Dark Angel's Fire by Megaera Part III Darkness in the Blood Light clashed with darkness, as had happened many times before, in that far away place. But this time was different. For a moment, there was stillness, then the fabric of space and time ruptured. Intolerable pressures pushed the darkness outwards, warping all that was around it. Then her soft laughter began. "Hey! It's the spook squad!" Spender was being his usual charming self. The two agents winced. Mulder was used to the name "spooky, but lately someone—no prizes for guessing who—had been tagging the name onto the Occult Investigation Department of which Mulder was head. There had been rivalry between them since Spender had taken the X files away from Mulder. Scully generally worked for Spender now, and there were rumours that made Mulder wonder how close the two actually were. The Ice Queen and the Slimeball! Alex snorted in contempt. "Asshole!" he muttered in scorn, under his breath. Mulder grabbed a couple of cups of the, as usual, vile coffee and snuck himself a couple of chocolate bars, which Alex would probably steal anyway, if he saw them. Despite his earlier annoyance, a smile twitched at his face. Alex loved chocolate. Green eyes regarded him in amusement. "Mulder, is that a chocolate bar in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?" Wouldn't you like to know, Ratboy As he sipped his coffee, he remembered the latest file they had been given. This was a new twist. A haunted house! The Wilson Mansion, on an isolated island in the Florida Keys, to be exact. The house had always had a bad reputation, but lately the reports of strange phenomena had escalated off the scale. Which is why a unit from the Miskatonic University had gone there to study the parapsychology of the site. Then a young researcher, an English girl who just happened to have a very influential newspaper magnate for a father, had disappeared. The F.B.I. had been called in to investigate within twenty four hours. Alex, as usual, didn't think much of the authorities in their organisation who had assigned both teams to the case. "Bunch of goddamned idiots", he said irritably. "My temper will never last if I've got to work with Spender." "Yes, well Alex, we're all booked on tonight's shuttle flight so you'll have to get used to the idea." Green eyes glared at him. Idly he wondered if Scully had as much trouble keeping her partner out of trouble. Spender certainly seemed irritated about something. Mulder could see him on the other side of the refreshment area, arguing with her. Still, making up after an argument was one way to deflect all of Alex's passion in a totally different direction! They had to get a hire car when they came out of the airport, to make the two hour drive to the mansion. It was already dark and a long day at work had done nothing to resolve the tension between the two groups of agents. Before the enmity between the two younger agents could flare into life, Mulder quickly asked Scully to drive. He jerked his thumb at the back seat. Alex pursed his lips, but reluctantly slid his long legs into the back seat of the car. The drive seemed endless, along miles of causeway. As time passed, the motion of the car began to have an effect on the agents. Spender drowsed, his mouth open, in the front seat. And Alex slowly slipped sideways until his head was resting in sleep against Mulder's shoulder. He caught sight of Scully's eyes in the mirror watching him. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "I had heard gossip Mulder", she said dryly. He gave a twisted smile. She knew him well enough to understand what Alex's small intimacy meant. "You always did have odd taste, Mulder." He shrugged. "Some things you can't control, Scully. This is one of them." Alex made a small questioning sound in his throat and snuggled closer. Mulder felt oddly protective, then slipped his arm, oh so casually, around his lover, shifting to make him more comfortable. The younger man murmured something softly, then, "Mmmm, Foxy!" Scully looked immensely amused. "Foxy!" He groaned. That would be hard to live down. Alex jerked guiltily awake as the car drew to a halt. He lifted his head groggily and looked at the house that was their destination. "Mulder, do you remember that old film where Bob Hope went to a haunted house in an alligator infested swamp?" He had a point. The house must have been two hundred years old, a mixture of wood and stone. That it had survived countless years in the hurricane belt said volumes for its solid construction. Parts of it were hung with vines and overgrown with vegetation. It was three stories high, and looked like the sort of place with endless dusty attics and cellars. The grounds that surrounded it had once been well kept, but were now wildly overgrown. Over everything, there was a sinister air of melancholy decay. Of mould and graves and things long dead that were better kept out of the light. Mulder felt he was getting quite maudlin. The door to the mansion opened and a middle aged woman wearing glasses emerged. "So you're the F.B.I. agents we've been waiting for! Follow me. I'll take you to Professor Johnson." She led the way into the hallway. It was a masterpiece of baroque style, in Italian marble, though a bit sepulchural. She led them into a room that was a combination study and library, where a nervous looking group of people were waiting. The professor was a distinguished looking man in his fifties who came forward to greet them. There was something rather endearing about his absent minded manner and the fact that his glasses were held together by a piece of duct tape. Beside the blazing fire at one end of the room were several students sitting on a dusty looking couch. They all looked subdued. The professor introduced the group. "This is Andy, he's our physicist from Caltech. And this is Pete our psychologist. These two lovely young ladies are our researchers Dee and Sara. You've already met my assistant, Marie." The older woman smiled shyly at them. The facts of the case were quickly established. Two nights ago, the missing woman had disappeared from an area of the attics. Because of the extensive monitoring equipment in place, the parapsychologists knew that she could not have left the building unseen. But she was gone! An extensive search for the girl had turned up nothing. "I've made you up rooms, in the modernised part of the house. They're just about habitable. Most of this place is suffering from damp so I'm afraid two of you will have to share." Mulder caught the look of disgust on Spender's face. "It's O.K. Agent Krycek and I don't mind sharing." Scully raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to interview us now? Or will the morning be soon enough? It's getting a little late!" The professor looked a little stressed. Spender shrugged. "We would be better off if we made a fresh start tomorrow. We can't search outside in the dark." Marie led the agents to their rooms. "Agent Scully, I've given you Carla's room, poor thing. She wouldn't mind. Agent Spender, you can have this little room next door. And as for you Agent Krycek", she simpered, "You and er, this other agent can have the Red Room." The door shut behind Mulder and Krycek. Mulder laughed. "You've got her eating out of your hand, Alex." The younger agent grimaced in distaste. "I've wanted to do this all day", he said and grabbed his lover's shoulders, pushing him hard up against the wall. Then he kissed Mulder who arched into the embrace. Alex slid his knee up between Mulder's thighs, rubbing against the more sensitive areas with delicious friction. He laughed at the effect he was having, and pushed Mulder back with all his strength towards the bed. The backs of Mulder's legs began to press up against the side of the bed, and he fell backwards, Alex landing on top of him with a gasp. Then like a snake, Alex slid smoothly down Mulder's body and grabbed at the fastenings of his clothes urgently. The two of them, between kisses began to undress, flinging their clothes onto the floor. Mulder managed to take off his shoes and socks and then his pants. Then his young lover, already naked, began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt, exposing his smooth chest. Alex kissed and sucked at the small nipples until they were rosily erect. Then his lips slid much lower, to Mulder's already rock hard cock. To his lover's delighted surprise, he completely took Mulder's cock into his mouth and began to deep throat him. Mulder cried out, his hands flailing, catching at Alex's shoulders, as Alex slowly drove him out of his mind. There was a knock at the door. "Mulder, it's Scully, I need to talk to you urgently." There was a strangled noise below him. A desperate Mulder glanced down. Alex was trying his hardest not to laugh, and finally, pulled away from him; he fell onto the bed and howled with laughter. It was hard to speak normally with such a raging hardon. Gasping, Mulder shouted, "Hang on Scully. Just a minute." Alex was still helplessly giggling on the bed. Hastily, Mulder pulled up his pants. "You're no help", he hissed at his lover. He walked uncomfortably to the door, bringing a fresh burst of hilarity from the bed. He pulled out his shirt and let it hang outside his trousers to hide his discomfort. Scully walked in when he opened the door. "Sorry to disturb you Mulder, but I found this in the girl's room." She held out a hand-written note that she had placed in an evidence bag. Then she stopped, disconcerted. She realised how embarrassed and flustered Mulder looked. And Alex was half reclining on the bed, naked apart from a sheet covering his lower body. He was sniggering and even as she looked at him, he exploded with laughter again. "Er, you caught me at a bad moment", Mulder said shamefacedly. That provoked more hilarity in the background. Alex leaned back against the bedhead, stretching out his lithe body sensuously, sliding his hands behind his neck and displaying his beautiful muscles. His body was perfect, apart from a small band of scar tissue around