Safe From All Harm (section two)

[maderr]

*~*~*

Alec wondered how many times in the next month he'd wind up carrying Edison around.

Not that it was difficult, the man could stand to put on some weight, but when the month was up he was going to give Edison unmitigated hell about having to be hauled around like a swooning damsel. The thought made him smile briefly, though it was swiftly overtaken by a yawn.

"This feels familiar, huh?" he asked as Blade rumbled sleepily as he dropped down onto the other bed.

Blade muttered a reply, indecipherable.

Laughing softly, Alec settled Edison on the bed furthest from the window. He went to remove Edison's shoes, and only then realized none of them had remembered to give Edison shoes to start with. Shaking his head, he pulled up the blankets. He started to pull away, then realized Edison still had his glasses on. Reaching out, he carefully pulled them off.

He'd never seen anyone who looked so goddamn tired. Even after he'd been exiled, he hadn't looked like that. Edison looked as though he could outdo Rip Van Winkle. Alec reached out to brush back a stray lock of hair – then realized what he was doing and snatched his hand back with a curse.

Striding to the other bed, he removed his shoes and shirt and stretched out on top of the bed. Would that he could undress completely, but if they had to leave immediately…

Blade latched onto him, claws lightly raking his chest in a rough caress, teeth nipping. "Alec…"

Alec kissed him deeply, the last of the tension of the evening bleeding away at the heat and flavor of his dragon. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Blade good," Blade said with a low growl. "Alec good. Magic not good. Will be better?"

"Yeah," Alec said. "He should be fine in the morning." He yawned again, but in all the chaos, all the upheaval, one thing still burned in his mind. "What did you mean, earlier, when you said he smelled like me?"

Blade was slow to answer, all but dead asleep against him. "Like loneliness and want. Magic smells strange…but good."

Alec stroked Blade's back lightly, enjoying the weight of his dragon against him, partly on top of him, the soft rumbles that were a dragon snore.

Loneliness and want, huh?

He was too tired to think, especially about something like that – especially when he'd already learned his lesson. Sighing softly, kissing the sleeping Blade one last time, Alec closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

A noise woke him some time later, and he sat up with a start.

He stared uncomprehending as he saw Blade and Edison sitting on the other bed, talking quietly but enthusiastically.

"What's going on?" he asked, voice rough with sleep.

"Alec," Blade said, beaming, immediately coming over to him, giving him a lapful of happy dragon. "Better?'

Alec grunted an affirmative, then yawned. "What time is it?"

"About six am," Edison said quietly. "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you."

"S'okay," Alec said with another yawn. He pushed Blade away, then swung his legs over the bed and fumbled for his shoes. He grabbed his shirt and stood, finally looking at the other two. He was nine tenths asleep, but one tenth was all he needed to make note of the way Edison was looking at him – and how quickly that gaze skittered away to avoid being caught. "I'm going for coffee and food. Would you like anything, Edison?"

"Whatever you get, I'm good with," Edison said. "Thank you."

Grunting something that he thought sounded close enough to 'no problem', Alec tugged his shirt on, grabbed his wallet and keys, and departed.

By the time he got back, half a large coffee consumed, he was feeling much more human. Edison and Blade were again talking – chatting like old friends, almost, and Alec could only stare a moment.

Another man might feel jealous, he supposed, to see someone like Blade talking and laughing with Edison so easily. But no small part of being an Owner was a level of confidence that could be mistaken for arrogance. He knew Blade was his, and often he thought he and Blade were even closer than most Owners and dragons because they were all the other had after being exiled.

Being a dragon, Blade seldom could be bothered to speak more than a few simple words at a time. With Edison, however, that laziness seemed to have faded a bit. He hadn't seen his dragon that happy in a long time.

He dropped down at the foot of the bed and handed over a bag filled with muffins and bagels and whatever else he had grabbed while still mostly asleep. He didn't really remember. Next to it he deposited the grocery bag which had Blade's food.

"Thank you, Alec," Blade said, kissing him enthusiastically before snatching up his breakfast and moving to eat it on the other bed, devouring the hunks of raw meat with a cheerful vengeance.

Edison gave him a hesitant smile. "Thank you."

Alec shrugged.

"Blade was telling me a bit more about dragons – the other ones, I mean. He says you're not allowed to talk about what he is – and what you are."

Shrugging again, Alec drank his coffee for a minute or two. "He's a knight dragon. They were the first dragons, the real dragons. All other dragons were bred down from the original knight dragons."

