So many new readers I would like to welcome to this story! Sorry for the slow update but I've been working a job for the holidays and still balancing school. This chapter was turning out to be long so I split it in two. Next chapter will contain Baron and the boys on their journey. This chapter, two new characters appear; let me know what you think!
Sterling appears in a dark underground cellar which is filled with nothing but wooden crates and empty bottles. The smell of alcohol and ripened berries was heavy in the air. All Demon blood smelt the same and it was smoldering the room. Two large drums were brewing hot new contents to sell, while the smoke of the machine fogged the warehouse windows. His business associate sits at a table that had no business being in the room other than to hold a small lamp and papers. The person in question filled the wooden chair with his enormous size; his eyes were cast downward and he was writing at a vigorous pace.
"Come to do River's work Sterling?" the deep voice asks without glancing up in acknowledgment.
Sterling sighs while approaching the desks corner. "He is away on business."
"Maxes business no doubt. What does my boss have Baron and the boys doing now?"
"Actually Max is blissfully unaware of this happenstance." Sterling puts out while leaning against a pile of crates.
Sterling's associate raises a pierced brow to that. "Never would have guessed Baron to go against Max, but it is a strange time we are living in, wouldn't you agree? I can't help but wonder why you were left behind."
"Someone needs to keep a watch out for Golden boy and I have another treasure that needs guarding."
"So glad the nickname Golden boy stuck. Max must be so proud. And oh what of this treasure you speak of? You have me quickening in my loafers to know." His tone is dry with sarcasm
"None of your concern Banish, now I came here to conduct business on my poor friends behalf and I'd like to get to it before hell freezes over."
Banish rises from his seat. His shoulders stretch and pop out into a wide set that could rip any man in two. His skin is pale gold and he is adorned in a black Dolce suit with a navy silk shirt underneath. The first two buttons are undone, revealing the top of an ancient tattoo. His silver eye watches Sterling with scrutiny and judgment. The scar crossing over his right eye had kept it shut and yet he still managed to look like a God amongst ragged beasts. He kept the right eyebrow pierced, covering the empty patch of skin from where the scar began. His dark hair looked midnight blue in the light of the small table lamp. He kept his locks untamed and passed the nape of his neck. As usually, you could find his opal pinkie ring that gleamed like a fading star on his left hand. He stood at six eight and was solid like a mountain.
"That's your problem Sterling, you're always about business." Banish remarks, his face set in a deep frown like always.
"And yet you're the politician." Sterling gibes.
"Because of blood, not by choice. Though I don't complain, being an Earl has its advantages." He stalks over to a set of crates and lays a heavy hand down on the wood. "This whole pile is all for River. He ordered it two hundred hours ago and my boys brought it back in record time."
"Full price?"
"I like River, so lets call it an even eighty percent."
"Twenty percent cheaper? What has you in a good mood?"
"I had a splendid visit with a lady hours ago. Always puts a smile on my fucked up face and I left in a mood of splendor and glory."
"I should have guessed it was a woman; from Sanguis no doubt."
He ignores the latter part of the question. Banish always visited Sanguis to meet women. They were the only females not terrified to spend time near him; that or the fact that they were paid to entertain. It was anyone's guess and no one wanted to be so bold to insult the large male.
"No need to be a cynic. I smelt the delicate scent of the opposite sex on you as soon as you dropped in. She smells…mortal." Banishes expression turns deadpan and his silver eye is like a dagger in Sterling's soul.
"She is something of Maxes and I only wanted to dip my feet into the pool."
"Careful friend; treading in shallow water can lead to a trench. Once you fall in, there is no getting out. And if she is something of vital importance to Max, I highly doubt he'd be spouting off joyful congrats to you and the lucky lady."
"Suddenly you are an expert on the fairer gender?" Sterling replies with mock doubt.
"I can only share the one thing I have come to learn. Woman are weak minded and believe it is great to walk on the wild side with a dangerous man. But guys like us never get the girl in the end, do we?"
Sterling spares a grim smile while absorbing the advice. "So how soon can you deliver this to the Crimson?" he refers to the load with a delicate touch of his hand on the wooden crates.
"An hour tops. I need to call my men but I have to sit in on some boring social event at Maxes."
"Oh sounds like fun, I think I'm turning green with envy."
Banish bares his fangs with a cruel smirk. "Wise ass. You know how all those things go. I put on a fake smile and share scotch and stories with assholes who don't give a rat's ass about anything other than an indecent fuck and money. So I stay the minimum required time and book the fuck out of there in my Aston."
"Cleanly put for a politician."
"We're shades of grey hiding behind a mask of color. When the next big vote comes up, perhaps I can make a difference in this shit faced system we call a democracy."
"You are going to fix the vote?" Sterling inquires.
"No, I won't need to. I do however; have big plans to get rid of the glorious Prime Minister."
"You sound exactly like your brother." Sterling says with a head shake.
"And where be thy twin? He never sends Christmas cards in the mail anymore." His remark is of mock seriousness which Sterling knew. Banish held no animosity towards his twin but rather the heavy burden of concern.