his upper left arm. Scully swallowed, she hadn't realised how athletic he was, like a Greek statue, but with animal magnetism. The note, when Mulder examined it, was for the missing girl. "Shut up a minute, Alex. This is serious. She had a meeting with someone who sounds like her lover!" Green eyes narrowed. "We ought to search this place more thoroughly than the local police", Alex said, "there may be more evidence." "Good idea", Scully said , "You two can do it tomorrow, we'll interview the suspects." Alex groaned. "Goodnight", she said and turned to leave. Mulder sighed and sank down onto the bed. Alex instantly pounced. He pulled Mulder down onto the bed, and straddled his lover's torso, leaning over to hungrily kiss him. His hands pulled urgently at Mulder's clothes, and the agent's trousers went flying across the room. Then he leaned down and began to finish what he had started. Mulder moaned, pushing Alex's head down further onto his cock, and the younger man began to show him exactly how talented he was. After long, delectable minutes of torment, Alex pulled back, his own breathing ragged, fully aroused himself. He slid his fingers down to his own ass and began to prepare himself for Mulder. Then he lowered himself onto Mulder's large erection, crying out as he felt its white heat slide into him. Mulder was moaning softly, his body arching upwards. His eyes opened and he saw the enticing sight of Alex, his head thrown back in rapture as he moved his body in slow torturous motion. Then the younger man's control began to desert him and his movements became as frantic as Mulder's own. Scully remembered, a few minutes later, that she hadn't given Mulder the news about the hurricane warning that had just been issued. She returned to Mulder's door, opened it unthinkingly, and gasped. What Alex was doing to Mulder was definitely not in a standard medical textbook. And Mulder. She had never seen him out of control like that before, writhing in passion under his lover's touch. The way Alex was doing THAT to him. She realised that they were beautiful together, as their two strong muscular bodies moved together. When had Mulder become so fit, his body almost as lithe and impressive as his lover's? Mulder flung out his hands, and Alex caught at them, fingers lacing with his. Then Alex arched voluptuously in orgasm, muscles clenching around Mulder so that he too lost control, screaming his lover's name as he came. Alex slid down into his arms, lying on top of him, his breathing gradually steadying in the aftermath of vigorous exercise. "I love you, Fox", he murmured, and Mulder tightened his arms around the younger man. Alex grinned and slid his fingers down to begin the second round. Neither of the lovers noticed anything except each other for a long, long time. Pete, the psychologist, grinned at his women co-workers. "Here come those two F.B.I. agents The ones that look like models for Calvin Klein!" Dee laughed. "Be still my beating heart! Maybe we should take bets. Which one of us is going to score first. Me, Sara or poor old Marie. Did you see the way she looked at the younger one!" They sniggered. Andy laughed too, but for a different reason. "You're wrong. All of you. I've got more chance than any of you. Look at that." Mulder was bringing Alex a coffee, and as he leaned to pass it to him, his hand lingered in a caress against his lover's shoulder. Andy laughed again, jingling the earring he wore. "Sorry guys, takes one to know one." "You mean they're gay!", Dee gasped melodramatically. "Damn! Another fantasy bites the dust!" "For you maybe", the physicist said, "but to me, they're hot!" Sara burst out laughing. "Marie is going to be so disappointed!" Scully found it difficult to concentrate on work when she saw Mulder and Krycek that morning. It was hard to forget the sight of them writhing on the bed. The four agents began to plan their actions that morning, Alex and Mulder would begin to search the attics. She and Spender would establish where everyone was when Carla disappeared. Alex decided that searching this goddamned house was going to take forever. Mulder had just persuaded him to buy several expensive suits for work, and he could already count all of the filthy places he was going to have to squeeze into, wearing one. Scully had to laugh when she saw the expression on his face. She had noticed the suit. The two agents headed for the stairs, through the Italian hall, Mulder a couple of steps in front of Alex. The younger man would never know what instinct prompted him to look up at that moment, but when he did, he saw the old chandelier far above him beginning a slow downward fall. He moved, instinct and an overpowering need taking over, lunging forward. He collided with Mulder from behind, grabbing him, pushing him forward with all his strength, even as the huge light fell towards his lover. White hot agony sliced down Alex's left arm and shoulder, even as his momentum carried them both out of it's path. He landed with a bruising impact on the cold marble, body covering his lover protectively. Mulder let out a great whoosh of air as he hit the floor. The chandelier exploded as it hit the floor, showering both men with shards of glass. Scully and Spender came running into the hall. "Oh, my god! Are you alright, Mulder? Alex?" Alex dragged himself upright, and Mulder, dazed, lurched to his feet. "Upstairs, Scully", he gasped, and she and Spender ran up the stairs, two at a time, guns drawn. Mulder brushed the pieces of glass away as best he could, and turned to his partner. He managed to catch the white faced agent as he swayed dizzily, and supporting him, they made it into the study together. "Sit down, Alex", Mulder said. The left sleeve of Alex's new suit was shredded and bright blood blossomed on his shirt beneath it. Mulder gently eased the jacket off and reached gently forward to unbutton his lover's shirt. Alex just sat, shivering with pain and shock. Mulder carefully drew off the torn and bloodied rag that was Alex's sleeve. Deep lacerations from metal and glass had sliced into his shoulder for almost six inches, down to his arm graft, below that the inhuman flesh was mottled in bright green bruises. The stronger demon skin had resisted the sharp materials more successfully. He heard a strangled gasp behind him. Scully was staring at Alex's arm in disbelief. Then her medical training took over, and she gently bent over the wounds. "Get my medical bag, Mulder, it's on the table", she said, pushing Mulder towards it. She carefully cleansed and dressed the injury. And stared at Alex's lower arm. "Mulder, you want to tell me what's going on here?", she said softly. "Not now. Please. Just bandage it up before anyone else comes in. We can talk later." She sighed. "Alright, Mulder. But it had better be good!" Alex lifted his head "Mulder? Are you alright?" His voice was hoarse. Instead of answering, the older man sat next to Alex and slid his arms around him reassuringly, not caring anymore what people thought. Alex clutched at him for long minutes in shock. Then finally he drew back, colour flooding back into his face. They had an audience of most of the research team. It was Andy who spoke. "How are you? Are you alright? We couldn't believe it when we heard the thing crash on the floor!" The other students looked afraid, but Mulder didn't miss the look of distaste for him that Marie gave, as she looked at him. Kulain felt the sudden explosion of pain in the distant body of one of his humans. Alex! The thought of harm coming to that beautiful young body was both annoying and perturbing. He would not allow it! He reached down into the core of his being, summoned the darkness that lay within, and twisted the fabric of reality. And a doorway came into being where none had existed before. He stepped through it, and reality snapped back into place behind him. "I'm O.K. Mulder, really. It was just shock." Alex looked slightly embarrassed by his display of weakness. Mulder wasn't fooled. Alex had to be in considerable pain, and his emotional state was precarious. 'We couldn't find anyone upstairs. And I don't know how they could have cut the chain of that light. Not without being seen." Spender shrugged in bemusement. The four agents were closeted in the study, in private conference. Their investigations had turned up nothing so far, and all of them were beginning to react to the nerve jangling aspect of the place. "I'm still inclined to a supernatural explanation", Mulder said. Scully shook her head. "Mulder, there's no evidence for that. As you well know." A blast of wind suddenly rattled the windows, making them all jump. Spender walked to the window and looked out. "The weather's looking bad, Scully. I think you were right about that hurricane coming this way!" It seemed to be rushing in on them, in fact, with incredible speed. A wall of darkness, filled with rain and howling wind. "Mulder", Scully said softly, "I think we're in trouble. Someone round here doesn't care if they kill an F.B.I. agent. You can't tell me that's sane" The professor's voice suddenly could be heard, shouting through the door, interrupting her. "We have to get the storm shutters closed before the weather hits!" So the discussion was temporarily shelved. Less than an hour later, they were in the midst of the worst hurricane to hit that part of Florida for over one hundred years. Darkness swirled around him, comforting and safe. So familiar in its' chaos. Like the fierce surge of emotions that came with the Hunt, and the fierce wash of blood that followed. For a moment, he savoured the taste of that chaos, then forced down the lust it woke in him. And he emerged into the heart of the storm. A flash of lightning, incredibly brilliant, seemed to illuminate the study where most of them were gathered, that evening. Mulder winced, blinked his eyes to clear them of the afterimage. Seconds later, an unbelievably vast crash of thunder made the two younger women scream in terror. Andy flinched. "This is some monster storm", he muttered. The sudden thumping