Chapter Two
*Josh

I moved into Ethan's room, hearing a ringtone from near the television. I grinned at it as I moved across to the room's closet, listening to the sound of the young man sleeping. Considering that the closet was the size of a small bedroom, Ethan's favoritism showed clearly.

The woman, Brian's manager, had us fill out the form for time off, and while Brian could easily get fired for leaving mid-shift, my signature secured his job. I'd added a note that I knew Ethan would see, about how I needed a bartender for my bondage party.

The ringtone was quiet, but I noted the young man was starting to wake up. I moved up to the side of his little twin bed, and reached a hand down to touch his bare chest.

He gasped and jumped hard, turning to look up at me as his consternation turned to fear. He tried to throw himself away, but there wasn't nearly enough room in the little closet for that.

"Wait!" he gasped at me, looking around fearfully. "Where's..."

"Ethan," I muttered, bending down so I had an arm on either side of his legs, "he didn't hold up our bargain."

Joey's eyes went nearly white as he focused on me.

I smiled, leaning in to his ear. "You see, I told him to leave us all be, and he decided my friend was his friend," I ran my hand down the guy's chest as I considered his stomach. "And that means..."

"No!" Joey gasped, trying to shove away from me. "No!"

I leaned in and started kissing at his throat. It didn't take him long to lose his will to resist, and I lifted him from the bed easily, carrying him into the main room.

"I'm going to tell you that if you play your cards right," I noted, "that I'll just use your disappearance to scare my cousin. I won't touch you beyond what I just did...but if you don't do exactly what I tell you to do," I smirked at him. "Well, Ethan is calling you for a reason."

He looked around to his phone, gasping hard as he stared at it.

It started ringing again.

"Answer it," I instructed, setting him down beside the tray it was on. "You tell him you're busy and not to call you again."

"But..." he started.

I leaned over and licked his throat briefly.

He was about to start crying.

"It's your call," I said in a low voice, studying him.

Joey made an unhappy noise, lifting the phone up as it started ringing again. "I'm...I'm..." I licked him, and he groaned as he jerked away. "I'm busy," he hissed. "Don't call me again."

I could hear Ethan start shouting.

I ended the call as Joey looked away from me.

"See?" I asked. "Not so hard. Don't worry, he won't be angry with you. He did this to my friend, see," I indicated the door. "Go stand by the door, huh?"

He moved away.

I moved back into the closet and dug out Joey's coat and a couple shirts. I found a messenger bag nearby and shoved the clothing into it, carefully setting his pretty laptop in the center of the bed. It didn't take me long to return to the young man, who was standing at the door with his hands covering his eyes.

"Calm down," I instructed, pushing him into the hall.

He was still crying as he followed me, and slid into my car. I knew we had surveillance around the house, so I leaned down and kissed at his mouth. I didn't let him actually kiss me when my darker nature broke his will again. I closed him into the car and moved around it, flipping off the nearest camera before getting in and shifting so my car threw gravel up at the house.

The rest of my family would be unimpressed by the display, but Ethan was going to be furious.

And really, it was entirely his fault.

*Ryan

I studied the long two story building thoughtfully as we waited. The lot was fairly empty, and there weren't many cars on the road itself. Kevin and I had moved to sit on the trunk, and Brian had followed, leaning into me tiredly. I'd given him a sweater I'd brought extra, and he was swimming in it. He looked comfortable, though, and I wondered why he was leaning into me when it was Kevin who'd come for him.

Brian sighed and moved around so he could lay into my lap, wrapping his arms around my waist, and I sighed at him.

"Shut-up," he retorted. "I've spent the last week in hell. It's the first time I've been away from him that I haven't expected him to reappear, and the first time being with someone where I wasn't..." he trailed off.

I snorted, but didn't make him move. I wasn't fully comfortable with him glomming onto me like that, but I could understand his point.

"I'm so jealous," Kevin noted, smirking briefly at me.

"Bite me," I retorted.

"I would, but then you might get all hot and bothered," Kevin turned away from us.

Brian snickered. "Or I will."

"Ah, off," I kneed at him until he actually pulled away. He climbed onto the trunk next to me as he snickered, and I slid off.

"Okay," he yawned, shifting over to use my shoulder as a pillow.

Kevin grinned more at me, then looked around. "So what do we do? And why are we cooperating with the incubus?"

