Pain and Pleasure

Part 11A

Xir’ag stared seriously into Sajore’s eyes.

“We’ll take it slow. I will not abandon you this time,” Sajore whispered as he stroked the drow's hair, smiling softly.

Xir’ag nodded, pressing his mouth against Sajore's, circling his tongue along the lines of his lips. He felt Sajore’s tongue darting out to meet his and he savoured the sweet taste of him. Slowly the kiss became deeper. Xir’ag sank his tongue into the vampire's sweet mouth, tasting the faint scent of blood from his warm breath against his lips.

The vampire’s tongue explored his mouth, sliding between his teeth and deeper to explore the roof of his mouth. He moaned into Sajore’s mouth, pressing closer to him. He wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into his lap and Xir’ag obeyed. Their erections ground against each other as their bodies pressed together.

Xir’ag moaned again.

Slowly Sajore disentangled himself from the drow's embrace and pushed him gently away.
“Slow down,” he whispered, running his hand in the man's snow white hair, planting soft kisses on his cheeks.

He saw Xir’ag’s long fingers reach closer to the necklace again and sighed deeply, lowering his head.

“Look… I think we should wait …” he said, his voice full of sorrow and anger towards himself. If it would have been possible, he would have beat up the stupid demon and been done with it, but it made no sense to harm himself like that. He sighed again and Xir’ag lifted his head. He had not even noticed his hand moving, but now he stopped and stared at his fingers that slowly curled around the pendant, crushing it into his fist.

“We are going to get through this… just don’t leave me alone,” Xir’ag said seriously, pressing his free hand against Sajore’s cheek.

The vampire smiled a sad smile. “I will never leave you… but for now, we should be without sex until we are both ok with it. You are obviously not ready yet.”

“I’m ok with it when I’m with you, but that other side of yours can be rather scary sometimes.”

Sajore’s eyes flashed yellow in an instant and as he began to speak again, his voice was deeper.
“You’re afraid of me?” The demon asked seriously.

Xir’ag tried to stay still but automatically backed away an inch, holding the pendant tighter in his fist, ready to call out Sajore if need be. “I don’t want to be,” was all that he could say. He loved the demon just as he loved Sajore, but sometimes this split personality thing was just too complicated. He went to bed with the gentle, loving and caring Sajore and made love with the passionate, rough and sometimes too aggressive demon.

“I went too far,” the demon said bluntly.

Xir’ag stared at him for a moment as his red eyes started to boil with rage. “And you know it! Damnit, I am not your toy. If you love me, try to control yourself a bit more. I’m not your fucking toy!” He yelled out, his face full of fury. He pushed at the demons chest with his hand.

The Demon stared at him. “I love you… more than anything… it's just that I don’t know how I should express it, this is all too unfamiliar to me," he slowly answered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I thought that sex made you happy, and besides, that’s the only time when I can be with you for longer.”

“Sex does make me happy. When I can decide what happens, not when I’m a puppet who is thrown around and used.”

“I never meant you to take it like that…” The demon looked ashamed and turned his eyes on the ground. “You misunderstood me.”

“How many NO’s can you misunderstand?” Xir’ag asked frowning.

The Demon fell silent.

Xir’ag lifted his head and yelled. “Don’t you fucking dare to run away and hide now. We are going to talk this over. I want to continue my life normally and you are in my way!” He held the Demon’s chin in his hand and stared into his wide yellow eyes.

“Ok… I will teach Sajore how to control me better… I am going to do that for you. I have never told the technique to him before, because unlike him, whose thoughts I can read openly, he cannot have access to all of mine. But, I am going to teach him… for your sake; to prove that I really do care about you.”

His voice faded away and a painful look rose onto his face. Xir’ag knew what that meant for the Demon. He was intentionally giving away his freedom to come out when he wanted. He released the pale man's chin and gently took a hold of his shoulders. He didn’t know what to say, but smiled as the Demon lifted his face, kissing him softly on the lips.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xir’ag sat on a huge rock, hugging his knees and watched Sajore from far away.

The vampire stood still and it looked like he was doing nothing, but there was a great view to the city from the place and he was looking for prey, sweeping the scenery with his sharp eyes and scent that could smell the perfect victim miles away. Soon he seemed to sense someone suitable and signalled to Xir’ag before jumping down.

After a short while Sajore climbed back on the cliff.

Xir’ag chuckled to himself.

