“Hey!”Xavier’s shout is cut short as the shadows cover us. I focus on the man in front of me, willing my heart to slow down.
“Your little secret is safe with me. Clearly they don’t know you’ve begun to infiltrate them, or that you’ve been seeing a particular vampire, hmm?” His voice is low as he trails the back of his hand down my cheek; the iciness of it bites into my skin. I couldn’t take my eyes away from his.
“No-no, they don’t know,” I stumble over my words. Whatever happened to me after this will be based solely on what this stranger says to them. His eyes flicker down to Zeke’s pendant quickly.
“I’ve heard whispers about you, the human girl that will save our kind. The lost one. The rightful one to the throne. I wasn’t informed this plan had commenced. We don’t work with humans,” his voice was tense. I gulp.
“I’m just doing a favour and then you’ll never hear of me again. I promise,” my voice shakes and my hand instinctively clutches the pendant. I take a deep breath through my nose and stop myself short of coughing. His aroma wafts more strongly around me, its musky, earthy, and intoxicating stench making me lightheaded. He grins at my crinkled nose.
“Not what you were expecting?” he asks. I blink a few times to clear the spots from my vision and frown slightly.
“No… It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.” The smell imprints itself on my brain and inside all my senses. I probably smell like filth to him.
“What does draw my attention though is that little secret swimming around inside of your veins. No gift can be passed on to the average human. I’m surprised she didn’t warn you that you could die if your blood lineage wasn’t… mixed.” He raises a delicate sharp eyebrow, I nervously ring my hands. His eyes flash, a longing that had been there for many centuries staring back at me.
“She did warn me. I took the risk anyway. What do you mean? I have a mixed blood line?” I ask, confused. I was just your average human getting by. I was nothing special. I didn’t even really know my parents.
“We’ll talk more about that in the future. Tips for your gift though - when you feel you can’t control it shut your eyes and hold your breath; picture something calming. It will be hard without a mentor, so do it where no one can find you,” he purrs as his eyes trace down my face to my chest, his words wrapping me in a tight embrace. My air manipulation, I wonder if I could accidentally kill myself with it. His purr grows louder as his eyes find mine again.
“What’s your name? You know mine; it’s only fair I know yours,” I whisper softly, wanting to put a name to his handsome face. He smirks something wicked and cocky.
“Kalabhiti,” he says, his eyes full of mischief, and he purrs with approval when I step a little closer, our bodies flush against each other.
“I didn’t know you were part cat,” I whisper, not sure where my show of courage had come from. He roars out laughing something fierce. The shadows around us deplete as he turns back to face Luke, grinning like a madman. His fangs have retracted, revealing a handsome smile. A smile that seemed to ensnare me.
“She’s a funny one, is she not?” Luke nods in agreement and I just knew he was going to hound me for answers later. Luke steps forward and sits on the chair. The vampire takes the empty chair across from him.
“I know there’s another war brewing.” Luke keeps his words slow, testing the waters. The vampire nods once, crossing one leg over his knee. Entwining his hands as they rest there.
“I don’t want my people on the receiving end. I don’t expect you to understand why I’d bother asking, but there must be some way to give them protection?” Luke asks, folding his hands on the table. I frown, confused. Protection?
“I can’t give that. I have one objective and it involves vampires being number one again.” He leans closer to the table, hissing. “But I don’t expect you to understand that.”
Luke straightens in his seat, wiping some sweat from his brow. I step closer, wanting to know more. Xavier eyes me warily in warning.
“Ali, you should go to your room,” Xavier’s tense voice calls, I stare at him angrily. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“She can make her own decisions,” Luke corrects him, looking pointedly in his direction. He backs down, bowing his head in submission. Kiss my ass, Xavier, I am staying right here.
“This is a war. There will be bloodshed of both kinds, young and old. We will both be making sacrifices and losing numbers we don’t want to lose. You can’t protect anyone, there is no such thing as an advantage. Why on earth would I give my protection anyway? Have you not heard the legends?” Kalabhiti deadpans, not bothering to bicker. Luke looks at him, his jaw tightening.
