Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 19:40:34 -0700 (PDT) From: NCfan Subject: Boy-bands/Heir to the Darkness 4 Disclaimer: I do not know the BSB, nor do I know their orientation. This is purely a work of fiction and in no way represents the true nature of the BSB. All under 18 are urged not to continue reading. ********************** Just beyond the clearing! I felt Nick's body close by. It was such an incredible feeling that I didn't know how to describe my joy. I was about to leap out of the clearing when I felt this overwhelming sense of suffocation. I felt my feet sink into the ground unwillingly and the rest of my body following suit. I tried to scream, but the tension in the air completely left me mute. Then, I slowed to a halt. My body was completely paralyzed as I realized that it would be silly to jump into the clearing without scanning the area first. I quietly snuck behind a bush, trying to hide my presence with my powers of camouflage. I silently thanked Kevin for having taught me this skill so well. I slowly let my eyes adapt to the scene. That was when I saw him. Nick! He was dressed in a sleeveless black T-shirt with some tight-fitting jeans. His eyes were now a nice lavender color while his hair remained so pure blond. He looked . . . stunning . . . like a sculpture or something. It was almost surreal! I couldn't help but stare incredibly. But then I noticed that his body was strapped to a tree, the ropes causing his skin to bleed. He looked, if anything, used. The clothes, though still clinging on to him, appeared disheveled and soiled. I felt my blood seethe once more at the cruelty behind the perpetrator and vowed to destroy him if ever I had the chance. I waited patiently behind the bush, waited for the one who had committed this deed to my Nick. I didn't have to wait long to see the blond man that I had found on the airplane a while back. He was strutting towards Nick, an evil gleam in his eyes. He stood before Nick, and quickly kneeled down, planting a disgusting kiss on Nick's lips before giving his evil speech. Nick didn't even bother to pull his face away from that bastard! "Ahhhh, Nickolas. I wanted to protect you. If you had run away with me, I would have been able to protect you. But you, in your insolence, had decided that you would rather take things into your own hands. Well, you now know the consequences of your foolishness. You can't hide behind your saberi and sentiri friends." The blond bastard stroked Nick's face roughly and then pressed Nick's cheeks to the tree, forcing Nick to stare into his disgusting face! I bit my teeth hard to maintain my composure. What was that guy talking about? "We could have been safe, peaceful. We could have hidden in the Caves of Eternity. I would have cared for you every single day for the rest of my life. I would have given you a nice family." Why that insolent beast! How dare he assume such repulsive things? The guy released Nick's cheeks, allowing Nick to utter something. Nick simply looked away from the guy. I didn't blame him. Nick refused to utter a single sound. The guy lowered himself even further until he was straddling Nick's legs. I nearly keeled over when he used his slimy fingers to grip Nick's chin. Then, he said in a nauseatingly gentle voice, "It's not too late. I stopped you in time. We can still have a family, you and me. Come with me, follow me." I noticed that he was concentrating very hard, as if he were trying to place Nick into a Trance of Acquiescence. That was a skill that only one of the most powerful vampires could perform. Kevin had spent a whole one hundred years learning that one! To my horror, it seemed to have started working because Nick was now gazing into that guy's eyes! I thought quickly. My mind tried to read Nick's. To my horror, that evil guy was pushing his way into Nick's mind, trying to send thoughts of primitive lust upon Nick. And he was very powerful because I could tell that within minutes, he would have completely stripped Nick's mind of its defenses. I thought calmly. Kevin had never showed me how to undo that Trance of Acquiescence. Damn! I never realized how important it was . . . until now. I thought hard, my mind flipping through thousands of spells that I did know of. However, none came to mind. Quick! I could sense that Nick's barriers were now paper thin. His mind was allowing that horrifying guy to enter it freely. In desperation, I forced myself to throw a field of energy at the evil guy. To my dismay, nothing happened. The guy didn't budge even a millimeter from his original position. Nick's mind was almost stripped. His lavender eyes now covered with a mist of surrender. The evil guy looked hungrily at Nick, satisfied with his prize. Nick lay there, defenseless. I gasped. The evil guy turned around to focus on me for the first time . . . and that was when I realized that his transformation of Nick was complete. He had captured Nick entirely. I hated that smirk on his face. Oh how I wished that I could tear it off myself. What was worse, the guy began to smile sinisterly. "So . . . you saberi baby . . . you want to fight for Nick? Especially after I have already claimed him? You do not know your strength!" I gazed serenely at him, not letting him see my fears. "He is powerless to act against you, but you go ahead and attack him. You're not embarrassed by that?" He snorted. "When it comes to Nick, I'm not afraid to do anything." To my horror, he turned around. With a wave of the finger, the ropes around Nick's body disintegrated and Nick's arms fell to the ground. Then, he coaxed Nick further. "Come to me, my baby." Nick's body slowly rose and approached the guy. The evil guy laughed and snaked a hand around Nick's body, pulling Nick so that their bodies touched intimately. He kissed Nick on the lips once, enjoying the fact that Nick did not shy away. "Just the way I like him. Like a lamb." In my mind, I conjured the darkest spell I could think of, allowing my anger to feed my powers. I thought of death, of chaos and let the darkness seep into my fingertips. I let the image of the guy kissing Nick sink deep into the deepest recesses of my mind . . . and suddenly, I felt the power swirl in my body. I did not know where my strength came from, but I felt so