on the front door startled them all. Mulder and Scully cautiously approached the door. While she covered him, Mulder pulled open the massive bolts and dragged the large door open a crack. A blast of rain hit him, momentarily driving his breath away. "Mulder!" A voice shouted. Then he was flinging the door open, throwing his arms around the figure that stood there, wet and dripping. Not really caring about what Scully thought. Kissing Kulain with all his strength, and feeling the reassurance that those strong arms had always brought to him. Scully stared. Then with a resigned sigh, shouldered the door shut. "Agent Lane, how did you get in on this three ringed circus?" Kulain lifted his head, green eyes looking at her in amusement. And she gasped then, as he showed her a little of what he was. Momentarily, cat like pupils gleamed with cold fire. "Alex needs me", he said gently, and gestured to Mulder to take him into the study. The little group of people were all staring apprehensively at the door, when Mulder led Kulain into the study. Mulder grinned. "This is Agent Lane, one of my colleagues." The Professor blinked. "Dear me, you must have had trouble travelling in this weather!" Kulain laughed. "Not a lot", he said quietly. "Wow!", Dee whispered to her friends, "Do they make all F.B.I. agents take a screen test or something? He's even more handsome than the last ones!" Alex jerked up from the couch, where he had been miserably huddled, his face showing discomfort, now that Scully's pain medication was beginning to wear off. "Kulain!" The students saw the incandescent look of adoration on the agent's upturned' face, when he looked at Kulain. And in a few strides, Kulain reached Alex, who buried his head in his lovers' chest, as strong arms went around him. "Folks?", Pete said, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" "Yeah!", Sara said. "Three of them! I bet they have fireworks in the moral headquarters of the nation!" Then softly, "But how did he know about the accident so quickly?" Mulder was grinning unconsciously at his partners when Scully came in. She reached out to touch his shoulder. "It's past time for that talk, Mulder." He stepped out with her into the hall. "What do you want me to say Scully? That my partner isn't human? You know that already. " "He's more than that to you Mulder!" "I know Scully", he whispered, "but love's blind!" A look of sadness crossed his face. "I tried to tell you more than once. I guess I knew that you wouldn't approve. But if it came to a choice between my career and my partners, the Bureau would lose, every time." She stared into his face, and must have seen something of his feelings there. A small hand gripped his for a moment. "Do you trust him, Mulder?" And he answered her with a brilliant smile. As the storm continued to rage, the tension in the little group seemed to be increasing. Kulain sat on the couch, Alex drowsing against him on one side, and Mulder reclining lazily on the other. Spender plainly was disgusted by them, and kept muttering to himself irritably. Scully was a little shellshocked, and kept giving Kulain sidelong glances when she thought no one was looking; that apparently amused him. The younger members of the research team seemed more than a little daunted by the fury of the storm outside. "Kulain!" The Professor mumbled, "I know that name!" He pursed his lips in thought, then a happy smile crossed his face. "Ah, yes!", he said, "The Enuma Elish! The creation epic of the Babylonians. One of the fifty names of the warrior god of the Underworld, Marduk, if I'm not mistaken. Tell me, were your parents Near Eastern scholars?" A half amused smile. "I've studied its' culture, Professor." There was another brilliant flash of lightning, and all of the lights went out. There was sufficient light from the fire to dimly light the room, and with a resigned sigh, the students began to light hurricane lamps, having long experience of the irregularities of electricity supply in this part of the world. It did seem, however, that the fury of the storm was diminishing slightly. Mulder leaned back in the darkness against Kulain, luxuriating in the feel of the powerful body against his. Long fingers slid up his spine in a caress. "Warrior god?", he whispered in amusement, as he rested his head against Kulain's shoulder. He felt the featherlight graze of lips brushing the back of his neck. "A small deception, teb shakushu. We all have our small secrets!" Kulain turned then, to look at the drowsing Alex. Green eyes lifted to his in a trusting gaze. The three of them slipped out of the room, Mulder leading the way upstairs, carrying a flickering candle. When they got to their bedroom, Kulain sat Alex on the bed, and gently unbuttoned his shirt. He loosened the bandage, and began to trace his finger up the gash. Mulder's breath hissed as he saw the skin impossibly healing. And the shimmering blackness leaving Kulain's hand, entering Alex. The younger man lifted his head and the darkness seemed to fill his eyes. They seemed to shimmer and change, like captured starlight, even as Mulder watched, pupils narrowing to impossible slits. Mulder moaned with a mixture of fear and arousal as Alex's demon eyes looked at him challengingly. Then both of his lovers were running their fingers across his body, trailing that fire across his skin. He wanted it. Feared it. Then it entered him, and he was lost in the glory of three minds joined together as one. He didn't even remember taking his clothes off, but he remembered the heat of penetration, the fire of taking his lover. Not even sure of who was on top and who was beneath. Just an erotic darkness filled with sliding bodies, searching lips and clever, responsive fingers. Minds linked in blistering fusion, experiencing penetration and penetrating, controlling and compliant, fire and ice. Brought to a place far beyond orgasm, beyond consciousness, beyond even humanity. And the black fire sliding through nerves, muscles and tendons, weaving its way through his brain, long after his?.. Their?.. bodies had peaked. And at the centre of it all, Kulain. Coming out of it was like being born. The sudden despair and pain of separation after the bliss of togetherness. Mulder sobbed into Kulain's strong shoulder, feeling Alex clinging to him, shaking. For a long time he could only try to gather his shredded thoughts together. "What have you done to us?", Mulder said hoarsely. In answer, Kulain drew Mulder towards the brass framed mirror on the wall, and showed him. For a moment, his face seemed unchanged, then Mulder saw his own slitted pupils, set in hazel eyes, shadowed by those of Alex who had come to stand at his shoulder. What do we do now, Ratboy? Dark glasses would look good, Foxy! It was at that moment that the witch decided to strike. Chapter 2 He didn't feel any different. He could see the changes in his face, but Fox Mulder felt as confused, tired and irritable as ever. Alex was engaged in the rather bizarre activity of trying on sunglasses by candlelight "Fuck it! Oh shit!" The inevitable had happened, Mulder's lover had tripped over something lying on the floor and had ended up on his delicious butt, on the floor. "You can't go downstairs like that Alex!" Mulder gestured at the sunglasses. "If you make it down the stairs, they'll probably have you committed by the time you reach the study. "So what do you suggest Mulder?" "No one will notice in the dark anyway, not if you keep your distance. Wear the glasses tomorrow. Then when we get back to civilisation, we can get some contact lenses." I'd just love to hear what you tell the optician, Foxy Alex sighed, slid his arms around Mulder and leaned into his body. "What Kulain did to us. I've never felt anything remotely like it before'. I guess it was worth it. But I'm glad that he's gone off somewhere. I'm not feeling very grateful at the moment." There was a sudden hammering at the door. "Mulder. Let me in!" Scully's voice sounded panicked. Mulder hesitated for a moment, staring into his lover's eyes, then reluctantly went to open the door. Alex turned away, not looking at Scully as she came in. "Mulder. Thank god you're here. All hell is breaking loose downstairs. Just after you went off," a sidelong glance at Alex, "the electronic sensors all over the house lit up like a Christmas tree. Lucky they're worked off their own generator. The Professor thinks we might be in for a supernatural visitation. I knew you wouldn't want to miss it." Alex shook his head in exasperation, curiously in sympathy with Scully. Mulder had a positive obsession with unusual phenomena. As if he didn't have enough in his personal life. Abandoning the sunglasses as a hopeless case, Alex walked towards the door, laid his hand on the handle. "Let's get it over with Mulder, you can't stay in my bedroom forever." A blush covered Mulder's cheeks very satisfyingly. The younger man tensed then, something was wrong, something in the instinctive corner of his mind, that froze his arm, so that he couldn't open the door. Ice along his veins. A hauntingly familiar chill, a well known slide of evil down his spine. "Mulder!" a voice low and urgent. "I feel a Hunter!" Momentary incomprehension showed in Mulder's eyes. Then he remembered the encounter Alex had months ago with Tiamat's servant. Then it was as if the candle wasn't enough to light the room. Darkness seemed to press down on them. A ghastly slithering sound as something huge and moist moved beyond the door. They all heard it. The fumbling sounds as things that weren't hands fumbled at the handle to which Alex clung in terror. Scully's head had jerked up at the first sound. She opened her mouth to ask Mulder what the hell a Hunter was, and he jammed his hand hard over her mouth. The three of them stood immobile for an eternity, while that quiet, terrible noise continued outside. Then it began to move on down the corridor. Alex let out a soft breath he hadn't known he was holding. Then down the hall, they heard Pete's voice. "What the'.?" Then he screamed, his voice went on and