CHAPTER 20
My legs are stiff when I wake up. I stretch out as I yawn, the cold rock floor biting at my stomach as my shirt slides up. I rub my face before sitting up. Nardia is rummaging through the duffel bags; a brown wool blanket was draped over my lower body.
“Good morning, sleepy head. I would have woken you earlier but you needed the sleep.” She looks over to me, grinning something wicked. “And also a shower.” I roll my eyes at her as I sit up.
“What are you doing anyway?” I ask around a yawn, rolling my head from side to side. She picks up a bottle of water and an opened can of fruit and heads towards me, sitting down in front of me as she places them on the ground.
“Well, we can’t get anywhere when you’re running on empty. Fruit will help a little; too bad there wasn’t any canned meat.” She pouts, her ripped clothes swaying in the wind around her small frame. I greedily gulp down the water and the fruit, not bothering to chew. She laughs as she watches me; my body craving the liquid as it slides down my throat. I sit back with a sigh when I put the water down.
“I guess you need to eat as well.” I hold my arm out to her. There was no point hiding it now when everyone already knows. She looks at it hesitantly.
“Are you sure?” she asks, not looking away from my arm. I shrug.
“No point having you weak when we need to travel. It’ll regenerate as I eat and drink more anyway. Just do it, seriously.” I nod at her again before she brings my wrist to her fangs. They pierce the skin, sliding into the flesh with ease.
My arm tingles as she slowly sucks the blood out of me, not daring to take too much at one time. The area begins to burn as she keeps going; I feel the tip of her fangs graze against the bone.
The cave around me sways slightly; my forehead breaking out in a mild sweat. My vision dots slowly in the corners, so I try to focus harder on Nardia. She is wrapped around my wrist like a snake around a rat.
“Stop,” I whisper, not able to find the strength to speak any louder. She immediately retracts her fangs, wiping the excess blood from her lips. She gently helps me lie back down again.
“I’m so sorry. Rest, you’ll feel more alive when you wake up.”
My eyes shut before I can utter another word.
I lean against the stone railing, looking out over the magnificent glowing city before me. The skylines of buildings twinkle with the reflection of the street lights below; it was breathtaking. I’d never seen a city so well managed before.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” That familiar purr strikes a chord in my core and I turn slowly back towards the room. My red satin nightgown flowing behind me. Kalabhiti is leaning against the doorway with ease, his arms crossed over his bare muscular chest; his shadows were nowhere to be seen tonight.
“Yes, breathtaking.” I breathe out, leaning back against the railing. My eyes never leaving him as he looks out behind me, the city lights reflecting in his eyes.
“It’s even more exquisite in person. Right now, doesn’t do it justice,” he rumbles; the corners of his mouth lifting. I look around him to the room inside. The white satin sheets on the bed were rumpled and pulled back, the room illuminated by a dull lamp on the black bedside table, and an open door was letting in a bright light at the right of the room.
“Is this your…room?” I ask. This is just a dream, right? This can’t really be Kalabhiti in front of me. Kalabhiti, the vampire King. He turns towards the open door, his luscious hair flowing wildly around him.
“Yes, it’s my private room in the city. I was having quite a lovely sleep before you interrupted it.” He smirks back at me, his dark eyebrows rising in mischief. I roll my eyes at him, chasing a stray silver strand of my own hair away from my face.
“Sleep? It doesn’t look like you were sleeping to me, mister.” I poke my tongue out at him. His smirk deepens.
“If you don’t put that little pink tongue back in that luscious mouth of yours, I’ll do it for you,” he growls, arms unfurling by his sides. I leave it poking out at him; as a challenge.
He takes his time as he prowls over to me, each step making me tenser than the last. He stops a hair’s breadth away; his obsidian eyes boring into mine, his cold minty breath calming my nerves. I raise my hands, letting them rest against his chest. His skin beneath my fingertips is warm and there is no heartbeat within his ribcage.
