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Hounds of Winter	By : galynthia Category: +M to R > Nightwalker: Midnight Detective Views: 5786 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Nightwalker: Midnight Detective, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The Hounds of Winter
Chapter 7
By: Delilah deSora
�Thank you,� he replied, glancing over at his mate, �for telling me.�

�But you are still angry with me.� Cain stated.

Shido sighed. �You have wronged me, Cain. Again and again you have forced my hand. Forced me to do things I was not ready to do.�

Cain studied him. �I thought that giving you a childe of your own would make you understand. I thought that it would remind you of what it meant to be vampire. It was a lesson meant to teach you that the court is not some evil piece of hell meant only to torment young confused vampires. It was meant to show you that we are not the undisciplined monsters you think we are.

�Look around you, Shido! You see it every night! You saw it nig night! Would a creature as devoid of morals and goodness, as you seem to think we are, help you? Gaven is not as all-powerful as henks.nks. Yes, he has strong powers but he is still young and Dirmund is old. Gaven does not have the control or stamina needed to defeat an ancient in an open fight, yet he risked his life to save you. He risked pain at Dirmund�s hands and he risked death at mine if he had killed him. Do you still regard him as a creature that must be destroyed to prt yot your silly humans? Could you kill him? Could you kill Soryo who still regularly hunts without mercy in the city?�

Shido shuddered. �There must be a better way.�

�There is none. Think about it, melmae. All life feeds on other life. We feed on humans, they feed on animals, and animals feed on each other or on life that is even more defenseless than animals themselves. It is the eternal circle, Shido. You don�t see humans lamenting over the generations of animals that have been slaughtered to feed them. Why should we be any different?�

The violet haired vampire shook his head, his teeth clenched together. �I can�t, Cain,� he whispered, �I can�t kill like you do. I can�t forget that once I was human as well.�

His mate rose with a snarl and he jumped as the empty glass was snatched from the table and flung against the wall. �Stop! I will not listen to you say such things! Even under the curse of mortality you were not one of them! You were so far above them that I will not tolerate such words, even from you! You were born to be a vampire! It was your fate from the moment such a perfect creature was created. They despised you, Shido, tried to destroy you because they sensed it and knew that they could never have what you had been given. And still their pathetic morals cling to you, poison you! Even now they prevent you from reaching your full potential, from making you happy.�

Shido merely shook his head, green eyes fixed on the floor.

When it became evident that he had no reply his mate sighed. He stiffened whong ong fingers ran through his hair, coming down to rest on his shoulders. �You asked me once what I wanted from you,� Cain murmured, kneeling down before him, �and I will telu. Iu. I want you at my side. I want you as you once were. Do you remember, Shido? Do you remember those nights when you would give yourself up to your senses? Do you remember how glorious you were? How easily laughter slipped from your lips?�

Shido shuddered as Cain traced the delicate bow of his upper lip with a fingertip.

�I remember. I remember watching dancdance among the darkness and thinking �yes. This is my mate. Mine, and I will allow no one else to taste his wildness for it is mine alone.� I want that back, Shido! It is a thing only you can give to me.�

Cain�s hands cupped his face and Shido closed his eyes as he tilted his chin upwards to meet his mate�s kiss. It was a determined and possessive act that brought a shiver of delight through him. He felt sharp fangs brush his lower lip but they did not pierce him. Cain�s tongue slipped into his mouth and teased his own fangs, urging the muscles to tense and slide the deadly teeth from their sheaths. A hiss escaped him as his mate pulled back, one hand buried in the hair at the base of his neck, holding his head back.

Cain�s slitted eyes stared down at him and Shido keened in response to the calculating look. The golden haired vampire raised his free hand and stroked a finger down the long curved tooth. Shido nipped instinctively, drawing a small bead of blood. His mate smiled darkly and ran the wounded finger over his bottom lip. Shido�s tongue darted out to lap at the offering.

�I have given you what you asked, melmae,� Cain said, his voice deep with desire, �now it is time for you to return that boon.�

Shido stared up at the master vampire suspiciously, earning a laugh.

Cain dipped his head, licking away the traces of his blood painting the violet haired vampire�s lips. �Give yourself to me.� He murmured.