“I want a truce between us. We’ve never harmed your kind,” he says through tight lips. I nearly bark out a laugh. What a lie.
“Is that so? Because I got wind of vampire hunters, they’ve been capturing a few of our kind. None have returned or escaped them though. Just makes me wonder. This is a fairly unique set up, the wooden barrier outside is vampire proof with the poison lining and silver,” Kalabhiti coos. I figure he already knows what Luke has been up to. Luke goes rigid in his seat.
“That has nothing to do with us. I’m protecting my people, all of the un-registered that can’t afford to live in the poverty of their old cities. We offer them shelter. We have no business in vampires,” Luke declares, nodding his head curtly. Kalabhiti leans forward, shoulders tense.
“I can smell the stench of your lie from a mile away, it’s sickening,” he spits his words, spittle flying from his mouth. The other vampires hiss in agreement, taking a step forward. Luke’s men take a step forward as well. The tension in the air is suffocating. I stand there slightly confused by both of them.
“What would we even do with vampires? We have no need for them.” Luke strains, the veins in his neck throbbing. He grips the table fiercely. Kalabhiti sits back, annoyed.
“Whatever you say, we can never expect the truth from your kind.” He examines his hand, waiting for Luke to say more. I decide to be brave; which is rare.
“He isn’t lying, there’s no reason for vampires to be here? Why would there be? I have heard of your vampire hunter trail as well, but I can assure it’s not here. We are harmless.” I step closer. Kalabhiti turns towards me with dark eyes and understanding flickers between us. He nods respectively.
“Fair enough, it just angers me when there are no more than whispers of them. The trail is nearly cold.” He keeps his gaze on me, it warms my core slightly. I smile softly; thank the lord he caught on.
“I know. I would be angry too. There’s no point accusing us without evidence. I know my old city had some shady workers there. It might be best to look there for your answers.” I shrug. Luke thanks me with a nod.
“You see? There’s nothing here. Your trail will end here if you continue pestering. This isn’t even the reason I summoned you. I want protection for my group,” Luke says matter-of-factly. Kalabhiti turns back to him.
“No,” he says deadpan. I look at him, astonished but not surprised.
“So, there’s no way for any protection? Or a period of time we can be unharmed for? There are children here. Have a heart!” His voice grows louder as he slams his hands on the table, standing up aggressively. The vampire shrugs his masculine shoulders.
“So? Did that stop your kind from slaughtering hundreds of our children?” The vampire asks pointedly, Luke throws his hands up in dismay.
“I am not the past. I’m the present,” he grits out through his teeth. The vampire sweeps around the table in a blur, grabbing Luke by the throat and holding him in the air. His shadows swarm, threatening to devour them both.
“You may not be the past, but it runs in your veins. The very lifeblood of yours will be the undoing of your kind,” he growls, not loosening his grip on Luke’s throat. Luke thrashes, his knuckles turning white as he grips Kal’s arm. Luke’s cheeks begin to bloom a bright red.
“Let him go,” I blurt out, tak
ing a step towards them. My hand tingles over the knife at my thigh. He looks at me for a moment before throwing Luke to the ground near Xavier. Luke coughs and splutters as he sits there, regaining his bearings. Xavier kneels down beside him.
“This was pointless. What a waste of my time,” he growls, scanning the vampires around him. They all stand deathly still, waiting for the order to end it all.
“Don’t-” I step forward and wave my hands out. They all look towards me. My cheeks burn with heat. “Don’t give that order. Please,” I plead, hoping he would feel some sort of sympathy for me. He knows my secret, he knows me being here will somehow benefit him. Surely, he wouldn’t give that up? He blinks at me slowly.
“Fine. Next time, there will be no such thing as luck. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” His obsidian eyes pierce mine one last time before the shadows devour him and leave nothing in his wake. The other vampires disappear with him.
I rush over to Luke and crouch down beside him, relieved that some colour had returned to his face. He looks up at me, one eye bloodshot.
