A/N: Just wanted to say THANKS SO MUCH for the great response on the last chapter! I got the message, y'all like smut! Noted. Doesn't mean it will be in every chapter, but I will make sure to include some healthy portions in the near future.
Once again this has taken me awhile to write and edit. I absolutely 100% blame the relentless heat. I just can't think straight when its like this and I don't have any AC in my house. Hopefully we get some cooler days soon!
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, happy reading :)
~o~O~o~
Part Twenty-Three
After breakfast the trio decided it was high time they took stock of useful items from the cottage. They began to deliberate the pros and cons of staying another night as they combed through the larder and pantry for supplies. Trevor disappeared outside, determined to find some kind of transportation. He was adamant that there had to be a better option than walking for another four of five days.
As it turns out, there was a small wagon behind the barn in good repair. It wasn't as large as the one they'd left at the Belmont Hold, but it was miles ahead of traveling on foot. Between that and the two strong horses in the barn, it seemed like their transportation problems were solved.
Sypha and Adrian remained inside, collecting foodstuffs and blankets for the journey. Adrian kneaded his dough for a second time and formed it into two loaves. He set it aside to proof once more.
The blonde had found himself in something of a pleasant fog since breakfast. He still felt the hum of his renewed energy but his body was relaxed, sated by the intense pleasure he'd experienced between his lovers. He knew he was wearing a silly little smile. He could still smell the traces of their activities on his face and fingers, even after thoroughly washing both. His body was just on the verge of arousal, despite there being literally nothing happening to provoke that reaction. He liked the feeling. He could get used to that feeling.
Sypha was arranging his damaged clothing over top of a small circle she'd drawn from memory. Adrian watched her work as he packed some cheese, fruit and spices. His mind wandered back to being beneath her, being buried between her legs. He wanted it again already. It had barely been an hour but he felt like he was more than ready to do it all over again. Maybe there would be time later, after they finished preparing to leave. He couldn't seem to stop the steady string of fantasies that he was imagining. Some were about the things they'd already tried, others were of the unknown. He had so much to learn, and possibly very little time in which to do so. There was a sense of underlying urgency about the whole thing, as well as an anxious sort of anticipation.
He was still a virgin. He was a twenty year old man in a relationship with two people, but he was still a virgin and he fairly blushed at conversations about sex. He had hardly been able to meet their eyes at breakfast, still reeling with an odd mix of embarrassment and exhilaration at what had happened between them that morning.
Adrian had a strange relationship with his own sexuality – that is, he had mostly tried to ignore it until recently. It felt wrong to even imagine sex before. Like it was inappropriate for him to do so. It's not that he felt he didn't deserve sex, or that there was anything wrong with having it, rather he knew he was unlikely to find a willing partner that understood him. And he hadn't been interested in something casual or meaningless; that didn't appeal to him very much. He'd spent the majority of his life trying to get rid of the urges through distraction or expedient masturbation whenever the need was too great to go away on its own.
As a child Adrian did not have any peers going through the same things he was – he was the only dhampir he knew of. Puberty started around six years of age, and got into full swing by the time he was seven. He'd spent a lot of time as a wolf, running until he was too tired to be horny because he didn't know what else to do. Once he'd come across a female wolf in estrus and had seriously considered mounting her, but in the end he'd run in the other direction, all the way back to the castle to his room. There he broke down and started touching himself because he thought he would go crazy if he didn't find some relief. He felt better afterwards, so he simply incorporated the practice into his normal life, considering it a problem solved.
To say that Adrian was a little naive and sheltered about sexual matters would be an understatement. He was in completely foreign territory. Despite that, he had managed to attract two partners, and things were going well between them all. This morning had been as exciting as it was scary. He couldn't help thinking about it, replaying it in his mind. There were a lot of different things that happened in that short time, including some discoveries about himself that he wasn't so sure about yet.
Adrian loved the way being with Trevor and Sypha made him feel. They trusted him and understood him. He didn't need to worry about pretending to be human with them. They didn't care if his claws grew sharp or if he moved too quickly for them to see. They were not scared of him in the slightest, even when his instincts made him behave oddly, like they had this morning. Seeing and tasting his marks on Sypha's lips was an instant turn-on that caught him off-guard and triggered more than only a sexual response. Every other thought in his head had taken a back seat to that for a minute, but Sypha hadn't recoiled or hesitated. She talked to him about it and gave him a chance to regain control. She sought to better understand, but all the while she'd been pressed against him and her hand was teasing him, tracing along his erect cock and making him twitch under her fingers. The mixture of her fearless acceptance combined with her touch left Adrian in awe of her. The experience was precious to him, and he wanted to please her.
And he had. He had pleased them both with his mouth in an unexpectedly erotic turn of events. A simple conversation with Trevor had somehow turned to the topic of kinks – and more specifically – Adrian's obvious fascination with leaving marks on his human partner's skin. He hadn't fully confessed how deeply the bites and bruises excited him, but he had at least admitted something to that effect. And Trevor had called it a kink.
Kink. The term was so ridiculous he couldn't think it without discomfort. It seemed so… undignified. Shameful. Something he wouldn't want anyone else to know about. What was a kink, exactly? A fetish? An aberration? A peculiarity that made him react with excitement where others would feel nothing of the sort. A perversion.
Vampires were carnal, sensual creatures. Humans were as well, to be fair. Adrian was a blend of the two, but he was a fairly reserved person and he certainly didn't think he was a pervert. He would never describe himself as 'kinky'. His self-image was far more chaste – he imagined himself as a protector of others, like a knight. As such, he tried to behave appropriately, and to treat others with respect and consideration; he did not like to be too forward or too harsh. That picture didn't leave much room for the things he was beginning to discover about himself.
So it was disconcerting to admit how aroused he was by seeing his lovers wearing his marks, although such a thing was perfectly normal for vampires. Even some humans – like Trevor – admitted to enjoying the practice, context aside. But the rest of it… the rest was a surprise. He hadn't expected his own reaction to being put on display as he was stripped and fondled. The way Trevor spoke to him – ordered him – was replaying in his head and keeping him just on the verge of getting hard all over again.
