Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 21:02:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Olsen Guerra <ophiucus23@yahoo.com>
Subject: Serpent's Salvation Ch. 5

  <I> This work is copywrited and is property of the author. If gay stories
offend you or if they are illegal in your area, leave. Any resemblance to
any people alive or dead, or any event is purely coincidental. My neediness
knows no bounds; I require constructive feedback. Feedback I say! </I>

                                   Chapter 5

   He was a moron. More-on. Moh-ah-ron. His grandpa could get about six
syllables into that one word and Sebastian deserved every single one of
them.

   Seb turned off the main road and pointed his vehicle towards the
coast. The road was irregular here, littered with potholes and winding its
way back and forth with no rhyme or reason that he could see. It had been
close to dark during his last jaunt, so he was only now seeing the
marshland on each side; sometimes rich with vegetation, sometimes
inhospitable. The avian population alone would be enough to warrant a
return visit. Perhaps a class fieldtrip?

   Yeah, right.

   The closer he got to his destination, the less pressure he put on the
gas. He was fidgety, tapping his fingers against the wheel, jingling
change, checking the mirrors every minute to see if they were
following. His eyes said no, but his mind was screaming "yes, you fool!"

   He tried not to think about what he was doing, which was a pretty stupid
thing to do, but he didn't want to lose his nerve. What would he say to
them?

   If he told them to stop following him they would know that he knew that
they were...something. They would ask questions he wasn't prepared to
answer. Maybe torture him for information. The Stud blindfolding him, tying
Seb down and making him scream for...

   Seb shifted in his seat, his jeans now uncomfortably taught. Maybe not
torture.

   He needed a game plan. He could play it cool, like this was just a
follow-up visit. He still wanted to see the collection. Play it cool, try
to put them at ease, find out more about them and then split.

   He straightened up in his seat with a look of determination as he put on
a bit more speed.

   Play it cool. Yeah.

                                        ***

   The house looked a lot less threatening in the light; the broad shadows
and dark corners gone, replaced with mellow aged stone and a soft
patina. The cobbles in the drive were a sepia-toned rainbow, the greenery
lavish and a bit wild.

   There was a statue of a coiled serpent at the front of the drive, huge
and weathered, half covered in waxy ivy. He had missed it in the dark. The
front door was centered with a large round knocker; a bronze snake's head,
fangs bared.

   So far so good. No grey guys. No blood. No mayhem. Just the little
tickle in his mind. He could deal with a tickle.

   Seb wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He had worn them for
comfort. He couldn't help the fact that they hugged his ass like a vice and
made his cock look - well, even he was impressed. And he definitely didn't
have you-know-who in mind when he picked out his tight white
tee. Functional. He was functional. His contacts gave him better peripheral
vision. The gel kept the hair out of his face.

   He checked the <I> functionality</I> of his clothing for the tenth time
before lifting the heavy ring of metal, letting it fall against the door
with a satisfying thunk.

   It barely had time to echo before the door swung open. Seb was taken
aback by the sudden response, but hid it well. He had known that someone
was behind the door but assumed they would leave him to stew like before.

   The one thing he couldn't hide was a look of disappointment. He had told
himself over and over that he wasn't going there to visit The Stud, but as
soon as he saw the man behind the door he knew himself for a liar.

   He had it so, so bad.

   Not that the man at the door was a trial to look at. He was handsome
enough if you went for the tall, olive, muscular, devastatingly attractive
type. In a word, boring. The guy was smiling, but it was a tight smile that
didn't even come close to his watchful eyes. A predator. One that Seb
recognized.

   Seb thanked God for that small favor. He could keep track of them
individually. It didn't seem like much, but it was something. This was one
of the men from campus last week. The mental signature was the same.

   Asshole.

   "Hi. I'm Sebastian Fell. I came by last week and left a card."

   Sebastian pasted on a smile that was just as false as the one worn by
Mr. Macho and put out his hand in greeting. He could hear the muffled
resonance of psychic conversation as the other man extended his hand as
well. Seb expected a show of strength, a crushing alpha-male grip to assert
superiority, but was pleasantly surprised when the man was nothing more
than firm and abrupt.

   "Mr. Fell. Your reputation precedes you. Please, come in."

   "Thank you, Mister-?"

   "Mychael Tiserova. Just call me Mych."

