The magnetic pull of vampiric compulsion took hold of Theo’s mind, and he found himself calming down immediately to the point where things fell into place around him in a way that made sense.
He knew where he was.Peter’s room.Not some open field where he’d been buried.
It was dark out, but the lights were on.It made everything too bright, but it also scared away any and all shadows in which Bernard could have been hiding.
Well, Theo couldn’t exactly see whether anything was behind the dark blue curtains, but even if Bernard was clinging to the windows from the outside, Theo found that nothing much scared him or upset him right now.I’m super chill.I haven’t been this chill in forever.Why isn’t life always like this, and what do I have to do to make it like this?No drugs though, don’t like pills…
“Theodore.”
Peter was there.Right.They were both in Peter’s bed, after taking what he could only describe as a sensual shower with loads of touching and kissing.Everything else was a dream.Just a dream.A fucking nightmare.“Hmm.”
“Good.Much better.I compelled you, Theodore.You were scared, and I didn’t want you to cry…to be so scared, rather.”
Peter’s always chill.Maybe he compels himself each morning in the bathroom mirror?Is self-compulsion a thing among vampires?Would explain so much.
“Can you compel yourself?”Theo asked.
“Maybe that compulsion was a little too good.I think I may have taken you one stop past the calm place.”Peter was combing through Theo’s hair with his fingers.It felt nice.Like a massage.Like what they’d done before falling asleep.“While I have you this calm, do you recall if Bernard ever gave you his blood?”
Theo considered that.“Maybe?I guess.He said it would only turn me into a vampire if he snapped my neck or buried me alive.Was that a lie?Did he lie to me?I don’t want to be buried alive, Peter.”
“That little—that sort of treatment makes what my own maker would’ve called a vampire wraith.Weaker vampires, basically.Doesn’t matter.No one will bury you and turn you into one of those.He gave you his blood on multiple occasions?Do you remember, Theodore?”
Peter seemed composed, but those eyes?Theo didn’t like that look at all.He bit his lip.“Don’t get angry.”
“I won’t, dearest, I promise.On multiple occasions?”
“I’m not sure.He…drained me a lot.He called it that.Especially in the weeks before I ran.Did I ever tell you, when I came to Celeste’s I was anemic?She was really upset, called a doctor to look me over.I got a transfusion, right there in one of the playrooms, and she went upstairs and baked a batch of cookies.Made me eat all of them after.That transfusion… Weird, huh?I mean, if you drink my blood, and then the doctor fills me up again, and you drink my blood again, are you even still drinkingmyblood?You know, it’s the vampire version of the Ship of Theseus.”
Peter clicked his tongue.“It would seem I switched on your philosopher mode.”
“Hmm.I think he made me drink his blood more than once.Do you think he wanted to bury me?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think you’re suffering from night terrors.”
“Oh.That’s good.”
“I’ll explain this now while you’re still under my compulsion.”While Peter spoke, Theo’s eyes kept sliding down the vampire’s body.Peter was naked.Still?Again?Didn’t matter.“Eyes up here, Theodore.”Cruelly, Peter tilted Theo’s head back up until all Theo could see were those blue, blue eyes.“I have a hunch that you may not be this calm once I let the compulsion slip.Bernard is one of those vampires who are good at mental manipulation.Giving a human one’s blood can facilitate that to such a degree that you can influence them without being close enough to compel them.It’s not a very common skill, and the blood wears off over time.When the human is agitated or scared, it makes getting into their head easier.”
The fact that Peter was naked but Theo wasn’t allowed to look made him go back to his dream, the nice parts in the beginning.“I think I was having a wet dream, and you were starring in it.You wore hot Viking armor, but not for long.”
Peter rolled his eyes.“Stop with the Viking thing already.That’s culturally inaccurate.Bernard may have tracked you through that blood exchange in the first place.It usually only works in close proximity, but maybe he found out you went to New Elvenswood some other way and then tracked you once he got here.I’ll slip the compulsion off now.”
“This is really nice though.I like this.”Theo had the distinct feeling that this was better than not being compelled.
“No doubt.I’m sorry, but I am right here.”And once more, Peter looked at him and—
Everything came rushing back.Not just fear, terror.Theo’s heart picked up the pace so rapidly it felt as if he were about to faint.Panic settled into his bones and a noise filled the room.Theo was doing that.It sounded like whimpering.Then Peter was there, scooping him up against his chest.
“Shh.”
Peter was rocking him like a baby.Or maybe Theo was shaking.He couldn’t tell.
“C-compel me again,” Theo sniffed against Peter’s chest.
“No.Compulsion isn’t a cure-all for the mind.Your mind and body need to go through the stress response, and delaying that only makes it worse.”
Theo’s hand balled into a fist.“He w-was in m-my head.You c-c-compelled me before.D-do it again w-when I actually w-want you to.”
