Secret Blood Ties

by Felicity Jordan

  “Essa?”

  Essa seemed to pull herself out of her thoughts. “Yes, Aris?”

  He smiled. He always liked it when she used his name. None other than his parents did that. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “How dare you, Issa!”

  It was a good act, he had to give her that, but Aris knew her too well, and saw right through the feigned indignation. “You can talk to me. I don’t know what suddenly makes you think you can’t.”

  Her act faltered, and Essa’s eyes rested in her lap. “I’m sorry, Aris, but I can’t. It’s not that I don’t trust you, just… there are circumstances beyond my control.”

  Well, at least they were making some progress, if he’d gotten her to stop denying that something was wrong. “If not me, then talk to someone about it. Jake, your sister. Whatever it is, don’t deal with it alone.”

  Essa just shook her head sadly. She looked almost… afraid. Aris would know what was bothering her. He decided to talk to her other mates.

  Jake, Mike and Apeo met him in the garden as he requested. “I’ve called you here to talk about Essa. There’s something wrong with her, but she won’t talk to me about it.”

  “She’s traumatized, Aris,” Jake said patiently. “She was just possessed by an evil spirit. You can’t expect that to have no effect on her.”

  Mike and Apeo nodded their agreement, and Aris gritted his teeth in frustration. “It’s more than that! Something else has happened.”

  Jake and Apeo exchanged a look, and Aris could tell they were considering his words.

  “You’re wrong. She’s just upset.” Mike glared at him. “She needs our support right now, not us badgering her about things she has no control over. She can’t help that she was affected.”

  This statement had Jake and Apeo nodding in agreement. Nothing would persuade them otherwise, and Aris left annoyed and exasperated. Why couldn’t they see it? There must be a reason he was the only one who could spot something amiss.

  Jake had known before because he knew Essa the best. There must be something about this situation that Aris had more knowledge in than the others, that was letting him spot what they didn’t.

  A thought came to him, but he dismissed it. It couldn’t be that. Most marriages between vampire royals were easy and simple, either because the participants were genuinely in love, or because they accepted that they were marrying for political reasons and would never be more than friends.

  Aris’ mother had had some problems with her five husbands. It was a large marriage, and he remembered his mom’s harried look when she was fighting with one of them.

  That couldn’t be the problem with Essa, though. He knew how she cared for him and the others, and he was sure that they cared for her just as much.

  So, he sat on his suspicions, but when nothing changed, Aris was forced to consider the idea that perhaps Essa was indeed having problems with one of them. At first, he worried that it might be him, but Essa was as happy and easy with him as ever. No, it wasn’t him.

  That left Jake, Apeo and Mike. Aris started to watch the three of them carefully. He felt guilty doing it, worried that he was betraying their trust, but Essa’s happiness came before everything else.

  It didn’t take him long to see that Mike was acting differently. He seemed withdrawn, almost uninterested in spending time with Essa. Even more confounding, she seemed just as uninterested in spending time with him.

  Aris couldn’t make sense of it. Were they simply falling out of love? Or was it something else? He couldn’t imagine why their relationship would suddenly start to fail, when it had been so strong before Essa’s run-in with the spirit.

  He resolved to keep a more careful eye on Mike. Aris even took to following him around the palace, watching him. When he first saw it, he didn’t believe it.

  Mike glanced over his shoulder, and Aris quickly faded back into the shadows. Fortunately, donors didn’t have vampire sight or senses, so Mike had no idea he was there. Aris watched, his eyes narrowing. Mike looked around once more before stepping into the room.

  It was a room he shouldn’t be in. Even Aris didn’t have clearance to be there. The door was clearly labelled. It was one of the many locations where valuable information about the Cherki bloodline was kept.

  He ghosted into the room after Mike, wondering why it wasn’t guarded. There had always been guards posted at this door before. Then he realized why. There had been some kind of explosion on the other side of the palace. Fearing attack, most of the guards had rushed off that way.

