Legends of Lorata

He didn’t sleep for long, though. His growling stomach roused him, and he looked up at me with wide, shining eyes. “Blackthorne,” he murmured.

“Beloved prince,” I whispered, smiling and kissing the top of his head.

“Did I fall asleep?” he asked drowsily.

“You did, my love. You were smiling so sweetly in your sleep, too.”

He blushed, then sat up a little. “Oh my gosh, I’m Sorry Blackthorne, I didn’t mean to do that! I was going to–”

He was reaching down to my pants, but I took his wrist before he could touch me. “Don’t worry about a thing, Little Moon,” I assured him. “I don’t need you to reciprocate.”

“Re– what?”

“Today is all for you,” I explained. “I don’t expect you to do for me what I did for you.”

“But…”

His stomach growled again.

“No, Little Moon. It’s time for lunch.”

“Blackthorne, I really want to!”

“You’re a treasure,” I said with a chuckle, “but not right now. My erection went down, anyway.”

“Does it hurt, though?” He was genuinely worried about me.

“Not at all, my love. I was nowhere near the point where I needed to finish.”

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I replied. “I wanted to do that for you, and it had just the effect I wanted it to.”

“Blackthorne…”

“Don’t be so sad, Little Moon. I want your birthday to be wonderful.”

“Making you cum, too, would be wonderful,” he whispered.

I grinned at him. “Is that so?”

He nodded eagerly.

“If that is what you want, how can I deny you? But you’ll have to wait until tonight.”

“But the party is tonight!”

“Yes, and after we have dinner at your aunt’s house and spend time with your family, we’ll go back to my place.”

He grinned widely. “I better not get too full at dinner, then.”

“Oh, you get to stuff yourself on spaghetti and cake,” I told him.

“But–”

“I almost want to keep you wondering why,” I told him as I got up from the blanket and started giving Justin his clothes. “You’re cute when you’re trying to figure out the surprise.”

“But it’s my birthday!” he insisted playfully.

“So it is, Little Moon.” I got my shirt back on and stepped over to my car. “And that’s why I’ll tell you what I want.”

I got into my car, grabbed the basket of food, and brought it back to the blanket. Justin was now dressed and watching me eagerly. He got into the basket before I had a chance to completely sit down.

“I’m so hungry!” he said as he took out his sandwich and fruit bowl.

“I’m sure you are,” I said. I found a spoon and fork so that he could eat his berries, offered him some chips, and then got started on eating.

“So,” Justin said after he’d wolfed down half his food, “what are we going to do later?”

“Well… once we leave here, we can go to my place until it’s time to go to your aunt’s, maybe watch a movie.”

“No, after that!”

“Well, we get to see your dad…” I went on, pretending to be thinking hard on the matter.

“Afterwards!”

“I’m giving you my present.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

I chuckled again. “When we go back to my place?”

He nodded eagerly.

“You’ll probably be exhausted by then,” I noted. “You’ll fall right to sleep.”

Justin scooted over next to me. “No I won’t. You’ll have to help me use up all my energy.”

“Well, I should be able to find a way to do that,” I replied as I put an arm around him.

“Yes! First, take off all my clothes.”

“Again?”

He nodded excitedly. “And then I’ll get all of yours off.”

“Oh, well if that’s your plan, you’ll need a way to keep me warm.”

“Well, I’m going to keep part of you warm with my mouth.”

“And what about the rest of me?”

He took another bite of sandwich and gave me a doe-eyed look. “I want to hear your ideas.”

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, then looked down at him. “Hmmm… I think I know what I want.”

“Tell me!” he commanded excitedly.

I wrapped my arms around Justin and pulled him into my lap, then laid kisses all over his cheeks and temple. Eventually, I whispered into his ear, “I want you to make love to me.”

Justin looked up at me, wide-eyed and red-cheeked.

“I do so love that sense of wonder in your eyes,” I murmured, kissing him again.

“Y-you… you want to…”

I had a feeling I knew what he was thinking. Justin knew that I normally kept quiet about my sexual activities; I didn’t talk about whom I’d just been with or what we’d done, instead keeping it between me and my partner. He didn’t know why– not beyond the concept that I was reserved and respectful. The fact was, I rarely sought out sex, especially after my grandfather told me the truth about what he was. Instead, I spent time practicing methods of self-control, including meditation, tantric studies, tai chi, and so on. Keeping to myself unless I felt in control was safer for the person I was with, so training my body to be satisfied with what it got was imperative.

“Yes, my love,” I said, my voice low and husky. “I want my prince’s body to demonstrate his love.”

“Blackthorne…” His voice trembled. “I’m going to get hard just thinking about having you inside me.”

“Oh, Little Moon,” I whispered, caressing his cheek, “I won’t do that just yet. As I said, you’ll be the one making love to me.”

“I–” Justin turned even redder.

“Now you understand.” I leaned in to kiss his lips softly. “You don’t have to, but please don’t decline simply because you think I need release. Nothing would give me more pleasure tonight than to know that my body gives you ecstasy. You being inside me will make me cum, Little Moon. I promise you that.”

Justin breathed harder. He tried to speak, but kept tripping over his own words.

“Don’t worry, my love,” I assured him, “I will guide you. You can take your time.”

His eyes widened a little more. “I know what to do! I’ve done it plenty of times before. It’s just– it’s…”

“It’s me this time?” I finished for him.

He gave a jerky nod.

“I promise to take good care of you,” I whispered, and kissed him again.

That kiss lasted longer than I’d expected; Justin wrapped his arms around my neck and kept me close for long, sensual minutes. Our tongues melted together, our limbs entwined, and it felt as though Justin would have taken me right there if he could. I did get him focused back on his lunch, though, and after we finished eating, we relaxed on the hill together until he decided that we should go back to my place to watch another vampire movie.

———-

We arrived at Justin’s aunt’s house a little after five that evening. Judging by the cars out front, Ms. Anderson was already there, and Justin’s uncle was already home from work. I parked by the curb, as usual, right behind another car, which we didn’t recognize.

“Heh, it’s a rental car,” I pointed out. “Did your dad say whether he’s driving himself or renting something? Or could that be someone else?”

“He didn’t say how he’s coming,” Justin admitted. “He just promised to be here.”

I gave him a hopeful smile. “Let’s go in and find out, okay?”

He nodded. I could tell he was excited and nervous all at once. He hopped out of the car and nearly ran up to the door all on his own, but stopped himself half-way there and ran back to grab my hand. Once we were at the front door, he found it locked, so he rang the doorbell

as well as knocking. After a few moments, Ms. Anderson opened the door.

“Justin! Hi, sweetie!” She embraced him tightly, then ushered him inside. “Everyone has been so excited for you to get here.”

Then she turned to me. “Emory, thank you so much for driving him all over the city,” she said, giving me a hug. “Have you boys had a nice day together?”

“It’s been great, mom!” Justin declared.

I nodded in agreement. “He’s been all smiles the entire day.”

“Is Dad here?” Justin rushed out before his mother could say anything else. “Is that his rental car?”

Ms. Anderson gave him a look that made me wonder whether she was debating between admonishing him or laughing at how excited he was. Thankfully, she stayed focused on keeping his eighteenth birthday happy.

“He’s in the dining room,” she told him.

Justin dashed off to the next room. I heard him calling out before Ms. Anderson and I had any chance to follow him.

“Dad! Dad, you’re here!”

When I entered the dining room, I saw Justin clinging to his father, and his father embracing him in return. Although they got to talk on the phone sometimes, it had been– if I remembered correctly– about ten months since they’d last seen each other in person. Raymond had been late in visiting Justin for his seventeenth birthday, and hadn’t been able to stay for long. He’d tried to visit a few months ago, closer to Thanksgiving, but had spent the holiday with another of his kids, and Christmas had greeted him with car troubles. I was actually relieved at the thought that he’d rented a car to get to Cody.

“Emory, wow, look how tall you’ve gotten!” Raymond called, opening his arms to pull me into the hug, too.

Justin had been with Killian the last time Raymond had come around, and I hadn’t been able to stop by to greet him. I think it had been at least two years since he’d seen me, and he was right that’ I’d grown a lot in that time. I was an inch or two taller than him, whereas Justin was a little shorter than him.

“Woah, look at those muscles!” He said as he squeezed my arm. “You’ve been working out!”

“More like working,” I said. “Electronics can get pretty heavy.”

“You’re a hard worker already, huh? And you’re still doing yoga? Or was it kung fu?”

“A little yoga,” I admitted with a laugh; it was a handy way to stay limber. “And tai chi.”

“That’s right,” he said. “The slow one. Well, let’s not stand around jabbering when you could be eating. I hope you boys are hungry!”

Raymond ushered us over to some seats, and Justin only took his chair when his father promised to sit next to him. The dinner table was set with plenty of plates and cups and napkins there were two big bowls of salad, various salad dressings. and a buffet-type crock pot setup containing spaghetti with marinara sauce, fettuccine with Alfredo sauce, plenty of meatballs, and slices of grilled chicken. And lest I forget, there was a platter piled high with warm garlic bread, and two different varieties of Parmesan cheese.

“All right, I already got the little kids their salads,” Raymond said as he got another plate from the stack. “What kind do you want, Justin?”

Raymond didn’t sit down until everyone else had their salads and was eating happily. He seemed different from how I remembered him; he used to be somewhat oblivious to the needs of those around him, and to some, that came off as selfish. It wasn’t exactly that he didn’t care, but unless others made their needs known and were direct about it, he’d continue blissfully doing his own thing. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ applied to him– not maliciously, but certainly often enough that it annoyed other people, especially Justin’s mother, who sat at the other end of the table with her sister.

As dinner went on, the diners split off into smaller conversations, and Justin got to tell his dad about how things had been going lately. He wanted to show him his central line and talk about his plans for school, but remembered that his aunt didn’t want him bringing up those topics around his younger cousins. There was plenty else to talk about, though– even while Justin devoured his second plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

Once everyone had eaten, Raymond help clear the dishes. He wouldn’t let anyone help until Justin’s aunt insisted that her children be allowed to follow their normal procedure of taking their own dishes to the kitchen. Justin’s cake was brought out once the table was a little cleaner; they hadn’t been able to get anything fancy or customized, but he didn’t seem to mind having marble cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and a rainbow of little plastic balloons. He laughed when he blew out the candles only to have them re-ignite on their own, no matter how many times he blew them out. His cousins all thought the trick candles were hilarious, and were a little disappointed when they were dropped into water in order to truly put them out.

Justin loved every single present his family gave him. His aunt, uncles and cousins ad gotten together to get him a remote-controlled dragon that walked and roared. He almost didn’t want to stop playing with it, but he was glad he did, because his mother had given him the special-edition Type O Negative album he’d been wanting, plus the graphic novel version of “The Crow.”

