"Damn you Lucas," Gaspard said in a heated whisper, "Damn you!"
What was Lucas playing at? Why was he doing this? Gaspard left the room quickly before he lost control and began tearing the room to shreds in his rage. Lucas had tricked him. He had tricked him in to trusting he wouldn’t hurt Jocelyn. Part of Gaspard wanted to go and find Gabriel and bring him with. But the other part of Gaspard told him he needed to do this alone. He needed to deal with Lucas by himself once and for all.
As soon as he flung himself down to the mansions lawns without a care if anyone had seen him, he opened his senses for the sight, and scent, of smoke. It didn’t take Gaspard long to not only smell the smoke of a previously burned fire, but see it still hanging in the distance of the dark sky. He let out a low rumble from his throat and ran in full speed in the direction, his thoughts on Jocelyn. On Jocelyn and what he was going to do to Lucas. His body felt like it was on fire from his rage. There was no way Lucas would get away with this. Fear peeked up in Gaspard once more for Jocelyn. What if Lucas had not kept his word and hurt her anyway in his own impatience? It would not have been the first time Lucas deceived him. These thoughts just added fuel to the flame within him, causing him to quicken his pace even more in the direction of the smoke.
Blaise's lone figure stepped out from the lush woods surrounding the vampire castle and onto the short grass. He was covered in dirt. He let out a sigh and wiped his hands unconsciously on his trousers. His trip to burying the woman Marcel had murdered was done. The poor woman was now resting in peace. Blaise was about to make his way back to the castle to clean himself up when something caught his attention.
Smoke. He flared his nostrils widely as he inhaled the strong scent. "Fire?" He mumbled to his self quietly, "What was burning?"
He turned his head and quickly caught sight of the fading smoke cloud. The fire has dimmed by now, he thought to himself and began making his way to the castle when something clicked in his mind. The house! He turned around so quickly to eye the smoke once more that he was shocked his spine hadn’t severed itself. His eyes grew wide as he confirmed his thoughts. The house had been set on fire. But why? By whom? He shook his head and set his jaws tightly as he set off in a run towards the dimming smoke.
It didn’t take long for Gaspard to arrive at a ruined, smoke tainted building. As he took his first step onto the old property a strong feeling hit him, overwhelming him so much that he couldn’t move. What is this? He thought in confusion, what is this feeling?
He looked around with narrowed eyes as he took in the surroundings, but he couldn’t understand why that strange feeling had so suddenly come to him. He closed his eyes briefly to try and clear his mind and began once more towards the building. The front door was charred from the fire that had licked so hungrily at its interior previously, causing no barrier for Gaspard. His eyes searched rapidly around the large ash filled room he entered and caught sight of Jocelyn immediately. Relief filled him as he sensed her to still be alive and ran to her side.
Kneeling down beside her, he lifted her head gently with one hand and placed the other on her cheek.
"Jocelyn? Jocelyn wake up," he said softly, but desperately, fearing at first that she would not wake. Jocelyn's eyes fluttered open and tears sprung to her eyes as soon as her vision cleared and she seen Gaspard.
"Oh, Gaspard..." she said hoarsely, "I was so afraid I would not see you again.”
Gaspard wiped a fallen tear from her cheek with his thumb and kissed her lips softly, "Jocelyn, I..." He paused as his ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming closer to the building. He set her head down gently and stood up swiftly to see Blaise entering through the door. Gaspard's bunched up muscles that had been ready to attack loosened quickly at the sight of his friend. But curiosity soon filled him.
"Blaise? What are you doing here?" Gaspard asked swiftly then shook his anxiety away as he looked down at Jocelyn and knelt down beside her once more, "Never mind that now, help me free Jocelyn!"
Blaise knelt down beside his friend, unsure as of what to do until Gaspard began breaking the silver chains with his bare hands and quickly followed. It didn’t take long for them to free Jocelyn, and as soon as they moved the chains pieces as far from her as possible Gaspard hugged her closely to his chest.
"Jocelyn, I'm so sorry."
