NOTES:
Hey all, I'm going on vacation for a week, so I won't be posting again until I get back. Be aware that the original version of this chapter contains explicit content. I've removed it from this post to remain within this site's ratings policy. If you want to read it in its entirety, I've posted iton my livejournal. Username: gefhrlich
There is a link to my livejournal page in my profile as well.
Chapter 7: Stay With Me
The landscape shifted and changed the closer they got to Sproul Forest. The strip malls, little towns, gas stations and city bus shelters became less frequent and gave way to rolling fields, ramshackle barns and eventually brief stretches of dense, untouched forests. They were only thirty minutes outside the entrance to the park when a patch of rough road covered in gravel burst the rear tire of the station wagon.
"Shit!" Destiny shrieked as the car swerved violently, tipping off the road and into a muddy ditch off the side of a highway littered with fast food wrappers and rusty beer cans.
They all looked at one another, mouths agape. Roman cursed their bad luck and Destiny's cheap tires. He got out of the car to inspect the damage. The rubber was torn to shreds and patching it was out of the question. Peter and Destiny rounded the car and Peter crouched down in front of the destroyed tire. He cringed, running one hand down his face and through his beard.
"I'm guessing you don't have a spare," Peter ventured.
Destiny just shook her head slowly, her expression apologetic.
Roman stepped onto the highway, looking in all directions. The sky was just starting to darken. It wasn't late, but the early dusk and the smoky chill in the air were omens of winter. Roman squinted his eyes, reaching his senses as far as possible but the road was empty and deathly silent.
"Then let's start walking," Peter said with a shrug.
"You're kidding," Roman scoffed.
"Do you have a better suggestion?" Peter retorted.
Roman threw up his hands. He walked to the car and grabbed his sleek, black suitcase filled with human remains out of the trunk. He placed it on the ground, extended the handle dramatically and stalked away, dragging the wheeled-suitcase down the empty and shadowed highway.
This was not going well. First, Peter brings a chaperone on their rescue mission. And not just any chaperone, he brought his overprotective cousin with a strong distaste for Upirs. Then, Peter goes cold on him, acting like a brat and taunting him with empty threats. And now, they are walking down a deserted road like a band of vagabonds. Roman was feeling irritated and seriously pent up. He pitied the next person he encountered, because he was quite sure they would be bleeding from multiple arteries before they said a word.
Roman felt the vibrations beneath his feet before he saw the bright headlights on the road. An old pickup truck with peeling orange paint and covered in rust stains materialized from the swirling mist behind them. Destiny dropped her bag and started jumping up and down, waving her arms. The truck came to a sputtering stop next to her. She leaned into the passenger side window, smiling big and twirling her hair. Roman heard the gruff rumble of a man's voice from inside the cab, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. Destiny was all nods and smiles as she waved Peter and Roman over to the car.
"Apparently there is a motel a few miles down the road and he said he'll take us. We can call a tow truck from the motel, but we'll be stuck there tonight" she said.
Peter and Roman nodded, grabbed their bags and threw them in the back of the old truck. Roman made a move to get into the cab but Destiny shook her head, jerking her thumb toward the back of the pick-up. Roman was horrified, but climbed gingerly into the flatbed of the truck next to Peter. Peter didn't bother to hide his amusement at Roman's discomfort, laughing out loud and breaking into a wide, charming smile as Roman folded his long limbs around him, trying to avoid any physical contact with the rusty vehicle. It made Roman's heart flutter and he smiled back tentatively.
The truck puttered down the highway noisily for a few miles before coming to a stop in front of a small motel with a buzzing neon VACANCY sign swarming with moths. Roman jumped easily from the back of the truck and headed toward the well-lit building at the end of the short, one-level complex marked "office."
The motel office was small and toasty warm. An old-fashioned wood stove burned in the corner and the walls were decorated with clumsy needle point images of houses with quaint sayings about home, family and our Lord Jesus Christ. There was no one behind the desk, but there was a steaming cup of tea sitting on a homemade coaster next to the register.
Roman tapped the little brass bell on the counter and it tinkled lightly. There was no response. He tapped it again, a bit harder this time. There was still no response. Roman was getting irritated. He waited patiently for a few moments before proceeding to bash down on the bell repeatedly with the palm of his hand, and then his fist.
A young girl with sweet blonde curls and huge, sky-blue eyes came running out from a back room just as Roman's fist slamming down on the bell a final time, crushing it to pieces in a spray of springs and tiny screws.
She looked horrified for a moment, but Roman flashed her the biggest, most charming smile he could muster and she relaxed. She looked at Roman with those innocent doe eyes he wanted her instantly. She was like a sweet little lamb transfixed by the eyes of the jungle cat about to consume her.
"Well, hello," Roman said, dropping his voice to a tone like crushed velvet. "Who left you here all alone after dark?"
The girl blushed prettily and Roman could hear the sound of the blood rushing to her face and thump of her heart. Roman swore he could feel the daggers from Peter and Destiny's eyes in his back and it pleased him immensely.
"My dad went out for a six pack so he'll be back soon. But if you and your friends need a room, I can help you with that," she said.
"Perfect," Roman purred. "Three. Separate. I'll take a king."