When it came time for him to open my present, I took out my phone, and he gave me a narrow-eyed look. “No filming!”

I gave him an innocent look as I unlocked the screen. “I’m not filming you.”

“Then put that away,” he said.

“I will,” I assured him. “I just have to make a call first.”

“Right now?!” Justin looked completely baffled that I would do something like that.

I pressed a few buttons on my screen and told him, “Let’s see how fast you can get that paper off.”

I hit ‘call’ on my screen, and as I listen to the line ringing, Justin looked down at the box in his hands. “Is that… ‘Toccata and Fugue’? But–” he looked up at me. “Where is that coming from?”

I pointed to the gift. Coming from it was the muffled sound of organs playing one of his favorite classical songs. “You should get that open, Little Moon.”

“But–”

He still hadn’t figured it out, and was completely confused as to how his gift was playing music right then.

“Hurry and open it,” his father urged.

Justin tore of the wrapping paper in a flurry. The music stopped for only a second, and restarted as soon as I pressed the button on my phone again. He nearly dropped the box trying to turn it around so he could read the label.

“M– Motorola?!” He looked up at me. “Blackthorne you didn’t–”

“He did,” his mother said. “Go on, Justin; take a look.”

Justin took the lid off the box and set it aside, then stared down at the device playing “Toccata and Fugue” as it glowed from inside its case. I had to tap my phone yet again to get the music to replay, as he was too surprised by what I’d given him to act right away. Finally, he lifted out the phone, opened the cover on the case, and accepted the call.

“Blackthorne…” he whispered in awe.

“Happy birthday,” I said, then hung up the call.

He stared at the screen, which had a small picture of me at the top of his call record. “You… This…”

“He’s speechless!” his father laughed.

“He’s put all of our numbers into your contacts list,” his mother added.

Justin looked over at me. “You got me a phone… and you got it all set up for me? And everyone kept it secret?”

I nodded. “Whenever you weren’t with me, and I wasn’t at work,” I went on, not mentioning that I also had to find time in between visits with my grandfather, “I was downloading apps and loading contacts and setting pref–”

My arms were suddenly full of Justin. He clung to me, hugging me tightly and kissing my cheeks.

“Blackthorne, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the coolest thing you’ve ever done for me– Well, besides just being here.”

I was thrilled that he liked it. Every now and then, I’d worried that he’d try to turn down the gift, saying that it was too expensive or that he needed to earn it himself. But he was thrilled, and seeing him happy made it all worth it.

Justin and I looked through his phone while Raymond passed out cake. I showed him all his contacts– not that there were many, but they were all important; I’d even programmed in his dad’s number. The case I’d gotten him opened like a book, and it had a scene with a mountain-top castle and bats flying in front of the moon, all framed by roses with thorny stems. I’d put on a screen protector and a charm with little pewter moons dangling from it. All he had left to do was set up his security features.

Once Justin’s cousins were done eating cake, they ran out to play in the backyard, and their mother went into the kitchen to start on dishes. Justin’s uncle excused himself to go upstairs and do some reading, leaving us alone with. Ms. Anderson and Raymond.

“I did bring you a gift,” Justin’s father said, sliding a rectangular box his way. It was about the size of a shoe box, but it sounded metallic underneath the wrapping. “It doesn’t look like much, but you’ll understand when you open it.”

Justin nodded and carefully unwrapped the box to reveal a hinged metal case. It had a thin handle at the top and a latch with a key-hole on the front. He looked up at his father.

“It’s a lock box,” Raymond said, reaching into the breast pocket of his polo shirt. “It’s not empty, I promise.”

Justin accepted the keys from his father and stared at them, then at his father. With a little more urging, he slid the key into the lock and turned it, then slowly lifted the lid. He gasped and nearly slammed the lid shut when he saw what was inside.

“Dad–”

“Raymond!” Ms. Anderson snapped when she got a better look at the contents. She lowered her voice before going on. “Where in the world did you get this kind of money?!”

“I told you, I’ve been working,” he replied.

She glowered at him. “Raymond Corbyn, for the past eighteen years, getting any money from you has been like pulling teeth! You’ve never been on time with child support, and you’ve always fallen short on the amount you send. Justin and the eight other kids you made because you couldn’t–“

“Three,” Raymond interrupted.

“What?!”

“I have three living children besides Justin,” he corrected her. “Two that I owe child support for, because the other one was adopted. And I’m going to get caught up with their payments, but Justin’s the oldest, so I’m giving this to him to get him a head-start on life.”

That didn’t satisfy Ms. Anderson. “As much as I’d love to just let him accept this, Raymond, we don’t want dirty money in our lives.” She looked ready to close the lid and shove it back at him, but Justin had his hands in the box, looking through the envelops stuffed with money.

“Mom, Dad, can you two please not fight on my birthday?” Justin begged them.

“I just have a little more to say, Justin, and then I’m done. Lisa, I finally got a good job. I’ve even been working overtime, and as you can see, it pays really well. This money is completely legitimate. I can show you pay stubs, but a lot of it is tips.”

Ms. Anderson shook her head, not willing to be subdued so easily. “What have you been doing? What’s your job?”

“I’m an assistant host,” he replied, pulling out his wallet and searching for something.

“What the he–”

Raymond put a business card in her hands, then gave Justin and me one each as well. “I go to fancy clubs and lounges and help keep the guests happy,” he explained. “Mr. Rosenthal says it’s part manager, part wing-man. My personality is great for it. I get to talk to people, butter them up, and ultimately they spend more money.”

I read the black business card he’d given me. It had his name and job title in elegant script written on it, along with contact information. On the other side was his company’s name. “You’re working for Midnight Rose Entertainment?” I asked in surprise.

Ms. Anderson looked to me and blinked. “You’ve heard of them?”

I nodded. “Midnight Rose is a high-end company. They own clubs and lounges all over North America, but they’re all upper-class. Nothing… ummm… unsavory.”

“Unsavory? Okay Emory, I see what you mean. They’re all really classy.” Then she looked to Raymond. “How did you manage to get a job like that?”

“I just happened to strike up a conversation with Mr. Rosenthal one evening at a part-time gig. We got to talking, and he insisted that I start working for him right away.”

“That’s so cool, Dad!” Justin said, jumping up to give him a hug. “Congratulations!”

Raymond looked surprised at first, then quickly returned the embrace. Then he grasped Justin’s shoulders and met his eyes. “I know this doesn’t make up for things,” he said, his tone serious. “I’m sorry I wasn’t better over the years. I’m keeping records, and I know how much I still owe you and your mom. I’ll keep working hard, and keep sending you some, okay?”

Justin nodded and hugged him again. “Thanks, Dad.”

“I have a box for you, too,” Raymond told Ms. Anderson. “I’ll get it out of my suitcase before I head back to the motel.”

Ms. Anderson shook her head. “It was all supposed to be for Justin’s care.”

“You can give it to him if you want,” he said. “I just figured you might want to pay off some debts you might have accrued while raising him. It’s my fault you couldn’t always pay for things, so I thought I should help you fix up your credit.”

“What about yours?” she seethed, still distrusting of him.

“My credit? It’s in tatters, but I’m not in a hurry to fix it. Getting caught up on child support is my main goal. I barely even need a place to stay, because work pays for my travel expenses and most of my meals are covered. But enough about that for now. I brought vanilla bean ice cream and root beer. Who wants a float?”

This chapter is NSFW for graphic descriptions of adult content.

---

Thinking of Justin’s body and the ecstasy I wanted to give him made me harder; I was going to have to focus better if I was going to stick to my plan of not taking my own pants down out there. Justin’s fingernails raked up my chest, and his hips swayed as he pinched my nipples. I gave a long groan of pleasure and pushed his underpants further down.

“Take it off,” I growled.

He gave me a grin that said he liked me acting more dominant, and within seconds he was completely naked except for his jewelry. He slowly caressed his fully freed erection.

“Blackthorne,” he said in a mock whine, “I need somewhere warm to snuggle or else my dick is going to get cold out here.”

“Not for long,” I snarled, grabbing his legs. “Get over here.”

I pulled Justin forward until his knees were just above my shoulders, his calves on either side of me, his backside at the top of my chest. He yelped, but didn’t resist.

“Wh- what…” he breathed as he looked straight down at me. “Are you okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No. I have you right where I want you.”

“I’m practically sitting on your face…”

“Yes,” I replied with an even wider grin. He flushed and looked a little nervous– not unhappy, but a little uncertain. “Don’t tell me my dearest prince hasn’t had the pleasure of doing this before.”

“Umm… well…” He squeezed his erection as though trying to keep in control. “Y-yeah… but I’ve only gotten to be on top a couple times…”

“Oh, no more of that!” I declared. “I want you right here all the time.”

“Wha–”

He couldn’t finish the word, let alone the sentence. I had licked up the length of his dick, right along the vein, and he was crying out. I grinned at him as I reached my tongue towards the tip, which was already glistening with precum.

“Oh wow…” he said breathlessly. “You’re going to…”

I nodded. “Unless you don’t want me to…”

Justin looked ready to melt. “I want you to! I just… I’m not going to last very long.”

“I don’t need you to,” I told him. “I just want you to feel good. Once you get back into practice, then you can worry about endurance.”

I kissed the tip, and when Justin watched me lick my lips, he leaked even more precum.

“Oh, you like it when I do that?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh…”

“You know I’m going to do a lot more than that, right?”

“Uhh… yeah… J-just… stop me if I get too excited… I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I trust you,” I said, then proceeded to lay kisses down one side of the shaft and up the other. He breathed harder, and I was thrilled at how much effect I was having on him. I met his eyes, took the shaft in one hand, and wrapped my lips around the tip. He was practically howling as I sucked down the droplets of precum he gave me. Then I let go and grinned. “You’re doing great… Just take a moment to catch your breath.”

“Blackthorne,” he gasped.

“Yes, good, keep saying my name like it’s going to help you breathe.”

He laughed a little at that.

“Listen, you can grab my head, play with my hair, whatever you want. I promise to let you know if I need you to let up.”

He nodded and lightly brushed my hair back out of my face, which I then nuzzled into the crease where his leg met his groin. I breathed in his musky scent, then kissed around the base of his dick. I had to grab his hips to hold him steady so that I could focus on the soft hairs around the base. Then I pushed his erection up so that I could kiss all over the soft pouch that held his balls.

“They’re so soft and full,” I murmured.

“Y-yeah– ohhhh.. Blackthorne, they’re going to empty everything in them onto your face if you keep doing that.,”

“All over my face?” I asked, my voice rumbling.

“Y-yeah…”

“That might be a good look for me.”

“Oh, g– Blackthorne, where did you learn to talk like that?”

“What? Deep and sensual?”

