Dhampirs of Sgiach

33. Kieran

A tug at Kieran’s magic woke him up as someone passed through the border of it, followed by others. He resisted the urge to tense as he slowly moved his arms to grip the knives sheathed on his forearms. Anger blossomed in his chest as the sweet familiar cotton candy scent tickled his senses. Followed by relief and a longing so intense, Kieran bit his tongue to keep from keening.

Then the smacking and the screaming started. Kage had the increased strength of a dhampir, but he never trained more than the self-defense Kieran had insisted on. The effect felt more like someone smacking him with a wet noodle than an angry incubus.

“Don’t you EVER sneak out again!” Kage screamed. Kieran rolled onto his back and Kage straddled him as he hit his fists against Kieran’s chest. Screaming and crying with his eyes closed. “NEVER AGAIN! NOT EVEN TO THE STORE!”

Kieran pulled Kage down to him and just held him as the incubus shook and cried. “I was so scared,” Kage whimpered through his tears.

“Holy s**t…” Mika’s voice sounded startled. “I’m dating the wrong brother…”

“I don’t think that’s what we should be asking, Mika,” Hikaru sounded annoyed. “He knew exactly who I was looking for.”

Kage stilled in Kieran’s arms, slowly turning his head so he could peek out at the two dhampirs across the cold fire from Kieran. He hissed at them a moment before he struck out at Kieran. It hurt as Kage’s fangs pierced the base of his neck possessively. Kieran tightened his arms around Kage and chuckled. “More fun if my c**k is inside you when you do that,” Kieran teased, and Kage released him so he could glare at him.

“Is that what you were doing with the fake me?” he demanded.

“Why would I f**k a fake you if I could have the real you?” Kieran asked.

Kage paused as he sat up and looked down at Kieran. “Really?” he asked in a tiny voice.

Kieran smiled and pulled him down into a kiss. Kage made soft noises as Kieran’s tongue thrust into his mouth. He could taste his own blood in Kage’s mouth and it tasted wild. The thought of kicking everyone else out of the cave crossed his mind. No, not now. Kage deserves a proper date first.

He broke the kiss and smiled at Kage’s slightly dazed face as he sat up with the slender incubus in his lap.

“You knew the whole time,” Hikaru accused.

“Yep,” Kieran said, his arm around Kage’s waist.

“Why do you have my face?” Kage asked as he looked at Hikaru. “And my scent.”

“Without the eyes, it would be impossible to tell them apart if you cut their hair the same,” Rand said as he knelt by Hikaru and peered at him. The dhampir hissed at the large werebear, who only chuckled.

“Hikaru, Mika, this is my brother Rand and my boyfriend Kage.” Kieran felt Kage still against him, and he fought to keep his voice mild and face blank. There, I made my claim. No big deal. “Hikaru is Kage’s twin.”

“There goes my chance at the beautiful one. Guess you’ll have to do, Hikaru,” Mika said as she peered closer to Kage, who leaned back away from her into Kieran’s arms.

Kieran flashed her a grin. “I don’t mind threesomes.”

“And there’s the grin that dropped many panties in high school,” Rand said with an eye roll and shared a laugh with Mika. “So, how did you end up with these two?”

“Stopped at a motel the other night. Mika recognized me as a Furian and Hikaru asked me to help him find Kage,” Kieran explained with a shrug as he kissed the side of Kage’s head. “Why is Kage here?”

“And there’s the look that sent everyone running on the playground before your fangs even came in,” Rand said as he sat next to them. “He stuck himself to me with ice and refused to let me go without him. Echo took his side as well. She also says you’ll have to fend for yourself for a month.”

“She’s not here, is she?”

“Nah. But Artem came with us.”

Artem himself came in then. “Rand, everyone is set up to wait for Grizzly Auron and the men with him. Ezekiel has the rest of the dhampirs set up as well.”

“Who the hell is still with Echo?” Kieran asked and directed his glare at Artem, who froze and swallowed.

“She and the women and children are at the Lodge with the rest of the Sleuth,” he answered and lowered his head as he bared his neck submissively.

“Don’t worry, Kieran. She’s in good hands,” Rand said. “Have you taken the final crystal yet?”

Kieran shook his head and Kage suddenly started going through his pockets. Hikaru spoke up and told him which pocket Kieran had stored the pill case in. Before Kieran could stop Kage, he had the case and was off Kieran’s lap and hiding behind Rand.

“Give that back,” Kieran growled as he stood over them.

“No!” Kage shot back as he fumbled with the case. Kieran lunged for the incubus, but Rand tackled him to the ground and banged his head on the stone before he could embrace the shadows.

Through the star-filled daze Rand had given him, he heard rock grinding against rock. The werebear kept him pinned to the ground as he leaned forward. “Why is Dad afraid of you going through with the transition from Luris to Lurah?” he demanded, and Kieran could feel the power of Rand’s Alpha voice as it threaded through.

“None of your business,” Kieran said through gritted teeth.

“If I’m your boyfriend, it’s mine,” Kage said as he peeked up over Rand’s shoulder.

Kieran looked away from him and refused to speak.

“Kieran?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Color bled from the world as Kieran embraced the shadows and left them all in the cave. Moving through the shadows, past the mixed group of dhampirs and werebears. He didn’t leave the shadows until he reached a nearby cliff that overlooked the forested Snow Shroud Mountains. Kieran sat on the edge and looked out at the trees.

In the early morning light, the forest was beautiful as it glittered in the sunlight like an opal. He was there for a while before Kage finally found him. His cotton candy scent tickled his senses and he breathed deeper to take more of it.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Kage asked as he sat next to Kieran. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie with his hair braided in the back. His snow boats also rose to mid-calf.

Kieran glanced at him briefly. How could he tell him that he was still sick because of that damn room? How could he tell him that Martin had cut his life in half and he would begin to wither away eventually? It’ll happen faster if I become Lurah. But Kage won’t have to go through this to become Lurah. To be safe.

He stood up and reached out a hand to Kage. Kage looked at the hand suspiciously before he took it and let Kieran help him up. Kieran moved Kage away from the cliff edge as he put his own back to it and Kage made soft noises as Kieran pulled him into a kiss.

Kage’s eyes were closed as he fell into that kiss. His cotton candy scent filled Kieran’s senses and he felt his c**k twitch slightly. Now you decide to work, he grouched at the thing that only seemed to cause him grief. When he broke the kiss, Kage looked at him with such an adoring look, that it was hard to meet that crimson-flecked silver gaze.

“What aren’t you telling me, Kieran?” Kage asked again.

Kieran smiled at him. “I love you,” he said softly and shoved Kage away from him as he stepped back. He had left his rifles and swords in the cave and his sidearm was positioned on him in a way that it wouldn’t get damaged. The knives and daggers had gone through falls before, if not so far.

The fall was quick with only the briefest pain before a darkness that Kieran couldn’t see in claimed him. Oppressive and thick. He floated in that darkness, tethered to his last sight of Kage as his mother, the one he had lost so long ago, sang an ancient lullaby that he could only understand on the most primal of his senses.