AN: Thanks once again for some lovely reviews to the last chapter. Some of you may have spotted, either on Twitter or if your read her other wonderful fic, Waterproof Ink, the second mystery writer has revealed herself to be the wonderful and brilliant Marble Eyes. (Before anyone gets the wrong idea, and thinks Marble is big headed, it is me, Electric Violinist, who is writing this author's note.) So three cheers for gorgeous Marble, and we hope you continue to enjoy our love child.
As always, we really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read and review! We love writing this so much, and hope you enjoy reading it! Enjoy!
For the last ten minutes Brendan and the man called Foxy had been arguing. If Ste had been in the right state of mind, he may have listened to what it was over. But Ste wasn't in the right state of mind. He was quite sure he was high, even though he'd never really taken drugs in his life. At this moment in time, Ste was staring at a shiny pen on Brendan's desk, admiring how many colours it glittered in the light. He picked it up, staring at how the light began to swirl on it. Ste wondered if it tasted nice, he popped it into his mouth and was annoyed when Brendan took it straight out of his mouth. It was pretty. So were Brendan's hands. And Brendan's hands were fascinating when he was angry, all fidgety, and clenching and unclenching. They were such pretty hands. Ste couldn't help but lick his lips as he looked at those hands. Maybe he could lick Brendan's hands, that might make things better.
Warren Fox, however, was not pretty. Warren Fox looked like a bear and made weird grunting noises. Perhaps Warren Fox was a bear masquerading as a vampire masquerading as a human. To Ste, that seemed pretty plausible right now, because there was no way Warren Fox could be the same species as beautiful Brendan and his beautiful hands. Would a slayer want to slay a bear pretending to be a vampire? He glanced over at Walker who was sat in the corner angrily sharpening a wooden stake with a pen knife; it seemed he wasn't enjoying his present situation either. A room full of vampires he'd agreed not to slay must be making him very agitated. Maybe Brendan should give him that pen to play with.
When Ste suggested it, everyone went quiet for a moment, then carried on exactly as they had been for the past God knew how long. It must have been a brilliant idea because it had left them speechless, even if it was only for a moment.
Ste resisted the urge to giggle like a little kid. The world had become a much more interesting place since Brendan had taken his blood. It was full of bright colours and delicious smells. Like Brendan. Ste wanted to eat him up right now, he was so beautiful. Suddenly he realised he was hungry, he stood up and began to rummage through Brendan's desk draw looking for snacks. He stopped when he remembered Brendan was a vampire and began to giggle at how silly he'd been. Vampires didn't have snacks! Or did they? Maybe there were blood lollipops hidden in this draw somewhere. The thought turned Ste's giggle to a loud laugh.
"Steven." said Brendan in a warning voice.
"Is he right in the head?" asked Warren rudely.
"More right than you'll ever be Foxy." said Brendan.
Ste looked up and realised a room full of vampires, a witch, a slayer and a dog were staring at him. Most of the vampires Ste didn't know, but some were familiar from his time working at DOA. "What?" he said.
"Put the stapler down love." said Cheryl gently.
Ste glanced down, he hadn't even noticed he was holding it until that moment. He let out a sigh, dropped the stapler and sat back on his chair. "Oh." He could murder a bag of chips, he let out a snort wandering if it was right to be thinking about murder in a room full of vampires. Maybe he could cover them in ketchup...the chips, not the vampires of course. He snorted again as he imagined covering the assembled vampires with tomato sauce. Maybe Brendan would let him lick it off him.
"You've picked a winner here Brendan, rat boy's off his face." said Warren. He looked at the other vampires for support, as if desperate for them to laugh at his jokes. They didn't.
"No I ain't." muttered Ste resentfully.
Warren shot him a dirty look, before turning his expression back to Brendan. "You still haven't told me what's to be done about this 'little' problem on your patch. You must understand things can't carry on as they are, if you're not up to the task of running this area then you should hand it over to someone who is."
