“Michael. Wil you let the others know how much you love
him? Did you freak out when he cal ed you his boyfriend?
Doyle told me what happened.” Charm’s grip tightened
slightly on his arm as Christian flinched. “Did you enjoy it
when he kissed you? When he lies beside you in bed? Do
you wake up wrapped in his arms?” A girlish giggle slipped
past her lips. “Because honestly, I think it would be kinda
hot. I mean who wouldn’t find two guys getting it on kinda
hot?”
Staring at her in confusion Christian asked, “How did
you… Michael’s not in love with me. He’s not gay,”
Christian said quietly when he realised she was just being
nosey. Michael would probably punch him rather than kiss
him if he knew Christian had feelings for him. That was the
main reason why Christian had never told Michael he’d
kissed him while half asleep. If he did then Michael would
leave their room, and there was no way he wanted that to
happen. Christian liked sleeping next to Michael; he felt
safe there. It wasn’t so lonely with Michael beside him. “The
damn dreams are wrong.”
“When he offers up his life for you, wil you try and save
him? And the dreams aren’t wrong.”
This was a crap conversation and Christian felt like he
was starting to freak out. “What are you saying?”
“Kerr dreamt Michael wil offer his life in trade for yours. If
it comes to pass, wil you tel him no?”
Christian stopped, grabbed her arm, and made her face
him. “Are you tel ing me Michael’s going to die?” He
wanted to make sure he had heard her correctly. “Why
would he trade his life for mine? Why are you and Kerr not
sharing the dreams with me and Doyle? Or does Doyle
know?” This couldn’t be happening! He didn’t want this
dream to be a prediction. Christian felt his chest tighten. He
couldn’t lose Michael now — he had only just found him.
Kerr had to be wrong. He had to be. Michael couldn’t die.
Patting his cheek, Charm went on. “Wouldn’t you do
anything to save the one you love?” She stared at him with
knowing eyes. “I think you wil give yourself to him freely
when he asks. If his destiny is to save you many times
throughout your existence, and yours is to break his heart,
then it must mean you two are together at some stage.”
Dropping his eyes to the ground he couldn’t bring
himself to look at her. “Michael doesn’t love me,” he said
quietly, even as a memory resurfaced. Michael’s arms
about him, his mouth softly joined with Christian’s. It was
more likely Michael would break Christian’s heart and not
the other way around.
“He wil in time. Doyle thinks we wil number six for a very
short period. He thinks one member of our family wil leave
us, though not forever, and another wil die. Then within a
year we wil number ten. Our family wil grow further stil in
preparation for what is to come. Kerr dreamt somehow you
wil find my lost children.
“I have no clue what it actual y means.” Charm shook her
head as if coming out of a daze. “I’ve changed my mind. I
don’t want to go home. Come on Christian, I want to watch
the sunrise.”
That last comment froze Christian in place. “You can’t be
serious. You want us to die?” Christian asked, not sure if
she was joking or not. He could only fol ow as she led him
through the park.
Looking at him, Charm spoke softly, “It would be better
than living wouldn’t it?” She let go of Christian’s hand and
sat on a nearby park bench. She watched as the moon’s
reflection danced across the surface of the pond.
“Somewhere out there in the darkness other creatures of
the night are going about their business. How I envy them.
At least they wil live out their lives normal y, and then die.
Come sit beside me, my angel; let us see what our limits
are. Let’s just see what’s real and what’s myth about our
kind.” She patted the bench beside her. “I have missed the
sun on my face.”
Christian was at a loss, but he couldn’t just go home and
leave her here. So he sat beside her, holding her hand as
she snuggled against him and silence fel between them.
Her head came to rest on his shoulder. They stayed there
until the darkness began to change into the first tinges of
light before the approaching dawn. With growing
desperation, Christian tried to think of how he was going to
get her home. Knowing Kerr would kil him if he let Charm
die. If worse came to worse, he would just have to knock
her out and find shelter. They stil had about ten minutes
before it was absolutely necessary. Closing his eyes,
Christian just hoped that he didn’t have to do it at al . He
thought about home, thought about Michael and about
everything Charm had just said to him, and he knew
Michael wouldn’t even have to ask he already owned his
heart.
§ § § §
Doyle knew something was wrong the moment he
walked through the back door, Kerr was pacing the
confines of the smal kitchen and Michael was sitting at the
table drumming his fingers on the top in what could only be
annoyance. Both glaring at him as they asked where
Christian and Charm were. Doyle wasn’t prepared for the
anger that fol owed when he said he didn’t have a clue
where they were.
