Dhampirs of Sgiach

19. Kieran

Kieran groaned as he snuggled close to where Lacey had been, his phone loud in the dark room. He opened his eyes and saw that she had already left the tiny motel room. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling as his phone dinged with the missed call.

He ignored it.

What am I doing? For the past month he had been sneaking around with Lacey and so far, he had kept it from Kage and Echo. He didn’t think he would ever trust her again, but he missed her. At least she didn’t blow me off when I finally broke and texted her first.

His phone rang again as he swung his legs off the bed, and he ignored it again as he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Time to rinse off the shame and then go home.

Halfway through his shower, he heard the Sleuth Line ringtone. Naked, wet, and with shampoo still in his hair, Kieran dashed for his phone and answered. “Kieran here,” he said, with his heart pounding in his throat.

“Now you finally answer,” his father growled on the other end. Anger, disappointment, and worry laced through his voice. “Care to explain where you are and why Kage and Echo called the pub in a panic?”

Kieran felt like he was seven again and had been caught threatening to bite girls on the playground. “They woke up?”

“Yes, they woke up. Something about Kage having a nightmare. They were talking over each other in their panic. You’re still a murder suspect and now they’re trying to pin those thirteen dhampirs on you. Sneaking out in the middle of the night is only going to land you in jail right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Kieran said in a small voice.

“Don’t say you’re sorry, show it. Now get your ass home.” Auron hung up on him.

Kieran looked down at the screen and saw the missed texts and calls from both Kage and Echo. “s**t…” he said as he hurriedly finished his shower and checked out of the motel.

When he got home, Kage and Echo were cuddled on the couch with Rand in front of them. When his brother looked at him, his angry face looked just like their father’s. Kage and Echo’s eyes were red and puffy from crying when they turned to look at Kieran. “Where were you and why didn’t you tell anyone?” Rand demanded.

“Out,” Kieran said through clenched teeth. “What happened?”

Kage was off the couch with his arms around Kieran in the blink of an eye with an audible smack. “Lacey and the rats took you!”

Kieran stiffened at the mention of Lacey. Kage looked up at him and sniffed him as he touched Kieran’s still damp hair. “Where were you?”

“Out. And obviously, rats haven’t taken me,” Kieran said evasively as he patted Kage’s back awkwardly as he met those crimson-flecked silver eyes.

Kage growled as his fangs elongated and the crimson of his eyes consumed them. “Where were you?” he demanded as the air around them grew chilly.

“None of your business,” Kieran growled back and felt his own fangs ache as they elongated as well. He pushed Kage off him.

“You were with her!” Kage hissed at Kieran.

“So what?”

“She’s only going to hurt you!” Kage jumped at Kieran as he bared his fangs and hissed angrily.

Kieran knocked Kage down and pinned him to the ground. Cold seductive magic slammed into him as his hand gripped the other man’s hair and bared his neck. Kage struggled against Kieran’s grip, but he growled as sweet blood, like cotton candy, flowed over his tongue.

Desire and lust rose in Kieran. Along with anger. He growled as he bit down harder. He held Kage there until the other submitted and the cold magic subsided. When he released him, Kage scrambled away under the table and looked out at Kieran, his hand to the bite on his neck and tears in his eyes as they flashed with anger and pain.

At some point in the scuffle, Rand had taken Echo out of the room and the two dhampirs were alone.

“She’ll only hurt you. She doesn’t love you,” Kage said in a thick, tiny voice.

“No one loves dhampirs. Those other dhampirs in the alleys where I found you? That’s the norm for our kind. Even if we are of the Luris’rin’Ley,” Kieran said as he licked blood from the corner of his mouth. “Homeless or Mallum Sanguinem. That is the choice. Not many are as lucky as me. Even then, this is the best I can do.” He indicated the small apartment around them.

Kage shook his head fervently. “No. I won’t believe it!”

“You’ve seen how people treat our kind! How can you not understand?”

“You…”

Kieran stilled and stared at Kage, confused. “Me?”

Kage nodded. “You helped me… You could have let that man not pay me what I was owed, but you helped me. You took me into your home, even though Lacey told you not to.” He crawled out from underneath the table to Kieran until his hands were on his knees and he was looking up into Kieran’s eyes. “Lamia told me that you had to take me in or become cursed by the gods. She said I can leave anytime I want.”

“Then why don’t you?” Kieran asked. His heart was pounding in his chest as he watched Kage’s eyes go back to their normal, crimson-flecked silver.

“I want to stay here with you.”

Kieran stilled and his eyes widened as Kage took his chance to press his lips to Kieran’s. He was so shocked; the incubus was able to take his chance further and push him onto his back as Kage straddled his waist.

“If you want s*x, come to me,” Kage said as he cupped Kieran’s face. “Lacey does not love you.”

“I prefer women,” Kieran pointed out. “And I love her…” he added softly as he looked away.

“Then come with and feed with me. Don’t just hang out at the bar…”

“If you two are going to have s*x, please don’t do it in the middle of the living room…”

Both looked over to the hallway where Echo and Rand were watching them. “I have to second that sentiment,” Rand added. “But the incubus makes a good point. If Lacey loved you, she would never have cheated on you. And if you really can’t keep it in your pants, join him. At least then I can rest easy that I’m not going to wake up one day minus one brother because he got a girl pregnant and mom rage murdered him.”

“Why would Mama do that?” Kage asked.

“She threatened she would if he ever did after his pregnancy scare when he was sixteen,” Rand said and laughed at the memory.

Color bled from the world as Kieran embraced his Shadow Spark and slipped into the shadows in the room.

“Where did Kieran go?” Kage asked as he looked around him.

“Kieran…” Rand growled out threateningly.

“Yes, Rand?” Kieran said from the shadows.

“Don’t…“ Rand’s words broke off into a growl as Kieran pounced on his back from the shadows and sunk his fangs into his brother’s shoulder. Not to feed. “Damnit Kieran! Get off!” he yelled as he tried to get the smaller man off his back.