Home Court Advantage

Parkside Heights Condominiums - Kieran's Penthouse


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Kieran Collins Serafine Roche Bryn Blackwell

Some would call it the home court advantage, but that's not why Kieran is at home waiting for his Child and her sorcerer. It was Serafine's idea to come to his place, and not meet at Eclairant or Flanaghan's, or her place. He didn't question the why of it; he has no problems with meeting here and finding out what it is that Blackwell has, or hasn't discovered about Brooke and the glamour.

Of course, nothing can ever be simple with Kieran, and he's not alone. His guests consist of a petite Asian girl with blonde streaks in her air, and a tall, leggy brunette with a pixie cut that's actually flattering on her. Both are in partial states of undress, the Asian in nothing more than her bra and a pair of panties, the brunette in a thong and stilettos. Lacey and Kara, but in his head, Kieran just considers them dinner and dessert. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Lacey is stretched out on the couch, half-sprawled, her eyes glazed and soft sounds of pleasure coming from her throat while Kieran sucks delicately on her wrist. Kara dances around the room to the sultry bass coming from the surround sound speakers, prominent bite marks littering her graceful neck, shoulder and one breast.

-

Serafine has a keycard to the elevator, the access code to the security system and a key to Kieran's apartment. She's dressed casually tonight, in a pair of jeans and a yellow and white polka dot camisole top. Her hair falls around her shoulders in loose curls, and the red and gold of her shoes matches the red of her lipstick, the yellow gold of her top, and the red of the scarf wrapped around her head as a partial headband.

She pauses outside the penthouse door, with her key in the lock and glances at Bryn. She can hear the music, but more than that, she can already smell the copper tang of the blood in the air and hear the additional heartbeats. The scent of phremones and sex also tickles her nose and she gives her lover an apologetic half-smile. "I think Kieran is …playing."

Beat

"If you want to wait in the foyer room or the parlour while I sort things out, you can." She's not concerned about Kieran's lack of decorum. For him, it's a powerplay. He's flaunting what he is. She's not certain how Bryn will take things because she knows how Kieran plays and how he feeds his hedonism.

-

"Playing?"

Bryn peers at her momentarily before clearing his throat. "You mean feeding." The sorcerer may not have the advantage of heightened scent or sound, but he is able to read Serafine well enough. "Please tell him to send his meal on their way. He set the timing, so I am going to assume that he is attempting to shock and horrify me."

It doesn't, but only because Bryn is well aware that the man is a vampire.

"This is not information I wish to discuss in front of his dinner. Especially considering what the information happens to be."

-

Kieran can hear the pair in the landing outside, despite the music. He lifts his mouth from Lacey's wrist and gives it a long lick. His tongue swirls around the wound, and he licks his way up his arm to kiss her harshly. "I'm afraid I've company my beautiful ladies."

Standing, he holds his hand out to Lacey, helping her to her feet. Once there, he holds out a hand to Kara, smiling when she immediately walks to his side. "You are both so very lovely. And delightful. I'm afraid we're going to have to put our party on pause."

They both give him the prettiest of disappointed sulks.

-

Serafine gives Bryn a faint half-smile. "With Kieran, feeding and playing are the same. He's very hedonistic."

Giving the sorcerer's arm a squeeze, she opens the door to the penthouse. The foyer room is spotless, and well appointed, but Serafine expects no less. The music comes from further in, probably the entertain room or the sitting room nearest to one of Kieran's 'playrooms.'

She closes the door behind them and walking further in, places her purse on a low table. She kicks off her shoes and scoops them up in her hand. "I'll be right back."

Carrying her shoes, she wanders further in, turning the corner and heading toward the playroom.

"Kieran," Serafine chides when she sees him and the two beautiful women, "This is just rude."

-

"Be that as it may," Bryn states quietly, "This is hardly a meeting where he needs to be taking care of those needs while I stand on the sideline and he expects you to join in." The sorcerer does seem to know Kieran well enough to know that he more than likely would expect his Child to join in on the feeding fun.