The girl retrieved three keys from drawer and Roman charged it to his credit card. She kept smiling at Roman, peering at him through her eyelashes seductively. Roman was halfway through a half-hearted compliment when Peter and Destiny snatched their keys from the counter without a word to Roman and stormed off to their rooms. He could hear Destiny whispering angrily to Peter. He thought he heard something about Little Red Riding Hood and a Big Bad Wolf and the irony tickled him.
"Sorry about my friends," he explained to the doe-eyed girl. "It's been a long day."
"It's okay," she shrugged. "My name is Emily, by the way."
Roman truly hadn't cared enough to ask.
"Well, Emily," he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "When your dad comes back with that six pack, why don't you snag a couple and come find me. I'll be in room…" he looked at the key fob on the counter. "I'll be in room six."
The girl blushed again, playing with the buttons on her cardigan. She nodded.
Roman smiled at her and took his key and rolling suitcase of blood and walked out of the office, pausing to light a cigarette. It was just too easy. He didn't have any intentions of hurting the girl. In fact, at this moment, his needs were far more basic. He was wound too tight and he feared the tension would cause him to snap. He couldn't afford to be this distracted while Nadia's life lay in the balance. Emily would provide a perfect remedy.
Peter was outside his room smoking. He clutched the cigarette tightly between silver-ringed fingers with those bright eyes glaring at Roman from behind a wall of furrowed brows and a loose, dark hair. That furious look just about undid Roman and that familiar burning aching feeling rose in his gut and lodged itself firmly in his throat. He knew that look was going to haunt him.
He winked at Peter and made a lewd gesture, causing Peter storm angrily into his room, slamming the door behind. Roman laughed softly as he put out his cigarette on the side of the building, leaving a smear of ash. He wasn't sure whether Peter was jealous or just disapproving but he liked to think it was the former.
Roman placed his precious suitcase in the corner of the room. The place was clean, at least. The linens were cheap and scratchy but they appeared free of mysterious stains and smells. The walls were painted a deep burgundy that clashed horribly with the printed beige curtains. There was a small black and white TV on the dresser in the corner. It probably didn't even have cable.
Roman removed his coat and tossed his button-down shirt onto the chair in the corner of the room. He rinsed his face with warm water in the little freestanding sink then examined himself closely in the mirror, pulling at the skin underneath his eyes and the pinching and the shadows in the hollows of his cheeks. He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it straight back and letting it fall loosely to one side. He looked pale and bloodless, his skin glowing white against the black of his undershirt.
Roman sighed and pulled one of the jars from his suitcase. He poured some of the liquid into one of the paper cups next to sink. It slopped into the cup and sloshed over the edges, puddling on the countertop like a dead jellyfish. It was repulsive. Roman put his lips to the cup and threw back the slimy liquid. It felt thick and lumpy sliding down his throat and it tasted like the gristle discarded from cheap steaks. But it satiated Roman briefly.
Roman lay on his back on the bed. He turned on the little TV and flipped through the channels as he lit another cigarette, blatantly ignoring the no smoking sign. He figured Emily would turn up sooner or later and she would provide a brief but wonderful distraction from Roman's troubles. She was probably an absolute wild thing in bed, Roman figured. He smoked his cigarette slowly, inhaling deeply and blowing a series of smoke rings.
There was a hesitant knock on the door.
Finally, Roman thought and went to invite Emily inside. He hoped she brought beer.
But it wasn't Emily.
"Well, this is unexpected," Roman said.
Peter was standing there giving him that haunting look again. He looked ruffled, his shirt was wrinkled and his hair was messy from running his hands through it too many times. He just stood there for a few seconds chewing his lip, weighing his options.
"Yeah," Peter said. "I surprise myself sometimes too."
Peter took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Roman's neck, kissing him full on the mouth. Roman let out a surprised gasp and grabbed Peter by the waist, pulling his body against him, feeling the heat and relishing the burn. This kiss was different from the last. It had none of the ferocity but was, instead, deep and long and powerful. Peter's mouth was commanding against Roman's, their tongues sliding aginst eachother, teeth lingering over lips and soft breaths against wet mouths.
Peter ran his hands down Roman's chest, trailing damp and lingering kisses and licks down his neck. Roman groaned and tangled his fingers in Peter's soft, dark hair.
"You're not going to go all hot and cold on me again, are you?" Roman asked, gasping as Peter ran hands under his shirt and scratched nails down his chest.
"Maybe," Peter murmured into Roman's ear, running his tongue along the edge and biting his lobe gently.
"Yeah, okay," Roman said. "Fuck it."
EXPLICIT CONTENT REMOVED.
CONSENTING ADULTS CAN READ FULL CHAPTER ON LIVEJOURNAL. USERNAME: GEFHRLICH (THERE IS ALSO A LINK TO MY LJ IN MY PROFILE)
Peter ran both hands through his hair a few times before flopping backwards onto the bed.
"Shee-it," he said.
Roman lit the cigarette, took a drag and smiled at Peter.
"Shee-it," Roman said, exhaling.
He lay on his back on the bed next to Peter and handed him the cigarette. They passed it back and forth without speaking until the tabacco was gone and all they were smoking was the filter. Roman was afraid Peter would leave if he broke the silence, that he would come to his senses and sulk back to his room. So Roman said nothing. Many minutes passed and he eventually braved a glance at Peter. Peter's chest was rising and falling slowly, his head tipped to one side and hair falling over his closed, sleeping eyes.
Peter was staying, for now. And that was good enough.