His own realization that he was extremely turned on by having his face and mouth covered in the scent of Trevor's genitals and ejaculate wasn't helping matters. He'd loved the taste and smell of them both so much he wanted to sink to his knees and beg them to let him do it again. The idea of pleasing them or servicing them was deeply appealing. Why did he like it so much? What was it about that scenario that made him so… so hot?
He wanted more. He wanted to know more about all of this. He wanted to make them both feel so good they came under his tongue and then he wanted to lap up the evidence. He wanted Trevor to order him around and say lewd things to him, and he wanted to almost suffocate between Sypha's legs. He imagined himself pleasuring them both, slicked with their fluids, getting it in his hair, on his face, in his mouth. He even imagined doing all of it wearing the blindfold again. While it had been overwhelming before, he would be willing to give it another try when he wasn't so thirsty and knew it would be more fun. The idea of giving up some control to those he trusted, of pushing his own boundaries and self-control appealed. The possibility that blood could be mixed into that play was equally appealing, although that was not his main focus at the moment.
What on earth was wrong with him? Normal people didn't want to be treated like that. Normal people didn't think it was exciting to be ordered around and humiliated that way. He hadn't even had regular sex yet!
But the possibility was open to him now. He knew he could, and probably would, have sex with Trevor and Sypha before too long. That opened up a whole slew of other questions. What was his role in that situation? What was expected of him? What could he ask for?
He knew he wanted to be inside Sypha, and he suspected she wanted that too. She had been so wet… so hot, she smelled fucking incredible; he could grab her right now and just… put his hand inside her, put his mouth on her, bite her, lick her, make that groaning noise of satisfaction he'd heard from her earlier happen again. Would she really want him to make love to her, or was she already satisfied by Trevor? What if she didn't like how he felt inside her, or if he was bad at it? What if she got pregnant? What if he wasn't careful enough of his strength and she got hurt?
Would Trevor let him have sex with Sypha? Perhaps a silly question, but he was still trying to determine how he fit with them, and what his role was. The pair were already together before he joined them; they had shared a lot without him and already had sex plenty of times. He felt awkward about his position – he didn't know what was okay and what crossed a line. Trevor had never given Adrian any indication that he minded one way or another what he and Sypha shared. Maybe they could have sex anytime they wanted and he wouldn't care. Obviously it would make the most sense for them to discuss this together, but how to begin that conversation when he didn't really know what he was asking?
How the hell was a threesome supposed to delegate roles? Did one person take the same role all the time? Was Trevor… in charge? Was he only assuming that position because Adrian was inexperienced? He clearly had no compunctions about giving out instructions (orders) in the heat of the moment and he was also possessed of some ability to read the situation. He seemed to have an intuition about these things. He recognized some of Adrian's own proclivities before he himself realized them. He'd 'guessed' that Adrian would respond to his commanding tone and to being displayed for Sypha and he had been very much correct. Adrian felt like Trevor was far wiser about these things than he was. The man understood sexuality on a variety of levels. He was confident and relaxed. He asked for what he wanted and was open to experimentation and play. He was very playful, in fact. Adrian was so much more serious, more hesitant in these matters. He was still learning about all of this and he didn't know where he stood. Would he need to ask Trevor for permission to be inside Sypha? Were all of them equals in this?
And… what about other kinds of sex? Men could have sex too… Adrian unconsciously stiffened at this, knowing that he was missing a lot of information. He might be ignorant to the fine print, but he knew what was involved and failed to see the appeal of anal sex. It seemed kind of gross and painful. Maybe he should ask Trevor about it. An embarrassing prospect, but he was curious, and he knew the hunter was easy to talk to and wasn't shy about much of anything. Did Trevor want to do that to him? Trevor was far more assertive than Adrian himself was and it was easy to imagine that he would want to be the one doing the uh- penetrating in that scenario. If nothing else Adrian's body was extremely tough, so even if it hurt at the time, he would be unharmed. That being said, he didn't especially like the idea of having to endure something painful that didn't feel good. Maybe Trevor didn't want that at all, and they would just share Sypha.
He had no idea how this was supposed to work and the more he thought about it the more questions he ended up with.
He raked his fingers through his hair, taking a steadying breath and trying to reign in his wild imagination. This was getting out of hand. At this rate he wasn't going to last the morning without needing to find somewhere to relieve his building tension at so many sex-themed thoughts. It was maddening. He should probably try to think of something else for now, lest the edge of arousal he was feeling became stronger and he ended up walking around with a hard-on indefinitely.
Sypha had finished repairing his torn and burnt clothing and was looking at him strangely. His eyebrows rose in question.
"You're doing it again," she said with a smirk.
"Doing what?" he asked, trying to keep the blush off his cheeks.
"You zoned out for a few minutes. You've been holding that wheel of cheese in your hand the whole time. What's on your mind?" she came around the side of the counter, taking the food from his grasp and setting it with the other items he'd packed for the road.
"Just thinking about this morning," he admitted, looking down at their hands. Sypha's rested over his own on the counter top. He twisted his palm, lacing their fingers together. He met her eyes and brought their clasped hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "I'm a little… lost," he admitted after a moment.
"What do you mean?"
He worried his lip, releasing her hand and resting his palms on the edge of the counter. "I don't really know what I'm doing Sypha. You and Trevor are so much more experienced and I'm… not."
Sypha broke into a bright smile, the apples of her cheeks round and full. She laughed. "Relax, sex is supposed to be fun, and sometimes experimental. You'll learn as we go."
Adrian tried to let go of his many swirling questions but it was a challenge. "There might not be very much time – I feel like I have to catch up while I have a chance."
Sypha's expression grew more serious. "You can't rush these things. What is it you feel like you need to catch up with? You already have us and we both love you; the hard part is over. Now its just learning what we all like and how we can all please each other – that's the best part. Are you not enjoying it? Is something from this morning bothering you?"
"No… I liked it, I said that before."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I want…" he trailed off, looking at the little pile of supplies he had put together on the counter. "I can't even say it out loud."
