Ruby red eyes under gorgeous shimmering locks of silver hair that barely touched his shoulders gazed out over the rim of the glass at the object of his desire. He was tall, two inches shy of six feet, lean, impossibly beautiful. His eyes curved gently upwards, his eyebrows curving gracefully to accentuate them. His nose was small and pointed, his lips pouty and full. The curve of his neck, the way his slender hands moved, the arch in his back as he stood against the counter, the curve of his hips, the way his clothes hugged his frame, leaving very little to the imagination. His shirt rode up just over his hips, hinting at a defined, smooth stomach, one that screamed to be touched.

Not that he’d allow anyone to do so. No one except him. He ignored the familiar tightness in his chest at the thought of the one man he couldn’t destroy. The one who he knew owned him.

He took a sip of the bittersweet alcohol, his eyebrow ticking as the man finally caught his gaze, his pupils dilating. Even from this distance, the gorgeous man at the bar knew he had hooked him. He turned, leaning his elbows on the wood, crossing one foot behind the other, jutting his hips out just enough to keep the man’s attention.

Get over here, dammit, I’m hungry.

He heard the heavy tread of unsure feet as the man left his table to join him at the bar. He tucked some of his silver hair behind his ear, letting his eyes slide slowly to his guest, grinning softly around the lip of the glass.

“Hey,” the man said, affecting a friendly, if nervous grin. He was attractive, with gray eyes and dark hair. He wasn’t much taller than the ruby eyed young man, but it didn’t matter. Big or small, tall or short, they all end up the same way.

“Hi,” he replied softly, his voice smooth and shy. He kept his gaze on the man, trying not to blush as the man smiled a little easier, gazing at him with thinly veiled desire.

“Can I get you a drink?” the man asked. “I see yours is nearly empty.”

He smiled, setting his glass down, the ice cubes clinking together. “I’d like that, thank you.”

The man raised his hand, two fingers raised. The bartender nodded once, grabbing two glasses and filling them with the drink the young man with ruby eyes was enjoying. The man looked back at him. “I couldn’t help but notice you were alone,” he said, the tired line grating on his nerves.

He smiled sadly. “Yeah, my date flaked on me,” he said. “I guess his wife was more interesting than me.”

“Oo, ouch,” the man said, the two sharing a companionable chuckle. “Sorry to hear that.”

He shrugged, his shirt falling off his shoulder. He didn’t ignore the hitch in the man’s breath, or the way his eyes flicked to the exposed pale skin. “His loss, right?”

“I suppose so.”

The bartender arrived with the drinks and two napkins. He gave the ruby eyed young man a quick glance as he took the other man’s money.

“He seems to know you,” the man pointed out.

The young man thumbed back at the bartender. “Jaques?” he asked with a friendly smile. “Yeah, we used to go to school together. We weren’t close, but we did know each other.”

“Small world, I suppose?”

“One could say that.” He smiled, tilting his head as he sipped from his drink. “Do you have a name?”

“Oh, of course!” the man chuckled nervously. “It’s Hans.”

“Hans,” the young man parroted with a soft smile, biting the corner of his lip. “I like that name.”

“Do you have an equally nice name?” Hans asked.

He rolled his eyes. “I wish,” he giggled. “It’s Bane.”

“That’s not a bad name, I like it!”

“Yeah?” Bane giggled around his glass.

“Yeah, it’s exotic in a way.” Hans leaned on the bar, one arm folded as he held his glass close to his lips. “It’s not a name heard much around here.”

“No, I suppose not,” Bane sighed. “The curse of being unique.” He gave another small shrug.

Hans smiled. “So what brings you to Sunderland, Bane?”

“Aside from a disloyal man?”

“Aside from that, yes.”

Bane glanced away, a thoughtful look on his soft features. Hans resisted the urge to reach over and touch him, to let his fingers curl around that slender neck. He had to be the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen in his entire existence; which was saying something since he’d been around a long time. Centuries, even.

“I suppose the scenery,” Bane finally said. “There aren’t too many places around here with a lake.”

“This is true,” Hans agreed. “The Veil is incredibly beautiful but you have to go out of your way to find a place like this.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“You travel?”

Bane nodded, setting his glass down. He ran the tip of his slender finger around the rim. There was another flicker in Hans’ eyes. “Extensively. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long, it gets boring.”

Hans nodded. “That it does,” he said. “I wish I could say I traveled a lot, but my job keeps me pinned down much of the time.”

“What do you do, if I may ask?”

“I’m a lawyer.”

Bane pulled a face. “Oo.” Even that little grimace was heartstopping. 

Hans chuckled, setting his own glass down. “Yeah, not very exciting, right?”