"I want to..." I shuddered slightly at the idea of the violence I could do to Ethan. I'd honestly thought I'd managed to avoid any sort of long term complications from my incident with the damn vampires over the summer. I had always been considered hyper violent by the ones who knew me, but the excitement I felt at the notion, and then on seeing him...

Brian pulled back to look at me curiously.

"You came in on the last act," Kevin noted. "Before you or the limo got there, Ry was doing something along the lines of extermination. It was a vampire event, but then the protestors rallied."

Brian blinked slowly at him, then snorted.

"You alright?" Kevin added, considering me.

"I don't really know," I admitted, frowning. "I mean, I want to get Brian out of here, but Ethan needs retribution."

Brian blinked at me.

"Otherwise we'd have just run," Kevin pointed out. "We'd have gotten you and headed home."

"I'm also not sure how free of addiction he is," I added. "If there was any to begin with...how much influence. It's something to consider."

Kevin nodded, frowning.

"What will I do?" Brian asked quietly, looking across the lot. "I mean, you guys get me away from them, sure, but...I mean, I'm here because I have nowhere."

"We'll figure that out when we have to," Kevin waved it away. "When we get back to our place we can decide what you want to do...unless you don't want to go back with us."

"Where do you live?" he asked thoughtfully.

"We'll tell you that after we get away from the vampires," I noted. "I know Josh can find us pretty easy but we don't want to just tell him."

"So...I can't know where we're going until I agree to go?" Brian shifted how he sat to look at me. "You'll just take me to wherever without letting me make my own safety net?"

I sighed as I studied him, then looked away.

"Who do you trust more?" Kevin asked quietly. "The ones who drove seven hours after you left one message, or the ones who were torturing you for a week straight and threatening to do it for two years?"

"I know where I stand here," Brian pointed out. "I know the kinds of things I can do to get out."

"You also know they can just kill you," Kevin noted.

"And what you're proposing is any better?" he snapped, sliding off the car. "I stay here, and sure, I might die. I go with you...and what? Don't pretend like you're not just as much above the law as they are. I've heard stories of your people beheading people. No one ever hears about that. How do I know you're not taking me off to prostitution?"

We both blinked at him.

He sighed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "And don't pretend that coming all this way should make me not worry at all. I'm obliged to you, right? At least I know Josh will act to protect me, and he very well might kill Ethan tonight."

"Well, you'll have to decide for yourself," I sighed, looking to Kevin. "I suppose getting you out from Ethan's influence is enough of a goal."

"And you're a great hero," he snapped back at me. "Getting off on beating the shit out of people."

I flashed him a wicked grin. "Not people, just Ethan."

Kevin kicked at me.

Brian was obviously not sure how to take that, looking back to Kevin.

A car turned into the lot with loud music blaring, and we all turned to watch it.

"I still hate that it's his," Kevin noted dryly as the white thing moved up to us. The music was pounding hard as it slowed and parked. It took a long moment before the music ended.

Josh slid out of the car, looking between us with interest, and pointing at the machine with his thumb. "I have a crying twenty year-old in here," he noted. "I'm thinking we should go get our suite or something."

"And that sounds like...the thing to do?" I asked him dryly, looking to his car nervously. I felt bad for whoever that kid was.

"We're sort of on the clock," Josh noted, gesturing. "Follow me."

"That sounds promising," Brian noted dryly, turning back to the car.

I shrugged slightly at the young man, turning to get in as well.

"Don't worry," Kevin said in an undertone as he climbed into the back seat. "We can get the kid from him and go if we have to."

Brian nodded, looking relieved.

It didn't take long for us to reach a hotel. It wasn't as flashy as the strip ones, nor as large. The gambling floor was the same, though. Josh had said or done something so the male with him had quieted. He talked to the staff and fairly quickly arranged to have our bags taken up, which consisted of both Kevin and I having ours taken from us almost forcefully.

When we reached the room, our bags were laid out across the table behind the sofa, and we looked around skeptically.

"Alright," Josh noted, stretching as he looked around to us. "So the long and short of this is that I just declared war on Ethan. He was obviously expecting something, or else he wouldn't have let Brian answer his phone earlier. He might have actually let him leave a message with someone."

Brian looked away.

"So he's coming at us tonight," Josh added, looking back to Brian. "Can you deal with that?"

Brian shrugged. "At this point, I'm pretty much willing to do anything to keep away..." he hesitated, not looking at them.

