| Title: Cherished Authors: Jo & Brenda Series: Claimed Pairings: Karl Urban/Orlando Bloom/Harry Sinclair Rating: NC17 Summary: Vampires and pets and sex, oh my. Yeah, it's an AU. Disclaimer: As far as we know, vampires don't exist. Cha. Author's Notes: *Brenda points to Jo* It was all her fault. I just went along with it. *Jo points back at Brenda* Her Karl had designs on my Orli. She liked the idea so we let them play. This is what happened. *mwah* *Brenda & Jo look around, then whisper* But it's really *all* Harry's fault and if he says otherwise, it's a lie! For the other 1/2 of the Quartet. *mwah*
"Tonight's the night, mate," Orlando said as he burst into the room and pounced on the bed. His full weight landed on the sleeping form beneath the blankets, eliciting a startled squeak and much thrashing. "Mmf...wha?" Eyes that were almost too blue to be real peered blearily up at him and narrowed when Orlando scooted off the bed, pulling the covers with him. "Orli, you bastard! Gimme m'fuckin' blankets back!" "No can do, mate" Orlando said with a brilliant smile. "Rise and shine." "Piss off." Orlando watched as Elijah flopped over onto his stomach and buried his head under a pillow. Orlando sat on the edge of the bed, reached out, touching a bare calf, nudging it gently. "Wakey, wakey," he said in a sing-song voice. "No." "C'mon," Orlando said, allowing a wheedling note to enter his voice. "It's 7:00." "Fuck you." "E-li-jah. Get up." "Go to hell," Elijah replied, adding several other choice words in a muffled voice. Orlando'd lost count of the numerous times he and Elijah had played this game. It always started and ended the same way...only the dialogue ever changed. So Orlando smiled, grabbed an ankle with one hand, and ran the fingers of the other across the bottom of Elijah's foot. He was rewarded by more thrashing, accompanied by gales of laughter. "Damn it, Orli! Stop that!" Elijah shrieked as he kicked and squirmed. Instead of replying, Orlando stood up and, still holding the one ankle, captured the other leg, pulling Elijah off the bed by his feet. A string of colorful curse words covered the muffled thump Elijah made when he hit the floor. Orlando grinned. "Now that you're up, you've got just enough time to get ready." "I'm not up, I'm down," Elijah grumbled. "On the floor. Thanks to you. Asshole." He stood and rubbed his hip, his gaze suspicious as it traveled over Orlando. "Why are you dressed like that?" A sheer, black mesh shirt stretched taut over Orlando's chest and stomach, revealing the smooth skin and sleek muscles beneath. Black jeans rode low on his hips, just baring the top of the sun tattoo far down on his abdomen and the new gold ring through his navel. "The club," Orlando said softly. "Oh, hell," Elijah groaned and fell back on the bed. "Can't we --?" "You promised. Tonight's the night, I know it. I'm going to be chosen." "You say that every weekend," Elijah said with a roll of his eyes. He scooped up a pair of clean jeans and vanished into the bathroom. "It'll happen," Orlando whispered. "Just you wait and see." *** Hours later, the two young men were in the middle of a crowded dance floor. The music pounded through the speakers, vibrated through their bodies as they danced. Moving from one partner to the next, Orlando made his way to Elijah's side. "S'bloody great, innit, mate?" Orlando yelled in Elijah's ear. "Yeah," Elijah yelled back. "Not many of them here tonight, though." Orlando nodded, shrugged. He had been approached over a dozen times since walking through the doors of the club, but each time it had been by a human. Not good enough. Orlando didn't want a mortal. He wanted a vampire. "There's still time," Orlando shouted. Elijah rolled his eyes yet again. "Not much," he muttered as Orlando started dancing again. Neither noticed the hazel eyes watching them intently from a shadowed table. + + + Harry needed to come the fuck home soon. Otherwise Karl was going to lose his ever-loving mind. //Miss you, puppy.// //Miss you, old man// came the sleepy reply. Hong Kong was much too far away. Karl should have gone with Harry...wasn't like he had anything pressing going on here in L.A. at the moment. The vampire sighed, took a long sip of his wine, watched the throng of people on the dance floor. Pretty crowded tonight, with all of Hollywood's young and beautiful swaying to the music, seeing and being seen. Mortals were so very fascinating to him...probably because he'd never been one. The way they moved, the way they acted around each other was so very intriguing. But it wasn't quite enough to stave off the wave of loneliness that swept through him. He should have gone out with Sean and young Dominic. At least then he'd have had decent conversation. The crowd to the left of him parted slightly, and he turned his head to see what caused the disturbance. Not much fazed this crowd -- they'd done it all a thousand times just that morning before lattes and brunch. His gaze swept over the dance floor...and stopped, stunned. No wonder the crowd had parted. The young mortal was absolutely, breathtakingly graceful. Dark-haired, golden-skinned, dressed in a tight mesh shirt and tighter black jeans, lean hips undulating to the heavy throb of the bass pouring through the speakers. He simply radiated untamed sensuality and raw, fearless sex. The violent tangle of emotions sweeping through Karl reminded him of the first time he'd ever seen Harry. Lust, fierce need, throbbing want, protectiveness, possessiveness...the bright rush washed over him, threw him completely off course. His world was reduced to a single thought... Mine. Elemental and pervasive, it cleared out everything else. Karl needed to claim this perfect creature, needed to claim him now, couldn't wait for Harry to come home. Someone else would no doubt claim the young mortal by then, and the mere thought was completely unacceptable. He needed to do this quickly, he needed to do this publicly. He wanted no doubt in anyone's mind that this mortal was his. Karl set his glass down on the table, stood, and strolled to the edge of the dance floor. It was time to claim his pet and take him home. + + + Orlando drifted slowly, his body twisting and turning gracefully to the heavy beat. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body, glistening on his skin as he moved. Dark curls, damp from heat and perspiration, clung to his forehead and temples. Eyes closed, long lashes fanning across the tops of sculpted cheekbones, Orlando swayed, smooth and graceful, responding to the rhythm of the song. He felt raw and primal, charged with energy. He was oblivious to the slowly parting crowd at his back. //Look at me.// Orlando gasped, faltered at the feather-light brush against his mind. //Turn around. I wish to see your face.// Slowly, Orlando turned. And found himself face to face with a being straight out of his nightly fantasies. He didn't need to ask to know what stood in front of him. A thousand thoughts -- lust, relief, desire, hunger -- flitted through his mind in a split second. Then intense hazel eyes, so bright they seemed to burn from within, ensnared him and Orlando knew his life had just changed. The vampire tilted his head and his eyes roamed over Orlando's face. //You are exquisite.// "So are you," Orlando breathed, his eyes wide. He knew the vampire had heard him, regardless of the booming volume of the music. Orlando's voracious gaze swept across beautiful, chiseled features -- sculpted cheekbones, strong jaw line, high forehead -- down to a sleekly toned body arrayed in black silk and denim. Strong shoulders, narrow waist, slim hips, long legs -- everything about the vampire screamed of sex, of sin. A slow, almost feral smile spread across that eternally stunning face as the vampire absently brushed back a lock of dark hair that fell over his forehead. Orlando watched, swallowing hard, wishing it was his hand gliding over silky hair, his hand brushing over creamy skin. He wanted to fall into those knowing eyes and lose himself. It felt as if the vampire was looking directly into his soul, drawing out every dark secret, every black fantasy he'd ever had. He was mesmerized, transfixed, by eyes that held him for countless minutes. Then, the vampire smiled, and reached up to touch Orlando's face. //Yes, absolutely perfect. Come, little one.// |