The air thickens while Sterling tries to phrase his next sentence. "Tristan comes and goes when he pleases. I think he is still-" Sterling pauses to collect his thoughts.
"He is still hung up on Evangeline." Banish finishes. His face takes on a look of pity and disappointment. "My brother will never know peace again I fear."
"We'll try and bring him about. It's the least we can do for you."
"Not for me, for him. I've already paid my price and for what it's worth I would gladly do it again. There is still something to be saved in that empty shell of a body, I just pray it isn't too late like it is for me."
"You think you need saving?" Sterling asked puzzled.
"Saving is for those who want it charmer, and I'm content to live the way I am. Being a sinner and a murderer is all I know; my corruption has no limits. Now go back to your hotel while I prepare the goods." Banish nods his head to the door.
"I actually have somewhere else to be first."
"Your leg again." It wasn't a question but a statement.
Sterling grinds his teeth in annoyance. He hated people knowing his business but it couldn't be helped when it came to Banish. He seemed to know everything and it put more than a few people on edge. "Yes, I'll go see Bhane again. I've been slipping on our visits and I'm flat out of meds."
"Sorry I don't bootleg those." Banish flashes his fangs one last time before Sterling leaves the cellar. His nerves were back in order but his leg was starting to gain the dull, numbing throb. It was time to inject once again.
Rose inhales the deep spicy scent around her. Her eyes were still tight with sleep and she was curled into herself for warmth like a naked mole rat. When was the last time she slept with no worries or cares? Too long in her books and she didn't want the moment to end. Where was she at the very moment; her eyes peer open into the darkness of a stranger's bedroom and she couldn't recall how she had arrived in the mass of sheets. She felt overcome with trepidations on the how and she searches her memories.
Baron had left for an important mission and she had tried to snuggle up to him but pulled away in a flash. She had felt hungry in his absence and the kitchen had been sparse of food so she went across the hall to Sterling's where…
She groans with regret. Her body was now loosely clad in Barons gunmetal grey robe and it felt like a betrayal. Her underwear was missing and she felt a leftover residue on the inside of her thighs. The wetness from a moment of weakness between her and the dashing vamp was the only evidence of their sexual encounter. Strangely, she thought she would feel something more once the vamp had touched her but now all she felt was alarm and anxiety of the truth being exposed. What would Baron think? She didn't allow her mind to wander on that thought so she pushed the covers back and tied herself once again in the plush robe before making her way to the bedroom door.
She hit the light switch and looked around the chamber where she has wasted hours sleeping. There was a small gas fire place in the corner with two candles on the mantle. Left over wax from the previous burning was stuck and hardened on the side while the wick hung carelessly about. The sheets of the bed lay in a bundle of waves. The silk was midnight blue and the quilt was chiffon pink as were the pillows. A door was shut which likely lead to a bathroom and he had a closet instead of a wardrobe but she decided against snooping for now.
Her head pounded profusely like a hangover and yet she hadn't touch alcohol. She found her underwear discarded at the foot of the sofa and she gasped while pulling them on quickly in shame. Surely she knew coming over here would lead to some aloof act but oral sex hadn't been on her mind. It was redundant to keep wishing otherwise so she left the apartment with her keycard in hand and went back to the safety of Barons. The urge to shower struck her as a smart decision so she peeled off the robe and jumped into the steamy glass room. She was attentive with the soap, making sure she scrubbed every inch of herself clean, especially between her legs. All her young life she barely had a steady boyfriend and suddenly she was jumping into risqué situations with complete strangers. She could hardly recognize herself at that moment and she sunk to her knees in the shower while contemplating her actions. No tears came, only a wish to better herself if she really was the last hope these people had. The water was cold when hitting her back and her skin had started to prune after being in too long. She turns the tap off and pulls the robe around herself to dry. The thing smelt of Sterling's spicy scent and she wanted to burn the thing. Baron's musky scent had been hidden in the fibers and surely he would smell the other male on her. It was time to find a washing machine and a guide to take her there. The only trouble was she did not know a single face with the exception of the fighting males. Sterling was her last option again and she would have to wait for his return.
Sterling taps his fingers in impatience while waiting for the good doctor to return. Bhane was something of a genius when it came to healing, even more so then Cardinal and he specialized in dealing out meds to vamps in secrecy. Though it was more then your average over the counter cold syrup; Bhane dealt with narcotics as well. What started out as a simple formality to pay off his gambling debt to River, turned into his new backroom career. You had to figure the guy was shady considering he did his med work at the back of a strip joint which he now owned. Sterling felt like he was in a scene of the sopranos, waiting for James Gandolfini himself to step out. As Banish had said, corruption knows no limits.
The booming music of the strip joint pours into his ears as the door opens quickly and shuts just as fast. Bhane was quite the juxtaposition in his own background. A trim black suit with a gold napkin tucked away in his right breast pocket made him appear as quite the gentleman. His red hair was tied back in an array of colors while he kicked out his chair to sit. He wheeled close to Sterling with a pleasant smile.
