Heirot

Atul obliged him with little trouble. He gave Vlad exactly what he wanted with a heated roar, burrowing as deeply as he could. He sank heavily over the vampire, huffing air to cool the fire in him. "Gods," he murmured against Vlad's skin, tracing his lips over the flesh before he took his mouth. "I missed that. Oh, I missed it so much. I love you. I love you. I will never leave you again."

He fell over off to the side of the vampire and dragged him into a tight embrace. He didn't want Vlad to leave.

Vlad's mind poured wide open into Atul's as he returned the tight embrace, wrapping a leg over the man for good measure to be sure he didn't get away. After their joining a moment ago, even that didn't feel close enough. Vlad couldn't care less that his chest was sticky from his orgasm. He clutched Atul tight and planted kisses on his shoulder and neck. "This feels like a dream. But you have to be real. Hallucinations don't fuck like that...not in a million years," he murmured.

Atul grinned, feeling a little proud of himself. "Definitely real," he sighed, burrowing against the vampire. "I can show you again in a few hours how real I am, if you are so inclined... or you could show me you aren't a figment of my longing."

"I'll show you a longing of your figments," Vlad purred nonsensically as he nuzzled into Atul's shoulder. "I'll need to return to Tenele's side before too long, though. She urged me to come here, but I doubt she wants to be alone at night."

Atul wanted him to stay, to lie with him through the night as he'd done so many nights before. But, he knew Tenele wasn't herself. She wouldn't want to lie with them, at least not with him. "How are things with her?" he asked Vlad softly. "How is she... really? How are you?"

Vlad closed his eyes. "It was rough. At the beginning, she hated me. I was having other problems, and she was my only lifeline, and suddenly she'd rather run off and get kidnapped and abused than trust me enough to stay where I asked. She was scared, and I couldn't make her feel any better. She indulged me in a date, and I ruined it. She nearly had an affair with a crewmate on our ship, and I had no claim to stop her. No claim to my wife. I thought she would leave me."

"She might have been happier if she had. Who knows. But I was attacked on board the ship, and she dove off to save me, and we didn't have much choice but to get to know each other again once we were marooned. Very, very slowly, she's trusting me. She slept with me, once so far, to conquer the man who raped her. It was great to be with her again, but I still get the feeling she doesn't really know me."

Atul listened thoughtfully to Vlad. He couldn't imagine how much it hurt to have the two people he loved the most lost to him. "Trust is a good start," Atul replied, stroking his hand over Vlad's cheek. "She trusts you enough to let you touch her in the same ways that were used as a weapon against her. That is saying a lot Vlad. She may not know you as thoroughly as she once did... but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about you. You can't blame her for the things that happened because she was too afraid to trust you at that time. Imagine if you were dropped into a place you didn't know, with people you didn't know, would you, Vladimir Dracul, trust people to tell you to stay in one place? Hardly not."

* * *

Tenele managed the find the King's room with the help of a few sailors. She was worried about Vlad and wondering if his conversation with the King was going well. The guards outside were red and flustered and didn't seem to mind when she went to the door and pressed her ear against it.

Vlad took a deep breath and burrowed his fingers into the soft hair at the base of Atul's neck. "You're right. She only did what was practical. It could have been far worse. I'm astounded she can muster any interest in me at all, with no history to bind us together. If that stupid creature hadn't gotten in the way... oh. Have you heard of a Hesic?"

Atul blinked at Vlad, running his fingers up and down the vampire's arm. "No," he admitted. "Not really... Not that I know of. But, I'm sure my historian or advisers might have. We'll do everything in our power to help her, Vlad..." The King pursed his lips together and grew very quiet. He nestled his head into the pillows. "What if she doesn't recover her memories?"

Atul sat up slowly. "What are you going to do? What if she doesn't remember you anymore? Will you still love her, even if she isn't the Tenele you loved before? What if she doesn't approve of us together?"

Vlad blinked, as that last question hit him hard. "I love her. Even if she cannot return it. Even if it is never quite the same, I'll love her as long as I survive on this world. If she grows to hate me, I will protect her from a distance."

He looked at Atul. "She will understand, Atul. Given time, she will come to know you again. I don't think she would forbid this. She knows what you are to me."

"Lady Dracul," the guard at the door said, still blushing. "I....I think they're waiting for you. Or rather, they may have started," he stammered, not sure how to communicate it.

Tenele faltered with her ear pressed to the door. She stepped away from the wood like it might suck her in. "I..." she murmured, glancing at the guard. Tenele hadn't arrived in time to hear the heated noises that the guards had listened to for some time. But, his blush clued her in enough to what he meant. "I don't think so... Don't... Don't tell him I stopped by."

"But, you don't think it would hurt her?" Atul asked him softly, brushing his fingers across Vlad's cheek. "Isn't this a little like cheating?" Atul pressed a kiss to Vlad's lips despite his reservations. "Maybe I should take her on a date, too?"

Vlad hesitated, blinking. Hurt her? Could she feel hurt by this? Vlad leaned in against the king's bare chest. Was it possible he would be put in a position where he had to choose between them? The ache in his chest was so sudden and brutal he had to stop breathing.

Crap, he couldn't keep being like this. He had to stay confident and certain. He couldn't keep being damaged. He couldn't keep falling apart every time he thought he'd lose them. He'd had weeks to get used to this new, more distant Tenele. Atul would need his support to cope with it. "Let me talk to her," he whispered.

Atul nodded. "Okay," he sighed. "But, I'm serious. I'll take her on a date. I'll start over to if I must. I love her, too." He pulled Vlad tighter to him. "I wish you could stay the night. I've missed you both next to me as I slept." His finger tips played across Vlad's skin. "Stay longer, please."

Vlad pulled him in securely against him and trailed his fingers up and down Atul's back. "I'm here," he assured. "Rest. I'll stay until the noon bell rings."

Atul smiled softly at Vlad, snuggling down against the vampire. "Come back tonight," he pleaded to his lover as he closed his eyes to rest. It was far to early in the day to be tired, but the comfort of Vlad's touch was enough to send the King into a state of relaxation that he hadn't reached in months. Eventually he managed to nod off.