Blood Craving

by Gabrielle Bisset

  A new ability? The thought sent a shiver of terror through Ramiel. Already Theron aged much faster than other children and had shown himself to be a clyten. What was next? The ability to fly? Set things on fire with his mind?

  Each choice that entered his head sounded worse than the one before. Maybe it would be a good ability, like healing faster. That was unlikely, though, since he basically possessed that by being a clyten.

  “Let me get Noele.”

  He met her as she was coming down the hall and took her hand in his. “Dante needs to talk to us.”

  “Did something happen when he took Theron to the beach? He seemed so happy when he got back. He even showed me the sand he brought home in his shoe.”

  “He thinks he’s gotten a new power.”

  Ramiel’s words hung in the air like a weight covering them. They loved their son, but such a special child presented challenges for them both.

  Noele squeezed his hand for support and walked with him toward the living room. “It’ll be okay, honey. He’s our son and we’ll love him no matter what.”

  Hoping to lighten her mood a little, he joked, “Sure. I just hope he hasn’t suddenly got the ability to turn people into toads when he gets mad at them. It might make disciplining him a bit hard.”

  She sat down in the chair opposite Dante, and Ramiel took his place behind her. The clyten had heard his attempt at a joke and said, “It isn’t the toad thing, but you’re close.”

  “He’s close?” Noele looked up at Ramiel with fear in her eyes. “What are we going to do?”

  Gently, he touched her shoulder to ease her mind. “It’s going to okay. We’ve handled everything so far. We’ll handle this.”

  She smiled and nodded. “You’re right. We’ll be fine.” Turning back to face Dante, she said, “Okay, what is it?”

  He leaned forward and balanced his elbows on his knees. His grin returned, he seemed to be enjoying himself. “I noticed when we were at the beach today. There was this incredibly hot woman in this bathing suit that barely covered all the good parts, and I was checking her out so bad. She saw me, and I knew with just a little work I could have her. She was totally giving me a look—”

  “Dante!” Ramiel roared. “Get to the goddamned point!”

  His eyes flashed a look of shock at the sound of Ramiel’s voice bouncing off the walls around them, and he held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Be cool. I was just trying to give the full flavor of the story.”

  Noele gently held Ramiel’s hand and tried to calm the situation. “It’s okay, Dante. We’re just a little on edge with the news that our son has another power. I’m sure Ramiel didn’t mean to overreact.”

  He shot the clyten a nasty look and mumbled, “Overreact my ass. Just tell us so we can figure out how to deal with it.”

  “Sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to upset you two. It’s not anything bad, though. Kali was right. Well, partially right. He can read minds like Terek, but I think it might be something more than even that.”

  Reading other people’s thoughts.

  Just what Ramiel had been dreading since he’d heard that Kali thought it would an ability Theron could someday possess. Someday he might have been able to deal with, but now? He was still just a child, even if he looked more and more like he might reach puberty at any moment.

  “How do you know, Dante?” Noele asked. “I haven’t seen anything that would lead me to believe he can read the thoughts of others like Terek can. What happened?”

  “Well, as I was saying, I was checking out that hottie at the beach today, and while I was admiring her charms, so to speak, Theron told me she liked me.”

  Ramiel settled his gaze on Dante and hoped that was all he had to back up his idea because if that was it, he was probably wrong. “That’s it? He’s a kid. He thinks everyone likes you. Why, I have no idea.”

  Noele shot him a glance to let him know she thought he was being difficult with their babysitter. “Dante, it’s possible, but Theron might have just said that because he saw you liked her.”

  “I know. I know. It sounds flimsy, but I tested him after I asked her out to see if he knew what I was thinking and he was right on it.”

  “You asked a woman out when you were at the beach with our son?” Ramiel growled, trying to keep his anger in check. “You’re with him to watch him, not check out some woman’s ass and hope you can get with her.”

  “It’s not like that, but you guys remember being single, don’t you? He was having fun, and I was never more than a few feet away at all times. She thought he was a cute kid too. Who knew toting a kid around would help a guy pick women up?”

