“Camber…” She groaned, “Camber I need to eat before I start getting angry.” He pushed on the brakes and pulled over. As he shifted the vehicle into park, he looked over at Ema’as and sighed.
“Just… make it quick,” He closed his eyes and held out his arm, “Try not to overeat I guess.”
Ema’as pursed her lips together and grabbed his arm. She opened her mouth and her fangs extended outward. Camber turned his head and she sunk them into his forearm.
“Okay, don’t bite, just suck!” He desperately instructed her, “See if the blood will satisfy you, not the flesh.” Ema’as grinned and clamped down on his wrist in defiance. He yelped and jerked away, and Ema’as raised her eyebrows in a ‘fuck you I’m the boss’ kind of way. Camber took the hint and shut his mouth.
Warm blood seeped into her mouth and down her throat. As she drank, she felt her muscles loosen and her head clear. She began to moan as she swallowed more and more of Camber’s blood and finally, she pulled away and wiped her mouth.
“I am satisfied,” She smiled, happy to find that that was all it took, “How do you feel?”
“I am fine,” Camber replied, “That was bearable.”
“Yeah?” She asked, licking the flavor from her lips. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the euphoria that the blood gave her. She breathed softly, gently moaning every time she exhaled.
Her whole body felt good, relaxed, comfortable. She laid her head on Camber’s shoulder and placed her hand on his lap.
“Thank you, Camber,” She kissed him on his neck and searched for the edge of his pants with her fingers, “I think I am ready.”
Camber turned toward her and looked into her eyes. The mutual sharing of blood had put them both in a highly erotic mood, as was the norm. She smiled, and they leaned closer and touched their lips together. Slowly they kissed, and Camber groaned as Ema’as caressed his body.
“I think I am ready too,” Camber laughed as he pushed her back onto the seat. Ema’as covered both of them with her tarp and bit her lip as she felt Camber’s body on top of hers.
“I think we are going to get along fine,” She whispered.
Chapter Eight
Rubaan VIII
22nd of Ramlia - 346AG
22:00 - Canrom City
Rubaan slouched in a chair across from his wife at his mother’s dinner table. His eyes were cast down toward the wood, but he could feel Amaria’s gaze burning through him. She had every right to be angry; he had, after all, left her and Roc without warning.
He wished she would try to understand his side of things. He wanted her to just… be on his team. He needed her support; he wanted her love and knew that it if he were able to feel it, it would validate his insecurities as a clone. Rubaan felt like everything he did was scrutinized by her, like he was on trial for every decision that was made both good and bad, like no matter what he did it had to be approved by her. He stared down at the table and sighed. He was, of course, being dramatic - she wasn’t really like that all the time.
“I just need to understand,” she spoke slowly and patiently, but with clear anger. “I need to understand what made you think it was okay to just abandon us the way you did.”
“I didn’t abandon you!” Rubaan argued as he snapped his head up. His gaze was met with an icy cold stare, and he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, “Amaria you are in danger with me around. I had to get away from you as quickly as possible.”
“Rubaan, what are you talking about?” She rolled her eyes and looked up toward the ceiling, “You are the most harmless person I know; you would never hurt Roc or me. How am I in any danger?”
“Hey wait, I’m not entirely harmless,” He objected. Not in danger of me…” Rubaan groaned as he buried his face in his hands. He sighed, for he knew that the road he was on with her had come to an end. He could hide no more; he had to reveal the truth. He realized it was his own fault that the two had butted heads, that he needed to change for them to get out of the funk they were in.
"I have been hiding the truth from you," He croaked, not looking up at her. She stared at him with cold eyes.
"No shit." She smirked, burning a hole through him with her gaze.
"Something happened to me about ten days ago," Rubaan explained in an ashamed tone, "You won't believe me, but I just need you to listen..." Rubaan recanted the story of Eon from beginning to end. He told Amaria of the possession, the cloning of his body, and of Dauid and the encounter with his original body outside of the mines.