"Yes you can, you're just nervous. You don't need to be. You can always talk to me," she encouraged.
He felt his face getting hot as he looked at her. "I- I want to have sex," he managed to say before his voice failed him and Sypha gave him a devilish grin. He was gripping the edge of the counter top hard enough that the wood split in his hands. He withdrew them, looking at the sizable lengthwise crack left by his overly tight hold.
Sypha drew closer, standing on her toes so she could reach his lips. She gave him a slow, thorough kiss which left him breathing hard and leaning closer to her. "I want that too," she said sweetly, stroking his hair. "There's time, don't worry. And you really don't need to be anxious about it, its just Trev and I." She studied him for a brief moment then smirked. "I doubt Trevor can keep his hands off you much longer anyhow, especially after this morning."
Adrian's eyes widened at that and Sypha smoothed her hand over his rear and laughed. "Try not to look so horrified. He's a very good lover, even if he is incredibly impatient," she squeezed his ass cheek indulgently. "He'll push your boundaries, but he will respect them, and so will I. You're in good hands."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body tightly. "Thanks Sypha."
"You're welcome. Oh, and here are your clothes, good as new," she pressed a bundle of black into his arms and he took it them thankfully.
"Let's go see if Trevor's mastered the Morning Star yet," she said, pulling on her outer robe and making for the doorway.
Adrian licked his lips, his eyes following her across the room.
"Are you coming?" she asked when he was still standing in the same place several moments later.
"Coming," he answered, slipping the long black coat over his shoulders. He tugged the soft leather gloves over his fingers, stretching them experimentally. They were flawless. Adrian fastened his sword at his hip and followed Sypha from the cottage, blinking in the bright sunlight. Somehow his head was even fuller now than it had been before he'd said anything to her.
~o~O~o~
Trevor was on the grass behind the barn with his new weapon in hand, moving through a series of familiar steps. Adrian had seen him practice before, but never with the Morning Star. He found a shady spot under a tree to watch from, noting the man's intent focus on his movements. Trevor was surprisingly light on his feet for his height. He seemed to dance, weaving the chain between his hands, around his arms – the whip was a very involved weapon. It required a lot of precise timing, judgment of speed and weight to wield, and still more skill be successful in hitting a target, especially multiple targets in succession. It would be easy to get tangled or trip on the chain if it wasn't managed properly. It was interesting to see how Trevor used his arms and upper body to control it. Despite being new with the weapon, he already looked like handling it came easily to him.
Sypha was watching as well, but after a few minutes she rose and approached Trevor, making sure he saw her so she didn't accidentally get knocked by the deadly flail. She sank into a ready stance and positioned her hands in front of her, summoning several sharp looking ice lances. Trevor nodded slightly to her and she began to launch them at him.
He was on the defense in the blink of an eye, smashing the ice from the air before it could strike him. Sypha increased the number of projectiles, shooting them in pairs, and even threes. The hunter didn't miss a single one, expertly deflecting or destroying the ice as it came into his range. She began to throw more erratically timed attacks, trying to confuse him by changing the speed, size, and direction of the ice. He took it all in stride and made it look easy.
Trevor was not a supernatural being. He was a normal human. His only enhancement was his ability to sense monsters, thanks to being a hunter. All of his skill, ability and strength were hard-won through his own efforts. Adrian had a deep respect for this, because it seemed impossible to him. He had always been supernaturally strong, powerful. Even Sypha was magical, but Trevor was a normal man who was simply very adept with his weapons. He was resourceful and determined.
Adrian watched him work harder, stepping up his game as Sypha began to overwhelm him with her ice attacks. He deflected them at an astounding rate, and before long the ground around him was littered with melting shards of crushed ice. He started to move on the offense, using the weapon to force Sypha backwards, keeping her from being able to summon the next attacks as easily.
Sypha was by and far the most skilled and capable mage Adrian had ever met. She could summon ice and fire seemingly effortlessly, and he had watched her perform numerous other spells as well since meeting her. Even though Trevor was forcing her back, her attacks didn't stop. When one tactic became too predictable she would switch it up. She even used gusts of air to derail the deadly flail before it could strike her, and once she pinned the chain of the Morning Star to the ground with an icy lance, arresting the strike before it could land and forcing Trevor to drop the pommel as the chain suddenly jerked out of his hand. He didn't miss a beat, quickly drawing his other whip and forcing her back so he could retrieve his primary weapon.
After about twenty minutes of back and forth they were both slicked in sweat and panting hard. Adrian was contentedly lounging in the shade, watching them but also playing with his sword. His control with the weapon had always been excellent. It responded instantly to his thoughts and flew at his targets like a deadly, silent phantom, slicing anything he directed it to into ribbons. He felt the connection to the weapon easily, the humming reach of the spelled metal like an extra limb, an extension of himself.
He hopped to his feet and began to move and twist with the weapon, sometimes holding it directly, sometimes using his mind. He saw that he was drawing the attention of his partners, and eventually they banded together and started to spar with him.
"Do you think you can take us both?" Trevor challenged, and Sypha stepped up beside him, her hair swaying in an unseen wind as magic floated around her.
Adrian's eyes flashed and he relished the challenge, quickly flying forward, sword at the ready. He laid into them hard, finding that Sypha was staying out of his range, providing Trevor cover with her fire and ice, keeping Adrian from getting too close. He worked to divide them, busying Trevor with his sword and opting to challenge Sypha directly in the hope that he could neutralize her quickly.
She proved to be very good at keeping him from her. Each time he approached he was met with walls of fire or ice. He got better at predicting and avoiding these defensive maneuvers, but just as he began to gain on her she blindsided him with one of the holy spells she had practiced on him the previous evening. He found himself frozen and blinded and when he came back to his senses Trevor had the point of his short sword jabbed between his shoulders, and Adrian was forced to admit defeat.
"Sypha that spell is fucking awesome," the hunter said, withdrawing his weapon and letting Adrian stand and dust himself off. Trevor pulled a leaf out of the blonde's hair and flashed his teeth in triumph. Adrian curled his lip and snorted in mock irritation.