"Someone like you?" asked Mitzeee, she let out a sarcastic laugh. "This place would be burned to the ground within days of you taking over. You're not exactly known for keeping your true nature a secret."
"So he is a bear!" said Ste, in the manner of a detective finally solving a crime in which the perpetrator had been alluding them for weeks.
All the vampires in the room stared blankly at him. Ste was beginning to get the feeling there was something very wrong with him. Even Cheryl was acting like she didn't know him. Ste automatically reached up and touched the cross on his neck for reassurance.
"Bears are intelligent animals Steven, don't go around comparing them to poor old Foxy over there." said Brendan.
Warren stood up, he flicked his hands and a number of vampires stood up to join him. "I'm bored of this little freak show now. I'm giving you a day Brendan. If this little problem isn't sorted out by tomorrow, then I will petition to take over this area and you know I'll win." He turned to look at Mitzeee, who had curled a lip in disgust. "They'll always be a place for you here darling."
Brendan stood up so quickly that he was a blur to Ste's eyes, suddenly the two vampires were nose to nose and in each other's faces. It was hard to tell who looked the angriest. Both were letting out animalistic growls and had their fangs out.
"Are you threatening me, Foxy?" growled Brendan. "Because I don't like it when people threaten me. They tend to end up having very unpleasant accidents when they do." His voice was low and dangerous.
Warren looked as if Brendan's words hadn't phased him at all. "You and me both know your time here is running out Brendan. You're a joke; you, your pet and your children. It's only a matter of time until everyone sees you for what you are...tick, tock goes the clock." he stepped away from Brendan and headed to the door with his party of vampires. "By the way, you didn't need to mark the boy; I never would have wanted him, I don't eat trash and I reckon he'd leave a bad taste in my mouth."
A wooden stake sailed across the room and shot straight into Warren's shoulder before Brendan had any time to rush forward and attack the man. Warren let out a bear-like growl and pulled it out of his skin. Walker stood victorious on the other side of the room, his eyes glinting with anger. It was the first time Ste thought he actually looked dangerous, like the vampire slayer he apparently was. A number of Warren's vampires had already formed a circle around him, ready to strike on their master's command. Walker didn't look afraid: he'd brought out a second stake and looked ready for a fight.
Warren dropped the stake to the floor, his face becoming a mask of indifference. "It's okay, leave him." he said to his vampires. "When I take over this area, you," he pointed at Walker, "will be the first to die."
Walker looked him boldly in the eyes. "Next time I won't miss."
"You better hope not," said Warren, he walked straight out of the room and a number of vampires followed him. All the vampires in the room were silent, obviously listening to make sure Warren was actually gone.
Brendan turned to the other vampires in the room, power radiating from every pour, and making Ste lick his lips again. "Leave us. I will be in contact when I have your orders," he growled.
The vampires who were left in the room started to leave, each giving Ste a curious look before they disappeared completely. When it was just Mitzeee, Walker, Cheryl and Myra left in the room, Brendan shut the door.
"What are we going to do, Bren?" asked Cheryl suddenly, sounding borderline hysterical. "We have a murderer on our patch and Warren knocking on the door trying to get in. It seems like everything is against us."
Brendan closed his eyes. "Chez, be quiet a minute, yeah? I'm trying to think."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Cheryl." said Mitzeee. "Ste's little performance certainly didn't help matters and now Walker over there has signed his own death certificate."
Walker glared at her. "He insulted the boy."
"What's that got to do with you?" asked Mitzeee, angrily.
"He's the only one in the room I can stand." answered Walker darkly. He pulled out another piece of wood and began to sharpen it with his pen knife. He was obviously imagining ramming it through Mitzeee's chest and had forgotten how recently he'd tried to kill Ste.
Ste, ignoring the arguing vampires, glanced over at Myra, who was whispering to Nate the dog, who was sat on the table looking straight at her.
"Don't look at me like that." she hissed. "I'm sorry, but it's your own fault."
"What is?" asked Ste, suddenly silencing the vampires. "Are you talking to that dog?"
