Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 21:57:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Olsen Guerra <ophiucus23@yahoo.com>
Subject: Serpent's Salvation Chapter 8

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. If any of
the main characters resemble you...Hot Damn!...


Thank you for the kind emails, you have no idea how inspiring just one can
be, so keep sending them.


                                        Chapter 8

   His life was chaos and madness. How did things get so out of control?
Less than two weeks. Two stinking weeks and his life went from well-ordered
and structured to-

   "I'm having you put in the room next to mine. It's the most secure wing
in the house."

   Of course, there were compensations.

   Seb said nothing. The compensation was the main problem. Seb couldn't
think around Aurel. All he had to do was look at him, smell him, even hear
him breathe and his brain turned into something resembling warm
tapioca. When people were trying to make you dead this was a Very Bad
Thing.

   The death threat was just the tip of the iceberg too; a symptom of
something more pervasive. Seb knew that Aurel was different. And Mych and
his ilk were different-different. He knew this. Of course he did. A part of
him dictated that he should be hauling ass, but an insidious portion of his
psyche, a large one, lusted after Aurel, wanting to trust him.

   But Seb couldn't trust himself to make that decision. His body was
stupid and biased. It was why he held off when Aurel kissed him. As much as
he wanted to kiss back, as much as he wanted to jump the man's bones and be
jumped in return, he couldn't. Not until he figured out what was going
on. That was going to make for a very difficult stay. Cold
showers. Self-restraint. More marathon masturbation sessions. It was an
unappetizing prospect.

   Seb wasn't big on sadomasochism, except for the occasional spanking;
maybe. That was the real reason that he didn't want to stay. It would be
self-imposed torture.

   "There's a connecting door between them, so if you need anything, I'm
right there."

    Did he say torture? He meant agony.

    God did he wish things were different. A nice, normal Seb, a nice,
normal Aurel. A nice normal meeting, maybe a coffee shop, maybe a
library. They would see each other a few times; just enough so that they
wouldn't feel like total sluts before having nice, normal, explosive sex
and living happily ever after. No death threats. No politics. No psychic
stuff. No weird fucking non-human things. Bliss.

   And it would be, Seb realized with a start. It would be a blissful
happily ever after. Aurel was...

   "And either Ruvn or Mych will be near you at all times in case you have
a problem."

   ...a jerk. A big, gorgeous jerk.

   Seb wasn't into masochism, but he wasn't into dominance either. Aurel
was choc full o' that. He took alpha male to the nth degree. Sebastian was
magnanimous; he could understand where Aurel was coming from. As a little
prince, a big fish, whatever you want to call it, Aurel was used to getting
his own way in everything. That didn't mean that Seb had to put up with it
though.

   "You're ignoring me, aren't you?"

   It wasn't as if he didn't have cause to be angry. He was his own man
with a double-dose of Texas ornery. If Aurel had explained things and
displayed the common courtesy of asking instead of telling, his outlook
might be a bit peachier. Seb wanted Aurel, but not on those terms.

   "He's ignoring you."

   Damn straight Mikey. You get a fucking cookie. Seb didn't want to be
rude, and he definitely didn't want to come off as a recalcitrant child,
but if he opened his mouth right now he knew he couldn't stem the tide of
venom and vituperation that would spew forth. He could tear a person to
shreds with disastrous results. He had even made a tenacious prospective
date cry. He couldn't see Aurel crying; in fact, the thought was laughable,
but the memory of that day always made him wary of repeating his
mistake. You could never un-say something. Better to keep your mouth shut.

   "It's the green room. I think you'll like it. It was my mother's room;
her favorite color."

   It was really hard to stay mad at him when he said things like that. It
really was. And his grandma was probably rolling in her grave at his lack
of manners. Seb sighed and decided to be gracious. It wouldn't kill him. He
could concede the battle without losing the war. "I'm sure I'll like it."

   "I noticed that you like green." Aurel looked at Sebastian's equipment
case and his moss colored hiking boots. "And it matches your eyes."

  Mych gave a pained groan that Aurel didn't react to.

   Seb could be gracious all right, but he drew the line at
flirting. Flirting would be bad ju-ju, flirting could make him careless. It
was a hard stand to take. Aurel's voice was like lager, like bittersweet
chocolate. Everything sounded vulgar in that accent. Vulgar and
awesome. Flirting with that voice would be a quick start down a slippery
slope.

   Slippery.

   Gak.