  “I think we’re getting off the point, Dante,” Noele said far more sweetly than Ramiel thought she should have. “Maybe we should see if he can read our thoughts. That might be best.”

  As she ran off to get him, Dante smiled up at Ramiel. “Don’t be mad. Nothing bad happened. You can’t begrudge me a date with a hot woman, can you?”

  “Just keep your single guy life out of my kid’s days or you’re going to find out what happens when Noele can’t convince me not to beat the hell out of you. Got it?”

  “I got it,” Dante said in a sulking voice.

  Noele returned with Theron in tow and sat him down on her lap. “Honey, I want to play a little game, okay? Can you tell me what Uncle Dante is thinking right now?”

  Theron looked intently at his babysitter for a long moment and said quietly, “He thinks Daddy’s going to hit him.” Turning to look at Ramiel, he asked, “Are you going to hit Uncle Dante, Daddy?”

  “Not right now.”

  Quickly, Noele changed the subject. “Okay, honey. What about Mommy? Do you know what Mommy’s thinking?”

  Their son shifted on her lap to look at her and nodded. “You’re saying two in your head, but you’re really thinking Uncle Dante was right. I wish you’d be thinking of going for ice cream. Can we get ice cream, Mommy?”

  Kissing him, she lowered him to the floor. “Very good. You’re so smart, Theron. Do me a favor and go play with your toys while Mommy and Daddy talk to Uncle Dante.”

  Not knowing that his mother’s game had truly been a test, the boy ran off to the next room to play with his toys while the three adults sat silently for a long time. When Noele finally spoke again, Ramiel knew Theron’s ability to read minds wasn’t like Terek’s at all.

  “He was right about what I was thinking. I tried to think of the number two and was saying it in my head, but in truth, I was thinking that what you’d said was correct. But it’s more than that. When he said that about the ice cream, it was like he made the thought of me taking him for ice cream jump into my mind like I’d thought of it first.”

  Dante’s eyes grew wide. “Are you saying he can control thoughts too?”

  “I don’t know. I just know what he did with me. I think we’re going to have to watch him.”

  Ramiel sensed the fear in his wife’s voice and shared it. Reading minds was one thing. Controlling them was entirely different and potentially very dangerous, especially in a child.

  Nico and Dante waited for Ramiel in one of the Order’s meeting rooms, and as he closed the door behind him, he saw that the clyten had already informed Nico of the new developments with his son. The knitted eyebrows and slight frown on the Greek’s face told the story of what he thought.

  Theron having the ability to read minds and control thoughts certainly made the child an interesting addition to the mix of issues the Sons and the Order had to deal with. Ramiel had accepted that his son would eventually take Thane’s place in the Sons of Navarus, but he hadn’t thought it would be as soon as it looked or that he’d be so much more powerful than any of them.

  “Ramiel, we need to discuss what to do with Theron.”

  He took a seat and sighed. Already Ramiel didn’t like the direction this meeting was taking. “I thought we were here to talk about Vasilije and the success he’s been having in the east.”

 
Nico shook his head. “Whatever he’s doing there with the dragons is nothing compared to us having a member who can read and control others’ thoughts. This could be a game-changer for us.”

  “No way. Theron is a child. He’s not ready to be one of us. I won’t let it happen.”

  Dante slowly backed his chair away from the conference table, as if he expected it to quickly become the site of a brawl between the two Sons. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as both Nico and Ramiel leveled their gazes at one another.

  “You can’t approach this as his father. He’s been prophesied to be what we will need to win this war.”

  Tapping his knuckles on the dark wood table, Ramiel shook his head. “I can only think of this as his father. I am his father. Thane may have contributed the DNA, but from the moment he was conceived, I’ve been there with Noele. We’re his parents, and my job is to make sure he’s not used like a tool before he’s old enough to handle his own life.”

  “If we wait until he’s old enough, there won’t be any of us left to fight. The Archons will have defeated our side and the world as we know it will be gone forever.”

