hy-po-co-ri-sm

hī-ˈpä-kə-ˌri-zəm

noun

a pet name; the use of pet names

synonyms: byname, diminutive, nickname, pretty name 

"This was a good idea."

I stared at the door in front of me, under the octopus mural. I could hear the muffled thump of club music coming from inside. A group of smokers were gathered a few yards down the alley, dressed in the typical black leather garb. I knew they were Vassals. Their big, soul-sucking eyes kept darting over to me.

"I'm just here to see Jess." I took a deep breath and hitched my viola case up higher on my back. "This was a good idea."

I'd finished the late Saturday night performance an hour ago. A few of the musicians had wanted to grab some drinks together, and we'd gone to a bar only a block away from Underworld. A couple of gin and tonics later, I was sure it was fate. I hadn't seen Liam since he left so abruptly, but I wasn't worried about it.

"I'm not," I insisted out loud to the little door in front of me. Was this stalkerish behavior? To try and find him at his workplace? No, because I had a real reason to see him. I wanted to ask him about Percy. I had totally forgotten to ask what the deal was with my new coworker, because it was clear that Liam suspected something was strange about him. He wasn't a Vassal. Maybe he was like Liam, whatever Liam was.

Speaking of Vassals... I glanced down the alley to see one of the guys break away from the group and start walking towards me. This was not the place to test Liam's blood bond thing. Time to go. I hurriedly stepped forward, jerked open the door, and met the familiar face of Victor, the security guard. He glanced down at me and raised one brow, crossing his arms.

"Well, hello there. Come back for a repeat performance?" he asked with a grin. "Your band was pretty great, better than this shit club music."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. Surprising. I had expected a more hostile welcome. "I'm here to visit Jess."

"The new bartender? You're friends?" His turn to look surprised.

"Yeah, you might not remember but she was with me when we played."

"Right. Yeah, she's a sweet little thing," Victor said with an approving nod. "Brings me chocolate muffins sometimes."

"That bitch!" I scowled. "She said her mom refused to make those anymore."

Victor grinned a brief flash of teeth in the dark. "Your loss, my gain, baby. Go on in." He waved down the hallway.

"Thanks, Victor, seeya next time."

I made my way down that familiar dark hallway and into the dancehall, feeling a little more optimistic about this decision. It was at least ten degrees hotter inside the club, and the throbbing beat was literally shaking the floor. Couples were dancing, jumping up and down to the beat, or languorously grinding together. Now that my eyes were open to it, I spotted a lot of Vassals, feeding on slack-faced, rapturous humans. I began pushing my way through, trying to avoid touching as many people as possible. One woman's lips were locked at a girl's throat, and a light plume of blue smoke was rising from the contact. The Vassal's eyes were open, and she was staring directly at me as she greedily sucked.

Creepy, I decided as I looked away and kept pushing. I made sure to watch carefully, and saw that Liam had been right. The humans all looked healthy, and happy in a weird, public-orgasm type of way. None of them looked gray and sick like Isaac, at least not that I could see in the pulsing red light.

I felt a few touches to my shoulders and hips, trying to pull me into a dance, but I managed to get through without any drama. I reached the bar and saw Jess on the far side, frantically pulling beers while laughing at something a patron had said. She looked at home there, and I smiled, deciding to watch her for a while until she noticed me.

I waited for a bar stool to clear off, then darted to it and planted myself there, folding my fingers together on the bartop. Franklin was on my side of the bar and noticed me, his mohawk bobbing as he gave me a nod of the head and came over.

"Want a drink? Things are a little slammed right now."

"I'm good! Just wanted to say hi to Jess," I replied with a thumbs up.

He nodded and went back to taking orders and joking around with flirty female patrons. I watched with pride as Jess whirled about like a sexy little tornado, making drinks, leaning in to give a glimpse of her cleavage and tucking the large tips in her pocket. I was so caught up watching her do a little dance while she shook up a cocktail that I didn't notice when a man sidled up next to me. He was way too close for comfort, and he hooked a finger in the belt loop of my black slacks. I jumped when his thumb brushed my bare skin.