Cain�s head slipped under his chin and Shido gasped as soft kisses were placed on the long column of his neck. �I�ve already . . . with you.� He gasped, trying to force words out of his traitorous body.

He heard the older vampire�s snort of annoyance. �No, Shido. Give yourself to me as you were meant to. As a vampire gives himself to his mate. Do not hold anything back. There is nothing to ashamed of here. Unlike those that have surrounded you your entire life I find nothing about your true nature undesirable. I want it all, Shido. I demand it all. As your mate I am entitled to no less,� his tongue ran over the underside of Shido�s jaw, �or have you already given that gift to another? To one of your fledge-mates perhaps?�

Shido shook his head desperately. �No! Neither of them has taken me.�

Cain chuckled and drew his face back, fingfing the long co of of his neck as he did. �I know. I smell the young one on your skin but the scent of his release is too faint to allow that. Besides, you were never one to be regulated to the submissive role for a long period of time. There�s an aggressive streak in you that refuses to burn out, even though you try to keep it under control. I have hopes that your young fledge-mate will fan that streak. Give it life again. Has he? Did you indulge in your aggressive passion with him?�

Shido flushed brightly. �Of course not!� he hissed, �he belongs to Gaven now.�

Cain snorted. �Gaven would share you with him. You are no threat to his hold over his mate and he never argued with your claiming of the young one before. Besides, we already discussed it and he agreed that it would be helpful to you.�

�Now you�re discussing my sexual needs with others?� Shido growled in mortification.

His mate laughed. �If you won�t take care of it yourself I fear I must take matters into my own hands.�

Shido opened his mouth to retort angrily but insistent lips crashing into his, pressing him back with the force of the kiss, silenced his words. He snarled against his mate�s mouth, hooked fingers digging into Cain�s flesh. If the golden haired vampire wanted to see his aggressive streak he was going to give it to him. Cain pressed against him harder, pinning him back against the wall, one hand tight about the back of his neck, the other snaking its way around his waist.

With a growl Shido bit down on the lips against his. His mate pulled back with a start and he slipped free from Cain�s hold. �Stay away from me!� He hissed.

Cain stared up at him with annoyed golden eyes, one hand coming up to touch his wounded lip. �I�m here only for one reason, Cain. I will play tate ate for you in public but do not try to it it into anything more. When Riho is found I will leave here with her.�

His mate�s eyes darkened and when he rose Shido fell back a step warily but Cain merely swept pasted him to pause at the door. �There are things that need to be done tonight,� The older vampire said, his voice measured and neutral, �Go to your fledge-mates. Let them try to quiet your mind or not as you chose. Just stay with them. If you wish to speak to me . . . you know where I�ll be.�

Shido took a few steps towards him, reaching out to catch the back of Cain�s s. �W. �What about Riho?� He demanded. �We�ve wasted enough time! I need to find her.�

His mate snorted. �I am lookinhidohido. No one has seen her or has any knowledge of these white hounds of yours. You must be patient.�

Sighing Shido released him. �You will tell me when you find her?�

His mate nodded and slipped away. Shido sat in his mate�s rooms for half the night until hunger drove him to seek out his fledge-mates. Soryo was languishing in Gaven�s rooms, looking more than a little a bored, his fingers plucking half formed melodies on a well-worn dulcimer. Violet eyes lit up at his arrival and he found himself being dragged to a sinfully plush chair.

Soryo chided him for taking so long in returning and even went so far as to give him a reproving nip on the hand to which Shido responded by dumping the green haired vampire on the floor which seemed to return Soryo to his naturally happy spirits. Shido tried to humor his friend but he simply couldn�t bring himself to truly pay attention to whatever it was that Soryo was lamenting over. When Soryo�s flagrant cheerfulness became too much he stood and strode past his friend, whose words stumbled to a halt at his passing.