Edison nodded. "I've never heard of knight dragons. I'm guessing they're a deep secret?"

"Yes," Alec said, drinking more of his coffee, taking deep, impatient swallows now that it had cooled. "We're not supposed to discuss it…but Blade and I are something of an exception, and I'd hardly expect you to remain ignorant of those you've hired to protect you."

Another nod, as Edison toyed restlessly with a poppy seed muffin, tearing it more than eating it. "So what are you?"

"A knight," Alec said, not realizing he was going to say it until the words were out of his mouth. He threw his empty coffee cup into a nearby trashcan. "A knight with seriously tarnished armor, exiled from my clan."

"Exiled?" Edison repeated. He started to say something else, then bit his lip.

Alec wouldn't mind biting it himself.

Swearing softly, he stood up and moved to the bathroom. "I'm getting a shower. You two stay out of trouble, all right? And tell any attackers to wait, because I really don't feel like getting in a sword fight while I'm naked."

Blade laughed, and grinned at him. "Yes, Alec."

Nodding, Alec grabbed a change of clothes and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door with a sigh. He stripped out of his clothes mechanically, turning on the water and grabbing his things from the countertop. Steam filled the small bathroom, and he slid beneath the hot water with a long sigh.

The last time he'd been in a motel shower, he'd just been exiled. He and Blade hadn't known what to do with themselves. The clan had been their entire life – training, teaching, communicating with the other clans. Those trips, however, had never required cheap hotels.

No, back then he'd had all he could ask for and more besides. Wealth, a place, a beautiful and loving wife, and his brother, his best friend for as long as Alec could remember.

Until he'd come home to find his brother in bed with his wife. The only thing worse was finding out they'd been doing it for years.

He only vaguely remembered that night. He remembered screams, and shouting, the smell of blood, his wife sobbing. When he'd finally come out of his red haze, his brother had been dead and the clan was voting to exile him.

A good knight his entire life. When he'd taken the vows, he'd meant them. He and Katherine were just one more arranged marriage, but it had been a good one, and he'd meant those vows too. Naïve fool that he was, he'd thought she meant them too.

To this day, he wondered how much of the clan knew and never said, how many of them laughed at stupid, oblivious Alec, too busy playing good little knight of the clan to see what was right beneath his nose.

Shaking his head, Alec banished the thoughts. Picking up his razor, he started shaving.

He had more important things to think about than his stupid past. Like why a bunch of thugs would summon a fucking demon to deal with one little sorcerer. That was like sending a werewolf to kill a kitten.

Edison hadn't expected it, that much was clear. Alec couldn't pick out liars for shit, obviously, but he didn't think Edison had been faking his shock.

So what did the kitten have that he didn't know he had?

Alec scrubbed down quickly, then shut the water off and grabbed a towel. Drying off, he quickly pulled on the fresh change of clothes. He glanced at the mirror, but it was still steamed up. Hanging up the towel and grabbing his dirty clothes, he finally opened the door and rejoined Blade and Edison.

The TV was on, some documentary thing that Edison was watching raptly. Blade, the lazy thing, was dozing on their bed. Alec's lips twitched, and he reached out to lightly smack Blade's ass as he passed the bed. That got him a faint growl, but true to form Blade could not be bothered to move from his comfy position.

"Lazy dragon," Alec said fondly.

Blade merely growled again.

Alec picked up his sword and drew it. He'd cleaned it quickly last night, but had been in too much of a hurry to do a more thorough job.

"That sword contains magic," Edison said suddenly. "I don't notice it when it's sheathed, but the moment you draw it, the magic just pours off it." He hesitated. "It carries a curse, doesn't it?"

"You can sense that?" Alec said.

Edison shrugged. "My specialty is charms, and the dark side of charms is curses. They're two sides of the same coin, I guess you could say. It's the art of forcing a strict set of circumstances upon an object or person. Your sword is a talisman – an object set with a curse or charm. A curse, in this case." He stood up and crossed the room, expression one of intense focus, and Alec could see he was moving without real thought.

On the bed, Blade sat up, folding his legs and resting his hands in his lap, as focused on Edison as Edison was upon the sword.

Reaching Alec, Edison reached out to lightly touch the sword. "This is complicated magic. I think I've only met one sorcerer of the caliber necessary to cast a curse like this. Once upon a time, there would have been more of them around."

"Yes," Alec said. "This sword was made in the days of King Arthur."

