Finding Salvation in the Dark - 12. Chapter 12

Having wiggled out of Cyril's arms, taken a long hot shower and put on the clothes that Alexander had dropped off, Ki stumbled into the kitchen where Alexander and Lin were talking about ice cream and the various flavors, his hair curly and falling around his face.

"I found out that if you are going to play with ice cream, make sure that there aren't chunks of pineapple in them," Alexander said musingly, causing Lin to look at his ice cream before pushing it away slowly.

"I did not need that thought," Lin drawled as Ki blinked at the three of them sleepily.

Elena made her way into the kitchen well pleased with herself and pleasantly sated from the evening before and grinned knowingly at the young men in the kitchen. She glanced at the staff bustling around the back of the kitchen and approached her kin with glee, a wicked smile on her face.

"You boys were certainly inspiring last night. I haven't been loved that well in a while," she said lightly, as if she hadn't just teased both Alexander and Ki. She may not have heard them, but she'd certainly felt the effects of their magic going out of control, and so had Darius.

The two blushed brightly as Lin groaned and slammed his head onto the counter. "I got no sleep last night. I hope you guys know that," he moaned quietly, his meaning encompassing two things at once.

Ki and Alexander looked at each other before reaching over and playing with Lin's loose hair.

"Hey, Elena, want to do an all day movie-thon while we wait for the vampires to wake up?" Alexander asked suddenly.

Elena blinked at the sudden change in topic, eyes going to rest on Lin worriedly for a moment before she turned to Alexander and nodded. "So long as there is actual [i]food[/i] in there somewhere, I'm in."

"Of course. That is if you consider pizza, bread sticks, various cookies and chips and dips actual food," Ki said, smirking as Alexander pulled out his sweet stash from the cabinet that the servants had put it in.

Lin reached over and grabbed the soft baked cookies.

Elena eyed the selection and drawled, "Sorry boys, but I need real food, not snacks." She winked at them then headed toward the back of the kitchen to speak with Reeve and the head cook for a moment. Returning, she asked,. "Entertainment room upstairs?"

Giggling, Alexander nodded before grabbing the phone to order pizzas from his favorite pizza place. It was expensive, but worth it. Putting the order in and telling them the address, Alexander led the way to the room, bouncing in happily.

Ki gave Reeve the money plus tip for the pizzas before he and Lin followed after the other male, grabbing the snacks.

Elena settled herself elegantly in one of the overstuffed arm chairs and turned to the men in the room with her. "What are we watching?"

"I grabbed my CD case with it. Figured we'd watch a good movie. Comes really close to what a demon seal can do to a home," Alexander replied, holding up his hard back case before opening.

"Oh, is it 'Rose Red?'" Ki asked, settling onto a couch with Lin curling up into his side. "It's like 6 hours long, but it's good for a T.V. movie."

Elena gave a soft shudder but said nothing. She'd seen it once and hadn't allowed Darius to leave her sight at night for nearly a week. She sighed internally and hoped that seeing it during the day would help take some of the nastiness away, as it brought back some unpleasant memories for her. She did want the young ones to enjoy themselves; if this was what they wanted to see, she would manage to sit through it somehow.

"We can do another," Ki said, seeing her shudder, "if you're not comfortable with it. These two are gore and horror nuts. They have to be with what they do quite a bit."

Alexander looked up before he shrugged and flipped to a different slot in his DVD case and pulling out his copy of "Labyrinth". "Easier to take," he said, shrugging.

Feeling badly for making them change their mind, Elena explained. "Rose Red brings back memories I'd rather not think about. I could always just leave you to watch it; Darius and I will be leaving this evening and I haven't even started packing," she suggested. She did want to spend a little more time with them, but she didn't want to deprive them of their fun either.

"Don't worry about it," Lin said, waving a hand at her. "It's alright. It's not like we can't do it later on."

Alexander sat down with a smile and nodded happily. "Yeah, don't worry about it," Alexander soothed as Ki leaned forward and dug around the pile of snacks, finding the bag of fruit and the baggie of fresh cut pineapple.