"Hello there, beautiful."

Yep. Definitely a Vassal. I averted my eyes immediately, trying to tug away before he could initiate more skin contact. "Not interested."

"Oh c'mon, baby. I can show you a good time on the dance floor." He leaned in, and I shuddered as I felt his mouth brush over my bare shoulder. Before I could do anything drastic like haul back and punch him in the face, he jerked upright and freed his hand from my pants.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were... uh... sorry. Don't tell him," the guy stammered as he backed away and was swallowed up in the crowd.

Wow. So I guess it did work. I brushed my shoulder, skin crawling at the residual feel of his damp saliva there. So gross. But at least the blood bond thing was effective. I felt myself relaxing more, now, knowing that the predators surrounding me couldn't really touch me.

"Jack!" Jess's shriek reached my ears over the pumping music and I turned to face her.

"Hey freak!" I leaned way over the bar to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"What are you doing here? How was the performance?"

"Came to see you! The performance was awesome of course," I said with an excited bounce on the bar stool. "He was flawless as ever."

"Great! And I know you didn't come just to see me. We just had lunch today," Jess accused, then flicked a glance over to the door where I knew Liam was keeping watch.

"Okay, I also wanted to... um... ask Liam something?" Jess and I had talked about the kiss between Liam and I, and she had admonished me not to go chasing after him. She still didn't trust him.

Probably for good reason.

"We discussed this," Jess said with an exasperated smile. "But I knew you wouldn't be able to help yourself."

"I just wanna know what he's been up to," I said plaintively.

Jess glanced over her shoulder as Franklin called her name. "Ugh, I can't really take a break. Why don't you go find Liam and ask him your questions." She checked the clock and noted the time - already after one in the morning. "Come find me before you leave, if you're still here at four we can hang out, kay?"

"Okay!"

I hopped down from the stool and squared my shoulders, preparing for another charge headfirst through the squirming crowd. However, the further I got from the bar the less people frequented the area, and I was able to fight my way through fairly easily. Once the noise from the speakers had dampened, I looked up towards the door and saw Liam watching me. As my eyes met his, he curled his mouth up in a tiny smile. Then he pulled out his phone and sent off a text.

"Miss Jacqueline." His voice, all warm and grumbly, made my insides gooey. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Mr. Liam."

I stared up at him for a long moment in silence, not exactly sure where to begin, when frankly all I wanted to do was jump on him and start kissing the breath out of him. Before I could figure it out, however, the door behind Liam opened, and he stepped forward. Another man ducked out and turned around, and I almost choked on my own tongue.

The guy looked like yet another Liam doppelganger, same build, similar facial structure, but this time with mossy green eyes. He peered down at me curiously, not as cold as his dark-eyed brother, but not as passionate as Liam.

"My youngest brother, Lowell." Liam gave him a fond glance. "Take over while I speak with Miss Jacqueline."

"Righto, Liam." Lowell gave a nod, continuing to stare at me with that curious gaze. I felt like he wanted to dissect me right there and then, just to see what made me tick.

Liam grasped my arm and led me across the dance floor. There was no live band tonight, so the stage was empty. I wasn't surprised when he pulled me towards the same backstage door as before. I kept my mouth shut while we forged through the parted waters of the dance floor, feeling self conscious as the Vassals scattered before him. When we reached the door and ducked inside the cool, dark hallway, I exhaled a sigh of relief. My poor ears were ringing.

"How many brothers do you have?" I asked Liam's back as he released my arm and began striding down the hallway. "Should I expect more hunky dudes with superpowers to start prancing down the hallways and popping out of trap doors at any moment?"

"There are only three of us," he said, sounding amused. "And none of us prance. I am the oldest. You met Lyall already."

"Right, the asshole." I smirked. "So why does Lowell have a British accent, if you guys are brothers?"

"We all resided there for many years before coming to this country," Liam responded as he opened the door into the familiar room where the band had kept their instruments. "He is less adaptable than the rest of us, and interacts less with humans."

