Chapter Four
Ciel's head was swimming when he woke next. He could tell he was lying on his side, and he strangely felt lighter than air despite the small beginnings of a headache lingering in the back of his skull. Blinking his eyes open, he nearly had a heart attack when he became aware of Sebastian sitting by his side, idly reading a worn book.
The vampire noticed his wakefulness straightaway and he set the reading material down beside him. Red eyes were vigilant and Ciel had the distinct feeling that not everything was as it appeared.
"Good evening," Sebastian greeted innocently enough. "It's nice to see you decided to come back to the land of the living. I'm quite famished, you know."
Ciel swallowed what fears he had, trying to ignore the painfully frank comment. "How long was I-?"
"Three days," Sebastian cut in curtly, and Ciel felt much weaker with such an answer as that. The older male reached around behind him and pulled out a small bottle. "And because I can't always be bothered to find you food, you'll have to drink this for the time being."
With unease, Ciel watched as the clear liquid sloshed around in its container. "What is it?" His stomach gave a faint gurgle, but it didn't make the unknown liquid any more appetizing.
"An elixir of sorts," Sebastian answered. "It takes the place of both food and water. It'll make you stronger and feel better." He paused and pressed the vial into Ciel's shaky hands. "Undertaker said it should have a taste of apples."
Ciel couldn't detect any underlying threats or motives, and his curiosity got the better of him. He uncorked the bottle and smelled the contents, finding that it did smell of sweetly ripened apples. However, he was far from drinking it.
"I want you to answer some questions," he stated, watching with suspicion as a certain glow left Sebastian's eyes. As confused as that left him, he turned his attention to the important things, like if he was going to get out of here alive.
Surprisingly, Sebastian lounged back a moment later, obviously concluding there to be no harm in it. "Ask away," he encouraged with a wave of his hand, his smirk giving away his amusement despite Ciel's uncertainties about what exactly was running through the vampire's head.
Inching away slightly should anything go wrong, Ciel managed to ask, "Why am I here? And tell me honestly, I can take it."
Chuckling at the boy's bravado, the pale man answered with a lick of his lips, "You're an extended meal. Not only do you have the blood of a virgin," Ciel looked away with a slight tint to his cheeks, "but there's some extra spice that find rather delicious. I'm not sure if it's because you're a boy, or if it's because of your age, but whatever it may be, it has captivated my attention."
"So…so I suppose I'll be here for a while?"
Sebastian shrugged indifferently. "That depends on my personal restraint. I still don't have total control over it, but I'll have you know that I do intend to make you last."
Like a spider that refused to be squashed, that surreal feeling came creeping back again as they talked about his uncertain time of death. As Ciel saw it, he could be dead within a few hours, or a few years.
"Is there any chance you'll let me go?" It was probably an absurd question, but Ciel asked anyway, thoughts of his family lingering in the back of his mind.
Long fingers twisted the chain absently, but Ciel didn't dare move his leg. "I've only had two or three captives before, but they were merely for amusement purposes…" Sebastian answered, watching Ciel's expression closely. "You're here for your blood, and you have proven to be amusing. Now, you have to admit that that is a good combination, yes? It would be most regretful to give you up."
Ciel could almost see his ridiculous hopes deflating right in front of him. "So you won't be having any change of heart?"
Sebastian chortled. "Maybe when you're old and grey." He reached out, a cold hand landing on Ciel's clasped ones. "Now, be a good boy and drink up. I can't afford having you knocked out for days on end again."
The pale hand atop of his made Ciel shiver. A small part of him wanted to refuse, to fight back, but when he weighed the odds, as well as how much energy he lacked, he was sure Sebastian would stuff the liquid down his throat one way or another. Deciding to be smart and hope for the best, Ciel raised the small vial to his lips and tilted his head back.
Sebastian watched with eager eyes as the boy's Adam's apple slid up and down as he drank the elixir. It would do exactly as he said, satisfying Ciel's thirst and hunger. But what he most anticipated was a full revitalization of strength.