   Seb entered the house as Mych stepped aside and almost gaped in awe. Seb
had been in some ostentatious houses for parties, a few dinners. He even
had wild monkey sex on a sixty thousand dollar table with the barely legal
heir to an American dynasty. Seb thought he had experienced posh, but this
was-

   "Wow."

   Mych laughed. "That was the first thing I said as well."

   "It's amazing."

   "It's been in the Draco family for generations. They take great pride in
it."

   "I'll bet."

   "I'm sorry about your reception last week. We're usually more hospitable
but we were having some security issues." Mych made a motion for Seb to
follow him.

   "I hope it was nothing too serious."

   "You have nothing to worry about now. They've been remedied." If it
wasn't for the sharp spike of anger Seb felt, he might have believed it. He
just hoped he didn't have to be 'remedied.'

   "Sure. I was wondering if I could make an appointment to talk to
Mr. Draco."

   "I'm taking you to see him now. He's waiting in the library."

   "I wasn't expecting to see him so soon, but if you think he wouldn't
mind-"

   Seb was about to say more when he saw a guard emerge from a shadow to
stand near the door. It was the guard that had answered the door last time,
just before all of Seb's problems started. Same piggy nose. Same glare.

   Mych gave a sharp bark of humorless laughter. "He won't mind. He's a
great fan of your work."

   Seb followed Mych to a recessed area that fed into a hallway, but he
hung back a few feet, ostensibly to look at a fine piece of intricate
bas-relief. After making sure Mych wasn't looking, he took the opportunity
to stick his tongue out at the guard. Seb laughed as the guard's eyes
widened, then turned to play catch up with the hunky jerk-face. Mych was
probably getting an earful, but in for a penny and all that.

   Childish? Perhaps. Satisfying? Oh yeah.

                                       ***

   The fall of their footsteps on the marble sounded ominous in the
never-ending hallway, or maybe he was just too keyed up. Mych was just
ahead of him; silent, at least orally. Mentally, he might as well be
singing songs of solidarity.

   Just how many of these guys were there anyway? A handful? A dozen? An
army? The thought of an army gave him pause. He had loosened up after the
cordial, if bogus, reception, but Nameless Dread was returning full force.

   Much more of this anticipation shit and he would work himself into a
doozie of a panic attack. He had never actually had a panic attack, but
there was a first time for everything.

   He was surrounded. He had walked into the lion's den. He was the dumbest
person on the planet. How could he begin to illustrate the extent of his
folly with mere words? They were everywhere.

   He had so much extracurricular sensory information bombarding him; he
couldn't sort it all out. It was exhausting, so he tried to tune it out, or
at least filter it. It would probably take some practice. Unfortunately,
practice takes time, and time was not a luxury available to him.

   Mych looked behind to see if Seb was still with him as they stopped at a
pair of double doors. If he noticed Sebastian's growing unease, he didn't
show it.

   He inserted himself between Seb and the lock as he worked his magic,
taking care to preserve the mechanism's secrets from uppity Americans what
got above themselves. That's what Sebastian assumed anyway, based on the
other man's secretive actions.

   The lock made a little snick noise as it gave and Mych turned the
handle, opening the door. He stepped back and gestured for Seb to step
through. Seb hesitated. He wasn't so sure that he wanted Mych at his back,
but reluctantly started through the door when no other option magically
presented itself. He was halfway through when his breath left him in a
hiss.

   It was The Stud.

   Sebastian's eyes devoured him, head to toe, with a few lengthy pit stops
in between. The wheat-gold shock of hair, black polo shirt, brushed steel
belt buckle, and below the buckle...

   Seb didn't realize he was staring until someone cleared their throat. He
quickly raised his eyes from the focus of his rapt meditation and flushed
in embarrassment. It was only then that he saw the others.

   Jeezus Tapdancing Christ.

   He gulped and suppressed the urge to flee. There was nowhere to flee to;
the quick snick of the lock behind him made sure of that. All of the
bravado drained from him along with his tan as he surveyed the group of men
in front of him.

   He felt them then. Unshielded. Not just their physical presence; he
touched their minds and felt the tension restraining their raw
power. Mental, physical, barely contained. A core of iron will and ripped
strength. A brutal hurricane condensed like coal into a diamond, like
Spanish steel into a blade; impervious and deadly.