  As it turned out, it had merely been a malfunction of some kitchen equipment, but the guards hadn’t all come back to their posts yet. It was a perfect way to draw guards away from a specific area… but Aris didn’t believe Mike would do that.

  His belief was rapidly crashing down as he watched the donor rifle through papers, muttering to himself. Mike sat down and started writing in a notebook. He was at it for a full ten minutes before leaving. Aris only just managed to get out of the way before Mike spotted him.

  Now he was deeply worried, but he didn’t want to say anything to Essa, not until he was sure. He needed to get a look at that notebook.

  This was harder than he’d anticipated. Mike always seemed to keep the notebook on him, even when he slept. Eventually, Aris resorted to drugging him with crushed up sleeping pills in his dinner. He fervently hoped he was wrong, and if he was, he’d apologize to Mike later.

  He crept into Mike’s chambers that night to find him sleeping peacefully. The notebook was under his pillow, and Aris slipped it out before hurrying back to his chambers. He opened the cover and started to read…

  His legs were trembling by the time he closed the book. This was treason. It was clearly spelled out. Mike was planning to betray the Cherki line to the Bokir, giving them inside information on the palace’s defenses. It would start a war. The bloodshed and death would be astronomical.

  It couldn’t be. He knew Mike better than that. Aris struggled to think of an explanation. When it came to him, the book fell from his numb fingers. Of course. He should have seen it before.

  He hurried to Essa’s chambers, knocking on the door. Apeo opened it, his hair tousled and his eyes still sleepy. “Aris? What is it?”

  Aris stepped past him, closing the door and bolting it. Jake and Essa sat up in bed, blinking at him.

  “We have a problem,” Aris told them. “Mike has been possessed by the evil spirit that had you, Essa.”

  Essa went white. “Of course,” she whispered. “I should have known. I should have…”

  “Mel? What do you mean, you should have known?” Jake shook her shoulders lightly when Essa didn’t respond at once.

  “I… he threatened me. Told me he’d kill you all if I said anything. I should have known he’d never do it…”

  “How do you know?” Apeo demanded of Aris.

  In answer, Aris handed over the notebook he’d stolen. “Mike has been sneaking around and making plans to start a war. There’s no way he’d do this; possession is the only way.”

  “But how?” Essa looked close to tears as she stared between them. “I know I’m vulnerable to possession because of my gift, but Mike doesn’t have that. The spirit couldn’t possess him…”

  Jake and Apeo both winced as they realized what Aris had already figured out.

  “The spirit could only possess him with his consent,” Aris told her gently. “Mike was alone with you, just before the spirit left your body. I don’t know for sure, but I have a fairly good idea of what happened. It was killing you. He offered to let it possess him willingly, to save you.”

  Essa buried her head in her hands. Jake immediately moved to comfort her, and Aris wanted to do the same, but he knew he needed to take care of security first.

  It didn’t take him long to find a guard. “Avlo. Listen, call Jexin and the other guards. You need to arrest Mike and bring hi
m to the healing rooms. He’s been possessed by the spirit that had Essa. Quickly, now, this is on Essa’s orders.”

  “Of course, Issa.” Avlo sped off to do as he was told. Aris hurried back to Essa’s rooms. Once the spirit realized it had been discovered, it might try to kill Essa before it was contained. If it did, he would be there to protect her. She might have vampire speed and strength, but she was young and didn’t have the centuries of experience he and Apeo did.

  Essa had composed herself by the time Aris got back, but worry was still clearly written over her face. The moment he stepped inside, she pulled him into a hug. “Thank you, Aris. Without you, we might not have known until it was too late. How did you figure it out? Jake and Apeo told me you tried to tell them; you were the only one who knew.”

  “I’ve seen people having problems with their mates before, and I picked it up with you. It’s not common, so it makes sense that no one else noticed. I guess we’re just lucky I have experience in this area.”

  “We are. Thank you, Aris. I just hope Mike’s ok.” Essa wrapped her arms around herself, staring miserably at the floor. “Do we have any way to get the spirit out of him?”