"Gaspard," she rasped her voice still hoarse, "I'm not mad at you. This isn’t your fault."
"I should have told you, Jocelyn, I should have protected you!"
Jocelyn looked up at his face and kissed his lips softly to calm him. She had felt his skin beginning to burn with his bottled emotions. As she pulled away and gave him a smile she noticed Blaise, now standing, a bit away from them. Gaspard, following her gaze nodded to Blaise.
"Jocelyn, this is Blaise. He's a good friend of mine. A vampire."
Jocelyn smiled at Blaise and was about to thank him for his help in releasing her when Gaspard spoke up again.
"Now that Jocelyn is free, how did you find this place, Blaise? I told no one where I was going."
"I- I seen the smoke," Blaise mumbled as he tried to avoid telling Gaspard his knowledge of the house, "and I decided to check things out."
"Well, I'm glad you did," Gaspard smiled and began to help Jocelyn up when a voice suddenly spoke up from behind the three of them.
"Oh, now, Blaise. We both know that is not true." The sneering voice clicked its tongue in a disapproving noise as Lucas stepped out from the shadows with an insane look on his face.
Gaspard growled as he moved between the vampire and Jocelyn in a protective stance. Then gave a side-ways glance to Blaise. "What is he talking about, Blaise? I'd hate to think you had something to do with this!"
"No, Gaspard that isn’t it at all!" Blaise spoke quickly, desperately even, as the vampire leaders words pushed him into a corner.
"Well of course, boy." Lucas grinned at Gaspard. "You should know that much! I was only meaning that little Blaise here knows what this place is."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Gaspard began to shout when something suddenly hit him. The same feeling that had greeted him when he had first arrived here- a feeling of remembrance.
As he looked around warily, he realized the burned down, ash filled room they were in had once been some sort of living area. A large room big enough for a family to sit in together. Gaspard's stomach lurched as his dreams came back to him. His dreams from when his parents died. He grasped his head in both hands as reality stuck him suddenly, causing him to cry out loudly in grief.
Now Gaspard knew the reason behind the strange feeling that overcame him when he first arrived to this abandoned place. This wasn’t just any abandoned building. This was the very home he was born in. The very home he had once been a part of a family in. The very place that had ended his parent's life and had put him on the track to his own immortal one. It wasn’t until then that he noticed Jocelyn was speaking to him, her arms wrapped around his waist as she stood behind him.
"Gaspard! Gaspard what’s wrong?"
"This...was my home... the home my parents were murdered in," Gaspard's voice was shaking with grief and rage as he opened his eyes to look at the demented vampire before him, his hands clenched into fists as his skin began to heat.
"Why did you bring me here?! Why did you take Jocelyn! You said you wouldn’t harm her, damn you!" He tried to hold back, but couldn’t help but to scream at Lucas.
"Now, Gaspard, I only said I wouldn’t kill her and you can see the wolf is alive." Lucas smiled before continuing, "And as for bringing you here, this house has a certain history to it I plan to complete in due time."
"Blaise, take Jocelyn out of her!" Gaspard growled, his eyes never leaving Lucas.
"No, Blaise. I think all three of you should hear what I have to say." Lucas said in a sharp voice causing Blaise to stop in his tracks as he had begun to reach for Jocelyn.
"No! I am sick of your games Lucas! I will have nothing more to do with you!"
"No. You’re right. For you have never given me any choice since the day I was turned! So now, I will take what I choose!"
"Don’t you care to know why your parents died?" Lucas questioned in a low tone, his eyes narrowed, a grin creeping across his lips.
"Werewolves killed them. I already know that."
"Oh, Gaspard! I'm so sorry!" Jocelyn cried softly for what her kind had done to him.
"And you, girl, don't you want to know how your mother died?" Lucas' new grin grew larger.
Both Gaspard and Jocelyn froze at his question. Jocelyn had never known how her mother had truly died. And as Lucas spoke of this, all Gaspard could think of was the werewolf whose blood had been poisoned with silver. No. It couldn’t be. Gaspard thought desperately. Never had he thought that the werewolf leader’s murdered mate could have ever been Jocelyn’s deceased mother. But the more he thought of it, the more sense it made.