“What do you mean, they just left?” Kerr had stopped
pacing and was shouting at him.
Anger flooded across Michael’s face and Doyle felt
nervous. “Where the hel are they?” Michael demanded.
Doyle didn’t know who was angrier. Kerr he could
understand, but Michael had only been in the family for such
a short time. Why was he so pissed off? It wasn’t as if
Doyle had personal y done something to Christian and
Charm.
“I thought they would come straight home,” Doyle tried to
explain. “They left the club around eleven and I needed to
feed. So we agreed to split up and meet here at home.”
“Explain to me again then why they aren’t here?” Kerr
spat. “Explain to me how you just let them walk off when I
gave you an order to stay with them?”
“Kerr, I’m sorry,” Doyle said, “I didn’t see any danger in
letting them come home. I mean they are both adults for
crying out loud. It’s time you stopped treating us al like
children — you are not our bloody father. We don’t know if
anything bad has happened to them. For al we know they
decided to sleep somewhere else. Maybe they got
sidetracked having fun and lost track of time,” he ended
lamely. “And you never gave me an order, you just told the
three of us to go out. You decided that you were the boss
and didn’t need us for whatever you and Michael thought
only you two could handle.”
“What if something has happened to them?” Kerr said.
“What if they are hurt? What if someone has taken them?
What if they are lost to us forever? What do you have to say
about that?”
“I said I was fucking sorry,” Doyle snapped as he
stormed out of the kitchen not looking at either of them.
§ § § §
Fear fil ed Christian as he sat in the smal shed with
Charm cradled uncomfortably in his arms. She had final y
fal en asleep, though tears stil ran down her face. This was
a whole new side to Charm he was witnessing and he
wasn’t sure he liked it. She had been scary before, but now
she was downright terrifying. He was just glad she had
final y seen sense and agreed to find some shelter. He
real y hadn’t looked forward to having to try and knock her
out, because in al honesty he would have been the one
unconscious if they had a fight. It was no secret that Charm
hit harder than he did. It had taken forever to find something
suitable. It had been obvious the current residents of this
premises were gone because of al the uncol ected mail,
but it was best to remain quiet in case someone came
home. God! How he wished he were home right now, in his
own bed. The heat in the shed was stifling. Closing his
eyes, he tried desperately to fal asleep, yet sleep wouldn’t
come. Everything Charm had said earlier kept running
through his head, and mixed with the heat, it was making
him slightly nauseous.
Sometimes his life just sucked!
§ § § §
Sadness washed through Michael as he lay on the bed,
his hand roaming restlessly across the other side. In al the
time he had been here it had never been empty. He should
have been there to protect him. Them, he corrected
himself. What if Kerr was right and something bad had
happened to them? His fingertips ran along the length of his
scar. Why had it fascinated Christian so much? He had to
find him — them — again with the mental correction. Why
did he have to keep reminding himself that Charm was out
there too, and they were now family? H i s family. Sleep
came and went in turn until it was time to final y get up.
When he got to the kitchen Kerr was already waiting
there and he looked exactly like Michael felt: troubled and
worried.
“Where do we start?” Michael patted his pockets,
searching for his cigarettes. Why where they never there
when he needed them?
“We should try and retrace their path home. We’l come
across them somewhere along the way.” Kerr’s eyes
pleaded for him to agree. “Should we wake Doyle?”
“We’l find them.” Michael turned at the sound of the
backdoor opening. “Or, they’l find us,” Michael said with
relief. The smile that was forming on his lips faltered as he
took in the dark and sombre look on Christian’s face.
Michael just knew Christian was not happy and strangely it
seemed to be aimed at him. Wondering why, Michael
frowned. He just seemed to be pissing everyone off lately
without even trying. What he had done to Christian to make
him glare daggers as he was?
With a wail, Charm threw her arms around Kerr’s neck
and began crying again. “What happened?” Kerr asked as
he rubbed soothing circles on her back.
Darkness seemed to emanate from Christian as he
shrugged, “We decided to watch the sun rise.” Michael
thought maybe Christian just couldn’t find the right way to
explain it. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.” He left before anyone
could object, ignoring Michael completely as he went past.
For some strange reason, Michael felt hurt.
“He is your soul. You know it’s true, don’t you?” Charm
said to Michael. Her hand trailed along his arm as she let
Kerr lead her out of the room. Making up two plates of food
and grabbing a couple of drinks out of the fridge, he
headed upstairs and gave one lot to Charm before taking
the other to Christian. He real y was relieved they had both
made it home safe. It seemed to Michael that over the past
twenty-four hours Christian had aged beyond his years.