   "Are you all right?" Aurel looked concerned and Mych sneered slightly as
Seb choked a bit, which just made it worse. Seb's coughing fit was
beginning to ease as-

   He's just being a baby.

   Sebastian's head whipped up, bugged eyes meeting Mych's gaze in
shock. They studied each other for a moment before Mych wiped his face
slate-clean. Seb had heard what Mych was thinking, and Mych knew it. Seb
also knew that Mych didn't like it. Not at all. The knowledge made him
slightly nauseous.

   Aurel, luckily, had missed the brief exchange, but Seb knew it was only
a matter of time before Mych gave him the low down.

   Shit.

   Shit. Shit. Shit.

   He didn't like where this was going. He didn't like the idea of
listening in on people's mental static and he definitely didn't like the
crafty look that Mych had.

   "I'm...fine," Sebastian said. Mych just raised a supercilious eyebrow at
him.

   "Are you sure? You sound odd." Oh, Mych was definitely like a cat with
cream now.

   "Just something in my throat."

   Aurel was quick to help, offering Seb a drink.

   "No, I'm fine. I can't drink it anyway. I have a bad caffeine allergy."

   "No coffee? No tea?" Aurel looked both intrigued and slightly horrified.

   "None."

   Mych leaned over and offered him some water. He still had the same
sick-making smile, and Seb was wary. Seb knew that look. That was an
I'm-gonna-nail-your-ass-to-a-wall look, and not in a sexy, squishy way,
either.

   "Thanks."

   "My pleasure."

   Even Aurel, who had eyes and ears for very little other than Sebastian
at the moment, caught the tense undercurrents teasing the car's
occupants. He didn't comment on it, but made a note to discuss it later. He
had more pressing issues.

   Aurel was at a loose end. Now that he had Seb, he didn't know what to do
with him. He knew what he wanted to do with him, in theory anyway, but the
way Seb was acting made that highly unlikely. Aurel hadn't considered the
ramifications of his recent actions, a more common a state of affairs than
he would like at the moment. All he knew was that Sebastian was threatened
and he had to keep Seb safe.

   It was just too bad that Seb didn't feel the same way.

   Aurel knew that he had been heavy handed with his demands. He had
practically kidnapped Seb; but he wasn't penitent. He didn't regret it at
all. He would protect Sebastian's life with his own, even if Seb ended up
resenting him because of it.

   He was such a beautiful man. He was staring out the window now, a slight
sour look to his face. Aurel almost reached out to smooth the frown lines
away, to reassure himself that Seb was real, to soothe, but caught himself
just in time. Time was what Seb had asked for, and he hadn't wanted to
push.

   Not only had Aurel pushed; he had really put his foot in it. The least
he could do was give Seb his space. He could tone down his physical
demands, even though his body was practically screaming with Sebastian's
nearness. This stay would be a gauntlet of unfulfilled desire.

   "Sebastian."

   Sebastian looked at him questioningly, but Aurel didn't know what he was
going to say. He wanted Seb to smile at him again, needed it like an opiate
addict craved the poppy. He didn't want the slightly hysterical smile from
earlier, but one of the genuine smiles from last night. He didn't think it
would happen any time soon.

   The blank look on Seb's face was painful to look at; more so because he
was the one responsible for it. It was a brutal catch twenty-two. The only
thing that mattered more than Sebastian's happiness was his safety, but one
had to be sacrificed for the other.

   "I want you to enjoy staying with me. I know that this isn't what either
of us wanted, not this way; but I would love having you as my guest. No
pressure." Aurel tentatively took Seb's hand and gave it a gentle
squeeze. He was buoyant when Seb gave him a small squeeze back. "I know
I've done nothing but apologize since we've met, but again, I'm sorry. Not
for having you guarded, and not for taking you with me now. I'm sorry that
I acted like a cave man, and I'm sorry that I'm not..."

   "Not what?"

   "Normal. You deserve that."

   Aurel didn't understand the soft, almost sarcastic laugh that Seb gave,
or the bitter look he sent Mych. "What's normal?"

   "This." Aurel tightened his grip on Seb's hand. "Us. Right now."

   Seb gave a soft snort. "I don't know how many relationships you've been
in, but this is definitely outside of my scope of normal."

   "Is that a bad thing, or a good thing?"

   "It's a scary thing."

   "You're scared of me?" The thought disturbed Aurel, and he started to
withdraw before Seb yanked his hand back.

   "No. Not of you, not really. It's more abstract than that."

   So you're capable of abstract thought?

