Jonathan stared back in defiance, initially confident in his position, but gradually growing less and less so as his previous uncertainties resurfaced and ate away at his resolve. He lowered his head and begrudgingly let Lucien pass. The arch elder hesitated a few feet away.
“This is not how this was supposed to happen,” he said in a quiet, solemn voice.
Jonathan turned and watched Lucien’s back as he approached Paresh. His silent and graceful movements barely disturbed the cloth of his cloak—it scarcely swayed, even near the hem above his feet. Paresh was lying across Eric’s chest with her eyes closed. The elder vampire knelt before her and took her hand in his.
She lifted her head and gazed sadly into his eyes. “He’s so cold.”
Lucien nodded and rose, taking her other hand to pull her up with him. Stepping over Eric, he stood beside her and turned her so that she faced him. With his eyes deadlocked on hers, he gently lifted and tilted her chin to the side, and brushed her hair back to expose her neck. Several tears rolled down Paresh’s cheek as she returned her attention to Eric’s face. She drew a shaky breath in as Lucien lowered his mouth to her throat.
“You will see him again soon enough,” he whispered below her ear, just before his teeth sank into her skin. She cried out and went limp in his arms.
Jonathan merely stood by as Lucien undid his achievement. Not only was he watching her die again, but he had also allowed it to happen, and this time he truly was powerless to save her. Anger raged throughout his body, but he was resigned to follow his master into the grim future he desired—as long as he survived the punishment for his disobedience. He had no idea what awaited his immediate existence, but only one truth repeated itself over and over in his mind: Lucien’s cold heart did not allow him to be a forgiving or merciful man. The knowledge of that one, undeniable fact hung heavily around him even as Lucien beckoned and he advanced.
Lucien withdrew from her throat. “Take her, I don’t have much time.”
She had lost consciousness, but she was still breathing. As Lucien carefully let her fall back into Jonathan’s arms, the younger man sighed.
Lucien removed his cloak, scattering the scents of vanilla and incense into the air, and draped it over Paresh’s barely covered form. Beneath it, he resembled a swordless modern day samurai warrior, dressed formally in a black kimono ensemble with Japanese pleated trousers. A brief glint of silver beneath his haori revealed the Vampiric Star pinned near his heart. The jacket contained an embroidered crest of the star on either side of his chest and at three traditional points along his back: one on each sleeve and one near the collar, hidden beneath his hair.
Lucien stepped over Eric and turned, meeting Jonathan’s eyes with a gaze absent of emotion. “I see you still do not trust me. Perhaps if I was able to feel anything that would hurt me.”
Kneeling on the ground, Lucien propped Eric’s upper body against his chest and tilted his head back. “From the moment of my creation, my private desire—all I have ever wanted in my life—has been to feel something, anything at all, in my heart other than empty coldness. I cannot see that become a reality as long as he is dead. Without him, she is powerless.”
Jonathan’s expression softened. He knelt on Eric’s opposite side and cradled Paresh in his arms, watching with intense eyes as Lucien sliced through his wrist with one sharp talon and streamed his blood into Eric’s mouth.
Focused on his deed, Lucien did not look at Jonathan as he explained, “Eric’s blood in your veins may have sparked the return of her life, but it was yours that gave her exhausted body the power it needed to regenerate itself. Similarly, her blood can lure life back into his body, but right now, she is too weak to sustain it. My blood will supplement hers to restart his heart and restore his energy so that she can survive. Without his spiritual essence to supply her vampiric cells, she is mortal, and not only does that mean that my bite will kill her, but also that without him, she is powerless to save us.”
Lucien glanced up. “You surprised me. She was calling for you to save him, but you saved her instead.”
Glancing aside uncomfortably, Jonathan quietly asked, “Why did you order her death in the first place?”
Unfazed at having his order questioned, Lucien lowered his arm. “Humans cannot visit the spiritual realms in their physical form and she needed to meet with His emissary, the Archangel Gabriel.”