"No." said Myra defensively.
Ste didn't believe her; but decided it wasn't worth the argument, not when Brendan's lap looked so comfy. He put his arms around Brendan's torso and snuggled into his chest. "You're warm." he muttered.
"You seriously need to sort him out." said Mitzeee. "He's not going to be happy when he's sobered up a bit."
Ste ignored her and began to slide his hand down past the waistband of the trousers Brendan was wearing. He suddenly desperately wanted the vampire, wanted to take him in his mouth and suck all the liquid out like Brendan had done to him. He began to slide down to the floor, tugging at Brendan's trousers.
"Er..." said Cheryl, sounding a bit disgusted.
Brendan caught Ste's hand and pulled him gently back to his feet. "Not when you're like this or with all these people around."
"They could watch!" said Ste boldly, trying to open Brendan's shirt now the trousers were frustratingly out or reach. "I don't mind an audience, me."
Myra stood up. "I think I can sort out the problem Ste's having tonight. I have just the thing for situations like this" she said quickly. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door leading out of the office. "Come on."
Ste threw up into the disabled toilet for the fourth time that night. Myra had dragged him there shortly after the meeting and forced some strange brown liquid down his throat. It was supposed to clear his head, but so far all it seemed to have done was clear his stomach.
"Are you alright now?" asked Myra.
"No, that stuff is proper rank!" cried Ste.
"Well it's better than you acting like a demented pixie. You're worse than our Bart on weed." said Myra. "What I gave you should counteract the sensation of the blood giving you did."
"It's counteracted something." Ste pushed down the toilet lid and sat on top of it. He closed his eyes and leaned against the tiles on the wall. "Oh my God, did I really just try to give Brendan a blow job in a room full of people? Including his sister?"
Myra looked confused for a second. "Oh, that's what you were trying to do earlier!"
Ste let out a groan. "Why does this stuff always happen to me?"
"Do you really want to know?" asked Myra, quietly. Her face was completely serious.
Ste opened his eyes and looked at her, realising the conversation had suddenly taken a serious turn. "Yeah."
Myra glanced at the door to check nobody was going to come in any time soon. "I kind of made a mistake a long time ago and you are a part of that mistake. I knew who and what you were from the minute I saw you. I could sense the magic in you."
"A mistake?" asked Ste faintly.
"I did this spell a few years ago, and it went wrong. Well, or it went right depending on the way you look at it," said Myra, holding Ste's gaze.
"What kind of spell?" asked Ste.
Myra bit her lip, as if in turmoil whether to tell him. "A long time ago Brendan saved me and my daughter from Trevor. So I wanted to give him something in return, something he really wanted...So I gave him his freedom."
"Yeah, Brendan said something about that," Ste pulled a face. "But what has that got to do with me?"
"Everything." said Myra. "What Brendan didn't know was that I did set him free, but it came at a cost."
Ste swallowed hard, wondering what the older woman was trying to tell him. "What kind of cost?"
"Brendan isn't as free as he thinks he is. The power and the control I took from his master, well that energy doesn't just disappear, it needed to go somewhere and it did." She looked him straight in the eyes. "It went to you."
"Me?" asked Ste, his voice faraway. "How can that be right? Wouldn't I know if I had it? And why? I didn't even know him a few years ago!"
Myra shook her head. "It doesn't work like that Ste. It went to you because you're his other half love, the light to his dark. You're the only person in the world who could absorb that power, because you're the only person in the world who is meant to be with Brendan. You are each other's destiny now."
"But I'm just some chav from a council estate." said Ste desperately, unable to comprehend the information she was giving him. How could he be Brendan's other half? Brendan was amazing and he was just some human. Brendan didn't care about him, how could he be destined for him? And he didn't have power over Brendan! That was ludicrous! He briefly thought of their time together. Could that be why Brendan always listened to him and seemed so human around him sometimes?
"Are you alright love?" asked Myra.
