Tudor Rose [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 10 - Power

Henri could tell he was holding Michael back as he tried to keep up with his brisk walk. "You should leave me behind. Go and help them," he suggested, hoping strongly that Michael would listen to him.

"I wouldn't leave you alone out here," said Michael.

"I'll be alright," Henri said, pulling his wrist free of Michael's grasp and standing firm on the cold London pavement.

"You won't be alright," Michael said, seething in anger. He grabbed Henri's shirt and brought their faces close. He spoke under his breath; "If you had any idea how valuable you are, or of who might be interested in draining you dry, you wouldn't be so fucking confident. Now shut up, and come with me."

Henri had lost all resolve and felt himself being dragged along by Michael, the tall boy with black curls that had haunted his dreams every night since they had met.

"There they are," Michael said, though Henri couldn't see anything through the London fog. Suddenly two bodies were beside him, startling him to jump. Looking at them, he realized it was only Andrea and Adali, who must have received their location from Michael. Henri had almost no understanding of Michael's power. He had witnessed him do various incredible things, things that even seemed to impress the other vampires, and no one seemed to want to explain any of it.

"It would have been you who found the rogue if you weren't with this weakling," said Andrea, Henri's arrogant roommate. Henri noticed the turn of Michael's head and the piercing glance he gave to the Medici boy, though he said nothing.

"Do you think you weren't a burden to me?" said Adali, causing Andrea's handsome face to become sheepish. "You haven't earned your fangs yet either. You're slow and weak, and even a rogue vampire could tear you apart before you could even cry out for your mother."

"That's enough!" said Michael, and Adali's eyes widened in astonishment. Henri was mostly surprised at Adali's harsh words, having considered her to be the most gentle of vampires he had met thus far. They had come upon the scene of a wrecked carriage. Even Henri could smell the reeking scent of blood and death.

Sitting on the pavement was Bastian. His face was smeared with blood and it had stained his shirt and hair. The Romanov twins were standing beside him, looking dour.

"What happened?" asked Andrea when he reached them.

"We thought you would know by now," said Xenia, glancing toward Michael. "We found the rogue vampire. She almost got the better of Bastian before two Hunters staked her. They threw a net of silver over us and put us in this carriage, but Bastian earned his fangs and killed them, causing this wreck."

Adali helped Bastian to his feet. Andrea offered him a hand to congratulate him. "How did you do it?" he asked, and Bastian only offered a small grin.

"There is no time for idle chatter," Michael said. "If the Van Hellsing Organization finds out about this, it could strain relations between the purebloods and hunters."

"What can we do?" asked Adali.

"We have to destroy the bodies."

Henri felt an intense longing to go home. Not home to the Gates Dormitory, but to France. He suddenly missed his mother, a beautiful woman who was nothing but grace and love. His father was a human, silent and reserved much like Michael, but a human. He did not belong in this world of killers and hunters. He decided that the moment he returned to Tudor Rose, he would write to his mother telling her he was finished here.

"It's too cold and wet to light a fire," said Xenia.

"We should ask Professor Borgia for help," said Dmitri, and Henri was sure it was the first time he had heard the Romanov boy speak.