SOULBOUND
By Wes
Leigh
This is a work of fiction (or
is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to
any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged
to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.
This story is the property of
the author and is protected by copyright laws.
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the
author's consent.
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please support the Nifty archives today with a thoughtful donation by visiting https://donate.nifty.org/.
It is fortuitous that the vaewolf
is universally despised, hated by the vampires and werewolves who created him,
hunted by all God-fearing humanity. The vaewolf is a danger, not so much because of the powers he
possesses, but because of what he represents:
the merging of two powerful forces into one being. He must not be allowed to know the power he
wields.
-- From `Conclusions on the Nature of Creatures of the
Night' by Fr. Ignatius Benedictus
"Cabin.
Tomorrow. Be there!" Connor said,
grinning at Daniel in the shower after the game.
It had been another exciting victory for the Cougars. Daniel was gaining confidence with every
play, moving comfortably in the backfield and easily picking apart the
defense. Donny had jokingly suggested
Daniel was using a secret vaewolf power to read the
minds of the defensive players. Whatever
Daniel was doing, the Cougars had dominated their first three opponents,
winning every game by unheard of margins.
Now, with the hot water spraying down on his head, Daniel
was enjoying being part of something bigger than himself. He was only a sophomore, but the older
players on the team had not only accepted him, but treated him as a team
captain, rallying behind him on offense just as the defense supported
Connor. Daniel wasn't entirely
comfortable with it, but he accepted it, just as he accepted the way all the
young people in school looked up to him as their unofficial leader.
Putting all that aside for the moment, Daniel was struggling
to keep his cock from boning up in the shower as he thought about what Connor
had just reminded him of. They were
meeting at the cabin for the entire weekend.
Connor, Daniel, Xavier ... and Diego.
It had been Connor's idea.
Nothing too wild. Just a chance
for the four of them to hang out, play cards, run around in the woods, and see
what happens next. It was that last
part—the `what happens next' part—that was making it tough for Daniel to keep
from boning up.
If Diego wasn't there, he knew what would be happening. The three of them would be sharing passionate
love all weekend. But inviting Diego
meant keeping things under control ... probably.
Daniel wasn't entirely sure he wanted to keep things under
control. Diego was so fucking cute!
"I'll be there," Daniel replied, turning to face
Connor. "What time are we getting
together?"
"I'm picking up Diego after he finishes helping his
dad. So ... around noon?"
"Sounds good," Daniel replied. Did you hear that, Xavier? Daniel
added.
Noon it is, Xavier
replied. I have one question,
however. Why am I always stuck out here after
every game, putting away band gear, while the two of you get to gawk at naked
boys in the showers?
Daniel giggled. What
makes you think we're gawking?
There ain't nothin' to see in here, Connor added with a
chuckle. Just a bunch of football
hunks covered in hot, steaming, soapy water.
Don't tease me like that! Xavier
exclaimed. Or be prepared to lock
Diego in a closet while you take care of my hot, steaming body.
We could always get there a few hours early, Daniel
suggested. Just you and me,
Xavier!
Connor laughed and turned to face the shower head, rinsing
off the soap. Do what you gotta do as long as you behave
when Diego and I show up.
͠ ͠
͠
Diego fit right in.
While Connor prepared the steaks, Diego worked at his side,
wrapping the baking potatoes in foil and then chattering away with Connor as
they cooked. Connor called Diego his
sous-chef, claiming Daniel and Xavier were hopeless in the kitchen. Diego leaned into Connor when he heard that,
accepting Connor's sideways hug with a happy smile.
While the food cooked, Diego and Xavier walked around
outside the cabin, talking about their favorite movies and plays. They agreed that Phantom of the Opera
was one of the best in modern times because of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical
score. Xavier also liked Les Misérables,
which Diego admitted had some of the most touching lyrics ever written, but for
sheer lunacy and rollicking fun, Diego loved The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Then, to the amazement of Connor and Daniel,
Xavier and Diego began dancing the time warp in front of the cabin.
Once they all stopped laughing, Connor served up the
food. They ate, complimented the chefs,
and belched, laughing some more.
Then Connor suggested going for a hike. They walked down to the river, tried skipping
stones, unsuccessfully, and talked about what a beautiful place they lived
in. Daniel admitted he didn't like it
when he first moved in, but he loved it now.
Daniel and Diego began walking along the banks of the river, comparing
their experiences as the new kid in town.