“What are you doing here apart from teasing me?” he asks. I quickly slip my tongue back inside my mouth. I can’t deny the need I feel between my thighs.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember much.” I pause, digging my nails softly into his chest. He feels real and solid to my touch. I look at him in confusion.
“This is a dream. I’m dreaming. I must have passed out because Nardia accidentally drank too much of my blood.” It flooded back to me in a tidal wave. Kal looks at me, equally confused, his strong hands firmly holding my shoulders.
“We’re in danger; Luke caught onto my plan. I rescued Nardia and we’re on the run. They’re hunting us though.” My breath comes in gasps as I realise the dangerous situation I’d put Nardia in. Here I was, asleep and dreaming, leaving her to fend for herself. Kal looks at me with concerned eyes.
“Where are you?” he asks, his eyes darting back and forth between mine.
“We’re in a cave hidden by a willow tree. It’s currently daytime; we have nowhere to go.” Tears threaten to stream down my face; I suck on my bottom lip as I look at him. His eyes look wild as he takes in the situation.
Shouts echo around us, a gunshot goes off in the distance. The world around me begins to turn dull, and Kal starts to blur.
“Ali! Run! They’ve found you! I’m coming!” His grasp on me disappears as I spiral back into consciousness.
I gasp as I wake, choking for air. I look around wildly and strain my ears; listening for anything. Sure enough, I can hear shouts in the distance.
“Nardia, pack up. We need to go…now.” She looks up at me, confused, as I stumble, gathering the blanket and stuffing it into the duffle bag. She comes over and grabs a bag; I hand her a gun, quickly dealing out some ammo. I strap on the last two bags and hold my gun steady in my hands.
“They’re nearly here. We need to run. I know its daylight but we have no choice. Can you lead us towards the vampire city? Or somewhere close by?” I head towards the entrance, not wanting to risk any more wasted time. She keeps in step beside me as she pulls out a blanket, wrapping it around her head; letting the rest flow around her like a cape. Her white face peaks out at me, she nods once.
“Lead the way.” We break through the leaves and take a sharp left, veering away from the shouts. The bright sun beats down on us, causing me to stumble as my eyes adjust to the sudden light.
I look around wildly as I run behind Nardia; I had no idea where we were. The trees around me are unfamiliar and my hair tumbles around me as I glance up; the pine trees were seven houses high, reaching towards the sunlight. All the trees are growing close together, a massive expanse of green leaves and pine trunks. The scents of fresh earth and water drift on the air.
Our path is littered with fallen leaves and pine needles; I multitask between keeping track of our direction and not tripping over.
In the distance a gunshot rings out, my heart pounds louder in my chest. I push my legs harder, ignoring the fact that my muscles feel like they were splitting open. As we run deeper into the forest the trees thicken, slowly blocking out the sunlight.
The ground grows damp under my feet, each step sinking a little. Nardia veers sharply to the right; I stumble after her. She slows as she begins pushing through a thorny thicket rock wall; I follow closely behind. The thorns catch on my arms and cheeks, leaving a small trickle of blood in their wake.
“How much further?” I heave, my hands shredding as I grab the next thorn branch to push it out of my way. Nardia keeps pushing on.
“Nearly at the entrance, then we should be protected,” she calls back. The shouts had grown more distant the deeper we’d gone
into the forest. In my dream Kal said he was coming, where was he?
We finally break through the thicket; there is a small stream before us and a grassy bank on the other side. Nardia splashes through it, turning around to me once she’s on the other side. Her eye widens as she stops. I am about to step into the stream when I hear them.
“Well, wasn’t that a wild goose chase?” Luke calls from behind me and I slowly turn. Twenty of his members emerge from the trees, Xavier being one of them; he avoids looking at me.
“I have to keep you on your toes somehow,” I say, slowly shuffling my way back into the stream until it laps at my ankles.
“You’ve made a bloody mess of everything! You’re so lucky we still have those other vampires,” he growls, aiming his rifle at me. I hold my hands up.
“If you still have them, why bother with us? You don’t need us,” I claim; I keep my eyes forward. I can sense Nardia holding her hands up as well.
