Passion For Hire (Passion #5) (14 page)

“So our son is talented in more than one field.” Sirene seemed the least fazed by this news so far.

“I suppose I should be proud that my son has found a way for sex to pay for him. He can fuck every night as much as he wants and women give him cash for that.” Fabian’s smile was fleeting. “I can’t however condone what he’s done. He broke my number one rule. No taking of human lives. He didn’t just take your life; he took your vampire life as well since you’ve been kept a prisoner all this time is that correct?”

Lucas nodded. “He knows he’s done something wrong. He hates himself for what he’s done and his guilt weighs him down daily. He has been prepared to spend eternity taking care of myself and my mother until she passes on. It was Faith that wanted to come and see you, to try and reason with you. We don’t want you to hurt my father. He saved Faith’s life too because I couldn’t complete the change. She was going to die but he arrived in time to save her. He gave his blood to save her as I couldn’t get her to feed. Please, he’s your son, your biological son.” He looked between Fabian and Sirene. “I’ve heard the story of what happened, how he became vampire. How you spent some time as human. He was conceived when you were both human. Does that not count for anything? Can you seriously consider taking your own son’s life because he made a mistake?”

Fabian ignored Lucas’s plea instead studying us both for a few moments. “So you are both not full vampire then?” We nodded. “I’ve not heard of this phenomenon before. Do you have the blood lust?”

“Not so much.” I answered. “We need blood but it’s not a crazy desire for it like we’ve heard it is for full blood vampires.”

“What about the sex? Do you have the sexual urges that typically come after the blood feed?”

“Umm, well, yes.” I felt a little embarrassed telling Fabian that.

“What about you?” Fabian’s attention shifted to Lucas. “If my son has kept you a prisoner all this time, how did you cope with the sexual lust?”

Lucas shifted uncomfortably on the lounge. “I think you know the answer to that. I have not been around anyone in two years. Father even kept me locked away from my own mother for fear I might hurt her. My mother is blind and wheelchair bound.”

“So you’ve been forced to take yourself in hand all this time?” Fabian wouldn’t let up with his probing questions. “You must be seriously sexually frustrated. It is not natural for us to go for long periods of time without sex. Have you and Faith…?” He didn’t complete the sentence, merely looked between the two of us.

“No, we haven’t.” I snapped. “It would appear that there is no attraction between Lucas and me. We are like brother and sister.”

“I expect you to answer my questions little one without being rude. You have come to us with this revelation. This is serious and I will not tolerate anything but the truth from you, and for you to answer all questions respectfully.” His eyes bored into mine. “Am I making myself perfectly clear?”

“Perfectly.” I mumbled. “Still, you can’t get angry if I find some of your questions irrelevant. How we get off after feeding or who we get off with has nothing to do with the story of how Lucas came to be vampire and how I am one too.”

“It’s not for you to decide what is and is not relevant Faith. You would do well to remember that. I took you into my home, set you up with some financial assistance, and now that you are vampire I am responsible for you, and making sure you don’t do anything that draws attention to us. By coming to me I’m assuming you want to continue living here with the rest of us, so making me angry would not be the wisest idea.”

I looked at him in surprise. I actually hadn’t given any thought to where I wanted to live. Just revealing the truth to Fabian and hoping to keep Adrian alive in the process was all I could focus on.

“Where I live wasn’t exactly one of my priorities Fabian. Trying to help Adrian and hopefully save him from severe punishment for what he’s done was my main goal.”

Fabian’s tone was mocking when he spoke. “You care very much for my son don’t you? Why would you do this for him? You came here with this misguided belief that he is your destiny based on what you saw in a few visions, but repeatedly Adrian has pushed you away. How do you think he is going to feel when he sees how you have betrayed him by coming here? Do you think he will suddenly want you? Do you foolishly believe that this great revelation will clear the way for him to live out eternity with you? He’s been living as a gigolo for two years. He may very well have come to love that lifestyle and might not wish to give it up. It’s not been too much of a hardship for him. Endless women, sex and blood and they pay him for that? Yes I can imagine my son is quite eager to give up all that.”

I felt my stomach tighten painfully at Fabian’s sarcastic words. I didn’t want to think that there could be any truth in what he was saying. Adrian always seemed so tortured by the life he was trapped in. If he survived me revealing his secret life to his father, would he want me then or would he still want to live the life of a gigolo? With his secrets uncovered there would be no need to live his double life, no need to go out having sex with women every night.

“He’s supposed to be with me.” I whispered. “Mock me all you like Fabian but I’ve been living with the visions of him and I together for longer than I’ve known any of you. I may have first come here for my sister, and to help remove our father from our lives, but I wanted to see Adrian too because I am his.”

“So where is my son? Is he working do you know?”

I nodded. “He dropped in to bring food for Katherine and Lucas which I ate too. He said he had to go as he had clients waiting for him.”

“That doesn’t sound like a man who hates his work little one. Tell me, now you’re vampire too what will you do if all your efforts are in vain and my son still does not want you?”

“Leave the girl alone Fabian. You can be such a bastard sometimes.” Sirene’s voice cut in, her tone clearly chastising him. I looked over at her, admiring her ability to stand up to him and appreciative of her support for me.

“Since when does pointing out what could potentially happen, make me a bastard my beauty?” He gave Sirene a quick grin, a mere flash of his teeth.

“You’ve always been a bastard. You’re only behaving a bit better these days because of me. Without me you would be that nasty, unforgiving asshole I’ve heard so much about.” She smiled sweetly at him and Fabian threw back his head and laughed.

“You know me so well my little witch but do not distract me from the severity of this situation we find our son had gotten himself into.” He turned his pale blue, grey gaze back on Lucas and I. “So when will our son be home? Do you have any idea?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure. He didn’t really say. He spoke of coming to the house to test me for light sensitivity. Lucas can’t be out in daylight despite being a half vampire. Adrian wanted to test me to see if I’m the same.”

“Well, so at some stage he is going to discover you have escaped. Now will he be man enough to come home or run and hide given he can probably guess you two have come here?” Fabian ran a finger over his chin as he stared thoughtfully at Lucas and me.

“He’s not a coward. Don’t put down your own son. He’ll turn up I’m sure of it.” I said confidently but inside I really wasn’t. What if he ran rather than facing his father? It wasn’t something I’d even considered and suddenly I felt scared. Afraid for what I’d done, and worried over how he was going to react, but most of all I was still unsure how Fabian would deal with his son, and just how much he would punish him.

“FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!” Adrian yelled when he stormed out of his house just as it was showing the first hints of the new day dawning. “Damn her to hell. I’m going to kill her, well if father doesn’t kill me first.” He muttered to himself as he climbed behind the wheel of his Trans Am. He continued swearing to himself as he started the car and with an angry slam of his foot on the accelerator, the car took off with its back tyres squealing noisily in the pre-dawn morning. He was sure he’d just pissed off some of his neighbours but he was too wound up to give a shit at this point.

The closer to his father’s home he got, the more nervous he became. His mind began ticking over, contemplating every possible scenario, and at one point he even considered turning the car around and simply driving away. His secret was out, he was sure that Faith and Lucas had gone straight to his parents’ to speak with them. Damn woman couldn’t let it go with her conviction that they were meant for one another, and her belief that she could save him.

He even went so close as to pull up and get ready to turn around but then common sense hit. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t run like a coward from his responsibilities; he couldn’t abandon Lucas and especially not Katherine who was in his home, helpless without anyone to assist her.

With a deep sigh he pulled the car back out onto the road and continued towards home, wondering what was in store for him when he arrived.

When he pulled into the driveway finally, he sat for a few moments in the car, listening to the ticking of the hot engine as it began to cool. He knew he had to get out, but a part of him just needed to sit awhile and pretend he wasn’t about to walk into what could very well be the lion’s den.

Slowly he climbed from his Trans Am and began the walk up the stairs and across the verandah towards the front door, feeling somewhat like he was walking the green mile.

He unlocked the heavy metal front door and let himself inside, swinging it shut as quietly as he could. Silently he began the walk down the long corridor that led to the living area and the rest of the house. As he got closer and closer he could hear voices and his stomach tightened when he heard Faith’s voice.

Adrian could tell her voice was raised and she was clearly angry, but what shocked him was it was obvious from what she said, that she was angry at his father. When the realisation struck that she was defending him, he felt an emotion spear through him unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Why did she care? Why did she continue to defend him despite him treating her so badly? He wasn’t worthy of her loyalty, her care or whatever other emotions governed her. She repeatedly exposed herself to his rejection, his ridicule and yet she never stopped defending him, being there for him, wanting to help him even if her motives were driven by some misguided belief that she was his.

When he arrived at the living room, he slowly stepped inside, his eyes finding Faith straight away as she stood glaring up at his father. Lucas was by her side and Sirene stood next to Fabian. There was no one else in the room so obviously none of his siblings knew about his secret. Knowing he wouldn’t have to face them yet and certainly not Francesca was a relief.

It was only when his eyes shifted back to his father that he noticed the rage in them. Nervously his gaze skittered away from his and landed on Faith again. She looked terrified and Lucas wasn’t looking much better. Finally hoping for some sort of reassurance in someone, his eyes shifted to his mother. Her expression didn’t exactly do much to settle his nerves, in fact she looked sad and he wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Was she sorry he’d covered up what he’d done? Was she sorry for what was about to happen to him? Even worse, was she saying goodbye because she knew Fabian would kill him?

While he stood feeling more unsure of himself, of his future, of everything, Faith came over and dropped to her knees in front of him. He tensed; the sight of her beautiful face in line with his groin made his cock stir and he had to will it not to harden and embarrass him at a time that was clearly not appropriate for him to become aroused. When she curled her arms around his legs and tucked her cheek into his thighs, he couldn’t contain the low groan that escaped him. He could smell her, her sweet fragrance and when he reached down to touch her, his fingers tunnelled through her beautiful soft hair.

“Stand up sweetheart, please Faith. This is not the time for you to try and reinforce your belief that we are destined for one another.”

She looked up at him, her brilliant blue eyes dazzling in their intensity. “I want you to forgive me for coming here and I’m sorry Adrian, so sorry if...if your father can’t forgive you.” A sob made its way free of her throat and it tugged even harder at his heart to hear it.

He reached down and pulled her to her feet but before he had a chance to make sure she was steady, she threw her arms around his neck and her lips hit his. He opened his mouth to protest which immediately gave Faith the access she needed and her tongue pushed past his lips to lick over his.

She kissed him wildly, passionately, desperately and Adrian had to call on every ounce of his control to not let her passion consume him. He managed to pull away from her and step back but despite finding the control necessary to do so, he couldn’t control his body’s response and he was painfully, embarrassingly erect in front of his parents. This had never happened to him before; he felt vulnerable and exposed.

“No Faith, this is not the time.” He warned her.

“Step away from my son little one.” Fabian’s voice held an authoritative note, and although Adrian could see the rebellious flash in her eyes, she said nothing and complied with his wishes.

His father stepped up to him, studying him for several agonising minutes while Adrian stood, trying to keep his head held high despite his erection and the close scrutiny he was under. “You want her son?” He asked, tipping his head to indicate Faith. “You can deny it; you can push her away but this.” He suddenly grabbed Adrian’s cock through his pants. “Now this doesn’t lie. Deny it all you want but you do want her.”

“Father, please.” His voice was strained, pain radiating out from where Fabian still held him in his firm grip. “Ok, fine, yes, I want her but I can’t have her.” His words were little more than a whisper. “What are you going to do to me?”

Fabian abruptly released him and stepped back. “You know what the punishment is for taking someone’s life son? Not only did you take Lucas’s life, you turned him without my consent, and you’ve kept him and his still human mother hidden for around two years? Surely even you must see this is punishable by death; what you have done?”

“No, no you can’t.” Faith cried out. She rushed forward again but Fabian held his hand up and halted her.

“You would do well to not interfere. This is between my son and me.” He warned.

Adrian turned to her. “Sweetheart please; no. It’s not necessary for you to involve yourself in this.”

He watched her battle her desire to ignore his request but finally she gave a barely decipherable nod of her head and backed away. Once she was out of the way he turned a wary face back to his father. “Are you going to drag this out, torture me father? Is that your intention? Well, don’t; just get it over and done with. I fucked up, I know that. I’m ready to accept my punishment.” As the words left his lips he realised they were true. He’d fought to hide what he’d done for so long. He’d lived a double life to cover his mistakes and now it was all exposed. He’d felt his first taste of freedom for a fleeting moment and now he was ready to die. “I’m ready. I never wanted this. I never wanted any of it. Punish me for what I have done, for what I am.”

“So you are ready to accept your punishment?” Fabian asked, pausing briefly to frown at his son. Adrian nodded. “Very well then.” His father lifted his arm high before with a blindingly fast slash of his hand, the older vampire struck him. Unprepared for it although he should have been, Adrian flew across the room, slamming into one side of the marble mantelpiece of the fireplace. He crashed to the floor, blood oozing from a cut above his eye and a split lip where he’d bitten down from the shock of the impact.

