Nature or Nurture Ch. 57-59

'Are you sure? It is a very valuable article, you know.'

'I'm sure someone in your circle needs to keep his or her components in perfect condition. Give it to such a one, you and your circle have done so much for us. Consider it a big 'thank you'.'

Jakob nods, and takes the figurine out of the box, cradling it gently in his work-hardened hands.

'I don't think you'll notice anything, but still I'd like someone to hold on to you. I've heard you can be quite imposing when you're angry and I want Adison to anchor me, even though she is very close to you. This will be a simple little job.'

Mina offers to stay with Vincent, and Adison stands behind Jakob and touches his cheek. He starts to chant, just like that time in Mrs Poole's gruesome house, and Adison's hair soon rises with the power he raises.

This figurine has no mouth, it cannot resist Jakob's song that way, but it does resist the removal of its connection to Vincent, showing Mina that that connection may still be a bit stronger than Jakob suspected. It starts with Vincent getting restless, walking up and down the room, but as Jakob's chant increases in force, so does whatever is bothering Vincent. His eyes start to blaze and his veins swell in his strong neck, there seems to be some inner struggle inside him.

There is no way to find out what is going on in Vincent, he is struggling hard, and Jakob and Adison are totally involved, Mina cannot ask them what to do. Suddenly Vincent springs into action, not towards Jakob and Adison, but away from them. Mina decides that cannot be good, and she takes hold of him.

He is even stronger than usual, during their fabulous night together she has learned they are as good as matched, but now he seems stronger than herself, how will she keep him from running off? Despite needing all her strength to keep Vincent in the kitchen, she looks at his eyes again, they are the window to his soul, maybe she can see a clue in them.

The sulphurous orbs are still ablaze, but Mina thinks she can see a plea for help in them, this is what he must have felt like when Dorian Grey had him in his grip. Well, if a touch won't work to free him of what is holding him, something else might.

And as Victor closes the door and guards it to keep his friend within the influence of Jakob's spell-casting, and Jakob and Adison are totally taken up by their fight against the enemy himself, Mina changes her restraining grip to a loving embrace, and she kisses Vincent full on the mouth to remind him of who he is. Of course Adison could do a better job, but this will have to suffice, Adison cannot be missed where she is fighting for her beloved's freedom of mind, actually, for his very existence.

And for a few moments it works, Vincent pauses in his struggles and leans into the kiss, answering it with passion, as Mina can hear Jakob's chant approaching a climax in intensity. But whatever is trying to rule Vincent's body is not beaten yet, he breaks off the kiss and is starting to put some force behind his resistance once more, a lot of force actually, she may not be able to hold on to him, and Vincent's body under someone else's control is a recipe for disaster.

She needs to give her dear friend the chance to resist the invasion of his mind, so she goes for the ultimate distraction, something Vincent is used to, but a dried up old man probably isn't: bliss.

As the chant reaches its climax, Adison's hair standing out around her head like a halo, the air in the kitchen almost sparking with the power raised, Mina tightens her embrace on Vincent and goes straight for his throat.

As she feels her fangs sink in his muscle, she has chosen an especially tough, painful place to strike, the body of her beloved friend freezes. Good, that made an impression.

Then the first taste of Vincent's potent blood hits her mouth and she latches on to his vein with relish, no matter how serious the circumstance, this is so incredibly good!

Looking on with rising fear, it seems as if Vincent's body can rid himself of Mina's restraint any minute now, to either flee or attack Jakob, Victor prepares to help his beloved try to restrain the magic-fuelled strength of their mutual friend. But then he sees her kiss him, and it works, it brings Vincent back to himself. But only for a short moment.

The power in the room is still rising, Victor is convinced even his own hair must be standing on end by now. As Vincent is starting to resist Mina again, Victor finds himself thinking: bite him, Mina, that will snap him out of it! Saying it out loud is no use, the noise of the power in the room and Jakob's rising chant is deafening, Mina will not hear him. Then he can see her strike, in a very clumsy place, that must hurt quite a bit, until he realizes she did that on purpose, to heighten the contrast with the bliss that follows.