"Really?" Edison said, looking up, eyes wide with surprise. "That certainly explains it. Magic was much more prevalent amongst humans in those days, and the interactions with abnormals much more commonplace. What is the exact nature of the curse? You're brave to carry a cursed blade; arcane lore states that instruments of blood hold curses best, and they carry the worst curses of all."

Alec's mouth tightened. "I never had a choice. The blade chooses its owner. It chose me the day I was old enough to hold a real sword."

Edison frowned. "I see," he said quietly. "Why would anyone create such an awful curse?" He shook his head. "I never understood the purpose of a curse that lasts generation after generation, causing pain long after the caster and everyone he might have hated was dead."

"Love," Alec said harshly, wiping the blade clean, gazing at the glinting steel. "A woman angered that her lover was unjustly slain. She vowed revenge upon the man who killed her lover, sought to ruin his entire world, by cursing him to kill the one he most loved. He who bears this sword is destined to kill his closest friend."

"That's awful," Edison said. "She needn't have set it for eternity; there was no reason for that level of cruelty."

"They were cruel times," Alec said. "Cruel and hard enough that to help a young king conquer the cruelty and rule his new kingdom, a priestess created for him a living weapon, once that responded only to the will of the true king. From that one came others, beautiful living blades which answered to none but the knights for whom they were created."

Edison drew a sharp breath, and turned his head to look at Blade. "No wonder they keep you secret. A knight dragon. Incredible."

Blade rumbled with pride. "Born of the Lake to defend Owner and Clan and Kingdom at all costs, in the name of the Great King and Holy Dragon, and the Sacred Lady who made us, until the end of time, amen."

"You're not supposed to tell me this, are you?"

"Magic smell good," Blade said. He looked at Alec. "Owner smell better. Some secrets, better to tell."

"Dragon," Alec said sharply.

Blade merely growled and repeated, "Alec smell better."

Alec grimaced and said nothing further.

"So…" Edison hesitated, biting his lip again. "What's all this about clans?"

"The knight dragons and those who control them are divided up into various clans, scattered across the world," Alec said with a sigh. "My full name is Alec le Savage, from the Clan le Savage, and I am directly descended from Balin le Savage, he who first bore the cursed sword and slew his own brother because of it."

He didn't know why he was talking, explaining everything, except that now he'd started it was hard to stop. Blade's simple words rang in his ears, echoed in his head – Alec smell better. Blade was telling him that talking about it was making Alec better.

Only a stupid man ignored what his dragon said. While Alec had long ago decided he was incredibly stupid, he wasn't so dense he blew off what Blade said.

"Why would a clan hold on to a sword that only causes such pain to its wielder?"

"You say it like there's some choice," Alec said, shaking his head. "Shouldn't you know better? There is no choice. Besides, the Sword of Balin is as much a blessing as a curse for our clan. Few true talismans from the days of the dragons exist, and the fact Clan le Savage holds one of them gives us a special place. If one man every few generations must suffer for the clan to retain that authority and power, so be it."

Edison frowned. "That's stupid."

Alec shrugged. "The sword holds a curse, but also great power. Rare is the weapon which can banish a demon on its own."

"I almost forgot about that," Edison said. "I'm surprised demons haven't tried to destroy the sword before."

"The majority of demons are summoned and bound, and follow the commands of those who summoned them. Of those most are bound to objects. The few bound to bodies, like the one I killed last night, are not strong enough. They'd have to get past both Blade and I, and that won't happen. Free demons…have more important things to worry about than a sword."

"True enough," Edison conceded. "I still don't like it, but it's none of my business."

Alec shrugged again, sheathing the sword and setting it down upon the table. "I don't like it either," he said quietly, staring at the sword, hands balling into fists.

"You…the curse already came to pass, didn't it?" Edison asked quietly.

"Yes," Alec said tersely. He abruptly stood up, forcing Edison to take a startled step back. "I'm not the point here. You are. We need to figure out why the fuck people would send demons after you. What the hell kind of business did your parents run?"

"Antiques," Edison replied. "Most of their business came from abnormals."

Alec swore softly. That meant his parents had dealt in magical objects, talismans and books and all sorts of shit. "And it didn't fucking occur to you that they might possess something that would warrant a demon coming after you?"

