![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beren_writesTitle: Second Time Around 03/03
Author: Beren
Fandom: The Lair (can be summed up as gay vampires)
Pairing: Damian/Colin, Thom/Jonathan/Damian/Colin (and hints of lots of others along the way - gay vampires living in a sex club - it's quicker to point out who isn't getting any)
Rating: NC17/18
Position in series: Takes place directly after the end of season 1, since I haven't seen season 2 yet (I know it actually started showing on Sept 5th on Here!, I just haven't gotten round to watching it yet :)). Hence has spoilers for all of season 1.
Warnings: multiple partners, rimming
Summary: Thom wakes up a somewhat different person after the events in the Lair when the Sheriff and Jonathan attempted to stage a rescue. The first thing he has to do is sort out the mess his presence has managed to cause.
Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3
Long Fics | HP Short fics | All Other Short Fics | Series Fics
Chapter 3 Integrating
When they returned to the Lair, Thom decided he needed a distraction and went to find Jonathan. As it turned out, his boyfriend was working on their rooms and he was impressed when he walked in. The walls had been painted, the carpet cleaned and there was a bed in the middle of the room.
"Wow," he said, honestly impressed, "this is going to look great."
"It will look better when we can get our stuff from home," Jonathan replied, frowning about something to do with the end wall. "We need a mirror, a really big one."
Thom just made noises of agreement; he really didn't mind how Jonathan put the room together. Walking up to his boyfriend, he wrapped his arms around Jonathan from behind and nuzzled Jonathan's neck. At first Jonathan relaxed into his grasp, but quickly stiffened again.
"Finished playing with Damian and Colin?" Jonathan asked and it was all too obvious Jonathan was feeling left out.
"Yes," he replied and smiled against Jonathan's neck; it was going to take a little more work to iron the jealousy out of his volatile lover. "Laura will be joining us tomorrow night. Of course, until then, I can think of some interesting things to do."
Jonathan had found a t-shirt from somewhere, probably Colin's since it was a little too big for him, and a new pair of jeans and Thom slipped his fingers underneath the top garment to play along the edge of the bottom one. His system was singing from the blood high and he wanted to put that energy to good use.
"I might be busy," Jonathan said in a petulant tone, clearly leaving Jonathan on his own had not been a good idea.
Thom was all but positive Jonathan would be pouting even though he couldn't see his boyfriend's face.
"Are you sure?" he asked, running his hand down over Jonathan's crotch and deliberately squeezing gently.
Jonathan gave as small gasp, even while continuing to try and sulk.
"You can come with us tomorrow to pick Laura up from the hospital morgue if you would like to," he said, kissing Jonathan's neck. "We can pick some things up from home at the same time if you like. The sheriff seemed to think the crime scene tape would be down by then thanks to Laura's apparent death."
"So I'm allowed out of the cage to run errands then?" Jonathan really had sulking down to an art form.
Thom span his boyfriend on the spot and then all but threw him on the bed, climbing on, on top and looking down at him.
"You're allowed out of the cage whenever you like," he said, refusing to budge when Jonathan tried to tip him off, "you're not listed as dead, but right now, I'd really like hard, gratuitous sex."
"So I'm a fuck toy."
Thom rolled his eyes, collapsed forward and put his face on Jonathan's chest.
"I love you, but god, you're hard work sometimes," he said and lifted himself up again to lean over Jonathan so they were almost nose to nose. "I am horny," he said, punctuating his words carefully, "I would really like to have sex with you and I really don't care what kind of sex. If you want to tie me to the bed and spank me into next week, please be my guest, but I'm dying here."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at that.
"Wouldn't that be kind of difficult?" Jonathan asked.
"Semantics," Thom replied and sat back upright; "look at this," he pointed to where his erection was pressing against his pants, "this is your fault and being your fault I really think it would be sportsmanlike if you would help me out with it."
Jonathan cracked half a smile; it was a good thing they had both been sexually driven before they became vampires or Thom's tactics never would have worked. As it was, Jonathan had been distracted from a sulk many times before by sex and Thom was using this to his advantage. Of course a vampire sex drive helped.
"Maybe I want to punish you for leaving me here without so much as a good bye kiss?" Jonathan replied and the words could have been part of the sulk, but the tone was playful and that meant Jonathan was playing the game.
Thom breathed a silent sigh of relief and smiled down at his boyfriend.
"And how exactly, my kinky lover, do you plan to do that?" he asked, feeling the excitement pooling in his loins at the idea.
Now Jonathan's eyes were alight with lust and Thom had to wonder what he had let himself in for.
"Well first," Jonathan said pushing his hip up a little, "I think you can apologise for abandoning me by sucking my cock."
Thom went to move.
"After," Jonathan's voice stopped him, "you get naked..."
He went to climb off the bed.
"...and," Jonathan added, pulling something from his pocket, "I put this on you. I borrowed it from Damian."
It occurred to Thom then that he might have been played and Jonathan might not have really been sulking quite as much as it had seemed, but he couldn't prove it and now he was at his boyfriend's mercy. What Jonathan had in his hand was a cock ring, something they, as a couple, had only ever used once before and that time Jonathan had kept him hard, aching and on the edge for hours. It had been, at the same time, one of the most incredible and terrible sexual experiences of his life and every other time Jonathan had suggested trying it again he had found an excuse not to. Now Jonathan had him and he'd already agreed and it didn't seem like regaining his old life of a centuries old vampire was going to help him in the slightest.
"Once I'm satisfied you really are sorry," Jonathan said, dangling the cock ring in front of him, "I'm going to fuck you until you're begging me to let you come and then, when I think you can't take it anymore, I might let you."
Thom made a mental note that Jonathan was picking up a wicked steak, and he would lay odds it was from Colin, and then he resigned himself to his fate. He had asked for it after all.
====
Thom woke up when something slapped him on the ass and he opened his eyes and lifted his head to see Colin standing next to the bed.
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Colin said in a very unrepentant tone with a smile that wasn't sorry in the slightest. "You must still be adjusting; it's coming on to evening and you've been sleeping all day."
"Blame Jonathan," Thom said as his boyfriend moved beside him; "he kept me up the rest of last night and into this morning and I mean up as in hard and aching up."
Colin seemed to find that highly amusing.
"Well done Jonathan," Colin commented, "glad to see you're adjusting to the lifestyle."
Thanks to the whole vampire business, when Tom pushed himself up and off the bed he found his whole body working perfectly, no aches or pains or embarrassing trouble walking, which was a blessing. He couldn't help noticing that Jonathan was lying next to where he had been, looking rather smug.
"Damian would like to see you as soon as you're up and dressed," Colin moved on to what was clearly his reason for being there; "there are things about the Lair which need to be discussed."
Thom nodded; that he could understand. With such upheaval among the ranks there were bound to be issues that needed addressing.
"We'll be there in a little while," he replied, turning and pushing himself into a sitting position. "Damian's rooms I assume, or are they yours and Damian's rooms now?"
It had been obvious that Damian and Colin often shared living space, but Thom had found out that Colin had had his own rooms, but from the rather pleased look on Colin's face he suspected this was no longer true.
