Chapter Nine
"Were you two not supposed to be heading to Russia?" Sebastian asked with sigh as said vampires made their sudden entrance. Glancing down, he smoothed the back of his hand against Ciel's sleeping face, gently extracting himself from the boy's slumbering body that was draped across his legs.
The human remained unconscious, unaware of their visitors. Sebastian's eyes narrowed as Alois and Claude strolled in. He bared his teeth with a low growl of warning, and in turn, the duo shifted in defense, understanding and accepting his dominance. He relaxed after a beat of silence, the intensity vanishing.
"We were, but the underground has a blockade set up," Claude replied, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the blonde had caught sight of the sleeping human. "Something about angels interfering with trade routes, but I'm not sure of the details."
Sebastian waved his hand dismissively. "It's probably the same old debate. Did you think of travelling aboveground?"
Alois suddenly spun around on his toes, poking at Claude's nose. "Claude doesn't like to," he sang.
"Oh?"
The vampire with glasses pushed said object further up his nose. "There are too many distractions," he explained vaguely, but his response made Alois giggle impishly nonetheless. Sebastian nodded and stepped forward, understanding that Claude wished to discuss something with him. He looked down at Alois.
"You may go to him, but don't you dare do anything funny," Sebastian told him, his red eyes glowing with unspoken threats as he nodded back to Ciel. "And don't wake him, either. Understood?"
Alois beamed like the sun at this allowance he thought to never be privileged with again. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he agreed, "Crystal clear!" Sebastian gave him another glance over and shot Claude a similar look since the younger was his responsibility. Claude leaned down and muttered something to the blonde.
"Come on, Claude, I already said I wouldn't!" Alois said with a playful pat. Claude sighed and turned towards the entrance, both he and Sebastian leaving the younger vampire to look after Ciel for the time being.
Alois bit his lip until it nearly bled as he tried in vain to hold back his maniacal laughter. He crept up to Ciel as if he were hunting down a meal, his hands and knees resting on the soft cushion as he leaned over the human. He bent down, his nose just barely touching loose fabric as he drank in Ciel's new scent. His mouth watered and icy blue eyes darkened with hunger.
Sighing in his sleep, Ciel did not wake when a cold hand brushed his face, nor when Alois' nose buried into his neck, inhaling deeply. The vampire giggled almost drunkenly as he pulled away despite his hunger, now understanding why Ciel smelled so different.
As if Ciel were made of porcelain, Alois carefully laid down next to the human, gently turning him so that he could observe the slumbering face. Cuddling against the weaker creature, Alois sighed happily, Eskimo kissing the boy and muttering cutely, "Sleep, sleep, my little kitten."
His comfort with the other was short-lived. A stronger presence at the entrance startled the blonde from his relaxed position, and in his own and Ciel's defense, he bared his glistening white fangs and hissed lowly. A moment later a bat speckled white swooped in soundlessly and quickly attached itself to the wall. Blue eyes watched warily as the small mammal transformed into a very pale woman.
Keeping his guard up and shifting so that his precious kitten was partially hidden behind him, Alois hissed, "Who are you?"
Rather than attacking or baring her own fangs, the female's violet eyes drooped as she caught sight of Ciel. Paying little to no attention to the weaker vampire, she rushed to the comforter and fell to her knees, her nimble fingers hovering just over the boy. "Is he hurt?" she asked with genuine concern.
Confused but shifting to protect the human, Alois replied, "He's just sleeping. Who are you?"
Mirth slipped into those purple eyes, and the woman settled back onto her heels, her hands folding neatly in her lap. A kind smile graced her lips and Alois relaxed a little as he took in her sudden beauty. "I'm sorry, I'm Angela," she explained, giving him a look over. "Aren't you Claude's boy?"
Alois smirked, not having any idea who the woman was, but an odd mixture of pride swelled in his chest. "The one and only!" he said proudly. "How do you know Claude?"
Amethyst eyes travelled to Ciel again, but she answered nevertheless. "Through Sebastian, of course; I hunted with those two a long time ago. Probably before you were even thought of." Their eyes met in a silent question and answer, and Alois moved out of the way for her to pet the human's hair gently. An expression of mixed care and slight hunger instilled itself in Angela's face, and Alois found that he couldn't blame her.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Alois asked, a little jealousy fueling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Angela caress Ciel almost lovingly. "How'd you get past Claude and Sebastian?"
Angela snorted at his ignorance, and icy blue eyes narrowed in offense. "Clearly you haven't the ability to shift forms, do you?" Alois didn't answer and she sighed, explaining, "I can go undetected as a bat. As great a side-effect as that can be, however, it can be quite troublesome when it comes to Sebastian and the like."
A blonde eyebrow rose curiously. "Sebastian doesn't like you?" He giggled a little at the thought as he slowly inched the woman's fingers away from Ciel's cheek to replace them with his own.
Quite comically the pale vampire huffed, crossing her arms childishly. "Unfortunately, no, he doesn't. A couple centuries ago I killed what he was preying on and he's never forgiven me for it." She glanced down at Ciel again. "But nowadays I think he doesn't like me because I've taken a great liking to his little pet." Leaning over sideways, she cupped the boy's face in one hand and inhaled. She shot up like she'd been electrocuted not a second later.