"Like what?" Edison said, baffled. "If they wanted something my parents bought, it would make much more sense to steal the object in question. Anyway, my parents didn't often buy the objects themselves. They acted more like middlemen, ensuring a secure transaction, things like that. I helped them for a few years before I left to pursue my own studies. The only thing anyone might gain from taking over the business are the contacts, the…" He stopped. "The reputation. My parents were trusted implicitly. Abnormals who refused to deal with anyone else would deal with my parents' company. It's why they made so much money – they could be trusted where no one else could. I never really thought about it. I just always assumed it was the money…"

"I should knock you upside the head," Alec said.

Edison sat down on the bed. "You should. I feel like a fucking idiot. Shit." He buried his face in his hands.

"That makes me equally suspicious of your buyer, now, too," Alec said. "Who wants to buy your business?"

"Uh—" Edison looked up, and Alec could see him make an effort to focus his thoughts. "My parents actually received it first. They turned it down. I read over the offer sorting through the office one day, and thought it sounded like a good idea. So I contacted the man myself…his name is Sable Brennus."

Alec stared. "Sable Brennus? Is that a joke?"

Edison frowned. "No. Why would it be?"

He moved without thinking, reaching out to grab Edison's shoulders, shaking him hard. "You—" He shook harder. "Sable Brennus is a demon lord. How the hell did you not know that?"

"Stop shaking me!"

Alec shook him one last time for good measure, then finally let go. "How the fuck did you not know you're selling to a demon lord?"

"Why should I know? I don't interact with demon lords, why the hell should I know their names?"

"You were going to sell your company and you didn't even know anything about the person to whom you were selling it?"

Edison glared at him, eyes bright and furious behind his spectacles. "I had other things on my mind! I figured I had to live long enough to sell it before I worried about the details. Go to hell."

Alec managed not to start shaking him again. Barely. "You don't need protection from others, you need protection from yourself."

"Fuck you," Edison said, turning sharply away and stalking back to his bed on the opposite side of the room.

Blade growled low, and Alec turned to see he was being given a reproving glare. "Shut up, dragon," he muttered, sitting back down in his seat and glaring at the wall.

It was fucking true. The idiot came begging protection and didn't even fucking know from what he actually needed protected. A reputation that pristine in the business of magical items? Shit, Alec knew only the basics of magic and he knew people would commit mass murder for access to a reputation like that.

Not to mention a demon lord was after it, and it wasn't some new demon lord still getting a handle on his territory. No, Sable Brennus was a force to be reckoned with, the sort of demon lord even other demon lords tread carefully around.

If he were one of the greedy bastards after Edison's business, the very last damn thing he'd want was for it to fall into the hands of Sable Brennus. That would certainly explain the demon.

Unfortunately, it also told him what he needed to do. What would be best for the man he'd vowed to protect. He stood up. "We're leaving. Blade, pack up."

They worked in a silence broken only by Blade's low growls, and Alec pointedly ignored the looks Blade continued to give him. Shooting Blade a glare of his own, Alec moved past him and toward the bathroom.

He was given an abrupt shove, losing his balance, crashing straight into Edison, sending them both to the floor.

"Dragon!" he snapped, managing to drag himself to hands and knees – and accidentally locking eyes with Edison, who'd lost his glasses in the fall. Though he didn't look as tired as he had before, there was still a great deal of strain there. Unhappiness. Like the weight on his shoulders was too much to bear.

Katherine had been that way, the day they'd met. The clans weren't humungous, but they were big enough that not everyone knew everyone else. She'd been tough, Katherine, but also vulnerable. Burdened by an unhappy, argumentative family and all the obligations the clan placed upon its members. A regular damsel in distress, and Alec hadn't been able to resist. He hadn't been looking forward to his arranged marriage, but after meeting her he'd hated it a lot less.

He wondered if any part of her he'd known had been real, if any of his happier memories of her had an ounce of truth to them.

"Would you get off me?" Edison asked, voice tight.

Alec grunted and carefully climbed to his feet, then helped Edison up. Kneeling down again, he located the glasses which had somehow wound up under the cheap dresser. Standing, he made certain they were clean, then slid them carefully only Edison's face.

"Thank you," Edison said, and started to turn away.

Behind him Alec could hear a barely audible warning growl. Conceding defeat, he snagged Edison's wrist and forced him to turn around. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have been so harsh."

Edison looked at him in surprise. Then he shrugged, pushing up his glasses, a frown on his pretty mouth. "I deserved it," he said with another shrug. "I thought I knew what this was about; obviously I'm just a fucking idiot. My brother always made fun of me for missing the obvious with a lot of shit."