"Yeah." said Ste, his voice barely a whispered. "Does he know?"
"No," said Myra. "He thinks his freedom came with no strings attached. I mean, he's Brendan Brady; I didn't think he had another half 'til I met you! And he doesn't realise there's always consequences in magic."
"Could this spell you did...could it be making Brendan more human?" asked Ste hesitantly, remembering how warm Brendan had felt earlier and the times he'd been sure he'd heard the other man's heartbeat.
Myra looked confused. "I don't know, anything's possible I guess."
"If we carry on together, does that mean Brendan might...you know...be able to walk in the sun again and have a heartbeat?" asked Ste, feeling excited at the prospect of a human Brendan.
"I've never heard of a vampire coming back to life, Ste. Even in the supernatural world dead is dead." said Myra, smiling sympathetically at him. "There is no way to reverse the process when it's complete."
But she didn't know everything about this spell, did she? She'd already admitted that. "What if I die?" asked Ste, thinking about all the things that had happened to him lately. "Will Brendan be completely free then?"
Myra shrugged. "I don't know," she said, "No one's ever done it before that I can find. It could be that, with you gone, Brendan would be completely free, but it could be that the power would go back to where it came from."
Ste could barely breath, "To his maker?" he gasped.
Myra nodded. "Yes, his maker. The most evil man I've ever had the misfortune to come across," she shivered. And Ste couldn't help but do the same, "if that happens, Ste, there's no hope for anybody! We've got to keep you safe. Do you understand?"
While a part of Ste couldn't help but be annoyed that the only reason someone might try to keep him alive was so that Brendan didn't become a slave again, he did nod. Between Myra's words and Brendan's earlier ones, the image he got of Brendan's creator was very scary indeed. They couldn't let Brendan fall under his control again.
Brendan rubbed his face. He'd been over it a hundred times already; the attacks, Warren's ultimatum, Steven's safety. Though he had no doubts he could beat Warren with his eyes closed if the bastard actually tried anything, he couldn't risk Steven's safety. He had one option left. Attack. Get them before they hurt anyone else he cared for.
Except he still didn't know who 'they' were.
He looked at a map of the village. They were probably somewhere nearby; he hadn't heard about any murders outside of Hollyoaks. But not close enough that he could sniff them out.
"There's some new build houses over there, no one'll have moved in yet," suggested Mitzeee, pointing to a place on the map.
"Too near Steven's home," Brendan told her. He'd have sniffed out any vampires that close to Steven's council flat and pulled them apart before now if they had been there.
"Some of the big houses have basements they might hide in during the day," suggested Cheryl.
Brendan sighed, "Maybe," he said. "We just have no way of knowing and if they suspect we're on to them before we're ready..."
"There might be more of us!" Mitzeee reminded him, "How many did Ste say he saw?"
Brendan shrugged. He hadn't asked Steven anywhere near enough about his kidnap yet. He was not looking forward to the conversation.
He checked that Steven was still in the building for the twentieth time that minute. He could still smell the boy, still hear his voice and Myra's. They'd left the bathroom and were on their way back up. Brendan followed their progress while he checked again on the map and tried not to think about how beautiful the boy had tasted. Or how tempted he was to just let the boy blow him, company be damned. A part of him couldn't help but be turned on by how completely free Steven had been after the blood taking. It had taken all his restraint not to have the boy whilst he'd been playing with that pen earlier, that would have wiped the smirk off Foxy's face.
"You seen anything, Walker?" he asked, "Any hint where there might be other vampires?"
Walker shook his head, "I've been rather focused on you," he explained, using his penknife on his wooden stake to illustrate his point. Brendan rolled his eyes, and turned to greet his young lover as he walked back into the room sheepishly.
"You alright?" he asked, "not gonna try to fellate any more pens?"
Steven coloured beautifully and shook his head, then said in a strange voice "Sit down, Brendan."
Brendan sighed and sat, indicating the chair next to him for Steven. "Steven," he said, "we need to know what happened. Who kidnapped you and Myra and where did they take you?"