With Christian acting as different as he had, Kerr would
have noticed the same thing if he wasn’t so distracted by
how upset Charm was. The only thing he was sure of was
that Kerr would be forever grateful Christian had brought
Charm home alive. At least he was kind of sure. It occurred
to him Kerr and Charm were best friends, and it reminded
him of his relationship with Gypsy. Hesitating at his and
Christian’s bedroom door, Michael took a deep breath as
he reached for the knob. Not real y sure what to expect on
the other side.
“Chris, are you asleep?” Michael asked as he
shouldered the door open. “Holy hel !” He stopped in his
tracks as he took Christian in lying sprawled across their
bed in nothing but a pair of blue boxer briefs and his arm
across his face. Fuck! He realised he was ogling
Christian’s near nakedness he swal owed hard before he
pushed the door closed and leaned on it just drinking in the
stunning sight before him. Even covered in scars Christian
was stil a sight to behold.
“I’m awake,” Christian replied curtly. Michael couldn’t
understand why Christian wouldn’t look at him. Why was
Christian acting as if he was more than uncomfortable
pissed at him? What if Charm had talked to him about al
the crazy dreams again? He knew Christian hated talking
about those dreams. What if Christian thought he real y was
gay now? What if he was gay and just didn’t know it? He
remembered thinking Christian was spunky. Then the kiss,
how could that possibly be normal? And why the hel
couldn’t he stop staring at the practical y naked Christian
before him.
“Here, I thought you might be hungry.” Depositing the
food and drink on the bedside table Michael took a step
back from the bed, and waited for Christian to speak.
While he stood there waiting Christian kept his arm
across his eyes, refusing to look at him. “I’m real y tired,
Michael.” Christian’s voice was cold, as if he was trying to
cut short any further talk.
“Okay then, I’l let you get some rest.” Again, Michael felt
hurt over Christian’s rejection. Closing the door behind him,
he left their room. It took al Michael’s wil power to walk
away and not go back in and wrap himself around
Christian’s body just so he could be sure Christian was
real y safe.
Michael just knew Christian had changed. The childlike
awe he had first noticed when he joined the family would
now be gone. Now Christian was distracted and was
avoiding him as if a great weight played upon his mind.
Heading into the kitchen he grabbed a drink from the
fridge. He realised Christian was purposely being distant.
Christian was pushing him a
way. Maybe, in a strange way,
it was a good thing because then Michael didn’t have to
question his own feelings, he didn’t know if he was ready
for that. He didn’t know if he would ever be ready to
acknowledge his feeling for Christian. Yeah, so maybe it
was a good thing he didn’t have to choose a side in the war
between his heart and head. Stil , he thought as he walked
toward the stairs, rejection hurt like a bitch!
Man, he wished he had Gypsy here to talk to. At least
she would help him sort out everything he was feeling
confused about. Biting his lip he sniggered, imagining what
she would say. “Settle petal… Deep breaths, little steps. It
is not the end of the world,” fol owed closely by, “You’re gay
dumbarse! Get over it!”
After having thoughts of his sister running through his
head, Michael didn’t feel up to going out. Pushing his sense
of hunger aside, he spent the rest of the night exploring. Not
searching for signs of entry into the house, just exploring
more thoroughly. From the outside, the house on Ambrose
Street seemed ominous compared to the other houses in
the street. It was based more on an American design as it
had an attic and a basement. Michael was now headed
toward the attic and al the chaos it held. Searching the
house was better than searching inside himself. There were
too many things he wanted to keep hidden in there.
There seemed to be an endless supply of souvenirs from
the past stacked in the jumble of what had become of the
attic. Michael wondered who would even keep al this crap.
It only provided a home for the numerous creepy crawlies
who were hiding up there. There was even a bed. Not as
big as the one he shared with Christian, but big enough so
he could stretch out ful y in comfort, it would be a bit of
squeeze if he had to share it. He made sure he checked for
critters before he lay down, he sneezed as he disturbed the
dust from years of non-use. Man that was just gross — he
would need to bring some sheets the next time he came up
here.
Picking up a book Michael realised it was once
someone’s journal. When he had been poking around he
had found it placed high up on one of the rafters. At first he
had nearly missed it but with a bit of creative climbing he
now held it in his hands. A photograph fel from the pages
as he began to flick through it. The photograph, done in