4
Rebellion
Nik awoke the next night feeling markedly better than he had before. The thumping was present but it was not angry, instead calm and consistent.
He felt lighter and freer almost. It took him a moment, but he realized that he was at the later stages of his transition now, as his mortality was slipping further and further away.
He smiled at the blonde pureblood wrapped around him. No longer was he constrained by the wretched feelings that had led to his demise, but instead to his own free will and interests.
A part of him in the back of his head denied that, but he chose to ignore it.
He glanced at the first bed to see his daughter missing. He let loose his senses to scan the house and located her with a tired Fitzgerald and an annoyed Onoe.
Nik let out small laugh, stirring the pureblood from his sleep. Before he fully came awake, Nik took his limp cock in his hand and pumped down it’s length till it hardened and caused the blonde to groan.
Nik rolled the vampire onto his back and straddled his waist, holding his tip at his wet entrance with a mischievous smile before slowly sinking down to encompass his shaft in one smooth move.
The pureblood let loose another groan and grabbed onto the incubus’ hips, guiding Nik in his movements.
Nik leaned over and took hold of the blonde’s chin, embracing his lips with his own.
He took it slow, not really feeling as desperate as he had the night before. The lure took a backseat, only serving to amplify the relieving pleasure.
Alec thrusted against him and Nik sighed as he felt the constricting feeling in his chest fade more and more.
The pureblood flipped them over and Nik spread his legs to provide him with better access. He pulled out only to thrust back in a moment later, fully seating himself within the ex-hunter heir before pulling out once more.
Nik let out a slow breath and kissed Alec lightly. The blonde smiled against his lips and thrust again, satisfied when he felt the incubus gasp.
A knock sounded at the door and Alec pouted, “Do I have to answer that?”
Nik pecked him lightly, “Yes.”
Alec slipped out of him with a grunt and they both sighed at the loss.
He stood up and, without pulling on any clothes, he opened the door wide open. Outside was a blushing Hugo and a tired looking Valentine, both of them silent.
Alec scanned Hugo’s features. He nodded, “Definitely a descendent of my wife and I.”
A look of shock came over Clement’s face and the blonde pureblood laughed at the expression.
“What? Surprised?” Alec teased, “I assure you, I am much older than I look.”
Nik stepped into the picture as well, not even bothering to cover up his feminine form. Valentine’s eyes widened ever so slightly and Nik cast him a small smile.
Nik turned toward the gaping Clement.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where my daughter is, would you?”
Hugo closed his mouth and seemed to tightly keep his eyes on level with Nik’s. Alec laughed again, “Oh, he is most definitely a descendent of mine.”
He looked both at Nik then at Valentine, “He has good taste, much better than my first son.”
Hugo blushed again while Valentine sputtered, but seemed determined to give them his message, “We’re all going to eat together tonight, Lord Lockhart has an announcement to give us.”
Nik nodded and cast him a kind smile, “We’ll be there.”
Alec lifted a brow at him, “We will?”
Nik repeated his words, “We will.”
Hugo nodded and grabbed the still sputtering Valentine, never looking back as he made his way back to the sitting room downstairs.
Alec pulled Nik back into the room and watched as he pulled out underwear and a pale blue dress before throwing him dark colored jeans and a black dress shirt.
He smirked at the clothes, “How’d you guess?”
“You don’t strike me as the suit wearing type of guy.” Nik shrugged, tugging on the clothes after fastening the bra into place.
Alec was buttoning his shirt by the time Nik slid on the dress.
“My,” Alec stated, “One might accuse you of actually being a lady.”
Nik smirked at him in return, “You know the truth, however.”
They walked down into the sitting room, where the nobles and Holly awaited the last arrivals.
Holly ran up to them. She scanned Alec with suspicious eyes before deeming him well enough and tugging his jeans to get his attention.
He cast her a wide smile and knelt down to greet her.
“I’m Holly,” the little girl said.
“I’m Alec,” he returned and she laughed.
