Bed and Breakfast [Bloodkin 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (19 page)

Perhaps elves worshipped all deities equally. Moss wouldn’t be surprised. Everyone went around their business in perfect harmony, and the occasional tone of lyrical musical tingled over Moss’s senses. Moss wished the beauty of it all could heal his heavy heart.

At last, they reached Eli’s home. “This is where you’ll be living, Marlais. We elves welcome you in our home.”

“Thank you, Sir. You are too kind.” He paused, uncertain as to how to phrase this question. “But I thought we’d be staying at Kier’s.”

He was thankful for Eli’s hospitality, of course, but Kier’s presence represented the only connection he had with his world in this strange, new place. Even not knowing what to believe about Kier, the dark elf remained the same person who’d received him in Vane’s house and soothed his hurts when Vane left.

Eli arched a brow at him, then threw a gaze Kier’s way. “Haven’t you explained things to him?”

“I’ve been banished from here, a long time ago, but I asked for sanctuary for you.”

Moss gripped Kier’s arm. “You can’t be serious. You’re planning to leave?”

“It’s me Cole wants,” Kier answered. “If I go to him, he’ll let Vane go. And besides, I’m not welcome here. I don’t have much choice.”

Nothing that happened in the past few hours made any sense. Eli scoffed in disgust. He looked like he wanted to slap Kier, but refrained from doing so. “I don’t want to hear anything about bloodkin. Marlais, you are welcome to stay as long as you want and if you contribute to our community. Kier, on the other hand, has to leave.”

“But why?”

“This is my fault. If I hadn’t…” Kier shook his head. “It is an old tale. You needn’t worry about it. I’ll fix things. I promise.”

“You’d better do so,” Eli replied, the chill in his voice staggering.

“Wait just a minute,” Moss piped in. “You’re not leaving anywhere without me. I want to help Vane as much as you do.”

Strikingly, it was Eli who replied to Moss’s heartfelt words. “Humans…” He sighed in exasperation. “Whatever you think you feel for the bloodkin is false, Marlais. They have a way of seducing people. Even some elves who should have known better have fallen for their charms.”

Kier winced, but didn’t say anything back. For his part, Moss was tired of veiled insults and threats. He wouldn’t let anyone get in his path. He wanted to help Vane, and hiding behind a shield of arrogant elves simply didn’t fit with his idea of doing so.

“You’ll be safe here, Marlais, away from their influence,” Eli finished.

“Not all of them are the same,” Moss cried. “I don’t know about this Cole person, but Vane has always been nice to me.”

Even as he spoke, he remembered the beating, and he struggled to keep a straight face. Thankfully, Eli didn’t seem to know about it, and Kier looked unmoved by Moss’s lie. “That may well be,” Eli said, “but he would have turned on you sooner or later. They always do.”

Doubt reemerged inside him at Eli’s words. The pain he’d experienced at Vane’s hands swept through him once more. He bit his lip, warring emotions swirling inside him. Perhaps Eli was right. Perhaps he really couldn’t be with Vane, but that didn’t mean he’d abandon the other man in his dark time. “Maybe, but I won’t turn on him. I want to go with you, Kier.”

Kier shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with Eli on this one. I promised Vane I would keep you safe, and so I shall, even against your own will.”

Before Moss could do anything else, a sharp, sudden pain struck him, and everything went black.

* * * *

Unconsciousness took far too much time on Moss’s schedule lately. That was the first thought he had as he cracked his eyes open, experiencing a weird sensation of déjà vu. This time, however, Vane’s voice didn’t sound in his head. Neither did he see anything familiar around him. The bed he lay in felt soft and smelled like freshly cut grass. The headboard bore peculiar markings, curling engravings Moss didn’t know the meaning of. He easily identified it as an elven encryption. He’d seen the style before in his studies, although he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of it. Not that it mattered. He knew where he was. He’d been left behind by Kier in Hashiraden.

All those stories about elven advanced senses seemed correct, as Eli appeared in the room before Moss could even get out of bed. “Ah…You’re awake. Excellent.”

“Where’s Kier?” Moss asked without preamble.

“Gone, thank goodness,” Eli replied, without even skipping a beat. “He’d already outstayed his welcome.”

Moss took a deep breath and struggled for composure. “Why do you loathe him so? Is it because he is a dark elf and you are a light one?”

Eli shook his head. “Kier himself made this choice. No elf, light or dark, is allowed to consort with bloodkin. He chose them over us, his people. He cannot expect to be welcome here.”

Moss noted the sadness hidden behind the resentment and surmised Eli must still care about Kier. Perhaps they’d been close once. It certainly explained why Eli had been willing to take Moss in, despite him being just another seduced human.

“Why do you hate bloodkin so much?” Moss asked. It seemed to him something else lay beneath all the scorn, something more than just disgust at the bloodkin’s habits. Moss didn’t know anything about Kier’s past here, but if the two elves had indeed been friends, something worse than the mere dislike for a race must separate them.

Eli gave Moss a dark look. “You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.”

Moss got off the bed, returning Eli’s glare with one of his own. He was sick and tired of everybody telling him what he should or should not do.

“Fine. Keep your secrets. I don’t care. Just let me out of here. I don’t need you, or this place.”

Eli’s frown deepened. “Do not forget, Mister Hayden, that you are a guest in my house. Please refrain from acting rashly or spouting accusation.”

Moss’s face flamed. Eli was right. He needed to remember his manners, especially here, in the elven lands. But as much as he tried to care about that, he couldn’t make himself do so. Somehow, from a guest in this place, he’d clearly become some kind of glorified prisoner.

He focused on sounding coolly polite and keeping his temper in check. “I apologize, but you must understand my situation. You can’t honestly expect me to stay here and do nothing.”

“No, I don’t expect that.” Eli sighed. “Humans are far too foolish to think about what’s good for them.”

Moss would have taken offense, but decided Eli’s opinion regarding Moss’s rashness didn’t matter. Perhaps Moss could convince him to show him the way to Tachaka. Vane was supposed to be there. Somehow, Moss doubted Kier’s sacrifice would help save Vane.

There were so many things left unsaid between them, so much Moss would have liked to ask. The connection Moss knew to be there didn’t spark to life once more, and Moss refused to just let this go. He didn’t know why. Was it lust, love, fascination, or obsession? Perhaps a little bit of all. Clarifying his emotions would have to wait. He needed to save Vane first.

“Please,” he told Eli. “Help me. I only want what’s best.” Remembering Eli’s expression from before, he tried, “For Kier, too. Surely you don’t want him hurt.”

Eli looked startled, insofar as an elf could do that. “You’re perceptive,” he admitted. “And no, I don’t want him hurt. But he has chosen his own path, one I can do very little about.”

“We can save them, Eli. Please. Do you really want Kier to die?”

Eli’s hesitation began to dissipate. “No, I don’t want him to die. Fine, Marlais. I will help you. For Kier’s sake.”

Vane had been locked in his cell for a few days. By now, he surmised Cole reached Clavar. But not even the fastest horses could get him there earlier than three days, and at this point, Kier must’ve taken Moss someplace safe. In fact, he was certain of it.

Since initiating their first conversation, Vane had been unable to fully close down their connection. He still sensed Moss’s emotions, not all the time, but enough as to realize the human had not come to any harm. With this reassurance, Vane’s concern now went toward Kier and the humans left behind with little defense in Clavar.

He didn’t doubt Kier would ignore his order, especially now when he knew Cole had come back and instigated all this disaster. Vane would’ve kept his brother’s arrival from Kier, but the elf needed—no, he deserved to know.

It frustrated Vane beyond belief he could not help the people he cared about. How could Cole go so far as to risk the Covenant for vengeance?

But Vane did have a plan. He was beginning to register the pattern in the motions his guards made. The door also had a magical shield on it. Once, Vane would have been unable to touch that shield. But cultivating his control had its perks, and he could make use of his magical abilities better than most of his kind.

