“Mother told me that she was so mutilated that the casket would have to be closed,” Nikola hadn’t stopped sobbing since he got in Sadik’s house. That tugged at the Turk’s heartstrings. But he knew he couldn’t utter the truth. Because then, Nikola would judge him for the monster he was. And Sadik was unable to have that.

So, he remained silent. Giving support and wiping away Nikola’s tears. Nikola was clutching at him for dear life, and something told Sadik that he wouldn’t get better sooner. 

“And, the funeral was today. They couldn’t wait for me because the corpse was already half decomposed when they found it,” Sadik had to admit that Rositza was a cruel piece of work. To deliver such a blow to her family.

“I need to go visit the grave,” Nikola finally stopped sobbing, only to look broken at nothing in particular. Sadik kissed the top of his head again.

“Do you want me to come?” He was hoping Nikola would say yes. That he could use this to mend their relationship.

“I…why am I here? Why am I piling my baggage on you? You were so kind, and I threw it in your face,” Nikola stood up and Sadik couldn’t understand what he had said wrong. He mirrored Nikola, and his arms found Nikola’s middle again.

“Because you know I care?” Sadik didn’t like the fact that it had come off as a question. He should be surer of himself.

“I do know,” Nikola rested his head on Sadik’s shoulder. “But I was out of turn back then. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

Nikola had not said anything back then, per se. He had let a silence hang between them, full of implications. And that had made Sadik storm off.

“I forgive you,” Sadik reluctantly loosened the hug so that he could still see into Nikola’s eyes. They were puffy from the crying, and he looked as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. “Stay the night. Let me show you I am sincere.”

“If you really want me to,” said Nikola, relaxing back into the hug. Sadik tightened his grip on Nikola. He was being pretty cold, he knew. Letting Nikola drown in sorrow over a dead sibling when, in reality, the man’s sister was well and on her way to sunny beaches. But he squashed his guilt.

He had tried to be honest with Nikola, and Nikola had placed a wedge between them. No more of that. He would lie and play dirty. And Nikola would be his. Tonight.

“Do you want to forget, even for a while?” Nikola’s head turned up, and he gave a tired sigh.

“I was wondering when you’d ask,” he shook his head and then tried to get free of the embrace.

“Why not?” Sadik was getting impatient. He knew Nikola still cared for him, perhaps even loved him. After all, it hadn’t been the proximity of their houses the reason Nikola had come to him. And, Nikola had come over in the rain to give him some soup.

Maybe he was grasping at straws. Possibly, there was no chance to get back to those happy days of before. But then, potentially, he could build something new. Something different.

“Sadik, I am not ready,” Nikola tried getting himself out of Sadik’s arms again and then, Sadik leaned in and rested his head on Nikola’s shoulder. He nuzzled the soft skin below and then bitt down.

He heard Nikola gasp and felt him struggle. Then, the bite did its job and the pleasant haze of arousal entered Sadik’s mind. He checked Nikola’s mind. It was confusing the Bulgarian, but, he was feeling it too.

Sadik was glad that Nikola was not entirely immune to his powers. He drank greedily until Nikola stopped struggling. Until the brown-haired man’s hands found themselves in Sadik’s hair. Fingers weaving in and out of it. Until the gasps turned to moan. Until he was sure that Nikola’s eyes were either half-lidden or closed altogether.

Then, he reluctantly let go of Nikola and placed two fingers under his chin, lifting it up gently. Nikola was looking at him with want, breath coming out ragged. Sadik smirked.

“I can make you forget. Forget everything,” Sadik leaned in so that his mouth was next to Nikola’s ear, and he began to whisper in it. “Your morals, your religion, but most importantly, your pain.”

Nikola whimpered, but he nodded. His mind too hazy for anything else. Sadik scooped him up and carried him to the bedroom carefully. A soft smile playing on his lips.

He placed him on the bed and undressed him slowly. Nikola just stood there, not knowing what to do. Sadik would change that, in time. But for now… Suddenly, Nikola was struggling again and Sadik was confused.

“You! I can’t believe it! You drugged me and I thought you were so…!” Sadik blinked. Now, he knew that there was something wrong with Nikola. He had brushed off the arousal, when Sadik was still in its grip.

Sadik delved deep in Nikola’s mind, even when that caused Nikola pain. Even when Nikola clutched at his head and began to whimper. Sadik searched for something, anything, that made Nikola different.

And then, he found it. A memory from the depths of Nikola’s childhood. He must have still been a baby. No more than a couple of months. A man was leaving Nikola on a doorstep and there was something off about the man. He had a strange aura around him.

The man kissed Nikola and disappeared. Then, a woman came out of the house and took the bundle inside. As if in a trance. He could see a small girl, also in a trance, trailing behind the woman.

Nikola was adopted. And, he wasn’t entirely human, either. Sadik searched for the aura in the man in Nikola and, when he felt the faint traces of it, frowned.

“What are you?” Asked Sadik, letting up his attack on Nikola’s mind. Nikola looked at him with a look that made Sadik realize he had crossed a line. And that, there was no going back.