Steven sat next to him and nodded, then said, "OK, but hold my hand."
Brendan didn't even think to check who was looking. If Steven needed support he would give it took him. He held Steven's hand gently. Steven was looking at him with wide confused eyes for some reason, so Brendan squeezed the hand in his.
"What did they look like, Steven?" he asked, quietly.
"Well, Vinnie was skinny and blond," said Steven, "and Eoghan was tall with mousy hair and a weird accent."
Brendan blinked, "Wait, who?" he asked.
"Vinnie was from Liverpool I think. I mean he had that accent. I think Eoghan might be Irish."
"Who?" Brendan said again, unable to believe his ears, "Did you say Vinnie?"
"Yeah," said Steven, then looked worried, "They seemed to know you..."
Brendan nodded slowly. But that couldn't be right, could it?
"Oh, my God!" cried Mitzeee.
"Are you sure that was their names, Ste?" asked Cheryl.
"Yeah..." said Steven slowly. "Why, how do you know 'em?"
Mitzeee seemed to find it hilarious "They only need one more member and they'd be a boy band. Brendan Brady's evil exes! The Brexes!"
"It's not just them!" Steven cried, "There was someone else they talked about. But they only called him Master. Hang on, did you say exes?!"
"Who's that, Macca?" cackled Mitzeee.
"It's not funny, Mitzeee!" snapped Cheryl.
"Yes it is!" Mitzeee responded, "Have you met Brendan's exes? You could stop 'em hurting anyone just by sitting on them! None of them have a brain cell between them."
"Hey!" Cheryl growled, and the dog growled too, then leapt into Cheryl's arms and licked her face, making annoying mewling sounds. Brendan was getting suspicious of that dog. But now was not the time.
"Where did they take you?" he asked, trying to avoid the look Steven was giving him by directing the question at Myra.
"Scratch your nose, Brendan," said Steven, inexplicably and with a note of annoyance.
"Er," she started and Brendan rolled his eyes, as he scratched his nose, "I don't think it was too far away, right, because the stone we used to escape wouldn't have taken us very far. It was a cellar in this house, but I didn't know the area, didn't recognise it. But it was dead quiet. I don't know if anyone actually lived there.
Brendan thought for a moment. Did that sound familiar?
"Do you think you could find it again?" he asked the witch.
"Rub your tummy," said Steven, and Brendan ignored him, still looking at the witch.
"Er," said the witch, eyes failing to focus on his, "maybe, with the stone."
"And we think there's only three?" he asked, "So the three of us with a bit of help from you and Walker over there shouldn't have a problem?"
"Well, er... I only saw two... er... and heard another voice, er..."
She still couldn't meet his eye. Unlike Mitzeee and Cheryl who were looking at him like he was crazy. "What?" he said.
"Why are you doing that?" Mitzeee asked, as Cheryl continued to stare.
"What?" he said, looking at himself. He was just rested a hand on his abs. And sort of circling the area with it. That wasn't so weird. He wondered if Steven thought he was being weird. The boy was grinning smugly.
"Serves you right for trying to run off to find your exes!" the boy said, folding his arms.
"What?" said Brendan again, completely bemused.
Steven put his head to one side, "Stand on one leg," he said.
Brendan had obeyed before he'd had a thought to wonder why.
"Oh my God!" gasped Cheryl, "How are you doing that?"
Brendan wanted to know the same bloody thing.
"Er..." said Myra.
Brendan snapped his head to the witch, who was now looking very worried indeed.
"Myra," he said.
"You know, I should really get going now," said the witch.
"Myra," he repeated.
"You know, I think I've left the iron on," said the witch, as she stumbled towards the door again, "God knows what'll happen to our Carmel if she's gone to bed and not noticed."
Brendan was between the witch and the door, "Myra, tell me you didn't give maker's power over me to some random bloke!"
Myra looked aghast, "I most certainly did not!" she cried, offended.