“Are you one of my father’s lovers?” she giggled and the Aristocrats looked shocked at the idea that she knew of Nik’s escapades.
Alec winked at the young girl and she winked back.
His daughters had never been that approachable, only one of them was ever what one would classify as ‘warm’. The boys were far kinder, but still colder than their father by spades.
Nik smiled at them both and looked up when he spotted the Nobles look behind them at the doorway. Alec sensed the presence of the Lockharts as well and stood up to face the two. Holly glared at the two from behind her father, her apparent liking of Theia having been disregarded.
She knew more than she was letting on, Nik knew. Probably more than he did.
Elijah was dressed impeccably as always, with Theia latched onto his arm. She wore a pale yellow dress that warmed her somewhat hollowed eyes, but beside that she looked incredibly happy.
Nik knew he should have felt something then, but all he felt was boredom when he looked at the siblings. Isabelle must feel this, too. It was almost as if both of them had lost their importance in Nik’s eyes, and the incubus knew that they would quickly become inconvenient burdens that he would soon shake off or end them completely.
Funny, how the pain he had felt hours ago wasn’t even a thought now.
He knew he should have at the least cared for Elijah as the father of his future children, but all he felt was this great sense of annoyance while he awaited his announcement.
They followed the siblings into the dining room with Akira sitting beside Takuma and Holly sitting in between Alec and Nik, facing Fitzgerald. Each Lockhart at at the ends of the table with Theia’s happiness growing at Nik’s detached look.
Elijah’s impenetrable mask was in place as always, with not a glance being sent Nik’s way.
Alec frowned at the coldness, but a smugness was in his eyes as he glanced at the Lockhart pureblood prince. He was sure that Elijah would find out about the incubus’ pregnancy, but the white haired male appeared to care very little about the prospect.
He had won Nik over, and damn him he actually cared for the incubus. He was not so stupid to think they would last for longer than the incubus valued him, however. But he would enjoy his presence for as long as it lasted.
He caught hold of the snowy haired incubus’ eyes and saw a spark of excitement light up his eyes. He wanted to cause trouble, no doubt.
They ate their meal in silence, his eyes spying the red meat on Nik’s plate. He knew very well what that meant and knew that he would be able to feed tonight as well off the unsuspecting humans that fell into their hold.
He almost hardened at the possibility. He hadn’t tasted human blood after his return to the waking world, though Nik’s tasted far better than any garden variety human would.
As they finished their meal Elijah drew their attention.
“Theia and I are officially engaged as of last night.” The vampire prince announced and congratulations were given to the sibling couple.
Nikolai gave a soft smile, though Alec could quickly tell that he was growing bored. It took half an hour but eventually the dining room’s occupants dispersed into the rest of the house, leaving only the Lockhart couple and Alec as well as Nik, Holly having left to hang around with her noble friends.
Theia approached Nikolai first and the incubus grew annoyed at the intrusion. Her happy aura clashed with his calmly detached one, and he knew he should have been more than a little annoyed with the girl.
He bit back a cruel smile, “Congrats,Theia.”
Elijah looked at Volkov for the first time that evening, his eyes analyzing the annoyed incubus as he searched for any hint of genuine feeling.
He wanted the former hunter angry, distraught even, though he knew that it wouldn’t have done anything to sway him from his decision. His gaze roamed the delicate frame of the effeminate creature, only stopping when Theia turned back to face him, done with her conversation with Nikolai.
Alec appeared to have caught him looking and the blonde’s lips curled in a smug smirk. He grabbed hold of Volkov, steering them away and toward the front door.
Elijah beat down a grimace as he heard the inviting whisper Alec cast the silver haired former hunter.
“What do you think about going into town? I’m sure there must be fun to be had somewhere.”
The next few hours blended together in a pleasing red haze for the incubus. Inviting hands and sweet desperation clung to the humans that crossed him, soothing an awakening desire for blood.
