All things considered, it was proving to be a good week. Las Vegas had a way of getting under anyone’s skin and making them feel more alive, and getting back to playing cards again after such a long sting without it felt great. They’d left at least three tables with a decent amount of money; more than enough to pay for a few nights in a good hotel and splurge in ways they normally didn’t. The only other time he’d held that much money in his hands was when he’d first taken up with Claire and sold his car. It felt good, having money that was untraceable. Lord knew, Jesse had mostly conned their way into hotels ever since the whole thing with his being tracked through his cash-creating.
Ben frowned at the thought and the person tied to it. He and Jesse had barely spoken more than twenty words to each other since they left Vermont, and Ben had a pretty good idea it was only just to keep Claire from being concerned. He could tell she still was, though, by the fact that she kept watching them so intensely. Ben knew Claire was smart. Perhaps that’s why she’d made a point of giving them time alone by taking a hefty amount of the money they’d made and taking a ‘spa day,’ whatever that meant. Ben imagined mud baths and pedicures were involved, and hoped that if she did get a massage that it was by a woman. He didn’t really like the idea of some Vegas guy feeling up Claire.
Not knowing what else to do, Ben had opted to go back to the hotel. Jesse hadn’t come with. It had been the first time he’d been alone by himself in weeks, and he had no idea what to do. Fortunately, their hotel also came with a pool table, but after three speed rounds and then several imposed handicaps, that got boring. He found himself flipping through the hotel’s event brochure book, trying to find something that catered to his interests.
Jesse came through the door looking distracted and jumped a foot when he spotted Ben. “Shit. Thought you’d be out or something,” he said, pausing an awkward moment before going through the open bathroom door. Even in the vastness of their Las Vegas style hotel room, Ben heard the very distinct sound of water on porcelain. He rolled his eyes and kept looking.
Inconsiderate ass, he thought bitterly.
Washing his hands after taking care of business, Jesse came out wiping them on his jeans. “You been here the whole time? You know there’s a Vegas outside this room, right?”
“Oh, is that what all those lights are?” Ben snarked back. He found himself rereading the same brochure what must have been the third time. All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, something about a wave pool and pirates, every other word wasn’t quite making it to his brain.
Scowling, Jesse kept his mouth shut, sprawling out on the empty bed. It wasn’t like he could talk much himself. He’d just been walking around, thinking and not bothering with much of anything around him. Tonight. Tonight he’d go and hit the clubs and actually have fun; he needed to get away from the suffocation of the room.
When he didn’t immediately leave, Ben found his muscles tensing. Why was he still there? “You can’t’ve screwed every hooker Vegas has to offer already,” Ben muttered under his breath.
In other circumstances, Jesse would have laughed. Of course, in other circumstances, Ben would be smiling. “Gotta get some rest in before I go fuck the night shift,” he said, anger just out of the way behind his words.
Ben felt heat rush through his veins at Jesse’s retort, closing the event book with a snap. Maybe a walk would do him good, since Jesse appeared to have no interest in leaving. He stood roughly, moving to where he’d left his shoes and pulling them on.
Jesse’s stomach gave a sharp twist. “Y’know, it’s a fucking big coincidence, how every time I enter a room you seem to be right about to leave.”
“That right?” Ben replied, his head pointed to the ground as he rapidly laced up the ties to the first shoe, then started on the next. He forced himself not to respond to the change in the other man’s tone, or the way the profanity made his hackles rise.
His jaw working, Jesse stared at the ceiling. “If you want me to leave, tell me to fucking leave. Your passive aggressive girly shit is starting to get on my nerves.”
In spite of his anger, Jesse’s words pierced through him. If he dared ever say that, it was very likely Jesse would just go and stay gone. Ben didn’t want him to leave; he just wanted him to stop being an asshole. Fat chance, came the mental addendum.
“Y’know what? Fuck you. Maybe if you’d stop being such a goddamn prick, I’d wanna stick around.”
Sitting up sharp, Jesse glared at him. “I’m being a prick? You’re the one who’s been treating me like shit you hope someone else’ll clean up. But you know what? Go do whatever you were off to do. I’ll just get some other people over here, ones that’re worth having around.”
“Good to know how you really feel about us, man,” Ben growled out, moving to the coat rack to find his jacket. He didn’t really need it, it was too damn warm out, but he did need his wallet.
Jesse pushed to his feet, fists clenched at his sides. It was all too easy to put power behind his words. “Don’t leave this fucking room!”
The desire to leave was still there, strong as ever, especially after being shouted at; but it was as if the door itself repulsed him. His body refused to move toward it, to the point where he felt his joints literally bending away against his will. It filled him with fury.
“Stop it!” Ben yelled back. “Stop it right now! You can’t make me stay here!”
“Yes I can,” Jesse said with an unkind laugh. “I can do anything I want.”
The fury twisted in his gut, another emotion getting caught up in with it: fear. He didn’t like how easy the words came tumbling out of Jesse’s mouth, or how uncaring he sounded when he said them. It was one thing to be angry, but quite another to not care. Ben turned and stormed right up to him, shoving him without a second thought.