Elena nodded and settled back in her chair as they put the movie in, smiling when Reeve wheeled in a tray with eggs, fresh fruit, toast and cranberry juice. She nodded her thanks and picked up the glass, taking a sip as the other fae settled in to watch the movie.

Grabbing what they wanted, the three relaxed and watched as David Bowie danced around the screen, singing. "You know what would make this movie really good?" Lin suddenly asked, watching boulders attack goblins and houses.

"What?" Alexander asked around a piece of pizza.

"If it was a male pairing, instead of a het pairing," Lin replied, giggling as Ki poked him.

"I still say that The Goblin King had a thing for Tobi's future self," Alexander mused.

Elena nearly snorted her juice through her nose as laughter caught her by surprise. Composing herself she said teasingly, "Not that any of you are biased or anything."

"Oh no, not biased at all," Alexander replied, smiling brightly.

"He thought of that when he was 8," Ki drawled, stealing a pepperoni from Lin's piece of pizza with a smirk.

"That should have told me then that he would turn out gay."

"I'm not gay. I'm equal opportunity. Though, that's a moot point now," Alexander responded.

Elena laughed at that. "Definitely a moot point. Gods help anyone – male or female – who decided to come between you and that vampire child of mine."

"You love it," Alexander teased before turning to Lin. "When are you going to Kentucky?" he suddenly asked.

"I plan to go tonight, after Elena and Darius leave. I have the plan set up. I'm mostly going to set up reservations and take pictures. Possibly find out what the hell happened to the people who I sent to clean up Waverly," Lin replied, finishing his pizza.

Elena looked at them curiously, wondering if this was about Alexander's secret job. Well, secret in the sense that all Antonin had told her was that he had one that was dangerous at times.

"You're curious, Elena. I can feel it. Go ahead and ask them," Ki said softly as he passed her, having gotten up to go to the bathroom to brush his teeth. "I'll be right back, you two pains. Don't drive Elena batty," he called over his shoulder.

"Yes, Mommy," Alexander and Lin called back teasingly.

Elena shook her head even as she smiled. "Well?" she said once Alexander and Lin finally calmed down. "What exactly is this job of yours child? All Antonin would tell me was that it's sometimes dangerous."

"It can be. My main job it to raid cultists houses. Trip traps, disable those I can, get rid of magic and make sure there's nothing that could hurt a human or other magical creatures," Alexander started, putting his plate down.

"It's the other part of his job that is dangerous," Lin continued for Alexander. "He has to occasionally check on sealed demons or spirits. Occasionally, and this one is rare, he has to put new seals down."

Elena nodded, eyes and face thoughtful as she digested the information. "I can see why Antonin didn't want to talk about it. I can't see him taking the idea that Alexander might be in danger well at all."

"I'm there with him and Antonin is more than welcome to come with. It's only dangerous should Alexander over extend his powers," Lin responded.

"I'm a fully trained witch, but I don't know how to fully control the powers that come from my wood sprite blood," Alexander explained. "For the really huge jobs, such as a demon getting free, the various guardians and lords that have the power deal with that."

Both brows rose at that. "And this job, the one Lin is leaving to – I assume – prepare for? Is there any possibility of a demon being freed there?"

"Yes. Or at least the possibility of the seals to be loosened enough for the demon to expand its reach," Alexander said.

"A ghost hunting group is going to try to contact the spirits there by using a ritual. Unfortunately, we can't do anything about it until they actually do it. So, Alexander gets to go in, stop them, kick their asses and strengthen the seals," Lin finished.

Every line in Elena's body tensed at that. "By himself?"

"He has Lin no more then 2 minutes away and his goddesses are always watching him and able to get to him," Ki said for them, carrying a tray with four tall glasses and a pitcher of tea. "On occasion, I'm there with him. Lin's and Alexander's power clashes on really big things since Alexander's is shadow magic and Lin's is dream magic."

