Nightwalker Fan Fiction ❯ Ice Star ❯ ~ Kleitos POV ~ ( Chapter 1 )
Anime/Manga: Nightwalker Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Hentai | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 01.20.2005 | Updated On: 02.03.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 424 | Status: Completed
by Alice Montrose
~ Kleitos ~
Pace, pace, pace, growl, pace, pace, sneer, turn.
The pattern repeated itself with precision as Kleitos restlessly waited in front of a closed door for his mate and two sons to finally stop this nonsense and come out.
Mating ritual, his ass! Deikan would leave the house over his dead body!
This, of course, was not as impossible as he would have liked it to be, especially not after that little performance in the council hall earlier that very evening.
The sire growled again, wishing he had really not been there to witness it, but even more so that the whole thing had not been related in any way to his family. Which was again an impossibility, seeing that his youngest son was the very reason for what had happened, thus making the rest of them directly involved and placing Kleitos right in the middle of it.
Bad Deikan!
Not that he did not love his son to pieces... well, maybe that was a bad comparison right now, but he did love Deikan and he truly wished him to be happy. Still, it seemed the young father's idea of happiness was not the same as Kleitos'. Not to mention that Deikan's choice was... childish, impossible, infuriating even!
For the love of the gods, couldn't the boy have picked someone else as a mate?
Kleitos stopped for a moment and threw a punch at the wall. He was strong, the rock stronger, and the pain that shot through his fist helped him gain some control on his thoughts. Not that it helped much. Even without the evening's events, Deikan's choice would have made him angry.
Quite, quite angry.
It wasn't as if he had not expected his youngest child to find a mate and move away, no. In fact, Sorya and he had encouraged it; but Deikan, being his stubborn self, had seemed not to want to leave his parents' home so soon, and Kleitos had secretly been glad of it. He had known that, when the right sire came into his life, Deikan would give up all pretences and follow his instincts.
But the one who had finally captured Deikan's attention was not exactly a parent's ideal of a good mate for their son. Not by a long shot.
He wasn't at all like one would expect the Executioner to be, either.
"Greyan." Kleitos snarled the name, hissed at the wall, and started pacing again.
When Deikan had started accepting courtship gifts, Kleitos had been both excited and worried. Excited, for it showed his son had finally reached full adulthood and was willing to start a family of his own, and worried because he did not know who was sending the gifts. He had followed his son at a distance, hoping to find out who the sire his son had taken a liking on was. Unfortunately, Deikan had managed to elude him most of the time, for the young father had become very adept at sneaking around, in spite of his parents' opinion about doing that. So there had been no glimpse of the sire before Kleitos and Sorya had left the city a year before. The task of supervising Deikan's behaviour and assessing any pretender had then been relegated to Takhi, Kleitos' oldest son, and his mate Edran. Edran, being a member of the council, would have known what to do if the mysterious sire had not been acceptable.
But, according to the pair, the gifts had stopped coming altogether and Deikan had shown clear interest in at least three other sires while his parents had been away. Soon before their return, however, Deikan had started accepting gifts again, and these were even more extravagant than they had been at first - with yet again no sign of the one sending them, though Deikan must have known his identity.
When Flavik, head elder Mardus' brother, had approached Kleitos soon after his return to the frozen city, the mystery of the sire's identity had appeared solved. Truth be told, Kleitos hadn't known Flavik all that well, but he came from a good line of velassi, with good recommendations, and the fact he would have created yet another link between Kleitos' family and the council was not to be ignored. So Deikan's parents had decided that, if Deikan wanted Flavik as his mate, there was no reason to deny the sire's claim.
To them, it had appeared strange that Deikan would back out of it the way he had, just two nights before. Still, knowing their son well, they had taken it as yet another proof that they had spoiled Deikan more than they should have, and had agreed to let Flavik retrieve the young father after he had run away. They hadn't even thought twice about the two not returning on All Souls Night.
It soon became clear that not only had they not known their youngest son as much as they had believed to know him, but that Flavik hadn't been quite what he had claimed to be.
And also that Deikan's real choice had been far, far worse than Kleitos could have imagined.
Or so the sire thought.
