Right Kind of Wrong
By: Delilah deSora

Chapter 7

Adrian moved silently through the twilight halls of the manor, letting the ghost of memory drift around him, turning the quiet rooms loud with the sound of childlike laughter and the mocking growls of an attentive sire. It seemed to him that if he but opened a door he would see his mate pretending ignorance while their child stalked him on clumsy legs or else he would find Cain frowning in consternation as Alexandru taught him to memorize measure upon measure of music that he would be asked to play back without the benefit of sheet music to train his mind.

When he moved out onto the balcony he could have sworn he saw a figure darting among the trees, chasing fox and rabbit. Cain had delighted in bringing them indoors to prove his speed. Later it would be birds he had caught, still alive and struggling between his hands until he had received his acclaim and taken them outside to be released, a little wiser for their unasked for journey.

Adrian sighed and sat.

So many of his earlier memories had been from this vantage point. It had taken him years to recover sufficiently from Cain’s birth to be able to take an active role in the rambunctious child’s life. He would allow his mate to fuss over him for an hour before sending him off with their squirming son to play under the stars while he struggled with his weakness. They had never been gone long before they returned to play before the fire.

When day came the three of them would sleep together on their large bed. Even after his strength had returned and Cain had grown old enough to demand his own bed he and Alexandru spent the day only sleeping. It had not bothered him then for he knew what his mate feared but now, with a century of loneliness behind him, he cursed himself for allowing the lack of passion.

He also cursed himself for never having asked where their first child had been buried.

Long fingers brushed his face at the sadness that welled within him. They had both been young then, always finding time and some dark place to play out their passion for each other. Their nights had seemed endless and they rode high upon their love. When the change had come upon him and they’d realized what it meant they’d celebrated, thinking that fate had smiled upon them.

The weakness had come but neither of them realized that it was wrong for him to feel so tired all the time. They did not know that at only six months into the child’s development he should not have been bedridden as he had. They had not known that his slowly lessening hunger meant that the child within him drew more blood than his body could spare. It was not until he had begun to vomit blood but refuse to take any from his mate in recompense that they began to worry.

Day by day his body had weakened until he could no longer even lift his head. With his pregnancy only half finished his mate had made the final decision. Adrian had been spared it for Alexandru had used his power to force him into an untroubled sleep. When he’d woken their child was gone and Alexandru would speak no more of it. It had been a selfish relief on his part but one that he had always felt guilt over. He had not wished his mate to carry the horror alone but he could never bring himself to ask about where the child he had failed had been buried.

He hated himself for that cowardice now.

For decades they had taken precautions to make sure no child would result in their union but, as with all things, time dulled the pain and they became careless. Only a century had passed when his body gave him the first inkling that something was growing within it. He’d been so shocked he’d at first ignored it as paranoia, for their kind was notoriously slow to reproduce. That he could be with child again so soon seemed impossible.

It hadn’t been.

When Alexandru had finally taken notice of it they’d fought. Alexandru feared for him and, in truth, Adrian feared for himself but he refused to give up on the child. They had retreated right away, rather than wait as they had done before, and he had refused to be bed ridden. He forced himself to rise every night and make a token attempt at hunting with his mate. When that became too difficult he would pace the house, even when it became painful to stand.

The sixth month had passed with no incident and so too had the ninth. When a year had passed the weakness had become too much for him and he’d been forced to stay in bed. As before his hunger waned and he struggled to remain conscious for long periods of time. Alexandru had become fearful but always Adrian asked him to wait. The final days were dangerous for them but fortunately their child seemed to sense his distress and was inclined to be birthed early. Adrian remembered little of that first year but what he did warmed his heart.

He could remember small hands clutching his hair as the child fed, golden eyes so much like his that had never changed to another color. He remembered sharp little fangs that nipped when Alexandru checked to make sure that they were strong and well rooted. He remembered laughter when his mate hide among the covers and hunted their son. There were not as many memories as he would have liked but they were enough.

“And soon there shall be more.” He whispered as he forced himself out of the past.

Standing he began to throw open the heavy shutters and open windows to bring in a freeze breeze to chase away the darkness of the manor’s empty years. Tomorrow night he would go to the city to order new furniture and rugs. He would bring in cleaners to make the manor livable again before sending them on their way with new memories and the knowledge that only lynx and bear haunted these hills.

He would make sure that the hunting for his son was adequate and he would make sure that he passed on what secrets he knew to make sure that his body remained strong as their son grew. Then he would return to Romania to oversee his child’s court so that one day his grandson would have something of Alexandru’s to inherit.

Shido shivered as he stared up at the large stone manor. The March wind cut through his clothes and chilled him to the bone. It was a strange sensation and he could not recall ever having felt cold before. Absently he rubbed the top of his stomach, aware of the slight swell. For having six months to grow he worried over the small change. Cain had been quick to chase away his fears, telling him that in a few months time the child would grow at an incredible rate until he thought he would explode. The golden haired man had laughed at his slightly horrified look and told him to enjoy the present and not worry about the future.

For someone that had always worried about the future Shido found he couldn’t quite obey. He broke away from Cain’s side to approach one of the walls. Lifting his hand he touched the wind worn stone, his fingers finding grooves and cracks among the slab but despite that he could feel the strength beneath his hand and he smiled, peering up. This was a place built to last. He could sense it and with it came a half formed memory that made the smile

He moved around the side of the building, hovering in the moonlight shadow for a moment before stepping forward and up onto a long veranda. With each narrow step he took more of an expansive garden came into view. A long stride from the top stair took him to an iron railing and he rested his hands on it, the winter’s cold biting into the flesh of his palms as he studied the strange twisting paths among the barren bushes.

A disorienting half memory came over him and his hands clenched on the railing as he studied the sleeping garden. He remembered it as flowering. Even in the dark of the night there had been life thriving all around him. The paths were slightly different but he recognized the cupola and small pagoda that had only been half finished in his memory’s eye. He raised a hand to his temple in response to a twinge of pain and he forced himself to turn his back on the garden.

He came across a wooden door that he recalled being glass the last time he’d been here and when he pulled it open he expected the room beyond to be brightly lit. To his relief it was still the same as he remembered, though the candles and lamps had been replaced with electric lights. The wooden floor reflected the light and when he touched one of the old divans he noticed that the pattern on the fabric was slightly different.

“A new covering but still the same.” He murmured, running his hand over the golden embroidery as he passed it by. It made him smile slightly. Much in his life was like that, seeing it all with new eyes did not change the fact that it had been there all along.

He moved from room to room, touching half remembered objects and reacquainting himself with the feel of the manor. Cain had said nothing of him having been here before but he knew he had spent many years here. Others had been here as well for sometimes memory would play with his mind and he’d think he’d catch a glimpse of a golden head, bowing over to nip at a black haired man’s throat as long fingers coaxed music out of the harpsichord or else he’d catch the shadow of a person reading upon a couch. They were simple, every night scenes.

The headache threatened to split his skull and he winced, following the sound of voices to one of the front rooms. Cain sat before the window in a seat some vague memory told him had once been his sire’s favorite. Adrian watched him enter, golden eyes dark with some unasked question. One of them had started a fire and Shido sat beside it, sinking down gratefully in the soft chair. His back and neck ached and he growled softly in annoyance.

To his relief neither of the men said anything about his apparent discomfort. Cain opened his mouth but after a moment’s hesitation turned his attention back to his father. “No one remembers coming here?” He asked, apparently picking up their conversation from where Shido had interrupted.

Adrian shook his head. “No, I was careful to replace their memories. They all believe they were working on a much different home to the east of the town.”

“Town?” Shido asked, frowning slightly. “I didn’t see any evidence of a town nearby.”

Cain laughed. “The town is not nearby. It is nearly a full days drive through the mountains. Do you think we would use this place if there were humans nosing about?”

Shido gave him a withering look at the insult to his intelligence.

“Ah, of course not,” Cain laughed again, “There are many miles of forest and rock between us and them. They, naturally, have only been interested in spreading their little village away from us eastward into the valley. I doubt any of them know of this place.”

In the doorway Adrian nodded. “Alexandru’s parents were very careful when they chose this location. Two children have been raised in this place. I see no reason why it cannot be used again.”

Shido frowned slightly. “And Miron? Was he raised here?”

Adrian shook his head. “No. After Alexandru’s birth the manor was redone but neither of his parents had the ability to alter memories. They feared that not enough time had passed for the descendants to forget about stories passed down of the strange place in the mountain to dim. They chose to raise him elsewhere in a place they knew was safe. It was much later that Alexandru and I came here and I was assured that Miron did not know of it.”

“Does it hurt?” Cain asked suddenly.

Shido blinked at him in confusion then flushed when he realized that he had been rubbing his stomach. “No,” he murmured, “it just aches a bit. I think . . . I think it’s feeding.”

Adrian laughed softly. “That is a good sign. He needs to feed to be strong.”

Cain did not mirror the laugh as he rose, a frown tugging on his lips. “You should rest.”

Shido growled at him. “I am fine!”

His mate paused, unsure of what to do. Adrian smiled. “Let him be, Cain. Just because he’s getting a bit round does not mean he needs you to hover over him. He’s not some swooning maiden. He can take care of himself for a bit longer.”

Cain sniffed in annoyance and returned to his seat. “You’ve gotten everything finished?” He asked.

Adrian nodded. “Yes. A generator was installed for electricity and pumps for running water. I even had a heating system added, though it only works for the upper bedrooms. Your son will come next winter. That is always the hardest time for your child will need the warmth that your bodies do not supply. The heating system will be safer than allowing your child near a fire, as we’ve traditionally been forced to do.”