Their lives flickered after their first contact with his flesh, dying out completely at the third and final even as they desperately ate at the flesh of their fellows.
He felt Alec chuckle as they fucked in the blood filled scene.
They were in a larger town than the last one, and had lured his prey to a dilapidated manor where their bodies would lay till the police tracked them all to here. Nik knew that Elijah would react poorly when he knew of their transgressions, but he couldn’t will himself to care.
He was interested in seeing how far he could push the pureblood, however.
He felt his form shudder before a moment later expanding another inch and a half to accommodate the lives he held. The thumping was steady and sustained, as if they had lost interest as well in the scene.
Nik did not stop, feasting till only his lover remained and they were both saturated with the blood of the dead around them.
A soft smile made its way onto his features, his rolling hips slowing. Blood dripped down his waist from long silver pink-stained locks, and he leant down to slowly lick his way up Alec’s neck, biting deep when the blonde groaned.
Blood filled his mouth, the taste a strong amaretto. It filled him, though his thoughts turned bitter as he realized that this was not what he craved.
He threw out his senses and his lure to pull more victims into the fray to compensate.
Chaos can be just as filling, I suppose.
Elijah scanned the pages before him, wanting to be sure, though knowing that the only way to be sure was to consult the incubus himself.
He breathed out a sigh.
This would cause him trouble, if it were true.
Children.
A flash of a small hand clutching his finger, a slight tug on his hair, and then a gurgle of a laugh. His youngest lay sleeping in a small crib beside the bed while an exhausted woman rested within.
He stood in the doorway till an older child tugged on his pants, forcing him to look down at her. She differed in appearance from her siblings and Elijah in that her eyes and features were all like that of her mother, a clear blue that lit up whenever she was happy.
She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him into another room where two other children were gathered around a table eating under the stern gaze of his closest friend. Her eyes followed the children’s movements before turning to meet his own. As always, her veil obscured his view of her, but he noticed her slight smile all the same.
The children looked up from their food and rushed him, joyous smiles on their faces.
The girl cast them a stern look and they slowed at her stare.
He gave a soft smile at the girl, “Marie, that is unnecessary.”
She pouted at him but nodded. “Yes, Papa.”
He patted her lightly and she let up her gaze on her siblings.
Benjamin was the first to speak, his voice excited. “When can we meet Hannah, Papa?”
“Soon.” he told his son and Ben took on his sister’s pout, with his twin following his manner.
Maddox dropped the pout quickly and flicked his thick hair out of his eyes. It needed to be cut again.
Elijah took the twins by his hands and led them to their bedroom while his friend put Marie to bed.
They changed their clothes and he placed them in bed, tucking them in quietly. The twins were silent as well, relaxing as dawn made it’s way across the sky. They blinked up at him, their crimson colored eyes hazy with sleep.
He sat beside them for a time till their breathing slowed, each of them curled around the other. It was scary how deeply they relied on one another, and he dreaded the day they would be separated. It would not be a good day for anyone in their family, even if it was only for a small time.
Maddox would rely on Marie then, they would never be separated from each other at least. The two children had made that decision for themselves.
Elijah stood from the bed, tracing his steps back through the door and into the bedroom he had shared with his wife. She was still asleep, her blue eyes closed with her auburn hair blanketing the pillows she laid her head upon.
She was kind, and a well-enough mother, but she did not fulfill his need for company. Her words were soothing and gentle, but never warm, and never over-familiar. He had once looked for that in women, but in those that he found interesting were too often human, as his kind were few and far between.
One day he would pull them together, so that they may know in full of their race’s existence. And not simply as a mutant of the human’s own.
One day.
Kaname came out of the brief vision confused and annoyed. Another flash of his old life, as it began to bleed into this one. He should have known by the blonde pureblood’s arrival and accusation that he could not simply shove his emerging memories aside, but he had tried his best to regardless.
Children, he had some of his own. He hadn’t thought that he had something holding him to that life at all, but he had, though they were probably long gone now.