“Oh, but we need you. The vampire whore can leave.” Nardia hisses behind me, no doubt baring her fangs as well. Luke begins to laugh, lowering his gun to do so.
“You are so feisty! It’s a shame we can’t take you with us, but you’re not vital. However, Ali is.” He looks back towards me. What was so special about me? I frown in confusion.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” he asks, taking a step closer. I go blank; I knew everything I needed to?
“Know what?” I ask. Although I knew he was just trying to lure me in, I let him think it was working. It could work as a distraction while Nardia escaped.
“You didn’t think I knew who you were dragging away from the school that day? I can spot a vampire from a mile away. We kept a close eye on you after that and monitored your every step.
“The day you came to me asking to join, I knew it was because of some vampire bullshit. The moment I saw the pendant around your neck, I knew you were being tracked. I knew you were some vampire’s bitch.
“I never ran these suspicions by anyone else; I needed you to believe that we knew nothing and had been blind to your real motives the whole time. When that ancient bag of dust showed up it was confirmed who you really are. I knew he would only come if it was really you.
“You are of great importance and can be the tipping point in this war that’s coming. That’s why I need you on our side, the human side. We only want things to go back to normal, where vampires cease to exist. They’re an abomination.” My hands shake as I stand there. The pendant was to keep track of me? Zeke had never mentioned anything like that.
“I bet you’re trying to work out why your vampire buddy never told you any of this.” Luke aims his gun at me again; I stand there stunned.
Was everything Zeke had said a lie? This entire time, I had only ever been honest with him and he’d lied. I resist the urge to rip the necklace off and throw it in the river.
“That is why we can’t trust them. They never tell the truth, they’re monsters and only care about themselves. Do you really want to be a puppet for them again? Do you really want those creatures to win this war?” His voice fills my mind. Everything I thought I knew was a lie.
I stand strong and tall, not wanting him to see how much he was effecting me.
My silver hair swims around me. I’d given them information while putting my life on the line without a second thought.
That is why they chose me. Because I was vulnerable and easy and would do anything without thinking. I was as gullible as ever. I should have run away with the rest of the crowd in that warehouse; I should have left them both there to die.
“That’s enough!” Kalabhiti’s voice roars around the clearing, silencing everyone. I turn towards the sound. He strides out of the thicket wearing a black war suit. An ash grey cape sways behind him and he holds a silver sword in his hand; a red ruby embedded in the handle. His eyes narrow on Luke and he snarls as his fangs rip out of his gums.
“Oh great. Of course, you’d come. Why not tell her what she is? Why not tell her why you lied about this whole thing?” Luke challenges; focusing his gun on Kal. Zeke and Zuriel emerge from the bushes, Nardia runs towards them. She leans against Zeke, then turns back to me.
“That’s for another day. You know what I’m capable of. I do not want this to end in a bloodbath. Stop filling her head with lies, she’s confused enough as it is.” Kal strides through the water, coming to a stop beside me. I ignore him as I stand on shaky legs. I didn’t want to be a puppet anymore.
“Why not tell her who she is then?” Luke looks to me, a fire I’d never seen before burning brightly in his eyes. I hold my head high as I extend my hands; I wanted this to all stop.
“I will once she’s not so worked up.” Kal turns towards me, gently gripping my chin with a cool hand. He turns my face towards him, his obsidian eyes swimming with concern. I look at him helplessly.
“I just want it all to stop,” I whisper, my hands shaking in front of me. I shut my eyes and dig deep inside myself, summoning that hungry power that was resting. It comes instantly to my call, I feel it run through my veins and pump through my heart. It waits at my fingertips, awaiting my command.
“It will, I promise. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to take you somewhere safe. I will explain it all there,” he soothes, his thumb stroking my cheek. I take a final breath, deciding which side I would currently stand for. Knowing once I was unleashed it could never be undone. This was my immortal awakening. I turn back to look at Luke, tears staining my cheeks as they fell into the dirt beneath me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Luke doesn’t give me a chance as his gun goes off. A bullet sails through the air and I brace myself for impact.
