Soulbound ‡ waif

by Wes Leigh

Chapter 6

Zavy had stopped shivering sometime in the night. Reggie and Jack were sweltering from being under the blankets with him, holding him to offer what warmth they could. Jack moved the dark hair off Zavy's forehead. He seemed to be sleeping now, though all night long he'd mumbled in his sleep, moaning and crying out at times. Jack moved the blankets down and peeked at Zavy's neck. The puncture wounds were still obvious.

Reggie stared at Jack from the other side of Zavy's body. He hadn't believed the wild tale Jack had whispered in the night about his pale lady being a vampire, but the bite marks on Zavy's neck certainly made him wonder if it might not be true. And then there were the weird sexual experience, the most intense of his life, though he still struggled to remember all the details. Reggie had never been with a woman, but he was fairly certain that it wasn't supposed to happen like Jack had described.

"She was standing next to me with fangs on me neck?" he asked Jack in a whisper, for the tenth time.

Jack nodded. "She was leaning down to bite you. Like she bit Zavy." Jack pointed at the holes in Zavy's neck. "I tell you, Reg, she was a bloody vampire, like in the stories you hear."

Reggie shook his head. "The vampire stories never say anything about blokes having their pants around their ankles and blowing their loads on the ground."

"Well … that would be a detail a guy wouldn't want bandied about, now would it?" Jack asked.

Reggie thought for a moment, then replied, "I suppose not. Was she touching me pego?"

"Nah. She wasn't even nekid. She was just standing there, eyes glowing red, getting ready to bite into your neck. When Zavy saw that, he didn't hesitate none. He charged in, trying to save ya'."

Reggie swallowed hard. Zavy had no doubt saved him and was now suffering for it.

Mum walked into the room and saw that Reggie and Jack were awake. Jack casually tugged the blanket back up to Zavy's chin, covering the bite marks on his neck, as Mum leaned over and placed a hand on Zavy's forehead.

"He's still cold," she observed.

Jack nodded. "But he stopped shivering a few hours ago and finally fell asleep."

Mum stood up straight and looked out the window. "It's pouring down rain and doesn't look to be letting up. No point in trying to find work today, so you two will help take care of Zavy while I tend to the others. Keep him warm. If he wakes up later, we'll try him on a bit of broth."

Jack nodded at Mum, who started pulling pans from the cabinets to make the morning cereal.

Reggie leaned over Zavy and whispered, "Did you really kill her?"

Jack glanced sideways at Mum and nodded his head. Whispering back, he replied, "Stabbed her a few times in the back. She weren't moving when I finished with her."

Reggie shook his head in disbelief. "Fucking hell. What if the constables find her?"

Jack gritted his teeth and hissed. "I don't fucking care, Reggie. She was trying to kill us, so I killed her."

Reggie put his hand over Jack's mouth, hushing him. "Keep it down, Jacko. You want Mum to hear?"

Jack pulled Reggie's hand away. "What you should be thinking about is how this is all your bloody fault. If you hadn't gone into her bloody garden in the first place …"

Reggie looked down and sighed. "Don't you think I've been telling meself that very thing, Jacko? Don't you think I'm kicking me own ass, thinking about how I almost got me cousin killed back there?"

"Then why'd you do it?" Jack asked.

Reggie didn't answer at first. Then he whispered, "It was the best I've ever had, Jack. It was like my body turned inside out and every drop of juice in me came rushing out at once, leaving me drained but wanting to go again and again." Reggie looked up at Jack and said, "She must have been a vampire or something unnatural. How could she do all that to me without touching me once? Part of me didn't want to ever see her again, but I couldn't help meself, Jack. It was like I was under a spell or something."

Jack sighed. "It wasn't your fault then, Reg. She ensorcelled you, she did."

"And you broke the spell by killing her," Reggie said with a grin.

"I suppose. I had to do it, or she'd have killed Zavy."

"You're a real hero, Jacko. A bloody knight in shining armor. A vampire slayer!"

Jack grinned. "Let's hope no one ever finds out. It would be damned impossible to explain to the constables."

