want to startle you like last time."

Justin flew up and pressed himself against Ean, throwing his arms around his neck.

"Are you crazy?"

Ean laughed softly.

"Obviously."

"What are you doing here?" Justin asked, inhaling the already familiar scent of Ean's skin. "We were going to meet the night after tomorrow."

"I know," Ean replied. "I just couldn't wait that long. I had to see you, if only for a few minutes."

Kissing, they sat down on the bench, their tongues dancing desperately. Ean moved off Justin's lips and let his mouth play with Justin's earlobe. Justin gasped when he felt Ean's hands beginning to unbutton the fly on his jeans.

"What are you doing...?"

"I got so excited when I saw you touching yourself. I have to touch you," Ean replied, his voice husky.

Justin bit his lip when Ean's hand reached inside his pants, closed around his cock and began to stroke him, starting out slow but quickly increasing the pace. Holding on to Ean's shoulders for dear life Justin buried his face in the crook of Ean's neck, whimpering as Ean worked his shaft. Holding back a cry, Justin exploded, emptying his seed on Ean's hand.

Opening his fly and taking out his own rock hard member, Ean took Justin's trembling hand and placed it around his shaft. Justin had only moved his hand for a moment when Ean erupted, groaning low in his throat.

Ean looked at his hand with a satisfied smile and began licking up Justin's release. Justin did the same, and then they kissed, letting their essences mix in their mouths.

They both sighed happily.

"That will keep me going until the night after tomorrow," Ean said. He looked at Justin. "And then you're coming with me, right?"

"Yes," Justin smiled. "I'm coming with you. Lucy will too."

Ean hugged him.

"I should go."

They stood. Ean kissed Justin one last time.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, Ean," Justin said as Ean's arms reluctantly released him.

One farewell glance, and Ean was gone.

******

When Justin had left the garden, Adele stepped out of the shadows. She had seen everything. Taking out a phone from her pocket, she sent a text message to Damon asking him to meet her in the garden right away. She grinned evilly. Damon was a big, stupid ox. He was perfect for what she was going to do.

He appeared at her side.

"Okay, I'm here. What's the problem?"

Adele slowly extracted the long dagger she had hidden underneath her jacket in the back.

"Something only you can help me with," she smiled sweetly.

Damon frowned.

"What is it?"

Lunging forward, Adele thrust the blade into his chest all the way to the hilt, piercing his heart with perfect accuracy. Blood burst forward, staining her hand.

"Sorry," she said. Damon simply stared at her, stunned, and then he was suddenly gone, and all that was left was a cloud of dust.

Taking the dagger, Adele slashed a deep gash in her own arm. Then she put her nails to her face and scratched. For added effect she tore open a seam on the shoulder of her jacket, ruffled her hair, took some dirt from the ground and rubbed it on her clothes. When she was satisfied, she put her fingers to her lips and whistled the emergency signal.

It took mere seconds for the garden to be swarming with vampires. Armand strode up to Adele, and she held back a smile when she saw the genuine concern in his face.

"What happened?" he asked, examining her wounds.

"He killed Damon," she sobbed.

"What?"

"We saw him here, and... when we confronted him, he killed Damon. He tried to kill me too, but... I whistled and he ran off..."

"Calm down, Adele," Armand said sternly, slightly shaking her shoulders. "Who was here? Who killed Damon?"

"Ean," she whispered.

Armand's grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Ean...?" he asked, his voice deadly. She nodded.

"What the hell was a Tenumago doing here?" the other vampires growled furiously.

Looking down to hide her triumph, Adele said with a trembling voice:

"He was meeting Justin."

An eerie silence spread throughout the garden. Open-mouthed shock was seen on every last face. Adele felt Armand's hands start to shake.

"What...?" he rasped, his voice weak.

"I was out here with Damon, and we saw them together over there by the bench. They were kissing..." she stole a glance at Armand who made a choking noise. "We listened, and we heard them say that they had made plans for Justin and Lucy to join the Tenumago the night after tomorrow."

Armand grit his teeth as he remembered Lucy asking his permission for her and Justin to go out that very night.

"We waited for Justin to leave, and then we stepped out and confronted Ean. And that's when..."

