Holier Than Thou

[Soran Nightblade]

He looked at the bandage and took her hand lightly in his. "I was rash." He lifted her palm and ran his tongue lightly over the part that was uncovered. "I did not mean to hurt you in the process."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded. "You were rash," she agreed, shaking her head. "You didn't even bother to listen to me... Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a statue." Tenele stepped forward to lean against him. "Our friend is too busy for us, the house we love is rather out of reach, my husband ignores my wishes, and the only mother I've ever known threatens to have me whipped like a common slave. This has been a rotten day and I think I'm going to go down to the dining hall and get some food, then come back and soak in a hot tub, and then go to bed early."

Tenele drew away from him slowly and turned for the door.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad shoved himself upright as she turned from him. His muscles protested the movement. "I will figure it out, Tenele," he called after her. "One way or other, I'll eventually figure out how to make you happy. Then I'll earn the love you've shown me." He whispered, "So let me hold the tab a little while longer."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele's brow furrowed, and she paused at the door to look back at him. She turned slowly and went back to him, falling to her knees next to him. She took his face in her hands and she kissed his lips firmly. "You have made me happy. If you hadn't earned my love, I would not be with you and I would not wear this ring. I knew when I fell in love with you that it would be difficult... and hurtful. You're a extremely cocky, rash, powerful immortal who tends to look down on weaker beings, and I'm just a human girl that happens to be somewhat handy in a fight." Tenele shrugged. "I never expected this to be easy or for you to be like a common human husband. I love that you are irrefutably impossible to deal with."

Tenele kissed him again, working her lips against his with a hint of bottled up passion. She drew away slowly, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "And it helps that you have an amazing body," she snickered, giving him another kiss.

[Soran Nightblade]

"You know how to flatter a man," he scoffed at her before kissing her in return. "And you're really not so bad yourself, for a puny human." He stretched back onto the wood floor like it was a downy mattress. "Enjoy your dinner."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled softly. "Enjoy recovering the ability to walk," she called back to him, waving her hand before she closed the door behind her.

Tenele took the long way down to the dining hall, which was quieter this afternoon. It was nearly passed serving time, but she managed to make it before the cooks took back all the food. The hall was large and wide with tall glass windows and rows upon rows of tables. At the far end, near where she sat, was a massive fireplace.

She sat quietly at an empty table, munching on steak and potatoes and sipping red wine. Living in the palace made it easy for her to remember to eat, but the problem with being in love with a vampire is that whenever they went on missions together Tenele tended to forget eating. It seemed like such a chore.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad chuckled to himself as she left the room. His wife was nothing if not resilient. His body, on the other hand, was being a bit spoiled today. Something about housing Knight's spirit just sucked the strength out of every bone in his body. He'd thought about asking Tenele why she'd summoned him, but he could more or less imagine the reason. Was it that important to her that he and Atul not fight?

He was mad at Atul. Mad enough to punch him. But if anything, the last hour only proved that his anger only existed in the first place because he cared about the man enough to be hurt. Vlad didn't make friends often or easily.

He shifted his mind away from the subject and pulled himself to his feet. He'd lost his initiative to confront Atul, but there was still some work he wanted to get done tonight.

It wasn't until several hours later that Vlad teleported back to his chambers. Seeing that Tenele didn't seem to be back yet, he built up the fire in the hearth and flopped himself gracefully across the bed, completely done with moving for the night.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele was visiting Talon in his room. She was eating her desert of chocolate cake, and he was sipping on a goblet of blood. "I wonder if Vlad's made it off the floor yet," she murmured, licking the icing of her fork.

Talon chuckled. "You are a very caring wife to wonder that several hours later. What a lucky man he is."

Tenele glowered at her brother. "Well, I'm sure he has, and besides... I wanted to visit you and see how you were doing after last nights ball. You held it together very well, I think."

Talon shrugged. "I didn't eat anyone, so that is good."

* * *

Across Vlad's room the fire roared to life as if someone had been tending it all night and in the chair near the fireplace a black mist slowly took shape. Verin sat lounging in the chair, staring down at the embers. "I thought I'd pop in on you," he sighed with a dark smile. "I didn't want you feeling left out, after all... you are important to me too."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was mostly dead to the world as he lay waiting for Tenele to return. However, Verin's presence affected him almost immediately. He just didn't want to acknowledge it, at first. His first reaction was to scour his mind for a reason he might be dreaming. After all, Verin's personal visits recently had been for Tenele, not for him.

He rose from the sheets and looked across the room at the God perched by his fireplace. "Get out," he snarled, up to his feet immediately.

[Emora Deen]

Verin turned his dark gaze to Vlad, his smile creeping into a fierce grin. "Ooh," he muttered. "Someone still seems to be angry that I kissed his wife. In all honesty, had I known she'd given in so quickly I would have asked for more." The God stretched out his legs across the floor, and drummed his fingers against the armrests. "But, let's not talk about that yet. I'll get to that in a moment. Right now, I thought we could talk about you."

