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"Mesmerize me."
Reid was barely able to catch the words - sure, thanks to his perfect vampire abilities he was able to hear the hunter perfectly, but his mind had a hard time processing what just had been said.
"What?" The Ekon glanced up from his desk - he was working on a new formula to improve his blood-regeneration ability. He was staying in one of the closest hide-outs to the Priwens.
"Mesmerize me," McCullum, leaning against the wall next to the desk, repeated his words. He sounded confident, almost defiant.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Geoffrey." Reid couldn't help but scoff.
Over the last weeks and months, he got used to the hunter sometimes showing up, mostly unannounced. Most of the time McCullum just stood around, kept an eye on him after a hunt. And a few times he let Reid examine and treat his wounds.
"Why not?"
"Because both of us are aware of the danger of that power. Because it's a tricky power to use even for me." Reid paced in the room, with his thoughts racing. "Even among Ekons, the degree to which one can influence others varies. I can easily cause damage to someone's mind if they resist too much. And, as I've said countless times, I try to use it as less as I can."
"Only on patients."
A pang of guilt rippled inside Reid, and it showed up on his face. "Yes."
McCullum followed him with his eyes, but remained leaning against the wall. "Come on, don't give me that look - I understand, sometimes people need a bit of a push. Sort of, to take care of themselves."
Maybe that was true, and yet Reid didn't like the idea that he could control anyone in any way he wanted to. No being should have that kind of power - and every time he used it, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth for days afterward.
"Stop overthinking it, I only want to experience what it feels like. For years I wondered if you can build some kind of resistance against it. You're a doctor, you must know that results can only be achieved through experiments."
"Even if you could, I think it would only work for a couple of seconds."
McCullum pushed himself off the wall and looked into Reid's eyes. "Both of us know what those few seconds can mean in a fight."
The hunter's eyes were as always challenging, and filled with pride and readiness for action. That gaze was always able to catch his eyes. The Ekon found himself barely able to tear his gaze away.
"Yes." Reid finally spoke up when he realised that the silence was stretching too long and deep in the room. "But let me ask you: are you absolutely sure, you want to try this?"
The corner of McCullum's mouth curled up, a tiny glint appearing in the depth of his eyes. "Yes."
Reid made sure to remember at this moment and cherish it, before he nodded towards the bed. "Then let us take a seat, it would be the best."
"Sure thing, doctor."
The hunter must have been in a good mood; he only called him doctor on the good days. Leech on the bad ones, and bloody idiot in the dangerous moments when both of them ended up covered in dirt and blood.
They walked to the bed together. The springs creaked slightly under their weight, the whole place smelled wet and muddy.
Spring was getting closer by the week, and slowly but surely the days became longer. Soon the vampires wouldn't be able to walk in the city much freely.
"I'm going to be as gentle as I could be," Reid wanted to sound reassuring, but on the look on the hunter's face quickly made him realise how that sounded. Quickly he cleared his throat. "Forgive me, I meant -- I will try to make sure not to cause any harm to you."
"Don't worry," McCullum looked and sounded amused. "I can handle a lot of things."
For a second the words betrayed the Ekon, he couldn’t make a sound. After a bit of silence the hunter let out a chuckle.
"You're teasing me," said finally Reid.
"I don't know what are you talking about," said McCullum with a smile. "So? Can we get this over with?"
With a small huff Reid nodded - when the hunter had something so set in his mind, it would have been impossible to talk him out of it. "As you wish." He looked up, right into the hunter's eyes. Something changed in the room.
"Geoffrey, listen to me."
McCullum felt the cold running down on his spine. In contrast, a fever like warmth spread around in his head. His senses became dulled as those words echoed through his mind. Control started slipping out of his hands
"Tell me your name."
At the depth of his mind his instinct screamed at him, but their voices were quickly drowned out.
"Geoffrey --" His mouth moved its own, every syllable felt like a betrayal to himself, "No."
"Tell me your name."
It was an order, he felt the unseen force push down on his will, tasted the darkness between his lips as it made its way all over his body. Like a hand that was able to reach into his head, clawed fingers gripping his consciousness and wanting to forcefully rip out the answer.
"Geoffrey --" he was close to his breaking point, it felt like thousands of tiny needles that were about to burst his head open. "Geoffrey --"
Suddenly everything went still. And for seconds everything was swallowed by darkness. His body fell, but didn't reach the ground. Someone was speaking to him, but the fog was too heavy inside his head.
A minute went by, then another one. Finally, he was able to blink and look around. He found himself laying in the bed, with a very worried looking Ekon at his bedside.
"Geoffrey? How are you feeling? Finally, your heartbeat is back normal and so is your breathing."
"Shit, this was --"
"A mistake."
"What? No," McCullum scoffed but the stabbing headache immediately silenced him. "Damn, it was fine, I mean - at least, now I know."
The silence was heavy with guilt.
As the hunter glanced over, he saw the doctor slowly rubbing his fingers together, his eyes focusing down at his feet.
"What?"
"I almost -," Reid slowly shook his head, trying to get rid of the image, that feeling like he was holding ontu McCullum's mind. "This power." The venom was thick in his every word.
"Hey, calm down, you over-worried leech." The hunter scoffed and slowly sat up on the bed. "I'm fine."
"I felt your mind cracking!" The cold bitterness hit even McCullum's in the chest. "I --"
"Jonathan."
There was another pause.
Reid glanced down at the hand on his arm, and finally forced his focus back to the room, to the hunter next to him. He raised his eyes and slowly lowered his shoulders when he couldn't find any hatred or disgust in McCullum's eyes.
"I'm fine." The hunter squeezed his arm once before pulling away.
"Yes. Thank you, but please stay here a bit longer. Just to make sure that it didn't have any long-term effect."
McCullum sighed as he laid back down, he wanted to protest but his whole being felt exhausted, like he just finished patrolling and fighting for days. "All right. I can wait for the sunrise, and you can tell me more about your fight with the Red Queen."
"Very well," Reid ran his eyes over the hunter's body and steadied his face. "But, Geoffrey, please never ask me to try this again."
Their gaze met again, and McCullum saw the pleading in his eyes, it made his chest tight. He huffed but nodded. "All right. I won't. I promise."
"Thank you."
And the tightness mellowed out into warmth and softness, which the hunter chose to ignore for now.