Master: Crimson Read online

Rolling his eyes in a martyred way, Raiden grabbed Taro firmly by the shoulders, fixing him with a deadly glare.

  “If I do this, you have to take my place at the next three parties I’m supposed to attend.”

  “Three?”

  Taro's eyes wriggled in their sockets, straining to escape. Raiden rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day.

  “Yes! You don’t understand, Taro. This guy is nuts. I’m risking my sanity here.”

  “Still, I think three is a bit much,” Taro scoffed, lips forming into a pout as his eyes narrowed in gritty determination.

  “Three,” Raiden hissed. He tightened his grip.

  “You’re hurting me.”

  “Two, then! Take it or leave it,” Raiden relented, regretting the fresh welts he smelled on Taro’s shoulders. Releasing his hold, he turned away, disconcerted. I’m getting out of control.

  “Rai, you're a fool. I would have done four.”

  Taro spun his band mate around to face him. The lead guitarist flashed his trademark grin, managing to interrupt the vampire’s brooding. Smacking his friend’s cheek gently, Raiden threw an arm over Taro’s shoulder and flicked open his phone. Just shoot me now.

  * * * *

  The phone rang. Startled out of his self-pitying stupor, Gabriel tore his hands away from his face and fumbled frantically for the mobile. Don’t get your hopes up, it could be anyone. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he located the device; and half-afraid, half-hopeful, he glanced down at the screen. Time stopped. It’s really…it’s really…

  “It’s him!” he shouted to the empty room. Feeling immeasurably foolish, yet too relieved to really care, Gabriel hastily wiped the sweat from his palms and opened the phone, pressing the “talk” button with brutal force. His heart raced, and it was hard to breathe—but damnit all, he wasn’t going to choke now. This was his chance.

  “Hello?”

  Gabriel cursed himself for the slight crack in his voice. There was a brief silence. He covered the mouthpiece so that Raiden couldn’t hear his ragged breathing.

  “Oh, hey, Gabriel. It’s Raiden. I…um…are you okay?”

  Slapping his forehead, Gabriel gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself together. Don’t let him know.

  “Yes, of course. I’m splendid, thank you. I was just completing my daily workout when you called,” he lied smoothly. His shaking hand clutched the phone as if it were an extension of his body. This nervousness wasn’t normal; it surprised him. Gabriel rarely let his nerves get the best of him, but for some reason, talking to the singer made him feel like a blubbering idiot. He only prayed that Raiden couldn’t tell.

  “Oh, did I interrupt you? Maybe I should call back la—”

  “No, no, no! I’m finished now. Besides, this call is far more important than the completion of my strenuous physical routine.” The actor winced at those last words. Perhaps that was a bit much?

  There was another silence; this time, however, it was broken by the unmistakable sound of Raiden’s small chuckle.

  “I don’t know, Gabriel. From what I’ve heard, you’re pretty serious about your workouts,” Raiden said playfully. Gabriel closed his eyes and smiled. He conjured the singer’s image—lips puckered; a hand waving distractedly at the wayward hair that always managed to fall alluringly into those ethereal eyes. Just like Akemi, exactly as Gabriel had envisioned him.

  “Well, I’m certain that you’ve also caught wind of how serious I am about my craft. Raiden, are you free this Friday?”

  Gabriel cut to the chase, disposing of the petty banter they had begun. As much as he enjoyed chatting with the man, he needed a straightforward answer to his question.

  “Friday? Um…I…don’t know. I might be busy,” Raiden stated. There was a brief sound of a struggle, followed by two voices whispering in Japanese. Gabriel strained his ears, but the only two words he could comprehend were, “No!” followed by “…duty!” At that moment, he would have given anything to poses a better command of the language. A frown indented the space in between his eyebrows. So Raiden wasn’t alone. For no apparent reason, the actor felt a stab of jealousy.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had company,” Gabriel intoned, his voice stiff.

  “Gabriel? Can you—can you hold on for a minute? I have to take care of something.”