He was hungry. And while he could have gone out and made a kill in the three days that the boy was out, he decided to heed Undertaker's advice and cut back now that he had Ciel. So he had to make extra sure that Ciel was rejuvenated each time he decided to feed. Not just for Ciel's sake, but for the sake of Sebastian's enjoyment of his food fighting back. He resisted the urge to pounce as the teen polished off the bottle.
"See? No harm done," Sebastian said with a smile. A little color was starting to seep back into Ciel's face. "You look better already." Ciel held the empty bottle out for him to take, and Sebastian watched his movements, surprised to see little to no effort in them as he sat up more fully and pulled his legs tight to his chest. 'Faster than I thought,' he mused with building excitement.
"So what am I supposed to do exactly now that you've made it crystal clear that I have no hope for escape? Read a book?" Ciel asked, a snarky tone coloring his voice. A renewed glare set heavily in his eyes.
Not bothering to respond, Sebastian reached out but his hand was slapped away. His eagerness swelled as Ciel's strength and boldness grew, his eyes now far from wavering in fear. 'So this is his true nature when faced with danger…I seemed to have picked the needle out of the haystack,' he thought with a devilish smirk.
"Don't touch me," Ciel warned him, pressing himself further away, his blue eyes darting this way and that as if gathering last minute information for an oncoming battle. "You can't be that hungry."
Sebastian laughed, seizing one of the teen's arms. He held on fast when Ciel attempted to wrench it away. "Oh, but I am," he answered. "What's made you so…courageous as to say what I'm not, hm?"
A brief tint covered Ciel's face, but he managed to push it away in favor of ridding himself of Sebastian's unnerving touch. The vampire's delight increased as he snatched Ciel's other arm, a smile slinking to his lips when he successfully accomplished pinning them over the boy's head.
He nearly dove in for a bite when Ciel started kicking.
Sebastian let Ciel rain a couple blows across his stomach and thighs, and he purposely let one of the captured hands go just to see what would happen. He snarled as he was slapped.
"Ngh-no-o, st-!" Ciel grunted with a gasp as the creature lunged at him, his long body hovering over own small one. His strength was starting to wane, but he struggled for all he was worth, having decided that he didn't wish to experience the painful sensation of being bitten again. He hardly took notice of the fact that Sebastian was thoroughly enjoying his attempts to get away from him.
A hand enclosed around his neck and squeezed slightly, causing Ciel to habitually stop his struggling. He lay flat on his back, Sebastian straddling his hips and pressing down on his chest. An all too familiar nose and surge of breath smoothed against his neckline once the cold hand was removed.
"Go rot in hell!" Ciel threw out as a last ditch effort, his courage and fear mixing with his frustration.
Burgundy eyes gleamed feverishly at him, frighteningly sharp fangs extracted and eager to tear something to shreds. "But my meal's already here," Sebastian whispered with a heavy breath. "Served on a platter, just waiting to be sampled."
Moist breath ticked his neck, and Ciel cried out as Sebastian chomped down. His free hand flew to scratch and push at the vampire's face, his fingernail's coming away red; Sebastian hadn't even budged. Pain blossomed through his veins, and his body arched in a last ditch effort to drive the creature away.
It felt like forever until Sebastian was lapping at his tiny wounds like a thirsty hound. His strength had been sucked dry, his suspicions nonexistent. His eyelids were growing terribly heavy with fatigue and numbing pain. Ciel didn't even notice when he closed his eyes.
Because he wasn't able to see the sunlight or even the moonlight, time seemed to have been thrown out the window. Ciel could only guess that it was nightfall whenever Sebastian was around, but it was always hard to determine since he constantly left. Ciel would fall asleep waiting, or out of boredom, and usually the vampire would be back by the time he'd wake from a melancholy dream. It could have been only days since his capture, but then again, it could have already been weeks without his knowing.
