Xelloss continued to smile, although he was getting irritated with the blind priest. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to cure your sight. That is not within my powers."
"Don't give me that! You are one of the more powerful mazuku, you have to be able to do something!" bellowed the priest in frustration. "You have to at least know who can help me!"
Xelloss' internal smile widened, "Well, yes I do. However," he paused. He couldn't just tell him that raising his master, Shabrinigdo, would help. Just handing out information for free would be suspicious, " what will you give me for the information."
The priest leaned over the bar room table, "What do you want? I've lived a long time. I've gathered a lot of treasure through....."
"What would a mazuku want with treasure?" Xelloss chuckled, "We have no use for such trivialities. We live off fear and pain."
Rezo groaned, putting his head in his hand. What could he give a powerful mazuku. He could try to force the information out of him. However, Rezo realized, although he was powerful, he was not powerful enough to give Xelloss more than a hard time.
He lifted his head, his senses picking up the movement of someone walking up to them. The footsteps told him it was his grandson, Zelgadiss. He could hear Xelloss raise a hood to hide his face, not wanting to be recognized by anyone.
"Grandfather, are you going to come and train me some more. I still need to learn some spells."
"Zelgadiss, go home!" Rezo ordered, "I have important business to take care of. So, just go home and make sure dinner is made. I'll come home and then we'll talk about training."
"Why should I bother with dinner," his grandson muttered as he walked out, "you never come home till it's cold."
Rezo listened as Zelgadiss left the bar, hearing a few heads turn in appreciation. Rezo smiled, it happened every time Zelgadiss went by. People seemed to take notice of him, both men and women. He'd heard many people describe Zelgadiss as "beautiful", very handsome, but with fine, almost feminine features. However, Zelgadiss was so naive and innocent, he never seemed to notice the appreciative stares or hear the compliments.
He sighed and turned back to the Mazukun priest. However, his attention seemed to be elsewhere. He, like many others, was watching Zelgadiss leave the room.
Rezo coughed to get the priests attention back. "So, what do you want?"
Xelloss chuckled and added jokingly, " You don't seem to have anything I want, maybe you'll let me have a night with you lovely grandson....."
Rezo immediately leaned forward, "and you will tell me who can cure my eyes?!"
Xelloss pulled back, surprised by the priest serious response. "You really mean it, you'd trade your grandson for your cure."
"Yes, you can have one night with him," the priest offered, "I won't try to stop you. He'll be up at my castle. I'll go to my lab. You go up there and you can tell him that I invited you to stay at our place. He'll let you in."
Xelloss sat there, stunned. He couldn't believe the desperation of this human, trading his own grandson for a cure. It suddenly became easy to believe his master was hidden within this man. He was even a little disgusted and tempted to decline. However,....looking out the door again to where the youth had been, that had been one of the most beautiful creatures he'd seen in a long time. The temptation was too much.
"O.K., I'll take you on that deal," and prepared to phase out.
"Just don't let him know that I let you do it. I don't want him to hate me."
Xelloss chuckled, "You would trade him to me, but you still care enough to worry about what he thinks about you."
"Shut up," he bellowed, "he's my only family left. I'd have nothing left without him."
"Hypocrite."
"Shut up and leave."
"Very well," and he phased out.
Xelloss raise his hood over his head and knock on the door. He could hear the sound reverberate through the large castle and then hear the footsteps walk to the door.
The door slowly opened to reveal the reason for his visit. He stood there with the lantern in hand. He was even more beautiful than he remembered. Xelloss had to control the urge to reach out and touch his face to see how soft it was.
"May I help you, sir?" he asked shyly.
"Your grandfather said I could stay here for the night, till we can conclude our business tomorrow."
"Oh, well then come in," he responded softly.
He lead Xelloss to the dinning room. "I assume, you would like something to eat."
Xelloss' smile widened, "Yes, your grandfather said I would find a suitable meal, here."
He sighed, a lot like his grandfather, "Very well, I'll go get some of the dinner I had saved for Grandfather."
Xelloss smiled as he watched his prey leave. "Oh, yes, more than suitable," licking his lips.
The boy came back bringing a plate of food and a bottle of wine. He placed it in front of Xelloss and went to leave.
"So, you're related to the Great Red Priest, Rezo. You must be a powerful magician in your own right."
The boy turned around, a look of bitter frustration on his face. "No, I can't even do simple spells. Grandfather said he might be able to help me. But, he hasn't gotten very far."
Xelloss watched his prey, barely listening. Damn, he was beautiful. He chuckled to himself, "Seems you can't think of anything else." However, there was no other way to describe him.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Xelloss looked down at his untouched plate. He chastised himself. "Can't have desert, until you have dinner."
He sighed. Oh, well. "It seems I don't want food. Maybe I should find a place to rest," he asked.
His prey just shrugged his shoulders, "As you wish, you're the guest." He then grabbed the lantern and led Xelloss up to a guest bedroom. "Is this suitable?"
"Oh, it's quite suitable."
"Will that be all then?"
"No," Xelloss started, as he walked behind his prey to close the door, "I'm still hungry."
"But, you ... you said you weren't hungry," the boy stammered as the stranger walked towards him.
"I said, I don't want food. That doesn't feed my hunger," opening his eyes to stare at the youth. He felt the surge of fear, as his prey saw his slitted-eyes. He watched as his prey looked around trying to find a way out, panic building.
The boy turned around as he found himself pressed against the bed, to look into the hungry mazukun eyes. Suddenly, he felt hands grab his arms, pinning them to his side and pushing him to the bed.
