[Fic] Gravity : 3/18
Dec. 24th, 2009 03:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotus_beautyTitle: Gravity
Author: LotusBeauty
Rating: R to NC-17
Pairings: Min+Su, Min+Kumi
Genre: AU, fantasy, romance/drama/emo (lots of emo)
Summary: Prequel to Feel and Redefine. This arc encompasses Changmin’s past; how he became a vampire and how he and Junsu met.
Notes: You don’t have to read the other two before you read this, but it would probably be a good idea to have some general vampire myths down.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were.
Prologue
1: Cold
2: A Beautiful Lie
Part 3: Haunted
Changmin watched as Kame snatched a knife from his hand, barely able to register the movement of his master and looked up in surprise. He’d only been meaning to hand it to the leader of the coven.
“We don’t want you trying something like last time,” Kame told him and tapped his nose with the steel.
Changmin’s eyes dropped to the floor and Kame ordered him to get dressed as he left. As commanded, Changmin gathered his clothing and began to pull it on, his eyes catching the barely visible scars on his wrists. Kame had ordered the healer to make it so they weren’t noticeable—he liked his toy pristine, no matter how much he was tortured. Those hadn’t been of Kame’s making. No, the ones on his wrists had been his own doing.
Once Kame had revealed his true nature—his vampire nature—to Changmin, he’d upped the ante on his torture methods, adding in his teeth for good measure. While the times he used venom were few and far between, Changmin still feared it. He hated not being able to control himself. But Kame never used too much venom—that might damage or kill his precious pet. How would his pet fight back if his muscles didn’t work correctly? The months leading off from that day had been absolute torment. Once more Changmin tried to escape to no avail, and when he realized he couldn’t get out of the coven, he began to lose touch with reality. He drowned in all of the pain and sorrow that Kame gave him, refusing to believe that this was how his life was going to end. Finally, after six months, he completely broke down. He knew death was his only way out.
He thought the deep cuts up the inside of each of his forearms would be enough.
There was nothing he hated more than being wrong.
When he woke up, he cried—in pain and fear—knowing Kame’s healer was too good.
It only took one try for Kame to lay down the law and strip Changmin of anything sharp that he could hurt himself with. His meals were supervised and his silverware was counted when taken away. If he wanted to write, he was watched to make sure he couldn’t keep the writing implement and stab himself with it. Kame was breaking his will bit by bit and Changmin, much as he hated to, found himself slowly giving in. He still had one thing to help ease his suffering and keep him from submitting completely.
Books.
If there was one thing he could love and enjoy, it was the books that lined the one wall of his room. The collection started out small, because he couldn’t read Japanese very well. But as he studied the language (while supervised, so he could practice writing), he let himself get lost in the books he managed to find or borrow from the library he’d found. It wasn’t until Kame caught Changmin admiring the books in one of his studies that Kame realized what he wanted. Changmin denied that he liked reading at first, scared that Kame would take the books away.
“Here,” Kame had said one night after untying Changmin from the bed in the red room.
Changmin had looked up from rubbing his wrists to see a book. He’d taken it with trepidation, suspicious of Kame’s motives.
“I’m not stupid, Ishiko,” he’d stated evenly. “My servants report your activities when I ask.”
Changmin had blushed and felt far more naked than five minutes before.
“You did well tonight,” Kame had commented, his voice lilting a change in tone as if he wanted to sing, extremely pleased. “You actually moaned.”
A rush of anger and shame had replaced the feelings of modesty. He’d hated the things Kame did to him, yet ever since Kame began to use the venom on him, his body had kept betraying him more often than not.
“When you respond favorably, I will reward you,” he’d tapped on the book as he moved past, “with these.”
Feelings of fear crept in as he’d stared at the book. He would have to perform to get what he loved the most. But…
But.
The memory crept into Changmin’s mind as he glanced up, from the book he was now reading, at the wall. It had been two years and he’d filled nearly half of the bookshelves that were built into the wall. He tended to reread books he liked, and used them all as his solace—his worlds to escape into. Kame had no particular feelings one way or the other for books, so whatever he came across, regardless of genre, he handed over to Changmin, and the young man ate them up with a voracious hunger. He didn’t mind learning from the non-fiction books that were given to him, but he preferred fiction in which he could lose himself. They were his one and only escape.