The vampire's face and hair were dripping blood and he smiled a content, full smile, licking his lips. He ran closer and jumped on the rock, sitting next to Xir’ag and sighed happily, taking a hold of the drow's hand and twining their fingers together. They stared at the lights of the glowing, magical city beneath them.

Sajore had decided that the best way to get over everything bad that had happened between them was to prepare for the worst and enjoy the best. He was finally ready to let Xir’ag into his life and heart completely. And that included his bloody feeding trips outside the house and showing this murderous, violent side of him openly.

He was now more capable of controlling this side of himself when he wanted to, but still gave free reign to the demon when he fed, to show his appreciation. As much as he disliked sharing his body and mind with the demon, he was not going to go anywhere so they just had to bear with it the best they could… and things were looking up.

The drow didn’t seem to mind that he always came back covered with blood and a dirty grin on his face when they went to the feeding trips; afternoon walks as Sajore called them. It was a big relief to Sajore. It felt incredibly good to see the wizard waiting for him, sitting next to him, being close to him and accepting him. He glanced at Xir’ag and squeezed his hand. Xir’ag smiled and leaned closer to him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was a knock on the door. Elgarathinge opened the door and let the drow priestess in.

Xa’Herae grinned wickedly at him. “I have good news.”

Elga smiled back and invited her to sit. The drow priestess sat on his bed, moving her cloak away and showing off her revealing dress.

Elga sat next to her, still keeping his respectful distance. “So, news? Is he here? And why did it take so long to find out?”

“Yes, he is here. And I knew about it a long time ago. But until now I didn’t have a reason to tell you.”

The bounty hunter cursed at the priestess and stared at her. “How can I get my hands on him? He has the matron's protection inside the house?”

“Yes, but there are ways in... if I help you.” Xa’Herae smiled and slipped her hand onto his knee.

He smiled a dry smile. He knew the price for this. He moved closer to her and kissed her softly.

The priestess kissed him back roughly and pushed him onto the bed.

Some hours later they lay, half asleep, on the bed.

Elga was deep in his thoughts, remembering his past and the things he had lost. Hate flared inside him but he calmed himself down quickly, praying to his beloved God. Even when he was hunting down this beast that had killed everyone who mattered to him and even while he was loosing himself in the process, there were still some things he would not give up. One of them was his faith for his God and the teachings He had given him.

His life belonged to that God and he was His tool. He would sacrifice his life to hunt down the damned beast that terrorized his life and the world around him. He would do it for them… for the loved ones who had died, for his God, for peace, for harmony and for love, for the dear teachings of his God… Even when he had to turn into a killer to make sure his God's way would come to pass.

He sighed and blinked his thoughts away as the priestess gently fondled his chest.

“I want you to meet someone who is going to help you,” the priestess said, sliding her hand up his body and finally curling her long fingers into his brown hair.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t trust you enough to let you work alone in this,” the priestess simply stated, smiling seductively.

Elga ground his teeth and got up. He was not pleased, but with the drow, there was nothing else to do but to obey or he would never get where he wanted. “Well, then we better hurry.”

The woman stared at his back angrily, but took the clothes the man offered her and slowly got dressed. Soon they were on their way to a small tavern close to the city limits.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xir’ag laughed so hard he was about to choke. Sajore kept tickling him even when he tried to run away. They were in his laboratory, almost under the table. Finally he caught Sajore’s hands and didn’t let go. He breathed deep as Sajore finally stopped the tickling.

Sajore sniggered and nuzzled his cheek. They had not had made love for 10 days now. They both felt frustrated, but wanted to wait until they would both feel ready and most of all, safe.

The time had also proved one important thing, that their relationship was not based on sex alone. The time had gone by fast, and they had joked around and talked more about serious issues. They both felt like they knew each other much better now and had developed a strong bond between one another.

The only time when both of them still felt awkward was when it was time to go to sleep. They both wanted to make love, their bodies showing it very clearly, but both refused to act on their lust. Every night ended as they curled close to each other, feeling their hard shafts pressing against each other, trying to ignore the pressure and get some sleep.

More than once they had woken up in the middle of the night gasping for air, in the midst of sleepy combined masturbation, as their bodies ground against one another. They never took it further than that, never trying to get closer than that, Sajore not touching Xir’ag once with his hands, their grinding hips bringing them both fast release and then sleep once more.


