Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

6. part II - bloody murder

They wobbled out from the bar with that heady lightness of heart that sometimes got you at the bottom of a glass. Adeem had left his worries behind, if only for a moment. His thoughts tumbled around with a drag that slowed everything down to a mild buzz. Even the imaginary leash seemed to have loosened.

"We should do this more often," he said, circling his arm around Nev's back.

Nev leaned into his side, equally unstable on his feet. "I'm drunk. When did I get drunk?"

"You've been drunk for the last hour."

The security guard had given them a stink eye on the way out, which probably meant they had outstayed their welcome as well. Adeem dug deep in his pocket, finding an assortment of coins and his keys. It was a move made out of habit. "I need to sleep this off."

"Can I crash at your place?" Nev said, blinking sweetly with his big brown eyes. It was impossible to say no to the vampire when he pulled that trick. Lucky for Nev, Adeem had a room sealed off from the light for the sporadic vampire guest to spend the day. That is to say, he had a room for Nev.

"Yeah, come on. If we run, we'll be there in a minute."

"But I don't wanna run," Nev whined. "I'm fucking falling over my feet as it is. I'll fall into the water. I swear."

Adeem slowed, closed his eyes and breathed deep into his lungs. Using his powers to burn through the alcohol would place him back at square one again, but he'd rather be home in the apartment with another drink at hand. His core flared alive, dark and sinister. He imagined the threads of pure evil that twisted and coiled from his chest center all the way to the tips of his fingers. The surge of awakened destruction rid the alcohol from his oily blood and quickened his mind.

Swallowing bile, he opened his eyes and squeezed Nev tighter to his side. "Done. Get on my back."

Nev shook his head, brushing the bangs from his eyes. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. Get on. I'll carry you."

Nev had no further objections and hopped up for a ride through town. The vampire's arms circled around his neck, and Nev's cheek pressed against his ear. Skin to skin. Adeem hoped the vampire knew what he was doing because he didn't want to get shocked mid-step and falter.

He ran. Holding on to Nev's legs, he sprinted along the waterfront all the way back to his apartment. Pulsing with adrenaline and the blistering, barely controlled power, he let Nev dismount. The vampire was a bit paler than usual.

"That was...never do that again," Nev said, looking ready to puke.

He got out his keys again and unlocked the entrance. "Let's get you to bed."

Shrugging, Nev moved inside and trailed a hand along the wall for support. "Do you think all hellions are created like that?" Nev said, suddenly.

"I have no idea. Why do you ask?"

"Nothin'." Nev slugged up the stairs, grasping the railing as if he was afraid he might fall. It was stupid not to take the elevator, but perhaps it was good for the vampire to walk a few steps at least. Maybe, just maybe, it would lessen the intoxication.

The apartment was dark and silent when they arrived, and Adeem got a brief flashback to the time Kyung had stood by the sofa, waiting for him to get home. He blinked the image of that awful, self-satisfied creature from his mind and got out of his jacket. Nev struggled with his leather jacket and more or less threw it to the floor when he was done. The vampire didn't get out of his combat boots, but Adeem was too amused to say much. He'd help him out of them later.