Dark Paths Ch. 10

"Dom's coming with us, he'll keep an eye on us, I'm sure," Rayne told him cheerfully. "Besides, what sort of bother can we get in during a stay in a villa in Naples? It's not exactly vampire central, is it?"

"Trouble has a way of finding you," Jabez reminded him with a glint in his curious golden eyes that said he was only half-joking. "Don't go looking for it. And stay away from San Francisco for a little while, that goes for the boy too."

"That's gonna be difficult, since he lives there," Rayne reminded the older vampire, pulling his arm a little tighter around Xav's waist. A glance into Xavier's wide blue eyes told him that his lover was suddenly thinking about what they had run from.

Lagrado was dead, and Steffen too but there were plenty of vampires in Frisco waiting to step into their shoes. Elian had not lied when he warned that there would be a war over who should become the next Master of that turbulent city. Maybe Lagrado's successor would be Elian Iannopoulos himself. What would that mean for all of them? True, he had saved Xavier's life, but at what cost?

PJ had not missed the seriousness of the Everman's warning either and from the look on his face he was thinking along similar lines. Rayne could see that he was pale beneath his Cali tan; their recent adventures had taken more out of the older man than he was ready to admit.

"Do you think it might be advisable to move my centre of operations to the studios in Paris?" he asked Jabez now.

"I think that would be a sensible idea for now," the vampire responded evenly. "You have accommodation here?"

"My partner is working out here at the moment," PJ said, nodding thoughtfully. "I can join him, once we've had a little break in Naples."

"It'll be good to see Mikka again," Chavez piped up, a broad smile on his face. "I've missed him."

"We all have, chicolito," PJ chuckled fondly. "Maybe he can take a little time off and come join us at Aldo's place."

His smile said that he would be glad if that was the case. Paddy and Mikka had been apart for too long and the handsome porn director was missing his glamorous Finnish lover.

Xavier's thoughts turned inward while they waited to board their connecting flight. He had pushed thoughts of the future and past both out of his head since reuniting with Rayne, and had steadfastly concentrated on the here and now. Dwelling on the past had never got him anything but melancholy and worrying about the future was just too much to deal with at the moment. Jabez Everman's warning to stay away from the place he thought of as home forced him to think about a few things he'd rather not. Mainly, that there was no guarantee that a month or two, or even longer, away from San Francisco would mean he could safely return there without the threat of Elian Iannopoulos seeking him out to either kill him or turn him.

Not a pleasant realization. No one wanted to think about never being able to go back home. No, he refused to believe that. Elian would forget about him, surely. A centuries old vampire living a powerful and glamorous life certainly had plenty to occupy his attention, not to mention he must have dozens of lovers to choose from if he wanted a companion.

He was safe, and when it was time to go back home he was certain he wouldn't run into any more bloodthirsty acquaintances. Xavier clung to that. He had to believe it, because any other alternative he wasn't yet ready to face.

Rayne's arms were around him again, pulling him close as if sensing that he was, perhaps, a little too quiet. If he guessed at Xavier's thoughts he did not try to prise them out. Instead he touched his lips softly to the younger man's mouth and slowly Xavier's arms came back around him, holding him and drawing him into a longer, deeper kiss.

In the background, the announcer called that the Air France flight to Naples was now boarding and their friends picked up their belongings and began to make their farewells. Wrapped around one another Rayne and Xavier were already flying into the future on wings of their own making.

THE END

DARK PATHS (c) Sadie Rose Bermingham & Bellora Quinn 2008/9