The book closed with a satisfying thunk.  After a week, Nikita could finally say that he'd read every word of it.  Master would be proud of him.

He jumped to his feet, growling deeply when the door slammed open and then closed again.  It was the proxy king again.  This time the guard hadn't stopped him.

"What?" Nikita asked, growling again.

The man grabbed Nikita by the shoulders, pulling him uncomfortably close.  "Do what I tell you and you can live."

"I'm not yours," Nikita answered belligerently, moving to pull back.  He flinched as his arms were gripped tighter.  "Let me go!  I will do nothing for you.  Nothing!"

"You'll do what you're told, one way or the other," the man snarled.  He ripped Nikita's shirt off and pushed him toward the bed.

Pushing him away was a mistake, because the boy freed himself and raced to put a heavy chair between the two of them.  Adrenaline pumped through his body and he couldn't think straight.  Master would protect him.... But Master wasn't there.  And the Harem would tell him to just submit.

But he couldn't!  Not to someone who wasn't Master.  Nobody but his Master could touch him right, or had the right to try.

So what to do?  He should bite the man; impose his will to stop whatever the proxy king might try.  But he'd been trained all his life not to draw blood from the highborn.  And he was only half vampire.  His will could turn out insufficient to control the man.  And then he would be in greater trouble than he already was in.

Before he could decide on a course of action, he felt a prickling in his arm.  Clapping a hand over it, he quickly realized that it was from the place where he was marked.

"Master," he whispered.  There was another flickering and the feeling disappeared again.  Nikita stared at his arm in horror.  That meant....  Did that mean that Master was dead?

A rough hand caught his arm and pulled him tightly to a hot body.  He looked up at the proxy king, fear filling his eyes for the first time.  There was laughter and then burning pain around his wrist.

The proxy pushed him down into a chair, hooking the other end of the handcuffs to the arm and then securing his other arm the same way.

"You'll stay here 'til I need you."  The proxy stroked a finger under Nikita's chin, manner almost caressing.  "You'll be useful to me yet."

Nikita shivered at the sneer in the man's voice, and pulled back, eyes filling as he looked away.  Could Master be dead?
 

Sometime in the night his wrists had been manacled together.  The proxy wasn't completely stupid, either.  Knowing that Nikita was half vampire he'd gotten strong manacles and had them wrapped in specially prepared wood.  Any contact the shackles had with the boy's skin burned.

As his wrists burned from the restraints, tears had burned hot tracks down his cheeks as his conviction grew that his Master was dead or close to dead.  He could think of no other reason for the link from the astral mark to stop after it had begun to let him know that Master was alive.  With that in mind, the only real possibility was that Master was dead.  Each time he came to the conclusion again more tears slipped out of his eyes and carved new tracks in his skin.

"Master," he whispered, voice breaking halfway through the word.  Ignoring the pain, he raised his joined hands to his throat and the poison the proxy hadn't thought to check for.  If Master was really dead it was Nikita's duty to join him.

His stomach growled a protest, reminding Nikita that he hadn't eaten since breakfast the previous day.  It was past breakfast, past his normal breakfast time now.  The rest of the castle would be waking soon.  This would be his only chance.

The poison was a small lump in his fist, barely noticeable.  It seemed odd that something he could barely tell he held would end his life.  Of course, feeling in his hands wasn't working right with the prolonged exposure to the wooden manacles.

After staring at the poison for a long moment with a lump in his throat, Nikita raised his hands again to bring the lump of death to his mouth to be swallowed.  To his surprise, he found himself tucking it back into the cord at his throat.

Confused, Nikita pulled the poison out again, but again, to his dismay, found himself returning it to its cord.  The third time he tried bending his head to catch it in his mouth but was still foiled.

In frustration, he looked down at the lump of poison.  "Master," he whispered, "I don't want to think about life without you.  If you are dead, let me join you."  Closing his eyes against further tears, he continued, "PLEASE!"

Keeping his eyes closed, he quickly raised his hands to his mouth, but found himself unable to open his mouth to let the poison in.  He opened his eyes, looking at the fickle death he held.