on in high terrible shrieks. Scully tried to lunge forward, to get to the door, and both of them grabbed for her, held her back. She buried her face in Alex's shoulder and Mulder wrapped his arms around the two of them, shaking. Eventually the sounds trailed off, the presence moving away, making a sickening crunching noise that faded into the distance. "What was it?" Scully sounded faint. "A Hunter." Alex drew back from her and she realised he was shaking. Mulder was pale, but he determinedly reached out his hand, and tugged the door open. He slowly moved outside, gaped at what lay outside, turned away and fell to his knees, vomiting helplessly on the carpet. Alex moved forward to look, less shocked. "Look if you want to Scully. But don't spend the night alone afterwards." A cynical sigh. "Welcome to our world, Scully." Mulder pulled himself together, gestured for Alex and Scully to follow him and edged past the dismembered remains. She made herself look, and decided that Spender could probably use a few pointers on gun techniques later in the night. Well that was as good an excuse as any. Standing on the foreshore, Kulain felt the sudden increase in the ferocity of the storm, as it whirled around him. The cold clean feel of nature's ferocity always exhilarated and refreshed him. He particularly needed the new energy after his extremely enthusiastic bout of sex games with his human partners. He frowned. The patterns in the chaos around him were changing, as another source of power stirred their currents. Running downstairs ahead of his colleagues, Mulder ran into the aftermath of the Hunter's wrath. Many of the expensive pieces of electronic equipment were twisted into piles of wreckage, and a hysterical sobbing could be heard from behind the study door. "It's Mulder. Let me in!" "No! It'll get us!" A terrified female voice. "It's gone." And Mulder instinctively knew that it had. The door was unbolted, and Sara, eyes streaked with tears and mascara, stared at him pathetically. "Who's here?" Mulder demanded. The Professor stepped forward, shaken, Spender white faced at his side. "All of the research team except Pete, Agent Mulder." "He's dead. Upstairs!" The two younger women began to cry hysterically. "Alex!" The young man turned at the sound of Scully's voice. "You knew what it was. How?" "One chased me, a while back. They're quite fast on open ground." He sounded so matter of fact about it, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him round to face her. Then she received her third big shock of the evening. His eyes were so much like Kulain's. Not human though. He gave a crooked grin at her shock. "Mulder and I are considering a career change, Scully. That or a pair of Ray banns." The remaining humans in the house all gathered in the old study. The Professor, muttering, had no thought except for his recording instruments. Spender, though shocked, seemed to be holding up well. It took most of Mulder and Scully's patience to calm the remaining students. The Professor mumbled something, then abruptly said, "Ah yes. Now I have it." He turned the monitor so they could all see. A video camera in the upper corridor had caught the appearance of the monster. A boiling of air, a sudden dark slit slicing the air in two, then the creature emerged. "What an extraordinary range of gravity readings my instruments show", the Professor said softly, ignoring the screen as the camera caught the passage of something obscene. Alex nodded. "Yeah", he said quietly to Mulder, "That's the same type as before. You think Tia is in on this? It's her sort of show." Mulder rubbed his arm thoughtfully. "I think we need Kulain!" His theories had been confirmed then. Twentieth century Earth was becoming a nexus in spacetime. A place where the fabric of reality was beginning to break down. He could sense others beyond the closed gates, struggling to escape their prison. At least one other of his kind, a masculine presence, had interfered. And so, the Great Game would continue Alex slipped out into the calm dawn, determined to find Kulain and bring him back to the house. A rapid search of the place, just after midnight had found no monsters, no obvious criminal activities, but also no 'Lane. But to the obvious relief of both men, their eyes were almost returned to normal. So he and Mulder had agreed on a course of action. He would check out the grounds, while Mulder kept the lid on the situation. Mulder was also planning to check out all of the Professor's video cameras. Alex forced his way through storm wrecked and soaking vegetation, cursing the aftermath of the storm. He eventually ended up walking for miles along narrow, winding paths. He could be within a hundred feet of the house, but the foliage was so dense that he couldn't tell where he was. Then the path that he was following emerged into a small clearing, at the centre of which was a rectangular stone building. Through its dirtied windows, he saw a hint of movement. "Kulain?", he shouted, "Are you there?" The half rotted wooden door swung open, and a powerfully built, dark clad man emerged, blinking, into the daylight. Whoever he was, he was devastatingly handsome. Alex felt a flush rise up his cheeks at the frankly appraising look the stranger gave him. A quick glance at the earring he wore on occasion, when he needed reassurance and affirmation. The man moved towards Alex, stopped close in front of him, and one finger slowly stroked up the side of the young human's face, jingling the earring thoughtfully. Alex was frozen. His body didn't want to move, and at that touch an erotic frisson shivered through his body, running straight to his cock which swelled in response. Eyes of midnight blue stared into his. Oh god. Slit pupilled! Then he was kissed. Tenderly, devastatingly kissed. Fingers gripped his shoulders hard and his lips were forced open, not entirely unwillingly, as a tongue slid its way inside his mouth. A hand began to slide down his body to rub at his betraying cock, through the thin fabric of his clothes. "Really Ash! Can't you find your own amusements?" Alex heard Kulain's familiar voice, and a strong arm slid around his waist, as the other moved back reluctantly. The agent felt dizzy, leaned back against his lover, shaking. Ash laughed. "Kulain, you always did have good taste! I take it your instincts were warning you about this place." Kulain's eyes narrowed. "I haven't forgotten about that time in the Towers, Ash." "Kulain! There was a Hunter in the house." Somehow Alex found his voice. "It killed one of the students!" "I wonder who called that!" Kulain said softly. They all went back to the house, and Mulder stared in surprise at Alex's new companion. "This is Ash." Kulain said coolly. "He sheltered near here during the storm." "Oh you poor thing!" Marie, the Professor's assistant bustled up. "Come with me and we'll fix you up with some food and dry clothes." Mulder went off to try and contact the local field office. Again. Kulain shook his head as the little woman disappeared towards the kitchen, arm linked to the tall man's. "I could almost feel pity for him", he said in amusement, "but not quite." Alex caught Kulain's arm. "Who was that?" His voice was hoarse. "You could call him a rival." Kulain's gaze took in the state of his young lover. Alex was still half aroused, his eyes were very wide, pupils dilated, and his moistened lips were parted. "I see!" Kulain said. "Come with me." He led the young agent back upstairs towards his room, past the area where the killing had occurred. The body had been removed and some attempt had been made to clean up the blood splatters. Alex didn't even notice. Kulain pushed the younger man into the bedroom and locked the door. Alex was breathing hard, as if he had been running. The young man fumbled awkwardly at his clothes, tugging them off. His skin felt as if it was on fire. Kulain watched him as his hands ranged urgently across his own body, then laughed softly. "Ash had quite an effect on you Alex!" Green eyes gazed at him uncomprehendingly. Kulain slid off his clothes, moved forward and kissed his young human. Alex wildly pulled Kulain's head down, kissing him as hard as he could. Kulain pushed Alex down onto the bed, feeling the human's burning need. Alex rubbed himself frantically against Kulain, wrapping his legs around his lover to draw him closer. Kulain gave a throaty laugh, buried his face in Alex's shoulder and bit the firm muscular flesh there. Alex screamed as he came in a shattering orgasm against Kulain. The demon flipped his lover's body over then, sliding his fingers into that willing ass. Alex was so ready. Kulain smiled to himself. He knew well the way his kind could affect humans, and he intended to fully take advantage of it. As well as reassert his claim over his young human. Alex moaned, already erect again from Kulain's slow stimulation of his entrance. Kulain began to work his large cock inside the tight opening, hearing Alex's small cries beneath him. Then he buried himself fully inside the firm body, began to slowly drive himself into it, pushing Alex's shoulders down hard against the bed. The agent was clawing at the sheets, totally uninhibited, sobbing in need. As Kulain's thrusts became harder and stronger, he felt delight that he had chosen such a fit and athletic lover, who could take the fierce pounding he could give and still want more, he felt the heat building rapidly, then Alex screamed wantonly in wild orgasm, and he matched it with his own release, loosing his essence into Alex's body. It was that which finally snapped the spell the other had over the agent. Their bodies both lay sprawling, spent, on top of the sheets. He drew an exhausted Alex into his embrace. "You're mine, Alex! You always will be. Gusek gemi. My little one." He licked the bite he had made on his lover's shoulder. Call it a mark of ownership. If Ash touched Alex again, he would forget all thoughts of truce and kill the interloper. Some things were NOT negotiable. Ash smiled to himself in amusement. He could feel, on the edge