�Shido?�

He winced at the hesitation he heard in his friend�s voice but couldn�t bring himself to look back. �I�m sorry,� he murmured, reaching out to push the door to the bedroom open, �I just have a lot on my mind and I need some time to think.�

He closed the door on his fledge-mate�s response, praying that Soryo would leave him be as he curled up on the bed, grateful for the darkness surrounding him. He drug the heavy blankets, chosen more for their pleasing texture than their warmth, over his shoulders and buried his face in the pillows, taking comfort in the make-shift den. His head ached fiercely and the still unsatisfied hunger gnawed at his nerves but it all paled to the confusion of the thoughts in his mind.

He heard the door open and bit back the growl of annoyance that threatened to slip past his lips at the intrusion. �Soryo . . .�

�Hush.� Came the quiet reply as the bed sank behind him and the covers at his back were lifted. Arms wrapped about his waist, pulling him against Soryo�s stomach and a cheek was pressed to the top of his head. Gentle fingers stroked his face before a pale wrist was pressed against his lips.

Shido pulled back, attempting to shake his head. �Gaven might be angry.� He protested.

Soryo snorted dryly. �It is mine to give. If he gets angry his grievance is with me, not you. Go on now.�

Unable to refuse the offer he drank from his friend, careful to make the bit clean and still so as not to cause pain. Soryo�s blood left him energetic but he was in no mood to enjoy the added benefits of vampiric sustenance and so let the offered wrist fall away. He closed his eyes as Soryo�s fingers ran through his hair, brushing it back away from his temple in a soothing rhythm.

He let his mind wander where it willed, allowing it to sort through his troubled thoughts. He was awash with memories, some painful while others nearly brought a smile to his face. He played Cain�s words over and over in his mind, trying to determine the at oft of truth in them and wondering how theuld uld affect their already troubled relationship.

He must have drifted off for one minute it was just he and Soryo together and the next he found himself wedged between two bodies. He flushed, embarrassed at the thought that he had fallen asleep yet again. Sleep was all he seemed to be doing lately and it made him feel like a fledgling again. Shaking the sleep from his mind he sat up, peering down at his fledge-mates.

Both Gaven and Soryo were fast asleep, their bodies actually maintaining the slow steady breath that they no longer required. Even in immortality there were some things that the unconscious mind continued to do out of habit. He smiled as Soryo yawned and cracked open an eye to peer up at him sleepily.

A sudden burst of playfulness shot through him and he lunged at the dozing vampire, pinning Soryo under his hands as he growled and ran fangs over the bared navel that peeked out from beneath the hem of his bunched shirt. Soryo shrieked, a sound more akin to laughter than fear and shoved him off. Before he could turn Soryo was on his back, gentle claws pretending to rend his sides. He twisted, dragging the slightly smaller male underneath him. Soryo snapped at him and Shido lunged forward, only to have strong hands wrap about his chest and fling him onto his back.

He froze as Gaven growled deeply at him, not entirely sure the master vampire was playing but his fear was allayed as Gaven went down under a flurry of sea green hair. Soryo growled, the high-pitched teasing sound reminding Shido of a demonic kitten practicing its hunting skills on some hapless adult. Gaven rolled onto his back, batting at his mate�s clawed hands.

Gaven suddenly rose up and Shido yelped as he and Soryo were both dragged down by the master vampire. Gaven snorted and peered down at them in amusement. Soryo growled and snapped at him, his hands wrapped about the hand holding him down by his neck. The master vampire gave him an exasperated look before lowering his face to his mate�s and giving one loud snap of teeth a breath away from his nose. Soryo peered up him for a long moment before giving way to a peel of laughter.

Hazel eyes turned to him and Shido resisted the urge to shiver as the master vampire leaned over him. �Are you finished attacking my mate?�

Shido recognized the laughter in the dark eyes and smiled. �For now.�

Gaven sighed. �Well you got him all wound up. Go wind him down.�

They were released and Shido found himself fixed with narrowed violet eyes and a wicked grin. He laughed and reached out, receiving a threatening snap fhis his fledge-mate. Gaven chuckled and Shido gave him an annoyed glare.

�Don�t encourage him!� He protested.

Hazel eyes danced with amusement as the master vampire leaned back against the headboard with a noncommittal shrug.