"Ah, so he couldn't shake it." I couldn't believe how calmly I was talking about this stuff now. "I guess adaptability has always been a strong point for me."

"It has become apparent," Liam agreed as he took a seat on one of the long red couches. "Perhaps a product of your turbulent upbringing."

"Huh. Yeah, maybe." I hadn't thought of that. I eased my viola down to lean against the wall, then went over to the mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of water before sauntering back across to the couch.

"The strongest survive," Liam continued thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on me. "You are a survivor, Miss Jacqueline." He paused, just long enough for the silence to get awkward. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just kept quiet, watching him warily. Finally he broke his gaze and cleared his throat. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"Oh. Right. Well... I was just thinking. I totally forgot to ask you the other night." I picked my fingernails at a piece of lint on my knee. "What is Percy? You said he's not what he seems, which is all very nice and cryptic, but not helpful at all."

"Ah." Liam tilted his head and peered at me, lips twisted into a little grin. "I do not know, precisely. I do not recognize him. He is not a Vassal, and may not be dangerous. But he is not altogether human, either. I simply think it wise to be cautious."

"Ah." I frowned at the less than satisfactory answer.

"You do not need an excuse to come see me either, Jacqueline." Liam's voice was usually growly and rough, which was sexy enough, but when he softened it that way, I struggled to continue breathing normally.

"I... I... it's not an excuse," I said lamely, turning red around the ears. "And I wish you would use the hypocorism for me. Jack. I keep telling you." I knew I was rambling.

"I - hypocorism?" Liam paused, looking puzzled.

"It means a pet name." Finally, I had caught him up. Word of the day for the win!

"You are a strange human," Liam said in a way that made me think it wasn't altogether a bad thing.

"Yeah, that's why Jess calls me a weirdo."

"I am sorry I left so abruptly, yesterday. I am... accustomed to being in control," Liam replied as if he'd been thinking about what to say. "I was going to come back on Monday and see you again. I just needed some time. To think."

"Oh. Should I go, then? I don't want to intrude on your thinking."

"No. Stay." Liam's hand trailed down the back of my neck and he shifted closer to me. "I have... missed you." A small smile appeared on his face again and he shook his head. "A wondrous thing, that is, for two days to feel so long, out of the span of my lifetime."

Oh. That was... that was good, right? I bit my lip on a grin. "I missed you too."

"Well, you're only human." His eyes held a teasing glint, and he tweaked my earlobe. It was like now he'd been taken off the leash, he couldn't stop idly touching me. "How was the performance?"

"Amazing. I think I've reached my zenith. Life can only go downhill from here. I actually got to shake Itzhak Perlman's hand."

"Hmm." Liam didn't look altogether pleased at that.

There was a long, companionable silence, and I tilted my head to look up at him. "You know, one of my best memories ever was when this little band in this little town in the middle of nowhere decided to play one of my compositions."

"Compositions?"

"Yes, I write music... It was when I was in highschool, and I gave the band teacher one of my pieces. It was called Chopped Liver, for some reason. But they decided to play it at the spring concert that year. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. But I think tonight, performing in that great hall with my hero... that's eclipsed it. I didn't think that would ever happen."

Liam was silent, but I could tell by the tilt of his head that he was listening closely. "I don't know. I guess I'm rambling. But I was just thinking how fortunate I am to have come through a life like mine with so many great memories. Even though bad things happen, there's always enough sweetness to balance it, you know?"

"You are fortunate indeed. When I reach back into my memories, the tragic always supersedes the triumphant."

"Really? That's awful." I frowned and straightened up, twisting around to look at him closer. "What's your best memory?"

A slow, cruel smile spread over his features, and I shivered at that look. "It came upon the conclusion of my worst memory, little Jacqueline, and I would not curse you with that tale."

"I can handle it," I said, not entirely sure I wanted to know what prompted that particular look. But I was too curious to let it pass. "C'mon."

He gazed at me for a moment, then shrugged. "Very well. It was many, many years ago. So long that were the memory not so significant, I am sure it would have already faded."

