Branded (6 page)

The army penguins broke out into a song and made Asher want to sing along, but as he didn't know the lyrics, or the melody, he kept to tapping his foot on the ground and downed the rest of his drink.

“So what brings a dragon to this part of the world?” Fangs asked.

“We’re just looking for a way back to our home world.”

“Your home world?” Fangs looked only mildly surprised. He leaned in a little closer to make himself heard over the singing. “You're a long way from home, aren't you?”

“You bet,” Asher said. “In my city we've got cooler bars than this. And we keep our penguins in the zoo.”

“Penguins?”

Asher shook his head and waved the bar penguin over to get another drink. “Doesn't matter. It's a whole different world. Really.”

Fangs laughed. “Intriguing,” he said. “So where are you going from here?”

“I'm not sure. I just want to get home, but Blind Guy insists on finding Stoner and Snakes, too.”

“Stoner and Snakes?”

“Yeah, he’s made of stone and she has snakes on her head.”

“You were with an earth elemental and a medusa?”

“Yeah,” Asher said. He shot Fangs a suspicious look before he accepted his new drink from the bartender. People who faked too much interest were usually out for his ass.

Fangs said something Asher didn’t hear. The sound of the piano distracted him. He looked over to see Blind Guy playing it on the other side of the room, accompanying the penguins’ song.

He hadn't known that Blind Guy could play, but he was good at it. Listening, Asher wondered what else Blind Guy was good at. What else he could do with those hands.

Fast and catchy tunes filled the room and Asher drummed his fingers on the table along to the beat. When he looked to the piano again, Blind Guy was smiling as his hands moved over the keys. Asher sipped on his drink. His eyes were fixed on Blind Guy's hands as he blocked out the background noise of chattering army penguins and clinking glasses. And Fangs.

“So you said you want to find your friends?” Fangs raised his voice.

Asher shook his head, still not looking at him. “That’s what he wants.” Asher didn’t really care either way, but since Blind Guy was the one with the guide fairy, they had to do things his way.

“I see,” Fangs muttered.

Asher chugged back the rest of his drink and hummed to the tune of the penguins’ song. Fangs ordered something fishy to eat for them both. “Let’s move over to a table for eating.”

Asher nodded. Whatever. Walking across the room, Asher began to feel the alcohol go to his head. Not an unwelcome feeling, but surprising. What was in those drinks?

The wooden benches to the sides of the table weren’t very comfortable, but the view was alright. Closer to the piano. Asher barely spared Fangs a glance as the food arrived, along with another drink.

“Could be better,” he commented after taking a few bites. The smell of seafood made him remember the restaurant his dad used to work at, and he scrunched his nose up.

“True,” Fangs said, “but their alcohol is still the best you can get around here.”

Asher nodded and turned his attention back to the piano performance to take his mind off the food. Something, maybe the alcohol, told him that he should be contributing, and he sang along to bits and pieces of songs, making it up as he went. He didn't care if he sung a note or two off key. The drunk penguins around him didn't care much either. Some of them actually sounded worse than him.

Scooping up some leftover fish from his plate with a fork, Asher hurled it at one of the gruesome singers. He would have missed, if the penguin guy hadn't jumped to catch the fish with his mouth, and then turned to smile at him. Asher frowned and made a gesture with his hand that nobody in this world could appreciate before he went back to listening.

“So where are you going from here?” Fangs asked.

Asher didn’t turn to look at him. “Don’t really know.”

“You seem quite taken with your friend.”

“I want him to fuck me,” Asher said, fixing his eyes on Blind Guy’s hands again. That Blind Guy flat out refused bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

“He rejected you?”

Asher turned to glare at Fangs. He didn’t like the sympathetic look. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

Fangs’s eyes ran him over and Asher liked that look much better. He could deal with seeing people checking him out. What he couldn’t deal with were blind people not being interested.

“I don’t think I would,” Fangs said.

Asher felt a small smile tug at his lips. It felt good to have someone appreciate what he was offering.

That was when the music stopped. Asher didn’t notice until Blind Guy sat down on the bench next to him. “What are you eating?”

“I don’t really know,” Asher said, turning to him. “But Fangs paid for it.”

“Isn’t that nice.” Blind Guy pursed his lips, and Asher wondered whether he was pissed because they hadn’t ordered anything for him.

“Let me get you something,” Fangs said.

Blind Guy got up. “No, that’s fine. I think I’ll just go to my room.”

“Asher said you were looking for someone,” Fangs said. “Maybe I can help.”

“Can you now?” Blind Guy sounded as though he wasn’t interested in what Fangs had to say, but he stopped moving.

“I just so happen to know where they are.”

Even Asher looked up at that statement. Blind Guy sat back down.

“You do?” he asked with a mixture of skepticism and real interest in his voice.

“I'm not giving up my information for free, though.”

“Of course not,” Blind Guy said with a grim smile.

“Don't you have enough money already?” Asher asked, hating how the words flowed together as he spoke. Why wasn’t Fangs affected by the alcohol?

“I'm not interested in your money.” Fangs inched a little closer to him. Asher eyed him warily, making the stranger smile. “No, it's not your body that I'm after, Asher. Though—”

“What do you want?” Blind Guy cut in.

“Blood.”

“Huh? Whaddaya mean?” Asher's mouth fell open, his eyes fixed on Fangs. So that was what those sharp teeth were for. He pictured them sink into his skin and swallowed. “You some sorta vampire?”

“Sorta,” Fangs said with a slight smile.

“What do you want with Asher’s blood?” Blind Guy asked.

Fangs turned to look at Blind Guy. “I believe that’s none of your business.”

Blind Guy’s brows furrowed. “How much?”

“Oh, don't worry, he'll live.”

“How do I know you're not lying?”