He gasped as I licked up the vein again. “Uuuummmm… I…”

“Don’t worry, baby, I don’t want you to be able to form complete sentences. Just play in my hair while I make out with this delicious dick, okay?”

“Bl– oooooohhh,” he whined as I slowly stroked my hand down the shaft with one hand, “Blackth-thorne…”

“Mmm… You make such beautiful sounds.” I firmed my grip just slightly so that I could pull the soft skin back from the head of his dick, which was glistening. “Oh wow, you’re so wet.”

“Uh-huh…” His hands gripped the back of my head, as though he wanted you get more attention, but also didn’t want to force me.

“Don’t be afraid of hurting me, Little Moon,” I urged him. “I promise, if you get too rough for me, I’ll let you know. We can trust each other.”

He was still blushing, but he nodded. I wrapped one arm around the backs of his thighs, grabbed his hip with the other, and urged him forward to lay the tip on my tongue. I gave the sensitive frenulum on the underside a few feathery licks, and grinned up at Justin when he nearly choked on my name. My lips closed around the warm mushroom head, and I sucked down the drops of precum that leaked out.

“Blackthorne,” he whined.

“You’re delicious,” I informed him after I let go and kissed the tip.

Justin smiled down at me with such affection that I felt the need to lay kisses along his legs and around the base of his dick. Then I pulled his body forward so that he could more easily push into my mouth. My tongue moved in sensual waves down the underside of his shaft, him trembling and me humming in delight that I had such an effect on him.

My lips slid along his silky, delicious skin until I’d taken in all of him, right down to the base. I swallowed, he gasped; I applied suction, and he screamed my name. I let him pull my hair. He let me grip his hips so that I could more easily slide up and down the shaft. After only a couple minutes of that, he managed to break free of my suction and pull away. I looked up to see him trying to catch his breath.

“It’s okay, sweet prince,” I reassured him. “You don’t have to try to force your orgasm away.”

“It feels so good,” he murmured, his voice shaking. “You… you know exactly what you’re doing.”

I nodded, then nuzzled my cheek between his thigh and his belly. “When I do something, I intend to do it well. I want you to be happy, Little Moon.”

“Y-yeah…” He took a few more breaths. “You’re amazing at that.”

His words had me grinning from ear to ear. I kissed his belly and gave it a few playful licks, and eventually took his dick back into my hand. I pulled the foreskin back just enough so that I could run the tip of my tongue through his dripping slit. The playful, feathery movement of my tongue had him crying out, and I was rewarded with more droplets of precum. Once I swallowed them, I took his hips and guided them forward, urging him to push himself deeper into my mouth.

“Oh, wow,” he gasped.

I slid back just a little, then grasped his thighs to make him slide fully inside again. We made a game of my pulling away and him pushing deeper in. It was slow and clumsy for him at first, but I let him take his time, and soon enough he’d worked up an even rhythm at a slow pace. I moved my tongue around him in undulating waves, and sometimes applied suction when I wanted to see him jerk and gasp. My hands moved to massage his backside.

After a while, one of his hands left my head, and I looked up to find him playing with his own nipples. I grinned around the mouthful he’d given me and moved one of my own hands to rake my fingernails up his belly to join in on that. He moaned louder and gave me an excited thrust. I responded by sucking harder on his dick.

“Shi– Ba–” he gasped. “Blackthorne, fuuuuu– Oooohh, Blackthorne, you’re getting me closer!”

Justin’s excitement thrilled me. I pushed my lips closer into the soft flesh around the base of his dick, wanting to have more of him in my mouth. My hands scraped down his shoulders as I let him completely take over the thrusting, then down his sides. He was breathing hard, and could barely even get my name out between breaths.

My fingernails dragged all the way down to his thighs, where I switched to massaging. He was still so thin, but he wasn’t letting that stop him from finding pleasure where he could. My mind sent me images of him– months, maybe years from then– filled out and stronger because of my care. I was going to do that for him; I was going to make him healthy and happy. I was going to give him everything he could ever want, and somehow the thought of him bigger and stronger excited me, and I felt my erection twitch and strain to be released.

I wasn’t known for cumming in my pants, or just from words or thoughts, but with Justin, everything was different. He opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. He was precious and loving, and pleasing him made me forget, just a little, about the shadows that I needed to protect him from.

I pulled my mind back on track before it managed to wander too far. Justin was leaking more and more precum, and it was getting thicker. I slid a hand between his legs to caress the delicate skin that held his balls. They were thick and full, but also getting tighter, preparing for release.

“My prince,” I gasped as I released his dick from my mouth.

“Blackthorne,” he whined, “I’m cold now.”

“I know, baby, just give me a moment. You’re getting close to cumming; don’t hold back, okay? You need this.”

Justin smiled down at me and nodded. “I love you, Blackthorne.”

“I love you, too, Little Moon. Now, back to making out with this delicious dick!”

He slid back into my mouth, and I got to work making sure my lips and tongue gave him everything he could want. I sucked and hummed hungrily. I squeezed his soft backside and massaged his balls, and I let him thrust in and out however he pleased. His dick was as hard and hot as newly-forged steel, and the louder he cried, the more he leaked precum and musk.

“Ye– Oh, Blackthorne–” He could barely speak– could hardly even breathe. “I– Blackthorne, I’m–”

I looked up at him. “Give it to me,” I mumbled as best I could with him still in my mouth. Then I wrapped one arm around the small of his back, the other around his thighs, and held on firmly to keep him close to me.

His cum splashed into my mouth in thick, hot gushes as his body jerk and spasmed. I pressed my face into his skin and breathed through my nose, listening to his screams and loving the way my name sounded like the most glorious thing to ever come from his lips. His orgasm rocked his body for ages– ages that he needed, that he deserved, and that I loved to grant him. I swallowed every drop he gave me, and eagerly sucked on his shaft to get more.

“Ba…” he gasped, just about falling over me like a wilting flower. “Blackthorne…”

I slowly slid him out of my mouth; he was already soft, completely spent. “You don’t have to talk, my prince,” I whispered.

He was still breathing hard when I grasped his thin body and lifted him over to one side and laid him tenderly beside me. I rolled onto my side and tucked him close against me, then pulled the picnic blanket up over him to keep him warm until he was ready to get dressed. He laid his face limply against my chest.

“Bla… thor…” he breathed, hardly even audible.

“Hush, Little Moon. You need to rest. I’ll watch over you.”

Justin fell asleep to me caressing his back and humming a song. He was so peaceful and still; I could tell that he’d expended everything he had with that orgasm. I let my mind wander as I held him, content to lie on that hill and enjoy the breeze all afternoon.

After breakfast, Justin and I walked along the shops. We ended up in the clothing store he liked, where we’d gotten some things that first Saturday we’d worked together at the electronics shop. We went there together now and then, and had gotten to know Cadence and her girlfriend. That day, they were organizing some racks to make room for some new stock.

“Hello, birthday boy!” Cadence called cheerfully as the little bell on the door rang and we stepped in.

Justin gave her a shy wave.

“I’m glad you came in,” she added. “I have something for you!”

I walked with Justin over to the counter where Cadence had posted herself. Her girlfriend disappeared into the back office, then came out with a square that was about a couple inches thick and wrapped in black paper covered in ‘Happy Birthday’ in various colors. She grinned as she joined us and offered up the gift.

“This is from both of us,” she announced.

Cadence’s girlfriend had a personality so warm and soft that she seemed like an unlikely choice. She had pale blond hair that she kept in a long, thick braid, which always had at least one ribbon in it. Her eyes were happy and green, and she wore wide, round glasses. She was almost always in a long dress or skirt and casual shoes, sometimes even sandals. It was quite a contrast to Cadence, who usually looked ready to go to a rock concert or a gothic event, and they proved true the old adage that opposites attract.

Rainbow– who’d been named in that era when parents loved to choose unique and perhaps eccentric names for their children– helped Cadence run the store. She was great with the business side of things, and took care of a lot of the paperwork and practical things. They’d been together years and showed no signs of splitting up. Actually, as Cadence put it, the only splitting they wanted to do was in relation to leaving Cody.

Justin accepted the gift nervously and looked between them both. “You really didn’t have to get me anything,” he told them. “I’ve only kno–”

“Oh, none of that!” Cadence interrupted. She gave him a side-hug and grinned at him. “You and Blackthorne are super cool, and I want my awesome new buddy to have the best eighteenth birthday possible.”

“O-okay,” he replied, still very timid.

“Go ahead and open it,” Rainbow urged. “We want to see it on–“

“Don’t tell him so much yet,” Cadence said. “Okay, Justin, time to rip paper!”

He chuckled a little, then tore the wrapping off of the box to reveal something similar to a hinged jewelry box– not for a ring, but rather for a necklace. When he opened the velvety, scarlet box, that’s just what he found on the black satin inside. The chain was a length of chain-mail cord, and it had two pendants: one was a simple crescent moon, and the other had beads of fire opal and a stylized pewter bat.

“Woah…” Justin breathed as he took it out and looked it over. “This is so cool!”

I held the box for him as he lifted the necklace out to admire it. He was all smiles as he thanked them and they encouraged him to put it on.

“What do you think?” he asked me after I helped him with the clasp and he turned around to show me.

“It suits you,” I told him.

He looked to the girls again. “This is so awesome– usually I only ever get jewelry from my boyfriend, and that’s if I have one at the time, and even then it’s not for sure.”

“We had to get it,” Cadence explained. “Rainbow is pretty much obsessed with your pet name being the sweetest she’s ever heard.”

“It’s his goth name,” Rainbow corrected, “and it’s Little Moon himself who’s the sweetest.”

Justin actually allowed the girls to call him that, showing how friendly they’d already become.

“Oh, by the way,” Cadence said after a bit of conversation, “when do I get to have you come in and fold shirts and stuff?”

“Umm…” Justin blushed a little. The job application he’d gotten from her was still at my place, safe in a desk drawer. He hadn’t filled it out beyond his name and birthday yet, but she’d never forgotten about it. “Soon, maybe? I have to ask my doctor…”

“Okay,” she replied. “I promise to only give you easy tasks, all right? And no long shifts.”

Justin nodded. He did still want to try working, but succumbing to all that stress and malnutrition had left him very cautious. I felt that he was ready for what Cadence was offering, which was easy and gentle. I wouldn’t have suggested he work in fast food or any national retail chain, but her shop was just right for getting him started with working.

We chatted for a while longer, sharing our plans for the day, and Justin eventually disappeared to do a little shopping. The girls had been invited to the small party being held at Justin’s Aunt’s house, but they’d declined as they had other obligations. When Justin came back with a T-shirt with the cover for “The Crow” on it and black dress pants, Cadence rang him up with a special birthday discount. As usual, I tried to pay for what he wanted, but he insisted on using the money his grandmother had sent to him in a card, and only let me pay for part of it.

