“What is it?” I asked, curious as to why he would send all five of us. I wasn’t necessarily going to accept unless it would benefit the protection of the others.
“I went back to Fier’s Council today,” Tythian interrupted. “He seems unsuspecting of my involvement, although my gift appeared to be a surprise to him. They assume that you and Chase are dead, by the way, after his commandment of the sabers being led to your Guild. It was rumored that a small team of Oppollo’s will be moving towards the meeting place within a few days, before Oppollo goes personally. We need to intersect them.”
“Why?” I asked. “What is your obsession with his Council?” I asked, recalling the name from our previous discussion. Cesar’s expression changed and he gritted his teeth.
“Because he has the biggest Council and he will most likely rein over the rest of them, if it came to an all-out war. I won’t allow that. Until then, we have a few things that need to play out. Your familiar,” Cesar paused, holding my eyes. “He cannot stay here, nor your Hunter friends. The coven is moving restlessly, you’ve impressed a few with your leadership on the assassination last time, but that will not hold off the rest. There is only one way he can weave in and out of this coven. And that is that he reclaims his own coven and aligns with ours. We already have an agreement with another two.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I asked. Chase made it very clear he wanted no involvement with them.
“Then I will kill him,” Cesar said, bluntly. I snarled in rage at him, but my mother stepped in between.
“Please Esmore, listen,” she said, calmly. My fangs only hurt more as I bared them at my own mother. How could she side with him over me? “It’s the only way we can keep you safe. We need the numbers.”
“I never asked for such treatment! I would rather be on my own with them; than locked within this coven, trying to find a way out!” I spat harshly. I stormed off, before I forced action upon them that I would regret. Tythian followed me silently.
“Is our agreement still in place?” I asked desperate to get Dillian and Julia away from this place safely. If I could have Tythian teleport us all out of here and near the human camp that we trafficked humans, then they might find a place they could be safe.
“If you have found Whitney’s brother’s identity, then yes,” he said, impartial.
“I did. I looked him dead in the eye without realizing it,” I said, stopping and giving him the satisfaction to know he could have his revenge. His face twitched as I spoke the words. “When I found out his identity, I wanted to rip out his very throat. Whitney was not my familiar, but she never deserved such a death. He, Charlie, continues to practice on humans within that compound the same way. I saw it destroy a human within minutes in front of my very eyes. You show us out and I will even help you into the walls inside to kill him. Yolo, of course, has nothing to do with this agreement.”
Tythian crossed his arms, looking around to see if anyone else heard.
“Agreed. I still want my revenge on Fier,” he said simply.
“And you will get it,” I hissed. “I have a few things I need to handle right now as well. “But I promise you, I want that vampire dead as much as you do. We will kill him together.”
With vampire speed, I swept through the tunnels and opened the doors to Cesar’s room. The smell of freshly cooked meat hit my nose. I looked over to the dining table where Dillian, Julia and Balzar sat. Balzar swirled and enjoyed a glass of blood. Dillian and Julia were obviously uncomfortable as they ate, and yet they still sat at the one table, even though he had attacked them previously.
“Oh this,” Balzar said light-heartedly as he pointed between them. “This is a peace offering and apology.” I took two steps to the right, looking over at Yolo and Chase who were oddly positioned and twisted on the floor - only their hands and feet touching the odd colored mat.
“Oh, hey Honey,” Chase said, with a grunt of effort. “Want to join us in a game of Twister? It’s a bit before your time, but you will learn quickly.”
“Red!” Yolo laughed at Chase. Chase looked behind him at the furthest corner. Yolo was twisted beneath him. Chase arched his arm awkwardly backwards, his arm twisted until a define snap was heard. He breathed threw it, placing his hand down.
“Hey!” Yolo yelled. “No breaking bones! That’s cheating.”
“No it’s not. I reached the spot, didn’t I?” Chase mused. His leather jacket swept over Yolo’s figure, his shirtless chest was awkwardly positioned.
“Eww, dude that’s so nasty. It’s like sticking out grossly, look how it’s healed back. I forfeit, that’s nasty!” Yolo said. With vampire speed, Yolo created a small breeze in the room. He snatched the glass from Balzar’s hand and took a sip. I looked at them in shock. What had I just walked in on?