Gently, Alois pulled the unconscious human into his lap, a madman's grin on his face as he observed her shock. Luckily he had Claude, and Ciel had Sebastian. He knew he'd be the loser if he had to challenge this Angela to a battle for the human.
"Is he…?"
"Yup!" Alois answered triumphantly, as if he'd been the one to permanently mark the boy and not Sebastian. "It's a horrible shame, isn't it? I'd take this kitten for myself, but since he's been officially claimed, there's nothing I can do." He hugged Ciel to him though, Sebastian's scent not deterring him in the least. "Though, at least I can visit any time I want to!"
A sly look crossed Angela's face just then, and she leaned closer to him, her violet eyes dazzling in the candlelight. "Oh? Are you sure there's nothing you can do?"
Sensing something underfoot, Alois went on the defense. "I'm positive. Why?"
Angela merely shrugged, her gaze still lingering over Ciel. "You really like him, don't you?" she pointed out more than asked. "What would you do if you could have him?"
Not catching the hidden meaning behind the other creature's words, Alois easily bit the bait. "I'd make him mine," he said with a mix of possessiveness and care. "I'd play with my little kitten every day and feed him and pet him and -"
"Oh…nothing else?" Angela inquired, looking surprised. "He'd just be a house pet to you -"
"And Claude," Alois interrupted. "He likes Ciel just as much as I do, though he won't admit it."
Intrigued at the sudden information, Angela didn't dare lose face, continuing where she'd left off. "…a house pet to both you and Claude? Surely he wouldn't be just that, right?"
At her words, it was obvious that Alois understood what she meant and an unbalanced grin spread his pale lips. "Of course he wouldn't; there are so many other games I would enjoy playing with him." Blue eyes glinted mischievously, showing just how sadistic he was on the inside. Angela smiled placidly.
Placing her hands properly in her lap, the pale woman settled back on her heels, purple eyes still transfixed on Ciel's exposed neck. Her mouth watered with hunger. "Would you believe me if I told you there was a way you could…'borrow' him?"
Sebastian inhaled the touched scent of his home with a scowl, red eyes surveying the old rickety house. Everything had been repositioned, flipped over, and thoroughly investigated. A burning rage to find every odor that lingered in his home and track it down so that he could murder every living one of them blazed wildly, but he forcefully resisted the urge. It'd only cause those damn church fanatics to come back, and with the news that they'd given up the search, Sebastian wasn't willing to initiate another one.
Ancient books and antiques he'd collected at random were strewn across the floors and most of it had collected dust. His candles had been burned to their sockets and he tried to ignore the grubby fingerprints over cabinet drawers where they had obviously discovered his little treasures that were sure to be expensive.
With amounting apprehension as he came across the ripped out basement door, Sebastian descended the stairs with a hurry, everything he had down here in similar fashion to his belongings upstairs. However, he was pleased to find that the hidden panel in the far wall had not been disturbed, and he pressed it, relief washing over him as the wall creaked and fell back slightly, revealing the hidden room just behind it.
His coffin was where he'd left it, as well as the small desk right beside it. He ran a hand over the smooth wood, looking forward to spending his nights in it, absolutely tired and in loathe of the dirt hole he'd taken residence in for the past few months. He moved to the desk and pulled open the top drawer, finding everything still in place; parchments, inkbottles and a quill, a ring from his human youth, trinkets from victims he considered to be personal trophies among other things he considered extremely valuable.
Claude lingered in the basement, quietly watching him revel in his untouched belongings. Sebastian smiled at him. "Thank you for telling me about this," he thanked, pulling the panel back into place.
The other vampire shrugged indifferently, following Sebastian back up the stairs. Although he kept his thoughts mostly to himself, he couldn't help but comment on the fact that Sebastian had actually settled down. Creatures such as themselves never made it a habit to stay in one place for too long.
"I'm only five centuries old, you know," Sebastian replied, bending down to pick up some crushed jewelry and slide some broken glass away with his shoe. "It's probably some human habit I haven't gotten rid of yet. Surely you have something you've held onto all these years. You're only half a century older than me, after all."
Claude merely ran a hand through his hair, not about to admit anything, as usual. "You do know that this…home of yours has been free to return to for two or three weeks now. What kept you?"
Red eyes met him with a hint of suspicion, but it was a fleeting look. Claude answered for him, "It's that boy, isn't it?"
"What did you expect me to do? After you and that idiotic child of yours lost him, how could I not leave him when his scent was absorbed by every living creature in that market?" Sebastian hissed defensively. "I'm pretty sure whichever elves purified him left some kind of indistinguishable mark on him and they could track him down easily. And I don't know if you saw, but he was practically purchased by a wraith."
"A wraith?"
Sebastian glared at him. "Or some kind of incubus, but that's beside the point; either way, even though I made my claim public, I'm sure there are some who're bold enough to try and take him from me." They were outside now and he took the time to fix the lock.
Claude raised an eyebrow. "You've become that possessive, huh?" They disappeared from sight, moving into the heavily wooded area just behind the house. Long grass brushed against their pant legs, the sliver of moonlight casting slim shadows. "Perhaps you should drain him; you wouldn't have to worry as much."