At one point, when Daniel was describing the pain of leaving behind his
Colorado friends, Diego slid his arm around Daniel's waist, hugging him to show
sympathy. Daniel put his arm over
Diego's shoulders, and they continued walking along, completely comfortable
with the close contact.
That night, the bed in the cabin was extremely crowded, but
the boxer-clad teens jostled for position until they were finally comfortable,
pressed together on the bed, where they shared their favorite ghost stories,
then told jokes, which naturally devolved into dirty jokes that had them all
giggling like eighth graders.
Diego surprised them all at one point when he asked, "What's
the story with you three guys?"
Daniel, who was lying hip to hip with Diego, asked, "What do
you mean?"
Diego turned his head and stared intently at Daniel. "Are you guys lovers?"
Connor, who was nestled in on the other side of Daniel,
cleared his throat and asked, "What makes you think we're lovers?"
Diego rolled his eyes.
"I'm not stupid. I see the way
you look at each other. You're all very
close, and obviously you're very comfortable together."
Xavier, who was next to Diego, pulled away slightly and
rolled on his side to face Diego. "Is
that a problem for you, Diego?"
Diego shook his head.
"Of course not. I'm gay, so I'm
totally cool with it. I'm just wondering
why you guys invited me to be here, if you're together."
Connor replied, "It was my idea, Diego. Not so we could ... do stuff. Just so we could get to know you better. We all like you, and we thought it would be
fun to hang out over the weekend."
Diego smiled. "It has
been fun. I really like you guys too,
and just so everyone knows, I'd be willing to ... do stuff." Then he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
͠ ͠
͠
September 23
I thought I was
done using this journal to sort out my thoughts. I guess a few things came up that require
more journal therapy, LOL.
The first thing I'm trying to
figure out is how Diego fits into my life.
Make that how Diego fits into our lives. Connor and Xavier and I are bound together
forever. There's no doubt about
that. It's taken me a year to get comfortable
with the idea that the three of us have this unbreakable connection that goes
beyond being boyfriends. We still don't
fully understand what it means to be soulbound, but
we've accepted it as the foundation of the relationship we enjoy.
Now Diego comes along and turns
everything upside down. Not in a bad
way, I guess. It's just different. The weekend we spent together, he and Connor
were like brothers, pushing each other around, hugging, physically loving on
each other the entire time. With Xavier,
Diego was his intellectual equal. It was
amazing watching the two of them discuss music, literature, and fine art. I never thought I'd see Xavier lose a debate,
but I think Diego can take him.
As for me, I don't know how to
feel about Diego. All I can say is ... he
gets me. When we talked, I felt a deep
connection with him that was far more than him sympathizing with the stupid
little things I let frustrate me. He
knows how I feel, and more importantly, he cares about how I feel. And this is the scary part: if I had met Diego a year ago, before I met
Connor and Xavier, I think I would have fallen in love with him.
But I can't do that, can I? Not when I have such a great thing going with
Connor and Xavier. There's no way I want
to screw that up.
I don't know where this is
going, but I hope I figure it out soon. I'm
just glad we didn't do anything with Diego in the cabin. The three of us talked about it, silently, so
Diego couldn't hear what we were saying, and we agreed that it was too soon, so
we all fell asleep and kept our hands to ourselves. I guess I need to talk more with Xavier and
Connor. This is not something I can
decide on my own.
On top of all that, there's one
other thing that's bothering me. I keep
having bad dreams. Stupid, confusing
dreams, usually. But sometimes really graphic and disturbing. Last night, I dreamed that Connor's parents
were gunned down as they ran through the forest near their lodge. I saw their bodies jump as the bullets passed
through them, and I saw them fall to the ground and not get up, and I heard
Connor screaming in the background. Why
would I dream something like that?
I couldn't sleep after that
nightmare, so I got up and took a shower.
While I was in the shower, I had these ... I don't know what to call them
... visions? Flashes of images in my
head? What I saw were helicopters with
ropes hanging out the side and men sliding down the ropes.
It was fucking creepy. Left me with a sick feeling in my
stomach.
Why can't my life be
simple? I finally feel like I'm fitting
in here. I'm having a great year as the
quarterback for the Cougars. I have two
guys who love me and who I love with all my heart. And now I'm falling in love with a kid I just
met and having visions of World War III or something!
I want to talk to Connor and
Xavier about it, but how do I tell them I'm dreaming of their families getting
slaughtered. Yeah, that'll be a great
topic for when we're done making love.