"I think I could enchant a weapon with it," she answered. "I haven't learned how to do weapon enchantments yet, but I know it's possible. I'll look into it. There were some books in your family's collection about it but I didn't get a chance to read them through."
"If you could do a dagger or two it would be really handy. Are you up for one more?" Trevor asked, directing his question to them both.
"Of course," Sypha answered quickly, and Adrian wasted no time readying his blade to meet their first wave of attacks.
He was more careful to watch for the signs of holy magic this time around. He wasn't willing to be defeated twice in one afternoon, especially not twice by the same method. He noticed he had slightly more speed and strength than he had before thanks to Sypha's blood in his veins, and he drew from it as he skillfully danced out of the way of most of their strikes. A few times he met them head-on, smashing an ice lance clean out of the air with a well-placed kick in once instance, and meeting Trevor's whip with his sword in another. The chain wrapped around his blade and he jerked it, trying to pull Trevor off-balance. He was ready for the move and quickly counterattacked with his other weapon. Adrian evaded the second strike and whirled on Trevor with a flurry of attacks until Sypha forced him away with fireballs.
They went back and forth like this until Adrian emerged victorious, gleefully crushing his boot into Trevor's chest while his blade hovered at Sypha's throat.
It was good to expend some energy and fight; sometimes he forgot how much he enjoyed it. He might be all kinds of uncertain where their evolving relationship and sexual activities were concerned, but on this field he was well-versed and confident, not to mention skilled. He was invigorated by such activities and appreciated that both his partners seemed to have an equal taste for them. They presented him a decent challenge, although he had to be careful not to kill them with his attacks at times. That did not mean he found victory easily, because he didn't, especially when they fought as a pair.
"Get off me," Trevor wheezed, and Adrian gave him a haughty smirk before slowly releasing him and recalling his sword to it's sheath.
"That was fun," Sypha said, catching her breath and wiping sweat from her brow. "But we're all holding back."
"Well we can't exactly kill each other over a spar," Trevor pointed out, fingering the Morning Star. He couldn't very well use it on either of them without risk of doing serious harm, just as Sypha needed to be careful with her magic, and Adrian had to rein in his strength. Where were the night creatures when you needed them for target practice?
"Adrian what about your magic?" Sypha asked. He knew she'd been dying to see some evidence that all the stress about his drinking her blood had resulted in more than an overactive libido – not that she seemed to mind that part – but he had yet to try.
He found himself nervous. Not for any good reason, just sort of of generally anxious about trying it for the first time in so long. Would he remember how to do anything right? Had he forgotten what his father taught him?
"Yeah come on Adrian, lets see this magic we've heard so much about," Trevor challenged, looping the chain of his weapon up before tucking it at his belt. He was still catching his breath and his hair was sticking to him with sweat.
"Alright," he obliged.
He stepped a few paces away from them and considered the warm thrum of power that he felt most acutely in his gut. He wondered how it felt for Sypha, where she drew from. They had never talked about it before. For Adrian it was his middle. He relaxed and focused on summoning the flames which he knew lay inside him. They seemed unwilling to be more than a warm crackle, however. Even with concentration he was unable to reconnect with his magic. Though he could feel it, it would not submit to him.
He used to practice this regularly with his father, calling and manipulating the deep, hellish flames with ease, but he found that without use the skill had atrophied, and he was only able to summon a small wreath of fire for a few seconds before he lost control and the flames winked out.
Irritated, Adrian frowned and had to work to silence his mind's whispering that he wouldn't be able to do it anymore. He couldn't undermine himself like that, it would be very counterproductive.
"That's all?" Trevor said, evidently unimpressed by the display. Sypha punched him in the arm. "Ow! Jeeze Sypha that hurt!"
"Let him concentrate, Belmont. Its been a long time since he used this, remember?"
Adrian peeked from one eye and saw Trevor rubbing his arm, looking at Sypha with an appropriately chastised expression. He smiled to himself and saw Sypha watching him intently, fascinated by even the small demonstration he'd managed, but obviously expecting more.
He'd barely made the grass at his feet wilt before he lost his hold on the flames. He was determined however, and tried a second time. He relaxed and tried to find the place in his gut where his power slept.
Again he went through the steps, breathing slowly, concentrating on the well inside him that he knew was both deep and powerful. As he did this his mind drifted slightly, recalling memories of the past.
"Father it's too hard," a younger version of himself complained, impatient with his lack of success at this latest exercise in futility. He had been trying for the entire evening to produce more than a meager facsimile of the example his father provided, but it was no use. Every time he got close to tapping the deep vein of energy that was supposed to be inside him he became distracted, and lost his grasp over it.
A large, clawed hand came to rest reassuringly on his shoulder. His father sank down, squatting beside him so they were face to face. He looked into the calm burgundy eyes, his face pinched with anger. Father made it look so easy, he didn't understand how hard it was to do these things!
"Adrian, you are too worked up. Magic takes the path of least resistance. It flows like water. Your feelings are getting in the way, blocking it. You won't be able to control your magic unless you are calm. There is no place for anger or doubt when you are wielding magic like ours. You must be confident and still."
Adrian pouted, his plump lower lip protruding cutely and his arms crossed over his small chest. "I can't do it Father. I don't know how."
Ever patient, Dracula shook his head. "None of that talk, you know I won't tolerate it. You are a prince and my son. You are more powerful than you know, and you certainly can do this. Think about when we learned to become wolves. Remember how it felt when you met the soul of the wolf for the first time? You had to be calm, you had to find it inside of yourself. The wolf wont submit to you unless you are certain of yourself. The wolf respects power and confidence. This is like that. Its in you, but you can only access your magic when you are sure of yourself, and still. Our magic is based in chaos; in order to harness it successfully we must be the opposite of that. Chaos is a wild, unruly force of nature, but you can manipulate it, direct it. Lets try again."