Xir’ag let go of Sajore’s hand and he knelt on the floor, next to the flushed drow. Sajore looked into his lowered eyes. “Are you ok?”

“Stop asking that,” Xir’ag laughed and poked him to the chest.

The vampire fell onto his butt and started to laugh too.

Xir’ag jumped on him and stared back into his eyes.

It started to become harder and harder to keep apart, to not go further. Sajore sat back up and pulled Xir’ag onto his lap, kissing him lightly and then petting his hair, passing the warming moment quickly. “I have to feed soon. Do you want to come along again?”

“Of course do.” Xir’ag smiled sheepishly and stood up.

“Yes, you need to act as my bodyguard. I’m too fragile and weak to go alone.” Sajore said seriously and lifted Xir’ag suddenly to the air.

Xir’ag wrapped his hands around the vampire's neck and squealed happily.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon they were outside the house. Xir’ag ran to the meeting point where Sajore was already waiting.

The bounty hunter stared at the vampire from the shadows of his magical shield, behind them, grinding his teeth angrily. His mind yelled: Finally! He had waited for this for so long, too long. He would have a scar on his face forever, reminding him of the damned vampire. There he was, finally, so close; within his grasp, and this time, he would not loose his opportunity!

He stared at the drow, feeling a little surprised. The priestess had not mentioned that the vampire had an ally, but still the two men greeted happily before Sajore turned the other way, walking to the high cliff.

Of course he didn’t do as the priestess told him, only using her knowledge and help to track down the vampire where he felt was the best place to ambush him. He was not going to risk his life entering the house when he knew that the vampire had to come out to feed eventually. It didn’t take long to track him down with the help of his new companion, asking about missing people and strange mutilated bodies that had been drained of all of their blood and making a few spells in places where they found faint traces of the vampire’s scent.

The man sat there as quietly as he could when the vampire walked closer to the cliff, leaving Xir’ag to stand a bit further away. Elga signalled to his new partner in crime and got an answer fast, as the wizard floated over the cliff quietly.

Elga grinned and pointed the little pocket bow at the strange drow who was happily staring at Sajore. He would not take risks; the unexpected drow would be out of the game really fast.

Xir’ag felt a little stinging in his neck and knew that he had been hit. He turned to Sajore and gasped out as he felt all of the power disappearing from his limbs, “A trap.” Then he fell to the ground. He could still see what was happening but was unable to move even an inch.

Sajore turned around furiously, sensing the danger and tuning all his senses to look for the cause. Soon enough, he tracked the strange blackness behind one of the big rocks they always sat on, that was where the small arrow had come from and he could finally see the attacker as the magic dispersed around him from his command.

His eyes widened for a moment when he recognized the attacker and then he was already running to him. He felt stinging arrows hit his stomach and arms and felt the numbing effect of the powerful drug spread out into his limbs, but he was far too angry and strong to be taken down so easily.

He got closer and closer until he felt a sharp pain in his head. His legs gave under him and he fell to his knees, grasping his head with his hands and screaming out in pain and rage.

Xir’ag could see Sajore fall and then a drow with a red and black cloak walking closer to the vampire, whispering a spell and waving his hand in the air. He wanted to scream and run and kill the man, but all he could do was to lie there and watch. Even his eyes started to feel heavy.

Sajore couldn’t hear anything. It was like a thousand razorblades had suddenly pierced his head from all directions and the pain was excruciating. He sank his fingernails deep into his scalp to stay conscious.

The strange wizard walked to Sajore and pressed his palm against his head, just above his eyes and Sajore fell to the ground.

Xir’ag was screaming on the inside, but on the outside only a soft growl could be heard. The wizard turned to face him and smiled a purely evil smile. Elga walked over to the wizard and said something to the man, but Xir’ag couldn’t hear a word of it. He was forced to watch helplessly as both of the men turned away and left him laying there. He could see Elga lift Sajore onto his wide shoulders with ease and then both of the men walked away.

He tried to move but nothing happened. He fought the exhaustion but could not hold it back for long. Finally his eyes slid shut and the world disappeared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xir’ag woke up on the hard ground. Something was poking his back. He rose to his elbows and slowly looked back, trying to focus his eyes. His head was fuzzy and he didn’t know where he was.

There was a huge black rat on his back. He shooed it away quickly. He tried to think hard, but his thoughts were too blurry. Then it all came rushing back. They were outside and those men had attacked them. They had poisoned him and Sajore… Sajore! He stood up, ignoring his wobbly legs and looked around.