"I might possibly have moved in permanently before Damian had a chance to object," Colin replied, about as smug as Jonathan was looking as well. "Of course you're always welcome to visit ... both of you that is."
Thom cracked a smile at that; Colin was definitely adapting well. There was hope for their mismatched family yet.
"Where's the nearest working bathroom?" he asked, as he realised that he had no idea where the closest one was in relation to his new rooms.
"Down the hall and to the right," Colin replied and turned to go; "I'm sure we can have a new one put in off this suite once everything has settled down."
"That would be perfect," Thom said, climbing out of bed.
It would take a little while to turn the Lair into home, but hopefully not too long, especially after he and Jonathan had retrieved their stuff from his house.
"See you soon," Colin said, with a dismissive wave.
As he went to find what he needed for the bathroom; he was looking forward to a nice hot shower, Jonathan came up behind him, pulling him into an embrace.
"We could shower together," Jonathan suggested, nibbling on his ear.
Thom knew that if they showered together it was not going to be a quick shower, but his resistance was low and his will caved.
"I'm sure Damian won't mind waiting a little longer," he said, more to himself than Jonathan and turned in his lover's embrace to instigate a full on kiss.
It wouldn't take them too long, he was sure.
====
Damian looked up as Thom and Jonathan walked into his suite and Thom had the decency to look sheepish; they had been a little longer than expected.
"Distracted?" Damian asked, giving them both the once up and down.
"You could say that," Thom replied, walking over and running his hand over Damian's neck and shoulder in a sudden need to touch. "What did you do to create this coven? I'm sure I never used to be this sexually focused even after using sex magic."
Damian smiled at that, accepting his touch and resting a hand over his for a moment.
"We were vulnerable with only two of us," Damian explained openly, "but our natures were so violent that every time Colin and I created another we would come to blows. The only thing equally as compelling was sex so we used sex magic to create a binding between us and in all our children. It has heightened our sexual urges somewhat."
"At it like rabbits," was Jonathan's comment on the matter.
A coven based on sex was not a new idea, but a coven of vampires based on sex, that was and Thom rather liked it. Now that the dark cloud of the curse was lifted it left them with an interesting future. Already sexual creatures with an even more ramped up sex drive were absolutely perfect residents of a sex club, a thought which brought Thom back to why they were there.
"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, just as Colin walked in.
"The Lair has certain protection spells on it to keep out unwanted supernatural visitors and to alert us if any manage to break in," Damian said, becoming businesslike in a heartbeat. "With all the changes within the coven, especially Laura's inclusion, they will need to be recast as soon as possible."
Human beings missed so much of the real world, being blind to most of the supernatural, but those who were part of the whole knew only too well the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Vampires were at virtually the top of the food chain, but that did not mean there weren't things they wanted to keep at bay. Thom nodded; it was a sensible suggestion.
"When?" he asked.
"Dawn," Damian replied. "We can use Colin, Laura, you and I as the four corners and the rest of the coven as the circle. That way we will be able to use our power to the maximum."
Thom nodded again; Damian seemed to have it all planned out. It seemed that without him as a distraction, Damian was a very well organised leader, which explained the success of the Lair up until his reappearance.
"A very good plan," he assured the other vampire, "and a good way to incorporate Laura into our group properly as well."
"Ah, magic," Colin commented, sounding very pleased with the idea; "what better way to get to know people?"
Jonathan appeared a little bemused, but then Jonathan knew absolutely nothing of ritual magic; it was going to be an education for them all, but most of all his boyfriend. It was going to be a very interesting night indeed and Thom was really looking forward to it. First they would bring Laura back from the dead and then they would integrate her into their family like the missing piece they needed. He had no doubt that the coven would change because of Laura, but he was certain it would be for the better. In a few hours Laura would be with them and then their future would be set.
====
"Hello, Dr Blemont," Thom said as he led the others into the hospital morgue.
They had been to his house first and collected everything he and Jonathan wanted and had it sent back to the Lair and he had changed into some of his own clothes. He hoped he looked far less threatening dressed like Thom rather than Damian and he smiled at Dr Belmont, trying to put the man at his ease.
To keep everything looking normal for those outside the circle of those who knew, Laura was laid out as normal in the room, on a gurney, under a sheet.
"You're looking different, Thom," Dr Belmont said, not hostile, but definitely not friendly.
"Dying can do that to a person," he replied with a polite smile.
The safest way to take Laura out of the hospital so that no one would see her was once she had risen. There would be no problem with the CCTV this time, Thom had made very sure of that, but there were still other employees to think about and stealth was better achieved by five vampires rather than four and one body. Thom would have liked to have taken Laura back to the Lair and made this transition easier on her, but it just didn't make logistical sense.
"If we may," he said, hoping that there would be no song and dance about what they needed to do now that it was actually time.
"Are you sure it's a gift you wish to give her and not a curse?" Dr Belmont asked even though the man did move out of the way.
"Perfectly sure," Thom replied, carefully pulling the sheet back from Laura's face. "We are supernatural creatures, Dr Belmont, but we do not have to be monsters."
Dr Belmont reached out and placed a hand on his arm and he turned, meeting the white haired man's gaze.
"You swear, no more killing?" Dr Belmont said, looking directly into his eyes.
"Not if we can avoid it," he replied firmly, "but we will protect ourselves if necessary."
"That is rather a broad exception," Dr Belmont pointed out.
"We are vampires, Doctor," he said, deciding that blunt was best, "when people come after us it tends to be bloody. We wish to remain in the Lair, peacefully, but should we be attacked we will retaliate."
It was not meant as a threat, it was simply a statement of fact.
"Now if we may," he continued, looking at the hand on his arm.
Dr Belmont held his gaze for a little longer and then finally stepped back. He turned his attention back to Laura and Damian placed a hand on one of his shoulders and Colin on the other. Their combined power was not necessary to call Laura back to them, but it would mean that integrating Laura into the coven would be that much easier.
He held out his arm, holding his hand just above Laura's face and then he focused his own power and that which Damian and Colin were feeding into his as well. It was like electricity beneath his skin and he found the spark of vampire taint in Laura easily, holding onto her spirit like a web.
"Laura," he said, surprising himself when his voice resonated, "return to us, now."
Contrary to popular belief it was impossible to call a soul back if they were determined to die, but it was not necessarily a conscious choice. The simple fact was, most human beings had a very strong will to live and when offered life they would take it.
Laura opened her eyes first, little more than a lifeless corpse under his guidance, but then she opened her mouth and breathed for the first time. Her eyes, still open and staring went completely black before clearing from the centre out and then Laura blinked and moved. Thom kept their power focused on Laura, helping her through the difficult transition, but it was no longer completely necessary.
Only when Laura slowly sat up, gaze still somewhat vacant did he allow his hand to drop and Laura to establish her own equilibrium. As he watched, Laura closed her eyes and opened her mouth and he saw her fangs descend for the first time; two little neat points on either side of her upper jaw. Then she licked her lips and finally opened her eyes again and actually looked at him.
For a few moments Laura's face was blank and then, to Thom's great pleasure, Laura smiled.
"Hi, Thom," she said in a voice that was huskier and sexier than he was used to hearing from her, "thank you."