Xelloss smiled as his prey laid there in a state of fright, too scared to do anything. He leaned down holding down one arm by the wrist and pressed his lips to his victims lips, feeling shock and surprise coming off him. He pulled back to gaze down at the wide blue eyes staring at him. He removed the glove of his free hand and reached down to stroke a cheek. It was so soft.
"Wha.....what are you going to do to me?" he gasped.
"Can't you guess?" was Xelloss' response, while he grabbed the top of the youth's pants and pulled them down and off his trembling legs.
"No, I don't wa...."
"You think what you want really matters right now," Xelloss teased as he undid the front of his own pants and positioned himself between those trembling legs.
"Please," he begged, eyes wide with fear.
Suddenly, Xelloss stopped, tilting his head. He could hear chimes. Did the priest change his mind? Was he going to stop him? At the moment, Xelloss didn't care about the deal made with the priest. If the priest wanted to stop him, he was going to have to fight him. He wasn't going to let this pretty one get away.
"Grandfather," relief flooding the boys voice, "Grandfather, help me."
Xelloss could hear the sound pause as the priest stopped, probably to consider his options. Then, he heard the chimes suddenly fading as the priest left.
The boys eyes widened, " Grandfather, GRANDFATHER, COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE. GRANDFATHER," his breathe ragged, "Doesn't he hear me?" Tears running down his cheek.
Xelloss smiled, pulling his prey closer, running hands over soft flesh, "Oh, he hears you." Then, without prelude, he entered him.
Xelloss arched his back at the flood of physical sensation and the pain that was released from his prey. The boy screamed, tears running down his face, and brought his hands up to try to push Xelloss off. However, that didn't stop him. Xelloss continued, kissing him and wrapping his arms around him.
"Ohh, he's so warm, so soft, so delicate."
He continued, the grunts and moans from Zelgadiss exciting him, until, at last he climaxed screaming out Zelgadiss' name and collapsed on top of his lover. He pulled himself up to look down at him. Zelgadiss had gone into a dazed state, his head laying to the side, wide eyed and unfocused.
Xelloss stroked a cheek, grabbing his chin to turn his face to look at him. He was still radiantly beautiful. He sighed disgruntled, "One night, that priest promised one night. After that, he probably won't let me have you, my love, without a fight. I can't fight him. I might accidentally kill him, and with him, a chance to raise a piece of Shabrinigdo. I'll have to leave you, my pretty one."
Xelloss laid on top of his lover for a while. He didn't want to let go of his lover. He'd have to wait until after Shabrinigdo was raised, then come back for him. He sighed. However, he'd have to do a few things. The next time around he wanted Zelgadiss to come to him willingly, which he wouldn't do with his memory intact. Two, Xelloss felt a strong paranoia that someone else would steal his beauty before he could reclaim him.
Xelloss smiled. He would have to make his lover temporarily undesirable. He chuckled as he reached for his bag, which actually was a small portal to another dimension, so he could store hundreds of things in it. He rummaged through it and found what he wanted. He pulled out a small rock. He smiled looking at it. He knew it wasn't really a rock. It was originally a demon. A demon that had been petrified to rock eons ago. So, what he held was a rock with demon characteristics embedded into it.
He looked down lovingly at his dazed lover and pulled up his shirt to reveal Zelgadiss' bare chest. Xelloss smiled as he stroked a nipple fondly and heard a soft moan in response. "I'm sorry," he whispered to his love, "this will hurt, but I won't let anyone else have you." Xelloss held the rock and concentrated on a spell, then placed his hands against Zelgadiss' chest and pushed. Xelloss' hand pushed through Zelgadiss' chest. Zelgadiss snapped back out of his dazed state to arch his back and scream as blood ran out of his chest and along his stomach. Xelloss released the stone, leaving it in Zelgadiss' chest and slowly removed his hand. Once his hand was out, the wound immediately healed.
Xelloss cradled his unconscious love, watching the stone take affect. He watched Zelgadiss' skin become blue and harden, rock forming along his jaw line and around his eyes. Now, all Xelloss had to do was alter his memory. He didn't want Zelgadiss to remember this situation. He didn't want him to even remember that Xelloss was ever there. He smiled. He'll make the chimera think that his grandfather had changed him. That he had betrayed him. He smiled. It was fitting. Rezo had betrayed him, although not in the way Zelgadiss would remember.
He chuckled. He wouldn't tell Zelgadiss, just like Rezo had asked. However, Zelgadiss would hate the priest and that hatred from his only living relative would push the priest deeper into despair. Enough despair to make the suggestion of raising Shabrinigdo much more palatable.
He lovingly picked up the chimera, cradling him in his arms. He carried him out to the woods, where it would be best for Zelgadiss to come to, due to his fabricated memory. Xelloss laid him down, stroking his cheek. Amazing! His skin was hard, but still so smooth, like finely carved marble. He then got up and phased away.
Years later, after Shabrinigdo was destroyed by Lina Inverse, Xelloss was ordered to follow the young sorceress. He found to his delight that his beloved was with her group. However, Xelloss discovered that it was going to be very difficult to win the heart of this new Zelgadiss. Years of betrayal had left him very distrustful and therefore, very distrustful of Xelloss.
Another problem. Lina was very powerful, he knew he couldn't remove the stone to make Zelgadiss normal and then take him without a fight from Lina. And again, like the blind priest, he was not allowed to kill the sorceress. So, he was going to have to wait. He wasn't worried. He nor Zelgadiss were going to age, so he had a long time to get what he wanted. Xelloss just had to make sure Zelgadiss didn't find a cure on his own. That's why he couldn't let him find any Claire Bible manuscripts, because some of them would help him find his cure. That's why he kept misdirecting him, that's why he kept destroying them.
Why? Because he loved him.