Pointing to the sky, he added, “Often they can hear His voice. They just do not know He is speaking to them. He can lead the way and hope they follow, but sometimes He must use forceful persuasion when necessary, as seems to be the case with you three. I am not surprised that Gabriel saw to this personally.”
Knowing Lucien’s attention was focused on Eric, Jonathan gazed upon his master. A strong emotion he didn’t understand was tugging at his heart. He felt overwhelmed—joyful and depressed at the same time, affected by a hybrid sentiment beyond description. Lucien had kept his promise and had not betrayed him after all.
Jonathan felt a sudden compulsion to reach out and touch Lucien, but resisted. Given his interference, doubts, and lack of trust, he had no right to revel in such a historic moment. In a low voice, Jonathan confessed, “I’ve done some horrible things in my efforts to persuade Eric over the years and they all culminate in Lucifer’s arrival here. If not for my interference, he never would have noticed her.”
The elder nodded. “It is true that Destiny had to work harder to reach this end, but she always gets her way, eventually. Lucifer would have found out one way or another, and his involvement created more problems than yours did. Listen...” His voice trailed as he cocked his head to the side and tapped his ear.
A faint, prolonged beat came from Eric’s chest as his heart struggled to reanimate and circulate his unmoving life force. Another beat followed, and then another, his heart continuing to pump, fighting to push coagulating blood through constricted veins and arteries at a slow, erratic pace. The minutes plodded by excruciatingly slowly, especially for the vampires who possessed nearly infinite patience, as Eric’s pulse gradually gained momentum and strength.
Not long after, the man who had been stabbed through the heart by the Devil himself stirred and moaned with his first breath. His eyes struggled to open and fell on Jonathan as though not aware of whom he was actually seeing. Then he grew aware of the body behind him and flicked his gaze up to Lucien’s face. Although he still seemed to have trouble focusing and blinked repeatedly, Eric’s strength did not show a single sign of weakness as anger lit his face and he thrust upward to grab the elder by the throat.
“What the hell just happened?” he demanded through his teeth, returning his glare to Jonathan.
Lucien regarded Eric patiently without attempting to escape his grasp as Jonathan replied, “Eric, meet Lucien. He just brought you back to life.”
Eric stared at Lucien for a moment before uncertainly allowing his animosity to drain away. Looking back at Jonathan, he realized that Paresh’s body lay beneath the black wool draping his arms. His voice caught in his throat as he choked out, “Is she... is she all right?”
Lucien answered before Jonathan could part his lips. “Now that you are alive, she will recover. Give her time. Jonathan saved her, Paresh the Pure, so that she could save you, Eric the Anointed. We do not have one Servator. We have two. You balance and need each other.”
Eric relaxed his hold on Lucien, hesitating before letting go completely. Concern etched his face as he sat up and stroked Paresh’s cheek. Jonathan quietly observed the tenderness of his touch before sliding her into Eric’s arms.
When their eyes met, Jonathan quickly looked away. “Eric, I’m sor—” he began before Lucien cut him off.
“Paresh needed to pass to the spiritual realm to learn of her destiny. You were supposed to revive her, but Lucifer interfered by possessing that human and killing you. That exception aside, everything happened with reason and there is nothing to be sorry for right now.” He gave Jonathan a stern look. His tim
e to repent would come later.
His strength visibly returning, Eric cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders while holding Paresh against his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed as his body adjusted to moving again. “This place is no longer holy, so what ties her to it? Two days ago, that tree gave her a premonition that haunted her dreams and came true tonight.”
“As a private gift given to her through the bond you both share, her connection to Him bypasses physical structure and land. As long as you are with her, she will feel it anywhere, but it will always be strongest here, at its point of origination, since the spiritual realm opened here at the moment of her birth,” Lucien replied. From his waist, he removed a case, about the size of a small journal, and held it in his lap.
“When Jonathan met with me yesterday, the effect she had on him was evident and fondness was clear in his voice. I needed no more proof of her identity than that.” He opened the case. “I understand that her favorite color is blue. These seemed more fitting than ours.” Peeling back a layer of deep blue velvet, he revealed a pair of pins. The Vampiric Star contained a sapphire at the center in place of the ruby, and the silver, black, and blue silk ribbon bar had two stars tacked into it.
