“When you create something, you also have to be responsible for it.
Vampires like this”—he motioned toward Jacob—”they are not as great as a human population. Make a good enough example of those who step out of line, and the rest will fall into place.”
“But first you must reestablish the power base,” Blair said. “There are three of us, and three more missing. Will it be enough against the human vampires?”
“First we must find the others. As much as I want to kill this creature for what he did not only to me but to my woman, he will lead us to Formont, who in turn will lead us to the others. Once we are at full strength, no human vampire on Earth will dare stand against us.” He turned to the other men. “It will not be easy, and more blood will be spilt, but it is necessary. Are you with me?”
Both Luc and Blair nodded.
“Make preparations to return to America. We will be going on a little hunting expedition.”
“What do we do with him in the meantime?” Lucas asked.
“Extend him the same courtesy that he did for me for the past two hundred years. Feed him only what he needs to survive, nothing more.”
“She was so sweet. Her blood tasted better than ambrosia.” Jacob had raised his head to provoke Ethan. “I was so looking forward to fucking her sweet, little pussy over and over, and you know that’s exactly what I’m going to do if I ever get out of here, so you might as well kill me.”
Ethan knew it would be too easy to kill Jacob as he wanted to. No, he wanted him to suffer as he had until his usefulness was up. “You are going to feel what it’s like to rot, to suffer, and maybe after a few hundred years, I may kill you. At least now that is something you have to look forward to.” He swiftly turned and walked out before he did end up giving Jacob what he wanted. He had more pleasant things to attend to, like his lady waiting for him.
“You have quite a remarkable lady.” Lucas walked by his side as
the others followed closely behind. They took the winding dungeon stairs.
“Grandmamma is convinced she is familiar, related to someone she used to know. We are going to check the archives in the morning, see if we can find where she comes from. I’ve already started the process of the paperwork; that shouldn’t take too long. You will legally be able to travel anywhere you wish.”
“It is appreciated,” Ethan told the younger man. “Make sure she has anything and everything she wants.”
“It will be a pleasure to spoil her, and not just me. My sisters are eager to take her shopping; from what I understand, she hasn’t had a lot of that.”
“It is not safe for her to leave the fortress grounds without me,”
Ethan growled.
“We have only the best security, Ethan. No matter where Aria or any of our women go during daylight hours, they are guarded and monitored,” Luc informed him. “I put these measures in place after the uprising.”
Still, Ethan felt uncomfortable about her going out without him, but he also knew she needed this kind of freedom. It was what he had been offering her all along. To keep her locked in the fortress would destroy the trust she had placed in him.
“Anything she wants, she gets.” Lucas nodded to assure him.
They broke off as they reached the top of the stairs, Lucas bidding them a good morning, leaving them alone.
“More than half the night has slipped away once again.” They had moved into a private sitting room, Luc closing the door and turning his expression somber. “It pleases me greatly that you are safe and returned to us, Melethainan. These years have not been easy.”
They only ever used their original names when alone.
“It was a mess after the rebellion. You and the others were taken.
We fought back with the best we could and have built on what we had,”
Luc said.
“Punlucknos, Blairnatar, your families are strong. You have raised your sons and daughters well. It is a legacy I know you are proud of; I no
longer have to envy what you have.”
The men gave knowing smiles.
“Our families are everything. It may be a small piece of what we left behind, but it is all we have. We will always fight to protect what is ours.” Ethan looked at the men who had had everything ripped from them when they had stepped upon this planet so long ago. They had all battled to build some sort of normal life even with the abnormality of what they had become. Never had it been easy, but Ethan was proud at what they had achieved.
“You are still our prince, Melethainan; you know we will always follow where you lead and so will our families.”
Ethan nodded at Luc’s comment. Even after nine hundred years, he felt their loyalty and love. He had been their leader and a prince among their people, yes, but he was also their friend. “Thank you, my friends.”
He clamped his hands down on their shoulders in a show of pride and affection.
Blair gave a laugh. “It sure took you long enough to find a woman, Melethainan. Not one creature in the fortress did not hear what you two were doing earlier.”
“Aria would be mortified if she heard you say that,” Ethan said without a hint of remorse or embarrassment. “She is a remarkable woman.
The wait was worth the prize I have in her.”
“She brought you home to us, which esteems her greatly to us.
Lucas will dig up her origins. There is no doubt about that. He’s a clever boy.” Luc’s pride was genuine.
“It is appreciated by both of us. Now I will take my leave; I wish to elicit more screams from my woman before the night is through.”