"So you see," Lucas continued as he seen each of their expressions, "you should really hear what I have to tell. You may know what killed them Gaspard, but you do not know why. Only I know that."
"How could you know? Not even G-" Gaspard cut himself off quickly and nearly bit his tongue in the process. He couldn’t tell Lucas the truth about Gabriel being his uncle. But the new look on Lucas' face made his cold heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
"Were you going to say something about Gabriel? Don’t try to hide it Gaspard, you aren’t the only one who has been recently enlightened with the truth."
"How do you know…?”
"Alayna. She overheard you two and naturally, she told me. She can be clever when she uses her brain."
"Where is Gabriel?" Gaspard asked in sudden panic. "What the hell did you do to him!"
"I only did what should have happened to him ten years ago boy. Nothing more, nothing less."
"You murderer!" Gaspard bellowed in rage and went to lunge at Lucas only to be held fast by Blaise by his arms who soon yelled in pain at Gaspard's hot skin.
"Let go of me, Blaise! Now!"
"No, Gaspard! I don't care if my hands burn, you cannot kill him! At least not yet!" Blaise yelled desperately as he tried to ignore the smell of his burning flesh.
"And why not! He killed the last bit of family I had left!"
"If you kill him now, you'll never know what happened to your parents! No-one will!"
Gaspard began panting to try and calm his nerves. His muscles began to relax and he stood up from his crouched position. But Blaise didn’t relinquish his grip. He knew if he did, Gaspard would only try to attack again. Truth, or not.
"Tell me what you did. What did you do to my family?!" Gaspard spat angrily, his eyes alight with rage.
"Ah, so you are clever enough to figure out I had something to do with your parents’ death. Bravo, Gaspard." Lucas laughed madly and clapped his hands together to further anger Gaspard.
"Tell me!"
"I'm sure your fool of an uncle told you the skeletal details. Your parents were murdered because your father killed the werewolf leader’s mate, correct?"
A sharp intake of breath could be heard from behind Gaspard and Blaise. Jocelyn had covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. No. This couldn’t be. Gaspard's father could not have killed her mother! Jocelyn thought as tears ran down her face. Gaspard closed his eyes painfully as he heard her cry softly. How could Lucas do this to her?
"Oh stop your crying, wolf. Your lover's father didn’t do it." Lucas spoke with disgust at Jocelyn’s tears. "Cedric was too nice. Even for a vampire. It sickened me to the very marrow of my bone when he made the treaty between the werewolves and vampires. We are blood enemies!" Lucas shouted, "We are meant to rage war! And he went and put an end to it! He was no vampire leader. He barely acted like a vampire! So many restraints he put on us. So many rules! But the treaty was the last rule for me. I knew I had to end it. And I had always known I'd make a better leader anyway. I needed to be leader."
"You betrayed him!" Gaspard opened his eyes in shock as he heard the shout come from not his mouth, but Blaise's. "Everything he did he did for the best of the vampires! He changed things for better and you murdered him?!"
"No! I only framed him! I did not want to soil my hands with his sickening flesh!" Lucas shouted, his eyes sparking dangerously. "So I devised a plan. A plan only I knew of! I went to the Roux mansion and poisoned Irene's blood with silver! She barely had any life left in her after I had cut her open, but she still died slowly," Lucas grinned psychotically, his eyes no longer looking at them but through them at his past memories. "I made it look as if the very treaty writer himself had killed her! I knew the deformed dogs would want vengeance and I knew who they would blame as soon as they smelled the silver. My plan was almost complete, until you survived!" His eyes sprang back to the present to glare at Gaspard who was being restrained again by Blaise. "If only I had known of Gabriel then, you wouldn’t be here now. But, even that weakling of a vampire did something right." Lucas' rage calmed. "If he hadn’t saved you from the blood-lusting wolves, I wouldn’t have had you to fulfill my prophecy."