“What the hell is wrong with you!?”
Jesse tripped back, sitting hard on the bed. He glared up, refusing to be intimidated. “How’s it feel, being ordered around like what you want and think aren’t worth a can of shit?”
Ben gawked at him, then his fists curled up at his sides. “Seriously? That’s what’s blowing up your skirt? We were on a fucking job, Jess, and you were out of line!”
“I was trying to save Claire, while you were just standing there with your thumb up your ass!” Jesse snarled, any pretense gone. “Your word isn’t law and you don’t always know what’s right, so stop pretending because you’ve been doing this a couple years longer that means I’m your little employee! I’m doing this because I want to, and I’ll stop because I want to, too!”
Ben sneered at him, his expression ugly and mean. “A couple years, huh? You have no fucking idea. You wouldn’t last a damn day if it weren’t for Claire and me. Oh wait,” he cut himself off, his eyes narrowing. “My bad. Guess you can. Guess this is all just a fucking joke for you, isn’t it? Something new and different until you get bored and then you’ll just run off again, like everything else you do. This is my life, you self-important sonofabitch. This isn’t just something I do for kicks. You wanna go play hero, go play in someone else’s fucking sandbox.”
Jesse didn’t think he’d ever felt so small. It hurt just looking at Ben. “Alright,” he said, pushing to his feet and heading for the door. “Hope you like this room, ‘cause you’ll be here a while.”
He got all of three steps away before Ben grabbed him roughly at the shoulder and yanked him back. But he didn’t stop there. Using the momentum, Ben threw him against the wall and pinned him there, glaring down into his face.
“The hell do you think you’re goin’?” he growled out. “We’re just gettin’ started. Or would you rather I go back to being passive-aggressive?”
He could leave at any time. Intellectually, Jesse knew that. But with the breath knocked out of him and his head reeling from where it hit the wall, it was hard to believe it. He stared up at Ben, frozen. “I’m not afraid of you,” he finally said, his jaw firm but his eyes betraying the lie.
“What, because you can heal?” Ben replied, the words biting. “Because you can just zap out of here, like a little pussy? Or pull some fucking kung-fu bullshit out of your head like it’s nothing? How nice for you. I bleed, asshole. I fucking hurt with everything I do, and so does Claire. But she would never talk shit about me in front of a civilian on a case if she didn’t agree with me. She trusts me, and I trust her.” Ben’s grip on his wrists tightened, then twisted. “And I trusted you until you pulled that stunt. I could get over fucking around on a job, but not that. The curse was broken and I wasn’t just gonna stick a fucking knife in a kid unless that was the only option I had left to stop it. So don’t you dare say I don’t know how to do my job.”
Jesse’s gaze turned down for a moment, his breath catching in his throat, but he managed to pull it together. “Would she ever scold you like a fucking child in front of a civilian? ‘Cause if your job is yelling out orders and expecting me to follow without question, even when lives aren’t on the line, then I might as well leave now.”
“No she wouldn’t, because I act my damn age!” Ben snarled.
Gritting his teeth, Jesse turned his head to the side, wanting to be out of there but Ben’s insult still stinging. “When that kid kills again, it’s going to be on your head,” he said quietly.
“So I should just kill her now?” Ben answered, his voice low as he inched in closer. They were barely centimeters apart. “That what you’re sayin’? Because she has the potential to kill? So do you, Jess.” He let go forcefully, taking a step back and shoving his fists in his pockets. “I don’t kill people. I kill monsters, end of story. And I don’t go shouting orders unless someone’s outta line. You were out of line. If you had backed off, I wouldn’t have shouted. What would’ve happened if you’d just killed that girl without knowing how to stop what she did, huh? With twenty-four hours on the clock?”
“I wasn’t going to kill her before we knew how to stop her; I’m not an idiot,” Jesse snapped, unconsciously rubbing his wrists. “But that girl was a fucking serial killer, and she didn’t care at all. And there’s no way she’s ever going to be brought to justice. You can’t tell me that’s right. Just because it doesn’t have fangs or black eyes doesn’t mean it’s not a monster. Do your hunter buddies feel the same way? What if one of them decides I’m more monster than human?”
“They’ll have to go through me first,” Ben said, fiercely and without pause. Even as angry as he was, that fact would never change.
“Lemme tell ya something: I have never killed a damn thing unless it was asking for it. Every single hunt I’ve been on, if it had more than two braincells to rub together, I gave it a fucking choice. Every single one. That girl felt it, you jackass: she just wasn’t showing it on the outside. And hell,” He threw his arms out, then let them fall with muted claps at his sides. “You wanna get technical, she didn’t even really fucking kill them. They killed themselves; she just gave them the means to do it. You can bet if she’d killed them with her own hands, she wouldn’t have been so goddamn scared of us.”
