Master: Crimson Read online

  “I’ve gotten as much out of you as I could. Now, it’s time for me to find my own way.”

  The older vampire could respect that. He could understand Gabriel’s thinking. Hell, he could even wish him well, if the mood so struck him. What do I give a damn whether he goes now or later? I’ve wanted him gone since the minute I laid eyes on him.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” he heard himself murmur, shocking them both with his uncharacteristic reaction. Gabriel squinted at him, a perplexed frown creasing his forehead.

  “I have to. You clearly aren’t the vampire best suited for meeting my instructional needs.”

  Raiden snickered. Instructional needs? I’d say the needs he has are beyond instructional.

  “Maybe you’re too busy worrying about your other needs to know what’s best for you,” he quipped, point-blank gesturing to the actor’s crotch. Gabriel had the grace enough to look momentarily abashed.

  “Are you asking me to stay?” The younger vampire’s eyes softened, though his voice did not.

  The older vampire’s heart raced, choking him. “Of course not. You and I both know the day you walk out of my life, we’ll both be better off,” Raiden declared. Immediately, he felt ashamed. They had come past this point and he knew it. There was really no reason for him to be deliberately cruel anymore. I’ve gotta be the meanest son-of-a-bitch I know.

  Gabriel looked away from him, shoulders drooping. In the waning light, he looked like a weary ghost. When he spoke next, his voice was strained, and overflowing. “We can’t keep this up, Raiden. We can’t keep—doing this—”

  “Speak for yourself!” He yelled, stepping forward to shake his creation’s shoulders. Raiden’s heart was on a rampage, rushing against his ribcage. Gabriel didn’t react to the contact, instead gazing somewhere past his head.

  “I can’t do this anymore! I won’t. After tonight, you’re on your own,” the younger vampire whispered, burying his face into the singer’s freshly-shampooed hair. Raiden clutched his shoulders, seemingly unable to control his hands from holding Gabriel’s body tightly to him. This absurd rush of emotion was crippling him. It’s been years since…

  “I’ve always been alone,” Raiden said. He moved his hands from the actor’s shoulders, down his torso to grip his hips.

  Gabriel stiffened. “Good for you.”

  He moved his mouth to his creation’s ear, lightly nipping the skin; he left not a single mark.

  “Brie…” he groaned, licking the rim of Gabriel’s ear.

  Their cocks pressed flush against each other; Raiden’s knees buckled. There was a heady sensation in his skull, as if he were high on some new fabulous drug that only rich kids and their richer parents could afford. Gabriel’s weight against him was unbearably warm, but somehow, he wanted it warmer. He wanted to strip them both of all their clothes, tie the younger vampire to the nearest piece of furniture, and fuck the life out of him. Still, none of those were viable options. Instead, he settled for his original plan. Pressing his lips close to Gabriel’s cheek, he resumed his normal speaking voice.

  “Go fuck yourself.”

  Immediately, Gabriel tore himself away from Raiden’s body. His eyes held too many levels of emotion for Raiden to grasp.

  “Raiden, why do you hate me so much? Why do you let me stay here, why do you attempt to teach me things, if you hate me SO MUCH?” Gabriel screamed. He threw his arms out in supplication. Clearly, he had reached his breaking point for the evening.

  Raiden relented. I’ve got some affection for the kid, after all. “Because I only hate you a little.”

  Then they were laughing, yukking it up as if they hadn’t just come close to breaking, as if their bodies and brains weren’t trembling with the force of holding back some curious, devastating emotion. Thankfully, the tension between them eased.

  Raiden was the first to break their unexpected fit of hysteria. “The bloodsuckers’ bus leaves in two minutes. Are you on it or not?”

  Gabriel seemed to consider this prospect for far too long before he responded. “As I told you, tonight’s the last night.”

  “The last,” the singer agreed. He was unable to process the reality of Gabriel’s impending departure from his life. It can wait. At the present, they needed to hunt for fresh blood.

  “Oh, and we can arrange all the movie details some time next week. I don’t have the strength to talk about it tonight.”