There was no trace of the vampire. He yelled his name with pure rage in his voice and ran to the cliff, collapsing to his knees there, fearing what he might find. There was nothing. He sighed from relief. But Sajore was still gone.

He grabbed a hold of the pendant he had gotten from Sajore. It was deep red, but cold. But at least he knew Sajore was still alive. He gritted his teeth together as a deep growl dispersed its way from his lips. His slitted eyes scanned the scenery around him, sensing something close by. He froze.

The wizard had strict orders of what to do. He was to observe the drow until he had gone away and make sure he would not follow them. But Orgoll was a drow. And some drow's have certain sides that they cannot change even if they wanted to, one of them being a craving to show their powers and test their strength against others.

It was not easy to simply observe, as the slender drow rose up and ran around, yelling out the vampire's name. Orgoll chuckled to himself, waiting for a while longer until he was certain that the other drow could not sense him behind the heavy magical shield that he was guarding himself with. Xir’ag had stopped at the edge of the cliff and was just staring down, as though he had fallen into shock.

Xir’ag calmed his mind and breathed slowly. He started to test his limbs and muscles, making sure his reflexes and body worked properly again. He flexed his fingers slowly, almost unnoticeably, he stiffened and loosened the muscles of his legs and feet, ensuring that he'd be ready to move fast when he needed to.

Xir’ag had seen the wizard with the other man and felt his presence clearly now, even when it was hidden with magic, he could trace it with his mind. He had seen the wizard at work and knew that he was no apprentice and that he clearly knew what he was doing. Still, the man was strange to him, which lead him to the conclusion that the wizard had to be either from out of town or part of the rogue group called Bregan Daerthe, which might mean that the man was a very powerful enemy.

Xir’ag closed his eyes and waited for the other man to act. He couldn’t do anything until he knew the wizards exact position. His fingers clutched into fists close to his knees and he breathed deeply, waiting for an attack.

Arrogance - yet another feature of the drow mind that often controls their actions. Orgoll was very sure of himself, especially when Xir’ag had collapsed after just one poison arrow.

Xir’ag rarely wore any of his wizard clothes outside his house, only a simple piwafwi, to hide his identity. He looked like a normal fighter, carrying his short sword on his hip and no visible spell pouches or any wizard gear what so ever. He used this to his advantage in situations like the current one. When others thought that he was just a lineman, a normal harmless fighter and soldier. Only the members of his house recognized him for what he truly was.

Orgoll slid swiftly from his spell-protected portal near the edge of one of the big dripstones on the ceiling of the huge cave. He moved fast behind Xir’ag, pushing him over the edge of the cliff with a powerful surge of energy. Xir’ag let out a yelp and disappeared from sight.

Orgoll stepped closer to make sure the drow had really fallen rather than simply floated away. A vain smile spread across his face. The only worry in his mind was how he was going to explain the death of the drow to the assassin. But right then, he didn’t really care.

Xir’ag shivered under the edge, his muscles slightly trembling from the after effect of the energy surge, despite the fact that he had, at the last second, thrown out a similar attack, blocking the one pointed at him. He listened to the soft footsteps and jumped into movement. His eyes flamed furiously as he flung himself over the edge and back onto solid ground. He landed directly in front of the other wizard, yelling out a spell and pushing his hands forth.

The wizard knew that he had made a mistake when he stretched out his neck to see over the edge. The drow was suddenly right in front of him and he found himself in the air. Orgoll flew several feet to the rough ground, hitting his back to the rocks below him. His whole body tingled and ached after the powerful lighting strike and he could feel how his hair was sticking straight up and he felt slightly dizzy.

Xir’ag didn’t waste time before he jumped after him and pinned him to the ground roughly. He pushed his fingers against the man's chest and said the same spell he had used not so long ago to glue Sajore to the fighting-practice room floor during their lust-filled competition. The memory filled his mind for a second and when he looked into the man's red eyes, his own were boiling with anger, his lithe form easily pinning the strong man on the ground. Orgoll looked shocked to the core.

The wizard struggled with no luck to get away from the ground and out from under Xir’ag. Xir’ag leaned closer and smashed his fist into Orgoll's face. There was no need to use magic on this idiot now.

