Part Eight

The next morning was reminiscent of Michael's first stay in the castle. He lay in the guest bedroom whilst one of Robert's maids fussed over his wounded hand.

Her master stood back, arms folded, overseeing everything that was happening. Whilst it might have seemed like he didn't care; this was the only way he knew how to help.

The daylight revealed the boy was more bruised than cut. Robert had seen Johnny's injured knuckles enough times to know what damage punching inanimate objects caused (he probably had grazes under his gloves right now).

There was really only one thing that he could possibly imagine would make Michael want to lash out like that. If Robert were less disciplined, he would have been driven to do the same, under the never-ending persecution of his family. But like all unpleasant matters, his preferred way of dealing with them was in complete silence.

"I'm okay." The American sat up. He was still wearing the previous night's suit, and at the time, he had been too exhausted to realise just how uncomfortable it was to sleep in. He loosened his tie as he stretched.

"Don't worry about it." He added, "Really."

It wasn't the first time he had hurt himself at a party. For someone whose job it was to stay in peak physical condition, Michael did a lot of reckless things outside of his strict diet and exercise routine - things that had cut him up worse than grazed knuckles.

Eddy and Steve could tell Robert some stories that would make his stony complexion turn bright red!

At least Judy's star athlete wouldn't be getting a lecture about his irresponsible behaviour this time. Well, not one he couldn't bring to a quick end with the right moves...

"I'd really like to get out of these clothes, though."
"There is a lady present." Robert reminded him.
"So?"
"So, I would appreciate you keeping your indecency to a minimum."

"Get me naked, and I'll show you just how indecent I can be." The younger boy taunted, knowing exactly the embarrassed reaction he would get.
"You will be quiet!"

Perfect.

The maid was an older lady, and even though her face was wrinkled and her hair was greying, she held onto the remnants of her youth's great beauty. Michael's smile and wink were lost on her, as she kept her eyes down, and remained professional throughout the banter.

When the boy started taking off his jacket, Robert's frown of disgust turned into one of concern, as he uncovered more bloodstains on his shirt. This was more than bruised knuckles.

"Did any of my family harm you last night?" The nobleman demanded, already planning a furious phone call.

"Aside from making me feel like shit?" Michael's single, cynical chuckle caught in his throat. "No."

The maid helped him with the buttons on his collar, at her master's command, baring the first of Sanguinex's gory kisses. Robert's eyes widened, as his heart sank. He moved to his lover's side, studying the wound in the hope that it wasn't what he suspected.

When faced with the alternative, perhaps it would have been better if his uncle had got violent? He knew exactly which one of his acquaintances would be skulking around in the darkness, biting people.

"Did you meet anyone... unusual last night?"

"Not really..." Michael gave a vague answer, wanting to forget the party even happened. It was cruel to ask him to pour through all the disappointed faces he had been introduced to.

"What do you remember about last night?"
"I remember how you kissed me in the garden."

Robert gave a warning nod toward the maid, who had moved to the corner of the room to allow her master space. "I would do no such thing!"

"I'm awake this time, so you can kiss me all you like." Michael laid back suggestively, arching his back. "On my neck... on my stomach..."

His neck? His stomach?! Indecency in front of a lady was the least of his worries, as Robert ripped open the boy's shirt. There was more blood... smears of it taunting him from beneath his lover's waistband.

"Ooh! This early in the morning?" Michael did not appreciate the seriousness of the situation; giggling as the knight unzipped his pants.

Of course he wasn't wearing anything underneath. He was so deliciously disgusting...

Robert ran his fingers over the second bite, on the plane of soft flesh where Michael's leg met his crotch. It was strategically placed as a silent challenge to his lover - Sanguinex could have bitten him somewhere far more intimate, but chose not to.

"I don't remember doing that." Michael propped himself up on his elbows, and poked at the wound.
It must have happened when he blacked out, and Robert was not going to let him know otherwise. He had been attacked by a vampire? It would be too ridiculous to explain.

"Do you remember anything strange at all?" Did Sanguinex attack without warning? Did he say anything? He had so many questions.

"I don't want to remember any of it, Robert!"
"I know." He had endangered his lover both emotionally and physically by leaving him unattended at the party. "I will never forgive myself for what has happened to you."

"Nothing happened to me!" Michael insisted. "I shouldn't have got so angry. It's not your fault."

