“Jr!”

Mark could feel a heavy fear in his heart. There is a worry and for a moment he is back to being a 17-year-old boy hopelessly worried about what Jr thinks about him.

Jr shakes his head, “Sorry to disturb.”

With that Jr hustles out of the room a slight smirk on the sides of his face. Mark can't tell what the smirk means but it scares the out of him. It scares him for the same reason Jr has always scared him. The bond between JB and Mark wasn't good. Now Jr knew that that they weren't as close as they let on to the public.

Jr leaves before Mark makes it halfway across the room. Mark curses, in the darkness and slaps the nearby lamp off the table not bothering to watch as it is smashed into a million pieces.

“I told you to lock the ing door!” Mark barks at Justice.

Justice is laying on the bed. He wrinkles his pretty skin seeming confused and bothered, “I thought I did. I swear I thought I did. Maybe I should go to talk to Jr.”

“No. You've done enough,” Mark responds.

He had one job. Lock the door. Now Jr knew Mark's biggest secret. Mark was obsessed with his step-son. The obsession had started a few years back but the had been happening for a month now. Hot, sweaty, versatile that left Mark dripping after each encounter.

“You ok?”

Justice is clueless. He's always been. He's clueless to the history between Jr, JB and Mark. Mark knows this so even though he's heavily annoyed with the young man he's patient. Justice is a naive. That's what drew Mark to him in the first place. He didn't hide the fact that he was young and free. They all looked young...all looked in their early 20s but Justice actually really was. He was a young vampire and it drew Mark to him.

“Jr knows Justice.”

“So what? You should have invited him in. He's fine as .”

Mark bites his lip at the thought of it. Under different circumstances that might not have been a bad idea. He'd always been attracted to Jr. Even now he can see Jr's and y back. Having Jr and Justice at the same time would have been amazing.

He shakes the thought out, “This isn't about that.”

“We're just having fun. Jr has to understand that,” Justice responds.

Justice gets off the bed. When Mark looks at him he thinks about the same thing that he always thinks about. Good . Justice's high yellow features seem to glow even in the dark room. His abdomen is perfection. His abdominals are front and center sculpted from the long hours of training Justice has went through when he was first bitten. His well-defined shoulders moves slowly forward to Mark in the darkness.

He grabs Mark, throws him up against the wall. Hard and rough...just like Mark likes. He kisses him. A hard kiss on the mouth. The two stand there for a minute drinking in each other's essence. He tastes Justice's saliva, smells his warm body and feel his muscular frame pressed up against him. And for a minute Mark enjoys it a little too much.

He pushes away.

“This has to end,” Mark tells Justice at that moment, “Jr might tell your father...”

“ my father,” Justice responds, “We're having a good time. You're the only one who respects me as a man around here. Why would I want that to end?”

Justice isn't making this easy for him. It doesn't make it easy that there is a passion with Justice that Mark could never have with his father.

“I have to tell your father before Jr does.”

Justice damn near laughs at this, “You're joking right?”

“This isn't a laughing matter. I have to tell your father and this thing between the two of us never...EVER will happen again.”

Justice glares at him, “He doesn't give a about you...you do know that right? It doesn't take me to know the history that he has with Jr to realizes how he looks at Jr. He loves him. And how long will you be king when he stops putting Eden first.”

Mark starts walking out of the room. He gives Justice one last stare. Justice may be right. JB may always love Jr. However, Mark had worked for years trying to secure this throne with his brother. He had gone through lengths to try to make sure that he was the second King. Now that he had the title he wasn't going to give it up...not to Jr. Not to anyone.

Mark goes into the bedchambers.

It's the sleeping area that he shares with JB. JB is shirtless. He's darker than Justice...much more of a brown chestnut skin tone and a lot more muscular. As Justice is a versatile...JB is a top. Not that Mark would know. They'd only had one time and JB looked like he was forcing it...even then.

Mark walks up behind JB. He puts his hands on his chest. He hadn't bust a nut with Justice so maybe this was the time that he could change things.

“I've missed you,” Mark tells JB.

“I've been...busy,” JB responds.

He was always busy. That was always his excuse. Mark grabs JB from behind. He presses himself up against JB's strong glutes. He wraps his arm around him and kisses slowly on his shoulder blades. It's slow and sensual in an attempt to seduce JB.

“You're always busy. How about we take some time off? It's been so crazy with what happened with Jr. I can make you feel better...” Mark responds.

With that Mark is on his knees. He has JB from behind, grabbing on the pants that JB has wrapped around his waist. He puts his hand on JB's glutes, massages them in an attempt to turn him out. His mouth is watering. He wanted to eat JB's for years now and JB never let him close. Just when he thinks he's getting close...JB does the same thing he always does.

He turns around and makes an excuse.

“Not really in the mood,” JB responds.

Mark sighs. The passion is lacking. It always has. What else could have driven him to JB's son?

“Is something wrong?”

“What do you think of Justice?”

Mark swallows his spit. He gets up off his knees and takes a few steps back. He would end up in a jail cell right next to his brother if he wasn't careful. Cheating on the King was no small matter in Eden. He could be trialed for treason. All of a sudden he's peering at the window wondering if he could make a jump for it. They were on the third story. He'd survive...he was immortal after all, but it'd hurt like .