Shido sat up a bit. “That is why I’m so cold all the time?” He asked.

Adrian shrugged. “Probably. It doesn’t explain the coldness you feel but perhaps that is the child’s way of telling you it needs warmth. These were things that bothered me when it was my time as well and I still have no answers.”

Shido bit back a yawn, annoyed with the sudden lethargy that crept over him. He closed his eyes and dozed in the heat, listening but not comprehending to the others’ words.

If it was difficult to notice the passing of the nights at Cain’s court it was nearly impossible at the manor. There was no constant influx of new breed or vampires to make him aware of change. Every night was like the one before until his body made him aware of time’s relentless march. Though it galled him he had trouble staying up the entire night.

He started each night walking the twisting paths of the garden while Cain and Adrian hunted in the far away village. People no longer feared the dark and they fell easy prey to the hunters. Both velassi came back early in the evening and though the smell of ill gotten human blood sickened his senses he allowed the two to draw him into their good humor.

He would sit by the fire as Cain played amidst his father’s pretended disgust at his skill, laughing when the black haired vampire called his mate an uncultured bore for banging the keys as hard as he did.

“Sweet music not howls of dying things!” He would snap, shoving his son away from his harpsichord and taking his place.

Cain would pretend annoyance before wrapping around him as they listened, Adrian’s music bringing old memories. Shido had learned to simply let them come rather than try to rationalize them or force them. There were still holes but slowly they were filling.

Still, though, he had no memories of his life before coming to this place other than the one of Alexandru coming to him.

Adrian had assured him that they would come; he just needed to be patient. Shido wasn’t sure he wanted them to come, though. The small bit of fear he had felt when the golden haired velassi had bent over him was enough to make him grit his teeth in anger. He was not weak and he hated feeling as such.

Shortly after the darkest part of the night sleep would threaten him and he would excuse himself or Adrian and Cain would slip away while he slept beside the fire. He would wake an hour or two before dawn and he and Cain would walk among the newly budded flowers. Sometimes they spoke of the past, always careful to keep from talking of their different views on humans. Sometimes they discussed the future or what was happening now. More often than not, though, they walked in simple silence. Secretly these were his favorite times for his soul was strangely peaceful.

The flowers bloomed and broad leaves spread out to shimmer under the moonlight and one night Adrian informed them that he was returning to Romania. Despite Cain’s insistence Adrian refused to stay. Shido tried to convince the older velassi to stay as well for privately he needed the comforting presence of a man who had gone through what he had. All their arguments fell on deaf ears though Adrian promised that should anything go wrong he would come back. The next day he was gone and Shido couldn’t help feeling a bit trapped in the large building with only Cain for company.

When the blossoms on the trees fell and the fruit began to swell so to did he. Walking became a chore but he grit his teeth and forced himself up out of the enormous bed he and Cain shared to drag his unbalanced body to the garden where he would collapse into a chair on the veranda for a few minutes before getting up another bit of energy to make it all the way down onto the now familiar pathways. Cain no longer traveled as far from the manor as he had and by the time he would make it to the garden there would inevitably be a steadying hand as he stalked among the dying bushes in defiance of his failing strength. The wind had turned wintry, curtailing his outdoor ventures for as the child within him grew his tolerance of cold decreased.

Walks in the garden changed to sleeping by the fire as movement became too much of an effort. His clothes no longer fit and he settled for long shirts and robes, ignoring Cain’s suggestion he just go naked. He would spend hours watching the fire as he felt the child within him move. Sometimes it was just a small flutter of activity and other times it felt as though the child were trying to swim through his stomach. In such times he would cry out in pain as he felt things within him tear. Always, though, his mate was there to soothe their child with patient hands that stroked his swollen stomach until the movement stopped.

As the occurrences increased while his own ability to stand and move on his own lessened he began to suffer from an intense paranoia. Every little sound would set his heart racing and he would clutch the covers until Cain would return from his hunts. He began to sleep for long periods of time, often falling into the death like slumber in the middle of the night. Cain began to hunt during these times, leaving him asleep by the fire while his own instincts demanded that he make sure all was safe in the surrounding forest.

They had fallen into a familiar pattern and so it was that, when Shido was drug from a heavy sleep into full wakefulness by a strong hand on his arm, he blinked his eyes open with a small frown and turned his attention to the blond velassi, prepared to snap at Cain for being so rough, he was totally unprepared to find himself faced with someone other than his mate. He cried out as Miron dragged him up onto his feet. The sudden motion sent pain up his back and he clutched his stomach protectively as he was enveloped in long arms.

A hand passed over his eyes and a single word was hissed into his ear. “Sleep.”

“No . . .” Shido snarled, his voice gone breathless as he struggled against the mental suggestion.

Weakness overcame him and he cried out in rage as he lost the fight and fell limply in the other’s arms.