"I hope so," Josh sighed tiredly. "Because Ethan is going to try to get both you and Joey."

"I can't wait for him to be close enough," I muttered, rubbing at my mouth briefly.

"You can't kill him," Josh noted. "Because my family will notice that. As it stands, the two of you are cat's paws, but..." he looked around to Kevin. "We need to figure something out."

"Like what?"

"Like Ethan needs to be beat down," Josh shrugged. "I should take Ryan and attend to him, and the three of you should stay here."

"Yeah, I'm not letting you run off with the destroyer," Kev pointed out, rolling his eyes. "I don't know how much influence you have on him, but even the bit change that happened this summer is too much."

"Why would I have influence on him?" Josh asked blankly. "And isn't the title a little pretentious?"

"Vampire, stop pretending you're not manipulative as hell," Kevin retorted, ignoring the question.

"I spent today eating crap and watching Illegitimate," Josh protested, staring at him. "Brian is mine, why would I sit there doing that if my cousin was off at his place?"

"I trust you about as far as I could throw you," Kevin retorted.

"Which is not at all," Brian flashed them a grin. "Because his reflexes would have him back on the ground in a heartbeat."

"Thank you," Kevin said happily.

Brian grinned back at him.

"I hate you all," Josh stated happily, looking around at them a moment. He gestured at the couch, looking between them. "Sit?"

"We're still debating if we're in on this," I offered. "Because we can totally take off with Brian and be fine."

"Oh, but just imagine what it'll feel like," Josh retorted, studying my eyes. "That moment when he realizes you're coming for him."

I hesitated, trying not to think of that.

Josh turned to look curiously to Kevin.

"I love it when people make my point for me," Kevin retorted.

Josh started laughing, gesturing the younger male to him with his fingers.

The poor boy started crying again.

"Sit here," Josh ordered, indicating the single chair. "Relax, Brian will mix us all drinks when he gets his panties out of a wad."

"You're joking, right?" Brian demanded, focusing on him. "I'm pretty sure the human laws say something about minors and alcohol."

"I'd hope you'd be more than pretty sure," Josh retorted. "And what part of it means I give a rat's ass?"

Brian snorted at him, moving around sit in the other single chair. We watched Joey sit and curl into the thing, and Josh threw the lap-blanket from the larger couch at him.

I blinked at Josh, startled. That seemed overly considerate, but it might be that I really was just keyed up.

"So here's the crux," Josh went on happily as he dropped onto the couch. "Which of you sits by me? The one supposedly under my influence or the one who has yet to be influenced."

I felt a ping of alarm, looking around to Kevin.

"You could stand," Kevin reminded me. "I can stand. Actually we can leave."

"Oh my god, you've got the biggest dick," Josh retorted, gesturing at the couch to him. "Your ego is appeased, come talk."

Kevin sniggered in spite of himself, glaring at the vampire.

I moved around to the bar, pulling out cups and pouring myself and Brian a drink. I took that and passed it to him, leaning against the back of his chair. It made him smirk and look around to Josh.

Josh considered us a long moment, then sighed and stood, walking over to the bar.

Kevin went and sat in Josh's spot.

"I can't tell if this is testosterone or healthy fear," Brian noted happily as he sipped at his cup.

"I'm not sure anymore, either," I agreed, moving to sit on the other arm of the couch.

Josh moved past us with a cup and passed it to Joey, kneeling down so they were eye to eye. "Drink this," he urged. "It's just some whiskey and coke; once we figure out what we're doing, you can go back to bed."

The young man was staring at him without moving.

"I think you should fuck with him," Brian noted, narrowing his eyes at the other young man. "Fucking addict him."

We all turned to look at him.

Brian glared at Joey without looking around to us.

"Why?" Josh asked blankly. "The point of this is to get Ethan somewhere we can ruin him," he indicated me with his thumb.

"Because he fucking knew what Ethan was doing," Brian retorted as the kid's eyes filled with tears again. "He told him...to do the thing," Brian sat up to glare. "What was the thing? Lick my abdomen, wasn't it?"

Joey pressed his face into the corner.

"So, Josh, do the thing," Brian added, focusing on the white.

"I honestly am not that interested in torture," Josh pointed out, frowning slightly at him. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," Brian retorted, leaning back again as he glared at the young man. "I just hate at the moment."

