Florian came to lying on a bed. He bolted upright with a gasp, immediately checking his clothing. Thankfully it was intact, but his head was pounding and his heart was racing as he scanned the room, trying to determine where he was. The last thing he remembered was leaving the private box after the opera.
"Your virtue, if you still claim to have any, is safe here, little lord." It was the voice of Florian's nightmares and it was coming from a darkened corner just a few strides away. Florian flinched and scrambled backwards towards the far side of the bed as a familiar form emerged into the lamplight.
For a moment, Florian thought his eyes were playing tricks on him - they were a bit watery and his head was still pounding. He hadn't expected Azura to have changed so much in only two years. The man in front of him was not the towering giant that tormented Florian's dreams. This man wasn't as imposing or as coldly arrogant as Florian remembered. Had Azura had ever looked that way or had Florian's nightmare visions exaggerated the man into myth? The figure in front of him wasn't godlike or a demon; he was very much human and the cane he used only emphasized that.
"Why am I here?" Florian wanted to sound fearless but even to his own ears his tone was that of a petulant child. He was frightened almost beyond rational thought yet he clung as well as he could to his sanity for Ray's sake. If Azura was back, Ray was in danger.
"I considered inviting you to tea but this seemed so much more entertaining." Unlike his appearance, Azura's voice hadn't changed, it was still full of condescension and his expression was that of someone forced to look at something unpleasant.
"You would think so." Florian countered, proud that, although it was barely above a whisper, his voice didn't waver. "What do you want from me?"
"Want? From you?" Azura's tone made it seem as if that was the most absurd question he'd ever been asked. "My dear Amethyst, I want nothing. Especially from you. My only intention in bringing you here is to provide you and my dear friend Ray with a gift." Azura moved forward and Florian couldn't help but notice how heavily he leaned on his cane. It seemed as if there was something wrong with his left side and, although he tried to hide it, he was clearly in pain.
"You see, I've held your reputations, your fortunes, your very lives in my hands for the last two years. And now, I give them back to you as a gift. Indeed, I give you even more." Azura pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat heavily. For a moment he looked exhausted but he twisted his lips into a smirk and regarded Florian so coldly that the blond flinched backwards again.
"Such gratitude," Azura lamented. "And after I've given you the gift of independence. Oh yes," he said in answer to Florian's skeptical look. "I've put enough money in your account, not to pay off your debt, which I've already done, but to leave you with a fortune to rival the richest of your peers. You're not quite as well-off as your beloved Ray but then he has a rather lucrative hobby."
"As for Ray, I've given him freedom from the burden of you. You can be equals now, if you so choose. He is no longer your master, and you are no longer dependent on him, nor can you continue to use him as your shield."
"Why?" Florian asked helplessly, his mind whirling with confusion. He felt light-headed and a bit queasy. "If you wanted to help us as you say, to give us these gifts, why the poison and the plots? Why steal sapphires from all over Europe to reassemble the twin Pleiades if all you wanted to do was let us go free?"
"Free?" Azura threw back his head and laughed, making Florian very uncomfortable and a little angry. He didn't understand any of this and he was worried about Ray. All he wanted was to go back to the hotel and reassure his lover that everything was all right.
"My naive little noble. What makes you think you'll be free? You'll soon find the freedom I've given you is just what I intended it to be - a curse. Do you think your precious Ray will find you so appealing if you're not bound by a debt? You call him 'master', don't you? When you play your private games? But will you yield to him so willingly when you're his equal?" Azura regarded Florian assessingly. "Not that you'll ever truly be his equal as a person - Ray is a rare and exotic creature, like a fine Arabian while you are nothing but a primped up pony. When your fancy ribbons fade, you'll be nothing but another piece of horseflesh and that fine Arabian will turn his attention elsewhere."
Azura stood and moved to the bed where he leaned over and pressed Florian down easily despite the blond's desperate resistance. He placed a hand on Florian's face and stared intently into his eyes until Florian stilled, his body taut with fear.
"A pretty Amethyst may amuse Ray for a while but there's always a more enticing jewel waiting to be claimed. Someday soon you'll need that money I've given you. Perhaps it will buy you companions to warm your empty bed, but it won't soothe you as you pine for your lover or make it easier to watch him from afar when he's replaced you with someone more worthy of his attentions."
Azura draped himself over Florian, pinning the smaller body to the bed. It amused him to feel the blond's fear increase, to feel his breathing quicken and his body tremble. The feeling of power revived Azura a little and for just a moment he was tempted to claim more of it, to take the blond one last time. His hands loosened cloth and found skin underneath, but it was not the smooth flesh of the innocent he'd once sullied. He could feel the raised stripes, most likely caused by a whip. With a laugh Azura pulled back, releasing Florian and watching as the blond tried to recover himself.
"I've ruined you, Florian, last of the ancient line of noble de Rocheforts. It will be most amusing to watch your descent."
"Why?" Florian asked, embarrassed to feel tears on his face. He refused to lift his hand to wipe them away. He had never been ashamed of the games he and Ray played until now, but under the cruel blue gaze he felt dirtier than he had even when Azura raped him.