Elena nodded. "That's good to know," she mused. "Shadow magic and dream magic," she mused. "Ki, what kind of magic do you wield, child?"

"Dark magic," Ki said, settling down after pouring the drinks. "I hope you like mint tea. It's one of my favorites," he said, handing the glasses out. "I can mix with Alexander quite well when it comes to magics. And dark magic isn’t evil. Its power from the night and the shadows, parts of the world that help hide us from humans that would kill us. "

"Yes, I suppose you could," she murmured, clearly deep in thought. There was wielder of dragon magic - universal magic - she'd heard of once – a long time ago when she was still worshipped as a god – and she was trying to remember exactly what who it was.

"What about you, Elena? Do you practice?" Alexander asks, grabbing the liquid sugar in a small glass container and pouring a bit into his cup.

Elena looked up at him and smiled. "Not anymore, although my magic is inherent. Naiads have the power of Gaia, and so we control the waters that we are born from. We also have a form of allure, like the Sirens, and I never use that any more." She lapsed into silence for a moment and then asked, "Have any of you ever heard of a practitioner of dragon magic?"

Looking at each other, Lin and Alexander shake their heads while Ki's head swayed his expression unsure. "I think I may have. These two do know history, but they haven't gotten to the record books in my library," Ki admits softly. "And I haven't read them in the last 200 years. Why?"

Elena shook her head and smiled wryly. "It's nothing really. I'd heard of a dragon claiming a human as his student, and I was just thinking that if you had someone who practiced dragon magic around, it would make all your lives easier when it came to this job of yours." She looked at them all in turn and then added, "I don't even know if the student is still alive. It was a very long time ago."

"I could probably find out," Ki mused, tapping his bottom lip with his glass. Lin rolled his eyes and settled back to relax while Alexander moved over to Elena and semi curled up on her lap, laying his head on Elena's shoulder with a smile.

Elena curled her arm around him much like she would have a child – which, to her he was – and smiled. "It's not that important," she said to Ki. "It was a passing thought, that's all."

Nodding, Ki settled back as Lin got up and shifted through Alexander's CDs, finding a burned DVD with various old cartoons on it, including a few called Spy VS Spy. Smiling, he popped it into the DVD player. "Alright, if you want," Ki said, smiling as Alexander purred and snuggled close to her.

Elena smiled gently as she looked around the room. She'd gained a number of family members within the last few days, but it was a development that pleased her. She was near two thousand years old; it was far past time she had children to claim as her own.

"Hey, Elena, what would you name a child that was rather unexpected?" Alexander suddenly asked, blinking slightly dazed eyes up at her.

Elena looked at him curiously and asked, "Boy or girl?"

"Girl," Alexander replied, blinking a few times and shaking his head to clear it out.

"Vision?" Lin asked, looking up from where he was staring down a chip.

"Yes," Alexander finally said, getting his eyes cleared up.

"I'm not sure," Elena said, deciding to ask him about his vision later. "Elayria, maybe. Or Cirene. Why do you ask?"

"Mom is pregnant," Alexander said, smiling brightly. "She had a fling with a small time youkai who works for Kilim's father and apparently that fling left her with a kid."

"So, girl, half youkai?" Ki asked, blinking several times.

"Yeah. Half Butterfly actually," Alexander replied

Elena blinked. "Half butterfly?" she asked, voice faint.

"Yes, half butterfly. Some mage got a little experiment happy. He took the genes of a butterfly and a void youkai and combined them, ended up making several different clans of butterfly youkai," Ki explained, smiling at her. "They have fuzzy antennas and butterfly wings. Very pretty youkai. Nearly as pretty as white Inu youkai."

Elena blinked. Perhaps she should pay more attention to Darius' rants about what was happening in their world.

Giggling softly, Alexander kissed her cheek before relaxing again. “The guys should be getting up soon,” Lin said, looking at his watch. “How soon are you leaving after Darius gets up?” he asked.