Shido turned back to study the green haired vampire that was smirking at him from the bottom of the bed, lng tng terribly pleased with himself. Gathering his legs underneath him he lunged for Soryo who gracefully slipped away from him. The green haired vampire sniffed delicately and bounded out the door and down the hall. Shido was a heartbeat behind him, even managing to catch a brush of fingertips on hair when Soryo leapt from a balcony to the grass below.

Shido landed beside him and his fledge-mate dashed away into the forest with a taunting call. A true laugh slipped from him and Shido smiled as he chased the lithe form through the dark trees. He caught the occasional glimpse of breed as they flitted through tangling branches but any worry of their presence was swept away by the occasional sound of the master vampire that followed at a more sedate pace in their wake.

If it had been a true hunt Shido knew he would have lost his prey long ago for Soryo was a master at moving through his surroundings as quickly and silently as a thief in the night. As it was, however, Soryo let him keep pace, always staying just a breath before Shido�s grasping hands. Sometimes he would range so far ahead Shido would have to pause, searching for sighs of his fledge-mate�s passing, and sometimes he would allow Shido to get so close he could reach out and brush just the tips of his fingers over the soft linen shirt.

He laughed freely as they darted among trees and bushes, Soryo occasionally doubling back to drag him through more difficult passages again and again. They both leapt the wide river that wound its way through the shadows and continued the chase on its eastern bank. His world had shrunken until it contained nothing more than the forest, the night wind, and the fae creature he was determined to catch. So it was that when the sharp sound of something snapping shattered the silent night and cutting off the sudden warning shout from the master vampire behind them, Shido was ill prepared for it and only the sheer shock of the sound freezing him in place kept him from fleeing like some startled deer.

He watched helplessly as a painful cry escaped Soryo�s lips and his fledge-mate crumpled to the ground.

Soryo fell back, a painful cry escaping his lips. Shido�s mind registered blood, obscenely bright against his fledge-mate�s leg before Gaven was there, snarling at him and driving him back out of the way.

�Fool!� The master vampire spat at Soryo in angeced ced with worried, kneeling next to his mate. �Irresponsible fledgling!�

Soryo whimpered as his mate gripped something down at his ankle with both of his hands and applied force to it. Shido heard the distinctive clang of metal scrapping against metal. He flung it aside in disgust and Shido knelt to pick it up. However Gaven growled at him and he quickly snatched back his hand.

�Leave it be!� The dark haired vampire snapped and Shido shrank back in response to the master vampire�s order.

Soryo cried out softly as Gaven touched his leg, prodding it to determine the extent of his injury. Regaining a measure of his boldness he crept forward trying to peer at the object that had felled his fledge-mate. Before he could reach it, though, he received another snarl from Gaven and a sharp command to �keep his fool self� where he was and to stay silent.

He knelt on the grass, watching as the dark skinned vampire began slowly removing small shards that glittered in the moonlight from his mate�s leg. Soryo cried out softly as he did and though he longed to comfort his fledge-mate Shido was forced to watch from the short distance away. Gaven carefully reached under the wounded leg and Shido saw him wince imperceptibly at what his questing fingers found. His hazel eyes lifted and peered about them for a moment before coming to rest on him.

�I�ll need you to hold him,� he said, �but you must be careful where you step. Come forward where he passed. Watch the ground.�

Blinking in confusion, Shido stood and gingerly took the required four steps to bring him to Soryo�s side. He knelt and gathered the green haired vampire into his arms. Soryo sobbed in pain, burying his face against his stomach. Something sharp prodded his leg and he shifted, peering down to see what it was.

A glimmer of silver was all he could see and he reached out to brush the leaves away from the object until he could see it. A long thin spear of silver had been buried in the dirt, its wickedly sharp point facing upwards. He pulled his hand away in surprise.

�What is this?� He dared to whisper as Gaven carefully repositioned Soryo onto his side.

The master vampire�s hazel eyes darkened in anger. �A trap meant to catch foolish vampires who have wandered too far from home.�

Dexterous fingers pried a long object from the profusely bleeding wound on Soryo�s leg and held it out so that Shido could take it. He wiped the blood from it on his pants and held it up.

�Silver.� He whispered needlessly.

Gaven pulled a second from Soryo�s ankle, making the green haired vampire hiss, his fingers digging painfully into Shido�s lap.