“Eww you smell gross,” Chase mused as he walked over to me, reconfiguring his arm. “You smell like men, like heaps of testosterone. What did you do, become their queen or something?” Chase teased.
“I think Sydney has the hots for her,” Yolo mused as he poured his own glass of blood.
Chase arched an eyebrow. “Sydney,” he purred. “Sounds like such a heroic name. Like ecstasy. I could only imagine his bulky arms and his-”
“Shut up,” I said, slapping his bare chest. “And he does not, Yolo.” I rubbed my temples, unsure as to how I walked in on this odd gathering.
“Mmmm Sydney,” Chase laughed. “Seriously but, his smell is all over you. I am going to have to scrub that beautiful body of yours and claim it as mine all over again.”
“Are you ready to go?” Tythian asked Chase. Tythian and my mother walked into the room behind me.
“I have a surprise for you,” Chase smiled. “Since you came back and didn’t break your vamp barrier, I thought I’d treat you,” he mused, grabbing my nose and pinching it. He swept my legs out from beneath me and held me close to his chest.
“Where are we going? I am not leaving without Dillian and Julia, and we have things we need to plan,” I forced, trying to escape Chase’s firm grip.
“They will be well looked after. This I can promise to you. Esmore, we have a lifetime together of things to plan. We are allowed a few hours selfishly to ourselves,” Chase mused and kissed the top of my forehead. “Come on my beautiful baby vamp. We are going to teach you how to be a proper vampire.” Tythians hand firmed around both of us. Again, I was swept into utter darkness, before our next location was revealed.
M y mind swirled and I attempted to press down the nauseous felling that swelled up my throat. I focused on my bearings. Teleporting so often made me feel nauseous. Surely there was a toll on the body; or perhaps it hardly affected those who were beyond human. A cool breeze of wind gushed past me. I squinted at the pillowing white before me, trying to see through it. Tythian vanished and left Chase and I alone in a swirl of snow. We stood on frozen water where large icebergs peaked. The temperature was freezing, it had to be; yet my skin did not react. This had to be because of my vampire self, even my Hunter self would have been cold in such temperature.
Chase still held me firm to his chest, smiling. His leather coat flapped against the wind as his bare chest was unaffected by the freezing temperature as well. I brushed my finger over his hard nipple, which still seemed to respond to the temperature.
“It’s so nice to be out,” he charmed. He began walking, still holding me in such a way.
“Are you going to let me down and explain to me what is happening right now?” I asked with my arms wrapped around his neck. I knew it was pointless to argue with him. When Chase decided to do something even if irrational, he was determined to see it through no matter how stupid it seemed. I couldn’t help but continuously think about Dillian and Julia’s safety. My mother must have returned to the room for protection as well. Although none of the coven had yet made a move, it was still something that was plausible, and wasn’t a risk I wanted to take. Chase flicked my forehead. I rubbed it out of reflex.
“Stop th
inking about it. You are lucky you don’t age and your skin doesn’t sag, or you would be a bag of wrinkly skin,” he laughed. I punched him in the chest.
“Why, are you saying you wouldn’t care for me then?” I said, naturally being swayed into the atmosphere Chase created. I felt him hovering over my mind, calming me. I didn’t think it was something he now consciously did, but as soon as we were together, this was the effect he had on me.
“Well it would just be troublesome, because I would still be ravishingly handsome. Don’t you think people would question it?” He smiled, sliding his hand and grabbing a firm grasp on my ass. With vampire speed, he swept through the blizzard until we approached a rocky and frozen wall.
Chase looked at my chest, grabbing a hold of the blue gemmed necklace he had given me so long ago, to claim me as his within the Vampire Council. It matched his singular earring of the same gem. “But, I would still keep you none the less. Maybe feed you soup every day. If you give me sass though, I would starve you for a day at a time,” he teased. “But you will forever be mine.” He stepped closer, his gray eyes pooled into me. It was overwhelming to feel this warmth and sensation; I could only feel this with a chosen few. And with Chase, it was heated passion and a possessiveness I never knew was contained within me. But there was softness. He was the only person I naturally stripped in front of, and showed my weakness that lay within.