For the first time a vulnerability shone in Jesse’s eyes that went beyond fear. “I didn’t give them a choice,” he said quietly. “I killed all those vampires without even thinking. What’s that make me?”
Some of the anger in Ben’s voice ebbed off. “Oh trust me, they were asking for it,” Ben said gruffly. “They were gonna turn Claire into some little pet and feed me to their dogs. Pretty sure popular vote on that question would’ve been ‘no thanks, we’re happy the way we are’.”
“You don’t even hesitate,” Jesse said, a hint of admiration in his tone. “This whole hunting thing seems murky to me but you see it clearcut. I don’t think that means you’re always right, though.”
“Never said I was,” Ben answered, the tension finally easing out of his shoulders. “I’m not perfect, man. I still fuck up sometimes.” The right corner of his mouth quirked in a smile. “And feel free to rub it all up in my face if you catch me in the act.” The smile faded and he tentatively reached out, putting his hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “But you gotta trust me, Jess. Work is work; I’m not out to make anyone feel like shit. And I’m not your boss, but I am your teacher and your friend. I don’t want you to fail.”
Jesse jerked away from his touch, moving from the wall. “You don’t trust me, so why should I trust you? You’ve been treating me as some sort of pariah the whole trip to Vegas, and I’m supposed to trust you? You force me to stay, you order me around, you get pissed when I try thinking for myself.” Jesse turned away from him, his insides wound tight. “I’m just a handy hunting tool.” And a hot fuck when you feel like it.
Ben stared at him, speechless. Warning bells were clanging in his head, reminding him to pick his words very carefully.
“Jesse,” he said slowly. “I don’t think that. Not at all.” He took another breath, then let it out slowly. “You’ve made it very clear that I can’t make you do anything, and I don’t want to. If you don’t wanna stay... if you don’t want to be here with us, by all means go. I won’t stop you if that’s what you want.” Just saying the words aloud made his insides roil, but he pushed them back.
“I don’t want to go,” Jesse said, pursing his lips. That was true, but it wasn’t all. “But I don’t know if I can handle it. You and Claire, you’ve lived in a different world than anything I know. I don’t-- It’s a lot to take.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Ben said quietly, running a hand through his hair all the way to the ends. It was getting too long again. He’d have to start tying it back if he didn’t get it cut soon. Ben swallowed, trying to sort his thoughts. “But it’s not the kind of life that allows a lot of hand-holding. I didn’t have a teacher, Jess. All I had was a stupid book series and my own wits, and a contact who helped polish me up a bit after a few years of close calls. So if I’m comin’ off a bit hard on you, I’m sorry, but you gotta understand that I’m not doin’ it as a power trip. I don’t get off on ordering you around.”
Jesse took a long, slow breath. “I know. I know you’re just trying to help me. But it sucks. I almost wish I was going like you, without a teacher. That way my fuck-ups are my own.”
Ben rolled his lips, his jaw silently working. What could he really say to that? It wouldn’t matter if he tried to reassure Jesse that having a partner was better than going at it alone; it wasn’t going to change how the other man felt about being the rookie. His eyes lowered as he tried to think of some way to remedy it and give some of the power back to his friend. You can order me around all you want in the sack and I won’t mind, he thought briefly, but pushed it down. That wouldn’t really remedy anything, either.
“I do trust you,” he said at last, his voice low. “And someday you’ll get to a point where you won’t need me anymore. At least you’ve got that to look forward do.” Because I’m always gonna need you.
“I don’t need you now,” Jesse said honestly, turning to face him. “I don’t need anything. But I want it. I’m here because I want to be.” Because I want you. The thought was overwhelmingly strange. He was still pissed and confused and a little bit afraid of Ben, but that didn’t dampen the want in him at all.
Ben chewed viciously at his lower lip and shifted on his feet, trying to make sense of the complicated emotions that Jesse’s statement filled him with. Want could change; it could wear out and fade away. He wasn’t sure he could stand the thought of that any more than not being needed by him. Again he pushed his hand through his hair, his eyes avoidant.
Jesse felt a twist inside; Ben wouldn’t even look at him. “Alright. I’m sorry I ordered you to stay. You can go wherever you want,” he said, pushing power behind the words even though it wasn’t what he wanted.
It was as though the air around him suddenly lifted, some of the tension he hadn’t realized was set in his muscles fading away. Unfortunately, it didn’t change the other emotions festering in his gut, weighing him down. It felt more like a dismissal than a release, and that only hurt more.
“What’s gonna happen when you don’t wanna be here anymore?” he blurted, his eyes still pointed downward, even though the answer filled him with trepidation. “You just gonna go? No goodbyes, no concerns? I’ll just wake up and you’ll be gone, like you never even existed?”
Scowling, Jesse said, “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that to you, or to Claire. How can you say you trust me and not know that?”
Ben’s chest clenched, then released, and he inhaled sharply, screwing his eyes shut to force down the sudden, torrential emotions that hit him -- the fragmented memories of his father and his inability to recall his lost year still left him aching with fear, loss, abandonment, betrayal and confusion. Everything inside him felt raw and ugly at the resurfacing memories, and it took monumental effort to keep from breaking down, to the point where his shoulders visibly shook.