“It’s not that,” Bane giggled. “I had a friend who was a lawyer.” His smile faltered and he turned his gaze back down to his drink, twirling the glass a few times. “Well, she was more of a paralegal, I guess, but she was working towards becoming one.”

“What happened?”

Bane swallowed. “You remember that incident that happened way back? The terrorist attack?”

Hans stood up straight. “Oh,” he said softly. He reached over and touched Bane’s wrist. “I’m so sorry.”

Bane gave him a thankful smile, sliding his hand down so Hans’ would cover it. “Thank you,” he said. “I just wish they would have found the people responsible. She was engaged and her fiance was devastated because of it.”

“I can understand why,” Hans said, his thumb rubbing along the tops of Bane’s knuckles. “I’d be heartbroken, too, if I lost someone I cared deeply for.”

“I hope you never have to suffer such a loss,” Bane said gently, twisting his hand so his fingers would tie with Hans’. His smile softened and he gazed at the beautiful young man. 

“I can’t say I never lost anyone,” Hans said. “But I have managed to find ways to cope with it. Time, they say, does heal all wounds.”

There was a flicker of darkness that passed over Bane’s eyes but it was gone before Hans could comment on it. “How would you say you’ve managed to cope with your losses?”

“Oh, well,” Hans stammered, releasing Bane’s hand and reaching for his glass. “Diving into work usually helps,” he said, taking a sip. “Of course, I have my hobbies, few though they may be. And of course a few friends to keep me company.”

Bane glanced behind him once before turning back to Hans who was taking another sip of his drink. “They’re not keeping you company today.”

Hans chuckled around the glass, his tongue tracing the rim. “No, I guess not,” he said. He glanced at Bane. “But you are.”

Bane rested his chin on the back of his hand as he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, releasing it slowly, keeping his gaze steadily on the angel lawyer. “Yes, I suppose I am,” he said in a low, seductive tone. He leaned forward slightly. “What kind of hobbies are you into, Hans? Do you play any games?”

Hans eyelids drooped and he swayed slightly. “Um,” he said, trying to make his thoughts not race around getting this man in his bed. “Well, I do enjoy trivia.”

“Oh? What’s your subject?”

Hans’ breath was unsteady as he felt the warmth of Bane’s breath on his arm. “History, if you can believe it,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Bane beamed. “I like history, too! Can I test you on a few questions?”

Hans couldn’t help but catch that infectious smile. “Of course.”

“How long ago was the Helman Kingdom established?”

Hans’ eyes flashed.

Got you.

“I’d say seventy years ago or thereabouts. The Kings established rule in the Veil and took upon themselves the protection and care of the exiles in the Mortal Realm.”

“That’s Earth, isn’t it?”

A tick in his facial muscle. “Yes,” he said, running his hand through his hair. He was starting to feel dizzy, his fingertips tingling. He reached for the barstool, his legs feeling weak. Had he really drank that much? “Y-yes, it’s Earth,” he said again. 

“The bombing that took place in the Third Realm of Heaven was around fifty years ago, is that right?”

Hans nodded, taking another sip of his drink. Bane watched with interest. “Yes, that’s correct. The devices used were filled with manmade materials, leading authorities to suspect it was an exile terrorist attack.”

“Do you believe that?”

Hans took a deep breath, rubbing at the center of his chest, a look of pain coming over his face. “Well, I don’t necessarily disbelieve it,” he said, his words beginning to slur. “If not the vermin, who else?”

Bane smiled, his cheek resting between two fingers, his gaze becoming cold. “Vermin?”

Hans nodded. “Yes, those exiles. The trash we dumped on the Helmans.”

Bane’s brow furrowed together. “Hans, you sound a little drunk, are you okay?”

Hans ran a hand over his face, the tingling sensation spreading. “Um, maybe I have had a bit too much to drink.”

“Let me get you some water, yes?” He looked down the bar at Jaques who nodded, filling a glass and bringing it to the drunken angel. “Here you are, darling,” Bane said, edging it closer. “Take a sip, maybe it will help.”

“Yes…yes, perhaps,” Hans mumbled, bringing the glass to his lips with a shaking hand. Bane watched on as he drained it.

You were so damn easy.

“Why did you bomb the courthouse, Hans?”

Hans snorted. “Why else? To get rid of evidence.” He caught his mistake too late.

Bane sighed. “That’s what I thought.” He shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Shame, that.”

Hans jerked, clutching at his chest, his eyes going wide. He cast his gaze to the assassin before him, his expression impassive and unreadable. “You…who are you?”

Bane pushed off the bar, leaning over his mark. “A member of the Angel’s Trumpets.”

Hans’ eyes began to waver as the dawning realization of his circumstance lit in his mind. He glared at the two glasses before him and then back at the man with ruby eyes. The last thing he ever heard in this life was, “I’m called Wolfsbane.”

-*-