While he waits in the foyer, he places a quick call to Callum. "Mate you really do need to get your visa and come over here. I have it arranged with the Priory and there is plenty of room in my suite for you to stay as well until you find your own flat. George can stay on that side of the ocean and keep an eye on things for us."

-

Kieran flashes his Child a grin that is two parts sultry, one part wicked. "I was hungry. And you're early." He knows Sera won't buy that excuse, but he plays the game anyway. Releasing the women, who pout and bristle a little at the loss of his affections, he sidles up to Sera and wraps his arms around her waist. She's given a deep, thorough kiss, one hand sliding to cup her backside and pull her against him. Nicking her lip as the kiss breaks, he gently sucks away the blood. "You should have a bite. You look famished."

Truthfully, she looks nothing of the sort. Her color is good, she looks as though she's fed and fed well. Though there's a new scent on her, all over her, and Kieran knows what it is. He frowns a little before she can object, "You're the one calling the shots with your boyfriend, luv. Don't let him neuter you." Kieran nuzzles at her throat, "You are too hot and too sexy to be collared and neutered."

-

Letting Kieran get close to her and touch her is always a bad idea. As drawn as she is to Bryn, as much as she's convinced that he's her soulmate, there's the link to her Maker that's hard for Serafine to resist or deny. She tastes the blood of the women on his tongue and looses a little moan into the kiss when he intentionally nicks her lip.

"I'm not hungry," Serafine manages. It's weak, but the words come. She sighs at the nuzzling, and then wiggles away from him. "You don't have to prove what you are, least of all to Bryn. He's here to help you." Well, answer him anyway. Help is another matter. "Will you please be a good host and send your girls off while we talk?"

The vampiress waits for his answer, and then turns and heads back toward the foyer where Bryn waits. "Give him a few minutes, and he'll join us in the study."

-

"I think it is a fabulous plan, actually. You do not need to be his keeper, Callum." As Serafine returns, he grins at her and nods. "I do have to go. Meeting with a client that has chosen to try to flaunt what he is at me." There is a beat, and then a chuckle. "Yes, that would be the one. Gather your things and I can have the jet sent to pick you up by tomorrow evening."

Closing the phone, he rolls his eyes.

"You have a little blood on the corner of your mouth, Princess."

-

"Their names are Lacey and Kara," Kieran smiles at Serafine when she draws away from him. He likes it when she's resistant. It's a fun challenge, but he doesn't want to push things too far. He wants answers. Playing games with his Child can wait.

The women are tucked away in the bedroom/playroom with the suggestion that they amuse themselves and ignore anything happening in the flat until he comes back for them.

Kieran doesn't bother changing his clothes, though he takes only a moment or two to clean up a bit. He's still wearing a pair of low riding dark jeans and a dark, button down shirt that's fully unbuttoned. His hair is mussed, though his color is good and he's pleasantly flushed.

"Make you a drink, Blackwell?" Kieran asks as he strolls into the study as though the delay was nothing out of the ordinary.

-

Serafine automatically licks the corner of her mouth, wiping away the bit of blood with her tongue. A second later, she dabs there with a fingertip. "It's mine." Her lip has already healed, but she runs her tongue over the spot where Kieran nicked her anyway.

"Come on, it's this way to the study." She tucks her arm into Bryn's and leads the way with ease. Kieran's penthouse is rather large, but she can find her way around with her eyes closed.

-

"Serafine, I told you once before that I understand what you have with your Maker." He's reaching up to wipe the blood away, but her tongue gets there first. Before she can lead them away, Bryn spins her toward him. Then he kisses her as soundly as he can before drawing back.

"I do understand, but that does not make you any less mine."

-

"You didn't have to stay in the foyer," Kieran points out with a cocky grin. He pulls out three glasses. Reaching into the small refrigerator beneath the bar, he adds a few cubes of ice to one of the glasses. "You should have come back with Sera. My … companions are easy on the eyes. Barely dressed."