He glanced at the clock in the corner of the room before he returned to reading by his lamp. While there were lights in most rooms, Changmin had learned that the complex was lit by a few of Kame’s personal mages, or so he called them. It seemed some vampires had powers that formed when they were changed, and two or three in Kame’s employ had the power to bring forth light. They had spelled each room with a switch that would turn light off and on, to whatever intensity the inhabitant wished. Changmin was fascinated by this. It was rather clever of Kame to use his followers and not spend money on light bulbs and candles where he could. Changmin liked the small lamp he’d asked for, as the light didn’t flicker like a flame did, and kept his eyes from straining while reading.
When he wasn’t in his room reading or studying, Changmin was following Kame to his court, when it so pleased the vampire. He was still placed at Kame’s side, on a cushion to show he was beneath Kame—a pet, as always. He still wore the collar and chain, and was told by Kame to wear the collar whenever he could. Changmin hated the idea of being collared, and tended the throw the damn thing into the corner when he got back to his rooms. After a while he gave up and left it on. Changmin just found it a pain in the ass to have to take it off only to put it back on. If Kame considered it a sign that he was breaking Changmin to being his pet, then all the better. He earned less punishments that way.
If Kame wanted him at court, which was almost every day, the chain was hooked on when Kame greeted him outside. He would sit on the cushion next to Kame, just listening and watching. He didn’t understand how Kame actually liked having a court, but the vampire enjoyed being the center of attention and watching drama unfold. Sitting at Kame’s side, Changmin had witnessed things he never wanted to think about again. From time to time, Kame put Changmin on the spot for an answer and once he blurted something out, everyone laughed and Kame would join them before petting Changmin. Sadly, for some reason, those were the days it seemed like Kame went easy on him.
But the court sessions were good for learning. Changmin figured out who was who among the coven, who were the strongest vampires with the most allegiance to Kame, and who the simpering cowards were that would kiss Kame’s feet for any bone of power he could throw to them. He also knew the other vampires who took human pets and how those pets didn’t last. He wasn’t a stranger to the fact that a new human was frequently by their side in the hallways. Kame mentioned this to Changmin at one point and how those vampires couldn’t hold back their strength or aggression and killed often, while Kame knew when to keep from killing his prey. Changmin envied those people instead, knowing he might be dead now and on to a new life free of vampires.
He found vampire behavior peculiar and almost interesting. Hedonistic was what the majority seemed to be, but once in a while, he would see a flash of regret in their eyes. So they still felt something, despite the fact that they acted like they didn’t. He sometimes wondered if any of them truly regretted things they’d done. He found this highly doubtful and refused to put his trust in any of them, even when they sought him out to do so. He, as the faithful pet, would report the behavior to Kame, who would then advise him on what to do. Depending on the situation, Changmin might be able to get information out of the one propositioning him. He hadn’t been forced to use sex to get intent out of his visitors, but he wouldn’t put it past Kame to suggest it to him eventually.
Changmin might have enjoyed court had it not been so loud and stifling. He often found himself rubbing his eyes or temples as the pressure built up. Sometimes he would see colors mixing in his vision and his eyes would go out of focus. He had to wonder if they had stronger minds than him, because it always felt like when he was in there, with all of those vampires grouped together around him, their minds were crushing his. Changmin wondered when Kame would notice, or if he already had, and enjoyed watching the young man squirm in discomfort. Luckily, most of the time, Kame forgot he was even there.
But today, luck just wasn’t on his side. A messenger came rushing in from the outside, demanding to see Kame with important news. When they finally let him into the audience chamber, he rushed in. The cut on his arm immediately had everyone’s attention, and Changmin shrank against the side of Kame’s chair, hoping that no one would find him appealing enough to try to drain because of the scent. Some of the vampires had to leave, their need overtaking them. Something touched Changmin’s head and he flinched only to find Kame was trying to calm him. Now there was a first.
“No one will drain you, Ishiko,” he murmured as he pet Changmin. “That will be my pleasure if I feel the need.” He smiled, his canines fully extended and Changmin’s eyes flicked down to his feet to stay there. He listened in silence as the scout reported that a group of foreign vampires had attacked his group. A few years before Changmin was bought, a group of European vampires had decided to make Japan their home, deciding that they were going to rule the island nation. Not only were they wrong, but over half were slaughtered by Kame’s followers, or Kame personally for invading his territory. He’d made an agreement with the survivors—as a kind gesture—and Changmin had seen a few of them coming or going when they were in the complex to speak to Kame. Lately, they’d heard about some of the foreign vampires getting out of control. Changmin almost wished Kame had killed them all instead of making some treaty. Today’s threat, however, seemed off.