  The noises ceased, and Gabriel had the suspicious feeling that Raiden had placed him on hold. Hmm. That’s…rather annoying. The crease between his eyes deepened. In the five soundless minutes that followed, he managed to create a ring of teeth marks around each of his fingers. His hope was fading. He had to face the fact that for some ungodly reason, Raiden might not want to see him again. It was inconceivable that the past year of pacing, planning, and praying would all be in vain, but Gabriel realized that for once, he might not get his way. If I don’t get him for this part, than I don’t want anyone else. And then it will all be over. And then—

  “Gabriel? Are you still there? Sorry about that. I had to discuss some things with Taro, but everything is clear now.”

  Raiden spoke cheerfully, but Gabriel detected a hint of exasperation in his tone. All the same, he was overjoyed that his idol hadn’t hung up on him.

  “Oh, please don’t apologize. I understand that your band comes first.”

  He mentally glared at Taro for having interrupted their tête-à-tête. Meddling bastard. Gabriel stifled a giggle as he realized how possessive of Raiden he had already become. And I barely even know the man.

  “Okay. So Gabriel, about this meeting…what exactly do you have in mind?”

  Raiden sounded a trifle fearful.

  “Well, I was hoping to discuss everything when we meet in person. You see, it’s really impossible to map it out over the phone. I need to see your face.”

  That was a little too revealing, you idiot. Gabriel cringed as he awaited the singer’s response.

  “If you want to see my face, Gabriel, all you have to do is buy a copy of Bard. I’m featured this month.”

  A blush, hot and red, conquered his cheeks. He was rapidly losing control of the conversation. An inner voice snorted. As if you ever had control of it in the first place. Novice.

  “Ha-ha. Actually, I meant that we need to rendezvous in order for me to properly explain my plans,” Gabriel countered. He could feel Raiden’s eyebrows rising on the other end.

  “Tell me something, Gabriel. This little scheme of yours…it doesn’t involve sex, does it?”

  The actor gasped out loud. Where…did that come from? He thought he heard the sound of glass breaking in the background.

  “Raiden, are you alright? Did something just break?”

  “No, I’m fine. Taro just accidentally knocked over the table,” Raiden clarified, the barest hint of a smirk lacing his tone. Gabriel was inclined to be mistrustful of this explanation, but he let it pass.

  “Anyway, in regards to your previous question—absolutely not. This has nothing to do with sex in any way, shape, or form.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” Raiden teased. Gabriel’s jaw dropped.

  “Really? I didn’t know you were into men, Raiden.”

  He grinned behind his hand as he heard Raiden‘s quick intake of breath. Serves you right.

  “I—I’m usually not,” Raiden answered, sounding a bit lost.

  “Hmm, you’re ‘usually’ not? Does that mean you’d make an exception for me?”

  Gabriel’s coy query masked the secret burning he felt.

  “Very funny. As far as my sexual preference goes, I would prefer to keep it to myself. I will, however, make an exception for you.”

  The actor stood, tumbling into the wall. He regained his footing and started pacing madly about the room.

  “What exactly…do you mean?” Gabriel questioned, a curtain of moisture enveloping his palms once again.

  “I mean that I will make an exception for you and free up some time on Friday night so that we can meet,” Raiden explained. His voice instantly lost
its edge of flirtatiousness. Gabriel froze, one foot hovering in the air as he attempted to digest the singer’s words. Friday. Meet. Him. Me. His mind went blank as a primal joy raced through him. Vaguely, he was aware of Raiden’s voice speaking to him, but all he heard was an echo. He said we can meet. He said yes. HE SAID YES!

  “…Gabriel? Why are you making all those strange noises?” Raiden inquired. The volume of his voice snapped Gabriel back to reality. Whoops.

  “I—had something in my throat. Oh, Raiden, I’m so delighted. You won’t regret this, I promise!” Gabriel affirmed. He still couldn’t get over the fact that his dream was nearly within reach. Adjusting his uncomfortably-tight pants, Gabriel proceeded to arrange the details of their imminent encounter. I’m going to get him.

  * * * *

  Raiden hadn’t fed in over a week. The last time he tried, the prostitute he attacked had nearly gotten away. The woman fought for her life, but he eventually overpowered her. Still, it had been a struggle—and an uncharacteristic challenge. The vampire always struck from behind, so the unfortunate saps never knew what hit them. This last woman, though…he had almost seen her face. And she had almost seen his. In light of his near-failure, Raiden had decided that perhaps it was best to lay low for a while. The whole week he was privately despondent, and full of fear. Maybe next time, I’ll get caught.