"You're looking more beautiful than ever," he replied and offered her his hand.
Dr Belmont clearly looked surprised when Laura took the offered limb, allowed the sheet to fall away and slipped off of the gurney without any indication that she cared she was naked. Thom smiled; Laura was going to fit in perfectly, and if he had swung that way he would definitely have admired Laura's curves. There was no doubting that Laura was a fine figure of a woman and as she stood up, Thom was almost one hundred percent certain Laura made sure Sheriff Trout had an eye full where he was lurking against the side wall.
Colin stepped in then, holding out the robe they had brought with them like a true gentleman and Laura slipped it on.
Thom could already feel the difference that Laura brought to them and it prickled at the back of his mind; it actually felt quite different to how he had expected. This was going to be very interesting, very interesting indeed.
With her robe belted Laura walked over to where Dr Belmont was standing and gave the white haired man a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, Dr Belmont," she said and Thom could see the genuine sentiment on her face.
Then Laura turned and walked over to Trout, who looked more than a little surprised and more than awkward, especially when Laura pecked him on the cheek as well. Thom couldn't help grinning as the hard bitten sheriff actually blushed.
"And thank you, Sheriff," Laura said, resting a hand lightly on the man's arm. "Don't worry, I will keep the boys in order."
Thom laughed at that; he had little doubt that she would make good on her promise. He hadn’t bothered mentioning that bit to Damian and Colin.
"I think it may be time to go," he said, stepping in before anything could become awkward, "we have to make sure Laura is settled in."
Laura acquiesced immediately and walked over to stand beside him, linking one of her arms through his and then the other through Jonathan's as well, in a show of solidarity.
"Thank you, gentlemen," he said, as equally genuine in his sentiments as Laura, "I'm sure we will be see each other again soon."
"You're always welcome to come and visit to make sure we are behaving," Laura said and her eyes were definitely on Sheriff Trout.
Thom almost rolled his eyes; oh yes, Laura was as focused on certain things as the rest of them. What was very good about that is she seemed to have the sheriff completely off balance, which would definitely work to all their advantages.
"Good bye," Damian said, placing a hand on Laura's shoulder and then before either of the humans could reply, they faded out as a group.
====
The club was open for business as usual and so they did not use the main entrance to return. Colin and Damian immediately vanished to deal with the patrons and to make sure nothing had gone wrong while they were away. They had left Frankie in charge, of all people, but the nervous young man was turning out to be a little different as a vampire, now that things were beginning to settle down. Frankie was still nervous around Damian and Colin, but not around the other vampires, or it seemed the patrons of the club. It was quite a change, although Colin had mentioned finding Frankie cleaning that day; old habits died hard, obviously.
Thom and Jonathan escorted Laura to her new rooms, which had been hurriedly finished off as well as they could be to that point. No doubt Laura would be doing some of her own redecorating sooner or later, especially when they committed a bit of burglary and took everything she wanted from her house.
Waiting in Laura's rooms was a rather nervous looking vampire, ex-deputy Rogers. If he had been tied up with a big red bow it couldn't have been much more obvious.
"Laura, this is David," Thom said as they walked in; "you might have met him before at the sheriff's station. He's very much been looking forward to you joining us and he is, as they say, all yours."
Laura gave the half dressed young man the once over and walked up to David, walking around the poor dear as if she was examining a horse. Thom could see the delight dancing in her eyes and he knew she was just playing.
"David," she said, looping her arms over his shoulders, "I think we're going to be very good friends."
Thom laughed at the relief that appeared on David's face.
"I think our poor little straight boy has just been rescued," he commented to Jonathan, but loud enough so that Laura and David could hear.
"We'll corrupt him eventually," Jonathan replied with a smirk; Jonathan had been in a surprisingly good mood all evening.
Laura grinned at that.
"First things first though," Thom said, walking further into the room, "you need to feed, Laura. Damian is picking you out one of our patrons as we speak."
"Won't he object to being presented with a woman?" Laura asked, pulling away from David and appearing just a little nervous.
"By the time Damian has finished with him he probably won't remember his name," Thom replied, trying to put Laura at her ease. "Once you have fed, we'll return him to one of the private rooms and make sure he has such a good time he'll never suspect anything has happened at all."
Laura did look a little happier, but still nervous; she had to be wondering what the bite would be like. Thom still remembered his first taste of blood even though it had been so long ago and he knew Laura would not be nervous for long.
"So," he decided to change the subject for now, "while we're waiting, how do you like the décor? All I can say is thank god Damian and Jonathan took over."
"I think I am going to feel very at home here," Laura replied, wandering over to Jonathan and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for all your hard work."
Jonathan smiled at the thanks and Thom found himself very distracted by that smile. Vampires were sexual creatures, but the way his mind turned to sex quite so easily was beginning to become noticeable. It had to have something to do with the way Damian had formed the coven; it had never been this bad before. Of course he wasn't about to complain; he could think of far worse things with which to be obsessed.
In the end Damian arrived about fifteen minutes later, with an already half undressed young man in tow. Thom could only assume that the rest of the man's clothes were in one of the private rooms awaiting his return.
"This is Craig," Damian introduced, even though Craig's face was as blank as white canvas, "and he has kindly volunteered to make a small donation to the cause."
"You have an interesting definition of volunteered," Thom said with a grin and wandered over to where Damian had halted with Craig.
Craig was very nicely proportioned and Thom gave the enthralled man the once over. Being at the top of the pile in the Lair definitely had its advantages. He gave Damian a quick nod in appreciation and then flicked his eyes over to where Laura had stood up from where she had been sitting and was waiting somewhat nervously.
"Come, Craig," Damian said, "let's go and say hello to Laura."
Like the good little love slave Craig was at the moment, the man followed Damian across the room and came to a halt just in front of Laura.
"We had a little chat before I invited him to one of the back rooms," Damian said in a chatty tone, running a hand over Craig's bare shoulder and down the well muscled arm, "and it seems he's branching out from the ladies. Definitely a pendulum player here, Laura, so I'm sure he will enjoy the touch of your power even though he will never consciously remember it."
That was an added bonus and Thom was very pleased in the way Damian was handling Laura's integration into the coven. He had not expected Damian's choice to be quite so careful.
"Thank you," Laura said, although it was clear she didn't quite know what to do next.
Damian carefully turned Craig round and moved in close beside the vacant eyed man. Then Damian took Craig's opposite arm and held it out to Laura. It was sensible for a first bite; the neck was trickier to control and the arm had plenty of blood vessels to tap into.
Thom nodded as Laura looked to him for reassurance and then she carefully took hold of the Craig's arm. Damian remained pressed up against his chosen victim's other side, drawing little circles on the man's chest with one finger and fondling the man's backside with his other hand. Physical contact did increase the potency of all magic and so in a way Damian was just making sure his catch remained under, but Thom half smiled at the groping. He was pretty sure he knew who would be making sure this client left happy. Damian had very good taste.
Thom found himself moving closer to Jonathan as seemed to be his usual behaviour these days and the atmosphere in the room changed significantly as Laura prepared to feed. He felt his teeth aching as he watched Laura carefully turn over the man's arm and almost delicately bite into the waiting skin.
