| Title: Captivated Authors: Jo & Brenda Series: Claimed, part 2 Pairings: Karl Urban/Orlando Bloom/Harry Sinclair/David Wenham; (Sean Bean/Dominic Monaghan; Viggo Mortensen/??) Rating: NC17 Summary: Same vampires. Same pets. Same story. Carry on. Disclaimer: As far as we know, vampires *still* don't exist. Heh. Author's Notes: Sequel to "Cherished". Much thanks to everyone who's been writing in. Glad we've kept you entertained.
Orlando rubbed his hands over the front of his jeans, took a deep breath, got out of the car. He could do this. Breach the castle, face the dragon, save the damsel...oh wait, he was the damsel. Or maybe it was Karl. Or maybe no one was really the damsel. Maybe it was just the situation itself that needed saving. Whatever. He was here on a mission, and he'd do well to remember it. Calm, cool, collected, in full possession of his wits. Not a fucking doormat. Never again. He'd flat out ordered Viggo to help him, brought Karl to his knees the previous evening; he could face Harry in his lair and come out on top. Orlando let himself in the house, using the key Viggo had made for him and had couriered over earlier. It was a very male house, with dark green rugs on the stained wood floors and rich burgundy tapestries on the stone walls, mahogany furnishings...elegant, simple, bluntly wealthy, but not ostentatious about it. The house stated that this was a man comfortable in his surroundings, comfortable with himself, but absolutely not a man to be fucked with. Ever. Orlando padded through the rooms on the bottom floor silently, swiftly, taking note of everything, drinking in the ambience, trying to gather as much ammunition as possible for the coming confrontation. Harry needed to get here soon...Orlando wasn't sure how much longer this new-found courage would hold out. His eyes widened when he entered the library, and he started cooing without being aware of it. Karl's library was a thing of beauty, pristine, lovingly kept, organized. This -- Harry's library -- was a mess, with old, priceless manuscripts jumbled next to the latest bestsellers, all in haphazard piles begging for a rainy day and a free afternoon to explore. He started going through a pile, lost in dusty tomes, and forgot his impatience, forgot his nervousness, forgot everything except the magic of words on pages written by masters both old and new. "Child, if it's a book you want, I assure you Karl's library is quite sufficient." The low, amused voice jarred him out of a particularly gruesome battle scene. Showtime. Finally. Orlando turned, closing the book with a snap, setting it back on its pile. And only slightly lost his breath at the sight of Harry leaning on the doorjamb, dark and gorgeous, so fucking sexy. And so much like Karl that it shook some of Orlando's calm. Deep breaths...if he's like Karl, you can work with it. Focus. Smile. Use your weapons. "What if it's a not a book I'm here for?" Harry didn't react to the flirtatious tone. "Then what are you here for? If it's for Karl, he's still with Vig at Council," he said, walking to the bar, losing his jacket and tie along the way. Roughened fingers rolled up sleeves, showing muscled, tanned forearms sprinkled with black hairs, and Orlando's gaze zeroed in on that bit of skin before he shook his head again. Fucking focus. His smile this time was a bit more flirtatious, tone a bit more suggestive. "I know exactly where Karl is and who he's with. I'm here for you." Harry paused in the act of raising a full tumbler of amber liquid to his lips. The look he gave Orlando was unreadable, but the heat sizzling between them spoke volumes. "Are you now?" Why had Orlando never noticed the chemistry between them? Jesus, if it were any more obvious, it would be blinding. Stupid to think that Karl and Harry could be so similar and he'd only respond to the one of them. Well, if it worked one way, it had to work both ways. Orlando smiled, lowered his lashes a little, leaned against a chair, legs slightly spread, stance inviting. "Yes." Harry drained his drink and set the glass on the counter. He spread his hands, arms open, bowing slightly, eyes still firmly fixed on Orlando. "So have me, child. I'm right here." The gleam in his eyes turned them to a dark brandy color, heady, rich, predatory. That gleam told Orlando that Harry knew exactly what Orlando was doing...and was willing to play along, just to see how far Orlando would take it. Well, there was a reason Elijah called Orlando the ballsiest dork he'd ever met. It just wasn't in him to walk away