Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:24:33 +0200 From: Luca Warberg Subject: Tainted Blood 6 Hey guys, as promised, here is the next chapter of the story... hope u guys enjoy it. I'm really trying to get some new chapters out. Just a bit of a hectic week! My brother's getting married. Haha. But hey, I know, I know, I'm always full of excuses. If u really think so, message me and let me know what u think! The more encouragement I get, the more likely I am to write more often! ;) Enjoy! Luca. **************** Nico sat in the Maybach on the way to NYU. He had missed most of his classes last week thanks to the Conclave in Switzerland. For some reason, he felt nervous about the fact that he was going back to University. He felt nervous about seeing Bianca and Christian again. The flight back to New York had allowed Nico a lot of time to think about the event which were taking place in the cambion world. There was so much at risk to their way of life, and he knew things were going to become gradually harder as the Regiorii worked steadily to re-assert their control over their territories. Even he and Dante would have to tread carefully in order to show the Duchess of America that they agreed with the steps the Regiorii were taking to protect their Duchies. The weather was still relatively bleak in New York. The trees were bare and stark and there was an ominous dark blue cloud gathering overhead. In his preoccupation with going back to school and the events of the past week, Nico had again forgotten to dress warmly, and had slipped into a pair of white sweatpants and a blue vest with a pair of flip flops on his feet. While he found the cold invigorating, he knew that he was going to be looked at strangely on campus: there was no way any normal person would be dressed like that in weather like this. Still, turning back now would mean that he would miss his first class. And after all the lectures he had missed last week, he didn't think the university would take too kindly to missing any more. And what was more, he liked the feeling of the cold air and its invigorating effect on his skin. It made him feel alive. And right now, he needed that more than he needed to be accepted as a human right now. The Maybach smoothly drew into its normal parking area. Grabbing his bag, Nico didn't even wait for the valet to open his door for him. He jumped out the car and started making his way to class. His first class was Spanish, which meant that he was going to see Christian. The thought made him both nervous and excited simoultaneously. Even after all these weeks, he could still not fathom his preoccupation and fascination with Bianca and Christian. It was like he was inexorably drawn to them: he had no control over it. Shaking his head, Nico forced himself to focus on where he was going. If he was going to once again get lost in thought about Christian, he was again going to subconsciously try to exert his abilities over the boy. And if there was one thing he didn't want, it was to sabotage his first potential friendship with an actual normal person who didn't have to resort to the degrading and disgusting acts which Nico and his kind relied on for their very survival. Nico finally reached his lecture hall and made his way to the back of the class. He sat quietly in the corner, waiting for everyone to find their seats and the lecture to start. He saw Christian walking into the room, and the sight of the boy immediately brought back the familiar stirrings in Nico's groin. The boy's hair was slightly longer, but he had pushed it to one side of his face. Nico could see the brilliant sparkle in his eye from across the room. And a tailored grey trench coat was covering a pair of pale blue jeans and a plain white hoodie. If anything, the boy had become slightly larger in the week since Nico had seen him. It seemed like the boy had been exercising heavily since their last meeting. As their eyes met, Nico forced himself out of his stupor and give a small smile at the boy. In return, Christian sent back a dazzling smile, his eyes sparkling as his cheeks crinkled into a look of genuinely pleased surprise. He made his way towards Nico, and sat down in the chair besides him. "I see you're back at school. How was your trip?" "OK, I suppose. Was a little boring though." "Well, we've covered quite a lot of work up till now. U missed some interesting classes." "Yeah I kept up with the readings and stuff. Do you mind if I borrow some of your class notes to copy them?" "No worries man, you're welcome to. So what did you actually go do in Europe anyway?" "Just some family things. Nothing important really." "What? Does the Italian monarchy have a loose canon making things difficult for them?" replied Christian with a smirk. If only he knew how close to the truth he actually was." "No man, nothing like that. Just really boring stuff that my family wanted sorted out. Like business admin and other random crap. I promise, it was nothing exciting." "Well, Prince Nico, whatever you say." This time, Christian's eyes were sparkling mischievously as he made the comment. Just as they finished their conversation, the lecturer walked in, telling everyone to take their seats and calm down. The lecture passed in a haze for Nico. He kept catching himself glancing sideways at Christian, taking in the beautiful boy's form. There was something heady and intoxicating about him. If Nico didn't know better, he could have sworn that the boy was using some kind of cambion trick on him, releasing pheromones or making his voice husky in an attempt to seduce him. Nico had to remind himself that