He heard a scream and Faith’s voice yelling but he couldn’t focus on her as all his attention was on his father who advanced on him as he lay on the floor. With every step towards him, Adrian tensed, ready, ready for whatever would happen next, ready to receive his punishment, his death.

When Fabian stood over him, staring down, a look in those pale eyes that Adrian could not decipher, he bent towards him and suddenly hauled him upright by his neck.

Again Adrian made no attempt to fight back; he was prepared to accept his fate. So when his father brought the palm of his hand across his cheek as hard as he could, which caused Adrian’s head to snap sideways, he just let it happen.

Twice, three more times Fabian hit him before finally releasing him where he slid back down to the floor. Blood oozed out of his cheek, lip and he could taste it in his mouth too as he lay, his body aching but his mind empty, almost numb.

“Look what you’ve done to him.” Faith shrieked and dropped to his side on the floor.

“He needs to be punished Faith. Don’t foolishly involve yourself in this or I will punish you too.”

He pushed her aside and Adrian opened his mouth to protest but suddenly Fabian kicked him in the stomach which drew a groan from him. He braced himself when it looked like his father was going to attack him again, but suddenly there was some sort of disturbance and his father was covered from head to toe in ropes that bound his arms to his sides.

When he lifted his head higher to see what was happening, his mother was standing over Fabian, her eyes flashing with rage. “Leave our son alone you stupid bastard.” She spat at him through gritted teeth. “I cannot stand by and watch you hurt him any longer.”

“Let me go my beauty. You know I have to punish him for what he’s done. You don’t understand what I have planned for him.”

Sirene laughed but there was no humour in it. “You are not killing our son you fool. You and your stupid outdated rules; ok, Adrian made a mistake but you are not taking his life for that. The others have stuffed up and not received such harsh treatment from you.”

“Dammit Sirene, release me. You don’t understand. You have it all wrong, I have to make an example of him; can’t you see that?”

“No I don’t. This is our fault this has happened. Can’t you see that? We...did...this. We didn’t prepare our son; this is our fault.” She snapped at him, before dropping down to take Adrian in her arms. He wrapped his around her and let her comfort him, all the time struggling to keep unexpected tears at bay. It was so nice to be in her arms, to have her loving him, caring for him and protecting him. He’d had to be so strong alone, for so long and only now, did he fully realise how much he needed his mother’s love. He was tired, so very tired of the life he’d been living, of the secrets he’d been keeping, he was tired of it all. His father was so angry with him and maybe his mother was too, but not enough to want him dead that was obvious. Still, he had no idea what Fabian would do to him, once Sirene let him loose from the ropes that bound him.

Faith

I watched the exchange between Fabian and Sirene with great interest. Something had changed in the room. The mood was different and certainly Fabian was not happy about being restrained. I’d gaped in shock when I’d seen the ropes seemingly appear from thin air and wrap around the imposing vampire.

I had newfound respect for Sirene though. She kicked ass and she sure knew how to control Fabian despite her tiny build.

I badly wanted to go to Adrian but I was scared to do so after Fabian warning me off earlier, plus he was in his mother’s arms and when I saw his face, I thought for a moment that he was close to tears. Still when he lifted his head a fraction and his eyes met mine over her shoulder, he looked his usual composed self, other than the cuts and abrasions which were already starting to heal.

“Dammit woman, let…me…go.” Fabian spat angrily again and when I looked at him, his pale eyes were blazing with his fury. “I’m…not…going…to…hurt…our…son.” He punctuated each word with a grinding of his teeth.

“You punched him and kicked him Fabian. What part of that is not hurting our son?”

“Don’t you get it yet? I had to make a bit of an example of him. I never intended killing him my beauty. Please let me go.”

At Fabian’s words, my eyes shot to his, desperate for something in his expression to confirm what he was saying. I’d seen him beat and kick Adrian in my visions but not how it all ended. With one touch I could find out now.

“Wait, please.” I begged Sirene and walked towards Fabian who was glowering at me. “Let me see. Let me see if he’s telling the truth.” I said and placed a shaking hand on his arm, feeling the hard muscles flex under my touch despite the multiple strands of rope restraining him.

As soon as my skin came into contact with his, flashes of images began to fill my head, jumping around, giving me brief glimpses of what was to come.

Fabian and Sirene were holding Adrian in their arms and he was crying. There was no sound but I could see his whole body shook from the force of his gut wrenching sobs.

The image changed and I saw Fabian and Sirene with Katherine. They must have been meeting her for the first time. She was smiling as she looked up, her gaze not really directed to anyone since she was blind.