Page 46 of The Night Belongs To Lovers

CORIOLANUS

The Present

Ashe walked east along the harbourfront, unbothered by the impending rainfall, having started just past the TTC Streetcar Platform at Queens Quay West and Dan Leckie Way, Corey reflected upon the myriad of emotions the night’s events had stirred up. He felt uncomfortable, though familiar feelings of loneliness, regret, and a sense of significant loss, an absence in his life. That space within his heart, that longing emptiness, probably never to be filled again, especially tormentedhim.

He knew what the emptiness represented. The choice of the mortal Christian to be his prey—with that hauntingly familiar face—spoke volumes. The rush of pleasure and enjoyment from his erotic performance earlier had all but evaporated.

Corey could not help but notice what he could only describe as an ominous presence ofliving darknessthat seemed to follow him along the pier as if it were just a few steps behind, waiting to engulf him. What unnerved him was that it was a darkness he had no control over; he could not make it go away. And no shade, shadow or gloaming ever held such power over him, except for that controlled by one far greater than himself.

However, aside from that earlier moment of false detection, when he believed his emotions were messing with him, he still did not sense his Maker anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area.

Though uneasy, Corey felt no ill will directed at him emanating from anywhere near his location. Perhaps the creeping shadowsweresimply mundane. He wondered if his distracted mind was playing tricks on him again.

Then, coming from behind him, he heard a gentle, familiar voice call out his name. And this was definitely not his imagination.

With a sudden jolt, Corey spun around, his immortal heart racing as the magic ichor began to flow instinctively at the excitement and dread of seeing none other than Olympius emerging from the shadows. The mighty god moved slowly and deliberately, each step calculated and purposeful, until he stood directly before his warrior-god, their bodies barely half a metre apart.

The darkness seemed to cling to Olympius like a cloak, casting his features in an eerie half-light that left Corey uneasy and uncertain.

“Olympius!”

“Hello, my immortal beloved.”

Corey’s eyes blazed with outrage. “How dare you come to me again after I demanded—no,commandedthat you stay the fuck away from me! This relentless pursuit! Will you never leave me to find peace?” In his mind, the god told himself to flee into the night as fast as he could and as far away as possible. However, he did not, and why he remained was no mystery.

He missed Olympius terribly. He always did. No matter how many centuries passed or how much turmoil and destruction he brought into his life, he loved him still.

“Modern mortals would call what we have atoxic relationship,” Olympius snickered, not even needing to read his beloved’s thoughts to know what he was thinking. “But they would be wrong. Our love is pure, true, and everlasting. I give you space and time to see reason, but I cannot stay away forever. Only my destruction could stop my faithfulness. And since you brought it up, have you ever found peace of mind during this senseless feud?”

Corey, without a moment’s hesitation, smugly replied, “Brittania.”

The ancient god’s face turned sour. “I had nothing to do with the destruction of that village or the slayings. How many times must I tell you this? I am Lord of the Night, not some deranged mass murderer! And I never feed on or harm children! During ourcampaign against Rome, we never allowed our soldiers to attack women and children. Those who broke our rules were punished with death. You know this. Read my mind. Or taste my blood. I offer it freely, as always. I shall never admit to that which I took no part in.”

Corey clenched his fists. “We’ve been over this. Your mental powers are too great. You can bewitch me to see what is not true and believe it. And your blood? No, I will never drink from your fount again. I know what I know. You are a liar and a deceiver—a destructive mad god.”

Olympius felt that all-too-familiar pain in his heart as if shot through with the sharpest of Artemis’ enchanted silver arrows. These days, however, he knew she preferred an M16, not that that weapon’s mundane ammunition would sting any less. The god’s face went from sour to hurt.

“Oh, how you can still wound me, beloved. But I will nottake the bait, as the mortals say. I did not come to fight with you or to plead my case. I have a much more important reason for being here. It is not by chance that The Fates brought us together here and now. I have learned that the Wheel of Destiny favours us tonight and—”

Olympius immediately ceased speaking, interrupted by a sound no mortal could hear, but both gods heard it clearly. It was a name and a desperate plea for aid carried on the night winds.

“Christian?”

Corey barely whispered the man’s name, but Olympius caught it nevertheless.

With a pointed tone and an expression tinged with more than a pinch of jealousy, Olympius asked, “Coriolanus, who is thisChristian?”

The ancient deity found himself in complete silence as he awaited a response from his warrior-god. Unfortunately, no answer came, as his beloved had departed, leaving Olympius alone to suffer further rejection and humiliation.

Go after him.

Olympius ignored the voice in his head, remained frozen in place, and began to brood. He never expected that his beloved Coriolanus could leave him so quickly for someone else, whether a man or a god, though he detected no other immortals besides the three of them in the city. So, to be tossed aside for the sake of a mortal was particularly crushing.

Trust me, my friend. Go after him.

“I cannot go through another abandonment, Fortuna. To experience him rejecting me even one more time—no, I cannot do it. You stopped me once tonight with your words from pursuing my plan to end it all; a second attempt will not succeed.”

You must trust me, Olympius. I cannot say more, but all will be revealed tonight. Go now, and remember what I said! This is an age of technological wonders. So much can be seen.

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