Shock streamed through Jesse again and for a moment he could only stand frozen. Then he stepped forward, putting a gentle hand on Ben’s shoulder. Ben let out a shuddering breath at the touch, his hand coming up to twist the heel into each of his eyes. He gave a forced sounding laugh, then shook his head, his eyes still pointed down.
“Yeah, guess I’m just being stupid,” he said in a tight voice.
Jesse couldn’t help it; he pulled Ben into a hug. “You’re not stupid. But I promise, I would never leave without saying something. And I don’t plan on leaving.”
The hug momentarily surprised him, but once he felt the weight of Jesse’s arms around him Ben pressed in further, burying his face into the other man’s neck. The heat and scent of him were warm and familiar, filling him with a sense of homecoming. He took a slow breath, feeling a tightening as their closeness restricted the movement, then brushed his lips against Jesse’s jawline.
“S’long as you promise,” he breathed.
Jesse’s breath caught at the touch of Ben’s lips. After everything that had been said, Ben emphasizing that he was Jesse’s teacher, he’d thought maybe everything that was between them before was over. Apparently not.
There was that shift again, and this time the weight in Ben’s gut also lifted, replaced with pure anxiety. With Claire, what he felt was so much simpler. The words had come tumbling out of him as easy as breathing. With Jesse, everything was hard. They fought tooth and nail all the time, never parsing words when they were angry, always pushing to the limits, and he was starting to realize why: it was because he bottled it up. He was afraid. Can’t trust each other when you’re afraid of each other, he told himself.
Taking another steadying breath, Ben pulled back enough to lean his forehead against Jesse’s. He couldn’t recall ever having been so afraid of another person in his whole life. “I love you, Jess,” he said in a gritty voice.
Jesse stopped breathing. There were so many uncertainties even in his own mind of what he wanted from Ben. But this, he realized as soon as he heard the words, was the one thing he knew he wanted. He took Ben’s mouth hungrily, one hand gripping to the back of his neck to keep him in place.
Heat hit him at every point of contact and Ben shivered in response, succumbing to Jesse’s desperation and also his own. His own hands gripped him tightly, one twisting up in Jesse’s hair while the other pressed firmly at the dip of his spine.
His hips grinding, Jesse slid his hand up the back of Ben’s shirt. Their tongues twined, and it was easy for Jesse to get lost in it, to the power and certainty of Ben’s touch, the same thing that frustrated him so much. He wanted more, to feel every part of it. He’d thought about it since that first night together, but asking in front of Claire unnerved him every time. Now, though...
Twisting his hand in Ben’s hair, Jesse pulled back slightly, lips still brushing Ben’s. “I want you to fuck me.”
It felt like Ben’s heart slammed against his ribcage. Heat flushed into his face at such a bold request. He’d never even done anal with a girl before. Relax, relax, it’s nothing, it’s not a big deal, he told himself. He swallowed, then nodded, nerves moving through him like lava as he took Jesse’s mouth again.
Heat swam through Jesse at Ben’s answer, his tongue spearing eagerly into him. On top of that was a flutter of nerves; he gone there with a couple of girls before, but he’d never been on the receiving end. He’d never really considered it until Ben.
Working open the other man’s jeans, Jesse slid a hand past his underwear to grip the base of Ben’s cock, giving it a long stroke. Ben immediately broke the kiss with a gasp, his hips arching into it. Apparently taking it slow was not on the agenda.
“Easy, tiger,” Ben said in a breathless voice. “Don’t wanna start the show too soon. I’ve never...” he swallowed hard. “I’m new to this.”
Jesse quirked an eyebrow. “Here I thought you would have pegged a lot of girls,” he said, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “I’m new to this side of things, too. But I can talk you through it.”
***
Even without Ben on top of him, Jesse couldn’t have moved to save his life. He felt the tingle of numbness spreading in his right leg and a twinge in his back, but they were just background noise to the bonelessness spreading through him.
“You’re still gonna respect me in the morning, right?” Jesse said with a lazy, half-lidded smile.
“Dunno, man. You have a mouth like a dirty whore,” Ben mumbled against his collarbone, his lips twisting in a faint smirk. “I feel like I should go see a priest.”
Jesse let out a breath of a laugh, though inwardly the Church was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about right then. “Well I know where your cock’s been and it’s a whole lot dirtier than my mouth,” he teased.
“Have you heard yourself?” Ben replied, pulling back enough to look at him and grin crookedly. “Though maybe I shouldn’t go to a priest. He might want some himself. Then I’d have to kill him, and that’s just a showstopper.”
That got a real laugh, Jesse’s hand playing along the planes of Ben’s shoulders. “I think you killing priests would top my dirty mouth on the ‘bad’ scale.”