Brendan looked at her suspiciously. How the hell was Steven controlling him then?
"I accidentally gave it to your other half!" the witch finished.
"What?" said Brendan again.
"You know, the other half of you," stammered the witch, "the ying to your yang, the light to your darkness, the Sally to your Harry, the Piglet to your Pooh!"
"What are you on about?" Brendan growled.
"Brendan!" Steven protested.
Brendan snarled. This was too much. He didn't know how to process it. He'd been in charge of himself now for years.
"Now isn't the time for a domestic!" snapped Walker. "We have three killers on the loose!"
"Not three!" said Steven, "Vinnie never killed anyone, he told me!"
Brendan cursed. How could innocent, stupid little Vinnie have got caught up with this? Maybe it wasn't that Vinnie? No, Steven said he'd known Brendan. And Eoghan! He was Lynsey's brother. Lynsey had never mentioned he'd become a vampire. Though Brendan wasn't sure a one night stand made him count as an ex, he too was connected to Brendan.
Brendan shivered as he wondered who their 'Master' was.
"Well, what can we do?" Steven demanded.
"We already decided," said Cheryl, "we're going to attack."
Steven gasped. "Really?"
Cheryl nodded, "We just need to find them!"
"Can I have a word, Steven?" Brendan interrupted.
"About what?" Steven asked.
"In private," Brendan said, hoping he was putting enough sensuality into the statement for Steven to take that hint. The young man looked at him curiously, as though thinking about taking the bait. "Get lost, the rest of you," Brendan instructed.
They did. Mitzeee and Cheryl, of course didn't have a choice when he gave a direct instruction like that, but Walker too only gave the smallest of glares before going. Maybe he'd realised what Brendan was planning.
The question was, had Steven?
"Steven," Brendan started.
"I'm not letting you go without me!" Steven snapped.
So he had. Brendan smiled sadly.
"It's dangerous, Steven," said Brendan, "if anything happened to you…"
"What, you're worried your bastard maker will be able to control you again?" interrupted Steven, angrily.
Brendan shook his head. How could Steven still be thinking like that, even now after everything they shared?
"If anything happened to you, I wouldn't care who had power over me," said Brendan, "I'd have nothing left to live for."
Steven looked at him, slightly appeased but still obviously suspicious. Brendan knew what else he needed to say.
"I need you safe," Brendan told him, gently pushing some hair from the young beautiful face before him. "Out of harm's way."
Steven still looked infuriatingly stubborn. "I can't just stay here while you put yourself in danger! I'm going with you, Brendan!"
Brendan had expected that. He put a hand on the beautiful stubborn face, and looked into the boys earnest, stubborn eyes. Steven might have control over him, but Brendan was not letting this one go.
"Now, don't make me use my order voice," said Steven, with a small but satisfied smile and a hand playing with Brendan's shirt. His fingers pushed through a gap in the shirt and began to run their way up and down along the hair on his chest.
"Alright," said Brendan, "one last time before we go risk our lives though?"
Steven grinned, "I thought you'd never ask."
He kissed Steven's sneaky grin from the lad's face, putting a hand behind his head, and feeling Steven's arms slip around his shoulders. This was probably what Myra had meant by other half; they just kind of fitted, the two of them. He may have known Steven only for a matter of days, but there was no way he was letting him out of his life ever again. Control or no control.
Steven obligingly guided them backwards towards the desk, and perched on the edge, letting Brendan slip between his legs. When had the boy learnt to be so tempting? He made a keening sound in his throat that made Brendan want to discover how many sounds he could get from him. He had to remind himself: that wasn't his purpose right now.
Steven was bringing his legs up, creeping them around Brendan's waist where they belonged. Brendan's resolve was about to crumble to dust.
Thankfully, he could do things in a blink of Steven's eye.
The cuffs were in the middle drawer of his desk (he was a vampire, vanilla sex was a rarity saved only for the most gorgeous morsels like Steven). He'd reached them and snapped them onto Steven's wrist within one beat of a human heart. He didn't even pull away from the kiss to do that. Or to clip the other end of the cuff to the leg of the desk. He pulled away to hiss, "Sorry, I prefer you angry to dead," and to disappear from the room.