"Clean him up." Robert ordered curtly and suddenly, not looking back as he left the room.

It was all his fault.

This was the very scenario he had been dreading. He never wanted these two elements of his life to intersect, but he couldn't keep Michael prisoner under his constant watch, just as he couldn't predict Sanguinex's movements. He hated not being in control!

But...

Had he ever really been in control of anything?

It was unforgivable! He had let his desperate pride rule over his common sense. He knew his family would never accept Michael, but still, he wanted them to see him... to see them together, and the price for it had been far more than he expected.

He had allowed Michael to be hurt in his personal feud, and the scorn of his family was nothing compared to the shame he felt for dishonouring his knightly vows.

After his bath, the maid helped Michael back to bed. She touched him gently, with all the care he imagined his mother might have used.

"Master Michael?" She spoke softly, like she was afraid of addressing him, as she tended his wounds.

"I'm never going to get used that 'Master' shit. Just Michael is fine."
"Master Michael, it is not my place to say, but my lord loves you so much." She looked around, like she was afraid of being caught speaking to him. "No matter what his family says or does to you, do not let them win."
"Ugh, I hope I never see any of those assholes ever again. How does Robert put up with them?"

She giggled, never imagining anyone would dare use such a word to describe the Jürgens, no matter how true it was.

"He has always done what they have told him to... that is, until now - until you. They don't see love, they see rebellion, and they will not stop until they get what they want, Master Michael. You will have to fight."

"I don't know if I can." He sighed. "I mean, is it worth the trouble? They hate me. Maybe things would be better for everyone if I just left?"

"And then what, Master Michael? You just learn to live with the regret of what could have been? The late Mistress Jürgens was very dear to me - and I mean her no disrespect - but I serve a master who is the image of the man I loved, knowing if I had just been stronger... he would have been my son."

The doorknob rattled, ending their conversation instantly, as Robert made his way back into the room.

He was calm and emotionless once more. Sanguinex's appearance may have distressed him at first, but after thinking on it, the burden of keeping him a secret was no longer a worry. He could better prepare his defences and be ready for their inevitable encounter.

"Leave us." He ordered with a wave of his hand.

The maid curtsied as she obeyed, closing the door behind her without a word. Michael stared after her. She had been in the same situation as him with Robert's father, and she had crumbled under the pressure of his family.

Was there worse to come than just nasty comments?

Sport was the only thing Michael had ever really used his fighting spirit for, because he loved being the centre of an audience's attention. Would he be able to summon that same zeal for something private like his relationship?

"Are your wounds causing you any pain?" Robert asked with the same abruptness he used to order his maid.
"Not really."
"Good. Then, tell me about these kisses in the garden."

Michael gave a naughty smirk, thinking it was Robert's way of initiating a repeat of the experience.
"I was talking to your friend, and then... I don't know? I never knew you could be so spontaneous! I liked it."

It was a hint, but one that the very cautious nobleman was incapable of following, in the event that he understood it at all. Spontaneity for him was deciding to have his dinner in a different dining room to usual, not a naughty rendezvous.

He stood in silence, frowning at the mention of his friend. Just because Sanguinex was all smiles when they had last seen each other at the finals, didn't mean his curse was lifted, or that he would just slink back into the shadows. His kind of grudge wouldn't just disappear because he liked Tyson...

"Robert?" Michael prompted. "I want more of those kisses."
The knight corrected him. "You need to rest."

"I'm fine! It's just a couple of cuts and bruises. I've survived worse than this."

Robert nodded, the faintest smile betraying his lips as he thought about the beginnings of his unlikely romance. Michael had been just as insistent and obnoxious back then, but what he had first despised, he had grown to adore - the boy's determination.

"Yes, of course I remember." He said fondly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

The redhead smiled. "Did you ever think it would turn out like this?"
"Hardly. I could not wait for you to leave."

How things had changed. Robert's life had been uncomplicated, with a clear direction. He made enemies as he pleased, because he only had to worry about himself. But now, everything was a mess - a crazy, awful, wonderful mess.

He bent down and kissed the boy's neck - deep and long, on his wound, reclaiming him. Michael threw his head back, running his fingers up through the knight's cropped hair.

"I have one lower..." He moaned. "Robert, please... kiss me there."
Robert kissed his fingers, and pressed them to the marks on his lover's groin. "You need to rest."