A gay story: Serpent’s Salvation Ch. 08 This story is all about gay love. If that offends your delicate sensibilities, or if it is illegal for you to view, take a hike. Characters and places are pure imagination (with a hefty dose of psychosis). Any resemblance to anyone or anything is just a coincidence. A hot coincidence. So very hot…
*
His life was chaos and madness. How did things get so out of control? Less than two weeks. Two stinking weeks and his life went from well-ordered and structured to-
“I’m having you put in the room next to mine. It’s the most secure wing in the house.”
Of course, there were compensations.
Seb said nothing. The compensation was the main problem. Seb couldn’t think around Aurel. All he had to do was look at him, smell him, even hear him breathe and his brain turned into something resembling warm tapioca. When people were trying to make you dead this was a Very Bad Thing.
The death threat was just the tip of the iceberg too; a symptom of something more pervasive. Seb knew that Aurel was different. And Mych and his ilk were different-different. He knew this. Of course he did. A part of him dictated that he should be hauling ass, but an insidious portion of his psyche, a large one, lusted after Aurel, wanting to trust him.
But Seb couldn’t trust himself to make that decision. His body was stupid and biased. It was why he held off when Aurel kissed him. As much as he wanted to kiss back, as much as he wanted to jump the man’s bones and be jumped in return, he couldn’t. Not until he figured out what was going on. That was going to make for a very difficult stay. Cold showers. Self-restraint. More marathon masturbation sessions. It was an unappetizing prospect.
Seb wasn’t big on sadomasochism, except for the occasional spanking; maybe. That was the real reason that he didn’t want to stay. It would be self-imposed torture.
“There’s a connecting door between them, so if you need anything, I’m right there.”
Did he say torture? He meant agony.
God did he wish things were different. A nice, normal Seb, a nice, normal Aurel. A nice normal meeting, maybe a coffee shop, maybe a library. They would see each other a few times; just enough so that they wouldn’t feel like total sluts before having nice, normal,explosive sex and living happily ever after. No death threats. No politics. No psychic stuff. No weird fucking non-human things. Bliss.
And it would be, Seb realized with a start. It would be a blissful happily ever after. Aurel was…
“And either Ruvn or Mych will be near you at all times in case you have a problem.”
…a jerk. A big, gorgeous jerk.
Seb wasn’t into masochism, but he wasn’t into dominance either. Aurel was choc full o’ that. He took alpha male to the nth degree. Sebastian was magnanimous; he could understand where Aurel was coming from. As a little prince, a big fish, whatever you want to call it, Aurel was used to getting his own way in everything. That didn’t mean that Seb had to put up with it though.
“You’re ignoring me, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t as if he didn’t have cause to be angry. He was his own man with a double-dose of Texas ornery. If Aurel had explained things and displayed the common courtesy of asking instead of telling, his outlook might be a bit peachier. Seb wanted Aurel, but not on those terms.
“He’s ignoring you.”
Damn straight Mikey. You get a fucking cookie. Seb didn’t want to be rude, and he definitely didn’t want to come off as a
recalcitrant child, but if he opened his mouth right now he knew he couldn’t stem the tide of venom and vituperation that would spew forth. He could tear a person to shreds with disastrous results. He had even made a tenacious prospective date cry. He couldn’t see Aurel crying; in fact, the thought was laughable, but the memory of that day always made him wary of repeating his mistake. You could never un-say something. Better to keep your mouth shut.
“It’s the green room. I think you’ll like it. It was my mother’s room; her favorite color.”
It was really hard to stay mad at him when he said things like that. It really was. And his grandma was probably rolling in her grave at his lack of manners. Seb sighed and decided to be gracious. It wouldn’t kill him. He could concede the battle without losing the war. “I’m sure I’ll like it.”
“I noticed that you like green.” Aurel looked at Sebastian’s equipment case and his moss colored hiking boots. “And it matches your eyes.”
Mych gave a pained groan that Aurel didn’t react to.
Seb could be gracious all right, but he drew the line at flirting. Flirting would be bad ju-ju, flirting could make him careless. It was a hard stand to take. Aurel’s voice was like lager, like bittersweet chocolate. Everything sounded vulgar in that accent. Vulgar and awesome. Flirting with that voice would be a quick start down a slippery slope.
Slippery.
Gak.
“Are you all right?” Aurel looked concerned and Mych sneered slightly as Seb choked a bit, which just made it worse. Seb’s coughing fit was beginning to ease as-
He’s just being a baby.