  Raiden raised an eyebrow. Movie details? He decided to ignore that particular subject, at least for the time being. There were, nevertheless, more pressing matters upon which to focus. As if sensing his impatience, Gabriel slipped on the black raincoat loaned to him since the night of their first kill together. After a slight hesitation, he grabbed the singer’s slicker from the coat rack and held it out for him. When he tried to take it, however, Gabriel withdrew it.

  Bewildered, Raiden looked at him. “What’s the big idea?”

  “Just turn around,” the actor insisted.

  The older vampire continued to suspiciously regard him for another instant before obliging.

  “You’re not going to try to knock me down or—” His words crumpled up like paper inside his mouth. Gabriel had carefully slipped one of Raiden’s arms into his coat. Not sensing any resistance, he then gently coaxed the other arm inside its matching sleeve. Raiden was dumbfounded. Why would he…?

  “Let’s go,” Gabriel urged, opening the door, leaving a flustered Raiden in his wake.

  “Sure,” he muttered. He almost forgot to lock the door behind him. Gabriel’s gesture of kindness had unlocked a small box of discarded emotion inside his chest. Once he peered within that Pandora’s Box, however, Raiden could never return. For the sake of many things, he decided not to look. This time.

  Chapter 14

  The Jump

  Deception blooms below the surface.

  I want to tell you;

  Yet again, words have renounced me.

  The homeless man wandered through the jungle of the junkyard, stopping every now and again to scrutinize a potential prize. Raiden sniffed the air for the umpteenth time, as yet detecting no other humans. Good. This should be easy, then. The man slowly shuffled through the graveyard of rotting vehicles, his outline bathed in moonlight. Raiden’s eyes were trained to the vagrant, fixated upon his every motion, waiting for the right time to spring. Gabriel stayed close beside him, writhing fitfully, fangs fully lowered. The older vampire tore his eyes away from their target, sensing that the actor was practically swooning with hunger. I know all too well how that feels. Without thinking, Raiden gripped his shoulder, fashioning comfort with a soothing grasp.

  Heartbeats rapidly accelerated. Gabriel turned to him, famishment masking the true intent of his lingering stare. Oh, Brie. You can’t hide from me. Raiden’s bloodlust roared, raging through his veins, muting the sound of his harried heart.

  “It’s almost time,” he whispered. Those were the first words either of them had uttered since their painstaking car ride to the outskirts of town. During the trek, the younger vampire had remained uncharacteristically closed-mouthed; he had posed not a single question about their intended destination. At first, Raiden welcomed the silence, since he was still trying to process the fact that his creation wanted to leave him. Tonight, it’s fuck you and farewell. The singer refused to panic. More importantly, he refused to let those pesky human emotions get the best of him.

  After about half an hour of driving, he parked the car close to a remote section of woods, mutely gesturing for Gabriel to follow him on foot. Much to his astonishment, the actor wordlessly obliged; he hadn’t even probed Raiden for the reason why they were walking in the woods, or where they were going. They had walked for over a mile before finally reaching the junkyard, and yet not once did Gabriel attempt to manifest in order to speed their progress. In fact, he had remained virtually soundless, except for the barely discernible beating of his heart.

  Now, Raiden started to fret. During all of their oth
er encounters, Gabriel had consistently refused to follow him with blind obedience. Though at the time, the older vampire had wanted nothing more than subservience from his student, this new, lemming-like version of Gabriel alarmed him. Raiden almost wished his creation would challenge him, if only to provide a sense of normalcy to their situation. In spite of everything, he couldn’t yet adjust himself to the fact that the actor would soon disappear from his life. At any rate, he deemed himself partially responsible for Gabriel’s fate. Though he sometimes loathed the vampire he had created, he more often than not felt an absurd amount of affection for his progeny. After all, I claimed him.

  The bum moved deeper into the forest of cars piled haphazardly on top of each other. He would be out of sight in another few seconds. But there’s still time. Unconsciously, Raiden loosened his hold, unable to restrain himself from lightly tracing the side of Gabriel’s neck. Mine. Panting, his creation tensed at the touch. Raiden ceased his administrations, not wanting him to make a fuss.