   Seb narrowed his eyes at Mych, but let it slide. For now.

   "We've only known each other for a few days, Aurel."

   "I don't care."

   "I do. I don't just..." Seb lowered his voice to a whisper. Sure, Mych
could still hear, but he made the attempt at privacy all the same. "I don't
hop into bed with just anyone. I know almost nothing about you."

   "I already said that I would-"

   "No. That's not what I'm saying." Seb took a deep, steady breath. "For
some reason, I want to. Jump into bed I mean." Seb leaned his head back and
screwed his eyes shut. "I can't believe I just told you that. Talk about
making yourself vulnerable. That's what's scaring me. I've never felt this
way before, not about anybody, let alone a complete stranger. It's driving
me insane."

   Could a heart burst from a desire almost attained? Aurel thought it
might.

   "I'm not myself. I don't have any control. The old me would have never
laid himself on the line like this." His laugh was devoid of humor. "I hope
you aren't just looking to get laid. I'd feel real stupid."

   "No. Oh, no. Please. It's not like that."

    Sebastian opened his eyes and lolled his head to the side, looking at
Aurel. "Then what is it?"

   Aurel would love to tell him. He hadn't thought about how the mating
instinct would affect Sebastian, and felt like an inconsiderate fool. Aurel
had grown up hearing stories about it, had even witnessed it firsthand,
coveted it for himself, but Seb had nothing to compare it to. And nothing
that Aurel knew of human sexuality equaled the intensity of a mating. Seb's
traitorous body must be a major cause of alarm and Aurel wasn't sure how to
put him at ease. All he could do was try.

   "I don't know, but it is the same for me."

   "God, I hope so. I'd hate to be the only one."

   "You are in no danger of that." He wanted to add 'not ever again', but
sensed that would be too much too soon.

   "I'll hold you to that."

   "Good."

   "I mean it. I'm an American. If you fuck me over I'll do what we do
best."

   "Shoot me?"

   "Nah. Call my lawyer."

   And there it was. It was a small smile, just a slight curling of the
corners of Seb's lips, but it was there. Aurel gave an all over body sigh
of gratitude. Maybe things would work out for the best.

   "I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Seb admonished.

   "I won't."

   "I'm not a pushover. Things are far from being resolved, you know that,
don't you? I'm just too tired to deal with it all right now. "

   "Of course."

   "I'm still really pissed at you."

   "Understandable."

   "Understandable? Is that all you have to say about it?"

   "Yes Dear."

   Seb couldn't help himself; he laughed. Aurel's martyred sigh had been a
melodramatic, prolonged affair. The laugh hurt, but that didn't surprise
him; even his hair hurt.

   Seb's laugh enveloped Aurel in a warm, comfy sun. They were almost
home. Funny, that. It had never seemed like home before.

   ***

   The car had barely come to a standstill before Mych hopped out, taking
note of his men and his surroundings. After a moment, Sebastian emerged,
followed by Aurel, a protective palm pressed to the small of Seb's
back. Both of them could feel the way it tingled.

   Sebastian was quickly introduced and given priority. A few of the men
looked uncomfortable, yet said nothing.  They hustled inside; the property
was protected, but it didn't afford the safety of the house.

   Sebastian found himself caught up in a current, directed by a cadre of
uniformed men. Hot men. He'd seen porn that started like this, and was
worried for a moment until he looked over his shoulder to see Aurel's
reassuring smile. Worried! Over the fact that he might get his dick
spontaneously sucked by someone other than-

   Sigh.

   Sebastian noticed a distinct lessening of psychic traffic and knew that
Mych had told them to can it. He would throw a fit if he knew that he was
inadvertently doing Seb a favor. The men did speak, but it only involved
general safety issues and the details of his stay. Sebastian just hoped
that he wasn't being shown the oubliette.

   "Aurel."

   They turned around to look at Mych, who had paused.

   "I need to speak with you." Mych looked pointedly at Seb. "Alone."

   Aurel hesitated. He looked to Sebastian to gauge his reaction and was
surprised by what he saw. Resignation. Regret. Sadness. Aurel didn't want
to leave him, even for a moment. "I can talk to him later if you want me to
show you to your room."

   "No. You should talk to him. No sense in putting off the inevitable."

   "I won't be long. They'll take good care of you in the meantime."  Aurel
turned toward the guards. "Show him to his room and make sure he has
everything he needs."

   Seb nodded and gave Aurel the same sad look as before, but this time, it
almost seemed like a goodbye. It bothered Aurel, but before he could make
to follow, he felt Mych's hand on his arm, urging him into a small salon.