Blair and Luc gave hearty laughs as Ethan walked from the room with a smile on his face.
Yes, there were battles yet to come, but for the first time in nine hundred years, Ethan was feeling not only at home, but a peace had settled around him, a peace he thought he would never again find since his ascension into the blood-soaked world of what he was. And it was all due to a small woman waiting for him in his bed. He quickened his pace,
thinking he would endure it all over again for her. Simply, Aria was now his life.
*
Stifling a yawn, Aria stumbled into her chamber. The guard that had followed her up carried the extra packages and placed them quickly and discreetly on a table near the door before making a swift exit. She had allowed Belle, Sophie and Adell to take her around to high-class clothing and accessories stores all around Paris. Aria had blushed profusely but had requested she have plenty of soft, black lace lingerie. The girls had simply laughed and taken her to one of the best places to buy lingerie in Paris. It hadn’t gone past Aria’s notice that they also had discreet bodyguards following them around wherever they went.
She was polished, preened and pampered by Lucas’ three sisters, who were all affectionate and friendly, their bubbly personalities rubbing off on Aria, making her smile and laugh. Not once had they asked her about her past in New York, even though just over a week had passed since her biggest mistake that had also saved both Ethan and herself. Her life back in New York almost seemed distant and surreal.
She smiled as Ethan had not moved from where she had left him; he had kissed her just before dawn and told her to enjoy her day. But she had missed being away from him, had missed his comforting arms around her and, most of all, had missed her sleep.
The fortress in the daytime had staff bustling around, cleaning; there was a security crew who took their jobs very seriously, guarding the resident vampires. Only the family of the Archalonians lived in the fortress. Other blue bloods and what the sisters called “donors” lived in lavishly expensive homes in the surrounding area. No vampire was allowed to take blood from anyone who was not willing to freely give.
And for the wealth and opulence the vampires offered, it was a small price to pay.
Aria was now beginning to see a great difference between the type of vampires in America and those here. Yes they were a superior predator
and could take wha
t they wanted with fear if they chose, but they did not.
Instead, they gave back to the community at large, were kind, friendly and helpful. She understood the weight of Ethan’s responsibility; he and the others had created vampires who instead wanted to use fear and abuse their power. Aria was all for the ass whopping Ethan wanted to give those vampires in the States.
Stripping off her new, expensive clothing, but leaving the new black lace bra and panties on, she pulled back the sheets to crawl over to Ethan, lifting his arm to re-wrap it around her, safe and secure, just where she belonged.
*
Aria snatched up the papers Lucas had set in front of her. Her eyes scanned over the information.
“I had contacts in the States do some investigating on the accident then trace your parents. Your father was American, sweetheart, but not your mother. The marriage records state she was born in Australia. I couldn’t find birth records for you, so I had some people do some digging over in Australia, and they came up with not only your birth record but that you also have a twin sister.”
“Twin sister, Australia.” She repeated the words like a stunned parrot as Ethan laid a comforting hand on her back, rubbing in gentle circles, giving her the strength and support she needed. She drew in a breath to steady her thoughts, and Ethan took her trembling hands into his. “Sh-She was killed in the accident?”
“No, she wasn’t.”
Mixed emotions rolled through Aria, confusion being the strongest.
She looked at Lucas’ face. His expression was serious, and she knew there was a hell of a lot more, and it wasn’t all good. It had been a week since Lucas had started digging into her past; as much as she wanted to hear this information, she feared and dreaded it. “Where is she? Do you know?”
Lucas took a seat at the table and glanced across at Ethan, who
gave a nod. Aria got the suspicion he had already told Ethan all he knew.
“I’ve pieced this together from both the investigators’ reports, so it may not be one hundred percent accurate.”
Aria was about to brain Lucas if he didn’t hurry up.
“Your father was registered as an astrologist; your mother, it seems, was a singer.”
Well at least her name made sense.
“Your family had just moved across from Australia when the accident occurred; your parents were killed on impact whilst you, of course, were severely injured and your sister was relatively unharmed. A relative, your mother’s aunt, living in Australia was contacted. She flew over and took care of the burial and took your sister back to Australia.”
This piece of information stunned Aria.
Lucas drew in a breath, continuing.
“But, I survived the accident. Why didn’t this great aunt come back for me?”
“I suspect it was because you were not expected to survive,” Lucas said gravely.
“But I did, so why didn’t my aunt come back for me?”
“I also managed to get a hold of your welfare records.” Lucas pushed a brown-colored file toward her, and she stared at it.