"You don't want me, Master?" he asked softly.  "Have I been a bad pet?  Why can't I...?"

Another idea sparkled in the back of his mind.  "Are you alive, Master?  Are you keeping me from death because it means I'll be leaving you instead of joining you?"

There was still no response, but Nikita almost cried again as he let himself return the poison to the cord around his throat.  There was a chance that Erik was alive.  And that chance, no matter how slim, was worth living as long as he could.  For his Master, he would endure whatever the proxy did to him.
 

Nikita watched the proxy with hooded eyes as he was half dragged into the throne room.  The man smirked and looked at him, eyes sliding over the boy's body in a way that was much too familiar.  His smirk only widened noting the burn marks on the boy's chest.

"Are you ready to play your part in my little drama?" he asked after Nikita had been shackled to the throne.  "I have your part all prepared.  And the best part is that all you have to do is sit there.  Then you can join your precious 'Master.'"  He sneered the word, mocking both Erik and Nikita's loyalty to him.

"I will do nothing for you," Nikita said near silently.

The proxy laughed, grabbing Nikita's chin and not bothering to reclaim it when the boy pulled angrily away.  "The beauty is that doing nothing is the best thing you can do.  And once you've been blamed for your darling 'Master's death everyone will remember that the Harem is fickle in its backing and uses its children for its own ends and that will be the end of them.  Then we can get something to our advantage going in here."

"It will never work.  Too many owe too much to the Harem."

"The Harem is owed less than they think they are.  And it doesn't matter that I'm telling you this, because no matter what you say it won't make a difference.  Any protest I can say is you defending the place that your only allegiance goes to."

"My only allegiance is to my Master," Nikita insisted softly.

"Isn't it lucky then that I'm going to kill you," the proxy said with extreme satisfaction.  "You don't have to be separated from him."

"Master isn't dead," the boy said softly, praying to anything that listened that his hunch was correct and that Erik was still alive.  "You have failed.  You will be the one meeting doom, not me."

The proxy's high laughter drew stares from early comers.  He leaned in close, the stench of his breath wafting over Nikita.  "I don't know what your source of information is, boy, but you'll be sad to hear that mine is true."

He produced a feather, obviously from Erik's wings.  "Your beloved 'Master' is dead."  He tucked the feather behind Nikita's ear.

As he turned to speak to the guards, Nikita pulled the feather out of his hair, running it gently down his cheek.  Despite the concrete object in his hands, he couldn't shake his new conviction that Erik was still alive.  It just didn't seem possible anymore that his Master could have died.

Holding the feather like a holy object, Nikita watched the court members arrive.  His eyes followed the Harem Master, knowing the man noted the chains and was both curious and outraged.  He saw many that he knew, and all of these were whispering among themselves.  Some of them had to know about the plot against Erik, but it was obvious that none of them understood the twist that had him chained to the throne.

He saw motion from the entry and the doors closed.  Court was in session.

"It is with deepest regret," the proxy began, "That I must begin today's session of court with sad news."  He lowered his head, and only Nikita could see the smirk he hid.  "Our beloved king has been killed."

There was a stir of movement and whispered voices.

"This news came to me only this morning and I have been forced to take our king's favorite into custody.  Because it was with the help of this treacherous boy that the Harem was able to-"

"Release him at once!"

Everyone looked up.  In the entry to the throne room; dirty, bloody, holding one arm across his stomach in pain, was Erik.

"Master!" Nikita cried out, tears flooding his voice.

"I said release my Nikita," Erik repeated, and a guard hurriedly unshackled the boy.  In the brief glance Nikita took, he recognized one of his blood slaves.

As soon as he could move, he launched himself at his Master, half hiding behind him in a position that allowed him to help the man stand.  He felt Erik trembling and pushed his head against the man's shoulder until an arm was draped across his shoulder.  To everyone else it looked only as if he was a pet hiding behind its master.  The brief squeeze to his shoulder told him that Erik understood what he was doing.

"Take that man," he continued, pointing at the proxy, "down to the dungeons.  Torture him until he confesses and then kill him."

