Thorns of Fate

by Hayley Todd

  Again I cracked my arm to full length. The whip smacked into her, launching her across the arena. The black bubble reappeared as she righted herself, dragging one hand of fingers along the ground to draw her to a stop.

  She blasted two more fireballs at me and I easily dodged each, advancing on her. She was obviously trying to stay out of my range. Unlike her, I had physical and magical strength. Up close she was done for and she knew it.

  I leapt forward again, clasping the whip around her ankle and whipping her towards me. She lost her feet, tumbling into the dirt, sullying her fancy dress and being dragged slowly towards me. She tried to right herself but couldn't while I continued to pull her foot out from under her.

  She finally reached down and grabbed the thick length of cord and blew a white energy from her fingers. The light wilted from the cord and it disintegrated beneath her touch.

  She scrambled to her feet but she was already too close. I leapt forward and slammed my fist into her nose. She shrieked in fury and pain and her hands went to her nose where blood dribbled down to her lips.

  I punched again, cracking my hand into her jaw this time. She rocked back in pain and fell into a pile before me.

  She was completely at my will. No one could stop me before I could end her.

  But what point did that make? I wasn't my enemy. Death and torture and misfortune are short lived. They wouldn't matter when the dust settled. I lurched forward. She flinched. My hands clutched the collar of her expensive gown and lifted her from the ground. I brought her face close to mine. “You will go into hiding. You will stop involving your hand in international politics and I will let you continue your wretched life. I catch you leveraging your position for power, fortune, and glory again and enslaving an entire people? This conversation won't occur a second time.” I growled the words, and she shook in my hand.

  I thrust my hand out, lifting and letting her crash to the ground. For a moment, there was total silence. Even the crowd had been shocked into stopping their incessant noise. Then little by little, they came alive, cheers and shouts screaming. Shouts of Achillia could be heard from several sections of stands.

  “Achillia, the gods have proven you worthy. You are free.” The Emperor barely finished the clipped words before turning and striding toward the exit.

  I made my way back toward the entry I had come through. Back to that intriguing man with the forest green eyes. I felt victorious. I had won. I had won and proven to Cassandra once and for all that I would no longer tolerate her manipulating my life from behind the scenes. I could only hope she had learned her lesson.

  I started to become conscious but only arose periodically. My mind had spinning visions of this beautiful gladiatrix in my dreams but occasionally broke free to allow me a taste of reality.

  The first time I awoke, Carson, Damien, and Anton had been arguing. It couldn't have been long after I blacked out as the doctors were still there, silently lining the room.

  Carson was the first to notice I'd awoken and he hunkered down, talking quickly. “Kyra, your heart is failing. I was the last to wish this on you,” he glared at the other two, “but your heart is failing. You must make the choice now. Will you turn?”

  I thought about it for an eternal thirty seconds. The pros and cons list had been significantly cut down. Pro, live forever, continue my human life as a vampire. Cons, die. Pros, maybe have to marry some pig I didn't know who wanted to use me. Cons, die. Pros, this gorgeous man was a hybrid and I was sure I could convince him to show me a thing or two. Cons, die.

  I gazed into his eyes for my remaining ten seconds before I responded. “One condition,” I murmured. I couldn't bring my voice to a higher volume.

  That incessant machine continued its haggard beeping.

  He stared into my eyes, seeming to see more than just my gaze. “Name it,” he huffed, barely a whisper. He leaned closer to me, eager for my response. Part of him was thrilled, I could see it. Part of him was eager for me to say yes. But I could still see the part of him that agonized over this.

  “You do it,” I urged.

  I didn't manage to stay awake for his response. Another burst of pain in my chest left me again in inky darkness. I eventually came to again, unsure of how much time had passed. Anton was gone. Damien leaned against the wall near the door, staring at me. Carson was carefully undressing himself beside me which, alluring as it was, was equally baffling.