[Soran Nightblade]

"Most would say I'm excellent at talking about myself. I don't need any more practice," Vlad purred. "If you want more father-son time, you could act like other deadbeat parents and bribe me with a present."

[Emora Deen]

Verin chuckled. "My gift to you, son, is the fact I have allowed you to keep your wife for as long as you have had her," he admitted, sitting forward in his chair. "But, I wanted to discuss how I would like to give you a chance to repent from your past transgressions against me. There will come a day soon, son, when you will fall at my feet. You will serve me again."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's pulse was beating out of his chest. Anger fueled by pure hatred raged through him. The god's power over him was strong, and it stirred his blood by his mere presence. He wanted to lash out. To strike the god right where he sat and knock the smug bastard out of his reading chair.

But he also remembered what he'd sworn to Tenele. This had happened because she didn't trust him. If he wanted to be a team with his wife, he had to resist the urge to fight. He had to do the harder thing, and run. He needed to get the hell out of there.

"Do me a favor and keep the fire running, you smug dick," he muttered, turning away from the god for the door. "Falling to my knees sounds fun and all, but I'm more in the mood for a walk." He pulled the door open, taking some of his aggression out on it.

[Emora Deen]

Verin laughed, porting from the chair to stand right behind Vlad. "I find it amusing to think that you can walk away from me..." Verin grabbed hold of Vlad from behind, an arm around the vampire's waist, and a hand wrapped over Vlad's forehead. "You will kneel at my feet eventually, boy. There is no mistake about that. So, you can run all you like, but you can't run from destiny. A monster is a monster, no matter how long they play house. You betrayed me, my son. That hurt. What happens after this is as much vengeance upon you as it is upon Attara." Verin's grip tightened on Vlad. "And as for your wife... I am going to destroy everything about her that you find beautiful. Her spirit will be unrecognisable." Verin chuckled close to Vlad's ear and his hand across the vampire's forehead slid over Vlad's eyes. "Here, let me just show you what I mean."

* * *

Tenele hopped off the top of Talon's writing desk, stumbling on her feet. "Woop.... too much wine," she chuckled.

"Are you sure you can make it back to your room?" Talon asked, arching an elegant silver eyebrow.

"I can't walk straight, but I can still walk," Tenele told him, waving a finger at him. "You know, you have gotten less protective as a vampire. Before, you would have tied me to a chair until I sobered up."

"Well, maybe as a vampire I've learned to be less uptight?" Talon asked with a grin. "Vlad's sire bond must be wearing off on me."

"Well, no matter!" Tenele announced, skipping to the door. "I will retire! My husband awaits me in our bed, and I plan on stripping him naked."

"Don't need to hear that!" Talon yelled.

"And doing naughty things," Tenele snickered as she closed the door.

[Soran Nightblade]

The vampire wrestled against Verin's grip, but he couldn't move. He hated being trapped more than anything else. The hand closed over his eyes, and suddenly the room around him was gone. He was seeing a different time. Tenele was dressed in thick robes and lounging across Verin's lap on his throne. Her head was down, and she looked like she was praying. She was worshipping him, solemnly, earnestly.

"You have done well, my dear," Verin praised, stroking back her silver hair. It was so long that it hung down across the floor. "Now, I desire you."

She rose with a sincere look of adoration and drew her robe off, dropping it to the floor Her clothing beneath was rich and delicate, the type only worn when one intended to pleasure a man. She drew the fabrics loose piece by piece, until she stood bare before him. She reached down and opened his pants, freeing him.

"Would some entertainment help put you in the mood?" Verin asked with a smirk. He called a young child-demon up from the back of the throne room. Two large men were dragging him. "Over here, where my lady can watch." The obliged, bringing the boy up across from them.

"Now, my lady, you may do as you please with me," Verin smirked. Tenele smiled, real excitement in her eyes, and crouched over him. As she slid down over his exposed need, Verin turned toward the men. "Rip his arms off."

The boy screamed. Tenele arched, moaned and ground against him harder, until she brought both Verin and herself to climax in sync with the boy's death.

"Some dessert?" Verin offered, as his guard brought them one of the emaciated, blood-covered arms. Tenele raised her eyes to him gleefully and leaned up to lick at it.

Stop... Why am I watching this? Vlad clenched his hands in horror. No. I'm not here. This isn't real. He struggled with everything he had to tear his eyes away, but it was like they were glued open on the scene before him. No! He pulled all the focus he had into one desperate burst. One moment, he was in Verin's grasp, and the next, he'd managed to teleport to the base of the tower. Well, almost. His unfocused jump sent him tumbling down the last few steps to collapse face-first in the hall below. Vlad clutched the floor, panting like he'd run a marathon. Tenele. He could barely make himself move.

"Tenele!" he screamed into the stone tile, delirious with panic.