Reggie nodded, his face grim now. He placed the back of his hand against Zavy's cheek. "He's so pale. And chilly."

Jack gulped. "Yeah, but he's finally sleeping."

Flanders and his pals huddled beneath an awning, looking out at the rain pouring down. There'd be no going out today. Not in this. Not even for the wild orgy they couldn't quite remember having but wanted to repeat at the pale woman's house. They talked about heading down to McCoy's stable. It was unlikely the little shits from Hanbury had made it out in this downpour, so McCoy might have work for them. Flanders kicked one of the smaller lads. "Go check and see what's happening at the stables."

"In this bloody rain?" the boy mumbled.

Flanders kicked at him again, but the lad dodged and ended up outside the awning, with rain pounding down on him. He pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders and ran down the street, resigned to the fact that he'd be soaking wet in a few steps.

"We gonna do some work today, Flanders?" another lad asked.

Flanders shrugged. "Nothing better to do. Might as well."

They waited for the boy to return, soaked to the bone, with the news that no one was working for McCoy and he could use the help. Flanders led the way down the street, running hard in the rain and laughing.

An hour later, the rain began to slow, making it possible for shoppers with umbrellas to wander about. A bearded man in a dark suit slipped inside each store, asking questions about boys who might hang about from time to time. The answers he received seemed to satisfy him, for he soon disappeared.

The rain continued to fall, drizzling now and promising a wet day for everyone.

The nightmares tried to hold him buried beneath the earth, surrounded by death and decay, but Zavy fought his way out, clawing his way upward, seeking the light of day, gasping for breath as he sat up and opened his eyes.

Mum was reading to Rachel and Becky. Reggie was playing quietly with Danny and Micah. Zavy looked around for Jack, suddenly afraid. Next to Zavy on the pallet, Jack was asleep. Zavy waited, watching for Jack's chest to move, and when it did, Zavy sighed with relief. That had been one of the nightmares. That Jack was dead, lying on the ground, staring at the moon with lifeless eyes. But it had only been a nightmare, born from whatever illness he'd picked up.

He still felt horrible. His body was cold and aching. His head throbbed. His neck where he'd been bitten felt tender. But at least he was alive and awake.

Jack turned over and opened his eyes. "Zavy?" Jack sat up and grabbed Zavy's hand, squeezing hard. "How do you feel?"

"Sore. Cold."

Jack jumped up and hurried into the kitchen. "There's a bit of broth and bread for you." Jack scurried about, gathering up the food and carrying it back to the pallet.

Zavy thanked him and took the bowl. The smell of the meat broth, something he'd normally love, made his stomach churn and rebel. He lifted the bowl to his mouth and sipped. It tasted wrong. Not what he needed. Not what he wanted. But it was warm and slid down his throat, momentarily relieving the chill he felt throughout his body. He drank it all down and took the bread Jack offered. The bread tasted dry as powdered bones in his mouth. He chewed it mechanically, swallowed and handed the bowl back to Jack. "Is there more?"

Jack nodded and took the bowl back to the stove, where he refilled it with broth. "We were worried about you."

Zavy pulled the blankets around his shoulders. He was still frightfully cold. "I don't know what was wrong with me. I just couldn't seem to get warm last night, no matter what."

"Likely a chill," Mum offered, looking up and frowning at Zavy. "Comes from staying out all hours and worrying your mum." But she smiled to show she wasn't serious. "Drink some more broth. If you're able to keep it down, you can have a bit of wine."

Jack hurried to fill a small glass with wine. As he poured, Zavy licked his lips in anticipation. The blood-red fluid tumbled from the bottle like a severed vein pouring out its life-giving offering. Zavy shivered and shook his head. What the bloody hell was he thinking?

He drank down another bowl of broth, then sipped the wine. Again, it wasn't what his body needed, but it provided some nourishment.

What he really wanted was … he frowned in confusion, staring down into the glass at the swirling red fluid. He didn't know what he wanted, but it wasn't broth or wine or bread.