"Yeah, well, your brother was an asshole. He saved my life, but only because doing so gained him something. "

"He never did say how exactly he saved your life," Edison said.

Alec shrugged. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, tired and lost and drunk when I shouldn't have been drinking at all. I also didn't have Blade at the time; I'd left him back at the hotel. Your brother saved me from a shot to the head, and I was deeply grateful. It wasn't until a little later I figured out what an asshole he was – and that it was probably his fault I almost got shot." He shrugged again. "A promise is a promise, though, and I don’t go back on my word."

He turned away before Edison could speak. "Hurry it up, we've got a lot of driving ahead of us."

There was a moment of silence, and he thought Edison was going to push the subject of Thomas, but instead he only asked, "So where are we going?"

"To see Sable Brennus," Alec said. "If he wants your business, then he can help ensure you stay alive long enough to sell it. I’m sure he'll be amenable; demons are usually cooperative when it comes to amassing power."

Edison nodded, and Blade motioned that all was ready. Stifling a sigh, Alec led the way to the car.

*~*~*

A casino.

Of all the things he'd expected to see when visiting a demon lord, it was not to find that said demon lord lived at the top of a casino. One of three, like some sort of neon castle in the center of a dark, rainy city.

Shaking his head, Edison followed Alec inside, with Blade behind him.

Three weeks and it would be over with, and it was entirely possible that it would be over in just a few short minutes.

Obviously Alec was trying to get rid of him, without dishonoring himself by breaking his word. Why else would he be so damned insistent about coming to see Sable Brennus and making him tend to Edison's protection?

Why did Edison care? Did it really matter to him that Alec was shunting him off to someone else?

Yeah, it did, though Edison couldn't fathom why.

Irritably he tried to shove the thoughts aside. Really, it would be better for him and everyone else if he spent the next month alone. God, he still felt so fucking stupid. He'd figured it was the money and hadn't thought further than that. Why was it he could cast difficult spells but couldn't figure out that two plus two equaled four?

They stepped into an elevator that green and gold and sleek, and Edison leaned against the back wall, letting his eyes fall shut. He was tired, so goddamn tired. It felt like no matter how much sleep he managed to get, it was never enough.

As soon as this was over, he was going on vacation. Sell the business, sell the property, and just go. Part of him rebelled at the idea of selling the old family home…but he just didn't feel like wandering around the place by himself. One person didn't need so much space.

He ignored the images that teased him, because they made about as much sense as the rest of his stupid thoughts. Alec was dumping him on someone else and he was daydreaming about how they might like the old house?

Definitely needed a nap.

The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open, and despite himself Edison could not help but gawk at the surroundings. There was class, and then there was this… Intimidating, that's what it was. Black and blue and silver, soft and severe all at once.

A woman sat behind a desk, looking like every secretary Edison had ever encountered. They all had that air of 'do not piss me off'. "May I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Edison Stuart, I'm here to see Mr. Brennus?"

Nodding, the woman pressed a button on her phone. "Mr. Brennus, Mr. Stuart has arrived." She looked up after a moment. "He'll see you now. Third door down the hall."

"Thank you," Edison said, and turned quickly away, eager to be done with it all.

The door opened even as he lifted a hand to knock. Pushing it the rest of the way open, Edison strode inside. Back in the main lobby, he'd seen a wide set of double doors that probably led to Brennus' office. This room looked like a small conference room – a dark table in the center, with several chairs all around it.

Sable Brennus sat at the far end, his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows, so that the storm outside raged and flashed behind him. It suited, as Edison supposed it should. Brennus was handsome, almost beautiful, the black curls of his hair about as tamed as the dark clouds beyond him.

"Greetings," Brennus said. His mouth quirked in amusement. "Sit, please. I do not believe I've ever met a man who had so much trouble selling his business."

Edison sat down, almost groaning with relief to be sitting in something that was not a car or a cheap diner booth. "It's not the selling that's difficult, it's staying alive until I can sell it."

Brennus laughed. "Well, according to your guardian there, I am to assist in keeping you alive. Hardly a difficulty, and I do want what only you can give me."

Assist? Did that mean…

Edison ignored the errant thought. He didn't care. The sooner this was all over with, the better. "Why do you want it so badly?" he asked. "Of all the offers I read through, yours was the most adamant."