�Yes,� The master vampire replied, flinging the shard away in disgust.

Shido peered at the metal trap, his eyes immediately locating the stumps where silver teeth had once been along the inside of the contraption. �Who would do such a thing?� He demanded.

�Keep your voice down!� Gaven hissed warningly. When Shido looked away in embarrassment he answered, �Hunters. They rarely dare the river and those that do get eaten by the breed that populate it but they�ve turned this entire side of the river into a maze of traps designed to bring down unwatchful breed. Their true target, however, are vampires. We try to remove to as many traps as we can find but new ones always spring up. We�ve warned the local inhabitants against placing the traps or harboring the hunters so they�ve come up with ways to disguise the traps as hunting paraphernalia.�

Shido�s eyes returned to the silver contraption. �Like a wolf trap.�

Gaven snorted. �Yes.�

�But why make it of silver?� Shido asked.

�Because it is a weak metal. It is designed to penetrate the flesh and then, when the victim falls, to break off. The ground around the trap is littered with stakes to further wound or even kill the victim when they fall. If the fall doesn�t kill them the silver keeps the wound open so that they bleed out. Just in case the vampire manages to get free they are lame and the hunters tend to place more traps close together in the hopes that the vampire stumbles into a second trap. They also tend to patrol these areas regularly to see if they�ve captured any prey. Soryo is very very lucky.�

Shido shuddered at the words, letting the silver sliver fall from his hand. He hunched over the tense vampire in his lap, stroking Soryo�s hair as the master vampire studiously removed any shrapnel left in the wound. Silver was nearly as strong an anathema to vampires as wood for it burned like a piece of the sun and kept the wound from closing. All of it had to be removed before healing could begin.

�How can such a thing be allowed to happen?� He asked.

Gaven�s fingers prodded the wound, searching for any pieces he may have missed. �We are doing all we can. It is not just a problem here, Shido, it is a problem everywhere. The humans know about us and are determined to wipe our race from this earth. Single courts are a thing of the past for they are too vulnerable. Regional courts are filled, nearly to overflowing, and the survival rate of our fledglings is dismal. Nowhere is perfectly safe anymore, though,� he turned a hard gaze at his mate, �there are rules in place to keep us safe.�

Soryo shuddered and lowered his gaze at the reproach.

Gaven rose with a sigh and lifted his mate�s tense form. �Come, gwarels, we should return to safe lands before whomever placed these traps come to see what they�ve caught. Follow in my steps, Shido, until we cross the river.�

Shido did as he was told, though the going was slow. He saw no more traps but that did nothing to sooth his nerves. How quickly it had all happened! Just a split second of time and he had nearly lost a man who had become an integral part of his life. If Soryo had fallen just an inch to either side he would have impaled himself on the hidden stakes. If he or Gaven hadn�t been around he would have been left all alone in the woods, too hurt to free himself. Too weak to hide from the sun�s killing rays.

He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

How many other vampires had fallen to such hidden traps? How many had lied there in pain waiting for the sun to rise to kill them? How many had heard a footstep on the ground and looked up in relief, thinking help was at hand, only to discover that their savior was really a hunter come to revel in their achievement?

They despised you, Shido, tried to destroy you because they sensed it and knew that they could never have what you had been given. And still their pathetic hate clings to you, poisons you! Even now they prevent you from reaching your full potential, from making you happy. Cain�s words ran through his mind and he looked up, watching as Gaven carefully picked his way through the bare trees, careful to keep anything from catching on his mate�s wounded leg.

He watched the way the dark skinned vampire whispered comforting words to his mate, occasionally brushing his lips across the pale forehead when a cry of pain was jostled from the wounded man.

Alaire ve mizza'dyo jurai, Gaven had whispered, You hold my heart. Shido shook his head. No, he thought to himself, Soryo holds more than your heart, my friend. He holds your very life, as you hold his. Gaven might survive his mate�s death but he would never be the same. He would never be whole again.

And Shido would lose both of his closest friends, just because a race he had always thought of as harmless when faced with the power of vampires had chosen the cowardly act of hiding traps to catch a vampire lost in their own thoughts. Conflicting thoughts and feelings flowed through him as they reached the castle grounds.