He thought back to the twins, grimacing as his past actions began to haunt him. They had never been separated for long, even going so far at to raise their own children within the same home.
He thought of Volkov. He had a twin once, one whose life had meant nothing to Elijah, and certainly not his death either.
Demetri Volkov had just been another pawn in his plan to have his sister rejoin him, alongside his brother, who had been the only survivor between the two. He had left Nikolai alone, even when he had wanted to simply end the teen, for Theia and her soft heart.
Kaname could only ponder what the younger male had done that had led him to change into something that valued human lives even less than vampires did. Perhaps he had been forced to, or he had not known what he was getting into. Somehow, he couldn’t picture Nikolai willingly going to the succubus with the desire to be turned.
The scent of blood blew in from the open window and he spotted a shirtless bloody Clementine stepping away from the trees while a horrific looking Volkov held onto his hand. Elijah made his way outside before they stepped onto the front porch.
Nikolai blinked at him absently as he approached the pair. Alec cast the bloody incubus a pout, before releasing him and leaving them to themselves.
Elijah’s brow rose as he took in the other’s appearance. Blood caked on his pale flesh and red tinted each strand of his long white hair, leaving only his dress relatively clean. Lumps of...meat clung to his skin, covering the incubus in the stench of death as opposed to sex.
Nikolai followed his gaze to his arm before smiling softly.
“It appears I need to get cleaned up.” he stated.
Elijah stepped forward, flicking off the unsightly accoutrements. He grabbed hold of Volkov’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.
“What happened?” he questioned and Nikolai smiled jubilantly in response.
“Things got a little messy,” he declared and he pouted when he saw the anger making its
way into the other’s stare.
Nikolai dropped his expression, choosing to keep silent till the pureblood spoke again. He did not have to wait long.
“Are you pregnant?” Elijah asked him and Volkov tilted his face to inspect the pureblood’s features.
“And if I am?”
Lockhart stilled, the mask falling into place once again and for once Nik could not read what was beneath it. A cold feeling settled in his stomach as he awaited the pureblood’s response. Though he noticed Lockhart’s hold on him hadn’t roughened or tightened at all.
The thumping beat stronger at the detached touch. His skin felt taut over his bump and his breathing slowed drastically. He felt a stream of blood leak out his nose. He pulled back from the vampire prince and he touched his finger to his upper lip, pulling back to confirm the fresh blood.
Nik sighed and looked back at the pureblood. “I should go wash up.”
He glimpsed the mask still over Elijah’s face as he stole away inside the manor, needing to shower to hopefully relieve the unpleasant haziness that had started to sink into his mind.
An hour later, when the sun was high in the sky, he heard a knock come from the door and he slipped out of Alec’s sleeper hold to answer the unwelcome guest. As soon as he pulled open the door the small figure burst into the still room startling the blonde awake when she began to scream at the white haired incubus.
“Why would you do this to me?” Yuki cried, her nails more like claws and her eyes red with angry tears.
Nik sighed and his head snapped to the side when she lashed out, causing him to curse his tired senses.
The skin below his eye and across his cheek burned as it busted open, sending streams of blood billowing down his lower face. The thumping was strong and he felt anger cloud his mind as he turned to glare down at the half wit who had hit him twice now, even after he had been generous enough to warn her of the consequences of such actions after the first time.
He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Alec had sat up on the bed to glare at the moron as well, though he made no move to stand, sensing Nik’s violent anger.
Theia was crying still, but she had appeared to calm herself, even going so far as to lean her head on Nik’s chest. What a stupid girl.
Nik grabbed hold of her face with surprisingly gentle hands and tilted it up to force her to look him in the eyes. Theia blinked for a moment at the cold fury that was lurking there, now beginning to notice the mistake she had made.
Perhaps it was the little lives that called out for her pain, or perhaps it was just Nik’s emerging instincts regarding those lives coming into play. Who could tell, really?
