Chapter 9

He couldn't breathe. He needed to be out of there. He needed to be anywhere but there.

Shane heard the bathroom door slam shut behind him. Around him he saw people look up in surprise and gasp at the bloody mark on his neck. No one seemed to notice the fact that he was half naked. His breathing was still erratic but he'd managed to stop the tears, not the panic. It still ran through his veins. With wide eyes he kept an eye out for Michael. Who knew how long it would be before he would want him back?

Shane stumbled at the thought.

Never had the door to the coffee shop seemed so far away. He could smell the hypnotising aromas of coffees. He could see the way people gawked at him. He could hear people shouting to him, asking if he was alright.

He could feel cold arms snake around his waist.

Shane choked back a cry as whoever it was quickly pulled him into another room. When he heard the door clang shut, his panic increased tenfold. Straining against the arms, Shane could feel the tears beginning to spill over. Why couldn't he be left alone? Why now? Why this?

He thrashed in his captives arms but they didn't release him. Shane coughed and spluttered as he fought to breathe as the arms became more restricting. It was definitely a vampire. It was far too strong to be human.

"P - Please, let me go…" Shane said weakly, part of him not caring about how he sounded. Having part of your neck chewed open by a lover sort of did that to someone.

No matter how much he struggled, the vampire wouldn't release him. If anything, the restrictions tightened to the point where Shane could barely move. Behind him, the vampire sniffed at his neck but didn't bite into the fresh wound. So the vampire was old…it had to be otherwise it would have no self-control.

So, if Shane wasn't a snack, what did it want? Why wouldn't it let him go? And who was it?

Suddenly he was released, and a second later and old gas lamp was lit in the corner. Surprisingly, even to himself, Shane didn't run. He was too intrigued. Instead he just stood there rubbing his bruising waist.

Something told him that this wasn't Michael. Michael. At the thought, a pang went through his heart. Could he sense Michael's emotions? Shane shuddered at the thought: he didn't want to see the vampire, much less be in his mind.

The flicker from the oil lamp lit up a small fraction of the room. The flame flickered and danced around, creating imaginary shadows that Shane watched from the corner of his eye. There was no sign of the vampire.

Something moved in the corner of the room. And then another gas lamp was lit. And this one, finally, revealed the vampire that had snagged him.

Oliver. A ghostly smile lit up his face as he stared intently at Shane's face. He didn't seem to care about the blood that was freely flowing from his open neck. "I thought you were smarter than that… Running through a coffee shop filled with vampires, how stupid is your generation? Just because you're bonded with a vampire doesn't mean you're invincible…" Oliver trailed off as he pulled two chairs over, sat on one and gestured to the other chair. "Take a seat. I don't want the hassle of having to explain an unconscious body."

Shane shook his head. "I'm not bonded to any vampire," he explained despite the silver bite mark on his neck.

"The bite on your neck seems to say different," Oliver said while he relaxed against the wooden chair. For a vampire he was terribly relaxed around wood…

He closed his eyes against the images and feelings that rushed through his body. The love in Michael's eyes, the fire that burned deep in them whenever they touched. There was the look of joy that would cross his face whenever Shane would do something to push the bonding forward. And the whimpers that would come from him whenever he fed from Shane… All of it gone in one silly misunderstanding that had left both of them hurt: both physically and emotionally.

"If you don't want to be meals on wheels, I can heal that for you if you want." Oliver's eyes trailed over Shane's exposed chest. The boy really was something. How had he never noticed it before? If he had, then he could have been his and not that ungrateful blonde vampires who didn't know how to control himself… Was there any way he could steal another's unwanted mate without coming to the wrath of Amelie? There had to be some way…

Shane fidgeted uncomfortably. When Oliver's eyes were on him it made him hyperaware of his shirt gaping open. Wrapping his arms around his torso, Shane tried his best to hide as much skin as possible. But he really did need that wound healed… "Yeah, if you don't mind."

Oliver nodded and rose from his chair gracefully. "You really will need to sit down for this," he said. Oliver turned his back to Shane before flitting to the other side of the room. For a moment Shane could hear rustling before Oliver reappeared again, an ancient looking medical kit in his hand. "Hold still…this may hurt."

Hearing those words, Shane focussed on other things in the room. The door was across the room so if he needed to escape he had no chance. He might as well stand there and start slashing his wrists… So that was out of the picture. Lining the walls were a few wooden crates, presumably supplies for the coffee shop. Beside those was a battered, leather case that looked a bit like a guitar case but probably wasn't. Guitar…Michael.