  “I know what’s at stake here. He’s still a child, though, and until I think he’s ready to join us, he’ll spend his time enjoying the feel of sand between his toes and the sun on his face.”

  Nico pursed his lips and shook his head but said nothing. He could stew all he fucking wanted. There was no way Ramiel was letting his boy get mixed up with this war now. Even if he wanted to, he’d never be able to explain to Noele why he wanted to put their child in harm’s way.

  “Guys, it’s nothing to get all uptight about. I’m sure it will all work out.”

  The two men turned to look at Dante, and for the first time since he’d entered that room, Ramiel agreed with Nico on at least one thing. The youngest Son of Navarus and his goddamned cheeriness was nothing less than irritating.

  “Fine. Next order of business. Let me get Vasilije on the phone,” Nico said as he stood from the table. “At least we can have some good news from him.”

  Vasilije’s deep voice came through the cell phone loud and clear as he began to detail what success he’d had with the dragons. Their help in the upcoming war would be essential, but even though they considered vampires their allies, dragons had historically been reluctant to become involved in anything outside their world.

  “The Draco brothers are on board, gentlemen. I’ve watched them and they’re impressive. I think we’ll be in much better position strategically with their help. They’ll handle the eastern regions where they normally hold sway, but from what I’ve seen, I think they’ll be the greatest help in battle.”

  Nico smiled for the first time since Ramiel sat down. “Good to hear! But let’s not get too hopeful. We don’t know what the Archons are going to throw at us when it comes to battles.”

  “Damn, you’re a wet blanket,” Dante groaned. “Vasilije, you sound good. The east must be treating you well.”

  The Romanian chuckled low and deep. “I’m always better near my homeland, Dante. But I can say that being here hasn’t just done wonders for me because of the mountain air. I needed to get away from there to get some perspective, and I can tell you that I’ve been getting all the perspective I want every night.”

  “You dog! I knew it wouldn’t be long before the old Vasilije was back,” Dante said with a huge smile. “I might have to come out to taste some of that perspective you’ve got going on there.”

  Rolling his eyes, Ramiel leaned forward to get closer to the phone. “So we’ve got the dragons on our side and it’s looking good. Glad to hear it. We need as much going for us as possible.”

  “That we do,” Nico said in a snide voice that told him he hadn’t let go of the idea to use Theron and his abilities to help the Sons.

  “I’ll be back in a few nights and we can all talk again then, but for now just know that we’ve got this group sewn up. The dragons and the werewolves will be vital when everything begins.”

  “Sounds good. Let us know if anything develops there. And tell Terek we’re looking forward to hearing from him,” Nico said as he picked up his phone to end the call.

  “Will do. He’s been busy training Ilona at a cabin a few miles from here, so I haven’t seen much of him, but if I do, I’ll tell him to check in.”

  Dante pounded his hand on the table. “Damnit! Am I the only one of us who isn’t getting tail day and night?”

  As Nico said goodbye to Vasilije, Ramiel stood to leave. He’d heard enough. Since the meeting had devolved to a point where Dante had begun talking about getting laid, it was clearly time to go.

  But Nico didn’t have the same idea. “We’re not done talking about what we need to do about Theron, Ramiel. He’s got abilities we need on our side. We can’t let sentimentality blind us to that.”

  “Nothing’s blinding me to anything, Nico. You don’t seem to have understood what I said earlier, so let me repeat myself. Theron is a child, and I am his father. He’ll join us if and when I decide it’s time. End of discussion.”

  “It’s not the end of anything. This isn’t over, so you shouldn’t expect me to drop this.”

  With that, Nico turned on his heels and stormed away, leaving Dante with his mouth hanging open and Ramiel with a feeling he and Nico would soon come to blows over this issue.

  Coming around the table, Dante stopped where Ramiel stood. “Holy shit! I’ve never seen him like that. He’s like a dog with a bone concerning this Theron thing. For what it’s worth, I’m with you. The little guy’s not ready for anything we deal with yet.”