   And he knew, just knew that he was no match. Not for any of them. Not
for Him. Seb was a strong man. Strong in body, strong in conviction. He had
never known how frail a strong man could feel.

   He opened his mouth to say something, form some sort of harmless
greeting, bland as rice pudding to put them at ease, but to his horror, all
that he managed was a timid, "Well, are you gonna eat me or what?"

   So much for playing it cool. He hung his head, mortified. He waited for
them to lash out.

   And waited.

   Seb was prepared for everything. Everything! Vicious attack, plagues of
locusts, demons doing graceful arabesques before disemboweling him from toe
to tonsil; everything.

   Everything but what actually happened. There was complete silence for a
brief moment after he spoke, and then everyone started laughing
uproariously. Seb cracked open an eye in disbelief. They were all howling,
practically falling down, their mirth was so great. They would try to stop
for a moment to school themselves, but one look at The Stud or him and they
were cracking up again.

   But not The Stud.

   No, The Stud kept quiet as a furious blush consumed his face along with
a scowl that was directed at everyone else.

   Who were still screaming like rabid hyenas.

   Seb quickly lost what fear he had as his annoyance built. First they
stalk him and scare the crap out of him, make him alternately pissed off
and stupid horny, and then when he finally gets up the gumption to confront
them they laugh at him? Well, he'd see about that. He was just glad he had
worn a coat that hid his rampaging hard-on. Something told him that an
obvious erection would put him at a greater disadvantage than he already
was.

   Seb squared his shoulders, set his jaw and walked right up to the object
of his obsessive fantasies, extending a hand. His eyes were militant,
daring the other man to refuse.

   "I'm Sebastian Fell."

   That first contact of flesh against flesh was exquisite, unexpected;
completely disarming. It involved the lightest connection of fingers,
nothing but the most casual of touch, but it encompassed every nerve ending
he possessed. It was as if every cell in his body gave a collective sigh
and said 'yes.' The infinitesimal stroke of thumb against palm resonated
along his spine, making him shiver.

   "Aurel. Aurel Lucius Draco." He cleared his throat, a lovely sound,
before continuing. "The pleasure is all mine."

   "Ah..." Sebastian's mind boggled. Pleasure. Him. Aurel. All in the same
sentence. Just the mention of pleasure was enough to send his mind
cavorting down avenues best left on the internet or tucked discretely into
a brown paper bag.

   And his Stud had a name. Aurel.

   The big blonde guy next to him was the first to recover his composure,
straightening his lips and clutching his belly; slightly out of breath. He
decided to do the honors when Aurel just stood there.

   "I'm Mordecai Draco, his cousin."

   Sebastian cataloged them in his head as the introductions were
made. Viking; check.

   "Aurel's brother-in-law, Alex Von Erlach."

   Boy band refugee; check.

   "You've met Mych..."

   Asshole; check.

   "And Ruvn Pavel, another member of the security team."

   Lurch; gotcha.

   The other men were still grinning at the two of them and Sebastian
couldn't figure out why, until he realized that they were still clasping
hands. He hurriedly disengaged and looked away, missing Aurel's
disappointed frown.

   Everyone was quiet for a moment, unsure of where to start. The silence
began to reach the uncomfortable stage before Mych picked up the reins and
invited everyone to sit. Sebastian was grateful for something to do,
something to keep him occupied so he wouldn't make a spectacle of himself
by staring at the bronze god across from him. He accepted a drink from
Mordecai with a tentative smile and a 'thanks'.

   "No problem. And it's just Cai."

   Aurel was just staring at Sebastian hungrily, not giving a damn what
anyone else thought of it, but a quick elbow from Alex spurred him into
speaking. He had rehearsed some things; smooth phrases, that sort of thing,
but his memory and suavity failed him. He gave Alex a frantic look, begging
for help. Alex just smiled.

   "So, Mr. Fell-"

   "Sebastian, or Seb."

   "Sebastian." The word rolled off of his tongue like it was caressing a
lover, and just the sound of his name in Aurel's mouth made Seb painfully
hard. They both went silent again. Seb felt tongue tied in a way that
hadn't happened since his first awkward pre-teen dance. He could see
himself acting like an ass, but he couldn't seem to do anything about
it. Talk? Hah!