“Where is he?” He growled, taking the man's head into his hands and crushing the back of it against the rocky ground beneath. The man's eyes rolled around and he moaned from the pain, his body going limp. “Like fucking hell I’m going to let you drift away before you tell me where he is!”
Xir’ag yelled and slapped the man's face roughly. Orgoll's eyes squeezed shut and his lips curled into a painful grimace.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sajore’s stomach was on fire, his head hurt like hell and his limbs ached furiously. In all the possible ways, he was feeling really lousy. His face was hurt and his skin felt strange. All these things didn’t really bother him. The thing that filled his mind the most was Xir’ag, they had been on the cliff and then… everything went blank.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of the light filled room. He was on the floor and had heavy chains binding his wrists. He felt how the chains spell was squeezing his wrists, ‘no getting out of them’. He groaned as his conscience slowly returned to him.

He sensed someone else in the room with him and turned to face them, rolling onto his other side slowly. Oww… that hurt!

“Xir’ag?” Sajore asked and stared at the figure blearily. His sight was not normal either, but slowly he was starting to see colours and shades and could soon tell that the man was too pale to be a drow.

The assassin stared at him, his eyes empty and hate-filled, and his scarred face looking grim. Sajore was too worried about Xir’ag to think about joking around as he usually would have done in a hopeless situation like this, so he just stared back, recognising the man easily and grunting.

“You are going to die,” The man said slowly, twiddling a little spike in his hands.

Sajore didn’t say a word. What was there to say? He turned his head away but then turned back, his eyes flashing yellow and his fangs glowing in the light dangerously. “Whatever you say. Just tell me. that you didn’t hurt the drow who was with me.,” He asked, angrily.

The man stared back and chuckled ironically. “Why would you care about that?”

“Because I care, so is he ok or isn’t he?”

The man started to laugh a cold laughter. “You are really telling me you care about someone? You?”

Sajore’s eyes flared. “Is he ok?” He yelled angrily and leaned forward, the chains jingling on his wrists.

The man stopped laughing. “You are serious?” He asked, rising up and walking closer.

Sajore nodded, staring coldly into his eyes.

Elga leaned next to him and cocked his head, staring into Sajore’s eyes. “Why is that person so important to you?”

“I... he is more important than anything.” He said speaking quietly and turning his head away.

“Why? You can’t really care about anyone with that soulless body of yours.”

Sajore revealed his fangs again and growled at him as the man kneeled closer to him, touching his chin with the metal spike. Sajore stared into Elga’s eyes seriously. Xir’ag was going to be alone after he died. He couldn’t die. He stared at the man. “I love him.” he said seriously.

Elga stared at him wide eyed and frowned. “You can’t love!”

“I thought so too... before it happened,” Sajore said and lowered his head again.

Elga grabbed his chin and lifted his head up. “Do you really think I believe you?”

“I guess you wouldn’t,” Sajore said honestly. “I don’t really care if you believe me or not, but I want to know that he’s ok!” Sajore growled.

Elga stood up and turned around. Maybe it had been a mistake to leave the handling of the drow to Orgoll. He didn’t know that the drow played such a big part in all this. He would have to test this. He had chased the evil demon across the world to get rid of him. He was a threat to everyone as long as he lived. He couldn’t have changed, he couldn’t have!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sajore yelled after him as he started to walk towards a small opening in the wall.

Elga stopped. “Yes. He is ok, for now.” Then he walked out and left the vampire alone.

Elga ran. Fast. He was beginning to doubt his decision to trust Orgoll and was afraid of what he would find waiting for him. Not that it wouldn’t have been right, for the demon to have the person Sajore loved killed. It would serve him right. But… No! It was not right. His God would never forgive him if he hurt a soul that was capable of loving. But it couldn’t be true. No, it could not be true.

He arrived to the cliff just in time to see the enormous lightning hit Orgoll and throw him back to the rocks, and Xir’ag rushing to him, hitting him several times, sneering and growling to know the vampire's whereabouts.

The assassin pulled out his little pocket bow and walked closer.

Xir’ag turned his head but didn’t move.

“I have him; the vampire Sajore.”

This got Xir’ag moving, he didn’t try to come closer to Elga, but instead grabbed Orgoll's hair in his fist and lifted his head. “Trade you? You get him alive, I get Sajore. Alive!” He snarled out and stared at Elga.

Elga nodded and lowered his bow, then turned, trusting the drow to follow. “Leave him here… you didn’t have to attack him though. He was here only to watch over you.”