After we left the shop, we stopped at a grocery store to get a few things that would make a good picnic lunch and headed out to the tree on the hill. I laid out our picnic blanket, and we sat together, enjoying the quiet and the fact that it was just the two of us.

“I talked to my mom about school,” he told me after a while. The topic had come up only in the past week, when his treatments became more spaced out.

“That’s good to hear. What did she say?”

“Well… The school doesn’t care that I was sick. I still can’t graduate if I don’t get the work done and earn those last few credits. I can graduate late– like if I do it over the summer– but…”

“But you don’t want to go back there?” I asked. “I don’t think I’d let you go back.”

“Yeah, no way,” he agreed. “I don’t even want a diploma with Cody High School’s name on it.”

“What does your mom think about that?”

“She gets it,” he said, which was a great relief to me. “She said even if I get my central line out and I don’t need any more treatment, she doesn’t think it’s safe for me to go there. Plus, if I can’t be there in person, why should I do all their stupid work? She hopes I at least get a GED, but since I’m eighteen now, she’s not going to argue with me about school.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” I told him.

It was a huge relief, really. Ms. Anderson had wanted Justin to work hard and graduate from high school, and she used to say that it doesn’t matter which high school he finishes at, as long as he finishes. Thankfully, her son being in the hospital had opened her eyes to how bad that place had been for him.

“I’m going to withdraw myself from there on Monday,” Justin added. “I won’t let them mark me as incomplete or anything else.”

“I’m glad you made a decision, Little Moon. Would you want to go back to Portland and finish there?”

He turned around and gave me a worried look. “Not unless you’re going there…”

I shook my head.

“Then, I… I’ll..”

“What’s wrong, Little Moon?” I asked when he hesitated.

He looked away, as though ashamed at what he’d been thinking. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed…”

“Tell me what’s on your mind,” I urged in a gentle voice. I wrapped my arms around him to reassure him.

He sighed. “I kind of… I dunno. I guess I was thinking I could sign up somewhere in California… But maybe I can find an online school or just take the GED test…”

The despondence in his voice made my heart feel heavy.

“My dear prince,” I breathed, hold him tighter, “I’m so sorry I didn’t make it clear before. You’re more than welcome to come with me to Sacramento.”

“Really?” he mumbled uncertainly.

“Yes! Yes, Little Moon, I would love for you to go everywhere with me. I’d take you even if we hadn’t fallen in love. You don’t belong here, and I never want anything bad to happen to you ever again.”

Justin looked up at me with glistening eyes. “You want to take me away from here?”

I nodded. “I– I never want to be apart from you. You’re my dearest prince, and I–”

Justin had me on my back in a nano-second. He knelt over me, kissing me ferociously, like his life depended on it. His taste filled my mouth as he melded himself to me, and I sighed contentedly and gave to him in kind. His hands caressed my arms and shoulders, then feathered through my hair.

“Blackthorne,” he gasped after a while. “I love you. I can’t even explain how much I’m in love with you.”

“I think I have some idea of it, beloved prince,” I murmured back. “You’re just as precious to me.”

He smiled and kissed my cheeks, then down my neck, where he nibbled lightly. The unexpected bite made me moan and arch my back, and he grinned at me.

“You like that?”

“It’s an erogenous zone for most people,” I told him, “but yes, I really did enjoy that.”

His grin widened.

“What are you thinking of?” He definitely looked like he had something in mind.

He blushed and looked away. “I probably shouldn’t.”

“You want to leave a mark, don’t you?” I chuckled. “I can’t really show up anywhere with bite marks on my neck, but…”

He peeked out from where he’d hidden his face. I loosened the top button of my shirt.

“You can explore and play in other places, if you want to.”

Justin eyed my fingers, licking his lips, then moved my hands away from the next button I was toying with. He kissed and nibbled down the other side of my neck, then pushed my collar aside to lay more kisses on my skin.

“You’re so affectionate today,” I murmured.

He grinned at me. “Yeah… I just…. I really love you, Blackthorne.”

“That sounds so wonderful, coming from your lips.” I took his hand and kissed his fingers. “I’m already enjoying being loved by you.”

Justin sat up, straddling my waist, and brushed his hair out of his eyes as he looked me over. I could have gotten up at any time; he was so light that I could have lifted him off of me our pulled him to the side without any effort. Still, I was intent on being gentle with him, which left me as pinned down by him as he would have been by me straddling him. My hair fanned out around me as I laid there, and I relaxed and enjoyed the sweet spring air as he looked down at me.

“You look like you’re thinking a great many things,” I noted after a while.

His cheeks pinked and he looked out past the hill. “Maybe…”

“Can you share some of those thoughts with me?” I asked. I started massaging his legs, which I knew he enjoyed a great deal. He was so little, and he loved all of his body being touched and caressed.

“Umm… I want to undo all of your buttons…”

“All of them?”

His blush deepened and he barely managed to nod.

“And then what will you do? I know you’re not this shy about just looking at me, considering how many showers we’ve had together.”

“Blackthorne…” he squeaked.

“I can help you,” I suggested, but when I started reaching for the next button, he rushed in to loosen it himself, then hurriedly loosened the rest of the buttons on my shirt. The fabric fell to each side, revealing the muscles of my chest and belly. “Oh, not my pants?”

“I–” Justin was even more red.

“It’s okay, Little Moon. You don’t have to. But now what do you plan to do?”

That was when he leaned back down to kiss me again. They were urgent, breathless kisses; kisses that came with his hands moving over my chest and shoulders, up my neck and through my hair. His fingernails grazed my neck, and he responded to my moans by kissing where he’d just scratched– not enough to leave a mark, but enough that it heated my blood and made me want more. Eventually, he got my arms out of my sleeves and tossed my shirt aside.

“You’re really handsome, Blackthorne,” Justin told me. “You always have been.”

“Don’t say that like you aren’t beautiful, too,” I replied, caressing his cheeks. “You have a beautiful heart to go with it, my sweet prince. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a friend like you,” he said. “You always take care of me… and I want to take care of you, too.”

“Only if that’s what you truly want,” I insisted. “You don’t owe me anything; I just want you to be safe and happy.”

“I am,” he whispered.

“Then that’s perfect.”

After work, I went home and took a shower, ran a load of laundry, and changed out the contents of my overnight bag. I also stopped at the grocery store before going back to the hospital. I got another packet of blueberries for Justin, plus a bottle of the juice he liked with apples, bananas, and various berries in it.

In the hospital room, Justin was talking animatedly with his mother; he brightened up even more when I walked in. There was a new, larger bag of nutrients hanging on his IV rack, which looked like it had been going for hours already based on what was left of it. He hugged me tightly, and just about chugged the juice I gave him.

“That was so good!” he exclaimed, and immediately started eating the blueberries. “Thank you so much!”

“Did they not give you dinner?” I laughed as I sat down.

“They did,” Ms. Anderson said, seeing as how her son had already stuff his mouth with berries, “but it was a couple hours ago, and he didn’t like parts of it.”

“They said they would try to bring me stuff I like,” he added, “but they brought roasted chicken instead of grilled.”

Justin did not care for bone-in chicken at all. Sometimes, Killian or I could get enough of the meat free that he’d have something to eat, but the parts closer to the bone tasted bad to him, so he didn’t get much by the time he picked around it. We traded pieces if we could, but there were times

he’d lost his appetite by then.

“You can have my salad if you want,” I offered.

He eyed it curiously. “But that’s your dinner.”

“You should be flattered, honey,” his mother said. “He’s willing to give you the food right off his plate.”

Just then, her phone rang. “Finally!” she said as she looked at the screen. She answered the call and immediately put it on speaker phone. “Raymond?”

“Lisa, hi!” the voice on the other end said. “I got your voi–”

“Listen, Raymond,” she cut in, “you’re on speaker phone right now, so whatever excuses you try feeding me for not answering my calls for two days, your son and his friend are going to hear, too.”

She was definitely in mama-bear mode; she usually was when it came to interacting with Justin’s father.

“Lisa,” he said, trying to sound calm, “I’ve been working.”

“Non-stop for two days?!” she snapped. “You can hardly even keep a job, let alone work that many hours.”

“It’s a new job,” he said, “and it pays really well. It just demands a lot of my time and attention.”

“Ha, that’s more than you’ve ever given your son!”

“Mom,” Justin said, laying his hand on hers, “can you not argue right now? Can I talk to him?”

As much as Justin knew that his father was rarely there for him, when they did get to talk or visit, he got a little hopeful and excited. Sometimes he seemed more like a kid around his dad, which I knew was because he’d seen him so rarely growing up. It was hard to see him so excited to talk to somebody who had done little to support him, but I also knew he couldn’t help it, and I couldn’t take that little light from him.

Ms. Anderson handed Justin the phone, and he grinned down at it as he pressed the video button. “Hi dad!”

His dad also switched over to video call, and Justin leaned in close to me so that I could be seen, to.

“Hey!” Raymond said. “I know that guy! Long time no see, Emmy.”

“It’s Emory,” Justin corrected with a laugh.

Truth be told, I was surprised that Raymond remembered any part of my name. He saw Justin so rarely, and I was with him only some of those times. Then again, I guess I was his most consistent friend over the years…

“Right, hi, Emory,” Raymond said. I waved briefly. “Justin, your mom said you were in the hospital.”

“I am.”

“I…” He sighed. “I couldn’t understand everything in her messages. What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m still in the hospital,” Justin replied as though to say that no, he wasn’t entirely okay. “I fainted.”

“You fainted?” Raymond sounded almost incredulous. “What else is going on that they’re keeping you instead of letting you sleep it off at home?”

“He was starving, you idiot!” Ms. Anderson shouted at the phone. “Did you even listen to all of the messages? He hardly eats, and he was so stressed out that he was throwing up in the middle of the night!”

“Mom, stop it!” Justin told her. Then he went back to talking to his dad. “I saw a lot of doctors today, and Emory helped me stay calm so I could get this.” He showed his father the central line.

“Really?” Raymond replied. “You must have been really brave to go through that.”

Justin grinned and nodded. “They’re giving me food through that– well, nutrients and stuff. And I still get to eat normally. Emory brought me blueberries!”

“I thought blackberries were your favorite.”

“Nooooo…”

“Okay, all right, I’ll remember that. So, Justin, how long do you have to be there?”

“I dunno… The doctors said I have to get a lot better before I can go home to keep recovering.” He talked a little about the doctors’ plans for counseling, re-feeding, and so on. It sounded like he and his mother had gotten a lot done with the doctors that day, and Justin was really happy about it.

“I’m glad you’re going to be okay, Justin,” Raymond said. “Listen, son, I got a new job, and I know you’re not really going to believe me, but I’m trying hard this time. I’m sorry I never did good enough before…”

Raymond sighed before going on. “Anyway, I can’t mess this job up. It’s the only way I’m going to even come close to making things up to you and your mom. Now, I know you’re almost eighteen and–”

“And you can’t come?” Justin asked weakly, practically whimpering.