“I think I’ve done enough topping for the day, thank you,” Ben snickered. His eyes fell closed for a moment, taking simple pleasure in the sensation of being touched, breathing slowly through it.
“Shower?”
“Mm, maybe when I have legs again,” Jesse said, sinking further into the chair. “These jelly things attached to my torso aren’t really good for standing.”
“I’ll try and save you some water,” Ben said, finally easing free and pulling back, but not before kissing him. Then he sauntered through the bathroom door, leaving it wide open.
Jesse’s eyes followed him, feeling hollower and hollower the farther Ben got. He’d demanded Jesse say he loved him. The scary thing was, Jesse thought it might be true. He didn’t know what to do with that. The longer he stayed with Ben and Claire, the more his very being seemed to be tangled in them. He didn’t think he’d ever been happier, or more afraid.
What he did know was that sitting there, he felt utterly alone.
Not really caring that he could hardly feel his legs, Jesse got to his feet and headed for the bathroom.
***
A ‘Spa Day’ in Vegas was unlike any ‘spa day’ Claire had ever experienced--mostly in the fact that she had never actually experienced one in her entire life. When they arrived the other day, the hotel concierge absolutely insisted that she give it a try while they were in town, and it seemed like a safe, relaxing time to get away from the guys while they beat the tension out of each other, if need be.
Claire could thank running into Kat for that realization: that Jesse and Ben were both very affected by her constant presence--and not always positively. She hadn’t known the exact cause, but there were tensions between them again, and they were holding back--for her sake. It came to the point where she had to take a step back, and hope for the best. It was more than a little nerve wracking (hence the ‘spa day’ decision), but she trusted them both, and her faith in them and how well she knew them both helped Claire get through the massage by Joch (the most effeminate man she’d ever met), the Swedish mud bath (which was just weird), the mani-pedi (clear polish only), and the trim & style for her hair.
Unfortunately, all that only ate up three hours. The other four, Claire had spent in a small casino, doing what she’d learned to do best--look innocent and naive, while cleaning up the gambling budgets of men of all ages.
Now, with the desert sun-set starting to marry blue sky with oranges and pinks, and after instructing Ben through text messages to bring himself and Jesse down to the circle drive in front of the hotel.
“You seriously won these?” Lucas asked her, toeing up to the curb next to Claire. She’d called him for a little help with her good-luck streak in order to surprise the boys. Her grin was bright and bold beneath the reflective Aviators that sat on her slightly sunburned nose. The silver trimmed 2005 Yamaha Roadstar Warrior he’d ridden from the dealership (whose owner Claire had completely taken in) was propped by the side walk right behind its twin--which Claire was languidly sitting on.
“Viva Las Vegas,” she replied, sitting back against the butter-soft leather seat and combing her fingertips through the sleek yellow pony-tail that sat on her shoulder--the stylist had straightened her hair. She caught movement in the corner of her eye, approaching them from the hotel doors. Pushing the new sunglasses up and over the swoops of escaped hair at her brow, Claire turned that bright grin over to Ben and Jesse. Still straddling her bike, her arms opened wide, like the show-girl spokes models she couldn’t get away from in this town.
It hadn’t been a spa day for them, but Ben felt infinitely more relaxed than he had in the past few days. He was actually smiling again, and when the warm Nevada heat hit them upon their exit from the hotel, he actually sighed from the comfort. It didn’t prepare him at all for the sight of Claire on a motorcycle, with Lucas standing next to the other.
“What the hell?” he uttered in pleasant surprise.
Jesse’s grin was wide. “I knew you were going in for some relaxation, but didn’t expect you to snag a couple of vibrators on wheels,” he teased, leaning in to give Claire a quick peck. “Where’d you pick these up?”
Her grin went a little crooked, quirking a brow--obviously quite pleased with herself. “Apparently some people didn’t bring enough money to the tables.” And anticipating the follow-up question, she continued: “I can only sit still in a stylist-chair for so long.”
“You didn’t win me anything?” Lucas pipped up, snorting back his own laugh. Claire snerked at him.
“Didn’t I see a garage full’a toys back at your place?”
“Always room for one more,” Lucas pouted playfully at her. She chuckled.
“We’ll take you out tonight--as thanks for helpin’ me with these two babies.”
Ben immediately tucked his hand into a fist. “Rock-paper-scissors who rides with Claire. No offense, Lucas.”
Biting back a response about Ben riding people, Jesse held out a fist. “Alright. One, two, three, shoot!” He held out paper, and Ben threw rock.
Dammit, he thought, then smirked a bit. “You win this round. Luke, move back, I’m drivin’.”
Lucas laughed to himself, shaking his head as he settled in the ‘bitch seat’, and held onto the bar behind the pad. “I better be drinkin’ for free tonight, Claire.”
“In case you didn’t notice, I do have tits--I don’t pay for drinks in this city. You can just have mine,” she responded while bracing the bike between her thighs, and wasting no time sending a playful wink to Jesse. Her head twitched toward the seat behind her before she plopped the aviators back to her nose.