Brennus looked at him in surprise. "I guess you did not read all the correspondence I exchanged with your parents. It was not actually the business I wanted, though that certainly would be a pleasant bonus. I am actually after a book that your parents refused to part with, though I attempted to assure them I had no ill designs where it was concerned."

"A book?" Edison repeated.

"Yes," Brennus replied. He spread his arms, then lowered them to splay his fingers on the table. His eyes flashed like the lightning behind him, making Edison startle despite himself. Nearby, he heard Blade give the faintest of wary growls. "I collect grimoire, tomes, spell books… I am quite determined to possess as many as I can obtain. One of the books in my possession is The Book of the Angel Raziel."

"Oh, shit," Edison said, the words said softly. "Most believe that one long destroyed."

Brennus shook his head. "It is in excellent condition. However, throughout the course of history I know of four copies that were made of it – none of them complete, but sufficient to still cause great harm. Of those four, I possess two. Your parents obtained the third right as I located it. I have been trying to purchase it from them for many years."

"Why didn't you simply take it?" Alec asked.

Edison jumped, having almost forgotten Alec was there; he'd been quiet for hours, speaking in little more than grunts and single words.

"Because they did nothing with it," Brennus replied. "So long as they did not use the book, I was content to be patient. Over the years, it occurred to me that their business would be ideal for spreading my reach to obtain the other books for which I search. So I altered my pleas, though it all came to naught. I am sorry for their passing, I should have expressed my condolences first. They were extremely stubborn and smart, qualities I admire in any race."

"Thank you," Edison said. "I'm certain they would not be pleased to know I'm selling it, but I lack their acumen for it. Better to sell it to someone who understands it, than to let me run it into the ground."

Brennus nodded. "I will take care of it. In fact, I intend to leave it mostly in the hands of some trusted magic users." He smiled faintly. "Not least of all because the business requires extensive travel, and that is the one thing I cannot do."

Edison smiled faintly. "I suppose not. So what does this book look like? Perhaps I've seen it; I certainly do not mind handing it over to you. Such dangerous grimoire do not interest me. I have the spells I require in my own."

The smile Brennus gave him was mostly of amusement, but there was something dark and dangerous beneath it that made Edison shiver – and Blade growl again. "Indeed. Perhaps one day your grimoire will join my shelves."

"I doubt it," Edison said, but nodded at the tacit threat. Sable didn't like magic users who might prove a serious threat. Understandable, really. Of all the enslaved races, demons were the most used – and abused. "You might check out the men hunting me. They summoned a demon and bound it to a body, just to kill me. If not for Alec and Blade, I'd be dead. We haven't been attacked since then, but I'm sure it's not for lack of trying."

Brennus nodded. "I'll deal with them. As to the copy of Raziel… It will probably look something like this." He pushed a manila folder across the table.

Edison opened it, examining the photos inside, high-quality images of a spell book. To judge from the markings and runes…it was easy to see why Brennus did not want anyone else to have it. "I've seen this before, or something close enough to it."

"Where?" Brennus asked, voice soft but with all the force of thunder behind it.

"At my family's old home," Edison said. "My parents rarely bought stuff that they intended to keep, but the few things they did buy were always kept there. I retouched the protective spell work myself only a few years ago – more as a challenge than anything else, no one has really lived there for years."

"Where is it?" Brennus asked.

"A few hours south of here," Edison replied.

Alec stirred. "You live in the deep south?"

Edison shrugged. "Not for years and years." He smiled faintly. "I guess you could say the house was one of the first antiques my parents bought. It's straight out of some epic movie about the civil war – columns, secret passages, ancient graveyard at the far edge of the property. Everything. It's on about fifty acres of land."

Something flashed in Alec's eyes, something Edison knew, sort of. He'd looked the exact same way when Edison had said he'd be willing to pay for Alec's assistance in land. It wasn't hard to figure out why, after everything Blade had told him about dragons. Alec wanted the land for Blade. A territory.

Well, what did he need it for? Better to give it to Alec and Blade. He'd just have to find a way to do it.

He also wondered what the hell was wrong with him that he'd hand over so much to a man and dragon he barely knew – but Alec had definitely saved his life. If he'd faced that demon alone, he would have died almost immediately.

That aside…

He preferred not to think about it. After all the stress and fear and exhaustion, it would be the height of stupidity to trust a single fucking thing he thought he felt for Alec and Blade.

Except the lust. That he trusted. Never minding the fact that lust always popped up at the worst possible moment, who the hell wouldn't be turned on by either one of them? The way Blade loved to all but melt in Alec's lap didn't help one little bit.