“I was going to say that I can,” he replied. “The boss is really big on family, and he’s giving me time off to see you… If you’re okay with me coming to your birthday party.”

“Yes!” Justin said, without even a moment of hesitation. “I should be out of the hospital by then.”

“This isn’t going to be one of those things where you promise him an extravagant present,” Ms. Anderson said, not hiding any of her bitterness, “but show up with a box of used crap?”

That had happened a few times, some of them birthdays, others for various holidays, and sometimes even just for random visits. It was hard to tell whether Raymond would arrive with actual new gifts for Justin, or with used books, second-hand clothes, thrift-store toys, or something outdated or way out of Justin’s range of interest. There had been a couple times that he’d been spot-on on with his gift, but Lisa had complained that it was so small compared to the large boxes of more random stuff he’d brought before. Justin hadn’t mind that it had been simple, though.

“Of course not, Raymond told her. “Lisa, the boss his given me some good advice, and you know what, I’m not making big promises that I don’t already have the resources to keep. But I — Justin, I’m working hard for you this time, okay?”

“Okay, dad.”

The rest of the conversation went on as well as could be expected. Raymond agreed to be in Cody for Justin’s birthday whether or not he’d still be in the hospital. Until then, he’d be working hard. The job involved entertaining high-end clients at some of the boss’s fanciest venues, mostly bringing them drinks and chatting them up. He got wages plus tips, and the boss paid for them to travel to some of the major cities he owned venues in. As much as it sounded a little overpaid, I decided not to be the one to say anything that would burst their bubble.

Ms. Anderson left fairly soon after the phone call, and was replaced by a nurse with a tray of food for Justin. It was all food that would be easy on his stomach: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some crackers (he refused having any soup to go with them), a bowl of cut fruit, some chocolate pudding, juice, chocolate milk, and a tiny salad. He took his time eating in between telling me about his day.

A therapist had spoken to Justin and his mother for quite a long time. Losing his support system had really ruined everything for him; on top of that, the hatred he faced and the unrelenting expectations were too much for him to cope with. Ms. Anderson could hardly understand, and her sister even less so, knowing that people moved all the time in order to find a better life. The problem was, Justin lost more than he gained from the move, and between the combined stress factors and his already delicate state of mind and body, he’d succumbed to life’s perfect storm.

Justin had been as strong as he could through years of struggle, and if his circumstances were to change, he needed time to adapt. He also needed safety, which he hadn’t gotten at school, so education would be low-priority until further notice. Julia had felt that canceling his chores and schoolwork was just coddling him, but once the therapist explained that Justin’s cousins hadn’t faced all of the hardships that he had, she understood a little better. Besides that, even though Justin had helped around the apartment for his mother, it had been on his own time and in his own way, not with anyone telling him precisely when and how to do it like his aunt had.

Once Justin got out of the hospital, he would have few chores and more autonomy so that he didn’t end up going right back. He would have ongoing therapy sessions to help support him, and his nutrition would be carefully monitored; he would still be given parenteral supplements until he was at a healthy weight. Before he could go home, however, he had to gain some weight and show that he was strong enough for some basic tasks. One of those was walking, because if he fell, he risked hitting his head or breaking a bone.

I took him on a couple walks before he went to bed for the night, just around his room and the nearby hall. He did okay with my help, but I hoped he’d be even stronger after a good night’s rest. Justin fell asleep with me rubbing his back and humming to him, then I turned down the light and lounged back in the recliner, where I fell asleep almost right away.

Morning seemed to come all too soon, and I woke to see Justin already having breakfast. He grinned at me and pointed to the tray next to his.

“Nurse Jasmine brought food for you, too,” he said. “She thinks you’re really nice for coming to stay with me. Oh, and she said if I do good on a walk after breakfast, she’d take out… you know.”

“Ah, I see,” I replied as I sat up. “Does that mean you’re feeling stronger?”

He nodded, giving me a wide grin, and held out his arms for me. We embraced for a long while, and I could feel the strength in his arms returning. It was a relief to see him getting better, and to know that his family planned to be supportive of him.

After breakfast, Nurse Jasmine came in and unhooked him from some of the tubes and wires so that he could get out of bed and walk around a little. He had a much easier time getting to the end of the hall and back, which he seemed really happy about. He seemed to have a lot of energy, which I reminded him to conserve so that he didn’t go right back to being weak or tired.

Once we were back in his room, Nurse Jasmine followed through on her agreement, the covered his central line ports so that he could take a shower. Justin’s relief was more than I can explain; I swear I’d never seen anyone so happy to be able to take a shower. The nurse brought in a soap kit, tested the water, and made sure the shower chair was steady before leaving him alone with me.

“You really don’t mind?” Justin asked, him tone suddenly more more timid.

“Do you want me to mind?” I asked with a soft laugh.

He smirked and shook his head. “It’s just that you’ll get all wet,” he pointed out.

“That’s the least of my worries. Come on, let’s get you clean.”

Justin locked the door and shed his hospital gown and socks. Somehow the lighting in the hospital made it seem so much more obvious how thin he was. I tried not to draw attention to the way I looked at him, and instead focused on helping him into the water.

“That feels nice,” Justin told me as I shampooed his hair.

“Good; I want you to be happy.”

“I am,” he told me. “Just having you with me helps me feel better.”

I smiled and rinsed the soap out of his hair, then put in a little conditioner. He relaxed under my touch as I rubbed the little bar of soap over him. His skin was smooth and pale, and I wondered whether a little extra time in the sun would give him the boost in vitamin D that he really needed. Maybe I could get him to go swimming with me when he was strong enough…

“Blackthorne,” he whispered as I washed his belly.

“Are you okay?” I ask him softly.

Justin leaned closer to me. “I will be. I just…” He laid his hand over mine and guided it downwards.

“Justin, maybe we shouldn’t…”

“I know,” he murmured. “It’s not that– not exactly. Just…”

He helped me work up a thick lather of soap between his legs, then showed me the gentle rhythm he wanted me to use on his most sensitive area.

“Little Moon, you said you weren’t–”

“Please,” he whimpered, urging me to caress him more. His breathing quickened, and he leaned back.

If that was what he needed, how could I resist? I gave in and did just as he wanted. After a couple minutes, however, I realized that his body wasn’t reacting the way I was expecting it to.

“Am I doing this right, Little Moon?” I murmured. “What do you need so I can make you happy?”

“It’s perfect,” he gasped, burying his face in my chest. “Mmmmm… You’re doing exactly what I wanted.” Then Justin twisted around and looked up at me, his eye shining and full of worry. “This is what the stress and malnutrition did to my body.”

“Little Prince…” I breathed. “You mean you can’t–“

“I can!” he insisted. “I just have to get better first. I… When I slept over with you on Saturday, it worked perfectly. I was so relieved! But after Sunday night…” He shook his head.

“Oh, my sweet Little Moon,” I said, holding him tighter. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I– Has this happened before? Does the bullying have anything to do with it?”

“It wasn’t damaged in the fight,” he assured me. “In the stress and pain that followed, when I could hardly eat and everything was just…” He shook his head. “Saturday was the first time since I lost contact with Killian that it reacted like it’s supposed to.”

I held him close as he explained it all to me. There had been times when he was younger that he and his mother didn’t have much to eat, and he’d become so weak that he couldn’t enjoy intimacy with his boyfriend. It had been very rare, and Killian had only ever seen him like that once. Now that I was with him, Justin wanted to get better, to become stronger and take care of himself so that he never had to lose out on intimacy again.

“I’ll be there to help you,” I promised him. “I’m not leaving your side.”

“Except to go to work,” he pointed out.

I chuckled and kissed his forehead. “You must be getting better if you can make jokes.”

“Everything is better with you here, Blackthorne,” he told me. Then he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down for a long, passionate kiss. I could hardly breathe by the time we parted. “I’m in love with you,” he whispered.

“Me, too, Little Moon,” I whispered back. “And I’m going to make sure you know it every single day.”

———-

Justin was in the hospital until Sunday morning. Dr. Hiro was satisfied that he’d put on a couple pounds and was eating well, responding well to the IV supplements, and now had better support at home. He’d taken Justin’s fear of hospitals into account, too, and as long as he didn’t get worse, he could rest at home. He would still visit the hospital daily to get a new bag of parenteral supplements and spend some time with the counselor.

He was given a special backpack that could hold the bag of supplements and its pump, which then allowed him to be mobile and sleep at home. In the evening, when the bag was empty, his mother or I could disconnect it from the port on his central line and help him cap the end so that everything stayed clean.

I was able to stay with him the first couple nights. Justin’s aunt brought a spare mattress into his room so that I’d have a place to sleep, but once she was out of the room, his mother closed the door to have a talk with us.

“You’ve both been friends long enough that I’m not going to question you two being together,” she said. She seemed a little nervous, but we all knew that she was making the right choice by not forcing us apart. “For my sister’s sake, I still need you to be respectful when you’re in her house. Her kids are still young, so… You don’t have to hide, but also don’t–”

“I know, mom,” Justin said. He knew what she meant, and how awkward it was for her to say it out loud. “I’m not ready for serious stuff yet, anyway. I just…” He looked over at me, affection in his eyes. “Cuddling him keeps me warm… he makes me feel safe.”

She smiled at is both. “That’s good to hear. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for him, Emory. Changing your schedule, helping with his medicine, making sure he eats…”

“I’m happy to help,” I told her. “It’s worth it to see him smile and gain some energy.”

By the end of the conversation, we’d assured her that we meant what we’d said: no more than kissing and cuddling, but keeping things friendly when his cousins were around. I wasn’t ready for more than that anyway, and even when we showered together, it was more for me to look after him than anything else. There would come day when we did more, but I wasn’t going to rush anything.

For the next week or so, I took Justin to his appointments at the hospital so that his mother could go to work, and afterwards he had lunch and relaxed at his aunt’s house. He usually took a nap, and she looked after him so that I could put in a few extra hours at work, too. Justin was making good enough progress for his counseling and nutrition supplements to go down to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but his weight gain and blood work were still closely monitored.

About a week into April, Justin’s health had noticeably improved. He had a strong appetite– though he was still a little picky, but that came down to eating more of what he did like. He helped me at the electronics store some Saturdays, which now more involved light dusting and inventorying; I had taken care of anything that required a ladder or step-stool. He used his money to get his mother’s hair done, just as he’d promised, waiting another week before spending anything on himself.

The days leading up to Justin’s birthday had me more and more nervous. I’d spoken to his mother about the present I wanted to get him, and it was ready for Friday evening. He’d just been moved to getting intravenous supplements twice a week– Mondays and Thursdays– and he slept at my house more than he did his aunt’s. Every now and then, I spent the night away from him; it was hard, but I needed to see my grandfather as well.