As the scout continued, he told how they were attacked unprovoked and witnessed a large number of the other coven moving into the territory. The court seemed outraged by this development, but Kame kept as cool and calm as ever, asking questions rapidfire. Changmin didn’t know why, but it all sounded and felt wrong to him.
“Why are they doing this?” Kame asked evenly, clearly angered by this development.
“I don’t know, Kamenashi-sama, but we need to act,” the scout pleaded. “We need reinforcements to crush their invasion attempt.”
“He’s lying.” And Changmin knew he was right when the scout’s eyes snapped up to his.
All eyes turned to Changmin as he realized he’d said that out loud. He shrank as Kame’s eyes glared into him and the hand tightened in his hair.
“Ishiko? Did I say you could speak?” If Kame’s eyes could truly kill, Min had a feeling he’d have been dead as soon as it left his mouth had be not been Kame’s pet. But the fact that those eyes were less than a meter away didn’t mean he was going give up.
“He’s lying,” Changmin repeated quietly, yet still with the firmness he’d spoken the first time. Maybe if he convinced Kame that he was loyal, Kame would give him more freedom—and less sessions.
The grip on his hair loosened. “And how do you know this?” By the wicked look in his eyes, Kame was humoring him.
Changmin hesitated as he dropped his eyes. “I—I don’t know, Kamenashi-sama.” He heard the vampire sigh in exasperation. He couldn’t explain it—he just knew the man was lying.
“I would never lie to Kamenashi-sama,” the messenger declared.
“He’s lying and I know it!” Changmin moved to get up but was held back by the chain around his neck.
“You’re so determined.” Kame sang as Changmin noticed the vampires around them finding the whole exchange interesting—entertaining. “Why?” he asked as Changmin finally looked up at him.
“Because I know he’s lying,” Changmin hissed in annoyance.
“He has been a loyal scout to me for far longer than you’ve been here. You need proof to accuse him of defying me,” Kame asserted.
“Why would I lie?” Changmin asked quietly. “I have no reason to. I can’t even leave here like he can.”
“True, but you need a reason. Some proof,” Kame stated evenly. So he wasn’t as crazy as Changmin thought he was. He knew how to rule sometimes, and Changmin wished this wasn’t one of those times. Unless… Changmin finally noticed the light in Kame’s eyes—he was toying with everyone to create a spectacle. He liked having everyone anticipate the conclusion. The leader’s excitement spurred him on.
“I can feel that he’s lying,” Changmin replied as he knew he’d caught Kame’s interest.
With a dramatic sigh, Kame slipped out of his chair and lowered himself on Changmin’s cushion to take his side as the young man stiffened in worry. “Relax,” the vampire muttered just loud enough for him. “If you don’t, this will just take longer.” He rested his chin on Changmin’s shoulder, his arms around the young man. “You need to tell me why.”
“But I just told you—”
“Humor me.”
That was an order. With a sigh, Changmin turned his gaze back to the messenger who was now scowling at him as Changmin knew he was already planning to murder him. He had to stop the agent before that or other things could happen. He had to prove his loyalty. Less pain for everyone was less pain for him, and that was all he cared about.
Changmin sighed and relaxed as he watched the vampire across the room. “His stance.”
“I would have noticed that,” Kame muttered as a few vampires chuckled quietly at his effort. Changmin ignored the heat in his cheeks and kept studying the scout. What was it that told him?
“He’s off somehow. I’m not sure how to explain it…” Changmin pursed his lips as the vampire started to look annoyed by this process. “He’s nervous, but anyone would be nervous in his position. He just sounds..”
“What’s wrong with the way I sound?” he snapped. “I’m trying to report an attack and you think I’m lying? The Englishmen are advancing and you are wasting our time!”
“His… voice…” Changmin could hear it almost the way he could feel it.
“What about it?” Kame whispered back, definitely interested.
“The tones are off.”
“Tones?”
Changmin blinked and glanced at his master. “You can’t hear them?”
Kame narrowed his eyes. “You need more.”
The young man scowled in frustration and turned his attention to the scout again as he concentrated. Something was there and he knew it. He just had to find it. What was it that made him so distrusting of this man who had been in the coven for longer than he was alive?
“Why is Jun’s light weird?” Changmin asked, referring to one of Kame’s mages as he squinted. “He looks yellow.”