When Rubaan finished his story, Amaria could do nothing but stare at him. She did not make a sound or an expression for a moment. Eventually, however, she sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"You have lost your mind, my love," She lamented as she recanted the outrageous story in her mind, “That or you are lying to me to cover something else up." She took a drink from the cup of water in front of her and let out a groan.
"I wish it were so," Rubaan whispered, once again looking at the table in front of him, "But it's all real. None of it is made up. I wish I truly were insane."
Amaria sneered, her shoulders bobbed up and down as she did so. She slid her chair back and stood, turning away from her husband. As she did, Rubaan's mother entered the room.
"Listen here," She snarled as she approached her son's Vampress wife. She extended a long-nailed finger and nearly jabbed it into Amaria's chest.
"My son does not need judgment right now," she growled as she invaded Amaria's space, "What Rubaan is telling you is... it is true. We have confirmed it. He is not lying to you." Amaria stared at Ladia intensely for a moment and tutted. She bit her lower lip and glared at Ladia.
"Who better to identify a lie than you?" She asked, bearing her pearly white teeth in a wicked smile, "Tell me, how much longer do you plan on keeping your... special little lie from him?"
"That’s... enough..." Ladia stepped back, burning with shock and anger, "How do you..."
Amaria tapped her head with a finger and raised her eyebrows. The Vampress knew she had gone too far, that her anger had taken her more steps than she wanted to go, but at that point, she could not turn back.
"Some of my High Vampre Abilities linger," She explained, "From time to time, I can hear the thoughts of the true-blooded. I heard your thoughts earlier today. I know your deepest secret, the one you have protected Rubaan and his brother from for so long." She stepped forward, and Ladia reeled back, her hand closing into a fist as she did so.
"Stop it," Ladia hissed, looking over at her son and then back to her daughter in law, "Stop it now, it is not your place."
"And this is not your place," Amaria growled, "Stay out of my marriage, and I will keep your secrets to myself."
Rubaan looked back and forth from his mother to his wife. He cringed as he listened to the whole exchange. His mother had always been protective of her children, perhaps overbearing at times. He knew she couldn't help it. Fyres blood was quick to ignite, and when it did, reason was rarely able to put the flames out. Amaria, however, had somehow quelled his mother.
"Enough, both of you!" Commander Crinnan declared as he suddenly entered the kitchen. He had heard the shouting from another room and had hurried to diffuse the situation.
"Amaria, you are right, we have no business in your affairs," He glared at Ladia, giving her a look that suggested that he too knew of his wife's secrets, "And you have no business in my wife's. Please, we are a family. Let us sit and find level ground together." Commander Crinnan pulled a chair from the table for his wife and held his hand out, beckoning her to sit. She looked around nervously and eased herself down, Amaria followed suit. Crinnan walked to the opposite side of the table and sat across from his wife, smiling at her as he did so.
"It is true," Commander Crinnan looked to his left at Amaria, "Everything Rubaan told you. We confirmed and cross-checked it all with Commander Xian earlier today; this is not something that Rubaan could have just... made up. Something has happened to the man tha
t we love, and we need to do our best to support him."
"How..." Amaria asked, visibly frustrated, "It seems so farfetched, so unrealistic. How could Rubaan be..."
"A clone?" Crinnan raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips together, "Amaria, I am as... stricken with all this as you are. I now have triplet sons instead of twins. One returned from the dead and is lost in the Belhaasi Weald, one is possessed by a chaotic entity and currently pursuing the one lost in the Belhaasi Weald, and the third is here sitting with us because I would not permit him to leave. I did this for you, Amaria, for you and my grandson."
Amaria looked over at Rubaan and tried to rub the stress out of her forehead. Finally, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Rubaan..." She sighed, not opening her eyes, "If this is all true then... then the man I married is in the Belhaasi Weald." Rubaan felt his heart drop into his stomach.
"It's... It's so..." She groaned and stood up, "You're not the Rubaan I married. You're a different body, a copy. I know you have his feelings and memories, but you're... a different person. You were pulled out of thin air!" She turned around and began to weep. Rubaan started to stand, but Ladia reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking her head as she did so.