“I also understand that you have never cared much for our ranks, but I hope you will accept these on her behalf.” Lucien offered them with a respectful bow of the head.
Eric nodded and snapped the case closed as he took it from Lucien’s hands. “What happens now?”
“That is what she must tell us, when she wakes up,” Lucien responded. “You should take her back to your house. I will follow soon, if that is all right.”
Eric’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated Lucien’s request. He stood and said, “You may enter my home.”
Eric carried Paresh down the trail without another word to either man. As he disappeared into the shadows, Lucien caught Jonathan’s eye and nodded to the north. “Call your pack and have them clean up. Secure that urn and send it to my quarters.”
Jonathan let out a low whistle. Moments later, his VaSH squad appeared and began erasing all signs of what had transpired. “Recover the entire inventory: two Hilja Rings, one Ivor Bow, and five Aegis cloaks. Carefully secure that and take it to Devon Island, to Arch Elder Lucien’s sole attention. Take the bodies to storage and clear the premises,” he commanded. As they scattered, he looked at Lucien. “Shall I go with them or with you?”
With others present, Lucien sat in a meditative pose and impassively stared at Jonathan, saying only, “Wait.”
Once Jonathan’s pack departed, either en route to the Arc of True Blood or the Arc of Mourning Eidolons, Lucien lifted his gaze from Jonathan to the overcast night. The hunters had put out the fires, leaving behind only the scents of smoke and smoldering ash to linger over that of the spilt blood staining the earth. Without the flicker of orange haunting the circle, soothing darkness and peaceful stillness enveloped the two men.
Lucien took in a deep breath. “It’s been so long since I’ve been out in the world. Even with the pollution, the air seems fresher than the recycled atmosphere of the dome.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying each even expansion of his lungs.
Jonathan watched him for several minutes in silence, caught in the tranquil moment, before reality resurfaced. Lucien had left the arc. “Why did you come? It’s dangerous for you to be here.”
“I’m not the only elder who has left the sanctity of the arc lately.” Lucien met Jonathan’s eyes with darkness lacing his gaze. “We have a traitor in our midst and I will rely heavily on you to deal with this in the time to come while our race adjusts to the new age.” He closed his eyes and took in another deep breath.
“Do you know who?” asked Jonathan in a solemn voice.
“I do.”
“Who?”
“I don’t want to discuss it right now. It is more important to understand that the High Council can no longer rule from one dome. Leaders need to be free to move among the ranks anywhere in the world, guiding and helping them cope with their new emotions. You have learned firsthand what they will do to us.” He gave Jonathan a pointed look.
“I didn’t understand, Lucien. I should have trusted you, but I knew what I was feeling. This was the prophecy, our future, you should have told me what was going on,” Jonathan returned Lucien’s look. The casual exchange felt very natural.
“Perhaps, this time. But you had your orders.”
“And I did as you asked despite my doubts.”
“Someone has been leaking information to Lucifer,” Lucien suddenly revealed. “No one outside our circle knew about Eric’s origin and you never told the humans, but he knew, whether he believed it or not. I did not expect him to take matters into his own hands tonight, nor that you would underestimate his abilities, but things do not always go as they should.”
Fear briefly contorted Jonathan’s face as he wondered about any hidden meaning to the accusation. Lucien responded with a small smile. “Don’t look at me like that. You are not a traitor.”
Jonathan sighed. “So what do you intend to do?”
“For now, offer her blood to the elders and the VaSH commanders, and let them adjust before distributing it to the masses. I’ll assign the true blood elders specific domes to govern and allow them to set up sub-councils with guidance from the high elders. Coping and evolving is not going to be an easy process. You and I will need to convince Eric to assist us.”
“Eric knows nothing of our ways and has no desire to govern our race,” Jonathan said sourly.