A lump formed in Shane's throat. Two days ago he'd given everything to Michael, and for what? To be repaid with a mark that branded him as Michael's…and no freedom to see or meet who he wanted. Even so… It still pained him that he couldn't trust Michael after all this time. What would he be doing now? The last time Shane had seen him was when he'd collapsed against the wall in the bathroom…distraught cries tearing their way from his throat. Would he still be there? Or had he gone home? Shane tried not to care…he really did. But he couldn't help but wonder what other stupid things the vampire could be doing. Starving himself? Pining away for him to come home. Uselessly trying to call Shane on his mobile? Or had he just forgotten Shane and moved on already? In less than an hour? Shane found it unlikely. After all, Michael looked upset enough when he ran from the bathroom.

Shane hissed when a sharp pain flared up the side of his neck. The side where Michael had marked him two days prior…

"Sorry about that," Oliver murmured. "I accidently touched your bonding mark." No, he hadn't accidently touched it. If it caused pain then it meant that they still harboured feelings for one another. Or that Michael was trying to find Shane through the emotional link mates shared. It would make the separation easier for the vampire if he knew Shane was safe and happy. Any sign of fear and, no matter what Shane thought of him or what was said before, Michael would come running. If Oliver wanted to get anywhere with Shane then he'd have to keep him calm at the very least…he could always knock him out if it became necessary.

"Do you know much about the bonding? Michael didn't seem to know much about the side effects and such…" Shane trailed off. Whenever he said Michael's name the blonde would immediately spring to mind.

"I've never found my mate," the closest I've ever got to a mate is you. "But I know a few things from what I've seen. After a while without their mate the vampire will slowly deteriorate and become nothing…they depend on their mate for everything."

"So…Michael might die?" Panic ran through Shane at the thought. He might be scared of Michael at the moment…but he didn't want him to die…

Oliver shrugged his shoulders before putting the needle and thread back into the medical kit. "Not straight away. It will take a few months, then again, it might not even take that long because of the way he left you."

Shane stood abruptly, wincing when the movement pulled at his stitches. "I need to go, I can't leave him like that." Suddenly, a cold hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back to his seat.

"Give him a week, Shane. You don't know what state of mind he's in."

Blood Bond

"We have to do something! We can't just leave him like this!" Sam paced the length of Amelie's office. It hadn't taken long for the news of the incident at Common Grounds to spread around town. They'd sent guards to Common Grounds to take Claire to an isolation ward for attempting to come between a vampire and its mate. None of the guards could find Shane… Sam just thought they hadn't looked hard enough.

Amelie stood behind her desk, her arms folded in front of her, her legs crossed. Her sharp, pale eyes followed Sam's movements. "Sit down, Sam. Your pacing is not helping Michael."

Sam shook his head and bit the side of his cheek to stop from snapping at her. He couldn't snap at her…not when she'd only just started talking to her again. "You weren't the one who found him…" he said softly, finally meeting Amelie's eyes.

"What was he like?" She asked softly despite the lack of emotion in his voice.

"He was sat on the balcony with blood around him. He'd tried making himself sick to quicken his death…he isn't looking good. He was sat in the corner, shaking, watching the sun as it neared him. Michael's only young; you know he won't survive long if he decides to go into the sun…" Sam shook his head sadly. This was his grandson. Michael would be happy that he found his mate, not mutter a string of profanities about 'how sorry he was' or hitting his head against a wall while crying out Shane's name.

Amelie showed no sign that she had even heard what Sam had said. She was as still as ever, a trait Sam had learned that meant she was thinking everything over, weighing up the pros and cons of the situation. "Is he still on the balcony? That you know of."

"No, I managed to persuade him to go back inside. I'll check up on him again later today to make sure he's not coughing up any more blood."

"Do you know where Shane is?" She asked quietly.

"The guards you sent found his scent in Common Grounds but they couldn't locate him. We think Oliver may have him at the moment." If anything was going to grab Amelie's attention it would be the fact that her rival had one of the most important pieces to the puzzle. If they couldn't find Shane within a week then there would be nothing for him to come back to. Michael would be dead or too far gone to help.

"Find Shane within the week. I refuse to let another die because of Oliver's interferences."

The plot thickens! Sorry about the lack of updates, I only have exams as an excuse… What do you think Oliver's going to do with Shane? Any thoughts of how Michael's reacting? Do you think they'll find Shane in time?

Please review! Thanks for reading! 35 reviews maybe? Thanks! :D

Ps, if you like Blood Bond then you may be interested in No Rest For The Wicked, or if you're over 16 then you might want to read the PWP I wrote between Shane and Michael called Dirty Little Messages…