of his senses, what Kulain was doing to his human pet. How predictable! And of course it was a useful way to keep his rival out of the way for some time, while he made his preparations. His slightly aggressive manipulation of Alex had been well worth the trouble. A pity he hadn't the time to take the human before his protector came along. The young agent had been really delightfully responsive, and quite beautiful. Kulain would make sure Alex was guarded from interference from now on. He eyed Fox Mulder from the other side of the kitchen. The human was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. The agent had just spent hours looking at videos and was now in need of a break. "Mind if I sit here?" Ash asked Mulder, gesturing towards the other chair, and at Mulder's nod, he sat next to the agent. And carefully placed his cup of coffee close to him. This close to Mulder, his senses told him what he had already surmised. Kulain had laid claim to this one too, with astonishingly sharp senses he could detect Kulain's pheromones overlaying the human's natural scent. If he made an aggressive move towards Mulder, Kulain would undoubtedly challenge him, but if he were subtly to seduce the human, it may provide Kulain with more distractions. Ash could always claim it was an accident, later. Oh so casually, Ash reached out for his coffee, letting his finger brush for an instant against Mulder's hand, skin against skin. He sent the smallest jolt of dark energy into the human's body, nudging the man's mental barriers. Hazel eyes lifted to his, and he felt the rate of the human's heartbeat increase a fraction, even as Mulder's tongue flicked out to moisten suddenly dry lips. "How are you feeling, Ash?" Mulder wasn't sure why he felt a sudden curiosity about the stranger. The handsome man smiled. "The storm was pretty frightening, but I found somewhere dry to shelter. I should never have tried to drive to the island over the causeway last night. I had to leave my car, when I saw that the water had cut off the road. Lucky I found high ground." He deliberately inserted a note of vulnerability into his voice. Mulder smiled at him, sympathetically. "If you left your car on the causeway, you're probably lucky to be alive. I understand it's still under water. That's why the local F.B.I. guys can't get here." "You sound as if you're having problems of your own, Agent Mulder." He inserted just the right supportive note into his voice, and casually let his arm brush against the human. He knew the effect his closeness was having when the agent unconsciously tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling far too hot, as demon pheromones began to work on his system. Ash kept his voice low and seductive. "How long have you known Kulain, Agent Mulder? He's quite a character!" "What?" Mulder's eyes were becoming unfocussed. Ash smiled. He had Mulder now, like a fish on a hook. It only remained to draw in the line. It was so ridiculously easy. "Are you alright, Agent Mulder? You look feverish!" And he brushed his hand across Mulder's forehead. The human moaned, lifting his head, blindly seeking more of that touch. Ash laughed, and leaning forward, kissed the beautiful mouth, at first slowly. His control didn't last long. Mulder really was so delectable. Ash pushed himself against Mulder, plundering that luscious mouth in a hard, rough kiss. Mulder's hands came up, to clutch helplessly at Ash, and a sob escaped his lips. Ash tilted the human's head up and stared into his eyes. He traced one finger down the high cheekbones and Mulder grabbed at his hand, beginning to frantically suck at his fingers. Truly enchanting. Ash felt regret. He dared not take Mulder now, for Kulain would certainly sense it. Besides, wasn't the point of the exercise to cause Kulain a lot of trouble and distraction. He gently unbuttoned Mulder's shirt and lowered his lips to nibble at the human's erect nipples, then he carefully bit a small fold of skin just above the left one, savouring the taste of blood. He also scraped his inhuman nails lightly across the smooth chest, delicately scoring the human's skin. Both acts were erotic markers for his kind, releasing sex hormones, and would sexually stimulate the young human into a frenzy. He could already see the signs of impending arousal. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Mulder. "No! Please..!" , the human pleaded. "Later, perhaps'.", he said softly, and turned away, rapidly moving out of the room, distancing himself, before the human's behaviour became too bizarre. He could do a lot of mischief while they were trying to control Mulder! Mulder felt so strange. It was close and almost claustrophobic in the little kitchen, yet he couldn't seem to remember taking his jacket off, unbuttoning his shirt. In fact his memory was distinctly hazy. It seemed he could remember being kissed, but not by whom. The air felt very good against his bare chest though. Silky and sensual. Then dizziness momentarily overcame him. Andy came into the kitchen, looking for a snack. He glanced over in shy admiration at Mulder and felt a jolt of surprise, the agent wasn't his usual immaculately groomed self, that was certain. He sat, head down on the kitchen table, his shirt open and hanging outside his pants. Mulder lifted his head then, staring at Andy. The young man gasped. Mulder's eyes were wide, his lips lusciously moist and he had the strangest expression on his face, a mixture of open desire and confusion. He slowly stood up and slipped off his shirt, so that he was naked above the waist. Andy was gawking at him. "Hot. It's so hot in here!", Mulder's voice was husky, and he moved towards the sink unsteadily. He turned on the tap, caught some cold water in his hands, and in front of Andy's astonished gaze, let it run down his head and chest. A sudden devastating smile in Andy's direction. "Why don't you come here. I want to feel you lick me all over". He began to slide his hands voluptuously across the slick skin of his chest. Then he slipped one finger suggestively into his mouth and suckled it expressively. The student blushed, feeling torn between his own desires and the obvious need to get help for Mulder. In the end, his decency won, and he fled. Mulder felt as though his skin was almost blistering with heat now. He tugged off the rest of his clothes, but it didn't seem to make a difference. He felt as though the blood was rushing round his body at a million miles an hour, beginning to pool its heat around his cock which was very erect. He was consumed by an animal need for a hard body against his. Thought and reality were beginning to fade in and out now, instinct taking over. He wandered out into the hall, drifting as the need pulled him along. Scully came running out of the study, followed by Andy. She looked in disbelief at her former partner, who stood naked, erect and obviously deranged in the middle of the marble floor. He swayed unsteadily, grinned at her. "Scully!" A gasp. "Need you to help me." He fell to his knees before her, grabbed at her leg, and bent to run his tongue up it from ankle to knee. With a cry of disgust, she kicked out at him, catching him a glancing blow to the head. He fell onto his back, lay on the cool marble, staring up at the ceiling. He began to laugh hysterically, somehow the world seemed so funny at the moment. The heat was intoxicating, sliding its way back up his veins, like when Kulain had kissed him in that dark way. Mulder felt the fire building up inside him, the pressure beyond control. When the dark fire boiled up out of him, exploded in electrical arcs across his skin, he was no longer even aware of his audience. Mulder became the centre of a maelstrom of energy, his body curled up into a foetal position. Scully stared in horror at something totally outside her experience. The only thing that she could think of was to get Kulain, so she gestured frantically to Andy to run upstairs. Kulain gently stroked his fingers along Alex's side, and the drowsing young man sighed softly. Regretfully Kulain decided that it was time to end this pleasant little interlude. He gently shook Alex awake. Green eyes gleamed at Kulain. "That was incredible!", Alex said softly. "Can we do it again sometime?" He sat up, lithe and athletic, and rubbed uncomfortably at his shoulder. He winced when his fingers encountered the big bite. "Well, maybe not too soon!" Kulain slipped on dark trousers and a Cashmere woollen top, as always, enjoying the sensual feel of natural textiles against his skin. He glanced at Alex. "Keep away from Ash, Alex. He finds it especially easy to manipulate humans." Alex looked suddenly wary, his survival instincts were very efficient. Andy's sudden panicky voice shouted through the door. "Agent Krycek! Kulain! You've got to come! Agent Mulder is sick." Then Alex and Kulain were running together, dashing down the stairs. Kulain took in at a glance the swirling black fire surrounding Mulder, while Alex just stared in appalled fascination at his partner. Kulain plunged his hands into the fire, grabbing Mulder's naked shoulders, and drew the fire away from him. Scully and Andy watched helplessly as the fire seemed to withdraw into Kulain's hands. The demon lifted his head to scrutinise them. His eyes had turned completely black and were shimmering with suppressed heat. Andy moaned in dread. Then Kulain blinked and his eyes were back to their normal green, slit pupilled self. Not much comfort there for Andy. "Alex!", he said urgently, "take Scully and find Ash. Bring him to me. And if he touches you just once, you'll be as helpless as Mulder." As they left, Kulain looked at Andy. "I know that you could have taken advantage of him, Andy. Thank you. Go and bring me his jacket, will you?". The student nervously did as he was asked. When he brought it back, Kulain said, "Give me the little box that's in the inside pocket". He drew out Mulder's small earring and slipped it in place. Then he lifted his lover's semi-conscious body and carried him into the study, lying him on the couch. Heat