   When they were alone, Aurel gave into the exasperation he felt. "I hope
this is important."

   "It is. Just promise to hear me out."

   Aurel didn't say anything, just nodded at Mych to continue.

   "This could be a set up."

   If Mych was expecting a reaction, he was disappointed.

   "A Trojan horse. What better way to gain entree to your house than
faking an attempt on his life?" Mych went on, warming to his theme. "I
don't believe in coincidence. Other, more powerful of our number have
fallen, yet he conveniently survives at just the right moment for inserting
himself into your household?" Mych snorted in disbelief. "Pull the other
one."

   Aurel only raised an eyebrow. "I trust that's everything?"

   "No," Mych said, then felt triumphant when he caught the small,
prescient flicker of unease in Aurel's eyes. "He's psychic."

   "We already knew that."

   "Not like this, we didn't. He knew what I was projecting to you in the
car. Word for word, he knew it. Even most of us can't access something on
that kind of private path. He's not just inside our sanctuary; he's inside
our heads."

   Aurel tensed briefly, then turned. Mych felt bad about it, but Aurel
meant more to him than anything else on the planet. Emotional hurt would
fade; physical hurt could be all too permanent. They couldn't afford to
trust an outsider. Aurel knew that.

   Aurel walked to the door, opening it and talking to the man there
briefly before turning back to Mych and surprising him with his calm, cool
demeanor, not the anger or suspicion he had imagined.

   "Mychael."

   His full name. This couldn't be good. Mych had a curious inkling that
things were not going the way he had intended. The look being leveled at
him was totally serious; in dead earnest. Frosty.

   "I don't give a fuck."

   Aurel left him there, completely gob-smacked and at a loss for words.

   ***

   Aurel knocked on Seb's door lightly and received no answer.

   "Are you sure he's in there?"

   "Yes sir. We showed him around, gave him some clothes and toiletries,
then he waved us out. Said he had a headache."

   "You don't have to call me sir. I'm not that formal. Do you think he's
asleep yet?"

   "No si- I mean...Mr.-"

   "Aurel."

   "Aurel. He's probably awake. It's only been a few minutes."

    "Good." Aurel was about to go in, then paused, looking at the man
before him. "What's your name?"

   "Josef."

   Josef was cute, stocky and solid, with very Magyar features. He was also
young. Too young."Josef, how old are you? And who assigned you here?" Aurel
was beginning to get angry. "You haven't been here long, have you?" Just
how many refugees was he housing now? He would have to ask Mych.

   "Sir, I mean Aurel. I'm twenty-two. I've only been here a few
weeks. Ruvn thought I would-"

   "Where is Ruvn?"

   "He's putting together a few things for Mr. Fell's security."

   "Why isn't he here? He could have delegated the detail work to someone
else. I can't trust this to an inexperienced...kid."

   Josef furrowed his brows with worry. "I'm young, but I'm not
inexperienced. I was given specialized training within my tribe. Mychael,
he knows me from before, he'll tell you."

   "A Protector?" It was a loose translation.

   Josef looked surprised, then pleased. "Yes. Fourth generation. It runs
in the family." With the mention of family, his smile faltered and
died. "I've been here three weeks. Thank you. I would have been dead two
weeks ago if you hadn't given me sanctuary."

   Aurel knew better than to show the pity he felt. "Their loss is my
gain. Having a Protector here will ease my mind greatly." And it
would. Protectors were...fanatics.

   "I won't disappoint you."

   "I know. Tell Ruvn that I want to see him when he is through. We need to
discuss this. Am I still keyed for access?"

   "Yes, and only a few others have clearance. Everyone else will have to
be accompanied, even the cleaning staff."

   "Good." Aurel knocked once more then let himself in. "Josef. See that we
aren't disturbed."

   "Ok."

   Aurel saw Josef blush, and that made him blush, even though he knew they
were just going to talk. Damnation. This homo- no, gay, thing was awkward.

   The room was just as he remembered it. Aurel rarely entered it, but had
ordered it to be presentable at all times. The memories here were
bittersweet and sometimes too poignant, but it seemed the perfect choice
for Seb. It was appropriate that this room sheltered two people that he
loved.

   It was several shades of cool green layered one on top of the
other. There wasn't an overabundance of ornamentation or extravagance, but
the fabrics were rich and soft and inviting. The bed was a simple teak
canopy affair; chinoiserie, like the rest of the room, but everything was
understated, unlike the usual flights of fancy from the period.