Young Adrian thought about what his father was trying to explain to him. He thought about meeting the wolf for the first time. The wolf was wary of him, unwilling to submit to him until he wasn't scared. Once he knew with absolute certainly that the wolf was there he had been so excited to take its shape that he had put all of his energy into mastering the skill. It had taken several days of practice, but in the end Adrian's determination and persistence were rewarded. The first time he'd actually become the wolf he was so stunned that he'd tripped over his own paws and crashed snout-first into a tree. The change in perspective and sensory input had been daunting. The simple, wild soul of the wolf was alongside his own consciousness in his mind, like a companion that he shared his body with when he took that shape. It took some time to get used to the it, and still more time for the transition to be seamless and effortless, but it was now, and it had only been a few months. If his father believed that there was magic inside him, then he knew it was true. Father was brilliant and terrifying. He was ancient, and he was rarely wrong about these things.
Adrian pushed his wavy blonde hair out of his face and sucked in a breath. It was hard to find stillness. Father talked about it like it was so easy, but he had millennia of practice. For a barely six year old boy such things required a far greater investment in skills he hadn't yet begun to master, but determination is a powerful motivator, and Adrian was nothing if not determined. He wanted Father to see how capable and strong he was. He wanted his father to be proud of him. He could do so many things, and often he could do them better than the other vampires he'd met, even at his young age.
With renewed confidence, the young dhampir tried again. He closed his eyes. He sought out the wolf first, brushing his consciousness with its wild heart briefly, gratified by its immediate response which had become second-nature in a very short time. The wolf was always ready to come forward, but for the moment he simply acknowledged it then moved on, trying to find the stillness, certainty, and calm his father had described. He visualized himself motionless, breathless. Only the steady drum of his heart accompanied him on his journey inside himself in search of what lay deeper. He felt other things too: the soul of the bat, which he was starting to get the hang of, and the elusive mist, which he was still working on holding for more than a moment or two. He felt something more primal as well, something darker and hungrier than those things, something which had always been with him, part of him, which was strongest when he was hungry, or angry.
He touched on that, feeling his claws grow sharp and his desire for blood flare. He nearly lost his concentration at this, but he knew there was more here, that he needed to look deeper into this part of himself. Carefully, delicately, he explored his own darkness, sifting through the urges and primitive instincts and all the while reminding himself that what he searched for was there, he only had to find it.
And he did.
Deep, buried under many layers of himself, was a warm, dark pulse which fairly exploded at his provocation.
The acrid smell of brimstone burned in his nose as sinister flames erupted all around the boy, engulfing him suddenly, flaring dangerously around him. The heat and intensity shocked him into losing his grasp on it. The hellish fire winked out of existence as soon as his astonishment broke his focus, and he was left stunned to silence. He examined his hands as though they might be blistered from the heat, but they were normal; smooth white skin and small claws unchanged.
He looked from his hands to his father. The man stood tall at his side, long cape sweeping behind him just barely reaching the ground. He saw a wonderful expression on his father's face – a broad grin that even reached his eyes – and Adrian knew he'd done well. He stood a little taller, smiling back.
"Very good Adrian, that was excellent," he felt that reassuring hand on his shoulder again and he glowed with pride at his accomplishment.
By the time they decided to return to the castle Adrian had managed to hone his new skill somewhat, summoning the magic inside him more easily each time he tried and slowly learning to focus it. It was immensely tiring to train himself to do this new thing, but he pushed himself until he was too exhausted to even make it back to the castle under his own steam. His father had scooped him up and carried him home. He fell asleep with his head over the broad chest, lulled by the lazy, slow thud of his father's ancient heart.
Adrian remembered that day with vivid clarity. Finding his magic had been a wonderful moment of bonding between he and his father, and he could almost feel that large clawed hand on his shoulder when he thought about it. He found it much easier to connect with himself after replaying the day in his mind.
Confidence.
Certainty.
Stillness.
Calm.
Those things were essential to summoning and controlling the chaotic power inside him, and they came much more easily to him now, even after a decade of abstinence. Adrian had become very, very good at finding this place within himself over the years. He used it to fight – his blade always answered him when he commanded it from a place of calm – and he used these things to keep control over his appetite and to ensure he conducted himself in a manner appropriate to a prince.
He reminded himself of his father's advice now, as he searched within for the warm dark throb of his magic. After so long being disconnected it was initially reluctant to bend to his will. He was surprised by the connection he felt when he first touched it, but he was ready for it now. His second attempt was made with the right mindset. Adrian knew he could do this.
He felt his hair stirring, his aura expanding around him, his irises lighting with a deep redness. Slowly he felt it opening to him, welling up inside him and in another beat of his heart he was engulfed in intense and withering flames that had a decidedly dark undertone. They crackled and hissed and roasted the ground a few inches beneath his hovering feet. Everything in a sphere around him was suddenly burnt to a crisp or ignited by the searing fire and Adrian didn't hide his smile, pleased with himself and enjoying the sensation of wielding this power once more.
Trevor and Sypha hurriedly moved back when the heat became too intense for them. Sypha wore an absolutely fascinated, excited expression, even as she was shielding herself with her forearm from the waves of heat. Trevor was snorting in effort to clear the unpleasant scent of sulfur from his nostrils, which tended to sting.
Adrian moved a bit further from them and faced into the forest, away from the house and barn and anything else he might damage needlessly. Summoning the power was one step, but it was essentially useless unless it was directed and given a purpose. He knew many spells, and thought it would be prudent to test himself and see just how well he could harness what he'd called forth.
He revisited past lessons and considered a possible target as the fire licked the air around him and caressed his skin with its strangely pleasant burn. It didn't harm him at all, but it did take a great deal of concentration to maintain and direct it, and becoming distracted would only result in it slipping away. He picked an old half-dead tree about fifty feet away and went through the motions of a simple but very powerful spell, which culminated in a massive ball of molten heat sailing in a line through the forest into his target. It destroyed everything in its path, even melting through stones and eventually engulfed the huge old tree in a monolithic conflagration which burned so hot the trunk disintegrated entirely in seconds. Satisfied that it was a suitably impressive display, he released the energy. His eyes faded back to gold and he felt rather spent; use of such power also had a cost.