“Why did you bring me here, Chase?” I asked. My eyes danced over his perfectly formed stomach that was so chiseled. I was surprised he hadn’t made a joke about them cutting ice yet. A smile pulled up at his lips as he must have heard that thought. “Get over yourself.” He cupped the back of my neck, his tongue dominating mine. He pushed me against the cold icicle wall which left a burning sensation on my skin. Perhaps, my skin did feel the cold. His tongue pushed deeper against mine as I dragged my nails down his stomach wanting more. I wanted his warmth to fill me entirely as his touch spread through my entirety.
He pulled away with a smile, a knowing smile, of what I wanted so much from him.
“Whoever scales the wall first wins! Whoever losses, has to skinny dip in that freezing ass water. You might not feel it now, but when you jump into such extreme temperatures, oh yea your body will get a shock,” he teased. “When you get to the top, be quiet.” I left my hand to linger on him, smiling at the challenge. He gave me one more passionate kiss, before releasing me. “Cheer for me as I kick your ass Baby Girl. Go!”
We both had firm grips on the wall, and dug a firm grip into the slippery mess as we scaled. At vampire speed, the twenty meter cliff edge was already scaled. Chase had beaten me by only a few seconds. He rested against the cave entrance, pretending he had been waiting for a lifetime. He pressed his finger to his lips to remind me to be silent.
“There is an animal in here. We are not going to kill it. I am going to teach you how to paralyze and drink from it, learning to stop in time,” Chase said within my mind.
“Paralyze it? What creature is it?” I asked. He grabbed my hand, and slowly walked me into the dark cave entrance.
“It’s rather ironic, actually. They were thought to have gone extinct, but when the world went into devastation and began freezing back over, they were one of the animals to survive. Not many sabers survive around these parts, the Antarctic, as they fall into holes and get trapped beneath the surface of frozen water. This is a Polar Bear, they still hibernate during the colder time, which is ultimately always, but they have adjusted in their own measure,” Chase said, as he led me towards a corner of the cave. In there was a giant creature with beautiful thick white fur. It was stunning. It slept, unsuspecting of our presence.
“All vampires can inject venom. It is used for two reasons. One you can paralyze your victim. But it must be portioned, if you use too much then that is how you turn another into a vampire. If they were to die with that much venom in their system, then they would come back as vampire. If that were to happen, there would be a very hard bond between them to break. Vampires who don’t know how to control their venom are dangerous. If they are only a new vampire themselves and create another vampire, then that vampire would more than likely be reborn with defective. I’ve seen it happen a few times. It caused such a yearning between the two, that when the defected vampire dies from either starving out or being killed by another vampire, it leaves an emotional blow on the original vampire. I’ve seen vampires commit suicide over this bond,” Chase informed me.
“I didn’t know vampires could do that,” I said, digesting this information.
“There is a lot that you don’t know yet, which is why I am going to teach you. Tythian spoke about this place a lot. Apparently, he brought Whitney here a lot because she loved to watch the polar bear sleep and pat it. I asked Tythian to bring me here to train you.” Chase still held my hand firmly, smiling at my disgruntled expression. “He doesn’t always ask for something in return, Esmore. Let your conscious be free of that. I owe him nothing for this. You seem to forget that, Tythian and I, have known one another for many lifetimes now.”
“Everything I ask of him, he has a price,” I frowned. Was it because Tythian knew I was weak; that I couldn’t achieve my own goals without him?
“That is because he can see you are in a position of power that will aid him. And you are, Esmore, you have a lot of power right now, even when you don’t realize it. But, whatever he has asked of you, please tell me. If it puts you in danger, I won’t allow it.” I stared into his beautiful gray eyes, wanting to tell him everything. I no longer wanted to hide it from him. But those bargains we had made, I had hid from Chase on purpose. I couldn’t tell him, that we were aiming to take down his deceased mothers’ familiar, Fier, who was like a step-father to him. And that my mind still focused on my team members from my Hunter Guild; I couldn’t let that part of me go no matter how much he hated Hunters. I couldn’t admit to him that I was willing to give Tythian the key to Whitney’s brother and watch him as he slaughtered him. I don’t think Chase would have minded that bargain, but there was a certain darkness that stirred within me, that would find relief and wanted to join in on that motive; that was the part I was scared for Chase to see. Chase calmed me, restrained that darkness within me. What would he think of me if he knew I wanted at times to delve in that darker side and enjoy that blood thirsted nature?
