Ray was dozing, propped up in a chair when someone knocked on the door. Swearing he stumbled through the suite, pushing his hair out of his face and blinking to force himself into wakefulness. He wrenched the door open and barely had time to react when Florian fell into his arms.
Grabbing the blond, Ray dragged him inside and set him on the sofa, only then realizing that he was unconscious. He raced back to the door and looked down the hallway, not surprised when he didn't see anyone.
Closing the door, Ray hurried into the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth and a glass of water. He set the glass aside before kneeling beside Florian and wiping his face gently with the cloth, being especially careful around the fading bruises. While he worked, his eyes scanned the limp body, noting his rumpled clothing and the note in the pocket, finally settling on the mark on the blond's pale neck.
He ran the cloth over it, tilting Florian's head a little to get a better look, confirming that it was indeed a bite mark. Gritting his teeth, Ray set the cloth down and took the rolled note from Florian's pocket. He read the few lines of text quickly, recognizing Florian's unusually messy scrawl - his handwriting was usually more precise. The content of the note and the fact that it was written quickly convinced him it was Florian's idea - if Azura was involved, and surely he was - he would never do something so foolish. Florian, on the other hand, made a habit of doing foolish things.
Ray laid a hand on Florian's forehead, smiling at him with relief and gentle affection. Just having him back, seeing him intact made Ray's heart settle into its usual tempo. He was still upset and angry of course, but now that Florian was safe again, Ray could put that worry to rest.
With a sigh, he pushed to his feet and lifted the blond easily, holding the warm, familiar form close as he carried him into the bedroom. He laid Florian on the bed and undressed him, scanning for any other injuries. Other than the bloody wound on his hand, and the bite mark, he seemed intact. Unless...
Ray's eyes darkened and he touched Florian's naked thigh tentatively, desperately hoping that he'd find no evidence of violation. His gentle, exploration revealed nothing, but it did elicit a response from Florian. The blond moaned in his sleep and turned his head as if he were struggling to wake. Unable to resist, Ray did a little more exploring, watching to see what got the most reaction. By the time Florian opened his eyes he was fully aroused.
"Don't stop," he mumbled, reaching for Ray even before his brain registered the fact that he was awake.
"Bossy." Ray countered with a smile. He leaned down over the smaller body and pressed a kiss against Florian's lips.
"Ray!" Florian's eyes widened and he tried to sit up, almost knocking Ray over. He looked around wildly as if he didn't know where he was. "I'm back?"
"You are."
"Azura! He... And it was such a nice evening. You even hired a box and then..." Florian dropped back onto the pillows and closed his eyes. "Ow. My head."
"Did he hurt you?" Ray didn't intend to be so blunt, but he had to know. The small knot of fear was coiled tight in his chest and only Florian's reassurance would ease it.
"What? No. I mean, he drugged me and my head hurts. And my hand." He lifted it and stared for a moment, brows furrowed as he tried to remember how he'd been injured. Everything was a bit fuzzy. "But he didn't... not like before." Florian glanced down and realized he wasn't wearing anything. "What happened to my clothes? I don't remember him..."
"No, no. He didn't." Ray stroked Florian's face to calm him. "I needed to see if you were hurt." To his extreme embarrassment, Ray's voice trembled a little and he had to look away from Florian's concerned eyes.
"Ray." Florian sat up and wrapped his arms around his lover, pulling him close. He felt as if he'd come very close to death and had miraculously survived. It made him feel lightheaded, or perhaps that was the chloroform. He pulled back with a little smile. "It's not fair for you to have so many clothes on when I'm not wearing a thing."
"I suppose not," Ray answered with a sly smile, reaching up to unfasten his shirt only to have Florian get there first. The blond shifted, kneeling on the bed as he undressed his lover, sneaking in a few kisses. Ray let Florian have his way without resisting. He knew he should be out there hunting down Azura, he knew he should wake Laila and Michel to tell them Florian was safe. He knew there were any things he should be doing, but right now all he wanted to do was make love to his precious Amethyst.
"Ray..." Florian pleaded, lying back and reaching for his lover. He needed reassurance as much as Ray did.
It was careful, almost tentative at first, but when Ray pressed a finger inside of Florian and found no evidence that the blond had been violated, everything changed. Their movements became more frantic, more demanding, and they clutched at each other as if they might be torn away otherwise. When Ray finally spent himself inside of Florian, he collapsed onto the smaller body. Florian wrapped his arms around Ray and held on tightly, desperately grateful to be here, to be alive and to have someone who loved him.
"Love you, Ray." He pressed the words into Ray's hair and let his head fall back onto the pillow, exhaustion overtaking him. But still, he couldn't let himself drift off until he heard Ray's soft snores.
XXXXXX
"You're late." Azura shifted backwards to allow Ray into his suite. "I expected you hours ago. I even made sure your pet had this address in his pocket." The curtains were partially open to let in the early morning light but the suite was still dim and Ray had to move cautiously so as not to collide with any furniture. He walked to the center of the room and turned, knowing this confrontation was inevitable but strangely unwilling to start it.
"Tea?" Azura asked with a false smile. He moved slowly towards the desk where a tea service sat untouched, as if waiting. The cane clicked against the wood of the desk as Azura set it aside to take up the teapot. He poured without waiting for Ray's answer and held the delicate cup and saucer out to the man. Ray took it automatically, although the last thing he wanted was to sit and drink tea with the man who had betrayed him.