"How wonderful to gain a visit from you again." His pearly whites flash a frauds smile, while his sepia colored eyes looked unnerving.
"I didn't feel like sitting in the waiting room tonight." Sterling puts blandly while referring to the women parading themselves half naked on a stage.
"Really? How unusual, most patients feel it relaxes them before a visit to me."
"Most likely because you could blackmail them." It was true; Bhane had more dirt dug up on everyone put together. People you suspected to be good at heart, were either junkies or had mental issues of murder and despair and Bhane sat back to absorb it all. A placard hung on his wall, promoting his excellence in the medical field. More likely he kept it there to remind himself of who he once was. Bhane himself had his own demons too.
"How terribly original coming from you." Bhane rolls his eyes while wheeling over to his desk and fishing out needles. "The usual I presume?"
"I may need a stronger dose, as I neglected to call on you last time."
"Do you want me to take a look?" instantly his demeanor changes from strip joint manager to PhD.
"I suppose I can waste the time."
Bhane wheels himself over in his chair while Sterling lays flat on the metal gurney. Bhane's hands are cold and rough of a physician while he pulls the left leg of the trouser up from Sterling's ankle. The scar that bore there was a faint purple, and the skin was turning a dove grey in contrast to the rest of his skin. The maimed skin ran from the ball of his ankle and up the side of his calf, almost meeting the knee.
"Can you feel anything here?" Bhane asks while applying pressure with his hand.
"Only a numb inconvenience." He replies shortly.
"I feel my concern grow for this injuring, but before I suggest anything drastic, I will prescribe a stronger med to you."
"You mean charge me privately. We don't have pharmacies for the meds you sell Bhane." Sterling pulls himself up on the gurney while reaching for his cane.
Bhane smirks. "And yet no one complains about my business, so don't act like a saint."
"I saw your sister tonight." Sterling remarks which in turn makes Bhane lose color to his face. He takes on an empty and bland look.
"I know I can faintly smell her still on your jacket. How fairs she?"
"She was happy to be put at work with a project I gave her. She is quite adapt in her science."
A small, wry smile plays at the corner of Bhane's mouth. "I am proud she is doing what makes her happy. And yet she is still in love with River. You don't have to answer; the look of pity on your face spoke all when you brought her up."
"I have tried to convince Mars over and again but she won't listen."
"Of course she won't. She is a woman in love with a man who her over protective brother detests. Women are ever so daring when picking a man."
"I must defend my comrade in one case. You hate him because of his lifestyle and what he does and yet you are a drug dealer with a strip joint? Forgive me if I'm beating around the bush but that seems a tad hypocritical."
"I do what I can to survive; River lives like trash because he is trash. A junkie who deals and drinks Demon blood is not welcome in my sister's bed."
"Alas I cannot help you anymore on this subject. It is Mars and yours concern; that is if you ever man up to speak with her in person."
He clears his throat impatiently in a warning for Sterling to shut his trap. "Than let me get you what you need so I can send you on your way."
Bhane starts to fish trough draws of his desk while looking at different pills, liquids and powders. Very rare did he sell human narcotics because most vampires had strong resistance to those chemicals. He had an array of powdered demon blood, were venom and bones of faeries that were crushed into a pill. Certain weeds that only grew in Nocturne could be used as a powerful smoke and Sterling had more than once indulged in the pleasure. The narcosis in which it often caused was a shattering welcome to his prudent life. Bhane wraps up a baggy filled with a sample of moon ash along with a bottle filled with pills.
"The smoke you have used before so continue as per usual but make sure to keep track with those pills. Only one per forty-eight hours I caution or the effects may be extreme."
"Don't want me to OD?"
"Looks bad on my clean record." Bhane flashes a wicked smile before tidying his hair. "I expect to see you once you've ran low on that. Don't hesitate to call if your leg doesn't get better though, I can always manage to pencil you in seeing as you are a friend."
"Well be still my hollow heart, I am friends with the corrupt Doctor of Nocturne." Sterling manages to pull mock sincerity before receiving a dark look from the red head.
"Always a pleasure." Bhane drawls blandly. His stare is blank and he motivates his inner self to return to his immodest job. "I'll send you the bill in a few hours." he calls before completely disappearing.
He leaves Sterling alone and heads back into the pounding music of the club. As the door closes, Sterling catches the brief glance of shining poles and dark lighting with luscious women swaying to the dance music in front of morbidly depressed vampires. Strange, some of the faces had been familiar to the casino and Sterling knew the line between him and them was thin. How long before he would be a shell of himself from the sadness? How long before he too would be consumed and make hourly visits to watch the flaunting women? The thought made him feel retarded and contorted inside; like a rabid dog in the gutter waiting to be fed. Not wanting to dwell on possible future transgressions, he makes the jump from the club and back to the casino where he is only greeted by the sight of abandoned, messy sheets and the faint smell of sunlight from Rose who had bolted long before his return.
So opinions on the two new introduced boys? I actually have hopes of making Banish more important later on and Bhane will be more important to Rivers story. I also think they are worthy of their own story at some point but you let me know.
Reviews!