Elena stroked her hands through Alexander's hair. "They need to speak with Alexander, so after that I suppose. I'll be packing while they do that."

Nearly purring under the touch, Alexander looked up at her with lazy eyes. "They need to talk to me about Kilim right?" he asked, getting a nod. "Ki should be with us. He's friends with him since his wife likes Ki's work."

Elena nodded and smiled, running her fingers through Alexander's hair once more. "Shall we go wake the men?" she asked. She felt badly that there was no one for Lin to wake, but she was confident there would be soon.

"Yeah, lets," Alexander said, smiling softly before watching Lin pick up the remote to the TV.

"I'm packed and my car has all my stuff, so I'm gonna sit here and watch the cartoons," Lin said to Alexander's curious look.

"Alright. I also have something for your bag, sweet," Alexander said, getting up and stretching, catching Lin's nod and small smile.

Elena stood and graced each fae with a hug and a gentle caress before she made her way down to the room she shared with Darius. She wasn't at all surprised to see him already stirring and sitting up as she opened the door, her link with him having told her he was waking.

Walking to their rooms, Alexander and Ki found their own lovers.

*~*~*

Ki snickered and stripped out of his clothes before sliding under the covers to wake Cyril in an entirely different but still enjoyable way.

Cyril woke to the delightful feel of a hot mouth in a place he hadn't felt one in far too long. He groaned softly as he lifted his hands and slid them through curly purple hair as Ki's tongue slid languidly along the length of his cock.

Purring and smiling, Ki lifted up slightly to take the head into his mouth and suckled on it for a few moments, his tongue gliding over the skin before he pulled off.

"Good morning, koi," he said before going back to lapping at the length.

A rumbling groan sounded in Cyril's throat before a soft laugh replaced it. "I would think that evening would be more appropriate," he teased, "however, I appreciate the sentiment. Hello to you too," he added, tugging gently on Ki's hair. He wanted a kiss, as delightful as that mouth was.

Sliding slowly up Cyril's body, Ki willing melded their lips together with a happy hum. He would get to taste Cyril soon enough. "How did you sleep?" he asked slightly breathlessly as he pulls away from the kiss slowly.

"Quite well," Cyril rumbled voice deep and husky. There was something about the way Ki smelled and tasted that called to his carnal nature, and he pulled Ki's head down for another devouring kiss.

Squeaking before moaning happily, Ki pressed close, rocking his hips against Cyril's. He was very much addicted to the taste of Cyril, the smell of him and the feeling of such a strong body pressed against his. It made his body heat and simmer.

Cyril twisted his body so he could roll Ki onto his back and immediately went back to the placed he'd marked, laving the skin before sucking gently on it once more.

Moaning and tilting his back, Ki buried his fingers into Cyril's hair and arched up into the bigger body. "Cy," he mewled lowly, his eyes fluttering shut in pleasure.

The sound of that lovely voice in his ear and against his lips and tongue had Cyril lifting his head, eyes blue, to regard Ki. "May I Mark you?" he asked.

Blinking several times to help clear his sight and his mind, Ki flushed in pleasure at the thought. "Ine," he breathed out in the soft musical language of the fae in his happiness.

Cyril laved his tongue across that spot once more and asked, "Is that a yes?"

"Yes. Ine literally translates into something like a mix between forever and yes," Ki explains, tilting his head back again.

Purring in approval, Cyril Titled Ki's head back so his neck was completely bared, then shifted so he could insert his fangs in the anterior vein that ran alongside Ki's Adam's apple. He laved the skin softly before he bit, stroking along Ki's arms as he did so. It wouldn't hurt – he did his best to make certain of that and his fangs were sharp enough that it shouldn't – but he didn't want to take chances, so he slid his hand to curl his fingers around Ki's hardness as he began sucking.

Moaning lowly and deep, trying not to press up into both feelings, Ki's body relaxes under the soothing feeling of his blood being drawn from him. It had been a long time since he had been fed from and it was much more intense the he had remembered. His fingers buried themselves into Cyril's hair as his prick leaked slowly.