The bullet explodes on an invisible surface around us. Zeke, Zuriel and Nardia come to stand at my side. Zeke duplicates himself into ten, Nardia readies her gun, Kal’s shadows grow, and Zuriel grins down at me.
“Miss me?” he asks cheekily, as if we’re not about to have a bloodbath. I can’t help but smile at him.
“More than ever you fool,” I say back; he winks at me.
“I’ve learned so much from my mistakes. What do you say about making some more?” Zuriel blasts his shield forward, flinging Luke and his men backwards.
Blue tendrils began to escape my fingertips, falling to the ground as they slowly grow in number. Kal looks at me sceptically, unsure of what was happening.
Luke opens his mouth to call the final command. I fling my hands towards him; the blue tendrils breathing in life as they move as fast as light towards him.
Shots break out around the clearing. Suddenly my shoulder thumps back in agony as a fire I’ve not felt before imbeds itself there. I stay strong as the tendrils push themselves into Luke’s mouth, angrily tearing away at each oxygen cell.
Zeke and his duplicates run past me in a blur; we’re outnumbered but we have the advantage. As Luke’s life force begins to blink away Nardia leaps onto him, knocking them both to the ground. She extends her fangs and tears into his throat, blood spurts across her face as she spits out a chunk of his oesophagus. She grins as she dives into his open throat, hungrily gulping down his blood. My blue tendrils explode from him, swirling around the clearing, looking for their next victim.
Xavier is struggling with two of the duplicate vampires. He has multiple bite wounds on his arms from holding them off; his weapon is a few feet away.
They snap at him, blood drips down his arms as he pushes with all his might. One falls back, while the other readjusts its grip on his arms. I hear the bone break before Xavier feels it.
His head falls back as he howls, his right arm going limp. The vampire lunges for his exposed throat, finally seeing its chance. I fly my power across to the vampire, knocking him away from Xavier. They circle around the vampire as I approach. I bare my teeth at him; my final warning to not come closer.
Xavier cradles his broken arm against his body. He looks up at me with wild eyes; tears streaming down his face.
“You need to run. I will hold them
off as long as I can, but you need to go. Now.” I turn him gently towards the direction they’d come from; he doesn’t seem to have any obvious bleeding so he should survive the walk back to camp. He turns his head back to me, hesitating.
“What about you?” he asks; searching my eyes for an answer. I shake my head sadly; I know I have to stay here. I need answers and he can’t give me them.
“Go. Now. You don’t have much longer.” He gives me a final pained glance before running towards the trees. I adjust my hearing and listen as he crashes through the forest, his steps the only ones out there. I turn my attention back to the clearing.
The stream is stained with blood. Half a man’s body has been dumped on the banks; his intestines being tugged out by the small current. Everyone around me is locked in combat, even Nardia. I had started this. The humans scream as the vampires advance, no one human was getting out of here alive.
Kalabhiti was fighting a male I knew all too well. His sword was slashing at the man, who was only just moving out of the way in time. This kill was on me, no one else.
I run through the chaos, shoving humans and vampires out of my way as I head towards my prey.
“Stop!” I yell, finally standing a few feet away from Kal and Artur. Kal has him in a headlock, about to snap his neck. Artur sneers at me, blood oozing from his mouth. I prowl over and raise my hands, my blue tendrils circle them; waiting.
“You stupid bitch. You were always a vampire whore in my eyes.” He musters up the last bit of strength he possesses to spit at me. The blood and phlegm land near my feet.
“Apologise to the lady,” Kal growls, tightening his grip on Artur’s throat. He seals his lips.
“What a shame that those will be your last words. How do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” I walk up to him as he struggles in Kal’s strong grip. I rest my hands on the sides of his sweaty head.
“Goodnight,” I whisper, the blue tendrils bursting through his skull; his brain exploding on impact. Brain matter splatters across Kal’s and my faces as Artur sags in his arms. Kal drops him to the ground, wiping the back of his hand over his face. He looks at me with raised eyebrows.
Immortal Awakening Page 19