Damian began whispering into Craig's ear. What Damian was saying, Thom couldn't hear, but the man gave no sign of knowing what was going on. Vampires were sustained by more than simple blood and so volume was not the only factor. They could survive without taking huge amounts of blood, they just had to make sure they could sate their urges. Thom knew that he and Jonathan were going to have to find their own donor later in the evening, but he did his best to concentrate on what was going on rather than what would be going on in the future.
There was little danger that Laura would take too much; she did not have a greedy personality, but the first time could be intoxicating so Thom was being careful. Laura moaned quietly and he wondered if he was going to have to intervene, but just afterwards Laura pulled back, placing her finger over the small wounds she had created with a confidence as if she had done this many times before.
What gave away Laura's inexperience was the trickle of blood that escaped from the side of her mouth, dripping down onto her robe. Thom felt a little like a proud parent as he saw Laura's eyes all but sparkling. His last worry melted away and he became completely sure that they were truly on the right path.
Just before dawn, after the club closed they would recast the protection spells over the Lair, dipping into the new power of the coven and then everything would be done. Their power base would be finalised and then nothing would be able to touch them.
====
When the underlying connection of your power was sex there was really only one way to perform a ritual and that was naked. Hence Thom walked out of his room in only a pair of silk pyjama bottoms and headed to the bar with an equally underdressed Jonathan in tow. The club was shut and all the patrons had gone and all the coven were looking relaxed and well fed; all pointers to the perfect time for the ritual. For the protection spells to be at their height the whole coven needed to be at their best and well sexed and well fed meant just that.
The tables and chairs in the bar had been pushed back to the sides and Damian had already drawn a circle on the floor in chalk, with the four points of the compass marked. Damian was going to be north and running the ritual, he was going to be south and acting as the foundation of it and Laura and Colin were taking east and west respectively with the rest of the coven interleaved between them.
It was not a complex ritual, just one that required a great deal of concentration and focused power. With the power moving through the coven now, Thom had no doubt they would complete it with ease. It was also a very good time to introduce Laura to the rest of the coven properly. The whole family knew that Laura had joined them, even the least sensitive of them had to have felt it as well, but this would be the formal meeting between them all.
As such, as soon as Laura walked into the room both he and Damian went over to her, taking a hand each and leading her fully into the bar.
"Gentlemen," Damian called the gathering to order, "today we welcome a very special new member of our family. This is Laura."
"She will be the ying to our yang, the soft to our hard, the balance of feminine against masculine," Thom continued, knowing that he was not overstating the importance of Laura's presence. "Tonight we become whole."
Laura was wearing only a thigh length satin robe, but she stood there amongst the coven and managed to appear regal.
They had planned this part carefully, and Laura closed her eyes, gently pulling her hands from his and Damian's grasp and spreading them out to the coven. He felt it when she allowed her power to rise, vampire traits revealing themselves as her softer, but no less strong magic flowed into the room.
"I offer this to you," she said in a formal tone, "and all that I have."
"We accept," Colin replied from the other side of the room, playing the voice of the coven.
It was a formality, but the atmosphere in the room seemed to warm as it was done.
"Then let us begin," Damian said and Thom stepped close to one side of Laura as Damian moved to the other.
Very quickly they each took one side of her robe, Damian released the bow on the belt and they efficiently removed her only item of clothing. Then they escorted her to her position in the circle, moving to their own and then stripping just as efficiently. On their example Colin and the rest of the coven followed suit, moving into position around the circle. Even as the last stepped into place Thom could feel all of their energy coming together and it made his skin tingle.
"I cast this circle," Damian said the moment they were all ready, "to join our power and make us one. I stand at the head to orchestrate our designs."
"I stand at the south," Thom came in on cue, "as the foundation of what we build."
"We stand at east and west," Colin and Laura intoned at the same time, "as gates to the power of those with us."
Thom couldn't help the small gasp that escaped from him as he was all but hit by a wall of power. With the circle complete they were all joined and for the first time he felt the real difference Laura's presence made. He felt familiar and unfamiliar magic moving through him around the circle and it was breathtaking.
"I call on the powers of Earth and Air and Fire and Spirit," Damian continued the ritual, but Thom could hear the strain in the other vampire's voice; this was more than any of them had expected. "Come to us, join with us and grant us protection."
As foundation to the ritual, all magic had to pass through him as he bound it to where they were and Thom had about a second to realise that they had summoned more power than they could have dreamed of before his vision whited out for the second time is as many days. He had just enough time to throw it back at the circle, before all he could think about was desperately trying to stay focused. He felt the power lancing through him and for a moment it was as if he was above the island looking down at it as dawn broke over the sea and onto the land. It was beautiful and wonderful and just about blew his mind.
He felt the coven become truly one in the back of his mind as he gazed down on the captivating view and then they were breaking back into their separate parts and he found himself thrust back into his own body. It left him disorientated and confused and he eventually realised that he was sitting on the floor in a rather untidy heap. It took a while before he really knew which way was up and which way was down and then he began to understand that they had just done something rather extraordinary.
Thom climbed very slowly to his feet, leaning on the nearby bar to keep himself upright. His nerves were tingling and his head was spinning, but it was becoming more of a high than a low and he looked around the room as he did his best to drag his thoughts back on track. Everyone else was still on the floor, collapsed in on themselves as if they had fallen where they were standing, but everyone was beginning to move.
"Holy fuck," was about the only phrase he could find to describe what had just happened.
The amount of magic still singing in his veins told him quite how much had passed through him. For there to be that much residue meant that the power they had summoned had to have been simply enormous. He felt along the power trails with his mind, following them to the protection runes around the Lair and finding them highly charged and then he followed them beyond, out onto the island. The power trails went literally miles and it began to dawn on him that although the protection spells were only complete within the Lair, the net of power extended much further, almost over the entire island.
So much for laying low and minding their own business, anything remotely magically sensitive in the area knew they were there now. Of course anything magically sensitive with any sense would stay as far away as possible after that little show of power, but Thom knew they had just entered the big time.
"Did we just do what I think we did?" Colin asked, doing his best to stand up to his left.
"We protected the whole island," Thom replied, since he was now absolutely sure that was what they had just done.
The island was a magical place, with lines of power already in it and what amazed him even more, was this place had accepted their power as they had thrown it outwards.
"That's impossible," Damian said, also picking himself up off the floor.
"Not when the natural places of power act as focus points," Thom replied, still reeling from the experience, but hoping to let the others understand.
Damian looked sceptical, but as the other vampire closed his eyes and did what Thom had already done, Damian's expression became one of understated amazement.
"What does that mean?" Laura asked and finally feeling strong enough, Thom moved to help his friend stand.
"That we are rather more literally a piece of the landscape than we would ever have expected," Damian said slowly.
"It also means that if hostile forces enter the island we will know," Thom added, moving over to help Jonathan up next, "and anyone wishing to attack us would have to be completely insane."
They were much more visible now, more than a supernatural blip, but it also meant they were that much more secure. He met gazes with Damian and he knew that they were both aware that this was going to change things considerably. Others would take interest in them now, but they were also that much stronger as well. The future was definitely going to be interesting, that much was for sure.