became need, became pain inside Mulder's head. It crawled along his skin, set burning chains around his soul. It seemed to last forever, but in the end Kulain's cool fingers were touching him, slowly easing the pain/need. Ice shivered down his spine from something cold touching the side of his face. He could feel the pulse of it, imposing itself on his still burning body. A huge dark diamond of ice that spun inside his head, in time with his heartbeat, steadying him. Soothing and protective. So much an echo of Kulain's presence that it was like a strong arm around him in support. Mulder woke. He was lying in the study, Kulain sitting next to him. His lover didn't speak, only drew him close and held him. The human hugged back forcefully, then flushed as he realised he was totally naked. Andy looked relieved, and quietly offered the agent his clothes. Mulder looked at Kulain. "What happened?" he whispered. "I don't remember taking my clothes off in public." "Ash decided to have some fun with you." Kulain's voice was cold. He had noticed the unmistakable, though subtle traces of Ash's interference, the chemical traces that still lingered. Scully and Alex returned with a grim faced Spender. A look of relief crossed Alex's face when he saw Mulder awake and apparently none the worse for his supernatural experience. "We saw Ash disappear into the cellars", Scully said, "but we couldn't catch him. We found a hidden entrance down there. I'd guess there are miles of tunnels under this place." "Yeah," Alex said, "but Spender found something else, the missing girl's body! Her throat was cut at least three days ago! There were signs that some sort of ritual had been performed!" Kulain snarled, and the sound was not in the least human. His eyes glowed green for a moment, scaring at least half of the little group there in the study. "Asmodeus, I'm going to kill you!" Chapter 3 He had made his preparations, and drawn power to himself, in anticipation of this conflict. And he had summoned his two allies with promises of blood and sacrifice. Kulain would fall. The humans in this place would serve him as offerings for the denizens of Hell who fought with him. Except for Kulain's two pets. Those two delectable humans would spend the rest of their lives serving his every need and desire. Not that they would last very long, he had a regrettable tendency to handle his toys roughly. And they broke so easily. Kulain examined the girl's body, while the other F.B.I. agents watched. Her wretched body was bruised and battered, and she had suffered many indignities before her death. The actual sacrifice had been performed in a magic circle on the stone floor of the cellar, and her throat had been cut. There were no hesitation cuts, the killer had been determined enough to complete the task in one moment. There were cryptic symbols chalked around the circumference of the circle, and several black candle stubs. "Did Ash do this?" Mulder said, as he stared at the corpse in disgust at the waste of a life. Kulain shook his head. "Ash wouldn't need to kill her, she would slit her own throat if he wanted her to. You felt how powerful his influence was over humans." "That's one thing she didn't do", Scully said. "The angle of the wound makes that impossible. She didn't commit suicide." "So if it wasn't Ash, who was it?" Alex asked. Kulain frowned. "Someone with occult knowledge had to summon Ash here, and the Hunter that killed Pete. Someone who the girl trusted enough to meet privately." Scully nodded. "One of the research team then. Which gives us five suspects." Mulder needed time to think. To reason this out. He knew that his opponents were ruthless and more than usually deadly, but each of the possible suspects seemed, on the face of it, to be impossible choices. Andy had helped him after Ash had meddled with his body. The two other students seemed fairly innocent young women. Their terror at recent events seemed genuine. The Professor was only interested in science, Mulder couldn't imagine him feeling such hatred as the killer had felt when the girl was killed. Which left Marie, the Professor's assistant. He paused. What did he really know about her? An apparently pleasant older woman. But he remembered the look she had given him when he had been hugging Alex. Jealousy! Surely she wasn't the sort of person to resort to murder and black magic. He recalled the chandelier falling towards him alone, before Alex had risked himself to save his lover. He lifted his head, caught Scully's eye. "It's Marie!" he said softly. "You didn't see how jealous she was, when she was flirting with Alex and I got in the way. I think she might be unstable enough." Scully frowned. "Apparently the Professor was quite taken with the victim here, it's possible that Marie thought her years of loyalty would count for nothing, if the Professor got a pretty new assistant." "I need expert advice", Mulder said. He walked over to his lover. "Kulain, why do people summon demons?" His partner raised an eyebrow in the best Spock manner. "An interesting question, Fox. It's usually a typical human reason—love, lust money or power." Mulder looked at him for a long moment. "What about revenge?" The Professor frowned when Spender and Alex asked where his assistant was. "I really don't have time for this! I have to correlate my data! Marie is usually around somewhere. Try the kitchen!" "We've looked there!", Spender said irritably. "Oh well, she's probably checking the storm damage on the house", he shook his head vexedly. Alex looked puzzled. "Why would she need to do that?" he said. "It's not as if it was her property!" "Oh but it is!" The Professor smiled guilelessly. "Didn't you know? She's the last heir to the Wilson property." "No one thought to mention it, no!" Alex said. He glanced at Spender. "She probably knows every nook and cranny in this hole! We'll just have to search it. Again." Alex sighed. Oddly enough, he was managing to work well with Spender at the moment. The man's arrogance had been a little subdued by the proof of the supernatural that he'd witnessed with his own eyes. And he hadn't seen a fraction of the things Alex had witnessed! If you last through this case Spender, maybe there's hope for you yet. In the end, it was down to chance that they found the unstable woman. While they were searching the top floor, there was a sudden noise of scraping in the rafters above. Alex pulled out his gun, and ran silently to the base of the stairs, Spender close behind him. They crept upwards, then entered the attics. Moving towards the source of the noise, they soon found Marie. She was muttering to herself, while examining the contents of a large trunk, apparently filled with age spotted silken gowns. She threw items aside into a pile as she discarded them. Spender moved forward, gun aimed steadily at her. "You're under arrest. Stand up slowly and put your arms behind your back." While Alex kept her covered, he advanced, intending to put cuffs on her. Marie's face contorted into a mask of hatred, her lips drew back in a snarl of rage, and she rose, strangely graceful, to her feet. Then she brought her hands up swiftly, crossing her arms over her chest and bunching her fists in an oddly ritualistic gesture of defence. But what happened next was totally unexpected for the two men. Blue fire flared into life, surrounding her body in a glowing nimbus. Instinctively, Spender fired, again and again, and stared in disbelief as his bullets ricocheted off the cocoon of fire as if it was a shield. Marie smiled maliciously, and aimed an index finger at Spender. Lightning arched from her hand, striking Spender in the chest, knocking him off his feet and all the way over to the far wall, at least ten feet away. Some instinct in Alex, long buried, pushed it's way to the surface, uncoiled inside his mind. When the finger aimed at him, he reflexively flung out his left, inhuman hand in defence. And blue fire clashed, was reflected from the black fire that had sprung into being around him. He felt himself change, the part of him that was demon coming to the fore. As familiar to him now as breathing or fucking. Eyes sharpened, became cat like, and his hand altered to show greenish scales and fierce talons. Somehow Alex knew how to respond. How to push back at her with his own energy. The earring he wore seemed to grow icy cold against his hot skin. And dark fire spilled outwards from his own inhuman flesh, to collide with that terrible blue shield. For a moment, energy was in balance. Blue meeting Black. Then the younger man's inhuman strength showed to his advantage. Her shield cracked, seemed to spin itself apart in a thousand glittering fragments of energy. She sagged forward in exhaustion. He moved forward, even as his power won against hers, and grabbed her wrists with his inhuman hand, twisting them behind her. The other hand slipped on the cuffs, none too gently. It was only then that he realised what he had done. Taken part in a magical duel with a witch and won! Even as comprehension broke over him, Spender limped up to him, bruised, a look of half disbelieving awe on his face. "Remind me never to arm wrestle with you, Krycek", he said softly, staring a little wildly at Alex's left arm, utterly nonhuman. Alex grinned suddenly, and for the sheer hell of it, slapped Spender in a comradely way on the shoulder with that same hand. He completed the effect by winking, so that Spender would notice his changed eyes. The look on Spender's face was definitely worth it. They made their way down to the cellars, Alex keeping a secure hold on Marie, claws tightened against her skin to stop her making a break for it. Mulder and Scully had set up a base of operations in the cellar, which was where they expected Ash to show himself. Kulain rose to his feet when the three humans entered the cellar. He had been squatting, drawing something with chalk on the floor. It turned out to be a large, almost complete circle, surrounded by enigmatic markings. Alex frowned. "Looks interesting Mulder, what's it all about?" His