He heard a furious "Brendan!" but was outside the club before Steven could even start any instructions. No way was Brendan endangering him and if he couldn't hear Steven, he didn't need to obey him. It was a loophole Cheryl and Mitzeee exploited whenever they thought Brendan might be angry with them.
"Ready?" he growled to the waiting vampires, witch and slayer.
"Where's Ste?" asked Cheryl.
"Handcuffed to a bed, I assume," Mitzeee replied for him.
In hindsight, that would probably have been better. More comfortable, maybe less frustrating for Steven. Too late now, he thought. He looked at Cheryl's dog, waiting patiently on the ground. "Look out for him, yeah?" he said to it.
The dog barked once, and trotted back inside the club. Brendan took that as a yes.
"Come on, then" he said, and the five of them set out into the night.
"Brendan Brady, you undo these cuffs right bloody now!" Steven shouted at the silence around him.
He received no answer. The bastard had cuffed him to a bloody desk then buggered off to possible death, leaving Ste to worry alone. What if he died? Ste would never forgive the bastard if he died! And even if he didn't, he would be getting no sex for weeks! Well, days. Probably.
Bastard.
He tugged at the cuffs again. They were pretty solid. Not fluffy fakes from Ann Summers. When Brendan got back, Ste was going to order him to dance around naked singing the national anthem. Or chain himself to a bloody desk, see how he liked it.
"Bastard!" he shouted again, though he was pretty sure if Brendan could hear him, he would have been forced to undo the cuffs by now.
Maybe he could order the bastard to crawl on his knees, begging for forgiveness...naked.
Assuming he survived, of course. Who knew what Eoghan and Vinnie and their mysterious master actually wanted from them? What if tonight was the last time he ever saw Brendan?
He struggled anew against the cuffs, twisting and pulling and trying to get the blasted thing off in any way. It was bloody strong.
Nate the dog trotted in, and sat awkwardly on the other side of a room. Ste was surprised to see an awkward looking dog. It tilted its head as if it was trying to work out his mood.
"Know anything about cuffs?" he asked it.
The dog barked and looked at the floor apologetically. Ste frowned at it.
"You ain't just a dog, are you?" he asked.
The dog looked up again and barked once with a slight wag of its tail.
"Er…" said Ste, "should I be scared?"
He didn't think there was anything scary at the little dog before him, but if it was supernatural, who knew how else it could appear?
The dog barked and trotted closer to rub its head gently against Ste's ankle, which Ste took as a 'no'. He sighed. "And what are we supposed to do now, eh? Just wait for the vampires to sort it out?"
The dog barked.
"But Walker isn't a vampire, and he got to go!"
"Woof," barked Nate.
"Yeah, so maybe he knows more about vampires than me, but how I am just supposed to sit back while Brendan could be in trouble, right?"
"Woof, woof!" barked Nate.
"I could be useful!" Ste protested.
"Woof!" barked Nate again.
"Oh, shut up!" Ste snapped. So, maybe he wouldn't be much good against vampires. They'd kidnapped him easily he supposed. And if they'd wanted to kill him, he would definitely be dead by now. He was still bloody pissed off with Brendan. If this was how he reacted to the idea of putting Ste in danger, why didn't he understand that Ste felt the same about him?
"Bloody vampires!" he muttered to himself. "You know, if he's still alive when he gets back, I'm gonna kill him! Putting himself in danger, because he thinks he knows better. Just 'cause he's older than me! Bloody Brendan!"
There was a noise from the club. Maybe Brendan had come back for him? Decided he didn't care about these idiots and they were running off somewhere nice. South America perhaps.
Nate sniffed the air. Then he growled. Ste understood. Whoever had arrived, was not Brendan.
Brendan hadn't put himself in danger, after all; danger had come looking for Ste instead.