A second guard, the other blood slave, joined the first in dragging the struggling proxy away.  Erik sat in his abandoned throne.

"My lord," said the Harem Master, "Shouldn't you rest?"

"There's work to do.  I will do it."  Only Nikita, curled at his feet, saw how heavily he was sitting.

The court session was kept short and then Erik made his way to his room, Nikita clinging to him as an aid to staying upright.  Once the door was locked behind them, Nikita's arms slid softly around Erik and tears began sliding down his cheeks.

"Master," he repeated over and over.  "Master, I was so afraid for you!"

Erik smiled softly, holding Nikita close.  He sat, Nikita curling next to him on the couch.  He looked the boy over, noting the healing burns and bruises.  After a moment, he reached out, pulling on the cord around Nikita's throat.  "What's this?"

Nikita's hands rested gently over Erik's, drawing the man's eyes up from his examination of the poison.  He knew he had to speak, and had to do it now while the need was still urgent in him.  He looked up to meet Erik's gaze and was caught in the eyes as blue as the sky, or as water to his starved sight.  Water, because he was drowning in them.

"Master... I love you."

Erik blinked a few times, confusion showing through the exaustion that was slowly overtaking him.  Unsure how to respond, he hugged Nikita to him, clumsily trying to answer without words.
 

Nikita held himself to Erik, snuggling close in his Master's touch.

Erik relaxed agaist the boy, but caught himself before he passed into sleep and tiredly got to his feet. "I should bathe before sleeping..." he said, eyes half closed.  "Help me?" he asked.

Nikita nodded happily, supporting Erik in the walk to the bathroom.  He helped the man undress and lowered him gently into the water, fretting quietly over his wounds.

Erik gave a deep sigh and let his wings out.  One was slightly damaged and was missing a clump of feathers.  "Next trip..." he said in a tired voice, "I'm taking you with me. Hell with this realm..."

Nikita stroked the damaged wing carefully, face expressing his concern.  He nuzzled against Erik, tears in his eyes as he looked up at Erik.

"It's okay, I'll heal," Erik smiled, putting an arm around the boy. "Just have to take it slow a few days to recover."

Nikita nodded, snuggling against the arm.  "Master is sure?" he asked.  "Nikita was worried..."

"Yes.  It takes more then that to get me." Erik gave a small tried smirk. "Should have a few days rest with out any attempts.  I was afraid I was going to have to blast the entire court to get you back..."

Nikita shook his head.  "It wsa the proxy's plan only.  I don't think any other knew of it."

Erik nodded and shifted slightly, giveing a relazed sigh and leaning his head back some. "Were you truly going to kill yourself if I hadn't come back?" he asked in a very soft tone.

Nikita looked down.  "When I thought you were gone, I didn't want to go on," he said quietly.  "Life without Master would be unbearable."

 Erik looked at the boy, eyes deep and full of emotion and thoughts. He gently leaned over and kissed the top of Nikita's head. "Don't worry, I'll always come back to you.  Even death itself would not stop me," he said softly. "So don't try and end your life...."

 Nikita smiled gently, leaning against Erik's shoulder.  "Master..." he said softly and caressingly.  He looked up, gold eyes full of love.  "Let me help you bathe," he continued, carefully cleaning Erik's wounds.

 Erik nodded. "Thank you..." he said, relaxing further. "You take such good care of me...." His voice was tinged with exaustion.

"Nikita likes to be able to care for his Master," the boy said with a smile.  "Master can rest.  I won't let any harm come to him."

Erik gave a tired smile. "Thank you..." he said sleepily as his eyes closed.  "I really can not see how I functioned with out you...." His voice faded as he drifted off to sleep.

Erik's trust delighted Nikita, who continued to clean out his Master's wounds, trying not to disturb the man's sleep.  Once he was finished he bit his lip, trying to figure out how to carry the awkward burdon to bed.  It took some work to move Erik without waking him, and once finished, Nikita collapsed next to him in exhaustion.  He groaned softly, rising to douse the lights and make certain the door was locked, then curled at Erik's side to sleep.