Note: Text in italic is thought.
Part V
"Mornin, beautiful."
Kevin opened his eyes and saw Kane standing at the foot of the bed. It was the next morning and the vampire looked purely angelic bathed in sunlight as it streamed through the windows. "I guess Bram Stoker was wrong," he said, smiling. "Sunlight doesn't seem to bother you one bit."
"That's cause we're an evolved breed," Kane replied, slowly crawling up Nash's body. "Sunlight doesn't hurt us. And our need for blood isn't as extreme."
"So you don't need blood to live?" He pouted.
"Don't worry... We still love blood very much." By now he and Kevin were nose to nose. "But the hunt is more for fun than necessity."
Kane's close proximity left the blond breathless and his mind reeling. "Oh... Well.. Since I'm gonna join your little family, I guess I'll have to learn how to do that..."
"I think you'll find that I'm an excellent.. and thorough.. teacher." His lips brushing against the other man's turned into a full-blown kiss in a matter of seconds. He felt his lover shudder as his tongue danced along the roof and Kevin tangles his fingers in Kane's hair, pulling him closer.
"Ahem..."
They both turned and saw Chris Jericho standing in the doorway holding the clothes that Kevin had been wearing the night before. Kane mumbled a feeble apology and rolled off the man.
"Not that I don't love to watching a vampire knock boots," Chris started, "but Mrs. McMahon wishes to see the human... fully clothed." He tossed the clothes on the bed. "I'll be waiting outside."
Under the brunette's watchful and lustful eye, Kevin quickly dressed and rushed out to meet Chris. They walked down a few corridors and up a winding staircase before they came to a pair of double doors. He was about to ask the former champion where he was, but when he turned around, he saw that he was alone. He pushed open the doors and entered a room that was wall-to- wall books. Must be the library.
"Right you are, Mr. Nash," Linda said. She was sitting at a large wooden desk with many books open in front of her. "Please have a seat."
He sat in the chair across from her and sighed. Except for Kane, Linda was the only other person in the whole place that he felt relaxed around. "How are you this morning?" he asked.
"I'm fine, thank you. And I'm sure you had a very... peaceful sleep." She smiled, knowingly. "You must have been exhausted after what you went through. At least you had someone to tend to you afterwards."
Kevin blushed as the memories of Kane 'tending' to him flashed across his mind. "Yes... It was very.. enjoyable."
"I'll bet it was. The reason I asked to speak with you is that I want to tell you about what you're about to get into."
"You can't talk me out of this," he said, firmly. "I've come too far to back out now."
"I'm fully aware of that. I just wanted to make you aware of the changes that you'll be going through. Being one of us isn't just about fangs and blood. You have to be mentally ready for the responsibility. You WILL become a killer. I will not lie to you about that."
"What do you mean by 'mentally ready'? You're gonna drive me crazy?"
"No. I mean we're going to make you so dark and twisted that you'll make Marilyn Manson look like Shirley Temple. You won't have the same views of right and wrong or good and evil anymore."
"And you're gonna force me to do this?"
"No one, and I do mean no one, can force a vampire to do anything. I may be the leader of this clan, but there are many others. And they follow me on their own free will. If we'd wanted a slave who would follow our every command and yield to our every whim, then we'd have hypnotized you long ago. But we know.. I know.. that you can become more than that. Let me show you something." She closed her eyes, concentrating.
Chris entered the room through a side panel and walked over to the two. "You called, My Lady."
She handed him a glass that was on the table. "Crush this in your hand."
Smiling wickedly, he held the glass in his hand, tightening his grip until it shattered into tiny pieces. Some of the bits were imbedded in his hand. After Linda dismissed him, he walked away, happily licking his hand.
"Do you know why he did that?" she asked Kevin.
"Because you told him to do it."
"Well, that might be part of it. But it was mostly because he enjoyed it. To him, there was no good reason not to. He didn't care that it would hurt. Actually, that was probably a plus."
"Then what makes him different from a slave?"
"He could've said no. He could've just put it down. Maybe he didn't want to do it. Maybe he thought it was a dumb idea. But a slave would just do it, without any real reason other than he was told. If I had asked Chris to bash his thumb with a hammer, he probably would've looked at me like I was insane. That's the difference."
Kevin pondered deeply. "So you mean I could become as dark as the Undertaker?"
"It is possible. You're about to enter a world of vulgarity and debauchery. Both men and women will crave you with lustful intent. And you'll be able to use their blind abandonment of morals to your every advantage. What do you say?"
"I'm strangely comfortable with it."
