by Ella Frank
Paris’s pulse increased in tempo. The woman was right. If Elias was holding her against her will, and it clearly appeared that way, then he could be an accessory to a kidnapping.
“Elias, you have to—”
“I don’t have to do anything. You aren’t listening to me. She’s manipulating you. She is a vampire.”
As that ludicrous word filled the air again, Elias left his side and stormed over to the woman. He took a fistful of her tousled hair and forced her face up to his.
“Stop! You’re hurting me,” the woman pleaded, and then she turned her wide eyes his way, begging for help.
“Let her go, Elias,” he said.
“Show him,” Elias growled as he leaned over the woman.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way,” Elias said in a tone Paris had never heard him use. It was ominous and low, and it sounded like it was coming from the very bowels of the Earth.
As Elias brought his other hand down on the woman’s arm and pressed it against the chair, Paris’s mouth parted in horror. She hissed and spat at him, and the sound was like a feral cat in a trap as her mouth pulled taut and two pointy fucking fangs appeared.
Well, fucking A. Elias had been right. She was a vampire.
ELIAS BRACED HIMSELF against the agony in Isadora’s eyes, but it soon turned to loathing, and any feelings of misdeeds he had vanished. He had to prove to Paris what she was. Show him the monster that lurked inside the beautiful façade. When he turned to the other man, the final piece of the puzzle for them—Paris—was staggering back towards the door in his unlaced Doc Martens.
He was pale and clutching his stomach as though he were about to throw up, or maybe pass out, as his eyes darted between him and Isadora. Deciding he’d proved his point quite effectively, Elias released his hold, and Isadora’s eyes rolled back and her lids fluttered shut, her head lolling forward.
I will not feel sorry for her. I won’t allow her to influence my feelings, to have me stray off my path.
“Paris,” he said as he took a step towards the man.
Paris shook his head and warned him off with a trembling hand.
“You weren’t supposed to find out this way.”
Paris covered his mouth as if trying to keep back words or a scream.
Elias Fontana. Elias froze in the center of his office as a familiar voice filled his head. It was one he’d never thought he’d hear again after years of it having been absent.
Tread gently with this one. He is not as strong as you are. He is pure and wholesome, and he will have quite a burden to bear as the third.
Artemis had returned. His tutor. His goddess. The huntress. She had returned when he most needed her. He waited for more, for some kind of guidance—but nothing came. His heart raced with adrenaline, and he knew the next decision was up to him.
His eyes sought out the man he needed to convince.
Elias understood how unnerving it was to find out that something like this was real. That the creatures that went bump in the night actually existed. Hell, he’d gone through it alone—as had Leo, he guessed. But Paris… He was different than the two of them. He was the quiet, unassuming one, and when his back hit a wall, Elias tried to appeal to him again.
“There’s so much you need to know, but things… They got all out of order.”
Finally, Paris lowered his hand. “I…I don’t understand.”
“I know. It wasn’t the right time, and I can’t explain right now. You need to trust me. That’s the most important thing here.”
Paris’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“Do you trust me, Paris?” Elias asked.
Just as Paris was about to answer, two figures appeared between them.
One he knew all too well—Leo.
Elias locked his eyes on the other and simply said, “You.”
ALASDAIR QUICKLY ASSESSED the situation and schooled his features when he saw the horrendous state Isadora was in. Then he brought his eyes back to the broad-shouldered bastard in front of him. The human was much like he remembered from Leo’s apartment: combative and ready for a fight. Smart of him, considering Alasdair was more than willing to give him one.
“I knew I didn’t like you the minute I met you. And, now, it all makes sense,” the man said as he kept watchful eyes trained on him.
Alasdair wondered if he was waiting for some kind of reaction. If that were the case, he was in for disappointment. Instead, he waited as Leo walked up to stand beside him, and when the man’s gaze moved to his friend, his narrowed eyes and sagging shoulders relayed his disappointment.
“Elias,” Leo said, taking a step in his friend’s direction.
Alasdair took his wrist, stopping his progress, and when Elias caught the gesture, his cheeks flushed with annoyance. He did not like him touching Leo. Oh well. That was too fucking bad. Leonidas was his. And, before he knew it, a proprietary growl rumbled from his throat.
Leo looked his way, and when their eyes met, Alasdair heard, Let me help you. That’s why I’m here.
Alasdair’s fingers tightened, and he wondered if he could trust what he was sensing from Leo.
You can. Just like I’m going to trust you not to kill him. Deal?
When one of Leo’s fair eyebrows rose, Alasdair released him. Perceptive man, waiting until the last moment to hit him with the hardest emotion of all—trust.
Deal, Alasdair?
You have yourself a deal, Leonidas. Distract him and I will tend to Isadora.
Leo inclined his head slightly and then walked over to stand directly in front of his friend. “I’m sorry, Elias.”
Alasdair was by Isadora’s chair in less than a second.
She stirred and managed, “About time you showed up,” before passing out again.