For a moment Armand just stood still, his face filled with rage. Then he suddenly turned abruptly and rushed back to the mansion, not stopping until he reached Justin's door. Opening it, he closed the distance between him and Justin, who was reading on the bed, in one stride.

Justin paled when he saw Armand. He had never seen him like that. The deadly expression in his eyes had Justin so petrified he couldn't speak.

When Armand saw the look on Justin's face he knew that Adele's accusations must be true.

"Ean...?" he asked Justin, his voice icy. Justin gasped. Reaching over, Armand turned down the collar on Justin's shirt. There, low on Justin's neck were the unmistakeable faded marks.

"You allowed a Tenumago to feed on you? You were planning on joining them?"

Armand's eyes were almost black with fury. By now, a small crowd had gathered outside Justin's room, Adele among them. Everyone was staring at Justin with hatred and disgust. Armand turned to one of them.

"Take Justin to my office," he hissed. "But don't hurt him." Armand turned to the other vampires and raised his voice. "If anything happens to Justin I'll pick out one of you at random and tear that person to pieces. I'll deal with Justin myself."

"Lucy's out running. What do we do with her when she comes back?" one vampire asked.

"Kill her," Armand said to a murmur of approval.

Justin sobbed as he was led from the room.

******

One of the perks with being a vampire is an enhanced sixth sense. Not all the time but sometimes, you can feel very strongly when there is a threat to you or a loved one. That is why, when Lucy returned from her run, she hesitated to enter the grounds of the mansion. She felt a cold sense of dread and she knew something was very wrong.

Slowly, she crept up closer among the bushes towards the mansion. When she saw a couple of vampires standing at the edge of the garden she ducked down and stayed completely still.

"Damn traitors," one of them hissed angrily. "After everything Armand has done for them. And now that fucking Ean's killed Damon."

Another of the vampires laughed.

"Just wait until Lucy comes back. She's in for a real surprise."

Lucy didn't move a muscle; when they moved further away she started moving, as fast as she dared back up towards the road. When her feet hit pavement she ran, faster than she ever had.

******

Ben was sitting in the back room of his store, being utterly bored, when his assistant Jane showed in a very disheveled Lucy. Jane returned to the front room of the store as Ben ushered Lucy in and had her sit.

"You have to call Ean," she pleaded.

Asking no questions, Ben immediately went and made the call. Only ten minutes later, Ean burst into the store, followed by his mother. He kneeled in front of Lucy. He hadn't been surprised when Ben called. Just like Lucy, he had felt that same cold feeling of dread and had held his phone in his hand to call her when Ben's call came.

"What happened?" he asked her, his voice trembling.

"They've found out," she replied weakly. "I have no idea how, but they did. I don't know what they've done to Justin. We have to get him out of there!"

Ean closed his eyes.

"I can't fall apart," he thought. "I have to think clearly. Justin needs me."

Ean opened his eyes and stood.

"He still alive, at least," he said. "If they had killed him I would have felt it."

Lucy nodded. Suddenly remembering, she told Ean of the conversation she had overheard.

"Did you kill one of them?" Codie asked.

"No. I didn't," Ean said, frowning. Taking a deep breath, he made his mind up.

"I'm going over there. Right now."

Codie placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, you're not. You'll be dead before you know what hit you."

"I'm not going to storm their mansion like a cowboy with guns blazing," Ean growled. "I'll go quietly..."

"Not even you could do that," Codie said. "Especially not now, when they'll probably be expecting you. This will have to be a team effort."

******

Not saying a word, Armand paced to and fro in front of Justin, who sat on the couch in the office; his eyes were fixed on the floor, too afraid to look up. His thoughts went to Ean and Lucy. He wondered if Armand would go after Ean, and if Lucy had managed to escape.

"You are so like your mother."

Justin started when Armand suddenly spoke, and then he frowned.

"My mother...?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, your mother," Armand replied. He was turned away from Justin, his eyes fixed at the window.

"She was a simple waitress," Armand continued, "who happened to cross my path one day. I had never seen anyone like her before. I was bewitched, obsessed by her spirit... her life force. I came back to the place where she worked night after night, and I spoke to her every time, but she kept politely turning me down. Then, one night I waited for her in the parking lot when her shift ended. I wanted to make her see reason, make her understand that she was meant to be mine. But... she resisted, and before I could stop myself, I sank my teeth in her and drained her. When I finally stopped, it was too late to turn her into a vampire. She was dead."