The End
Author: Beren
Fandom: The Lair (can be summed up as gay vampires)
Pairing: Damian/Colin, Thom/Jonathan/Damian/Colin (and hints of lots of others along the way - gay vampires living in a sex club - it's quicker to point out who isn't getting any)
Rating: NC17/18
Position in series: Takes place directly after the end of season 1, since I haven't seen season 2 yet (I know it actually started showing on Sept 5th on Here!, I just haven't gotten round to watching it yet :)). Hence has spoilers for all of season 1.
Warnings: multiple partners, rimming
Summary: Thom wakes up a somewhat different person after the events in the Lair when the Sheriff and Jonathan attempted to stage a rescue. The first thing he has to do is sort out the mess his presence has managed to cause.
Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3
Long Fics | HP Short fics | All Other Short Fics | Series Fics
Chapter 3 Integrating
When they returned to the Lair, Thom decided he needed a distraction and went to find Jonathan. As it turned out, his boyfriend was working on their rooms and he was impressed when he walked in. The walls had been painted, the carpet cleaned and there was a bed in the middle of the room.
"Wow," he said, honestly impressed, "this is going to look great."
"It will look better when we can get our stuff from home," Jonathan replied, frowning about something to do with the end wall. "We need a mirror, a really big one."
Thom just made noises of agreement; he really didn't mind how Jonathan put the room together. Walking up to his boyfriend, he wrapped his arms around Jonathan from behind and nuzzled Jonathan's neck. At first Jonathan relaxed into his grasp, but quickly stiffened again.
"Finished playing with Damian and Colin?" Jonathan asked and it was all too obvious Jonathan was feeling left out.
"Yes," he replied and smiled against Jonathan's neck; it was going to take a little more work to iron the jealousy out of his volatile lover. "Laura will be joining us tomorrow night. Of course, until then, I can think of some interesting things to do."
Jonathan had found a t-shirt from somewhere, probably Colin's since it was a little too big for him, and a new pair of jeans and Thom slipped his fingers underneath the top garment to play along the edge of the bottom one. His system was singing from the blood high and he wanted to put that energy to good use.
"I might be busy," Jonathan said in a petulant tone, clearly leaving Jonathan on his own had not been a good idea.
Thom was all but positive Jonathan would be pouting even though he couldn't see his boyfriend's face.
"Are you sure?" he asked, running his hand down over Jonathan's crotch and deliberately squeezing gently.
Jonathan gave as small gasp, even while continuing to try and sulk.
"You can come with us tomorrow to pick Laura up from the hospital morgue if you would like to," he said, kissing Jonathan's neck. "We can pick some things up from home at the same time if you like. The sheriff seemed to think the crime scene tape would be down by then thanks to Laura's apparent death."
"So I'm allowed out of the cage to run errands then?" Jonathan really had sulking down to an art form.
Thom span his boyfriend on the spot and then all but threw him on the bed, climbing on, on top and looking down at him.
"You're allowed out of the cage whenever you like," he said, refusing to budge when Jonathan tried to tip him off, "you're not listed as dead, but right now, I'd really like hard, gratuitous sex."
"So I'm a fuck toy."
Thom rolled his eyes, collapsed forward and put his face on Jonathan's chest.
"I love you, but god, you're hard work sometimes," he said and lifted himself up again to lean over Jonathan so they were almost nose to nose. "I am horny," he said, punctuating his words carefully, "I would really like to have sex with you and I really don't care what kind of sex. If you want to tie me to the bed and spank me into next week, please be my guest, but I'm dying here."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at that.
"Wouldn't that be kind of difficult?" Jonathan asked.
"Semantics," Thom replied and sat back upright; "look at this," he pointed to where his erection was pressing against his pants, "this is your fault and being your fault I really think it would be sportsmanlike if you would help me out with it."
Jonathan cracked half a smile; it was a good thing they had both been sexually driven before they became vampires or Thom's tactics never would have worked. As it was, Jonathan had been distracted from a sulk many times before by sex and Thom was using this to his advantage. Of course a vampire sex drive helped.
"Maybe I want to punish you for leaving me here without so much as a good bye kiss?" Jonathan replied and the words could have been part of the sulk, but the tone was playful and that meant Jonathan was playing the game.
Thom breathed a silent sigh of relief and smiled down at his boyfriend.
"And how exactly, my kinky lover, do you plan to do that?" he asked, feeling the excitement pooling in his loins at the idea.
Now Jonathan's eyes were alight with lust and Thom had to wonder what he had let himself in for.
"Well first," Jonathan said pushing his hip up a little, "I think you can apologise for abandoning me by sucking my cock."
Thom went to move.
"After," Jonathan's voice stopped him, "you get naked..."
He went to climb off the bed.
"...and," Jonathan added, pulling something from his pocket, "I put this on you. I borrowed it from Damian."
It occurred to Thom then that he might have been played and Jonathan might not have really been sulking quite as much as it had seemed, but he couldn't prove it and now he was at his boyfriend's mercy. What Jonathan had in his hand was a cock ring, something they, as a couple, had only ever used once before and that time Jonathan had kept him hard, aching and on the edge for hours. It had been, at the same time, one of the most incredible and terrible sexual experiences of his life and every other time Jonathan had suggested trying it again he had found an excuse not to. Now Jonathan had him and he'd already agreed and it didn't seem like regaining his old life of a centuries old vampire was going to help him in the slightest.
"Once I'm satisfied you really are sorry," Jonathan said, dangling the cock ring in front of him, "I'm going to fuck you until you're begging me to let you come and then, when I think you can't take it anymore, I might let you."
Thom made a mental note that Jonathan was picking up a wicked steak, and he would lay odds it was from Colin, and then he resigned himself to his fate. He had asked for it after all.
====
Thom woke up when something slapped him on the ass and he opened his eyes and lifted his head to see Colin standing next to the bed.
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Colin said in a very unrepentant tone with a smile that wasn't sorry in the slightest. "You must still be adjusting; it's coming on to evening and you've been sleeping all day."
"Blame Jonathan," Thom said as his boyfriend moved beside him; "he kept me up the rest of last night and into this morning and I mean up as in hard and aching up."
Colin seemed to find that highly amusing.
"Well done Jonathan," Colin commented, "glad to see you're adjusting to the lifestyle."
Thanks to the whole vampire business, when Tom pushed himself up and off the bed he found his whole body working perfectly, no aches or pains or embarrassing trouble walking, which was a blessing. He couldn't help noticing that Jonathan was lying next to where he had been, looking rather smug.
"Damian would like to see you as soon as you're up and dressed," Colin moved on to what was clearly his reason for being there; "there are things about the Lair which need to be discussed."
Thom nodded; that he could understand. With such upheaval among the ranks there were bound to be issues that needed addressing.
"We'll be there in a little while," he replied, turning and pushing himself into a sitting position. "Damian's rooms I assume, or are they yours and Damian's rooms now?"
It had been obvious that Damian and Colin often shared living space, but Thom had found out that Colin had had his own rooms, but from the rather pleased look on Colin's face he suspected this was no longer true.
