by L. L. Ash
“It’s a matter of business, Mags. It would bore you.”
“It’s not business,” Calix told Ariston, who turned in surprise. “It is time, brother. It’s time you join us.”
Ariston’s mouth popped open.
My heart went out to him as he schooled his features, standing with a bravado I knew he didn’t feel. His human days were behind him, and he had very little time to adjust to the fact.
“I am ready,” he said, voice a little too low and eyes a little too wide.
“Then let it be done,” Calix nodded, sliding a chair to the center of the room with little effort.
Ariston began to move forward but Maggie held onto his arm like a vise.
“Don’t,” she begged quietly.
“It is my duty. You know that. Go and do as your heart dictates, but this is what mine chooses for me.”
Maggie pouted before finally nodding and crossing her arms.
“I’m not going anywhere, big boy.”
“It may be disturbing to you,” Calix warned her.
“I’m staying. The fuck. Here.” she ground out.
“Suit yourself. Chrys?”
Chrys shrugged.
“I want to stay with my sisters. If that’s ok with you guys.”
“Fine. So be it.” He nodded and waved Ariston over to him.
Sitting down in the comfortable chair, he requested a pail be sent for by McKara before crouching in front of his brother.
“Bampás should be the one doing this,” Calix said, looking into his brothers eyes.
“He would if he could,” Ariston said, his voice cracking as he wiped under his eyes.
“I know it’s supposed to be the king doing this, but if you choose a different brother...”
“No. Do it as it’s supposed to be done, Cali. I’m fine. I just… I wasn’t prepared so soon.”
“Do you understand why I do this now?”
“I understand. Let’s just do it.”
McKara had returned with the pail that looked like a large metal plant pot and handed it to Calix who set it down beside Ariston.
“Just in case,” he told his younger brother before Haron interrupted.
“Do you remember when Leon was turned?” Haron asked “He didn’t listen to Bampás and threw up everywhere.”
“Fucking everywhere” Leon nodded, finding the memory amusing.
“So did Bion.” Calix smirked and the other brothers looked at him wide eyed.
“Seriously?” they asked and he nodded.
“Now. Have you any wishes before we proceed? Anyone you wish to stand beside you?”
I watched his eyes drift over to Maggie and hold before turning back to Calix and shaking his head in the negative.
“Then I’ll continue.”
Calix settled on his knees in front of his brother, and unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt before folding it up over his elbow.
Ariston was looking upward, his foot bouncing in anxiety until Calix pressed his hand over his knee and stopped him.
He looked into his eyes again before saying in a whisper that just the three of us could hear, “It is still your choice, Ris.”
“It’s not much of a choice at all,” Ariston said and settled the back of his forearm over the velvet arm of the chair.
Calix reached into his pocket and retrieved the knife he used on my dress just the day before. His eyes met mine for just a moment before he dragged the knife down his forearm, creating a large gash that blood began to drip from. Extending the knife to his brother, Ariston took it and sliced his in one quick, long slash.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment as a tear dropped across his cheek before he opened them again and gave a quick nod. Calix moved his arm and dripped his blood into his brother’s arm before pressing the wounds together.
“Now you are one of us, Ariston. For eternity.”
Their arms remained together for only a second longer before Calix removed his, a large X in blood mirrored their arms as they pulled apart.
Ariston sat there unmoving, a look of defeat on his face.
Everyone stayed still and quiet, minutes ticking by until Ariston lunged forward in his seat, groaning. He grabbed his chest and gasped and my heart clenched as he began to blanch.
“Ari?” Maggie whimpered as she came forward.
Her hand reached out to touch him but Calix caught it and looked at her, shaking his head.
Calix instead took Ariston’s hand in his and let him grip it in what must have been a painful grasp.
Ariston clenched over their joined hands, holding his stomach and groaning a little as all color drained out of him. Minutes he sat that way, sick, until finally he sat up in his chair. He looked a little worse for wear, but the startling difference was the pale white skin replacing the olivy glow he had always worn. His warm brown eyes replaced by the ice blue ones the rest of his kind wore. He opened his mouth to take a deep breath and I saw the prominent canines on top and bottom that hadn’t stuck out before. He was now one of them. One of the dead.
Tears gathered in my eyes as Calix patted his leg.
“There you go. The worst is over now,” he told Ariston before standing and helping him up.
Ariston was a little wobbly but managed to take a couple steps before taking a few more on his own.
“It feels so strange...” he murmured. “I can hear everything, smell everything. And fuck I’m hungry.”
“Then let’s get you something to eat, shall we?” Calix put his arm around his brother and led him back to the chair.
Nyx opened the door and had two men walk into the room wearing the servants white garb.
They approached their master as Calix waved them forward, then asked, “Who wants to go first?”
The men looked at each other for a split second before one spoke up.
“I will,” the larger of them said and came forward.
“Kneel,” Calix told him and the man obeyed, kneeling in front of Ariston.
Ariston looked down at the man then back at Calix.