the thought was absolutely ridiculous, however. There was no way that Christian was a cambion. As the lecturer dismissed them from the lesson, Christian stood up and turned around to speak to Nico. "Hey, Bianca said that she was going to be in a café around the corner from here until like 11am. You want to go round there to say hi? We may as well grab a cup of coffee. Unless you have a lecture?" "Um, ok I suppose I can come with. My next class is with your sister anyway." "Wow, don't sound overly enthusiastic there buddy. I promise I won't mind if you'd rather sit here by yourself like a loser." Nico found himself grinning stupidly at Christian. There was something about the boy's dry, sarcastic sense of humour that made him smile. He was sure that Christian didn't even notice that he was being that way, but this fact just made it all the funnier to witness. "Ok, Ok, I'm coming. It will be good to see your sister anyway." "Oh, how gracious of the majestic prince to grace us with his presence." At the comment as to his title, Nico found himself feeling slightly uncomfortable. "You didn't tell your sister that you saw that in my passport did you?" "Nah, man. You asked me to keep it on the low-down so I didn't tell anyone. No worries!" "Thanks Christian, I really appreciate it," Nico replied sincerely. As they had been talking, the two of them had headed out of the building where they had had class and had started walking down the busy street. They took a left turn and a few minutes later, they were standing in front of a Dutch coffee shop. The strong smell of freshly brewing coffee wafted from the open doors. Nico had to admit to himself, even if he hadn't really felt like coffee before coming here, the amazing aromas wafting through the door made sure that he felt like coffee now. They walked through the door and Christian shrugged off his trenchcoat. "Oh yeah, Nico, I was meant to ask you. You're dressed like you're about to go to the beach dude. What the hell, it's friggin freezing out there. It's got to be like 8*C outside. What gives?" Nico spluttered around for an answer. He had forgotten the fact that he was dressed in short clothes. He had been so absorbed in trying to look at Christian without being caught. He just couldn't help himself, the way the blond hair had seemingly grown out, perfectly framing the boy's face. He had just a hint of stubble across his otherwise golden cheeks. Nico just couldn't help himself. The boy was breathtakingly beautiful to him. "Um, I forgot how cold it is over here. The central heating was on at home, and I dressed like this before going outside. By the time I realised it was cold out, I was going to be late, so I didn't have time to change." "Yeah, but it doesn't even look like you're getting cold. Seriously, you have to be like ironman or something awesome." "Ah, nah man, I grew up near the Swiss alps. I'm used to weather like this. I suppose I'm thick blooded like that." For the moment, Christian seemed satisfied with his reply as he had spotted his sister and was waving at her. Looking across at the girl sitting on the far end of the bar, Nico once again felt his groin stirring. He didn't know what it was with these two. They inspired such lust in him. True, Christian was amazingly good looking. Perhaps not in the conventional sense, but he had such a happy-go-lucky feel about him. His beautiful golden skin, his golden blond skin, those piercing eyes. And his sister was not far off. She had the same amazing golden complexion, the same brilliant golden hair. The only difference was the deep brown of her eyes. And when she smiled, she had the same effect on Nico as her brother: he couldn't help but getting monumentally turned on. Nico stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek as was the custom in Italy. She, however, went to kiss him on the lips, as was the custom in South Africa. One he felt the warm, soft, supple lips pushed against his, he felt his dick hardening immediately. Even though the kiss had only lasted for a second, he could still feel a slight tingling on his lips where hers had brushed his. The feeling amazed Nico. This was usually the domain of his kind: forcing others to feel sexual attraction in order to prey on them. He now found himself the victim of enormous sexual attraction to these two siblings and the thought was quite a scary one. He didn't know if he would be able to ignore his natural impulses for very long. As these thoughts had piled through Nico's head, he had forced an aloof grin on his face and the three of them had found a small table to sit in the crowded little bar. A haggard looking waitress came to take their order, then bustled off to the next table. During the brief encounter with the waitress, Nico had managed to refocus his thoughts. "So, Raf, how was your little holiday. I've got to say, was boring here without you. You've sort of become one of our best mates since we met you." "It was ok, thank you." "Wow, could you be more cryptic if you tried? So, listen, Christian says he went to your house and that it's frigging amazing! No fair, when do I get to experience the lifestyles of the rich and famous?" Nico was a bit flustered at the question. He looked over at Christian who was trying to look nonchalant but somehow couldn't keep the smug grin off his face. He knew his sister wasn't going to let up until they got an official invite to come to Nico's house. Besides, he was enjoying the fact that it made the usually cool and aloof Nico seem to squirm in his seat. "Um, I'm not sure Bianca. To be honest, I've hardly really settled in since I got back