Beat.

He pours scotch into all three glasses. "Ask Sera, if you don't believe me."

He carries the glass with three fingers over to Bryn and the one with ice to Sera, giving his Child a playful wink. "Though she didn't want to play tonight."

-

Bryn's kiss leaves her lightheaded and wanting more. Serafine has to force herself to leave it at a kiss, though she does reach up to cup his cheek in her hand. "So long as it's reciprocal and you know that you're mine."

Smirking, she notices Bryn's very subtle observation of the penthouse. "Kieran has expensive tastes. This time." Sometimes, he lives more modestly. It all depends on the role that he's playing.

She shakes her head, smiling fondly at her Maker's arrival. He's messily dishelved, likely intentionally, and yes, it is a damn good look on him. She sits on one of the leather couches, and crosses her legs, accepting the glass with a gracious smile. "Are you ready to talk now?"

-

"Serafine requested that I stay in the foyer and allow her to politely ask you to send your… company… away. It was the very least I could do for her."

A very slight shaking of his head is given, and he looks to Kieran. "While I am certain that the view could have been quite enjoyable, I really have little need to look elsewhere when I have an astounding beauty on my arm."

Taking the glass, he moves to sit with Serafine on the couch. It may be a little bit of a show, because the one man that unnerves him around her is her Maker, but it is also because the two of them are going to talk to Kieran and it does help that they sit together.

-

Returning to the bar, Kieran claims his own glass. His pale blue eyes flicker over to his Child, and one corner of his mouth lifts in a knowing, bemused smile. "Always the politic one, mo thiasc."

He laughs as he settles into the couch across from the pair, "Good answer." He knows what the sorcerer is doing, and it's amusing that the man feels the need to stake some sort of claim on Serafine. Not that it matters to Kieran one way or another; they've had over a century together and they'll have more. The vampiress may have her distraction in the interim.

"Yes, luv, I'm ready to talk now. Sera said that you'd found something in your research?"

-

When Kieran sits across from them and gives a faint smirk, Serafine tenses, if only briefly. It's hard to know what her Maker might say or do, especially if he's in a playful mood. The last thing she wants is a pissing contest, and Kieran would be very likely to start one, just to remind Bryn that Kieran has known her longer and made her what she is. He has done it before.

She takes several swallows of the scotch and then meets and holds Kieran's gaze. "You need to listen with an open mind, Kieran. Let Bryn explain fully before saying anything. Please."

-

"It is a simple matter of the truth. Serafine is the one I am interested in." A sip of the scotch is taken before he sets it down on the table. As much as he'd love to nurse it at the moment, he needs to focus on the reason why they are here.

"I have."

Beat.

"It is a little known something that is often regarded as a fairy tale. The soulmate principle."

-

Leaning back, Kieran takes a drink from his glass, watching Byrn and Serafine over the rim. Lowering the glass, he taps his fingernail to the side and smiles broadly. "Well, I cannot find fault with you for sharing my impeccable taste. She does outshine my … guests."

Yes, it's a subtle hint as to his status and relationship with Serafine, not that one is needed.

He lifts a brow. "The soulmate principle."

Kieran wants to laugh, scoff and end this, but he stays in his seat, turning his attention to Serafine. "You've heard this and want me to listen?"

-

Amusingly enough, this time Serafine is not annoyed or agitated by Kieran's less than subtle display. She preens and leans against Bryn, a smug smile on her lips. "Of course I do. They're inexperienced children who want to fuck the hot bachelor and hope to have pretty baubles in exchange. I'm a woman with more than a century of experience. Hands down, I'll always outshine your little toys and we both know it."

Beat.

"Yes, I've heard it, and I know what you've heard. You need to hear the rest of it."

-

"Except he is no longer a hot bachelor if he has patched things with Miss Bishop," Bryn points out, running his fingers over Serafine's arm. "But you are correct. I am positive that you outshine them amazingly well." Kieran can point out that he is her Maker all that he wants. That he was her lover for a century before Bryn. The sorcerer has promised her that he would not grudge her that relationship, and he won't.