But perhaps Sorya and he carried part of the fault. They had truly spoiled Deikan as a child, and led by the false belief their son would be a sire - Deikan had displayed a healthy curiosity, over-possessiveness, and the desire to always wander off and explore - they had not tried to restrain his freedom in any way. When the child had grown to be a father, it had been far too late to correct their error, for Deikan had been too strong-willed to simply obey without a word.
Kleitos couldn't help a smile. Deikan took after Sorya in that department; and had he lived in the same times as Sorya and Kleitos had when they had begun their courtship, it wouldn't have been a problem. But times had changed, and the expectations towards the roles of sires and fathers had changed as well. Disobedient fathers were not nicely looked upon by the council, or by the younger sires in search of a mate. Deikan had been somewhat protected from the elders' intervention to "correct" him by the fact their family was an old one, and by Edran's position in the velassi council.
Kleitos had secretly rejoiced that someone had managed to capture the rebellious youth's interest and hopefully "tame" him in time.
He was now far from enthusiastic at the thought.
For though Deikan had gone to Greyan's side willingly, in front of the council and his parents, centuries' worth of rumours about the vicious sire that claimed the title of Executioner wouldn't be easily overlooked. Not by someone who wanted his son to be safe.
Hearing sounds from the direction of the door, he grabbed the nearest object and flung it that way with a ferocious snarl and baring of fangs.
Edran barely dodged the marble bust, who shattered against the wall from the force of the impact.
The older sire snarled again, this time in frustration, and resumed the pacing back and forth in front of the closed door, stealing glances at Takhi's mate. He really wanted to render someone into pieces himself, but Edran had done nothing to deserve it, and for the looks of it wasn't entirely unaffected by the whole situation. In fact, he looked quite frightened - a rare sight, for little fazed the blond council member.
Kleitos finally stopped, hanged his head and rubbed his eyes. "Tell me this isn't true," he growled. "Or at least that there's a way of getting my son out of this bond."
Edran dropped in a chair nearby and shook his head. "Not unless Deikan lied about them being mated... which, judging by Greyan's reaction tonight, is wishful thinking."
Kleitos didn't bother to hide his hiss. "I'll just have to kill him, then."
Edran snorted. "Kill Deikan? You wouldn't go that far and kill your own son, and then you'd just end up in pieces as well. And I'm not really sure what it would take to kill Greyan."
Pace, pace, pace, sneer, pace, pace, growl, turn.
"You're not making this any better, you know."
"I cannot make it better, Kleitos. Mardus is in shock, by the way, and nobody is sure how he'll react when he comes out of it. It will take a few nights to clean away all the blood, and after Greyan's declaration only a fool would try to defy him. And you are no fool, my friend."
Golden eyes narrowed at Edran. "Are you telling me that I should let that monster take away my son? Not bloody likely!"
"What does Sorya say?" the other sire asked.
"He and Takhi are... 'preparing'... Deikan for the mating ceremony. Without asking me, I might add." Kleitos snorted, crossed his arms to his chest and leaned against the wall. Not that there would be a ceremony, if he had a saying in it.
"And Greyan?"
Fangs snapped at the blond sire. "He went 'to change clothes'. Maybe he won't come back," he added under his breath, then continued out loud. "He is not welcomed here."
Edran steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. "That is not a wise thing to say, Kleitos."
"It's not your bloody son he wants to bond with! What would you say, were you in my place? Sure, Flavik may have been a bit strict in his ways, but at least he wasn't a freak!"
The elder drew a breath and released it slowly. "He does not come across as a freak to me. In fact, I do believe he is polite and courteous most of the time." He ignored Kleitos' glares and continued, "And he is, I believe, the best choice for Deikan. Strong enough to protect him, yet indulgent enough to overlook certain aspects of his behaviour that many sires I know would strive to get rid of." He sighed again. "Greyan is not what you believe him to be, Kleitos."
As much as he hated to admit it, part of Kleitos believed it. Not many sires could put up with his son without sooner or later losing control of their actions. And he doubted any of them would go up against Mardus, who had earned his position as head of the council and had since then proven to be a redoubtable adversary on various occasion.
But that did not mean he could easily overcome the instinct to fend Greyan off at all costs.
"He doesn't even look like a sire," he grumbled.