Cyril was careful to only take what was needed before lifting his hand from Ki's body to lick his fingers clean. He pricked one and added a drop of his own blood to the wounds on Ki's neck, then licked them closed. That done, he slid down Ki's body and closed his mouth around the length he'd just been stroking, sucking slowly and deeply.

Arching up, his legs wide open, Ki shuddered at the feeling of Cyril's blood mixing with his own spreading through his body. Rolling his hips up into Cyril's mouth, he tugged on his hair and whimpered, wanting to taste, but not wanting to give up the feelings, being torn between the two feelings.

Ignoring the tugging, Cyril took more of Ki's cock, moaning around in the length in his mouth, swallowing until Ki slid into his throat.

Arching and keening loudly, it wasn't very much longer before he was spilling into Cyril's mouth, his body shuddering and finally relaxing again.

Cyril swallowed all of it, pulling up to catch some on his tongue and licking Ki clean before he moved back up Ki's body to take his lips once more.

Humming happily and returning the kiss with a smile, Ki wrapped his arms around Cyril's neck, holding him close. Pulling away he brushed his nose against Cyril's as one hand slid down the vampire's neck and chest, before reaching for and wrapping around his hard prick.

Cyril groaned in pleasure; a sound which turned into a growl of frustration as he received Darius' telepathic message. He reached down and gently removed Ki's hand, eyes swirling silver with irritation as he said, "Darius wishes to see us. He and Elena are waiting for us in the den."

"No," Ki pouted gently, his head thumping back onto the pillow. "Not fair. I haven't gotten to taste you." Looking up, he raised an eye brow at the look he received.

Cyril stared at Ki for a moment in some surprise, then chuckled and shook his head. "After we have spoken to Darius," he replied. "I do not want to see him in another mood, do you?" he asked pointedly.

"No, no. But love," Ki said, looking down at their bodies. "You still have me pinned and I can't get away from you until you let me up."

Cyril conceded Ki's point with a wry smile and lifted himself free, moving to where he'd tossed his leather pants the night before. He pulled them on and his sock as well, debating over whether or not to put on his shirt before deciding to push his arms through the sleeves.

Getting up, Ki pulled on his clothes easily, making sure that his pants were just right before tugging his shirt on. "Alright, let's go. I'm sure we're going to see Alexander pout at Darius at least once during this."

Cyril raised a brow at that and offered his elbow to Ki. "I have not seen Alexander's pout to know its power, but know that does Darius not have an excellent reason for this meeting, I will have a few words for him my self."

Smirking, Ki took his arm and leaned against Cyril. “If you behave I’ll be very happy and quite willing,” Ki purred, his eyes sparkling in lust and love as he tugged the other out the door and towards the den, smiling innocently at Elena before shooting Darius a pout.

*~*~* 

Alexander, feeling playful, waited until Antonin actually yawned before shouting out a 'Bonzai!' and pouncing on the bed, bouncing on it a few times.

Antonin blinked in surprise, then reached out and caught his hyper mate to his chest. "Is this what I can look forward to from now on, or have you been at the sweets again?" he teased. He could smell the snack food on Alexander's breath and thought it was a safe bet his lover had been indulging himself.

"I've been at the sweets again," Alexander said, smiling brightly. "That and I got cuddles while waiting for you to get up," he admitted, nuzzling close to his lover. "I only had 5 cookies, some pizza and pineapple...really."

"Of course," Antonin said, not buying a word Alexander said about what he'd eaten. "Snuggles hmm? From whom?" he teased. It had to be one of the people in the house, and they were all family in one way or another, so he wasn't as jealous as he sounded, although he was fairly certain Alexander would know from their bond he was being teased.

"Elena," Alexander said happily. "I'm making her have mommy moments. Which reminds me, you still have to meet mommy and she's preggers with a half butterfly youkai."

Antonin nearly choked. "She's pregnant with what?"