from Italy." "Ah, so us lonely peasants do not merit a visit to the house of the great prince do we?" Bianca finished with a smirk hauntingly similar to the one Christian was still wearing. Nico nearly choked on his coffee. He looked up to see Christian trying hard not to laugh. The straight look on his face was simply adorable, and Nico felt himself already forgiving the boy. There was just something so innocent and beautiful in his face. "Christian, you promised not to tell." "Ah, come on Raf, how could you expect me to keep something like this a secret. Besides, you know how Bianca is. When I let slip you have to go to Italy, she wouldn't shut up until I told her everything I knew. So actually, I haven't told anyone because Bianca doesn't count." This time, it was Bianca's turn to supress a laugh. She couldn't help finding joy in the disconcerted mood descending rapidly across Nico's face. Besides, he didn't look angry, just genuinely surprised. And slightly uncomfortable. He remained silent, however, processing the fact that the two siblings now new his heritage as a Savoy Prince of Italy. He had managed to keep it a secret since he had moved to America, and now that he had taken a chance and risked becoming friendly with humans, it seemed that he was quickly becoming more exposed and vulnerable to them. Still, he couldn't be angry with Christian for telling Bianca. In the short time he had gotten to know them, he had quickly realised that the two siblings, despite the difference in age and gender, were clearly very close to the extent of being inseparable. He could understand their closeness. In a foreign country where they knew no one else, they were all each other had. He and Dante had been like that too once upon a time. That was before everything that had happened between the two of them all those years ago. The sound of Bianca clearing her throat snapped Nico out of his reverie. "Um, Nico, sorry if I pried a bit hard. I didn't realise it would be such a big deal to you, seriously. I'm sorry if we offended you." Nico looked up to see that the smirks on the faces of his companions had faded and had been replaced by a look of concern and worry. He realised he was going to have to put them at ease, something he didn't feel he was very good at. "No guys, don't worry. I suppose it's not such a big deal. I just didn't want the news to get out because then people would treat me differently. I've had my fill of that in Italy and I came to America to get away from all of that. I just wanted to be a normal person, liked and disliked for who I am." A look of relief flickered across both Bianca and Christian's faces. They had clearly worried that they had broken some unspoken command and that Nico wasn't going to forgive them or take it in the spirit of jest in which it was meant. "So," Nico said trying to change the topic," what's news since I left?" "Well, there's been another murdered family in the city. Mixed this time, I think it was a mother and father as well as their son and daughter. All of them seemed to have been raped before they were murdered." It was Bianca who was telling the story. "Yeah, you know we were thinking that coming to America would be safer than South Africa, but seems like crime just follows us wherever we go." Christian quipped. Nico remained silent as he processed the information. He couldn't understand what was going on. As far as he knew, the Duchess of America was supposed to be clamping down on all the newling activity in the area. Why was she not stopping these killings. They were very high profile and definitely ran the risk of exposing their kind to the world. "But, on the bright side," Christian quipped, "My girlfriend surprised me with a phone call last weekend. She's arriving in New York on Friday and spending a week with me." The news stunned Nico. He had all but forgotten that the beautiful boy sitting next to him was involved in a long term, long-distance relationship with a girl back home. He had been so preoccupied with his seemingly inescapable attraction to Christian that he had come to overlook the fact that he had a girl and that clearly he wasn't attracted to guys. For so long Nico had been used to being able to attract whoever he wanted to using his abilities, straight and gay guys alike, that he had forgotten that he was almost powerless to get Christian to fall for him while he chose to restrain his power. And continue restraining his power he would do, even if it killed him. Still, the stark reminder of reality hit Nico like an iron bar across the head. He felt like he had been jolted out of a dream. "Well, that's nice for you," Nico managed to say. He was thankful that Bianca and Christian knew him to be a guy of few words. They wouldn't expect him to carry on talking. Sometimes, being the quiet type had its advantages, he had to admit to himself. Christian looked genuinely excited as he described the week he had planned for himself and his girl. He rambled on about a new club he had discovered in one of the slicker parts of town and how he was going to take his girl there. He mentioned all the big tourist destinations such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Fifth Avenue and a bunch of others Nico didn't pay any attention to. He had seen all those things more times than he cared to count and he knew that despite the passage of times, the monuments were seemingly frozen, impervious to any change. "So, can we?" Christian looked questioningly at Nico. "I'm sorry I sort of zoned out there. Can you what?" Nico enquired. There was a small chuckle from Bianca before Christian asked