from a challenge. He strolled towards Harry, still smiling, casually reached up, unbuttoned the top buttons on Harry's shirt. The air fairly hummed with sexual tension, crackling, itching to set fire to everything in its path. "So...I can have you?" Harry placed his hand over Orlando's, lowered his head to Orlando's ear, licked the shell, and smiled at Orlando's shudder. "Only if you tell me why you're really here." Orlando blinked, swallowed. Odd that such a little touch could cloud his mind. He should step back, away from the heat of the large body before him…no. No more stepping back, he was standing his ground. His fingers flexed under Harry's as he licked his lips. "To talk to you," he answered, risking a glance to Harry's face. Harry's eyes softened, lost some of that predatory gleam as he lifted Orlando's hand, gave the inside of his wrist a light kiss. "So talk, little one. I'm right here." Talk? Talk...right, he was supposed to be here getting the answers to questions. What were they? Think with your brain and not your libido for a second. It was difficult with those sinful, alert eyes on him, but he managed to think of something. "You scared the hell out of me. But I don't think I should be scared of you, should I?" "No." The answer was immediate, and the kiss Harry bestowed Orlando's forehead was gentle. "And I'm deeply sorry for that. I wasn't thinking too clearly. I'll need to make my own apologies to your young friend." "If you'd just asked, I would have told you that Elijah's straight." Orlando's eyes dropped to his fingers, still fidgeting with the buttons on Harry's shirt, loosening them without thought. "I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have said what I did after." "So, we've apologized," Harry said, his tone amused. He placed his hand back on Orlando's, smiled when Orlando lifted his head. "You want to get straight to the kissing and making up part or finish the rest of what you came to say?" Kissing Harry... Orlando flushed, snatched his hand away, started to step back. "Tell me about Karl." Think about Karl, Karl's lips, not the full ones in front of you. Harry circled Orlando's slim wrist with a hand, brought his hand back against Harry's chest. "Go on," Harry said, gesturing to his shirt. "I was going to take it off anyway. What do you want to know about him?" "The bond you have with him. I don't understand it." Orlando's hands moved back to the buttons, slowly loosening them. He wondered if this was an invitation to help him take the shirt off. Take Harry's shirt off, feel all that muscle jump beneath his fingers...whoa. "You really are quite beautiful when you blush," Harry said, tracing Orlando's jaw with the tip of one blunt finger. "Does it go all over, I wonder?" The words were out before Orlando could stop them. "Why, you wanna see?" Instantly, his eyes went wide, his fingers stilled. And he blushed even more, could feel it spreading over his body. Harry's booming laughter bounced off the walls, and he cupped Orlando's face, bringing it up to his gaze. "Yes, absolutely fearless," Harry concluded, smiling. "No wonder you and Karl are so perfect for each other." Orlando searched the vampire's face for some trace of jealousy, some sign of mockery. And found only open affection. "You're...you're not...?" "Jealous?" At Orlando's shy nod, Harry smiled again, this time gently. "No. I have no reason to be. You complete him just as I do." His roughened fingers trailed over Orlando's jaw, then neck, before slipping away, and Orlando was surprised at how much he missed those hands on him. "Come, let's sit, I'll try to explain." Harry took his favorite chair, but snagged Orlando's hand when he would have moved toward the sofa. "No. Here." He pulled Orlando down on his lap and grinned with unholy glee at the wariness that crept back on Orlando's face. "Relax. This is for your own good. I don't want to have to catch you when you faint." "When I...?" Orlando tried to scoot off of Harry's knee, yelped when Harry simply dragged him back up against his heavily muscled, mostly bare chest. "I said relax and I meant it. I'm not going to hurt you. Ever." Harry smoothed a hand over Orlando's dark curls, rubbing and kneading the soft skin underneath. "I'm going to let you into my mind for a bit, and it's going to fuck with your senses. I'd like you close to keep an eye on you." "Oh." In Harry's mind. Oh boy. "Why are...?" "To help you understand me," Harry answered, looking down at him with patient eyes. "Like I said, it'll only be for a moment, and