He tore the rope from around her arms and her legs and then lifted her over his shoulder. When he spun back to the others, Leo was dragging Elias by his bicep over to the door, where…a third man was hunkered down on the floor with his back to the wall.
What about him? Alasdair demanded, shoving it into Leo’s mind with more force than was necessary.
When Leo shot daggers at him, he realized just how loud he’d been.
What about him? He’s my other coworker. A friend. He’s done nothing wrong.
He cannot stay. He’s seen too much.
Can’t you just wipe his memory or something? Leo protested.
And explain your disappearance and his, he indicated Elias, how? No, he must die. It’s the easiest solution.
Ahh…option three, please.
Alasdair flashed over beside Leo with Isa in his arms and peered down at the cowering one by his feet. Option three, he comes with us.
And then what?
It’s out of my control. Make your decision.
Leo clasped the other man’s arm and repeated the same words he’d said to Elias. “I’m sorry, Paris. So sorry.”
Alasdair reached for Leo’s elbow, and as he touched it, Elias whispered, “Leo, what have you done?”
Emperor Nikitas’s Formal Banquet—31 BC
DIOMÊDÊS STOOD IN the far corner of the large banquet hall and watched the raven-haired beauty on the opposite side laugh and dance with the other women surrounding her. She was a vision to behold. Tall, elegant, and as graceful as she appeared strong, she held his attention like no other.
She was clothed in a golden chiton made from the finest of silks. An emerald brooch the size of his fist was nestled between the round curves of her breasts, and he was envious of the gem as she flitted from table to table, talking with each small gathering as though she knew them all personally. She was the epitome of royalty—just as the daughter of an emperor should be.
As she walked by his resting place, her glorious hair bounced over her shoulders, as did her skirt over the generous flare of her hips. The men in the room, not excluding himself, followed her movements with gluttonous eyes, the w
omen with envious ones. She was by far the most beautiful creature in the hall.
Normally, he stayed far away from festivities such as these. But there had been much gossip about the emperor’s daughter being presented on this night, and he’d wanted to see what all the commotion was about. As usual, he kept to himself in the shadows and waited for her to arrive. Then she stepped into the hall.
The emperor, it seemed, had been wise to keep his daughter secluded. Wise to keep her a secret until now. For, although her face was new to him, he knew that he would never be able to banish it from his memory.
He made his way down the length of the hall, weaving in and out of the chattering groups. The women’s eyes followed him with caution, while the men were vigilant in their surveillance. It was as if they could sense something about him they should fear—and they were right.
When he got to the far end of the hall, he leaned his arm up against the pillar. There she was. Only feet from him, and he could smell her scent as if she were mere inches away—crisp and sweet, like apples in the spring. She made him want to run his nose up the length of her neck so he could breathe in that luscious aroma some more.
She was holding on to a silver goblet, something that would be an issue for him, and her head was tipped back as she laughed along with the man opposite her. It was Dimitri, her brother, and her loving smile and shining eyes made it clear she believed he’d hung the moon.
Wrapping his hooded, maroon cloak firmly around his shoulders, Diomêdês stepped out from his resting spot and made his way towards the woman. He had to get closer. Had to hear her heart beating beneath those beautiful breasts.
When he stopped beside her, he didn’t make a sound. As if she’d somehow sensed his presence, though, she ceased talking and turned his way. When her eyes fell upon him for all of a second, something akin to an electric shot hit his dark heart. Then he faded from sight, deciding to let her believe she’d imagined him there. But, as soon as he was hidden within the shadows once more, his eyes sought her out and Diomêdês knew.
She was to be his first-sired.
The one he’d bind his life with.
She was the one.
Present Day - The Chamber
DIOMÊDÊS PACED THE length of the stone dais in the vast hall as Vasilios sat in silence behind the marble-slab altar dressed as if he were heading to a board meeting. Grey dress pants, a matching suit jacket, a crisp, white shirt, and a crimson tie seemed an odd choice for what was about to take place, but that was Vasilios. Always put together for every such occasion.
It had been over thirty minutes since they’d left Alasdair and the human, and he was growing weaker with every second that passed—
“Of course you are, brother. You have not stopped moving since we arrived.”
He ceased walking and turned on Vasilios. “Stay out of my head. If it weren’t for your Alasdair, we wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place. I always knew his headstrong ways would get us in trouble. You never disciplined him enough.”
“Ahh.” Vasilios sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “Like you disciplined young Isadora?”
Diomêdês glared at the egomaniacal male looking him in the eye. “Isa does not walk around believing she is far superior than her fellow kind.”
Vasilios gave a cocky smirk. “Alasdair emulates greatness,” he said, smoothing a hand down his tie. “You cannot fault him for that.”
“He is arrogant like you. He does not think of the consequences to his actions.”
Vasilios was over the altar and in front of Diomêdês before his words had ended. Although he had to look down to meet Vasilios’s gaze, the authority that radiated off the other vampire made it apparent who was the more dominant of the two.
