Darkest Risings

by S. K. Yule

“Do you need a source?” Aldin asked his brother.

  “Yes, but so do you.” Ashe raised a brow and stared down at the ground beside Aldin where blood had started to pool beside his boot.

  “Yep.”

  Ashe and Aiston both hated using sources to replace their blood after injuries, but neither Ebony nor Avril could provide them blood while injured. While one vampire could feed from another under normal circumstances, if wounded, their blood would fight for supremacy, thus making the injury worse.

  Aldin nodded to Dominic and Conrad. Within minutes, the two had shimmered then reappeared with a man and a woman. They had both been compelled and would not sustain any undue trauma from being dinner for two vampires. Both would think they’d had an unpleasant dream and go on with life as usual.

  “I’ll take the woman,” Aldin said. He knew Ashe didn’t use other women as sources out of respect for Ebony.

  Aldin walked to the woman. She was tall with black hair and green eyes. Even though she wouldn’t remember him, he thanked her before biting into her wrist and taking the blood that would save his life. He only took what he needed, but he’d lost a lot, and the coppery taste hit him like heroine hit a drug addict’s veins. It was dangerous for a vampire to feed after losing too much blood. Although he may not want to hurt anyone he fed from, his body’s instinct and need to survive was sometimes overpowering.

  After a few moments, he tapped into every ounce of willpower he possessed and released the source’s wrist. He licked the small punctures to hurry the healing, and waited until Ashe was done feeding. Dominic and Conrad disappeared to return the sources, and he looked around at his brothers.

  “We have to find a way to stop this bullshit. The drifters will never be better than us, but the bastards outnumber us four to one. We have to do whatever is necessary to quell this uprising or there won’t be any of us left.” Aldin scraped some of the black goo from the bottom of his boot. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this angry, this bitter, this…helpless.

  “Are you suggesting we embrace what Ragnor and Mother told us? Are you willing to claim your life mate and welcome our true blood powers? Are you willing to accept the prophecy?” Ashe asked Aldin.

  Aiston stared at him in resolve. Surprisingly, there was no underlying sarcasm evident, as was usual for his brother the prankster. They both knew him well. He was not the settling down type. But would he embrace his viata amant when he found her if it meant the possibility of being one step closer to extinguishing the uprising? He chose not to think about it at this particular moment even though he knew the time was quickly approaching where he would be forced to face it head on.

  “I don’t know. What about Uriah?” Aldin asked.

  “No matter the situation. No matter what has happened in the past. No matter what feelings he may have for Mother over what she’s done to him. He is our brother, and thus, part of this family. As far as I am concerned, unless he proves to be a threat, he will be welcomed with open arms.”

  Aldin nodded along with Aiston. Family was always the most important thing. Which left the last question. “And what about Mother? Are we to act as if she hasn’t betrayed us? Are we to forget what she has done simply because she did it with the best of intentions?” Aldin loved his mother, but he couldn’t deny the anger he held for her over her betrayal. And if he were Uriah? He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forgive her. His heart ached for the brother he’d never met, for the years they’d missed out on knowing one another, for the pure hell Uriah must have endured being a prisoner all of his life.

  If the whole situation wasn’t a fucked up mess with his family smack in the middle, he’d find it amusing to see Uriah’s reaction when in the same room as his mother. Had he forgiven her? Did he hate her? Would he embrace him, Ashe, and Aiston? But none of this was amusing. It was a damn freak show at the circus. He wasn’t sure his family would ever fully recover from this mound of shit that had been dumped onto them.

  “I don’t know. I cannot tell you how to feel toward Mother, or Ragnor for that matter. We will all need to come to our own conclusions where that matter is concerned. I will confess, though, that I will not be able to simply turn my back and walk away from the woman who gave birth to me. She was a good mother to all of us. I can’t forget that anymore than I can forgive what she’s done.” Ashe sighed.

  “I think it would be best if we all take a little time for ourselves before Uriah arrives. Try to wrap our heads around everything and get a grasp on our emotions and focus on what needs to be done for everyone’s well-being. The family always comes first.” Aldin couldn’t believe those sensible words had just come from his mouth.

  He’d never been the sensible one. The hot-headed, scary-as-fuck, don’t-mess-with-me one, sure. But the sensible one? Never. Other than when fighting, he had a bad habit of letting his emotions rule him.

  “I agree. I have a beautiful wife and child I need to spend some time with. Not to mention the arduous chore of filling Ebony in on the details.” Ashe frowned.

  “Yeah. Avril is not going to be happy,” Aiston admitted.

  “Good thing I don’t have that to worry about,” Aldin said.

  Aiston and Ashe smirked at one another before shimmering. What the hell had that been about? Aldin shrugged and shimmered to his room. He needed to get cleaned up, maybe even lay down for an hour or two. While his injury was already healing, the blood loss was taking its toll on him. Shower. Nap. Kill a few more heavy bags in the gym. Sounded like a plan.

  Chapter Twelve

  Wilhemina sat cross-legged on the bed with her laptop in front of her. She’d been trying to concentrate on writing, but hadn’t had much luck. The journalist in her told her something big was up in the Aleksandrov household, wanted her to snoop around and find out exactly what. But her conscience scolded her. Ebony was her friend, had invited her as a guest into her home, and she should leave it be.