  Shuddering, he recalled the scent of urine as it soaked her underwear; remembered the sight of blood-flecked saliva spraying from her mouth; recollected the taste of her tears as they slid into the gaping hole he had created in her neck. At once, unspeakable memories of his first kill intruded inside his head; unexpected remorse hit him like a wrecking ball. Damn these human emotions. He still couldn’t seem to get rid of them no matter how hard he tried. To distract himself, he spent the afternoon focusing on his ridiculous dinner date with Gabriel, but that proved to be a terrible idea. Thoughts of Gabriel turned into thoughts of blood. Now, en route to the restaurant, the vampire found his patience at an end. The insatiable craving had consumed him.

  As Raiden haphazardly parked his navy Nissan 350-Z on a side street, the hunger veered violently out of control. Wrenching the dark blue door open, he burst into the street and nearly got demolished by a passing car. Pull yourself together, Rai! Trembling, he darted into an alleyway to try and compose himself. With cold certainty, Raiden realized that eating was no longer an option: it was a necessity. Had he been human, he would have been nearly dead. His heart was barely beating more than ten times a minute. His skin looked waxy, corpselike and greenish; there were purple circles underneath his eyes, marking his pallid face like dark bruises. His body felt frozen, as if he were encased in ice. Somewhere close, he finally smelled a warm body. Please, please. Nearly sobbing with relief, he turned the corner.

  The promise of blood guided him; he needed it so badly. Raiden licked his lips, quickening his pace in order to faster locate the source of that tantalizing aroma. Turning a few more corners, he came upon an alleyway that dead-ended. Dimly, he realized that he had stumbled upon the back entrance of Gohatto, the restaurant where he was supposed to meet Gabriel. Though he knew it was dangerous as well as stupid to prey so close to a populated area, need destroyed logic as he caught that crimson scent again. Suddenly, he heard movement near Gohatto‘s back door, and smelled the sweet tang of blood.

  Eyes narrowing, Raiden proceeded with speed and silence toward the unidentified figure, ignoring all other smells and focusing solely on the blood wafting in and out of his nose like the most seductive perfume. At the last moment, he remembered to put on his gloves. He couldn’t fuck it all up by leaving fingerprints. The silhouetted source of life started to turn around, but the vampire was too quick. Pushing the man forward, Raiden shoved him behind a dumpster, gripping his captive’s head with one hand and muffling his cries of protest with the other. Forcing the man to kneel, Raiden straddled his back and roughly tilted his neck to one side. The man was bucking and groaning, strengthening his desire with every push and thrust. With a dark smile, he bit into the gloriously straining neck as all traces of humanity abandoned him.

  The tender skin broke so easily. Raiden lapped up the blood in long lines, intimately curling his tongue around the open flesh, laving at the torn skin. His captive gasped, groaning and writhing with every forceful administration of lips, tongue, and teeth; pulse pounding wildly. Raiden didn’t need to glance down to know that even in such a state of helplessness, the man was unconsciously aroused. He smelled the engorged length rising beneath leather like a charmed snake. The vampire’s own swollen erection bobbed within his pants, stretching them to illegal limits. He sunk his fangs in deeper, relishing the effortless way in which the skin tore apart, swirling his tongue in the bleeding depths. It just tasted so fucking good.

  Kneading sensitized flesh beneath his fingers, Raiden brought the man’s face closer to his own as he fed, completely absorbed in the rich coppery fluid weighing down on his tongue, heavier than honey. He moaned as the quickened breath of his prey grazed his cheek with increasingly heavy caresses. Shifting a bit, he knelt forward on his knees and pressed against his victim, locking him into an even firmer grip. The man’s hand twitched in mid-air, fists pumping at nothing, fingers clenching in agony. Raiden’s consciousness faded for a moment, lost in the overload of pleasurable sensations coursing through him. This was the best blood he had tasted in ages.