“SEIZE HIM!” Kame snapped he was on his feet and before the captured scout without Changmin even seeing him move. There was a flash that Changmin recognized as a blade, and only finally saw when movement stopped, blood dripping from the end. He stared in shock until the traitor’s head hit the floor with a hollow thud and Changmin squeezed his eyes shut in horror, hugging his legs against his chest. Kame ordered the body and head to be incinerated and Changmin waited for the sounds of movement to end before he dared to peer up.
When he did, he saw Kame speaking to his closest assistant about sending guards out to scout and stop anyone from attacking the coven if their enemy was brave—or foolish—enough, but now they would know what their enemy was planning. Their voices dropped to a whisper, both laying eyes on Changmin before they spoke shortly again and the assistant left. The shepherd then turned to his flock and dismissed everyone in the court before he caught Changmin’s eyes, effectively freezing the young man in place as he approached.
“You, I think, deserve a reward,” Kame said softly as he helped Changmin stand. “I have been without a truthseer for three years, when my last was killed on a mission.”
Changmin stared in shock. That’s what it was? He could tell when people were lying? He’d always been able to feel it, but chalked it up to intuition. Now he could use it to his advantage! Excitement rushed through Changmin’s veins—Kame would have to trust him now. He had millions of questions though. “Are you sure I have this power?” he asked anxiously. It seemed a bit farfetched…
“My last truthseer could hear faint tones, but her vision would reveal colors around the individual she was reading,” Kame explained as he steered Changmin toward the exit.
“The color meant something?” Changmin didn’t need to be told twice to leave. He walked with Kame through the hallways.
“Yellow is usually the mark of a liar,” the leader told him. “If you do see a color with someone telling the truth, you’ll usually see violet. You will get used to the colors and how it works as you practice.”
“I get to practice…” Changmin muttered to himself. He would actually have something to do than just lay around and be a pet! Questions and thoughts raced through his mind as Kame opened a door and he absently walked through it. A moment’s realization ground his thoughts to a halt as he took note of the deep red surroundings and the bolt on the door slid home, echoing in the red room.
Fear gripped him as he saw two guards on each side of the bed and turned to Kame, who was leaning on the door, looking as proud as a new father. “Why?” he asked, feeling betrayed—knowing he was a fool to feel so. He should have known.
Kame moved closer to stand before him and Changmin had to force himself to keep from flinching back. “Because you are far too important to lose now.”
“Lose?” he asked, perplexed by the choice of words.
Kame moved forward and gripped his neck with a hand, and much as Changmin wanted to struggle, his body didn’t move as Kame’s eyes caught his gaze. Silver flashed around the Kame’s eyes and Changmin felt desire surge to the surface. He squelched the feeling, fighting it back as Kame smirked.
“You didn’t know about this power, did you?” he asked playfully.
“Power?” Changmin asked, his hands reaching toward Kame before he froze, refusing to want the vampire.
“All vampires have the power to enthrall their victims,” Kame told him nonchalantly, the silver flaring to cover his irises as the desire burst in Changmin’s body and he shuddered suddenly, wanting to fall onto the bed. And all he could feel when it left him was dirty. He struggled against the feeling as best he could, but it didn’t stop him from being pushed onto the bed, the guards grabbing his arms to chain them to the headboard as he tried to fight them off as well. Kame ordered his guards to cut Changmin and he screamed as he struggled against their grip and the chains, but the vampires were too strong.
As a blade cut into each arm, Changmin bit down on his lip, tasting blood. “Why? Why cut me when I’ve already tried?!” he cried when they were finished, then stared in shock as they cut their own arms. He watched terrified as Kame held a knife up to his own wrist.
“Don’t you want the power to enthrall?” Kame smirked as the blade sank into his skin. “I don’t want to lose your power to human aging. I want you to be by my side for a long, long time,” he murmured as he gripped Changmin’s throat to get his mouth open. He shoved his wrist between Changmin’s lips as the young man choked, not wanting to swallow the blood, but unable to breathe without doing so. He felt a burning sensation starting at his arms and in his belly. Once Kame was satisfied that Changmin had swallowed enough, he pulled his arm away, Changmin coughing and spitting as the guards pulled their arms away. He whimpered as the burning pain flared and his vision swam—he felt like his body was starting ablaze.
He could see Kame standing over him with a serious expression and hoped that this would kill him for good. It turned to a smirk as Changmin let out a scream from the fiery pain.
“Don’t let me down.”