Victor has never actually seen the effect of her bite, though he has felt it. The experience is almost as hot as actually being bitten, Mina's expression changes from determined to fulfilled, as she sucks on Vincent's neck in great gulps. She's certainly not sparing him! Of course Vincent can handle a lot of blood-loss, and even if she weakens him, that will only benefit him in this instance.

But the effect on Vincent is extraordinary. There has been a constant struggle between his friend and whatever tries to possess him, it has resisted Mina's strength, and her kiss, but at the sting of her bite the body totally freezes, and as Mina starts to suck, bliss slowly takes hold of Vincent's face, the yellow eyes soften then close, the head sinks until it rests against hers, the arms returning the embrace now.

The battle is won, the power about him slowly diminishes until Adison's hair lies flat once more, Jakob's chant no louder than a whisper.

Vincent and Mina still realize what is going on, as soon as the struggle is over Mina releases Vincent's neck and licks the punctures dry and clean. If she relishes doing so, Victor can't blame her, just watching the whole thing turned him on, a vampire feeding is just the hottest thing imaginable, no-one can resist that.

When she is done, Vincent kisses her, but rather quickly, then he shakes off the bemusements, all of them, and bends over Jakob and Adison, who are both exhausted.

By now, Victor knows his part in these sessions, and he quickly puts on the kettle and prepares the herb mixture from the red jar. Then he cannot control himself and he has to kiss Mina, just one kiss, then he'll help Vincent take care of their exhausted magic-users. Mina answers his kiss readily, she's feeling heated too, of course. She doesn't taste as sweet as she usually does, there is the usual slightly metallic taste but intensely strong with a distinct burn. If that is what Vincent's blood tastes like, Victor can imagine him being very strong and impossible to infect, what could live in such a scorching place?

Mina laughs when she sees his face, and she whispers, 'You have no idea what it does to me. I'm totally out of it again, I know this is not the time, and I'll temper it, but when things are quiet once more, will you let me indulge in it with you? It will last hours. She kisses him once more, her tongue still burning on his, but he's getting used to the taste now, then she turns towards their friends.

Jakob is conscious but very tired, he can hardly sit upright and his voice sounds rough.

'That was a lot stronger than I expected. Had I known, I would have asked Sembene over, I'm teaching him these days, did I tell you that?'

Actually, they hadn't seen him anymore, so no.

Adison is a bit better, but for a mere anchor she is pretty worn out. Using magic is hard work, that much is clear. Now Vincent kisses her, what a weird time to kiss, he must be distraught from what happened, something had a stronger tie to him than even Jakob imagined.

But as they kiss, Adison seems to improve visibly, and soon she is sitting totally straight and her tired look is gone.

'Thank you, love, I needed that. That was very hard. What happened, Jakob?'

'I'll tell you in a minute, Adison,' the older man replies, giving the two of them a significant look, 'did you just replenish her power, Vincent?'

Both Vincent and Adison smile, and Vincent says, 'Melissa found out that my blood is absolutely stuffed with power, and George taught us how to transfer it. So Adison now has her own walking and talking, never ending supply of power.'

'Never ending?'

'Apparently I never stop talking. No, she told me I take the power that is supposed to go to the ley-lines in my nerves and send it into my blood, keeping me healthy, strong and fully loaded. Is that a reasonable explanation?'

Vincent is just repeating what Jakob's daughter told him, after all.

'Very understandable,' Jakob replies, 'and very convenient in situations like these. But very intimate, I'm afraid I'll have to make do with Frances' miracle tea.'

And that does restore him a lot, he is a very experienced mage after all, and after that they sit down with coffee and tea, and some very rich treats for all of them, including Catherine, who wakes up from her nap to find she has missed some spectacular occurrence, again, but is in time for the explanation.

'My attempt to remove the spell from that figurine drove the caster to defend it with everything he had, which was more than I expected. His hold over you was also stronger than I expected. Had I known I would have taken stronger measures, but I'm nonetheless glad it's done, for you were not safe from him yet. It's totally gone now. How do you feel, Vincent?'

'I feel fine, a bit heated from Mina's bite, but no different otherwise. Of course I felt his hold on me, it was a struggle I might have lost if it weren't for Mina. Though it felt much like Mr Grey's bemusement, I think my other side could have stopped it if needed, but I suppose he preferred to wait and see what happened. Thank you so much Mina, and you too, Jakob and Adison.'