Ciel never bothered to ask what Sebastian did when he went out, and the vampire in turn never expressed interest in explaining what he was doing. Sometimes he would stay with Ciel and read, the only noise being the twittering of bats in the entrance or the flutters and swishes of the candles. Often these silences would unsettle him, but every now and then they'd be relaxing to him.
However, if anything was constant, it would be that Sebastian fed regularly. Ciel would be given a tonic, and just as soon as he felt that he could stand up to anything, the vampire would be attached to him like a bear is to honey. He'd instinctually make the effort to contribute a fight every time, afraid of the pain that would undoubtedly ensue, but it never did him any good. In fact, it made the whole ordeal much worse.
So as Ciel wolfed down the last slices of oranges and guzzled down the rest of the elixir, he wondered what would happen if he were not to fight back. He had noticed after the fourth or fifth time how eager and excited Sebastian would get whenever feeding, and it made Ciel a little suspicious. Did Sebastian keep him well-nourished and up to par because he enjoyed playing with his food?
If that were the case, Ciel thought, would he grow bored if his food decided to be stubborn and not join in his game? He certainly didn't have much to lose.
"Ciel…" Sebastian breathed with the tone of one who's trying to coax a small animal out of its hiding hole. "Have you been a good boy and eaten everything I so graciously gave you?" Not about to reveal his game-face, Ciel merely nodded in a nervous way, making sure he inched away as far as he could.
Sebastian gave a dark chuckle and advanced at his usual pace. Within no time, he had Ciel flat on his back and was down on all fours. His nose was buried in his exposed neck, and his hands trailed slowly up and down his sides, trying to make him uncomfortable. Ciel held back the itching burn to kick out with all his might as a tongue languidly sampled his skin.
Almost instantaneously Sebastian pulled back, noticing the lack of struggle Ciel normally put up. Looking down to take the boy's face in he quickly understood the moment he searched those blue eyes. Bending back down, he whispered into the human's ear, "Alright…I'll play your way this time."
His stern gaze disappeared the moment the vampire admitted he understood what he was trying to do. Ciel could feel what resolve he had starting to slip from his hands like sand.
The tongue that ordinarily had a small part in Sebastian's feeding process suddenly took up the lead role. It swiped sensually against his flesh, and Ciel tried to duck his head to be rid of it, but it was clear Sebastian wouldn't have any of it. His hands were stealthily pinned above his head, and his legs were gently kicked apart so the vampire could sit in between them. Ciel whimpered as a cold hand slipped under his shirt to slide across his shivering skin.
"N-no…stop this right now," Ciel demanded, the vigor absent from his voice.
Sebastian pressed a small kiss to his temple, as if they were lovers. He looked at Ciel squarely. "But isn't this what you – all humans – desire? To be loved unconditionally? It's what you prefer, what you crave, is it not?"
Ciel realized that Sebastian had purposely trapped him in his own corner. If he said no, everything would undoubtedly go back to pain. If he said yes…"You can't be that hungry," he protested, drawing his knees up as if he'd be more protected.
The vampire hmmed a quick sign of amusement, then returned to his previous task without a straightforward reply. Ciel wriggled, attempting to block out all the good sensations that started to repeatedly shoot through his body.
The hand under his shirt teased and pinched at his hypersensitive skin, flicking at his nipples and causing Ciel to gasp with surprise. "Nngh…sto-p…"
A tongue traced along the shell of his ear, and hot, moist breath made him shiver with unwanted delight. "Does this feel good, Ciel?" Sebastian murmured with every intention of sounding seductive. Ciel could feel that his face had turned red as heat raced throughout his body.
"No…it doesn't," he tried to negate. Sebastian relocated back down to his neck, his tongue now working the skin, forcing Ciel to hold back his sighs of pleasure. "Ah!" he half cried, half moaned as Sebastian bit into the pumping vein without warning.