Aria went cold, as if a bucket of iced water had been dumped on her. If she ever wanted to remember anything, it was not those years.
“We can stop if you want, ma petite,” said Ethan, his voice full of concern.
Turning her head to glance at him, she shook her head. “No, I have to know. Go on, Lucas, please.”
“There were repeated attempts to contact your aunt in Australia, but all attempts failed, so you were simply placed into child services once you were well enough to leave the hospital.”
Aria swallowed a lump in her throat. “So I have family, but they didn’t want me.”
“I do not have those answers for you, I am sorry, Aria, but the information does get more interesting. This I hope you won’t find as
painful, and it concerns us as well.” Lucas looked at Ethan again. “When Grandmamma told me she thought you looked familiar, I started checking back on our records and also on your mother’s family history. You are not going to believe what I discovered.”
The man knew how to frustrate by pausing for dramatic effect.
“Ethan, were you aware that Marc’s wife was pregnant during the time of the uprising?”
Ethan stiffened by her side. “I was not aware Marc had taken a wife.” His surprise flashed across his face.
“The records clearly show ‘Marc and Josephine Archalon.’ She must have fled during the uprising or after Marc’s death. From what I have been able to piece together, she made her way to England and remarried. Much later, their family moved across to Australia. I can’t be completely certain without DNA testing, but I would bet damn good money and blood that Aria and her twin sister are the direct descendents of Marc and Josephine,” Lucas said with a note of pride.
Aria felt the heat of Ethan’s gaze staring at her as if seeing her anew.
“Marc’s little girl?” he said softly, in awe.
Aria locked gazes with him. “Just how closely related are all the Archalon men?”
Ethan gave a laugh, knowing her thoughts. “We are family by association, not blood.”
Aria pulled out of Ethan’s arms and pushed back from the table to stand. She walked to the wide-open doors that led out onto a stone balcony. She paced, trying to process everything she had just learned.
Thoughts bounced around her brain but nothing settled.
“I was never a believer in fate until you, Aria.” Ethan leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded, his emerald gaze fixed on her. He made no move to touch her, to still her pacing. “Since stepping foot on this planet so many years ago, I took each step with hatred, knowing what this place had done to me and the people who followed me. The only thing that gave me solace was those I held dear to my heart; my friends became my family. I have no idea what has happened to my people, if
they found a home or survived. I only know that Archalonians have survived here, and it is and has always been my duty to protect them, lead them, and keep us together.”
Aria stilled for a moment to look at him, his tall frame taking up half the doorway, his beautiful green eyes almost luminous, his expression filled with love.
“The night you were placed into my cell and into my life, it was not because of any error of yours but because you were meant to. You may hate your past; I despise what you have been put through and want to kill those who have made you suffer. Yet it has made you the vibrant, strong woman that stands here now, the only woman in existence who steals my breath, makes me burn, and has the ability to bring me to my knees.”
If she had not already been deeply in love with Ethan, she would have been falling hard for him then and there. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill; she loved this gorgeously sexy man. That he would admit his vulnerability to her, exposing himself on an emotional level, melted her. It was a trust she would never betray.
“You are Archalonian, Aria, and were destined to be mine, just as I was destined to be yours. I knew Marc. He was kind hearted, tender and had an inner strength that few possess, which I see in you.”
Aria leapt into his arms. He caught her and held her tightly against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, stroking his hands down her back, igniting the fire within.
Aria realized that the past didn’t matter. What they had here and now mattered. Together, in each other’s arms, they were their own family.
“I want to find my sister.”
“Yes, she is a daughter of Archalon, and we will bring her home. I swear it.”
Tilting her head back, Aria gazed into his green depths. “I also want what you want, Ethan: to serve justice on my great-grandfather’s murder.” How easily she had accepted who she was, for deep down, she did know.
“It will be done,” he promised.
Aria was assured. She felt secure, loved, and knew she belonged.
With a quick glance around, she noted that Lucas had silently left the room. Her lips tilted up into
her best seductive smile. She smoothed her hands up the planes of his chest, loving the feel of his firm muscles. “I remember you telling me that Archalonians were a highly sexual race. I am suddenly feeling the need to be satisfied by my destined heart.”
Already she was overly hot, wet and wanting him with a desperation that she knew would never fade. The smile that lit his features could’ve burned brighter than a supernova.
“Your satisfaction will always be my pleasure, my Aria, my destined heart.” Ethan claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss.
Aria’s soul cried out at their passion, possession and obsession, for she knew it was one that would never die.
The End
Destined Hearts Page 14