  He unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time, pulling it from his exquisite frame. He was muscled, not huge, but definitely had muscle. He was gorgeous. The line of his chest was pale and perfect. He finally looked up, catching my gaze.

  “You're awake,” he stated without much purpose.

  I nodded weakly.

  He leaned forward, dropping his shirt onto the couch he had sat on. He glanced over his shoulder at Damien who rolled his eyes, said, “Come get me once it's started,” and exited through the door.

  “It's time,” I said, drowsily.

  He nodded.

  He pressed his forehead to mine and his warmth overwhelmed me. My mind became slightly clearer.

  “I know you don't know me,” he began softly, “but I will protect you. I will keep you safe.”

  The words didn't exactly fit the situation. He couldn't keep me from death. But I suppose he already had. He had saved me from rape and death and was now saving me again. It was beginning to feel like he was my personal hero. I trusted him.

  He lifted my bed with a lever on the side and moved his head over my shoulder, leaving his muscled shoulder under my chin. He smelled amazing, musky and delicious. His skin was mere inches from my lips.

  “You should be able to manage fangs once this starts. If not, I can cut myself but the bite is easier.”

  I breathed on him, heavily, my breaths shuddering out in puffs. He chuckled and leaned away for a moment. I was hesitant at his gaze, hating that he had pulled away from me.

  “Is there anything you want before we do this?” He asked, looking deeply at me, as though trying to read my thoughts below the surface.

  I nodded and gestured for him to come closer.

  He leaned toward me, bracing himself on the rails of my bed.

  I lifted my hands and pressed my palms to his cheeks gently. He had a line of stubble along his skin that tickled my fingers. His eyes were wide before me, curious. I pulled him closer and pressed my lips to his.

  He didn't even hesitate. He gripped me, running fingers into my hair and pulling me closer. His lips twisted softly into mine, his tongue lashing out to touch me gently. I bid him entry. He breathed into me, the feel of it dizzying. Then he suddenly pulled away, breathing hard and staring deep into my eyes.

  “If I didn't survive,” I gasped, finding it especially hard to return my breath to normal. “I wanted to know what that felt like.”

  He laughed, heartily, his face filling with glee. “And how was it?” He asked, looking at me thoughtfully.

  I touched my lower lip tenderly thinking about it. My lips tingled and it felt as though we had never separated, his heat still lingering along my skin. “Amazing,” I breathed.

  He chuckled, then leaned forward, his head over my shoulder, his neck exposed to me. I leaned forward, the effort not as bad being propped up as I was. I pressed my lips to his neck and he shivered, as though unprepared for my touch.

  True to his word, I felt a shift in my mouth. Long narrow fangs extended from my upper teeth, pressing against the inside of my lips. I opened my mouth, leaning into his skin and pressing them through.

  As though there were no resistance, they sunk in, blood welling out and into my mouth. The hot liquid didn't revolt me as I thought it might. It exploded inside of me with energy and strength that I hadn't expected.

  Carson groaned and gripped my shoulders.

  Strength filled me, making me feel more myself than I had been since all of this began. I leaned into him, sucking more into myself. He clutched me, as though if he were to give an inch, I'
d be gone forever.

  He called to me. His body melded to mine.

  Oh, I cannot wait for our life to begin...he murmured. Or had he? The room remained silent. I would fall into him. With this connection I would fall. He would drag me down. His warmth exploded around me and he felt like home.

  And then he was gone.

  My eyes were closed though I hadn't remembered closing them. My fingertips danced across my lips, feeling wet with blood and still tingling from his kiss.

  “Oh...you,” he mumbled.

  When I opened my eyes, Carson was slumped onto his knees beside my bed, clutching his hand over the wound in his neck. He shifted his eyes from the floor to my face. His eyes were filled with wonder. He slowly regained his feet and lifted his hand away, the wound at his neck gone, though the blood remained.

  A burn began in my toes, slowly making its way up my legs. I glanced toward the limbs hidden beneath my blankets. There didn't seem to be a change. I had not gone alight with flame.