"A half butterfly youkai. They were created long, long ago by some mage who mixed butterfly genes with a void youkai. They are very pretty," Alexander babbled happily, before licking a nipple suddenly.

Antonin blinked. This was the first time he'd been confronted with a hyper Alexander and he had to admit, he had no idea how to handle it. The first thing that came to mind had to wait, because he knew Darius planned to leave this evening, and he should probably check on his brother as well.

"How was Ki this morning?" he asked, curious as to just how well his brother's night had gone after they'd spoken. He'd felt a wash of magic, but he'd been a bit preoccupied with his own lover.

"Happily mussed," Alexander replied, smiling brightly as he continued to nuzzle close to his lover. "He just screamed well pleased. I couldn't tell if he had been taken, since he wasn't limping and believe me, he would be limping if your brother is anything like you."

Antonin chuckled at that. "Cyril is… well, I've never heard anyone who had been to bed with him complain, and he had quite a few willing donors the last time I saw him." He shook his head and added, "It was why seeing the scars on his face concerned me so much."

"Well, Ki was looking smug for a bit and he had a nice little odd shaped hicky on his neck," Alexander says, pressing close and wiggling his hips. "But now...I worry about Lin. He has no one."

Antonin laughed at that. "It wouldn't happen to have been just about here would it?" he asked, brushing a finger to the right of Alexander's Adam's apple.

"Yeah...it was..." Alexander says, leaning into his lovers touch with a happy growl. "He kept touching it during the movie we watched."

Antonin shook his head. "He has a particular taste for that spot. I'm not certain why, but I suspect that when he marks Ki, it will be there."

"Aw, that is so cute," Alexander said, lifting his head up from where he had been debating on if it needed a mark or not. "I bet it's a sweet spot on his body to."

Antonin smiled and rolled them over so Alexander was pinned beneath them. "You may be right." His eyes went distant for a moment, then refocused as he said, "Darius wants to speak with us."

Pouting at his plans being ruined, Alexander suddenly brightened. "I get to pout at him right?" he asks, his eyes twinkling as he purposely wrapped his legs around Antonin's waist, drawing their hips together.

Antonin grinned. "Oh yes. As much as you like," he agreed. He rolled his hips teasingly against his mate's and then carefully disentangled himself from Alexander's arms and legs. "Later, Little Bird. I don't want to see Darius displeased."

"Very well, lover," Alexander pouted, getting up and sliding out of his night clothes that he had lounged around in all day. Deciding on a pair of tight jeans, a tight, white washed jean skirt and a short shirt, Alexander wiggled into his outfit with little difficulty, putting on a pair of slip on shoes. "Alright, I'm ready to pout."

Antonin kissed Alexander lightly before pulling on a pair of dark slacks and a white button down shirt. "He and Elena are waiting on us in the den," he said as he headed for the door, sliding an arm around his mate's waist once Alexander got close enough.

Nodding, Alexander settled his face into a pout and walked out the door. Ki and Lin looked up as they come in, both of them snickering as Alexander walked over to Darius and looked up at him like a kicked puppy. "You couldn't warn us?"

Darius looked up at both couples - Antonin and Alexander by the door and Cyril standing behind Ki - and smirked. "And deprive myself of all the fun I could have watching you fall all over yourselves? Why should I?"

He turned to face Ki and if anything, his smirk got even more wicked. "Besides, I know you enjoyed yourself, so don't turn that pout on me!" he carefully avoided Alexander's glance for the moment; that boy's pout was far too much like Elena's for his liking.

Pouting even more, Alexander turned his eyes towards Elena and turned up the cute factor. "Your mate isn't nice," he sniffled as Ki turned around and buried his face into Cyril's chest to muffle his laughter.

Antonin's eyes sparkled with amusement and Cyril's brows rose even as he slid a hand into Ki's curly head, gently massaging the scalp. Neither vampire had ever met another person with a pout as effective as Elena's on Darius, but it looked like that had changed, especially as Darius couldn't look at Alexander.