His hold on her turned painful as his nails dug into her skin, drawing red streaks across her pale jaw as well as wet tears from the pain down her face. He never withdrew his eyes, even as he leaned his face to hers.
“Theia.” he said softly, his voice taking on a dark alluring tone, one he had never used before, not even to lure in his prey. Isabelle had used such a tone a handful of times around him, usually to force someone to do whatever she willed. He had never thought that he would have felt the need.
Her breathing became ragged and her eyes took on an obedient misty effect. “Nik,”
“It would please me if you do me one favor,” he invited her and she nodded fiercely in reply.
A long thin blade manifested from the shadows behind the door, appearing in his hand. It was a silver letter opener and it would do the job quite well, he thought.
He tucked the handle into her palm, leading her all the while further into the room till they stood by the windows on the other side of the bed.
He leaned down further to whisper softly in her ear, “I want you to draw this across your throat. Slowly.”
He moved to stand behind her and tucked his own hair behind a single ear. Theia tapped the blade against the skin on her neck about to proceed.
“Deeper,” he commanded, casting a wicked smile at the blonde pureblood on the bed.
Alec sat back against the headboard and watched the scene with amused eyes. He knew that Nikolai had once loved the girl, but he could see that she meant nothing to him now. Well she was an amusement, he supposed, so that must give her some meaning.
No one had lived to cross a being like him once, let alone twice.
She breathed shallowly from her mouth, not even hissing as the silver knife broke into her delicate flesh, sending crimson rivers down her neck and onto her lacy dress. Zero licked at the crimson, humming as he took it in.
She tasted like Elijah, not the same, but similar. Her blood was sweet like the candy that she had always kept in her room when they were younger, but it had a savory taste as well, one that he knew would linger in his mouth for a while afterwards. He guided her hand to a stop, only drinking from the two inch long incision.
He heard angry footsteps stop behind the door before it was thrown open and he felt his back collide with the wall and his head with the window, shattering the glass in the process. Alec appeared at his side in the same moment, standing between the incubus and the protective elder Lockhart.
Nik felt all the anger slip away when he met the angry wine colored orbs with his own tired ones.
The thumping had become soft and weak in his body, and he touched his hand to his cheek to see blood still flowing from the wound Yuki had caused him. Fresher blood cascaded down his neck and scalp to stain the rug beneath him, and he bit back a scream as he felt multiple ribs move when he tried to lean forward.
Elijah had picked up his sister in his arms and left the room while Nik took in his injuries, his thoughts shutting the door with a sharp slam.
Alec kneeled before him, taking stock of Nikolai’s injuries himself. Fury was in his eyes at the sight of his injured lover, and he gently picked Nik up off the ground himself to take him into the bathroom.
For hours afterward, he carefully picked out the glass from the incubus’ wounds, sealing the facial wound with a few drops of blood from his hand. He carefully rinsed the blood from Zero’s scalp and hair, sighing when he saw no response from the exhausted incubus.
He hadn’t been healing and his torso was riddled with black and blue bruises that just wouldn’t fade. Nikolai let out a sharp hiss when he washed off the dried blood that had trailed down his back, but beside that said nothing.
Alec offered his neck to the incubus, cradling his body gently so as not to hurt him further. Nik bit softly, taking a handful of pulls from the wound before falling against his chest, his wounds not healing, his bruises not fading. Alec felt his anger spark at the fucktard who would harm the one who bore his own children. Once a dickhead, always a fucking dickhead.
He carried Nikolai back into the bedroom, tucking the pale incubus into the bed before turning to clean up the broken glass.
Hours later he heard the bathroom door shut softly as he laid in the bed, before the water in the shower sprung on. His hand ran over his face, squeezing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
Bad fucking move, Clementine. It was stupid to involve yourself with an incubus in the first place, but to actually care for one? Complete full-blown idiocy. And to come between the one that fucked you up the last time you met and his pregnant lover? God…
Nik isn’t the one Lockhart wants. He wants the moron that is his ‘sister’. He even went so far as to hurt him for that bitch. Fuck, Nik didn’t deserve such shit coming from that bastard.