  He leaned toward me again and this time, it was him who ran his fingers into my hair and again pressed his lips to mine. His blood smeared across his face but he didn't seem to care. He didn't seem to notice actually. He opened his mouth to me again, breathing me in.

  And all too soon, he again pulled away.

  The burn moved up and over my knees, a groan dragging its way from my lips.

  “I will be by your side always,” he whispered, kissing my forehead and returning to his seat.

  I reached out, my fingers intertwining his own with that delicious warmth and the burn claimed me.

  The burn of the change was unlike anything I had ever felt. I simultaneously felt like my entire body had been doused in accelerant and set aflame and was being picked apart, atom by atom. I shrieked in pain until my throat was so raw it would no longer allow sound. I bore down in bed, jerking away from the pain despite it being unable to.

  The entire time, that warmth remained. While I struggled and bucked and groaned incoherently, the warmth enveloped me, letting me tolerate the pain, the agony. Again, Carson was true to his word. He had not left me. Especially in my time of need.

  I found myself vitriolic toward Damien and Anton in my mind. Those bastards had led me down this path. This pain, this endless pain was because of them each in their own way.

  My body exploded, the sensations in me overriding any sense of awareness.

  It was burning me away, inch by inch. The pain had reached my chest, centering in a spiral toward my heart. My mind was blank except for agony. And then my heart shuddered in pain.

  Thump. Thump.

  It echoed its beat, slower and slower.

  Thump. Thump.

  The hand bracing mine tightened. The only thing I could comprehend aside from agony.

  Thump. Thump.

  My last moments of humanity and I lay in a hospital bed, hands clutched with a vampire. The man whose blood tainted my lips changed my body.

  Thump. Thump.

  Carson’s face flooded through my mind.

  Thump. Thump.

  I wanted to know him.

  Thump. Thump.

  I wanted to get that chance.

  Thump. Thump.

  I wanted to continue my life.

  Thump...thump.

  I wanted to live.

  Thump.

  Chapter Seven

  The first thing I was aware of after the pain faded was the warmth in my hand. I felt like I wanted to crawl under my bed and hide from the light but I wanted to see the source of that warmth.

  I screwed my eyes open and shrank away from the painfully white lights.

  Without another word, the lights flicked off and I opened my eyes again. As I had hoped he would be, Carson sat to my left, my hand cradled in his. He was asleep, his head propped on the arm of the couch, his body stretched out alongside me but his hand was still tied with mine.

  Other than Carson, the room was empty.

  I could smell the fresh blood that still remained somewhere in the room. Carson looked the same except for the blood that was down his neck and across his lips had been wiped clean. He hadn't changed and his hair was a tousled mess. He looked peaceful in slumber, his face slack, making him look younger than I imagined he was. He wore an undershirt and dress slacks, his button up shirt piled into a pillow beneath his head.

  I didn't speak, not wanting to wake him.

  I did a quick assessment of my aches and pains.

  To find them entirely gone.

  I actually felt amazing. I felt fresh and like I had just had an amazing night’s sleep. I quietly lowered the banister along the opposite side of the bed, swung my legs over the edge and lifted myself into a sitting position.

  I stepped gently to the floor, my wobbly legs not supporting my weight, and fell in a heap. The fall was quiet, barely making more sound than a puff of breath.

  “You made it,” Carson said quietly from behind me. He sounded relieved.

  I turned in a half crawl until I could see him looking at me. He was still lying on the couch though he had rolled onto his side and was watching me. When I didn't get up immediately, he swung his legs over the edge of the couch and came to kneel beside me.

  “You can't get up can you?” He asked, offering his hand in aid. I smiled impishly at him and place my hand in his, allowing him to pull me to my feet, supporting most of my weight.

  “So,” he said after helping me back onto the bed in a sitting position, “you made it.” His eyes were alight with excitement. He was obviously thrilled.