"You have heard of it then. Primarily it makes the human much less susceptible to the glamour." That is not all that there is to it. "Let me ask you though. Upon first meeting Brooke did you find an… unnatural draw toward her? Something beyond the fact that red heads are one of your known types?"

-

There is a gleam of pure, wicked debauchery in Kieran's eyes when Serafine asserts herself as she does. It makes him want to toss her boy toy out on his ass and have his wicked way with her. Now. Or hell, letting the man stay and watch. Kieran's good either way.

Never let it be said that he can't control his urges.

He licks his lips, and gives her a wink. His gaze slides to Bryn. "She's hot when she's sassy, isn't she?"

Beat.

"I've heard things about it. That vampires have soulmates like humans do. That we need them or crave them."

Beat.

"You're suggesting …" Kieran trails off and tilts his head. It's a carefully calculated, nearly animal like behavior. "You know a great deal more about me than you let on, don't you, Bryn?"

His gaze goes to Serafine, holding her green eyes for a long moment before he starts to nod. "She intrigued me."

Beat.

"I wanted to get to know her, not just because of the things Sera told me, but … there was something about her. That I couldn't explain."

Kieran swirls his scotch in glass. "You're really suggesting this soulmate idea as to why she shook off my glamour?"

-

Serafine lifts her glass of scotch and drinks from it. She knows that look, and though it's gone quickly, it's already branded itself on her. She'd be pissed, but this time, she doesn't think it was a peacock strut on his part, just a natural response to her behavior. That look, coupled with Bryn's touch has her drawing a quick, soft inhalation as a tingle runs from her head to her toes.

An entire conversation takes place in a few seconds in the span of that look and she's surprised by his frankness.

-

Bryn clears his throat when Kieran points out how sassy she is. Mainly because when she gets too sassy, he has the utmost desire to spank her bottom, and it would be difficult to explain in front of her Maker, no matter how hedonistic he happens to be. It is not something he wishes to share with Kieran.

"I have done a little research. It is important to me to understand those that play such a large role in Serafine's life. It was also important to me to ensure that you meant no harm to Brooke."

Lifting his scotch again, he allows himself a small sip and sets the glass down. "Even after finding out that you were a vampire, something she has been trained to fear and loathe for the majority of her life, Brooke still found a way to stay with you. She has begun to accept what you are, I assume?"

He waits a moment, then nods. "I have spoken with several contacts, who have all stated the same thing. Research denotes exactly what I told you before. It could possibly be that she is simply strong willed, but it is more likely the soulmate principle."

-

"If I'd meant Brooke harm, I wouldn't have wasted time before doing it," Kieran says very matter-of-factly. He takes another sip of his scotch and swirls the glass again.

He notes the comment about getting to know those in Serafine's life and thinks he's going to take a second look at the sorcerer and his interaction with his Child.

"She's not running scared or giving me anuersyms, so yes, I'd say we're trying to come to an understanding and reach common ground."

Beat.

"She demanded that I shag her, so yes. She's working on accepting it."

-

Serafine stares at Kieran. she's not sure if he's going for shock factor or just being his usual crass self.

"Kieran, if it's true, what's going on with you and Brooke? It could be a good thing."

Beat.

"It could also be a dangerous thing." She sets her glass aside. She gives Bryn's arm a squeeze and rises from the couch. Kieran may look settled, but Serafine knows him. Crossing to her Maker, she crouches near his feet and places her hand lightly on his knee. She speaks to him in Irish Gaelic, « I know you don't like to buy into this sort of thing, and it goes against all your need to control and be in control, but it's important that you think about this and don't just disregard it because you don't like it and can't believe it.»

Shifting to English, she squeezes his knee. "Hear Bryn out."

-

"I have come to realize that, Kieran. Which is why I left Brooke with you at Steel Clover's record launch." He would not have done so if he had thought Kieran might harm her. He would have ensured someone else stay by her side that night.