They returned to Gaven�s rooms where Shido searched out a stash of blood. He hovered near the door with his prize watching as Soryo clung to his mate, his pale face a stark contrast to the darker skin of Gaven�s neck. He fed for several long minutes before releasing his mate and falling back against the bed, his eyes closed. The master vampire stroked his face and whispered to him until Soryo�s body stilled completely in a vampire�s death sleep.

Shido turned over his gift of blood, which Gaven wearily drank. He turnedleavleave his friend alone to tend his wounded mate but Gaven�s deep voice stopped him, beckoning him back. He returned to the bedside, peering at the drained vampire.

�The stepanu bid me to tell you that he may have found something concerning your lost childe but he had to leave for a few nights to determine if it was true.�

Shido nodded his understanding and turned to go. �Thank you for telling me.�

Once again Gaven�s voice stopped him. �I would have you stay with us.�

He blinked and turned back hesitantly. �I do not wish to intrude upon you. Especially not now with Soryo hurt.�

A faint smile tugged at Gaven�s lips as he shook his head. �It is no intrusion, lalae. He will be comforted by your presence and it will be a great help to me. I fear he won�t be up to his usual energetic self for a day or two and I dislike leaving him alone but there are things I must do. I cannot stay with him all the time and it will pain him to follow me around the castle. I am rather hoping you would be willing to stay with him for the next night or two. Help him find a quiet place in the main hall when he wants to be sociable or stay here with him when he feels like indulging in something artistic. If you are nearby it will keep him from straining himself and he will overjoyed at having someone new to fawn over him.�

Shido smiled. �I would be more than happy to.�

Gaven returned the smile and pushed himself off the bed. �Isre are anything you need from your mate�s rooms?�

He nodded and the two of them returned to Cain�s rooms where he gathered his clothes. Gaven waited for him in the outer room as he dug through his chests. Standing he deposited his bundle on Cain�s intricately carved vanity, pausing to glance at himself in the mirror. He started at the wild-eyed creature that stared back at him. His long hair hung about his shoulders, the ribbon he had used to tie it back long gone. His eyes were wide and he could still see faint bits of gold in them, a holdover of his skittishness and the adrenaline that still coursed through his body.

His hand found the brush and he drew it through his hair, removing the evidence of his and Soryo�s sylvan romp. Setting the brush aside he pulled a porcelain coffer towards him. Violets with golden leaves sparkled at him as he removed the top and withdrew a long black ribbon. He held it to his face and breathed in the scent of his mate. It helped to calm his nerves and he resisted the urge to bury his face in the delicate piece of velvet. Reminding himself that Gaven was waiting he used it to draw his hair back. He gathered his bundle of cloths to him but couldn�t resist adding one of Cain�s discarded shirts to the pile.

They returned to Gaven�s rooms and he changed while the dark haired vampire went to check on his sleeping mate. Drawing Cain�s shirt over his head he reveled in the faint scent it still bore. It soothed his mind and made him feel safe as he climbed into the bed, settling himself against Soyro�s side. The sun rose and he slept.

As before something jerked him awake long before he should have woken. Gaven and Soryo were a silent presence beside him, giving no indication that anything disturbed their sleep. He lay still, his eyes fixed on the dark wall before him. He could see the desk and a set of drawers against the wall. A large mirror sat above the desk, reflecting his wide-eyed reflection back at him mockingly.

There was no sound present anywhere in the castle.

He closed his eyes firmly and buried his face against the back of Soryo�s neck, forcing himself to go back to sleep. His sleep was undisturbed for the rest of the day and he woke with the setting of the sun. Gaven staid with them long enough to feed his semi-lucid mate and make sure that his leg had healed. The pale skin was still marred by oval marks where the silver teeth had entered him. Angry red lines radiated out from them but there was no indication that any silver had been left within the wounds and finally the weight of duty forced Gaven from his mate�s side. Soryo dropped back into a light sleep and Shido amused himself while the other man slept.

