Chapter 10
The afternoon spent at Anna’s was a pleasant one. Even though she kept telling him how his eye can get infected, describing everything with a gruesome detail. It comforted him to know that it wasn’t happening to him as long as he took blood.
When he came back Dimitri was waiting on the couch watching the TV and the curtains were all closed. Strange. Ever since he had started feeding from him, he had taken to soaking up light when he could. He had drank from Malkav yesterday and the effect should be the same.
Nikola went to the nearest window and made to tug the curtains open when Dimitri spoke.
“Leave them. I forgot myself ever since I started going out during the day. How was your day?”
Nikola moved to the couch and sat next to Dimitri. He leaned on him and got comfortable.
“It was fine. Anna and I traded shit about lovers. Then Freddie passed by to say hi and ask me out on a hunt but as Malkav forbade me to go out until I’m fully healed I had to decline.”
“Is that so? Drink.”
Dimitri leaned his neck towards Nikola and waited expectantly. Nikola kissed the skin and rested his head on Dimitri’s shoulder instead.
“Malkav fed me. There is no need for you to force yourself to provide for me. You haven’t gone hunting either, have you?”
“No.” Dimitri shook his head before continuing. “But I am so full of the bastard’s blood that I want it out of me. So drink.”
Nikola once again declined but didn’t move from his place. He was comfortable. He stared at Dimitri’s hand and reached out to play with the man’s ring. Then he entwined their fingers together and brought the vampire’s hand to his lips and kissed it before putting it back down.
“Niki, you are getting me mad again. And I don’t want to hurt you. I can’t bear to. I’ll end up taking it out on my prey tonight. You don’t want that, do you? If you don’t drink from me now I’ll even bring it back here to show you just how mad I am.”
Nikola smiled dreamily and got a faraway look. So, Dimitri was back to making treats. What else was new? He knew for a fact that even if he begged the vampire to be civilized he would still mangle his victim tonight. And he was oh so tired of taking the hit for others. With a sigh, he let go of the warm hand he had been holding and got up.
“Do as you will. I’m going to bed.”
He left with Dimitri’s angry mutterings in his wake. If he had drank from the man, he would have handicapped him for his hunt and he was sure that Malkav wasn’t going to feed him again anytime soon. He buried himself in the warm covers and nuzzled in the pillows. It felt good going to bed alone for once.
The next day he changed his bandage after feeding from Malkav and went to the kitchen to go make some candy when he saw that a photo in the counter. It was of a woman. She looked dead but peaceful. Not mangled in the slightest.
So, what now? Was Dimitri bringing him gifts like a house cat? Then he imagined a golden cat with crimson eyes and a small top hat. Dimitri would have made a very mean but adorable cat if he was born as one. Probably with a habit to bring dead mice and birds to his owner every day and place them in the most traumatizing places possible. Nikola giggled at the image.
The day after that Malkav spend the whole time with him in bed just holding him and playing with his hair. Dimitri had attempted to stay with them, but he had traced his bandage once and then shame had been written all over his face. He had spent the whole day in the living room. The morning after Nikola found a new photo and this time, and it was a man with the same coloring as him. Even their eyes were the same color, albeit different shades.
Dimitri must have hunted him for their resemblance. The man had his neck slip but apart from that, looked as if sleeping. Just what was Dimitri attempting to tell him with these photos?
He didn’t see him this day, and he learned from a petrified Freddie that the Methuselah had spent the day in his apartment asking him questions about their different hunts. Freddie wasn’t hurt or anything, had he been Nikola might have broken Dimitri’s wrist or something, but he was still scared out of his mind. The black-haired vampire stopped visiting him after that. Nikola hoped they could still be friends. Freddie made hunts detached, which was something that Nikola doubted that either Dimitri or Malkav were capable of.
The week passed in peace. His eye formed again, but he still couldn’t see with it. Malkav told him that it would take him a month for the nerves to connect back together fully. So, he was still stuck to the apartment building.
During the whole time Dimitri kept making him feed from him. Once Nikola found out that the vampire had recovered from nearly having a Final Death he began to comply. His eye didn’t get better faster or anything but Dimitri kept petting his hair softly as he drank from him, and it made him feel safe. But he knew better than to give himself away now. Dimitri was going to manipulate him with any chance he got, so Nikola would distance his mind in his presence and remain near emotionless apart from the gentleness he couldn’t help but feel for the blonde.
And Dimitri noticed. He kept trying to goat a reaction out of him. He would be gentle, and he would receive the same in return, but Nikola’s heart wouldn’t be in it. He would be angry but now that he didn’t use violence to back it up Nikola would ignore him and even remain in his arms. Relaxed and happy as Dimitri threatened him with the lives of others. But in the morning the pictures would show people at peace and Dimitri would come to bed frustrated each and every time.
Then one day as he was changing his bandage Nikola noticed how he could see with his eye again. He placed the binds back in the cabinet and blinked a couple of times. So, his confinement was over. He could go outside again.