"Why?" Ray finally asked, taking the teacup and setting it on an end table. He took a seat in the chair next to it. Leaning forward a little, he clasped his hands loosely to try and hide his anxiousness.
"Why what, Ray? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific. Why did I borrow your Florian? Why did I give you the twin Pleiades? Why did I pay off Florian's debt?" Azura sat heavily and leaned forward in an imitation of Ray's pose. "Or perhaps you're seeking the answer to an older question; why did I betray you?"
"I'd like an answer to all of those, and more, but is there a point in asking? Will you just give me more lies when I'm asking for the truth?"
"What is the truth, Ray? Yours? Mine? Florian's, perhaps? They're not the same as you well know."
"Our perceptions might be different, but the truth is the same." Ray looked directly into Azura's eye. "Why don't we start with something simple; what happened to you?" For a moment his resolve faltered and all Ray could see was his friend injured and in pain. It was much harder than he would have expected to push his concern aside.
"Whatever do you mean, Ray? The cane? My limp? The constant pain? Surely you recognize your own handiwork."
"I never wanted to hurt you. You left me no choice."
"I gave you a choice. And you chose your little pet. Don't come back to me and play the victim, it's beneath you."
"I never claimed to be a victim. Florian's the only innocent in this." Ray's eyes flashed vivid green in the dim light and for a moment he looked almost feral.
"Your precious Amethyst is no innocent. I may have dirtied him, but you're the one who corrupted him. Do you think I don't know about the games you play? You objected so strenuously when I wanted to mark him but only because you wanted the privilege for yourself."
"What Florian and I do has nothing to do with this. You drugged him and took him by force, he comes to me of his own free will."
"The free will of a slave. While you hold power over him, nothing he does with you involves free will."
"Thanks to you, I no longer hold power over him. Now it truly will be his choice, and he will choose me."
"I have no doubt. He is well trained if nothing else. But Ray, can you really be content with such a pretty, vapid toy? Age will not be kind to him."
"Age is not kind to anyone. But you, age didn't do this to you, your arrogance did." Ray stood up and crossed the room, picking up Azura's cane and examining it before setting it back down in precisely the same place. He looked down at his friend, studying the scars on his face, only partly hidden by the eyepatch. "We swore a blood oath, Azura. You sacrificed your eye for me. Why did this happen?"
"Why? Because you're satisfied with trinkets. Your ideas and ambitions are too small. Someone like you can never understand real power." Azura took Ray's hand and held it gently in his own. His touch felt so much like the old Azura that Ray didn't pull away.
"I had it. I held the Holy Grail in this hand." He looked up into Ray's eyes. "The most powerful of ancient relics, and I cast it into the sea. I don't need things to give me power. There's not a place in this world where I don't have control; governments, businesses, anything I want. And it was done without myths and relics." He reached up and touched Ray's face, just resting his hand lightly against Ray's warm skin. Azura's hand was cold. "You couldn't possibly understand."
"I wouldn't want to. I don't care about your power. I cared about you. I would have done anything you asked of me but betray those who depend on me. It was bad enough that you knew that and used it against me. But to hurt Florian that way just because he had my affection. We weren't even lovers then, and even if we were it wouldn't have changed how I felt about you." Ray leaned in towards Azura, wanting his old friend back so desperately it hurt. "I would have forgiven you for betraying me, but I can't forgive what you did to Florian."
"Then don't." Azura pulled his hand away and, with the connection broken it felt as if the moment of, not forgiveness, but understanding, had been lost. "It doesn't matter. Your forgiveness wouldn't fix things, Ray. I'll be leaving here this afternoon. We won't see each other again."
"Not even in five years?" Ray couldn't help the edge that crept into his voice. Damn Florian's foolishness, Azura didn't need encouragement to hurt the blond. Hadn't Florian learned that yet?
"Your Amethyst is rather impulsive, isn't he? He offered up that little contract to try and protect you." Azura shrugged and picked up his cane. He rose slowly and moved towards the window where he'd stood a few hours ago, watching Florian's carriage drive away. "I tore it up and scattered the pieces out this very window as soon as he left." Azura turned and smiled. "But don't tell him that. Consider it a private gift, just between the two of us. Your Amethyst is just stubborn and protective enough that he'll stay with you to spite me, especially if he thinks the contract is still in effect and I'm watching the two of you."
"Will you? Watch us?" Ray's head was spinning with the turns this day was taking. He had guessed a few things about the necklaces and the origin of Florian's wealth and he'd confirm them with Florian later but for now, he was trying to understand what Azura wanted and why he was behaving so strangely.
"I'll check in on occasion, or have one of my associates do it for me. If your pet ever turns on you, I will kill him. Your recent experience with his "illness" should serve as a reminder of how vulnerable you both are. But I've recalled my subordinates so you need not worry about any more mysterious illnesses or embarrassing public spectacles." Azura turned away from the window studied Ray for a long moment.
"Azura..." Ray had no idea what he wanted to say but he wanted, he needed, to say something. He couldn't just leave. Not like this.
"They couldn't remove the bullet." Azura's voice held a hint of humor and he actually smiled as he said this, like it was his own private joke. "So you see, I'll always have something to remember you. Goodbye, Ray."
Azura turned away towards the window, his lips moving silently. Ray couldn't be certain, but it was possible he had formed the word 'brother'.
:end part 16: