Severing Sanguine: A Companion Book to The Fallocaust Series Book 2 (47 page)

Garrett got up and ran to Tom, but with a click of the gun Garrett stopped only a foot away from him and fell to his knees in his own grief.

“Tommy…” Garrett moaned. He reached out a hand before, in his grief, he let out a loud, heartwrenching scream and slammed a fist onto the ground.

“Tommy baby… I’m sorry.”

Behind him, Silas wiped the blood specks off of the gun with his sleeve, before casually twirling it in the air again. Not even the slightest hint of emotion on his face, only the cold, staring eyes of an immortal being that had ended the entire world.

“Four years to prove it to me,” Silas said casually, though his voice was barely audible over Garrett’s hysterical screaming. “Four years and you may bring to me any man you fancy, whether you’ve been together for four years or four days, and during that time I will decide whether you’re mature enough to handle a relationship.”

Silas lowered a hand and rested it on Garrett’s shoulder, but as soon as he touched Garrett’s clammy, sweat-soaked shirt the chimera whirled around.

“Fuck you!” Garrett suddenly snapped. “Fuck you, Silas. You’re only acting this way because Sanguine ran away!” he shrieked, before getting up on shaking feet.

“You were happy until that stupid fuck-up took off and you’re only taking this out on me!” he continued to shriek. His face was red with anger and his eyes holding tears that slid down his face with every tremor inside of his body. “I’ve always been your whipping boy. Well go ahead! You fucking bully. I fucking hate you. I will always hate you. FUCK YOU! No wonder Sky killed himself! Anyone who’s around you eventually wants to kill –”

Silas raised the gun and shot Garrett in the head, in the same spot he had shot Tom. Though unlike before when the king had remained cold and calm, there was a noticeable tightness to his face and his eyes had gone dark. The casual, slippery mood he had found himself in had disappeared, and instead all that remained was a darkness the king knew all too well.

Silas lowered his arm and shot Garrett four more times in the head, blowing out both of his eyes and his jaw.

“Dismember him,” Silas said, though at first glance it had appeared that only he was in the room. “I want him gone for at least two months.”

Then a man with short blond hair and purple eyes stepped out from the shadows and into the light.

“Yes, Master,” Elish responded, before gently taking Silas’s gun out of his hand.

Then the blond-haired man smiled faintly and brushed a caring hand over Silas’s blood-speckled face. “He said awful things to you, love. You know grief was speaking those words, not him, right?”

Silas’s mouth pursed; he shook his head. “He’s right though… and you know he’s right.”

Elish shushed him, before slowly drawing King Silas’s into his arms. “It shouldn’t have even been mentioned. Forget what he said.” Elish kissed the top of Silas’s head, and smelled the beautiful perfume of his wavy golden hair. “He’s paid for his disobedience.”

“Yes,” Silas said with a sigh. He pulled back and gently kissed Elish on the lips. “I’m pleased you told me about them. You are my golden boy.”

Elish smirked and brushed Silas’s hair back. “I will always be, Master.” He kissed his forehead again, but as Silas raised his head Elish knew he wanted more. So he cupped Silas’s cheek into his hand and sensually kissed him.

“Warm my bed tonight?” Silas whispered, and at this request he let Elish put his arms around him. “It’s lonely in that damn apartment. I miss my monster under the bed.”

Elish’s face suddenly hardened, though in their shared embrace Silas couldn’t see it. The blond chimera’s eyes narrowed in vexation, though he knew better than to show it in his words. “I know you miss, Sanguine. He’ll be home soon.” The look on Elish’s face though suggested that he would be more than happy for the newest member of the family to stay missing.

I dislike sharing my king’s attention. I’ve always been his favourite and I am not going to have that change,
Elish thought to himself.
It’s my right to be beside him, to be king, and no one else’s.

“I can’t even send out a proper search party,” Silas said quietly. “Just Ellis’s thiens and well… Garrett
was
looking. Mostly it’s just Nero…” He sighed long and hard before pulling away from Elish. “I don’t think he’ll be ready to meet the family in time for his twentieth birthday, maybe not even when he’s twenty-one. At least I know… he will be okay. I just… I’m worried about him.”

“He should’ve been thankful for the kindness you’ve shown him,” Elish responded. He sheathed Silas’s gun and they both started walking out of the dark room, now soaked with the smell of fresh blood.

“He is, I know he is… I just…” Silas’s brow furrowed but suddenly his pocket started to ring and vibrate.

Silas dug out his remote phone, and squinted as Elish opened the doors to the large lobby that was floor fifteen in Alegria. A floor that many chimeras had come to dread their time in.

“It’s Nero…” Silas mumbled before putting the phone up to his ear. “Hello, lovely.”

Silas’s eyes suddenly widened, but at that physical reaction Elish’s only narrowed.

“I’ll be right there…” Silas said in a rasp before turning to Elish.

“He found him…” Silas said, his throat tightening. There was no jumping up and down, no happy cries or hugs. Silas only nodded to himself before putting the remote phone back into his pocket. “He’s safe – Nero even says he has… a surprise for me.”

“Odd,” Elish responded coldly. It would be obvious to anyone that Elish was less than pleased at this information but Silas seemed too distracted to notice. “I’ll call Jack and tell him he has bodies to collect. Did you still want me tonight?”

Silas shook his head, and at this admission, the lines on Elish’s stormy face only deepened “Not with him back so soon… we will reschedule, or perhaps I will sneak away once he sleeps. I am in desperate need of release, especially if Sanguine is around.”

Elish stood rigid but said nothing.

Silas made a motion to embrace him and Elish let him. The king kissed his lips before patting his cheek. “I will see you soon, golden boy. I’ll let you know how he is.”

Elish made no move to even pretend he cared. Instead he bid his king goodbye and headed to the stairwell.

It was a long ride on the elevator up to floor twenty-seven, the entire time Silas was standing completely still, watching the red numbers above the door steadily rise. Though his mind was not as still and neither was his heartbeat.

I want to strangle him, wrap my fingers around that fragile, nimble neck, but I can’t. I want to beat him until he screams and promises to never run away, but I can’t.

I can’t scare him, I can’t traumatize him – I have to do this right.

Admittedly, it won’t be that hard to push down my inner desires to punish him for making me worry so much… because I did miss him and I do love him already.

The elevator doors opened and Silas was faced with the long hallway leading to the double oak doors of his personal apartment. As always it was guarded by two thiens with bushmasters, ready to shoot anyone dumb enough to try and get into the monarch’s apartment.

“Are Nero and Sanguine inside?” Silas asked as he walked up to the two combat armor-clad men.

The one on the right nodded. “Yes, King Silas. They’re both inside and waiting for you.”

Silas nodded, not letting a single expression show on his face. He opened the doors and stepped inside.

Nero was leaning against the bar with a drink in his hand. Immediately a smirk creased the corner of his face when he saw Silas. He put a finger up to his lips and used his pointer finger to make the ‘come here’ motion.

Silas looked into Sanguine’s open bedroom door. “Where is he?”

Nero chuckled. “Kinny is just bandaging his arms; he’s really nervous about seeing you and clawed himself up a bit. You’re lucky, Kingy. He really is sorry for hurting you, it was kinda cute actually.”

“He’s okay though? Did he get hurt?” Silas asked.

Nero shook his head. “Nah, he tried to buy a two hundred thousand dollar apartment but besides that he did pretty well. Slept most of the time and bullied some housekeeper into buying him some clothes and grooming supplies. I think he’s finally had enough of smelling and looking like a homeless person.”

Those words meant more to Silas than Nero knew. Many years ago he had been in the same place mentally as Sanguine had. Feeling disgusting inside, a stagnant pool with a thick film of putrid rot. When you feel worthless in your core, you just stop caring about how you look on the outside.

“Good…” Silas whispered and took a drink from the cup of wine Nero was holding. He put it down and turned towards the open bedroom door… just in time to see Sanguine step out.

And though he was an immortal king, a man who rarely showed an emotion he didn’t mean to show – Silas’s face lit up into a smile.