I woke up that Friday in the middle of April to see Justin curled up in my arms, smiling contentedly. My bed felt so warm and soft that I was tempted to go right back to sleep, but I had a lot planned for him that day, so I contented myself with running my fingers through his hair and laying random kisses on his face.

“Mmmmmm… that tickles,” he mumbled. Justin spent a couple minutes nuzzling my chest and squirming under the blankets before finally opening his eyes. “Hi.”

“Good morning, my sweet prince. Did you sleep well? Any good dreams?”

He nodded and snuggled in closer.

“Oh? What did you dream about?”

Justin blushed and hid his face in my chest. “I can’t tell you,” he murmured.

“Can’t you?” I said gently. “But then how can I make your dreams come true?”

“Mmmmm, it’s dreamy enough just cuddling you.”

“But what if you could be having cake? Did you dream about cake?”

“No,” he replied with a soft laugh. “I get cake later, anyway.”

“Okay… what about a Playstation 5? I might need to start saving up.”

Justin’s eyes got big. “Nooooo! Those are way too expensive. I’m not even done with the PS3 games I have.”

“Okay, Little Moon, so what did you dream about?”

His blush deepened, and he his face even more. “Umm… Well, we were out under the stars, and it was just us and the trees…”

“That sounds like something we could do,” I told him.

Justin gasped and looked up at me. His face was bright red. Then I understood what was going on.

“Ah, okay, Little Moon. I think I know what your dream was about.” I rubbed his back to help him calm down. “We don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Did you enjoy it in the dream, at least?”

He nodded and mumbled something I couldn’t quite make out.

“What was that, my prince?”

He purse his lips and held me tighter. “I do what to do that,” he murmured. “But I want to start out slow.”

“Anything you want is yours,” I assured him. “You just have to let me know.”

I heard Justin’s stomach growling then. “My prince needs to eat first, though,” I laughed. “What sounds good for a birthday breakfast?”

“Umm… Waffles.”

“That’s a start,” I said as we sat up. “What else?”

“Toast.”

“With avocado?”

Justin blushed and looked away. “Or maybe a bagel…”

“Anything you want. Eggs, ham, roast beef, macaroni and cheese, a whole turkey…”

He laughed and shook his head. “Oh, an omelet!”

“Keep going.”

“I think I’d get full on all that.”

“Yes, but I want you more than full; I want you stuffed.”

“We’re having spaghetti for dinner tonight,” he reminded me, “So I have to be able to eat a lot of that.”

We took our time getting out of bed and eventually made our way to the shower. Justin was especially affectionate that morning, and he even seemed more interested in washing me instead of letting me pamper him. Even afterwards, he helped dry and comb my hair, which took a lot longer than usual because he kept kissing near my ears and neck.

“It’s going to be lunch time by the time we get anywhere if you keep that up,” I warned him.

“That’s okay,” he replied, kissing along my jaw. “It’ll be worth it.”

We were sitting on my bed, I on the edge and him behind me. He tugged gently on my arm to have me turn around, and then pulled me in for a kiss. He held on tightly, not letting up, wanting more and more from me. I gave him what he wanted, of course, holding him close, sharing what he shared, practically forgetting to breathe. his fingers played in my hair, sometimes getting trapped in it and tugging to get free. He seemed excited by the moans that got from me, so much so that he pushed me onto my back, then laid alongside me to get more kisses.

His stomach growled again.

“My darling prince,” I gasped as I broke away from him, “I am more than content to continue this, but I think I should bring you a snack first.”

“Ummm…” He sat up a little and looked over my sprawling form. My towel had come loose from my waist, and he could tell clearly how excited he’d gotten me. His cheeks turned red again, and he pulled his robe closer around him. “I– ah… actually, I…”

I sat up and caressed his cheek. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“N-no,” he said insistently. “I’m not upset. I-I’m glad you…” He paused and took a few deep breaths. “I had a different kind of plan, actually.”

“Okay,” I grinned. “Does it involve that picnic you wanted to go on around lunchtime, or do you have bigger secrets in mind?”

His blush deepened, and he hopped out of bed. “Let’s get breakfast,” he said as he grabbed some clothes from his backpack.

I watched him head into the bathroom, admiring how lovely he looked in the red and black robe I’d given him a couple weeks ago.

I woke up to the feeling of Justin’s fingers in my hair; I’d fallen asleep in the recliner, draped over his bed just to get that much closer to him. It wasn’t the best position for my back, but it was worth it to be close to him. I nuzzled into his palm and gazed into his eyes.

“Have you been awake for long?” I asked.

Outside, the sun was rising, though it was dimmed by the clouds and a misty rain.

“Just a few minutes,” he murmured. His fingers slid to the back of my head and he scooted closer to me.

I returned the gesture as I looked over his face. “You look a little better,” I told him. “Not quite as exhausted.” His eyes had seemed sunken and dark before; thank goodness he was somewhere that he’d be encouraged to sleep more.

Justin nodded. “Yeah…” He didn’t say more, and instead gazed at me with a weak smile.

“How do you feel?” I asked him after a while. “Any nausea?”

He shook his head.

“Have you eaten yet? Can you eat?” I sat up a little. “What sounds good to you?”

“Umm…” Justin clung to my hand. His grip was weak, but I knew he was trying.

“What is it, Little Moon?”

“Don’t laugh.”

“Okay.” But I couldn’t help but grin. “Let me sit you up a little first.”

I fidgeted with the bed controls until he was more upright, and also adjusted his pillows. In his weakened state, it would be hard for him to sit up on his own, and I intended to help as much as I could.

“All right, tell me what sounds good. If they don’t have it here, I’ll go out and get it.”

“Umm… well, maybe some toast.” then he averted his gaze shyly. “…and maybe a little avocado.”

“Oh, you want avocado toast!”

“Not the fancy kind,” he insisted. “And maybe a blueberry waffle…”

“That sounds perfect for you, Little Moon,” I told him, giving him a gentle hug before calling for the nurse.

Jasmine had already gone home, but the morning nurse was just as nice, and twice as bubbly. She was clearly far more used to younger children, because she came in with two plushies to offer Justin. He declined the bears, and after much insistence agreed that he would accept a wolf or a vampire– a bit of a stretch, but it got her to change the subject to food.

“I remember your chart,” she said. “You need foods dense with nutrients and calories. Doctor wants to get your weight up, but not your LDL cholesterol.”

“Okay… that’s the kind in greasy meats, right?” She nodded, and Justin went on. “I don’t think I could stomach those anyway. I threw up the sausage I had yesterday.”

“No bacon or sausage for now then,” the nurse replied. “We don’t want you losing what you eat. Happy bellies make strong, happy boys. So, what do you like?”

I think he was a little overwhelmed by her energy, so I let her know what we’d already discussed, and gave her a couple other ideas of what he enjoyed just in case the hospital kitchen didn’t have avocados. She said she’d order some food for me, too, then disappeared to put everything into the cafeteria program at the nurse’s station. She came back after a while with a narrow cart containing all the tools needed for taking vitals.

“Okay… uhh… Well, I can’t call you kiddo, can I?” She saw Justin grimace and added, “Buddy won’t work for you either, will it? I guess I’ll just have to call you young man– you know, since you’re almost a man, but you’re still a little young.”

Justin smirked, we shared incredulous looks.

“She is trying,” I pointed out.

“More than trying,” she said. “I found something I think you’ll like, and something else you might not like. I have to do the thing you don’t like, but you can have the other thing if you’re brave about it, okay?”

Justin eyed the vitals cart warily. She brought it closer and showed him the pulse-oximeter. “I know you’ve seen this thing before. Just stick your finger in it and I won’t have to get the kind we tape onto your toe.”

“Yeah… the less wires, the better,” he said, and offered his finger.

“You’re lucky,” she said as she wiped her temporal thermometer with an alcohol pad. “Nurses used to have to take kids’ temperatures in their bottom. Now I don’t even have to poke the underside of your tongue; I just have to wave this magic wand and I know you don’t have a fever.”

She put the thermometer down, scribbled down some numbers, and picked up the blood pressure cuff. “Yeah, now for the hard part,” she said when she saw his expression. “We have to watch your blood pressure carefully, though, so we can give you the right treatments. But lucky you, I found this!”

She reach down to the lower basket on the cart and picked up a round, squat plushie. Well, it looked more like a gumdrop-shaped pillow. The top part of it looked like a gray tabby cat, and the rest was a cartoonish vampire, much like the stereotypical costumes seen at Halloween.

“This little guy was way in the back of the toy closet,” she told him. “He’s leftover from last fall. I don’t know if it’s your style, but the closest thing we have to a wolf is a husky.”

Justin eyed the plush for a long moment before his face broke out into a grin. “It’s a Squishmallow!”

“It sure is,” the nurse agreed, seeming relieved that he liked it. “It’s all yours if I get to take your blood pressure.”

He knew he had no choice but to give in. She was making it seem like it was his choice, but she really did need to get his vitals, and he knew as well as I did that she would get his mother involved if she had to. He’d never liked the way the cuff squeezed his arm, and it probably didn’t help that his readings weren’t all that accurate if he was always tense for them.

With a little comforting from me and the plushie to squeeze, Justin was able to submit to the blood pressure check. As I’d predicted, it was a little low. Once he got back into eating and stopped everything that was upsetting his stomach, I was sure his blood supply would improve, and so would his blood pressure.

Breakfast arrived not long after that. Justin got everything he wanted, and the nurse reminded him not to overeat; it was okay not to clear his plate, because the most important thing was that he ate good food and kept it down. The doctors wanted to remove stress factors and comfort him so that he could get better. I had to remind Justin to slow down a couple times as he devoured the avocado toast and started in on the waffle.

“Take it easy with the syrup, Little Moon. All that sugar is going to make your heart race.”

“I’m hungry,” he insisted.

“You were starving,” I corrected him, “so don’t overdo it. Refeeding takes time, remember?”

Justin grumbled, but conceded and paid better attention to how his body reacted. Once he was full, the nurse had him relax a while so that he could digest and avoid anything that could make him throw up.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as he watched me eat my scrambled eggs. After getting sick on them the day before, he wasn’t ready to try them again, even if they were better prepared.

“Umm… a little better. Kinda warm instead of achy.”

“That’s a good sign.” I gave him a warm smile. “If you keep doing well, they’ll let you go home in no time.”

“Maybe,” Justin said with a shrug. “But yesterday, while you weren’t here, they said a bunch of different doctors were going to see me today.”

“That makes sense, Little Moon. You were unconscious for hours, and you didn’t even realize you’d been throwing up at night. They probably have a lot that they want to check on.”