Elena grinned up at Alexander and said, "No child, he isn't. But we keep him around because he has other uses."

Darius turned an affronted gaze on his mate, who laughed at him.

"But...he won't even look at me," Alexander said, pouting some more as he moved forward to hug Elena, pouting at Darius after laying his head onto Elena's shoulder. "It was mean not to warn us. Remind me to not get you a Christmas present."

Antonin couldn't help it, he laughed. Darius shot him a look of censure even as Elena cuddled Alexander close and murmured, "If it's any consolation, we weren't warned either."

"Some," Alexander said, sniffling for effect as Ki's laughter filtered towards him along with Antonin's laugh. "But I'm still not happy with your mate."

Elena's lips twitched as she fought to keep her own laughter in check. Darius wouldn't speak to her for at least a week if she didn't. Instead she said nothing and merely pet Alexander's hair.

Cyril decided it was time to speak before this meeting degenerated any further. "Darius, I believe you said you had something you wished to ask Alexander? Is there a reason you requested the presence of Ki and myself?"

Looking up, Alexander watched Darius with a curious look in his eyes, refusing to move from the soothing touch of Elena.

Ki finally lifted his head and wiped his eyes free of the tears. "I'm curious about that also."

One of Darius' brows rose at that. "You are here because Elena informed me that Alexander said you should be here as this concerns his last… association," he said, refusing to call what Alexander had endured with Kilim a relationship. "Cyril, you are here because you are Venator for the Council, and if necessary, I want your authority as Council Arm by my side."

"Kilim?" Ki said, his eyes flashing and a candle melting from a sudden burst of flame. "Sorry," he muttered, blushing brightly.

"Calm down, Ki. No need to accidentally flambé someone again," Alexander drawled. "The last time you did that, the guy hitting on you ended up a pile of ash. Who knew a vampire could burn to ash in such a short time," he mused.

Ki just blushed some more and shook his head. "What do you need from us Darius?" Ki asked.

Cyril ran a calming hand along Ki's shoulder and up to trace lightly over the Mark he'd placed on the sensitive skin of his lover's neck. He thought it was likely a good thing he was a pureblooded vampire if Ki were prone to throwing fire when he was upset, or he'd run the risk of being burnt alive.

Antonin stilled as he waited for Darius' response. He had a feeling he knew what the answer would be, and while he was prepared for it, he was glad Alexander was being held by Elena. Still, he moved to where they both sat and placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder.

"I need to know who to contact to request the right of his destruction," Darius said calmly.

Nuzzling close to Elena, Alexander looked at Lin who had squeaked, the glass in his hand shattering as the water in said glass suddenly shot out into crystals as Lin's eyes flashed, his power flaring.

"Sorry," Lin said, holding his shirt to the cuts.

Ki held out his hand towards Lin and took Lin's hand into his own, plucking out the small bits. "You need to speak with his father. I have his number on my phone if someone can get it for me?" Ki said, his voice soft as he started to heal the wounds.

Antonin motioned to Reeve – who had been standing in the corner – who nodded and left to fetch the phone.

Cyril frowned, not having been told of Alexander's last relationship. He looked at Antonin who relayed everything he knew telepathically, and Cyril nodded, eyes bleeding red with rage.

Elena looked over at Lin in concern and asked, "Lin? Child, are you alright?"

"I will be. It's just...I'm still getting used to the power surges that I get with my emotions," Lin said lowly. "I...get angry when it comes to Kilim. Ki and I were the ones who found Alexander and took him to the hospital."

Alexander nodded and hummed in agreement.

"It's true. They were there for me while mom was gone. I think she had gone to China for some antique sale," Alexander finally said.

Elena sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I forget how very young you all are."

Darius looked up when Reeve reentered the room.

Knowing this was important, Reeve went directly to Ki and handed him his phone, bowing before moving to stand where he had been before.

"It's alright. I know we seem older then we are, but...that's probably the lives we've lived for the most part," Lin said, squeezing and relaxing his now healed hand while Ki found the proper file.

