Amy Blankenship - Sanctuary

His gaze easily found the bars covering the basement window at ground level in the absolute darkness. Crouching down next to them, Skye peered in making sure none of the library workers were still on duty and snooping around like they had been for the past week.

Silently removing the bars, he slowly lowered himself into the deep concrete room before turning and sliding the bars back into place. He took a deep breath knowing he would be safe for another night. Turning back to the main area of the basement, he weaved his way through the almost countless rows of bookshelves that was home to some of the older volumes such as rare first editions until he came to a sitting area that hadn’t been used in who knew how long.

An old sofa sat in a small clearing in the bookshelves, the back of it pushed against a windowless wall. More shelves stood tall around it with open boxes of books sitting here and there. A single floor lamp sat next to the sofa, which Skye never bothered to turn on since night vision was one of the perks of tainted blood.

Skye had sought sanctuary here many times since his escape from the cave and so far he hadn't been disturbed. Though he didn’t need to rest that often… tonight Skye was exhausted. He’d made more than one valiant attempt to leave the city. However, someone or something had erected a barrier around it in every direction, making escape impossible. He knew there was a way out… he only had to find the key.

He wanted to rage at Misery for causing all of this since it was her fault to begin with. She was a powerful demon with the mentality of a brat. He’d been trapped in that cave with her for so long that when he finally felt freedom… he’d taken it not knowing that freedom was a lie. He wasn’t completely ungrateful though… at least this cage was bigger and the scenery was better.

Misery had made good on her plan to release the demons back into this world but he’d watched some of them try leaving as well. They had all been released from one prison or another, only to fall right into another one with what appeared to be no chance of escaping. It was almost like two worlds had collided and created a bubble.

Skye walked closer to the sofa with the plan of reading a book that he’d picked up from one of the random shelves. The library people had inadvertently helped him learn how to read, which was much easier than he’d expected. Basically, he’d touched their minds to gain knowledge and could now read the thicker books within minutes.

His perfect lips hinted at a smile when it dawned on him that it took longer to turn the pages then it took to read the stories. If he could seep knowledge from people’s minds then why couldn’t he try to do the same with the books? Laying the book on the top of the nearest box, Skye held his hand over it and closed his eyes.

Dean sat on top of a nearby bookshelf watching the hybrid with curiosity. The man’s long pale hair lifted and floated around him as if he were standing in a soft updraft. He raised a dark eyebrow when that updraft illuminated around him in amethyst color and the hybrids body swayed relaxingly. It was beautiful to watch.

Skye slowly inhaled as he drifted through the books, one moment being a pirate on the open seas and the next moment so in love with a faraway princess that he could taste her lips and feel the cloth of his pants tighten with need for her. His attention was quickly taken as he soared through the sky on a black dragon then was killed by a wizard that was more powerful than he was.

“Figures,” Skye complained as he took a step back from what was obviously the fiction section.

With a sigh, he moved to sit down and frowned when he noticed another set of clothing and a pair of sturdy black tennis shoes. Who in the world kept leaving things down here in the basement? He knew the workers came down here from time to time but he made sure none of them knew about him using the sofa and books.

Skye cursed silently when he realized his exhaustion had caused him to overlook the other presence nearby. He looked around frantically, turning full circle, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Swallowing, he slowly approached the clothing items and reached out to touch them only to quickly pull his hand away suspiciously.

Dean decided to remain invisible and see what the hybrid would do. He was a skittish one, but hell… being trapped with Misery for a few centuries would have driven a saint crazy. Dean couldn’t stand her for more than a few seconds and his patience level was pretty good… at least he thought so.

He looked down at the box of books the hybrid had just scanned and almost smirked at the classic novel about the world’s most famous vampire sitting on top. Ah, the ironies of life. He glanced back at the hybrid when he moved away from the gifts.

“Who are you?” Skye demanded feeling the hair on the back of his neck lift from someone else’s gaze. He’d felt that caress before… it was the eyes of the Fallen that had been stalking him.

“Dean,” Dean whispered, making sure not to startle him. When the silence started to stretch Dean frowned, “Unless you want to be referred to as Boy… I need a name.”

“What do you want?” Skye asked in a cold voice. His gaze darted around the room since the voice seemed to be coming from inside his head instead of a direction.

“Just to talk,” Dean shrugged even though the other man couldn’t see it. He pulled his feet up and rose into a crouch seeing the ‘fight or flight’ light shining in the hybrid’s eyes.

Skye gritted his teeth not trusting the faceless voice. “Is that all you want… really?”

”Unless you want more,” Dean’s voice was seductive as he let his gaze drift down the other man’s body without shame.

How long had this boy gone without feeling the touch of another? He was almost full blooded Fallen and a Fallen felt no bond without touch… it was just the way they were made. That’s why he had stopped Kriss from touching Tabatha too much… why it had bothered him to see them curled up in bed together. He suddenly wondered if Kriss would become jealous if the tables were turned.

“Why should I believe you?” Skye growled knowing this was not a game.

“You don’t have to,” Dean informed him realizing he was going to have to be heavy handed if he wanted to rein in the wild child. “But what alternative do you really have? Either I kill you before you grow lonely and join the other demons… or…” he smiled wickedly looking forward to the fight with anticipation.

Skye’s fear shot through the roof. He rushed for an opening between the bookshelves only to feel a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind. The force of the hold against his momentum drove the air from his lungs and actually lifted his feet off the floor. He struggled in the hold not bothering to take a moment to catch his breath.

The arms tightened around him and he gasped loudly at the hard body pressed up against him. He suddenly had flashes of the last time he’d been this close to someone… when he and Aurora curled around each other at night to stay warm… when they held hands or gave into the hug they both needed. He could feel everything and that made him all the more frightened.

“Or… you could choose to join the Fallen,” Dean breathed into the shell of his ear.

“Fallen kill beings like me,” Skye growled gripping the arm around his chest but was unable to break the hold. “Or you toss us in a cave or hole somewhere and forget all about us,” he raged as sorrow and anger clashed within him.

Dean sighed and shook his head. It was times like this that he really wanted to beat some of his brethren over the head with his fist for their carelessness during the demon wars.

“If I’d known you were down there with that monster… I’d have saved you!” Dean hissed meaning every word. “I still want to save you.”