"Marvelous," she said, clapping her hands. "The first thing to do is have you out on a hunt. Am I correct in assuming that you want to go with Kane?"
He nodded.
"Well, that seems fine to me. Just as long as you do everything he says. We wouldn't want you getting hurt.. unintentionally." She sighed. "You two make such a cute couple. I haven't seen that much tenderness since Chris and I got together."
"He's not a teddy bear all the time," he said, remembering the working over he had gotten the night before, both in and out of the bedroom. "He's got a bit of a possessive streak... Did you just say that you and Chris were together?"
"Yes. I know I'm married to Vince, but that's just a side thing. The only good thing I got out of it was Shane. He's such a wonderful boy. He was always following me whenever I went out stalking. Unfortunately he was only half-vampire... You don't think I'd turn Vince, would you? Do you want a man like that around for all eternity? I think not. I was so happy when Shane found a nice vampire and became a full-fledged one. As for as Stephanie, she's got no hope with this clan. Her instincts are all but gone. As far as I'm concerned, she's her father's daughter. And I just loved it when Chris would make fun of her... It really got under her skin. But here I am babbling when you probably want to get back to your hotel. I'll tell Kane to walk you there. You should basically try to lead your normal life for now so you don't raise suspicion."
She stood up and led him to the exit. As he went through the double doors, he turned to her. "I was wondering about something. How is it that you all can read my thoughts?"
"Vampires are telepathic beings. We possess many skills that mortals do not. Besides," she said as she closed the door, "humans are typically loud thinkers."
"Who is that?!" Scott asked.
He and X-Pac had been worried about Kevin. He had been acting strangely over the past few days. And after refusing to hang out with them the night before, he was sure that something was up. Rising early that morning, they had intended to surprise their friend and take him out to breakfast. Afterwards, they would spend the day together. Scott was determined not to let Nash's suspension tear their group apart. He was more than a little surprised that Kevin hadn't answered the door when they knocked. X-Pac had thought maybe he had gotten up early for a walk or something.
They were still standing outside the door, arguing, when they saw Kevin was walked around the corner with a strange man. He was about the same height as Kevin with long brown hair down past his shoulders and dressed all in black. His arm was wrapped around Nash's waist, almost protectively. Scott didn't like the looks of him. His skin was pale and there was something familiar about him that he couldn't put his finger on. As the two got closer, the stranger slowly released his hold on the other's waist and stared at Scott.
"Hey, Kev," X-Pac yell, waving. "Where ya been? We've been waiting for you."
"What for?" Kevin asked. "We weren't supposed to meet up for another two hours."
"Who's your friend?" Scott asked through clenched teeth.
"Oh... This is..."
"...David," the pale man said. "Kevin and I met a few days ago."
"If you guys don't mind," Nash started, "I'll go get changed."
"Were you wearing those clothes last night? Are you just coming in?" Hall was getting madder by the minute.
"It's my fault," the man in black said. "We went out to a club last night and he spent the night with me." He turned to Kevin. "I'll talk to you later." Waving goodbye to the others, he walked back down the hallway.
"And if you guys will excuse me, I'll get changed. I'll meet you down in the lobby." He turned the key in the lock, entered, and closed the door behind him.
"It looks like you had nothing to worry about," X-Pac said, yawning between words. "Kev was with a friend and is perfectly safe."
"They looked more than friendly to me," Scott commented, frowning. "And quit yawning when I'm trying to talk to you!"
"I can't help it. Your whining kept me awake most of last night. 'What's wrong with Kevin?' 'Do you think there's something he isn't telling us?' Made me wanna smother myself with my pillow!"
"I almost wish you had," he mumbled.
"You're just angry cause he's taken an interest in someone other that you for a change."
"I thought you said they were 'just friends'.
"All I know is that you've been stringin him along for the longest time and now you're jealous because someone might have taken an interest in him."
"When the fuck did you get so damn insightful? Besides, I'm just looking out for OUR teammate. This guy could be psycho or something."
"Kevin's a big boy. He can take care of himself. I'm going downstairs. You comin with me?"
Giving one last scornful look at Nash's door, Scott sighed and walked down the hall with X-Pac. Maybe the runt was right... Maybe he was overreacting. There were a lot of things going on in the federation and he was pissed about Nash not being around for while. He and Kevin made a good team... A damn good team. But he wondered if the suspension was only the beginning of the end for them. As they stepped off the elevator and entered the lobby, Scott could swear he saw David out of the corner of his eye and a chill ran down his spine. When he looked in that direction, there was nothing there. But there's one thing for sure, he thought. I don't like that motherfucker.