'What became of the statue?' Mina asks.

'It turned into ashes when the ritual was completed,' Jakob says, 'it's supposed to. I could feel a lot of resistance from the caster, then it wavered, and then it suddenly broke. Was that you Mina?'

'I suppose it was, I bit Vincent in a very painful spot, then the bliss washed over him. That gave Vincent the chance to take over. Then you completed the ritual. Will this hurt the caster, such a struggle and then to have his spell removed?'

'The struggle will, but there was not really an active spell involved, this was some kind of residual link between Vincent and his former master. This does ruin every chance of ever getting hold of him again, and that will certainly be a blow, the Master must have counted on that possibility or he would have let go of that link a long time ago.'

Good. Maybe that is finally it, the end of the weird happenings around them.

After the removal of the link to the Master, Vincent doesn't really feel different, he never let his past rule his life, he just enjoys his rehearsals, his teaching, and especially his little family, with Victor and Mina nearly as much part of that as Adison and Catherine. After that one talk with Bosie, Vincent has never thought of Mr Grey again, and he seriously doesn't care whether Mr Grey lives or dies.

The next time Vincent teaches the young Lord he fulfils his promise, and after a short bout to review the previous lesson and to introduce a new subject to practise the next week, they put away their swords and prepare to engage in some wrestling.

Now it's Lord Douglas' turn to teach, for Vincent has no clue how to wrestle according to rules, he has never been to a boys' school, the most likely place to pick up wrestling. Of course they could just start somewhere, but horsing around might end up giving his student all kinds of forward ideas, better do this formally and be safe from creating expectations.

After explaining the basic rules, Bosie observes, 'Of course there are scores of formal grips and positions, but I'm not going to explain all those. We both know who's going to win, I just want to feel how strong you really are without breaking my neck or anything else. I trust you to only bruise me, and I will not fault you for hurting me quite a bit. I know what I'm asking, I've planned a few days without duties to recover.'

All this, he says with humour, but he means it. He really wants to be thrown about, and Vincent is going to give him what he wants, but carefully. Getting a reputation for violence cannot help his career in any way.

Starting in the traditional position, the young man takes Vincent in a shoulder grip, and Vincent follows the movements to see how it works, letting Bosie floor him. Laughing, the young Lord sits on top of him, not as a winner, but as a lover, and he bends over Vincent to kiss him. So much for traditional formality preventing this from becoming too arousing.

Oh well, a little kiss never harmed anyone, so Vincent lets the handsome young man touch his lips before he lifts him bodily and gets up, still holding him. Then Vincent throws him in the air and catches him before he touches the ground, not a formal wrestling move but nonetheless rather spectacular.

That is a great success, his student is amazed and diverted, and fortunately refrains from further affectionate gestures.

They start in a formal position once more, and Vincent lets Bosie try to wrestle him, staying rock still, the young man giving his all, his strength not inconsiderable, but no match for Vincent's. When Vincent does move, he rolls backward, taking his opponent with him, both ending up standing again, not much the worse for wear. Now Bosie has an idea of what to do, and something like a wrestling match ensues, only with Vincent leading his pupil through a whole series of spectacular moves, the young man totally helpless but in constant motion, held in a tight grip and flying, rolling, being swung and tossed, and still ending up in Vincent's arms or on the ground but controlled.

After twenty minutes Vincent's ideas are worn out.

'That's about all I can think of, did you get what you expected?'

Crawling up from a corner, the young lord smiles broadly.

'That was fabulous Vincent! I think I have an idea of how strong you are now, so I guess I did. But I don't hurt at all, you've been very careful, I think you're still holding back, can you give me your all just once?'

'If you had a padded corner somewhere I wouldn't mind,' Vincent replies, 'but everything is hard in here, you might break something, and though I know you wouldn't hold it against me, I'm sure your parents would. I'm nobody, Bosie, I cannot afford to get a reputation for violence.'

Coming towards him, the young man says with great determination, 'Nobody who sees you or first meets you will suspect you of being capable of great violence, Vincent.'