  The other problem was she wanted to find Aldin. From the glimpse she’d caught of him earlier, he hadn’t been any happier than any of his brothers. Then guilt gnawed at her belly. What if something terrible had happened? Ashe had Ebony, Aiston had Avril, and vice versa, but did Aldin have someone?

  “Maybe he has Alaina,” she muttered to herself.

  There was that spark of jealousy rearing its ugly head once again. Alaina hadn’t been unkind to her, but that didn’t mean Wilhemina liked the thought of the leggy blonde being anywhere near Aldin. And why exactly was that? You know exactly why. She sighed and pushed the laptop away.

  She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Aldin. His kisses set her on fire. His hard frame pressed against her made her want things, things she knew nothing about, things her body instinctively needed from him. He’d warned her off, had said that she wouldn’t like his dominance in the bedroom, but she refused to agree. Curiosity and pure horniness won hands down over caution where Aldin was concerned.

  She glanced at the clock and realized it had been hours since the commotion in the entryway earlier. It was late, and she doubted anyone would be up. After convincing herself that she wouldn’t bother anyone if she was quiet, she decided to have a walk around the mansion. She pushed her feet into her slippers and cracked open the door. The hall was dark other than various low lights here and there that were obvious night lights. She closed the door quietly behind her and began her exploration.

  An hour later, she was amazed. She knew the place was big, but big hadn’t been the proper term for it. Ginormous, humungous, and gargantuan were much better descriptions of the size of this place. And every inch of it was beautiful with rich colors, gorgeous paintings, and antique decorations with a flare of modernity that brought all of the old world charm into the present.

  If she were honest with herself, the place reminded her of someplace someone much more mature would live. She wondered if the family had come from money, if the estate had been passed down through generations because this house and its contents were worth a small fortune
. She was about to try to find her way back to her room when she heard the faint sound of music playing. She followed it to another long hallway.

  At the end was a door, and behind it lay the source of the music. She smiled. It had been a long time since she’d listened to Dream Theater. While her first love in music wasn’t progressive metal, she hadn’t been able to resist the talent of this band—especially the drummer. She leaned closer to listen, promising herself she’d only do so for a minute as she didn’t want to intrude upon anyone’s privacy. Although, she doubted anyone inside could hear her intrusion.

  Just as she was preparing to leave, the door jerked open and she jumped. Her heart thumped hard at the sight that greeted her. Aldin and those turquoise eyes stared down at her. While he didn’t look all that happy to see her, she was too sidetracked by the image of him in black jeans—top button undone—bare feet, and black t-shirt tucked into the waist of the denim to care much. The shirt was form-fitting and outlined his wide chest and broad shoulders to perfection.

  He was a god. Truly, she couldn’t ever remember seeing a man that came close to comparison in the looks department with Aldin.

  “What do you want?” he asked in a somewhat surly manner.

  She suddenly snapped out of the trance his sexiness had cast upon her. “I—I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

  “So you thought you’d creep around in the middle of the night?” He raised a brow.

  “I wasn’t creeping.” She straightened her shoulders and huffed. “I was looking around. And I wasn’t snooping either before you ask.”

  What an ass he was being, and why? What had she done to deserve his snide remarks? Nothing.

  “I’d say listening at someone’s door in the middle of the night is snooping.” He leaned against the door jamb in a pompous way that made her want to smack his face.

  Her fingers curled. At this very moment, he was irritating her nearly as much as he was turning her on. Did he have to be such a jerk? Really?

  “I said I wasn’t snooping. I was looking around, heard the music, and when I realized it was one of my favorite artists, I listened for a minute.”

  “Sure. You look just like the metal type to me.” Skepticism burned in his eyes.

  “Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands, for your information. And I don’t appreciate being called a liar.” Her temper was rising, something that rarely happened.

  “Hmm. I have to admit, you have surprised me.”

  He did look genuinely surprised. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

  He immediately raised his brow again after the words raced through her brain. How did he always look as if he knew exactly what she was thinking? It pissed her off even more that he seemed to read her so easily.

  “Be surprised all you want. I don’t care. I’m going back to bed before you wake up the whole household with that music.”

  “You want to listen for awhile?”

  His invitation caught her completely off guard. One minute he was insulting, the next he was asking her in to listen to music. Should she? She already knew the answer to that was probably no, but in the end, her damned curiosity won out yet again. She risked another glance at his stormy expression. Once she looked a bit closer, she saw more than just irritation in his eyes. She saw turmoil and wondered if he needed someone to talk to.

  She took a hesitant step toward him, and he moved to the side to allow her inside. The walls in his room were dark blue, nearly black, and the music was bordering on deafening. The walls in this place had to be amazing to filter out the sound as efficiently as it had. But then again, everything in this place was amazing. On one side of the room was a huge black desk with three laptops, several monitors, and various other gadgets.