~***~
thoughts? happy holidays ^^;;
Part 4
Author: LotusBeauty
Rating: R to NC-17
Pairings: Min+Su, Min+Kumi
Genre: AU, fantasy, romance/drama/emo (lots of emo)
Summary: Prequel to Feel and Redefine. This arc encompasses Changmin’s past; how he became a vampire and how he and Junsu met.
Notes: You don’t have to read the other two before you read this, but it would probably be a good idea to have some general vampire myths down.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were.
Prologue
1: Cold
2: A Beautiful Lie
Part 3: Haunted
Changmin watched as Kame snatched a knife from his hand, barely able to register the movement of his master and looked up in surprise. He’d only been meaning to hand it to the leader of the coven.
“We don’t want you trying something like last time,” Kame told him and tapped his nose with the steel.
Changmin’s eyes dropped to the floor and Kame ordered him to get dressed as he left. As commanded, Changmin gathered his clothing and began to pull it on, his eyes catching the barely visible scars on his wrists. Kame had ordered the healer to make it so they weren’t noticeable—he liked his toy pristine, no matter how much he was tortured. Those hadn’t been of Kame’s making. No, the ones on his wrists had been his own doing.
Once Kame had revealed his true nature—his vampire nature—to Changmin, he’d upped the ante on his torture methods, adding in his teeth for good measure. While the times he used venom were few and far between, Changmin still feared it. He hated not being able to control himself. But Kame never used too much venom—that might damage or kill his precious pet. How would his pet fight back if his muscles didn’t work correctly? The months leading off from that day had been absolute torment. Once more Changmin tried to escape to no avail, and when he realized he couldn’t get out of the coven, he began to lose touch with reality. He drowned in all of the pain and sorrow that Kame gave him, refusing to believe that this was how his life was going to end. Finally, after six months, he completely broke down. He knew death was his only way out.
He thought the deep cuts up the inside of each of his forearms would be enough.
There was nothing he hated more than being wrong.
When he woke up, he cried—in pain and fear—knowing Kame’s healer was too good.
It only took one try for Kame to lay down the law and strip Changmin of anything sharp that he could hurt himself with. His meals were supervised and his silverware was counted when taken away. If he wanted to write, he was watched to make sure he couldn’t keep the writing implement and stab himself with it. Kame was breaking his will bit by bit and Changmin, much as he hated to, found himself slowly giving in. He still had one thing to help ease his suffering and keep him from submitting completely.
Books.
If there was one thing he could love and enjoy, it was the books that lined the one wall of his room. The collection started out small, because he couldn’t read Japanese very well. But as he studied the language (while supervised, so he could practice writing), he let himself get lost in the books he managed to find or borrow from the library he’d found. It wasn’t until Kame caught Changmin admiring the books in one of his studies that Kame realized what he wanted. Changmin denied that he liked reading at first, scared that Kame would take the books away.
“Here,” Kame had said one night after untying Changmin from the bed in the red room.
Changmin had looked up from rubbing his wrists to see a book. He’d taken it with trepidation, suspicious of Kame’s motives.
“I’m not stupid, Ishiko,” he’d stated evenly. “My servants report your activities when I ask.”
Changmin had blushed and felt far more naked than five minutes before.
“You did well tonight,” Kame had commented, his voice lilting a change in tone as if he wanted to sing, extremely pleased. “You actually moaned.”
A rush of anger and shame had replaced the feelings of modesty. He’d hated the things Kame did to him, yet ever since Kame began to use the venom on him, his body had kept betraying him more often than not.
“When you respond favorably, I will reward you,” he’d tapped on the book as he moved past, “with these.”
Feelings of fear crept in as he’d stared at the book. He would have to perform to get what he loved the most. But…
But.
The memory crept into Changmin’s mind as he glanced up, from the book he was now reading, at the wall. It had been two years and he’d filled nearly half of the bookshelves that were built into the wall. He tended to reread books he liked, and used them all as his solace—his worlds to escape into. Kame had no particular feelings one way or the other for books, so whatever he came across, regardless of genre, he handed over to Changmin, and the young man ate them up with a voracious hunger. He didn’t mind learning from the non-fiction books that were given to him, but he preferred fiction in which he could lose himself. They were his one and only escape.