you won't delve too deep. I don't want to damage you, and I don't think you're strong enough yet for much without Karl nearby." "I..." Orlando chewed his lower lip. Well, this was what he wanted, right? To understand Harry, to understand Karl? "I trust you, Harry." The vampire placed another kiss on Orlando's forehead. "I'm glad. Now just relax into my body." Relax, sure. Whatever. But Harry made it easy by continuing to stroke his hair and his scalp, and the feel of Harry's chest rising and falling with every slow breath was soothing, as was the slow heartbeat under Orlando's hand. Gradually he was aware of a pulse in his head that became a low roar...that became a hurricane slamming through him. Instantly, he was invaded by intense heat, by overwhelming love, sharp senses, keen loyalty...and behind, beside, around all of it, was Karl. And a bond that thrummed with love and lust and friendship and tenderness and time and history. It was more than the sum of everything, and it filled Orlando with such absolute completeness... As quickly as the sensations slammed through him, they were gone. No wonder Harry had talked about fainting... Orlando was so loopy that he wasn't sure where the hell he was for a second. Gradually, he became aware of his surroundings again, aware that Harry still held onto him, arms anchoring him, became aware of the room again, aware of himself. He concentrated on breathing for a minute, slowed his heart. That had been...intense wasn't even a good word for it. There weren't words to describe it. Karl had been right, it just was. "You...that was all you, wasn't it?" he finally asked, raising his eyes. "How you feel about Karl?" Harry nodded, watching him with total seriousness. "Yes." Orlando didn't back down from the look, curled his fingers into the hairs on Harry's chest. "I had no idea. It's...Viggo said it was more intense than my bond, but that..." "Viggo's not in my mind like that," Harry said, hands still stroking Orlando's hair. "Only Karl. And now you." In his mind...in Harry's mind. Yikes. Orlando wanted to ask if this was a permanent thing, but his brain was still functioning at half-speed. Harry's hands on him felt good, soothing, and he leaned into the touch, eyes closing halfway. "My bond with Karl...it's nothing like that. It's so...I don't know." He shifted a bit on Harry's thighs, felt them flex under him. God, was there any part of Harry that wasn't built? "I still don't understand why he wanted me when he has you." Harry's hands moved to his neck, kneading the soft flesh "Don't you? Hasn't he told you anything? Think. You know Karl." Think. Yes, think, know Karl...Christ, that felt good. Orlando sighed, closed his eyes completely, relaxed fully into Harry's touch. "I know Karl doesn't tell me shit. Do you know I had to come here to find out anything about your bond?" He sighed again, relaxing even more. He was going to be a puddle soon, but who cared? "I guess he wanted me because I'm not you." Harry replaced his hands with soft lips, placed teasing whisper kisses on Orlando's sensitive skin. "No, not because you're not me." Harry's voice pulsed against Orlando's neck, wrapped him in velvet sin. How the hell did anyone resist it? "But because you're like me," Harry continued. "Now why do you suppose that is?" "Not like you," Orlando smiled, tilting his head in invitation. He ran his fingers up those tantalizing forearms, tickled the soft hairs. "You're big and scary at times and could bite my head off. I'm just pretty and charming and you'd just laugh if I bit you." "I doubt that very seriously." "You doubt you'd laugh if I bit you?" Orlando sighed again when Harry started to unbutton his shirt, fingers brushing against his skin with every movement. Yes, shirtless was a lovely idea. "You could try biting me. See if I laugh." Harry made the offer with a look that had Orlando's blood pounding in his dick. "Fearless. Flawless. Perfect." Harry made the words a caress on his nape. "That's what he sees in you." Orlando tilted his head back to look at Harry, smiling slightly. "What you call fearless, others have called stupidity. Or was it insanity? No, that was you, too." Seemed like so long ago. The world had ceased to exist outside of this chair. Hard to concentrate with Harry's hands on him, promising pleasure to every tiny nerve. Harry nodded and finished unbuttoning Orlando's shirt, spreading it open. Rough hands massaged the smooth flesh of Orlando's chest. Good...felt so fucking good. "I only called you insane because it's a