Winking back at her, Jesse hopped on, scooting in unnecessarily close. “You look so fucking sexy on this thing,” he said quietly into her ear. Claire’s grin was subtle, but rakishly half-turned over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry--I’ll teach you how to ride,” she teased, feeling his words deep and loving every second of it. Smug wasn’t one of her usual traits, but it was hard not to feel it at that moment. Before he could respond, she slammed her boot down on the kick-start, bringing the thing beneath them to life. A few feet away, Ben joined in suite, letting out a hoot of excitement. The sound wasn’t too unlike being in the middle of a hurricane. Then they were off, barreling down the road and toward the setting sun.
***
Four days into their trip, Ben started getting antsy. He’d already started researching again, choosing to stay at the hotel on two separate awake-hour occasions while Jesse and Claire went out into the city. Of course, by the second one they were ragging him like mad -- not that he was complaining, given their choice methods -- so he tried to keep the researching down to late nights, and even then there had been... distractions. Lucas was supposed to be doing their researching, one of them had said. Ben couldn’t quite remember who said it, given the fact that he’d had very specific hands on his body at the time.
Nevertheless, he felt like he’d had his fill of rest and relaxation, and with his “piggy bank” recently re-filled and feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks, the three of them decided to pay Lucas one last visit to get info and maybe treat the guy to a night on the town. He deserved it, after all the work they’d imposed on him.
The desert dust coiled at her boots as they dropped from the Honda’s footrests, and braced the still rumbling motorcycle between her legs. After prying off the full-face helmet and smoothing her hair, she glanced behind her, watching Jesse pull up behind her, followed shortly by Ben in the GTO. Having the bikes had been a blast, but they weren’t practical, no matter how pretty--Claire was content to imagine the look on Lucas’s face when she got around to telling him they were his to keep. Good way to end a vacation.
She killed the engine and kicked down the stand, squinting into the sunset as Lucas’s footsteps greeted them from the walk.
“Y’know, if you’re going for a sneak attack sometime, the full convoy probably isn’t the most subtle choice,” he said, walking up to Claire with a grin.
Dismounting, Jesse was careful to keep his attention to situating his helmet; they’d be rid of Lucas soon enough. The door to the GTO closed with a muted clap and then Ben slid up to Jesse’s side, making sure to give him a not-so-subtle look over and a quick wink while attention wasn’t on them before giving a nod of greeting to Lucas.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of us already! We haven’t even been here a whole week.”
“Oh I’m always on my toes around hunters,” Lucas teased, nodding at Claire. “Especially the pretty ones. They’ll get you every time.” Claire’s smirk dipped deep into her cheek, but it was still pleasant. That was good enough a comment on that subject from her.
“You’re right, though,” she moved on, swinging her leg off the bike and snagging the keys in one smooth movement. Then next placed those keys in Lucas’s palm when she went to shake it in greeting. “Good way to remember us, I think?”
Lucas’s brow furrowed as he looked down at his hand, then back at her. “Seriously? You’re giving it to me?” His mouth twitched in a smile before he shook his head. “No, no payment needed. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Well it’s not like we can just take ‘em with us,” Ben answered, his brows arching slightly. “And we’re gonna need your help in the future, man.” Claire nodded, and her smile went a little lopsided.
“Use’em as bargaining chips, or somethin’.”
“Toldja, I don’t need payment. I got all the money I need,” he said with a smile.
Glancing at the house, Jesse gave a faint snort. Ben promptly punched him lightly in the shoulder.
Raising an eyebrow at him, Lucas’s smile never wavered. “It’s what’s on the inside that counts, man. Books, gear, and information are worth more than a McMansion. Not to mention a few lucrative patents and a few projects that’ll be in every household in America in a few years. But I could use the bikes, if you really don’t need them,” he said, turning back to Ben and Claire. “Always good to have something more to tinker with.”
“They’re yours,” Claire said, settling it with a warm smile, and a helmet pushed lightly into Lucas’s arms before heading toward the house.
“So long as we can borrow them when we’re in town,” Ben added as he followed a few steps behind them.
“Well, I’ll be sure to keep one of them in one piece then,” Lucas said with a laugh.
Helmet and keys in hand, Jesse followed with a scowl. “Won’t be long, right?” he said, just quiet enough for Ben to hear. Ben nodded rather than verbally answering, watching Lucas as he all but fluttered around Claire like a moth around a flame. It took a lot of effort to keep from frowning.
“So I did more digging up on the Nephilim, like you asked. Or rather on things that might be Nephilim. It’s easier if you don’t focus on the term too much,” Lucas said, settling in his usual chair. “First there’s the obvious possibilities: demigod legends. Hercules, Achilles, that sort of thing. Biblical legends too, like Samson or Goliath. Maybe even Jesus. Broad strokes here. Of course we can’t know for certain if those are just stories or actually based on something, but they fit the idea at least and maybe can show us what we’d be looking for in the present day.”