He glanced at the clock in the corner of the room before he returned to reading by his lamp. While there were lights in most rooms, Changmin had learned that the complex was lit by a few of Kame’s personal mages, or so he called them. It seemed some vampires had powers that formed when they were changed, and two or three in Kame’s employ had the power to bring forth light. They had spelled each room with a switch that would turn light off and on, to whatever intensity the inhabitant wished. Changmin was fascinated by this. It was rather clever of Kame to use his followers and not spend money on light bulbs and candles where he could. Changmin liked the small lamp he’d asked for, as the light didn’t flicker like a flame did, and kept his eyes from straining while reading.
When he wasn’t in his room reading or studying, Changmin was following Kame to his court, when it so pleased the vampire. He was still placed at Kame’s side, on a cushion to show he was beneath Kame—a pet, as always. He still wore the collar and chain, and was told by Kame to wear the collar whenever he could. Changmin hated the idea of being collared, and tended the throw the damn thing into the corner when he got back to his rooms. After a while he gave up and left it on. Changmin just found it a pain in the ass to have to take it off only to put it back on. If Kame considered it a sign that he was breaking Changmin to being his pet, then all the better. He earned less punishments that way.
If Kame wanted him at court, which was almost every day, the chain was hooked on when Kame greeted him outside. He would sit on the cushion next to Kame, just listening and watching. He didn’t understand how Kame actually liked having a court, but the vampire enjoyed being the center of attention and watching drama unfold. Sitting at Kame’s side, Changmin had witnessed things he never wanted to think about again. From time to time, Kame put Changmin on the spot for an answer and once he blurted something out, everyone laughed and Kame would join them before petting Changmin. Sadly, for some reason, those were the days it seemed like Kame went easy on him.
But the court sessions were good for learning. Changmin figured out who was who among the coven, who were the strongest vampires with the most allegiance to Kame, and who the simpering cowards were that would kiss Kame’s feet for any bone of power he could throw to them. He also knew the other vampires who took human pets and how those pets didn’t last. He wasn’t a stranger to the fact that a new human was frequently by their side in the hallways. Kame mentioned this to Changmin at one point and how those vampires couldn’t hold back their strength or aggression and killed often, while Kame knew when to keep from killing his prey. Changmin envied those people instead, knowing he might be dead now and on to a new life free of vampires.
He found vampire behavior peculiar and almost interesting. Hedonistic was what the majority seemed to be, but once in a while, he would see a flash of regret in their eyes. So they still felt something, despite the fact that they acted like they didn’t. He sometimes wondered if any of them truly regretted things they’d done. He found this highly doubtful and refused to put his trust in any of them, even when they sought him out to do so. He, as the faithful pet, would report the behavior to Kame, who would then advise him on what to do. Depending on the situation, Changmin might be able to get information out of the one propositioning him. He hadn’t been forced to use sex to get intent out of his visitors, but he wouldn’t put it past Kame to suggest it to him eventually.
Changmin might have enjoyed court had it not been so loud and stifling. He often found himself rubbing his eyes or temples as the pressure built up. Sometimes he would see colors mixing in his vision and his eyes would go out of focus. He had to wonder if they had stronger minds than him, because it always felt like when he was in there, with all of those vampires grouped together around him, their minds were crushing his. Changmin wondered when Kame would notice, or if he already had, and enjoyed watching the young man squirm in discomfort. Luckily, most of the time, Kame forgot he was even there.
But today, luck just wasn’t on his side. A messenger came rushing in from the outside, demanding to see Kame with important news. When they finally let him into the audience chamber, he rushed in. The cut on his arm immediately had everyone’s attention, and Changmin shrank against the side of Kame’s chair, hoping that no one would find him appealing enough to try to drain because of the scent. Some of the vampires had to leave, their need overtaking them. Something touched Changmin’s head and he flinched only to find Kame was trying to calm him. Now there was a first.
“No one will drain you, Ishiko,” he murmured as he pet Changmin. “That will be my pleasure if I feel the need.” He smiled, his canines fully extended and Changmin’s eyes flicked down to his feet to stay there. He listened in silence as the scout reported that a group of foreign vampires had attacked his group. A few years before Changmin was bought, a group of European vampires had decided to make Japan their home, deciding that they were going to rule the island nation. Not only were they wrong, but over half were slaughtered by Kame’s followers, or Kame personally for invading his territory. He’d made an agreement with the survivors—as a kind gesture—and Changmin had seen a few of them coming or going when they were in the complex to speak to Kame. Lately, they’d heard about some of the foreign vampires getting out of control. Changmin almost wished Kame had killed them all instead of making some treaty. Today’s threat, however, seemed off.