“Is this necessary? I’ve had blood before.”
“You’ve never had it with the thirst, brother. It will take time to learn to control it.”
Ariston just nodded before palming the man’s head to the side, exposing his thick neck.
“Do not fear, man. I’ll stop him before he kills you.”
Maggie’s eyes widened almost as far as mine did with Calix’s discomfiting words.
Ariston took no more time to delay and bit down quickly. He slurped against the man’s neck, the sound echoing through the cavernous room with such silence surrounding us. The sight was not erotic like watching Calix feed or sharing kisses with the male slave. This was pure animalistic devouring of another’s lifeblood.
The man grunted several times as Ariston fed, sounding like the experience was painful, but in a show completely out of character for Ariston, he kept feeding despite the man’s discomfort.
“Enough, brother,” Calix stopped him after another minute of drinking.
“I’m still hungry,” Ariston growled but Calix managed to pry the man away from him.
The man was bleeding profusely out of the gaping wound Ariston had left, blood dripping in fat rivulets down his neck and chest as he tried to stand. Calix made quick work of using his knife to knick his finger and gave it to the man. He took the offering quickly and thoroughly before taking his hand away from his now-healed neck.
Waving the next one forward, the man knelt where the other had been and Ariston dug in again.
Ariston eventually pulled away from the other man, blood dripping off his lips and a wild expression on his face that reminded me of the psycho killer that had almost gotten me a few weeks ago. Was this what the vampires were without the regulations and rules? Without society were they just a bunch of mad, hungry beasts?
“Take the day to recover, Ris. You’ll feel more yourself in the evening.”
Ariston
nodded, wiping his lips on his shirt, staining the white sleeve crimson before standing and meandering out of the room.
The entire population of the room exhaled the moment he left and began looking at each other.
“What the hell was that?” Chrys was the first one to speak.
Nyx smiled and made her way quickly to my brother’s side.
“He is one of us now,” she smiled at him, stroking her hand through his hair.
“He… he ate those guys!”
“I ate you!” She grinned.
He considered that then nodded.
“Still though. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“And you likely never will again,” she pawed at his face. “Now take me to bed. I’ve grown tired of all the drama of the night.”
His cheeks flamed as he looked around at Maggie and me
“Come,” Nyx called to him as she headed toward the door.
Like a puppy, Chrys bowed his head and followed her.
“Tonight at least,” Calix told my sister as he sidled up to me, pulling my into a side embrace. “Stay away from him. He is volatile. Wait until the transformation is complete.”
“What the hell was that?” she repeated Chrys’s words.
“He turned, Maggie. You may not wish to be with him after this. I suggest leaving it all be and not leading on with him. It will only go badly for you.”
“You’re insufferable, you know that?” She frowned at him. “And I’m not leaving him alone.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged but I could see the worry on his face.
Maggie stomped off, followed by the rest of the sisters.
“So it’s done,” Leon said in a low, somber voice to Calix.
“It needed to be. Ris wasn't safe as a human. He wasn’t ready, but none of us are. They have dumped us all into the deep end and they will regret the moment they decided to do it. We are Drakos and we only come out of the kiln harder and stronger. Now that I am king I can start on my plan for revenge.”
“What is your plan?” Leon asked him, but Calix shook his head.
“If you want to know, come to my office. I’ll be making phone calls now that the sun has risen.”
“I’ll follow you,” Leon nodded and the two started out the door.
“Cal?” I called and he turned around.
“You should go to bed,” he told me.
The look in his eyes was almost void of life. He looked angry and ready to start killing.
“I’m staying with you,” I insisted.
Calix waved his brother on toward the office before touching my shoulder.
“What happens now… It is not pleasant, Lily. You like me as the gentle mate, the attentive lover. I have to be the king now, and I must make decisions that will take many, many lives. You are not hardened enough to see this side of me.”
“I’ll never be hardened enough for that side of you, Calix. But I am your mate, and I will keep you grounded through this. That is what a loved mate is for. Right?”
He sighed and pressed his fingers into his eyes before rubbing in circles.
“It is your choice, Antheia Mou. I just hope you don’t hold against me what I must do.”
“The only thing I’ll hold against you is me.” I smiled at him and his face finally broke into a smirk.
“That was cheesy.” He met my eyes with a grin for a second before turning, taking my hand and strolling to his office.
Inside Leon was sitting in a chair across the desk and I noticed Heron sitting near him.
“What about Bion and Ariston?” I asked as I took my typical seat in a brand new chair behind and to the left of Calix’s.
“Bion has made a choice not to support me in this role. At least for now. And Ariston is in no shape right now to deal with this. The three of us will handle the preparations.”
“And what have you in mind as restitution for what the bastards have done to us?” Leon asked and Heron leaned forward, waiting on every word.
Calix sat back in his chair and steepled his hands.
“The Wraiths,” he said in a low voice and I watched Leon gulp while Heron’s face split in a devilish smile.
“The bastards will pay,” Heron whispered, fisting his hands.