  Aris exchanged a look with Jake and Apeo. He knew that any of them would make the same offer Mike had, letting the spirit take them to save him, but that wouldn’t help Essa. She’d be just as devastated if one of them was to die as she would be for Mike.

  That didn’t mean it was impossible, though. Aris was sure that, given the chance, many of the people within the Cherki palace would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the happiness of their Essa. He knew Essa would take a dim view of this idea and kept his thoughts to himself.

  “Let’s go see him in the healing wing,” he suggested simply, wondering what on earth they were going to do.

  Chapter 13

  Apeo

  The yells and obvious sounds of struggle coming from the healing ward only served to confirm that Mike was indeed possessed. Had he not been, he’d have no reason to fight Gali and the other healers. Perhaps if it had been him, Apeo would have fought whether he was in control of his body, but Mike was a lot more relaxed than he was. Mike would do as Essa would, and let the healers prove themselves wrong, if they were indeed wrong.

  He took Essa’s hand in his as they hurried past several harried healers. Gali was just fastening the restraints around Mike’s wrists.

  “How is he?” Essa asked, stepping closer to the bed.

  Apeo grabbed her wrist. “Do not get too close, Essa. You don’t know what the thing inside him will do.”

  Mike spat at him, which Apeo easily dodged. So, the spirit wasn’t even pretending that it hadn’t been caught. Perhaps the first experience with Essa had taught it that once discovered, there was no point in pretending.

  “I will destroy you all!” Mike snarled. “But not before I drain this host of all traces of life!”

  “Right, that’s enough. Gali, knock him out.” Aris put himself protectively in front of Essa. Gali followed the orders at once, injecting him with something that made Mike’s eyes roll back in his head in moments.

  Essa hurried forward, taking up his limp hand. “I’m so sorry, Mike,” she whispered. “I never should have doubted you.” She turned to Gali. “What can you do for him? You can stop the spirit killing him, right?”

  Gali shook her head sadly. “I will not stop trying, Essa, but it doesn’t look hopeful. From what I know of these kinds of possessions, once the spirit is inside its host, it has the option of drawing all their life force into itself. Once the host is drained, the body will die, and the spirit will be left stronger than ever.”

  Essa let out a small sob. The doors were flung open, and Assa strode into the room. “Mel, what happened?” She pulled her sister into a hug as Jake explained the situation.

  Assa bit her lip, staring at Mike’s prone form. “The team is still working on it. I’ll have them double their pace. We’ll do everything in our power to find a solution, Mel. We will. For now, you need to get out of here.”

  “W-what?”

  “The spirit knows it’s caught. It might try to get back into your body, which means you can’t be here. I’ve already got Dasek consulting the top authorities on warding malevolent beings. We’ll have your entire room protected. It won’t get to you.”

  Apeo gasped as Assa’s words sank in. Of course, he should have realized it before. Essa was vulnerable to the spirit. He grabbed her arm, and Aris snatched the other. They started hauling a protesting Essa out of the room. He knew he’d hear it from her for removing her without consent, but Apeo would rather face her anger than see her hurt.

  He only let go once she was in her room and the door bolted, not that a bolted door would do much against a spirit.

  “I’m going to find Issa Dasek, make sure he gets those protection measures in here at once,” Aris said, giving Essa a kiss, which she accepted sourly, before leaving and letting Apeo bolt the door behind him.

  “I’m sorry, Essa, but we had to get you out of there. Assa is right. We can’t have you possessed again.”

  “Yes, Apeo, and if you’d given me about three seconds to process, I would have come to the same conclusion. There was no need to drag me out like a criminal.”

  “We may not have had three seconds.” He shared a grim look with Jake. “We don’t know that the spirit is unaware just because Mike is. There’s too much we don’t know. I won’t risk you.”

  Essa rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further. “Do you think… do you think there’s any hope for Mike?” She stared desperately between Jake and Apeo.