Once Justin felt a little less stuffed from eating, the nurse came in to see how well he could sit up on his own– and if he was strong enough to stand. He barely managed to push himself up, and standing worked out for maybe five seconds before I had to catch him and lay him back down.

“I don’t know how you managed to push yourself to do as much as you did before you fainted,” I told him.

“Well… I guess Ihad to,” Justin replied a little sheepishly.

“You are completely drained from it, too, young man,” the nurse said as she moved on to checking his IV bags. “The good news is that now you don’t have to force yourself to do anything that’s beyond your limits. We’re going to help you learn when to wind down so you don’t overextend yourself, and the doctors are going to make sure your family is on board with respecting your limits and needs.”

Justin nodded. He seemed a little uncertain about having his mother and aunt being told what to do, especially when it meant listening to him more, but in my view, it was vital that they did exactly that. I had little doubt that things would work in Justin’s favor; his mother was incredibly worried about him and willing to do whatever he needed, and she’d said that his aunt was sorry for pushing him so hard and not realizing that he wasn’t well.

Ms. Anderson got to the hospital later in the morning. She’d been able to work out her schedule with her manager to where she’d start work earlier and finish at a time that wouldn’t cause her to lose too many hours. After that, I could go to work and return in the evening. I had no problem being the one to keep Justin company overnight; his mother seemed very relieved to hear that.

We met another of the hospital’s pediatricians that morning. Dr. Hiro was cheerful and knowledgeable, and he seemed ready to tackle everything Justin had going on.

“All right, Justin, I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said with a grin, “and then more good news.”

Justin looked up at him with wide eyes.

“But I’m not going to tell you which is which; I know you’re smart enough to figure it out.”

Justin raised a brow and looked over at me. I smirked back and gave him a look that said, ‘just play along.’

“First, your blood test results,” Dr. Hiro began. “No infections of any kind; no parasites, no other indicators of disease. All of our concerns with your blood work– iron, vitamins, cell count– are rooted in your malnutrition, and we can treat that. We can get you meal plans and IV supplements.”

“That’s fantastic,” I said, giving Justin a comforting squeeze.

“As part of our plan, we need to place a central line,” the doctor went on. “It will get a lot of nutrients into you a lot faster. We’re developing the formula for your parenteral supplement.”

“What’s a central line?” Justin asked nervously. “I mean, what does it go through the center of?”

Dr. Hiro had come prepared with pictures and pamphlets to help explain that. It was basically a more intensive IV line, which would be placed in one of the major veins near his clavicle. Justin was clearly terrified by the thought of large needles and tubes, even with local anesthetic, but after some discussion, the doctor said that he could administer a sedative through the IV currently in place. Ms. Anderson signed the paperwork, and I agreed to stay until the vascular specialist came in.

“Once the central line is in place,” Dr. Hiro went on, “we can remove the IV from your arm. Now for some concerns that aren’t related to your blood work. There will be some specialists coming by throughout the day to check in on you.”

“What sort of specialists?” Ms. Anderson asked.

“Well, in order to understand how he got to this point– to where he’s more or less starving– we have to check a few things. A gastroenterologist will help make sure he’s able to digest food and absorb nutrients, and a psychiatrist will evaluate–“

“You mean for depression?” Justin asked. He’d tensed up at the mention of that.

“It’s a possibility,” the doctor admitted. “You’ve been through a lot these past couple months, so the safest route would be to make sure there are no lasting effects, and that you haven’t been living with something long-term that never got diagnosed or treated.”

Dr. Hiro read the worry and apprehension on his face and added. “This isn’t a guarantee that you will have to take medication, Justin. Malnutrition also causes symptoms related to depression– especially with a lack of vitamin D and iron. Our goal is to offer treatments that don’t rely on medication unless it’s the only recourse. That means if you can feel better with talk therapy and life counseling, that’s what we’ll go with.”

Justin nodded weakly, but still looked worried.

“We want you to be healthy in all ways when you go home,” the doctor assured him. “If we get you well-fed and your blood work improves, you don’t want to go home and go back to throwing up or anything else.”

After a little more discussion, Justin and his mother understood the plan of action, and Dr. Hiro left the room to update his chart. A little while later, a couple nurses and a doctor arrived to begin the procedure for the central line. As soon as he saw that they were dressed in surgical-type coverings he started to panic; he was breathing harder, and his grip on my hand tightened as she shook his head.

“You’re going to be okay, Little Moon,” I assured him. “I’m right here with you.”

Justin ended up hiding his face in my chest as I held him, and he held his right arm out for the nurse to push the sedative through his IV.

“I… it’s… nooo,” he groaned as the nurse had him lie back. “Big… machines…”

“That’s just the ultrasound, little man.” the nurse assured him. “It’s going to help the doctor find the vein and see what direction it goes. If you hold as still as possible, he’ll only need to do it once.”

One of the nurses had me put on a mask and surgical cap and gown; she’d wanted us to leave the room, but Justin nearly had a meltdown when she mentioned that. I was able to stay, but Ms. Anderson stepped out into the hall. Justin’s trembling eased a little as the sedative started to kick in.

“I know you’re scared,” I whispered, wiping the tears away from his cheeks, “but I’m here with you, Little Moon. You’re not alone in this.”

“Blackthorne…” he whispered. His body relaxed more, and his eyes drooped.

I glanced over at the nurses, who were preparing the sterile items in the central line kit, then back to Justin. “You’re such a brave little prince.”

“Averel,” he murmured, hardly audible.

“Oh, you remember the story I told you about the lonely vampire?” It had been ages since I’d last told him that story.

“Tell me…” he whispered.

I gave him a fond smile. “Okay, sweet prince, I’ll tell you it again.” It was sure to distract him from what the nurses were doing, but I knew better than to mention that to him. “This is the story as my grand father told me. Long ago, on a mountain in a land far away, there stood a castle. It rose up over all the mountain peaks. It could be seen from the forests where the ravens lived, the caves where the bats roosted, and the fields where the roses grew. The man who lived in the castle had many servants and attendants, and even guards who protected him, but he still felt very alone. He never got any visitors from the villages at the base of the mountain, for they slept when he was awake, and he slept while they went about their days. He didn’t know why, but he’d been born in the shadows, and he couldn’t venture into the daylight.

“This lonely man was Averel, one of only four vampires in the realm. The others rarely visited him, and when they did, they often argued. As the years went on, his heart grew heavy, and he rarely left his room. Sometimes he didn’t even light a candle to read by. One night, he noticed a shadow darker than any he’d ever seen before, and he walked into it to see why it was so different. Imagine his surprise when he came out the other side into an entirely different world!

“Averel wandered around this new world during the night, and found safe places to sleep during the day. Eventually, he met a woman, and they visited one another every night until they fell in love. He found work that he could do at night, and he kept secret what he really was. They started a family together, and his surname was passed down through the generations. He would travel back to his castle sometimes, journeying through the shadows, and when his first wife passed on, he mourned her for a long time before finding another part of the world to visit, and new people who didn’t know him.

“For centuries, Averel kept his secrets and passed his name on to more and more children. He loved each and every one of them, and even as the generations passed, he looked after his descendants and made sure they lived in safety and with honor.”

“Is he… still… lonely…?” Justin murmured. He was half asleep, and had hardly reacted to the doctor beginning the procedure.

“Hardly at all,” I told him, caressing his arm as we talked. “He has a vast family now, and even a few friends. Some days it feels lonely to keep the secret that he’s a vampire, but he knows there are people who love him. Sometimes, if things go just right, one of his descendants will have special abilities, and might even embrace the idea of vampires.”

“And then…” he paused to yawn a little, “they can go to his world.”

I smiled and kissed his fingers. “Yes, Little Moon, sometimes they do. But Averel never forgets how special it is to be loved, and how important it is to let people know you love them.”

Justin smiled contentedly and let his eyes close. I let him rest and watched the nurse work, passing the tube down the guide wire and into his vein, glad that he wasn’t watching. After a few more minutes, they had everything in place and bandaged, and Justin went on dozing even while they switched his saline and other nutrients to the central line and removed the IV.

Once they left, I watched him sleeping quietly. “My sweet, precious Little Moon…” I whispered, caressing his cheek. “How could anyone not love you?”

Ms. Anderson came back in after several more minutes, looking frustrated. She gave me a somewhat-forced smile. “Thank you, Emory,” she said as she went to his side. She sounded relieved. “Look at him, sleeping like an angel. He really doesn’t deserve to suffer like this.”

“Nobody does,” I agreed as I got up from the chair. “But he has us to help him get through it.”

I rubbed Justin’s cheeks and ran my fingers through his hair until he roused a little. “Hey, I have to go to work for a little while,” I told him. “Your mom is right here with you, okay?”

He nodded and took my hands, locking his eyes with mine. “I love you, Blackthorne,” he murmured.

His words made me smile, and I bent down to kiss his forehead. “Have sweeter words ever been said? I’ll be back in the evening, Little Moon, and you can tell me about all the doctors you’ve met.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

I could feel his hesitation in letting me go. Truth be told, he could have begged me to stay, and I would have had a hard time not giving in to him. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that, and I was soon out of his room and the hospital.

It took me a few minutes of sitting alone in my car before I could regain my composure. Even though I knew he could recover from this– from the depression and malnutrition and bullying– I couldn’t help but weep for him. The truth of the matter was, he wouldn’t recover if I told him we couldn’t be more than friends, let alone if I abandoned him in Cody and went on to Sacramento alone. And neither would I. The deeper truth was that I was falling in love with him in a way that I’d never loved anyone else before.

On my way back to the hospital, I noticed how windy it was. There were storm clouds rolling in, and the night was a lot darker. I hoped that if it did storm, it wouldn’t keep Justin up. I parked and walked back into the hospital, where it was mostly quiet and very few people were around. I followed the signage as I made my way back to the pediatric ward, eventually stepping off an elevator into a dim hallway; it seemed that they turned the lights down at night in order to save power and create a sleepy environment.

After a short walk, the hallway got even darker, and I came to a sort of crossroads. All the directions I could go in seemed pretty dark, but which one led to Justin’s room? I carried on straight ahead.

“If they were going to black out this area, they could have at least closed the doors or put up barriers,” I muttered to myself.

Almost as if in reply, the doors into that hallways shut. Why didn’t the hospital check for people before doing that? I sighed and continued on.

“Emory.”

“Nurse Jasmine?” I paused and listened more closely. I swear I’d heard a female voice whisper my name.

I shook my head and was about to move along when I noticed a form moving across my periphery, as though from one room to another. But it was only three feet or so tall. Was there a kid lost in this hall?

“Thorne!”

“Ms. Anderson? Hey, are you–”

The door to one of the small side rooms up ahead opened with a whoosh, and I closed the distance to peer inside. It was some sort of exam room, fairly similar to most pediatric facilities, complete with a painting of teddy bears. The difference was, the people in there weren’t children.