He inspected his handiwork with pride, caught up in the memory of his father's praise when he had first managed to perform this Dark Inferno spell, which was a favourite of Dracula's. Ashes and char crumbled beneath his heels when his feet touched down, the residual heat threatening to melt the soles of his boots. He flipped his hair over his shoulder, knowing that his human companions were rapt and feeling pleased that he had been successful in performing the spell as they watched.
"Holy shit," Trevor said when he reached them, eyeing the still smoking hole where the large tree had once been.
Sypha was looking at him with the queerest expression. It took him a moment to discern that she was trying to process the logistics of his magic, trying to figure out exactly how it worked, how he manipulated the element, where the power came from. He knew a fair bit about the elemental magic she performed, and it was vastly opposite to his own. They could not perform one another's magics, although they could likely both do some of the same unrelated spells, such as the one used to open the door to the Belmont Hold, or the one she had used to repair his clothing. Those could be performed by anyone capable of manipulating energy, no matter the source.
"That was amazing!" Sypha exclaimed, her eyes shining. "You were able to compress so much heat into it! It was so dense, how do you give it enough oxygen to keep it from smothering itself? Where do you draw from? Do you always have the flames around you when you raise energy or were they intentional? How do you cast? I smell sulfur, usually my fire magic smells like carbon, its so different! I want to know everything!"
She was gripping his forearms in her hands as she hammered him with questions and marveled again at the sheer volume of destruction. Of course she was more than capable of matching the spread of carnage with her own magic, but her fire spells weren't as concentrated, although they were far more flexible. Adrian had seen Sypha manipulate fire with a level of finite control and delicacy that was truly impressive. He could destroy on a grand scale, but he could never come close to the feats she could perform with her skills. His fire was expressed in sheer force. Even then, he could only maintain his magic as long as he could draw enough energy to feed it. Already he was somewhat drained, but that was due largely to the fact that he had been showing off, and also to the lack of practice in the last decade.
He did, however, have a little more left in his reserves, and there was another thing he wanted to see if he could do.
He gently freed himself from Sypha's grasp. "I'll explain everything that I can in a few minutes, I just want to try one other thing first."
Trevor put his arms around Sypha's shoulders and tugged her against his body to give Adrian the space he needed. They both stepped back slightly, but it was not necessary this time. Adrian had to concentrate more for this one, especially because he was already drained and the spell needed a far greater level of focus to be successful. He stilled himself, touching on the well within and pulling forth the power until he felt it encircle him in heat. Unlike before, he didn't allow a flare of fire to engulf him, rather he directed it inside his body, paying special attention to the physical space he occupied and the sensation of his blood coursing through him. He kept increasing it and concentrating the magic until he felt like every molecule and cell was vibrating with it and he was ready to perform the spell.
A column of fire erupted beneath him, burning hot and swallowing his form completely. He felt his body dissolve into it in an instant, becoming part of the fire itself. It was a strange sensation, but it was very similar to becoming mist – his will and intent directed the spell and kept him from losing track of himself – transporting his body in the blink of an eye to a location far enough away so as to be entirely out of his line of sight. He always wondered if he might get stuck, or accidentally reappear inside of something solid, but so far it had never happened. Not that he'd used this fire teleportation often, but he was curious, and he wanted to do something 'cool' that would impress his lovers. A new column of fire sprang up behind the barn, and within it Adrian's form reappeared, whole and unharmed within the center of the flames. They dissipated in moments, leaving only the scent of brimstone clinging in his nostrils and a tingle in his skin.
Satisfied, Adrian quickly returned to Trevor and Sypha, appearing behind them at speed. Trevor immediately sensed him and turned to face him.
"I thought only Dracula could do that," he said quickly, frowning. "There are no recorded instances of other vampires being able to teleport like that."
"Trevor, I'm his son,"Adrian pointed out as if that were an explanation by itself.
"I know that, I just didn't realize it was possible for anyone but him."
"I'll admit that one was tricky to learn, and Father was not especially pleased when I figured it out," this was accompanied by a self-satisfied tilt of his mouth as he recalled the mixture of pride and displeasure his father had expressed at his learning to do it. Apparently Dracula considered that ability to be one that should remain unique to him alone. He had not expected his dhampir son to be capable of it at all, much less without training, but he was obviously still impressed when Adrian had suddenly appeared in his study one night in a tall column of fire. It was perhaps the only time Adrian had ever seen his father startled. He'd even mistakenly ruined the page he was writing, smearing ink all over the paper. Of course in response Dracula had tested the limits of his new skill and thoroughly demonstrated that he was both outmatched and outclassed where teleportation was concerned, but Adrian knew he was still grudgingly proud.
Trevor seemed flabbergasted. "So you can just… just fucking teleport? Anywhere? Just like that?"
"No, its not that simple. I can't go very far, and I need to have a clear idea of where I am going or it doesn't work. Father can do much more, but I am limited. I don't have his experience. Teleportation is hard," he stifled a sudden yawn which took him off-guard. Apparently three days of no sleep was finally beginning to catch up with him. "We should go back to the house," he suggested, thinking that his bread would be ready for the oven and that maybe he could sneak in a nap before they did much else.
Sypha hooked her arm in his and tugged Trevor with her and the trio sauntered together back through the trees towards the clearing where the cottage and barn were located. They left the massive line of incinerated vegetation still smoking behind them.
~o~O~o~
Awhile later, Adrian found himself draped lazily in a rough hewn chair at the kitchen table nursing a deliciously hot cup of tea. His gold eyes were sleepy and contented, watching Trevor carefully service the Morning Star across from him. He appreciated the care the hunter put into maintaining his weapons. Hardly a day went by that he didn't sharpen, oil, or salt his various blades. It seemed to be a meditative process for him. Adrian was growing used to the sensation of the weapon's proximity; it still set him somewhat on edge, but its creepiness was offset by the image of Trevor expertly and attentively honing the blades of the flail one at a time, his fingers playing over the silvered steel with well-practiced ease.