"Call this number, tell them you wish to talk to the Lord about his son, his involvement with Alexander and the repercussions of said involvement," Ki said, handing over a piece of paper with three numbers. "If they refuse, call the second one. If you can't get anyone on the second, call the third. That's his mate's cell. She'll get you in."

Darius drew himself up in his chair so that even though he was sitting, his presence seemed to fill the room. "Even if they refuse to allow me to speak with him – which I doubt - I don't believe they would be so foolish as to ignore a request from the Venator." He took the scrap of paper and stood, nodding at Elena who gently set Alexander on his feet as she also stood.

"Antonin, Cyril, I will contact you once I've spoken to the Council."

Nodding to each other, Ki giggled as Alexander and Lin hugged Elena around her waist and pouted at Darius in tandem. "But we don't wanna give her up," the two pouted lightly, hugging Elena in their own way while playing with Darius, who deserved to be pouted at in their book.

Darius shook his head and glanced at both his Children. "The mercurial nature of the fae. I do hope you're up to being driven insane on a regular basis," he said lightly. Turning back to Lin and Alexander he raised a brow and asked, "Will I need to pry you from my mate?"

Pouting, Lin and Alexander suddenly smirked and pounced on Darius, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheeks before saying, once more together, "Good bye, daddy. Treat mommy well."

Ki suddenly started laughing loudly, holding onto Cyril's pants as the two ran away and hid behind Antonin, still smirking.

Both Antonin and Cyril had to fight smiles as they watched the two mischievous fae virtually attack the unsuspecting vampire. Elena laughed and tugged on her mate's arm. "Come, leave the children. It's time for us to go," she reminded him.

Darius sent a look at both Lin and Alexander that promised retribution, then followed his mate out the den.

Giggling, Alexander and Lin smiled innocently at the two other vampires. "Hey, be glad we didn't put hair dye in his shampoo or something," Alexander said, smiling up at his mate with happiness.

"Right. Be very glad. One week, I walked around with neon pink hair until I was able to get the stuff out," Ki drawled from his place with his head against Cyril's hip.

Antonin just shook his head; the two of them were very, very true to their nature. "How is it you managed to be relatively sane in comparison?" he asked Ki, teasing both Lin and Alexander at the same time.

"I got them back," Ki smirked. Alexander stuck his tongue out at Ki while Lin moved to sit in a chair to wait for his time to leave.

"It's true. Ki took all of our clothes and only left these pink dresses. We have pictures of it," Lin said, smiling brightly.

Cyril sighed; he was surrounded by pranksters. He could see his dignity going up in flames now. What had he and Antonin gotten themselves into he wondered.

'A lifetime free from eternal boredom,' Antonin responded mentally, making him aware he'd sent the thought unconsciously.

Smirking Ki winked at the two before saying "If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to go have some fun with Cyril. Lin, have a safe trip. I have a feeling something good will happen for you."

Alexander and Lin giggled, watching as Ki dragged Cyril out of the room with a smirk.

Antonin's brows climbed as he watched his stoic, dignified brother allow himself to be pulled from a room. "It seems those two have solved their differences," he said with a smirk. "Lin, call us when you get back?"

"I will," Lin promised, seeing his car pull up. "I must go now. Alexander, you said that you had something?"

"Ah, yes. Hold on," Alexander said, heading to the kitchen, pausing to tilt his head in confusion as Cyril pinned Ki to the wall. "That's something you don't see every day," he murmured, continuing on his way. Soon he was handing over a bundle to Lin with a smile. "Here. I hope you enjoy it. And have fun camping."

"Yeah, fun. I hate camping, no running water," Lin muttered, walking out of the house with one last wave.

In the hallway Cyril picked Ki up and headed for his lover's temporary room.

Antonin looked at Alexander and said, "I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Race you there?" Alexander asked, just as he pinched Antonin's ass. Taking off, he giggled and ran for their rooms, Antonin following behind.