Justin gasped.

"You killed my mother?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Armand sighed.

"I didn't know she was a single mother. I found out later, when I read an article about her death in the paper. But I did nothing then. I convinced myself that I didn't care. But the guilt kept nagging me, and so, years later, I tracked you down just to make sure you were all right. When I saw the kind of people you were with and how they treated you, I decided to take you in and raise you. I owed her that."

Armand turned to Justin. His eyes were black with anger.

"As you grew up, you started resembling her so much. But more than that... you shine even brighter than she did. While she was a glowing star, you are like a supernova. It's driving me crazy! I want you more than I ever wanted her. Only a few days ago, I decided to try to make you mine. I would have given you anything you wanted, if only you would be mine."

Grabbing Justin's arms, he pulled Justin up on his feet. Justin whimpered from the painful grip on his arms.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Armand shouted, shaking Justin. "You were supposed to be mine, not his! He doesn't even care about you, he's just using you to get to me!"

"HE LOVES ME AND I LOVE HIM!!!" Justin screamed. Armand's face contorted with rage. Justin heard a feral snarl and suddenly there was a violent pain in his neck, and then the world faded away into darkness...

******

"Lawrence's" was crowded with vampires from the Tenumago clan. They were checking weapons and listening to Codie, who hurriedly explained how they would attack the Petulac mansion. Ean was anxiously listening, when that cold feeling struck him again, worse than before.

"No..." he thought. He glanced at Lucy who was standing close by; her eyes were wide and she was shivering. Suddenly all eyes turned to her as her cell phone gave off a signal. Taking it from her pocket, she flipped it open with shaking hands, and then she screamed. Stepping up to her, Ean grabbed the phone and stared at the display. It was a picture of Justin, lying lifeless, eyes closed, with his throat ripped open.

Letting the phone fall from his hand, Ean dropped to his knees. The sound that issued from his throat was one of ultimate pain that made everyone flinch; it started like a hopeless moaning that rose to a desperate, heartbroken cry.

"This is my fault," Ean thought. The words repeated in his head, over and over like an echo. "This is my fault... this is my fault..."

The pain was unbelievable; it spread throughout his mind like an eclipse, taking over his soul like a disease and making his heart bleed with sorrow. He had never imagined there could be a pain this powerful. It was as if he was pain.

Ean stood up. There was a way to make it go away, wasn't there?

"Ean...?"

The look on her son's face frightened Codie.

Before anyone could react, the bell at the door jingled loudly and Ean was gone.

"EAN!"

Codie called after him, but she knew it was useless. He was probably already out of hearing range.

"Let's go," she said to the others, and in a flash, "Lawrence's Books" was suddenly empty.

******

Ean crept soundlessly through the Petulac garden. He knew he had to hurry; he had a head start on his mother and the others, but they would be here soon. His plan was to make his way into the mansion, find Armand and take him out, and then allow the other Petulac vampires to kill him. Then the pain would stop.

He halted when he saw the bench. Only earlier that night had he met Justin there. Justin had said he would come with him. He had told Justin he loved him, and Justin had said it back. Both of them already knew of their love for one another, but to say and hear the words...

"I'll be with you soon," he whispered.

Hearing a noise, Ean stepped out of sight. It was a female voice and it was laughing, triumphantly and with malice. A tall, blonde woman came into view. Ean knew her. Her name was Adele, and she was one of Armand's most dangerous followers. She was laughing hard, and almost dancing through the garden.

Ean knew that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Before she could react, Ean had appeared behind her his hand around her throat, nails digging into her skin, his other arm holding her around her waist and securing her arms.

"Try anything and I'll rip your head clean off," he hissed into her ear.

"Ean...?" she croaked.

"Correct. Adele, is it? You're going to lead me to Armand, Adele."

In spite of the pressure against her throat, she laughed.

"So you can kill him? Over my dead body, Tenumago!"

Ean sank his claws a little deeper in her skin, forcing a pained sound from her.

"I'm prepared for that, Adele."

"Why don't you just kill me?" she said, her voice still holding a quality of triumph. "I was the one exposed your relationship with Justin. I was the one who killed Damon and blamed it on you. I did it all, because I hated Justin. I've always hated him. So just kill me."

"I will. I'll kill both of you."