"I might possibly have moved in permanently before Damian had a chance to object," Colin replied, about as smug as Jonathan was looking as well. "Of course you're always welcome to visit ... both of you that is."
Thom cracked a smile at that; Colin was definitely adapting well. There was hope for their mismatched family yet.
"Where's the nearest working bathroom?" he asked, as he realised that he had no idea where the closest one was in relation to his new rooms.
"Down the hall and to the right," Colin replied and turned to go; "I'm sure we can have a new one put in off this suite once everything has settled down."
"That would be perfect," Thom said, climbing out of bed.
It would take a little while to turn the Lair into home, but hopefully not too long, especially after he and Jonathan had retrieved their stuff from his house.
"See you soon," Colin said, with a dismissive wave.
As he went to find what he needed for the bathroom; he was looking forward to a nice hot shower, Jonathan came up behind him, pulling him into an embrace.
"We could shower together," Jonathan suggested, nibbling on his ear.
Thom knew that if they showered together it was not going to be a quick shower, but his resistance was low and his will caved.
"I'm sure Damian won't mind waiting a little longer," he said, more to himself than Jonathan and turned in his lover's embrace to instigate a full on kiss.
It wouldn't take them too long, he was sure.
====
Damian looked up as Thom and Jonathan walked into his suite and Thom had the decency to look sheepish; they had been a little longer than expected.
"Distracted?" Damian asked, giving them both the once up and down.
"You could say that," Thom replied, walking over and running his hand over Damian's neck and shoulder in a sudden need to touch. "What did you do to create this coven? I'm sure I never used to be this sexually focused even after using sex magic."
Damian smiled at that, accepting his touch and resting a hand over his for a moment.
"We were vulnerable with only two of us," Damian explained openly, "but our natures were so violent that every time Colin and I created another we would come to blows. The only thing equally as compelling was sex so we used sex magic to create a binding between us and in all our children. It has heightened our sexual urges somewhat."
"At it like rabbits," was Jonathan's comment on the matter.
A coven based on sex was not a new idea, but a coven of vampires based on sex, that was and Thom rather liked it. Now that the dark cloud of the curse was lifted it left them with an interesting future. Already sexual creatures with an even more ramped up sex drive were absolutely perfect residents of a sex club, a thought which brought Thom back to why they were there.
"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, just as Colin walked in.
"The Lair has certain protection spells on it to keep out unwanted supernatural visitors and to alert us if any manage to break in," Damian said, becoming businesslike in a heartbeat. "With all the changes within the coven, especially Laura's inclusion, they will need to be recast as soon as possible."
Human beings missed so much of the real world, being blind to most of the supernatural, but those who were part of the whole knew only too well the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Vampires were at virtually the top of the food chain, but that did not mean there weren't things they wanted to keep at bay. Thom nodded; it was a sensible suggestion.
"When?" he asked.
"Dawn," Damian replied. "We can use Colin, Laura, you and I as the four corners and the rest of the coven as the circle. That way we will be able to use our power to the maximum."
Thom nodded again; Damian seemed to have it all planned out. It seemed that without him as a distraction, Damian was a very well organised leader, which explained the success of the Lair up until his reappearance.
"A very good plan," he assured the other vampire, "and a good way to incorporate Laura into our group properly as well."
"Ah, magic," Colin commented, sounding very pleased with the idea; "what better way to get to know people?"
Jonathan appeared a little bemused, but then Jonathan knew absolutely nothing of ritual magic; it was going to be an education for them all, but most of all his boyfriend. It was going to be a very interesting night indeed and Thom was really looking forward to it. First they would bring Laura back from the dead and then they would integrate her into their family like the missing piece they needed. He had no doubt that the coven would change because of Laura, but he was certain it would be for the better. In a few hours Laura would be with them and then their future would be set.
====
"Hello, Dr Blemont," Thom said as he led the others into the hospital morgue.
They had been to his house first and collected everything he and Jonathan wanted and had it sent back to the Lair and he had changed into some of his own clothes. He hoped he looked far less threatening dressed like Thom rather than Damian and he smiled at Dr Belmont, trying to put the man at his ease.
To keep everything looking normal for those outside the circle of those who knew, Laura was laid out as normal in the room, on a gurney, under a sheet.
"You're looking different, Thom," Dr Belmont said, not hostile, but definitely not friendly.
"Dying can do that to a person," he replied with a polite smile.
The safest way to take Laura out of the hospital so that no one would see her was once she had risen. There would be no problem with the CCTV this time, Thom had made very sure of that, but there were still other employees to think about and stealth was better achieved by five vampires rather than four and one body. Thom would have liked to have taken Laura back to the Lair and made this transition easier on her, but it just didn't make logistical sense.
"If we may," he said, hoping that there would be no song and dance about what they needed to do now that it was actually time.
"Are you sure it's a gift you wish to give her and not a curse?" Dr Belmont asked even though the man did move out of the way.
"Perfectly sure," Thom replied, carefully pulling the sheet back from Laura's face. "We are supernatural creatures, Dr Belmont, but we do not have to be monsters."
Dr Belmont reached out and placed a hand on his arm and he turned, meeting the white haired man's gaze.
"You swear, no more killing?" Dr Belmont said, looking directly into his eyes.
"Not if we can avoid it," he replied firmly, "but we will protect ourselves if necessary."
"That is rather a broad exception," Dr Belmont pointed out.
"We are vampires, Doctor," he said, deciding that blunt was best, "when people come after us it tends to be bloody. We wish to remain in the Lair, peacefully, but should we be attacked we will retaliate."
It was not meant as a threat, it was simply a statement of fact.
"Now if we may," he continued, looking at the hand on his arm.
Dr Belmont held his gaze for a little longer and then finally stepped back. He turned his attention back to Laura and Damian placed a hand on one of his shoulders and Colin on the other. Their combined power was not necessary to call Laura back to them, but it would mean that integrating Laura into the coven would be that much easier.
He held out his arm, holding his hand just above Laura's face and then he focused his own power and that which Damian and Colin were feeding into his as well. It was like electricity beneath his skin and he found the spark of vampire taint in Laura easily, holding onto her spirit like a web.
"Laura," he said, surprising himself when his voice resonated, "return to us, now."
Contrary to popular belief it was impossible to call a soul back if they were determined to die, but it was not necessarily a conscious choice. The simple fact was, most human beings had a very strong will to live and when offered life they would take it.
Laura opened her eyes first, little more than a lifeless corpse under his guidance, but then she opened her mouth and breathed for the first time. Her eyes, still open and staring went completely black before clearing from the centre out and then Laura blinked and moved. Thom kept their power focused on Laura, helping her through the difficult transition, but it was no longer completely necessary.
Only when Laura slowly sat up, gaze still somewhat vacant did he allow his hand to drop and Laura to establish her own equilibrium. As he watched, Laura closed her eyes and opened her mouth and he saw her fangs descend for the first time; two little neat points on either side of her upper jaw. Then she licked her lips and finally opened her eyes again and actually looked at him.
For a few moments Laura's face was blank and then, to Thom's great pleasure, Laura smiled.
"Hi, Thom," she said in a voice that was huskier and sexier than he was used to hearing from her, "thank you."