"Because you took Ray from me." Azura pulled back, regarding Florian as coldly as he had the day he sent him out into the city of Morocco with an assassin on his trail. "And you are not worthy of him."
"Then punish me! Don't hurt Ray; he was your friend once, and he loved you. It was you who destroyed that." Despite his fear, Florian found the courage to defend his lover. He had never consciously wanted anyone dead before, but at this moment, if he had a weapon he would have gladly used it to remove Azura once and for all.
"What a pretty world you live in." Azura laughed and Florian's expression only made him laugh harder. "Perhaps that is part of your allure; Ray has always had a weakness for fancy tales. I never liked them. I live in the real world, where power is everything. You with your useless compassion and he with his pretty gems, perhaps you are better suited than I thought. Regardless, you are still not worthy of him and it would bring me great pleasure to eliminate you once and for all." Azura leaned forward once again, gripping Florian's chin tightly, letting his fingernails dig painfully into Florian's skin.
"I haven't forgotten how you tried to kill me. I still might change my mind in the future and have you eliminated. But I think this will be much more satisfying, watching you and Ray suffer, your relationship failing and you both pretending until finally the truth wins out and you separate. He'll move on, take another lover, perhaps even a woman this time. And you, with your proud lineage and your noble airs will have two choices, let your family line die out or fall into a loveless marriage, produce a brat or two to make your dear, departed mother proud, and then wither away until you are nothing but a hollow shell. Perhaps I'll kill you then, out of mercy, but only after you kneel at my feet and beg."
"You're wrong about us," Florian said firmly, drawing on all of his inner reserves of strength and courage to face the man who had nearly driven him to suicide. "I'll accept your money, and even the Pleiades and the curse that goes with them but I won't accept your judgment or your predictions." Florian moved warily, never taking his eyes off of Azura as he pushed past him to reach the side of the bed and finally stand. He was a little unsteady because of the drug that had been used to render him unconscious, but he firmed his knees and turned to face his enemy.
"I accept your challenge and offer you one in return. You are welcome to watch us for five years. If in that time your prediction comes true, you've won and you may come to me and do what you will - gloat if you want, even kill me if you choose. But, if at the end of that time, Ray and I are still together then I want your word that you will leave us alone. Forever."
Florian walked unsteadily to the writing desk on the other side of the room and opened the drawer to extract two pieces of stationery. Taking up the pen he wrote two copies of that challenge, proud that his hand did not falter even when Azura came and stood behind him, leaning down over his shoulder to read as Florian wrote. When Florian was done, he signed both copies then handed the pen to Azura. The man laughed and took the implement, signing quickly. Moving faster than Florian could react, he grabbed Florian's hand and drove the point of the fountain pen into it. Grabbing the wounded hand Azura turned it and held it over the pages, squeezing until three drops of blood fell onto each sheet.
"Now it's valid." Azura said with a laugh as he pricked his own finger and added drops of his own blood. He gripped Florian's chin and forced his bleeding finger into the blond's mouth while he lifted Florian's injured hand and licked at the wound. Florian was tempted to bite the finger but instead he licked it meekly, his eyes downcast, averted from that haunting blue eye. He had nearly used up his reserves of courage; he could feel himself starting to tremble again and his head was throbbing.
Azura gave Florian's hand one last lick, then released it to fall limply to the desktop. He picked up one of the contracts and tucked it away inside his robe while the other he tucked into Florian's jacket pocket.
"Perhaps I underestimated you, my dear Amethyst. You are more amusing than I remember. I suppose that could be the reason Ray keeps you around. You're like a puppy, barking and showing your teeth like this. But I'll play your game for now. In five years however..." Azura put both hands on the arms of the chair and pressed Florian back into the seat. When Florian could no longer retreat, Azura moved in and claimed his mouth in a demanding kiss, holding it long enough that he could feel Florian struggling for air. When he released the kiss, Azura moved downward, nipping at Florian's ear before shifting down and sinking his teeth into Florian's neck. He bit hard, savoring the salt-tang of the blond's skin and the feel of his quickening pulse. Only when he felt the blond surrender into the sensation did Azura let go, taking a moment to admire his mark before stepping back. Without a word he turned and walked to the door, opening it and gesturing to someone beyond Florian's line of sight. A moment later Azura turned and smiled at him, bidding him goodbye and promising to see him again, in five years.
A tall, grim faced gentleman approached Florian with a cloth, moving too swiftly for Florian to recover and realize what was about to happen. The blond barely had time to struggle before the chloroform overwhelmed him and he slumped to the side, unconscious.
Azura watched his servant carry Ray's pet away. He picked up his cane, moving slowly over to the window and watching as the blond was placed in a carriage and driven away. Azura set the cane aside and, with effort, opened the window. Breathing in the cool night air, he took the contract out of his pocket and read it again. Then, slowly and deliberately, he tore it into small pieces, letting the wind carry it away while he laughed.
:end part 15: