Chapter 19

Nikola spend the remainder of the week in the bathroom making calls with Vasilisa’s help. When he packed the pentagram was gone from the bathroom wall. He had only taken a break from his duties to have a call with Ivan and Matthew.

Matthew had changed much in the time that had past. For one he no longer called everyone “Mister”. He still apologized every so often but he had a greater confidence in himself. The Canadian had told him that he and Ivan had had a proper wedding in a church in Novgorod with Ivan’s sisters as bride’s maids.

Ivan had send Nikola pictures of it and Nikola couldn’t stop smiling as he looked through them. The wedding had been held at night. Both Matthew and Ivan had been dressed in white suits but Matthew had the headdress that Ivan had gifted him so long ago on his head while Ivan had a long scarf around his shoulders.

He saw Dimitri holding Malkav’s hand in the background and gave a soft smile at that. The two must have begun to really get along. He kept looking through the pictures and saw that Ivan had carried Matthew past the church’s threshold bridal stile while Matthew looked every bit the part of the blushing bride. Katyusha and Natalia were walking behind the two and throwing flower petals at them. He regretted missing it.

Nikola had Ivan reach out to Malkav and tell him about his return home. The Russian had agreed and soon he called Nikola back to tell him that Malkav said he would wait for Nikola at the airport.

The flight was uneventful and Nikola fell asleep on it. He was woken up by a stewardess and he rushed towards the checkout to catch his next flight. He passed Eastern Europe and took the flight from Germany to the UK and then from there to the states.

Once he was on home soil he arranged for another flight so he will be able to get back to the state that Malkav’s town was. And indeed when he landed at the airport Malkav was waiting for him with a bouquet of pink lilies. He felt before he saw Dimitri as the blonde rushed towards him, embraced him, and then twirled him around kissing any spot he could get to all the while.

Nikola was surprised at this. This Dimitri was a far cry from the one he knew. Just as he was about to ask the blonde if he was feeling ok Malkav placed the bouquet under his nose. Someone in the crowd took a picture of them and he heard cooing. Just what was happening?

Dimitri kept squeezing the life out of Nikola as Malkav reached out and grabbed his hand gently and wrapped it around the flowers. Then he bend down and picked Nikola’s backpack and placed it over his shoulder. Dimitri hugged the brunette’s arm and began leading him out of the airport and towards the car. Once inside Malkav got in the driver’s seat as Dimitri sat himself on the backseat with Nikola and gave his cheek a kiss.

“Niki, I’ve missed you! Not that you can’t tell. How have you been, morsel? How was your hunt? You must tell me everything!”

Nikola happily cuddled into Dimitri then he heard a whisper in his ear.

“Tell them about me, fly. You made your bed now lie in it. I want to see if they really love you enough to forgive you.”

Nikola gulped. Just how was he going to tell Dimitri about Vasilisa? The memory of the Romanian gouging out his eye when he couldn’t stand to share him with Malkav anymore came to mind. But Vasilisa was right. He needed to point at the elephant in the room first and hope he doesn’t get ditched on the side of the road.

“Dimitri, I need to tell you something. To both of you. You won’t like it. I…killed Vasilisa just like I was supposed to but before that, and after that, the two of us were…we were…”

Dimitri’s happy expression changed to an outraged one and he slapped him. Malkav pulled the car over and growled. Vasilisa giggled in Nikola’s mind. The Romanian pointed an accusing finger in Nikola’s face and began to yell at him.

“You cheating bastard! I am going on a hunt, you said. It is a part of my Jihad, you said. But what did you do while I kept Malkav off the deep end with meds and therapy? You went on a sex tourism in bloody Russia! And to put salt in the wound you cheated with a Nosferatu! A deformed sewer rat!”

Nikola raised his hands in front of him and dodged the second slap. He looked to Malkav for help but found him balling his fists and muttering to himself. He managed to hear something about his cock being skinned and the skin being force fed to him and he gulped again.

“Dimitri, I’m sorry! But let me explain myself! Vasilisa put me into a blood bond when he saw he couldn’t run away from me! It’s not like I wanted to cheat!”

Nikola felt a slight headache coming and Malkav was giggling to himself. He wondered why he wasn’t yelling in pain instead when Vasilisa spoke to him again.

“Fly, I am reducing most of the damage but can’t erase it completely. Your sire is too strong. And why didn’t you tell the wife beater that I wasn’t a sewer rat? You should have defended me!”

Great now Vasilisa was joining on the kill Nikola band wagon. Just what he needed. Seeing as Dimitri was now cracking his knuckles. It seemed he didn’t care about the whole drugging thing. Nikola looked at his sire again and tried to explain himself to him next.

“Sire, it wasn’t my fault! It was a moment of weakness on my part but…”

Malkav turned back towards them and he saw a creepy smile on his face. Instead of raging at him like Dimitri he spoke calmly.

“A moment of weakness, childe? You call three whole years a moment of weakness? And what was that about “and after that” you mentioned? I’ve seen Vasilisa he, she, I don’t even know, is beautiful beyond compare in his, argh, grown up form. Did you enjoy yourself so much with him you desecrated his ashes? Or did you meant you fucked him as you killed him? Wretch!”

“I really like your sire, fly. He is genuinely disturbed. Now don’t do half measures. Tell them how I am still yours and you are mine. Or else…”

Nikola hanged his head down in defeat. Now compared to three years ago he was getting off easy. Dimitri’s slap hadn’t hurt. And while Malkav had lost control and probably would have killed him with the headache if it wasn’t for Vasilisa he had a right to be angry. And so did Vasilisa. But by Satan why did he have to be responsible for everything? Vasilisa was more to blame than him. He felt the headache increase at that and heard an annoyed huff in his ear. So Vasilisa was giving him a warning. Prat.

“I am going to tell you both the rest of what happened and if you two want to kick me out of the car and never see me again I will go silently. But don’t think I will be your punching bag any longer.”

Nikola’s headache disappeared entirely as Malkav gave him a thoughtful look. Then Dimitri cleared his throat and Malkav grimaced again. His two husbands waited patiently for him to begin. He looked nervously between them and waited for advice from Vasilisa but nothing came. So they were all angry at him and he had to take the full blame as usual. One day he would just show them all the middle finger for it.

“Right, where to begin? I found Vasilisa, no wait, he found me in his child form. And Dimitri it’s not what you think! Quit growling at me! So I was going to kill him and I nearly managed but he set his ghouls on me. I killed them and tried to finish him off but he put me in a blood bond. We ended up living together and we were happy… But only because we were both drugged on blood! I swear! Then I found a fae one day and drank her dry and yes I know I shouldn’t have but the blood was so tasty and do you two know where I can find faes here in the states?”

Both Dimitri and Malkav gave him death glares. Malkav rolled up his sleeve and tapped his wrist watch.

“Keep it short, cheater. I don’t want to listen to how you put horns on us while you played house with the most beautiful creature in existence.”

Vasilisa gave a chuckle and Nikola saw the picture of the blonde licking his lips right before his eyes.

“Is your sire flirting with me, fly? Are you jealous? He isn’t a half-bad stallion and after I’ve been eating only sickly sweet candy for three years I feel like having a steak. Why don’t you tell him that your wife wants to put horns on you with him? Never mind I will tell him myself when I pull him to us once you all get home.”

Nikola shook his head to clear his thoughts. He felt more than a little annoyed at Vasilisa’s words. He had told the blonde it wouldn’t be cheating but shearing, hadn’t he? So why was he thinking about making him forget all about Malkav’s compliments?

“Because you want me all to yourself, fly. But I want to be fed with two more flies and you are the bait to draw them in. If you can’t tell I’m enjoying myself greatly watching this through your eyes. And it’s a great compliment to know that you care for me after all.”

Nikola was just about to retort to Vasilisa that he was being delusional but then Dimitri gave his shoulders a rough shake.

“Space out on your own time, adulter.  So this Vasilisa is pretty for a sewer rat? Prettier than me? I’m not even going to ask about Malkav. Well blood bond or no you still should have kept it in your pants! I can’t believe I took anger management classes with your Ventrue mentor so I can be perfect for you!”

Nikola blinked a couple of times in disbelieve. Dimitri had tried to change for him? And he hadn’t needed to beg for it. He turned to look at Malkav and the Antediluvian nodded to him in confirmation. Nikola looked out of the car’s window and waited to see flying pigs. Dimitri gave his ribs a harsh poke and earned his attention.

“Yes, ok, let us forget about the fae for now. Um after that I started hunting lupine too and…”

Malkav hit the car wheel and it gave an angry honk.

“You braindead glutton! How could you have been so irresponsible? Didn’t your two surviving brain cells rub themselves together enough for you to figure out that if lupine threw up our vitae then their blood wasn’t good for your health either? Oh, what am I saying? Vasilisa the Beautiful probably fucked them out of your head early on and now the only thing left in there are dusty cobwebs. Fae, lupines! If you say you drank from demons I will curse your dick to fall off and trust me it won’t regenerate.”

Dimitri turned to look at Malkav and his finger pointed at the dark haired vampire.

“Are you going to cheat on me too, daddy? You keep calling Nikola’s tramp nice things! But guess what mister sex on legs is dead! And how beautiful could he have been anyway?”

Malkav gave a sigh and stared in Dimitri’s eyes. There was silence and then Dimitri was hitting his seat and raging.

“That damn doll stole my wife! And is stealing my man from beyond the grave too! I can’t stand it! I am blonde too and people can actually tell my gender! Why am I not enough? So he is as pretty as a moonlit night, so what? You two stop singing about it or I’m leaving your asses!”

Vasilisa gave a soft moan in Nikola’s ears and the Bulgarian wanted to punch something.

“As pretty as a moonlit night, huh? I like it! I will go into my female form and have them both take me at the same time as you make use of my pretty mouth, husband. Now excuse me as I dress up.”

Nikola’s face was red with anger. He wanted to tear his hair out. He wanted to go to his mind and burn all of Vasilisa’s dresses for wanting to cheat on him so fucking much.

“What happened to sharing is carrying, Nikola? Oh I am going to have so much fun tonight! Maybe next time you will think before you cheat.”

Nikola took a couple of deep breaths and began talking again.

“I didn’t drink from demons. There weren’t any in the Siberian tundra…”

Malkav raised his hands in the air and yelled “God give me strength” on the top of his lungs. Nikola snickered at that and earned himself another headache.

“And I wouldn’t have drank from them. Maybe. How does their blood taste like anyway?”

Malkav used Nikola’s backpack which had rested on the front seat to hit him over the head a couple of times. Dimitri was tugging his ear. Nikola felt like a child.

“That was a joke! Anyway so the blood bond wore off and I began to hunt down Vasilisa and it took me seven months. Then I caught him one day since his blood bond wasn’t broken at the time. I killed him but he cursed me and now he is in my head and ruling over it with an iron fist. And Baba Yaga and all the vampires the two of us have killed are there too! And two of them are priests! The first priest married me to Vasilisa in a church and summoned Satan and now Satan is in my head and I am his dark prophet now which is a fancy way of saying secretary and there is nothing else I have to say. Apart from the fact that if it makes you both feel any better Vasilisa is a cheating bastard just like me and wants to have sex with you both in my mind to get me back for killing him. And I can’t stand him talking about it since we were married in a church and he was all dolled up in a fancy dress and looked more angelic than Lucifer. And I’ve seen Lucifer and the morning star gets outshone by Vasilisa on the normal days too but back then he was so pale in comparison it wasn’t even funny. And I will stop talking now since you both look like you want to force feed me my own heart.”

Malkav gave a huff and began driving again. Dimitri was about to keep raging but then he stopped as if he was listening to someone and then he plopped back in his seat.

“So you want to play this game time and time again with me, morsel? Fine! I will wear my damn horns and grumble knowing you were drugged and your new wife looks divine. But Malkav and I talked and we agreed we will take this Vasilisa for ourselves. We will take both of you, actually. But first we will tie you up and watch as we stretch lovely to his heart’s content. He is willing, no? How do we go about it? If there is desire there is a way. Well? Spit it out!”

Nikola grumbled and it was his turn to hit the seat. His husbands couldn’t even bring themselves to call Vasilisa names. It was beautiful this, lovely that. He was the only one that got to talk about Vasilisa like that darn it! The shining star was his wife!

“He will bring you both in my mind. He uses Satan’s power to fuel his magic. We should find a bed before then since we will all be asleep, technically.”

Dimitri smirked. Nikola didn’t like it. He supposed that he was getting scot free but he didn’t like having to share Vasilisa later. And why should he? What happened to the sanctity of marriage? By Satan was that how Dimitri had felt when Nikola had showed up with Malkav in tow?

“So, Niki, how good is sunshine in bed? Details morsel! I want to know what to expect.”

“I’m not going to tell you what I did with Vasilisa! It’s private! He is my wife and I care about him and while I agree I deserve to be punished for killing him and cheating on the two of you don’t think I like the punishment!”

Dimitri gave him another smirk followed by a wink and wrapped his hands around him.

“I take it that honey butter biscuit was really good then? Don’t worry, Niki. We will let you join in on the fun. But if you don’t perform well enough we might end up ignoring you while we have our way with your dear dove. No, wait, I mean our dove. You don’t get to keep someone this sweet for yourself.”

Nikola snapped his head towards Malkav and sputtered at him angrily.

“Why are you silent, sire? Are you going to make lewd comments about my wife too? Dimitri hasn’t mentioned anything about his female form. Say something about Vasilisa’s breasts maybe? Go ahead and sprinkle some more salt on my wounded pride.”

Malkav stopped the car and stared at Nikola in disbelieve.

“Vasilisa has a female form too? Show me!”

Nikola looked into his sire’s eyes and send him a picture of Vasilisa in a loose pink dress with petal prints. Malkav looked like he was about to pass out. He turned and looked into Dimitri’s eyes and the blonde gave a wolf whistle before turning towards Nikola and taking his hand in his and gently kissing his knuckles.

“Vasilisa Prekrasnaia I am deeply sorry for calling you a tramp. It was all Nikola’s fault, surely. Please prepare the church where you took his ungrateful ass in hand for Malkav and I too and be as gorgeous as you are in your female form, future wife. He deserves to be cheated on, true, but I don’t want to smear your honor, sweet nymph. The adulter can always renew his vows to you and actually say some to us too. Not that we ever wanted to do this properly either but now that you are in our life, delight, we have to do things by the book.”

Dimitri petted Nikola’s cheek gently and Nikola was just about to ask him if he went insane when a finger was pressed to his lips. Dimitri continued to talk.

“Paradise bird just imagine that what I do to the wretched leech is done to you and speak through him. I will show you what true romance is, moon and stars.”

Nikola was just about to bite down on the offending finger when Vasilisa said in a singsong voice.

“Don’t you dare, husband! Look how much he changed for you! He isn’t the brute he was before anymore, is he? Now reward him for it. Tell him he is a good puppy and that I will enjoy petting his friend tonight.”

Nikola dug his nails into his legs and gave a snarl but started to talk.

“Dimitri, Vasilisa says you are a good puppy and that he…darn it wife do I have to say it? Oi don’t threaten to kick me out of the bedroom! Fine, you win! Vasilisa will enjoy petting your friend tonight. Are you both happy now?!”

Dimitri blew Nikola a kiss and opened his mouth. A “Woof” came out of it. Malkav cleared his throat before beginning nervously.

“Vasilisa I am not as good with words as Dimitri, or even Nikola. But I promise to not put horns on you and I know you won’t put horns on me too. I’d like to wear a white suit tonight, in a matching color to your dress. If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”

Vasilisa responded with an “Aw” and Nikola said it in a mock imitation. Malkav pulled over again.

“Childe, where is this coming from? You are the one who cheated. What do you want us to tell you? That you are our beating heart still and we can’t tear you out no matter how much your betrayal hurts us? That we are so happy you came back to us that we are willing to welcome just about anything for your sake? That we are happy you found such an angel to fall in love with, even though the truth is that we are both very jealous of Vasilisa and are very afraid even the dream of him would be enough to drive a wedge between us? Because we are very afraid of this possibility. And I am not saying this because you are my light, my soul and my sanity wrapped up all in one but because I love you more than I love myself. And I am a rebellious angel, my angel. I should be as selfish as they come but I no longer am and I will show you tonight. You will get as much attention as Vasilisa, if not more so. Now I will drive us home and we will lay in bed and I will take you for wife in a church like I should have and I will take your wife too because I am allowed to be a little selfish, or aren’t I?”

Nikola blushed at these words and found that he had calmed down.

“You are, sire. You have always had the right of it.”

Dimitri hugged him harder before laughing in his ear. Nikola found that he was tearing up. He had missed them both so much. And he had been so afraid that they wouldn’t forgive him. Vasilisa was right, he got to have it all. If only his wife hadn’t paid the price for it. He suddenly felt even sadder and wished for Vasilisa to be sitting next to him in the car. Darn it he was in love again.

The two peppered him with questions and Dimitri kept flirting with Vasilisa through him and he slowly began to get used to it and find it very funny. Dimitri was falling in love with a ghost and Malkav was already smitten.

The three of them entered the apartment and Nikola looked around it. The place had changed so much. Photos were hung in frames on the wall. He saw some from Ivan and Matthew’s beginning romance days and he saw others from that Christmas he had spent happy so long ago. The one where he had figured out he was in love. He was surprised that the photos weren’t turned into paintings by Dimitri but the blond must have been busy helping Malkav with everything.

They entered the bedroom and Malkav approached him. Nikola unbuttoned his shirt’s topmost buttons and offered his neck to his sire. Malkav drank greedily from him and almost didn’t want to let him go before remembering himself. Nikola would have to postpone any missions until Malkav was stable again. And make him blood candy too. By Satan he missed making candy.

As soon as they laid down on the bed they were pulled into Nikola’s mind and into the church. Vasilisa was wearing the same dress from their wedding but he was in his female form now. The three grooms were wearing matching white suits the same color as Vasilisa’s dress.

Nikola looked around at the guests and saw Satan sitting by a shapely brunet on the one side and Lucifer on the other.  The brunet waved at him when she caught him staring, turned into Baba Yaga and then reverted back into her beautiful self. Well good for her.

They said their vows and the guests booed them until Malkav and Dimitri sold their souls to Vasilisa just like he had. Malkav carried an embarrassed Nikola out of the church as Dimitri did the same for Vasilisa. Soon they were back in Nikola’s apartment again and going up the stairs towards Malkav’s bedroom. The horrific paintings were gone and in their place was one of Malkav, Dimitri and Nikola sleeping peacefully in bed.

Vasilisa clapped his hands as they laid down in bed and a TV appeared. Nikola was confused until he saw that the image showed on it was of the talk where Vasilisa had told him about his past.

“Spider, you don’t have to show them this. You don’t need to relive it.”

Vasilisa turned towards him and cuddled into him and hid his face into his shoulder.

“But I want them to know, fly. They pledged me their love. And you told me that I needed to heal. I’ve been speaking with Satan and he suggested this when I told him I will be catching two more flies in my web. It is not as if I am showing them the actual events. Now hush.”

The story ended and the TV was turned off. Dimitri was the first to speak.

“I won’t pity you, wife. You have Nikola for that. But I will not touch you tonight either. Instead you will tell us all there is to know about you so we can get to know you.”

Malkav remained silent but he placed a hand over both Vasilisa and Nikola. He didn’t look sad or anything. He was simply calm and supporting.

Vasilisa hummed deep in his throat and began to play with the fabric of his dress.

“See, fly? Angel and demon have the proper reaction. They don’t know me and yet they respect my power already. It was what I want from you. That and for you to be happy. Now where to begin? I like flowers in my hair and I hate cats…”

Vasilisa kept talking for hours as the rest of them listened. When he finished the sun was gently shining through the window and there were cheers coming from outside from all the dead beings. Vasilisa wasn’t healed yet, Nikola knew that. But he was beginning to heal and he was glad he could see the effects of it. He fell asleep in the bed and soon his three spouses followed suit. The next morning a refreshed Malkav had told him he dreamt for the first time in millennia. Dimitri and Vasilisa happily confirmed that they had done the same.

He didn’t remember what he dreamt about himself so he remained silent while the three were retelling their dreams but as he watched them he couldn’t help but feel like this was a far sweeter dream than the one he had had. He was in Eden. Eden where Satan and Lucifer, together with Baba Yaga, lived right next door in his best friend’s apartment. But Eden never the least.