Josh nodded, frowning slightly. "How much of what was going on did he know?"

"I didn't!" Joey said, breaking into fresh tears before burying his face in the arm of the chair.

"You did," Brian snapped back. "Because you called him about an appointment and he said he was with the bartender," he looked between us a moment. "And you started giggling and asked if he'd done the thing, and that he needed to."

The young man curled up more.

"I'm Hungry," Josh muttered as he studied Brian. "How fucked up is that?" he added, looking around to us. "I didn't feed before I left the house, because I've been being a slob the last two weeks and haven't expended hardly any energy at all...and I know I can take from all three of them." He thought a moment, then smirked and looked to Kevin.

"Ry," Kevin's voice held a note of alarm in it.

I shifted between my friend and the vampire.

Josh looked between us a long moment, then stood and stretched again. "Joey, drink the cup."

Joey was shaking as he sat up to take the cup from the arm of the chair. He gasped as he swallowed it down, then shifted back.

"Shower," Josh ordered Brian, moving to yank Joey from the chair. "You two...figure out what we're doing, because no matter what it is, it includes Ryan beating the shit out of my cousin again."

"And if I disagree?" Kevin asked darkly.

Josh leaned toward him, and I felt the air going cold. "Then I show you what it's like to be influenced."

I shoved at Josh's shoulder, being sure to avoid skin. His eyes were silvery and amused as he glanced back at me, and he turned to carry Joey into the master bedroom.

Brian stood, looking down at the sweatshirt he was swimming in. "I'm going to see if the asshat will buy me some sweats and boxers...or can you?" he looked between us. "Just mediums."

I nodded.

Brian disappeared into the second room.

"I'm worried that we're cooperating with the vampire at all," Kevin informed me quietly. "We came here for Brian; we have Brian, why are we still here?"

I looked away, trying to think of an actual reason for me to stay and attack the other vampire.

Kevin sighed as he studied me. "That bad, huh?"

I flexed my hand, remembering the pain in my knuckles. I shook my head at him, not meeting his eyes.

Kevin sighed. "Can you weigh this urge you have against what's really going on here, please? What use will beating the vampire down be?"

"I'm trying to think of it," I supplied, grinning briefly at him.

He considered me as music started from inside the room Brian had entered. We both turned to look at it, then exchanged a look. We moved away from the room a little nervously.

"You think it's bluetooth?" I asked quietly as we turned to pull the balcony door open.

"I have no idea," Kevin muttered as we leaned against the railing to look down at the pool. It was covered, and wind gusted at us chillingly.

"Can't be out here long," I noted quietly, frowning a bit. "I suppose...we don't really need to stay. I can't think of a reason to stay; I want to take Ethan down, but..."

Kevin nodded, frowning a bit, and we both continued staring at the odd view.

"How do we get around the vampire?" I asked finally. "He's not going to be happy about it."

"He doesn't have that choice," Kevin pointed out, shifting to face me better.

"But he won't just stand back," Josh noted, moving to lean against the sliding glass door. "He won't just start a war and watch his allies disappear. Why did you call for my help, promise to repay me, and then decide to run off?"

I sighed, looking away. Given my own choice, I'd go along with him, and I had a feeling he knew it. I didn't know if it was because I was influenced, though.

Kevin looked between us, then sighed and turned back to the railing.

"You had L call me, didn't you?" Josh persisted, watching him.

"Fine," Kevin snapped.

"Uh," I muttered. "Brian wanted to know if you could get him some boxers and sweatpants."

Josh nodded, turning back to the door. "Size?"

"Medium."

Josh pulled his phone out, moving to lean against the bar. He talked for a few minutes, then smirked at me and tucked the phone away.

There was a knock on the door.

We all froze, turning to look at it in disbelief.

Josh moved quickly, pocketing the phone and pulled the door open.

"Hey!" L greeted him brightly, throwing her arms around him.

Josh swore, pulling away from her quickly.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, swatting at his shoulder. She looked past him, smiling brightly at me.

"Ella," I muttered, moving across the room to pull her into a hug.

"I thought that was crazily fast," Josh noted happily, moving to join us as Kevin reached us.

"What are you doing still up?" I demanded, relinquishing my hold. She didn't, but stopped squeezing. "Why are you here?"

"Because if Ethan is moving against us, I was entirely part of it already," she supplied, finally pulling back and moving to hug Kevin. "Where's Brian? The other?" she turned to look at Josh again.