“Show me how to paralyze it,” I interjected, while I still hid all these thoughts from him. I could feel Chase scan over my mind, hoping for an inclination of what those thoughts might be. I had learnt from Tythian, how I could block certain thoughts, specifically from Chase. His expression was saddened that I had used it against him yet again. I didn’t want Chase to see the evil that lay inside; the beast that cooed to me and thirsted for these bargains to be sought out. I didn’t want him to see the ugly beast that lay within, because I feared that it would claw through me and into him and devour him whole. He was my sanctuary; he was my calm and the only thing that could seclude me from that darkness. I needed Chase’s purity. I could not allow him to be a part of the darkness that I danced in.
“Come on,” he whispered, and led me closer to the Polar Bear. He crouched down in front of it, insisting I did the same. I watched it as it slept, almost majestically. This was a creature that had survived from all those years ago. Here, peacefully sleeping. Knowing that it should hide in a cave, high up where no one should be able to find it.
Chase’s fangs were far larger than mine, showing our age difference and experience. I wanted to reach out and touch them. It felt as if it had been a long time since Chase and I had been like this, in our purest and very real form. My eyesight glazed over purple as my Hunter eyes and fangs over swept me with relief. Chase shuffled around silently, to dip me closer towards the Polar Bears neck.
“You must be quick, because it will stir. We don’t want to cause it stress. It will come naturally to you. Just think of yourself injecting, instead of sucking. The effects are almost instant. But remember to control it, only a
little bit. We want to affect its bloodstream, not over run it with our venom,” Chase educated me. I nodded and held my golden blonde plait to the side. I looked at the white fur of its neck. I had never bitten through fur before. I wondered how the texture would feel on my tongue. I bit into the bear’s neck, doing exactly as Chase instructed. The bear woke, but only for a moment. I released the venom Chase spoke of. Within two seconds the bear was silent once again. Chase stroked the head of the bear. I pulled away from its neck and looked at my achievement, a small black liquid dripped from the bite I had left. I wiped it and rubbed it between my fingers. It was a sticky like substance. The smell of my venom couldn’t over power the smell of its now open wound. My body throbbed to taste this fresh blood.
“Go ahead Esmore, this is what it is used for. You must be starving by now,” Chase said, still patting its head. I looked between him and the bear uncertain. I craved for it, but feared if I had a taste, I would not be able to stop. I had tried to control myself for so long now. “It’s okay.”
I delved into the bear’s neck savagely, enjoying the hot stream that flowed into my mouth. The metallic taste of its blood filled me and pooled into my blood stream, like I so thirsted for. My stomach felt hot and heavy. The food that I ate could not nourish me; this is what my body needed. My grip tightened around the creature as I hungered for more. I needed more. It wasn’t quenching my thirst.
“Esmore,” Chase whispered and pushed back a piece of my fringe. “If you don’t stop, you will kill this creature.” I continued draining it. His words were incoherent to me. I was not full.
“Esmore,” Chase said again. “I will not stop you. This will be a consequence if you have no control. Do you really want to kill this creature you thought to be so peaceful and majestic?” I felt his fingers faintly roll over the back of my neck. I wanted more, but I could hear him clearly. My conscious now back in. I felt my eyes pinning, as if they narrowed further down on my prey, an instinct to continue eating. But Chase was right; I didn’t want to kill this creature. I pulled away and scampered to the other corner of the cave, so I wouldn’t be as tempted. The smell still swarmed me and I wasn’t sure if I could resist much longer. I looked at Chase my fangs still revealed and my tongue panting for more. Parched, I felt even thirstier.
Token Vampire (Token Huntress Book 2) Page 15