And he did. He left Dimitri at the couch without as much as a “Good morning” and walked outside into the fresh air. He didn’t bother going to Freddie’s. He felt like hunting by himself for once. He wanted to see if he could single someone out knowing full well that he was going to end their lives. He wanted to kill them himself.
He walked the streets aimlessly and passed by a hospital. Then without knowing why he went and bought a bouquet of flowers from a street stall and entered. No one paid him any mind. He went between the rooms until he finally found what he was looking for.
There in one of the rooms was a person in a coma. He remembered once that he had heard how people in a coma remembered everything someone said, and he became thoughtful. There in a vase were sunflowers. This was strange. Who liked sunflowers even?
The sunflowers were long since dried and so Nikola toughed how no one had visited the man in a while. He read the name off a board left on the bedside table. Ivan Braginski. So, a Russian. That was strange.
He binned the sunflowers and put his own flowers in the vase. He really should have changed the vase’s water but oh well. It wasn’t like he was going to visit again soon.
He picked up the board and read. Apparently, Ivan had jumped off a plane and his parachute had malfunctioned. He had two sisters and no other family. He placed the board back down and sat on the chair and breathed out a sigh.
“Hi there, Ivan. Nice to meet you. Would you mind it if I tell you a couple of things? Of course not. I hope you hear them though.”
The big-boned pale blonde didn’t stir a muscle. Nikola checked his brain and found that it was still functioning. So, he could hear him. Without missing a beat he began his story.
“You see I’ll tell you a tale. It’s literary as old as time. Once upon a time, there were two people in Eden. One was Adam, you must have heard of him, and the other was Lilith. But Lilith wanted to be free of Adam, and he brutalized her for it. She ran away from him and God cursed her for it. She became a demon and was doomed to the lands of Nod. I don’t know where they are myself, but I read they are a very dark place. You can say you are there now yourself.”
He checked the man’s brain again, and he felt amusement rather than fear at being talk to by a stranger. So, it was indeed true that people in coma were locked up in their minds. The man must be grateful for the company. Feeling encouraged he continued talking.
“Now I don’t know what she did there apart from gathering power, but it wasn’t until Caine, you know the guy who killed his brother Abel from the bible, got cursed and got send to her lands that her story continues. She gave him comfort in this cold harsh lands. Clothed him, fed him, and loved him as if she was his mother despite what Caine’s father did to her. The ungrateful bastard ended up turning on her for power as soon as her back was turned. He became a vampire because of that. They are real, by the way. Do you know why I keep talking to you? Apart from the fact that you are a good listener,” Nikola chuckled at his own joke and felt that his amusement was returned from the comatose Russian.
“I read your mind. You are too far gone for me to read sentences, mind you. I can only gloss over your emotions. I can do it because I am a vampire. A supernatural leech that is cursed to, well, not quite to darkness as I did some stupid shit and now there is a whole vampire clan who can walk in the light and hunt in it because of it, but to my version of the land of Nod. Except I am not alone in it. I have my Adam there with me. Two of them, in fact. Would you like to hear of them?”
He spent the day telling Ivan of Dimitri and Malkav. He felt amusement, mocking and childlike joy coming off the man the more he spoke. But never pity. He liked Ivan already. Sometime during the day a nurse came and asked him why he was here. A quick trick to the mind made her convinced that Nikola was Ivan’s cousin from his mother’s side. It wasn’t all that hard what with Russian and Bulgarian names sounding the same to an American. Ivan gave the equivalent of laughing himself to tears at the act and Nikola chuckled at the antics.
He then became thoughtful and went to hold Ivan’s hand in his. He stared at the man’s dead like face. It gave nothing away. Nikola couldn’t bring himself to read Ivan’s mind in case of finding out he was scared or something.
“You see, Vanya, I visited you today not only to talk but to feed from you. You are all but dead anyway. I will be doing you a favor. It said in your board that you might not be waking up and as far as last vigils go I feel like I gave you a proper one today. You see I don’t know if it’s going to hurt. It didn’t hurt for me to be drank dry, but I was drugged on blood at the time so what do I know? Your body will fight the blood loss, obviously, but I turned off the machine, so it’s beeping won’t bring anyone to your aid. You will be my first real kill. Goodbye, Vanya.”
He made to sit up and approached the laying man. He lowered his head to his neck and was about to drink when he heard the man’s heartbeat. He didn’t need to read his mind to know that the emotion was obviously fear. He placed a gentle hand over Ivan’s chest as if to still his heart and tried again but couldn’t do it.
Nikola was shaking. This wasn’t like that woman on the table who was already fed from. Or like his hunts with Freddie where the man broke their victim’s necks himself. This would be all him. His fault for making Ivan’s sisters cry. His fault for snuffing out a life when there was still hope for it.
He exhaled loudly and distanced himself from Ivan. He turned on the heart monitor and exited the room. He couldn’t sleep that night and spend it watching TV with Dimitri. The blonde must have noticed his distress because he spoke.
“Where were you today, Niki?”
“I went hunting by myself.”
“What did you catch?” Came a distracted question from Malkav. He was reading an encyclopedia and looking peaceful. Nikola went to lean into him and the elder man put an arm around him.
“No one, really, I wanted to drink up from a comatose man but couldn’t.”
“You shouldn’t drink from the sick. You are already lifelike enough as it is. As for the hunting you will be able to start doing it on your own in time. For now just go out with Freddie. He actually gathered the courage to visit today. Now drink and then eat your sorbet, childe.”
He didn’t go out with Freddie the next day. Something about that lonely hospital room was calling out to him. He bought sunflowers this time. They had an earthly scent to them, and he didn’t understand what someone could like about them apart from their yellow color.
He went to the room and saw that his flowers from the previous day were still there. He sat on the chair and stared at the comatose man. Then he cleared his throat.
“Hey, Ivan. It’s me, the vampire from yesterday. I came back to talk your ear off.”
He read Ivan’s mind and read a strong annoyance but found no trace of fear. This mortal really was something else. And he had been sure that he had felt his fangs on his neck the previous day.
“So, I am too much of a failure as a vampire to kill you, but it’s not like you can run off so… Shall we make peace? I got you sunflowers. You like them, yes?”
Then the annoyance was mixed in with happiness. Nikola stood up smiling and placed the bouquet of flowers under Ivan’s nose. The annoyance bleed out completely and was replaced with childlike joy. Nikola put the flowers in Ivan’s limb hand and made him grip them. Some gratitude was mixed in with all the emotions.
He spent the day talking to Ivan about nothing in particular. Just snippets of his past live. About happier times. He left the room feeling happy. He visited every day for five months straight. Then a nurse, who by now was used to him being there every day, began talking to him.
“Mister Popescu there is something we have to discuss your cousin. You see I don’t want to tell you this, but his sisters are incapable to keep paying their brother’s hospital bills. As they are all the way back in Russia they can’t get him home either. Would you be willing to take over your cousin’s care from now on? Normally, we don’t ask distant relatives this question but since you are here every day we figured the two of you must have been close. If you agree you will also have to foot the bill for the past month. Otherwise, Mister Braginski will have to be moved and since he is in the states with a tourist visa we have no way to help him.”
Nikola once again stared at Ivan’s face. He read his mind and saw resignation there. This was a man who expected to be thrown out and die. And all that over money. He was sure that Ivan didn’t blame his sisters. They needed to live too and the hospital bills here in the states were expensive. And Nikola didn’t have money problems. He had forgotten how it was like.
He didn’t want this man who got excited over sunflowers of all things to get screwed up over money. He didn’t want for his pseudo cousin and unwilling listener to get into the system and then get harvested for his organs or something as he slips through the cracks.
“I will. I have an apartment, and he doesn’t really need life support, does he?”
“No, Mister Popescu. But you will have to buy him a gastrostomy tube and hire a nurse on call to monitor your cousin. Unless you have medical experience yourself?”
“No, I’ll hire a nurse. But I’ll need a week to get everything to accommodate him. It can be arranged for him to stay here for the time being, can’t it?”
“Of course, Mister Popescu. I am so glad that you are willing to make this sacrifice for your cousin! All of us here at the hospital were worried about his future. And when he wakes up, as the doctors said his brain is slowly getting better, and it won’t be long, you will be the first person he sees! We will notify the sisters and give you recommendations of nurses!”
Once the nurse was gone he sat down again and read Ivan’s mind again. There was confusion and amazement there.
“Do you hear this big guy? You will wake up soon! Oh, sure it will be to my annoying mug, but you will get to go back to Russia and see your sisters again. You can start to count the days until you won’t be hearing my voice again!”
He left the hospital early and got to searching for an apartment. He figured out he could buy one as he didn’t want to be bothered with rental arrangements. He found one near the park. Ivan would probably like waking up to the view. Friday he was the proud host to an Ivan Braginski, and he watched as the nurse used the tube to feed him a shake in his new apartment.
Nikola had also spoken to Ivan’s sisters and had used persuasion in his voice to get them to trust him. He even set up a video call with a laptop, so the two women can watch over their brother and talk to him. He was suddenly the very popular and long-lost cousin Niki from Bulgaria. It was nice to have people who behaved like his family again. He felt like a thief sharing Ivan’s family without permission, but he didn’t have one of his own and his two lovers had made him into a selfish bastard, so Ivan would just have to suck it up.
The summer came and Nikola had a sunflower in a pot put right next to Ivan’s bed. He would talk to both of the man’s sisters for hours. They had even gotten so far as to send him things from Russia as a thank you for taking care of their brother. They even included a little something for Dimitri when Nikola let slip he was married one day.
Sure it had weirded them out at first how their new cousin was married to a man, but after he showed the intricate ring to the two they had squalled and pronounced Dimitri very romantic. If only Dimitri could hear them, he would probably have a small tantrum.
Nikola didn’t say anything about Malkav, and he never brought Dimitri. His excuse was that Dimitri was always busy on trips to come and speak with them. He did make a false promise that when Dimitri comes back from China, for that was where he sent him in his lie, he would definitely bring him along. Hopefully, Ivan would wake up before that, and he would have enough sense not to speak to his sisters about vampires. Or else Nikola didn’t know what he would do.
His little happy family during the day was replaced with Dimitri and Malkav during the night. They had a new routine when it came to the bedroom. They actually put an effort to seduce him to go to bed with them.
Sure, Dimitri did most of the work but as of late he had been teaching Malkav things that made Nikola blush just thinking about them. Two weeks ago Malkav had actually given him a strip tease and Nikola was out of his clothes before Malkav was out of his. Then there was the night of strip poker where Nikola had to admit he was shit at the game. His two lovers were fully clothed when they went to the bedroom, and he had to actually beg to get them to care of his problem down below.
Dimitri didn’t raise a hand against him anymore and Malkav only gave him commands when he was close to uncovering his plots in the eternal war all vampires waged.
So far Malkav had done diablerie to at least one vampire that Nikola knew of. And there was no telling how many more had bitten the dust as Malkav was marking his territory. Nikola himself didn’t want to know. He only hoped that Malkav wasn’t on the Red List now. But even if he was what were the Alastors going to do? Tear him to shreds? He was just going to regenerate.
Dimitri was also lashing out on other vampires. He lashed out at and was put in his place by Malkav, but his sire didn’t go as far as to attempt diablerie on him again. They had begun to play a game of chess, so to speak. They send their ghouls to sabotage the other. Talked other vampires into being their pawns. Fought verbally over Nikola in the bedroom for his attention.
Shaking his head Nikola made to think about something else. Then he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. Then a hand reached out and griped his and Nikola tracked it to its owner. Ivan had woken up.
He was about to call the man’s sisters when he began to slowly speak something in Russian at him. He understood some accusations from the tone and what he remembered from his mother teaching him Bulgarian but said regardless.
“I don’t speak Russian, Ivan. Nor am I Russian like you. Can we talk in English?”
“You are cousin Niki, da? The vampire.”
Nikola sat back in the chair and smiled reassuringly.
“Yes. So, people in coma really understand and remember everything? So now that you woke up I’ll call your nurse and a doctor to do some checkups on you. Just stay here, Ivan.”
Ivan didn’t let go of his hand but tug him with such strength that the chair moved towards the bed and Nikola with it.
“Why did you help? You could have let me rot in a dumpster for all you should care. Was it, so you would kill me when I wake up? Because I am very strong and if its that I’ll break your annoying mug.”
“Well, you sure are full of gratitude, Vanya. I have the full intention of letting you go back to your sisters. They are lovely women, and they need you back in their life. They miss you, if you haven’t figured it out from the constant video calls.”
“Just like that? You’re not after my blood or want your money back? Because I can’t pay you. The hospitals here are better vampires than you are.”
Nikola laughed heartily at that. He leaned back in the chair and then rummaged in the bedside cabinet and took out a bottle of vodka, the good expensive stuff he had gotten once he found out from the man’s sisters that Ivan very much liked to drink distilled potatoes.
Ivan grinned and took the bottle from him. He let go of Nikola’s hand and opened it and drank. Once he was done, he set it down on the cabinet.
“You know, cousin Niki, you might just become my favorite cousin. You beat Cousin Sergei and Anton by far. The vodka they would bring me is shittier than this. Would you like some?”
“Vampires can’t drink alcohol, and I wasn’t a drinker when I was alive anyway. Now do you need anything before I call your doctor to give you that checkup I talked about?”
“Niet. You can call whoever you want. And thank you. For talking to me and bringing comfort to my sisters. Now come here, cousin.”
Nikola complied thinking that Ivan wanted to shake his hand or something but instead was punched in the stomach with such a force that he took a couple of steps back. It actually hurt like a bitch.
“That was for nearly killing me when I couldn’t defend myself, cousin Niki. Don’t get your fangs near me again, or I will break them.”
“I deserved that, I admit.” Nikola whizzed these words and went to the other room to speak with the doctor.
The checkup came and went, but the doctor said that Ivan needed muscle therapy so he couldn’t go home yet. Even though his visa had expired, and technically, he should be deported the doctor promised he won’t notify the authorities.
Nikola ordered some takeout for Ivan as he hadn’t prepared to make him anything as he didn’t know when the man would wake up. This afternoon as Ivan spoke to his sisters he explained to them, he was going to stay at “cousin” Niki’s place some more until he literally got to his feet.
Nikola left Ivan with his Chinese food and returned home. He had a happy smile from his conversation with Ivan’s sisters and just looking at the three catch up. If that was what it looked like to have siblings he really should have nagged his parents for some when he was little.
He felt warm inside as he went to bed. Malkav and Dimitri didn’t bother him as they had sensed his good mood and didn’t want to spoil it. He slept like a newborn. Sure, he would have to still bring himself to hunt someday. And definitely not in a hospital as he would end up just getting attached to another mortal. But he was happy that he could still do some good even as a vampire.
Ivan’s therapy progressed perfectly until he began to walk around the apartment. He started coughing up blood at the effort and the doctor took Nikola aside to tell him that Ivan had internal damage to his organs from the fall that was not seen in the hospital.
Nikola was torn. He was going to let Ivan go! He didn’t see him as prey and the man was strong enough if the bear hugs he would catch him in were any indication. He had two wonderful sisters who would never see him again because the doctor said Ivan will literally not survive the trip back to Russia.
Sure, Ivan would live. A short life, but he would live. But what kind of life would that be? A once proud amateur wrestler and boxer would live like an invalid. Coughing blood every time he would stand up to go to the toiled. And his sisters would have to watch it all.
Oh, sure Nikola had all the intentions of letting Ivan have the apartment to himself. He would go so far as to buy him a permanent visa. Provide for him even as he had become attached to the brother and sisters he never had. But then Ivan’s pride would take a hit, and he would do something stupid, and then it would be up to Nikola to face the two women with the news.
He let the doctor out of the apartment and went to Ivan’s bedroom. He made a sign to him to turn off the laptop as they needed to talk and the confused blonde complied.
Then he told him everything the doctor had told him. He watched as Ivan got angrier and angrier and suddenly things were being thrown across the room. The laptop flew through the open window, and he heard a scream from outside. He would have to buy Vanya a new one.
“Are you done?” He said as Ivan picked and then placed back down the potted sunflower.
“How can this shit happen to me? I woke up, didn’t I? I am supposed to be better!”
“Ivan, calm down. I won’t leave you to the streets. And you would still get to talk to your sisters. You will just…”
And how was he to end this sentence? You will just have to stay in the apartment all day taking alms from me and depend on my good will? Ivan must have noticed what he was thinking because his hands balled in feasts. As he didn’t want to be punched he remained silent. Then Ivan took a couple of breaths and looked at him, hopefully.
“There is something you can do for me. You want to help me cousin Niki, da?”
A quick scan of the man’s mind showed just how desperate he was. There could be only one thing on his mind.
“Out of the question. You don’t know what you want!”
“But I do, cousin! I need your blood to heal! It’s what you said when I was still in the hospital, da? That vampire blood can heal anything! I don’t mind being a ghoul. You won’t give me commands, and you can come live with me in Russia! Escape from your two bastards and keep feeding me blood! You are practically a part of my family. My sisters would like it if you are around!”
“Vanya. You are asking that I turn you into a drug addict! What if someone kills me in Russia and you are left without vampire blood? Do you know what will happen to you? You will start aging again lightning fast and die! But before that, you will go into a drug induced frenzy! What if Katyusha or Natalia are around? With your new power as a ghoul you’ll tear them to shreds!”
“What then? I remain in this fucking apartment and watch the world through the window and a laptop with only you as company? Would you like to live like that?”
Strong proud Ivan was shaking and hitting the bed with his feast. He was screaming something in Russian and Nikola went to close the window. No need for the police to call the cops on them and have Ivan deported.
“I will not ghoul you, but I have something that is both better and worse than that. I can make you like me. Then your internal organs will die and shrivel, but you will be back to your former strength. You will be better even. And with my clan’s resistance to the damage to the sun you can even go back to your sisters and pretend that everything is normal as long as they are alive. What do you say?”
Ivan stopped cursing and looked him dead in the eyes.
“You’d do that for a stranger, Nikola?”
Nikola shook his head and smiled gently.
“For a stranger, no. But for cousin Vanya anytime. I need to keep my spot as number one cousin after all. All I ask is that you let me teach you all I know of the Vampire Masquerade before you leave for Russia, so you won’t be hunted down for destroying the secrecy or something.”
Ivan smiled, and then he rolled up his shirt’s sleeve and extended it to him. Nikola shook his head again.
“I need to do preparation. You need someone for your first feeding. I fed directly from my sire, but he is like a bottomless well. I will have to find you someone to drink from.”
“But you have never hunted alone. You couldn’t even kill me! Nikita, who are you going to bring for me here? A drug dealer or something? What if I get indigestion from them?”
“You’ll live. Well, no, you’ll be dead, but you get the point. I’ll do my best. I’m going out now to search for someone and you better call your sisters to tell them the laptop is out of commission, so they don’t worry. See you tonight, Vanya.”
As he was closing the door he heard Ivan speaking in Russian on the phone, so he must have done as asked. His expression became determined as he headed towards the nearest bar.
He didn’t know how to do this. It was still sunny outside, but the bar was full. He sat on a table ordered some vodka and waited. Soon enough a blonde boy sat at his table and he kept looking back at a group talking at the bar’s front. They didn’t seem to pay him any attention.
“Um, hi.” Said the boy and Nikola gave him a once over. Soft blonde hair, baby blue eyes and glasses. He suddenly felt like a leech.
“Hi.”
The boy took a look at the same group of people and gave a sigh.
“I got dared to talk to you because you look like a foreigner too, but my group forgot about it. Never mind. I’m living. I'm sorry to bother you.”
The blonde made to stand up, but Nikola griped his hands and send him one of Dimitri’s trademark smirks. The boy blushed and sat back down. Then Nikola winked at him and said in an almost whisper.
“I’m actually from here, not born but raised. Where are you from…?”
“Matthew, Matthew Williams. I am from Canada. I came for the rock festival that is held here this week. It’s going to be wonderful.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Matthew. My name is Nikola Asenov” Nikola ran a circle on the tip of his vodka shot and smiled softly. Ok, maybe he was picking up some of the things that Dimitri was teaching him. But Dimitri was a very dedicated teacher, repeating a lesson until Nikola melts from it.
His expression must have been misinterpreted as meant in appreciation of Matthew because the boy blushed harder and lowered his head. Nikola took the vodka shot and past it towards him. Matthew looked mortified at it.
“I’m not old enough to drink, Nikola. I’m 16.”
Nikola sucked in a breath. And the number one reward for dirtiest leech goes to Nikola Asenov-Popescu! He was going to kill some 16-year-old boy for Ivan. Ok, Ivan will do the killing and Nikola’s hands will be clean as usual. He felt sick with himself, but then he stopped to think.
This kid was a stranger. Nothing to him. Sure full of hopes and dreams and trusting to the point of stupidity but still only a footnote compared to Ivan, whom he knew and considered kin, and his plight to be able to live fully again. Stealing himself he continued the game.
“Ok, Matthew. You mentioned some festival, didn’t you? Where are you staying? Surely, it’s not in a tent?”
“It is actually, but that only brings out more of the experience! And I couldn’t get my parents to give me money for a hotel, so there’s that.”
Nikola faked shock on his face and ruffled Matthew’s hair good naturally.
“We can’t have that! Drugs run rampant at such festivals, and you don’t look like the type to partake, but someone might sneak something in your drink or food. You haven’t considered that, have you? It’s a dangerous world out there, even in a nice town such as this one! I’ve decided, you must come to my apartment. I just can’t leave a kid like you all by himself, can I? And my apartment is close to the park and that’s where such events are held, so you won’t have to walk far for the duration of the festival. So, what do you say?”
He focused and made the Canadian trust him subconsciously. Almost as if he had known Nikola all his life rather than just meeting him. The boy nodded and clapped his hands together.
“Nikola, thank you! I was worried about these things too but didn’t want to voice them to my group, so they don’t make fun of me. Let me just grab my backpack, and we can go!”
Nikola watched the boy approach the group, but they didn’t pay him any attention. He came back to him crestfallen. His backpack was a hiker’s one with a Canadian maple leaf and a polar bear plushy hanging from it. He was going to feed Ivan a bloody kid who went around with his freaking teddy bear strapped to his backpack. He felt no better than Dimitri.
He led the boy and let him fill the silence. Matthew was adopted by a gay couple of a Frenchman and an Englishman. He had an adopted brother who returned to the states as soon as he hit 18. He didn’t remember his real parents and people ignored him on principle. And Nikola was so nice to be an exception. That last part was like a punch to the gut for the vampire.
They entered the apartment and Nikola told Matthew that he lived together with his Russian cousin, so he would be having dinner together with them. Nikola was not amused at his own pun. Then he busied himself in the kitchen and made a full home cooked meal with the ingredients he had on hand. It wasn’t Dimitri level meal, or even close to his own mother’s cooking, but it was still warm and nice smelling. A good final meal for both Ivan and Matthew. Except Ivan would live, die, whatever, to tell the tale and Matthew would be found tomorrow near the tents of the festival with his wrists slit. He had to remember to instruct Ivan to bite the boy where his clothes could hide it. They would have to undress the child for that. Biggest leech indeed.
He set the table for two and begged off dinner saying that he was dieting for his own health and didn’t eat dinners. Then he went to call Ivan. When he turned his back just as he was nearing the door the boy was saying grace. Why doesn’t the damn brat just rip his heart out and start jumping on it? At least if he was this good then he would have healthy blood. That was important for the quick regeneration of Ivan’s organs so that he would survive the change, wasn’t it? He should research it later with Freddie. Man did he miss Freddie.
He closed the door behind him and stared at the still hopeful Ivan. He had changed from his clothes and into fresh ones. He must have had another bloody coughing fit. There was no point in prolonging his pain. But he will preserve his humanity! Make his first meal so regretful, for how could kind-hearted Ivan not feel remorse towards his victim, that he would pick his victims well. And maybe stay away from children. If he could only manage to make him into a vampire who hunts people over Matthew’s age he would be happy.
“I found you prey. The change happens tonight.”
“You found a drug dealer?”
“No, I took your fears of indigestion into consideration and got you a croissant. Don’t give anything away when you see him and know you asked for this. Now be a man and own up to your wish. No regrets. No theater. Take the time to have a final meal with the boy, get to know him and be thankful that you would be able to live thanks to him.”
“Boy?!”
“Yes, boy! He was the best I could find you. Now are you going to do as I say or are you quitting? All life is precious, Vanya! And cannibalism is a taboo for a reason. Find out the lesson in this and learn it! I will give you until the end of the night for you to decide if you're walking around free again is enough for you to kill. Now get to the boy and have dinner with him and remember it is his last. I’ll be watching you from the couch. If you call me cousin in Russian, then we proceed with the plan. If you just go back to your room, then you will have a roommate for the duration of a music festival, and then you will just have to be stuck with your lot in life. Now go, Vanya.”
And Ivan did. He pushed Nikola out of the way and opened the door. Then he saw as the boy was tapping his feet to a tune and was humming to himself. Ivan turned to Nikola and gave him a pleading look, but Nikola just gave him a pat on the back and went to the couch.
At first, the two ate in silence as Nikola watched TV. Then the boy began to talk about his family to Ivan and Ivan was soon sharing things about his sisters. Then the theme changed to hokey and the two became more enthusiastic.
Just as Ivan stood up to demonstrate a hokey strike in his wild story about a Russian team to a happy Matthew he started coughing blood again. Then he looked at the boy’s face and a deep sadness passed over his face.
“Rodstvenyk, thank you for your meal. I learned my lesson.”
Hearing the first word Nikola felt disappointment towards Ivan. But then he remembered how he himself had done all he could to survive in Dimitri’s hands. Why should Ivan be any better? Kin indeed, they were the same. Even if Ivan was made of muscles and Nikola was like a twig compared to him.
“Ok, cousin. It’s time for your medicine. Why don’t you go to the bedroom while I settle down Matthew? Make him comfortable.”
Ivan looked like the weight of the world was on him when he went to the bedroom and shut the door. It could have been worse for Matthew. Ivan could have been as sick as Dimitri and fucked the boy, make him fall in love and then devour him. But Ivan was a good man. And he would be a vampire with a conscious. Nikola had made sure of it.
He went and locked the door and then closed the windows. Matthew stared at him questioningly.
“Mister Nikola I wanted to check out the town before it got fully dark. Would it be a problem if you unlock the door and leave it like that for as long as I’m here? I won’t bring anyone here to bother you or your cousin, I swear!”
“It will. Ivan needs his rest, and you're going in and out will disturb that. The couch is yours. I’ve put blankets there and left the remote on the armrest. I’ll unlock the apartment tomorrow, and you can go to the festival then. It’s dangerous to go out in the dark, anyway. Remember what I told you about drugs?”
“Yes, sorry. I didn’t consider all this. Please thank Mister Ivan for the story. I didn’t know that Russia had such competitive league!”
“Will do, Matthew.”
Nikola smiled and waved at the boy. Matthew returned the gesture and Nikola’s heart stopped beating. He turned his back to his victim and started it back up. There was a lesson to be learned for him too. And he just learned it.
He entered the bedroom and found Ivan hugging his legs but looking determined. There was danger in those lilac eyes. Nikola ignored it and approached him. He lowered his head and sunken his fangs into Ivan’s neck and drank.
Ivan didn’t make a sound. He did lay down and pulled Nikola to the bed with him as the blood loss took over but apart from that, stood his ground. When he was nearly at death’s doorstep Nikola pulled away and slit his wrist with his hand and put it to Ivan’s mouth. The man could barely gulp but he did. His beating heart stopped and for a moment Nikola was worried that Ivan’s organs simply had hindered the man’s change, but then Ivan griped his wrist with renewed strength and began to drink greedily. Nikola let it happen until he felt Ivan’s rage disappear. If Ivan wasn’t in a nearly frenzied state, then he wouldn’t be cruel to the boy. And Nikola was used to being a blood bank by now. He tapped Ivan’s head three times. The blonde snarled but let go.
“It’s time for you to have your first meal as a vampire. Just remember not to scare the boy too much. Don’t brutalize him when he struggles.”
“I know. I learned your fucking lesson, cousin Niki. Will you come with me for support? To make sure I can control myself?”
“I promised I’ll make the boy’s final moments comfortable, didn’t I?”
The two of them exited the room and went to the boy. Matthew looked confused at them.
“Um, Mister Ivan? Weren’t you going to sleep?”
“Oh he will be fine. Now relax.” Nikola numbed Matthew’s brain and the boy’s eyes glazed over.
“Okay. You two are so nice. I wish I had more friends like you.”
Nikola went to sit behind Matthew and took him in his arms and hugged him as if he was a small child. He placed a few quick kisses in his hair and pulled his jumper up. Matthew must have gotten the wrong idea as Ivan made to leave them alone to retreat. What the boy said next made the Russian stop in his tracks.
“Eh, Mister Nikola. I am too young for this too. But you are so nice that I…I don’t mind. But it’s my first time, so please be gentle with me. I mean, sorry.”
Nikola was sick with himself. The child thought that he was going to fuck him. And such things did happen on music festivals, didn’t they? He had picked him up in a bar, for Pete’s sake. Of course the kid would be hopeful.
Ivan was next to them so fast that Matthew made to sit up alarmed, but Nikola held him firm. Ivan reached out and rested his hand on the exposed skin.
“Mister Nikola! You are one thing, but I can’t be with your cousin too! This was a mistake. I need to leave. Please unlock the door.”