It was strangely gentle, the way he bit in. A sudden rush of warmth surrounded him much like a mother; a swelling sensation filled his heart. Ciel squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment when he realized what it had caused his nether regions to do. In a way, Ciel knew very deep down that if he strayed, he could fall into this dangerous temptation.
As he started to doze off when Sebastian pulled away, Ciel wished he could set his mind to regret his decision and instead want the pain, but it seemed nearly impossible.
Going under, Ciel barely registered Sebastian moving away completely, but he did catch the uncanny scent of tea and biscuits before he passed out.
"Uwah~! He's so adorable! Sebastian, how dare you keep him a secret."
"It couldn't be helped. Besides, I haven't had him that long."
"Oh, please. My Claude would never hide anything as cute as this! Right, Claude?"
Ciel moaned in the back of his throat as consciousness returned to him. He blinked a couple times, his vision blurry and bright. Whoever was in front of him was way too – the world came into focus much too quickly and Ciel was about to spring back if it weren't for suddenly being enveloped into a spine crushing hug.
"What would you think if I snapped him in half like a twig? I think he'd be even more beautiful."
At the cruel yet happily spoken words, Ciel involuntarily let a whimper escape. The arms that enclosed him tightened, the sickly sweet scent of perfume and scones making him dizzier than he already was.
"Alois, let him go," came a serious, beyond parched voice.
"Must I? You ruin all the fun, Claude."
Over the blonde's shoulder Ciel spotted yet another pale man who appeared very similar to Sebastian. He stood ramrod straight, his golden eyes gazing out from behind glasses much like a hawk's. He started moving towards them and a sense of dread settled in the pit of his already anxiety-filled stomach. He found himself looking imploringly at Sebastian, who was by the entrance and watching them all carefully.
"Unless you wish to be torn to shreds, I suggest you let the boy go for now," Claude warned, sounding as if he were trying to persuade a child to leave his toys and come to the dinner table.
The one named Alois huffed in defeat, knowing Claude meant business, and gave Ciel one last hug, thoroughly knocking the wind from Ciel's strained lungs. He was set to the side like a doll, but Alois didn't move from his spot on the cushions.
"So are we supposed to babysit him or something?" the blonde with wild blue eyes asked, his body already starting to inch closer to Ciel, as if he couldn't resist.
Sebastian sighed at Alois' tone. "Not in those exact words, but yes. I can't afford leaving him by himself despite the marks I've made on him and around these caverns. Lately I've been catching other creatures' scents. I have important matters to attend to tonight."
"Like what? You know, you're gonna owe us big time, Sebastian. Your timing in catching us was lucky; Claude and I were about to go to Russia, you know!"
Sebastian appeared to be pressed for time. Giving no response, he dug into his pockets, producing another vial. He tossed it to Alois, who expertly caught it. "I'll be back before dawn. I expect no funny business with him, understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just as long as I can play with this adorable kitten," Alois replied as he uncorked the bottle, making a disgusted face as he sniffed its contents.
The departing vampire turned to Claude, obviously needing a more solid confirmation. "Understood?"
"Crystal clear," came the monotone, almost bored reply. However, it seemed to be enough for Sebastian, for as soon as the words had left Claude's mouth, he flew out of sight.
All was silent save for Ciel's own worried breaths as he realized Sebastian had left him with complete strangers again. Shadows danced on the light auburn walls, making him uneasy as they twisted to an undetermined rhythm. The clearly reasonable of the two sat in the small alcove in the wall, pulling out a book from seemingly nowhere. He ignored Alois and Ciel.
Ciel found himself suddenly being dragged into the blonde's lap. His heart leapt when he caught sight of very distinguishable fangs, and he had no doubts that Claude had a pair of his own too. Pale fingers tickled his sides and arms; Ciel jerked but was held fast as he leaned in close, licking the shell of his ear.
"Let's play, kitten."
A/N: Uh-oh. What's Alois gonna do~? A thousand thank yous to everyone who's stuck with me this far, your comments and fav/alerts are truly appreciated, making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside x3 Next chapter will be up Friday!