dangerous thing to run off with a vampire without knowing the consequences," Harry continued, fingers moving to Orlando's ribcage. "You could have been hurt, killed." He lowered his voice. "Show me what you're really like. Show me that fearlessness." Orlando shivered, shifted a bit in Harry's lap. "I know. Leaving the club with him wasn't the smartest thing I've done, but..." Hmm...Harry said bite him. Orlando lowered his eyes to Harry's throat. "If I hadn't left with him, I'd have lost him. And being with him is worth dying for." He nipped the side of Harry's neck with a gentle tug before growing bold. His next bite was firmer, hard. Harry growled low in his throat, brought his hands down to Orlando's stomach, playing with the gold ring and charm there. But he didn't laugh. "I know. Being with him is also worth not dying for. Are you finished with your questions yet?" Orlando smiled. Harry sounded impatient. He knew the feeling. Concentration had long since left the building. He lowered long lashes, peered at Harry through them, and his voice resumed its flirtatious purr. "What will you do if I say yes?" The answering gleam in Harry's eyes was beyond wicked. "After calling you a liar, I'll shift you around a bit so I can get my mouth on this gold ring of yours." He flicked it again, and the feeling sent sparks straight to Orlando's crotch. "Tell me, does it drive Karl as insane as I think it does?" God, Orlando loved that ring. It had been worth every fucking bit of pain for its ability to render not one, but two, vampires to lusty teenagers. "I'm not sure who it makes crazier, him or me. He can't keep his mouth off it," Orlando grinned, brown eyes sparkling. He moved his fingers to toy with Harry's shirt buttons again. The damn thing had to go. "Well, I can certainly understand that. So?" Harry continued to play with the small bit of jewelry with one hand, moved the other to toy with Orlando's nipple. Orlando closed his eyes, bit his lip to keep the whimper from escaping. Fucking hell...Harry was still barely touching him, and he was so hard he was hurting. He wasn't supposed to be reacting this strongly to Harry, wasn't supposed to need this much. This was so close to what he felt for Karl. Almost exactly. Viggo should have mentioned that too. Thank God Harry hadn't actually decided to test the ring theory for himself, then. Damn thing was directly connected to his dick these days. Orlando wasn't sure if it was a vampire thing or a him thing or what. Maybe it was a them thing. Harry and Karl. "Do you really think I'm like you?" Orlando asked, remembering Harry's earlier comment. Keep the conversation going, don't give in, be strong. "Viggo seems to think so, but he said we use different weapons." "For once I agree with him. Smart guy, Vig. Knows a lot." Harry moved back to Orlando's neck, canines grazing his pulse point. "We do use different weapons. Just as effective. Consider what we're doing right now." Orlando couldn't stop the whimper that escaped his lips at the feel of sharp teeth nibbling his neck. He screwed his eyes shut, gripped the arms of the chair tight in clenched fingers. "Viggo's an asshole. Told me I was a doormat." Harry's laughter boomed out across the room, reverberating through the chair, through them. And that laughter also seemed be connected to Orlando's dick. Fucking everything Harry was doing seemed to be connected directly to his dick. "'Vig's an asshole. I'm a doormat'. I love it. Did he really call you that?" Orlando trembled, breath struggling to leave his lungs. "Yes, he did. Also said you were a panther and I was a kitten." He shifted his body against Harry's. Oh God. "If you're a kitten, Vig meant you were a baby panther. You're still very young." Harry turned Orlando's head to him slightly, kissed the side of his mouth. Orlando wanted more. Wanted that mouth completely on his, bringing oblivion. Fuck being strong. "So...ah...who's winning?" "Feel me. Feel you. Who do you think is winning?" Harry asked, breath soft against Orlando's lips. "Ah..." Orlando shifted again, groaned, "from my position, I'd say we're...um...pretty even at the...the moment. Maybe." Harry chuckled, his hands resuming their ministrations on Orlando's abdomen. His voice dropped a bit. "Yeah, we are pretty even. I'm just bigger." "I've still got my pants on. How do you know you're bigger?" Uh oh... He covered his mouth with one hand, eyes wide, felt that damn blush race over his bare skin. "Oh, shit. You meant...fuck." Harry removed Orlando's hand from his mouth, placed