“Oh, pretty Emory,” a voice said. Its owner was a woman in a gown of black velvet and green lace, her bodice tight and revealing. She wore a choker of black silk with an emerald skull and matching earrings, and her ebony hair was piled high on her head with intricate braids and buns. Her skin was pale, her lips a deep scarlet.

She sat on the exam table. Beside her stood the horned imp I’d noticed a moment ago; I was relieved that there wasn’t a lost child wandering around, but I had to get her and the imp to leave immediately.

“You’re not welcome here,” I told her.

“Is that any way to talk to a princess?” she replied with a pout.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re not a princess. Go back to your master and tell him to stop bothering me.”

“I could be your princess, though,” she said. “We’d make such beautiful children together.”

“I don’t want children,” I snapped, “least of all with you.”

More pouting. “You’re too pretty to be so mean.”

“Did you really come here just to proposition me?”

“I only wanted to offer to unite our bloodlines,” she simpered.

“Never,” I growled, making it clear that my tone was final.

“You would be so much more powerful if you sired heirs with me.”

“You and I both know that’s a lie, Lisbet.”

“Your grandfather wants you to believe that, but until you’ve had me, you’ll never know.”

“I prefer it that way. Now get back to your home before I call upon my grandfather. He will not hesitate to rip your throat out for trespassing here.” I glared at her, determined to do whatever it took to ensure she left.

“I had your father, you know,” she told me in a sultry tone. “He understood how wonderful it would have been for Thorne and Draco to unite.”

I was infinitely glad that he’d never been successful in that, either. My mother deserved better than him giving in to Lisbet’s temptations, and an attempt to mix the bloodlines wasn’t worth the risks involved. The shadows grew thick around me, and I didn’t take my eyes off of her.

“You can’t stop staring at me, can you, Emory Thorne?”

“I’m only watching to make sure you leave.”

There was a thunk in the hallway, and then the sound of nails on tile– or was it claws? Lisbet leaned forward as though curious as to what was out there.

“Such wild energy you have, Emory,” Listbet noted, still trying to sound suggestive. “Why not use it on me rather than risk damaging this place of medicine?”

“The rights of the Thorne bloodline have been set out by a pact of blood,” I recited; ancient words that my grandfather had made me memorize. “Just as the rights of the Draco, the Raven, and the Lyon bloodlines have been written.”

“Again with the pact?” she sighed. the imp beside her was starting to look worried.

“To trespass upon that which belongs to another bloodline is to forfeit life and liberty and honor, and the punishment for it may be as great as tenfold.”

“Ridiculous,” she groaned. Still, she got down from her perch and started moving towards a pitch black corner. “Do be careful, young Thorne; in your virility, you just might summon more than you intended.”

“Leave,” I commanded, this time more forcefully.

A moment later, she and the imp were gone. The shadows lightened just a little, and I realized that I would have to release the ones I had called on my own before the halls could go back to the soothing dimness I’d seen earlier. I listened carefully to make sure nothing else lingered because of the shadowy encounter, then hurried straight to Justin’s room.

Nurse Jasmine was there, checking his IV bags one last time before heading back out to the nurse’s station. She’d already brought him a miniature dental care kit. Justin didn’t care too much that the toothbrush in it was more juvenile; what really mattered was getting the horrible taste out of his mouth. He’d taken some medicine as well, which seemed to be helping him already. Ms. Anderson stayed just a little longer to chat, then left to go home and get some sleep.

Once it was just me and Justin in the room together, I sat on the bed and he curled up in my lap. I pulled the dinosaur blanket over him and let him lie on my chest until he fell asleep to the song I hummed for him. I was again tempted to lie down alongside him, but I didn’t want to tangle myself in his IV. Once he was deeply enough asleep, I laid him down and slid out of the bed.

It seemed that every time I thought that being with Justin would be as simple as loving him and being there for him, something else happened to remind me that I wasn’t like everyone else. I was human, but my grandfather wasn’t– not entirely. He was many things that I wasn’t, but the few things we had in common were positive traits, and he really did care about his family. The this was, he couldn’t deny his nature or his position, so the ways in which he showed he cared were different.

I stared out of the hospital room window as I thought. Grandfather had warned be about Lisbet ages ago. Her master had ideas of his own– ones that went against the blood pact and that would plunge all four bloodlines into chaos. We weren’t certain whether that was why my father had changed to become so cruel, but we couldn’t rule it out as a possibility. Not only did I have no interest in her, but she was a threat to everyone I loved.

“He is so delicate.”

I turned, forcing down a gasp. There was my grandfather, long white hair, regal clothing and noble features, leaning over Justin’s bed and watching him sleep. He glanced at me, unmoved by my wide-eyed expression.

“I can see why you are so protective of him.”

“Don’t wake him up,” I hissed.

He stood up straight and gave me the faintest of smiles. “That’s just how your mother said it when you were a baby and I came to visit. I didn’t ever wake you, though.”

“He’s not a baby,” I snapped.

“I would hope not, knowing the kind of love he feels for you. You should be careful with your own voice, though.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why did you come to the hospital?”

Grandfather beckoned me deeper into the shadows of the corner. I could feel the cold there, and I could smell the other-worldly scent of the shadow portals. “Did I ever tell you that it’s harder for sound to travel through the shadows? You’ll still need to keep your voice down, but this should be better for you and him.”

I peered out beyond the shadows; I could still see Justin asleep in the hospital bed, but his back was to us, and I hoped he wouldn’t wake up and think that he was alone. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“At first, I was going to come because I felt how weak his life-force had become,” Grandfather told me, “but that was going to be later in the night. I came now because of what I sensed in the shadows.”

“What you–”

“I should have warned you sooner about how dangerous it is to call the shadows here.”

“In the hospital?” I asked. “Or anywhere in Cody?”

Grandfather sighed. “This is why I wanted you to live with me, at least for a few years.”

“I can’t just disappear off the face of the Earth,” I told him. “Maybe one of your offspring could have gotten away with that a century ago, but not with modern technology.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s so impossible. I’ve heard of a few individuals who went missing and then returned safely.”

“That’s just it: I don’t want to be missing. I don’t want to be one of those weird stories. Besides, Justin needs me,” I added. “So let’s focus on what I can do, which is to let you visit from time to time and teach me what you can.”

He gave me a knowing smile. “From anyone else but you Emory, that headstrong approach would invoke my wrath.”

“I’m that special to you, huh?”

“I cannot deny it,” he replied. “Now, as for hospitals… most people regard them as places of healing. For me, however, they are hubs of life and death. The lives here are very delicate, Emory, and death attracts monsters.”

“And monsters cause more death,” I muttered.

He nodded. “I took you to The Crypt because it was safe. Even places with a history as rich as Harvard’s are safer than the hospital when it comes to what lurks in the shadows.”

I nodded, and I was certain that he’d caught on to my nervousness.

“I know why you were gathering so much darkness,” he added, speaking much more softly. “I shall send an envoy to Lord Draco tomorrow to remind him that he is responsible for ensuring that nobody from his bloodline comes anywhere near North America.”

“Would he even care?”

“He respects the blood pact,” Grandfather said. “He may be curious about would would happen if the bloodlines mix, but he knows what lines to not cross.”

“Heh… okay. I have to admit, I’m surprised that you didn’t take her out as soon as you knew it was Lisbet.”

His expression grew dark. “Between keeping the peace– and our secrets– and wanting to see what you would do, I decided that she would have this one warning. Her master will make it clear to her that if she comes near any of us ever again, her life will be forfeit.”

“Grandfather… I don’t know if I can be the one to–“

“You would,” he insisted, “for your beloved prince.”

The very thought of Lisbet threatening Justin had my heart racing. “You’re right,” I gritted out. I had to stop thinking about what I would do to her, so I changed the subject. “Justin is practically starving.”

“I know,” he said. “He was a little stronger when he was with you the other day, but now…”

“He declined so rapidly…”

“He can recover from this,” Grandfather assured me, “but he needs you.”

I wiped my hands over my face and sighed. “I can help him, but he’s likely to have problems again if I’m not around. But with me… I don’t want him to have to worry about monsters or…” I shook my head. “Maybe it was a mistake to let him get so attached to me.”

“You’ve had years of friendship with him; most of them were before I began to tell you the truth about myself. He wouldn’t give up your love and friendship in exchange for safety, Emory. Truth be told, he probably feels safest of all when he’s with you.”

“Only because he doesn’t know our secrets.”

“I have a different perspective for you,” he said, getting up to gaze at Justin’s sleeping form again. “If you break his heart, it won’t matter to him why you push him away; his life may as well end in that moment. If you stay with him, he will be well-guarded.”

“By you?” I asked, wanting to pull him away from Justin.

“Yes…” he breathed. “But also by you, and by all of my bloodline, whether or not you accept my offer.”

“If I stayed with you,” I reminded him, “it would mean leaving Justin.”

“It doesn’t have to,” he whispered. He reached down to brush Justin’s hair out of his face. “Your beloved is always welcome with us. Not like this, though… not while he is starved. I’m sure you can imagine what would happen.”

“You’re not turning him.” I wanted to shout, to growl, to demand– something to let him know that my decision was final. “And you will not take so much as a sip from him.”

“I would never do that, Emory,” Grandfather replied, just as calm as always. “Even if he gave me his consent, he has nothing with which to feed me. I promise you, I have never even considered the possibility.”

I watched him for long moments as he stayed silent, gazing down at Justin, the rise and fall of his breathing, the tiny movements he made in his sleep.

“He’s probably dreaming about you,” he eventually whispered. He finally pulled his gaze back to me.

I nodded and stepped forward. “Maybe…”

Grandfather laid his hand on mine. “He’s so small… Only a year younger than you, but…” He pursed his lips worriedly. “To think that this is what happened because his mother was so unprepared…”

“Grandfather, she–“

“I know,” he whispered. “I know, you know… She did what she could. Listen to me: he got this far in life because of you, Emory. He’s safest with you. The warmth and friendship you’ve given him are his greatest treasures.”

“You want me to stay with him,” I noted.

“I want you to not deny your place in his heart if you love him. Don’t worry about anything else but love.”

“Fancy talk for your kind,” I pointed out.

He gave me a long, serious look, then turned back towards the shadows. “It’s because I love you that you have the freedom to choose your own path, no matter how much I want you by my side. Do not doubt that I love my other children as well.”

“Are you going back to your newborn?” I asked him.

He gave me a warm, fond smile before disappearing into the shadows. It was good to see this sentimental side of him. He used to be so stoic that he seemed cold and uncaring. I knew he’d had to be, but more often than not, it made it difficult for me to get close to him. But now… Now he was there for me, even if he couldn’t be the one to heal my beloved Little Moon.