Oh, and by the way, do you guys mind if I fuck up our relationship by
bringing another guy into it? That would
go over great, right?
So, here you are, little journal
of mine. Time for you to get busy and
help me figure this out, because once again, you're the only one I can talk to.
͠ ͠
͠
The Room was designed specifically for the type of meeting
being held in it at the moment. The walls were interlaced copper sheets over
layers of aluminum mesh, designed to prevent any and all
penetration by electronic or aural surveillance. Guards were posted at the end of the corridor
leading the Room, with instructions to put a bullet in the head of anyone
attempting to walk down the corridor without permission. Inside the room, one wall was dedicated to
monitors, all connected to encrypted communication systems, currently displaying
a variety of video feeds, database records, and the faces of the individuals
participating in a conference call with Special Agent Dautry,
agent in charge of Operation Snowthorn.
Dautry was lean and wrinkled and
long past due for retirement. His bald
head reflected the flickering light from the monitors, leaving the rest of his
face in shadows. His voice, when he
spoke, was raspy from years of smoking cigarettes. At the moment, smoke
curled up from the ash tray in front of him where he'd put out the last one,
despite government prohibitions against smoking inside the facility. No one had reminded Dautry
of the ban on smoking. No one dared.
On one of the monitors in front of Dautry
was a pale man dressed all in black, sitting in front of a wall of books in
some type of library or study. He was
frowning unpleasantly, unhappy with what he'd just heard. As a member of the vampiric High Council,
this was bad news. Very bad indeed.
On the next monitor were a man and a woman. They wore military uniforms: the man had three stars on his collar; the
woman, captain's bars. The two were sitting
in some type of planning room, with maps and charts on the wall behind
them. They were grimacing too. They had worked very hard to position
themselves within the U.S. military without being discovered, something few
werewolves had ever done, and now all werewolves were endangered by the foolish
actions of one particular pack located in Agony, North
Dakota.
Dautry leaned forward, bringing
his face out of the shadows momentarily.
Dautry grated, "I'm sure we all understand the
seriousness of this situation.
Cooperation between your people is making my people
nervous. You will each apply the proper
persuasion upon the occupants of Agony.
I'll be expecting effective results."
Dautry left the threat hanging in
the air. Without saying another word, he
disconnected the video conference and turned back to study one of the
monitors. He pressed a control on the
desk in front of him, watching the video back up rapidly, then start moving
forward. The video showed four boys
walking along a river, talking and laughing, getting along far too well. A vampire, a werewolf, a human, and Daniel
Anderson, the vaewolf. Such cooperation was simply unacceptable.
͠ ͠
͠
Gabi Finnigan stuck her head through the office door. "Connor, Andreas, I hate to bother you while
you're working on Lodge business, but we have guests."
"Guests?" Connor asked, looking up from the blueprints he
and his father were scanning. "We
weren't expectin' any guests, were we?"
Gabi shook her head.
"No, but they filled me in on why they're here, and I think you'll want
to talk to `em."
Connor sighed and glanced at his dad. "If Ma says we should, I suppose we'd better
go."
Andreas waved his hand at Connor. "You go, lad.
I'll look over these plans for the new cabins and let you know what I think."
Connor squeezed his dad's arm in gratitude, then walked out
of the office and headed for the main hall.
When he arrived, he saw three men, all tall and muscular, all with the
scent of alphas. Connor hesitated a
moment, suddenly unsure of himself. Why
were three alphas coming here, into his territory?
Then Connor smiled when he realized that it was indeed his
territory, and he was the ruling alpha here. He walked into the room and
stopped a few feet away from the visitors, waiting.
One of the men looked at Connor with narrowing eyes,
evaluating him, judging him. When Connor
didn't speak, the man grunted softly and nodded. He lowered his eyes slightly and said, "I am
Alex Kovacik, alpha for the Barepaw
Pack of Wyoming."
The other men followed Alex's example.
"Johann Bauer. Moonstalkers. Sierra
Nevadas."
"Sunukkuhkau, leader of the
Blackfeet of Montana."
Connor nodded at each of them in turn, then said, "On behalf
of the Silvermane Pack, I welcome you to North
Dakota. What can I do for you?"
Alex seemed to be the spokesman for the group. He looked Connor in the eye and said, "You
know how the Packs work. Within our own
territories, we manage our affairs as we see fit, with no interference from any
other Pack."
