Progeny
By: Delilah deSora

Chapter 5

Este had taken the children out to teach them how to fish while the rest of the adults adjourned to the library where Adrian repeated the description of the man his son claimed to have been watching them. Everyone listened intently, hoping for the words that would allow them to discount it all as childish fantasy.

Renzo paced, a frown pulling at his lips as they sat in silence, considering the words.

“But you saw no one there?” He asked.

Adrian sighed and shook his head. “No. Indeed I saw no evidence that anyone had been there at all.”

“He could have been mistaken,” Renzo mused, “He was frightened and did not know who had attacked you.”

“But to describe Miron so accurately!” Cain pointed out.

“But he didn’t describe Miron accurately,” Alexandru replied, “He simply saw a pale haired man with blue eyes. He could not describe anything else about him.”

Cain shook his head, the black bow that held his golden hair back moving against the simple white shirt he wore with a hiss. “Why that description then? Why not say he saw a brown haired man with blue eyes, a smallish man with an oily grin? It seems odd to me that he would chose that particular description.”

Across the table Adrian shifted. “It may not be so odd.” He murmured, staring at his hands folded in his lap, “Dorian asked me recently why he didn’t have the same colored eyes as myself or his sire. I told him he must have inherited them from someone else. Earlier he asked you, Alexandru, why your blood tasted strange, do you remember?”

Alexandru nodded solemnly, his burgundy eyes somewhat unfocused. Shido sighed silently for he knew that look. He hoped that it was deep thought upon the situation that drove the man into silence but until the fit passed they would not know.

“Dorian is observant and he’s smart,” Adrian continued, turning away from his mate to gaze at his family. “He’s asked me about others of our kind, what they look like and such. It is possible he unconsciously knows that Alexandru is not his sire. Perhaps . . . perhaps in his moment of fear he conjured up the image of the man who would more closely resemble the man who sired him. It is bound to be a child’s worse fear, to find out that the people he calls parents are not his parents at all.” Adrian finished, glancing down so as not to see how his theory was taken.

Renzo resumed pacing, his large hands folded behind his back. “It is possible,” he mused, “None of us sensed the presence of another.”

Cain scowled but it was Alexandru who sighed softly and spoke. “However it is Miron’s gift to go undetected.”

“And it is strange for breed to hunt together. They are solitary creatures.” Shido forced himself to point out, even though he longed for Adrian’s excuse to be correct. His words earned a nod from his mate and Cain’s hand slid to his knee in silent thanks for his support.

Silence again descended as everyone considered the situation.

Finally Renzo heaved a heavy breath, tilting his head back so that his whitish hair slid over his shoulder to tumble down his back where it gleamed against the dark jacket he wore. “There is nothing we can do except keep an eye out.” He proclaimed, garnering attention from everyone, even Alexandru, “If Miron is around then he is bound to make another mistake. Personally I am inclined to believe that this vision was just that, a figment of a child’s frightened imagination.”

“You should take the children away,” Adrian said, catching his mate’s attention. “Take them on a hunting trip. That way if Miron is lurking about they will not be here for him to harm.”

Alexandru frowned but reluctantly nodded. “That may be best.”

“I will travel with you in case you are followed. Este’s taste for the modern world grows thin so he will stay here. If anyone comes to the island during his watch he will know.” He paused, awaiting the agreeing nods from the younger velassi before him. When he was sure of their support he paused in his pacing. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” Renzo stated, glancing out the window to the moonless sky, “After All Souls night.”

Shido sighed and stroked his mate’s face, Cain’s features relaxed in a parody of sleep as his body struggled against the poison that slowed it and kept his mind trapped firmly in unconsciousness. Through the open doorway he could see Cayle controlling an epic battle of pikemen and calvary on the floor while Dorian was curled up on the couch, frowning in concentration as he struggled to solve the puzzle cube.

From somewhere outside there was a high pitched shriek and since it didn’t seem to set Dorian’s nerves on edge Shido assumed it must have come from Este. The normally docile man could be quite vocal on All Souls night as he and Renzo fought one another during their mating. Adrian could be as well but he and Alexandru usually stayed well away from the house to keep Dorian from worrying over his parents’ snarls and cries.

On the bed Cain grunted and shifted, feeling the demanding mating calls of the night even through the poison that gave him some measure of relief. Shido felt it too, though instead of the uncontrollable need to mate all it left in him was a nagging feeling of restlessness. In time the need would grow stronger but it wouldn’t be until Cayle was nearly an adult before it would drive him to the insanity it drove the others. Until then Cain was forced to poison himself to keep from dragging his mate off for mating while Shido spent the lonely night babysitting.

Rising, he joined Cayle on the floor as the tide of battle shifted in favor of the blue men.

His son smiled up at him brightly, making his lips curl though Shido had little to smile about through his worries. He amused himself with stroking his son’s soft hair, so like his sire’s right down to the careless curls at the end. Cayle even mimicked his sire’s dress, though to be honest that was mostly Cain’s doing.

Cayle pulled away from him to pounce upon the red army that held the high ground, knocking them to the floor amid a barrage of stabbing men. When the last man had fallen Cayle laughed and stumbled back, miming the dramatic death of a soldier. Shido laughed as Cayle flung himself backwards, catching him as he fell and cradling the boy in his lap.

Cayle seemed content to lie there and Shido stared out across the ruined battleground. “Who won?” He asked, for not a single man had been left standing.

In his lap Cayle smirked. “No one did. I killed them all.”

Shido cocked his head in confusion. “But someone must have survived. A battle must have a winner.”

The boy stretched and curled on his side. “They both have to die if we’re to win.”

“I don’t understand.” Shido replied, his fingers smoothing the strands of hair away from his son’s suddenly serious face.

“If one of them survived,” Cayle explained, his green eyes thoughtful, “Then they’d have come looking for us. The only way for our kind to survive is for the humans to kill each other off.”

He paused, glancing up at his father who had stiffened. He was no longer smiling and Cayle studied the horrified expression in confusion.

“Who taught you such things?” Shido demanded, making Cayle shrink back.

“But isn’t that best?” Cayle asked, pushing himself up onto his knees. “There’s so many of them and they’re always fighting. There aren’t a lot of us and we don’t fight a lot so we’re not used to it. Wouldn’t it be safer for them to kill each other off so when they do come for us there aren’t so many?”

Shido scowled. “Who said they were going to come for us?”

The couch creaked slightly, drawing his attention to the dark haired boy who sat, considering the colored block in his hands. When he spoke, however, Shido realized that it wasn’t the conundrum of the block that had him so thoughtful.

“Everyone says it,” Dorian replied, glancing up at them with adult eyes, “Not in so many words but by your actions you say it. We cannot reveal what we are to the humans and we live hidden away from them. When we hunt our sires hover about us, always watching the humans for any sign of aggression.”

Cayle nodded gravely. “Sire sits in the library for hours when he returns from his court. He won’t let us see what he is reading but sometimes I’ve gotten glimpses of it. His court is under siege by the humans. They have been killing off his people.”

Dorian shifted again, his loose black hair falling to cover his face. “And they did something to my sire.” He murmured.

Shido felt a stab of sorrow and went to the dark haired boy; sitting beside him so that he could brush the hair away from his face. Dorian’s eyes were free of tears but he could feel the uncertainty in him. The cushion sank as Cayle climbed up beside him and he gathered the children in his arms, holding them.

“It is wrong to blame an entire race for the actions of a few.” He said, his hands rubbing against young back’s to try to soothe them.

There was silence for a few minutes before Dorian pulled back, peering up at him. “But wouldn’t they all turn against us if they knew we existed? What do we do when it’s not just a few but the entire race that means us harm?”

Shido hesitated, unsure of what to say in the face of such a bleak claim. Dorian’s eyes searched his but he found he had no answer to soothe the young boy’s fear.

They had gone to Alexandru’s studio where bright paints served to distract the young boys from their dark worries. Other than Cayle and Dorian painting more on each other than on the canvas it was an uneventful night and Shido fell asleep on the couch with the two boys curled up against him. Come the next evening Cain was in a foul mood, the poison leaving him with a headache and Cayle, aware of his sire’s occasional impatience, wandered off to find trouble where Este would have to deal with it. Everyone was subdued and Renzo and Alexandru were sporting impressive sets of claw marks.

What the children thought of their sires’ injuries and their fathers’ self satisfied smiles Shido did not know. When Cayle climbed up onto Renzo’s lap the sire winced uncomfortably, causing Este to smirk at him and making Shido wonder what other injuries were hidden under the ancient’s clothes.

The pounding rain regulated them all indoors and Cain and Alexandru made plans for the next venture into the human world. Dorian and Cayle made demands for which city they wished to visit next, fighting over the map as the adults tried to hide their smiles as they pulled the boys apart. Renzo’s plans changed and he admitted to wishing to make another trip to the northern city. Shido hid his gladness of it behind a mask of polite interest. With Renzo around he could not escape to do his own work for the ancient sire would never agree to keeping his secret. He was too old fashioned to believe that a velassi of Shido’s sexual orientation should be off on his own without his mate.

With Renzo gone he was free to go where he chose.

“Why did we have to go back early?” Cayle demanded, his face full of anger.

Cain sighed as he pushed the heavy doors to house open. “Because they found one of the bodies and the authorities were asking questions. We must never be caught, Cayle, and when people start sniffing around for answers it is best to flee.”

Cayle’s scowl deepened and he stomped inside, angry at having his vacation interrupted. Cain shared a pain look with his sire who shrugged, ushering in the more complacent Dorian who had voiced no opinion over whether or not he cared their trip had been cut short.

There was a flurry of motion at the top of the grand staircase and Cain turned. Alexandru stepped passed him, a fond smile crossing his face. Before he could speak however, Adrian leaned over the railing and he was not smiling.

“What are you doing back?” He demanded.

Cain frowned slightly at the worry he detected in his father’s voice.

Alexandru shrugged, pulling off his coat. “I was lax in destroying one of the bodies and people began to ask questions we could not answer. We thought it best to return.”

Before them Cayle peered around. “Where’s father?” He asked.

Up on the balcony Adrian straightened, strangely silent. Frowning Cain mentally reached out for his mate . . . and encountered nothing.

“Where is Shido?” He asked suspiciously.

His father’s lips pursed, his arms crossing over his chest. “He . . . went out.”

Cain’s suspicions deepened and he stalked forward. “Where?” He demanded, the word coming out more a growl then anything else.

Alexandru moved to step in his path, the sire in him driving him to protect his mate, and Adrian sighed.

“Leave him be, Cain. He needs a bit of freedom for himself.” He urged.

Cain snarled, his fist slamming into the heavy railing of the stairs. “The gods damn you, tell me where he is!”

There was a moment of silence and Alexandru stared up at the balcony. Adrian shifted but found he could not ignore that quiet stare. With a heavy sigh he spoke the name of the city.

Whirling on his heel Cain retreated into the cold night.

Shido sat upon the roof’s edge, watching the late night drunks stagger home together. It was strangely quiet and he felt not the faintest stirring of a breed. There were neither stories of people disappearing into the night nor rumors of creatures lurking in the darkness. It seemed he’d come to this place mistakenly. There were no breed or vampires to hunt. The only predators here were the alley cats that stared up at him with glowing eyes.

A beautiful woman who bared a graceful stretch of throat when she flung her head back and laughed caught his attention as she and a friend passed below. He felt the first stirrings of hunger and rose. He would feed and then be gone, leaving her with half formed dreams of a man giving her a taste of paradise in the shadows.

A sudden breeze caught in his hair, blowing it forward over his shoulder. He frowned for that breeze brought a new scent to him, one that warned him of a fellow vampire. He turned around, his eyes going golden as he scanned the darkness.

“Who’s there?” He demanded, stepping forward as the scent grew stronger.

“Me, you fool.” Came the hissed reply.

Shido snarled and fell back as a dark form landed before him. Cain crouched a moment to find his balance and Shido stepped back in surprise. Before he could ask how his mate had found him the golden haired velassi launched himself forward with an angry growl.

 Cain’s hand closed about his wrist and Shido struggled to free himself.

“How dare you!” Cain snarled, his impossibly white fangs snapping in the darkness, “How dare you run from me again!”

Shido twisted his arm and shoved the larger man, using Cain’s sudden loss of balance to jerk free. “I am not running from you!” He shouted, backing away as his mate whirled upon him.

“I told you stay on the island!” Cain leapt at him and Shido dodged, the black cloth of his mate’s cloak brushing his cheek as he escaped.

“I am not a child to be told what to do!” He snarled, striking out in anger.

His nails caught Cain across the face, leaving bloody gouges across his cheek and down his neck. Shido hesitated for he had not meant to draw blood.

Cain’s face twisted in ugly rage and his arm flashed out, nails slashing into the pristine whiteness of his mate’s shirt. Shido jerked away gracelessly, falling to the ground against the low wall that circled the roof. He curled in on himself and Cain froze.

Shido tensed, waiting for the next blow. He was painfully aware of the sharp concrete cutting into his hip and hand as he huddled against the wall and a part of him wanted to jump up and fight back. However that part could not overcome the instinct to protect himself and he cowered, waiting for the angry strike.

There was a crunch of gravel at his side and he jerked away as Cain knelt, the black cloak making him seem larger than he was.

“Shido?” Long fingers touched the hand that covered his navel and Shido tensed, realizing what he had given away.

The hand came up, catching his throat between Cain’s thumb and forefinger, pushing him back against the wall even as his mate forced his chin up to meet the angry golden gaze.

“Why did you not tell me?” Cain hissed, holding him easily even as he struggled.

“Tell you what?” Shido demanded, trying to tear himself free of the hold.

His mate snarled and gave him a bone-jarring shake, slamming his back against the wall, growling his name reproachfully.