“Sounds like something you’d look through the tabloids for,” Claire settled on the edge of the couch. Her hunch was confirmed by the spread of attention-grabbing headlines and articles pinned to an enormous cork board on Lucas’s wall.
“Dunno about Jesus,” Ben said, moreorless as an afterthought. “Theoretically he’s supposed to be the son of God, not of an angel.”
“So’s Hercules. We can’t look at the stories as verbatim; they might have taken the Grigori to be gods. Anyway, nowadays it’s trickier. I found some stories.” Lucas nodded at the cork board. “Three-year-old lifts car off mother, pious teen with gift of healing, that kind of thing. If they’re all legit, well, we’re up shit creek, because there’s a lot of these suckers out there. But I doubt it.”
Despite himself, Jesse walked over and started looking through some of the tabloid headlines.
“You got a list of cities for us?” Claire asked Lucas, though she watched Jesse’s intrigue, or anxiety, pull him in.
Lucas gave a breath of a laugh. “Thank God I thought you might say that.” Plucking a binder off the coffee table, he pulled out a dozen printed spreadsheet pages. “Town, name, and freaky power listed. Mostly in small Midwest towns. But there was something else I wanted to run by you. Ever heard of cambions?”
Ben frowned in thought, chewing his lip. The word sound vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it off the top of his head. “More lore, I take it?”
Lucas nodded. “Half human, half demon.”
There was a loud rip as Jesse turned around sharply, taking half a news article with him. “Ah, shit, sorry, I-- You just caught me off-guard. I mean, that’s-- Really? Demons can breed with humans?” he babbled off in one breath.
Ben felt his heart jump straight up into his throat, both at Lucas’s words and Jesse’s immediate reaction. Luckily, he had a better poker face than his friend, but managed to look efficiently boggled by the concept despite his knowing it was already possible.
“How? Demons possess people. If that were possible, there’d be a lot more of these cambiwhatsits around, wouldn’t there?” Claire opened her mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by the buzzing on the inside of her jacket pocket. She fished out the phone and looked at the screen--stared at the screen, really.
“Go on,” she said finally, glancing up with a dismissive gesture, but her attention went back to her phone; her thumbs typing away a return message to the text that just arrived.
Glancing at Claire, then Jesse, it was a moment before Lucas answered Ben. “I haven’t been able to find reference to the mechanics of it, but it’s not supposed to be easy. Of course, it could just be a misinterpretation of the Nephilim myth, or vice versa. They’re awfully similar. But yeah, human-demon babies would be like a ‘roided up demon. Stronger powers, tamer weaknesses. One journal reference I found, though, said they’re hidden from demons and angels. Some sort of chameleon defense. Could make them hard to track down.”
Ben’s brows furrowed. So nephilim and cambions were the same thing? No, nephilim need vessels. That’s the difference. But the thing that possessed him had been a demon, hadn’t it? Angels possess too, same as demons. There isn’t smoke, and the host is more willing, but it’s not that different... The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it was. His eyes briefly flicked over to Claire, then Jesse, before returning to Lucas again.
“There’s gotta be some differences, though,” Ben said slowly. “I imagine it’s like... like the difference between a werewolf and a skinwalker. Else why would there be two different terms?”
“Different cultures or people describing the same thing? The thing is, I’ve got actual hunter accounts of a cambion,” Lucas said, briefly digging through his books before picking out a beat-up journal. “Nephilim are only legend as far as I can tell. So maybe cambion are what you’re dealing with. Maybe demons got sick of only making so few, so they’ve gone and streamlined the process by knocking up a pile of women at once. I don’t know. It’ll take more time for me to find anything definite, if then.”
Claire’s phone buzzed, and once again, she stared at the screen for a second or two before really reacting. When she did, it was a brief glance up, but little else before she put a ‘one second’ finger in the air, got off the couch, and lifted the phone to her ear.
“Jacob.”
”Now there’s music to my ears if I’ve ever heard it,” came the decidedly Southern drawl on the other end. Ben turned his gaze to Claire, confusion registering in his expression along with a slight frown. Claire wasn’t looking at him, though her nose had scrunched up a little. She also cleared her throat.
“So what’s the occasion?”
If there was anything that could tear Jesse’s eyes away from the journal, it was hearing Claire address a man. He felt a little sick as it was; he really hoped there weren’t more surprises on the way.
”A guy can’t call every once in a while?” Jacob asked, his voice steeped in charm. Claire’s scoff bordered on a dry chuckle.
“Every nine or ten months? I was onto your pattern years ago.”
Jacob chuckled on the other end of the line. ”Still sharp as nails.” He paused, and there was an obvious change in his tone when he spoke again. ”You anywhere near Louisiana?”
“Not even close. Why?”
”Can you be?”
“Depends,” there was a note of cautious concern in her voice. “I would’ve thought you’d be sick of the phrase ‘I’m not your booty-call.’ by now...”
Ben immediately tensed up and scowled, his eyes narrowing on the phone in Claire’s hand. Jesse’s eyes widened, his stomach giving an uncomfortable twist. Lucas just laughed into his hand.