again. "I want to know if I can come around with Gabby to have supper with you one night. I really want her to meet you, and I would offer my place but I can't see all four of us fitting in there. Nico hesitated. He wasn't sure that he wanted to invite people to his house. He was sure he was going to have to put up with taunts and sarcastic comments from Dante the moment he found out. His brother never did understand his fascination of normal people. He saw them as beneath their kind, mere mortals to be used and milked for the life force and sustenance they provided to the cambion. One look at Christian's face, however, and Nico found his will wavering. The boy looked excited. "Yeah, I suppose you can," said Nico quietly. "When would you like to come over?" "How does Saturday night suit you?" "I suppose that would be ok." "Wow, Raf, if it's that much of a mission I'm sure that we can manage in my flat. Don't sound too enthusiastic." Nico looked up, but Christian was smiling mischievously. "No, sorry Christian, you guys are seriously welcome. I was just thinking of those murders you said happened. I still can't really believe it." "Oh well, you grow up in sunny South Africa and you sort of get used to crime and violence. It's not really that big a deal to be honest." Nico smiled wanly at the siblings across the table from him. If only they knew what he was really thinking. They continued chatting for a while, Bianca doing most the talking with Christian adding in a few comments. Nico mostly sat silently, contemplating the two. How he sometimes wished he was like them. So young and free, at liberty to do as they pleased. He had gotten to know the two over the last few weeks and he realised that even their most urgent desires were relatively pure compared to his own. Even if they gave up everything in pursuit of that which they craved, they would still be good people. Nico would have given anything to be like that. Over the last few years, Nico had found himself walking a tight rope between what he wanted and what he knew was right. Instead of it becoming easier, as he had hoped, however, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain his balance. It was as if his very nature cried out against the lifestyle of moderation he was trying so hard to live. After a while, the trio stood up, all ready to head back to class. Christian still had another free period and had decided to walk over to the library to get some research done for one of his other subjects. Nico and Bianca had French together in the next period so started walking to the building where their class was to be held. Nico walked in silence and Bianca seemed taken with all the people and sights around them. She casually slipped her arm around Nico's and the two of them kept walking. "You look really different since you came back from Italy, Raf. Are you sure everything is ok?" The concern in her voice and face made Nico feel a pang of guilt. "Yeah, thanks Bianca. I promise I'm ok. We just had some really heavy family problems to sort out. It's nothing too serious at the moment, but if you knew my family, they tend to blow things out of proportion and overreact. They don't like to be out of control of anything." "Well, whatever it is, Raf, you know that you can talk to me, right? Even Christian. I know that he looks all cool and energetic and happy, but I promise you he's been through some tough times. I know that he's my younger brother, but he actually has some amazing insights sometimes. He thinks a lot about life." The comment surprised Nico. Bianca was right, Christian did come across as the type of person who always had a smile on his face and who looked like death itself couldn't rob him of his easy going personality and happy nature. That Bianca said otherwise was startling. "What do you mean Bianca?" "Well, he went through some awful stuff as a kid. He didn't always exactly fit in. At school, he was a bit of a rebel and got into a lot of trouble with my parents. But it's not really my place to tell you, Raf. I don't like speaking of it because I don't think Christian likes people knowing about it. But I'm just saying whatever family problems you have, maybe talk to Christian about it. He's had his fair share of them and he's got a much more sensitive personality than it looks like." As they had been talking, the two of them had come to the building where their class was. With a few minutes to spare, they quickly walked into the building and into the lecture room, quickly taking their seats and readying themselves for their lecture. As they were rummaging through their bags for the right books, Nico stole a sideways glance at Bianca. She really was a stunning girl with her beautiful blond, almost white hair. Her golden skin seemed to glow , even now in the middle of winter. With some irritation, Nico again noticed the stirring start in his groin. ******************* Hey guys, it seems like I just keep apologising for not writing fast enough! I've had weddings, skiing trips and a bunch of other things that have kept me busy. But I do write at least a little each night. Here's the next chapter, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE STILL READING!!!! Any comments, discussions, ideas, hints or suggestions would be more than welcome! Lemme know what you guys think is happening and where the story is headed! Anyway, hope everyone's have an awesome Christmas and is going to have an even better New Years. Checkya guys! Luca. lucawarberg@gmail.com P.S. If anyone has the email address of the author of Blood Red Moon, please pass it on, I would really like to contact him!!!