"How could you?!" Gaspard bellowed, his skin burning hotter than ever, causing Blaise to wince in pain as he held him back. "You killed my family for your own twisted needs! All because my father wanted you to be a more civilized vampire! All because you wanted to take his place?! You’re demented!"
"Maybe so!" Lucas shouted, his eyes wide and his fangs fully grown as he laughed twistedly. "But I know what it takes to be a vampire, boy!"
"You’re no vampire, Lucas. You’re a monster." Gaspard spat as he tried to relax his body once more.
"Let go of me Blaise, and take Jocelyn out of here!"
"Gaspard, no!" Jocelyn shrieked as she guessed what he was going to do but Blaise had already grabbed a hold of her and was leading her away.
"Our families need vengeance, Jocelyn!" He said as calmly as he could, his eyes focused on Lucas. He wanted to say more to her. He wanted to tell her one last time he loved her before she left. But he couldn’t. His mind was too full of rage to think of love. Even of her. For this fight would be for her and who they had lost.
"You will pay for what you've done," Gaspard growled as he allowed his fangs to grow fully, his eyes completing their change as well.
"You and I are the same." Not taking their eyes off one another, they began to rotate in a circle.
"I am nothing like you," Gaspard spat with distaste.
"When will you learn?"
"When I detach your head from the rest of your heartless body."
"You forget what you are," he said coldly.
"My heart may not beat, but at least it knows how to love."
"To love is what weakens you. I am stronger because I do not let foolish emotions take control."
"You are wrong." He slowly shook his head angrily while getting into position to leap at him.
Lucas chuckled. "And what would the likes of you be able to do to defy me?"
"Whatever's necessary." He tightened his jaw, flexing the muscles.
"You speak as if your strength is greater than my own. Have you forgotten that you are not even full-blooded? A weak hyblood and nothing more," he sneered. "You can thank your father for marrying a human for that."
"My father was more than you'll ever be." His anger made his voice rise.
"Too bad his rein was short-lived," he chuckled devilishly. "I should have been leader from the beginning. Everyone knew I was more powerful than him. But be as it may, to plan his murder and it being successful was the only way to show them how right I was."
Gaspard could have rolled his eyes over how arrogant Lucas was, but they were staring too intent at him to move his eyes away, also not wanting to give him an opening to attack first. It would only take the slightest disposition or distraction to give him enough time to strike. "You're mad."
"Maybe I am? But, it does
n't prove that I am wrong." he smirked. "So, you are willing to sacrifice your own life for the pathetic bunch under my leadership? And even a werewolf?" he made tsk tsk sounds with his tongue like he was disgusted.
"Yes," he spat stiffly. "I'll no longer let you continue your corrupt ways."
"You'll die trying."
"No. It is time you suffer for everything and the ones you've taken away from me. This will be for my parents, Gabriel, Elijh, Jocelyn, and all the other innocent beings you've brought pain and death to. You end here, and now."
"Do you really wish to dance with the devil, boy?!" His eyes flickered darker.
Gaspard barred his fangs in answer-- yes, he really did wish to fight him and if it was to the death, then so be it-- and leapt as fast as a bullet across the space that was between them. He collided with Lucas in mid-air, slamming him into one of the braces of the Dautry house with so much force that they collapsed the wall. Debris fell on top of them as Gaspard struggled to keep him down. He struck him twice across the face and banged his head in an already half broken window. Several pieces of glass cut Lucas' neck and cheeks, making him look even more ravenous.
Lucas quickly elbowed him in the jaw when glass shattered in his eyes and pushed him to the side and now was the one overpowering him. They switched positions constantly as they rolled around in the rubble, punching and back-hand striking one another each opening they saw.
Gaspard finally had him down in a head lock. He wanted to rip his head off with his bare hands but Lucas was yet still too strong. He would need to weaken him more first. But Gaspard didn't realize this until Lucas had broke his jaw free and bit deep into his right shoulder with his sharp fangs. He tore apart his muscle, leaving his arm dangling limply.
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