Chapter 34
Hot, silky skin trembled underneath his finger tips and Pogue's lips twisted into a pleased grin. The warm mound of flesh resting underneath him groaned softly and arched up against his fingers.
"Pogue."
The deep throaty moan sent wonderful chills down Pogue's spine. He leaned forwards, gently crawling over the tanned lithe body resting on the bed under him. Large fingers started running up his back, causing a groan to emit from Pogue's lips as they lightly massaged the tight muscles in his shoulders.
Warm amber eyes hungry stared up at him and Pogue felt himself melt under their gaze. God, how can one simple creature be so enthralling? His name was uttered once again as the figure under him reached upwards and claimed his mouth in a hot, burning kiss. Tongues rubbed and caressed each other as the dark-haired boy whimpered and raised his hips, gently rubbing them against Pogue's.
"Oh god, Caleb." He moaned wolfishly.
Caleb's fingers wound themselves in his hair and directed Pogue's mouth down towards his neck, which the other boy didn't mind. His tongue lapped at the hot, sweaty skin, drawing a deep groan from Caleb's perfectly sculpted lips.
He dared himself to move his hands downward, letting them trace the tight muscles of Caleb's chest and stomach. The older boy moaned and arched up once again, grinding his hardening member into Pogue's leg.
"Pogue, mmh, please." Caleb practically begged in a deep throaty voice.
Pogue quickly figured out what the other boy was implying and moved a hand down to the other boy's fly.
"God Caleb – god I love you."
Caleb's pants soon quieted and before Pogue could go any further, the older boy's large fingers soon wrapped around his hand.
"Really, you love me?"
Caleb's eyes soon took on an unknown glint at they stared up at him and Pogue couldn't help the cold shiver that ghosted down his spine.
"Y-yes." He replied back, confused by Caleb's sudden dark behavior.
"Then why did you hurt me?" Caleb's voice turned cold and hard as his fingers painfully grabbed the back of Pogue's neck and forcefully pulled the younger boy closer. "Why did you rape me?"
Before Pogue could even find his voice, Caleb raised a hand and painfully slammed it against the left side of Pogue's chest, sending a powerful force of his powers into the other boy's body. A deep scream tore from Pogue's mouth as blinding, white hot pain coursed through his entire being from the darker hared boy's palm.
Caleb's laughter rang inside of his ears as he doubled over from the pain's intensity. His vision swam around him as he felt his body tumble into the dark void of unconsciousness.
--
Pogue jerked awake as consciousness returned to him and he nearly fell off the surface he was laying on. His heart beat was thudding heavily inside his ear, forcing a small headache to form near the front of his skull and with a groggy moan he raised a hand to his head.
(Christ what a nightmare.)
The burning in his skull lessened after a minute and he was able to open his eyes. The room was blurry at first but eventually came into focus; he was still in Gorman's study. His eyes moved towards the blanket wrapped around him and he couldn't help a small roll of his eyes.
(Why does he always fucking baby me?)
His fingers pulled the blanket off as he rolled into a sitting position and a loud yelp sounded inside the room the second he sat up. The left side of Pogue's chest burned painfully, almost like someone was holding a hot flame against the skin. Confused, he reached down and lifted the bottom of his shirt up.
(What the hell?)
The skin of left side of his torso was bright red and looked like it was just a few short seconds away from blistering. He dared himself to touch it and his fingers burned with a heat so intense he was forced to pull them away before he could blink. With a groan, he pulled his shirt back down and situated the cloth so it wouldn't rub against the hot skin and rolled his feet to the floor.
His head was still throbbing but he was able to ignore the sharp pains and get to his feet. The old house was completely silent and after taking a quick glance at the nearby window, Pogue saw it was sometime in the early morning.
(Fuck, how long was I asleep?)
He eyed the window for a long moment and then turned his head away with a sigh. Why couldn't Gorman have woken him earlier, he really didn't want to sleep for the entire night for fear that Chase would make another appearance and go after Tyler once again, in which case the elder would definitely need all the help he could get.
"You can't tell me you're not tired of being held under Gorman's thick thumb your entire life or of William constantly talking down on you for what happened between yourself and his son?"
(Shut up.)
The Chase's voice was still ringing inside of his head and Pogue forced the bastard's voice to the back of his mind. As he cursed Chase a stray thought worked its way into his mind; the pendent. Pogue startled and his head shot up; he'd completely forgotten about the damn thing. After gingerly getting to his feet, Pogue crossed through the study and entered the hall.
Like it usually was, the hallway was empty and his footsteps echoed loudly as he moved down it. He paused as he neared the closed door to the room Reid and Tyler shared during the night and a light feel of his powers told him they were still there safe and sound so he continued onward until he descended the stone steps to the lower areas of the house.
The candles in the cellar were still lit, which surprised him but he forced the matter to the side as he reached the last stair. He moved towards the table was sitting at and moved the stacks of books around in search of the small gold item. It wasn't there and in a panic, Pogue shoved the books completely off the table to clear its surface.
"Looking for this?"
The empath jumped when he heard Gorman's voice behind him and he spun about and saw the elder sitting in the far corner of the cellar near the covenant's hearth, the pendent's gold chain clutched tightly between his thin fingers. His normally sharp eyes bore a haunted expression that more was more then enough to keep Pogue's question silent.
"Sit down, I think to two of us should talk." Gorman said in an early cold voice and gestured to stone seat normally reserved for the Parry male.
Pogue eyed the cold hearth for a moment, noticing how empty the square seamed to be without the other three boys and reluctantly did what the elder asked. A small part of him noticed Gorman was occupying the seat reserved for the Danvers' heir but his attention was diverted when Gorman sighed loudly.