"And that has worked to my advantage on several occasions," a smooth voice replied, making both Kleitos and Edran jump and turn towards it source.
The shadows moved as Greyan stepped further into the room. He had indeed changed his bloodstained clothing for another outfit, this one a little more elegant than the one he had worn previously. Swung across one arm was the fur coat that Deikan had been gifted with, the only splash of colour on him except for his face and hair. Kleitos instinctively bared his fangs at him, even as Edran stood up and prepared to step between them if it became necessary.
"I do apologize if I come across as something I am not," the white-haired sire said, effectively cutting off Kleitos' snarly remark about coming in uninvited. "I should have probably spoken to you before things evolved into a scandal. But Deikan and I thought it wise to wait until after All Souls Night before any introductions were made. Had I known about Flavik's plans, I would have come sooner."
Kleitos gave Greyan a measuring look. Seen up close, he looked far less frightening than he had in the council hall earlier that evening. And what fazed even more was the calm demeanour and soft-spoken words. The fact that he had killed the head elder's younger brother that very evening didn't seem to have made a great impact on him.
Perhaps it had not.
"I do not care what you could or would have done," he spat, "you're not taking Deikan and that is that!"
This declaration might have shocked Edran, but it seemed to amuse the white-haired bastard. "I do believe that is not your decision to make. Deikan alone can decide whether or not he will come with me. If he asks me to leave, I'll leave... but we both know it will not happen."
And the worst thing was, he was right. It appeared that Deikan was positively smitten with him.
That did not mean Kleitos had to like it.
"I know who you are better than my son does. If you think I am going to stand by and watch as he runs off with a monster, then you are mistaken."
Silver eyes flared to red and the smiled disappeared for a moment, but just as fast Greyan's face returned to normal. "I have been called that, and worse, many times. It takes more than that to make me angry. But I understand your desire to test me. I also know that, no matter what I do, in your eyes I will never appear as a good mate for your son. But believe me when I tell you that I shall take very good care of him."
Kleitos refused to reply. It was Edran who spoke. "Kleitos feels that Deikan deserves someone who can appreciate him for who he is, and he - forgive me for saying this - doesn't think that you would be a good mate, given your history and, er, occupation."
Greyan's voice was bitter as he answered. "Yes, well... who can blame Kleitos? He only wants what is best for his son." His eyes turned on Deikan's sire. "Please understand that I know what you wish for is Deikan's happiness. But he became my mate of his own free will, in full knowledge of who and what I am, and of what I may be forced to do in the future.
"I am well-aware that he is not a picture of virtue and obedience, for it is that which drew me to him in the first place. However, I was raised in a time when sires and fathers were seen as equal, and where others see flaws I might see virtues.
"Do you believe I do not know how lucky I am to have him by my side? That I would not give my life to keep him safe? I care for Deikan, and I will not let anything come between him and his happiness. So you see, you and I are not that different after all."
"Those are pretty words, Executioner. But can you prove them to me?"
The white-haired sire shook his head. "Only time can prove them. What you should do is give your son the credit he deserves. You raised him well, Kleitos. You know he would not choose a mate who is unworthy of him."
Oh, Kleitos knew that. "I still don't have to like it. And you're not mated until I say you are!"
Greyan placed a fist over his heard and bowed slightly. "As you wish."
The brown-haired sire did not trust this sudden display of submissiveness. The freak was up to something, he could feel it!
Before he could say anything, the door he was still leaning on was pushed open, forcing him to step aside or fall over. Sorya peeked out from behind it, his eyes widening for a moment before he gave the three sires a forced smile.
"Does any of you know where Deikan might have left his cloak?" he asked.
The cloak in question was retrieved from one of the tables by a smiling Greyan, who offered it to Sorya with a nod. Kleitos' nails dug into his palms as he struggled to control himself at the sight of a dangerous sire being near his mate; but Sorya had quick fingers and pulled the proffered garment out of the Executioner's grasp in less than an instant. With a quick "Thank you" and a slammed door he was gone.
Still smiling, Greyan sat in the chair closest to the door.
Edran snickered and shook his head as he took a seat as well
Kleitos merely growled, leaning against the door once more.
So they waited.