Sypha sank into the chair beside him with her own cup of tea in her hands. She had added some of the goat's milk and some honey to her cup, but Adrian preferred his black. He disliked milk and sugar. In fact he did not have much of a taste for sweets at all, they were overpowering to his palette. But he did enjoy a strong cup of tea, and when he could get it, coffee was even better.
Sypha was eyeing him with a somewhat unnerving gleam in her eye. He knew why; she was extremely curious about his magic, and wanted to ask him all about it. He was happy to oblige her, but he was also finding the warm tea to be lulling him into a relaxed state, and he felt like he might finally be able to get a few hours of sleep if he closed his eyes. He had his chin propped on one hand, elbow resting on the table top. The other was holding his mug, the warmth seeping through his glove into his hand. The smell of baking bread wafted through the cottage – his two loaves were in the small oven and needed another twenty minutes before they'd be ready.
"That was a very impressive display of magic Adrian," Sypha began, making no secret of her interest. "Its so different from anything I've seen before, but it looks like it tired you out."
"Hmm," he agreed. "It did. I wanted to show you something strong, but I'm out of practice. I forgot how much concentration goes into those spells."
Sypha grinned in a way that made Adrian smile in return. She was giddy. He could see the wheels turning in hear head. "Could we practice together? I would love to compare methods. Where do you draw from? The scent of sulfur… usually I only smell that from night creatures, the ones that breathe fire."
"Father was very secretive about the source of his power, but he told me before that our magic is based in chaos. I studied a lot of theory even after I couldn't practice any longer, but he never truly explained that part. He concentrated on harnessing and focusing the power, rather than explaining it. I believe he has written extensively on the subject in his private memoirs, but he refused to allow me to see them. He kept them sealed in his personal study. Father is very paranoid about anything which could usurp him or surpass him. He defends his secrets vehemently. He knows far more than he would ever tell me."
"Chaos?" Sypha repeated, her brows knitting together and making a cute little wrinkle between them. She held up her fingers and produced a small fireball, holding it between them. It winked out after another moment. "I draw from the world around me. Its easy to gather a lot of energy that way. The different elements feel differently to me, but I can always sense the world itself, like its alive. I felt it since I was a child. I wonder if you can do that?"
Adrian shook his head. "I can't. Its the opposite, the two conflict. I studied elemental magic as well, and I can't feel what you feel, or harness it. I think that my and my father's magic is closer to something otherworldly. Its… dark. Destructive. I draw from inside myself. Deep down under everything else there is a pulse of something very strong. I don't have near the control Father has, but large, dangerous eruptions based in fire are easier, whereas finite manipulations like I see you perform are very taxing. I… have a hypothesis, but I have no way to confirm it."
About what? The source of your magic?"
"Yes. I think its the same force that makes us immortal, which makes us heal and remain youthful indefinitely, and also the reason we need blood. I think that Father could have a demon inside him, intertwined with him. I believe he was once a man, and that somehow he became connected to something evil and hungry. He must have paid for this with something, maybe his humanity, or his soul. I don't even know if he has a soul any longer, or if he actually remembers his life before he became what he is now. He will never speak of it. And the castle… as I said before, he is closely connected to it. Perhaps the castle is alive, or it is where the demon resides. I don't know. Again, these are only my own hypotheses, I cannot confirm any of it. But… I know Father has the capacity for great evil, and I believe has to work to restrain it. He is always calculating, always carefully in control of his plans, but you have seen firsthand the aftermath of his rage. He maintains the guise of a man, but it slips at times. Despite his best efforts he often ends up causing destruction and death, even when that was not his intention. I've seen it. He cannot contain the violence inside of him without something to balance himself out. My mother was that force. With her at his side he was gentle and calm. She tempered his darkness. In her absence he is unfettered and her death has turned him mad."
Trevor set down the Morning Star, which he was finished servicing, and picked up the next weapon he intended to work on. He was listening very intently to Adrian's words. "Some of my family's old books say that sort of thing. That he sold his soul to a devil in exchange for power."
Adrian shrugged. "I don't think it was quite that type of transaction, but it could have been. Father is… complicated. I get the sense he may have been tricked or somehow trapped. He is a scientist and a philosopher. Perhaps his curiosity got the better of him, or his greed. For all of his scheming and planning, I don't believe he meant to become what he is. But to return to your questions about my magic, Sypha, I can explain only that it is a very deep, very intense well that I access by being absolutely calm and still. If I am uncertain or emotional it doesn't respond to me. If I don't feed properly I lose the ability to sense it entirely. Father was adamant that I learn to harness this power, and still more insistent on my learning to manipulate it more delicately. He was an excellent and patient teacher in these matters. The fire spells are the easiest, but he taught me many others. I remember all of them, but most lack any practical application for our purposes. I have no need of compulsion or stealing people's life force, or of manipulating people's perception of reality or entering their dreams. I don't want to frighten or hurt anybody. I want to protect people. I- I wish Mother were here. None of this would have happened if she hadn't been executed. I should have been there to save her. Maybe then..." Adrian had to stop himself from saying more, his throat suddenly tight and his voice strained.
He looked into his teacup sadly, feeling immensely guilty for being too late to save his mother from the stake. He could have prevented all of this if he hadn't tried to go out on his own, if he hadn't been so selfish. He had left her unprotected. He should have known that she wouldn't be safe. Nobody associated with someone as dangerous as Dracula could escape unscathed. Simply being his wife put a target on her, and Adrian had been aware of the whispering about her, the rumors that she was a witch. Her knowledge was too advanced for the simple people of Wallachia to accept. Even though she only helped people, they were afraid of her.
Trevor made a noise of irritation and shot Adrian an unsympathetic glare. "People die. You can't save everyone and you can't live on what if's and maybes. Lisa was innocent but she was executed anyway, just like my whole family. You're still here. I'm still here. You can't change what happened, so don't bother beating yourself up about it. That guilt will eat you from the inside out. It will destroy you. Just be glad you're still around. You can feel guilty if we fail and dear old Drac ends up destroying humanity. That will be worth being guilty over."