   The entire scene was painful to watch. An eon seemed to pass before
Mordecai rolled his eyes and tried to help.

   "So, Seb, I've heard that you are a nature photographer. Aurel has been
telling me all about your work."

   In a perfect world, Aurel would have taken the hint and ran with it, but
he remained mute, just looking at Sebastian in awe.

   "Yes. I'm here for a few months with the University. Technically, I'm an
animal behaviorist. Snakes have always been a fascination of mine, and when
I heard about your extensive collection..." Seb shrugged and offered an
apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if I was pushy. Sometimes I don't know any
better. Tunnel Vision, Rob calls it."

   "Rob, who's Rob?"

   Sebastian blinked at Aurel, surprised at the sudden tension. "My
assistant and sometimes best friend."

   "Sometimes?"

   "When he isn't getting on my last nerve."

   "I have one of those." Cai smirked at Alex, who ignored him.

   "Why isn't Rob with you now?" Aurel said.

   "You know how some people are on again, off again? We're off again. I'm
being a pain in the butt, and he's always a pain in the butt. I can't
disown him though; he's like a brother to me." Seb was a little confused
when Aurel suddenly relaxed.

   "I hope you brought a portfolio. I've seen some of it, but I was hoping
to see more. You're an amazing photographer."

   "I'm a passably good photographer really. Animals just seem to like me."

   "I'll say," Ruvn muttered.

   "Excuse me?"

   Ruvn cleared his throat. "Nothing. Sorry."

   "Where are you from?" This from Alex. The conversation was not exactly
what you would call linear. Sebastian was sure he was being interviewed,
but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. He couldn't figure out
a lot of things. He couldn't stop sneaking peaks at The Stud- no, <I>
Aurel</I>.

   "Austin, Texas. But I live in Houston now."

   "I've been to Houston."

   "I'm sorry."

   "You don't like it?"

   "It's not that." Seb frowned a bit. "Well, I guess it is that. It's ugly
compared to the Hill Country. The food's good though."

   "Then why live there at all?"

   "I moved there to be with my last ex and I've been stuck in a bit of a
rut since the break-up. That, and I'm lazy." He said the last with a
self-deprecating smile that would have made Aurel melt if Seb hadn't said a
hot-button word.

   "Ex?"

   "Two years ago."

   "So there's no one current?"

   Sebastian gave him a questioning look. "No. Rob was just nagging me
about dating again."

   "So, Seb," said Ruvn, "Are you a homosexual?" There was a collective
gasp from everyone in the room. Mychael looked ready to commit murder.

   <I> Ruvn! What the fuck do you think you're doing? </I>

   Ruvn flinched but didn't respond, just shrugged his shoulders. Aurel was
aghast at the blunt query, almost ill, but that was nothing compared to how
he felt when he heard Seb's reply.

   "Nope."

   Grief. Aurel felt crushed by it. To be so close and yet...

   "I'm gay."

   "Come again?" Alex was confused, and judging from the other's
expressions, he wasn't the only one.

   "I live in the Montrose." Seb started to tick off on his fingers. "Just
off the top of my head I know at least sixteen Gays, seven Queers, a few
Fags, five Flamers and even a Screaming Queen. I don't think I know any
homosexuals. Sounds clinical."

   "What? No partridge in a pear tree?" Alex said, looking amused.

   "I'm working on it."

   Seb was addressing Alex, so he missed Aurel's expression as it eased. If
Atlas had his burden removed he couldn't have matched Aurel's look of
relief.

   Ruvn looked rueful as he twisted his glass in his hand. The weighty
censure of the room was focused on him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend
you with my question."

   "Why would it offend me?"

   "Because you're...ah. Uh. I'm not sure." Ruvn was obviously
uncomfortable, and looked to Mych to bail him out. Mych just shrugged.

   Your foot, your mouth, my friend. You're just lucky that I don't have to
kill you after all. You had better find a place to hide though.

   "I'm not embarrassed by it," said Sebastian.

   "It's just that you don't look like a..." Ruvn trailed off as he
realized how that sounded.

   "Uh-huh."

   Ruvn gave the others a helpless look, but help was not
forthcoming. Aurel just deepened his scowl, if that was possible.