  The door slammed closed behind Nico, and Ramiel felt his anger begin to recede. Unclenching his fists, he turned to face Dante. “He can push that button all he wants. I’m not letting my son around any of this until I think he’s ready. If Nico wants to force this, he’s going to meet a vampire he doesn’t want to fuck with.”

  “You don’t think he’s going to try to overrule you, do you? You’re Theron’s father. You get to say what happens to him.”

  “I do, but Nico’s obviously not thinking that way. And if push comes to shove, I’ll use whatever I need to get my way. He’s doesn’t want to test me on this.”

  Seventeen

  The sun setting stirred Kali to open her eyes, but as she turned her head to look for Sion in the bed next to her, she didn’t find him there. Her heart sank as the thought of where he was settled into her brain.

  Not wanting to think the worst, she walked out of the bedroom hoping to see him sitting at the computer. She had practically pulled him away from it that morning to get him to sleep, his Bliss induced mania convincing him he didn’t need sleep and could stay awake for another twenty-four hours.

  But his laptop sat closed on the table where they worked and Sion was nowhere in sight. For the third time this week, he’d snuck out while she slept to find more Bliss.

  Kali’s shoulders sagged as sadness filtered through every inch of her body. She’d done this. Foolishly thinking even the tiny amount of Bliss she’d taken wouldn’t affect him, she’d let him feed from her that first time when she was high, and he’d never been the same again.

  As she stood there staring at his empty chair nearly overwhelmed with guilt for what had happened, she heard the lock on the front door click. Turning around just in time to see him stumble in, she nearly fell over in shock at how bad he looked.

  “Hey, I just went out to check on something,” he said in a dreamy faraway voice he always had when he was messed up on the drug.

  He wore just a shirt and jeans, but no coat, even though it couldn’t have been more than a few degrees above freezing outside. His hair hung in his eyes, but she didn’t need to see them to know how high he was.

  “How long were you gone?” She knew he’d likely lie to her, but she didn’t know what else to say to the one man who’d never lied to her before Bliss.

  Sion sat down hard on the couch and looked up at her. He struggled to ke
ep his head up and after a few moments let it just hang as he mumbled some answer she couldn’t understand.

  Looking down at the mess that was one of the Sons of Navarus, she couldn’t believe how quickly he’d descended into being almost totally lost to the drug. “You can’t keep doing this. The Bliss has you all messed up. I need you to stop before you can’t.”

  A crazy fit of laughter took him over, and he threw his head back wildly. His usually steely grey eyes flashed bright red. He looked like a madman staring up at her.

  “I’m fine. I just went to check on…”

  She waited for him to finish his thought, but it didn’t matter. Everything that came out of his mouth was lies now anyway.

  Fed up and scared, she shook him by the shoulders and screamed, “Sion! I can’t do this. I need you to stop taking that poison and come back to me.”

  For a moment, he looked shocked at her outburst. Then he stared into her eyes and seemed to be back to his old self when he said in a low voice, “I can’t. I can’t stand the thoughts that come into my head when I stop.”

  Kali cradled his face in her hands and tried to hold back the tears. She knew what he meant. Each time when he came down from the high Bliss gave him, he suffered through horrible nightmares. He tossed and turned all day, crying out for his mind to stop racing with thoughts of what he’d done all those years ago.

  “Baby, I know it hurts to have to go through that, but it won’t last for long. Just a few days and then the thoughts will go away.”

  Sadness filled his expression, and he shook his head. “I can’t take a few days of those thoughts haunting me. I won’t make it.”

  “You won’t be alone. I promise.” Closing her eyes to avoid the look of pain she found in his, she whispered against his lips, “Sion, you brought me back. Let me do that for you now. I’m afraid if you don’t, you’re going to be lost to this. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. You won’t lose me to this. I can handle it.”

  Kali knew that wasn’t true. Even if he didn’t look as lost as those poor souls who lay strung out on the floors of bleeder dens, she saw the drug changing him and who he was. At first, she had to admit she’d loved how open and talkative the Bliss had made him. For those few days before it had taken him over, they’d spent hours talking and making love when they weren’t working. Those were some of the happiest moments of her life.