Page 30 of Resurrection
Seiran couldn’t recall ever using Gabe’s abilities before. Was that normal? They hadn’t been bound long before Gabe’s sanity had begun to unravel. Maybe he’d already been so far gone he hadn’t realized they could share power. Something else he’d have to inquire of the vampires in his life. He couldn’t recall any of the texts mentioning it, but most detailed very little about the Focus bond.
In fact, in history, the Focus bond had seemed to have risen from an upgrade to the feeding bond. A vampire accidentally binding someone they’d been feeding on for a long time. Which shifted the dynamic and gave vampires the ability to move around more in the daylight and among humanity. Perks of being tied to a mortal being, and maybe not the only ones.
Workers arriving to clean up the glass and repair the window created too much noise for Seiran to think. He had a dozen questions at least, and tried to write them down so as not to forget.
The fact that Page was hovering over Gabe, offering an ice pack and kind words, stirred a wave of jealousy to fill Seiran’s gut.
Not fair. Gabe wasn’t really his, even though they were bound. He hadn’t expected Gabe to be able to shift the earth energy so easily. Another thing he’d had no idea a vampire could do without actually being a witch.
The more power Seiran drew, the more the vampire seemed to spread it outwards, channeling it, and rather than using it, it dissipated. It was almost relaxing, a balance of the near cosmic level of strength that Seiran had battled to control for the past decade and a half.
The fact that the power recognized Gabe, hadn’t fought him at all, that was unnerving. The earth touched the bond between them and seemed to sayI approveand turned off the fighting instinct. Seiran had an overwhelming urge to submit.
And wasn’t that an unwelcome feeling, but natural? He’d spent so long being strong and independent, that he really hadn’t let himself relax. Not that he thought the vampire was safe. Gabe had proven he wasn’t years ago, and even if things had changed, the lack of control he exhibited worried Seiran.
The reaction of the golem worried him too. It seemed linked to Gabe, and hadn’t he said something about it feeling like a vampire? The files Seiran found were numerous, but none of which his department had looked into. Missing vampires, murdered vampires, vampires in general, got cast off to Max and his people. The Dominion, and especially MI, was too short staffed to keep up with it all. Seiran had been fighting for years to expand the department, trying to push the idea of catching a witch before they were too far gone and had to be terminated. He had always hated being part of the cog in that murder machine.
But when he matched up the pictures of those the golem had showed him yesterday, he found vampire profiles. Missing vampires, rather than human. He’d been right, and a rock sat in his gut over the idea that he’d probably have to hand this whole thing off to Sam, which might mean the end of the golem, but not the magic that created it.
“Enough, Page,” Seiran snapped as his assistant continued to hover around Gabe. “He’s fine.”
All but one of the students were on their way back in. Seiran argued with the family of the last one for a while, threatening his meager legal abilities to have witches detained and jailed for unauthorized use of magic. He hated using that one, as it was very broad, and mostly useless as he couldn’t get the police to actually exercise warrants against witches and would have to bring the guy in himself.
“Find those books I asked for,” Seiran commanded, needing Page out of his space or away from his vampire for the moment.Hisvampire. Fuck.
“Of course, Director Rou,” Page did a little half bow and rushed off to the archives.
Gabe had kept his distance, sitting in the chair beside the reception desk while the maintenance crew cleaned up glass and measured windows. He hadn’t spoken to anyone, but had allowed Page to fuss over him a little. His eyes were green, not black, which Seiran hoped to mean that the man had control and wasn’t losing himself to the revenant.
He debated just pulling Gabe to the side bathroom and giving him blood. Would that solve this mess? A hungry vampire always created issues. But he shouldn’t be hungry. Not after having blood this morning. Vampires, especially the older ones like Gabe, didn’t need much blood or all that often. Max had indicated Gabe had fed on shifters, and then the blood from the fridge.
Heshouldn’tbe hungry. The idea that he was, really worried Seiran. He could put Gabe back in the ground. But he was also pretty sure it would break something in him. The last strands of hope perhaps.
Seiran grabbed his laptop and files, needing to head upstairs to handle the interviews of the two students who were coming back. Could Gabe wander the main area of the Dominion halls? Would the sunlight be too much? Or the many wards layered across the building over decades? Would they accept Gabe like they did Seiran because of Seiran’s power? He had gotten into the bowels of the building just fine, and Seiran’s wards had paused, looking him over, before letting him through. Maybe?
He approached Gabe slowly, watching the vampire’s body language for any sign of trouble. But he seemed relaxed, though he held the ice pack to his jaw, which was slightly discolored. Healing. But Seiran had hit him really hard.
“I’m sorry,” Seiran said. “I didn’t really mean to…”
“It was my fault,” Gabe replied. “I overstepped.”
He had, but that hadn’t meant extreme violence was necessary. “I could have pulled away any time,” Seiran admitted. The feeling of being pinned to the cabinets, the familiar weight of Gabe pressed against him had awakened a longing in him. He’d been frozen at first, debating on whether or not Gabe was in control, or the beast within him. But either way, it turned him on.
He could hear Sam’s snark now,Who’s a kinky bastard now, Ronnie?
Seiran was too old and world weary to be kinky. But yeah, it had been hard to tamp down on the desire to let Gabe have his way. It wasn’t even about forgiveness as much as the fact that Gabe didn’t remember him. Did that mean Seiran was just some witch he couldn’t wait to eat? And maybe fuck. Okay, those things turned him on too. Seiran let out a long breath and prayed Gabe wasn’t smelling his desire.
“Still,” Gabe said, “I know better. My control should be better.”
“Is it because you haven’t had my blood?” Other than the small taste in the kitchen this morning, which seemed like a lifetime ago, though it had only been a few hours.
“Maybe?” Gabe shrugged. “My brain is still catching up on everything. Lots of holes to be filled in.”
“What if having my blood fills it all in at once?” Seiran asked. “Maybe we should just get it over with?” He pushed up his sleeve thinking he could handle a bite, even a painful one, which might help ease the desire a little.
Gabe swallowed hard, his eyes flashing to black again. Seiran had to fight to keep from taking a step back. “When I take you,” Gabe said slowly. “It won’t be anything toget over with.”
“I didn’t offer sex,” Seiran said quietly. A partial lie at best. Because he knew it wouldn’t take much to be steered in that direction.