“Thank you.” He coughs rapidly, still bearing the effects of the vampire's embrace. “For stopping him. No one else bothered.” Luke looks angrily at Xavier and the others; each of them looks towards the ground, ashamed of themselves. I gently help Luke to his feet; he brushes his trousers off as he straightens. He sighs down at me.
“I knew that wasn’t going to go as I planned.” He rubs his forehead, getting lost in his own head. I guide him to the empty seat where he sits with a huff.
“Who was that?” I ask gently, rubbing a soothing hand over his. Playing dumb was my best shot right now. He looks up at me, giving me a faint smile.
“That was Kalabhiti.” That was the ancient vampire. What on earth was Luke thinking, bringing him here? Endangering everyone? I stand up, suddenly angry; he looks up at me, confused. I try to hold onto my temper.
“You’ve endangered us all,” I clip, straining my hands at my sides. He looks taken aback, as if not understanding the words I spoke.
“He knows where we are now. He will know the entire layout of this place and how to find us in the blink of an eye. He knows what you’re doing with these vampires. What were you thinking?” I demand. He had been a fool, a goddamned fool.
“I…I just thought he would help in some way,” he whispers, not meeting my eyes. This only made my blood boil more. Xavier steps closer, not daring to interfere just yet; but rests a reassuring hand on my lower back.
“Are you out of your mind? Did you seriously think that would be a good idea? A large majority of the people here don’t know how to fight or even pick up a blade. Myself being one of them. If they were to attack now, we’d all be dead. Every. Single. One. Of. Us,” I seethe, trying to rein in my temper.
“She’s right, you know,” Xavier murmurs. He stands tall beside me, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one here, apart from about four of us, knows how to properly fight.” I look over to him approvingly before looking back at Luke. His head hangs in his hands. I was so disappointed in him; he could be such a strong leader if he had his wits about him.
“We need to do something about that. I’m no leader here but we need to set up some sort of fight training system. I do not want to be on the receiving end when he returns.” I didn’t dare speak his name out loud, fearing it might bring him right back. Luke looks up at me.
“Okay,” he whispers. His shoulders sagging in defeat. I turn towards Xavier.
“Can you arrange that? If it’s not too much to ask, I wouldn’t mind training every day,” I say blandly. A part of me knew he would sort it out. He nods down at me, his eyes sparkling.
“You could be a leader Ally cat, you know?” he muses, not taking his eyes off me. I shrug; it wasn’t in the cards for me.
“I need rest. This night has been too much for me.” I bid farewell as I hurry into my room, collapsing onto the comfort of my bed. My eyes grow heavy as I lie there in the dark, finally letting sleep overtake me.
*
The training session was gruelling; sweat drenches each piece of clothing on my body; clinging to my skin. I pant heavily as I lower the sword I’d chosen, arms shaking as it hits the sand with a thud. Xavier wipes the wet hair from his brow as he grins at me. He’d insisted on training me himself, giving me private lessons. Even with my new and improved vampire skills, I was still weak.
“I am dying.” I take a swig of water, letting it dribble from my mouth. The clean, crisp water cleanses me. Xavier laughs gruffly. We’d been sparring all morning and he’d taught me the basics of fighting. How to land a decent punch and how to dodge one. Xavier was unbelievably strong, if I didn’t know any better I’d think he was the one bitten by the vampire.
“It’s only the beginning as well. This was your idea, remember?” He grins wickedly at me, he found this fun. I regret saying anything; I was no fighter or leader. I huff as I brush a strand of hair from my face.
“How is Luke feeling this morning? Has he pulled his head out of his ass yet?” I ask, rubbing the tender muscles in my arms. He’d been mopey all morning, refusing to talk to anyone. He’d mainly been in his tent.
“Ha. No, he hasn’t. He hasn’t bothered to speak a word to me. I tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn’t have it. Just mumbled something under his breath, so I left him alone. Not much I can do if he wants to have a sook all day for you calling him out.” He picks up his sword again, motioning for me to do the same. I hold it steady in my hands.