Adrian stared at the brunette as he went back to oiling his short sword with fire in his blue eyes and a hard set to his jaw. He felt a stab of guilt of a different kind for sulking about his loss when he knew that Trevor had suffered the same and worse.
Sypha put a hand on Adrian's back, rubbing in small circles and her other hand reached across the table and grabbed one of Trevor's and squeezed. Adrian saw a flash of pain in his expression before he yanked his hand free and returned to his oiling. "It's okay to miss her," she soothed. "I wish I could have met her. It sounds like she was a brilliant and kind woman. But I know you, and I think you have a lot of her in you. You are her son, and you are like her. You want to help people, and you're strong enough that they can't hurt you, no matter what kind of ignorant morons some of them are. We spend a lot of time talking about how much of Dracula you have in you, but don't forget that you are lucky enough to have Lisa inside you too. You're good. You could even be a doctor someday, after all of this is over."
Adrian pinned her with an incredulous frown. "You can't be serious. I couldn't be a doctor. That is utterly preposterous."
Sypha met his frown with a challenging smile. "I disagree. I think you are uniquely suited to it. You can hear and smell things that could help you to diagnose people more accurately, and you've already proven you can handle being around blood. You've bandaged Trevor and I often enough without so much as your eyes colouring. It would be a great way to help others. It could give your life meaning, Adrian. Trevor and I will not live forever. No matter what the results of trying to defeat Dracula, we are going to die in time, and you aren't. If you don't learn how to connect with people you will be very lonely…"
Adrian turned back to his teacup, wishing she didn't have to say it so bluntly, even if it was true. He didn't want to think about it.
"She's right," Trevor said, laying his sword on the table to look at the blonde. "Whatever happens, even if we live to be seventy, that's nothing compared to forever. And the way we're going I'll be lucky to live past next week. But I don't think your old man is going to kill you. He had a chance before, and he didn't do it."
Adrian shook his head, wanting to put his hands over his ears as if that would stop him from being able to hear their words. "Stop it. Please stop. I don't want to talk about this."
Trevor reached across the table and caught his wrist, tugging at it. He acquiesced, allowing the hunter to pull his hand back to the table. His black gloved fingers were wrapped in two large, warm palms that smelled like sword oil.
"It sucks, but its true. I'll be here as long as I can, but eventually… I won't be here anymore. Syph too. I honestly don't know how to help you prepare to live as long as you will. Even with everything I have seen and learned about as a hunter its hard to believe that anything can live forever, but you will Adrian. You were pretty fucked up in the cage and all it took was some blood and you're good as new. Almost like it never happened at all. Even the scars are fading, they will probably disappear completely after a few more meals. You're immortal, and we aren't. I guess that's the price you pay for being super strong and fast and eternally young and beautiful. If circumstances were different I'd say you should probably ask your dad how to handle it, but I guess that's kind of out of the question now."
Adrian felt like he was caving in on himself at the stark truth of Trevor's words. Sypha scooted her chair closer to him and put her hand on his back again, resuming her soothing circles. He wanted to fling them both off of him but he didn't move, wilting under the comfort of their touch and gripping his teacup with his free hand. He knew they were only saying what was true, but somehow he had yet to really believe that he would just… remain the same forever. He felt like he would grow old with other people, despite knowing it wasn't the case.
He replayed the short conversation he had once had with his mother when he asked her about becoming a vampire.
"Adrian I wasn't meant to live more than one lifetime."
"Don't you want to be with us forever, Mother?"
"I will always be with you, but I want to stay human. Don't worry sweetie, your father will live forever, you will always have him. You won't be alone, and neither will he."
Adrian's teacup suddenly shattered in his grasp, crushed in his too-tight grip. Tea began to seep out from under his clenched fist. He barely noticed it. None of this was supposed to happen. It was cruel that he was forced into this position, that he had to kill his own father and thereby sentence himself to eternity alone. He couldn't bring himself to even discuss other possibilities with Trevor and Sypha. How could he ask them to consider becoming something like he was? They were born human. They weren't meant to live more than one lifetime. It would be horribly selfish and wrong to even bring it up, especially considering it probably wouldn't work if he tried it. He needed to be thankful for the time they did have, rather than worry about the time after. Looking too far ahead was a sure way to make himself crazy.
He uncurled his fist from the shattered remains of the teacup, pulling a slice of ceramic out of his hand and watching the small wound close before more than a few drops of blood leaked out. He would have to ask Sypha to repair his glove again, it was slashed from the sharp edges of the broken mug. He sighed, feeling them both watching him. This was silly. He was just tired and emotional. He stood up, the chair scraping over the floorboards.
"I'm sorry, let me clean this up," he said softly, walking to the kitchen to get a towel. He mopped up the tea and swept the broken shards into his hand, taking them outside. He could smell his bread was finished, so he removed it from the oven, setting the two loaves on wire racks to cool. He felt more composed now.
"I think I need some rest, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when you're hungry and I'll prepare something for dinner."
He then hopped up to the loft and laid down on the bed there, over top of the covers. He was tired. Three days of no sleep and now using so much energy on his magic was starting to catch up with him. He just needed a bit of rest, and to clear the sad thoughts and memories from his mind. It wouldn't do to become morose every time he thought of his family, or the future. He was stronger than that. He wished that Trevor and Sypha didn't always see him at his weakest. He was so incredibly strong and capable, and he wanted them to feel safe and protected by him, not like they needed to coddle him or tiptoe around his turbulent feelings. Trevor's words were harsh, but they were not meant to hurt him. It wasn't their job to protect him from his own longevity. He would figure it out eventually. He had all the time in the world.
He fell asleep a few minutes later.
~o~O~o~
A/N: I hope you liked this part of the story. I had a few ideas in mind of how to express Adrian's magic and how to reveal it and this is how it came together. I partly wanted it to be more of a surprise during a fight, but I really wanted him to have that memory of learning from Drac, so I chose to present it this way instead. Shout out to SOTN for the Dark Inferno influence!