“I think of every consequence and action I take, brother. Do not forget why and how you stand here today. If it were not for my actions, you would be rotting at the bottom of a lake, would you not?”
Diomêdês narrowed his eyes at the reminder. “You would be correct.”
“And was it not your actions that led you to that predicament? Do not be so quick to condemn one’s lack of temper and foresight when you once had so little of it yourself.”
When Vasilios spun away from him, Diomêdês sensed an uncertainty in the male. One he’d never felt before. An inner turmoil roiled through his entire being.
“What we suspected, the gods? It is true, isn’t it?”
Vasilios clasped his hands behind his back as he continued walking farther from him. “I am not certain, but I believe so. Yes.”
“And the human you fed tonight?”
Vasilios halted and pivoted his way. “I do not believe he is human at all. However, he is most certainly connected.”
Diomêdês made his way around to one of the large chairs behind the altar and sat. He pushed the hood back from his head and rubbed at his aching temple. “Yes, but to whom is he connected? The gods or us? Did you see how strong he was? How fast? It is a bold move you have made. One which could—”
“I know,” Vasilios said as he came up the steps and placed his hands on the cool marble. Then he looked him directly in the eye. “To answer your question, brother, it’s both. I believe he is now connected to us both. I know you do not much care for the human culture, but surely you have heard the term ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’”
“He is a threat to us.”
“Right now, he is a tool for us. Beyond that, I will see what his use is to me.”
“To you?” he asked. “And what of the rest of us while you decide if he is going to continue to warm your bed?”
Vasilios flashed beside him, and clasped his chin in a firm grip as he said, “I am becoming tired of justifying myself to you, Diomêdês. First in front of Alasdair, and now here. You best quit while you are ahead or the gods or whoever it is hunting us down will be the least of your problems.”
Clenching his teeth, Diomêdês refused to cower from the furious male holding him at bay.
“Do I make myself clear, brother?”
“That you do.”
Vasilios released him and straightened, running his hands down the lapels of his jacket as if his activities had crumpled it. “I am pleased to hear it. Now, when they return—”
“The human male who took her is mine.” That point was not up for discussion.
“I take no issue with that. Do with him as you will. However, you may wish to know that, when Leonidas was feeding from me, I saw something rather interesting which concerns the one he is to bring to us.”
Diomêdês sat forward, his attention piqued, and waited for him to continue.
“It appears that my newly acquired yielding was having dreams. Visions he was writing on paper. This other male sought out his musings and stole them. One can only assume there is a reason, and if he knows how to bring down Thanos and capture your Isa, then—”
“He too is connected.”
“This is my deduction also.” Vasilios tapped his lower lip. “I am not sure death should, or would, be the best punishment for this crime.”
As a treacherous grin curved Vasilios’s lips, Diomêdês raised an eyebrow. “Then what do you suggest?”
“Perhaps a little…coercion.”
THE SECOND THEY faded into the mammoth hall, a shiver of apprehension raced up Leo’s spine. He recognized this place from those odd dreams he’d been having.
Paris collapsed at his feet, and surprisingly, Elias remained upright and coherent as he tugged his arm away in an attempt to escape. It was no use though. With Vasilios’s blood coursing through his veins, Leo was much stronger than the man who had once been his boss and friend.
Alasdair stood on the other side of him with Isadora slung over his shoulder in a classic fireman’s hold, and when Leo looked down the long stretch of paved stone, two figures waited there. No doubt Vasilios and the other scary one.
“Bring him to me, Leonidas.”
The order rumbled through Leo�
�s head in a voice he recognized. It was as though Vasilios was standing right next to him. He looked to Alasdair, who offered no kind of help. Then his feet began to move of their own accord.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Leo? What are you doing?” Elias questioned under his breath. “You can’t really mean to take me up there. To them.”
“It’s not like you gave me much of a choice.” Leo didn’t spare a look for the man he was towing along behind him as he walked farther up the aisle.
“This…this is not what’s supposed to happen.”
“Really? Good to know, Elias. Would’ve been nice to have the choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Elias told him, much like Vasilios had, as he tried to loosen his grip.
“No. I never had a choice in this. You took that from me when you decided to play games and keep secrets. Big fucking secrets, I might add. How long have you been lying to me? Since we met?”
“This wasn’t my decision, Leo. I was just doing what I was told,” Elias said. “How are you so fucking strong?”
Leo glared at Elias, suddenly in a full-on rage. “Because I made a decision. The only one I could. I decided to live.”
Elias’s eyes shined with his indignation. “While offering me up to die?”
Tightening his fingers around Elias’s wrist, Leo shook his head. “Unlike you, I thought about your life before I did anything.”
“Really? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The delicate balance you have fucked up? Paris is a fucking mess.”
“Paris? What about me?” he asked as they reached the end of the hall and stood in front of three stairs leading up to a raised stage. “You know, things could’ve been different, but you never bothered to explain. You didn’t give me a chance to understand. What was I supposed to do? Take it all on blind faith?”
“Yes.”
The word was so final that Leo had nothing to say in response.