He looks Vincent straight in his yellow eyes, and adds, 'In fact, I still find it very hard to believe that you did what Steve described. You are always soft-spoken and polite, you sound more like a poet than a fighter.'

His closeness is starting to get uncomfortable, Vincent can smell the younger man's sweat mixed with an expensive cologne, his hot breath really close to his own neck. Lord Douglas is not used to giving up on something he wants, but his determination doesn't scare Vincent, he doesn't seem the type to seek revenge if he ultimately loses.

'And your hands,' the young noble continues, taking one, 'they're so immensely strong, and yet one would never expect that since they are so elegant.'

The young Lord drops a kiss on Vincent's hand, making him feel decidedly embarrassed, how far will this man go? Better distract him, better give him what he really wants.

'All right,' Vincent says, not snatching back his hand, but showing his discomfort clearly, 'if you find something soft to land on, I'll go all out on you.'

This is all so embarrassing, it's much easier to keep a safe distance with a blade in hand, Vincent is used to a teacher being a figure of authority, not an object of affection, or even lust, to be gently convinced to accept intimacies. How does one handle a spoiled noble out to get something he cannot have?

Releasing his hand, but putting an arm across Vincent's shoulder, Bosie seems very pleased, and he states excitedly, 'I have just the place, big guy, just follow me.'

Half-expecting the young Lord to lead him to his bedroom, Vincent follows reluctantly, reminded of his trip through Mr Grey's house with every step. He is tempted to refuse to go any further, no matter how much he likes Lord Douglas, the young man is used to having his way, and to him Vincent must seem just another underling put on this earth to please him.

But he still trusts the young Lord to not abuse his position, as they cross rooms and halls, all coloured in the sweetest pastels, decorated with priceless fabrics, rare china and exquisitely painted portraits of rich people. The furniture alone must have cost a ten times what Heathcliff's entire house fetched.

It is not before they reach a totally different part of the house, walls merely washed a spotless white, floors tiled immaculately, that Vincent dares to breathe freely again. He still has an arm lying across his shoulder, he can still smell the very personal scent of his wealthy companion, but at least they are clearly not going towards a private suite, but towards a laundry room or some place where blankets are stored.

As they go through another door, the smell of horse overrules Lord Douglas' masculine scent, and Vincent is even more relieved: a stables. A perfect place to toss things around with hay-bales to catch them. As they pass a row of beautiful, large stalls with very elegant horses looking over the doors, Bosie says, 'Those are my carriage horses, you've seen them plenty of times, those are for the large coach, and look, these are my hunters. Aren't they gorgeous?'

And they are, three beautifully bred hunters in prime condition, excellently cared for, come towards them to have their noses rubbed and to check the human visitors for any food they may have brought with them.

'These are lovely creatures,' Vincent replies, 'and so perfectly cared for. Which one is your favourite?'

It cannot but help the situation to talk of horses, nothing excites a noble so much as his horses, and nothing is less erotically stimulating than horse-talk.

They talk of horses for at least ten minutes, and then they walk on to the barn where the hay is stored. It is perfect for what Lord Douglas wants, a thick cover of hay pads at least half the floor, enough to ensure he will break no bones. Vincent decides to give Bosie no time to work up an appetite again, and challenges him to another wrestling match.

This time Vincent goes all out on the sturdy young man, he is lifted high, flung about, sat upon and thrown into the bales of hay until he must be smarting with bruises all over. But the young Lord is absolutely thrilled, he cannot stop laughing, until as a closing act, Vincent flings him in the thick of the hay with all his force. He lands right in the middle, pretty hard but not dangerously so, or so Vincent thought, but then Bosie doesn't get up again.

Worried sick, Vincent rushes towards him and bends over to carefully examine him as Adison or Victor would do. He's still breathing regularly, and nothing's broken, he just seems to have lost consciousness.

Vincent lifts his upper body a little and stuffs some hay under him, to get his face out of the dusty hay. Let him get some fresh air, that may revive him more quickly. Still very worried, he calls out Bosie's name urgently, and strokes his face and hair. There is no reaction at all, and Vincent starts to imagine having to tell a livid, fat, badly dressed lady that he rendered her son unconscious by throwing him into a bale of hay. Not his idea of a career advancement.