"I have been such a fool."
The elder's confession took Pogue by surprise. "Gorman?"
"You have no idea how much I wish you weren't involved in all of this." Gorman mumbled softly, his eyes boring down at the small gold pendent. "This damn thing should've been destroyed a long time ago."
Pogue waited for a few seconds before he dared himself to seat. "My grandfather had it in his deposit box."
Gorman's shoulders tightened slightly and then loosened.
"Your father more then likely put it there after Gavin's death, William took the other one. Both of these damn things should've been destroyed."
Something sharp jabbed into Pogue's heart and he couldn't help the heavy swallow in his throat. "He's dead?"
The elder stared at him silently and lowered his head. "I am sorry; I had hoped your father would've said something to you. Yes, your grandfather died 15 years ago...because of this thing."
Gorman held up the pendent, its gold coloring reflecting the lit candles in the dark cellar beautifully and Pogue eyed it with a mesmerized look until he could gather himself.
"How?"
"It's too long of a story Pogue and I'd rather not tell you at the moment because you have more then enough thrown on your shoulders but I'll tell you this much, there's a reason why this is considered an abomination that shouldn't have been made. Your ancestors forged it in their ignorance, along with three others during their settlement here and used them regularly to bring the deceased back to life."
"The Crimson Tome, right?"
Gorman nodded sadly. "It has many names but they all mean the same thing; Ritual of blood."
"And that's what Chase is trying to do."
"Yes, he believes the ritual will put him back in his own body if he does it properly and that's what has been driving him all this time."
"Can Chase actually perform the ritual? I mean, he only has one of those things."
"Unfortunately you're wrong. He has the other three in his grasp; he obtained them not long ago, not to mention the final piece he recently obtained."
The elder drew silent and a quick mental picture formed in Pogue's mind of the room with the stone pillars.
"It has something to do with the Chamber of Shadows, doesn't it?"
"You never fail to amaze me." Gorman chuckled slightly. "And yes, it does. That was the only place the ritual could be performed because it's one of very few links between our realm and the spectral one."
(Makes sense.)
"Where is it?" Pogue asked, straightening up in his seat. "I've been seeing that damn room in my dreams for months now, where the hell is it?"
"I don't know Pogue, not many people have seen it and lived long enough to record its whereabouts."
(Damn.)
Pogue was about to open his mouth and ask another question when the room's silence was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
"Any particular reason why both of you are hiding down here?" Reid asked with a lazy shrug.
"Reminiscing." Gorman answered a short time later. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, I guess. Tyler was hurt more then I was– mmh." Reid cut off and lightly placed his hand against his chest.
Gorman watched him with a concerned gaze and got to his feet less then a second later, slowly stumbling over to the blonde. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just this weird feeling right there, that's all."
Pogue's ears twitched and he raised his head curiously. Reid was holding his hand against the left side of his chest, near his heart and an overwhelming sense of Déjà Vu come over him. He also got to his feet and walked towards the blond.
"What's it feel like?"
Reid turned his head towards the empath and shrugged. "Kinda like my skin's heating up or something. It's really weird."
(What?)
Both teens turned their heads towards Gorman, confusion written clear across their faces. The elder remained silent however, his sharp eyes gazing at Reid with an unreadable expression in their infinite depths. After a large handful of silent, uncomfortable moments the elder's face softened and Pogue swore he could see a small grin tugging at Gorman's thin lips.
"Reid, I want you to do something for me."
The blond gave him a confused look. "Uh, what?"
"Find Tyler."
Reid blinked and looked like he was about to turn on his feet but a wave of Gorman's hand stopped him.
"No, stay where you are and use your mind."
The elder's words earned a confused snort from the teen.
"You off your rocker Gorman?"
"Humor me." Gorman replied shortly.
Reid stared at the elder for a long period of time and with a annoyed sigh, he let his eyes slid closed. Silence soon filled the air of the cellar, making Pogue feel uncomfortable and dumb just standing there being left out of the loop. Thankfully the silence didn't last for too long and Reid broke it with a sharp intake of breath.
"Holy Shit."
That got Pogue's attention, fearing something was wrong.
"What?"
"He's upstairs sleeping but– Jesus Christ I can see him!"
"You what?"
"Dude, it's like I'm standing in the room with him. What the hell–"
Both covenant members turned their heads when Gorman's laughter sounded inside the cellar.
"It tends to happen when two covenant members have been intimate. You're powers merged together with the other, or in your case, Tyler."
Reid stared at him for a moment before a thick blush broke out across his cheeks. "Christ, everyone knows now."
"I've seen it many times before Reid." The elder chuckled and started making his way towards the stairs. "You might even say it runs in your family."
"What the fuck? How many Garwins were queer?"
"A large handful of them." The elder called down the stairs.
Reid blinked and shook his head. "Shit, I don't fucking believe this. Do you?"
It took Pogue a while to realize the blond was talking to him. "Hmm? Um, yeah. Weird isn't it."
"Weird? My bloodline is nothing but a fruit orchard. That's horrifying."
Pogue laughed slightly but the humor quickly disappeared as the meaning of Gorman's words sunk in.
"It tends to happen when two covenant members have been intimate. You're powers merge together with the other..."
(Did mine merge with Caleb's when...?)
Almost on command, the warmth emitted from the left side of chest but Pogue was too numb to acknowledge it.
(That explains why Chase has been dogging my steps and how William found me.)
A chill settled in his skin but Pogue couldn't honestly tell if it was from the thick air in the cellar or from his revelation.