  A black leather couch and matching chair sat in the opposite corner of the desk. There were no windows that she could locate, and the dim lighting made it hard to see. As she twirled slowly, she saw the biggest bed sitting in the far corner—opposite the desk—that she’d ever seen. It was a magnificent wooden monster four-post of a bed draped in sheer, dark blue fabric. A door across from the end of the bed, she assumed led to a bathroom.

  On the other wall, the same wall with the door she’d entered, hung a massive, flat screen television. Underneath it was a shelf with what she thought was probably every game system known to man. Beside the shelf was a red electric guitar and amp.

  “Do you play?” she asked loudly.

  The music softened.

  “I pick around on it when I have time,” he said from directly behind her.

  She startled at his closeness. “Maybe you could play for me sometime?”

  “Maybe.”

  He wasn’t exactly the most communicative guy she’d been around. He was decisive and got right to the point without elaboration. But she found elaboration was what she craved from him. She wanted to know him, wanted to find out what made him tick. But why? Because you think he’s hot. But she’d thought other men were hot in the past—not Aldin’s OMG hot, but nonetheless, and that alone had never made her want to get to know a guy. No. It was much more with him.

  He intrigued her. He was the poster child of bad boy, yet under his gruff, surly exterior there was a gentleman, a man with morals. If not, he would have never reacted the way he had at Drake’s. He would have simply finished what he’d started, taken what he’d sought without thought for her or her well being. That hadn’t been the case. He’d cared whether he wanted to admit it or not.

  “Are you still upset with me about the other night?” She turned to him, and barely held back a gasp. He was so close. His body heat emanated off him and hit her like a furnace. She could practically feel her pores welcoming the warmth, basking in it as if he was the sun.

  He grunted.

  “I guess that means yes.” She had an overwhelming urge to touch him.

  Her hand raised of it’s on volition, and her fingers hovered over his marvelous chest when he abruptly spun and went to sit on the black couch. He leaned back against the cushions and stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

  She never thought she could find a man’s feet as incredibly sexy as she did his, but she did. Everything about Aldin was masculine, hard, predatory. He was sex on a stick, and she wouldn’t mind taking a few licks. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing her hormones to behave before making her way to the couch and taking a seat beside him.

  * * * *

  Why had he let her in his room? Wilhemina was too much of a temptation for him. He wanted her, but he refused to subject her to his dominance. She would be appalled. Aldin closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and rubbed as if the pressure would somehow magically release her from his thoughts.

  “I don’t want to pry, but it’s obvious something happened earlier with your family. If you need to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

  Her voice was smooth, low, and husky. It caressed him with invisible fingers that stirred his cock to more life than he’d prefer. He could not remember the last time a woman affected him with such ease and speed. Even Alaina, the woman he thought he’d fallen in love with, hadn’t stirred him like Wilhemina did.

  Her scent alone calmed and soothed his inner demons while arousing and awakening his deep, dark needs. He wanted her, but he wasn’t what she needed. Nothing had changed. She was still an innocent, and he? He was not.

  And now she’d offered to listen to him. If she’d been anyone else, he’d have laughed in her face. He wasn’t a whiny bitch, nor did he confide in others about his problems. He was a man, and he took care of those emotions like any man should. Fighting, sex, playing video games, or listening to loud music. Perplexing thing was? A small part of him wanted to talk to her, wanted her to listen and tell him things would be okay. Because if she told him so, it had to be.

  Yeah. It didn’t make sense to him, but it was the truth. If the world was falling down around his ears, and Wilhemina assured him everything would
be all right, he’d believe her. He slowly opened his eyes to find her staring at him. She took his breath away. He wanted to touch her, run his fingers over her velvety skin, wanted to taste her lips, wanted to hear her breathy sighs as he pleasured her.

  “Thanks. But no thanks.”

  He didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in her eyes before she looked away from him. When all else fails, be the asshole you are.

  “You’re not an asshole, Aldin. I think you just have a lot on your mind at the moment.”

  Her whispered words made his heart beat in joy and his brain balk in terror. This time was not like in the gym when he’d thought he hadn’t spoken out loud. This time there was no doubt. She had heard his thoughts. That was one of the signs that she was his life mate. But how could she be? While she would be the most extraordinary viata amant he could ever hope to have, he doubted she’d thank Fate for saddling her with the likes of him.

  That’s what you get for inviting her into your room. The reason why he’d done that still baffled him. He’d been as surprised by his invitation as the look on her face had indicated she’d been. He should have let her go back to her room, but the thought of her being mad at him was near unbearable. He’d been a smart ass jerk to her, and he hadn’t blamed her for getting snippy with him.

  “No offense, Wilhemina, but at this moment, the last thing I want to do with you is talk.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath, spun around to face him, and his cock twitched when it became clear that she knew exactly what he’d meant by that remark. The fact that she wasn’t running for the door only encouraged his need for her to expand into a wildfire that burned through his veins.

  “You confuse the hell out of me,” she whispered.

  “I confuse the hell out of myself at times.” Like now. “But I don’t believe I’ve been confusing one bit about my feelings for you. I think I’ve made it very obvious that I desire you, Wilhemina. I’ve also made it clear that I am not the man for you. You are far too innocent for me.”