  “Brie, listen—”

  Without warning, the younger vampire swooped forward, manifesting toward the bum’s retreating back. Before Raiden had time to fully process the situation, Gabriel had pounced. The vagrant lay vanquished on the ground, unconscious and barely breathing. Damn. The older vampire allowed himself a moment to reflect upon how rapidly his student had sharpened his predatory instincts. Pride bubbled in his chest, but he dared not show it. Besides, it’s high time to feast.

  He hurriedly manifested at the scene, savoring the scent of the fresh blood Gabriel had already spilled. So much for manners. A splinter of annoyance sullied his anticipation.

  “Thanks for waiting, Gabriel. You know how much I like the first gush…”

  His voice swallowed itself. The actor’s whole face was already drenched in blood. His eyes had all but disappeared, leaving naught but two narrow slits. As he fed, coarse whimpers and blatant moans escaped his parted lips. He was so unabashedly vocal, Raiden felt like he was intruding upon something more intimate than a mere meal. If Gabriel minded his staring, though, he gave not the slightest inkling. He slurped his supper, too transfixed by its taste to notice Raiden’s scrutiny. The older vampire inhaled. The copper-rich air ignited his craving to indulge. He remembered Gabriel’s delicious flavor trickling down his throat, reviving his senses; awakening them in ways he had never even imagined. After tonight, though, you won’t get the chance to taste him again.

  At that, Raiden experienced a substantial prickle of hurt. Ignoring it, he licked his lips and bent down to open the opposite side of the bum’s neck. However, he hesitated. Brie hasn’t fed in a week. He needs this more than I do. He released the bum’s neck, grabbing an arm before he could change his mind. If he only fed from the wrist, then Gabriel could continue to monopolize the majority of the feed. Since when do I take sloppy seconds? He was shocked by his generosity; restraining himself in such a manner was abnormal. His appetite protested his restraint. Don’t worry about him, a sneaky, thirsting voice spoke. Just take care of yourself.

  Raiden almost listened. However, as he watched Gabriel eagerly slurp the rich liquid, he instantly decided that charitable deference would be his best course of action. Common sense told him to stop being a softie, to buck up and take as much as he could before his student stole it all. Still, his heart simply wouldn’t allow himself the luxury of selfishness. Delicately, he punctured the victim’s wrist, sucking small bits of blood from it. The ominous cloud of guilt hovering over him since Gabriel’s change had only darkened with time; just this once, Raiden sacrificed his egotism for someone else’s sake. Well, I won’t have to worry about that for much longer. After tonight, he’ll be history. Abruptly, his chest ached.

  The younger vampire suddenly paused; for one breathless moment, Raiden feared his feelings had become transparent.

  “Raiden, stop dicking around with his arm and take some from his neck. I’m about to finish him off if you don’t hurry up and get on this.”

  The singer’s eyebrows shot to the sky. He’s starting to sound more and more like me. Secretly, he was impressed by Gabriel’s unguarded sassiness. He much preferred it to the trademark stilted speech; it lent his creation far more appeal. On some sub-conscious level, though, Raiden could admit that the actor’s usual fusty verbiage was charming—in an annoying sort of way.

  “Nah, you go ahead. I ate three times this week, anyway.”

  Gabriel’s glutton-glazed eyes regarded him for a long second, any emotion within them obscured by the murkiness of primordial hunger; without further ado, he returned to avidly stuffing his face. Raiden watched him out of the corner of an eye, both amused and slightly concerned. He’s sucking that shit down like it’s his last meal. The thought reminded him again of his creation’s impending departure. Alone, a phantom from his past whispered. You’ll always be alone. Through lowered lashes, Raiden continued to observe Gabriel’s feeding, horrified to realize that he missed him already.

  * * * *

  They sat in the backseat of a Cadillac—a rarity for Japan, but tonight, the car-gods had been kind. The homeless man’s body was propped up in the passenger seat. Gabriel frowned at the hacksaw Raiden had thrust into his hand.

  “What’s this for?”

  “You drew the short straw.”

  “Which means what?”

  The older vampire regarded him with disbelief. In all the times they had dined together, Raiden had always found creative ways in which to cover their tracks; Gabriel had never once offered to give him a hand. This time, it wasn’t actually necessary to slice and dice, but he had an ulterior motive for assigning the task to his protégé.