It was a wet week for Whitechapel and the rest of London. A nasty storm had blown in and settled over the south of England, pouring down rain every day, flooding the streets and keeping the boys home and unable to work.

Crawley began wandering about the apartment, staring at them and mumbling to himself as he scratched his fat stomach.

The boys stared back at him. There wasn't a whole lot they could do about it. The rain was keeping them from working, and after all, they'd given Crawley a decent amount of coin before the storm came sweeping in. Whatever work Mum came up with them to do around the apartment, they'd jumped to do willingly, working hard to help her care for the younger children and keep the place neat and clean. Zavy had even organized all of Mum's pots, pans, and dishes, sorting them by size. Mum had laughed when she saw it, thanking him but saying it would all be a tumbled mess again after the next meal. Zavy had shrugged and promised to keep it all in order every day.

Jack and Reggie had stopped worrying about Zavy. He seemed no worse from the vampire's bite, though his normally pale skin was almost translucent now.

Zavy didn't want to worry any of the others. He felt fine physically, but he was getting almost no sleep, with violent dreams filling his head every night. And every morning, he woke up with hunger pangs that nothing he ate satisfied. He hid it well, but he was growing more agitated with each passing day, frustrated that he was unable to quinch these new thirsts he was having.

Crawley wasn't making it any better. His glaring and mumbling made everyone nervous, but it seemed to affect Zavy the most. Something about the unkempt man made Zavy want to lash out and rip out his throat. And that made Zavy nervous, because he'd never felt such violent urges before.

One day, it all came to a head. Crawley came into the main room of the apartment, saw Zavy playing softly on his wooden piccolo, and stomped over to glare down at the teen. "Diddling about again! Damn your hide, boy. You should be out working, not fucking about like this."

Zavy looked up slowly and stared at Crawley. For a moment, it seemed to Zavy that a red fog crept into the room, surrounding Crawley and giving the man a bloody hue. Zavy glared at Crawley and whispered, "You go out and work, you lazy sod. I'm tired of your orders and your whining. Go out and find work and bring us all a good meal tonight."

Crawley stumbled backward as if he'd been struck in the face. He couldn't be certain, but Zavy's eyes seemed to be glowing with a red light for a moment. Crawley shook his head and shuddered, then turned and ran out of the apartment.

Jack looked at Reggie. "Where the bloody hell is he off to in such a hurry?"

Reggie shrugged.

Mum looked up from her sewing and admonished Jack. "Language, boy! There's young ears in the room."

"Sorry, Mum," Jack replied. Walking over to sit next to Zavy, Jack whispered, "What did you say to get him so riled up, Zavy?"

Zavy put the piccolo down. "I told him to go out and work and quit being a lazy sod."

Jack smiled and laughed. "You're a brave soul, Zavy. Got tired of his shit, did ya'?"

Zavy shrugged. "Don't know what came over me." He paused and sighed. "I probably made trouble for Mum. I wish I'd kept me mouth shut."

Jack snickered. "Eh, Crawley is a lazy sod. Can't fault ya' for calling him on it."

Two hours later, Crawley returned to the apartment with fried fish and chips and a quart of beer. He placed the food in the kitchen and nervously wandered into the bedroom, carefully avoiding looking in Zavy's direction.

Zavy looked at Reggie and Jack, surprised. They all laughed and served up the food to the rest of the family, enjoying the meal.

Everyone except Zavy, that is. For him, the food was filling but not satisfying. It was missing something, something he couldn't put his finger on, and it left him with an aching appetite.

Late that night, after everyone else had gone to the bed, the three teens were still awake, all three with hard cocks throbbing inside their underpants as they rubbed each other. They were horny, and there was nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was they hadn't been out of the house for a week, so they'd had no chance to climb up into McCoy's loft or find a narrow alley somewhere to satisfy their rampant sex drives. It was risky, doing it in the apartment. Mum or Crawley or one of the children could come into the main room at any time and catch them at it, but they'd waited as long as they could and needed the release.

