Dhampirs of Sgiach

12. Kage

The scent of honey, mixed with spice and vanilla drew Kage from the large room where all the werebear cubs were sleeping. It was the third night of the full moon and while the adults shifted and frolicked in the forest, Kieran watched over the young. Watching movies, playing games, eating snacks, and telling ghost stories with them.

When Kage had fallen asleep, Kieran had been on the other side of Echo. But when that scent woke him, Kieran wasn’t there. The honey scent of Kieran’s desire mixed with the spicy scent of his anger, and the vanilla scent of pain.

Dr. Ebonwings had taught him that when he feeds on sin, he helps the person he’s feeding on release themselves from the sin. Slowly eroding it away. Someone who was unfaithful to their mate would begin to feel remorse and seek forgiveness.

Can I take Kieran’s pain away? Kage wondered as he opened the door to a large bathroom. The mixture of the steam from the shower and Kieran’s scent of desire, anger, and pain hit the incubus like a sledgehammer to his chest. His heart ached and all he wanted to do was devour Kieran’s pain. To take it away from him.

“What are you doing, Kage?” Kieran asked. His voice was calm, strong, but only loud enough to be heard over the sound of the water.

Kage meant to answer as he peeked inside the shower at Kieran. His mouth went slack as he gazed at the defined muscles of the other dhampir’s back. Kieran was bent forward, his forehead pressed against his crossed arms as he leaned against the shower wall. Water made glittering trails along the fair skin like sugar crystals. The lines of his back tapering to his thin waist and then to his firm butt, a sight that made Kage want to go to him and bite it.

He yelped as the heat of the water burned his hand and he fell back on his butt. Kage looked at his hand and his copper skin had reddened and he could still feel the burn.

The shower turned off and Kieran opened the door all the way so he could look down at Kage. If he said something, Kage didn’t hear it. He was too busy staring slack jawed at Kieran’s front. Hard thigh muscles framed his c**k, soft and limp but still large. His eyes continued to travel up along the hard six pack to the swell of his chest and shoulders.

When Kage’s crimson-flecked silver eyes met Kieran’s bloodshot amber eyes, all thoughts of licking all that glittering water from Kieran’s fair skin left his mind. Pain and longing filled those amber eyes and Kage wanted to slap Lacey for it.

Before Kieran could stop him, Kage had wrapped his arms around Kieran’s waist and lapped up water from those hard muscles. His magic reached out to Kieran and he could feel that tasty, cream-filled, c**k harden against his chest.

Kieran growled and he gripped Kage’s shoulders to push him away. “No,” he said firmly.

Kage looked up at him. “Please let me take the pain away.”

A strange look crossed Kieran’s face as he knelt down and pulled Kage into his arms. “You can’t take the pain away.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“But I want to,” Kage said in a small voice as he rested his head on Kieran’s shoulder. His wet skin was still warmed from the hot water and Kage snuggled in close to it.

“And I want to make the pain you feel go away. But we both have to endure the pain,” Kieran said as he rubbed Kage’s back.

“Why?”

“Because healing takes time.”

“Can I slap Lacey?” Kage asked softly and clung tighter to Kieran when he stilled.

“No,” Kieran said in a rough voice with a strange emotion that Kage wasn’t sure even Kieran knew what it was.

“You hurt the bad man that hurt me…”

Kieran tightened his arms around Kage and rested his chin on the thinner dhampir’s head. “I did…” He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke again. “Lacey isn’t worth the time. Cheating on me isn’t that big of a crime in the grand scheme.”

“It is to me…”

Kieran’s sigh was loud in the quiet bathroom. “Be better than her. Better than me. You lived your life on the streets, but I see you with Echo. Always giving her some of your sweets. Holding her hand. Offering her the comfort of Mrs. Squawkle. Pestering me until I let her sleep between us, after you pestered me to let you sleep next to me.” He kissed the side of Kage’s head. “Speaking with her about the dust when neither of you can sleep and think I’m asleep. Let me coat my soul in violence. You keep being you.”

Kage was quiet for a time as he looked down, his sight catching on Kieran’s c**k and he had to close his eyes to actually think about what Kieran had said. A knock at the door disrupted those thoughts and they both looked towards it.

“Who is it?” Kieran asked.

“Mina and me,” Echo said through the door. “She had an accident.”

“Give me a sec,” Kieran responded and stood up. He quickly dried himself off and pulled on a pair of sweats.

The little girl had tear-streaked cheeks as she looked up at Kieran and held her arms out to him. “I had an accident!” she sobbed out and he picked her up and gently rocked her as he patted her back.

“It’s alright, Mina,” he said gently. “We have all had accidents before. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Kieran set her down and patted her head. “I’m going to put your sleeping bag in the wash with your jammies while Echo helps you clean up. I’ll be right back with a clean pair of jammies for you.”

Kage went with Kieran to retrieve the sleeping bag after Echo passed the soiled jammies to them. They were back at the bathroom just as Mina was ready for her clean jammies. The little girl squealed happily when Kage presented her with a little snack cake he had detoured to retrieve for her.

Soon she was tucked back into bed next to her older brother who was still fast asleep, his arms and legs at odd angles as he snored.

Kieran fell asleep before Kage and Echo when they finally made it back to their cluster of sleeping bags.

“Did you two do it?” Echo whispered softly.

“Do what?” Kage asked, just as softly.

“S-E-X…” she said and blushed.

“No…”

“Why not?”

“He still longs for Lacey,” Kage said and glared at the thought of the human that had hurt Kieran.

Echo was quiet as she thought about that. “They have lived together the entire time I have known him,” she finally said. She reached out and gripped Kage’s hand. “Give him time.”

“I want to slap her but he said no,” he pouted.

“Did he say I couldn’t slap her?” Echo asked.

“No…”

Echo smiled.