Xir’ag snorted. “Watch over me? He’s the one who attacked me. I only defended myself.”

Elga turned around. “What?”

“Not that I wouldn’t have attacked him anyway to find out where Sajore is. But I didn’t start the fight.”

Elga didn’t reply. He still couldn’t believe either of the men, so he would just wait and see what happened next.

“Why are you doing this?” Xir’ag asked after they had been walking for a while.

Elga sighed. “To defend the world from the likes of him.”

“From vampires?”

“No. From soulless demons that slay and kill without regret.”

A short pause followed.

“Sajore is not the man he used to be.” Xir’ag whispered, Elga thought he sensed sadness in the drow's voice.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They walked silently towards the place where Sajore was hidden at. Xir’ag could sense him before he could see the place and started to move faster the closer they got.

He soon entered the dusty, dark room. The candles that had been lighting it before had burned down. Sajore was lying in the corner, bleeding from several places and groaning in a pain filled voice. The vampire heard them enter and lifted himself up, even when it hurt to do so. His senses were still far too fuzzy to sense Xir’ag, all he could tell was that someone had come into the room.

Xir’ag wanted to run to Sajore, but the enemy in front of him kept him still.

Elga stared at the vampire in the corner and then glanced at Xir’ag.

Sajore seemed incoherent, his arms shaking and his eyes unfocused. His other eye was swollen and bleeding. He clinched his side, blood dripping onto the floor. He was breathing heavily.

“Where did you go?” He whispered as he turned his head toward his captor.

Xir’ag moved another step closer and Sajore's eyes widened as he realized who was standing in front of him. “Xir’ag! How... why?” He spoke softly, a lot of pain in his voice. He couldn’t turn his eyes away from the drow. There was so much emotion in his gaze that it made Xir’ag ache inside.

Slowly Sajore turned his gaze to Elga. “If you have done anything to hurt him, I will kill you!” The vampire whispered and dropped back to the floor, loosing all his strength.

“No, I’m fine” Xir’ag said as he walked closer to the vampire.

Elga stared at him for a moment. Time to start the plan. He hurried behind the drow and poked him with the small spike that was in his hand again.

Xir’ag yelled surprised. “More poisons?” He asked as his vision started to blur.

“Don’t worry. This is just to make you harmless.” The man grabbed a hold of him and guided him to sit onto a chair close by just as his legs gave out from under him. ‘Not again!’

Sajore started to growl. “Stop it and let him go. It’s me you want to kill! Don’t hurt him!” Sajore felt like exploding, clasping his fists to the ground and growling loudly like a beast.

“Ok. Now that we are all here, let’s see something.” Elga acted like he had heard nothing Sajore had just said and stepped behind Xir’ag, pulling a knife under his chin.

Sajore yelled and tried to jump up, only to be stopped by the chains and his weak condition, almost falling back to the floor. He only stayed up with the strength that the pain in his heart was giving him. “No! Don’t hurt him. This is between me and you!” Sajore begged desperately, ripping his chains so much that he felt his other shoulder bone slip away and a sharp pain punctured him, he screamed but did not stop trying to get up.

Elga pulled the knife closer and blood started to drip down Xir’ag’s neck.

The drow whimpered but couldn’t move. He wanted to scream but could do nothing. Only his eyes were moving franticly around.

“No!” Sajore cried out. He was on his knees and fell down to the floor, his elbow hanging twisted next to him. “If you have to kill someone, kill me, do not hurt him. That would kill me too. Please, I beg you.” The vampire stared into Elga’s eyes from the floor, ready to do anything, ready to beg for the drow's life, ready to kill himself if that was what would safe Xir’ag.

Elga stared back with wide eyes. “I can’t believe it. It can’t be!” He whispered. This couldn’t be true. It could not be happening. He had sacrificed his life to kill the evil creature and… the man in front of him was begging for him to spare someone he… loved?

It was time for the last test. “…You are really serious? ... All right. You have made your decision. You must die.” Sajore looked relieved.

Elga followed his eyes as he turned to look at Xir’ag. The drow looked like he was going into a panic, his eyes filling with tears. The assassin finally put the knife down and stepped closer to Sajore.

Xir’ag stared at all this, his panic just rising. His fingers twitched as he tried to move and finally he made the only thing he thought would bring his strength back to him; he bit his tongue. Pain surged though his body as blood filled his mouth. He yelled and lurched out of the chair as soon as he felt his legs were obeying him.