Connor nodded.
Alex continued, "Until now ..."
Connor felt the implied threat in Alex's words. The hairs on the back of his neck rose up in response, and Connor felt the urge to transform
into a wolf and rip out the throat of anyone threatening his pack. Connor fought down his instinctive response
and instead growled, "Tell me plainly what you mean by that."
Alex didn't blink. "There
are lycans who have worked their way into influential
positions inside the U.S. Government.
They have no authority over us; rather, they serve all the Packs by
persuading the Government to deal favorably with us. These highly placed individuals are deeply concerned
with how you've chosen to deal with the vampires living in your territory."
Connor squinted at Alex.
"We've made peace with the vampires," Connor acknowledged. "Why is that a problem?"
Alex shook his head slightly. "It isn't a problem. Peace is a good thing. It allows you to keep your enemies close
enough to know what they're planning."
"They aren't our enemies."
Alex's lips twisted into a smirk. "They are forever our enemies. Vampires cannot be trusted. Ask any of us, Connor. We've dealt with them all our lives, and we
can assure you that even now, the vampires in Agony are secretly plotting ways
to attack the Silvermanes." The other alphas nodded their agreement. "Now ... this is your Pack, to lead as you see
fit, but we've come here today to warn you.
What you are doing in Agony has been scented by dangerous lycans. They are
concerned that you are doing more than making peace with the vampires, that you
are actually cooperating with them, and that is
something they consider to be a danger to every Pack. If it continues, these lycans
will take action to destroy you, leaving no trace that the Silvermanes
ever existed."
"Who are these lycans?" Connor
demanded with a snarl.
"I don't know. None
of us know," Alex admitted. "They
protect their identities jealously, and the only reason we are here is because
they sent messages to each of us, advising us to speak to you with this
warning."
"Why didn't they deliver the warning to the Silvermanes directly?"
"Connor," Alex said with a sigh, "this IS the warning, and WE
are the messengers. If you fail to heed
this message, there will be no other warning, and there will be nothing anyone can
do to help you."
Sunukkuhkau spoke for the first
time. "For the good of your people, we
urge you to listen."
Johann nodded. "But I
will add one more message, for myself and my pack. Whatever you decide, the Moonstalkers
will open their homes to any of your Pack who come to us for help."
Johann held out his hand.
He seemed sincere, so Connor took it and they shook.
Connor turned to Alex and Sunukkuhkau,
who also reached out their hands. As
Connor shook their hands, they also pledged the support of their packs.
Alex added one final warning. "There is a greater danger than vampires, and
that is frightened humans. Don't give
them a reason to fear you."
͠ ͠
͠
The letter arrived by special courier and was hand delivered
to Xavier as he walked out of band practice.
He took the letter and opened it.
It read:
Xavier Finton-Smyth
Executor
of the Smyth Covenant
Agony, North Dakota
Sir:
You are hereby advised that Minerva Smyth and Edward Finton have requested membership in the Mertens Covenant of
Richmond, Virginia. That request has
been granted. Please remove them from
your membership rolls.
You are further advised that this invalidates your cover
story as the adopted child of Minerva and Edward. Approval has been granted for you to
establish a new cover story as an emancipated minor, continuing
on with your activities as a student in Agony, North Dakota. If you desire to change your name, submit
your request to this office.
Please be advised that any change in your name will
automatically necessitate a change in the name of your Covenant, per historic
practices.
Finally, you are ordered to implement whatever measures
are necessary to restore the situation in Agony, North Dakota, to its previous
status under the executorship of Minerva Smyth, specifically:
·
Consolidate vampiric holdings in your area,
ensuring the dominance of your Covenant over all activities in the area,
whether financial, social, or political
·
Minimize all interactions with lycans in the area, notifying this office if you deem it
necessary to initiate any hostilities with said lycans
(note that hostilities are not forbidden and you are free to take action as
required, as long as those actions are communicated to us after the fact)
·
Subjugate all humans in the area, wiping their
memories as necessary to ensure compliance with vampiric needs
A review of your operations has been scheduled in two
months. Be ready to present a status
report and answer any questions this office may have. Include in your status report all information
available on the rumored presence of a vaewolf in
your territory and any actions you plan to take to neutralize him.
Sincerely,
Andronicus
Domitian
Office of
Internal Affairs
Vampiric High Council
Xavier refolded the letter and slid it into his pocket.
The end of SOULBOUND, Chapter Nineteen