"I'll see you get the book," he said at last, "and make certain it's included in the list of things that come with purchase of the business. I'll contact my lawyer this evening and have him make the necessary changes." He frowned. "Do you suppose the book is safe until the month is up, or should I go fetch it now?"

Brennus shrugged. "If you were attacked by a demon, then it is entirely possible that I am not the only one seeking the book. It is hard to say. If you are amenable, I can always send my consort to go and fetch the book. I promise I intend no chicanery."

"I don't care," Edison said, pinching the bridge of his nose, the gesture pushing his glasses up. "However, my parents dictated in the spells that only our bloodline can activate them. I wove them so that no one and nothing can pass through unless my blood is present and living." So that simply carrying along a pint of his blood wouldn't suffice.

Brennus smirked. "Impressive. Even my consort would have difficulty passing through a spell that requires a particular bloodline."

Edison shrugged. "Charms and curses are my specialty. Those often call for binding to a particular person or bloodline; it's sort of second nature to stipulate such a requirement."

"Then I leave the decision in your hands. Certainly I prefer to have the book in my keeping as soon as possible, but I understand perfectly if you prefer to wait out the three weeks. If nothing else, I will set my consort to seeing that your home is guarded."

"May I think upon it?" Edison asked. He couldn't make the decision by himself. If the book was the source of this, he preferred to get the damned thing and be done with it – but Alec wanted to be rid of him, so it made more sense to wait out the three weeks, hope that no one else managed to bypass his spells to get the book…

Brennus motioned. "Certainly. I've prepared a suite for you; my secretary will have the key. If there is anything you require, simply call the front desk. They know to tend you."

Edison stared. "You're…being awfully considerate."

"You've given me no reason not to be, and if you are going to sell me your business," Brennus said with an amused smile, "then it behooves me to show you every consideration. At any rate, it does not hurt. Now, you all look tired and I have other matters to tend. Take your time in deciding, call my secretary with your decision."

Accepting the dismissal, thanking Brennus, Edison stiffly stood and led the way out. In the hallway, they passed a blonde man in a leather jacket that had seen better days – and who gave off enormous amounts of power. Demonic power.

Too tired to care, Edison stumbled into the elevator and slumped against the back. He yawned, smiling faintly when it promptly made Blade yawn.

Alec had taken the keycard from the secretary, and shoved it into his pocket as Blade pushed into his arms, laying his head against Alec's shoulder.

He could watch them forever, no matter how much doing so hurt. What would be like, to know he could just push into someone's arms like that? To know that whenever he wanted it, there was comfort and affection? The connection they had, the faith in each other…

Edison closed his eyes and waited for the elevator to stop.

When it chimed, he opened his eyes again only through sheer force of will, following in silence as Alec led the way through the long hallway. They stopped at a door at the very end – double doors, actually.

He drew a sharp breath when they got inside. Brennus hadn't been kidding – it was indeed a suite. The place was beautiful. Dark and light browns, touches of gold and green. Two doors that were probably the bedrooms, another that was likely the bathroom, and a view of the city that was nothing short of breathtaking.

Moving to the window, he stared down at the city below, little more than a collection of bright lights in the gathering dark and continuing gloom. The weather didn't seem to impede the inhabitants any; they moved through the city like the moon was high in a clear sky.

A soft rumbling sound was all the warning he got before Edison suddenly found himself draped by Blade. His arms wrapped around Edison's arms and torso, chin propped on Edison's shoulder. "Pretty," the dragon said with another rumble.

"Y-yeah," Edison said, wondering what the hell was going on. Blade was touchy-feely, but he was usually only that way with Alec. He turned his head to look at Blade, and then realized that had been a mistake.

"Magic okay?" Blade asked. His eyes seemed to glow, his breath smelled like sausage and mushroom pizza, and Edison could not have pulled away if he'd wanted to. Which he did, really.

Ugh, he wasn't even fooling himself anymore.

He tried to smile, and hoped it worked. "I'm fine. Tired."

"Magic sleep," Blade said firmly, and leaned forward to nuzzle his cheek.

Then he was gone, leaving Edison feeling bereft. He continued to stare out the window, shoulders tight as he listened to Alec and Blade behind him.

"I'm making a call to room service," Alec said, breaking into Edison's thoughts. "Do you want anything?"