Sebastian almost laughed. "As tempting as that has been, I'm sure you could understand why I haven't done so by now."
"He certainly smells delicious."
The monotone quality of the comment helped to soothe Sebastian's nerves of the other doing anything funny despite his previous word. He kept quiet about the other reason as to why Ciel was still alive, however. He certainly didn't need another lecture.
From there the vampires moved silently through the night, ducking under low branches and steering clear of thorny patches. Eventually they could see the very faint glow of candles from the cave, and when they were within fifty feet of the mouth of it Sebastian growled low in his throat as an unwelcome yet very familiar scent hit his nose.
"That damn women doesn't understand what it means to 'stay away'," he grumbled, pushing his way through the last of the bushes, his shoes literally pounding on the stone as he marched into the grotto. Claude followed closely behind, picking up Angela's scent and wondering if she really had done anything truly terrible this time around.
It turned out that she was just too close to the human, and Sebastian practically made a spectacle of throwing her over his shoulder as if she were a ragdoll. She came up smiling and acting cutesy, obviously pretending that the impact with the rough stone wall hadn't hurt her. Sebastian snarled and threatened her.
"But what about the last time I was here? If I recall correctly, you summoned me here to watch him," she protested with a pout.
"That was before I knew Claude and Alois were still around," Sebastian clarified, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see the blonde protectively clutching Ciel, who was just now stirring from sleep. He turned back towards Angela. "Get out."
Rolling her eyes and scoffing, the pale vampire muttered something before turning on her heel and making her exit, her usual snarky comment of "love you too" or a blown kiss not following in her wake. When Sebastian was sure she had left, he turned his attention back onto Ciel.
"I swear I didn't let her do anything to him," Alois started protesting as he approached, gently pushing Ciel out of his lap as if to prove he'd done no wrong. Ciel groaned as he came to, and the blonde stood up as Sebastian kneeled down. Gently he rubbed the pads of his fingers over the human's eyelids, intentionally making the boy sleepy. When Ciel was asleep again, he ran a hand along the boy's face and down his neck, silently sniffing as he made his inspection. Satisfied when he detected nothing amiss, he stood back up and smiled. Alois let out a whoosh of pent up breath.
"Does this mean Claude and I have gained your trust once more?" the youngest asked hopefully as he clasped his hands and bounced on his toes, icy blue eyes shining up at Sebastian.
Sebastian eyed Ciel. "I suppose, unless you give me a reason to mistrust you again."
"Where is it?" Ciel inquired, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as arms wrapped more securely around his middle. He tilted his head back, large blue eyes blinking in question as he waited for Sebastian to give an answer.
The vampire smiled at the adorable view, glad for once he couldn't see Ciel's outstretched neck. He'd been taking too much of the boy's blood as of late, and it certainly wasn't because he was continuously hungry. "About fifteen to twenty miles from here, it's very secluded."
Ciel chuckled. "What would a vampire need a house for? Surely you like to travel," he said, finding the fact that Sebastian preferred to remain in one place odd when it came to the myths. Sure, many were said to dwell within castles, but it made perfect sense to him that they'd also like to move around.
"I suppose it's out of habit," Sebastian replied with a sigh, the pull of the impending dawn making his eyelids grow heavy, and his body languid. Some of the candles were starting to gutter out, and it was obvious Ciel was starting to fall asleep too.
Slowly rolling to his side, Sebastian laid Ciel against the thick comforter, the boy's eyes half-lidded as he rested his forehead against the human's temple, drinking in his scent and warmth. A hand ran down his arm, silently asking him to stay, but Sebastian couldn't oblige this time. Every now and then, small rays of daylight would reach this far back into the cave, and as he was unaware of which days the sun would be out, Sebastian decided not to take chances after the second time he nearly burned.
"Could I come with you?" Ciel half mumbled as he started to pull back. It wasn't very often that he asked, but Ciel had to admit that even though he'd be sleeping in a literal hole, Sebastian's body had proven to be a comfortable mattress. Yet, despite the vampire's tired smile, he shook his head "no".
Disappointed, Ciel was about to protest when a hand lazily brushed down his body, relaxing him. He felt warm breath whisper against his ear, telling him there'd be not an elixir, but fresh food for him tomorrow night when he woke, and with that, Ciel fell into peaceful oblivion.
It was around midday when Ciel awoke. He was pulled to his feet steadily, his eyes staring dully ahead, his mind unthinking as he took one step, and then another. Partially obscured sunrays hit his face as he left the cavern. He faded into the forest before him as if a string were attached to his chest, tugging him gently forward. An incoherent voice that was neither a male or female's whispered in his ear, in his mind, its unintelligible words soothing him and reassuring him that everything was okay.
As Ciel disappeared completely from sight it whispered sweetly to him that he was safe from harm.
A/N: Mhmm…I'd lie in a hole with Sebastian any day (blushes) Okay, not really, but I still like the thought. It's just too cute imagining those two like that. (fangirls over own fluffy thoughts)…Ahem…I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment, thanks for reading, and please review!