"You're looking more beautiful than ever," he replied and offered her his hand.
Dr Belmont clearly looked surprised when Laura took the offered limb, allowed the sheet to fall away and slipped off of the gurney without any indication that she cared she was naked. Thom smiled; Laura was going to fit in perfectly, and if he had swung that way he would definitely have admired Laura's curves. There was no doubting that Laura was a fine figure of a woman and as she stood up, Thom was almost one hundred percent certain Laura made sure Sheriff Trout had an eye full where he was lurking against the side wall.
Colin stepped in then, holding out the robe they had brought with them like a true gentleman and Laura slipped it on.
Thom could already feel the difference that Laura brought to them and it prickled at the back of his mind; it actually felt quite different to how he had expected. This was going to be very interesting, very interesting indeed.
With her robe belted Laura walked over to where Dr Belmont was standing and gave the white haired man a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, Dr Belmont," she said and Thom could see the genuine sentiment on her face.
Then Laura turned and walked over to Trout, who looked more than a little surprised and more than awkward, especially when Laura pecked him on the cheek as well. Thom couldn't help grinning as the hard bitten sheriff actually blushed.
"And thank you, Sheriff," Laura said, resting a hand lightly on the man's arm. "Don't worry, I will keep the boys in order."
Thom laughed at that; he had little doubt that she would make good on her promise. He hadn’t bothered mentioning that bit to Damian and Colin.
"I think it may be time to go," he said, stepping in before anything could become awkward, "we have to make sure Laura is settled in."
Laura acquiesced immediately and walked over to stand beside him, linking one of her arms through his and then the other through Jonathan's as well, in a show of solidarity.
"Thank you, gentlemen," he said, as equally genuine in his sentiments as Laura, "I'm sure we will be see each other again soon."
"You're always welcome to come and visit to make sure we are behaving," Laura said and her eyes were definitely on Sheriff Trout.
Thom almost rolled his eyes; oh yes, Laura was as focused on certain things as the rest of them. What was very good about that is she seemed to have the sheriff completely off balance, which would definitely work to all their advantages.
"Good bye," Damian said, placing a hand on Laura's shoulder and then before either of the humans could reply, they faded out as a group.
====
The club was open for business as usual and so they did not use the main entrance to return. Colin and Damian immediately vanished to deal with the patrons and to make sure nothing had gone wrong while they were away. They had left Frankie in charge, of all people, but the nervous young man was turning out to be a little different as a vampire, now that things were beginning to settle down. Frankie was still nervous around Damian and Colin, but not around the other vampires, or it seemed the patrons of the club. It was quite a change, although Colin had mentioned finding Frankie cleaning that day; old habits died hard, obviously.
Thom and Jonathan escorted Laura to her new rooms, which had been hurriedly finished off as well as they could be to that point. No doubt Laura would be doing some of her own redecorating sooner or later, especially when they committed a bit of burglary and took everything she wanted from her house.
Waiting in Laura's rooms was a rather nervous looking vampire, ex-deputy Rogers. If he had been tied up with a big red bow it couldn't have been much more obvious.
"Laura, this is David," Thom said as they walked in; "you might have met him before at the sheriff's station. He's very much been looking forward to you joining us and he is, as they say, all yours."
Laura gave the half dressed young man the once over and walked up to David, walking around the poor dear as if she was examining a horse. Thom could see the delight dancing in her eyes and he knew she was just playing.
"David," she said, looping her arms over his shoulders, "I think we're going to be very good friends."
Thom laughed at the relief that appeared on David's face.
"I think our poor little straight boy has just been rescued," he commented to Jonathan, but loud enough so that Laura and David could hear.
"We'll corrupt him eventually," Jonathan replied with a smirk; Jonathan had been in a surprisingly good mood all evening.
Laura grinned at that.
"First things first though," Thom said, walking further into the room, "you need to feed, Laura. Damian is picking you out one of our patrons as we speak."
"Won't he object to being presented with a woman?" Laura asked, pulling away from David and appearing just a little nervous.
"By the time Damian has finished with him he probably won't remember his name," Thom replied, trying to put Laura at her ease. "Once you have fed, we'll return him to one of the private rooms and make sure he has such a good time he'll never suspect anything has happened at all."
Laura did look a little happier, but still nervous; she had to be wondering what the bite would be like. Thom still remembered his first taste of blood even though it had been so long ago and he knew Laura would not be nervous for long.
"So," he decided to change the subject for now, "while we're waiting, how do you like the décor? All I can say is thank god Damian and Jonathan took over."
"I think I am going to feel very at home here," Laura replied, wandering over to Jonathan and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for all your hard work."
Jonathan smiled at the thanks and Thom found himself very distracted by that smile. Vampires were sexual creatures, but the way his mind turned to sex quite so easily was beginning to become noticeable. It had to have something to do with the way Damian had formed the coven; it had never been this bad before. Of course he wasn't about to complain; he could think of far worse things with which to be obsessed.
In the end Damian arrived about fifteen minutes later, with an already half undressed young man in tow. Thom could only assume that the rest of the man's clothes were in one of the private rooms awaiting his return.
"This is Craig," Damian introduced, even though Craig's face was as blank as white canvas, "and he has kindly volunteered to make a small donation to the cause."
"You have an interesting definition of volunteered," Thom said with a grin and wandered over to where Damian had halted with Craig.
Craig was very nicely proportioned and Thom gave the enthralled man the once over. Being at the top of the pile in the Lair definitely had its advantages. He gave Damian a quick nod in appreciation and then flicked his eyes over to where Laura had stood up from where she had been sitting and was waiting somewhat nervously.
"Come, Craig," Damian said, "let's go and say hello to Laura."
Like the good little love slave Craig was at the moment, the man followed Damian across the room and came to a halt just in front of Laura.
"We had a little chat before I invited him to one of the back rooms," Damian said in a chatty tone, running a hand over Craig's bare shoulder and down the well muscled arm, "and it seems he's branching out from the ladies. Definitely a pendulum player here, Laura, so I'm sure he will enjoy the touch of your power even though he will never consciously remember it."
That was an added bonus and Thom was very pleased in the way Damian was handling Laura's integration into the coven. He had not expected Damian's choice to be quite so careful.
"Thank you," Laura said, although it was clear she didn't quite know what to do next.
Damian carefully turned Craig round and moved in close beside the vacant eyed man. Then Damian took Craig's opposite arm and held it out to Laura. It was sensible for a first bite; the neck was trickier to control and the arm had plenty of blood vessels to tap into.
Thom nodded as Laura looked to him for reassurance and then she carefully took hold of the Craig's arm. Damian remained pressed up against his chosen victim's other side, drawing little circles on the man's chest with one finger and fondling the man's backside with his other hand. Physical contact did increase the potency of all magic and so in a way Damian was just making sure his catch remained under, but Thom half smiled at the groping. He was pretty sure he knew who would be making sure this client left happy. Damian had very good taste.
Thom found himself moving closer to Jonathan as seemed to be his usual behaviour these days and the atmosphere in the room changed significantly as Laura prepared to feed. He felt his teeth aching as he watched Laura carefully turn over the man's arm and almost delicately bite into the waiting skin.
Damian began whispering into Craig's ear. What Damian was saying, Thom couldn't hear, but the man gave no sign of knowing what was going on. Vampires were sustained by more than simple blood and so volume was not the only factor. They could survive without taking huge amounts of blood, they just had to make sure they could sate their urges. Thom knew that he and Jonathan were going to have to find their own donor later in the evening, but he did his best to concentrate on what was going on rather than what would be going on in the future.
There was little danger that Laura would take too much; she did not have a greedy personality, but the first time could be intoxicating so Thom was being careful. Laura moaned quietly and he wondered if he was going to have to intervene, but just afterwards Laura pulled back, placing her finger over the small wounds she had created with a confidence as if she had done this many times before.
What gave away Laura's inexperience was the trickle of blood that escaped from the side of her mouth, dripping down onto her robe. Thom felt a little like a proud parent as he saw Laura's eyes all but sparkling. His last worry melted away and he became completely sure that they were truly on the right path.
Just before dawn, after the club closed they would recast the protection spells over the Lair, dipping into the new power of the coven and then everything would be done. Their power base would be finalised and then nothing would be able to touch them.
====
When the underlying connection of your power was sex there was really only one way to perform a ritual and that was naked. Hence Thom walked out of his room in only a pair of silk pyjama bottoms and headed to the bar with an equally underdressed Jonathan in tow. The club was shut and all the patrons had gone and all the coven were looking relaxed and well fed; all pointers to the perfect time for the ritual. For the protection spells to be at their height the whole coven needed to be at their best and well sexed and well fed meant just that.
The tables and chairs in the bar had been pushed back to the sides and Damian had already drawn a circle on the floor in chalk, with the four points of the compass marked. Damian was going to be north and running the ritual, he was going to be south and acting as the foundation of it and Laura and Colin were taking east and west respectively with the rest of the coven interleaved between them.
It was not a complex ritual, just one that required a great deal of concentration and focused power. With the power moving through the coven now, Thom had no doubt they would complete it with ease. It was also a very good time to introduce Laura to the rest of the coven properly. The whole family knew that Laura had joined them, even the least sensitive of them had to have felt it as well, but this would be the formal meeting between them all.
As such, as soon as Laura walked into the room both he and Damian went over to her, taking a hand each and leading her fully into the bar.
"Gentlemen," Damian called the gathering to order, "today we welcome a very special new member of our family. This is Laura."
"She will be the ying to our yang, the soft to our hard, the balance of feminine against masculine," Thom continued, knowing that he was not overstating the importance of Laura's presence. "Tonight we become whole."
Laura was wearing only a thigh length satin robe, but she stood there amongst the coven and managed to appear regal.
They had planned this part carefully, and Laura closed her eyes, gently pulling her hands from his and Damian's grasp and spreading them out to the coven. He felt it when she allowed her power to rise, vampire traits revealing themselves as her softer, but no less strong magic flowed into the room.
"I offer this to you," she said in a formal tone, "and all that I have."
"We accept," Colin replied from the other side of the room, playing the voice of the coven.
It was a formality, but the atmosphere in the room seemed to warm as it was done.
"Then let us begin," Damian said and Thom stepped close to one side of Laura as Damian moved to the other.
Very quickly they each took one side of her robe, Damian released the bow on the belt and they efficiently removed her only item of clothing. Then they escorted her to her position in the circle, moving to their own and then stripping just as efficiently. On their example Colin and the rest of the coven followed suit, moving into position around the circle. Even as the last stepped into place Thom could feel all of their energy coming together and it made his skin tingle.
"I cast this circle," Damian said the moment they were all ready, "to join our power and make us one. I stand at the head to orchestrate our designs."
"I stand at the south," Thom came in on cue, "as the foundation of what we build."
"We stand at east and west," Colin and Laura intoned at the same time, "as gates to the power of those with us."
Thom couldn't help the small gasp that escaped from him as he was all but hit by a wall of power. With the circle complete they were all joined and for the first time he felt the real difference Laura's presence made. He felt familiar and unfamiliar magic moving through him around the circle and it was breathtaking.
"I call on the powers of Earth and Air and Fire and Spirit," Damian continued the ritual, but Thom could hear the strain in the other vampire's voice; this was more than any of them had expected. "Come to us, join with us and grant us protection."
As foundation to the ritual, all magic had to pass through him as he bound it to where they were and Thom had about a second to realise that they had summoned more power than they could have dreamed of before his vision whited out for the second time is as many days. He had just enough time to throw it back at the circle, before all he could think about was desperately trying to stay focused. He felt the power lancing through him and for a moment it was as if he was above the island looking down at it as dawn broke over the sea and onto the land. It was beautiful and wonderful and just about blew his mind.
He felt the coven become truly one in the back of his mind as he gazed down on the captivating view and then they were breaking back into their separate parts and he found himself thrust back into his own body. It left him disorientated and confused and he eventually realised that he was sitting on the floor in a rather untidy heap. It took a while before he really knew which way was up and which way was down and then he began to understand that they had just done something rather extraordinary.
Thom climbed very slowly to his feet, leaning on the nearby bar to keep himself upright. His nerves were tingling and his head was spinning, but it was becoming more of a high than a low and he looked around the room as he did his best to drag his thoughts back on track. Everyone else was still on the floor, collapsed in on themselves as if they had fallen where they were standing, but everyone was beginning to move.
"Holy fuck," was about the only phrase he could find to describe what had just happened.
The amount of magic still singing in his veins told him quite how much had passed through him. For there to be that much residue meant that the power they had summoned had to have been simply enormous. He felt along the power trails with his mind, following them to the protection runes around the Lair and finding them highly charged and then he followed them beyond, out onto the island. The power trails went literally miles and it began to dawn on him that although the protection spells were only complete within the Lair, the net of power extended much further, almost over the entire island.
So much for laying low and minding their own business, anything remotely magically sensitive in the area knew they were there now. Of course anything magically sensitive with any sense would stay as far away as possible after that little show of power, but Thom knew they had just entered the big time.
"Did we just do what I think we did?" Colin asked, doing his best to stand up to his left.
"We protected the whole island," Thom replied, since he was now absolutely sure that was what they had just done.
The island was a magical place, with lines of power already in it and what amazed him even more, was this place had accepted their power as they had thrown it outwards.
"That's impossible," Damian said, also picking himself up off the floor.
"Not when the natural places of power act as focus points," Thom replied, still reeling from the experience, but hoping to let the others understand.
Damian looked sceptical, but as the other vampire closed his eyes and did what Thom had already done, Damian's expression became one of understated amazement.
"What does that mean?" Laura asked and finally feeling strong enough, Thom moved to help his friend stand.
"That we are rather more literally a piece of the landscape than we would ever have expected," Damian said slowly.
"It also means that if hostile forces enter the island we will know," Thom added, moving over to help Jonathan up next, "and anyone wishing to attack us would have to be completely insane."
They were much more visible now, more than a supernatural blip, but it also meant they were that much more secure. He met gazes with Damian and he knew that they were both aware that this was going to change things considerably. Others would take interest in them now, but they were also that much stronger as well. The future was definitely going to be interesting, that much was for sure.
The End