“Well, no one else was going to? It was a stupid idea; everyone in this damn place just became cattle.” Our swords clang as they hit. I reel back and swing hard; aiming for his lower leg.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I suppose he had his reasons, but I doubt he thought it would go as badly as it did.” He blocks my attack, bringing his sword up and pushing mine away. My sword falls back, nearly slicing my shoulder.
“It went worse than badly. I’m surprised Kalabhiti didn’t strangle the fool out of him.” I swing my sword forward in an arc, aiming for a clean slice down the middle; he sidesteps it easy; bringing his sword around low, aiming for the back of my calves.
“We can only hope he did. Surely, he’ll come to his senses. You really helped calm things down out there. I’m not sure why I didn’t say anything, I just froze. He was so…” I swiftly spun out of reach of his sword. “Ancient, I suppose. I can’t really think of another word that describes him better.” I hold my hand up; I let my sword fall to the sand. Xavier drops his as well.
“I know what you mean. I wonder where he’s been hiding though. I mean, he goes so far back. Like he must be a million years old!” I exclaim, gulping a mouthful of water down. I can’t believe I found a mummy attractive. I shiver inwardly. Xavier laughs as he watches me, light dancing in his eyes. I’m glad we’re talking again.
“A million years, plus some. I will admit, he was dashing though.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully and I burst into a grin. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that had those thoughts.
“Anyway, what did he say to you? He had you wrapped in that cocoon for a fair while. Couldn’t hear or see anything.” He looks at me pointedly as he picks up the sword again. I swallow carefully.
“Nothing really, he just blabbered. I think he was trying to impress me with his shadows. I asked for his name and then told him he was part cat.” I keep my eyes downcast as I look at the blade of my sword on the hot sand. I had no idea if he would believe me or not because it was suspicious. I wish Kalabhiti had just spoken to me through my mind or something not so obvious. I didn’t want them finding out I was a traitor. I still had a million questions running through my mind about what he’d said. I was dying for some answers.
“Oh, alright then. No brainwashing happened or anything?” he queries. I nearly laugh at the thought of that.
“Heavens, no.” I give him a warm smile, “Seriously, I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” He nods and holds his hands up in surrender. He t
akes our swords and puts them back in their holding place. The lesson had finally come to an end.
“Thanks, for this morning. I assume it’ll be happening every morning?” I ask as we walk side by side towards our room.
“You’re absolutely correct. Until I approve your fighting skills we’ll have lessons.” I smile at this, he was so kind. We grab a clean set of clothes and head to the bathing river together. We’re the only ones at the river. My heart kicks into gear in my chest at the thought of being so naked around him. He pulls his clothes off, not caring if I stared or not. I roll my eyes as I see his naked white ass stride into the water. Of course he’d have a good bum.
I pull my sweat-soaked clothes off, letting them fall in a pile on the dirt beside Xavier’s. I turn and look at him; he has his back to me. I hop into the water and sit down, the water resting just underneath my chin.
“You’re the first person I’ve bathed with.” I say, I move my hands underneath the water; looking over to him.
“It’s my pleasure.” He smiles, the sun glistening on the droplets off his chest. He walks closer, the water threatening to reveal what lay underneath.
“Here, I got us soap. It’s vanilla and honey.” He passes me a small white bar. I smile in thanks before I lather every square inch of my body in it, scrubbing all of the sweat and dirt away.
I let my hair flow around my chest as the water cleanses it. I scrub my scalp vigorously, removing any shred of last night’s events. What did he mean about mixed blood? Surely my blood lineage would be a vampire parent and a human parent? My parents were both human. I mean, my parents were just normal people who lived normal lives. Weren’t they?
I can’t remember a time when they ever acted strangely, apart from not getting me registered. Surely if I was of ‘mixed’ blood they would have told me, it seems like the most logical thing to me. I mean that’s what I would do.
I shut my eyes and lean against the river bank wall, letting the water soothe me. I’d have to sneak away and see Nardia at some point today, or tomorrow. With Luke having a tantrum it might be best to hold off today. Nardia would need blood soon. She’d looked worse for wear when I last visited her.
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