I settled in, eager for the story. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought Liam was talkative before. He was just selective over who he actually wanted to talk to.

"Ajax, my brothers and I were residing in Greece, in a small country villa. We surrounded ourselves with many Vassals, and created a pleasurable palace of sorts, in which we could be ourselves. We were at that time, as now, hiding our existence from humans, for the most part." Liam looked troubled. "Perhaps we were too careless. We allowed the Vassals too much free reign. They began taking too many humans. Ajax did not care, and my brothers and I... well, perhaps we were too involved in our own pursuits to notice. There was a woman, one of our kind. Powerful, wise, beautiful. She did not approve of Ajax and our way of life. She and her kin kept their distance, for the most part. However, when the Vassals began to get out of control, she sent one of her... servants. The child of a mortal and one of our kind, strong, arrogant, cruel."

Liam's voice had gotten lower and rougher with each word, and his fist clenched on his knee. "He pretended to be under the sway of a Vassal and was invited in. He waited until my brothers were away, and ambushed me. He struck me hard enough to snap my spine and legs, and dragged me away."

"Oh, Liam."

He continued speaking as if he wasn't even seeing me. "He carried me through the neighboring villages, crowing his triumph over me. He stripped me naked, and whenever I began to heal, he would wound me again, so gravely I did not have the strength to escape. He brought me before his mistress, and even she was horrified. She returned me to Ajax, but he was not mollified. He threatened to declare war unless we were able to wreak vengeance."

The look on his face became so vicious, a shiver went through me, and I had to clear my throat before speaking. "And... and did you?"

"Oh yes. That was the good part."

There was a period of silence, then Liam blinked, his eyes losing that insane, bloodlust look. He gave me a tight smile. "But that is a story for another time."

"Okay," I agreed too hastily. "I kinda understand the desire for revenge and everything. I used to be bullied a lot in school. Nothing like getting my spine snapped or anything. But you know. A lot of taunting, name calling. A girl cut my hair once. I sometimes dreamed about how I could get back at them, but I never did."

Liam grinned fiercely. "Tell me their names, and we will make them tremble before you."

"Oh, you say the sweetest things."

My mind drifted over the things he'd just told me. The rhythmic stroking of his fingertips through my hair relaxed me to a near boneless state, but my mind remained alert. Pieces began to shift into place, and I frowned, struggling to pull myself from the stupor of his touch.

"Wait a minute." I glanced up at him. I felt a little silly at where my mind was going, but it couldn't be less plausible than everything that had already happened, right? "Your name is Liam... Cerberus?"

A ghost of a smile passed over his mouth, and his eyes pinned mine keenly. "Yes."

"And you have two brothers. Who look just like you." I closed my eyes as my brain flashed through memories. "You were taken captive in Greece. By a strong half mortal. You guard a door at a club called Underworld, and your boss is named Ajax."

"Yes, my Jacqueline?"

"And... and..." I gulped, heartbeat racing. "The whole... pomegranate seed thing?"

He didn't respond this time, just watching me.

I felt so stupid saying it aloud, I leaned forward to whisper instead. "Are you... Gods? Like... as in... Greek mythology?"

Liam broke into his version of a laugh, a low, throaty huff of noise, and his hands stroked down my shoulders. "Gods? No. That we are not."

"Oh." I exhaled, not sure if I felt relieved or disappointed.

"However, those stories must be based on something." He grinned and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Perhaps they are based on my kind."

"I knew it!" I crowed triumphantly, heart still pounding in my ears. "How many of the others are real? You and your brothers, you must be the three heads of Cerberus? And Ajax maybe... Hades? Is there a freaking Zeus out there, throwing lightning and being a perv?"

"Many of my kind exist, but they choose to stay hidden, and I respect their wishes. Perhaps you will come to know them in time. But for now... just sit with me a little while."

My mouth popped open to protest, but no arguments found their way to the surface. So, I relaxed back against him, and let the strange drugging sensation of his fingertips in my hair soothe my mind.