As the scout continued, he told how they were attacked unprovoked and witnessed a large number of the other coven moving into the territory. The court seemed outraged by this development, but Kame kept as cool and calm as ever, asking questions rapidfire. Changmin didn’t know why, but it all sounded and felt wrong to him.
“Why are they doing this?” Kame asked evenly, clearly angered by this development.
“I don’t know, Kamenashi-sama, but we need to act,” the scout pleaded. “We need reinforcements to crush their invasion attempt.”
“He’s lying.” And Changmin knew he was right when the scout’s eyes snapped up to his.
All eyes turned to Changmin as he realized he’d said that out loud. He shrank as Kame’s eyes glared into him and the hand tightened in his hair.
“Ishiko? Did I say you could speak?” If Kame’s eyes could truly kill, Min had a feeling he’d have been dead as soon as it left his mouth had be not been Kame’s pet. But the fact that those eyes were less than a meter away didn’t mean he was going give up.
“He’s lying,” Changmin repeated quietly, yet still with the firmness he’d spoken the first time. Maybe if he convinced Kame that he was loyal, Kame would give him more freedom—and less sessions.
The grip on his hair loosened. “And how do you know this?” By the wicked look in his eyes, Kame was humoring him.
Changmin hesitated as he dropped his eyes. “I—I don’t know, Kamenashi-sama.” He heard the vampire sigh in exasperation. He couldn’t explain it—he just knew the man was lying.
“I would never lie to Kamenashi-sama,” the messenger declared.
“He’s lying and I know it!” Changmin moved to get up but was held back by the chain around his neck.
“You’re so determined.” Kame sang as Changmin noticed the vampires around them finding the whole exchange interesting—entertaining. “Why?” he asked as Changmin finally looked up at him.
“Because I know he’s lying,” Changmin hissed in annoyance.
“He has been a loyal scout to me for far longer than you’ve been here. You need proof to accuse him of defying me,” Kame asserted.
“Why would I lie?” Changmin asked quietly. “I have no reason to. I can’t even leave here like he can.”
“True, but you need a reason. Some proof,” Kame stated evenly. So he wasn’t as crazy as Changmin thought he was. He knew how to rule sometimes, and Changmin wished this wasn’t one of those times. Unless… Changmin finally noticed the light in Kame’s eyes—he was toying with everyone to create a spectacle. He liked having everyone anticipate the conclusion. The leader’s excitement spurred him on.
“I can feel that he’s lying,” Changmin replied as he knew he’d caught Kame’s interest.
With a dramatic sigh, Kame slipped out of his chair and lowered himself on Changmin’s cushion to take his side as the young man stiffened in worry. “Relax,” the vampire muttered just loud enough for him. “If you don’t, this will just take longer.” He rested his chin on Changmin’s shoulder, his arms around the young man. “You need to tell me why.”
“But I just told you—”
“Humor me.”
That was an order. With a sigh, Changmin turned his gaze back to the messenger who was now scowling at him as Changmin knew he was already planning to murder him. He had to stop the agent before that or other things could happen. He had to prove his loyalty. Less pain for everyone was less pain for him, and that was all he cared about.
Changmin sighed and relaxed as he watched the vampire across the room. “His stance.”
“I would have noticed that,” Kame muttered as a few vampires chuckled quietly at his effort. Changmin ignored the heat in his cheeks and kept studying the scout. What was it that told him?
“He’s off somehow. I’m not sure how to explain it…” Changmin pursed his lips as the vampire started to look annoyed by this process. “He’s nervous, but anyone would be nervous in his position. He just sounds..”
“What’s wrong with the way I sound?” he snapped. “I’m trying to report an attack and you think I’m lying? The Englishmen are advancing and you are wasting our time!”
“His… voice…” Changmin could hear it almost the way he could feel it.
“What about it?” Kame whispered back, definitely interested.
“The tones are off.”
“Tones?”
Changmin blinked and glanced at his master. “You can’t hear them?”
Kame narrowed his eyes. “You need more.”
The young man scowled in frustration and turned his attention to the scout again as he concentrated. Something was there and he knew it. He just had to find it. What was it that made him so distrusting of this man who had been in the coven for longer than he was alive?
“Why is Jun’s light weird?” Changmin asked, referring to one of Kame’s mages as he squinted. “He looks yellow.”