Edison started to say no, he'd much rather starve at this point, but even he couldn't ignore how whiney that sounded. "Sure. Whatever you're having works." Sighing, he moved away from the window and dropped into the nearest chair, groaning at how surprisingly comfortable it was. "Man, I get the feeling going back to my baby apartment after a room like this is going to suck."

Did he even have an apartment to which he could return? Not that there was much in it, he moved around too much to bother making much of a permanent home. As often as not, he'd stayed with his parents when he was in the area.

He listened and watched as Alec and Blade bickered over pizza, laughing despite himself.

"No, dragon, and that’s final."

Blade growled, and Edison almost laughed again at the pout which overtook the pretty, freckled face. He stared in confusion as Blade wandered toward him, jumping when Blade dropped to his knees and folded his arms on Edison's lap, resting his head on them. "Alec mean."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Cause calling me names is so going to change my mind – and don't think cozying up to Edison is going to accomplish anything, either. You've had more than enough pizza over the past few days, you spoiled brat."

Sticking his tongue out, Blade only settled more of his weight on Edison's lap, and Edison could feel the vibrations of his discontent growl. He stared, then shifted his stare to Alec – but Alec had turned away as he called room service.

Edison fought an urge to reach out and stroke Blade's soft-looking hair, the freckles that gave him an air of innocence he knew Blade didn't possess. Not the way he'd fought that demon. Certainly not the way he touched and kissed Alec.

He kept his hands to himself, but couldn't resist talking to Blade. "I'm not sure why you thought I'd aid the cause. He's way more likely to do what you want than what I want."

Blade smirked at him. "Alec easy," he said in a way that said he was confiding a great secret.

"Dragon!"

"Oops," Blade said, but even as Alec stalked toward them, he was grinning widely. Growling in a way that Edison had already come to recognize as amusement, he shifted to wrap his arms around Edison's waist, clinging like a leech.

"Dragon," Alec repeated. "Enough with the games."

"No pizza," Blade said, as if this explained everything.

Alec folded his arms across his chest. "Stop screwing around, Blade."

He moved forward, bending to tear Blade from Edison, but even as he did so Blade stood up – taking Edison with him.

Yelping, Edison flailed, hands landing awkwardly on Blade in an effort to avoid toppling. Then he was half-dragged, half-carried across the room – and he realized abruptly he was serving as shield between dragon and Owner.

An Owner who looked like he was struggling not to be amused.

"Blade, I don't think—"

His attempts to speak were drowned out by Blade's laughter, and despite his efforts Edison found himself stuck right smack in the middle of a game of 'keep Alec away from Blade'. He'd never been a human shield before.

It seemed to involve a few bruises, but Edison found he didn't really mind. He laughed, unable to help it, at the utterly put out look on Alec's face as he tried to get to Blade without having to run over Edison in the process. Wholly without realizing it, Edison started to play along, too amused by it all not to get caught up in the game.

Finally Alec lost patience and lunged. Blade let out a startled shout and transformed as he lunged away. His long tail caught the back of Edison's legs, and with a cry of his own he went down, scrambling too late for purchase – and succeeding only in taking Alec down with him.

He stared, breathless, into Alec's startled face. Shit, it was as bad the second time as it had been the first. Bad because it felt too damn good, once the falling and crashing were over. Maybe worse this time, because now he could see as well as feel and smell.

Blue eyes locked with his, filled with frustration and something else Edison didn't dare put a name to – except, suddenly, there was even less space between them and oh shit was Alec actually going to kiss—

Abruptly Alec was gone, and before Edison could blink he was slamming the bedroom door shut behind him.

Nearby, Blade growled in a way Edison could not interpret, though he thought it sounded a bit like annoyance or frustration.

Suddenly he felt trapped, like there was no air in the room. Standing, he strode to the door and yanked it open, pointedly not slamming it before bolting through the hallways to the elevators.

Comments

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Loved Sable, of course, and the cameo of Chris. Tastefully done. Yummy.
This is progressing so nicely. Hopefully it won't end too soon, cause then it would be meatless. And Blade needs meat. Blade is trying so hard and Alec is so afraid of trusting. I foresee a trip to a house with a demonically empowered consort, a magically endowed heir, a knight with his curse-ed sword and a incredibly cute mischievous dragon. How are you going to get Alec to accept Edison is trustworthy? *whines* (No I don't want any cheese with that)What happens next?

[saaski-moql.livejournal.com]

Next bit! Going to read next bit NOW.