"I did not make my vows to you," Amaria sobbed, looking at Rubaan, "It... it is not fair to him for me to..."
"I understand," Rubaan gently croaked. He locked his eyes onto Amaria's, and he slowly nodded. He quickly found that he couldn’t control himself, his face contorted and tears began to fall from his eyes. In a way, she was right. She did marry the original Rubaan, and he was just a copy of that person even though he remembered their wedding day perfectly. He closed his eyes and lowered his head into his hands, and his mother scooted closer and placed her hand on his back.
"We have all found ourselves in difficult situations," Commander Crinnan announced, "But we must remember we are family. Be it by blood or by love, we are all bound together. While we all must sort through our emotions and come to terms with them, none of us can forget that we all are on the same side... This is house Jamiso; together we stand strong."
Amaria howled and keeled over, vomiting as she did so. Rubaan again tried to stand but his mother's grip on his arm grew tighter, and she shook her head. Instead, Commander Crinnan stood and walked to Amaria's side.
"Come," He urged her, placing his hand on her back, "You need to lie down, you need to..."
Amaria spun and held a finger up at Crinnan. He jumped back with hands raised, showing he meant no harm. Amaria hissed, and fangs burst from her gums. Rubaan then realized that the vomit was a dark red, it was blood...
"Easy Amaria," Crinnan urged her, "Please, we..."
"Just stop..." She shook her head and grabbed hold of the back of the chair, trying to balance herself. She bent over, and Rubaan shrugged off his mother's grip and stood.
"What is this?" He demanded as he approached her, "The fangs, the blood..."
"All mortal life ends," She groaned, looking up at him with red eyes, "You... the other you gave me mortal life again but... recently it has faded. The Thirst has returned, I am reverting to how I was when you... when he met me." She coughed, splashing blood onto the table. Rubaan reached out and touched her, but she reeled back.
"Please stop," She begged as she wept bitterly. Tears of blood streamed down her face, and she looked at everyone with a horrified expression, "I just… I need to be left alone... just for tonight. Please just leave me alone."
Commander Crinnan stepped forward and held his hands out, "Amaria we love you." He assured her with a comforting tone, "Go rest. We will leave for Base 21 later. You will all be safe there."
Amaria nodded her head and turned around to leave the room they were in. As she approached the door frame, she turned around and frowned once more at Rubaan.
"I am sorry," She choked, "Truly." At that, she hurried up the stairs and left the others behind.
“Son," Commander Crinnan immediately turned toward Rubaan, shaking his head as he did so, "I know this is hard for you, but considering the circumstances, I think it would be best for you to consider the worst... with Amaria I mean."
Rubaan cringed and began to choke at the idea of being away from his wife. He had spent the last two years of his life with her. At least it felt that way to him. In reality, he was actually only ten days old, but he had all the memories of his "real" twenty-three-year-old self.
"Why must it be this way?" Rubaan asked between sobs, begging his father for answers, "What about Roc? What do I do about my son?" Commander Crinnan bit his lip and shook his head.
"Son I... I don't know right now," He looked tenderly at the boy with no idea how to empathize with him. Ladia walked up and buried him in a hug, which only caused him to cry harder.
"It hurts mom," He wailed, burying his head into her shoulder. He sniffled and wiped the snot from his nose, groaning from the pain, "I have lost everything! Everything I worked for because of that... stupid fucking Eon."
"I know," Ladia hushed him as she gently rubbed the back of his head like she did when he was a child. She looked over to her husband, and he gave her a sympathetic look.
"Son, you should get some rest. We will travel to Base 21. There you can work and get your mind off things and soon your brother will be home," Commander Crinnan walked over and gently pulled Ladia back. He squared Rubaan in front of him and placed a hand on each of his shoulders.