“SEIZE HIM!” Kame snapped he was on his feet and before the captured scout without Changmin even seeing him move. There was a flash that Changmin recognized as a blade, and only finally saw when movement stopped, blood dripping from the end. He stared in shock until the traitor’s head hit the floor with a hollow thud and Changmin squeezed his eyes shut in horror, hugging his legs against his chest. Kame ordered the body and head to be incinerated and Changmin waited for the sounds of movement to end before he dared to peer up.
When he did, he saw Kame speaking to his closest assistant about sending guards out to scout and stop anyone from attacking the coven if their enemy was brave—or foolish—enough, but now they would know what their enemy was planning. Their voices dropped to a whisper, both laying eyes on Changmin before they spoke shortly again and the assistant left. The shepherd then turned to his flock and dismissed everyone in the court before he caught Changmin’s eyes, effectively freezing the young man in place as he approached.
“You, I think, deserve a reward,” Kame said softly as he helped Changmin stand. “I have been without a truthseer for three years, when my last was killed on a mission.”
Changmin stared in shock. That’s what it was? He could tell when people were lying? He’d always been able to feel it, but chalked it up to intuition. Now he could use it to his advantage! Excitement rushed through Changmin’s veins—Kame would have to trust him now. He had millions of questions though. “Are you sure I have this power?” he asked anxiously. It seemed a bit farfetched…
“My last truthseer could hear faint tones, but her vision would reveal colors around the individual she was reading,” Kame explained as he steered Changmin toward the exit.
“The color meant something?” Changmin didn’t need to be told twice to leave. He walked with Kame through the hallways.
“Yellow is usually the mark of a liar,” the leader told him. “If you do see a color with someone telling the truth, you’ll usually see violet. You will get used to the colors and how it works as you practice.”
“I get to practice…” Changmin muttered to himself. He would actually have something to do than just lay around and be a pet! Questions and thoughts raced through his mind as Kame opened a door and he absently walked through it. A moment’s realization ground his thoughts to a halt as he took note of the deep red surroundings and the bolt on the door slid home, echoing in the red room.
Fear gripped him as he saw two guards on each side of the bed and turned to Kame, who was leaning on the door, looking as proud as a new father. “Why?” he asked, feeling betrayed—knowing he was a fool to feel so. He should have known.
Kame moved closer to stand before him and Changmin had to force himself to keep from flinching back. “Because you are far too important to lose now.”
“Lose?” he asked, perplexed by the choice of words.
Kame moved forward and gripped his neck with a hand, and much as Changmin wanted to struggle, his body didn’t move as Kame’s eyes caught his gaze. Silver flashed around the Kame’s eyes and Changmin felt desire surge to the surface. He squelched the feeling, fighting it back as Kame smirked.
“You didn’t know about this power, did you?” he asked playfully.
“Power?” Changmin asked, his hands reaching toward Kame before he froze, refusing to want the vampire.
“All vampires have the power to enthrall their victims,” Kame told him nonchalantly, the silver flaring to cover his irises as the desire burst in Changmin’s body and he shuddered suddenly, wanting to fall onto the bed. And all he could feel when it left him was dirty. He struggled against the feeling as best he could, but it didn’t stop him from being pushed onto the bed, the guards grabbing his arms to chain them to the headboard as he tried to fight them off as well. Kame ordered his guards to cut Changmin and he screamed as he struggled against their grip and the chains, but the vampires were too strong.
As a blade cut into each arm, Changmin bit down on his lip, tasting blood. “Why? Why cut me when I’ve already tried?!” he cried when they were finished, then stared in shock as they cut their own arms. He watched terrified as Kame held a knife up to his own wrist.
“Don’t you want the power to enthrall?” Kame smirked as the blade sank into his skin. “I don’t want to lose your power to human aging. I want you to be by my side for a long, long time,” he murmured as he gripped Changmin’s throat to get his mouth open. He shoved his wrist between Changmin’s lips as the young man choked, not wanting to swallow the blood, but unable to breathe without doing so. He felt a burning sensation starting at his arms and in his belly. Once Kame was satisfied that Changmin had swallowed enough, he pulled his arm away, Changmin coughing and spitting as the guards pulled their arms away. He whimpered as the burning pain flared and his vision swam—he felt like his body was starting ablaze.
He could see Kame standing over him with a serious expression and hoped that this would kill him for good. It turned to a smirk as Changmin let out a scream from the fiery pain.
“Don’t let me down.”
~***~
thoughts? happy holidays ^^;;
Part 4