  Apeo voiced the idea that he knew Aris was pondering as well. “There might be, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”

  “I’m willing to try anything.”

  “If you ask, you might get a volunteer to take on the spirit, to let it possess them voluntarily to save Mike.”

  She gaped at him. “But – but the spirit would kill them too. They’d be volunteering to die.”

  “For their Essa, the people would do it. I would offer myself if I thought you would accept it.”

  “No! No way, Apeo, how can you even think that? I’m not letting someone die for my happiness – it doesn’t matter if they volunteer, I can’t have that on my conscience.”

  “I told you that you wouldn’t like it.”

  “Well you were right. We’re not doing that. And I don’t want you going around asking for volunteers behind my back, you understand?”

  Essa did indeed know him well, because that’s exactly what Apeo had just been thinking. He wondered how angry she’d be if he went ahead anyway. Her anger would certainly outweigh her grief should Mike die… but he wasn’t sure about her guilt.

  As an Issa, he was well used to people giving their lives for him. It was unavoidable for royalty who had lived as long as he had. Essa had never experienced this, and he didn’t want to force her first time on her before she was ready. It wasn’t an easy thing to live with.

  The rest of the night passed uneasily. Aris came back after about an hour with a crew of workmen. Apparently, spirits were repelled by iron, so Essa’s entire room was being ringed in iron. The noise was so horrendous they had to relocate to Apeo’s chambers while it was done.

  Jake sat with Essa while Apeo and Aris had an animated discussion with the head builder over how to seal up the cracks between the door, windows and walls. Eventually, they decided that the doors and windows would have to go and be replaced with special sliding devices that slotted into themselves, leaving no gap.

  Then, they needed to consider ventilation. The room would be sealed up tightly, and would eventually run out of oxygen, though the door would inevitably have to be opened to bring food in. They’d have to check with Gali that Mike was still possessed each time before opening it…

  Apeo mentioned his worries about air to one of the guards, who promised to track down some scientists who could calculate whether a few minutes of having the door open to bring in
food would be enough to give the room sufficient oxygen.

  Essa managed to nap only when Aris and Jake lay down in bed with her, their soothing presence finally lulling her into sleep. Apeo couldn’t rest. He felt that at least one of them should be awake in case the spirit came back. Essa was vulnerable until her room was ready.

  Of course, he had no way of knowing if the spirit was in the room with them even now, but Apeo felt better giving some token of vigilance, nonetheless.

  The sun was just rising when Assa knocked and tiptoed in.

  “She is exhausted, Assa,” Apeo told her, bowing his head respectfully. He hoped that Assa wouldn’t wake Essa; she needed her rest.

  “I’ll leave her, then,” Assa whispered. “The room is almost done; she should move as soon as they’re finished.”

  Apeo didn’t know what kinds of threats or dollar amounts had been involved in getting the work crew to ring an entire room in iron in only a couple of hours, but he was impressed.

  Their wish to let Essa sleep became irrelevant a moment later, because even the soft sound of their voices was enough to rouse her.

  “Rachel? Is everything alright? How’s Mike?”

  “He’s the same, Mel. He woke up briefly, but Gali decided it was best to keep him sedated. She thinks it might slow the progress of the spirit as it tries to kill him, which could give us more time.”

  Essa nodded, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Can I see him?”

  “No.” Assa was firm on this point, which met with Apeo’s approval. “We can’t risk having you possessed again. I’m afraid you’ll be confined to your room until this is over. Don’t look at me like that, you know there’s no other way. Anyway, I came by because I have an idea.”

  Essa’s eyes lit up. “An idea to save Mike?”

  “Maybe, though I doubt you’ll like it.”

  “I’ve heard that before. It can hardly be any worse than some of the ideas I’ve been presented with. Hit me.”

  “We can kill him.” At first he thought she must be joking, but Assa didn’t so much as smile. Apeo was taken by the urge to hit her. How could she even suggest that! Fortunately, he’d been trained better than to attack a queen, and he managed to hold himself back while Assa continued.