  I looked down at myself. My body was no longer bruised and broken. My skin was pale and perfect. As well as scantily clad. I wore only a pair of shorts and a tank top. Surprisingly, I had no machine attachments against my skin.

  Carson caught my gaze. “There was a point where either your heart would start again or it wouldn't,” he shrugged as though we were considering lunch.

  It made enough sense of course. There was only so much time and effort you would spend waiting on a corpse.

  Carson leaned forward, exposing his neck to me again. The other side this time. “You need to feed to solidify the change.” One of his arms braced himself against the bed, the other gripped my upper arm tenderly.

  I smiled at him. He was so willing to assist me even at his own expense.

  I was surprised to find that fangs protruded from my mouth before I even neared him. My stomach twisted with hunger pains. I gasped but pressed onward, leaning over Carson and sinking my teeth through his skin again.

  Again, my existence exploded with awareness of him. Even more so now.

  You survived. Jesus, you survived.

  My body felt exquisite, like I was floating through my own paradise. Carson’s warmth enveloped me, cradled me, and filled me with strength.

  Eventually, he gripped his hands around both arms and forced me backwards. I wouldn't have realized how hard he'd pushed me away if I hadn't seen the way the muscles in his arms balled in effort.

  “Did I hurt you?” I gasped, slapping my hand across my bloodied mouth.

  He chuckled, covering the wound and shaking his head.

  “Thank you,” I said, sincere. This may have been the strangest experience of my life but I envisioned it being much worse without him. And he had saved my life twice now. Three times if you counted the second feeding.

  He reached out and wiped a droplet of blood from my lips. “Much neater this time,” he said with laughter in his voice. “You are always welcome, my princess.” He gave a chivalrous bow.

  I guess that was right wasn't it? I was technically a princess of sorts. Whatever a clan leader’s daughter would be. If I was inheriting a people did that make me a princess? A duchess maybe?

  “Do you want to go see who is here?” He asked, holding his hand out to me. I nodded eagerly and took his hand in mine. Really I was just thrilled to do anything but lay in this bed in this room.

  Carson led me to the door and opened it, exposing the r
oom beyond. The place was a high-class therapist’s office. It seemed this entire wing of the building was emptied, entirely devoid of life. There was not a soul in sight and every other light was turned off. He led me through a series of hallways until we came to a set of steel reinforced double doors. He waved his wrist over a sensor by the door and I could see a leather bracelet latched around his wrist. The doors buzzed open and he pulled me through. Halfway down this next hall, there was an alcove to the side filled with chairs, couches, and a TV blaring late night television.

  Seated there, were Kellic, Will, Damien, and Anton. Will sat behind everyone else and they seem almost to flank him. Carson’s hand tightened around mine.

  I could smell him. From clear across the room, I could smell him. Will’s smoky, musky scent reached me from where he sat. The postures made sense now. Carson beside me was tense though he seemed to try to fight it. Kellic sat protectively in front of her brother and Damien sat near them. Anton stood at the edge of the waiting area leaning against a wall, pretending to be uninterested.

  Every one of them gasped as I walked around the corner.

  Kellic and Damien leapt up. Kellic pulled me into a gigantic hug, yanking my hand from Carson’s. Damien stood away from us awkwardly, as though unsure of how he would be received.

  Finally, as Kellic released me, he stepped forward.

  “My daughter,” Damien began, and only had to clear his throat one time before he could continue. “Welcome to the clan.”

  I had had to spend an extra two days in the hospital to let myself get to 100% strength. Carson stayed with me almost every moment and allowed me to feed from him four more times. Damien supplied him with blood to heal himself after every time.

  Once I was finally approved to leave, I insisted with Damien and Carson that I needed to check things out at the club.

  I argued my reasoning stating, “My brand new apartment is above the club anyway. I haven't even been there since it was finished.”

  It took a bit of convincing and some negotiating but after I'd agreed to let Carson and Anton be my personal bodyguards to assure Damien--my dad--they let me go back to the club.