Sebastian’s head whipped up, bugged eyes meeting Mych’s gaze in shock. They studied each other for a moment before Mych wiped his face slate-clean. Seb had heard what Mych was thinking, and Mych knew it. Seb also knew that Mych didn’t like it. Not at all. The knowledge made him slightly nauseous.
Aurel, luckily, had missed the brief exchange, but Seb knew it was only a matter of time before Mych gave him the low down.
Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He didn’t like where this was going. He didn’t like the idea of listening in on people’s mental static and he definitely didn’t like the crafty look that Mych had.
“I’m…fine,” Sebastian said. Mych just raised a supercilious eyebrow at him.
“Are you sure? You sound odd.” Oh, Mych was definitely like a cat with cream now.
“Just something in my throat.”
Aurel was quick to help, offering Seb a drink.
“No, I’m fine. I can’t drink it anyway. I have a bad caffeine allergy.”
“No coffee? No tea?” Aurel looked both intrigued and slightly horrified.
“None.”
Mych leaned over and offered him some water. He still had the same sick-making smile, and Seb was wary. Seb knew that look. That was an I’m-gonna-nail-your-ass-to-a-wall look, and not in a sexy, squishy way, either.
“Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
Even Aurel, who had eyes and ears for very little other than Sebastian at the moment, caught the tense undercurrents teasing the car’s occupants. He didn’t comment on it, but made a note to discuss it later. He had more pressing issues.
Aurel was at a loose end. Now that he had Seb, he didn’t know what to do with him. He knew what he wanted to do with him, in theory anyway, but the way Seb was acting made that highly unlikely. Aurel hadn’t considered the ramifications of his recent actions, a more common a state of affairs than he would like at the moment. All he knew was that Sebastian was threatened and he had to keep Seb safe.
It was just too bad that Seb didn’t feel the same way.
Aurel knew that he had been heavy handed with his demands. He had practically kidnapped Seb; but he wasn’t penitent. He didn’t regret it at all. He would protect Sebastian’s life with his own, even if Seb ended up resenting him because of it.
He was such a beautiful man. He was staring out the window now, a slight sour look to his face. Aurel almost reached out to smooth the frown lines away, to reassure himself that Seb was real, to soothe, but caught himself just in time. Time was what Seb had asked for, and he hadn’t wanted to push.
Not only had Aurel pushed; he had really put his foot in it. The least he could do was give Seb his space. He could tone down his physical demands, even though his body was practically screaming with Sebastian’s nearness. This stay would be a gauntlet of unfulfilled desire.
“Sebastian.”
Sebastian looked at him questioningly, but Aurel didn’t know what he was going to say. He wanted Seb to smile at him again, needed it like an opiate addict craved the poppy. He didn’t want the slightly hysterical smile from earlier, but one of the genuine smiles from last night. He didn’t think it would happen any time soon.
The blank look on Seb’s face was painful to look at; more so because he was the one responsible for it. It was a brutal catch twenty-two. The only thing that mattered more than Sebastian’s happiness was his safety, but one had to be sacrificed for the other.
“I want you to enjoy staying with me. I know that this isn’t what either of us wanted, not this way; but I would love having you as my guest. No pressure.” Aurel tentatively took Seb’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was buoyant when Seb gave him a small squeeze back. “I know I’ve done nothing but apologize since we’ve met, but again, I’m sorry. Not for having you guarded, and not for taking you with me now. I’m sorry that I acted like a cave man, and I’m sorry that I’m not…”
“Not what?”
“Normal. You deserve that.”
Aurel didn’t understand the soft, almost sarcastic laugh that Seb gave, or the bitter look he sent Mych. “What’s normal?”
“This.” Aurel tightened his grip on Seb’s hand. “Us. Right now.”
Seb gave a soft snort. “I don’t know how many relationships you’ve been in, but this is definitely outside of my scope of normal.”
“Is that a bad thing, or a good thing?”
“It’s a scary thing.”
“You’re scared of me?” The thought disturbed Aurel, and he started to withdraw before Seb yanked his hand back.
“No. Not of you, not really. It’s more abstract than that.”
So you’re capable of abstract thought?
Seb narrowed his eyes at Mych, but let it slide. For now.