"Then I do believe a congratulations are in order?" Bryn raises his brow, giving the vampire a look. If he was meaning to shock him, it really didn't work.

He listens to Serafine's Gaelic. It's an older style, so he cannot quite catch every word but he gets the gist of what is said.

"There are several ways that you can test the theory if you choose not to believe me."

Beat.

"Dreamwalking without a blood bond. The blood tastes richer, sweeter and more filling than that from any typical donor. It will also sustain the vampire for a much longer period than a regular feeding. I am presuming that in your case, it would work for the sexual aspect of your feeding as well. Feeding from a soulmate will allow you to go longer before full feeds." He pauses a little before continuing, locking eyes with Serafine. "The sharing of blood will create a very powerful bond over time. One that allows for more easily shared dreams, and emotions."

-

Kieran taps the foot of the leg that Serafine is not touching. He drains the glass of scotch and reaches down to trail fingertips over his Child's hand and up her arm. The vampire doesn't say a word, but Sera will know that the touch is seeking grounding and connection. She's right. It's an affront to his need to be in control, to think that something beyond his reach and ken could wrest control away from him.

Kieran doesn't like it.

"Or she's extremely strong willed." Setting the empty glass aside, Kieran rubs his free fingers together. The others continue to play over Serafine's hand.

Beat.

"What's the catch? How exactly is this beneficial and not a weakness?"

-

To a human unfamiliar with vampires, Kieran is calm and relaxed. Serafine knows better. Her Maker is beside himself, on edge, crawling out of his skin with anxiety and worry. The vampiress flips her hand, briefly lacing her fingers through his to give his hand a squeeze.

She rises, reaching across him and retrieves his glass. Without a word, with another very tight squeeze to his hand, she disentangles her fingers and crosses to the bar to refill his scotch. It's only when she's there, behind the bar that she lets her gaze linger on Bryn. The last part is new to her. There's been no further talk between them about testing the theory - not that there's been time - but she still remains convinced that that is what is going on between them.

Sharing blood creating a more powerful bond? A part of her thrills at the thought, and she frets over again whether or not she should tell Bryn about creeping into his dream. Or point out that she hadn't felt the need to feed until today. She's keeping mum, because she partly suspects that on some level, Bryn either doesn't truly wish to be a part of such a thing or needs to come to terms with the possibility of it on his own.

-

"It would mean that you could feed less often. Become more human outwardly. Be able to blend in with them in a much easier manner." Bryn lifts the glass of scotch to his lips, draining it. Eyes never leaving Serafine as she comforts her Maker. Tries to ground him. Then gets up to refill his glass. It amuses him that there is only a faint hint of jealousy there.

"The weakness comes when others learn of how close you have become to the human. Brooke could be sought after by your enemies."

Beat.

"Brooke is essentially the perfect match for you, in all ways except for the fact that she is a witch and not a vampire. She likes to be controlled completely in her private life. Essentially, you will complement one another. You each would become what the other needs, and you wind up in a perfectly symbiotic relationship. She would be your mate in every way possible, until such a time that she dies. If she chooses to be turned by you, then she would be your mate as long as you were both alive. Should one of you die, then it is possible that you could, in your long life, meet another that fits your needs just as perfectly. It could take another four hundred years to find them, however."

-

Kieran lapses into silence again. He's old enough that he's heard a lot of the myths and legends regarding their existence and things that can happen to them. The daywalking sunlight spell was believed to be a myth, until he encountered Gideon shortly before coming to the New World and meeting Serafine. It was Gideon who told him about it, or rather hinted at it, so it came as no surprise that Kostas had access to such as well.

What's to stop this from being true?

More importantly, what does it mean to him? Certainly there are advantages there, a good many of them. Though being so completely intertwined with someone for the rest of eternity? It's different from making a Child; that is by choice of both parties involved. What Bryn is suggesting, just is.

A blessing. A curse. Powerful. Dangerous.