  He attempted to get even closer to the body supplying him with so much ecstasy. In his haste, he leaned too far forward and abruptly lost his balance in an uncharacteristic display of clumsiness. The vampire growled as his fangs disconnected from that luscious neck. Still holding onto his captive’s hair with one hand, Raiden attempted to regain his earlier positioning. A sudden burst of energy from his intended victim, however, knocked him back on his ass. Raiden sat up on his heels and grunted in surprise. He reached for the man’s collar to prevent him from escaping. Reflexes dulled by the high of feeding, it took him a full five seconds to register that the man was now facing him. Suddenly, the man stumbled backward. His head hit the pavement with a dull thud as Raiden loomed over him, pinning his wrists in place. Blood dripped freely from the vampire’s chin, wetting the face below him. The man stared up into his eyes.

  “Raiden?”

  Something clicked. I know that voice. Startled out of his bloodlust, going against every protocol he had enacted for himself, the vampire gazed down at the man’s face. Promptly, his world shattered. No. It can’t be him. That’s just not possible. Raiden watched in shock as Gabriel‘s feverish blue orbs blinked away drops of his own blood.

  “No,” he murmured in an absurd attempt to soothe the stunned actor. “No.”

  Hunger abated, he merely stared into the actor’s disbelieving eyes with numbed horror. OH SHIT. I really—

  “Raiden…” Gabriel whispered. Fingers clutching at Raiden’s shirt, his eyes rolled back in his head. The vampire shook his head furiously, unable to believe his bad luck. Of ALL the fucking people…! And what the hell is he doing in the alley? Inhaling deeply, he finally recognized the familiar cologne. It cloyed, it singed; it fairly burned the inside of his nose with its lack of subtlety. How the FUCK did I miss that? Suddenly, Raiden was very frightened.

  Gabriel lay unconscious in his arms, breath slowing as he rapidly bled to death. Raiden stared at him. There weren’t many options. He couldn’t leave him here, someone might find him. He couldn’t take him to the hospital; if the doctors managed to revive him, the secret vampire’s cover would be blown. The only option was to end it all now. Shaking, he positioned his hands around Gabriel’s neck and prepared to administer the final blow. Seconds ticked by before dragging into minutes. I can’t. Raiden had been a killer for years, as his eating habits required it, but this was different. For the last five years, the vampire’s victims had been but faceless shadows. He had never made it personal. This time, however, he had made the mistake of looking into Gabriel’s eyes.

  What the fuck is the ma
tter with you? You sure didn’t have any trouble killing that hooker the other night. She was barely out of high school.

  But this is Gabriel. You know him. You were supposed to meet him tonight, remember? He was so excited on the phone.

  Raiden squeezed his eyes shut against the mental battle he was conducting with himself. This was no time to go soft. Baring his teeth, he squeezed Gabriel’s flesh tightly enough to bruise and grabbed a handful of hair with one hand. Just fucking DO IT already.

  “Hey, is he okay?”

  A voice interrupted the attempted murder. Raiden instantly cradled the actor’s body to his own, hiding him from sight.

  “He’s fine, thanks. Just had a little too much to drink,” Raiden called out. He faced away from the anonymous voice originating from the restaurant’s back entrance.

  “Are you sure? He looks a little—”

  “He’s fine. I’m taking him to the car right now. Thanks for the concern, though,” Raiden replied, waving a little as he effortlessly lifted Gabriel to his feet. Flinging the unconscious man’s limp arm around his shoulder, Raiden dragged him out of the alley, making sure to position Gabriel’s head so that his neck wound wasn’t visible. He prayed that the Gabriel wouldn’t bleed noticeably on his jacket. A homeless man stared at them with curiosity, but then quickly disappeared after he saw the speckles of blood on Raiden‘s lips.

  Five minutes later, the vampire managed to locate his hastily parked car. Wrenching the passenger door open, he shoved Gabriel’s sagging figure in, then flew to the other side of the car and unlocked his own door. Once inside, he started the car, driving to a more secluded area as thoughts flew through his mind like confetti. A few minutes later, he parked the car in an abandoned lot, still struggling to find a solution to the problem.

  Fucking waste him already. He’s as good as dead anyway.

  But he’s Gabriel Colin!

  Turn him.

  This new thought startled Raiden into a gasp. I can’t turn him. I don’t even LIKE him. But…I made a mistake in biting him. Maybe he would—