“Relax” Nikola commanded, and the Canadian stopped resisting, a whimper the only thing that gave away his discomfort. “We don’t want to have sex with you. And we will be gentle with what we are going to do. There is nothing to worry about. You are safe. Trust me. Ivan's bite down where your hand is. Don’t tear the flesh too much.”
Ivan lowered himself over the whimpering Canadian and did just that. Nikola buried his face into the boy’s hair as the child clutched at his legs. Then he was broken out of his thoughts as Ivan was pushing the boy further into him and squeezing his throat.
Was this how Dimitri had felt when Gilbert had turned on him? Except the Dimitri of back then didn’t care about his ghoul. And Nikola cared for Ivan. Had trampled on his principles for his “cousin”. Ivan snapped his neck and bend down to drink from him.
It hurt. So. Fucking. Bad. And with a snapped neck, he didn’t dare speak least he made matters worse. The boy was limp in his arms and seemed to be unconscious. Nikola felt faint when Ivan was finally done feeding from him. The blonde snapped his neck back in place and Nikola felt the bone knit instantly. It had taken his eye a month to regenerate, but it took moments for his neck to feel right again. It appears that Ivan was better suited to being a vampire than Nikola imagined. Ivan bowed his head in shame and took Nikola’s hand in his. Nikola took it away.
“I remembered the story about Lilith that you told me as I waited in the bedroom, cousin Niki. About how Caine betrayed her to be free. And I thought to myself what if I drink of your blood? Just enough for me to feel better, so we can go hunting together. And I’m sorry about snapping your neck, but you’re fine now! And Matthew wouldn’t have been if I drank him fully! He is such a nice person. He didn’t make fun of my accent or anything. And he really likes polar bears and hokey and maple syrup and his family and…He has so much to live for and yet, you are dead set on killing him. Because of me, I know, but still! Let’s go outside while he is still out cold and find a drug dealer or someone who at least isn’t a freaking child!”
Ivan got up and took his beige long coat that had come together with him from the hospital. He looked up at Nikola with a pleading look as he unlocked the door. And Nikola looked at his Caine. Lilith, huh? He was raped like her in the past, and now he was betrayed by his own childe just like her. Did Lilith ever forgive Caine? She must have gotten him back. There was a book about her that he had been putting off finishing for the longest time. He was going to sit and read it as soon as he got home.
He gently sat the boy down on the couch and fluffed a pillow to put under his head, and then he covered him with a blanket. Matthew was Ivan’s problem now. And Ivan had more sense than to let the boy go. Nikola picked the boy’s backpack and took a look at it.
He rummaged through it and found a framed photo. He sat it by the boy. He then cut the cord of the white teddy bear and placed the toy in the boy’s hands. The boy closed his hands over it and turned around to sleep at his side. Ivan sucked in a breath behind him, finally realizing what Nikola was doing.
He zipped the backpack back up and carried it with him to the door. Then he put on his own coat and went into the night. He dumped the backpack on a bench in the park, and soon he was in a bar, albeit a different one than last time. Ivan was scaring people off with his mood and so Nikola used his gloominess and got up and put on a show of “breaking up” with Ivan.
His frustration must have been genuine enough because before Ivan even got out of the bar to follow him in his confusion a man was on Nikola offering him to let him forget all about his “boyfriend”. Nikola was so angry at how he was being touched up in a dirty alley that without thinking he placed his hands over the man’s neck and twisted it.
Huh, it was easy. He thought to himself. He then bit the man’s neck and fed from his first kill. He left plenty for Ivan and now that he was not feeling so lightheaded his mind was clearer. Ivan ran towards him and looked horrified at the picture Nikola presented. Without a word Nikola threw his prey at his childe and crossed his arms over his chests.
“Drink up, Braginski. You didn’t catch anything, so now you get leftovers. Congratulations.”
He got Ivan home to a still sleeping Matthew with clear instructions to take care of the boy or kill him. Then he got home himself. He undressed as soon as he entered the bedroom and placed himself in Dimitri’s lap. He smiled at the blonde and kissed him.
“What has gotten into you, Niki? First you are late and now you are eager. Are the end times coming?”
“I had my first kill. I want to celebrate. Where is Malkav, by the way?”
Dimitri flipped them and undressed as if his clothes were on fire.
“Your first kill? Well, it was about time, love! How did you do it? With your fangs or…?”
“Snapped a pervert’s neck with my hands.”
“A pervert’s? You weren’t thinking of cheating on me again, were you?”
Nikola giggled and kissed Dimitri. Me, me, me. It was all about him constantly. Nikola was tired of his selfishness. He needed to be punished.
“Maybe. But I didn’t do anything. So, how about you remind me now how good you are to me when you are pissing your territory? And you didn’t answer my question.”
“Right, Malkav. He is an anathema now because of all the diableries. Moved his way into the Red List and killed some other anathemas on it, and now he feasts on Alastors. Neat, huh? Now I get to have you all to myself while he wasted his time.”
Dimitri was kissing him and tickling him at the same time. Despite himself Nikola laughed but didn’t tell him to stop. Did Lilith find someone to wash away the sourness of the betrayal? He really needed to read her book.