Jack was especially randy, it seemed, not satisfied with rubbing the other boys over their underpants. He worked Reggie's down enough to expose the older boy's hard cock, then bent over and took it in his mouth, sucking eagerly and making Reggie groan with pleasure.

Reggie tried to muffle his moans. It wasn't as good as what had happened in the pale lady's garden, but it was still amazing. Jack had a real talent at this, and Reggie held his body as still as possible, loving every swipe of Jack's tongue along Reggie's hard shaft. "Oh, Jacko," Reggie whispered, "can ya' suck it now? I wanna shoot."

Jack complied, bobbing up and down rapidly on Reggie's cock. Reggie arched his back and shoved himself deeper into Jack's mouth, trembling as his body released its juices. Jack sucked eagerly, pulling out every drop and swallowing quickly. Then Jack sat up, grinning, and turned to face Zavy. "You wanna turn?" he whispered.

Zavy's eyes were closed and his mouth slightly opened. There was something about what Reggie and Jack had just done that was finally feeding the hunger inside him. He couldn't explain it exactly, but somehow, he had tasted their sexual desires, actually feeding off Reggie's orgasm.

Zavy reached up and touched Jack's neck, feeling the blood pulsing in the boy's throat. Jack shivered at Zavy's touch. His eyes seemed to glaze over and he leaned down to kiss Zavy on the lips, warm flesh touching icy cold, hot breath merging with the chilling air passing Zavy's lips.

Jack wriggled his underpants down to his knees, then worked Zavy's cock out. Straddling the older lad's stomach, Jack positioned himself carefully, then pushed back, using only Zavy's precum to lubricate his penetration of Jack's body. Jack gasped but kept pushing, forcing Zavy up inside. Then Jack kissed Zavy again. The chill from Zavy's lips seemed to seep deep into Jack's guts, making him begin to shiver as he began rocking his body slowly on Zavy's long cock.

Reggie watched, smirking. The two were at it again, buggering each other. It was fun to watch, and someday maybe, he'd try it too, but for now, he was satisfied, having filled Jack's mouth with his spew. Reggie closed his eyes and rolled over, granting Zavy and Jack as much privacy as he could.

Zavy stared up at Jack, barely able to make out the boy's face in the dark room. The sensation of Jack's body wrapped around his cock, squeezing it, forcing it up into the warm flesh, was a feeling of complete bliss for Zavy. Suddenly, he wasn't cold anymore. Burning passion built from deep inside him. The dark room turned a bloody red, and he could see Jack clearly now. Could see the warmth of Jack's neck, where the blood pulsed just below the surface. Could see the boy's pale face, glowing with the heat of sexual desire. Could see Jack's hard cock, throbbing as he rocked back and forth. Could see where their bodies were joined, his own cock sliding slowly up into his friend and lover.

Zavy opened his mouth, unaware that fangs now extended above his lips. All he knew was that the hunger inside him was finally being satisfied.

Jack was lost. His mind was tumbling in a red fog of lust. He'd never felt such powerful and overwhelming sensations, building from deep inside, rolling through his body in wave after wave of intense pleasure. This must be what Reggie felt with the pale woman, Jack thought, feeling his cock lurch and shoot all over Zavy's chest. Jack collapsed onto Zavy, smearing the thick cream between them. Turning his head slightly, Jack presented his neck to Zavy and passed out.

Zavy felt the heat of Jack's neck, so agonizingly close to his mouth. He licked his lips, noticing for the first time the long, sharp fangs now extending from his jaw. Part of him rebelled at the thought that he was now a vampire, and part of him responded with snarling excitement. Closing his eyes, now glowing bright red, he bit into Jack's neck, sucking greedily at the warm fluid surging out. Then, not thinking about what he was doing, Zavy pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, rubbing small glands there that responded by injecting minute drops of serum into Jack's bloodstream.

Zavy shoved his hips upward, forcing his cock deep into Jack as cum spewed out. Sated at last, Zavy pulled his fangs from Jack's neck and licked away the last bit of blood from the rapidly healing punctures. Then he wrapped the boy in his arms and they both fell into a contented sleep.