   The chairs were all too delicate for Aurel to chance, so he approached
the bed cautiously before sitting on the edge. Sebastian barely looked up
when Aurel's weight dipped the mattress. Aurel had thought Seb was hunched
over, brooding, but no. He was playing a game on his phone. Aurel couldn't
tell if he was pouting or just concentrating on destroying pixels with
other pixels.

   "How did your conversation with Mych go?" Aurel hated the defeat laced
with anger in Seb's voice; didn't he understand that it could not matter
less?

   "Fine."

   Sebastian looked at him then, and would have managed to disguise sharply
assessing as casual conversation if Aurel hadn't known better. "So, what
did you talk about?" The game self-destructed and reset, forgotten between
them.

   "Nothing of any importance. It was a very minor household issue, I
assure you."

   Seb sucked in a much-needed breath. He didn't quite understand. Had that
fink Mych decided not to blab? Or was Aurel trying to say that he knew and
didn't hold it against him? Geez. That was one closet he definitely didn't
want to exit.

   The way Aurel was looking at him was...enamored. Mych-the-jerk must be
messing with his head. Aurel couldn't know. If he did he wouldn't look so
willing to get naked. He looked very willing to get naked. Seb gulped.

   No! He had to stay focused. What difference would it make? Today, a
week; it would all crash the minute Mych squealed. Well Seb didn't plan on
setting himself up for heartbreak. His heart would be bruised enough, no
need to magnify the hurt by getting closer. Look, not touch. Admire
and...walk away.

   When he came to that decision he felt like he was dying a little
inside. It's for the best, I know it. If I keep telling myself that, I may
believe it.

   God, did he feel like an asshole.

   "I..."

   Aurel raised an eyebrow in question. Sebastian flushed and looked away,
anything to avoid that look of caring and concern.

   "I..."

   "Yes?"

   "I need to be alone for a little while." Sebastian still couldn't look
at him, but he might as well have. He might not have a psychic tie to
Aurel, but that had no dampening effect on his emotional sensitivity to
someone so close to his-

   Cock. That was it. It had to be. Because that's all it would ever be.

   But the feeling rolling off of Aurel was almost too much to take. There
was disappointment, yes, but there was also fear that he'd been too
forward, and worry over Seb's physical health. It made Sebastian hope, and
false hope was the last thing he wanted to feel. Under the circumstances,
he did the only thing he could think of: He lashed out.

   "I don't need a goddamn keeper! I've been taking care of myself for more
years than I care to count; I don't need you to do it for me."

   "You have the wrong-"

   "Wrong idea? No. I think I'm pretty spot-on. You know those snakes down
there? I'm in as much of a cage as they are. Mine is just a bit more posh,
with better eye candy," Sebastian finished with a leer.

   Aurel was beginning to feel a little queasy. "I thought we had..."

   "Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I've been followed, shot at and
kidnapped because of you. Tell me, what exactly should I be feeling right
now? Should I do a little happy dance? Should I be composing odes to the
perfect symmetry of your features? Please, enlighten me." Seb didn't know
where he got the venom, or the balls, to say what he was saying, but he
loathed it. He despised himself more. Only a coward would do what he was
doing now, hurting someone to save them self from hurt.

   "I only want your safety."

   "You want a convenient piece of ass."

   "You are not a convenience!"

   Sebastian's look was gloating. "No, I'm not, am I?"

   Aurel stopped for a moment, taking a steadying breath. He seemed to
collect himself before continuing. "I'm going to leave you to rest for
now. I'll send someone to you when dinner is ready. We usually eat at
seven."

   Much to Seb's consternation, Aurel turned on the ball of his foot and
walked to the door. He paused briefly at the threshold, leaning his cheek
against the doorjamb. "Seb? You are not a convenience." And then he was
gone.

   The room was silent for a moment, but only a moment.

   "FUCK!" Seb's boot sailed through the air and struck the floor. He would
have thrown some more stuff, but projectiles weren't exactly thick on the
ground, He definitely wouldn't think of destroying Aurel's heirlooms.

  He collapsed back on the bed and covered his face with his hands. Why did
Aurel have to make this so freaking hard? Couldn't he stop being wonderful
and sexy for five minutes? Seb couldn't keep up the jackass act
indefinitely; it'd throw his back out.

   Seb heard a pathetic little beep, looked at the pillow next to him and
sighed. There went his high score.

   ***

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