"I am very proud of you my boy," His eyes burned into Rubaan with sincerity. Rubaan nodded and wiped his tears away, "Never, ever forget that. You bring me joy son, I would do anything for you." Rubaan lunged forward and hugged his father. His embrace was returned, and the two stood silently for a moment.
"Go get some sleep kid. Leave Amaria with her thoughts, she needs to process all this as well," Rubaan nodded and turned away from his father, heading toward the couch in the living room.
When he was gone, Crinnan turned toward his wife and shook his head. She walked over and hugged him, and the two sat at the table. For a moment the two sat in silence, but then Ladia spoke.
"Are you angry?" She asked, "About what Amaria brought up?"
"No," Commander Crinnan replied quickly and sternly. "I forgave you a long time ago, and I try not to think about it. Though, after our talk with Xian and now Amaria, I fear the truth will be revealed soon.'
Ladia said nothing in response. Instead, she reached her hand out and grabbed her husband's. He looked up at her and smiled warmly, yet she did not return the expression. He saw fit to leave her alone with her thoughts, and the two remained silent for the rest of the night.
***
"I know you are here," Amaria groaned as she rested her back against the door to her and Roc's bedroom, "I can feel you again."
What felt to her like a gust of wind gently passed through the dark room and came to a stop at the foot of Roc's crib. Amaria blinked, and suddenly a person with blonde slicked back hair, and a fitted white suit stood next to her child.
"You have been busy," The being, a High Vampre hissed between smiling lips. Amaria quickly got to her feet, careful not to make a noise and stepped toward the High Vampre.
"Get away from there," She ordered in a whispery shout as she reached for him, "Get away from my son!"
"Oh, do not fret," His voice was smooth like cream, ageless and beautiful just as he was, "You should know not to fear. Despite your treachery, I harbor no ill will toward you." He looked at the sleeping baby and ran a pale finger along the edge of the white crib. He reached one of his long-nailed hands out and gently caressed Roc's cheek.
"A beautiful child," He gushed as he turned to face Amaria, "Who would have ever dreamt that you would bring another into this world."
"Enough, Daanel!" Amaria ordered, "Leave this place. You are not welcome here!"
Daanel took a few steps toward Amaria and smiled, showing off his obscenely white fangs as he did so. Amaria did not move, she held her ground and glared at the High Vampre even as got
closer.
"You have awakened, mother," Daanel whispered, tearing into her heart with his eyes, "You cannot deny this. You feel the thirst again; you crave the blood... just as you did when I first turned you."
"Fuck yourself!" Amaria snarled, finally taking a step back, "You had no right."
"I elevated you. Just as you gave birth to me, so did I to you. Mother, I gave you life once again. When you were but an old dying common Vampress, I rejuvenated you so that you may live forever!"
"You cursed me," Amaria snapped back, "Everyone must die, it was my turn, and you took that from me!"
Daanel stood for a moment in silence and then looked at the watch on his wrist. He quickly sighed and phased forward so that he was only inches from his mother.
"I am a busy person, mother," He said as he stroked her hair, "Our time together, this eternity we have forged with each other is only beginning. You will need me soon, all you need do is beckon, and I will come to you. I am, after all, your sworn protector."
"Go away Daanel," Amaria was afraid and fought the feelings of love she had for her first son. Though she felt he had wronged her, that he had forced the thirst on her, she could not deny her primal instincts as a mother, "Go be with the others."
Daanel smiled and looked down at his baby half-brother one more time, "He is beautiful, mother. Remember me too." At that, he was gone.
When she had been left alone again, Amaria clenched her fist and slammed it into the wall behind her. She lost her strength and fell to her knees, weeping bitterly as she did so.
Her days as a mortal had finished, the thirst and her past had returned, and she had once again been elevated to a High Vampress. She ran her tongue against the points of the fangs in her mouth, whining as she did so, and placed her forehead against the wooden floor beneath her.
"Roc," She quietly sobbed, not bothering to look up at the boy, “Roc I am sorry."
Chapter Nine
Crinnan XX
23rd of Ramlia - 346AG
The Black Knight Box Set Page 65