He’d been working on wearing down the shield since his first day of imprisonment. It worried him someone might check and realize his plan before he could make his escape.

He could only try to work in the brief gap between the shifts, so the process ended up very slow and strenuous. By that evening, however, Vane managed to finish his task. The next gap between shifts would be at dawn, when many bloodkin were forced to retreat into slumber. However, Vane himself was in danger of submitting to the same force. He hadn’t fed on blood for almost a week now, and the use of magic drained him.

He needed to hurry.

Morning came, and with it, the lethargy that could even kill a bloodkin if he didn’t feed. Vane counted on his Bloodmoor line to help him out of this pickle. He carefully listened to the motions at the other side of the door, waiting for the precise moment when he’d be able to make his move.

At last, the distinctive sound of rattling weapons and muttered greetings notified him the new guards had arrived. It might’ve seemed foolish to attack now, when the number of his foes would be double, but in fact, it would be best for him in the long run. The guards assigned to watch him would all be taken out, and he’d have a few hours to slip out of the palace grounds, unseen. At this point, they were also tired and moody, so they wouldn’t be as alert as at midnight, for example.

In his mind’s eye, Vane mapped his opponents’ positions. A few of them were young, so they’d pose less of a problem. Vane had watched them come and go as they’d brought him dinner. But he would bet there were others with greater powers. Together, their abilities might defeat his own. The key was the element of surprise.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for attack. Strikingly, Moss’s image popped in his mind. For some reason, it gave Vane strength, and he lunged at the door. The heavy wood splintered upon his assault, and the suddenness of it was enough to disorient the guards. Vane moved quickly. Against some, he used his mental abilities, and he took out the others with his physical strength. With no hesitation, he brought down his opponents, aiming for blows that would incapacitate without killing. He disliked killing for his job, and he hated it even more the rest of the time.

The older bloodkin did manage to get their act together, and Vane found himself attacked by three very powerful guards. Pain rushed through his body as a dagger pierced the flesh of his shoulder. He only managed to avoid it hitting a more delicate area because of his advanced senses. Still, Vane’s age and experience made all the difference in the world. When left without an opening, he used the splinters from the door as stakes and threw them at his enemies.

Since he could not afford to be merciful this time, he aimed for main arteries and organs. Several of the projectiles were dodged or caught before they reached their target, but a couple did strike true. They gave Vane the chance to attack, and, using as much magic and strength as he could spare, he descended upon the men.

The three were left unconscious, next to the two younger ones he’d taken out more easily. He dragged them into his former cell and left them there. The bleeding would keep them inoffensive for the time being, and with luck, by the time their wounds closed, he’d be long gone.

Knowing he couldn’t delay for much longer, he began his descent. Daytime wearied him, and the wound in his shoulder—a wound that normally wouldn’t have bothered him at all—weakened him. He needed to find someone to feed on, fast.

Of course, such a thing would be hard to accomplish in his current circumstances. He couldn’t feed from other bloodkin since another kin’s blood would not satisfy his hunger or fuel his abilities. Animal blood worked in some cases, but only a human could help him now.

Nausea swamped him at the very thought of feeding from someone except Moss. He really needed to get over his dependence on Moss, or else he’d never be able to find another donor. If he’d only fed during the days he’d been away…But he’d missed Moss, and the memories and remorse had haunted him still. Even now, he couldn’t let go of them. How could he make himself return to hunting for human blood?

Vane shook himself and focused on navigating through the labyrinthine building. He knew his way around the palace, but he had to avoid the most guarded sections. In his weakened state, he couldn’t face yet another set of soldiers.

He managed to make his way through the tower with reasonable ease, but getting out of the palace proved to be more of a challenge. The only door led into a large courtyard. If Vane went out that way, he’d be exposed to anyone who came past. But the windows weren’t big enough, and digging himself another way out didn’t count as an option. He hoped his glamour would hold for enough time.