Fangs leaned back against the bench. “You don't,” he said eventually.

Blind Guy crossed his arms in front of his chest. “There's no way I can trust you.”

“Yes,” Fangs said, “I'm certain you never trust anyone you don't know.”

“It's my blood,” Asher cut in. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”

“Don't be stupid,” Blind Guy said. “You reek of alcohol, you can’t make a decision.”

Asher rolled his eyes at him. He hadn't even said that he wanted to go through with it. “You can’t make it for me.”

“Don't tell me you trust that guy because he bought you a couple of free drinks.”

“I thought he was going to fuck me.” Asher tried for a clear pronunciation, to prove he wasn’t drunk, but it didn’t quite work. “I wasn’t gonna let him, ‘cause I’m sorta stuck on you. But he can have some blood. I don’t care.”

Blind Guy stilled. “You’re such an idiot,” he said then.

“You’ll let me?” Fangs asked and Asher turned to him. “Honestly, it's only a little blood. It'll be over before you know it, and your body regenerates it.”

Asher stared at his teeth as he talked. Really sharp teeth. Wouldn't hurt much, maybe. Fangs had a fascinating mouth. How would those lips feel sucking on his skin?

“Alright,” he found himself saying. “Do it.” He saw Blind Guy shake his head out of the corner of his eyes as his own blood pounded in his ears. Excitement flowed through his veins.

Fangs grinned, showing off those pointy teeth of his, and then leaned in closer. Asher's heart beat faster as a hand brushed strands of hair away from his neck and Fangs's breath ghosted over his skin, before the vampire pressed his lips to it. Teeth sank into Asher’s neck.

The sharp pain made him gasp. Blood gushed out of the wounds and into Fangs's mouth. “Shit!” he muttered, watching the vampire drink him up. The situation was a little weird and a little arousing, the way the other man's hot mouth sucked on his neck. Asher started to feel light headed, and let his eyes fall shut.

When he wanted to shove Fangs off, his body didn't listen to him. He couldn't move his arms. Or his feet. At all. His breath sped up and his eyes snapped open.

“Don't worry.” Fangs broke away and pressed his fingers over the wound. “I said I wouldn't kill, didn't I?”

“Yah…,” Asher said, too lazy to respond with any more syllables as he tried to calm himself down.

“The sedative will pass in a couple of minutes. I'm sorry, but it's a natural self-defense.”

“Huh…”

“I'll get you something non-alcoholic to drink.”

Asher nodded and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. The next thing he knew, someone held a glass to his lips and he opened his mouth to gulp the clear liquid down.

“So what about the information?” Blind Guy spoke up, still looking as if hanging out with Fangs was the worst idea ever.
Gee.

“Right. You probably won't like it, though.”

Asher shot Fangs a questioning look, but felt that he wouldn't care, whatever it was.

“Your friends are being held captive in Doblis, two towns over from here. They’re charged with attempted interracial reproduction, and you should know that’s a capital offense.”

Chapter 6 - Poisons and Penguins

Feeling slowly returned to Asher’s limbs as the vampire left and Blind Guy sat still beside him.

“That’s my fault,” Blind Guy muttered.

“Nah.” Asher raised a hand to wave him off; it seemed to weigh a ton. “Snakes said it was mine. You’re cool.” He managed to pick up his drink and chug back the rest of it. When he closed his eyes the room was spinning ever so slightly. The army penguins were still singing their tunes. Asher hummed a little.

“Do you even care?”

Asher shook his head, then scrunched his nose up. If he shook his head too much he was going to be sick. “I get blamed all the time, really. It’s okay.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Yeah.” No point denying it now. “But I mean it. It’s fine.”

Blind Guy stood up. “Let’s just go up and sleep.”

“Together?” Asher blinked his eyes open.

“You can have a bed all to yourself.” Blind Guy took a step away from the table. “C’mon.”

Asher made to follow and ended up on the wooden floor when his legs gave out under him. “Shit.” He laughed at himself. “Little help here?”

“Idiot,” Blind Guy said but helped him up anyway, with a surprisingly strong grip. He kept one hand on Asher, and one trailing along the wall as they made their way up to their room. There, Asher guided Blind Guy’s steps to one of the beds.

“It’s yours. Lie down.”

Blind Guy let go and Asher stumbled, making them both fall on the bed. When Asher inhaled, he got a whiff of Blind Guy’s scent. Smelled good. Like something that had been burned. Blind Guy’s chest beneath him felt good too. Felt firm, even hidden beneath unnecessary clothing. Without thinking, Asher climbed over him.

“You smell nice.”

“This is really not the time, Asher.”

“For what?”

“Whatever you’re doing.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Sleep.”

“Okay.” Sleep sounded good. Asher let himself fall to the side and closed his eyes.

“So much for no cuddling, huh?”

“’M not cuddling. I’m sleeping.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Said that already.” He opened his eyes again, blinking against the heaviness. Blind Guy was lying awkwardly on his side, trying not to touch him. Ridiculous. Asher laughed. “I said I’d let you touch me.”

Blind Guy’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Asher, seriously.” He pointed left, maybe where he thought the other bed was. He got that wrong, but Asher got the hint.

“Fine, I get it. Whatever.” His good mood gone, he crawled out of the bed, leaving the other man’s warmth behind. So he wasn’t likable enough for Blind Guy to fuck him, or even fucking sleep in the same bed. “’M not likable, okay, but I’m lickable, and that should count for something.”

With a yawn he slumped down on his own bed and went to sleep before Blind Guy could say any more.

***

Once Asher had gone to sleep, José dressed down to his boxers and pulled the blankets up. Sleep didn’t come easy. Thoughts were buzzing in his head. About Jonas and Maya. About Asher, too. He wanted to know what was happening to his friends. He wanted to know what had happened with Asher just now.