   "I'm sure I read it somewhere, in an interview or something" Ruvn
said. It sounded lame even to his own ears.

   "So you've been reading up on me."

   "Only to see your work!"

   Mych finally took pity on Ruvn, leaving the quiet sidelines and charging
into the fray. "Forgive my friend here. We only recently let him out to
play with the other children." He ignored Ruvn's glower. "We're actually
quite tolerant. I only hope that everyone's as accepting."

   Sebastian sighed. "Not really, but it's a nice thought."

   Aurel couldn't help it; he had to know who had hurt Sebastian. He would
crush them. "Your parents?"

   Seb was getting a little ticked off. "Actually, I was kicked out of my
house as a young teen, living on the streets as a male hustler to put
myself through school. I slept wherever I could and sometimes ate out of
dumpsters."

   "Really?" Aurel was already making plans for their eventual demise. They
would suffer like no other human in the history of the world.

   "No."

   Cai almost spit his drink across the room at the look on Aurel's
face. As it was he was very uncomfortable with the alcohol that entered his
sinus cavity.

   "My parents are hippies. They thought that me being gay was a great
solution for world overpopulation. When some fundamentalists told them that
fags recruit they were ecstatic. My coming out was a total non-event. The
only downside is that they keep introducing me to every swishy guy in the
commune."

   "If they don't approve of children, how did-"

   "Cheap wine and mushrooms."

   "Ah."

   "I should probably send a thank you letter to Boone's Farm."

   Alex laughed deeply before finishing his drink and standing. Still
grinning, he patted Aurel on the back in a commiserating way before shaking
his head and walking towards the door. "I've got some things that need
taking care of Aurel. I'm going to get out of your hair," Alex said. He was
gone before Aurel could respond with something cutting, but his laughter
echoed behind him.

   Almost like clockwork, Ruvn and Cai began to make their excuses. Ruvn
unfolded from his chair like a black umbrella, muttering something about a
security matter before fleeing. Cai just rose from his seat in the corner,
eyes sparkling, obvious in his enjoyment of the show. He shook Seb's hand
with genuine warmth and walked out, stopping to whisper something in
Aurel's ear. Judging from Aurel's expression, it wasn't flattering.

   Only Mych remained, unsure about what to do, poised between staying with
his friend and giving him privacy. Seb was a threat on several levels. The
most immediate level was physical, but Mych was confident that Aurel could
handle one measly human. If he was human that is; the jury was still
out. Mych's _expression became pugnacious and he was about to sit back down
when Aurel caught his eye.

   <I> You dirty, underhanded bastard. </I>

   Puppy dog eyes. They should have looked ridiculous on a man like him but
were surprisingly eloquent in a purely disgusting way. Mych was no match
for the power of those eyes. If he had considered Seb eminently dangerous
it wouldn't have worked, but truthfully he couldn't see a reason to deny
them time alone. Not any reason that Aurel would accept.

   Mych wasn't so sure that he could accept it either. When had he become
this selfish? He knew Aurel could tear the other man apart.

   He gave them a tight look before leaving, closing the door behind him
with a gentle whir of the lock. He walked down the hall with a steady gait,
leaving one last thought trailing behind him.

<I> Don't make me regret this. </I>

Not anymore than I already do.

                                          ***

   Sebastian just stared at the door as it closed. The room had cleared so
quickly it was hard to process that he was left all alone...with Him.

   "Why do I feel like I've just been approved?"

   "You have. Security wouldn't have left me alone with someone who
wasn't."

   Seb jumped. Aurel's voice was much closer than it had been a minute
ago. He turned to find out that he was within reaching distance. Aurel
looked...intent.

   "Ah. About the collection-"

   "Would you just like a tour or do you want to shoot it?"

   "Both. I need to evaluate everything first."

   "We can do the tour now if you like." Aurel took another step forward,
giving Seb no choice but to step back, pressing himself against the door.

  "Th-t," Seb cleared his throat of its sudden constriction, "That would be
great."

   "Well then, do you want a tour?" Aurel asked, taking the last step and
pressing himself to Sebastian, arms boxing him in.

   "Or do you want the full tour?" He punctuated the question with a slight
grind of his hips before descending to cover Sebastian's shocked mouth with
his own.

                                           ***
         Ophiucus23@yahoo.com

           Story updates at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Serpens13/