"Has it happened before? You found proof of it?"

-

Her hand actually shakes a little as Serafine replaces the bottle of scotch on the bar. Serafine hears every word that Bryn says, and the thought of it all affects her quite strongly. She can't put words to her emotions - but there are hints of hope, tinged with worry and no small amount of envy. She doesn't think she's wrong about what's happening between her and Bryn, but there's nothing in what he's saying that says he can't walk away from it or deny it.

They really need to talk about this.

Returning to Kieran's side, she hands him the fresh glass of scotch.

"People dream of this, Kier. I wouldn't disregard it so quickly. It could be a very good thing for you." She doesn't returning to sit beside her Maker, nor does she sit beside Bryn. Instead she perches in the arm chair between the two couches.

-

"I know without a doubt of three counts of it happening." Bryn will not reveal that his source was Gideon, simply because he does not want Kieran revealing what he has to Gideon. As far as the sorcerer trusts the elder vampire, he still is a vampire, and Melambra can be extremely charming when they wish to be, and are known for playing a long game. Kieran could simply become a chess piece to the elder vampire and he won't allow that to happen to someone Serafine cares about.

"One pair perished together in a fire during a witch hunt as part of the Inquisition. The second went into hiding more than two centuries ago, though it was not known whether the human chose to be turned or not. The third, I do not have many details on as there was no desire to pry. I have a contact in the Undercity that may be able to point you at even more cases, and I would be more than happy to put you in touch with her."

-

"Three counts." Kieran sips the scotch. His gaze moves past Bryn to stare at some distant thing that only he can see, then he draws his attention back. "Maybe."

Beat.

"Your contact, but not tonight."

His attention turns curiously to his Child. He can read her agitation very clearly. There's a good deal he'd like to discuss with her but not with the sorcerer present. No matter how helpful he's being.

"Will you be mentioning this to Brooke?" Though the question is asked of Bryn, his gaze remains peeled to Serafine. She's too human for her own good sometimes, and as charming as he finds it, he imagines that this information isn't settling well with her, no matter how supportive and open minded she is being about it.

Beat.

Kieran takes a long drink of the scotch. "Serafine, you should go feed. I'm sure one of the girls has to appeal to your palate." He holds her gaze intently, and it might seem as though he's not aware of the sorcerer in the room with them.

-

"I'm not hungry." Serafine straightens in her seat. She crosses one leg over the other, folding her hands over her knees. The vampiress moistens her lips, dropping her gaze from Kieran's. It's seldom that she argues with him, and it's hard to do. Playfully, yes. Seriously, not so much. As Bryn has pointed out, she takes direction well, and she enjoys doing it.

The weight of his gaze remains on her, and Serafine refuses to look up. She knows if she does, she'll give in. She also knows that if he asks it of her again, she will follow through.

-

Bryn chooses not to answer Kieran just yet. Instead he gets up. Lifting his empty glass from the table, he moves to set it atop the bar. He would pour himself another glass but he doesn't want to be presumptuous. Before returning to his seat on the couch, he stops by the chair. A subtle flick of his wrist, and a privacy spell is cast simply for he and Serafine.

"I do not mind if you stay here tonight, Princess, and feed with your Maker. I am under the impression that he wishes to speak with you to see how you really feel about this information. We can talk tomorrow." Leaning in he presses a kiss to her brow and smiles at her. "Provided that you remember that you are mine. Now go feed."

He gives her long enough to reply before dismissing the spell, and turns to Kieran. "I had not been planning on it. Brooke is not my client. You are. Would you prefer I discuss this with her or would you like to do it yourself when you are ready to?"

-

He's not able to sense magic, but Kieran can tell the moment that the privacy spell goes up. All sense of sound in that area, not just voices, but heartbeats and breathing as well. When Bryn stops to talk to Serafine, Kieran rises from the couch. He grabs Serafine's glass along the way and goes to the bar. A fresh glass is poured for the sorcerer. He does not top off Sera's. Instead, he pulls out a new glass, and pulls out a bottle of a pale green color liquour. He cuts it with sugar, but not water.