"I knocked Joey out," Josh supplied, gesturing with his thumb toward the larger room. "I need to get my kit from my car, then I can tie him down."

We all stopped, turning to look at him.

He smirked as he met all of our eyes. "Oh yeah, the incubus does sex stuff in spades," he winked at L, turning away. "I'll be back. If the kid wakes up just sit on him."

He disappeared.

"So what's going on?" L asked happily, moving over to the bar and starting to pull out glasses. "How have you been? I've been worried since you guys first called me that you got the call."

"So were we," I agreed. "The drive was damn long, but my car survived it...how about you? Your last letter hasn't come yet."

"Spoilers?" she asked happily as she poured clear liquid into each cup. "Nothing's really going on. I was writing you in school, though, and the girls asked me who wrote letters anymore."

I laughed at that, moving to take the first cup she'd poured as we chatted. Kevin moved to join us, looking amused. After a moment, he wandered over to the coffee table. I wasn't paying that much attention, but when he returned, he set a half full glass next to my hand.

L blinked at it, then up to him.

"He mixed a couple drinks before you got here," Kevin supplied.

"Oh, shit," I laughed, picking up the glass and taking a long drink to finish it.

"Don't get drunk when you have to deal with Josh," L complained, reaching over to take the rest of the thing from me. She took a long drink, then shuddered and stared at it.

"I have to deal with Josh," I offered happily, drinking more from the glass she'd mixed.

She laughed at that, moving to stand next to me at the bar. She pulled my staff out of my belt loop and started fiddling with it as she went into a recitation of a test she'd taken earlier in the day.

Kevin moved around us with the cup she'd poured him, moving to drop on the couch with a long-suffering sigh.

L turned to focus on him, half beaming as she bounced over to sit in the seat across from him, leaning forward as she stared at him.

"What?" he asked dryly.

She continued staring at him.

There was a tap on the door.

I moved across the room to open it, seeing a pretty smiling woman with...a pair of royal blue sweatpants and a pristinely white t-shirt.

"You requested these be sent up?" she asked happily, passing them into my hands, as well as a small bag. "Do you need anything else?"

"I think this will be fine, thank you," I reassured her, looking into the bag.

She smiled brightly at me, then turned and headed off down the hall again.

"What is it?" L asked curiously.

"Clothes for Brian," I supplied, moving into the room and hesitating since the music started to warble slightly. There was nothing for it, though, so I moved into the bathroom.

"What?" Brian demanded.

"Your clothes," I supplied, setting the stuff on the counter. "L is here, too."

"Alright," he muttered.

I moved back into the room as the music continued to warp slightly. It seemed to stabilize as I moved from the bedroom, and I smiled at L when she looked at me with interest.

"It didn't blow," Kevin noted, tilting his head as the music steadied.

"I know," I agreed. "I was trying to be quick and calm."

Kevin grinned as I dropped next to him.

"Have they brought the clothes yet?" Josh demanded as he moved back into the room. "They better have."

"Yeah, a minute ago," I agreed, giving him a curious look.

He shook his head, carrying a white backpack toward the master bedroom.

"Always the white," L called.

"Have sex with your wizard so I can touch you again," he retorted, starting to close the doors.

"Alright," she said happily.

Josh hesitated, then closed the door fully.

L started laughing, looking back to see us both giving her skeptical looks. She laughed more.

"I mean...if you need me to?" I asked.

L giggled and kicked at me.

"I mean," I gave Kevin a mock-concerned look. "I'm not gay, so..."

She laughed even harder, taking another drink of her cup.

I laughed more, shifting and trying to think of something else to say.

"Why did you let her walk off with your staff?" Kevin asked curiously, looking back to me. "She has your weapon, meaning you're defenseless..."

I blinked at him, then reached up and unzipped my bag. It only took me a moment to have my heavy rope out, and I flopped the one end at him. "Happy?"

"Is that kinky?" L asked blankly, looking at the thing.

"This is totally a weapon," I noted, shifting it into my hand properly so she could see it all.

"Is it?" she asked, leaning forward and setting her cup down. She reached for it, and Kevin interrupted her hand before she could take it.

"What?" she asked blankly.

"Staff," he returned.

She blinked at him, then passed him my staff.

I snickered, letting her take the rope as he passed the staff back to me.