Late Afternoon
Crepsley POV
"Why did this one have to be in the morning?" Darren yawns, despite having drank a bottle of blood as he walks beside me while he holds Madam Octa's cage. I all but laugh at his kitten-like cuteness. After me and Darren perform our act(he's seems extremely happy when Madam Octa is crawling on him. Ecspecially when she weaves the web in his mouth), Hibernius calls us to his trailer.
"Bravo! Bravo! You and Darren are a perfect pair!" he claps as we enter the trailer. 'Dont I know...' I spare a glance at the smaller glowing half-vampire beside me. My stomach clenchs with a tingling feeling and I turn from Darren to Tall. "You, Darren and Madam Octa make a perfect trio I mean!" he bows. I smile. "Thank you Hibernius. I'm glad we've been helpful." He's avoiding the issuse here he brought me to speak of. "Is now a good time?" I speak of Darren, of course. He knows this yet he shakes his head.
"No,no. Please sit." Me and Darren sit on the wide red sofa and Hibernius sits across from us, his hat scraping the celling and leaving a bare trail on the carpeted celling. "As you know Larton, is very..." he pauses and his eyes dart from Darren back to me. "persistent." I nod gravely. Besides the small shiver at Desmond's name, Darren is unaware of the conversation, or at least he pretends to be. Hibernius continues to talk in riddles and I watch Darren.
His raven hair, his crystalic emerald eyes... One isnt suppose to find their apperentice so...
'Beautiful, graceful, amazing...'
None of these things!...but I do. I find myself craving the spotlight of his joyous smile, craving the sweet sound of his laughter. "Do you understand?" I look from a slowly drifting Darren to Hibernius. "Not a word." I say honestly. "I would figure." a sudden weight drops on my lap and I look down to find the slightly snoring head of a very sleepy Darren Shan. "Desmond refuses to stay put any longer, Larton." I pet the childs head on my lap and speak to Tall. "I'm genuinely surprised we were able to keep him at bay for the last 30 years." I joke, trying to make the all too familiar and most unwanting pit of fear in my stomach disappear. "Something we are no longer able to do. The Prince Of Darkness, Darren's friend, the boy S-"
"Friend no longer!" I hiss softly as pictures of the boy enter my mind. Imagines of him trying to drive a stake through Darrens heart flash as I blink. I dismiss them, knowing it will only upset me. "Not after the incident at the graveyard." I resume running my fingers through Darren's hair. "Yes well, him and Desmond will terrorize everyone and everything in their path on their way to fulfilling Desmond's twisted prophecy! They will find Darren and k-"
"Enough Hibernius!" I snap, doing my best not to wake the child in my lap. "Prince of Darkness or be it Desmond himself! no one will touch Darren! I will see to that." I growl. "You know what must be done." I finally have something to live for, after centuries of wishing for nothing but death...
'No one will kill Darren! I refuse! Let them try'
"Is he ready?" the question wavers the truth and my mind. He isnt!... if he is, he'll be trained and sent to march to his death... But the truth outweights all. He has learned the meaning of life and death, he is strong, despite the lack of human blood, he is intelligent and wise and has the shining heart of gold that can never be tarnished. He is ready. Sadly, I know this to be true and so does Hibernius Tall. "Ready or not, Prince or not..." I trail off and stop petting Darren's sleeping figure.
"Larton, I'm not speaking to you as your boss or as a member of the Gaurdians. When I ask you this, it is as your friend of 1500 years. Does this need to protect the Prince go beyond him being your apprentice and the Prince?" I say nothing. Nothing need be said, for he knows the answer but i answer anyways, not for him but for myself.
"Yes...something much much more." I drift from Hibernius to Darren. "He is something special. Both to me and the world." i brush a stray bang away from Darren's cheek and stroke the revelved skin tenderly. "I cannot truly say that I love him, for I have been for too long without that emotion. But... I only wish his happiness."
"Which is why you've gave him so much oppertunitys to leave?" I nod, suddenly feeling the need to confess. "It is exactly why! First... I simply regreted my blooding him and wanted the boy to go. But" I let a small chuckle escape. "Damn me be if the little rascal didnt catch me to keep." I place the hand stroking Darren's cheek atop his head once more. It is silent and I can almost hear the gears in Tall's head turn. "Larton-"
"Can I use your cape?"
I quickly look down to a drowsy Darren. "Awake?" he shakes his head with a slight pout. "No. Cape." I smile at the grumpy tone in his voice. "Bossy child." he pouts more and I let out a small laugh as I untie my cape and drap in over Darren. "Thank you..." he mumbles, then yawns and finally a light snore fills the room. I sigh, trying to relieve the sudden pressure in my chest. "I assumed you claimed him already." I snap my head to Hibernius. "Why would you assume that?!" he shrugs. "I didnt think you had been able to control the sudden lust when you tasted him." I open my mouth, but not a sound comes out. True that Darrens blood practically sung...well sings to me(human or not we still have blood) and I did feel the need to-
"H-he's a child!" I gasp in disbelief. "He's 16 humanly and 30 vampire wise-"
"With the body of an 11 year old! I..I couldnt!" I reply, trying to convince myself more then I am Tall.
"Even if he felt the same?" This stops me. 'I-If he wanted it..If he wanted me..?' I shake my head.
"Impossible." I state, trying to empty the false hope Tall has provided. "If you say. I'll tell you this, Evra Von has his sights set on Darren as well." my dismissal turns into jealousy. "He what?" I hiss. "Nothing important." he shrugs again and I narrow my eyes. 'He is trying to bait me.'
"Look here Hibernius, if I were to grab Darren... I wouldnt stop." I feel the disgust build in my throut. "even if he would cry and protest... I just wouldnt stop!" I turn my head away from Tall and Darrens sleeping figure, staring at the ground. "My..." I gulp as I spit out the word. "sex drive is not to be taken lightly. Its what drove away every other potential mate." Arra enters my mind. "I refuse to drive away Darren." Hibernius sighs. "There is nothing to be ashamed of Larton. As I said, I've been your friend for over 1500 years. My place isnt to jugde you, only to support and give my advice to you." I swallow the bile in my throut and it settles in my chest.
"Yes well, thats good to hear Hibernius." I spare him a glance and a small smile. "Just... be ready Larton. As I said, you and Darren make a fine pair." I nod and pull Darren on to my lap fully, to pick him up in my arms as I stand. "Thank you Hibernius. Goodnight." is all I can manage as Darren's arms wrap around my neck and his legs around my torso. "Goodnight." he mummurs and shuts his trailer door. I sigh, not letting my grip on Darrens body slip. "I wish there was some way of knowing for certain..." I hear myself whisper as Tall's voice rings in my head.
"Even if he felt the same?"
I quickly shake my head as I enter Darren's and Evra's tent and place Darren in his coffin. 'He doesnt. He never will, and I can understand that...'