partner grinned. "Kulain's been teaching me the rudiments of witchcraft. Amazing what my education neglected!" "Yeah!" said Alex. "Tell me about it." Mulder noticed his arm and his eyes widened. "You had trouble?" he said softly, and reached out to squeeze his lover's changed hand in loving concern. "Nothing I couldn't handle!" Mulder winced at the awful pun, but at least it proved Alex was in high spirits. "You were right, Fox. She is mixed up in this." Alex turned to Kulain. "She tried to kill us by throwing blue fire at us. I don't know how, but I knew how to stop her." Kulain smiled enigmatically, then he gestured to the circle. "Get in there", he ordered Marie. She gave him a poisonous glance. "My lord Asmodeus will kill you all, for laying your hands on me!" Her voice dripped venom. Alex shoved her, and she finally complied. Kulain swiftly completed the circle with the chalk. The results were fairly dramatic. She shrieked terribly and collapsed onto the floor inside the circle. Blue fire flared outwards, monstrous and hungry. And was trapped within the circle, unable to pass its limits. "Ash must come now", Kulain said. "She is the source of his power. Without her he is helpless." Mulder moved towards him and slid his arms around his strong lover, leaning against him, apprehensive. Kulain slowly reached up and stroked the side of his face in an intimate caress. "Don't worry, shakushu, just by having her, we've almost won. Besides you've seen a demon summoned before." An amused smile. "Or had you forgotten?" Ash felt Kulain cut off the source of his power and howled in rage. Summoning his allies to him, he gave secret instructions for Kulain's defeat. Perhaps he could catch Kulain off guard now. He wanted revenge for past defeats. That same desire in Marie had brought them together in mutual hatred of their enemies. There was little warning when the water demon struck. Somewhere in the depths of the Earth, beneath the island, pressure had built up in the layers of rock, as the height of the groundwater rose during the storm. A small nudge, fracturing impermeable barriers, was an easy task for the demon. One moment the agents were quietly discussing strategies, the next minute a wall of mud, water and filth was roaring towards them, through underground passageways. As tonnes of vile water swept down on him, Mulder's feet were swept from under him, and Alex was caught up in the flood. Scully and Spender were nearer the cellar steps, and the young man caught the wooden rail as he was swept past. The other hand managed to loop into Scully's belt, and he dragged her with him, up the stairs, out of the worst part of the flood. Kulain disappeared under the water, and the shrieking witch began to drown in the muck. The water demon swam easily through the tide of water. Its' head and torso resembled a shark, but it had huge bony arms and powerful flippered legs. The huge body broached the water next to a struggling Mulder. Cruelly powerful arms seized the human, pulling him under the water. The pressure of that grip on his chest was so great that Mulder couldn't breathe properly, and as he was drawn beneath the surface, he began to drown. Alex saw Mulder go under. With all his strength, he dived towards his lover, extending his claws to try and hurt the creature. Something fast and deadly flashed past him as he struggled in the current, then dived under the water. Kulain's fierce claws sank into the back of the other demon, slicing through thick blubbery flesh. An agile head whipped round, and serrated teeth sank a bite deep into Kulain's side. He struck again, powerful muscles pulling open the huge jaws, until with a crack, the jaw bone broke. With a terrible howl, the water demon released Mulder's body, so that it could fight Kulain properly. Mulder's limp body began to drift downwards into the depths of the water. He made no attempt to save himself. In a contest of strength, both demons seized each other and began to squeeze, muscles straining, as each tried to crush the life out of the other. Alex desperately swam to the spot where he had last seen Mulder, now distant from the thrashing combat of the two lethal antagonists. He dived underwater, and at first, could barely see in the murky water. Then following those ice cold instincts that seemed to help him so much these days, he deliberately forced his eyes to change from human to other. His vision instantly sharpened, and he saw a small trail of silvery bubbled below him. Then his arms were around a limp body, and he was pulling it towards the cellar steps. Scully and Spender were waiting, and helped him to drag his lover's body out of the water. Scully immediately began to give Mulder mouth to mouth resuscitation Kulain rose up out of the water, victorious, bleeding from a dozen small wounds, and one huge bite. The body of his opponent floated away with the currents. Scully looked up, desperation on her face. "It's not working!", she sobbed. "Maybe with some medical equipment and drugs, we could help him, but there's nothing I can do for him here." Alex shook his head in desperate denial, then flung himself at Kulain, grabbing hold of him. "Help him! You've got to help him!" Dark pupilled eyes gazed into his for an eternity. Then Kulain moved towards Mulder, and laid one bloodstained hand on Mulder's chest. A blaze of light flared round Mulder's body. Then he was coughing wretchedly, vomiting up water, struggling feebly to sit up. The humans could only stare at Kulain in awe. Kulain sank back, leaning tiredly against the steps, as the blood continued to trickle from his side. "A clever move, Ash!" he said softly. Scully reached forward to draw the cloth of his shirt away from his side. Kulain shook his head. "If you touch my blood it will burn you Agent Scully. Alex can help me, he's immune to it." Gently his young lover uncovered the injury, and hissed in shock at the bare gleam of bone in the wound. "Can you heal it, Kulain?" he whispered, knowing something of his lover's talents. A tired smile. "Not immediately, little one. It's difficult to heal twice in such a short time. It's not too serious, but it makes the contest with Ash more balanced." So Kulain had put Mulder's safety before his own. The realisation stunned a listening Scully. As expected, his allies' attack had been very successful. He had sacrificed one pawn, but his second helper was more effective in close quarter attacks. And Marie was still very useful. The water level was beginning to fall already, from its almost ceiling height. Groundwater began to sink through a thousand small seepage cracks, finding lower levels to settle at. The flood slowed to a trickle, then as the waters withdrew, the true scale of the devastation was revealed. Hundreds of wine bottles lay scattered in a foot of thick, slimy mud. There were countless pieces of unidentifiable debris, remains of centuries of smuggling and slavery on the plantation surrounding the house; fragments of wooden casks, sinister links of metal and boxes with unidentifiable contents. And there was the bloated, bluish grey corpse of Marie the witch, no longer surrounded by a circle, as at some point, a shard of wood had scored past it on the floor, breaking its' power. The sound of movement, far down the sodden passageway alerted the little group that more conflict was on the way. Wordlessly the agents had chosen not to risk civilian lives, up in the main part of the house, and they all readied themselves. Alex instinctively stationed himself next to a barely conscious Mulder, his fingers slipping down briefly to squeeze his partner's shoulder. Scully joined Alex, and he gave her a quick, tight smile. Kulain rose slowly to his feet, and swayed unsteadily. His glance fell on Alex and he smiled briefly at the young man's loyalty. Then Ash and his ally rounded the corner. Alex immediately felt a gut deep loathing for the creature who accompanied Ash, who had an insectoid body but a misshapen and over-large human head. A pair of large pincers and a swaying, upright, scorpion tail completed the nightmare effect. Had he been familiar with Near Eastern mythology, he might have recognised the traditional bogey man of that area of the world, a Scorpion man. Ash scrutinised the humans accompanying Kulain. He smirked. "I see your two little pets are still alive Kulain. I'll enjoy them after I kill you!" With a snarl of rage, Kulain lunged at his enemy and the two of them began wrestling in the filth of the cellar floor. The Scorpion man moved towards the humans with unsuspected speed, and its' stinger suddenly arched towards Spender. With phenomenal reflexes, Alex struck out with his left hand, deflecting the strike. He missed with his claws though, and the stinger drew back, like a real scorpion's would, for a second strike. Another swift release, and Alex barely dodged the poisonous spike. Then he had it, slicing at it like a cat being teased, claws ripping and tearing it to shreds. With a squeal, the monster launched itself at Alex and he too became involved in a life or death struggle. A new horror manifested itself in front of the other humans. The disgusting, bloated corpse of the witch began to haul itself towards them. One leg clearly had been damaged during the flood, and dragged behind it as the corpse moved, animated by a tendril of blue fire. Spender and Scully had to try and hold it off, one then the other feinting towards it, to try and draw it away from the half conscious Mulder. Then Scully made a mistake, and her hair was caught by rubbery fingers. Spender began to beat the corpse with the butt of his gun, as it forced her back against the wooden rail alongside the stairs, trying to crush the agent. Mulder came slowly to full consciousness. His head was on fire, his chest ached, and there was a vile taste in his mouth. He tried to slip back into the warm, safe darkness, but something hard and icy cold was jabbing itself repeatedly into his cheek. He tried to focus his eyes, and realised how serious things around him had become. A ghost of memory seemed