“We’ve only known each other for a few days, Aurel.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do. I don’t just…” Seb lowered his voice to a whisper. Sure, Mych could still hear, but he made the attempt at privacy all the same. “I don’t hop into bed with just anyone. I know almost nothing about you.”
“I already said that I would-”
“No. That’s not what I’m saying.” Seb took a deep, steady breath. “For some reason, I want to. Jump into bed I mean.” Seb leaned his head back and screwed his eyes shut. “I can’t believe I just told you that. Talk about making yourself vulnerable. That’s what’s scaring me. I’ve never felt this way before, not about anybody, let alone a complete stranger. It’s driving me insane.”
Could a heart burst from a desire almost attained? Aurel thought it might.
“I’m not myself. I don’t have any control. The old me would have never laid himself on the line like this.” His laugh was devoid of humor. “I hope you aren’t just looking to get laid. I’d feel real stupid.”
“No. Oh, no. Please. It’s not like that.”
Sebastian opened his eyes and lolled his head to the side, looking at Aurel. “Then what is it?”
Aurel would love to tell him. He hadn’t thought about how the mating instinct would affect Sebastian, and felt like an inconsiderate fool. Aurel had grown up hearing stories about it, had even witnessed it firsthand, coveted it for himself, but Seb had nothing to compare it to. And nothing that Aurel knew of human sexuality equaled the intensity of a mating. Seb’s traitorous body must be a major cause of alarm and Aurel wasn’t sure how to put him at ease. All he could do was try.
“I don’t know, but it is the same for me.”
“God, I hope so. I’d hate to be the only one.”
“You are in no danger of that.” He wanted to add ‘not ever again’, but sensed that would be too much too soon.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Good.”
“I mean it. I’m an American. If you fuck me over I’ll do what we do best.”
“Shoot me?”
“Nah. Call my lawyer.”
And there it was. It was a small smile, just a slight curling of the corners of Seb’s lips, but it was there. Aurel gave an all over body sigh of gratitude. Maybe things would work out for the best.
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Seb admonished.
“I won’t.”
“I’m not a pushover. Things are far from being resolved, you know that, don’t you? I’m just too tired to deal with it all right now. ”
“Of course.”
“I’m still really pissed at you.”
“Understandable.”
“Understandable? Is that all you have to say about it?”
“Yes Dear.”
Seb couldn’t help himself; he laughed. Aurel’s martyred sigh had been a melodramatic, prolonged affair. The laugh hurt, but that didn’t surprise him; even his hair hurt.
Seb’s laugh enveloped Aurel in a warm, comfy sun. They were almost home. Funny, that. It had never seemed like home before.
***
The car had barely come to a standstill before Mych hopped out, taking note of his men and his surroundings. After a moment, Sebastian emerged, followed by Aurel, a protective palm pressed to the small of Seb’s back. Both of them could feel the way it tingled.
Sebastian was quickly introduced and given priority. A few of the men looked uncomfortable, yet said nothing. They hustled inside; the property was protected, but it didn’t afford the safety of the house.
Sebastian found himself caught up in a current, directed by a cadre of uniformed men. Hot men. He’d seen porn that started like this, and was worried for a moment until he looked over his shoulder to see Aurel’s reassuring smile. Worried! Over the fact that he might get his dick spontaneously sucked by someone other than-
Sigh.
Sebastian noticed a distinct lessening of psychic traffic and knew that Mych had told them to can it. He would throw a fit if he knew that he was inadvertently doing Seb a favor. The men did speak, but it only involved general safety issues and the details of his stay. Sebastian just hoped that he wasn’t being shown the oubliette.
“Aurel.”
They turned around to look at Mych, who had paused.
“I need to speak with you.” Mych looked pointedly at Seb. “Alone.”
Aurel hesitated. He looked to Sebastian to gauge his reaction and was surprised by what he saw. Resignation. Regret. Sadness. Aurel didn’t want to leave him, even for a moment. “I can talk to him later if you want me to show you to your room.”
“No. You should talk to him. No sense in putting off the inevitable.”
“I won’t be long. They’ll take good care of you in the meantime.” Aurel turned toward the guards. “Show him to his room and make sure he has everything he needs.”
Seb nodded and gave Aurel the same sad look as before, but this time, it almost seemed like a goodbye. It bothered Aurel, but before he could make to follow, he felt Mych’s hand on his arm, urging him into a small salon.
When they were alone, Aurel gave into the exasperation he felt. “I hope this is important.”
“It is. Just promise to hear me out.”