“He understands these emotions better than any one of us. He will accept his destiny in time,” Lucien replied lightly. His voice then softened as he confided, “Jonathan, I want you by my side at the Arc of True Blood. You are the only one I trust completely.” Lucien met Jonathan’s eyes with a look that made his heart leap.
“Lucien, I—” he whispered, guiltily looking down at the narrow spot of grass between them. He clenched his jaw, uncertain of what to say next.
“Ask me—” Lucien began in a gentle voice as he tipped Jonathan’s chin up. “What I feel in my heart, right now.”
“What do you feel in your heart... right now?” Jonathan asked in a quiet voice, searching Lucien’s eyes. His pulse was racing. Lucien seemed so unlike the distant man he had long known, but then, he felt strange himself. A sensation was swelling within him that was very different from anything he had ever experienced. He felt light and dizzy, like a gossamer feather caught in a gentle vortex swirling ever upward even though he had never left the ground.
“I feel warmth. It’s not cold anymore.” Lucien stroked Jonathan’s jaw and slid his hand to grasp the back of his neck. “I don’t want you beneath me. I want you next to me. Always.”
“Lucien, I—” A knot formed in Jonathan’s throat. He glanced down at the grass again and nodded.
Tipping Jonathan’s chin up once more, Lucien leaned in and tenderly pulled him forward. His other hand caressed Jonathan’s cheek and his eyes centered on Jonathan’s with a gentleness never before seen. Jonathan’s heart began beating even faster.
A nervous sigh escaped his mouth as his eyelids slowly closed and he moved in closer still, stopping only when he could feel Lucien’s breath on his skin. A surreal moment of complete silence followed before their lips met and they shared their first truly passionate kiss in over three thousand years. The Vampiric Nation’s salvation had finally come.
II
Surrounded by tranquil darkness and relieved to be home after an end to the strife that had plagued nearly a third of his life, Eric watched Paresh’s chest rise and fall in rhythmic succession. He rolled to his side, propping his head with one hand and stroking her face with the other. Physically, she showed no trace of injury, and even though her body still fought to stave off attack, Lucien’s bite marks had healed, as well. She looked peaceful and beautiful, like an angel at rest. He kissed her forehead and lightly rested his head on hers, offering a silent, tha
nkful prayer.
Upon arriving home, he had drawn a shallow bath and gently washed away the mud and blood coating her body. It had taken him some time to comb through and shampoo her tangled hair, but once finished, he had dressed her in one of his t-shirts and tucked her into his bed. Only then had he tended to himself. After a few much needed drinks, he had cleaned up in a quick shower and then settled next to her to await her awakening and Lucien’s impending arrival. The turmoil in his mind had finally calmed and seeded the wake for inner peace to blossom.
It was hard to imagine that she had appeared in his office a mere three days ago. The moment felt completely natural, as though he had lain beside her every night of his life. For a few minutes, he savored their solitude without thought, soothed by her scent and the sounds of her breath and heartbeat. Then his mouth turned up at the corners in a contemplative smile.
“It’s customary to knock before you enter someone’s home, whether invited or not,” he said. “Jonathan has that same bad habit.”
“It has been awhile since I’ve been out in civilization and I don’t tend to make house calls,” Lucien said in a deadpan tone. The elder’s movements were as fluid as water as he entered the room.
“Where is he?” Eric lifted his head, but stayed his gaze on Paresh’s face as he wrapped one curly lock around his finger.
“Waiting outside until he is invited in, as is our custom.”
Eric nodded without extending the offer. “Did you know what was going to happen tonight?”
“To an extent. I never knew when, nor whom, just vague details about the prophecy that I have kept to myself all this time. I suspected you initially, but you never passed to the spiritual realm. Not until recently did I consider you both.” Lucien seemed more relaxed and informal than before, as though comfortable in his skin for the first time. After a thoughtful pause, he said, “It is the rare fool who turns his back to me. For someone who fought so hard to avoid meeting me, I seem to have your implicit trust. Why?”
“She let you bite her to save me.”
The Arrival (Children of the Morning Star Book 1) Page 28