Sanguine was beautiful, and any other words wouldn’t do the man justice. His hair was shining in the sunlight coming in from the wall-to-wall windows, his eyes bright and his pale skin milky smooth and fragrant. He was dressed in new clothes that fit his slim physique perfectly, and was standing tall and confident… something Silas had never seen before.

“Sanguine,” Silas said, the breath leaving his throat. He reached up and gently put his hand on Sanguine’s cheek. “You look… perfect.”

Silas saw a redness come to the tips of Sanguine’s slightly pointed ears, before travelling down and bringing out the blush in his cheeks. Such a stark contrast to his white skin.

Then to Silas’s absolute shock, Sanguine got down on one knee and bowed.

“I’m deeply sorry for hurting you, King Silas, and for running away. I needed some time by myself, and during that time… I found my confidence and my courage. Can you forgive me, Master?”

Silas’s eyes widened. He looked over at Nero, who was a grinning hyena in the corner, and then back at Sanguine’s bowed head.

It was like a different man had walked into his apartment. That week away from him and the apartment had seemed to have done him well.

Silas rested a hand on top of Sanguine’s head. “You are forgiven, love. You may rise.”

Sanguine stood up, his thin face holding in its warmth a small smile.

Unable to help himself Silas drew the young man in, and gently kissed him.

His lips were soft, not tense like he was during their first kiss a week ago, and his mouth minty and pleasant. Silas gently separated Sanguine’s lips with his own and together they kissed deeply.

They only pulled apart when Nero let out a rather girlish squeal.

Silas looked over to his third born, a flat and rather unimpressed look.

“Sorry, sorry,” Nero laughed and waved. “It’s just cute that’s all. I hope I get a promotion for this, kingles.”

With a gentle caress Silas stroked Sanguine’s jaw line until he got to the young chimera’s chin. Then he pinched that very chin and shook it. “You can have him, Nero.”

Sanguine might not know what those words meant, but Nero did. The brute chimera’s face dropped, and his mouth with it. He looked at his king in a combined mixture of shock and awe, and for a moment it seemed he was unable to speak
“R-really?”

Silas turned his head, his hand still holding Sanguine’s chin and nodded. “Yes, for everything you have done from the beginning with Sanguine, and for bringing him home now. You may have Ceph with my blessing. He’s yours, bellua.”

Nero’s bottom lip tightened before, in classic Nero fashion, he laughed it off with a wave, a huge grin on his face. “I’ll break the news to him tonight. I might just marry that asshole.”

Sanguine looked at Nero. “Is that what you were telling me about? You have permission now?”

With Sanguine’s head turned Silas gave Nero a dangerous look, a look that Nero knew meant that he had to sugar coat and butter up whatever he was going to say next.

But Nero didn’t even have time to open his mouth. Sanguine suddenly withdrew himself from Silas’s touch and gently took the king’s hand. “You have blood all over your sleeves… are you okay?”

Nero knew better than to speak, and for that Silas was grateful. Nero had been the one to tell Garrett that he and Tom were to have a meeting with their king, and he most likely knew how it had ended.

“Yes, lovely, I’m just fine, just a bloody nose,” Silas said sweetly, brushing Sanguine’s shiny hair back. Each lock seemed crafted from the hands of a god; he was stunning. “I was worried about you. You didn’t get into any trouble?”

Sanguine shook his head. “No, everything went well. The workers at Skylanding were kind to me; please don’t punish them for letting me stay there. I was worried you might.”

“Never,” Silas said, though he was mentally crossing it off of his list now. He was planning on imprisoning everyone who had seen Sanguine without telling a thien or going to the precinct, but now that wasn’t going to be a possibility. “If they treated you well, we will leave them unscathed.”

“Now.” Silas clapped his hands together, though when he realized his cuffs were sprinkled with still damp blood he withdrew them as quickly as he could. “You’ll be coming with me down to Kirrel’s. I want to make sure you’re still healthy. Come with me, lovely, and think of something nice for us to have for dinner.”