The vampire returns with the glasses. The scotch is placed where Bryn was seated and the absinthe placed within reach of serafine.

Returning to his seat, he watches the pair and waits for the privacy spell to come down.

"If it turns out to be true, then I will tell her in my own time."

-

"I'm not hungry." It's the same answer that Serafine gave to Kieran. That much has not changed. She isn't hungry. She doesn't want to feed.

Beat.

"I want to talk to you." Possibly. Maybe. She knows what she wants. She doesn't know what Bryn wants.

She will stay, however, because Kieran needs her. That much she can sense. He needs to talk to her alone, and she won't deny him that. of course, Kieran evidently wants to talk to Bryn alone; otherwise, he wouldn't have told her to go and feed.

Eyeing the glass, Serafine picks it up and downs in a few swallows. Then she stands up and crosses the room. She pauses in the doorway, glancing back at the two men, and biting her lip, continues on her way.

-

"We will talk," Bryn promises. "Tomorrow." It is not their usual date night, but it is important enough for him to want to talk to her. Besides which, he will want to reclaim her after her night with Kieran, because he knows what will pass between them. As much as he dislikes it, he knows it's necessary to their physiology.

"I have no doubt that it is true, but I will not inform Brooke. That will be left entirely up to you."

-

Kieran waits until Serafine is gone and he hears her enter the playroom. He's curious to know what Bryn said to her to make her acquiesce, but he won't ask the sorcerer. He'll ask Serafine later. Swirling his scotch in his glass, he motions toward Bryn's, "Prepared you a refill."

Beat.

"Could I trouble you for another one of those privacy spells?" Serafine has very good hearing, and from the sounds of things, his Child really isn't feeding just yet. Or even playing.

-

"I had noticed. Thank you." Bryn lifts the scotch, and as he brings the glass to his lips he sets the privacy spell.

"Now what is so important that you felt it necessary to send Serafine off? Surely you share most everything with her anyhow." He is quite curious as to the reasoning, though at the same time he knows that Serafine wouldn't have argued if she did not wish to speak to him. As he promised, they will speak. It will just need to be later.

-

"I'm not saying that I one hundred percent buy into what you're telling me. It halfway sounds like something that Sera would write about in one of her novels." Kieran takes another drink of his scotch. "However, hypothetically speaking, if what you're saying is true, the logical progression of things suggests that Brooke would eventually become the most important and central figure in my life, correct?"

Beat.

"Yes, this really does have to do with why I sent Serafine off. Please just bear with me."

-

"Essentially, yes. You would both need one another more than anyone else. Almost to the exclusion of all others. It would help quell the demon within you." Bryn ruffles his fingers through his hair and sighs. "I do not have any idea how that would work with your specific needs as a Karneros, but as I said, were you to feed off of her, either way, it would sustain you much longer than a regular feeding."

-

Kieran turns his head, gazing in the direction that Serafine went. He's quiet for nearly a full minute, gazing as though he can see through the walls and see his Child on the other side of them.

"You care a great deal for Serafine, don't you?" Kieran swings his gaze back around to the sorcerer. It's not really so much a question as a statement of what he can see in how the sorcerer behaves toward the vampiress. "You realize that as human as she may appear, she isn't. She's a vampire, and at her core that means that she's a hunter and a predator and that's never going to change. She's always going to need to feed, both on blood and sexually."

-

"I do, yes. I also know that if this soulmate principle were true for you, you could feed less. Perhaps one other donor per week, for both needs to feed." Which would also mean that it could potentially be true for Serafine as well. Once they test that theory, via the ways they can. Glamouring is out for them, but he will allow her to feed. To try the dreamwalking.

"We have discussed that. For the time being she has agreed to enjoy both needs with other women as opposed to men, and I am fine with that." Sharing her with a woman is still bad, but it doesn't make him want to slug anyone.