Aurel didn’t say anything, just nodded at Mych to continue.
“This could be a set up.”
If Mych was expecting a reaction, he was disappointed.
“A Trojan horse. What better way to gain entrée to your house than faking an attempt on his life?” Mych went on, warming to his theme. “I don’t believe in coincidence. Other, more powerful of our number have fallen, yet he conveniently survives at just the right moment for inserting himself into your household?” Mych snorted in disbelief. “Pull the other one.”
Aurel only raised an eyebrow. “I trust that’s everything?”
“No,” Mych said, then felt triumphant when he caught the small, prescient flicker of unease in Aurel’s eyes. “He’s psychic.”
“We already knew that.”
“Not like this, we didn’t. He knew what I was projecting to you in the car. Word for word, he knew it. Even most of us can’t access something on that kind of private path. He’s not just inside our sanctuary; he’s inside our heads.”
Aurel tensed briefly, then turned. Mych felt bad about it, but Aurel meant more to him than anything else on the planet. Emotional hurt would fade; physical hurt could be all too permanent. They couldn’t afford to trust an outsider. Aurel knew that.
Aurel walked to the door, opening it and talking to the man there briefly before turning back to Mych and surprising him with his calm, cool demeanor, not the anger or suspicion he had imagined.
“Mychael.”
His full name. This couldn’t be good. Mych had a curious inkling that things were not going the way he had intended. The look being leveled at him was totally serious; in dead earnest. Frosty.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
Aurel left him there, completely gob-smacked and at a loss for words.
***
Aurel knocked on Seb’s door lightly and received no answer.
“Are you sure he’s in there?”
“Yes sir. We showed him around, gave him some clothes and toiletries, then he waved us out. Said he had a headache.”
“You don’t have to call me sir. I’m not that formal. Do you think he’s asleep yet?”
“No si- I mean…Mr.-”
“Aurel.”
“Aurel. He’s probably awake. It’s only been a few minutes.”
“Good.” Aurel was about to go in, then paused, looking at the man before him. “What’s your name?”
“Josef.”
Josef was cute, stocky and solid, with very Magyar features. He was also young. Too young.”Josef, how old are you? And who assigned you here?” Aurel was beginning to get angry. “You haven’t been here long, have you?” Just how many refugees was he housing now? He would have to ask Mych.
“Sir, I mean Aurel. I’m twenty-two. I’ve only been here a few weeks. Ruvn thought I would-”
“Where is Ruvn?”
“He’s putting together a few things for Mr. Fell’s security.”
“Why isn’t he here? He could have delegated the detail work to someone else. I can’t trust this to an inexperienced…kid.”
Josef furrowed his brows with worry. “I’m young, but I’m not inexperienced. I was given specialized training within my tribe. Mychael, he knows me from before, he’ll tell you.”
“A Protector?” It was a loose translation.
Josef looked surprised, then pleased. “Yes. Fourth generation. It runs in the family.” With the mention of family, his smile faltered and died. “I’ve been here three weeks. Thank you. I would have been dead two weeks ago if you hadn’t given me sanctuary.”
Aurel knew better than to show the pity he felt. “Their loss is my gain. Having a Protector here will ease my mind greatly.” And it would. Protectors were…fanatics.
“I won’t disappoint you.”
“I know. Tell Ruvn that I want to see him when he is through. We need to discuss this. Am I still keyed for access?”
“Yes, and only a few others have clearance. Everyone else will have to be accompanied, even the cleaning staff.”
“Good.” Aurel knocked once more then let himself in. “Josef. See that we aren’t disturbed.”
“Ok.”
Aurel saw Josef blush, and that made him blush, even though he knew they were just going to talk. Damnation. This homo- no,gay, thing was awkward.
The room was just as he remembered it. Aurel rarely entered it, but had ordered it to be presentable at all times. The memories here were bittersweet and sometimes too poignant, but it seemed the perfect choice for Seb. It was appropriate that this room sheltered two people that he loved.
It was several shades of cool green layered one on top of the other. There wasn’t an overabundance of ornamentation or extravagance, but the fabrics were rich and soft and inviting. The bed was a simple teak canopy affair; chinoiserie, like the rest of the room, but everything was understated, unlike the usual flights of fancy from the period.