it over his erection, smiling the whole time. "No, I meant bigger." He licked the side of Orlando's neck. "But not by much." He just wanted to crawl inside that muscled body and stay for a few years. Should be illegal to have so much magnetism. "Does this mean you win?" Orlando shifted around to face Harry, straddled his lap, hand slowly moving over the bulge behind Harry's zipper. Heat slammed through him, and he tightened his grip a bit, trying to harness some of it. "Or is this where we get naked and compare because I say I don't believe you?" "Are you finished asking questions yet?" Orlando smiled as Harry's eyes flared, and he continued to stroke Harry's erection through tight slacks. Harry raised a dark eyebrow, reached down with his own hand, and ran a finger up Orlando's inseam, smirking when Orlando bucked under the touch. "Because if you want to compare cock sizes, I can gladly stop answering questions for you." "You're more like Karl than I realized." And that thought made Orlando's voice shake with need. He used his free hand to swiftly undo the rest of the buttons on Harry's shirt. God, Harry had a fantastic chest. "Only he's not quite so...blunt." Orlando paused, looked at Harry, teeth worrying his lower lip. Karl...wasn't he...weren't they...hold on. "Are we...? I'm Karl's pet. And Dom said pets are never shared." Harry wrapped his hands around Orlando's back, pressed their naked chests together, licked Orlando's adam's apple. "Dom doesn't know everything." Orlando moaned softly, gripped Harry's shoulders as his head fell back. They were really going to have to stop talking soon. "Obviously. So is that what...what we're doing? Because Karl..." "Karl probably told you exactly what you wanted to hear because of how I acted the other night and your reaction. Probably didn't think you'd be too keen on the idea of getting naked with me." Harry stroked Orlando's cheek with a finger. "I wasn't lying to you when I told you Karl and I share everything. If this is what you want, then this is what you'll get. If you want it." If he wanted... The full import of Harry's words had Orlando's eyebrows rising to meet his hair. The both of them...sharing...having...and he could have them both. Orlando stroked Harry's collarbone with his thumb, smiled at the shudder. Jesus, how did he get so fucking lucky? He brushed his lips across the corner of Harry's mouth. "So all I have to do is ask?" Harry smiled against his lips, but his eyes were very serious. "Ever. All that I am is yours. My own vow to you." Orlando knew enough about vampires to know that vows were a very serious matter, never to be broken or cast aside. Harry had just given Orlando a tremendous gift. He smiled, and the tip of his tongue darted out to lick the corner of Harry's mouth. "Then I'm asking," he said. "Just...don't break me. I don't think Karl would like that." Harry's tongue chased Orlando's, tangled briefly. "Oh, we're not going to have sex." Orlando pulled back, frowned. They weren't? "We're not?" "No. Because I would kill you, and that's not bragging." Harry dropped a light kiss on Orlando's lips. "I do, however, promise to completely drain you. If that's alright with you?" Best idea he'd heard all day. "Being completely drained sounds lovely." Orlando's smile was wicked as he wrapped his arms around Harry's neck. "Can you make me boneless, too? Karl can." He brushed his lips across Harry's jaw, whispered in his ear. "Want to find out for yourself how crazy that ring makes Karl?" Harry's only answer was to lift Orlando up and fasten his lips to the ring, sucking it and the charm into his mouth. Orlando gasped, threaded his fingers in Harry's hair, arched his back. "Jesus..." Harry grinned against his stomach, grabbed his ass to hold him in place, continued to suck -- soft, rhythmic strokes now meant to drive Orlando wild. And fuck all if it wasn't working. Orlando whimpered, moaned, gripped Harry's hair tight, pressed his stomach against Harry's mouth. God fucking damn... Heat ricocheted through him, bounced off his bones, slammed through his blood. Fuck...Harry's mouth on him was just...he was going to come right now if Harry didn't stop. But he couldn't stop the aching whimper when Harry did, lifting his head. And the puzzled expression on Harry's face confused the hell out of his befuddled senses...until he heard it. //Are you okay, little one, are you hurt? Is Harry hurting you?// Karl...sounding terrified, frantic. Orlando locked eyes with Harry for a moment. What the fuck was Karl talking about? |