strong then. I knew that this guy was powerful, but through some sort of idiocy, I wanted to reclaim Nick. With one more harsh thought, I sent a dagger of fire at the evil guy's heart. Strange. I didn't know I have that ability. To my shock, the dagger of fire, pierced through the evil guy's hand, searing it entirely. The evil guy gasped and jumped back in pain. He stared at me incredulously. I had to give him credit, though. He quickly recovered and snatched Nick's body, attempting his escape. And then . . . another flash of energy coursed through my body as I lifted my finger and sent another ray of energy into the guy's body. This time, though, he deftly averted it, pulling Nick along as well. He stared angrily at me and sent a bolt into my body. Within seconds, I felt the pain of impact and my body lay helpless on the ground. I had never felt so much pain consuming my entire body. I tried to sit up, but the pain limited my movement. I was forced to gaze helplessly as the guy grasped Nick from behind and led him away. I let my bitter tears fall uncontrollably now. All I could think of was Nick. I lay there like I was paralyzed. I couldn't allow my mind to clear properly. Finally, after hours of staring dazed, Kevin, AJ and Howie found my injured body. I frightened the heck out of them because they were busy screaming and tending my wounds. I guess it was at that moment that AJ's and Howie's emotional flare made me realize that the sentiri race had its good things. I felt comforted by the fact that they were on their feet, fretting over every drop of blood that ran out of veins. Kevin remained quiet though, and I was getting scared of him. He was thinking hard, although I couldn't tell what lingered on his mind. It wasn't until AJ and Howie quieted down that Kev started his analytical speech. "So you're telling me that Nick had lavender eyes?" Kevin started. I gulped. "Yeah." "And that there is a blond guy who put a Trance of Acquiescence on him?" Kevin continued. "Uh yeah," I replied dumbly. "And this guy was insinuating sexual overtones in the Trance of Acquiescence?" he continued. "Yes," I answered weakly, feeling my heart break all over again. Kevin then looked at me sternly. "You do know what that means, don't you?" I stared at him dumbly. "No. You've been around longer than me. You tell me!" I added furiously. "Brian!" Kevin scanned the area, as if afraid of what he was about to reveal. "Nick is of the sacred family!" "What?!" AJ shrieked. Howie mirrored his expression. I simply looked thoughtfully at the sky. It made sense. Why else would Nick look so . . . so ethereal? Kevin started pacing madly. "Yet Nick does not have any powers to guard him against the more prominent vampires. Hmmm, interesting." I had to stop Kevin. "What is so interesting about that?" My voice rose a pitch. Kevin stopped and stared at AJ, me and Howie. "Well, Nick is not like us. He is not really a vampire. He was just born from a vampire." Howie looked in awe. "I don't get it." Kevin simply sighed. "Vampires are borne when a mortal's life is drained of blood and that blood is replaced by the blood of a vampire. That is the only way to create a vampire. Nick was not created that way." I shook my head. "You're wrong. When we found Nick drained of blood yesterday and gave him our blood, did we not convert him into a vampire?" Kevin shook his head irritably. "After we gave him our blood, I don't even know what he is now. And that does not explain his lavender eyes. But anyways, Nick originally was not created that way. He was borne from a vampire. Meaning that two vampires had to mate and create him." "But mating is forbidden!" I cried out. Howie on the other hand, looked pensive now. "Can any two vampires mate?" Kevin nodded. "Technically, yes. Legally, no." "Then any low life vampire can create Nick," AJ reasoned. Kevin nodded. "Yes. But if two vampires are not powerful enough, their seeds will be distorted and the product of their conception incompatible with life. I suspect that Nick is not the product of just any two vampires. He has to be of one of the more prominent vampires. How else could you explain the fact that he could hide himself from us for so long? Someone had to be protecting him." "Well that person is not doing too great a job. I mean, he's been bit and drained of his blood, sexually assaulted behind our backs and now kidnapped!" AJ snorted, although I could detect the hurt in his words. I stared at Kevin sadly. "There must be a power struggle going on. And we have been so ignorant of the vampire world that we did not even notice it." This thought shocked Kevin, as calm as he usually was. "What I don't get," I continued, "is why Nick does not have any powers to defend himself, if he were borne into a powerful vampire family." Kevin shook his head. "I don't know how to explain that." My head began to hurt. It was all so confusing. All I wanted was for Nick to be safe and next to me. I dreaded to think what that evil blond guy was doing to Nick at this very moment. "Whatever happens to Nick . . . we will not forgive those who wronged him," Kevin said quietly. I heard, but I didn't reply. I would do more than not forgive. I would kill. Kevin walked over to me and patted me gently on the back. "It appears that this guy is more interested in conquering Nick than in hurting him. Come, my cousin. We have important matters to tend to. We must hurry to the palace grounds and report this to the Goddess Mother. She will bring justice to this." I sighed heavily. "With this impending war going on between the saberi and the sentiri races, I wonder how much time she can devote to this 'justice' you're talking about." Howie smiled sadly. "You'll be surprised, but she is truly powerful. She will help Nick." I nodded silently and followed the other Boys back to the campgrounds. Something was eerie about the whole situation. I thought back to the images of Nick, radiating with beauty. Even strapped to the tree, there was an air about him that was . . . ethereal . . . majestic. His skin looked so fair and smooth, as if he were borne out of royalty all along. His body perfectly shaped and sensuous, as if created for entertainment. My curiosity began to get the better of me as I started to question once again--who was Nick?