Prev. Throne-o-f-sass

By nature vampires could not hold onto such a delicate flame without threat of snuffing it out permanently. Not when one careless action easily ended everything, quick as a fang slid into a vein. This lesson had been drilled into Cameron by his maker centuries ago.

That didn't stop him, however, from watching. With Darius slumbering for at least four more decades, Cameron was alone. He spent his time working but these last few weeks he had been distracted by Nik. He was constantly with his woman, those brown hands touching her skin, her hips, her hair. They orbited each other, but did not hesitate to shine for anyone else. Their smiles turned outwards as often as they did in.

The humans were foolish, no matter how much light they had. To be in this place full of predators so carelessly at night. They were both in leather jackets, their hair teased with hairspray and Kohl lined their brown eyes. They drew attention without effort, and seemed not to notice when not all of it was benevolent.

They weren't the only humans in the club, but Nik at the very least was the only one that Cameron cared about. Well. Perhaps 'cared' was too strong a word for Cameron's interest. However, it would be a waste of such a vibrant life if he were to die. Hopefully the human played his cards right and did not attract too many predators his way. Hopefully he made it to sunrise.

Cameron turned around and went back to his desk where he spent the rest of the night doing paperwork. The music was muffled enough he could focus and no one came to bother him. He took a drink from the tea cup on his desk. Good. It was still warm and pleasant. He had slit a wrist from a clubber and drained it into the cup half an hour ago.

It was an hour before sunrise when the club started to clear out. Cameron finished up his work for the night and cleaned up before heading downstairs. There were a few stragglers but overall the place was empty. The faint smell of blood still clung to the air and the dark curtains. Employees skillfully cleared out any bodies that had been drained that evening.

Cameron walked outside, the crisp autumn air hitting his skin. The cooling temperatures still made his bones ache. If he had thought of it, he would have brought his cane with him. Next time, then.

The sidewalks were empty aside from a few people who seemed to be on their way home. They all paid him no mind, just as he preferred. No need to stick out in the minds of mortals when life went so much smoother as a pale shadow on the fringes.

The thick scent of blood caught his attention as he passed the entrance to a nearby alley. His fangs cut against his bottom lip as the smell teased him forward. He found himself wandering down the alleyway to investigate. Even before he found two familiar bodies covered in blood at the very end he knew who he'd find.

Nik.

There was no one else, just the two of them. Light officially snuffed. And yet. Against Cameron's better judgment he found himself kneeling in front of Nik. That warm brown skin was splattered in blood, his and hers from the smell of it, and there were ragged puncture wounds on his tattooed neck.

There was a pulse, just barely one. Nik's dark lashes fluttered and he groaned. A spark, then? Blood pooled when Cameron ripped open his wrist. “Drink,” he ordered, pushing it against Nik's mouth. He would question his decision later.

Nik mumbled against his wrist, perhaps the name of the girl who laid dead next to them. But then he started to drink. Those dark brown eyes opened slowly and moved to Cameron's face.

For a moment time slowed down while Nik drank from him, it was just the two of them in this alleyway. When Cameron finally pulled away, Nik absently palmed at his healed throat. He blinked a few times, still staring at Cameron.

Inevitably his distant gaze landed on the dead woman beside them. That was enough to shock him into action. He scrambled towards her, long fingers going to her hair, her face, the bite marks on her neck. “Fix her.” Again those dark brown eyes snapped to his. Demanding, of all things.

“I cannot,” Cameron said, standing. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands and the dark cuff of his sleeve.

“What do you mean you can't!” Nik snapped. Despite the initial temper to his question, his voice wavered as he insisted, “Fix her.”

“She's already dead,” Cameron said. His blood would do her no good now, and Cameron wasn't one for empty gestures.

Nik pressed his forehead against hers. A shudder went through him, and then sobs shook him in earnest. Tears mixed with smeared eyeliner and blood. He held her face between his hands as if he could cup the soul already fled and keep it from slipping through his fingers. There was nothing Cameron could say to help the situation, so he said nothing.

“What good are you then?” Nik finally rasped. He visibly swallowed another sob and then ground out, “Why save me and not her?”

Again, Cameron offered no words. Nothing he could say would make any difference. He felt nothing when he glanced at the dead girl. It hadn't been her light he'd trailed over the last few weeks.

“Would you like me to take you somewhere?” Cameron finally asked. Immediately another thought hit him, a kindness he could offer, hollow though it was. “I could make you forget. If that would be easier.”

“Easier for you?” Nik asked. While his tone was accusing, the look he gave Cameron was lost. Adrift. Already fading.

“This does not matter to me. She does not matter to me,” Cameron said. “She matters to you. This would be easier for you.”

“Just go away,” Nik said. He brushed her hair from her face, smoothed it so it hid the punctures in her throat. “Go away and leave us alone.”

Perhaps that was best. The smell of blood was starting to get to him. His fangs ached and all the blood soaking Nik's skin was beginning to make Cameron dizzy with thirst. His eyes lingered on Nik's exposed throat for far too long.

Cameron inclined his head. “Very well,” he said, and then promptly turned on his heel. The smell of blood hunted him as he walked to his car.

It was a sleek thing, black with tinted windows, carefully made to prevent UV rays from penetrating inside. A sound investment for when he traveled.

He drove home in silence, his only thoughts on the human with blood that sang to him.

----

Cameron was vaguely surprised to see Nik again so soon. The very next night Cameron found the human in his club once more, long before the night reached its peak.

From high in his office, Cameron watched Nik dance around the club as if it was just another night. He wore eyeliner and glitter, he was fitted in a black leather jacket and white v-neck. He was the picture of feverish health. But- His movements were jittery and jerky. He was sweating more than anyone else.

Nik was now talking to a tall man, taking from him a small package and following him to one of the backrooms. Cameron argued with himself on whether or not he should follow. Nik was likely on his way to take even more drugs. Drugs, from a strange man in a club full of vampires while he still had vampire blood in his system.

Cameron closed his office behind him and followed Nik and the man back to the VIP room. He moved past vampires feeding, past dancing and sweating bodies. The music was so loud it practically made his brain rattle in his skull.

It took him longer than he cared for to get past all the people to get to the rooms. He didn't so much as glance at the bouncer in charge of the rooms before going through each room until he found what he was looking for.

It was the fourth guess before Cameron found the right room. The man with Nik was passed out cold, but he was still breathing. Cameron promptly ignored him.

He found Nik sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. There was blood streaked vomit beside him. Pain pinpricked behind Cameron's eyes when he leaned down in front of Nik. The stress of the last few days was going to trigger a cluster headache tomorrow, most definitely.

Cameron put his ear next to Nik's chest; he wasn't breathing. Cameron patted Nik's clammy face, he tried to do CPR. He tried to shove two fingers down Nik's throat to induce more vomiting, but it was too late.

Whatever was in the drugs Nik inhaled, it had killed him. Nik was dead. And he was dead with vampire blood in his system.

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