"I do not just care a great deal for her. I happen to love her quite a great deal."

-

"Good."

Kieran takes another drink of the scotch, watching Bryn the entire time. Proclamations of love from humans is something he's used to. He doesn't blink, he just takes it in stride. "That you love her."

Beat.

"You're not going to be able to deny her congress with men forever." Not that he'll be around forever, which … is something Kieran will worry about later.

"You might not know this, or believe it, but we have a code. Vampires. Making a Child isn't something that's usually done lightly. It's a committment. It's because we want to spend our very long lives with the perfect companion, or companions of our choosing. I love Serafine. You can believe that or not. I chose her, but she also chose me. She's my responsibility."

Kieran puts down the scotch and leans forward, lacing his fingers together. "If what you're saying is true, I won't be able to take care of her the way I have been. I don't think we'll lose the Maker-Child bond, but I know Sera. She'll do what she thinks is best for me, and I don't want anything happening to her."

Kieran sighs and rubs the back of his neck. He doesn't let his guard down like this and he doesn't show his emotions like this. He's doing it now because it's important. Because Serafine is important. "If this pans out and happens the way you're saying, I need someone to take care of her. I know you're not going to live forever, and eventually I'll have to figure something else out, but she needs someone."

-

"No, and that is something I will discuss with Serafine as things progress." Bryn is well aware that Serafine has needs, and that he will not be able to meet them all. At least not all of the time. "But for now, she has you which is more than enough for me to attempt to compete with," he points out. He knows that he has not told Kieran that he is fine with the relationship between them, but some things really do not need to be said.

"I know more about your kind than you would think I would."

Beat.

"I will take care of her, and if I am at a point where I am no longer able to, I assure you that I will find someone who can. Serafine is happy for you, Kieran. She is right. This could be a very good thing for you." Lifting the scotch to his lips, he drinks it slowly. "You have my word that I will not let anything happen to her."

-

Kieran cocks a half-smirk in the sorcerer's direction. It's his usual smirk, but the arrogance of it doesn't reach his eyes. Clearly, his affection and concern for his Child's welfare are legitimate. "She does." He doesn't comment on the competition, because truly? The sorcerer can't. It's highly unlikely that he can meet even half of Sera's needs in the bedroom, and he's too uptight to feed half of her fetishes. Still, he cares about her, loves her even, and that means that he'll take care of her.

"I'm holding you to that. Sera's too bloody human for her own good." His fault, really. Kieran encouraged her to keep that humanity because it appealed to him. It appeals to him. "She'll be happy for me and act on that regardless of the consequences to herself."

Tossing back the rest of the scotch, Kieran nods his head. "That doesn't mean that I believe a word of this soulmate principle shite. I'm just practical and like to cover all my bases."

Beat.

"I'll test it."

-

Bryn would likely surprise Kieran with his own set of kinks and fetishes, some of which he has not yet come to light with Serafine because no matter how much he cares for her, these things take time to bubble to the surface.

"Have you stopped to think that if it is the truth, that she may be experiencing it herself?" Holding his hand up to stop the vampire from speaking he quietly says, "That is her opinion not mine, though since she wants to believe it so much I am having her test it with me."

Beat.

"If that was all you wished to discuss, Kieran, I can see myself out. Serafine will stay here with you this evening."

-

Kieran gives the sorcerer another considering look. He's having trouble believing it at all, so yes, he's having trouble believing that Sera could share some sort of soulmate connection with Bryn.

"Is that wise? Getting her hopes up, and then having them fizzle? She's an optimist and she gets hurt easily." It may sound strange to say that about a woman who's partly demonic, but it's the truth.

-

"I am not getting her hopes up. She is choosing to believe that this is true without any tests. Thus, I will ensure she conducts the tests. If they prove to be true, then she will not have her hopes fizzled."

Bryn sips the scotch for a moment, then stares directly at Kieran.

"I. Am not. Going anywhere. Even were it not to prove true, I am here until she tires of me. Period."

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