“It’s not possible!” Shido insisted, abandoning all attempts to pretend he did not know what Cain was talking about. He reached up to wrap a hand about the bare wrist that stretched out from beneath the spill of lace from Cain’s shirt. “You’ve all said it and, though I do not know many things, I know this! I cannot be with child so soon after having Cayle.”

Cain hesitated, the fury slipping away, leaving only confusion and uncertainty behind. “That is true . . .” He paused and shook himself the anger returning even as he released his mate. “Even so this is beyond foolish, even for you! Miron . . .”

“Is not here!” Shido interrupted, pulling himself to his feet. The front of his shirt was stained with his blood but his wounds were less severe than the ones that marred Cain’s perfect face. “I have watched for him and never in all of my travels have I seen him.”

Cain’s eyes narrowed and Shido cursed himself when he realized his slip. “And the others condone this?” Cain demanded, “Encouraged you to betray me in such a way?”

“The others have nothing to do with this!” Shido insisted.

Cain gave him a withering glare. “Adrian . . .”

“Treats me like the adult I am!” Shido interrupted, “You would treat me as a child! As some possession to keep locked away.”

“I treat you like the father our son needs you to be!” Cain shouted, his hands sweeping down in a cutting motion, “You claim to be an adult but you are barely more than a selfish child! You think only of yourself and your wants! Yes you are strong, yes you have survived alone before, yes you are skilled and fierce, but it only takes one mistake, Shido. One bit of foul luck and your selfishness will harm us all!

“You do not give our son a torch and step back to see what he does with it. Yes, he more than likely will do nothing with it but there is still the chance that he may harm himself with its flame. How is that any different then what you do here? One moment, Shido. One wrong moment and your stupidity will cost Cayle his father. One wrong moment and you cost our new son his life.”

Shido turned away from him, folding his arms over his stomach. “I am not pregnant.” He whispered.

“Doesn’t it ever get tiring?” Cain asked, his deep voice full of tired frustration, “Don’t you ever get tired of lying to yourself?”

Violet lashes slid over green eyes as Shido lowered his gaze, unable to answer his mate’s question.

Cain watched his father’s reflection in the dark glass, saw the way pale hands smoothed at imaginary wrinkles in the dark robe Adrian so favored as he exited from the private room he and Shido shared, his investigation finished. 

“Well?” He demanded.

He saw his father glance up at him and then look away. “It shouldn’t be possible. It is true that some fathers become pregnant again shortly after their first child has grown but never so soon. I don’t think our bodies are made for it, certainly since All Souls night does not drive us so.”

“But.” Cain provided, turning.

Adrian sat, his hands pressed together between his knees. “But I fear you are right. We won’t know for sure until he starts to round.”

“How sure are you?” Cain pressed.

Weary golden eyes met his and his father sighed heavily. “He is with child.” Came the firm declaration.

Cain nodded and looked away.

He heard his father shift and assumed the man was leaving the room but he found he was wrong when a hand came to rest lightly upon his arm. He met his father’s golden eyes.

“I won’t apologize,” Adrian said, his gaze firm, “Este is full of proper horror at Shido’s actions but I am not. You cannot lock him away any more than you can force him to participate in your golden dawn. He will be your equal, Cain, or he will fight you. He did not mean for what he did to affect Cayle nor did he mean to risk the life he carries.”

Adrian hesitated a small humorless smile crossed his lips. “I did not mean to risk those things either when I kept his secret. If I had known he was pregnant I would have acted differently but I did not know and neither, do I believe, did he. Oh I think on some level he knew it was possible but he denies this. He is afraid, Cain, though he hides it behind belligerent anger. This is all still new to him and after what he went through the last time he was pregnant can you blame him for being anxious about this one?”

Cain’s lips pursed. “We cannot stay here. I know we all agreed that this vision of Miron was probably Dorian’s imagination but . . . this changes things. I will not risk him a second time.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed as he studied his eldest son’s features. “Where will you go?”

Cain moved away from him, going to the dusty globe that sat upon a mahogany table. His fingers came to rest upon the top, his skin barely darker than the snow covered lands.

Adrian’s frown deepened. “You would take him there? Back to that place?”

Cain nodded. “There is nowhere else safer. Even Miron would not be able to reach them there.”

Silence reigned between them for a long while before Adrian moved to his side. “We should speak with Renzo. The council’s power is still great there and they would seek to teach us how to raise our own children. They respect Renzo’s age and Este’s upbringing. Their influence will be less with them there for us to hide behind.”

Cain scowled at his words but he silenced his son’s pride with a pointed stare. With a curt nod Cain swept past him, leaving him alone in the room. Folding his arms across his chest Adrian drifted towards the window, staring out into the darkness.

“When will you be gone from our lives?”  He hissed out into the night. “When will your taint be erased from our kind?”

If Miron had heard him, the silent night kept his secrets.