”You know I wouldn’t call if I had any other option, darlin’.” Claire’s lips pressed together, but she gave a small nod of agreement, even though Jacob couldn’t see it.
“Always a gentleman,” she started through a quiet sigh. “What’s going down in Louisiana?”
”Bewitched object I’m havin’ trouble findin’. It’s gettin’ rather grim. There’ve been five missing children this week alone.” The blood washed away from Claire’s face, and she looked wide-eyed at Ben and Jesse. The scowl faded from Ben’s face at Claire’s look, replaced with concern.
“What town?” Claire breathed into the phone, and rubbed her brow with one hand.
“Chackbay,” he answered, sounding relieved. ”What d’you think your ETA’ll be?”
“A day, at least--maybe two.” Claire dropped her hand and looked at Lucas, the board, and finally the expectant faces of Jesse and Ben. “We’re on the other side of the country.”
”Redline it if you can. I’ll call you if things change before you get here.” He paused, his voice apologetic and sincere. ”Thank you, Claire. Really.” She nodded against the phone, swaying a little on her feet.
“We’ll see you when we get there.” With that, she hung up.
“I’m guessing we’re off to Louisiana?” Jesse said, his tone casual but his face tense. Ben just stared, a frown creasing his face. Claire wet her lips and looked at both of them in their turn, but eventually rested her eyes on Ben.
“Five kids missing already.”
All it took were those four words, and Ben’s expression completely shifted. He was on his feet in one smooth motion, turning to smile politely at Lucas.
“Hate to hunt and run, but you know how it is. We’ll keep in touch?”
“Yeah, no apology needed,” Lucas said quickly, holding his hands up. “You do what you gotta do, and let me know if you need help. In fact...” He hesitated a moment before saying, “I’ve got something you might be able to use. I know you gotta get your things together, but maybe Claire and Jesse can do that? It’ll be real quick.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Claire answered easily, already packing their things with a pointed look to Jesse. They headed out to the car. Ben felt his muscles tense up automatically, but he kept his face neutral. He had a feeling this wasn’t just a moment where Lucas was passing a quick book to him or something for him to read on the road; he was calling Ben out. It took a moment for him to school his body into a relaxed pose while still maintaining the ability to defend himself if necessary.
“What’s up?”
Lucas gave a breath of a laugh. “Swear to God, you can never get anything past hunters. Good thing Jesse’s not a hunter.” While the smile didn’t quite leave his mouth, his eyes were sober. “You know something’s off about him, right? I’m not talking about the bad manners or the newb-ness either; I’ve seen all kinds of hunters, both mean and green, and that’s not what’s off here. That kid’s acting nervous. Scared, even.”
The tenseness was back in Ben’s shoulders, but he managed only to frown in response, then give Lucas a slightly disapproving look. “He’s not just green, Luke. Pretty sure if you looked up green in the dictionary, there would be a see-also attached with his name on it.” It was a complete lie, but Ben was more than willing to stretch the truth in order to suspend Lucas’s disbelief. “He hasn’t been taking the work well. He’s not even sure he can handle it. Being scared is kind of the default here.”
Cocking his head to the side, Lucas frowned back. Then he shrugged. “Alright, if you’re sure that’s all it is. Just, you and Claire be careful. Even a well-meaning newbie can get people killed if he’s running scared. Now come on out to the garage, I got something for you.” He led the way, Ben falling into an easy step at his side.
Ben appreciated the fact that Lucas was so invested in them already, there was no denying that. He liked the man, and he had a mind like a bear trap; the fact that he worried about their well-being when he barely knew him said a lot about his integrity. Gonna have to send a thank-you box of bullets Kat’s way, he mused, chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip as he ducked through the garage door after Lucas.
It was clear right away why Lucas kept his car in the driveway. The whole place was lined with shelves. In the middle were two tables covered in papers and gears and oil cans, as well as some large metal apparatus that didn’t look like much of anything. The shelves, though, were meticulous, and Lucas was only five steps from the door when he snatched up what looked like a roll of white duct tape.
He held it out to Ben with a grin. “Salt-tape.”
Ben blinked at him, then looked down at it before grinning like a kid opening a Christmas present. “Get the fuck out.”
Lucas laughed. “Don’t look too happy yet. I’ve been working on this stuff for over a year, and it’s tricky getting the right blend so the salt content is high enough to trap the baddies but low enough it doesn’t fuck with the integrity of the tape. This is the latest version and I haven’t had a chance to test it, but if you want to give it a go...”
“Hell, if it means the lines won’t break, I’m all about it,” Ben answered in a rush, making the universal grabby hands gesture. He already had an idea on how to test it, even if it was slightly cruel to Jesse: protecting his laptop from intruders.
“Thanks for all your help, man. You’re our hero.”
Lucas’s smile turned a little sheepish. “Well hell, if it gets me a motorcycle, I guess I’ll take it.”