Elga was surprised by the drow who rushed past him frantically, swaying, and threw himself on top of Sajore, clinging onto him with his life.

“If you want to kill him, you have to kill me first. You are not going to touch him,” the drow yelled with a drug-muffled voice, blood surging out of his mouth. He was still disoriented from the poison and couldn’t control his body well, so he simply lay there, trying to think how he could defend them when the man attacked.

Elga stared at the drow who was still suppose to be so drugged that he wouldn’t be able to move, but there he was, closing the vampire gently into his arms and saw how Sajore folded his shaking hands around Xir’ag protectively. Elga froze.

“Don’t go close to him! The demon is loose; can’t you see his yellow eyes?” The assassin yelled out to alarm Xir’ag, but only made him cling to the vampire tighter.

“Shut up! I am not afraid of him!” He growled, blood spilling out of his mouth and dripping down his chin.

“But you are bleeding, he is going to hurt you!”

Xir’ag couldn’t speak, but held tighter and grunted, glaring at the man until turning his eyes to look at Sajore.

Elga shook. His mind shaking even more. His world was shattering into pieces, all his beliefs and his past rushing painfully into his mind. “But… he’s a beast… he’s evil… he can’t love, he can’t even feel…” he mumbled.

The gentle, protective touch. His hands dropped to his sides. The look the men shared, how their eyes met, the anger melting away and being replaced with care and fear for the others life. He watched how the two before him stared into one another's eyes and seemed to forget about everything else.

The metal spike in his hand dropped to the floor. The way their fingers twined with each other and the look of worry on Sajore’s face when he saw the blood dribble down Xir’ag’s chin. Worry, not bloodlust… Elga stepped back.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. The vampire really had changed. He had chased him for nothing. He had wasted years of his life for nothing. He could have buried his loved ones and respected their lives by living himself, by continuing their heritage. But he had followed the beast… to defend love and all that was pure. And now… to keep that oath, he couldn’t kill Sajore. Not after seeing this.

Sajore heard the suffocated whimper from where Elga stood and turned his eyes at him slowly. The assassin stared at them for a short moment longer and then simply turned away and walked out of the room. Sajore shook Xir’ag and finally he turned his blurry eyes to look into his. “He left.”

“But… what? He left... thank the gods!” The drow said, tucking his head against Sajore’s chest. He was exhausted.

They had to lay on the ground for a long while before Xir’ag got enough strength to move again. He easily found the key to the chains that bound Sajore's wrists on a small table in the corner of the room. Xir’ag kneeled beside of Sajore and opened the chains from his shaky, bloody wrists, pulling him into his arms. “Thank goodness you are ok. I was so scared,” the drow whispered against his neck.

Sajore was still dazed, his head spinning and his limbs feeling even heavier than before. He felt really awful and really weak. All the strength in his body was gone. He was too tired to even raise his arms to hug Xir’ag and his shoulder was really starting to ache.

Xir’ag stared down at him worriedly when Sajore just laid there without moving or even replying. The drow stroked Sajore’s hair with care, examining his body carefully. “I think there’s something wrong… I think the spell the wizard used on you did something more than just made you faint, this is not normal, you should be getting your strength back, not getting weaker.”

Sajore only nodded, too tired to do anything else.

“We have to get to the laboratory quickly. What ever magic he used, I have the cure there. I am sure of it.” The drow stood up.

Sajore could only look.

Xir’ag turned to look at Sajore lying on the floor. “I may not have the strength to save you with my muscles, but I do have power.” He stepped further away, lifted his hands up, shaking his sleeves out of the way and started chanting.

Sajore was barely conscious, but felt how the floor suddenly disappeared under him. He felt so light, his hair flowed down to the floor but the rest of him was floating in the air and felt as though he were on a feather bed, it was so soft.

The portal Xir’ag had opened shone white light behind him. Sajore couldn’t help but to stare, hypnotised how his frail lover turned into a powerful wizard in front of him.

Xir’ags eyes turned completely white and started to glow, his hair flowed all around him and his voice rose into a powerful yell as Sajore’s body rose from the floor and started slowly moving towards the glowing portal.

"I promised I will save you," Xir’ag whispered into Sajore’s ear as he lowered him to the bed in his bedroom and gently touched his feverish face. Then he had to hurry to the laboratory with a worried frown on his face.

~ ~ ~

part 11B