The chairs were all too delicate for Aurel to chance, so he approached the bed cautiously before sitting on the edge. Sebastian barely looked up when Aurel’s weight dipped the mattress. Aurel had thought Seb was hunched over, brooding, but no. He was playing a game on his phone. Aurel couldn’t tell if he was pouting or just concentrating on destroying pixels with other pixels.
“How did your conversation with Mych go?” Aurel hated the defeat laced with anger in Seb’s voice; didn’t he understand that it could not matter less?
“Fine.”
Sebastian looked at him then, and would have managed to disguise sharply assessing as casual conversation if Aurel hadn’t known better. “So, what did you talk about?” The game self-destructed and reset, forgotten between them.
“Nothing of any importance. It was a very minor household issue, I assure you.”
Seb sucked in a much-needed breath. He didn’t quite understand. Had that fink Mych decided not to blab? Or was Aurel trying to say that he knew and didn’t hold it against him? Geez. That was one closet he definitely didn’t want to exit.
The way Aurel was looking at him was…enamored. Mych-the-jerk must be messing with his head. Aurel couldn’t know. If he did he wouldn’t look so willing to get naked. He looked very willing to get naked. Seb gulped.
No! He had to stay focused. What difference would it make? Today, a week; it would all crash the minute Mych squealed. Well Seb didn’t plan on setting himself up for heartbreak. His heart would be bruised enough, no need to magnify the hurt by getting closer. Look, not touch. Admire and…walk away.
When he came to that decision he felt like he was dying a little inside. It’s for the best, I know it.If I keep telling myself that, I may believe it.
God, did he feel like an asshole.
“I…”
Aurel raised an eyebrow in question. Sebastian flushed and looked away, anything to avoid that look of caring and concern.
“I…”
“Yes?”
“I need to be alone for a little while.” Sebastian still couldn’t look at him, but he might as well have. He might not have a psychic tie to Aurel, but that had no dampening effect on his emotional sensitivity to someone so close to his-
Cock. That was it. It had to be. Because that’s all it would ever be.
But the feeling rolling off of Aurel was almost too much to take. There was disappointment, yes, but there was also fear that he’d been too forward, and worry over Seb’s physical health. It made Sebastian hope, and false hope was the last thing he wanted to feel. Under the circumstances, he did the only thing he could think of: He lashed out.
“I don’t need a goddamn keeper! I’ve been taking care of myself for more years than I care to count; I don’t need you to do it for me.”
“You have the wrong-”
“Wrong idea? No. I think I’m pretty spot-on. You know those snakes down there? I’m in as much of a cage as they are. Mine is just a bit more posh, with better eye candy,” Sebastian finished with a leer.
Aurel was beginning to feel a little queasy. “I thought we had…”
“Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I’ve been followed, shot at and kidnapped because of you. Tell me, what exactly should I be feeling right now? Should I do a little happy dance? Should I be composing odes to the perfect symmetry of your features? Please, enlighten me.” Seb didn’t know where he got the venom, or the balls, to say what he was saying, but he loathed it. He despised himself more. Only a coward would do what he was doing now, hurting someone to save them self from hurt.
“I only want your safety.”
“You want a convenient piece of ass.”
“You are not a convenience!”
Sebastian’s look was gloating. “No, I’m not, am I?”
Aurel stopped for a moment, taking a steadying breath. He seemed to collect himself before continuing. “I’m going to leave you to rest for now. I’ll send someone to you when dinner is ready. We usually eat at seven.”
Much to Seb’s consternation, Aurel turned on the ball of his foot and walked to the door. He paused briefly at the threshold, leaning his cheek against the doorjamb. “Seb? You are not a convenience.” And then he was gone.
The room was silent for a moment, but only a moment.
“FUCK!” Seb’s boot sailed through the air and struck the floor. He would have thrown some more stuff, but projectiles weren’t exactly thick on the ground, He definitely wouldn’t think of destroying Aurel’s heirlooms.
He collapsed back on the bed and covered his face with his hands. Why did Aurel have to make this so freaking hard? Couldn’t he stop being wonderful and sexy for five minutes? Seb couldn’t keep up the jackass act indefinitely; it’d throw his back out.
Seb heard a pathetic little beep, looked at the pillow next to him and sighed. There went his high score.
***
My readers are awesome. And demanding. Sorry this took so long, but I have a life outside of writing and the demands of artwork and hot sex were just too much for poor little ole me. Writing had to take a back seat to those twin demons. The next chapter will appear much sooner.
Oooooo…. twin demons.
As always, Feedback is appreciated.