I am so much better but he doesn’t want me half as much. Even when he pretends not to feel anything towards Kaname, I can still sense the longing he feels for that fucker.
God fucking damnit.
The last of the glass in the window broke into pieces, leaving the room cold and filled with the rising light from the sun. He concentrated for a moment, satisfied when he heard the blinds block the light and some of the cold, and the sound of the curtains sliding closed.
What a fucking mess…
Nik let out a long breath when he ran the soap over his form softly, taking care to focus his strength on healing the bruises around his bump. The thumping was stronger now than before, but he was left feeling weak and so, so, tired.
“It’ll be fine.” he said lightly.
“You’ll be fine. You will make it though this, even when I fail to.” he carefully rubbed a hand over the bump that he couldn’t really cover up anymore. He had only been able to the past night because of the loose dress, but it had grown again when he had fed some of his remaining power to the little lives.
Nothing was satisfying him anymore, nothing. The life forces of humans meant nothing to his hunger and the only blood he really wanted was Elijah’s. Alec felt helpless, he knew, but the only thing they could do was contact Isabelle.
He’d ask Holly to when he could.
Zero stepped out of the shower, caring very little when he saw his still feminine form. His hand cradled the risen bump, feeling faint when he felt a slight tap against his palm. He hissed when he fell in front of the toilet to spew more blood that he couldn’t afford to lose into the porcelain bowl.
The door clicked open as he flushed the toilet and stood, trying to walk over to the sink before a powerful dizzy spell came over his mind and he swayed, collapsing into Alec. His breathing was harsh and his ribs moved in his chest and he groaned in pain. He didn’t feel it as Alec picked him up and took him back to the bed.
His head rolled back to fall against the blonde’s shoulder.
“Tell Holly… to call Isabelle.” he whispered and the blonde nodded, placing his lover in bed gently, careful not to jostle him as he wrapped him in a light sheet.
Alec watched him as he slept for several moments, frowning when he saw Nikolai’s skin glisten with a light sheen of sweat. He left the incubus alone then, to retrieve Holly as he had been asked.
The girl was sitting in Fitzgerald’s shared room, watching intently as Onoe poured colorful liquids into beakers and a flask or two. She looked up at his entrance into the room, hopping up to run over and hug him tightly.
“Hi, Alec!” she welcomed and he smiled at her, keeling to look her in the eyes.
“Hey, Holly. Your Dad and I need you to call your mother. He isn’t feeling very well and he needs her help.” Alec expressed, casting her a gentle smile so as not to worry her too much.
The young girl frowned but nodded all the same, taking his hand to drag him out of the room. She said her goodbyes to the cousins and he glanced Fitzgerald frown while he heard the annoying noble scoff.
They walked back into the bedroom, though not without him noticing the additional presence that had followed him back in the shadows. He glared at the annoying noble follower of Elijah’s but said nothing, shutting the door firmly behind himself, being extra sure to lock it as well.
Holly ran to her father’s bedside, crawling on top of the mattress to rest her small head on his belly. She looked up at him.
“Baby brothers are okay.” she told him before hopping off to run over to her bag.
She pulled out a candle and a tin bowl, before pulling out a red pen and paper.
“Mommy doesn’t like phones,” she said to him, “She also doesn’t like electricity. She says that ca-nand-les are so much more ro-man-tic.”
She wrote down a few words in cursive, her writing precise with a few spelling errors. After a moment, she set the pen down and the candle sprung alight and she burned the paper till it was ash. She pulled back the blinds and curtains to dump the ashes through the broken window, her little feet pattering back to the dresser to put the bowl back in her bag before crawling back up onto the bed to lay beside her father.
Nik’s skin was hot and slick with sweat, but his fingers were cold to the touch. Alec laid down beside the young girl, feeling immensely tired himself.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
