Disclaimer: Nothing. Not a thing. Except a donkey.
ISSUESKing was still hugging Iaz as the other three walked in. King had thought she had calmed down but she was wrong judging by the way she flew at her brother when he walked in.
"You fucking ass," She screamed. Then she tackled him.
It would have been worse if she had been at her full strength. At the moment all she managed was to force him back a few steps, forcing him to catch her so she wouldn't slip to the ground.
Iaz started to hit him. She was gasping and they were weak blows but Ageon was holding her up so he couldn't block them.
"You promised!" She cried. "You promised." She groaned as her fists became too heavy to lift. Iaz became almost a dead weight. Ageon was unprepared for the change and he slipped underneath her. Iaz landed heavily on his chest and seemingly invigorated she started hitting him again. When that stopped walking she started digging her nails into his arms.
King realised this was achieving nothing and moved forward to scoop the girl of her twin. Abby stepped closer and helped Ageon stand. Blade and Zoe, who had been drawn by the noise, watched the pair warily.
King held Iaz back with one tight arm around her waist but she was tired and could only manage to whisper 'you promised' over and over.
Ageon's face had open dismay on it.
"Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?" Iaz demanded.
"I hoped you wouldn't," Ageon said softly.
"So what is it now? Four nights with you?" Iaz's sarcasm was sharp and hurtful.
"Nothing. No time," Ageon countered. He looked at Abby gratefully. He did not want to have this discussion with Iaz. She was literally only a few minutes younger but Ageon always saw her as years younger. Abby went to squeeze his arm encouragingly but stopped.
"He gave us the money and I don't have to have to give him anything." The relief Ageon felt was obvious.
For a moment a look of happiness flashed across Iaz's face. "How?"
"They threatened to kill him." Ageon did not have to say who they were. It was obvious. Iaz had once threatened to kill Mackeroy but he had seen straight through her empty warning and laugh. Abby had done what she couldn't. It made Iaz feel incompetent but she was thankful. She would rather feel pathetic and inadequate than have Ageon suffer again.
Iaz inclined her head. "Thank you." She pulled gently out of Kings arm and disappeared into the house.
"You told her?" Ageon directed the question to King.
King held up his palms defensively. "Hey man I didn't know she was not supposed to know."
Ageon nodded. "I know. I was just wondering." He pushed past them and went to sit as his computer.
Abby looked at King, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. She saw Zoe standing there and forced a feeble smile.
"Let's find you something to eat," She offered, holding her hand out to Zoe. King drifted off after the two women, leaving Blade alone.
Blade started cleaning his sword. It wasn't dirty but it was his security. He had seen a lot of foul things done by the vamps but he hardly ever thought that people on his side were bad. He knew Whistler had his affairs and he wasn't naïve but he thought the vamps were evil, most of them any way, and they were good.
But seeing that motherfucker Mackeroy and Ageon's haunted eyes when he looked at the house he had changed his mind. Just because they hated the vampires didn't make them good people. Blade suspected that Iaz was more traumatised from the whole experience than Ageon.
Blade supposed Ageon could just be really good at hiding his emotions but he didn't think anybody was that great a liar. And it was especially hard to hide it from a perceptive man like Blade. Blade couldn't see the damage until Ageon looked at the house. Not for the first time he suspected Ageon was the stronger of the twins. In a fight Blade reckoned Ageon could see someone die and keep going. Iaz would go to hell, and either stop fighting or lose herself in a furious careless rage.
Blade didn't do emotional counselling. He was shit at it any way but he couldn't deal with damaged people. Annoying people yes, King was proof enough, but damaged people were a liability. But this was a desperate fight and the Death Twins, despite their issues, were good vampire hunters.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
King was throwing a knife around in the training room. His mind wasn't really on the task. He was thinking about the events of the day.
He had been an only child and his mother had died when he was a kid. It had just been him and his dad for the longest time. His Dad had been some big time bank manager, raking in a lot of money and expecting King to follow in his footsteps.
But King had been more interested in partying. Drinking, drugs and dangerous women. His dad had always despaired at King's life style, always hoping that he would change his mind. In fact he stayed that way even when King became and adult. He never yelled at King but he managed a certain disappointed gaze that always made King feel uncomfortable around him.
King had wished he had listened to his Dad now. He probably wouldn't have ended up as Danika's toy. But not only that but his Dad wouldn't have paid the ultimate price for King's mistakes.
Kings vamp master had been into kinky games, when she was fucking her brother, and thought it was fun to lock King in a room for weeks, depriving him of blood until he was half insane. Then he would be allowed a victim and they would have hard violent sex.
When King burst out one time he was confronted with his dad's face. He didn't even pause before he wrapped his mouth around his father's neck. He drained him dry like a faceless stranger and as he fell to the ground King didn't even look at him. He stepped over him into her arms.
It wasn't until afterwards that he had felt a moment of remorse for his father but not much. Vampires don't really experience guilt. He had him buried though, with a tombstone. It wasn't till after he was cured that he mourned him. And the most horrible part of the horrible experience was that his loss hardly affected King.
It fuelled his hate for the vampires and he felt a deep sadness but it didn't change him as a person. He could rationalise it as his father's small involvement in his life but King knew that he himself was the absent one in their relationship. That was shit.
He stood and threw the knife so it stuck firmly in the target board.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Iaz was sitting alone on the bed when Ageon walked in.
He sat across from her.
"It needed to be done. You know that."
"I know that. But you didn't tell me," Iaz replied. Her voice was soft with hurt and there was no hot anger.
"Because I knew what it would do to you. I thought there was a chance I would have to pay the same price and it would hurt both of us," Ageon tried to make her understand.
"I wouldn't have let it happen," Iaz said.
'Exactly. We need more money and this was the only way to get," Ageon answered.
Iaz put her head in her hands. Ageon was so logical that sometimes she felt sick.
"She saved you. Her and Blade did what I couldn't." Iaz finally voiced what had been bothering her.
"You couldn't kill him just for that. You used to have trouble killing familiars," Ageon pointed out.
Iaz smiled remembering that first occasion. Not because it brought back happy memories but how she had fumbled and strived to do it.
"I wish I could look after you," Iaz breathed.
"I'm the older brother. That's my job."
"A few minutes does not make you 'older.'" Iaz protested knowing it was a lie.
"Liar." Ageon called her on it.
"Don't make me kick your ass," Iaz retorted. She was only just holding her self upright so Ageon knew she was joking.
"Whatever," Ageon dismissed it with a grin.
"Abby is really good at this isn't she," Iaz stated.
"Yeah she is."
"And Blade," Iaz continued, she had laid down on her bed.
"And King?" Ageon teased.
"He's ok," Iaz said with a soft smirk. "I can kick his ass though."
"You can beat up most people, sis."
"I'm tired," Iaz confessed.
"I know. Go to sleep," Ageon said.
She sleepily nodded her head. Just before she closed her eyes she murmured, "I'm glad you are ok."
Ageon reached out and took her hand. He squeezed it briefly. "Me too."
AN: Please review. Constructive criticisms always welcome.
MD666