to slide its way into his brain, like a sliver of cool glass. "Steel!" he yelled at Alex. "Steel kills them!" The young agent's eyes flickered towards him in acknowledgement. His partner had carried a switchblade in his pocket for months now. His fumbling right hand managed to get it out, while the other held the creature off. Then an arc of steel cut through the scorpion man's throat, and it fell dead before Alex, body twitching. Alex grinned at his partner, and turned towards the witch, a fraction too late to dodge the phenomenally strong hand that struck him across the face, stunning him. Mulder dragged himself closer as Spender frantically tried to distract her, then he caught up the knife and flung it at Scully. Mulder's former partner desperately stabbed at the witch, which probably saved her life. Impaled, the witch shuddered, tried to recoil, and was finished off by Spender as he hit her head repeatedly with a metal bar. In fact, he kept on beating at the carcass even after it fell, immobile at his feet. Mulder unsteadily made his way over to the body, tugged the knife from Scully's unresisting fingers, then acting on that same crisp, cool instinct, began to messily hack the head off. A terrible wailing dissonance rose into the air, making all the humans cover their ears in pain. Ash, Lord Asmodeus of the Seventh Realm of Hell, howled in frustration as the last link of his power was finally severed. Even as his body began to dissolve into swirling darkness, he screamed curses at Kulain and humanity. And the rift in space, that Ash had created to enter the world, was slammed shut and sealed tight against interference. Ice cold satisfaction echoed through that part of the cosmos, around the region which had been patched. Which had momentarily been forced into the shape of a spinning black diamond. Kulain had been badly battered by his exertions, and leaned back against the wall, his breathing soft and steady. He closed his eyes, satisfied by what he had accomplished, and began the healing process. Alex, dazed, sat up. "Did we win?" he asked uncertainly. And he swiped at the thick red blood that poured from his probably broken nose and cut mouth. He looked around him, at a pale, bruised Scully, a trembling Spender and his beloved Mulder, who looked like a drowned rat. Mulder grimaced. "Oh yes love, we won! But how we're going to explain this one away, I don't know!" In the end, Scully was the coolest of them under pressure, and managed to explain the edited highlights to a worried Skinner. Kulain had disappeared by the time F.B.I. backup appeared, and the battered agents were ferried to hospital. Scully insisted on Mulder remaining there for a few days, despite his protests. So Alex found himself making the long journey home, alone. He would have stayed with his lover, but Mulder had insisted he went there to wait for Kulain. As it happened, Mulder arrived home before Kulain. Even as he opened the apartment door, Alex fell on him, hugging him with all his strength, only easing his grip when Mulder protested his sore ribs. Alex pulled them both down onto the couch and Mulder leaned his head against a strong shoulder. He was content to lay there, enjoying Alex's warmth, ignoring the signs of incipient arousal in his partner. In fact, he didn't seem to feel anything remotely sexual at the moment, and his own lack of response didn't bother him. The only thing he seemed to feel now, in any strength, was a bone deep coldness inside his head, that wouldn't seem to go away.. Alex, on the other hand was puzzled. Mulder had shown no physical response to him for over a week. In fact nothing since before Ash had'.. Oh shit! Ash messed him up! Soft laughter roused him from that worrying train of thought. "You won't get much of a reaction at the moment Alex. Not until I unshield him!" Kulain was leaning against the wall, casually, smiling in amusement. He moved alongside Mulder and tilted the human's head up, smiled into faintly troubled hazel eyes. Long fingers gently rubbed at Mulder's temples, then Kulain lowered his lips in a forceful kiss. A low moan emerged from Mulder, then abruptly, Kulain lowered his mouth and bit deep into his lover's neck. The human's eyes flew open in shock, then it was as if a veil was drawn away from his face and the old Mulder was back. Furious, he hit out at Kulain, and his hand clutched at the bloody mark. That curious icy shell that had protected Mulder from Ash, was now gone. "What the hell did you do that for?" Definitely the old Mulder. Kulain laughed, and in a single fluid movement, scooped Mulder up off the couch, ignoring his yelp of shock. A few strides took them to the bedroom where Mulder was unceremoniously dumped on the bed. Alex had to laugh at the outrage on his partner's face. Kulain didn't stop there. He ripped off the expensive shirt Mulder was wearing, flinging it away. "Stop it!" Mulder yelled. "Alex! Are you going to let him get away with this?" Then Kulain pulled him close and silenced him with a kiss. Mulder was drowning again, but this time his body wanted it. Craved it. He began to drink in his partner like the sea. His hands began to fumble with his own clothes, suddenly needing to free his swollen cock from too tight clothes. Kulain's fingers were there before his, knocking his hands away, then a hot mouth closed round his cock and time seemed to slow. He cried out, tried to thrust himself upwards towards those knowing lips. Then Kulain pulled away from him. He began to sob in protest, until a pair of very human eyes looked into his, as Alex took over from Kulain, driving his lover wild. Kulain finished stripping, and slid up behind Mulder on the bed, pushing him onto his stomach and gently sliding a finger into Mulder's tightness. The human's movements became almost frantic as he tried to push himself back onto the questing hand. Kulain didn't make him wait too long. There was a lot of suppressed desire in his usually more inhibited lover, that he intended to taste to the full. Alex grinned at him in complicity. "You first", he said slyly. What an invitation! Kulain pushed his large shaft deep inside Mulder, hearing the human's breath catch in a delicious sob. He found it difficult to hold back at first, but was soon driving himself deep into the young body, slamming into him, feeling the human writhe beneath him. Orgasm came so soon for both of them, their bodies were so desperate for relief. Alex was impressed. Despite his own considerable talents, he couldn't remember ever being so forceful with Mulder. His partner would have punched him first! In fact the sight of Mulder being so thoroughly satisfied was an incredible turn on. As Kulain withdrew from Fox, a whimper of protest emerged from the human. That was all the invitation Alex needed to take his turn. Recognition sparked in Mulder's face as Alex slid alongside him, slightly shocked hazel eyes flashed in welcome. Then he lost himself in the warmth and sweetness of his lover's body, his lovemaking gentle and slow in comparison to Kulain's hunger. He slid into Mulder's warmth easily, his lover was still slippery from Kulain's fucking. As he moved, the body beneath his began to respond, moaning and writhing in rapture. Alex laughed, continued to move slowly and brought Mulder to the brink again. Then he came, crying out as he erupted into his lover. Mulder sobbed in frustration, his cock still hard. Alex fell to one side, panting as Kulain took over again and finished that round for him. A little later, when both men had recovered, Kulain pulled Mulder onto his hands and knees. He gestured to Alex who was eager to please his partners. Deep inside Mulder, the last thing he expected was to be taken himself, to spend the next few minutes in complete and utter glory, until climax brought both relief and a loss of that incredible pleasure. By the time he and Kulain had finished with Mulder, the agent was sprawled face down on the bed, spread-eagled, sunk in exhausted, blissful sleep. Kulain's eyes gleamed at Alex. "You're stronger than you used to be, Alex. A year ago, I would have driven you both into the ground with that session." The younger man blushed. "The changes in your body are responsible." Amusement showed in Kulain's face. "And you're not entirely human anymore." Then, seeing the worry flare in his lover's eyes, Kulain slid behind Alex and went on to prove, very distractingly, that Alex had a long way to go before he could match Kulain for strength and endurance. And leaving both his lovers in exhausted sleep, Kulain stared into the bedroom mirror, sending a spark of power into it. The glass shimmered and changed, so that he gazed into a far away, beloved face. "My plans are almost completed", he said softly. She smiled at him, with eyes so like his own, and made her plans for conquest. "You have what I wanted?" The Cigarette Smoking Man said urgently. Spender glared at him in revulsion. "I have it! You can consider my debt to you paid! You got me the X files, I give you the samples. Case closed!" He passed over the two small glass tubes to his hated father. "The one with the red label is a sample of Alex Krycek's blood. The one with the black label is Kulain's . Why do you want them anyway?" "Oh. Just a few DNA tests. Nothing to worry about. It's perfectly legal to test blood like that. In the national interest. Especially if you suspect their owners to have committed a crime—the brutal murder of four employees of my government agency, a year ago." He smiled in satisfaction. Mulder! Now I have you! Megaera@Megaera.demon.co.uk Part IV: Death or Dishonour

October 1998 Feedback to Megaera@Megaera.demon.co.uk FEEDBACK is life NC-17 SPOILERS None, DISCLAIMER I don't own any character from the X-Files, I'm only borrowing them for my own entertainment and hopefully, other peoples. No copyright infringement is intended. However the character Kulain the Demonlord is entirely mine. Hope the Sumerian is reasonably accurate, ergative languages are a real bitch. back to top

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