“You spoke to Jr?” Mark asks.

JB's forehead wrinkles, “No I didn't speak to Jr. What makes you ask that?”

A sigh of relief comes out of Mark.

“Just. Wondering. But what about Justice?”

“What do you think about him?”

“As in?”

“As in what do you think about him?”

What do you tell your husband about his son that you've been ing for the past month? This was the best time to tell JB and come clean. Maybe King JB would just divorce him and he'd be spared jail. Then the thought comes out. What if he's banished from Eden? What if that would be his punishment for infidelity?

He shakes his head, “I think your son is like you. He's smart. He's strong.”

He's handsome as , just like you, Mark thinks to himself.

“I'm thinking about having him lead the King's guard with Roman in jail.”

Mark rolls his eyes at the thought, “My brother is the best one for the job, JB. You and I both know that. Your son is cool and all but he's not ready.”

“With all due respect your brother doesn't follow directions,” JB responds, “I'm not releasing him after he tried to kill Jr.”

Of course he wasn't.

Roman sitting in a jail rotting was getting to Mark. He'd have to do something about that and he'd have to do something about it fast. Still...even though Mark was his husband, JB still had all the power. At least for now.

Mark knew that things change...even in the Eternal City.

He'd have to be patient.

“How about test him out?” Mark asks, “The Thirst is a real problem in Eden. How about you have him run a small elite team of King's Guard...made up of all Elders. Let him think that he has complete control of the group but put in people that you trust. That way you make Eden safe and see if your son is really ready for the big leagues...”

It was all that Mark could come up with short notice. It had taken Mark years to get Roman in the position of Captain of the King's Guard. It was a top title in Eden. He wasn't going to it up for some young dickhead...even if the dickhead was y Justice.

Surprisingly JB takes the bait.

“That's actually a good idea.”

“It is?” Mark asks actually surprised that JB is going along with it.

“Yeah,” JB responds, “See that's why I married you.”

JB doesn't even understand how he said it. He says it as though that was the only reason he married him. Mark wonders if JB even had any love for him to begin with.

“Because I make good decisions?” Mark asks.

JB nods, “Because you do what's best for Eden and Eden loves you for it. This is what's best for Eden. I can have Justice lead an elite team to hunt Thirsts in Eden. We can get together the old Class O. Candy, Satyr and Bambam. You can be on the team to act as my eyes and ears.”

Mark raises an eyebrow. He was king's husband now. He should be sitting on a throne not hunting Thirsts around the city. JB had always been a hands on type of king though. It was annoying really. Mark swallows his pride though. He'd have to go along with JB's bull for now.

Mark smiles, “I'll keep an eye out on Justice for you.”

“And Jr too.”

“Excuse me?” Mark asks.

He must have heard him wrong.

“We can't have the old class back together without Jr,” JB confirms.

***

I am watching television in my room. The city of Vampires still just has the same one vampire channel. Things don't change here and it blows my mind that in all of Eden there is still just one channel. I watch it nonetheless. I have to get my mind off of what I saw yesterday with Mark and Justice. I would tell Jr but this is a card that I could use for later. One thing I learned after 100 years is to be patient. There'd come a time where I'd need that information.

Until then I'd distract myself with television.

I watch the news. I even remember the news lady. After 100 years you'd think they'd at least change the news lady.

“Making headlines all across Eden this morning, in the Business District, a vampire has been arrested because he is suspected of staking his wife. King's Guard say that suspect Evans Cleaver was detained after neighbors reported hearing screams coming from the Cleaver Blood Bakery business on Holcomb Drive. Cleaver told the Guard that his wife hadn't had blood in weeks due to the blood shortage and quote 'was mutating into a Thirst'. As of right now there are no reports on whether or not Cleaver's claims were confirmed. It is yet to be determined if Cleaver is a murderer...or a hero...”

I shake my head at the thought of it. Why not wait for his wife to turn a Thirst before killing her? Either way he was a murderer. Still there seemed to be some sense of fear going around the city. People were scared of this Thirst thing.

There is a knock on my door and I mute the television in my room.

D.J is standing there. He isn't alone. There are 8 King Guard's members with him. These vampires look serious. They are young men and all handsome just like you would expect in Eden. I honestly swear my loins are going to explode from seeing all these y guys after being buried alive for so long.

“Mr. Jr?” D.J states.

“Am I in trouble?”

“I'm not authorized to say sir. The King has requested you. Please get ready sir. We'll be waiting out here,” D.J responds.

I have the feeling he really isn't the talkative type. The other guards have that look on their faces too. They are all so ing serious. They are all so mad looking. You would think I would be the one walking around with a permanent grimace after all the I've been through. But I'm not grimacing. I'm smiling.

I take a shower and get dressed. I clearly take my time. After being imprisoned underground for a century I don't really have the need to rush.

I'm walked by the guards and even though they aren't saying I'm in trouble I kind of feel like I am. They are escorting me...four men on each side of me. People in the hallways are whispering as I walk. An idea comes in my head. What if Mark is threatened by me. He is the king's husband now. He's the second most powerful man in Eden. What if he's convinced JB to put me away in that box again. It'd take a lot of them to restrain me...I'll tell you that much. I wasn't the same weakling I was 100 years ago. I wouldn't go down without a fight.

I enter a roo