  “What it means, my sweet, is that you have won the thrilling duty of taking our victim apart.”

  The younger vampire blanched, despite all the blood he had just imbibed. “No way.”

  Raiden had expected as much. Still, he feigned ignorance. “Why are you angsting out on me?” The singer complained. He donned the most innocent expression his face could fake. Gabriel abruptly dropped the hacksaw.

  “Must you always belittle my emotions?” He whined, massaging his temples.

  Raiden tittered. “When you put it that way, yes.”

  “Forgive me, but I must abstain from cheerfully mutilating our latest victim. The pleasure is all yours.” Gabriel nodded at the hacksaw.

  Raiden adopted an air of confusion. “How can you abstain from something you haven’t ever actually done?”

  The actor’s mouth tightened. “I’ll leave the dirty work in your capable hands.”

  The older vampire snatched up the hacksaw. “You have to learn how to do this right if you want to survive on your own, remember?”

  They shared a long, lingering look. Raiden, feeling short of breath, broke the silence. “Take it, Gabriel.”

  “There’s no way I’m doing this.”

  “Then there’s no way you can survive on your own.”

  “I don’t have to live by the rules you’ve created, Raiden. I’m sure I’ll come up with an alternate solution to chopping people up. Maybe I won’t even drink human blood,” Gabriel declared, hope shining in his eyes.

  Raiden almost pitied him. After all, his recollections of the past were still very much alive. He knew firsthand just how ineffective the younger vampire’s diet would prove. “Yeah, have fun with that. After about a week of feeding on animals, you’ll be so sick, you’ll probably beg for my forgiveness.”

  “Forgiveness for what?”

  For leaving me too soon. “Forget it,” Raiden dismissed. He didn’t care to explain himself, since the truth would surely reveal his secret vulnerability. Gabriel sucked his thumb, moistening the dried blood beneath his nail to prolong the high he had gained from feeding.

  “What you say about animals…that could be true, Raiden. I may get sick, but it’s like this: I’d rather take my own life than follow in your footsteps. You have absolutely no sympathy for our victims.”

  Raiden laughed. The obviou
s hypocrisy in Gabriel’s statement was just too hilarious.

  “You’re awfully compassionate for a murderer. I didn’t see you complaining about tonight’s tragic loss of life.”

  Gabriel’s nostrils flared. Angrily, he pointed at the hacksaw. “I should use that on you.”

  Raiden rolled his eyes. “Yeah, lot of good it would do. I’d just have one more reason to kick your ass into submission.”

  A furious blush emerged on his student’s cheeks. “Arrogant bastard.”

  “Oh, Brie. You’re so adorable when you’re angry,” Raiden cooed, poking the tip of his nose. Gabriel grabbed the older vampire’s finger.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Don’t pretend that you don’t like it.”

  Gabriel growled, grabbing the back of Raiden’s head, pulling him close. Inhaling the fragrance of the actor’s neck, he groaned softly, feeling no pain except for an arousing ache in his jeans. Gabriel’s hand tangled comfortably in his hair; for a moment, neither of them moved, too caught up in the scandal of their proximity. One of Gabriel’s legs started to shake, so Raiden automatically reached over to subdue its fretful movements. The younger vampire blinked stupidly, then looked down; first staring at the singer’s hand on his thigh, then squirming with obvious enjoyment. His face purpled as Raiden’s eyes traced his inflamed arousal. Gazing at Gabriel’s erection, Raiden took a tiny, tight sip of air. The swollen length jutted from his creation’s groin, sheathed but obviously of a decent size. His covetous hands itched to hold it.

  Raiden had never really entertained the notion of dabbling in homosexuality, but Gabriel was different. The attraction denied reason, logic and everything rational. Raiden knew one thing: the actor was undeniably his for the taking. Ultimately, they were just torturing each other until someone submitted. Well, it sure as hell won’t be me. In the end, I’m still the master. Reassured, he manifested in the driver’s seat, hearing Gabriel’s almost-sigh of disappointment. You and I both, buddy.