“For what they’ve done to you, brother,” Calix looked at him directly, “And for what they have done to the rest of the family, they will pay with more than just their lives. Every last one of the royals will die before the next full moon.”
“Are the Wraiths ready?” Leon asked, stuttering. “The Section 12 is still so new. We’ve been working on them for a couple of decades now but we’ve never actually implemented them before.”
“I think they are ready.” Calix nodded thoughtfully. “They have been training incessantly at their kings order. And now they will get revenge for his death. Thomas!”
Calix’s sudden shout had my jumping.
“Yes Prince?” Thomas asked the moment the door opened.
“Gather all our people. There is an announcement to be made. Also call the president and the senators. I want them in LA by tonight.”
“Yes, Sir,”
The president? My brain burning with questions, I managed to keep my mouth shut.
“I’ll work this through with the proper methods. The Dorians may not have a code, but I will not break the laws our father upheld.”
“And you shouldn’t,” Leon agreed. “We’re civilized, after all.”
“But the treaty signed thousands of years ago is no longer to be upheld. They started it, and I will finish it.”
The brothers nodded in approval.
“If any of you see Bion you can mention that we’ve discussed our plan. Nobody mention the wraiths or Section 12 to him. Is that understood?”
They looked confused until Calix went on.
“I would like to believe that Bion is loyal enough to be on his family’s side after current events, but when I was chosen over him, I cannot guarantee where his loyalty lies now that he does not answer to Bampás.”
The brothers nodded again.
“And that stands for Ariston, too. The boy is loyal but he is too young. If we are to succeed we must keep this between us.”
They agreed before leaving the room.
“Cal, I have so many questions,” I told him slowly.
“I’ll answer what I can, but first I have to make a phone call.”
Calix wiggled around in his chair completely ungracefully as he retrieved his phone from his pocket, then he yelled for Thomas again.
“When and where?” Calix asked him when he appeared through the door.
“Nine o’clock tonight. At the Marriott.”
“Fine.” Calix nodded and Thomas disappeared again.
Still sitting in his chair, he dialed into his phone then placed it to his ear.
Somehow seeing him with technology was strange. Living in this archaic underground castle with his penchant for old things and outdated speech, he seemed to belong in another time. Seeing him with modern tech, he almost became scary.
“General,” Calix said into the phone after a moment. “I am no longer prince. Yes. Thank you. I’ve put into motion operation Eden.”
A pause.
“We’re gathering here at ten. Marriott hotel. ”
With that Calix hung up.
“I thought your meeting was at nine?” I asked him after he set his phone down on his desk.
“The humans will meet at nine. They’ll wait for my arrival as the humans should. I am their master, not the other way around.”
“But...it’s the president!”
“And who made him such?” Calix raised an eyebrow.
“Oh my God… You’re not saying...”
“I control the government in the United States. It’s my country, they just do the menial work.”
My belly roiled as he turned back to his desk.
Tapping on the door had us both turning.
“They are assembled,”
Thomas said, poking his head in.”
“I’ll be there momentarily.” Calix nodded at him and he left just as quickly as he’d come.
“Now the announcement,” Calix said with a sigh, standing and gripping the table.
I quickly stood up and went to him, gripping his arm with my hand, trying to look in his eyes.
“I wasn’t ready to take this on so soon,” he whispered. “Bampás was supposed to walk me through this. I’m going to learn this, trial by fire. I just pray to the Gods that I make the right decisions. That I’m making the right decisions now.”
“You...” I told him, taking his chin in my hand the same way he’d done to me a thousand times before, “are a supreme being. You’ve lived a thousand years, and have the experience of a dozen men. You are sharp, intelligent, thoughtful, passionate, and you don’t take no shit from anybody.”
That pulled a little smile from him.
“And you’ve got more confidence than I’ve ever seen on anyone in...ever. You know your power, your limits. You are the perfect man for this job, and you won’t fuck it up. I promise.”
He huffed a little laugh and dipped his head down.
“You’re perfect,” he whispered against my lips before pressing his against them.
The gentle pressure reassured me for some reason. Of what? I had no idea. But soothing warmth spread through me that wasn’t lust for the first time. I felt giddy and happy and frightening in a good way. He was my future, and I carried his baby in my belly.
I really, truly loved him.
“Not perfect,” I whispered when he moved away just an inch. “But pretty close.”
He chuckled and touched my cheek, smoothing his hand against it before letting go.
“Let’s go make our debut, yes?” he asked and took my hand.
I nodded and gripped his hand back, following him down to the third floor.
The room was quiet as we entered. Leon and his mates stood there along with Heron as Calix walked through the ranks. Everyone’s eyes were on us until he stopped, roughly in the middle and at the side of his brothers.
“A new king has been chosen,” Calix said in a booming voice he rarely used. “My sisters have decided that I shall be the one to lead us through this tragedy and into this new era. My brother Ariston has also joined our ranks today, and he will join us as one of us presently.”