Shido drifted in and out of the room to check on his fledge-mate between chapters in the book he had pulled from the shelf. After a few hours Soryo roused himself enough to limp into the main room where Shido made a nest of pillows on the low couch for him. He made a weak attempt at preening at the extra attention but Shido could clearly see how much effort was reed fed for him to maintain even such a small show and it pained him to see the normally exuberant vampire so wane and subdued.

Soryo dozed on the couch for half the night while Shido amused himself over the old book that had once been of his favorites. Gaven reappeared for a few minutes to wake his mate and urge him to feed. Soryo took barely more than a few mouthfuls of his mate�s blood before drifting back off to sleep. When he woke an hour later he was much revived and Shido engaged him in a few board games until Soryo became bored and insisted he was well enough to seek out a more sociable situation.

Shido hovered worriedly as he watched his fledge-mate dress, helping when Soryo couldn�t reach around to tie something for his need to lean on something to keep his weight off his leg. Even pained Soryo�s vanity showed itself and it was nearly an hour later before the green haired vampire decided he was decorated enough to go out.

He wrapped an arm about Shido�s and leaned against him heavily but Shido was aware of the effort he took to make it look like it was a familiar lean, as one lover leaned on another, to disguise the true nature of it. He allowed himself to be subtly directed from one group of vampires to another, each of which received a few pleasant words from Soryo before they moved on.

Shido chuckled and lightlasedased him about being a matron overseeing her tiny kingdom. In return he got a dry look and a reproving comment on his own lack of societal etiquette, which made him fall silent. It was true, he mused as he led Soryo on his rounds of his mate�s harem. He had been lax on his duties. As Cain�s mate it was supposed to be his duty to make himself available to the common vampires of Cain�s court who were too fearful to take problems or comments to the stepanu himself. It was supposed to be his duty to provide an ear to their worries and take those worries to Cain himself.

He watched Soryo silently as he performed those duties, sparing patient smiles for the very young common vampires he greeted or a respectful nod of his head to the more powerful members who had allied themselves with Gaven. He could only keep it up for a short time, however, and when Shido sensed the weariness growing in his fledge-mate�s body he sought out an empty corner of the great hall where he chased a few vampires from a long couch. They gave him annoyed looks but it was his right to claim any of the castle�s possessions as his own and there was little they could do to argue unless they wished to face Cain�s anger upon his return.

Soryo allowed himself to be coaxed onto the couch and he lounged like a pampered prince surveying his kingdom. Gaven drifted over to join them and Shido sat in silence, watching the two mates interact with the groups of vampires that came over with Gaven. The gathering privately surprised Shido for it consisted of some truly powerful individuals. Most of Gaven�s harem consisted of young common vampires, fledglings who had come into their power probably in the last century or so but there were two vampires who were easily twice Gaven�s age.

To these two vampires Gaven gave great respect and Soryo smiled his court smile that Shido knew meant absolutely nothing. He eyed these older two warily, realizing the danger theyht pht possess to his fledge-mate�s position but his fears were allayed when Gaven punctuated his speech with them with blatant shows of affection to his mate. Shido had always hated it when Cain had done that to him, petting and kissing him like some simpering mistress in front of vampires he wished to appear strong in front of but he knew what such actions symbolized and he approved of them in this case.

The night began to wind to a close and Gaven herded both of them td. Sd. Soryo pretended to swoon, an act that got him carried back to the rooms in his mate�s arms. Shido laughed at the faces his fledge-mate made at him from over the dark haired vampire�s shoulder, glad that Soryo seemed to feeling better. Indeed when Gaven divested the squirming vampire of his clothes the angry red lines on his leg were nearly gone and Soryo�s hunger had returned.

A fed and satisfied Soryo dragged his fledge-mate into bed between he and his mate and Shido drifted off to sleep with a master vampire at his back and a green crowned head tucked under his chin.

His sleep, however, did not last.

Once again he found himself aware at an hour when he should have all rights been dead to the world. He mentally growled but before he could his his eyes open the sound of glass shattering rang out in the silent room, making his heart skip a beat as a wave of power rolled over him. He felt Gaven jerk awake and it was then he realized something that sent a shiver of fear through him.

Soryo was no longer in bed beside him.

-End Chapter 7
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Hounds of Winter